Author: Yusara Askari

China doesn’t want a new world order. It wants this one
6Jun By Yusara AskariNo Comments
China

China doesn’t want a new world order. It wants this one

Under fire for introducing and spreading Coronavirus across the world and reproached for their move to assert control over Hong Kong, China’s officials are in firefighting mode. Their approach has two parts. First, sell the China story - emphasizing its success in the fight against the coronavirus. Second, attack those who seek to tarnish the country’s image.President Xi Jinping has left this battle to his subordinates. With the world spinning into crisis, he has a bigger campaign to occupy him: taking over the international institutions, like the World Health Organization and the United Nations, that manage the world.Interestingly, the plan also bears a suitably benign title - “Community with a Shared Future for Mankind.” First proposed by Jinping in 2013 and introduced at the United Nati
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India demands immediate access to restore ‘vandalized’ Buddhist structures in Gilgit-Baltistan
5Jun By Yusara AskariNo Comments
Politics

India demands immediate access to restore ‘vandalized’ Buddhist structures in Gilgit-Baltistan

A week after images of vandalized Buddhist carvings surfaced on social media, India sought immediate access to the area in Pakistan occupied Gilgit-Baltistan where Buddhist archaeological sites have been destroyed for its expert team to restore vandalized structures.“We have conveyed our strong concern at reports of vandalism, defacement and destruction of invaluable Indian Buddhist heritage located in so called “Gilgit-Baltistan” area of the Indian territory under illegal and forcible occupation of Pakistan,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said on Wednesday.Srivastava said “egregious activities” of this nature which display contempt for the ancient civilizational and cultural heritage are “highly condemnable”."It is a matter of grave concern that the Buddhist sym
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4Jun By Yusara AskariNo Comments
China

China misusing Confucius Institute to spread its propaganda, claims a petition

China is involved in suppressing the democratic movement in Hong Kong, conducting military exercises in South China Sea, suppressing freedom of press, carrying out military intrusion into Ladakh and Sikkim, and deploying military forces along the Indo-Tibetan border, said a petition calling for the closure of China’s Confucius Institute.On May 18, France-Tibet Occitanie and Association Initiative Citoyenne jointly submitted a petition to François Bayrou, Mayor of Pau, France calling for closure of the Confucius Institute (CI) which was inaugurated on October 28, 2019 by Lu Shaye, Chinese Ambassador to France.The petition states that Beijing has “wilfully concealed information on the CoVID-19 virus spread in Wuhan” and “put pressure on WHO to delay declaration of the pandemic situation” res
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China’s new high-security compound in Pakistan may indicate naval plans
3Jun By Yusara AskariNo Comments
China

China’s new high-security compound in Pakistan may indicate naval plans

With recent satellite images of several new complexes at the western end of Pakistan’s coast, analysts are now more confident than ever of the long-expected Chinese naval base at Gwadar in Pakistan.One of the several complexes has been identified as a Chinese company involved in port development and has unusually high security. The base, to complement the one at Djibouti, would strengthen China’s foothold in the Indian Ocean.Located at the western end of Pakistan’s coast, Gwadar is expected to be a major port in China’s Belt and Road Initiative. This will allow Chinese goods to shortcut through Pakistan, instead of sailing all the way around South Asia.China was first reported to be planning a naval base there in January 2018. While the plan has never been confirmed officially, it would be
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Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam accuses US of ‘double standards’ over protests
3Jun By Yusara AskariNo Comments
Business, China

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam accuses US of ‘double standards’ over protests

Carrie Lam, the chief executive of Hong Kong, has accused the United States of applying "double standards" in its response to violent protests and new national security laws planned for the territory as she warned Washington's plan to place trade restrictions on the financial hub would "only hurt themselves"."We have seen most clearly in recent weeks the double standards that are around," Lam, who was selected as city leader by a pro-Beijing committee, said on Tuesday."You know there are riots in the United States and we see how local governments reacted. And then in Hong Kong, when we had similar riots, we saw what position they adopted then," she added.Hong Kong has been rocked by months of huge and often violent protests over the past year, which riot police have stamped out with more t...
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“Hong Kong’s ‘romantic fusion of East and West’ is evaporating”
1Jun By Yusara AskariNo Comments
China

