Neutering & Defanging Chinese Threat (15-11-2017)

[SSridhar]

US, China impose more tit-for-tat tariffs, escalating trade war - Straits Times

The United States and China escalated their acrimonious trade war on Thursday (Aug 23), implementing punitive 25 per cent tariffs on US$16 billion (S$22 billion) worth of each other’s goods.

The latest round brings to US$50 billion the value of imports subjected to tariffs on either side since early July, and more are in the pipeline, adding to risks for global economic growth.

Washington will hold hearings this week on a proposed list of an additional US$200 billion worth of Chinese imports to face duties.

China’s Commerce Ministry said Washington was “remaining obstinate” by implementing the latest tariffs.

“China resolutely opposes this, and will continue to take necessary countermeasures,” it said in a brief statement shortly after mid-day. “At the same time, to safeguard free trade and multilateral systems, and defend its own lawful interests, China will file suit regarding these tariff measures under the World Trade Organisation dispute resolution mechanism,” it said.

US Customs and Border Protection confirmed on its website that at 12.01am EDT (12.01pm Singapore time) on Thursday, which is just past noon in Beijing, it would begin collecting extra 25 per cent duties on 279 Chinese import products ranging from motorcycles to steam turbines and railway cars valued at US$16 billion.

China has said its own tariffs on a list of US$16 billion worth of imports from the United States, including coal, medical instruments, waste products, cars and buses, would be effective at 12.01pm local time.



The tariffs took effect amid two days of talks in Washington between mid-level officials from both sides, the first formal negotiations since US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross met Chinese economic adviser Liu He in Beijing in June.

Business groups expressed hope that the two-day meeting would mark the start of serious negotiations over Chinese trade and economic policy changes demanded by President Donald Trump.

However, Mr Trump on Monday told Reuters in an interview that he did not "anticipate much" from the talks led by US Treasury Under-Secretary David Malpass and Chinese Commerce Vice-Minister Wang Shouwen.

Economists reckon that every US$100 billion of imports affected by tariffs would reduce global trade by around 0.5 per cent.

They have assumed a direct impact on China's economic growth in 2018 of 0.1-0.3 percentage points, and somewhat less for the US, but the impact will be bigger next year, along with collateral damage for other countries and companies tied into China's global supply chains.

Mr Trump has threatened to impose duties on virtually all of the more than US$500 billion of Chinese goods exported annually to the US unless Beijing agrees to sweeping changes to its intellectual property practices, industrial subsidy programmes and tariff structure.

That would more than exceed the size of China's exports to the US, raising concerns that Beijing could consider other types of retaliation, such as making life more difficult for American firms in China or letting its yuan currency weaken further to keep its exports competitive.

Mr Trump's hard line has rattled Beijing and spurred criticism within Chinese policy circles over its handling of the trade war, sources have said.

Beijing has denied US allegations that it systematically forces the unfair transfer of US technology and has said that it adheres to WTO rules.

Washington's latest tariffs apply to products including semiconductors, plastics, chemicals and railway equipment that the Office of the US Trade Representative has said benefit from Beijing's "Made in China 2025" industrial plan to make China competitive in high-tech industries.

China's list of 333 US product categories hit with duties includes coal, copper scrap, fuel, steel products, buses and medical equipment.

[Peregrine]

India and China tell troops to stand down in disputed Doklam plateau

Rival superpowers agree 'expeditious disengagement' over frontier long subject of competing sovereignty claims

India and China have agreed to an “expeditious disengagement” of troops in a disputed border area where their soldiers have been locked in a stand-off for more than two months, India's foreign ministry said on Monday.

The decision comes ahead of a summit of the BRICS nations - a grouping that also includes Brazil, Russia and South Africa - in China next month, which Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend.

Indian and Chinese troops have been confronting each other at the Doklam plateau near the borders of India, its ally Bhutan and China, in the most serious and prolonged standoff in decades along their disputed Himalayan border.

The Indian ministry said the two sides had agreed to defuse the crisis following diplomatic talks.

“In recent weeks, India and China have maintained diplomatic communication in respect of the incident at Doklam,” the ministry said in a statement.

“On this basis, expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site at Doklam has been agreed to and is on-going,” it said in a statement.

It did not offer more details of the terms of disengagement from the area which had raised fears of a wider conflict between the Asian giants who fought a brief border war in 1962.

China said Indian troops had withdrawn from the remote area in the eastern Himalayas. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Chinese troops would continue to patrol the Doklam region.

“China will continue to exercise sovereignty rights to protect territorial sovereignty in accordance with the rules of the historical boundary,” she said.

“China hopes India respects the historical boundary and works with China to protect peace along the border on the basis of mutual respect of each other's sovereignty,” Hua added.

The trouble started in June when India sent troops to stop China building a road in the Doklam area, which is remote, uninhabited territory claimed by both China and Bhutan.

India said it sent its troops because Chinese military activity there was a threat to the security of its own northeast region.

But China has said India had no role to play in the area and insisted it withdraw unilaterally or face the prospect of an escalation. Chinese state media had warned India of a fate worse than its crushing defeat in the war in 1962.

Indian political commentator Shekhar Gupta said there was too much at stake for the two countries to fight over a small piece of territory.

“Hopefully, Doklam is a new chapter in India-China relations. Too much at stake for both big powers to let legacy real-estate issues linger,” he said in a Twitter post.

Cheers

[TKiran]

^^^that was old report

[panduranghari]

US, China impose more tit-for-tat tariffs, escalating trade war - Straits Times

The United States and China escalated their acrimonious trade war on Thursday (Aug 23), implementing punitive 25 per cent tariffs on US$16 billion (S$22 billion) worth of each other’s goods.

The latest round brings to US$50 billion the value of imports subjected to tariffs on either side since early July, and more are in the pipeline, adding to risks for global economic growth.

Washington will hold hearings this week on a proposed list of an additional US$200 billion worth of Chinese imports to face duties.

China’s Commerce Ministry said Washington was “remaining obstinate” by implementing the latest tariffs.
.

To understand the tariff's and its effects, this enlightening article from Michael Pettis is a must read.

http://carnegieendowment.org/chinafinan ... kets/76777

The gist is both will suffer the effect of tit for tat tariffs. US wont benefit from tariffs because the main source of their trade deficits is the inward migration of global savings into dollars and not trade. China will also face the consequences because the goods manufactured within the mainland of China will attract a higher price without it being of any better quality. The manufacturing will shift to another country where the costs will be lower. That they will shift to USA is a fallacy.

[SSridhar]

‘China should forge closer ties with India, Japan’ - Atul Aneja, The Hindu

In countering the Indo-Pacific strategy led by the U.S, China should forge closer ties with India, Japan and Australia, says an official media commentary.

The article run on the website of China Global Television Network (CGTN) — the state-run broadcaster — argues that instead of staying aloof, China should positively intervene in shaping the Indo-Pacific agenda. “It is advisable for China to participate in the construction of an Indo-Pacific discourse system selectively, and join the discussions about some concepts that are in China’s national interests, such as ‘(Indo-Pacific) community of shared future for mankind’ and ‘the Indo-Pacific and the Belt and Road Initiative’,” says an article by Wang Peng, an associate research fellow at the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies of the Beijing-based Renmin University.

New concepts

In the process, “China may deconstruct some concepts put forward by the U.S. and other countries that are not in China’s interests, and replace them with new concepts that are beneficial to China by means of discourse substitution strategies,” he observes.

The author spotlights the necessity of China’s firmer connect with India, Japan and Australia — the three countries that are part of the U.S.-led Indo-Pacific quad. The Chinese initiative should focus on shared interests with these countries to “weaken their motivation to join Indo-Pacific countries to contain China”.

