China

Developer says ‘New City’ on Thai-Myanmar border part of BRI, despite China’s denials
29Sep By Mike TrudellNo Comments
China, Singapore, World

Developer says ‘New City’ on Thai-Myanmar border part of BRI, despite China’s denials

The Chinese developer of a “new city” project on the Myanmar-Thai border has insisted the project is part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), despite the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar denying the claims.The project in Karen State, known locally as the Shwe Kokko New City after the village where it is located, was launched in 2017 by Yatai International Holdings Group (YIHG) after the company signed a deal with a local ethnic Karen armed group, the Border Guard Force (BGF).Locals have criticised the project over what they see as a lack of transparency, as well as confusion over the scale of construction and a growing influx of Chinese migrants. Also, suspicions have been aroused over possible illicit activity and concerns about the social impacts of casino businesses.From the beginning,...
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How China’s top-notch mass surveillance system threatens global freedoms
26Sep By Mike TrudellNo Comments
China, Market, USA, World

How China’s top-notch mass surveillance system threatens global freedoms

Going by the records of Beijing Public Safety Bureau, every step, every action is monitored by state-of-the-art surveillance cameras. Facial recognition algorithms filed away in a secret database could land you in legal trouble for something you did near your front door. A semi-political post made in a private chat could lead to the loss of your job.Yet it is only the beginning of the rise of technologically-advanced China and its dystopian dreams. It might be a deterrent to crime, as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership says, but it also means a substantial loss of privacy and free expression."The Chinese Communist Party is committed to the production and use of technology that controls and surveils its population," Chairman Robin Cleveland and Vice Chairman Carolyn Bartholomew of...
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Will ask US for military assistance if China attacks in South China Sea: Philippines
25Sep By Mike TrudellNo Comments
China, World

Will ask US for military assistance if China attacks in South China Sea: Philippines

In a statement, the Philippines have made it clear to China that it would turn to the United States for military help during ongoing flare-ups between Manila and Beijing in the South China Sea.Philippines Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr said Manila would invoke its defence agreement with the US if China attacks its naval vessels in the disputed waters."If something happens that is beyond incursion but is, in fact, an attack on say a Filipino naval vessel.....means then I call up Washington DC," he added.Since 1951, the US and the Philippines have had a Mutual Defence Treaty that commits them to support each other in the event if either is attacked.The statement by the Philippines Foreign Secretary marks the first time President Rodrigo Duterte administration openly declaring its intent...
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Thailand delays US$724m China submarine deal after public anger
25Sep By Joe RodriguezNo Comments
Asia, China

Thailand delays US$724m China submarine deal after public anger

Facing heat from the public, Thailand has delayed its controversial US$724 million purchase of two submarines from China as the kingdom's economy flatlines due to the coronavirus pandemic.Under a 2015 deal, Thailand was one of the first countries to buy Chinese naval hardware and finalised its purchase of three submarines in 2017, with the first one expected to be delivered in 2023.An order for two more for 22.5 billion baht (US$724 million) was approved in August by a parliamentary sub-committee - a move which drew public outrage as Thailand struggles with a freefalling economy.Angry citizens took to social media to criticise the deal, and the hashtag "People don't want submarines" trended on Twitter.Government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri later announced that Prime Minister Prayut Chan...
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It’s time for western universities to cut their ties to China
11Sep By Brian ThompsonNo Comments
China, Market, USA

It’s time for western universities to cut their ties to China

Western universities now need to close their Confucius Institutes and end their academic cooperation with China. Following the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, one of the ways China sought to rebuild its image abroad was by systematically forging partnerships with Western universities. At first, these partnerships mainly focused on research collaboration. Later, they grew to include the Confucius Institutes for language education and the establishment of Western universities’ branch campuses in China.At a time when China was undemocratic but liberalizing, such engagement seemed like a sensible strategy. There have always been uneasy moments in Western universities’ relationships with China, whether prompted by tensions over hosting the Dalai Lama or controversies over university self-censor...
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Nigeria in crisis over China’s debt-trap diplomacy
4Sep By Mike TrudellNo Comments
China, World

