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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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Mongolia
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| Foreign Policy |
Accusations of predatory fishing practices by Chinese fishing fleet near Galapagos slammed by experts (Global Times)
2020-08-14
As China has become more powerful on the ocean, the country's normal, legal fishing operations have increasingly become a pawn that the US uses to sow discord and incite conflicts with neighboring countries. Facing slander by the current US administration, which likely has the worst track record on environmental protection and continues to savage established conservation laws, Chinese senior oceanography experts slammed US officials, including Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, for not caring about sharks or the environment, and only aiming to fan the flames of anti-China sentiment around the globe. In his latest move, Pompeo accused China's commercial fishing fleet of "routinely violating the sovereign rights and jurisdiction of coastal states, fishing without permission, and overfishing licensing agreements," citing an incident involving a fishing fleet with over 200 vessels, most of them China-flagged, fishing near Ecuador's Galapagos marine reserve. Refuting Pompeo's slander, the Chinese Embassy in Ecuador has stated that the Chinese fishing boats were operating routinely and legally in waters outside the exclusive economic zone of the Galapagos, and posed no threat to anyone. Pompeo accused the fishing fleet of being engaged in "illegal, unreported, and unregulated" (IUU) fishing, and "rule-breaking and willful environmental degradation." Li Gang, head of the Chinese Delegation of the Scientific Committee with the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization (SPRFMO), said that the Chinese fishing vessels are legal fishing vessels authorized by the Chinese government and registered with SPRFMO in accordance with the regulations concerning conservation and fishery management measures. SPRFMO is an inter-governmental organization that is committed to the long-term conservation and sustainable use of the fishery resources of the South Pacific Ocean and in so doing safeguarding the marine ecosystems in which the resources occur. "No Chinese fishing vessel has been included in the IUU vessel list of SPRFMO since the establishment of the organization in 2013," said Li, who is also an associate professor at Shanghai-based Ocean University of China, at a seminar held in Ocean University of China (OCU) on Wednesday. Some media reports claimed that Chinese fishers killed protected species and sharks for their fins, posting pictures of law enforcement workers checking shark fins on boat as an evidence, to which Li said the boat in the photo is not a vessel for squid fishing and there is no indication of its nationality. Moreover, SPRFMO has not implemented the boarding inspection in the convention of the high seas yet, so it is impossible for law enforcement officers to board the fishing vessels to conduct such inspections, Li noted, slamming such reports of intentionally confusing the readers. Some media reports acknowledged Chinese squid fishing vessels on the high seas are legal, but then claimed that such an act violated the marine reserve protection and harmed sharks. Li explained that squid fishing, usually takes place at night and the fishers use an overhead light to attract the squid to gather at the shaded area under the boat and then catch the squid with a specially made gear that has no bait. Such fishing gear that Chinese vessels use is of a highly selective nature and is eco-friendly as advocated by the international community, Li told the Global Times on Wednesday. "There is no 'bycatch' such as seabirds, sharks, turtles and other marine mammals." Ecuadorian foreign minister said the country will be surveilling Chinese fishing fleets near the Galapagos Islands and they expect to hold bilateral talks with the Chinese side over Chinese fishing activity near the Galapagos Islands. At a routine press briefing on August 6, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said China and Ecuador are in friendly communication these days through bilateral channels. Meanwhile, to contribute "our efforts in the protection of fishery resources in the region, China's fishery authority has decided to ban fishing in the high seas west of the Galapagos Islands Marine Reserve from September to November this year, which has been appreciated by Ecuador and other relevant countries," Wang said. "China's fishing ban is not due to pressure from the US," Chen Xinjun, team leader of Squid Jigging Technology Group of China Distant Water Fisheries Association and professor of Ocean University of China, told the Global Times, adding that it is the first country to implement a fishing ban in international waters. Li explained that the measures are meant to promote the protection and sustainable use of fishery resources in international waters by the international community, especially in waters and resources not included in the management of the international regional fishery organizations like squid resources in the southwestern Atlantic. Effective conservation of fishery resource requires concerted efforts from governments, enterprises, scientists, fishers and the public. "The fishing ban is telling the international community that China is a responsible fishing country and is willing to take the lead in high seas fishery management," Li said. Earlier in June, China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs instituted a fishing moratorium for Chinese vessels in key fishing grounds, which include a ban on fishing in the southwestern Atlantic from July to September and the eastern Pacific from September to November, in a bid to protect squid resources and their spawning groups. ^ top ^
Hainan free trade port signs 12 foreign-funded projects (Xinhua)
2020-08-13
A total of 12 overseas enterprises, including tourism giant TUI Group from Germany, signed cooperation agreements on major projects within the free trade port in south China's Hainan Province on Thursday. A total of 59 major projects, including 12 foreign-funded and 47 domestic ones, were agreed, covering tourism, the modern service industry and high-tech industries, with an estimated total investment of 14.2 billion yuan (about 2 billion U.S. dollars). A representative of TUI Group said the signing marks the tourism magnate's formal entry into the Hainan free trade port, adding that it will found an Asian-Pacific regional headquarters and joint venture here to further deepen its business relations with China and the Asian-Pacific region. The signing ceremony also unveiled 20 investment-promotion projects that are open to global investors, in areas such as new-energy vehicles, tourism, offshore trade and duty-free retail. On June 1, the country released a master plan for constructing a free trade port on Hainan, a resort island with tourism as a mainstay industry, arousing interest both abroad and at home. ^ top ^
Chinese envoy calls for pushing for peace amid pandemic (China Daily)
2020-08-13
China's top envoy to the United Nations, addressing the Security Council, stressed that solidarity and cooperation are the most powerful weapons in the global fight against COVID-19, especially in conflict-affected countries. Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the UN, spoke Wednesday during high-level open debate in the Security Council on the challenges to achieving sustainable peace as the novel coronavirus pandemic ravages communities worldwide. At the meeting, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reminded the council that COVID-19 threatens not only hard-won developmental and peace-building gains but also "risks exacerbating conflicts or fomenting new ones". Against the backdrop of growing questions over the effectiveness of health systems and trust in institutions and governance across the globe, Guterres said, "All of this means that our commitment to sustaining peace is more urgent than ever." Zhang echoed Guterres' call, saying, "We must step up our efforts to prevail over the pandemic and build back better at an early date. "China calls on all parties to conflict to respond to the secretary-general's appeal for a global cease-fire as soon as possible, not only to lay down their arms and silence the guns but also to coordinate actions against COVID-19," Zhang said. "We should support the UN and the WHO (World Health Organization) in mobilizing countries to further strengthen policy coordination and increase resources to help with the preparation and response of the conflict-affected countries," Zhang stressed. Zhang pointed out that "unilateral sanctions are seriously undermining the basic capacity of targeted countries in responding to the pandemic and safeguarding livelihoods, making innocent civilians the biggest victims". "We once again strongly urge relevant countries to acknowledge the negative humanitarian consequences and immediately lift their unilateral coercive measures," Zhang said. Since the coronavirus outbreak, Zhang said China has been actively engaged in the global fight. China has been doing its utmost to support and assist countries in need. Zhang highlighted that in June, Chinese President Xi Jinping chaired the China-Africa Summit on Solidarity Against COVID-19, which he believes demonstrated the determination of China and Africa to fight the disease together. Additionally, China said it had decided to cancel the debt of interest-free loans to relevant African countries due by the end of 2020. China also announced that coronavirus vaccine development and deployment in China, when available, will be made a global public good. China is ready to continue providing medical supplies to affected countries, share experience in diagnosis and treatment and send medical experts to assist the countries' response, according to Zhang. Zhang said the world needs to better understand the challenges of sustaining peace and strengthening current approaches to promoting peace. Zhang underlined that in the process of peace building, countries should always be people-centered, promote sustaining peace through development and strengthen political leadership and participation of the whole society. Zhang said there is no doubt that the pandemic has brought tremendous impact and challenges to the world. However, "we have every reason to believe that humankind will eventually prevail and make the world a better place", he said. "To make that happen, we must be united and uphold multilateralism," Zhang added. Zhang said that countries are dependent on each other and have a shared future. "No one can artificially sever the ties that connect us," he said. "Unilateralism is a one-way train heading to a dead end, and there is no other option but turning back," he said, adding that countries should give stronger support to the UN to better meet challenges and pursue common development through multilateral cooperation. To make that happen, Zhang said, "we must uphold justice and the rule of law. Justice is the hope of all and is rooted in the hearts of the people." Zhang said international law and the norms of international relations are important guarantees for fairness and justice. All countries should honor their commitments and fulfill due responsibilities and obligations, he said. "We cannot allow the practice of power politics, bullying and exceptionalism to take the world back to an age of the jungle," he said. Zhang said "we must respect science, and support technological progress". The ambassador said advances in science and technology are the common pursuit of humankind, because everyone is entitled to a better life, including those in developing countries. "The practice of putting up artificial barriers to hinder other countries' scientific and technological development and to interfere with market competition for selfish gains is immoral, irresponsible and against one's own interest," he said. At the meeting, Guterres said: "COVID-19 is a human tragedy — but we can mitigate the impacts by the choices we make. Multidimensional, coordinated and conflict-sensitive responses and whole-of-society approaches are crucial." Said Zhang: "It is our sincere hope that UN members and the international community will act together, shoulder responsibilities together, share the benefits together and jointly build a better future for all." ^ top ^
US set to make China's Confucius Institutes register as 'foreign missions' (SCMP)
2020-08-13
The Trump administration is increasing scrutiny of a long-established Chinese-government funded programme that is dedicated to teaching Chinese language and culture in the US and other nations, the latest escalation of tensions with Beijing. The State Department plans to announce as soon as Thursday that Confucius Institutes in the US – many of which are based on college campuses – will need to register as "foreign missions", according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified. The designation would amount to a conclusion that Confucius Institutes are "substantially owned or effectively controlled" by a foreign government. That would subject them to administrative requirements similar to those for embassies and consulates. The State Department, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment, took similar action toward several Chinese media outlets earlier this year. The institutes have long been a target of China hawks, with lawmakers including Senator Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, urging schools in his state to terminate their agreements with them. He called them "Chinese government-run programmes that use the teaching of Chinese language and culture as a tool to expand the political influence" of the government. The move is likely to further stoke tensions with Beijing as the two countries clash over everything from the governance of Hong Kong to 5G technology. This week, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar became the highest-ranking American official to visit Taiwan in more than 40 years, while Secretary of State Michael Pompeo used a speech in Prague to blast the Chinese Communist Party's "campaigns of coercion and control". Of some 550 Confucius Institutes around the world, 80 are based at US colleges, including Stanford University and Savannah State University in Georgia, according to the National Association of Scholars, a non-partisan research group that has studied them. Although the institutes generally steer clear of history, politics and current affairs, critics say they are vehicles for Chinese influence on campuses, providing the government in Beijing leverage to censor teaching materials and academic events by threatening to withdraw funding for the institutes. The National Association of Scholars opposes them because it says their funding lacks transparency and topics sensitive to China's government are off limits. ^ top ^