The write-up highlights that the U.S.’s focus on promoting “democratic values” was the political bedrock of its Indo-Pacific doctrine.

It also has an economic dimension of developing exclusive economic and trade arrangements. Besides, “sowing discord between China and other countries,” is part of Indo-Pacific diplomacy, which opens the gates for joint military exercises and arms sales.

[SSridhar]

China aims to build houses, roads in Sri Lanka north to extend sway - Reuters

China wants to build houses and roads in Sri Lanka's north, much of which is in a state of disrepair nearly a decade after the end of civil war, Chinese and Sri Lankan officials said, in a bid to expand its influence beyond the island's south.

China's latest push in the Indian Ocean island nation comes despite criticism that a big Chinese port project and related infrastructure in the south are dragging the country of 21 million people deep into debt.

Luo Chong, chief of the political section at China's embassy in Colombo, said China wanted to help with reconstruction in Sri Lanka's north and east, the centre of a 26-year war between the government and ethnic minority Tamil separatists that ended in 2009.

"Since the situation is different now, we are willing to have more projects in remote areas in the north and east with the support of the Sri Lankan government and from the Tamil communities," he told Reuters.

In April, state-run China Railway Beijing Engineering Group Co Ltd won a more than $300 million project to build 40,000 houses in the northern district of Jaffna. China's Exim bank was to provide the financing.

But the project has been halted after residents demanded brick houses instead of the concrete structures planned by the Chinese firm, saying they preferred their traditional dwellings.

That has given an opportunity for China's old rival India to step in. MA Sumanthiran, a legislator from the regional Tamil National Alliance, said authorities had opened negotiations with India for the housing project.

India has already built 44,000 houses in the north in the first phase of reconstruction through a grant to Sri Lanka and has planned to rebuild Palaly airport and Kankesanthurai harbour, both of which were heavily damaged in the war which ended with the defeat of the guerrillas.

Two senior ministers in the Sri Lankan cabinet told Reuters that China had offered to build houses, roads, and water storage facilities at a cost lower than offered by its competitors.

"They are willing to take up even rural infrastructure projects like road networks and water projects and expressed their willingness to complete them faster," said one of the ministers who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of engagement with China.

India has longstanding ties with Sri Lanka, located just off the tip of southern India, bound by cultural and ethnic links with Sri Lanka's Tamils, many of whom live in the island's north and east.

But in recent years China has swept in, building ports, power plants and highways in the island that sits near busy international shipping lanes and is seen as part of China's String of Pearls strategy of building a network of friendly ports across Asia.

[SSridhar]

Karmapa seeks easing of ‘restraints', complicates India's Tibet card - Rajeev Deshpande, ToI

India's Tibet strategy faces a challenge with the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, seen as the most influential Tibetan Buddhist religious leader after the Dalai Lama, conveying to the government his unhappiness over "restraints" on his travel and his disinterest in any political role.

Though the Karmapa — who fled from China to India in dramatic circumstances in 2000 — does not spell it out clearly, his discontent seems linked to his reluctance to return to India from his US visit in May last year. He has pitched camp in New York where he meets followers amid public engagements.

Karmapa's differences with the Indian government have lingered despite suspicions having ebbed over time that his flight to India was "facilitated" by the Chinese and his stature as a leading religious figure in Tibetan Buddhist tradition, particularly the Kagyu lineage, giving him an international salience.

Though Karmapa recently said he will be back in India in November, perhaps after attending the world Hindu conference in Chicago next month — a commemoration of the 1893 "parliament of world religions" addressed by Swami Vivekananda — his long absence is beginning to jar on Indian authorities who seem to be running out of patience with him.

On his part, the Karmapa is understood to have made it clear that he is chafing over being supervised at all times when in India. He needs permissions to address events and travel from his base at a monastery near Dharamshala is closely monitored. He has not been allowed to visit Southeast Asia. His desire that "constraints" be eased indicates he wants India to make up its mind about his loyalty or lack of it.

He has also said that he does not see a political role for himself and that he will be guided by the Dalai Lama.

The 33-year-old Tibetan leader's presence bolsters India's claim as a cradle and home of Buddhist thought at a time when China is promoting Buddhism and wooing influential clergy with an eye on the post-Dalai Lama scenario. Beijing would be keen to see the centre of Tibetan thought, embodied in the Dalai Lama, moves to China to consolidate the spiritual authority its political control lacks.

The Karmapa is unable to visit his traditional seat at Rumtek monastery in Sikkim as it is disputed by a rival group. At the same time, he has emerged as a more confident leader and sees himself as the legitimate successor to the widely respected 16th Karmapa who passed away in the US in 1981.

Looking to counter India's formidable links to Buddhism, China has promoted a "world Buddhist conference" and repeatedly offered to develop Lumbini in Nepal, arguing the Buddha's birthplace is the most important marker of his life rather than Bodh Gaya in India where he achieved enlightenment.

It is in this intense, and significant, jockeying for geo-political influence, that Karmapa has a role to play. China's administrative and military control over Tibet is complete, but the fight for spiritual ascendancy is far from over and remains the only, though not minor, lever in India's hands.

[sum]

Pretty much this "trump card" (Tibet card) has long passed sell date

We should have followed the Chinese template in J&K ( of developing so well and asserting our ground without any step back) that the citizens would have felt futile to resist anymore and accept the inevitable

[Peregrine]

Pretty much this "trump card" (Tibet card) has long passed sell date

We should have followed the Chinese template in J&K ( of developing so well and asserting our ground without any step back) that the citizens would have felt futile to resist anymore and accept the inevitable

sum Ji :

The various Khangress Governments at the Centre provided the J & K with the Finances but the Kashmiri Leaders Shiek Abdulla et all lined their own Pockets and spent the money for their own Agenda!

Cheers

[SSridhar]

Kazakh port in decline bids for slice of China trade - AFP

AKTAU (Kazakhstan): With the outlines of its six idle cranes obscured by thick fog and pouring rain, Kazakhstan's Caspian seaport Aktau seems an unlikely stop on China's much-hyped new silk road.

But the sleepy port, which has been badly hit in recent years by new oil routes, is vying for a slice of the pie as competition for Chinese trade warms up on the shores of the world's largest inland sea.

China's trillion dollar Belt and Road initiative has been a buzz-phrase in Kazakhstan ever since Chinese leader Xi Jinping unveiled the overland trade and infrastructure vision during a 2013 visit to the capital Astana.

For the moment, evidence of Beijing's economic might is light on the ground at Aktau, more than 2,300 kilometres (1,400 miles) from the China-Kazakhstan border crossing that is a key entry point for goods bound for Europe overland.

"This used to be an old port in poor condition with old equipment," said Oraz Koptleuov, a native of Turkmenistan who began working at the port of Aktau as a machinist in 1995.

"Now we have new technology... But there is not enough work. Let there be more work!" he told AFP of the port where 500 people are now employed, down from 700 several years ago.

During a recent visit, an AFP correspondent saw a corrugated steel container marked China Shipping being unloaded on an otherwise deserted dock.

The container had carried a shipment of engine oil from Turkey to Kazakhstan via Azerbaijan's capital Baku, Koptleuov said, but would make the return journey empty.

The experience of the Aktau port mirrors broader economic struggles in energy-rich Kazakhstan, which was badly burned by the oil price collapse in 2014 and hopes a trade and transit boom can ease an unstable commodity dependence.

Oil once underpinned business at the port -- more than 14 million tonnes of crude passed through annually -- before a more economically efficient network of pipelines grew up, reducing the figure tenfold and triggering layoffs.

But port president Abai Turikpenbayev now expects Aktau to emerge as an important overland trade node that can offer an alternative to the better-known northern route to Europe via Kazakhstan and Russia.

