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It was he first time since the survey began that people in ASEAN picked China over the US if forced to take sides.
The ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore released its annual report titled "State of Southeast Asia 2024" in April, after surveying opinions from nearly 2,000 people representing five groups across the 10 ASEAN countries. The report revealed that in a survey on the economic influence of major powers on ASEAN, 70.6% of Thai people believed that China had the most economic influence on ASEAN, behind Laos, where 77.5% expressed the same opinion. Laos and Thailand are the only two ASEAN countries that attributed more than 70% of economic influence to China, significantly outpacing other major powers in terms of economic influence in the region, such as the US, Japan, and the European Union. The US is perceived to have an economic influence of only 8.1% and 11.4%, respectively. While similar views were held in other ASEAN countries, the exception was the Philippines, where China’s economic influence was seen at 30.7%, slightly ahead of the US at 27.9%. Even though the sample group in Thailand believes that China has the greatest economic influence on ASEAN by a wide margin, when asked about their "approval/concern" regarding this influence, 80.3% of Thais expressed concern compared to 19.7% who expressed approval. This sentiment aligned with Laos, where the proportions were: 72.7% “concerned” and 22.6% approve. When asked about their decision if they were forced to choose between China and the US, 50.5% of respondents chose China and 49.5% the US. This is the first time in five years since the inception of the annual report that China has edged out the US in the response to this question, the institute said. The survey, conducted between January and February of this year, also represents a significant shift in ASEAN public opinion compared to the previous year, when 61.1% of respondents chose the US and only 38.9% chose China. One of the main factors driving most ASEAN countries to increasingly turn towards China is Beijing’s large-scale policies, investment projects, and economic cooperation agreements in the region, the report said. In 2022, oublethink Lab, in collaboration with the “China in the World” network, unveiled the results of the China Index, which found that "Thailand ranked fourth among countries most influenced by China globally, behind Pakistan, Cambodia, and Singapore, out of a total of 82 countries/economic regions. The index was based on surveys of experts regarding various Chinese activities in each respective country." In the "Indo-Pacific Power" report for 2023 by Lowy Institute, an Australian think tank, it was found that since 2018 the US has consistently lost influence to China in four key areas in the Indo-Pacific region. They include economic relations, military networks, diplomatic, and cultural influence. In that year, China led the US 52:48. By 2022, China had widened the lead to 54:46. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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China may have built the world’s first “dedicated” drone carrier, military website Naval News reported, citing satellite imagery and an expert. The new aircraft carrier, the building of which has not been publicised by Beijing, could underline China’s aims to advance the military use of drones and their deployment in battle. Video from the first sea trial earlier this month of the Chinese navy’s third and most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian, also showed another giant warship under construction – the Type 076 amphibious assault ship believed to serve as both a helicopter and drone carrier. Naval News reported on Wednesday that satellite imagery from the Jiangsu Dayang shipyard on the Yangtze, far upriver from the major yards of Shanghai, suggested that China had secretly built a new aircraft carrier to specifically host fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). It said the features of the mystery ship, “launched in December 2022 but not reported until now”, were different from regular US or Chinese aircraft carriers. This includes a smaller size – around one-third the length and half the width of a US or Chinese supercarrier – and an “anachronistic” straight deck arrangement that would not allow aircraft to take off and land at the same time. It would be possible to operate fixed-wing aircraft from the vessel, which is wide enough to host aircraft or drones with a wingspan of around 20 metres (about 66 feet), the report said. However, the vessel’s low flight deck suggested insufficient space for an aircraft hangar below to support high tempo or prolonged flight operations, it said. This would limit the number of aircraft supported by the ship but “make sense” as a drone carrier. It is immediately apparent that it is, in general arrangement, an aircraft carrier of some sort. It has a marked runaway running along the port [on the left side] with an island superstructure on the starboard [right] side,” the Naval News report said. “Beyond this, it is unusual in every respect. The hull is a widely spaced catamaran. While catamarans are often featured in aircraft carrier concepts because they allow a large deck area, no one has actually built one before.” Navies around the world have been running trials to operate UAVs from regular aircraft carriers as drones become a key part of warfare, with frequent usage in the ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, Some countries, such as Iran and Türkiye, are also said to be working on plans to build carriers specifically designated to host drones.
