Advertisement While the war in Ukraine is naturally dominating world politics at the moment, for China the major event of 2022 is the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party. The consensus view is that General Secretary Xi Jinping’s third term is assured. However, for Xi to get his third term, some institutional adjustments and explanations will be needed. First, Article 6 of the 2006 “Regulations on the Selection of Leading Party and Government Cadres” stipulates that reappointments to positions in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) can be made…
Day: April 21, 2022
Ukraine war: senior US official sharpens threat of sanctions if China helps Russia
“They have seen what we have done in terms of sanctions, export controls, designations vis-a-vis Russia, so it should give them some idea of the menu from which we could choose,” US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said in Brussels on Thursday. Photo: Reuters South China Morning Post
Factcheck: the Coalition says Labor always ‘takes China’s side’, but are the parties’ positions so different?
As the Coalition campaign seeks to revive the talking point that Labor always “takes China’s side”, Scott Morrison implored reporters to “just look at the record”. So we did just that and found the claims by the prime minister and his senior ministers are either factually inaccurate, misleading, or lack context. Claim What I don’t understand is that when something of this significance takes place, why would you take China’s side? – Scott Morrison in response to Labor criticism over the security agreement between China and Solomon Islands, leaders’ debate,…
China’s harsh and elitist covid rules
Apr 21st 2022 IN TIMES OF disease, revolution or famine, Beijing’s city gates offered China’s imperial rulers more than mere security. These hulking towers of grey brick and stone were symbols of a system that strove to keep death itself far from the seat of supreme power. When smallpox swept the arid plains and mountains of north-east China, the sick were quarantined miles outside Beijing and even imperial family members banished, if they lacked immunity from a previous infection. During some bubonic plagues, burials were banned in Beijing and detailed…
China says imports are causing outbreaks of covid-19
Apr 21st 2022 BEIJING IT STARTED WITH Norwegian salmon. Chinese officials blamed the frozen fish for a surge of covid-19 cases in Beijing in 2020. Later they claimed to have found the virus on crabs from Chile and shrimp from Ecuador. A smorgasbord of other delicacies, from pork knuckles to bananas, have also been labelled as hosts by China. So have South Korean clothing and packages arriving from abroad. Listen to this story.Enjoy more audio and podcasts on iOS or Android. Your browser does not support the <audio> element. Listen…
Chinese political interference has Western spooks worried
Apr 21st 2022 CHRISTINE LEE once mingled easily with members of Britain’s elite. The Hong Kong-born British solicitor frequently visited Parliament, where legislators supported her work helping ethnic Chinese get more involved in politics. She even received an award for her efforts from Theresa May, who was then prime minister. The two were photographed together at Downing Street in 2019. Listen to this story.Enjoy more audio and podcasts on iOS or Android. Your browser does not support the <audio> element. Listen to this story Save time by listening to our…
Tibet builds makeshift Covid hospitals amid China’s latest outbreak
Authorities in Tibet are building massive Covid isolation and care facilities in anticipation of further outbreaks in China even though the remote territory has reported only one case during the pandemic. Temporary hospitals – a key feature of China’s Covid response – with at least 1,000 beds each are being built in Lhasa and Shigatse by the Chinese firm Jiangsu Qi’an Construction Group. The firm said it had been tasked with building the hospitals in late March and given “less than half a month” to complete them. More than 400…