Archive for ‘Chindia Alert’

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17/12/2018

Indian forces lock down Kashmir city, hold leaders to stifle protests

SRINAGAR, India (Reuters) – Indian police detained separatist leaders in the disputed Kashmir region on Monday and sealed off roads in an effort to stifle protests against the killing of civilians on the weekend.

An Indian policeman stands guard behind concertina wire laid across a road leading to the Indian army headquarters in Srinagar December 17, 2018. REUTERS/Danish Ismail

Unrest has intensified over recent weeks in the Muslim-majority region at the heart of decades of hostility between India and Pakistan, and seven civilians were killed on Saturday when security forces opened fire at a protest over the killing of three militants.

Separatists leaders Mohammad Yasin Malik and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said they were detained as they marched towards an army headquarters in Kashmir’s main city of Srinagar. Another leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, was under house arrest, police said.

“Indian troops are killing Kashmiris,” Malik told reporters as police in riot gear took him away in a white vehicle. “For the last many years they are on a killing spree.”

A senior police official, who declined to be identified, said Malik and Farooq would be released “once the situation stabilises”.

A spokesman for India’s Ministry of Home Affairs in New Delhi said he had no comment.

Police and para-military forces put up barricades in various parts of Srinagar, including on roads leading to the army headquarters, and were patrolling in force.

The army warned the population against being used to make trouble.

“Army advises people not to fall prey to such designs of anti-national forces,” the army said in a statement late on Sunday.

“It’s an attempt to pit the civilian population against the security forces”.

One soldier was killed in the Saturday violence.

‘DIALOGUE, NOT VIOLENCE’

Shops, government offices and banks were closed in Srinagar and a nearby district and traffic was off the roads. Authorities have also shut down mobile internet and train services.

Slideshow (3 Images)

Pakistan, which like India, claims Kashmir in full but rules it in part, condemned the Saturday killings.

“Only dialogue and not violence and killings will resolve this conflict,” Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said, adding that his country would raise India’s “human rights violations” at the United Nations.

Hindu-majority India accuses Pakistan of training and arming separatist militants operating in Kashmir.

Pakistan denies that saying it only offers political support to the people of the Muslim region who are being denied their rights by India’s security forces.

Indian forces say they have killed 242 militants this year in the region, while 101 civilians and 82 members of the security forces have been killed, making it the bloodiest year in more than a decade.

Australia “recognition” move criticized in Israel

Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said Indian authorities should investigate and prosecute those responsible for “indiscriminate use of force”.

“Security forces are aware that villagers gather, protest during gunfights with Kashmir militants and have responsibility to ensure civilians are not at risk,” she said in a tweet.

Posted in India alert, Kashmir, leaders, protests, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

17/12/2018

‘Carnage of unbelievable proportions’: Delhi High Court convicts Sajjan Kumar for 1984 riots

Sajjan Kumar,anti-Sikh riots case,1984 anti-sikh riots case
Congress’ Sajjan Kumar was convicted today by Delhi High Court in 1984 riots case(PTI)

The Delhi High Court on Monday called the anti-Sikh riots case of 1984 “communal frenzy” after the then prime minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her bodyguards as it sentenced Congress leader Sajjan Kumar to life imprisonment in one of the cases.

As it reversed the trial court’s order acquitting Kumar, the court also directed him to surrender by December 31, 2018, and slapped a fine of Rs 5 lakh on him and Rs 1 lakh on all other accused in the case.

The case relates to the murder of five members of a family during the anti-Sikh riots in the Raj Nagar area in the Delhi Cantonment on November 1, 1984.

“What happened in the aftermath of the assassination of the then Prime Minister was carnage of unbelievable proportions in which over 2,700 Sikhs were murdered in Delhi alone. The law and order machinery clearly broke down and it was literally a ‘free for all’ situation which persisted. The aftershocks of those atrocities are still being felt,” justice S Muralidhar and justice Vinod Goel said while handing the 203-page judgement.

Also watch | Congress’ Sajjan Kumar convicted in 1984 Sikh riots case, gets life term 

The judges also quoted a poem by Amrita Pritam on the violence after the Partition in 1947 in India and Pakistan. She escaped to India with her two children from Pakistan’s Lahore.

