Olympics sponsors duck questions over Beijing 2022 as boycott calls grow

Multinational companies sponsoring the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games are evading questions about their participation as China comes under intense pressure over the repression of Uyghurs in Xinjiang.

As calls for a boycott of the event grow among activists, companies are increasingly being urged to take a stand over Xinjiang — at the same time as the Chinese government has encouraged boycotts of brands that speak out.

Letters from human rights groups have gone unanswered and 11 of the 13 companies that have major sponsorship deals with the International Olympic Committee that include the Beijing games did not comment when asked by the Financial Times if they were reconsidering their plans.

Source: Financial Times #May06

https://www.ft.com/content/bf07dfb7-f70a-4008-8ab1-2b23bfbfb84d

#Olympics #Beijing #Boycott

Hungary prevents the EU from discussing Hong Kong related bills, members of the European Parliament denounced as “Trojan Horses” for China 
 
According to the report from South China Morning Post, EU withdrew the proposal which related to China tighten Hong Kong governance, since they cannot get the recognitions from 27 member countries. Reuters stated that the proposal was rejected by Hungary. Hungary is considered to have close relations with China, and it is one of the countries that have signed the “One Belt One Road” agreement, and China was the biggest overseas investor of Hungary in 2020. SCMP quoted from a member of the European Parliament, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is being a “playing a double game” and attempting to profit by travelling between the EU and China. He described Hungary is “Trojan Horses” of China.  
 
SMCP stated, this proposal originally scheduled for EU action, to respond to the “major electoral reforms implemented in Hong Kong”, saying that these reforms are different from Hong Kong’s ultimate promise of universal elections. The proposal listed 12 concrete actions, including comprehensive review the relations between EU and Hong Kong, discuss China’s “Extradition Law” with member countries, coordinate relations with Hong Kong with the United Nations and G7, review the rule of law in Hong Kong, respond to the Hong Kong version of the “National Security Law” which also applicable to local people in European Union, and strengthen cooperation with civil society to promote freedom of speech, and liaise with business and civil society organisations to “build a new platform for Hong Kong”.  
 
This is not the first time that Hungary stops EU for taking actions to China. There were reports from last month which stated Hungary stops EU for announcing a statement condemning China’s implementation of the National Security Law in Hong Kong. The report quoted Senior EU diplomat and indicated, “The point of view of Hungary is, EU and China already have so many problems”.  
 
Source: Stand News #May06 

https://bit.ly/3uMxMfe

#Hungary #EuropeanUnion #HongKong #China #UnitedNations #SMCP #Reuters #ExtraditionLaw #NationalSecurityLaw  

China indefinitely suspends Strategic Economic Dialogue, accuse Australia's “Cold War mindset” for disrupting normal exchanges

China National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) issued a statement on Thursday (5 May), saying that it has decided to suspend the China-Australia Strategic Economic Dialogue indefinitely due to Australian government's measures to disrupt the normal exchanges and cooperation out of “Cold War mindset and ideological discrimination”. This is the first diplomatic mechanism that has been formally frozen since the relationship between the two countries deteriorated.

The relation between China and Australia continues to be tense, Australia has been criticizing China on human rights issues in Hong Kong and Xinjiang for many times. Last month the Australian Federal Government cancelled the “Belt and Road” agreements between Victoria state government and China. ABC quoted the analysis saying that it caused China's discontent.

“Some Australian Commonwealth government officials launched a series of measures to disrupt the normal exchanges and cooperation between China and Australia out of Cold War mindset and ideological discrimination”, said NDRC in a statement. It declared that the decision is “based on the current attitude of the Australian Commonwealth Government toward China-Australia cooperation”, and decides to indefinitely suspend all activities under the framework of the China-Australia Strategic Economic Dialogue.

Source: The Stand News #May06

https://bit.ly/2SVdK4k

#China #Australia #Economic #Diplomatic #BeltAndRoad #Xinjiang #HongKong #HumanRights #ABC

G7 Summit Published a joint statement Criticising China and Supporting Taiwan’s Participation in the World Health Forum

Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Member States of the Group of Seven Industrial Countries (G7) announced a joint statement after the meeting on 3 May in England London. In the context of discussing the affairs of various countries, most paragraphs talked about China, concerning the destruction of Hong Kong’s electoral system and the violation of human rights in Xinjiang. In addition, the statement also mentioned the Taiwan Strait, South China Sea, etc., which requires relevant countries to act under international rules. Besides, the statement also mentioned supporting Taiwan to participate in World Health Forum, believing that each country can be benefited from Taiwan’s successful anti-epidemic experience.

Six among the 87 paragraphs in the joint statement discussed China, which is more than Russia (4 paragraphs) and Myanmar (4 paragraphs). The statement described China as a “major power”, and encouraged China to follow the international rules. The 15th paragraph mentioned Hong Kong, concerning China’s damage to the democratic elements in Hong Kong’s electoral system, and demanded that the Chinese and Hong Kong regimes stopped targeting people who fight for human rights, freedom, and democracy. The statement again requested China to respect human rights and basic democracy in Xinjiang; to pay attention to the actions damaging freedom and fair economic system, and to stop committing or supporting violations of intellectual property rights through the internet.

