Analysts are of the opinion that the sharp drop was largely due to seasonal factors and the downturn may have already bottomed out….reports Asian Lite News
Further underscoring the mounting challenges faced by the Chinese economy, consumer prices slid deeper into deflationary territory last month, suffering the biggest drop since the global recession in 2009.
The country’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) dropped by 0.8 per cent in January from a year ago, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) data released on Thursday. It was the steepest fall since September 2009 and marks a fourth straight month of decline.
But the analysts are of the opinion that the sharp drop was largely due to seasonal factors and the downturn may have already bottomed out.
The NBS, as well as some economists, said holiday demand in January 2023, when CPI rose 2.1 per cent, played a part in making prices this year look particularly weak.
“[The] Lunar New Year falls in February this year compared with the end of January last year, causing distortions to the base,” CNN quoted HSBC economists stating in a research note.
Beijing is scrambling to revive consumer and investor confidence as it fights fires on several fronts, including a real estate slump, stock market meltdown and weaker exports, according to CNN. It fired its main stock market regulator Wednesday as anger grew over trillions wiped off shares in recent years.
The economists said that weak consumer demand last month also weighed on the prices.
In the index, food prices in particular were a major drag. The price of pork, a staple in the Chinese diet, plunged by 17.3 per cent from a year ago, marking the biggest drop among all consumption items. Vegetable prices slid nearly 12 per cent.
The Producer Price Index (PPI), which measures the cost of goods that factories charge wholesalers, decreased by 2.5 per cent in January from a year ago, the NBS data showed. That was a slight pick-up from December’s 2.7 per cent drop.
Lynn Song, chief economist for Greater China at ING Economics, says consumer prices are likely to rise from February onwards.
“The base effects make January’s data look worse than they are. Sequential data paints a more upbeat picture,” CNN quoted Song as saying.
When compared to December, the CPI actually rose by 0.3 per cent in January, up for a second month in a row.
Meanwhile, preliminary data suggests more people are traveling now than before the pandemic. As of Tuesday, 2.2 million trips had been made by air and 12.9 million trips by rail during the first 12 days of the travel rush, according to figures from the Chinese transport ministry. The figures have jumped 17 per cent and 23 per cent, respectively from 2019.
“This could point to more buoyant consumption demand during the holidays,” the HSBC economists said.
Prices for consumer services have risen in tandem, as tourism-related prices were up 1.8 per cent in January from a year ago, according to the NBS.
“We expect consumption to continue to be a pillar of support for the economy this year, with the strength in service consumption broadening out to more durable goods consumption,” CNN reported, citing the HSBC economists. (ANI)
Mexico is now the top exporter of goods to the US…reports Asian Lite News
For the past two decades, the US imported more goods from China than all other nations. That’s no longer the case now, the media reported.
Mexico is now the top exporter of goods to the US, according to new trade data released by the Commerce Department on Wednesday, CNN reported.
Mexico sent $475.6 billion worth of goods into the US last year, a 5 per cent increase from 2022. China, meanwhile, exported $427.2 billion worth of goods to the US last year, a 20 per cent slump from 2022.
As a whole, the total US trade deficit in goods and services – a measure of the difference between exports and imports – was $773.4 billion last year, a 19 per cent decline from 2022. That’s the largest annual decline in the trade deficit since 2009, CNN reported.
Contributing to the overall trend was a weaker dollar that’s made the cost of US goods cheaper abroad, Matthew Martin, US economist at Oxford Economics, said in a note Wednesday.
Brad Setser, an economist and senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, suggested in a post on X that tariffs the Trump administration put in place have negatively impacted the amount of goods the US imports from China, CNN reported.
At the same time, Americans have been dialing back on purchases of goods such as electronics that are widely produced in China since supply chain bottlenecks cleared up after the pandemic took hold. In turn, more spending has shifted to services like travel and entertainment.
