31/05/2020
BEIJING, May 31 (Xinhua) — The U.S. government has been slammed at home and abroad after announcing on Friday “terminating” its relationship with the World Health Organization (WHO).
U.S. health experts and lawmakers have expressed concern over the decision announced by President Donald Trump amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
Patrice Harris, president of the American Medical Association, described Trump’s move as a “senseless” action with “significant, harmful repercussions.”
“COVID-19 affects us all and does not respect borders; defeating it requires the entire world working together,” Harris was quoted by CNN as saying, urging Trump to reverse the course.
Lawrence Gostin, a professor of global health law and director of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University, described the move as “foolish and arrogant” in his Twitter account.
“Trump’s action is an enormous disruption and distraction during an unprecedented health crisis,” said Gostin, also the director of the WHO collaborating center on national and global health law. “The President has made us less safe.”
Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia said that “the United States cannot eliminate this virus on its own and to withdraw from the World Health Organization — the world’s leading public health body — is nothing short of reckless,” according to a CNN report.
Even within the Republican party, some Republicans also expressed their disagreement. Senate Health Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander reportedly said he disagreed with Trump’s decision, because, without U.S. funding, clinical trials to develop a COVID-19 vaccine might be hampered.
In addition, the European Union (EU) has urged the United States to reconsider its termination of ties with the WHO, warning that Trump’s move would erode global efforts to curb the spread of the virus.
“The WHO needs to continue being able to lead the international response to pandemics, current and future. For this, the participation and support of all is required and very much needed. In the face of this global threat, now is the time for enhanced cooperation and common solutions. Actions that weaken international results must be avoided,” Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, and Josep Borrell, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said in the statement on Saturday.
“In this context, we urge the U.S. to reconsider its announced decision,” the statement said.
German Health Minister Jens Spahn tweeted that Trump’s move was “a disappointing backlash for International Health.”
“The EU must take a leading role and engage more financially,” Spahn said, noting that this would be one of Germany’s priorities when it becomes the bloc’s rotating presidency on July 1.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesperson said earlier that Britain “has no plans to stop funding the WHO, which has an important role to play in leading the global health response.”
“Coronavirus is a global challenge and it is essential that countries work together to tackle this shared threat,” the spokesperson was quoted by The Guardian as saying.
Irish Minister for Health Simon Harris on Friday described Trump’s move as an “awful decision.”
“A global pandemic requires the world working together … We should unite in our fight against it (COVID-19) & not fight each other,” Harris tweeted.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told TASS news agency that Washington “dealt a blow” to the international framework for cooperation in healthcare at the moment when the world needed to join forces.
Source: Xinhua
Posted in "awful decision.", "dealt a blow", "eliminate", "foolish and arrogant", "senseless" action, "terminating", abroad, American Medical Association, announcing, at home, Beijing, blast, Boris Johnson's spokesperson, Britain, British Prime Minister, clinical trials, CNN, cooperation, COVID-19 outbreak, COVID-19 vaccine, Democratic Senator, disagreement, disappointing backlash, disruption, distraction, enormous, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, European Commission, European Union (EU), expressed, faces, Georgetown University, German Health Minister, Germany's, global health law, hampered, health crisis, healthcare, international framework, International Health, Irish Minister for Health, lawmakers, leading public health body, O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, on its own, President Donald Trump, priorities, reckless, reconsider, relationship, Republican Party, Republicans, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Senate Health Committee, significant, harmful repercussions, slammed, termination, The Guardian, ties, to join forces, to withdraw, tweeted, Twitter, U.S. funding, U.S. government, U.S. health experts, Uncategorized, United States, unprecedented, Washington, WHO, World, World Health Organization, World Health Organization (WHO) |
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18/04/2020
- China’s Skyrizon Aircraft Holdings bought a majority stake in Motor Sich, but the shares were frozen in 2017 pending an investigation by Ukraine’s security service
- Washington and Beijing have competed for influence in Ukraine since its relations with Moscow soured when Russia annexed the Crimea peninsula in 2014
Chnia’s Skyrizon says it will appeal a Kiev court’s decision to block its purchase of Ukrainian aircraft engine maker Motor Sich. Photo: Getty Images
A court in Kiev has rejected an appeal by Chinese investors to unfreeze the shares of a Ukrainian aircraft engine maker, a setback for the Chinese company that sought to buy the Ukrainian firm in a deal opposed by the United States.
