CHINDIA ALERT: You'll be living in their world, very soon

07/12/2018

Japan government to shun Huawei, ZTE equipment

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan plans to ban government purchases of equipment from China’s Huawei Technologies Co Ltd [HWT.UL] and ZTE Corp (0763.HK) (000063.SZ) to beef up its defences against intelligence leaks and cyber attacks, sources told Reuters.

FILE PHOTO: A security guard walks past a building of ZTE Beijing research and development center in Beijing, China June 13, 2018. REUTERS/Jason Lee

Chinese tech companies are under intense scrutiny from Washington and some prominent allies over ties to the Chinese government, driven by concerns they could be used by Beijing for spying.

A government ban in Japan will come after Huawei has already been locked out of the U.S. market and after Australia and New Zealand have blocked it from building 5G networks. Huawei has repeatedly insisted Beijing has no influence over it.

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China expresses concern over reported Japan government ban on Huawei, ZTE

The Yomiuri newspaper, which first reported the news of Japan’s planned ban earlier on Friday, said the government was expected to revise its internal rules on procurement as early as Monday.

The government does not plan to specifically name Huawei and ZTE in the revision, but will put in place measures aimed at strengthening security that apply to the companies, a person with direct knowledge and a person briefed on the matter said.

Japan’s chief government spokesman, Yoshihide Suga, declined to comment. But he noted that the country has been in close communication with the United States on a wide range of areas, including cybersecurity.

“Cybersecurity is becoming an important issue in Japan,” he told a regular news conference. “We’ll take firm measures looking at it from a variety of perspectives.”

ZTE declined to comment. Huawei did not immediately comment.

Huawei supplies some network equipment to private Japanese telcos NTT Docomo (9437.T) and KDDI Corp (9433.T).

And SoftBank Group Corp (9984.T) has a long relationship with Huawei – which in 2011 became the first Chinese firm to join Japan’s conservative Keidanren business lobby – and has partnered with it on 5G trials.

“The government will not buy where there are security concerns but it is difficult to restrict procurement by private companies,” one of the sources said.

Docomo and SoftBank did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“While closely observing changes we will consider appropriate steps,” a KDDI spokeswoman said.

Some private companies elsewhere, though, have distanced themselves from the Chinese firms.

In the United States, SoftBank’s wireless subsidiary Sprint Corp (S.N) said it no longer sources equipment from Huawei or ZTE. SoftBank is trying to complete the unit’s sale to T-Mobile US Inc TMUS.N.

And Britain’s BT Group (BT.L) said on Wednesday it was removing Huawei’s equipment from the core of its existing 3G and 4G mobile operations and would not use the company in central parts of the next network.

ZTE’s Shenzhen-listed shares rose 1.4 percent on Friday after sliding 5.7 percent the previous day amid a global stocks sell-off sparked by the arrest in Canada of Huawei’s top executive at the behest of the United States. Huawei is unlisted.

Reporting by Yoshiyasu Shida and Yoshifumi Takemoto; Additional reporting by Kaori Kaneko and Sijia Jiang; Writing by Sam Nussey and Chris Gallagher; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Muralikumar Anantharaman

Posted in equipment, Government, Huawei, Japan, Uncategorized, ZTE | Leave a Comment »

07/12/2018

China hosts reception to observe International Anti-Corruption Day

CHINA-BEIJING-YANG XIAODU-ANTI-CORRUPTION DAY-RECEPTION (CN)

Yang Xiaodu, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, deputy secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and head of China’s National Supervisory Commission addresses a reception for the 15th International Anti-Corruption Day in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 6, 2018. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

BEIJING, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) — A senior discipline official Thursday called for upholding the authority of the United Nations and the principal role of the U.N. Convention against Corruption in global anti-corruption cooperation.

Yang Xiaodu, deputy secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) and head of the National Supervisory Commission, made the remarks at a reception to observe the 15th International Anti-Corruption Day, which falls on Sunday.

