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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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Debt laden Chinese conglomerate HNA mulls refinancing cargo handler Swissport's debt as sale stalls (SCMP)
2019-07-29
Swissport International, the airport-cargo handler owned by troubled Chinese conglomerate HNA Group, said it plans to refinance some of its outstanding debt amid stable earnings growth. According to a statement by Swissport on Monday, its €1.6 billion (US$1.8 billion) refinancing comprises a new €75 million revolving credit facility, a €50 million delayed-draw loan facility, an aggregate principal amount of €1.23 billion across a new term loan facility, and an offering of €280 million in new euro-denominated senior notes. The company plans to use about €712 million of the proceeds to fully repay existing term loan facilities, it said. It will deploy about €628 million to fully redeem outstanding existing notes of Swissport Financing issued in 2017. Swissport reported a 3 per cent growth in revenue for the three months ended June 30, while its earnings were largely unchanged. HNA, which bought Swissport for 2.73 billion Swiss francs (US$2.8 billion) in 2015, had previously held talks to sell the division to potential bidders including Brookfield Asset Management and Cerberus Capital Management, people familiar with the matter said as recently as October. The Chinese firm is working to sell billions of dollars in assets after an acquisition spree left it with one of the highest levels of corporate debt in China. While the company's debt refinancing is the main focus, a potential sale of the Swissport has not been ruled out, people familiar with the matter have said. A spokesman for HNA declined to comment. Swissport, which also offers ticketing, cabin cleaning and aircraft maintenance, had previously been slated for an initial public offering before the sale consideration. The conglomerate decided to postpone the share sale last year, citing a volatile market. Other businesses that HNA has considered selling include its majority stake in oil storage and logistics business HG Storage International as well as container-leasing business Seaco, tech outsourcing arm Pactera Technology International and aircraft-maintenance firm SR Technics, Bloomberg News has reported previously. ^ top ^
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Sino-US talks 'constructive' (China Daily)
2019-08-01
China and the United States will hold the next round of high-level economic and trade consultations in the US in September, following their "constructive" talks in Shanghai. Vice-Premier Liu He, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin met for the 12th round of high-level Sino-US trade negotiations in Shanghai on Tuesday and Wednesday. Both sides conducted "sincere, efficient and constructive" in-depth exchanges on major economic and trade issues of common interest, the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement. They also discussed China's possible purchase of more US agricultural products based on domestic need, and the US creation of favorable conditions for the transaction, according to the statement. Yang Weiyong, an economics professor at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, said it is an encouraging sign that the latest meeting concluded constructively. "But there's still some way to go for the two sides to finally reach a deal. The key to advancing future China-US economic and trade consultations lies in sincerity," Yang said. Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a news conference on Wednesday that the US should show more sincerity and integrity in economic and trade consultations. She said that only when the US shows full integrity and sincerity and conducts the talks in a spirit of equality, mutual respect and mutual understanding, are consultations likely to make progress. The US and China, the world's two largest economies, have been addressing bilateral trade differences for over a year. The talks on Tuesday and Wednesday were the first since the two countries' top leaders agreed in June to resume consultations. Chen Dongqi, an economist at the National Development and Reform Commission's Academy of Macroeconomic Research, said the US should be aware that using tough talk and other tactics to support or cheer on its negotiating team will only bring uncertainties for businesses on both sides and damage the mutual trust built for decades between the two countries. "The US should add more credible and reasonable factors into the talks rather than putting extreme pressure on negotiating partners, as well as on Chinese high-tech companies," Chen said. To safeguard its interests, China has changed its stance from previously maintaining an amenable approach in trade and economics talks to taking a relatively tough stance, an action forced by the US' repeated changes of attitudes and actions, said Yan Jinming, an economics professor at Renmin University of China. ^ top ^
China, ASEAN countries agree to forge closer ties (Xinhua)
2019-08-01
China and the countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) agreed here Wednesday to forge closer ties at the China-ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at the meeting that ASEAN and ASEAN-led cooperation platforms have played an indispensable role in maintaining social stability and economic growth in the East Asia region amid profound global changes unseen in a century. He said China attaches great importance to the relations with ASEAN, which has become a banner for regional cooperation, and the two sides have always stepped forward hand-in-hand since establishing the dialogue partnership 28 years ago, in particular since the establishment of the strategic partnership 16 years ago. China and ASEAN have been working to consolidate political mutual trust and have always respected each other, Wang said. The two sides have been devoted to practical cooperation and work for mutual benefit and win-win results, bringing bilateral economic and trade cooperation to a new height, Wang said. Efforts have been made to jointly build the Belt and Road Initiative for improved regional connectivity; people-to-people and cultural exchanges have been strengthened, and mutual learning and understanding have been promoted; multilateralism, economic integration and trade and investment liberalization in the region have been pushed forward, according to Wang. The two sides have attached great importance to properly handling contradictions and differences so as to maintain peace and stability, Wang said. Consultations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea have been pushed forward proactively and the first reading of its single draft negotiating text was finished ahead of the schedule, Wang said, noting that it showed the firm belief of relevant countries to build regional rules and maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea. As the China-ASEAN cooperation has broad prospects, the two sides should strive for a higher level of strategic partnership and build a closer community of shared future under the guidance of the China-ASEAN Strategic Partnership Vision 2030, Wang said. The two sides should also achieve the synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025, narrow the development gap within ASEAN, and make innovation cooperation a new growth point in China-ASEAN relations, Wang said. Wang also stressed security cooperation and cultural exchanges to further improve relations between China and ASEAN. The foreign ministers of ASEAN countries congratulated on the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China at the meeting. The ASEAN-China dialogue partnership has become the most important and vibrant dialogue partnership of ASEAN, brought the most mutual benefits, and served as the driving force for regional peace, stability and regional growth, they said. The two sides have been committed to cooperation in political security, economy and other areas and have achieved satisfactory results, according to the foreign ministers. The foreign ministers said ASEAN hopes China will more deeply participate in ASEAN-centered cooperation mechanisms and ASEAN is ready to achieve the synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025. ASEAN will also work for the early completion of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations, expedite consultations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, and safeguard multilateralism and free trade in a bid to maintain regional peace and stability and push for greater development of ASEAN-China relations, ASEAN foreign ministers said. After the meeting, Wang told a press conference that China and ASEAN countries reached five important consensuses at the China-ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting and they are: to dovetail China's Belt and Road Initiative with the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025, to designate 2020 as the year for China-ASEAN digital economy cooperation, to jointly safeguard multilateralism and oppose unilateralism and protectionism, to jointly establish regional rules, and to work together to maintain peace and stability. Also at the press conference, Wang, While answering a question on the U.S.-led Indo-Pacific Strategy and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, said that any initiative and vision should focus on the cooperation in East Asia and the entire Asia rather than affect the existing mechanisms on cooperation and their achievements, focus on cooperation and consensus rather than stir up geopolitical confrontation, focus on promoting openness, inclusiveness and transparency rather than form cliques and factions. ^ top ^
Chinese, Colombian presidents pledge to promote ties (Xinhua)
2019-08-01
Chinese President Xi Jinping and visiting Colombian President Ivan Duque Marquez on Wednesday pledged to promote bilateral relations to new heights. The year 2020 marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the Latin American country. During their talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Xi said Duque's father, as a member of the then Colombian government, firmly supported the decision to forge diplomatic ties 40 years ago and witnessed the birth of the bilateral relationship. "The relay baton of China-Colombia bilateral ties is passed to us now," Xi told the Colombian president. "I highly appreciate your visit to China, which shows that you are committed to enhancing the traditional friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Colombia," said Xi. Xi called on both countries to intensify high-level exchanges and exchanges of governance experience, deepen mutual political trust, mutual understanding and mutual support. China will continue to support Colombia in promoting the peace process and post-conflict reconstruction, said Xi. He also encouraged both countries to further explore potential for pragmatic cooperation, consolidate cooperation in traditional areas and expand to new areas. China welcomes Colombia to take part in the Belt and Road construction so as to realize the alignment of development strategies of both sides, Xi said, calling on the two to enhance people-to-people exchanges, jointly safeguard the existing international system with the United Nations at its core, promote the reform of global governance mechanisms and make more efforts to help the economic globalization process become more open, inclusive and balanced, and develop towards win-win results. Xi called Latin American and Carribean countries "a force to be reckoned with in the international arena" as they boast huge potential and broad prospects. He said China has always respected the rights of Latin American people to choose a development path of their own, supported Latin America in speeding up its integration process and backed the proper handling of the Venezuela issue via dialogue and consultation. China stands ready to continue to play a role in encouraging dialogue and talks and would like to maintain contacts with Colombia, Xi said. He added that China is willing to strengthen the building of the Forum of China and Community of Latin American and Carribean States. Duque offered his congratulations for the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. He said he admired Xi's outstanding leadership and prominent international influence and would like to learn from China's governance experience. Duque said as the two countries will embrace the 40th anniversary of forging diplomatic ties in February 2020, he hoped to further step up bilateral ties and expand cooperation in areas including economy and trade, energy, infrastructure construction, connectivity, the digital economy and creative industries. Colombia welcomes investment from Chinese enterprises, said Duque, adding that he believed every bilateral project would help support the peace process of Colombia and the country's economic and social development. Hailing the significance of the Belt and Road construction to world connectivity and international cooperation, Duque said Colombia will take an active part in the initiative. Colombia attaches great importance to China's role in international and regional affairs and is willing to contribute to the development of Latin America-China ties, Duque said. After the talks, the two presidents witnessed the signing of 12 bilateral agreements in areas including judicial cooperation, trade, agriculture, education and customs. Duque is paying the state visit at the invitation of Xi from July 28 to 31. This is his first state visit to China. Before his arrival in Beijing, he visited the city of Shanghai, an economic hub in eastern China. ^ top ^
Chinese aluminium tycoon Liu Zhongtian indicted in US over tariff evasion of US$1.8 billion (SCMP)
2019-08-01
