Chindia Alert: You’ll be Living in their World Very Soon
aims to alert you to the threats and opportunities that China and India present. China and India require serious attention; case of ‘hidden dragon and crouching tiger’.
Without this attention, governments, businesses and, indeed, individuals may find themselves at a great disadvantage sooner rather than later.
The POSTs (front webpages) are mainly 'cuttings' from reliable sources, updated continuously.
The PAGEs (see Tabs, above) attempt to make the information more meaningful by putting some structure to the information we have researched and assembled since 2006.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, meets with representatives to the 11th general congress of the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 2, 2019. Li Keqiang and Wang Huning, both members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, were present at the meeting. Vice President Wang Qishan attended the meeting and the opening of the congress. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)
BEIJING, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) — President Xi Jinping on Monday called on the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) to make new and greater contributions to the development of the Red Cross cause.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks when meeting with representatives to the 11th general congress of the RCSC at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
Extending sincere greetings and warm congratulations to the representatives, Xi encouraged them to champion the spirit of humanity, compassion and dedication, and pursue reform and innovation with great endeavor.
Xi and the representatives took group pictures.
Li Keqiang and Wang Huning, both members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, were present at the meeting. Vice President Wang Qishan attended the meeting and the opening of the congress.
Addressing the opening ceremony, Vice Premier Sun Chunlan urged the RCSC to uphold the leadership of the Party, protect lives and health, carry out international assistance, and serve the country and the people.
Li Hong, a registered nurse and vice president of Fujian Provincial Hospital who won the Florence Nightingale Medal for 2019, as well as 32 groups and 10 individuals working for the RCSC were awarded for their outstanding achievements at Monday’s congress.
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with visiting Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 28, 2019. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)
BEIJING, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping met with visiting Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov here on Wednesday, calling on the two countries to jointly push forward the high-quality construction of the Belt and Road.
Xi asked Aripov to convey his sincere regards to Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
The key to the constant leap-forward development of China-Uzbekistan relations is that both sides always adhere to the spirit of good-neighborliness, mutual benefit and mutual assistance, according to Xi.
Xi stressed that he attaches great importance to the development of the China-Uzbekistan comprehensive strategic partnership, which is in line with the fundamental interests of the two countries and their peoples.
Hailing the achievements of the fifth meeting of the China-Uzbekistan intergovernmental committee of cooperation, Xi said that the cooperation goals set by the two sides will certainly be realized as long as the bilateral relationship stays on the right track.
Xi called on both countries to further promote the high-quality construction of the Belt and Road, enhance synergy between national development strategies, strengthen connectivity through cross-border roads and railways, expand cooperation in trade, investment, high and new technology, energy and other fields, as well as foster new highlight in people-to-people and cultural exchanges.
China is willing to increase imports of Uzbek quality agricultural products, Xi said, adding that Uzbekistan is welcome to attend the second China International Import Expo as guest of honor later this year.
In addition, Xi said that the two sides should work together to combat the “three evil forces” of terrorism, separatism and extremism, fight against drug trafficking and other transnational organized crimes.
The rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is to seek happiness for the Chinese people and will also benefit world peace and human progress, Xi said, stressing that China will absolutely not follow the old path of “a strong country must seek hegemony.”
China is ready to enhance coordination with Uzbekistan on international affairs, safeguard common interests of the two countries, uphold multilateralism and promote democracy in international relations, Xi said.
He also called on the two countries to work with other members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to raise the awareness of a community with a shared future and lift cooperation in various fields, so as to promote further development of the SCO and benefit peoples of various countries in the region.
Aripov conveyed President Mirziyoyev’s sincere greetings and lofty respect to President Xi and his warm congratulations on the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
President Mirziyoyev sincerely hopes China will achieve greater prosperity and early national rejuvenation under the leadership of President Xi, according to Aripov.
Calling China “the closest and most reliable neighbor and partner” of Uzbekistan, Aripov said that Uzbekistan will work with China to firmly implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state.
Mirziyoyev has appointed a special agency to synergize development strategies with the Chinese side, actively promote cooperation with China on the construction of the Belt and Road, and expand people-to-people and cultural exchanges, according to Aripov.