Yang also called for advancing full and rigorous governance over the Party and combat against corruption in China.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sent a written congratulatory message to the event, reaffirming that the U.N. valued and supported international anti-corruption cause.

Representatives from 125 countries and international organizations in China attended the reception.

Posted in Anti-Corruption, China alert, hosts, international, reception, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

07/12/2018

China-U.S. dialogue on rule of law and human rights concludes in Beijing

BEIJING, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) — The eighth China-U.S. Dialogue on Rule of Law and Human Rights concluded in Beijing Wednesday.

Jiang Jianguo, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, addressed the opening session of the three-day event.

Jiang expressed the hope that the dialogue between China and the United States in the field of human rights could comply with the trend and look at the big picture, respect differences and communicate equally, deepen cooperation and enhance mutual trust, in order to play a unique role in promoting the cause of human rights of the two countries and the healthy development of China-U.S. relations.

Huang Mengfu, chairman of China Foundation for Human Rights Development, said the dialogue, initiated in 2009, had become an important platform for non-governmental organizations of both countries to conduct exchanges on human rights, effectively enhancing mutual understanding.

“It reflects the good wishes of both sides to contribute to China-U.S. relations through people-to-people communication and exchanges,” Huang added.

Next year will mark the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, said Stephen A. Orlins, president of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations.

Orlins said he hoped the dialogue would have a positive influence on relations between the two countries and called for confidence in the future of U.S.-China relations.

Over 50 experts and scholars from China and the United States attended the event. The American representatives visited the Supreme People’s Court and Beijing Internet Court on Wednesday.

Posted in Beijing, China alert, Human rights, Uncategorized, USA | Leave a Comment »

07/12/2018

China demands immediate release of Huawei CFO

BEIJING, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) — China has lodged solemn representations with Canada and the United States and demanded the immediate release of Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Thursday.

Meng was provisionally detained by the Canadian Authorities on behalf of the United States of America, when she was transferring flights in Canada, Huawei said in a statement Thursday.

Spokesperson Geng Shuang told a daily news briefing that China has lodged solemn representations with the Canadian and U.S. sides, urging the two countries to clarify the reason they detained Meng, immediately release her and effectively protect her legitimate rights and interests.

Posted in canada, CFO, China alert, Huawei, release, Uncategorized, USA | Leave a Comment »

06/12/2018

The Indian restaurants that serve only half a glass of water

While many parts of India are going through a sustained water crisis, the western city of Pune is trying to deal with the problem in a rather unusual way, writes the BBC’s Geeta Pandey.

The dystopian future we worried about is already here.

Many restaurants in the city of Pune have begun serving only half glasses of water to guests.

At the pure vegetarian Kalinga restaurant, a couple have just been seated when a waiter approaches their table and asks if they want water.

“I said yes and he gave me half a glass of water,” says Gauripuja Mangeshkar. “I was wondering if I was being singled out, but then I saw that he had only poured half a glass for my husband too.”

For a moment, Ms Mangeshkar did wonder whether her glass was half full or half empty, but the reason why she was served less water was not really existential.

Nearly 400 restaurants in Pune have adopted this measure to reduce water use, ever since the civic authorities announced cuts in supply a month ago.

Image captionGauripuja Mangeshkar was served half a glass of water at a restaurant in Pune

Pune Restaurant and Hoteliers’ Association president Ganesh Shetty, who owns Kalinga, told the BBC that they have worked out an extensive plan to save water.

“We serve only half glasses of water and we don’t refill unless asked, the leftover water is recycled and used for watering plants and cleaning the floor,” Mr Shetty explained. “Many places have put in new toilets which use less water, we have put in water harvesting plants and the staff are briefed on minimising water use.”

Kalinga gets about 800 customers a day and by serving only half glasses, he says the restaurant is able to save nearly 800 litres (1,691 pints) of water a day.

“Every drop is precious and we have to act now if we want to save the future.”