Chinese aluminium billionaire Liu Zhongtian has been indicted in the US on allegations that he evaded US$1.8 billion in American tariffs, using a complex scheme that supposedly smuggled vast quantities of the metal into the US using a series of firms that he secretly controlled. Liu, China Zhongwang Holdings and others were indicted on dozens of charges of conspiracy, wire fraud and international money laundering. They are also accused of defrauding investors in the 2009 Hong Kong listing of China Zhongwang, Liu's flagship firm. The prospectus for the US$1.26 billion IPO – one the biggest in the world that year – deceptively boosted the company's revenue by faking information about its US market via the smuggling scheme, the indictment claims. "This indictment outlines the unscrupulous and anti-competitive practices of a corrupt businessman who defrauded the United States out of US$1.8 billion in tariffs due on Chinese imports," said United States Attorney Nick Hanna for the Central District of California in a press release. "Moreover, the bogus sales of hundreds of millions of dollars of aluminum artificially inflated the value of a publicly traded company, putting at risk investors around the world. The rampant criminality described in this case also posed a threat to American industry, livelihoods and investments." The indictment was filed by a California grand jury this May 7, but was only unsealed this week. It comes amid high-stakes trade negotiations between Washington and Beijing, which have been embroiled in a trade war for more than a year as US President Donald Trump seeks to draw down China's trade surplus with the US. In addition to evading tariffs, Liu and his co-accused are said to have used the smuggling scheme to "maintain the false pretence that defendant China Zhongwang was obtaining significant revenue from the sales of aluminium to United States-based customers even though there were few, if any, such sales", according to the indictment. The aluminium was actually being stockpiled at US and Mexican facilities ultimately controlled by Liu, it said, in what amounted to fraud against investors in China Zhongwang. The Wall Street Journal, citing a US official with knowledge of the investigation, said an arrest warrant was being drawn up for Liu, 55. He faces 24 charges with a combined maximum prison sentence of 465 years, according to the US Department of Justice. A California lawyer who has previously represented Liu did not immediately respond to a voicemail and email from the South China Morning Post seeking comment on the indictment, which describes Liu as a permanent resident of the US with Chinese citizenship. According to the accusations, the smuggled aluminium could have faced duties of up to 374 per cent. The indictment claims a co-accused California resident, Xiang Chun Shao, managed a series of US firms related to a company called Perfectus on behalf of Liu China Zhongwang defrauded its investors by falsely depicting sales to firms, including Perfectus, as "arms-length" transactions. In fact, the sales were ultimately funded by Liu and China Zhongwang itself, the indictment says. US demand for China Zhongwang's products was also falsely inflated by Perfectus' simply stockpiling its aluminium purchases, the indictment adds. It said the purchases were in the form of 2.2 million fake aluminium pallets. As supposedly finished products, these were subject to much lower duties than the 374 per cent tariff they allegedly should have attracted as aluminium extrusion raw materials. "By falsely identifying the pallets as finished merchandise, the Perfectus predecessor entities were able to evade paying approximately US$1.8 billion [in duties]," the indictment says, and the supposed pallets were "nothing more than extrusions that had been tack welded together". "At the direction of Liu, none of these pallets was ever sold," the indictment says of the imports that allegedly took place between 2011 and 2014. But the scheme is said to extend back to July 2008, when Liu transferred US$300 million to a US account that would end up being used to buy US warehouses for the aluminium. The massive facilities measured more than 2 million square feet (186,000 square metres) in total. This was less than a year before China Zhongwang was listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange, in an IPO that raised US$1.26 billion. A third individual, Zhaohua Chen, is accused of taking part in the scheme with Liu by ordering that facilities be bought to melt down the pallets into a usable form. Liu and others also allegedly transferred US$1.2 billion to bank accounts linked to the Perfectus companies, to allow them to purchase the pallets. The indictment says the funds were channelled through 19 Chinese and Hong Kong shell companies secretly controlled by Liu and China Zhongwang and falsely described as loans, although the Perfectus companies never intended repayment. China Zhongwang's Hong Kong headquarters has yet to respond to an email, sent outside office hours, seeking comment on the indictments. Neither Liu, Chen, nor Shao are believed to be in the United States, the US Department of Justice said. ^ top ^
S. China Sea Code of Conduct text advances (China Daily)
2019-08-01
State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi confirmed on Wednesday that China and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have finished the first reading of a draft text of a key document regarding the South China Sea ahead of time. Wang was referring to the most recent progress on the single draft negotiating text for an anticipated pact-the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea. Consultations over the pact were launched by China and ASEAN in 2013, and it aims to further boost the South China Sea region's stability and peace. Speaking at a news conference in Bangkok, Thailand, Wang said that in the past year, China and ASEAN members have been exploring ways to bolster rule-based governance of the South China Sea, and they advanced the consultations on the code of conduct. Wang spoke after attending the annual China-ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting on Wednesday in the Thai capital. "We warmly welcomed the continued improving cooperation between ASEAN and China," said a joint communique issued after the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting, which took place ahead of the 10 member countries' gathering with China on Wednesday. The ASEAN countries "were encouraged by the progress of the substantive negotiations toward the early conclusion of an effective and substantive Code of Conduct in the South China Sea within a mutually agreed timeline", the statement said. Wang explained to reporters that with the first reading, the text is streamlined so that the framework and essential elements of the text become clearer and the structure more reasonable. The reading marks new, major progress in the consultations on the code and an important step toward the goal of concluding the consultations within three years, he added. Wang attributed the first reading's early completion to "the sincerity and determination of all parties in the consultation". He said the achievement deserves to be cherished, and it saves more time for the following readings. Before Wang's meeting with the ASEAN ministers, they all attended a ceremony marking the start of the China-ASEAN Young Leaders' Scholarship. At the ceremony, Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai and Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Lopez Locsin said they appreciated China's offering scholarships to students from ASEAN countries and that reinforced exchanges help bolster mutual understanding and trust. In a one-on-one meeting with Wang on Wednesday, Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said his country is glad to see remarkable progress achieved for all-out cooperation between China and ASEAN, and Singapore is ready to further play a constructive role in China-ASEAN ties. ^ top ^
Chinese students are welcome in America, US education official Marie Royce says, calling China's negative reports propaganda (SCMP)
2019-07-31
A US education official on Tuesday accused China's state-controlled media of painting an "inaccurate picture" of the hardships Chinese students are said to face living and studying in the US, stressing that Chinese students are welcome in America. "The United States continues to admit qualified Chinese students for study at US colleges and universities," Marie Royce, the assistant secretary of state for educational and cultural affairs, told the annual EducationUSA Forum in Washington. "Contrary to what you might have heard from the government of China, the number of Chinese student visa applications refused has declined in each of the last four years," Royce told an audience of 500 international education professionals from US universities and colleges. "This demonstrates that US higher education is increasingly accessible to Chinese students." Her remarks suggested that the US government is striving to play down fears of growing hostility towards Chinese academics and students working and studying in the US after some scholars complained about scrutiny from the US government over their ties to Beijing. In May, Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, said it had removed two Chinese-American professors with the department of human genetics, Li Xiaojiang and his wife, Li Shihua, for failing to disclosing their ties to institutions in China, an accusation the couple denied. Some scholars in China also said that their 10-year multiple-entry visas to the US had been revoked by US authorities without explanation. And in June, China's Ministry of Education issued a warning about the risks of studying in the US, citing a soaring number of visa rejections. US President Donald Trump, mindful of these developments, said on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Osaka, Japan in June that he wanted more Chinese students to go to the United States as concern grows about Chinese scholars in American academia. "We want to have Chinese students [go] to our great schools and great universities," Trump said. "They are great students and tremendous assets." Royce said the Chinese government should be held responsible for giving Chinese citizens "an inaccurate picture" of the United States. "The state-controlled Chinese media inundates Chinese students with Communist Party-curated content that exaggerates the dangers of living and studying in the United States," the official said. "Through Chinese social media, Chinese students continue to view the United States through this distorted lens." Such misinformation not only discourages Chinese students in the US from fully engaging with their American and international peers, it also saps the power of American higher education institutions to draw Chinese students, several international student recruiters told the forum. Moto Tomita, a regional director for international recruitment at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, said American universities have become the latest casualties of the trade tension between the world's top two economies. China's warning about the risks of studying in the US will have a "big impact on student enrolment," said Tomita, who projects a 20 per cent decline in Chinese student enrolment at his university for the 2019-2020 school year. That would be the biggest decline of its kind at the school in 25 years. A plunge in enrolment at US schools by Chinese students would have an impact on the American economy, based on their past spending behaviour. Chinese students contributed more than US$15 billion to the US economy in 2018. More than 360,000 Chinese students studied in the US in the 2017-18 school year, making up one-third of the overall international student body in the country. The number of Chinese students in the US is greater than the combined total of the next seven countries where Chinese students are studying abroad the most, Royce said. "From a foreign relations standpoint, the friendships that are formed, the values shared, and the networks created, are even more important than the economic contributions of these Chinese students," the official said. She urged American universities to double down on their efforts not only to welcome Chinese students to their classrooms, but to ensure they are given opportunities to fully experience America's culture and communities. Universities should go beyond typical "welcome orientation" events by encouraging Chinese students to live alongside Americans and join student clubs and organisations, she said. "Open our classrooms and homes, expose Chinese students to our welcoming culture, eat and live alongside them, foster lifelong connections, and allow them to form their own conclusions about the United States." ^ top ^
China to firmly uphold multilateralism: new UN ambassador (Xinhua)
2019-07-31
On the first day of taking post as China's permanent representative to the United Nations, Zhang Jun pledged on Tuesday that China, one of the five permanent members of the Security Council, will firmly uphold multilateralism and support the United Nations in playing an important role. "We will firmly uphold multilateralism, oppose unilateralism and protectionism, and support the United Nations in playing an important role," the ambassador told Chinese reporters at the UN headquarters in New York. Noting that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and next year will mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the UN, Zhang said that China's cooperation with the organization is "standing at a new starting point." "China will make full use of its unique advantages as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, actively participate in international affairs, promote the settlement of disputes through political and diplomatic means, and make its contributions to world peace," said the envoy. "At the same time, we will promote international cooperation to jointly address global challenges in a responsible and constructive manner," he noted. Talking about specific areas of cooperation, Zhang said that China will participate "constructively" in UN discussions on climate change, cyber security, counter-terrorism and nuclear non-proliferation, so as to make China's contribution to addressing these major challenges and building a community of shared future for mankind. The ambassador said that China will also play an active role in pushing for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and deepen cooperation with the UN under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Recalling that the UN secretary-general attended twice the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, Zhang said that China has already signed a series of cooperation agreements with various UN agencies and specialized agencies under the UN framework to promote the BRI cooperation. "We believe that the implementation of these agreements will strongly boost sustainable development and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda," he said. The envoy reiterated China's stance of firmly safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries. "Development is one of the themes and one of the most important challenges facing the world today," the ambassador said. "The vast majority of UN member states are developing countries, and the vast majority of the people across the world live in developing countries. Therefore, the right to development is also one of the most important basic human rights." In the past few years, developing countries have made some achievements in development, but at the same time, they still face a series of severe challenges and problems of inadequate and unbalanced development, he said. "Just like China, we have made great achievements in development, but we are still facing some problems of insufficient and unbalanced development in various aspects. We are still a 100 percent developing country," he noted. The ambassador criticized the practice that some countries are making irresponsible remarks about their position as developing countries. "We are firmly opposed to any country making use of the positioning of a developing country to create obstacles to its development or even deprive it of its rights." Zhang voiced China's strong determination to firmly safeguard its rights and interests by "resolutely opposing any country's interference in China's internal affairs through issues such as Taiwan, Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong." "We will firmly safeguard China's sovereignty, security and right to development," he noted. Talking about commemorating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the PRC, Zhang said that "we could let the world know better about China's development path and concept." China's model has produced "profound influence" to world peace and development, he said. Before his debut press briefing with the Chinese media, Zhang presented credentials to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Before he was appointed as the Chinese UN ambassador, Zhang had been serving as assistant minister for foreign affairs since 2018, prior to which he was director-general of the Foreign Ministry's Department of Economic Affairs from 2012. Beginning in 2007, Zhang was China's ambassador to the Netherlands and permanent representative to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, serving until 2012. From 2004 to 2007, he was secretary to the General Office of the State Council. ^ top ^
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President urges military to push forward reforms (China Daily)
2019-08-01
