This plane has been abandoned in the U.A.E. desert and has a connection to the infamous convicted arms smuggler Victor Bout.
If you're worried about whether you can retire blissfully, here are three steps you can take to ensure your retirement is worry-free. The post 3 Actions You Should Take to Secure a Worry-Free Retirement appeared first on The Smart Investor.
People in Singapore who are eligible to get COVID-19 vaccination can choose from the list of centres administering either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna shots, according to a report by The Straits Times.
The Bidens' rambunctious young dog Major is leaving the White House again, this time for extra schooling in how to behave more like a presidential canine.
China’s military has introduced guidelines to prevent troops serving on the Tibetan plateau from getting altitude sickness, a move seen as boosting combat readiness as the country remains locked in a border dispute with India. “Altitude sickness is a common problem that has been affecting troops stationed on the plateau for a long time,” an unnamed army officer was quoted as saying in a report on Monday by PLA Daily, the mouthpiece of the People’s Liberation Army. One of the problems was that the early symptoms of altitude sickness were not too serious so soldiers tended to ignore them, the person said. But if it progressed it could result in them being unable to do their jobs.Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. So to ensure their soldiers do not become incapacitated, the commanders of an army division serving on the plateau came up with a multi-point plan to keep them safe. The advice is to drink lots of water, use sanitising wipes after eating and going to the bathroom, avoid overeating and breathe pure oxygen for an hour a day, the report said. The recommendations were drawn up with the help of doctors, it said. “Because of the guidelines, officers and soldiers in the division are gradually developing good habits to prevent altitude sickness, and some of the milder symptoms that used to happen at the start of an exercise no longer do,” the officer said. Guo Lei, a doctor in the army division, said the guidelines were useful and had reduced the incidence of altitude sickness among the troops. Song Zhongping, a former PLA instructor, said they would help to ensure Chinese troops stationed at high altitude were always ready for combat. “Chinese soldiers come from all parts of China and it’s not easy for some of them to quickly adapt to the high plateau environment,” he said. “These new guidelines can be effective in sustaining combat ability during hard times.” Altitude sickness is the harmful effect of high altitude caused by rapid exposure to low amounts of oxygen. People respond in different ways but typical symptoms include headaches, vomiting, fatigue and dizziness. In the worst cases, the lack of oxygen can result in a cerebral oedema – a swelling of the brain that is potentially life threatening. Chinese soldiers serving in the Himalayas between China and India have been known to lose their way after experiencing altitude sickness. The two countries have been locked in a border stand-off in the region for almost a year. In June, 20 Indian soldiers and an unspecified number of Chinese troops were killed in a violent clash in the Galwan valley in Ladakh, the most serious incident of its kind for almost 60 years.More from South China Morning Post:China kits out army for winter combat as India border dispute drags onChina’s ‘new’ border rules in Tibet point to same old dispute with IndiaChina’s military trains in Tibetan plateau amid border dispute with IndiaBeijing sends upgraded tropical wear to make troops comfortable at disputed South China Sea outpostsDalai Lama gets coronavirus vaccine shot: ‘This injection is very, very helpful’This article Chinese soldiers given tips on how to prevent altitude sickness first appeared on South China Morning PostFor the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2021.
