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China pledges $43.5m in aid to Pakistan
China will provide another 300 million yuan ($43.5 million) of emergency supplies to Pakistan to help the latter tackle devastating floods. Luo Zhaohui, chairman of the China International Development Cooperation Agency, made the announcement during a meeting with Lieutenant-General Akhtar Nawaz, chairman of Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority, via video link on Saturday. The announcement came after China said less than a week earlier that it would donate 100 million yuan of emergency supplies to Pakistan. Luo invited Pakistan to inform China about the kinds of supplies it needs and the means of transportation as soon as possible so that the aid can reach Pakistanis as soon as possible. China relates deeply to the flooding that Pakistan is going through and the casualties and loss of property caused by the natural disaster, Luo said, adding that China will share with Pakistan its expertise in disaster relief and support the country in making reconstruction plans. Expressing appreciation On Saturday Pakistan's Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif expressed his appreciation for China's aid. The flooding that started in mid-June as a result of monsoon rains has claimed more than 1,200 lives in Pakistan, injuring about 12,600 people. China dispatched Y-20 transport aircraft to Pakistan on Tuesday carrying the first 3,000 of 25,000 tents it has pledged to provide to the country. The Red Cross Society of China has made an emergency cash donation to Pakistan, and the China Meteorological Administration is providing real-time weather forecasts to the country. China has also collected 200 metric tons of onions that will be delivered to Pakistan within a week through the Karakoram Highway, Luo said. The first 3,000 tents have already been delivered to disaster-hit people, Nawaz said on Saturday, expressing the appreciation of the Pakistani government and the country's people for China's aid. Nawaz detailed his country's needs and said Pakistan will work with China to...
A Renewed Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between Tehran and Western Powers
The global powers and Iran reached a historic agreement, JCPOA, in 2015 regarding Tehran’s nuclear program to limit it significantly in exchange for relief in sanctions. The program was in implementation till 2108 when Trump withdrew from the agreement, following which Iran ramped up its nuclear program. Joe Biden soon after becoming the president wanted the deal back on track, which the European Union facilitated. Iran and several world powers, including the United States, signed the historic Iran nuclear agreement known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2015. This agreement placed significant limitations on Iran’s nuclear program, including extensive international inspection of its program, in exchange for relief in sanctions placed upon Iran by the western powers to limit its capability to carry out the nuclear program. The agreement was a positive development to avoid any regional catastrophe with its rivals. However, in 2018, President Trump backed off from the agreement citing that the deal has failed to curtail Iran’s nuclear program and its regional influence, and thus placed significant sanctions on Iran. In response, Iran ignored the limitations and ramped up its nuclear capabilities. Joe Biden, after resuming the office in early 2021, has expressed his stance to get the program back on track does Iran get back to compliance of the terms. After talks that lasted more than a year, coordinated by the European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, the bloc submitted a final proposed text to Iran. Iran responded to the text in which they largely agreed to the proposals drawn by the EU. An Iranian diplomat confirmed the same: “the European Union’s proposals are acceptable provided that they provide assurances to Iran on various points, related to sanctions and safeguards. The United States has expressed flexibility on two of them verbally but that needs to be incorporated into the text, and the third issue has to do with a guarantee that...
The West’s Limited Narratives
Berlin-based think tank warns against trying to internationally isolate China. In Africa, Asia and Latin America, Beijing is appreciated as cooperation partner and quite popular. BEIJING/BERLIN (Own report) – A Berlin-based think tank, specialized on China, warns against trying to internationally isolate the People’s Republic, as with Russia. Attitudes towards China diverged widely from “mainstream narratives” in the western world, according to a study by the Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS). It is of major importance to understand how “actors outside the usual grouping of rich, liberal market economies” view the shifting global dynamics, and how they think about Europe. In fact, the Western public’s extremely negative perception of China is generally not shared outside the West. On the contrary, sometimes the People’s Republic enjoys an even greater popularity than the United States. Non-western elites usually appreciate Beijing, because it does not lecture governments in Africa, Asia and Latin America and because the Chinese market and Chinese investments offer huge opportunities. If the EU does not want to fall behind Beijing, it must take vigorous action, according to MERICS. Bogeyman China The Berlin-based think tank MERICS (Mercator Institute for China Studies) published its current study in light of the fact that negative views of China have massively increased over recent years in the West and among its close allies in the Asia-Pacific region (Australia, Japan, South Korea), at times reaching record highs. This is documented by a recent Pew Research Center survey of 19 countries including 17 from the West. “Unfavorable views” of the People’s Republic are shared by 87% of the Japanese, 86% of the Australians, 83% of the Swedes, 82% of the US-Americans, 80% of the South Koreans and 74% of the Germans. Only the two non-western countries in the PEW survey are out of line: in Malaysia 60% of the population have “favorable views” of China and in...