President Xi Jinping urged the Chinese military to continue reforming its policy system, saying this is crucial to building a world-class force. Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, said at a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on Tuesday in Beijing that reforms of the military policy system are intended to resolve institutional hindrances to allow the armed forces to better fit into their new roles and fulfill their new missions. He said the military must make all-out efforts to push forward reforms of its policy system, and he urged it to strengthen communication with service members to rally support for reforms. Xi called for the military to integrate policy system reforms with other parts of the ongoing military overhaul that have been ongoing for nearly four years. He also asked forces to prioritize work during reforms that concerns troops' combat readiness and welfare. The military should use new ideas and try new methods in reforms and should also enhance research and appraisal work to facilitate reforms, he said. Xi said the Party and central government must spare no efforts in supporting reforms and that the military must update the central departments about the reforms' development. The president also extended greetings at the meeting, on behalf of the CPC Central Committee and the Central Military Commission, to all members of the People's Liberation Army and the People's Armed Police Force as well as militiamen and reservists as the 92nd anniversary of the founding of the country's armed forces falls on Thursday. In another development, Xi promoted 10 senior officers of the armed forces to the rank of general or admiral at a ceremony on Wednesday at the Central Military Commission's headquarters in Beijing. In addition, the president recently gave citations and honorary titles to several military units and service members. Under Xi's leadership, the Chinese military has been making steady strides toward its goal of becoming a world-class force. The PLA and the People's Armed Police Force have been undergoing massive reforms launched and guided by the president since late 2015 that aim at making the military leaner, stronger and more efficient. The Chinese military has extensively shrunk the number of noncombatant personnel in its ranks and streamlined its command structure, according to a defense white paper published last week. The white paper, China's National Defense in the New Era, published by the State Council Information Office, said the number of offices, administrative levels and office personnel inside the armed forces has been substantially reduced. Nearly half the noncombatant jobs in the military have been abolished and about 25 percent of office posts at military units above the regiment level have been shed. Military organizations involved in artistic performances, sports, news services, publications and medical and research work have been dismantled or simplified, the white paper said. The military had fulfilled its goal of reducing troop numbers by 300,000, and now maintains an active force of 2 million troops, the white paper said, adding that positions had been transferred from the PLA Ground Force to the PLA Navy and PLA Rocket Force. In his report to the 19th CPC National Congress in 2017, Xi pledged to make sure that by 2020, the PLA will basically achieve mechanization, make big strides in informatization and make substantial improvement in strategic capabilities. He also set a midterm goal for the Chinese military — to turn itself into a modernized power by 2035 — and a long-term goal of turning it into a top-tier military by 2050. Senior Colonel Wang Wei, from the CMC's Reform and Personnel Arrangement Office, said the unprecedented military reforms launched by Xi have been extensively transforming and strengthening the military. Senior Colonel Shi Qingren, a researcher at the PLA Academy of Military Science, said through the reforms, the PLA has set up a new chain of command and a new set of management systems, adding that it has become more capable of handling modern warfare. ^ top ^
China's consumers unwilling to spend income despite need to offset trade war impact, survey shows (SCMP)
2019-08-01
China will need to come up with more incentives to convince consumers to spend to support economic growth, the results of a survey by the central bank released on Wednesday suggested. Consumers surveyed by the People's Bank of China (PBOC) reported that income constraints and a preference to save money amid economic uncertainties were limiting their spending. Chinese consumers generally prefer not to spend their income immediately, with a large proportion of those surveyed responding that they instead save money for their children's education and their own retirement, according to the PBOC's survey of consumer's financial knowledge and behaviour which is conducted every two years. Some 79.03 per cent of respondents disagreed with the view that "we should spend all the money earned today" and instead wanted to save their income for the future. The result was slightly lower than the reading of 79.4 per cent to the same question in the 2017 survey. A total of 44.23 per cent said they were now saving or had saved in the past for their children's education, up nearly 3 percentage points from two years ago, while 32.85 per cent said they had plans to do so in the future. When considering retirement, 56.96 per cent of respondents said they planned to live on their government pension alone, but many are also seeking to supplement retirement savings by increasing their own savings or through expected transfers from their children. When asked if they would be able to afford an unexpected expenditure equivalent to three months' salary next month, 24.83 per cent of respondents said that they could not or probably could not, compared to 26 per cent in the survey two years ago. Another 39.76 per cent felt uncertain of their ability to afford such an expense, slightly below the 40 per cent seen in the previous survey. The survey was based on a sample of 18,600 residents from 31 provinces, and conducted mainly through face-to-face interviews. The results, even though only reflecting consumer's attitudes rather than their actual spending behaviour, are generally in line with long-standing market concerns over the obstacles that lie in the path of Beijing's efforts to boost consumption to stabilise growth. On Tuesday, the Politburo, China's 25-member top decision-making body headed by President Xi Jinping, renewed its call during its quarterly meeting on the economy for the government to tap the large potential for consumer spending by China's growing urban middle class as well as "effectively kick-starting the rural market". The world's second largest economy, having seen its growth rate fall to a record low in the second quarter of 2019, has gradually shifted towards a consumption-driven growth model in recent years, accounting for more than 60 per cent of growth in the latest quarter. The need for consumer spending to help boost growth has become more urgent because the trade war with the United States has caused the country's exports to drop sharply and investor sentiment to weaken. Weak income growth, an uncertain employment outlook as well as high and rising levels of existing debt are seen as some of the key obstacles holding back the middle-class from buying expensive items such as cars and home appliances. Data from the Bank for International Settlements showed China's household debt reached 52.6 per cent of its gross domestic product at the end of 2019, up from 39 per cent in 2015. The rapid increase, due in part to property purchases, is restricting further household spending and poses a financial risk in the future, analysts said. The government has taken a series of steps to boost consumption, including cutting personal income taxes by a total of around 308 billion yuan (US$45 billion) last year and offering purchasing subsidies for energy-saving home appliances and new energy vehicles. More targeted measures are expected to be rolled out in coming months after a new interministerial body was set up a week ago to coordinate government efforts to support consumption. However, the Politburo statement on Tuesday ruled out a massive fiscal and monetary stimulus programme like that adopted after the global financial crisis in 2008-2009. The PBOC's index of consumer's financial knowledge and behaviour edged up by 1.06 points to 64.77 per cent, a slight improvement from the previous survey. Yin Youping, deputy director of the PBOC's financial consumer protection bureau, said further education is important as financial products are becoming increasingly complicated in the digital era. "Consumers still need to catch up in terms of handling unexpected expenditures. They also need to have more knowledge about borrowing, investment, and insurance as well as being able to identify illegal investment products," he said. ^ top ^
China's first home-grown aircraft carrier the Type 001A set for new round of sea trials as it prepares to enter service (SCMP)
2019-08-01
China's first home-grown aircraft carrier the Type 001A is expected to start a four-day sea trial on Thursday, which military experts said signalled that it would soon be ready for official commissioning. Liaoning Maritime Safety Administration issued a statement on its website on Wednesday saying a naval exercise would take place in a designated zone in the north of the Yellow Sea between Thursday and Monday, and warned other vessels not to enter the area. The statement gave little detail about the exercise, but military experts said the location of the drill – near the carrier's home port of Dalian – pointed to new sea trials for the ship. Song Zhongping, a military commentator for Hong Kong-based Phoenix Television, said it would be the seventh such trial for the carrier, adding: "It is likely that the carrier will join the navy for trial runs in the coming months." Song said that sea trials for the Type 001A had been faster and more efficient compared with those for its sister ship, the Liaoning, China's first aircraft carrier. The Liaoning started life as a Soviet Kuznetsov-class vessel, and was still incomplete when China bought it from Ukraine in 1998. It underwent 10 sea trials before being commissioned in 2012. "China has accumulated more experience with the Liaoning and that has helped in the construction and operation of Type 001A," Song said. Beijing-based naval expert Li Jie said the upcoming sea trial for the Type 001A would be led by naval officers instead of the engineers and technicians from the Dalian Shipyard, which built the warship. "Besides testing the carrier's propulsion system and electronic communication systems, the sea trial will focus on inspection and acceptance. Both are critical parts of the testing before the ship can be handed over to the navy," Li said. The 65,000-tonne Type 001A was built using the Liaoning as a prototype. The new ship was launched in April 2017 and conducted its last sea trial at the end of May. When the Type 001A returned to Dalian on May 31 after the test it was seen to have J-15 fighter jets and Z-18 helicopters on its deck. Li said aircraft take-off and landing exercises would be conducted on the high seas after the Type 001A formally entered service. Both Song and Li said the Type 001A was expected to be named after Shandong province, in line with the practice of giving warships geographical names. Some naval enthusiasts and China watchers were disappointed when the Type 001 failed to appear at a grand naval parade held off the coast of Shandong in April to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the PLA Navy. ^ top ^
China's ex-'super bank' chief faces probe as Beijing's financial sector corruption crackdown continues (SCMP)
2019-07-31
The former chairman of a state lender known as "Beijing's super bank" is being investigated for "a serious disciplinary violation", according to a statement from the Communist Party's enforcement agency on Wednesday. Hu Huaibang, who was chairman of China Development Bank (CDB) for more than five years until his retirement in September last year, is suspected to be the latest in an already long line of heavyweight financial officials toppled by Beijing's anti-corruption campaign. Also former party chief within the policy bank, Hu follows the likes of Lai Xiaomin, former chairman of the giant state-owned China Huarong Asset Management who was put on trial on charges of corruption in February 2019, and Xiang Junbo, former head of China Insurance Regulatory Commission, who stood trial last June. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection – the party disciplinary watchdog – did not specify what Hu was accused of, but the wording, based on previous usage, implies corruption. CDB is one of the Chinese central government's three policy banks, which issue loans at the direction of Beijing. The others are the Agriculture Development Bank of China and the Export-Import Bank of China. It plays a crucial role in financing the country's mega infrastructure projects at home and strategic investment deals abroad. Hu's possible involvement in illegal activities was first made public last October, when state television disclosed evidence presented to a court hearing about the corruption charges against Wang Sanyun, the former Communist Party chief of Gansu province, who was sentenced to 12 years in prison in April. The court heard that Wang had used Hu as a conduit for CEFC Shanghai, a subsidiary of CEFC China, which was controlled by now vanished tycoon Ye Jianming, to take equity positions in the Bank of Hainan. Hu is also alleged to have been involved in a deal whereby Wang helped CEFC Hainan, another subsidiary, to obtain a US$4.8 billion credit line. Ye, a mysterious tycoon who made CEFC China's fourth-largest oil conglomerate in the space of only a few years, suddenly disappeared from public view in early-2018, leaving his company to be carved up by creditors. CDB had pledged billions of dollars to CEFC to fund its headline-grabbing acquisitions, including a failed attempt to buy a 14 per cent stake in Russian oil giant Rosneft. The South China Morning Post reported in March 2018 that Ye had been detained for questioning. No Chinese authority has released any information about Ye, and he has not been formally charged with any wrongdoing. The only information on Ye's recent activities came from the Czech Republic's presidential office, which revealed that Ye had invested heavily in the central European country and earned himself an advisory role to Czech President, Milos Zeman. It is not known whether the Hu probe is directly related to the corruption allegations against Ye and Wang. However, Hu's downfall will send shock waves through China's financial upper crust, given his personal background and the bank's crucial role in China's financial landscape. Ironically, Hu was the disciplinary chief at the China Banking Regulatory Commission when the watchdog was made independent from China's central bank in 2003, making him the top official overseeing corruption in the banking industry. Hu then joined the China Investment Corporation, the country's sovereign wealth fund, as the chief supervisor, another anti-corruption role in 2007. Hu became the chairman of the Bank of Communications, China's fifth largest lender, in 2008. In 2013, he replaced Chen Yuan, son of a founding father of Communist China, to become the chairman of CDB. CDB plays a crucial role in China's state-led economy, as it is able to raise funds inexpensively from the interbank market and then pump the money, often in tranches of billions of yuan, into local governments for their urban renovation and infrastructure projects, playing a de facto fiscal role in domestic development. Abroad, the bank often acts as financier for Beijing-backed projects, especially those connected to the Belt and Road Initiative. According to the bank's annual report, it had an outstanding overseas loan balance of US$251 billion at the end of 2018. ^ top ^
MOFCOM releases regulation on social credit, defines evidence for forming lists (Global Times)
2019-07-31
The Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) released on Wednesday a notice on the management of lists of persons or entities receiving penalties due to losing credit, with the aim of strengthening credit regulation in the business world and accelerate the pace of credit-based mechanisms. According to the notice posted on the ministry's website, evidence that can be invoked when defining the list includes administrative penalties or inspections of business operations, judicial decisions, and laws and rules. The list is divided into two categories - those who are to receive joint penalties and those who will be given special attention. The first group will stay on the list for no more than three years; in the case of the latter, for no more than two years. Entities on the penalty list that actively correct their bad behavior and erase their bad influence can apply for credit recovery, said MOFCOM. The regulation takes effect on Wednesday. "It is a trend that joint efforts by different departments are contributing to a comprehensive social credit system in China," said Zhu Wei, a professor at the China University of Political Science and Law in Beijing. China has sought in recent years to build a credit-based framework by applying the inter-agency approach in penalizing people or organizations that acted in bad faith. The Cyberspace Administration of China, which regulates the internet sector, published a draft document last week to expand the social credit blacklists to include online platforms and users who spread information that violates social morality and harms the public interest. "With information sharing becoming mature in China and people's use of credit rising, China is turning into a credit-based society," Zhu told the Global Times on Wednesday. The country has built up necessary laws in individual data protection, and the standards are quite strict if compared with the international community, which means it's time to pick up the pace, said Zhu. China is expected to launch a law on personal information protection by the end of this year, according to Zhu. ^ top ^
