China Archives - Page 124 of 124

China has betrayed Hong Kong so West should stop fooling itself, says former HK governor

23May

By Yusara AskariNo Comments

China has betrayed Hong Kong so West should stop fooling itself, says former HK governor

Former Hong Kong governor Chris Patten on Saturday opined that China has betrayed the people of Hong Kong so the West should stop kowtowing to Beijing for an illusory great pot of gold.“The Hong Kong people have been betrayed by China,” Patten said adding that Britain has a “moral, economic and legal” duty to stand up for Hong Kong.Beijing is set to impose new national security legislation on Hong Kong after a sustained campaign of pro-democracy protests last year in the city, which enjoys many freedoms not allowed on mainland China.Patten, now 76, watched as the British flag was lowered over Hong Kong when the colony was handed back to China in 1997 after more than 150 years of British rule.Hong Kong’s autonomy was guaranteed for 50 years under the “one country, two systems” agreement pri

Pakistan bans political party critical of CPEC

22May

By Desk TeamNo Comments

Pakistan bans political party critical of CPEC

A political party, which is critical of financially dubious China's Belt and Road Initiative has been banned by Pakistan government. Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz-Arisar (JSQM-A), a party based in the southern province of Sindh highlighted Pakistan’s the country's reliance on Beijing for political and economic support.Pakistan's interior ministry outlawed the JSQM-A along with two militant groups in the same province -- the Sindhudesh Liberation Army (SLA) and the Sindhudesh Revolutionary Army (SRA) -- citing "reasonable grounds" that the organizations have ties to terrorism.Pakistan has been regularly banning a variety of organizations, including al-Qaeda-linked jihadi militants as well as secessionist insurgent groups. The list however has expanded since the launch of the China-Pakistan Econom

COVID-19 fallout: China drops mention of GDP goal as parliament opens

22May

By Desk TeamNo Comments

COVID-19 fallout: China drops mention of GDP goal as parliament opens

As coronavirus outbreak hammers the world’s second-biggest economy, China dropped its annual growth target for the first time on Friday and pledged more government spending, setting a sombre tone to this year's meeting of parliament.The omission from Premier Li Keqiang's work report marks the first time China has not set a target for gross domestic product (GDP) since the government began publishing such goals in 1990.Given "great uncertainty" caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Beijing will "give priority to stabilising employment and ensuring living standards", Li told the opening of the National People's Congress.The economy shrank 6.8 per cent in the first quarter, the first contraction in decades, hit by the outbreak of the new coronavirus."We have not set a specific target for economic

China plans to impose new national security laws on Hong Kong

22May

By Desk TeamNo Comments

China plans to impose new national security laws on Hong Kong

In a huge blow to Hong Kong, China signaled that it will impose new national-security laws on the territory saying that the legislation is aimed at stopping what it considers “secessionist and subversive activity,” foreign interference and terrorism in the city. The proposal to enact the new legislation was submitted to China's legislature on Friday, state media said. In a state-of-the-nation speech opening China's annual parliamentary session, Premier Li Keqiang said that China would "establish and improve the legal systems and mechanisms to safeguard national security" in Hong Kong. According to the legislation, China's parliament empowers itself to set up the legal framework and implementation mechanism to prevent and punish subversion, terrorism, separatism and foreign interf

China sent team including medical experts to advise on North Korea’s Kim

20May

By Desk TeamNo Comments

China sent team including medical experts to advise on North Korea’s Kim

China has dispatched a team to North Korea including medical experts to advise on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, according to three people familiar with the situation. The trip by the Chinese doctors and officials comes amid conflicting reports about the health of the North Korean leader. Reuters was unable to immediately determine what the trip by the Chinese team signaled in terms of Kim’s health. A delegation led by a senior member of the Chinese Communist Party’s International Liaison Department left Beijing for North Korea on Thursday, two of the people said. The department is the main Chinese body dealing with neighbouring North Korea The sources declined to be identified given the sensitivity of the matter. The Liaison Department could not be reached by Reuters for comment late on

For China’s aggressive new diplomacy, coronavirus is both a crisis and an opportunity

20May

By Desk TeamNo Comments

For China’s aggressive new diplomacy, coronavirus is both a crisis and an opportunity

Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, China has struggled to control the narrative around its role in the crisis. Is Beijing a noble victim, ably controlling an unforeseeable viral outbreak and now assisting other countries in their own efforts, or the villain, ultimately to blame for the misery spreading around the world?Considerable effort has been expended in pushing the first line. China has donated large amounts of medical supplies to parts of Europe and Africa. China's state media, which has an outsized influence in much of the developing world, has also played up praise from the World Health Organization (WHO) and others of its response to and recovery from the initial outbreak, in stark contrast to many parts of the world now struggling to cope.The coronavirus crisis pre

China- based group hacks official site of Indonesian State Intelligence Agency

19May

By Desk TeamNo Comments

China- based group hacks official site of Indonesian State Intelligence Agency

China bases Nikon APT group has been found to have hacked the official site of Indonesian State Intelligence Agency (BIN) with the use of hacking tool Aria-Bodu (Body). The BIN has clarified thaht the hacker could not get hold of the confidential information, as it was stored in some other place. Yet, anticipatory steps have been taken in the wake of threat pose by the hacker’s technology, a BIN spokesperson said. The hacking failed as the BIN had implemented the latest security norms to protect the information. Now the BIN taken the necessary measures to further protect its site, the spokesperson said. People in Indonesia are already angry toward China after Indonesian crew members, who died onboard, were thrown into the sea by Chinese vessels without taking any permission from the famil

China’s Mars mission named Tianwen-1, appears on track for July launch

8May

By Desk TeamNo Comments

China’s Mars mission named Tianwen-1, appears on track for July launch

HELSINKI — China has named its first independent interplanetary mission Tianwen-1, with the combined Mars orbiter and rover spacecraft apparently proceeding towards launch in July. The name and mission logo were unveiled at a China National Space Administration online ceremony to mark the 50th anniversary of the launch of the country’s first satellite. DFH-1 launched on a Long March 1 rocket from Jiuquan April 24, 1970, making China the fifth country to independently launch a satellite. Tianwen-1, meaning ‘questions to heaven’, is taken from the name of a long-form poem by Qu Yuan, a poet born in the fourth century B.C., according to CNSA chief engineer Ge Xiaochun. The ‘Lanxingjiutian’ logo includes representations of the Latin letter ‘c’, referring to China, cooperation, and th

China coronavirus cases may have been four times official figure, says study

8May

By Desk TeamNo Comments

China coronavirus cases may have been four times official figure, says study

China coronavirus cases may have been four times official figure, says studyNew estimates from Hong Kong come amid call for inquiry into outbreak’s origins More than 232,000 people may have been infected in the first wave of Covid-19 in mainland China, four times the official figures, according to a study by Hong Kong researchers. China reported more than 55,000 cases as of 20 February but, according to research by academics at Hong Kong University’s school of public health, published in the Lancet, the true number would have been far greater if the definition of a Covid-19 case that was later used had been applied from the outset. China has now reported more than 83,000 cases. Globally, the death toll from the coronavirus has exceeded 184,000, with the number of cases worldwide