Bharat Rakshak

Haresh wrote:Why China Is Winning Against India

https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/01/01/in ... -standoff/

kit wrote:https://www.spglobal.com/marketintellig ... d-62109581

"Global maritime trade will plunge by 4.1% in 2020 due to the unprecedented disruption caused by COVID-19, UNCTAD estimates in its Review of Maritime Transport 2020, released on 12 November. "

m_saini wrote:^ Could we not post articles from CGTN, owned by China Central Television, a state-owned broadcaster?

Tuan wrote:
You seem to have overlooked the obvious. If you ignore the other side of the story, you will encounter significantly less contact with contradicting viewpoints, causing you to become intellectually biased or isolated.

No progress in talks between envoys of Dalai Lama & China: Report The annual report by the US Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) says that religious freedom continues to deteriorate in Tibet

https://www.sentinelassam.com/topheadli ... ort-521061
https://www.sentinelassam.com/topheadli ... ort-521061

DHARAMSALA, Jan 16: There was no progress of formal negotiations between the Dalai Lama's envoys and China and the religious freedom continues to deteriorate in Tibet, said the 2020 annual report by the US Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC). The report, released this week and based on the events between July 1, 2019 and July 1, 2020, details its recommendations to Congress and the US President based on the human rights conditions and rule of law developments in China. The CECC, which favoured enactment of the 'Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2020' that was passed at the end of December of 2020, highlighted their concerns of the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) increasingly repressive tactics, such as intimidation of critics, censorship and interference in foreign governments and citizens.

https://www.sentinelassam.com/topheadli ... ort-521061
....

Chinese-American MIT Professor Who Received Millions in U.S Research Grants Arrested for Concealing Financial Ties to China
https://swarajyamag.com/insta/chinese-a ... s-to-china
....
Gang Chen, who was born in China and is a naturalized U.S. citizen, currently serves as a professor and researcher at MIT. He is the Director of the MIT Pappalardo Micro/Nano Engineering Laboratory and Director of the Solid-State Solar Thermal Energy Conversion Center (S3TEC).

Gang Chen has been charged with holding various appointments with China designed to promote the China’s technological and scientific development by providing advice and expertise – sometimes directly to Chinese government officials – and often in exchange for financial compensation.

The U.S Department of Energy has given Gang Chen $19 million for research since 2013.

When Gang Chen applied for and received a grant from U.S Department of Energy to fund his research he failed to disclose that from at least 2017 to 2019 he served in several advisory roles for the China and Chinese entities as required by the DOE, prosecutors said.
....
since 2013, gang chen allegedly received approximately $29 million of foreign funding, including $19 million from the prc’s southern university of science and technology (sustech).

gang chen also allegedly failed to disclose to the irs in his 2018 tax return that he maintained a bank account in the prc with more than $10,000 in 2018.

in july 2019, gang chen was quoted in nature magazine as being critical of the u.s. government’s increased scrutiny of researchers with ties to china.

gang chen has been charged with wire fraud, failing to file a foreign bank account report (fbar) and making a false statement in a tax return.
...

US State Department Releases New Info On Chinese Origins Of COVID-19; Calls For Full Account Of Events
https://swarajyamag.com/insta/us-state- ... -of-events
In a pushback against China, United States (US) Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has shared new information concerning the activities in China’s government laboratories in 2019 as the US looks to assist the World Health Organisation (WHO)'s team which is in China to investigate the origin of COVID-19.

Secretary Pompeo led Department of State has asserted, "The US Government has reason to believe that several researchers inside the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) became sick in autumn 2019, before the first identified case of the outbreak, with symptoms consistent with both COVID-19 and common seasonal illnesses. This raises questions about the credibility of WIV senior researcher Shi Zhengli’s public claim that there was “zero infection” among the WIV’s staff and students of SARS-CoV-2 or SARS-related viruses."

Department of State has also pressed, "Starting in at least 2016, WIV researchers studied RaTG13, the bat coronavirus identified by the WIV in January 2020 as its closest sample to SARS-CoV-2 (96.2% similar). Since the outbreak, the WIV has not been transparent nor consistent about its work with RaTG13 or other similar viruses, including possible “gain of function” experiments to enhance transmissibility or lethality."