China's chemical crackdown 'having more impact on business than US trade war' (SCMP)
2019-07-31
A crackdown on the chemical sector by the Chinese government is having a bigger impact on businesses than the US-China trade war, according to an industry association official, with supply chains disrupted by tough inspections and plant closures. China has launched a series of inspection campaigns aimed at tackling illegal or irregular chemical production after a lethal explosion at an industrial park in Jiangsu province killed 78 people and injured dozens more in March. The blast in the coastal city of Yancheng also drew attention to the role played by thousands of poorly regulated Chinese chemical manufacturers in the global supply chain, with the stricken Tianjiayi factory said to be providing components to several multinational conglomerates. But the inspections have already disrupted the flow of key chemical ingredients, and forced international suppliers to look elsewhere or even consider moving their businesses abroad, said Fu Xiangsheng, the vice-chairman of the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Association. "Blanket cuts at petrochemical industrial parks have much bigger impacts than the Sino-US trade war," Fu told an industry conference on Wednesday, without elaborating. He also said that some local authorities had made the closure of chemical plants one of the key performance indicators for government officials, which was another major concern for investors. China's chemical sector crackdown is ongoing, with Jiangsu province itself promising to shut down dozens of industrial parks and small-scale chemical manufacturers and improve the way surviving plants are regulated. Shao Ji, a director of the petrochemical department of the National Development and Reform Commission told the conference that Beijing was working to clean up, rectify and relocate chemical parks throughout the entire country, but he did not provide any further details. China is planning to relocate more than 80 per cent of its hazardous chemical production capacity by the end of next year, with much of it being shifted to specialised industrial parks. The financial magazine Caixin said some factories were being forced to move for a second time as a result of increasingly stringent zoning restrictions. ^ top ^
PLA pushes protection, peace agenda (China Daily)
2019-07-31
Underestimating the People's Liberation Army's resolve to safeguard China's sovereignty, security and development interests is "extremely dangerous", Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe said on Tuesday. Wei, also a State Councilor, said the world today is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, with peace and development remaining overall trends, though destabilizing factors and uncertainties are mounting. China will continue to follow a path of peaceful development and adamantly uphold its national military policies, which are defensive in nature, he said at a reception at Beijing's Great Hall of the People on Tuesday night, two days before the 92nd anniversary of the founding of the PLA. Wei added China will never seek hegemony, expansion or spheres of influence, but the PLA will resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests. "We have the confidence and capability to overcome all difficulties," he said. "There is one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China," he said. "China must be and will be reunified. No attempt to split China will succeed, and underestimating the PLA's resolve and will is extremely dangerous." At the same time, the PLA will deepen exchanges and cooperation with foreign militaries and actively participate in international and regional security affairs, aiming at making greater contributions to world peace and stability, he said. Wei said the PLA will undertake further reform and modernization to build a strong military that can fulfill the missions entrusted to it by the Communist Party of China and the people. "Being able to fight and win is the basic requirement of the PLA," Wei said. "Improving combat capability is our sole and fundamental criterion. We shall develop combat capability through scientific and technological innovation, and conduct harder and stricter training so that the PLA will always be ready to fight and win when called upon." Historically, the contributions made by the PLA have enabled the Chinese people to "stand up, grow rich and become strong while promoting world peace and prosperity," Wei said. The PLA will carry forward the heroic legacy and fighting spirit from the revolutionary days, tighten discipline and strictly operate under the law so as to ensure highly centralized and unified management and maintain the safety and stability of the troops, he said. ^ top ^
Top leadership reaffirms tough measures on graft (China Daily)
2019-07-31
The Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee underlined on Tuesday the need to maintain a high degree of pressure on corruption and urged Party officials to be clean, responsible and loyal to the Party. The Political Bureau reviewed an accountability regulation of the Party and a report on discipline inspection at a meeting presided over by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee. Exercising full and rigorous governance over the Party calls for strict accountability, according to a statement issued after the meeting. The CPC Central Committee has revised the Party accountability regulation, which was adopted by the committee's Political Bureau in June 2016, in line with a five-year plan (2018-22) for the formulation of intra-Party regulations, the statement said. The meeting urged Party organizations and leading officials to remain true to the original aspirations and the founding mission of the Party to seek happiness for the people and rejuvenate the Chinese nation and ensure that the policies and decisions of the CPC Central Committee are fully carried out, according to the statement. The meeting also highlighted the results of discipline inspection in the State-owned enterprises directly under the central government, the statement said, adding that marked progress has been made in Party building at the enterprises as well as in their reform and development. Three rounds of discipline inspection have been conducted throughout all State-owned enterprises directly under the central government, according to the statement. Meeting participants said the enterprises have made significant contributions in promoting social and economic development, scientific and technological progress, defense construction as well as improvement of people's livelihood, while warning that prominent problems still remain, according to the statement. The meeting called on State-owned enterprises directly under the central government to strengthen Party building, press ahead with supply-side structural reforms, implement innovation-driven development strategy and effectively prevent and defuse various risks to strive for high-quality development, the statement said. ^ top ^
Seaside break no summer camp for China leadership at Beidaihe resort (SCMP)
2019-07-30
It may appear at first glance that the most important time in China's political season falls in the last three months of the year, when the country's ruling elites gather in Beijing for a series of top decision-making meetings, culminating in the plenary session of the ruling Communist Party's Central Committee. In fact, China's political temperature is at its highest during the dog days of August, when current and retired leaders gather in the popular northern beach resort of Beidaihe to escape the heat of the national capital, and to talk. The resort, located some 300km (186 miles) east of Beijing, provides a relaxed environment for party leaders – particularly the retired ones who still have influence – to exchange their views on major policies. Those views are often absorbed into the formal policymaking meetings that commence in October in Beijing when the weather has cooled. Traditionally, there is no official announcement of the Beidaihe gathering. Instead, observers will note the sudden absence of President Xi Jinping and other senior leaders from state television's daily news bulletins as a sign that the summer conclave has begun. In recent years, the start of the conclave has also been suggested by reports of senior leaders greeting scientists and academics who have been invited to the resort. It was the Qing government which first used Beidaihe as a summer resort, to entertain diplomats in the late 19th century. Under Nationalist rule, between 1911 and 1949, Beidaihe and Lushan, in southern China, were earmarked as the two major summer resorts for government officials. But Beidaihe only became an important political venue when late chairman Mao Zedong, a keen swimmer, decided to set up a "summer office" there for officials, away from the heat of Beijing. Since then, the resort town has been the birthplace of some historic decisions, including the launch of Mao's Great Leap Forward and his decision to shell Quemoy island, the closest Kuomintang outpost to the mainland, in 1958. The significance of the summer gathering has diminished under strongman leader Xi. Since his elevation to a status equal to Mao, and superior to all post-Mao leaders – including paramount leaders Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao – Xi has dominated policymaking. Under his leadership, it is widely believed that the influence of retired leaders has also weakened significantly. But most analysts believe Beidaihe still plays a significant role in Chinese politics, giving Xi an opportunity to review and adjust his policies, even though there is little sign of any major challenge to his dominance. This is why the Beidaihe gathering is still keenly watched. Besides spending their leisure time in the sunshine at the beach, China's leaders also meet frequently at Beidaihe, where they continue to hold the regular weekly gatherings of the innermost Politburo Standing Committee, the monthly Politburo meetings, as well as the discussions of other top party, government and military organs, such as the State Council executive body. Officials from some important central bodies also move into town, ready to be called on to report to, or be consulted by, the top leadership. Representatives from Communist Party departments stay in villas on the western side of an exclusive beach, while State Council cadres stay on the eastern side. "Beidaihe is where and when senior leaders can get together in informal meetings to exchange their views on major policies, and therefore, it still plays a very significant role in policymaking in Chinese politics," said Alfred Wu, associate professor of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy with National University of Singapore. This year's meeting will be watched particularly closely, with a host of unprecedented challenges facing the leadership. These include deteriorating China-US relations amid a potentially full-blown trade war; the mass protests in Hong Kong, which communist leaders in Beijing may see as a challenge to Chinese sovereignty; rising pro-independence sentiment in Taiwan; and the sagging economy, which saw growth falling to a record low in the last quarter. Kerry Brown, professor of Chinese studies with King's College, London, said he believed the focus of this year's meeting would be on the general deterioration of the international environment, in particular China-US relations. "I imagine that this meeting will be more focused on external issues than ever before because – to be honest – neither Xi, nor anyone else for that matter, knows what to do about a US under such divided, divisive leadership, where its position at the moment is both a source of opportunity but also a very real danger," said Brown, who is also director of the college's Lau China Institute. The gathering comes after more than a year of tit-for-tat tariffs and escalating confrontation between the world's two major rival powers in almost every area, ranging from technology, ideology and Taiwan to regional and global security. Washington has imposed 25 per cent tariffs on about half of China's exports to the US and threatened to extend them to all Chinese goods, if the trade talks fail. The US has also launched a technology war, blacklisting several Chinese companies, including the telecoms giant Huawei Technologies. China has retaliated with similar, but more restrained, measures. Despite an agreement to resume negotiations – reached between Xi and his US counterpart Donald Trump at the Group of 20 summit in Osaka, Japan – the prospect for an agreement still seems far from certain. In Osaka, both leaders agreed to refrain from imposing new or higher tariffs on each other's goods, in a similar outcome to their previous meeting at the G20 summit in Argentina in December. But the tariff and technology wars have already damaged both economies and hurt the credibility of the two leaders. A full-blown trade war would be catastrophic, potentially leading to the decoupling of the world's two largest economies. While there are no clear signs of a challenge to Xi's authority, there is growing dissent within the establishment over some of his policies. For instance, some officials have made covert complaints about the leadership's misjudgment of the US administration's China policy. There has also been some criticism voiced of the party's inflated propaganda about Chinese achievements on the world stage, its high-profile foreign policy and increasingly assertive defence posture. All of these recent policies, some officials believe, have played a role in the fast-deteriorating relationship between China and the US in recent years. The US-China trade and technology wars have also exposed several unpalatable truths about China's overinflated sense of national strength, including its weakness in scientific and technological capabilities, its economic vulnerability, and China's real place on the international stage. Brown predicted that, with no clear answers to the question of how to deal with the challenges of the Trump administration, Xi was likely to spend his summer at Beidaihe listening. "He can't imagine that the meetings will be about giving instruction, but more about sensing how serious the issues they are facing with the US are, and exactly how to politically respond – just continue to be watchful and respond defensively, or to push forward even more assertively." Wu said Hong Kong's ongoing mass protests would also top the leadership's agenda at Beidaihe, either in formal or informal meetings. For several weeks, the continued mass protests against an extradition bill have evolved into a wider movement with elements against the central government's control over the former British colony. The demonstrations were originally triggered by a now-suspended bill that would have allowed extradition of criminal suspects to mainland China. But they have turned on the central government in Beijing, with some pro-democracy protesters defacing the facade of the central government's liaison office building in Hong Kong, throwing eggs and splashing black paint on the national emblem of China. The crisis has caught the attention of the global media and triggered widespread criticism in the West, particularly in the US and Britain, over Beijing's handling of Hong Kong affairs. But