This decision deviates from the November 2023 resolution, permitting local travel agencies to arrange trip schedules for tour groups to China starting March 1, 2024….reports Asian Lite News
This decision marks a departure from the November 2023 resolution, which allowed local travel agencies to begin arranging trip schedules for tour groups to China starting March 1, 2024
Taiwan’s Tourism Administration announced on Wednesday its decision to uphold a three-year ban on Taiwanese tour groups travelling to China, citing Beijing’s failure to reciprocate by sending Chinese group tourists as reported by Central News Agency Taiwan.
“The original plan will no longer proceed considering changes in the current situation and factors such as travel safety for Taiwanese nationals,” stated the administration in a release.
This decision marks a departure from the November 2023 resolution, which allowed local travel agencies to begin arranging trip schedules for tour groups to China starting March 1, 2024, as reported by Central News Agency.
Originally, Transportation Minister Wang Kwo-tsai had announced during a November plenary session of the Legislature that the Cabinet would lift cross-strait travel restrictions by the Lunar New Year, to take effect in March.
According to Central News Agency, the government’s decision to permit Taiwanese tour groups to visit China would also entail the reopening of Taiwan’s borders to tour groups from China, added Wang.
Wang’s statements represented a shift in the government’s stance expressed in May 2023 and a statement by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), Taiwan’s top government agency overseeing cross-Taiwan Strait affairs, in late August.
On May 19, when Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, announced that Chinese travel agencies could resume business involving receiving Taiwanese group tourists immediately, Taipei did not respond positively.
Instead, then Tourism Bureau chief Chang Shi-chung stated that regulations on group travel should be negotiated through existing channels–the Taiwan Strait Tourism Association and its Chinese counterpart, the Association for Tourism Exchange Across the Taiwan Straits–although Taiwan welcomed China’s announcement.
The Tourism Administration stated on Wednesday that the planned policy had to be canceled because “the time is not yet right to resume our travel agency’s group tours to China.”
The administration cited China’s reluctance to proceed with the reciprocal arrangement and expressed concerns about flight safety due to China’s recent unilateral adjustment of its flight path close to the median line of the Taiwan Strait.
China terminated an “offset measure” for the southbound operation of the M503 flight path, which is west of the median line of the Taiwan Strait, on February 1, and initiated eastbound operation of routes W122 and W123, connecting M503 with Fuzhou and Xiamen cities in Fujian Province. (ANI)
Guatemala’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that Arevalo had recently reaffirmed his government’s wish to maintain its diplomatic recognition with Taiwan…reports Asian Lite News
Guatemala’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) on Tuesday said that the new Guatemalan government’s intention to develop trade ties with China does not conflict with the country’s policy of maintaining diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Focus Taiwan reported citing Central News Agency (CNA).
In a statement, Guatemala’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the remarks made by Guatemalan Foreign Minister Carlos Ramiro Martinez in an interview regarding trade ties with China did not come as a surprise, CNA reported citing Reuters.
It said that the Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo-led government has consistently maintained a policy of maintaining the country’s diplomatic ties with Taiwan while also developing trade ties with China.
Guatemala’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that Arevalo had recently reaffirmed his government’s wish to maintain its diplomatic recognition with Taiwan when the allied leader met with Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu at his inauguration ceremony held on January 14.
Taiwan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jaushieh Joseph Wu, attended the inauguration of Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo and Vice President Karin Herrera and related events on January 14, according to the statement released by Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
It further said that Taiwan will continue to bolster closer cooperation and exchanges with Guatemala under the leadership of Bernardo Arevalo and his new administration to further strengthen bilateral ties.
Carlos Ramiro Martinez said while Guatemala will continue to work with Taiwan “at the levels we have doing,” Arevalo “has pointed out that we cannot ignore the weight and power China represents.”
He said, “We are interested in approaching them to try and develop some relationship around trade,” adding that this could materialise as an “office of trade interests” that would help find a Chinese market for Guatemalan products, Central News Agency reported citing Reuters report.
