Indonesia Refuses Landing of US Military Aircrafts for Refuels, Vows to “Remain Neutral” amid Growing Sino-American Tensions
Reuters quoted four high-ranking Indonesian officials on 20 October as saying that Indonesia had refused earlier this year to let America’s P-8 patrol aircrafts land and refuel. It was claimed that Indonesia wished to “remain neutral” diplomatically as it had always been amid the increasingly fierce competition between the US and China.
The report quoted the sources as saying that US officials had repeatedly contacted Indonesia’s defence and foreign ministers at a “high level” in July and August. According to the sources, the US was seeking permission to land and refuel its P-8 maritime patrol aircrafts, responsible for monitoring China’s actions in the South China Sea. The request was denied by Indonesian president Joko Widodo.
The report said the request surprised Indonesia, which had remained neutral diplomatically and had never allowed foreign military activities in its territory as the sources noted. As US-China tensions mount in Southeast Asia, Indonesian foreign minister Retno Marsudi said in September that Indonesia did not wish to be involved in their competition.
Source: Apple Daily #Oct20
#Indonesia #US #China #SoutheastAsia #SouthChinaSea #JokoWidodo #RetnoMarsudi #Military #Diplomacy
https://bit.ly/31McdyX
Reuters quoted four high-ranking Indonesian officials on 20 October as saying that Indonesia had refused earlier this year to let America’s P-8 patrol aircrafts land and refuel. It was claimed that Indonesia wished to “remain neutral” diplomatically as it had always been amid the increasingly fierce competition between the US and China.
The report quoted the sources as saying that US officials had repeatedly contacted Indonesia’s defence and foreign ministers at a “high level” in July and August. According to the sources, the US was seeking permission to land and refuel its P-8 maritime patrol aircrafts, responsible for monitoring China’s actions in the South China Sea. The request was denied by Indonesian president Joko Widodo.
The report said the request surprised Indonesia, which had remained neutral diplomatically and had never allowed foreign military activities in its territory as the sources noted. As US-China tensions mount in Southeast Asia, Indonesian foreign minister Retno Marsudi said in September that Indonesia did not wish to be involved in their competition.
Source: Apple Daily #Oct20
#Indonesia #US #China #SoutheastAsia #SouthChinaSea #JokoWidodo #RetnoMarsudi #Military #Diplomacy
https://bit.ly/31McdyX
Sri Lankan Minister Defends Another Loan from China, Says “China Happens to Have the Cash”
Source: Apple Daily #Oct20
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Source: Apple Daily #Oct20
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Sri Lankan Minister Defends Another Loan from China, Says “China Happens to Have the Cash”
Sri Lanka is seeking a loan of 700 million US dollars (approximately 5.4 billion Hong Kong dollars) from China. As the opposition and dissidents expressed their concerns about the government’s reliance on China, the Minister of Money, Capital Market and Public Enterprise Reform Minister Ajith Nivard Cabraal defended the loan by saying that it was because “it’s China that happens to have the cash now.”
In an interview with The Hindu, Cabraal said, “In different times in world history, different countries have been the ones who have had the most amount of cash. And now it happens to be China, so China will naturally invest all over the world.…I think we should all respect that.”
Despite the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) estimate that Sri Lanka’s GDP would shrink by 7% this year due to the Wuhan virus pandemic, Cabraal was optimistic about the financial situation in Sri Lanka. He said that the country was seeking different ways to repay its debts, including getting more loans from China, securing a currency swap mechanism with China and India, and issuing samurai and panda bonds.
The Director of the CCP’s Central Foreign Affairs Commission Yang Jiechi is visiting Sri Lanka this month. Following the 500 million US dollars (approximately 3.9 billion Hong Kong dollars) that China gave Sri Lanka just this March to fight the Wuhan virus, the South Asian country is discussing another loan with the Chinese delegation. The country has so far borrowed over 5 billion US dollars (approximately 38.8 billion Hong Kong dollars) from China.