China's leaders may see the protests as the most severe challenge to Chinese rule since the city's return to its sovereignty in 1997. Beijing is also worried the continuing unrest in the territory may hurt China's national interest in economics, politics and diplomacy. The leaders are expected to discuss and determine policy measures to deal with the situation during their stay at Beidaihe. As cross-strait ties have plunged to their lowest ebb since Tsai Ing-wen of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) came to power in 2016, Beijing sees hope for improved relations in a possible changing of the guard in Taiwan's upcoming presidential elections. The presidential race will not only be a showdown between the self-ruled island's independence-leaning and Beijing-friendly camps, but also in the rivalry between Washington and Beijing. The Trump administration apparently sees incumbent Tsai and her party as crucial allies in America's "Indo-Pacific" strategy. Beijing favours Kuomintang (KMT) candidate Han Kuo-yu, the popular mayor of Kaohsiung, who supports the one-China principle, seeing a victory for him as an opportunity for progress in cross-strait relations. Despite the DPP's crushing defeat to the Beijing-friendly KMT in last year's local elections, Tsai's prospects for re-election – and also the prospects for her DPP in the legislative elections – have improved significantly recently due to the party's standing up to threats from Beijing, as well as its support of the protesters in Hong Kong. With the polls just six months away, Beijing needs to come up with some countermeasures, in an effort to help its favoured party make a turnaround ahead of the crucial elections. China's policymakers must also discuss measures to overhaul and revive the Chinese economy, not only because the world's once-fastest-growing main economy registered record low growth in the last quarter, but also because there is no sign of a halt to a 12-year-long downward trend. Growth in the Chinese economy slowed to just 6.2 per cent in the April-June period – the lowest quarterly figure since records began in March 1992. But the world's second largest economy has been steadily slowing over the past decade, from 14.23 per cent growth in 2007 to 9.5 per cent in 2011, 7.3 per cent in 2014 and 6.6 per cent last year. That downward trend has accelerated quarter by quarter since last year and the latest figures have raised the serious question of when growth may come to a halt, requiring a fundamental overhaul of the state-led economic system, and forceful action by the government. Analysts believe Xi will use the Beidaihe meetings to try and forge consensus among China's leadership on how to handle the political fallout from the US trade war, Hong Kong protests and other urgent issues. All of these matters are of strategic significance to China's core national interest and development, related as they are to whether the world's most populous nation – and last major state under communist rule – can achieve Xi's most prized accomplishment of the "two centenary goals" – that is, to realise a "moderately prosperous society" by 2021, and to make China a "rich, powerful, democratic, civilised and harmonious" country by 2049. ^ top ^
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Xinjiang situation to realize a soft landing (Global Times)
2019-08-01
Officials from Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region said at a press conference on Tuesday that most trainees have graduated from the vocational education and training centers in Xinjiang and secured jobs. This has garnered extensive attention both at home and abroad. The governance in Xinjiang has made great achievements in recent years, fundamentally turning around the situation in the autonomous region. Violent terrorist activities once rampant have been effectively contained. There have been no new violent terrorist activities in the autonomous region for consecutive tens of months. Peace and prosperity have re-emerged throughout Xinjiang. The rapid recovery of tourism is a prominent sign of the turnaround. However, over the past two years, Western public opinion has been accusing China's governance in Xinjiang, focusing on the vocational education and training centers, which the West slanders as "re-education camps." Western opinion claims the aim of setting up these centers is to "persecute the religion" and "eradicate Uyghur culture." Xinjiang has made these achievements under unfair external pressure, bringing back precious peace and development to people of all ethnic groups. Counter-terrorism and de-radicalization have always been an arduous task. The collective and unreasonable condemnation of Western opinion has created additional challenges. But Xinjiang has not wavered in its determination to defend the fundamental interests of people of all ethnic groups, neither has China's determination. This time, the autonomous region released a great amount of crucial information on the vocational education and training centers. Information received by the Global Times through other channels also shows that a great number of trainees have indeed graduated and returned to the society. Although officials have yet to publish detailed figures, the improving situation of Xinjiang is expanding to all spheres. As a powerful interim measure, the vocational education and training centers play a pivotal role in making these achievements possible. It is worthy of recognition that the situation in Xinjiang has been changed through strengthening social governance that uproots extremism rather than through massive violence. Without an "anti-terror war" or "cultural revolution," Xinjiang has kept its original social structure and cultural tradition, but terrorism and related evil forces have been destroyed. Xinjiang has not closed its door and completely rejected the views and feelings of the outside world. Over the past year, Xinjiang has invited tens of foreign envoy groups, international observers and journalists to visit the autonomous region, especially the vocational education and training centers. This attitude is a manifestation of Xinjiang's sincerity in combining anti-terrorism and de-radicalization work with respect for human rights. Xinjiang once suffered from chaos over a period of time. Terrorists were rampant and extremism echoed external forces. Xinjiang carried out counter-terrorism and de-radicalization work under pressure because of the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and support of the whole country, also because the government cares about ordinary people and takes responsibility for the interests of them. The happy life of people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang is the supreme judgment on the governance of Xinjiang. History will not draw conclusions based on Western bias. The international community has a fair view on the governance in Xinjiang. Fifty countries spoke highly of the governance in Xinjiang last week, a milestone in the debate on human rights in Xinjiang. With more trainees of the vocational education and training centers graduating and back to society, the Xinjiang question will realize a soft landing. This is a great victory for the Chinese people, including those of all ethnic peoples in Xinjiang. ^ top ^
China claims most Muslim detainees have been released from Xinjiang camps (SCMP)
2019-07-30
Most detainees of the mass internment camps in Xinjiang, in China's far west, have been released, according to senior officials with the regional government. Alken Tuniaz, vice-chairman of the Xinjiang government, made the claim at a news conference in Beijing on Tuesday, when he was asked to give an account of the detainees in camps where United Nations experts have said more than 1 million ethnic Uygurs and other Muslim minorities were being held. "You asked about the number of people, but the situation in the centres is fluid as the people come and go. Most of them have completed their study and found new jobs," Tuniaz said. Shohrat Zakir, chairman of the regional government, said about 90 per cent of the people who had been "educated" at the "training centres" and released had found suitable jobs. In the past two years, Xinjiang officials have repeatedly sidestepped questions about how many Uygurs were being held in what they call "training centres". Zakir said that many of the centres were now being used for other short-term courses. "Many of these training centres have become venues for short-term classes on farming skills, and some are offering short-term skills improvement courses for people before they take up their new jobs," he said. But Adrian Zenz, an independent researcher and expert on China's controversial policies on Xinjiang, said that the claims made by the officials were difficult to verify. "Evidence shows that control over [the Uygurs] does not end by releasing people from the vocational training camps," said Zenz, a lecturer on China's minority policies at the European School of Culture and Theology in Germany. He added that after the detainees completed "vocational training", the Xinjiang government had put the men and women into compulsory work placements, in what appeared to be a new scheme to exercise further control over the lives of ethnic minorities in the region. Barry Sautman, an expert on ethnic politics in China at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, agreed. "They may mean that such persons no longer reside within the centres. It does not mean that such persons have returned to the status quo ante, are no longer under close supervision, or work somewhere other than an enterprise connected to one of the centres," he said. He added that Chinese officials had cited a high completion rate because it would be unsustainable to keep such a large number of people under detention. Beijing has drawn international condemnation over the internment camps, where foreign governments and human rights groups say people are held for political re-education. Former detainees have said they were subjected to abuse and torture at the camps. But China says they are education facilities set up to help stamp out religious extremism and to offer skills training, and Beijing has stepped up efforts to counter growing criticism in recent months. Earlier this month, 22 ambassadors to the United Nations jointly called on Beijing to halt its mass detention of Uygurs in the region. Beijing responded with a letter of support signed by 50 other ambassadors to the UN, including envoys from several Muslim-majority states such as Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. In March, Zakir said the centres could eventually be phased out once they were no longer needed. On Tuesday, officials again denied that the centres were "concentration camps" and accused "individual countries and [Western] media with ulterior motives" of slandering China. Both Zakir and Tuniaz said the Xinjiang centres had received close to 1,000 visitors. "Officials and visitors from most countries think this is a pioneering invention for the world, and an excellent way to educate, to deter the dissemination of terrorism and extremist [thoughts]," Zakir said. ^ top ^
Fight against terrorism, extremism in Xinjiang should be supported, respected: Chinese FM (Xinhua)
2019-07-30
The attempt of some Western countries to tarnish the image of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is doomed to fail, and the fight against terrorism and extremism in Xinjiang should be supported and respected, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said Monday. Recently, ambassadors from 50 countries to the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) have sent a joint letter to the President of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and the High Commissioner for Human Rights to voice their support for China's position on issues related to Xinjiang. The 50 ambassadors, who are from countries including Russia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Algeria and Cuba, have collectively stated for the first time that the counter-terrorism and de-radicalization measures, including the establishment of vocational education and training centers, have effectively safeguarded basic human rights in Xinjiang, spokesperson Hua Chunying told a press briefing. According to media reports, 24 members of the UNHRC have previously signed a letter criticizing China's position on relevant issues. "The 24 members, with a total population of no more than 600 million, are all developed Western countries, none of them being an Islamic or developing country. While of the 50 countries that support China are from Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe, with a total population of nearly 2 billion, 28 are members of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation, and their population is more than twice that of the 24 members that criticized China," Hua said. "So it's obvious who is right and who is wrong on the matter of Xinjiang," she added. Hua said many of the ambassadors who supported China's Xinjiang policy have visited Xinjiang and witnessed the truth. As the ambassadors pointed out, those who had visited Xinjiang found what they saw and heard was completely different from what was described in Western media reports, according to Hua. "The ambassadors also appreciated China's achievements in human rights, believed that Xinjiang's establishment of vocational education and training centers, as well as other counter-terrorism and de-radicalization measures, effectively guaranteed basic human rights and urged relevant countries to stop their unfounded accusations against China," said the spokesperson. "This fully shows that the international community has its fair judgment on the development of Xinjiang," said Hua, adding that attempt to smear Xinjiang and put pressure on China in the name of "human rights" will never succeed. Pointing out that the current problem in Xinjiang is the issue of counter-terrorism and extremism rather than religious and human rights issues, Hua said the counter-terrorism and de-radicalization struggle in Xinjiang deserve support, respect and understanding. "Faced with severe threats of terrorism and extremism, the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has taken a series of counter-terrorism and de-radicalization measures according to law, including the establishment of vocational education and training centers," said Hua, adding that those measures have turned the situation around. "In almost three years, not a single violent or terrorist incident took place in Xinjiang. The region now enjoys social stability and unity among all ethnic groups. People there are living a happy life with a stronger sense of fulfillment and security. They endorse the government's policies and measures wholeheartedly," said the spokesperson. Noting that many of the 24 countries that denounce China's Xinjiang policy have been victims of terrorism, Hua said relevant people and officials from these 24 countries are welcome to visit Xinjiang to learn about Xinjiang's counter-terrorism and de-radicalization experience. Hua said China is working with all parties to ensure that multilateral human rights mechanisms stick to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. Human rights issues should be dealt with in an objective, fair and non-selective way. "We need to advance international human rights cause in a sound manner through constructive dialogue and cooperation." "We resolutely oppose any country's act of using the Human Rights Council and other mechanisms to interfere in other countries' internal affairs and wantonly criticize, smear and pressure others. We urge the relevant countries to correct their mistakes at once, not to politicize the relevant issue or practice double standards, and stop meddling in other countries' domestic affairs," she added. ^ top ^
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Hong Kong bankers join call for citywide strike over handling of outcry over extradition bill (SCMP)
2019-08-01