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US President Joe Biden’s cabinet has made a major policy mistake by driving Russia and China into a strategic partnership,
Heritage Foundation fellow Michael Pillsbury said on Thursday. Pillsbury spoke to Fox and Friends as Russian President Vladimir Putin met with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing on his first foreign trip since inauguration. “To draw, to push together two nuclear powers, Russia and China, it’s really a blunder of the highest order,” he told Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade. According to Pillsbury, China spent much of the past 75 years in conflict with the Soviet Union, “so to see them come together like this to me is just shocking.” Pillsbury has helped Washington formulate its China policy since the 1970s. He held a variety of posts at the Pentagon and as a staff member for the US Senate, before settling at China-centric desks at the Hudson Institute and later at Heritage. It has long been a policy objective of Washington to keep China and Russia apart, starting with President Richard Nixon’s detente with Beijing in the 1970s. This policy was in effect as late as 2020, with President Donald Trump trying to use tariffs to pressure China into working with the US, noted Pillsbury. “This would never happen under Trump,” he said. “This was one of Trump’s goals never to allow this to happen.” When Kilmeade suggested that China “needs” the US and EU markets, so the West has leverage over Beijing, Pillsbury pointed out that this “simply isn’t happening under Biden.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also commented on the US attempts to split China away from Russia. In an interview on Thursday, he said that China was “strong enough” to resist the “brazen” attempts at pressure. China and Russia both “defend the principles of fairness and the democratic world order based on the multipolar realities and international law,” Putin said on Thursday, adding that relations between the two countries “are not aimed against anyone.” Putin described the Russo-Chinese cooperation as “one of the main stabilizing factors on the international stage.” Xi agreed, arguing that ties between Beijing and Moscow are a “model of relations between large powers and neighbouring states, characterized by mutual respect, trust, friendship and mutual benefit.” The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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Putin and Xi meet in Beijing5/16/2024 Russian President Vladimir Putin is meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing during his state visit to China on Thursday.
It is Putin’s first foreign trip since he was sworn in for a fifth term as president earlier this month. The leaders shook hands outside the Great Hall of the People building on Tiananmen Square and listened to a military orchestra perform the two countries’ national anthems. They later posed for photographs and left for a meeting between the delegations. Putin is accompanied by multiple state ministers, who will participate in the negotiations on joint projects aimed at deepening bilateral ties. In an interview with Xinhua before the trip, Putin hailed the “unprecedented level of strategic partnership” between the two states. “Having lasted three quarters of a century, China-Russia relations have grown from strength to strength despite the ups and downs, and have stood the test of changing international landscape,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday. “Steady development of China-Russia relations is … conducive to peace, stability and prosperity of the region and the world at large.” Russia and China have similar positions on the Ukraine conflict. Speaking to Xinhua, Putin praised Beijing for understanding “its root causes and global geopolitical significance.” China has refused to blame Russia for the tensions and instead condemned the expansion of NATO and Washington’s “Cold-War mentality.” The fighting between Russia and Ukraine entered its third year in February, with Kiev’s Western backers renewing their pledges to support Ukraine with money and weapons for “as long as it takes.” At the same time, tensions continue between China and the US in the Indo-Pacific and elsewhere. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg recently described China as “the main country that is enabling Russia to conduct its war of aggression.” Beijing unveiled its 12-point roadmap to peace in Ukraine last year, emphasizing on diplomacy. “We should prioritize the upholding of peace and stability and refrain from seeking selfish gains,” Xi said last month, urging all sides to “cool down the situation and not add fuel to the fire.” Beijing also rejected Washington’s sanctions policy and trade war as a way to ensure a dominant position on the world stage. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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The video-sharing platform YouTube on Tuesday said it would block access inside Hong Kong to 32 links featuring the protest anthem "Glory to Hong Kong" in compliance with a court injunction that provoked strong criticism from rights groups. The Hong Kong government has deemed the song, which was sung widely at anti-government protests in 2019, to be a danger to security in the semi-autonomous Chinese region. In approving the government's application to ban the song, Hong Kong's Court of Appeal agreed it could be "weaponized" and used to incite secession. What did YouTube say?
