Day: October 8, 2023

Chinese activist gets political asylum in Canada

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Chinese dissident Chen Siming, who refused to board a flight to China while transiting through Taiwan, has been granted political asylum in Canada.  In an exclusive interview with Radio Free Asia after arriving in Vancouver on Oct. 5, Chen said he hopes to adapt to life in Canada as soon as possible and find a job to make a living. If he takes good care of himself, he said he will be more powerful to help the pro-democracy movement and overthrow the power of the Chinese Communist Party. “After I…

China expert Matt Pottinger: ‘Even with a weak economy, Xi is feeling emboldened’

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A year ago, Xi Jinping bestrode the Communist party congress, having banished his rivals. Now, puzzlingly, he has started banishing his allies too. China’s defence minister and former foreign minister have disappeared from public view. Two generals from the country’s nuclear rocket force have been removed from their posts. For veteran China watchers, the country’s elite politics are largely impenetrable. “The system is a black box,” says Matt Pottinger, a Mandarin speaker who served as Donald Trump’s deputy national security adviser between 2019 and 2021. Pottinger’s best guess is that…

Hong Kong developers hit by Fed’s ‘higher for longer’ interest rates

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Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Property sector myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. Hong Kong’s largest developers have shed a fifth of their market value this year, as the city’s dollar peg forces it to match the Federal Reserve’s “higher for longer” approach to interest rates. Shares in the Asian financial hub’s five largest builders had surged in December and January as local home prices rose and global investors bet on a robust rebound in Chinese growth. But rate rises enacted by the…

China names new science ministry chief to help lead hi-tech self-reliance drive

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“He has extensive experience in administration, such as serving as Beijing’s deputy mayor. That will benefit the ongoing scientific and technological reforms in China,” he said, declining to be named. Born in the northwestern province of Shanxi, Yin earned a master’s degree in radiophysics from Xidian University in 1989 and worked at Taiyuan University of Technology for three years. He then began doctoral studies at the academy’s Institute of Electronics, receiving a PhD in electromagnetic theory and microwave technology in 2005. Yin spent almost a decade working at the institute…

Xi Jinping’s wants a ‘multipolar world’, as China accelerates its shift away from the west

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It was a difficult summer for China’s leader, Xi Jinping. He was faced with natural disasters, economic uncertainty and a roster of disappearing ministers that had observers around the world speculating on their fate. But one brief highlight among the gloom was the Brics summit in Johannesburg, in which six new countries were added to the bloc of emerging economies, more than doubling its size. With the addition of the new members, Brics will account for nearly half of the world’s population. Xi had long called for the admission of…

Think Tank: Rail Traffic Surge on North Korea-Russia Border Suggests Arms Supply to Russia

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Seoul, South Korea —  Recent satellite photos show a sharp increase in rail traffic along the North Korea-Russia border, indicating the North is supplying munitions to Russia, according to a U.S. think tank. Speculation about a possible North Korean plan to refill Russia’s munition stores drained in its protracted war with Ukraine flared last month, when North Korean leader Kim Jong Un traveled to Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin and visit key military sites. Foreign officials suspect Kim is seeking sophisticated Russian weapons technologies in return for the munitions…

They made China’s economic dream a reality. Now, they struggle to survive

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Geng’s story is not unique. Hundreds of millions flocked to coastal factories after former leader Deng Xiaoping opened up the country to foreign investors in 1979 and set up four special economic zones – Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Shantou in Guangdong province, and Xiamen in the neighbouring province of Fujian. Low-cost Chinese products were shipped worldwide as masses of labourers worked hard to turn the nation from an underdeveloped agrarian state into a manufacturing centre dubbed “the world’s factory”. 03:51 Fewer jobs and less pay: Chinese migrant workers continue to face…

China and the Lessons Learned From a Decade of the BRI 

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Taipei —  EDITOR NOTES: DO NOT PUBLISH – This is a part of a series. This story’s RELEASE/PUBLISH date is SUNDAY, 10/08)) As Beijing marks the 10-year anniversary of its Belt and Road Initiative or BRI, China’s state media is lauding the program’s efforts to boost connectivity and build out global infrastructure. More than 150 countries and 32 international organizations have joined the massive global transportation and infrastructure project with more than 200 agreements currently underway or completed, according to the Belt and Road Portal, China’s official website that promotes…

Israel Urges China to Show Solidarity After Beijing Fails to Condemn Hamas Attacks

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Washington —  China’s foreign ministry Sunday responded to the surprise attack by Hamas militants on Israel by calling on all sides to exercise restraint, echoing Russia’s position. “China is deeply concerned over the current escalation of tensions and violence between Palestine and Israel. We call on relevant parties to remain calm, exercise restraint and immediately end the hostilities to protect civilians and avoid further deterioration of the situation,” said a spokesperson from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “The fundamental way out of the conflict lies in implementing the two-state solution…

Indonesia ‘Deeply Concerned’ Over Violence Between Israel, Palestinians

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Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has released a statement expressing concern about the escalating conflict between Palestinians and Israelis. “Indonesia is deeply concerned with the escalation of conflict between Palestine and Israel. Indonesia urges the immediate end of violence to avoid further human casualties,” said the statement published on X, formerly known as Twitter. Without naming Hamas as the attacker, the ministry said in a separate tweet, “The root of the conflict, namely the occupation of the Palestinian territories by Israel, must be resolved, in accordance with the parameters agreed…