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SCHWEIZER
BOTSCHAFT IN BEIJING
EMBASSY OF SWITZERLAND IN BEIJING
AMBASSADE DE SUISSE EN CHINE |
Der wöchentliche
Presserückblick der Schweizer Botschaft in der VR China
The Weekly Press Review of the Swiss Embassy in the People's Republic
of China
La revue de presse hebdomadaire de l'Ambassade de Suisse en RP
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DPRK
Mongolia
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| Foreign Policy |
China-US tensions offer EU new opportunity (Global Times)
2020-07-30
Leaders of European Union (EU) countries recently agreed on plans for massive post-epidemic spending. Despite the difficult negotiations, the EU has reached a deal more efficiently than it did during the European debt crisis. So this is also a moment of time for Germany and France to show common leadership, plus a good start to the German presidency. But the EU still faces a series of major strategic challenges, one of which is how it should respond to increased strategic competition between China and the US. In the face of major adjustments in the structure of international power and order, the EU has been rethinking its strategic positioning in the international strategic landscape. But it is difficult to find the right answers in a short time. The US is an ally of Europe. Indeed, the political, security, ideological, and economic foundations that maintain the US-Europe alliance system still exist. However, the impact of the "America First" doctrine has created widening cracks within this alliance. The US government has adopted an increasingly demanding foreign policy toward Europe. It has been pressing hard on a series of issues concerning the vital interests of Europe, include tariffs, NATO spending sharing, climate change, and the Iranian nuclear issue. The US government has been strengthening its diplomatic control over its allies. In fact, it is requiring its European allies to be in tune with it in diplomatic and strategic spheres. This can be seen from the UK's and some other European countries' back-and-forth on Huawei. In addition, after Brexit, London could rely more on Washington for diplomacy, security, and strategy, further tilting toward Atlanticism. It is in this context that French President Emmanuel Macron has repeatedly raised the issue of European strategic autonomy, and that German Chancellor Angela Merkel has noted that Germany will rethink its trans-Atlantic relations if the US is unwilling to assume the responsibilities of a global power. More recently, Merkel has begun to use the concept of "sovereignty" more frequently, which is a core of France's European policy. These new strategic thoughts reflect the EU's strategic dilemma in the relationship with the US. The EU's strategic positioning of China is also undergoing complex changes. The bloc has begun to rethink its comprehensive strategic partnership with China. This reflection has taken place in the wake of China's rising power and international influence. Many in Europe argue that China has not undergone the political and social changes they hoped for. On the contrary, China has entrenched its system with a rising appeal. After integrating into the international community, China has not been constrained by the existing international order. Instead, China has made good use of the international system and benefited from it. On this point, Europe and the US have a high degree of consensus. However, the bloc is eager to gain access to China's huge markets. Simultaneously, in the field of diplomacy and global governance, the bloc also has an urgent desire to develop a multilateral partnership with China. Therefore for the EU, "China is simultaneously (in different policy areas) a cooperation partner, a negotiation partner, an economic competitor and a systemic rival." But different countries' distinct policies toward China also show the bloc's dilemma with China-EU relations. In the contrast, China's position on China-EU relations is very clear. Beijing has repeatedly pointed out that China is an opportunity, not a threat, and a partner, not an adversary to Brussels. China and Europe are not institutional competitors, but long-term comprehensive strategic partners. China and Europe should be two major forces for global peace and stability, two major markets for global development and prosperity, and two major civilizations for upholding multilateralism and improving global governance. This positioning has clearly gone beyond the scope of bilateral relations at a global strategic level. For the EU, the escalating strategic competition between China and the US is both strategic dilemma and opportunity. Macron said France and Europe need to avoid being forced to choose between Washington and Beijing. Taking rotating presidency, Germany will bring major agendas and strong leadership to the EU. The new leadership of the EU is also formulating a strategy for its external relations, and China-EU relations are still quite flexible. If the EU wants to become a pivot in the world order, it needs to transcend the scope of bilateral relations and the old system. It should grasp the major changes in the international pattern, focus on the construction of the new order, and find an appropriate position among them. ^ top ^
AIIB won't get involved in members' political disputes: bank president (Global Times)
2020-07-30
As an international multilateral institution, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) can't get involved in any political disputes of its members, said AIIB's incumbent president when asked whether Indian projects were affected by the rising tensions between China and India. "China and India are the first and second biggest shareholders of AIIB, and they have cooperated quite well (on AIIB projects)," Jin Liqun, AIIB president, said when interviewed by thepaper.cn. Currently, India holds an 8.6 percent share in AIIB, while China holds a 30.8 percent share. According to Jin, international multilateral institutions evaluate projects from various perspectives, such as the economy, finance, environmental protection. Everything except politics. "It's not surprising that our members sometimes have some conflicts, but we will look forward. AIIB is a platform for cooperation, and is not burdened by certain temporary friction," he said. Jin also noted AIIB has a large number of Indian employees, and he hopes AIIB can be a bond linking every member, allowing them to see more common ground rather than being encumbered by temporary conflicts. He said that when AIIB engaged in a project in India in 2017, there were already doubts among Indian citizens, who questioned why India had to borrow money from a Chinese bank. Jin made his comments at a time when tensions between China and India have been upgraded over military disputes. India has taken action against local Chinese companies, including bans on 59 apps developed by Chinese firms like TikTok. Jin also said that AIIB will offer more explanations and undertake necessary publicity work to help people understand AIIB's work. ^ top ^
UK's miscalculation over China should be rectified to ensure smooth bilateral ties: experts (Global Times)
2020-07-31
Though Sino-UK relations are now facing unprecedented challenges due to the latter's interference in China's domestic affairs, and bilateral trade has been dampened by the COVID-19 pandemic, the two nations' future cooperation in multiple areas shows promising prospects, said experts and business leaders from both nations at a round table conference, but also warned that the UK's miscalculation towards China should be rectified to ensure healthy and stable bilateral ties. Bringing together prominent business leaders and experts from both China and the UK, the Sino-British Economic Cooperation and Innovation Development Conference, an international gathering aimed at deepening bilateral cooperation in the trade, culture and science fields between China and the UK amid the COVID-19 pandemic launched by People's Daily Online UK branch, was held on July 29, 2020, with experts noting that the conference serves as a timely guideline for future cooperation between the two nations. "When it comes to economic cooperation, China and the UK complement each other in many areas. Although the pandemic and the recent difficulties hindering Sino-British ties have cast a shadow on future cooperation between the two nations, bilateral trade remains strong and is a pillar of Sino-UK ties," said Zhao Qiang, deputy editor-in-chief of People's Daily Online, who further noted that it is important to promote the two nations' trade and innovation cooperation at such a crucial stage. Echoing Zhao, Wei Jianguo, former vice minister of the Ministry of Commerce and Vice President of the China Centre for International Economic Exchanges, noted that though Sino-UK relations are now facing unprecedented obstacles, prospects for the two nations' friendship and relations between the two peoples remain optimistic, while trade and innovation cooperation are vital for the two nations' relations. According to Wei, future cooperation between the two nations should follow three steps. The first is to strengthen the two nations' already sound people-to-people friendship and promote bilateral trade. The second step would be finding more areas for cooperation, with a focus on trade, as well as science and technology cooperation. He noted that the UK may use the upcoming China International Import Expo as a platform to introduce more British companies to the Chinese market. "And the third step would be using financial cooperation as a breakthrough to further promote cooperation in multiple areas, especially in the cultural, tourism and education fields," added Wei. Sino-UK relations are now facing obstacles due to the latter's recent interference in Hong Kong affairs, as well as its decision to stop UK telecoms networks buying new Huawei 5G kit. Wei noted that the UK's three miscalculations are the major reason why Sino-UK relations are on their current bumpy road. Following in the footsteps of US unilateralism and hegemonism, the UK has questioned China's ability to lead global economic revival and misjudged the post-pandemic international situation. Some UK politicians still hold a Cold War mentality towards China, and misjudged China's determination to develop peacefully. Following Brexit, the UK's discord with China, its third misjudgment of its own future development, will further dent its international trade. Tom Simpson, China Chief Representative at CBBC Company, stressed that UK-China trade relations have grown significantly in the last decade, and 2019 was a record year with 26.4 billion worth of goods exported to China, representing 7.% of UK's total goods exports. He further noted that foreign direct investment from China received by the UK between 2000 and 2018 was more than double the level of Chinese investment received by any other European country. "I could go on giving examples as there are so many, but I think the message is already clear: the economic, trade, and innovation collaboration between our two countries is already very strong, and with continued support will only continue to flourish," said the British business leader. "The UK is an important partner for China. It is already bad that the UK has withdrawn from the European Union. It would be even more devastating for the UK's economy if it tries to sever its ties with China," said Jin Xu, former minister counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in the UK and President of the China Association of International Trade. ^ top ^
Chinese military refutes U.S. defense secretary's verbal attacks (People's Daily)
2020-07-31
A spokesperson of China's Ministry of National Defense on Thursday refuted the recent verbal attacks by U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper on China. "His accusations against China are utterly groundless and unjustifiable, and his speech was teeming with arrogance, prejudice and malice. We firmly oppose such remarks," Ren Guoqiang, a spokesperson of the ministry, said at a press conference in response to a question on Esper's recent smearing remarks about China. It is well known by the international community that the United States only abides by international rules that are in its favor, pushes for "America First" agenda and bullies other countries, Ren said. In striking contrast to the U.S. side's frequent rules-breaking moves, China joined the Arms Trade Treaty to further fulfill its international responsibilities and obligations on the day the United States announced its withdrawal from the World Health Organization, Ren added. Ren urged the U.S. side to stop undermining global peace and regional stability, or sowing discord around the international community. He said the U.S. side should discard its Cold War mentality and stop its attacks on China, and do something meaningful to promote the common interests of the two militaries and the two countries. ^ top ^
