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14/02/2020

European diplomats check India’s loosening of Kashmir clampdown

SRINAGAR/NEW DELHI, India (Reuters) – More than two dozen diplomats are visiting Indian-administered Kashmir, New Delhi said on Wednesday, as the country tries to reassure foreign allies following several months of unrest in the contested territory.

The group includes European diplomats, some of whom declined a previous invitation from New Delhi to visit the region. A proposed vote in the European Union parliament next month could chastise India for its actions in Kashmir.

The Muslim-majority Himalayan region is claimed by India and arch-rival Pakistan and has been in turmoil since New Delhi stripped it of special status and clamped down on communication and freedom of movement in August.

India has since eased those restrictions, and restored limited internet connectivity last month, ending one of the world’s longest such shutdowns in a democracy.

But many political leaders, including three former chief ministers of Jammu & Kashmir state, are still in detention without charge six months after the crackdown, and foreign journalists have so far been denied permission to visit the region.

Representatives from countries including Germany, Canada, France, New Zealand, Mexico, Italy, Afghanistan and Austria are on a two-day visit to “witness for themselves the progressive normalisation of the situation,” India’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

Representatives from several countries, including Germany’s ambassador Walter Lindner, were pictured on a traditional wooden shikara boat on Dal Lake, in Kashmir’s main city of Srinagar.

“We are interacting with the traders, businesswomen and entrepreneurs in Srinagar about the status of business and tourism,” Afghanistan’s envoy Tahir Qadiry said in a tweet on Wednesday.

Sources familiar with the itinerary said the trip will also include meetings with the Indian army and government officials, as well as journalists and civil society groups selected by the security services.

Last month fifteen foreign envoys visited Kashmir – a trip participants characterised as tightly-choreographed with no room for independent meetings.

“Things looked calm, but we only had a very short time out the window of the car to assess the situation,” said a diplomat who attended the previous trip.

“They told the truth, but not necessarily the whole truth,” he added of his meetings with delegates.

Source: Reuters

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12/02/2020

WHO’s professional advice should be respected: FM spokesperson

BEIJING, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) — World Health Organization’s professional advice should be respected and overreactions will only make things worse, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang said Wednesday.

He made the remarks while commending the Canadian foreign ministry’s recent comment in support of China’s efforts in fighting the coronavirus epidemic. Canada’s health minister had also reportedly said that the country will not impose travel restrictions on Chinese nationals.

“Our heartfelt thanks go to Canada for its support and assistance in China’s fight against the epidemic,” Geng said, adding that the Canadian health minister’s statement reflected science-based and rational judgment.

“I’d like to reiterate that countries need to respect the WHO’s professional advice. Overreactions will only make things worse,” he said.

Source: Xinhua

Posted in canada, Canada's health minister, Canadian foreign ministry's, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, professional advice, respected, Uncategorized, WHO’s, World Health Organization's | Leave a Comment »

23/10/2019

China could be first country to exploit deep sea minerals

International rules on seabed mining set for approval in 2020, with China most likely to lead the race, UN body says

Governments, research institutions and commercial entities have already signed contracts for the exploration phase to extract minerals from the seabed, with China holding the most. Photo: Shutterstock

China is in pole position for the global race to start deep sea mining operations to extract valuable minerals used in smartphones and electric car batteries from the seabed.

The head of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) said China was likely to become the first country in the world to start mining seabed minerals if the international rules for exploitation were approved next year.

The ISA has already signed 30 contracts with governments, research institutions and commercial entities for exploration phase, with China holding the most, five contracts.

The body, which was established to manage the seabed resources by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), is aiming to adopt seabed mineral exploitation rules by July 2020.

As China leads the hunt for deep-sea minerals, environmental concerns surface

“I do believe that China could easily be among the first (to start exploitation),” said Michael Lodge, ISA general secretary, who visited China last week.

“The demand for minerals is enormous and increasing, there is no doubt about the market.”

There is also interest from European countries including Belgium, Britain, Germany and Poland, as well as from the Middle East.

