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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
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| Switzerland |
Swiss police criticized for overreaction in detaining 8-year-old boy for using Chinese 'spirit money' as euro notes (Global Times)
2020-06-12
The Swiss police were recently criticized for overreaction by netizens after they detained an 8-year-old Swiss boy who asked whether he could use a toy euro note, which is reportedly in fact Chinese "spirit money," in a village shop. The shop owner called the police and an investigation began into "counterfeit money being in circulation," even though the note was clearly identified as being toy money. The police searched the boy's home and seized more "spirit money" of different values. The boy and his 10-year-old brother who also went to the shop had their mug shots taken. His name will be on the police records until May 2032, AFP reported. "A crack team of Swiss police stop a potential worldwide racketeering and money laundering scheme in its tracks. The 8-year-old mastermind has been thwarted," Twitter user Si Anderson commented. "Words fail me. Jobsworth multiplied by jobsworths, resulting in an 8-year-old boy having a police record until 2032," another Twitter user Fardel Bear said. Some assumed the boy was from a Chinese family and questioned whether the police were being racist. "At one point you try to condemn violence, but this is why some people smash and bash the system of racism. My guess is this is a Chinese family and they would never do such a thing to their own if they were white," another netizen Pee Jee commented. "Seriously? An 8-year-old using obvious play money that no one would mistake for real notes. Racism at its best," read a note by Twitter user Winkraine. The "spirit money," usually printed on ordinary paper and with exaggerated face value is usually used as an offering in China at funerals for the dead to use in the afterlife. The tradition has spread to overseas and the notes are called "ancestors money" by some foreign nationals. Some YouTubers even share detailed procedures online about how to present the notes as offerings to deceased ancestors. ^ top ^
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| Foreign Policy |
Xi, Duterte hail China-Philippines 'friendship' amid COVID-19 pandemic (Global Times)
2020-06-12
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday spoke to his Philippine counterpart Rodrigo Duterte on the phone, and the two leaders hailed the friendship between the two countries amid COVID-19 pandemic. President Xi first praised the epidemic prevention and control effort by the Philippine government, saying China will continue to support the Philippines to battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. As prevention and control efforts normalized in both countries, Xi said both sides should work on measures to gradually restore the personnel exchanges and enhance bilateral cooperation in various fields. Xi said China upholds the concept of a community with a shared future and has provided assistance and support within its capability to other countries in need. China hopes to work closely with the Philippine government to support the international society and the World Health Organization in battling COVID-19. Xi said the bilateral relations will be strengthened after the pandemic. Duterte echoed Xi, saying this year marks the 45th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations and that the Philippines will always be Chinese people's friend. Duterte also expressed gratitude to Xi on the assistance provided by the Chinese government in its fight against the virus. The Philippine government will never allow anyone to use it to engage in anti-China activities, he said. The Philippines is committed to continuously deepening the friendship between the peoples of the two countries and hopes to expand exchanges and cooperation with China in various fields, Duterte said. The Philippines is willing to continue to strengthen cooperation with China and the WHO, he said. ^ top ^
China releases human rights report over US failure to handle epidemic (China Daily)
2020-06-12
China on Thursday published a US Human Rights report, revealing deep-rooted problems highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic, as the number of infections in the US surpassed two million and the country has been thrown into chaos by protests. The China Society for Human Rights Studies on Thursday published an article titled "The COVID-19 Pandemic Magnifies the Crisis of 'U.S.-Style Human Rights'." The US government's self-interested, short-sighted, inefficient, and irresponsible response to the pandemic has caused a tragedy in which more than 2 million Americans have become infected with the virus and more than 110,000 have died from it, the article said. It has exposed the long-existing and now deteriorating problems in the US, such as a divisive society, the polarization between the rich and the poor, racial discrimination, and the inadequate protection of the rights and interests of vulnerable groups, the article said. "This has led the American people to grave human rights disasters," it read. However, such a human right disaster has not led to wide criticism from so-called human rights fighters, such as Human Rights Watch, who were most vocal about China's human rights problems, said Zhang Yonghe, professor and executive dean of the Human Rights Institution of Southwest University of Political Science and Law in Chongqing. Zhang said it is their indulgence toward the US that blinded the world about its negligence toward its own human rights problems. "Now, China needs to tear up the cover and show the world how US-style human rights are." The article pointed out that the US government has ignored pandemic warnings, prioritized capital interests and politicized anti-pandemic efforts in its COVID-19 response. It also said the US government has been passing the buck of its missteps in tackling the virus to other countries, sidelining medical experts and using their energy in political battles and infighting between parties. "It is sad and unfortunate that some in the West, notably the US, seem keen to weaponize the pandemic for political pursuits through 'China-bashing,' as they do on human rights," Zhang said. It also pointed out the wide wealth gap and the inequality that exists between wealthy and poor groups, which have been magnified by the pandemic. For example, rich people have access to special channels to get tested, while the poor are not only unable to afford the medical expenses, but have also descended into an existential crisis, as many have lost their jobs during the pandemic. The website of The Atlantic reported in April 2020 that low-income people in the US would usually delay seeing a doctor when they get sick, not because they did not want to recover, but because they had no money. "There will be many diseases and other crisis ahead, and every country needs to decide how to protect human rights and their people in those crises," said Zhang, noting that facts will determine their performance. ^ top ^
China-Germany talks set positive tone for bilateral relation, ignoring US bombast (Global Times)
2020-06-12
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang held a video meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday, during which Li urged both sides to expand two-way opening-up and fully utilize the "fast-track" channel to provide conveniences for enterprise cooperation, work resumption and maintain the stability of the industrial chain. Chinese observers said the meeting set a positive tone that will allow relations between China and Germany to inch toward a new level, as Germany has taken a "pragmatic approach" despite US-led Western-world slander against China. Germany accounts for about 28 percent of EU economy, which means the meeting could pave the way for steady progress on the China-EU bilateral invest treaty (BIT), analysts said. Li pointed out during the meeting that China and Germany should jointly uphold multilateralism and facilitate the liberalization of trade and investment to achieve an economic recovery as concerns over the coronavirus ease. China is on the process of further opening up its market and is willing to offer a sound business environment for foreign companies, Li noted. Merkel also said that her country wants stable relations with China and greater access to the Chinese market for foreign companies, the Associated Press reported. The virtual talks followed a telephone conversation between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Merkel last week. Xi said that China stands ready to work with Germany and the EU to strengthen strategic cooperation, uphold multilateralism, tackle global challenges, and jointly add certainty to the current world of uncertainty, the Xinhua News Agency reported. "China-Germany relations have shown positive signs, as the latter is taking a pragmatic approach and has realized that there is a great deal of room for future bilateral cooperation," Pang Chaoran, an associate research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, told the Global Times on Thursday. The US has been courting and pressing its European allies in an attempt to contain China. But relations between US and EU economies have been strained over the Trump administration's America First policy, creating a sense of urgency among the European bloc on the need to strengthen ties with China, analysts said. China's auto industry is the world's first to recover amid the outbreak of COVID-19, and German automakers have outstanding advantages, making China the target market of Germany, according to Pan. The two countries could also cooperate in other areas in post-virus recovery, such as machinery, chemicals and medicine, where the industrial chains of the two sides complement each other, he noted. On Thursday, two deals between China and Germany were signed and witnessed by Miao Wei, China's minister for Industry and Information Technology and German's Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Peter Altmaier, underscoring the broad sphere of bilateral cooperation that exists amid the COVDI-19 pandemic. Chinese electric automaker JAC signed a cooperation agreement with German automaker Volkswagen, while State Power Investment Corporation signed an agreement with Siemens. China and Germany also arranged for two chartered flights in recent days to bring German executives back to their companies in China. The German Chamber of Commerce in China revealed to the Global Times on Friday that it expects more chartered flights to be arranged. Germany is scheduled to take over the EU's rotating presidency in July. Pan noted that the positive attitude of Germany bodes well for the China-EU BIT, which is expected to be signed this year. ^ top ^
Chinese mainland slams US military aircraft's flight over Taiwan Island (Global Times)
2020-06-12
Chinese mainland authorities on Thursday slammed the US for sending a military transport aircraft over the island of Taiwan, saying that all necessary measures will be taken to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests. The statements came after a US C-40 military transport aircraft on Tuesday morning made a flyover along the west coastline of Taiwan, a move that was "approved," Taiwan's defense authority said on Tuesday. Also on Tuesday morning, a group of Su-30 fighter jets of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) briefly entered the southwestern "airspace" of Taiwan island, according to Taiwan's defense authority. This move is widely interpreted as a counter by the Chinese mainland to the provocative US action. The US action seriously violated international law and basic norms in international relations, and the Chinese side seriously condemns and is resolutely against this, Hua Chunying, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said at a regular press conference. "We urge the US side to abide by the one-China principle and the three joint communiqués between China and the US, and immediately stop this kind of illegal and provocative moves," Hua said, noting that the Chinese side will take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests. The US military aircraft's flight over Taiwan was an illegal and serious provocative act, Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said in a statement on Thursday Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities on the island colluded with foreign forces to violate China's sovereignty and security, actively sabotaged peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits, and brought calamity to safety and the well-being of people on the island, Zhu said. "We solemnly warn DPP authorities, as they should not misjudge the situation, not underestimate the Chinese people's strong will and firm determination to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and should stop the said actions at once," Zhu said. The Chinese Ministry of National Defense or the PLA has not yet released a statement on the incident as of press time. ^ top ^
As China tensions mount, Australia's dovish voices calling for engagement are fading away (SCMP)
2020-06-12
When Australia first proposed an international inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, which would send relations with China to their lowest ebb in years, reaction at home was mixed. Kerry Stokes, one of the country's richest tycoons, used a front page interview in the April 30 edition of the West Australian newspaper he owns to warn against poking "our biggest provider of income in the eye", while mining magnate Andrew Forrest called for any investigation to be delayed. Former foreign ministers Bob Carr and Gareth Evans criticised Canberra for creating unnecessary tensions by turning an otherwise reasonable search for answers into a public spectacle, instead of engaging in quiet diplomacy. In Victoria, meanwhile, state treasurer Tim Pallas accused the federal government of vilifying the country's largest trading partner and leaving local exporters to deal with the inevitable fallout. But as Beijing has continued to ramp up the pressure on key sectors of Australia's economy, voices urging understanding of China's position have all but evaporated from a national conversation that has long been informed by both hawkish and dovish sentiment. After earlier slapping restrictions on imports of Australian beef and barley, Beijing's recent warnings to its citizens against travelling or studying in the country have caused indignation and dismay to the extent that even observers known for their diplomatic views on China have struggled to see the other side. James Laurenceson is the director of the Australia-China Relations Institute, which was set up with a donation by Chinese billionaire real estate developer Xiangmo Huang and continues to receive support from China Construction Bank. He said there were now "next to no voices sympathetic to Beijing's latest salvoes", in contrast to the range of "respected" voices who had argued for engagement with Beijing before the inquiry was proposed. "In being well and truly over the top, it's been a Chinese diplomatic failure of immense proportions," he said. China's Education Ministry on Tuesday warned the country's citizens to "exercise caution" before choosing Australia as a study destination owing to "multiple incidents of discrimination targeting those of Asian descent" related to the coronavirus. This came just days after the Ministry of Culture and Tourism had urged against travel to Australia, citing a "significant increase" in racist attacks. A woman walks past signage for Australian universities in Melbourne's central business district on June 10. Photo: AFP While Beijing's warnings about racism highlight a longstanding issue faced by Asians in Australia, the timing of its statements has been seen as a pretext to enact further economic retaliation over the coronavirus inquiry, after Chinese officials blasted the proposal as a political smear campaign. Asian-Australians have reported a spike in racist incidents amid the coronavirus pandemic, which was first discovered in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Jeffrey Wilson, research director at the Perth USAsia Centre, described what he called "the Australia-China trade war" as "asymmetric", saying every time China introduces sanction "Australia just blinks". "The further that the People's Republic of China accelerates these one sided trade sanctions, the less space is available for pro-engagement voices to call for some kind of 'better engagement'," he said. "Isolated incidents can be explained away, but as the sanctions mount it becomes harder to argue they are not deliberate trade coercion." Beijing last month slapped an 80 per cent tariff on Australian barley and suspended imports from four Australian abattoirs. Although it has insisted the measures were related to inspection and quarantine violations and unfair trade practices, they followed a warning by Chinese Ambassador Cheng Jingye in April that Chinese consumers could boycott Australian products over Canberra's inquiry push. "The mood in Australia has turned against China to the point where people who counsel engagement – notably the mining magnate Andrew Forrest – have actually been called 'traitors,'" said Salvatore Babones, adjunct scholar at the right-leaning Centre for Independent Studies in Sydney. "The harder China pushes, the greater Australian resistance hardens." In unusually direct comments on Thursday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australia would "never be intimidated by threats" or surrender its values in response to "coercion" from China or anywhere else. A sustained drop-off in Chinese visitors and students could deal a potentially devastating blow to Australia's tourism and international education industries, both of which are already reeling from the shutdown of international travel in the wake of the coronavirus. Before the pandemic, about 1.4 million Chinese visited Australia each year, spending some A$12 billion (US$8.3 billion). Chinese students are also the main driver of the country's A$38 billion international education industry, making up about 11 per cent of the entire student population. Australia has banned China's Huawei from involvement in its 5G network. Photo: AFP Sino-Australian relations have been tested in recent years as national security concerns have butted up against economic considerations – leading Canberra, a key US ally, to pass anti-foreign interference laws, ban China's Huawei from its 5G network, and unveil plans to expand its powers to force the sale of foreign-owned businesses where there are security risks. But until now, voices in academia and business urging moderation and engagement had been prominent within the national debate, even amid widespread and growing suspicion of Beijing's intentions. Delia Lin, a senior Chinese Studies lecturer at the University of Melbourne, said China's most recent moves had caused particular shock and disappointment because they were aimed at businesses that have been "actively engaging with and supportive of China". "Some [firms] told me they were shocked and disappointed with the actions that Chinese ministries have taken to defame Australia," Lin said. "These precautionary warnings caught many by surprise. Though this is not the first warning against Australia the Chinese Ministry of Education has issued, the wording is totally different this time and it's aimed at creating a devastating and lasting impact on the international education industry in Australia." Dominic Meagher, a visiting fellow at the Australian National University with 15 years of experience promoting closer ties with China, said there had been a "change in the mood, with Australians less concerned about whether [Beijing] was angry at us or not". "The logic is: if [China] is determined to always be angry at everyone over so many trivial issues, rather than tripping over yourself to not to upset them it's better to just get used to living with their anger," he said. Although Beijing has not acknowledged any link between its travel advisories or trade restrictions and tensions with Australia over the inquiry, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying on Monday said she hoped Australia could work with China "on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, and do things that are conducive to our comprehensive strategic partnership." Mobo Gao, a Chinese-Australian professor at the University of Adelaide, said Australians, including many Chinese-Australians, increasingly viewed the situation as hopeless but, judging from social media, huge numbers of people in China believed Beijing had "tolerated Australia's arrogance for too long". "To them a fight back is overdue," Gao said. "Rightly or wrongly, many Chinese think there is no mutual respect in this relationship." Amid divisions that appear increasingly intractable, observers are holding out little hope for a thaw. "Previously, China may have tried to be more friendly to other countries as it ramped up rhetoric against the US," said Yun Jiang, a former Australian public servant who now serves as director of the China Policy Centre at the Australian National University. "However, China likely sees Australia as firmly in the US camp, so it is unlikely to use the same strategy on Australia now. China's recent actions have also antagonised Australia. That, coupled with popular sentiments on Covid-19, means there is not much popular support in Australia for improving the bilateral relationship." ^ top ^
EU chooses pragmatic approach to China, distances itself from US (Global Times)
2020-06-11
Although the EU's attitude on some China-related issues is influenced by the US, Europe will not blindly follow US moves to oppose China, but will proactively promote the development of China-Europe relations in the post-pandemic era. This was the message that could be got from the 10th round of the China-EU high-level strategic dialogue held on Tuesday via video link. "It is clear that China has a global ambition. But, at the same time, I do not think that China is playing a role that can threaten world peace," EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said at the press conference after the dialogue. He also said that the EU respects the development path chosen by the Chinese people. Obviously, the EU did not echo the US attitude of launching a new cold war against China. As traditional partners of the US, European countries used to rely heavily on the US in terms of diplomacy and security. But now, as China-US relations become tense and the US government is addicted to the "America First" policy, many European countries have stopped following the US and started to seek greater diplomatic autonomy. They have further realized the importance of cooperating with China and maintaining multilateralism. There will be more differences on China-related issues between the attitudes of the EU and the US. For example, the EU followed the US to express its "grave concern" at China's national security law for Hong Kong, but Borrell also emphasized that he does not think that "sanctions are the way to solve problems in China." The EU is trying to distance itself from an aggressive US. Amid intense China-US competition, the EU will not put ideology above national interests, but will rationally weigh its relations with China and the US. "A systemic rival promoting alternative models of governance" - this is how the EU Commission described China in a communiqué released in March 2019. However, Borrell said that the term "systemic rival" is a bit controversial for China. He said "it is clear that we do not have the same political system," adding that China is still badly needed in many international issues. This reflects the EU's pragmatic attitude and its different position from that of the US on governance systems and other ideological issues. The US stubbornly regards China's rise as a threat and attacks the Chinese system, but Borrell's view shows that the EU respects the path chosen by the Chinese people and wishes to deal with global challenges together with China. China welcomes the EU to develop comprehensive and stable relations with it and jointly protect the multilateral world order. The raging COVID-19 pandemic has further proven that the world cannot survive without multilateralism. The choice of the EU as an important pole worldwide is undoubtedly an indicator. ^ top ^
Russia signals it won't lean on China to join nuclear talks with US (SCMP)
2020-06-10
Russia says it will not press China now to join nuclear weapons talks, despite US urging, even as officials from Washington and Moscow prepare to discuss the fate of the last major arms control accord before it expires early next year. "My answer to whether it'd be possible to bring China to the table would be a flat and straightforward no," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Tuesday. "We do not see any Chinese readiness to do so. We do not anticipate that this approach will change any time soon. And we do not intend to use whatever tools in our capacity to change this because it's a sovereign choice of any country." The US and Russia are sending senior officials to Vienna on June 22 for a new round of arms-control talks, but the Trump administration contends Moscow should help bring China into future negotiations to limit all three countries' nuclear weapons stockpiles. Russia is arguing that it would be better to concentrate first on extending the US-Russia New Start treaty before it expires in February. Only then, Ryabkov argued, would it be worthwhile to consider broader nuclear talks with the US, China, Russia and several other nations. Ryabkov, who spoke at an event hosted by the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations, will represent Russia at this month's Vienna meeting with Marshall Billingslea, the US special presidential envoy for arms control. The US insistence that China, with its small but growing nuclear arsenal, participate in future arms accords may lead to a failure to renew or extend New Start, marking the effective end of decades of agreements aimed at limiting the proliferation of nuclear weapons. A key treaty on intermediate-range nuclear missiles collapsed last year after the US quit that accord, accusing Russia of non-compliance. While the US has invited China to the talks in Vienna, its attendance is not a precondition, a senior US official said on Monday. China repeated on Tuesday that it has no intention of taking part. "China has repeatedly stated its position," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a daily news briefing in Beijing. "We have no intention to participate in the so-called trilateral arms control negotiations with the US and Russia. That's consistent and clear." Even a willingness to consider a New Start extension marks a concession by the Trump administration, which had previously rebuffed Russian calls to open such talks. The 10-year-old treaty, the last one capping the nuclear forces of the former Cold War foes, has an option to renew for a further five years with the agreement of both parties. Billingslea, who has been nominated as undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, indicated previously that the US has a list of demands on Russia as well as China for a broader arms control agreement. That would include getting Russia to agree to stricter verification measures along with a major new demand: that any future arms-control regime has to include all nuclear weapons, not just strategic warheads. Trump administration officials have insisted on China joining the talks because they believe that while the country has far fewer nuclear arms than the US and Russia, it is in the middle of what they call a major build-up. "China needs to be a part of this – stop hiding behind the Great Wall of Secrecy," Billingslea wrote in a tweet on May 21. "Seeking great power status means assuming great power responsibility. No secretive, unconstrained nuclear build-up." ^ top ^
Restraint in South China Sea needed against US inflammatory opinions (Global Times)
2020-06-10
Some Western media outlets have launched a new wave of public opinion offensive against China. A CNN report on Monday hyped up a standoff between China and Malaysia in the South China Sea that has lasted more than a month. Even though this was old news and took place earlier this year, CNN criticized China for its "growing aggression" and "forcefulness," which are "partly driven by the global coronavirus pandemic." Malaysia is one of the South China Sea claimants. Compared with countries such as Vietnam and the Philippines, Malaysia has been regarded as a low-profile pragmatist when it comes to the South China Sea issue. The country has played it safe. Policies pursued by Malaysia include: First, the South China Sea dispute is not at the top agenda of dialogues between Beijing and Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia is more willing to take chances of political dialogues to promote pragmatic cooperation with China. Second, oil and gas exploration is a priority for Malaysia's South China Sea policies. Third, the country is not keen on sensationalizing the South China Sea disputes. Large protests trigged by the South China Sea differences are rarely seen in Malaysia. Fourth, Malaysia has taken a positive attitude toward promoting consultations and preventative diplomacy among South China Sea claimants. It has played a relatively proactive role in negotiations regarding the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, and on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea. Thanks to such policies, Malaysia and China have a lot in common to promote pragmatic cooperation and to maintain regional stability. Yet it's noticeable that subtle changes are taking place in Malaysia's South China Sea policies. In December 2019, the country submitted an extended shelf claim in the South China Sea to the UN's Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, seeking to establish the outer limits of its legal continental margin beyond the 200 nautical mile limit. Breaking with past postures, Malaysia has now begun exploration and development of oil and gas in waters near the Wan'an Tan in the Nansha Islands, an area disputed by China, Malaysia and Vietnam. Moreover, Malaysia has become increasingly vigilant toward China for the latter's measures to safeguard its legitimate rights in the South China Sea. However, the changes in Malaysia's South China Sea policies don't mean the country lacks understanding of the complexities and sensitivities of the South China Sea issue. In fact, Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein in April called for peaceful means amid the China-Malaysia standoff, and reaffirmed Malaysia's commitment to peace in the disputed waters. Moreover, China-Malaysia disputes in the South China Sea have attracted public attention. This is directly related to the US and Australian navies' interference in the region, and the influence of US officials, think tanks, and mainstream media. In April, the amphibious assault ships USS America, USS Bunker Hill, and USS Barry sailed with Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Parramatta to conduct combined exercises in the South China Sea. The US and Australian warships intentionally sailed near where the China-Malaysia standoff took place. Meanwhile, US Indo-Pacific Command spokesperson Nicole Schwegman said that their "continued operational presence in the South China Sea" is "to promote freedom of navigation and overflight," and the US "supports the efforts of our allies and partners to determine their own economic interests." In April, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told his Southeast Asian counterparts that China is taking advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to push its so-called territorial ambitions in the South China Sea. He also regarded China's maintaining of stability there as "bullying." Then, US media, such as CNN, reported on the recent China-Malaysia interactions in the South China Sea in an attempt to echo Pompeo's vindictive views. From this perspective, the China-Malaysia dispute has become a heated topic for the US to further attack China. The increasingly intense China-US disputes and major power competition in the South China Sea serve as sober and stern warnings that China, Malaysia and other disputing parties need to remain restrained and be vigilant against inflamed US-led public opinion about the South China Sea. ^ top ^
What lies behind the UK's changing attitude toward China? (Global Times)
2020-06-10