“She was moved to pen an “Ode to Waris Shah” in which she spoke of the fertile land of Punjab having “sprouted poisonous weeds far and near” and where “Seeds of hatred have grown high, bloodshed is everywhere/Poisoned breeze in forest turned bamboo flutes into snakes/Their venom has turned the bright and rosy Punjab all blue,” they said.

Also read | Congress’ Sajjan Kumar convicted in 1984 Sikh riots, gets life term

“The killings would continue in the streets of Delhi. Thirty-seven years later, the country was again witness to another enormous human tragedy. Following the assassination of Smt. Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India, on the morning of 31st October 1984 by two of her Sikh bodyguards, a communal frenzy was unleashed.”

‘Political patronage’

The judges recalled the violence in which thousands of Sikhs were killed, some burnt alive, as their houses were destroyed in Delhi and across the country.

“A majority of the perpetrators of these horrific mass crimes, enjoyed political patronage and were aided by an indifferent law enforcement agency … The criminals escaped prosecution and punishment for over two decades.”

“There was an abject failure by the police to investigate the violence which broke out in the aftermath of the assassination of the then Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi is apparent from the several circumstances highlighted hereinabove.”

There was an “utter failure” to register separate first report information in the case of five deaths in which Congress leader Kumar and others were sentenced.

“The failure to record any incident whatsoever in the DDR and the lack of mention of PW-1’s statement therein, amongst other circumstances, established the apathy of the Delhi Police and their active connivance in the brutal murders being perpetrated.

Here is what they also said in the summary of their judgement:

1. This was an extraordinary case where it was going to be impossible to proceed against A-1 in the normal scheme of things because there appeared to be ongoing large-scale efforts to suppress the cases against him by not even recording or registering them. Even if they were registered they were not investigated properly and even the investigations which saw any progress were not carried to the logical end of a charge sheet actually being filed. Even the defence does not dispute that as far as FIR No.416/1984 is concerned, a closure report had been prepared and filed but was yet to be considered by the learned MM.

2. The trial Court completely omitted to address the charge of conspiracy despite detailed arguments submitted by the CBI in that regard. There was a two-pronged strategy adopted by the attackers. First was to liquidate all Sikh males and the other was to destroy their Crl.A. 1099/2013 & Connected Matters Page 200 of 203 residential houses leaving the women and children utterly destitute. The attack on the Raj Nagar Gurudwara was clearly a part of the communal agenda of the perpetrators.

Read | ‘Will pay for sins’: Arun Jaitley targets Congress after Sajjan Kumar conviction

3. The mass killings of Sikhs between 1st and 4th November 1984 in Delhi and the rest of the country, engineered by political actors with the assistance of the law enforcement agencies, answer the description of “crimes against humanity”. Cases like the present are to be viewed in the larger context of mass crimes that require a different approach and much can be learnt from similar experiences elsewhere.

4. Common to the instances of mass crimes are the targeting of minorities and the attacks spearheaded by the dominant political actors facilitated by the law enforcement agencies. The criminals responsible for the mass crimes have enjoyed political patronage and managed to evade prosecution and punishment. Bringing such criminals to justice poses a serious challenge to our legal system. Decades pass by before they can be made answerable. This calls for strengthening the legal system. Neither “crimes against humanity‟ nor genocide‟ is part of our domestic law of crime. This loophole needs to be addressed urgently.

5. The acquittal of A-1 by the trial Court is set aside. He is convicted of the offence of criminal conspiracy punishable under Section 120B read with Sections 302, 436, 295, and 153A (1) (a) and (b) IPC; for the offence punishable under Section 109 IPC of abetting the commission of the aforementioned offences; and for the offence of delivering provocative speeches instigating violence against Sikhs Crl.A. 1099/2013 & Connected Matters Page 201 of 203 punishable under Section 153A (1) (a) and (b) IPC.

Posted in carnage, convicts, Delhi, High Court, India alert, riots, Sajjan Kumar, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

17/12/2018

Drones called in to save the Great Wall of China

Drones called in to save the Great Wall

A very 21st Century piece of tech is being called in to save the crumbling Great Wall of China.

 

Large sections of the Great Wall of China are in urgent need of preservation work, but hard to reach.

 

So drones are coming to the rescue.