The quest to exploit seabed minerals – such as polymetallic nodules containing nickel, copper, cobalt and manganese – is driven by demand for smartphones and electric car batteries, and the need to diversify supply.

However, no one has yet shown that deep sea mining can be cost effective and some non-governmental organisations have questioned whether it would be possible to reach a deal on exploitation rules next year.

“I think, it’s pretty good. I think the current draft is largely complete,” Lodge said, when asked about prospects of adopting the rules by next July.

One of the issues yet to be agreed is proportionate financial payments to the Jamaica-based ISA for subsea mineral exploitation outside national waters.

“We are looking at ad valorem royalty that would be based on the value of the ore at a point of extraction … The middle range is 4 per cent to 6 per cent ad valorem royalty, potentially increasing over time,” Lodge said.

New iPhone models to use recycled rare earths, Apple says

If the rules are approved, it could take about two to three years to obtain permits to start deep sea mining under the current draft, Lodge said.

Canadian Nautilus Minerals had tried to mine underwater mounds for copper and gold in the national waters off Papua New Guinea, but ran out of money and had to file for creditor protection earlier this year.

This has not deterred others, such as Global Sea Mineral Resources (GSR), a unit of Belgian group DEME, and Canada’s DeepGreen, to continue technology tests and research.

In July, Greenpeace called for an immediate moratorium on deep sea mining to learn more about its potential impact on deep sea ecosystems, but the ISA has rejected such a proposal.

Source: SCMP

Posted in Apple, Belgian, Belgium, Britain, canada, Canadian Nautilus Minerals, China alert, cobalt, copper, deep sea, DeepGreen, DEME, electric car batteries, exploit, first country, Germany, Global Sea Mineral Resources (GSR), Gold, Greenpeace, International rules, International Seabed Authority (ISA), IPhone, manganese, Middle East, minerals, national waters, Nickel, Papua New Guinea, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Poland, polymetallic nodules, rare earths, recycled, seabed mining, smartphones, Uncategorized, United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), valuable minerals | Leave a Comment »

16/10/2019

China’s former ambassador to India joins team dedicated to fight against climate change

Luo Zhaohui, who was credited with helping to resolve 2017 Doklam stand-off peacefully, joins group set up to tackle global warming

Luo Zhaohui previously served as China’s ambassador to India. Photo: Handout

China’s former ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui has joined a national team in charge of fighting climate change, the Chinese government website has announced.

The team, led by Premier Li Keqiang, will be responsible for coming up with proposals to tackle the problem, develop proposals for energy conservation and analyse the impact of climate change on socio-economic development.

China is currently the world’s largest polluter, accounting for a quarter of the world’s total emissions, making it crucial in the effort to curb global warming.

The US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement in 2017 also makes China the largest single economy committed to the efforts to limit emissions.

As well as taking up the position on the National Leading Group Dealing with Climate Change, Energy Conservation and Emissions Reduction, Luo was also promoted to the position of deputy foreign minister in late May.

In this post, Luo is in charge of Beijing’s relations with its Asian neighbours, replacing Kong Xuanyou, who was named China’s new ambassador to Japan.

Luo was credited by diplomatic observers as having helped bring relations with India back on track after the 2017 Doklam stand-off, one of the worst border disputes in decades between the two sides.

In July 2017, Luo told media in New Delhi that the Chinese people were deeply angry over the “occupation” by Indian troops of its sovereign territory but helped to resolve the situation through diplomatic means, paving the way for an informal summit between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Wuhan last year.

Luo, 57, has also served in diplomatic missions in Singapore and the US and was head of the foreign ministry’s department for Asian affairs.

He previously served as ambassador to Pakistan and Canada before being posted to the embassy in New Delhi in India in 2016.

Source: SCMP

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12/09/2019

Chinese air force deploys English and aerobatics in video rallying cry

Military stresses combat readiness and war mentality in production released just weeks before 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic

China’s air force shows a more assertive side in a new propaganda video. Photo: Handout

The Chinese air force has ramped up its combat rhetoric in its latest propaganda video, with pilots warning enemies in English and top brass stressing the need for crisis mode.