The relationship between China and the UK has seen vital change since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. Media reports have noted that the UK government led by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is clearly changing its attitude toward China. Rising concerns noted that the golden era of China-UK ties may have ended. Among the UK's recent moves, some senior British officials have repeatedly tried to pass the buck to China on issues surrounding COVID-19 prevention. After saying the two countries can't have "business as usual" after the pandemic, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab again tried to raise conflict by repeatedly claiming the UK had a "responsibility" to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region following China's announcement of a new national security law for the city. The Johnson administration has declared it may change its former policy of including Huawei in its 5G network construction at a 35 percent cap. The UK government is also reportedly set to announce new laws to prevent foreign takeovers that would pose risks to the country's national security, and may even halt academic cooperation projects between universities and companies. Such moves are often seen to be targeting China. In 2015, China and the UK sealed a global partnership with a joint declaration on building a global comprehensive strategic partnership for the 21st century. What has since changed in the UK? Domestically, the UK's Conservative and Labour parties have put forward loud voices holding a negative attitude toward China, leading to mounting pressure on Johnson's government. With almost twice the expected number of deaths resulting from COVID-19 in the country, the government may further blame China in a bid to find a scapegoat. As a Five Eyes member, the UK is facing huge pressure from the US. And that pressure is mounting as the US has decided to raise its ill-intentioned crackdown on Huawei. Media reported Johnson's recent decision on Huawei is a signal paving the way for his visit to Washington for the G7 summit. Trade negotiations with the EU have also hit a deadlock, forcing Johnson to move closer to the US. Though the UK has clearly altered its attitude toward China, it is not yet clear whether it has firmly sided with the US in the matter. Former British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, who was in power during the 19th century, once said the country has no permanent friends, no permanent enemies, but only permanent interests. That has remained one of the characteristics of the nation's foreign policy. Though the UK has long said its ties with the US are of a special nature, no one has truly taken such sentiment seriously. The UK previously announced its plans to establish a Global Britain after leaving the EU, reflecting its intention of playing an international role in the world. It has since seen a series of setbacks: a dramatically prolonged Brexit, heated domestic political disputes and the coronavirus pandemic. Under such tense circumstances, it is foreseeable that the UK may again attempt to slide toward the US. But becoming a follower of the US is not in line with the UK's aim for a Global Britain. Given that the UK's foreign policy maintains themes of flexibility and practically upholding the country's interests, China-UK ties will eventually return onto a cooperative track so long as such a shift is in accordance with the UK's national interests. The two sides need to regain mutual political trust after the pandemic and jointly promote the normalization of bilateral relations through practical cooperation in different aspects. ^ top ^
Xi says China-Myanmar ties at key juncture linking past and future (People's Daily)
2020-06-09
Chinese President Xi Jinping said Monday that relations between China and Myanmar now stand at a key juncture that inherits the past and ushers in the future as the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century. In an exchange of congratulatory messages with his Myanmar counterpart, U Win Myint, to celebrate the 70th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties, Xi said he attaches great importance to the development of China-Myanmar relations. Xi said he is ready to work with Win Myint to steer the bilateral relationship forward along the path of building a China-Myanmar community with a shared future and allow the two peoples to be good neighbors, good friends, good partners and good "Paukphaw" forever. He suggested that the two sides enhance bilateral high-level exchanges, consolidate political mutual trust, deepen practical cooperation in various fields, and strengthen coordination and cooperation within multilateral frameworks. ^ top ^
Will HSBC face 'reprisals' in China due to UK's decision on Huawei? (Global Times)
2020-06-09
When HSBC Chairman Mark Tucker reportedly claimed the bank's business could face reprisals in China if the British government were to ban Huawei's equipment from the construction of the country's next-generation 5G telecoms networks, the bank appeared to be sliding into a political rift between China and the UK. The HSBC chairman's warning to Downing Street is farfetched and absurd, and seems more like a political statement than a business comment. It is unprofessional for a financial institution to make such imprudent comments. Whether or not HSBC will face any so-called retaliation in China depends not on what the British government does, but hinges on the bank's own behavior - if it abides by Chinese laws, industry rules and professional ethics. It is true that the Johnson government last week approved plans to seek alternatives to Huawei in its 5G network, which has cast a shadow over China-UK relations which were already strained due to the latter's interference in Hong Kong affairs. But we haven't seen anything to justify China taking countermeasures against HSBC over Huawei's potential 5G block in the UK, especially after HSBC has already come out in support of China's national security legislation for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It is a basic principle that businesses should stay away from political disputes as they have neither the ability nor the experience to handle the resulting situations. That principle applies to HSBC, which has put itself in an awkward position underscoring its lack of political wisdom. The bank is seen by some people in China as being untrustworthy due to its alleged involvement in Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou's arrest in Canada. Indeed, as one of three commercial banks licensed to issue Hong Kong dollar banknotes, HSBC has played an important role in Hong Kong's financial system. But it still should be advised to avoid being labeled a keen political participant. Dragging itself into political spin runs counter to the financial industry's code of conduct, and any such attempt will backfire. Whatever the UK's decision on Huawei, it is unlikely to be the reason for HSBC faces pressure in China, as long as the bank is not involved in political disputes. However, its clients may shun the bank to reduce their risk exposure if they see the bank cannot adhere to business principles. Maybe that's the real "retaliation" HSBC will face for its political involvement. ^ top ^
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Beijing reports new case after more than 50 days (China Daily)
2020-06-12
China's capital Beijing reported a new local confirmed COVID-19 case on Thursday after the city went more than 50 days without reporting a new one. The male patient was found in Beijing's Xicheng district, according to the city government on Thursday. The patient is a Beijing resident surnamed Tang, 52. He went to the hospital alone by bike with a mask on Wednesday afternoon after feeling cold and exhausted. Tang showed no symptoms of cough or chest congestion. His nucleic acid test result was positive, and he was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19, according to Miao Jianhong, deputy head of the Xicheng district. Tang hadn't been out of Beijing in the past two weeks and had no close contact with anyone from other cities. His other two family members are now under concentrated medical observation. Both members have tested negative for the virus. The residential community where Tang lives is now in closed-off management. The district will investigate where Tang has been and conduct sample collections and disinfections at those places. Before Thursday, the capital hadn't reported any new cases for 56 successive days. The city lowered its public health emergency response from the second to the third level on June 6. Pang Xinghuo, deputy director of Beijing's Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said the center will search for the source of infection by collecting respiratory and blood samples of Tang's close contacts. "We will investigate people who came back from overseas or domestic high and middle-risk areas in the past month in Tang's residential community," she said. "The neighboring communities and hotels will also be under investigation for any clues." Pang said the new case is a signal that the risk still exists. She also said people should continue taking social distancing measures and wear masks when necessary. ^ top ^
More flights to resume, says regulator (China Daily)
2020-06-12
China's top aviation regulator said on Wednesday that international flights with some qualified countries are expected to moderately increase in the coming days. Civil Aviation Administration of China spokesman Xiong Jie said at a news conference that the country has eased restrictions on international passenger flights recently, allowing a modest increase in flights from some countries under the conditions of controllable risks and adequate receiving capacities. "The administration is currently in negotiation with related countries on the adjustment of international passenger flights," he said, adding that a moderate increase could be expected in the near future. The qualified countries include those having so far exported few COVID-19 cases to China while maintaining close economic and trade ties with China, as well as those meeting the remote prevention and control requirements to effectively reduce the risk of imported cases, he said. Countries with a large number of overseas Chinese nationals who have a strong demand to return, as well as countries that have established "fast tracks" with China to meet work and production resumption needs, are also qualified under the conditions, he added. So far, China has signed fast track agreements with Germany, South Korea and Singapore, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Xiong also noted that an important prerequisite for increasing international passenger flights is to resolutely contain the risk of imported coronavirus cases. As a result, the administration has a set of risk prevention and control measures, including the recent adoption of a "reward and circuit breaker mechanism" for the carriers to increase or suspend flights in light of their epidemic control work, he added. As an incentive, carriers will be allowed to increase the number of international flights to two per week on one route if the number of passengers who have a positive nucleic acid test on their flights stands at zero for three consecutive weeks, according to the administration. The airline must suspend the operation of the route for one week if the number of passengers who test positive for the novel coronavirus reaches five. If the number exceeds 10, the airline will suspend the flights for four weeks, it said. "For airlines that have effective prevention and control measures in place and meet the requirements, we will make good on this. For those that do not take adequate prevention and control measures and trigger the 'circuit breaker', we will take decisive action," Xiong said. Some airlines have already taken measures in accordance with the administration's requirements by rejecting passengers who have not taken a nucleic acid test for the novel coronavirus, he said. The administration will continue to resume international passenger flights in a safe and orderly manner under the conditions of controllable risks to further meet the needs of stranded Chinese people to return home and to ensure the stability of industrial and supply chains, he added. ^ top ^
Beijing builds regular COVID-19 monitoring system amid concerns of disease rebound in winter (Global Times)
2020-06-12
Beijing is building a regular COVID-19 monitoring system amid other measures to improve its public health system to prepare for a possible rebound of the disease in autumn and winter. In a guideline released on Thursday, the Beijing Health Commission urged hospitals, institutions and health regulators at district level to actively prepare for the prevention of coronavirus and other infectious diseases on a regular basis in the second half of 2020. To minimize the risk of a rebound, the Beijing Health Commission says it will establish a regular COVID-19 monitoring system, which can promptly detect and report COVID-19 and its related cases, and also dynamically grasp the characteristics of a possible outbreak and release early warnings. A standing epidemiological investigation team with 500 members and 3,000 reserve forces will be established. The commission said it also aims to increase and improve the testing ability for COVID-19 and other emerging infectious diseases. The technical training and capacity assessment of testing personnel will be bolstered in order to support the prevention and control of major infectious diseases such as COVID-19. In addition, standards for equipment used in the city's disease prevention and control measures will be established. A comprehensive evaluation index system for the work and capacity of disease control institutions will be also released. As domestically transmitted coronavirus cases are dwindling, the Beijing health authority said it will pay close attention to the international pandemic trend, carry out risk research and assessment, and formulate contingency plans for the prevention and control of imported cases. "As the overseas epidemic has not been contained, China is still faced with the hidden danger and pressure of imported cases in the long term, so we should never take it lightly," Wang Guangfa, a respiratory expert at Peking University First Hospital in Beijing, told the Global Times on Thursday, noting that it is necessary to raise awareness of self-protection while observing governmental guidelines. China reported 11 imported cases in the Chinese mainland on Wednesday, bringing the existing number of imported infections to 61. Yang Zhanqiu, a Wuhan-based virologist, said Beijing's action is scientific and far-reaching, and shows that the government takes a highly responsible attitude to the health of its people. Yang, who is more positive about stopping a new outbreak, noted that there has never been a continuous large-scale epidemic of a single infectious disease in China. He said the possibility of another outbreak this winter and even next spring is very slim, especially with the current efforts being made and previous experience to refer to. The surveillance and prevention of plague, intestinal infectious diseases in summer and respiratory diseases in autumn and winter are also the focus of Beijing's guideline. Influenza vaccine procurement and vaccination services in autumn and winter will be deployed ahead of schedule. Key clusters of people and vulnerable people like the elderly will be given preference for vaccination. Respiratory infectious diseases such as influenza are always prevalent in North China in November. The spread of influenza, which brings similar symptoms as coronavirus, will cause social chaos and panic, as well as interfere with epidemic prevention and control and increase pressure on medical staff, which means preventing and screening influenza is particularly important, said Wang. Cities all over the country, especially those with dense populations and frequent mobility, need to publish a similar guideline to Beijing and make full preparations for people's safety, said Wang. ^ top ^
Chinese President Xi Jinping tries to reassure ethnic minorities they won't be 'left behind' (SCMP)
2020-06-11
