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ChiCon Land Bagus!

Tonga called on Pacific islands to band together against China — then had a sudden change of heart
Pacific Beat
By Pacific affairs reporter Stephen Dziedzic
Posted Mon at 3:22am

PHOTO: It's not yet clear why Tonga's Prime Minister Akilisi Pohiva had a sudden change of heart. (Reuters: Eduardo Munoz)
RELATED STORY: Tonga urges Pacific nations to press China to forgive debts as Beijing defends itself
RELATED STORY: 'Can't say no-one warned them': Tonga to start paying back controversial Chinese loans
It was a rapid change of heart.

On Thursday last week, Tonga's Prime Minister was protesting that his small Pacific Island nation would struggle to pay back the money it owes to China.

Key points:
  • Tonga's PM said last week Pacific countries should band together in urging China to write off debts
  • Now he says Tonga is "exceedingly grateful" for Beijing aid
  • Expert says many Pacific countries still have appetite for loans from overseas


Tonga's debt distress was "serious", declared Akilisi Pohiva, "very serious".

But the Prime Minister wasn't just complaining. He had a plan.

Mr Pohiva wanted to join forces with other Pacific Island nations struggling with the same problem.

And they would use the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) — the region's premier diplomatic gathering — as a platform to lobby Beijing for debt relief.

"I think these small countries will eventually come together to find a way out," he told the ABC.

One day later, everything changed.

At around 6:30pm on Friday (Tonga time), Mr Pohiva's office issued a press statement announcing the Prime Minster had changed his mind.

About everything.

"After further reflection, I now believe that the Pacific Islands Forum is not the proper platform to discuss this debt issue," Mr Pohiva's statement said.​
"Each Pacific Island country has its particular national conditions and different needs for foreign loan, and it's up to each government to independently seek solutions through bilateral channels."

The Prime Minister also said the loans from China — used to rebuild Tonga's capital after riots in 2006 — were "crucial for the Kingdom's economic recovery and maintenance of social stability".

PHOTO: Tonga's Prime Minister was urging leaders to address the issue of Chinese loans at the Pacific Islands Forum. (ABC News: Nick Haggarty)


Tonga was "exceedingly grateful" for development aid from Beijing and the two countries would continue to discuss solutions for repayment through "friendly consultation".

The about-face was as absolute as it was sudden. And it left a lot of questions unanswered.

Why the change of heart? Did China complain, or threaten consequences? Or did something else prompt the Prime Minister's startling retraction?

A week is a long time in politics
Mr Pohiva has long complained that his nation will struggle to repay the $160 million it borrowed from China's Export-Import Bank.

'Can't say no-one warned them'

The Tongan Government will soon begin making repayments on controversial Chinese loans that critics have said saddled the small Pacific nation with unsustainable debt.


But it seems he first widely canvassed his contentious plan to draw PIF into the controversy during a meeting of Pacific Island Foreign Ministers on August 10 in Samoa.

The ABC has been told Mr Pohiva didn't raise the proposal during formal proceedings, but he did lobby several ministers about the issue on the meeting's sidelines.

Mr Pohiva laid out his strategy in an interview with the Samoa Observer, published on August 14.

He told the Observer that Pacific leaders should sign a "submission … asking the Chinese Government to forgive their debts".

Beijing might be more willing to listen to the pleas of countries like Tonga, he said, if leaders at PIF in Nauru in next month issued a joint statement calling on China to show lenience.

The story was quickly picked up by other media outlets — including the South China Morning Post and Radio New Zealand.

PHOTO: Papua New Guinea has become increasingly reliant on Chinese loans. (AP: Fred Dufour/Pool)


The ABC interviewed Mr Pohiva on August 16, and he was adamant that Pacific Island countries should work together to press China to back down on repayments.

"China has to take into consideration all the countries that have loans," he said.

The suggestion was contentious because it revived a fraught debate about China's strategic ambitions in an increasingly contested region.

Australia remains the largest donor to the Pacific by a wide margin, but it's become increasingly anxious about the amount of Chinese debt taken on by some Pacific nations, and the leverage this gives to officials in Beijing.

Lowy Institute Pacific Aid Map

Aid is an important resource for the Pacific Islands region, but public information is often lacking. The Lowy Institute Pacific Aid Map is designed to enhance aid effectiveness.


Minister for International Development Concetta Fierravanti-Wells has been a public critic of China's approach.

On August 16, Senator Fierravanti-Wells told the ABC that Mr Pohiva's suggestion had merit — and agreed Pacific leaders should discuss the issue in Nauru.

"I think it is important that it is discussed because it is a vitally important issue to so many countries in the Pacific," she said.

But the Prime Minister would back down less than 24 hours later.

So, who picked up the phone — or made a visit to Mr Pohiva's office — to force his hand?

The mystery deepens
Mr Pohiva's office has not given an explanation about what happened — and the ABC's attempts to reach the Chinese embassy in Tonga have not been successful.

PHOTO: China has defended its aid program in the Pacific. (ABC News: Eric Tlozek)


The ABC has been told that China did raise objections to the Tongan Prime Minister's plan, and made a complaint.

But the nature of that complaint — and its force and magnitude — are not clear.