He said, “We are making it public – this is not an ambush against Taiwan or the United States.” Guatemala’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that Martinez’s latest remarks are consistent with Bernardo Arevalo’s stance.
After his election victory in August, Bernardo Arevalo said he had no intention to modify the status of his country’s diplomatic relations with Taiwan and added that he also wants to improve ties with China.
He said it was “perfectly feasible to have good relations with both the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Taiwan.” At the time, Arevalo said, “Guatemala’s private sector is interested in expanding relations with China, which counts the Central American country as its main trade partner in the region,” CNA reported citing Reuters.
It remains to be seen how Arevalo’s new government will manage to maintain ties with China and Taiwan, considering China sees Taiwan as part of its territory and has made it a precondition for a foreign country to cut diplomatic relations with Taipei before it can have closer ties with Beijing. Notably, Guatemala and Belize are the only nations in Central America to maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan. (ANI)
This is the second consecutive Nobel Prize nomination for the Uyghur rights group after being nominated in 2023 as well….reports Asian Lite News
The World Uyghur Congress (WUC), a Germany-based rights organization, that voices for the human rights and freedom of the Uyghur People through peaceful means, was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize 2024 on Wednesday.
Notably, this is the second consecutive Nobel Prize nomination for the Uyghur rights group after being nominated in 2023 as well.
The WUC informed in a press release that the nominations for the Nobel Prize were submitted by Canadian Member of Parliament, Vice-Chair of the Subcommittee on International Human Rights (SDIR), Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, and Senator of the Italian Republic and former Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Giulio Terzi.
“It is an immense honour to see the World Uyghur Congress being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize two years in a row,” World Uyghur Congress President, Dolkun Isa said in the press release. “This nomination significantly contributes to the recognition of the WUC’s valuable efforts in advancing democracy and human rights for Uyghurs.”
Isa further said that the nomination sends a ‘powerful message’ highlighting the urgent need to act against the Uyghur genocide being committed by China.
“The nomination of the World Uyghur Congress for the Nobel Peace Prize sends a powerful message against authoritarianism, highlighting the urgent need to end the Uyghur genocide. It is crucial for the international community to actively acknowledge and condemn the genocidal policies enacted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) against the Uyghurs, rather than allowing them to go unnoticed and unpunished,” the statement added.
The nomination letters of the WUC highlighted the ‘non-violent approach’ that the Uyghur people have chosen, even when they are facing “harsh repression.”
“The international community should acknowledge and cherish the non-violent approach that the Uyghur people have chosen in the face of the harsh repression they are being subjected to. Such an effort should not be taken for granted and the Nobel Peace Prize would definitely provide the Uyghur community invaluable encouragement,” the nomination letter stated.
It added that over the past 20 years, the World Uyghur Congress has significantly contributed to bringing global attention to the extensive campaign of physical, religious, linguistic, and cultural repression orchestrated by the Chinese Communist Party against the Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples in East Turkistan.
The World Uyghur Congress thanked Canadian MP Brunelle-Duceppe, and Italian Senator Terzi for their “thoughtful recognition of the WUC’s crucial work”.
“The WUC is truly honoured by their support, as it reflects a shared commitment to promoting peace, human rights, and democracy for the Uyghur community,” it said. (ANI)
What Pakistanis are not admitting is that China had gone over their heads to shake hands with the Taliban regime because of Pakistan’s apparent failure to find a working relationship with Kabul
China’s decision to accept a full-time Ambassador of Afghanistan recently has come as a big slap to Beijing’s `all-weather ally` Pakistan. China’s move comes at a time when Pakistan has failed to persuade Taliban regime to help in containing the terrorist group, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has caused immense harm to Pakistani people ever since November 2022 when the group unilaterally called off the secret pact with the army.
More humiliating has been the fact that the Chinese move comes within days of General Asim Munir issuing a direct threat to the Taliban regime. He said the life of one Pakistan was more dear to him than the entire Afghanistan.