PLA Navy's new bomber debuts in South China Sea drills (Global Times)
2020-07-31
New warplanes affiliated with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, including H-6G and H-6J bombers, recently conducted intensive round-the-clock drills in the South China Sea, China's Ministry of National Defense announced on Thursday. This is the first time the Chinese military has officially revealed the H-6J bomber, the Global Times learned. During the drills, the warplanes under the PLA Southern Theater Command Navy Aviation Force successfully completed training exercises including takeoff and landing in daytime and nighttime, long-distance strike and attacks on surface targets, said Senior Colonel Ren Guoqiang, a Defense Ministry spokesperson, at a routine press conference on Thursday. The drills were a routine arrangement in the annual schedule and contributed to the pilots' technique and tactical ability, as well as the troops' all-weather combat capabilities, Ren said. Military experts told the Global Times that the training subjects are very combat-oriented, and showed that the H-6J, which made its first public appearance, already has the capability to conduct all-weather combat missions and is also capable of accurately attacking moving maritime targets. Citing commercial satellite images, the Chinese media reported that four H-6Js were first spotted in a PLA Naval base in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in September 2018. It said that the H-6J can carry seven YJ-12 supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles, with six under the wings and one in the weapon bay. The H-6J's weapon capacity is about twice that of the H-6G, with 50 percent farther combat radius to about 3,500 kilometers, the report said. Wang Ya'nan, a Chinese aviation industry expert and chief editor of Aerospace Knowledge magazine, told the Global Times on Thursday that the Defense Ministry introduced the H-6 bombers' exercises in detail and demonstrated China's capabilities in safeguarding its national sovereignty and rights. It also showed that China's different variants in the H-6 series bombers have achieved all-weather combat capabilities, Wang said. The recent PLA warplanes' exercises in the South China Sea came at a time when the US military has been stirring up trouble in the region with dual aircraft carrier exercises and frequent close-up reconnaissance with large reconnaissance aircraft on South China's coastal regions from the South China Sea. China did not hold the drills at the same time as the US aircraft carrier exercises, which showed restraint, but revealing the details of the drills showed the PLA's determination to safeguard China's core interests, Wang said, noting that the determination must be demonstrated by actual deeds. ^ top ^
Humor, unity seen in Chinese public's response to US consulate closure: Global Times editorial (Global Times)
2020-07-30
On Monday morning, as a CNN correspondent was reporting in front of the soon-to-be-closed US Consulate General in Chengdu, he was drowned out by a chorus of "Ode to the Motherland" being sung off camera. The CNN news anchorman in the studio commented, "Everyone is singing happily." He did not know that this is the people of Chengdu expressing their attitude towards the China-US consulate closure spat with their songs. It actually represents the attitude of the mainstream society in China. The US forced the closure of the Chinese Consulate General in Houston with absurd excuses, unilaterally provoking a round of diplomatic row between China and the US. On July 24, the US law enforcement officers broke into the premises after Chinese consulate in Houston was closed. This is the property of the Chinese government, and the US intrusion is a serious violation of international conventions and tantamount to "burglary". China responded to US provocation with reciprocal measure, closing the US consulate in Chengdu. This was forced by Washington. Washington should not think that they can arrogantly hurt China while China has to swallow the insult. The US side should be blamed for this round of rapid deterioration of China-US relations. The closure and takeover of the US consulate in Chengdu by the Chinese side is a completely justified and necessary response that conforms to international law and norms. The move also received support of the general public. It's noted that both the public at the scene in Chengdu and Chinese netizens on the Internet, many saw the incident with calmness, even with a sense of humor. The mood stands in stark contrast to the exasperation of Washington's politicians. Closing each other's consulate is something that has never happened in the history of China-US relations. It is a sign of the unprecedented deterioration of the bilateral ties. And it did not put an end to the China-US animosity. After the consulates closed, China-US relations continued to fall. The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered a speech which was seen as a new "iron curtain speech" against China. US warships and aircraft continue to frequently appear in the South China Sea and Taiwan Straits. Anti-China politicians in Washington seem determined to draw China into a new "cold war". There is no denying that this poses quite a serious external challenge to China. But Washington's comprehensive maximum pressure didn't crush China, instead, it has led to a new understanding of the US and of China among the Chinese people. Cohesion of the society has been consolidated. Several recent polls have shown that Chinese people have the highest level of support for their government, which is a true reflection of the unity of the Chinese people. Given China's comprehensive strength today, as long as the Chinese people and the Chinese government work together, no country can crush us or defeat us. When will China-US relations hit the bottom? It probably doesn't depend on us. But what we can be sure of is that every US offensive will be repelled. Now even ordinary Chinese people understand that a healthy China-US relationship cannot be begged, it must be realized through fight. This kind of fight will certainly make China stronger. ^ top ^
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China calls for resisting discrimination in science, tech cooperation (Xinhua)
2020-07-30
China has called on all countries to safeguard fair, just, open and non-discriminatory business environment, and firmly resist discrimination in global science and technology cooperation just as they push back against racial discrimination. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks Thursday in response to a media report that the U.S. ambassador to Brazil warned of "consequences" if Brazil chooses Chinese tech giant Huawei to develop its 5G network. Wang told a news briefing that recently some U.S. politicians such as U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have repeatedly pressured other countries to exclude Huawei. "The accusations made by some U.S. politicians like Pompeo about Chinese enterprises are totally groundless." Washington accused Huawei of threatening U.S. national security. But as it turns out, over the past 30 years, Huawei has built more than 1,500 networks in more than 170 countries and regions around the world. There has not been a single cyber security incident similar to the Snowden and WikiLeaks incidents, nor has there been a single network monitoring and surveillance activity similar to the "Prism gate" incident. No country has any evidence that Huawei inserts "backdoors," Wang said. Wang said the United States also claims it will safeguard democracy and freedom, but the likes of Pompeo have repeatedly put pressure on other countries, pointed fingers at other nations' 5G network construction, and openly coerced countries to obey the will of the United States. "This is a naked hegemonic act." The United States keeps calling for fairness and reciprocity. Yet when other countries' enterprises gain advantages, some U.S. politicians would fabricate excuses and use national means to suppress them, even at the risk of violating market economy and fairness principles the U.S. has always advocated, harming international trade rules and even the interests of American enterprises and consumers, Wang said. "The reason why the United States has suppressed some Chinese enterprises in every possible way is not because of national security, nor for the sake of democracy, freedom, fairness and reciprocity. The real reason is that these enterprises are Chinese enterprises and are industry leaders," Wang said. ^ top ^
COVID-19 outbreaks in Wuhan, Beijing and Dalian share certain similarities: China's top epidemiologist (Global Times)
2020-07-30
China's top epidemiologist said the recent COVID-19 outbreaks in Wuhan, Beijing and Dalian share certain similarities and did not come about by coincidence, as they all took place in the cold contaminated environment of seafood markets, and the virus may have infected people through aerosols. In an interview with Chinese media on Wednesday, Wu Zunyou, the chief epidemiologist of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said their humid and low-temperature environment is more conducive for the novel coronavirus to survive. As long as there is contamination, the virus can become concentrated and will not be easy to inactivate, resulting in the virus spreading, Wu said. Wu revealed that an experiment carried out in Beijing's Xinfadi market, in which a fluorescent powder was used to simulate the virus, showed that if the environment was contaminated, the virus could infect people through aerosols. Workers would then pollute the environment after becoming infected, forming a mixed transmission mode. To prevent the presence of novel coronavirus in humid environments, Wu suggested that places with environments similar to those in seafood markets should get adequate ventilation, which will help lower the risk of infection. According to the National Health Commission on Thursday, Dalian reported five domestic confirmed patients, four of whom were asymptomatic. At the same time, Beijing also reported one confirmed case relating to Dalian. However, Wu said the regional epidemic in Dalian has no specific connection with the outbreak in Beijing, adding that there is a larger possibility that the epidemic in Dalian was caused by contaminated imported seafood. The local government said Wednesday that most confirmed patients are employees from the Dalian Kaiyang Seafood Company or their close contacts. According to Wu, Dalian has basically prevented the COVID-19 outbreak from spreading, and believes there will not be a larger scale epidemic in the city. Many patients were found before they even showed any symptoms, and as the current new confirmed cases were asymptomatic, they do not pose a risk to society, Wu said. ^ top ^
Five years on from Beijing 2022 bid, Games already leaving legacy (Xinhua)
2020-07-31
Five years have passed since Beijing's successful bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympiad, and already, the upcoming Games are leaving a legacy, both for the host country and for the wider Olympic movement. Some Olympic Games come and go as quickly as they arrived, while some stick around in the memories of sports fans for generations. Los Angeles 1984, London 2012 and, of course, Beijing 2008 are all the Olympic Games that immediately spring to mind when anyone mentions the Olympic legacy. The 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics was perhaps the most iconic games of the modern era. This edition of the Games was like nothing the world had seen before or since. With stunning venues and stadia, memorable moments, as well as a whole generation of Chinese children inspired to take up sports, Beijing 2008 remains a significant part of recent Olympic legacy. But with the 2022 Games under two years away, organizers are not content with just replicating the success of the 2008 Games; they want to leave a lasting legacy. From creating a whole generation of winter sports enthusiasts to building an environmentally sustainable Games, the organizers gave themselves a real challenge, one that they are meeting head on as the Games approach. In the face of significant challenges and obstacles, such as the global COVID-19 pandemic, China has pushed ahead with the Olympic preparations. Hosting an Olympic Games comes with costs attached. But the cost of hosting an Olympic Games is more than just monetary. Environmental costs have become an equally important part of hosting an Olympics in the modern age. For Beijing 2022, a crucial part of the Games has been the recycling and reuse of Beijing 2008 venues. The iconic 'water cube' swimming venue from 2008 has now become the 'ice cube,' a premier curling venue. In Shougang, a crucial part of the Beijing competition zone for the Games, world-class facilities have been built from the disused steel that used to exist on the