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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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US-China decoupling could offer a surprise profit for investors, UBS money managers say (SCMP)
2019-12-11
The trade war between the US and China is accelerating the countries' decoupling – and that might be good news for money managers, according to investment specialists with Swiss financial services firm UBS. While the bilateral trade and technology rift caused by the 18-month trade war has spooked investors globally, the fracturing of US-China ties could open up opportunities for investors to tap the two marketplaces for better returns, UBS Asset Management investments head Barry Gill said in New York on Monday. "We're going to end up in this dual polarity at some point and, in some ways for global investments, that's not a bad thing because you end up with the diversification benefits of these very strong economies," Gill said at a market outlook event. The trade war has another silver lining: it has prompted China to open its financial markets further to encourage foreign capital flows, UBS money managers say. "There's also this very technical improvement happening in China that makes it just a much more attractive, safer market for us [foreign investors]," said Kevin Russel, who runs UBS' hedge fund unit with the Chinese market as a leading investment theme. As China gradually opens its financial markets, investors can expect to have more sophisticated investment methods at their command. For example, Russell said, "we're going to be able to short onshore shares more consistently", an investment strategy that bets companies' stocks will drop, based on various factors. "We then will be able to buy the good ones as well as the bad ones almost regardless of how the overall economies turn out," Russell said. Investors can also take advantage of a more domestically driven Chinese market that will become increasingly open to overseas capital. Over the past 15 years, China has shifted from an export-oriented nation to one focused more sharply on domestic consumption. That transition began as the Chinese government addressed an economic slowdown on the heels of decades of breakneck growth, well before the administration of US President Donald Trump launched the trade war in July 2018. "The Chinese stock markets is bifurcated," Gill said. "The majority of the companies don't generate much in returns, but then you have health care, education, technology and consumer [companies] that provide organic growth that are multiples of the broader growth rate of the Chinese economy." "I think that those businesses are relatively unimpacted by at least the early stages of the trade war," Gill said. To say the decline in global trade as a share of global GDP is evidence of a geopolitical dynamic tied to the US-China trade battle ignores China's massive internalisation of its demand, Gill said. "I think the global trade dynamics are overplayed," he said. Investors should be more concerned about whether Chinese policymakers genuinely intend to open up the financial markets, he said. "That, for me, is a much bigger risk than the trade dynamics." ^ top ^
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Trade war: US and China said to agree on 'phase one' deal, with new US tariffs set aside (SCMP)
2019-12-13
The United States and China have reached consensus on the terms of a "phase one" trade deal, multiple US media outlets reported on Thursday. Intended to be the first in a series of incremental agreements to resolve the trade war, the deal has the approval of US President Donald Trump, Bloomberg reported, citing several unnamed people briefed on the matter. As part of the agreement, the US would not only postpone tariffs on around US$160 billion of Chinese goods scheduled to go into effect on Sunday, but also make cuts in duties already in place, Myron Brilliant of the US Chamber of Commerce told CNBC, citing US administration sources who had briefed him on the plans. Neither the White House nor the Office of the United States Trade Representative responded to requests for comment on the status of the agreement. China has yet to confirm whether it will push ahead with postponing its own tariffs of between 5 and 10 per cent on US goods, also set to go into effect on Sunday. Over the course of negotiations, Beijing has maintained that a suspension of future tariff increases and a rollback of existing duties should be part of any agreement. The US tariffs originally scheduled for Sunday would have targeted the remaining Chinese goods yet to face trade war duties, including consumer items such as smartphones and laptops. The US is keen to avoid anything that would act as a drag on consumption, markets and the wider economy, as Trump gears up for a re-election campaign in 2020. Furthermore, the Trump administration fears that further tariffs, had they gone ahead, would force Beijing to institute its "unreliable entities list", which would penalise US firms working in China, the South China Morning Post reported on Tuesday. China's economy is slowing, and 15 per cent tariffs on goods that had previously been spared would have further dampened exports and depressed producer prices, which have been falling for months. On Thursday morning, Trump tweeted that the US is "Getting VERY close to a BIG DEAL with China. They want it, and so do we!" Talks have continued at the deputy level throughout December, sources said, while top-level negotiators – including US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Chinese Vice-Premier Liu He – are expected to resume discussions to tackle areas of the dispute not covered by the phase-one deal. Brilliant, the chamber's executive vice-president and head of international affairs, said that the final two sticking points of the phase-one deal had been the specifics of the tariff cuts, as well as the details of an expected commitment by Beijing to purchase vast amounts of US agricultural produce. Citing several sources briefed on the matter, Politico reported that Chinese negotiators had offered a commitment to buy US$200 billion of US goods and services over the course of two years. In exchange, the US had offered to call off Sunday's added duties and reduce existing tariffs on around US$250 billion worth of imports. Sean King, a former official in the US Department of Commerce, said Washington appeared to have "sacrificed" tariff leverage over Beijing in exchange for the promise of "low-hanging fruit" such as agricultural imports. The US has active tariffs on roughly US$375 billion of Chinese goods; China has duties on about US$110 billion of US products. Retailers said on Thursday that the news was welcome, but the trade group Retail Industry Leaders Association said in a statement: "While this deal offers some relief, what retailers ultimately want is a deal that rolls back all tariffs and provides more certainty and predictability heading into the new year." At a news conference in Beijing last week, the Ministry of Commerce spokesman reiterated a long-standing position: that if the two sides were to reach an interim trade deal, "tariffs should be reduced accordingly". As recently as Tuesday night, Peter Navarro, Trump's director of trade and manufacturing policy, implied that the president had yet to make up his mind on tariffs, but that the decision would rest with him alone. "If we get a great deal, we'll be in a good place as well. But it will be the president's decision. It will come soon," Navarro said. This followed comments on Monday from Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, who said that the new tariffs were unlikely to be enacted. "We have a deadline coming up on December 15 for another tranche of tariffs, I do not believe those will be implemented and I think we may see some backing away," Perdue said in Indianapolis. Sources in China have also briefed frequently that they did not expect the tariffs to go ahead, despite the geopolitical tensions flaring between the two superpowers in recent weeks. The recent passage of US bills addressing perceived human rights violations in Hong Kong and Xinjiang infuriated Beijing. Signing one of the bills – the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act – into law last month just before Washington emptied out for the Thanksgiving holiday, Trump was careful to note that he hoped the move would not derail trade talks. Beijing's willingness to strike a deal suggested it had "found a way to overlook President Trump's signing" of that legislation, said King, now senior vice-president at the business advisory firm Park Strategies. John Sitilides, geopolitical strategist at Trilogy Advisors in Washington, warned that the agreement did not herald the revival of US-China relations. "[The deal] does not halt or even suspend the US-China trade dispute, which is strategic in nature and will continue in ongoing phases for years if not decades so long as Beijing flouts the free, open and rules-based global trading system that has propelled it to the top ranks of the world economy," he said. ^ top ^
Angela Merkel faces revolt over Huawei as German lawmakers seek full ban (SCMP)
2019-12-13
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is facing a potential revolt in parliament by lawmakers seeking to override her China policy and effectively ban equipment supplier Huawei Technologies from the country's fifth-generation wireless network. A bill drafted by lawmakers in Merkel's ruling coalition stipulates that German authorities should be able to exclude "untrustworthy" 5G equipment vendors from "core as well as peripheral networks". That goes beyond previous calls that sought to ban the Chinese firm from the more sensitive core network alone. The effort in the Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament, is a major challenge to Merkel's attempts at balancing security considerations over 5G with Germany's delicate economic ties with China. Hawks in her government, including German intelligence agencies and the Interior Ministry, have warned that Huawei's ties to the government in Beijing pose a security risk. While the draft does not explicitly name Huawei, it is tailored to the Chinese company and comes after months of debate about 5G security. Huawei has repeatedly denied allegations over potential espionage and sabotage. The draft legislation obtained by Bloomberg News says that security guidelines set out by Merkel's government, which include a certification process and a declaration of trustworthiness, do not go far enough. The political and legal systems in a vendor's country of origin must also be taken into account, the draft says in a direct allusion to China. While negotiators haggle over a final draft, the stringent security standards set by lawmakers in Merkel's Christian Democratic Union-led bloc and in the Social Democratic Party illustrate the momentum building against the Shenzhen-based technology giant. CDU lawmakers approved a motion at a party convention last month calling for further restrictions. Calling 5G technology Germany's "digital nervous system", lawmakers said that Europe already possessed two companies that represent an alternative to "state subsidised" competitors posing a threat – a reference to Finland's Nokia and Sweden's Ericsson. "It is thus in Germany's own interest to rely on European solutions with respect to the 5G network expansion and to cultivate European champions," the draft said. Excluding Huawei from the peripheral network – and not just the more sensitive core – would create headaches for Germany's telecoms companies, who have warned that banning the vendor would delay the county's 5G buildout and make it more expensive. Telefonica SA's German unit, which operates the country's second-largest wireless network, earlier this week said Wednesday it picked Huawei and Nokia to take an equal role in supplying its 5G network upgrade. The Merkel government had proposed a compromise that imposes partial restrictions that telecoms executives were prepared to accept as long as the Chinese vendor had access to less sensitive parts. But the lawmakers' proposal would even go beyond a recommendation by Merkel's spy chief, Bruno Kahl, the head of the Federal Intelligence Service. While Huawei is too dependent on the Chinese Communist Party and "can't be fully trusted", Kahl said in October, "there may be areas where a participation doesn't have to be excluded". ^ top ^
COP25 summit: Expected to be cooling influence at UN climate conference, China instead lets Brazil heat up (SCMP)
2019-12-13
With Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro turning a blind eye to environmental concerns, western governments initially cast their hopes on China to engage the Brazilians during the annual UN conference on climate change. But those expectations have been dashed, as China has turned out to share more common ground with Brazil than with the West. China has pledged to uphold the landmark Paris Agreement and create a green nation. But global environmental groups and many diplomats and negotiators at the COP25 summit in Madrid, Spain, now complain of China's acquiescence with Brazil's threat to block an agreement on a planned global carbon market scheme. The UN climate summit is scheduled to end on Friday, but there is now at best only cautious optimism about the 195 participating nations reaching an agreement. More pervasive is the disappointment over China's statement, issued jointly on Wednesday with Brazil, India and South Africa, that denounces "imbalances in negotiations" that the four nations contend have led to a lack of climate financing commitments from developed nations. Together, the four accounted for 36.6 per cent of the world's total carbon dioxide emissions in 2017, according to UN statistics. "China's influence over Brazil in the climate diplomacy will probably be discreet, but they will surely have an impact. The question is how much," Mauricio Santoro, a political scientist and professor at the State University of Rio de Janeiro, said. "I believe that [China] will probably help in amending some of the Brazilian positions." Carlos Fuller, a negotiator from Belize, told the BBC that Brazil and China were "part of the problem", alongside Saudi Arabia and India, in the failure so far to hammer out an agreement. According to a global NGO source, China acquiesced when Brazil vehemently blocked use of the term "climate urgency" during discussions over the language of the summit's concluding statement, to be issued when COP25 ends on Friday. In response, a Chinese delegate, speaking to the South China Morning Post on condition of anonymity, said China initially wanted to see whether Brazil might relax its hardline anti-environmental position before the four-nation statement was issued. "Brazil's stance is very strong and it has put up a very defensive approach in COP25," he said. "It is a headache even for us." Article 6 of the Paris accord on climate change, which calls for countries to agree on how to finance climate mitigation measures – including funding provided by wealthier nations to help poorer nations reduce their carbon dioxide emissions – has been the key contentious issue at the summit. The possibility of coordination between the two marks a change from just a year ago, when the fiery Bolsonaro was elected president in September 2018 and flirted with the idea of leaving the Paris Agreement, as US President Donald Trump had done. Bolsonaro had also criticised his country's relations with China, the world's second largest economy, saying a month after his election win: "The Chinese are not buying in Brazil. They are buying Brazil." But relations warmed afterwards, culminating in Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Brasilia last month for the BRIC summit, which Bolsanaro also attended. Analysts say that China's economic importance to Brazil has softened Bolsonaro's rhetoric. Bilateral trade between the two was nearly US$100 billion last year, according to the Brazilian foreign ministry. When Brazil drew global condemnation as the Amazon rainforest burned this summer, China did not criticise the country's policies – in contrast to actors like the European Union, Santoro noted. Additionally, he said, "China is key in making Brazilian companies and government follow global rules" because Chinese companies are the biggest buyers of Brazil's agricultural products. Brazil exported nearly 80 per cent of its soybeans to China, according to the Secretariat of Trade of Brazil. Chinese companies have also made nearly US$30 billion in investments in the country from 2007 to 2017, according to the China-Latin America Finance Database. Kathryn Hochstetler, a professor in international development at the London School of Economics, said that Brazil would be unlikely to budge on some key positions, such as transferring pre-existing carbon credits formed under the Kyoto Protocol to the Paris Agreement. Since the Kyoto Protocol came into effect in 2005, a trading mechanism allows countries to invest in low-carbon projects in developing nations, earning credits towards their emissions. Critics have called for ending the system, since it allows countries with credits to set lower future targets when cutting greenhouse gases. But Brazil and China, with the most such projects, have been the biggest beneficiaries, and have called for the credits to remain under the new climate agreement. She added that Brazil's long-time stance on the issue remains unchanged: that developed countries cannot avoid cutting their own emissions through buying offset credits. "It would be really surprising for any Brazilian government to be easily swayed, much less this one," said Hochstetler, referring to a Brasilia that is divided on its foreign policy, including climate diplomacy. "Some of the [other] pieces on the climate negotiation's edge would be fungible. I would also say it depends on what kind of bargaining power that China has." In a news conference last week at the climate summit, China reiterated its stance on the carbon offset credits. "We do hope that this transition could be agreed upon, [that] CDM projects will be transferred to the Paris agreement," said Ma Aimin, an adviser to China's climate negotiating team, using an acronym for the offset system. Ma, however, added that the issue "will not be a deal-breaker" for China, the world's largest carbon emitter. Jose Antonio Puppim de Oliveira, a professor at Brazil's Getulio Vargas Foundation, a think tank based in Rio de Janeiro, said the two countries have switched sides in recent years when it comes to climate change policy: Brazil had been one of the leaders among developing countries on climate sustainability, while China was focused more on its economic development, he said. "Now it's the other way around," Puppim de Oliverira said, who also teaches at Shanghai's Fudan University. However, he added, there remains one constant: "They still agree in passing the responsibility for the climate crisis to the rich countries." ^ top ^