Chinese President Xi Jinping has sought to reassure ethnic minorities that they are part of Beijing's "common prosperity" programme during a visit to one of the country's poorest regions. Xi made the remarks on Monday in Wuzhong, in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region – home to the Hui Muslim ethnic minority in the country's northwest, according to state media reports on Wednesday. "Visiting the Jinhuayuan residential community, where people of several ethnic groups live together, Xi said no single ethnic minority group should be left behind in the country's building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects," official news agency Xinhua reported. "It represents the fine tradition of the Chinese nation and the great strength of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics to enable people of all ethnic groups to walk hand in hand into a moderately prosperous society," the president was quoted as saying. President Xi Jinping visits the village of Hongde in Wuzhong on Monday. Photo: Xinhua Xi also talked about poverty alleviation, protecting the environment and clean government while he was in Ningxia – his seventh visit to the provinces this year. He has frequently used regional tours to press local cadres to ensure stability in their areas as China faces an increasingly volatile international environment. The president made similar remarks about ethnic unity last month when he called on the Maonan in the southern Guangxi Zhuang region to keep improving their living standards after they officially rose above the poverty line. A Beijing-based researcher at state-funded think tank the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said while Xi had made the comments to a group of mostly Muslims in Ningxia, it was a broader message intended for other ethnic minorities, including the Uygurs in Xinjiang. "The Maonan ethnic minority only has a population of about 100,000 and they are not well known even in China," said the researcher, who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to the media. "But [Xi's] speech in Ningxia, where there are over 10 million Hui Muslims, will carry more weight." He said Xi's remarks could be seen as an indirect response to Western criticism of Beijing's policies on ethnic minorities. "[This may signal] a gradual shift – from emphasising harsh control to improving community management, job creation and living standards," the researcher said. Leaked state documents describe repressive operations at China's detention camps in Xinjiang Coinciding with Xi's visit to Ningxia, the far western region of Xinjiang – the focus of widespread international criticism, especially from the US, over Beijing's treatment of Uygur Muslims – on Wednesday announced it would train 200,000 skilled construction workers in the next three years. The plan would target workers from poor families in the four prefectures of southern Xinjiang, where the population is predominantly Uygur, according to Xinhua. Surrounded by desert and situated far from China's economic centres, Ningxia is traditionally one of China's poorest regions. In 2019, the landlocked area ranked 21st among China's 31 provinces, municipalities and regions, with an annual average disposable income of 24,412 yuan (US$3,450) – about 35 per cent of that in Shanghai. ^ top ^
Xi stresses ethnic unity, poverty relief (China Daily)
2020-06-10
No ethnic group should be left behind in the country's fight against poverty, President Xi Jinping said on Monday. Xi made the remark when he inspected the Jinhuayuan Community in Wuzhong, a city in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region. "The People's Republic of China is a big socialist family consisting of multiple ethnic groups, which is reflected in your community, a multiethnic community with Hui and Han people as the majority," Xi told the residents. The community is home to more than 13,000 permanent residents, nearly half of whom are from ethnic minority groups. Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said he was glad to see that the community has good experience in maintaining harmonious relations between different ethnic groups. The government will leave no ethnic group behind in the process of eliminating poverty, building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and in the country's drive toward modernization, Xi said. The success of socialism is achieved through hard work and requires the concerted efforts of people of all ethnic groups, Xi said. This is Xi's fourth inspection trip since 1997 to Ningxia, an inland, less-developed region with about 37 percent of its population belonging to the Hui ethnic group. Before visiting the community, Xi inspected the village of Hongde and visited a section of the Yellow River to learn about efforts to advance poverty alleviation and strengthen ecological protection of the river, marking the fourth time Xi has visited the river in less than a year. The village, with a population of 7,013, shook off poverty last year through the development of farming and animal husbandry while providing training to locals to help them secure skilled jobs outside the village. A cardboard packaging workshop was also set up in the village to offer stable local employment. Song Shangchuan, 67, moved from a remote mountainous area to the village in Wuzhong eight years ago amid the government's poverty alleviation efforts. He told China Daily that he got 0.17 hectare of farmland from the government after the relocation. Working at the cardboard packaging workshop, he earns 30 yuan ($4.20) a day, and receives a pension from the government. "General Secretary Xi asked about how we felt after being relocated, and I told him that I think the Party's policies are great. I was so excited at the moment that I did not talk much," he said. Xu Ling, a manager at the workshop, said that it was founded last year to provide employment opportunities to poor, elderly and disabled people in the village. Enjoying a flexible working schedule, the workers earn an average of 600 to 700 yuan per month, and many of them use that income as pocket money for their grandchildren, she said. ^ top ^
Hainan, Greater Bay Area to be mutually supportive (People's Daily)
2020-06-10
China plans a package of preferential policies to build Hainan province into a globally influential and high-quality free trade port, which will serve as a new growth engine for both the nation and the global economy, officials and experts said on Monday. Lin Nianxiu, vice-minister of the National Development and Reform Commission, said at a news conference that the first phase of the government's master plan is to be completed in 2025, with a key focus on liberalization and facilitation of trade and investment. "We will make a big push to boost the free and efficient flow of various production factors and strive to make breakthroughs in around three years, which will lay a solid foundation for the islandwide special customs clearance operation," Lin added. The second phase will focus on further optimizing opening-up policies and institutional arrangements. By 2035, high-level process supervision will be mostly built to achieve free trade and investment, free cross-border capital flows, free and convenient transportation and access for people, and safe and orderly flow of data, according to the mega plan for the Hainan Free Trade Port. "Hainan needs to learn from the advanced experience of internationally renowned free trade ports such as Hong Kong, Singapore and Dubai, converging with high-level economic and trade rules and building an open system with international competitiveness," Lin said. "We will further cooperate with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to ensure long-term prosperity." He noted Hainan differs from Hong Kong in positioning and industry focus, indicating that complementarity outweighs competition. "We must give full play to its advantages in rich natural resources, unique geographical location and the vast hinterland, focusing on developing tourism, modern services and high-tech industries." Cui Weijie, director of the Institute of Industry Development and Strategy under the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, said Hainan resembles many well-known international free trade ports in terms of their high level of openness. "Considering China's large economy and vast hinterland, Hainan needs to develop key industries, build an innovation-driven economy and pay more attention to ecological civilization construction, which will fuel high-quality growth of the entire nation and inject new impetus to global trade and economy." To further enable the free flow of trade and investment, Hainan will introduce measures that center on zero tariffs for the trade of goods in steps and phases. "After the islandwide customs clearance operation in 2025, goods outside the imported taxable commodities catalog will be exempted from import duties," Zou Jiayi, vice-minister of finance, said at the conference. She said Hainan Free Trade Port will establish a zero-tariff negative list and three positive lists, with a key focus on supporting hightech, environmental protection and specialty industries. In the next step, the province will give foreign investors greater access to the financial services field to help vitalize the economy. Pan Gongsheng, vice-governor of the People's Bank of China, said the government will encourage commercial banks and other financial institutions to develop capabilities suitable for an open economy and support global exchanges for energy, shipping and bulk commodities. Zhang Yansheng, chief researcher at China Center for International Economic Exchanges, said Hainan needs to strengthen cooperation with the Greater Bay Area, the land-sea corridor in western China, neighboring Asian countries and countries and regions along the Belt and Road routes. ^ top ^
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| Shanghai |
Shanghai releases tour route to expand influence of international import expo (People's Daily)
2020-06-09
Shanghai on June 7 unveiled a themed tour route that guides tourists around venues of the China International Import Expo (CIIE), in a bid to expand the spillover effects of the CIIE, Chinanews.com reported on June 7. Shanghai officials launch the tour route on June 7. (Photo by the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism) The route links the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), the venue of the expo, Greenland Global Community Trading Hub, Hongqiao Import Commodity Exhibition and Trading Center, as well as major tourist attractions in Qingpu district and the Hongqiao transport hub. It allows guests to not only know more about the event, but also buy commodities from around the world in the city. Along the route, tourists can view Dongyang woodcarving work and Suzhou embroidery screen work, tour venues at the expo and get the chance to appreciate art works from participating countries. At the Greenland Global Community Trading Hub, one of the stops along the route, about 50,000 varieties of import commodities brought by 137 traders from about 50 countries and regions are available. Another stop is the Hongqiao Import Commodity Exhibition and Trading Center, where tourists can purchase imported products. ^ top ^
Shanghai no longer a first entry point for international flights to Beijing (Global Times)
2020-06-09
Shanghai is no longer a first entry point for international flights to Beijing, the civil regulator said on Monday. The note posted on the website of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said that Chengdu, Changsha, Hefei and Lanzhou were added as new first entry points for the capital, with Wuhan added as a standby first entry point. There are 16 entry points for Beijing, including Wuhan, CAAC said. "Adding Wuhan as a standby entry point for Beijing shows Wuhan is safe now," Wang Guangfa, a respiratory expert at Peking University First Hospital, told the Global Times on Monday. Only 300 silent virus carriers have been discovered during a recent city-wide COVID-19 screening in Wuhan, which proves that COVID-19 infection risks in Wuhan have largely decreased, according to Wang. Flights between Wuhan and Beijing will resume on June 9, one round-trip flight per day from Wuhan Tianhe airport to Beijing Daxing International Airport, according to the Wuhan traffic authority. Entry points are intended to disperse passengers for Beijing to prevent and control virus spread during the epidemic. The addition of more cities as entry points for Beijing is aimed at enhancing Beijing's quarantine capacity to ensure the capital's safety during the epidemic prevention and control period, experts said. "The move means that in the coming days, flights which are supposed to land in Beijing will not need to stop at Shanghai first, and it is highly probable Shanghai will begin to welcome more newly resumed international flights," Qin Ling, a market watcher, told the Global Times on Monday. Data from the Shanghai Airport Authority showed that the daily landing and take-off flights in 2019 at Shanghai Pudong International Airport was around 1,400, and 750 for Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport. But the numbers dramatically declined due to the COVID-19, and information provider VariFlight showed on Sunday that two airports in Shanghai had less than 1,500 flights landing and taking off, and most were domestic flights. But the numbers dramatically declined due to the COVID-19, and information provider VariFlight showed on Sunday that two airports in Shanghai had less than 1,500 flights landing and taking off, and most were domestic flights. Wang also noted the increasing epidemic prevention and control pressure Shanghai is facing during its production resumption period. International passenger flow to Shanghai will also surge. Under this circumstance, Shanghai is not suitable to be an entry point for Beijing as it has to deal with its own anti-epidemic pressure. The move came three days after Beijing announced the easing of restrictions on people from Hubei, including Wuhan, to enter the capital. People from Hubei to Beijing do not need to take 14-day quarantine and only need to provide one negative nucleic acid test result after arriving, according to the new policy. The CAAC said international passengers to Beijing can receive epidemic prevention and control checks and go through entry formalities at first entry points. They can continue to fly to Beijing after passing the check. The CAAC noted that policies on first entry points for Beijing will be adjusted according to the epidemic situation. All international flights to Beijing must first travel to one of designated Chinese cities so that passengers can undergo quarantine before they are allowed to enter the capital, to ensure no new cases broke out in Beijing. Beijing has not reported new COVID-19 cases for 53 consecutive days as of Sunday. ^ top ^
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| Xinjiang |
Former Xinjiang official under investigation, anti-corruption bodies say (China Daily)
2020-06-08
Ren Hua, former deputy chairwoman of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, has been placed under investigation for serious violations of discipline and laws, the country's top anti-graft body announced on Monday evening. The Communist Party of China Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission said they are investigating Ren's case. Ren, 56, became chairwoman of the region in January 2018 while still serving as deputy Party chief of the Department of Culture of Xinjiang and deputy director of the CPC Xinjiang regional committee's publicity department. She was also made Party chief of the Department of Education of Xinjiang in August 2018. According to the press release from the regional government's official website, she took part in a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Xinjiang regional People's Congress on May 12. ^ top ^
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| Hongkong |
Ministry opposes US interference in SAR (China Daily)
2020-06-12