Of course, Beijing's loan gives it enormous leverage over Tonga.

Dr Graeme Smith from the Australian National University said it was plausible that China may have used that leverage to force Mr Pohiva to back down.

But he said it is also possible that other Pacific nations heavied Mr Pohiva because they wanted to avoid PIF being consumed by a messy debate about China.

"The other possibility is that other members of PIF told him to pull his head in," he said.

"Tonga is a player in PIF, but there are larger players — one of whom [Papua New Guinea] is about to host APEC."

A lonely crusade
PHOTO: The Lowy Institute tracks aid projects across the Pacific. (Lowy Institute)


Even if Mr Pohiva had stuck to his guns, he may have faced an uphill struggle to push the issue to centre stage at PIF.

Tonga is not the only Pacific country which may have borrowed too heavily from China.

Samoa has also borrowed substantial sums, and experts say Papua New Guinea is becoming increasingly reliant on Chinese debt as well.

But the problem is not universal.

Vanuatu has borrowed plenty of money from Beijing, but recent analysis suggests its financial position has improved substantially.

EMBED: Top donors to the Pacific region


Dr Smith said many Pacific Island nations were in a much better financial position than Tonga and still have an appetite for loans from overseas.

Many of those countries would have nothing to gain — and plenty to lose — by picking a fight with China.

"I don't think you've got a sufficient quorum of countries under debt distress — it strikes me as unlikely that it would get up," Dr Smith said.​
"Things look very different, depending where you are in the Pacific."

Of course, that doesn't make Tonga's position any less excruciating.

"They have some reason to feel hard done by," Dr Smith said.

"The Chinese contractor at the centre of this loan gave assurances privately to Tongan Government officials not to worry, that down the line this debt would be forgiven."

Dr Smith said his research shows this is a common pattern in the Pacific.

"This is part of the pitch when a loan is being sold at the beginning. And it's disingenuous," Dr Smith said.

"China does forgive loans, but only zero interest loans. It has almost no record of forgiving concessional loans."

So even if Pacific leaders don't breathe a word about debt and China when they sit down for formal meetings — there might be plenty of chatter in the corridors just outside the room.
 
Knn If you borrow, don't complain! Use and enjoy, no complaint! When it comes to repayment, excuses after excuses.
 
Ah tiong land soo Bagus....like singkieland...all want to leave but still want to remain shitizens of their own countries. Bcos they know. Ah tiong land has better economic future than ang mor lands. Ah tiong land lumpar 1...

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If China's on the rise, why do many want out?
CORRESPONDENTS REPORT BY CHINA CORRESPONDENT BILL BIRTLES IN BEIJINGUPDATED 7 MINUTES AGO
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PHOTO
China has experienced great economic progress, but it has not improved everything.
REUTERS
For 33-year old Shanghai-resident Lucy Lu, it is her children's education that's driving her towards Australia.
Key points:
  • A recent vaccine safety scandal prompted many parents in China to express a lack of faith in the country's inoculations
  • The Chinese Yuan has depreciated 6 per cent since June
  • Residents are only allowed to move more than $US50,000 out of the country each year
"I feel Chinese education doesn't let people breathe. The pressure is huge," she said.
The mother of two, along with her husband, have employed a migration lawyer to plan a move to Australia, possibly to Melbourne.
They are attracted by the good environment, the more "laid-back" school culture and they have a relative who has lived in Australia for 20 years.

PHOTO Shanghai resident Lucy Lu and her family are considering moving to Australia.
SUPPLIED: LUCY LU
But they are also seeking respite from a country where tremendous economic progress has not always meant improvements in other areas.
"Even though China's economy is very good, there are other aspects where we feel the flaws and holes are still quite large," Ms Lu said.
Ms Lu cites the hyper-competitive education system — known for rote-learning rather than encouraging critical thinking — and air pollution as her major concerns.
But in recent months, a vaccine safety scandal prompted many parents across China to express a profound lack of faith in the ability of authorities to ensure their children receive safe inoculations.
Adding to concerns is a 6 per cent depreciation of the Chinese Yuan since June in the face of the United States tariff challenge.
As China's government restricts citizens from moving more than $US50,000 ($69,700) out of the country each year (without special permission), there is also, anecdotally, growing concern about the long-term health of the economy and the value of people's assets.
"Leaving a very familiar environment with friends and family to move to a completely unfamiliar place is indeed a very big decision," said Zoe Ye, who moved to Australia four years ago after getting married.
"But when I think about the environment in China and educating my young child, I think living in Australia is not a bad choice at all," she said.​

PHOTO Some parents expressed concern about the safety of inoculations in China, file photo.
AP: CHINATOPIX
China's government does not publicly release figures for the number of citizens emigrating, but last year reported 130 million people went overseas for tourism while 600,000 students left to study abroad.
A 2017 United Nations report lists the number of Chinese migrants who left after 2000 and are still living outside China at 10 million, while China's government claims there is roughly 50-60 million overseas Chinese — a figure that includes People's Republic of China citizens and foreign citizens of Chinese ancestry.
Many aim for permanent residency, not citizenship
China in Focus

The rise of China has everyone talking. In a special series, RN examines Australia's relationship to China, and its rising prominence in global affairs.
Last year the Australian government granted more than 28,000 visas to Chinese nationals for permanent migration, down from a peak of more than 29,000 in 2011.
A tightening of visa rules means even if more citizens do seek to start a new life in Australia, it will be more competitive to get a place.
"I believe more people are thinking about moving overseas than taking actual actions", said Tian Li, a migration agent from the Newstone Group in Melbourne.​
Another agent, Vicky Chen of Sydney-based agency New Point says inquiries have been picking up consistently in the past two years.
"Every day I'll receive at least four or five inquiries from people in China and roughly the same number from people already in Australia," Ms Chen said.

