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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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SDC Director of Cooperation and Council General Gabriella Spirli working in Khovd (Montsame)
2019-05-22
Director of Cooperation and Council General at the Swiss Agency for Cooperation and Development (SDC) Gabriella Spirli is working in Khovd aimag on May 21-22. Authorities of the aimag received her and introduced current social and economic conditions of Khovd aimag, exchanging opinions on progress and outcomes of ongoing projects within the cooperation between Mongolia and Switzerland. Currently, projects on Pastureland Management, Livestock Health, Green Gold project, Strengthening representative bodies and MASAM Mainstreaming Social Accountability in Mongolia have been successfully running by the SDC in Khovd aimag. At the meeting, authorities of the aimag put several proposals including on having land database, creating unified tracking system for preparation and supply of animal products as well as carrying on works such as building irrigation system in Khovd and Buyant soums in order to combat desertification. In response, Ms. Gabriella Spirli said that she would pay attention on putting these ideas into action as presenting to the project team. She plans to work in Durgunu and Chandmani soums within the Green Gold project. ^ top ^
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Donald Trump planning more restrictions on US tech exports to China as trade war friction continues (SCMP)
2019-05-24
The Trump administration is taking steps towards issuing even more restrictions on exports of hi-tech goods to China as the US ratchets up its trade war with Beijing, according to two people familiar with the plans. The Commerce Department will soon recommend rolling back regulations making it easier for US companies to export certain goods that have both civilian and military purposes, the people said. Commerce will also recommend ending a general policy of approving export licences for that group of goods if they go to civilian use and instead require reviews on a case-by-case basis. The expected moves would make it harder for China to acquire US technology. They come on top of actions President Donald Trump has taken since US-China trade talks ground to a halt earlier this month, such as raising tariffs on US$200 billion in Chinese goods. His administration also put Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei on a trade blacklist and is considering similar actions against other Chinese tech companies. How Trump is willing to use these actions as leverage could become clearer next month when he may meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in late June on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Japan, though no formal plans have been set. "It seems to me we're still turning up the pressure to try to get a deal," said Scott Kennedy, a senior adviser and China expert at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies. The Commerce Department is drafting the recommendations as part of a review required by an export-control law recently passed by Congress. A Commerce spokesperson said the department is finalising the review, which has a May 10 deadline, but declined to confirm specific actions the administration is weighing. Commerce is considering at least four regulatory actions targeting China under the Export Control Reform Act, said the two people, who declined to be identified because of the sensitive nature of the deliberations. Two of those options would involve revoking two licence exceptions that US companies can get for shipping restricted technology to China. US firms can avoid an export licence requirement to China if they can prove the goods are bound for civilian end-use or if a US-origin goods are approved for re-export to China from an allied third country. Another option would be expanding a prohibition on any US goods bound for military use in China on par with restrictions now applied to Russia and Venezuela. Finally, Commerce could look at changing its general policy of approving export licences for goods bound for civilian uses. One of the people close to the deliberations said the actions appear to be "a direct response to the civilian-military fusion that is happening in China". The US already maintains relatively tight restrictions on exports to China of technology and goods that have both civilian and military uses. Tough US export controls aimed at China have long riled Beijing, and Chinese officials have raised objection to mounting restrictions with previous administrations. The additional restrictions would add to the recent Commerce Department decision to blacklist Huawei, forcing most of the company's US suppliers to obtain a special licence for export transactions. Commerce has a general policy of denying licence applications for blacklisted companies. The Commerce Department is also considering similar action against a number of other Chinese companies, including Hikvision and Dahua Technology, which manufacture sophisticated video surveillance technology, according to the two people familiar with the plans. Those companies have been implicated in alleged human rights abuses as a result of the monitoring and mass detention of members of the Muslim Uygur group in China's Xinjiang province. Any final actions related to the surveillance companies are complicated by the scope of a broader proposed package of sanctions the administration is considering. Officials are looking at using a law that would allow the US to ban Chinese government and business officials accused of human rights abuses in the region from entering the US or holding assets in America, said a lobbyist familiar with the matter. "There is broad disagreement over both timing and which tools to use here," the lobbyist said. "In any case, this will really piss off Beijing." The Trump administration had held back on several actions – including punishing China for its activities in Xinjiang as well as Huawei's blacklisting – in the hopes that a deal could be reached with Xi to draw down trade tension. But talks fell apart earlier this month amid accusations from US officials that Beijing had backtracked on commitments to codify under domestic law obligations to address intellectual property theft and forced technology transfers. "China's backtracking in a massive way at the eleventh hour from four months of shuttle diplomacy has fed a view in the administration that there is no reason to hold back from these types of actions," said one person close to the internal deliberations. ^ top ^
Microsoft pulls Huawei products from Azure Stack cloud server catalogue (SCMP)
2019-05-24
Microsoft has removed Huawei Technologies from one of its websites offering cloud gear, a week after the US government blacklisted the Chinese company. The world's largest software maker still will not comment on whether it is rescinding Huawei's licence to use the Windows operating system. On the Azure Stack product website, Huawei's logo is still present on the main page but the company and its offerings have been removed from the product catalogue. Huawei is one of several hardware vendors that make servers and equipment for Microsoft's Azure Stack product, which helps companies run software applications on either a hybrid cloud service or in their own data centres. The catalogue shows customers what servers and other hardware are available and compatible with Azure Stack. Microsoft spokesman Frank Shaw has declined to discuss what actions Microsoft will take to comply with US restrictions on Huawei and he could not be immediately reached to comment on the catalogue change. Investors and industry expects have been watching closely to see how US technology companies alter their relationships with Huawei to comply with the directive and what impact those changes will have on both the Chinese company and its partners. Chipmakers including Intel, Qualcomm and Broadcom have told their employees they will not supply Huawei until further notice, according to people familiar with their actions. Alphabet Inc.'s Google will not supply crucial software to future Huawei smartphones. ^ top ^
Suppliers from worldwide state support for Huawei (China Daily)
2019-05-24
Huawei Technologies Co is securing support from some key suppliers and customers amid the announced United States government restrictions on the Chinese telecom giant. Panasonic Corp said on its China website on Thursday that it is continuing to supply components to Huawei despite reports that it will cut cooperation. Taiwan-based TSMC, the world's biggest contract chipmaker, said its shipments to Huawei have not been affected by the US ban on the latter's access to US components, Reuters reported on Thursday. On Monday, the US Department of Commerce issued a 90-day temporary license, effective until Aug 19, allowing "specific limited engagement in transactions involving the export, reexport, and transfer of items" to Huawei. Some analysts said the US moves against Huawei will lead to strong support for the unlisted Chinese firm as Huawei is working hard to offset the fallout of the restrictions. Xiang Ligang, director-general of telecom industry association Information Consumption Alliance, said TSMC's commitment to continue shipping products is of strategic importance to Huawei. "TSMC produces most of Huawei's chips. Only with its cooperation is it possible for Huawei to have a Plan B in stocking in-house processors in order to offset fallout from the US ban on its access to US chips," Xiang said. He said the move by Panasonic also showcases that the Japanese tech company is not willing to surrender to political pressure from Washington, after earlier reports that it had stopped shipments of certain components to Huawei. The firm bought $6.3 billion worth of products including batteries and electronic components from Panasonic in 2018, according to Nikkei Asian Review. United Kingdom-based mobile operator EE said on Wednesday that its 5G network in the UK would rely on equipment made by Huawei. Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said on Thursday that enterprises in any country will not disregard their own interests and blindly follow other countries' "political command". "Most countries have always been highly alert to US government acts of resorting to state power to crack down on companies in other countries, disrupt markets and obstruct mutually beneficial cooperation between other countries," Lu said. But the positive development is also accompanied by some concerns. A string of Japanese carriers, including NTT Docomo, said they were also considering delaying the launch of Huawei's new smartphones. Their hesitance is due to uncertainty about Google's previous announcement that it would restrict Huawei's access to updates of the Android operating system in compliance with a US ban. EE also said it is delaying its launch of Huawei's 5G smartphones. Jia Mo, an analyst at Singapore-based market research company Canalys, said the delayed product releases in certain markets will harm Huawei's smartphone business, but Huawei is working on its own mobile operating system, which can help relieve some pressure in the domestic market. On Thursday, in response to media reports that UK chip firm Arm Holdings told its staff to suspend dealings with Huawei, Ren Zhengfei, CEO of Huawei, said in an interview with Chinese financial media website Caixin that his company has acquired a permanent licensing of the ARM architecture, the basis for Huawei to design its chips. Arm China also said in a reply to China Daily that "we are in active communication to find appropriate solutions that comply with current laws and regulations". ^ top ^
Chinese studying in US become 'political cannon fodder' as visa process tightens amid feud (SCMP)
2019-05-24
