Tag: China

Under Xi Jinping, China will not be able to join Trans-Pacific Partnership FTA: Japan PM
4Jan By Joe RodriguezNo Comments
Asia, China

Under Xi Jinping, China will not be able to join Trans-Pacific Partnership FTA: Japan PM

As long as China has its current regime, Beijing will not be able to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free-trade agreement, Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide said on Sunday.Speaking to a commercial broadcaster’s radio programme, Yoshihide said that he believes countries where businesses are run by the state will find it difficult to join the TPP because its regulations are set at levels that are too high for such a business structure to follow.He was responding to Xi Jinping’s recent remarks that China “is positive about joining the pact”.On November 20, China’s President Xi Jinping had said that China is open to joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact, in a likely move to bolster the country’s presence in Asia while the US focuses on its presidential transition.China...
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In New Year’s speech, Taiwan urges China to have “meaningful” talks
1Jan By Mike TrudellNo Comments
Asia, China

In New Year’s speech, Taiwan urges China to have “meaningful” talks

In her New year speech, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen on Friday said that the country is willing to have "meaningful" talks with China as equals as long as they are willing to put aside confrontation.Democratic Taiwan, claimed by China as its sovereign territory, has come under increasing pressure from Beijing, which has ramped up military activity near the island.China says it is responding to "collusion" between Washington and Taipei, angered at growing US support for the self-governed island. Beijing views this a precursor to Taiwan declaring formal independence.Speaking at the presidential office, Tsai said that in the past year, Chinese military activity near Taiwan has threatened peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region."I want to reiterate, that when it comes to cross-strait r...
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US calls for release of citizen journalist Zhang Zhan
31Dec By Mike TrudellNo Comments
China, World

US calls for release of citizen journalist Zhang Zhan

United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has called for the release of citizen journalist Zhang Zhan who was detained in May for her live stream reporting from Wuhan over Covid-19 and later sentenced to four years of imprisonment."The United States strongly condemns the People's Republic of China's (PRC) sham prosecution and conviction of citizen journalist Zhang Zhan on December 28. We call on the PRC government to release her immediately and unconditionally," Pompeo said in a statement.This comes after a Shanghai court sentenced Zhang to four years in prison on charges of disseminating information that provokes conflict.Pompeo said the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has shown once again that it will do whatever it takes to silence those who question its official line, even regarding c...
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EU and China to sign investment deal amid unease over rights
29Dec By Mike TrudellNo Comments
China, Market, World

EU and China to sign investment deal amid unease over rights

Despite rising concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang, the European Union (EU) and China are set to sign a business investment deal, which, EU hopes will help correct an imbalance in market access and create new investment opportunities for European companies in China by ensuring they can compete on an equal footing.According to an EU official with direct knowledge of the talks, the provisional agreement is set to be announced on Wednesday.The deal was sealed after China committed to pursuing ratification of the International Labor Organization's rules on forced labor, according to the unnamed official.The EU previously said the agreement, known as CAI, which includes provisions for settling disputes, should increase the transparency of Chinese state subsidies and make susta...
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China strategically captured entire supply chain of America: US-based advocacy group
28Dec By Mike TrudellNo Comments
China, World

China strategically captured entire supply chain of America: US-based advocacy group

Over the past year, China has strategically captured the entire supply chain of United States, making dependent on Beijing, and hurting American workers on the job front, said Lucas Kunce, the national security director at the American Economic Liberties Project.In an interview, Kunce said that the business people who testified during the congressional hearings on tariffs revealed that the United States cannot produce essential products including certain weapons systems and US dollars "without some components or resources coming from China.""So, China has strategically captured our entire supply chain," he said. "And it makes us vulnerable, and it hurts American workers too because we are losing skills that we need to try to get back and we're losing good-paying jobs."Kunce noted that the ...
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Chinese launch covert cyber-attacks on India: Report
20Dec By Mike TrudellNo Comments
China, World

