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SCHWEIZER
BOTSCHAFT IN BEIJING
EMBASSY OF SWITZERLAND IN BEIJING
AMBASSADE DE SUISSE EN CHINE |
Der wöchentliche
Presserückblick der Schweizer Botschaft in der VR China
The Weekly Press Review of the Swiss Embassy in the People's Republic
of China
La revue de presse hebdomadaire de l'Ambassade de Suisse en RP
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Mongolia
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| Foreign Policy |
China wants more cooperation with Hamburg: vice premier (Xinhua)
2018-11-29
Chinese Vice Premier Liu He met on Tuesday with the First Mayor of Hamburg Peter Tschentscher, and expressed the willingness to deepen cooperation with the German city. Liu said that Hamburg, as a well-known commercial harbor city, plays a vital role in global trade, and is an international metropolitan with well-developed transportation, manufacturing and technology. He said China and Germany has established an all-around strategic partnership, and the cooperation has made significant progress in various fields. Hamburg, which started cooperation with China early, is one of the cities in Germany and Europe that attracted the most Chinese investments. The city has played an active role in promoting China-Germany pragmatic cooperation, said Liu. He added that China holds a positive outlook for Germany's development and appreciates Hamburg's willingness and efforts to deepen cooperation with China. Liu expressed the hope that the two sides will create better environment for investment, and strengthen cooperation in fields such as manufacturing, digital economy, medium- and small-sized enterprises and the Belt and Road Initiative. Liu said the Hamburg Summit has become a well-known platform for Sino-European dialogue and an important platform for extensive exchanges among people of all circles in China and Europe. He said the Chinese government is willing to send a positive signal through the platform that China and Germany, as well as Europe, will deepen pragmatic cooperation, and will firmly safeguard multilateralism and free trade. Describing Hamburg as Germany's biggest industrial base, Europe's vital hub and an important gateway to Europe, Tschentscher said the city has always been a close and reliable partner of China. Tschentscher said the development since China's reform and opening-up is impressive. He added that Hamburg is willing to actively participate in the Belt and Road Initiative, attract more Chinese investments, and join hands with China in promoting development of China-Germany, China-Europe and Europe-Asia relationships. ^ top ^
China, UK enjoy enormous potential, promising prospects in building BRI: envoy (Xinhua)
2018-11-29
China and the UK, both big countries and great civilizations with global influence, have "enormous potential and promising prospects" in building Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Chinese ambassador to the UK Liu Xiaoming has said. Liu made the remarks while speaking at the Sixth Cambridge University International Real Estate Finance and Investment Conference opened here on Tuesday night. "In the new era, our joint effort in building the BRI enjoys enormous potential and promising prospects," Liu said. "The past five years have seen such effort becoming a major highlight in China-UK overall cooperation." "The UK is known for its pioneering spirit," he said, noting that the UK was the first major Western country to apply to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), and second only to China to contribute to the AIIB special fund. He added that the British government showed its vision by making the UK a "natural partner" of China and deepening cooperation with China on the BRI. Proposed by China five years ago, the initiative, Liu said, is aimed at "enhancing connectivity between countries and regions of the world so as to achieve inter-connected development and open new space for world economic growth." "The BRI follows the trend of the times and takes the lead in international cooperation," he said. "The past five years have seen it taking root, growing strong and bearing fruits." The British government has appointed a BRI Special Envoy, and an Expert Board was set up at the same time to enhance policy coordination and promote the development of the BRI, according to the ambassador. "The UK can set a good example of how to achieve early harvests," Liu said. "As the UK deepens its understanding of the BRI, cooperation between our two countries is producing an increasing number of early harvests." For example, he said, the main structure of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant, a flagship project of China-UK cooperation, is being built, and the generic design assessment on Hualong One nuclear technology has entered the third phase. Also the ABP Royal Albert Dock, with 1.7 billion pounds (2.17 billion US dollars) of investment from the Chinese company ABP, has broken ground. China Railway Express ran its first freight train between China's Yiwu, Zhejiang Province, and London, offering a new, on-land option for the movement of goods between China and Britain, he added. "This has extended the Belt and Road to the western end of Europe," Liu said, adding that the UK can be "a pioneer in exploring deeper cooperation on the BRI." "The UK has unique strength in financial services, think-tank and creative industry," he said. "In recent years, people from all walks of life have come forward with numerous ideas on how to leverage these strengths to engage more deeply in the BRI development." ^ top ^
New facilities to aid S. China Sea studies (China Daily)
2018-11-29
Construction of a new base to support China's archaeological studies in the South China Sea began in Qionghai, Hainan province, on Tuesday. Hu Bing, deputy director of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, said the base is planned as a complex of facilities for research, underwater excavation and conservation of historical heritage in the South China Sea. It will also be used to promote relevant international exchanges. The facilities will include a scientific research institute for maritime cultural heritage, a conservation workshop for salvaged shipwrecks and a training center for archaeologists. "Launching this project reflects the country's maritime strategy and determination to boost culture," Hu said. "The base will benefit Hainan's economy and help clarify the history of the South China Sea." Hu added that the move fits well with the concept of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, a part of the Belt and Road Initiative. Plans to construct such a base were mentioned in national guidance released by the State Council in 2016 to further enhance work related to cultural heritage. The hub, covering 31,000 square meters, will cost 250 million yuan ($35.9 million) to build, according to the National Cultural Heritage Administration website. It will be run by the National Center of Underwater Cultural Heritage, which is affiliated with the administration. No announcement has been made on when construction will be completed. Its location is near the China (Hainan) Museum of the South China Sea, which opened to the public in April to better display cultural relics found in the area. Also in April, the underwater-heritage center led a major investigation off the coast of the Xisha Islands to study ancient Maritime Silk Road routes. With the help of robots and the manned submersible Shenhai Yongshi, or Deep Sea Warrior, archaeologists investigated areas up to 1 kilometer below sea level. As a pivotal passage on the 2,000-year-old trade route connecting China to the world, the South China Sea is home to myriad shipwrecks. For example, Nanhai One, a merchant ship of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) that sank in the area and was found in 1987, is so far among the world's biggest discoveries of ancient wooden shipwrecks. More than 60,000 artifacts were found in the debris. Residents of Qionghai, east of Hainan Island, have fished in the South China Sea since ancient times. The county-level city is also known as the permanent home of the annual Boao Forum for Asia. ^ top ^
Xi Jinping on charm offensive in Europe with cooperation calls to Spain, France and Germany (SCMP)
2018-11-28
Beijing is stepping up efforts to strengthen ties to Europe, with China saying its relationship with Spain is the best in history and calling for greater cooperation with Germany and France. Spain rolled out the red carpet for Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is seeking allies as trade clashes with Washington raise the temperature of international relations. Heads of state Xi and King Felipe VI reviewed a guard of honour at the royal palace in Madrid on Wednesday, while Xi's wife Peng Liyuan and Spain's Queen Letizia watched the formalities from a podium. In his meeting with the king on Tuesday, Xi said relations between China and Spain were the "best in history". "We should continue to support each other on the issues of core interests and big concerns," Xi was quoted by state-run Xinhua as saying, suggesting more cooperation on trade, tourism and third-party markets under China's "Belt and Road Initiative" framework. The Chinese president will follow his two-day visit to Spain by flying to Argentina on Thursday for a G20 leaders' summit the next day, and then visit Panama and Portugal until December 5. In addition to Xi, other senior Chinese officials are stepping up engagement with Europe as China seeks to stabilise its external relations while it is locked in a trade war with the United States. At an economic forum in Hamburg, Germany, Vice-Premier Liu He called on Germans to work with China against unilateralism and protectionism. Liu met German Chancellor Angela Merkel during his four-day visit. He brought a message from Xi to Merkel that China "is willing to cooperate closely with Germany to enrich the strategic connotations of bilateral cooperation and strive to promote global economic governance, safeguard multilateralism and free trade, and build an open global economy". China believed protectionist and unilateral approaches brought more economic uncertainty, not less, Liu said. Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who accompanied Xi to Spain, discussed the G20 summit in Argentina with his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, by phone on Wednesday. Xi and French President Emmanuel Macron are to meet in Buenos Aires. Xi and Macron met during the French president's state visit to China in January, when trade was high on the agenda. Wang and Le Drian both promised to push forward the agenda of climate change and give momentum to the next Conference of Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change – known as COP 24 – which will take place in Poland next month. In 2016, Donald Trump said that if he were elected US president he would withdraw from the Paris Accord on climate change. The US will abandon the accord in November 2020. Xi will have important meetings at the G20, including one with Trump to discuss the US-China trade war, as well as European leaders. "It is critical timing – all sides would hope for a fruitful summit and are preparing," said Cui Hongjian, head of European studies at the China Institute of International Studies. ^ top ^
Xi urges Spanish enterprises to make best use of CIIE platform (Xinhua)
2018-11-28
Visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday urged Spanish enterprises to make best use of the public platform of China International Import Expo (CIIE) to win more business opportunities and promote China-Spain economic and trade ties to a new height. When meeting representatives from the China-Spain Business Advisory Council together with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Xi extended his congratulations to the establishment of the business advisory council and its first meeting on Tuesday. The Chinese president called the business advisory council an important platform of deepening bilateral economic and trade ties and a new cooperation mode of combining strong ones and complementing each other's advantages. He said building strong synergy between the two countries' strategies and realizing complementary advantages will help promote connectivity between Asia and Europe and push the global economy to develop in a more open, inclusive and balanced way. He said he believes that with the joint efforts of entrepreneurs and business communities from the two countries, the mutually beneficial economic and trade cooperation in the new era will open a new chapter and bring more benefits to the two countries and their peoples. For his part, Sanchez said at a time full of changes, Spain pays more and more attention to Asia, especially China which attaches importance to its opening-up to the world. Noting that China has become an important trade partner and one of Spain's main export destination, Sanchez said his government supports the country's economic, trade and investment cooperation with China, and supports the two countries' business communities in strengthening links. Also on Wednesday, Xi's wife, Peng Liyuan, visited the Teatro Real (Royal Theater) in downtown Madrid, accompanied by Queen Letizia of Spain. Peng called for more art exchanges between the two nations and stronger friendship between the two peoples. Xi arrived here Tuesday for the first visit by a Chinese head of state to the European country in 13 years. Spain is the first stop of Xi's ongoing Europe and Latin America tour, which will also take him to Argentina, Panama and Portugal. In Buenos Aires, Argentina, Xi will also attend the 13th Group of 20 summit. ^ top ^