China’s Skyrizon Aircraft Holdings bought a majority stake in Motor Sich, but the shares were frozen in 2017 pending an investigation by Ukraine’s security service (SBU). Washington wants the deal scrapped.
The US and China have competed for influence in Ukraine since its relations with Moscow soured when Russia annexed the Crimea peninsula in 2014.
In its ruling, the court kept the shares frozen, citing the SBU investigation into whether selling Motor Sich sabotages national security by allowing sensitive technology into foreign hands. The ruling was dated March 13, shared with the parties this week.
Skyrizon plans further appeals, said a lawyer involved in the case, speaking anonymously due to the political sensitivity of the case. Zelensky’s office, the US embassy and the Chinese embassy did not respond to requests for comment. Motor Sich and the SBU declined to comment.
Motor Sich severed ties with Russia after the annexation of Crimea. Photo: Wikipedia
Motor Sich severed ties with Russia, its biggest client, after the annexation of Crimea. The wrangle over its future has held up efforts to find new markets, and supporters of a quick resolution say it is now operating at less than half capacity.
“Motor Sich has become a hostage to the geopolitical situation,” former prime minister Anatoliy Kinakh, chairman of an industrial union which has called for the government to resolve the dispute quickly, said.
The state’s anti-monopoly committee has launched its own investigation and says it is waiting to receive more documents before deciding whether to sanction the sale.
President Volodymyr Zelensky’s administration has had to balance strengthening ties to Beijing with keeping the United States, its biggest military aid donor, onside. In recent weeks, Beijing and Washington have both offered aid to Ukraine to fight the
coronavirus.
At the moment it is a very difficult task when we have the biggest powers in the world and their interests are in conflict in Ukraine,” Oleksandr Danylyuk, a former top security official under Zelensky, said.
Source: SCMP
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28/02/2020
- Tennessee academic Hu was arrested on Thursday and charged with three counts of wire fraud and three counts of making false statements
- The Justice Department said Hu hid his link to the Peking University while taking funding from the US space agency
Peking University in Beijing. Photo: Xinhua
US authorities on Thursday charged a professor at a university in Tennessee with fraud and false statements, saying he hid his link to a Chinese institution while taking funding from Nasa.
In the latest case related to US efforts to halt alleged unauthorised technology transfers to China, the Justice Department said Anming Hu hid his ties to Peking University of Technology while he taught and did research at University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
The indictment said that from 2016, Hu “engaged in a scheme to defraud the National Aeronautics and Space Administration” (Nasa) by hiding his affiliation with the Peking University.
“Federal law prohibits Nasa from using appropriated funds on projects in collaboration with China or Chinese universities,” the Justice Department said in a statement.
Hu was arrested on Thursday and charged with three counts of wire fraud and three counts of making false statements.
The wire fraud charges bring up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 each; the false statement counts each bring a maximum five years in prison.
Chinese man pleads guilty to photographing US Navy base
The case was brought by the national security division of the Justice Department, which has taken aim over the past year at a number of Chinese nationals for allegedly stealing industrial and other secrets to boost China’s economy and defence sectors.
“This is just the latest case involving professors or researchers concealing their affiliations with China from their American employers and the US government. We will not tolerate it,” said John Demers, the assistant attorney general for national security.
US charges Harvard chemistry chair with lying about China ties
Washington says Beijing both pressures and incentivises its nationals to bring back proprietary technology from the US.
Among those arrested for allegedly supporting Beijing’s illicit technology acquisition efforts is the chairman of Harvard University’s chemistry and chemical biology department.
Charles Lieber allegedly hid from Harvard and US authorities payments of $50,000 a month for his personal needs and $1.5 million in lab funding from a Chinese university.
Source: SCMP
Posted in academic, acquisition, Anming Hu, Beijing’s, charged, China, Harvard, hiding, illicit, NASA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration” (Nasa), Peking University, Technology, Tennessee, ties, Uncategorized, US professor, US space agency |
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20/02/2020
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh in Vientiane, Laos, Feb. 19, 2020. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)
VIENTIANE, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) — Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met here Wednesday with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh, with both sides pledging to further promote bilateral ties and jointly advance Lancang-Mekong cooperation.
