Author: SeeEA

UN report finds women’s rights weakened in quarter of all countries

Posted on by SeeEA

UNITED NATIONS — Women’s rights regressed last year in a quarter of countries around the world, according to a report published by UN Women on Thursday, due to factors ranging from climate change to democratic backsliding.

“The weakening of democratic institutions has gone hand in hand with backlash on gender equality,” the report said, adding that “anti-rights actors are actively undermining long-standing consensus on key women’s rights issues.”

“Almost one-quarter of countries reported that backlash on gender equality is hampering implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action,” the report continued, referring to the document from the 1995 World Conference on Women.

In the 30 years since the conference, the U.N. said that progress has been mixed.

In parliaments around the world, female representation has more than doubled since 1995, but men still comprise about three-quarters of parliamentarians.

The number of women with social protection benefits increased by a third between 2010 and 2023, though 2 billion women and girls still live in places without such protections.

Gender employment gaps “have stagnated for decades.” Sixty-three percent of women between the ages of 25 and 54 have paid employment, compared to 92% of men in the same demographic.

The report cites the COVID-19 pandemic, global conflicts, climate change and emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), as all new potential threats to gender equality.

Data presented by the UN Women report found that conflict-related sexual violence has spiked 50% in the past 10 years, with 95% of victims being children or young women.

In 2023, 612 million women lived within 50 kilometers of armed conflict, a 54% increase since 2010.

And in 12 countries in Europe and Central Asia, at least 53% of women have experienced one or more forms of gender-based violence online.

“Globally, violence against women and girls persists at alarming rates. Across their lifetime, around one in three women are subjected to physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner or sexual violence by a non-partner,” the report said.

The report sets out a multi-part roadmap to address gender inequality, such as fostering equitable access to new technologies like AI, measures toward climate justice, investments to combat poverty, increasing participation in public affairs and fighting against gendered violence.
…

your ad here

12 Chinese nationals indicted in hacking-for-hire scheme

Posted on by SeeEA

The U.S. Justice Department announced indictments Wednesday against 12 Chinese nationals accused in a global hacking campaign targeting U.S.-based dissidents, news organizations, government agencies and a large religious organization. 

According to court documents, China’s Ministry of Public Security and Ministry of State Security used a network of private companies and hackers-for-hire to steal information and help locate dissidents and critics throughout the world.  

“Today’s announcements reveal that the Chinese Ministry of Public Security has been paying hackers-for-hire to inflict digital harm on Americans who criticize the Chinese Communist Party (CCP),” said Assistant Director Bryan Vorndran of the FBI’s Cyber Division in a statement. 

The suspects include two officers in China’s Ministry of Public Security, eight employees of a company known as i-Soon, and two members of a group known as Advanced Persistent Threat 27 (APT27). 

A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, Liu Pengyu, told The Associated Press Wednesday that the allegations were a “smear” and said, “We hope that relevant parties will adopt a professional and responsible attitude and base their characterization of cyber incidents on sufficient evidence rather than groundless speculation and accusations.” 

All of those indicted are at large, and the Justice Department is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information about the MPS officers and i-Soon, the Chinese company that employed most of the hackers.  

The company is accused of selling stolen information “to China’s intelligence and security services to suppress free speech and democratic processes worldwide, and target groups deemed a threat to the Chinese government,” according to a news release from the FBI. 

i-Soon also conducted computer intrusions on its own initiative, charging “the MSS and MPS equivalent to between approximately $10,000 and $75,000 for each email inbox it successfully hacked,” the indictment said.  

The company also provided training in hacking skills to the government agencies. 

Among the group’s targets were a large religious organization critical of the Chinese government that previously sent missionaries to China, and a group that promoted human rights and religious freedom in China. 

The New York Assembly and multiple news organizations in the United States were targeted, including those that have opposed the Communist Party of China or delivered uncensored news to China. 

Foreign targets included a religious leader, a Hong Kong newspaper and the foreign ministries of Taiwan, India, South Korea, and Indonesia, according to the Justice Department release. 

Separate indictments were issued against the two men connected to APT27, Zhou Shuai and Yin Kecheng, “for their involvement in the multi-year, for-profit computer intrusion campaigns dating back, in the case of Yin, to 2013,” the Justice Department release stated. 

The State Department announced a reward of up to $2 million for information leading to the arrest of Zhou and Yin. They are accused of hacking numerous “U.S.-based technology companies, think tanks, law firms, defense contractors, local governments, health care systems, and universities, leaving behind them a wake of millions of dollars in damages,” the release stated. 

Yin is accused in a U.S. Treasury Department hack between September and December 2024. 

The two face several charges that include computer network conspiracy, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and money laundering.  

“As evidenced by today’s and previous announcements, China offers safe harbor for private sector companies that conduct malicious cyber activity against the United States and its partners,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement. 

The indictments were the result of a joint investigation by the Justice Department, FBI, Naval Criminal Investigative Service and Departments of State and the Treasury. 

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. 
…

your ad here

China aims high on growth, but challenges loom

Posted on by SeeEA

China on Wednesday set its economic growth target at 5%. That figure is unchanged from last year, despite mounting economic challenges, including escalating trade tensions with the United States. More from VOA’s Bill Gallo in Seoul.
…

your ad here

China sets moderate economic growth target amid looming trade war

Posted on by SeeEA

Taipei, Taiwan — China set the economic growth target for 2025 at 5% on Wednesday, vowing to “rise to the challenge and strive for success” amid a lack of domestic demand and a challenging external environment.

Delivering the government work report at the start of China’s biggest political meetings of the year, Chinese Premier Li Qiang acknowledged that China’s trade and tech sectors face mounting external pressure caused by the intensification of protectionism around the world, the obstruction of the multilateral trading system, the increase of tariff barriers and rising geopolitical tensions.

“Domestically, the foundation for economic recovery is not yet solid, and there is insufficient demand, especially the sluggish consumption,” Li said during a speech delivered in front of thousands of members of the Chinese Communist Party, including Chinese President Xi Jinping.

In light of these challenges, Li said the Chinese government aims to achieve the 5% economic growth target by “vigorously boosting consumption, improving the efficiency of investment and expanding domestic demand on all fronts,” according to a readout released by China’s state-run Xinhua news agency.

“Achieving these goals won’t be easy, and it will require hard work,” he said.

Analysts say the economic growth target shows China is prioritizing “stability” over “major economic progress” in 2025. “A large part of China’s economic growth last year was supported by exports, but the looming trade war with the United States has brought unpredictable risks to Chinese exports in 2025,” said Wang Kuo-chen, an economist at the Chung-Hua Institute for Economic Research in Taiwan.

“Since China’s domestic demand remains insufficient, they can only rely on boosting consumption to drive economic growth in 2025,” he told VOA by phone.

To boost domestic consumption and demand, Li said Beijing will introduce some bold stimulus measures, including implementing more vigorous fiscal policies, lowering interest rates at the right time, and implementing economic policies aimed at “improving people’s livelihoods and boosting domestic consumption.”

The Chinese government will aim to direct more resources and capital to “support the expansion of employment, help people increase their income, and strengthen consumption incentives,” Li said during the speech.

Wang in Taiwan said while the Chinese government has repeatedly vowed to boost domestic consumption since last year, the exodus of foreign businesses and the overall trend of income reduction across the country will make it difficult for China to achieve this goal in 2025.

“As long as more capitals are poured into emerging industries such as electric vehicles and artificial intelligence, which are key sectors highlighted by Chinese President Xi Jinping, the private sector as a whole will remain weak, and there won’t be sufficient domestic demand,” Wang said.