China supports SCO in increasing cooperation with UN: Chinese envoy (Xinhua)
2018-11-28
A Chinese envoy said Tuesday that China supports the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in increasing cooperation with the United Nations. "As a founding member of the SCO, China will continue to work with all parties to carry forward the 'Shanghai Spirit' and implement the outcomes of the Qingdao Summit," said Wu Haitao, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN, at a special event on "Cooperation between the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization." "We will support the SCO in increasing cooperation with the United Nations and advancing the purposes and principles of the UN Charter to build a community with a shared future for mankind," Wu noted. The SCO has an important influence on regional and international affairs, said the envoy, noting that over the past 17 years since its inception, guided by the "Shanghai Spirit" of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, mutual consultation, respect for cultural diversity and aspiration for common development, the SCO member states have continuously increased political mutual trust and cooperation in security, economic and cultural fields. "Through extensive international cooperation, the SCO has achieved positive results in combating terrorism, drug trafficking and organized crime, making important contribution to regional security and shared prosperity," he added. Noting that the SCO has become a comprehensive regional organization with great potential and a coverage of the largest population and landmass, and will play a more active role in regional and international affairs, Wu said that the SCO enjoys close cooperation with the UN. While stressing that the "Shanghai Spirit" conforms to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, the envoy said that closer cooperation between the SCO and the UN has injected strong impetus in the efforts of the international community to achieve peace, stability and common development. Wu told the event that the SCO and the UN have carried out cooperation of various forms on Afghanistan and other hotspot issues, counter-terrorism, anti-narcotics, education, science and culture, adding that China supports the UN General Assembly in adopting a draft resolution on cooperation between the UN and the SCO. Wu recalled that the 18th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO was held in June in Qingdao, China. The Qingdao Declaration states clearly that it is important to expand exchanges and cooperation between the SCO and the UN, its specialized agencies and other regional and international organizations, he said. ^ top ^
Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf pulls out of a trip to mainland China and Hong Kong as Stockholm presses for release of detained bookseller Gui Minhai (SCMP)
2018-11-27
Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf has pulled out of a trip to mainland China and Hong Kong this month, at a time when the Nordic country has been pressing Beijing to release its citizen, Causeway Bay bookseller Gui Minhai, who went missing in 2015 and later appeared in custody. The king's last-minute cancellation raised speculation that he was trying to exert pressure on the Chinese government over the release of the detained publisher. But the Swedish Royal Court said the king needed to stay at home because the country was in the process of forming a new government. Swedish broadcaster SVT quoted unnamed sources as saying on Saturday that the king had cancelled the trip due to "complicated ongoing negotiations" over Gui that had entered a "critical" moment. The sources said Carl Gustaf, who had been due to join the Royal Technology Mission, would consider visiting China in the future if Gui were freed or if negotiations for his release had shown progress. However, Johan Tegel, press secretary at the Royal Court, told the Post: "Sweden is at the moment undergoing a process of forming a new government. His Majesty, who regularly meets with the [parliament's] Speaker during this process, is at the moment not able to travel for longer periods of time until the formation process has been concluded and a new government takes office." The mission is a trip for Swedish industry, university and government leaders to "make new contacts that can lead to a greater exchange of ideas and business", Tegel said. The delegation arrived in Hong Kong on Sunday and would be in the neighbouring mainland city of Shenzhen from Thursday until Saturday. Hong Kong's leader, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, had to cancel a lunch at Government House which the king and delegation were supposed to attend on Wednesday, a source told the Post. As the king had dropped out of the trip, EU affairs and trade minister Ann Linde would represent the country instead, said Joakim Ladeborn, Sweden's deputy consul-general to Hong Kong. Under its itinerary, the delegation would still meet Lam on Wednesday before heading to Shenzhen the next day for a possible meeting with Pony Ma Huateng, the chairman of social and gaming giant Tencent. Observers said the king's possible involvement in the case of Gui, a naturalised Swedish citizen, would renew pressure on the Chinese side to release him, though it remained to be seen if it would be sufficient. "Sweden's demands still stand. Gui Minhai must be set free and must be able to reunite with his family," the country's foreign ministry said in a reply to the Post on Monday. Chinese-born Gui, 54, had been at the centre of the missing Hong Kong booksellers controversy of 2015. From October 2015, five associates of the Mighty Current publishing house and its Causeway Bay Books started to go missing, one after another. Their disappearance sparked fears that they were kidnapped by Chinese agents because their companies specialised in gossip about China's leadership. They all later surfaced on the mainland, saying they had returned there out of their own free will. In February, the Chinese Ministry of Public Security said the authorities had imposed criminal coercive measures – a euphemism for detention – on Gui on suspicion that he leaked state secrets abroad. "I believe that Sweden will not stop fighting for Gui's release until it really happens," said Bei Ling, a long-time friend of the publisher. He urged Stockholm to rally the support of other countries to secure Gui's release, saying that the Nordic country alone was small in the face of China, the world's second largest economy. Doriane Lau, China researcher at Amnesty International, said she could not say if the king's move would pressure Beijing enough for Gui's release. "We do think the international community should join Sweden to call for the release of Gui to show that the world has not forgotten him, and that no one, including foreign nationals, should be detained without due process in China." In January, reports emerged of Gui's dramatic arrest by 10 plain-clothes policemen on a train from Shanghai to Beijing, accompanied by two Swedish diplomats. The Swedish government said it was providing consular help to Gui as he needed medical help, and denounced his detention as a "brutal" act. China's public security officials later said Gui was carrying documents containing state secrets and was detained on suspicion that he had leaked secrets abroad. But critics said it was impossible for Gui to be able to obtain state secrets on the mainland because he was in custody. ^ top ^
Chinese state councilor meets permanent representatives of UN Security Council members (Xinhua)
2018-11-26
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with a visiting delegation of permanent representatives of the U.N. Security Council members here on Monday. Calling the U.N. a symbol of multilateralism, Wang stressed that all parties should adhere to international rules such as the purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter to maintain the healthy development of multilateralism. He said that international society needed the U.N. to play a stronger role, and the Security Council, with the responsibility of maintaining international security and stability, should jointly safeguard multilateralism and international rules. "China firmly upholds the purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter, determines its position on the merits of each case, and is committed to boosting cooperation among the members of the Security Council," Wang said. The permanent representatives said they appreciated China's safeguarding of multilateralism, its support to the U.N., and its outstanding contribution to U.N. peacekeeping operations and to promotion of global development. They expressed willingness to work with China to safeguard international peace and security. ^ top ^
Pakistan points to India after attack on Chinese consulate in Karachi (SCMP)
2018-11-25
The suicide bomber that targeted the Chinese consulate in Karachi used a foreign-made C4 plastic explosive, said Pakistani police, who suggested that the attack was orchestrated in India. Counterterrorism officer Umar Khitab said that authorities were investigating whether Baluch separatist commander Aslam Achhu, who they believe masterminded the attack, was in India. The Baluch Liberation Army claimed the attack, and Khitab said the group is backed by "the enemy country", a reference to India. There was no immediate comment from India's External Affairs Ministry about the C4 plastic explosive claims. However in an earlier statement, India denied helping the Baluchistan insurgents and was quick to condemn the violence. "The perpetrators of this heinous attack should be brought to justice expeditiously," India's foreign ministry said. Two other Pakistani officials said four suspects, who allegedly facilitated three attackers, were arrested in Karachi and other Sindh province towns. Friday's attack on the Chinese consulate in Karachi triggered an intense shoot-out that left all three assailants, two police officers and two civilians dead. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan called it "part of conspiracy" against Pakistani and Chinese economic and strategic cooperation and ordered an inquiry, his office said. Pakistan has long accused its old rival, India, of supporting the nationalist insurgents in Baluchistan, while India accused Pakistan of nurturing Islamist militants throughout the region. A spokesman for the BLA confirmed there were three attackers. "China is exploiting our resources," spokesman Jiand Baloch said. China has funded development of a deep water port at Gwadar in south Baluchistan, and is also investing in other projects on a China Pakistan Economic Corridor. Baluchistan, which is on the borders of Afghanistan and Iran, has rich mineral and natural gas reserves but is Pakistan's poorest province. Separatists have for decades campaigned against what they see as the unfair exploitation of resources, in particular natural gas and minerals. The Chinese government's top diplomat, Wang Yi, said he was "shocked" by the attack and urged Pakistan to prevent any more such incidents. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said China would "continue unswervingly" to work with Pakistan to develop economic projects. ^ top ^
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Xi Jinping targets grass roots in push to extend Communist Party control (SCMP)
2018-11-29