Uzbekistan firmly supports China in safeguarding its sovereignty, security and unity, and will continue to actively work with China to combat the “three evil forces” of terrorism, separatism and extremism, said Aripov.
Aripov is paying an official visit to China from Tuesday to Thursday at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.
Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, reads a congratulatory letter to the 2019 Smart China Expo sent by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the expo’s opening ceremony in southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality, Aug. 26, 2019. (Xinhua/Wang Quanchao)
CHONGQING, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) — Chinese Vice Premier Liu He on Monday called for seizing the new opportunities in technological development and promoting the healthy development of the intelligent industry.
Liu, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks at the 2019 Smart China Expo that opened Monday in southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality.
At the opening ceremony, he read a congratulatory letter from President Xi Jinping.
The letter fully demonstrated that the president attaches great importance to the development of intelligent industry, and pointed the direction for the sector’s healthy development, Liu said.
Noting that China’s economy is switching from high-speed growth to high-quality development, Liu said the country’s dynamic microfundations and sufficient macro-policy tools can ensure the sound fundamentals of its economic development.
China’s intelligent industry is developing rapidly and emerging as a new economic growth point, Liu said.
To promote the sector’s development, efforts must be centered on promoting the well-being of humanity, maintain a balance between efficiency and job creation, respect and protect individual privacy, and uphold the ethical and moral bottom line, he said.
In underscoring China’s willingness to advance international cooperation in the intelligent sector, Liu said China welcomes enterprises from all over the world, including the United States, to invest and operate in China.
The country will continue to create an appealing investment environment and strengthen protection of property rights and intellectual property rights, he said.
China is willing to resolve problems calmly through consultation and resolutely opposes the escalation of the trade war, Liu said, adding that any escalation will run against the interests of the people of China, the United States and the whole world.
BEIJING, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) — “A spring breeze blew into Sijiqing.”
This is how seniors at the Beijing-based nursing home recalled a visit in 2013 by President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission.
During the visit to the Sijiqing Home for the Elderly, Xi chatted with senior citizens, asked them about their health, families and lives.
Xi stressed the need to improve the management and service quality of elderly care institutions to ensure that every senior citizen can live a carefree, healthy, comfortable and happy life.
More than five years on, Liu Jinwen, a member of the elderly fashion models team at Sijiqing, said the visit had a great impact on them.
“Senior citizens should maintain a positive outlook on life and spend their old age gracefully,” Liu said. “To that end, we set up the models team to make our lives more ‘beautiful!'”
Liu is just one of the growing number of happy seniors in China.
Under Xi’s leadership, the country has over the past few years formulated a series of measures to boost elderly care and witnessed a marked improvement of the lives of the senior citizens.
BETTER NURSING HOMES
The services at nursing homes are related to the happiness of more than 200 million old people in China, especially the 40 million of them who have lost the ability in full or in part to take care of themselves.
In 2017, a four-year campaign was launched nationwide to boost nursing homes’ service quality. More rules and regulations on the management of elderly care institutions have also been drawn up.
At Sijiqing, a lot of cultural activities were organized. A “Silver Age” college was set up. And the nursing home teamed up with a local hospital to provide fast access for senior citizens to quality medical treatment.
“It’s really convenient now,” said Zhang Jin, a Sijiqing nursing home resident.
IMPROVED COMMUNITY-LEVEL SERVICES
Another field of senior care that has benefited a lot from policy support is community-level services.
Community-based elderly care is important to China’s old-age care system. About 90 percent of the Chinese elderly prefer to spend their later years at home, 6 percent at community-level elderly care centers and only 4 percent at nursing homes, according to statistics.
But community-level elderly care centers also play a key role in providing food and medical services to senior citizens who opt to stay at home.
Liu Jianguo, 86, and his wife are among the people who benefit.
The couple, living in the southeastern city of Fuzhou, go to the community elderly daycare center almost every day.
“My wife and I usually spend the whole day here,” Liu said, praising the center for its environment, facilities and staff.