The Chinese decision left many red faces in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. What obviously riled Islamabad was that China took such a major decision without taking them into confidence. President Xi Jinping accepted a full-time Ambassador of Afghanistan last month. This action left Pakistan miffed. This became apparent by President Xi Jinping’s hurried move to dispatch his close aide, Special Envoy on Afghanistan Ambassador Yue Xiaonyoung, to Islamabad to smoothen the ruffled feathers.
What Pakistanis are not admitting is that China had gone over their heads to shake hands with the Taliban regime because of Pakistan’s apparent failure to find a working relationship with Kabul. Beijing’s unilateral move comes after regional countries, including China, had decided that the decision to recognise the Taliban regime would be taken with consensus and collectively. But by formally accepting an Ambassador, China has de facto accorded recognition to the regime in Kabul.
The relationship between the Afghan Taliban regime and Pakistan, once close allies, has hit a series of stumbling blocks in the past two years, especially over the patronage offered by the Taliban to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, a terrorist group which has been targeting Pakistan, on and off, since 2007. Over one hundred soldiers and officers have died in regular terrorist attacks by TTP since November 2022. The Taliban has so far has not initiated any steps to contain TTP despite several diplomatic and military reconciliatory moves.
China’s unprecedented move is warranted by some key underlying reasons. The foremost is its clear move to exert greater influence in the region especially in the light of the renewed move to consolidate its perch in the continent with the help of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The US has expressed its willingness to reopen its consulate in Kabul. China is also concerned about the presence and movement of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) in Afghanistan. The latest UN Monitoring Team
Chinese ambassador Zhao Xing meets with Amir Khan Muttaqi, Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan.
report had pointed out that the Afghan Taliban relocated ETIM from Badakhashan to Baghlan province. The report also noted that the ETIM was active in various parts of Afghanistan and busy recruiting young people. China had depended on Pakistan to influence the Taliban to rein in the terrorist group which had been targeting Chinese territory and interests. With Pakistan’s failure to contain, if not neutralise, terrorist groups operating out of Afghanistan, China decided to move ahead without its `all-weather ally`.
This move is not the only one which has caused Pakistan to pause on its relationship with China. In the military skirmish with Iran, China decided to keep away from supporting Pakistan and chose to `mediate` left many in Rawalpindi and Islamabad wondering about how China will act in crises where its strategic interests clash with that of Pakistan. The Taliban recognition has only added to this discomfiture.
The US military conducted airstrikes targeting these groups in retaliation for a drone attack on a Jordanian base that killed three US soldiers….reports Asian Lite News
Russia and China criticised the United States at a UN Security Council meeting on Monday, accusing it of escalating tensions in the Middle East with recent strikes on Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria.
The US military conducted airstrikes targeting these groups in retaliation for a drone attack on a Jordanian base that killed three US soldiers.
The strikes have raised concerns about the potential for the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza to spread regionally.
Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzia stated that American airstrikes appeared deliberately aimed at fueling conflict, echoing China’s Ambassador Jun Zhang’s concern about escalating violence.
The ongoing conflict in Gaza has fueled anger across the Middle East, exacerbating violence involving Iran-backed groups in multiple countries.
A UN official urged all parties to step back to avoid a costly regional conflict. The strikes drew criticism from Iraq, Syria, and Iran, with Iran denying involvement in the drone attack.
Iranian Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani rejected attempts to attribute actions to Iran, warning of a firm response to threats.
The White House announced plans for further retaliatory action, emphasizing a desire to contain conflict in Gaza but also to defend against attacks on US personnel.
Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood clarified that while the US seeks to deescalate conflict, it will defend against unacceptable attacks.