Commercial buildings, business districts and dedicated marketplaces in China are now required to set up Communist Party branches, joining a long list of economic and social institutions where the party is extending its reach. Beijing this week released its first regulations in its 90 years on how party branches should be run, as part of President Xi Jinping's efforts to reassert the party's control over the grass roots of society. In China, party branches have long been a feature of political life, branded the party's "fortress in the grass roots". The charter demands all grass-roots organisations – including companies, villages, schools, research institutes, communities, social organisations and military units – must set up a party cell if they have three or more members. But with rapid developments in China in recent decades, party leaders are determined to catch up and expand the organisation's presence into "new fields". Branches and meetings in NGOs, private companies and foreign firms are increasingly commonplace. The latest regulations, effective from October 28, list "innovative" ways for branches to be set up, with the aim of achieving "full coverage" for the party's reach and influence. One innovation is for party branches to be established at dedicated markets where one line of goods or produce – such as clothing – might be traded, as well as in commercial districts and buildings and large-scale or cross-region farmer co-operatives. Such practices are well established in some places. Shanghai had set up 3,200 party organs inside its commercial buildings by 2016, covering more than 50,000 members. During a visit to the city's glitzy Lujiazui financial district earlier this month, Xi arrived at its party branch located in Shanghai Tower – China's tallest skyscraper – and "highly affirmed" its efforts to build the party's presence, state media reported. "Party organs should cover wherever party members live and work, so that wherever they go they will be able to find the organisations and find their home," Xi was quoted as saying. The new rules also require organisations with fewer than three party members to team up with counterparts to create "joint party branches". Moreover, any project or work programme that lasts more than six months is subject to the latest requirements. Even party members who regularly change workplaces or residences, and cannot stay with any party unit for long, are not overlooked. There, the regulations now demand the establishment of "party branches for floating party members" to address the matter. "The regulation aims to help party members find the organisation whenever they switch jobs or places," Cai Zhiqiang, a professor at the Central Party School, was quoted by the Global Times as saying. The regulations also stipulated that party branches in private companies should be chaired by a member of the company's management. The tactic of deploying party cells to control the grass roots goes back to the early days of China's communist uprising. After his first insurrection was routed by nationalist forces in the autumn of 1927, Mao Zedong came up with a way to inject morale and discipline into his beaten, unruly peasant army. He set up party units in companies, platoons and squads so that the party's commands would be heard all the way down the army's chain of command. Nine decades on, the practice is now hailed by the party as a "glorious tradition", which the latest regulations must carry on. After decades of breakneck economic growth, the party is plagued by rampant corruption and a loss of discipline and convictions among its cadres, which Xi believes have eroded its control at the grass roots and posed a threat to its rule. He had repeatedly warned against the party's "weak and lax" local units – a message also heard at the Politburo's meeting on Monday. The new regulation, which is a trial version, is not a one-size-fits-all solution as party branches in different sectors have their own priorities. Party cells in universities, for instance, should emphasise "enhancing ideological and political guidance", while counterparts in private companies should focus on "uniting and rallying the staff" and building a "progressive" corporate culture, the regulations said. Under Xi, the party's presence has also been greatly expanded in areas where it once had only a token role – such as in private and overseas companies. By the end of 2016, 70 per cent of foreign-funded firms and 68 per cent of all private businesses in China had set up party branches, according to official figures. Some groups have since publicly raised their concerns about the developments. Last November, the Delegations of German Industry and Commerce in China warned that members of the German business community were concerned about the setting up of party cells in their companies. "Should these attempts to influence foreign-invested companies continue, it cannot be ruled out that German companies might retreat from the Chinese market or reconsider investment strategies," it said. ^ top ^
Political advisors study Xi's instructions on CPPCC (Xinhua)
2018-11-29
Members of the Standing Committee of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) convened in Beijing Wednesday to study the instructions of Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on improving the work of the CPPCC. Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, attended the opening session of the two-day meeting. The meeting, which was the fourth of the Standing Committee of the 13th CPPCC National Committee, was the CPPCC National Committee's first to center on improving its own construction in the new century and was an important approach to thoroughly study and implement Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and the spirit of the 19th CPC National Congress, said the attendees. The country's political advisors should focus their thinking and action on the spirit of Xi's instructions and concentrate on their missions in order to further improve the work of the CPPCC and greet the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the CPPCC with great spirit and solid conduct in work, according to the meeting. The meeting also heard explanations about a revised draft of the general rules of the special committees of the CPPCC National Committee, a revised draft of a guideline on the CPPCC National Committee's proposals, and drafts on personnel issues. ^ top ^
CPC issues regulation on management of officials' personnel files (Xinhua)
2018-11-28
The General Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee has issued a document regulating the management of officials' personnel files. The document specified departments in charge of personnel files and their content, as well as the rules for regular management, examination and overseeing of officials' personnel files. Officials' personnel files should be regarded as an important resource for the Party's governance in the new era, said the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, urging efforts to enhance the management of officials' personnel files. The regulation went into effect from Nov. 20, 2018. ^ top ^
Outrage grows over gene edited twins experiment, peers critical of scientist's defense (Global Times)
2018-11-28
Gene-edited babies are a step backwards for the scientific community, which has failed at self-regulation, international experts said following He Jinakui's presentation Wednesday in Hong Kong of his experiment on embryos that resulted in the birth of twins, who He claimed are resistant to HIV. He, the lead scientist in the experiment, told the Second International Summit on Human Genome Editing that he has conducted the experiment on eight married couples and all of the fathers are HIV positive. Questioned by experts at the event, He said there is "another potential pregnancy." He insisted his gene-editing experiment was intended to help people. He said he did not conduct his experiment in secrecy. In addition to consulting with international scientists two years ago, he explained his experiment at international conferences and received feedback. He said he provided the funding for his team and equipment, but some of the sequencing costs were covered by his university, the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen. The medical expenses of the volunteer couples, who were not paid to participate, were also financed by He. One of the eight couples dropped out, said He. He denied any of the companies in which he is a shareholder or owns were involved in the experiment. He is a shareholder or owner of eight companies according to the corporate data site tianyancha.com. He refused to identify the couples involved as it is illegal to disclose the identity of people who are HIV positive, saying he will make the related data available only to experts. More than 100 journalists from around the world rushed to the Lee Shau Kee Lecture Centre at Hong Kong University for He's speech. Hundreds of people attended He's presentation, and more than 500 people are registered for the event. He presented slides showing data collected from the experiment including blood tests from the infants' umbilical cord. He told the audience he will continue to assess the HIV infection potential of the twins. He said 30 of the eggs his team collected from the women were developed into embryos using the fathers' sperm and 70 percent of them were edited using CRISPR technology. He left the venue after the panel session and did not accept any media interviews. Amid rising doubts and criticism of He's experiment, China's National Health Commission and the Ministry of Science and Technology said in a Wednesday statement that scientific research and medical activities must follow the country's law and ethical principles. China will resolutely punish actions that go against laws and regulations, said the statement. David Baltimore, chairman of the organizing committee of the Hong Kong event, said after He's speech that the experiment was irresponsible. Baltimore thought the experiment is a failure of the scientific community's self-regulation. "He Jiankui claimed he wanted to benefit the family, which is a sincere perspective. But I don't know in the long run whether this will benefit them. The most interesting question is whether the twins will be treated differently with other children as they grow up," said Dana Carroll from the University of Utah. "Gene editing is very promising in the future, but I don't think we can be confident enough now of the efficiency, and I hope one of the outcomes of the controversy should be that other people slow down and don't go ahead with the reproductive editing at this stage," Carroll said. Professor Robin Lovell-Badge from the London Francis Crick Institute told the Global Times that he believed what He did was wrong and he should publish his work and data from the experiment. He's experiment was not a breakthrough but rather a step backwards, said Lovell-Badge. Sang Xinting, dean of the liver department of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, told the Global Times on Wednesday that a major risk of the CRISPR technology is that the so-called "gene scalpel" will continue to edit other genes not just CCR5 which is connected to immunity against HIV. "It may not stop. Five years later we will not know how many of the twins' genes have been changed. It is out of control," Sang said. Huang Jiefu, a former Chinese vice-minister of health, called for the establishment of a national ethics review committee to set standards and supervise bioscience experiments in the country. Chinese technology has developed rapidly in recent years while the development of related laws has not kept up, Huang told the Global Times on Wednesday in Beijing. The current regulation on ethical experimentation to guide experiments related to humans, embryos and stem cells was enacted in 2003. In 2016, the top health authority released a regulation requiring all medical institutes in the country establish ethics review committees to review and supervise human experiments. Huang said it is still not clear how violators of the regulations should be punished and members of the ethics committee should be both professional and have a deep understanding of rules governing ethics. Huang said He's experiment has impacted the international reputation of Chinese bioscience and needs to be properly dealt with. ^ top ^
Revised regulation calls for Chinese Christian groups' compatibility with Chinese values and laws (Global Times)
2018-11-28
China's Christian communities vow to explore blending church activities with Chinese characteristics, and stressed that Christian activities be conducted in accordance with Chinese laws, according to a revised regulation on Christian churches passed on Tuesday. Gao Feng, president of the China Christian Council (CCC) and Xu Xiaohong, secretary-general of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement of the Protestant Churches in China (TSPM), attended a joint meeting of the CCC and TSPM where the revised regulation was approved. Eighty-three standing committee members of the two organizations attended the meeting in Beijing on Tuesday, CCC and TSPM reported on their joint website on Tuesday. The revised document aims to regulate Chinese Christian churches to make Christians patriotic and conduct religious activities in line with the socialist society. Churches should respect Chinese traditional culture and explore new forms of religious activities with Chinese characteristics, the report said. The revised regulation focuses on more practical issues, and provides a guideline for local churches in managing religious affairs in line with laws. CCC and TSPM will be more active in administering domestic churches, said the report. The revision reflects the consensus among domestic Christians that the 2008 regulation no longer fits Chinese society, a Beijing-based religious scholar who requested anonymity, told the Global Times on Wednesday. The religion should adjust in several aspects, including its customs and buildings. The religious philosophy, such as its understanding of doctrines and morality, should also be compatible with Chinese culture, which centers on the Confucian values of harmony and inclusiveness, the expert said. Zhu Weiqun, former head of the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, told the Global Times on Wednesday that abiding by laws is the bottom line for a religion to conduct activities in China. "As organizations in China, churches should serve the nation and the people," Zhu said, noting that some illegal churches are using religion as a means to collect money from the people. "The adjustment is a long-term goal for religions that cannot be 'fully completed,'" Zhu stressed. CCC and TSPM issued a five-year plan in March on the sinicization of Christianity, including identifying content in the Bible that are in line with core socialist values, then turning them into easily understood reading materials. The plan also promotes Chinese elements in preaching, religious poems and songs, clothing and church designs. Preacher training will also be organized. In July, religious groups in China proposed that all religious venues should raise the national flag to strengthen their respect to the flag. The move would strengthen national consciousness, help religious believers better practice socialist core values, and carry forward the tradition of patriotism. ^ top ^
