China

Turkey, Iran, Pakistan rail link to China’s Belt and Road – Nikkei Asia

By ::· China, Economy, Iran, News, Pakistan, Turkey ::· January 3, 2021

KARACHI — The governments of Turkey, Iran and Pakistan will revive a transnational rail service linking Istanbul, Tehran and Islamabad in 2021. The ITI transnational railroad is expected to enhance connectivity with China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) by providing a rail connection between China and Turkey, Nikkei Asia has learned. The roots of this …

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Record number of journalists jailed because of their work – AP

By ::· China, Egypt, News, Turkey ::· December 19, 2020

NEW YORK (AP) — A record 274 journalists were in jail at the beginning of the month because of their work, nearly three dozen of them on charges of “false news,” the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Tuesday. It has been five straight years where at least 250 journalists were in custody, which the …

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After thumbing his nose at China, Prague’s mayor has this advice for Canada. ‘Their power is overrated’ – The Star

By ::· Canada, China, Europe, News ::· October 24, 2020

VANCOUVER—When Prague’s Pirate Party posted a rebuttal on its Facebook page to threats of economic action against the historic city from China’s diplomats in the Czech Republic, people laughed. It was cheeky. The post featured a photo of Chinese President Xi Jinping next to a picture of Winnie-the-Pooh and a message mocking the Chinese government …

After thumbing his nose at China, Prague’s mayor has this advice for Canada. ‘Their power is overrated’ – The Star Read More »

U.S. encourages Canada to hit China with sanctions over Uyghurs – The Globe and Mail

By ::· Canada, China, News, United States ::· December 22, 2020

What is taking place in Xinjiang meets at least one of the UN’s criteria for genocide, said Adrian Zenz, a U.S.-based scholar and senior fellow in China studies at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.

“It is, in my view, very shameful that Western nations, including Canada, have not yet bothered to embark on the process of determining whether Beijing’s actions in Xinjiang meet the legal definitions of crimes against humanity or genocide.”

As Uygurs exit Indonesian jail, China-Turkey repatriation tussle brews – South China Morning Post

By ::· China, Conflicts - Fronts, News, Turkey ::· December 22, 2020

Indonesia jailed three Uygurs in 2015 for attempting to join an Isis-linked terrorist group and entering the country illegally.The fate of the men, who were holding fake Turkish passports during their trial, remains uncertain. Three Uygurs in Indonesia who were jailed five years ago for attempting to join a local militant group have been freed and are …

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COVID-19 Spells Trouble for China in East Africa – The Diplomat

By ::· Africa, China, News ::· October 18, 2020

“Look,” says Kimani Ichung’wa, chairman of the Parliamentary Budget and Appropriations Committee, “our economy is beaten and we are not able to pay. We are not saying the debt is not there, but we simply want to renegotiate what we owe you and the terms of payment.”

But debt is not the only issue, nor is it all about infrastructure projects. The huge trade imbalance between China and the EAC partner states is another major stumbling block.

Pakistan: A Nuclear Weapons Nightmare – The National Interest

By ::· Afghanistan, Analyses, News, Pakistan ::· October 25, 2020

Pakistan is clearly developing a robust nuclear capability that can not only deter but fight a nuclear war. It is also dealing with internal security issues that could threaten the integrity of its nuclear arsenal. Pakistan and India are clearly in the midst of a nuclear arms race that could, in relative terms, lead to absurdly high nuclear stockpiles reminiscent of the Cold War. It is clear that an arms-control agreement for the subcontinent is desperately needed.

Europe Must Take Its Fate Into Its Own Hands – The National Interest

By ::· Europe, News, Turkey ::· October 12, 2020

“It is important that the EU includes a military component in its tool box, but its ability to have a muscular foreign policy will depend more on its mindset and its ability to translate other assets into “hard power”. In that context, instead of asking Germany to fulfil the 2% goal, the rest of the EU should ask Germany to weaponize the other 98% of its economy and put its trading power at the service of Europe’s strategic goals.”

Erdogan Is Turning Turkey Into a Chinese Client State – Foreign Policy

By ::· News ::· October 24, 2020

With few friends left in the West, Ankara is counting on Beijing for help. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan used to send shockwaves to Beijing with his outspoken support of China’s Uighur minority, a predominantly Turkic-speaking Muslim group in Xinjiang that is subject to horrific human rights violations. “The incidents in China are, simply put, …

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No to a Greek-Turkish war in the eastern Mediterranean! – ICFI

By ::· Eastern Mediterranean, News ::· October 12, 2020

Amid the escalation of threats and naval maneuvers between Turkey and Greece, Europe and the Middle East are teetering on the brink of war. This summer, Greek ships repeatedly collided with or threatened to exchange fire with Turkish vessels, their ostensible NATO allies, amid conflicts over maritime borders and access to undersea gas fields in …

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Turkey-Greece Tensions Test EU Solidarity – Bloomberg

By ::· Eastern Mediterranean, Europe, News, Turkey ::· October 12, 2020

The tensions between Greece and Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean should be a straightforward matter for the European Union. A member state, Greece, faces territorial claims from a neighboring nation, Turkey. Instead of rallying behind Greece, however, several EU countries are taking an ambivalent approach, as they are fearful of the political and economic repercussions of …

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China Buys Turkey’s Silence on Uyghur Oppression – The Diplomat

By ::· News ::· October 24, 2020

While the United States has imposed sanctions on Chinese officials and companies complicit in the abuse of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities, Beijing makes use of its deep pockets to buy the silence of majority Muslim countries around the world. The most shocking among these is Turkey, which shares not only religious but also ethnic …

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