By PAUL MOZUR and CECILIA KANG in The NY Times online, JUNE 29, 2017 When President Trump talked tough about China’s economic impact on America during the campaign, he criticized its trade policies and its approach to its currency. Yet one of the first pieces of legislation under the Trump administration that could have a major impact on the economic relationship between the two countries centers on something different: Chinese deal making in the United…
Posts published in June 2017
by Zhenhua Lu, US correspondent in South China Morning Post, June 30, 2017 Zhenhua Lu, US correspondent The US will impose unilateral sanctions on one Chinese bank, two individuals and one shipping company over their alleged “illicit financing” and “continued support” of North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced on Thursday at the White House. The US Treasury has identified the Bank of Dandong “to be a foreign financial…
by Frank Tang in South China Morning Post, June 30, 2017 Beijing is redoubling its efforts to lure foreign investors by promising them easier market access and fairer treatment after inbound foreign direct investment fell for a second straight year and the Trump administration launched a plan to lure businesses back to the US with lower tax rates. In the last two weeks, the Chinese government has shortened the list of sectors that are off-limits…
Reuters report in South China Morning Post, June 30, 2017 China’s manufacturing grew at the quickest pace in three months in June, buoyed by strong new orders in a sign of stabilising growth, although analysts expect a further slowdown in the world’s second-biggest economy is inevitable as Beijing cracks down on debt risks. The surprising strength in the vast manufacturing sector defied expectations for a cooling, thanks to robust external demand that underscored why global…
By Reuters in The Express Tribune, June 30, 2017 China has built new military facilities on islands in the South China Sea, a US think tank reported on Thursday, a move that could raise tensions with Washington, which has accused Beijing of militarizing the vital waterway. The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI), part of Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies, said new satellite images show missile shelters and radar and communications facilities being built…
by Uzair M. Younus in Dawn, June 29th, 2017 The writer is a South Asia analyst at Albright Stonebridge Group in Washington D.C. IN recent months, several insightful analyses have been written about the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), raising pertinent questions about the lack of transparency around Chinese investments. This being Pakistan, questions were also raised about the patriotism and loyalty of those raising valid issues. An op-ed by a minister went so far as…
By Zhang Hui in Global Times, June 28, 2017 at 20:43:39 The resignation of a former deputy commander of the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Rocket Force as a lawmaker over suspected violations of law and discipline, the latest case involving a high-ranking military official, shows the military is moving to eliminate the bad influence of former disgraced Central Military Commission (CMC) vice-chairmen, Guo Boxiong and Xu Caihou, experts said. The reason for Wang Jiurong’s resignation…
Reuters report in The Nation online, June 28, 2017 at 9:06 am Pakistan faces some challenges in steering an ambitious plan to build an economic corridor with China despite the economic benefits for the country, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said on Wednesday. China has promised $57 billion in investment in projects along the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, part of its ambitious Belt and Road plan linking China with the Middle East and Europe. Chinese President Xi…
China released Tuesday an emergency response plan for Internet security incidents. The plan was formulated and released by the Office of the Central Leading Group for Cyberspace Affairs, to “improve handling of cybersecurity incidents, prevent and reduce damage, protect the public interest and safeguard national security, public safety and social order.” The plan divides cyber security incidents into six categories, including pernicious procedural incidents, cyber attacks and information security incidents. It also defines four-levels of…
Xinhua report in Global Times, June 27, 2017 at 17:23:05 China and Kyrgyzstan frontier forces on Tuesday held a joint anti-terrorist exercise in Kizilsu Kirgiz Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, in northwest China. The drill, carried out under the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), was witnessed by representatives from Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, all the SCO member countries. A total of 700 police officers from the two countries, aided by…
By Zhang Jiegen in Global Times, June 26, 2017 at 18:43:44 The author is an associate research fellow at the Pakistan Research Center of Fudan University. Many Chinese have serious concerns about the security environment and prospects of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) after the recent kidnapping and alleged murder of their compatriots there. But I found the misgivings were not necessary after carrying out on-the-spot research at Chinese and local enterprises in Pakistan, and…