The four-minute video was posted on the Ministry of National Defence’s website on Wednesday and begins with two J-20 stealth fighters taking off from an unidentified airbase.

At least three missile-carrying J-11 jets are then shown make low passes and various aerobatics at sea.

After that, a pilot shouts in English: “This is the PLA Air Force speaking. You are about to enter Chinese airspace. Leave immediately. Leave immediately.”

The video also features members of an elite brigade called the “Eagles of Liaoning province”, a frequent winner of PLA Air Force competitions.

PLA Air Force formation ‘a sign of stealth fighter mass production’ in China

Brigade member Bai Long, a J-20 fighter pilot, says the team have a higher calling.

“Winning over enemies is more important than winning competitions,” Bai says.

Also featured is Wang Hai, a 93-year-old combat veteran from the Korean war, who encourages air force personnel to fear nothing during combat.

“You cannot do anything if you are not brave enough. You can’t be a pilot if you fear death,” Wang says.

Wang Yongtong, a brigade commander, is also quoted as saying that the Chinese air force is using war games to strengthen its combat readiness.

“We will meticulously prepare for war and improve our combat capacity to resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, security and interests,” he says.

The video’s release comes just a few weeks before China marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic with a massive military parade showcasing its military weapons.

It also underlines China’s increasingly assertive efforts to defend its interests.

On Wednesday, China hit out at Canada for sending a warship to traverse the Taiwan Strait.

And in late July, South Korea claimed that two Chinese warplanes entered South Korea’s air defence identification zone, a claimed denied by the Chinese foreign ministry.

And in late January, a Chinese surveillance plane crossed the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea via the Tsushima Strait, prompting the Japanese air self-defense force to scramble fighter jets.

Source: SCMP

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03/08/2019

China’s Wang Yi meets foreign ministers from Malaysia, Mongolia, Timor-Leste, Canada, Australia

THAILAND-BANGKOK-WANG YI-MALAYSIAN FM-MEETING

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) meets with Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah in Bangkok, Thailand, Aug. 2, 2019. (Xinhua/Zhang Keren)

BANGKOK, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) — Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met here Friday with foreign ministers from Malaysia, Mongolia, Timor-Leste, Canada and Australia.

Meeting with Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah, Wang hailed the sound momentum of China-Malaysia relations, saying that this year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic ties between the two countries.

China stands ready to work with Malaysia to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, consolidate strategic mutual trust and further promote mutually beneficial cooperation, he said.

Noting that the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative upholds the principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits; adopts open, green and clean approaches and promotes high-standard, livelihood-improving and sustainable development, Wang said the initiative focuses on interconnectivity and is highly matched with the development strategies of Malaysia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

The Chinese state councilor called on the two sides to step up the development of the joint industrial park in each other’s country and boost industrial and innovative cooperation, saying that China welcomes the relaunch of the East Coast Rail Link project.

China and Malaysia should enhance coordination and cooperation in multilateral affairs and resolutely supports multilateralism and free trade.

Saifuddin, for his part, said that Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad have made two visits to China in half a year since assuming office, which fully showed the importance the country attaches to the relations with China.

Malaysia-China relations enjoy a long history and transcends trade and business ties, he said, noting that Malaysia is willing to actively participate in the Belt and Road development.

When meeting with Mongolian Foreign Minister Damdin Tsogtbaatar, Wang said this year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries, calling on the two sides to take this opportunity to further synergize the Belt and Road Initiative and Mongolia’s Steppe Road program in a bid to achieve substantive results at an early date.

Hailing the initiative a symbol of multilateralism, Tsogtbaatar said Mongolia is ready to spare no effort to support and participate in the initiative which is conducive to promoting sustainable growth in the region.

The two sides vowed to consolidate mutual political trust and strengthen pragmatic cooperation so as to bring the bilateral relations to a new high.

In his meeting with Timor-Leste’s Foreign Minister Dionisio da Costa Babo Soares, Wang said China and Timor-Leste are good partners. In recent years the two countries have actively carried out cooperation on jointly building the Belt and Road, with a number of projects built by Chinese companies benefitting the people’s livelihood in Timor-Leste and welcomed by the locals.