China publishes guideline for building mediation rooms (Xinhua)
2018-11-27
China's Ministry of Justice has released a guideline for building "mediation rooms." Mediation rooms are organizations where civil and commercial disputes are resolved by mediators. A mediation room can be established by one or multiple mediators, the guideline said. According to the requirement for a mediator to be eligible for setting up a mediation room, the mediator must be fair, honest and have high public prestige. The mediator must be kind, experienced in mediation, have a certain level of education and knowledge of policy and law, and have received awards from Party committees, governments above county level or relevant departments. "Professional mediators, retired law practitioners, experts such as lawyers, and those who are revered are encouraged to become mediators," the guideline said. Judicial and administrative organs shall offer training for mediators in forms including classes, workshops, case studies and trial hearings. China has a "people's mediation" method to resolve disputes outside judicial proceedings. The Law on Mediation, which went into effect in 2011, established people's mediation committees in villages, urban communities, businesses and public institutions. More than 9 million cases are settled through people's mediation every year, the ministry said in December 2017. Except for "people's mediation," administrative and judicial mediation are also used to handle disputes. ^ top ^
China lays solid foundation for halting carbon emissions rise by 2030 (Xinhua)
2018-11-27
China has laid a solid foundation for fulfilling its pledge to halt the rise in carbon dioxide emissions by around 2030, said Xie Zhenhua, the country's special representative for climate change affairs Monday. By 2017, China's carbon intensity, or the amount of carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP, had dropped about 46 percent from 2005 levels, meeting the target of a 40-45 percent drop by 2020, Xie said at a press conference. The share of renewable energy in China's primary energy consumption stood at 13.8 percent at the end of last year, Xie said. "Although there is still some distance from the goal of 15 percent, the target will definitely be met by 2020." By the end of last year, China had raised the forest stock volume by 2.1 billion cubic meters from the 2005 level, meeting the goal of a 1.3-billion-cubic-meter increase by 2020, he added. "With these goals met, a very solid foundation has been laid for meeting the target of halting the increase of carbon dioxide emissions by 2030, and even accomplishing that sooner than planned," Xie said. China will remain steadfast and active in addressing climate change and implementing the Paris Agreement, according to Xie, making the remarks before the 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Katowice, Poland next month. ^ top ^
Update laws to cover digital crimes, experts advise (China Daily)
2018-11-26
Legal experts have called for legislation covering emerging digital crimes, filling gaps in Chinese laws designed to meet the challenges of the agricultural and industrial eras. As online businesses continue to boom, police and court officers are encountering new types of cybercrime, some of which have not been seen anywhere before, according to academics and lawyers. The recommendation came at the 2018 Internet Law Conference held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, on Saturday and Sunday. "In the information era, we should reflect on and reconstruct the Criminal Law, as legislation from past eras fails to constrain some types of new illegal behavior," said Liang Genlin, a law professor at Peking University. Zhou Guangquan, a law professor at Tsinghua University, added that it can be hard to find appropriate charges in existing laws, or judicial interpretations, as some types of online crime have no traditional equivalent. A list of 10 cases this year that fell into that category was released at the conference, which was co-organized by Zhejiang and Peking universities, tech companies Alibaba Group and Ant Financial Services, and the Zhejiang People's Procuratorate. "These cases are intended to inform lawmakers and internet communities about new types of criminal offenses, to advance the study of legal theories and to provide models for cyberspace governance," said Gao Yandong, director of the Research Center for Internet Law, part of Zhejiang University's Guanghua Law School. One of the cases listed involved a coder who created and sold software that automatically registers a large number of accounts on an online gaming website. The offender was convicted last month of providing software or tools to intrude or illegally control computer information systems in Lanxi, Zhejiang. "The biggest harm of such an offense is that it can provide tools for people to commit crimes downstream, such as selling fake goods, sexually assaulting minors or creating click farms," Zhou said. In another case on the list, eight people were jailed for fraud after buying personal data so they could hack user accounts on Tmall - Alibaba's online shopping mall - and steal 6.71 million yuan ($965,700) through fake transactions. According to information presented at the conference, the gang members, all in their 20s, bought from their own online stores using hacked accounts to rack up bonus points, which users can exchange for discounts on goods, with Tmall covering the difference. The online stores received money from Tmall for each transaction using bonus points. News website thepaper.cn reported that in the first 20 days of November 2015, 1.4 billion fraudulent transactions were completed. The culprits received sentences ranging from eight to 12 and a half years at Nantong Intermediate People's Court in Jiangsu province in February. "The significance of the case was that virtual property was confirmed in court as being property," Gao said. "It expanded the definition of property from physical objects in the industrial age to bonus points and accounts in the information age. And it can be data and information in the future." ^ top ^
Home violence understated (Global Times)
2018-11-25
Gender inequality is the essential reason behind domestic violence against women, said a women's rights advocate on Sunday when commenting on a Chinese actor's physical abuse of his Japanese girlfriend which stirred controversy on social media. Jiang Jinfu admitted online that he abused his Japanese girlfriend, hours after she posted photos of her bruised face on social media. The viral post on Sina Weibo, China's equivalent of Twitter, received more than 1.7 billion views with more than 234,000 comments as of press time. Sunday marked the 19th International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, designated by the United Nations General Assembly. Among the roughly 430 million families in China, a woman experiences domestic violence from her husband every 7.4 seconds, according to data provided by The Beijing News on Saturday. About 30 percent of married Chinese women have suffered some form of physical abuse from intimate partners, while they normally called police only after 35 instances of abuse. "Living with inequality for such a long time, many victims had no idea of their personal legal rights, even after their lives were put in danger… And thus they didn't defend themselves actively," Luo Ruixue, a member of the women's rights group Women Awakening Network, told the Global Times on Sunday. Chinese courts have issued 2,154 personal safety protection orders to protect victims and those in danger from domestic violence, after the country's first law against domestic violence was enacted in March 2016, All-China Women's Federation reported in October. The China Justice Big Data Institute under the Supreme People's Court reported that 15 percent of 2.5 million divorce proceedings closed in 2016 and 2017 were due to domestic violence, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Sunday. Between 2014 and 2016, there were 94,571 cases of first-instance reported crimes of domestic violence, but only less than 4 percent of them were finally treated as domestic violence, The Beijing News reported. Difficulty in obtaining evidence could be an obstacle for similar cases, Nie Ling, a lawyer at Beijing Shaohemingdi Law Firm, told the Global Times. Feng Yuan, a women's rights advocate and co-founder of Equality, a non-governmental organization that focuses on gender issues, told the Global Times that some judges' knowledge of domestic violence is not enough, and this has influenced their judgment in trials. In a divorce case that went viral on Sunday, a court in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan Province approved a local woman resident's petition for personal safety protection order while repeatedly rejecting her divorce application, although she claimed she has been assaulted by her husband many times, short video platform WeVideo, under The Beijing News, reported Zhang Yanbin, the judge of the case, said he did not approve the divorce, because he did not consider mentioned abuse as domestic violence, the video clip showed. "Professional training is necessary for judges… Most judges are men who could be affected by the country's patriarchal cultural factors. Moreover, their inherent understanding of law terms, which has failed to keep pace with the times, could also be a factor that leads to the rare recognition of domestic violence," Feng said. ^ top ^
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| Tibet |
China's Tibetan medicinal bathing listed as Intangible Cultural Heritage (Xinhua)
2018-11-29
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) inscribed on Wednesday China's Lum medicinal bathing of Sowa Rigpa on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The decision was announced during the 13th session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage held from Monday to Saturday in Port Louis, Mauritius. The Lum medicinal bathing of Sowa Rigpa is the knowledge and practices concerning life, health and illness prevention and treatment among the Tibetan people in China. Speaking after the decision to inscribe this intangible cultural heritage on the list, Chinese Vice Minister of Culture and Tourism Zhang Xu said that Lum medicinal bathing of Sowa Rigpa has an important bearing on the everyday life of people of the Tibetan ethnic group. "This heritage not only embodies the folk experience in disease prevention and treatment, it also represents an inheritance and development of the traditional Tibetan medicine theories in modern health practices," Zhang said. In Tibetan, "Lum" indicates the traditional knowledge and practices of bathing in natural hot springs, herbal water or steam to adjust the balance of mind and body, to ensure health and treat illnesses. The Lum Medicinal Bathing of Sowa Rigpa (Tibetan Medicine) has been developed by the Tibetan people with a life view based on Jungwa-nga (five elements) that includes Earth, Water, Fire, Wind and Space, and a view about health and illness. The knowledge and practices are widely distributed in areas inhabited by Tibetans in China's Tibet Autonomous Region as well as provinces including Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu and Yunnan, according to China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Approved by the State Council of the Chinese government, Lum medicinal bathing of Sowa Rigpa was included in the National List of Representative Elements of Intangible Cultural Heritage on two occasions in 2008 and 2014. A five-year safeguarding plan (2019-2023) has been made on the basis of a monitoring system so as to ensure coordinated safeguarding and development of the Tibetan tradition. Measures include special vocational training and increasing youth's awareness of safeguarding through compilation of primary and secondary school textbooks on related knowledge. With the inscription of the Lum medicinal bathing of Sowa Rigpa, China now has 40 inscribed elements in total on relevant UNESCO lists, including 32 elements inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, 7 elements inscribed on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, and one program selected to the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices. During the session of the intergovernmental committee, 40 requests for inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity are being examined. Another seven elements are proposed for inscription on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. ^ top ^
