Month: October 2022

Dutch Are Investigating Reported Illegal Chinese Police Stations

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The Dutch government said on Wednesday that it was investigating reports that Chinese law enforcement agencies illegally operate offices in the Netherlands — without Dutch knowledge or approval — to police Chinese citizens overseas. The Chinese embassy in the Netherlands said it was “not aware” of and “not involved” with the offices described in the reports. “China’s judicial and law-enforcement authorities strictly abide by international rules and fully respect the judicial sovereignty of other countries,” it said in a statement. The exchange came after the Dutch broadcaster RTL Nieuws and…

US State Department condemns ‘spurious’ fraud conviction of media mogul Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong

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Under US policy, Washington determined in 2020 that Hong Kong was no longer autonomous from Beijing because of the national security law. Price said the move against Lai “undermines” China’s obligations under the Sino-British Joint Declaration, which was supposed to guarantee Hong Kong a “high degree of autonomy” after the city’s return to Chinese rule in 1997. Advertisement “We urge PRC authorities to restore respect for press freedom in Hong Kong, where a once-vibrant independent media environment has all but disappeared,” Price said. “Efforts to stifle press freedom and restrict…

The 20th Party Congress and the Future of China-EU Relations

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Advertisement In recent years, European capitals have become increasingly united in their assessment that China is managing its global political rise according to self-defined prerogatives, disregarding rules at home and abroad when deemed necessary. Presently the dominating topic in the European China debate has focused on the question of how to reduce dependencies on China. This is a lesson learned from Europe’s dependency on Russian energy recognized in the wake of the war in Ukraine. In this regard, the volatility of the Taiwan question too has become a widely debated…

China using illegal police bases in Netherlands to target dissidents, say reports

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The Dutch government has said it is investigating reports that Chinese police forces have illegally opened at least two stations in the Netherlands since 2018, using them in part to keep tabs and put pressure on overseas dissidents. An investigation by RTL Nieuws and Follow the Money said the “overseas service stations” in Amsterdam and Rotterdam ostensibly served an administrative purpose, allowing Chinese nationals to renew driving licences and change their civil status. But the two outlets also spoke to Chinese critics of the Beijing regime living in the Netherlands…

Biden and Sunak vow to support Ukraine and counter China in first call

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The US president, Joe Biden, and Britain’s new prime minister, Rishi Sunak, agreed during talks on Tuesday to work together to support Ukraine and stand up to China, the White House said. They spoke for the first time a few hours after Sunak became Britain’s third prime minister this year, inheriting an economic crisis after the resignation of Liz Truss whose tenure lasted 49 days. Only in recent days has Biden appeared to publicly criticise Truss’s doomed economic strategy, in a rare intervention by the US president. Relations between the…

Laos to grant honorary citizenship to foreigners who invest US$1.5 million

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Laos will allow foreign nationals to acquire honorary citizenship if they donate and invest roughly U.S. $1.5 million, but critics worry that the program could result in a massive land grab by wealthy Chinese investors. According to Decree No. 14 issued in September, honorary citizens are exempt from visa requirements for entering and exiting the country and may live in Laos permanently. Additionally, they will be able to buy land on state-owned property for a set duration and they can lease public and private land, the Laotian Times reported. To…

Hu Jintao argued about official papers before being escorted out of congress

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China’s former leader Hu Jintao was arguing about official papers, moments before he was escorted off the stage at a key Communist party meeting in Beijing, new footage shows. Hu’s apparently reluctant departure from the stage at the 20th congress of the Chinese Communist party (CCP) was a rare moment of unscripted drama at what was otherwise a carefully choreographed week of political theatre. The new footage, shot by Channel News Asia but only released two days after the incident, captures about a minute of discreet, high-level manoeuvring before an…

The Guardian view on climate diplomacy: it’s crunch time – again | Editorial

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Less than two weeks before Cop27 opens in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, an outline of what to expect from the negotiations is becoming more distinct. The issue of loss and damage is expected to dominate – as it should. Wealthy countries have broken the promise made in 2009 at Cop15 in Copenhagen. An annual climate finance budget of $100bn was agreed then to help the countries most dangerously exposed to global heating. But contributions have fallen short. The group of countries known as the V20, which includes the…

New footage from China congress fuels questions about why Hu Jintao was hauled out – video

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New footage from the Chinese Communist party congress shows a series of interactions related to a file held by Hu Jintao, before the former president was hauled out of the room. Outgoing politburo member Li Zhanshu can be seen pulling a file away from Hu, before Xi Jinping signals to some aides and gives them lengthy instructions. They then turn to Hu, and holding him by his arms remove him from the hall. Chinese media have reported that Hu was taken out of the Great Hall of the People in…