Forwarded from 📡Guardians of Hong Kong
China bolsters ties with Myanmar junta despite international condemnation
Trade and diplomatic ties between Myanmar and China are normalising in the face of intense domestic opposition and international condemnation of the military junta that seized power in February.
Beijing has strengthened relations with Myanmar’s military leaders despite a series of violent attacks against Chinese business interests in the country after Aung San Suu Kyi’s government was toppled.
Yun Sun, an expert on Myanmar-China relations with the Stimson Center, a US think-tank, said Beijing had already made a “fundamental assessment” that Myanmar was moving into another prolonged period of military rule.
Source: Financial Times #Jun23
https://www.ft.com/content/ca43da4c-4287-4de6-ad8a-57a2a32fe7f3
#China #Myanmar #Beijing #AungSanSuuKyi
Trade and diplomatic ties between Myanmar and China are normalising in the face of intense domestic opposition and international condemnation of the military junta that seized power in February.
Beijing has strengthened relations with Myanmar’s military leaders despite a series of violent attacks against Chinese business interests in the country after Aung San Suu Kyi’s government was toppled.
Yun Sun, an expert on Myanmar-China relations with the Stimson Center, a US think-tank, said Beijing had already made a “fundamental assessment” that Myanmar was moving into another prolonged period of military rule.
Source: Financial Times #Jun23
https://www.ft.com/content/ca43da4c-4287-4de6-ad8a-57a2a32fe7f3
#China #Myanmar #Beijing #AungSanSuuKyi
Forwarded from 📡Guardians of Hong Kong
Chinese ambassador #XiaoQian interrupted by multiple protesters during speech at University of Technology Sydney
//China's ambassador Xiao Qian has echoed calls for "concrete action" to "reset" the relationship with Australia in a speech that was repeatedly disrupted by a series of coordinated protests.
But several protesters interjected during Mr Xiao's address.
One described Mr Xiao as a "representative of a dictatorship" and accused the Chinese government of committing genocide against the Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang.
He was ushered out by security guards.
One man was asked to leave the venue prior to the event because he was dressed in a Cultural Revolution-era military costume that security described as "confronting".
Another protester held a sign reading "Free Tibet", and other stood up and declared they were a Uyghur and not a terrorist.
Yet another was escorted out after standing up and criticising China's censorship, saying people in Hong Kong and Tibet were unable to express their views freely...
Professor James Laurenceson, director of the Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology Sydney, asked Mr Xiao a number of questions that were provided to the embassy before the event.
He asked Mr Xiao if he could provide any hope for the families of detained Australians Cheng Lei and Yang Hengjun, or for Uyghurs in Australia who have been unable to contact loved ones in Xinjiang for years.
"With all my respect for you… I do disagree with you," Mr Xiao said.
"Freedom of speech is different from absolute freedom. In this world, there's no such thing as absolute freedom. Freedom is freedom within rule of law.
"These are individual cases and the relevant authorities are dealing with these cases according to Chinese rules or regulations.
"So long as they respect the rules and laws, there's no reason for them to worry," the Chinese ambassador said.//
Source: ABC #Jun23
#InternationalRelations #Australia #ChineseAmbassador
//China's ambassador Xiao Qian has echoed calls for "concrete action" to "reset" the relationship with Australia in a speech that was repeatedly disrupted by a series of coordinated protests.
But several protesters interjected during Mr Xiao's address.
One described Mr Xiao as a "representative of a dictatorship" and accused the Chinese government of committing genocide against the Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang.
He was ushered out by security guards.
One man was asked to leave the venue prior to the event because he was dressed in a Cultural Revolution-era military costume that security described as "confronting".
Another protester held a sign reading "Free Tibet", and other stood up and declared they were a Uyghur and not a terrorist.
Yet another was escorted out after standing up and criticising China's censorship, saying people in Hong Kong and Tibet were unable to express their views freely...
Professor James Laurenceson, director of the Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology Sydney, asked Mr Xiao a number of questions that were provided to the embassy before the event.
He asked Mr Xiao if he could provide any hope for the families of detained Australians Cheng Lei and Yang Hengjun, or for Uyghurs in Australia who have been unable to contact loved ones in Xinjiang for years.
"With all my respect for you… I do disagree with you," Mr Xiao said.
"Freedom of speech is different from absolute freedom. In this world, there's no such thing as absolute freedom. Freedom is freedom within rule of law.
"These are individual cases and the relevant authorities are dealing with these cases according to Chinese rules or regulations.
"So long as they respect the rules and laws, there's no reason for them to worry," the Chinese ambassador said.//
Source: ABC #Jun23
#InternationalRelations #Australia #ChineseAmbassador
Forwarded from 📡Guardians of Hong Kong
#ChineseSpy
Former U.S. Military Pilot Admits Acting as Paid Agent of China and Lying on National Security Background Forms
// Shapour Moinian, 67, of San Diego, is a former U.S. Army helicopter pilot-turned-civilian-contractor. He pleaded guilty in federal court on June 23, 2022, admitting that he acted as an unregistered agent of China and accepted thousands of dollars from representatives of the Chinese government to provide aviation-related information from his defense-contractor employers.
He also pleaded guilty to making related false statements during national security background checks.//
Read more:
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-us-military-pilot-admits-acting-paid-agent-china-and-lying-national-security
Source: US Justice #Jun23
#NationalSecurity #Espionage #Bribe #ChineseAgent
Former U.S. Military Pilot Admits Acting as Paid Agent of China and Lying on National Security Background Forms
// Shapour Moinian, 67, of San Diego, is a former U.S. Army helicopter pilot-turned-civilian-contractor. He pleaded guilty in federal court on June 23, 2022, admitting that he acted as an unregistered agent of China and accepted thousands of dollars from representatives of the Chinese government to provide aviation-related information from his defense-contractor employers.
He also pleaded guilty to making related false statements during national security background checks.//
Read more:
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-us-military-pilot-admits-acting-paid-agent-china-and-lying-national-security
Source: US Justice #Jun23
#NationalSecurity #Espionage #Bribe #ChineseAgent
Forwarded from 📡Guardians of Hong Kong aka BeWater HK
#ChineseSpy
Former U.S. Military Pilot Admits Acting as Paid Agent of China and Lying on National Security Background Forms
// Shapour Moinian, 67, of San Diego, is a former U.S. Army helicopter pilot-turned-civilian-contractor. He pleaded guilty in federal court on June 23, 2022, admitting that he acted as an unregistered agent of China and accepted thousands of dollars from representatives of the Chinese government to provide aviation-related information from his defense-contractor employers.
He also pleaded guilty to making related false statements during national security background checks.//
Read more:
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-us-military-pilot-admits-acting-paid-agent-china-and-lying-national-security
Source: US Justice #Jun23
#NationalSecurity #Espionage #Bribe #ChineseAgent
Former U.S. Military Pilot Admits Acting as Paid Agent of China and Lying on National Security Background Forms
// Shapour Moinian, 67, of San Diego, is a former U.S. Army helicopter pilot-turned-civilian-contractor. He pleaded guilty in federal court on June 23, 2022, admitting that he acted as an unregistered agent of China and accepted thousands of dollars from representatives of the Chinese government to provide aviation-related information from his defense-contractor employers.
He also pleaded guilty to making related false statements during national security background checks.//
Read more:
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-us-military-pilot-admits-acting-paid-agent-china-and-lying-national-security
Source: US Justice #Jun23
#NationalSecurity #Espionage #Bribe #ChineseAgent