Wang is in Vientiane, capital of Laos, for the Special ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on Coronavirus Disease and the fifth Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.
During the meeting with Pham Binh Minh, Wang said that under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China Central Committee with Xi Jinping at the core, the whole party and the whole country are rallying together to counter the COVID-19 epidemic.
Thanks to the arduous efforts, China’s measures to prevent and control the epidemic have been achieving visible progress, he noted.
It is necessary for China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), linked by mountains, rivers and waters and sharing weal and woe, to timely share information and work together to tackle the epidemic so as to safeguard people’s health of China and ASEAN countries, Wang said.
Vietnam, as the ASEAN chair, has made active response to China’s proposal to hold the Special ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on Coronavirus Disease, Wang said, noting that it testifies to the fine tradition of their shared spirit of “good neighbor, good friend, good comrade and good partner” as well as supporting and helping each other, he said.
Wang expressed belief that the Special ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on Coronavirus Disease to be held Thursday will achieve success, thus sending out an explicit message that China and ASEAN countries will overcome difficulties with concerted efforts.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between China and Vietnam, Wang said, noting that the China-Vietnam comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership has entered into a critical phase of inheriting the past and ushering in the future.
He called on the two sides to carry forward the friendly cause initiated by past generations of leaders of both sides, implement the important consensus reached by leaders of the two countries, maintain high-level strategic communication and advance exchanges and cooperation across the board and at sub-national levels.
He also said that the two countries should properly manage and control differences, steadily promote practical cooperation in various fields and well uphold the common strategic interests of the two socialist countries.
China attaches great importance to the Lancang-Mekong cooperation, Wang said, adding that China stands ready to work together with the Vietnamese side to actively develop greater synergy between the Lancang-Mekong cooperation and the construction of the “new land-sea corridor” so as to give a boost to the economic development of the Mekong River areas.
Pham Binh Minh, for his part, said Vietnam speaks highly of the efforts China has made in the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic, believing that the Chinese government and the Chinese people will tide over the difficulties and win the fight.
Minh told Wang that those in Vietnam affected by the virus have almost recovered.
He said his country is willing to work together with China to ensure that the Special ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on Coronavirus Disease will be held successfully here on Thursday.
Noting that the development of bilateral relations has maintained good momentum for the time being, Minh hoped that the two sides will boost strategic coordination, jointly hold activities to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic ties between the two countries and promote the cooperation in all fields so as to make greater achievements.
He said Vietnam is willing to strengthen mutual political trust with China, properly handle maritime issues and encourage the cooperation between localities of the two countries, especially in the border areas.
Minh also said his country is willing to strengthen coordination and cooperation with China within the framework of multilateralism.
Vietnam applauds the achievements made in Lancang-Mekong cooperation and is ready to join hands with China to advance the mechanism, he added.
Source: Xinhua
Posted in ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers' Meeting, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), capital, China, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Communist Party of China Central Committee, cooperation, Coronavirus Disease, countries, COVID-19 epidemic, jointly advance, Lancang-Mekong, Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Foreign Ministers' Meeting, Laos, mountains, Pham Binh Minh, promote, rivers, sharing weal and woe, Special ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers' Meeting on Coronavirus Disease, ties, Uncategorized, Vientiane, Vietnam, Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, vow, waters, Xi JinPing |
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08/12/2019
Myanmar President U Win Myint (R) meets with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, Dec. 7, 2019. (Xinhua/U Aung)
NAY PYI TAW, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) — Myanmar President U Win Myint met here Saturday with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi with both sides pledging to strengthen high-level exchanges to push bilateral ties to a new high.
The Myanmar president expressed gratitude to China for its long-term support for Myanmar’s sovereignty, dignity and socio-economic development.
He hoped that both sides will seize the 70th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations next year as an opportunity to consolidate and deepen mutual political trust, speed up the joint construction of the Belt and Road, comprehensively press forward the building of the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor, expand cooperation in sectors including economy and trade, education, health, and enhance cooperation and coordination in regional and international issues so as to further advance the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries.