Across China, all urban communities and more than half of rural communities had established community-based old-age service facilities as of the end of 2018.
In China, a comprehensive elderly care service system is taking shape, meeting the needs of the elderly who prefer to spend later years at home, community-level centers or nursing homes.
BEIJING, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping has led new advances in the development of major country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics.
Xi had a packed diplomatic schedule in the first half of 2019. In April-May, he chaired or attended three events China hosted in a row in just more than half a month. In June, he made four overseas visits and attended four important international meetings in a month.
Amid immense changes in the international situation, the head-of-state diplomacy has led the way forward.
FORGING GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP NETWORK
Xi made his first overseas visit this year in March to three European countries: Italy, Monaco and France, injecting strong impetus into the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership.
Major-country relations continued to grow. In June, Xi paid a state visit to Russia where he and Russian President Vladimir Putin elevated the China-Russia ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era. It was Xi’s eighth visit to Russia and his 31st meeting with Putin since he took office as the Chinese president in 2013.
Friendly exchanges with neighboring countries were deepened. In June, he paid a state visit to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), opening a new chapter for China-DPRK friendship. Also in June, Xi visited Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan and met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the Japanese city of Osaka. All in all, Xi met or held talks with more than 30 leaders of neighboring countries in the first half of the year.
Common progress with the vast majority of developing countries was advanced. Xi congratulated the inauguration of the China-Africa Institute, the opening of the Coordinators’ Meeting on the Implementation of the Follow-up Actions of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on the China-Africa Cooperation, and the first China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo.
Xi also chaired a China-Africa leaders’ meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka, at which leaders reached a broad consensus on a range of issues.
LEADING GLOBAL OPENNESS, COOPERATION
Xi has said a few anti-globalization movements that have emerged in the world cannot stop the tide of globalization.
Thinking in big-picture terms, a Chinese poem says, helps one dispel the clouds to see the sun.
At the G20 summit in Osaka, Xi announced China’s further opening-up measures which have since strengthened the confidence of the global economy.
On the sidelines of the G20 summit, Xi met with U.S. President Donald Trump. They agreed to advance a China-U.S. relationship featuring coordination, cooperation and stability.
China is playing a more positive role in the multilateral trading system, taking globalization toward the direction of more inclusiveness and benefit for all, said World Trade Organization Director General Roberto Azevedo.
Meanwhile, the China-proposed principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits is gaining worldwide recognition.
In April, the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation was attended by about 6,000 participants from 150 countries and 92 international organizations.
A study published by the World Bank found that fully implementing deeper policy reforms of the Belt and Road Initiative would lift 32 million people out of moderate poverty, increase global trade by up to 6.2 percent and increase global income by as much as 2.9 percent.
WORKING TOGETHER FOR BETTER FUTURE
The Chinese president has called on countries around the world to make concerted efforts and jointly shape the future of humanity.
In various occasions ranging from the global governance forum co-hosted by China and France to the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations, Xi put forward China’s approaches on global governance and encouraged all parties to build consensus on upholding multilateralism.
China has been committed to firmly upholding the international system with the United Nations at its core and international law as its foundation, and standing on the side of justice as China plays an active role in endeavors such as advancing the political settlement of the Korean Peninsula issue and supporting maintaining the Iran nuclear deal.
China has become a strong pillar of international cooperation and multilateralism, according to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
At the three events China hosted in the first half of the year, Xi expounded on the concept of building a community with a shared future for humanity from different perspectives: help developing countries break growth bottlenecks, tackle environmental challenges and look to culture and civilization to play their role.
All won broad recognition.
Under Xi’s leadership, the major country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics is sailing towards a brighter future.
Fears are growing in the city that the military could be called in to quell unrest
But the costs and complexities of doing so mean Beijing is highly unlikely to give the orders, observers say
PLA soldiers show their skills during a naval base open day in Hong Kong. The PLA has had a presence in Hong Kong since the city’s return to Chinese sovereignty. Photo: K.Y. Cheng
It is a prospect dreaded by many in Hong Kong, but debate is growing in mainland China about whether the central government should end weeks of upheaval in the city by sending in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
The PLA has had a presence in Hong Kong since the city’s return to Chinese sovereignty but – unlike in mainland China – memories of the military’s bloody suppression of pro-democracy students and activists in Beijing in 1989 are still strong in the city three decades on.
