A Chinese vessel used its water cannon, “directly hitting the starboard astern of the BFAR vessel…reports Asian Lite News
Chinese coastguard ships on Tuesday fired water cannons at Filipino vessels bringing supplies to fishermen in waters near a disputed South China Sea shoal that is within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, the Philippine Coastguard said.
A Philippine coastguard ship and a vessel from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) were carrying out “a legitimate maritime patrol in the waters near Bajo De Masinloc,” the local name of Scarborough Shoal, “to distribute fuel and food supplies” for fishermen.
“During the patrol, the Philippine vessels encountered dangerous manoeuvres and obstruction from four China coastguard vessels and six Chinese maritime militia vessels,” the coastguard said in a statement.
A Chinese vessel used its water cannon, “directly hitting the starboard astern of the BFAR vessel,” it added. The Chinese also targeted the Philippine coastguard vessel from both sides, “resulting in damage to the railing and canopy.”
“This damage serves as evidence of the forceful water pressure used by the China coastguard in their harassment of the Philippine vessels,” the Philippine coastguard said.
Scarborough Shoal, also known to the Chinese as Huangyan Dao or Democracy Reef, is 230 kilometres from the Philippines’ north-western coast. It is claimed by both China and the Philippines.
The shoal was the focus of a military incident between the two countries in 2012, after which Beijing summarily occupied the reef. Although a court ruled in 2016 that China’s historical claims to the area were invalid, Beijing does not recognise the ruling.
Geographically, the nomenclature ‘South China Sea’ makes no sense, as the territories comprising South China are not fronting the waters of that important waterway, writes Prof. Madhav Das Nalapat
In its relentless effort to ignore international law and expand its boundaries, the CCP (or Chinese Communist Party, as the organisation prefers to be known) uses any excuse that it can either locate or invent to justify such aggression. Sometime in the past, almost certainly as a consequence of other countries going by maps originating from within China, what ought to be known as the ASEAN Sea was named the South China Sea.
Geographically, such a characterisation makes no sense, as the territories comprising South China are not fronting the waters of that important waterway. Instead, it is countries comprising ASEAN that front its waters, which is why the term “ASEAN Sea” ought to be adopted by cartographers in place of “South China Sea”. Given the wariness that members of ASEAN barring the Philippines deal with CCP expansionism, it comes as no surprise that even that group of countries avoids the suggestion that the so-called “South China Sea” be more accurately renamed as the ASEAN Sea.
In fact, such a shift would be entirely consistent both with the facts as also with international law. Whenever the CCP talks of “upholding international law”, what that means in practice is the PRC doing whatever the CCP decides is in its interest, and ignoring any other consideration, including international law. After the Philippines succeeded in getting a verdict from the relevant international body that a swathe of ocean and island space was within its territorial rights, that judgment was swept aside by Beijing as being of no consequence. It is unfortunate that in effect, not just other members of ASEAN but the broader international community ignored the manner in which the PRC was trampling on international law in the matter.
In effecting a change in nomenclature of the nature suggested above, it is the US that ought to take the lead, and perhaps the day is not far off when the House of Representatives and the Senate votes affirmatively in favouring of giving the ASEAN Sea its correct name, and sends the legislation up to the President of the US for his signature. At the very least, such a move would draw more attention by major powers of the need to roll back the manner in which the PLA has sought to establish a chokehold over the ASEAN Sea. Should there be any blockage of commerce in that waterway by the PRC military, the same would constitute a hostile act towards the international community. It would need to be met with countervailing force so as to ensure that the waters of the sea remain open to all countries, including of course the PRC.
It needs to be said that in its response to the ongoing Cold War 2.0 with CCP-controlled China, the US establishment has been hesitant, almost timid, in a manner that is the opposite of its approach towards Cold War 1.0 with the USSR. The recent passage by the US Congress of legislation involving Tibet is an indication that such timidness may finally get replaced with an approach essential not to lose but to prevail in the new Cold War, just as took place in the previous Cold War. The CCP has taken away two-thirds of the territory of Tibet and affixed it to provinces in China. Hence the international community needs to ensure that maps produced within major democracies reflect the correct boundaries of Tibet rather than what the CCP claims to be the boundary of what it ironically terms the Tibetan Autonomous Region.
What is meant by the use of the term “autonomous” is that the region is governed autonomously from the Tibetan people. Indeed, the demographics of the whole of Tibet have been altered in a transparent effort to ensure that the Tibetan population gets reduced to a smaller and smaller minority in their own land, exactly as is happening in other parts of the PRC where ethnic minorities once formed the majority of the population. Mahatma Gandhi advised the British people to open their island to Hitler rather than resist him, for, in his view, Soul Force would ensure that the dictator of Germany during 1933-45 would undergo a conversion in his approach to humanity, and rediscover the humanity in himself.
Where Tibet is concerned, the gentle approach of His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama of Tibet, since the exile of His Holiness in 1959, has been met not by reciprocity from the CCP but in a steady erosion of the territory, traditions and the very identity of Tibet. The flame of the ancient and wondrous culture of Tibet has however been continuing to give its light in Dharamshala, where His Holiness has been residing since 1959, a flame that is to the benefit of human civilisation. The CCP has insisted that His Holiness acknowledge the new, much diminished boundaries of Tibet before holding talks, a condition that it knows would be impossible for the Dalai Lama to accept.