Albert Pi, in his second year of a PhD programme in electrical engineering and computer science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, endured an 85-day wait for his US visa while visiting family in Beijing over the winter break. A trip meant to last only two weeks nearly turned into a permanent homecoming. When he applied to the US embassy for his visa renewal, he never expected a wait that would nearly force him to give up on his programme. "My biggest fear is I won't be able to return to the US if my visa continues to be checked, to a point when MIT has to terminate my programme," Pi, 24, said in March. It was bad enough that he had to drop one class and wasn't able to attend the American Physical Society's annual meeting as he had planned. The reason for the delay: "administrative processing", a designation for visa applications undergoing additional vetting for security reasons. Several students in science and technology interviewed by the South China Morning Post said their visa wait time ran from eight to 10 weeks. Before US President Donald Trump took office in January 2017, they said they heard from friends that administrative processing was not as common, and the wait time typically ran from three to six weeks. Most administrative processing is resolved within 60 days of the visa interview, according to the State Department. A 2018 survey by the Institute of International Education, a non-profit research group based in New York, showed that nearly half of the 540 higher education institutions that responded in the US reported declines in new Chinese student enrolment. Reasons cited were visa delays and denials and the current social and political climate. Almost 80 per cent expressed growing concerns about recruiting students from China. The number of Chinese students on US college and university campuses has grown rapidly since the Great Recession of 2008-09. The latest data, however, shows a modest drop: 369,364 mainland Chinese students held student visas in March 2019, down 7,706, or 2 per cent, from the previous March. One in every three international students in the US comes from mainland China, the most from any country. All told, Chinese students contribute nearly US$13 billion annually to the US economy, according to NAFSA: Association of International Educators. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, about a two-hour drive south of Chicago, hosts the largest number of Chinese students in the US: 5,725. Li Yulin, president of the Chinese student association there, said that at least 100 people at several universities – especially doctoral students – were experiencing prolonged visa checks and remained stranded in China. He became aware of the issue when two University of Illinois students approached him for help; they told him those stuck in limbo in China had formed a chat group on WeChat, the Chinese social media platform, to support one another. The situation prompted Chinese student associations at several other institutions – including Cornell University and University of California, Berkeley – to start a petition seeking timely visa renewals from the US Department of State. In the past year, Trump administration officials – including FBI director Christopher Wray, senior White House figures and even the president himself – have portrayed Chinese studying in the US as threats to national security. Citing espionage concerns, the State Department last June shortened the length of visas for Chinese graduate students in fields such as aviation, robotics and advanced manufacturing – areas related to Chinese President Xi Jinping's "Made in China 2025" programme – to one year from the previous five. American colleges and universities traditionally attract foreign students, many from China, to perform scientific research and technological innovation. From 2005 to 2015, nearly 90 per cent of Chinese doctoral students planned to remain in the US, a National Science Foundation study found. "I feel I'm being wronged," Pi said. "I am not a spy." Visa delays are just one factor leading many mainland Chinese students to question the wisdom of a US education in this political climate. Another red flag is more stringent scrutiny of applications for H-1B visas, which allow international students to work in the US after graduation. The latest data from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) show that 25 per cent of H-1B petitions were denied in the three months ending December 31, 2018. The denial rate has risen steadily since fiscal 2016, the last full year of former president Barack Obama's administration, when it stood at 6 per cent. And the portion of H-1B petitions subject to government requests for more information (RFE) rose from 21 per cent to 60 per cent. After reviewing RFE responses, the USCIS denied nearly 39 per cent of the applications, compared with 21 per cent in fiscal 2016. "The downturn that we're seeing in Chinese enrolments is primarily at the application stage," said Randall Deike, a senior vice-president in charge of enrolment at Drexel University in Philadelphia. "They're just looking to other countries where there isn't as much controversy, where there isn't as much anxiety about how open the country actually is to having international students in general – but Chinese students in particular." H-1B policies affect all foreign nationals, but the escalating US-China trade war – and regular announcements by the FBI and US Justice Department about intellectual property theft by Chinese nationals and entities tied to Beijing – creates a "perception problem" that is starting to dampen Chinese interest in a US education, Deike said. Regarding perceptions, he said: "It's about the rhetoric. It's about a trade war. It's about a level of uncertainty and anxiety over what really is a current relationship with China. And, more important, what will it be in the future." Deike declined to provide specific enrolment data on Chinese students at Drexel. Other American universities with large mainland Chinese student populations, many in the Midwest, are experiencing similar declines. The University of Illinois has reportedly bought insurance against a major decline in tuition revenue from Chinese students. It saw a dip of 120 in Chinese enrolment in 2018, down 2 per cent from a year earlier. Purdue University and Indiana University each reported a 10 per cent drop in Chinese enrolments last year. After soaring growth in Chinese enrolment over the past decade, the current decrease may be a correction, experts say. Still, the way Washington frames threats from China and the additional visa restrictions are likely making the US less attractive for mainland students, especially undergraduates. "In the current climate of political tensions, the expectations of safety and positive experiences are becoming more important than the prestige of studying in the US," said Rahul Choudaha, executive vice-president at Studyportals, an online platform for international students, and a research associate at the Centre of Studies in Higher Education at UC Berkeley. "In the short term, the perceptions of safety are gaining more prominence among undergraduate students and their families – which, in turn, are making them consider alternative destinations with welcoming immigration policies and cordial political ties," Choudaha said. Indeed, this trend is already emerging. A new study, conducted by a subsidiary of China's largest private education service provider, showed that 43 per cent of 6,228 people surveyed listed the US as their top educational destination – seven percentage points lower than in 2017. Britain, the second most popular country among Chinese students aspiring to study abroad, was the top choice of 41 per cent, up from 34 per cent in 2017. The Trump administration's increasingly stringent standards for H-1B visas may also deter Chinese students. "Many students are scared away already by the new policies even before going through the visa hurdles," said Ma Yingyi, a sociologist at Syracuse University and author of the upcoming book Ambitious and Anxious: How Chinese College Students Succeed and Struggle in American Higher Education. The new visa policies tripped up Geng Wen, a former marketing specialist in Boston for a Canadian technology publication. Her H-1B visa petition – sponsored by her employer – was denied in November, four months after she submitted additional information for an RFE review. The reason? She was told that her job wasn't the kind of "speciality occupation" that would warrant an H-1B visa. Geng had no choice but to return to China. The visa review, she said, disrupted her life and career plans. But the worst part about the ordeal, she said, was the feeling of powerlessness of being an immigrant in Trump's America. Her publication was focused on artificial intelligence and has offices in China and Canada. Geng thinks those details might have combined to end her opportunity to work in the US. "I just became cannon fodder of politics," said Geng, speaking from China. Pi, the electrical engineering and computer science student at MIT, is back at school and continuing his research. But like other Chinese doctoral students interviewed for this article, he will limit his travel plans outside the US to avoid another long visa review – or worse, a denial – until the US-China relationship warms again. "If it becomes worse," he said, "I won't leave." ^ top ^
China to work with Singapore to safeguard rule-based multilateral trade system (Xinhua)
2019-05-23
China is willing to work with Singapore to safeguard the rule-based multilateral trade system, Premier Li Keqiang said when meeting with Singaporean Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat in Beijing on Thursday. Noting China's opening up has not only enhanced the well-being of its own people but also created tremendous opportunities for the world's development, Li said China will open its door wider and welcome enterprises from all over the world, including Singapore, to expand their investment in China. China will continue to treat domestic and foreign-funded enterprises equally, constantly optimize the business environment, encourage fair competition and cooperation, and achieve mutual benefit and win-win results, Li said. Li said China stands ready to work with Singapore to maintain close high-level exchanges, better integrate the Belt and Road Initiative with Singapore's development strategy and deepen bilateral cooperation on the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor and in areas such as third-party markets, trade and investment, finance and smart city. Heng said as next year marks the 30th anniversary of the two countries' diplomatic relations, Singapore is willing to work with China in maintaining close high-level exchanges, boosting pragmatic cooperation and advancing bilateral relations in the new era. Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, also met with Heng in Beijing on Thursday. ^ top ^
Titre China, Iran to forge closer ties due to common threat from United States, analysts say (SCMP)
2019-05-23
Closer cooperation between China and Iran, especially on economic matters, is inevitable given they are both now targets of rising US antagonism, analysts said. Washington has become increasingly aggressive in its tone towards Tehran in the past year, with President Donald Trump warning Tehran on Sunday that: "If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran. Never threaten the United States again!" Pentagon officials are expected to brief national security officials on Thursday on a plan to send an extra 10,000 US troops to the Middle East amid rising tensions with Iran, which is a major oil exporter. Meanwhile, the US remains locked in a trade war with China, with both countries ramping up tariffs on each other's goods after negotiations aimed at resolving the 10-month dispute faltered early this month. Mohsen Shariatinia, an assistant professor of international relations at the Shaid Beheshti National University in Tehran, said the United States' actions had made enhanced cooperation between Beijing and Tehran "not a choice, but a necessity". "China and Iran are facing a common threat now," he said. "The US' long-arm jurisdiction, already fully applied against Iran, will gradually apply to China as well." In a sign of closer relations between the two nations, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif visited Beijing on Friday where he was received by his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. According to a statement published by China's foreign ministry, Wang reiterated Beijing's support for the 2015 nuclear deal – which effectively curbed Iran's nuclear ambitions – but which Trump dismissed as the "worst deal ever" for the US. Also on Friday, the Chinese oil tanker Pacific Bravo departed from the Persian Gulf laden with about 2 million barrels of Iranian oil. Believed to be heading for China – according to TankerTrackers.com – Pacific Bravo was the first major tanker to load Iranian oil after May 2, the date on which the US ended the waiver that allowed eight countries, China among them, to buy Iranian oil without breaching US sanctions. Earlier, another ship, the Marshall Z, which had also been involved in helping Iran to circumvent the sanctions, docked in the Chinese port of Zhoushan, according to ship tracking data on Refinitiv Eikon. Wang Jian, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said Beijing had to tread carefully in its dealing with Iran as its trade war with the US was already providing a significant challenge. "The US could use sanctions [against China], which would have a significant impact [on its economy]," he said. Xiao Xian, an expert on Middle Eastern studies at China's Yunnan University, said Beijing might try to counter the United States' long-arm jurisdiction over Iran by using the yuan or euro to settle its trade deals with the oil-rich country. But it would not want its relationship with Iran to extend beyond cooperation on economic matters, he said. "It has never been China's intention or interest to become too involved in the Middle East." ^ top ^