Posted in China alert, drones, Great Wall, save, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

17/12/2018

Four Chinese activists shave heads to protest ‘persecution’ of husbands

BEIJING (Reuters) – The wives of four of China’s most prominent rights lawyers and activists shaved their heads on Monday in protest over what they called the “persecution” of their husbands by the government.

Liu Ermin, wive of a prominent Chinese rights lawyer, has her head shaved in protest over the government’s treatment of her husband in Beijing, China, December 17, 2018. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

Since taking office in 2012, Chinese President Xi Jinping has overseen a crackdown on dissent, with hundreds of rights lawyers and activists being detained, arrested and jailed.

Four wives of lawyers detained during a July 2015 sweep known as the 709 crackdown gathered in the central park of a sleepy Beijing apartment complex and cut off their hair in front of neighbours and a small group of invited foreign journalists.

The women took turns shaving each other’s heads, placing the hair in see-through plastic boxes alongside pictures of them with their husbands, before heading to China’s Supreme People’s Court to petition over their husbands’ treatment.

Li Wenzu, who says she has been unable to visit her husband, rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang, since he went missing in the 2015 crackdown, told reporters that the act was to protest against the way her husband’s case was being handled.

Li said judges in Wang’s trial had unlawfully delayed proceedings and prevented her from appointing a lawyer of her choosing.

Wang is being held in Tianjin on suspicion of subverting state power, but both Li and seven lawyers she has appointed to try and represent Wang have been unable to visit him, she said.

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“We can go hairless, but you cannot be lawless,” they announced at the end of the ceremony, a pun in Chinese, as the words for “hair” and “law” sound similar.

Requests for comment faxed to China’s Supreme People’s Court and the Tianjin Number 2 Intermediate People’s Court, where Wang’s case is set to be heard at an unknown date, went unanswered.

Li, Wang and other family members of rights lawyers and activists who have been detained or jailed have in recent years taken up their loved ones’ causes and attempting to keep pressuring the government into allowing their release.

The authorities have responded using “soft” detention measures, such as house arrest, to keep family members from getting their message out, rights activists have said.

Posted in activists, China alert, husbands, persecution, public protest, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

17/12/2018

China tightens control of local economic data ahead of expected weak growth next year

  • Authorities in Guangdong, nation’s manufacturing powerhouse, told all future purchasing managers’ indexes will be produced by National Bureau of Statistics
  • Ruling comes ahead of what is likely to be tough start to 2019 for China’s economy as trade war bites
PUBLISHED : Monday, 17 December, 2018, 2:26pm
UPDATED : Monday, 17 December, 2018, 3:05pm

COMMENTS: 16 

China’s central government has ordered authorities in the country’s export hub, Guangdong province, to stop producing a regional purchasing managers’ index for the manufacturing sector as it seeks to control the flow of sensitive economic data.

The order by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) means the province will now not release purchasing managers’ index (PMI) data for either October or November.

The move comes as Beijing looks to tighten its grip on the dissemination of economic news amid the trade war with the United States. Industry insiders and analysts raised concerns about what the move means for disclosure of the real impact of the conflict on local businesses.

US trade war weakens China’s position as global leader in automation and robot manufacturing

The demise of Guangdong’s PMI came unannounced as the Guangdong government just stopped releasing the data.

When an individual inquired as to why Guangdong had stopped releasing its own PMI, the Guangdong Industry and Information Technology Department issued a brief statement on December 10, buried deep in the website, saying that it had received a notice from the NBS at the end of October and was told that all PMI compilations must be conducted by the NBS. Given this directive, it decided to stop compiling and releasing the provincial PMI from November 1 on.

Phone calls to the NBS information office went unanswered on Monday and the bureau has not replied to faxed questions from the South China Morning Post.

The Guangdong provincial PMI, complied by the Guangdong’s Industry and Information Technology Department, has been released on a monthly basis since November 2011.

When the Guangdong government decided to produce its own PMI that year, it said in a statement that Guangdong, which is a global manufacturing hub, was in need of its own PMI to help inform economic policymakers, enterprises and analysts so that they could accurately predict economic performance of the province and even the whole country.

“For instance, Chicago used to be the heartland of US manufacturing, and the Chicago PMI is often regarded one of the most significant [US] economic indicators by economists,” the Guangdong government said then. The Guangdong PMI is calculated based on a survey of 1,000 key enterprises in the province.