China-Canada ties to get frostier after call to leave AIIB, analysts say (SCMP)
2019-12-12
The already icy relationship between China and Canada is set to get even frostier, analysts said, after lawmakers in Ottawa on Tuesday approved the creation of a special committee to review ties with Beijing and called for the country to withdraw from the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). "Ties are already freezing," Liang Yunxiang, an international affairs expert at Peking University, said. "If Canada left the AIIB it would only make things worse." The decision to set up a 12-person committee to review Ottawa's dealings with Beijing followed a proposal by the opposition Conservative Party, which has accused Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of being too soft on the Asian giant. The group, which is set to meet for the first time on January 20, "will help shed light on Justin Trudeau's failures to stand up for Canadian interests with respect to Beijing", the party's foreign affairs spokesman Erin O'Toole said in a statement. The Conservatives have also called on Trudeau to scrap a planned C$250 million (US$189 million) investment in the AIIB, which Canada joined in March 2018 despite protestations from the United States, which expressed concerns about the bank's perceived lack of transparency and claims it would be used by China to expand it geopolitical influence. Liang is convinced the latest moves in Ottawa were influenced by Washington. "The worsening relationship is clearly linked to the US. As Washington has adopted a more assertive stance towards Beijing, so the anti-China sentiment has increased in Ottawa," he said. For his part, Trudeau has stressed the need not to escalate the conflict with China, which has been in a tailspin since Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer for Chinese tech giant Huawei, was arrested in Vancouver on a US arrest warrant in December last year. Just days later, Beijing detained Canadian citizens Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor – who are currently facing prosecution on charges of spying – and in March banned the import of Canadian canola seed. Liu Weidong, a specialist in US affairs at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that despite suffering his first parliamentary defeat since re-election, it was unlikely Trudeau would give in to the calls for him to take a harder line on China. "I don't think Canada will leave the AIIB simply because of the pressure from the opposition party, although ties between the two countries have been chilled for about a year," he said. When asked to comment on the issue, the AIIB said in a statement that "as an apolitical institution, it would be inappropriate for us to comment or speculate on Canada's domestic political deliberations". It did, however, say that Canada "is a full member of the AIIB and a strong contributor to the bank's governance as a member of our board of directors". ^ top ^
2019 South-South Human Rights Forum builds consensus among developing countries (Xinhua)
2019-12-12
The 2019 South-South Human Rights Forum was held in Beijing from Tuesday to Wednesday. Attendees from home and overseas carried out in-depth exchanges and reached consensus based on the forum's theme "Diversity of Civilizations and Global Development of Human Rights." Primary topics covered by the forum included "Building a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind and Global Human Rights Governance," "The Right to Development: The Belt and Road Initiative Promotes the Realization of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development" and "The Practice and Experience of Human Rights Protection in the Countries of Global South." The 2019 South-South Human Rights Forum was acclaimed by attendees as an important platform to promote the development and human rights progress of developing countries. Highlighting problems facing developing countries such as warfare, diseases, hunger and environmental degradation, the attendees criticized Western countries for their obsession with civil and political rights, and for their disregard of economic, social and cultural rights as well as the solving of pressing problems faced by developing countries. They widely applauded China for its proposal of building a community with a shared future for mankind, which offers a feasible Chinese solution to pressing problems the world now faces and is also a public goods China offers to the world in a new era. Attendees raised strong criticisms on the United States and the West adopting a double standard concerning human rights issues. As the attendees pointed out, colonialism brought human rights disasters to many countries in history. However, there still exists a sense of cultural superiority in the West today, while the diversity of civilizations and the right of other countries to independently choose human rights development path are not respected. The forum was organized by the State Council Information Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. More than 300 officials, experts, scholars and diplomats from over 80 countries, regions and international organizations attended the forum. ^ top ^
SCO carries out online anti-terrorism drill (Global Times)
2019-12-12
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) launched on Thursday a joint online anti-terrorism exercise in China, in which competent authorities of eight SCO member states simulated a complete crackdown against online terrorist propaganda amid rising cybersecurity challenges. The exercise held in Xiamen, East China's Fujian Province, set a scenario where an international terrorist organization spread information of terrorism, separatism and extremism through the internet, including instant chat groups and social media platforms, in SCO member states, to recruit new members, gather funds, purchase weapons and plan terror activities, which intensified terror attacks and threatened regional security. The exercise coordinated competent authorities of each SCO member state, who started investigating cases in their countries, gathering information on the terrorists' organization, member identities and their locations, before launching a concentrated capture mission and cracking down the organizations secret members hiding across SCO member states once for all. During the drill, cyber anti-terrorist experts sit in front of computers, deploying a variety of technical measures in eight separated "combat zones," each for one member state. If the drill was to be real, these "combat zones" will be thousands of kilometers away, in each member state's territories, sharing information in real time. This is the third time such exercise has taken place. The past two editions were held in October 2015 and December 2017. Dzhumakhon Giyosov, director of the Executive Committee of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) and the chief commander of the exercise, noted that while the previous two exercises focused on finding out terror propaganda on the internet, the Xiamen-2019 joint went on and had competent authorities of member states take action. From finding out terror propaganda to thorough investigation, then to locating and capturing those who released them, this exercise is a full-process exercise, which is a great step forward in terms of SCO's anti-terrorism cooperation, Giyosov said. Giyosov said that the exercise further boosted SCO member states' capabilities to jointly fighting regional terrorist organizations under the coordination of SCO RATS, and has a significant meaning in effectively dealing with the current new challenges. RATS has become an important pillar of SCO member states when it comes to fighting terrorism, separatism and extremism, said Liu Yuejin, China's anti-terrorism commissioner with the Ministry of Public Security, addressed the exercise. The exercise is a chance to test the intelligence exchange, operation coordination and technology complement mechanisms between SCO member states, and showed SCO's determination to crackdown online terror activities and safeguard regional security and stability, Liu said. ^ top ^
Nation to offer ideas to restore WTO appeal function (Global Times)
2019-12-12
China is studying an interim plan for handling WTO disputes while the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization is paralyzed, said a senior official on Thursday. The Appellate Body, the highest dispute-resolution body, is almost "paralyzed" now, representing the most severe blow to the multilateral system since the WTO's establishment, and China "deeply regrets" that, Gao Feng, spokesperson of the Ministry of Commerce told a regular press conference in Beijing on Thursday. China will continue to firmly uphold the rules-based multilateral trading system and support all parties' efforts to restore the functioning of the Appellate Body, Gao said. The comment came after the draft resolution on the operation of the Appellate Body was not passed due to a US vote at the WTO General Council meeting on December 9. That in turn led to the cessation of functioning of the highest WTO dispute-resolution body on Wednesday. Media reports said that without the functioning of the appeal system, international trade disputes may never be settled and this may lead to chaos in global trade, which has already been damaged due to the US' "America First" policy. This year also marks the 18th anniversary of China's accession to the WTO, Gao said, adding that China's entry into the WTO has not only enabled it to develop itself but also benefited the world. "Over the past 18 years, China's development has opened a window of opportunity for the world economy and has become a major source of power and stabilizer for world economic growth," Gao told the Global Times on Thursday. China is also the largest contributor to global trade in goods, which grew from $12.6 trillion in 2001 to $39.34 trillion in 2018. As the multilateral trading system faces a critical moment. China is willing to work with its members to continue to firmly maintain the rules-based multilateral trading system and its core values, continue to play a constructive role, and support the necessary reforms of the WTO, said Gao. ^ top ^
China cancels trade visit to Sweden over detained bookseller Gui Minhai's free speech prize (SCMP)
2019-12-10
China has cancelled a trade visit to Stockholm as its threatened "bad consequences" start to emerge over a free speech literary prize awarded to detained bookseller Gui Minhai last month. Gui's case has deepened an ongoing crisis in bilateral relations between Sweden and China. On Monday, Sweden's former ambassador to China Anna Lindstedt was indicted over a meeting arranged for the bookseller's daughter to discuss his possible release and Lindstedt now faces trial in Stockholm. Meanwhile, it has emerged that a trip to the country by a Chinese trade delegation scheduled for Tuesday was called off. Diplomatic sources confirmed to the South China Morning Post that it was cancelled because the Swedish culture minister presented the free speech award, given by Sweden's PEN International, to 55-year-old Gui, who is currently in detention in China. Sweden's foreign ministry confirmed that the Chinese side postponed the trip in mid-November, according to a report by Swedish newspaper Göteborgs-Posten. It said Sweden's foreign ministry was trying to reschedule the meetings. China's ambassador to Sweden Gui Congyou threatened "bad consequences" for the country after Minister for Culture and Democracy Amanda Lind presented the Tucholsky Prize to Gui – represented by an empty chair on stage – at a ceremony in Stockholm on November 15. Gui Minhai is a Chinese-born Swedish citizen and co-owner of a Hong Kong bookstore that sold titles deemed politically sensitive by Beijing. He has been detained in China since early 2018 on suspicion of leaking state secrets after being intercepted on a Beijing-bound train while he was being escorted by two Swedish diplomats. Last week, ambassador Gui Congyou told Göteborgs-Posten that China would "restrict cultural exchanges and cooperation on the economy and trade" with Sweden. He also threatened consequences for the city of Gothenburg, where some politicians have proposed cancelling its sister-city relationship with Shanghai. Clashes between Sweden and China over human rights and the ongoing case of Gui Minhai have strained relations between the two countries in the past two years. Lindstedt, Sweden's former ambassador to China, was recalled to Stockholm in February over her alleged mishandled attempt to mediate the Gui Minhai case. Swedish prosecutors on Monday formally charged Lindstedt with "arbitrariness during negotiations with a foreign power". Lindstedt reportedly arranged a meeting between Gui's daughter, Angela Gui, and two men claiming to be Chinese businessmen in Stockholm, without informing the Swedish foreign ministry. Since Chinese ambassador Gui Congyou threatened consequences for Sweden last month, at least three political parties in the country – the Left Party, the Christian Democrats and the Sweden Democrats – have called for him to be sent back to China. Björn Jerdén, head of the Asia programme at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs, said China could still step back from imposing more sanctions on Sweden since Beijing had not openly repeated the ambassador's threats. "The Swedish government has no interest in escalation. At the same time, Sweden has been clear that it will continue to press for the release of Gui Minhai and stand up for the freedom of opinion in Sweden," he said. "[But] as long as Beijing doesn't accept these red lines there's a risk of further friction." Gui Congyou has been a vocal critic of his host nation's media coverage of China since he became the Chinese ambassador in Stockholm in August 2017. The Chinese embassy issued 57 statements critical of local press coverage of China between January 2018 and May this year, according to a report by the Swedish Institute of International Affairs. ^ top ^
Xi: Sound ties between China, EU bring stability (China Daily)
2019-12-10
