China launches first Mars mission

Beijing: China successfully launched its first Mars probe on Thursday from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in the southern island province of Hainan, official media here reported.

“About 36 minutes after the Mars probe was launched, the spacecraft, including an orbiter and a rover, was sent into the Earth-Mars transfer orbit,” according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

Read More ... China launches first Mars mission

TTK Prestige announces plans to stop imports from China

Chennai: TTK Prestige, India’s number 1 kitchen appliance brand, announced that it will no longer be sourcing finished products from China after September 2020. TTK Prestige has been working on a “Make in India” program for more than three years now and has moved most of its China-based finished product sourcing to India manufacturing/sourcing. Currently, only 10% of its product line is being sourced from China, which has led the company to take a tough stance on its sourcing policy from China, following the recent border skirmish with the Chinese army at the Ladakh border last month.

Read More ... TTK Prestige announces plans to stop imports from China

Banning TikTok takes a big tool away from Chinese surveillance work, says top US official

Banning TikTok takes a big tool away from Chinese surveillance work, says top US official

Banning mobile applications such as TikTok by countries like India takes a big tool away from the surveillance work of China, a top White House official said on Tuesday.

The Trump administration is “very seriously taking a look” at TikTok, WeChat and some other apps coming out of China, US National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien told Fox News Radio in an interview.

“India has already banned those apps, as you know. And if they lose India and the United States, they lose some western European countries, that takes a big tool away from the espionage work or the surveillance work of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party),” he said in response to a question on the dangers posed by apps like TikTok.

“The kids who are using TikTok — and it can be a lot of fun — but there are a lot of other social media platforms they could use. TikTok is getting facial recognition on you,” O’Brien said.

“They are getting all of your personal, private data, your most intimate data. They are getting to know who your friends are, who your parents are. They can map all your relationships,” he added.

All the information is going straight to massive super computers in the cloud in China, O’Brien said, adding, “So China is going to know everything about you. They are going to have biometrics on you. You ought to be very careful regarding who you give such personal information to.”

The Trump administration, he said, is looking not just at TikTok but at WeChat and some other Chinese apps as well, because the Chinese are veracious consumers of America’s personal data.

“They will either try and get you to give it to them for free through WeChat or TikTok — if they cannot get it that way, they will steal it,” O’Brien said.

China, he said, has hacked into Marriott and stolen the personal data of hundreds of millions of people, including their passport numbers.

“They have hacked into Experian and other credit rating agencies to get most intimate credit details. They have hacked into Anthem healthcare so that they can get medical details.

“So this is not just an advertiser trying to find out what you are interested in searching for on Google so they can sell you a different brand of car, this is a country that is looking to get every bit of personal, private information they can, so they know everything about you,” O’Brien said.

“There are social credit scores in China. They give people scores based on how compliant they are with Communist Party dictates. They are going to be able to put social credit scores together on all Americans and everyone in the world soon because of artificial intelligence and super computing.

“We need to make sure that does not happen,” the US National Security Advisor said.

Chinese, Indian border troops taken ‘effective measures’ to disengage along LAC: China

Chinese, Indian border troops taken ‘effective measures’ to disengage along LAC: China

Beijing: China on Thursday, July 9 said Chinese and Indian troops have taken “effective measures” to disengage at the Galwan Valley and other areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh and the situation is “stable and improving,” days after the two sides agreed on an expeditious withdrawal of soldiers from all the standoff points.

The remarks by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian came a day after people in New Delhi familiar with the developments said that the Chinese military removed all temporary structures and completed the withdrawal of its troops from the face-off site in Hot Springs in eastern Ladakh.

Zhao told a media briefing here that “following the consensus reached at the commander-level talks, China, India border troops have taken effective measures to disengage at the front-line at the Galwan Valley and other areas.”

“The situation along the border is stable and improving,” he said.

Asked about further talks between the two countries, Zhao said the two sides will continue dialogue and communication through military and diplomatic channels including holding a meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultations and Coordination (WMCC) on the Sino-Indian border affairs.

“We hope India will work together with us to take concrete action and implement the consensus reached and jointly work for de-escalation along the border,” the spokesman added.

The disengagement process of the troops on both sides began on Monday morning after a nearly two-hour telephonic conversation between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday.

At the talks, the two sides agreed on an expeditious withdrawal of troops from all the standoff points to bring back peace and tranquility in the region. Doval and Wang are Special Representatives (SR) for the boundary talks.