PHOTO Two women wear face masks to protect themselves from pollution in Beijing.
ABC NEWS: ZHANG QIAN
China does not recognise dual nationality, so many applicants say in the long run they aim to obtain permanent residency rather than to become Australian citizens.
"I'll need to hear the perspectives of others who have gone over to Australia, and experience life there first", Ms Lu said.
"As to whether I'd want to get an Australian passport — it's not easy to answer that question now."
POSTED 43 MINUTES AGO
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This thread proves once and for all what a fucked up country China is.
 
Leongsam said:
This thread proves once and for all what a fucked up country China is.
Click to expand...
Actually it proves contrary to what u say. It shows despite the shit in ah tiong land...these tiongs that left still keep their tiong land passports and will go back bcos their economy etc is better. Ang mor lands are actually getting from bad to worse
 
Commentary: Belt and Road Initiative, China’s biggest brand that is too big to fail
China's Belt and Road Initiative is a marketing tool to promote Xi Jinping and the China Communist Party's right to rule, argues one observer.
image: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==
China's footprint abroad is growing with its Belt and Road Initiative, with US$1 trillion in investments across Asia and Europe. (Photo: AFP/Nicolas Asfouri)
By Merriden Varrall
14 Sep 2018 06:26AM (Updated: 14 Sep 2018 06:30AM)
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SYDNEY: Most public discussion of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) tends to paint it as a coherent strategy of the Chinese Communist Party.
One school argues that this strategy is largely economic in focus, the other major approach focuses on the political drivers.

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What both need to consider is that either way, the BRI is actually just a brand.
It’s a marketing tool, a label applied with a sweeping generosity to a huge range of projects being undertaken by a vast array of actors – a large proportion of which existed well before President Xi Jinping announced his pet project in 2013.
This vast web of projects and deals around the world is less about China attempting to attain global domination than about desperately promoting, among Chinese people, Xi and the Chinese Communist Party’s right to rule.
BRI companies and projects are vigorously highlighted through events such as the Belt and Road Brand Expo in Shanghai. The Chinese government has released BRI rap songs, bedtime stories, and cutesy pop songs (the latter was ruthlessly and controversially mocked in the US by comedian John Oliver).

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READ: The Belt Road Initiative, a vision of a new global economic order, a commentary
READ: China's Belt and Road Initiative paved with risks, red herrings and rent-seeking behaviour, a commentary
Some of these BRI projects are state-owned, and some are private. Some are huge, powerful “national champions”. Some are small, near-to-collapse and desperate.
Every one of these actors has their own agenda and motivation, and this is by no means necessarily to further the strategic goals of the motherland.

image: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==
The Belt and Road Initiative, unveiled by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, envisages linking China with Africa, Asia and Europe through a network of ports, railways, roads and industrial parks. (Photo: AFP/Janek Skarzynski)

ZOMBIE COMPANIES, OLD PROJECTS
What are termed “zombie companies” are an excellent example of how many actors currently implementing BRI projects are not primarily focused on serving the strategic goals of the state.
Premier Li Keqiang has said repeatedly that zombie companies should be allowed to fail. Despite this, there are cases where the BRI is facilitating their continued staggering march.
One example of a BRI project facilitated by a zombie company is the Shaanmei project in Kyrgyzstan.
It is an oil refinery, designed to import crude oil from Kazakhstan and Russia for refinement and use, being developed by the Shaanxi Coal and Chemical Company.
According to van der Kley, this refinery is running at maximum 25 per cent of capacity. It is unlikely to be making ends meet, let alone making a profit.
But since it was struggling to survive in its home province, it has opted to try its luck abroad. The company is able to survive only thanks to concessional loans and state subsidies.
There are many other examples both in Central Asia, and all over the world.

image: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==
The East Coast Rail Link is part of China's Belt and Road project. (Photo: Melissa Goh)

In addition, the BRI throws its net around a huge number of People’s Republic of China infrastructure and investment projects that were already underway.
The Shaanmei project is one such example – it commenced in 2009.
Another is the Kunming-Kyaukpyu Oil and Gas Pipeline running through Myanmar to the Indian Ocean, which began construction three years before the BRI was unveiled.
The pipeline itself has been plagued with difficulties and delays. Analysts have argued that the short-term benefits to Myanmar are minimal.
Despite all of this, Kunming-Kyaukpyu Oil and Gas Pipeline has since had the BRI tag retrospectively applied and is now mapped as a BRI project by leading think tanks.
A SUCCESS IN THE EYES OF CHINA
Just because the BRI isn’t a coherent and beautifully orchestrated strategy – whether economic, political, or a bit of both – doesn’t mean it doesn’t matter.
It absolutely does, but we have to be clear about how and why.
Some projects will succeed, and some will fail. The progress of some, such as the ports in Gwadar, Djibouti, or Hambantota, may be more consequential to the rest of the world than that of others. BRI will be hailed as a success in China regardless.
Why BRI as a clever branding exercise matters to the rest of the world is what it tells us about what’s going on within China.
We should not take Xi at his word and just accept the promotional imagery of China as strong, coherent, and in top shape to take on a global leadership role.
READ: The great disconnect between China the 'developing country' and China the great power, a commentary

image: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==
Chinese President Xi Jinping attends a summit at the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China, May 15, 2017. (Photo: REUTERS/Thomas Peter)

