International human rights groups say Vietnam must improve its record on basic freedoms before running for reelection as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council in the 2026-2028 term. Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son announced Vietnam’s intention to run again at a Monday meeting of the council in Geneva, calling on other countries to support Hanoi’s bid, Vietnamese state media reported. Son was leading Vietnam’s delegation as a member of the council for the 2023-2025 term. Josef Benedict, civil space research officer for global civil society alliance CIVICUS, told Radio…
Day: February 27, 2024
Embattled China property giant Country Garden faces liquidation petition
Country Garden Holdings has said a liquidation petition has been filed against the property developer for non-payment of a loan worth $205m, adding to the woes for China’s liquidity crisis-hit property sector. Country Garden said in a regulatory filing to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange it would “resolutely” oppose the petition, which was filed by a creditor, Ever Credit Limited, a unit of Kingboard Holdings. A court hearing has been set for 17 May. Country Garden’s shares fell more than 12% in early trading on Wednesday. The petition is set…
China’s TikTok ticks voter reach box for Europe’s politicians, despite concerns
But with Europe entering campaign season for elections that could bring record numbers of far-right politicians to Brussels, Neumann is one of a flood of European politicos flocking to the app in a desperate bid to reach younger voters. “We’re still working … to decrease the negative and toxic potential of this platform. So none of this stops, but it’s not on us to pull the plug, and until the plug is pulled, we also need to battle within the system,” said Neumann, from Germany’s Green Party. European Commission bans…
‘Facing up to history’: relatives of Taiwan’s 2-28 massacre victims demand official reckoning
Lin Li-cai was only two years old when her father was murdered. She knew almost nothing about his death until she was an adult. “There used to be a picture of my father hanging in the living room, but I didn’t even know who it was,” says Lin, now 80. She has no memory of the events and throughout her childhood his death was mentioned just twice. The first was when her uncle warned her: “Don’t talk about what happened to your father, otherwise the police will come get you.”…
North Korean Missiles Used by Russia Against Ukraine Are Products of Sanction Loopholes
Washington — The discovery of a North Korean missile in Ukraine that had more than 200 components from U.S. and European companies revealed loopholes that North Korea uses to evade sanctions, said analysts. North Korea is operating its arms factories at full capacity to supply Russia with weapons needed to fight Ukraine, said South Korean Defense Minister Shin Wonsik at a news briefing on Monday. South Korea estimates Pyongyang sent about 6,700 containers to Russia since September, Shin said, according to South Korean media. The U.S. puts the number even…
China’s shipbuilding industry ‘edge’ helps it thrive under US sanctions: study
New orders were also up by 56 per cent, many for advanced ship types, such as the costly roll-on/roll-off vehicle transport ships, which accounted for 83 per cent of global new orders, data from the China Association of the National Shipbuilding Industry shows. The research team, led by Liu Cungen, a professor at the School of Naval Architecture, Ocean and Civil Engineering at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, set out to investigate the resilience of China’s marine equipment industry chain against the sanctions. Could China lose its lead in shipbuilding as…
Congress ‘gradually destroying’ US relations with Pacific ally, Marshall Islands president warns
Hilda Heine, the president of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, has warned relations with the US are “gradually being destroyed by party politics” as Congress delays approval of crucial funding for the Pacific nation. US lawmakers have not yet passed funding packages agreed in 2023 with the Marshall Islands, Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), in a move some argue is opening the door to China to build its influence in the Pacific region. “Members of the Congress have to understand that the funds that the US…
Are Japan’s managers ready for the revival of trade unions?
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Since Nippon Steel agreed to buy US Steel for $14.9bn in mid-December, the deal has faced a bipartisan backlash in Washington against the sale of a US manufacturing icon to a foreign entity. On Monday, a sliver of good news emerged as the United Steelworkers revealed that it had signed a non-disclosure agreement with the Japanese company, meaning that the union was at least willing to engage in serious talks regarding…
Are Japan’s corporate managers ready for the revival of trade unions?
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Since Nippon Steel agreed to buy US Steel for $14.9bn in mid-December, the deal has faced a bipartisan backlash in Washington against the sale of a US manufacturing icon to a foreign entity. On Monday, a sliver of good news emerged as the United Steelworkers revealed that it had signed a non-disclosure agreement with the Japanese company, meaning that the union was at least willing to engage in serious talks regarding…
US Lawmakers, Officials Voice Concern About Chinese Police on Kiribati
washington — U.S. lawmakers are voicing concern about the Pacific island nation of Kirabati’s use of police from China for security, just as the U.S. State Department warns that such cooperation could bring new risks to Kiribati, a neighbor of Hawaii. On Friday, Eeri Aritiera, Kirabati’s acting police commissioner, told Reuters that a Chinese police delegation will rotate through the island nation to “provide assistance” to Kiribati’s Community Policing program and IT department. Aritiera says the island nation of more than 115,000, whose closest island is about 2,100 km (1,305…