Hundreds of workers at 34 banks joined calls for a citywide strike next week against the government's handling of recent unrest which has rocked Hong Kong. The finance staff added their voices to an umbrella group of 95 unions from the public and private sectors behind the action planned for Monday. The appeal from the pro-democracy Confederation of Trade Unions (CTU) and staff from local banks, including international investment banks and Chinese state-owned banks, was also echoed by teachers and art groups. Civil servants, meanwhile, got the go-ahead from police to host an unprecedented rally on Friday evening in Chater Garden to urge the government to respond to the demands of protesters against the now-abandoned extradition bill. The idea of a strike was first floated weeks ago on an online forum, and has gained momentum after two protests that descended into clashes over which 44 people have been charged with rioting "To really allow the city to settle down, the government should establish an inquiry, which is not just about the police's handing of protests, but the entire policymaking and decision-making process," CTU chairwoman Carol Ng Man-yee said. "We hope all working staff will take part, and join one of the seven rallies over the city." She was referring to the parallel rallies proposed online for Monday in Admiralty, Mong Kok, Sha Tin, Tsuen Wan, Tai Po, Wong Tai Sin and Tuen Mun. It was unclear whether there was any organiser behind the plan, or if anyone had applied for permission from police. Ng did not estimate how many unions would take part, noting some were still discussing the idea. The Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union, a major union with 100,000 members, was likely to join the strike, the Post has learned. The Hong Kong Cabin Crew Federation also supported the cause in principle. The controversy surrounding the extradition legislation, and the subsequent police response to protests against it, is showing no sign of dying down, while more sectors have joined calls for its complete withdrawal and an independent inquiry into the debacle. Nearly 400 employees at 34 financial institutions launched an anonymous petition to support the Monday strike, as well as scheduling a brief protest in Chater Garden for Thursday evening. "We urge the government to respond to the key demands from the public, and stop the market turbulence," read a post on popular forum LIHKG. Staff from HSBC, Standard Chartered, Citibank, Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan and UBS were among those who backed the call, some posting pictures of their staff cards, with their names covered. Five workers from the state-owned Citic Bank posted a message which read: "Useless government ignores the people's will. All Hongkongers let's go on strike on August 5." One of the petition organisers said the saga had already taken a toll on the finance industry, with some private banking clients already shifting assets to neighbouring economies, such as Singapore and Taiwan. "I am never a political person, but the government's way of handling the situation has only triggered more opposition," one HSBC veteran, known as CH, said. "If this carries on, we will see investors and our talents leaving this city." While industrial action is legally protected, employment lawyer Michael Szeto of law firm ONC Lawyers warned political protest or pursuing personal ideals were not legitimate reasons for industrial action and so not protected. He said taking a day off without good reason could "attract the risk of disciplinary action", although it was unlikely to trigger a summary dismissal. Chan Chiu-wai, the head of the CTU's civil service team, said civil servants from various departments would consider taking a day off to join the rally. "They are aware that the law does not provide sufficient protection. That's why there's understandably some concern from colleagues," he said. ^ top ^
Hong Kong protesters injured in drive-by firework attack during demo outside Tin Shui Wai police station (HKFP)
2019-07-31
Fireworks were shot from a moving vehicle at a crowd protesting outside the Tin Shui Wai police station on Tuesday night, leaving at least ten people injured. Hundreds of protesters were outside the police station to support two young people taken by police from the Tin Sau rugby Pitch, after the pair tried to stop a man from taking photos of them and damaging the area's "Lennon Wall" message board. The man claimed he was attacked and called the police. The two were released on bail at around 2am, but the crowd remained. At around 2:30am, a black car drove by and shot several fireworks at the crowd, who quickly escaped. Several of the injured said their ears hurt. Some had burns on their arms. "I am experiencing ringing in my ears," one said. Parts of a reporter's vest were burned in the fracas. The car was a Toyota bearing the licence plate LP3369. However, public records show that car registered with the plate should be a black Nissan, raising questions over whether the car was using a false plate. The police gathered evidence on the scene, and protesters gradually left. On Tuesday night, protesters also surrounded the Kwai Chung police station in support of 44 protesters who were charged with rioting earlier in the day. A screening at Sai Wai Ho's "Lennon Wall" of clips of marches, and clashes between police and protesters, also sparked a fight on Tuesday night. A clash broke out between the audience and a man who shouted at them. Two men were arrested. ^ top ^
44 protesters charged with rioting during Sunday's Hong Kong Island clashes released on bail (HKFP)
2019-07-31
Forty-four protesters charged with rioting during Sunday's clashes on Hong Kong Island have been released on bail, along with another activist charged with possession of an offensive weapon. Each were granted HK$1,000 bail at the Eastern Magistrates' Courts on Wednesday. Most will be subject to a curfew, except one defendant who was exempted as they work at a children's home at night. They will have to report to the police every week. Most of the defendants are forbidden from leaving Hong Kong, except a commercial pilot who will be able to leave the city when he is working. The rioting charge has been controversial among anti-extradition law protesters, as it carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years under the Public Order Ordinance. A court hearing was set for September 25 for the 45 activists. Police arrested 32 men and 17 women – ranging from 16 to 41-years-old – after violent clashes broke out in Sheung Wan. Two were released on bail without being charged whilst two were released unconditionally. Of the remaining individuals, 44 were charged with rioting, including a 33-year-old man who faces an additional charge of assaulting a police officer. Another 24-year-old man was charged with possession of an offensive weapon. Hectar Pun, lawyer for the first and second defendants, said they were only helping the 16-year-old third defendant – a student who was at risk of falling to the ground on Sunday. Pun said they did not attack the police. Pun said the pair ran a gym together and were set to get married this Sunday. The two wished to be able to go on their honeymoon, but the magistrate refused the application. Outside court, hundreds of protesters came out to support the 45 who were charged, braving a T3-signal typhoon. Many held signs and chanted slogans such as "no rioters, only tyranny." ^ top ^
Hong Kong protests, government 'inability' to address concerns damaging business confidence, Fitch warns (SCMP)
2019-07-30
Hong Kong's current political unrest and rising public distrust in the government run the risk of damaging business confidence and eroding the quality and effectiveness of governance, Fitch Ratings warned on Tuesday. Protests featuring diverse groups, with widening demands underscoring the steady rise in social and political divisions in recent years, emanated mainly from the deep-seated apprehension of the erosion of autonomy under "one country, two systems", as well as economic inequality and high living costs, the global rating agency said. "Some of the assumptions underpinning [Hong Kong's] rating are currently being tested, including the effectiveness of the territory's governance and its rule of law," Fitch said. "Hong Kong's ongoing integration with mainland China [is viewed] as the territory's primary rating sensitivity." Hong Kong's AA+ rating, which is three notches above mainland China's A+ rating, rested on the assumption that the territory's governance standards, rule of law, policy framework, as well as business and regulatory environments remain distinct from those of the mainland, Fitch said. But additional integration would inevitably entwine Hong Kong and mainland China's institutional and regulatory frameworks further. On this basis, their respective sovereign ratings should gradually converge over time, the agency said. On Monday, the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, which has Chinese cabinet-level authority over the former British colony, for the first time expressed resolute support for the Hong Kong government. "The central government strongly supports the Carrie Lam-led Hong Kong government, and the Hong Kong police strictly enforcing rule of law," spokesman Yang Guang said in a news conference in Beijing. Fitch said that heavy-handed police responses, public backlashes and the government's seeming inability to address the public's concerns were fuelling discontent which could cause lasting damage to business confidence. Hong Kong protesters are demanding the complete withdrawal — not just the suspension — of the extradition bill that would have allowed the transfer of suspects to mainland China and other jurisdictions with which Hong Kong does not already have an extradition treaty. Along with the bill's formal withdrawal, some factions were also reigniting long-standing calls for deeper institutional changes, such as the implementation of universal suffrage, Fitch said. The American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong (AmCham) on Monday called for firm government leadership to restore sagging business confidence in Hong Kong. AmCham members, representing sectors ranging from financial services to logistics and technology, recommended a formal and complete withdrawal of the extradition bill to remove any possibility for continued public doubt. Convening an internationally credible independent inquiry into all aspects of the recent unrest should allow the Hong Kong government to show fairness and justice under the rule of law, AmCham said. It said that businesses were already reporting serious consequences from the disruption caused by weeks of mass demonstrations, political paralysis and outbreaks of violence and destructive acts in the city. Those have ranged from an immediate hit to revenue caused by disruption to supply chains and consumption, to longer-term doubts over cancelled events and shelved investments. "A clear majority of our membership surveyed over the past week said the government needs to address the underlying causes of the protests, and not simply to paper over the cracks of social instability with a short-term law-and-order fix," said AmCham president Tara Joseph. ^ top ^
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| Taiwan |
Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je stokes speculation of presidential run with plan to launch new party (SCMP)
2019-08-01
Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je is preparing to launch a new political party ahead of crucial presidential and legislative elections in Taiwan next year, fuelling speculation that the independent politician will enter the presidential race. Ko's aides told Taiwan media that the mayor's political consultant submitted a notice to the Ministry of the Interior to establish the "Taiwanese People's Party". The new political group would take its name from a dissolved party founded in 1927 by the anti-Japanese resistance leader Chiang Wei-shui, Taiwan's Central News Agency reported on Wednesday evening. Ke Yu-an, Taipei's deputy spokesperson, said Ko is to meet the press on Thursday to explain his plan. A launch conference for the new political party has been set for next Tuesday – a date picked to coincide with both Ko's and Chiang's birthday. Ko is considered a wild card in Taiwan's 2020 presidential election, which will be watched closely by both Beijing and Washington as the strategic rivalry between the two major powers intensifies. If the Taipei mayor throws his hat into the ring, he will challenge president Tsai Ing-wen, who is seeking a second term for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, and Kaohsiung mayor Han Kuo-yu, who secured the nomination of the mainland-friendly Kuomintang (KMT) party last month. Ko sidestepped reporters' questions on Monday when he was asked whether he planned to enter the presidential race. Instead of answering directly, he replied: "The most difficult part when dealing with Ko Wen-je is that he is too difficult to predict." Taiwan's sluggish economy and cross-strait relations are likely to be the top election issues. Ties between Taiwan and the mainland have deteriorated sharply since Tsai came to power three years ago. On Wednesday, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism on the mainland said that from Thursday it would stop issuing individual Taiwan travel permits for people in 47 mainland Chinese cities, citing poor relations with the island. Beijing has never relinquished its claims on Taiwan although it has not been able to exercise its sovereignty over the self-ruled island in decades. In recent years, Beijing has tried to pressure Taiwan to abandon its journey down the path of independence by wooing away its remaining diplomatic allies and staging sabre-rattling military exercises near the Taiwan Strait. At the same time, it has also employed carrot-and-stick tactics such as offering economic incentives to Taiwanese businessmen and young people who seek to tap into the vast mainland's market. A tumultuous summer of protests in Hong Kong – triggered by a controversial but now-suspended extradition bill and sustained by allegations of excessive police force and an inadequate effort by the government to meet protesters' demands – will also spotlight cross-strait rhetoric and policies from the presidential candidates. The Central News Agency on Wednesday quoted the mayor's aides as saying that Ko's Taiwanese People's Party would take part in the legislative elections, but also could work with Foxconn founder Terry Gou, who lost the KMT nomination to Han. While Gou has not directly ruled out running as an independent presidential candidate, his representatives said the billionaire businessman had no comment about the new political party and had no communication with the Taipei mayor before the announcement. ^ top ^
Beijing's ban on solo travellers to Taiwan could cost self-ruled island US$900 million by January (SCMP)
2019-07-31