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| Xinjiang |
China 'will retaliate' if US sanctions it over Xinjiang human rights (SCMP)
2018-11-28
China will retaliate "in proportion" if the United States sanctions its top official in the restive region of Xinjiang over alleged human rights abuses, China's ambassador to the US said on Tuesday, adding that Beijing's policies in the region were to "re-educate" people he compared to terrorists. Chinese Ambassador to Washington Cui Tiankai told Reuters in an interview that China's efforts to combat international terrorism were being held to a double standard, comparing Chinese actions in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region to US troops battling Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. "Can you imagine (if) some American officials in charge of the fight against [Islamic State] would be sanctioned?" Cui said, adding that "if such actions are taken, we have to retaliate". Cui did not elaborate on specific actions China might take. Beijing has faced an outcry from activists, academics, foreign governments and UN rights experts over mass detentions and strict surveillance of the mostly Muslim Uygur minority and other Muslim groups in Xinjiang. In August, a United Nations human rights panel said it had received many credible reports that a million or more Uygurs in China were being held in what resembled a "massive internment camp that is shrouded in secrecy". US officials have said the Donald Trump administration is considering sanctions targeting companies and officials linked to China's crackdown on minority Muslims, including Xinjiang Party Secretary Chen Quanguo, who, as a member of the powerful Politburo, is in the upper echelons of China's leadership. Cui said that while the United States was using missiles and drones to kill terrorists, "we are trying to re-educate most of them, trying to turn them into normal persons [who] can go back to normal life". "We'll see what will happen. We will do everything in proportion," he said, responding to a question on how China would retaliate against possible US sanctions on Chen. Cui's comments were the strongest response yet to US threats on the issue. Any US sanctions decision against an official as senior as Chen would be a rare move on human rights grounds by the Trump administration, which is engaged in a trade war with China while also seeking Beijing's help to resolve a stand-off over North Korea's nuclear weapons. US sanctions could be imposed under the Global Magnitsky Act, a federal law that allows the US government to target human rights violators around the world with freezes on any US assets, US travel bans and prohibitions on Americans doing business with them, US officials have said. Chinese authorities routinely deny any ethnic or religious repression in Xinjiang. They say strict security measures – likened by critics to near martial law conditions, with police checkpoints, mass DNA collection and the detention centres – are needed to combat the influence of extremist groups. After initial blanket denials of the detention facilities, officials have said that some citizens guilty of "minor offences" were sent to vocational centres to improve employment opportunities. At a briefing in Washington on Monday, a Uygur woman, Mihrigul Tursun, 29, told reporters she had experienced physical and psychological torture, including electrocution while strapped to a chair, during 10 months in Xinjiang detention centres. Tursun, who wept and shook as a translator read her prepared statement, said that her three children were taken from her while she was in detention and that her four-month-old son had died without explanation in government custody. Rejecting Chinese government claims that the detention facilities serve vocational purposes, she said many of the dozens of other women in her cell were "well-educated professionals, such as teachers and doctors". Tursun said she witnessed nine women die during one three-month period she spent in detention, including from sickness after being denied medical treatment. Reuters could not independently verify her account, though numerous former detainees have begun to share similar first-hand details with media. China's embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tursun's statement. Independent assessments of the conditions in Xinjiang are nearly impossible given restrictions on journalists openly reporting from the region. UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet has called on China to allow monitors in Xinjiang, but Beijing has responded by telling her to respect China's sovereignty. ^ top ^
Global coalition of scholars calls for added pressure on China over Uygur internment camps in Xinjiang (SCMP)
2018-11-27
A global coalition of nearly 300 scholars on Monday called on Beijing to abolish its "transformation through education" campaign against China's ethnic Uygur population, and appealed for increased diplomatic and legislative pressure on the Chinese government over the matter. In a statement delivered on behalf of 278 academics from 26 countries, the group of self-titled "concerned scholars" said immediate action was needed "to prevent setting negative future precedents regarding the acceptability of any state's complete repression of a segment of its population, especially on the basis of ethnicity or religion." Up to 1 million ethnic Uygurs, Kazakhs and members of other largely Muslim ethnic groups are reported to be detained in extrajudicial internment camps in northwestern China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, a crackdown that began in early 2017. After scrutiny by the United Nations and other international bodies, official statements from Chinese authorities have recently shifted from denial to justification, arguing that re-education is needed to combat the spread of extremist religious ideology and terrorism. The scholars' call for action – which also included an appeal for countries engaged in China's Belt and Road Initiative to make their involvement in the infrastructural development programme contingent on the abolition of mass internment camps — comes amid mounting evidence that Beijing is expanding its security crackdown in Xinjiang. Speaking at a press conference convened at the National Press Club in Washington, Sean Roberts, director of George Washington University's International Development Studies Program, said: "We felt it critical for the scholarly community to also take a stance on this issue." Members of the coalition came from a variety of fields, including China studies, Central Asian studies and Islamic studies, said Roberts, an associate professor of international affairs. Referring to the Chinese president and to Chen Quanguo, the new Communist Party chief in Xinjiang, the scholars' statement said: "We call on states and institutions to issue formal statements demanding that Xi Jinping and Chen Quanguo immediately abolish the 'transformation through education' detention system and release all Uyghur, Kazakh, Kyrgyz and other detainees." The petition also included demands on governments around the world to levy economic sanctions on Chinese officials and firms – both Chinese and foreign – that are engaged in the provision of technology being used in the execution of the government's security policies. Such action is already under consideration by the US Congress, after the introduction of bipartisan legislation this month. The bill, the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2018, would commit the US government to pursuing economic sanctions against a number of Chinese officials, including Chen, who is widely considered to be the driving force behind the crackdown on the region's Uygur, Kazakh and other largely Muslim ethnic groups. That legislation was welcomed by Mihrigul Tursun, a Uygur woman invited to speak at Monday's press conference to share her experience of being held at a mass internment camp. Speaking through a translator, Tursun, 29, recounted her ordeal of a three-month detention this year, during which she said she was beaten and tortured, forced to sing songs in Mandarin professing loyalty to the Chinese president and kept in a cell with more than 60 other women, nine of whom she said died during the time she was interned. She said she was released in April after being made to sign a statement vowing that she would "never do anything to harm China" and that the police never interrogated or tortured her. "My people look to the United States as the beacon of hope for the oppressed people around the world," said Tursun, who fled to Egypt after her release and arrived in the US in September. "I hope that the US will lead the world community to condemn China's gross violations of universally recognised human rights". Beyond pressure from the international community, the group of scholars also called for heightened protection of Uygurs living outside of China who may be subject to surveillance or coercion by Chinese authorities. "[We] urge relevant states and institutions where [Uygur] communities reside to make the protection of Uyghurs a matter of priority in their diplomatic relations with Beijing," the statement said. Beijing has previously bristled at any criticism of its policies in Xinjiang, frequently invoking its own non-interventionist approach to international relations as a shield from scrutiny. But representatives of the scholars' coalition expressed confidence that pressure from the academic community could act as a powerful force in attempts to elicit a shift in the Chinese government's position. "The kind of lobbying we're doing, talking to Congress, talking to the media and getting this out into the larger discourse, I think it is making a difference", said Darren Byler, a lecturer in the anthropology department at the University of Washington in Seattle. "The number of people that have signed on to this statement is something that would have been unimaginable just one or two years ago", said Byler, who cited academics' involvement in pushing back against South Africa's apartheid policies as an example of how the scholarly community could effectively exert public pressure on governments. Such pressure is crucial at a time when Beijing is seeking to deepen connections with trading and strategic partners around the world and elevate China's standing in the global community, said Michael Clarke, an associate professor at the Australian National University's College of Asia and the Pacific. Beijing "wants respect from the rest of the world, for its position, for its weight in global affairs", Clarke said. "The international community needs to demonstrate to Beijing that it will not actually get that while it's doing this to a significant portion of its own citizens." ^ top ^
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| Hongkong |
Explicitly recognise Communist Party as China's rulers, Hong Kong legislators tell government (SCMP)
2018-11-29
The Hong Kong government should openly recognise the Communist Party as China's rulers and make clear there is nothing wrong with members holding meetings in the city, pro-Beijing lawmakers said on Wednesday. They were responding in the legislature to concerns that the party had formed branches in Hong Kong, and after a government official failed to state the government's position plainly. Democratic Party legislator Helena Wong Pik-wan referred to recent media reports stating that "temporary branches of the Chinese Communist Party" had held a meeting at City University last month. She asked if the government would stop party members from holding political activities on campuses. The meeting was held with judges from China's National Judges College which comes under the Supreme People's Court. An article posted on the college website said the meeting was attended by dozens of mainland judges attending postgraduate courses at the university. City University responded to the reports by saying it was surprised by the news, and that it had told the college not to host such meetings on campus. Responding to Wong, acting secretary for constitutional affairs Andy Chan Shui-fu would only say the government respected the autonomy of tertiary institutions and believed they were able to deal properly with incidents on their campuses. Asked if a Communist Party branch in Hong Kong needed to register under the Societies Ordinance, he gave the official line that "a local society shall apply to the Societies Officer for registration or exemption from registration within one month of its establishment". Neither the pro-democracy nor pro-Beijing camps were satisfied with his answers. The pan-democrats accused him of leading them nowhere and doing nothing to allay concerns about Hong Kong's shrinking autonomy. Equally dissatisfied, pro-Beijing lawmaker Wong Kwok-kin said Chan's lack of clarity was tantamount to doubting the party's status, and asked: "Why can't the Hong Kong government be upright and frank in recognising that the Chinese Communist Party is the ruling party in China? "Does the government think the CCP is an illegal society, or party members cannot hold meetings here?" Another pro-Beijing lawmaker, Junius Ho Kwan-yiu, went further and urged the government to amend the Societies Ordinance to exempt the party from having to register in Hong Kong. Stating for the record that he was not a party member, Ho said: "Being a CCP member is nothing shameful. The CCP is the ruling party in China and its existence and operation in the city can surely go above board." Chan did not respond further to these lawmakers' comments. Separately, the government clarified on Wednesday that in principle, lawyers helping the outlawed Hong Kong National Party to fight against an unprecedented ban would not be viewed as breaking the law. In response to a question by lawmaker Au Nok-hin, acting chief secretary Wong Kam-sing said the city's mini-constitution protected the right of residents to legal representation. "It is clear that seeking legal advice or acting as a legal representative in principle does not contravene the Societies Ordinance," Wong said. The National Party was banned following calls by its leaders for Hong Kong to separate from China. ^ top ^
