One Zhonghua is not a new idea. The notion of a commonwealth or federation of independent Chinese states has been touted as a solution to Taiwan’s dilemma for decades by academics, editorialsand minor officials on both sides of the strait. But when Russian troops invaded Ukraine, it surfaced again.
mandag 13. mars 2023
A Chinese Commonwealth? An Unpopular Idea Resurfaces in Taiwan.
Three months after Russia invaded Ukraine, Annette Lu, a former vice president of Taiwan, stood before reporters to promote a wildly unpopular idea. China and Taiwan, she said, should form a commonwealth that would be integrated economically, like the European Union, but remain separate politically. She called it One Zhonghua — a word that means “Chinese” in a cultural, ethnic or literary sense but is distinct from the word that refers to China in a political sense. It was a wink at the Chinese Communist Party’s insistence that there is only one China and that Taiwan is an inextricable part of it.
One Zhonghua is not a new idea. The notion of a commonwealth or federation of independent Chinese states has been touted as a solution to Taiwan’s dilemma for decades by academics, editorialsand minor officials on both sides of the strait. But when Russian troops invaded Ukraine, it surfaced again.
One Zhonghua is not a new idea. The notion of a commonwealth or federation of independent Chinese states has been touted as a solution to Taiwan’s dilemma for decades by academics, editorialsand minor officials on both sides of the strait. But when Russian troops invaded Ukraine, it surfaced again.
Xi Jinping vows to make China’s military a ‘great wall of steel’ in first speech of new presidential term
China’s leader Xi Jinping on Monday vowed to bolster national security and build the military into a “great wall of steel,” in the first speech of his precedent-breaking third term as president. Speaking at the closing of the annual meeting of China’s rubber-stamp parliament, Xi underscored the need to comprehensively modernize national defense and the military. “(We must) build the People’s Liberation Army into a great wall of steel that effectively safeguards national sovereignty, security, and development interests,” Xi told the nearly 3,000 delegates of the National People’s Congress (NPC).
Xi, 69, was unanimously endorsed by the NPC as China’s president for another five years in a choreographed and ceremonial vote Friday, making him the longest-serving head of state of Communist China since its founding in 1949.
At the start of his speech Monday, Xi thanked the delegates for his reappointment. “This is my third time assuming the lofty position as president. The trust of the people is the biggest driving force for me to move forward, and also a heavy responsibility on my shoulders,” he said. Like his many previous speeches, Xi struck a nationalist tone, citing the hardships China suffered at the hands of “bullying foreign powers” in the modern era and noting how the Communist Party has led the country to “wipe clean the national humiliation.”
Xi, 69, was unanimously endorsed by the NPC as China’s president for another five years in a choreographed and ceremonial vote Friday, making him the longest-serving head of state of Communist China since its founding in 1949.
At the start of his speech Monday, Xi thanked the delegates for his reappointment. “This is my third time assuming the lofty position as president. The trust of the people is the biggest driving force for me to move forward, and also a heavy responsibility on my shoulders,” he said. Like his many previous speeches, Xi struck a nationalist tone, citing the hardships China suffered at the hands of “bullying foreign powers” in the modern era and noting how the Communist Party has led the country to “wipe clean the national humiliation.”
Chinese companies and founders rush to calm investors after SVB collapse
The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), which courted Chinese start-ups, has caused widespread concern in China, where a string of founders and companies rushed to appease investors by saying their exposure was insignificant or nonexistent. SVB, which worked with nearly half of all venture-backed tech and healthcare companies in the United States before it was taken over by the government, has a Chinese joint venture, which was set up in 2012 and targeted the country’s tech elite.
The SPD Silicon Valley Bank, which was owned 50-50 owned by SVB and local partner Shanghai Pudong Development Bank, said Saturday that its operations were “sound.”
The SPD Silicon Valley Bank, which was owned 50-50 owned by SVB and local partner Shanghai Pudong Development Bank, said Saturday that its operations were “sound.”
How to break the Xi-Putin axis? Biden must engage with Beijing
Is there a school for autocrats? As if by rote, authoritarian leaders around the world trot out remarkably similar justifications for their repressive actions, democratic deficits and policy failures. These typically include scary claims that their country is under attack by foreign forces and saboteurs or is the victim of a global conspiracy.
Perhaps they have all taken an online correspondence course for aspiring dictators. China produced classic examples of the genre last week. Accepting a third term, President Xi Jinping urged the country to unite behind him. “In the coming period, the risks and challenges we’re facing will only become more and more numerous and grim,” Xi warned. The US and its allies were trying to “encircle, suppress and contain” China.