Wang said China is ready to draw up cooperation plans with the Timor-Leste side on Belt and Road cooperation at an early date and expand cooperation in such areas as petrochemical industry, trade as well as framing and fishing sectors.

China supports Timor-Leste in playing a bigger role in regional and international affairs, Wang said.

Soares said bilateral relations between Timor-Leste and China have maintained healthy and stable development.

He said Timor-Leste sees China as a trustworthy friend, and is grateful to the assistance China has provided for the country’s economic development. Timor-Leste is willing to actively participate in Belt and Road cooperation, enhance inter-connectivity, and work with the Chinese side toward greater development of the bilateral comprehensive cooperative partnership.

In his meeting with Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, Wang said it is regrettable that Canada arbitrarily detained a Chinese citizen in December last year, which aroused strong indignation of the Chinese people and brought serious difficulties to the China-canada relations.

The Chinese government firmly upholds the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens and enterprises. “We hope that this issue will be properly resolved as soon as possible so as to bring the China-Canadian relations back to the right and healthy track at an early date,” he said.

For her part, Freeland said there was no historical grudge between both countries. It is indeed heartbreaking that China-Canada relations are what they are today.

Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries. Canada values the relations with China and is willing to work with China for healthy and stable development of bilateral relations, she said.

While meeting with Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne, Wang hoped that Australia will meet China halfway, uphold the principles of mutual respect and treating each other equally, properly handle differences, promote consensus and trust so as to push the China-Australia relations back to the right track.

Welcoming Australia to share the opportunities brought by China’s reform and opening up, the Chinese state councilor also hoped that Australia sticks to openness and inclusiveness to create a fair, transparent and indiscriminative business environment for Chinese enterprises.

Payne said the Australian side values and recognizes China’s growth and its development potential and speaks highly of China’s significant achievements in poverty reduction and development.

Although there are some differences in the bilateral ties, Australia is ready to join hands with China to promote dialogue and communication, seek more consensus, expand cooperation on trade and investment and push forward healthy development of bilateral ties on the basis of mutual respect, the Australian foreign minister said.

On the issue of 5G, Australia will make its decision independently and adopt no policies discriminating specific countries or enterprises, Payne said.

Source: Xinhua

Posted in Australia, canada, foreign minister, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Malaysia, Mongolia, Timor-Leste, Uncategorized, Wang Yi | Leave a Comment »

21/07/2019

Uygurs in Xinjiang didn’t choose to be Muslims, China says in white paper

Islam was forced on ethnic group ‘by religious wars and the ruling class’, Beijing says in latest report defending its actions in far western region
Uygurs’ ancestors were enslaved by the Turks, document says

Beijing has issued a white paper seemingly designed to defend its actions in Xinjiang where as least 1 million Uygurs are being held in detention centres. Photo: AFP

Uygurs became Muslims not by choice but by force, and Islam is not their only religion, Beijing said in a white paper published on Sunday, as it continued its propaganda campaign to justify its controversial policies in the far western province of

Xinjiang

“The Uygur people adopted Islam not of their own volition … but had it forced upon them by religious wars and the ruling class,” according to the document released by the State Council Information Office.

Islamic beliefs were forced on the Uygurs during the expansion of Arabic states. This is a historical fact, the report said, though that did not undermine the Uygurs’ religious rights now.

The report said also that there are Uygurs who hold to faiths other than Islam, and others who do not practise any religion at all.

The paper also took aim at the Uygurs’s historic links with Turkey.

“Historically, the Uygurs’ ancestors were enslaved by the Turks,” it said, citing a history of conflicts between the two groups dating back to the 8th century.

China promotes Xinjiang as tourist idyll

The white paper was issued amid a campaign by Beijing to justify its policies in the restive region, which is home to more than 10 million Uygurs, most whom are Muslim.

Earlier this month, the ambassadors of 22 countries signed a letter calling on Beijing to halt its mass detention of Uygurs in Xinjiang, the first such joint move on the issue at the UN Human Rights Council.