In New Delhi, the people familiar with the developments said that the two armies are expected to carry out a joint verification in the next few days to assess the implementation of the disengagement process once the dismantling of the temporary infrastructure and withdrawal of troops by China are completed at the friction points along the LAC in eastern Ladakh.

There has been thinning out of troops from Finger areas in Pangong Tso as well, they said. Pangong Tso has been a major face-off site between the two sides.

“The two militaries are set to hold extensive talks on finalizing modalities for restoring normalcy and bringing back peace and tranquillity in the region after the verification of the disengagement exercise is completed,” they added.

Government sources in New Delhi said the Chinese military has already removed tents and withdrew its personnel from patrolling point 14 in Galwan Valley, the site of violent clashes between the two armies on June 15 that left 20 Indian soldiers dead.

The Chinese side also suffered casualties but it is yet to give out the details. According to an American intelligence report, the number of casualties on the Chinese side was 35.

China defends WHO, lashes out at US move to withdraw

China defends WHO, lashes out at US move to withdraw

Beijing: China on Wednesday, July 8 defended the World Health Organization and lashed out at the US decision to withdraw from the UN body.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said that the move was “another demonstration of the US pursuing unilateralism, withdrawing from groups and breaking contracts.”

WHO is “the most authoritative and professional international institution in the field of global public health security,” Zhao said at a daily briefing.

The US departure from the organization “undermines the international anti-epidemic efforts, and in particular has a serious negative impact on developing countries in urgent need of international support,” Zhao said.

US announces new visa restrictions on China over access to Tibet

US announces new visa restrictions on China over access to Tibet

Washington: The US has announced new visa bans on senior Chinese officials involved in restricting access to foreigners to the sensitive region of Tibet and reaffirmed its support for “meaningful autonomy” for Tibetans, opening another point of friction amid tense relations between Washington and Beijing.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he was taking action against an unspecified number of Chinese officials, including from the ruling Communist Party, under a US law that calls on China to let Americans visit Tibet.

“Today I announced visa restrictions on PRC (Peoples Republic of China) officials involved in restricting foreigners’ access to Tibet. We will continue to seek reciprocity in our relationship,” Pompeo tweeted on Tuesday.

Beijing has continued systematically to obstruct travel to the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) and other Tibetan areas by US diplomats and other officials, journalists, and tourists, while Chinese officials and other citizens enjoy far greater access to the United States, he said in a statement.

As such, Pompeo said he is announcing visa restrictions on Chinese government and Chinese Communist Party officials determined to be “substantially involved in the formulation or execution of policies related to access for foreigners to Tibetan areas,” pursuant to the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act of 2018.

The Act was signed into law by President Donald Trump in December 2018. It calls for denying access to the US for Chinese officials known to be involved in restricting visits to Tibet.

Access to Tibetan areas is increasingly vital to regional stability, given the Chinese human rights abuses there, as well as Beijing’s failure to prevent environmental degradation near the headwaters of Asia’s major rivers, he said.

Pompeo said that the US will continue to work to advance the sustainable economic development, environmental conservation, and humanitarian conditions of Tibetan communities within China and abroad.

“We also remain committed to supporting meaningful autonomy for Tibetans, respect for their fundamental and unalienable human rights, and the preservation of their unique religious, cultural, and linguistic identity,” he said.

The Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader has been demanding meaningful autonomy for Tibetans. But China has viewed the India-based 85-year-old Dalai Lama as a “separatist.”

“In the spirit of true reciprocity, we will work closely with the US Congress to ensure US citizens have full access to all areas of the People’s Republic of China, including the TAR and other Tibetan areas,” Pompeo said.

The State Department funding for the Tibetan issues for the fiscal year 2021 beginning October 1 has been proposed to be USD17 million and USD1 million for the Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, according to the budget papers which is now making its way through the Congressional approval process.

Relations between Washington and Beijing have spiralled downward since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, which Trump has blamed on China. The two countries have also sparred over China imposing a new national security law in Hong Kong last month.

Restrictions on American journalists by China and retaliatory actions by the US, and differences over Beijing’s treatment of its Uyghur Muslim population in the restive region of Xinjiang have also contributed to the worsening bilateral ties.

India vs China: Atal Bihari Vajpayee once drove 800 sheep to Chinese embassy

India vs China: Atal Bihari Vajpayee once drove 800 sheep to Chinese embassy

The tussle between India and China has been going on for a long time. In 1962, when India lost in the war with China, the country made false accusations against our soldiers but was rattled by the sheer political brilliance of a young Indian parliamentarian Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1965.

Sources claim, China had accused India of stealing a flock of 800 sheep and 49 yaks, from a Tibetan herdsman near the Sikkim border.