Hong Kong pro-establishment candidate Chan Hoi-yan wins Kowloon West by-election (SCMP)
2018-11-26
The Hong Kong opposition camp's hopes of regaining veto power in the legislature were dashed on Monday, as pro-establishment candidate Chan Hoi-yan took the remaining seat in the Kowloon West constituency by a sizeable margin in Sunday's by-election. Chan took 106,457 votes – 13,410 more than her main rival, Labour Party stalwart Lee Cheuk-yan, who ran at the behest of ousted lawmaker Lau Siu-lai. Critics said Lee's campaign had suffered from vote splitting with another candidate, Frederick Fung Kin-kee, a former ally of the pan-democrats. Fung got 12,509 votes. Two other candidates – IT worker Ng Dick-hay and non-affiliated Judy Tzeng Li-wan, took 1,650 and 1,307 votes respectively. More than 216,000 voters, or 44.4 per cent of the 487,000 registered, voted before polling stations closed at 10.30pm on Sunday. When Fung arrived at the media centre at Tiu Keng Leng Sports Centre at 1.30am on Monday, he was booed by a group of pro-democracy camp supporters in the public area. Lee arrived at 3am and was greeted by a pool of cheering supporters. "Hongkongers will not be defeated!" Lee's supporters chanted. He apologised to his supporters for losing the election and promised to reflect on his campaign to find out "what vision for Hong Kong the people who didn't vote for me have in their minds". Lee declined to comment on the impact of Fung in splitting votes for the pan-democratic camp. "I think people can draw some conclusions from the statistics," Lee said. He named a series of external factors affecting his chances – ranging from what he called smears, to Hongkongers' political apathy – but he did not identify any major flaw in himself and his campaign team. "To find the internal factors, we will have to sit down and talk first," Lee said. Lee urged the Hong Kong people not to give up despite the disappointment brought by his failure. "We have many tough battles ahead, including the legislation of Article 23 of the Basic Law, the Lantau Tomorrow initiative that may risk draining the city's financial reserve, and a string of welfare issues including elderly care, labour protection, education and medical services," Lee said. "All these battles require Hongkongers to care more about our home … There is still hope and a future for the city if we can fight in solidarity." Article 23 of the Basic Law, the city's mini-constitution, stipulates that the government must bring in anti-sedition laws, while the administration's Lantau Tomorrow Vision is a massive and controversial housing plan involving land reclamation around Lantau Island. Chan insisted Fung did not contribute to her victory, saying instead she won because her manifesto was well received by the voters. "I think my victory reflected that the voters wish for less quarrelling and confrontation and a higher priority for their well-being," Chan said. Claiming to be non-partisan, Chan said she was glad that her political beliefs were "highly consistent with that of the pro-establishment bloc". "I am also very happy to be accepted as a member of the bloc," Chan said. She declined to say if she would seek re-election in 2020. "I had very little time to prepare for the by-election. I haven't got time to think about the next election," she said. After losing Sunday's by-election, the pan-democrats will be outnumbered 18 to 16 in Legco's geographical constituencies. This means they will not be able to stop further changes to the legislature's rule book, which require majority support in both the geographical and functional constituencies. Further changes could include fines and longer time-outs for lawmakers kicked out of a meeting. Power for Democracy convenor Andrew Chiu Ka-yin said Fung had became Beijing's "vote-splitting tool". "There is clearly vote splitting," Chiu said. "During the election forum Fung kept attacking the pan-democrats, spending even more time than attacking Chan." Chiu also noted some young voters were dissatisfied with the pan-democrats' performance. "We need to have a better understanding of young voters and listen to their views," he said. Speaking after the results were announced, Fung rejected the notion that he split votes with Lee. "[No one] can split the vote, the vote is from the voter," Fung said, noting that even their combined number of votes was less than Chan's. Fung conceded he had only a small number of votes, but said the poll showed some voters were tired of local politics being dominated by the two camps. He did not rule out joining future elections. "I will consider and use any method that will bring progress to the democratic movement, including joining elections," Fung said. Lau's ejection from the Legislative Council for improper oath taking last year had triggered Sunday's by-election. After the Legco elections in 2016, six pro-democracy lawmakers were ousted for improper oath-taking. By-elections were held in March to fill four of the seats, as two legislators – Leung Kwok-hung and Lau – decided to appeal. Lau dropped her appeal in May. She attempted a comeback bid but was barred from running in Sunday's poll on the grounds she had called for the city's self-determination. Lee then threw his hat into the ring to take her place. ^ top ^
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| Taiwan |
US Navy send ships through the Taiwan Strait for the third time this year (SCMP)
2018-11-29
Two US Navy vessels sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, Taiwan's defence ministry reported. and one supply ship – sailed through the strait's international waters, adding that the island is capable of defending its maritime territory and airspace security. The Pentagon confirmed Wednesday's passage. Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Logan said in an email that the USS Stockdale, a guided-missile destroyer, and the USNS Pecos, a replenishment oiler, "conducted a routine Taiwan Strait transit November 28 in accordance with international law". "The ships' transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the US commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific," he said, "The US Navy will continue to fly, sail and operate anywhere international law allows." It was the US Navy's third such show of support for the self-ruled island this year, following similar passages in July and October. Beijing regards Taiwan as a wayward province to be brought under its rule, by force if necessary. The passage came just days after the island's independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party suffered humiliating defeat in local elections by the opposition Kuomintang (KMT), leading the Chinese state-run newspaper China Daily to declare the results a renunciation of Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen's "separatist stance". In talks this month in Washington with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and US Defence Secretary James Mattis, Chinese officials reiterated their opposition to US support for Taiwan. Yang Jiechi, China's top diplomat and a member of the Communist Party Politburo, warned the US that "Taiwan independent forces and their separatist activities pose the biggest threat to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait". "The US should recognise it clearly," he said during a joint press conference following the talks. The US has had no formal ties with Taiwan since it switched its diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979. It conducts unofficial relations with the island and remains its sole arms supplier. As Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to meet his US counterpart Donald Trump at G20 summit in Argentina at the end of the week, Taiwan is a growing source of friction. Last month, Xi told the military region responsible for monitoring Taiwan and the South China Sea to "prepare for war". On the same day, Chinese defence minister Wei Fenghe also vowed that the mainland would not cede "a single inch" of its territory. ^ top ^
After Taiwan polls, Kaohsiung's new mayor will lead charge on mainland-friendly policy (SCMP)
2018-11-28
Kaohsiung's new mayor Han Kuo-yu will spearhead a mainland-friendly policy that is expected to be followed by 14 other opposition Kuomintang-controlled cities and counties in Taiwan. Beijing has already welcomed the move but it is expected to upset the government of the self-ruled island after its crushing defeat in the midterm polls on Saturday. Han, the 61-year-old who led the KMT to a landslide victory in the local elections, said he would set up a cross-strait ad hoc committee to improve relations with the mainland when he takes office on December 25. "The mainland market is very important," he told reporters in Taipei on Wednesday. "It accounts for 40 per cent of Taiwan's total exports, and because of certain reasons, our products cannot be sold there and their people [tourists] are not coming." Han was referring to the deteriorating ties between Taipei and Beijing since Tsai Ing-wen, of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party, became president in 2016. Tsai has refused to accept the "1992 consensus" – an understanding that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one China. Beijing sees Taiwan as a breakaway province awaiting reunification, by force if necessary, and has insisted that official communications will not resume until Tsai accepts this one-China principle. Campaigning on a promise to make Kaohsiung rich and great again, Han won over voters in the southern city – a traditional stronghold of the pro-independence camp – and other KMT candidates in the local elections were able to build on his popularity. Tsai resigned as chairwoman of the DPP after her party lost control of seven counties and cities, including Kaohsiung and another special municipality – the central city of Taichung. The KMT, meanwhile, more than doubled its political control of the island to 15 cities and counties, including three special municipalities. During his campaign, Han was clear about his support for the 1992 consensus, telling voters he would use it to give Kaohsiung a much-needed boost. The city's economy has struggled in the past decade and Han pledged to make it easier for local businesses and farmers to sell their products to the mainland, and to encourage tourists from across the strait to visit Kaohsiung. Beijing has discouraged trade and tourism with the city because of its status as a pro-independence stronghold. "So if we want to make money, it is highly important for us to take note of the [function] of the [new] cross-strait committee," he said. Han also said all mainland tourists were welcome to visit Kaohsiung and promised to improve the city's services and facilities to attract more visitors. Other newly elected KMT mayors – including Lu Hsiu-yen in Taichung and Wang Hui-mei in Changhua – have also indicated they want to engage more with the mainland. They want Han to call a meeting of all 15 KMT local government leaders to come up with a plan for mainland-friendly initiatives. In Beijing on Wednesday, Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Ma Xiaoguang said the mainland was willing to "share the fruits of development and chances with Taiwanese compatriots and deepen cross-strait economic and cultural exchanges and cooperation" – as long as they supported the one-China principle. Ma said engagement between cities would help improve understanding between the two sides. "We welcome Kaohsiung and other cities and counties to take part in city-to-city exchanges and cooperation projects," he said, adding that he had been told some mainland tour agencies had already planned trips to Kaohsiung. The KMT push to engage more with the mainland is expected to have a big impact on the Taiwanese government's cross-strait policy, as well as the 2020 presidential election. "Trade between cities in Taiwan and China is likely to increase, given that the KMT now controls 15 cities and counties," said Soong Hseik-wen, a professor at the Institute of Strategic and International Affairs at National Chung Cheng University in Chiayi, southern Taiwan. That would put more pressure on the Tsai government, he added. ^ top ^
