Tag: US

Biden administration declares Chinese actions in Xinjiang as ‘genocide’
1Apr By Mike TrudellNo Comments
World

Biden administration declares Chinese actions in Xinjiang as ‘genocide’

US President Joe Biden’s administration on Tuesday declared Chinese actions against the Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic and religious minority groups in Xinjiang as ‘genocide’.The US Department of State, in a 2020 report on Human rights practices, said: “Genocide and crimes against humanity occurred during the year against the predominantly Muslim Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minority groups in Xinjiang”.Chinese authorities’ genocide in Xinjiang was first officially declared by Michael Pompeo during the waning days of the Donald Trump administration. Now, Antony Blinken affirmed Pompeo’s assessment during his confirmation hearing, but the word’s inclusion into Tuesday’s report formalizes the outlook as an official U.S. government assessment.The State Department said the crime inc...
Read More
Chinese consul-general calls Canada ‘running dog’ of US
29Mar By Mike TrudellNo Comments
World

Chinese consul-general calls Canada ‘running dog’ of US

Alleging that the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has ruined the friendly ties between China and Canada, Li Yang, the Chinese Consul General in Rio de Janeiro, has said that Trudeau has turned Canada into a “running dog of the United States”.“Boy, your greatest achievement is to have ruined the friendly relations between China and Canada, and have turned Canada into a running dog of the US. Spendthrift!!!” Li Yang tweeted on Sunday.His remark comes a day after China had announced sanctions against two American religious-rights officials and a Canadian MP in response to western countries’ sanctions on Beijing over the issue of human rights abuses in Xinjiang province.However, the United States condemned China’s sanctions and said that Beijing’s attempt to silence criticism of human r...
Read More
Chinese tech firms face US ultimatum over issue of American accounting standards
27Mar By Mike TrudellNo Comments
World

Chinese tech firms face US ultimatum over issue of American accounting standards

Chinese tech firms in the United States could be forced to leave the US market after the country’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) started implementing a law to remove foreign firms that did not comply with local accounting standards.Recently, the SEC, which regulates the US stock markets, amended the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act to remove from the US stock markets foreign firms that did not comply with local accounting standards.“The SEC has adopted interim final amendments to implement congressionally mandated submission and disclosure requirements of the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (HFCA Act),” the SEC said in a statement.The SEC said that it was “seeking public comment on these submission and disclosure requirements” within 90 days of the date of the...
Read More
US to hold China accountable for human rights abuses: US Speaker
24Mar By Mike TrudellNo Comments
World

US to hold China accountable for human rights abuses: US Speaker

The United States Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday lauded the sanctions imposed by the Biden administration on China and said that Washington will hold Beijing accountable for human rights abuses against the Uyghurs in Xinjiang as well as against people in Tibet and Hong Kong“The Biden administration’s coordinated sanctions on China are a strong and resounding step to hold China accountable for its barbaric atrocities against the Uyghur people,” Pelosi said in a statement.“America, together with our allies, will continue to hold Beijing accountable for its campaign of human rights abuses, including those targeting the Tibetan people, people of Hong Kong and journalists, human rights lawyers and advocates on the mainland,” she added.Pelosi said that the US Congress will further its actions w...
Read More
Chinese threat to Taiwan ‘closer than most think’: top US admiral
24Mar By Mike TrudellNo Comments
World

Chinese threat to Taiwan ‘closer than most think’: top US admiral

Admiral John Aquilino, who is chosen to be the next commander of US forces in the Pacific, on Tuesday said that China is amassing weapons and systems to militarily overwhelm Taiwan, an action it could be “poised to take” within the next six years.“My opinion is this problem is much closer to us than most think,” he said before the Senate Armed Services Committee, which was reviewing his nomination to lead the US military’s Indo-Pacific Command.He further stated that China considers establishing full control over Taiwan to be its “number one priority”.The current head of the command, Admiral Philip Davidson, told a hearing earlier this month that China could be prepared to take Taiwan, the self-governed democratic island that Beijing claims as its sovereign territory, by force within the ne...
Read More
Japan, US to conduct joint military drills near Senkaku Islands to counter China
22Mar By Mike TrudellNo Comments
World