To maintain China’s competitiveness in emerging industries, Li said China in 2025 will focus on stimulating innovation and the digital economy.

Relevant measures include better combining digital technology with manufacturing and market advantages and “vigorously developing new-generation intelligent terminals such as intelligent network-connected new-energy vehicles and intelligent manufacturing equipment.”

In addition to artificial intelligence, other emerging industries that Li said China also aims to further develop in 2025 include quantum technology, embodied technology, and 6G.

Before the annual legislative meetings, Chinese President Xi Jinping held a symposium with leaders from several Chinese tech giants on February 17, urging “efforts to promote the healthy and high-quality development of the country’s private sector.”

Some experts say that while the Chinese government wants to provide more state-led support to private companies in the AI and semiconductor industries, they will also ensure these companies “align themselves with China’s national priorities.”

“The government knows it needs the private sector for innovation and job creation, but it also wants to maintain control at the same time,” Lizzi Lee, a fellow on the Chinese economy at the Asia Society Policy Institute, told VOA in an e-mail.

China’s week-long legislative meetings come as Beijing and Washington gear up for a potential trade war. On Tuesday, the United States enhanced tariffs against all Chinese imports to 20%, prompting China to retaliate by imposing tariffs ranging between 10% to 15% on a wide range of agricultural products from the U.S. 

During his speech on Wednesday, Li said China will “stick to the path of peaceful development, oppose all forms of unilateralism and protectionism, and uphold international justice.”

“China is willing to work with the international community to call for an equal and orderly multipolar world and an inclusive economic globalization,” he said during the hour-long remarks.

In light of the U.S. government’s tariff hikes against several countries, including allies such as Canada and Mexico, some analysts say Beijing is trying to present itself as a “more responsible” global power.

“China might actually see an opportunity to show that it can act more responsibly on certain global issues,” Dali Yang, an expert on Chinese politics at the University of Chicago, told VOA by phone.

VOA Mandarin’s Chuang Chih-wei and Yang Meng-li contributed reporting to the story.
…

your ad here

VOA Mandarin: How will ‘America First’ investment policy impact China?

Posted on by SeeEA

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an “America First” investment policy memorandum last week, pledging to “use all necessary legal instruments” to restrict China-affiliated investors from strategic sectors in the U.S.

The news has sparked concern among Chinese companies listed in the U.S., who could face a potential new round of auditing standards review, and those who want to come to the U.S. market.

Click here for the full story in Mandarin.

 

 
…

your ad here

BlackRock strikes deal to bring ports on both sides of Panama Canal under American control

Posted on by SeeEA

The Hong Kong-based conglomerate that operates ports near the Panama Canal has agreed to sell shares of its units that operate the ports to a consortium including BlackRock Inc., after President Donald Trump alleged Chinese interference with the operations of the critical shipping lane.

In a filing, CK Hutchison Holding said Tuesday that it would sell all shares in Hutchison Port Holdings and all shares in Hutchison Port Group Holdings. The two units hold 80% of the Hutchison Ports group that operates 43 ports in 23 countries.

The consortium, comprised of BlackRock, Global Infrastructure Partners and Terminal Investment Limited will acquire 90% interests in Panama Ports Company, which owns and operates the ports of Balboa and Cristobal in Panama, according to the filing.

In January, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, the Republican chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, raised concerns that China could exploit or block passage through the canal and that the ports “give China ready observation posts” to take action.

“This situation, I believe, posts acute risks for U.S. national security,” Cruz said.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Panama in early February and told President Jose Raul Mulino that Panama had to reduce Chinese influence over the canal or face potential retaliation from the United States. Mulino rejected the idea that China had any control over canal operations.

Panama quit China’s Belt and Road Initiative following Rubio’s visit, drawing condemnation from Beijing.

But while much attention was focused on Trump’s threat to retake control of the canal, his administration trained its sights on Hutchison Ports, the Hong Kong-based consortium that manages the ports key ports at either end of the canal.

Hutchison Ports had recently been awarded a 25-year no-bid extension to run the ports, but an audit looking at that extension was already underway. Observers believed the audit was a preliminary step toward eventually rebidding the contract, but rumors had swirled in recent weeks that a U.S. firm close to the White House was being lined up to take over.
…

your ad here

Japan’s worst wildfire in half a century spreads

Posted on by SeeEA

TOKYO — Firefighters were Tuesday battling Japan’s worst wildfire in half a century, which has left one dead and forced the evacuation of nearly 4,000 local residents.

White smoke billowed from a forested area around the northern city of Ofunato, aerial TV footage showed, five days after the blaze began after record-low rainfall.

The fire also follows Japan’s hottest summer on record last year, as climate change pushes up temperatures worldwide.

As of Tuesday morning, the wildfire had engulfed around 2,600 hectares, the fire and disaster management agency said — over seven times the area of New York’s Central Park.

That makes it Japan’s largest wildfire since 1975 when 2,700 hectares burnt in Kushiro on northern Hokkaido island.

It is estimated to have damaged at least 80 buildings by Sunday, although details were still being assessed, the agency said.

Military and fire department helicopters are trying to douse the Ofunato fire, a city official told reporters.

“At the moment, there is no indication that the fire is under control,” the official said.

Snow is expected overnight, changing to rain, but the official said he could not say whether it would help extinguish the blaze.

“The poor weather may prevent helicopters from dropping water,” he warned.

Around 2,000 firefighters — most deployed from other parts of the country, including Tokyo — are working from the air and ground in the area in Iwate region, which was hard-hit by a deadly tsunami in 2011.

An evacuation advisory has been issued to around 4,600 people, of whom 3,939 have left their homes to seek shelter, according to the municipality.

The number of wildfires in Japan has declined since its 1970s peak, but the country saw about 1,300 in 2023, concentrated in February to April when the air dries and winds pick up.

‘No rain’

Ofunato had just 2.5 millimeters of rainfall in February — breaking the previous record-low for the month, of 4.4 millimeters in 1967, and below the usual average of 41 millimeters.

Since Friday, “there has been no rain — or very little, if any” in Ofunato, a local weather agency official told AFP.

Some types of extreme weather have a well-established link with climate change, such as heatwaves or heavy rainfall.

Other phenomena like droughts, snowstorms, tropical storms and forest fires can result from a combination of complex factors.

Some companies have been affected by the wildfire, such as Taiheiyo Cement, which told AFP its Ofunato plant has suspended operations for several days because part of its premises is in the evacuation advisory zone.

Ofunato-based confectionery company Saitoseika warned that “if our headquarters or plants become a no-go zone, we may need to halt production,” describing the situation as “tense.”

Japanese baseball prodigy Roki Sasaki, who recently joined the Los Angeles Dodgers in the U.S., has offered a $67,000 donation and 500 sets of bedding, Ofunato city’s official account posted on X.

Sasaki was a high school student there, after losing his father and grandparents in the huge 2011 tsunami.
…

your ad here

VOA Mandarin: Who has better humanoid robots, US or China?

Posted on by SeeEA

Chinese tech firms and state media have spotlighted humanoid robots, which have grown in popularity since the Unitree G1 appeared to run, jump, dance and perform martial arts-like movements in a recent demonstration.

Both the United States and China are leaders in humanoid robot technology. But industry analysts believe that the United States is superior in AI technology, which is responsible for the robot’s “brain,” while Chinese technology companies have flourished in the hardware manufacturing capabilities of the robot’s “body.”

