UPDATED at 4:30 a.m. EST on 11-15-2022 Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen has tested positive for COVID and decided to leave the Group of 20 Summit in Bali as a precaution. Hun Sen arrived on the Indonesian island on Monday evening local time to attend the meeting of the world’s 20 largest economies and “woke up confirmed positive” for the virus despite having no symptoms, the 70-year-old prime minister announced in a Facebook post addressed to “dear fellow countrymen.” “It was lucky as I arrived late and didn’t join the…
Day: November 14, 2022
China’s economic woes seen persisting despite ‘turning point in macro policies’
But the real impact on the nation’s economic recovery is unlikely to be seen for months – perhaps even a few quarters – given the weakening external and internal demand, coupled with little official indication of when the zero-Covid policy may be reversed, according to analysts. The basic principles of the latest support measures in the property sector – which include addressing developers’ liquidity crisis and loosening down-payment requirements for homebuyers – are not new, according to Shan Hui, chief China economist at Goldman Sachs. Advertisement “With property sales deteriorating…
Your Tuesday Briefing: Biden and Xi Discuss Taiwan
Biden and Xi discuss Taiwan President Biden and Xi Jinping, China’s leader, met for nearly three hours yesterday. In their first face-to-face conversation as top leaders, the two men made a cautious pledge to improve the relationship between the U.S. and China, which is at its most rancorous point in decades. Taiwan was at the top of the agenda, and both leaders urged “peace and stability” in the Taiwan Strait in their summaries after the meetings. The summary from the U.S. said that Biden warned Xi that China’s aggressive stance…
Lao youths blasted for carrying woman in palanquin around stupa in procession
A group of young Laotians have come under harsh criticism – and could be subjected to “re-education” – for carrying an ornately dressed woman in a palanquin around the country’s most important religious landmark during a Buddhist festival The youths apologized after being ordered to do so, but explained that they wanted to promote the arts and meant no disrespect. The idea for the procession came from Lao literature and history, and the woman – an “Upson girl,” whose job it was to entertain kings in the past – was…
Hun Sen justifies giving U.S.$20,000 luxury watches to ASEAN summit VIPs
Prime Minister Hun Sen justified spending about U.S.$500,000 of the national budget on domestically produced luxury watches as gifts for visiting ASEAN dignitaries, arguing they showcased Cambodia’s “scientific and technical progress.” Critics countered that the money would have been better spent on helping Cambodia’s people. Hun Sen commissioned a total of 25 tourbillon watches from Prince Group, Cambodia’s fastest growing conglomerate, as gifts to VIP attendees of the Association for Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, Summit in Phnom Penh last weekend. Each cost about $20,000, he said during a press…
Canada charges hydroelectricity researcher with espionage for China
Canada’s federal police have charged a hydroelectricity researcher at Quebec’s power utility with espionage, alleging the worker was covertly sending trade secrets to China. The arrest of Yuesheng Wang, 35, comes as Canada grapples with a barrage of accusations of Chinese interference, including allegations of meddling in its federal elections, as well as reports of secret “police stations” in the country’s largest city. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police announced the arrest of Wang, a researcher with Hydro-Québec, on Monday following a months-long investigation. Hydro-Québec, the fourth-largest hydropower producer in the…
China’s Performative Zero-COVID Policy
Advertisement Politicians as performers have a long history in liberal democracy; after all, politicians must “sell” their images to attract voters. The modern era of performance in U.S. politics can be traced to the introduction of televised debates in the 1960 presidential election. Democratic Party candidate John F. Kennedy demonstrated his energy, composure, and attractiveness while his opponent, Richard Nixon, sweated in front of the camera. While radio listeners of the debate supported Nixon’s policy message, TV viewers predominantly voted for Kennedy, demonstrating the political power of performance. Since Kennedy,…
North Korea ‘volunteers’ young people for hard labor, but kids of elite can get out
North Korea calls them “volunteers” who willingly toil for free in coal mines and on farms as an expression of their love for the country and its leader. But in reality the young people – mostly from poor families or those who grew up as orphans – are forced to do the grueling work to help shore up an economy battered by the pandemic and international sanctions for the country’s nuclear program. “The truth is that the authorities are forcing them,” said a resident of Hoeryong in the northeastern province…
In First Face-to-Face Meeting With Xi, Biden Emphasizes Taiwan
Advertisement U.S. President Joe Biden objected to China’s “coercive and increasingly aggressive actions” toward Taiwan during his first in-person meeting on Monday with President Xi Jinping, as the leaders of the two superpowers aimed to “manage” differences between their nations as they compete for global influence. The highlight of Biden’s seven-day, round-the-world trip to Asia, the nearly three-hour sit-down came at a critical juncture for the two countries amid increasing economic and security tensions. Speaking at a news conference afterward, Biden said that when it comes to China the U.S.…