Beijing urged to build hydropower plant in Tibet

China should aim to begin construction of a controversial hydropower project on the Brahmaputra river within the year, a senior Tibetan Communist Party official said in comments published on Monday.Comprehensive planning and environmental impact assessments for the project should be completed as soon as possible, Che Dalha, chairman of the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said in a delegation briefing issued by China's parliament.Tibet should "strive to launch construction within this year," he said.China's plans for a giant hydropower project on the river, known in Tibet as the Yarlung Tsangbo, have stirred fears in India it could disrupt downstream river flows, worsen water shortages and even cause flash floods.The river flows for about 2,900 km through Tibet, India and Bangladesh into the Bay of Bengal.The "Yarlung Tsangbo downstream hydropower base" was listed in China's new five-year plan last week as one of the country's major energy development projects for the 2021-2025 period.China could build up to 60 gigawatts (GW) of generation capacity on the river, state media have reported, which would make it the world's biggest hydropower project, overtaking China's 22.5 GW Three Gorges Dam.A Chinese diplomat said late last year the project was at a "preliminary planning and demonstration" stage.India is considering plans to build its own dam on the river to increase its water storage capacity and counteract the impact of the Chinese project, an official said last year.According to Tibet's five-year plan proposals published in January, the region aims to "research and promote" the project and begin related engineering work as soon as possible. (Reuters)

2021-03-09 09:38:35

Fans of fallen Jiangsu FC made to suffer in silence

Fans of Chinese football champions Jiangsu FC say police have warned them not to protest or "make trouble" after the club's abrupt financial collapse, and describe themselves as angry, heartbroken and powerless.Jiangsu said it had "ceased operations" after its backers, retail conglomerate Suning, who also own Serie A leaders Inter Milan, pulled the plug on February 28.The club's sudden implosion came just over three months after Jiangsu won the Chinese Super League for their first domestic title and highlights wider problems undermining China's bid to be a leading football country.Irate supporters have pledged to boycott struggling Suning.A small group of fans were pictured on social media last week, their faces blurred, outside the Nanjing-based club with a banner reading: "Hot blood is hard to cool, defend the Jiangsu team."Liu Yu, a member of a fan group of more than 400, said supporters also lobbied outside Jiangsu province's governmental sports office.But they have now been warned by authorities against more protests, especially with the annual National People's Congress, China's legislature and biggest political event of the year, under way in Beijing."The police called the people in charge of fan groups and told them not to go there anymore because gathering is not allowed, so there's nothing they can do now," the 31-year-old accountant said.Liu said that she has "a very strong sense of powerlessness" and can only stand and watch as the club she loves – which was founded under a different guise in 1958 – disintegrates.Jiangsu FC have not officially disbanded but that appears certain to happen, becoming the highest-profile casualty among more than a dozen Chinese clubs to disappear in little over a year.The speed at which Jiangsu went under, just over 100 days after the biggest triumph in their history, is especially hard to bear."I feel that something very close to my heart suddenly disappeared," said Liu.Another fan, who did not wish to be named – underlining how even football can be sensitive in Communist Party-ruled China – backed up the assertion that "people in charge of the major fan clubs received calls from the police and were asked not to make trouble".Mainland state media has tried to cast Jiangsu's demise, which is expected to soon be followed by that of fellow CSL outfit Tianjin Tigers, as a chance for Chinese football to reset after the heady days of big spending on foreign stars.Bereft Jiangsu supporters do not share that optimism but their opinions have been given scarce coverage in the heavily vetted Chinese media.A Jiangsu supporter who asked to be called "Oscar" – the name of the Brazilian who joined Shanghai SIPG from Chelsea for an Asian-record 60 million euros in 2017 – went with friends to the club just after its bombshell announcement.They were confronted by five security guards who stopped them taking pictures.The 25-year-old said that he never trusted Suning and felt the soul of his club was ripped out when they took over in 2015 for 523 million yuan (now US$80 million).He mostly stopped attending matches in 2018 and instead went to see the youth team. When he did occasionally watch the first team, he refused to sing.His scepticism about Suning was proved right, he said."Everyone knows it now," he added, calling the company's treatment of the club "disgusting"."So everyone who used to support Suning has started to boycott Suning together."For some fans, perhaps for me, the team may be their biggest emotional support."It disappeared so suddenly." (AFP)

