Author: Joanne Serrieh

China: People scramble to get shots of unproven vaccine
18Jan By Joanne SerriehNo Comments
Business, China

China: People scramble to get shots of unproven vaccine

After a spate of quality scandals in its coronavirus vaccine, China is again in the spotlight for making its unproven vaccine candidate widely available to demonstrate their safety and effectiveness.As per media reports, even though China’s vaccine candidates have not formally been proved safe or effective, officials have been injecting them into thousands of people across the country, ostensibly under an emergency-use policy. Government officials and top pharmaceutical executives speak proudly of being inoculated.Ethan Zhang, a resident of Beijing, took a flight to Yiwu in eastern China just to get a shot of the vaccine. He needed to get back to work. Work was in Ivory Coast, however, and since January the global coronavirus outbreak had stranded the 26-year-old translator in mainland Chi
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China threatens to revoke licence of lawyer who helped HK activist
5Jan By Joanne SerriehNo Comments
China

China threatens to revoke licence of lawyer who helped HK activist

Authorities in China’s Sichuan province has informed a mainland lawyer, who helped one of the 10 Hong Kong activists for crossing the border, that his licence could be revoked for 'making inappropriate remarks on the internet'.This is seen as yet another instance of China's growing crackdown on dissent in the country after it imposed the draconian National Security Law in Hong Kong.According to an official statement, Lu Siwei was told by the Department of Justice in Sichuan province that he had three days to request a hearing before authorities would make a final decision on his professional qualification.If the department does not hear from him in that deadline, the lawyer will be regarded as having given up his rights, according to media reports.In their statement, the Department of Just
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China’s new defence law expands power of its military
3Jan By Joanne SerriehNo Comments
China

China’s new defence law expands power of its military

At a time when China is at loggerheads with US and India, Beijing has revised its National Defence Law, expanding the power of its armed forces to mobilise military and civilian resources to defend its national interests both at home and abroad.The new law, effective from January 1, weakens the role of the State Council, China’s Cabinet headed by Premier Li Keqiang, in formulating military policy, handing decision-making powers to the Central Military Commission (CMC), the overall high-command of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) headed by President Xi Jinping.The amendments for the National Defence Law (NDL) were passed by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) on December 26 last year.The revised law came into force after the key conclave of the ruling CPC in Novembe
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China plans to use possible COVID-19 vaccine as political tool
17Dec By Joanne SerriehNo Comments
China

China plans to use possible COVID-19 vaccine as political tool

In a recent announcement, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that the COVID-19 vaccine being developed by China will become a 'global public good'.Chinese officials have begun to use a possible vaccine for the pandemic as a political tool and are thus promising early access to the vaccine to poor and developing countries.It is now clear that China's global health work is all an attempt by Beijing to control the narrative surrounding the origins and handling of the coronavirus.China has received a lot of criticism from other nations for its inefficient handling of the coronavirus outbreak, leading to the virus spreading to other parts of the world, as well as for withholding critical information regarding the virus from the world-leading to greater devastation.China has been accused of silen...
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China sanctions US officials over Hong Kong moves
10Dec By Joanne SerriehNo Comments
China

China sanctions US officials over Hong Kong moves

In retaliation to restrictions slapped on Chinese officials this week, China on Thursday said that it will impose sanctions on US officials who have "performed badly" over Hong Kong issues.Last year, Hong Kong was rocked by pro-democracy protests that were halted by Beijing’s draconian national security law, drawing criticism over eroding rights from countries including the US.On Monday, the US said it was freezing any US assets and barring travel to the United States for 14 vice chairs of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, which spearheaded the tough new law.In response, China would impose "sanctions on US executive officials, congressional personnel, non-governmental organisation personnel... who have performed badly on Hong Kong-related issues," foreign ministry s
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China tells airline crew to wear diapers on risky covid flights
10Dec By Joanne SerriehNo Comments
China

