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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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DPRK
Mongolia
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Proposal to hold public hearing on the bill on pastureland and use payment put forth (Montsame)
2019-02-21
Speaker of the State Great Khural G.Zandanshatar met with Gabriella Spirli, Director of Cooperation and Consul General at Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). At the beginning of the meeting, Ms. Gabriella Spirli congratulated the Speaker on his appointment, delivering felicitation message of President of the National Council of Switzerland, Marina Carobbio Guscetti. Speaker G.Zandanshatar stated his view that a reform is in high demand for the development of parliamentary democracy and pointed out the great importance of having fact-based debates at the Parliament, and reinventing the governance to e-governance by digitizing the legislative process and delivering government information and services digitally. "Thus, we would like to cooperate in the development of parliamentary democracy as the parliaments of European countries including Switzerland have extensive experience in this area," said the Speaker. In turn, Ms. Gabriella Spirli expressed her hope that the proposals and other issues will be discussed broadly and cooperation measures will be defined during mutual visits of the Speakers of the two countries. Moreover, the sides exchanged views on the projects being implemented by SDC in Mongolia and their effects and the SDC Director of Cooperation and Consul General detailed Speaker G.Zandanshatar on the agency's projects planned to be implemented in Mongolia on protecting health of pregnant women and children from air pollution, easing centralization, and strengthening local governance. Ms. Gabriella Spirli also pledged to study the Speaker's proposal to jointly hold a public hearing on the bill on pastureland and use payment. Between 2007 and 2016, SDC carried out a total of 15 projects in Mongolia in three main areas of agriculture and food safety; vocational education and training; and administrative reform, local government and citizen participation; and in the Dispatch on Switzerland's International Cooperation 2017–2020 adopted by the Federal Council in 2016, the country decided to continue providing development assistance to Mongolia. ^ top ^
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| Foreign Policy |
Huawei pleads not guilty in US trade-secrets case as Canadian decision on Meng Wanzhou's extradition looms (SCMP)
2019-03-01
Huawei Technologies has pleaded not guilty to US charges of trade-secrets theft, a day before the company learns if Canada will start extradition proceedings against its chief financial officer in a pivotal week that could see diplomatic tensions flare. China's biggest smartphone maker and its US affiliate appeared in federal court in Seattle on Thursday morning to answer to charges that they engaged in a scheme to steal trade secrets from T-Mobile US and also committed wire fraud and obstruction of justice. The plea was entered before US District Judge Ricardo Martinez, and a trial was scheduled for March 2, 2020. The arraignment comes just a day before Canada's deadline to decide whether to officially order the start of extradition hearings against Huawei Chief Financial Officer Sabrina Meng Wanzhou, who is wanted in the US on fraud charges. In a separate indictment filed in Brooklyn, US prosecutors allege she lied to banks to trick them into processing transactions for Huawei that potentially violated Iran trade sanctions. The two cases have intensified the spotlight on Huawei, which has come to symbolise China's economic rise and challenge to the US' status as the world's top superpower. In particular, the decision to prosecute Meng – daughter of billionaire Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei – has sparked an unprecedented diplomatic dispute, with Canada trapped in the middle. If history is any guide, Canada will probably start extradition proceedings, which will set in motion a process that promises to be long and politically explosive. China has demanded that Canada release Meng and, since her December arrest in Vancouver, has detained two Canadians on national security grounds and sentenced a third to death for drug trafficking in China. Meng is next scheduled to appear in court on March 6. If extradition proceedings begin, the process is likely to drag on for months, possibly years. However long they take, she's likely to be extradited in the end. In the trade-secrets case, prosecutors said in a January indictment that from 2012 to 2014 Huawei stole information from T-Mobile's Bellevue, Washington, headquarters contained in "Tappy," a robotic phone-testing system. The US says it uncovered Huawei email messages showing it offered bonuses to employees for information stolen from companies worldwide. Huawei faces fines of more than US$5 million, or three times the value of T-Mobile's secrets, according to the government. The company has denied any wrongdoing and said it expected to be exonerated in court. Judge Martinez reviewed the 10 counts of the indictment aloud, while prosecutors explained the penalties the company faces. Robert Westinghouse, James Hibey and Brian Heberlig are representing Huawei. Lawyers for both sides declined to comment after the hearing. Prosecutor Todd Greenberg told Martinez that the government proposed the 2020 trial date because "this is a complex case, more complex than many cases that come before the court." Greenberg said he expects significant pretrial information sharing. ^ top ^
Venezuelan affairs should be decided by Venezuelan people, says Chinese envoy (Xinhua)
2019-03-01
The Venezuelan affairs should be decided by the Venezuelan people, a Chinese envoy said Thursday after the United Nations Security Council failed to adopt a U.S.-drafted resolution on Venezuela. The U.S. draft received nine votes in favor, three against, and three abstentions. China and Russia, as well as South Africa, vetoed the resolution. "China pays close attention to the situation in Venezuela and supports the Venezuelan government in its efforts to safeguard its national sovereignty, independence and stability," said Wu Haitao, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN, at a Security Council emergency meeting on Venezuela. "At the Security Council, on the Venezuelan issue, our starting point is to uphold the spirit of the UN Charter and the basic principles governing international relations, promote a peaceful settlement of the Venezuelan issue and maintain long-term peace, stability and development in Latin America," the Chinese ambassador said. China opposes external forces interfering in Venezuela internal affairs and opposes military intervention in Venezuela, he stressed. "It is regrettable that the draft resolution before us is seriously inconsistent with the Chinese principal position as stated above," Wu said, adding that "China had to vote against it." "China calls upon the Venezuelan government and opposition parties to seek a political solution through dialogue and consultation within the constitutional and legal framework," the ambassador added. ^ top ^
China opens up airspace in response to India-Pakistan crisis (Global Times)
2019-03-01
China is taking positive measures to deal with international flights after Pakistan shut down its airspace, opening part of Chinese airspace for foreign airlines to reroute. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) immediately launched an emergency plan to notify domestic flight companies and cooperate with the air force to ensure the safety of flights and approve temporary flight plans. The notice came after Beijing Capital International Airport canceled all flights to and from Pakistan on Wednesday and Thursday, including connecting flights, according to a statement sent to the Global Times by the North China Air Traffic Management Bureau under the CAAC on Thursday. Whether those flights will fly on Friday as scheduled is still unknown. The bureau said that 22 flights fly in and out of Pakistan every week, including two from Air China and other flights from Pakistan International Airlines. Flights to Pakistan have undergone major changes in recent days and the CAAC reminded passengers to check flight information before they make plans, said the statement. Pakistan airspace remained closed Thursday morning local time. All international and domestic commercial flights in and out of Pakistan were canceled until further notice, CNN quoted Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority as saying. Civilian aviation experts reached by the Global Times said flights from the Middle East that usually overfly Pakistan and the Pakistan-India border will have to reroute over India, Myanmar or central Asia to enter China. At the request of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the CAAC opened part of China's airspace and air routes for foreign airlines to reroute, China National Radio reported. As of 10 pm Thursday, 28 domestic airlines affected by the closure of Pakistani airspace adjusted flight plans and 49 foreign flights used Chinese airspace to reroute. According to flight tracking company Flightradar on Twitter, all flights in and out of Pakistan had stopped on Wednesday. Flights from carriers including Singapore Airlines, Finnair, British Airways, Aeroflot and Air India had to detour, Flightradar said. About 800 flights a day use the India-Pakistan air corridor, according to Reuters. Tension between India and Pakistan continued to escalate on Thursday after the two said they had shot down each other's warplanes, AFP reported on Thursday. Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Ren Guoqiang on Thursday called for restraint from both sides, saying that China hoped India and Pakistan would find a solution through dialogue. ^ top ^
US defeats China at WTO in vast grain-subsidy case, after accusing Beijing of US$100 billion price propping (SCMP)
2019-03-01
The World Trade Organisation on Thursday sided with Washington in a dispute it filed three years ago over "unfair" Chinese subsidies to its producers of wheat and rice. Back in 2016, the United States alleged that China doled out US$100 billion in "market price support" for wheat and rice as well as corn production, above levels agreed at the Geneva-based WTO. That in turn provided an artificial incentive for farmers to produce more, lowering prices elsewhere, the US said. A panel established by the WTO's Dispute Settlement Body to rule on the matter found Thursday that the grain subsidies provided by Beijing exceeded the accepted level, and that China had "acted inconsistently with its obligations" under international trade rules. The experts said they had found that each year from 2012 to 2015, China's market price support for wheat, Indica rice and Japonica rice "exceeded its 8.5 per cent de minimis level of support for each of these products." The WTO panel said it had not considered whether China had also exceeded the acceptable subsidies for corn producers, since it found China had removed the challenged subsidy before the US launched its complaint. Both sides have up to 60 days to appeal Thursday's ruling. China had argued that it was not breaching that limit because only the grains procured by government should be counted as subsidised. The United States successfully argued that state buying at a guaranteed price affected the whole market. The ruling, which may be appealed, could have ramifications for India, which has made similar arguments to China. At a meeting of the WTO's agriculture committee on Wednesday, the United States and Canada rejected India's claim that its market price support for pulses was 1.5 per cent of the value of production, saying that it was actually 31 per cent to 85 per cent, far above allowed limits. US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue hailed the ruling in a statement as a "significant victory for US agriculture that will help American farmers compete on a more level playing field". "The United States proved that China for years provided government support for its grain producers far in excess of the levels China agreed to when it joined the WTO" in 2001, Lighthizer said. "We expect China to quickly come into compliance with its WTO obligations," he added. China is the world's largest producer of wheat and rice, holding significant sway over world markets. The news of the WTO ruling comes as Washington and Beijing strive to reach a new trade agreement to avoid escalating their trade war. After exchanging punitive tariffs on more than US$360 billion in total two-way trade, US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping declared a truce in December and agreed to hold off on further tariffs or retaliation for 90 days. Trump announced Sunday that he would delay a planned further hike in tariffs on Chinese goods this week after he and Beijing both hailed "substantial progress" in trade negotiations. ^ top ^
Royal Bank of Canada warns staff not to travel to China in wake of Huawei row (SCMP)
2019-02-28
