The Vietnam Interfaith Council has joined forces with four organizations representing overseas Vietnamese in a renewed call on Hanoi to respect its commitment to improving its human rights record. The civil society organization fights for religious freedom in the country but is not recognized by the government. It issued an open letter with the international groups on Tuesday, ahead of Saturday’s 74th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. “According to domestic and international NGOs the human rights situation in Vietnam continues to deteriorate,” the letter said. “Politically, the…
Day: December 7, 2022
Mickey and Donald roll out the red carpet as Shanghai Disneyland reopens under China’s easier Covid-19 rules
Shanghai’s authorities dropped the requirement for new inbound travellers to undergo nucleic acid tests, and lifted the five-day ban on their access to public venues in response to the new measures. China’s current wave of outbreaks appear to have come under control, underscoring the conclusion that the high caseload did not correlate with a high mortality rate, saving the nation’s healthcare system from strain. 01:55 Shanghai Disneyland reopens as China eases strict zero-Covid restrictions China reported 21,165 new infections in the previous 24 hours on Wednesday, marking the smallest daily…
In China, Luxury Shopping Faces Ongoing Headwinds
This article is part of our special section on the DealBook Summit that included business and policy leaders from around the world. Toward the end of 2021, a glittering luxury shopping center called Taikoo Li Qiantan opened its doors in Shanghai. The 120,000-square-meter center (the equivalent to a stretch of 17 soccer pitches) is made up of nine buildings, landscaped gardens and stores from Western brands such as Balenciaga, Bulgari, Cartier, Gucci, Hermès and Tiffany & Company. The expectation for this colossal state-of-the-art mall in China’s commercial capital, owned by…
At the DealBook Summit, Untangling the Now — and the Future
This article is part of our special section on the DealBook Summit that included business and policy leaders from around the world. Last week at the DealBook Summit, I interviewed some of the world’s most influential leaders, among them Janet Yellen, the Treasury secretary of the United States; President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine; Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive of Meta; and Andy Jassy, the chief executive of Amazon. One common theme came up in just about every conversation. It was that every decision — big and small — is ultimately a…
U.S. Recognition of Tiny Pacific Country Reshapes Its New Zealand Ties
The Cook Islands had given up on its dream of United Nations membership and, with it, greater autonomy and influence on the world stage. New Zealand, the country that once governed the small Pacific nation and still exercises power there, had rejected its repeated entreaties. But now that President Biden has provided a stamp of approval — with formal recognition for the Cook Islands at a summit of Pacific nations in September — the country of 18,000 people has shifted course, moving toward joining international bodies with renewed vigor. What…
China vows to crack down on local authorities taking ‘excessive’ approach
It came days after Xi, in talks with European Council President Charles Michel in Beijing, acknowledged that people protesting against the country’s Covid-19 measures in Chinese cities last week were frustrated after three years of the pandemic. China is starting to roll back those measures, though some local authorities have been reluctant to do so – apparently out of concern about a potential spike in cases. Advertisement Ahead of the Politburo meeting, some provincial anti-corruption bodies issued directives aimed at reining in Covid-19 controls imposed by local authorities, according to…
China Faces New Challenges After Relaxing ‘Zero-COVID’ Policy
Washington — Days after protesters took to the streets of China over Beijing’s strict “zero-COVID” policy, experts say the government may soon face bigger COVID-19 containment challenges than those that came with three years of locking down entire cities. On Thursday morning, China’s State Health Administration reported a record number of locally transmitted infections: 43,218 cases. The surge in reported cases came just one day after the central government issued 10 “new measures,” loosening almost every zero-COVID control. The wide-ranging new measures permit people with mild or no symptoms and…
Canada to review ‘disconcerting’ police radio deal with ties to China, says Trudeau
Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau has vowed to review a contract awarded to a Beijing-linked firm to supply and maintain federal police radio equipment, citing possible security concerns. The half-million dollar contract for a radio frequency filtering system to prevent eavesdropping went to Canada’s Sinclair Technologies, which is controlled by China’s Hytera Communications. The Shenzen-based company is partly owned by the Chinese government and blacklisted by the United States – raising concerns about potential Chinese access to Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) communications. “I find it disconcerting,” Trudeau told a…
North Korea Likely to Continue Escalating Threats Next Year, Experts Say
washington — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is likely to outline his plan to meet the goal of having “the world’s most powerful strategic force” at a plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea later this month, according to experts. North Korea heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula this year by conducting a record number of missile launches, including firing several intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and flying an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) over Japan. This week, Pyongyang fired multiple rounds of artillery shells…
US manufacturers with ties to China applaud easing of Covid-19 restrictions
Amid concern that the Chinese government would double down on its hard-line tactics in fighting the spread of Covid-19, US President Joe Biden’s administration took a wait-and-see approach instead of issuing any warnings. That sparked criticism from some political opponents that he was being weak on Beijing. The US-China Business Council, whose members include Apple, Nike and Caterpillar, applauded the loosening of Covid policies, possibly pointing to a reversal of a deeply pessimistic outlook that its members have towards their operations in China. A USCBC survey published in August showed…