Australian Bipartisan Inquiry Proposes Human Rights Accountability Law to Prohibit Entry and Confiscate Assets of Human Rights Offenders
Source: Stand News #Dec07
Read more
ā¬ļøā¬ļøā¬ļøā¬ļø
Source: Stand News #Dec07
Read more
ā¬ļøā¬ļøā¬ļøā¬ļø
Australian Bipartisan Inquiry Proposes Human Rights Accountability Law to Prohibit Entry and Confiscate Assets of Human Rights Offenders
A bipartisan parliamentary inquiry in Australia was to suggest the Morrison government to enact a new bill akin to the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act. Once the bill is passed, it will give the government the power to impose visa and asset sanctions on individuals who commit serious human rights violations or corruption.
Sources from the government have confirmed with local media Herald Sun and The Sunday Age that it would set up a new sanction system in the coming new year, but at the same time emphasized that it would first review the new report to be released by the inquiry this week. The report includes a draft legislation developed by Australian human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson for the governmentās reference.
The inquiry suggested that an independent oversight committee composed of experts be established with regards to human rights violations. The committee would give the government its recommendations for individuals to sanction, and the foreign minister may decide corresponding sanctions upon considering factors such as national security, trading and diplomatic relations.
#Australia #China #humanrights #sanction #Morrison #GeoffreyRobertson #Robertson #ScottMorrison #HeraldSun #TheSundayAge #Magnitsky #MagnitskyAct #GlobalMagnitskyHumanRightsAccountabilityAct
Source: Stand News #Dec07
https://bit.ly/3awyE0i
A bipartisan parliamentary inquiry in Australia was to suggest the Morrison government to enact a new bill akin to the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act. Once the bill is passed, it will give the government the power to impose visa and asset sanctions on individuals who commit serious human rights violations or corruption.
Sources from the government have confirmed with local media Herald Sun and The Sunday Age that it would set up a new sanction system in the coming new year, but at the same time emphasized that it would first review the new report to be released by the inquiry this week. The report includes a draft legislation developed by Australian human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson for the governmentās reference.
The inquiry suggested that an independent oversight committee composed of experts be established with regards to human rights violations. The committee would give the government its recommendations for individuals to sanction, and the foreign minister may decide corresponding sanctions upon considering factors such as national security, trading and diplomatic relations.
#Australia #China #humanrights #sanction #Morrison #GeoffreyRobertson #Robertson #ScottMorrison #HeraldSun #TheSundayAge #Magnitsky #MagnitskyAct #GlobalMagnitskyHumanRightsAccountabilityAct
Source: Stand News #Dec07
https://bit.ly/3awyE0i
Australian Economy Is Too Dependent on China and Needs Diversification, Says Senate Opposition Leader
Source: Stand News #Dec07
Read more
ā¬ļøā¬ļøā¬ļøā¬ļø
Source: Stand News #Dec07
Read more
ā¬ļøā¬ļøā¬ļøā¬ļø
Australian Economy Is Too Dependent on China and Needs Diversification, Says Senate Opposition Leader
Under Australia's new foreign relations law, which allows the federal government to veto pacts between states and overseas governments or institutions, it is expected that agreements on the āBelt and Roadā (āB&Rā) initiative and Confucian Institutes between local governments and China will be voided. Penny Wong, leader of the opposition Labor Party in the Senate, said on 7 December that she hopes the federal and Victorian governments will have āsensible discussionsā regarding the latterās āB&Rā agreement. While stressing the need for a new economic strategy where Australia will work with other countries, Wong fell short of signalling a revocation of Victoriaās āB&Rā agreement.
As Victoriaās āB&Rā agreement with China faces the prospect of being suspended, Wong said in an interview with the ABC that she thinks the federal government āshould try to resolve this in a way that respects engagement with the state government and that recognises that China will observe how this is handled carefullyā.
Adding that the Labor Party supports the Liberal government in opposing Victoriaās āB&Rā initiative, Wong did not indicate specifically that the agreement will be unilaterally cancelled. Wong suggested that instead of considering how Australia can fix its relationship with China, it needs a strategy to diversify its economy and cooperate with other countries in the region given that it is now too reliant on China.
Source: Stand News #Dec07
#Australia #Victoria #China #OneBeltOneRoad #BeltAndRoad #PennyWong #Labor #Diplomacy #Economy #Trade
https://bit.ly/38ES1Sa
Under Australia's new foreign relations law, which allows the federal government to veto pacts between states and overseas governments or institutions, it is expected that agreements on the āBelt and Roadā (āB&Rā) initiative and Confucian Institutes between local governments and China will be voided. Penny Wong, leader of the opposition Labor Party in the Senate, said on 7 December that she hopes the federal and Victorian governments will have āsensible discussionsā regarding the latterās āB&Rā agreement. While stressing the need for a new economic strategy where Australia will work with other countries, Wong fell short of signalling a revocation of Victoriaās āB&Rā agreement.