Beijing's ban on solo travellers visiting Taiwan could result in 700,000 fewer arrivals over the next six months and cost the self-ruled island NT$28 billion (US$900.5 million) in lost revenue, an industry insider said. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism said that from Thursday it would stop issuing individual travel permits to people in 47 mainland Chinese cities because of the poor state of relations with Taiwan. "In view of the current cross-strait situation, such visits will be temporarily restricted until further notice," it said in an online statement on Wednesday. Tourism-related government websites confirmed the ban would apply only to individuals. In response to the announcement, Taiwanese Transport Minister Lin Chai-lung said his government would spend an additional NT$3.6 billion in the fourth quarter of the year on promoting tourism. "Details, including preferential treatments for group and individual visitors [from other countries], will be announced soon," he said in a Facebook post on Wednesday evening. The travel restriction comes five months ahead of Taiwan's presidential election in January and amid tense relations between mainland China and the island it regards as a wayward province awaiting reunification. Robert Kao, head of the policy development committee under Taiwan's Travel Agent Association, said the two issues were probably linked. "It is rather unusual for Beijing to issue such a notice, which could have something to do with the presidential election," he said. It is not unusual for the mainland government to take a keen interest in Taiwan affairs, especially in the run-up to a presidential election, though the statement by the tourism ministry is the first time it has gone public on the issue. In the months before the last leadership poll in 2016, Beijing told travel agents that mainland citizens would not be granted solo travel permits as it sought to reduce support for Tsai Ing-wen of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party. The plan failed and Tsai has been in power ever since. Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council condemned Beijing's move for "breaking the travel agreement made between people on the two sides of the Taiwan Strait". "We deeply regret the unilateral suspension of individual visits and free travel by mainland tourists to Taiwan," it said in a statement on Wednesday. It also urged Beijing to refrain from using politics to disrupt normal travel exchanges and to "resolve bilateral disputes without preconditions in order to facilitate the peaceful development of cross-strait relations". Travel agents in Shanghai and Nanjing, which are among the cities to be hit with the restriction, confirmed they were aware of the rule change. Anny Ren, a senior manager at Shanghai Jin Jiang Tours, said the ban on solo travel would be bad for business as most of her customers preferred to travel alone rather than as part of a group. "Mainland tourists have not been as enthusiastic about going to Taiwan in recent years [since Tsai came to power]," she said. "Now that only group tours are allowed, I think the number [of visitors] from major cities like Shanghai could drop to nearly zero." Kao said that if relations between the two sides worsened it was possible Beijing might also suspend group tours, which would deal an even bigger blow to the island's tourism industry. According to Taiwan's National Immigration Agency, 1.07 million individual travellers from the Chinese mainland visited the island last year, up about 2 per cent from 2017. In the first half of this year, the total was 633,000 and the tourism authority forecast the full-year figure to reach 1.3 million. Kao said that if the ban remained in place until after the election, individual visitor numbers would fall by 700,000. Based on an average spend of NT$40,000 per solo traveller per visit, that would amount to about NT$28 billion in lost revenue, according to official figures. Representatives of several van and taxi service companies, as well as hotel operators said the restriction could result in a 40 per cent drop in revenue. Huang Jeng-tsung, a tourism professor at Providence University in the Taiwanese city of Taichung, said that although the ban would be implemented on Thursday its impact would not be felt until October or November because most mainlanders planning to travel to the island in the next couple of months had already been granted their travel permits. But when visitor numbers did begin to dwindle, "the authorities must be ready to offer support to tourism-related businesses", he said, adding that local travel agencies should also seek to offset the impact of the ban by targeting more visitors from Hong Kong, Macau and Southeast Asian nations. Social media users said on Weibo – China's Twitter-like service – on Wednesday that there had been a run on visa applications as people sought to beat the deadline. Lin Chinfa, a former chairman of the Beijing chapter of the Association of Taiwan Investment Enterprises on the Mainland, said he believed the travel restriction was unlikely to seriously alarm the business community. "This is obviously a temporary move in response to the upcoming presidential elections in Taiwan. I think the mainland just wants to avoid any potential conflicts at this sensitive time," he said. "The Democratic Progressive Party might regard people visiting Taiwan from the mainland as possible spies or accuse them of meddling in the poll. So this is a way for Beijing to avoid any such trouble. "Although the decision is quite unusual, for people who have been watching and feeling the changes in cross-strait ties for so many years, we know that once the election is over things will return to normal. "If Han Kuo-yu [from the Beijing-friendly Kuomintang party] wins, I am sure the mainland will immediately resume the visa applications," he said. Taiwan began allowing solo travellers from the Chinese mainland to visit the island in 2011, three years after granting the same permission to tour groups. The moves came as a result of warming ties across the Taiwan Strait during the administration of president Ma Ying-jeou from the Kuomintang. In contrast, leaders in Beijing have been at odds with Tsai, who since becoming president has openly rejected Beijing's model of "one country, two systems" as a way to resolve cross-strait conflicts. She and other Taiwanese politicians have argued that the protests in Hong Kong in the past two months over the now-suspended extradition bill have shown the model to be a failure. A defence white paper released by Beijing last week said China's military was under threat from pro-independence forces in Taiwan, but said it would always defeat those fighting for the island's independence. Beijing has said repeatedly that it will not renounce the use of force to reunify Taiwan, but the white paper said it would be "by no means targeted at our compatriots in Taiwan, but at the interference of external forces and the very small number of 'Taiwan independence' separatists and their activities". ^ top ^
Military exercises conducted in waters near Taiwan (Global Times)
2019-07-29
China has started military exercises in both the East and South China Seas near coastal areas, according to two navigation restriction notices released by maritime safety authorities on Sunday and Monday. The military exercises in the East China Sea started at 6 pm on Sunday, and is scheduled to conclude at 6 pm on Thursday, according to a Sunday notice released on the website of the Maritime Safety Administration of China. According to coordinates provided in the notice, the restriction zone covers a large area not far from the east coast of Zhoushan and Taizhou, East China's Zhejiang Province. Another military activity is to take place in the South China Sea, off the coast of South China's Guangdong Province, said a separate Maritime Safety Administration notice released on Monday. This military activity started at 6 am on Monday and is expected to end at 6 pm on Friday, the notice released on Monday reads. The two military activities are essentially taking place in waters north and west of the island of Taiwan. People's Liberation Army (PLA) drills are annually scheduled, but some secessionists on the island have been making irresponsible comments, and the US, a major country from outside of the region, has been sending warships through the Taiwan Straits and even sold weapons to the island, so this week's military drills could serve as a deterrent, Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military analyst, told the Global Times on Monday. Wei pointed out that this time the drills are being conducted in two different areas at almost the same time, which is a demonstration of the PLA's strength, determination and capability to safeguard sovereignty and territorial integrity. After the US approved a plan to sell $2.22 billion worth of arms to the island earlier this month, China's Defense Ministry announced a military drill near the southeast coast of the Chinese mainland. It is not known if the two military activities mentioned by the Maritime Safety Administration are related to the drill announced earlier by the Defense Ministry. Experts previously told the Global Times that the drills announced by the Defense Ministry are expected to be big, involve all military branches of the PLA, and serve as a warning to Taiwan secessionists. ^ top ^
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| Economy |
China's per capita consumer spending reaches 10,330 yuan in H1 (People's Daily)
2019-07-31
China's per capita consumer spending increased by 7.5 percent year-on-year to reach 10,330 yuan ($1,500) in the first half of 2019. Nine provinces and cities exceeded the level, including Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin, Zhejiang and Guangdong, official data showed. Shanghai outperformed other regions with per capita consumer spending of 22,513 yuan. Beijing ranked second with 21,134 yuan. Five of the nine cities and provinces are located in the southeastern region of the country, which has a relatively large consumer market. They have taken various measures to stimulate consumption. For instance, Guangdong has released an implementation plan, which relaxed policies regarding public auctions and the lottery system to grant car license plates for those who want to buy cars in the provincial capital Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Consumers from the above provinces and cities spent money more on services such as catering and tourism. In the first half of the year, service consumption contributed to 70.4 percent of Beijing's economic growth. The strong purchasing power is related to the increasing per capita disposable income of the residents in these provinces. China's per capita disposable income stood at 15,294 yuan ($4,165) in the first half of the year. ^ top ^
China to scrap oil and gas joint-venture restrictions (Xinhua)
2019-07-31
As a vital step in easing market access for foreign investors, China has announced opening up the upstream exploration of its oil and natural gas resources by scrapping joint-venture restrictions. Taking effect on July 30, the move aims to attract overseas participation in the field and advance the country's ongoing reform on energy systems. Spurred by the growth in energy consumption, China has become the world's largest importer of crude oil and natural gas, with its dependency on foreign crude oil and natural gas hitting 69.8 percent and 45.3 percent respectively in 2018, according to the China National Petroleum Corporation. In contrast, the country's crude oil output had slipped for three consecutive years by the end of last year. Commenting on the situation, Lin Boqiang, director of the China Centre for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University, said the measure to facilitate overseas investment in exploration will inject impetus into China's oil and gas production. "China boasts advantages in technologies of exploring conventional oil and natural gas but lags behind some foreign counterparts in unconventional exploration," Lin said. "It is, therefore, necessary to promote international cooperation in the unconventional sphere." The measure is highly praised by leading overseas energy companies who expect wider market access and more opportunities in China. Yang Xiaoping, president of British Petroleum (BP) (China), said the decision will boost the Chinese energy market, create a business environment with more fairness and openness and further accelerate the technological upgrading of the country's oil and natural gas exploration. "Lifting market restrictions for the natural gas exploration will facilitate the use of clean energy in China, speeding up the country's transformation into a low-carbon development model," Yang added. Describing the opening-up move as "inspiring," Zhang Xinsheng, executive chairman of Shell Companies in China, said the energy and petrochemical giant will enjoy more business opportunities and have more investment options in related industries with broadened market access. Zhang added that Shell values the cooperative relationship with its Chinese partners and will continue to bring its cutting-edge technologies and professional capabilities to China. Despite the pressure from the inflow of foreign players, Chinese energy companies are competitive enough and the two sides' high complementarity in technologies leads to cooperation, Lin said. The opening-up of exploration is a crucial part of the revised negative lists for foreign investment market access, which allows foreign investors to run majority-share-controlling or wholly-owned businesses in more sectors. Thanks to its continued efforts to open up wider, China attracted a record high foreign direct investment (FDI) of 138.3 billion U.S. dollars last year, bucking a global trend of FDI slide. In the first five months of this year, the country saw an FDI inflow of 54.6 billion dollars, up 3.7 percent year on year. ^ top ^
Chinese electric bus exports to Europe show great potential, investment bank says (Global Times)
2019-07-31
The takeoff of bus electrification in Europe would stimulate exports of Chinese new-energy buses over the next few years, a UBS securities analyst said at a press conference on Wednesday in Shanghai. "It's a trend for European passenger vehicle manufacturing to shift to low-cost manufacturing areas. Considering that China's bus manufacturing has relatively low costs and that China's new-energy process started quite early compared with many other countries and regions, China has great potential to export new-energy buses to Europe," according to a statement from UBS Securities. Shen Wei, a car industry analyst at UBS Securities, told the Global Times that some Chinese companies are already making preliminary plans for such exports to Europe. In April 2018, Germany-based bus company FlixBus opened a long-distance passenger line that used electric buses exported from Chinese bus manufacturing giant Yutong Auto. Denmark bus operator Umove also purchased 20 electric buses from Yutong this April, according to media reports. Statistics provided by UBS Securities showed that electric buses (including pure electric and hybrid electric buses) account for 51 percent of China's buses, while 29 percent of European buses and 22 percent of US buses are fuelled, entirely or partly, by electricity. "China has outpaced the world in bus electrification, which means that it has a variety of advantages for electric bus exports. For example, China's electric vehicle industrial chain, including the manufacturing of electric motors, controllers and batteries, is complete. Also, electric buses are very reliant upon manual production, where China also has an advantage for its relatively low-cost labor," Shen said. At the same time, Europe's bus electrification is also speeding up with the EU's plan for deploying "clean buses." The UBS Securities statistics noted that Europe's electric bus annual sales are expected to reach 8,000 in 2025, compared with 1,000 in 2018. "This rapid demand growth will bring commercial opportunities to Chinese passenger vehicle companies," the company noted. Shen also said that compared with Europe, Chinese companies won't have too many chances to enter the US for reasons such as trade friction. In 2018, China exported 706 electric buses, up 133 percent year-on-year. That compared with 20-percent growth of new-energy car exports, Chinese customs data showed. ^ top ^
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| DPRK |
North Korea says Kim Jong-un supervised test of new rocket system expected to have 'main role' in land combat operations (SCMP)
2019-08-01