China urged the United States to correctly look at the national security legislation for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and stop using it as an excuse to interfere in China's internal affairs, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Wednesday. Hua made the remark after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday called HSBC a "cautionary tale" and warned of businesses' overreliance on China after the bank last week published a photo of its Asia-Pacific CEO Peter Wong signing a petition backing the legislation. "That show of fealty seems to have earned HSBC little respect in Beijing, which continues to use the bank's business in China as political leverage against London," Pompeo said in a statement. Hua, speaking at a regular news conference in Beijing, said: "Hong Kong affairs are purely China's domestic affairs, which allow no foreign interference. We urge the US side to stop sowing discord and stoking fires." She added that Washington should do things that are conducive to Hong Kong's prosperity and stability, instead of the opposite. Hua stressed that the measures to improve the legal framework and enforcement mechanisms for safeguarding national security in the HKSAR are aimed at ensuring lasting prosperity and stability in Hong Kong. ^ top ^
HK police ready to form security team (China Daily)
2020-06-12
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Secretary for Security John Lee Ka-chiu said the city's police force is ready to enforce the proposed national security law once it is enacted, and will form a designated investigation team to carry out the task. During an interview with China Daily on Wednesday, Lee said the team, under the command of Police Commissioner Chris Tang Pingkeung, will "definitely" cooperate with its mainland counterparts in areas of training personnel, collecting intelligence and case analysis. "To the Hong Kong police, this is a relatively new area," Lee said. "There has to be cooperation because it is national security. So, obviously, the enforcement agencies in our country, which know a lot more from the national angle, will of course be working together with our team." The Hong Kong team will visit different jurisdictions to learn methods and procedures used in the specialized area of safeguarding national security, and about tactics enemies use to undermine it, Lee said. Lee declined to disclose the size of the Hong Kong team or say whether it will include law enforcement personnel from the Chinese mainland. On May 28, the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, approved the decision to enact a national security law for Hong Kong. The proposed law proscribes secession, subversion, terrorism and external interference in the affairs of the HKSAR, Lee said, adding that the move will facilitate the city's local legislation under Article 23 of Hong Kong's Basic Law. Article 23 requires the HKSAR to enact laws that prohibit treason, secession, sedition and subversion against the central people's government, or the theft of State secrets. The laws should also prohibit foreign political forces from conducting political activities in the city and prohibit local political organizations from establishing ties with foreign counterparts. The city has failed to enact such laws since returning to China in 1997. After enacting the national security law, the SAR government will accumulate experience in identifying and penalizing crimes related to terrorism, secession and subversion, thus contributing valuable hands-on experience in creating legislation using Article 23, Lee said. Lives to be improved In addition, the city's security chief said, a favorable atmosphere will be built for legislation under Article 23. Hong Kong people will see that their lives are improved after this law, which gives them more protection, is promulgated and enforced. He cited the development of the Chinese mainland after the National Security Law came into force in 2015. The number of US companies on the mainland jumped 41 percent from 2015 to 2018, while an increase of 33 percent was seen in the number of companies from the European Union during the same period. Lee also pointed to the Macao SAR, which implemented its National Security Law in 2009 and has seen its GDP increase two-and-a-half times its pre-enactment size. "People will know that the demonizing misinformation about Article 23 is actually a tactic for some to make political gain," Lee said. "There will be more support locally because people will find that everything is normal, business is as usual, and we are safer than before after we have the national security law. Therefore, why don't we enact laws under Article 23?" While acknowledging that there is still no timetable for Article 23 legislation, Lee said he was optimistic that Hong Kong will follow through on its Basic Law requirement after the national security law is promulgated. "Article 23 will be more rationally and sensibly debated and discussed in Hong Kong, and then the legislation process will be much smoother and more sensible," he said. Lee said all the rights and freedoms Hong Kong residents enjoy under the Basic Law will still be upheld after the proposed national security law is enacted. When national security is guaranteed, Hong Kong can be guaranteed of being protected from interference from external forces, whose interests lie only in their own advantage, Lee added. ^ top ^
China rebukes Pompeo's swipe at HSBC backing national security legislation (China Daily)
2020-06-11
China on Wednesday rebuked U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's remarks on HSBC backing the Hong Kong national security legislation, urging the U.S. side to adopt a correct view and cease "driving a wedge" and "making inflammatory accusations." Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying made the remarks when asked to comment on Pompeo's statement, in which he claimed that the "show of fealty seems to have earned HSBC little respect in Beijing, which continues to use the bank's business in China as political leverage against London." He also said China's browbeating of HSBC should serve as a "cautionary tale," and shows why countries should avoid economic overreliance on China. In response, Hua told a routine press briefing that it is narrow-minded and ludicrous to take people as "being threatened" just because they are not following suit with the United States in attacking China. As "living things can flourish without injuring one another" and "roads can run in parallel without interfering with one another," Hua said that countries, parties and individuals are entitled to make independent judgments based on facts and take actions in line with their own interests. "As we've stated on many occasions, the decision on establishing and improving the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for Hong Kong to safeguard national security and moves to safeguard its long-term stability and prosperity not only serve the fundamental interests of Hong Kong society, but also will help to protect the legitimate rights and interests of institutions and personnel of all countries stationed there," she said. Hua said that, since the decision made by China's National People's Congress, parties including the business community have made fair and objective comments based on facts and according to their own fundamental interests. Hong Kong-related issues are purely matters of China's internal affairs, which brook no foreign interference, Hua said. "We urge the U.S. side to adopt a correct view on the national security legislation for Hong Kong, stop driving a wedge and making inflammatory accusations, cease meddling in China's internal affairs under the pretext of Hong Kong-related issues, and contribute more to Hong Kong's stability and prosperity," Hua added. ^ top ^
Beijing's liaison office held 'unprecedented' round of meetings with senior Hong Kong officials to boost support for national security law (Global Times)
2020-06-11
Beijing's liaison office in Hong Kong privately urged senior local government officials to throw their weight behind the contentious national security law in a series of briefings on an "unprecedented scale", the South China Morning Post has learned. The revelation came as the National People's Congress Standing Committee scheduled a three-day meeting from next Thursday, implying the legislation could be hammered out – or even passed – by the end of next week. The bill, which would outlaw activities of succession, subversion, terrorism and foreign interference in Hong Kong, was not on the official agenda, but Tam Yiu-chung, the city's sole representative to the apex body of the national legislature, said the item "could be added in the last minute". Many of the 36 Hong Kong deputies to the National People's Congress (NPC) would like to sit in the meeting, he added. Luo Huining, director of the liaison office, was not present for most of the meetings, the Post was told. Photo: Bloomberg Several sources told the Post the liaison office had initiated more than a dozen meetings with local officials in the nearly three weeks since Beijing announced the bill. "[They] mainly asked us to openly show support for the law in departments' capacity," said an official, who attended one of the sessions and wished to remain anonymous. "They also explained Beijing's rationale behind imposing such laws and clarified some implementation issues." The mainland agency's effort to garner support was on a scale "not seen in other issues in recent years", according to another veteran government official. In the past, the office would brief specific bureaus on its concerns, but this time ministers and other senior officials – including undersecretaries, political assistants and permanent secretaries – from different bureaus were briefed, sources said. It is understood some sessions lasted only 10 minutes, while others ran for more than an hour. The director of the liaison office, Luo Huining, was not present for most of the meetings. Hong Kong's national security law is like 'anti-virus software', top Beijing official says Another official who met mainland officials said: "There were interactions. We expressed our concerns and raised potential backlashes that might arise during the implementation." At least seven ministers have already publicly backed the law in interviews with local and foreign media, even though their portfolio is not directly related to national security. Secretary for Food and Health Professor Sophia Chan Siu-chee said the law would not harm the city, while environment minister Wong Kam-sing supported the bill on social media. Although the NPC passed the resolution on the bill with just one vote against last month, details of the law remain unknown, including the scope of the offences and the roles of local and mainland law enforcement. Security minister John Lee Ka-chiu told the Post earlier local police were setting up a dedicated unit to enforce the law, which would be ready to function "on the very first day". Former security chief Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, now a lawmaker and an Executive Council member, welcomed the idea, saying Beijing might not need to set up a separate agency in Hong Kong to fulfil the duties if local police could be equipped with enforcement capabilities. Democratic Party lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting says local police will not be trained in time to enforce the law on 'day one'. Photo: Winson Wong "It would be much better for Hong Kong civil servants to be responsible to train its own personnel to enforce the law … [Beijing] said clearly that a new mainland agency is only required if necessary," she said on Wednesday. But Democratic Party lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting said he was "shocked" by Lee's suggestion the dedicated unit would be ready to function on day one, given the absence of information concerning the law. It would take weeks to train officers on how to enforce the complicated legislation which covered severe offences, Lam said, warning hasty implementation could easily lead to abuses. Party colleague James To Kun-sun was not convinced only local officers would be involved, given Beijing's high profile and hardline approach to dealing with new national security plans. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accuses HSBC of siding with China 11 Jun 2020 Meanwhile, two mainland officials, deputy chief of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office Song Zhe and vice-chairman of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee Zhang Yong, attended a seminar in Hong Kong, according to the pro-Beijing group Hong Kong Coalition. Zhang said the standing committee would work very hard to finish drafting the law as soon as possible, and Song reiterated Beijing was determined to finish the process. "Only when national security is safeguarded, can Hong Kong enjoy a stable society with rule of law and a good business environment," Song was quoted as saying. ^ top ^
National security law to end Hong Kong chaos soon (Global Times)
2020-06-10
Civil Human Rights Front, a radical Hong Kong organization, claimed it plans a mass rally on July 1 to protest against the passage of the national security law for Hong Kong. In fact, the turmoil that plagued Hong Kong in the past year has caused serious damage to Hong Kong. The hope that the national security legislation could bring the city out of its predicament has inspired many people. The Hong Kong situation has seen a turning point and no forces can obstruct the formulation, promulgation and implementation of the national security law. Has the past year brought any benefits to ordinary Hongkongers? Who can benefit if Hong Kong continues to be engulfed in turbulence? Hong Kong's pro-West separatists and activists Jimmy Lai Chee-ying and Joshua Wong Chi-fung have been hailed in the West, but who will pay the price for their personal political ambitions? It's believed more and more Hongkongers are unable to gradually figure out the calculation of interests under the chaos of the city. There is still a period of time to go before the national security law is enacted. Activists who betray Hong Kong and the motherland must be very upset. They will try their best to incite as many citizens as possible, young students in particular, and turn them into their "shields" and stir trouble to look for opportunities for their own survival. We hope young Hongkongers won't be fooled and used by them again. Hong Kong is the territory of China. Any "anti-China" attempt in the city will come to a dead end. External powers such as the US issued statements to sanction Hong Kong, but Washington is worried it may also be hurt by the sanctions. It's fair to say China is well prepared for any external intervention. A few extremists in Hong Kong could flee the city, and capital that flows into Hong Kong to make quick money can also have other options. But where can ordinary Hongkongers go? Where can capital rooted in Hong Kong withdraw to? The only choice for the vast majority of Hongkongers is to share the destiny with the city. Hong Kong's business tycoons have expressed their support of the national security legislation with a much firmer stance than they held during last year's violent protests. They have seen the Chinese central government's determination, and believe the country has sufficient ability to stabilize the situation in Hong Kong through the law. And they know that this is the foundation of Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability. The national security law will prevent extreme forces from jeopardizing Hong Kong's order under foreign support and ensure the implementation of the "one country, two systems" principle. Those who say the law will undermine the high degree of autonomy that Hong Kong has been enjoying since 1997 are merely creating confusion and sensationalizing it. Beijing has made it crystal clear that the law targets only very few criminals, not the wider public. It has stressed that the more solid it holds the security bottom line, the more room the "one country, two systems" principle will have. It is believed that this will prove to be true after the law is implemented and the minds of Hongkongers stabilize. China has sovereignty over Hong Kong. The definitions of "one country, two systems" and "a high degree of autonomy" are in the hands of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature. This is the fundamental essence of the rule of law in Hong Kong. Opposition forces as well as the US and UK governments want to give their own definitions, which is sheer defiance of the Basic Law and opposition to the fact that Hong Kong has returned to China. The country is determined to end the farce and consolidate the political and legal basis for Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability. This is the essence of the national security legislation. Hong Kong society must keep pace with the motherland. Hongkongers should be faithful as Chinese, and be rational enough as residents of a developed society ruled by law to build this basis together with their home country. When the situation becomes too perplexed, it is just the right direction to follow the country and the law. ^ top ^