The president also hoped that China would continue to support Myanmar in pressing forward the ongoing national reconciliation and peace process.
For his part, the Chinese state councilor said China and Myanmar are neighbors linked by rivers and mountains enjoying a “baobo” (brothers and relatives) friendship. Both countries advocate and practise the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, setting an example of equality and mutually beneficial cooperation between countries.
He pledged that China will continue to firmly support Myanmar’s efforts in pursuing a development path suited to its own national conditions, protecting its legitimate rights and national integrity in the international arena and maintaining its overall development and stability. China also appreciates Myanmar’s firm support for China on issues bearing on its core interests and major concerns, he said.
As the two countries will celebrate 70 years’ diplomatic ties next year, China is willing to join hands with Myanmar to sum up experiences in bilateral cooperation in the past years while planning for future development of bilateral ties and carrying out a series of celebration activities, Wang said.
The Chinese state councilor said China is ready to strengthen high-level exchanges with Myanmar in the new year to push the bilateral comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership to a new high.
Source: Xinhua
Posted in "baobo" (brothers and relatives) friendship, Belt and Road (B&R), boost, China alert, China-Myanmar Economic Corridor, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, Myanmar, Myanmar President, new high, pledge, ties, Uncategorized |
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14/11/2019
Wang Yang, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), meets with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi in Egypt, Nov. 11, 2019. Invited by Speaker Ali Abdel-Aal of the Egyptian Parliament, Wang paid an official visit to Egypt from Nov. 10 to 13. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)
CAIRO, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) — China and Egypt agreed to enhance cooperation and further promote bilateral ties as China’s top political advisor Wang Yang visited the North African country from Nov. 10 to 13.
During his meeting with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, Wang, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), hailed the robust development of bilateral ties.
Wang conveyed Chinese President Xi Jinping’s cordial greetings and best wishes to Sisi, noting that, under the guidance of the two heads of state, Sino-Egyptian relations have achieved historical development.
He said China stands ready to work with Egypt to increase high-level exchanges, deepen political mutual trust, actively promote practical cooperation under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), enhance coordination over regional and global affairs, strengthen anti-terrorism cooperation, and push the Sino-Egyptian comprehensive strategic partnership for greater development.
Wang said that the just-concluded fourth plenary session of the 19th Communist Party of China Central Committee has constructed a reliable mechanism for the modernization of China’s national governance system and capacity, as well as realization of national rejuvenation, which also provides Chinese wisdom and solutions to the institutional civilization of humanity.
Wang said China is ready to work with Egypt to strengthen exchanges of experience on governance and support Egypt’s choice of a development path that suits its own national conditions.
For his part, Sisi asked Wang to convey his cordial greetings to Xi, while expressing his heartfelt congratulations to China on its great achievements made in the past 70 years.
Applauding the unprecedented level and depth of Sino-Egyptian relations, Sisi said Egypt supports the BRI and welcomes Chinese enterprises to increase investment in Egypt.
The Egyptian leader also expressed the hope that China will give full play to its influence to promote peace and stability in the Middle East.
Egypt is willing to enhance exchanges and mutual learning on de-radicalization, he added.
At his meeting with Egyptian Parliament Speaker Ali Abdel-Aal, Wang said that political mutual trust is the foundation of Sino-Egyptian relations and the BRI has become the new focus of cooperation between the two countries.
Wang appreciated Egypt’s firm support on the issues concerning China’s core interests, adding that China is ready to work with Egypt to enhance coordination on development strategies, implement major cooperation projects, and boost cooperation in tourism and people-to-people exchanges.
He said that the CPPCC is willing to increase exchanges with Egyptian parliament at all levels, with an aim to increase each other’s capabilities of fulfilling own duties.
Abdel-Aal expressed his country’s firm support for the one-China principle and the measures adopted by China to safeguard its territorial and sovereign integrity and national stability.
He said Egypt supports the two sides to enhance friendly exchanges between legislative and consultative bodies.
Abdel-Aal hoped that more Egyptian agricultural products will enter China’s market, while pledging to offer convenience for Chinese enterprises to expand investment in Egypt.