2021-03-09 11:26:45

UK watchdog fines banned Chinese broadcaster CGTN over ‘forced confessions’ and Hong Kong protest coverage

https://hongkongfp.com/2021/03/08/uk-watchdog-fines-banned-chinese-broadcaster-cgtn-over-forced-confessions-and-hong-kong-protest-coverage/

The President of Poland signed the “Taiwan-Poland Criminal Justice Cooperation Agreement”, becoming the first European country to cooperate on legal matter including extradition and prisoner transfer

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan announced that Poland President Andrzej Duda has signed the “Taiwan-Poland Criminal Justice Cooperation Agreement” on 28th February and became the first European country to sign such agreement with Taiwan, which covers mutual assistance with criminals, extradition, and transfer of criminals. The agreement was approved unanimously by the Polish Sejm (lower house) and the Senate (upper house) and will take effect after the President signs the agreement.

“Taiwan-Poland Criminal Justice Cooperation Agreement” was co-signed by the representatives of two countries in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan in June 2019. After the coordination between the two governments, the Taiwan Legislative Council completed the third reading of the agreement in December 2019 and notified the Poland side. Poland went through the legal process, including unanimous approval by the Polish Sejm and the Senate, official sign-off by the president Andrzej Duda on 28th January 2021, and finally its announcement. The agreement will take effect as soon as Taiwan receives formal notification from Poland.

Source: The Stand News #Feb01

https://bit.ly/3c0scxC

#Poland #Taiwan #AndrzejDuda #Agreement #Europe #Extradition

Xinjiang firms sue researcher over abuse claims

The official news outlet of the Communist Party of China's Xinjiang region says unidentified companies from the area have filed a domestic civil lawsuit seeking unspecified compensation from a US-based human rights researcher whose reports alleged forced labour is used in the region's cotton industry.The companies said researcher Adrian Zenz's reports were untrue, damaged the reputation of the industry and led to economic losses after the United States banned cotton imports from Xinjiang, according to a report on by the Xinjiang Communist Party website on Monday evening.The report on the lawsuit did not include details of which companies were behind the civil action nor how much they were seeking in compensation.The report said the suit was filed in what it called a local Xinjiang court, but didn't say when the filing was made. The Xinjiang government did not immediately respond to a request for more details on the case on Tuesday.Experts said if it the suit would be the first known instance of a foreign researcher facing civil action in China over human rights research that has contributed to pressure for economic sanctions, and comes as Beijing has been stepping up its defence against foreign accusations of human rights abuses, which it denies.The administration of former US President Donald Trump in December banned imports of cotton from Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), which produces around 30 percent of China's cotton. In January it announced an import ban on all cotton and tomato products from Xinjiang over allegations that they were made with forced labour, without citing the source of the allegations.XPCC could not be reached for comment on Tuesday."It (the suit) would seem to be a tactic to try to raise the costs for those doing research on these kinds of severe human rights abuses," said Sarah Cook, New York-based Research Director for China at US non-profit Freedom House."It could set a worrisome precedent ... it could send a signal to foreign companies or others who might be considering being more outspoken or changing business practices due to what is happening in Xinjiang," she said.Zenz is a senior fellow in China studies at the US-based Victims of Communism Foundation, a non-profit that researches human rights in communist countries, and a critic of China's ethnic policy in Xinjiang and Tibet whose research has been widely cited in western media, including Reuters.Zenz said the lawsuit shows that his research is having an impact, although he believes the case is symbolic. He said he had last been in China more than a decade ago and has no intention of returning to China in the immediate future."That's probably the most direct statement that some of these companies are incurring economic losses as the result of my publication," he said on Tuesday. He said he had no knowledge of the contents of the suit.Zen in December published a report that estimated around half a million people from ethnic minority groups in Xinjiang are employed in cotton picking through coercive labour transfer programmes. The research was based on an analysis of Chinese government documents and state media.Last July, state media reported that Beijing was considering suing Zenz for libelling China, though no public information has since been released on any potential case and Zenz has not heard of any suit.On Monday, the National People's Congress said it will speed up lawmaking aimed at countering foreign sanctions and "long-arm jurisdiction" amid increasing pressure from Western countries over issues ranging from Xinjiang to civil rights in Hong Kong. (Reuters)

