Nigerian authorities reopened schools across the country Monday despite a jump in confirmed cases of COVID-19. But while millions of students are excited to return to class, health authorities are urging caution. Timothy Obiezu reports from Abuja. Videographer: Emeka Gibson.
…
Month: January 2021
Biden Orders US to Rejoin Paris Climate Accord, WHO
Among the 17 executive actions U.S. President Joe Biden signed during his first hours in office Wednesday, two will strengthen frayed cooperation with the United Nations on boosting global health and combating climate change. Making good on campaign promises, Biden halted the U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization and rejoined the 2015 Paris Climate Accord. FILE – U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.”I am committed to working closely with President Biden and other leaders to overcome the climate emergency, and recover better from COVID-19,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement welcoming the actions. In mid-April last year, as the coronavirus pandemic was spreading across the globe, then-president Donald Trump cut off U.S. funding to the WHO, saying it was “virtually controlled by China.” He then went further, triggering the process to pull the U.S. completely out of the organization. The withdrawal was due to go into effect in July, but Biden’s order will cancel it. FILE – Dr. Anthony FauciThe WHO’s Executive Board has been meeting virtually this week, and the Biden administration announced that a U.S. delegation, headed by Dr. Anthony Fauci, will participate. The administration has also said it will join Covax, an international alliance dedicated to equitable access to and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine, especially in poorer countries. There have been more than 96 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide and more than 2 million deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University, which tracks the data. About a quarter of the cases and one-fifth of the deaths have been in the United States. “Supporting the WHO is absolutely critical to the world’s efforts for a better coordinated response against COVID-19,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. “Now is the time for unity and for the international community to work together in solidarity to stop this virus and its shattering consequences.” Climate action Sitting at his desk in the Oval Office, Biden also signed the instrument to rejoin the Paris Agreement, which Trump withdrew from in 2017, saying it was “in America’s economic interest to do so.” The former president was a supporter of the fossil fuel industry and often mocked clean renewable forms of energy, such as wind. Once the instrument is deposited at the United Nations, the U.S. will officially become a party to the accord in 30 days.The 2015 climate agreement, signed by virtually every country in the world, aims to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and limit the planet’s temperature increase during this century to 2 degrees Celsius, while working to limit the increase even further to 1.5 degrees.FILE – Former Secretary of State John Kerry.Biden has also appointed former Secretary of State John Kerry as the United States’ first presidential envoy on climate and made him a part of his National Security Council.”Following last year’s Climate Ambition Summit, countries producing half of global carbon pollution had committed to carbon neutrality,” U.N. chief Guterres said. “Today’s commitment by President Biden brings that figure to two-thirds. But there is a very long way to go.”Guterres said he looks forward to U.S. leadership to accelerate global efforts toward net zero emissions, including with ambitious 2030 targets and climate finance ahead of the next climate review conference in November. U.N. spokesman Dujarric said that Guterres is sending a congratulatory letter to Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, and that he looks forward to working with them. “It is going to be, I think, a very active and positive engagement between the secretary‑general and this new administration,” Dujarric told reporters.
…
Wall Street Hits Records as Hopes Build for More Stimulus
Wall Street marked the dawn of President Joe Biden’s administration with stocks rallying to record highs as hopes build that new leadership in Washington will mean more support for the struggling U.S. economy.The S&P 500 rose 1.4%, topping its previous all-time high set earlier this month. The Dow Jones industrial average, Nasdaq composite and Russell 2000 index of smaller companies also notched record highs, powered by gains in technology, communications, health care and most other sectors.Biden, now the nation’s 46th president, has a flurry of executive actions at the ready. He has also pitched a plan to pump $1.9 trillion more into the struggling economy, hoping to act quickly as his Democratic Party takes control of the White House and both houses of Congress.The hope on Wall Street is that such stimulus will help carry the economy until later this year, when more widespread COVID-19 vaccinations get daily life closer to normal. Such hopes have helped stocks and Treasury yields rise, even as the worsening pandemic digs a deeper hole for the economy. Spiraling coronavirus counts and deaths have more workers applying for unemployment benefits and shoppers feeling less confident.”Most of Wall Street is assuming that the second half [of 2021] is when we will see pent-up demand start to show up in the economy, and that will push economic indicators higher and will likely cause a ramp up in earnings projections,” said Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at CFRA.The S&P 500 rose 52.94 points to 3,851.85. The Dow gained 257.86 points, or 0.8%, to 31,188.38. The Nasdaq climbed 260.07 points, or 2%, to 13,457.25. The Russell 2000 picked up 9.48 points, or 0.4%, to 2,160.62.Earnings top forecastsA better-than-expected start to earnings reporting season also helped lift the market Wednesday. Analysts came in with low expectations, forecasting the big companies in the S&P 500 would report a fourth straight drop in earnings per share because of the damage from the pandemic. But the vast majority of the earliest reports have managed to top forecasts.FILE – This Jan. 29, 2010, photo shows the company logo and view of Netflix headquarters in Los Gatos, Calif.Netflix jumped 16.9% for the S&P 500’s biggest gain after it said it ended last year with more than 200 million subscribers. It also said it made more in revenue during the end of 2020 than analysts expected, though its earnings fell short of forecasts. Business is good enough for the company that it says it likely doesn’t need to borrow any more to cover its day-to-day operations.In Washington, the Biden administration took control of the White House from Donald Trump, who pointed again on Wednesday to the stock market’s level as validation of his work.Trump’s preferred measure was often the Dow, even though the S&P 500 is much more important to most workers’ 401(k) accounts. Under Trump, the Dow had an annualized return of 11.8% from his inauguration until his last day in office, according to Ryan Detrick, chief market strategist for LPL Financial. That’s better than any Republican president since Calvin Coolidge during the roaring 1920s, but it’s not as good as the returns for Bill Clinton or Barack Obama.Trump has said in the past that he should get credit for the stock market’s gains following his election but before his inauguration. The market got a “Trump bump” then on anticipation of lower tax rates, less regulation on companies and faster economic growth. Much of that did come to fruition, but the COVID-19 pandemic and the government’s response to it upended everything in 2020.Bigger bumpGains for stocks have also been accelerating since Biden’s election, before his inauguration, on enthusiasm about COVID-19 vaccines and hopes that he and Congress can deliver more stimulus for the economy. The bump for stocks between the most recent Election Day and Biden’s inauguration is bigger than Trump’s bump before his inauguration.”The market is up more than 13% since Election Day,” Stovall said, noting that since World War II, the S&P 500 has risen an average of 3.5% in the first 100 days of a Democratic president’s administration, versus an average gain of 0.5% when a Republican was in the White House.FILE – Janet Yellen, Joe Biden’s nominee to be Treasury secretary, speaks in Wilmington, Del., Dec. 1, 2020.Janet Yellen, Biden’s nominee to be Treasury secretary, told the Senate Finance Committee during her confirmation hearing on Tuesday that the incoming administration would focus on winning quick passage of its $1.9 trillion plan.”More must be done,” Yellen said. “Without further action, we risk a longer, more painful recession now — and long-term scarring of the economy later.”Analysts have been expressing concerns about pricey stock values heading into the latest round of corporate earnings, but they look more reasonable amid the backdrop of historically low interest rates, said Solita Marcelli, chief investment officer, Americas, at UBS Global Wealth Management. The low rates, along with new stimulus and the continued rollout of vaccines, will likely help bolster markets and the recovery.”We think that global growth is going to continue to pick up,” she said.Companies will need to meet the market’s expectations — including for a huge rebound in profit growth through 2021 — to validate the big runs for their stock prices during 2020, even as their profits plummeted. Stocks of several companies slipped on Wednesday, even though they reported stronger profits than expected. Procter & Gamble fell 1%, for example.The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 1.09% from 1.07% late Tuesday.
