Day: October 15, 2023

Hi-tech cooperation key to rebuilding China-South Korea ties: envoy

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China’s envoy to South Korea has called for greater bilateral cooperation on technology and innovation to help reset the strained ties between the two countries and overcome “disturbances and difficulties”. Xing Haiming’s remarks, released by the embassy’s WeChat account on Sunday, followed recent rare top-level exchanges between Chinese and South Korean leaders, in emerging signs that tensions could be easing. Last month President Yoon Suk-yeol met Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Jakarta, while three weeks ago China’s leader Xi Jinping spoke of the importance of bilateral cooperation during a meeting…

Guards beat Vietnamese political prisoners for staging protest

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Two prisoners of conscience – Trinh Ba Phuong and Phan Van Hai – were beaten and had their feet shackled in a Vietnamese prison, the family of one of the inmates told Radio Free Asia. The two were protesting against harsh treatment and human rights violations in Quang Nam province’s An Diem Prison. Phuong is serving a 10-year term for “anti-state propaganda” under article 117 of the criminal code. Hai is serving a five-year sentence for the same offense. Phuong told his sister Trinh Thi Thao about the harsh treatment…

Chinese scientists send out special drones in bid to sharpen carbon count from human activities

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But tracking emissions from space has its challenges. Background uncertainty – including influence of clouds, aerosols and land topography – and wind speed are among factors that can impact accuracy, according to Nasa. “Existing and even near-future satellite measurements cannot meet the frequent monitoring requirements for anthropogenic emissions,” Yang Dongxu, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Atmospheric Physics, said in a press release issued on Sunday. Driven by a desire to fine-tune carbon detection, Yang led a research team in seeking a more accurate system to…

China’s Trade Grows in SE Asia Under BRI, as Do Concerns

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Taipei, Taiwan —  Since China’s launch of the Belt and Road Initiative 10 years ago, trade with Southeast Asian nations has more than doubled. Beijing has poured billions into helping build rails, airports, ports, and other infrastructure, but the push for more connectivity comes with unintended consequences observers said. Some key concerns include rising debt, the environmental impact of projects, and an increase in crime said analysts in the region who spoke to VOA’s Mandarin Service. According to the U.K.-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, between 2013 and 2021, Southeast…

Is China’s Belt and Road Initiative running out of steam?

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Now, centuries later, China is continuing what Admiral Zheng began, connecting the history with projects such as Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) as Beijing cements relations with this part of Africa. China funded and built the railway line that runs from Miritini for passenger trains and from the port of Mombasa for freight trains to the capital Nairobi, with an extension to Naivasha, a town in the Central Rift Valley. It is part of a mega plan to recreate an ancient Silk Road under Chinese President Xi Jinping’s multibillion-dollar Belt…

FirstFT: The US warns Iran against escalating Israel-Hamas war

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Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Good morning. The US has held back-channel talks with Iran to warn the Islamic republic against escalating the war between Israel and Hamas into a broader regional conflict, according to President Joe Biden’s top security adviser. US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Washington had the means to communicate privately with Iran and “we have availed ourselves of those means over the past few days to make clear privately that…

Japan stock exchange adopts name and shame regime to boost corporate valuations

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Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Japan’s stock exchange is to introduce a radical new name and shame regime to drive better governance and higher valuations. The Japan Exchange Group, which controls the Tokyo and Osaka exchanges, told companies in March that it wanted to see progress towards lifting corporate value — a critical catalyst in helping the country’s markets to reclaim the ground lost after their crash more than 30 years ago. Hiromi Yamaji, chief…

Myanmar’s Military Seeks to Keep Ethnic Minority Allies on Its Side With Anniversary of Cease-Fire 

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BANGKOK —  Myanmar’s military government hosted representatives from ethnic rebel groups Sunday to mark the eighth anniversary of the signing of a multilateral cease-fire agreement. But the event was boycotted by three of the signatories that oppose the current army-installed regime. The event in the capital Naypyitaw was the first such formal gathering of the military government and ethnic minority leaders since the army seized power from Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government on Feb. 1, 2021. Maintaining a cease-fire with as many groups as possible is crucial for the…

China Signals Willingness to Deepen Involvement in Facilitating Potential Hamas-Israel Cease-Fire   

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Taipei, Taiwan   —  In a sign of possibly deepening its involvement in the ongoing conflict between Israel and militant group Hamas, China’s special envoy for the Middle East, Zhai Jun, will visit “relevant countries in the region” next week to facilitate a cease-fire and potential peace talks, China’s state broadcaster CCTV reported on Sunday. No itinerary was released. In an interview with CCTV, Zhai said China has reiterated that “force is never the way to solve problems” and responding to violence with violence will only create a vicious cycle…

Could Chinese yuan be set for bigger role as belt and road investors steer clear of US dollar risks?

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The next phase of the belt and road could see more trade, financing and investment deals carried out in the Chinese currency as countries try to avoid the risks associated with the US dollar, observers say. Kanyi Lui, an international project finance lawyer and head of Pinsent Masons’ China offices, said there was likely to be a shift. “I expect much more emphasis on RMB-denominated [belt and road] investments and financing as stakeholders look for ways to mitigate political risk,” he said, using the acronym for renminbi, the official Chinese…