China-U.S. relations at "very critical moment": Chinese ambassador (Xinhua)
2020-08-11
China-U.S. relations are at "a very critical moment" and the two countries have to "make the right choices" for the long-term interests of the two peoples and of the world, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai has said. Cui made the remarks when he was invited to attend the 2020 Aspen Security Forum and had an online interview with Nicholas Burns, executive director of the Aspen Strategy Group, and Andrea Mitchell, chief foreign affairs correspondent of NBC News, on issues related to China-U.S. relations last week. "We are at a very critical moment for our relations between China and the United States. In a way, we can say it's unprecedented since Dr. Henry Kissinger's visit almost half a century ago," said Cui. "The choices we're making today will shape not only relations between our two great countries, but also the future of the world. So we have to make the right choices. We have to base ourselves on the long-term interests of our two peoples and of the world," he said. The Chinese diplomat said the recent allegations against Chinese consulate in Houston or any of Chinese diplomatic missions in the United States are "totally groundless." "People cannot assume other people are doing all these things just because they are exactly doing the same thing in other countries. This is the problem. Some people are doing all these things in other countries. But now they are blaming other countries doing such things. We never do these," he said. "It's so bad for the U.S. side to decide to close our consulate in Houston. Based on the principle of reciprocity in diplomacy, we have to respond. But we certainly don't want to have all this from the very beginning. We certainly don't want to see any escalation," the Chinese ambassador said. ^ top ^
China recruits more pilots for carrier-based fighter jets (Global Times)
2020-08-11
About 16,000 people signed up for the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy's recently completed annual pilot recruitment drive, and among those who have passed the tests to become pilot cadets, nearly half will be trained to fly aircraft carrier-based fighter jets in the coming years. This is expected to satisfy China's future aircraft carrier programs. Experts said on Monday that the ratio indicates China's ambitions in aircraft carrier development, as the country could operate three or more aircraft carriers in the near future, which need more pilots. The PLA Navy recently wrapped up the 2020 pilot recruitment drive, during which none was infected by the novel coronavirus, thanks to nucleic acid testing and optimized procedures, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Sunday. A large batch of talent among the 16,000 registered applicants emerged after several selections, the report said, without elaborating further on the number of applicants who were eventually enrolled in the pilot training program. Chu Hanqiang, director of the PLA Navy Pilot Recruitment Office, was quoted as saying in the report that 49 percent of the enrolled candidates will become aircraft carrier-based fighter jet pilot cadets, and this should satisfy the development of aircraft carriers. "In the past, most Navy Aviation Force pilot cadets were trained to fly ground-based fighter jets and bombers," Li Jie, a Beijing-based naval expert, told the Global Times on Monday. The significant increase in the ratio for aircraft carrier-based fighter jet pilot cadets indicates that China will operate not only two aircraft carriers, Li said. Forbes reported in July that China's third aircraft carrier is being assembled in a dry dock in Shanghai's Jiangnan Shipyard. Military observers expect the new aircraft carrier to be much larger and carry more aircraft than China's previous two, the Liaoning and the Shandong. Cadets will study for four years and potentially continue to train on advanced trainer aircraft, the website of the Navy's pilot recruitment program said. This means this batch could join active service when the third aircraft carrier is commissioned, observers said. Li said that in addition to aircraft carrier-based fighter jets, the PLA Navy also needs more pilots for vessel-based helicopter pilots, as China recently launched two Type 075 amphibious assault ships and each has the potential to carry about 30 helicopters. Other warships, including Type 055 and Type 052D destroyers, also host helicopters, Li noted. ^ top ^
Twitter reportedly enters running to buy TikTok app (China Daily)
2020-08-10
Now a social media giant has reportedly joined a software giant in an effort — albeit a longshot one — to acquire another social media giant, TikTok. Twitter, which has recently clashed with US President Donald Trump over some of his tweets, is in talks to buy the wildly popular video-sharing app that Trump has ordered to be sold because of its Chinese ownership, The Wall Street Journal reported. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has claimed that TikTok could send user data on its mostly young American user base to China's government, an allegation that TikTok has strenuously denied. TikTok also has said that it stores all American user data in the US and does not share it with the Chinese government. In a report on Friday, The New York Times said that the CIA had found no evidence that TikTok shared user data with the Chinese government. Senator Mark Warner, Democrat of Virginia, said on Thursday at the virtual Aspen Security Forum that "on the hierarchy of problems we are talking about, an app that allows you to make funny videos does not really rank". TikTok plans to sue the Trump administration, challenging the president's executive order banning the service, according to a report by National Public Radio. The federal lawsuit will be filed as early as Tuesday, according to a person involved in the matter but not authorized to speak for the company, NPR reported. It will be filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of California, where TikTok's US operations are based, the person said. "It's based on pure speculation and conjecture," the source said about the administration's ban, reported NPR. "The order has no findings of fact, just reiterates rhetoric about China that has been kicking around." The Journal also reported Friday that a small American company with ties to US defense and intelligence has embedded its software in mobile apps, allowing it to track the movements of hundreds of millions of mobile phones worldwide. Anomaly Six LLC, based in Virginia and founded by two US military veterans, said in marketing material that it can gather location data from more than 500 mobile applications. Microsoft, which announced on Aug 2 that it was pursuing a deal with TikTok for its operations in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, said it was told by Trump to make a deal by Sept 15. Trump also announced last week that the US Treasury should receive a percentage of the proceeds from any sale, which China has denounced as a "mafia" deal. On Thursday, the White House issued an executive order that would bar people in the US from transactions with TikTok's owner, Beijing-based ByteDance, and on the messaging service WeChat, which is owned by China's Tencent Holdings Ltd. The order is scheduled to go into effect 45 days from Aug 6. While a potential TikTok ban is proving unpopular with many of its users, a WeChat ban likely would have far more impact. WeChat has more than 3 million users in the US, mainly Chinese immigrants of all ages who use it to communicate with each other and with people back home in China, where its billion users there make the app "as powerful as Twitter, WhatsApp, and Facebook are combined in the US". In an opinion piece on influential tech website Wired, Rong Xiaoqing wrote that Trump likely hasn't considered the effect a WeChat ban could have on his Chinese supporters. "We Chinese supporters found one another in 2016 mainly on WeChat," said Jack Jia, a jewelry designer in New York and the founder and president of Chinese Americans Alliance for Trump, an organization that mainly operates on WeChat. "I won't vote for him again if he bans WeChat," said Cheng Zeng, who runs an agency serving international students. "If he bans WeChat, it'd be like he makes us Chinese Americans blind and dumb." It isn't clear what TikTok's US operations are worth, but estimates run into the tens of billions of dollars. That has raised questions over how Twitter would finance such a deal — Twitter's market capitalization is about $29 billion, while Microsoft's exceeds $1.6 trillion. "Twitter will have a hard time putting together enough financing to acquire even the US operations of TikTok. It doesn't have enough borrowing capacity," said Erik Gordon, a professor at the University of Michigan. "If it (Twitter) tries to put together an investor group, the terms will be tough. Twitter's own shareholders might prefer that management focus on its existing business, "he added. Twitter has far less financial might than other major tech players, though it does have high-powered investors such as private-equity firm Silver Lake, which is interested in helping fund a potential deal, a source told Reuters. Twitter, because of its relatively smaller size, also has privately made a case that its bid would face less regulatory scrutiny than Microsoft's and will not face pressure from China because it is not active there, a source said. Acquiring TikTok also would be a turnabout by Twitter on video-sharing apps. In 2016, the company closed Vine, an app that let users share short videos, as part of a cost-cutting effort. With nearly 85 million followers, Trump is Twitter's most prominent user but he has lately criticized the San Francisco-based company for labeling or restricting some of his posts that it says violate its policies. Trump and conservative politicians have regularly argued that Silicon Valley is biased against them. Twitter also recently started labeling Chinese media "state-affiliated", a move seen as influenced by the Trump administration's campaign to ratchet up pressure on China's government. And in a business decision that demonstrates the appeal of TikTok, Facebook's Instagram is launching its own version — Instagram Reels. "Instagram has put a lot of effort into developing Reels and making it attractive to TikTok users and the creators who work on the app, but I'm not sure it can replace TikTok," said Seattle-area eMarketer analyst Debra Aho Williamson. "Even if TikTok were to be banned in the US, which I think is unlikely to happen, users would find a way to keep using it," she said. "They are incredibly loyal and protective of TikTok." ^ top ^
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Aviation safety oversight to improve (China Daily)
2020-08-14
China's civil aviation regulator will scale up flight safety supervision during the ongoing summer travel season, following two recent mechanical problems during flights, both of which caused no injuries. The Civil Aviation Administration of China on Thursday released the results of investigations into the two incidents, and found no fault with the airlines' emergency procedures. On Sunday, a Shenzhen Airlines' Airbus A330-343 lost cabin pressure at 9,200 meters during a flight to Xi'an, Shaanxi province, said Wu Shijie, the CAAC's deputy director of aviation security. The pilots followed procedure and descended to a safe altitude before flying the airbus to the airport of its origin in Shenzhen, Guangdong province. The crew acted "correctly and properly" during the whole process, and no one was injured, he said. The loss of pressure was caused by the failure of a seal on a cargo door, the CAAC found. In another incident on Sunday, a flight instrument on China Eastern Airlines' Airbus 330-243 displayed a malfunction while flying from Chengdu, Sichuan province, to Beijing, Wu said. Due to the rainy weather in the nation's capital, the pilots landed the airbus in Xi'an as a precautionary measure. A fault in the flight instrument display had given an incorrect reading on the status of one of the engines. The part was later replaced and the display began operating normally again, Wu said. He said the two mechanical failures have a "certain probability of occurring", but the pilots were able to handle the emergencies correctly to ensure flight safety because they receive training every year that covers such emergencies. "As air passenger numbers are on the upswing during the summer vacation, and many regions have entered the flood season and the thunderstorm season, flight operations have seen increased risks," he said, adding that the administration has been stepping up supervision to ensure flight safety. Upholding the principle of "zero tolerance toward safety hazards", the administration has required airlines, airports and relevant departments to launch thorough inspections to guarantee smooth and safe operations. China's civil aviation industry had maintained 119 months, or 84.9 million flight hours of continuous safe flight operations by the end of July, according to the administration. ^ top ^
China to select, honor model military veterans (Xinhua)
2020-08-13