China takes steps to support jobs as trade war starts to hit employment

Peng Peng, vice-president of the South Nongovernmental Think Tank in Guangdong, said the demise of the provincial PMI would be a loss to the local business community.

“Guangdong’s monthly PMI was an important lead indicator showing China’s real economic situation,” he said.

Without it, local companies would have to rely on official statistics reported by the central government – via the NBS – or on official views of how manufacturing companies were doing in China, he said.

China’s export base hit by trade war offers sweeteners to lure professional services firms

The owner of an export-oriented manufacturing business in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong, said he was concerned by the central government’s move as it suggested the economy might be in even worse shape than he thought.

“Timely and transparent PMI data is not only important for Guangdong companies but for all businesses nationwide, because Guangdong is China’s main economic engine,” said the person, who asked not to be identified.

“I’m actually worried about the official move. I think the situation in the manufacturing sector will be really bad in the coming year, and that might be why Guangdong’s provincial monthly PMI needed to be shut down.”

The Guangdong PMI for the manufacturing sector actually rose in September to 50.2, from 49.3 a month earlier. Readings above 50 points indicate the sector is expanding.

It is not the first time China’s statistics bureau has tightened control over PMIs not produced in house. The bureau in 2015 ordered a private compiler of a Chinese PMI to stop releasing preliminary readings that came out a week before the official release.

The tightened control by NBS over Guangdong’s PMI comes at the same time as the statistics bureau reduces the autonomy of local governments to produce their own gross domestic product data.

According to a notice issued by NBS in October 2017, the NBS will compile provincial GDP figures directly from 2019 onwards, taking over the work of local provincial statistics bureaus, so that the gaps between provincial and nationwide GDP data would be smaller. The NBS notice at that time only mentioned GDP data and did not touch on other indicators such as PMI.

Posted in China alert, control, growth, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

17/12/2018

China’s foreign trade to remain steady in 2018: report

#CHINA-FOREIGN TRADE-REPORT (CN)

Aerial photo taken on Nov. 8, 2018 shows the container terminal of Port of Qingdao, east China’s Shandong Province. China’s foreign trade will maintain steady growth in 2018, as the country’s economy posted stable performance amid mounting external uncertainties, according to a report released by the Ministry of Commerce. China’s foreign trade saw fast growth in the first three quarters, the report said. The country’s goods trade rose 11.1 percent year-on-year to 27.88 trillion yuan (about 4 trillion U.S. dollars) in the first 11 months this year, customs data showed. The report also said that the Chinese economy currently showed many favorable conditions to sustain medium-high growth and move toward a medium- to high-end level, laying a solid foundation for the development of foreign trade. (Xinhua/Yu Fangping)

BEIJING, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) — China’s foreign trade will maintain steady growth in 2018, as the country’s economy posted stable performance amid mounting external uncertainties, according to a report released by the Ministry of Commerce.

China’s foreign trade saw fast growth in the first three quarters, the report said.

The country’s goods trade rose 11.1 percent year-on-year to 27.88 trillion yuan (about 4 trillion U.S. dollars) in the first 11 months this year, customs data showed.

Exports rose 8.2 percent year-on-year to 14.92 trillion yuan in the January-November period while imports grew 14.6 percent to 12.96 trillion yuan, resulting in a trade surplus of 1.96 trillion yuan, which narrowed by 21.1 percent.

However, the growth of foreign trade might be pulled back because of a high comparative base during the same period last year, the ministry added.

The report also said that the Chinese economy currently showed many favorable conditions to sustain medium-high growth and move toward a medium- to high-end level, laying a solid foundation for the development of foreign trade.

The fundamentals of China’s economic development have remained steady and positive over the past 11 months. China’s gross domestic product posted an increase of 6.7 percent year-on-year in the first three quarters, above the government’s target of 6.5-percent.

Posted in China alert, foreign trade, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

17/12/2018

Macao holds int’l parade to mark 19th anniversary of return to motherland

CHINA-MACAO-PARADE (CN)

Performers attend the Macao International Parade, which is held to celebrate the 19th anniversary of Macao’s return to the motherland, in Macao, south China, Dec. 16, 2018. (Xinhua/Cheong Kam Ka)

MACAO, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) — The government of China’s Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) held an international parade Sunday afternoon to mark the 19th anniversary of Macao’s return to the motherland.

