Day: October 21, 2023

Beijing reviews wine tariffs ahead of Australian prime minister visit

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Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Chinese trade myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. Beijing has launched a review of punitive tariffs that were placed on Australian wine in 2020 in the latest sign of thawing relations between the two countries ahead of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s visit to China next month. It is the first time that an Australian leader has visited China in seven years and follows a period of tension between the two countries after former prime minister Scott Morrison publicly…

Beijing reviews wine tariffs ahead of Australian state visit

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Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Chinese trade myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. Beijing has launched a review of punitive tariffs that were placed on Australian wine in 2020 in the latest sign of thawing relations between the two countries ahead of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s visit to China next month. It is the first time that an Australian leader has visited China in seven years and follows a period of tension between the two countries after former prime minister Scott Morrison publicly…

Australian Prime Minister to Visit China in November, Meet Xi

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Sydney —  Australia’s prime minister will visit China in early November to meet President Xi Jinping, Canberra confirmed Sunday, as the two trading partners work to repair a once-frosty relationship. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese locked in the trip, Nov. 4-7 after China agreed to suspend a festering World Trade Organization dispute sparked by hefty tariffs on Australian wine. It also follows the release of Australian journalist Cheng Lei, who was deported from China earlier this month after being detained for three years on espionage charges widely seen as politically motivated.…

Australian PM Anthony Albanese to visit China in November to meet Xi Jinping

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Australia’s prime minister will visit China in early November to meet President Xi Jinping, Canberra confirmed Sunday, as the two trading partners work to repair a once-frosty relationship. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese locked in the trip – from November 4 to November 7 – after China agreed to suspend a festering World Trade Organization dispute sparked by hefty tariffs on Australian wine. “I look forward to visiting China, an important step towards ensuring a stable and productive relationship,” Albanese said in a statement. “I welcome the progress we have made…

Australia and China suspend WTO wine tariff dispute ahead of Anthony Albanese’s trip to Beijing

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China has agreed to review the tariffs it places on Australian wine producers after a breakthrough in negotiations ahead of Anthony Albanese’s trip to Beijing next month. Albanese said on Sunday the two countries had agreed to suspend their long-running World Trade Organization dispute while Beijing undertakes an “expedited review” of duties, which is expected to take five months. If the sanctions are not removed at the end of the review, Australia will resume the dispute. “We welcome China’s agreement to undertake an expedited review of its duties,” Albanese said…

Pro-Palestinian Demonstrators Flood Streets All Over World

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london —  Tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched Saturday through a rainy London to demand Israel stop its bombardment of Gaza, and similar calls were heard in cities around the world as the Israel-Hamas war entered its third week. On the day a trickle of aid entered Gaza, where more than 1 million people have left their homes because of the conflict, protesters gathered in at Marble Arch near London’s Hyde Park before marching to the government district, Whitehall. Police estimated the crowd that wound its way through the…

Kazakhstan remains central to Beijing’s plans for belt and road as China sets sights on Europe

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“China is ready to work with Kazakhstan to further facilitate trade and investment, and implement key investment cooperation projects in production capacity,” Xi said in the meeting. He also promised that China would “strengthen connectivity” and expand the scale of railroad freight transport between the two countries. Xi added that the China-Kazakhstan agreement on mutual visa exemption would also soon come into force. 02:48 Chinese President Xi Jinping unveils 8-point vision for nation’s Belt and Road Initiative at forum Chinese President Xi Jinping unveils 8-point vision for nation’s Belt and…

Hundreds of Muslims in Thailand Protest Israel’s Bombing of Gaza

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bangkok —  Hundreds of people, mostly Thais and Muslims, demonstrated outside the Israeli Embassy in Bangkok Saturday, demanding an end to the bombing of the Gaza Strip amid chants denouncing both Israel and the United States for supporting it. “The people of Gaza are under attack. We are Muslim, and Palestinians are Muslim,” Jamal Pataw told VOA. “We come from the south of Thailand, and we want to protect the Muslim people,” he said, shoulders draped in the traditional Palestinian kufiya, a black-and-white scarf with a checkered fishnet pattern. Most…

Former Pakistan leader Nawaz Sharif returns from exile in bid to regain power

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Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Pakistan’s former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has returned from exile in a bid to regain power by uniting the opposition to his jailed rival Imran Khan ahead of elections which are expected early next year. The three-time leader was greeted by several thousand supporters at a gathering of his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party in central Lahore, but analysts said his bid for power faced major challenges, notably the fallout from…