China has launched a campaign to select and honor role models among the country's military veterans, praising their contributions to society and highlighting the sense of responsibility of the vast number of veterans who maintain their military qualities in times of national crisis. The campaign will select 20 individuals and groups from among the nation's former military personnel, naming them "the most beautiful veterans" for this year, according to a circular jointly issued by the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Ministry of Veterans Affairs and the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission. The circular said that special attention should be paid to those who have demonstrated outstanding devotion in fighting the COVID-19 epidemic and in combating the floods in the country. It also called for efforts to publicize their deeds and spirit, encouraging the public to learn from them, and to show respect and care for such personnel. ^ top ^
Coronavirus-contaminated shrimp packaging detected in NW China (China Daily)
2020-08-13
Some packaging samples from frozen South American shrimps tested positive for the novel coronavirus at a farmer's market in Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi province, local health authorities said on Thursday. The local disease control and prevention department reported at 9 pm on Wednesday in a weekly routine sampling and testing of agricultural markets in Xi'an, some samples from imported frozen shrimp from Ecuador tested positive at Fangxin Frozen Non-staple Food Wholesale Market in the west of Xi'an. At present, detection and quarantine for the external environment and vendors is underway. More details will be forthcoming from the Xi'an municipal government, according to a statement by local health authorities late Thursday. ^ top ^
Teacher punished for gaokao revelations (China Daily)
2020-08-13
A teacher of Chinese linguistics was punished for revealing the score criteria and an examinee's composition for this year's college entrance examination, or gaokao, after the exam was held, according to a notice from education examination authorities in Zhejiang province on Thursday. Chen Jianxin, an associate professor in the Department of the Chinese Language and Literature of Zhejiang University and the group leader for scoring the compositions in this year's gaokao in Zhejiang, breached work discipline and was barred from future work related to the gaokao, pending further investigation. Chen had previously aroused controversy for giving full marks to an examinee's composition. Previous media reports said that Chen, as the head of scoring for the composition section of the gaokao in Zhejiang, had offered tutorial lessons and published books on writing better compositions, raising questions of fairness in the minds of some. ^ top ^
China launches Clean Plate Campaign 2.0 as Xi calls for end to food wastage (Global Times)
2020-08-12
A few years after the "Clean Your Plate Campaign" launched in 2013, its 2.0 version is arriving. Different from the previous campaign, which was aimed at putting an end to officials' extravagant feasts and receptions, the 2.0 version calls for the public to stop wasting food. The initiative initially sparked speculation by some media over whether China is in a food crisis. Experts say the world indeed faces a food shorage, but for China, the real threat to food security comes more from food wastage than epidemic or floods. President Xi Jinping stressed the need to maintain a sense of crisis on food security despite the consecutive bumper harvests, and urged the establishment of a long-term mechanism to stop wasting food amid the fallout from the epidemic. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that food wastage is shocking and distressing, and that it is necessary to further enhance public awareness of the issue, cultivate thrifty habits, and foster a social environment where waste is shameful and thriftiness is good. Despite media hype that China is in a looming food crisis, which is worsened by the epidemic, floods in southern China, and food imports, Chinese agriculturalists said the above factors will not lead to a food crisis in China, but that wasting food is an issue that deserves more attention. China's food security was not seriously affected by COVID-19, and China's grain reserves are ample, Zheng Fengtian, a professor at Renmin University of China's School of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, told the Global Times on Wednesday. In June 2020,the United Nations warned that the world is on the verge of the worst food crisis in 50 years. The world's top three grains exporters, US, Brazil and India, are also the three most affected countries by COVID-19. Zheng said that the self-sufficiency rate of China's two main grains, rice and wheat, is about 100 percent, and the current stock exceeds one year's annual output. In the past five years, China's total annual grain output has exceeded 1.3 trillion kilograms, with the per capita grain supply approaching 500 kilograms. Xinhua reported that the summer grain output in 2020 reached a record high of 143 billion kilograms, with an increase of 1.2 billion kilograms from the previous year. China's wheat output rose 0.6 percent to 132 billion kilograms, up by 750 million kilograms. However, floods in the south might have a great impact on grain production, and may cause "devastating production cuts and crop failure" in some areas. Outside China, the pandemic had an impact on global grain production and trade. Vietnam and India have suspended rice exports. However, Zheng said that China should be unfazed in the midst of trade war with the US. China has adjusted its grain import strategy to make the sources of grain imports (especially corn and soybeans) more equal. China's consumer grain prices rose only one percent in the first half of 2020. Xi also gave specific requirements for reducing waste in schools and promoting students' awareness and practices of being thrifty, Xinhua reported Thrift has always been a traditional virtue in China, but as people's living standards improve, wastage increases. In an investigation by the Institute of Geographic and National Resource Research and the World Wide Fund, tourist groups, primary and secondary school students, and official banquets were the top three causes of food wastage. Per capita food waste in China is 93 grams per person per meal, with a waste rate of 11.7 percent. On Wednesday, China's Central Television (CCTV) criticized food wastage on live streams, in which hosts eat a lot to attract viewers and throw up later. A third of the world's food is wasted every year, with about 1.3 billion tons still edible. At least 820 million of the world's 7.6 billion people are suffering from starvation, said CCTV in a Weibo post, citing UN data. Wen Tiejun, a professor at the School of Agriculture and Rural Development at the Renmin University of China, told the Global Times that consumers are also responsible for food security, and should be aware of it. Wen said food wastage in the past few years has been shocking, as it was once reported that food wasted in China was enough to feed 200 million people a year. He stressed the importance of food security education and guidance in forming rational consumption habits, which is crucial to reducing food wastage and ensuring food security. Besides consumers, experts like Zheng said that food is also wasted in production, storage, and distribution—up to 20 percent due to technical problems. Policies during the epidemic, which encouraged separate meals and reduced dining out, actually reduced food wastage, Zheng said. "We remind our guests when they order too much food," a waitress from a Beijing-based restaurant told the Global Times. ^ top ^
CPC guidance leads nation to prosperity (China Daily)
2020-08-11
Some officials in the United States have been ganging up on the Communist Party of China, but they are turning a blind eye to the fact that the CPC leadership has enabled China to grow into the world's second-largest economy without resorting to warfare, colonialism or slavery. They also ignore the broad support that the CPC has earned from the Chinese people due to its people-centered governance philosophy, which is in stark contrast with that of political parties of the US putting selfish political gain and capital first, analysts said. Wu Bo, a researcher of socialism with Chinese characteristics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that the CPC considers people's interests all it works for, and the CPC's all-out efforts to protect people's lives and health in fighting COVID-19 have been one of the testimonies of this. Intensive slandering of the CPC by some US officials is based on an outdated Cold War mentality and deep-seated ideological bias, Wu said, and they have prejudices against the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics and turn a blind eye to the broad support of the Chinese people for the CPC while ignoring their severe problems at home. Over recent decades, the CPC has led the nation to create economic miracles and long-term social stability. By upholding the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind, it shows it wants to work with the international community, including the US, to build an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world with lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity. Raed Fahmi, secretary of the Central Committee of the Iraqi Communist Party, said that the CPC and the Chinese people have every right to be proud of their great achievements in all aspects during the country's development. "The pillars of China's foreign policy are consistent with the Charter of the United Nations, and provide a sound, solid and stable basis for building a new type of relations between countries that guarantees international peace and security," Fahmi told Xinhua News Agency. These pillars have been clearly demonstrated "in initiatives and calls for international cooperation and peaceful coexistence between countries with different political, economic and social systems", Fahmi added. Since May, the US administration has set forth a systematic set of speeches and documents to attack China, specifically aiming at the CPC. They started with a policy document, "United States' Strategic Approach to the People's Republic of China", released by the White House on May 26. The document is extraordinary as few previous administrations actually put in print similar comprehensive statements of policy that view the CPC as subversive of US values, laws and institutions, as well as the international system. The document was followed by speeches made by influential US officials, including National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien on June 24, FBI Director Christopher Wray on July 7, Attorney General William Barr on July 16 and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on July 23. A number of the officials' accusations have been contradicted, however, by a survey by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation of Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. The center recently said that the Chinese people's overall support for and satisfaction with the central government exceeded 93 percent. As China deployed effective measures against the coronavirus, public trust in the government rose to 95 percent, with citizens' responses to a survey putting the country at the top of the 11 countries covered. The survey was conducted by US-based Edelman Intelligence in April. The results moved China up 5 points from Edelman's annual Trust Barometer survey in January, which also ranked the country at the top. The US finished next to last with 48 percent. China's Foreign Ministry has said that US officials' attempt to drive a wedge between the Chinese people and to create a united front to curb China will not succeed. State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi recently told Xinhua that the relationship between the CPC and the Chinese people is as close as between "fish and water "and between "soil and seed". "Those who attempt to break this strong bond are making themselves enemies of the 1.4 billion Chinese people," he said. "We hope that the US will respect China's social system and the Chinese people's choice and give up its failed interventionism." Own development path China has made it clear that it does not replicate any model from other countries, nor does it export its own to others. It insists that success of its development path is not a blow and a threat to the Western system and path as differences in systems should not lead to a zero-sum game, but should coexist peacefully. President Xi Jinping, who is also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, has said on various occasions that the Party's fundamental missions are to seek well-being for the people and realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. China unswervingly sticks to the path of peaceful development, Xi said, and it has been and will be a champion of world peace, contributor of global development and supporter of international order. The CPC has not only sought to serve the Chinese people, but also has made contributions to the development of the world through the Belt and Road Initiative, said Salah Adly, general secretary of the Egyptian Communist Party. Under the leadership of the CPC, China's path of socialism with Chinese characteristics has been the way out of poverty and backwardness for the 1.4 billion Chinese people, and it has enabled the Chinese nation to make important contributions to the progress of mankind. China is the largest contributor of peacekeepers among the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and has been contributing to the peaceful settlement of the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, the Iranian nuclear issue and other regional and international hot spots, as well as the response to climate change and other global challenges. In recent years, it has contributed over 30 percent of the world's economic growth, and was an important player in the international response to the financial crisis in Asia and the global financial crisis. All these facts have been witnessed by the world. Before the 99th anniversary of the founding of the CPC on July 1, more than 100 foreign political parties sent their congratulations to Xi and the CPC Central Committee, lauding its glorious history and China's great achievements. The European Left party said in its congratulatory message that the CPC has long secured peace and development and upheld people-centered principles. The Communist Party of France said that China is now, under the leadership of the CPC, striving to achieve high-quality growth, build a moderately prosperous society in all respects and realize the aspiration of the people to live a better life. ^ top ^