Beijing, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivers an important speech at the New Year gathering held by the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 31, 2020. (Xinhua/Ju Peng/IANS)
President Biden will need to sign into law the legislation on Tibet that has been passed in the US House of Representatives a short while ago, assuming the Senate stands by the Tibetan people in the way the House of Representatives have. Both the Senate and the White House are on test in the matter, and countries that are alarmed by PRC expansionism are looking to see whether Washington has the same resolve in the new, and deadlier, Cold War as was shown in the previous contest with the USSR.
People in the PRC have seen the way in which the economic situation has been worsening as a consequence of the aftershocks generated by the international and domestic aftershocks caused by the numerous acts of expansionism and other forms of aggression by the CCP leadership. Such aggression is entirely contrary to the innate culture of the Chinese people, yet so far, lack of resolve on the part of the US in particular has allowed the CCP free rein. Cold War 2.0 with the PRC requires even more of the same commitment and strength of will that was needed to win Cold War 1.0 with the Soviet Union. Giving the ASEAN Sea its rightful name would be a good way to strengthen the process of resisting rather than indulging CCP expansionism and contempt for international law.
The Dutch intelligence agency AIVD on Tuesday identified China as “one of the biggest cyber threats” against the Netherlands…reports Asian Lite News
Merely days after four individuals were arrested in Germany, two more individuals suspected to be spies for China have been arrested in UK’s London on the charges of spying for China. Commenting on the security scenario, intelligence experts on Sunday suggested that this is just the surface of the deep-rooted problem, Nikkei Asia reported.
The same news report claimed that one of the men charged in London was a parliamentary researcher and had access to several politicians that could have influenced Britain’s policy against China. Another such individual arrested in Germany was an aide to a member of Europe’s parliament belonging to a far-right political party that has been gaining traction in the country.
Hence, claims of Chinese espionage have dogged Europe in recent years, from the U.K. to Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium, the heart of the European Union. Some of these operators have reached into high offices.
Notably, these arrests have come to center stage merely days after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had visited Beijing recently for make some deals with the country regarding Germany’s agriculture sector. Chinese President Xi Jinping is also due to visit Paris, Budapest, and Belgrade in the coming weeks, pointing to the tricky balance European leaders face, the Nikkei Asia report claimed.
However, the embassies of China in Germany and London have denied all the accusations, calling them an attempt to diminish the international image of China. Quoting the statement of Kenneth Lasoen, professor of intelligence and security at the University of Antwerp the same news report mentioned that “Governments are “in a conundrum” on how to deal with Beijing, If they act really strictly against the Chinese for doing this, then there might be economic consequences based on China’s economic power, so it’s a hard one.”
Another expert on the matter Erich Schmidt-Eenboom mentioned that “It is “extremely serious” and has been intensifying for years. Recent arrests in Germany “should not obscure the fact that we are only dealing with the tip of the iceberg. In addition to the Chinese operations with human sources, the quality of technical reconnaissance by the [Chinese] Ministry of State Security and the military intelligence service is also growing.
The Dutch intelligence agency AIVD on Tuesday identified China as “one of the biggest cyber threats” against the Netherlands. Norway’s intelligence service earlier in the year said Chinese intelligence services operate all over the continent in political and industrial espionage, with cyberspace as their main gateway to information. Moreover, The British intelligence chief estimated that in the U.K. alone, Chinese agents had approached over 20,000 people to try to get them to provide information through networking platforms like LinkedIn. the Nikkei Asia report claimed.
Some reports suggest that by reaching into the political, technological, educational, and diaspora. China is attempting to manipulate Europe’s political processes via its elected leaders, creating a new world order, which has intended to create for a long time now. “They are attempting to drive a wedge between Europe and the United States, implementing a divide-and-conquer strategy,” said retired U.S. senior intelligence officer Nicholas Eftimiades, who is also a fellow at the Atlantic Council, a U.S. think tank.
According to the Nikkei Asia report, Matthew Brazil, co-author of “Chinese Communist Espionage: An Intelligence Primer,” said that for Beijing, “It’s now more important than it was 10 years ago to know what China policies are being debated in the U.K. and in the EU countries.”
It would be “bad enough” having the U.S. and Asian countries objecting to China’s moves around Taiwan and in the South China Sea, without getting NATO involved too, said Brazil, who is also a fellow at the Washington-based Jamestown Foundation, a conservative think tank.
Previously a trio arrested in Germany this past week were suspected of trying to sell military technology to Beijing. Despite the arrests and strong words from China — its embassy in Berlin complained that the espionage allegations were being used to “politically manipulate the image of China and defame China” — observers say they see little change to the status quo. Europe needs China’s business, ultimately, and Beijing needs trade partners and friends in the face of a weak domestic economy and strained relations with the US the report claimed.
According to the Nikkei Asia report, Christian Schmidkonz, a professor of Asia-Pacific business studies at Munich Business School, agreed, saying that because those arrested are not Chinese citizens, Beijing has little need to act: “There is no reason for the Chinese government to stand up for them.” (ANI)
Sources that had functioned within the higher echelons of the Chinese Communist Party say that under the direction Xi Jinping, a Master Plan has been drawn that is to be ruthlessly (described as “resolutely” in the documents accessed by former cadres) implemented once Xi’s objective of the unification of Taiwan with the PRC takes place, writes Prof. Madhav Das Nalapat
Sources that were within the higher echelons of the CCP say that under the direction of Xi, a Master Plan has been drawn up that is to be ruthlessly implemented once his objective of the unification of Taiwan with the PRC takes place.