Developing a sound relationship between China and the European Union — with both being champions of multilateralism and free trade — not only conforms to their common interests, but will also bring more stability, certainty and positive energy to the world, President Xi Jinping said on Monday. Xi made the remark in a phone conversation with European Council President Charles Michel — their first conversation since the latter began his mandate as third president of the EU body on Dec 1. As China and the EU resolutely safeguard the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core, and both maintain that countries should act in line with rules, Xi said that given the current global situation, the two sides should strengthen coordination and cooperation to ensure stable development of their comprehensive strategic partnership. He said China considers its relations with the EU from a strategic and long-term perspective. Xi stressed that both are partners for mutually beneficial cooperation rather than competitors in a zero-sum game, and China's development means opportunities for the EU instead of challenges. China's EU policy will remain consistent and stable, and the country will continue to support the EU playing positive and significant roles in the international arena, Xi said, adding that he trusts the newly elected EU body will adopt a consistent and forward-looking policy toward China. China stands ready to work with the EU to ensure exchanges scheduled to take place next year between the two sides will be a success, advance the alignment of the Belt and Road Initiative with the EU's Eurasian connectivity strategy, push for finalization of the China-EU investment agreement, fully and effectively implement the Paris Agreement on climate change and promote WTO reforms, Xi said. Michel said that the EU has common consensus with China in upholding international rules, multilateralism, world peace and stability, and strengthening their cooperation serves the interests of both sides as well as the world at large. The EU is willing to work along with China to raise the level of economic and trade collaboration, and intensify communication and coordination on such issues as WTO reforms and climate change, he said. Michel expressed hope that he will maintain a sound and close relationship with Xi, and said he is ready to play an active and constructive part in promoting EU-China cooperation. In his historic visit to EU headquarters in 2014, Xi reached important consensus with EU leaders on building a China-EU partnership for peace, growth, reform and civilization, charting the course for deepening the win-win China-EU Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and setting out the overarching goals of China's policy on the EU over the long run. ^ top ^
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China to strengthen co-governance of IPR protection in e-commerce (Xinhua)
2019-12-13
China needs to improve its IPR protection governance system, with co-governance between government and platforms through online and offline efforts, a senior official said Thursday. Co-governance can further improve the system of IPR in e-commerce, and enhance governance capability and efficiency, said Han Xiucheng, director of the Intellectual Property Development and Research Center of the National Intellectual Property Administration (NIPA). Based on the current legal system, Chinese mainstream e-commerce platforms have established a set of platform rules, covering various types of relationships between business entities in the platform, of which IPR protection rules are particularly important, according to a report published by the NIPA. The IPR protection rules established by the platform place the rules for identifying and punishing the selling of counterfeit commodities at the core, and the special IPR protection platform is dedicated to providing one-stop solutions for global IPR holders. China has continuously strengthened administrative enforcement in e-commerce to effectively crack down on IPR infringement. Local intellectual property management departments have cooperated with e-commerce platforms to establish three handling modes for online patent infringement complaints, effectively integrating the case handling resources and handling capacity of local IPR offices, IPR protection and e-commerce platforms. "E-commerce provides a strong driving force for economic development, but the cross-regional and virtual characteristics of e-commerce platforms also pose new challenges to the work of IPR protection," said Cao Hongying, deputy director of the IPR protection department of the NIPA. "After years of practice, China has achieved remarkable results in e-commerce IPR protection." Cao said that in the next step, the focus will be on e-commerce to further strengthen IPR protection, strengthen cross-departmental and cross-regional law enforcement cooperation and government-enterprise cooperation, strengthen the role of mediation and arbitration in resolving IPR disputes, so as to form a joint protection force. ^ top ^
Country in top ranks hosting foreign students (China Daily)
2019-12-13
China is attracting an unprecedented number of foreign students on the back of its rising influence and globalization, putting the country in a distinct position of being not just the world's top "supplier" of international students but also a leading educational draw, according to latest analyses. "In China, which aspires to host half a million international students by 2020 (and is close to reaching that goal), international students are benefiting from new opportunities to undertake internships, smoothed pathways to residency permits, and a variety of programs which enable graduates to stay in-country to work," according to a major industry report released in Beijing on Wednesday. The report was jointly presented by leading independent think tank Center for China and Globalization, and the Institute of International Education and World Innovation Summit for Education global exchange and education groups. The Chinese education sector forms a major part of the current "shift away from the long predominance of Anglophone countries in the higher education market" toward emerging players and China's "focused approach to building and marketing its higher education sector as a destination, paired with its well-established source of outgoing students, are core elements of the ambitious Belt and Road Initiative, and dramatize the pivotal role China plays on the global stage today", the report said. Five English-speaking countries (the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand) together host almost half of all international students, but other countries such as China, Russia and the Netherlands are actively recruiting them, with China alone making great strides in the past two decades to emerge as the third-largest host destination accounting for 10 percent of globally mobile students, it said. Top host destinations received more than 2 million globally mobile students in 2001, with that number rising to 5 million last year, according to the report. "China has been paying special focus on nurturing talent, which will play an even greater role in the country's development and globalization," said Zhou Mansheng, senior researcher at the think tank, in a forum on the latest trends. "In that regard, both students from abroad and Chinese students heading overseas will be equally important," said Zhou, who is also vice-head of the Chinese Society of Educational Development Strategy. With the exception of a sizeable number of students from the US, most international students in China come from South Korea, Thailand, Pakistan, and India, according to the report. Overall, students from the region comprise nearly one-fifth of all international students in the country, with recent years recording a jump in Indian students for medical studies and among African students, it said. China itself remains the world's leading supplier of international students, with more than 662,000 Chinese going abroad to study last year, a rise of more than 8 percent year-on-year, according to the Ministry of Education. The latest report is important as it sheds light on the changing strategies by countries to attract students and retain them after graduation, said Ahmed Baghdady, World Innovation Summit for Education's research and content development manager. "I'm seeing intentional efforts from China to attract international students from different parts of the world, including Africa, so it's important to consider how we can revisit the traditional understanding of international student recruitment," he said. Internationalization at home, revenue and building of knowledge economies form some of the main reasons behind efforts to draw foreign students, with scholarships, internships and opportunities for high-tech and e-commerce students to transition to the workforce being some of China's key strategies in the drive, according to the report. The rapid rise in the number of African students studying in China, which is now the second-largest host destination for African students after France, alone "reflects the expanding economic and business ties between China and African countries, as well as China's commitment to provide scholarships to African students", said the report. The number of African students in China grew from nearly 3,000 to almost 50,000 over the 2005-2015 period, according to ministry figures. In that regard, the Belt and Road Initiative has helped China toward its goal of hosting the rising number of international students, but universities and governments also "need to work on how to really integrate and take advantage of the many interesting and bright people studying on campuses", said Paul Turner, the regional director for East Asia at the Institute of International Education. "You have to have everything working together to be more successful. Government procedures, policies, universities... having a kind of ecosystem that brings all these things together," he said. Other industry players at the forum also pointed to the challenges that remain for China to draw and retain foreign students and talent in line with global practices, including facilities and amenities. Yang Changju, international consultant at the Beijing University of Technology and a professor at the international education college of South-Central University for Nationalities, said more must be done for foreign students to better understand Chinese society on the ground, beyond their classrooms. "We should strive for greater diversity and better selectivity, for students to have a better educational and cultural experience." ^ top ^
From Tibet to Xinjiang, Beijing's man for restive regions Chen Quanguo is the prime target of US sanctions (SCMP)
2019-12-13
For Chen Quanguo, it was just a normal day at the office in China's Xinjiang region on December 3. His agenda included chairing a study session on patriotism, a regular event for Beijing's point man in suppressing what China calls a separatist and terrorist insurgency in the region bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan. "[We] must continue an extensive campaign on legal education and anti-extremism, to guide cadres and people of all ethnic groups to further strengthen their patriotic awareness," says the official statement of his comments at the meeting. Some hours later and more than 10,500km (6,500 miles) away, Chen's activities were very much on the mind of more than 400 US lawmakers waking up in Washington for what wouldn't be a normal day. They singled him out for sanctions in an overwhelming vote to pass a bill to punish Chinese officials and companies involved in what they call human rights abuses on a massive scale in Xinjiang. If Chen, 63, cares about the attention he gets in Washington, he doesn't show it. As the Communist Party chief for Xinjiang he has faced criticism all year for being the architect of what the US, European Union and United Nations call a network of internment camps built to forcibly detain ethnic Muslim Uygur people in an attempt to wipe out their identity through systematic indoctrination. Beijing doesn't deny the camps exist, but rejects the US definition, calling them vocational training centres to contain religious extremism. China hasn't given a figure for how many people have been through the camps but it has said it's much lower than the 1 million estimate by the UN's Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The UN cited "credible reports" for its figure but didn't name the sources. Independent researchers and human rights groups have made similar estimates, citing interviews with Uygurs, population numbers, and leaked government documents. What isn't in doubt is that Xinjiang exploded into violence in 2009 in street clashes between Uygurs and Han Chinese that killed hundreds of people. In the following years, the conflict spilled over Xinjiang's borders to other parts of China, including Beijing and the city of Kunming. The Kunming attack in southwest China in March 2014 particularly shocked the country, when 33 people were stabbed and killed at a railway station by a gang that the police later said were Uygur militants. Scores more were injured. In April that year, after President Xi Jinping visited Xinjiang, the region's capital Urumqi was rocked by more violence that killed 40 people and left more than 100 injured. As Beijing became increasingly alarmed by what it called a terrorist insurgency – and which it has since compared to the September 11, 2001 attacks in the US – Xi called a crisis meeting in Beijing in 2014 to demand a doubling of efforts to fight terrorism. This was Beijing cracking down hard, and in 2016 Chen was the man called in as the party's hammer. Chen sits on the party's 25-member Politburo, making him the most senior Chinese official on a US sanctions list, which now awaits approval by the Senate and President Donald Trump. It also means facts about him, such as his health and other personal details, are closely guarded. Before his role in Xinjiang attracted Washington's attention, he was the party chief in Tibet, another region with a history of violence and uprisings against Beijing's rule. In other words, he knows the playbook. "It is likely that Chen Quanguo has shaped the implementation of all policies in Xinjiang," said Barry Sautman, an expert on China's ethnic policies at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. As soon as Chen took over, Xinjiang saw a large expansion of the police force and the mass hiring of what the authorities called "assistant police" and "security guards". "These measures were brought in by Chen and they echoed what he did in Tibet when he was the party chief there," Sautman said. According to Adrian Zenz, a Germany-based independent researcher on Xinjiang, the detention camps existed before Chen but he drove their rapid expansion and how they are used. "Chen Quanguo introduced pre-emptive internment for re-education for wide shares of the general minority population," said Zenz, who was among the first to reveal the scale of the camps based on leaked government documents. "Just like Chen recruited massive numbers of new policemen soon upon assuming his new position, he also quickly scaled up the re-education campaign. Whatever he does, he does with extreme and unprecedented speed, urgency, resources and scope," Zenz said. Chen was also quick to hitch his wagon to the president. In February 2016 when he was the party chief of Tibet, he was among the first to speak of Xi as the "core" of the party leadership, a term that elevated Xi's status among party leaders. A month later, Tibetan delegates attending the National People's Congress in Beijing showed up sporting lapel badges with Xi's picture, a clear echo of the Mao Zedong era. One now retired official said the badges raised eyebrows among senior leaders including Yu Zhengsheng, then chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Yu took Chen aside and told him the gesture was inappropriate. "Chen only replied it was a spontaneous act by the delegates … but the fact is he was rewarded [for it]," said the official, who didn't wish to be named. If Chen's reward was Xinjiang, it's a massive handful in more ways than one. China's largest region is about the same size as the US state of Alaska. The landlocked area is home to more than 10 million Uygur and other ethnic groups, or about half the total population, and Islam is the major religion. It has borders with eight countries, including India, Mongolia and former Soviet republics, and is characterised by deserts and grasslands. Like many senior officials in China, the record of Chen's four-decade rise through the ranks is the party's sanitised version, though sources say he also got to where he is through the tried and tested means of a