China firmly opposes US suppression of Chinese companies (Xinhua)
2019-05-23
China firmly opposes the United States using state power to suppress Chinese companies, according to the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) Thursday. China will take necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate right and interests of Chinese enterprises, said Gao Feng, a spokesperson with the MOC. The United States has used state power to suppress Chinese companies, which not only seriously damaged the normal business cooperation of enterprises in the two countries, but also posed a great threat to the global industrial and supply chains, Gao noted. "China objects to the generalization of the national security concept and the crackdown on regulation-abiding Chinese firms," Gao said, urging the United States to stay rational and correct its dangerous actions. He said that China had made solemn representations to the United States and would keep up with the issue closely. Gao says that the best response to U.S. bullying is for Chinese firms to continue to grow and become stronger. As the United States keeps sniping at Chinese companies through long-arm jurisdiction, Gao said, China is firmly against any unilateral sanctions against Chinese entities by any country based on its own domestic laws. "We urge the United States to halt its wrong actions and create conditions for normal trade and cooperation between enterprises of the two countries to avoid further blows to bilateral economic and trade ties," Gao said. The Chinese government will continue to deepen reform and open up wider in a bid to create a stable, fair and predictable business environment to facilitate enterprises, and the country will provide higher-quality, reliable and diversified products to consumers worldwide, Gao said. ^ top ^
US widens its campaign against Chinese tech companies with eye on surveillance firms (SCMP)
2019-05-23
Hikvision's presence loomed large at a security exposition last month in Hangzhou, taking up the entire upper floor of the convention centre. On the ground floor, Dahua Technology, its smaller rival, shared space with other security technology companies. Luminescent displays of road traffic flows, emergency response statistics and crime reports greeted the hundreds of trade visitors. Hikvision and Dahua now find themselves in the crosshairs of the US government, which is said to be considering placing Chinese surveillance companies on a blacklist that would bar access to crucial American technologies. Hikvision said it has engaged with the US government on human rights concerns related to surveillance since October last year. Dahua did not immediately comment. The US is now considering cutting off the flow of vital American technology to five Chinese companies including Megvii, widening a dragnet beyond Huawei Technologies to include world leaders in video surveillance as it seeks to challenge China's treatment of minority Uighurs in the country's west, according to a Bloomberg report on Tuesday. The US is deliberating whether to add Megvii, Zhejiang Dahua Technology, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology and two others to a blacklist that bars them from US components or software, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The two others under consideration are Meiya Pico and Iflytek, according to one of the people. If the US does place the companies on a trade blacklist, they would join Huawei, the world's largest telecommunications equipment supplier, among Chinese hi-tech champions that are having their access to US components shut off because they are deemed to pose a threat to US interests. "The US government is repeatedly using national security as grounds to justify supply chain restrictions, an unreasonable move for Western countries that are supposed to be the stoutest believers in free trade and the market economy," said Liu Guohong, research director at think tank China Development Institute in Shenzhen. "The US intention can't be any clearer, and that is to contain China's rise in advanced technology." The US is also said to be concerned that data collected by Chinese-made drones can get into the hands of the Chinese government. Shenzhen-based DJI, the world's biggest consumer-drone maker, has said it does not transfer data. Last year, the US initiated a crippling ban on sale of technology to Chinese telecoms equipment maker ZTE Corp, forcing it to sue for peace by paying a US$1.2 billion fine, replacing its entire senior management and accepting a US monitor to ensure its compliance. In the case of the surveillance companies, the US is concerned that their products can be used to aid espionage, according to media reports. Hikvision has sold products to more than 150 countries and territories globally. The US government banned the procurement of Hikvision and Dahua products by federal agencies last year, citing national security risk. Hikvision executives told the South China Morning Post privately that they have anticipated the trade restriction given the escalating competition between the US and China. The only real uncertainty was in the timing and intensity of the backlash, according to these people, who asked not to be named to speak more freely. "No (Chinese) tech companies are coming out of this (trade war) unscathed, not if you are already No 1 in your industry," said one Hikvision executive. "The US intention is crystal clear, and that is to contain Chinese hi-tech industries and ensure its own absolute leading position." What started out as a trade dispute, in which Washington unilaterally imposed tariffs and sparked retaliatory levies from Beijing, has escalated to broader campaigns designed to cripple China's technology champions by cutting off their access to American hi-tech suppliers. The wide reach of US policy means that even non-US companies whose products use American technology may also be prevented from supplying to the Chinese companies. That US strategy, however, would also hurt the country's own hi-tech industry because American suppliers are counting on selling their goods in China, where they also collaborate with local firms to pursue further innovation, according to Liu from the China Development Institute. Still, the emerging consensus in the US is that China should be treated as a strategic competitor, as its technological ambitions pose a direct threat to the US. Sources familiar with US policy thinking said that the Trump administration is determined to pursue a tech war even if the two countries came to a truce on the trade dispute. Public security is a multibillion-dollar business in China and one of the biggest buyers is the government. The expansion of the domestic video surveillance industry has coincided with the country's drive for smart cities, or the use of real-time analytics to improve traffic flows, emergency response times and other municipal services. Many companies, including internet giants Baidu, Tencent Holdings and Alibaba Group Holding, the parent company of the Post, provide smart city technologies to various markets to help user digitise municipal functions and improve efficiency. The global video surveillance equipment market grew 10.2 per cent to US$18.5 billion last year, thanks to increased demand for security cameras, according to research firm IHS Markit. It said China's professional video surveillance equipment market increased 14.7 per cent in 2017, accounting for 44 per cent of the industry's worldwide revenue that year. Ma Li, vice-product director in Zhejiang province for Uniview, the No 3 surveillance camera maker, said that while any US ban would be a significant blow, the industry has the practice of having backup suppliers to diversify the risk and not rely on any one channel. Leading players have also started developing their own semiconductors to meet their requirements, Ma said in an interview last month. "There'll always be more than one supplier," Ma said. "We're like that; others, too." Attitudes in Beijing, however, are also hardening, as Chinese President Xi Jinping recently called on the nation to embark on a new Long March in preparation for a protracted trade war. "The rhetoric from China appears to be that of a nation preparing for a long fight," said Paul Haswell, a partner who advises technology companies at international law firm Pinsent Masons. "Unless matters are resolved quickly, then we could be heading for a trade war of attrition between China and the US." ^ top ^
Huawei will be milestone for China's development (People's Daily)
2019-05-22
Huawei's founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei won applause after a group interview on May 21 at the company's headquarters in Shenzhen. One's strength and confidence are not embodied in how loud one speaks. Each statement Ren said during the interview was clear and down-to-earth, and reflects a Chinese entrepreneur's openness to the outside world. No country can go against the global trend and develop alone. "It's necessary for every country to open to the world, as only opening up can lead to a bright future," said Ren, who has witnessed and also contributed to China's reform and opening up. The country's reform and opening up shaped the temperament for Chinese entrepreneurs, while in return, Chinese entrepreneurs have continued to drive the progress of China's reform and opening up. It's clear that countries around the world should open their doors and create common prosperity together. Chinese companies, including Huawei, follow the development trend of globalization. Chinese enterprises and the Chinese nation are good learners. With a global vision and broad mind, they will focus on both the whole and individual interests, and create fruitful results. Among the world's top 10 Internet giants, four are from China. Meanwhile, a large number of Chinese enterprises are taking the initiative to go out and make contributions to the global economy. Slogan shouting is not patriotism. The real patriotism is to align national interests with the global trend. It's a fact that Huawei boasts a world-renowned Chinese brand, but still, the software and hardware products in a Huawei phone embody the world's cutting-edge technology as well as the joint efforts of companies at home and abroad. During the interview, Ren Zhengfei said that his family is still quite fond of Apple products, and insisted that it is narrow-minded to think that loving Huawei means only using Huawei products. Today, China is more confident and more capable than ever before of making the goal of national rejuvenation a reality. As a major country, it must behave in a way comparable with this status. China believes that it will approach the world stage with determination and ease when there are open-minded entrepreneurs and nationals of rational thinking, and when innovation is valued. ^ top ^
Chinese, Pakistani FMs pledge to jointly combat terrorism (Xinhua)
2019-05-22
