China

Singapore’s foray into space: Boldly going where no little red dot has gone before
1Nov By Desk TeamNo Comments
China, Market, Singapore, World

Singapore’s foray into space: Boldly going where no little red dot has gone before

The efforts of the country’s budding space industry are giving the Republic a larger stake in the space race than many people may think. The programme Why It Matters looks at the opportunities and obstacles. SINGAPORE: Over the past four years, Singapore-based start-up Transcelestial has made a device called Centauri, about the size of a shoe box. Its aim: To provide internet connectivity that is around 1,000 times faster, or more, than now. It just needs to connect to a satellite using laser communications — no, make that a global satellite network the company wants to put into space. Working from home at the speed of light, however, “isn’t even scratching the surface of the capability” of laser-linked satellites, says Transcelestial co-founder Rohit Jha. He is looking into connec...
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ETNAM appreciates US Senate for introducing resolution that calls atrocities on Uyghurs as genocide
31Oct mmBy Mike TrudellNo Comments
China, World

ETNAM appreciates US Senate for introducing resolution that calls atrocities on Uyghurs as genocide

East Turkistan National Awakening Movement (ETNAM) has lauded the US Senate for introducing a resolution that recognizes China's atrocities against Uyghurs as a genocide."US Senators Robert Menendez, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and John Cornyn introduced a bipartisan resolution to designate human rights abuses perpetrated by the People's Republic of China against the Uyghur people and other Turkic peoples in Occupied East Turkistan as a genocide," the ETNAM said in a statement.As per the statement, Menendez and Cornyn were joined by Senators James Risch, Marco Rubio, Ben Cardin, and Jeff Merkley."The resolution would hold China accountable under the 1948 United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and begin the process t...
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Pentagon chief stresses stronger alliances to counter China, Russia
30Oct By Desk TeamNo Comments
China, Market, World

Pentagon chief stresses stronger alliances to counter China, Russia

WASHINGTON: US Defense Secretary Mark Esper revealed a new initiative on Tuesday (Oct 20) to strengthen and expand US alliances with "like-minded democracies" to counter Russia and China. Esper said the Pentagon would systematically monitor and manage its relationships with partner countries, aiming to find ways to coordinate militaries and also to advance US arms sales. The initiative, called the Guidance for Development for Alliances and Partnerships(GDAP), came just two weeks before the presidential election that, if President Donald Trump loses, could see Esper replaced in January. It also came after nearly four years of Trump's efforts to restructure and even dismantle alliances, including threatening NATO. "America's network of allies and partners provides us an asymmetric ad...
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Alibaba servers in India are stealing data of Indian users: Reports
29Oct mmBy Joe RodriguezNo Comments
Asia, China, USA

Alibaba servers in India are stealing data of Indian users: Reports

As many as 72 servers, which are based in India, are allegedly sending data of Indian users to China and at the center of this are cloud data servers of Chinese technology group, Alibaba, top intelligence sources have said.According to the officials, Alibaba’s cloud data servers are widely popular among businesses because they offer services at a far cheaper rate than European servers.However, they are seemingly responsible for “data stealing” from India, and have been allegedly found to be sending over data to China, a claim, the e-commerce giant has denied.According to sources, almost 72 data servers operated by Alibaba in India have been identified as sending data of Indian users to China.This is allegedly a systematic plan that has been organized by Chinese authorities, and works by fl...
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China’s launch of new satellite fails
27Oct mmBy Joe RodriguezNo Comments
Asia, China

China’s launch of new satellite fails

As per reports, a Chinese satellite failed to enter the orbit due to reasons unknown.The optical remote-sensing satellite Jilin-1 Gaofen 02C, which was launched aboard the Kuaizhou-1A carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China failed to enter the preset orbit.Amateur footage of the apparent launch appeared on Chinese social media shortly after.The launch center said that some abnormal performance was identified during the rocket's flight.Chinese launches to low-Earth and Sun-synchronous orbits are usually confirmed successful within an hour of liftoff. State media provided official confirmation of the failure (Chinese) five hours after launch.The launcher was carrying the Jilin-1 Gaofen (‘high resolution’) 02C optical Earth observation satellite. The satelli...
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South link needs clarity
26Oct mmBy Brian ThompsonNo Comments
China, Market, USA