The European Union says it will not pay off Montenegro’s near-US$1 billion debts to China, rejecting the tiny Balkan nation’s repeated pleas for help. A spokesman for the EU told the South China Morning Post that it “does not repay loans of partners which they took from third parties”, although he did express concern “over the socioeconomic and financial effects of some of China’s investments in Montenegro”. He continued that Brussels was willing to work with the country, a candidate for EU membership, to put its debts on a sustainable footing.Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. Montenegro’s finance minister Milojko Spajic on Sunday became the latest cabinet member to ask Brussels for help in repaying a dollar-denominated loan signed with the Export-Import Bank of China in 2014 to build the first section of a highway linking the country with neighbouring Serbia. “This is a small but easy win for them. It’s low-hanging fruit,” Spajic told the Financial Times in an interview published on Sunday. The loan was agreed under the previous government, with Spaijic making it clear that the new administration, which took over in December, wanted closer ties with Brussels than Beijing. “For infrastructure we’re currently relying on China … The situation is dramatic from a geopolitical standpoint,” he told the FT. Debt-trap diplomacy? Report finds China can cancel loans if displeased The unfinished highway project has often been cited as an example of the “debt-trap diplomacy” China is accused of deploying as part of its Belt and Road Initiative, an infrastructure drive to connect the global East and West. Beijing has rejected the accusations saying its loans to developing countries have no strings attached. The FT reported that with an estimated cost of US$23.8 million per kilometre, the highway is thought to be among the most expensive strips of road in the world, with the first repayments due in July. It has helped increase the public debt rate in Montenegro – which is seeking to join the EU – from 65.9 per cent to an estimated 80 per cent of gross domestic product once the loan is repaid, according to figures cited by the European Parliament. To absorb the costs, Podgorica has had to raise cash elsewhere, such as a 21 per cent value-added tax on non-tourism activities. In an address to the European Parliament’s committee on foreign affairs in March, Deputy Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic asked members to “help us replace the credit with [a loan from] some European banks”, adding that it would help stymie Chinese influence in the country. Peter Stano, the EU’s spokesman for foreign affairs and security issues, told the Post that the bloc is already the biggest provider of financial help to Montenegro, as well as its biggest investor and trading partner. China pins hopes on Balkans as gateway to Europe but faces growing scepticism “The EU will continue to support Montenegro on its path towards EU membership, and in this context work with the country to find financial solutions for its investment projects and to ensure the sustainability of its public debt,” Stano said. “But while every country is free to establish its investment objectives, the EU has concerns over the socioeconomic and financial effects some of China’s investments in Montenegro can have, which risk macroeconomic imbalances and debt-dependency,” he added. Concerns have been rising in Brussels about China’s growing influence in the Western Balkans, where it has strong ties with regional powerhouse Serbia. It is not clear whether Montenegro will be able to gain support from other sources and major European public funding outfits had previously turned their noses up at the first section of the Bar-Boljare motorway, which will run from the Adriatic Sea to the border with Serbia. A report by the Dutch Clingendael Institute, a think tank, said last year that two feasibility studies had been conducted in 2006 and 2012 respectively, with both the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development and the European Investment Bank expressing “no interest” in the project. Coronavirus runs roughshod over debt-laden belt and road projects “Montenegro sees China as a rising global power that brings new economic and financing opportunities. Local institutions and actors in Montenegro are positively disposed and keen to develop and deepen bilateral relations,” the report read. “Expectations continue to prevail over critical attitudes because of a perceived imperative to address the country’s development needs.”This article EU says it won’t pay off Montenegro’s billion-dollar highway debt to China first appeared on South China Morning PostFor the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2021.