YouTube said that although it was complying with the recent injunction by the court, it was concerned that such moves could damage the city's reputation as a reliable place to do business. "We are disappointed by the Court's decision but are complying with its removal order," YouTube said in a statement. "We'll continue to consider our options for an appeal, to promote access to information," it said, adding that it shared the concerns of human rights groups that the ban undermined freedom of expression. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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Unpacking China’s GDP5/14/2024 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is a key indicator of a nation’s overall economic size and power. GDP is generally defined as the total market value of all the finished goods and services produced within a country’s borders in a specific time period. GDP is by no means a perfect economic indicator. It lacks the complexity needed to provide a richer picture of economic health and productivity, and China’s official economic figures are known to be distorted. Nevertheless, GDP is among the most cited macroeconomic datapoints and warrants tracking. When it comes to GDP, China is a global outlier in many respects. Its economy is far larger than that of developing countries, and it has sustained decades of rapid economic growth. Yet China’s economy also differs in many respects from the world’s leading, advanced economies. This ChinaPower tracker includes 10 charts with up-to-date data to help break down and compare key aspects of China’s GDP. Measuring China’s GDP For centuries, China and India each accounted for between one-fourth and one-third of global GDP, thanks in large part to their sprawling populations. This changed abruptly in the 19th century as industrialization enabled rapid increases in productivity in the United States and Europe. China and India correspondingly saw their relative share of the global economy shrink. This persisted until the late 1970s when China began initiating market-based reforms and opening to the outside world, which helped kickstart and sustain economic growth. Today, China’s share of global GDP stands at over 18 percent when adjusted for price differences—the largest of any country. The methods used to measure and compare GDP can significantly alter the outcomes. One method, nominal GDP, measures the goods and services produced in each country and converts them to a common currency such as the U.S. Dollar. This method is the most straightforward, but it allows for distortions resulting from price and currency fluctuations. Another method measures GDP at Purchasing Power Parity (PPP), which accounts for price level differences between countries. Measuring based on PPP has a large impact when comparing wealthy countries to developing countries. China’s nominal GDP is the second-largest after the United States, but measured at PPP, China’s GDP is larger than that of the United States by a considerable margin.1 In many respects, China is an outlier among the world’s large economies. Most leading economies are in open, democratic societies, but China is an authoritarian state that significantly curtails individual freedoms. One way of showing China’s outlier status is by plotting GDP against Freedom Scores, a measure devised by Freedom House to assess political rights and civil liberties around the world. In 2022, China received a Freedom Score of 9—one of the lowest in the world, indicating “not free.” The other top-five largest economies (the United States, Japan, Germany, and the United Kingdom) all had scores above 80, indicating “free.” The next largest economy to share a similar Freedom Score with China—Saudi Arabia—has a GDP of $1.1 trillion—just 6 percent of the size of China’s. China is also an outlier among many other leading economies in that it still labels itself a developing economy and seeks the accompanying benefits in international organizations. Yet the developing country label belies the more complex reality that development is highly uneven within China. Many of its coastal provinces are far wealthier than inland and western regions. In 2022, China’s wealthiest region, Beijing, boasted a per capita GDP of about $28,300, which is on par with many high income, advanced economies. However, China’s poorest province, Gansu, has a per capita GDP of less than $6,700, which is approximately equal to that of Libya.
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Putin to visit China this Week5/14/2024 Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to China later this week to meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, the Kremlin has announced.
It will be the Russian leader’s first foreign trip of his new presidential term. In a statement on Tuesday, the Kremlin said that the state visit at the invitation of the Chinese leader is scheduled for May 16 and 17. During the summit, the two leaders “will discuss in detail the entire range of issues of comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction” between Moscow and Beijing, as well as determine key directions for the further development of Russian-Chinese ties. Putin and Xi will also discuss the “most pressing international and regional issues,” the Kremlin added. The leaders are expected to sign a joint statement and a number of bilateral documents, the announcement said, without giving further details. The Russian leader will also hold talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, the second-highest ranking official in the country. The meeting will focus on bilateral trade, economic and humanitarian cooperation. In addition, Putin and Xi will attend a gala marking the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Moscow and Beijing, as well as the opening of the Russian-Chinese Years of Culture.The Russian president will also visit the city of Harbin in northeast China, which was founded by Russian settlers in the late 19th century. There, he will take part in the opening ceremony of the Russian-Chinese EXPO, which will be held from May 17 to 21. Putin will also oversee the opening of the Russian-Chinese Forum on Interregional Cooperation, and meet with students and professors of Harbin Institute of Technology. Russia and China have maintained close ties for several decades, declaring in early February 2022 that “friendship between the two states has no limits, there are no ‘forbidden’ areas of cooperation.” Against this backdrop, Beijing has not denounced Moscow’s military campaign against Kiev, nor joined unprecedented Western sanctions over the conflict. At the same time, China has floated a plan to settle the Ukraine conflict, calling for a ceasefire, “respecting the sovereignty of all countries” and “abandoning the Cold War mentality.” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov praised the initiative, noting that it is the most “clear” and detailed plan of its kind. In March 2023, Chinese leader Xi Jinping paid a landmark visit to Moscow, with the two sides signing a package of documents on economic cooperation. In October of that year, Putin traveled to the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing where he held one-on-one talks with Xi, discussing a number of “sensitive issues.” The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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Students from China and Hong Kong who are studying at European or North American universities may be far away from home, but they are also menacingly within reach of their home governments.