Upcoming 20th National Congress Meeting of The Communist Party of China And Its Importance to Pakistan
The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), will take place in late 2022. This politburo meeting is held after every five years and according to analysts, it will be one of the most consequential party gatherings in decades. It will decide on China’s future path and most likely re-enforce trust in President Xi`s leadership, and his vision to guide China into the middle of the twenty first century, by establishing key priorities for the next five years. To emphasize the upcoming CPC meetings importance, the Pakistan-China Institute held a special event on 29th August, 2022 under the platform Friends of Silk road Initiative. Speakers at the dialogue included , Chief Guest Hina Rabbani Khar, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan, H.E.Nong Rong, Senator and Federal Minister Syed Mushahid Hussain and other leading Pakistani politicians and MPs. In her opening remark, Pakistan’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar stated that China “brings all of Pakistan together” and is the nation that unites Pakistan. China has never had a government attempt to undermine its status as the mainstay of Pakistani foreign policy. In reply, Ambassador Nong Rong termed Pakistan-China relations as ‘rock-solid’. Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed thanked the Chinese government for sending cash and donating 25,000 tents to flood victims in Pakistan. He asserted that President Xi Jinping’s message is one of people-centric growth and human security. Later on, one of the speakers, Senator Dr. Zarqa Suharwardy Taimur, highlighted the benefits that CPEC has brought to Pakistan. She informed the participants that as of June 2022, 27 CPEC projects totaling approximately $19 billion had been completed and an additional 27 CPEC projects totaling $7.7 billion are now in the building stage. According to her, CPEC projects have given Pakistanis access to over 80,000 jobs and 28,000 Pakistani students are currently enrolled in Chinese...
India’s Move to Bring Demographic Changes in the Disputed Kashmir Valley
Since the abrogation of the Article 370 in 2019, India has ruled the disputed territory of Kashmir though the use of force and violence. The people have been depressed, tortured and humiliated by the Indian forces residing in the territory. The already suffocated environment is further tensed by the recent decision of allowing temporarily residing people in Kashmir to vote. It is an attempt by the fascist and Hindu nationalist government of Modi to bring demographic changes in the territory. The move has ignited anger and fear among the natives as it further deteriorates their living conditions and endangers political and social agency. Since taking charge of India’s government, the administration of Modi has taken multiple steps to change the status of Kashmir in India’s favor. The years of Modi’s rule have magnified the fascist and nationalist agenda of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Starting with the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019 that unilaterally stripped the region’s special status, the BJP regime has brutally suffocated the living conditions for Muslims of the region. The recent attempt of the Hindu nationalist government in the form of allowing Indian citizens living temporarily in the Muslim-majority region to be enlisted as voters have outraged the Kashmiris. The effort to change the demographic conditions of the Muslim majority regions is a cause of fear and anger among the oppressed Kashmiris. The federally controlled electoral officer in Indian-administrated Kashmir announced to add 2.5 million more voters to the 7.6 native voters, which is counted as a sweeping 30 percent increase. The new voters encompass Indians temporarily residing in the region such as the Indian military personnel, private and government sector employees, and migrant workers. The well-planned abrogation of Article 370 formed a base to initiate such a bold move as individuals who were not eligible to vote before are privileged now. The law enables anyone ordinarily...
Beijing Rebuts US Claims on Democracy, Rights, Respect
The United States has accused China of meddling with the world order and has vowed to protect the international law, principles and agreements that govern the world. Beijing wants fairer rules of the business and has dismissed these allegations by denouncing the U.S. of designing the international order to establish themselves as the hegemonic force. With China, one of the largest economies in the world, seen and presented as a threat, a new cold war is brewing! Anthony Blinken, the secretary of state, delivered a speech at the Asia Society held at The George Washington University with the theme of “The Administration’s Approach to the People’s Republic of China” in which Blinken criticized the Chinese administration for trying to mend the rules of the game. Starting off by stating a renewed commitment towards a more “equitable”, “democratic” and “prosperous” future for all, he called it a product of an international world order: “To build that future, we must defend and reform the rules-based international order – the system of laws, agreements, principles, and institutions. Its founding documents include the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which enshrined concepts like self-determination, sovereignty, the peaceful settlement of disputes. These are not Western constructs. They are reflections of the world’s shared aspirations.”, he added while terming Russia and China as threats to these universal values. He termed the Russian invasion of Ukraine to a failure as it strengthened the resilience of the Ukrainian people, brought closer the NATO allied countries and united the world to stand against Moscow which violated these universal principles of sovereignty, peaceful settlement of disputes and so on. The state secretary, however, termed the People’s Republic of China “the most serious long-term challenge to the international order” which has both “the intent” and “the economic, diplomatic, military, and technological power” to put that...