The signatories included envoys from Britain, France, Germany, Australia, Canada, Japan and Switzerland. The United States, which quit the forum a year ago, did not sign the letter.

China responded by issuing a letter signed by the ambassadors of 37 countries, including several Muslim majority states like Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, backing its policies in the region.

Beijing said the show of support was “a powerful response to the groundless accusations made against China by a small number of Western countries”.

UN experts and activists say at least 1 million Uygurs and other Muslims are currently being held in detention centres in Xinjiang. China describes the facilities as training and education centres that aim to stamp out religious extremism and provide people with useful skills. It has never said how many people are being detained in them.

The United States has repeatedly criticised Beijing over its policies in Xinjiang.

On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump met victims of religious persecution from around the world, including Jewher Ilham, a Uygur woman whose father Ilham Tohti was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2014 after being found guilty of promoting separatism.

“That’s tough stuff,” Trump said after hearing Ilham’s account of her father’s ordeal.

China describes the detention camps in Xinjiang as training and education centres. Photo: AFP

In January, US lawmakers nominated the imprisoned economist, writer and former professor at Minzu University in Beijing, for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize in a bid to pressure China to stop its crackdown on the minority group.

Sunday’s white paper is the latest in a string of similar documents published recently by Beijing as it seeks to defend the legitimacy of its policies in Xinjiang. In a document issued in March, it said that over the past five years it had arrested nearly 13,000 “terrorists” in the region.

Xinjiang camps defended at UN human rights forum

Neither the March report nor Sunday’s white paper mentioned Beijing’s other controversial policies in the region, such as the collection of DNA samples and extensive surveillance on local people.

“Xinjiang has borrowed from international experiences, combined them with local realities, and taken resolute measures against terrorism and extremism,” it said.

The measures have been effective, it said, though did not elaborate.

Over the past year, China has increased its efforts to defend the camps, including organising strictly controlled visits by selected diplomats and journalists to see the people who live in them.

State media has also released videos showing seemingly happy and healthy people inside the camps in a bid to counter accounts of harsh conditions and abuse published by the Western media.

Source: SCMP

Posted in Arabic states, Australia, Beijing, Britain, canada, ethnic groups, forum, France, Germany, islam, Japan, Minzu University, Muslims, Nobel Peace Prize, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, State Council Information Office, Switzerland, Turkey, Turks, UN human rights forum, Uncategorized, United States, US President Donald Trump, Uygurs, Xinjiang | Leave a Comment »

07/07/2019

China says briefed by U.S. on latest Trump-Kim meeting

BEIJING (Reuters) – China has received a briefing from the United States on the latest meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, China’s Foreign Ministry said on Saturday, in a call between two senior diplomats.

Trump became the first sitting U.S. president to set foot in North Korea on Sunday when he met Kim in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) at Panmunjom between the two Koreas and agreed to resume stalled nuclear talks.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Luo Zhaohui and U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun discussed that meeting in a telephone call on Friday, China’s Foreign Ministry said in a short statement.

“Biegun introduced the meeting between the U.S. and North Korean leaders at Panmunjom, and said the U.S. side is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with the Chinese side on the peninsula issue,” the ministry added.

Luo told Biegun the recent “positive interactions” on the North Korean issue by all parties had important meaning for the peace talks process, the ministry said.

“China supports U.S.-North Korea exchanges and dialogue and hopes that the two sides will meet each other halfway and follow the consensus of the leaders of the two countries to resume consultations at the working level as soon as possible,” it added.

Trump’s meeting with Kim came around a week after Chinese President Xi Jinping met Kim himself during a state visit to Pyongyang.

While China has not officially announced it, Luo is likely China’s new special envoy for the North Korea issue, after predecessor Kong Xuanyou became China’s new ambassador in Tokyo in late May.

Luo was also involved in a briefing to Chinese reporters on Xi’s visit to North Korea before Xi went, according to state media.

Luo is an urbane career diplomat who speaks good English, according to diplomats who have met him.

He previously served as China’s ambassador in Canada, Pakistan and India, and also worked in the Chinese embassy in Washington from 1996-2000.