South link needs clarity

As plans for the southern land bridge project make the headlines, doubts are growing on whether the multi-billion-dollar project will ever materialize, despite its economic benefits.Recently, Thailand Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha ordered a new feasibility study for a land bridge in the South, which would connect Chumphorn province on the western coast of the Gulf of Thailand and Ranong province on the southeastern shores of the Andaman Sea.According to him, as the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) alone won't be enough to boost the economy in the long run, the government had to look for another megaproject to invest in. Ultimately, it was decided that a land bridge would be a good choice.Two projects were considered -- in addition to the land bridge, the government also looked at buildin...
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China appoints trade expert as new ambassador to Pakistan to help drive infrastructure development plan
23Oct mmBy Joe RodriguezNo Comments
Asia, China

China appoints trade expert as new ambassador to Pakistan to help drive infrastructure development plan

In a bid to bring to life its multibillion-dollar infrastructure development partnership, China has appointed a trade specialist - with no formal experience as a diplomat - as its new ambassador to Pakistan.Nong Rong – the Communist Party secretary of the ethnic and religious affairs commission in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region – was named by the foreign ministry as the new ambassador to Pakistan.“Although Nong is not trained as a diplomat, he has experience in economic diplomacy with Southeast Asian countries,” said Wang Dehua, a South Asia specialist at the Shanghai Municipal Centre for International Studies.“The fact he headed the ethnic and religious affairs commission suggests he is capable of dealing with sensitive issues,” he said.One of Nong’s primary roles will be to promote...
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President Xi Jinping undertakes fresh round of brutal purge in China
4Oct mmBy Joe RodriguezNo Comments
Asia, China, USA

President Xi Jinping undertakes fresh round of brutal purge in China

Millions of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) cadres are potentially at risk of being targeted now as President Xi Jinping has launched a fresh round of purges, as a part of his ongoing anti-corruption campaign.Under the campaign, over two dozen police and judicial officials were investigated, with dozens more removed from their posts in August.A senior ally to Xi’s called for the purge in July, saying it was time to ‘turn the blade of a knife inwards, cure the poison by scrapping it from the bones’ that must cleanse the country’s justice system of corrupt elements and purge officials who only paid lip service to the CCP.A “Yan’an Rectification Movement” style purge of party cadres was first announced by Chen Yixin on July 8 during a meeting of the Central Political and Legal Commission, a pol...
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How floods and Covid-19 slowly distorting Xi Jinping-led China’s superpower dream
1Oct mmBy Joe RodriguezNo Comments
Asia, China

How floods and Covid-19 slowly distorting Xi Jinping-led China’s superpower dream

China is currently facing severe food shortage and is struggling to feed its people, say reports.If reports are to be believed, a number of factors have directly contributed to the food crisis. China's surging population, the growing industrial economy and an increase in consumerism have given rise to demand for agricultural products. Apart from that, floods have played a key part in disturbing China's food stability.According to Chinese local media, the recent floods have cost the country at least $29 billion, affecting 70 million Chinese citizens across 28 provinces.Li Kungang, an official of the Emergency Management Ministry, has warned of another flooding during autumn. "It is the first time that three major river basins experienced a regional or above-average flood since 1998," the of...
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China fails to tackle flooding problem, billions of dollars at stake
1Oct mmBy Joe RodriguezNo Comments
Asia, China

China fails to tackle flooding problem, billions of dollars at stake

Over the last several years, China has built many reservoirs, levees, dikes and dams on its seven major river systems, however, it is still struggling with a spike in crippling floods, which has destroyed huge agricultural and industrial land, and millions of homes.Flooding in cities is a worrying trend and it is a clear sign of rising populations and failure to execute urbanisation policies.In August, flooding in the Three Gorges Dam, the world’s largest hydroelectric dam, on the Yangtze River peaked and officials feared it could overflow. Authorities elsewhere have blown up barriers that were creating more damage than help.According to China Water Risk, a research firm based in Hong Kong, over 40 per cent of China’s population lives in the Yangtze River Economic Belt and accounts for nea...
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