#SriLanka #China #AjithNivardCabraal #YangJiechi #Finance #Diplomacy #WuhanVirus #COVID19 #Pandemic
Source: Apple Daily #Oct20
https://bit.ly/2IZzZkv
Sri Lanka is seeking a loan of 700 million US dollars (approximately 5.4 billion Hong Kong dollars) from China. As the opposition and dissidents expressed their concerns about the government’s reliance on China, the Minister of Money, Capital Market and Public Enterprise Reform Minister Ajith Nivard Cabraal defended the loan by saying that it was because “it’s China that happens to have the cash now.”
In an interview with The Hindu, Cabraal said, “In different times in world history, different countries have been the ones who have had the most amount of cash. And now it happens to be China, so China will naturally invest all over the world.…I think we should all respect that.”
Despite the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) estimate that Sri Lanka’s GDP would shrink by 7% this year due to the Wuhan virus pandemic, Cabraal was optimistic about the financial situation in Sri Lanka. He said that the country was seeking different ways to repay its debts, including getting more loans from China, securing a currency swap mechanism with China and India, and issuing samurai and panda bonds.
The Director of the CCP’s Central Foreign Affairs Commission Yang Jiechi is visiting Sri Lanka this month. Following the 500 million US dollars (approximately 3.9 billion Hong Kong dollars) that China gave Sri Lanka just this March to fight the Wuhan virus, the South Asian country is discussing another loan with the Chinese delegation. The country has so far borrowed over 5 billion US dollars (approximately 38.8 billion Hong Kong dollars) from China.
#SriLanka #China #AjithNivardCabraal #YangJiechi #Finance #Diplomacy #WuhanVirus #COVID19 #Pandemic
Source: Apple Daily #Oct20
https://bit.ly/2IZzZkv
Chinese Ambassador “Threatening” Canada Not to Shelter Hongkongers
Source: Apple Daily #Oct20
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Source: Apple Daily #Oct20
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Chinese Ambassador “Threatening” Canada Not to Shelter Hongkongers
The Chinese Ambassador to Canada, Cong Peiwu, warned Canada not to give political asylum to Hongkongers, which triggered an increasingly fierce political argument between Canada and China, worsening bilateral relations.
The Canadian government recently offered asylum to a Hong Kong young couple who actively participated in the protests. Cong then requested the Canadian government to stop offering "political asylum" to Hongkongers who evade the Hong Kong National Security Law. He labelled those Hongkongers as “violent criminals” and warned the relevant actions of authorities in Ottawa were equivalent to interfering in China's internal affairs, effectively encouraging violent criminals. He added that if Canada cares about the stability and prosperity of Hong Kong, as well as the health and safety of the 300,000 Canadian citizens and companies in Hong Kong, Canada should support the Chinese authorities in combating the violent criminal behaviour.
Toronto Sun published an editorial a few days later requesting Cong to apologise or to leave Canada. The editorial asserts that “It is not enough for the Trudeau government to publicly scold Cong. If he won’t apologise and retract his threats, boot him back to Beijing.”
Source: Apple Daily #Oct20
#Canada #CongPeiwu #PoliticalAsylum
https://bit.ly/2HvQmVQ
The Chinese Ambassador to Canada, Cong Peiwu, warned Canada not to give political asylum to Hongkongers, which triggered an increasingly fierce political argument between Canada and China, worsening bilateral relations.
The Canadian government recently offered asylum to a Hong Kong young couple who actively participated in the protests. Cong then requested the Canadian government to stop offering "political asylum" to Hongkongers who evade the Hong Kong National Security Law. He labelled those Hongkongers as “violent criminals” and warned the relevant actions of authorities in Ottawa were equivalent to interfering in China's internal affairs, effectively encouraging violent criminals. He added that if Canada cares about the stability and prosperity of Hong Kong, as well as the health and safety of the 300,000 Canadian citizens and companies in Hong Kong, Canada should support the Chinese authorities in combating the violent criminal behaviour.
Toronto Sun published an editorial a few days later requesting Cong to apologise or to leave Canada. The editorial asserts that “It is not enough for the Trudeau government to publicly scold Cong. If he won’t apologise and retract his threats, boot him back to Beijing.”