…
In Belarus, a Press Badge Makes You a Target
Beatings, arrests, court cases, internet blocks and revocation of press credentials — being an accredited journalist is no longer a guarantee of protection for independent media in Belarus.Four members of Press Club Belarus, a network that focuses on journalism, have been in pre-trial detention since December 22, when club founder Yulia Slutskaya, program director Ala Sharko, financial director Sergei Olszewski and operator Pyatro Slutski, Yulia’s son, were FILE – Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya speaks to the media in Berlin, Dec. 14, 2020.Statistics by Press Under Pressure, a project run by the press club, say journalists have been detained almost 400 times since the election. Figures show 81 journalists arrested and 15 facing criminal cases.Human rights activists have rejected the line from Belarusian officials that members of the press club were involved in wrongdoing, calling the charges retaliatory.On January 13, a joint statement by human rights organizations in Belarus called Slutskaya, Sharko, Olszewski, Slutski and Lutskina political prisoners.The use of economic-related charges against human rights and political prisoners is a tactic that was used regularly during the Soviet era.ProsecutionsThe arrests at Press Club Belarus came one day after the Prosecutor General’s Office of Belarus opened criminal cases against opposition leader Tsikhanouskaya and members of the opposition Coordinating Council, accusing them of “creating an extremist formation” and conducting “activities with the aim of seizing state power unconstitutionally.”Meanwhile, prosecutors said they would prosecute all those who “contributed to the extremist formation.”Nadezhda Belokhvostik, editor in chief of press club-linked Media-IQ magazine, said members were shocked by the arrests.”We didn’t expect all this. We were preparing for the New Year. We had to have a holiday, Belokhvostik told VOA’s Russian Service. “Yulia Slutskaya was returning that day from vacation with her daughter and grandchildren. I was in the office and left maybe half an hour before the search and detention, when Sergei Olszewski and Pyatro Slutski were detained.”Her colleagues’ whereabouts were unknown for hours, said Belokhvostik, who learned of their detention only when state-run Belta News Agency reported the press club members were suspected of tax evasion.“Lawyers who were admitted more than 24 hours later were forced to sign for nondisclosure agreements,” Belokhvostik added. “This is a typical practice in Belarus to prevent lawyers from saying anything.”The duty officer at the Belarus Embassy in Washington referred VOA to the Foreign Ministry in Belarus. The ministry did not respond to VOA’s email requesting comment.FILE – Demonstrators rally in solidarity with arrested journalists, in Minsk, Belarus, Sept. 3, 2020. The poster, depicting some of the detained, reads: “They [only] did their job.” (Svaboda.org – RFE/RL)’It makes you a target’Natalia Belikova, manager of the press club’s international projects, called the tax charges and detentions a direct result of the organization’s mission to serve as a platform for professional development of independent media and journalists.”The press club has always supported its journalism colleagues, has always been in solidarity with colleagues,” Belikova said. “Since August, pressure on independent media in Belarus has increased very much, and we have recorded it.”Journalists are detained. Some are deprived of press credentials,” she added. “I think that the attack on the press club, among other things, is connected with the fact that we were in solidarity with all those journalists who are now working in desperate conditions.”Belikova also said authorities were irritated by the international resonance of their reporting and have responded with increasingly repressive tactics.”The work of journalists who have been deprived of press accreditation is by and large outlawed,” she said, explaining that they can’t cover protests without risking arrest for participating in illegal or unauthorized events.A portion of the home page of Minsk-based Tut.by. (Web screenshot)Belokhvostik, of Media-IQ, said the repression “is monstrous.”Belokhvostik said journalists who covered rallies have been detained for up to 25 days. She also highlighted that Katerina Borisevich, who reported for Tut.by on the fatal beating of a 31-year-old artist and teacher by plainclothes police, was being held in the same detention center as those detained from the press club.“The same ‘press’ vest, which all accredited journalists are obliged to wear in Belarus, doesn’t save anyone,” she told VOA. “On the contrary, it makes you a target.”Growing supportDespite the crackdown, Belikova said, sound reporting in Belarus continues.”There are editorial offices that have moved their main offices abroad in order to be able to continue working in Belarus,” she told VOA. “Their teams of journalists are in Belarus — let’s just say the head organizations have moved.”Public support for journalists is on the uptick.In early October, when reporters for the Minsk-based Tut.by faced a three-month suspension of press accreditation for covering anti-government protests, demonstrators shouted words of praise and support while marching past its offices. Others sent in information over apps like Telegram to help the news site stay updated.But working in the face of persecution comes at a cost.”To some extent, there’s some sense of unity in adversity, that people feel they’re all in it together,” said Belikova. “But at the same time, it is necessary to remember that the government doesn’t stop repression, which is only increasing. The cost of participation in actions related to your civic stance increases every day.”This story originated in VOA’s Russian Service.
…
European, Other World Leaders Welcome Joe Biden
There were words of welcome Wednesday from across the world for Joe Biden as he was sworn in as America’s 46th president. They were mixed with parting shots from some leaders aimed at his predecessor, Donald Trump, who left Washington hours before the swearing-in.
As the inauguration has been atypical — with no crowds and the Capitol guarded by thousands of National Guardsmen — so, too, the reaction has been out of the ordinary from overseas leaders.
Some European leaders who had tempestuous relations with Donald Trump did not hold back on their relief at seeing President Biden installed.
“Once again, after four long years, Europe has a friend in the White House,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday.
“This new dawn in America is the moment we’ve been waiting for so long. Europe is ready for a new start with our oldest and most trusted partner,” she told European lawmakers in Brussels. She said she hoped Biden would be able to repair divisions in the United States and that his inauguration would be “a message of hope for a world that is waiting for the U.S. to be back in the circle of like-minded states.”European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen addresses European lawmakers during a plenary session on the inauguration of the new U.S. president and the current political situation, at the European Parliament in Brussels, Jan. 20, 20 Europe welcomes Biden
German President Frank Walter Steinmeier called Wednesday “a good day for democracy.”