Guo Meiling, a Chinese influencer better known as Guo Meimei, was among 75 people arrested by Shanghai police for selling diet food that contains banned substances, news portal The Paper reported on Monday. The Pudong district police in Shanghai issued a notice in March on Guo’s detention and later confirmed the arrest. There have been 74 other people arrested across the country in relation to the case, which involves more than 50 million yuan (US$7.6 million), according to the The Paper report. The police received a tip in December that some people were advertising “special dietary foods” online, but the products had added sibutramine, an appetite suppressant that is banned in China, which has health side effects, the report said. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. Police hold celebrity Guo Meimei on World Cup gambling charges The police had tracked the chain in several provinces and arrested 75 suspects, including Guo, The Paper said. They also shut down three production headquarters and 24 sales headquarters, obtaining more than 65,000 pills, 34 kilograms of raw material, three pieces of machinery and more than 20,000 pieces of packaging material. Born in 1991 in Hunan province, Guo was one of the first generation of socialites and viral celebrities, but is best known for her scandals. In 2011, she posted a series of pictures of her extravagant lifestyle on Weibo, in which she either sported high jewellery or limited-edition Hermès purses or was seen driving pricey supercars. She had also claimed to be the general manager of a firm called Red Cross Commerce, which caused public anger and attracted the attention of officials. The scandal badly tarnished the state-backed Red Cross’ reputation in China, as the Chinese public raised doubts about the misuse of donations. The organisation denied any links with Guo, who became a poster girl for the worst excesses of China’s wealthy elite. She also confessed in a live broadcast on CCTV that her lifestyle was financed by her wealthy “sugar daddy” lovers and she had sexual relationships with a number of men for money, as well as her casino operation. “I like to show off ... I have the vain mindset of a little girl,” she said. “There are many men who want to sleep with me no matter how much it costs.” In 2014, Guo was detained on suspicion of running gambling sessions, engaging in prostitution and posting fraudulent information online during the World Cup. In 2015, Guo was sentenced to five years in prison for operating illegal casinos. She was released in July 2019. More from South China Morning Post:Easy as pie? Chinese police find suspect in iPhone apple milk caseChinese police detain 80 for selling fake Covid-19 vaccinesChina jails citizen journalist Zhang Zhan for four years over Wuhan coronavirus reportsChinese woman says malicious gossip forced her out of jobChinese steel production powers ahead despite curbs in industry’s heartlandThis article Chinese influencer Guo Meiling among 75 arrested for selling diet pills containing banned substances first appeared on South China Morning PostFor the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2021.
The series is dedicated to inspirational men and women in Singapore leading healthy and active lifestyles. This week: fitness instructor Courtney Gleason.
Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson attempted to further cement his status as the Flyweight GOAT last Thursday, 8 April, when he challenged ONE Flyweight World Champion Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes in the main event of “ONE on TNT I.” Unfortunately for Johnson, Moraes stunned him with an uppercut and then a crushing knee to score the second-round KO win – the first … Continue reading "Demetrious Johnson Opens Up About World Title Loss: Moraes Had ‘A Great Performance’"
Taiwan is making arrangements for former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo to visit the island later this year -a move that is likely to anger Beijing. Pompeo, known for his strong support of the island during his time as the US secretary of state, had expressed his interest in visiting the island soon after he stepped down in January. On Monday deputy foreign minister Tien Chung-kwang said “we’re working hard on this” in response to questions in the legislature.Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. When further asked whether Pompeo would be able to visit Taiwan this year, Tien said: “Yes.” Taiwan to stage live-fire drills as fears of possible PLA attack grow The announcement comes at a time of escalating tensions between Taiwan and the mainland, which has stepped up military intimidation against the island by staging war games nearby and sending warplanes into Taiwan’s air defence identification zone. This month the aerial incursions have taken place on a daily basis, with more than 20 planes taking part in some sorties, and the Liberty Times in Taipei estimates they have happened on at least 86 days this year. On Monday, Taiwan’s defence ministry said the mainland had sent a record 25 warplanes into the island’s defence zone. During an interview with Taiwan’s semi-official Central News Agency last month, Pompeo said he was looking forward to visiting the island. “It would be wonderful to get the chance to travel there someday. I would truly enjoy that. It would be a real treat,” he said. In a sign of his staunch support for Taiwan, on Monday Pompeo tweeted a photo of him sitting in front of a chessboard and having a bite of dried pineapple given to him by Taiwan’s de facto envoy to Washington Hsiao Bi-khim. “As a proponent of freedom, enjoying some Taiwanese dried pineapple. Checkmate,” he tweeted. In response, Hsiao tweeted: “Glad that @mikepompeo likes Taiwanese dried pineapples which I have been sharing around town.” Beijing suspended the import of Taiwan’s pineapples at the start of March on the grounds that they had pest problem, but the move was seen by the island as a new move to ramp up pressure on Taipei and to force the island’s president Tsai Ing-wen, from the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party, to accept the “one China principle”. As a proponent of freedom, enjoying some Taiwanese dried pineapple. Checkmate. pic.twitter.com/Y0wD2E3GDt — Mike Pompeo (@mikepompeo) April 11, 2021 Pompeo won support from the Taiwanese public but angered Beijing by supporting the island while in office, and has condemned the mainland for suppressing the island after he stepped down. Chinese state media has responded by describing Pompeo as the worst secretary of state. Pompeo, who saw Beijing as a threat to the US and the world, lifted decades-old US administrative restrictions on official exchanges with Taiwan in January, just days before he left office. Meetings with Taiwanese officials are now encouraged in federal buildings and can also take place at Taiwan’s representative office – activities strictly prohibited in the past. US navy sends China the message: ‘we’re watching you’ “We started staring at them [the rules] and realised it was just crazy. We had this completely separate set of rules that made no sense,” he told Central News Agency. “It made sense for us to have more conversations, not fewer. To have more open conversations, not more clandestine conversations.” Beijing, which claims sovereignty over Taiwan and vows to retake the island by force if necessary, has strongly protested against Washington having official contacts with and supplying defensive arms to the island. It has demanded that the US – which switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing from Taipei in 1979 – abide by the “one-China” policy. But relations between Taiwan and the US under the Trump administration warmed significantly with Washington sending government ministers, including the health secretary Alex Azar, to visit last year.More from South China Morning Post:Taiwan says PLA flies 25 warplanes into its airspace, the largest incursion yetUS-China relations: military tensions continue to rise over TaiwanThis article Taiwan ready to welcome former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo first appeared on South China Morning PostFor the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2021.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to attend a two-day virtual summit on climate change hosted by his US counterpart Joe Biden next week. Xi’s participation in the Earth Day summit on April 22 and 23 will put the focus on whether the two biggest carbon-emitting nations can open up a narrow path to cooperation amid a deepening rift. A person familiar with the situation told the South China Morning Post that Xi was expected to attend the summit, and ahead of that, US climate envoy John Kerry was expected to travel to Shanghai to meet his Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua this week.Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. Kerry’s trip, first reported on Sunday by The Washington Post, would be part of the former secretary of state’s tour through India, the United Arab Emirates and Bangladesh but could still be called off, according to the newspaper, citing sources. Xie, reappointed as China’s special climate envoy in February, has been a long-serving climate diplomat and was the country’s chief negotiator on the Paris Agreement signed by nearly 200 nations. China has yet to confirm Kerry’s visit, and foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said earlier this month that Beijing was “looking at” whether Xi would take part in the Earth Day summit after receiving an invitation from Washington. It comes just weeks after a frosty meeting between senior Chinese and American officials in Anchorage, Alaska. The two countries remain at loggerheads over issues ranging from trade and technology to human rights and the South China Sea. Climate change is one area where they have said they could work together, though the US has accused China of not doing enough to cut emissions. After the Anchorage talks, Beijing said the two sides had agreed to set up a working group on climate change, but US officials denied they had made this agreement. While in India last week, Kerry said Beijing and Washington must cooperate on climate but he was “not confident” that he could count on China’s cooperation. China, meanwhile, believes it should balance reducing emissions with economic growth. The US plans to commit to emissions cuts of 50 per cent or more from 2005 levels by 2030, Bloomberg reported. While it is uncertain whether the US can deliver on that target, it may put pressure on China as it seeks to position itself as a leader in reducing greenhouse gases. Lin Limin, a scholar with the University of International Relations in Beijing, said climate could still be an area for the powers to achieve a breakthrough. “The two countries share the same principle [on climate change] in general, but they take different approaches,” Lin said. “China’s development has lagged behind that of the US and Europe for a long time, our GDP per capita is still very low, so it’s not bad that it can set these emissions reduction goals – we’re doing our best.” China, which accounts for around 30 per cent of the world’s CO2 emissions, pledged last year to bring carbon emissions to a peak before 2030 and to become carbon neutral by 2060. While it has pulled back from driving growth at all costs, Beijing stopped short of setting an emissions cap in its latest five-year plan for economic and social development released in March. Kerry to push India on cutting fossil fuel use ahead of global summit Li Shuo, a senior policy adviser at Greenpeace in Beijing, said controlling the coal power sector, a major source of climate-warming greenhouse gases, could be an area where China can show it is taking action. “As a politically viable option and an important step for the environment, China could stop subsidising or building more coal plants to start with, or at least cut the consumption of coal,” Li said. More from South China Morning Post:US envoy John Kerry takes part in climate change summit co-hosted by ChinaClimate change: John Kerry to push India on cutting fossil fuel use ahead of global summitJoe Biden invites China and Russia to first global climate talksAlaska summit: what the US and China agree on, and what still divides themThis article China’s Xi Jinping likely to take part in Joe Biden’s Earth Day climate summit first appeared on South China Morning PostFor the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2021.