As a consequence of the firm response of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to PRC efforts at further expansionism at the cost of Indian territory, and the bravery and quality displayed by the Indian Army during the 2020 Galwan clash, chances are rising that it will be Taiwan and not India that would be facing a kinetic assault from China. Since 1949, it has been the declared ambition of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that the island nation of Taiwan would be integrated into the PRC in the manner that Xinjiang and subsequently Tibet was.
Despite the immense strategic implications of the absorption of Xinjiang and Tibet, in practice, since the 1950s there has been little blowback from major concerned countries at such an expansion by force of China’s borders. Despite the fact that the takeover of Tibet resulted in the territory controlled by the PRC acquiring a long border with India, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru accepted the change without demur. In 1959, the Dalai Lama was forced to flee to India as a consequence of efforts to convert him and the high religious status he held into accomplices in whatever was decided by the CCP for Tibet. As a consequence, the traditional culture of Tibet was maintained and protected within India even while being systematically obliterated on the other side of the boundary.
Especially since the 1980s, Taiwan has transformed from an autocracy to a democracy of exceptional quality. As a consequence, the CCP is planning to ensure that any trace of democracy gets wiped out, should the PRC leadership succeed in their mission of integrating Taiwan into the PRC. Given that the Taiwanese people have over the years been more and more open against unification with China, such a process is expected to be lengthy and ruthless. After the Hong Kong protests during 2019-20, the CCP leadership believes that stamping out any trace of democratic behaviour is an existential matter for the party. The fear at the top was that the “democracy virus” would spread to the Mainland from Hong Kong, especially in cities such as Shanghai and Beijing.
Hong Kong is a lesson in what happens to promises made by the CCP. Believing in the 1997 Basic Law, efforts were made by the population of Hong Kong from the 1990s until 2019 to make the governance system of the HK Special Autonomous Region conform to the processes of democracy in a way that was absent in the past. From 2016 onwards, such moves were met with harsher and harsher state repression, until by 2019, any trace of the implementation of the 1997 UK-PRC agreement on Hong Kong was snuffed out. Given its size and much deeper democratic roots, Taiwan is slated to experience much more elevated levels of repression than HK, which are to be carried out in order to extinguish any trace of the practice of democracy in the island.
DISILLUSIONED CADRE EXPOSE XI’S TAIWAN PLAN
Contours of planning for the Day After a takeover of the island nation by the PRC have become known as a consequence of the increasing distaste within the CCP cadre to General Secretary Xi Jinping’s arbitrary methods. Hundreds of thousands of CCP cadres have fled the country since 2012, although some of them are covert agents of the State Security Bureau of the PRC. From their inputs, it has been possible to piece together a profile of what is being planned for Taiwan from the “day after” the island nation gets overrun by the PLA and loses its freedoms.
Sources that had functioned within the higher echelons of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) say that under the direction of General Secretary Xi Jinping, a Master Plan has been drawn that is to be ruthlessly (described as “resolutely” in the documents accessed by former cadres) implemented once Xi Jinping’s objective of the unification of Taiwan with the PRC takes place. In the meantime there have been thinly concealed efforts at keeping the fires of conflict burning in other flashpoints of the world in order to distract the US and its allies from focusing on the threat faced by Taiwan. Going by the information provided by former higher cadres, by 2021 nearly two million Taiwanese residents have been put on the database of the relevant wings of the CCP governance mechanism. This is the number of Taiwanese citizens considered by CCP security agencies to be “unreliable”. They have been marked for “re-education” on the model long practised by the PRC. As many as 280,000 have been identified as “Anti-State Elements”. These include those who have been especially vocal about the fact that Taiwan is an independent state, and should remain so.
They have been marked for confinement in camps until their “re-education” is completed. Almost 40,000 democracy activists and leaders are to be immediately sent to prison, while hundreds have been marked for execution as “Traitors to the (Chinese) State”, some after a show trial, others summarily. Such is the fate awaiting Taiwan should the PRC succeed in carrying out Xi’s vow that “unification will take place during my term” in office. A foretaste of such planning has been the way in which openly pro-democracy Taiwanese nationals visiting China since 2021 have had their entry cards destroyed in their presence. Several have been confined to cells for days before being put on the next ferry home.
CCP DISINFORMATION WARFARE INCREASES
Expectedly, the CCP has sought to conceal its intentions through a blitzkrieg of information warfare, including through popular CCP-controlled apps such as TikTok, that are very popular in Taiwan. As part of such a campaign of presenting a benign face towards the people of Taiwan, Xi Jinping had this month hosted a former President of Taiwan in the PRC, and given protocol and respect that has thus far been unprecedented where meetings between Taiwanese and Chinese leaders are concerned. Not very subtly, his effort was to show that far from disrespecting the island nation and its democratically elected politicians, the CCP leadership considers them as “family”. The message sought to be conveyed is that a takeover will be benign, a coming together of close relatives long separated. The factual situation has been revealed by former senior cadres who were part of the CCP governance mechanism but left out of fear that they would soon be next in line where the lengthening list of victims of the repression initiated in the PRC, especially since 2015, is concerned. Should a takeover happen, even those now favoured by the CCP as being genuine “compatriots” would find that the manner in which they get treated changes significantly. That this would be the case is by now well understood by a majority of the population in Taiwan, although a diminishing number still place their trust in CCP disinformation.