Still, images of protesters vandalising Beijing’s liaison office in downtown Hong Kong on Sunday have fanned nationalist anger across the mainland, prompting calls for PLA intervention.
Concerns only deepened on Wednesday when defence ministry spokesman Wu Qian commented on the recent clashes and protests in Hong Kong. Without suggesting any action or plans by the PLA, Wu made clear that the Garrison Law, which governs the operations of PLA troops in Hong Kong, already stipulates that the PLA is legally allowed to help the city maintain law and order at the request of Hong Kong’s government.
“We are closely following the developments in Hong Kong, especially the violent attack against the central government’s liaison office by radicals on July 21,” Wu said.
“Some behaviour of the radical protesters is challenging the authority of the central government and the bottom line of ‘one country, two systems’,” he warned, referring to the formula that grants Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy for 50 years. “This is intolerable.”
Both Article 14 and Article 18 of the Basic Law – the city’s mini-constitution – spell out how and under what circumstances the PLA troops in Hong Kong can be used.
While the legality is clear, analysts still believe that given the exorbitant political cost and complexities involved, using the military would remain an unlikely last resort.
Even Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of China’s nationalist tabloid Global Times, has spoken out against the idea, citing its “huge political cost” and the “severe uncertainty” it might bring to the situation.
Crowds hold candles at a vigil in Victoria Park in Hong Kong in June to mark the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown. Photo: James Wendlinger
“Once the PLA has taken charge of the situation in Hong Kong and quelled the riots, what’s next?” Hu said in a social media post on Monday.
Hu said there were no governance procedures in place that would allow the PLA to operate in Hong Kong and return things to normal. He also warned that any such action would be followed by international condemnation and a severe backlash among the Hong Kong public.
“The [PLA’s] Hong Kong garrison is the symbol of national sovereignty. It is not a fire brigade for law and order in Hong Kong,” he said.
Any move to use the Chinese troops will create a furore in the US Congress … They will re-examine the Hong Kong Policy Act very carefully Larry Wortzel, senior fellow at American Foreign Policy Council
The South China Morning Post reported last week that military force was not an option for mainland leaders working on a strategy to resolve the city’s biggest political crisis in decades.
And in June Major General Chen Daoxiang, commander of the Hong Kong garrison, assured David Helvey, US principal deputy assistant secretary of defence for Indo-Pacific security affairs, that Chinese troops would not interfere in the city’s affairs, according to Reuters.
The comments support analysts’ assessments that deploying the PLA is not a viable solution to Hong Kong’s crisis.
“Will the mobilisation of PLA troops further inflame the situation? There might be people who will resist or even revolt against the PLA, and that may lead to bloodshed,” said Lau Siu-kai, vice-chairman of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies, a semi-official think tank.
The last time Beijing sent in troops to quell pro-democracy protests was during the Tiananmen Square crackdown on June 4, 1989 – bloodshed that has stained the PLA and the Communist Party to this day, despite decades of efforts to wipe it from public memory.
The last time Beijing sent in troops to quell pro-democracy protests was during the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989. Photo: Reuters
“Although they don’t like to admit it, they know they made a mistake in the way they used the PLA [in 1989],” said Larry Wortzel, a long-time PLA watcher, who witnessed the crackdown as an assistant military attache at the US embassy in Beijing 30 years ago.
“In subsequent years, when there were major demonstrations, they managed to handle them with either the People’s Armed Police [PAP] or the Public Security Bureau [PSB], or in some cases a combination of both,” said Wortzel, now a senior fellow in Asian security at the American Foreign Policy Council in Washington.
If the military was deployed [in Hong Kong], it would mean China was ready to shut its doors completely Chen Daoyin, a Shanghai-based political analyst
The PAP is a 1.5 million-strong paramilitary police force tasked with maintaining domestic security and order, while the PSB is the country’s police force.