Source: Stand News #May06

https://bit.ly/3eN2hw0

#China #Xinjiang #HongKong #Taiwan #WorldHealthForum #G7 #JointStatement #Democracy #Freedom #HumanRights #Violation #Russia #Myanmar

Intrusion Truth details work of suspected Chinese hackers who are under indictment in US

Intrusion Truth, a mysterious group known for exposing suspected Chinese cyber-espionage operations, on Thursday published a new investigation that traced front companies allegedly used by two Chinese men whom a U.S. grand jury indicted last year.

The findings shed light on a dynamic that U.S. law enforcement officials say is increasingly common: foreign intelligence services’ use of front companies to try to conceal their hacking operations. The details also come at a time when Biden administration officials are dealing with the fallout of another suspected Chinese hacking campaign in which attackers leveraged widely used Microsoft software.

Source: CyberScoop #May06

https://t.co/5AhLumsp8r

#Mysteriou #Chinese #US #Cyber #Microsoft #Hacker

Beijing loses US-China conference to Singapore

Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor and owner of the eponymous financial information group, told the Financial Times that “logistics”, including Singapore’s Covid-19 safety record and the “very concerning” conditions in China for journalists, had persuaded the group to hold the New Economy Forum in the city-state in November.

The conference was held in Beijing in 2019 and virtually last year. The inaugural event in 2018 was meant to be held in Beijing but had been moved to Singapore amid escalating US-China tensions that year.

Source: Finance Times #May06

https://www.ft.com/content/fedf44c2-1d16-4e0d-bb9b-77965adb3424

#Beijing #US #China #Singapore #COVID19

China condemns G7 statement censuring Beijing, supporting Taiwan

China condemned on Thursday a joint statement by G7 foreign ministers that expressed support for Chinese-claimed Taiwan and cast Beijing as a bully, saying it was a gross interference in China’s internal affairs.

G7 foreign ministers said in a communique after a London summit that China was guilty of human rights abuses and of using “coercive economic policies”, which the G7 would use collective efforts to stop.

In an unusual step, the G7 also said they supported Taiwan's participation in World Health Organization forums and the World Health Assembly - and expressed concern about "any unilateral actions that could escalate tensions" in the Taiwan Strait.

Source: Reuters #May06

https://www.reuters.com/world/china-condemns-g7-statement-censuring-beijing-2021-05-06/

#China #G7 #Beijing #Taiwan

‘‘Pretty Gross’: How a Network of Retired Lawmakers Boosts CCP Influence in Washington

As Beltway institutions cut ties with Chinese Communist Party front groups, a group of former congressmen has kept a close relationship with a think tank that oversees Beijing’s foreign influence efforts.

The Association of Former Members of Congress, a networking hub for former lawmakers, has hosted multiple events since 2020 for the China-United States Exchange Foundation, the CCP’s leading foreign influence think tank. The Exchange Foundation sponsors the association’s annual awards gala, which will be held next month, and it has worked hand-in-glove with the Exchange Foundation’s lobbyist to host policy events where pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong have been blamed on "foreign forces" and the United States has been accused of directing "vitriol" toward China.

Source: Washington Free Beacon #May06

https://t.co/sBRHo5wS5o

#CCP #Network #Beijing #China

Chinese Spies Violate U.S. Sovereignty and Americans’ Rights

A Chinese immigrant found a note stuck in the door of his New Jersey home in September 2018: “If you are willing to go back to mainland [China] and spend 10 years in prison, your wife and children will be all right. That’s the end of this matter!” Welcome to Operation Sky Net, a campaign launched by the Chinese government in 2015 to repatriate overseas “fugitives” through any means.

Under this program, Chinese police and security personnel routinely conduct illegal operations in other countries. Their activities in the U.S. violate their victims’ constitutional rights and make a mockery of our nation’s sovereignty. The U.S. government and law-enforcement community rarely speak out about these acts, much less prosecute the perpetrators. That has to change.

Source: WSJ #May06

https://t.co/KDIz292YOm

#China #Spy #American #US

Chinese Tech Giants Quietly Retreat From Doing Business With Russia

Chinese tech companies are quietly pulling back from doing business in Russia under pressure from U.S. sanctions and suppliers, despite calls by Beijing for companies to resist overseas coercion.

Several major companies are curtailing shipments in Russia, where Chinese tech firms dominate the market for many products, without making any public announcements, according to interviews with people familiar with the matter.

They include PC giant Lenovo Group Ltd. and smartphone and gadget maker Xiaomi Corp., the people said. In contrast to many Western firms, the companies have avoided making public statements about Russia’s war in Ukraine or their business there as Beijing opposes Western sanctions.

Source: WSJ #May06

https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinese-tech-giants-quietly-stop-doing-business-with-russia-11651845795

#Chinese #Russia #US #Sanction #Ukraine