President Xi Jinping seems the type of man who stubbornly digs in his heels the tougher the opposition gets. Unfortunately, he is taking China down a road that many may not agree with, but who are powerless to resist…reports Asian Lite News
For the first decade of his authoritarian rule over China, Chairman Xi Jinping could do no wrong. Such was his popularity and position of strength that he was allowed to overturn recent conventions by reinstalling himself for a third term in power, and to position acolytes in the upper levels of power. Yet the gloss is starting to wear off as the realities of economic woe and international backlash bite.
Willy Wo-Lap Lam, author of the book Xi Jinping: The Hidden Agendas of China’s Ruler for Life, and also a Senior Fellow at The Jamestown Foundation think-tank in the USA, held a seminar exploring Xi’s legacy on January 22. Lam assessed that Xi “thinks he is the second, if not the first, most important leader in the communist party pantheon. He definitely thinks that he has outdone Deng Xiaoping in terms of contribution to the party. So he thinks of himself as the 21st-century Mao Zedong.”
Lam predicted Xi likely would not seek to reign beyond a fourth five-year term, although at that time he might remain a power behind the throne by retaining the chairmanship of the all-important Central Military Commission.
When the hard-nosed Xi came to power in 2012, there were two major factions in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Lam pointed out: “The big thing is, Xi managed to elbow aside, to at least partially demolish, these two major factions in the party.” Indeed, by the time of the 20th Party Congress in September 2022, around 80-90 per cent of its members belonged to the “Xi family army,” underscoring the hugely successful Machiavellian-style political intrigues in which Xi seems to have particular aptitude. However, he is not adored by all in the CCP.
Lam explained: “I think Xi Jinping in his 11-year career has made a much larger number of enemies than Jang Zemin and Hu Jintao. But the fact of the matter is, Xi Jinping was so successful in his first ten years… His most potent enemies now, I think, consist of rebel elements of the so-called second-generation princelings.”
Xiâs loyalists from Fujian and Zhejiang factions take charge of Chinaâs national security
However, Hong Konger Lam said that none of these rebels or remnants of factions such as the Shanghai Gang have been able to pool their resources together and coalesce a united front against Xi. Even as China’s relationship with the USA has dipped to its worst since Henry Kissinger’s visit to China in 1971, “There might be people who are glad that such negative events are happening so that they have enough ammunition to use against Xi. But for Xi Jinping himself, he doesn’t pay much attention to economics or geopolitics.”
Nonetheless, Lam noted “there have been very strange events in the past half year”. He gave the example of two state ministers and top leaders of the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) disappearing.
Indeed, the following members were expunged from the party in one fell swoop at the 7th Session of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC) in late December 2023: Lieutenant General Zhang Zhenzhong (deputy chief of staff of the Joint Staff Department and a previous deputy commander of the PLARF); Lieutenant General Zhang Yulin (deputy minister of the Equipment Development Department [EDD]); Rao Wenmin (EDD representative to the 14th NPC); Vice Admiral Ju Xinchun (naval commander of the Southern Theater Command); General Ding Laihang (commander of the PLA Air Force until September 2021); General Li Yuchao (Commander of the PLARF); Major General Lu Hong (Director of the EDD, PLARF); Lieutenant General Li Chuanguang (chief of staff and deputy commander of PLARF); General Zhou Yaning (former commander of the PLARF).
This list is staggering in terms of the breadth and depth of those that Xi is rooting out. Lyle Morris, Senior Fellow for Foreign Policy and National Security at the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis, noted: “The biggest takeaway is these officers’ connection to [former Defense Minister] Li Shangfu, and their ties to the PLARF, Equipment Development Department and the space program. This amounts to one of the largest purges in the PLARF and EDD in decades, all tying back to Li.”
Lam noted that Li Shangfu’s disappearance had nothing to do with an alleged illicit affair with Phoenix TV anchor Fu Xiaotian. Censors allowed juicy titbits to remain on social media, but this was designed to distract the populace from the real reason, whatever that might be.