workaholic. He's known to show up at the office on holidays and doesn't hesitate to call in subordinates. He's described as a "harsh and demanding boss", said another source, who also declined to be named. Chen has one habit of stopping at locations in Xinjiang's capital Urumqi and calling the police. Then he checks his watch and times how long it takes them to respond and arrive where he is. Such behaviour keeps everyone tense and has won him few fans, the source said. His work style has triggered widespread discontent as officials are working weeks in a row without a break, the South China Morning Post reported earlier. Still, he ticks all the boxes for the type of official that President Xi wants to groom. During a speech in 2013, Xi said he needed leaders who had come up from the rank and file and had the guts to make hard decisions. These traits were emphasised in a directive issued on December 4. "[We] must be warriors that dare to struggle and are good at struggles," reads the statement from the Central Organisation Department, which assigns ministerial-level cadres and above. The stress on "struggle" also echoes the Mao era. Chen was born into a working-class family in Henan province, a central region dependent on agriculture and coal mining. In 1977, he got a firm foot on the rung of the ladder out of obscurity when he passed the college entrance exam. It was the first such exam since the death of Mao, who had banned them during the Cultural Revolution, and competition was fierce. Before college, he served four years in the military in an artillery division and did a stint in a car factory. After graduation, he started his climb up the political ladder and began to get noticed. At the age of 33, he became the youngest county party chief in Henan. After that, Chen didn't seem to put a foot wrong. From the mid-1990s he was promoted every other year for almost a decade. As is often the case, he was helped by personal ties to the powerful. Chen worked in Pingdingshan city from 1992 to 1994, helping to oversee Ye county, which happened to be the hometown of Jia Tingan, who served for decades as the personal military aide of former president Jiang Zemin, according to official public résumés of the pair. "Jia wielded significant influence in the province and so the two had plenty of common issues to discuss," said a source close to the provincial government who declined to be named to discuss the matter. Jia, 67, is now on the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the country's legislature. When in Henan, Chen got along well with colleagues and didn't particularly stand out, the source said. Chen's wife was an official with the banking regulator of the local government and his daughter spent some time at school in Britain. Another development around this time is said to have helped Chen's rise. He became deputy governor of Henan in 1998, skipping the normal stop as a city party boss. Henan is full of coal mines and accidents were common in those days and the city party chiefs were always blamed, the source said. "So Chen dodged that and the career stumbles that could have come with it." Instead of taking flak for mine accidents, Chen spent his final days in Henan regularly swimming laps in the pool at the party committee compound in the afternoons. "We heard he was training himself up for Tibet," the source said. However, Chen's next promotion was to governor of northern Hebei province in 2009, his first ministerial-level job. But, two years later, he was party secretary of Tibet – one of China's most politically sensitive regions and a traditional power base of then-president Hu Jintao. Just months after his appointment in 2011, the region advertised positions for another 2,500 police. At public events, Chen fits the bill for a party cadre with a sweep of jet-black hair, somewhat drawn features, and a tendency to deliver long speeches interspersed with tongue-twisting party jargon. But even by the standards of China's sober-suited bureaucrats, he's difficult to pin down. Despite a 40-year career, a search through his official speeches failed to throw up any ambitious slogan, joke or personal anecdote attributable to him. His preference for staying in the background was on show when the Xinjiang regional government held a press conference in March in Beijing. The room was packed with Chinese and foreign journalists, but Chen let regional governor Shohrat Zakir do the talking. Zakir took one question on the internment camps, calling them free "boarding schools". Chen leaned over and whispered in Zakir's ear once in a while, but did not take any questions himself. "I express my sincere gratitude to Chinese and foreign reporters for their interest in Xinjiang," was his closing comment. However, as international pressure over Xinjiang mounts, Beijing's rhetoric has shifted. Zakir earlier this year said the internment camps would close "when they are not needed". Just this week, he said all detainees had graduated from the "deradicalisation" programme and found jobs. He didn't make clear if that meant they had returned home, nor did he give any numbers. That shift may also reflect Xinjiang's declining economic performance. Economic growth was flat from 2016 to 2017, but then slipped to 6.1 per cent in 2018 from 7.6 per cent the previous year. That was slower than the national average, something not seen in the past decade. Could this be the stumble that halts Chen's seeming unstoppable rise? Deng Yuwen, a former deputy editor of the Study Times newspaper affiliated with the party's academy, doesn't think so. "Chen acts according to Beijing's instructions," Deng said. "There will not be any backlash on Chen's career." Zenz, the Xinjiang researcher, agrees. "He will continue to govern the region with a strong arm and an underlying attitude of achieving Beijing's wider goals of stability maintenance," Zenz said. If that's the case, Chen's next possible step up is to the seven-strong Politburo Standing Committee, and he has age on his side for that move. No reports yet of him preparing for a new job with afternoon laps in a Xinjiang swimming pool. ^ top ^
China holds key economic meeting to plan for 2020 (Xinhua)
2019-12-12
The annual Central Economic Work Conference was held in Beijing from Tuesday to Thursday, as Chinese leaders charted course for the economy in 2020. In a speech at the conference, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, reviewed the country's economic work in 2019, analyzed the current situation and outlined key tasks for 2020. Facing the complicated situation of mounting risks and challenges at home and abroad in 2019, China has maintained sustained and sound economic and social development and made key breakthroughs in the "three tough battles," seeing notable progress in targeted poverty reduction, effective prevention and control of financial risks, and general improvement in the environment, according to a statement released after the conference. Meanwhile, the country's progress in achieving the major tasks of the 13th Five-Year Plan met expectations, and new major steps have been made toward finishing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects. "The root cause is that we have upheld the centralized and unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee, maintained strategic resolve, kept pursuing progress while ensuring stability, deepened reform and opening-up, and given full play to the enthusiasm of central and local governments," the statement said. "While fully acknowledging our achievements, we must see that China is at a pivotal stage of transforming its growth model, improving its economic structure, and fostering new drivers of growth," the statement said. The country faces rising downward economic pressure amid intertwined structural, institutional and cyclical problems, according to the statement. The global economy continues to slow down, the world is still undergoing in-depth adjustments due to the global financial crisis, profound changes are accelerating, and sources of turbulence have substantially increased, the statement said. "We need to be well prepared with contingency plans." Given this situation, the conference pointed out that the basic trend of the Chinese economy maintaining steady growth toward long-term sound development remains unchanged. "We can overcome all risks and challenges," the statement said. To achieve the expected targets for 2020, China will make ensuring stability a top priority, and uphold the policy framework of stable macro policies, flexible micro policies, and social policies that ensure basic needs are met. The conference underscored sustained vigorous efforts in deepening supply-side structural reform, and ensuring reasonable growth and steady improvement of the economy. ^ top ^
Xi Focus: How China is tackling its water stress (Xinhua)
2019-12-12
When the water started to gush north through the middle route of China's mega water diversion project in 2014, Chinese President Xi Jinping hailed it as an important strategic infrastructure to optimize water resources, boost sustainable economic and social development, and improve people's livelihoods. Five years on, the project, designed to take water from China's longest river, the Yangtze, to feed the arid north including Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei Province and Henan Province, has proved to be a reliable "lifeline" for water supplies in the recipient regions. So far, the middle and eastern routes have delivered nearly 30 billion cubic meters of water to the north, benefiting over 120 million people, according to information released Thursday at a press conference of the Ministry of Water Resources. In the capital city of Beijing, more than 70 percent of its drinking water in the major urban areas came through canals and pipelines from the south, benefiting over 12 million residents, over half of the city's total population. The project, with its western route still in the pre-construction stage, has highlighted China's intensive efforts to deal with its water stress. The country has around 20 percent of the world's population, but only 6 percent of its freshwater resources. Its per capita water availability is just one-fourth of the world average. Considering China's economy is still powering ahead at a relatively fast rate, water demand is set to rise, making water scarcity a chronic issue. A bigger problem is uneven distribution. Most of the water shortages are in the parched north where industries and agriculture concentrate. The international definition of water scarcity is 1,000 cubic meters of usable water per person per year. Beijing, even after receiving supply from the south, has only less than one-sixth of that amount. Over the years, apart from the construction of large projects to balance water supplies, China's top leadership has stepped up efforts to protect the resources. "Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets." Since Xi took office as Chinese president, he has repeatedly called for concerted efforts to promote ecological protection. In September, Xi demanded better use of water resources in the Yellow River, with rational planning of the population, urban and industrial development to resolutely curb unreasonable water demand. The Yellow River, known as China's "Mother River" and the cradle of Chinese civilization, feeds about 12 percent of China's population, irrigates about 15 percent of arable land, supports 14 percent of national GDP, and supplies water to more than 60 cities. "The protection of the Yellow River is critical to the great rejuvenation and sustainable development of the Chinese nation," said Xi, adding that it is a major national strategy. Across the nation, China's top leadership has rolled out "river chief" and "lake chief" systems to assign each waterway in the country a specific steward to prevent pollution, which have produced remarkable effects. While China has moved forward on the right path, the country has to continue to wrestle with the supply-demand mismatch of water as the population grows and urbanizes, analysts said, calling for further efforts to better utilize water resources. For the next steps, the government should ensure the safe operation of the water diversion project, while quickening the building of a society with a growing awareness of water-saving habits, said Ni Guangheng, a water resource professor at Tsinghua University. ^ top ^
China encourages whistleblowing to improve market regulation (Xinhua)
2019-12-11
China will improve its system of providing incentives to whistleblowers amid efforts to lower market regulation costs, the country's market regulator said Wednesday. Operators within companies will be encouraged to report any activities that violate market supervision laws and regulations and the protection of whistleblowers will also be intensified, an official from the State Administration for Market Regulation said. The ministry has recently rolled out interim provisions for handling complaints and reports on market supervision and administration, unifying the procedures that should be followed by market regulation offices. According to the provisions, members of the public are allowed to report illegal activities anonymously as long as informants assume responsibility for the authenticity of the details provided. The interim provisions will take effect on Jan. 1, 2020. ^ top ^
China is world's biggest jailer of journalists as attacks on press freedom go on, watchdog says (SCMP)
2019-12-11
At least 250 journalists are in jails around the world, with the largest number held in China as authoritarian governments crack down on independent media, a report by a press freedom group said on Wednesday. Many of them faced "anti-state" charges or were accused of producing "false news", the report by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said. It cited the case of Chinese freelance journalist and campaigner Sophia Huang Xueqin, arrested in Guangzhou, southern Guangdong province, in October after she wrote about marching with pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong. The CPJ, which also cited Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Eritrea, Vietnam and Iran for jailing journalists, said it counted at least 48 journalists held in Chinese prisons, one more than in 2018, as President Xi Jinping increased efforts to control the media. That put China ahead of Turkey, which has 47 imprisoned journalists – and the largest number over the previous three years. The report said the situation in Turkey – which held 68 journalists last year – was not really an improvement but "reflects the successful efforts by the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to stamp out independent reporting and criticism". The CPJ said Ankara had shut more than 100 news outlets and lodged terrorism-related charges against many of their employees, putting many reporters out of work and intimidating others. "Dozens of journalists not currently jailed in Turkey are still facing trial or appeals and could yet be sentenced to prison, while others have been sentenced in absentia and face arrest if they return to the country," it said. The report said authoritarianism, instability and protests in the Middle East led to a rise in the number of journalists locked up there, with Saudi Arabia on a par with Egypt as the third worst jailer worldwide, each with 26 imprisoned. In Saudi Arabia, no charges have been disclosed against 18 of the journalists behind bars, and the CPJ voiced concern about reports of "beating, burning and starving political prisoners, including four journalists". Several of the arrests in Egypt came ahead of protests against corruption in September, which included calls for President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi to resign. Campaigners said the global total of 250 remained disturbingly high even if it was less than the 255 reported in 2018 and the record 273 in 2016. "CPJ believes that journalists should not be imprisoned for doing their jobs," the group's report said. It also highlighted the case of economics reporter Mohammad Mosaed, who was detained at his home in Tehran, the capital of Iran, after tweeting during an internet shutdown that was intended to suppress news of last month's protests against high fuel prices. Globally, the number of journalists charged with "false news" rose to 30 compared with 28 last year. This charge was used most often in Egypt, but has also been levelled at journalists in Russia and Singapore. ^ top ^
China cuts prices for 70 more drugs after talks with pharmaceutical firms (SCMP)
2019-12-11