Poverty, development, unemployment, social unrest, environmental degradation, economic uncertainty, among others, are all huge headaches for the communist party.
The continued obsession with maintaining legitimacy by means of the two key pillars – national pride and material well-being – are still at the core of Chinese public policy, including its foreign policy.
Like many things that the Chinese Communist Party does in the broader world, the BRI is aimed far more at addressing domestic issues than Xi would like to admit.
Dr Merriden Varrall is a nonresident fellow at the Lowy Institute. This article first appeared on Lowy Institute's blog The Interpreter. Read it here.
Source: CNA/nr
Tagged Topics

Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/new...-biggest-brand-cannot-afford-to-fail-10671460
 
It was poison milk powder maybe still going on under the light
Now fake vaccine

So is Mr Xi real?
:biggrin:
 
Enjoy yr seafood while u can. Soon ah tiong land will destroy the fish stocks n we will have nothing left.
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China's super trawlers are stripping the ocean bare as its hunger for seafood grows
BY CHINA CORRESPONDENT MATTHEW CARNEYUPDATED SUN AT 4:09PM
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PHOTO
It is a challenging time for Captain Lin Jianchang and other fishermen in China.
ABC NEWS: STEVE WANG
Captain Lin Jianchang is a fisherman born and bred. Sitting on his small trawler mending nets, the 54-year-old says times are tough.
"When I started to fish we could fill our boat completely in an hour, we couldn't move, there were fish everywhere," he says.
"Now there's less fish and it's rare to get a big one."​
The world's fisheries are in crisis. The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates 90 per cent of them have collapsed and China is the major player in their demise.
By a long way, China has the world's biggest deep sea fishing fleet that strip mines the world's oceans.
The Chinese government heavily subsidises the fleet in an attempt to satisfy the country's insatiable appetite for seafood, which accounts for a third of world consumption.
In the port city of Zhoushan on China's east coast, 500 trawlers raced out to sea on the first day of the season.
Every season is harder than the last. The fleet have to head deeper into the ocean and stay for longer for a decent catch.
PHOTO The Zhoushan fleet heading out to sea at the beginning of the fishing season.
ABC NEWS: STEVE WANG
The seas around China have virtually no fish left but the commercial fishing fleet is still huge.
With an estimated 200,000 boats, it accounts for nearly half of the world's fishing activity.
A dozen trawlers returned to Zhoushan with their first catch of the season — crab.
The hauls were good but well under half of previous years.
These days the smaller trawlers and boats mostly catch "trash fish" — tiny fish with little value, used as feed for animals and in aqua farms.
Like most others in Zhoushan, the only thing keeping Captain Lin and his crew afloat are government subsidies.
"The diesel fuel and fixing the boat would cost me 200,000 yuan($40,000). The government subsidises me more than 100,000 yuan ($20,000)," Captain Lin said.
The Chinese government has given $28 billion in subsidies over the last four years to its fishing fleet.
PHOTO Subsidies from the Chinese government keep many of the Zhoushan boats running.
ABC NEWS: STEVE WANGChinese super trawlers stripping the ocean bare
Subsidies might keep people in jobs, but overfishing is threatening the entire ecosystem.
Wang Dong, captain of a small trawler, said China's 2,600 super trawlers make it almost impossible to survive.
"The stock of fish is definitely less, the fishnets they have kill everything," Captain Wang said.
"The mega trawlers have bigger engines, so when they pass there's hardly any fish left — big or small."​
The government says it is taking action, at least with the smaller fleets it can control closer to home.
PHOTO The flags wish the Zhoushan fleet a safe and successful trip.
ABC NEWS: STEVE WANG
Li Wenlong is the general manager of Zhoushan Fishery company and in charge of safety and regulation of the Zhoushan fleet.
"Now we are taking three steps; extending the period of fishing bans, releasing more baby fish and starting to reduce the number of boats to reduce production," Mr Li said.
But Chinese authorities acknowledge on the high seas their super trawlers are difficult to police.
On paper there are tough new laws and punishments but often the super trawlers under-report or do not record their catches.
Many experts say it is too little too late to save the world's fish stocks.
Zhou Wei is the ocean project manager at Greenpeace East Asia.
"We are at crisis point, the world fish stocks are depleted," Ms Zhou said.​
"We've lost two-thirds of the large predator fish. Ninety per cent of the world's fish stocks have being fully exploited or are overexploited.
"Our fleets continue to use destructive methods which destroy domestic fisheries."
PHOTO There are about 500 commercial fishing boats in the Zhoushan fleet.
ABC NEWS: STEVE WANG
China's super trawlers are targeting the seas in North West Pacific, South America and Western Africa.
Not only are they destroying fish stocks, but they are also wiping out poorer subsistent communities.
Greenpeace East Asia has recently done a study of the super trawler's impact in Western Africa.
"In Western Africa, seven million people rely on fish for income and employment, many more rely on fish for food and animal protein," Ms Zhou said.
"To the local people it's their livelihood but to the industrial fishing fleets it's a business."​
Demand is driving the crisis. China's rising wealth means seafood, once considered a delicacy, is now widely consumed.
There is little awareness of sustainability in China's public and conservationists say education campaigns are desperately needed.
Many experts fear if China and other countries do not change their fishing models, there will be very little left for the next generation.
PHOTO China accounts for a third of the world's consumption of seafood.
ABC NEWS: STEVE WANG
POSTED SUN AT 7:28AM
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Ah tiong land hypocrisy is amazing. These commies really no shame. They have the most protected economy in the whole work n now says free trade...might as well say they promote freedom of speech n equal rights for all?

