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US, Canada condemn China’s retaliatory sanctions

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken

The Chinese government on Saturday imposed sanctions on US officials in retaliation…reports Asian Lite News

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEU9ytxU8Rc

The US and Canada have criticized China for retaliatory sanctions imposed by Beijing in an ongoing row over human rights.

In a coordinated move, the US, the EM, Britain and Canada on March 22 slapped sanctions on Chinese officials and entities for abuses against the mostly Muslim Uighur people, reports dpa news agency.

In a retaliatory move on Saturday, Beijing sanctioned Chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) Gayle Manchin; Vice Chair of the USCIRF Tony Perkins; Canadian MP Michael Chong; and the Subcommittee on International Human Rights of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development of the House of Commons of Canada, citing Washington and Ottawa’s sanctions that it said were “based on rumours and misinformation”.

The individuals will not be able to travel to China’s mainland, Hong Kong or Macao and Chinese businesses and institutions are barred from doing business with them or holding exchanges with the Canadian committee.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned the move.

“Beijing’s attempts to intimidate and silence those speaking out for human rights and fundamental freedoms only contribute to the growing international scrutiny of the ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang,” Blinken said in a statement.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the sanctions were “unacceptable actions”.

Also read:Biden invites 40 world leaders to climate summit

“China’s sanctions are an attack on transparency and freedom of expression – values at the heart of our democracy,” Trudeau tweeted late Saturday night.

China had already retaliated against the UK and the EU with tit-for-tat sanctions last week.

Canada prime minister Justin Trudeau.

In the last few years, hundreds of Uighurs, Kazakhs and Huis have testified that they were held in internment camps in Xinjiang as part of what observers say is a government campaign to forcibly assimilate the minorities.

There have been reports of torture and sexual abuse.

The Chinese government says the camps – estimated to have held more than 1 million people since 2017 – are “vocational education centres” to eradicate extremism and terrorism.

Also read:Morrison not okay with China’s new wine tariffs

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Pak desperate to block extradition of key Dawood aide

Dawood Ibrahim. (Photo: Interpol)

Once the High Court clears Jabir Motiwala’s extradition, intelligence sources said his subsequent trial in the US will unmask D-company’s link with the ISI and its entire underworld operations, reports Asian Lite News

In a last ditch effort, Pakistani agencies exercised all available resources to thwart extradition of Dawood’s Ibrahim’s key finance manager and drug operator Jabir Motiwala to the US.

Officials of Pakistan’s High Commission in London were reportedly seen with Motiwala’s pleaders, pursuing D-company aide’s appeal in High Court, in a bid to prevent D-company’s ultimate trial in the US, sources in Indian Intelligence agencies said.

Intelligence sources said that once the High Court clears Jabir Motiwala’s extradition, his subsequent trial in the US on charges of drug trafficking and money laundering will unmask D-company’s link with the ISI and its entire underworld operations in a US Court.

Also Read – Dawood Acquires Caribbean Citizenship

“The trial of the Jabir could also highlight, how Dawood, a global terrorist wanted in serial bomb blasts in Mumbai has been operating from Karachi and sharing drug routes with major terror outfits patronised by ISI,” said a senior IPS officer in New Delhi.

Mumbai blasts

Motiwala, who operates for Dawood Ibrahim, is a Pakistani National, presently imprisoned in Wandsworth jail in south west London.

The High Court on Thursday reserved its judgement on Jabir Motiwala’s extradition to the US, earlier granted by a Westminster Magistrate’s court, last year.

Sources said that in a few weeks time, the High Court’s judgement on Motiwala’s fate could be expected. A section of Pakistani media, meanwhile has said that Motiwala, who hails from a well to do family in Karachi has been framed by US law enforcing agencies in drugs operations.

On the other hand, the US agencies have provided documentary evidence of drug dealing and handling finance of D-Company including tapes, against Motiwala in the court.

Pakistani diplomats had earlier tried to thwart the extradition move by submitting a letter on behalf of accused’s lawyer in the Magistrate’s court, saying Motiwala was a “well known respected businessman in the Pakistan”.

Dawood Ibrahim

In fact Pakistani diplomats fear that once Motiwala is extradited to US, the close aide of D-company can reveal the entire nexus between Dawood Ibrahim’s underworld network (being operated from Karachi) and don’s connection with Pakistan’s spy agency Inter Services Intelligence (ISI).

The US had already declared Dawood a global terrorist running international drug syndicate and sharing gang’s routes with Pakistan based terror outfits.