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the capital of Kyrgyzstan on Wednesday, with both sides pledging to enhance anti-terrorism cooperation. The China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership has been developed in the joint construction of the Belt and Road, Wang said while meeting with Qureshi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Foreign Ministers' meeting. The two sides should jointly implement consensuses reached between leaders of China and Pakistan when Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan attended the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) in Beijing, Wang said. The two countries should enhance high-level exchanges, strengthen pragmatic cooperation, and promote bilateral ties to achieve new development given the complicated and changing international situation, he added. Wang condemned a recent terrorist attack against the Pearl Continental Hotel in the Pakistani port city of Gwadar, saying China appreciates Pakistan's efforts in combating terrorism. China believes that Pakistan will strengthen security and protection for Chinese personnel and institutions in Pakistan and maintain bilateral cooperation, Wang added. For his part, Qureshi said Pakistan is willing to jointly prepare for high-level exchanges for the next stage and implement the outcomes of the second BRF, so as to deepen bilateral cooperation by strengthening the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor as a central theme and promote bilateral ties so that they will yield more results. Pakistan shares the same goal with China in combating terrorism and extremism, Qureshi said. Pakistan will do its best to protect Chinese personnel and institutions in the country, continue to enhance bilateral cooperation on anti-terrorism within multilateral frameworks and preserve the two countries' common interests as well as regional peace and stability, Qureshi said. The two sides also exchanged views on the Afghanistan issue, agreed to strengthen communication and coordination, jointly promote a prompt political settlement of the Afghanistan issue and preserve regional peace and stability. ^ top ^
Canada sends delegation to China to press for release of citizens Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor (SCMP)
2019-05-22
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau vowed on Tuesday to keep the pressure on Beijing as a Canadian parliamentary delegation in China sought the release of two Canadians held as spies. "China is making stronger moves than it has before to try to get its own way on the world stage and Western countries and democracies around the world are pointing out [that] this is not something we need to continue to allow," Trudeau told reporters. Former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor were detained after the arrest December 1 of a top Huawei executive, Meng Wanzhou, in Vancouver on a US warrant. China has said it suspects Kovrig, who works for the International Crisis Group think tank, of espionage and alleged that Spavor had provided him with intelligence. Trudeau told reporters Spavor "had been detained for political reasons". "This is something that we remain concerned about [and]... that countries around the world are concerned about," he said. Canada has condemned the detention of the two men as "arbitrary", while China has repeatedly demanded Meng be released. Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, in an interview with CBC radio, said she sought "repeatedly" to speak with her Chinese counterpart, but to no avail. Instead, Liberal lawmaker Robert Oliphant is now leading a Canadian delegation in China to push for release of the two men. She did not say who else was on the mission. "That is really important for the Chinese to be hearing directly from us," she said. Oliphant "has raised Canada's strong concerns regarding the arbitrary detention" of the two men, Freeland's spokesman Adam Austen said. The May 20-25 visit is being conducted by the Canada-China Legislative Association, a group created so Canadian and Chinese lawmakers could exchange views. The group is due to visit Shanghai, Nanjing, Hong Kong and Macao, its website says. Canadian diplomats have made recent consular visits to both men, though they have not provided details to the public for privacy reasons. Now that the men have been formally arrested, they could soon face trial. While Canada says China has made no specific link between the detentions of the two men and Meng's arrest, experts and former diplomats say they have no doubt it is using their cases to pressure Canada. Meng, 47, is the daughter of Huawei's billionaire founder, Ren Zhengfei. She was arrested at Vancouver's airport in December on a US warrant and is fighting extradition on charges that she conspired to defraud global banks about Huawei's relationship with a company operating in Iran. Meng was released from jail in December on C$10 million (US$7.5 million) bail and must wear an electronic ankle bracelet and pay for security guards. She has been living in a Vancouver home that was valued at C$5 million in 2018. Both she and the company have denied the US charges. ^ top ^
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| Domestic
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Premier Li stresses more targeted training for workers (Xinhua)
2019-05-23
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Thursday underscored more targeted training services for workers in a bid to create a knowledge-based, skill-oriented and innovative workforce. The launch of large-scale vocational training is a key measure to improve people's employability and entrepreneurial ability, ease structural employment problems, and boost employment. It also bolsters the high-quality economic development, Li said in a written instruction to a teleconference on professional training. Li stressed good use of a 100-billion-yuan (about 14.8 billion U.S. dollars) unemployment insurance fund and other training capital to train workforces. Authorities should provide more targeted training for on-post staff, workers rotating to other posts in struggling firms, key employment groups and poor laborers. Employees in high-risk industries should get more training in workplace safety techniques. Authorities should arouse the enthusiasm of enterprises, vocational schools and social training organizations to participate in training, strengthen supervision over training capital and improve fund utilization, to create a knowledge-based, skill-oriented and innovative workforce and promote healthy economic development and stable employment. Hu Chunhua, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chief of the State Council employment work leading group, attended the conference and made a speech. Hu stressed on-the-job training, and said that training priority should be given to workers without skills or those lacking skills. He called for improved training content for different employment groups, and the acceleration of socialized and marketized vocational training assessment systems. ^ top ^
China unveils 600 kph maglev train prototype (Xinhua)
2019-05-23
China on Thursday rolled off the production line a prototype magnetic-levitation train with a designed top speed of 600 km per hour in the eastern city of Qingdao. The debut of China's first high-speed maglev train testing prototype marks a major breakthrough for the country in the high-speed maglev transit system. The testing prototype, which has one car only, can check and optimize the key technologies and core system components of the high-speed maglev system and lay a technological basis for the forthcoming engineering prototype, said Ding Sansan, head of the train's research and development team and deputy chief engineer of CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co., the train builder. "Now the prototype has achieved static levitation and is in good condition," Ding said. The train builder is currently building an experimental center and a trial production center for the high-speed maglev trains and expected to put them into operation in the second half of the year, he said. The research and development of a five-car engineering prototype are going smoothly. The engineering prototype is scheduled to roll off the production line in 2020 and finish integrated verification in 2021 after going through comprehensive tests. The high-speed maglev train can fill the service gap between the current high-speed rail and aviation services and is of great technological and economic significance to improving the country's high-speed passenger transport network. High-speed trains in China now run at a speed of up to 350 km per hour. CRRC Qingdao Sifang launched a key state-level research and development program with participation of more than 30 companies, universities and research institutes in July 2016 to develop high-speed maglev trains with homegrown intellectual property. After nearly three years' efforts, the team has made breakthroughs in major core technologies of the high-speed maglev trains and achieved important initial results in the sub-systems, including the locomotive vehicle, traction and operational control communication, said Ding. High-speed maglev train features high speed, safety, reliability, low noise and vibration, large passenger capacity, on-time performance and low maintenance. It can be used to connect major cities or city clusters to boost regional integration. Shanghai, China's financial hub, is the only Chinese city operating a commercial high-speed maglev line. The Shanghai Maglev Train using German technology was put in use in 2003 on a 30-km stretch between downtown Shanghai and the city's Pudong airport, with the maximum normal operation speed of 430 km per hour. Changsha and Beijing offer medium-low-speed maglev rail services using China's self-developed trains. ^ top ^
Industry chain can help retain rare-earth primacy (Global Times)
2019-05-23
With the world watching closely as to whether China will use rare earths as countermeasures in the US-China trade war, news has emerged that Australian rare-earths producer Lynas Corp will cooperate with US company Blue Line Corp to set up a rare-earth separation facility in the US. The development comes on the heels of Chinese top leader's visit to a rare-earth magnet factory in East China's Jiangxi Province on Monday, a symbolic move that not only reminded the world of its dependence on China's rare-earth supplies but also showed support for the domestic industry. The venture may underscore the companies' efforts to catch up with their Chinese peers to reduce reliance on Chinese supplies, which might take years. Yet, China should not relax its vigilance in maintaining its dominance in the strategically important rare-earth industry, and it needs to further enhance support to the rare-earth processing industry to maintain its industrial advantages. Many have the impression that China has the world's largest rare-earth reserves, accompanied by the largest production and exports. Such dominance seems to have become a threat to the US economy as rare-earth elements are crucial to the manufacturing of a variety of high-technology and new-energy devices. Nevertheless, in recent years, countries like Australia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam, and even the US started producing rare earths, gradually diversifying the world's supply system. While China's share in the global supply of rare-earth ore is declining, it has built up considerable advantages in the extraction and refining aspects, which are more difficult than mining. Today, a large amount of rare-earth ore is imported into China, where it is refined and then exported as rare-earth metals or other products with higher added value. In 2018, China became the biggest importer of rare-earth elements for the first time since 1985. In other words, after decades of development, China's rare-earth industry has accumulated considerable technological strength, giving the country a dominant position not just in rare-earth mining but also in separation, smelting and refining. Nevertheless, China should remain vigilant in developing its rare-earth ecosystem, which came into being at the cost of massive environmental pollution and vicious competition. Now the US is fully aware of its rare-earth supply problem, and with action being taken, it can be expected that the industry will see fierce competition in the years to come. It is necessary for China to further increase input and enhance support to the rare-earth industry, especially in the aspect of processing. In the end, rare earths are not that rare. It is the comprehensive processing chain that helps China shape its industrial advantages. Further technological support is needed to build the high value-added refining and processing chain to maintain the nation's industrial advantages. ^ top ^
