Day: October 17, 2022

China Recruiting Former R.A.F. Pilots to Train Army Pilots., U.K. Says

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LONDON — China has recruited as many as 30 retired British military pilots, including some who flew sophisticated fighter jets, to train pilots in the People’s Liberation Army, according to Britain’s Defense Ministry. A senior official said the ministry worried that the practice could threaten British national security. Britain said it was working with allies to try to stop the practice, which the official said dated to before the coronavirus pandemic but had gained momentum in recent months. The recruited British pilots, the senior official said, included former members of…

China delays key economic data releases amid Communist party congress

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China has said it will delay the release of economic growth figures, which had been due to be published as the country’s leadership gathers for a key meeting set to hand president Xi Jinping a historic third term in office. The announcement came one day before analysts had expected Beijing to publish some of its weakest quarterly growth figures since 2020 with the economy hobbled by Covid-19 restrictions and a real estate crisis. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on Monday the release of growth figures for the third…

Tibetans in Lhasa forced to watch China’s 20th Party Congress

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Chinese authorities are ordering residents of Tibet’s regional capital Lhasa to tune in to television coverage of China’s 20th Communist Party Congress, forbidding them to leave their homes until the sessions end, RFA has learned. Monasteries and schools in Tibetan areas of western Chinese provinces have also been instructed to watch the week-long proceedings, which opened in Beijing on Sunday, Tibetan sources say. Tibetan residents of Lhasa are now confined to their homes so they can pay close attention to speeches given by China’s President Xi Jinping and other top…

A China closed off from the rest of the world is a loss to everyone

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China’s then commerce minister Gao Hucheng (left) and Australia’s then prime minister Tony Abbott (centre) and minister for trade Andrew Robb pose for a photo after signing a free trade agreement between the two countries on June 17, 2015, in Canberra, Australia. The era of enthusiasm and optimism from the wider world over engagement with China appears to be at an end, representing a loss for all sides. Photo: Getty Images South China Morning Post

No turning back for Xi Jinping

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Hard, risk-filled times are coming to China and the world, and Xi Jinping is in his element. For nearly two hours on October 16th, China’s supreme leader instructed Communist Party members to face challenges at home with a fighting spirit, and to seize strategic opportunities in a shifting international balance of power. The last part is code for the perceived decadence and decline of America, a country that hovered over the whole speech as a source of menace, though it went unnamed. Mr Xi’s uncompromising address—a work report, in party…

China Delays the Release of G.D.P. and Other Economic Data

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China, the world’s second-largest economy, announced without explanation on Monday that it was delaying indefinitely the release of economic data that had been scheduled for Tuesday morning, including closely watched numbers for economic growth from July through September, which had been expected to show continued lackluster performance. The delay by China’s National Bureau of Statistics, which analysts said was highly unusual, comes as the country’s ruling elite gather in Beijing for a weeklong, twice-a-decade national congress of the Communist Party. The authorities have taken elaborate measures to prevent any disruptions…

Consulate attack in UK reflects China’s aggressive foreign policy, analysts say

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A shocking attack on a pro-democracy protester who was dragged inside the Chinese consulate in Manchester and beaten, allegedly by consular staff, was a manifestation of China’s increasingly aggressive foreign policy, according to analysts. On Sunday, the day the Chinese Communist party’s 20th congress opened in Beijing, a small group of Hong Kong protesters demonstrated outside the consulate. Images from the attack circulating on social media show a grey-haired man holding one protester by his hair just inside the consulate gates, as other men attack him. The man had previously…

Xi’s Work Report to the 20th Party Congress: 5 Takeaways

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Advertisement The 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) opened on Sunday, with CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping delivering a work report on behalf of the 19th Central Committee. The biggest takeaway from the speech was its signal of strong continuity, indicating a “steady as she goes” approach on everything from economic policy to diplomacy – despite increasing challenges and pressures on China. Indeed, the overall theme of the work report was triumphalist, acknowledging the “severe and complex international situation” as obstacles overcome in pursuit of “the great…