In March, Mr Ziburis was charged by the US Justice Department with spying for the Chinese government. But he is far from the only one. This year alone, US officials have charged at least 12 people – including several American citizens – with stalking, harassing and spying on US residents for China. BBC
Day: July 8, 2022
Shinzo Abe’s Death Celebrated in China: ‘Open Champagne!’
Chinese nationalists on social media used phrases including “Open Champagne!” to celebrate the death of Japan’s former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, who was assassinated Friday morning while giving a campaign speech in support of a candidate in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Abe, 67, was shot at twice on Friday approximately 11:30 a.m. local time in the city of Nara, close to Kyoto, while he was giving a campaign speech for Kei Sato, a fellow Liberal Democratic Party member and a national election candidate. Abe was rushed to hospital in…
The Impact and Implications of China’s Growing Influence in the Middle East
Advertisement Amid evolving regional geopolitical tensions and changing security dynamics in the Middle East, Beijing is accentuating its efforts to expand economic relations with regional powers and forge comprehensive strategic partnerships with the Arab world. To date, China has cautiously walked a tightrope in the region to balance between regional rivals. However, its growing presence in the region likely will pull Beijing into wider engagement eventually, especially as the emerging regional security arrangement paves way for newer challenges that would increase the role of regional powers amid U.S. withdrawal. Beijing’s…
China Reacts to Abe Shinzo Assassination
Advertisement The assassination of former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, Japan’s longest-serving leader, during a campaign event in Nara, Japan, has shocked the world. In China, which has a complicated relationship with Japan, and with Abe in particular, the sudden tragedy sparked mixed reactions. The initial response came from China’s Foreign Ministry. Spokesperson Zhao Lijian was asked about the shooting in the regular daily press conference – at the time, Abe was critically injured but had not yet been pronounced dead. Zhao responded that China was “shocked” by the “unexpected incident.”…
Penny Wong: China and Australia take ‘first steps towards stabilising relationship’
Penny Wong, Australia’s foreign affairs minister, says Canberra and Beijing have taken the “first step towards stabilising the relationship” after the first face-to-face meeting between the two countries’ foreign ministers since 2019. After a meeting with Wang Yi, her Chinese counterpart, on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali on Friday, Wong told reporters Australia would continue to push for an end to Beijing’s “coercive” trade sanctions against a range of exports, and would also not recoil from any domestic policy decisions taken “on the basis of our national…
Wang’s G20 Meetings Highlight China’s Ukraine Messaging
Advertisement The G-20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Bali, Indonesia, marked the first time Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was in the same room as his counterparts from the G-7 nations since Russian troops invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Things did not go particularly well — Lavrov walked out of the G-20 meeting altogether on Friday, complaining that Western governments were only interested in “frenzied” criticism of Russia. But he found a more friendly reception in his bilateral meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Wang was the first foreign minister…
Live news: Australia and New Zealand to coordinate on electric vehicle fleet; danger from NSW floods continues
From 54m ago Australia and NZ to coordinate on electric vehicle fleet Royce Kurmelovs Australia will coordinate with New Zealand when it comes to procuring electric vehicles for its government fleet. Prime minister Anthony Albanese made the announcement on Friday when discussing opportunities for trans-Tasman collaboration in the area of renewable energy. Albanese said: If we are all competing against each other for procurement at the same time, we will end up paying more for it but not if there is cooperation between Australia and New Zealand. The PM went…