When meeting with Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Wang said that Egypt, which boasts huge market potential and demographic dividend at a crucial stage of industrialization and urbanization, is China’s natural partner in BRI development.
Wang said China is willing to positively participate in Egypt’s strategic planning including the Suez Canal Corridor development, encourage competitive Chinese enterprises to invest in Egypt, explore conducting Africa-oriented tripartite cooperation, and facilitate the access to China’s market by high-quality Egyptian agricultural products.
Madbouly said China has become Egypt’s largest trading partner and the Sino-Egyptian ties are taking a leap forward.
He said that Egypt is willing to learn from China’s advanced experience in technological innovation, and enhance mutually beneficial cooperation and mutual support on cyber security and anti-terrorism.
Egypt also looks forward to working with China to jointly promote the interconnection and intercommunication between China and Africa, Madbouly added.
During his stay in Egypt, Wang also had in-depth exchanges with Grand Imam of al-Azhar Ahmed el-Tayeb and Governor of Luxor Moustafa Mohamed Alham Khaled, inspected Chinese telecom company Huawei’s innovation exhibition center in North Africa, and attended the inauguration ceremony of Luxor University’s Confucius classroom.
Source: Xinhua
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28/09/2019
NEW YORK (Reuters) – China and the Pacific island state of Kiribati restored diplomatic ties on Friday after the former diplomatic ally of Taiwan abandoned Taipei.
A poor but strategic country which is home to a mothballed Chinese space tracking station, Kiribati announced last week that it was cutting relations with self-ruled Taiwan in favour of China, which claims Taiwan as a wayward province with no right to state-to-state ties.
China and Kiribati had ties until 2003, when Tarawa established relations with Taipei, causing China to break off diplomatic relations.
Up until that time, China had operated a space tracking station in Kiribati, which played a role in tracking China’s first manned space flight.
The Chinese government’s top diplomat State Councillor Wang Yi and Kiribati’s President Taneti Maamau signed a communique on restoring diplomatic relations at the Chinese mission to the United Nations in New York.
“We highly prize this important and the correct decision,” Wang told a news conference. “Let’s hope for our friendship to last forever. We will work together to grow together towards a bright and prosperous future.”
Speaking alongside Wang, Maamau said there was much to learn from China.
“I do believe that there is much to learn and gain from the People’s Republic of China and the re-establishment of our diplomatic relations is just the beginning,” he said.
There was no mention of the space tracking station at the news conference, nor in the joint communique between the two countries released by China’s Foreign Ministry.
China’s space programme is overseen by the military.
China’s Defence Ministry this week declined comment on the Kiribati facility.
Last week was difficult for Taiwan, as the Solomon Islands also ditched it for Beijing. The Solomon Islands foreign minister signed a deal on diplomatic ties in China last Saturday.
Both the Solomon Islands and Kiribati are small developing nations but lie in strategic waters that have been dominated by the United States and its allies since World War Two. China’s moves to expand its influence in the Pacific have angered Washington.
A former Taiwanese ambassador to Kiribati, Abraham Chu, told Taiwan’s Central News Agency last weekend that China had never fully removed the tracking station in Kiribati and that it “could come back at any time”.
Taiwan now has formal relations with just 15 countries, mostly small and poor nations in Latin America and the Pacific, including Nauru, Tuvalu and Palau. China has signalled it is coming for the rest of Taiwan’s allies.
Source: Reuters
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08/09/2019
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic(4th R) meets with Zhang Youxia(3rd L), a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and vice chairman of the Central Military Commission in Belgrade, Serbia on Sept. 6, 2019. (Photo by Li Xiaowei/Xinhua)
BELGRADE, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) — Serbia hopes to enhance mutually beneficial cooperation with China in various fields, including military, to advance bilateral relations to new levels, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has said.
Vucic made the remarks on Friday when meeting with visiting vice chairman of China’s Central Military Commission, Zhang Youxia.
Vucic said that history has proved that China is Serbia’s most reliable friend. The Serbian government, people and military support the “one-China” policy as well as China’s stance and proposition in many other issues concerning China’s core interests.
Vucic added that the Belt and Road Initiative has brought many opportunities to the development of Serbia. He said he hopes that the two sides will continue to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields, including military, to advance bilateral relations to new levels.