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China promotes free trade at import fair, but top Trump officials skip out amid tariff war
BY CHINA CORRESPONDENT BILL BIRTLES51 MINUTES AGO

PHOTO
Demand for Australian products is growing in China despite political ups and downs.
AP: NG HAN GUAN
China's President Xi Jinping will seek to portray his country as a champion of free trade and dismiss Western concerns about China favouring its own companies at home, as he hosts a huge international import fair in Shanghai this week.
Key points
  • US officials not attending but President Donald Trump says a deal to end the tariff battle could happen soon
  • President Xi Jinping wants to show China is open for business
  • Chinese market seen as key opportunity for Australian companies as demand for education, tourism and products rise
More than 100 Australian businesses are among thousands of international visitors showcasing their products for the huge Chinese market.
And while planning for the expo predates the beginning of US President Donald Trump's tariffs, the trade war is the elephant in the room.
"If the US closes, if China closes, then the whole world closes — so China is against America's anti-globalisation [stance]" said Shen Dingli, a Professor at Fudan University in Shanghai.​
High-level US officials are dodging the event, despite recent statements from Mr Trump that a deal with Beijing to end the escalating tariff battle could happen soon.
Accessing China's domestic market is at the heart of the Trump administration's trade war, with US business surveys in recent years finding increasing difficulties for doing business in the country.
PHOTO High-level US officials won't be at a huge import fair hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
AP: ANDREW HARNIK
Foreign investors into China and manufacturing firms bear the brunt of the more restrictive rules, which often force overseas companies into joint ventures or block them all together from certain sectors.
But as an exporter of raw materials, food products, education and tourism, Australia has broadly benefitted without rubbing up against the more protectionist aspects of China's economy.
"This is a positive opportunity to highlight China's success and the strength of Australia-China relationship", said Trade, Tourism and Investment Minister Simon Birmingham during his first visit to China in his new role.
Mr Birmingham's official visit is being seen as paving the way for the normalisation of high-level exchanges, which were subject to a freeze during the latter part of Malcolm Turnbull's prime ministership, as Beijing vented its anger over Australia publicly naming China as a reason for introducing new anti-spying laws.
"There's no hiding the fact that the bilateral relationship has had its ups and downs in recent times — it's a good sign, it's a positive sign", said Nick Coyle of the Australian Chamber of Commerce.​
The Australian business community in China has expressed concern that tension in the diplomatic relationship could spill over to the trading relationship.
But so far it appears there has been little interruption, with education and tourism numbers at record highs and growing demand for Australian products.
PHOTO A2 Milk sales were particularly strong in China, which helped boots its profit by 150pc.
SUPPLIED
"We stay out of politics because we're not experiencing any issues of challenges," said Jayne Hrdlicka, the managing director of the A2 Milk company, which has been making inroads into the Chinese market in recent years.
"We see China as a great opportunity — it's got a huge population and is hungry for good nutritional choices."
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BusinessXi pledges to 'step up' opening China's markets as criticism grows
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Xi pushed back at foreign pressure in comments clearly aimed at US President Donald Trump AFP/ALY SONG
05 Nov 2018 11:27AM
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SHANGHAI: President Xi Jinping vowed Monday (Nov 5) to open access to China's economy, while delivering a veiled rebuke to the Trump administration, as he kicked off an import fair amid growing foreign accusations that his government was backtracking on reform pledges.
Xi said China would seek to "step up" moves to stimulate domestic consumption of imports, lower tariffs, ease customs clearance procedures, and implement harsh punishments for intellectual property infringements, among other measures.

"We will foster a world-class business environment," Xi said in an address opening the import fair in Shanghai.


But he also pushed back at the foreign pressure in comments clearly aimed at US President Donald Trump, who has launched a trade war between the world's two largest economies.
Decrying "protectionism", "isolationism" and confrontation, Xi said countries should fix their own houses before targeting others.
"They should not just point fingers at others to gloss over their own problems," Xi said.