Mainland notes Taiwan elections reflect public will (China Daily)
2018-11-26
A Chinese mainland spokesman on Sunday said the mainland will continue to enhance solidarity with Taiwan compatriots and follow a path of peaceful development of cross-Straits relations after the Kuomintang Party won 15 seats out of a total of 22 being contested during local elections in Taiwan over the weekend. "We have noticed the results of the elections," said Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, adding that the results reflected the strong will of the public in Taiwan to share the benefits of peaceful development across the Taiwan Straits, and their desire to improve the island's economy and people's well-being. Among the 22 county and city chief posts, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party landed six, with one going to an independent candidate, according to the island's election affairs authority. The independent candidate, Ko Wen-je, won the election of Taipei mayor with about 3,200 more votes than Ting Shou-chung, a candidate from the Kuomintang. Ting filed a lawsuit to challenge the validity of the election in the early hours of Sunday. Taiwan's leader, Tsai Ing-wen, resigned as chairwoman of the Democratic Progressive Party on Saturday night to take responsibility for the party's poor performance in the local elections. The fundamental reason for the electoral defeat of the Democratic Progressive Party is that it did nothing to improve economic development on the island, said Zhang Wensheng, deputy head of the Taiwan Research Institute at Xiamen University, Fujian province. He said that another reason is that the Tsai administration's "pro-independence" secessionism has forced cross-Straits ties into a deadlock, causing Taiwan to fall behind the mainland market in many industries, including tourism and agricultural exports. In the past two years, the number of tourists from the Chinese mainland, the largest source of tourism revenue for Taiwan, has slumped sharply. "Taiwan residents are not satisfied with the stagnant economy and the declining living standards," Zhang said. "Their disappointment and dissatisfaction are particularly reflected in their support for Han Kuo-yu, Kaohsiung's Kuomintang mayor-elect." Han, who described the city as "outdated and poor" in his campaign trail and said he would make all-out efforts to boost its economy, impressed voters a lot, he added. The failure is a lesson for the Democratic Progressive Party and also for all the parties on the island, reminding them of putting people's livelihood at the forefront, said Zhang. He added that, "Any party or politician would be dumped by voters if they ignore the interests of the public." With a correct understanding of the nature of cross-Straits relations and the nature of exchanges between cities across the Taiwan Straits, more counties and cities in Taiwan are welcomed to participate in such exchanges and cooperation, said Ma, the spokesman. Ma reiterated that the mainland will continue to uphold the 1992 Consensus on the one-China principle and to resolutely oppose separatist elements advocating "Taiwan independence" and their activities. Alongside the elections, a referendum on Saturday on changing the name under which Taiwan athletes will compete at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games to "Taiwan" from "Chinese Taipei" failed. The term "Chinese Taipei" was adopted by the International Olympic Committee in a 1981 agreement and later was recognized by all other international sports federations as referring to the sports delegation from the island. Ma said on Sunday the failure of the referendum showed that putting the interests of the island's athletes at stake is against people's will and the attempts of "Taiwan independence" are doomed to fail. Bao Chengke, deputy director of the cross-Straits Communication and Regional Development Institute at East China Normal University in Shanghai, said the failure of the referendum "is evidence of Taiwan people's refusal of 'Taiwan independence' and a blow to the Democratic Progressive Party". On the other hand, exchanges and cooperation will definitely be strengthened for those counties and cities that recognize the 1992 Consensus with the mainland cities in various aspects like tourism, Bao added. ^ top ^
Taiwan's image as Asia's LGBT rights beacon takes a hit as same-sex marriage referendum fails (SCMP)
2018-11-25
Gay rights campaigners in Taiwan have suffered a serious reversal after voters rejected a proposal to enshrine same-sex marriage in the island's civil code. The result was lamented by human rights groups at home and abroad which they said had dampened the progressive image of the self-ruled island as the first place in Asia to approve such unions. But campaigners said it was not the end of the line and they would continue to press their case until a consensus on marriage equality was reached. On Saturday voters went to the polls in local elections, which ended in a serious reverse for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party and left the mayoral result in the capital Taipei on a knife-edge. At the same time, the electorate also had to decide on 10 referendum proposals, including five highly divisive ones on LGBT rights. The island had been seen as a beacon for gay rights in Asia after the High Court ruled last year that a ban on same-sex unions was unconstitutional and that gay couples would be allowed to officially register their marriages from May next year. But as well as galvanising supporters, the issue also prompted a backlash from conservative family values campaigners and thousands of activists from both sides took to the streets ahead of Saturday's vote. The opponents of same-sex marriage emerged victorious, with all three measures they proposed – to define marriage as solely between a man and a woman, to prohibit primary and junior high school pupils from learning about LGBT issues, and to introduce limited protections for same-sex couples that fell short of marriage equality – being approved by the voters. "The public have used their ballots to tell the governing authorities what is the mainstream opinion and the result represents a victory for all people who cherish family values and how such values should be taught in schools to the young generation," said Tseng Hsien-yin, leader of the Coalition for the Happiness of our Next Generation. He said his organisation and other family values groups would "see that the government revise or institute relevant laws and implement the relevant education guidelines for the school curriculums in line with the results". "We will... send our drafted bill to the parliament as soon as possible for review and passage because we respect same-sex partnerships and believe there should be a special law for them," he continued. The pro-family camp won between 5.2 and 6.1 million votes in the three referendums. Each measure needed a minimum of 4.9 million votes to pass. By contrast, two counter measures – to rewrite the civil code to include same-sex unions and to include same-sex relationships in gender equality education classes – failed to secure enough votes, each being backed by around 2.8 million people. "Our referendums failed not because only a few people support marriage equality, but because we had not been good enough at canvassing support in the way the Coalition for Happiness were," said Miao Poya, who initiated a campaign for marriage equality referendum. The pro-family groups' campaign had been well-funded by a number of Christian organisations. In a statement, the Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights accused the pro-family groups of spreading disinformation to smear marriage equality proposals, by describing them as perverted and linking them to the spread of Aids. It also accused the groups of illegally swinging votes by handing out publicity material around polling stations. Campaigning once the polls have opened is banned under the island's electoral law. "Despite all obstacles, we will continue to fight for same-sex equality rights and use our love and wisdom to shatter all lies until we achieve our goal," it said. Amnesty International called on the Taiwanese government to deliver equality and dignity, saying the result was"a bitter blow and a step backwards for human rights in Taiwan". Wang Ting-yu, an associate instructor of law at Soochow University and advocate of marriage equality, said although the government had to revise legislation in line with the referendum result, these laws could not supersede the constitution. This means that same-sex partnerships will still be able to be registered as planned next May, although the couples may not enjoy the same legal protections that changes to the civil code would have given them. "If the pro-LBGT group finds the protections for same-sex couples inadequate, they can always hold another referendum two years later to call for the revision of the special law," he said. He said family values groups had also been calling for the removal of LGBT material in school text books on gender equality. But Wang said the law stated that children needed to be taught to respect gay people and this was what the books covered, dismissing a claim by campaigners that children were being taught about gay sex. Asked if he felt Taiwan's image as a beacon for LGBT rights in Asia would be dampened by the referendum, Wang said gay right movements in each country were different, adding that the opposition same-sex marriage faced only reflected the nature of Taiwanese society. "After all, it takes time to get a majority consensus or approval for things that the conservative class finds hard to accept," he added. A controversial plan to change the name of the island's sports teams from Chinese Taipei to Taiwan was also voted down by a margin of around 54-45 per cent. The International Olympic Committee had warned that the self-ruled island risked being kicked out of future games if the measure, which was certain to anger Beijing, passed. Four environmental measures, including a ban on new coal-fired power plants, also exceeded the threshold needed to pass. In other results, the mayoral election in the capital Taipei faced the possibility of a recount after the candidate from the opposition KMT party appealed to the courts. A marathon vote count ended at 2am with a narrow 3,000-vote margin of victory for the incumbent, the independent Ko Wen-je. But the KMT's Ting Shou-ching said the results "were full of irregularities" and claimed that voters had been allowed to cast their ballots after the polls officially closed at 4pm. Lengthy queues were reported at many polling stations across the island, and Taiwan's electoral law allows those who were waiting in line at the official closing time to cast their ballots. But Ting demanded a recount and asked the courts to void the result because of the alleged irregularities. A Taipei court later ordered that all ballot boxes should sealed pending a possible recount. Court officials said that if any irregularities are found, the mayoral election in Taipei will be considered void and a re-election will be held. Elsewhere, the island's political map shifted dramatically leaving the mainland-friendly Kuomintang party in control of 15 cities and counties, including three of the country's special municipalities. The DPP lost control of seven local authorities, including its former stronghold of Kaohsiung in what local media and analysts interpreted as a vote of no confidence in President Tsai Ing-wen. She announced that she would step down as chairwoman of the independence-leaning DPP after the vote, while Premier William Lai also offered his resignation but was asked to stay on. Other senior party figures, including the president's secretary general Chen Chu also resigned. Chen, a former mayor of Kaohsiung, had run the party's losing campaign in the city. Hung Yao-fu, the DPP's secretary general, also quit, saying: "I must apologise to our supporters for not doing well enough and for using a wrong campaign strategy." Observers said Tsai's resignation as the party chairwoman would hamper her chances of re-election in 2020 as she would be seen by many as a lame duck. "The DPP resorted to playing the anti-mainland China and Taiwan independence card in the last month of the campaign in a bid to urge supporters to return to its fold," said Wang Kung-yao, a political-science professor at the Chinese Culture University in Taipei. He said such tactics had worked in the past because voters were afraid that Beijing would swallow the island up, but now it had been a "big failure as voters did not buy it". ^ top ^
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South Korean ports deal with North 'could be step towards broader cooperation' involving China (SCMP)
2018-11-28