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| Taiwan |
Taiwan overflight 'illegal and provocative' (China Daily)
2020-06-12
The central government strongly condemned a United States military aircraft overflying Taiwan, saying on Thursday it will take "any measures necessary" to safeguard China's sovereignty, security and development interests. It was reported that a US Navy C-40A Clipper passenger transport aircraft flew over Taiwan's western coast on Tuesday. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the overflight is a serious violation of international law and basic norms guiding international relations. "We urge the US to observe the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, and stop such illegal and provocative moves immediately," Hua said. Zhu Fenglian, spokeswoman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said on Thursday the overflight is an illegal act and a serious provocation. The Democratic Progressive Party colluded with outside forces to violate China's sovereignty and security, undermined peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits and harmed the safety and well-being of the people on the island, Zhu said. "We have the resolve, will and ability to resolutely safeguard China's sovereignty, security and development interests," Zhu added, warning the DPP authorities not to miscalculate. In another development, Beijing dismissed a Harvard Medical School study that tracked parking lot volume of hospitals in Wuhan and search query volumes in a discussion of COVID-19 activity, saying the study was "full of loopholes". It is evidence that some people in the US are formulating and spreading disinformation against China, which should be condemned by the international community, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua said on Thursday. The study was submitted to Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard. The academic platform is an open-access depository of academic opinions, instead of a publication subject to strict peer review, Hua said on Thursday. "Does this paper represent the official opinion... of Harvard Medical School?" she asked. Hua hinted that there is doubt as to the objectivity of the research. "One of the authors of the paper is a contributor to the American Broadcasting Company, which made an exclusive report about the paper," she said, adding that the report was done "even before the prerelease of the paper". Also, the volume of search queries for "cough" and "diarrhea", also vital evidence the study put forward, is a weak indicator of when and where COVID-19 broke out. "I am aware that some media outlets in China have done in-depth investigations and found that the increase of the search query volumes for the two terms in September 2019 was smaller than those in the same period of 2017 and 2018," she said. The search query statistics were collected on Baidu, a Chinese search engine. The search engine company posted its own search query figures on its official weibo account on Wednesday and said it is "very far-fetched and not precise to draw a conclusion about the virus from hospital traffic in Wuhan and the search query volume for 'cough' and 'diarrhea'". ^ top ^
PLA Su-30 fighter jets edge near Taiwan as US military aircraft flies through the island (Global Times)
2020-06-10
The island of Taiwan's defense authority said fighter jets of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) approached the island on Tuesday, the day a US military aircraft flew over the island that's bound to further raise cross-Straits tensions following a series of US arms sales to the island, and a US warship transit through the Taiwan Straits. The US warplane's rare flight over Taiwan showed the increasing collaboration between the US military and Taiwan secessionists, and the Chinese mainland's fighter jet sorties and approaches sent them a powerful warning and demonstrated how much the PLA was determined and prepared for war, Chinese mainland experts said on Tuesday. A US C-40 military transport aircraft was identified flying over the west coastline of Taiwan on Tuesday morning, Taiwan media reported, citing the island's defense authority. Taiwan's defense authority later on Tuesday said the US aircraft's flight over the island "was approved and it did not land," Taiwan media reported. Around the same time on Tuesday morning, multiple PLA Su-30 fighter jets on Tuesday morning briefly entered the southwestern "airspace" of Taiwan island, according to a separate report by Taiwan media, also citing the island's defense authority. Song Zhongping, a Chinese mainland military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the PLA's fighter jet sorties and approaches to Taiwan is likely a counter to the provocative move by the US military aircraft. The US C-40's flight was approved by Taiwan's defense authority, and this was a straight-up provocation hatched by the Taiwan and US militaries, signifying the increasing military cooperation between them, Song said, noting that this can also be seen as a de facto joint military drill, indicating the US could lend Taiwan support in a war and give Taiwan secessionists courage to fight the mainland. Beijing-based military expert Wei Dongxu told the Global Times on Tuesday that the deployment of the Su-30 fighter jets amid the US operation showed the PLA is always on high combat alert, and it can react very fast when intruders approach Taiwan. The PLA is capable of covering the entire Taiwan and nearby airspace, and weave dense defense positions, and US aircraft could be identified and locked on by PLA fighter jets, Wei said. Wei noted that the Su-30 is fighter jet with long endurance, advanced radar systems and can carry medium-range air-to-air missile that can shoot down targets from afar. Sending the Su-30s also showed the PLA's capability to seize air superiority. The US has been frequently interacting with the island of Taiwan since Tsai Ing-wen was reelected as the island's regional leader and made her "inaugural speech" on May 20. On that day, the US State Department approved the sale of 18 MK-48 Mod6 advanced technology heavy weight torpedoes and related equipment for an estimated $180 million to the island. Soon after, Taiwan's defense authority said it is procuring land-based Harpoon missiles from the US. US Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Russell on Thursday made a transit through the Taiwan Straits in the seventh such passage in 2020, Taiwan media reported. Song said that the latest PLA Su-30 sorties were also required by the demands of enhancing war preparedness in a potential military conflict in the Taiwan Straits as tensions rise. PLA aircraft usually exercise restraints when conducting missions related to Taiwan, like flying on the Chinese mainland side of the "middle line" of the Straits. But this time, they flew to the southwestern "airspace" of the island, which showed the determination and capability of the PLA, and this will become more frequent and routine, Song said. Prior to the Su-30 sorties, the PLA also frequently sent warplanes, including H-6 bombers, KJ-500 early warning aircraft and J-11 fighter jets near Taiwan this year in missions, with some also featured warships. The PLA recently has also been holding intensive landing and naval drills including some featuring amphibious tanks storming the beaches and civilian ships transporting tanks and armored vehicles across the sea, which experts say sends a warning to Taiwan secessionists. Wu Qian, a spokesperson for the PLA and People's Armed Police Force delegation to the 3rd session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), told media on the sidelines of the NPC session in May that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, and that the Taiwan question is China's internal affair, and China will not accept any foreign interference. China will not allow anyone, any organization or political party to separate any part of Chinese territory from the nation at any time, in any way. The PLA has the firm will, full confidence and enough capability to thwart any kind of secessionist attempt by foreign forces, and will take any necessary measures to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity and maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits, Wu said. ^ top ^
China will precisely retaliate against Czech Republic Senate speaker who plans to visit Taiwan (Global Times)
2020-06-10
The speaker of the Czech Republic's Senate announced on Tuesday that he will visit China's Taiwan, a move which shows support for the separatist Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities on the island, despite warnings from the Chinese mainland and a recommendation from his own government that he not take the trip. Analysts said China's retaliation should precisely hit politicians who provoke China's sovereignty and avoid harming innocent Czech companies in China. According to the Associated Press (AP), Milos Vystrcil said he would be accompanied by a business delegation on his visit, which is tentatively scheduled to begin on August 30. Vystrcil said he was also planning to meet Taiwan's regional leaders, but didn't immediately give details. Vystrcil's predecessor in the post, Jaroslav Kubera, was planning to travel to Taiwan before he died in January. His plans angered Czech President Milos Zeman who respects the one-China principle and paid efforts to build friendly ties with China. The DPP authorities have spent a lot of resources on making trouble regarding China-Czech ties and divide the relationship between the Czech Republic government and the Senate in recent years citing different excuses. The separatist authorities expressed their "welcome" to the plan made by Vystrcil, and said that the trip "will advance cooperation and interactions between Taiwan and the Czech Republic in economic, technological, medical, tourism, and cultural areas." The Chinese mainland has actually allowed economies and countries around the globe to have non-official ties which include normal trade and cultural exchanges before the realization of reunification, but the mainland firmly opposes any country building formal diplomatic ties and even military cooperation with the island, as these moves will harm China's sovereignty and are against the one-China principle that is respected by most countries around the globe and the UN. Therefore a visit conducted by the speaker of the senate to the island is truly provoking China's bottom-line regarding sovereignty matters, and if Vystrcil just wants to boost trade and cultural exchanges with the island, it is totally unnecessary for him to have such a plan to provoke the mainland, said Chinese analysts. "The People's Republic of China believes it has a right to tell us what to do," Vystrcil said. He said the Czech Republic will benefit from his trip to the island, according to the AP. A Beijing-based expert on Taiwan affairs who requested anonymity said that Taiwan is definitely China's domestic affairs, and Czech politicians like Vystrcil are rudely imposing interference over China's internal affairs, but they still dare to accuse China of interference in the Czech Republic's "internal affairs" while Beijing expressed reasonable opposition and anger over their acts to support separatism in Taiwan. This is truly "gangster logic" and China will surely retaliate against Vystrcil's moves as there is no room for China to tolerate provocations regarding its sovereignty, he noted. The AP reported that the government of the Czech Republic also suggested Vystrcil not take the trip. However, due to the government and the senate of the country displaying a different attitude on the matter, some Chinese analysts said that China's retaliation could precisely hit the politicians who provoke China's sovereignty and avoid harming the Czech companies in China if they do nothing wrong. ^ top ^
Beijing won't rely on KMT for realizing reunification with Taiwan following 'mayor' recall drama: analysts (Global Times)
2020-06-09
Former Kuomintang (KMT) candidate for the 2020 Taiwan leadership election lost the unprecedented vote recalling him as "mayor" of Kaohsiung city, a southern port city of the Taiwan island as Taiwan's pro-reunification political party lost again in its political struggle against the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DDP) with its anti-mainland and separatist stance. The Chinese mainland public are not paying much attention to the incident as they have become convinced in recent years that they cannot rely on the KMT for Taiwan reunification as the party increasingly wavers on reunification and fails to contain separatism on the island, said the mainland analysts, adding that with a worsening economy and deteriorating cross-Straits ties, Taiwan's tragic situation would continue, and only the strength of the mainland and the determination of whole Chinese nation could be relied on for realizing reunification. Han Kuo-yu, "mayor" of Kaohsiung and also KMT candidate for the island's leadership election who lost to the separatist DPP leader Tsai Ing-wen in January 2020, will be released from the office before June 12, as about 939,000 people voted in favor of the recall, according to the city's election commission, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Saturday. Li Xiaobing, a Taiwan affairs expert at Nankai University in Tianjin, told the Global Times that this was "a very strange election system" as the candidate needs to get more than 50 percent of the votes to be elected "mayor," but to recall him from office requires no more than 25 percent of the votes. More than 2.77 million people resided in Kaohsiung, according to the latest official data. The incident didn't attract too much attention from the mainland and the mainland authority in charge of Taiwan affairs made no comment as of Sunday. US media like the New York Times and Wall Street Journal took the ouster as a symbol that the people of the island were throwing the mainland-friendly mayor or pro-mainland mayor out of office. But mainland analysts said that was not the case, as the mainland didn't attach too much importance to Han and the KMT and it would not impact reunification progress at all. They noted that "most mainland people" were not interested in the political struggle and endless farces on the island, and although mainland people strongly support reunification, they would not be disappointed by any defeat of the KMT by the DPP as they were losing faith in the KMT from its wavering and uncertainty on reunification. "In the past, KMT politicians only want to get benefits from the mainland by using the old key passphrase '1992 Consensus,' and the mainland also would like to offer since we still got faith on the KMT, but since the KMT has failed to contain the separatism in past decade and refuse to negotiate the reunification with mainland, many people in the mainland have found the KMT is not as valuable as before," said a Beijing-based anonymous expert on Taiwan affairs. The mainland authorities have also realized the facts and are pushing reunification more actively now regardless, with or without cooperation from the KMT, observers believed. When Chiang Chi-chen was elected chairman of the KMT in March, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, did not send a congratulation letter to Chiang. This was the first time since 2005 that the general secretary of the CPC Central Committee didn't congratulate the elected KMT chairman. The mainland experts said the reason could be the mainland has found the KMT growing more "localized and pro-US" instead of maintaining mutual trust with the Chinese mainland to promote cross-Straits exchanges and keep the region peaceful. "According to the case studies in the history, reunifications between the mainland and Taiwan have never relied on the forces inside the island