Non-binding Bill Passed - The EU Parliament Will Not Recognise Lukashenko as Belarus President after November
Source: Stand News #Sep18
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Source: Stand News #Sep18
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Non-binding Bill Passed - The EU Parliament Will Not Recognise Lukashenko as Belarus President after November
The European Parliament passed a non-binding motion with a majority vote yesterday (17 Sep) that the parliament will no longer recognise Alexander Lukashenko as Belarus President after November, urging the European Union (EU) to impose economic sanctions on him. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe will also investigate this presidential election. Lukashenko announced that some borders with Poland and Lithuania will be closed, and the border troops are on high alert.
Lukashenko’s current term will expire in November. He will be re-elected as the next president that month because he won the general election. However, the local opposition and many people believed that Lukashenko was involved in fraud in the election, which triggered a series of demonstrations and deportation of many opposition leaders. Maria Kolesnikova, the only female opposition leader who stayed in the country, was charged with incitement to undermine national security yesterday (17 Sep).
Source: Stand News #Sep18
#Belarus #EuropeanParliament #Lukashenko #BelarusPresident #MariaKolesnikova #EuropeanUnion
The European Parliament passed a non-binding motion with a majority vote yesterday (17 Sep) that the parliament will no longer recognise Alexander Lukashenko as Belarus President after November, urging the European Union (EU) to impose economic sanctions on him. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe will also investigate this presidential election. Lukashenko announced that some borders with Poland and Lithuania will be closed, and the border troops are on high alert.
Lukashenko’s current term will expire in November. He will be re-elected as the next president that month because he won the general election. However, the local opposition and many people believed that Lukashenko was involved in fraud in the election, which triggered a series of demonstrations and deportation of many opposition leaders. Maria Kolesnikova, the only female opposition leader who stayed in the country, was charged with incitement to undermine national security yesterday (17 Sep).
Source: Stand News #Sep18
#Belarus #EuropeanParliament #Lukashenko #BelarusPresident #MariaKolesnikova #EuropeanUnion
China’s Diplomatic Offensive Sees Major Setback as Discontent Grows in Europe, Says New York Times
Sources: Apple Daily #Sep18
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Sources: Apple Daily #Sep18
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China’s Diplomatic Offensive Sees Major Setback as Discontent Grows in Europe, Says New York Times
With Sino-US relations having remained tense in recent years, Beijing has arranged for its foreign minister Wang Yi to visit Europe in August in what was said to be an attempt to show goodwill to Europe and strike a new balance in international relations. But a New York Times commentary said more and more European countries are voicing dissatisfaction at China’s trade tactics, policies towards Hong Kong and Taiwan, human rights record, and other issues. The growing discontent, it said, has seriously undermined China’s diplomatic offensive in Europe.
Steven Lee Myers, head of The New York Times’ Beijing bureau, pointed out that while China believes Europe, given its pragmatism, could play a stabilizing role as Sino-US relations deteriorate, Europe’s changing perception of China poses a major challenge for the Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Myers wrote, “In the short term, it threatens to undermine the country’s post-pandemic economic recovery by stifling new investments as the United States restricts them, especially in high tech. In the longer term, it could blunt his ambitions for China to offer an alternative to the United States as the global leader dictating the rules for governance and trade.”
Myers sees China’s authoritarian system as representing very different political values from those of Europe, noting that the same goes for the new National Security Law in Hong Kong, which “has been used to crack down on dissent in the semiautonomous territory.” Janka Oertel, director of the Asian programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said similarly that “[i]t makes it really hard for [China] to convey a message of cooperation and peacefulness and harmonious society, if at the same time you see schoolgirls being beaten up by the Hong Kong police.”
Europe’s dissatisfaction at China’s policies has become even more pronounced amid the Wuhan virus pandemic. China’s attempt to conceal its mishandling of the outbreak in the beginning and its subsequent ‘mask diplomacy’, which exposed the poor quality of its protective gear and medical supplies, have had a knock-on effect on attitudes towards China, especially in the Netherlands and Spain. According to the results of last week’s ECFR poll, only 7% of Europeans see China as a useful partner in the fight against the pandemic with 62% of the respondents viewing China negatively.