Click here for the full story in Mandarin.
…

your ad here

Forest fire damages dozens of homes, causes evacuations in Japan

Posted on by SeeEA

TOKYO — Japan is fighting a forest fire that has damaged dozens of homes and forced hundreds of residents to evacuate in a northeastern coastal city.

The fire has burned about 2,100 hectares (5,190 acres) of forest in Ofunato since it started Wednesday, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.

The agency said at least 84 homes have been damaged, and over 1,200 people evacuated. The fire has subsided in some areas. More than 2,000 troops and firefighters have been deployed from across the country.

A man was found dead on a road Thursday, and authorities are examining if the death was linked to the fire, the agency said.

The northeastern regions, including Ofunato, have had their driest winter since 1946, when the Japan Meteorological Agency started collecting data.
…

your ad here

Trump, Taiwanese chipmaker announce new $100 billion plan to build five new US factories

Posted on by SeeEA

WASHINGTON — Chip giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. announced on Monday plans to make an additional $100 billion investment in the United States and build five additional chips factories in the coming years.

TSMC CEO C.C. Wei announced the plan in a meeting at the White House with President Donald Trump.

“We must be able to build the chips and semiconductors that we need right here,” Trump said. “It’s a matter of national security for us.”

TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, is a leading supplier to major U.S. hardware manufacturers.

The $100 billion outlay, which would boost domestic production and make the United States less reliant on semiconductors made in Asia, is in addition to a major prior investment announcement. TSMC agreed in April to expand its planned U.S. investment by $25 billion to $65 billion and to add a third Arizona factory by 2030.

With his Nov. 5 election victory largely driven by voters’ economic concerns, Trump has stepped up efforts to bolster investments in domestic industries to create jobs.

The TSMC announcement is the latest in a string of such developments. In February, Apple said it would invest $500 billion in the next four years. Emirati billionaire Hussain Sajwani and SoftBank also have promised multibillion-dollar investments in the U.S.

TSMC said on Monday it looks “forward to discussing our shared vision for innovation and growth in the semiconductor industry, as well as exploring ways to bolster the technology sector along with our customers.”

The U.S. Commerce Department under then President Joe Biden finalized a $6.6 billion government subsidy in November for TSMC’s U.S. unit for semiconductor production in Phoenix, Arizona.

Biden signed the CHIPS and Science Act legislation in 2022 to provide $52.7 billion in subsidies for American semiconductor production and research.

Taiwan’s dominant position as a maker of chips used in technology from cellphones and cars to fighter jets has sparked concerns of over-reliance on the island, especially as China ramps up pressure to assert its sovereignty claims.

China claims Taiwan as its territory, but the democratically elected government in Taipei rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims.

Under Biden, the Commerce Department convinced all five leading-edge semiconductor firms to locate factories in the U.S. as part of the program to address national security risks from imported chips.

Trump’s Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told lawmakers last month that the program was “an excellent down payment” to rebuild the sector, but he has declined to commit grants that have already been approved by the department, saying he wanted to “read them and analyze them and understand them.”

A TSMC spokesperson said last month the company had received $1.5 billion in CHIPS Act money before the new administration came in as per the milestone terms of its agreement.

TSMC last year agreed to produce the world’s most advanced 2-nanometer technology at its second Arizona factory expected to begin production in 2028. TSMC also agreed to use its most advanced chip manufacturing technology called “A16” in Arizona.

TSMC has already begun producing advanced 4-nanometer chips for U.S. customers in Arizona.

The TSMC award included up to $5 billion in low-cost government loans.

 
…

your ad here

China hosts political meetings as US tariffs loom

Posted on by SeeEA

TAIPEI, TAIWAN — China kicks off its biggest political meetings of the year this week as additional tariffs from the United States loom and the leadership in Beijing looks to address what Chinese President Xi Jinping has called “complex and multifaceted” economic challenges.

Starting on Tuesday, thousands of Chinese elites and lawmakers will begin gathering in the Chinese capital for the “Two Sessions,” or “lianghui,” which will set and discuss a wide range of policy agendas for 2025.

A gathering of a broad swath of representatives, from business and academia to those inside the government and the party, called the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, meet on Tuesday. The day after that, China’s rubber-stamp parliament, the National People’s Congress, or NPC, will begin its annual legislative session.

Premier Li Qiang will deliver the highly anticipated government work report at the opening meeting of the NPC, outlining the Chinese government’s economic growth target for 2025 and other key economic policies.

This year’s meetings come amid a sluggish economy, weak domestic demand, low investor and consumer confidence, a lingering property sector crisis and a looming trade war with the United States. The additional 10% tariff that the U.S. government has threatened to impose on all Chinese imports is set to take effect on Tuesday.

Faced with a slew of domestic and external challenges, analysts say this year’s NPC will be an important occasion for the Chinese leadership to project “political unity” and demonstrate that “China is on the right track to greatness under the leadership of Xi Jinping.”

“For Beijing, strong leadership from the Chinese Communist Party and strengthening China’s economic and technological resilience against external shocks are more necessary than ever – and the only way to ensure China’s long-term rise,” said Nis Grunberg, an expert of Chinese politics at the Mercator Institute for China Studies, or Merics, in Germany.

In an article published in the Chinese Communist Party’s magazine Qiushi on Saturday, President Xi Jinping said some top priorities for economic work, which he characterized as “complex and multifaceted,” include facilitating an efficient relationship between the market and the government, ensuring a balance between supply and demand, optimizing the allocation of resources and balancing quality and scale in development.

As the Chinese economy continues to face “difficulties and challenges,” some experts say Beijing’s 2025 official growth target will be “around 5%,” matching the GDP increase in 2024. 

The 5% target “reflects a tacit acknowledgement of economic headwinds but signals continuity and stability,” said Lizzi Lee, a fellow on Chinese economy at the Asia Society Policy Institute.

Since all Chinese products exported to the U.S. could face a 20% tariff starting Tuesday, Lee said the Chinese government will focus on rolling out policies to boost domestic demand and consumption.

“We are likely to see stronger policy efforts to revitalize spending beyond just trade-in subsidies for cars, home appliances and digital products,” she told VOA in a written response. She added that Chinese policymakers are likely to pour resources into live-stream commerce and that the “silver economy” – goods and services for the elderly – will be areas that Chinese policymakers will likely pour resources into.

Additionally, Lee thinks China may also raise the fiscal deficit, set up state-backed investment funds to support strategic industries, and roll out policies to “push banks to support struggling local economies.”

Tech innovation and the private sector

In addition to boosting domestic demand and consumption, the Chinese government is looking to expand high-tech manufacturing and drive innovation by boosting private sector sentiment and encouraging leading tech giants to expand both domestic and international operations.

During a symposium with leaders from several Chinese tech giants on Feb. 17, Xi “urged efforts to promote the healthy and high-quality development of the country’s private sector.” He also vowed to dismantle obstacles that prevent private companies from “competing in the market fairly.”

Those remarks stood in sharp contrast to a series of crackdowns that the Chinese government has initiated against tech giants such as Alibaba, Tencent and Ant Group since 2020.

Some analysts say Beijing may reinforce state-led support for companies working on artificial intelligence or semiconductors, while ensuring these private companies are aligned with the national priorities to help China remain strong in the ongoing competition with the U.S., including in several high-tech sectors.

“The private sector has an important role to play, but always under the guidance of the party,” Antonia Hmaidi, a senior analyst at Merics, said during a webinar on Feb. 27.

While “AI is a fundamental priority for party and state, a comprehensive law is unlikely to emerge at the Two Sessions as the party-state grapples with using AI for development while ensuring its safe use,” she added.