"The Chinese call our route the middle route," Turikpenbayev said of the route boosted by Kazakhstan's own investments in domestic road and rail infrastructure.

Authorities hope these investments can kickstart stagnating regional economies.

The "middle route" includes a Caspian crossing and allows a shipment of goods from Chengdu in China to reach Istanbul via Aktau in just over 20 days by rail.

This is both slower than the northern route, via which trains can reach Vienna in a fortnight, and more expensive than sea journeys that take over a month and account for over 90 percent of East-West trade.

Nevertheless, the route via Aktau offers exporters access to very different markets in Turkey, the Caucasus and Iran.

It could also offer cover for businesses suffering in the Moscow-Brussels sanctions battle.

Turikpenbayev said the involvement of Dubai-headquartered logistics giant DP World in port operations -- "their specialists and their brand" -- has been a key part of convincing investors in China the new route is viable.

Aktau port expects to process 1,500 containers from China in 2018, he says -- double last year's figure but still only three percent of the port's own modest overall turnover.

Aktau is not the only Caspian port jockeying for the China trade.

Neighbouring Turkmenistan's leader Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov unveiled a $1.5 billion port in Turkmenbashi in May, while on the other side of the Caspian Azerbaijan has invested heavily in a new port called Alat.

Domestically, the Aktau port might also one day be overtaken by rapidly modernising Kuryk, which lies three hours south and benefits from a slightly milder climate.

Kuryk, where many former Aktau labourers now work, was presented with great fanfare to diplomats and businessmen by Kazakhstan's 78-year-old President Nursultan Nazarbayev this month.

Adil Kaukenov, director of China Centre -- a think tank based in Kazakhstan's largest city Almaty -- said there may well be enough trade to go around so long as "conservative" businessmen in China buy into the less established routes.

"If these routes take off the problem might be that these ports lack the capacity to meet demand," Kaukenov told AFP.

Islam Aslanov, a Baku-born businessman who works with the Aktau port agreed the facility needs further preparation if it is going to profit from China's Belt and Road.

"Service there has improved but rules still need to be clearer for importers and exporters," said Aslanov, whose West Stroy construction company is building a waterfront apartment hotel in Aktau aimed at foreign businessmen.

"One time I went to the customs point and they made me walk 700 metres to get a stamp somewhere else. This last time I went and they didn't, so I suppose they are getting better" he said, laughing.

[rsingh]

Karmapa seeks easing of ‘restraints', complicates India's Tibet card - Rajeev Deshpande, ToI

India's Tibet strategy faces a challenge with the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, seen as the most influential Tibetan Buddhist religious leader after the Dalai Lama, conveying to the government his unhappiness over "restraints" on his travel and his disinterest in any political role.

Though the Karmapa — who fled from China to India in dramatic circumstances in 2000 — does not spell it out clearly, his discontent seems linked to his reluctance to return to India from his US visit in May last year. He has pitched camp in New York where he meets followers amid public engagements.

Karmapa's differences with the Indian government have lingered despite suspicions having ebbed over time that his flight to India was "facilitated" by the Chinese and his stature as a leading religious figure in Tibetan Buddhist tradition, particularly the Kagyu lineage, giving him an international salience.

Though Karmapa recently said he will be back in India in November, perhaps after attending the world Hindu conference in Chicago next month — a commemoration of the 1893 "parliament of world religions" addressed by Swami Vivekananda — his long absence is beginning to jar on Indian authorities who seem to be running out of patience with him.

On his part, the Karmapa is understood to have made it clear that he is chafing over being supervised at all times when in India. He needs permissions to address events and travel from his base at a monastery near Dharamshala is closely monitored. He has not been allowed to visit Southeast Asia. His desire that "constraints" be eased indicates he wants India to make up its mind about his loyalty or lack of it.

He has also said that he does not see a political role for himself and that he will be guided by the Dalai Lama.

The 33-year-old Tibetan leader's presence bolsters India's claim as a cradle and home of Buddhist thought at a time when China is promoting Buddhism and wooing influential clergy with an eye on the post-Dalai Lama scenario. Beijing would be keen to see the centre of Tibetan thought, embodied in the Dalai Lama, moves to China to consolidate the spiritual authority its political control lacks.

The Karmapa is unable to visit his traditional seat at Rumtek monastery in Sikkim as it is disputed by a rival group. At the same time, he has emerged as a more confident leader and sees himself as the legitimate successor to the widely respected 16th Karmapa who passed away in the US in 1981.

Looking to counter India's formidable links to Buddhism, China has promoted a "world Buddhist conference" and repeatedly offered to develop Lumbini in Nepal, arguing the Buddha's birthplace is the most important marker of his life rather than Bodh Gaya in India where he achieved enlightenment.

It is in this intense, and significant, jockeying for geo-political influence, that Karmapa has a role to play. China's administrative and military control over Tibet is complete, but the fight for spiritual ascendancy is far from over and remains the only, though not minor, lever in India's hands.

Saar, this guy is NOT revered by all Tibetians. There is risk of fictionalisation. There is this new Tibetian generation (out of Tibet) who are not happy with situation. Dalai Lama's death is going to change the scenario completely.

[SSridhar]

Amid row with US, China looks to mend fences with India - Rajeev Deshpande, ToI

China's rising tensions with the US over an intensifying trade war might have created a sweet spot in India-China ties with recent interactions seeing Beijing stress shared goals and warning against 'third parties' playing spoiler.

Faced with an aggressive Trump administration bearing down on it on trade issues and rumbles against its economic-political programme with Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohamad scrapping OBOR mega projects, China seems inclined to mend fences rather than flex muscles with immediate neighbours.

Though China's plans to keep India hemmed in by Pakistan and check its strategic space may remain unaltered, the current phase may provide India an opportunity to press its northern neighbour on issues such as entry to the Nuclear Suppliers Group and a ban on Jaish-e-Muhammad leader Masood Azhar.

Recent high level meetings between India and China post the Modi-Xi discussions in Wuhan have seen the Chinese side speak of the close nature of bilateral ties and the need to further strengthen and expand cooperation. The meetings have seen long speeches about how relations are poised for growth.

The suggestion that third parties could be interlopers is intended to underline that US interests might prove to be shifting and should not distract India from prospects nearer home. India's forthcoming '2+2' engagement with the US is seen as a platform that may further accelerate cooperation in areas like defence.

Limiting US influence with India is an obvious concern for China which has itself sought to expand its footprint in the Indian Ocean region. As India negotiates terms with the US over issues like oil imports from Iran, rough weather in US-China ties can have its benefits even though the larger impact on the global economy could be worrisome.

[ArjunPandit]

https://www.rt.com/news/436848-china-is ... e-vietnam/

Fans of a Chinese period drama may need to rethink their geopolitics if they want to watch their favorite TV show. A Vietnamese website has forced users to answer questions about disputed islands in order to watch episodes.
...................................
“This service is for Vietnamese people only,” a message on the website reads. “Please answer the following questions: To which country do the Hoang Sa (Paracel Islands) belong? Vietnam, China, Philippines or Japan?”

Users were Users were then only allowed access to the content by answering ‘Vietnam.’

[The Vietnamese website] pirated Chinese TV shows to begin with, then they raise this question that’s especially disputable to a Chinese audience. Please help spread the news so that more can know their ugliness,” one user wrote in a post. [Kettle calling pan black or whatever]

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-viet ... SKCN1L90UE

“This is nonsense!,” said one Chinese drama fan, commenting on the Weibo microblogging platform. “Who gave Vietnam the courage to challenge China’s territorial sovereignty?”