Draft revision urges reform school move (China Daily)
2020-08-10
Recent violent offenses by juveniles under the age of criminal responsibility have prompted national legislators and legal experts to propose legislative amendments that would subject such children to stricter rehabilitation to better correct their behavior. Young offenders should be rehabilitated or even punished in reform schools instead of being exempted from criminal liability because they are under the age of 16, legislators said, while adding that where to provide the correction and how to develop it still require further consideration. The lawmakers were commenting on the weekend during deliberation on a draft revision to the Law on Preventing Juvenile Delinquency, which was submitted to the National People's Congress Standing Committee, China's top legislature, for second review on Saturday. In general, a draft will become law after being discussed by the legislature three times. The latest draft revision includes a new provision that says public security departments will be able to send minors guilty of serious delinquent conduct to reform schools if the offenders are younger than 16, the age of criminal responsibility under China's Criminal Law. The Criminal Law exempts those between 14 and 16 from criminal liability, except in cases of serious violent crime, which includes intentional homicide, rape and robbery. Those under 14 are exempted from criminal punishment for even serious offenses. The draft revision also demands that governments above county level establish special educational committees to guide the work of the reform schools, giving the committees the right to evaluate whether minors guilty of crimes should be corrected at such institutions. Shen Chunyao, a member of the NPC Standing Committee, welcomed the draft revision, saying "how to deal with offenders younger than the age of criminal responsibility is what the public has cared about the most recently, especially after some violent incidents involving minors shocked the nation". Last year, a 13-year-old boy in Dalian, Liaoning province, confessed to killing a 10-year-old girl. That followed another case in which police in Yuanjiang, Hunan province, detained a 12-year-old boy on suspicion of killing his 34-year-old mother. The boy in Dalian has been sent to a rehabilitation center, while the boy in Yuanjiang has been placed under the joint guardianship of his family, public security authorities and an educational institution. But neither faced criminal charges, as they are younger than 14. "No criminal liability doesn't mean young offenders do not need to pay for their crimes," said Xu Hao, a lawyer from Beijing Jingsh Law Firm. "The stipulations in the draft amendment can alleviate some problems in managing minor offenders, as they clarify whether they should be sent to a special school to be corrected and the procedures involved in sending them." Lawmaker Du Yubo agreed with managing minor offenders in reform schools, but said children must be managed independently or in designated zones, "as the draft revision states the schools are also responsible for correcting minors guilty of serious misconduct". Serious misconduct, including gambling and gang fighting, was different from violent criminal offenses, "so rehabilitation should be conducted in separation to ensure the minors will not be influenced by each other," he added. Yuan Ningning, a senior researcher at China University of Political Science and Law, lauded the draft revision's inclusion of reform school building and the establishment of committees for managing minor offenders. But he said he had concerns about whether committees drawn from government and judicial organs, including departments of education and public security, would have enough time to evaluate cases, "as all of the members have their own jobs". Yuan also said methods to ensure the professionalism of evaluations need further study, because not all administrators had a great deal of knowledge about child psychology. ^ top ^
China bans flying national flag upside down (SCMP)
2020-08-10
China will amend its law on the national flag to ban people from flying it upside down. The top legislative body, the National People's Congress Standing Committee, reviewed draft amendments to the flag law on Saturday, in which "hanging the national flag upside down" is specifically named as a way of "damaging the dignity" of the flag, state news agency Xinhua said. The amendment also bans "littering" and says flags used in mass events must be disposed of "appropriately". The use of the flag on the internet will also be regulated. Previously the law defined desecration as "publicly and wilfully burning, mutilating, scrawling on, defiling or trampling upon" the flag. Those found guilty of breaking the law could be jailed for up to three years. Xinhua also said the amendment was designed to increase the use of the flag and promote education about it. The NPC is also reviewing an amendment to the law on the national emblem to ban commercial use. "The draft amendments enhance the authoritativeness and seriousness of the use of the national flag and emblem," said Mo Jihong, deputy head of the Constitution Study of China Law Society. Other revisions to the national flag law say it should be flown at half-mast when a "public health event" causes significant casualties and that Communist Party departments and other people's organisations should fly the flag. It also encourages libraries, museums, galleries, and other public cultural facilities to raise the flag on their open days. The amendment also says schools must include the flag as an important part of patriotic education classes. The changes will also apply in Hong Kong, where the flag law has been included as an annex to the Basic Law, the city's mini-constitution, since 1997. People have been arrested and charged with desecrating the flag during the anti-government protests in the city last year, and a member of the Legislative Council, Cheng Chung-tai, was fined HK$5,000 in 2017 for overturning mini flags in the chamber. The People's Republic of China made the five-starred red flag its national flag when it was founded in 1949 and issued the Law on the National Flag in 1990. ^ top ^
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| Beijing |
Revamped Xinfadi market to reopen (China Daily)
2020-08-14
Xinfadi market, source of a cluster of COVID-19 infections in Beijing in June, will reopen to the public on Saturday but only as a wholesale operation, a municipal government official said on Thursday. Zhou Xinchun, deputy head of Fengtai district, where the market is located, said the authority has upgraded its operations to make all buyers, vehicles and goods traceable after it reopens to the public. "The wholesale market will not serve individual residents after its reopening, and will only serve wholesale buyers," Zhou said. "Buyers and sellers need to register before they trade in the market. All buyers and sellers have to make reservations, provide information including vehicle license plates, trading area, time and gates where their vehicles' enter before each trade." Only the vehicles of vendors and buyers will be allowed to enter the market. Anyone coming into the market must first pass a facial recognition system as well as temperature checks, according to the deputy general manager, Gu Zhaoxue. Private cars, tricycles and bikes will not be allowed to enter the market. After the market suspended operations on June 13, Fengtai examined all potential risks there to ensure it could reopen safely, officials said. New standards were put in place on disinfection, health monitoring and epidemic prevention in public bathrooms under the guidance of the district administration. The authority has also improved the environment in nearby areas by removing buildings considered to be safety risks and optimizing traffic routes. The market, founded in 1988, has expanded rapidly with the country's economic growth. It covers an area the size of 170 soccer fields, and for years has supplied more than 80 percent of the capital's agricultural produce. It became known affectionately as the capital's "giant veggie basket" and "fruit platter". The nicknames are accurate: Last year, more than 17 million metric tons of produce was traded at the market, which had a turnover of 132 billion yuan ($19 billion). Out of more than 4,600 domestic agricultural wholesale markets, Xinfadi ranked first for 17 consecutive years in trading volume and turnover. Xu Hejian, spokesman for the municipal government, said the market will be a better one after the challenging test posed by the pandemic. Although the market will stop serving individuals, a nearby convenience vegetable market of 1,000 square meters opened to public for a trial run on July 28. It has 22 stands selling vegetables, fruit, oil and eggs. Neighborhoods nearby are the main customers. Li Tingzhen, who lives near Xinfadi market, said he is now shopping at the new vegetable market, which he said is a relief after having had his usual shopping routine disrupted by Xinfadi's closure. "I used to buy meat in the market very often since I love that feeling of crowded people choosing what they need from stand to stand and chatting with familiar vendors," he said. "I don't like online shopping. It's convenient, but lacks some of the feeling that I cherish." ^ top ^
8 hospitals in Beijing launch online diagnose, treatment (China Daily)
2020-08-14
Eight hospitals in Beijing have launched online diagnosis, treatment and drug delivery services to provide convenience to patients with chronic diseases and reduce the risks of cross infections from repeatedly visiting hospitals. The hospitals, including Xuanwu Hospital, Beijing Anzhen Hospital and Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, have begun internet diagnosis and treatment and home delivery of prescription medicine. Patients can make an appointment after registering through the hospital app or mini-programs on WeChat, China's leading messaging service. The consultation sessions are held in video chatrooms, before doctors issue prescriptions, which are then transmitted to the hospital's prescription platform for review. After the review is completed, the prescription is forwarded to the hospital's pharmacist to issue a formal electronic prescription. The National Health Commission issued a circular in May calling on hospitals to advance the development of online diagnosis and treatment as well as internet-based hospitals in efforts to ease the pressure of outpatients and help fight COVID-19. ^ top ^
Beijing announces dates for schools to start new semester (Xinhua)
2020-08-10
Beijing's municipal education authority announced on Sunday the dates when schools in the capital city will start their autumn semester. Senior high schools in Beijing will start the new semester on Aug. 29, while primary schools and junior high schools will start their new school year on three dates -- Aug. 29, Sept. 1 and Sept. 7, according to a notice issued by the municipal leading group office for epidemic prevention and control. Kindergartens in Beijing are to reopen on Sept. 8 and Sept. 11, said the notice. Colleges in Beijing can decide their own time for students to check in or register starting from Aug. 15 after getting approval from the epidemic prevention and control leading group and education authorities. ^ top ^
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| Shanghai |
3 intl air routes to Shanghai suspended due to virus cases (China Daily)
2020-08-12
China's civil aviation regulator said on Wednesday that it has suspended three Shanghai-bound international air routes due to certain passengers on their recent flights having tested positive for COVID-19. The Civil Aviation Administration of China said in a statement that it suspended an Etihad Airways route from Abu Dhabi and a China Eastern Airlines route from Manila for one week, as well as a Sri Lankan Airlines route from Colombo for four weeks. A total of six passengers on the Aug 3 flight from Abu Dhabi tested positive for the coronavirus, as well as six passengers on the Aug 5 flight from Manila and 23 passengers on the Aug 7 flight from Colombo, meeting the conditions for a "circuit breaker" suspension of the flight route, it added. In keeping with an international flights adjustment policy announced in early June, the administration issued its "circuit-breaker" directive and announced the suspension of the three routes would begin on Aug 17. The administration also noted that the three carriers can still operate their flights before the order takes effect. But the time of the suspension will be extended if more passengers test positive for coronavirus. On June 4, China eased restrictions on international passenger flights contingent on epidemic risks being under control. Authorities highlighted the "reward and circuit breaker mechanism" for the carriers to increase or have flights suspended in accordance with the companies' epidemic control work. Under the policy, airlines must suspend flights on a route for a week if five passengers test positive for coronavirus. If the number exceeds 10, the airline must suspend the flights for four weeks. As an incentive, carriers may increase the number of international flights to two per week on a route if for three consecutive weeks no passengers test positive for the virus in nucleic acid tests. ^ top ^
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| Xinjiang |
Xinjiang builds China's largest province-level power network (China Daily)
2020-08-14
Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has built the country's largest province-level power network, according to the State Grid's Xinjiang branch. Some 71.7 billion yuan (about 10.33 billion U.S. dollars) has been invested in the region's power grid development during the 2016-2020 period, the company said. Xinjiang has so far built 24 substations of 750-kilovolt or above and 60 power transmission lines with a total length of 8,261 km, thanks to accelerated power grid expansion in the past five years. Xinjiang is rich in coal and wind power resources. Data from the local electricity trading center showed that Xinjiang now transmits electricity to 19 other Chinese province-level regions. The expanded electricity network has made stable power supply a reality in many remote and poor areas in Xinjiang which used to rely on isolated solar power and hydropower grid. ^ top ^