site. From one of the biggest steel factories in the world to a mecca for winter sports. From the two high-tech rinks that will host ice hockey and ice skating, to the world's first-ever permanent big-air jump that hosted its first-ever top-level event back in December. Even the ice that the athletes will compete on has been considered. The games will be the first to harness the waste gas carbon dioxide to create the ice surfaces. In addition, during the venue construction in the Yanqing competition zone, protecting species diversity on the 2,000 meter-high mountain was a top priority. All trees within the zone were registered and had their profiles marked with a QR code. Temporary migration paths were also built for local animals. "Beijing 2022 puts sustainability high on its agenda and regards it as an indispensable element of staging a 'green, inclusive, open and clean' Games and implementing reforms introduced in the Olympic Agenda 2020," said Zhang Jiandong, Executive Vice President of Beijing 2022. An essential part of the successful Beijing 2022 bid was the promise to get 300 million people into winter sports. This past winter saw considerable growth in people in China taking up skiing and snowboarding for the first time. 23.45 million people went on the slopes during the 2018-19 season, a massive 21.5 percent increase on the season before. Even as COVID-19 curtailed this year's ski season, the numbers at one resort in the northeast of the country had doubled from the year before. It has become clear that the Chinese passion for snowsports is growing and growing. IOC Coordination Commission Chair Juan Antonio Samaranch lavished praise on the Beijing 2022 preparations. "China has faced an incredibly difficult period over the past few months - our thoughts are with all those impacted," he said. "Despite these unique circumstances, Beijing 2022 has continued to meet key milestones, a true testament to their determination to provide the perfect stage for the world's top winter athletes in just under two years. "Not only have we seen important progress with their venues, their efforts to engage millions of people in winter sports is heartening. This aligns very much with the spirit of Olympism, and the thoughts of IOC President Thomas Bach in relation to 'sport and physical activity make a great contribution to health' in society," Samaranch said. Even now, just under two years away from the 2022 Olympics, the legacy of the games is there for all to see. China's ecology-first approach to the games has set a high bar for any future Olympics. In the 21st Century, it is now not enough for a country to just host a spectacular event, the Olympic Games now have to be sustainable and not have any lasting negative environmental impacts. Beijing 2022 has proved that an Olympics can be sustainable and have an ecological conscience. In addition, the Games have been used as a powerful tool for poverty alleviation outside the city of Beijing in Chongli. Chongli, one of the two mountainous zones for the Games, had been an area that had yet to be lifted by China's economic development. In 2015, 16.8 percent of the 100,000 residents in this town were classed as living below China's national poverty line. However, in May last year, Chongli was officially lifted out of poverty. Nearly 30,000 of its 126,000 population are employed by ski resorts or related companies and organizations. Beijing 2022 proved that building a 'green' Olympics and raising people out of poverty were not mutually exclusive outcomes. For ordinary Chinese, the Games have been a significant focal point for the future. When applications for Olympic volunteers were released in December 2019, an astonishing 810,000 volunteers applied to help. Already, five years on from the winning bid and under two years from the Games, Beijing 2022 is shaping up to be one of the most iconic Olympics, just like its 2008 Summer counterpart. From the dramatic settings, to the stories of environmentally sound practices to a whole generation inspired, Beijing 2022 is undoubtedly a Games that will live long in the memory. For a multi-sport event that has been traditionally dominated by European and North American nations, Beijing 2022 could become the turning point that eventually comes to equalize the worldwide winter sports landscape. ^ top ^
Third CIIE expected to embrace bigger success (People's Daily)
2020-07-30
The overall framework of the third China International Import Expo (CIIE), scheduled to be held in Shanghai in November, will be roughly the same as the previous two expos, according to Sun Chenghai, an official with the CIIE Bureau. All the preparations for the expo are well underway and the focus of current preparations has been shifted from recruiting exhibitions to organizing the expo, said the deputy director of the bureau, adding that initial results have been achieved. It is generally believed that the third CIIE will be a better event due to the following aspects. Larger Scale The total planned exhibition area for enterprises at the third CIIE is 360,000 square meters, 60,000 square meters larger than the second expo. The planned business exhibition space has been completely booked. The contracted exhibition areas of consumer goods, medical care and service trade have already surpassed their planned space and the exhibition area for automobiles is almost fully booked. Better Layout Six exhibition areas will be set up in the business exhibition area, food and agricultural products, automobiles, the intelligent industry and information technology, consumer goods, medical equipment and healthcare products, as well as trade in services. Based on global hotspots and industry development trends, four special subsections on public health and anti-epidemic products and services, smart transportation, energy conservation and sporting goods will be set up during the event. Higher-level Exhibitors The number of Fortune 500 companies and industry-leading companies attending the third CIIE almost equals that of the previous two sessions. Most of the top 10 well-known companies in the pharmaceutical, medical equipment, dairy, cosmetics, high-end consumer goods, inspection and testing, automobile, industrial electrical, as well as engineering and machinery industries have signed up to participate in the exhibition, and many enterprises will debut their new products, technologies and services. Lager Trading platform Greenland Global Commodity Trading Hub, located across the street from the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), main venue of the third CIIE, is a permanent trading service platform for the CIIE. It integrates functions such as exhibition and display, purchase and transactions, business services, bonded exhibition and sales, as well as consumption and tourism. The trading hub has introduced more than 60,000 kinds of overseas products, including more than 7,000 exhibited during the CIIE and over 6,000 from Belt and Road countries. It has also opened virtual pavilions and online malls, launching more than 1,000 kinds of products from 31 countries and regions. Firmer Confidence of Exhibitors At the first Conference of the third CIIE Enterprise Alliance held in Shanghai on July 26, 35 member enterprises signed three-year memoranda with the CIIE Bureau, promising to attend the annual event for the next three years. Most of them are Fortune 500 companies and leading players in their respective industries. They aim to secure long-term and common development with the CIIE, which demonstrates their confidence in the Chinese market. At the conference, two special committees for the dairy industry, as well as public health and epidemic prevention were founded. The Enterprise Alliance was established spontaneously by exhibitors during the opening of the first CIIE and has so far attracted 142 enterprises. Stronger Policy Support The General Administration of Customs officially issued a customs clearance notice for the third CIIE as well as launched 14 measures to facilitate the entrance and exit of exhibitors and exhibits. While maintaining the policies for the previous CIIEs, relevant ministries and departments of China will actively innovate and roll out new policies. Improved Municipal Security Shanghai will work harder to guarantee better logistics, services and environment, so as to host a CIIE with higher-level and higher-quality, said Shang Yuying, vice secretary general of Shanghai Municipal People's Government, and head of a leading group of municipal security for the CIIE. The city will make full use of its intelligent monitoring platform, strengthen the application of smart public security system and build a strong line of defense. It has innovated measures such as prolonging the period of validity of the passes for exhibitors, integrating entry safety and health inspection to improve the experience of exhibitors and merchants. The city will also optimize the guide signs, especially those for the exhibition areas, transportation, toilets, medical centers and other facilities and equipment, and make them more comprehensive, human-friendly and eye-catching. Besides, it will improve on-site emergency treatment facilities and designate hospitals for the event, and formulate work plans and emergency solutions, including epidemic prevention and control in all aspects of preparations. ^ top ^
Xi urges AIIB to engage more partners (China Daily)
2020-07-29
President Xi Jinping called on the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank on Tuesday to make itself a new platform promoting development among all members and facilitating the building of a community with a shared future for mankind in the context of the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In his opening address, via video link, at the fifth annual meeting of the Board of Governors of the AIIB, Xi urged the multilateral development bank to respond to adjustments and changes in the global economic landscape and engage more development partners in cooperation. "It (the AIIB) needs to provide public goods for our region and beyond, push for regional economic integration and help make economic globalization more open, inclusive, balanced and beneficial for all," he said. "Let us stay open and inclusive and make the AIIB a new paradigm of multilateral cooperation." Xi applauded the bank for its prompt move to set up a COVID-19 Crisis Recovery Facility to support its members in containing the virus and reviving their economies. The AIIB had approved 16 projects via the facility as of July 16, allocating $5.9 billion in funding to support 12 members. "This is a typical example of the AIIB's power of action. The global response to COVID-19 has made it clear that mankind rises and falls together in a community with a shared future," Xi said. He recalled his proposal to establish the bank in late 2013, noting that this initiative was to develop infrastructure and connectivity in Asia and deepen regional cooperation for shared development. The bank has gotten off to a good start and has gone from strength to strength, he said, as it expanded from 57 member economies at its launch in January 2016 to the current membership of 102 across the globe. The AIIB said in a statement that it had provided close to $20 billion in infrastructure investment for 87 projects in 24 economies as of July 16. "With more good friends and partners getting on board for higher-quality cooperation, the AIIB has established itself in the world as a new type of professional, efficient and clean multilateral development bank," Xi said. Going forward, he urged the bank to aim at development for all and build itself into a new type of multilateral development bank promoting growth across the globe. The AIIB should commit itself to serving the development needs of all its members and providing more high-quality, low-cost and sustainable investment for traditional as well as new types of infrastructure, he said. He expressed hope that the institution can help enhance connectivity, promote green development and boost technological advances by constantly updating its development philosophy, business model and institutional governance, and by providing flexible and diverse development financing products. "While following international standards and respecting the general law of development, the AIIB should keep in mind the actual development needs of its members, thus creating best practices for international development cooperation," he said, adding that high standards and high quality must be ensured in the development of the bank. Xi reiterated that China always supports and adheres to multilateralism, and pursues development with the rest of the world in a spirit of openness and mutually beneficial cooperation. He pledged the country's continuous support for the bank, so it can contribute more to the global response to risks and challenges and the pursuit of shared development. Jin Liqun was re-elected for a second term as president of the AIIB by the bank's Board of Governors on Tuesday. Jin's second five-year term will begin on Jan 16. Liu Kun, minister of finance and governor of the AIIB, said the annual meeting can help establish consensus on ways to give play to the role of multilateral development banks as the pandemic still rages globally. China will gradually inject the capital it has pledged to invest in the bank based on its rules of operation, he added. Wei Jianguo, vice-chairman of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges and a former vice-minister of commerce, said the AIIB has contributed to the Belt and Road Initiative, and more countries in Asia, Europe and Africa will seek the AIIB's financial support to promote domestic economic growth. He added that Japan and more European countries are likely to join the AIIB in the future. ^ top ^