The parade attracted more than 70 groups from the Chinese mainland, the Macao SAR and the Hong Kong SAR, as well as those from foreign countries including Japan, Brazil, Spain, Italy, Portugal, France, Mozambique, Malaysia, among others.

The parade featured performances such as folk dances, acrobatics, stilt walking, Chinese martial arts and puppet shows.

The parade started from the renowned Ruins of St. Paul’s and ended at Sai Van Lake Square, where the groups took to the stage one by one.

The parade, one of the major cultural events in Macao since 2011, was organized by Macao’s Cultural Affairs Bureau and the Macao Government Tourism Office.

Posted in anniversary, China alert, Macao, motherland, return, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

17/12/2018

China, Myanmar vow to strengthen ties, cooperation

LAOS-CHINA-WANG YI-MYANMAR-U KYAW TIN-MEETING

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) meets with Union Minister for International Cooperation of Myanmar U Kyaw Tin in Luang Prabang, Laos, on Dec. 16, 2018. Both Wang and U Kyaw Tin are here to attend the fourth Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) foreign ministers’ meeting to be held on Monday. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

LUANG PRABANG, Laos, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) — Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Union Minister for International Cooperation of Myanmar U Kyaw Tin here Sunday, with both sides agreeing to strengthen bilateral ties and cooperation at all sectors.

Both Wang and U Kyaw Tin are here to attend the fourth Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) foreign ministers’ meeting to be held on Monday.

China is ready to be Myanmar’s reliable partner of cooperation, promote high-level exchanges, strengthen cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative and enrich the content of China-Myanmar comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation, said Wang.

Both sides should actively implement the recently-signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) to jointly build the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor, improve related plans and push forward major projects, Wang noted.

China will also support Myanmar to properly solve the northern Myanmar issue following the “Panglong spirit,” said Wang.

On the Rakhine issue, China hopes that Myanmar and Bangladesh will maintain communication and cooperation and realize repatriation of the first batch of displaced persons from Bangladesh at an early date. To this end, China will provide necessary assistance and related organizations of the United Nations should also play a constructive role, he added.

For his part, U Kyaw Tin said his country is satisfied with the development of the Myanmar-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and the relations of the two countries have entered the best period in history.

State Counselor of Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi is expected to attend the second Belt and Road Forum for International cooperation, the union minister said, adding that Myanmar has formed a steering committee to push forward cooperation programs within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

The LMC mechanism has brought benefits to peoples in the region and Myanmar is looking forward to deepening communication and coordination with China under the mechanism, he said.

Posted in China alert, cooperation, strengthen ties, Uncategorized, vows | Leave a Comment »

17/12/2018

CPC issues regulation on punishment of Party members

BEIJING, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) — The General Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee has issued a trial regulation on how leading Party members groups discuss and decide the punishment of Party members.

According to the regulation, leading Party members groups should fulfil the main responsibility of ensuring the strict and full governance over the Party. Discipline inspection groups, sent by the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission, have the responsibility of supervision.

A discipline inspection group stationed at a department is responsible for filing and investigating cases of discipline violations committed by city-level officials of the department, the regulation said.

The discipline inspection group propose a preliminary suggestion for punishment and discuss the suggestion with the department’s leading Party members group. The case is then transferred to central discipline inspection and supervision authorities for a trial after the two groups reach a consensus, it said.

Cases of discipline violations by county-level officials of a department can be investigated and tried by the Party committee and the discipline inspection commission of the department.

The punishment should be discussed and decided by the department’s leading Party members group, and advised by the discipline inspection group stationed at the department, according to the regulation.

The regulation will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2019.

Posted in China alert, Communist Party of China, CPC, members, punishment, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

17/12/2018

China, Thailand pledge to deepen cooperation

LAOS-CHINA-WANG YI-THAILAND-FM-MEETING

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) meets with Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai at the sidelines of the 4th Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) foreign ministers’ meeting in Luang Prabang, Laos, on Dec. 16, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

LUANG PRABANG, Laos, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) — China and Thailand on Sunday pledged to deepen bilateral cooperation and move forward the construction of the China-Thailand railway.

