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China urges U.S. to avoid Thucydides Trap in bilateral ties

Noting that there is indeed competition between China and the United States, the ambassador said the Chinese people do not shy away from competition, but competition must be fair…reports Asian Lite News

Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng has said that China does not consider the Thucydides Trap an inevitable part of its relationship with the United States. To avoid stepping into it, Washington should try to work with Beijing.

Xie made the remarks on Friday during a fireside chat with Harvard Kennedy School’s founding dean, Graham Allison, whose book “Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap?” has since its publication in 2018 become a must-read for anyone devoted to or interested in the study of U.S.-China relations, Xinhua news agency.

“Now that we have all realized the extreme danger of the ‘Thucydides Trap,’ why should we still jump headlong into it?” Xie said at the event held at Harvard University. “From the very start, China does not see the ‘Thucydides Trap’ as inevitable.”

China is willing to work with the U.S. side based on the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation to promote the sound, steady and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations, and jointly navigate around the trap, he said.

Xie said the Chinese side has shown sincerity in cooperating on issues of U.S. concern. However, dialogue and cooperation should be reciprocal and based on mutual respect, and one cannot focus on one’s own interests. It is hoped that the U.S. side will take earnest actions to implement their leaders’ important consensus on issues of concern to the Chinese side, he added.

The two sides should advance cooperation in a reciprocal spirit and prudently manage differences to turn the “San Francisco Vision” created during the China-U.S. summit in the United States into reality and promote the sound, stable and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations, Xie said.

Noting that there is indeed competition between China and the United States, the ambassador said the Chinese people do not shy away from competition, but competition must be fair.

“It should be like competing for excellence in a racing field, not beating one another in a wrestling ring,” he said. “What the U.S. side is having in mind, though, is not competition, but bullying.” He mentioned specific U.S. moves such as blocking China’s access to certain advanced technologies and accusing China of being “over-competent” or having “overcapacity” in certain industries.

Xie said it would be self-deluding to suppress and encircle China in the name of competition on the one hand, and try to manage competition and avoid direct conflict on the other.

“The relationship should not be simply defined by competition,” Xie said. “If we allow competition to dominate China-U.S. relations, it would only give rise to strategic risks. No one would come out as a winner.”

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Former parliamentary aide charged with spying for China

Beijing has previously hit back at claims of an orchestrated overseas espionage campaign…reports Asian Lite News

London’s Metropolitan Police on Monday said it had charged two men with allegedly spying for China in a move that could stoke new tensions with Beijing.

The charges came as German prosecutors announced the arrest of three German nationals suspected of spying for China and providing access to secret maritime technology. The British pair are accused of breaking the Official Secrets Act 1911 and will appear in a London court on Friday.

Police named the men as Christopher Berry, 32, and Christoper Cash, 29, who previously worked at the UK parliament as a researcher. They are accused of having given “articles, notes, documents or information” to a foreign state. The alleged offenses are said to have taken place between 2021 and last year.

Beijing has previously hit back at claims of an orchestrated overseas espionage campaign.

The Met Police said in September they had arrested a man in his 20s on spying allegations, with the Sunday Times reporting he was a researcher in Britain’s parliament. The newspaper named him as Cash and said he had had contacts with MPs from the ruling Conservative Party.

They included security minister Tom Tugendhat and Alicia Kearns, the chairman of the influential House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee. Tugendhat was reported to have only had limited contact with the suspect, and none when he was security minister.

Domestic intelligence service MI5 last year warned that a Chinese government agent called Christine Lee had been “engaged in political interference activities on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party, engaging with members here at parliament.”

In July 2023, the Commons intelligence and security committee claimed China was targeting the UK “prolifically and aggressively” and that the government did not have the “resources, expertise or knowledge” to deal with it.

Meanwhile, German authorities said they have arrested three people on suspicion of spying for China.