Owner of 83-year-old Poona Guest House, Kishor Sarpotdar, shows the shorter steel tumblers he’s bought to replace the earlier taller ones. His restaurant is not only serving half glasses of water, he says, they are serving them in smaller ones too.

Pune is next door to India’s financial capital, Mumbai. An educational and cultural hub, it was famously described as the “Oxford and Cambridge of India” by India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

This city of four million people has been well served by the Khadakwasala dam built in 1878, and water shortages are new here.

Mr Shetty says the first major water crisis the city faced was two years ago.

“For two months in February and March, our water supply was reduced by half. We got water once in two days.”

Strict guidelines were issued about what fresh water supplied by the civic authorities could – or couldn’t – be used for. And people were encouraged to install bore wells to pump out ground water to meet additional requirements.

All construction in the city was stopped for two months, car garages were allowed to do only dry servicing, the city celebrated a dry Holi, clubs and water resorts were barred from holding popular rain dance events and swimming pools were ordered shut.

All misuse was checked and those who erred were made to pay hefty fines.

Image captionKishor Sarpotdar shows the shorter steel tumblers he’s bought to replace the earlier taller ones

“It was very serious,” says Col Shashikant Dalvi, Pune-based water conservation expert.

This year, he says, the situation is “worse”. “Panic buttons have been pressed in October itself. How will we face the challenge in the summer months?” he asks.

According to a government report earlier this year, India is facing its worst-ever water crisis, with some 600 million people affected. The report said the crisis was “only going to get worse” in the coming years and warned that 21 cities were likely to run out of groundwater by 2020.

In May, the popular Indian tourist town of Shimla ran out of water, while last year it was reported that the city of Bangalore was drying up.

Large parts of the western state of Maharashtra, where Pune is located, are water deficient and every year, at the onset of the summer season, the state makes the news for “water wars” between districts – farmers, villagers, city residents, slum dwellers, the hospitality industry and businesses all clamouring for their share of water.

This year, that talk has already started. And it’s just the beginning of winter. Many areas are already staring at drought and acute water distress.

And this time, Pune too is affected. In October, the Pune Municipal Corporation announced 10% cuts in supply for everyone.

Image captionRestaurant owner Ganesh Shetty says every drop is precious and we have to act now if we want to save the future

Col Dalvi though is baffled about this shortage.

“The crisis two years ago,” he says, “was because of deficient rainfall. But this year, Pune had excessive rainfall until the end of July. The dams were full. So where has the water gone?”

The monsoon rains will not come before June and eight months can be a long time. “It’ll be a nightmare for the city unless we get some rains in the winter,” he says.

Experts blame climate change, deforestation and the rapidly growing city population as the main reasons for the water shortage. And the fact that the Khadakwasala dam reservoir has never been de-silted, which means its capacity to hold water is reducing daily.

Col Dalvi offers a prescription to deal with the water shortage in Pune and the rest of the country, because by “2025 India will be most populous country in the world”.

“Leakages must be plugged, unsustainable over-extraction of ground water must stop, rooftop rain water harvesting and recycling of water must be made mandatory, otherwise shortages would get more critical,” he says.

What about restaurants serving half glasses of water to patrons? Is it just a gimmick, I ask.

“Not at all,” he says. “It’s not a gimmick. It’s an excellent idea. A drop saved is a drop gained.”

Posted in Glass, India alert, Restaurant, Uncategorized, water scarcity | Leave a Comment »

06/12/2018

China, Cuba sign agreements to promote economic cooperation

HAVANA, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) — China and Cuba on Wednesday signed two agreements to promote economic cooperation during the 14th session of the bilateral business committee, where companies from both nations explored new trade and business opportunities.

Cuba’s Chamber of Commerce (CCC) and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) inked a memorandum on a joint action plan for cooperation in 2019.

The document, signed by Chen Zhou, vice president of the CCPIT, and Orlando Hernandez, president of the CCC, includes strategies and actions which will be developed next year with the goal of consolidating links between the two countries’ business communities.

