Xiao Qian implies resumption of dialogue conditional on Australia taking a ‘constructive attitude’ and not ‘trying to smear China’ Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast The Australian government has vowed to keep raising human rights concerns “at the highest levels” after Beijing’s ambassador urged the country to avoid “trying to smear China”. After a thaw in the diplomatic relationship between the two countries, China has signalled its openness to resuming a dedicated human rights-focused dialogue for the first time in nine years. Sign…
Month: January 2023
China delivers Taiwan ‘breakthrough red packet’ by lifting import ban on Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor
But Kinmen County magistrate Chen Fu-hai confirmed on his Facebook page that the county government had met with Song Tao, the head of the Taiwan Affairs Office, on Sunday morning in the southeastern Chinese port city of Xiamen. “China’s General Administration of Customs has officially authorised a customs registration code for Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor effective January 28,” he said. Advertisement Chen said that it is a “breakthrough” and a “red packet” for the Taiwan-controlled islands of Quemoy, also known as Kinmen, during the Lunar New Year period after the “continuous…
US Defense Officials Not Losing Sight of China, North Korea
Aboard a U.S. military plane over the Pacific — Less than a week after helping secure billions of dollars in additional military assistance for Ukraine in its fight against Russia, including U.S.- and German-made battle tanks, top U.S. defense officials are shifting their focus to the Indo-Pacific and growing threats from China and North Korea. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is making his sixth official visit to the region, starting late Monday with high-level meetings in Seoul, followed by a visit to the Philippines to meet with recently elected President Ferdinand…
Chinese study shows healthy lifestyle can slow age-related memory loss
For their study, the researchers assessed the contribution of each of six modifiable lifestyle factors and their combined effects on memory among thousands of participants over 10 years. The six healthy lifestyle factors included a healthy diet, regular physical exercise, active social contact, active cognitive activity, and an avoidance of smoking and alcohol. Advertisement Each factor was assigned a calculation standard. For example, for participants to have a healthy diet, their daily intake had to consist of at least seven to 12 food items including vegetables, meat and dairy products.…
Man dies during junta interrogation in Myanmar’s Bago region
A 40-year-old civilian has died after being arrested while on his way to work in Bago region, according to a statement by the Karen National Union. On Jan. 22, Kyaw Zin Lat, from a village in Shwegyin township, was captured by troops from junta Infantry Battalion 207, which is based in neighboring Mon state but was patrolling an area controlled by the ethnic group’s armed wing in Bago. He was heading to Theinzayat town in Mon state, where he worked as a motorcycle taxi driver. Kyaw Zin Lat was accused…
Chinese satellite start-up named in US sanctions aimed at Wagner group denies aiding Russia in Ukraine war
“Our products and services are all used for civil and commercial purposes and do not involve any military use. We have never had any commercial relationship, or made any deal, or signed any agreements with the Russian entity accused by the United States or other Russian entities, and we have never … participated in any form of military activities in support of the Russo-Ukrainian War and the Wagner group.” Spacety, which was founded in 2016, said it was working to ensure “transparent, fair and just treatment”. It said it was…
Visa delays await Chinese students returning to Australia after sudden ban on online learning
More than 40,000 university students have been left scrambling to make it to Australia in time for the new semester after the Chinese government announced a snap ban on recognising online degrees obtained from foreign institutions. Under the new rules, all Chinese students enrolled to study online with overseas providers must be on campus for semester 1 – due to start in a matter of weeks in Australia. CEO of the International Education Association of Australia (IEAA) Phil Honeywood said while he welcomed the return to on-campus learning, the sudden…
Red Memory review – the Cultural Revolution up close
In the 1990s, something odd happened in Beijing’s burgeoning fine dining scene. Among the chic eateries, restaurants emerged with very simple dishes: meat and vegetables cooked in plain style with few frills. The diners were not there just for the cuisine, but to relive the experience of a period generally considered a disaster: the Cultural Revolution of 1966-76. The plain dishes were meant to invoke a time of restrained, austere living, when people thought of the collective rather than the individual. Only the sky-high prices reminded diners that they were…
China: Exploiting the ‘White Paper Protests’ to Revoke the Zero-COVID Policy
Advertisement Protests in China over the Zero-COVID policy spread from President Xi Jinping’s alma mater Tsinghua University to the streets of cities across the nation. The “White Paper Protests,” as they became known, took their cue from the Be Water movement in Hong Kong to hinder identification of the ringleaders and minimize non-compliance with the law, hence reducing the risk of arrest. While contact with some leaders of the movements and other individuals who voiced opposition to the Xi administration has reportedly been lost, for the most part members of…
International politicians, pressure groups ask Vietnam to free Australian activist
A group of international parliamentarians and activists has signed a letter to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh urging Hanoi to release Chau Van Kham, an activist detained for four years in Vietnam. The Australian citizen was arrested Jan. 13, 2019, after traveling to Vietnam to meet local civil society groups as a representative of the Vietnam Renovation and Revolutionary Party (Viet Tan). Viet Tan has been described by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights as a moderate activist group advocating for democratic reform. Hanoi claims…