The Department has also emphasised, "Despite the WIV presenting itself as a civilian institution, the WIV has collaborated on publications and secret projects with China’s military. The WIV has engaged in classified research, including laboratory animal experiments, on behalf of the Chinese military since at least 2017."
....

Vietnam's omission from Chinese foreign minister's Southeast Asia tour tells a story, observers say
Shi Jiangtao
Sat, January 16, 2021, 3:30 AM·5 min read

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi wrapped up his latest trip to Southeast Asia on Saturday, during which he sought to stabilise relations in the region ahead of the inauguration of Joe Biden as US president. But of the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), Wang has visited in recent months, one was conspicuously missing: Vietnam.

It is hardly a coincidence, according to diplomatic observers, as China has moved Asean up in its foreign policy priorities in recent months in the midst of its spiralling geopolitical rivalry with the US, Europe and America's allies and partners in Asia-Pacific.


China and Vietnam have clashed in the South China Sea. Photo: Reuters alt=China and Vietnam have clashed in the South China Sea. Photo: Reuters

Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China.

Observers say Wang skipping Vietnam lays bare the growing antagonism and tensions between the old Communist allies over their South China Sea dispute, which have been compounded by the US factor and uncertainties over internal power politics in Hanoi.

While Asean overtook the European Union as China's top trading partner last year, Vietnam replaced Germany as China's sixth-largest trading partner, thanks to the surging two-way trade between Beijing and Hanoi despite strained political ties and the coronavirus pandemic.

However, according to Zhang Mingliang, a Southeast Asian affairs expert at Jinan University in Guangzhou, Vietnam was the first Asean nation to move to reject Chinese telecoms giant Huawei Technologies and close its China border in the wake of the pandemic.

Also, unlike many Asean countries that have shown enthusiasm for Chinese-made Covid-19 vaccines, which have been a main feature of Wang's regional diplomacy, Vietnam has adopted a more diversified strategy in its negotiations of buying products from Britain, the US, Russia and China.

Apart from Vietnam's grievances over China's perceived bullying in the maritime dispute and the soaring anti-Chinese sentiments, the biggest variable in bilateral ties is the upcoming leadership transition in one of the world's most secretive political systems.

The 13th national congress of Vietnam's ruling Communist Party to be held later this month will decide the country's new leadership and how it will steer through the fast changing regional geopolitics.

"The uncertainty of five-yearly leadership transition has thrown the already murky political situation in Vietnam into further doubt, posing unprecedented challenges to other countries in the region including China," Zhang said.

While China needed to manage ties with Vietnam, it had to tread carefully to avoid getting caught in Vietnam's domestic political struggle, as various factions might want to play the China card in their intensified jostling behind the scenes, he said.

Despite close economic and trade ties, there have been few top-level exchanges between China and Vietnam in recent months, especially person-to-person meetings between government and party leaders, which have traditionally played a pivotal role in steadying ties.

"I am not optimistic about bilateral ties because they will be shrouded in greater uncertainty amid policy debates over how Vietnam would position itself in the US-China rivalry. Vietnam's relations with China would largely be decided by its stance on the new US administration," Zhang said.

Xu Liping, a Southeast Asia specialist at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, also attributed the lack of high-level meetings to Vietnam's domestic uncertainties.

"There are indeed some gaps between our expectations for bilateral ties and the reality. But I still think both sides are likely to resume some sort of communications at top level after the leadership transition," he said.

As the only Southeast Asian nation to take on China both over the South China Sea and management of the Mekong River, Vietnam has become a focal point in the US-China wrangling.

Washington has tried hard in recent months to pull China's communist neighbour closer to its orbit, with senior officials, including US national security adviser Robert O'Brien and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, making separate trips to Hanoi.

According to Xu, while it is understandable for Vietnam to count on the US and other regional powers, such as India and Japan, to counterbalance China in the South China Sea, it should be careful to manage its expectations of external interference.

"Vietnam has become increasingly confident in recent years in forging closer ties with major powers around the world and its geopolitical significance has been widely acknowledged. But it may need to refrain from asking for too much from China in the maritime dispute because countries outside the region may not be able to contain China after all," he said.