Two former opposition lawmakers currently facing prosecution under Hong Kong’s national security law were slapped with more charges on Tuesday, as prosecutors accused them of contempt of the legislature over an incident that took place when they were still members last year. Andrew Wan Siu-kin and Helena Wong Pik-wan were not required to enter pleas at their first appearance over the new case at Eastern Court on Tuesday, with the defence requesting an adjournment pending the Court of Final Appeal’s ruling on the constitutionality of a similar prosecution. The two Democratic Party members, who are among the 47 opposition politicians and activists charged with subversion over an unofficial primary election last summer, are now facing a combined total of three counts of contempt under Section 17(c) of the Legislative Council (Powers and Privileges) Ordinance, which penalises interruptions of Legco sessions.Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. Wong, 62, was technically charged in two separate cases, the first for allegedly creating or joining “a disturbance which interrupted or was likely to interrupt” a Legco committee hearing on October 15 last year. She was said to have committed the offence together with fugitive ex-lawmaker Ted Hui Chi-fung, who is now in Australia. In the second case, Wong was charged alongside Wan, 51, with creating another disturbance in a separate committee meeting the next day. The legality of prosecuting lawmakers by invoking a provision designed to protect their rights has been the subject of debate in a separate case involving former legislator “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung, who was charged with the same offence for snatching a folder from a government official during a Legco sitting in 2016. The 64-year-old has applied to overturn an appellate court’s ruling that upheld the constitutionality of his prosecution. The full hearing before the top court is slated for August 31. Judiciary reveals bail decision reasons in several security law cases In Tuesday’s hearing, Principal Magistrate Peter Law Tak-chuen granted defence lawyers’ request to postpone the case to October 4, pending the determination of Leung’s appeal. He released Wan and Wong on HK$1,000 (US$129) cash bail, though Wan will remain behind bars as he was previously remanded in custody in the security law case. Wong had been granted bail in the earlier proceedings. Contempt of the Legislative Council is punishable by one year imprisonment and a fine for a first offence.This article Former Hong Kong lawmakers facing prosecution under national security law hit with fresh charges of contempt of Legislative Council first appeared on South China Morning PostFor the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2021.
A female civil servant and another woman, both 36, will be charged on Wednesday (14 April) over alleged leaks of the daily updates of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Singapore prior to their official release, the police said on Tuesday (13 April).
The first men's major of 2021 dominates AFP Sport's golf talking points this week:
Two Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in clashes with pro-Russia separatists in Ukraine's war-torn east, its military said Monday, as Kiev again accused Moscow of massing tens of thousands of soldiers on its border.