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| Hongkong |
China suspends HK's SFO agreement with Germany, shelves one with France (Xinhua)
2020-08-13
China has decided to suspend the agreement on the surrender of fugitive offenders (SFO) between its Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and Germany and shelve a similar one with France, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a daily press briefing Thursday. According to media reports, the HKSAR government on Wednesday has issued notices of the above-mentioned decisions to the consulate generals of Germany and France in Hong Kong. When responding to a query about whether the moves are countermeasures against earlier announcements by the two countries to suspend relevant extradition agreements with Hong Kong, Zhao said Germany's unilateral announcement of suspending the agreement and France's halt of the ratification of the agreement have politicized judicial cooperation with Hong Kong, interfered in China's internal affairs and violated international laws and basic norms governing international relations. "China is firmly opposed to such practices," said Zhao. Zhao added that with the assistance and authorization of the central government, the HKSAR has actively rendered assistance to Germany in accordance with the Basic Law and within the framework of the extradition agreement, and has also ratified a similar agreement with France. The wrongdoing of the two countries has damaged the foundation of Hong Kong's judicial cooperation with Germany and France and deviated from the purpose of safeguarding the justice and the rule of law in judicial cooperation. Therefore, the Chinese side has decided to suspend the HKSAR's SFO agreement with Germany and shelve the one with France, Zhao said. ^ top ^
HK airport to resume transfers for flights from Chinese mainland (Global Times)
2020-08-13
Passengers departing from the Chinese mainland will be able to transfer at Hong Kong International Airport from Saturday to October 15, while transfer and transit services for those traveling to destinations in the Chinese mainland will remain unavailable, said the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) Thursday. Passengers must book transfer or transit flights operated by different airline groups on the same ticket. Passengers will be checked through with both boarding passes printed and baggage sent to their final destination. The layover time must be under 24 hours. The AAHK has also implemented a host of enhanced health measures at the Hong Kong airport, considering the need to protect public health and closely monitor the changing pandemic situation. All passengers and airport staff must wear masks while in the airport, in line with the latest requirement of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government. Other health requirements including body temperature screening are obligatory. An industry observer who preferred to be anonymous told the Global Times that the airport's move provides one more channel for people to go abroad, especially for students who are scheduled to travel to other countries for study in the autumn. The measure could help improve the airport's performance to some extent but it will take much longer for the airport to turn decreases in the number of passengers into growth, Wang Yanan, an industry expert and chief editor of Aerospace Knowledge, told the Global Times Thursday. "Social unrest in Hong Kong over more than a year makes international passengers tend to avoid transit flights in the city, so the airport is unlikely to see an increase in passengers until the city can give people confidence that it's worth a brief stay," Wang said, noting that the airport may see a rebound in passengers in 2021. Due to the global pandemic and entry restrictions for non-Hong Kong residents, Hong Kong International Airport handled 8.3 million passengers in the first half of 2020, down 78.1 percent year-on-year. Hong Kong has been gradually resuming transfer and transit services since June 15. The enhanced measures at the Hong Kong airport introduced from June 1 remain effective and will be applied to travelers from all origins and to all destinations, said the airport authority. ^ top ^
'No world peace without changing China': Hong Kong's Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai calls for American support (SCMP)
2020-08-13
Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, who was arrested over alleged collusion with foreign forces, has called on Americans to support Hong Kong's fight for freedoms, saying he hoped it would eventually change China's behaviour, which he said "went against international values". "If we don't change [China], the world will not have peace," he warned. The appeal of the Hong Kong media mogul was made a day after he walked free on bail, and spoke of the ordeal in a live-streamed session organised by the Heritage Foundation, an American think tank based in Washington, on Thursday morning. Lai also warned the people of Hong Kong against radicalism and urged them to steel themselves for a long fight to resist the encroachment on the city's autonomy. "We're like an egg and there is a high wall. We have to be very flexible, innovative and patient," he said. Lai, along with his two sons and four senior employees of the tabloid-style newspaper, known for its scathing criticisms of Beijing, was arrested on Monday when more than 200 officers raided the Apple Daily offices, sparking an international backlash as it was seen as another blow to the city's press freedom. The Communist Party's mouthpiece, People's Daily, ran an online commentary on Thursday, saying that just because Lai was released on bail "did not mean that he can escape from precise punishment under the city's law". The criticism was made as Lai, along with his company Next Digital and four senior executives in Apple Daily, sought a court order for the police to return journalistic materials and other documents they might have wrongfully seized. They asked the High Court to allow them to inspect the seized documents and take back those that were either related to legal proceedings or news reporting, or obtained without officers' powers. In the 40-minute live chat with the US think tank, the 72-year-old media boss was often seen choking back tears as the American audience expressed their support for him. "There's never a moment in my life I felt so touched and happy. I feel what I've done is correct, no matter how big the challenges have been," he said. Lai said he did not expect the arrests to come so early, considering the "strong responses from the international community" after Beijing imposed the sweeping national security law on June 30. Despite being charged with alleged collusion with foreign forces and fraud, he appealed to Americans for their support for Hong Kong's fight for freedom. "If they voice out their support to Hong Kong, the politicians will have to listen and react. That would be a very good stamina for us," he said. "The support doesn't have to be sanctions or anything." Lai believed international efforts would change China's behaviour and attitudes, which had gone against established Western values. "Without assimilating into Western values, there won't be peace in international trade, politics and diplomacy," he added. The live-stream was joined by the think tank's senior fellow Mike Gonzalez, who highlighted the bipartisan support offered to Lai by US politicians. "The country is very divided but this is the only thing on which everyone agreed … Sanctions against Carrie Lam could be taken to another level," he said. The Trump administration last week imposed sanctions on 11 current and former Chinese officials, including Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, marking a drastic escalation in tensions with Beijing over its imposition of the national security law on the semi-autonomous city. Lai became the highest-profile figure to be held under the new law. The raid of the newspaper's headquarters in Tseung Kwan O – the biggest police operation since the law took effect – sparked an outcry and prompted more readers to purchase its copies from vendors. On Thursday, the daily printed 138,000 copies, almost doubling its regular circulation. Cheung Kim-hung, CEO of Next Digital, Apple Daily's parent company, said the newspaper's website had recorded a rise in the number of paid subscribers by 20,000 since the arrests, and its total subscribers had now surpassed 600,000. Advertisements on the newspaper's Thursday's issue also surged significantly, with three full-page ads, including two that read: "We support even if a blank paper is printed!" A sneaker-and-clothing shop in Mong Kok, Second Kill, published a quarter-page advert that said: "Money can buy sneakers, but cannot buy democracy and freedom." Chow accused police of attempting to break in her flat with tools when officers rang the doorbell. "It is very different from how they did [it] before," she recalled, adding police had taken away 20 items – including two computers, three phones and a picture of her with activist Joshua Wong Chi-fung – as evidence. She said she was "very worried" when she spent her first night in a police cell, as the court could deny her bail under the new law. "I cried alone, and cried when I met my lawyer. I'm really afraid," she said. "I also thought that there might be more people, who are less well-known than me, but will face a similar or even worse situation in the future. It's really hard to imagine this is the Hong Kong I am living in." ^ top ^
NPC extends operation of HK legislature (Xinhua)
2020-08-13
China's top legislature on Tuesday adopted a decision to continue the operation of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's sixth Legislative Council for no less than one year. The Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress endorsed the decision at the close of its four-day meeting in Beijing. The decision stated that after the term of the sixth LegCo expires on Sept 30, it will continue to perform its duties for no less than one year until the term of the seventh LegCo begins. The election of the seventh Legislative Council was originally scheduled for Sept 6, but was postponed by one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the city. The term of the seventh Legislative Council will still be four years after its election, according to the decision. The 21st meeting of the 13th NPC Standing Committee heard the explanation of a bill submitted by the State Council on Saturday morning asking the NPC Standing Committee to make a decision for the sixth Legislative Council to continue operation. On Saturday afternoon, the members of the NPC Standing Committee conducted group deliberations on the draft decision. They agreed that the Legislative Council is an important part of Hong Kong's political system and exercises important powers in enacting, amending and abolishing laws, reviewing and passing fiscal budgets and approving taxation and public expenditure. The decision by Hong Kong's chief executive and Hong Kong's Executive Council to postpone the election for one year was due to the severe situation of the local COVID-19 outbreak, they said. The NPC Standing Committee's decision on the continued operation of the sixth Legislative Council was to maintain constitutional order and rule of law in Hong Kong and to ensure the normal administration of Hong Kong government as well as the normal operation of society, they said, adding that it is in line with the provisions of the Constitution and the Hong Kong Basic Law－the SAR's mini-constitution－and is "necessary and appropriate". The Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council released a statement on Tuesday saying the decision adopted by the NPC Standing Committee is "very important and timely" and provides a solid legal basis for the sixth Legislative Council to continue performing its duties. The statement said the reality since the return of Hong Kong to the motherland has made people increasingly aware of "who really cares for Hong Kong". Referring to the fight against the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak in 2003, measures to resist the impact of the international financial crisis, support for Hong Kong's battle against the ongoing COVID pandemic and steps taken to help the city overcome unrest, solve constitutional issues and return to normal development, it said "it is the central government and 1.4 billion people from the motherland who have always been the most considerate and cared the most for Hong Kong". The Chinese mainland has always been the biggest force supporting Hong Kong in coping with difficulties, according to the statement. The bright future of Hong Kong lies in the comprehensive and accurate implementation of the "one country, two systems" principle and in developing and prospering together with its increasingly powerful motherland, it added. The Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR said the decision, which was made in accordance with the nation's Constitution and the SAR's Basic Law, is of paramount legal authority that cannot be challenged. With minimal effect on Hong Kong society, the decision will help the city focus on anti-pandemic work, which is the most pressing task, said a spokesperson for the office. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor expressed her heartfelt gratitude for the decision, noting that it safeguards the SAR's constitutional order and ensures the normal functioning of the SAR government, showing the care and support of the central authorities for the city. Legislative Council President Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen welcomed the decision, saying it will ensure the legislature's smooth operation which will eventually help Hong Kong cope with severe economic hardship in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Legislative Council members supporting the decision said in a joint statement that the arrangement can help minimize further bickering, allowing the public to concentrate on facing the coronavirus threat. ^ top ^
National security law: Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai freed on bail as activist Agnes Chow calls her arrest 'political persecution and suppression' (SCMP)