This seems to be a chinese refrain, if we remember correctly a Chinese an-chor asked the same question to vishnu som or other indian panelist in the debate on Wion

[abhik]

, the current phase may provide India an opportunity to press its northern neighbour on issues such as entry to the Nuclear Suppliers Group and a ban on Jaish-e-Muhammad leader Masood Azhar.

I hope we are not actually taking to the Chinese about Masood Azhar bilaterally, it is completely worthless. In the future they may "compromise" on this issue while extracting real, tangible concession from us.

[Peregrine]

China may scrap limit on number of children: report



The current policy which limits couples to having no more than two kids

China appears poised to scrap the limit on the number of children couples can have, with a state-run newspaper on Monday citing draft civil code that would end decades of controversial family planning policies.

The wide-ranging code would get rid of a policy that has been enforced through fines but was also notorious for cases of forced abortions and sterilisation in the world’s most populous country.

The Procuratorate Daily said the code omits any reference to “family planning” — the current policy which limits couples to having no more than two children.

The draft code would go to a vote at the rubber-stamp legislature, the National People’s Congress, in 2020.

The Communist Party began enforcing a one-child policy in 1979 to slow population growth.

The limit was raised to two children in 2016 as the nation scrambled to rejuvenate its greying population of some 1.4 billion.

Concerns are mounting that an ageing and shrinking workforce could slow down its economy, while gender imbalances could lead to social problems.

Childbirths have not increased as much as forecast since the two-child policy came into force, and there has been rising speculation the government will further ease restrictions.

The draft code was discussed at a meeting of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, a powerful body of lawmakers headed by President Xi Jinping, that will run till Friday.

Other proposed changes include a one-month cooling off period before a divorce, during which either party can withdraw their application.

Cheers

[Peregrine]

X Posting on the Analyzing CPEC & OBOR, Chinese Strategy and implications threads

With Eye on China’s Belt Road Initiative, India to step up economic partnerships with Eastern, Southern Europe

NEW DELHI: Amid Chinese inroads in Eastern Europe as part of its Belt Road Initiative, India is putting in plans in place to boost its economic partnership with the erstwhile Communist States and Southern Europe.

The upcoming back to back visits by President Ram Nath Kovind to Cyprus, Bulgaria and Czech Republic (Sep 2-9) followed by visit by Vice President Venkaih Naidu to Malta, Serbia and Romania (mid-September) will bring India's growing role in the region in the limelight.

This will be Kovind’s second visit to the region earlier being to Greece few months back where he outlined India’s Europe policy. The Eastern European bloc (during the period of Soviet Union) and India historically enjoyed close relations and now Delhi is keen to penetrate flourishing markets, seek technology and funds as opposition to BRI rises in Europe.

China has promised huge investments in the Eastern and Central Europe, augmented by the 16 (Eastern-Central Europe) +1 (China) process. Therefore, focus from Delhi to this region is pertinent in this context.

Cyprus, an unambiguous supporter of India’s position on Kashmir for decades, is Delhi’s gateway to Mediterranean, North Africa, Southern Europe and even parts of West Asia. Cyprus is the 8th largest FDI investor in India. From April 2000 to June 2017, the cumulative investment flows to India from Cyprus were $ 9.278 billion. The FDI is mainly in the sectors of construction and real estate activities.

Indo-Czech ties spans across sectors from culture to investment to Indology. Indian companies have invested in Czech Republic in sectors like IT, vehicles,tea, textile, pharmaceutical, auto-components. Following on the original investments of Skoda Auto, Skoda Power and Tatra, there are a number of new and prospective Czech investment projects in India in the machinery, transportation, power and automotive sectors. Czech Republic is among developed economies of Europe which is keen to push trade envelope with India.

Serbia, one of inheritor states of Yugoslavia, is keen to bring old memories back and is only European nation that offers 30-day visa free entry to Indians. The decision has enabled certain manufacturers and Indian film industry to take advantage of European location. Similarly, Bulgaria too is emerging as a popular destination for the film industry. President will be accompanied by a strong business delegation to Bulgaria. The country is providing platform for IT industry and cyber security related applications.

Three other countries in that region – Hungary, Poland and Slovakia – are also seeking to attract India to Eastern and Central Europe. Hungary and Poland had also witnessed high level visits from Delhi in last few years. These three together with Czech Republic forms a group – V-4 or Visegrad-4 (all EU member states) for the purposes of advancing military, cultural, economic and energy cooperation with one another along with furthering their integration in the EU.

Persons familiar with the V-4 told ET that the group provides India an appropriate platform to engage with Eastern and Central Europe amid China's 16+1 process for the region. All four nations in the Visegrád Group have a very high Human Development Index V4 countries have enjoyed more or less steady economic growth. If counted as a single nation state, the Visegrád Group would be the fifth largest economy in Europe and the 12th largest in the world presenting India with a huge opportunity. Interestingly within the EU, the V4 countries are pro-nuclear power. They have sought to counter what they see as an anti-nuclear power bias within the EU believing their countries would benefit from nuclear power's zero emissions and high reliability.

Cheers

[Lisa]

China may scrap limit on number of children: report

Peregrineji,

There is an aspect of the one child policy that is not widely discussed. Family relations have been destroyed, ie after one generation, no brothers, no sisters, into the second generation no uncles, no aunts, no cousins........... Chinese culture has specific names for Chacha, Taya, Massi much as in Hindu culture etc. All this nomaclacute is now useless. The cultural damage is not quantifiable.

[Peregrine]

China may scrap limit on number of children: report

Peregrineji,

There is an aspect of the one child policy that is not widely discussed. Family relations have been destroyed, ie after one generation, no brothers, no sisters, into the second generation no uncles, no aunts, no cousins........... Chinese culture has specific names for Chacha, Taya, Massi much as in Hindu culture etc. All this nomaclacute is now useless. The cultural damage is not quantifiable.

Lisa Ji :

This will shortly be noticed in the DINKIES (Double Income No Kiddies) Classes in India.

In addition the important word in the title is MAY. Asx such one has to "wait & see".

Cheers

[anupmisra]

Chinese culture has specific names for Chacha, Taya, Massi much as in Hindu culture etc. All this nomaclacute is now useless. The cultural damage is not quantifiable.

At this point in time, the chinis only have to look up to one permanent uncle - Unca' dada (uncle eleven). Rest are temporary relationships anyway.

[Peregrine]

India can replace US exports to China amid trade war, finds study

India can capture the Chinese commodity market vacated by US exports following the trade war between the world’s two biggest economies, a commerce department study has found.

The study has analysed and identified at least a 100 products where India can replace US exports to China by benefiting from the higher import duty Beijing has imposed on products originating in the US.

India can, in particular, grab a bigger share of the Chinese market for cotton, corn, almonds, wheat and sorghum, according to the study.

“These retaliatory tariffs provide awindow of opportunity for enhancing India’s exports to China. The purpose of analysis is to identify such lines,” the commerce department said in the study, seen by ET.

Fresh grapes, cotton linters, fluecured tobacco, lubricants and certain chemicals, including benzene, are a few lines where the US’ exports to China are above $10 million. India too has been exporting these items to China.

“There is scope to increase our exports in these products because of the tariff differential and the substantial demand in China,” said an official in the know.

While China has imposed tariffs of 15-25% on these goods coming from the US, other countries are subject to only 5-10% duty (most favoured nation or MFN rate). Moreover, India has been granted an additional 6-35% duty concessions on the MFN under the Asia Pacific Trade Agreement, making its exports more competitive.

However, there are two categories of products that India is not exporting to China at present but to other countries and the government sees scope to enter.

Oranges, almonds, walnuts, durum wheat, corn and grain sorghum are some products that India exports to the rest of the world except China, and the US exports to the country are in excess of $10 million. India, as per the study, does not have access at present in the Chinese market.