Source: Reuters

Posted in canada, China alert, China’s ambassador, China’s Foreign Ministry, Chinese embassy in Washington, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Chinese vice foreign minister, Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), India alert, Kim Jong Un, Luo Zhaohui, North Korea issue, North Korean leader, nuclear talks, Pakistan, Panmunjom, Trump-Kim meeting, two Koreas, U.S., U.S. Special Representative for North Korea, Uncategorized, US President Donald Trump | Leave a Comment »

06/07/2019

Can China win the soccer World Cup with a handful of naturalised players? Probably not

President Xi Jinping has made no secret of his desire for China to one day host and maybe even win football’s greatest prize
But a few passport-switching foreigners are unlikely to be enough to make his dreams come true

China’s soccer team has high hopes, but it still has a long way to go before it can even dream of competing on the world stage. Photo: Reuters

As China targets a place at the 2022 World Cup, England-born

Nico Yennaris

recently became the first foreign player to join the men’s national soccer team as a naturalised citizen.

On his identity card he is listed as ethnic Han.

Several foreign soccer players and other sportspeople have become Chinese citizens in recent years, many of them drawn by the huge financial rewards on offer.

Naturalisation has a long history in many countries, but it is a new concept in China, whose football association only publicly announced it would use it to boost its talent pool late last year. President Xi Jinping’s passion for the game and ambitions for China to host and maybe one day win the World Cup has been public knowledge since before he became leader.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, pictured on a 2012 visit to Croke Park in Dublin while still vice-president, has big dreams for China’s soccer team. Photo: Reuters

John Hou Saeter, who was born to a Norwegian father and Chinese mother, in February became the first professional footballer to switch to Chinese citizenship. The 21-year-old, now known as Hou Yongyong, plays for Beijing Sinobo Guoan, one of the top teams in the Chinese Super League.

Another English player, Tyias Browning, recently joined Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao and is set to complete the process of applying for Chinese citizenship soon, Reuters reported last month.

Yennaris’ naturalisation may help bring China into 21st century

At a work conference in December, Du Zhaocai, the Communist Party secretary of the

Chinese Football Association

(CFA), promised to introduce new policies on naturalisation to help clubs attract players from overseas to join the Super League.

Professor Chen Xiyao from Shanghai University of Sport said such a move would have been unthinkable in the past.

“This is something new in China,” he said. “In the past we only saw our own athletes becoming naturalised citizens of other countries, but not foreign players coming to play for us.”

While the trend was undoubtedly prompted by Xi’s ambitions, Chen said it was also linked to the country’s growing economic prowess and wealth.

“China’s economic growth means it has become better known internationally. Everybody thinks China has money and sports clubs are spending huge sums to attract top players,” he said.

Former Everton player Tyias Browning now plays for Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao. Photo: Reuters

Mark Dreyer, founder of the China Sports Insider website, said naturalised players were motivated not only by money, but also the chance to increase their exposure and possibly play in a major tournament, which they would otherwise not get the chance to do.

“The rewards for the players are fairly clear: more money, more exposure and a shot at playing in the biggest tournaments in the world with China, which they wouldn’t have got if they’d stayed with their original countries,” he said.

“For athletes of Chinese descent, there will also be varying degrees of patriotism built into this as well.”

It is not just soccer players who are making the move top China. It is also happening in other sports, like ice hockey and figure skating.

US-born Beverly Zhu, who won the 2018 US Figure Skating Championships, triggered a heated discussion in China after she joined the Chinese team last year, which means she can compete for the host nation at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

In ice hockey, a number of overseas players have also been naturalised, including Zach Yuen from Canada, who may also represent China in Beijing in 2022.

Beverly Zhu, who won the 2018 US Figure Skating Championships, joined the Chinese team last year. Photo: Instagram

Roy Chu, a lawyer with Links Law Offices in Shanghai who specialises in the sports industry, said that as China does not recognise dual nationality, foreigners have to give up their citizenship if they want to get a Chinese passport and apply for naturalisation.

