He may have just signed a new defence cooperation agreement with the United States, but the prime minister of Papua New Guinea was determined to make it clear that he did not want to be forced into making a binary choice between Washington and Beijing. Speaking after the deal was struck, James Marape reflected the view of Pacific leaders that they should not simply be seen as chess pieces in a broader geopolitical struggle,as China and the US step up their efforts to expand their influence among Pacific island countries.…
Day: May 22, 2023
UK businesses in China call for regulatory clarity
Beijing needs to provide greater regulatory certainty on data security and other issues to help restore foreign investor confidence, the British Chamber of Commerce in China has warned. A survey last month found sentiment among the chamber’s members had recovered from the depths of last December, with 8 per cent describing themselves as “pessimistic”, down from a record 42 per cent. But six months after China abandoned draconian Covid-19 restrictions, 70 per cent of the chamber’s members were still adopting a wait-and-see attitude on new investments while they sought regulatory…
China’s Pioneering Gay Rights Group Halts Operations Under ‘Force Majeure’
hong kong — The 15-year-old Beijing LGBT Center, one of the pioneers of the “different sexual orientation movement” in China, announced this week that it had terminated its operations without explanation. Analysts said the closure of the well-known rights center was seen as inevitable and a reflection of the increasingly repressive political environment in China under Xi Jinping. The LGBT Center released a statement on its social media accounts Monday evening, announcing that the center would cease operations “due to force majeure.” That legal phrase typically refers to events outside…
China widens foreign access to swaps after $130bn bond sell-off
China has opened the door for more overseas investors to access its prized $5tn interest rate swaps market, a move Beijing hopes can help stem a protracted sell-off of local debt as US rates rise. The market link-up, known as Swap Connect, launched on May 15 and is similar to existing programmes in Hong Kong that allow offshore investors to trade bonds and stocks in Shanghai and Shenzhen. Eddie Yue, chief executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, said during a meeting in Beijing that allowing foreign investors to hedge…
China’s fishing fleet embroiled in rising tensions with US
From the waters of the Pacific Ocean to the coasts of Antarctica and Africa, China’s fishing fleet is emerging as a new geopolitical flashpoint between Washington and Beijing. The Chinese distant water industry is by far the world’s biggest in terms of catch volume and fleet size, and is estimated to have about 10,000 vessels worldwide. It has long drawn criticism from conservationists for its pillage of endangered species and from human rights experts for abuse of workers on the high seas. Over the past year, however, a crackdown on…
Florida Sued Over Law Blocking Chinese Citizens, Other Foreigners From Buying Property
TALLAHASSEE, Florida — A group of Chinese citizens living and working in the southern U.S. state of Florida sued the state Monday over a new law that bans Chinese nationals from purchasing property in large swaths of the state. The law applies to properties within 16 kilometers of military installations and other “critical infrastructure” and also affects citizens of Cuba, Venezuela, Syria, Iran, Russia, and North Korea. But Chinese citizens and those selling property to them face the harshest penalties. The prohibition also applies to agricultural land. The American Civil…
China firms plagued by payment delays, with big cash-flow risks, survey finds
Longer credit terms contributed to fewer incidents of payment delays last year, Coface found, as 40 per cent of the polled companies reported overdue payments, down from 53 per cent a year prior. Strict coronavirus controls, China’s economic slowdown and rising raw material costs were among the main reasons cited for such delays, the report said. Advertisement John Lin, a project manager at a state-owned enterprise in Guangdong, has been seeking to collect a long-overdue payment owed by a local government in nearby Fujian province. “The local government is in…
State Department Clarifies: Not Lifting Sanctions on China’s Defense Chief
state department — The United States is not considering lifting current sanctions on China’s defense chief, Li Shangfu, the State Department said Monday. U.S. officials had said sanctions on Li do not prevent him from conducting official meetings with his American counterparts, nor should sanctions be hurdles for military talks between Washington and Beijing. Over the weekend, U.S. President Joe Biden told reporters that he would not consider easing sanctions on Chinese officials to improve relations. He later suggested that lifting sanctions on the defense chief is “under negotiation right…
Cambodian court charges trio that assisted farmers with incitement
A court in Cambodia’s Ratanakiri province has charged three men with incitement after they advised farmers of their constitutional rights, prompting more than 200 farmers to descend on the capital to call for their release. On the afternoon of May 17, authorities in Kratie province arrested Coalition of Cambodian Farmer Community President Theng Savoeun and 16 of his colleagues for “inciting social unrest” and “conspiracy to commit treason.” According to local rights group ADHOC, the arrests took place after the 17 met with farmers in Ratanakiri to discuss agricultural techniques…
INTERVIEW: ‘It’s hard for those in power to tolerate any kind of satire’
The axing of a satirical political cartoon by a major Hong Kong newspaper was due to “political pressure” from government officials, cartoonist Zunzi told Radio Free Asia in a recent interview. Hong Kong’s Chinese-language newspaper of record, the Ming Pao, last week canceled Zunzi’s regular comic strip following an onslaught of public criticism from government officials. Staff at the paper expressed “regret and a sense of helplessness” over the move. Cartoonist Huang Jijun, 68, who had cartoons in every edition of the now-shuttered pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper for 26 years,…