The main suspect, named as Thomas R, is accused of spying for the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS). Prosecutors allege his network operated a front company which co-operated with German research organisations.

The accused are said to have collected sensitive information, including designs for an engine suitable for use on combat ships, to pass on to China.

In a separate development, two men in the UK were charged with spying for China after being accused of providing information which could be “useful to an enemy”, according to police.

In the German case, prosecutors allege Thomas R obtained “innovative technologies for military use” on behalf of an MSS employee. They also allege he used a company – run by the two other suspects, named as Herwig F and Ina F – which contacted people working in science and research.

A first project regarding the operation of high-performance marine engines for use on combat ships is alleged to have already been completed.

At the time of their arrest, the accused were allegedly in further negotiations on other projects that could be of use for China’s navy, prosecutors said.

They added that the arrests took place in the western German states of Hesse and North-Rhine-Westphalia. The three suspects are also accused of exporting a laser to China, which is banned under EU “dual use” regulations. The rules prohibit sending goods which can be used for military and civilian purposes to certain countries.

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said the arrests of the three suspects in Germany were a “great success for our counterintelligence”. “The area affected in the current case – innovative technologies from Germany that can be used for military purposes – is particularly sensitive,” she added.

The arrests come a week after Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Beijing, where he raised issues including China’s support for Russia since the invasion of Ukraine.

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China says AUKUS security pact risks nuclear proliferation in Pacific

The Chinese foreign minister’s visit comes just days before Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is due to arrive in Papua New Guinea, once again highlighting a tussle for influence between China and US allies…reports Asian Lite News

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi targeted Western powers in the AUKUS trilateral security partnership and accused them of provoking division and raising nuclear proliferation risks in the South Pacific, Nikkei Asia reported on Sunday.

AUKUS is a trilateral security partnership designed to create a stronger, more resilient trilateral submarine industrial base, supporting submarine production and maintenance in all three countries.

This comes as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi lauded diplomatic achievements with Papua New Guinea on his visit to the country on Saturday, part of Beijing’s initiative to strengthen ties with the Pacific Island nations.

The Chinese foreign minister’s visit comes just days before Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is due to arrive in Papua New Guinea, once again highlighting a tussle for influence between China and US allies.

Nikkei Asia reported, referencing announcements made by AUKUS nations that they are considering cooperating with Japan on sharing advanced technology earlier this month, Wang said, “Recent attempts to draw more countries to join in such an initiative of stoking bloc confrontation is completely inconsistent with the urgent needs of island countries.”

He slammed US and Australia’s relationship with Pacific island nations, saying, “The South Pacific region should not become an arena for great power competition. No country should regard island countries as its ‘backyard’ and should not engage in zero-sum games or exclusionary arrangements,” alluding to historical views that Australia considered the South Pacific to be its backyard.

Beijing and Port Moresby will also start free trade agreement negotiations as soon as possible and build police cooperation, according to a press release published by the Foreign Ministry after Wang’s meeting with Tkatchenko, Nikkei Asia reported.

In recent years, Beijing’s attempts to push for police and security agreements with Papua New Guinea had been unsuccessful, Nikkei Asia reported.

During a tour of Pacific island countries in June 2022, Wang proposed a wide-ranging regional security deal that would increase China’s involvement in police training, cybersecurity and sensitive marine mapping while gaining greater access to natural resources. The deal ultimately collapsed, with Papua New Guinea among those that rejected the proposal.

“There has been resentment over the Pacific agreement on security matters,” Papua New Guinea’s foreign affairs secretary Elias Wohengu told the Post Courier newspaper at the time. Wohengu indicated that Papua New Guinea was unlikely to sign a security deal, saying, “On the security status of Papua New Guinea, we will deal with it ourselves.”

Washington and Canberra has criticised China, which has made in the Solomon Islands.

“The increased policing presence in the Solomon Islands is concerning,” John Aquilino, commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, told reporters in Sydney earlier this month. “That’s the foot in the door.”