Tariffs countermeasures

On the foreign policy front, the international community will be closely watching how China decides to counter the tariffs that the U.S. government has vowed to impose on Chinese imports.

Lee at ASPI said the Chinese government may double down on supply chain resilience, diversifying export markets and strengthening its domestic tech ecosystem.

“I expect policies that emphasize boosting domestic demand to offset trade risks, increasing fiscal support for industrial upgrading and further deepening economic ties with ASEAN, the Middle East and the Global South,” she told VOA.

On Monday, Chinese state-run tabloid Global Times reported that the Chinese government is “studying and formulating” countermeasures against the U.S. tariffs, including potentially targeting U.S. agriculture and food products with tariff and non-tariff measures.

In light of the changes in foreign policy that the U.S. has implemented since President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, Wen-ti Sung, a Taipei-based political scientist for the Australian National University, said China will try to “project an image of continuity and certainty” in terms of foreign policy during the Two Sessions.

“It used to seem like China was the revisionist power in the international system, but as the U.S. changes the rules of the game that it set up, China will try to repackage itself as the pro-status quo power,” he told VOA by phone.
…

your ad here

Thailand mulls wall at Cambodia border as scam center crackdown widens

Posted on by SeeEA

Bangkok — Thailand is studying the idea of building a wall on part of its border with Cambodia to prevent illegal crossings, its government said on Monday, as a multi-national effort to dismantle a sprawling network of illicit scam centers mounts.

The crackdown is widening against scam centers responsible for using the internet to contact potential victims and carrying out massive financial fraud out of Southeast Asia, especially those on Thailand’s porous borders with Myanmar and Cambodia, where hundreds of thousands of people have been trafficked by criminal gangs in recent years, according to the United Nations.

At the weekend, Thai police received 119 Thai nationals from Cambodian authorities after a raid in the town of Poipet, pulled more than 215 people out from a scam compound.

“If it is done, how will it be done? What results and how will it solve problems? This is a study,” Thai government spokesperson Jirayu Houngsub said of the wall proposal, without specifying its length.

A spokesperson for Cambodia’s government declined to comment on the wall proposal. Its foreign ministry spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Thailand and Cambodia share a border of 817 kilometers. The Thai defense ministry has previously proposed a wall to block off a 55 kilometer natural crossing between Thailand’s Sa Kaeo province and Poipet, which at present is only protected by razor wire.

Telecom fraud centers have been operating for years in Southeast Asia, ensnaring people of multiple countries, as far away as West Africa.

They have faced heightened scrutiny after the rescue in January of Chinese actor, Wang Xing, who was lured to Thailand with the promise of a job before being abducted and taken to a scam center in Myanmar.

In Myanmar’s Myawaddy, more than 7,000 foreigners – mostly from China – are waiting to cross into Thailand, which is coordinating with embassies to try to streamline their repatriations.

Hundreds of foreigners pulled out of the compounds are in limbo, in squalid conditions in a militia camp in Myanmar, and are struggling to secure a route home, according to some detainees. A top Thai lawmaker last week said the crackdown is insufficient, estimating 300,000 people have been operating in compounds in Myawaddy alone.
…

your ad here

Japan deploys nearly 1,700 firefighters to tackle forest blaze

Posted on by SeeEA

TOKYO — Nearly 1,700 firefighters are battling Japan’s biggest forest fire in three decades, officials said Monday, as some 4,600 residents remain under an evacuation advisory.

One person died last week in the blaze in the northern region of Iwate, which follows record low rainfall in the area and last year’s hottest summer on record across Japan.

The fire near the city of Ofunato has burned through some 2,100 hectares since Thursday, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said Monday.

Firefighters from 14 Japanese regions, including units from Tokyo, were now tackling the blaze, with 16 helicopters — including from the military — trying to douse the flames.

It is estimated to have damaged 84 buildings by Sunday, although details were still being assessed, the agency said.

Around 2,000 people have left the area to stay with friends or relatives, while more than 1,200 evacuated to shelters, according to officials.

Early morning footage from Ofunato on national broadcaster NHK showed orange flames close to buildings and white smoke billowing into the air.

The number of wildfires in Japan has declined since the peak in the 1970s, according to government data.

But there were about 1,300 across the country in 2023, concentrated in the February to April period when the air dries and winds pick up.

Ofunato saw just 2.5 millimeters of rainfall in February, breaking the previous record low for the month of 4.4 millimeters in 1967 and below the usual average of 41 millimeters.
…

your ad here

VOA Mandarin: China releases plan to improve consumer environment

Posted on by SeeEA

China’s State Administration for Market Regulation and five other departments issued the “Three-Year Action Plan for Optimizing the Consumer Environment (2025-2027).” It states that in implementing the action to optimize consumer order, they will continue to carry out special actions to regulate the internet market and crack down on illegal activities, such as traffic fraud, order manipulation, vulgar sales, and illegal advertising in the internet market.

Click here for the full story in Mandarin. 
…

your ad here

Anti-corruption purges raise serious questions about China’s military readiness

Posted on by SeeEA

NEW DELHI — China is in the midst of a sweeping anti-corruption campaign that has seen a growing number of high-ranking military officials removed from their posts. The campaign has been so expansive that when China hosts the Two Sessions next week – Beijing’s biggest political event of the year – more than a dozen military officials will not be able to attend.

In late February, just days before the Two Sessions begin on March 4, authorities in China announced that Tan Ruisong, former chairman of the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China, or AVIC, was the latest target of the government’s anti-corruption campaign. AVIC is a major defense contractor and aircraft manufacturer that is on Fortune’s Global 500 list. The anti-graft watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), said Tan took huge bribes and “lived off the military sector.”

There has been no public response from Tan or AVIC.

Analysts say the purges are part of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s efforts to ensure personal loyalty towards himself within the rank and file of the People’s Liberation Army, or PLA, and less about corruption. More than 14 senior officials have been punished in the past two years.

There have been several reports that China’s Defense Minister Dong Jun, a naval officer, may have been put under investigation, although the Foreign Ministry previously denied that was the case late last year. Analysts say they will be watching closely to see if Dong attends the Two Sessions meetings next week.

China’s leader has also fired General Li Yuchao, the head of the PLA’s Rocket Force unit — which is responsible for the country’s rocket and missile systems — as well as his deputy. Those sacked are part of the ongoing second wave of disciplinary actions that have included four generals, eight lieutenant generals and two major generals. At least three more aerospace defense executives have been expelled from China’s top political advisory body.

In his remarks to senior military leaders last June, Xi was clear about the intention of the crackdown.

“We must uphold the party’s absolute leadership over the military,” he said, adding that “the gun barrel must always be grasped by people who are loyal and reliable to the party.”

Xi’s remarks echoed a phrase that Communist Party’s founder Mao Zedong coined, “political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.”

Some see the ongoing anti-corruption campaign as a sign of political struggle within the party.

“Purges are likely a manifestation of growing challenges against Xi by other party leaders. Those military leaders suspected to be less loyal to Xi are likely to be subjected to pre-emptive removal,” Yoichiro Sato, a professor at the College of Asia Pacific Studies in Japan’s Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, told VOA.

“Corruption in the military is nothing new. Corruption charges are a tool of Xi for going after potential challengers to his rule,” he said.

The anti-corruption drive is also causing a good amount of political confusion because the targets include those regarded to be close to Xi. They included Miao Hua, who held one of China’s most powerful positions as a member of the Central Military Commission and was head of its Political Work Department.

Two consecutive ministers of defense, Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu, also were removed and punished in 2023. Li was removed while in office, and Wei after he had stepped down.