A memorandum of understanding was also signed by Chen and Roberto Verrier, head of the Cuban export and investment promotion agency ProCuba, to strengthen ties between the two institutions.

“Cuban sugar, rum, premium cigars and seafood are increasingly known to Chinese consumers,” said Chen, who attaches great importance to the CCPIT’s work with the Caribbean nation.

He said the joint 2019 Action Plan is a guide for bilateral cooperation as well as the organization of mutual visits, exchange of economic information, legal advice to companies in the two countries and the promotion of opportunities for Chinese provinces and cities.

The official said there is increasing interest from Chinese companies and businessmen to participate in the Mariel Special Development Zone, the island’s flagship foreign investment project.

“The CCPIT promotes ongoing negotiations to establish joint ventures in the ZEDM and open new opportunities for Chinese companies within the Cuban market,” he added.

Chen said that in the future the institution will focus on building an effective and multisectoral platform for the promotion of bilateral trade.

Orlando Hernandez, president of the CCC, acknowledged the importance of economic and commercial links between Beijing and Havana.

“Chinese products are present in a wide range of areas of Cuban life such as health, education, technology and sports, transport, among others,” he said.

The official called on Chinese investments to expand their presence in the island and said there are plenty of opportunities in sectors such as tourism, renewable energy, construction, agriculture, industry and biotechnology.

He also highlighted the importance of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) for Cuba and Latin America due to its development prospects for each of the participating nations.

“Cuba hopes to get involved in the BRI with true commitment and believes that it will contribute to attracting further Chinese investment in our country as we update our economic model,” he said.

Hernandez also expressed Havana’s willingness to host the 2021 China-Latin America and Caribbean Business Summit in the Cuban capital.

The session of the Cuba-China business committee included presentations on Cuba’s strategies to attract foreign investment, as well as trade potential between China and Cuba.

China is the Caribbean nation’s second largest trading partner with strong economic ties and cooperation in multiple sectors such as renewable energies, agriculture, tourism, mining, transportation and infrastructure.

Posted in China alert, cooperation, Cuba, Economics, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

05/12/2018

Angry Indian farmers march on parliament to denounce their plight

Mayank Bhardwaj

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Tens of thousands of Indian farmers and rural workers marched to the Indian parliament in the capital, New Delhi, on Friday in a protest against soaring operating costs and plunging produce prices that have brought misery to many.

Farmers march towards the parliament house during a rally to protest soaring farm operating costs and plunging prices of their produce, in New Delhi, India, November 30, 2018. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

The protest is one of the biggest displays of frustration with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, which faces a tough general election due by May next year. India’s 263 million farmers make up an important voting bloc.

“Farmers have been routinely committing suicide,” said one of the protest leaders, Yogendra Yadav, as he marched in a crowd down a central Delhi thoroughfare.

“It’s a shame that the government doesn’t have any time for those who feed us,” said Yadav, who leads the Jai Kisan Andolan, a farmers’ group.

Low food prices, export curbs, anti-inflation policies that keep rural incomes low and a broad shift from subsidies to investment spending have all infuriated and demoralised farmers.

Core inflation in India, where farming is a mainstay for nearly half the people, has hovered around 6 percent in the past few months, but food prices have either fallen or remained stagnant.

Agriculture contributes about 15 percent to India’s $2.6 trillion economy, Asia’s third-largest, but employs nearly half of its 1.3 billion people.

Farmers from more than 200 groups began gathering in New Delhi on Thursday. They demanded that the government call a special session of parliament to discuss the crisis in the countryside.

“I myself know so many farmers who have committed suicide, and their families are now living in penury,” said farmer Lakhan Pal Singh from the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state.

“The policies of the Modi administration are responsible.”

Farmers have also protested in the financial hub of Mumbai, including this month when tens of thousands of farmers marched to Mumbai to demand loan waivers and the transfer of forest land to villagers.

New Delhi police deployed 3,500 personnel in the city on Friday but there was no trouble.

In October, police fired teargas and water cannons in a clash with about 50,000 farmers heading for New Delhi.