2020-08-11
Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying was released on police bail shortly after midnight on Tuesday, more than 40 hours after he was arrested for foreign collusion under the new sweeping national security law and had spent part of the day taken in handcuffs to his moored yacht for a search. He appeared outside Mong Kok Police Station to loud chants of "Support Apple! Support till the end!" from dozens of supporters who jostled with the hordes of waiting media. He waved and got into his car, which had to move slowly as it was swiftly surrounded by journalists and well-wishers. Lai's bail was set at HK$300,000 (US$38,461), plus a HK$200,000 surety. The other nine detained by police in a dramatic day of arrests on Monday for foreign collusion or alleged commercial crime were being released one by one throughout the evening, sources told the Post. Former student activist Agnes Chow Ting walked out of Tai Po Police Station at around 11pm while Lai's elder son, Timothy Lai Kin-yang, 42, was freed from Cheung Sha Wan Police Station at around 10pm. Activist Wilson Li Chung-chak, a freelance videographer, was released after midnight. Calling her arrest sudden, Chow said outside the station: "It is political persecution and political suppression. I still don't understand why I was arrested." The latest arrest was "the most scary" among the four she had faced, Chow said, adding that her passport was confiscated and bail set at HK$20,000. She also had to pay a surety of HK$180,000. The first to be released at 7.30pm was Lai's youngest son, Ian Lai Yiu-yan, 39, who emerged from Tseung Kwan O Police Station with his legal representative, nearly 30 hours after he was arrested at his home in Clear Water Bay for collusion with a foreign country or external element. Late on Tuesday evening, media mogul Lai, the most high-profile arrest since the new law was enacted on June 30, was being questioned at Mong Kok Police Station. His lawyers were seen entering the station and then leaving a few hours later. Lai's car and driver waited outside, as supporters stood around. Earlier, just before noon, a handcuffed Lai, wearing the same suit he was arrested in, was escorted in an unmarked police car to Hong Kong Marina in Sai Kung. He was taken around the club by a team of officers with his lawyers present. The search ended about 30 minutes later, and the police car ferrying Lai left the yacht club at 12.10pm. Tuesday's release of those arrested came after the publication's editor-in-chief Ryan Law Wai-kwong revealed that Apple Daily, known for its anti-government and anti-Beijing stance, was going to file a court injunction to prevent police from accessing materials they had seized in relation to the arrests. On Monday, 200 police officers raided Apple Daily's Tseung Kwan O offices, including taking the controversial step of entering its newsroom and searching journalists' desks, a move they later defended as necessary to determine where to look, insisting they did not pry into editorial work. But questions were raised about the police's search powers, as Law told the Post that some of the materials seized relating to the newspaper's charity funds contained editorial information and the investigation warrant did not clearly spell out the action being taken. At least 30 boxes of documents and three hard drives from various departments were seized in the nine-hour search, Apple Daily reported on Tuesday. But a police spokesman defended their action late on Tuesday. "Police expressed regret that some media had deliberately discredited police's search operation," he said. Ronny Tong Ka-wah, a top barrister and an adviser on the Hong Kong leader's Executive Council, supported the arrests but said a journalist's desk should be defined as a private area, and called for a clarification. Late on Monday, with their key personnel being held by police, editors and reporters live-streamed their efforts to produce the newspaper and on Tuesday, supporters rallied in solidarity, buying up some 550,000 copies, five times its usual 80,000 print circulation outside horse racing season. Shares of the paper's parent company, Next Digital, also soared for the second day, quadrupling from Monday to close at HK$1.10. The surge valued Lai's firm at HK$2.9 billion, making it the biggest publicly traded media company in Hong Kong, ahead of TVB, as lines formed outside Cafe Seasons, a restaurant reportedly run by his younger son, Ian. The restaurant was also raided by police a day ago. Monday's frenzy of activity began early when police picked up Lai from his Ho Man Tin home at 7am. His two sons were arrested, together with the firm's CEO Cheung Kim-hung, chief administrative officer Wong Wai-keung, its animation arm's director Kith Ng Tat-kong, and Royston Chow Tat-kuen, the chief operating officer and chief financial officer. In a second afternoon swoop, police detained Agnes Chow, along with Wilson Li, a freelance videographer with Britain's ITV news and former member of the now-disbanded student activist group Scholarism, and Andy Li, a member of the Election Observation Mission – set up to monitor last November's district council elections. A police source told the Post on Tuesday that Chow and the two Lis were allegedly involved in an online group calling for sanctions in Hong Kong, while the media tycoon – together with son Ian and Royston Chow – allegedly offered financial support to the group via overseas bank accounts. The source said the group received more than HK$1 million from overseas bank accounts after the new legislation took effect. Another police source said Lai's top aide, Mark Simon, Samuel Chu Muk-man, US-based son of 2014 pro-democracy Occupy protests co-founder Reverend Chu Yiu-man, and one more activist were wanted in the case. The six were arrested on suspicion of collusion with foreign forces under the national security law, imposed by Beijing since June 30 to target acts the crime they were accused of together with secession, subversion and terrorism. The remaining four of the 10 arrested, all of whom are senior staff of Apple Daily's parent company Next Digital, were arrested for conspiracy to defraud over an alleged plot to evade rent from the Lands Department following complaints launched by pro-Beijing groups. Jimmy Lai and Royston Chow were also detained for the same alleged offence. Three lawyers of those arrested who spoke to the Post said their clients had not been treated any differently from suspects facing probes not related to national security law. Overnight, world leaders from the United States, Canada, Europe and Britain challenged the police's move, adding it was further proof the national security law was put in place to silence dissent. Japan joined in the chorus of condemnation on Tuesday, saying it was "deeply concerned". "It is important that Hong Kong develop democratically and in a stable manner" under the "one country, two systems" policy, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a press conference. On Tuesday evening, dozens of protesters waving copies of the newspaper joined singalong protests at shopping malls in Mong Kok, Sha Tin and Causeway Bay. Police resorted to pepper spray to disperse the crowd outside the Langham Mall in Mong Kok. ^ top ^
China sanctions 11 U.S. officials with egregious records on Hong Kong affairs (Xinhua)
2020-08-11
China on Monday announced sanctions against 11 U.S. officials with egregious records on Hong Kong affairs, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian at a press briefing. Zhao made the announcement in response to a request for comment on the so-called sanctions by the U.S. government against 11 officials of the Chinese central government and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government. According to Zhao, China's decision stems from the wrongdoings of the U.S. side. The sanctions, effective from Monday, are applied to U.S. officials, including Senators Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, Tom Cotton and Pat Toomey, Representative Chris Smith, and Carl Gershman, President of the National Endowment for Democracy, Derek Mitchell, President of the National Democratic Institute, Daniel Twining, President of the International Republican Institute, Kenneth Roth, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch, and Michael J. Abramowitz, President of Freedom House. Stating that China firmly rejects and condemns the U.S. government's so-called sanctions against Chinese officials, Zhao stressed that the U.S. behavior openly meddles with Hong Kong affairs, blatantly interferes in China's internal affairs, and gravely violates international law and basic norms governing international relations. Since Hong Kong's return to the motherland, the practice of "one country, two systems" has proven to be an enormous success, Zhao said, and Hong Kong residents enjoy unprecedented democracy and rights and freedoms in accordance with law. "This is an objective fact no unbiased people will deny," Zhao said. In the meantime, there are new risks and challenges in the implementation of "one country, two systems," the most prominent of which is heightened national security risk, Zhao added. When national security in Hong Kong is undermined and confronted with real threats and the HKSAR government had difficulty in completing national security legislation on its own, the Central Government took decisive measures to establish and improve at the state level a legal system and enforcement mechanisms to safeguard the national security in Hong Kong, he said. "The law on safeguarding national security in Hong Kong targets a small number of criminals who gravely jeopardize national security and protects the law-abiding Hong Kong residents, who represent the vast majority," Zhao said. He said Hong Kong is part of China and its affairs are entirely China's internal affairs which allow no foreign interfere. "We urge the U.S. side to grasp the situation, correct its mistake, and immediately stop meddling in Hong Kong affairs and China's internal affairs." In response to a joint statement on Hong Kong by the foreign ministers of the Five Eyes, namely the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, on Sunday, in which they urged Hong Kong to hold legislative elections as soon as possible, Zhao said China strongly deplores and rejects it. "It is another evidence of their interference in China's internal affairs and Hong Kong Legislative Council election. China has made stern representations with the relevant countries," Zhao said. Zhao stressed that the HKSAR government's decision to postpone the elections in the face of the raging pandemic is a justified and necessary step to ensure people's safety and health, as well as a safe, fair and just election. According to Zhao, more than 60 countries and regions have postponed national or local elections due to COVID-19. For example, Britain announced in March that local elections in places like England originally scheduled in May would be postponed to May 2021. "It is the epitome of double standards that the Five Eyes chose to interpret the HKSAR government's decision in a twisted political way," Zhao said. He noted that at a recent UNHRC session, 70 countries supported China's formulation of the law and condemned interference in China's internal affairs by using Hong Kong as a cover. "This reflects the common voice and just position of the international community," Zhao said, adding that the Five Eyes can by no means represent the international community. ^ top ^
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| Macau |
Macao travelers to mainland exempted from concentrated medical isolation requirement (China Daily)
2020-08-11
Chinese authorities on Monday said that personnel entering the Chinese mainland from Macao will be exempted from the quarantine measure of a 14-day medical isolation period at designated sites from Wednesday. The announcement, released on the website of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of China's State Council, was jointly issued by the office, the National Health Commission, the General Administration of Customs, the National Immigration Administration, and the Civil Aviation Administration of China. The move aims to coordinate epidemic control with normal personnel exchanges between the mainland and Macao, the announcement said. The new measure applies to all arrivals except confirmed COVID-19 cases, suspected cases, close contacts, and people who have a fever or respiratory symptoms, as well as those who have traveled or lived overseas within the past 14 days, it added. Arrivals are asked to follow requirements, including holding valid exit or entry documents and a health certificate, and to cooperate with relevant agencies at mainland port areas in epidemic prevention and control, and border inspections, the announcement said. Personal health information should also be declared when entering the mainland. If travelers show symptoms such as a fever, fatigue or a dry cough after arriving, they should promptly go to a designated hospital for screening and treatment, and report to their local community or other relevant departments. ^ top ^
Will WeChat ban cut US-run Macau casinos' vital link to China clients? (SCMP)
2020-08-11