For a woman surnamed Wu, a mundane trip to a shopping centre resulted in her helping a man who had been tricked into forced labour ten years ago reunite with his long-lost family. Wu, who was from the same village in Guizhou in southern China, found the man, who was homeless at the time, at a local shopping centre in Kaili City, according to the Guizhou Metropolis News. “We were very young and we only heard the adults saying the man lost touch with his family after leaving home to work and they couldn’t find him anywhere,” said Wu. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. The man, who shares the same surname and is named Wu Fangwen, had been tricked into forced labour by an illegal brickmaking factory when he left home a decade ago. He said the organisation took away his mobile phone and ID card, making it impossible to escape. Wu Fangwen was forced to make bricks for a decade and was treated terribly, eventually losing his memory because of ill health. Finally, a moment presented itself, and the man was able to run away in February. With no identification and in ill health, he was left to wander about until aid workers at the regional civil affairs office found him and guided him from Maoming, in Guangdong, to Kaili City, about 850km away. Unfortunately, the ordeal was not finished, as the man still could not get home from Kaili City for ten days until he randomly bumped into Wu, the woman who helped him get home. Wu, for her part, was doubtful that such a once-in-a-billion coincidence could exist, but she decided to take a chance: “I called his name in my home dialect and he immediately cried. I knew then I’d found him,” she said. The woman then began to ask Wu Fangwen where he had been, telling him his family had searched everywhere for the man, who now looked very thin and had a hunched back. “Your mother was always crying when she lost touch and she became ill,” she told him. The woman then contacted Wu Fangwen’s family, who cried upon hearing their long-lost family member had been discovered. “He cried after I told him that I would take him home. I am emotional too. I feel so distressed looking at him,” the woman said. Many on social media expressed their sympathy for the man and applauded the woman for her kindness. Pakistani victim of forced labour in Hong Kong loses Court of Final Appeal bid to create new human trafficking offence “What kind of life he must have been through for the past ten years… It’s very lucky that he met this kind woman,” one user on the Twitter-like platform Weibo said. “This woman was really clever to use the home dialect first to confirm. Her kindness should be rewarded,” another added. Incidents of captured labour in China are rare but not unprecedented. A court in Fangcheng county in Henan, a province in central China, sentenced four men to between seven and nine months in jail for forcing more than 20 mentally challenged people to work at a factory that makes kilns for about a year between 2006 and 2007, according to People’s Court Daily. The workers were trafficked from cities in Henan, beaten, locked in the factory and forced to work long hours before being reported and released in 2007.This article Man forced to work at illegal factory for a decade reunited with family after chance encounter at shopping centre first appeared on South China Morning PostFor the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2021.
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As the world’s two biggest naval fleets engage in the Indo-Pacific region, China’s People’s Liberation Army can observe and learn from the United States Navy in adapting future tactical combined operations, according to defence analysts. They said the operators of China’s Type 075 amphibious assault vessels could examine the US deployment of an amphibious-ready group (ARG) to the South China Sea which was led by the USS Makin Island landing helicopter dock (LHD) and joined the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group on April 9 for exercises. The USS Makin Island is a 40,000-tonne Wasp-class amphibious assault ship able to carry a detachment of Marine F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters. The LHD and two San Antonio-class landing platform dock (LPD) amphibious transport ships – the USS Somerset and USS San Diego – as well as several helicopter and assault craft units form the Makin Island ARG.Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. “The displacement size and functions of the Wasp-class LHD are similar to the PLA’s Type 075 LHD, while the San Antonio-class transport docks are similar to China’s Type 071 landing platform docks (LPD),” Hong Kong-based military commentator Song Zhongping said. Beijing-based naval expert Li Jie said the PLA would learn from the experiences of its American counterpart in turning its LHD and LPD into mini-aircraft carrier strike groups, an effective cost-saving measure. “The US has studied how to operate their ARG in a more feasible and efficient way,” Li said. “For China, the key mission of their Type 075 and Type 071 will be defending the country’s territorial sovereignty in the East and South China seas, as well as overseas interests, meaning the ARG combination is a better option than aircraft carrier strike groups.” Macau-based military observer Antony Wong Tong said deploying both LHDs and LPDs indicated the US Navy’s capacity for tactical manoeuvres and joint cooperation on the high seas. “The combination of LHD and LPD is an integrated expeditionary strike group, which is worth the PLA learning from if they are going to better deploy their Type 075 and Type 071 amphibious warships,” Wong