Sources: Apple Daily #Sep18
#Europe #US #HK #China #NewYorkTimes #NationalSecurityLaw #NSL #WuhanVirus #Coronavirus #Pandemic #COVID19 #Diplomacy
https://bit.ly/309D5ID
With Sino-US relations having remained tense in recent years, Beijing has arranged for its foreign minister Wang Yi to visit Europe in August in what was said to be an attempt to show goodwill to Europe and strike a new balance in international relations. But a New York Times commentary said more and more European countries are voicing dissatisfaction at China’s trade tactics, policies towards Hong Kong and Taiwan, human rights record, and other issues. The growing discontent, it said, has seriously undermined China’s diplomatic offensive in Europe.
Steven Lee Myers, head of The New York Times’ Beijing bureau, pointed out that while China believes Europe, given its pragmatism, could play a stabilizing role as Sino-US relations deteriorate, Europe’s changing perception of China poses a major challenge for the Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Myers wrote, “In the short term, it threatens to undermine the country’s post-pandemic economic recovery by stifling new investments as the United States restricts them, especially in high tech. In the longer term, it could blunt his ambitions for China to offer an alternative to the United States as the global leader dictating the rules for governance and trade.”
Myers sees China’s authoritarian system as representing very different political values from those of Europe, noting that the same goes for the new National Security Law in Hong Kong, which “has been used to crack down on dissent in the semiautonomous territory.” Janka Oertel, director of the Asian programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said similarly that “[i]t makes it really hard for [China] to convey a message of cooperation and peacefulness and harmonious society, if at the same time you see schoolgirls being beaten up by the Hong Kong police.”
Europe’s dissatisfaction at China’s policies has become even more pronounced amid the Wuhan virus pandemic. China’s attempt to conceal its mishandling of the outbreak in the beginning and its subsequent ‘mask diplomacy’, which exposed the poor quality of its protective gear and medical supplies, have had a knock-on effect on attitudes towards China, especially in the Netherlands and Spain. According to the results of last week’s ECFR poll, only 7% of Europeans see China as a useful partner in the fight against the pandemic with 62% of the respondents viewing China negatively.
Sources: Apple Daily #Sep18
#Europe #US #HK #China #NewYorkTimes #NationalSecurityLaw #NSL #WuhanVirus #Coronavirus #Pandemic #COVID19 #Diplomacy
https://bit.ly/309D5ID
US Representative Puts Forward Resolution to End ‘One China’ Policy, Establish Formal Diplomatic Relations Between America and Taiwan
Source: Apple Daily #Sep18
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Source: Apple Daily #Sep18
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US Representative Puts Forward Resolution to End ‘One China’ Policy, Establish Formal Diplomatic Relations Between America and Taiwan
US Republican representative Tom Tiffany has introduced a concurrent resolution calling for the resumption of formal diplomatic relations between America and Taiwan and ending the ‘one China’ policy.
Introduced on 16 September, the resolution will, if passed, serve as the congress’ call for the US to resume formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, negotiate and sign free trade agreements, and endorse Taiwan’s membership in international organizations. It will also call on the president to move away from the outdated ‘one China’ policy and recognize Taiwan as an independent state, and to endorse Taiwan’s membership in the UN and other international organizations of which the US is a member. A concurrent resolution is a legislation expressing the sentiment of the US congress. Requiring only the approval of both the house and the senate and not the president’s signature, it is not legally binding.
“Now is the time for America to stop parroting Beijing’s ‘One China’ fantasy, and for US policy to reflect the reality that Taiwan is a free, democratic and independent country,” Tiffany stressed, noting that the US does not need the CCP’s permission to engage in dialogue with its friends around the world.
Tiffany said the US and Taiwan had maintained normal diplomatic relations until 1979, when the then-president Jimmy Carter abruptly cut ties with Taiwan and recognized the communist Chinese regime without the congress’ consent. Despite the Taiwan Relations Act, which the congress later passed to authorize US arms sales to Taiwan, and the ‘six assurances’ made by the late president Ronald Reagan, the absence of formal diplomatic relations between the US and Taiwan is tantamount to treating the democratically elected government of Taiwan the same way it treats the brutal regimes in North Korea and Iran.
Source: Apple Daily #Sep18
#US #Taiwan #China #TomTiffany #Congress #OneChinaPolicy #Diplomacy
https://bit.ly/3mQrZSB
US Republican representative Tom Tiffany has introduced a concurrent resolution calling for the resumption of formal diplomatic relations between America and Taiwan and ending the ‘one China’ policy.