Royal Bank of Canada recently told employees to avoid travel to China, people with knowledge of the matter said, amid a diplomatic feud over the arrest of Huawei's chief financial officer. The Toronto-based lender has asked its workers, especially those based in Canada, to skip business trips to China, one of the people said. The bank has requested that at least two Canada-based staff cancel or delay their journeys to the country, according to the person, who asked not to be identified because the information is private. It was not immediately clear how long the measure would be in effect. Since late last year, the Chinese government has seized at least two Canadians in national security investigations. The moves follow Canada's arrest of Huawei executive Sabrina Meng Wanzhou. Individual RBC employees could exercise discretion to determine which travel was essential, and some investment bankers working on Chinese deals had made trips to the country, one person said. A spokesman for RBC said the company followed travel advisories from the Canadian government and declined to comment further. A government notice dated January 14 recommends Canadian citizens exercise a "high degree of caution" in China, the second-lowest of four risk levels, due to the possibility of "arbitrary enforcement" of local laws. In more extreme cases, the government may advise Canadians to avoid non-essential travel or even to not visit a country at all. In October UBS imposed restrictions on staff travel to China after one of its employees was detained, Bloomberg News reported at the time. Julius Baer also had similar travel ban at the time, people with knowledge of the matter have said. The UBS wealth manager who was detained in China for about three months later returned home, and UBS removed the travel restrictions. Canadian citizens Michael Kovrig, a former diplomat, and Michael Spavor, who organises North Korea tours for foreigners, have been detained in China since mid-December. The government has not yet explained the specific allegations against them. China has said it welcomes all foreigners who want to visit as long as they respect the country's laws. ^ top ^
China voices resolute opposition to provocations in South China Sea (Xinhua)
2019-02-28
China respects freedom of navigation and flights over the South China Sea but resolutely opposes taking it as a pretext to conduct provocative moves in this area, a spokesperson for the Chinese military said Thursday. "China always respects the freedom of navigation and flights over the South China Sea in accordance with international law, but that should not be conducted in a wayward or illegal manner," Ren Guoqiang, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, said at a press conference. "China resolutely opposes any country taking such freedom as a pretext to conduct illegal and provocative moves in the South China Sea, undermining sovereignty and security of littoral countries, and doing harm to regional peace and stability," Ren said. While responding to a question regarding statements by military and governmental officials of the United States on the so-called "freedom of navigation" issue, Ren said China has indisputable sovereignty over the islands in the South China Sea and their adjacent waters. Ren said that with the efforts of China and ASEAN countries, the current situation in the area is generally improving. However, the acts by the United States to send vessels and planes to relevant areas have defied international law and international rules, jeopardizing the peace and stability in the region. "We demand that the US side earnestly respect the sovereignty and security of China as well as the strong and common will of countries in the region to preserve peace and stability in the area, and stop making trouble in the South China Sea," Ren said. The spokesperson also pledged resolute measures by the Chinese military to safeguard national sovereignty and security and maintain regional peace and stability. ^ top ^
US and China reach deal on enforcement mechanism for possible pact to end trade war, US trade chief Robert Lighthizer tells Congress (SCMP)
2019-02-28
The US and China have agreed to an enforcement mechanism that ensures Beijing follows through on promised reforms if a deal to end the trade war is reached, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer told the House Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday. The mechanism would consist of monthly meetings at the office director level, quarterly meetings at the vice-ministerial level and semi-annual gatherings at the ministerial level, with these last meetings convened by Lighthizer and Chinese Vice-Premier Liu He, the top US trade negotiator testified. The mechanism ostensibly answers a US concern that any final agreement brokered by Washington and Beijing would be specific, measurable and enforceable at all levels of Chinese government – a condition Lighthizer made a point of in his testimony. "We have to have the ability to take proportional action unilaterally to make sure that we have a situation where [China is] following the contract," he said. Enforcement has been one of the stickiest points in the negotiations, with the sides far apart on this issue as recently as last week. Washington had rejected Beijing's offered solution of "joint task forces", while Beijing had resisted any mechanism that threatened the country's sovereignty, sources with knowledge of negotiations previously told the South China Morning Post. Despite a new consensus on enforcement, however, Lighthizer emphasised on Wednesday that significant hurdles still remained in negotiations. "Much still needs to be done both before an agreement is reached and, more importantly, after it is reached, if one is reached", he said. The terms of any deal reached would have to be implemented at all levels of governance in China, including "central", "sub-central", and "local", the trade chief said. "It's got to be across the board like that". Lighthizer's testimony before the committee – the principal source of legislation on American customs duties and international trade agreements – came as China and the US tried to strike a deal to end the months-old trade war. His appearance marked the first time the US House of Representatives – now controlled by the Democratic Party – has formally investigated US President Donald Trump's China trade policy. Tensions between China and the US have eased somewhat since Trump said on Sunday that he would delay plans to raise tariffs on US$200 billion in Chinese goods if no deal was reached by March 1. Trump cited "substantial progress" in talks in Washington with a team led by Liu He. Lighthizer said the deal-enforcement meetings would allow government representatives from both sides to raise concerns and get them addressed. The meetings would be a chance for Washington to air complaints about any systemic problems, and to pass on any specific grievances issued to the US administration from American companies, Lighthizer said. "In many cases, those [complaints] are going to have to be anonymous because companies are afraid to come forward, because they know what will happen if they do," he said. "They'll have real-world effects, it will be negative." If the problems ended up at the ministerial level and could not be resolved there, then the US "would expect to act unilaterally", he said. "Proportionally, but unilaterally". As his testimony got under way, Lighthizer repeated the oft-made US accusation that China's "unfair trade practices" posed existential threats to the US economy. "Technology transfer issues, a failure to protect intellectual property, large subsidies and the cyber theft of commercial secrets" are among the threatening Chinese practices, he said. Lighthizer and Trump have differed publicly over the use of memorandums of understanding in the negotiations with China. The president denigrated MOUs as "short-term" and a "waste of time", prompting Lighthizer to announce that the documents would now be called "trade agreements". Both sides reached an agreement on Friday on currency manipulation as one of several MOUs covering a variety of industries, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said. Trump has said that the nations were getting "very, very close" to a deal and that Chinese negotiators would be returning to Washington for additional talks before he and Chinese President Xi Jinping meet to sign a pact. Beijing has accepted Washington's choice of Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida for the leaders to finalise a deal. Lighthizer clashed with one lawmaker on Wednesday over whether that final agreement would be submitted to Congress for approval. "We have no intentions of submitting it to Congress," Lighthizer said, responding to a question from Representative Lloyd Doggett, a Texas Democrat, about when lawmakers would be able to view and approve the deal. "It's an executive agreement." But Doggett contended that any binding trade agreements could be sought only through congressional authority. Lighthizer, however, said a deal to end the trade war would be "a settlement of the 301 action", referring to his office's investigation into China's trade practices that resulted in the levying of punitive tariffs in July. "It's an executive agreement, which the Constitution gives the president the right to enter into," he said. Lighthizer had told lawmakers that in assessing the success of the agreement he would factor in the demands and suggestions that industry associations and experts have delivered to the administration over the course of its trade action on China. Addressing those points was "what I have as my objective", he said. "It's not just what I think." Among the yardsticks by which the administration would measure an agreement's success were provisions to enforce "real rules" around forced technology transfers, restrictions on government subsidies and intellectual property protection, Lighthizer said. The agreement's section on IP protection alone would be around 27 to 28 pages long, the US trade representative said. ^ top ^
'The time of naivety is over': Europe's China problem is on the agenda at next European Commission meeting as states focus on competition (SCMP)
2019-02-28
Competition from China will be in the spotlight at next month's meeting of the European Commission, with Germany and France expected to push for a new common strategy that may include changes to the EU's industrial policy. While no details have been released, China is on the agenda for the March 21 meeting, after calls from business leaders to help European industries cope with greater competition from their Chinese counterparts. Clement Beaune, adviser to French President Emmanuel Macron, said it was important that EU leaders use the meeting to define a common strategy on China. "Five years ago, the member states were still divided and naive in relation to China, now the time of naivety is over," he told leading German financial newspaper Handelsblatt. The French and German governments have become increasingly concerned about the strength of European firms against Chinese competition, particularly after the commission blocked a merger between the rail assets of France's Alstom and Germany's Siemens earlier this month. The deal would have created the world's second largest rail company, although it would have been half the size of China's state-owned railway. The commission ruled against the deal, based on EU competition law, which aims to maintain downward pressure on prices in the European market by discouraging the creation of industrial giants. China, the commission said, did not present a competitive risk in high speed trains. Bruno Le Maire, the French finance minister, said that blocking the deal had been a "political mistake" by the commission, and that it would "serve China's economic and industrial interests." There have been growing demands from business communities for more support from governments to help boost competitiveness. Last month German business lobby BDI published a list of 54 demands for a tougher EU strategy on China, addressed to the German government and the European Commission. Frans-Paul van der Putten, a senior research fellow at the Netherlands Institute of International Relations, said any new industrial strategy that emerged from the March 21 meeting was likely to reflect demands raised by the French and German business communities, and would be directed primarily at China. "We have entered a totally new phase now where it's not driven by the European Commission but by those two big member states, Germany and France," van der Putten said. He said the influence of the two countries on the EU's China policy had become "stronger and stronger" in the past year or two, including in its new investment screening mechanisms, seen by many as a way to counter China's influence in Europe. Beijing, meanwhile, is planning to focus on consolidating ties with Europe, with a trip to the continent by Chinese President Xi Jinping expected in late March. Any new industrial policy is likely to be seen as a sign that Europe's position is becoming less favourable towards China, van der Putten said. "China has been trying to convince Europe that China and Europe should stick together with what Trump is doing to the international economic system. This [new policy] will be quite worrying from the Chinese point of view," he said. Jan Weidenfeld, head of the European China Policy Unit at the Mercator Institute for China Studies, said the shift in Europe's view of China in recent years was due to a fundamental non-convergence between the two. "China is not becoming more like the EU," he said. "Recent trends are a bit of a departure from the past. The question for Europe has changed from how can we get China on board to how can we increase our resilience, and do better economic policy, in light of this massive challenge?" Cui Hongjian, a senior research fellow with the China Institute of International Studies in Beijing, said big European countries like Germany and France had been pushing hard over the past couple of years for a common position on China, due to a fear that its influence with particular European countries would make it impossible for them to take a common stance. "Of course, China supports a strong EU and greater unification, but China will only be concerned with the direction of this unification – it could go in many different directions," he said. ^ top ^