said. Philippines, US to start two-week joint military drills amid South China Sea tensions Beijing plans to own at least six aircraft carrier strike groups by 2035, but so far it just launched two. The third is expected to be completed later this year. China has launched three Type 075 LHDs, which were designed to each carry up to 30 attack helicopters and armoured vehicles, and eight smaller Type 071 LPDs with the displacement of 25,000 tonnes. The Type 075 is the world’s third largest amphibious assault vessel behind the USS Wasp and America classes. It is bigger than Japan’s Izumo class and France’s Mistral class. However, Song said that in addition to the amphibious ships, the most powerful weapon of the Makin Island ARG were the F-35B squadrons and detachments of multi-role helicopters suited to different types of sea warfare missions. “The most challenging problem of the PLA is a lack of new-generation fixed-wing carrier-based aircraft like the F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter jets,” Song said. “The F-35B helps the USS Marines grab air supremacy in both ARG operations, making its function like that of the mini-carrier strike groups … that means the US Navy owns nearly 20 carrier strike groups around the world.” To solve the current shortcomings, Song suggested the PLA install a catapult on the deck of the Type 075 LHD to upgrade the platform and allow it to operate the country’s carrier-based J-15 fighter jet. The US navy was reported to have tested the idea of smaller carriers, which would reduce the range, speed and capacity of its US$13 billion nuclear-powered supercarriers known as CVNs, but cost half as much or even less, Forbes reported in December. The ARG operation could be seen as testing a mini-carrier option, an exercise China could learn from, Song and Li said. More from South China Morning Post:China’s military tracks US warship traversing Taiwan StraitChinese Type 055 destroyer joins aircraft carrier group for first timeChinese military: fourth aircraft carrier likely to be nuclear powered, sources sayUS navy warns China ‘we’re watching you’ as destroyer shadows Liaoning carrier groupChina-Philippines Whitsun Reef dispute could get worse as US chips inThis article South China Sea: Can PLA learn from US Navy tactics with mini-carrier strike group? first appeared on South China Morning PostFor the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2021.
HSBC reached a settlement on Monday over documents that Huawei Technologies Co. chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou is seeking from the bank related to her extradition case as she tries to avoid a criminal trial in the United States. Meng, who is also known as Sabrina, was detained by Canadian authorities in December 2018 at the request of the US Justice Department. The daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, she is facing bank fraud charges that she misled HSBC about the Chinese telecommunications giant’s business deals in Iran during a 2013 meeting. She has said she is innocent and her lawyers have been seeking documents from HSBC that they claim show HSBC officials previously knew about Huawei’s dealings in Iran and she did not mislead the bank, negating the US’s extradition request. A court in the United Kingdom previously rejected a similar request for documents from the bank.Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. “An agreement has been reached with HSBC in relation to the Hong Kong legal proceedings for document production and an order has been approved by the court,” a Huawei spokeswoman said on Monday. A HSBC spokeswoman separately confirmed on Monday that an agreement had been reached to resolve the document request. At a hearing that lasted less than five minutes on Monday, High Court Justice Linda Chan Ching-fan approved an “accord” between the parties that included an agreement on redacting portions of some documents and adding Huawei as a party to the request. The scope of the agreement in Hong Kong is unclear, as no written order was made public on Monday and much of the Hong Kong case remains under seal. The settlement itself is expected to remain confidential. The HSBC documents sought by Meng include internal bank papers about its compliance evaluation relating to Huawei and Skycom Tech, the unit used by the Chinese telecommunications company in its business dealings with Iran from December 2012 to April 2015. In the Canadian extradition proceedings, Meng’s lawyers have argued in part that the US has no jurisdiction to bring the case and former US President Donald Trump improperly meddled in the matter by attempting to use her arrest as leverage during trade negotiations. The more-than-two-year extradition battle is coming to a close as the final weeks of hearings in her case are expected to conclude in May, with a decision to follow later. More from South China Morning Post:Meng Wanzhou’s extradition judge should not decide on US jurisdiction, Canadian government lawyer saysCanada had to arrest Meng Wanzhou and it was not arbitrary, but detention is now unlawful, her lawyer saysExtradition judge is told she, not minister, must decide if US has jurisdiction over Meng Wanzhou’s actions in Hong KongHSBC suffered no risk from Meng Wanzhou’s alleged deceptions, court hears, as extradition fight enters crucial stageHong Kong court hears Meng Wanzhou’s application to access HSBC documents to undergird her bid to quash extradition to USThis article HSBC, Huawei’s Meng Wanzhou settle Hong Kong case seeking documents as she fights extradition first appeared on South China Morning PostFor the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2021.