China has added the largest ever batch of new products to its list of subsidised drugs in a move that will see the cost of many of them more than halved. Seventy drugs were added to the national reimbursement list at the end of the November, many of them cancer and anti-infective treatments, after extensive negotiations with pharmaceutical companies. "The number of new drugs and the total amount of medications negotiated have reached a new record. Many imported drugs will have the lowest price in the world," the National Healthcare Security Administration said. High drug prices, especially for cancer treatments, have long been a problem in China's health care system. The problem was highlighted by the hit film Dying to Survive, released last year, which told the real-life story of a leukaemia patient Lu Yong, who smuggled cheaper generic drugs from India for other patients. He was arrested in late 2014 for selling counterfeit drugs. However, several hundred of his customers petitioned the court for leniency and Lu was released in January 2015 without charge. The film prompted a response from Premier Li Keqiang two weeks after its release, urging regulators to "speed up price cuts for cancer drugs" and "reduce the burden on families". The World Health Organisation has warned that the country's medical system needs to be able to handle rising rates of cancer and non-communicable diseases linked to an ageing population. The authorities began an overhaul of the health care system in 2009 and are trying to address problems such as unequal access to treatment and prohibitive costs as part of a wider plan to improve public health by 2030. As part of this process the National Health Security Administration was set up last year to manage basic medical insurance and drug procurement, functions that were previously handled by several different departments, according to Winnie Yip Chi-man, a professor of global health at Harvard University. "This dispersion of power made it very difficult to carry out health care reform," she said. "The one responsible for pricing was making a different decision from the one that was making the decision for drug procurement." Since then the total number of drugs on the national reimbursement list has more than tripled from 685 last year to 2,709 in 2019, according to the administration. The latest additions to the list would see an average price drop of 60.7 per cent, it said, with the price of three hepatitis C treatments falling by more than 85 per cent. Another new addition is Tyvyt, a treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma jointly made by Chinese pharmaceutical company Innovent Biologics and US giant Eli Lilly. It will see its market price fall from 7,838 yuan (US$1,113) per 100mg to 2,843 yuan (US$404) – a 63 per cent reduction, according to Economic Information Daily. Drugs are added to the national reimbursement list following talks between the Chinese government and drug companies to agree a lower price. Once drugs are added to the list, people covered by the basic national medical insurance scheme – over 95 per cent of the population, according to Yip's research – are able to use that to cover a significant proportion of their costs. For Shanghai resident Yang Songbo, 78, the system brought much needed relief after he was diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer in February. Since September he has been taking a targeted therapy drug with the brand name Tagrisso. Before it was added to the reimbursement list in September 2018 the price of a pack of 30 pills – enough for a month's treatment – was around 51,000 yuan, his son Yang Yong said. It now costs around 6,200 yuan. This compares with the average monthly wage in Shanghai of 9,732 yuan, according to research by 58 Tongcheng Recruitment – the highest in the country. "The drugs that my father is taking would be a huge burden for the average family, even in developed countries in Europe and the US. Therefore, we were really touched by the government's efforts," he said. Keeping costs low is critical to China's plans to improve health care overall. Between 2008 and 2017, China's public health expenditure quadrupled from 359 billion yuan to 1.52 trillion yuan. The annual growth rate was 12.2 per cent, which outpaced the 8.1 per cent rate of real GDP growth, according to a paper in The Lancet written by Yip and her colleagues. "The recent additions were basically leveraging huge market power in order to get very low prices from pharmaceutical companies," Yip said. She said that if they wanted to retain access to the huge Chinese market, drug firms may now be forced to agree to lower their prices. But the sheer size of the country means it remains attractive, and a recent survey of 10 leading drug firms by McKinsey found that seven placed it in their top three markets. One pharmaceutical executive told the researchers that China had eclipsed the European Union and Japan and was "equally important" as the US. George Lin Chien Cheng, the chief financial executive of Shanghai-based Hua Medicine, said drug makers were getting used to negotiating price cuts. His own company is trialling a diabetes drug in China, which it plans to launch worldwide in 2021, and Lin said the key to success was being able to innovate and produce best-in-class drugs. "You really have to have data to differentiate yourself," he said. "And then you better have the capability to manufacture the drug at a sufficiently low cost that you can make a profit with these price cuts." McKinsey also said that the new streamlined process for approving drugs had led to a "tsunami" of new launches. The number of new drug approvals has risen from seven in 2016 to 54 last year, and the time lag between launch dates in the Chinese market and internationally had almost halved from 8.4 years in 2016 to 4.6 this year. But while lower prices are undoubtedly good news for patients, access to expensive treatments is still uneven. The top-down way hospitals are funded means they may find themselves with insufficient cash to offer some of the subsidised treatments. Some hospitals limit prescriptions of expensive targeted therapy cancer medications – for instance, only offering them when other treatments have failed – while others simply refuse to issue them at all, according to China Youth Daily. Yang Yong said his father had to switch hospitals to get the drug Tagrisso because his previous one could not afford it. As a result of this situation, he continued, many patients were still buying drugs from places such as India, where osmertinib, the generic version of Tagrisso, was less than a third of the price of the branded product in Shanghai, even after shopping costs were taken into account. Yip also pointed out that the health care system faced wider challenges than drug costs, such as ensuring equitable access to treatment and providing better primary health care systems so patients did not overcrowd hospitals. "To build the primary health care system is very complex. I don't think any one single policy would be sufficient," Yip said. "I personally believe that once China recognises what needs to be done, they can do it. But it will take some time." ^ top ^
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Chinese state media 'terrorism' documentaries seek to justify Xinjiang crackdown after US vote on human rights bill (SCMP)
2019-12-08
Chinese state media has sought to justify the country's crackdown in Xinjiang with the release of two new documentaries on terrorism in the far western region. The English-language programmes were produced by CGTN television, the international arm of state broadcaster CCTV, and follow last week's US House of Representatives vote to pass a bill calling for sanctions on officials accused of human rights abuses. The bill focused on the widely reported mass detention of a million Uygurs and other Muslim minority groups and suggested targeting those deemed responsible, including Xinjiang party chief Chen Quanguo, who also sits on the 25-member Politburo. Beijing has defended its "re-education programme in the region" and argues that it is designed to eradicate extremism and terrorism. In the latest in a series of pointed rebukes, the country's top diplomat Yang Jiechi called US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday to complain about the Uygur Human Rights Act, as well as a previous bill passed by the US Congress on Hong Kong. The Xinjiang documentaries, released on Thursday and Saturday, sought to reinforce the narrative that attacks and clashes in the regions are no different to terrorism in the West, including the September 11 attacks in the United States. One documentary accused Western countries of spreading the idea that the 2009 Urumqi riots – a series of violent clashes in which at least 192 people were killed and 1,000 injured, most of them Han Chinese – were "ethnic clashes triggered by repression". But it went on to say: "Chinese experts say that's illogical, given the 9/11 attacks. The anti-China interpretation shows the double-standard approach adopted by some countries." The documentaries, with extensive video clips of attacks in Xinjiang and interviews of suspects under detention, were produced in English. No Chinese language versions of the video are available, although they have Chinese subtitles and their release was reported by Chinese-language media. The documentary included graphic footage of attacks on civilians recorded by surveillance cameras. They also include an alleged recruitment video used by extremist groups, as well as interviews with suspects caught after the attacks, some of whom were speaking from behind bars. Chinese scholars told the documentary makers that the root of all the attacks was exposure to and dissemination of extremist ideas. The first part of the documentary, about 50 minutes long, focused on a history of the attacks, against civilians in the region and in other parts of China. The second part focused on the terrorism in Xinjiang, particularly the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, a group on the United Nations sanction list for having worked closely with al-Qaeda. The documentaries, however, did not address the widely criticised policies adopted by the authorities in the region, including the use of re-education camps and intensive surveillance of members of ethnic minorities. ^ top ^
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| Hongkong |
Passengers evacuated after 'rioters' hurl petrol bombs at Hong Kong MTR station (SCMP)
2019-12-12
Police are hunting for six suspects after petrol bombs were thrown at a Hong Kong metro station in the early hours of Thursday, forcing the rail operator to immediately evacuate the area and close the site about 30 minutes early. The incident came just hours after police arrested a 29-year-old man, and two teenagers, a boy and a girl, in separate incidents involving KMB buses in Kowloon. The MTR Corporation said black-clad "rioters" hurled petrol bombs at two escalators and a Maxim's Cakes shop at Ngau Tau Kok MTR station in Kowloon at around 1am. They also vandalised ticket machines and other facilities on the concourse. "An immediate evacuation and closure were needed at Ngau Tak Kok station," the MTR Corporation wrote in a statement. "The MTR Corporation expresses strong anger that its rail station has once again been targeted by the attack and malicious vandalism. It strongly condemns these illegal acts." The suspects fled before police arrived, no one was injured, and rail services resumed as normal this morning. On Wednesday evening, police arrested a 16-year-old boy at 8.14pm on suspicion of pressing the emergency buttons on four KMB buses, forcing them to pull over at the junction of Nathan Road and Argyle Street in Mong Kok. Officers found a pair of gloves and a hammer on the teenager, who was also arrested on suspicion of possessing an instrument fit for unlawful purpose. The boy suffered head injuries during the arrest and a police officer suffered minor hand injuries while subduing the suspect. They were taken to hospital for treatment. Later, a 15-year-old girl and three black-clad men intercepted a KMB vehicle, pressed its emergency button and broke its window in Nathan Road, near the junction with Waterloo Road in Yau Ma Tei. Officers arrested the girl who fell over trying to escape, her accomplices got away. According to police, a 29-year-old man tried to stop officers arresting the girl, and after verbal warnings were ignored, police pepper-sprayed the man and arrested him as well. The last petrol bomb attack on the city's rail network was on December 1 in Whampoa, when protests turned ugly after thousands marched from Tsim Sha Tsui harbourfront to Hung Hom. Since the pro-democracy camp gained a landslide victory in district councils last month, there have been fewer clashes between protesters and police, and vandalism of railway facilities has also been reduced. But businesses thought to have links with the mainland, like Maxim's, are still not spared from being attacked. The rail operator emerged as a key target for radicals in August, two months after the anti-government protests broke out, after they accused it of bowing to pressure from Beijing following a scathing attack by mainland media, which said the company facilitated the actions of mobs by laying on extra trains during protests. Since then MTR Corp has taken a tougher stance against protesters by obtaining a court injunction to prevent disruptive acts on its network, and closing stations ahead of planned protests, but it has denied bowing to pressure from Beijing. As of November 24, radicals had caused extensive damage to 85 of 94 MTR stations, and 62 of 68 Light Rail stops. Affected facilities include turnstiles, ticketing machines, surveillance cameras, lifts and escalators and rolling shutters. Last week, the rail giant said it would incur HK$1.6 billion in costs because of lower revenue from train services, repair costs for damaged facilities, extra expenses for bolstering security, and concessions to its retail tenants. As a result, the corporation warned of a significant decline in profits in the financial year ending December 31 from last year. ^ top ^
Hong Kong's deteriorating economy puts city's reputation as business hub at risk if protests persist, says Fitch (SCMP)
2019-12-12
Hong Kong's economic outlook continues to deteriorate as six months of street protests drove the local economy into a contraction, while persistent unrest puts the city's business reputation and environment at risk, said Fitch Ratings. The company, the first among the world's three major credit rating agencies to downgrade Hong Kong's creditworthiness, this week said the city's economy is likely to have contracted by 1.5 per cent in 2019, cutting its forecast from an earlier estimate of zero growth. Hong Kong's economy entered into a "technical recession" in the third quarter. "International perceptions of the intrinsic strengths of Hong Kong's business environment are still at risk, which could eventually weaken its status," said Stephen Schwartz and Andrew Fennell, Fitch's sovereign analysts based in Hong Kong. "This suggests potential further downside risks to its credit rating." Fitch in September cut its rating of Hong Kong-issued debt to "AA" with a "negative outlook", from an earlier "AA+" rating with "stable outlook", citing the negative impact of the ongoing protests. A "negative outlook" indicates a potential downward trend on its rating scale over a one to two-year period. A negative or positive outlook, however, does not necessarily result in a rating change. While the HK$25 billion (US$3.2 billion) fiscal relief measures announced by the government since mid-August could improve its growth outlook for 2020 slightly, the lingering social unrest continues to make its economic outlook vulnerable, it said. A recent government survey showed that foreign firms particularly value the territory's rule of law and independent judiciary, its political stability and security, but "firms may begin to question these assumptions if political uncertainty continues," Fitch said. But some indicators continue to paint a positive picture for Hong Kong's medium-term prospects. These include the city's role as the flagship offshore financing centre for Chinese firms, as exemplified by Alibaba Group Holding's listing on the Hong Kong stock exchange last month. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post. Banking sector deposits, business registrations and employment visas data too show little evidence that Hong Kong's role as a global commerce centre has diminished. "All of this underlines Hong Kong's important role in channelling international finance to Chinese firms, one in which it is unlikely to be easily substituted," Fitch said. But the unrelenting social unrest is unlikely come to an end soon, said Adrian Mowat, CLSA's chief strategist. "Our base case is that the current situation continues. There isn't a political solution to it. Hong Kong businesses will continue to suffer from the pressure that we're seeing on the economy," Mowat said. The investment group expects Hong Kong GDP to contract by 1.2 per cent this year, narrowing the contraction to 0.4 per cent in 2020. Heading into next year, CLSA has a more positive outlook for the mainland-stock heavy Hang Seng Index versus the MSCI Hong Kong Index, which is focused on more domestically driven stocks. CLSA has a target of 29,600 for the Hang Seng Index, or about a 10 per cent return next year, Mowat said. By comparison, the MSCI Hong Kong, which includes Hong Kong insurance and property companies, is expected to post a return of just 1 to 2 per cent, he said. ^ top ^