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"They should not hold a flashlight in hand, doing nothing but highlight the weaknesses of others and not their own."
Beijing has framed the first annual China International Import Expo as a sign of its commitment to open markets despite mounting criticism to the contrary and the worsening trade war with Washington, which has seen both sides impose punitive tariffs on billions of dollars of goods.
Organisers say more than 3,000 foreign companies from 130 countries including the United States, Europe and across Asia, will put their products on display for potential Chinese buyers at the expo.
Companies in attendance include General Motors, Ford, Microsoft, Samsung, Walmart and Tesla.

The event is being attended by several foreign heads of government including Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and Pakistani premier Imran Khan.
PROMISE FATIGUE
Xi has said the expo proves China is willing to reduce its huge trade surpluses with other countries.
The run-up has triggered fresh calls for China to take actionable steps to improve a domestic playing field that critics say is skewed in favour of Chinese businesses.
It was not clear whether his pledges on Monday will placate foreign critics.
The US and EU business lobbies in China, and the French and German ambassadors to Beijing, last week called on China to use the expo to announce concrete change, saying it too often fails to deliver on promises.
Foreign businesses complain about a range of preferential policies that benefit local firms, requirements that foreign companies form joint ventures with Chinese partners, forced technology transfers, rampant intellectual property violations and restrictive red tape.
Washington has snubbed the gathering by not sending high-level representation, instead calling on China to change "unfair" trade practices.
But the lure of China remains strong and the US contingent includes even tech giants such as Facebook, which is blocked in China, and Google, which pulled out years ago over censorship and cyber-attacks.
Both are seen as eyeing new ways into China's giant market.
Experts say the week-long expo is also a message by Beijing that, as it pivots from an export-based economy toward one relying more on the buying power of its 1.4 billion people, other countries will need to work with China if they want a piece of that action.
Microsoft founder Bill Gates will join a business forum, but the touchy optics of attending a China import expo amid trade tensions means few big-name American CEOs are confirmed.
Source: AFP/rw
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Chinese workers forced to drink urine, eat insects, for failing to meet sale targets
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Employees of a home improvement business in south-western China have been forced to drink urine, eat cockroaches and have been smacked with belts as punishment for failing to meet sales targets, according to Chinese local media.
Key points:
  • Workers punished by having heads shaved, beaten with belts
  • Three managers jailed over the abuse
  • Workers banned from going on strike in China
The "extreme punishment", which occurred in Zunyi city in Guizhou province, was captured on video and leaked to social media site Weibo last week, China Youth Daily said.
The video showed a shirtless man surrounded by a group of people and being flogged with a belt by a woman.
Another scene from the video shows the same man with a reddened back.
According to the report, staff were subjected to a range of bizarre punishments, including being forced to eat mustard, eat insects, drink water that had socks in it and having their head shaved.
Local police from the Honghuagang district issued a statement confirming the "humiliating corporal punishment", adding that the investigation was ongoing.
"After preliminary verification, the company did humiliate and physically punish its employees in order to meet its sales targets," the police statement said.​
Police added that the punishment was for employees who did not meet sales targets and that the managers involved were suspected of "openly insulting individuals" — a crime under Chinese law.
Managers who were only identified by their surnames — Guo, Cai, and Huang — were jailed for between five and 10 days for the abuse inflicted on their employees.
The incident came one month after Chinese ride-sharing service Didi revealed that a driver had accidentally given a bottle of water filled with his urine to a customer.
Didi apologised for the mistake in a statement, saying the driver urinated in the bottle because he couldn't find a public toilet. The firm advised the driver and the customer to undergo a health assessment.
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Killer robots: Chinese university recruits talented 'patriotic' teens to help develop AI weapons
BY JACK KILBRIDE
FRI AT 2:59AM
A Modular Advanced Armed Robotic System in the field.
PHOTO The US military have made developing AI robots a focus in recent years.
SUPPLIED
A Chinese university has enlisted teenagers straight from high school to work on a new experimental program aimed at developing artificial intelligence (AI) weapons.

Key points:
The teenagers selected had to be bright and patriotic
Only 31 students were selected from among 5,000 candidates
United States is the world leader in AI weaponry, but China is closing in
The Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) group of teenagers included 27 boys and four girls chosen to train as the world's youngest AI weapons scientists, according to the BIT website.

Those selected for the "experimental program for intelligent weapons systems" were all under the age of 18 and carefully chosen from a list of 5,000 candidates, the BIT website said.

One BIT professor who was involved in the screening process told the South China Morning Post that candidates needed to be more than just a bright student.

"We are looking for other qualities such as creative thinking, willingness to fight, a persistence when facing challenges," the BIT professor told the Post, preferring to remain anonymous.

"A passion for developing new weapons is a must … and they must also be patriots."

PHOTO The inaugural class of BIT's experimental intelligent weapons program.
The inaugural class of BIT's experimental intelligent weapons program poses for a photo.
SUPPLIED: BEIJING INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
The program, which launched on October 28, is the latest move in an international race to utilise AI technology for modern warfare, with the US and China leading the way.

15-page resume for a 5-year-old

In the cutthroat world of Chinese education, kids are not just expected to excel academically — they have to be the best at everything.
"We are walking a new path, doing things that nobody has done before," student representative Cui Liyuan said at the launch.