Chinese, Russian and Indian foreign ministers call for enhanced counter-terrorism cooperation (Global Times)
2019-02-27
Foreign ministers of China, Russia and India held the 16th trilateral meeting on Wednesday, calling for enhanced communication and cooperation in counter-terrorism cooperation. The ministers strongly condemned terrorism in all forms and manifestations. They called on the international community to strengthen UN-led global counter-terrorism cooperation by fully implementing the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, read a communiqué the Chinese Foreign Ministry released on its website on Wednesday night. They vowed to eradicate the breeding grounds of terrorism and extremism. "Islamic State terrorists show a tendency to move toward Middle-South Asia regions that center around Afghanistan. Under this circumstance, main regional countries like China, Russia and India, need to enhance cooperation on counter-terrorism to safeguard regional security," Fu Xiaoqiang, an expert on South Asian studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times on Wednesday. Especially now that India joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in 2017, the three countries should make more efforts to combat terrorism on the platform, Fu noted. The ministers reiterated their firm commitment to multilateralism and the purposes and principles enshrined in the UN Charter. Foreign ministers of China and Russia reiterate the importance they attach to the status of India in international affairs and support its aspiration to play a greater role in the UN, read the communiqué. They also expressed firm commitment to a rules-based, transparent, non-discriminatory, open and inclusive multilateral trading system centering around the WTO and firmly opposed to unilateralism and protectionism. Fu pointed out that "as important emerging economies, China, Russia and India should enhance coordination in promoting economic globalization and fairness in international order in face of the 'America First' diplomatic policy upheld by US President Trump." The three countries share a mutual stance in many hotspot issues, such as the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue and maritime safety issue, Fu said. "Given the US' Indo-Pacific strategy, the three countries should increase their voices in regional safety to guarantee regional stability." In response to the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during the trilateral meeting that the second meeting between US and North Korean leaders is being held. "We appreciate their efforts to solve the issue," Wang noted, while reiterating that dialogue and negotiation is the fundamental path. Wang chaired the meeting, which was attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. The meeting was held in Wuzhen, East China's Zhejiang Province. ^ top ^
Philippine planning secretary Ernesto Pernia welcomes Chinese aid and investment despite public suspicion of Beijing (SCMP)
2019-02-26
The Philippines is open to Chinese aid and investment to spur its economy despite limited public support for letting Beijing's chequebook diplomacy dictate the future of the Southeast Asian country, a senior Filipino government official says. "China has promised more funding for more projects," Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia told NNA in Osaka during a recent visit to Japan to attend a meeting for infrastructure development cooperation with the Japanese government. Under its "Build, Build, Build" programme, the Philippines plans to invest a total of 8.3 trillion pesos (US$160 billion) in infrastructure and social services. The government has earmarked 2.2 trillion pesos for 75 big-ticket projects such as the Metro Manila Subway, the nation's first subway system. Funding for 56 of the projects will come from official aid from major economies, said Pernia, who concurrently serves as director general of the National Economic and Development Authority. During a meeting in Manila last November, President Rodrigo Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed on China's participation in the BBB programme along with joint exploration of natural resources, namely oil and gas in the disputed South China Sea. China has for years asserted its sovereignty over a number of islands and reefs in the South China Sea, also claimed by the Philippines and other neighbouring countries. The two countries have agreed on Chinese funding for four projects – two loan facilities and two grants worth "a little less than 250 million pesos," according to Pernia. China is the Philippines' largest trading partner, followed by Japan and the United States, but it is a minor donor in terms of official development aid. Japan is the largest official development assistance donor to the Philippines with cumulative direct soft loans of 2.7 trillion yen (US$24.4 billion) through March 2017. Unlike Japan, China is a new ODA partner, which is why it is taking time to catch up with Tokyo's level of aid funding, Pernia said. Specifically, Chinese firms plan to build large-scale integrated steel complexes on Mindanao Island, which has received far less foreign direct investment than Luzon Island. China's HBIS Group, the world's fourth-largest steelmaker, has partnered with Steel Asia Manufacturing of the Philippines to build a plant with an annual output capacity of 8 million tons. Another Chinese firm, Panhua, also plans to set up a steel mill capable of producing 10 million tons a year. Their combined investment will total US$7.9 billion. "The role of the government is just to make sure that these are legitimate, credible companies and companies with integrity," Pernia said, adding he recognises the need to attract more foreign manufacturers to the country. According to a nationwide survey by Pulse Asia Research published last month, 60 per cent of Filipinos say China is "not so trustworthy" or "not trustworthy at all," while 39 per cent have "a great deal of trust" or "a fair amount of trust" in China, compared with 84 per cent in the United States, 82 per cent in other member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and 75 per cent in Japan. ^ top ^
China's top court vows better legal service for BRI-related cases (China Daily)
2019-02-25
China's top court said it would spend more effort in handling cases regarding the Belt and Road Initiative to offer better legal services for litigants from home and abroad. "We must improve the quality of hearing cases involving countries taking part in the initiative, as it has been a major part of a growing foreign-related disputes heard by Chinese courts in the past few years," Wang Shumei, a senior judge from the Supreme People's Court, told China Daily after issuing six significant BRI-related cases to the public at a press conference on Monday. Disputes caused by international goods contracts, maritime salvaging and freight transportation are more frequently seen among the BRI-related cases, she said. Considering the professionalism of handling such cases, the top court had issued a guideline and information on 18 high-profile cases relating to the initiative before the latest disclosure. "What we want is to help lower-level courts regulate their behavior in the hearings and improve the quality of their trials,"said Wang, the deputy judge at the top court's No 4 Civil Division, a department responsible for dealing with foreign-related cases. "The better we solve such cases, the more effectively it is for us to push forwarded the initiative and improve the global credibility of our nation's judiciary," she said. Given that some legal problems in hearing foreign-related cases are still international challenges, sharing how Chinese courts resolve such disputes also will help the world develop studies and make international rules, according to Guo Feng, deputy director of the top court's Research Office. Both judicial officials noted judges nationwide are ordered to give equal protection to litigants no matter where they are from. Since 2015, the top court has taken measures to strengthen the hearings of BRI-related cases. Last year, for example, two international commercial courts were respectively set up in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong province, and Xi'an, in Northwest China's Shaanxi province, to help resolve disputes related to the initiative. Statistics previously released by the top court showed Chinese courts at all levels concluded about 200,000 foreign-related disputes between 2013 and 2017, with the BRI-related cases a main component. ^ top ^
China-Singapore co-built eco-city to expand 5G network (Xinhua)
2019-02-25
China-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City, a joint project between the two countries, will add 10 5G base stations to the existing two by 2020 to expand its 5G network, Chinese telecom giant China Mobile said Monday. The base stations will enable the eco-city, located in northern China's Tianjin Municipality, to use 5G technology to transmit high-definition pictures and videos to improve city management, according to Zhang Lei, deputy general manager of China Mobile's branch in Tianjin's Binhai New Area. Huang Yonghao, deputy director of the eco city's technology bureau, said the 5G network will also power the use of unmanned aerial vehicles in environmental monitoring, geographical mapping and law enforcement. China-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City, inaugurated in 2008, is designed to strengthen environmental protection, conserve resources and build a harmonious society. Besides the eco-city, there are currently two such cooperation initiatives between China and Singapore, namely the Suzhou Industrial Park in eastern China's Jiangsu Province and an intergovernmental project in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. ^ top ^
China and Saudi Arabia seal US$28 billion in deals (SCMP)
2019-02-24
Saudi Arabia signed US$28 billion worth of economic cooperation agreements with China on Friday as its crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, met top Chinese leaders in Beijing. "China is a good friend and partner to Saudi Arabia," Chinese President Xi Jinping told Salman at the Great Hall of People. "The special nature of our bilateral relationship reflects the efforts you have made." The crown prince also said Saudi Arabia supported China's "Belt and Road Initiative" and respected Beijing's counterterrorism efforts. "The Silk Road initiative and China's strategic orientation are very much in line with the kingdom's Vision 2030," state news agency Saudi Press Agency quoted Salman as saying, referring to Saudi Arabia's economic reform programme. Trade between China and Saudi Arabia rose by 32 per cent last year, he said. According to SPA, 35 economic cooperation agreements were signed at a joint investment forum held by Saudi Arabia's investment agency during the visit. Among them was a deal between Aramco and Chinese defence conglomerate Norinco to develop a US$10 billion refining and petrochemical complex in the northeastern Chinese city of Panjin. Aramco said that as part of the project the partners would form a company called Huajin Aramco Petrochemical to build a refinery that could produce 300,000 barrels of oil per day. Salman and his delegation arrived on Thursday for a two-day trip after visiting India and Pakistan. The group also met Vice-Premier Han Zheng and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing. In his meeting with the crown prince on Friday, Han said the two countries should work together on counterterrorism, law enforcement, security and deradicalisation, according to state news agency Xinhua. A day earlier, Wang told Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir that China supported Saudi Arabia's efforts to diversify its economy and was willing to strengthen hi-tech cooperation. "All countries in the world have the right to develop, and Saudi Arabia is an emerging market country with enormous potential," Wang said. Xi has made stepping up China's presence in the Middle East a key foreign policy objective, despite its traditional low-key role there. But China has had to step carefully in relations with Riyadh, since Beijing also has close ties with Saudi Arabia's regional foe Iran. Earlier in the week, top Chinese leaders including Xi and Wang also received an Iranian delegation headed by Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Beijing. According to Xinhua, Wang told Zarif that China wanted to "deepen strategic trust" with Tehran. Li Weijian, a Middle East expert at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, said China's policy in the Middle East was not to side with any party. "Simultaneously hosting Iran and Saudi delegations within a week has sent out the exact message that China has no interest in siding [with one country or the other]," Li said. He said that approach could enable China to mediate between the two countries if necessary. ^ top ^
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Chinese labour activist trio face public order charges, told to refuse lawyers, says rights group (SCMP)