Passing Article 23 an urgent mission for Hong Kong: official (Global Times)
2019-12-12
A senior official of the Chinese government responsible for Hong Kong and Macao affairs published an article in the flagship newspaper of the Communist Party of China (CPC) pointing out that Hong Kong has neither passed the national security law nor established any institute for enforcement while Macao has already passed the law and improved a lot, and this is why separatist activities have been intensifying in Hong Kong in recent years. The People's Daily on Wednesday published a long signed article on its page 9 by Zhang Xiaoming, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, headlined "Adhere to and improve the 'one country, two systems' institutional system" to comprehensively expound the correctness and feasibility of the "one country, two systems" in China. The article reflected the study and implementation of the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee on the special administrative regions (SARs) issue, while it stressed that strengthening the implementation and improvement of the national security legislation and enforcement mechanism as well as strengthening the capability of law enforcement in Hong Kong is an urgent mission for the HKSAR government and different groups among the society. Apart from national security, the article also touched many issues including how to integrate Hong Kong and Macao into the overall development of the country, how to ensure the central government's authority in SARs that are authorized by the Constitution and the Basic Law, and expressed the need to establish an anti-foreign interference mechanism in Hong Kong. Chinese experts said that publishing such an article at this time while Hong Kong is still suffering turmoil and Macao is waiting for the upcoming celebration of the 20th anniversary of returning to China, is delivering a signal that China is reviewing its policies and principles on governing SARs and it is trying to clarify some misunderstanding as well as introducing solutions and plans to solve long-existing problems and newly emerged challenges. Establishing and improving a legal system for safeguarding national security in the SARs and improving related enforcement mechanisms are natural and have their practical needs, said the article. "Macao has completed the legislation of Article 23 of the Basic Law, established the committee for safeguarding national security and its office, and has proactively added anti-separatism provisions to the Legislative Council's election law. The next step is to formulate and modify relevant supporting legislations." "Hong Kong has not yet completed the legislation of Article 23 of the Basic Law and has not set up a corresponding enforcement agency. This is one of the main reasons why the activities of local radical separatist forces such as 'Hong Kong secessionists' have intensified in recent years." Making a comparison between Macao and Hong Kong on this issue shows that the official of the central government wants to tell the people and officials of the two SARs what is right and what is wrong, said an anonymous Beijing-based Hong Kong and Macao studies expert. "Why Macao is more secure and can focus on development rather than suffering from unrests, the national security law is a key reason. At least it can prevent foreign forces and anti-China separatists using discontent among the people to create and incite a massive political movement to hurt the city," he said. It's difficult for the Legislative Council of Hong Kong to enact Article 23 of the Basic Law, but the Chief Executive could evoke the Emergency Regulations Ordinance to make regulations, which, however, would lead to a judicial review, Kennedy Wong Ying-ho, a solicitor of the Supreme Court of Hong Kong, told the Global Times. It's abnormal that Article 23 has not been enacted since Hong Kong has returned to China for over 20 years. If national security could not be fully safeguarded, it would be far away from the universal suffrage, Tang Fei, a member of the Council of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, told the Global Times. For the moment, the Public Order Ordinance, Societies Ordinance and Crimes Ordinance have certain interpretations concerning national security matters. However, they are obviously not strong enough, Tang noted. "It requires more professional and much wider consultation on the matter," he said. There's no special full-time police department or prosecutors handling cases related to national security and it's difficult for the police or department of justice to investigate and prosecute as soon as possible. Enactment of Article 23 has been delayed for years, the analyst said. "Because it's under the Basic Law and in line with 'one country, two systems' principle, it's reasonable to revive it despite of rising opposition of anti-government forces," he added. ^ top ^
All eyes on President Xi Jinping as Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam heads to Beijing to collect her report card (SCMP)
2019-12-11
As Hong Kong's embattled leader flies to Beijing this weekend for her third annual duty visit, all eyes will be on what Chinese President Xi Jinping has to say on the city's ongoing civil unrest. But analysts said apart from the public greetings and messages and body language, it is the key instructions behind closed doors that will decide whether Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor's government will change its course and in what direction. They believe China's top leaders, including Xi, Premier Li Keqiang, and Vice-Premier Han Zheng, could make use of the opportunity to brief Lam on issues ranging from protecting national security, rebuilding ties with the pro-establishment camp, to imposing sanctions on American organisations. Sources told the Post that Lam was expected to fly to Beijing on Saturday, meet Xi and Li on December 16, and return to Hong Kong the day after. The meetings will be the first after Hong Kong's pro-establishment bloc suffered a humiliating, landslide defeat at the district council elections, with the pro-democracy camp winning 392 out of 452 seats on November 24, taking control of 17 of the 18 district councils. Lau Siu-kai, vice-chairman of The Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies, said even though Xi and Han had met Lam on November 4 and 6 respectively, the duty visit was not just about more meetings with China's top politicians. "It is the annual occasion when the chief executive submits her report to state leaders, and then they will evaluate her work in the past and look forward to the year ahead," he said. After a four-day plenary meeting in October, Communist Party leaders issued a communique that devoted considerable attention to Hong Kong. It said Beijing would strengthen supervision of the city's affairs, and "establish a sound legal system and enforcement mechanism for safeguarding national security" in Hong Kong and Macau. Lau believes Xi and Li will tell Lam what the central government's plans are, especially in terms of national security, and what they expect her to do. "They are also likely to urge Lam to do more to stop violence and end chaos in Hong Kong," he said. Meeting Lam in Shanghai on November 4, Xi said he trusted the chief executive, quashing speculation she could be replaced, even as he signalled her government must quell the five months of social unrest. Two days later, in a meeting with the chief executive in Beijing, Han, the top leader overseeing Hong Kong affairs, also acknowledged Lam's work. But he also made it clear that ending the turmoil was the responsibility of the entire administration – the executive, legislature and the judiciary. But after nearly two weeks of relative calm, chaos returned on December 1, as a group of protesters hurled bricks and police fired tear gas, while radicals set about smashing shops after a peaceful march. Song Sio-chong, professor of the Centre for Basic Laws of Hong Kong and Macau at Shenzhen University, said with the return of violence, it seemed there was little for Lam to report to Xi. "When the president met her in November, the instruction was clear. She needs to stop the violence, have wide-ranging dialogue with Hong Kong people and improve people's lives," Song said. "To have dialogue with society means you will have to unite friends, soften foes and win over the middle ground. What she did so far is very limited and ineffective." Bruce Lui Ping-kuen, a China watcher and senior lecturer in journalism at Baptist University, warned that with pro-Beijing politicians' unprecedented loss at the polls, and increasingly apparent grievances against Lam, it was possible state leaders could discuss with the chief executive plans to replace her. "Beijing could consider whether Lam is now a negative asset, and would undermine the pro-Beijing camp's chances at the Legislative Council polls in September," Lui said. "Lam could be given some tasks, to protect national security and end protests with judicial means, and then the central government would deal with the city's leadership pragmatically." In December 2004, less than three months before the city's first post-colonial leader Tung Chee-hwa stepped down, he was ordered by President Hu Jintao to lift his administration's game. In strong remarks seen by many observers as a dressing down of the city leader, Hu also called on the Tung team to improve governance by identifying the inadequacies of its rule. In sharp contrast, in November 2014, Xi cited a line from an ancient poem – "strong winds reveal the strength of sturdy grass" – as praise for then chief executive Leung Chun-ying's loyalty and resilience. That was the first meeting between Leung and Xi since the 79-day Occupy protests erupted in September. Lui said while it remained unclear whether Xi would have any public word of praise for Lam, it was almost certain the city leader would not get a dressing down from the president. "It is unlikely that Xi will publicly rebuke someone he picked as the chief executive," he said. Lau went a step further by saying it remained unthinkable for Lam to be rebuked or replaced when there were bigger headaches for Xi to deal with. "As there are disturbances in Hong Kong, China and the US are fighting each other, and China's national security has been seriously challenged, no Chinese leader would want to create more factors of uncertainty," he said. "Hong Kong's pro-establishment camp need to unite, and become an effective intermediary between the government and the people, and the city's government also needs stability. Compared to these, replacing the chief executive is only a small issue with a lower priority." ^ top ^
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| Macau |
Entry denial aims to ensure Macao security at sensitive time: observers (Global Times)
2019-12-09
Macao Secretary for Security said on Sunday any law enforcement regarding border controls aims to ensure security and stability of Macao in response to reports that two American business representatives from Hong Kong were recently denied entry into Macao. He made the remarks after media reported that Tara Joseph, President of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham), and the group's chairman Robert Grieves, were both denied entry into Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), a neighboring city of Hong Kong SAR on Saturday, on their way to an annual ball, Reuters reported. The reason for refusal was deemed to be unknown. While some reports suggested that the denial came after the chamber voiced opposition to the now-withdrawn extradition bill, which had sparked months of anti-government protests in Hong Kong, and the US authorities passed the so-called Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019, outraging Chinese authorities as the act seriously violated the fundamentals of international relations. When asked about the matter, Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak of Macao SAR told local newspapers that according to the Macao National Security Law, Macao police have the obligation to ensure the security of the city, including border controls. The only consideration by law enforcement in Macao was "security risk" and threats to Macao stability, Wong was cited by the Macao Daily News as saying. And who they are and whatever their positions are are not considered, Wong said. According to the official website of AmCham Hong Kong, Tara Joseph has been president of AmCham Hong Kong since February 2017. She previously worked as a correspondent for Reuters and has more than 15 years of experience working in Asia. On her Twitter account, she also shared some interview clips with CNBC when she praised the suspension of the proposed extradition bill, stating it was a "step in the right direction." December 20 marks the twentieth anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland, and the timing now is very sensitive considering months of social unrest in Hong Kong, noted Lau Siu-kai, Vice-President of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies. "Macao would hold very cautious attitudes toward some Hongkongers and also foreigners from Hong Kong in terms of border entry, to avoid any chaos at such a sensitive time," he said. As a neighboring city to Hong Kong, Macao pays close attention to anti-government protests there, and some senior officials of Macao, who talked with the Global Times in earlier interviews, said that it should prevent the same thing happening in Macao. "To avoid any illegal activities occurring in Macao, authorities follow regulations and law in issuing entry denial," Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University's Institute of International Relations, told the Global Times. ^ top ^
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| Taiwan |
Senior official expounds on peaceful reunification (Global Times)
2019-12-13