The message we get, Chinese student Rowan* told the human rights organization Amnesty International is: "You are being watched, and though we are on the other side of the planet, we can still reach you." Rowan is one of 32 students Amnesty interviewed for its report entitled "On My Campus, I Am Afraid." Researchers sought to document China's transnational repression at universities and spoke with Chinese students in eight countries: Belgium, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Canada and the United States. The real names of all individuals and universities have been withheld in order to protect their identities. Threats against families in China Rowan told Amnesty that she took part in a commemoration of the Tiananmen Square massacre that was held in the city where she studies. Commemorating the bloody suppression of the pro-democracy movement that took place in Beijing on June 4, 1989, is banned in China and Hong Kong. Only a few hours after the protest, Rowan's father contacted her from China, saying security officials had told him to keep his daughter from taking part in events that could damage China's reputation in the world. Rowan had not given her name to anyone and had not reported on her participation anywhere. Amnesty also spoke with Chinese students in Europe. Before Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Paris earlier this month, Yongzhe* told DW that Chinese authorities threatened those who planned to organize demonstrations and paid visits to their families in China. This kind of thing happens frequently, Yongzhe added. Amnesty International concluded that it's not only the students who are getting the message. "Exercising freedom of expression is not acceptable. No matter where you are, whether in Germany, France or elsewhere, there is no way to escape China's surveillance." The students' family members back in China are also being threatened, Theresa Bergmann told DW. She is an Asia expert with the German branch of Amnesty International. "For example, there have been threats to confiscate passports, terminate jobs and cut pensions or restrict educational opportunities if students continue their activities abroad," she said." These attempts at intimidation are coming from government officials in China," said Bergmann. Accounts of Chinese repression Many students from China and Hong Kong studying overseas live in fear of intimidation and surveillance, according to Amnesty International, with Chinese and Hong Kong authorities trying to prevent them from raising controversial issues. Authorities have targeted any show of solidarity with the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong and the 2022 White Paper protests in China, in which people used blank sheets of white paper to protest against draconian measures to curb the COVID-19 measures imposed and against restrictions on freedom of expression. Bergmann said Amnesty has raised the allegations with authorities in China and Hong Kong. "We have not received any response from mainland China," she said, adding that "a sort of denial" had come from Hong Kong. Students are a particularly vulnerable group because of their residency status and financial situation, she explained. Amnesty's researchers cannot speak for all of the estimated 900,000 Chinese students living abroad, but the accounts of repression are similar across borders and match previously known cases. In 2023, the investigative platform Correctiv reported on how China tightly controls students who have received scholarships from the government's China Scholarship Council in Germany and prevents them from making any critical statements. WeChat used to spy on students online One student who took part in a protest and then took a selfie in front of the embassy reported that she was followed on her way from the embassy to the subway," said Bergmann, describing an account from a student in Germany. When students are followed or photographed at protests, it has not always been clear whether this was on behalf of the Chinese government. Online surveillance plays a very important role. There are many indications that the Chinese app WeChat provides data to the government in Beijing. "We have cases where WeChat accounts have been closed or content blocked because people have spoken out openly about protests," Amnesty states in its report, calling this the "Great Firewall." Students rely on state-approved apps like WeChat to communicate with relatives and friends in China, even though it may be monitored. Surveillance and intimidation are frightening Chinese and Hong Kong students studying abroad, Amnesty reported. This has resulted in emotional stress and even depression. "I sought support from the university's psychological counselling service after having psychological problems, but they had little understanding of the Chinese context and were unable to provide effective support," student Xing Dongzhe* said. Some students sever ties with their families in order to protect them, said Bergmann. Almost half of those interviewed are afraid to return home. Six said they wanted to apply for asylum in the country where they were studying The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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Is is a Panda or......?5/11/2024 Taizhou Zoo opened an exhibit on May 1 called Xiong Mao Quan, which translates as "panda dogs."