2019-02-28
At least three prominent labour activists in China have been formally arrested on public order charges, a Hong Kong-based labour rights organisation said, the latest step by Chinese authorities in a rolling crackdown on civil society. The three – Wu Guijun, Zhang Zhiru and He Yuancheng – had been in detention in the southern city of Shenzhen for more than a month, China Labour Bulletin said. They learned on Tuesday and Wednesday that they were being formally charged with "gathering a crowd to disturb public order", it said. "The authorities are clearly nervous about the ability of labour activists to organise workers who are already struggling to make a living and increasingly angry at the gross social inequality they see around them every day," China Labour Bulletin said in a statement. It said it was unclear what incident the charges referred to because the authorities had told Wu and Zhang to decline the services of the lawyers hired by their families. It also said family members had been harassed and told not to talk to the media about the case. Shenzhen police did not have an immediate comment about the arrests when contacted by phone. Two other activists were detained on January 20 along with Zhang, He and Wu, China Labour Bulletin said. "Given that they have yet to reappear in public, it is assumed that they have been arrested and charged as well," it said. Labour activists in China have long been under pressure from the ruling Communist Party, which is deeply suspicious of social organising that occurs outside its control, but authorities have sharply intensified their efforts in recent years. ^ top ^
China's new veterans' law to be reviewed at National People's Congress next week (SCMP)
2019-02-28
China's top legislative body is set to review the first draft of a new law designed to better protect the interests of the country's 57 million war veterans, campaigners say, but concerns remain as to how effectively it will be implemented. Li Xiao, a 64-year-old veteran campaign leader, said he had been told that the draft, which comprises 83 articles in 11 charters, had been submitted to the National People's Congress (NPC), which begins its annual session on Tuesday. "This is the law the veterans have been waiting for for decades, with many retired senior military officers pushing for it since the 1970s. Now, we finally see a ray of hope," said the former artillery soldier who was involved in China's nuclear tests from 1978 to 1981. "My health was poor when I retired in 1981, and many of my colleagues also suffered from various kinds of cancers after retirement. "But most of us never received any proper treatment, so we hope our problems will be resolved as soon as the law is ready." The PLA Daily, the mouthpiece of China's military, reported in January that the Ministry of Veterans Affairs, which was established in June, would increase its support for former military personnel in the coming year. As a leader of campaigns in southeast China's Anhui province, Li said he hoped the new legislation meant his fellow ex-servicemen no longer needed to take to the streets of their hometowns or travel to Beijing to air their grievances. Professor Zeng Zhiping, a military law expert at Wenzheng College of Soochow University in east China's Jiangsu province, said the legislation could be passed within the year. "Making a law for the veterans was one of the key tasks of the military overhaul launched by President Xi Jinping that saw 300,000 military personnel, most of them senior officers, being laid off. So military leaders should do all they can to meet the deadline of completing it by 2020," he said. "But [even if they do] concerns remain as to how the law will be implemented at the local level," Zeng said. His worries are shared by other campaigners who accuse local governments of paying only lip service to the veterans and the law. "The law will only be meaningful if it is implemented – every article," said a retired colonel who provides legal assistance to campaigners and spoke on condition of anonymity. "But officials – from senior leaders to grass-roots cadres – care only about pleasing their superiors and pay little attention to what the law says. "My experience tells me that as soon as President Xi Jinping begins to focus on other issues, the veterans will be forgotten and their problems will become just another social issue." The new veterans ministry was set up in response to repeated calls for better treatment for those who fought in conflicts like the Korean and Vietnam border wars, as well as those, like Li, who worked with nuclear weapons. On Tuesday, a new service centre operating directly under the ministry opened in Beijing to provide support for former service personnel on issues such as finding work and reporting grievances. Xinhua said similar offices would open soon across the rest of the country. A retired colonel in Shanghai, who also asked not to be named, said the priority for the ministry and the service centres should be helping the 300,000 soldiers who lost their jobs in the shake-up initiated by Xi, who is also chairman of the Central Military Commission, in 2015. "There hasn't been much progress since the ministry was established. It has mostly just collected the veterans' personal information and not followed up," he said. "We're worried that the law will become a stopgap tactic and we'll have to keep on waiting. [But] the war veterans and those who took part in the nuclear tests are getting old. We can't wait much longer." ^ top ^
Top legislator meets with NPC deputies (Xinhua)
2019-02-28
China's top legislator has called on the National People's Congress (NPC) deputies to earnestly perform their functions as stipulated in the Constitution and play their role as a bridge linking the Party with the people. Li Zhanshu, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee and a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remark when he was meeting with the deputies attending a bimonthly session of the NPC Standing Committee Thursday. The deputies provided their opinions and advice at the meeting. Li said their comments would be filed and summarized. "Strong support and active participation of the NPC deputies are indispensable in the work of the NPC Standing Committee," Li said, adding that they would help enhance legislative quality and efficiency. He said the NPC Standing Committee would further tighten the links with the deputies and enlarge their participation in legislation and supervision. Wang Chen, vice chairman of the NPC Standing Committee and a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, presided over the meeting. ^ top ^
CPC regulations on reporting of major issues published (Xinhua)
2019-02-28
The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee has recently published CPC regulations on requesting instructions for and submitting reports on major issues, an official statement said Thursday. Comprised of eight chapters and effective from Jan. 31, 2019, the regulations elaborate on how such work should be carried out, including the procedures and methods, major issues concerned, and related oversight arrangements. As an important political, organizational and work discipline of the Party, the system of instructions requesting and reporting on major issues is an effective mechanism for exercising democratic centralism, according to the statement. The regulations are of great significance for firmly upholding General Secretary Xi Jinping's status as the core of the CPC Central Committee and the whole Party as well as the authority of the CPC Central Committee and its centralized, unified leadership, the statement said, stressing that it is also significant to ensure the solidarity, unity and concerted action of the whole Party. The regulations will help standardize and institutionalize such work, the statement said. ^ top ^
Over 3,000 reporters to cover China's major political sessions (Xinhua)
2019-02-28
More than 3,000 reporters, including over 1,000 from overseas, have registered to cover China's upcoming annual legislative and political consultative sessions. The second annual sessions of the 13th National People's Congress, and the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, are scheduled to open on March 5 and 3, respectively. A press center for the sessions opened Wednesday in the Media Center Hotel in downtown Beijing, which will host a number of press conferences in various fields. As this year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the sessions have drawn worldwide attention. ^ top ^
Courts to be more efficient, use more technology (China Daily)
2019-02-27
Chinese courts have been ordered to offer more efficient legal services for litigants, with the nation's top court listing clearer responsibilities for court presidents and chief judges to prevent abuse of power in handling cases. On Wednesday, the Supreme People's Court, China's top court, issued a guideline on judicial reform for the next five years that said courts nationwide should make better use of technologies, including big data and artificial intelligence, to serve litigants. The guideline, which is divided into 10 major sectors with 65 items, orders Chinese courts to explore how to deliver legal documents online to improve judicial efficiency, as well as to study building a litigation system making use of mobile phones. With regards to difficulties in delivering documents to countries or regions overseas, the top court said it is trying to solve the problem through advanced technologies. "These moves aim to offer more convenience for litigants," said Hu Shihao, director of the top court's Judicial Reform Office. "I believe better use of technologies and the internet will help judges handle the rapid growth of cases more effectively." The top court has clarified that judges should be responsible for their cases and that no one should interfere in case hearings. However, if the disputes involve a large number of litigants or may influence social stability, the courts' presidents and chief judges can be allowed to follow up and take advice. "The monitoring process and advice must be written on record to prevent them from abusing power," Hu said. "But what the courts' presidents and chief judges can or cannot do, and how they do it, are still far from the specifics." He said the top court would produce a clearer list of powers in the next five years. In the past five years, the judicial reform has introduced several new measures to help Chinese courts uphold justice. For instance, 4,868 defendants were found not guilty from 2014 to 2018 — seen as a move to protect human rights. In addition, the country established three special courts for hearing intellectual property cases — in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, in Guangdong province. The central leadership has said it is determined to fight infringements of intellectual property rights. ^ top ^
Lawmakers brainstorm methods to seal victory over poverty (Xinhua)
2019-02-27
Chinese lawmakers have met at a bimonthly legislative session to discuss a research report on poverty relief, and brainstormed methods to seal the country's victory against poverty. The report was based on the investigation led by three National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee vice chairpersons into poverty alleviation efforts in 16 provinces and regions last year. It was reviewed at the two-day committee session, which ended Wednesday. Delivered at the session by Wu Weihua, vice chairperson of the NPC Standing Committee, the report said that "decisive progress" had been made in the anti-poverty fight but circumstances remained challenging. Support for extremely impoverished regions should be continuously strengthened, according to Li Yuefeng, a member of the standing committee, who said that areas in abject poverty still posed the most difficult tasks in the battle against poverty, and called for consistent efforts to make sure they did not lag behind. Fellow lawmaker Liu Yuankun believes the problems for extremely poor areas are rooted in their economy and society, and suggested poverty relief in such areas be integrated with local economic and social development. "As soon as transportation works, everything will work," he said, stressing the construction of infrastructure, which allows funds, talent and industries to flow into impoverished areas. Another member Zheng Gongcheng said that only by building inner faith and hope could the endogenous power to defeat poverty be long-lasting, and suggested prioritizing efforts in education and employment to enhance the capacity of people in poverty. In 2018, China lifted 13.86 million people in rural areas out of poverty, with the number of impoverished rural residents dropping from 98.99 million in late 2012 to 16.6 million by the end of last year. The number is still high, however, and many of the impoverished are long suffering from illnesses, disabled, or elderly people with no family, according to the report. "A long-term and effective mechanism to prevent people from falling back into poverty due to illness is significant," said Li Xueyong, a member of the NPC Standing Committee, who asked for more measures to cut major illnesses at the root. ^ top ^
Could this be the end for China's notorious household registration system? (SCMP)
2019-02-26