Corn is of specific interest as India exported $143.6 million worth of the commodity to the world in 2017-18. China imported $600 million worth of corn during this period. While American corn is subject to 25% duty, APTA countries can get up to 100% concessions on corn exports to China.

Cheers

[kit]

‘China should forge closer ties with India, Japan’ - Atul Aneja, The Hindu

In countering the Indo-Pacific strategy led by the U.S, China should forge closer ties with India, Japan and Australia, says an official media commentary.

It also has an economic dimension of developing exclusive economic and trade arrangements. Besides, “sowing discord between China and other countries,” is part of Indo-Pacific diplomacy, which opens the gates for joint military exercises and arms sales.

Ha .. look for the day the US and China reconcile their differences, the dragon will breathe fire on both India and Japan with renewed vigour

[Kashi]

Ha .. look for the day the US and China reconcile their differences, the dragon will breathe fire on both India and Japan with renewed vigour

Yes and we will be dim enough to fall for Chhipkali's forked tongue.

[Peregrine]

This Article seems to be an enhancement of the Article per my post 28 Aug 2018 02:39

Trade war: India may come to China's rescue as US tightens noose

A study found that India is strong in its capability to export about 20 products such as frozen bovine meat and almonds, but it faces market-access issues in China. Boosting exports will help India reduce a $63 billion trade deficit it runs with China, which is also New Delhi’s largest commercial partner.

NEW DELHI: India has drawn a list of goods it can export to China, replacing US exports that have become costlier in light of the trade spat between the world’s two biggest economies, according to a person familiar with the development.

Cheers

[chola]

This Article seems to be an enhancement of the Article per my post 28 Aug 2018 02:39

Trade war: India may come to China's rescue as US tightens noose

A study found that India is strong in its capability to export about 20 products such as frozen bovine meat and almonds, but it faces market-access issues in China. Boosting exports will help India reduce a $63 billion trade deficit it runs with China, which is also New Delhi’s largest commercial partner.

NEW DELHI: India has drawn a list of goods it can export to China, replacing US exports that have become costlier in light of the trade spat between the world’s two biggest economies, according to a person familiar with the development.

Cheers

Don’t forget movies. Cheen will soon have world’s biggest box office and we can replace Hollywood during trade war.

[nam]

We should be selling to the US, not the Chinese in this trade war. Need to replace Chinese export to US, which is much higher than US exports to China.

[chola]

We should be selling to the US, not the Chinese in this trade war. Need to replace Chinese export to US, which is much higher than US exports to China.

Yes, we should but that requires getting the US/Japan/Taiwanese/SoKo/HK/Singapore companies to move their supply chains to India. Not happening in the near future because those plants also supply the chini market too. And Trump’s trade war is intent on bringing those chains to the US.

The US doesn’t buy chini products, it buys products made in China by Americans and American allies.

[nam]

Indeed. We should be talking to all the American & Taiwanese big boys about "Management of Risk through Supply Chain Diversification".

A few tax breaks to ice the cake. Need to hit the Chinis, where it hurts the most. Their electronics/white goods export.

[chola]

Indeed. We should be talking to all the American & Taiwanese big boys about "Management of Risk through Supply Chain Diversification".

A few tax breaks to ice the cake. Need to hit the Chinis, where it hurts the most. Their electronics/white goods export.

I wrote about this years ago. Cheen is gettng expensive and supply chains were moving even before the trade war on what is called on Wall Street the “China + 1” strategy. You diversify to one other country while keeping your china plants for the chini market.

The problem is the East Asians (Japan, Korean, Taiwanese, etc.) are used to having their cake and eating it too. They supply BOTH the chini and amreeki markets from their chini plants for maximum profits. Even for American firms, the “China + 1” strategy means adding places like Vietnam and Thailand that are close to and are open to Chinese components. The only exception is the auto market where US laws and perceptions force the Hondas and Hyundais to build separate plants for US and Chini markets.

The ultimate problem with all these chopsticks countries is they are sinosphere and are comfortable in cheen. They are all mercantile shits too. That China is five times the GDP of India today instead of collapsing years ago like the USSR is directly attributable to Japan, Korea and Taiwan setting up their supply chains in cheen.

They are already taking advantage of the US trade war by going after Unkil’s market share in Cheen. Toyota is setting up a new electric car plant in Cheen in anticipation of taking sales from GM and Ford. Samsung is investing in new chip foundries in Cheen to replace Intel and Qualcomm. Again, all this will inevitably enhance the chini eco system even as the US is trying to embargo the PRC to stop exactly this kind of cross pollination from American firms.

[SSridhar]

Countering the looming shadow of China - Jonathan DT Ward / Hemal Shah, Business Line

As the US-China ‘trade war’ continues, India should find opportunities in this impending realignment in global trade. Now is the time to strengthen ties with the US and to beware of deeper economic engagement with China. Importantly, India is working to build its industrial base, strengthen manufacturing, and develop home-grown companies that can compete in global markets. America can be an important long-term partner in fulfilling these objectives.

However, economic outreach from China is often the tip of a geopolitical spear that is meant to influence a nation towards Chinese strategic interests.

In advance of the historic US-India ‘2+2’ foreign policy and defence strategy dialogue on September 6, Michael Pompeo, US Secretary of State, and Wilbur Ross, US Secretary of Commerce, unveiled several new initiatives as part of US President Trump’s Indo-Pacific vision. This includes easing exports of high technology products to India, a significant authorisation normally reserved for NATO allies. While this is powerful symbolism, what does it mean for India and the region’s business community?

China’s geopolitical rise is the result of the expansion of China’s economy. The continued expansion of Chinese power will be based on the success of Chinese global business. China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a case in point. While the BRI may be designed by policy-makers in Beijing, its execution is in the hands of China’s companies, which have been instructed by the Communist Party to ‘go out’ to find new markets around the world. Chinese companies, supported by the Communist Party, are the engines of China’s growth beyond its borders.

Most importantly, China’s long-term strategy is based on the objective of becoming the world’s pre-eminent economic and military power, replacing the US. If the Communist Party succeeds in achieving its objectives, India stands much to lose, both in its region, and at home. Mobilising India’s business community to reify the Indo-Pacific vision — particularly with the upcoming 2+2 dialogue — opens up the potential to turn the tide around.

Let’s put this into perspective. India sits prominently at the centre of China’s geopolitical expansion. China’s global strategy unfolds across the ‘Belt and Road’ from the South China Sea to the Strait of Hormuz in the Indo-Pacific and across the Central Asian plains. Military encirclement of India is widely understood: from the Himalayas to the Indian Ocean, China’s military presence is growing on land and by sea.

While the Wuhan Summit in April may have led to a thaw in relations between India and China, Indian government and business should beware the Chinese olive branch. Here is why: Chinese policy towards most countries relies predictably on a strategy of economic engagement and military coercion. However, at a certain point, economic engagement becomes economic coercion.

Chinese checkers

Imagine what China can do when it can not only send troops to Daulat Beg Oldi and Doklam, but can threaten to cancel greenfield projects in Gujarat or to end newly negotiated partnerships between Indian and Chinese firms.

From ownership debt-traps in Sri Lanka, to curbing tourism to South Korea over a missile defence system, to grand-scale intellectual property theft from American firms, for the Chinese Communist Party, economics is a lever that serves its strategic interests. Pakistan may become the next data point if it relies on China’s help to address an imminent debt crisis, as it works to sustain the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

India already stands to be impacted by not one, but three major economic initiatives coming from Beijing. The first is the BRI, which many in India recognise as both a geopolitical and an economic initiative.