Introduced on 16 September, the resolution will, if passed, serve as the congress’ call for the US to resume formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, negotiate and sign free trade agreements, and endorse Taiwan’s membership in international organizations. It will also call on the president to move away from the outdated ‘one China’ policy and recognize Taiwan as an independent state, and to endorse Taiwan’s membership in the UN and other international organizations of which the US is a member. A concurrent resolution is a legislation expressing the sentiment of the US congress. Requiring only the approval of both the house and the senate and not the president’s signature, it is not legally binding.
“Now is the time for America to stop parroting Beijing’s ‘One China’ fantasy, and for US policy to reflect the reality that Taiwan is a free, democratic and independent country,” Tiffany stressed, noting that the US does not need the CCP’s permission to engage in dialogue with its friends around the world.
Tiffany said the US and Taiwan had maintained normal diplomatic relations until 1979, when the then-president Jimmy Carter abruptly cut ties with Taiwan and recognized the communist Chinese regime without the congress’ consent. Despite the Taiwan Relations Act, which the congress later passed to authorize US arms sales to Taiwan, and the ‘six assurances’ made by the late president Ronald Reagan, the absence of formal diplomatic relations between the US and Taiwan is tantamount to treating the democratically elected government of Taiwan the same way it treats the brutal regimes in North Korea and Iran.
Source: Apple Daily #Sep18
#US #Taiwan #China #TomTiffany #Congress #OneChinaPolicy #Diplomacy
https://bit.ly/3mQrZSB
Outgoing US Ambassador to China Criticizes Beijing for Covering up Wuhan Virus Epidemic
The outgoing American ambassador to China Terry Branstad condemned Beijing’s initial handling of the Wuhan virus outbreak in an interview with CNN on 18 September, noting that “what could have been contained in Wuhan ended up becoming a worldwide pandemic.” He agreed with Trump that China was responsible for the pandemic, saying that the “Chinese system was such that they covered it up and even penalized the doctors who pointed it out at the beginning.”
Source: Apple Daily #Sep18
#US #China #TerryBranstad #WuhanVirus #Coronavirus #Pandemic #COVID19 #Diplomacy
https://bit.ly/3cBBjF7
The outgoing American ambassador to China Terry Branstad condemned Beijing’s initial handling of the Wuhan virus outbreak in an interview with CNN on 18 September, noting that “what could have been contained in Wuhan ended up becoming a worldwide pandemic.” He agreed with Trump that China was responsible for the pandemic, saying that the “Chinese system was such that they covered it up and even penalized the doctors who pointed it out at the beginning.”
Source: Apple Daily #Sep18
#US #China #TerryBranstad #WuhanVirus #Coronavirus #Pandemic #COVID19 #Diplomacy
https://bit.ly/3cBBjF7
China’s recent actions around the world is like a "lawless bully" said U.S. top diplomat for East Asia
Source: Apple Daily, #Sep18
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Source: Apple Daily, #Sep18
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China’s recent actions around the world is like a "lawless bully" said U.S. top diplomat for East Asia
As the U.S. election approaches, U.S. officials are becoming increasingly vocal in their criticism of China. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs David Stilwell on Thursday described China's recent actions around the world were not those of a responsible global actor, but of a "lawless bully”.
In a testimony for Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, Stilwell said the United States was not asking countries to choose sides on the China issue, but to stand up against its "malign" behaviour and to protect their own sovereignty and economic interests.
Stilwell also said that U.S. competition with China need not lead to conflict, and that the United States sought to cooperate with Beijing where interests aligned, for instance on North Korea.
Mr. Stalin said that in the past few months there had been "particularly egregious examples of Beijing’s conduct," including conflicts along the China-India border, "aggressive" moves in the South China Sea, around Taiwan, and with Japan over disputed waters. He also highlighted the Communist Party's attempts to "wipe out" Mongolian and Tibetan culture, "a continued campaign of repression and forced labor" in Xinjiang, and a "draconian" National Security Law in Hong Kong which "were not those of a responsible global actor, but of a lawless bully", he said.
#USChinaRelation #DavidStilwell #Xinjiang
Source: Apple Daily, #Sep18
https://hk.appledaily.com/international/20200918/GNLFTQI3JFF7BITEE4MD46UH2I
As the U.S. election approaches, U.S. officials are becoming increasingly vocal in their criticism of China. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs David Stilwell on Thursday described China's recent actions around the world were not those of a responsible global actor, but of a "lawless bully”.