Zhang, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that the traditional friendship between China and Serbia is profound.
He said that China is ready to work with Serbia to consolidate the all-weather friendship between the two countries, promote the quality of their bilateral relations and accelerate the growth of their ties.
Zhang also called for the militaries of the two countries to implement consensus reached between the heads of state of China and Serbia, deepen strategic mutual trust and enhance exchanges and cooperation in bids to promote their links to new height.
During his visit, Zhang also met with Serbian Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin, and witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on the establishment of a Chinese medicine center in the Serbian Military Medical Academy.
Source: Xinhua
Posted in advance, Aleksandar Vucic, Aleksandar Vulin, Belt and Road Initiative, Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Central Military Commission, Central Military Commission (CMC), China alert, Chinese medicine center, establishment, levels, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, Memorandum of understanding, Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), Military, pledges, Serbian Defense Minister, Serbian Military Medical Academy, Serbian president, ties, Uncategorized |
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23/06/2019
BEIJING, June 22 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday exchanged greetings with his Irish counterpart Michael D. Higgins on the 40th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral relations.
Since the forging of the diplomatic ties 40 years ago, the two countries have been adhering to the spirit of mutual respect, treating each other on an equal footing, mutual benefit and win-win to push forward healthy and stable development of the bilateral relations and scored fruitful achievements in exchanges and cooperation in various fields, Xi said in a congratulatory message.
President Higgins paid a state visit to China in 2014 and the two heads of state conducted in-depth and friendly exchanges and mapped out a blueprint of China-Ireland relations, Xi recalled.
The Chinese president said he attaches high attention to advancing the ties between China and Ireland and stands ready to make joint efforts with President Higgins to lift the mutually beneficial strategic partnership to a new stage to benefit the two countries and peoples while taking the 40th anniversary as a new starting point.
For his part, Higgins said in a message that, over the last four decades, the bilateral ties have become even stronger as time goes by and pragmatic cooperation in various fields have been increasingly deepening.
The Irish side highly values developing ties with China and is willing to further explore potentials for pragmatic cooperation, boost coordination on safeguarding multilateralism and other global affairs and promote the Ireland-China ties toward further development, he added.
Also on Saturday, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar exchanged congratulatory messages.
Li said China, with the opportunity of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, is ready to work with Ireland to push the two countries’ mutually beneficial strategic partnership and friendly cooperation to continuously move forward.
Varadkar said that China’s reform and opening up and achievements in development carry global significance, noting that the Irish side will continue to fully develop Ireland-China partnership based on the spirit of mutual respect.
Source: Xinhua
Posted in 40th anniversary, China-Ireland relations, Chinese leaders, Chinese President Xi Jinping, exchange congratulations, global affairs, Ireland, Irish leaders, Irish Prime Minister, Leo Varadkar, Michael D. Higgins, multilateralism, pragmatic cooperation, President Higgins, ties, Uncategorized |
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23/06/2019
- Stalled denuclearisation talks also expected to be on the agenda when Chinese president meets Kim Jong-un this week
- Analysts say Korean peninsula has become intense diplomatic battleground between Beijing and Washington
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (right) attends a welcome ceremony in Beijing with Chinese President Xi Jinping in January. Xi will begin a visit to Pyongyang on Thursday. Photo: AP
Xi Jinping’s upcoming trip to
will be a state visit – a higher status than the last trip to the hermit kingdom by a Chinese president, highlighting the close bilateral ties between Beijing and Pyongyang.
Xi’s two-day trip, which
, is the first by a Chinese president to North Korea in 14 years and comes just a week before he is due to meet US President Donald Trump for talks on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Japan.
“Leaders of the two countries will review the development of the bilateral relationship and carry out an in-depth exchange of opinions on the development of Sino-North Korean relations in the new era, and chart the future course of development,” state news agency Xinhua reported on Tuesday.
Xi’s predecessor, Hu Jintao, went to North Korea in October 2005 on a three-day trip described as an “official goodwill” visit.
Speaking at a regular press briefing in Beijing on Tuesday, foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said Xi’s visit aimed to “inject new impetus” into relations in the year the two countries marked the 70th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties, and to give stalled denuclearisation talks a much needed push.