Nigeria in crisis over China’s debt-trap diplomacy

The Federal Republic of Nigeria, Africa's largest economy, is in crisis over the possibility of 'losing' its sovereignty to China over debts. The Federal lawmakers of the national assembly are demanding a probe into China's lending practices into Nigeria, in a wake of a sovereign guarantee clause in loan agreements that they consider 'an entrapment of Chinese neo-colonial plans'.Lawmakers fear that the clause could cause Nigeria to sign away its sovereignty in the event of a payment default.According to clauses in Article 8(1) of the Commercial Loan Agreement signed between Nigeria and the Export-Import Bank of China, Nigeria stands to concede her sovereignty to China should there be a default in the repayment of the $400 million for the Nigerian National Information and Communication Tech...
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What if they had a tech war and nobody cared?
3Sep By Desk TeamNo Comments
China, Market, World

What if they had a tech war and nobody cared?

A pacifist meme from the Vietnam protest era asked what would happen if they gave a war and nobody came. The US is conducting a tech war, but equity markets don’t appear to care. Neither did the Chinese currency, which strengthened sharply overnight. Harsher-than-expected US sanctions against Chinese telecom manufacturers failed to ruffle A-Share and H-Share markets Tuesday, as the Shanghai Composite and the Hang Sheng Chinese Enterprises indices rose by 0.36% and 0.38%, respectively. One of Hong Kong’s best performers was the budget smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi, which is likely to gain market share in China due to Huawei’s inability to source top-of-the-line smartphone chips. The new US sanctions not only block Huawei from fabricating its own chip designs at Taiwanese foundries that u...
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Commentary: Singapore needs better public opinion polls to sharpen focus for national agenda
3Sep By Desk TeamNo Comments
China, Market, Singapore, World

Commentary: Singapore needs better public opinion polls to sharpen focus for national agenda

In a world of rapid seismic changes, we would need regular, published polls on public sentiments regarding policy matters to understand emerging gaps, says SUSS’ Leong Chan-Hoong. SINGAPORE: A new Cabinet was announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Saturday (Jul 25), with key ministries shored up with new faces from this election that would bring to bear their experience in public engagement and from the private sector. The new Cabinet has their job cut out for them. Singapore is now in the throes of a worldwide economic recession. COVID-19 has disrupted our strategic advantage in aviation, tourism and as a regional business hub. Gross domestic product (GDP) has contracted by 0.3 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2020, while the second quarter saw a deeper dec...
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UK transport minister: ‘It is now safe to return to work’
2Sep By Desk TeamNo Comments
China, World

UK transport minister: ‘It is now safe to return to work’

LONDON: Britain's government is urging people to return to their offices and workplaces to help the economy recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, transport minister Grant Shapps said on Friday (Aug 28). "Our central message is pretty straightforward: We are saying to people it is now safe to return to work," he told LBC radio. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will launch a campaign extolling the virtues of returning to the office while a new online tool will help people avoid the most crowded trains and buses, a report in The Telegraph newspaper said. According to the Centre for Cities think tank, only 17 per cent of workers in British cities had returned to their workplaces by early August. Last month Johnson encouraged people working from home to get back to their workplaces to help th...
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US must end trade deal with China: East Turkistan National Awakening activists
2Sep By Michael SmithNo Comments
China, USA

US must end trade deal with China: East Turkistan National Awakening activists

In view of China’s consistent engagement in “genocide, organ harvesting and using slave labour of Uyghurs”, the East Turkistan National Awakening Movement has urged the US Trade Representative to ends its trade deal with Beijing and officially recognize the genocide of Uyghur Muslims.“The @USTradeRep must END its #TradeDeal with #China. #America shouldn’t engage in trade with #CCP regime that is engaging in genocide, organ harvesting & using #SlaveLabor of #Uyghurs. We urge the @WhiteHouse to officially recognize the #UyghurGenocide & take ACTION to STOP it,” the East Turkistan National Awakening Movement said in a tweet.Over the years, Uyghurs in China’s Xinjiang have been tortured with the objective of eradicating their ethnic identity and the population.According to multiple rep...
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