The second is ‘Made in China 2025’, an economic strategy released by the State Council, which aims to make China the pre-eminent manufacturing power, through the mastery of 10 advanced industries, ranging from robotics and agricultural machinery to next-generation IT and ‘new energy vehicles’. This policy has raised alarm bells throughout Europe and America, as it could spell serious trouble for Western companies. This initiative will impact India as well.

The third is the ‘going out’ strategy of China’s major corporations. In varying degrees of alignment to the Chinese state, both state-owned enterprises and private firms like Tencent and Alibaba are poised to expand their presence throughout India’s region, and in India itself. Unlike other global firms, this does not mean business as usual.

Beijing will not back down from its claims to tens of thousands of square kilometres of territory on the China-India border, and military support for Pakistan is a geopolitical cornerstone. Sensing geo-economic tension, India boycotted China’s momentous Belt and Road Forum last year to protest infrastructure projects encroaching on Indian territory.

New Delhi flagged issues with the nature of China’s strategic, encircling projects, including the CPEC. Chinese business interests in India go beyond commercial interests — they are calculated and strategic. Chinese companies are expanding their footprint not only in India’s backyard — from Nepal and Pakistan in the north to Sri Lanka and Maldives in the south — but also in the Indian Ocean, passage to 40 per cent of the world’s oil supplies, home to 15 per cent of the world’s fishing, and 7,500 km of coastline.

However, India’s unwillingness to court the BRI has not yet translated into geo-economic balancing strategies.

In fact, a clutch of Chinese companies, Tencent and Fosun topping the list, have already managed to invest significantly in India’s life sciences, transport, real estate and retail industries, as part of the BRI.

According to the China Global Investment Tracker published by the American Enterprise Institute and the Heritage Foundation, Chinese companies invested close to $3 billion in India in 2017 — over a threefold increase from the $900 million invested in 2016 — closing the gap quickly with investments from democratic countries like Japan and the US.

With India as the global growth driver and a vital partner in the Trump administration’s Indo-Pacific strategy, the dynamic of Chinese business in India warrants attention.

Working with the Indian business community, the Indian government can focus on three important strategies and capitalise on the upcoming talks with the US.

First, India must identify and implement concrete initiatives to match its BRI rhetoric with action and stave off geo-economic risk from increasing Chinese investments.

Second, India must assume stronger commercial leadership in the region and formulate competitive policies to attract foreign investment from Asian democracies, including Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Australia.

Third, India should negotiate directly with the US to form a trade strategy based on the long-term interests of US-India relations. Both countries run uncomfortably large trade deficits with China — this can be reduced if both can find ways to buy less from China and more from each other. That would be a win-win for Indo-US business and the US-India strategic partnership.

Ward is Founder of Atlas Organisation, a consultancy focussed on the rise of India and China and the new geopolitics of the Indo-Pacific. Shah is director for emerging markets focussing on innovation policy at a business federation based in Washington DC.

[Trikaal]

Not sure if this is the correct thread for this.

http://idrw.org/russian-s-400-air-defen ... ore-179367

The article says S-400 to be mated with Swordfish and Super Green Pine Radars to increase detection range to 800-900 km. That much range can be for only one enemy. Lungi Dance time?

[Peregrine]

X Posted on the Islamism & Islamophobia & Terroristan and Terroristan Threads

Muslim Governments Silent as China Cracks Down on Uighurs

Most nations maintain close economic, trade ties with Beijing

UN expert says up to 1 million Muslims in ‘re-education’ camps

As calls grow in the U.S. and Europe to pressure China to halt alleged human-rights abuses against its Muslim minority, Beijing has so far escaped any serious criticism from governments across the Islamic world.

Almost three weeks after a United Nations official cited “credible reports” that the country was holding as many as 1 million Turkic-speaking Uighurs in “re-education” camps, governments in Muslim-majority countries have issued no notable statements on the issue. The silence became more pronounced this week after a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers urged sanctions against senior Chinese officials.

“We are hopeful that the State Department will seek addition opportunities to condemn these abuses while also undertaking robust diplomatic engagement with like-minded governments to further elevate this human rights crisis in international forums and multilateral institutions,” lawmakers led by Senator Marco Rubio of Florida and Representative Chris Smith of New Jersey wrote Wednesday in a letter to Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. They joined European Union officials who have previously expressed concern about the camps in Xinjiang.

By contrast, the leaders of Indonesia, Malaysia and Pakistan haven’t released public statements on the clampdown. Neither has Saudi Arabia. Even Turkey, which has in the past offered favorable policies to Turkic-speaking groups and hosts a small Uighur population of its own, remained silent as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan grappled with an economic crisis.

Trade Ties

The split underscores how China’s position as a key trading partner and aid provider to many Muslim-majority nations -- as well as its longstanding policy to avoid commenting on the internal affairs of other countries -- is now paying off. The alleged abuses are also occurring in one of China’s most remote and heavily policed frontiers, making it hard to acquire first-hand evidence, such as photos and videos, that might sway public opinion in the Islamic world.

“China generally has friendly relations with most Muslim countries, mostly around trade,” said Hassan Hassan, senior fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, a Washington think tank. The Muslim world is largely unaware of the situation in Xinjiang, he added. “It’s not covered almost at all in Arabic media, and even jihadis don’t dwell on it as much as they do about other conflicts.”

China officially denies problems in Xinjiang, a vast region the size of Alaska bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan that’s home to some 10 million Uighurs. On Thursday, Beijing warned the U.S. lawmakers not to interfere in its internal affairs.

“The policies and equal rights that Chinese minorities enjoy are far better than in the U.S., which has lot issues with racism and human rights protection,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a briefing in Beijing. The lawmakers should focus on issues at home “instead of interfering in other countries’ internal politics, playing judges on human rights and casting blame, or even threatening to impose unreasonable sanctions,” she said.

‘Strike First’

The UN’s Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination said in a report released Thursday that estimates of the number of Xinjiang residents held in camps ranged from the tens of thousands to upwards of one million. The panel called for an immediate halt to the detentions, the release of those already held and an official investigation into allegations of racial and religious profiling.

China’s clampdown has been fueled by President Xi Jinping’s orders to “strike first” against Islamist extremism following deadly attacks in the region involving Uighurs, and reports that some members of the minority were fighting alongside terror groups in Syria. A Communist Party-run newspaper has rebuked criticism of the crackdown, arguing that it had prevented Xinjiang from becoming another Syria.

The silence on Uighurs contrasts with outrage last year when some 700,000 Rohingya Muslims fled clearance operations by the Myanmar military, which the UN has since likened to genocide. One big difference between the two cases: Myanmar’s economy is 180 times smaller than that of China, which is the top trading partner of 20 of the 57 member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

China accounts for about a 10th of Saudi Arabia’s oil exports and roughly a third of Iran’s, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. It is Malaysia’s top source of foreign investment. And it has ensured the flow of more than $60 billion in loans for China-Pakistan Economic Corridor infrastructure projects.

Muslim nations “don’t want to damage their relations with China, and consider China a potential ally against the West and the U.S., and therefore they are trying to stay silent,” said Omer Kanat, chairman of the executive committee at the World Uyghur Congress, an overseas Uighur advocacy group.

Over the years, these governments have vocally opposed U.S. slights of Muslims, including President Donald Trump’s 2017 ban on travel from seven Muslim-majority countries. Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif called it “a great gift to extremists.”

An expert testifying before a United Nations human rights panel on Aug. 10 cited reports that Beijing may be holding up to one million Uighurs in re-education camps. Bloomberg reported in January on the government conducting experiments with facial recognition technology in the region.

The governments of Turkey, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt did not respond to requests to comment for this story. Multiple phone calls to the OIC for comment were not answered.