“Therefore, the players to be naturalised have to be willing to represent China on the one hand, and on the other have a Chinese family background so as to simplify the legal procedures,” Chu said.

Browning’ grandfather and Yennaris’s mother are Chinese.

Dreyer said: “The players who choose to swap clearly think that the rewards outweigh the negatives of trading in their passport for a Chinese one.”

Under Chinese law, only foreigners with Chinese ancestry or those who have lived in China for at least five years can apply for Chinese citizenship. All but one of the sportsmen and women who have so far made the switch have Chinese ancestry.

The exception is Pedro Delgado, who was born and raised in Portugal but now plays for Shandong Luneng. He gained his Chinese citizenship last month and, according to the club, is the first foreign player without Chinese ancestry to become naturalised.

John Hou Saeter, who was born to a Norwegian father and Chinese mother, in February became the first professional footballer to switch to Chinese citizenship. Photo: Instagram

The naturalisation process is the same for sportspeople as it is for anyone else.

“The list of paperwork required by the Ministry of Public Security is quite short, but it doesn’t specify how long it takes to finish each step. So in that sense there is quite a lot of uncertainty,” Chu said.

“Those with Chinese ancestry will become the top targets for naturalisation in the short term so clubs can improve their talent pool, while those without may need more policy support,” he said.

London-born Nico Yennaris recently became the first foreign player to join China’s national soccer team as a naturalised citizen. Photo: AFP

Naturalised players also faced many challenges in China, especially if they did not speak the language or knew little about the culture, he said.

“Aside from settling into a completely different environment, they may also face resentment from their teammates, especially if those players lose their places in the team to the new arrivals,” Dreyer said.

“If the national team has several naturalised players, cliques could develop. We saw this in the US football team, when several German-born Americans were drafted in to play for the national team, causing internal rifts.”

And if the “foreign” players did not perform to the highest standards, the fans might also turn on them, he said.

Xi Jinping has made no secret of his desire to improve China’s and supports events at the school level. Photo: EPA

Under a

CFA directive

issued in March, footballers who become Chinese citizens must be also be educated to be patriotic and learn about the Communist Party. Clubs must also issue monthly reports on how the new players are settling in.

Grass-roots organisations within the Communist Party of China would be “in charge of educating such footballers on the history and basic theory of the party”, it said.

Dreyer said that while the naturalisation process might help China’s ice hockey team to perform slightly better at the 2022 Olympics than it had in the past, it was unlikely to have much of an impact on China’s international soccer ranking. China’s national team has only once qualified for the World Cup, in 2002.

“There is a reason they [naturalised players] didn’t play internationally for their original countries – they weren’t considered good enough,” he said.

“So they are not suddenly going to turn into world-beaters simply by pulling on a Chinese jersey.”

Chen agreed.

“I think it is just a short-term measure that will not truly change China’s overall performance in football or other sports,” he said. “After all, it’s an 11-person team game.”

Source: SCMP

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16/05/2019

Trump administration hits China’s Huawei with one-two punch

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) – The Trump administration on Wednesday took aim at China’s Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, banning the firm from buying vital U.S. technology without special approval and effectively barring its equipment from U.S. telecom networks on national security grounds.

Taken together, the two moves threaten Huawei’s ability to continue to sell many products because of its reliance on American suppliers, and represents a significant escalation in the U.S. government’s worldwide campaign against the company.

The steps also come at a delicate time in relations between China and the United States as the world’s two largest economies ratchet up tariffs in a battle over what U.S. officials call China’s unfair trade practices.

Washington believes the handsets and network equipment for telecommunications companies made by Huawei could be used by the Chinese state to spy on Americans.

Huawei, which has repeatedly denied the allegations, said in a statement that “restricting Huawei from doing business in the U.S. will not make the U.S. more secure or stronger; instead, this will only serve to limit the U.S. to inferior yet more expensive alternatives, leaving the U.S. lagging behind in 5G deployment.”

“In addition, unreasonable restrictions will infringe upon Huawei’s rights and raise other serious legal issues.”