XI ACTS NICE TO CONVEY BENIGN IMPRESSION
Ma Ying-jeou served two terms as President of Taiwan, and during that period, implemented several steps designed to bring the two economies closer together. In his final days in office, Ma faced a “Sunflower Movement” that opposed his efforts at getting passed a Services Agreement with China. It must be added that Ma has been a believer in peace, and in his view, at heart so is his “old friend” Xi. In April, the former Taiwanese President spent eleven days in the PRC. This was the second visit made by him to the neighbouring country, and for the second time he had a face to face meeting with Xi Jinping, the first such meeting being in Singapore in 2015. The April 2024 meeting was noted across the world for its optics and possible significance.
CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping, the Head of State, Party, Military and Government’s 45-minute meeting with former Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou in Beijing, was held weeks ago in the Great Hall of the People rather than in the Taiwan or Fujian Room, as had been the norm when discussions between Chinese and Taiwanese policymakers take place. Unexpectedly, Xi made no reference to contentious issues such as cross-strait relations during the meeting, confining himself to pleasantries. Nothing gets done by a CCP leader without careful scripting, and it was clear that the intention behind the Xi-Ma meeting was to attempt
to show the Taiwanese people that the other side are (in the words of Xi at the meeting), “family members”. The implication was that a takeover of Taiwan by the PRC, or what is termed “reunification”, would be a cordial affair, a “family reunion”, again in the words of Xi. Former President Ma has his ancestral roots in China, as do many other Taiwanese. However, unlike the overwhelming majority of his people, Ma remains sentimental about the other side of the Straits, and made no effort to conceal his joy at the warm welcome he received during his second visit to China, the first being to pray at the graves of his ancestors last year. During their first meeting at Singapore in 2015, Xi had told Ma that “we must meet again”, and this time as well, he expressed the same “you are always welcome” attitude.
CHINA FACTOR IN TAIWAN POLITICS
Following the January 2024 victory of the DPP for the third time in the Taiwanese Presidential elections, the disinformation machinery of the PRC has been on overdrive in an effort to convince the population of the island that they would have nothing to fear from what would be (in view of the antipathy of 90% of Taiwanese to the idea) necessarily a forced absorption of Taiwan into the PRC. In 2019, the way in which the 1997 UK-PRC agreement on Hong Kong was torn to shreds by Xi Jinping helped ensure a second term for President Tsai Ing-wen, who is committed to retaining the freedoms of her country and ensuring that they do not get erased by a PRC takeover. In the last Presidential election, over 40% of the voters stood by the DPP and its candidates William Lai and his Vice-President pick Bikhim Hsiao, despite repeated threats from the Chinese side that a victory for the party would mean war. Another 23% voted for the Taiwan People’s Party, which promised to keep Taiwan free by skilful diplomacy with the Chinese. Scarcely a quarter of the population voted for the KMT, despite the fact that few even in the KMT favour unification with the PRC, knowing as they do the repressive nature of the state machinery on the other side.
KMT Chairperson Eric Chu had chosen New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi in 2023 as the party’s Presidential candidate in order to cut into the voting base of the DPP. Mayor Hou is what is termed a “native Taiwanese” and is moreover from the south of the island, where the DPP predominates. The choice of a native Taiwanese, that too from the south, an individual who had served as the Chief of Police during the tenure of President Chen Shui-bian of the DPP, upset the “Mainlander” faction of the KMT, and they succeeded in selecting Mainlanders with pro-China leanings as both the Vice-Presidential candidate of Hou and as the top pick of the party for the legislature. The consequence was that the KMT ticket changed colour in public perception from “light blue” (moderately friendly to China) to “dark blue” ( very friendly to China and open to unification). The switch in perception ensured that the KMT lost votes amongst a population that was more than 90% opposed to unification in any form. Much of the youth vote went to another party, the TPP, but not enough to enable it to secure more than eight seats in the Legislative Yuan. As the KMT became the largest party in the national legislature, and because the TPP abstained from voting, the KMT’s legislature party leader Han was elected Speaker on a minority of votes. Should DPP and TPP come together for the purpose of unseating Han, the DPP would get the Speakership and the TPP the Deputy Speakership, although as yet such a pairing does not appear to be in the works.
OPTION OF WAR ON THE TABLE
A drumbeat of reports have been appearing across the world that Xi Jinping does not want war, and that he would avoid kinetic action. Such a conclusion flies in the face of the reality that by 2027, conditions in the PRC are likely to make Xi’s position shaky, and he may calculate that (1) the US and its allies would no longer have the will to defend Taiwan if attacked by the PLA, and that (2) resistance by the nation could be crushed, were its allies to not step forward and defend its sovereignty. The CCP is also (3) banking on the conflict remaining confined to Taiwan, rather than expanding elsewhere within the Indo-Pacific. Xi is relying on the lack of appetite within the public in NATO member states to get involved in a conflict in Asia, unlike the enthusiasm they have shown where a European state, Ukraine, is concerned. The democracies are on notice, and the example of the 1930s in Europe shows the folly of believing that authoritarians under pressure, who have made no secret of their ambitions, will abstain from conflict should they decide that the same is needed to protect their position. Should President Biden sign into law the TikTok bill and the Tibet Bill, both of which have bipartisan support in the US Congress, such a step by the White House would give greater confidence to US friends and allies that the US in the 2020s is not what the UK was in the 1930s, sleeping at the wheel while the other side planned for war. Tik Tok has had a corrosive effect on US society, encouraging contempt for democratic institutions and politicians, while portraying China in rosy hues.