Source: Apple Daily #Oct20
#Canada #CongPeiwu #PoliticalAsylum
https://bit.ly/2HvQmVQ
#FailedState #Fall
Carrie Lam's Broken Arm Received More "Concern" from Hongkongers Than Policy Address, Big Data Shows
Source: Citizen News; #Oct20
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Carrie Lam's Broken Arm Received More "Concern" from Hongkongers Than Policy Address, Big Data Shows
Source: Citizen News; #Oct20
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#FailedState #Fall
Carrie Lam's Broken Arm Received More "Concern" from Hongkongers Than Policy Address, Big Data Shows
After Chief Executive #CarrieLam fractured her elbow when she took a fall at her residence on October 18, the news quickly went viral on social media with mounting public interest. ASIAM Intelligence, a group of big data specialists, analyzed public sentiments based on post comments, Facebook interactions, and swear-word volume.
The analysis found a sharp surge in interactions across social media platforms around topics related to "Carrie Lam". This included news feeds, discussion posts and YouTube videos, totaling approximately 289,000 counts in two days from 18–20 October, the biggest share (148,000) came from Facebook.
This wave of rapid and fervent public reactions towards Carrie Lam's injury was much stronger than any other news topics over the same period.
Compared to the Chief Executive’s Policy Address announced just two weeks ago, her arm fracture generated much more interactions, clearly showing that the public is more “concerned” about her injury than her policy address.
Swear-Word Volume Reached 50%, Mockery from Users of All Political Stances
The analysis also examined swear-word volume, a methodology designed to determine negative public sentiments. Among 17,000 facebook comments in the past 7 days, most of which came after Carrie Lam's fall, the swear-word volume reached as high as 50%. This is believed to indicate the use of the obscenity "仆街", which literally describes someone falling.
Comments from pro-democracy users were overwhelmingly mocking in tone. Notably, the same mocking tone was also found among pro-establishment users' comments, taunting that Lam's injury could be an easy excuse to avoid hot and controversial issues. Some even asked sarcastically if the floor of her residence was alright.
On discussion forums, the news generated more than 4,100 comments in two days. Over half of these comments came from LIHKG, showing that the topic was of particular interest among the younger generation. The swear-word counts reached over 30%.
Interestingly, comments shared on the pro-government forum Hong Kong Discuss were not completely sympathetic towards Lam. It perhaps showed that low public approval rate prevailed even among the pro-establishment supporters.
ASIAM's Heatmap 3.0, measuring Facebook reactions, registered over 158,000 Hahas and over 97,000 Likes from pro-democracy users, while only 5,300 and 2,700 Hahas and Likes were counted respectively from pro-establishment users.
Overall, the analysis clearly shows that the response from pro-democracy users were far more intense than pro-establishment users.
Source: Citizen News; #Oct20
See also Citizen News's report for graphs and statistics: https://bit.ly/3BZl54l
Carrie Lam's Broken Arm Received More "Concern" from Hongkongers Than Policy Address, Big Data Shows
After Chief Executive #CarrieLam fractured her elbow when she took a fall at her residence on October 18, the news quickly went viral on social media with mounting public interest. ASIAM Intelligence, a group of big data specialists, analyzed public sentiments based on post comments, Facebook interactions, and swear-word volume.
The analysis found a sharp surge in interactions across social media platforms around topics related to "Carrie Lam". This included news feeds, discussion posts and YouTube videos, totaling approximately 289,000 counts in two days from 18–20 October, the biggest share (148,000) came from Facebook.
This wave of rapid and fervent public reactions towards Carrie Lam's injury was much stronger than any other news topics over the same period.
Compared to the Chief Executive’s Policy Address announced just two weeks ago, her arm fracture generated much more interactions, clearly showing that the public is more “concerned” about her injury than her policy address.
Swear-Word Volume Reached 50%, Mockery from Users of All Political Stances
The analysis also examined swear-word volume, a methodology designed to determine negative public sentiments. Among 17,000 facebook comments in the past 7 days, most of which came after Carrie Lam's fall, the swear-word volume reached as high as 50%. This is believed to indicate the use of the obscenity "仆街", which literally describes someone falling.