CPC issues detailed regulations for Party members (Global Times)
2019-05-23
The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee recently released "comprehensive and detailed" regulations over the education and management of all Party members, including digital administration, management of Party membership, and management and education of mobile Party members. The regulations state that the Party membership of those who have lived abroad for more than five years without returning will be suspended, as well as for those who have lost touch with Party organs for more than six months and could not be reached. However, those whose Party memberships were suspended could be reinstated in accordance with the prescribed procedures. The regulations also put forward rules on the management of mobile Party members. The grassroots Party organs should keep regular contact with members who have been away for more than six months and have not transferred their organizational ties from the local Party branch. The Party organizations should do follow-up services on education, train and serve mobile Party members. A mobile Party member refers to those who joined the Party in a branch but moved to another place beyond the jurisdiction of the original branch, said Su Wei, a professor at the Party School of the CPC Chongqing Municipal Committee. "For various reasons, many Party members moved out and lost touch with their own Party branches for more than six months in recent years. The grassroots Party organs would remove such members from the Party or leave them unresolved," said a Party secretary of the local municipal committee of Chinese people's political consultative conference organ in East China's Anhui Province, who requested anonymity. According to him, the regulations provide detailed and practical management for the membership of these Party members, which are easy to understand and convenient to follow. In the past, a Party member who failed to take part in the regular activities of his or her own Party organization, pay membership dues, or carry out work assigned by the Party for six consecutive months, without a legitimate reason, shall be regarded as having given up his or her own membership, said the revised Party Constitution. The regulation also stressed the need to use the internet and digitalization to educate Party members. The regulation notes that Party members should take advantage of online resources to learn and train themselves, publicize Party policies and hear the public's opinions. Party members are also encouraged to fight wrong online opinions, and are forbidden from making, publishing or disseminating information that violates Party regulations and the country's laws. ^ top ^
Xi: Another Long March begins (Global Times)
2019-05-23
Chinese President Xi Jinping said that "we are on a new Long March now" during his inspection tour of Jiangxi Province this week and encouraged people to gain strength from the spirit of the Long March to overcome difficulties and obstacles, China's state media outlets reported on Thursday. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during his inspection tour of East China's Jiangxi Province from Monday to Wednesday. People's Daily, China Central Television and the Xinhua News Agency all reported on Xi's inspection tour, and his remarks about the new Long March were highlighted. Experts said that mentioning the historic march amid the escalating trade war with the US shows that the Party wants to remind the people: The Party has experienced a much worse situation before, the Party has experienced long-term struggle, and progress in the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation won't be stopped. Arriving in Yudu county in Jiangxi, Xi paid tribute to a monument marking the departure point of the Long March by the Central Red Army and met families of Red Army veterans. The Long March (1934-36) was a massive military operation undertaken by the Red Army, forerunner of the People's Liberation Army, to retreat from its revolutionary bases in South China and escape the encirclement and pursuit of the Kuomintang army. Noting that China was on "a new Long March," he said in Yudu that the country will depend on the firm faith and the strong will of the whole Party and all people to overcome major challenges at home and abroad and secure new victories in building socialism with Chinese characteristics. China must be clear-headed about the long-term, complex nature of unfavorable domestic and international factors and well prepared for any difficult circumstances, Xi emphasized, adding that the most important thing for China is to do its own job well. Song Luzheng, a research fellow at the China Institute of Fudan University in Shanghai, told the Global Times on Thursday that "the Long March has at least three characteristics: The enemy was much more powerful than us. The process was very long and tough. Through the march, we won nationwide support and gained eventual victory." The trade war with the US and the Long March share some similarities, Song said, but overcoming the pressures and difficulties brought by the US-provoked trade war was not the final goal for the new Long March. "It's just another obstacle in the march," he said. "The final goal could be the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation in the middle of this century," said Su Wei, a professor at the Party School of the Communist Party of China Chongqing Municipal Committee. According to a report about Xi's inspection tour published by the People's Daily on its second page on Thursday, Xi said that Chinese should make a pledge to the next 70 years in 2019, which marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. "In the next 70 years, the key is the next 30 years," as it is the period for China to realize the goals of establishing an overall well-off society and realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, Xi said. Just like the Red Army in the Long March, "as long as we hold firm ideas and faith and strong revolutionary determination, we can overcome obstacles one by one. Those traps, encirclements, pursuits and blockade lines will be left behind by us," Xi said. Talk of "traps, blockade lines and encirclements" made people think of what the US has done to Chinese companies like Huawei, Su believed. "It sounds like the leader is encouraging those firms that are under pressure from the US." After the Long March ended in 1936, the CPC fought the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) and totally defeated the Kuomintang (1945-1949) to expel it from the Chinese mainland and founded the People's Republic of China in 1949. Even 1949 did not mark the end, Su told the Global Times. "The CPC also needed to overcome other challenges afterward including the Korean War in the early 1950s. The CPC or China's struggles with their enemies are always long and tough, and they never start the fight, but are always forced to join the fight," Su said. "From the Long March to the present, the CPC's enemies are always seems to be much more powerful including the Kuomintang, Japanese imperialist and the US, and the key is that the CPC has never been defeated, and it can always grow after every fight." Mentioning the Long March, Su said, "will also encourage the people and the whole Party that the difficulties at this moment are real, but they are nothing compared to the situations that we have experienced in the past, and we should have confidence." According to Xinhua, describing Jiangxi as a land full of revolutionary history and memories, Xi called for a deep understanding of the hard-earned establishment of the political power of the CPC, the People's Republic of China and socialism with Chinese characteristics, and demanded greater efforts to carry forward the revolutionary spirit and traditions. ^ top ^
Ex-Moutai chairman expelled from Party (China Daily)
2019-05-23
Yuan Renguo, former chairman of Kweichow Moutai Group, has been expelled from the Party and removed from public office for "serious violations of the Party disciplines and laws", according to the Guizhou Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Guizhou Provincial Commission of Supervision. According to a statement issued by the commissions on Wednesday, he seriously violated political disciplines and used the franchise rights of Moutai liquor as a tool to build up relationships and reach higher-position officials. It said Yuan abused power to assist illegal distributors and seriously undermined the business environment for sales of Moutai. Moutai is a sorghum-based spirit produced by Kweichow Moutai and is China's top brand of baijiu. The liquor, often served on official occasions and at state banquets, is considered a luxury item and has long been a popular gift. According to the statement, his family members were involved in graft-related issues. He was accused of colluding with others to provide false testimony, resisting the inspection and transferring his illicit assets. The statement said Yuan violated Party disciplines, didn't truthfully report his personal matters, violated the frugality codes and illegally engaged in profit-making activities. He was also found to have used his power to trade for money and sex services. He used his position to gain benefits for other enterprises and individuals, then accepted their huge bribes either paid in cash or other properties. Yuan, 62, was born in Renhuai, Guizhou, where the Moutai group is located. He joined Moutai in 1975 and became deputy manager in 1990. Between 1990 and 2018, he mainly served as deputy manager and manager of Kweichow Moutai Group, vice-chairman and chairman of Kweichow Moutai Group. He was replaced by Li Baofang as the chairman of Moutai group in May 2018. One year later, he was dismissed from the Guizhou Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. According to the Guizhou Provincial Commission of Supervision, his criminal evidence will be sent to the prosecutors. Since late 2012, when the new leadership was elected, China has conducted a sweeping drive to fight against both "tigers and flies" - high-ranking and low-ranking corrupt officials. So far more than 500 high-ranking officials have been probed for alleged graft. ^ top ^
Xi requires new advances in rise of central China (Xinhua)
2019-05-22