China tells airline crew to wear diapers on risky covid flights

In a 38-page list of guidelines, China's aviation regulator has recommended its cabin crew on charter flights to high-risk Covid-19 destinations to wear disposable diapers and avoid using the bathroom to reduce the risk of infection.The Civil Aviation Administration of China said the recommendation applies for charter flights to and from countries and regions where infections exceed 500 in every one million people.The diaper advice is in a section on personal protective equipment, which also recommends the cabin crew to wear medical protective masks, double-layer disposable medical rubber gloves, goggles, disposable caps, disposable protective clothing, and disposable shoe covers.Other advice for the flights includes dividing the cabin into "clean area, buffer zone, passenger sitting area ...
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Satellite imagery shows China setting up 3 villages near Arunachal, relocates villagers
6Dec By Joanne SerriehNo Comments
China

Satellite imagery shows China setting up 3 villages near Arunachal, relocates villagers

New satellite images show that China has constructed at least 3 villages, approximately 5 kilometres from the Bum La pass which lies close to the tri-junction between India, China and Bhutan in western Arunachal Pradesh, with experts saying the move could be aimed at reinforcing its territorial claims along the Arunachal Pradesh frontier.“China has been using a strategy of settling Han Chinese and Tibetan members of the Communist Party along the India border to strengthen its territorial claims and escalate border intrusions,” says China-watcher Dr. Brahma Chellaney.The new satellite images were shared by the open-source intelligence analyst who goes by the name @detresfa on Twitter. In a tweet, @detresfa said there is evidence of “new villages and accommodation similar to what was seen in
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China, India in ‘candid, in-depth communication’ to disengage troops in eastern Ladakh: Chinese military
26Nov By Joanne SerriehNo Comments
China

China, India in ‘candid, in-depth communication’ to disengage troops in eastern Ladakh: Chinese military

The Chinese military on Thursday said that both China and India have maintained "candid and in-depth communication and coordination" to promote disengagement in areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh after the eighth round of talks to resolve the current standoff.The militaries of both the countries held the 8th round of Corps Commander-level meeting on November 6 to resolve the military standoff that erupted in early May."Since the 8th round of China-India Corps Commander-level meeting, the situation in the China-India border areas have remained stable on the whole” Senior Colonel Ren Guoqiang, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defence told an online media briefing."Following the meeting, China and India have maintained candid and in-depth communication
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China slams India’s apps ban; Xi Jinping asks PLA to be battle-ready
26Nov By Joanne SerriehNo Comments
Business, China

China slams India’s apps ban; Xi Jinping asks PLA to be battle-ready

China has “resolutely opposed” India’s “use of national security as an excuse” after New Delhi’s November 24 decision to ban 43 Chinese apps.“India should immediately correct its discriminatory approach and avoid causing further damage to bilateral cooperation”, said Zhao Lijian, spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.A separate statement from the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi said China “firmly oppose[s] the Indian side’s repeated use of ‘national security’ as an excuse to prohibit some mobile apps with Chinese background” even as President Xi Jinping told the armed forces to strengthen training under real combat conditions and raise the capability of winning wars during a meeting of the Central Military Commission.On the app ban, China said the two countries should work together to
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China used ETIM’s designation as terrorist group for genocide of Uyghurs: Human rights group
11Nov By Joanne SerriehNo Comments
China

China used ETIM’s designation as terrorist group for genocide of Uyghurs: Human rights group

Campaign for Uyghurs (CFU), a non-profit human rights organization, has said that China used the designation of East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) as a terrorist organization for the genocide of the Uyghurs and people have been falsely linked to the ETIM movement for expressing their ethnic identity and religious beliefs.CFU’s remarks came as it hailed the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s decision to revoke the designation of ETIM from its terrorist list after nearly two decades that has led to the weakening of China’s anti-terror pretext for crackdown on Uyghurs in Xinjiang.“The integrity of this decision speaks volumes, and as the leadership of the Chinese regime has changed to a softer tone as it tries to suck up to what it views as the sure next US administration,” the CFU said
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