Wei served as China’s Defense Minister from March 2018 to March 2023. Before that, he was the commander of the PLA Rocket Force.

Miao’s suspension showed that the drive had expanded to the Political Work Department, which acts as the Communist Party’s eyes and ears within the military force. Previously, the anti-corruption campaign concentrated on military departments involved in defense procurement like the Rocket Force unit and the Equipment Development Department, which are regarded as hotbeds of corruption.

Analysts say the purges may further strengthen Xi’s position, but they may have negative implications for China as well. They would not just affect the military’s morale but could also hamper its ability to fulfil the party’s plans to take over Taiwan.

“If Xi cannot be sure that the PLA would be able to prevail in the case of a conflict, he is less likely to take on the risks that an operation against Taiwan or in the South China Sea, for example, would entail,” said Helena Legarda, lead analyst at the Berlin-based Mercator Institute of China Studies. “In the short run, and at least while this second anti-corruption drive takes place, Beijing’s appetite for initiating an open conflict might be reduced.”

Rocket Force hit hard

Xi has himself raised questions about the PLA’s ability to accomplish essential functions of a modern mission command and accused it of suffering from “peace disease,” said Roy Kamphausen, senior fellow for Chinese security at the Washington-based National Bureau of Asian Research.

“The decade-long campaign against corruption in the PLA has had a negative impact on morale and thus ability to accomplish its missions, despite technological advances,” Kamphausen told VOA. “All of this suggests that whatever inclination Xi might have to take Taiwan by force is reduced,” he said.

The Rocket Force – which would play a critical role in a potential Taiwan conflict – has been hit hard by anti-corruption purges, Mohan Malik, a non-resident fellow at the Washington-based Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies, told VOA.

“Morale and capability suffer when leaders skim off the top or push subpar gear. This suggests the PLA may be less effective than it appears on paper, even as China fields advanced missiles, stealth fighters, and an expanding navy,” he said.

Xi cannot permit dissenting generals to continue in crucial positions because of the evolving international situation and the potential for a future global conflict, said Evan Ellis, a Latin America research professor at the U.S. Army War College.

“Xi is conscious that he will have to call on the PLA in a global war with the U.S. in the not distant future. It is vital that he eliminate any risk of dissent or challenge to his political authority on the military,” Ellis told VOA. 
…

your ad here

Uyghur linguist’s presentation dropped at UNESCO summit, igniting fears of Beijing’s sway

Posted on by SeeEA

WASHINGTON — A United Nations-hosted language technology conference has come under scrutiny after organizers abruptly canceled a scheduled presentation by Abduweli Ayup, a prominent Uyghur linguist and human rights advocate.

The cancellation, communicated just hours before Ayup’s Feb. 25 talk, has prompted speculation about external pressures, with Ayup and others suggesting China’s influence may have been a factor.

Ayup was invited to deliver a 10-minute talk and serve as a panelist and chair/rapporteur at the conference, hosted by the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) at its headquarters in Paris.

“We are pleased to invite you to deliver a talk at the 2nd International Conference on Language Technologies for All (LT4ALL 2025),” the organizer stated in an email Ayup shared with VOA.

“I saw my participation [as] a rare chance on the Uyghur language’s plight — an issue I’ve fought to preserve against Beijing’s relentless suppression,” Ayup told VOA.

He said his talk was canceled under pressure from China.

“I see the reason as very simple. It’s because of my critique of China’s systematic erasure of Uyghur language and culture and questioning the Chinese representatives about the Uyghur language ban in education,” Ayup told VOA.

A linguistics graduate of the University of Kansas, Ayup returned to China in 2011 to launch Uyghur-language schools in defiance of Mandarin-only mandates. Arrested in 2013 on “illegal fundraising” charges, he said he endured 15 months of torture before fleeing to Turkey in 2015 and resettling in Norway by 2019.

There, he founded Uyghur Hjelp to document China’s cultural crackdown — a work recognized with the 2024 Language Rights Defenders Award. His siblings remain detained in Xinjiang.

Beijing’s “bilingual education” policy in the Uyghur region of Xinjiang in northwest China was enacted in the early 2000s and promised dual-language instruction but was later criticized as a tool of assimilation. By 2017, schools began to ban Uyghur language instruction at schools, a pattern researchers and advocates criticize as linguistic genocide.

Late on Feb. 24, Ayup received an email from the LT4ALL Organizing Committee stating, “We regret to inform you that we only received notice this evening that we were unable to secure approval to include your presentation in tomorrow’s program.”

The email sent by the summit organizers and later shared with VOA by Ayup continued, “Unfortunately, we were informed at the last minute, and this decision is beyond our control.” No further details were provided regarding who denied approval or why.

Speaking to Voice of America (VOA), Ayup suggested the cancellation was linked to his criticism of China’s language policies during the summit, which Ayup attended even though he could not deliver his presentation.

Earlier that day, he had directly questioned Chinese presenters — including a representative of iFlytek, a tech firm linked to Uyghur surveillance — about Beijing’s restrictions on minority languages.

The iFlytek representative who attended the summit did not respond to VOA’s inquiry regarding Ayup’s claim about why his presentation was canceled by the time of this report’s publication.

iFlytek, a China-based company specializing in voice recognition, has supplied Xinjiang police with voiceprint systems since at least 2016 and partnered with security agencies to build a national database used in the region’s mass surveillance, according to Human Rights Watch.

The U.S. sanctioned iFlytek in 2019 for its role in “high-technology surveillance” aiding China’s repression of Uyghurs, which includes detaining over 1 million since 2017, per U.N. estimates.

Ayup told VOA he asked Chinese representatives why China banned Uyghur language from education — a policy enacted first in parts of Xinjiang about 2017 — but received no answer.

Following the session, Ayup recounted being confronted by a few Chinese delegates, who questioned why he spoke in English rather than Mandarin and asked about his family’s whereabouts. When he revealed that his brother and sister were detained in Chinese internment camps — possibly now in prisons — the delegates dismissed his claims, labeling his relatives “terrorists.”

“I believe my encounters with the Chinese representatives have contributed to the exclusion of my presentation from the conference program,” Ayup said.

UNESCO’s response

UNESCO confirmed the cancellation, attributing it to “chaotic” planning.

In an email response to VOA, a UNESCO official stated that the cancellation only applied to a “scientific poster” presentation scheduled for a midday break on Feb. 25, not his broader participation in the event.

“UNESCO regrets that no space was available on Tuesday to accommodate Mr. Ayup’s scientific poster. However, this was possible the following day,” the UNESCO official wrote, adding, “[T]his logistical setback did not prevent him from participating in the Conference as such and from raising the issue of the Uyghur language.”

UNESCO noted that Ayup spoke freely during roundtables and was given the floor whenever he requested it. The organization attributed the issue to “chaotic” planning by academic co-organizers, who extended invitations without full coordination.

Ayup disputes that account, arguing that UNESCO, under pressure from China — a member of the U.N. Security Council — may have sought to limit his platform.

Other prominent human rights activists echoed those concerns on the social media platform X.

Former World Uyghur Congress President Dolkun Isa denounced the “last-minute cancellation of linguist Abduweli Ayup’s presentation on the Uyghur language without any explanation,” calling it “seemingly influenced by Chinese interests.

Maya Wang, associate China director at Human Rights Watch, also weighed in, pointing to iFlytek’s presence at the conference. “UNESCO abruptly cancelled his presentation but allowed a Chinese voice recognition/surveillance company iFlytek + Hunan state TV to whitewash China’s erasure of minority languages,” she wrote.