Dangerous Spillover

To be sure, maintaining trade ties isn’t the only motivator. Some governments are loathe to draw global attention to their own shabby human rights records. Beijing has largely refrained from involving itself in conflicts in the Muslim world.

Those nations “don’t particularly respect human rights themselves, so it’s hard to imagine that they would jump at an opportunity to criticize China,” said David Brophy, Senior Lecturer in Modern Chinese History at the University of Sydney.

Still, it could prove increasingly difficult to maintain their silence, as China’s policies in Xinjiang spill across its borders.

In Kazakhstan -- a neighboring economic partner key to Xi’s signature Belt and Road trade initiative -- an undocumented, ethnic-Kazakh Chinese citizen recently testified to being forced to teach in a camp before escaping. Kazakh authorities, risking Beijing’s anger, allowed her to remain.

The incident shows that the crackdown is starting to seep into China’s foreign relations, said James Millward, a professor at Georgetown University and author of “Eurasian Crossroads: A History of Xinjiang.”

“What we’re seeing is the policy effects of a shift in philosophy with regard to cultural diversity and ethnic diversity in China,” he said.

Cheers

[Peregrine]

Predicting Trump: Chinese turn to fortune tellers to divine trade war

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - As analysts crunch trade data and political commentators dissect official statements for signs of how the Sino-American trade war will develop, some ordinary Chinese are using different sources to predict U.S. President Donald Trump’s next moves: fortune tellers.

Armed with photos of Trump and his date of birth, the superstitious in China are turning to the divine - from masters on cosmic energy to experts on ancient spirits - for tips on what the president has got up his sleeve in the escalating trade spat between the world’s two largest economies.

The trade dispute has not only raised uncertainty over China’s economic growth, it has also unsettled the lives of some ordinary Chinese people, who are seeking advice on things like where to invest, how to run their business and even whether or not they should pursue plans to emigrate to the United States.

Victor Ng, a Feng Shui master from a line of famous practitioners in Hong Kong, says he usually analyses the birth date and time of birth of his clients for insights. With the trade row dominating headlines and increasing uncertainty about the future, he has been adding some ingredients to the mix.

“Because this time the U.S.-China trade war is ongoing, I will also look at the fate of the leaders of the U.S. and China - for instance, Xi Jinping’s birth date and the birth date of Donald Trump. This is how we analyse the situation,” he said.

In the western city of Xi’an, fortune teller Xie Xianglin says he has seen “many, many more” people approaching him for readings on the future of the trade war. Most are entrepreneurs and investors, said Xie, who charges 500 yuan (£56) to analyse the relevant spirits.

“Seven people have asked about investment and also about emigration trends,” he said of recent visitors.

In Shanghai’s leafy Fuxing Park, for at least three weekends in a row in July, heated debate broke out intermittently between retirees discussing the victims and villains of the trade war.

The park is an unofficial meeting ground for retirees at the weekend - and more recently, some have appeared there brandishing photos of Trump and his birth date looking for tips on his next step, said three people who had seen it happen.

Chinese people, including the country’s leaders, have a long tradition of putting their faith in soothsaying and geomancy, looking for answers in times of doubt, need and chaos.

Members of the ruling Communist Party, however, are officially banned from participating in what the government dubs superstitious practices, including visiting soothsayers.

For investment broker Ricky Fong, readings by Ng, a master of the ancient Chinese belief in a system of laws that governs energy, or Feng Shui, have helped him navigate the impact of the trade war on his business.

“When it comes to the U.S.-China trade war, in my view the importance is huge, with regards to investment - really big,” said Fong, in Hong Kong.

“Master Ng gives me a lot of very detailed data to work with. When it comes to the traditional financial tools they also provide data, but the Feng Shui master gives me another kind. He can use traditional methods to read my fate, and tell me how to better handle the situation,” Fong added.

Recently, amid the trade war, Ng advised Fong to invest in Kuangchi Science Ltd (0439.HK) after a reading of the company stock number and Fong’s birth date, which Ng believes gives an indication of a person’s fortune with a particular firm. Fong says he bought at 0.375 per share and sold at 0.77 per share.

For now, at least some readings on the fate of Trump and the trade war are pointing in the right direction.

“The trade war will end up with a reconciliation in the near future,” said fortune teller Xie, who offered a free reading to Reuters.

Cheers

[kit]

maybe china should take over pakistan and deal with them the "ughur way"

[ArjunPandit]

maybe china should take over pakistan and deal with them the "ughur way"

The way i look at it is serpent and rodent are romancing each other. One of them is going to get hurt badly. Either ways, we get to enjoy the show and have fun.
1. If china wins then we will have pakis meeting their karma, and only one opponent to defeat. God willing, we may be liberating them
2. If paki's win, china gets $60 Bn written off. This is will be a domino tipped by CIA/Raa/Mossad saazish and "god willing" will lead to other write offs for china
It's like unstoppable force(predatory lender ) meets an immovable object (perpetually embezzler). To me this is the great game and not the Afghanistan.

[SSridhar]

India boycotts inauguration of China-funded bridge in Maldives - Sachin Parashar, ToI

China's flagship infrastructure project in the Maldives, a bridge linking capital Male with the airport island, has again brought into focus the widening gulf between India and its Indian Ocean neighbour. India chose to stay away from the inauguration on Thursday of what is officially known as the Sinamale Bridge with its ambassador Akhilesh Mishra not attending the event.

"He had been invited by our government but he didn't come," said a top Maldivian government official.

Indian officials chose not to comment on the issue. Mishra’s decision to skip the inauguration, which took place in the presence of a representative of Chinese President Xi Jinping and was marked by Chinese fireworks, was justified later with envoys of other countries being allegedly treated shabbily by President Abdulla Yameen's security staff at the event.

The Maldivian opposition alleged that only the Chinese ambassador’s car was allowed to drive up to the venue. "Ambassadors of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh boycotted the bridge inauguration event as their cars were stopped by Yameen’s security and they were asked to walk. Only Chinese ambassador’s car was allowed to pass up to the venue. Such an insult to traditional friends," tweeted MP and joint opposition spokesperson Ahmed Mahloof.

Ambassadors of Sri Lanks and Bangladhesh boycotted the bridge inauguration event as their cars were stopped by Yame… https://t.co/qYcnE05NFQ
— Ahmed Mahloof (@AhmedMahloof) 1535704501000


Yameen went on to describe the $200 million bridge as “the biggest achievement in our diplomatic history".

The president who is accused of having undermined all state institutions, even jailing many of his political opponents, in the run up to the elections later this month believes the bridge has further invigorated his chances of returning to power. Also known as China-Maldives Friendship Bridge, the bridge was built with, according to Male, a grant of $116 million by China. Apart from the grant, Beijing also provided $72 million as loan for the 1.4 km bridge.

The financing of the bridge has sparked fears of Male getting enmeshed further in Chinese debt net. The main opposition party, MDP, has already alleged that there is "huge corruption" involved in the deal for the bridge which is meant to end congestion in Male.

India has been alarmed by the manner in which the cost of the project shot up in the past few years. A Delhi-based western diplomat who handles Maldives said even the "official cost of the project" $200 million was almost thrice that of the estimate prepared by former president Mohamed Nasheed government in 2011.

"Given the lack of transparency and parliamentary scrutiny in government affairs, no one really knows the actual cost of the project … some people say it may even have crossed $300 million," he said.

A preliminary survey carried out by overseas experts in 2011, while noting the viability of the project, had estimated a total cost between $70 million to $100 million

Also one could look at other projects, he said, connected with the Bridge, for which Male is paying out of its own budget at twice or thrice the actual cost.