In a testimony for Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, Stilwell said the United States was not asking countries to choose sides on the China issue, but to stand up against its "malign" behaviour and to protect their own sovereignty and economic interests.
Stilwell also said that U.S. competition with China need not lead to conflict, and that the United States sought to cooperate with Beijing where interests aligned, for instance on North Korea.
Mr. Stalin said that in the past few months there had been "particularly egregious examples of Beijing’s conduct," including conflicts along the China-India border, "aggressive" moves in the South China Sea, around Taiwan, and with Japan over disputed waters. He also highlighted the Communist Party's attempts to "wipe out" Mongolian and Tibetan culture, "a continued campaign of repression and forced labor" in Xinjiang, and a "draconian" National Security Law in Hong Kong which "were not those of a responsible global actor, but of a lawless bully", he said.
#USChinaRelation #DavidStilwell #Xinjiang
Source: Apple Daily, #Sep18
https://hk.appledaily.com/international/20200918/GNLFTQI3JFF7BITEE4MD46UH2I
PLA Performs Military Drill at the Taiwan Strait in Response to U.S. Under Secretary of State Krach’s Visit to Taiwan. Office of the President of Taiwan Says China’s Provocations Will Not Improve Its International Image
Source: Stand News #Sep18
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Source: Stand News #Sep18
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PLA Performs Military Drill at the Taiwan Strait in Response to U.S. Under Secretary of State Krach’s Visit to Taiwan. Office of the President of Taiwan Says China’s Provocations Will Not Improve Its International Image
The U.S. Under Secretary of State Keith Krach, who is responsible for economic affairs, continued his visit in Taiwan today (Sep 18). His schedule was not disclosed, but Taiwan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Jaushieh Joseph Wu, Vice Premier of the Executive Yuan Shen Jong-Chin, and Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-Hua arrived at the hotel where the U.S. delegation was staying this morning. They met behind closed doors with Krach and Ian Steff, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets, to discuss economic cooperation between Taiwan and the U.S. and other issues. Krach was to attend a dinner at Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen’s residence in the evening as well.
China responded with military action as the Ministry of National Defense announced this morning that the PLA Eastern Theater Command would organize a “scenario-based” military drills near the Taiwan Strait. 18 Chinese jets flew over the mid-line of the Taiwan Strait today and entered the airspace southwest of Taiwan. The Taiwan Air Force took off in emergency and sent air patrols in response. The office of the President of Taiwan responded that China's provocations would not help improve its international image and called on China to exercise self-restraint.
Source: Stand News #Sep18
#ChinaThreat #China #PLA #MilitaryDrill #USTaiwanRelation #Taiwan #TsaiIngwen #Krach #KeithKrach #Steff #IanSteff #TaiwanStrait
https://bit.ly/2SOwrDf
The U.S. Under Secretary of State Keith Krach, who is responsible for economic affairs, continued his visit in Taiwan today (Sep 18). His schedule was not disclosed, but Taiwan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Jaushieh Joseph Wu, Vice Premier of the Executive Yuan Shen Jong-Chin, and Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-Hua arrived at the hotel where the U.S. delegation was staying this morning. They met behind closed doors with Krach and Ian Steff, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets, to discuss economic cooperation between Taiwan and the U.S. and other issues. Krach was to attend a dinner at Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen’s residence in the evening as well.
China responded with military action as the Ministry of National Defense announced this morning that the PLA Eastern Theater Command would organize a “scenario-based” military drills near the Taiwan Strait. 18 Chinese jets flew over the mid-line of the Taiwan Strait today and entered the airspace southwest of Taiwan. The Taiwan Air Force took off in emergency and sent air patrols in response. The office of the President of Taiwan responded that China's provocations would not help improve its international image and called on China to exercise self-restraint.
Source: Stand News #Sep18
#ChinaThreat #China #PLA #MilitaryDrill #USTaiwanRelation #Taiwan #TsaiIngwen #Krach #KeithKrach #Steff #IanSteff #TaiwanStrait
https://bit.ly/2SOwrDf
National security law prompts Australian judge to quit Hong Kong court
James Spigelman, one of the 14 foreign judges on Hong Kong's highest court, Court of Final Appeal, has resigned due to concerns over the new national security law imposed by Beijing on the city.
