World

Chinese Nationals Gain Unauthorised Access To Us Military Installations
China, World

Chinese Nationals Gain Unauthorised Access To Us Military Installations

Chinese nationals, occasionally assuming the guise of tourists, have managed to gain unauthorized access to U.S. military installations and other sensitive locations on as many as 100 occasions in recent years, according to reports from U.S. officials. These incidents are viewed as a potential threat to national security due to their espionage implications. To address this issue, the U.S. Department of Defense, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and other relevant agencies conducted a comprehensive review last year with the aim of curtailing such breaches. These individuals, often referred to as "gate-crashers," attempt, whether intentionally or inadvertently, to enter U.S. military bases and other facilities without proper authorization. Instances range from Chinese nationals foun...
World

China faces headwinds in dealing with Marcos Jr in the Philippines

When President Ferdinand Marcos Jr was elected as President of the Philippines for a six-year term in 2022, there was speculation that he would continue with the pro-China stance of his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte. However, in the years since, Marcos Jr has done a 360 degree turn and turned his attention to making the US a frontline ally of the Philippines. The visits by US naval ships and offer of a base to US forces have opened up a new chapter, resultantly, President Xi Jinping has told former President Rodrigo Duterte to continue to promote cooperation between the two countries. State media cited Xi Jinping as having said during a meeting at the Diaoyutai state guest house in Beijing, “I hope you will continue to play an important role in the friendly cooperation [between C
China factor: US President Biden to visit Vietnam next month
Asia, World

China factor: US President Biden to visit Vietnam next month

The US’s move to counter China’s military designs in the Indo-Pacific region will receive a fillip after President Joe Biden lands in Vietnam on September 10 and gives bilateral engagement between Washington DC and Hanoi a new dimension—diplomatically, economically, and strategically. This would be the sixth US presidential visit to Vietnam since 2000 when Bill Clinton became the first American President to make an official trip to Hanoi five years after the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1995, ending two decades of frosty relations following the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. During his one-day visit to Hanoi, President Biden will meet Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and other top Vietnamese leaders and they will discuss deepening of ties between t
Taiwan is in focus again and for good reason!
China, World

Taiwan is in focus again and for good reason!

There is more to the visits to Taipei of Taro Aso, former Japanese Prime Minister and that of Lai Ching, presidential hopeful to the US than meets the eye. While the former’s visit could signal a change in Japan’s approach, the American view of Taiwan gets reinforced by Ching’s visit. Though low-key visits, the statements made by the former Japanese PM certainly led Beijing to angrily react. Taro Aso's remark that Japan must show "the resolve to fight" to defend Taiwan from attack was in line with Tokyo's official stance, angered China, with the foreign ministry spokesperson saying that Beijing  urges Japan to abide by the One China principle and refrain from supporting pro- independence Taiwan forces in any way. In a way, both Aso and Lai Ching- te’s visits were primarily for their
Human Rights Watch maintains that China is violating the human rights of the Uyghur people and other Turkic Muslim minorities.
World

Human Rights Watch maintains that China is violating the human rights of the Uyghur people and other Turkic Muslim minorities.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) claims that China is still committing crimes against humanity in the area of Xinjiang in the country's northwest by violating the rights of Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslim minorities living there. "Over the past year, Chinese officials have maintained their abusive'strike hard' policies, crushing the rights of Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims," Maya Wang, assistant Asia director at HRW, stated in a news release on August 31. When faced with crimes against humanity, member states of the United Nations should not remain mute. The Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and other indigenous peoples of Xinjiang have been subjected to extensive and systematic attacks by the Chinese government since 2017. As part of their mission, they've been locking people up in concentration...
An actionable ‘wake-up call’ is needed on the anniversary of the United Nations’ devastating report on Xinjiang.
World

An actionable ‘wake-up call’ is needed on the anniversary of the United Nations’ devastating report on Xinjiang.

Amnesty International said today that the anniversary of a devastating UN report on Xinjiang serves as a sobering reminder of the need to hold China accountable for crimes against humanity in the face of a "woefully inadequate" reaction from the international community. Human rights violations by the Chinese government against Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities, including torture and mass imprisonment in internment camps, "may constitute… crimes against humanity," according to a report released by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on August 31, 2022. According to Amnesty International's Deputy Regional Director for China, Sarah Brooks, "the international community, including important components of the UN itself, has shied
A call to action from Amnesty International on human rights in China’s Xinjiang province
World

A call to action from Amnesty International on human rights in China’s Xinjiang province

After the United Nations delivered a bombshell report last year exposing a litany of atrocities in China's Xinjiang region, Amnesty International blasted the "woefully inadequate" international reaction on Thursday. On the first anniversary of the report's release, Amnesty International expressed disappointment that the international community, including certain sections of the United Nations, had "shied away from the kind of resolute steps needed to advance justice, truth, and reparation for victims." For failing to "clearly emphasize the urgent need for accountability for (China's) alarming violations," the rights organization singled out UN rights director Volker Turk.
Amnesty International urges immediate action on human rights violations in China’s Xinjiang region.
World

Amnesty International urges immediate action on human rights violations in China’s Xinjiang region.

On Thursday, Amnesty International blasted the international community for its "woefully inadequate" reaction to a UN report last year that detailed a litany of atrocities in China's Xinjiang region. On the first anniversary of the report, Amnesty International expressed disappointment that the international community, including certain sections of the United Nations, had "shied away from the kind of resolute steps needed to advance justice, truth, and reparation for victims." The rights organization singled out UN rights director Volker Turk for failing to "clearly emphasise the urgent need for accountability for (China's) alarming violations." His predecessor, Michelle Bachelet, under intense pressure from Beijing to conceal her report on the situation in Xinjiang, but she fina...
Turkey-based Uyghur creative director detained in China while on a family vacation
World

Turkey-based Uyghur creative director detained in China while on a family vacation

Employees and his lawyer for the Chinese locomotive firm in Turkey told Radio Free Asia (RFA) on Tuesday that a Uyghur design director was detained by Chinese officials while on a family trip to Xinjiang. Qahar Eli, 39, left Turkey on March 27 on a month-long journey to see his parents in Turpan, Xinjiang. Eli's company, CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive Co., informed him that he would be allowed to return to Turkey after his trip. China's treatment of the Uyghur people, a Muslim minority located in the Xinjiang area, has come under growing criticism in recent years, and this arrest just adds to that attention. A representative from Eli's Hunan province, China-based company confirmed his detention to Radio Free Asia, calling it a "criminal case." Inquire with the law enforcement officia...
Uyghur Disappearances: New Information from a United Nations Agency
World

Uyghur Disappearances: New Information from a United Nations Agency

The scope of China's enforced disappearances in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region is being brought to light by a little-known United Nations agency, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. In 2017, Chinese authorities ramped up a massive campaign of repression intended to radically alter the region's long-established Turkic-speaking population and their way of life. An estimated 900000-1.8million Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and other primarily Muslim individuals were detained in high-security camps that were falsely dubbed "vocational education and training centers" as part of the crackdown. The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights found that torture, harsh questioning, forced medicine, and rape were commonplace inside these facilities. The Chinese governme...