“I am relieved that Joe Biden is sworn in as president today and coming into the White House. I know that this feeling is shared by many people in Germany,” he said in a statement.
Steinmeier praised the strength and endurance of American democracy, saying, “In the United States, (democracy) held up against a lot of pressure. Despite internal hostility, America’s institutions have proven strong — election workers, governors, judiciary and Congress.”
Other European leaders avoided referring to past difficulties and appeared to be trying to make sure they are seen as good allies for the incoming administration.
“In our fight against COVID and across climate change, defense, security and in promoting and defending democracy, our goals are the same and our nations will work hand in hand to achieve them,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a statement.
Johnson told the House of Commons he looked forward to welcoming the new U.S. president to Britain later this year for a G-7 summit of the world’s leading nations and for a climate conference to be held in Glasgow.
Italy’s prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, was also focused on the future.
“We are looking forward to the Biden presidency, with which we will start working immediately in view of our presidency of the G-20,” he told Italian lawmakers on Tuesday. “We have a strong common agenda, ranging from the effective multilateralism that we both want to see, to climate change, green and digital transition and social inclusion.”
But Spain’s socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez did not mince his words about what he thinks Biden’s election win means.
“The (election) victory of Biden represents the victory of democracy over the ultra-right and its three methods, the massive deception, the national division and the abuse, even violent, of democratic institutions,” he said at a public event. “Five years ago, we thought Trump was a bad joke, but five years later, we realized he jeopardized nothing less than the world’s most powerful democracy.”
The Trump administration and EU leaders clashed on several issues, including international trade and climate change, a reflection of deeply different world views. FILE – A NATO and a US flag flutter in the wind outside NATO headquarters in Brussels.Reaffirming NATO ties
Trump upbraided Europeans for not spending enough on their defense, an issue that’s also likely to be raised by the Biden administration, but probably more diplomatically. At times, Trump painted Europe as a foe and sometimes questioned the value of NATO, a clear break with traditional transatlantic relations since World War II.
Trump’s combative style, as well, was very different from what Europeans have experienced from other post-WWII American leaders.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg tweeted congratulations to Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, adding: “Today is the start of a new chapter for the transatlantic Alliance. … A strong NATO is good for both North America and Europe.”I congratulate President @JoeBiden on his #InaugurationDay. A strong #NATO is good for both North America & Europe, as none of us can tackle the challenges we face alone. Today is the start of a new chapter & I look forward to our close cooperation! https://t.co/cUB90k7XaW— Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) January 20, 2021Biden is widely seen as the most pro-Atlanticist American president since George H.W. Bush.
Two years ago, at a security conference in Munich, European leaders were tugging at Biden’s sleeves in the margins urging him to run for office. After enduring a rough-and-tough “America First” speech from then-U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, their nerves were soothed by Biden, when he quipped in his address: “This too shall pass. We will be back.”
Policymakers on both sides of the Atlantic say they are now determined to repair frayed relations and to steady democracies roiled by unprecedented domestic political turmoil and challenged by authoritarian powers.
Asia reacts to President Biden
Strengthening democracy, though, was not in the mind of China’s foreign ministry spokeswoman, Hua Chunying, who told a press briefing Wednesday: “In the past four years, the U.S. administration has made fundamental mistakes in its strategic perception of China … interfering in China’s internal affairs, suppressing and smearing China, and causing serious damage to China-U.S. relations.”
She said China’s leaders hope that the Biden administration will “meet China halfway and, in the spirit of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, push China-U.S. relations back to the right track of healthy and stable development as soon as possible.”
Also, in Asia, around 100 Japanese supporters of Trump took to the streets of Tokyo Wednesday, waving American and Japanese flags and unfurling banners with false claims that Trump was “the true winner” of last November’s presidential election.
“We wanted to show that many people in Japan are supporting President Trump,” the organizer, Naota Kobayashi, told Reuters. “We all chanted together so that our voice can fly over the Pacific Ocean and reach the U.S.”
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani focused on the 2015 nuclear deal, from which Trump withdrew the United States, saying he hoped Biden would reenter the pact and lift American sanctions imposed on Iran.
“The ball is in the U.S. court now. If Washington returns to Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal, we will also fully respect our commitments under the pact,” Rouhani said in a televised Cabinet meeting.
US-Russia ties
Reaction from Russian officials has been muted. Ahead of the inauguration, Russian leader Vladimir Putin remained silent, but Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told a press briefing that he did not foresee a change in American-Russia relations.
“Nothing will change for Russia. Russia will continue to live just the way it has lived for hundreds of years, seeking good relations with the U.S.,” he told reporters. “Whether Washington has reciprocal political will for that will depend on Mr. Biden and his team.”
The Kremlin-controlled daily Izvestia newspaper noted “the prospects for Russian-U.S. relations under the new U.S. leader do not encourage optimism so far.”
But Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet Union’s final leader, called for Moscow and Washington to repair strained ties.
“The current condition of relations between Russia and the United States is of great concern,” Gorbachev told state-run news agency TASS. “But this also means that something has to be done about it in order to normalize relations. We cannot fence ourselves off from each other.”
…
UN Reports 43 Dead After Migrant Ship Sinks Off Libyan Coast
Two United Nations agencies say that 43 African migrants died when a ship they were on capsized in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Libya.
In a joint statement, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) say the vessel overturned in rough seas after its engine quit a few hours after leaving the city of Zawya early Tuesday.
The agencies say a “partner on the ground,” the International Rescue Committee, reports 10 survivors were rescued by coastal security and brought to shore. The survivors say all the passengers were men from West African countries.
The agencies say they gave the survivors emergency assistance, including food, water and medical screenings, before they were released from the port.
The agencies say this is the first such accident of 2021, following a year in which hundreds of people lost their lives attempting to cross the central Mediterranean. They say the actual number of people who died crossing the sea during 2020 could be much higher, due to their limited ability to monitor migration routes.
War-ravaged Libya is a major route for Africa and Middle Eastern migrants seeking to reach Europe. The U.N. agencies called for reactivating state-led search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean and for a halt to returning migrants to “unsafe ports.”
…
Biden to Reverse Many of Trump’s Actions with Executive Orders
President Joe Biden signed three documents in the President’s Room at the U.S. Capitol shortly after his swearing-in ceremony, his first official act as the 46th president.
Biden signed the Inauguration Day Proclamation and documents for nominations to Cabinet and sub-Cabinet administration positions.
The signings were part of his campaign promise to reverse many of former President Donald Trump’s actions over the past four years by signing a series of executive orders on his first day in office.