The June 4 crackdown is still widely remembered in Hong Kong, where tens of thousands gather every year on its anniversary for a candlelight vigil in the heart of the city.
“The activities in Hong Kong and the Chinese Communist Party’s conduct there have really had a profound impact on thinking in Taiwan. It has killed any chance with any political party of [supporting] the one country, two systems,” Wortzel said.
Chinese military can be deployed at Hong Kong’s request to contain protests, Beijing says
“The last thing President Xi Jinping and the Politburo Standing Committee would want to do, if they can avoid it, is to use the PLA [in Hong Kong].”
The situation in Hong Kong is also being closely watched in the West, with many international firms basing regional headquarters in the Asian financial hub, thanks to its capitalist system and rule of law.
Deploying the PLA to Hong Kong would certainly spark an international outcry and draw huge pressure from Western countries, said Liang Yunxiang, an international affairs expert at Peking University.
“Britain, of course, would have the harshest criticism since it governed Hong Kong for a long time and signed treaties with China to ensure Beijing would keep its commitment to one country, two systems,” Liang said.
In the United States, the repercussions could go beyond verbal condemnation to a shift in policy that might fundamentally change Hong Kong’s status as an international financial centre and prompt an exodus of businesses, according to Wortzel.
“Any move to use the Chinese troops will create a furore in the US Congress … They will re-examine the Hong Kong Policy Act very carefully,” he said, referring to the bill passed in 1992 that allows Hong Kong to be treated as a non-sovereign entity distinct from mainland China on trade and economic matters.
Hong Kong head blasts violence, amid further extradition bill unrest
“They will simply treat Hong Kong like another Chinese city, which affects export controls and how the financial industry operates.”
Just last month, members of Congress reintroduced the bipartisan Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act. If the legislation is passed, the US could revoke Hong Kong’s special status under American law if Beijing fails to ensure the city has “sufficient autonomy”.
The crisis comes as Beijing’s ties with Washington are already strained by a year-long trade war that has spilled into other areas of bilateral relations.
PLA troops go through their paces for the public at their Hong Kong barracks during an open day. Photo: Edward Wong
There is also mounting international pressure on China over issues such as its mass internment and political indoctrination of an estimated million or more members of Muslim minorities in Xinjiang, despite the Chinese government’s repeated denials of ill-treatment of the inmates and attempts to defend its policies.
Chen Daoyin, a Shanghai-based political analyst, said the increasing scrutiny China faced from Western countries – whether in the form of punitive tariffs or restrictions on technology – made it all the more important for China to keep Hong Kong as an open channel to connect with the world.
“If the military was deployed [in Hong Kong], it would mean China was ready to shut its doors completely,” Chen said.
Lau, from the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies, said the PLA should only be deployed as a last resort.
Two calls per second ‘jammed emergency lines’ during Hong Kong violence
“It would be a huge blow to the principle of ‘letting Hong Kong people govern Hong Kong with a high degree of autonomy’, since it will prove that Hong Kong people are not up to the task of governing themselves,” he said.
Hu, from Global Times, said the PLA troops could be used only if the authorities lost control of the city or an armed rebellion broke out.
Short of that, he said, the central government should let the chaos in Hong Kong run its course and wait for the public mood to flip.
This strategy of sitting it out hinges on the city’s police force holding the line and stopping Hong Kong’s slide into total anarchy.
Wortzel also warned that there were lines protesters should not cross – or risk provoking the use of military force.
“For instance, to this point, demonstrators have not gone up against the PLA garrison or any of its outposts. If they did that, I think it’s possible – actually it is very likely – that there will be a limited mobilised response [to defend the facilities],” he said.
While most analysts said the chance of Beijing resorting to military force was slim, the very idea – ludicrous to even discuss three months ago – has become a popular topic on social media on the mainland, where the discussion is not censored and many commenters support it.
The official media have been careful not to touch the subject but they too have stepped up rhetoric against the protests in Hong Kong.
In a rare move, state-run China Central Television has run commentaries and reports about protests in Hong Kong during its main evening news for five days in a row.
Only the most politically important issues receive such unusual treatment.
