Record number of journalists jailed as Turkey, China, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan pay scant price for repression

November 8, 2018 By administrator

For the second year in a row, the number of journalists imprisoned for their work hit a historical high, as the U.S. and other Western powers failed to pressure the world’s worst jailers–Turkey, China, and Egypt–into improving the bleak climate for press freedom. A CPJ special report by Elana Beiser

The number of journalists imprisoned worldwide hit another new record in 2017, and for the second consecutive year more than half of those jailed for their work are behind bars in Turkey, China, and Egypt. The pattern reflects a dismal failure by the international community to address a global crisis in freedom of the press.

Source: https://cpj.org/reports/2017/12/journalists-prison-jail-record-number-turkey-china-egypt.php

Armenia, China sign air communication agreement

September 18, 2018 By administrator

YEREVAN. – Tatevik Revazian, Chair of the Civil Aviation Committee of Armenia, was in Guangzhou, China, within the framework of the 2018 World Routes.

Revazian attended the official opening of this event. Subsequently, she had a brief meeting with deputy director Wang Huijun of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, and they signed an agreement on air communication between Armenia and China, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

At the talk, they expressed a view that this agreement will become a legal basis for launching direct air communication between the two countries.

Bulgaria: China has an Interest in Building the Belene NPP, a Highway and a Railway Line to the Aegean Sea

July 6, 2018 By administrator

China has the desire to invest and participate in the construction of a railway linking Bulgaria with the Aegean Sea, the North-South Highway and the Belene NPP. This was understood after the meeting of Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and the chairman of the State Council of China Li Keqiang. He is on a four-day visit to Bulgaria, during which a meeting with the leaders of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe will be held in the form “16 + 1”.

We believe it is most important to follow EU market rules and laws, Li said. So far, the EU’s rules on transparency in EU procurement have been seen to contradict China‘s way of doing business. “Public procurement will be carried out and non-state projects will be guaranteed by the state,” Li said. He wanted to emphasize that 16 + 1 is not a political platform and does not separate the EU, it will even help to integrate into the union the countries of the initiative, some of which are not members. “We understand that the EU is an important force for global prosperity and peace.” The EU supports democracy in international relations, and without Europe on the global stage there will be no global development, Li said.

Borisov “hired” Li Keqiang as an advertising agent

Borisov showed Li Keqiang and his wife the National Historical Museum. “I saw the surprise of the Prime Minister and his wife of gold which 7000 years old. I hired him as an advertising agent of the Bulgarian cultural and historical heritage,” said Borisov. “Please tell the Chinese people about the 7,000-year-old processed gold, how exquisite it is, how beautiful it is, show the pictures,” Li Keqiang told Chinese journalists. “Even if only that is achieved the visit would be worth it,” added Borisov. “And I very much want more Bulgarians to travel to China,” Li Keqiang said.

During the visit of the Chinese prime minister to Bulgaria, dozens of joint agreements and memoranda were signed. The largest amount is a financial agreement for 1.5 billion euros between the Bulgarian Development Bank and the Chinese Development Bank, followed by an agreement between Bulgarian Maritime Fleet and a Chinese bank for $ 94.15 million for the construction of six bulk carriers .

Li Keqiang is the first Chinese prime minister to come to Bulgaria since 2000, and his delegation consists of nearly 700 people.

For four days in Sofia Li will meet with the Bulgarian leaders and then with the leaders of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe in the form “16 + 1”. In the afternoon, President Rumen Radev will also welcome Li.

Last year, according to Beijing’s Ambassador to Sofia, Zhang Haizhou, trade between Bulgaria and China was $ 2.13 billion (65% growth), with exports of $ 960 million and imports of 1.17 billion dollars.

Source: Dnevnik, Georgi A. Angelov

Iran, Russia, China must adopt joint strategy against US bids: Official

April 26, 2018 By administrator

A senior Iranian security official has underlined the necessity for Iran, China and Russia to adopt a joint strategy to counter US attempts at harming the three countries.

Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani made the remarks at a Thursday meeting with Chinese public security minister Guo Shengkun on the sidelines of an international security conference in Russia’s resort city of Sochi.

Representatives from 110 countries are attending the two-day conference to discuss global security issues, including ways to counter terrorism and narcotics as well as the promotion of international peace and stability.

Shamkhani highlighted Tehran and Beijing’s willingness to promote their ties to the highest level, noting that efforts to remove some hurdles in the way of mutual cooperation, including in banking and financial sectors, must be considered as a priority.