In a statement Wednesday, Biden’s transition team said some of those issues include addressing the coronavirus crisis, immigration and climate change. Almost immediately after taking the oath of office at the U.S. Capitol, aides said Biden would end the ban on travel from some Muslim-majority countries, halt construction of the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, and rejoin the Paris Climate Accord and the World Health Organization. ‘Democracy Has Prevailed’ – Biden, Harris Lead New US Administration President Joe Biden seeks to unify a divided nation in inaugural addressTransition team officials also said Biden would order federal agencies to review policies that reinforce systemic racism, require the federal government not to discriminate on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation and revoke a Trump order to exclude non-citizens from the U.S. Census.Biden also plans to fulfill his campaign promise to help financially distressed Americans cope with effects of the coronavirus pandemic. He will extend a federal freeze on evictions and ask federal agencies to extend a suspension on foreclosures on federally guaranteed mortgages.The new president will also provide relief to students with large education loans by continuing a suspension on federal student loan interest and principal payments for the next eight months.Aides said Biden would take dozens of other executive actions in the next 10 days, as he seeks to quickly redirect the country without waiting for congressional approval.White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden would revoke the Defense Department’s ban on transgender people serving in the armed forces as well as a policy that prohibits U.S. funding for international groups that perform abortions or help women get abortion services.Only two recent presidents signed executive orders on their first day in office, and each signed just one. But aides said as Biden faces a worsening coronavirus pandemic, he is determined to act with a sense of urgency.
…
France’s Macron: No Repentance Nor Apologies for Algeria Occupation During Independence War
French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday that France is neither regretful nor apologetic about the atrocities committed in its former colony, Algeria, ahead of a key report on France’s colonial past.
Between 1954 and 1962, Algerian revolutionaries and French forces engaged in a bloody war in which both sides committed war crimes but that ultimately led to the independence of the North African country.
Macron said France has “no repentance nor apologies” for its occupation of Algeria or its actions during the eight-year war. He said the French government instead will undertake “symbolic acts” to make up for its past deeds.
Nearly 60 years on, the war continues to strain French-Algieran ties, prompting France to put in efforts at restoring cordial relations.
So far, Macron has been the only French president to recognize France’s criminal involvement in colonial Algeria.
During his presidential campaign in 2017, he described France’s 132-year colonization of Algeria as a “crime against humanity” during an interview with an Algerian television channel. Macron’s comment caused a stir in France and was widely criticized by the far right.
In 2018, he acknowledged that French forces used torture during the Algerian war — the first time any French leader had made such an admission.
He tasked a French historian, Benjamin Stora, to assess the European country’s dealings in Algeria and propose ways of reconciliation. The report is expected to be published later Wednesday.
The Elysee Palace said Macron will take part in a three-day commemorative event next year to mark the 60th anniversary since the end of the war in Algeria.
…
Bangladesh Expects Rohingya Repatriation to Myanmar in June
Bangladesh officials say they expect to begin a third effort to repatriate hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees to their homes in Myanmar’s Rakhine state in June.The target date – seen as premature by many Rohingya – emerged from this week’s talks between the two countries under Chinese mediation.“We proposed beginning the repatriation by March. But Myanmar said that for some logistical reasons they would need some more time,” said Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen, who led the Bangladeshi side in the tripartite meeting Tuesday.“Following our meeting, it appears, we would be able to begin the repatriation by June,” Momen told reporters in Dhaka.Bangladesh Relocates 2nd Group of Rohingya Refugees Officials say more than 1,800 Rohingyas arrived at Bhasan Char aboard several ships, a day after leaving overcrowded, squalid camps in Cox’s Bazar districtMyanmar’s deputy minister for international cooperation U Hau Do Suan and China’s vice foreign minister Luo Zhaohui represented their respective countries in the 90-minute virtual meeting.But many Rohingya in the sprawling refugee camps around Cox’s Bazar say they are unwilling to return to Myanmar before a series of long-standing demands are met.“Myanmar has to guarantee to return the full citizenship rights to all Rohingya — this is our main demand,” said Jan Mohammad, a Rohingya refugee who fled to Bangladesh in 2017 and lives in the Balukhali refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar.“We all want to return to our native villages in Rakhine. Violent crimes were committed against the Rohingya in Rakhine that led to our exodus from Myanmar. All perpetrators have to be held accountable for their crimes, he told VOA. “And, there must be a neutral international security force to ensure our safety in Rakhine.”HRW: 200 Homes Burned in Rakhine, MyanmarRakhine faces another mass destruction of homes amid refugee crisis He added, “I am sure no Rohingya will be ready to go back to Rakhine if Myanmar does not care to fulfill our demands.”Subjected to ethnic violence in Myanmar, minority Rohingya Muslims have for decades escaped persecution and economic hardship in Myanmar by fleeing to neighboring Bangladesh, where more than 1.2 million of the refugees now live, mostly in congested shanty colonies.After some 750,000 Rohingya crossed into Bangladesh following a brutal military-led campaign in Rakhine in 2017, international pressure forced Myanmar to agree that it would take back the Rohingya refugees.But efforts at repatriation failed in 2018 and 2019, when the Rohingya refused to return home, saying they still felt unsafe in Rakhine, and that Myanmar had not assured them of full citizenship rights.China subsequently offered to help the two countries find a solution, beginning with a tripartite meeting in New York in January 2020. Tuesday’s meeting was a continuation of that effort.Bangladesh has repeatedly said the congested country is overburdened with Rohingya refugees. Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, said some weeks ago that “there is no other alternative” to the Rohingya crisis except repatriation.At Tuesday’s meeting, Bangladesh proposed that representatives from the international community, including the United Nations, be present in Rakhine to oversee the repatriation. China and Myanmar reportedly welcomed the proposal, but no concrete decision was taken. Bangladesh also proposed that the populations of whole villages in Rakhine be returned together, which could make them feel safer. Myanmar officials said they would like to begin with 42,000 Rohingya, whose identities have already been verified from a list of 840,000 refugees previously provided by Bangladesh.Bangladesh also proposed that Myanmar send a delegation to Cox’s Bazar to interact with Rohingya refugee community leaders and try to persuade them to return. Foreign Secretary AK Abdul Momen said his nation is doing its best to begin the repatriation as soon as possible.“We could not succeed to begin the repatriation on two attempts in the past. But we have learned some lessons in the process. We are trying our best to be successful this time,” he said.The foreign secretary noted that 90,000 Rohingya children have been born in the Cox’s Bazar refugee camps in the past three years.“The Rohingya population is growing in Bangladesh. The growth of the population will give rise to new complications. For us there is no alternative to begin the repatriation on a fast track,” the foreign secretary said.“We have put our heart and soul into this process to begin the repatriation as soon as possible.”
