Day: June 9, 2023

Canadian Investigator Probing Alleged Election Meddling by China to Quit

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ottawa, ontario —  A special investigator named by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to probe alleged election interference by China on Friday said he would quit, citing widespread opposition to his appointment and work. David Johnston, 81, said he would leave his post by the end of June, or as soon as he has delivered a brief final report. Last month, he said Trudeau’s government had not ignored evidence of Chinese meddling and recommended against an official public inquest. Johnston was appointed in March after media reports based on leaked…

Match-fixing scandal echoes around China’s snooker halls

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At Star Billiards, a brightly lit cue sports venue in the Workers Cultural Palace of Shanghai’s Changning District, a scandal unfolding several thousand miles away feels uncomfortably close to home. The sport’s top authority this week banned 10 UK-based Chinese players including leading talents Liang Wenbo and Yan Bingtao for their involvement in a match-fixing scandal. “Many of us here are fans of these players,” said Ding, who runs Billiards and only gave his surname. “We are repulsed by this incident. We all feel this is a great pity.” With thousands…

Canadian official investigating Chinese election ‘meddling’ resigns abruptly

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A Canadian official appointed to investigate allegations that China attempted to subvert the country’s federal elections has abruptly resigned, blaming the “highly partisan atmosphere” surrounding his work. David Johnston was appointed in March amid concerns that Justin Trudeau’s government had failed to respond adequately to the threat of foreign interference in the last two elections. But in a letter to the prime minister on Friday he announced his resignation. “When I undertook the task of Independent Special Rapporteur on Foreign Interference, my objective was to help build trust in our…

Blinken to travel to China next week: Reports

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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Beijing next week, Reuters and the Associated Press reported Friday, as the United States seeks to shore up strained ties with China. Both Reuters and AP said Blinken would be in Beijing on June 18, next Sunday, citing anonymous American officials. AP said he would meet with Foreign Minister Qin Gang and possibly President Xi Jinping. State Department officials would not confirm the reported plans. In February, Blinken abruptly canceled a trip to Beijing just hours before he was set to…

Hun Sen threatens to arrest backers of exiled opposition figure

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Prime Minister Hun Sen on Friday warned supporters of opposition leader Sam Rainsy that they will be prosecuted if they continue their association with him. The longtime leader also said that supporters living in exile were welcome to return to Cambodia as long as they renounce Sam Rainsy, one of Hun Sen’s most prominent critics and rivals.  “The movement of the opposition party members who left the party is like a broken dam,” the prime minister said at a meeting with factory workers in Kampong Chhnang province.  “We are welcoming…

Anti-junta groups align at Myanmar’s Sagaing Forum, minus shadow government

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More than 170 anti-junta paramilitary groups from Myanmar’s northern, embattled Sagaing region have held talks to deepen cooperation in their fight against the military and share strategies for administering areas under their control. The “Sagaing Forum,” hosted online on May 30-31, provides a rare glimpse into the myriad of so-called People’s Defense Force, or PDF, groups that are fighting the junta but have not pledged allegiance to the shadow National Unity Government seeking to reestablish a civilian administration in the aftermath of the military’s Feb. 1, 2021, coup d’etat. Speaking…

What to make of reports that Cuba will host a Chinese spy base

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Just when China and America seemed to be moving past the spy-balloon saga of February, a new flashpoint has emerged in the form of an alleged plan for China to establish a listening station in Cuba. Chinese and Cuban authorities have reached a secret agreement on setting up the electronic eavesdropping facility, the Wall Street Journal reported on June 8th, quoting unidentified American officials. Other outlets, such as the New York Times and Politico, have since filed similar reports. The Journal said China had agreed to pay Cuba several billion…

Microsoft to move AI experts from China to Canada

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Microsoft is moving some of its best artificial intelligence researchers from China to Canada in a move that threatens to gut an essential training ground for the Asian country’s tech talent. The Beijing-based Microsoft Research Asia (MSRA) has begun seeking visas to move top AI experts from China’s capital to its institute in Vancouver, said four people with knowledge of the plans. These people said the move could affect 20 to 40 staff. A person close to Microsoft said fewer Chinese staff will move to Canada this year, where the…

Microsoft moving some top AI experts from China to Canada

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Microsoft is moving some of its best artificial intelligence researchers from China to Canada in a move that threatens to gut an essential training ground for the Asian country’s tech talent. The Beijing-based Microsoft Research Asia (MSRA) has begun seeking visas to move top AI experts from China’s capital to its institute in Vancouver, said four people with knowledge of the plans. These people said the move could affect 20 to 40 staff. A person close to Microsoft said fewer Chinese staff will move to Canada this year, where the…

US lawmakers introduce bipartisan bill to give priority refugee status to Uyghurs

Chin@Strategy

U.S. lawmakers have introduced a bipartisan bill in Congress that would grant priority refugee status to Uyghurs fleeing persecution in China. It designates Uyghurs and other ethnic groups persecuted by the Chinese government as priority 2, or P–2, and expedites their ability to apply for asylum in the United States. “The horrific atrocities that Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities are facing at the hands of the Chinese government are a global human rights emergency, and the United States cannot turn our back to those fleeing this persecution,” said Rep. Jennifer Wexton,…