Month: April 2024

Activists interrupt Chinese ambassador’s Harvard speech

Media Library

A protester who loudly disrupted a speech at Harvard by Chinese Ambassador Xie Feng on the eve of a visit by Secretary of State Antony Blinken to China said she did it to discourage world-class universities from “kowtowing to China” despite committing human rights abuses. Harvard junior Cosette Wu, who grew up in Hawaii with Taiwanese parents, stood up with a banner that read “China Lies” during Xie’s speech to the Kennedy School of Government on Sunday, shouting loudly about the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s political crackdown in Hong Kong…

Thailand offers to mediate in Myanmar conflict, urges ASEAN involvement amid violence

Media Library

Fleeing Myanmar The escalating violence in Myanmar has led to refugees fleeing across the border into Thailand, prompting authorities to monitor the situation and prepare for a potential influx of displaced individuals. The Tak Provincial Public Health Office reported that 735 refugees who fled the conflict in Myanmar were in Tak, including 255 children. Of those, 114 people had received treatment in local hospitals as of Monday.  The Thai-Myanmar Border Command Center in Tak reported that fighting had occurred inside Myanmar about 1.5 to 12 km (1 to 7.5 miles)…

Chinese speculators super-charge gold rally

Media Library

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Huge bets by Chinese speculators on rising gold prices have helped super-charge the precious metal’s rally to an all-time high this month, in a sign that Asian traders are beginning to eclipse their western counterparts in their influence on the bullion market. Long gold positions held by futures traders on the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) climbed to 295,233 contracts, equivalent to 295 tonnes of gold. That marks a rise of…

Myanmar junta slams US aid plan

Media Library

WASHINGTON —  Myanmar’s ruling junta, the State Administrative Council, is criticizing a U.S. aid package that is being funneled through opponents of the regime, saying the United States should consider whether its actions amount to support for terrorism. The assistance marks the first implementation of the BURMA Act, part of the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act aimed at helping pro-democracy forces battling the SAC. Under the act, the aid is intended to strengthen federalism in Myanmar by providing nonlethal assistance to armed groups, helping pro-democracy organizations, assisting aid organizations operating…

Hong Kong schools ban books, warn teachers not to get ‘political’

Media Library

Hong Kong schools have been banning books, warning teachers not to express “political” views, training students how to raise the Chinese flag correctly and screening patriotic films, according to online documents that reveal what the city’s “national security education” program looks like on the ground. The ruling Chinese Communist Party is moving to step up its “patriotic education” program in schools, universities and religious institutions across the country, including in Hong Kong, where the program is generally termed “national security education.” Since the start of the current academic year, teachers…

Students, residents pressed into North Korean construction projects

Media Library

North Korean authorities are addressing a labor shortage by conscripting ordinary residents and students as young as 12 to work on state-mandated construction projects, sources inside North Korea told Radio Free Asia. In the northern province of Ryanggang, officials In Kimhyongjik county have required students to work on factory construction sites as part of leader Kim Jong Un’s plan to accelerate industrial development under the so-called “20×10 Local Development Policy” that was announced in December. The policy calls for 20 North Korean counties to construct modern factories every year over…

US exports to China declined 4.3% year on year in 2023 amid trade tensions: report

Media Library

“It is important for us to remind US lawmakers and those in influential positions that every state and congressional district in the US maintains its own economic and trade relationship with China,” said Craig Allen, president of the non-profit group representing more than 270 American companies. “Changes in US-China trade policy should be considered very carefully.” “Trade between the US and China also contributes to geopolitical stability and must be factored into policy decisions related to the future of the bilateral relationship,” he added. In 2023, China was the third-largest…

Taiwan President-elect: US military aid package strengthens deterrence against authoritarianism 

Media Library

Taiwan’s President-elect Lai Ching-te says the U.S. House of Representatives passage over the weekend of an $8 billion military aid package to counter China’s influence will “strengthen deterrence against authoritarianism” and “boost confidence in the region.” The U.S. House of Representatives approved a $95 billion joint aid bill Saturday that included money for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. That bill is set to be voted on in the U.S. Senate Tuesday. In addition to the $8 billion for Taiwan, another $1.9 billion in the bill is allocated to replenishing U.S. weapons…

China rejects further restraints on trade with Russia ahead of top US envoy’s arrival in Beijing

Media Library

China said it would “resolutely defend” its “inviolable” rights to trade with Russia, as the United States reportedly considers sanctioning Chinese banks during US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s three-day trip to Beijing. Just a day ahead of Blinken’s arrival, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that Washington was drafting sanctions against Chinese banks to provide him with the leverage to persuade Beijing to stop its commercial support of Russia’s military production. “We firmly oppose the hypocritical practice of the United States of pouring fuel to the fire while…

The China-Russia trade friendship may not be quite what you think

Media Library

Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Chinese business & finance myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. The writer is senior fellow in geoeconomics at the European Council on Foreign Relations and the author of ‘Backfire’ On paper, commercial ties between Russia and China look huge: in 2023 trade turnover between both countries reached $240bn, surging 26.3 per cent in just one year. Moscow and Beijing can rejoice, as such flattering statistics give credence to the view that the two capitals enjoy a “no-limits” friendship.…