India and Japan in particular will be watching to see what President Biden’s reaction to Tik Tok as well as the Tibet and Taiwan legislation would be, given that under Modi, India is taking unprecedented steps to combat PRC expansionism, and in recent days Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan is coming closer to the line taken by his predecessor Shinzo Abe, who together with Modi will re-invigorate the Quad. Despite some missteps, overall the Quad is expanding its scope and capability, and is regarded as more than a match for the PLA where the defence of the Indo-Pacific is concerned.
The urgent call comes after the US State Department released the 2023 Human Rights Report on April 22…reports Asian Lite News
The Uyghur rights leaders called for immediate global action to address the ongoing genocide and crimes done by China against the Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and other Turkic ethnic groups in the East Turkistan region.
This comes after the US State Department released the 2023 Human Rights Report on April 22.
“The East Turkistan Government in Exile (ETGE) is urgently calling for immediate and substantial global action to address the genocide and crimes against humanity being perpetrated by China against Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and other Turkic ethnic groups in East Turkistan,” the ETGE said in a statement.
US State Secretary Antony Blinken, as well as a specific section on China in the report, stated that China’s atrocities in East Turkistan (which Beijing calls “Xinjiang”) constitute an ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity.
“These atrocities include mass internment, forced labour, and the forced assimilation of nearly one million Turkic children into Chinese state-run facilities,” the statement added.
In May 2014, the Chinese government launched a “People’s War” on Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples in East Turkistan under the guise of combating “extremism, separatism, and terrorism.”
Later, by 2016, “this so-called “People’s War” had escalated into a comprehensive campaign of genocide and crimes against humanity due to a lack of international response and condemnation,” according to the statement.
Notably, the key aspects of China’s campaign of genocide and crimes against humanity include the mass internment of millions of Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and other Turkic peoples in concentration camps, which are increasingly being converted into official prisons; the forced sterilisation of hundreds of thousands of Uyghur and other Turkic women; and the enslavement of millions more through forced labour.
Moreover, other aspects include coerced marriages of Turkic women to Chinese men, widespread destruction of thousands of cultural and religious sites, suppression of religious practices, prohibition of native Turkic languages in education, and forced separation and assimilation of nearly a million Uyghur and other Turkic children in state-run facilities, according to the statement.
Despite acknowledgement and designation of these acts as genocide by the United States and several other national parliaments, including those of the UK, Netherlands, Czech Republic, France, and Belgium, the international community’s response has largely been confined to verbal condemnations without the backing of effective policies or interventions.
ETGE Foreign Minister Salih Hudayar said, “The Chinese government and the CCP are employing genocide and crimes against humanity as tools to sustain their colonial occupation of East Turkistan.”
The ETGE further urged the international community, especially leading democratic nations and international organisations, to advance beyond mere condemnations.
“It advocates for the implementation of sanctions, diplomatic pressures, and other necessary measures to pressure China to end its ongoing genocide in East Turkistan,” the ETGE stated.
ETGE President Mamtimin Ala further expressed disappointment and said, “Despite the detailed documentation of China’s ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in East Turkistan, the global response remains grossly inadequate. More than token gestures are needed–decisive actions must be taken to enforce treaty obligations to stop and penalise the atrocities committed by China in Occupied East Turkistan.”
Beyond rhetorical commitments, the ETGE called for tangible steps to uphold human rights and end the genocide in East Turkistan.
“Specifically, the ETGE is appealing to the US Senate to pass the Uyghur Policy Act (S.1252) and include the appointment of a Special Coordinator for Uyghur Issues at the US State Department, as the already passed House version (H.R.2766) does,” it stated.
Moreover, the ETGE urged the US and other democratic nations to recognise East Turkistan as an occupied country and support its right to external self-determination, thereby addressing the root cause of China’s ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity. (ANI)
The vessel was observed docked at the Thilafushi industrial island’s harbour on Thursday morning, although the specific reason for its return remains undisclosed by the government….reports Asian Lite News
Chinese marine research vessel Xiang Yang Hong 3 has returned in Maldivian waters, marking its second visit to the archipelago nation within two months after Pro-China Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu’s ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) has won the Parliamentary elections, as reported by Adhadhu news on Friday.
It is pertinent to note that Defense Minister Ghassan Maumoon last month told the Maldivian Parliament that the Chinese vessel would not conduct any research despite sailing inside and near Maldivian waters.
“There was no permission given to conduct any research in the Maldives territory. After docking in Male’ and buying food, they did a crew change. People who came on an airplane went onboard the boat and those on the boat left via the airplane. That was the permission that was given,” , Adhadhu quoted Ghassan as saying on March 25.
The vessel was observed docked at the Thilafushi industrial island’s harbour on Thursday morning, although the specific reason for its return remains undisclosed by the government. However, it’s worth noting that the government had previously confirmed permission for the ship to dock during its initial visit.
Xiang Yang Hong 3 initially arrived on February 22 after spending approximately a month near the boundary of the Maldives’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Following a brief stay of about six days, the ship returned to the EEZ boundary.
Its current reappearance suggests continued activity within or near Maldivian territory since January, with the vessel having skirted the EEZ during its recent movements.
In February, the Foreign Ministry stated that the Chinese vessel’s visit was for crew rotation purposes, emphasizing that no research activities would be conducted while in Maldivian waters. Defense Minister Ghassan Maumoon reiterated this stance in March, confirming that permission had only been granted for crew changes and replenishment, without authorization for research activities.