China demanded the animals be returned along with the four ‘missing’ shepherds. India denied knowledge about the livestock or the men.

The Ministry of External Affairs issued a statement that Indian troops had not kidnapped any Tibetans nor seized any livestock. The statement read: ‘If the Tibetans with sheep and yaks had indeed crossed over, they were free to return if they desired to do so.’

But the response that Vajpayee, then a 42-year-old Jan Sangh leader, gave left China fuming.

Vajpayee arranged for a herd of around 800 sheep and drove them to the Chinese embassy in New Delhi in late September. The sheep had placards tied saying, “Eat me but save the world”

Chinese embassy was annoyed by the move and complained that the protesters were ‘a mob of Indian hooligans whose mischievous agitation was supported by the Indian government’.

In its response, India replied confirming that “some of the citizens of Delhi took in procession about 800 sheep. The Government of India had nothing to do with this demonstration. It was a spontaneous, peaceful and good-humoured expression of the resentment of the citizens of Delhi against the Chinese ultimatum and the threat of war against India on trumped-up and trivial issues.”

China had alleged that  the four Tibetan inhabitants had been kidnapped by the Indian soldiers. India had responded saying, “Like other Tibetan refugees these four people had come into India on their own volition and without our permission and taken refuge in India. They are free to go back to Tibet at any time if they desire to do so.”

Earlier, two Tibetan women named Damque and Jitzongm disappeared from a place called Khampa Dzong in Tibet close to the Sikkim border. It is said that the escaped from China-occupied Tibet and the border and reached Sikkim. Later, they went to the Indian police and complained about the miserable living conditions in Tibet. But, Chinese accused Indians of abducting the women.

China wanted India to hand over these women and some other Tibetans who had fled seeking refuge in India.

Government of India responded, “Apropos the 800 sheep and 59 yaks the Government of India have already given a reply in the clearest terms possible. We know nothing of the yaks and as regards the sheep it is up to the two herdsmen concerned to take them to Tibet if and when they choose to go back to their homeland.”

However, four decades later Vajpayee became India’s prime minister and visited China in 2003 and also reopened the trade route from Sikkim via the Nathu La pass.

JSW Group to boycott USD 400 million worth imports from China: MD Parth Jindal

JSW Group to boycott USD 400 million worth imports from China: MD Parth Jindal

New Delhi: JSW Cement Managing Director Parth Jindal on Thursday said its family-owned Group will bring down USD 400 million worth of imports from China to zero in the next 24 months.

Referring to the recent clash between Indian and Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley, he said the “action” is a result of what the latter did on Indian soil.

The USD 14-billion JSW Group, owned by Parth’s father Sajjan Jindal, has a presence in core sectors of steel, energy, cement and infrastructure.

The group will boycott goods worth USD 400 million, which it imports from China annually, Parth said in a tweet.

“The unprovoked attack by the Chinese on Indian soil on our brave jawaans has been a huge wake-up call and a clarion call for action – we @TheJSWGroup have a net import of USD 400 mn from China annually and we pledge to bring this down to zero in the next 24 months #BoycottChina,” he said.

A company official estimated 70-80 per cent of imports take place for the company’s steel and energy business which includes machinery and maintenance equipment.

The Indian and Chinese armies are locked in a bitter stand-off at multiple locations in the eastern Ladakh for the past seven weeks, and the tension escalated manifold after 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a violent clash in Galwan Valley on June 15. The Chinese side also suffered casualties but it is yet to give out the details.

First alerted to Covid crisis by office, not China: WHO

First alerted to Covid crisis by office, not China: WHO

Geneva: The World Health Organization has updated its account of the early stages of the COVID crisis to say it was alerted by its own office in China, and not by China itself, to the first pneumonia cases in Wuhan.

The UN health body has been accused by US President Donald Trump of failing to provide the information needed to stem the pandemic and of being complacent towards Beijing, charges it denies.

On April 9, WHO published an initial timeline of its communications, partly in response to criticism of its early response to the outbreak that has now claimed more than 521,000 lives worldwide.

In that chronology, WHO had said only that the Wuhan municipal health commission in the province of Hubei had on December 31 reported cases of pneumonia. The UN health agency did not however specify who had notified it.

WHO director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference on April 20 the first report had come from China, without specifying whether the report had been sent by Chinese authorities or another source.

But a new chronology, published this week by the Geneva-based institution, offers a more detailed version of events.

It indicates that it was the WHO office in China that on December 31 notified its regional point of contact of a case of “viral pneumonia” after having found a declaration for the media on a Wuhan health commission website on the issue.

