The ruling party from the outset painted the CPEC as a generous gift of our brotherly all- weather friend from the north. Thereby it also inadvertently painted itself into a corner, a precarious place from which none can question the generous purpose behind the gigantic venture: ‘never look a gift horse in the mouth’, was Islamabad’s motto. But shutting the door on transparency and not taking affected people into confidence does not mean that the…
Posts published in “Day: January 4, 2017”
A CALL put out by three medium-sized chambers of commerce deserves careful consideration. Business leaders from Sialkot, Gujrat and Gujranwala recently met to issue a call urging greater disclosure on future plans for expansion of Chinese industry in the country, as well as the treatment they are receiving from tax authorities, especially in the matter of refunds. The community in these towns, that lie in the Punjab heartland so vital for electoral prospects of the…
GUJRAT: The three chambers of commerce and industry of what is termed as “golden industrial triangle” comprising Gujrat, Gujranwala and Sialkot cities, have expressed their grave concern over China’s reported plan of establishing industrial units and warehouses along the route of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The leadership of these three chambers has also urged the federal government to take the business community of these industrial cities in confidence about the nature of China’s…
Death, corruption and voterigging scandals have thinned the ranks of China’s legislature by more than 100 lawmakers over the past four years, resulting in a sharp increase in vacancies. According to a statement from the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, there are now 2,879 qualified delegates, leaving 108 vacancies to be filled. That compared to just nine seats vacant when former president Hu Jintao handed over the reins to Xi Jinping in 2012.…
Chinese President Xi Jinping has accused five disgraced Communist Party heavyweights of involvement in “political conspiracies”, signalling power struggles – and not just corruption – led to their downfalls. In a keynote speech to party leaders in October, Xi said Zhou Yongkang, Bo Xilai, Guo Boxiong, Xu Caihou and Ling Jihua “all engaged in political conspiracy activities”, according a copy of the address published by Xinhua on Sunday. “[The five were] not only greedy financially…
An updated border regulation which specifies the areas under its coverage in Tibet took effect on Sunday, amid a growing incidence of separatist and terrorist activities. The designated border areas under the new regulation now include land ports, trade zones and scenic spots, expanding the scope of the old regulation that has been in effect since 2000. As Tibet further opens up with fast economic development, the border areas have witnessed more disputes and diverse…