As Victoriaās āB&Rā agreement with China faces the prospect of being suspended, Wong said in an interview with the ABC that she thinks the federal government āshould try to resolve this in a way that respects engagement with the state government and that recognises that China will observe how this is handled carefullyā.
Adding that the Labor Party supports the Liberal government in opposing Victoriaās āB&Rā initiative, Wong did not indicate specifically that the agreement will be unilaterally cancelled. Wong suggested that instead of considering how Australia can fix its relationship with China, it needs a strategy to diversify its economy and cooperate with other countries in the region given that it is now too reliant on China.
Source: Stand News #Dec07
#Australia #Victoria #China #OneBeltOneRoad #BeltAndRoad #PennyWong #Labor #Diplomacy #Economy #Trade
https://bit.ly/38ES1Sa
Covert Chinese Trade With North Korea Moves Into the Open
Source: WSJ #Dec07
Read more
ā¬ļøā¬ļøā¬ļøā¬ļø
Source: WSJ #Dec07
Read more
ā¬ļøā¬ļøā¬ļøā¬ļø
Covert Chinese Trade With North Korea Moves Into the Open
China is no longer trying to hide smuggling activity as it seeks to help Pyongyang endure sanctions, U.S. officials say
A satellite photos provided by the United Nations Security Council showed a Chinese-flagged barge being loaded coal at North Koreaās Nampo in June, and North Korean-flagged coal vessels near Ningbo-Zhoushan in China in August
āNorth Korea is not bothering with this anymore. The shipments are directly from North Korea to China,ā the U.S. official said. āThat is definitely a big change from what we saw initially after the adoption of sanctions ā
Assuming the coal sold for $80 to $100 a ton in 2020, the value of the North Korea exports would range between $330 million and $410 million. The revenue is particularly significant given North Koreaās decision to cut cross-border trade with China to try to insulate itself from the global pandemic.
North Korea has other forms of illicit revenue, U.S. and U.N. experts say. the U.S. alleged that China hosts at least 20,000 North Korean laborers, who send their earnings home.
Source: WSJ #Dec07
https://www.wsj.com/articles/covert-chinese-trade-with-north-korea-moves-into-the-open-11607345372?st=0vx98kq7kj4relh&reflink=article_copyURL_share
#NorthKorea #China #USSanction #Smuggling
China is no longer trying to hide smuggling activity as it seeks to help Pyongyang endure sanctions, U.S. officials say
A satellite photos provided by the United Nations Security Council showed a Chinese-flagged barge being loaded coal at North Koreaās Nampo in June, and North Korean-flagged coal vessels near Ningbo-Zhoushan in China in August
āNorth Korea is not bothering with this anymore. The shipments are directly from North Korea to China,ā the U.S. official said. āThat is definitely a big change from what we saw initially after the adoption of sanctions ā
Assuming the coal sold for $80 to $100 a ton in 2020, the value of the North Korea exports would range between $330 million and $410 million. The revenue is particularly significant given North Koreaās decision to cut cross-border trade with China to try to insulate itself from the global pandemic.
North Korea has other forms of illicit revenue, U.S. and U.N. experts say. the U.S. alleged that China hosts at least 20,000 North Korean laborers, who send their earnings home.
Source: WSJ #Dec07
https://www.wsj.com/articles/covert-chinese-trade-with-north-korea-moves-into-the-open-11607345372?st=0vx98kq7kj4relh&reflink=article_copyURL_share
#NorthKorea #China #USSanction #Smuggling
WSJ
Covert Chinese Trade With North Korea Moves Into the Open
China is increasingly flouting international sanctions on North Korea and is no longer trying to hide some of its smuggling activity as it seeks to help Pyongyang endure sanctions, U.S. officials say.
Sung: Against China, Canada needs allies ā and Hong Kong is one place to start
Source: Ottawa Citizen #Dec07
Read more
ā¬ļøā¬ļøā¬ļø
Source: Ottawa Citizen #Dec07
Read more
ā¬ļøā¬ļøā¬ļø
Sung: Against China, Canada needs allies ā and Hong Kong is one place to start
An attack on one is an attack on all. What happens to Hong Kong today could happen in Australia tomorrow, and it could be Canadaās turn next week. We need to stand firm and break away from the toxic relationship with Beijing. We have to support Hong Kong, Australia and others trying to thwart the CCPās aggression. If not, when the sharp claws of the panda come for us, there may be no one left to speak for us.