But while the big players jostle for influence, Papua New Guinea has stayed “pragmatic in its approach to global powers,” said Australian National University PhD candidate Michael Kabuni.

This has meant positioning Australia and the US as security partners while maintaining ties with China as an important economic partner, it reported.

Thousands protest against over-tourism in Canary Islands

Tens of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of the Canary Islands in Spain to call for changes to the mass tourism model that they claim is overtaking the Atlantic archipelago, according to Al Jazeera.

The protests started at noon on Saturday (11:00 GMT), and an estimated 57,000 people participated, according to reports in Spanish media that cited the central government’s emissary in the islands.

The demonstrators waved flags, as they crowded the streets of the main towns on each of the seven islands in the archipelago, holding signs with messages like “A moratorium on tourism,” according to Al Jazeera.

“Canary Islands are not up for sale,” and “Respect my home,” the slogans read.

Approximately twenty social and environmental organisations called for the protests, claiming that the overcrowding of tourists feeds an unsustainable business model that hurts both the environment and local people.

They have suggested an eco-tax to safeguard the environment, a tourism moratorium, and a crackdown on the sale of houses to non-residents in order to pressure the authorities into limiting the number of tourists.

Spain’s Canary Islands, an archipelago of 2.2 million people, were visited by nearly 14 million foreign tourists in 2023, up 13 per cent from the previous year, Al Jazeera reported, citing the official data.

The authorities in the islands are concerned about the impact on locals.

Meanwhile, the President of the Canary Islands Fernando Clavijo stated on Friday that he was “proud” of the area’s status as a top travel destination in Spain, but he also noted that additional restrictions were required as the industry’s growth is on a boom. (ANI)

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China, Japan spar over former’s actions in Indo-Pacific

The Bluebook reportedly criticises China’s actions in the South China Sea and its efforts to alter the status quo in the East and South China Sea…reports Asian Lite News

China is challenging Japan’s recent evaluation of the threat posed to the Indo-Pacific region by Beijing, dismissing it as a hyped-up threat and a false accusation, Voice of America reported.

According to Japanese media reports and the Japanese Foreign Ministry’s annual Diplomatic Bluebook (an annual report on Japan’s foreign policy and international diplomacy published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Japan), released on Tuesday, China’s military activities are described as the “greatest strategic challenge.”

However, an official English version of the report has not been made public, as per Voice of America.

The Bluebook reportedly criticises China’s actions in the South China Sea and its efforts to alter the status quo in the East and South China Sea.

Following this, Japanese media says that for the first time since 2019, Japan seeks to build “a mutually beneficial relationship” with China “based on common strategic interests.”

According to Voice of America, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian rebuffed Japan’s criticisms during a news briefing on Tuesday. Lin stated, “Japan has resorted to the same old false accusations against China and hype of the ‘China threat’ in its 2024 Diplomatic Bluebook.”

Further, he affirmed, “We urge Japan to change its wrong course of action, stop stoking bloc confrontation, truly commit itself to advancing a strategic relationship of mutual benefit with China and work to build a constructive and stable China-Japan relationship fit for the new era.”

Director of the Japan Programme at the Washington-based Stimson Centre, Yuki Tatsumi, said, “Japan’s concerns about Chinese behaviour, both military and paramilitary, have been intensified for the last few years due to the acceleration of Beijing’s aggressive behaviour in the East and South China Sea.”

“In addition, Tokyo has been put on alert about Beijing’s increasingly hostile and aggressive rhetoric and behaviour towards Taiwan.” she added.

According to a Thursday report by The Japan Times citing unnamed Japanese officials., Japanese Defence Minister Minoru Kihara and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin could meet in early May in Hawaii.

According to the report, Kihara and Austin would discuss setting up a proposed allied command and control structure and a body to identify the kinds of weapons the two countries will develop and produce together.

These plans were announced on April 10 at a bilateral summit in Washington.

The Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF) announced on Tuesday that it will conduct a naval deployment including six surface ships, submarines, and two air units starting May 3 to support a free and open Indo-Pacific.

The deployment includes visits to more than a dozen countries, including the U.S., the Philippines, India, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, the Marshall Islands, Fiji and Palau. It is meant “to strengthen cooperation with the allied partner navies through conducting exercises,” said JMSDF.

Daniel Sneider, lecturer in international policy and East Asia Studies at Stanford University, said even as Tokyo is building its defences and is concerned about Beijing’s assertiveness and especially its relations with Moscow, its mention in the Diplomatic Bluebook of wanting to build relations with Beijing reflects Tokyo’s balanced approach towards China.

“The Bluebook reflects a balance between, on one hand, some degree of warning the Chinese off doing things that disrupt the order” in the region “and, on the other hand, making it clear that Japan really is not interested in some type of full-scale confrontation with China,” including economic warfare, said Sneider.

As to China, it tends to see “any attempts on the part of the Koreans and the Japanese to engage and improve relations as a sign of weakness,” continued Sneider.

China, Japan and South Korea plan to hold trilateral talks in May for the first time since 2019. They will meet in Seoul ahead of a Washington-Seoul-Tokyo trilateral summit expected in July. (ANI)

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US Sanctions Chinese Firms Aiding Pakistan’s Missiles

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The statement clarifies that entities with 50% or more ownership by blocked persons are also subject to sanctions….reports Asian Lite News

The US has imposed sanctions on three Chinese companies and one from Belarus for supplying missile‐applicable items to Pakistan’s ballistic missile programmes, including its long-range missile programme.

“The entities we are designating today, Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant; Xi’an Longde Technology Development Company Limited; Tianjin Creative Source International Trade Co Ltd; and Granpect Co. Ltd., have engaged in activities or transactions that have materially contributed to, or pose a risk of materially contributing to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction or their means of delivery, including any efforts to manufacture, acquire, possess, develop, transport, transfer or use such items, by Pakistan,” the US State Department said.

The United States, in close cooperation with other partners, is committed to strengthening the global non-proliferation regime by deterring and disrupting proliferation networks of WMD (weapons of mass destruction) wherever they occur, the statement said.

According to the factsheet provided by the State Department:

• China-based Xi’an Longde Technology Development Company Limited has supplied missile-related equipment, including a filament winding machine, to Pakistan’s long-range ballistic missile programme that we assess was destined for NDC. Filament winding machines can be used to produce rocket motor cases.

• China-based Tianjin Creative Source International Trade Co Ltd has supplied missile-related equipment to Pakistan’s long-range ballistic missile programme, including stir welding equipment (which the United States assesses can be used to manufacture propellant tanks used in space launch vehicles), and a linear accelerator system (which the United States assesses can be used in the inspection of solid rocket motors). Tianjin Creative’s procurements were likely destined for Pakistan’s Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), which develops and produces Pakistan’s Missile Technology Control Regime Category (MTCR) Category I ballistic missiles.

• China-based Granpect Company Limited has worked with Pakistan’s SUPARCO to supply equipment for testing large diameter rocket motors. Additionally, Granpect Co. Ltd. also worked to supply equipment for testing large diameter rocket motors to Pakistan’s NDC.

• Belarus-based Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant has worked to supply special vehicle chassis to Pakistan’s long-range ballistic missile programme. Such chassis are used as launch support equipment for ballistic missiles by Pakistan’s National Development Complex (NDC), which is responsible for the development of MTCR I ballistic missiles.

Elaborating on the sanctions, the statement explains that “All individuals or entities that have ownership, either directly or indirectly, 50 per cent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked. All transactions by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of designated or otherwise blocked persons are prohibited unless authorised by a general or specific license issued by OFAC or exempt.”