Comments from pro-democracy users were overwhelmingly mocking in tone. Notably, the same mocking tone was also found among pro-establishment users' comments, taunting that Lam's injury could be an easy excuse to avoid hot and controversial issues. Some even asked sarcastically if the floor of her residence was alright.
On discussion forums, the news generated more than 4,100 comments in two days. Over half of these comments came from LIHKG, showing that the topic was of particular interest among the younger generation. The swear-word counts reached over 30%.
Interestingly, comments shared on the pro-government forum Hong Kong Discuss were not completely sympathetic towards Lam. It perhaps showed that low public approval rate prevailed even among the pro-establishment supporters.
ASIAM's Heatmap 3.0, measuring Facebook reactions, registered over 158,000 Hahas and over 97,000 Likes from pro-democracy users, while only 5,300 and 2,700 Hahas and Likes were counted respectively from pro-establishment users.
Overall, the analysis clearly shows that the response from pro-democracy users were far more intense than pro-establishment users.
Source: Citizen News; #Oct20
See also Citizen News's report for graphs and statistics: https://bit.ly/3BZl54l
眾新聞
林鄭「跌崩手」入院 互動量超施政報告 周星馳電影對白大熱
特首林鄭「跌崩手」入院，互動量超施政報告，周星馳電影對白大熱
Hongkongers protest outside Chinese embassies in Washington and San Francisco, burning China flags and photos of Xi Jinping
Source: Stand News #Oct20
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Source: Stand News #Oct20
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Hongkongers protest outside Chinese embassies in Washington and San Francisco, burning China flags and photos of Xi Jinping
Yesterday, 1 October, China's National Day, was marked by demonstrations by Hong Kong people in exile or abroad in the UK and the US. In Washington, a few dozen people, including Hong Kong Liberation Coalition (HKLC) founder Sixtus Leung Chung-Hang and Director of China Affairs at the World Uighur Congress Ilshat H. Kokbore, joining the demonstration at the Chinese Embassy in the US on Thursday (30th September), local time. In an interview with Radio Free Asia (RFA), Leung said that their demands were threefold: to call on the US and the international community to boycott the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics; to strengthen sanctions against China; and to lobby the US Congress to push an ethics investigation bill against US companies, that forbidden them to invest in Chinese companies that undermine human rights.
In San Francisco, overseas Hongkongers demonstrated outside the Chinese Consulate General on Friday (1st October), raising flags such as "Hong Kong Independence" and "Liberate Hong Kong. Revolution of Our Times", while some reiterated the "Five Demands" of the 2019 Anti-Extradition movement. Demonstrators also burned a China National Flag and a photo of President Xi Jinping outside the consulate.
Source: Stand News #Oct20
https://bit.ly/2ZMyQFE
#ChinaNationalDay #OverseasHongkongers #HongKongLiberationCoalition #HKLC #USA #Washington #SanFrancisco #ChinaNationalFlag #Uyghurs #WorldUyghurCongress #XiJinping #LiberateHK #RevolutionofOurTimes #FiveDemandsNotOneLess #FDNOL #Boycott2022BeijingWinterOlympics
Yesterday, 1 October, China's National Day, was marked by demonstrations by Hong Kong people in exile or abroad in the UK and the US. In Washington, a few dozen people, including Hong Kong Liberation Coalition (HKLC) founder Sixtus Leung Chung-Hang and Director of China Affairs at the World Uighur Congress Ilshat H. Kokbore, joining the demonstration at the Chinese Embassy in the US on Thursday (30th September), local time. In an interview with Radio Free Asia (RFA), Leung said that their demands were threefold: to call on the US and the international community to boycott the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics; to strengthen sanctions against China; and to lobby the US Congress to push an ethics investigation bill against US companies, that forbidden them to invest in Chinese companies that undermine human rights.
