Author: Yusara Askari

Xi Jinping’s Leadership Challenges for the CCP’s stability
2Oct By Yusara AskariNo Comments
Business, Opinion, Politics, World

Xi Jinping’s Leadership Challenges for the CCP’s stability

In his opinion Glenn Tiffert, a historian at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University brought forth Xi Jinping’s feared that the CCP might eventually disintegrate like Soviet Communists and “this seems to be a problem that he paid special attention to from the beginning.” Xi Jinping, therefore, wanted to avoid the path of destruction of the Communist Party of Soviet Union and this manifested in his tightening of his grip over the Party. In November 2019, the BBC Chinese website published an article stated that “China under Xi Jinping may embark on the old path of Brezhnev, former General Secretary of the CPSU.” It is believed that after Brezhnev came to power, Khrushchev’s reforms and liberalisation commitments ended, and the state’s centralised control was strengthened. This is s
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Elephant in the room: African countries cancel China-led projects
20Sep By Yusara AskariNo Comments
Asia, China, World

Elephant in the room: African countries cancel China-led projects

China is increasingly finding itself being cornered by African countries on investment-related matters with some of them cancelling contracts with Chinese companies as their “shoddy” work has become a source of tension for the ruling dispensations in several nations across the continent. After Ghana cancelled the contract of Beijing Everyway Traffic and Lighting Tech Co Ltd, which was to develop an intelligent traffic management system for the country, President of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Felix Tshisekedi has called for a review of mining contracts previously signed with China in 2008. The DRC President said he wants to get fairer deals for his country. Unhappy with China’s exploitative tendency, he said, “Those with whom his country signed contracts are getting richer wh
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‘Blue Dot’ an alternative to China’s BRI
11Jun By Yusara AskariNo Comments
Asia, China

‘Blue Dot’ an alternative to China’s BRI

New York, US: In order to have an alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, US President Joe Biden, along with the Japanese and Australian governments, are reviving the ‘Blue Dot Network’ infrastructure initiative. The Blue Dot Network was first announced during former President Donald Trump’s administration, and kicked off talks among stakeholders in Paris on Monday after a prolonged period of inactivity, reported Nikkei Asia. The initiative, which would certify projects meeting such standards as transparency and sustainability, is meant to galvanise the private sector to invest in infrastructure development in emerging markets. “The Blue Dot Network will be a globally recognized symbol of market-driven, transparent and sustainable infrastructure projects,” the Blue Dot N
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Chinese activist who reviled human rights condition in country, put behind the bars.
9Jun By Yusara AskariNo Comments
Business, China

Chinese activist who reviled human rights condition in country, put behind the bars.

Beijing, China: Wang Aizhong, a Chinese veteran activist was arrested last month for writing his mind out on twitter. He wrote about the condition of human rights in the country. Whereas he was accused under charges of ‘picking quarrels and provoking trouble’. The veteran activist helped found the Southern Street Movement in Guangzhou 10 years ago, calling for an end to one-party rule, reported South China Morning Post. He has been active on social media, commenting on human rights abuses in China. His online activities brought him attention from the police, who warned him to stay home early last month when he was invited to attend a dinner with a group of private businesspeople in the neighbouring city of Zhongshan. Despite complying with the order, the police raided the dinner
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Taiwan Strait: Chinese plane again entered in Taiwan’s air defence zone
7Jun By Yusara AskariNo Comments
Asia, China

Taiwan Strait: Chinese plane again entered in Taiwan’s air defence zone

Tapei, Taiwan: Chinese warplane entered Taiwan's air defence identification zone. These intrusions are increasing the tension amid the two countries.A single People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Shaanxi Y-8 electronic warfare plane flew into the southwest corner of Taiwan's ADIZ on Thursday morning, according to the Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense (MND). It was the first intrusion of this month.A total of 29 Chinese planes were tracked in the identification zone in May, including 25 slow-flying turboprops, two fighter bombers, and two fighter jets, Taiwan News reported.Since mid-September of last year, Beijing has stepped up its gray-zone tactics by regularly sending planes into Taiwan's ADIZ, with most instances occurring in the southwest corner of the zone and usually consi...
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Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy to be imprisoned with 9 others
31May By Yusara AskariNo Comments
Asia, China

Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy to be imprisoned with 9 others

Hong Kong: Hong Kong pro-democracy leaders were sentenced to jail over violation of National Security Law even after China’s crackdown.Media tycoon Jimmy Lai who pleaded guilty to one crime of organising unapproved assembly, was sentenced to 14 months in prison. Nine others are sentenced between 14-36 months in prison by Hong Kong District Court on Friday, reported Dimsum Daily.Together with other prison terms served concurrently, Jimmy Lai will serve a total of 20 months in prison and there are still multiple charges pending against him; he may be looking at longer prison terms, reported Dimsum Daily.Figo Chan, Lee Cheuk-yan, Leung Kwok-hung and Albert Ho who pleaded guilty to one crime of organising unauthorised assembly and one crime of inciting others to participate in unauthorised as
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China blocking our deal with BioNTech: Taiwan
31May By Yusara AskariNo Comments
China

China blocking our deal with BioNTech: Taiwan

Taipei, Taiwan: China has been accused by Taiwan for blocking the covid-19 vaccine deal with German company Firm BioNTech."Taiwan was close to sealing the deal with the German plant, but because of China's intervention, we still can't sign the contract," the island's President Tsai Ing-wen said in a meeting of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party.Taipei had previously "smoothly" ordered shots from AstraZeneca in Britain and Moderna in the United States, Ing-wen said.According to South China Morning Post, this is the first time Taiwan has directly accused Beijing of blocking a deal with BioNTech.Beijing claims full sovereignty over Taiwan, a democracy of almost 24 million people located off the southeastern coast of mainland China, despite the fact that the two sides have been governed ...
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Chinese military’s now beyond South China sea
27May By Yusara AskariNo Comments
Asia, Business, Conflict, World

Chinese military’s now beyond South China sea

Hong Kong: China is now proceeding to Djibouti to establish the first overseas military base. The journey was first started in 2008 when Chinese military dispatched a naval task force to the Gulf of Aden.Indeed, the PLA, at the behest of the Chinese government, is seeking to establish a global presence. By 2035, Chairman Xi Jinping wants the PLA to have basically completed its modernization. Certainly, one quality of a modern military, with the PLA being the world's largest, is the ability to efficiently deploy worldwide.As part of that process, China will move from a mere regional power to one with a global military reach. Whereas China's hitherto aim has been to deter adversaries or to fight a high-intensity but short-duration battle on its periphery, now it is seeking the ability to co...
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Kiribati airstrip again led China in objection.
23May By Yusara AskariNo Comments
China, World

Kiribati airstrip again led China in objection.

Beijing, China: A China was involved in upgrading an airstrip in Kiribati, which got in intense political discussions among Pacific Island nations, which led many questions on China regarding the purpose of project.The revamp comes amid heightened scrutiny of Beijing's outreach efforts to strategically located Pacific Island nations, which are entangled in a growing competition for influence between China and the US and its Pacific allies, reported South China Morning Post (SCMP).Kiribati's 33 islands, scattered around resource-rich waters, make up one of the world's largest exclusive economic zones. The government had insisted that the planned upgrade of facilities on the island of Kanton is for purely civil purposes and aim to boost transport links and tourism.Despite China's foreign mi...
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Coronavirus originated from Wuhan lab, says Pompeo
19May By Yusara AskariNo Comments
China

Coronavirus originated from Wuhan lab, says Pompeo

Washington, US: Former US Secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, on Sunday said the evidences suggests the coronavirus came from the lab of Wuhan city in China. He further added that the risk of bioweapons and bioterror arising from the region is "very real".Pompeo told Fox News that the Chinese Communist Party "covered up" the origins of COVID-19 and that evidence continues to mount despite their efforts to deny access to the Wuhan Institute of Virology."We worked to get every bit of evidence that we could, we tried to deliver this to the CDC, tried to work with the Chinese. They covered it up terribly," Pompeo said.He said the combination of circumstantial evidence and China's intense effort to deny any information relating to the lab suggests to him that the virus originated in that lab."I h...
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