…
British Government Looks Forward to Working with Biden
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Labor Party opposition leader Keir Starmer expressed good wishes Wednesday to U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on his Inauguration Day. Speaking in Parliament during his weekly question time with lawmakers, Johnson said he is looking forward to working with Biden and with his new administration “strengthening the partnership between our countries and working on our shared priorities.” Johnson mentioned climate change, pandemic recovery and “strengthening our transatlantic security” as shared priorities between the two nations. Starmer also stood to welcome Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, calling their upcoming inauguration “a victory for hope over hate and a real moment for optimism in the U.S. and around the world.” In an editorial Wednesday in the British Daily Mail newspaper, former British Prime Minister Theresa May said Biden and Harris give Britain “partners for positive action to make the world a safer place.” May used the same editorial to sharply criticize Johnson, her successor as prime minister, saying his government had “abandoned global moral leadership.”
…
Death Toll Rises From West Darfur Fighting
The death toll in West Darfur state climbed to 159 Tuesday, with more than 200 people injured after more than three days of fighting between different ethnic communities, according to the Committee of West Darfur Doctors. The committee says the violence began Friday when a member of the African Masalit tribe killed a member of an Arab tribe. Arab militiamen organized revenge attacks the following day, which targeted the Kirendig IDP camp where Masalit tribesmen resided. Since then, there have been accusations and counteraccusations of ethnic targeting of civilians.More Than 80 People Killed in West Darfur Attack Armed militia killed more than 80 people in West Darfur state’s capital Saturday and Sunday after a dispute between two people, according to the governor of West Darfur stateSeparately Monday, members of the African Fallata tribe and members of the Arab Rezegat tribe clashed in South Darfur state, leaving more than 50 people dead. Dozens of others were wounded, according to the official Sudan News Agency.Mohamed Raja, an internally displaced person (IDP) who lived at the Kirendig camp when it came under attack Saturday, said Tuesday that despite fresh clashes that broke out the day before, things are relatively calm in West Darfur state. But he added that thousands of IDPs who were forced to flee the camp need food and shelter. Raja told VOA’s South Sudan in Focus that armed militiamen were still occupying the camp Tuesday. “The whole camp is occupied by militia, they burned all our crops and settled there, as we speak, we cannot return to the camp nor can the police or army go in there. Some of the dead bodies are still lying inside the camp — we cannot retrieve them,” Raja said.He said IDP’s were forced to take shelter inside schools and other buildings in El Genena. “We are now occupying around 46 schools and centers because they are located at the heart of the city, but we still are not 100 percent safe. Militia infiltrate the area every now and then and we can still hear gunshots from where we are,” Raja told VOA.Behind the attacksIsmael Ibrahim, a professor at the Institute of African and Asian Studies at the University of Khartoum, said it is difficult to attribute the violence in West Darfur to any single individual or entity.Death Toll Rises in West Darfur The death toll has risen to 159 in West Darfur state after three days of clashes between different communities and fresh fighting broke out in South Darfur stateHe said the repeated episodes of violence are a legacy of the war in Darfur and the policies of former president Omar al-Bashir’s administration, which pitted Arab and African communities in Darfur against one another.“The government right now has inherited a very fragile social situation where the situation is full of tribal and ethnic conflicts. One of the most important aspects of the past regime was the policy of divide and rule and one aspect of that policy was creating antagonism and accentuating already existing conflicts between different tribes or ethnic groups, particularly in Darfur,” Ibrahim told South Sudan in Focus.He said it’s very easy for any kind of misunderstanding to escalate between individuals from different tribes in Darfur.“That kind of misunderstanding ends up in killing an innocent person and then it’s very easy also for that incident to get transformed in a very short time into some sort of armed conflict between two tribal or ethnic groups,” added Ibrahim.UN mission withdrewThe United Nations-African Union Peacekeeping Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) recently withdrew from West Darfur state as its mandate came to an end on December 31. Adam Rijal, a spokesperson for IDPs in West Darfur, said their withdrawal was a mistake. “We warned the government and even the U.N. Security Council about the decision to withdraw UNAMID forces from Darfur. At least when they were here, they could report the violence accurately and independently which made the militia somewhat restrained, but now they are emboldened by what they see as weakness and security vacuum,” Rijal told South Sudan in Focus.UNAMID spokesperson Ashraf Eissa said Sudan’s protection force was supposed to take over when UNAMID’s mandate ended in Darfur.“We don’t have a mandate; our mandate has ended. If you were to ask me before midnight 31st of December, I would have happily opined about it — now I can’t,” Eissa told VOA.
…
EU Welcomes Biden Inauguration
Leaders of the European Union Wednesday hailed the inauguration of Joe Biden as a “new dawn” in America.
Speaking at the European Parliament in Brussels, ahead of Biden’s swearing-in as the 46th president of the United States, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, “This time-honored ceremony on the steps of the U.S. Capitol will be a demonstration of the resilience of American democracy and the resounding proof that once again after four long years, Europe has a friend in the White House.”
European Council President Charles Michel was equally effusive but frank about how the U.S.-EU relationship changed under President Donald Trump. He said, “Today is more than a transition; today is an opportunity to rejuvenate our transatlantic relationship, which has greatly suffered in the last four years.”
The European Council is the E.U.’s political arm. Michel invited Biden to attend the council’s “extraordinary council meeting in Brussels, that can be in parallel to a NATO meeting.” He said European leaders want to work with the U.S. on boosting multilateral cooperation, ending the COVID-19 pandemic, tackling climate change, and joining forces on security and peace, among other issues.
The European leaders acknowledged the events of the last two weeks in Washington – the siege on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters. Michel said Biden’s inauguration is evidence the attackers failed and called on Biden to work with Europe.
“On the first day of his mandate I address a solemn proposal to the new U.S. president: let’s build a new founded pact for a stronger Europe, for a stronger America and for a better world,” he said.
…
Largest Tuition Strike in US History Highlights Financial Challenges of Pandemic
Student loan debt in the U.S. accounts for over $1.7 trillion, a figure higher than the GDP of countries like Canada, Russia, and South Korea. Now, students at one of the United States most prestigious universities say they will withhold their tuition payments unless the school meets their demands. VOA’s Keith Kocinski in New York City with more.Camera: Nick JastrzebskiProduced by: Henry Hernandez
…
Kamala Harris Makes History as First Black and Indian American Woman Vice President
Vice president-elect Kamala Harris made history when she became the first woman ever to win election on a presidential ticket. VOA’s Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson reports on the path that brought Harris to the second most powerful position in the U.S. government.Camera: Adam Greenbaum
Producers: Katherine Gypson, Jesse Oni
…
Kenyan Private School Opens for Teenage Mothers and Babies
A private school has opened in central Kenya for pregnant girls, teenage mothers and their babies, to ensure they get an education despite stigma. Kenya’s teenage pregnancies have soared during the COVID-19 pandemic as schools were closed until just this month. Brenda Mulinya reports from Nairobi.Videographer: Amos Wangwa
…
China’s Richest Man Makes First Public Appearance Since October
Chinese billionaire Jack Ma has made his first public appearance since openly criticizing China’s financial regulatory system just over two months ago.