China is reviewing its decades-old household registration system to enable migrant workers to stay in cities as the country grapples with an ageing population and a shrinking workforce. Sun Lijun, deputy minister of public security, said on Thursday that his ministry is considering changes in policy to make it easier for the migrant workers to become the urban residents. But any changes to the system would not apply to congested the megacities of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen that the authorities deem overpopulated, Sun said. Under the "hukou" household registration system introduced the 1950s, Chinese people are classified as either rural or urban residents depending on where they were born. Rural residents can enjoy certain land use rights but are not officially allowed to live in cities or have access to government services in those areas such as education and health care. But as China's economy developed, around 300 million rural residents migrated to cities to earn a living, putting the system under intense strain. Now, under a national urbanisation policy, the authorities are trying to encourage about 100 million people living in the countryside to move to cities to help boost the economy. Addressing a national symposium on social management, Sun stressed the need to come up with a new system in which household registration was based on the place in which the person spent the most time – not where they were born. Chang An Jian, a social media account run by the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, China's top legal affair's body, supported change. "No matter where you come from, you should be able to settle in most of China's cities, choose the lifestyle you want, and no longer suffer such restrictions," the site said in an editorial. But there are many barriers to introducing such a system, according to Peking University sociology professor Lu Jiehua. "Although the policy excludes megacities like Beijing and Shanghai, the cities that will have to take in more people will need to provide more basic public services including education, health care and housing. Lots of investment is needed," Lu said. Gu Shengzu, a member of the National People's Congress's Standing Committee, has acknowledged publicly that there are major inequalities between urban and rural residents in more than 60 kinds of benefits. Closing the gap in services for migrant workers would cost the government 100,000 yuan (US$ 14,900) per person, Gu estimated. Retired Tsinghua University history professor Qin Hui said the unfairest part of the household registration system was its "bullying of the migrant poor". The system had led to inequality in human rights, property rights, and public services, Qin said. The central government has been working to narrow the gaps. In 2016, the State Council, the cabinet, issued a document to allow more non-urban residents to settle in cities, and said it planned to transfer the hukou of more than 13 million people per year. "According to the 13th five-year plan [for 2016-2020], 100 million people should be resettled [in cities], and there is just one year to go on that timetable. It will be very difficult to complete the task," Lu said. He said the hukou overhaul was a good idea to enable more migrants live in urban areas but there were administrative problems to overcome. "This new policy is good. The difficulty in implementation is that some big cities have to solve the problem of resettlement as they face financial problems. Basic public services, education, health, housing, etcetera, all take money," Lu said. "To generate enthusiasm and to solve the issue of public finances... we need to solve the problem of the relationship between central and local-level administrations. "The goal of the next five-year plan should be to water down the household registration system and provide public services according to where people live." ^ top ^
China to open 400 big data, AI majors in universities for global competition (Global Times)
2019-02-26
China will open around 400 majors related to big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics in universities in 2019, China's Ministry of Education (MOE) announced on Tuesday. Another 612 new engineering research projects will also be implemented in universities."AI and big data are newly established majors and will be taught in some directions like computer application technology, information and communication, control science and engineering," Fan Hailin, a deputy director of MOE's Department of Higher Education, told the Global Times on Tuesday. China has set the target becoming a major center for AI innovation and world leader in AI technology and applications by 2030, the Xinhua News Agency reported. "New courses of some less commonly taught languages of the countries along the routes of the Belt and Road Initiative, including Belarusian, Kurdish, Maori, Bislama and Dhivehi, will also be open in some universities," Fan said. Beijing Foreign Studies University and Shanghai International Studies University, China's two leading language universities, have added 11 less commonly taught language majors including Kurdish, Maori, Tongan, Samoan and Comorian, and Uzbek major respectively to undergraduates in 2018. Most of them were languages of countries participating in the initiative. At the conference, the ministry also vowed to continue promoting online courses (MOOC) in 2019. Specifically, MOE said it will help train at least 10,000 science teachers through the platform. Currently, the ministry has announced 1,291 MOOCs. The universities and colleges that opened online courses included top-notch Peking University and vocational schools like the Nanjing Institute of Industry Technology. The subjects vary greatly from traditional science subjects such as physics and chemistry to those of profound cultural essence such as the analysis of Chinese literature masterpiece "Dream of the Red Chamber" and ancient medical classic "Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon." Some new majors in medical sciences including precision medicine and translational medicine and intelligent medicine have been established, and 74 university affiliated hospitals have been approved as the first national clinical teaching and training demonstration centers. Some new majors in medical sciences including precision medicine and translational medicine and intelligent medicine have been established, and 74 university affiliated hospitals have been approved as the first national clinical teaching and training demonstration centers. China has built the world's largest higher education system. The number of undergraduate colleges has reached 1,245 and the total number of undergraduate students is 28.31 million. The gross enrollment rate of higher education has reached 48 percent, according to the conference. ^ top ^
The road to hell is paved with good intentions. What price will society pay for China's social credit system? (SCMP)
2019-02-25
We label people more often than we realise in casual conversation, and very often it is done with no ill intent. Some of these comments appear to be quite innocuous, such as describing someone based on their physical appearance. But do not overlook or underestimate the negative lasting effects of this off-the-cuff habit sometimes. Making stereotypical comments about people could impede the advancement of society as it encourages biased attitudes, which in turn endanger diversity, equality, and fairness. It gradually eats away at human rights and social justice. You might think describing people as black, white, rich, poor or fat is just a simple way of identifying someone. But these casual references can be harmful. These labels can stick and inadvertently become an invisible straitjacket, hindering a person's freedom, development, or even social status. Labelling, which often coexists with segregation, is nothing new. For example, children are placed into different bands or levels at school according to their abilities, so high-performing students are lumped together for the purposes of target teaching. This approach has been under intense criticism inside and outside the education sector, because it discriminates against those of a lesser academic ability, with resources then mostly channelled into developing the cream of the crop. Deliberate stereotyping and labelling is a kind of veiled or subtle aggression, or a way of sidelining people who may be different from us, or someone we feel threatened by or do not understand. Unfortunately, we sometimes label ourselves, albeit unintentionally. We do so by hanging out with people who have similar ethnic, social, educational, and professional backgrounds. It is common to see people of similar nationalities living in the same area or community when they have moved overseas. You may argue that it is just natural because we are drawn to those like us, and we often feel more comfortable and secure around people we can relate to. This is especially true in what can feel like an unfamiliar, foreign setting. When labelling or stereotyping behaviour becomes the norm, it runs the risk of weeding out those who do not make the grade, hence this kind of classist approach endangering basic human rights, and the general principles of fairness for all. And when it is done across community and society, it can be detrimental to social advancement as a whole. We are now witnessing this frightening social trend being rolled out in a big way in mainland China, which has begun to experiment with a "social credit system", which many observers have warned could ultimately increase the collection and sharing of data about all citizens, to their detriment. The central government first announced the scheme in 2014, with a nationwide roll-out expected next year. So far, the blacklisting of citizens has been applied to limited travel for some low scorers. And a few dozen cities have already tested their local social credit scoring schemes. The central government says it is just a way to make society more harmonious by incentivising citizens, public officials and companies to embrace good behaviour, thereby improving social and market order, and enhancing governance. But it is trying to achieve this by blacklisting and punishing those who misbehave by their defined standards. One of the biggest underlying threats is how people are judged and assessed, and by whose standards. In all honesty, what is considered the norm by the government might not be accepted as such by citizens. As a result, those who do not agree and accept the set standards run the risk of being penalised or marginalised for falling short of those expectations. Restricting citizens' daily freedoms based on their performance against a set of strict rules is not only utterly unfair, we should be wary of the way this data is collected, including by a massive surveillance scheme. Furthermore, there is the potential for corruption, collusion, and bias being thrown into the mix to further punish the disadvantaged. If there are effective laws in place, why is there still a need to impose more rules to stifle individual freedoms in the name of social order? I am not dismissing the well-intentioned idea behind the scheme, but at what cost? Sometimes we need to question ourselves; are we knowingly taking the wrong path just to reach the right destination? And is it worth it? ^ top ^
WeChat closes over 30,000 accounts for vulgar content in 2019 (Global Times)
2019-02-24
China's most popular instant messaging app WeChat announced on Saturday that it has shut down over 30,000 accounts for publishing vulgar information since the beginning of 2019. The announcement said the contents of the closed accounts are false, exaggerated or vulgar. Some of them provided obscene or pornographic information, while some conveyed the culture of hopelessness or depression. WeChat said it will impair users' tastes and tarnish the platform environment. According to the statement, since the beginning of 2019, WeChat has closed and handled 966 accounts that have sent erotic or violent content, and has deleted 2,267 articles. It has also closed and handled 36,556 accounts containing vulgar materials, and has deleted 73,318 articles, closed and handled 3,070 clickbait accounts. China has been stepping up efforts to cleanse the country's cyber environment. In December 2018, Beijing's cyberspace affairs office shut down 110,000 social media accounts for spreading harmful information. The office has talked with Sina Weibo, Baidu and WeChat developer Tencent, guiding these platforms to follow laws and regulations and strengthen the management of social media accounts through the completion and implementation of content-auditing mechanisms. The Cyberspace Administration of China also said in a statement released in November that it had punished more than 9,800 we-media accounts popular on WeChat and Sina Weibo. These accounts were found to spread harmful, false or pornographic information and seriously violated Chinese law and damaged cyber space. In the latest case, Mimeng, a Chinese social media superstar on WeChat with more than 14 million followers and dubbed the "queen of clickbait," closed her Weibo and WeChat accounts for publishing a story that had been labeled as "fake news." ^ top ^
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| Tibet |
Senior CPC official meets Panchen Lama (Xinhua)
2019-02-27
A senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official met with the 11th Panchen Lama Bainqen Erdini Qoigyijabu in Beijing Tuesday. You Quan, a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and head of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, congratulated the Panchen Lama for the progress he made last year. You expressed the hope that the Panchen Lama could make new achievements in maintaining China's reunification and ethnic unity as well as in promoting Tibetan Buddhism to be more adaptable to the socialist society. The Panchen Lama said he will closely follow the CPC Central Committee in terms of thinking, political orientation and actions. He said he will keep his responsibilities in mind, serve the believers and further contribute to national reunification, ethnic unity, religious harmony, and people's well-being. ^ top ^