Huang has been detained since being arrested nearly three years ago.
He has already served previous prison sentences related to his journalism.
The statement, from Mianyang Intermediate People’s Court, added Mr Huang would be deprived of his political rights for four years and had also been fined 20,000 yuan ($2,900; £2,360).
Huang has kidney and heart disease and high blood pressure. And supporters have voiced concern about the consequences of the 56-year-old remaining imprisoned.
“This decision is equivalent to a death sentence, considering Huang Qi’s health has already deteriorated from a decade spent in harsh confinement,” said Christophe Deloire, the secretary-general of Reporters Without Borders.
The press-freedom campaign group has previously awarded Huang its Cyberfreedom Prize. It has now called on President Xi Jinping to “show mercy” and issue a pardon.
Amnesty International has called the sentence “harsh and unjust”.
“The authorities are using his case to scare other human rights defenders who do similar work exposing abuses, especially those using online platforms,” said the group’s China researcher Patrick Poon.
Repeated arrests
Huang created his website in 1998 to help people search for friends and family who had disappeared. But over time it began covering allegations of corruption, police brutality and other abuses.
He was subsequently sentenced to a further three years in prison, in 2009, after giving advice to the families of children who had died in an earthquake in Sichuan the previous year.
The relatives had wanted to sue the local authorities over claims that school buildings had been shoddily built – a claim the central government denied.
Huang was detained again, in 2014, after 64 Tianwang covered the case of a woman who had tried to set herself on fire in Tiananmen Square to coincide with the start of that year’s National People’s Congress.
Then he was arrested in November 2016 and accused of “inciting subversion of state power”, since when he has been incarcerated.
Since then, several human rights organisations, including Freedom House and the China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group, have called for his release and raised concerns about reported threats to his 85-year-old mother, who had been campaigning on his behalf.
Image copyright GETTY IMAGESImage caption Huang’s mother, Pu Wenqing, had travelled to Beijing to plead her son’s case
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – China will be able to place armed forces at a Cambodian naval base under a secret pact between the two nations, the Wall Street Journal said on Sunday, although Cambodian officials denied such a deal had been struck.
The agreement, reached this spring but not made public, gives China exclusive access to part of Cambodia’s Ream Naval Base on the Gulf of Thailand, the Journal said, citing U.S. and allied officials familiar with the matter.
Such an arrangement would boost China’s ability to assert contested territorial claims and economic interests in the South China Sea, challenging U.S. allies in Southeast Asia.
Chinese and Cambodian officials denied such a pact existed, the Journal said.
“This is the worst-ever made up news against Cambodia,” Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen told the pro-government news site Fresh News on Monday.
“No such thing could happen because hosting foreign military bases is against the Cambodian constitution.”
Cambodian defence ministry spokesman Chhum Socheat told Reuters the report was “made up and baseless”.
In Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said, “As I understand it, the Cambodia side denied this.”
But he declined to respond to repeated questions whether China also denied the report.
“China and Cambodia are traditionally friendly neighbours,” Geng told a news briefing.
“We have cooperated in various areas. Our cooperation is open, transparent, and mutually beneficial and equal. I hope the relevant parties do not overinterpret it.”
Hun Sen’s strongest regional ally, China has poured billions of dollars in development assistance and loans into Cambodia through two-way frameworks and its Belt and Road initiative.
The initiative, unveiled by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, aims to bolster a sprawling network of land and sea links throughout Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa.
It has attracted a flood of Chinese commercial ventures in Cambodia, including casinos and special economic zones.
This month the U.S. Defense Department suggested China may be attempting to gain a military foothold in Cambodia, in a letter to Cambodia asking why the nation had turned down an offer to repair a naval base.
In a statement, the State Department urged Cambodia to reject such an arrangement, saying the nation had a “constitutional commitment to its people to pursue an independent foreign policy”.
It added, “We are concerned that any steps by the Cambodian government to invite a foreign military presence in Cambodia would threaten the coherence and centrality of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in coordinating regional developments, and disturb peace and stability in Southeast Asia.”