through any kind of peaceful negotiation, it was always unilaterally realized by the mainland with overwhelming strength and comprehensive advantage. So there is nothing that needs to be worried or disappointed, since they (KMT) are not reliable anymore," the Beijing-based anonymous expert said. Many Taiwan residents who supported Han questioned the legitimacy of the recall online since they believe the ruling party DPP is inciting the anti-mainland and separatist sentiment to clean its political rivals and regain power from the city. And Chinese mainland experts noted there were suspicious incidents indicating that the DPP was trying hard to cover its scandals in Kaohsiung by pushing the recall, including the death of the city council speaker. Kaohsiung City KMT Council Speaker Hsu Kun-yuan, who strongly supported Han during the mayoral election in 2018, jumped from his apartment Saturday evening two hours after Mayor Han admitted defeated in a recall election, Taiwan News reported. The DPP has controlled the southern city of the island for decades since Taiwan started to embrace Western multi-party system in 1980s, and experts noted that Han's victory in 2018 showed that the locals were tired of DPP rule and hoped Han could bring new changes to solve long-standing problems including bringing new economic opportunities to the city as the KMT had better ties with the mainland due to its anti-separatism stance. However, when the KMT ruled the city, Han and other KMT officials launched investigation into many cases of the DPP which were reported by the locals and posed a "very significant threat to the DPP leaders," Li said. "So it is totally reasonable to question ifHsu really committed suicide or if his death was connected to DPP scandals uncovered in Kaohsiung?" Song Luzheng, a Taiwan affairs expert at Fudan University in Shanghai, said without principle and consensus in society, the two-party or multi-party Western democratic system can only transform into endless struggles and "democracy" was just a weapon for the political parties to attack each other. "Now in Taiwan, 'democracy' can even kill people," Song said. Li said if there was anything that the people from the mainland can take from the incident, that would be they were more certain that Taiwan's practice of a Western multi-party system democracy has failed and this was the tragedy of the island, as always. Song told the Global Times Sunday that "the only way out for Taiwan to get rid of the tragedy is the reunification. In 2019, the GDP of Fujian Province has surpassed Taiwan, and the latter is getting worse and worse in terms of people's livelihood and economy. "Due to Taiwan's political system and the worsening ties with the mainland, the reunification is the key to solving these problems," Song said. ^ top ^
Taiwan's Tsai Ing-wen calls for reconciliation after mayoral recall vote, politician's death (SCMP)
2020-06-08
Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen has appealed for opposing factions on the self-ruled island to reconcile their differences following the removal of her former opponent Han Kuo-yu as mayor of Kaohsiung and the death of one of his allies. Han lost his position in the southern port city in an unprecedented recall vote on Saturday. "More than 900,000 Kaohsiung residents made a collective decision and took Taiwan's democracy a step forward," Tsai said on Facebook late on Saturday. "The result should be a warning to all politicians that the people can bestow power and can take it back. Now that the recall election is over, it is time for reconciliation in the country." She also promised to support Kaohsiung's development, regardless of who was elected as its next mayor. Han Kuo-yu was defeated by Tsai Ing-wen in the presidential election in January and has now been ousted as mayor of Kaohsiung. Photo: AP Tsai's appeal came after Han, who challenged her in January's presidential election, on Saturday accused her and her government of using unreasonable tactics to oust him. The 62-year-old, from the mainland-friendly Kuomintang (KMT) party, was unseated after more than 42 per cent of the city's 2.3 million eligible voters – well above the 570,000 required to oust him – approved his removal. Expressing regret and calling the recall motion "unfair and unjust", Han, who advocates the peaceful unification of Taiwan and the mainland, said that since the re-election of Tsai's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in January, he had faced constant mudslinging from the "national team", which had "mobilised all its resources and supporters" to ensure his ouster. He was referring to an order made by Tsai at a DPP meeting held three days before the Kaohsiung vote to encourage as many people as possible to support the recall motion. Two hours after Han conceded defeat, his friend and city council speaker Hsu Kun-yuan fell to his death from his 17th floor flat. Hundreds of Hsu's supporters and members of the public laid flowers at a temporary shrine set up at the Kaohsiung Municipal Funeral Parlour. Han and KMT chairman Johnny Chiang expressed their shock at Hsu's death. "The recall vote is now officially over and we should all move on because politics is not the only issue in Taiwan society," Chiang said after paying his condolences to Hsu's family in Kaohsiung on Sunday. Han appealed to his supporters to act rationally, saying politics was short-lived and that moving on with life was more important. Politicians and observers said Han's removal and Hsu's death would not only be a double blow to the KMT, but also intensify the political divide between Taiwan's independence-leaning and mainland-friendly camps. "The recall vote was like an asymmetrical war, with the governing authorities mobilising all resources and news media power to strike against Han," KMT legislator Yeh Yu-lan said on Sunday, adding that supporters of Han and Hsu would blame the government for its actions. Michael You Ying-lung, chairman of the pro-independence Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation, said the biggest problem for Han was not that he broke his promise to remain in Kaohsiung by running for president but "because he stole the 'democratic sacred land of Kaohsiung' away from the DPP, which had seriously shamed the party". The recall motion was initiated by the civic group WeCare Kaohsiung, which was set by pro-independence activists who accused Han of failing to keep his promise and abandoning the city, which is known as a pro-independence stronghold. Han won a landslide victory in the city's mayoral poll in late 2018, causing embarrassment to the DPP, which had controlled the city for two decades. Liao Da-chi, a political-science professor at National Sun Yat-sen University in Kaohsiung, said the outcome was more about political manoeuvring rather than Han's failings. "I am afraid that the political confrontations will intensify," she said, adding that Han supporters might seek revenge by initiating a recall motion against Tsai. Huang Ching-ping, a KMT city councillor in Taoyuan, said that Han's ouster and Hsu's death would weaken the KMT's political power. "The party had hoped to use its control in Kaohsiung to increase its influence in southern Taiwan, but with Han's removal, it is left with Yunlin county and Chiayi city in the south, meaning it will have a difficult battle in the 2022 local government elections," he said. "Do we have candidates good enough to challenge the DPP's nominees?" he said, adding that it could take the KMT 20 years to win back Kaohsiung. Under Taiwanese law, Han is required to step down in a week's time and a by-election will be held on September 12. If you are having suicidal thoughts, or you know someone who is, help is available. For Hong Kong, dial +852 2896 0000 for The Samaritans or +852 2382 0000 for Suicide Prevention Services. In the US, call The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on +1 800 273 8255. For a list of other nations' helplines, see this page. ^ top ^
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| Economy |
More funding sources beckon smaller firms (China Daily)
2020-06-10
China will strive to provide more funding sources for small businesses and look to lower the financing costs via financial bonds for micro and small enterprises. During the first five months of this year, 23 commercial banks issued 275.28 billion yuan ($38.9 billion) of financial bonds for micro and small enterprises. Most of the bonds have a three-year term and their coupon rates vary from 1.99 percent to 4 percent, according to Wind, a financial data provider in China. Funds raised from such bonds are exclusively used for lending to micro and small businesses. Medium to small-sized banks are usually the main issuers of such bonds. During the first five months of this year, 16 of the issuers were city and rural commercial lenders. Compared with last year, more national joint-stock commercial banks and even large State-owned commercial banks have actively participated in the issuance of such bonds, as the government has urged large banks to step up lending to small businesses. Premier Li Keqiang said in the Government Work Report that large commercial banks should increase inclusive finance lending to micro and small businesses by more than 40 percent this year. Agricultural Bank of China Ltd and Bank of China Ltd, two large State-owned commercial lenders, issued 20 billion yuan and 10 billion yuan worth of three-year financial bonds respectively for micro and small enterprises during the first five months of this year at coupon rates of 1.99 percent and 2.65 percent. The funds raised by Agricultural Bank of China will be used for lending to small businesses in Hubei province and other regions that suffered due to the novel coronavirus outbreak. Industrial Bank Co Ltd, a Fuzhou-headquartered national joint-stock commercial lender, issued altogether 57 billion yuan of financial bonds for small businesses in the first five months. It will use the funds raised to support work resumption and production at small businesses. Banks' issuance of financial bonds targeting micro and small enterprises increased significantly from the same period of last year when 12 banks issued 88.5 billion yuan of such bonds. The State Council said in a meeting on March 31 that the government will support financial institutions in the issuance of 300 billion yuan of financial bonds targeting micro and small enterprises. By issuing this type of bonds, banks will serve as bridges between small businesses and capital markets, further expand the sources of funding for micro and small enterprises, and improve diversified mechanisms for small business financing, bankers and analysts said. "The issuance of financial bonds is a way for small and medium-sized banks to seek funding sources. It will reduce the cost of debt for small and medium-sized banks, as interest rates are lower than before in the bond market, and will effectively lower financing costs of micro and small businesses," said Wen Bin, chief analyst at China Minsheng Banking Corp. Wen highlighted the need for financial institutions to have a countercyclical mindset. "When the times get tough, banks should not simply reduce lending to businesses, collect debt in advance or stop lending, for their asset quality will get even worse if their clients' risks increase more rapidly due to a shortage of funds," he said. Risk exposure of micro and small enterprises has heightened because of the pandemic and the economic downturn. Xiao Yuanqi, chief risk officer of the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, said on April 22 the current nonperforming loan ratio of banks in China was 2.04 percent, up 0.06 percentage point from the beginning of this year. In particular, the NPL ratio of small businesses that were severely affected by the pandemic increased more rapidly than other businesses. It is estimated that the NPL ratio will continue to rise in the second quarter but regulators do not expect to see a large increase, for the government is carrying out work and production resumption in an orderly manner and has taken a number of hedging measures to mitigate risks, Xiao said. ^ top ^
China to establish special transfer payment mechanism for fiscal funds (People's Daily)
2020-06-10
China will set up a special transfer payment mechanism to ensure that fiscal funds can directly benefit businesses and people, according to a State Council executive meeting Tuesday. Under the mechanism, the country will increase transfer payments from the central government to local governments, and arrange transfer payments from government-managed funds, said a decision adopted at the meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang. The mechanism will be in place to ensure that funds go straight to prefecture and county governments in a timely manner, the decision said. China has decided to cut taxes and fees by another 2.5 trillion yuan (about 354 billion U.S. dollars) for enterprises this year. As the move might put local governments under financial strain, the country will grant a total of 2 trillion yuan of fiscal funds to ensure the implementation of these supportive measures at the primary level. ^ top ^
China's exports see recovery (People's Daily)
2020-06-10
A China-Europe freight train fully loaded with 41 carriages of clothes, footwear, hats, mechanical equipment, plastic granulate, and anti-epidemic medical supplies recently departed from Xinzhu Station of Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi province, for Hamburg, Germany. With the help of multimodal transport, the Chinese commodities have eventually entered a vast market in Europe. China has made all-out efforts to recover its exports amid the continuous efforts to prevent and control the COVID-19 disease, by introducing a series of preferential policies and encouraging its enterprises to explore new markets. Thanks to these measures, China's trade in goods has begun to recover. In April, the value of exported goods totaled 1.41 trillion yuan ($199.1 billion), up by 8.2 percent on a yearly basis, while that in May rose 1.4 percent year on year to 1.46 trillion yuan, according to the General Administration of Customs (GAC). These figures stand as a contrast to the drop in the data in the first quarter of the year. The rebound demonstrates that the fundamentals of China's foreign trade remain unchanged. Qingdao Sanshuo Health Industry Development Co., Ltd., a sporting goods company in east China's Shandong province, has fully recovered production. The company has attracted many new European customers since April, and seen its orders signed till July, according to Yang Liyun, director of the international department of the company. In the medium and long term, the fundamentals sustaining the sound development of China's foreign trade remain unchanged. Since the beginning of this year, all local governments and relevant departments rolled out measures to facilitate resumption of production and work, in a bid to secure foreign trade. A total of 297,000 enterprises across the country had import or export activities in March, an increase of 53.4 percent compared to February, says the GAC. The recovery in exports also signaled the improvement in the competitiveness of the companies. "We have almost worked overtime every day since resumption of work," said Pan Yanjun, president of Dingkang Science and Technology Co., Ltd. in east China's Zhejiang province. Pan thinks the success of securing orders can be largely attributed to the company's efforts in innovation, research and development. Through the continuous efforts in developing intelligent applications, the company aims to expand its presence in the market. In recent years, China's foreign trade companies have worked faster to bring in talents, upgrade technology and develop new products, gaining an edge over their international competitors. Amid the ongoing efforts of epidemic prevention, foreign trade companies accelerated their pace of upgrading and improvement to better ward off risks in the market. According to GAC statistics, export of electro-mechanical products in the first five months of the year registered 3.64 trillion yuan, among which the export of automatic data processing equipment and its components increased 1.8 percent year on year to 508.61 billion yuan. The sound momentum in export also arises from the strong support the strategy of market diversification offers for export. A few days ago, more than ten tons of pesticides produced by Hebei Veyong Bio-Chemical Co., Ltd in north China's Hebei province were transported to the port city Shanghai. The pesticides, whose final destination is Pakistan, would help the country cope with its locust plague. "Standing at $24 million, our export in the first quarter of the year increased 16 percent year on year," introduced Yang Jianhui, deputy manager of the international department of the company. Chinese foreign trade companies have diversified their export markets and explored emerging markets such as countries along the Belt and Road, seeing more exciting opportunities for foreign trade. The value of imports and exports between China and countries and regions along the Belt and Road in the first four months of the year reached 2.76 trillion yuan, representing a year-on-year increase of 0.9 percent. In the foreseeable future, China's foreign trade still faces severe challenges of shrinking international markets and disrupted industrial and supply chains. That being said, Chinese enterprises have strong resilience and huge potential, as they have weathered the hardships in the international markets. In general, China's export firms have an acute sense of innovation, stable industrial and supply chains, and made remarkable progress in exploring emerging markets. Besides, policies to ensure stable foreign trade are being implemented and bearing fruits. All these have created conditions for further recovery of China's foreign trade. ^ top ^