Morris continued: “Something major must have occurred to precipitate this kind of purge. Two likely scenarios are a major corruption scandal or an intelligence leak. A third unlikely scenario, but which cannot be completely ruled out, is a political rivalry to Xi’s power base within the PLA (i.e. a soft coup).”
By elevating the Second Artillery Force to the PLARF as a full service of the PLA, Xi also succeeded in creating an entirely new faction involving China’s aerospace defence sector, where vast amounts of money have been pouring in. With so many from the PLARF caught in Xi’s net, perhaps some connected individuals grew aspirations beyond what the Chinese leader thought prudent.
With all these recent arrests, Lam spoke of a “partial demise” of this faction, one in which China’s military-industrial complex is heavily implicated. Technocrats like Wu Yansheng, (chairman of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation [CASC]); Wang Changqing (deputy manager of the China Aerospace Science & Industry Corporation [CASIC]); and Liu Shiquan (chairman of the Board of CASIC). The churn seems to spread further and further, and yet the CCP does not feel the need to explain any reason for all these detentions. Another to be axed is Wang Xiaojun, former president of the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology.
Such is the trauma, that Xi has delayed the 3rd Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee. Lam opined, “Xi Jinping is still scratching his head about the people who will replace the now disgraced” members. In a speech at the 20th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection on January 10, Xi emphasized that after ten years of unremitting anti-corruption, the struggle has “achieved an overwhelming victory and has been comprehensively consolidated”. However, he immediately contradicted himself by saying “the situation remains grim and complex…We must have a clear understanding of the ‘new situations and new trends’ in the fight against corruption, as well as the ‘conditions that create corruption problems’.” In other words, corruption remains a serious problem, and victory is far from Xi’s grasp.
China flag.
If nothing else, these shocking revelations raise serious questions about Xi’s ability to select and manage high-level personnel in the PLA and CCP, most of whom he personally promoted. This disappointment will surely amplify Xi’s sense of paranoia.
“So now, all these strange events in the past few months, they beg the question on actually how good Xi is in his ability to manage high-level, top-echelon targets,” Lam pointed out.
China’s economy has caught the contagion too, further deepening Xi’s woes. A recent survey by Chinese online recruitment platform Zhaopin found that 32 per cent of white- collar workers reported a wage decrease in the past year. This is just one symptom of a stumbling economy. There are rumors the central government is ready to pump in RMB2 trillion of funds to prop up local administrations in China. According to best estimates, more than 50 per cent of current expenditure of local governments is used just to service interest payments on debts previously run up.
Lam said Xi is “by no means a stupid person,” and that he realizes foreign direct investment (FDI) is very important for the economy. With China now experiencing negative FDI (i.e. foreign companies are withdrawing money) as the Chinese market loses its luster, it desperately needs foreign money. “Xi doesn’t know that much about geopolitics,” Lam said, but Xi’s leadership has to be given some credit for its sweet talk and numerous assurances to multinational companies.
The Jamestown Foundation academic continued: “Regarding the Global South, they were successful in the first ten years of the Belt and Road Initiative when China still had sufficient US dollar reserves, but now the country is desperately short of US dollars.” He said China’s oft-quoted figure of RMB3 trillion in reserves consists mostly of investments from multinationals and loans made by the Chinese government. Lam said the Chinese government could probably mobilize only 10 per cent of this amount, and much of this has already been spent in propping up the yuan.
There are no ballot boxes in communist China, so only two methods exist to evaluate the government’s legitimacy. One is the living standards of ordinary people, and the other is nationalism. Because GDP cannot be maintained at 6-7 per cent annually to generate a sufficient trickle-down effect to ensure ordinary Chinese benefit from an improved share of the economic pie, lower growth levels will see the bulk of people’s money taken out and confiscated by the privileged classes.
