This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese people’s war of resistance against Japanese aggression and the world anti-fascist war. On Friday, there will be a two-minute silence at noon in the UK to honour the 80th anniversary of VJ Day. This is a moment not only for solemn remembrance, but also for reflection on the enduring bonds forged in the crucible of history – bonds that continue to resonate in our world today. At the darkest hour of the second world war, China and the…
Category: The Guardian
What is Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door, the Buddhist group at the centre of an alleged spy case in Australia?
A controversial Buddhist organisation, at the centre of an alleged Chinese espionage case in Australia, has raised concerns about Beijing keeping tabs on Chinese diaspora overseas. Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door is an international Buddhist organisation with multiple chapters in Australia. This month, a Chinese-born woman was charged with reckless foreign interference, accused of spying on the group’s Australian branches and its members on behalf of the Chinese Communist party’s intelligence organs. Australian police have said the investigation is ongoing and more people could be charged. Guan Yin Citta practises…
Jimmy Lai trial: closing arguments begin in Hong Kong trial of pro-democracy media mogul
Jailed Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai’s national security trial, which began in late 2023, will enter its final stages on Thursday as lawyers present closing arguments. The 77-year-old founder of the Apple Daily newspaper is charged with foreign collusion under Hong Kong’s national security law, which Beijing imposed following huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in 2019. Lai has been kept behind bars since December 2020, reportedly in solitary confinement, with Western nations and rights groups calling for his release. Aside from the collusion offence – which could land…
US warships patrol South China Sea after two Chinese ships collide
The US has briefly deployed two warships in a disputed South China Sea shoal where two Chinese ships collided earlier in the week while trying to drive away a smaller Philippine ship in a high-seas accident that raised alarms about maritime safety. Both China and the Philippines claim Scarborough Shoal and other outcroppings in the South China Sea. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also lay overlapping claims in the contested waters. The USS Higgins, a guided missile destroyer, and USS Cincinnati, a littoral combat ship, were shadowed by a Chinese…
Chinese firm a leading contender to buy Thames Water, reports say
A Chinese firm is reportedly a leading contender to buy Thames Water if the heavily indebted company collapses in coming weeks. Hong Kong’s CKI, which invests in power and other utility companies in the UK, is among those lining up to acquire the water and sewerage supplier if it enters a special administration regime (SAR), according to the Times. It has reportedly said it would be prepared to operate under tougher penalties for environmental breaches than Thames’s class A creditors, who have put together their own purchase bid. The creditor…
NGOs urge Nandy to halt sale of Telegraph over China links
A group of nine human rights and freedom of expression organisations have called on the culture secretary to halt RedBird Capital’s proposed £500m takeover of the Telegraph and investigate the US private equity company’s ties to China. The international non-governmental organisations, which include Index on Censorship, Reporters Without Borders and Article 19, have written to Lisa Nandy arguing that RedBird Capital’s links with China “threaten media pluralism, transparency and information integrity in the UK”. A consortium led by RedBird Capital agreed a deal in May to buy the Daily Telegraph…
China’s crackdown on lavish civil servant perks will ‘harm’ the economy, experts warn
Updated regulations ban the country’s 40 million civil servants from lavish banquets, and restrict them from overseas travel for ‘personal leisure’ Adjacent to a municipal government building in Beijing, a normally bustling restaurant is now eerily quiet, at lunchtime most of its seats are empty. The recent crackdown on civil servants frequenting restaurants – part of a government austerity drive intended to crack down on corruption – has likely affected business and caused liquor sales to plummet, admits one waitress who works in the opulent establishment. Continue reading… The Guardian
A China-led global system alongside that of the US is Xi Jinping’s ultimate aim | Letters
For over a decade, China has been building an alternative to the US-led order, notes Andrew J Sinclair I enjoyed reading George Magnus’s article (Why Peak China may finally have arrived, 11 August). However, focusing on peak economic growth misses the bigger picture and underestimates China in ways that could weaken western policy responses. China’s central goal is national power, and we are far from its peak national power. The Chinese economic miracle has taken place under the US-led global system. China built factories along its coast, filled container ships,…
The $10,000 job search: why people are paying a small fortune to find work
In the US, it takes an average of 24 weeks to secure new employment. Enter a legion of expensive career strategists, networking sites and AI interview training … Name: The $10,000 job search. Age: Depressingly modern. Continue reading… The Guardian
Trump’s China trade truce extension spurs market rally
Donald Trump’s decision to extend a truce in the trade war with China has triggered a stock market rally across the globe. On Monday night, the US president signed an executive order extending the deadline for higher tariffs on China until 10 November. Beijing said early on Tuesday it would suspend additional tariffs on US goods for a further 90 days. In response, markets in Japan and Australia hit record highs on Tuesday, as expectations grow that the US and China could secure a trade agreement before the end of…