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G7 Concludes with High-Stakes Debate on China, Global Affairs

The G7 meeting is being held on the Italian Mediterranean island of Capri….reports Asian Lite News

The spring meeting of the foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) economically strong democracies is set to end on Friday with discussions on the situation in the Indo-Pacific region and global issues such as food, energy and cybersecurity.

In view of China’s increasingly aggressive behaviour in the Indian Ocean and Pacific region, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock had already stated at the start of the meeting that the effects are not only being felt by the G7’s Pacific countries – the United States, Canada and Japan – but also in Europe.

The G7 meeting is being held on the Italian Mediterranean island of Capri.

Italy currently chairs the G7 group. Other members are the US, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Japan and Germany.

The discussions at the meeting on Capri, which has been running since Wednesday evening, were dominated by concerns about the threat of a conflagration in the Middle East following the Iranian attack on Israel last weekend.

It is eagerly awaited how far the G7 ministers will go in their final declarations on the isolation of Tehran, as demanded by Baerbock and others.

The second major G7 topic was the intensified Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure and the efforts to strengthen the air defence of the embattled country.

The host of the meeting, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, plans to comment publicly on the results after the end of the consultations.

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FBI chief warns Chinese hackers could attack US infra

Wray underscored the expansive nature of China’s agenda, asserting that the People’s Republic of China views every facet of American society as fair game in its quest for global dominance….reports Asian Lite News

FBI Director Christopher Wray recently sounded the alarm on the looming threat posed by Chinese-linked hackers, cautioning that they are poised to strike US infrastructure when the opportunity arises. Speaking at the 2024 Vanderbilt Summit on Modern Conflict and Emerging Threats, Wray emphasised the gravity of the situation, highlighting efforts by federal authorities to mitigate the risk.

Wray underscored the expansive nature of China’s agenda, asserting that the People’s Republic of China views every facet of American society as fair game in its quest for global dominance. He emphasized that China’s strategy entails targeting civilian infrastructure to sow panic and undermine America’s resilience. This sentiment aligns with the broader geopolitical context, where tensions between China and the US, particularly regarding Taiwan, have escalated.

In his remarks, Wray outlined the multifaceted approach employed by Chinese hackers, including the theft of intellectual property, technology, and research from various sectors of the American economy. He cited alarming instances where Chinese hackers infiltrated infrastructure controls with remarkable efficiency, bypassing financial data to access critical systems swiftly. This tactical maneuver suggests malicious intent beyond mere economic gain, indicative of a broader agenda aimed at destabilizing vital infrastructure.

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Highlighting the collaborative efforts of law enforcement, military, and intelligence agencies, Wray stressed the importance of proactive engagement from private entities. He emphasized the significance of companies maintaining close communication with their local FBI field offices, fostering a culture of readiness and enabling swift responses to potential threats.

This warning echoes previous alerts issued by Wray, including his testimony before the House Select Committee, where he cautioned against the vulnerability of essential sectors such as the electrical grid, oil and gas pipelines, transportation networks, and water treatment facilities.

Recently, US President Joe Biden said that he would urge US Trade Representative Katherine Tai to consider tripling the tariff rates for steel and aluminium imports from China if the investigation into the Chinese government’s trade practices confirms ‘anti-competitive practices.’

During his address at the United Steelworkers Headquarters in Pittsburgh, Biden said, “Look, right now, my US Trade Representative is investigating trade practices by the Chinese government regarding steel and aluminium. If that investigation confirms these anti-competitive trade practices, then I’m calling on her to consider tripling the tariff rates for both steel imports and aluminium imports from China.”

He accused the Chinese government of funnelling state funds into Chinese steel companies and pushing them to increase steel production subsidised by the government. He described how Chinese steel companies were dumping surplus steel into global markets at low prices because they needed not to worry about profit.

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Whistleblower alleges UN cover-up of special favours for China

The evidence also includes a submission from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)…reports Asian Lite News

In a significant revelation, former Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly has levelled serious accusations against the United Nations, alleging a disturbing nexus between the OHCHR and the Chinese government.