The CCP greatly fears popular protests, for it does not truly represent the people. Militias are now being established within state-owned enterprises and even in private companies, their role being to maintain law and order within the vicinity of their enterprises. This reluctant militarization is being imposed by the CCP, and it forms yet another plank in Xi’s symbiosis between peacetime and wartime as he urges the nation on to greater “struggle”. Lam said the current militarization of the Chinese population under Xi is occurring at “a very disturbing pace”.
With the economy failing, the only form of legitimacy left is nationalism, Lam explained. “So Xi is now putting undue weight on nationalism, ‘the great renaissance of the Chinese people’.” Indeed, Xi is simultaneously putting greater emphasis on his alliance of like-minded autocratic states. In a process that started about a decade ago, Russia has become a key brother of China for the first time in its history.
Lam continued: “Xi Jinping is obsessed with this old Mao Zedong slogan, ‘The East is rising, and the West is declining.’ He is unrealistically bullish about the so-called axis of autocratic states: China, North Korea, Russia, Iran, Pakistan and so forth.” He said Xi remains optimistic that such an axis of autocracy will grow bigger, and one day outdo the US-led alliance in international affairs.
This is one reason why Vladimir Putin cannot be allowed to conquer Ukraine, for it will only embolden Xi. Referring to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and what it means for Chinese intentions for Taiwan, Admiral Samuel J Paparo, commander of the US Pacific Fleet, recently told a Senate Armed Services Committee: “Instead of seeing the Ukraine conflict and deciding this is too hard, [the Chinese] intention…is to take note of the actions of Russia in order to effect a short, sharp conflict that presents a fait accompli to all of the world.”
Admiral Paparo added that China “is doubling down on their ability to shrink strategic, operational and tactical warning and act quickly”. He noted that Russia’s failure is “a deterrence in the Western Pacific and directly reassures partners”. Thus, “The most decisive thing we can do at the moment is to pass the supplemental [budget] that would fund capabilities for Ukraine to defend itself.”
Problems are mounting for Xi and for China because of the direction he has taken the country. Yet, “Xi Jinping is not interested in acknowledging a successor,” Lam shared, even though there was once speculation that now disgraced ex-foreign minister Qin Gang was being groomed as the next leader. “Xi is convinced that he will live forever, he’s convinced that he has the magic bullet or whatever.”
His self-belief may even stem from a religious ideology, as Lam quoted a Chinese source who alleged that Xi is actually a Buddhist. Xi spent 15 years in Fujian, and this source claimed that Xi became a convert during that time. Allegedly, every time he returns to Fujian, he visits a Buddhist temple there. Whatever the case, Xi seems the type of man who stubbornly digs in his heels the tougher the opposition gets. Unfortunately, he is taking China down a road that many may not agree with, but who are powerless to resist. (ANI)
The suspended death sentence can be converted to a life sentence after two years, pending good behaviour…reports Asian Lite News
Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong has said that Australian writer Yang Hengjun has been given a suspended death sentence by a Chinese court. Calling the Chinese court’s decision “harrowing” and “appalling,” Wong summoned China’s ambassador for an explanation earlier this afternoon, ABC News reported.
The suspended death sentence can be converted to a life sentence after two years, pending good behaviour, according to ABC News report. The Australian citizen, writer and democracy activist Yang Hengjun has been imprisoned in China since 2019 on charges of spying. Yang Hengjun has always denied the charges.
In a statement, Penny Wong stated, “The Australian Government is appalled that Australian citizen, Dr Yang Jun, has today received a suspended death sentence in Beijing. We understand this can be commuted to life imprisonment after two years if the individual does not commit any serious crimes in the two-year period. This is harrowing news for Dr Yang, his family and all who have supported him.”
Penny Wong stressed that Yang Hengjun had further appeal avenues available and the government would continue to advocate on his behalf. The Australian government has petitioned for the release of Australian writer.
As per the news report, Australian officials were unable to attend Yang Hengjun’s closed trial in 2021. Wong said, “We have consistently called for basic standards of justice, procedural fairness and humane treatment for Dr Yang, in accordance with international norms and China’s legal obligations.”