The senior Iranian official pointed to ongoing efforts by the countries sponsoring Takfiri terrorism to relocate the remnants of such militant groups from the Middle East to Afghanistan, warning that the deployment of terrorist groups on Afghan soil will pose serious threats to the borders of Iran, China and Russia.

Shamkhani stressed the need for close cooperation among Iran, Russia, China, Afghanistan and Pakistan to counter the spread of terrorism in the region, calling for a joint intelligence, security and operational mechanism to put an end to the relocation of terrorist groups to Afghanistan.

Armenian alcoholic beverages to flood the Chinese market

September 9, 2017 By administrator

The Development Foundation of Armenia jointly with the Wine-growing and Winemaking Foundation of Armenia will promote the recognizability of the locally produced wines and cognacs: an agreement of cooperation was signed today by the heads of the Foundations Armen Avak Avakian and Zaruhi Muradyan.

As the first practical step, the Foundations will jointly organize the participation of Armenian companies in the Prօwine China 2017 Exhibition to be held in Shanghai, China, from 14 to 16 November.

Prօwine China is one of the largest international exhibitions of the sphere: 650 companies from 37 countries will attend the Exhibition; moreover, more than 12000 importers, distributors and wholesale buyers are envisaged to take part in it.

Fifteen wine, cognac and alcoholic drinks producers will represent the industry of Armenian alcoholic beverages with the joint pavilion at the Prowine China 2017. The participation of the Armenian companies will be co-financed within the framework of state support.

The Armenian beverages have already been exported to the Netherlands, Belgium, England, Germany and other countries under the contracts concluded with the support of DFA during the previous international wine exhibitions. Last year, with the support of the Wine-growing and Winemaking Foundation of Armenia, the Armenian wine-making companies took part in the MUNDUS VINI 20^th Grand International Wine Awards international ceremony, returning with 10 gold and 13 silver medals and reaching new export markets.

“The Development Foundation of Armenia has a fruitful experience in promoting the Armenian products at international exhibitions. Our delegations return with export orders after every exhibition”. Besides “Prowine China”, my team is ready to further use its experience to present the local products at their best to international buyers and suppliers in cooperation with partner Foundations”, noted the CEO of DFA Armen Avak Avakian.

“In the short period of its activities, the Wine-growing and Winemaking Foundation of Armenia has already recorded significant results in raising recognizability and demand for Armenian wines. I am confident that this cooperation will create new opportunities for developing the sector and promoting export”, added the CEO of the Wine-growing and Winemaking Foundation of Armenia Zaruhi Muradyan.

Armenian defense minister visits Polygroup Corporation in China

September 5, 2017 By administrator

As part of his official visit to China, Minister of Defense Vigen Sargsyan visited Polygroup Corporation, a company specialized in the manufacturing of energy and mining technologies, real estate and cultural heritage.

Prospects for developing a mutually beneficial cooperation in the defense sector were discussed with leading representatives of the company, reports the Ministry’s press service.

Over the recent years, Polygroup Corporation has recorded a significant progress especially in military industries, importing a wide variety of weaponry to the world market and securing high competitive advantages with leading companies’ products.

After the negotiations, Sargsyan toured the company to watch the ancient and valuable pieces of Chinese culture.

Armenia, China look to launch direct flights

August 11, 2017 By administrator

Armenia, china Civil aviation authorities of Armenia and China have initialed the agreement on direct air transportation between the two countries, the General Department of Civil Aviation affiliated with the government of Armenia reported in a release, adding along with the agreement, the two sides also signed a Memorandum of Cooperation between aviation departments of the two countries.

The documents were signed by the Head of the General Department of the Civil Aviation Sergey Avetisyan and the Deputy Head of Civil Aviation Administration of China Wang Zhiqing on a visit to Armenia.

According to the source, the agreement regulates the flight, aviation safety, mutual recognition of licenses and certificates and number of spheres, as well setting the principles for granting permission to air carriers of the two countries.

During the negotiations, the sides reached an agreement to provide mutual fifth freedom traffic right to their airlines in using respective aviation routes.

To remind, the Civil Air Transport Agreement Between the Republic of Armenia and People’s Republic of China of the year1997 expired and required renewal.

China mulls investing $500bn in Silk Road plan

May 5, 2017 By administrator

As China is pushing ahead an ambitious plan to revive the ancient intercontinental Silk Road trade route, speculations have emerged in the media that the country may invest half a trillion dollars in the crucial connectivity project.

Bloomberg said in a report that the Belt and Road Initiative could funnel investments worth $313 billion to $502 billion into 62 host countries over the next five years.