In San Francisco, overseas Hongkongers demonstrated outside the Chinese Consulate General on Friday (1st October), raising flags such as "Hong Kong Independence" and "Liberate Hong Kong. Revolution of Our Times", while some reiterated the "Five Demands" of the 2019 Anti-Extradition movement. Demonstrators also burned a China National Flag and a photo of President Xi Jinping outside the consulate.
Source: Stand News #Oct20
https://bit.ly/2ZMyQFE
#ChinaNationalDay #OverseasHongkongers #HongKongLiberationCoalition #HKLC #USA #Washington #SanFrancisco #ChinaNationalFlag #Uyghurs #WorldUyghurCongress #XiJinping #LiberateHK #RevolutionofOurTimes #FiveDemandsNotOneLess #FDNOL #Boycott2022BeijingWinterOlympics
China Is Pouring Everything Into the Race for AI Supremacy
The full strength of the Communist Party is being focused on a technology that may soon tip the scales of global economic and military dominance.
Artificial intelligence is set to revolutionize the world, empowering those nations that fully harness its potential. While the U.S. is still seen as the world AI leader, China is catching up fast.
Indeed, China aims to surpass the U.S. by 2030, around the same time some observers predict its economy will become the world’s largest. As China’s military capabilities become comparable to or even exceed those of the U.S. in some areas, AI technology may become critical to a fraught global competition that will define this decade—and beyond.
Source: Bloomberg #Oct20
https://t.co/Ait3jF7Mzc
#China #AI #Technology #Competition
The full strength of the Communist Party is being focused on a technology that may soon tip the scales of global economic and military dominance.
Artificial intelligence is set to revolutionize the world, empowering those nations that fully harness its potential. While the U.S. is still seen as the world AI leader, China is catching up fast.
Indeed, China aims to surpass the U.S. by 2030, around the same time some observers predict its economy will become the world’s largest. As China’s military capabilities become comparable to or even exceed those of the U.S. in some areas, AI technology may become critical to a fraught global competition that will define this decade—and beyond.
Source: Bloomberg #Oct20
https://t.co/Ait3jF7Mzc
#China #AI #Technology #Competition
Twitter Appears "Rioters Crash into the China's Embassy in Manchester" video; Netizens Condemns editor as "beast"
Source: ChannelC #Oct20
https://bit.ly/3gmm8Wn
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Source: ChannelC #Oct20
https://bit.ly/3gmm8Wn
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Twitter Appears "Rioters Crash into the China's Embassy in Manchester" video; Netizens Condemns editor as "beast"
Incidents outside China's Embassy in Manchester continues. When the world sees Chinese personnel pulling the protesters into the Embassy and hitting them, China-style "Wolf Warrior Diplomacy" claimed this as "Rioter crashed into the Chinese Embassy, hitting diplomats" on Twitter.
Nevertheless, netizens immediately discovered that the "factual" video, described by the account user, was edited. The video also carelessly trimmed in a clip with Chinese personnel holding offensive weapon.
Source: ChannelC #Oct20
#Twitter #Roiter #Embassy #Manchester
https://bit.ly/3gmm8Wn
Incidents outside China's Embassy in Manchester continues. When the world sees Chinese personnel pulling the protesters into the Embassy and hitting them, China-style "Wolf Warrior Diplomacy" claimed this as "Rioter crashed into the Chinese Embassy, hitting diplomats" on Twitter.
Nevertheless, netizens immediately discovered that the "factual" video, described by the account user, was edited. The video also carelessly trimmed in a clip with Chinese personnel holding offensive weapon.
Source: ChannelC #Oct20
#Twitter #Roiter #Embassy #Manchester
https://bit.ly/3gmm8Wn
Channelchk
Twitter現剪輯片段稱「暴徒沖撞曼城中領館」網民不受落反斥剪片者 「畜牲」 | Channel C
曼城中領館外示威風波未息。當全球都看見中方人員將示威者拖進領事館毆打，中式「戰狼外交」疑替人員洗白，在Twitter開設帳戶反指「暴徒沖撞中領館、毆打外交人員」。惟網民隨即發現，該帳戶所指的真相片段，實是移花接木，片段更不慎拍下，有中方人員疑手持攻擊性武器。