“Hong Kong’s ‘romantic fusion of East and West’ is evaporating”

China's ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai on Sunday said that the central government has the ultimate responsibility for upholding national security in Hong Kong, and that a proposed legislation for the city "will protect law-abiding citizens"."Hong Kong was a romantic fusion of the East and the West. To our regret, such romance is evaporating," the envoy said adding that the violent actions of protesters against police, citizens and property there had crossed "a red line" for Beijing."Hong Kong is in disarray. China's national security is at risk. That is why the central government has chosen to act," he said.Separately, a newspaper in China wrote that the plans outlined by US President Donald Trump at the White House were a "gross interference" in Beijing's affairs and were "do...
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Trump ‘completely wrong’ for curbing ties with Hong Kong, top officials say
30May By Yusara AskariNo Comments
Business, China

Trump ‘completely wrong’ for curbing ties with Hong Kong, top officials say

Hours after US President Donald Trump moved toward stripping Hong Kong of its special treatment in a bid to punish China, senior government officials of the global financial hub lashed out at the US President saying the move made by Trump is “completely false and wrong”.Security minister John Lee said that Hong Kong's government could not be threatened and would push ahead with the new laws."I don't think they will succeed in using any means to threaten the (Hong Kong) government, because we believe what we are doing is right," Lee said.Justice Minister Teresa Cheng said the basis for Trump's actions was "completely false and wrong", saying the need for national security laws were legal and necessary.Trump said Beijing had broken its word over Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy from Beiji
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Hong Kong legislation is for city’s stability, prosperity: Chinese Premier Li
29May By Yusara AskariNo Comments
China

Hong Kong legislation is for city’s stability, prosperity: Chinese Premier Li

Moments after China's parliament on Thursday approved Hong Kong's national security Bill, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said that the passage of this legislation is for the city’s long-term “stability and prosperity”.“The decision adopted at the National People’s Congress (NPC) session is designed for study implementation of 'one country, two systems' and Hong Kong’s long-term prosperity and stability,” Premier Li said at an annual press conference rounding up China’s parliamentary season.The NPC, China’s Parliament, passed the resolution on the final day of its annual parliamentary session with 2,878 votes for, one against, and six abstaining, paving the way for the law to be enacted in Hong Kong.Asked if the new law means the Central Government is abandoning the "one country, two systems" p
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Hong Kong police fire pepper pellets as hundreds rally against Beijing’s security law
27May By Yusara AskariNo Comments
China

Hong Kong police fire pepper pellets as hundreds rally against Beijing’s security law

Hong Kong riot police have made arrests and fired pepper pellets on Wednesday to disperse protesters in the city, as new national security laws proposed and national anthem bill by Beijing revived anti-government demonstrations.At around 1pm, some protesters in Central occupied parts of Pedder Street, disrupting traffic in the area. This prompted the police to fire pepper pellets to disperse the crowd. Over in Causeway Bay, about 100 people were stopped and searched.Police were also deployed to Mong Kok and Tsim Sha Tsui, following calls for people to gather there to protest. Heavy police presence and searches in the morning had dented protesters' initial plans to block roads and disrupt traffic.Some drivers had tried to disrupt the traffic at the cross-harbour tunnel at about 8.30am by dr...
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Beijing’s national security law might bar foreign judges from national security cases
26May By Yusara AskariNo Comments
China

Beijing’s national security law might bar foreign judges from national security cases

Adding more to Hong Kong’s worries, Beijing's national security legislation for the city is set to block its foreign judges from handling national security trials, which would exacerbate concerns about the city's judicial independence, people familiar with the matter said.Having lost patience with Hong Kong's failure to adopt national security legislation on its own, China announced on Thursday that it would directly enact laws to tackle secession, subversion, terrorism and foreign interference in the city.The legislation, which remains subject to change, would also see both central and city government security agencies set up in Hong Kong.The Hong Kong government has said the legislation would not affect its judicial independence.Beijing's push for the legislation follows months of anti-g
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