China

US House reintroduces bill to ban goods from China’s Xinjiang
20Feb mmBy Mike TrudellNo Comments
China, World

US House reintroduces bill to ban goods from China’s Xinjiang

In a step which will lead to increased tensions between the US and China, the US House of Representatives have reintroduced a bill that would ban imports from the Xinjiang region in China unless it is certified they are not produced with forced labour.“We have watched in horror as the Chinese government first created, and then expanded a system of extrajudicial mass internment camps targeting Uyghurs and Muslim minorities. We now know the entire XUAR economy is built upon a foundation of forced labour and repression,” said Representative Jim McGovern.According to McGovern, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act would create a “rebuttable presumption” that any goods made in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) are made with forced labour and prohibited from entering the United State...
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Taiwan concerned about China’s actions near Diaoyutai islands: Report
20Feb mmBy Mike TrudellNo Comments
China, World

Taiwan concerned about China’s actions near Diaoyutai islands: Report

Taiwan has grown anxious due to constant Chinese aggression and destabilising actions near the Diaoyutai islands, the most recent being sailing of four Chinese guard ships near the disputed Islands.Situated in East China’s Sea, the uninhabited islands also known as Senkakus in Japan — are claimed by Taipei, Beijing and Tokyo.On Monday and Tuesday, four Chinese guard ships sailed near the Islands, one of which was equipped with a cannon. Two of the ships sailed away on Tuesday morning, including an armed vessel, while the others attempted to approach a Japanese fishing boat, the Japan Coast Guard said.It was the first armed incursion since China’s enactment on February 1 of a new Coast Guard Law, which authorizes its coast guard to inspect and use weapons on foreign vessels in waters claime...
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Relationship with China ‘complex’; ties cannot be normal without peace in border areas: Indian Foreign Secretary
19Feb mmBy Joe RodriguezNo Comments
Asia, China

Relationship with China ‘complex’; ties cannot be normal without peace in border areas: Indian Foreign Secretary

The relationship with China is “complex”, there cannot be a normal bilateral relationship if there is no peace and tranquillity in border areas, said Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla at the Diplomatic Academy of Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday.“The relationship with China is complex. It was in the 1980s where both countries decided that they would set aside our differences on the boundary,” he said.He said developments last year, in terms of the “very large number” of troops amassed on the border area, multiple transgressions along the Line of Actual Control, did create a situation that impacted the “larger relationship”.“As we mentioned to our friends in China, we cannot have (a) normal bilateral relationship if there is no peace and tranquillity in our bor...
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EU urges China to reverse ban on BBC, says it violates Chinese constitution, human rights
15Feb mmBy Mike TrudellNo Comments
China, World

EU urges China to reverse ban on BBC, says it violates Chinese constitution, human rights

The European Union (EU) has urged China that it should reverse its ban on BBC World News as it violated both the Chinese constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.In a statement issued on Friday, the EU said that it has repeatedly spoken out on cases of intimidation and surveillance of journalists and media workers in China.The EU condemned China’s move to ban BBC in the country, which was imposed in response to the UK regulators revoking the broadcasting license for China Global Television Network (CGTN), stating that it restricted “freedom of expression and access to information inside its borders”.The EU said that according to Article 35 of the PRC Constitution citizens shall enjoy the freedom of speech and of the press and that according to Article 19 of the Universal ...
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Ford boosts investment plan for EVs and self driving vehicles, reports loss
14Feb By Desk TeamNo Comments
China, World

Ford boosts investment plan for EVs and self driving vehicles, reports loss

DETROIT: Ford Motor Co on Thursday more than doubled the amount of money it plans to invest on electric and autonomous vehicles, to US$29 billion, even as it posted a fourth-quarter net loss of US$2.8 billion. The No. 2 U.S. automaker also said the global semiconductor chip shortage could lead to a 10per cent to 20per cent loss in first-quarter production, resulting in a potential hit to operating earnings of US$1 billion to US$2.5 billion. But its shares gained 1.5per cent in after-hours trading as the fourth-quarter operating results and 2021 profit forecast were above Wall Street's expectations. "If EVs continue to quickly gain favor, especially with commercial customers, we want to be clear that we will not cede ground to anyone," Chief Financial Officer John Lawler told reporter...
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China refused to hand over important COVID-19 data to WHO officials
13Feb mmBy Mike TrudellNo Comments
China, World