According to China’s State Oceanic Administration (SOA), Xiang Yang Hong 3 is hailed as the most advanced research vessel manufactured in the country, boasting capabilities for various marine research tasks. Its endurance of 15,000 nautical miles enables extended nonstop operations, while features such as DP-1 dynamic positioning ensure stability in adverse conditions.
The vessel is equipped with cutting-edge research apparatus, facilitating efficient data collection and analysis. While some equipment is sourced internationally, much of it is proudly manufactured in China.
As the Xiang Yang Hong 3 returns to Maldivian waters, questions persist regarding the nature of its activities and the extent of its involvement in marine research within the region, Adhadhu reported.
Muizzu’s ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) won 60 seats in the parliamentary elections held on Sunday, Maldives-based Sun Online reported.
Over 200,000 people voted in the parliamentary elections, in which 326 candidates were in the fray for 93 seats in the next parliamentary assembly, including six new seats. Maldives ruling party’s candidates contested 90 seats. (ANI)
Antony Blinken made the remarks after he had separate meetings with top Chinese leadership.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that he renewed calls for China to exert its influence to press North Korea to cease its “dangerous” activities and return to dialogue during his talks with top Chinese officials in Beijing.
Blinken made the remarks on Friday during a press conference after he had separate meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong and other officials in the Chinese capital on the day, Yonhap news agency reported.
Blinken’s trip to Shanghai and Beijing from Wednesday to Friday came as Washington has been pushing for its drive to “responsibly” manage the Sino-US relationship despite a hardening rivalry over technological leadership, maritime security, trade and other domains.
“I encouraged China to use its influence to discourage Iran and its proxies from expanding the conflict in the Middle East, and to press Pyongyang to end its dangerous behaviour and engage in dialogue,” Blinken said. “Going forward, we will have high-level discussions on these and other issues.”
Secretary Blinken shakes hands with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Pyongyang has been ratcheting up tensions with recent menacing weapons tests, including a “super-large” warhead power test for a strategic cruise missile and the launch of an intermediate-range missile tipped with a hypersonic warhead.
Blinken restated America’s “enduring” commitment to the “complete” denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula while in Beijing, according to Matthew Miller, the spokesperson for the State Department.
During talks with Beijing officials, he also highlighted Washington’s “serious” concerns about China’s commercial support for Russia’s defence industrial base, which Blinken said is “powering Russia’s brutal war of aggression against Ukraine”.
“China is the top supplier of machine tools, microelectronics, nitrocellulose — which is critical to making munitions and rocket propellants, and other dual-use items that Moscow is using to ramp up its defence industrial base, a defence industrial base that is churning out rockets, drones, tanks, and other weapons that President Putin is using to invade a sovereign country, to demolish its power grid and other civilian infrastructure, to kill innocent children, women and men,” he said.
“Russia would struggle to sustain its assault on Ukraine without China’s support,” he added.
Moreover, the top US diplomat touched on the issue of China’s overcapacity.
“I also expressed our concern about the PRC’s unfair trade practices and the potential consequences of industrial overcapacity to global and US markets, especially in a number of key industries that will drive the 21st-century economy, like solar panels, electric vehicles, and the batteries that power them,” he said. PRC stands for China’s official name, the People’s Republic of China.
“China alone is producing more than 100 per cent of global demand for these products, flooding markets, undermining competition, putting at risk livelihoods and businesses around the world.”
Blinken also underlined a US focus on taking “necessary” actions to prevent “advanced US technologies from being used to undermine our national security and economy without unduly limiting trade or investment”, according to Miller.
But both sides reaffirmed the importance of maintaining open lines of communication “at all times” and agreed to continued high-level diplomacy and interactions going forward, according to Miller.
During his talks with the top US diplomat, the Chinese President said that the US and China should be “partners rather than rivals”.
“The two countries should help each other succeed rather than hurt each other, seek common ground and reserve differences rather than engage in vicious competition, and honour words with actions rather than say one thing but do the opposite,” Xi said according to a transcript released by the State Department.
Xi underlined his three “overarching principles”: mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and willing cooperation.
“At present, transformation not seen in a century is unfolding in a profound way, and the international situation is fluid and turbulent,” he said. “It is the shared desire of both the two peoples and the international community to see China and the U.S. strengthen dialogue, manage differences, and advance cooperation.”
Secretary Blinken during a meeting with Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong.
Xi also said that China is happy to see the US being “confident, open, prosperous, and thriving”.
“We hope the US can also look at China’s development in a positive light,” he said. “This is a fundamental issue that must be addressed, just like the first button of a shirt that must be put right in order for the China-U.S. relationship to truly stabilize, improve, and move forward.”
Blinken reaffirmed the US’ commitment to stably manage relations with China.
“We are committed to maintaining and strengthening the lines of communication between us to advance that agenda and, again, to deal responsibly with our differences so that we avoid any miscommunications, any misperceptions, any miscalculations,” he said.
Blinken was referring to the agenda for bilateral cooperation that President Joe Biden and Xi set during their high-profile summit in California in November. At the summit, they agreed to restore military-to-military communication and cooperate on counternarcotics among other outcomes.
Wang Yi says recent improvements in ties face ‘disruptions’ amid threats of sanctions over support for Russia’s defence industry…reports Asian Lite News
China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, has warned the US that the recent improvements in the two countries’ relations were being jeopardised by “disruptions” which could take them back to a “downward spiral” leading to rivalry, confrontation and even conflict.