"It sounds like a brag when you say we are leading the modern war trend … but we should be down-to-earth and inherit the spirit of the older generation … who are not afraid of difficulties and hardships."

According to the Post students on the course will be mentored by two senior weapons scientists, and after completing a semester of course work, be asked to choose a speciality field and be assigned to a relevant defence laboratory for hands-on experience.

Following the four-year course, the students will then be expected to take on a PhD at the university and become China's next AI weapons leaders, according to the BIT website.

China competing with the US
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Autonomous weapons or 'killer robots' on the rise
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In 2017, Chinese President Xi Jinping explicitly called for a greater national focus on military AI research.

Earlier this year, Chinese scientists said they were developing "giant" AI submarines that can carry out complex missions without on-board human control, ready to deploy by 2020.

China also has the world's largest testing facility for drone boats and has other projects focused on land and air-based drone weaponry.

Get ready for the AI race

From truckies to lawyers and doctors, artificial intelligence will change every job and profession. Read all of Lateline's coverage of the AI race.
In a demonstration of China's expanding military technology, a Chinese state-owned company announced on Thursday that it was developing a stealth combat drone that could "fly long hours, scout and strike the target when necessary".

But, despite their ramped up operations, the US still leads the world in the use of drone and AI technology for the military, utilising the expertise of companies Google and Boeing to develop new technology.

According to the US Department of Defence, the US is developing a range of tactical robot strike teams, land based decision making robots, and mass drone 'swarms' that could overwhelm enemy bases with the ability to scramble communications.

In September, the US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) — which is tasked with ensuring the US is never "the victim of strategic technological surprises" — announced a $US2 billion ($2.7 billion) campaign to develop next wave of AI technologies that could be utilised in making, among other things, new age weapons.

PHOTO Drone technology is one of the main examples of AI at work in defence forces.
Predator drone
US AIR FORCE: TECH SGT. EFFRAIN LOPEZ
The announcement came as thousands of scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs including Elon Musk signed a pledge to not work on entirely autonomous robotic weapons amid growing ethical concerns about the creation of killer robots.

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China's Peking University tightens party control, curbs activism
China's prestigious Peking University, historically a bastion of student activism, has moved to quash dissent and strengthen Communist Party control after a spate of protests across China on issues ranging from labour rights to #MeToo.
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FILE PHOTO: People cycle past a building in Peking University in Beijing, China, July 27, 2016. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
14 Nov 2018 07:20PM
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BEIJING: China's prestigious Peking University, historically a bastion of student activism, has moved to quash dissent and strengthen Communist Party control after a spate of protests across China on issues ranging from labour rights to #MeToo.
The clampdown comes amid an ongoing tightening of control over various aspects of Chinese society since President Xi Jinping came to power in 2012, a period that has seen increasing censorship and shrinking space for protests, including on campuses.

Late on Wednesday, the university, informally known as Beida, warned all students against taking part in demonstrations of support for recent labour-rights activism involving former students and said they would be held responsible if they "challenged the law".

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"The school believes that the majority of students are sensible, but if there are those near you who are spreading rumours or reactionary sentiments, regardless if they are your teacher or your friend or your schoolmate, please keep a firm stance," students were told over instant messaging platforms.
On Tuesday, the Communist Party committee at Beida set up new bodies responsible for disciplinary inspection tours and campus "control and management", according to a document released by the committee and seen by Reuters, moves that tighten enforcement of party discipline.
The committee also held a meeting for all campus members and told them that a recent graduate who was among those missing following weekend labour protests was working with an illegal organisation, a source briefed on the meeting told Reuters.

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A spokesman for Peking University contacted by Reuters on Wednesday said that they were not able to immediately comment on the meeting or warnings to students.
The campus attendees were told that the group in question, which was not identified, had a charter and "passwords" and the government had sanctioned the arrest of Zhang Shengye, the former student, the source said, declining to be named due to the sensitivity of the situation.
Beijing-based political commentator Zhang Lifan said the measures were likely in response to student activism. "The Communist Party is highly sensitive to any kind of organised movement on university campuses," he said.
ACTIVIST HISTORY
Students at Peking University, set on a sprawling, leafy campus in northwestern Beijing, played a central role in launching the anti-imperialist May Fourth Movement in 1919 and the pro-democracy Tiananmen protests in 1989.
But campus activism has been increasingly marginalised in the Xi era, and a movement that saw students and recent graduates of universities including Beida team up with labour activists to support factory workers fighting the right to set up their own union has been dealt with harshly by authorities, attracting international media coverage.
Last month, the party announced that Qiu Shuiping, an official with little experience of running a school who has spent years in China's legal system, including as head of the Beijing state security bureau, had been made party secretary of the university, an appointment seen by experts on Chinese politics as heralding a tougher disciplinary line.
ACTIVIST DISAPPEARANCES
Over the weekend, at least 12 labour activists, mostly students and recent graduates, went missing in the cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Wuhan in what a source close to them believed was a coordinated effort to silence them.
Five of those were recent graduates of Peking. One of them, Zhang, was grabbed by unidentified men and bundled into a car on the campus. The university told Reuters that the incident was a lawful seizure by police of a suspect and did not involve students.
The incident sparked a flurry of activity from a group of students, who call themselves a "concern group for missing Peking university graduates", and handed out information about the abduction and other missing students in a university cafeteria on Sunday.
On Monday and Tuesday, students who had spoken out or supported the labour rights movement were warned by teachers, their parents and what appeared to be plainclothes policemen, according to one of the students, who declined to be named.
In the meetings, students were told that the university had previously protected them because they were "bewitched" by the group, but from now on anyone who demonstrated on behalf of those missing or handed out leaflets would not be protected, the student said.
"They did not say specifically which law had been broken or how, and they did not give an explanation of why they had unscrupulously seized people on campus," the student said.
"Zhang Shengye was someone who was concerned about society, cared about the lower-classes and was close to workers. Why would someone like that be treated like this?"
(Reporting by Christian Shepherd; Editing by Tony Munroe and Nick Macfie)
Source: Reuters
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Ah tiong land hypocrisy is really impressive,,,the trade war is spark by ah tiong land protectionist policies,,,like all FDIs must be JVs,,,must have tech transfer and of course ah tiongs stealing technology,,,now Winnie Xi is saying protection benefits no one,,,what an ass hole,,,never trust northern mandarin speaking scum,,,their honesty is virtually non-existant like the Fuckeins and Fuckkas