South Korean plans for a new ferry and cruise facility at the port city of Incheon will boost commercial and passenger sea traffic between the Koreas and, eventually, China, a leading South Korean state entrepreneur said. Hong Kyung-sun, a vice-president of the Incheon Port Authority [IPA], told the South China Morning Post that his organisation was looking to connect Incheon with the North Korean port city of Nampo. Hong was speaking after the United Nations Security Council approved a plan to assess the viability of linking rail services between the two nations, exempting the study from sanctions against Pyongyang. At three inter-Korean summits this year, South Korean President Moon Jae-in offered Seoul's help to upgrade the North's railway network and tie it to the South's. Re-connecting the sea routes might be the next phase of the inter-Korean cooperation, according to Hong. "The port authority has created a task force to study inter-Korean [marine] cooperation in preparation for a joint sea route assessment … so that we can immediately [engage with North Korea] once sanctions are lifted," said Hong, a former aide to various congress members from Moon's ruling Democratic Party of Korea. The ports study would not be the first to look at inter-Korean marine cooperation, Hong said, as the port authority had commissioned government research institutions such as the Korea Maritime Institute to carry out others. "After the study is done – possibly next spring – we plan to seek a partner in North Korea and will propose a joint field study … We must understand each others' needs through the joint inspection," he said. Nampo is North Korea's major port city, located in the country's west about 60km (37 miles) southwest of its capital, Pyongyang. "[The IPA's] plan will be to modernise unloading equipment and build additional ports … after, of course, sanctions are lifted," Hong said, adding that development of Nampo could cost US$7 billion. "The IPA ultimately wishes to run a Peace Cruise tour programme which links not only Incheon and Nampo but also Tianjin and Qingdao in China," Hong said, adding that he hoped the three nations would work together on maritime developments. Starting in April 2016, South Korea invested US$160 million in building a new international ferry terminal, and US$16.5 million for the construction of a 7,364 square metre (79,265 sq ft) cruise terminal – with berthing capacity of 225,000 tonnes – in Incheon, in anticipation of more tourists from China. The cruise terminal is expected to open next April. China has embarked upon an aggressive unofficial campaign to stop its tourists from visiting South Korea. The number of arrivals from China halved to about 4 million last year, compared to 2016, according to the Korea Tourism Organisation. The port authority's Golden Harbour project – which also includes hotels, a theme park, and shopping centres – was created to lure Chinese tourists and proceeded regardless of the political disputes between Beijing and Seoul, Hong said. "The two Koreas and China share many regional interests [such as stability and economic development] … Korea and China are partners that have worked side-by-side throughout history. I am confident that relations will normalise soon," Hong said, adding China's practical support, including financial contributions to both Koreas, is essential. Last year, relations between Seoul and Pyongyang reached a low after a series of tests of nuclear weapons-capable missiles by the North. South Korea responded by deploying anti-missile defence systems provided by the United States. "The [missile] dispute was rather a product of intensified tensions on the Korean peninsula," Hong said. "Thus, easing of tension is the fundamental solution to the dispute, and it can be achieved by rebuilding trust via [economic] cooperation. "The two Koreas and China must rebuild our trust with one another and walk towards the road of common prosperity … Three-way economic engagement will result in active logistics and human exchanges, and ultimately a stable and sustainable prosperity in the Yellow Sea region." ^ top ^
Xi-Trump at G20: why North Korea is both common ground and trade war battleground (SCMP)
2018-11-27
North Korea will be high on the agenda as the leaders of China and the United States meet in Argentina this week to revive cooperation, but deep-rooted distrust is likely to prevent any major changes in their rivalry, observers say. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, are set to meet at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires two weeks after there was open hostility between the two nations at the Apec meeting in Papua New Guinea. The two leaders talked by phone early this month and agreed to meet in Argentina's capital to lay the ground for further discussions on North Korea, allowing them to repair relations that have weakened over the past year because of trade friction. Analysts generally agree that the two sides will reaffirm their stance on denuclearisation and commitment to the United Nations sanctions on the Kim Jong-un regime, giving a chance for them to cooperate despite their vast differences on trade. Yang Jiechi, director of the Communist Party's Office of Foreign Affairs, said at the US-China diplomatic and security dialogue this month that China would "continue to enforce strictly" the relevant UN Security Council resolutions. Zhao Tong, a fellow with the nuclear policy programme at the Carnegie-Tsinghua Centre for Global Policy in Beijing, said the ongoing trade war was presenting China serious challenges that might have affected its decision to accommodate the US, an outcome that could be repeated in Buenos Aires. "It cannot be ruled out that China may decide to cooperate more closely with the United States on North Korea to get Washington to stop the trade war," Zhao said. But observers said that such cooperation could be no more than rhetoric, and Beijing's financial support for Pyongyang was likely to continue due to its deep distrust of the US. "Beijing no longer trusts Washington on linking up the [North Korean and trade issues]," Zhao said. "Previously, Trump indicated to Xi that if China would help with North Korea, he would take a soft approach on the trade dispute. But what China got, in the end, was an all-out trade war. "Beijing worries that Washington is on the path of strategic competition with China, with the goal of containing China's rise. China may increasingly think about its North Korea policy through the lens of geopolitics. Containing US influence over the Korean peninsula may become more important in the future." Indeed, China's strategic interest concerning North Korea – to maintain it as a buffer against powerful democratic influences from South Korea, Japan and the US – remains unchanged. That is reflected in Beijing's softened position on Pyongyang. Labourers and seafood products from North Korea can be easily found across the border in the northeast Chinese county of Hunchun, which is reeling economically from UN sanctions aimed at curbing Pyongyang's nuclear programme, the South China Morning Post reported in October. The annual report from a US congressional commission, the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, released this month, also said that China appeared to have relaxed its enforcement of sanctions on North Korea. A North Korean delegation led by its vice-minister of foreign affairs, Pak Myong-guk, headed to Beijing last weekend to attend the China-North Korea Border Joint Commission, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency. Sean King, a former US diplomat who is now vice-president of New York-based political consultancy Park Strategies, said Beijing's financial support for Pyongyang would continue, to protect its interests. "Beijing values the strategic over the economic," he said. "The latter serves the former. Even if US-China trade relations were great, Beijing would still backstop North Korea at all costs. "Beijing wants to keep North Korea around as long as it can to keep a US ally off its border. Hence Xi will always do just enough on North Korea to get Trump off his back, but not do anything to really move the needle," King said, adding that his "expectations [for the summit] are very low". Harry Kazianis, director of defence studies at the Washington-based Centre for the National Interest, also expected the summit "will not move the needle one inch towards denuclearisation". "When it comes to North Korea and its nuclear weapons, China will be looking for ways to push back against America because of the worsening trade war," Kazianis said, suggesting Beijing would seek ways to "limit its involvement or stop enforcing the 'maximum pressure' sanctions campaign against Pyongyang to gain some leverage – something there is quite a bit of evidence it is already doing". Such interests could leave the North Korean issue dependent on US-China relations, slowing down the denuclearisation process. Zhang Baohui, a professor of political science and director of the Centre for Asian Pacific Studies at Lingnan University in Hong Kong, agreed the North Korean issue was highly embedded with US-China relations. "[To pressure Trump] Beijing will certainly not throw away its diplomatic card, North Korea," Zhang said. "China's incentive to support the US on North Korea is declining, and this may mean it will be more difficult to denuclearise North Korea." But with South Korea being proactive in engaging with the North, the two Koreas still have strategic room to manoeuvre on strengthening their relations regardless of the US-China rivalry. Kim, encouraged by South Korean President Moon Jae-in, is expected to make a maiden visit to Seoul. "[Kim's visit to Seoul] is going to happen either way," King said. "Moon seemingly wants it as much as Kim does." ^ top ^
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Promoting Mongolia-Brazil cooperation in agriculture and tourism noted (Montsame)
2018-11-28
D.Davaasuren, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, met with Paulo Estivallet de Mesquita, Ambassador-designate of the Federative Republic of Brazil to Mongolia, on November 27 in regard with latter's presentation of the Letter of Credence. At the meeting, the State Secretary said that there is an opportunity to develop bilateral cooperation in agriculture and tourism sectors. Moreover, he informed the Ambassador on activities planned for 2019, such as consultation between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and the visit of the Mongolian Minister of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry to Brazil and asked his support for the organization. In turn, the Ambassador expressed his satisfaction with successful development of the bilateral relations and cooperation between the two countries and said he is willing to jointly identify particular sectors to advance the development of the relations. Particularly, he put an emphasis on educational sector along with expressing a readiness of Brazilian side to share its experience on rehabilitation of pastures. ^ top ^
India's National Coordinator for SCO visits Mongolia (Montsame)
2018-11-28
Ms. Madhumita Hazarika Bhagat, Joint Secretary and National Coordinator for Shanghai Cooperation Organization, India's Ministry of External Affairs, visited Mongolia on November 27 at the invitation of D.Davaasuren, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia. During her visit, Ms. Bhagat held meetings with the State Secretary D.Davaasuren, Ambassador at Large O.Ochirjav and other officials. The same day, the Diplomatic Academy of the Foreign Affairs Ministry organized a meeting with Ms. Bhagat, involving researchers and scholars of some institutes and universities of Mongolia. During the meeting, Ms.Bhagat gave a detailed information on cooperation and relations between India and Shanghai Cooperation Organization and answered to the questions interested. ^ top ^
President's veto rejected but some proposals to be realized through budget amendments (Montsame)
2018-11-23
The Parliament discussed and rejected the President's veto on State Budget for 2019 and the accompanying legislation and parliamentary resolutions at today's plenary meeting. 82.6 per cent of voted MPs backed to reject the veto. However, the Budgetary Standing Committee made a proposal to make amendments to the budget so that some proposals from President Kh.Battulga can be realized through the amendments and the most MPs supported it. Specifically, the parliament accepted the President's proposal to create financial resource for establishing an industry complex, where animal-origin raw materials are processed and exported. "2018 Budget revenue is expected to be outperformed by MNT1 trillion. Therefore, the issue can be solved through the amendments," said head of the Budgetary Standing Committee B.Choijilsuren. ^ top ^
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LEW Mei Yi
Embassy of Switzerland
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The Press review is a random selection
of political and social related news gathered from various media
and news services located in the PRC, edited or translated by
the Embassy of Switzerland in Beijing and distributed among Swiss
Government Offices. The Embassy does not accept responsibility
for accuracy of quotes or truthfulness of content. Additionally
the contents of the selected news mustn't correspond to the opinion
of the Embassy.
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