Xi to attend ceremony marking completion of BeiDou-3 Navigation Satellite System (Xinhua)
2020-07-30
Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, will attend a ceremony marking the completion and launching of the BeiDou-3 Navigation Satellite System scheduled for Friday at the Great Hall of the People. China Media Group will live broadcast the event, which will start at 10:30 a.m. Beijing time. ^ top ^
Political advisors stress development of religious personnel (Xinhua)
2020-07-27
Chinese political advisors on Monday joined a symposium in Beijing to discuss how to strengthen the development of religious personnel in the country. Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, attended and addressed the symposium. Noting that training religious personnel is crucial to advancing the cause of religion in China, Wang called for efforts to train more qualified and patriotic religious personnel to promote the healthy development of all faiths and guide religions to adapt to a socialist society. A total of 11 political advisors, young and middle-aged representatives from the religious field and religious experts and scholars shared their experience at the symposium. Participants called for upholding Party leadership while training religious personnel and guiding religious figures to firmly establish the sense of state, citizenship, and rule of law. Religious schools should be important bases for the development of patriotic religious personnel, interpreting religious doctrines correctly, and training existing religious staff, said the participants. Participants also called for attaching importance to the training of high-level representatives of the religious circle, stepping up the development of primary-level religious staff, and promoting exchanges to broaden the international horizon of religious figures. The symposium was organized by the committee for ethnic and religious affairs of the CPPCC National Committee. ^ top ^
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| Beijing |
A review of Beijing's efforts to fight second wave of COVID-19 (Global Times)
2020-07-31
Beijing lowered its COVID-19 emergency response from level II to III starting from July 20, following 40 days of hard work to battle the disease. Taking the most resolute, decisive and rigorous measures and establishing a strict epidemic control network across the city, Beijing has reported no new confirmed cases within 28 days, or two incubation periods. The second wave of COVID-19 in Beijing, from its start from the Xinfadi wholesale market to final clearing, demonstrated the mechanism, speed and spirit of China. On June 10, when Beijing had reported zero new domestic cases for 56 consecutive days, a man surnamed Tang from Beijing's Xicheng district went to the fever clinic at Beijing's Xuanwu Hospital. Tang's sample for nucleic acid test was soon sent to a testing team of the hospital led by Wang Peichang, director of the hospital's clinical lab. The positive result unsettled Wang and his colleagues, who have gained rich experiences in the battle against COVID-19. Therefore, they went on for another round of test for verification, and the result was still positive. The test result was soon reported to Beijing's health authorities by Wang and his colleagues. The result worried Dou Xiangfeng, an expert from Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control who was on his night shift when he was informed of Tang's case at 1:04 a.m. of June 11. Five hours later, Dou visited Tang in a quarantine ward, together with another doctor surnamed Qiao from the disease prevention and control center of Xicheng district, tough he spend his night sleeplessly, working on the epidemiological report of Tang. "Screening efforts must be ensured in the places Tang had visited, as well as for those who had physical contact with him in the past 7 days," Dou noted. Two hours later, 38 close contacts and 23 screening sites were confirmed, and city-wide screening was launched. Over 100 staff members raced against time to trace the source of the infection. Around 2:00 a.m. of June 12, environmental samples tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Xinfadi wholesale market, and the beef and mutton sections in the basement floor of the market was taken as "epicenter." Around the same time, Xinfadi wholesale market was quarantined. Fengtai district, where the market is located, also isolated the high-risk groups in the market. The district authorities, responding to the demand of a site command center, designated quarantine hotels, rented taxis and allocated anti-epidemic materials to relocate the high-risk groups. A total of 916 people were relocated to and quarantined in 5 hotels within 10 hours. Community-based epidemic prevention and control serves as a bedrock for Beijing to fight the disease. Nearly 100,000 community workers launched "blanket" screening in 3,235 communities and 3,876 administrative villages in Beijing, and all close contacts were quarantined at home for observation. The community workers were grouped to screen different neighborhoods, communities, residential complexes and individual buildings, and adopted tailored quarantine measures if needed. The rapid growing capability of Beijing's nucleic acid testing has become a legend in epidemic response. The city launched massive testing that covered over 12 million people, and around 52 percent of the confirmed cases were screened by testing. Nucleic acid testing played an important role in detecting the source of infection, cutting the chain of infection and stopping the spread of the virus. The centralized admission of patients and allocation of medical resources, as well as individualized treatment plans that combined traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine, were major highlights of Beijing's efforts to fight the second wave of the novel coronavirus. More importantly, no death occurred this time in Beijing. On June 16, Beijing raised its COVID-19 emergency response to level II, and over 100 medical workers from 18 hospitals in the city went to Beijing Ditan Hospital for assistance. Du Bin, Tong Zhaohui, Jiang Li and other experts known for their outstanding performance in Wuhan, once again stepped onto the frontline to save critical patients. Beijing launched a 24-hour hotline to respond to the demand of citizens, and a press conference was scheduled at 4:00 p.m. every day and broadcasted by both central and local media. On July 19, the 157th press conference announced to lower Beijing's COVID-19 emergency response from level II to level III. The message moved many attending journalists to tears who experienced the hard-won success of the painstaking efforts made in the past 40 days. A draft version of emergency regulations for public health emergencies were submitted to the 23rd meeting of the 15th Standing Committee of Beijing Municipal People's Congress for deliberation on July 28, as an effort of the city to formalize the effective measures it explored its COVID-19 response. Meanwhile, the city's leading group for COVID-19 prevention and control stressed that it's not yet the time for celebration, as Beijing's epidemic response is still underway. ^ top ^
National respiratory center established in Beijing (China Daily)
2020-07-27
The National Center for Respiratory Medicine, established in a major hospital in Beijing on Sunday, is expected to play a leading role in improving the prevention, control and treatment of respiratory diseases in China. The center, set up at China-Japan Friendship Hospital after approval from the National Health Commission, aims to become a world-class institute in the prevention and treatment of respiratory diseases while offering education and training and conducting scientific research on such diseases. Meanwhile, it will contribute to promoting a more balanced distribution of medical resources related to respiratory diseases in China. It will also provide policy advice to the government on the prevention and control of such illnesses, and on coping with major public health emergencies such as new respiratory infectious diseases, the hospital said. Wang Chen, director of the center and president of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, said respiratory diseases－which include both infectious diseases such as COVID-19 and chronic diseases－have placed a significant health burden on China, and the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the urgent need to improve the control and prevention of such diseases. "Of all infectious diseases, respiratory diseases are the most difficult to prevent and control," he said. "They have caused disasters throughout human history, from the black death in Europe to more recent epidemics such as SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome), and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic," he said. Development of the center will include training and the cultivation of talent so that it becomes well-known internationally, Wang said. Cao Bin, vice-president of China-Japan Friendship Hospital and deputy director of the center, said with COVID-19 likely to coexist with humans in the long run, the center will also contribute to prevention and control of the disease in Beijing and other areas. ^ top ^
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| Xinjiang |
China safeguards Xinjiang people's human rights by guaranteeing their well-being (People's Daily)
2020-07-30
I've visited northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region for more than ten times since 2004. The region has beautiful scenery, abundant natural resources, and friendly people. I've made many friends there. There was a time when terrorist, separatist and extremist forces had caused huge damage to the stability and development of Xinjiang, and posed grave threats to the safety of people's lives and property. I visited the region again upon invitation last year, and I was gratified to see all kinds of positive changes there. I saw busy streets with endless streams of cars and people. Modern hospitals, well-equipped schools, and fashionable shopping malls were seen everywhere. The great social order and the significantly improved security presented the region's vitality, showing the rapid development of Xinjiang. What impressed me most was Chinese government's firm determination to support Xinjiang's development and safeguard the stable life for people there. The central government of China has made great efforts to encourage talents across the country to work in Xinjiang and attract outstanding enterprises to invest and build factories there, which has quickly boosted Xinjiang's construction and development. In recent years, Xinjiang has created massive jobs for local people, and actively carried out poverty alleviation. Fruitful results have been achieved. In Kashgar, I met an old Uyghur friend running business of traditional instruments. He told me that the local residents were obviously enjoying a stronger sense of gain, happiness and security. Everyone cherishes the harmonious society featuring stable development and solidarity, he said. His remarks inspired me, and I thought to myself, "Don't the endeavors to safeguard people's well-being also give a guarantee of their human rights? At present, certain politicians in the U.S. are trying to make troubles for the bilateral ties between the two countries to serve political needs of their country. While protecting human rights and freedoms are only a disguise, what they really aim at is to seize political interests. By withdrawing from international treaties and organizations frequently, the U.S. is sabotaging the international order established after World War Ⅱ. The country's hegemonic acts have posed serious threats to world peace and stability. As the world is increasingly globalized, those who attempt to prettify or even glorify violence will eat their own bitter fruit sooner or later. Not long ago, the U.S. has witnessed extensive protests against police brutality, which revealed its deep-rooted racial discrimination. The U.S. must face its own human rights issues. The measures Chinese government has taken to fight terrorism and extremism in accordance with the law in Xinjiang have yielded remarkable results. These measures are indispensable for guaranteeing the region's stability and prosperity. Terrorism and extremism are the common enemies of mankind and pose severe threats to human rights. It's a common responsibility of the international community to combat criminal acts of terrorism and extremism. Countries in the world should stand firm against such deeds as politicizing the human rights issue, playing double standards on human rights issues, and interfering in domestic affairs of other countries under the guise of protecting human rights. ^ top ^