Ma appeared in a 50-second video Wednesday published on Chinese financial news outlets congratulating rural teachers who have been supported by his charitable foundation, vowing that he and his colleagues would devote themselves to educational philanthropy.
The 56-year-old billionaire founder of Alibaba, the world’s largest online retail company,
had been out of public view since making a speech at a business conference last October in Shanghai, accusing regulators of stifling innovation and blocking opportunities.
Several weeks later, the government suspended the debut of the Ant Group, a spinoff of Alibaba, as a publicly traded company on Hong Kong and Shanghai exchanges, a move that cost the company $37 billion, which would have set the record profit for an initial public offering
The People’s Bank of China later ordered Ant to return to its “payment origins,” enhance transparency around transactions and prohibit unfair competition. Ant began as a payments service for Alibaba, the world’s biggest online retail company, and evolved over time as one of the world’s biggest online financial services companies, offering such services as loans, investing and insurance.
The Bank’s decision on Ant coincided with the Chinese government’s market regulation agency decision to open an anti-monopoly investigation into Alibaba. The probe is looking into the company’s practice of forcing its business partners to choose either Alibaba or a rival competitor, instead of allowing them to sell their merchandise through both outlets.
Alibaba was founded in 1999 by Jack Ma, who has become the richest businessman in China with an estimated net worth of $59 billion.
…
Asian Markets Mostly Higher at Start of US Inauguration Day
Asian markets are mostly higher Wednesday just hours before Joe Biden is inaugurated as the next president of the United States. Australia’s benchmark S&P/ASX index and Shanghai’s Composite index both finished 0.4% higher. South Korea’s KOSPI index rose 0.7%. In late afternoon trading, the Hang Seng index in Hong Kong is up more than one percent, and Mumbai’s Sensex has gained 0.5%. The Nikkei index in Japan slipped 0.3%, while Taiwan’s TSEC index dropped 0.4%. In commodities trading, gold is selling at $1,853.40, up 0.7%. U.S. crude oil has also risen 0.7%, selling at $53.39 per barrel, and Brent crude oil is selling at $56.26, up 0.6%. The heavy trading occurs after U.S. Treasury Secretary nominee Janet Yellen urged support for the incoming administration’s $1.9 trillion pandemic economic rescue plan during her Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday. All three major U.S. indices are trending higher in futures trading.
…
Death Toll Rises in West Darfur
The death toll in West Darfur state on Tuesday climbed to 159 with more than 200 people injured after more than 3 days of fighting between different ethnic communities, according to the Committee of West Darfur Doctors. This latest wave of violence in West Darfur state began when a member of the African Masalit tribe killed a member of an Arab tribe on Friday. Armed Arab militiamen organized revenge attacks the following day, which targeted the Kirendig IDP camp where Masalit tribesmen resided. Since then, there have been accusations and counter-accusations of ethnic targeting of civilians. Separately on Monday, members of the African Fallata tribe and members of the Arab Rezegat tribe clashed in South Darfur state, leaving more than 50 people dead. Dozens of others were wounded according to the official Sudan News Agency. Mohamed Raja, an internally displaced person (IDP) who lived at the Kirendig camp when it came under attack Saturday, said Tuesday that despite fresh clashes that broke out on Monday, things are relatively calm in West Darfur state but added thousands of IDPs who were forced to flee the IDP camp need food and shelter. Raja told South Sudan in Focus Tuesday armed militiamen were still occupying the camp on Tuesday. “The whole camp is occupied by militia, they burned all our crops and settled there, as we speak, we cannot return to the camp nor can the police or army go in there. Some of the dead bodies are still lying inside the camp– we cannot retrieve them,” Raja told VOA. He said IDPS were forced to take shelter inside schools and other buildings in Al Ginena. “We are now occupying around 46 schools and centers because they are located at the heart of the city, but we still are not 100% safe. Militia infiltrate the area every now and then and we can still hear gunshots from where we are,” Raja told VOA. Behind the attacks Ismael Ibrahim, a professor at the Institute of African and Asian Studies at the University of Khartoum said it is difficult to attribute the violence in West Darfur to any single individual or entity. He said the repeated episodes of violence are a legacy of the war in Darfur and the policies of former president Omar al Bashir’s administration which pitted Arab and African communities in Darfur against one another. “The government right now has inherited a very fragile social situation where the situation is full of tribal and ethnic conflicts. One of the most important aspects of the past regime was the policy of divide and rule and one aspect of that policy was creating antagonism and accentuating already existing conflicts between different tribes or ethnic groups, particularly in Darfur,” Ibrahim told South Sudan in Focus. He said it’s very easy for any kind of misunderstanding to escalate between individuals from different tribes in Darfur. “That kind of misunderstanding ends up in killing an innocent person and then it’s very easy also for that incident to get transformed in a very short time into some sort of armed conflict between two tribal or ethnic groups,” added Ibrahim. Adam Rijal, a spokesperson for IDPs in West Darfur, told South Sudan in Focus the fighting subsided somewhat on Monday. “There was some relative calm as far as the general situation in Al Ginena goes but the security situation is still very dangerous, especially for the IDPs who were forced out of the Kirendig camp, leaving behind some dead bodies of their colleagues,” said Rijal. UN mission withdrew The United Nations-African Union Peacekeeping Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) has completely withdrawn from West Darfur state as its mandate came to an end on December 31. Rijal said their withdrawal was a mistake. “We warned the government and even the UN Security Council about the decision to withdraw UNAMID forces from Darfur. At least when they were here, they could report the violence accurately and independently which made the militia somewhat restrained, but now they are emboldened by what they see as weakness and security vacuum,” Rijal told South Sudan in Focus. UNAMID spokesperson Ashraf Eissa said Sudan’s protection force was supposed to take over when UNAMID’s mandate ended in Darfur. “We don’t have a mandate; our mandate has ended. If you were to ask me before midnight 31st of December, I would have happily opined about it-now I can’t,” Eissa told VOA.