2021-03-09 16:07:41

Can China Change the Definition of Human Rights?

A Chinese government official addressed for the first time at the 46th of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council. The speech of Wang Yi, Chinese Foreign Minister, included that Beijing’s attempt to remake the very concept of human rights to suit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) better.

The CCP has been accused of large-scale human rights abuse since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, including the crackdown in Tibet in 1959, the bloodshed of the Cultural Revolution,  Tiananmen Square massacre 1989 and ongoing genocide in Xinjiang.

Wang’s proposition of “people-centered” human rights posits “people’s sense of gains, happiness and security” as “the fundamental pursuit of human rights.” He reformulated human rights that economic prosperity and the nebulous concept of “happiness” replaced racial and gender equality or freedom of religion, and security.

Source: The Diplomat #Feb23

https://thediplomat.com/2021/02/can-china-change-the-definition-of-human-rights/

#UNHumanRightsCouncil #UnitedNations #ChinaRedefineHumanRights #China

Probe into mid-air brawl between flight crew

China's aviation regulator is looking into an alleged mid-air dispute between crew members on a recent Donghai Airlines domestic flight, vowing severe punishment for any action that endangered flight safety.Donghai Airlines said it had immediately suspended the crew members involved in the fight and launched a safety rectification campaign to plug loopholes in safety management.Neither the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) nor the airline provided details of the incident.But the incident went viral on social media after an aviation-focused WeChat account reported a fight had broken out between the captain and a cabin crew member on flight DZ6297 from Nantong to Xian 50 minutes before it landed on February 20.The fight between the two men broke out after a passenger was in the corridor outside a bathroom being used by the crew, media outlet Caixin said, citing industry sources.The captain blamed the head flight attendant for not clearing his way to the bathroom and accused him of neglecting his duties, Caixin reported.Passengers are not allowed to come near the bathroom when pilots use the toilet because of the risk of assault which could lead to a safety emergency, veteran pilot Chen Jianguo told Caixin.Donghai Airlines had previously attracted attention on social media when one of its pilots allowed his wife to enter the cockpit to steal a ride.China is a stickler for aviation safety, after maintaining a strong safety record for over a decade. Small misdemeanours by airline staff are usually punished severely. (Reuters)

