Conflict

First deadly India-China clash in 45 years: Five things to know
18Jun By Nectar GanNo Comments

First deadly India-China clash in 45 years: Five things to know

Weeks of uncertainty and military standoff along the India China border in the western Himalayas took a dangerous turn this week when 20 Indian soldiers were killed on Monday evening in violent clashes.On Wednesday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his country would defend every inch of its territory. "I would like to assure the nation that the sacrifice of our soldiers will not go in vain," Modi said."India wants peace, but is capable of giving a befitting reply if instigated,” he warned.In a phone call on Wednesday with his Chinese counterpart, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar blamed China for the conflict, saying "the Chinese side sought to erect a structure" in an area in the Galwan valley that India considers its territory."The Chinese side took premeditated and
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US stands with India in pushing back against Chinese probing of Indian sovereignty: Alice Wells
17Jun By Nectar GanNo Comments

US stands with India in pushing back against Chinese probing of Indian sovereignty: Alice Wells

As the tensions between India and China continue to rise on the border, Alice G Wells, Former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary (PDAS), said that the US stands with India in pushing back against constant Chinese probing of Indian sovereignty."External rebalancing is critical. At the end of the day, it will be the US that stands with India in pushing back against constant Chinese probing of Indian sovereignty. #USindia dosti #india," Wells said in a post on Twitter.This statement by Wells comes after the Chinese military started a build-up along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in May first week along with the Ladakh sector and Sikkim where they came to the Naku La area and had a face-off with the Indian troops there.On May 27, US President Donald Trump had said that he is "ready, willin...
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With its actions in Hong Kong, China has let known its scant respect for rule of law
17Jun By Nectar GanNo Comments

With its actions in Hong Kong, China has let known its scant respect for rule of law

With Beijing pushing ahead with its plan for the controversial security legislation, the Hong Kong government will have to set up new institutions to safeguard national security and also allow mainland Chinese agencies to operate in the city "when needed". All moves were widely criticized by opposition politicians as a means to suppress dissent.The legislation has sparked fears that it would undermine the principle of "one country, two systems", eventually leading to erosion of Hong Kong's autonomy as stated under the Sino-British joint declaration of 1997.The Sino-British joint declaration on the question of Hong Kong was signed in Beijing on December 19, 1984, by the Prime Ministers of China and Britain, Zhao Ziyang and Margaret Thatcher. The two governments agreed that China would reass...
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Coronavirus: China investing millions in WHO to make up for Trump cuts and boost its influence, officials say
20May By Desk TeamNo Comments

Coronavirus: China investing millions in WHO to make up for Trump cuts and boost its influence, officials say

  China's President Xi Jinping (L) speaks next to US President Donald Trump during a business leaders event at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on November 9, 2017. Donald Trump urged Chinese leader Xi Jinping to work "hard" and act fast to help resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis, during their meeting in Beijing on November 9, warning that "time is quickly running out" China has pledged to invest millions of additional dollars into the World Health Organisation (WHO) after Donald Trump announced he was cutting off US funding for the group while reviewing its handling of the coronavirus outbreak.   Beijing said it would contribute an additional $30m as the United Nations organisation battles the Covid-19 pandemic, with Chinese Foreign Ministry ...
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Complaints of racism mar China’s coronavirus response
8May By Desk TeamNo Comments

Complaints of racism mar China’s coronavirus response

Race-based COVID-19 containment measures in Guangzhou evolve into major test of China-Africa relations. Lewis was at the hospital where he interns when he saw videos on social media of a black man being chased in the street by police. When the 23-year-old medical student from Sierra Leone checked his phone, he had missed calls and messages from friends in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou who had also seen the video, and there was a notice online in Chinese saying that Africans were "importing" the virus and needed to be quarantined. Then, local authorities came to the hospital where Lewis (who asked that his name be changed for fear of reprisals) worked and told him he needed to quarantine, too. They showed him a government notice that said if he had returned to China that ...
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U.S. Views of China Increasingly Negative Amid Coronavirus Outbreak
8May By Desk TeamNo Comments

U.S. Views of China Increasingly Negative Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

Republicans more negative than Democrats toward China, though unfavorable ratings have climbed among both parties Since President Donald Trump took office in 2017, his approach to U.S.-China relations has included increased pressure via tariffs and trade war rhetoric, and now, with the onset of an unprecedented pandemic, the stage has been set for both sides to cast aspersions on the other. Against this backdrop, negative views of China have continued to grow, according to a new Pew Research Center survey of Americans conducted in March. Roughly two-thirds now say they have an unfavorable view of China, the most negative rating for the country since the Center began asking the question in 2005, and up nearly 20 percentage points since the start of the Trump administration. Positive vie...
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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
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Feeding zoo animals may put NH woman behind bars in Thailand
2May By Desk TeamNo Comments

Feeding zoo animals may put NH woman behind bars in Thailand

A Chester mother says her daughter faces up to five years in prison in Thailand after she and three others were arrested trying to feed zoo animals they thought were abandoned. “I am hoping that the U.S. officials can help in any way that they have the ability to do so,” said Marie Somers, who has contacted the offices of U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas. Joy Somers, 33, who grew up in Sandown, was charged with a computer crime for posting a video of Phuket Zoo’s conditions on Facebook. Joy Somers said she stumbled across the zoo on April 14 during a walk with friends. Somers, who has lived in Phuket for more than four years and is a CrossFit coach and nutritional counselor, said she lives behind the zoo and heard animals crying over the past month. “We walk
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