Protectionism 'doomed to failure': China's Xi says in swipe at US
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Chinese President Xi Jinping said erecting trade barriers was short-sighted and doomed to failure AFP/PETER PARKS
17 Nov 2018 10:45AM (Updated: 17 Nov 2018 10:45AM)
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PORT MORESBY: Protectionist actions are short-sighted and doomed to fail, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Saturday (Nov 17) ahead of an APEC summit at which US-China trade tensions are likely to take centre stage.
In a major speech, Xi also stressed that there would be no winners from a trade war or a new cold war amid increasing rivalry between the world's top two economies.

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"Attempts to erect barriers and cut close economic ties work against the laws of economics and the trends of history. This is a short-sighted approach and it is doomed to failure," Xi told business leaders on the sidelines of the summit.
"We should say no to protectionism and unilateralism," Xi said, in a veiled swipe at the "America First" policies of Donald Trump's administration.
APEC members the US and China have become embroiled in a trade war that experts warn could be catastrophic for the global economy, with the world's top two powers going head to head.
The pair have imposed tariffs worth billions of dollars of each other's goods and there is little sign of an immediate easing in tensions, with both sides threatening to step up action if necessary.

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Xi said the world should "uphold the WTO-centred multilateral trading system, make economic globalisation more open, inclusive, balanced and beneficial to all".
With concerns growing that rivalry between the US and China could escalate, Xi warned against going down that road.
"History has shown that confrontation - whether in the form of a cold war, hot war or trade war - will produce no winners," he said.
"We believe that there exist no issues that countries cannot resolve through consultation," said the Chinese leader, as long as negotiations take place in a spirit of "equality" and "mutual understanding."

Xi also defended his country's massive "Belt and Road" infrastructure initiative amid attacks that it is akin to "chequebook diplomacy" to further Chinese interests in the region.
"It is not designed to serve any hidden geopolitical agenda, it is not targeted against anyone and it does not exclude anyone... nor is it a trap as some people have labelled it," he said.
Speaking at the same forum, Australia's prime minister also issued a passionate defence of free trade and lashed out at protectionist trends battering the global economy.
"Tit-for-tat protectionism and threats of trade wars are in no one's interest economically and undermine the authority of the global and regional trade rules that benefit us all," said Scott Morrison.
"RASKOLS"
US President Donald Trump has decided to skip the APEC summit, which some critics say has left the stage free for China to bolster its influence in the region.
In contrast to Trump, Xi arrived two days before the summit, opening a new road and a school in Port Moresby and holding talks with Pacific Island leaders.
Papua New Guinea rolled out the red carpet for the Chinese leader, with dozens of people from various tribes serenading him sporting parrot feathers, possum pelts and seashell necklaces.
Officially, the 21 leaders from Asia-Pacific countries will discuss improving regional economic cooperation under the theme of "embracing the digital future" but trade tensions are likely to dominate.
Foreign ministers meeting ahead of the summit were unable to publish a joint statement, apparently due to differences over language on World Trade Organization reform.
In the absence of Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the summit has been relatively low key and the focus has turned to the venue Port Moresby.
The capital of Papua New Guinea has been ranked as one of the least liveable cities for expats, with a high level of crime, often perpetrated by feared street gangs known as "raskols".
Delegates have been advised not to venture out alone - especially after dark - and officials and journalists have been hosted on massive cruise ships moored in the harbour due to safety issues and a dearth of hotel rooms.
The run-up to the summit was also overshadowed by the purchase of 40 luxury Maserati cars which sparked anger in the poverty-hit country which suffers from chronic healthcare and social problems.
Source: AFP
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Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/new...ure---china-s-xi-says-in-swipe-at-us-10940704
 
Ah tiong land Bagus...a person help n still Kenna scolding. Tat is gratitude the ah tiong land way

 
Killing them does not seem deter others from doing likewise. Didn't they execute those responsible for the fake infant milk powder scandal?

I think they should execute all the relatives as well ...that way, the relatives will police each other. You need a village to raise upright people.
 
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