2021-03-09 16:41:42

Beijing warns UK after CGTN fined over coverage

The central government on Tuesday threatened unspecified retaliation after its state broadcaster CGTN was fined by the UK's media regulator for alleged biased reporting.Ofcom on Monday fined the network £225,000 (HK$2.4 million) after UK national Peter Humphrey complained that he was forced to make a criminal confession on China Global Television Network in 2013, as well as complaints that CGTN programmes on Hong Kong's democracy protests had "failed to maintain due impartiality."Fraud investigator Humphrey was jailed for more than two years by a Chinese court in 2014 in connection with a corruption case involving pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline.Ofcom last month revoked CGTN's licence after finding the state-backed ownership structure broke UK law.Beijing on Tuesday said the fine showed "intense ideological prejudice against China" and was "naked political oppression.""CGTN has always upheld the principles of objectivity and fairness when conducting reporting," foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a press briefing.Zhao said China "reserved the right to make justified and necessary responses."Last month, China banned BBC World News, accusing it of flouting guidelines over a hard-hitting report about Beijing's treatment of the country's Uighur minority.The move, widely seen as retaliation for Ofcom's ban on CGTN, was followed by accusations from Chinese officials and state media that the BBC had manipulated its footage to cast China in a negative light.English-language satellite broadcaster CGTN has long faced criticism for parroting the Communist Party line in its global broadcasts.It could face further fines after Ofcom upheld the complaints of two high-profile dissidents, Simon Cheng and Gui Minhai, who both allege that CGTN had not presented their cases fairly.Gui, who published gossipy titles in Hong Kong about mainland leaders, received a 10-year jail term in China last year on charges of illegally providing intelligence abroad.CGTN aired footage of Gui appearing to express regret over the drink-driving charges for which he was initially imprisoned.Ofcom found that the programme did not take sufficient steps to ensure that footage given to them "had not been presented, omitted or disregarded in a way that was unfair to Mr Gui".The regulator also upheld a complaint made by Simon Cheng, a former British consulate staffer in Hong Kong, who was granted asylum in the UK after allegedly being tortured by Chinese secret police.CGTN published a video purporting to show him confessing to "soliciting prostitutes."Ofcom ruled that CTGN had not respected Cheng's privacy nor done enough to uncover and report on the circumstances of the confession. (AFP)

2021-03-09 21:44:11

China plans joint lunar space station with Russia

Russia and China agreed on Tuesday to build a lunar space station, as Moscow seeks to modernise its extraterrestrial might and catch up with the United States in the space race.Russia, which sent the first man into space during the Soviet Union, has been lagging behind Washington and Beijing in the exploration of the Moon and Mars.Russia's space agency Roscosmos said in a statement that a memorandum was signed by its head Dmitry Rogozin and Zhang Kejian of China's National Space Administration (CNSA).It said the lunar station will be designed as a "complex of experimental research facilities created on the surface and/or in the orbit of the Moon".It would be available for use by other interested countries and international partners, the statement said, without details about the completion date.Despite its former Soviet glory, Russia's space sector has suffered greatly in recent years from a lack of financing and corruption.Moscow and Washington are collaborating in the space sector – one of the few areas of cooperation left between the Cold War rivals.Russia last year lost its monopoly for manned flights to the International Space Station (ISS) after the first successful mission of the US company Space X.Elon Musks's Space X is planning a trip to the Moon that will be open to several members of the public.China has expressed its space ambitions, launching last year its Tianwen-1 probe that is currently orbiting Mars.China in December successfully brought samples of the Moon back to Earth, in a first mission of this type in over 40 years. (AFP)

2021-03-09 22:26:36

China angered by UK envoy's 'inappropriate' article

China summoned Britain's ambassador in Beijing on Tuesday to lodge "stern representations" over an "inappropriate" article she wrote defending recent international media coverage on China, the foreign ministry said.Caroline Wilson's article in Chinese was posted on the official WeChat account of the British embassy in Beijing last week, amid already tense relations between Britain and China over issues including Hong Kong, Xinjiang and the media.Wilson sought to explain why foreign media criticism of the Chinese government did not mean the journalists responsible did not like China, but were in fact acting in "good faith" and playing an active role in monitoring government action.In a statement, China's Foreign Ministry said the Chinese government and people had never opposed foreign media, rather those who make up "fake news" to attack China and its ruling Communist Party under the banners of press freedom and freedom of speech."The whole article is full of 'lecturer' arrogance and ideological prejudice ... and is seriously inconsistent with the status of diplomats," it added in remarks attributed to the head of the ministry's Europe department.The UK Foreign Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Wilson, whose article was still accessible on WeChat on Tuesday but could not be shared on the platform, responded on Twitter, including a link to her article."I stand by my article. No doubt the outgoing Chinese Ambassador to the UK stands by the 170+ pieces he was free to place in mainstream British media," she tweeted, referring to Liu Xiaoming, who was based in Britain for around 11 years before leaving the country in January.Media has emerged as an area of tension in Sino-British ties.Beijing last month banned BBC World News from television networks in mainland China after finding it had "seriously violated" rules and undermined national unity.That came a week after Britain's media regulator Ofcom barred Chinese state broadcaster CGTN from airing in the UK after it concluded that the Chinese Communist Party had ultimate editorial responsibility for the channel.The BBC has run a series of reports alleging human rights abuses against Uighur Muslims in China's Xinjiang region, which Beijing denies.Tensions with London also flared over an offer of a path to British citizenship for Hong Kong residents following the imposition of a national security law cracking down on dissent. (Reuters)