China refused to hand over important COVID-19 data to WHO officials

Independent investigators for the World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday claimed that Chinese scientists refused to share raw data that might bring the world closer to understanding the origins of the coronavirus pandemic.The investigators who recently returned from a fact-finding trip to Wuhan said disagreements over patient records and other issues were so tense that they sometimes erupted into shouts among the typically mild-mannered scientists on both sides.The scientists also said China’s continued resistance to revealing information about the early days of the coronavirus outbreak makes it difficult for them to uncover important clues that could help stop future outbreaks of such dangerous diseases.“If you are data-focused, and if you are a professional, then obtaining data is lik...
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China, Russia pull out from UNHRC resolution on Myanmar
13Feb mmBy Mike TrudellNo Comments
China, World

China, Russia pull out from UNHRC resolution on Myanmar

China and Russia on Friday pulled out from a United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution which calls for the release of Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint along with other detained persons following the military coup on February 1.China, Russia and others pulled out and their envoys said they are “disassociating” from the resolution. Myanmar’s ambassador called the document unacceptable.Earlier, UN Special Rapporteur Thomas Andrews had condemned the arbitrary detention of government officials and human rights leaders in Myanmar.He also cited “growing reports and photographic evidence” that security forces have used live ammunition against protesters.The UNHRC resolution stressed the need to refrain from violence and fully respect human rights, fund...
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Turning COVID-19 corner, Volkswagen’s profit falls less than feared
12Feb By Desk TeamNo Comments
China, Market, World

Turning COVID-19 corner, Volkswagen’s profit falls less than feared

FRANKFURT: Volkswagen reported on Friday (Jan 22) that its 2020 profit almost halved due to the impact of the pandemic, but a rebound in premium car sales in China and stronger deliveries in the fourth quarter helped keep the world's largest carmaker in the black. The group said full-year operating profit, excluding costs related to its diesel emissions scandal, came in at €10 billion (US$12.2 billion), compared with 19.3 billion in 2019. Analysts had expected a full-year 2020 operating profit of €4.8 billion, according to Refinitiv Eikon data. Net cash flow at its automotive division was around €6 billion and car deliveries picked up towards the end of the year, the German group said in a statement. "The deliveries to customers of the Volkswagen Group continued to recover strongly...
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Oil rises on stimulus optimism, demand recovery hopes
12Feb By Desk TeamNo Comments
China, Market, World

Oil rises on stimulus optimism, demand recovery hopes

The silhouette of an oil pump is seen at sunset. Oil rose on Wednesday on expectations that U.S. President Joe Biden's administration will deliver massive stimulus spending that will lift fuel demand and enact policies that will tighten crude supply. Brent crude was up 40 cents at $56.30 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude settled 26 cents, or 0.5%, higher at $53.24 per barrel. U.S. President Joe Biden, who was inaugurated on Wednesday, is expected to take measures to curb the U.S. oil industry, including re-entering the Paris climate accord, cancelling a permit for the Keystone XL crude oil pipeline and pausing arctic drilling. "I think the Biden administration on day one is making it clear that there's a new sheriff in town and we're going to go back to policies that a...
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US calls India important partner in Indo-Pacific, welcomes emergence as leading global power
11Feb mmBy Mike TrudellNo Comments
China, World

US calls India important partner in Indo-Pacific, welcomes emergence as leading global power

India is one of the most important partners in the Indo-Pacific region to us. We welcome India’s emergence as a leading global power and its role as a net security provider in the region, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Tuesday.He also welcomed India’s tenure at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) as a non-permanent member, adding that the US remains India’s largest trading partner, with total bilateral trade increasing to USD 146 billion in 2019.“We cooperate on a wide range of diplomatic and security issues, including defense, non-proliferation, regional cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, counter-terrorism, peacekeeping, environment, health, education, technology, agriculture, space and oceans and that list is not exhaustive,” he added.The State Department spokesp...
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