The shock over China’s security deal with Solomon Islands is evidence of “a relationship failure” , New Zealand’s foreign affairs minister has said, confirming that the pact took New Zealand, Australia and other Pacific nations completely by surprise. The deal marks Beijing’s first known bilateral security agreement in the Pacific. The text of the final deal is secret, but a draft leaked on social media in March granted Chinese military and police significant access to the country, allowing China to “make ship visits to, carry out logistical replenishment in, and…
Day: May 4, 2022
Your Thursday Briefing: A Ban on Russian Oil?
Good morning. We’re covering the E.U.’s plan to ban Russian oil, growing U.S. frustration with the politicized Supreme Court and a separatist movement in Pakistan. The E.U. may ban Russian oil With no end to the Ukraine conflict in sight, the European Union took a major step on Wednesday toward weakening Moscow’s ability to finance the war, proposing a total embargo on Russian oil. If approved this week as expected, it would be the bloc’s biggest and costliest step yet toward supporting Ukraine and ending its own dependence on Russian…
Taiwanese Morrison Lee Remains Detained in China, Even After Finishing His Jail Term
Advertisement Taiwanese human rights advocate Lee Ming-che returned to Taiwan last month after five years in Chinese jails. Lee had been detained on charges of “subverting state power,” primarily due to online exchanges with Chinese friends about Taiwan’s experiences of democratization. This included holding weekly online lectures conducted by WeChat about democracy and transitional justice. Lee was detained in March 2017 after he entered China through Macau. But since Lee’s return, news has emerged that another Taiwanese detained in China, Morrison Lee Meng-chu, was in fact released from detention last…
Rising Violence by Separatists Adds to Pakistan’s Lethal Instability
Pakistan’s security agencies have cracked down on educated Baluch youth, forcibly “disappearing” suspected militants, sometimes for years, without trial, according to news reports, student advocates and human rights groups. “These days, law enforcement agencies consider every university student from Baluchistan a potential militant,” said Faisal Nawaz, a student from Panjgur, in Baluchistan, who is studying at the University of Karachi. Separatist attacks have been concentrated in the sparsely populated Makran region of Baluchistan, where residents depend on illegal cross-border trade with Iran in fuel and other commodities. In a desert…
Beijing orders ‘stress test’ as fears of Russia-style sanctions mount
Concerned about sweeping Russia-style sanctions from the west, Beijing has ordered a comprehensive “stress test” to study the implications of a similar scenario for its economy, the Guardian has learned. According to a person with direct knowledge of the matter, an extensive exercise began around late February and early March when western allies imposed unprecedented sanctions against Moscow. Several key Chinese government agencies – from banking regulation to international trade – have been asked to come up with responses if the west imposed the same embargos on to China. “Those…
Hungry China’s Growing Interest in ‘Future Foods’ and Alternative Protein
Advertisement Safeguarding China’s food security has long been a high priority for the Chinese central government. In recent years, food security has been publicly linked to China’s national security by top officials. Although the Chinese central government’s policies and plans relating to food security have mainly stressed the importance of domestic production and diversification of food imports, less attention has been paid to the potential of alternative protein. Beijing’s Shifting View on Alternative Protein It appears that Beijing’s public view on alternative protein is beginning to shift. On March 6,…