Ayup’s ordeal didn’t end with cancellation. He told VOA an unidentified Chinese man shadowed him, filming him during breaks — a claim backed by an attendee’s video, later shared with VOA.

Ayup told VOA he’s not the first to face restrictions at a U.N.-related event, stating, “There are precedents.”

He pointed to Tove Skutnabb-Kangas, an expert at the 2019 U.N. Forum on Minority Issues in Geneva, who claimed her speech on “linguistic and cultural genocide” naming Uyghurs and China was censored by organizers fearing state backlash.

“Freedom of speech denied at the U.N.!” she wrote, later sharing her original text online after it was altered. Ayup sees this as part of a pattern limiting discussion of Uyghur repression at U.N. forums.
…

your ad here

Russia and China’s relationship may not be as strong as it seems, report says

Posted on by SeeEA

WASHINGTON — On the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine earlier this week, Chinese President Xi Jinping reaffirmed Beijing’s “no limits” partnership with Moscow in a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to Chinese state media.

“China-Russia relations have strong internal driving force and unique strategic value,” Xi said, according to the official readout from state media. He also called Russia a “true friend” and a “good neighbor.”

The sentiment is not new. Moscow and Beijing have long touted the strength and long-term nature of their relationship.

But according to a new report from Filter Labs, a U.S.-based political research and analysis company, Russia and China’s relationship may be weaker than they want the rest of the world to believe.

“Their partnership is vulnerable,” Filter Labs founder Jonathan Teubner told VOA. “This ‘no limits’ partnership is much more complicated.”

‘Infused with doubt’

While the governments and state-run media from both countries work to project the image of a strong partnership, their relationship may be underpinned by more tension, mistrust and competing interests than previously thought, according to an extensive analysis of news media and social media posts by Filter Labs.

“The axis is infused with doubt, ripe for disruption,” the report said.

Teubner added, “The monolith theory of the China-Russia relationship isn’t necessarily the way it has to be.”

But not all experts agree that the Russia-China relationship is fragile.

“The China-Russia relationship continues to deepen and widen, and occasional disagreements are dwarfed by the scale and momentum of their strategic cooperation,” Robert Blackwill and Richard Fontaine wrote in a 2024 Council on Foreign Relations report.

From the Chinese perspective, according to the Filter Labs report, there are doubts over the true resilience of Russia’s economy, whether Russia’s military is as strong as it says it is, and what Russia’s true intentions are in the long term.

Meanwhile, says Filter Labs, Russian doubts pertain to quality concerns about Chinese goods, how militarily committed China actually is to Russia, and whether Chinese investment in Russia is really that substantial.

Chinese state media is generally positive about the state of the Russian economy and often criticizes Western sanctions.

However, Chinese netizens are increasingly worried about the impact that secondary sanctions could have on China.

The United States has threatened to use secondary sanctions against Chinese businesses viewed as engaging with Russia, pushing some Chinese netizens to weigh the value of China’s relationship with Russia against its ability to trade with the United States.

Once those sanctions are enforced on China, Teubner predicts, it will lead to changes in the Russia-China relationship.

“The sanctions on Russia actually have a pretty important countering Chinese effect, too,” said Teubner, who thinks the sanctions are the biggest source of friction between Beijing and Moscow.

Quality concerns

Meanwhile, the most common doubt among Russians about China pertains to quality concerns about Chinese goods, according to the report. In Russia, Chinese goods have a reputation for being affordable but of poor quality.

“We see more persistent complaints about Chinese goods,” Teubner said.

“That’s paired with Russian anxiety over pairing itself so deeply to China,” Teubner added. “That comes through very strongly in Russian anxieties toward being subordinated to the Chinese economy.”

One consequence of Russia’s war in Ukraine has been that it has pushed Russia and China closer together, prompting some governments to default to treating the autocratic duo as a bloc, according to Teubner.

“It will increasingly be that way unless we do something to keep them apart,” Teubner said.

The report recommends that the United States and its allies and partners take advantage of the fault lines to drive a wedge between Russia and China.
…

your ad here

As Yoon remakes South Korea’s right, lonely conservative pushes back

Posted on by SeeEA

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — Conservative South Korean lawmaker Kim Sang-wook has received so many threats since December that his children no longer tell classmates who their father is.

Already sidelined in the ruling party, many colleagues want Kim expelled altogether. In his home district of Ulsan, he finds himself shunned by former friends and allies.

Welcome to the life of a conservative politician who has chosen to break ranks with the People Power Party, or PPP, which has swung sharply to the right as it rallies around impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Once a low-profile figure, the 45-year-old first-term lawmaker has emerged as one of the most vocal critics of Yoon, whose short-lived martial law declaration in early December triggered South Korea’s worst political crisis in decades.

At times, Kim has quite literally stood alone. Ahead of Yoon’s impeachment, he staged a one-man protest on the top steps of the National Assembly, holding a giant placard imploring fellow conservatives to abandon the president. Hours later, the impeachment motion passed with the support of just 11 other conservatives, out of a total of 108.

If fully implemented, Yoon’s decree would have outlawed all political activity and required journalists to report to martial law command – measures not seen since South Korea emerged from a military dictatorship in the 1980s.

That hasn’t prevented the overwhelming majority of the PPP from defending Yoon — a trend Kim blames on “extreme partisan logic” that has come to define both sides of the country’s politics.

“It’s like everything is justified by the belief that ‘we’ are right and ‘they’ are wrong,” Kim told VOA in an interview at his National Assembly office. “Is that conservatism? I don’t think so.”

Kim’s defiance highlights a broader reckoning within the PPP. As the Constitutional Court decides Yoon’s fate, the party must decide whether to uphold his populist legacy or choose a different path.

Fighting back

Few would deny that Yoon’s more combative approach has galvanized the conservative base, as indicated by the size and intensity of street protests.

Throughout the frigid Seoul winter, large crowds, including many young people, have rallied in Yoon’s defense. His arrest for alleged insurrection, which carries a possible death penalty, only added to their outrage.

That anger deepened when the opposition, using its legislative supermajority, ousted acting President Han Duck-soo less than two weeks after impeaching Yoon, reinforcing conservative concerns about political overreach.

The result was a scene unthinkable just months ago — Koreans packing streets in support of a leader who, however briefly, had just attempted to restore military rule.

“The whole situation just naturally evolved in a way that Yoon Suk Yeol became the symbol of this movement of freedom and liberal democracy, vis-a-vis communism, socialism, and tyranny,” said Lee Jung-hoon, a conservative legal scholar and dean at Seoul’s Yonsei University.

Lee served in the administration of the country’s last conservative president, Park Geun-hye, who was removed from office in 2017 and jailed on corruption-related charges.

In Lee’s view, Park was too passive in challenging her impeachment, which may have contributed to her downfall. By contrast, former prosecutor Yoon has vowed to “fight to the end,” further energizing his supporters, Lee said.

Yoon has defended his martial law decree as a tough but necessary response to an opposition he says crippled his administration with budget cuts and repeated impeachments of senior leaders.

At his final impeachment hearing this week, Yoon argued the decree was never meant to be enforced as written — insisting that if he had intended to follow through, he would have deployed more troops and used greater force.

Yoon has also defended martial law as necessary to investigate what he claims is election fraud.

Those comments helped bring once-fringe allegations into the conservative mainstream, where many now openly question the integrity of South Korea’s electoral system.

Some have gone further, attacking the credibility of judges they see as left-leaning, with a small group of conservative protesters even ransacking a court that had issued an arrest warrant for Yoon.

Underlying fears

Some of the hardening behind Yoon stems from deep distrust of opposition leader Lee Jae-myung. Lee is seen as the likely successor if Yoon is removed from office.

