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At the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s regular news conference on April 3, spokesperson Wang Wenbin commented on rising tensions between the Philippines and China, saying: “The Philippines keeps accusing China of ‘intimidating smaller countries’ without mentioning at all the Philippine occupation and encroachment on China’s territory in Nansha Qundao. That is a real propaganda ‘trap.’ The Ren’ai Jiao issue is not a case of the big bullying small but unfulfilled promises and deliberate provocations …” The comment came amid growing tension between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea. He added, “The Philippines has been pursuing selfish gains at the expense of the consensus reached by countries in the region. This is the main reason why the situation in the South China Sea has escalated and become more complicated.” That is false. First, it is worth noting the instances documented by the Philippine coast guard and independent media of China’s gray zone activities and aggressive actions toward Philippine vessels. For instance, on April 4, Jay Tarriela, spokesperson of the Philippine coast guard, reported that China’s coast guard used water cannons to threaten two Filipino fishing ships. China has also used collision and ramming tactics, undersea barriers and a military-grade laser to stop Philippine resupply and patrol missions. In addition, there is no official “promise” between the Philippines and China. China has alluded to a supposed gentleman’s agreement established between China and former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. Current Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. noted that he was not made aware of such an agreement — it was never written down — and he was “horrified by the idea …” He also issued a statement: “Let us not fall into the trap set by Chinese propaganda of refocusing the debate on a so-called promise, while deflecting attention away from China’s government, thereby freeing and allowing them to continue with their illegal activities.” The deal was semi corroborated by former Philippine presidential spokesperson Harry Roque and further clarified by Duterte himself on April 12. Duterte has stated the agreement was to maintain the “status quo” in the South China Sea but not to limit the Philippines’ sovereignty. Roque similarly noted that the “status quo” did not mean ceding the Philippines’ claims to territory such as the Second Thomas Shoal, which China calls Ren’ai Jiao. The Second Thomas Shoal has been long disputed. In 1999, the Philippines purposefully grounded its naval ship BRP Sierra Madre to affirm that the shoal was Filipino territory. Filipino soldiers still live on Sierra Madre, and tensions have risen over China blocking their resupply missions. Finally, China’s claims to the South China Sea are neither internationally recognized nor recognized by many ASEAN countries. China’s territorial claims, marked on the nine-dash line, extend to about 90% of the South China Sea, violating many of its neighbours' claims to sovereignty, including the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
Yet, China continues to ignore the ruling. Furthermore, China’s claims — that the Philippines stoked tensions by bringing in other actors — are also false. The Philippines became closer with the U.S. after a rise in grey zone activities by China. The United States has also tried to engage in a dialogue with China. On April 2, U.S. President Joseph Biden called Chinese President Xi Jinping to express concerns over rising tensions and even reportedly discussed visits by the U.S. secretary of state and treasury secretary to China. Despite Biden’s call, China launched a People’s Liberation Army, or PLA, patrol the same day the Philippines, U.S., Japan and Australia held a joint maritime exercise. Notably, the Russian Foreign Ministry attempted to capitalize on this situation with false claims that the current dispute is the fault of Western “expansion.”
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Vietnamese real estate tycoon Truong My Lan has been sentenced to death for Vietnam's biggest ever fraud case. State media report this.
According to the court, 67-year-old Lan is guilty of embezzlement, bribery and fraud worth 304 trillion dong, almost 12 billion euros. That is about 3 percent of Vietnam's national income. According to the judge, Lan had pocketed billions from the Saigon Commercial Bank. She used the bank to provide loans to thousands of fake companies in Vietnam and abroad. Friendly business associates also received loans from the bank. The method led to a loss of billions for the bank. She also bribed government officials and violated banking regulations. In addition to the death penalty, she was also sentenced to twenty years in prison twice. According to her lawyer, she will appeal against the sentence. According to the Vietnamese judge, Lan's actions not only led to violations of the property rights of Vietnamese people, but "also undermined Vietnam's confidence in the leadership of the Communist Party and the state." The party has had anti-corruption as a spearhead for years. The trial required 2,400 people to testify. Local media write that co-suspects have also been punished. The sentences range from a short suspended prison sentence to life in prison. Lan owned a 91.5% stake in Saigon Commercial Bank and, over the course of 10 years, ordered bank officials to approve more than 2,500 loans to shell companies she controlled, causing the bank to lose the equivalent of US$27 billion. Lan ordered subordinates to bribe auditors at the State Bank of Vietnam to cover her tracks. Head banking inspector Do Thi Nhan received $5.2 million in bribes, while deputy chief inspector Nguyen Van Hung received $300,000, state media said. Lan's fraud case led to an economic blow to Vietnam. After the arrest, account holders of the Saigon Commercial Bank withdrew their money en masse, fearing that the money would disappear. This led to the bank having to be nationalized. Vietnamese companies also lost billions of euros in market value in a short time due to unrest among investors. They wondered whether similar practices were happening at other Vietnamese companies. Lan's company developed luxury apartments, hotels, offices and shopping centers, among other things. The Vietnamese pawnbroker was arrested in 2022. In Vietnam, the usual method of execution is lethal injection. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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