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| Xinjiang |
China Focus: Indonesian, Malaysian journalists visit Xinjiang (Xinhua)
2019-02-28
A group of journalists from Indonesia and Malaysia visited the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region from Feb. 22 to 27 to interview the local people and find out about the region's development and how it implements policies on de-extremism. The visit by 11 journalists, as part of the ASEAN Elites China Tour 2019, followed a series of tours by overseas media and foreign diplomats to Xinjiang. The journalists visited vocational education and training centers in Kashgar, Shule County, and Hotan County, where they were deeply impressed by spacious buildings and well-equipped lodging facilities. Nugroho Fery Yudho, a senior editor from Kompas, an Indonesian paper, who visited Xinjiang for the first time, commended China's efforts on de-extremism and countering terrorism. He said what he saw in Xinjiang was not as reported by some news outlets alleging that people were being locked up at the centers. The journalists observed classes at two preschools at the Naizerbag Township in Kashgar, where children aged three to six attend for free. The kids are taught in both Chinese and the ethnic Uygur language. At the Id Kah Mosque in Kashgar and Gamai Mosque in Hotan, religious staff led the journalists on tours. These mosques are old but well-preserved and are places where Muslim believers honor their religious customs, said Asmaliza Binti Mansor, assistant editor at Sinar Harian, a newspaper in Malaysia. Also her first visit to Xinjiang, Asmaliza Binti Mansor said many news reports about Xinjiang are done in a negative way, and the tour is good for her to see Xinjiang as it is. Zulfiani Lubis, the chief editor of Idntimes.com, said she has spent 16 years focusing on reports about terrorism. Vocational training is a common way to counter terrorism, extremism and separatism, she said. "I found through interviews that the way extremist thoughts infiltrated China was very similar to how it infiltrated Indonesia, which is all through the internet." As a gateway for China to open to the West since ancient times and a key region on the ancient Silk Road, Xinjiang is home to long-term exchanges among people of different ethnic groups. At the regional museum, journalists learned about the history, culture and folk customs of the region. Dating back more than 2,000 years, Kashgar's old town underwent a 7-billion-yuan (about 1.05 billion U.S. dollars) renovation, making dilapidated houses earthquake-proof while maintaining the traditional style. Asmaliza Binti Mansor, the Malaysian journalist, is fond of visiting historical sites. She said she was amazed at the sharp contrast between what she saw in Kashgar, the tidy roads and bustling streets, and the run-down architecture in the old archives. The tradition of making musical instruments dated back 150 years in Shufu County, where dozens of musical instruments are made in family workshops. It has the only museum in China dedicated to musical instruments of ethnic minorities. Yudho, the Indonesian journalist, was fascinated by the purity of the tambur and the fine craftsmanship in the musical instrument's making. He bought one as a souvenir. Xinjiang is the largest in China in terms of landmass and also one of the less developed areas in the country. The journalists were impressed by the successful experience the region has achieved in poverty reduction. At a poverty-relief relocation site at the Turugart port in Wuqia county of Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture, the journalists visited Gulnur's new home. The house is decorated with Kyrgyz-style carpets and tapestries, and Gulnur, the hostess, treated the journalists with hand-made, traditional delicacies. "I learned that her family once led a difficult life in the border area, and now they are better off after moving here," said Rizki Akbar Hasan with Liputan6.com in Indonesia. Gulnur is among the 136 households of Kyrgyz herders, who once lived a nomadic life in the mountainous county of Wuqia, in the far west of Xinjiang. They had to move from place to place to wherever there were water and grass for sheep and cattle. Thanks to a resettlement program, Gulnur and her family moved to their new home and settled down in 2016. Besides better living conditions, they now have access to resources such as education and healthcare, which were once unavailable. Also in Wuqia, the journalists visited the Tuofeng camel fur company. Established in 1996, the company buys camel hair from areas such as southern Xinjiang and Kazakhstan, makes them into hats and clothes and sells the products to Russia and Central Asian countries. Yohana Margaretha, from Indonesia's Metro TV, said Indonesia also supports small and micro companies as a way to help people shake off poverty. "It's great to see that these camel fur products can be sold to places as far as Central Asia," she said. "The newly-built villages here are as beautiful as cities, and I wish I could have more time to look around." ^ top ^
Rising Chinese political star Wang Junzheng confirmed in Xinjiang security role (SCMP)
2019-02-27
Wang Junzheng, one of the Chinese Communist Party's rising stars, has officially taken over as the party secretary in charge of law and order in Xinjiang. Xinjiang Daily reported on Tuesday that the former party chief of Changchun city had presided over a meeting of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission – the top political body responsible for law and order in the region – in Urumqi on Monday. Speaking at the meeting, Wang vowed to "ensure the party's absolute leadership over political and legal work, and firmly implement the Party Central Committee's strategy in governing Xinjiang." The South China Morning Post reported earlier this month that the 56-year-old cadre has been transferred to Xinjiang and he would take up his position as political and legal affairs secretary of the region. Wang will be tasked with implementing China's "stabilising measures" in Xinjiang – including the oversight of the controversial "internment camps" where an estimated 1 million inmates, mainly Uygur Muslims, are reportedly being held. A source familiar with Wang told the Post that the Shandong-native was among a group of up-and-coming cadres who have won the trust of President Xi Jinping and had a "bright future". Observers believe he is not likely to implement drastic changes to Beijing's tight control policies in Xinjiang. Alfred Wu, an associate professor at Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, said looking at Wang's past record of fast-track rotation and promotion, "Xinjiang is likely just another stop in his political career". "Beijing's main focus is stability in Xinjiang, not economic growth. If Wang can prove himself in following orders from Beijing, implementing Xi's strategy in Xinjiang and maintaining stability, he will be regarded as delivering good results." Xinjiang recorded economic growth of 6 per cent last year, in contrast to the national average of 6.6 per cent. For this year the region has a remarkably modest growth target of 5.5 per cent. Another informed source, whose family members work for the regional government, said apart from maintaining stability, a key challenge for Wang and the Xinjiang Communist Party was to boost the morale of local cadres. "Many of them are overworked and are under tremendous pressure. They are required to arrange to have at least one person to be on call round the clock. There are not enough people in the office and they] have to be on duty twice a week. We are all very tired." He said cadres were also obliged to keep watch over Uygur families by staying in their homes, but they were not able to claim any expenses for doing so and have to buy gifts for their hosts. "Although we have made some friends [with these families], this also created additional financial burdens for us," he said. China's policies in Xinjiang – especially those relating to the mainly Muslim Uygurs – have faced increased scrutiny in the West, especially since the United Nations reported that more than a million people were being held in internment camps. China has said that the camps are vocational training centres and denies mistreating the inmates. The official news agency Xinhua reported on Monday that the Foreign Ministry recently invited senior diplomats from the permanent missions of eight countries at the United Nations Human Rights Office in Geneva to visit Xinjiang. The news agency reported that diplomats from Pakistan, Venezuela, Cuba, Egypt, Cambodia, Russia, Senegal and Belarus, "spoke with trainees at vocational education and training centres". ^ top ^
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| Hongkong |
HKSAR gov't sees Greater Bay Area development as golden opportunity (Xinhua)
2019-02-27
The financial secretary of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government delivered Hong Kong's annual budget on Wednesday, saying the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area offers golden opportunities for Hong Kong to explore new directions and open up new horizons. To support implementation of various measures, the budget, themed "supporting enterprises, safeguarding jobs, stabilizing the economy, strengthening livelihoods," provides new resources ready for use of about 150 billion HK dollars (about 19.1 billion U.S. dollars), with additional resources earmarked for various purposes. "This demonstrates our determination to enhance public services, support enterprises, relieve people's burden and invest for the future," Financial Secretary of the HKSAR government Paul Chan said. Under mounting external pressures, Hong Kong's economic growth moderated from 4.1 percent in the first half of 2018 to 2.1 percent in the second half of the year, with growth for the fourth quarter at a mere 1.3 percent, the lowest since the first quarter of 2016, he said. Overall, Hong Kong's economy grew by 3 percent in 2018, at the lower end of the range projected in last year's Budget but still higher than the trend growth rate of 2.8 percent over the past decade, he added. Chan forecast a surplus of 58.7 billion HK dollars for 2018-19. Fiscal reserves are expected to reach 1,161.6 billion HK dollars by March 31, 2019; economic growth of 2 to 3 percent in real terms for Hong Kong in 2019. He said the development of innovation and technology (I&T) will bring huge economic benefits to Hong Kong, adding that sufficient resources, with a commitment of over 100 billion HK dollars has been allocated in this area so far. More efforts will be made to support scientific research and I&T sectors by developing I&T infrastructure, promoting research and development (R&D), pooling talent, supporting enterprises and promoting reindustrialization. Talking about national development strategy, Chan emphasized that the Greater Bay Area development and the Belt and Road Initiative are providing rare opportunities for Hong Kong. Chan said that the outline development plan for the Greater Bay Area, promulgated last week, is a milestone setting out the development directions for the Greater Bay Area up to 2035. Hong Kong, positioned as international financial, transportation and trade centers as well as an international aviation hub in the Greater Bay Area, will strengthen its roles as a global offshore Renminbi business hub and an international asset and risk management center; and will devote great efforts to develop I&T industries as well as international legal and dispute resolution services, the financial chief said. Meanwhile, the Belt and Road Initiative will create greater room for Hong Kong's economic and social development. There has been positive outcomes in areas such as supporting industries in exploring markets, establishing business matching platforms for enterprises and encouraging Hong Kong's professional services sector to participate in Belt and Road projects. As for land supply, Chan said, the HKSAR government will ensure that adequate resources are provided to support fully the short, medium and long-term measures to increase land and housing supply. The estimated public housing production for the next five years is about 100,400 units and the supply of first-hand private residential units is expected to remain at a relatively high level in the coming three to four years at about 93,000 units, according to Chan. (1 U.S. dollar = 7.84 HK dollars). ^ top ^
Central government supports HK's ban of pro-independence political group (Global Times)
2019-02-26