Xinjiang reports record spike in COVID-19 patients (China Daily)
2020-07-28
The Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region reported a record single-day spike in new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Sunday, citing more precise diagnosis and increased efficiency in the second round of nucleic acid testing, a public health expert said at a conference on Monday. Zhang Wei, head of the health commission in Urumqi, said at a virus control and prevention conference on Monday that "the spike in the number of confirmed cases is due to the improved efficiency of mass nucleic acid testing and medical consultation. Current infections and asymptomatic cases were largely found through testing among people under medical observation." The region reported 41 new confirmed cases, which were all in Urumqi, and 38 asymptomatic cases on Sunday, bringing the total number of confirmed patients to 178 and asymptomatic carriers to 170 since the outbreak began on July 15. Zhang Rong, an official at the regional epidemic response headquarters, said the city has taken measures to ensure sufficient medical supplies, adding that the current reserves of medical supplies can fully meet Urumqi's disease control and prevention needs. In addition, the city's education bureau said that college enrollment has not been hampered by the outbreak, as it is now taking place online. Meanwhile, in Dalian, Liaoning province, a health official said at a news conference on Monday morning that the authorities had collected more than 1.68 million residents' samples for nucleic acid testing since a new outbreak was identified in the city on Wednesday. The city reported 14 new confirmed cases on Sunday, said Zhao Lian, deputy director of the local health commission. The total number of confirmed patients had increased to 38 since Wednesday, while the number of asymptomatic patients had become 32. All patients were in stable condition and being treated at the designated hospital, Dalian Sixth People's Hospital, Zhao added. All 99 passenger bus lines to Dalian's three suburban county-level cities had been suspended in order to impede the spread of the virus, Wang Shaocheng, director of the Dalian Transport Bureau, said at the conference. Taxis and online ride-hailing vehicles are prohibited from driving to the three cities. Since July 23, anyone who wants to leave Dalian by air, train, ship or bus must provide proof of a negative nucleic acid test. "This is the last day I will work as a taxi driver," Ji Qingli, 58, told China Daily on Monday evening, saying he had earned only 25 yuan ($3.57) from working almost 10 hours on Sunday. "People cherish their lives. Fewer people are going out since the latest outbreak. What's more, no tourists are coming to our city now." ^ top ^
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| Hongkong |
Hong Kong elections: We have been ousted because Beijing fears us, banned opposition candidates say as they decry shifting goalposts (Global Times)
2020-07-31
A purge. A new deep red line. A shifting of the goalposts. The descriptions came fast and furious as stunned political players and observers tried to absorb the significance of the mass disqualifications slapped by the Hong Kong government against the opposition ranks on Thursday, turfing out even sitting lawmakers along with localists who had grown in prominence in recent months. If before, the rules on who could enter the fray to contest the Legislative Council elections were focused on their oath-taking and sincerity in upholding the city's mini-Constitution or the Basic Law, now there was a clear shifting of the goalposts, observers indicated. Among the chief reasons cited for their disqualifications were their lack of support for the city's new national security law, the opposition's previous calls for foreign governments to sanction Beijing and Hong Kong, and their plans to take over Legco through the ballot box. Even though there had been fears about mass disqualification, the news still shocked many when it was announced midafternoon, as one hopeful after another got their rejection letter. In the process, it was also to shake out Legco of difficult lawmakers and attempt to bring the opposition to its knees in hopes of reshaping it. Beijing's top office in the city issued a statement approving of the banning, saying only "patriots" should be in such an institution. Patriots or not, there was alarm – which pro-Beijing lawmakers had sounded openly – that the opposition democrats were riding high on the momentum of the landslide victory of the district council elections last November when they won 17 out of 18 councils. The opposition had come up with a "35+" campaign, targeted at upending the current political equation of 43 seats held by the pro-establishment camp and gaining their first-ever majority. But that dream was all but quashed on Thursday. The first batch of the 12 hopefuls to be disqualified included four incumbent lawmakers – the Civic Party's Alvin Yeung Ngok-kiu, Dennis Kwok and Kwok Ka-ki, as well as accountancy sector lawmaker Kenneth Leung. The four had been typically regarded as traditional pan-democrats, especially Kenneth Leung, a non-party affiliated tax consultant first elected in 2012. Leung was known to be on good terms with Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor when she came into office in July 2017, and even broke ranks and voted in support of the government's annual budget in May 2018. But the electoral official pointed to his trip to the United States in March this year with another lawmaker, Charles Mok, and Civic Party's Jeremy Tam Man-ho, which "extensively covered actions and follow-up to pursue the US Sanction Actions". The trio had held a press conference after their trip, and the returning officer noted that while Leung may not have been like the others in directly requesting or appealing for US sanctions actions, he was believed to have played a "supportive or assistive role". "At no point in the press conference did he show any disagreement with, or disapproval of, the US Sanction Actions, notwithstanding the extensive discussions of such actions throughout the press conference," wrote the returning officer Aaron Liu. Leung said the ruling was shocking and disappointing, though he had also learned to expect "ridiculous" things to happen these past months. "I never called for any sanctions, but the ruling was purely based on a very subjective perception that came with little evidence," Leung said. "No one knows where the moving red lines are, and I feel like any pan-democrats having connections with the Western world could be at risk." He hinted that he had a backup candidate for the sector, but conceded the entire pan-democrat camp needed to reconsider their future strategy. The Civic Party's lawmakers were ousted as returning officers cited a joint letter sent by the lawmakers to US senators last September calling for sanctions, ruling they had committed acts of soliciting or providing support to foreign interference. Its leader, Alvin Yeung, believed his other colleagues, including Tam and Gordon Lam Sui-wah, would also be disqualified eventually, making them a party without representatives in the council. "After the primaries, you saw a huge turnout, you could see Hong Kong people were so united," Yeung said, referring to the recent primary which saw 610,000 Hongkongers voting to narrow down their field of candidates to boost their chances of winning Hong Kong elections: will Legislative Council polls be postponed by a year? "And so after last November [district council elections] … they have to disqualify people on a mass scale. This is a clear reflection of the fact that they, not us, are in fear." Party chairman Alan Leong Kah-kit said they had no plans to send more allies to file candidacy papers before the nomination period closes at the end of Friday. A source familiar with the matter agreed that the red lines drawn by the Hong Kong government were more than what had been laid out before. "In the 2016 Legco elections and the subsequent oath-taking saga, only those advocating Hong Kong independence were disqualified. This time, those who are accused of soliciting intervention by foreign governments in Hong Kong affairs and threatening to vote down any government proposals and the budget were disqualified," the source said, adding Beijing wanted to reshape the political landscape. The government has warned more election hopefuls could be barred. Some 22 other prominent opposition hopefuls were deemed to be at risk given their similar stance as the 12 already disqualified, while others of the remaining dozen in the camp had also not been told their fate. As the opposition has become radicalised and intended to control the legislature and paralyse the government, Beijing cannot risk losing the ruling power Lau Siu-kai, vice-president of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies The air of uncertainty was made worse by mounting speculation that the September 6 poll itself might be postponed on grounds of a public health crisis due to the pandemic. Explaining the tough stance of election officials, Lau Siu-kai, vice-president of semi-official think tank the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies, said the massive disqualifications were necessary as Beijing had to ensure the legislature would be under control. "As the opposition has become radicalised and intended to control the legislature and paralyse the government, Beijing cannot risk losing the ruling power," Lau said. "Unlike the district councils, the Legco plays a very important role." Activist Joshua Wong Chi-fung was the only candidate disqualified in the November district council polls, where the camp, including many localists, scored a landslide victory. Lau said Beijing had to play tough this time and would not back down on this issue of sovereignty and autonomy in face of the US. Ivan Choy Chi-keung, a political scientist at Chinese University, said Beijing intended to draw a clear red line for opposition politicians through the massive disqualification. "It wants to beat the dog before the lion. You couldn't cross the red line if you want to enter the legislature," he said. Choy said Beijing's tough stance indicated it did not care about the risk of worsening its ties with the United States or its wider image internationally. Ronny Tong Ka-wah, an executive councillor and former member of the Civic Party, said the disqualification of the 12 hopefuls did not mean the government had tightened its stance, as those who solicited intervention from foreign governments could not justify they were upholding the Basic Law. It may not be a bad thing to let everybody know the rules of games, so nobody would harbour any illusions "It may not be a bad thing to let everybody know the rules of games, so nobody would harbour any illusions," he said. Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, the city's executive councillor, said she was not worried about the legitimacy of the legislature being undermined, as the Civic Party was not moderate any more and the ruling was with grounds. "It was radicalised under the influence of extremists, unfortunately," Ip said. "The public expects the Legco lawmakers to be loyal to Hong Kong." Despite the setback, some localists said they saw a silver lining to the massive disqualification. Disqualified runner Gwyneth Ho Kwai-lam, one of the members of a so-called "resistance-bloc" led by Joshua Wong, said several in her campaign team were actually excited about the news. She said the result was even better than a "normal" election, which might simply absorb the political momentum. "Until today, the CCP has been finally forced to a point where it has to tear off the last bit of disguise, exposing the fact that Hong Kong has never had 'normal' parliamentary politics," Ho wrote. The harsh reality, she said, would prompt more Hongkongers to support confrontational politics. Rebel City: Hong Kong's Year of Water and Fire is a new book of essays that chronicles the political confrontation that has gripped the city since June 2019. Edited by the South China Morning Post's Zuraidah Ibrahim and Jeffie Lam, the book draws on work from the Post's newsrooms across Hong Kong, Beijing, Washington and Singapore, with unmatched insights into all sides of the conflict. Buy directly from SCMP today for HKD$198. Rebel City: Hong Kong's Year of Water and Fire is also available at major bookshops worldwide and online through Amazon, Kobo, Google Books, and eBooks.com. ^ top ^