Conservatives view Lee as too soft on China and likely to pursue what they see as futile engagement with North Korea. Others fear he is seeking the presidency to shield himself from legal battles, as he faces five separate trials on corruption and other charges.

Hahm Sung-deuk, a professor of political science at Kyonggi University outside Seoul, said many conservatives are also eager to prevent a repeat of Park’s impeachment, which fractured the party and paved the way for a left-leaning president to take power.

“Conservatives have a painful memory. They feel that if they let this situation get out of hand, they might not regain power for not just five years, but maybe 10, 15, or even 20 years,” Hahm told VOA.

That anxiety may help explain the fierce backlash against lawmakers like Kim, the renegade conservative who has been accused of betraying conservative values after breaking with Yoon.

But Hahm insists the party’s divide isn’t about ideology but is about loyalty.

“This is not a policy debate,” he said. “It’s centered around whether … you support or oppose Yoon Suk Yeol.”

If Yoon is impeached, some fear that protests will once again turn violent. But in Yoon’s absence, party moderates may likely prevail, said Hahm, who is well-connected among elite conservatives.

“Deep down, both the far-right and moderates know that Yoon Suk Yeol made mistakes,” said Hahm, who believes the party will eventually unite around a steadier candidate to block Lee from taking power.

Uncertain future

As he withstands attacks from fellow conservatives, Kim is less confident about the party’s future. Once a rising figure in local conservative politics, he now acknowledges he may not win reelection.

But even if his stance costs him his political career, Kim says he will keep making decisions based on his principles, convinced this is what conservatism should be about.

“I have no regrets,” he said of voting to impeach Yoon. “I believe this was the best decision I have made in my entire life.”
…

your ad here

VOA Mandarin: Why is so much ‘academic misconduct’ found at Chinese hospitals?

Posted on by SeeEA

The Nature news team recently published an analysis of the retraction rates of academic articles by institutions around the world over the past decade. The analysis found that from 2014 to 2024, Jining First People’s Hospital ranked first in the world in the global retraction rate ranking, with a total retraction rate of more than 5%, which is 50 times the global average. Among the top 10 institutions, another six are from China. 

Click here for the full story in Mandarin. 
…

your ad here

North Korea’s Kim orders nuclear readiness after missile test, KCNA says

Posted on by SeeEA

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised a test-launch of strategic cruise missiles and ordered full readiness to use nuclear attack capability to ensure the most effective defense for the country, state media announced Friday.

The test was designed to warn “enemies, who are seriously violating the security environment of the (country) and fostering and escalating the confrontation environment” and to demonstrate “readiness of its various nuke operation means,” KCNA news agency said.

“What is guaranteed by powerful striking ability is the most perfect deterrence and defense capacity,” KCNA quoted Kim as saying.

The missile launch was conducted on Wednesday over the sea off the west coast of the Korean Peninsula, it said.

South Korea’s military said on Friday it had detected signs of missile launch preparations on Wednesday and tracked several cruise missiles after they were launched around 8 a.m. local time (2300 GMT Tuesday) over the sea.

North Korea has pursued the development of strategic cruise missiles over several years, intended to deliver nuclear warheads.

That type of missile tends to bring less alarm and condemnation from the international community than ballistic missiles because they are not formally banned under U.N. Security Council resolutions.

The Security Council has banned the North from ballistic missile and nuclear weapons development and imposed a number of sanctions for violations.

The report of the missile test came in the same week that Kim made back-to-back visits to military schools, driving home the message of loyalty and the importance of ideological and tactical training of young military officers.

Kim did not mention any country by name when he spoke of warning the enemies but has kept up harsh rhetoric against the United States and South Korea despite comments by U.S. President Donald Trump that he would be reaching out to him.

Trump and Kim held unprecedented summit meetings during the U.S. president’s first term.  
…

your ad here

North Korea appears to have sent more troops to Russia, Seoul says

Posted on by SeeEA

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — South Korea’s spy agency said Thursday that North Korea appears to have sent additional troops to Russia after its soldiers deployed on the Russian-Ukraine fronts suffered heavy casualties.

The National Intelligence Service said in a brief statement it was trying to determine how many more troops North Korea has deployed to Russia.

The NIS also assessed that North Korean troops were redeployed at fronts in Russia’s Kursk region in the first week of February, following a reported temporary withdrawal from the area. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in an address on Feb. 7, confirmed a new Ukrainian offensive in Kursk and said North Korean troops were fighting alongside Russian forces there.

North Korea has been supplying a vast number of conventional weapons to Russia, and last fall it sent 10,000 to 12,000 troops to Russia, according to U.S., South Korean and Ukraine intelligence officials.

North Korean soldiers are highly disciplined and well trained, but observers say they’ve become easy targets for drone and artillery attacks on Russian-Ukraine battlefields because of their lack of combat experience and unfamiliarity with the terrain.

In January, the NIS said about 300 North Korean soldiers had died and 2,700 had been injured. Zelenskyy earlier put the number of killed or wounded North Koreans at 4,000, although U.S. estimates were lower at around 1,200.

Earlier Thursday, South Korea’s JoongAng Ilbo newspaper, citing unidentified sources, reported that an additional 1,000 to 3,000 North Korean soldiers were deployed to Kursk between January and February.

South Korea, the United States and their partners worry that Russia could reward North Korea by transferring high-tech weapons technologies that can sharply enhance its nuclear weapons program. North Korea is expected to receive economic and other assistance from Russia, as well.

During talks in Saudi Arabia last week, Russia and the U.S. agreed to start working toward ending the war and improving their diplomatic and economic ties. Ukrainian officials weren’t present at the talks. That marked an extraordinary shift in U.S. foreign policy under President Donald Trump and a clear departure from U.S.-led efforts to isolate Russia over its war in Ukraine.
…

your ad here

As US tariffs expand, Chinese firms’ workarounds come into focus

Posted on by SeeEA

WASHINGTON — As U.S. President Donald Trump moves forward with an expanding net of tariffs, including an additional 10% for Chinese imports starting next week, industry insiders and experts say closing existing loopholes and workarounds that companies use to avoid trade taxes is also key.

One practice that so far has helped companies from China — and others — to avoid being hit with tariffs is transshipment, or the transfer of goods to a second country, where the “Made in China” label is switched for another.

Berwick Offray, a ribbon manufacturer in the northeastern state of Pennsylvania, has first-hand experience with the practice. Founded in 1945, the company prides itself on its pledge to keep its products “Made in the USA” and its position as one of the largest manufacturers of ribbons in the world.

Earlier this month, the company sued a U.S. importer, TriMar Ribbon, for allegedly buying ribbons produced in China that were shipped to the United States through India to illegally avoid being subject to tariffs.

Ribbons made in China are cheaper and sold at below market value prices in the United States.

“The current allegations allege that TriMar imported ribbons from China into the United States through transshipment in India, and did not declare the correct country of origin upon entry,” said a notice issued from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, or CBP, when the agency agreed to investigate the case.

Daniel Pickard, an expert on international trade and an attorney at Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, which represents Berwick Offray, said there have been numerous cases of transshipment, especially when it comes to products from China.

“We have assisted several clients in submitting allegations to CBP against importers of products that have been transshipped from China through third countries such as Thailand, India and Canada,” Pickard told VOA. “Our clients typically are the U.S. manufacturers of those products that are competing against the Chinese imports that are engaged in evasion of duties.”

According to CBP data, there are currently 221 investigations of Chinese-made products suspected of transshipment tariff evasion.