President Xi Jinping has required efforts to enhance the comprehensive strength and competitiveness of the country's central region and to make new advances in the rise of the central region. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during his inspection tour of Jiangxi Province from Monday to Wednesday. During the inspection, Xi presided over a work symposium on the rise of the central region and delivered a speech. Xi's first stop in Ganzhou City of Jiangxi was JL MAG Rare-Earth Co. Ltd. Visiting the company Monday, he underlined scientific and technological innovation to raise the technological level of exploitation of rare earth, which is strategically important but nonrenewable. Arriving at Yudu County on Monday afternoon, Xi paid tribute to a monument marking the departure of the Long March by the Central Red Army and met families of the Red Army veterans and revolutionary martyrs. Noting that China is on "a new Long March," he said that the country will depend on firm faith and strong will of the whole Party and all people to overcome major challenges at home and abroad and secure new victories in building socialism with Chinese characteristics. Visiting a local vegetable farm, Xi reiterated the original aspiration of the CPC, which was to fight for the people's wellbeing and national rejuvenation. At Tantou Village in Zishan Township, Xi called on Sun Guanfa, a villager and veteran, at his home. Carefully checking the kitchen, bedroom, backyard and toilet, Xi was pleased with the improvement in housing and hygiene conditions of Sun's family. He demanded every region and department make more efforts to secure decent lives for the people in old revolutionary bases at the decisive stage of poverty alleviation. When he was to leave the village, villagers gathered at the exit to see him off and some of them shed tears. At the symposium in Nanchang on promoting the rise of China's central region on Tuesday afternoon, Xi said that the rise of central China is a crucial step toward completing the process of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and realizing socialist modernization. China must be clear-headed about the long-term and complex nature of both domestic and international unfavorable factors and well-prepared for any difficult circumstances, Xi emphasized, adding that the most important thing for China is to do its job well. He made an eight-point instruction on the development of central China, which consisted of facilitating high-quality growth of the manufacturing industry, enhancing innovation capability in key fields, improving business environment, undertaking the layout and transfer of emerging industries, expanding high-level opening-up, sticking to green development, improving people's livelihood, and optimizing policies and institutions. On Wednesday morning, Xi heard a work report from the Jiangxi provincial authorities and called on them to set an example in speeding up the high-quality development of the old revolutionary bases and vie for the forefront in boosting the rise of the central region. Describing Jiangxi as a land full of revolutionary history and memories, Xi called for a deep understanding of the hard-earned establishment of the political power of the CPC, the People's Republic of China and socialism with Chinese characteristics, and demanded greater efforts to carry forward the revolutionary spirit and traditions. ^ top ^
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| Guangdong |
Guangdong poised as base for HK, Macao youths' innovation, business startups (China Daily)
2019-05-22
South China's Guangdong province, window of China's reform and opening up, is expected to become a new base for innovation and business startups for young people from the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions in the coming years. According to The Implementation Plan of Strengthening Construction of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Bases for Youth from Hong Kong and Macao, the pilot free trade zones of Nansha in Guangzhou, Qianhai in Shenzhen and Hengqin in Zhuhai will become the three new bases for youth from Hong Kong and Macao to start their businesses and scientific innovations by 2020. The innovation and entrepreneurship bases will be able to annually attract many youth from the two Chinese SARs to settle down for innovation and starting an undertaking, according to the implementation plan, which was revealed by Guangdong provincial government on its official website earlier this week. And at least one such base will be established in every nine cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area before 2025, according to the implementation plan. The nine Greater Bay cities in Guangdong province include Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, Shenzhen and Zhuhai special economic zones, Foshan, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Huizhou, Jiangmen and Zhaoqing. To this end, Guangdong provincial government will introduce more preferential policies in housing, education, employment, medical insurance and talent training and further lower its thresholds for youth from Hong Kong and Macao to start their business in the prosperous province, one of the country's economic powerhouses, in the months ahead, according to the implementation plan. Meanwhile the plan encourages further expansion of exchanges and cooperation between Guangdong youth and their Hong Kong and Macao counterparts in the months ahead. The provincial government would build more platforms and open more channels to help enhance such exchanges and cooperation, according to the plan. ^ top ^
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| Tibet |
US ambassador to visit Tibet 'to raise concerns about limits on religion and culture' (SCMP)
2019-05-20
The US ambassador to China was scheduled to visit Tibet this week, a US embassy spokesperson said – the first trip to the region by a US ambassador since 2015, amid escalating trade tensions between Washington and Beijing. The visit by ambassador Terry Branstad follows the passage of a law in December that requires the United States to deny visas to Chinese officials in charge of implementing policies that restrict access to Tibet for foreigners, legislation that was denounced by China. "This visit is a chance for the ambassador to engage with local leaders to raise long-standing concerns about restrictions on religious freedom and the preservation of Tibetan culture and language," the spokesperson said in an emailed statement. Branstad would be travelling to Qinghai and neighbouring Tibet from May 19 to 25 on a trip that would include official meetings as well as visits to religious and cultural heritage sites, the spokesperson said. In December, China criticised the United States for passing the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act, saying it was "resolutely opposed" to US legislation on what China considers an internal affair, and it risked causing "serious harm" to their relations. The US government is required to begin denying visas by the end of this year. The visit comes as tensions have been running high between the two countries over trade. China struck a more aggressive tone in its trade war with the United States on Friday, suggesting a resumption of talks between the world's two largest economies would be meaningless unless Washington changed course. On Saturday, China's senior diplomat, Wang Yi, told US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that recent US words and actions had harmed the interests of China and its enterprises, and that Washington should show restraint. While the administration of US President Donald Trump has taken a tough stance towards China on trade and highlighted the security rivalry with Beijing, it has so far not acted on congressional calls for it to impose sanctions on China's former Communist Party chief in Tibet, Chen Quanguo, for the treatment of minority Muslims in the Xinjiang region, where he is party chief. A State Department report in March said Chen had replicated in Xinjiang policies similar to those credited with reducing opposition to Chinese rule in Tibet. Beijing sent troops into remote, mountainous Tibet in 1950 in what it officially terms a peaceful liberation and has ruled there with an iron fist ever since. ^ top ^
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| Xinjiang |
Xinjiang to launch up to 100 trains for tourists (China Daily)
2019-05-23
As tours to Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region have become increasingly popular among tourists from home and abroad, local authorities have announced a plan recently to launch as many as 100 special trains for tourists from May to October. The local railway authorities will step up cooperation with other parts of the country to boost Xinjiang's tourism development, according to Huang Tingfen, deputy general manager of Xinjiang Railway Tourism Development Group. The trains will provide easier access to both the southern and northern parts of Xinjiang, said Huang. It will also be more convenient for Xinjiang residents to travel to other parts of the country. Special trains connecting Xinjiang with major tourist areas such as the cities of Beijing, Dalian and Qingdao will be launched during the coming summer vacation, which usually spans June to August. In the second half of the year, more trains for tourists will go into operation, linking the region to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Guiyang city in Guizhou province, and Guilin city in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. Huang said more services will be provided on a regular basis on the trains, including karaoke, dining, bathing and internet. ^ top ^
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| Hongkong |
Third Hongkonger sought asylum in Germany besides two wanted pro-independence activists, authorities confirm (HKFP)
2019-05-23
German authorities have confirmed that it received three applications from asylum seekers from Hong Kong since 2017, after news broke on Wednesday that wanted activists Ray Wong and Alan Li were granted refugee status in the country. Wong and Li, who were leading members of the pro-independence group Hong Kong Indigenous, faced rioting charges related to the 2016 Mong Kok unrest. They fled the city in November 2017 ahead of their trials, and were granted refugee status in Germany last May. The German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) said it received two asylum applications from Hong Kong in 2017, and one in 2018. A BAMF document dated this January showed there was one case from Hong Kong listed under "other procedures." The authority declined to comment on individual cases for privacy and data protection reasons. It said that asylum seekers have the chance to meet with the authorities in person and explain their situation, and the final determination is made independently and without political considerations. The BAMF told HK01 that the third, 2018 case from Hong Kong "ended without decision" and that proceedings had been closed – meaning the application had effectively been denied. Wong and Li will be speaking at the German Parliament on June 4, on the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown. The event is hosted by the Green Party, and the duo will speak alongside an academic Kristin Shi-Kupfer and writer Zhou Qing. Wong previously told the Financial Times that he decided to reveal his situation to "raise awareness of Hong Kong's extradition amendment and the 30th anniversary of China's Tiananmen Square massacre on June 4." It remains unclear whether the Hong Kong government will seek to extradite the two activists, with the city's security chief and justice chief dodging the question on Wednesday. Lawmaker Regina Ip called on the government to "clarify" the situation with Berlin. Both Ip and her pro-Beijing colleague lawmaker Priscilla Leung said that Wong was wrong to link his situation to the extradition bill currently moving through the legislature. The controversial bill, first proposed by the administration in February, would allow Hong Kong to accept extradition requests from jurisdictions with which it did not have a pre-existing rendition deal. Lawyers, journalists, foreign politicians and businesses have raised concerns, in particular, over the risk of residents being extradited to the mainland. Leung said that the two men's offences were committed in Hong Kong and breached local laws, meaning that there would not be any basis for China to request extradition. ^ top ^
Jailed Hong Kong localist Edward Leung withdraws bid to overturn legislative election ban (HKFP)
2019-05-23