HKSAR govt supports disqualifying 12 nominees to LegCo election (Global Times)
2020-07-31
HKSAR government voiced support to the decision by the electoral affairs commission to disqualify 12 candidates from the opposition camp in the LegCo election: HKSAR govt. The 12 candidates do not satisfy the requirements of the LegCo election, and therefore have been disqualified. The electoral officers' decision has nothing to do with so-called political censorship, restriction of the freedom of speech or deprivation of candidacy as alleged by some people: HKSAR govt. The 12 disqualified opposition camp candidates include 4 from the Civic Party: Kwok Wing-hang, Alvin Yeung, Kwok Ka-ki and Tat Cheng. The list also includes notorious separatist Joshua Wong: HK media. The possibility that more candidates would be disqualified is not ruled out. The latest decision aims to ensure that the LegCo election is held in strict accordance with the Basic Law and other applicable laws in an open, honest and fair manner: HKSAR govt. ^ top ^
Four members of Hong Kong pro-independence group arrested by police officers from national security unit (SCMP)
2020-07-30
Hong Kong's new police unit enforcing the national security law arrested four student members of a pro-independence group on Wednesday after it announced its mission to build the city into a republic. The arrests of the suspects, aged 16 to 21, in Yuen Long, Sha Tin and Tuen Mun marked the first such crackdown on anti-government activists not at the scene of street protests. Police did not reveal the suspects' identities, but images posted online showed Tony Chung Hon-lam, one of the former convenors of Studentlocalism, being taken away in handcuffs in Yuen Long by officers. Studentlocalism was a pro-independence group that was disbanded on June 30, hours before the Beijing-imposed national security law came into effect, banning acts of secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with a foreign country to endanger national security. In a late night press conference, Senior Superintendent Steve Li Kwai-wah of the National Security Department under the police force said the suspects' group had recently declared the establishment of a body to promote pro-independence political ideals "using any means possible" and build a "Republic of Hong Kong". What you should know about China's new national security law for Hong Kong The Initiative Independence Party, the newly established group in question, also raised the arrest of Chung on its Facebook page. In a declaration posted on July 21, the group said it was founded by former Studentlocalism members who had completed their studies, with all of them based overseas. The group had claimed it would try to unite all pro-independence organisations in the city while inviting others to join it. Li said their action might have breached Articles 20 and 21 of the national security law, which prohibit acts of organising, planning, committing or participating in altering the legal status of the city. Article 21 states that a person who incites, assists in, abets or provides pecuniary or other financial assistance or property for the commission by other persons of the offence under Article 20 would also be committing a crime. Previous arrests under the national security law have been made at protests over slogan shouting and flag waving. A video clip shared earlier by Yuen Long district councillor Wong Pak-yu showed several men who claimed to be from the police national security team searching a flat in Ma Tin Tsuen. The men showed their warrant cards upon request but refused to disclosed details of their operation. In July, a motorcyclist, Tong Ying-kit, 23, became the first person charged under the new national security law for allegedly riding into a group of policemen during a protest while carrying a flag calling for the liberation of Hong Kong. He was officially charged with one count of inciting secession and another of terrorism on July 3 in West Kowloon Court. ^ top ^
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| Taiwan |
'Godfather of Taiwan secessionism' dies at 97 (Global Times)
2020-07-30
Former Taiwan leader, also known as the "Godfather of Taiwan secessionism," Lee Teng-hui, has died at the age of 97, a Taiwan hospital announced on Thursday. Lee's death is definitely not a sad news to most people in the Chinese mainland as Taiwan pro-reunification politicians and mainland experts said he is "a traitor and a sinner of the Chinese nation." Prior to the announcement, speculations of Lee's death were already circulating on Tuesday, fueled by media reports that Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen and her deputy Lai Ching-te had called off their original plans and visited Lee in hospital. The Taipei Veterans General Hospital announced on Thursday that Lee had died at 7:24 pm. On Wednesday, Taiwan media reported that Lee's office ordered the hospital not to reveal Lee's condition, and the hospital also said it could not disclose patient's private details. He was admitted to hospital in early February after choking while drinking a glass of milk, reports said. At the time, there were rumors that Lee had died, and that he had contracted the coronavirus, Taiwan media reported. Lee, who took office in 1988 and retired in 2000, has long been decried as the "godfather of Taiwan secessionism" by mainland citizens and because of his flattering attitude toward Japan. Denying his Chinese identity was heavily criticized by Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Straits. Chinese mainland netizens also noticed the report. Some said, "What a shame, because we want him to be punished for his treason when we reunify the island." Others also criticized heavily that Lee "has forgot his own origin, and betrayed his ancestors." Lee was a member of the pro-reunification Kuomintang (KMT), but later betrayed the KMT's principles to support localism and separatism. Even after leaving office, Lee was vocal about separating the island of Taiwan from the Chinese mainland. "Lee had a chance to be a great man to promote reunification with the mainland, but he chose to be a 'strongman' in the island, as he wanted to be the founding father of Taiwan separatism, so he eventually ruined the KMT, the island, as well as the cross-Straits relations. He is a sinner of the Chinese nation," Yok Mu-ming, honorary president of the New Party of Taiwan, told the Global Times. The New Party is a pro-reunification political party in Taiwan formed in 1993 out of a split from the then-ruling KMT, when Lee was the leader of the island and chairman of the KMT. "He promoted me, so he was kind toward me, but I gave up the senior position he offered me at that time and I left him and the KMT. We have different beliefs so we walk on different roads, because I got edified by Chinese culture," said Yok, while Lee became deeply impacted by Japanese culture and ideas when he was young. Lee and other extreme separatists of the island established a political group called the "Formosa Alliance" in 2018 to push for an "independence referendum" in Taiwan to continuously threaten the peace and stability of the Taiwan Straits. Lee's separatist tendencies in the 1990s almost caused a military conflict between the mainland and the island, after he broke with the 1992 Consensus and the one-China principle to promote separatism for the island. His flattering attitude toward Japan also received heavy criticism from Taiwan and the Chinese mainland, as he denied his identity as a Chinese and claimed he is Japanese, and even said China's Diaoyu Islands "belong to Japan," referring to them as the "Senkaku Islands" to please Japan. The separatist Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) treats him with great respect to thank him for his support at the early stage. Otherwise, separatist sentiments would not have had an opening to be backed by a major party. Lee was seen as a "sinner of the Chinese nation," Yang Lixian, a research fellow at the Beijing-based Research Center of Cross-Straits Relations, told the Global Times, noting that Lee was brainwashed by Japanese invaders when Japan occupied the island. The Japanese rulers planted "the seed of secessionism" among the people in Taiwan to serve Japan's colonial rule before the end of World War II, as a sense of Chinese identity among the people would make it difficult for Japan to rule the island, Yang said. Lee is a typical traitor of the Chinese nation, who hid among the KMT and cheated his leaders to gain power in the 1980s, the expert said. As reunification of Taiwan becomes an irreversible trend for the island, separatists like Lee have begun to realize his previous goal of building a "state-to-state relationship" with the mainland has already gone up in smoke, Yang said. Observers said the separatist DPP will surely honor Lee and commemorate him as a great leader, but no matter what the DPP does and says, his image as a national sinner will never be changed in the history of China, and the separatists of the island can never change the historic trend that Taiwan will eventually reunified with the mainland. ^ top ^
Death speculation of 'godfather of Taiwan secessionism' discussed by netizens (Global Times)
2020-07-29
A Taipei hospital dismissed rumors on Wednesday claiming that former Taiwan leader and key initiator of Taiwan-separatism Lee Teng-hui had died after he get choked while drinking milk in February, and the report has brought discussions among the mainland netizens as Lee is an infamous separatist. The Taipei Veterans General Hospital said that Lee is not in ideal health, but he is under treatment, and his condition is not as bad as some have speculated, local media reported. Lee, who took office in 1988 and retired in 2000, has long been decried as the "godfather of Taiwan secessionism" by the public, and his flattering attitude toward Japan and the denial of his own Chinese identity was heavily criticized by Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Straits and across the globe. Chinese mainland netizens also noticed the reports. Some of them said "We hope the report is not true, because we want him to receive legal punishment for his treason until we reunify the island one day in the future." Lee was a member of the pro-reunification Kuomintang (KMT), but he later betrayed the KMT's principles to support localism and separatism. Even after he left office, Lee was vocal about separating the island of Taiwan from the Chinese mainland. The separatist Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) treats him with great respect to thank him for his support at the early stage, otherwise separatist sentiments would not have had an opening to be backed by a major party. Lee can be seen as a "sinner for the Chinese nation," Yang Lixian, a research fellow at the Beijing-based Research Center of Cross-Straits Relations, told the Global Times, noting that Lee was brainwashed by the Japanese invaders when Japan occupied the island. The Japanese rulers planted "the seed of secessionism" among the people in Taiwan to serve Japan's colonial rule before the end of World War II, as a sense of Chinese identity among the people would make it difficult for Japan to rule the island, Yang said. Lee is a typical traitor of Chinese nations, who hid among the KMT and cheated his leaders to gain power in the 1980s, said the expert. His separatist tendencies in the 1990s almost caused a military conflict between the mainland and the island, after he broke with the 1992 Consensus and the one-China principle to promote separatism for the island. Now, as reunification of Taiwan is becoming a more and more irreversible trend for the island, separatists like Lee have begun to realize his previous goal of building a "state-to-state relationship" with the Chinese mainland has already gone up in smoke, Yang said. Speculations of Lee's death began circulating on Tuesday, and were fueled by media reports that Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen and her deputy Lai Ching-te had called off their original plans to visit Lee in hospital. They stayed there for 40 minutes, Taiwan media reported. Later, Lee's wife Tseng Wen-hui also reportedly visited Lee. The 98-year-old infamous separatist veteran was admitted to Taipei Veterans General Hospital in early February after choking while drinking a glass of milk. At the time, there were rumors that Lee had died and that he had contracted the coronavirus. ^ top ^
Cross-Taiwan Straits couples condemn DPP over entry ban on their children (Global Times)
2020-07-28