When Michael Kovrig, former diplomat and conflict resolution consultant, was snatched in China on Dec. 10, 2018, an inevitable question must have crossed his mind: āWhat have I done wrong?ā The question probably persisted when he was interrogated for countless hours by the authoritarian regimeās security agency for espionage, or when he shielded his eyes from the 24-hour light in his solitary cell over the last two years.
The same question would have also run through the mind of Spavor, the other Michael, who was working in China when arrested on the same day as Kovrig. A businessperson and among the few to travel extensively in North Korea, Spavor was also charged by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) with spying.
Source: Ottawa Citizen #Dec07
#Dec07 #Canada #Australia #HongKong #HostageDiplomacy
https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/sung-against-china-canada-needs-allies-and-hong-kong-is-one-place-to-start/wcm/0a32c9ab-1bf8-499c-add6-9403c42876fe/amp/?__twitter_impression=true
An attack on one is an attack on all. What happens to Hong Kong today could happen in Australia tomorrow, and it could be Canadaās turn next week. We need to stand firm and break away from the toxic relationship with Beijing. We have to support Hong Kong, Australia and others trying to thwart the CCPās aggression. If not, when the sharp claws of the panda come for us, there may be no one left to speak for us.
When Michael Kovrig, former diplomat and conflict resolution consultant, was snatched in China on Dec. 10, 2018, an inevitable question must have crossed his mind: āWhat have I done wrong?ā The question probably persisted when he was interrogated for countless hours by the authoritarian regimeās security agency for espionage, or when he shielded his eyes from the 24-hour light in his solitary cell over the last two years.
The same question would have also run through the mind of Spavor, the other Michael, who was working in China when arrested on the same day as Kovrig. A businessperson and among the few to travel extensively in North Korea, Spavor was also charged by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) with spying.
Source: Ottawa Citizen #Dec07
#Dec07 #Canada #Australia #HongKong #HostageDiplomacy
https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/sung-against-china-canada-needs-allies-and-hong-kong-is-one-place-to-start/wcm/0a32c9ab-1bf8-499c-add6-9403c42876fe/amp/?__twitter_impression=true
Ottawacitizen
Sung: Against China, Canada needs allies ā and Hong Kong is one place to start
Biden faces a changed world from when he last held power, and not for the better
When Joe Biden left the vice presidentās office four years ago, the United States was a champion of the Paris climate accord, the architect of the multinational Iran nuclear deal and the leader of a 12-nation free-trade pact in the Pacific Rim region intended to limit Chinaās growing influence.
None of those things is true anymore as he prepares to be inaugurated as commander in chief next month.
Even as he will be preoccupied by the deadly coronavirus crisis at home, Biden faces a daunting array of global challenges, frayed alliances and emboldened adversaries. And he must confront these issues even as the country heās set to lead has increasingly become skeptical of interventionism and a robust leadership role internationally ā especially after President Trumpās inward-looking āAmerica firstā approach.
Source: LosAngelesTimes #Dec07
https://t.co/V6lA7ThE6V?amp=1
#JoeBiden #UnitedStates #China #leadership
When Joe Biden left the vice presidentās office four years ago, the United States was a champion of the Paris climate accord, the architect of the multinational Iran nuclear deal and the leader of a 12-nation free-trade pact in the Pacific Rim region intended to limit Chinaās growing influence.
None of those things is true anymore as he prepares to be inaugurated as commander in chief next month.
Even as he will be preoccupied by the deadly coronavirus crisis at home, Biden faces a daunting array of global challenges, frayed alliances and emboldened adversaries. And he must confront these issues even as the country heās set to lead has increasingly become skeptical of interventionism and a robust leadership role internationally ā especially after President Trumpās inward-looking āAmerica firstā approach.
Source: LosAngelesTimes #Dec07
https://t.co/V6lA7ThE6V?amp=1
#JoeBiden #UnitedStates #China #leadership
Columbia Failed to Disclose $1 Million in CCP Funding
Columbia University failed to disclose at least $1 million in Chinese government funding that went toward hosting a Confucius Institute, which the State Department has described as a part of Beijing's propaganda effort targeting U.S. students.
The New York-based university is the only Ivy League institution to host a Confucius Institute, a controversial Chinese government-funded program that at its height operated in more than 100 U.S. colleges. Hanban, the Beijing-controlled entity that manages the Confucius Institute, pledged at least $1 million in donations to Columbia University, according to a Chinese state media report. Department of Education records show that Columbia never disclosed any such donations to the federal government.