Only he, Xi, could ensure victory in the coming “struggle”. “Après moi, le déluge,” as King Louis XV supposedly said.
Qin Gang, China’s hawkish new foreign minister, hammered home the aggressively paranoid message of his all-powerful patron. He accused the Biden administration of orchestrating “hysterical neo-McCarthyism” with the furore over last month’s shooting down of a Chinese balloon and accusations that Beijing is about to supply arms to Russia for its war in Ukraine.
Perhaps they have all taken an online correspondence course for aspiring dictators. China produced classic examples of the genre last week. Accepting a third term, President Xi Jinping urged the country to unite behind him. “In the coming period, the risks and challenges we’re facing will only become more and more numerous and grim,” Xi warned. The US and its allies were trying to “encircle, suppress and contain” China.
Only he, Xi, could ensure victory in the coming “struggle”. “Après moi, le déluge,” as King Louis XV supposedly said.
Qin Gang, China’s hawkish new foreign minister, hammered home the aggressively paranoid message of his all-powerful patron. He accused the Biden administration of orchestrating “hysterical neo-McCarthyism” with the furore over last month’s shooting down of a Chinese balloon and accusations that Beijing is about to supply arms to Russia for its war in Ukraine.
Myanmar army kill more than 20 in monastery attack - insurgent group
At least 21 people were killed by the Myanmar army in a monastery in southern Shan State, an insurgent group said. Troops shelled the Nan Nein village on Saturday, the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF) said.
Myanmar has seen a growing number of deadly battles between its military and armed resistance groups since the junta seized power in a coup two years ago. Some of the fiercest fighting has been in this region between the capital Nay Pyi Taw and the border with Thailand. On Saturday, the military's air force and artillery entered the village after the shelling around 16:00 local time (09:30 GMT, and executed villagers they found hiding inside a monastery, the KNDF said.
A video from KNDF - one of several ethnic armies which have joined the fight against the military government - showed at least 21 bodies, including three in the orange robes worn by Buddhist monks, piled up against the monastery. The bodies had what appeared to be multiple gunshot wounds. The video also shows the walls of the monastery peppered with bullet holes.
Myanmar has seen a growing number of deadly battles between its military and armed resistance groups since the junta seized power in a coup two years ago. Some of the fiercest fighting has been in this region between the capital Nay Pyi Taw and the border with Thailand. On Saturday, the military's air force and artillery entered the village after the shelling around 16:00 local time (09:30 GMT, and executed villagers they found hiding inside a monastery, the KNDF said.
A video from KNDF - one of several ethnic armies which have joined the fight against the military government - showed at least 21 bodies, including three in the orange robes worn by Buddhist monks, piled up against the monastery. The bodies had what appeared to be multiple gunshot wounds. The video also shows the walls of the monastery peppered with bullet holes.
Li Qiang: New premier tries to boost confidence in Chinese economy
China's new Premier Li Qiang has sought to restore confidence in the country's economy in his first public address since taking up the role. He said that a growth target set last week - 5% - would "not be easy" to meet, but added that the "economy is stabilising and picking up again". The world's second-largest economy is still reeling from the effects of Beijing's zero-Covid policy. Challenges also loom because of a declining population and job losses.
Investors' confidence too has taken a hit in recent years as China's leader Xi Jinping consolidated his power, cracking down on private businesses, from tech companies to the tutoring industry. In an attempt to allay those concerns, Mr Li said: "During a period last year, there was some incorrect opinion on the development of the private economy which worried some entrepreneurs... The environment for the private economy would get better and better and there would be more space for it."
Mr Li also struck a more conciliatory tone towards the US: "China and the United States should co-operate, and must co-operate. When China and the US work together, there is much we can achieve. Encirclement and suppression are not advantageous for anyone."
Investors' confidence too has taken a hit in recent years as China's leader Xi Jinping consolidated his power, cracking down on private businesses, from tech companies to the tutoring industry. In an attempt to allay those concerns, Mr Li said: "During a period last year, there was some incorrect opinion on the development of the private economy which worried some entrepreneurs... The environment for the private economy would get better and better and there would be more space for it."
Mr Li also struck a more conciliatory tone towards the US: "China and the United States should co-operate, and must co-operate. When China and the US work together, there is much we can achieve. Encirclement and suppression are not advantageous for anyone."
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