Chinese launch covert cyber-attacks on India: Report

A cybersecurity think tank has claimed that Chinese hackers from Guangdong and Henan provinces targeted online shoppers during the festive months of October and November, the peak sale season in India.According to CyberPeace Foundation, these hackers created fake URLs disguised as offers by Flipkart and Amazon and lured the netizens to click on them with bogus prizes. These links were disseminated through WhatsApp targeting many online shoppers in India.“The modus operandi of the hackers involved imitating the actual sale campaigns of e-commerce such as Flipkart and Amazon to make them look more credible,” the foundation in its report said.The report said that although the festive season sale was a success for Indian e-commerce companies, the opportunity was used by hackers to target milli...
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US Prez signs bill that could remove Chinese stocks from US markets
20Dec By Mike TrudellNo Comments
China, Market, World

US Prez signs bill that could remove Chinese stocks from US markets

United States President Donald Trump has signed a legislation with a potential to kick Chinese companies off of U.S. exchanges unless American regulators can review their financial audits.The measure, which could affect corporate giants like Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and Baidu Inc., is yet another parting shot at China before Trump leaves office in January.The de-listing law won bipartisan support in the House early this month after clearing the U.S. Senate in May. While it applies to any foreign company, the bill’s sponsors have said their goal was to target China.For years, Chinese firms have used American capital markets and dollar-based finance as a key funding component to grow their businesses. While the measure includes a phase-in period, with penalties kicking in after three strai...
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US slams China for charging Jimmy Lai under National Security Law
13Dec By Mike TrudellNo Comments
China, Singapore, World

US slams China for charging Jimmy Lai under National Security Law

The United States Secretary of State Michael Pompeo has slammed China for charging Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai under its draconian National Security Law and demanded that charges must be dropped.Taking to Twitter, Pompeo said: “Hong Kong’s National Security Law makes a mockery of justice. @JimmyLaiApple’s only “crime” is speaking the truth about the Chinese Communist Party’s authoritarianism and fear of freedom. Charges should be dropped and he should be released immediately.”Jimmy Lai is set to appear in West Kowloon Court on Saturday after being charged with colluding with foreign powers under the Beijing-imposed national security law, an offense that carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.Earlier, Lai, the founder of the Apple Daily newspaper was reported to have been charge...
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China bails out Pakistan to pay Saudi debt again
13Dec By Mike TrudellNo Comments
China, Singapore, World

China bails out Pakistan to pay Saudi debt again

Pakistan is saved yet again as China has agrees to immediately provide $1.5 billion financing line to Islamabad to repay the $2 billion Saudi Arabia debt.Now, out of $2 billion, Pakistan is set to return the $1 billion on Monday, said sources in the finance ministry and the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). “The remaining $1 billion is due in January,” they added.“However, this time, China has not given the loan from its State Administration of Foreign Exchange, commonly known as SAFE deposits, nor has it extended a commercial loan,” said the sources.Instead, both the countries have agreed to augment the size of a 2011 bilateral Currency-Swap Agreement (CSA) by an additional 10 billion Chinse Yuan or around $1.5 billion, the sources said. This has increased the size of the overall trade facili...
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Pakistan, China Began Joint Air Exercise Shaheen (Eagle)-IX in Sindh
10Dec By Joe RodriguezNo Comments
Asia, China, Singapore

Pakistan, China Began Joint Air Exercise Shaheen (Eagle)-IX in Sindh

With an aim to deepen practical cooperation and improve the actual-combat training level, the air forces of Pakistan and China on Wednesday commenced a joint exercise "Shaheen (Eagle)-IX" at an operational air base of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in Sindh province.“A contingent of the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), comprising combat pilots, air defence controllers and technical ground crew, participated in the exercise,” the PAF said in a statement.The opening ceremony of the exercise was jointly witnessed by Deputy Chief of Air Staff (Operations) Air Vice Marshal Waqas Ahmed Sulehri and Assistant Chief of Staff, PLAAF, Major General Sun Hong, it said."The joint exercise will improve the actual level of combat training and strengthen practical cooperation between the two air f...
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