Also Read – ‘UAE secretly mediates for Indo-Pak peace’

Sources said that Dawood’s key finance aide Jabir Motiwala, was produced in Magistrates courts in London after his arrest by Scotland Yard Extradition Unit on charges of money laundering and sharing proceeds of narcotics money earned on behalf of the D-company.

Sources said that Barrister John Hardy, appearing on behalf of the US government, had earlier revealed to the Magistrate’s Court that Jabir Motiwala, a close aide of Dawood, travelled extensively and conducted (underworld crimes related) meetings for his boss Dawood Ibrahim, an Indian who along with his brother Anees, are wanted for terror crimes in India.

During the extradition trial Defence lawyer for the D-company member, told the Court that Motiwala was suffering from depression and had made several suicide attempts in the past few years.

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan. (File Photo: IANS)

The lawyer argued that in such a situation, Motiwala cannot be extradited to the US to face trial.

Also Read – UK Seizes Dawood Ibrahim’s Properties

Sources said that contrary to the Defence lawyers claim, Motiwala has been investing D-company’s black money into various projects abroad. He is said to be involved in drug trafficking and also travels to collect money on behalf of the D-company in Europe.

Sources said that Motiwala’s extradition to the US, if endorsed by higher Court would be a setback for Dawood as well as his patrons in Pakistani establishment.

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-Top News USA

Biden, Harris set eyes on 2024 election

US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris
President blames Trump for dysfunction at the border, denies perception of him as welcoming was driving the surge of migrants, reports Asian Lite News.

US President Joe Biden is planning to run for re-election with Kamala Harris as his running mate.

“I would fully expect that to be the case. She’s doing a great job. She’s a great partner, she’s a great partner,” he said when asked about his vice-presidential candidate in the 2024 election at his news conference on Thursday.

A reporter pointed out that former President Donald Trump had set up his re-election campaign soon after taking office but Biden hasn’t yet.

“My predecessor need do to,” he said and joked, “My predecessor, oh God, I miss him.”

He said, “My plan is to run for reelection. That’s my expectation. I don’t even think about (it),” he said about the prospects of facing his nemesis Trump again. “I have no idea if there will be a Republican Party. Do you?”

Turning philosophical, he said: “The way I view things, I’ve become a great respecter of fate in my life.”

He said that his goal is to “change the paradigm. We start to reward work, not just wealth.”

He will be 81 years old in 2024.

Having already exceeded the goal of giving out 100 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine before the target day of 100 days in office, he raised the target to 200 million shots.

This was Biden’s first news conference and the 64-day lag since taking office was longest of recent presidents.

The hour-long formal encounter with reporters was a marked contrast to the confrontational style of Trump and the reporters. When he entered the East Room of the White House, the reporters respectfully stood up to greet him.

Since he is gaffe-prone when he speaks spontaneously, the encounter was carefully orchestrated with Biden calling up reporters from an apparently screened list on the podium of only reporters from media considered sympathetic to him.

Unlike Trump, who spontaneously called on reporters hostile to him and had it out, Biden did not take questions from anyone from media like Fox News that White House considers unfriendly.

Biden often looked at notes when answering questions.

(Xinhua/IANS)

The few times he raised his voice were when he condemned the Republicans for their opposition to voting rights legislation proposed by his party to expand access to polling.

He said that it is “sick”, “despicable” and “un-American”.

The selected reporters mostly obliged him with softball the questions.

The only forceful questions that put him on the defensive were about the migration crisis at the Mexico border, where thousands of people are trying to enter the country and children are being held under appalling conditions.

He blamed Trump for the dysfunction at the border and denied that the perception of him as welcoming was driving the surge of migrants.

He quipped, “I guess I should be flattered if people are coming because I’m the nice guy.”

But he distanced himself from the assertion that his attitude towards immigrants was bringing in more of them and said the surge “happens every single, solitary year… in winter when it’s cooler.

Biden said that Trump “dismantled all the elements that exist to deal with what had been a problem and — and has been — continued to be a problem for a long time”.

Biden said that most of those coming in were being sent back to Mexico but he was welcoming of children coming by themselves.

“The only people we’re not going to let sitting there on the other side of the Rio Grande (border) by themselves with no help are children,” he said.

He has been crticised for keeping children in the border patrol custody for longer than the 72 hours mandated by courts.

He acknowledged that some are held in “circumstances that are not acceptable” and said it could be resolved by sending the children to their relatives sooner and by creating more facilities to hold them.