China's CPI up 2.4 pct in May (Xinhua)
2020-06-10
China's consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, rose 2.4 percent year on year in May, the National Bureau of Statistics said Wednesday. The rate eased from the 3.3-percent growth in April. ^ top ^
China's exports up, imports down in May (People's Daily)
2020-06-08
China's exports rose by 1.4 percent year on year in yuan terms to 1.46 trillion yuan (about 205.74 billion U.S. dollars) in May, official data showed on Sunday. Imports fell by 12.7 percent to 1.01 trillion yuan last month, resulting in a trade surplus of 442.75 billion yuan, the General Administration of Customs (GAC) said. Foreign trade of goods decreased by 4.9 percent year on year in May to 2.47 trillion yuan. In the first five months, foreign trade of goods dropped by 4.9 percent year on year to 11.54 trillion yuan, maintaining the same level of decrease during the January-April period. During the January-May period, ASEAN remained as China's largest trading partner with trade up by 4.2 percent year on year to 1.7 trillion yuan, accounting for 14.7 percent of China's total foreign trade. Trade with the European Union, the United States and Japan decreased during the period, GAC data showed. During the same period, the foreign trade volume of private enterprises expanded by 1.8 percent to 5.11 trillion yuan, accounting for 44.3 percent of China's total foreign trade volumes, up by 2.9 percentage points from the same period last year. General trade, which represents a longer production chain and higher added-value as the key indicator of a country's foreign trade competence, decreased by 4.7 percent year on year in the first five months. However, it accounted for 59.9 percent of the country's total trade, 0.1 percentage points higher over one year ago. Noting that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought shockwaves to global trade, experts say it is crucial for China to strengthen the implementation of measures to stabilize foreign trade. ^ top ^
China's state-owned firms remain barrier to EU investment deal (SCMP)
2020-06-08
Investment treaty talks between China and the European Union are entering their final phase, but issues such as the role of state-owned enterprises and the hefty subsidies they enjoy remain major stumbling blocks. Both sides view the investment deal, formally known as the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment, as a landmark in bilateral relations. It would also carry additional significance in bolstering the global economy that has been hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. An annual summit co-chaired by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and EU leaders, which had been scheduled for the end of March, is now expected to be held remotely in the third week of this month with both sides keen to make progress, a European diplomatic source said. But EU officials have said state subsidies and businesses are key topics in the talks and have called on China to do more to meet the end-of-year deadline for concluding negotiations. The last round of talks, the 29th, finished at the end of May with no signs of a breakthrough on state-owned enterprises and other thorny issues, although progress was made on the issue of sustainable development. "The investment negotiations focused on market access, including sector specific market access asks, and on disciplines related to investment liberalisation and level playing field, notably, the rules for state-owned enterprises and reinforced disciplines tackling forced technology transfers," the European Commission said in a statement released on May 29. The investment treaty negotiations stalled last year because Beijing prioritised talks with the US to end the trade war. While they started to regain momentum late last year, the Covid-19 pandemic put a stop to travel and face-to-face meetings, slowing down the process. Time to reach a deal by the end of the year is running out, but European officials remain reluctant to settle for a less substantial deal. The role of state firms and government subsidies in the Chinese economy are a long-standing grievance of foreign investors and the US failed to reach agreement on the issue in the interim trade deal it signed in January. Beijing is about to unveil a three-year action plan to reform state-owned enterprises. However, the reform process has long been criticised as sluggish and the role of state-owned enterprises has risen in recent years, especially now when Beijing is relying on state firms as a buffer to stabilise employment in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. A Chinese source said state-owned enterprises have enjoyed too many favours and reaching any meaningful compromise would be difficult. "There is a lack of transparency in terms of subsidies and the government has not fully implementedplans to treat state firms and private and foreign companies equally," the source added. Cui Hongjian, from the China Institute of International Studies, said the issue "is not a simple economic decision, but involves political considerations". "It will be a political decision whether it will be a compromise deal or a comprehensive but tough one," he said. Zhang Ming, China's envoy to the bloc, said at the end of last month that Beijing was serious about the agreement and called on Brussels to remain flexible and pragmatic in the negotiations. "We hope our EU partners will meet us halfway," he said. ^ top ^
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ROK to file legal complaint against civic groups sending anti-DPRK leaflets (China Daily)
2020-06-11
The unification ministry of the Republic of Korea (ROK) said Wednesday that it will file legal complaint against two civic groups having sent leaflets criticizing the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). The ministry in charge of inter-Korean affairs said in a statement that the government will charge the two groups with the violation of the inter-Korean exchange and cooperation act. It noted that the government will launch the process of cancelling the permission of incorporation given to the two civic groups. The civic groups delivered anti-DPRK propaganda leaflets across the inter-Korean border by flying balloons into the wind or setting the sealed plastic bottles into the ocean near the border areas. The ministry said such acts were in violation of the inter-Korean exchange and cooperation act that requires people to get approval from the government before sending materials to the DPRK. Such acts were directly in violation of the agreement between the leaders of the two Koreas, escalating inter-Korean tensions and endangering the lives and safety of people residing near the border areas, the ministry added. ^ top ^
DPRK cuts inter-Korean communication links (China Daily)
2020-06-10
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea said on Tuesday that it would sever hotlines with the Republic of Korea as the first step toward shutting down all contact with Seoul, state news agency KCNA reported. For several days, Pyongyang has lashed out at Seoul, threatening to close an inter-Korean liaison office and other projects if the ROK did not stop defectors from scattering leaflets and other material into the DPRK. On Thursday, Kim Yo-jong, sister of the DPRK's top leader Kim Jongun, issued a statement threatening to close the liaison office or even dismantle a joint industrial park in the border city of Kaesong unless Seoul stopped defector groups from showering the leaflets. ^ top ^
ROK urges DPRK to maintain inter-Korean communication lines (China Daily)
2020-06-10
The Republic of Korea (ROK) urged the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Tuesday to maintain communication lines between the two Koreas after Pyongyang's threat to cut off all inter-Korean hotlines, multiple local media reported. An unidentified ROK unification ministry official was quoted as telling local reporters that the inter-Korean communication lines, which are a basic tool for communication, should be kept in place as agreed upon between the two Koreas. The official said ROK will follow the inter-Korean agreement while makings efforts for peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula. The remark came after the DPRK's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported earlier in the day that the DPRK will "completely cut off and shut down the liaison line between the authorities of the north and the south, which has been maintained through the north-south joint liaison office" starting from 12:00 (0300 GMT) on June 9. Other hotlines will also be cut off, which includes the East and West Seas communication lines between the military of the North and the South and the hotline between the office building of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea and ROK president office Blue House, according to the KCNA. According to the unification ministry official, the DPRK did not answer the call from ROK through all inter-Korean communication lines in the morning. The development came in the DPRK's protest at anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets flown by a ROK civic group, composed mostly of defectors from the DPRK, across the inter-Korean border. Under the Panmunjom Declaration, the leaders of ROK and the DPRK agreed to stop all hostile acts in areas near the military demarcation line (MDL), including the scattering of anti-DPRK leaflets. The declaration was signed by ROK President Moon Jae-in and top DPRK leader Kim Jong-un after their first summit in the border village of Panmunjom on April 27, 2018. On June 4, Kim Yo-jong, sister of the DPRK leader, issued a statement threatening to close the joint liaison office or even completely dismantle a now-shuttered joint industrial complex in the DPRK's border city of Kaesong unless Seoul stops defector groups from sending leaflets into the DPRK. ^ top ^
U.S. disappointed by DPRK cutting off inter-Korea communication (Global Times)
2020-06-10
The United States on Tuesday said that it was disappointed by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) latest move of cutting off all inter-Korean communication lines, urging Pyongyang to return to diplomacy. "The United States has always supported progress in inter-Korean relations, and we are disappointed in the DPRK's recent actions. We urge the DPRK to return to diplomacy and cooperation," a Department of State spokesperson said in a statement. The statement also said the United States would remain in close coordination with South Korea on efforts to engage the DPRK. The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Tuesday morning local time that the DPRK will "completely cut off and shut down the liaison line between the authorities of the north and the south, which has been maintained through the north-south joint liaison office" starting from 12:00 (0300 GMT) on June 9. Other hotlines will also be cut off, which include the East and West Seas communication lines between the military of the North and the South and the hotline between the office building of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea and South Korean president office Blue House, according to the KCNA. The development came in the DPRK's protest at anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets flown by a South Korean civic group, composed mostly of defectors from the DPRK, across the inter-Korean border. Under the Panmunjom Declaration, the leaders of South Korea and the DPRK agreed to stop all hostile acts in areas near the military demarcation line (MDL), including the scattering of anti-DPRK leaflets. The declaration was signed by South Korean President Moon Jae-in and top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un after their first summit in the border village of Panmunjom on April 27, 2018. On June 4, Kim Yo Jong, sister of the DPRK leader, issued a statement threatening to close the joint liaison office or even completely dismantle a now-shuttered joint industrial complex in the DPRK's border city of Kaesong unless Seoul stops defector groups from sending leaflets into the DPRK. ^ top ^
DPRK media says measures taken by China for Hong Kong SAR reasonable (Xinhua)
2020-06-08
The approval of the national security legislation for Hong Kong by the Chinese National People's Congress to defend the country's sovereignty and security is very reasonable, an official newspaper of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said on Sunday. The Chinese government has taken various measures to protect the lives and property of the Hong Kong people, Rodong Sinmun said in a commentary. Hong Kong is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory, and "no one has the right to slander and interfere in it," the commentary said. Any attempt to separate Hong Kong from the Chinese territory under the signboard of "independence" is never acceptable, it added. China maintains the firm stand to establish and improve the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to defend the security of the country and not to allow any acts to challenge the limit of "one country, two systems" and split the country, the paper said. ^ top ^
DPRK leader chairs Politburo meeting to discuss economic development (Xinhua)
2020-06-08
Kim Jong-un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), presided over a ruling party Political Bureau meeting over the weekend on issues like developing the country's chemical industry and building apartments in Pyongyang, state media reported on Monday. The 13th Political Bureau meeting of the 7th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) was held on Saturday and Sunday at a time when the country celebrates the 75th founding anniversary of the WPK this year, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. "The meeting discussed in depth some crucial issues arising in further developing the self-sufficient economy of the country and improving the standard of people's living," the KCNA said. The meeting's priority was to discuss the urgent problems arising in developing the chemical industry, and Kim repeatedly stressed that the chemical industry is the foundation of industry and a major thrust of the national economy, the report said. The chemical industrial field has to be activated first to propel and guarantee the economic development of the country, Kim said. The meeting also discussed the improvement of people's living conditions in Pyongyang, capital city of the country. Kim said that strong state measures, including the construction of residential houses, must be taken to ensure the living conditions of the people. ^ top ^
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Eleanore Sun
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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