The UK Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee has published written evidence received as part of its inquiry into international relations in the multilateral system.

Reilly, acting as a whistleblower, claimed that the OHCHR has been providing “dangerous ‘favours'” are “being rendered by OHCHR to the Chinese government” and “these favours fall into a broader effort of the Chinese government to instrumentalise the UN to serve its national interests”. Her evidence alleges a “UN cover-up of special favours for the China,” informed UK Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee in a press release.

Reilly alleged that “during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals” that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the General Assembly who ultimately oversaw the process and had significant influence over the final texts put to the Assembly”. Her evidence alleges that the China “imposes a secret conditionality across UN agencies that the monies so provided may not be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan”.

Her written evidence includes allegations that “the Chief of the Human Rights Council Branch in OHCHR, a French national, was secretly providing the China with advance information on which human rights activists planned to attend the Human Rights Council”. It alleges that “UN officials at all levels deliberately lied to member states, including the UK delegation, who enquired about the UN policy of handing names – including of UK citizens and residents – to the PRC without their knowledge or consent,” the release added.

Her evidence alleges that “in cases where the China was provided with names of NGO delegates in advance by the UN Secretariat, the delegates have reported that family members were visited by Chinese police, forced to phone them to tell them to stop their advocacy, arbitrarily arrested, placed under house arrest for the period of the meeting, disappeared, sentenced to long prison terms without cause, tortured, or, as regards Uyghurs, put in concentration camps”.

She alleges that “in some cases, their family members died in detention. In at least one case, a person named on the China’s list, who attended only a side event, later returned to China and died in detention”. She alleges that “in at least one case, the Chinese government issued an Interpol red notice against an NGO delegate,” it also said.

Reilly alleges that “self-censorship extends to the Secretary-General… [who] stated that any resolution of my case would be ‘difficult,’ expressly due to the fact the favours I reported were accorded to the PRC.”

The evidence includes allegations that “reports of both the WHO and [United Nations Environment Programme] UNEP on the origins of covid were edited to reduce references to the possibility of a laboratory leak”.

The evidence also includes a submission from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). The FCDO’s evidence says that China is working to “shape the multilateral system to align more with a state-centric, authoritarian world view,” the release said.

On Russia, the FCDO says that Russia “plays a mostly disruptive role across the multilateral system”. Discussing the engagement of isolated countries with the multilateral system, the FCDO says that “Iran uses its position within the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to disrupt and push back against complying with its legal obligations, and often runs in multilateral elections”.

Organisations such as the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, China Strategic Risks Institute, GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, Hong Kong Watch, the Foreign Policy Centre and the Council on Geostrategy have submitted evidence, as well as individual experts and academics, such as Bill Browder.

At 14:00 today (April 16) the Foreign Affairs Committee held its first evidence session in this inquiry, hearing from whistleblower Reilly and other expert witnesses, including Lord Malloch-Brown.

The Committee’s inquiry into international relations in the multilateral system looks at how a broad range of countries are using multilateral organisations, be that through engaging and influencing, working around them or obstruction.

It follows on from the Committee’s report “In the room: the UK’s role in multilateral diplomacy” which concluded that autocratic states were attempting to aggressively co-opt strategically important multilateral organisations and to fundamentally redefine their founding principles, according to the release (ANI)

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Biden wants to triple tariffs on Chinese metals

President Joe Biden accused the Chinese government of funnelling state funds into Chinese steel companies and pushing them to increase steel production subsidised by the government….reports Asian Lite News

US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that he would urge US Trade Representative Katherine Tai to consider tripling the tariff rates for steel and aluminium imports from China if the investigation into the Chinese government’s trade practices confirms ‘anti-competitive practices.’

During his address at the United Steelworkers Headquarters in Pittsburgh, Biden said, “Look, right now, my US Trade Representative is investigating trade practices by the Chinese government regarding steel and aluminium. If that investigation confirms these anti-competitive trade practices, then I’m calling on her to consider tripling the tariff rates for both steel imports and aluminium imports from China.”