The Polish-born former chief justice of New South Wales told the Australian national broadcaster that he had resigned for reasons 'related to the content of the national security legislation'.
Local and international legal circles have been alarmed at Beijing's imposition of the security law, fearing it erodes the former British colony's autonomy and freedoms.
#NationalSecurityLaw #Australia #CCP #LawandOrder #legalsystem #judge
Source: Reuters #Sep18
James Spigelman, one of the 14 foreign judges on Hong Kong's highest court, Court of Final Appeal, has resigned due to concerns over the new national security law imposed by Beijing on the city.
The Polish-born former chief justice of New South Wales told the Australian national broadcaster that he had resigned for reasons 'related to the content of the national security legislation'.
Local and international legal circles have been alarmed at Beijing's imposition of the security law, fearing it erodes the former British colony's autonomy and freedoms.
#NationalSecurityLaw #Australia #CCP #LawandOrder #legalsystem #judge
Source: Reuters #Sep18
China applies to join Pacific trade pact to boost economic clout
Japan said it would have to determine if China meets the "extremely high standards" of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) after the world's second-biggest economy formally applied to join.
Commerce Minister Wang Wentao submitted China's application to join the free trade agreement in a letter to New Zealand's trade minister, Damien O'Connor, the Chinese ministry said in a statement late on Thursday.
The CPTPP was signed by 11 countries including Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan and New Zealand in 2018.
Source: Reuters #Sep18
https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-officially-applies-join-cptpp-trade-pact-2021-09-16/
#China #Japan #Trade #CPTPP
Japan said it would have to determine if China meets the "extremely high standards" of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) after the world's second-biggest economy formally applied to join.
Commerce Minister Wang Wentao submitted China's application to join the free trade agreement in a letter to New Zealand's trade minister, Damien O'Connor, the Chinese ministry said in a statement late on Thursday.
The CPTPP was signed by 11 countries including Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan and New Zealand in 2018.
Source: Reuters #Sep18
https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-officially-applies-join-cptpp-trade-pact-2021-09-16/
#China #Japan #Trade #CPTPP
A Chinese student in Canada had two followers on Twitter. He still didn’t escape Beijing’s threats over online activity
In “China Unbound: A New World Disorder,” Toronto Star reporter Joanna Chiu examines China’s growing influence around the world, including in western countries, and its surveillance and human rights abuses that increasingly extend beyond its borders.
Dear Joanna Chiu,
I am (Dan). I am from China. I just graduated from (a Quebec university). I hesitated for a whole night before deciding to write this email …
Source: The Star #Sep18
https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2021/09/18/a-chinese-student-in-canada-had-two-followers-on-twitter-he-still-didnt-escape-beijings-threats-over-online-activity.html
#Chinese #Student #Canada #Twitter #Beijing
In “China Unbound: A New World Disorder,” Toronto Star reporter Joanna Chiu examines China’s growing influence around the world, including in western countries, and its surveillance and human rights abuses that increasingly extend beyond its borders.
Dear Joanna Chiu,
I am (Dan). I am from China. I just graduated from (a Quebec university). I hesitated for a whole night before deciding to write this email …
Source: The Star #Sep18
https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2021/09/18/a-chinese-student-in-canada-had-two-followers-on-twitter-he-still-didnt-escape-beijings-threats-over-online-activity.html
#Chinese #Student #Canada #Twitter #Beijing
China enters Taiwan air defense zone a day after island's military budget boost
Taiwan's air force scrambled on Friday to warn away 10 Chinese aircraft that entered its air defense zone, Taiwan's defense ministry said, the day after the island announced a $9 billion boost to military spending to counter the threat from China.
Chinese-claimed Taiwan has complained for a year or more of repeated missions by China's air force near the democratically governed island, often in the southwestern part of its air defense zone close to the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands.
Source: CNBC #Sep18
https://t.co/uHxejm9gjR
#China #Taiwan #Defense
Taiwan's air force scrambled on Friday to warn away 10 Chinese aircraft that entered its air defense zone, Taiwan's defense ministry said, the day after the island announced a $9 billion boost to military spending to counter the threat from China.
Chinese-claimed Taiwan has complained for a year or more of repeated missions by China's air force near the democratically governed island, often in the southwestern part of its air defense zone close to the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands.
Source: CNBC #Sep18
https://t.co/uHxejm9gjR
#China #Taiwan #Defense