Tariffs and loopholes

In early February, the Trump administration rolled out 10% blanket tariffs on all Chinese goods. On March 4, Chinese imports will face an additional 10% tariff.

While Trump has worked to reduce potential workarounds, including his executive order on reciprocal tariffs on trading partners, U.S. lawmakers have introduced measures to close the loopholes that would allow Chinese products to evade the president’s increased fees.

Republican Senator Rick Scott introduced the Stopping Adversarial Tariff Evasion Act on Jan. 31, aiming to strengthen enforcement mechanisms to ensure foreign manufacturers comply with customs and duties.

The legislation builds on efforts from Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, who introduced a bill in December intended to hold China accountable for tariff evasion by establishing a task force and reporting mechanisms to deal with instances of financial crime.

Jayant Menon, a senior fellow at the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, said the second Trump presidency will foster even more efforts to monitor tariff evasion and inspect products for compliance.

“While it is increasingly difficult to determine where a product is really made these days, given increasing globalization and widespread production under global supply chain, increased scrutiny can help with identifying bypass attempts,” Menon said.

“If bypass attempts are suspected, rightly or wrongly, then the country as a whole may be penalized with new tariffs,” he said.

Pickard said he expects more investigations will be launched by the new administration. He also looks forward to more efforts to counter discriminatory practices affecting U.S. companies.

“We anticipate CBP will increase its enforcement efforts as to the widespread customs fraud involving Chinese products,” he said.

Many stakeholders in the industry, Pickard said, are hoping to see these issues met with criminal prosecutions.
…

your ad here

Cybercrime laws risk ‘steady criminalization’ of journalists, analysts warn

Posted on by SeeEA

washington — As more countries enact cybercrime legislation, analysts warn that efforts to combat legitimate concerns could also allow for easier targeting of critics.

Analysts have warned that amendments in Pakistan and Myanmar in recent months could add to already repressive environments. 

Some point to Nigeria as a test case. Since passing its cybercrime law in 2015, watchdogs have documented 29 cases of journalists being charged, including four who were charged in a Lagos court in September.

“What we are seeing is a steady criminalization of journalists around the world, and it’s a huge threat to press freedom,” said Jonathan Rozen, a senior researcher at the Committee to Protect Journalists, or CPJ.

In Pakistan, the government in January amended the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act of 2016 (PECA). Authorities said the changes would curb cybercrime, online harassment and the spread of hateful content that could instigate violence.

Pakistan’s federal information minister, Attaullah Tarar, said the law was needed “to regulate social media.”

“Countries across the world have some codes or standards under which social media operate, but there was none in our country,” he told reporters last month.

The amendment led to protests by journalists and civil society, who said the changes would make it easy for authorities to prosecute people whose opinions are not in line with those of the government.

Analysts pointed to broad terms, including definitions of “unlawful” content and “person,” with the latter now including state institutions and corporations. 

Another amendment proposed the creation of a Digital Rights Protection Authority that can remove content from social media platforms.

Critics and media rights groups worry this could expose journalists and social media users to increased restrictions and legal action, restrict dissent and open doors for the powerful military establishment to target and harass civilians.

Before the reforms, watchdogs recorded more than 200 cases of journalists being investigated since PECA was passed.  

Joshua Kurlantzick, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, said the changes in Pakistan’s cybercrime law would make an “already repressive online atmosphere even worse and restrictive.”

Pakistan’s military has imposed a “much tougher crackdown” in the past year, said Kurlantzick.

“They have gone well out of their way to target individuals, civil rights activists, journalists, and use anti-freedom laws to target those people, and often put them in jail,” he said.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Information did not respond to VOA’s request for comment.

Similar concerns are shared in Myanmar, where the junta last July passed an expansive cybercrime law. The law targeted virtual private networks, or VPNs, that allow internet users to circumvent blocked websites and censorship.

The junta said the new law was needed to protect against cyberattacks and cybercrimes that could threaten the country’s stability.

Since seizing power in a coup in February 2021, Myanmar’s military has revoked broadcast licenses, blocked access to websites and jailed journalists. The country is the third worst jailer of journalists, with 35 detained, according to the latest CPJ data.

An expert with the Myanmar Internet Project, a digital rights group, told VOA at the time that the law was more focused on suppressing rights than protecting the public.  

“All the provisions of the law are designed to suppress rather than protect the public,” the expert, who asked to be identified only as U Han, said. “We believe that the junta will use this bill as a weapon prepared for this purpose.”

Kurlantzick, however, believes the military would struggle to restrict the online space.

“Myanmar’s military has no power to restrict online dissent anymore, as 70% of the country is in control of the opposition groups,” he said. “The government, which can’t provide power, water or other services even in the biggest cities, doesn’t have the ability to crack down on the internet now.”

In Nigeria, the 2015 Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act has been used to file cases against journalists who investigate corruption. But the government has made some reforms based on civil society and press freedom group recommendations.

Two sections of the cybercrime law had been of particular concern because of the “very broad and vague wording” that allowed the arrest of journalists for sending what were deemed  “annoying” or “defamatory” messages, said CPJ’s Rozen.

Changes made in 2024 narrowed the language. 

“It constrained the opportunity for authorities to arrest journalists only if the messages were knowingly false, or if it was causing a breakdown of law or causing a threat to life,” said Rozen, who added that other areas remain “overly broad and could be abused.”

One section he cited allows for law enforcement to access information from service providers without a court order.

Nigeria’s police have used this to access data of journalists, said Rozen, noting that four journalists are currently facing prosecution under the cybercrime act. 

Rozen agrees that “misinformation and disinformation are challenges for society, but what is being observed,” he said, “is a criminalization of journalists on accusations that they are sharing false information, and in many cases, this is used as a shorthand to smother or crush” dissenting voices.

With more reporting and publishing taking place online, the tools some governments use to suppress journalists are adapting to the modernization of the industry, Rozen said. 
…

your ad here

Japan’s births fell to record low in 2024

Posted on by SeeEA

TOKYO — The number of babies born in Japan fell to a record low of 720,988 in 2024 for a ninth consecutive year of decline, the health ministry said on Thursday, underscoring the rapid aging and dwindling of the population.

Births were down 5% on the year, despite measures in 2023 by former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s government to boost child-bearing, while a record number of 1.62 million deaths meant that more than two people died for every new baby born.

Although the fertility rate in neighboring South Korea rose in 2024 for the first time in nine years, thanks to measures to spur young people to marry and have children, the trend in Japan has yet to show an upturn.

Behind Japan’s childbirth decline are fewer marriages in recent years, stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, said Takumi Fujinami, an economist at the Japan Research Institute.

Although the number of marriages edged up 2.2% to 499,999 in 2024, that came only after steep declines, such as a plunge of 12.7% in 2020.

“The impact could linger on in 2025 as well,” Fujinami said.

Unlike some Western countries, only a few of every 100 babies in Japan are born out of wedlock, suggesting a stronger correlation between marriages and births.

News this week that South Korea’s fertility rate rose to 0.75 in 2024 from 0.72 in 2023 suggested the neighboring nation’s demographic crisis might have turned a corner.

In Japan, the most recent data shows the corresponding figure for the average number of babies a woman is expected to have during her reproductive life came in at 1.20 in 2023.

While it was too early for any meaningful comparison between the figures in the two countries, Fujinami warned, it was important for both to improve job opportunities and close the gender gap to encourage young people to marry and have children.

Experts believe South Korea’s positive turn resulted from government support in the three areas of work-family balance, childcare and housing, as well as a campaign for businesses to nudge employees towards parenthood. 
…

your ad here