US President Donald Trump's ban on Chinese social messaging service WeChat could undermine the operations of American casino operators in Macau and cloud their future in the city, according to industry observers. Trump issued an executive order on Thursday that will make it illegal for US citizens and corporations to conduct "any transaction that is related to WeChat". The order is due to take effect 45 days from that date and was issued on the same day as a similar order banning TikTok, a short-video platform owned by Chinese tech conglomerate ByteDance. "Probably 95 per cent of Macau's gaming patrons are mainland Chinese. How do you communicate with them? WeChat," said Carlos Lobo, a Macau-based lawyer at Weir and Associates. Three of Macau's six casino operators – Wynn Resorts, MGM Resorts International, and Las Vegas Sands – are American and each one operates in Macau via majority-owned subsidiaries. Lobo, a former legal adviser to Sands China, whose parent company is Las Vegas Sands, said a ban on WeChat, a widely used messaging app, could be a windfall for non-American casino operators Melco, SJM Holdings, and Galaxy. "This problem applies across the board to any US company in China: how can their local Chinese teams communicate with their bosses without WeChat?" Lobo said. "The mainland Chinese tourists will prefer to go to Melco, Studio City, SJM or Galaxy rather than Sands, MGM, or Wynn. This has a toxic effect on competition that ultimately has a negative impact on the US casino operators." Ben Lee, managing partner at IGamiX, a Macau-based consultancy firm focused on the gaming industry, estimated that between 80 and 90 per cent of gross gaming revenues at Macau's casinos came from mainland Chinese. Gambling is illegal in mainland China and WeChat is an important communication channel for the Macau casinos with these clients. "The casinos are not allowed to advertise in [mainland] China so their marketing hosts do use a lot of social apps to contact their clients and communicate promotions," Lee said. "So if they are deprived of this channel, in the absence of any other channel, they will be severely disadvantaged compared to their [non-US] peers." There are few details on how the WeChat ban will be implemented. According to the order, the US secretary of commerce will specify the banned transactions within 45 days of the day of the document's issue. On Monday, Morningstar equity analyst Chelsey Tam said in a note that a ban on all the US companies doing monetary transactions with WeChat could have a wide range of impacts on those American companies. "Numerous American companies use Weixin to engage with and provide information to the Chinese population," Tam said, referring to WeChat by its Chinese name. "We assume the US government … would want to protect US businesses' interests in China and not impose restrictive measures on Weixin." Lobo also said the extent of the order was not clear. "So many mainland Chinese use WeChat in Macau's casinos for all kinds of transactions. Are the American casino operators going to stop accepting WeChat Pay? There is this uncertainty now about the scope of the ban," Lobo said. "In the worst-case scenario there will be a total ban on any US company using WeChat." If this were the case, employees of Macau's American casino operators would not be able to use their personal accounts as a workaround, Lee said. "The last thing you want to do is to be caught using your own personal WeChat account promoting gaming in China," he said. But regardless of how the ban is implemented, analysts said the targeting of the app had already undermined the long-term future of US casino operators. All six of Macau's casino operators operate under concessions granted by the Macau special administrative region and those concessions expire in 2022. There will be a bidding process before then to determine who can continue operating in Macau. According to Pedro Cortés, senior partner at a Macau-based law firm Rato, Ling, Lei & Cortés, Trump's policies towards China's biggest tech conglomerates mighty drive the Chinese government to retaliate by expelling the American casino conglomerates in Macau. "China and Macau now have the upper hand in 2022," Cortés said. ^ top ^
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| Taiwan |
PLA exercises send message on Taiwan (China Daily)
2020-08-14
The People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theater Command recently carried out combat exercises in the Taiwan Straits and surrounding waters to verify and boost its interservice joint operation capability, a military spokesman said. Units from multiple services took part in the exercises in the straits, including their northern and southern ends, Senior Colonel Zhang Chunhui, the command's spokesman, said in a statement published on Thursday afternoon. It did not give further details of the exercises. Zhang said they were "a necessary move responding to the current security situation in the Taiwan Straits and were meant to safeguard national sovereignty". The statement did not use a description often employed to describe such operations: "a routine exercise included in the PLA's annual training plan". He called Taiwan an indispensable part of China, adding that negative acts concerning Taiwan by some foreign nations recently had sent seriously misleading signals to separatist forces and posed a severe threat to regional peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits. The operation is an unambiguous warning to Taiwan secessionists and the forces behind them, unlike many previous PLA exercises that often have been described as "not aimed at any third party". The statement directly linked the drills to the current situation in the Taiwan Straits, and also made specific reference to adversaries. Zhang said the Eastern Theater Command will stay on high alert and take all necessary measures to oppose provocations that aim at "Taiwan independence" and to protect national sovereignty and territorial integrity. At the most recent Defense Ministry news conference, on July 30, Senior Colonel Ren Guoqiang, a ministry spokesman, said that recent moves between the militaries of the United States and Taiwan, such as deploying US troops in exercises in Taiwan, gravely violated basic principles of international relations and US political commitments to China; brought strong negative impacts to diplomatic and military ties between China and the US as well as peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits; and sent misleading signals to Taiwan secessionists. He urged the US to correct its errors immediately, stop any form of official exchange or military ties with Taiwan and promise that such provocations will never be repeated again. ^ top ^
Taiwan unveils record defence budget as Beijing stands firm on claim to island (SCMP)
2020-08-13
Taiwan has proposed increasing defence spending to record levels next year amid signals from Beijing that there will be no compromise in its sovereignty claim over the island. The announcement of a planned 10 per cent increase in the defence budget to NT$453.4 billion (US$15.4 billion) next year coincided with a call by Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen to reinforce security ties with the United States. In a virtual address to the Washington-based Hudson Institute on Wednesday, Tsai said the top priority for her second term was to strengthen the island's military defences, including seeking a "constructive security relationship" with the US. "Our 23 million people have the right to determine our own futures, which is [the] antithesis to the position Beijing has taken," she said. "Upholding these principles requires us to be able to defend Taiwan against coercive actions. It entails backing up words with actions." The defence budget proposed by Tsai's cabinet on Thursday would increase military spending to 2.4 per cent of the island's GDP and require legislative approval. In her speech, Tsai left the door open for Taipei and Beijing to improve cross-strait relations, acknowledging the island's strong cultural and historical ties with mainland China. "We will never stop believing that there can be a better future ahead where both sides can share in each other's successes and accomplishments," Tsai said. But she also said that "both sides should not deny each other's existence" and that Beijing needed to accept the reality that Taiwan was a developed democracy. Beijing has repeatedly shunned such overtures from Taipei since Tsai took power in 2016, stressing that while it sought peaceful reunification with the island, it would not give up the use of force if necessary. Underlining that message, Senior Colonel Zhang Chunhui, spokesman of the Eastern Theatre Command of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), said the mainland military staged a series of drills in the Taiwan Strait to send a "serious warning" to supporters of independence for the self-ruled island. "Recently, some major powers have persisted in a negative trend on the Taiwan issue, sending a serious and negative signal to those Taiwanese independence forces and seriously threatening the safety and stability of the Taiwan Strait," Zhang said. "The patrols and exercises by the command's forces were a response to the security situation of the Taiwan Strait and a necessary measure to safeguard national sovereignty." The announcement of the latest sabre-rattling by the PLA followed a visit to the island this week by US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, the most senior US official to visit Taiwan in decades. Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of Global Times, a nationalistic tabloid under People's Daily, said the exercises showed that the PLA was "fully capable" of recapturing Taiwan before the US could react. "Today, [we] conducted drills at the north and south ends of Taiwan Strait," Hu wrote online. "If Taiwan continues to drift further away tomorrow, then it will be war games at both ends of the Taiwan Strait and on Taiwan's east coast. "Then the next step will be PLA fighter jets flying over Taiwan island." At the Hudson event, Hsiao Bi-khim, Taiwan's new representative to the US, also said Taiwan was working with the US to acquire military hardware, including underwater sea mines and cruise missiles for coastal defence. Hsiao highlighted the need for Taiwan's military to have "asymmetric capabilities" that were "cost effective, but lethal enough to become deterrence, to make any consideration of an invasion very painful". Yang Lixian, a research fellow at the Research Centre on Cross-Strait Relations in Beijing, said the exercises were a clear warning to the United States over its support to Taiwan, and to "Taiwanese independence" forces. "The US clearly wants to provoke us in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea – they clearly want to take action, action that is as big as possible," Yang said. "China doesn't want war, but we have our bottom lines, and if they cross our bottom lines, then we have no other choice. We will be as restrained as possible, so it depends on the US." She said Beijing understood that the administration of US President Donald Trump was taking measures against China ahead of the US election to shift the country's domestic focus, but that China would not easily "fall for this". Liu Guoshen, director of the Taiwan Research Institute at Xiamen University, said peaceful reunification remained Beijing's preferred option but retaking Taiwan by force had always been on the table. "Peaceful reunification and non-peaceful means are always two parallel options for Beijing," Liu said. Alexander Huang Chieh-cheng, a professor of international relations and strategic studies at Taipei's Tamkang University, said the continued stalemate across the Taiwan Strait was not in the interest of either side. Huang, a former deputy minister with Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, said it was only natural that Taiwan wanted a closer relationship with the US given that Beijing had stopped official communication with Taipei. "But if cross-strait communications continue to stall, it will lead to more twisted and abnormal relations between the US, China and Taiwan. In the long run, this does not serve the interest of either side of the Taiwan Strait," Huang said. ^ top ^
US gives no real commitment to Taiwan over vaccine (Global Times)
2020-08-11
By giving no commitment to a preferential offering for the island of Taiwan on any future coronavirus vaccine, US Health Secretary Alex Azar's visit to the island has been ridiculed as "a trip of lip service" that fully exposed the US practice of using Taiwan as a pawn to contain China at no cost. However, the Taiwan authority still refuses to admit it, experts and netizens said. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Azar made it clear that "our first priority of course is to develop and produce enough quantity of safe and effective FDA-approved vaccines and therapeutics for use in the United States," the UK-based Independent reported. Azar also said that the US-developed vaccines would be available in the world community once the needs in the US are met. The remarks were made after the US and the island of Taiwan signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on health cooperation. During a meeting before the signing, Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen expressed expectations that the two sides would make progress in combating the coronavirus, including on vaccine and drug research and production. While the Democratic Progressive Party in the island hailed Azar's visit and the signing of the MOU as major political progresses, Azar's remarks, in which he did not even mention Taiwan by name, frustrated many people in Taiwan with some criticizing Tsai and her DPP for doing its utmost to cooperate with the US in a political drama but getting nothing good for the island of Taiwan. As for the MOU, it was deemed as empty, without mentioning a coronavirus vaccine or drugs. "Taiwan-US joint epidemic prevention" is nothing more than the emperor's new clothes, Taiwan local media outlet chinanews.com reported on Tuesday. Azar's "America First" remarks also further frustrated many in the island, including Su Ih-Jen, a scientist on infectious diseases and former director of the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control. A vaccine is what Taiwan needs most in terms of American assistance. Azar's visit was meaningless if the vaccine issue was not addressed, Taiwan news outlet udn.com quoted Su as saying. Chen I-hsin, honorary professor at Taiwan's Tamkang University, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the Taiwan authority is doing its utmost to cooperate with the US in this political performance, which has turned out to be a total farce. Which position will Taiwan be in, when the US' domestic needs are met? Chen said that may be after its Five Eyes allies, as well as Japan and South Korea - or even after that. But the domestic need may also make this queue longer considering the severe epidemic in the US. According to data from the Johns Hopkins University, the US had 5,095,163 infections as of press time on Tuesday, topping the global confirmed list. The US in early July announced it was buying nearly all of the next three months' projected production of COVID-19 treatment remdesivir from drug manufacturer Gilead, which was widely criticized as an action ignoring the common good and undermining international cooperation in fighting the coronavirus. One Taiwan netizen commented, "It is just a political show. The US itself is in the abyss of an epidemic, why still dream of their help?" Observers said that the deeds and remarks of Azar during the visit showed once again that the US is only using the island of Taiwan to provoke China as well as helping US President Donald Trump's reelection. It has no intention to help the island of Taiwan to solve any problems, while Tsai and other separatists refuse to admit the fact. ^ top ^