Russia put on a united front with Iran against the United States and Europe Tuesday amid talks in Vienna on bringing Washington back into a troubled 2015 nuclear deal.
A court in Xinjiang will hear a defamation case against a German researcher who has accused Beijing of large-scale human rights abuses against Muslims in the far-western region. A court in Kashgar, the biggest city in southern Xinjiang, accepted the civil case filed by Shache Xiongying Textile Limited on April 2, according to a Friday post by ts.cn, a news outlet affiliated with the Xinjiang government. A spokesman said the company had suffered from heavy economic losses due to Zenz’s “distorted” studies. The lawsuit asks the court to order Zenz to stop his research, pay compensation and apologise to the company.Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. The US-based researcher is banned from entering China or doing business there and it is not clear how such an order could be enforced if the court rules against him. US-based researcher hits back at Chinese academic over Xinjiang Zenz said on Monday he has never been contacted directly about the lawsuit. “It’s all claims, unverified claims. They might be gradually trying to use this for propaganda purposes,” he said. The lawsuit is the latest in a series of actions against the researcher, who has published reports that say the mainly Uygur Muslims in the region have been subjected to mass detention, forced sterilisation and forced labour. Some Western governments, including the United States, have now described Beijing’s actions as “genocide”. Some international textile and fashion companies are currently seeking to make sure their supply chains exclude products or materials from the region over concerns about forced labour. Zenz was one of the individuals placed on a sanctions list last month in retaliation for sanctions from the European Union – the bloc’s first against China since the 1989 Tiananmen killings – by banning European government bodies, politicians, academics and a think thank from visiting or doing business with China. Beijing has also exchanged similar sanctions with the United States, Canada and Britain over Xinjiang. “The sanctions and the lawsuit against me just shows that Beijing is getting quite desperate,” said Zenz, calling them “ridiculous”. Beijing has mobilised its state apparatus to respond to international pressure over its Xinjiang policies, which include calls to boycott cotton from the region or the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Early last month a spokesman for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Beijing supported the suit, adding that Zenz will one day “face the condemnation of conscience and judgment of justice”. The case highlights the increased significance Beijing attaches to legal instruments. The ‘better initiative’ that was buried in China’s cotton controversy Last month, a local Chinese court issued an injunction in a dispute between smartphone giant Xiaomi and the US firm InterDigital. In January, China’s Ministry of Commerce unveiled new rules that would punish global companies for complying with tightening US restrictions against Chinese businesses.More from South China Morning Post:Human rights in China: Beijing endorses legal action against German scholar over Xinjiang abuse claimsXinjiang cotton row puts Burberry, Nike and other Western brands in a quandary – and pushes Hong Kong’s patriots to walk the talkChina blames ‘aggressive US wars’ for humanitarian disasters around the world as it hits back at criticism of human rights recordChina ‘offered Middle East appealing alternative to US’ amid Xinjiang scrutinyChinese branch of Better Cotton Initiative challenges headquarters and says it has found no evidence of Xinjiang forced labourThis article Xinjiang court to hear defamation case against German researcher Adrian Zenz over forced labour claims first appeared on South China Morning PostFor the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2021.