A senior Chinese mainland official responsible for Taiwan affairs published an article in the flagship newspaper of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Thursday to expound on plans to realize reunification, the same day the US House of Representatives passed the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act which includes parts related to the Taiwan question. Chinese experts noted that publishing such an article at this time, a month ahead of Taiwan's regional "election," showed that no matter which political party, pro-status quo or pro-secessionist, wins the election next year, the principle and grand strategy that the mainland holds won't change, and the mainland has enough confidence and strength to dominate and actively shape the process of reunification regardless of what happens inside the island and what the US does to interfere. The People's Daily on Thursday published an article by Liu Jieyi, head of the Taiwan Work Office of the CPC Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, titled "Firmly advance the process of peaceful reunification of the motherland." The article reflected the thorough study and implementation of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee on the Taiwan question. Liu said in the article, "peaceful reunification, the 'one country, two systems' principle is the basic policy for solving the Taiwan question and the best way to achieve national reunification." "The development of the mainland is fundamentally determining the direction of the cross-Straits relationship…On the strength comparison between the two sides of the Straits, the mainland has realized comprehensive and overwhelming advantage toward Taiwan," he said. Li Xiaobing, an expert on Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan at Nankai University in Tianjin, told the Global Times on Thursday that "this shows the mainland and the CPC's confidence and judgment on the Taiwan question has not been affected by the current situation." In 2019, Li said, Taiwan secessionist forces used the Hong Kong turmoil to demonize the "one country, two systems" principle. The US has been stepping up efforts to support Taiwan secessionists with arms sales and domestic legislation, and piling diplomatic pressures on the countries who cut off "diplomatic" ties with the island, he said. "But this hasn't changed the fact that the mainland is getting more and more initiatives in the process of solving the Taiwan question," Li said. The key source of this confidence is the development of the mainland, said Song Luzheng, a research fellow and an expert on Taiwan studies at the China Institute of Fudan University in Shanghai. Regardless of who is governing Taiwan, the mainland will have many measures and tools to integrate individuals and specific groups of the Taiwan island into the national development plan and public opinion in Taiwan will gradually change, Song believed. Liu said in the People's Daily article that the mainland will continuously strengthen its influence and attraction to Taiwan society, and strengthen its traction and domination of the development of the cross-Straits relationship. The two sides of the Straits have become an unbreakable community with a shared future, Liu said, and the mainland has become Taiwan's biggest export market, import source, trade surplus source and investment destination outside the island. Li of Nankai University said perhaps the current conditions for reunification are not very ideal, "but based on these facts, the mainland still has a lot of approaches and measures that can be used to include Taiwan into its development and has patience to actively shape conditions step by step." In the past, he said, "We were nervous when the island held elections and worried about the victory of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but now, we found that the process of reunification can still be pushed forward even if the DPP is governing the island and maybe the process has even moved faster than the era of the Kuomintang in many fields." Li noted declining international recognition for Taiwan while the mainland directly attracts Taiwan people, especially youth, to study, work and start up businesses. "In the future, with no doubt, the number of the countries having diplomatic ties with Taiwan will be further reduced, even to zero. More policies that encourage the people-to-people integration across the Straits will also be issued." Earlier on Thursday, the US House of Representatives passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020, and Chinese experts agreed that the US will likely keep or even step up its interference over the Taiwan question in the future. Session 1257 of the act said that "the Secretary of Defense should continue regular transits of United States Navy vessels through the Taiwan Strait…and encourage allies and partners to follow suit in conducting such transits." Li said the US is realizing that the mainland is getting more dominance in the reunification process and the US has to adjust its strategy to ensure it can still use the Taiwan question to make trouble for China and gain benefits. A military expert at a Beijing-based military academy who asked for anonymity said, "These changes are meaningless. It's clear that Washington wants to maintain a presence in the region but carefully avoids further provocation. Because the US can't afford a military conflict with China so it is very unlikely to cross the red line on the Taiwan question. China's military strength is enough to reunify Taiwan and its advantage will be more and more overwhelming in the future. This is the condition for the mainland to push forward peaceful reunification." The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is always prepared for the worst, he said. "If US and Taiwan secessionist forces make any unwise decision to cross the red line, the PLA is capable of dealing with the situation and even realizing reunification, although we know this is not the best way." ^ top ^
Taiwan investigates exchange programmes 'used for illegal visits by mainland Chinese government officials' (SCMP)
2019-12-12
Taiwan prosecutors are investigating alleged misuse of a security loophole that has allowed thousands of mainland Chinese including government and propaganda officials to visit the self-ruled island illegally in the past two years. At least 20 Taiwanese travel agencies have been found to have arranged "exchange visits" to the island by more than 5,000 mainland citizens between 2017 and 2019, using invitation letters issued by a number of shell companies or organisations registered in Taiwan, prosecutors and government officials said on Thursday. They said a number of the citizens found to have applied to visit under the so-called exchange programmes were officials from the mainland Chinese government and the United Front Work Department – the agency of the Communist Party responsible for promoting its influence around the world. "We questioned 10 people on Wednesday night, including the operation leader and three travel agents over their roles in the alleged operations," Chen Yu-ping, a spokeswoman for Taipei District Prosecutors Office, said. She said the 10 were released after questioning, with seven asked to post bail, pending further questioning. According to the prosecutor's office, the operation's leader, named as Hung Ching-lin, a retired journalist, was found to have used his and family members' names to register more than 100 non-profit groups and shell companies in New Taipei City, including the Water Resources Economic Development Association and Industry Exchange Association. He had been accused of using the names of those shell organisations to organise purportedly short-term cross-strait exchange programmes for mainlanders seeking to visit Taiwan, the prosecutor's office said, adding that Hung had allegedly earned NT$10 million (about US$330,000) through the "service fees" he charged. Under Taiwanese law, mainlanders are permitted to visit for sightseeing but need to provide financial statements when they apply to do so. By applying via an exchange programme, they do not need to supply the financial information because the organisation that invites or sponsors them is required to guarantee their expenses while in Taiwan. Senior mainland government officials who want to visit Taiwan need to go through a strict screening process by a committee made up of officials from the National Immigration Agency, the Interior Ministry, the Mainland Affairs Council and other relevant departments. But background checks required for low-level mainland officials are similar to those for regular mainland citizens. The National Immigration Agency said it had discovered irregularities in some exchange programmes in 2017 and gathered information before referring the case to the security authorities. "We are now assisting the prosecution authorities in their investigation and can give no further comments," an official at the agency said on Thursday. The official said the immigration agency would check whether mainland officials, regardless of rank, were visiting in line with their stated purpose. The Mainland Affairs Council, the island's top mainland policy planning body, said it would further tighten screening procedures to prevent such irregularities happening in future. A local travel agent said bogus exchange programmes had been happening since Taiwan allowed mainland Chinese to visit in 2009. "This was not the first time people were involved in such operations and punished with fines and suspensions of licences," said the agent, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter. "I suspect that exposing the case … has something to do with the election and the anti-infiltration bill that [President] Tsai Ing-wen's government wants to pass. After all, if the immigration authorities said they were aware of such irregularities two years ago, why has it taken so long to deal with?" Taiwanese Premier Su Tseng-chang said on Thursday that the island's government was determined to protect the safety and fairness of January 11's presidential and legislative elections. Speaking during a regular cabinet meeting, Su warned that election security was threatened by offshore funds and false information, as well as vote-buying and violence. A justice ministry official said after the meeting that crackdowns on underground foreign exchange operations since July had found inflows worth NT$3.3 billion, mainly from the mainland, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Vietnam. Prosecutors had confiscated or frozen NT$618 million in "criminal income" and placed six of 279 suspects in 66 cases under detention during that period, he said. Tsai has warned of possible interference in the polls by China, which claims that the self-governed island is its territory. ^ top ^
Mainland: '26 measures' don't interfere with Taiwan election (China Daily)
2019-12-12
The favorable measures the mainland issued recently are a timely response to the appeals of Taiwan residents and offer them more opportunities, and they are by no means meant to interfere in the island election, the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council said on Wednesday. Last month, the mainland unveiled preferential policies called "26 measures" aimed at encouraging the development of Taiwan enterprises on the mainland and offering them the same treatment as other businesses. Chen Binhua, deputy head of the economic department of the office, said on Wednesday the measures respond to Taiwan businessmen's expectations, expand the scope of benefits and further promote Taiwan enterprises so that they can participate in the mainland's high-quality development. Chen noted that the new measures closely follow the hot spots of economic development. For example, Taiwan enterprises are allowed to participate in the construction of 5G projects on the mainland. The measures also allow the eligible cross-Straits youth employment and entrepreneurship bases on the mainland to apply for the title of "national science and technology business incubator" and other titles that will give them tax preferences. "Although the mechanism of cross-Straits consultation has been suspended now due to the noncooperative attitude of the island authority, the mainland will never stop promoting cross-Straits cooperation," he said. Zheng Chiping, deputy head of the foreign investment department of the National Development and Reform Commission, said the mainland will encourage local governments to provide further policy support for Taiwan-invested enterprises to expand investment opportunities in accordance with local industrial development plans. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party of Taiwan said recently that by issuing the new measures at the time, the Chinese mainland is trying to interfere in the island's coming election. The leadership election of Taiwan is scheduled for Jan 11. In response, Zhu Fenglian, spokeswoman for the office, denied the assertion. "We never get involved in elections in Taiwan," Zhu said on Wednesday. "We have made thorough investigations and listened extensively to the appeals of the Taiwan compatriots. Let the facts speak for themselves." Zhu said DPP authorities have engaged in political manipulation, inciting hostility between the two sides and restricting and suppressing normal exchanges. "The DPP aims to intimidate and punish Taiwan residents who participate in the cross-Straits exchanges, and seek political gains by doing so, which will not succeed and will not be popular with the people," she added. ^ top ^
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| Economy |
China-Russia trade to reach new high of $110 billion in 2019 (Global Times)
2019-12-12
China-Russia bilateral trade exceeded $100 billion in the first 11 months of this year, and it is expected to exceed $110 billion by year-end, setting a record high, Gao Feng, spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) told a news conference in Beijing on Thursday. As US protectionism has continued to disrupt the global supply chain, the two with steadily increasing bilateral ties are set to cooperate further and are also on track to achieve $200 billion annual bilateral trade by 2024, experts said. In the first 10 months of this year, China's agricultural imports from Russia increased by 12.4 percent year-on-year, and exports of automobiles to Russia increased by 66.7 percent. New trade growth points such as agricultural service trade and high-tech products are constantly emerging, Gao said during the press conference. China and Russia have huge cooperation space in bilateral trade, and the two have been ramping up efforts to optimize each other's trade structure to further unleash that potential as the US-initiated trade war has dampened the global trade system, Wang Yiwei, professor at the School of International Relations at Renmin University of China, told the Global Times on Thursday. Large-scale projects such as the East-route natural gas pipeline are expected to lift bilateral trade to new highs, experts said. China has been Russia's biggest trading partner for nine years, and Russia is China's tenth-largest trading partner. Russia's foreign trade reached $692.6 billion last year, with its trade with China accounting for 15.7 percent, reaching $107.06 billion, a year-on-year increase of 27.1 percent. MOFCOM data showed that in the first 11 months of this year, China's direct investment in Russia increased by 10.7 percent year-on-year, and newly signed investment projects were valued $115.38 billion, five times more than in the previous year. Projects invested in by Chinese companies in the fields of automobile manufacturing and e-commerce also successfully landed in Russia over the period, Gao said. "Apart from the traditional trade products such as commodities and energy products, what the two countries need to do now is to upgrade their trade structure and seek trade in more high-value-added products,??Wang said. Experts said the US sanctions on Russia have also become a strong driver for cooperation between China and Russia. Trade between US and Russia stood at $27 billion this year, the Russian Foreign Ministry has revealed. Washington sees this trade "as an excuse to keep the sanctions in place" according to an RT report. In 2018, the US accounted for a 3.6 percent share in Russia's total foreign trade. ^ top ^
China's hotpot sector continues to thrive (People's Daily)
2019-12-12
China's hotpot sector continues to expand quickly as its revenue is expected to continue to expand, according to a recent forecast. Last year, 875.7 billion yuan was spent on hotpot items, accounting for 20.5 percent of the revenue of the country's catering industry, according to a restaurant industry survey report released by the China Hotel Association this July. Hotpot revenue in China is expected to rise to 960 billion yuan this year and surpass 1 trillion yuan in 2020, said a staff from the Association. This year, over 12,000 new hot pot companies were founded in the country, or an average of more than 30 companies a day, according to Tianyancha, an enterprise data platform. Some hotpot companies were also listed, including China's famous hotpot restaurant Haidilao, listed in Hong Kong in September 2018. The company's revenue in the first half of this year stood at 11.7 billion yuan, up by 59.3 percent year-on-year. During the same period, its net profit increased 41 percent year on year to 911 million yuan. Data from Tianyancha also indicated that Sichuan, Shaanxi and Shandong are the top three provinces in terms of number of hotpot companies in China. ^ top ^
China's pork price jumps 110 per cent, sending consumer inflation rocketing to eight-year high (SCMP)
2019-12-10
