Author: Nectar Gan

‘Shared status’ encourages tighter cooperation between Taiwan and Somaliland
World

‘Shared status’ encourages tighter cooperation between Taiwan and Somaliland

As war and delayed elections dim Western enthusiasm for Somaliland, the two territories are ratcheting up their collaboration.The international standing of Somaliland has not been great this year. Following its de facto independence from Somalia in 1991, the nation built a reputation as a "oasis of stability" in the Horn of Africa by holding democratic elections and disarming its military despite its lack of international recognition. However, the presidential elections that were supposed to take place in 2017 were postponed, and in February, long-standing clan rivalries exploded into conflict in the area of Las Anod (Laascaanood), which resulted in scores of casualties and forced tens of thousands of inhabitants to evacuate. The United States has voiced worry over the "democrati...
China’s Operation Fox Hunt
China, Politics

China’s Operation Fox Hunt

hree men, including a retired NYPD sergeant, were convicted in Brooklyn federal court on June 20 for their involvement in stalking a family in New Jersey and pressuring them to return to China on behalf of the Chinese communist regime. The case is connected to China's Operation Fox Hunt, an initiative aimed at coercing expatriates and dissidents to come back to China for trial. The defendants, Michael McMahon, Zheng Congying, and Zhu Yong, faced charges of harassing, threatening, intimidating, and monitoring Xu Jin, a former Chinese official living in New Jersey, and his wife over a three-year period from 2016 to 2019. The operation was directed and funded by the Chinese government. The convictions of these individuals serve as a stark reminder of China's ongoing illegal behavior withi...
Chinese foreign minister meets counterpart from Sri Lanka
Asia, China, Politics

Chinese foreign minister meets counterpart from Sri Lanka

Since establishing diplomatic connections, China and Sri Lanka, according to Qin, have respected and supported one another, serving as an excellent example of cordial interactions and mutually beneficial collaboration between nations of various sizes. He urged the two sides to advance high-level and people-to-people interactions, fully implement the significant agreement achieved by the leaders of both nations, and work together to build a high-quality Belt and Road. Qin continued by saying that China will do all it could to support Sri Lanka's economic and social progress as well as the enhancement of the standard of living for its people. Sabry hailed China as a great friend and crucial development partner, saying Sri Lanka treasured the selfless support given by the Chinese gover...
South Korea was contacted by Antony Blinken to discuss his travel to China; North Korea threatened a harsher retaliation.
Asia, China

South Korea was contacted by Antony Blinken to discuss his travel to China; North Korea threatened a harsher retaliation.

The US Secretary of State informed South Korea's foreign minister Park Jin that he had an open, realistic, and fruitful discussion with the Chinese side and that he wanted to provide as much information as possible about the outcomes of his visit.According to the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken contacted South Korea, a crucial ally, on Saturday to discuss the outcomes of his visit to China earlier this month. According to a ministry statement, Blinken informed South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin that he had an open, realistic, and productive conversation with the Chinese side and wanted to provide as much information as possible about the outcomes of his visit. According to the ministry, Blinken and Park vowed to keep in touch about ...
War on Chat GPT intensify between US and China?
China, World

War on Chat GPT intensify between US and China?

The global community is concerned about Chinese investors rushing to get into generative AI with a focus on large language models. More Than 30 Chinese companies have announced their own large language model projects. They include tech giants Alibaba, Tencent, Baidu and Huawei, With the entry of Tiktok owner Bytedance the competition has intensified. ByteDance Ltd. is testing an artificial intelligence-powered chatbot among employees to create a local version of ChatGPT. This came a week after Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. Rolled out its ChatGPT-style technology. Alibaba wants to take a lead in China’s artificial intelligence race. ChatGPT, which has become sparked huge interest in the area of generative AI, across the globe. Developed by U.S. firm OpenAI, AI chatbot can answer questio
Arrival of the Russian PM in China for meetings with Xi and a business forum
China

Arrival of the Russian PM in China for meetings with Xi and a business forum

According to Moscow's foreign ministry, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has arrived in China for a visit during which he will meet with President Xi Jinping and sign a number of agreements on commerce and infrastructure. According to the ministry, Mishustin arrived in Shanghai late on Monday. He was met at the airport by Zhang Hanhui, the senior representative of Beijing to Russia, and Igor Morgulov, the ambassador of Moscow to China. According to the Kremlin, he will attend a Russian-Chinese Business Forum, tour a petrochemical research facility in Shanghai, and speak with "representatives of Russian business circles." In addition to Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, who oversees energy problems, the event has invited other Russian businessmen who have been sanctio...
China’s Charm Offensive : A Wolf In Sheep’s Clotning ?
China

China’s Charm Offensive : A Wolf In Sheep’s Clotning ?

In recent months, China has been on a charm offensive. In a series of high-profile visits to Europe and the United States, Chinese officials have sought to improve China's image and build relationships with key world leaders. However, some observers are skeptical of China's motives. They argue that China's charm offensive is nothing more than a PR campaign designed to distract from its aggressive and expansionist behavior. There is certainly evidence to support this view. For example, China has continued to build up its military, even as it has pledged to work for peace and cooperation. China has also been accused of human rights abuses, including the mass detention of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang province. In addition, China has been a vocal critic of the United States and its all...
China will improve its political and economic ties with the IEA.
China

China will improve its political and economic ties with the IEA.

According to the ministry, Shaikh Hamdullah Nomani, the interim minister of urban development and lands for the Islamic Emirate, met with Wang Yu, the Chinese ambassador, on Wednesday in Kabul. According to a statement, Minister Shaikh Hamdullah Nomani urged ambassador Wang Yu for the resumption of his country's work on the biggest Chinese-supported Nela Bagh housing project in Afghanistan during the meeting, while also praising China's collaboration and cordial relations with Afghanistan. Minister Nomani was reported in the release as stating, "The IEA is fully committed to fulfilling all obligations and commitments which had been contracted." Some of the project's difficulties have been resolved, he said, so work should get back up as soon as feasible. The ground has been mo...
China forbids its residents from discussing the protests in Pakistan. Political uprising is a touchy subject.
Asia, China

China forbids its residents from discussing the protests in Pakistan. Political uprising is a touchy subject.

Pakistan's political turmoil over Imran Khan's arrest hasn’t left Chinese citizens unscathed. Police in Karachi had to intervene to stop an attack on Chinese workers. China is silent on the political turmoil in Pakistan. The Chinese ministry deleted a “racist” video mocking Indians. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and China’s Director of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi had a meeting in Vienna. Chinascope delves into China’s reaction to the protests in Pakistan. China over the weekWhile the political unrest in Pakistan was a major headline in India, it did not receive much attention from Chinese state media and social media platforms like Weibo. According to Hu Shisheng, director of the South Asia Institute of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, the curre
Books On How China’s Covid Management Dehumanised Its Own People
World

Books On How China’s Covid Management Dehumanised Its Own People

Despite all efforts by the Chinese government to throttle all the journalists and authors who tried to present an independent account of China’s draconian and inhuman ways to contain Covid pandemic, two outstanding books have dared to unravel the people’s agony during the period. These books, viz., the “Deadly quiet city” and “Wuhan Diary” authored respectively by Murang Xuecun and Wang Fang are now making rounds, even though they were published in 2020, but remained subdued in public space since. The latest evidence to the fact that the fear factor is deeply ingrained in the Chinese society is that the two authors chose to publish their books on pen names i.e., Hao Qun and Fan Fang respectively rather than their original names. The “Deadly Quiet” city was published first in Aust