…
Growing Swarms of Locust Converging on Kenya Threaten Crops
Kenya is under siege again by swarms of maturing desert locusts that threaten to ruin farmers’ crops and pastures. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a statement the locusts are swarming across seven counties, nearly double the number of counties impacted a week ago. The latest locust invasion in Kenya comes as the FAO warns the 28 anti-locust aircraft assembled by East African countries to wipe out the pest is in jeopardy of being grounded because of a lack of funding. The FAO told its humanitarian partners Tuesday that some $38.8 million in additional funding will be needed to keep the planes in the air through June over East Africa and Yemen. At least one farmer in northern Kenya is taking matters into his own hands to get rid of swarms by banging a stick against a can, hoping the noise will cause the pests to move on and spare his crops.
…
US Death Toll from COVID-19 Pandemic Reaches 400,000
The COVID-19 pandemic has now killed more than 400,000 people in the United States, according to Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center. The tragic milestone was marked by a solemn nighttime ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., where 400 lights that lined the iconic reflecting pool at the front of the memorial were turned on to honor the lives lost. The ceremony was led by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on the eve of their inauguration as the nation’s next president and vice-president. “It’s hard sometimes to remember, but that’s how we heal. It’s important to do that as a nation,” the president-elect said in brief remarks. “For many months, we have grieved by ourselves,” said Vice President-elect Harris. “Tonight, we grieve and begin healing together.”A health worker is inoculated with a COVID vaccine at the Clinicas Hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Jan. 18, 2021.Meanwhile, Reuters news agency is reporting that the Palestinian Authority will receive its first batch of COVID-19 vaccine later this week. The Authority ordered Russia’s Sputnik VA vaccine after granting it emergency use approval, and hopes to inoculate 50,000 residents by March. None of the more than 5 million Palestinians living in the West Bank or Gaza Strip have been inoculated, while Israel, which controls the West Bank, has vaccinated more than a quarter of its 9 million citizens. The Associated Press reported Monday that the first doses of COVID-19 vaccines will be administered in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in the first quarter of the year. Yaser Buzieah, the head of the Palestinian Authority’s public health agency, said the Authority will receive the first vaccines through COVAX (COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access Facility) an international alliance led by the World Health Organization aimed at distributing free COVID-19 vaccines to the world’s poorest nations.
…
Trump Issues Pardons on Last Day in Office
Outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump issued pardons to 73 people and commuted the sentences of 70 others, the White House announced early Wednesday, hours before the end of his term. The pardons included one for Trump’s former campaign manager and senior adviser Steve Bannon, who was charged with defrauding thousands of investors who believed they were giving money to a project to build a wall along the southern U.S. border. Prosecutors alleged Bannon instead used more than a million dollars to pay a campaign official and personal expenses for himself. Also receiving a pardon was Elliot Broidy, a former top Trump fundraiser who pleaded guilty last year to violating foreign lobbying laws.FILE – President Donald Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon speaks with reporters in New York, Aug. 20, 2020.Trump commuted the sentence of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who was serving more than 20 years in prison for using his positions as an elected official to conduct extortion, bribery and fraud. The president also granted a pardon to Dwayne Carter Jr., a rapper known by the name Lil Wayne who had pled guilty to a federal weapons charge. Trump had already issued a number of pardons for longtime associates and supporters, including another former campaign manager Paul Manafort, adviser Roger Stone, his first national security adviser Michael Flynn, and Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law.
…
New Law Threatens Future of Turkish NGOs
Nearly 680 non-governmental organizations in Turkey have condemned a new law aimed at increasing oversight of them, with critics saying it threatens to silence one of the country’s last independent and critical voices. “It’s creating a huge chilling effect,” said Yaman Akdeniz, co-founder of the Freedom of Expression Society, “They [government] want to create fear, and it has been successful so far with this law; there is fear in civil society.” The controversial measure took effect three weeks ago, shortly after it received parliamentary approval. The law ostensibly seeks to comply with a United Nations Security Council demand on preventing the financing of terrorism and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. But international rights groups accuse the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of using the reform as a means to silence critical NGOs. “The law calls itself one thing, fighting proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. But within this law is this ulterior motive of going after NGO’s on a rather wide basis,” said senior Turkey researcher Emma Sinclair Webb, of U.S.-based Human Rights Watch. The rights group said the measure was rushed to parliament December 18 “without consultation with the civil society organizations it will affect most.” HRW also said in a recent statement that only six of the law’s 43 articles include means and regulations to combat the financing of terrorism. Under the new law, if any NGO board member or professional employee is put on trial on terrorism offenses, the Interior Ministry or a judge can appoint a “trustee” to run the NGO for the duration of the court case.”This system does not operate on the presumption of innocence until proven guilty,” said Akdeniz. “Being prosecuted is enough for the court to appoint a trustee. When that person takes control of the association, if there is any funding, that trustee will spend it as they wish. For example, the first thing a government trustee can do is to sack the employees and replace them, and this will completely change the NGO.” The government has widely used trustees to replace elected mayors in Turkey’s predominantly Kurdish southeast. Dozens of mayors of the pro-Kurdish HDP have been removed following the launching of terrorism investigations.Demonstrators clash with Turkish riot police in Istanbul, during a “March for Democracy” called by Republican People’s Party (HDP), after three opposition MPs were revoked and sent to prison at Silivri, June 15, 2020.”In Turkey, we see tens of thousands are charged and being prosecuted under Turkey’s very broadly written and vague anti-terrorism legislation, without any evidence that they are materially connected to armed groups,” added Sinclair-Webb. “It’s very easy to see this pattern of prosecutions applied to people critical of the government. So, NGOs critical of the government are going to be very vulnerable under this new NGO law. ” Akdeniz has first-hand experience of challenging the vagaries of Turkey’s anti-terror laws, with much of his NGO’s work helping to defend people facing prosecution for social media posts that violate the country’s anti-terror laws. “We are providing legal assistance to a lady who is facing nine separate prosecutions, all to do with her Facebook activity,” said Akdeniz. Under the new legislation, government permission is now required for projects receiving overseas funding, a move Akdeniz says is aimed at the European Union. “One of the main reasons is to hit the EU because the EU announced it would not give substantial funding to Turkish authorities [because of human rights concerns] but instead give it to civil society. I think Ankara is reacting; if you are going to fund civil society, we are going to regulate civil society,” said Akdeniz. The measure could also target Turkish NGOs that distribute EU funding. “Let’s say I am funding a women’s NGO whose members have been arrested, and under investigation, they [Interior minister] have the right to come to me and close down my organization,” said Murat Celikkan, co-director of Hafiza Merkezi, an Istanbul-based human rights NGO, which last year supported 48 such groups with EU funds. “With this new law, especially for rights-based NGOs which are very important for democracy and reforms in Turkey, it will be impossible to move to act as there is the threat of authorities confiscating everything you have or closing you down without even a trial or any judgment,” said Celikkan. The government says Turkey faces terrorist threats, and its legislation meets international norms. The Interior Ministry has said it will publish regulations on how the law will be implemented. “We don’t know what will happen,” said Celikkan, adding, “We have to wait for the regulations on how they will implement the legislation. Will they target pro-Kurdish NGOs, human rights NGOs, Islamic NGOs which are critical of the government or everyone?”