The same day, WHO’s epidemic information service picked up another news report transmitted by the international epidemiological surveillance network ProMed — based in the United States — about the same group of cases of pneumonia from unknown causes in Wuhan.

After which, WHO asked the Chinese authorities on two occasions, on January 1 and January 2, for information about these cases, which they provided on January 3.

WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan told a press conference on Friday that countries have 24-48 hours to officially verify an event and provide the agency with additional information about the nature or cause of an event.

Ryan added that the Chinese authorities immediately contacted WHO’s as soon as the agency asked to verify the report.

US President Donald Trump has announced that his country, the main financial contributor to WHO, will cut its bridges with the institution, which he accuses of being too close to China and of having poorly managed the pandemic.

The WHO denies any complacency toward China.

Hope India corrects actions immediately: China reacts to ban on 59 mobile apps

Hope India corrects actions immediately: China reacts to ban on 59 mobile apps

Beijing: China has accused India of violating WTO rules following the ban imposed by the Indian government on 59 Chinese mobile apps.

In an online briefing on Thursday, China’s commerce ministry spokesman Gao Feng said that the country has not adopted any restrictive or discriminatory measures against Indian products and services.

“We are hopeful that India would immediately correct its discriminatory actions against Chinese companies.

UK offers citizenship to Hong Kong residents after China passes new security law

UK offers citizenship to Hong Kong residents after China passes new security law

Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday held China in “clear and serious breach of the Sino-British agreement” under which Hong Kong had been handed over to the Chinese authorities and confirmed that a citizenship route will now be offered to Hong Kong’s British National (Overseas) passport holders.

Addressing his weekly Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) in the House of Commons, Johnson said China’s new National Security Law is a threat to the rights and freedom of the region and in direct conflict with Hong Kong Basic Law.

“We stand for rules and obligations and we think that is the soundest basis of our international relations. The enactment and the imposition of this National Security Law constitutes a clear and serious breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration. It violates Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy and is in direct conflict with Hong Kong Basic Law,” he told MPs in Parliament.

“The law also threatens the freedoms and rights protected by the Joint Declaration. We made clear that if China continued down this path, we would introduce a new route for those with British National (Overseas) status to enter the UK, granting them limited leave to remain with the ability to live and work in the UK and thereafter to apply for citizenship. And, that is precisely what we will do now,” he said.

The UK has committed to make it easier for the estimated 350,000 Hong Kong residents who are British National Overseas (BNO) passport holders to come to the UK, as well as nearly 2.6 million others who are eligible to BNO status. Under current rules, they are entitled to visa-free access to the UK for six months but under a new “bespoke” system this will be further extended.

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab followed up Johnson’s comments with a statement to the Commons in response to China’s imposition of what has been branded an “anti-protest” law in Hong Kong and laid out the specific aspects of the new law which are a flagrant assault on the rights guaranteed under the Sino-British agreement.

“We want a positive relationship with China. We recognise its growth, its stature and the powerful role it can play in the world. It is precisely because we respect China, as a leading member of the international community, that we expect the Chinese government to meet its international obligations, to live up to its international responsibilities, he said.

The minister said that though the Chinese government failed to live up to its commitments and undermined international trust, the UK will ensure it keeps its word to the people of Hong Kong.

“We will grant BN(O)s five years limited leave to remain, with the right to work or study. After these five years, they will be able to apply for settled status. And after further 12 months with settled status, they will be able to apply for citizenship,” said Raab.

“This is a special, bespoke, set of arrangements developed for the unique circumstances we face and in light of our historic commitment to the people of Hong Kong,” he added.

He said that further details of the new visa route will be laid out in Parliament by Home Secretary Priti Patel in due course.

“China’s decision to impose national security legislation on Hong Kong is deeply regrettable, Patel said in a statement.

“Now China have imposed this law we will launch a new immigration route for British Nationals Overseas and their families. The UK has a historic and moral obligation to British Nationals Overseas in Hong Kong and we will honour our commitment to them, she said.

The UK Home Office said the new bespoke route for BN(O)s will be implemented in the coming months, with an exact date and further details to be confirmed. In the meantime, any British National (Overseas) citizens wishing to come to the UK will be able to do so after standard checks.

Opposition Labour Party shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy welcomed the government’s move following the “deeply shocking” move by China and ensuing arrests in Hong Kong which she said have “stunned the world”. But she stressed that the government must ensure the new citizenship route for Hong Kong’s BNO passport holders is enforced in an equitable way and not limited to only rich Hong Kong residents who can afford a move to the UK.