"If one also includes airport and housing projects (in return for 2500 social housing units funded by government to government loans), Male has handed over almost entire Hulumale construction work (including several thousand housing units) to Chinese companies without any bidding. Effectively, Maldives is giving to Chinese far more than what it has received as loan to be repaid with commercial interest," said the diplomat.

[Peregrine]

X Posting on Analyzing CPEC & OBOR, Chinese Strategy and Implications

China's 'Silk Road' project runs into debt jam


China's President Xi Jinping says trade with Belt and Road countries has exceeded $5 trillion

China's massive and expanding "Belt and Road" trade infrastructure project is running into speed bumps as some countries begin to grumble about being buried under Chinese debt.

First announced in 2013 by President Xi Jinping, the initiative also known as the "new Silk Road" envisions the construction of railways, roads and ports across the globe, with Beijing providing billions of dollars in loans to many countries.

Five years on, Xi has found himself defending his treasured idea as concerns grow that China is setting up debt traps in countries which may lack the means to pay back the Asian giant.

"It is not a China club," Xi said in a speech on Monday to mark the project's anniversary, describing Belt and Road as an "open and inclusive" project.

Xi said China's trade with Belt and Road countries had exceeded $5 trillion, with outward direct investment surpassing $60 billion.

But some are starting to wonder if it is worth the cost.

During a visit to Beijing in August, Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said his country would shelve three China-backed projects, including a $20 billion railway.


China's "new Silk Road" envisions the construction of railways, roads and ports across the globe

The party of Pakistan's new prime minister, Imran Khan, has vowed more transparency amid fears about the country's ability to repay Chinese loans related to the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Meanwhile the exiled leader of the opposition in the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, has said China's actions in the Indian Ocean archipelago amounted to a "land grab" and "colonialism", with 80 percent of its debt held by Beijing.

Sri Lanka has already paid a heavy price for being highly indebted to China.

Last year, the island nation had to grant a 99-year lease on a strategic port to Beijing over its inability to repay loans for the $1.4-billion project.

- 'Ambiguous partner' –

"China does not have a very competent international bureaucracy in foreign aid, in expansion of soft power," Anne Stevenson-Yang, co-founder and research director at J Capital Research, told AFP.

"So not surprisingly they're not very good at it, and it brought up political issues like Malaysia that nobody anticipated," she said.

"As the RMB (yuan) becomes weaker, and China is perceived internationally as a more ambiguous partner, it's more likely that the countries will take a more jaundiced eye on these projects."

China's President Xi Jinping (C) says the initiative is 'not a China club'

The huge endeavour brings much-needed infrastructure improvements to developing countries, while giving China destinations to unload its industrial overcapacity and facilities to stock up on raw materials.

But a study by the Center for Global Development, a US think-tank, found "serious concerns" about the sustainability of the sovereign debt in eight countries receiving Silk Road funds.

Those were Pakistan, Djibouti, Maldives, Mongolia, Laos, Montenegro, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

The cost of a China-Laos railway project -- $6.7 billion -- represents almost half of the Southeast Asian country's GDP, according to the study.

In Djibouti, the IMF has warned that the Horn of Africa country faces a "high risk of debt distress" as its public debt jumped from 50 percent of GDP in 2014 to 85 percent in 2016.

Africa has long embraced Chinese investment, helping make Beijing the continent's largest trading partner for the past decade.

On Monday, a number of African leaders will gather in Beijing for a summit focused on economic ties which will include talks on the "Belt and Road" programme.

- 'Not a free lunch' -

China bristles at criticism.

At a daily press briefing on Friday, foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying denied that Beijing was saddling its partners with onerous debt, saying that its loans to Sri Lanka and Pakistan were only a small part of those countries' overall foreign debt.

"It's unreasonable that money coming out of Western countries is praised as good and sweet, while coming out of China it's sinister and a trap," she said.

Stevenson-Yang said China's loans are quoted in dollar terms, "but in reality they're lending in terms of tractors, shipments of coal, engineering services and things like that, and they ask for repayment in hard currency."


Sri Lanka has already paid a heavy price for being highly indebted to China

Standard & Poor's said Beijing structures the infrastructure projects as long-term concessions, with a Chinese firm operating the facility for a period of 20 to 30 years while splitting the proceeds with the local counterpart or government.

The head of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, raised concerns about potential debt problems in April and advocated greater transparency.

"It's not a free lunch, it's something where everybody chips in," she said.

Cheers

[Trikaal]

Stevenson-Yang said China's loans are quoted in dollar terms, "but in reality they're lending in terms of tractors, shipments of coal, engineering services and things like that, and they ask for repayment in hard currency."

Lol, that is the whole point, that you are making countries take loans to buy your products. Atleast if you were giving hard currency loans, countries would have the option to buy the cheapest tractor in market rather than just buying chinese tractor at whatever rate is quoted.

[Katare]

Pakistan, Djibouti, Maldives, Mongolia, Laos, Montenegro, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan

With this kind of following and supporters, china is really scrapping the bottom of the barrel.
China has no future against west in this game, it is investing exclusively in penny stocks and junk boands in hope of becoming a wealthy investor. You need to invest in blue chips and triple A rated bonds to become a Warren Buffett and China is not allowed in the exchanges where those high quality instruments are traded.

USSR had the same problem, it had to carry the burden of leading the poorer half of the world. But what China can get as it’s supporter in the second cold war is beyond ridiculous.

Xi had made the strategic error of starting the war too early!

These are political investments, rest of the world put togather is not even investing 1% in these countries of what China is doing.

[Peregrine]

Trade war: China's Xi reiterates reform promise



Amid US trade war, China's Xi reiterates reform commitment

Cheers

[SSridhar]

People’s Daily edit unveils Xi Jinping’s “new era”blueprint for Africa - Atul Aneja, The Hindu

Timed with the inauguration of a once-in-three years conference of Chinese and African leaders on Monday, an editorial in People’s Daily — the flagship of the Communist Party of China (CPC) — has unveiled markers for navigating Beijing’s ties with Africa in the “new era” of President Xi Jinping.

The signed edit meant to laser China’s stance on major global issues asserts that, through his actions, President Xi has shown that reengaging Africa was Beijing’s top priority.

“Chinese President Xi Jinping, in March 2013, set a precedent by choosing three African countries, Tanzania, South Africa, and the Republic of the Congo, as the destination of his first overseas visit after taking office as Chinese Head of State. In July, 2018, the African continent was once again selected as the first overseas destination after Xi was re-elected as Chinese President,” says the edit, ahead of the latest edition of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

The daily points out China’s ties with Africa were “upgraded” three years ago during the Johannesburg summit of FOCAC. During that summit China announced 10 major plans for “in-depth” development, resulting in “China-Africa community with shared future”.

Preliminary statistics show that the 10 headline project lines will yield a massive infrastructure throughput, including 30,000 kilometers of highways, 85 million tonnes of annual port capacity, and a daily water treatment volume of over 9 million tonnes.

Besides, the plan will push power generation by nearly 20,000 MW, coupled with 30,000 kilometers of power transmission and transformation lines across Africa. In the process 900,000 African local community jobs would be created.

The edit says that China’s “new era” approach of “shared interests,” sets a model for the rest of the world. It contrasted Beijing’s outreach towards Africa, with the west’s sovereignty-sapping interventionist approach.

“Although African countries braced for national independence after the World War II, the West…intervened (in) their development in a more subtle way.

“Each time when the African nations needed loans, the so-called liberalisation scheme in the name of “structure reform” would be required as preconditions.”

The daily cited former President of Mozambique, Joaquim Chissano, as saying said that the “endless seminars and working groups (with western countries) always ended with suspicious results, as those possible aids would often be attached with pressure for political reforms that may cause instability.”