A Washington official has made the most direct comments by a US authority to date acknowledging the existence of a deal with Japan and the Netherlands for those countries to impose new restrictions on exports of chipmaking tools to China. “We can’t talk about the deal right now,” said Don Graves, deputy commerce department secretary, on the sidelines of an event in Washington. “But you can certainly talk to our friends in Japan and the Netherlands.” Bloomberg reported on Friday an agreement had been finalised and two people familiar with…
Day: January 31, 2023
German court sentences second person in Vietnam kidnapping case
The Berlin High Court has sentenced Le Anh Tu to five years in prison for his part in the kidnapping of a former Vietnamese provincial official. Tu, 32, was living in Prague before the July 2017 kidnapping of Trinh Xuan Than in a Berlin park. He fled to Vietnam, and was arrested five years later on his return to the Czech Republic. “This trial lasted three months,” Berlin-based freelance journalist Hieu Ba Linh told RFA after Monday’s sentencing. “The court sentenced defendant Le Anh Tu to five years in prison…
UN Rights Expert Warns Myanmar Military Planning Sham Elections
United Nations — The U.N. special rapporteur for Myanmar warned Tuesday that two years after its coup, Myanmar’s military will try to legitimize its hold on power through sham elections this year, and he urged the international community not to recognize or engage with the junta. “They have been unsuccessful in securing legitimacy,” Tom Andrews said of the military leadership during a news conference on the eve of the anniversary of the coup, which ousted the democratically elected National Unity Government. “So, what they are attempting to do is create…
Beijing Has Hit ‘Temporary Herd Immunity,’ Official Says
BEIJING — Beijing has reached “temporary herd immunity” and its COVID-19 outbreak is nearing an end, a city health official said Tuesday, in another sign China’s virus wave is waning. A torrent of cases has cascaded through the world’s most populous nation since the ruling Communist Party abruptly ended its zero-COVID policy last month. The surge packed hospitals and crematoriums in major cities including Beijing, though the scale of the outbreak is hard to verify given that official data is believed to represent a tiny fraction of the true number…
How US Marines are being reshaped for China threat
Military specialist Mike O’Hanlon, director of foreign policy at the Brookings Institution in Washington DC, rejects the central criticism that the new focus on China might impair Marine operations elsewhere. The Marines will go where they are ordered, he says, and the new strategy probably won’t impact on operations as much as some think. BBC
Air Force Says Proposed Chinese-Owned Mill in North Dakota Is ‘Significant Threat’
After more than a year of debate about whether a Chinese company’s plan to build a corn mill in North Dakota was an economic boon or a geopolitical risk, an assistant secretary of the Air Force has weighed in with a warning that the “project presents a significant threat to national security.” The letter from Assistant Secretary Andrew P. Hunter, released publicly on Tuesday by North Dakota’s senators, noted the proximity of Grand Forks Air Force Base to the proposed mill and said the project raised “near- and long-term risks…
Laos National Assembly approves Cabinet reshuffle
Three ministers have been replaced by Laos’ National Assembly with officials closely connected to new Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, with the removed ministers appointed as provincial governors instead. Santiphab Phonvihane, the son of a former Lao president, will now serve as minister of finance. replacing Bounchom Oubonpaseuth, who will take up the governorship of Savannakhet province. Phoxay Sayasone, the son of another former President and current Saravane governor, will take up the Energy and Mine ministry, switching spots with Daovong Phonekeo who become governor of Saravane. Finally, Ngampasong Meuangmany will…
Myanmar junta looks to extend rule as nation counts losses in two years since coup
Myanmar’s top military leaders dropped hints on Tuesday, the eve of the second anniversary of their overthrow of the civilian government, that they may extend emergency rule, declaring an “extraordinary situation” in light of ongoing resistance to junta rule. The 11-member National Defense and Security Council, which local media said would announce a decision on Wednesday, looks set to offer Myanmar’s people either six more months of harsh military rule, an election later this year that opponents have dismissed as a sham because it is rigged to keep junta officials…
Scheduled testimony by TikTok CEO to US lawmakers fans speculation among some Chinese netizens that he could face ‘danger’
Although Chinese apps have been under pressure since former US President Donald Trump called into question their potential danger to national security in 2020, Chew’s hearing is highly unusual for a senior Chinese executive, fanning fevered speculation on Chinese social media. One Chinese internet user named Sishuinianhua posted on news aggregator Jinri Toutiao, also owned by ByteDance, that Chew might even be detained by Washington as happened in the case of Meng Wanzhou. Meng, the CFO of Huawei Technologies Co and daughter of founder Ren Zhengfei, was detained at Vancouver…
Russia lists Dalai Lama’s envoy on foreign-agent list after he criticizes Ukraine war
Russia’s Justice Ministry has included the spiritual head of Russia’s Kalmyk Buddhists and envoy of the Dalai Lama to Russia on a list of foreign agents after he criticized Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The move comes as Moscow cracks down on dissent over the war in Ukraine by using a new law to impose increasing civic restrictions on individuals or entities that publicly oppose the country’s invasion of its neighbor, regardless of their nationality or location. The Justice Ministry explained its decision, by noting that Telo Tulku Rinpoche “spoke against…