The ban on U.S. suppliers, which appears similar to one on Huawei rival ZTE Corp. last year, could hit the shares of Huawei’s biggest U.S. suppliers, including chipmakers Qualcomm Inc and Broadcom Inc (AVGO.O).

In the first action taken on Wednesday, President Donald Trump signed a long-awaited executive order declaring a national emergency and barring U.S. companies from using telecommunications equipment made by firms posing a national security risk.

The order invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which gives the president the authority to regulate commerce in response to a national emergency that threatens the United States. It directs the Commerce Department, working with other government agencies, to draw up an enforcement plan by October.

Members of Congress said Trump’s order was squarely aimed at Chinese companies like Huawei, which generated $93 billion in revenue last year and is seen as a national champion in China.

“China’s main export is espionage, and the distinction between the Chinese Communist Party and Chinese ‘private-sector’ businesses like Huawei is imaginary,” Republican Senator Ben Sasse said.

ENTITY LIST

Soon after the White House announced the order had been signed, the Commerce Department said it had added Huawei and 70 affiliates to its so-called Entity List – a move that bans the telecom giant from buying parts and components from U.S. companies without U.S. government approval.

U.S. officials told Reuters the decision would make it difficult, if not impossible, for Huawei, the largest telecommunications equipment producer in the world, to sell some products because of its reliance on U.S. suppliers. It will take effect in the coming days.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in a statement Trump backed the decision that will “prevent American technology from being used by foreign owned entities in ways that potentially undermine U.S. national security or foreign policy interests.”

With Huawei on the Entity List, U.S. suppliers will need to apply for licenses to provide the Chinese company with anything subject to U.S. export control regulations. Obtaining such licenses will be difficult because they will have to show the transfer of items will not harm U.S. national security, said John Larkin, a former export control officer in Beijing for the Commerce Department.

The United States in January unsealed a 13-count indictment against Huawei accusing the company and its chief financial officer of conspiring to defraud global financial institutions by misrepresenting Huawei’s relationship with a suspected front company that operated in Iran.

The indictment was unsealed a month after CFO Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Canada on a U.S. warrant for her role in the alleged fraud. Meng, who maintains her innocence, is fighting extradition.

5G NETWORKS

Reuters reported on Tuesday that Trump was expected to sign his long-awaited executive order this week. The order does not specifically name any country or company, but U.S. officials have previously labeled Huawei a “threat”.

The United States has been actively pushing other countries not to use the Chinese company’s equipment in next-generation 5G networks that it calls “untrustworthy.” In August, Trump signed a bill that barred the U.S. government from using equipment from Huawei and another Chinese provider, ZTE Corp.

ZTE was added to the Commerce Department’s Entity List in March 2016 over allegations it organised an elaborate scheme to hide its re-export of U.S. items to sanctioned countries in violation of U.S. law.

The restrictions prevented suppliers from providing ZTE with U.S. equipment, potentially freezing the company’s supply chain, but the restrictions were suspended in a series of temporary reprieves, allowing the company to maintain ties to U.S. suppliers until it agreed to a plea deal a year later.

The status of Huawei and ZTE has taken on new urgency as U.S. wireless carriers rollout 5G networks.

While the big wireless companies have already cut ties with Huawei, small rural carriers continue to rely on both Huawei and ZTE switches and other equipment because they tend to be cheaper. Trump’s order applies to future purchases and does not address existing hardware, officials said Wednesday.

Source: Reuters

Posted in 5G deployment, Americans, arrested, Beijing, Ben Sasse, Broadcom Inc, canada, CFO, Chief financial officer, Chinese ‘private-sector’ businesses, chinese communist party, Chinese state, Commerce Department, Commerce Secretary, defraud, distinction, Entity List, Espionage, export control officer, global financial institutions, handsets, hits, Huawei, imaginary, International Emergency Economic Powers Act, iran, John Larkin, Members of Congress, Meng Wanzhou, national security risk, network equipment, one-two punch, President Donald Trump, Qualcomm Inc, Republican Senator, spy, Trump, U.S. national security, Uncategorized, United States, Washington, White House, Wilbur Ross, zte corp | Leave a Comment »

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