He accused the Chinese government of funnelling state funds into Chinese steel companies and pushing them to increase steel production subsidised by the government. He described how Chinese steel companies were dumping surplus steel into global markets at low prices because they needed not to worry about profit.

“American steelworkers can outwork, outcompete as long as they have fair competition. But for too long, the Chinese government has poured state money into Chinese steel companies, pushing them to make so much steel, as much as possible subsidized by the Chinese government,” Biden said.

“Because Chinese steel companies produce a lot more steel than China needs, it ends up dumping the extra steel into the global markets at unfairly low prices. And the prices are unfairly low because Chinese steel companies don’t need to worry about making a profit, because the Chinese government is subsidising them so heavily. They’re not competing. They’re cheating. And we’ve seen the damage here in America,” he added.

Reflecting on the impact of Chinese steel imports on American workers, Biden recalled the loss of over 14,000 jobs in steel towns across Pennsylvania and Ohio between 2000 and 2010. He vowed to prevent a recurrence of such losses.

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Biden noted that Chinese steel and aluminium were being imported into the US through Mexico, which avoids the tariff. He announced that he has sent a delegation to Mexico to hold a meeting with AMLO, the Mexican president, to address this issue. He stated that Mexico and the US are going to work together to address the issue.

“My administration is also taking a real hard look at the Chinese government’s industrial practices when it comes to global shipbuilding, which is critical to our economy. We depend on a fleet of commercial shipping vessels that carry American products around the world,” he said.

“Shipbuilding is critical to our national security, including the strength of the United States Navy. That’s why my administration takes it very seriously that US steelworkers, along with four other unions, have asked us to investigate whether the Chinese government is using anticompetitive practices to artificially lower prices in the shipbuilding industry,” he added.

He stressed that the US government will take action if the Chinese government is using unfair tactics to undermine free and fair trade competition in the shipping industry.

“And if the Chinese government is doing that and the unfair tactics to undermine free and fair trade competition in the shipping industry, I will take action. That investigation is going on. Taken together, these are strategic and targeted actions that are going to protect American workers and ensure fair competition,” he said.

Biden said that US Steel should remain totally American-owned and American-operated. He noted, “US Steel has been an iconic American company for more than a century. And it should remain a totally American company–American owned, American operated, by American union steelworkers–the best in the world. And that’s going to happen. I promise you.” (ANI)

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China Masks Military Space Presence, Warns NASA Chief

The NASA chief said he hoped “the Chinese space programme would come to its senses and understand that civilian space is for peaceful uses…reports Asian Lite News

The chief of US space agency NASA has told lawmakers in Washington that China is using civilian programmes to hide military objectives in space.

“China has made extraordinary strides [in space] especially in the last 10 years, but they are very, very secretive,” Bill Nelson told the appropriations committee of the US House of Representatives as he testified on the US space agency’s 2025 budget request.

“We believe that a lot of their so-called civilian space programme is a military programme. And I think, in effect, we are in a race.”

Nelson also stressed that it was “incumbent on us” get to the moon, first as he warned: “my concern is if China got there first and suddenly said ‘ok this is our territory, you stay out’.”

The NASA chief said that the US was not going to lose its “global edge” in space, “but you got to be realistic that China is really throwing a lot of money at it and they’ve got a lot of room in their budget to grow.”

“I think that we just better not let down our guard,” Nelson added.

The NASA chief said he hoped “the Chinese space programme would come to its senses and understand that civilian space is for peaceful uses,” but added: “We have not seen that demonstrated by China.”

With the Artemis programme NASA wants to put humans on the moon again after more than 50 years. The moon landing mission Artemis 3 was recently postponed to September 2026.

The long-term goal of Artemis is to establish a permanent lunar base as a foundation for missions to Mars.

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