The pledges were made as Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai at the sidelines of the 4th Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) foreign ministers’ meeting.

Wang said the China-Thailand ties are enjoying sound development, with frequent high-level exchanges and close cooperation in various fields, bringing tangible benefits to peoples of the two countries.

China is willing to work with Thailand to enhance communication, do proper planing for deepened cooperation, speed up the construction of China-Thailand railway in a bid to achieve early connection of China-Laos-Thailand railway, and actively explore third-party cooperation, he said.

China would support Thailand’s work as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) rotating chair and steadily move forward the consultation on the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea with ASEAN members, said Wang.

China would also push for the early conclusion of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations, speed up East Asian economic integration, and jointly guard against unilateralism and trade protectionism, Wang added.

For his part, Don said Thailand would work with China to maintain high-level exchanges, deepen trade and economic cooperation, actively move forward the construction of Thailand-China railway, and explore different kinds of third-party cooperation under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

As ASEAN’s rotating chair in 2019, Thailand would play a constructive role in promoting the development of ASEAN and ASEAN-China relations, said Don.

Thailand is committed to concluding RCEP negotiations within its term of chairmanship, and would work towards regional peace, stability, prosperity and development.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) meets with Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai at the sidelines of the 4th Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) foreign ministers’ meeting in Luang Prabang, Laos, on Dec. 16, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

LUANG PRABANG, Laos, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) — China and Thailand on Sunday pledged to deepen bilateral cooperation and move forward the construction of the China-Thailand railway.

The pledges were made as Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai at the sidelines of the 4th Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) foreign ministers’ meeting.

Wang said the China-Thailand ties are enjoying sound development, with frequent high-level exchanges and close cooperation in various fields, bringing tangible benefits to peoples of the two countries.

China is willing to work with Thailand to enhance communication, do proper planing for deepened cooperation, speed up the construction of China-Thailand railway in a bid to achieve early connection of China-Laos-Thailand railway, and actively explore third-party cooperation, he said.

China would support Thailand’s work as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) rotating chair and steadily move forward the consultation on the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea with ASEAN members, said Wang.

China would also push for the early conclusion of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations, speed up East Asian economic integration, and jointly guard against unilateralism and trade protectionism, Wang added.

For his part, Don said Thailand would work with China to maintain high-level exchanges, deepen trade and economic cooperation, actively move forward the construction of Thailand-China railway, and explore different kinds of third-party cooperation under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

As ASEAN’s rotating chair in 2019, Thailand would play a constructive role in promoting the development of ASEAN and ASEAN-China relations, said Don.

Thailand is committed to concluding RCEP negotiations within its term of chairmanship, and would work towards regional peace, stability, prosperity and development.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) meets with Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai at the sidelines of the 4th Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) foreign ministers’ meeting in Luang Prabang, Laos, on Dec. 16, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

LUANG PRABANG, Laos, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) — China and Thailand on Sunday pledged to deepen bilateral cooperation and move forward the construction of the China-Thailand railway.

The pledges were made as Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai at the sidelines of the 4th Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) foreign ministers’ meeting.

Wang said the China-Thailand ties are enjoying sound development, with frequent high-level exchanges and close cooperation in various fields, bringing tangible benefits to peoples of the two countries.

China is willing to work with Thailand to enhance communication, do proper planing for deepened cooperation, speed up the construction of China-Thailand railway in a bid to achieve early connection of China-Laos-Thailand railway, and actively explore third-party cooperation, he said.

China would support Thailand’s work as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) rotating chair and steadily move forward the consultation on the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea with ASEAN members, said Wang.

China would also push for the early conclusion of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations, speed up East Asian economic integration, and jointly guard against unilateralism and trade protectionism, Wang added.

For his part, Don said Thailand would work with China to maintain high-level exchanges, deepen trade and economic cooperation, actively move forward the construction of Thailand-China railway, and explore different kinds of third-party cooperation under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

As ASEAN’s rotating chair in 2019, Thailand would play a constructive role in promoting the development of ASEAN and ASEAN-China relations, said Don.

Thailand is committed to concluding RCEP negotiations within its term of chairmanship, and would work towards regional peace, stability, prosperity and development.

Posted in China alert, cooperation, pledge, Thailand, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

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