2021-03-09 23:40:59 (1)

Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn will introduce a new bill that requires oversight of #SisterCity partnerships between the #US and #CommunistChina.

Watch full episode👉https://youtu.be/rSKr9EDtCNw

Spencer Fernando joined guest host Keean Bexte to discuss how Conservative Party leader Erin O'Toole's hiring of a high-ranking Huawei executive damages both his and the party's credibility when they criticize Justin Trudeau and the Liberals as being soft on China.
http://rebelne.ws/3l7DEfi

Chinese Regime Attempts to Conceal Its Failed Strategy Over Sino-Indian Border Dispute

READ: https://theepochtim.es/3ekFHv2

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PREMIUM: The End of Chongqing’s ‘Six Tigers’ and Their Ambitions

READ: https://theepochtim.es/3rw4Bvt

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Parks Canada has proposed to serve the public in the Mandarin language by 2027 at the Bethune Memorial House, the birthplace of the communist Dr. Norman Bethune.

https://rebelne.ws/3qr3qMl

Quad virtual summit has China in its sights

US President Joe Biden will meet virtually on Friday with the prime ministers of Australia, India and Japan, India announced, boosting an emerging four-way alliance often cast as a bulwark against China.It will be one of the first summits, albeit in virtual format, for Biden, who has vowed to revive US alliances and held his first virtual summit with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.India, announcing the participation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said that the leaders would consult on topics including climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic -- two key priorities for Biden."The leaders will discuss regional and global issues of shared interest, and exchange views on practical areas of cooperation towards maintaining a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region," the Indian foreign ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.The talks, also involving Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, will touch as well on promoting maritime security and "ensuring safe, equitable and affordable vaccines" to fight Covid-19 in Asia, the Indian statement said.The other three nations in the so-called "Quad" did not immediately confirm the meeting, although Japan said that Suga spoke by phone on Thursday with Modi.It said Suga voiced alarm about China's "unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the East and China Sea" as well as the status of rights in Xinjiang and Hong Kong.The summit follows talks on February 18 between the foreign ministers of the Quad when they pressed jointly for a restoration of democracy in Myanmar after the military ousted democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1.US officials cast the meeting as a key way of exerting pressure as India and Japan enjoy closer relationships with Myanmar's military -- which has historically counted on China as its main source of support.The Quad foreign ministers, however, were careful not to make an explicit mention of China which has voiced alarm at what it sees as an effort to gang up on its interests in Asia.After Biden's election, Chinese state media had printed articles calling on India to end the Quad, seeing New Delhi as the most likely opponent.But views have hardened in India after a pitched battle in the Himalayas last year killed at least 20 Indian troops. China has named four dead in confirmation that took half a year.Australia has also shown growing willingness to participate in the Quad as relations deteriorate with Beijing, last year joining naval exercises with the three other nations off India's shores.The Quad was launched in 2007 by Japan's then prime minister Shinzo Abe, who was alarmed at China's growing assertiveness around Asia. (AFP)

2021-03-10 03:40:58