Jailed localist figurehead Edward Leung has received the High Court's approval to withdraw his election petition over the 2016 Legislative Council election, meaning he will no longer contest the government's decision to bar him from running. Leung's lawyer said on Thursday that the issue in the petition has already been addressed in a similar court case involving pro-independence activist Andy Chan. The court had previously ruled in Chan's case that a returning officer has the power to disqualify a candidate running in an election. In 2016, an electoral official disqualified Leung from the race after finding that he was in favour of Hong Kong independence. The Electoral Affairs Commission had introduced an additional form for candidates to sign, which stated that they would uphold the Basic Law. Leung was asked by the official at the time whether he still supported Hong Kong independence, to which Leung said the answer was a "resounding no." However, Leung's statement was taken to be not credible and he was banned accordingly. Leung submitted the election petition to challenge the decision in October 2016. On Thursday, Leung's lawyer also said that the petition had outlasted the election cycle, and the court may not be able to reach a ruling before the 2020 Legislative Council election comes along. Leung is now serving a six-year jail term for his involvement in the 2016 Mong Kok unrest. The clashes took place during the first two days of the Lunar New Year, and were triggered by the authorities' attempts to clear street hawkers, which later escalated into a violent clash between police and protesters. Separately, the founder of the pro-independence Hong Kong National Party (HKNP) Andy Chan told the media on Wednesday that he would not be appealing the government's ban on his party. The Hong Kong government banned HKNP last September, making it the first organisation to be banned under the Societies Ordinance since the 1997 handover. Chan and HKNP former spokesperson Jason Chow tried to reverse the ban, but the chief executive and her cabinet rejected their appeal in February. Chan had the option of further appealing the ban by resorting to the courts, but he confirmed to Stand News that he would not make such a move. "Everyone knows the judicial system cannot bring justice," he said, adding that prohibitive legal costs were also a concern: "No matter if [I] win or lose, the two sides will definitely take the case to the Court of Final Appeal." Chan added that the HKNP ban was a political issue instead of a legal one, and by giving up on his appeal he did not mean to concede that the government was correct. ^ top ^
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| Taiwan |
China voices concerns on US moves in Straits (China Daily)
2019-05-24
China has conveyed its concern to the United States over US Navy ships' latest voyage through the Taiwan Straits, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said on Thursday. China paid close attention to the US naval ships' movement in the Straits and monitored the entire process, Lu said at a regular news conference in Beijing. "The Taiwan question is the most important and most sensitive part of China-US relations," he said. "We urge the US to adhere to the one-China policy and the three joint communiques between the two countries, and to handle Taiwan-related issues prudently and properly to avoid having a negative impact on China-US relations as well as to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits." The US Navy said on Thursday that it sent two of its vessels-the USS Preble, a guided-missile destroyer, and USNS Walter S Diehl, a fleet replenishment oiler, through the Taiwan Straits on Wednesday. Taiwan's defense authority said on Thursday in a statement that the US ships passed through the Straits from south to north "without incident". A senior researcher from the People's Liberation Army Navy said the US should stop making provocative actions toward China, especially those pertaining to Taiwan and the South China Sea, and the US should remember its promises on regional peace and stability. "The Chinese military has the determination and necessary means to safeguard our sovereignty, territorial integrity and other national interests," he said. On Monday, the destroyer USS Preble sailed within 12 nautical miles of China's Huangyan Island in the South China Sea without the Chinese government's permission. The PLA Navy sent its aircraft and ships to warn off the US vessel. ^ top ^
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen says Tiananmen crackdown highlights need to stand up to Beijing (SCMP)
2019-05-23
Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen on Thursday met a group of exiled Tiananmen protesters, a move that further burnishes her credentials for standing up to Beijing. She said the bloody crackdown on the student protesters in 1989 should remind Taiwan that it must firmly reject the "one country, two systems" formula put forward by Beijing for reunification to safeguard its sovereignty, freedom and democracy. "We don't want to mislead the other side into making a wrong judgment nor do we want to let down those who support democracy and freedom as a result of an ambiguous answer by a Taiwanese president. "There is no room for ambiguity or dodging when the 'one country, two systems' proposal was raised, and we must clearly state that this is not a proposal that we, who have enjoyed freedom, democracy and human rights, could accept," Tsai told her visitors. The group of mainland émigrés included former Tiananmen student leaders such as Wang Dan, Wang Juntao, Deng Biao, Zhou Fengsuo and Fang Zheng, who were visiting Taiwan for a three-day international forum held to mark the 30th anniversary of the crackdown. At the start of the year Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed that the two sides should start cross-strait unification talks under the "one country, two systems" model used to reunite Hong Kong and Macau with the mainland – a model that Tsai flatly rejected saying the two cities had no real autonomy. In a statement issued by the presidential office, Tsai also noted the different course Taiwan and mainland China have taken over the past 30 years, with the island developing a fully fledged democracy while Beijing has tightened its curbs on freedom of speech. She also criticised Beijing for infiltrating free societies and undermining others' freedoms using disinformation or hi-tech and commercial weapons. In the meeting, Tsai sharply criticised Chinese Communist leaders for suppressing the pro-democracy student movement in 1989 and failing to restore the activists' rights. Teng Biao, one of the visitors, said it was the first time Tsai had set up a meeting with so many pro-democracy activists. Despite her sharply worded comments, Tsai and her independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party have generally kept their distance from the Tiananmen exiles, some of whom support cross-strait unification. Since the DPP's first election victory in 2000, increasing numbers of people on the island have identified themselves primarily or exclusively as Taiwanese rather than Chinese, and events to mark the 1989 crackdown have dwindled. On the 20th anniversary of the June 4 killing more than 200,000 people took part in a memorial event in Hong Kong, a sharp contrast to the handful of people who marked the event in Taiwan. "I guess that might be because we no long cared that much about the [1989] incident over the years. June 4 is just a symbol we use to justify our push for further democracy in Taiwan," said Chen Wei-ting, a former leader of the Sunflower movement that formed in 2014 to protest against a cross-strait trade deal with the mainland. Analysts said Tsai hoped the Tiananmen anniversary would remind people of the need to reject the mainland's overtures to protect Taiwan's hard-won democracy. "By reiterating her stand against 'one country, two systems,' Tsai has built up her image as being the leader who is willing to defend Taiwan's sovereignty despite mounting pressure from Beijing," said Wang Kung-yi, a professor of political science at Chinese Culture University in Taipei. Tsai, who is running for a second four-year term in January, has seen her approval rating rebound recently to around 40 per cent from a low of 20 per cent following the DPP's humiliating defeat in last year's local government elections. The mainland-friendly KMT made a string of gains at the DPP's expense to punish it for unpopular labour and pension reforms and the economy's poor performance. ^ top ^
WHA refusal to make Taiwan observer shows one-China principle is "popular will" (Xinhua)
2019-05-21
The World Health Assembly (WHA) decision not to include a proposal to make Taiwan an observer in its provisional agenda proves that the one-China principle represents the "popular will," a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Tuesday. The 72nd session of the WHA, the decision-making body of World Health Organization, has once again refused to include the so-called proposal of "inviting Taiwan to attend the WHA as an observer" in the conference's provisional agenda, spokesperson Lu Kang told a press briefing. The decision accords with relevant resolutions of the UN General Assembly and the WHA, Lu said. "It fully demonstrates that the one-China principle represents the popular will of the international community, it conforms to the general trend and shall not be challenged." "We'd like to reiterate that Taiwan's participation in the activities of international organizations must and can only be dealt with according to the one-China principle," Lu added. ^ top ^
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| Economy |
Central bank bullish on yuan prospects (China Daily)
2019-05-24
The People's Bank of China, the central bank, said on Thursday that a currency crisis was unlikely in the country as the long-term optimistic outlook and adequate policy tools would help ward off any potential threats from unexpected currency swings. Depreciation and appreciation are both likely for the renminbi in the coming days, and the monetary authority has confidence and capacity to maintain the currency value at a reasonably stable level, Liu Guoqiang, a vice-governor of the PBOC, said in a statement on the bank's website. The renminbi's recent performance is still within reasonable range and the market has remained stable. Wild fluctuations of the currency will not be allowed, said Liu. "Based on global experience, currency crisis is rare in large countries," said Liu. "As the second largest economy, there is very little chance of a currency crisis in China." Similar views were expressed by Pan Gongsheng, head of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE), on Sunday, after the onshore renminbi depreciated to 6.9182 per US dollar on May 17. "Recent comments from policymakers have emphasized maintaining stability of the renminbi," said Maggie Wei, an economist with global investment bank Goldman Sachs. The spot exchange rate of the onshore renminbi stabilized at around 6.91 per US dollar this week, and the central parity rate was set at 6.8994 per US dollar on Thursday. The central bank said it would issue more debt in Hong Kong, the renminbi offshore market, following a 20 billion yuan ($2.91 billion) issuance on May 15. The central bank bill is a debt-financing instrument through which the monetary authorities can absorb funds from investors and tighten liquidity. It can lift the offshore market interest rates and increase costs if speculators short the renminbi, especially when the currency is under pressure. Due to the rising China-US trade friction, the renminbi showed some depreciation recently, said Liu, terming the external uncertainty as a "bump" in China's development and something that can hardly change the long-term positive outlook. In the medium to long term, the renminbi's exchange rate will depend on the economic foundation, which is still resilient, with great development potential, he said. Renminbi exchange rate's reaction to market expectations is natural in a market-oriented economy and indicates the foreign exchange rate is playing the role of an "automatic stabilizer" for macroeconomy and international payments, Liu said. A stable exchange rate can be supported by the latest macroeconomic indicators being maintained within a reasonable range, stable macro leverage level, limited fiscal and financial risks, balanced international payments and sufficient foreign exchange reserves, according to the central bank vice-governor. Latest data from SAFE indicate foreign exchange inflows of $2 billion in April, with the net inflow supporting a stable currency. ^ top ^
Strong efforts to promote market-oriented, law-based debt-to-equity swaps (Xinhua)
2019-05-23