Cambodia denied reports last November that China had been lobbying it since 2017 for a naval base that could host frigates, destroyers and other vessels of the People’s Liberation Army Navy.
President Xi Jinping has shown himself capable of surprise, whether he is responding to the Hong Kong protests or the US trade war. But his failure to pardon political prisoners and rally China proves there are limits to his flexibility
President Xi Jinping waves as he reviews troops on Tiananmen Square during a Victory Day military parade in September 2015. He has signed two amnesty orders since taking office, one to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the second world war in 2015, and the other to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic China this year. Photo: EPA
To mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Beijing has granted special pardons to
amnesty since the Communist Party took control of the country, and the second since Xi Jinping took office. The previous amnesty was announced in 2015, on the occasion of the
(although there are no political crimes under the Chinese penal code, in reality those facing political persecution are often convicted of criminal offences). It would have demonstrated the stated aims of the amnesty, which include continuing the fine traditions of Chinese civilisation, such as cautious punishment and benevolence to prisoners. It would also have shown there is still a sliver of space for political openness in the
Out of the nine categories announced, political prisoners could have fallen under the sixth category – those aged 75 and above and with serious physical disabilities. But the Chinese government also stated it would not pardon those who refused to repent or were deemed dangerous to society, provisions that would exclude political prisoners.
Since Xi came to power, Beijing has strengthened its
. Yet, considering China’s current social situation, it should be difficult, but not impossible, for Xi to pardon political prisoners and send a reassuring signal to society.
Beijing had declared seven amnesties before 1975, but none between 1975 and 2015 – not even during the two relatively relaxed decades, the
. The amnesty of 2015 was unexpected because while the 70th anniversary of China’s victory against Japan was major, it was also just a commemorative celebration. To some extent, it illustrated Xi’s ability to surprise – and he has sprung more surprises since.
Recently, contrary to many observers’ expectations, Xi did not push for tough measures against the
had a crisis of confidence and many believed Xi would ramp up the policy of promoting the state sector over the private sector, he made a 180-degree turn towards
text. It is clear from all this that Xi understands the strategy of advance and retreat. If a situation is unfavourable for his or the party’s rule, he will adjust his policy.
And the current political climate in China would seem to warrant an adjustment. Xi’s leftist practices have alienated many and caused resentment in some sections of the party and society; in particular, he has destroyed the party’s relationship with
of alienating intellectuals, and is calling on top-level cadres to rebuild the relationship with scholars to strengthen the legitimacy of the party’s rule.
Internationally, an amnesty is a humanitarian measure that creates an atmosphere of reconciliation and regulates the political climate. Xi, who has abolished a term limit on the presidency, wants to maintain stable,
, it is reasonable to loosen the tightly wound spring that is Chinese society, and restore some flexibility. Special pardons would alleviate social conflict, reunite intellectuals, ease tension with the party’s critics, and avoid worsening the social divide.
Have the extradition protests sealed Hong Kong’s fate with Beijing?
In announcing the latest amnesty, Beijing emphasised the need to exude institutional confidence,
China as a great nation in a new era of prosperity, and to project an image of an advanced culture that is open, democratic and respects the rule of law.
China has a tradition of holding small celebrations every five years and big celebrations every 10 years. To highlight the great achievements and high morals of Xi, the new helmsman steering his people towards socialism, a wider net was cast for the latest special pardons: nine categories of prisoners, compared to four categories in 2015.
However, in setting stricter conditions to exclude some from the amnesty – in particular, political prisoners – Beijing has revealed the hypocrisy of its special pardons, to say nothing of its failure to enhance institutional confidence.
In short, Xi has squandered what could have been a good move to unite the Chinese people. Whatever his reasons might be, this amnesty should make one thing clear to the world: although Xi can be opportunistic and flexible in his ruling strategy, he is intransigent on the fundamental question of
Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, shakes hands with residents of a community at Songshan District in Chifeng City, China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, July 15, 2019. Xi went on an inspection tour in Inner Mongolia Monday. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)
HOHHOT, July 15 (Xinhua) — Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, went on an inspection tour in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Monday.
CHINDIA ALERT: You'll be living in their world, very soon 