A 110.2 per cent increase in the price of pork from a year earlier led to a further rise in China's consumer prices in November, as African swine fever continued to take a toll on the country's pig population, data released on Tuesday showed. The consumer price index (CPI) rose to 4.5 per cent from a year earlier, up from a 3.8 per cent gain in October, the highest reading since reaching the same level in January 2012, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. China's consumer prices have steadily increased all year having stood at 1.9 per cent in January. The highest CPI reading on record was the 8.2 per cent recorded in March 2008 during the global financial crisis. The November increase was above the 4.3 per cent increase expected by analysts in a survey by Bloomberg. China, the world's largest consumer of pork, has been grappling with a massive shortfall in supply due to the African swine fever crisis, which is predicted to wipe out half of China's pig population by the end of this year. With demand shifting to other forms of protein, prices of beef, mutton, chicken, duck and eggs rose by between 11.8 per cent and 25.7 per cent last month from November 2018. "Food inflation continued to climb on the back of disruptions to pork supply caused by African swine fever – pork price inflation inched up from 108 per cent year-on-year to 110 per cent last month. While non-food inflation, inched up slightly, it remains much below 12-month average. Core inflation [which strips out both food and energy prices] inched down slightly," said Julian Evans-Pritchard, senior China economist at Capital Economics. There had been some good news on Monday, with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs confirming that China's pig herd increased by 2 per cent in November compared with the previous month. This was the second consecutive month of a rise in the breeding herd inventory, with sow stocks up 4 per cent on October. "There are signs that pork price inflation may be close to a peak. Pork prices rose only modestly in month-on-month terms last month and China's pig herd expanded for the first time in a year. Easing food inflation and muted demand-side price pressures should strengthen the case for further monetary easing," added Evans-Pritchard. In contrast, the producer price index (PPI), reflecting the prices that factories charge wholesalers for their products, was minus 1.4 per cent year-on-year in November. That was better than October's reading of a minus 1.6 per cent and above the 1.5 per cent increase expected by analysts. Despite the slight improvement, the negative price data still indicates manufacturers are increasingly having to discount their products due to the slowdown in the economy amid the trade war with the United States. "There are few signs of a pickup in demand-side price pressures, as core consumer price inflation and producer price inflation remained broadly unchanged," said Evans-Pritchard. "The contraction in producer price inflation moderated from minus 1.6 per cent year-on-year to minus 1.4 per cent. But in month-on-month terms, PPI turned negative again, falling 0.1 per cent. Higher prices of consumer goods in the PPI basket, one component of which is food, were more than offset by more pronounced declines in the prices of industrial goods." ^ top ^
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| DPRK |
US ambassador says latest North Korea missile tests are 'deeply counterproductive' (SCMP)
2019-12-12
North Korea's ballistic missile tests have been "deeply counterproductive" and risk closing the door on prospects for negotiating peace, US Ambassador Kelly Craft said Wednesday. She told the UN Security Council that the US is "prepared to be flexible" and remains ready to take concrete, parallel steps with North Korea toward an agreement. But "its continued ballistic missile testing is deeply counterproductive to the shared objectives" that US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have discussed at their two summits, Craft said. North Korea has carried out 13 ballistic missile launches since May. "These actions also risk closing the door on this opportunity to find a better way for the future," Craft said. The tests violate Security Council resolutions, she said, as some other council members have previously. She said the US trusts that North Korea will stop "further hostility and threats" and engage with Washington. But if not, she said the Security Council must be "prepared to act accordingly". North Korea was not expected to speak at the meeting. Key ally China called on Washington and Pyongyang to work together to keep tensions from escalating and nurture the rapprochement they had made over the last two years. "Seize the hard-earned opportunity," Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jun said, calling on the two sides "to prevent the dialogue process from derailing or back-pedalling." The meeting came less than three weeks before Kim's end-of-December deadline for the US to come up with new proposals to revive nuclear diplomacy. Negotiations faltered after the US rejected North Korean demands for broad sanctions relief in exchange for a partial surrender of the North's nuclear capabilities at the leaders' second summit last February. North Korea has hinted at lifting its moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile tests if the Trump administration fails to make substantial concessions before the new year. Beyond its slew of ballistic missile launches in recent months, the North on Sunday it said it had performed a "very important test" at its long-range rocket launch site. South Korea's defense minister said Pyongyang tested a rocket engine. He did not elaborate, but there is wide speculation that the test involved a new engine for either a space launch vehicle or a long-range missile. The United States holds the Security Council presidency this month, and some diplomats have been puzzled at its refusal to sign a letter that would have authorised the Security Council to hold a meeting on the human rights situation in North Korea – after it said it would. Without US support, diplomats said European and other countries that wanted the U.N.'s most powerful body to discuss human rights in North Korea were one vote short of the number they needed to go ahead with a meeting. It had been expected Tuesday. Asked about the human rights issue on her way into the meeting, Craft said: "Human rights is every day, for me." The Security Council discussed the human rights situation in North Korea from 2014 through 2017, but skipped 2018. Louis Charbonneau, the UN director for Human Rights Watch, said the US had prevented council scrutiny of North Korea's "abysmal" rights record for a second year in a row, "sending a clear message to Pyongyang and other abusive governments that the US is prepared to look away regarding rights violations" including arbitrary detention, starvation and torture. "Kim Jong-un and other senior North Korean officials will undoubtedly be elated they can duck US criticism of their human rights record once again this year," Charbonneau said. UN. General Assembly resolutions have condemned the human rights situation in North Korea, and its rights record has been sharply criticised by a UN special investigator. The assembly's human rights committee unanimously approved a draft resolution last month condemning North Korea for "ongoing systematic, widespread and gross violations of human rights," including those that a UN commission of inquiry says may amount to crimes against humanity. The 193-member General Assembly is virtually certain to adopt the draft resolution later this month. North Korea's UN ambassador, Kim Song, sent a letter to all Security Council members except the US last week warning that holding a meeting on its human rights would be "another serious provocation" resulting from America's "hostile policy." Kim said a meeting would increase tensions on the Korean peninsula, and the North would "respond strongly to the last." The Europeans called for closed-door council consultations last Wednesday on the North's latest missile test on Nov. 28. The council did not issue any statement, but its five European members and Estonia, which will join the group in January, condemned North Korea's "provocative" ballistic missile launches since May, saying they violate Security Council resolutions and undermine regional and international security. The Europeans again urged North Korea "to engage in good faith in meaningful negotiations with the United States aimed at denuclearisation." Ambassador Kim followed up with a statement Saturday saying that denuclearisation – a key US demand – is off the negotiating table, and that his country does not need to have lengthy talks with the United States. The UN envoy's comments follow other recent North Korean statements indicating that prospects are dim for a resumption of US-North Korea nuclear diplomacy. Trump considers the opening of talks with North Korea a foreign policy achievement, and US officials have indicated he would like to see Kim Jong-un abandon nuclear weapons before the 2020 election. ^ top ^
Chinese envoy urges U.S., DPRK to resume dialogue, engagement (Xinhua)
2019-12-12
A Chinese envoy on Wednesday called on the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to move toward each other and resume dialogue and engagement as soon as possible. Speaking at a Security Council open meeting on the Korean Peninsula, China's Permanent Representative to the UN Zhang Jun said that since the beginning of 2018, there have been positive changes in the situation on the Korean Peninsula and the peninsula issue has been steered back to the right track toward a negotiated solution through dialogue. "Lately the situation on the Korean Peninsula has taken a twist, leading to renewed tensions between the DPRK and the United States, bringing the peninsula's situation to yet another critical juncture," said Zhang. The DPRK has taken a series of positive initiatives on denuclearization, but its legitimate concerns and aspirations in respect of security and development have not been given such attention as is commensurate with its effort, and remain unanswered, said the Chinese ambassador. "This is an important reason behind the current deadlock in dialogue and the tensing up of the situation," he said. Zhang said that in the current context, the top priority is to maintain the international consensus and momentum for a political solution to the peninsula issue, support and urge the United States and the DPRK to move toward each other, and "do everything we can to head off a dramatic reversal of the peninsula's situation." The DPRK and the United States, as the main parties over the peninsula issue, should cherish the hard-won easing of the peninsula's situation achieved through dialogue and work together in a practical effort to achieve the denuclearization of, and lasting peace on, the Korean Peninsula, he added. He said the two parties, especially the United States, should take on board and respect each other's concerns in good faith; genuinely demonstrate flexibility and goodwill; act on the consensus contained in the Singapore Joint Statement, and, by taking the phased and synchronized approach, break the deadlock and resume dialogue and engagement as soon as possible, to prevent the dialogue process from "derailing" or "backpedalling." The international community, in particular the main parties to the peninsula issue, must take an objective and impartial position, act in the service of long-term interests and the greater good and make more efforts that contribute to the relaxation of the situation, to the DPRK-U.S. dialogue and consultation and to the peninsula's political process, so that the peninsula will not be plunged once again into tensions and confrontations, the Chinese envoy said. Denuclearization negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang have stalled since February's second summit in Hanoi between the DPRK's top leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump ended without a deal. The two leaders first met in Singapore in June 2018. ^ top ^
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| Mongolia |
Imports increase by USD53.5 mln against previous month (Montsame)
2019-12-12
In the first 11 months of 2019, Mongolia traded with 150 countries from all over the world and total trade turnover reached USD 12.6 billion, of which USD 7.1 billion were exports and USD 5.6 billion were imports. In November 2019, exports and imports reached to USD 526.9 million and USD 519.3 million, respectively. Compared to the previous month, exports decreased by USD 55.7 million and imports increased by USD 53.5 million. Total foreign trade turnover increased by USD 787.1 (6.6%) million, of which exports increased by USD 574.8 million (8.9%) and imports increased by USD 212.3 million (4.0%) compared to the same period of previous year. In the first 11 months of 2019, foreign trade surplus reached USD 1.5 billion, which increased by USD 362.6 million from USD 1.1 billion in the same period of 2018. In November 2019, foreign trade surplus reached to USD 7.6 million. Compared to the previous month, foreign trade surplus decreased by USD 109.2 million. The 574.8 million increase in exports from the same period of previous year was due to the increases of USD 326.8 million in bituminous coal and USD 199.8 million in gold, unwrought or in semi-manufactured forms exports. The USD 212.3 million increase in imports from the same period of previous year was mainly due to USD 35.9 million increase in mineral products imports, especially, USD 97.5 million increase in diesel imports and USD 208.0 million increase in transport vehicles and its spare parts. Exports of mineral products, textiles and textile articles, natural or cultured stones, precious metals jewelry made up 95.6 percent of total export. On the other hand, 68.5 percent of imports was mineral products, machinery, equipment, electric appliances, transport vehicle and its spare parts and food products. ^ top ^
Parliamentary delegation attending 19th General Assembly of APPCED (Montsame)
2019-12-12
Mongolian parliamentary delegation headed by deputy speaker Ya. Sanjmyatav is attending the 19th General Assembly of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentarians' Conference on Environment and Development (APPCED), taking place in Seoul, the Republic of Korea on December 9-12. The General Assembly has brought together over 60 delegates from 12 countries. During the plenary meeting of the assembly, Mongolian MP and Vice President of the APPCED O. Baasankhuu made a presentation 'Present situation of Mongolian environment' and expressed a stance on matters that countries need to join forces. Mr.Baasankhuu stressed that ecological degradation and environmental pollution issues cannot be resolved if economies are not bolstered and poverty is not reduced. Moreover, deputy speaker Ya.Sanjmyatav met with parliamentary delegates of China and S,Korea, requesting to set up a joint research team to observe origination and frequency of yellow dust and storm caused by the desertification in Mongolian Gobi and steppe and find a solution. ^ top ^
Law on Broadcasting adopted (Montsame)
2019-12-12
On December 12, Parliament approved a bill on Broadcasting, aimed at making clear of media law and legal environment, improving quality of contents and promoting media independence. The Law, which states that broadcasting services include radio and television transmission service, multi-channel transmission services, public radio and television and commercial radio and television, contains articles to regulate broadcasting services, prevent from excessive ownership concentration and ensure ownership transparency. In addition, the broadcasting law regulates a fund for national contents of broadcasting to support domestic creators of contents of kids, heritage, culture and traditions and reflects general criteria of broadcasters and channel transmitters. The law also prohibits to issue special license of radio and television network and broadcasting services for foreign entities.
China's hotpot sector continues to expand quickly as its revenue is expected to continue to expand, according to a recent forecast. Last year, 875.7 billion yuan was spent on hotpot items, accounting for 20.5 percent of the revenue of the country's catering industry, according to a restaurant industry survey report released by the China Hotel Association this July. Hotpot revenue in China is expected to rise to 960 billion yuan this year and surpass 1 trillion yuan in 2020, said a staff from the Association. This year, over 12,000 new hot pot companies were founded in the country, or an average of more than 30 companies a day, according to Tianyancha, an enterprise data platform. Some hotpot companies were also listed, including China's famous hotpot restaurant Haidilao, listed in Hong Kong in September 2018. The company's revenue in the first half of this year stood at 11.7 billion yuan, up by 59.3 percent year-on-year. During the same period, its net profit increased 41 percent year on year to 911 million yuan. Data from Tianyancha also indicated that Sichuan, Shaanxi and Shandong are the top three provinces in terms of number of hotpot companies in China. ^ 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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