The report added that China could even make additional investments of as much as $79 billion in 13 African countries.

Most funds may flow into India, Russia, Indonesia, Iran, Egypt, the Philippines and Pakistan, the report quoted analysts as saying.

It added that the biggest beneficiaries of the plan, which is designed to link China with its neighbors by road and sea, could be midsize domestic construction and machinery companies and Asian infrastructure firms.

Bloomberg further emphasized that China might give certain countries preferential treatment to serve its own interests, such as bilateral relations, resources demand and the soundness of investment.

China’s media earlier said the country had already invested more than $50 billion in Belt and Road countries since President Xi Jinping introduced the initiative in 2013.

The country’s businesses have built 56 economic and trade zones in the countries, generating nearly $1.1 billion in tax revenue, Bloomberg quoted as report by the official Xinhua News Agency as saying.

The report further said that a crucial mechanism that Beijing was considering for the success of the Belt and Road Initiative was using local currencies instead of dollars. This, as acknowledged by Zhou Xiaochuan, the governor of People’s Bank of China, would help ensure financial stability in host nations and reduce risk from exchange-rate fluctuations.

Meanwhile, a top Chinese security official emphasized that the new Silk Road initiative depended on the countries involved ensuring strong security.

Reuters quoted China’s domestic security chief Meng Jianzhu as telling a conference held in Beijing on Thursday that the plan could only advance if there would be a secure and stable environment.

“Increasing international cooperation, jointly dealing with risks and challenges and protecting the security of One Road, One Belt is the joint responsibility of all countries,” Meng was quoted as telling the conference that was held to discuss the security of the One Road, One Belt plan.

China limits beards, veils in Muslim remote Xinjiang region

March 30, 2017 By administrator

Chinese authorities have passed measures banning “abnormal” facial hair and many other typically Muslim customs in the remote Xinjiang region. The initiative also makes it illegal to “reject or refuse” state propaganda.

The upcoming crackdown is part of an “anti-extremism” push in Xinjiang, where hundreds were killed in recent years as Beijing forces clashed against the alleged Uighur militants. However, many activists claim that the violence is more of a response to repression from the central government.

The new legal measures would go into effect on Saturday, the regional authorities said on their website.

Officials would ban spreading “extremist ideas”, as well as marrying under religious rites and not legal procedures, and “using the name of Halal to meddle in the secular life of others.”

“Parents should use good moral conduct to influence their children, educate them to revere science, pursue culture, uphold ethnic unity and refuse and oppose extremism,” the text says.

Worker to ‘dissuade’ veiled women from entering

Also, the officials oppose the “naming of children to exaggerate religious fervor” and keeping them away from regular, state schools. The authorities would also make it illegal to “refuse or reject” watching state television or radio, although it was not immediately clear how the authorities would enforce this regulation.

The most visible change, however, is likely to come from the ban on “abnormal growing of beards,” and the restriction on wearing of veils. Specifically, workers in public spaces, including stations and airports, will be required to “dissuade” people with veils on the their faces from entering and report them to the police.

In recent years, authorities have introduced similar bans in some places or violence-prone cities in the massive and remote northeast region. Not all of those measures were strictly enforced. The new set of regulations, however, applied to all of Xinjiang.

Uighurs have traditionally practiced a moderate version of Islam. Nevertheless, experts believe that some of them have been joining Islamic militias in the Middle East due to the violence in Xinjiang. The group’s members drew worldwide attention with their deadly stabbing rampage at a Chinese train station in 2014.

dj/kl (AFP, Reuters)

Train Next stop, the kitchen..Chinese train that goes THROUGH a block of flats

March 20, 2017 By administrator

The light railway in Chongqing, known as Mountain City for its densely packed skyscrapers, was squeezed through a residential block due to a serious shortage of space.

It may look a little loco as a train emerges from a block of flats but this city’s planners are chuffed.

Chongqing in south-east China is known as Mountain City for its densely packed skyscrapers – and fitting in a light railway system was causing a real headache.

So their solution was to build through the 19-storey tower rather than go around it or demolish it.

Residents there can hop on at Liziba Station, which was built on the sixth to eighth floors, and rail bosses added noise reduction gear that makes the trains about as noisy as a dishwasher.

A city transport spokesman said: “Our city is very heavily built upon and that can make finding room for roads and railway lines a real challenge.”

Source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/next-stop-kitchen-astonishing-pics-10058409?ptnr_rid=785807&icid=EM_Mirror_Nletter_DailyNews_Features_smallteaser_Text_Story8