‘LAST STRAW’

The discontent in the countryside, where 70 percent of Indians live, could erode support for Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which won India’s biggest parliamentary mandate in three decades in the last general election in 2014.

But political analysts and farm economists say Modi will find it hard to repeat that next time.

“We voted for the BJP but anti-farmer policies of the government have hit us hard,” said Singh.

The last time a BJP government lost power, in a 2004 election, it was largely because rural voters abandoned the party.

Last year, police shot and killed six farmers protesting against lower prices in the central state of Madhya Pradesh, which recently held a state assembly election – a neck-and-neck contest between the BJP and opposition Congress party.

The result is due on Dec. 11.

Leaders from the main opposition Congress party, as well as left-wing parties and the Aam Aadmi (Common Man) Party addressed the flag-waving protesters who converged in the historic heart of the city.

“We’ve been living a hand-to-mouth existence for a very long time but rising prices of seeds, diesel and fertiliser and falling prices of milk, fruits, vegetables and even staples is the last straw,” said farmer Shivpal Yadav.

“If the government doesn’t address the problems, we’ll be back,” said Yadav, from the northern state of Haryana.

Reporting by Mayank Bhardwaj; Editing by Robert Birsel

Posted in denounce, farmers, India alert, parliament, plight, suicide, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

05/12/2018

Woman set on fire in India after complaining of attempted assault

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Two men accused of trying to molest a 20-year-old woman in northern India set her on fire two days later after she lodged a complaint with police, authorities and her family said.

Women in India have struggled to secure prosecution for sexual attacks in the face of widespread police indifference, rights activists say.

The woman was in a field near her home in the Sitapur district of Uttar Pradesh state when the men, both neighbours and known to her family, accosted her and tried to drag her away, her brother Vinod Kumar told Reuters.

She bit their hands and managed to break free and escape, and her father filed a complaint with police same day, he said. When no action resulted, the family lodged a second complaint.

“We waited for the police to come for inquiries the entire day but no one came,” Vinod said.

The next day, the two men returned to the field where she was working, doused her with kerosene and set her on fire, Regional police superintendent Prabhakar Chaudhary told Reuters. She suffered burns to 40 percent of her body and was hospitalised.

Chaudhary said her suspected attackers were arrested and three policemen suspended for dereliction of duties.

After a gruesome gang rape of a young woman in 2012, India launched fast-track courts and a tougher rape law that included the death penalty. But crime statistics indicate sexual assault on women have risen, not fallen, since then.

Even if cases are registered, crime statistics show that police files remain open for about a third of all rapes that were investigated for each year between 2012 and 2016.

Rights groups have accused Indian police of bowing to pressure from local politicians to bury investigations. In some cases investigations of sexual assault have evaporated out of sheer police apathy, activists say.

Editing by Sanjeev Miglani and Mark Heinrich

Posted in assault, complaining, India alert, set on fire, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

05/12/2018

Two killed in violence over cow slaughter in north India

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – A senior police officer and another man were killed on Monday in violent protests over reports of a slaughtered cow, an animal sacred in Hindu culture, in India’s Uttar Pradesh state.

A crowd angered over what they believed was the slaughter of the cow threw stones and torched vehicles outside a police station. The officer died from gunshot wounds, district magistrate Anuj Jha told Reuters.

Earlier, police had said the officer was stoned to death and the other man died from gunshot wounds.

“Villagers complained after they found a dead cow, and took to the streets to protest. They blocked a road with a tractor and pelted stones,” he said.

So-called cow vigilantes from India’s Hindu majority have attacked and killed a number of Muslims involved in transporting cattle to slaughterhouses in recent years. However, the exact circumstances of Monday’s protests were not clear.

Reporting by Sudarshan Varadhan, Himani Singh and Amit Ganguly; Edited by Mark Heinrich

Posted in India alert, sacred cow, slaughter, Uncategorized, Violence | Leave a Comment »

CHINDIA ALERT: You'll be living in their world, very soon