Zhang said Beijing should also be wary of the incoming Biden administration, which looked set to boost economic and security ties with Hanoi in its multilateral approach to curbing China.

"The risk of confrontation is rising," he said. "Wang Yi has reiterated the importance of regional stability throughout his Southeast Asian tours, which shows Beijing clearly understands it faces growing challenges to prevent relations with its neighbours from further deteriorating."

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2021 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2021. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cyrano wrote:

Haresh wrote:Why China Is Winning Against India

https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/01/01/in ... -standoff/

Very poor arguments by whoever this Sushant Singh is, he is stuck in the "we are poor so we can't fight Yindoo growth rate 80's mindset". Looks like he is also in line get a teaching position at Harvard soon

I would argue the contrary: Chinese aggressing has helped India in many ways: !

WASHINGTON — The State Department declared on Tuesday that the Chinese government is committing genocide and crimes against humanity through its wide-scale repression of Uighurs and other mostly Muslim ethnic minorities in its northwestern region of Xinjiang, including in its use of internment camps and forced sterilization.

Bolstering India's Credentials As World's Vaccine Hub, 92 Countries Approach Modi Govt For Made-In-India Covid Vaccines
https://swarajyamag.com/insta/bolsterin ... d-vaccines

Cyrano wrote:

Haresh wrote:Why China Is Winning Against India

https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/01/01/in ... -standoff/

Very poor arguments by whoever this Sushant Singh is, he is stuck in the "we are poor so we can't fight Yindoo growth rate 80's mindset". Looks like he is also in line get a teaching position at Harvard soon

Chinese nationals arrested near Delhi for alleged money laundering
https://www.wionews.com/india-news/chin ... ing-359074
Anti-Terrorist Squad of Uttar Pradesh Police on Sunday said that two Chinese nationals had been arrested from Noida for their alleged role in money laundering. Both of them, including a woman allegedly forged documents to bank accounts. The ATS said that the money was used criminal activities.

Names of the accused are Pochnli Tengli and Xu Xunfu.
....

Bart S wrote:

Cyrano wrote: He is another old ecosystem guy who really hates Modi.

Almost 70 representatives from G7 nations pen letter to their leaders, urge them to take ‘allied action’ against China: Details
https://www.opindia.com/2021/01/67-legi ... na-letter/
...
The legislators in their statement said, “Because the actions of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) are affecting global politics and our societies like never before, the G7 must stand up for the democratic principles we share and believe in. Representing the interests of our electorates, we urgently call our leaders to unite around a plan of action that addresses internal and external PRC behavior which we consider contradictory to international standards.”
...

g.sarkar wrote:https://www.india.com/news/india/india- ... d-4355038/
India-China Standoff: 4 Indian Soldiers, 20 Chinese Injured in Face-off at LAC in Sikkim
By India.com News Desk, Edited by Sharmita Kar, January 25, 2021
According to reports, the Indian Army foiled the attempt by China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers to change the status quo at Naku La area of Sikkim.
New Delhi: At least four Indians and 20 Chinese soldiers have been injured in yet another scuffle reported between India and China at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Sikkim. The incident happened two to three days back on the foreground of the 9th round of Commander-level talks. Also Read - Ladakh Standoff: India-China Hold 9th Round of Talks of Military Talks | What to Expect
According to reports, the Indian Army foiled the attempt by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers to change the status quo at Naku La area of Sikkim. However, the situation appears to be tense but stable at borders right now, officials have said.
.....
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ind ... 444001.cms
India, China troops clash at Naku L ..
....
Gautam
Is it deja vu all over again? I thought I was reading old news and had to check the date. But it is Sikkim this time. May be Eleven wants to see how the new POTUS responds. Or is it because of the free vaccine that India is giving to the neighborhood?

...........

The air exercises also sent a warning to the Biden administration. It did not take long for the Biden team to push back. The State Department on Saturday issued a statement calling on China to “cease its military, diplomatic, and economic pressure against Taiwan and instead engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan’s democratically elected representatives.” It pointedly declared America’s “commitment to Taiwan is rock solid.”

Perhaps most significantly, the statement mentioned the robust but often ignored Reagan-era “Six Assurances.” As John Tkacik, a retired foreign service officer who served in Beijing and Taipei, told me, “The Biden commitment to the ‘Six Assurances’ is diplomatese for ‘the U.S. does not accept China’s claims to sovereignty over Taiwan.’”