China's central government on Tuesday said it sides with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government's decision to impose a ban on the pro-independence Hong Kong National Party. According to a statement on the official Chinese government website on Tuesday, the central government has sent an official letter to the executive officials of the HKSAR, asking them to submit a report over its ban of the Hong Kong National Party. The political group was banned by the HKSAR government on September 24, 2018, under an order made by the government's Security Bureau Director, the statement said. Executive officials with the HKSAR government together with the government's Executive Council officially upheld the ban ensuring the Security Bureau Director's order went into effect on February 19. The central government supports the HKSAR government's decision to impose a ban on operations by the political group in accordance with the law, it said. China's Constitution and HKSAR Basic Law stipulate that the HKSAR should implement its constitutional responsibility to protect the country's national security by law, read the statement. The HKSAR is an inseparable part of China, enjoying a high degree of autonomy. Safeguarding national sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity is the responsibility of the HKSAR government and the common obligation of all Chinese people, including the Hong Kong compatriots, it added. ^ top ^
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| Taiwan |
Beijing says it can ease power and water shortages on Taiwans's Quemoy, Matsu islands (SCMP)
2019-02-27
Beijing says it is prepared to supply electricity and water to islands controlled by Taipei in the Taiwan Strait despite escalating tensions between the two sides. An Fengshan, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office in Beijing, also said their different social systems should not be "an excuse" to separate the country, and any deal between the mainland and Taipei should be struck in the interests of a "peaceful unification" agenda. Speaking at a monthly press briefing on Wednesday, An said the mainland could supply power and water to meet the needs of residents on Quemoy, also known as Kinmen, and the Matsu island group. Controlled by Taipei, the islands are located off the mainland's southeastern Fujian coast – Quemoy is just 2km from Xiamen – and have been on the front line of cross-strait tensions since 1949. "The people of the Quemoy and Matsu islands have long hoped that the mainland could help to resolve the difficulties they face with power and water shortages, and they have made numerous appeals for gas and bridge connections [with the mainland]," An said. "Our attitude is very clear – that in regards to these demands, the mainland will make every effort to provide opportunities and conditions to help them achieve bigger and better development." An said Fujian province authorities had completed preliminary research and planning to supply electricity to the Quemoy and Matsu islands, as well as water to the Matsu chain. Plans to supply gas and build bridges were expected in the future, he said, without elaborating. Quemoy began importing water from Fujian to ease its water shortage in August, three years after it signed a 30-year agreement with the mainland province to supply water via an undersea pipeline. But Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, which handles cross-strait ties, asked the Quemoy county government to downplay a ceremony marking the start of the supply because of moves by Beijing to suppress Taipei. Beijing sees Taiwan as a breakaway province subject to eventual reunification, by force if necessary. Relations across the strait soured after Tsai Ing-wen, of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party, became president in 2016 and refused to accept the one-China principle. Since then, mainland China has stepped up pressure on Taiwan, suspending official communications with the Tsai government, poaching its diplomatic allies and staging war games near the self-ruled island, which is edging closer to Washington. In an interview with CNN last week, Tsai said she would seek re-election next year and there would be no peace deal with the mainland unless Beijing ruled out using force against Taiwan. On Wednesday, An said the different social systems across the strait should not be a barrier to unification, which President Xi Jinping sees as part of his Chinese dream of national rejuvenation but has been rejected by Tsai. "Peaceful unification and 'one country, two systems' are the basic policies for us to resolve the Taiwan issues, and the best way to realise the motherland's unification," An said. He was referring to a speech by Xi in January calling for Beijing and Taipei to start talks on "one country, two systems" in Taiwan – first proposed by late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping in the 1980s – as the path to bring the island back into the China fold. "The differences in the systems should not be a barrier to unification or an excuse for separation," An said. Asked about Beijing-friendly Kuomintang chairman Wu Den-yih's recent remarks that Taipei would sign a peace deal with the mainland if his party won the election in 2020, An said the two sides could explore a deal "as long as it benefits and safeguards the peace of the Taiwan Strait, increases the peaceful development of relations and pushes the peaceful unification process of the motherland". ^ top ^
Taiwan's KMT presidential prospect pledges closer ties with Beijing (SCMP)
2019-02-26
Taiwan presidential candidate Eric Chu pledged to improve ties with mainland China, casting any rematch against incumbent Tsai Ing-wen as a chance to reset ties with Beijing. Chu, who lost to Tsai in the 2016 election, accused the president of stoking tension with the mainland at the expense of economic growth. The former New Taipei city mayor said he would work to extend communication with the Communist Party in Beijing without compromising Taiwan's commitment to democracy. "We will achieve economic prosperity for the whole Chinese nation through cooperation between the two sides across the Taiwan Strait," he said. Chu was the first member of the opposition Kuomintang to announce a run for the presidency after Tsai's Democratic Progressive Party suffered a resounding defeat in local elections in November. While Chu lost by 25 percentage points three years ago, opinion polls show him now leading by double-digit margins in a possible head-to-head race next year. However, surveys indicated both Chu and Tsai trail independent Taipei City mayor Ko Wen-je and his Kaohsiung City KMT counterpart Han Kuo-yu in terms of popularity, although neither has declared a run for the presidency. Tsai's popularity has slumped amid public dissatisfaction over a host of local issues ranging from stagnant wages to her left-leaning party's effort to legalise same-sex marriage. But those concerns have been overshadowed by Beijing's effort to isolate Tsai over her refusal to accept its bottom line that both sides belong to "one China". China has long been a central dividing line between Taiwan's two biggest parties, with the DPP supporting legal independence and the KMT favouring closer economic ties with Beijing while maintaining self-rule. Former president Ma Ying-jeou, a KMT member, held an unprecedented meeting with the mainland's President Xi Jinping in 2015, two months before Tsai's election. Chu blamed Tsai for the decline in ties, specifically taking issue with her comments to CNN last week that the mainland would have "to brace for impact on its own economy and other fronts" in the event of an attempted invasion. "The leader of a country should protect all citizens from the danger of being trapped in a war," Chu said. "And she should not try to gain political advantage by dragging the public into a war and causing harm." The presidential office responded to Chu's criticism on Tuesday. "When it comes to [mainland] China and Taiwan, it's already widely known which one contributes to international stability and which one poses a threat to freedom and democracy," said presidential office spokesman Alex Huang. "We are surprised former mayor Chu appears not to know this." Chu has taken a more aggressive tack against Tsai than in the last campaign, when the KMT put him on the ballot weeks before election day to replace an unpopular candidate. Still, he may have to overcome candidates from his own party before he gets a rematch against Tsai in the general election, which could take place as early as January. Former parliamentary speaker Wang Jin-pyng and Kuomintang chairman Wu Den-yih, who both support closer mainland ties, are widely expected to run for president. Former premier Simon Chang, who served under Ma, has also declared his candidacy as an independent. Chu, who holds a doctorate in accountancy from New York University, said he favoured welcoming mainland investment and talent into Taiwanese industries that were not deemed strategically sensitive. The two sides have been ruled separately since the KMT moved the Republic of China government to Taipei during a civil war with the communists 70 years ago. Xi has signalled a desire to resolve the issue during his tenure, proposing last month "in-depth democratic consultations" to work towards unification. While Xi stopped short of issuing a firm deadline, his remarks went further than his 2013 statement saying the political impasse "cannot be passed on from generation to generation". Chu sidestepped a question on whether he preferred eventual unification with the mainland, describing it as a discussion for future leaders. "What the two sides across the Taiwan Strait need the most is peace," Chu said. "I feel right now at this stage instead of talking about the long-term goal for the next generation, it is better for us to create a more peaceful and more cooperative environment." ^ top ^
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| Economy |
Strong economic performers set to take key roles in China's rust belt province of Liaoning (SCMP)
2019-02-28
Liaoning, the province at the heart of China's industrial rust belt, is undergoing a leadership reshuffle that is expected to see cadres with strong economic track records promoted to leading positions. Zhou Bo, a former deputy mayor of Shanghai, was recently made deputy party secretary in the northeastern province. The 57-year-old Shanghai native is widely expected to succeed Tang Yijun as Liaoning governor when the latter takes over as the provincial party boss later this year. The current party boss Chen Qiufa, who turns 65 in December, is expected to step down. An informed source in Liaoning said that Tang, 58, had been slated to fill the post. Tang built his political career in the eastern economic powerhouse of Zhejiang, where Chinese president Xi Jinping was based between 2002 to 2007. Tang had a long history of working in the party disciplinary system in Zhejiang, serving as the disciplinary boss of Ningbo city, before taking on a number of senior roles in one of the country's most important economic hubs. Many observers have thought Tang's political career might have come to an end in 2011 when he was sidelined to the advisory Ningbo Political and Consultative Conference. However, he made a surprise comeback when he was appointed mayor of Ningbo in 2016 and elevated to become the city's party boss a year later. Tang then continued to climb the political ladder, earning promotion to the party leadership of Zhejiang province in May 2017 and becoming an alternative member of the Central Committee – the party's elite ruling body – five months later. Tang was also made an acting governor of Liaoning province in October 2017. In January, he was confirmed as governor of the provincial people's congress. According to the source, Zhou is now the prime candidate to succeed Tang because of his strong credentials and economic track record in Shanghai. Like Tang, Zhou is also an alternate member of the Central Committee. Born in 1962, Zhou, an engineer by training, was manager of a number of state-owned enterprises in Shanghai before he was made a deputy mayor in February 2013 and put in charge of the city's industries and its state-owned firms. The Liaoning job is his first posting outside Shanghai. Zhou suffered a setback in December 2015 when he was reprimanded for violating the party's disciplines on thrift amid a crackdown on lavish spending. As a result, he was put under watch and denied promotion for 18 months. But his fortunes started to turn in December 2016 when Integrity Watch, a mouthpiece for the party's disciplinary body, praised him for his passionate work attitude, diligence and enthusiasm for development opportunities. In 2017, he was taken off the watch list and promoted to the role of executive deputy mayor. The new appointees' economic experience should stand them in good stead as they seek to turn around Liaoning's fortunes. Last year the province, which is dominated by heavy industry, was the country's worst economic performer, with growth lagging well behind the national average. Jeff Wu, assistant director of the Tianda Institute in Hong Kong, said: "Zhou Bo has vast experience from his work on the Shanghai Free Trade Zone, Zhangjiang Hi-tech Zone, Tourism Resort Management Committee and the Innovation Centre. This past experience will be very helpful to him in Liaoning as it is also a coastal province with its own ambitions to develop free-trade businesses." Also joining the senior ranks in Liaoning province is Chen Xiangqun, a former vice governor of Hunan province. According to the informed source, Chen is now a member of the Communist Party Standing Committee in Liaoning and is expected to be named as deputy governor soon. Chen, 57, is a native of Hebei province and spent 18 years working in Guangxi for 18 years starting in 1992. Considered a rising star within the Communist Party's Organisation Department, he was made a deputy chief of the department in 2014 at the age of 51 – the youngest member of his rank in the system. He was later transferred to Hunan province as executive deputy governor.
