North Korea is keeping mooncakes out of the country, saying they are an improper foreign influence during an important holiday. Authorities seized boxes of the dessert pastry with a sweet or savory filling from the luggage of trade officials returning from China for the autumn harvest festival, sources in the region told Radio Free Asia. “This morning, I received a call from a trading company official who returned home … saying that customs had confiscated the mooncakes he had bought in China,” a North Korean trade worker stationed in China…
Month: September 2023
Q&A: Taiwan’s Digital Minister Audrey Tang on AI and Censorship
WASHINGTON — On the sidelines of the 78th United Nations General Assembly in New York last week, Taiwan’s Minister of Digital Affairs Audrey Tang delivered a speech at the Concordia Annual Summit on digital democracy and artificial intelligence. VOA spoke with Tang about how AI might help break through China’s censorship and the challenges and opportunities the technology brings to global democracy. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity. VOA: You mentioned the concept of AI governance in your speech. In addition to being applied to democratic countries,…
China builds roads, provisions its ships – in US ally Micronesia
George, who said he arrived on this lush island in Micronesia six months ago, lives with two other Chinese men and fierce guard dogs at an isolated site in the jungle that was used to make asphalt for a Chinese-funded road upgrade. He wouldn’t give his complete name when reporters from BenarNews and affiliate news organization Radio Free Asia visited the huddle of grimy prefab buildings. He imitated gripping a steering wheel when he said his job was truck driver for the road project that was carried out by China…
US won’t say why it reversed $18M aid cut to Cambodia
The U.S. State Department won’t say why it unfroze US$18 million in aid to Cambodia suspended after the country’s election two months ago, which an official at the time called “neither free nor fair.” Cambodia’s new prime minister, Hun Manet, met with acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Friday. He later released a statement applauding the aid resumption, and said Nuland had “welcomed the opportunity to enhance cooperation between the two countries.” A spokesman for the Cambodian…
Evergrande founder ‘being investigated for suspected crimes’
The founder of China’s Evergrande is being investigated over suspected “illegal crimes”, the group has said, as creditors become increasingly concerned about the prospects of the world’s most indebted property developer. Evergrande Group, which has more than $300bn in total liabilities, did not say whether Hui Ka Yan was still in a position to run the company, or what crimes he was being investigated for. The news came hours after trading in shares of the company was suspended following a report that Hui had been placed under police surveillance. Evergrande…
Thai Park Officers Acquitted of Murder of Indigenous Rights Activist
Bangkok — A Thai court Thursday found four national park officers not guilty of abducting and murdering an Indigenous rights activist who disappeared nine years ago while aiding a lawsuit against park officials. Porlajee “Billy” Rakchongcharoen was detained by then-Kaeng Krachan National Park chief Chaiwat Limlikit-aksorn on April 17, 2014, allegedly for illegally harvesting wild honey. Chaiwat and three subordinates are the last people known to have seen Porlajee alive. All four say the activist was released the same day and deny any wrongdoing. At the time, Porlajee was assisting…
Thai court dismisses charges over disappearance of Karen activist
A Thai court on Thursday dismissed a murder charge against a former chief park ranger and his subordinates over the disappearance of an ethnic Karen activist, following nearly a decade of proceedings that have put a spotlight on judicial integrity. The judges said that the testimonies of the accused, Chaiwat Limlikit-aksorn, the former park ranger at Kaeng Krachan National Park, and his three ex-staffers, were dubious, but there wasn’t sufficient proof that they had killed. The suspects were indicted on five charges last year in relation to the 2014 disappearance…
For business, breaking up with China is hard to do
Receive free The FT View updates We’ll send you a myFT Daily Digest email rounding up the latest The FT View news every morning. The news this week that a senior Nomura banker, Charles Wang Zhonghe, has been barred from leaving mainland China has sent ripples through foreign companies and investors in the country. The circumstances behind the ban remain murky, though it may be connected to a long-running probe into China’s top tech sector dealmaker Bao Fan, who disappeared in February. But it is a reminder of just how…
China’s South China Sea Tactics Push Manila to Become More Assertive
TAIPEI, TAIWAN — A bold move by the Philippine coast guard this week to publicly cut loose a floating barrier installed by China near a disputed South China Sea lagoon highlights how Beijing’s actions are fueling forceful responses, analysts say. It also could help rally other countries in the region to stand up to Beijing. “The current [Philippine] government understands the need to foster collective deterrence of denial and punishment with willing partners as an appropriate strategy to impose a red line for China,” said Joshua Espeña, a resident fellow…
Fallout from killing of Canadian Sikh activist may pose predicament for US with ally India
A tit-for-tat dismissal of diplomats ensued, complicating US-led efforts to build a united bloc of allies and partners in a deeply polarised geopolitical landscape. Manjari Chatterjee Miller of the Council on Foreign Relations, a think tank in Washington, said that if Trudeau “releases credible evidence for his allegations, the assassination will give many of India’s partners pause, even if they do not publicly side with Canada”. She added that the allegations, “particularly if proved true”, will put Washington in a “very tough spot”. India-Canada ties going ‘south rapidly’ amid row…