The Taiwan regional authority's move to bar entry for children of mainland-Taiwan couples amid the COVID-19 pandemic is causing anger among the public due to its obvious politicization of the virus and discrimination against mainland residents. Many mainland-Taiwan families who have been separated from their loved ones across the Straits have condemned the separatist Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authority for utilizing these children as a tool for political purposes, urging it to let them go back to the island and reunite with their parents soon. Ye, a mother who has been separated from her 18-year-old son since the virus outbreak, has made lots of petitions to Taiwan authorities in these months. She and some other parents even kneeled at the gate of the local health department and called for cancellation of the entry ban, only to get no response. "I never thought there would be a day I would kneel down to others only for family reunion," Ye told the Global Times. Months of separation have made this brokenhearted mother extremely worried and sleepless, having to take drugs for treating anxiety disorders. "Being ripped apart from my child is a big pain to me," she said. Taiwan's entry ban came out in late January before the Ye family was about to head for Taiwan after spending the Chinese New Year (CNY) vacation in Ye's hometown, East China's Fujian Province. Ye and her husband had to go back to the island for work, leaving their son alone in Fujian with no friends and few relatives. Ye criticized the ban as inhumane and merciless. "Doesn't the DPP have family or kids?" she asked. "It has no sympathy." Including Ye's son, there are more than 400 children of mainland-Taiwan couples left in the mainland because of the unfair entry ban, according to the Taiwan New Inhabitants Development Association. The excuse of "epidemic control" that the DPP authority uses to bar these kids is totally untenable, said Xu Chunying, the association's director. Xu explained that Taiwan has opened its door to resident-certificate holders from many countries and regions - including the US - yet it still rejects the children of Taiwan residents and their mainland spouses, although these children also have local resident certificates and have been living in the region for a long time. "It's quite unfair that the DPP allows people from areas severely affected by the virus to come, while it locks out children returning from the mainland where the epidemic situation has largely improved," Xu told the Global Times. The DPP is utilizing the pandemic to serve its "independence" conspiracy, said mainland observers. By stigmatizing COVID-19 as a "Wuhan virus" and preventing children of mainland-Taiwan couples from entering, it attempts to decouple and escalate "confrontation" with the mainland, said Ni Yongjie, deputy director of the Shanghai Institute of Taiwan Studies. "Meanwhile, it shamelessly tries every possible way to please some foreign forces, easing entry restrictions even on those from high-risk areas," Ni told the Global Times. Since March, Xu's association and some other non-government groups have been helping these families reach local officials and express their appeals. To their disappointment, Taiwan has seldom responded to their requests but kept talking about the mainland's so-called "lack of transparency" in the fight against COVID-19, which is no more than a groundless smear, said some of the families reached by the Global Times. Taiwan native Liu, who had been in Shanghai with his wife and three-year-old child before coming back to the island alone in early July, has repeatedly sent petitions to various departments of the local government. "But they just pass the buck and have never replied," he said. Contrary to the Taiwan authority's smear, Liu said he felt the mainland has done a good job in controlling the epidemic. "During my stay in Shanghai, I personally experienced the efforts that the local government made in fighting the virus," he told the Global Times. The DPP, by blaming the mainland for the pandemic and slandering the 400 kids as virus spreaders, is attempting to stir up "anti-mainland sentiment" among local residents, Liu said. If it is really for the sake of epidemic control, it can ask the 400 children to take a test and have a 14-day quarantine when entering the region - just as people coming from other areas do - rather than simply shutting them out, he added. After the travel ban caused rage across the island, the Taiwan authorities started allowing children of mainland-Taiwan couples aged under two to enter from July 16, Taiwan-based media reported. But this "concession" is perfunctory and insincere, Xu said, adding that there may be only 10 or fewer children of that age among the over 400. "What's more, children aged above two also need parents' care, and their rights should be guaranteed as well," she told the Global Times. It is ironic that the Taiwan authorities, which keep boasting about their "humanity" and "care" amid the pandemic, cold-bloodedly turn a blind eye to the pain of family separation and disregard the basic human rights of the involved children, such as their right to education, Xu said. An'an (pseudonym), the child of a mainland-Taiwan couple and freshman of a Taiwan-based university, has missed a whole semester's offline courses because of the entry ban. Staying in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, he has to take temporary online courses with no textbooks and is unable to interact with his teachers. "He can't learn well in that way," said An'an's father surnamed Chang, who has had to quit his job in Taiwan to stay with An'an in Heilongjiang amid the pandemic, with his wife going back to the island alone. Feeling antipathy against the pitiless Taiwan authority, An'an is now unwilling to go back to the island, Chang told the Global Times. He recalled something that An'an wrote in his recent homework, saying that it doesn't matter to him whether or not he can go back to Taiwan as it is a place full of lies. ^ top ^
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| Economy |
China's factories continued strong recovery from coronavirus shock in July, but challenges remain (SCMP)
2020-07-31
China's economic recovery continued apace in July, new sentiment data suggested, with the second half of the year beginning in positive fashion for both manufacturing and services. The official manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) for July stood at 51.1, with a reading above 50.0 suggesting expansion in factory output. This was slightly better than June's reading of 50.9 and was better than analysts' expectations, with the median result of a Bloomberg survey standing at 50.8. The PMI is a sentiment gauge, conducted through a survey of factory owners and purchasing managers. It offers an early snapshot of the state of China's economy during the month ahead, quizzing operators on issues like hiring, export orders and inventory. The official non-manufacturing PMI, also released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Friday, was 54.2 for July, up from 54.4 in June but slightly below analysts' expectations of 54.5. This survey takes the mood among the services and construction sectors. In the construction sector, sparked by a building boom, sentiment rose to 60.5 from 59.8 in June, while in services it edged down slightly to 53.1 from 0.3. Combined, the surveys are a leading indicator used as a barometer for the economic health of the economy for the month ahead. The composite PMI, which combines both verticals, came in at 54.1 in July from 53.4 in June, signalling a broad if gradual steadying across the Chinese economy. This stands in stark contrast to economic data in other leading economies around the world. The US economy – the world's largest – shrank by a record 32.9 per cent in the second quarter of 2020. This is among the biggest markets for Chinese goods – despite billions of dollars of trade war tariffs, and a dent to demand emanating from this near-collapse would likely hit China's producers. Both the manufacturing and non-manufacturing PMIs have now been in positive territory for five successive months, following the historic collapse in January and February that saw the manufacturing survey come in at 35.7 and non-manufacturing at 29.6. China's economy has recovered from the 6.8 per cent contraction in the first quarter contraction, with official growth of 3.2 per cent in the second quarter. The pace of this growth has surprised many, given that parts of the economy have yet to return to full capacity, but the general trend across multiple data sets has been upwards. Trade showed a strong recovery in June, with China's exports rising by 0.5 per cent in June from a year ago, while imports rose by 2.7 per cent. Within the manufacturing PMI, the new export orders metric was 48.4, showing manufacturers are more confident about exports for the month ahead. In June's survey, this reading was 42.6. But there are some challenges ahead. Seaborne shipment data showed that the trade of medical supplies and personal protective equipment to the US – including face masks – slowed in the first half of July, even though coronavirus cases soared in America. For China, this was an unexpected boom market through the early months of the year and was credited with keeping the official export data positive in April. Factory owners still do not expect to be hiring significantly more staff over the coming month, with the employment metric coming in at 49.3 for July, slightly higher than June's 49.1. For non-manufacturing firms this was 48.1, from 48.7 in June. With President Xi Jinping attempting to steer the economy towards domestic consumption and self-reliance, policymakers may be pleased to see domestic orders improving. New orders rose to 51.5 for manufacturing firms in July, while it ticked up to 51.7 for non-manufacturers, both slight increases on June. "Through planning for combining pandemic control and development policies, China's economic climate has continued to recover, and business operations have continued to improve," said Zhao Qinghe, a senior statistician at the National Bureau of Statistics. In June, profits of industrial firms also saw a year-on-year increase of 11.5 per cent, from an increase of 6.0 per cent in May, representing the only months of growth in 2020. In the first six months of the year, however, profits fell by 12.8 per cent. Foreign miners and traders, meanwhile, have been reporting record iron ore shipments over recent days and weeks, in a sign that China's stimulus playbook of construction and real estate is beginning to kick in. Rio Tinto, Fortescue Metals Group and BHP Group all reported record sales in the first half of the year, the bulk of it to China. China has seen a few pockets of coronavirus outbreaks in recent weeks, suggesting that the recovery might still be fragile. Furthermore, China has been besieged by near nationwide flooding – the worst in decades – since early-June. Heavy rainfall has hit regions across the country, spanning 27 provinces, with at least 21 declaring critical levels of flooding. The government this week estimated a direct economic hit of US$16.6 billion, with more than 2 million people displaced along the Yangtze River. Analysts have pointed to the potential of this disaster to hijack China's recovery. ^ top ^
CPC leaders analyze economy, to convene Central Committee plenum in October (Xinhua)
2020-07-31