She said, “All Australians want to see Dr Yang reunited with his family. We will not relent in our advocacy.”
In a statement, a supporter of Yang said his family was “shocked and devastated by this news, which comes at the extreme end of worst expectations. They will take time to process.”
In 2023, Yang Hengjun’s family wrote to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, warning his health was rapidly declining and requesting Albanese to do “all in his power” to secure his release during his visit to China.
Yang Hengjun has been detained in China for almost five years. However, his family has fears that there is a narrowing window of opportunity to secure his release, ABC News reported.
There was optimism among some of Yang’s supporters after China’s decision to release former state TV anchor Cheng Lei h.
Yang’s family wrote, “We have been inspired by the wonderful news of Cheng Lei’s release and return to Melbourne.” The family mentioned, “We hope that you, Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Ambassador Graham Fletcher can achieve a second miracle by saving our father.”
One Australian government source called Yang’s case “very different” to that of Chang Lei, according to ABC News report. Although did not give any further detail.
Daniela Gavshon, the Australia director at Human Rights Watch, said diplomatic efforts had not been enough. Gavshon called Chinese court’s decision “outrageous outcome for Dr Yang and his supporters.”
Gavshon stated, “It follows years of arbitrary detention and a closed trial and it is not evidence of any wrongdoing but really of Beijing’s corrupt and opaque criminal justice system. That someone can be sentenced to death on such scant information is deeply worrying.”
Coalition Foreign Affairs spokesperson Simon Birmingham said he was “aghast” at the decision and called it “a terrible reminder of the stark differences between our systems of government and systems of justice [and] a reminder of the risks that apply in doing business and engaging with China,” ABC News reported.
Birmingham stressed that Yang’s case should be “the top priority” for the Australian government in its talks with China. However, he did not criticise the government or called for any specific measures. He said, “It is important we take these matters step by step in the best interests of Dr Yang.” (ANI)
The source said that countermeasures were discussed between Tokyo and Washington in the wake of the leak of the diplomatic telegrams…reports Asian Lite News
Classified Japanese diplomatic information was leaked following Chinese cyberattacks on the country’s Foreign Ministry in 2020, a Japanese government source said on Monday, Kyodo News reported.
Japan detected the large-scale attack and release of diplomatic telegrams during a period of government under then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the source said, but the nature of the leaked information is still not publicly known, as per Kyodo News.
The source said that countermeasures were discussed between Tokyo and Washington in the wake of the leak of the diplomatic telegrams, which are highly confidential documents exchanged daily between the ministry and diplomatic missions abroad.
The diplomatic telegrams were sent via an encrypted Internet Protocol Virtual Private Network, or IP-VPN, according to the source. The use of this kind of network is critical in the transfer of sensitive data, as per Kyodo News.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a press conference that the government of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has not confirmed that secret Foreign Ministry information was accessed through the cyberattacks.
The ministry “has routinely worked to maintain and strengthen cybersecurity,” Hayashi said.
As per Kyodo News, Japan has lagged behind other developed countries in the development of its cybersecurity defenses, causing great concern to its close security ally, the United States. Washington has urged Tokyo to improve its cybersecurity capabilities.
Japan, in its National Security Strategy updated recently, pledged to introduce “active cyber defense” to eliminate in advance the possibility of serious cyberattacks that could threaten “national security and critical infrastructure.”
But bills to implement a more active approach to cyber defense have not been submitted to parliament as discussions on the issue have stalled, with fears lingering that such a move could violate the nation’s Constitutional guarantee on the secrecy of communications, according to Kyodo News.
Among other governmental offices that have suffered cyberattacks, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency was likely targeted by an attack last year, but no sensitive information on rockets or satellites was accessed.
In August, the government’s National Center of Incident Readiness and Strategy for Cybersecurity said it found that email addresses and other information might have been leaked as a result of unauthorized external access. (ANI)