…
US Allies Welcome Biden Plan to Confront China Collectively
While running for president, Joe Biden stated that once elected, he would take “immediate steps to renew our own democracy and alliances,” including organizing a global Summit for Democracy during his first year in office. Former Canadian justice minister Irwin Cotler speaks to the media during a press conference in Jerusalem, Dec. 30, 2009.He credited the formation of IPAC as “a game changer” in slowing Beijing’s economic and diplomatic advances around the world. But, he added, even more valuable would be “an inter-governmental alliance” that would “dramatically increase the economic leverage of the community of democracies and counter the bullying of Beijing.” Each individual nation, including Canada, would “feel more secure in being part of the necessary initiatives that can be taken” collectively by the community of democratic nations, Cotler said. Stephen Kinnock is a lawmaker in Britain who serves as the Labour Party’s shadow minister for Asia and the Pacific. Britain is in need of a “fundamental reset in our China strategy,” he told the policy forum organized by the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.The notion that “China would slowly but surely align with the norms and the rules of the international order” has been “a spectacular failure,” Kinnock said. Challenges associated with the rise of China under a communist leadership constitute “the primary issue the global community faces at the moment.” The lawmaker pointed to an alliance that has emerged in Britain between his Labour Party and the ruling Conservatives on jointly confronting this challenge. The question of human rights in China and elsewhere isn’t “a question of Left or Right,” he told the audience, but rather “a question of right or wrong.” Moving forward, he suggested that Britain adopt two “strategic pillars.” “We’ve got to reduce our dependence on China’s supply chain, that means building our own technology base, working across democratic countries to do that. We’ve got to also become an alliance maker, rather than an alliance breaker, whatever your opinion on Brexit,” Kinnock added. Reinhard Bütikofer, a German politician from the Green Party, serves as head of the European Parliament’s Delegation on Relations with the People’s Republic of China. He described Biden’s call for an alliance of democracies to challenge China’s violations of the international rules-based order as a “pertinent proposal” and expressed hope that it would go beyond “just an organizational idea.” “I think what is most important is the practical dimension of having each other’s back between countries,” Bütikofer said in remarks delivered at last week’s conference. “Apart from holding a big conference, apart from organizing maybe a new organization, if we don’t live the solidarity between democracies in everyday life, it doesn’t exist,” he said. Biden’s idea of convening a “Summit of Democracies” “is important and timely,” Senator Kimberley Kitching, chair of Australia’s Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee, told VOA in a written interview.U.S. President-elect Joe Biden introduces key members of his White House science team at his transition headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, Jan. 16, 2021.“When we look at the long arc of history, democracy is actually the exception to the rule, and needs to be vigilantly upheld and defended. Given its importance, I hope such a Summit is held in the not-too-distant future,” Kitching wrote. Kitching described the Indo-Pacific region as being “at the coalface of [the Communist Party of China’s] assertiveness,” meaning, the region is in a position to have to deal with the challenge in real time. “An incoming President Biden administration gives Australia an opportunity to keep building on our Alliance, which is documented by the ANZUS [the Australia, New Zealand and United States Security] Treaty but cemented by shared values and friendship,” she said, referring to the recently declassified U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy document as offering a chance for continuity of this approach. Kitching also serves as Australian co-chair of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China. As a new Democrat-led administration takes over the White House on Wednesday, U.S. allies are eager to better understand the thinking of Democratic analysts and policymakers. Carolyn Bartholomew is vice chairman of the US-China Economic and Security Commission and a former chief of staff to Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. Describing herself as “an equal opportunity critic of both Democratic and Republican administrations” for “weaknesses and problems” in their China policy, Bartholomew credited the outgoing U.S. administration for its approach toward Beijing. “For those of you who don’t know, I’m a Democrat. I will credit the Trump administration for one thing, and that is for raising the visibility of these ongoing concerns in the U.S.-China relationship,” Bartholomew said. She described some of the actions taken by the Trump administration as “embedded in principles that have to do with our interest, and support for basic freedoms in China, for making sure that China’s rise on the global stage is not just promoting authoritarianism worldwide.” Bartholomew said she hopes the incoming Biden administration “will accept and continue some of the policies that the Trump administration has done,” adding, “I would expect that there would be some modifications” with regard to tactics, but not to the overall strategy.
…
Secretary of State Nominee Blinken Sees Strong Foundation for Bipartisan China Policy
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden’s foreign policy team is vowing to work with like-minded partners around the world to take on pressing challenges, ranging from receding democracy to the growing rivalry with China, Russia and other authoritarian states. Tuesday, Biden’s nominee for secretary of state, Antony Blinken, told the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations at his confirmation hearing that he believed President Donald Trump was right in taking “a tougher approach” to China, even if he did not agree with all his methods. “As we look at China, there is no doubt that it poses the most significant challenge” to U.S. national interests, Blinken said, noting there’s room for cooperation. “There are rising adversarial aspects of the relationship; certainly, competitive ones, and still some cooperative ones, when it is in our mutual interests,” he added. Blinken was deputy secretary of state during the Obama administration and has close ties with Biden. He was staff director for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee when Biden was chair of the panel, and later was then-Vice President Biden’s national security adviser. The incoming Biden administration may take confidence-building steps to reverse irritants in U.S.-China relations, including easing visa restrictions on journalists and restoring closed consulates, according to Kurt Campbell, who has been tapped as Biden’s senior coordinator for Indo-Pacific policy at the White House National Security Council. Uighurs, TaiwanBlinken on Tuesday endorsed the assessment that the Chinese Communist Party has engaged in genocide against the Uighur Muslim population in Xinjiang. Outgoing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the genocide determination earlier in the day. US Classifies China’s Policies Toward Uighurs as ‘Genocide’ Determination could lead to broader US policy reviews, with Secretary of State nominee Blinken saying he agrees with Pompeo’s judgment China has rejected all accusations of abuses. Blinken said under the incoming Biden administration, the United States will uphold its commitment under the Taiwan Relations Act to ensure that Taiwan, a self-ruled democracy, has the ability to defend itself against aggression. Chinese officials have said that Xinjiang and Taiwan are among the most sensitive issues, warning against any “foreign interference.” Relations between the U.S. and Taiwan have been governed by the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act since Washington switched its diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing to counter the then-Soviet Union.China and Taiwan have been separately ruled since the 1949 end of China’s civil war. Beijing still claims sovereignty over Taiwan and has not ruled out the use of force to unite the two sides. The Chinese Communist Party has never governed Taiwan. Blinken added the U.S. would like to see Taiwan “play a greater role around the world” and “in international organizations” that do not require the status of a country.
…