Visitors had to pay 20 yuan (2.62 euros) to see the new attraction. Chinese day trippers and other tourists visiting the animals during the May holidays discovered that they were chow chows, a breed of dog from northern China known for its thick coat. The dogs were painted black and white to resemble panda cubs, according to Chinese media. The animals were exhibited daily between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. and attracted large numbers of visitors. Visitors will "inevitably feel disappointed and cheated when they discover the truth" about the exhibition, the English-language state media The Global Times wrote, citing lawyers. A zoo employee denied the allegations of misleading advertising. "This is just a new exhibition that we are offering to visitors," he told the newspaper on Monday. “We do not charge any additional costs. The name 'panda dogs' describes exactly what they are, so we are not misleading our visitors.” A zoo spokesperson defended the new attraction to the British news agency Jam Press. “People also dye their hair. Natural dye can be used on dogs if they have a long coat. We don't have pandas in the zoo and that's why we decided to do this.” Not the first time According to the New York Post, zoo workers cut the "manes" of two chow chows and painted their faces black to resemble miniature pandas. It is not the first time that a Chinese zoo has been accused of advertising fake pandas. In 2010, a zoo in Zhengzhou in central Henan province bought four black-and-white painted chow chows and a golden retriever painted as a tiger from an animal market in an effort to attract visitors, Reuters news agency reported, citing local media. Other Chinese zoos have been accused of trying to pass off dogs with cut and dyed fur as wolves or African cats. In 2023, the Hangzhou Zoo became controversial after a video of a Malaysian sun bear named Angela went viral. The animal walked on its hind legs, fueling speculation that it was a human dressed up in an ill-fitting bear suit. A zoo employee said on WeChat at the time: "Our zoo is managed by the government, so situations like that will never happen. The temperature in summer is almost 40 degrees. If you put on a fur suit, you are guaranteed not to be able to last more than a few minutes without collapsing.” The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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Increasing numbers of young people in Japan are adopting a new type of marital relationship that requires neither love nor sex, in a trend called “friendship marriage”.
Around one per cent of Japan’s population of 124 million are possible candidates for the arrangement. They include asexual individuals, homosexuals, and heterosexuals who are disillusioned with traditional marriage. The figures come from data collected by Colorus, an agency that claims to be the first and only one in Japan that specialises in friendship marriages. Since the agency’s inception in March 2015, about 500 members have formed friendship marriage households, and some have raised children. The Peet Journal finds out more about the trend. What is it? Friendship marriage is defined as “a cohabitating relationship based on shared interests and values.” It is not about traditional romantic love or marrying a best friend. In such relationships, the partners are legally spouses, but without romantic love or sexual interaction. Couples may live together or separately. If they decide to have children, they might decide to use artificial insemination. Both individuals are free to pursue romantic relationships with other people outside the marriage, as long as there is mutual agreement. “Friendship marriage is like finding a roommate with similar interests,” explained someone who has been in such an arrangement for three years. “I’m not suited to be someone’s girlfriend, but I can be a good friend. I only wanted someone with similar tastes to do things we both enjoy, to chat and laugh with,” another said. Before marrying, couples usually spend hours or days agreeing on the details of their life, such as whether to eat meals together, how to split expenses, who does the laundry, and how to allocate refrigerator space. Such discussions may seem unromantic, but they have helped about 80 per cent of couples to live happily together and in many cases have children, Colorus said. Who does it? Individuals interested in friendship marriage are, on average, 32.5 years old with incomes exceeding the national average, and about 85 per cent have a bachelor’s degree or higher, according to Colorus. The trend is particularly appealing to asexual individuals and homosexuals. Many asexuals, who are unable to feel sexual desire or fall in love, still crave connection and companionship. Homosexuals may opt for friendship marriages as an alternative because same-sex marriage is not legal in Japan. Some heterosexual young people, who dislike traditional marriage patterns or romantic relationships, but are subject to societal pressures, have also been embracing the new trend. About 75 per cent of Japanese in their thirties still view marriage as a life goal, as reported by the Japanese Cabinet Office. However, 47.2 per cent of Japanese married couples have not had sex in the past month, and the number is rising, a 2016 survey showed. Seeking alternatives to traditional marriage, people have turned to friendship marriage to present a “stable and mature” image for career advancement or to please their parents. In Japan, being married has tax benefits and it remains very difficult for single women to have children. More than 70 per cent of partners in friendship marriages did so to have children. Although these types of relationships sometimes end in divorce, the advantages include enjoying policy benefits, companionship and “helping those who feel lost, dislike traditional marriage, or consider themselves social outcasts”, Colorus said. Outside Japan Worldwide, young people are increasingly exploring relationship arrangements beyond traditional marriage norms. Two 24-year-old women from Singapore, who have been close friends since childhood, decided to become life partners and live together in Los Angeles. Their relationship is not sexual. In China, a growing number of young people are choosing to buy houses and live with close friends. Marriage lawyer Zhao Li uses a common Chinese saying, “More than friends, less than lovers” to describe friendship marriage and emphasises the importance of signing a prenuptial agreement. “Although a non-sexual marriage might not be for everyone, it is not necessarily unhealthy or abnormal,” said Ma Xiaonian, a Chinese doctor with more than 30 years experience in sex education and relevant research. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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