Japan, US to conduct joint military drills near Senkaku Islands to counter China

The United States and Japan have decided to conduct large-scale joint drills to protect the Senkaku Islands and counter China’s aggressiveness in the East China Sea.According to media reports, Ground, Maritime, and Air Self-Defense Forces would join the US Marines and Air Force in an exercise to defend the Japanese-administered Senkakus, which are claimed by China as Diaoyu.Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi stressed the need for joint drills during a TV program aired on Friday in local media. “We need to improve our capability through joint drills and demonstrate our presence,” he said.In February, China adopted a law allowing its coast guard to fire at foreign ships. Since then, Chinese coast guard ships have repeatedly sailed into Japanese waters near the islets.The drills come after...
Read More
US condemns Beijing’s move to overhaul Hong Kong’s electoral system
13Mar By Mike TrudellNo Comments
World

US condemns Beijing’s move to overhaul Hong Kong’s electoral system

After Beijing approved a resolution to drastically overhaul Hong Kong's electoral system to ensure only 'patriots' can rule the city, the United States publicly condemned China for its “continuing assaults on democratic institutions”."We condemn the People's Republic of China (PRC's) continuing assaults on democratic institutions in Hong Kong," US Department of State spokesperson Ned Price said during a press briefing."The changes approved by the National People's Congress today, on March 11, are a direct attack on Hong Kong's autonomy, its freedom and democratic processes limiting political participation, reducing democratic representation, and stifling political debate in order to defy the clear will of people in Hong Kong and deny their voices in their own governance," he added.On Thurs...
Read More
Increasing number of foreigners avoid travel to China due to fear of detention: Report
13Mar By Mike TrudellNo Comments
World

Increasing number of foreigners avoid travel to China due to fear of detention: Report

Academics, NGO workers and media professionals have said that they are unwilling to travel to China after the detention of foreigners in the country.China’s President Xi Jinping forges increasingly hostile relations with Western governments and hence, some fear being a target of a possible diplomatic spat between their government and Beijing.Several people pointed to the detention of two Canadians in China in December 2018 – Micheal Kovrig, an NGO worker and Michael Spavor, who organised trips to North Korea – after Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Vancouver on charges filed in the US.Last year, Chinese-Australian TV anchor Cheng Lei, who worked for the state media channel CGTN, was also detained amid worsening ties between Beijing and Australia.Gordon Matthews, a professor of...
Read More
US Congressman expresses solidarity with Sindhi community as Pak crackdown on minorities
10Mar By Mike TrudellNo Comments
World

US Congressman expresses solidarity with Sindhi community as Pak crackdown on minorities

US Congressman Adam Schiff has condemned the human rights abuses in Pakistan’s Sindh province, including disappearances, torture, forced conversions and extrajudicial killings.While supporting the Sindhi Foundation’s ‘Long Walk for Freedom, Nature, and Love’, Schiff said that he hopes the long walk “can raise awareness for these crimes and bring peace and justice to Sindh”.“I am so pleased to be able to offer a few words of encouragement and support for the long walk for freedom, nature and love. I have had the honour of getting to know more about the Sindhi people and their peaceful and inclusive culture,” he said.He also expressed concern over the “trends of human rights abuses in Sindh province, including disappearances, torture, forced conversions and extrajudicial killings”.According ...
Read More
Chinese cyber-espionage unit on US hacking spree: Expert
8Mar By Mike TrudellNo Comments
World

Chinese cyber-espionage unit on US hacking spree: Expert

A cyber security specialist has said that approximately 30,000 organizations in the United States, including local governments, have been hacked in recent days by an "unusually aggressive" Chinese cyber-espionage campaign.According to a post by Brian Krebs on his cyber security news website, the campaign has exploited recently discovered flaws in Microsoft Exchange software, stealing email and infecting computer servers with tools that let attackers take control remotely."This is an active threat," White House spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki said when asked about the situation during a press briefing. "Everyone running these servers needs to act now to patch them. We are concerned that there are a large number of victims," she added.After Microsoft released patches for the vulnerabilities, atta...
Read More