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| DPRK |
Trump-Kim summit 2019: Xi could be 'more helpful', says US president (SCMP)
2019-02-28
As talks between the United States and North Korea ended on Thursday with little to show for the effort, US President Donald Trump said his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping could have been "more helpful" in encouraging Pyongyang to give up its pursuit of nuclear weapons – even as he acknowledged Beijing's support. "China has been very helpful. President Xi is a great leader. He is a highly respected leader all over the world," Trump said at a press conference after his two-day summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ended without an expected accord. "Could he be more helpful? Probably." But he also added: "I think China's been a big help; bigger than most people know." Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi late on Thursday said there was concern within the international community over the talks, and that Beijing hoped both sides would press on despite difficulties. He said China would continue to play a "constructive role" in the process. Wang Yi was commenting after meeting a North Korean delegation led by deputy foreign minister Ri Kil-song. The US president in his press conference also alluded to the US-China trade war, saying there was a "very good chance" it could be resolved soon but also raising the prospect that those negotiations could go a similar way as the Hanoi summit. "Speaking of China, we are very well on our way to doing something special. But we'll see. I am always prepared to walk. I'm never afraid to walk from a deal, and I would do that with China, too, if it didn't work out." Trump said that Russia had also been a "big help" in dealing with Pyongyang and that he believed China "can't love" having a nuclear armed neighbour. Trump accused Beijing last year of slowing down the denuclearisation of North Korea. "President Xi is a world-class poker player and I'd probably, may, be doing the same thing that he would do," Trump had said. Despite the failure of the Hanoi summit to reach an agreement, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang – commenting before Wang Yi – said at least the parties had "returned to the correct track" of solving the problem through political means. "This result is not easy to achieve and should be treasured. The development of the Korean peninsula over the past decades has told us that dialogue and consultation is the only way out. "We hope the US and [North Korea] can continue dialogue and express sincerity towards each other, respect and take care of each other's core concerns, and push forward denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula." He added that China would "continue playing a constructive role". Since July, Washington has imposed tariffs on US$250 billion worth of Chinese imports, while Beijing has slapped similar duties on US$110 billion worth of goods it imports from the US. In September, Trump threatened to extend the tariffs to all of the products it imports from China. "The US has made substantial progress in our trade talks with China on important structural issues including intellectual property protection, technology transfer, agriculture, services, currency, and many other issues," Trump tweeted this week. ^ top ^
Trump-Kim summit 2019: meeting begins with smiles and pleasantries, but challenge of denuclearisation remains (SCMP)
2019-02-28
US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un began their high-stakes summit on denuclearisation with promises of a "great" outcome, eight months after they first met in Singapore for talks that most experts agree yielded few results. As both men exchanged smiles, handshakes and pleasantries just after 6.30pm local time at Hanoi's Sofitel Legend Metropole hotel, Trump said he hoped the summit would be equally or more successful than the first, and praised North Korea's "tremendous economic potential". Asked by reporters if he was walking back on denuclearisation, Trump said, "No." Kim, through an interpreter, said he was "confident of achieving the great results that everyone will welcome". "There was distrust and misunderstanding everywhere [around] us. Hostile old practices tried to stop us going our forward, but we overcame them," he said. Crowds thronged the heavily guarded streets outside the hotel, hoping to catch a glimpse of the two men as they arrived in their motorcades. Trump fans turned out with placards of the US leader, while other onlookers were overheard remarking how thin Kim looked. Heavy traffic at the junction leading to the Metropole hotel resumed after the arrival of the leaders. Both men then sat down to dinner, flanked by their key aides, including Kim Yong-chol, the former North Korean spy chief, and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The leaders will meet again at 9am on Thursday for a one-on-one meeting lasting 45 minutes. Their aides will join them at 9.45am for further talks until noon, after which they will have a working lunch. A signing ceremony will follow at about 2.05pm, with Trump set to hold a press conference at 3.50pm, before departing for Washington in the evening. The meeting takes place against the backdrop of escalating tensions 3,000km (1,864 miles) away between nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan. Both countries say they shot down each other's warplanes on Wednesday, the latest in a series of aggressive actions since a suicide bombing masterminded by Pakistan-based militants killed more than 40 Indian paramilitary soldiers on February 14. Asked how the hostilities might affect the summit, Duke University academic Peter Feaver said an escalation to war on the subcontinent would result in a genuine international crisis for Trump, who is also contending with expanding domestic woes. Among the other thorns in his side are his one-time fixer Michael Cohen. Convicted for campaign financing infringements last year, the disbarred lawyer described Trump as a "racist", "con man" and "cheat" in testimony before a US congressional committee on Wednesday. "So far the Trump administration has been lucky in not having a real international crisis to manage," said Feaver, a professor of political science and public policy. "Many people have worried that the haphazard process they have exhibited on policy development and execution would unravel entirely if strained with a real bona fide crisis, as opposed to the faux crises they have generated for public messaging purposes." While Trump insists he is committed to non-proliferation and seeking Pyongyang's disarmament, sceptical analysts say he is looking to score a quick political win with the fresh round of talks as he comes under increasing domestic pressure. Securing some degree of agreement to scale back the once rogue state's nuclear weapons programme could be a feather in Trump's cap as he starts eyeing re-election in 2020. Immediate targets in the talks may be for a peace treaty that could bring a formal end to the hostilities between Washington and Pyongyang. The 1950-53 Korean war ended without a peace agreement, meaning both sides are technically still at war. Both Koreas are keen for a treaty that could dial back sanctions and allow them to collaborate on economic projects. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday that the meeting "would mark an important step in promoting denuclearisation" and peace-building on the Korean peninsula. "We hope both the [North Korea] and the United States can show sincerity, release goodwill, clear up contradictions and foster trust," Wang said. Lindsey Ford, director of political-security affairs for the Asia Society Policy Institute, said Trump would need to, in this second summit, "disprove the adage that the sequel is never as good as the original". Trump, who flew into Hanoi on Tuesday night, hours after Kim arrived in Vietnam on his armoured train, spent the earlier part of Wednesday meeting with Vietnam's leaders, President Nguyen Phu Trong and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. He thanked the Southeast Asian country for its hospitality and lauded its economic progress as a model for North Korea. Trump and President Nguyen then presided over a ceremony where Vietnamese airline VietJet signed deals with US firms Boeing and General Electric worth US$18 billion. The airline committed to buying 100 new 737 MAX planes worth US$12.7 billion, with US$5.3 billion worth of General Electric engines. Trump is expected to leave Hanoi on Thursday evening while Kim will remain for an "official goodwill visit" till Saturday. ^ top ^
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| Mongolia |
New Governor of Ulaanbaatar takes office (Montsame)
2019-02-28
Prime Minister U.Khurelsukh confirmed S.Amarsaikhan, who received majority of the votes from the representatives of Citizens' Representatives' Khural, as the new Governor of the capital city. At the irregular meeting of the Citizens' Representatives' Khural on February 26, S.Amarsaikhan received 25 votes (56.8 per cent) out of the 45 members while his competitor Mukhchuluun got 19 votes. Mr.S.Munkhchuluun nominated himself for the second time even though he had received a majority in the previous vote and had not been confirmed by Prime Minister. On February 27, S.Amarsaikhan took office from J.Batbayasgalan, Acting Governor of the capital city and Deputy Governor in charge of Green Development and Air Pollution. After receiving the seal, new mayor of Ulaanbaatar S.Amarsaikhan pledged to solve air and soil pollution, reduce traffic congestion, ensure residents safety and regulate urban planning first. ^ top ^
Speaker works in Uvurkhangai aimag (Montsame)
2019-02-28
Parliament Speaker G.Zandanshatar continued his rural visit in Uvurkhangai aimag on February 26, where he met with local citizens. At the meeting, Mr. Zandanshatar pointed out that the Parliament must be a platform of healthy debates based on knowledge, estimations and sciences; thus it is intended to amend related laws. Working with a sincere heart for people is a key factor to lift a reputation of Mongolian government; therefore, public servants of all levels need to prioritize it in their everyday work, said the Speaker. Citizens who were present at the meeting received responses to their inquiries on some issues, including employment promotion of people with disabilities, implementation of a state policy on inheriting Mongolian traditions, arts and cultural heritages as well as closing universities and institutes that conduct poor quality educational activities. At the meeting, Speaker Mr. Zandanshatar pledged to work for resolving the issues, requested by the aimag's authority and MPs who were elected from the aimag, regarding commencement a constructional work of Thermal Power Plant in Arvaikheer this year and holding talks with Asian Development Bank to establish a plant of improved fuel at Bayanteeg mine. ^ top ^
Strategic consultation between Foreign Ministries of Mongolia and China held (Montsame)
2019-02-27
The fourth strategic consultative meeting between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia and China was held successfully in Beijing, China on February 25.
The meeting was co-chaired by D.Davaasuren, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia and Kong Xuanyou, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of China. During the consultation, the two sides assessed the current state of relations between the two countries and talked on realizing agreements reached at high level and within bilateral cooperation mechanisms and enriching economic cooperation with new content. Moreover, they touched upon development of humanitarian exchanges between the two countries, activities to take place in scope of the 70th year anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Mongolia and China which falls this year, advancement of cooperation projects, as well as trilateral, bilateral and regional cooperation issues. ^ 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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