China will set up a proper pricing mechanism for debt-to-equity swap programs and develop new approaches to pursuing swaps to promote market-oriented, law-based debt-to-equity swap. The goal is to help ease companies' debt burdens and boost their vitality, a State Council executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang decided on Wednesday. Premier Li pointed out that all debt-to-equity swap programs must be carried out in a market-oriented, law-based and category-by-category manner. Competent government departments should provide policy support and enhance inter-agency coordination. It was pointed out at the meeting that a market-oriented, law-based debt-to-equity swap is an important measure to help companies with promising market potential to tackle the debt burden, promote steady growth and prevent risks. Debt-to-equity swap programs worth over 900 billion yuan (about 130 billion U.S. dollars) have been implemented since early last year, resulting in a marked improvement in the performance of the companies concerned. "Our efforts in pursuing market-oriented, law-based debt-to-equity swap in the past few years have paid off. Work on this front has come to a crucial juncture, and will play an important role in fostering an enabling business environment and energizing market vitality," Li said. "Without success of this endeavor, China's capital markets can hardly flourish." The meeting decided to set up a proper pricing mechanism for the swap, and refine the mechanism of exempting liability in case of due diligence in the State-owned enterprises and implementing agencies. Efforts will also be made to develop new approaches to pursue swaps, and the pilot program of debt-to-preferred stocks swap should be expanded. Quality companies with a high leverage ratio as well as quality business segments will be prioritized in the deb-to-equity swap. "Our efforts in the market-oriented, law-based debt-to-equity swap have paid off, yet problems that have arisen in the process need to be tackled," Li said, "Going forward, we must confront the existing problems and tackle them head-on. What's important is to expand the scale and coverage of the swap deals and improve their quality to ensure that this endeavor achieves its desired results." It was decided at the meeting that multi-pronged measures will be implemented to help the financial asset investment firms involved in the swap programs replenish their capital. Qualified trading floors will be permitted to trade the assets in the swap deals, and see that the financial asset investment firms play their important role in the debt-to-equity swap process. The meeting also urged to motivate private actors to participate, improve equity structures, and provide equal protection for the rights and interests of private investors. Financial asset investment firms will be supported in launching asset management products and accepting investment from insurance and pension funds. Publicly offered asset management products will be allowed to participate in the swap in keeping with relevant laws and regulations, and foreign investors are encouraged to acquire stake in the implementing agencies. "We need to explore ways for improved operation of the financial asset investment companies. Meanwhile, we need to further motivate private investors to participate by widening access, making the deals more attractive and protecting their rights and interests," Li said. ^ top ^
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| DPRK |
Hundreds of foreign companies attend North Korean trade fair despite UN sanctions (SCMP)
2019-05-21
An international trade fair in North Korea this week may be the largest such event on record, analysts said on Tuesday, with hundreds of Chinese and other foreign vendors taking part despite sanctions pressure. The 22nd Pyongyang Spring International Trade Fair opened on Monday with a ceremony hosted by top economic officials, North Korean state news agency KCNA reported. More than 450 companies from North Korea, China, Russia, Pakistan, Poland and "other countries and regions" showcased a range of products at the fair, KCNA said. That number would make it the largest trade fair hosted by North Korea, according to an analysis of state media announcements from 2007 to 2019 conducted by NK News, a website that tracks North Korean issues. Last year, 260 companies reportedly took part in the spring fair, for example. Among those taking part this year were at least 216 Chinese companies, NK News said in an analysis. "The numbers tie into a lot of what we've seen recently demonstrating real Chinese interest in pushing ahead with business opportunities in North Korea, even though technically not much can go ahead under the current sanctions regime," said Oliver Hotham, managing editor of NK News. North Korean officials opened the event by saying it was a chance to expedite trade, economic cooperation, and science and technology exchanges with the participating countries, state media reported. Companies exploring doing business in North Korea walk a fine line. Sanctions imposed over North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile programmes would prohibit all joint ventures and most business with North Korea, analysts said, while some foreign business operations have previously said they were only preparing the ground for when sanctions are lifted. KCNA said among the products on show were "metal, electronics, machinery, building materials, transport, public health, light industry and food and consumer goods". Photographs of the event published by both state media and international participants on social media showed vendors offering health supplements, flat screen televisions, handbags, air conditioners and heaters, clothes, kitchen appliances, and North Korean-brand SUVs, among other products. "A wide range of sectors, and domestic products from North Korea as well as imports," said British ambassador to North Korea, Colin Crooks, in a post on Twitter. "Most of the foreign exhibitors were from China." Photos posted on Facebook by the Russian embassy in Pyongyang showed its ambassador, Alexander Matsegora, posing at a booth showcasing Russian pharmaceuticals. Since last year, leader Kim Jong-un has embarked on a diplomatic campaign to try to get the sanctions lifted and allow him to jump-start the economy. Under Kim, North Korea has seen a rise in private markets and growing consumerism, but it faces tight political and economic control. Kim's second summit with US President Donald Trump in February ended in an impasse, with Washington saying Kim had not offered to give up enough of his nuclear programme to warrant an easing of sanctions. Since then, North Korea has expressed growing frustration, with negotiations stalled and tensions rising. In a front-page commentary on Monday, North Korea's ruling party newspaper said sanctions were designed to create economic hardship and warned North Koreans not to depend on the restrictions being lifted. State media and international aid organisations say that recent droughts and small harvests could lead to a serious shortage of food for many North Koreans this year. ^ top ^
North Korea urges UN chief to act against 'gangster' US after ship seizure (SCMP)
2019-05-21
North Korea denounced the United States as "a gangster country" for seizing one of its cargo ships and urged UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to take "urgent measures" to contribute to stabilising the Korean peninsula. North Korea's UN ambassador, Kim Song, said in a letter to Guterres that the administration of US President Donald Trump committed "an unlawful and outrageous act" by taking over the ship Wise Honest and moving it to American Samoa. He called the seizure a violation of international law and the UN charter. Kim called a news conference at UN headquarters on Tuesday to further criticise the ship's seizure. The US said on May 9 that it seized the ship because it was carrying coal in violation of UN sanctions, a first-of-its-kind enforcement action that came amid a tense moment in relations with North Korea. The Wise Honest, North Korea's second largest cargo ship, was first detained in April 2018 by Indonesia while transporting a large amount of coal. US Justice Department lawyers laid out the case for confiscating the ship in a complaint filed in New York, arguing that payments for maintenance and operation of the vessel were channelled through unwitting US financial institutions in violation of American law. North Korea's coal trade itself is also believed to fund the isolated country's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes which the US is seeking to eliminate. Last week, the North's official Korean Central News Agency carried a statement by an unidentified foreign ministry spokesman who accused the United States of betraying the spirit of a summit agreement last June between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Trump. Kim and Trump agreed then to a vague statement calling for a nuclear-free Korean peninsula and improved bilateral ties, but a second meeting between the leaders collapsed in February over mismatched demands in sanctions relief and disarmament. The US announcement of the seizure of the Wise Honest came hours after North Korea fired two suspected short-range missiles toward the sea, the second weapons launch in five days and a possible signal that stalled talks over its nuclear weapons program are in trouble. The North Korean ambassador said in the letter to Guterres that "since international concern is growing more than ever over the likely impact to be brought to the situation of the Korean peninsula by the heinous act of the United States" in seizing the ship, the secretary general should take "urgent measures" to stabilise the Korean peninsula. The letter did not specify what those measures should be. ^ top ^
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| Mongolia |
'Ulaanbaatar Dialogue on Northeast Asian Security' to be held early June (Montsame)
2019-05-23
Since the 1980's, Mongolia has been consistently pursuing the policy of launching a dialogue mechanism in Northeast Asia. These efforts yielded the 'Ulaanbaatar Dialogue on Northeast Asian Security' initiative in 2013 and the first international conference was organized in 2014. Since 2017, the conference has been upgraded to 1.5 level gathering together both government officials and academia. This dialogue forum is now evolving into an open and inclusive mechanism, bringing together representatives from all countries in the sub-region. Discussion topics cover a broad range of issues including security, energy, infrastructure, green development, opportunities of humanitarian cooperation and others. This year the 6th international conference 'Ulaanbaatar Dialogue on Northeast Asian Security' will be held on 5-6 June at 1.5 track as well. The agenda of the 6th conference will consist of the two plenary sessions on 'The Northeast Asian Security Environment: Opportunities and Challenges' and 'Cooperation and Competition Dynamics in Northeast Asia' and the three parallel sessions on 'Promoting Energy Cooperation in Northeast Asia', 'Humanitarian Challenges in Emergency Situations', and 'Inclusion of Youth, Peace and Security: Perspectives for Dialogue in Northeast Asia'. The conference is expected to be attended by about 200 international and national delegates comprising representatives of the government entities, the United Nations and other international organizations and academia. The Government invitees to the conference include not only the Northeast Asian countries – China, ROK, DPRK, Japan, Russia, and Mongolia – but also officials from other continents including Canada, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, the United States, European Union, and others. ^ top ^
'Sustainability in the Cashmere Supply Chain' conference taking place (Montsame)
2019-05-23
On May 22-23, an international conference themed 'Sustainability in the Cashmere Supply Chain' is being organized by the Sustainable Fiber Alliance NGO with involvement of national and international participants including cashmere suppliers, government officials, scholars, and representatives of financial institutions and international donor organizations. The cashmere supply chain stakeholders are discussing the sector's sustainability, future development trends, and the opportunities for ensuring sustainable development and long-term innovative cooperation that would solve environmental, social and economic pressing issues. Moreover, views are being exchanged on optimal solutions for the issues challenging herders and cashmere producers and retailers. The participants are having discussions and seeking solutions with consideration of the fact that the industry is fully dependent on state of rangeland. ^ top ^
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Jennia JIN
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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