“Regarding the progress on denuclearisation, as I said, the result of the Hanoi leaders’ meeting in February was indeed a little unexpected. But after that, everyone actually looks forward to the resumption of dialogue in a good direction,” Lu said, referring to the failed talks between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in the Vietnamese capital four months ago.
Trump hinted at the possibility of another meeting with Kim after receiving what he called “a beautiful letter” from the North Korean leader last week. On Tuesday, South Korea’s chief nuclear negotiator, Lee Do-hoon, said the US had been in contact with the North.
Life in North Korea the ‘admiration and envy’ of others, state media says
Washington will also send US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun to South Korea next week, days after Xi’s visit to Pyongyang, to fully align its position on North Korea with its ally.
Meanwhile, Trump confirmed he would meet Xi for talks in Osaka next week, saying in a tweet on Tuesday they had “a very good telephone conversation” and would hold “an extended meeting” at the G20 summit, where they are
over an almost year-long trade war.
Pyongyang has demanded the lifting of sanctions imposed on the regime following its nuclear and missile tests, while Beijing has said the livelihoods of North Koreans should not be affected. But Washington insists full sanctions should remain in place.
The US has also voiced scepticism about Chinese compliance with the sanctions. At a security summit in Singapore earlier this month, US acting Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan – who on Wednesday stepped down from his role
– presented his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe with photographs and satellite images of North Korean ships transferring oil near China’s coast.
Analysts said Xi would seek to use the visit to boost China’s diplomatic leverage on the North Korean nuclear front, strengthening its hand in dealing with the US.
Exports from North Korea to China, which account for the bulk of its trade, plunged 87 per cent last year from 2017, and the country has faced other economic problems at a time when Kim has vowed to deliver on the economy.
A diplomatic source said China was expected to offer a large amount of humanitarian assistance, such as food and fertiliser, to North Korea, which could weaken the impact of sanctions.
China’s goal of denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula is unwavering and will not changeLu Chao, North Korean affairs expert at Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences
Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily on Tuesday said via its social media account that Xi would discuss economic and trade cooperation with Kim during the visit.
Quoting Zheng Jiyong, director of the Centre for Korean Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai, the newspaper said Pyongyang had taken steps to reform its economy and introduced China’s industrial manufacturing blueprint.
In September, Beijing proposed building a rail link from the city of Dandong, in China’s northeastern Liaoning province, to Pyongyang and then on to Seoul and Busan in the South, as well as a new road between Dandong and Pyongyang through Sinuiju.
Lu Chao, a North Korean affairs expert at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, said large-scale economic cooperation between China and North Korea was unlikely because of the sanctions, but smaller moves were possible.
Chinese tourists flood North Korea as Beijing remains Pyongyang’s key ally
“For example, China may export daily necessities to North Korea. And if it’s needed, China is very likely to provide [food] assistance to North Korea,” Lu said. “I believe the UN sanctions on North Korea should change, because it has shown a more substantive approach to [achieving] denuclearisation.”
But analysts said Beijing remained firm on the need for Pyongyang to honour its pledges so that denuclearisation could be achieved.
“China’s goal of denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula is unwavering and will not change … China supports [North Korea] and the US continuing to hold talks,” Lu said.
Beijing also had an important part to play in the peace process, according to Boo Seung-chan, an adjunct professor at the Yonsei Institute for North Korean Studies in Seoul.
“China can have a positive role as a mediator to facilitate the peace process on the Korean peninsula,” Boo said.
Source: SCMP
Posted in aims, Asan Institute for Policy Studies, Beijing, Busan, Centre for Korean Studies, chinese tourists, Dandong, denuclearisation, diplomatic battleground, Fudan University, hermit kingdom, Hu Jintao, Kim Jong-un, Korean peninsula, Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, Liaoning province, new impetus, North Korea, Patrick Shanahan, People’s Daily, President Donald Trump, President Xi Jinping, Pyongyang, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Sino-North Korean relations, South Korea, State visit, ties, Uncategorized, US acting Pentagon chief, US Special Representative for North Korea, Washington, Wei Fenghe, Xinhua, Yonsei Institute for North Korean Studies |
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