US Health Secretary Alex Azar starts Taiwan visit and says he will 'convey Donald Trump's support for health leadership' amid coronavirus pandemic (SCMP)
2020-08-10
US Secretary of Health Alex Azar arrived in Taiwan on Sunday, making him the highest ranking American official to visit the island since 1979. The visit is also the most high-profile since the Taiwan Travel Act, which authorises higher level exchanges between US and Taiwanese officials, was passed in 2018 and Azar is due to meet President Tsai Ing-wen in the next couple of days. "I look forward to conveying President Trump's support for Taiwan's global health leadership and underscoring our shared belief that free and democratic societies are the best model for protecting and promoting health," Azar said in a statement released before his arrival. "Taiwan has been a model of transparency and cooperation in global health during the Covid-19 pandemic and long before it," said the health secretary, whose country has recorded by far the largest number of coronavirus cases and deaths – more than 5 million cases and 160,000 deaths as of Sunday. Upon his arrival at Songshan airport on a US government aircraft, Azar, who was wearing a face mask, was welcomed by Taiwan deputy foreign minister Tien Chung-kwang. During the trip, he will also meet foreign minister Joseph Wu Jau-Shieh and health minister Chen Shih-chung and sign a health cooperation memorandum of understanding with Taiwan's government and visit the Centres for Disease Control. Beijing has expressed its anger at the visit and threatened unspecified countermeasures. It regards Taiwan as a breakaway province, and considers any official US-Taiwan exchange a breach of the one-China policy. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the trip would send the wrong signals to Taiwan independence forces and seriously damage the peace and stability of the region. "Any attempt to ignore, deny or challenge the one-China policy will end up in failure," said Wang. The policy acknowledges there is only one Chinese government following the end of the civil war in 1949, when the defeated Nationalists fled to Taiwan. The US switched its official recognition and established diplomatic relationship with Beijing in 1979, but has maintained cultural, commercial, and other unofficial ties with Taipei since then. These include a law obliging the US to help Taiwan defend itself. Beijing has never renounced the use of force as a way of reunifying the island with the mainland. The Trump administration has stepped up its support for Taiwan, including more arms sales, as its relations with Beijing have deteriorated in recent years. Meanwhile, two election victories for Tsai, from the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party, have also seen relations with the mainland worsen. The Taiwan Travel Act, unanimously passed in both houses of Congress and signed by Donald Trump, encourages high-level exchanges between US and Taiwanese officials and was seen as a significant upgrade in relations between the two sides. ^ top ^
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| Economy |
China's high-speed railway network to double in length by 2035 under new blueprint (SCMP)
2020-08-14
China's unprecedented railway spending boom will continue for at least another 15 years and see its high-speed network nearly double in length, China Railway Group, the state-owned railway builder, said in a new blueprint published on Thursday. Under the plan, China will construct about 200,000km (125,000 miles) of railways by 2035, a milestone year in which the nation is set to achieve President Xi Jinping's vision for a "modern socialist country". That will mean a 41 per cent increase in rail lines criss-crossing the country, up from the 141,400km today, including about 70,000km of high-speed tracks that will be able to handle speeds of more than 250km/h (155mph). China had roughly 36,000km of high-speed rail lines at the end of July, accounting for more than two-thirds of the global total. The ambitious blueprint has been unveiled at a time Beijing is trying to develop its domestic economy to prepare for a long-term rivalry with the United States. State-led spending on railways has been an important part of China's growth story for more than a decade. In the first half of 2020, fixed-asset investment in railways rose 1.2 per cent from a year earlier to 325.8 billion yuan (US$46.9 billion), even though China's overall fixed-asset investment fell 3.1 per cent over the same period. China's high-speed railway boom started in 2008 when it adopted an all-out stimulus to bolster growth in response to the global financial crisis. While China's stimulus spending has ebbed since, the railway construction boom has been largely uninterrupted, despite the deadly Wenzhou train crash in 2011, the downfall of former railways minister Liu Zhijun on corruption charges, and growing debt in the sector. Extending the railway network is seen by Beijing as not only a short-term remedy to help steady economic growth, but a long-term strategy to bind the vast country into a single market. Larry Hu, chief China economist with Macquarie Capital, said the blueprint reflects Beijing's intention to sustain domestic growth with infrastructure spending. "China's economic growth has three pillars: exports, property and infrastructure investment," Hu said. "Exports can no longer be relied upon, and property speculation will be curbed, so infrastructure investment is the last pillar that shouldn't fall." China's high-speed railway is a source of pride for the country, and it has tried to export its technology and expertise abroad, especially to countries taking part in the Belt and Road Initiative. Xi's slogan of fuxing, or rejuvenation, has been used to name the next-generation bullet trains that are set to completely replace the Hexie series built under former president Hu Jintao. While China's railway system is heavily indebted on the whole, some of the high-speed railway lines, including the one connecting Beijing and Shanghai, have already started seeing operating profits. This offers hope that China's high-speed railway lines can be financially sustainable as long as there is enough market demand. Under the new blueprint, all towns with at least 200,000 residents will be connected to the railway system by 2035, while every city with more than half a million residents will have access to high-speed railway lines. Even China's most remote cities, such as Kashgar in Xinjiang province and Shigatse in Tibet, will be linked with high-speed railway services by 2035 if the plan is strictly applied. Shen Jianguang, a veteran Chinese economist who now works for JD Digits, a subsidiary of e-commerce giant JD.com, said the 2035 railway plan will serve China well when there are multiple urban centres across the country. "If we look at the domestic migration in recent years, we can see a clear trend that migrant workers from central and western regions are more willing to take jobs in nearby cities instead of flocking to the coastal areas," Shen said. "If you look at places such as Xi'an and Lanzhou, these western cities are emerging as regional economic hubs. "It is a blueprint for 2035, when China will be much richer and more prosperous than today. It makes sense to connect every city with half a million people into the high-speed railway network – Frankfurt became the economic heart of Germany when its population was about half a million." China Railway Group said the country will deploy a range of critical and core technology by 2035, including special materials for tracks, and intelligent operating systems in trains. ^ top ^
China works to further stabilize foreign trade, investment (Xinhua)
2020-08-12
China has rolled out more measures to protect foreign trade entities and keep supply chains stable against the economic fallout of the unabated COVID-19 pandemic, according to a guideline issued by the State Council. The country will step up credit support to foreign trade firms, especially micro, small and medium ones, and extend financial support to major foreign-funded companies, which are eligible for the low-cost re-lending and rediscount quota, according to the guideline. More efforts will be made to help foreign trade firms expand clientele, as well as to improve trade facilities and services, including cross-border e-commerce platforms, cross-border logistics and overseas warehouses. To facilitate trade flow and travel, China will add more flights with its major source countries of investment while increasing the total amount of international passenger flights in a phased manner on the condition that COVID-19 risks are prevented, said the guideline. The guideline also urged more support to hi-tech industries, stressing the need to encourage foreign investors to invest in the sector. ^ top ^
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| Mongolia |
Cabinet to submit draft action plan to Parliament (Montsane)
2020-08-13
At its regular meeting today, August 12, the Cabinet decided to submit a draft parliamentary resolution on 'Approval of the Action Plan of the Government of Mongolia for 2020-2024' to the Parliament. The action plan includes policies to overcome the social and economic challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as human development, economic, green development, governance and capital city, regional and local development policies. COVID-19. The special policy will be implemented to overcome social and economic difficulties caused by the COVID-19 within a short time. Human development policy. Optimal policies on health, culture, education, employment and social welfare will be implemented to improve life quality of citizens and expand the middle class. Targets and measures are set to build conditions for every citizen to be healthy, educated, employed and earn income, to reduce unemployment and poverty, and to improve the livelihoods. Economic policy. The policy directs to strengthen the macro-economic environment, overcome economic difficulties in the medium term, ensure sustainable growth, and develop priority sectors. Green development policy. The policy focuses on the rational use of natural resources, the reduction of environmental pollution and degradation, and the creation of healthy living conditions for citizens. Conditions will be created to be resilient to environmental and climate change, engage environmentally friendly businesses, protect natural resources, prevent depletion, and use wisely and rehabilitate them. Governance policy. It focuses on strengthening justice, establishing discipline and order at all levels of the public service, eliminating the red tape, strictly adhering to the principle of non-discrimination in law enforcement, as well as ensuring peaceful and safe living conditions for citizens. Moreover, a 'Digital Mongolia' program will be realized to provide public services to the public quickly. Capital city, regional and local development policy. The policy aims to support regional and local development, improve infrastructure, and develop Ulaanbaatar and its satellite cities into cities with optimal planning and smart solutions. The government action plan is based on the fundamental principles of improving economic diversification, supporting development of priority sectors through policies, ensuring export growth, as well as maintaining the value-added industrialization policy sustainably for a long period of time. ^ top ^
World Bank policy recommendations on Mongolia discussed with Parliament Speaker (Montsane)
2020-08-11
On August 10, Speaker of the Parliament G.Zandanshatar received a delegation led by World Bank Country Manager Andrei Mikhnev to discuss Mongolia's development priorities, including economic diversification and banking sector reforms. At the beginning of the meeting, Mr. Andrei Mikhnev congratulated the Speaker of the Parliament G.Zandanshatar on his re-appointment to a responsible high-ranking position and handed over a congratulatory letter from the Vice President of the World Bank Group. "The 2020 parliamentary elections clearly showed that the Mongolian people and voters have high confidence in the Mongolian People's Party (MPP) and the Parliament and Government formed as a result of the vote. We are ready to cooperate with the Parliament and the Government of Mongolia,"said Mr. Mikhnev. Mr. Mikhnev also stressed that with the new Parliament and government in place, Mongolia has a unique opportunity now to advance bold structural reforms. The sides exchanged views on the outcomes of World Bank-funded projects and programs in Mongolia and future cooperation and the government response to the COVID-19 crisis, including recent stimulus measures and the proposed Government Action Plan and budget amendments. Mr. Mikhnev said that the World Bank has prepared policy recommendations, which address key development issues of Mongolia, and introduced it to the newly established Government. Mr. Mikhnev presented the document to the Speaker and exchanged views on them. The Speaker thanked for the submission of the comprehensive policy recommendations, which meet the priorities of the country's long-term development policy. "An irregular session of the Parliament will open on August 17 with an intent to discuss the Government plans and platform until 2024 and their implementation. Mongolia's economy is much dependent on the mining sector, and it needs to develop its manufacturing sector and undergo significant reforms to diversify its economy. To achieve this goal, we are ready to cooperate with the World Bank," said the Speaker. ^ top ^
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Sandro Wirth
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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