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For Uyghur family, a legacy of rootlessness

Tursun Muhammad was thirteen when political persecution forced his family to leave their prosperous farm in Yarkant, Xinjiang, and flee over the Pamir Mountains. Tursun’s father was targeted during the Cultural Revolution for his wealth and the fact that he was a landlord, Tursun told RFA. After attending Friday prayer at the local mosque he was locked up for three days. So, he packed up his family and left Yarkant to journey into Afghanistan.  It took 45 days to reach Kabul. So high are the Pamir ranges that they are…

China Tells Ukraine It ‘Does Not Sell Lethal Weapons’ to Russia

Beijing —  China’s foreign minister has told his Ukrainian counterpart that Beijing does not sell lethal weapons to Russia for its war against Ukraine, a statement said Sunday. Wang Yi told Dmytro Kuleba during a meeting on the sidelines of a major security conference in Munich on Saturday that China “does not take any advantage of the situation and does not sell lethal weapons to conflict areas or parties to the conflict,” according to a foreign ministry readout. China says it is a neutral party in the Ukraine conflict but…

China Agrees to Lift Ban on Spanish Beef Imports

Cordoba, Spain —  China has agreed to lift a ban on imports of Spanish beef, the foreign ministers of both nations said Sunday after talks. Since 2000, Beijing has imposed a ban on the European Union from exporting beef products due to the emergence of several cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or “mad cow” disease, in several members of the bloc that year. “It is good news, especially for Spanish farmers,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told a joint news conference with his Spanish counterpart Jose Manuel Albares in Cordoba…

Thailand Braces for Refugee Influx After Myanmar Junta Announces Conscription Law

Bangkok —  Thailand is bracing for an influx of refugees after Myanmar’s military recently announced a conscription law. Analysts say the Thai government should put those fleeing Myanmar into safe zones. Last week, Myanmar’s military activated the People’s Military Service Law, meaning men aged 18 to 45 and women aged 18 to 35 can be drafted into the armed forces for two years of compulsory service. Certain personnel in specialist professions, like doctors and engineers, must serve for three years. In the case of a national emergency, the military service…

China’s economic powerhouses target top-tier industrial tech in national ‘high-quality growth’ drive

In the southern province of Guangdong, the country’s biggest regional economy, major provincial leaders and municipal heads met on the first day after the Lunar New Year holiday to find ways to foster innovation and industrial development. 08:36 A vanishing fairyland dream: how China Evergrande rose, then crashed A vanishing fairyland dream: how China Evergrande rose, then crashed Similar meetings were held in Shandong, Anhui and Liaoning provinces. They follow central government orders for the country’s economic powerhouses to do more to raise economic growth. The Chinese economy has had…

Canada says China has role to play in keeping Red Sea safe

Canada’s Foreign Minister Melanie Joly on Sunday said China should play a role in keeping the Red Sea safe for commerce because Chinese ships are at risk there as well, and urged Beijing to stop helping Russia sidestep international sanctions. In an interview, Joly said she told China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi in a bilateral meeting on Saturday that Beijing needs “to help to influence the Houthis to keep the Red Sea open.” “It’s in China’s interests as an exporter,” Joly told Reuters by phone on the last day of…

The US needs a better strategic narrative or it will cede influence to China

Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Chinese politics & policy myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. The writer recently retired as a US Rear Admiral in naval information warfare and was the former Commander of the Office of Naval Intelligence  Over the past 30 years, America’s information instrument has been neglected. If Washington is truly committed to competing against China and Russia, then we must marshal greater information powers to compete effectively in the battle of strategic narratives and expose disinformation and malign actions…

IOC Won’t Change Boxing Age Limit to Let Manny Pacquaio Compete at Paris Olympics

LAUSANNE, Switzerland —  The International Olympic Committee will not change its rules to let boxing great Manny Pacquaio compete at the Paris Games aged five years beyond the entry limit. Pacquaio, who retired in 2021, wanted to box at age 45 in the Olympic tournament in Paris where medal bouts will be held in the Roland Garros tennis complex. The IOC said Sunday it wrote to Olympic officials in Philippines explaining the age limit for boxers of 40 will be upheld. The IOC now oversees Olympic boxing after de-recognizing the…

FBI warns Chinese malware could threaten critical US infrastructure

Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Cyber Security myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. The FBI is “laser focused” on Chinese efforts to insert malicious software code into computer networks in ways that could disrupt critical US infrastructure, according to the agency’s director Christopher Wray. Wray said he was acutely concerned about “pre-positioning” of malware. He said the US recently disrupted a Chinese hacking network known as Volt Typhoon that targeted American infrastructure including the electricity grid and water supply, and other targets around…

Chinese village construction in disputed zone outpaces China-Bhutan border talks

The village is one of at least three built by China inside the disputed zone. Local governments in the Tibet autonomous region led a rapid expansion of border villages last year, with Tamalung doubling in size in the latter half of 2023. Satellite imagery – taken by US-based Maxar Technologies seven days before the residents moved in – shows 147 new houses. Local media reports said the village expansion was designed to accommodate 235 households, in addition to the 200 people who were living there in just 70 homes at…