Source: Washington Free Beacon #Dec07
https://freebeacon.com/campus/columbia-failed-to-disclose-1-million-in-ccp-funding/
#ColumbiaUniversity #Funding #Chinese #Confucius #Beijing
Columbia University failed to disclose at least $1 million in Chinese government funding that went toward hosting a Confucius Institute, which the State Department has described as a part of Beijing's propaganda effort targeting U.S. students.
The New York-based university is the only Ivy League institution to host a Confucius Institute, a controversial Chinese government-funded program that at its height operated in more than 100 U.S. colleges. Hanban, the Beijing-controlled entity that manages the Confucius Institute, pledged at least $1 million in donations to Columbia University, according to a Chinese state media report. Department of Education records show that Columbia never disclosed any such donations to the federal government.
Source: Washington Free Beacon #Dec07
https://freebeacon.com/campus/columbia-failed-to-disclose-1-million-in-ccp-funding/
#ColumbiaUniversity #Funding #Chinese #Confucius #Beijing
Bloomberg: Haze Fan, who is working as a journalist in Beijing, is still detained by the Chinese authorities for a year
Source: Stand News #Dec07
Read more
ā¬ļøā¬ļøā¬ļø
Source: Stand News #Dec07
Read more
ā¬ļøā¬ļøā¬ļø
Bloomberg: Haze Fan, who is working as a journalist in Beijing, is still detained by the Chinese authorities for a year
A journalist who works in the Office of Bloomberg in Beijing, Haze Fan, has been detained for a year by Chinese authorities. John Micklethwait, the Editor-in-Chief of Bloomberg, issued a short statement regarding Haze Fan's 12 months of detention, raising concerns of people within the company about her health status.
The statement also indicated that the company would continuously try their best to assist Haze Fan and her family. News editorial staff missed Haze so much, no matter whether as a colleague or friend.
Haze Fan is a Chinese citizen and has worked for many foreign media such as CNBC, CBS, Al Jazeera and Reuters. She has worked at Bloomberg since 2017. On 7th December 2020, after the last time of contacting the editor at 11:30 am, Haze was taken away from the apartment by plainclothes law enforcement officers. Bloomberg has been seeking Hazeās whereabouts from the Chinese government and the Chinese Embassy in the United States.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China confirmed that Haze Fan was detained by Beijing Municipal National Security Bureau, suspecting that she was involved in criminal activities that endangered national security.
Source: Stand News #Dec07
#Bloomberg #China #NationalSecurity #PressFreedom
A journalist who works in the Office of Bloomberg in Beijing, Haze Fan, has been detained for a year by Chinese authorities. John Micklethwait, the Editor-in-Chief of Bloomberg, issued a short statement regarding Haze Fan's 12 months of detention, raising concerns of people within the company about her health status.
The statement also indicated that the company would continuously try their best to assist Haze Fan and her family. News editorial staff missed Haze so much, no matter whether as a colleague or friend.
Haze Fan is a Chinese citizen and has worked for many foreign media such as CNBC, CBS, Al Jazeera and Reuters. She has worked at Bloomberg since 2017. On 7th December 2020, after the last time of contacting the editor at 11:30 am, Haze was taken away from the apartment by plainclothes law enforcement officers. Bloomberg has been seeking Hazeās whereabouts from the Chinese government and the Chinese Embassy in the United States.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China confirmed that Haze Fan was detained by Beijing Municipal National Security Bureau, suspecting that she was involved in criminal activities that endangered national security.
Source: Stand News #Dec07
#Bloomberg #China #NationalSecurity #PressFreedom
China allows home quarantine in big shift from zero-COVID
China on Wednesday announced a rollback of its zero-COVID policy in a marked shift away from virus curbs that triggered nationwide unrest, putting it on course to living with the respiratory illness.
People who are asymptomatic, or who have mild infections, will now be allowed to quarantine at home, rather than being forced into government facilities, while mass PCR testing, a key feature of government efforts to quash even small outbreaks, will be largely abandoned.
Sourceļ¼Nikkei Asia #Dec07
https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Coronavirus/China-allows-home-quarantine-in-big-shift-from-zero-COVID?del_type=1&pub_date=20221207190000&seq_num=5
#China #Zero #COVID
China on Wednesday announced a rollback of its zero-COVID policy in a marked shift away from virus curbs that triggered nationwide unrest, putting it on course to living with the respiratory illness.
People who are asymptomatic, or who have mild infections, will now be allowed to quarantine at home, rather than being forced into government facilities, while mass PCR testing, a key feature of government efforts to quash even small outbreaks, will be largely abandoned.
Sourceļ¼Nikkei Asia #Dec07
https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Coronavirus/China-allows-home-quarantine-in-big-shift-from-zero-COVID?del_type=1&pub_date=20221207190000&seq_num=5
#China #Zero #COVID