The fifth plenary session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) will be held in Beijing in October, according to a decision made at a CPC Central Committee Political Bureau meeting on Thursday. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, presided over the meeting. The Political Bureau will present its work report to the CPC Central Committee at the plenary session, where attendees will also assess the proposals for formulating the 14th Five-Year (2021-2025) Plan for Social and Economic Development and future targets for 2035, according to a statement issued after the meeting. The CPC Central Committee Political Bureau also studied the current economic situation at Thursday's meeting and made arrangements for the economic work for the second half of the year. The 14th Five-Year Plan period is the first five years after China has completed building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and achieved the first centenary goal, according to the meeting. The period will also mark the time for the country to build on this achievement to embark on a new journey toward the second centenary goal of fully building a modern socialist country, said the statement. Going forward, China will still be in a period of strategic opportunity for development, facing new opportunities and challenges, it said. The meeting stressed the need to hold high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics to promote China's economic and social development in the period of the 14th Five-Year Plan, and to secure a good start in fully building a modern socialist country. The meeting also underscored upholding and improving systems and mechanisms for the Party to lead economic and social development to offer a fundamental guarantee for high-quality development. Efforts were also stressed to stay committed to deeper reform and wider opening-up, and to continuously increase the impetus and vitality for development. The meeting stressed that, in the face of the serious impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, China has prioritized the lives and health of the public. Highlighting the major progress in coordinating efforts to contain the outbreak and promote economic and social development, the meeting said economic growth in the second quarter was significantly better than expected, which fully demonstrated the correctness of decisions and arrangements made by the CPC Central Committee, the strong leadership of the Party, and the resilience of China's economy. It said that the current economic situation remains complicated and challenging with unstable and uncertain factors. Since many problems we face are long- and medium-term, resolving such problems is like fighting a protracted war, said the meeting. Stressing the need to follow the general principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability over the second half of this year, the meeting underscored promoting high-quality economic development, maintaining social stability, and striving to fulfill the targets and tasks for economic and social development of this year. While requiring full implementation of macro policies, the meeting called for pursuing a more proactive and effective fiscal policy that delivers solid outcomes, and a more flexible and appropriate monetary policy that targets sound results, according to the meeting. The meeting demanded unremitting efforts in improving regular epidemic prevention and control measures, increasing reserves of medical materials, and strengthening anti-epidemic international cooperation to build a global community of health for all. It urged efforts to keep expanding domestic demand, counteract the impact of COVID-19, boost final consumption, and create conditions for consumption upgrading. The meeting also stressed efforts to ensure people's livelihoods, eradicate poverty, prevent and control pollution, and step up flood control and disaster relief measures. The meeting called for the implementation of a number of major projects on the ecological protection along the Yangtze River and the Yellow River, as well as the 10-year fishing ban in key areas of the Yangtze River. Safety should be ensured along rivers across the country, the meeting added, noting that the restoration and reconstruction after the floods should be carefully planned. ^ top ^
Credit Suisse Expects Windfall on $100 Million Ant Investment (Caixin)
2020-07-28
Credit Suisse Group AG invested nearly $100 million in Ant Group during its last funding round, according to people familiar with the matter, setting the Swiss bank up for a potential windfall as the Chinese internet giant prepares to go public. The Zurich-based lender, a frequent adviser on deals across Jack Ma's empire, made the equity investment during Ant's 2018 fundraising, which valued the company at $150 billion. Credit Suisse stands to make paper gains on the previously undisclosed investment if the offering gets a strong reception. One estimate from Bernstein projected Ant's valuation at $210 billion, meaning a 40% increase from the earlier level. The bank doesn't plan to sell its stake, the people said, requesting not to be named because the matter is private. A representative for Credit Suisse declined to comment. Ant declined to comment via email. Credit Suisse joins a growing number of banks from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. to China International Capital Corp. that are investing in private companies, particularly those in the technology sector. The investments hold the promise of generous returns at a time of intensifying competition and thinning fees for underwriters. Credit Suisse has also invested in L&P Cosmetics Co. in Korea and Hero Fincorp Ltd. in India. Ant, the crown jewel of Ma's Alibaba empire, has said it plans to pursue a simultaneous dual listing in Hong Kong and on the Shanghai stock exchange's STAR Market. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. owns a third of Ant. Ant is leaning toward giving Credit Suisse the smaller role of joint global coordinator for its Hong Kong IPO after the bank was left off an initial list of sponsors for the deal, according to people familiar with the matter. Credit Suisse advised the Alibaba independent committee when the company bought a 33% stake in Ant and did not advise on Ant's latest fundraising round, the people said. The four banks that did so got priority in winning a role as an IPO sponsor, they said. Credit Suisse worked closely with Ma's empire over the years, handling at least 30 deals within the larger Alibaba ecosystem, according to the people. The bank also advised Alibaba on at least $14 billion of acquisitions, more than any other bank, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Credit Suisse was not among the group of investors disclosed during Ant's 2018 funding round. Ant said it raised about $14 billion from backers including GIC, Khazanah Nasional Berhad, Warburg Pincus, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, Silver Lake, Temasek Holdings Pte. and Carlyle Group. ^ top ^
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| DPRK |
DPRK declares state of emergency after Kaesong city reports suspected COVID-19 case (Global Times)
2020-07-26
Kim Jong Un, the top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), declared a state of emergency in Kaesong after the border city reported a suspected case of COVID-19, said Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Sunday. "There happened a critical situation in which the vicious virus could be said to have entered the country," Kim said on Saturday as he presided over an emergency enlarged meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party. Kim noted that he took preemptive measures on Saturday to completely block Kaesong city and isolate each district and region immediately after the case was reported. Given the dangerous situation in Kaesong city, Kim said he has decided to shift from the state emergency anti-epidemic system to the maximum emergency system and issue a top-class alert. According to the KCNA report, all those who had contacted the suspected case and those who had been to Kaesong city in the past five days will be given medical examination and put under quarantine. The suspected case, a defector who returned to the DPRK city of Kaesong from South Korea on July 19 after illegally crossing the demarcation line, was put under strict quarantine as a primary step, said the KCNA. So far, the DPRK has not reported any confirmed case of COVID-19. ^ top ^
DPRK leader says nuclear deterrence to firmly guarantee national security (China Daily)
2020-07-30
Top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong-un stressed the importance of nuclear deterrence on the occasion of the 67th anniversary of the armistice of the 1950-53 Korean War, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Tuesday. At the 6th National Conference of War Veterans held here Monday, Kim said thanks to the "reliable and effective self-defense war deterrence, there will no longer be war on this land and our national security and future will be firmly guaranteed permanently," the KCNA reported. "Bearing in mind that we should have a strong power to safeguard the fate of our country and people, we will never stop honing the most powerful national defense capacity that cannot be matched by anyone else," Kim was quoted by the KCNA as saying. During the conference, Kim also paid tribute to the martyrs and war veterans who "dedicated their valuable lives to the sacred war for the country's reunification and independence and people's freedom and happiness," said the KCNA. The DPRK held its 1st National Conference of War Veterans in 1993, marking the 40th anniversary of the end of the war. The following four conferences in 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2018 were all held after Kim took office at the end of 2011. ^ top ^
DPRK locks down border city over suspected case (China Daily)
2020-07-27
Kim Jong-un, the top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, declared a state of emergency in Kaesong after the border city reported a suspected case of COVID-19, the Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA, reported on Sunday. "There happened a critical situation in which the vicious virus could be said to have entered the country," Kim said on Saturday as he presided over an emergency enlarged meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party. Kim said he took preemptive measures on Saturday to completely block Kaesong and isolate each district and region immediately after the case was reported. The lockdown was declared on Friday afternoon in a country that has not reported any confirmed case of COVID-19. KCNA said respiratory secretion and blood tests showed the person "is suspected to have been infected" with the virus. It said the suspected case and others who were in contact as well as those who have been to Kaesong in the past five days were placed under quarantine. Describing its anti-virus efforts as a "matter of national existence", the DPRK earlier this year shut down nearly all cross-border traffic, banned foreign tourists and mobilized health workers to quarantine anyone with symptoms. However, the Kaesong lockdown is the first such known measure taken to stem the pandemic. Given the dangerous situation in Kaesong city, Kim said, he had decided to shift from the state emergency anti-epidemic system to the maximum emergency system and issue a top-class alert. All those who had contacted the person suspected of having the virus and those who had been to Kaesong in the past five days will be given medical examinations and put under quarantine, KCNA said. The person suspected of having the virus, a defector who returned to Kaesong from the Republic of Korea on July 19 after illegally crossing the demarcation line, was put under strict quarantine as a primary step, the agency said. KCNA said that Kim and other leaders were briefed on the results of an intensive investigation of a military unit responsible for the border crossing case and discussed administering "a severe punishment". Kaesong, whose population is estimated to be 200,000, is just north of the heavily fortified land border with the Republic of Korea. It once hosted the Koreas' jointly run industrial complex, which remains stalled since 2016 amid nuclear tensions. ^ top ^
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| Mongolia |
President asks to expand repatriation of Mongolians from abroad (Montsame)
2020-07-30
President of Mongolia Kh.Battulga today met with some Cabinet members and corresponding officials, giving a directive to carry on with the tasks to bring back Mongolian nationals to their home country in a wider scope. Mongolia has repatriated its 12,853 citizens from over 40 countries until today, nevertheless, there are additional more than 10 thousand Mongolians left abroad, who have wishes to arrive home immediately and living in difficult conditions. Therefore, the President tasked to pay attention on increasing the frequency of charter flights and work more promptly in the future. Also, Deputy Prime Minister Ya.Sodbaatar was obliged to perform and introduce a thorough study on the possibilities of the next charter flights, their schedules and the capacity of healthcare sector and isolation facilities. The President also ordered the government ministers to continue the repatriation campaign that was being conducted by the previous government, and ensure readiness of each of their sectors. ^ top ^
New Head of Swiss Cooperation in Mongolia appointed (Montsame)
2020-07-27
Swiss Confederation has appointed Dr Stefanie Burri as its Head of International Cooperation in Mongolia. She was serving as Senior Advisor for International Development based at the SDC head office in Bern, Switzerland before her appointment to the new role. Dr Burri has a distinguished career in international development spanning more than 30 years. From 2016 - 2018, she was the Head of International Cooperation in Islamabad, Pakistan. Previously, she has also held several management positions at the SDC head office in Bern and abroad, including Ecuador. Dr Burri received a PhD in Social Anthropology and a Master in Sociology and Psychology from the University of Bern, Switzerland. She chose Honduras and Paraguay for her field studies. In addition, she is a certified coach and trainer from the Institute of Applied Psychology in Zürich, Switzerland and specializes in human and organizational development. She is fluent in German, French, Spanish and English. ^ 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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