Wang was speaking at the start of a meeting in Beijing with the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, at a time of renewed tension in the relations between the superpowers.
Blinken’s three-day visit to China comes five months after a largely successful summit between US and China leaders Joe Biden and Xi Jinping, which was followed by a decrease in tensions over Taiwan, the re-establishment of contacts between the two countries’ militaries and bilateral cooperation on counter-narcotics efforts.
Antony Blinken waves as he boards his plane at Andrews airbase in Maryland on his way to Beijing for his three-day visit to China
But the US is now threatening sanctions against Chinese companies for supplying the Russian defense industry, and is considering tariffs in the face of what Washington says is Chinese manufacturing over-capacity. The Biden administration has also tightened export controls on advanced computer chips.
While Blinken was on the way to China, Congress passed legislation that would ban the social media platform TikTok within a year in the US – if its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, does not sell its stake – as well as provide billions of dollars in aid for the Indo-Pacific that would largely benefit Taiwan.
At the start of what was scheduled to be a six-hour series of meetings between US and Chinese delegations at the Diaoyutai state guest house in Beijing, Wang suggested the bilateral relationship was at a turning point. Since the Biden-Xi summit in San Francisco in November, he said it was “beginning to stabilise” with increased dialogue and cooperation.
“This is welcomed by our two peoples and the international community,” Wang said through an official interpreter. “But at the same time, the negative factors in the relationship are still increasing and building and the relationship is facing all kinds of disruptions.”
“China’s legitimate development rights have been unreasonably suppressed and our core interests are facing challenges,” he said. “Should China and the United States keep to the right direction of moving forward with stability or return to a downward spiral?”
“This is a major question before our two countries, which tests our sincerity and ability,” Wang added, warning the US “not to step on China’s red lines on China’s sovereignty, security and development interests.”
“Should our two sides lead international cooperation on global issues and achieve win-win for all, or engage in rivalry and confrontation or even slide into conflict, which would be a lose-lose for all?” Wang asked. “The international community is waiting for our answer.”
In response, Blinken said he welcomed the opportunity to have face-to-face talks “to avoid misunderstandings, to avoid miscalculations”.
“That it really is a shared responsibility that we have, not only for our own people, but for people around the world, given the impact that the relationship between our countries has around the world,” Blinken said.
“It’s important to demonstrate that we’re managing responsibly the most consequential relationship for both of us in the world.”
Blinken is also expected to meet President Xi on Friday, though Beijing does not usually confirm such meetings until the last minute.
US officials say there has been relative calm in the Taiwan Strait since the Biden-Xi summit, after a period of high tension in which Chinese warships and planes would regularly approach Taiwan. At the same time however, there has been increasing friction in the South China Sea between China – which claims sovereignty over most of the sea – and neighbouring countries, particularly the Philippines, a US ally.
One of the key topics in the Beijing talks will be counter-narcotics cooperation. At November’s summit, China took some steps to curb the supply of chemical precursors and equipment used by traffickers to make the synthetic opioid fentanyl, the leading cause of death for Americans, aged 18 to 49. However, there is concern in Washington that the steps taken by Beijing have been token, and have yet to have much effect.
Blinken, who is accompanied in Beijing by Todd Robinson, assistant secretary of state for international narcotics and law enforcement affairs, is asking for more consistent police action against Chinese suppliers.
The secretary of state has also come to deliver a message that Chinese companies could soon face sanctions from the US and its European allies for selling weapons components and dual-use equipment to Russia’s arms industry, which is rebuilding and modernising to feed Vladimir Putin’s effort to conquer Ukraine. China has shrugged off appeals to curb those exports, describing them as foreign interference in the trade relations between China and a close strategic partner.
Addressing a Digital Press Briefing on Wednesday, Commander Whiting said that the US would welcome more transparency from China….reports Asian Lite News
Highlighting on China’s progress towards establishing an international lunar research station, US Space Command Commander, General Stephen Whiting, on Wednesday emphasised that the Chinese are not very transparent with what they do in space, further hoping that there’s not a military component to that.
Addressing a Digital Press Briefing on Wednesday, Commander Whiting said that the US would welcome more transparency from China.
Responding to a question of US’s assessment of China’s progress towards establishing an international lunar research station and whether they see any military applications for that project, Whiting also said that China’s ambitions also appear to be exploratory.
“Obviously, we’ve seen the announcements of China’s ambitions to go to the Moon. And those appear to be exploratory and scientific on the surface, but the Chinese aren’t very transparent with what they do in space, and so we hope there’s not a military component to that, but we would certainly welcome more transparency, he said.
Further responding to another question on speculations about the Russians using nuclear weapons in space, perhaps as an anti-satellite weapon, Whiting said that that Russia’s a signatory to the Outer Space Treaty just like the United States and most of the international community, and that treaty was signed in 1967 and it prohibits the placement of nuclear weapons or weapons – other weapons of mass destruction on orbit.
“We would certainly call on all nations to abide by the terms of those treaties. And we welcome the partnership the US has made with Japan in submitting a United Nations Security Council resolution that essentially asks member states to endorse the Outer Space Treaty prohibitions against nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction on orbit, and we look forward to that being passed in the Security Council,” he added.
Further, the Commander of US Space Command, emphasised on the pacing challenge of China with his Japanese and Korean counterparts.