Also Read-Tough to meet May 1 Afghan troop exit deadline: Biden

Read More-Biden promises 200mn jabs in 100 days

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Tough to meet May 1 Afghan troop exit deadline: Biden

US President Joe Biden

“It’s going to be hard to meet the May 1 deadline. Just in terms of tactical reasons, it’s hard to get those troops out.”said Biden…reports Asian Lite News

President Joe Biden has indicated that the US is unlikely to meet the May 1 deadline set by his predecessor Donald Trump to get American troops out of Afghanistan.

Addressing a news conference in Washington on Thursday, Biden said: “It’s going to be hard to meet the May 1 deadline. Just in terms of tactical reasons, it’s hard to get those troops out.”

He said that the US was consulting its NATO allies who also have troops there “and if we leave, we’re going to do so in a safe and orderly way”.

Afghan security force members take part in a military operation in Ghazni province, eastern Afghanistan

Replying to a question, the President said that he could not see the troops still being in Afghanistan next year.

“It is not my intention to stay there for a long time. But the question is how and in what circumstances do we meet that agreement that was made by President Trump to leave under a deal that looks like it’s not being able to be worked out to begin with? How is that done?”

Also read:N.Korean missile launch not provocation: Biden

He appeared to question the legitimacy of the democratically elected Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani by disparaging referring to him as “the ‘leader’, quote, in Afghanistan and Kabul”.

Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin “just met with Ghani and I’m waiting for the briefing on that. He is the the ‘leader’, quote, in Afghanistan and Kabul”, he said.

US troops in Afghanistan.

More than 20 years after the US and NATO troops were sent to Afghanistan to root out the Al Qaeda terror organisation and the Taliban that provided it bases, about 2,500 American troops remaining there, although down from about 100,000 at the height of the deployment in 2010.

Trump started negotiations with the Taliban for a peace settlement in Afghanistan and had set the May 1, 2021, deadline for the troops to return home.

Biden has kept on Zalmay Khalilzad, who was appointed by Trump as the special envoy for Afghanistan Reconciliation, and is still trying to seal a peace deal.

Also read:US Defence Secy visits Ghani

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-Top News China USA

Tesla cars banned in China’s military, govt premises

The latest move by China can be considered as its technological battle with the United States, reports Asian Lite News

China is reportedly barring military and government personnel from using Tesla vehicles, citing a potential data security risk posed by the Elon Musk-run electric carmaker.

According to a report in The Wall Street Journal citing sources, people who work for the “military, state-owned enterprises in sensitive industries, and other government agencies” will be asked not to drive a Tesla vehicle.

Also Read – Russia ‘interested’ in Elon Musk’s offer

“The Chinese government has informed some of its agencies to ask their employees to stop driving Tesla cars to work,” the report mentioned.

Tesla cars have also been reportedly banned from driving into housing compounds for families of personnel working in sensitive industries and state agencies.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk. (File photo: IANS)

“They were told by their agencies that among the government’s concerns is that Tesla vehicles can be constantly in record mode, using cameras and other sensors to log various details, including short videos”.

The Chinese government is concerned that those images can be sent back to the US.

The Chinese regulators are also taking a closer look at Tesla operations in the country after recent videos on social media showed a Model 3 battery fire and malfunctioning vehicles.

Also Read – Tesla officially enters India

Tesla said in a statement that its “privacy protection policy complies with Chinese laws and regulations”.

“Tesla attaches great importance to the protection of users’ privacy,” the electric carmaker added.

Tesla Model Y. (Photo: Twitter/@Tesla)

The restriction on Tesla comes as Chinese President Xi Jinping “increasingly moves China away from foreign technology as Beijing’s technological battle with the US intensifies”.

The move comes at a time when the US has labeled smartphone maker Huawei a national security threat, restricting its business activities with the US companies.

Tesla which has its Gigafactory in Shangai is set to enter India this year to tap into the million-dollar opportunity as the country warms up to EVs.

Also Read – China’s cyber warfare after Pangong pullout

China is the largest market for electric vehicles in the world, and Tesla is the top seller of such vehicles.

The company also plans to build a supercharger manufacturing factory in Shanghai, which is expected to be operational soon.

On January 7, the US electric carmaker launched a project to manufacture Model Y vehicles in the Shanghai Gigafactory, its first overseas plant outside the US.

Tesla has opened its largest supercharger station worldwide, with 72 charging piles set up in the Jing’an District of Shanghai.

As of the end of 2020, the automaker has built more than 600 supercharger stations in China.

Also Read – China greatest long-term threat: Pentagon