........

Biden’s Taiwan policy, however, is shaping up to be resolute. In a move that surprised observers, his transition team invited Taiwan’s top representative in Washington, Bikhim Hsiao, to the inauguration. Her presence ended four decades of America’s shunning of Taiwan at the ceremony. The move continued the Trump administration’s outreach to Taipei. With Washington’s new engagement of Taiwan, it appears China no longer wields a veto over American policy toward the island.

NRao wrote:China threatens war as Joe Biden continues the outreach to Taiwan

.........

Initiating his China policy with the most aggressive concatenation of moves against a foreign power that any peacetime U.S. administration has ever launched so early on, President Biden has thrown down a gauntlet that Beijing is unlikely to ignore. Besides issuing a formal invitation to Taiwan’s top Washington representative to attend the inauguration (the first such invitation since the U.S. established formal relations with Beijing in 1979), the incoming team has pledged to continue arms sales to Taiwan and indicated that it wants to delay high-level U.S.-China talks until it consults with close allies—a stand that China will interpret as a rebuff. As if this weren’t enough, Secretary of State-designate Antony Blinken announced that he concurs with his predecessor Mike Pompeo’s finding that China is engaged in a genocide against its mostly Muslim Uighur minority in Xinjiang province. Taken with the previously planned dispatch of a naval strike group to the South China Sea, it all amounts to a stern message to Beijing.

...........

durairaaj wrote:I think, time has come to change the external affairs minister S. JaiShankar. His Sinophilic ways are being discredited continuously by PRC.

The United States must think creatively about how we might stop a rival great power from starting down the road to war. As an illustrative example, what capabilities would U.S. forces need to credibly threaten to sink 300 military vessels, submarines, and merchant ships within 72 hours?

• sustaining current US force levels in the Indo-Pacific region (because to do otherwise would cause China to conclude that the United States has begun to retreat from its alliance commitments), while also modernizing military doctrine, platforms, and capabilities to ensure robust regionwide deterrence
• stabilizing relations with Russia and encouraging the same between Russia and Japan
• concluding a fully operationalized Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) with India, Japan, and Australia by inducing India to abandon its final political and strategic reservations against such an arrangement
• facilitating the normalization of Japan-South Korea relations to prevent Korea from continuing to drift strategically in China’s direction
• prioritizing trade, investment, development, diplomatic, and security relations between the United States and each of the Southeast Asian states, particularly with US allies Thailand and the Philippines, to prevent further strategic drift by Southeast Asia toward China
• protecting the global reserve currency status of the US dollar
• protecting critical new technologies, both US and allied, from Chinese acquisition
• integrating, to the greatest extent possible, the US, Canadian, and Mexican economies into a seamless market of five-hundred million in order to underpin long-term economic strength relative to China
• renegotiating the transpacific partnership agreement and then acceding to it
• negotiating a transatlantic trade and investment partnership with the European Union and acceding to it, along with other potential agreements on technology or other issues
• enforcing China’s pledges on trade and investment liberalization, state subsidies, dumping, and intellectual-property protection, in partnership with friends and allies, through a reformed multilateral trade dispute-resolution mechanism
• reforming and reviving the World Trade Organization (WTO), its dispute-resolution machinery, and the integrity of international trade law rather than allowing further incremental drift toward global protectionism
• investing at scale, alongside US allies, in the World Bank and the regional development banks, in order to provide emerging economies with an effective means of funding the development of their national infrastructure, thus encouraging use of the World Bank (including its transparent governance standards) as a credible alternative to the BRI
• revitalizing the UN and other multilateral and international institutions as the cornerstones of global political governance
• rebuilding the State Department including its operational budgets and staffing levels to be able to diplomatically compete with China globally
• increasing US overseas development aid through the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and established United Nations (UN) humanitarian agencies in order to, together with US allies, sustain donor dominance over China through coordinated global aid delivery
• strengthening, consistent with existing international treaties, multilateral human rights institutional arrangements to maintain multilateral pressure on both China’s domestic human rights practices as well as the Communist Party’s international political legitimacy