“We are concerned that this must not become a scheme simply for wealthy Hong Kongers to abandon the city and leave others behind,” she said.

The new law, which targets secession, subversion and terrorism with punishments up to life in prison, came into effect on Tuesday.

Critics say the law, approved by Chinese President Xi Jinping, effectively puts an end to the “one country, two systems” principle enshrined in the 1985 Joint Declaration, a legally binding agreement signed by the UK and China which protected certain freedoms in the territory for at least 50 years.

China rejects criticism of its actions, on what it says are internal matters.

China approves contentious Hong Kong national security law

China approves contentious Hong Kong national security law

Hong Kong: China has approved a contentious law that would allow authorities to crack down on subversive and secessionist activity in Hong Kong, sparking fears that it would be used to curb opposition voices in the semi-autonomous territory.

Tam Yiu-Chung, Hong Kong’s sole representative to the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, confirmed in an interview with reporters Tuesday that the law had been passed.

He said punishments would not include the death penalty, but did not elaborate on further details such as whether the law could be applied retroactively.

“We hope the law will serve as a deterrent to prevent people from stirring up trouble,” Tam said in the interview.

“Don’t let Hong Kong be used as a tool to split the country.”

The South China Morning Post newspaper and public broadcaster RTHK, both citing unnamed sources, said the standing committee had approved the law unanimously Tuesday.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam had declined to comment earlier in the day, while the Standing Committee was still meeting. She did say that once the law is passed, “the Hong Kong government will announce it and promulgate it for implementation here, and then I and my senior officials will do our best to respond to everyone’s questions, especially regarding the enforcement of this national law.”

The legislation is aimed at curbing subversive, secessionist and terrorist activities, as well as foreign intervention in the city’s affairs. It follows months of anti-government protests that at times descended into violence in Hong Kong last year.

Prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong, as well as Agnes Chow and Nathan Law, issued statements on Facebook indicating that they would withdraw from pro-democracy organization Demosisto.

Wong said “worrying about life and safety” has become a real issue and that nobody will be able to predict the repercussions of the law, whether it is being extradited to China or facing jail terms of 10 years or more.

Over a hundred protesters gathered at a luxury mall in Hong Kong’s Central business district, chanting slogans including “Free Hong Kong, Revolution Now,” with several holding up a “Hong Kong Independence” flag as well as posters condemning the national security law. Police later cordoned off different areas of the mall, including the atrium, detaining and searching several protesters.

The law has met with strong opposition within Hong Kong and condemnation from former colonial ruler Britain, the U.S., the European Union and others.

Human rights groups have warned the law could target opposition politicians seen as insufficiently loyal to Beijing for arrest or disqualification from running in September elections for the Legislative Council.

Ahead of the announcement, the Trump administration said Monday it will bar defense exports to Hong Kong and will soon require licenses for the sale of items to Hong Kong that have both civilian and military uses.

The administration has warned for weeks that if the law was passed, it would take action to end special U.S. trade and commercial preferences Hong Kong had enjoyed since reverting to Chinese rule in 1997.

“The United States is forced to take this action to protect U.S. national security,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement.

“We can no longer distinguish between the export of controlled items to Hong Kong or to mainland China. We cannot risk these items falling into the hands of the People’s Liberation Army, whose primary purpose is to uphold the dictatorship of the (ruling Communist Party) by any means necessary.”

The U.S. Senate on Thursday unanimously approved a bill to impose sanctions on businesses and individuals — including the police — that undermine Hong Kong’s autonomy or restrict freedoms promised to the city’s residents.

Britain says it could offer residency and possible citizenship to around 3 million of Hong Kong’s 7.5 million people.

China has denounced all such moves as gross interference in its internal affairs and foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Monday said Beijing has decided to retaliate with visa restrictions on “U.S. personnel who perform badly on Hong Kong related issues.”

“The U.S. side’s attempt to obstruct China from promoting Hong Kong’s national security legislation through the so-called sanctions will never succeed,” Zhao told reporters at a daily briefing.

China decided to use the National People’s Congress to enact the legislation after opposition within Hong Kong’s Legislative Council and within society as a whole made it impossible to pass at the local level.

The law is seen as the most significant erosion to date of Hong Kong’s British-style rule of law and high degree of autonomy that China promised Hong Kong would enjoy at least through 2047 under the “one country, two systems” framework.

Passage of the legislation will also allow the central government in Beijing to set up a national security office in Hong Kong to collect and analyze intelligence and deal with criminal cases related to national security.