North Korea said on Thursday that its leader Kim Jong-un supervised test firings of a new multiple rocket launcher system he sees as soon serving a "main role" in his military's land combat operations. The report by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on Thursday disputed the assessment by South Korea's military, which had concluded Wednesday's launches as two short-range ballistic missiles. However, US national security adviser John Bolton insisted the tests did not contravene a pledge made by Kim to US President Donald Trump. "The firing of these missiles don't violate the pledge that Kim Jong-un made to the president about intercontinental-range ballistic missiles," he said. "But you have to ask when the real diplomacy is going to begin, when the working-level discussions on denuclearisation will begin, as Kim Jong-un again said on June 30 he was prepared to do. We're still waiting to hear from North Korea." The launches from the eastern coastal town of Wonsan were North Korea's second weapons test in less than a week and were seen as a move to keep up pressure on Washington and Seoul amid a stalemate in nuclear negotiations. Pyongyang has also expressed anger over planned US-South Korea military drills. KCNA said Kim expressed satisfaction over the test firings and said the newly developed rocket system would create an "inescapable distress to the forces becoming a fat target of the weapon". The agency provided no specific descriptions of how the "large-calibre multiple launch guided rocket system" performed during the launches, but said the tests confirmed the system's technical characteristics and "combat effectiveness". South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Wednesday that the weapons it then assessed as missiles flew about 250km at an apogee of 30km. South Korea's military had no immediate comment over the North Korean report. US officials have downplayed the threat of the launches to the United States and its allies. The UN Security Council is expected to discuss the latest launches behind closed doors on Thursday at the request of the Britain, France and Germany, council diplomats said. Analysts say North Korea with its consecutive weapons tests is demonstrating its displeasure with the pace of nuclear diplomacy with Washington. The North's testing activity could intensify if the negotiations do not proceed rapidly over the next few months, said Srinivasan Sitaraman, a North Korea expert at Clark University in Massachusetts. By firing weapons that directly threaten South Korea but not the US mainland or its Pacific territories, North Korea also appears to be testing how far Washington will tolerate its bellicosity without actually causing the nuclear negotiations to collapse, other experts say. Since the collapse of a summit between Kim and Trump in February over disagreements in exchanging sanctions relief and disarmament, the North has significantly slowed diplomatic activity with the South while demanding Seoul to break away from Washington and proceed with joint economic projects that have been held back by US-led sanctions against the North. Last Thursday, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles that Seoul officials said flew 600km and as high as 50km before landing in the sea. North Korea's state media said those tests were supervised by Kim and were designed to deliver a "solemn warning" to South Korea over its purchase of hi-tech, US-made fighter jets and the planned military drills, which Pyongyang calls an invasion rehearsal. The North also tested short-range missiles on May 4 and 9. Earlier last week, Kim visited a newly built submarine and expressed his satisfaction with its weapons system. North Korea said its deployment was "near at hand". In a private briefing to lawmakers Wednesday, South Korean military intelligence officers said they have determined that the submarine likely has three launch tubes for missiles, according to Lee Hye-hoon, head of parliament's intelligence committee. If confirmed, it would be North Korea's first operational submarine with missile launch tubes, some experts said. North Korea acquiring the ability to launch missiles from submarines would be an alarming development because such missiles are harder to detect in advance. Wednesday's launches came hours after a senior US official said Trump sent Kim mementos from his brief visit to an inter-Korean border town late last month. The official said a top staffer from the National Security Council hand-delivered photographs from the leaders' June meeting at the Korean demilitarised zone to a North Korean official last week. The Trump administration official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the official was not authorised to speak publicly. The DMZ meeting was the third summit between Trump and Kim. At their second meeting, in Vietnam in February, Trump rejected Kim's demand for widespread sanctions relief in return for dismantling the North's main nuclear complex, a partial disarmament step. During the DMZ meeting, Trump and Kim agreed to resume nuclear diplomacy in coming weeks, but there has not been any known meeting between the countries. ^ top ^
N.Korea fires more missiles: Seoul (Global Times)
2019-07-31
North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast on Wednesday, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said, less than a week after it launched similar missiles near the same area. The moves are a stern warning to the joint military drills of the US and South Korea, according to an analyst. "North Korea is warning the US and South Korea not to conduct joint military drills," Lü Chao, a research fellow on North Korea at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times. "North Korea tried to persuade them [to stop military drills] with words, but it didn't seem to work," Lü noted. The US and South Korea are scheduled to conduct Exercise Dong Maeng, or "Alliance," in August, the US Indo-Pacific Command said earlier this month. The launches came after a meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in June. China hopes all parties could make positive efforts to promote denuclearization as well as long-term peace and stability, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Wednesday. "We hope that all parties concerned will cherish the hard-won eased situation [on the Korean Peninsula] and jointly promote the denuclearization of the peninsula and the sustainable peace in the region," Hua said. Pyongyang and Washington are engaged in a diplomatic process over the North's nuclear and missile programs, which has seen three high-profile meetings between the top leaders of the two countries in a year. They agreed to resume talks during their impromptu June encounter in the DMZ, but working-level dialogue has yet to begin. "If the US continues its maximum pressure on North Korea, Pyongyang is unlikely to begin the dialogue," Lü said. "North Korea will respond if the US eases its unilateral sanctions." Trump said last week Pyongyang's missile firing was a warning to Seoul rather than Washington, as the short-range ballistic missiles are unable to reach US territories. "He [Kim] didn't send a warning to the United States," Trump said. "The two of them have their disputes." A planned meeting between US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho was shelved after Ri canceled his trip to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum in Bangkok. Pyongyang has warned that negotiations could be derailed by Washington and Seoul's refusal to scrap the annual maneuvers. "South Korean authorities should stop harmful acts at once, be mindful that their reckless military provocations which rely on the US will divest them of the valuable opportunity to improve North-South relations," the official Korean Central News Agency said in a commentary in June. ^ top ^
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| Mongolia |
World Bank reaffirms support for Mongolia's reforms with USD100 million financing (Montsame)
2019-07-31
On July 30, The World Bank's Board of Directors approved USD100 million in financing to help Mongolia further stabilize its economy and move it towards a more sustainable development path. The Second Economic Management Support Operation (EMSO 2) follows on EMSO 1 approved in November 2017, and supports policy reforms aimed at restoring debt sustainability, strengthening the social protection system, and enhancing competitiveness. Mongolia's economy has recovered strongly from the brink of a macroeconomic crisis in 2016, but underlying vulnerabilities remain. The economy grew by 6.9 percent in 2018, compared to 1.2 percent in 2016. The country's fiscal position has improved substantially, as the deficit declined from 16.4 percent of GDP in 2016 to a surplus of 2.7 percent in 2018, resulting in a reduction of Mongolia's government debt to GDP ratio by nearly 13 percentage points over this period. Poverty increased during the economic slowdown of 2014-16 and declined again only moderately during the subsequent recovery, pointing to continued challenges in the labor market and the need for stronger social support policies. "The reforms supported by this operation are critical for sustaining economic growth, improving public finances, and enhancing competitiveness. Their adoption shows the government's commitment to continue structural reforms in Mongolia. The World Bank will continue to work with the government and with other international development partners in support of Mongolia and the Economic Recovery Program," said Martin Raiser, Country Director for China, Mongolia and Korea. The program seeks to restore the country's debt sustainability by consolidating the adjustment already achieved and addressing structural weaknesses in the management of public sector finances. This includes improving the tax system and public investment management, helping to reduce the costs of ongoing investment projects, and tightening the management of special funds financed from the state budget. It also includes publicly disclosing the recent external reviews of the operations of the Development Bank of Mongolia and the Bank of Mongolia, as well as restructuring of the Housing Mortgage Program to expand availability of affordable housing and improve its targeting. Another focus area is to strengthen the social protection system for poor and vulnerable groups, by promoting employment creation outside the mining sector and better targeting of social policies. To enhance the competitiveness of the economy, the program also supports measures to improve the business and trade environment such as strengthening investor protection, streamlining permit requirements, and promoting trade facilitation reforms. Moreover, it supports economic diversification by promoting animal health management. The EMSO series is part of a broader, coordinated effort of development partners to support the government's medium-term economic recovery program. A third operation under the EMSO series is planned, focusing among other things on completing the ongoing recapitalization of the banking sector in close coordination with the IMF. The EMSO series complements existing World Bank investment and technical assistance projects in areas such as development of non-mineral exports, employment support, fiscal stability, energy, education, ICT development, and central and local governance. ^ top ^
President Kh.Battulga makes conversation on 'Future of Mongolia-U.S. relations' (Montsame)
2019-07-31
President of Mongolia Kh.Battulga visited the United States Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) yesterday on July 30. Founded in 1962 in Washington, D.C, CSIS is one of the world's preeminent international policy institutions focused on defense and security, regional study, and transnational challenges ranging from energy and trade to global development and economic integration. CSIS President and CEO John J.Hamre welcomed the President and expressed his thanks for giving thorough information about relations between the two countries. A total of 250 international reporters and scholars attended the conversation with the President of Mongolia on 'The Future of U.S.-Mongolia Relations'. In his speech, President Kh.Battulga said "I am delighted at visiting the world's preeminent research organization that conducts researches on national security and meeting with you all. I am sharing a gleeful news to you. I am happy that during my visit to the United States the sides are going to announce tomorrow that the two countries are bringing the bilateral relations at a new level and cooperating closer. I consider that the news will be a reasonable progress for the two countries that have close ties, share common values such as democracy, human rights and freedom. I came for today's conversation to exchange my opinions on the past, present and future of U.S.-Mongolia relations." Following remarks by the President of Mongolia on relations between the two countries, the conversation was moderated by Michael J. Green, Senior Vice President for Asia and Japan Chair at CSIS. President Kh.Battulga answered interested questions from the international reporters, scholars and Mongolists. ^ top ^
Affordable housing units to be built with EBRD (Montsame)
2019-07-31
On July 30, Governor of the capital city and Mayor of Ulaanbaatar S.Amarsaikhan met with Irina Kravchenko, Head of Mongolia Unit at the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) regarding the projects 'Ulaanbaatar City Bus Fund' and 'Ulaanbaatar Green Affordable Housing'. The total cost of the Ulaanbaatar City Bus Project is USD 40 million, of which USD 28 million is soft loan and USD 12 million is nonrefundable aid. The Governor proposed using a specific part of the 100 buses to be procured at the first stage as school bus. The project also features investments in bus lanes and bus depot equipment and technical assistance for the project's preparation and implementation. It was decided to immediately commence the construction works of 700 household- apartments with funding of USD 25 million from EBRD under the Ulaanbaatar Green Affordable Housing project. As for the construction site of the project, the sides agreed that the sixth sub-district of Songinokhairkhan district would be more appropriate. ^ top ^
Mustafa Sentop: Turkey is ready to invest in agriculture and mining of Mongolia (Montsame)
2019-07-29
Today, on July 29, Speaker of the Parliament G.Zandanshatar held talks with Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of the Republic of Turkey Mustafa Sentop at the State House. At the beginning of the talks, Speaker G.Zandanshatar extended gratitude for accepting the invitation, underscoring that the visit takes place in a year marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. He then expressed his willingness to intensify bilateral cooperation in social and economic sectors including tourism and civil aviation. Offering thanks for the warm welcome, His Excellency Mr. Mustafa Sentop emphasized that the two countries have thousands of years of historical and cultural ties even though the diplomatic relations have a history of 50 years. He voiced his fervent wish to overcome barriers with joint force and elevate bilateral cooperation to the highest level in all sectors, mentioning the two countries have maintained brotherly friendly relations thanks to the heritages our ancestors left behind. Speaker G.Zandanshatar requested the Turkish side to strengthen trade and economic cooperation and support the sectors of agriculture, light industry, and tourism. The two parties agreed to intensify the implementation of certain projects including the one on the establishment of Orkhon Valley Tourism Complex. They also decided to put initiatives to promote cooperation among the countries that belong to the Ural-Altaic language group. Stressing that many cooperation projects of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) have been successfully implemented in Mongolia, Speaker G.Zandanshatar proposed continuing the cooperation. The Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly showed his interest in developing the bilateral trade and economic ties reaching hundreds of millions of dollars and proposed to make the direct frights of the Turkish Airlines on a daily basis in the near future. He also noted Turkish investors are ready to invest in agriculture, livestock, mining, health care, and energy sectors of Mongolia, exchanging views on introducing Turkish know-how and assisting the two countries' businesspeople. Mr. Mustafa Sentop demonstrated his readiness to carry on with the joint scholarship program for Mongolians with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Sports, pointing out the intensive development of partnerships between the universities of the two countries. Further, the Turkish Speaker noted that TIKA has successfully carried out over 600 projects and pledged to continue the organization's activities. In the conclusion of the meeting, the sides exchanged information about the FETO terrorist organization. Mr. Mustafa Sentop informed the organization threatens the security of Mongolia and said he will take immediate measures and strive to not spoil the friendly relations between the two countries, showing pleasure that relevant bodies of Mongolia are aware of the issue. ^ 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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