He highlighted that he visited the Japanese Self-Defense Forces Space Operations Group that they’ve established, and have grown that partnership.
“However, their focus on space domain awareness along with the us to keep track of those threats in space that we see – and many of those are emanating from China – has put an impetus on us developing improved space domain awareness capability,” he said.
Whiting further expressed his excitement for the Japanese to bring on board their deep-space radar capability that they’ve been working for many years and that the US has been partnering with them.
“When that achieves initial operational capability, we expect that will provide both of our countries an enhanced understanding of what China is doing in space,” he said.
The Chinese spaceflight to the Tiangong space station, Shenzhou-18 crewed spaceship, is set to be launched today at 8:59 p.m. Thursday (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, announced the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) on Wednesday, Xinhua reported.
Shenzhou-18 is the 32nd flight mission of China’s manned space program, and the third manned mission during the application and development stage of China’s space station.
The crew will stay in orbit for about six months, and are scheduled to return to the Dongfeng landing site in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in late October this year, reported Xinhua. (ANI)
The Chinese Communist Party secretary for Shanghai, Chen Jining, welcomed Blinken partly in English and spoke of the importance of US businesses to the city…reports Asian Lite News
Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Thursday on the United States and China to manage their differences “responsibly” as he went on a charm offensive ahead of expected tough talks.
A day before meeting Beijing’s top brass to tackle thorny issues including Russia, Taiwan and trade, Blinken’s visit to Shanghai has seen him sample local food, watch a basketball game and stroll along the city’s famous Bund promenade.
Visiting the local Communist Party leader in a room with sweeping views of the Shanghai skyline, Blinken said US President Joe Biden was committed to “direct and sustained” dialogue between the world’s two largest economies after years of mounting tension.
“I think it’s important to underscore the value — in fact, the necessity — of direct engagement, of speaking to each other, laying out our differences, which are real, seeking to work through them,” Blinken said.
“We have an obligation for our people — indeed an obligation to the world — to manage the relationship between our two countries responsibly.”
The Chinese Communist Party secretary for Shanghai, Chen Jining, welcomed Blinken partly in English and spoke of the importance of US businesses to the city.
“Whether we choose cooperation or confrontation affects the well-being of both peoples, both countries and the future of humanity,” Chen told him.
The country’s financial capital, Shanghai is often a stepping stone to power in China, with President Xi Jinping previously serving briefly in the city.
China has not announced plans for Blinken to meet Xi, although on Blinken’s last visit in June, they saw each other in a meeting announced at the last minute.
On Thursday, Blinken also met students at the Shanghai campus of New York University, where he voiced hope for more Americans to study in China.
He insisted the United States was committed to welcoming Chinese students.
Beijing has repeatedly alleged that Chinese nationals with valid travel documents, including students, have been subject to aggressive interrogations and deportations at US airports.
“President Biden and President Xi are determined to strengthen our people-to-people ties,” Blinken said.
Blinken, the first US secretary of state in 14 years to visit Shanghai, opened his visit Wednesday evening at a restaurant serving steamed buns.
Sporting a suit without a tie, he ate with his senior staff in a shopping arcade as curious onlookers snapped pictures.
Blinken then went to watch a basketball game between the Shanghai Sharks and Zhejiang Golden Bulls, staying until the end of the nail-biting play-off.
Such softer diplomacy, once a staple of US-China relations, would have been unimaginable until recently, with hawks in both countries speaking of an emerging new Cold War.
Blinken’s aides hope his smiling persona at public events draws an implicit contrast to his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov and his gruffer approach when he visited China earlier this month.
Blinken is expected to raise concerns about China’s relationship with Russia when he meets the leadership in Beijing.
Although US officials were initially pleased that Beijing has not shipped weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine, they now say that China’s alarm at Moscow’s setbacks on the battlefield has prompted it to export vast quantities of industrial supplies to Russia.
US officials believe China is more receptive to Western concerns as it seeks to focus on managing economic headwinds at home and wants to avoid friction with the West.
But China is also furious about a series of moves by Biden — who is facing a tough re-election fight in November against Donald Trump — they say serve to constrain the Chinese economy.
Most recently, the US Congress approved legislation that would force the divestment of blockbuster social media app TikTok from its Chinese owners or face a ban in the world’s largest economy.
Biden supports the legislation, arguing that TikTok, popular among young people, poses security and privacy concerns. China has accused the United States of unfair economic coercion.
Unusually, Trump has distanced himself from a TikTok ban. He has otherwise championed a tough line on China, with vows to raise tariffs drastically if he returns to office.
US officials also say that Blinken will encourage China to act with restraint as Taiwan inaugurates a new president next month.
China claims the self-governing democracy as its own and has not ruled out using force to seize it.
Privately, US officials were relieved by China’s approach during Taiwan’s election, believing that easing US-China tensions helped. They assessed that Beijing’s assertive military moves did not go beyond past precedent.
A senior US official previewing Blinken’s trip said that the United States and China were at a “different place than we were a year ago, when the bilateral relationship was at an historic low point”.
“We also believe, and we have also clearly demonstrated, that responsibly managing competition does not mean we will pull back from measures to protect US national interests,” he said.
The Biden administration’s eagerness to engage China stands in stark contrast to its efforts to isolate Russia since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
After initially being pleased that Beijing has not directly supplied weapons to Russia, the United States in recent weeks has accused China of lavishing industrial material and technology on Moscow.