Taiwan Belongs to China- Chinese Defense Minister’s Warning to US at The SCO Meeting
During a recently concluded SCO ( Shanghai Cooperation Organization) meeting held on 24th August, 2022 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, the Chinese Defense Minister virtually addressed the member participants and reiterated that, ” Taiwan is China`s Taiwan and the Taiwan issue is China`s internal Affair.” Clearly, the Minister was referring to the recent trip to Taiwan by the US House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, despite warnings from China to refrain from such a visit. This interaction has infuriated the Chinese who consider such a move, provocative by the US. In response, the Chinese conducted massive military drills near the island, invoking the Taiwanese government to claim that this time, the drills were deep within Taiwanese territorial waters and a mock exercise for invasion of the island. The Chinese Defense Minister also took the opportunity to stress and appreciate the international community/ organizations stance for recognizing that Taiwan is a breakaway province and an integral part of China. He was referring to the 170 plus countries who do not maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan or recognize its independence. He also stated that the SCO, (which comprises of India, Russia, China, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan) is a positive platform for regional peace and harmony and President Xi Jinping`s proposed Global Security Initiative `provides a correct solution for addressing international security challenges”. He urged the SCO member states to strengthen security cooperation with one another as the world community is currently experiencing a global crisis and facing challenges unseen before. He called for global unity and harmony and said China is ready to work with other countries to uphold global equity, justice and world peace. In the present political situation, the SCO can be seen as a positive alliance of regional countries for promotion of peace and stability in the region. However, the US would presumably see it as another bloc...
Re-Engaging with The Taliban: Russian-Chinese Initiative
The United States has blocked Afghan Central Bank foreign currency reserves from reaching the country, totaling approximately US$7 billion. Despite the international pressure, the US is hesitant to allow this money to return to its rightful owners – the Afghan people – since it is still reeling from its defeat. To deal with the existing economic crises in their country while realizing they will not get support from the West, the Taliban have reached out to Russia and China for assistance. The United States pullout from Afghanistan last year, after almost 20 years of occupation, has been painful and embarrassing for them the American government. Despite spending a trillion dollars on the war, the US has achieved nothing in strategic terms and even with its military power, could not manage to defeat its main enemy, the Taliban. Although you could classify the Taliban as a bunch of rag-tagged guerilla fighters, they still possessed the discipline and perseverance to achieve their goal. Following the US departure, the Taliban started to bring some form of stability to the country and formed a government consisting of their former senior commanders and religious leaders. However, running the country has not been easy as the country is amongst the poorest nations with the worst living conditions. There is hardly any food for the general population, and there is no existing infrastructure for providing energy needs, including the import of oil that is direly needed. Hence, they are in dire need of international aid. To compound the worsening situation, the US has blocked Afghan Central Bank foreign currency reserves from reaching the country, totaling approximately US$7 billion. Despite international pressure, the US is hesitant to allow this money to return to its rightful owners – the Afghan people – since it is still reeling from its defeat. Recently though, after calls from within the administration, President Biden is mulling the prospect of allowing US$3.5 billion...
Critical Minerals – The Next Front Line In The China-US Rivalry?
China should shore up its supply chains in essential resources as the US seeks to cut dependence, experts suggest Washington has long been aware of its vulnerabilities but Beijing has not come up with a way to assess supply risks Beijing should forge alliances with “friendly” suppliers of critical minerals as the United States and its allies seek to reshape global supply chains to cut dependence on China, two Chinese resources experts say. In an article in prominent journal Science & Technology Review earlier this month, the experts said such alliances could also give China and its Belt and Road Initiative trade partners a greater say in international trade negotiations over those minerals. “The focus should be on controlling the risk of shortages of key minerals, building a global trade network for key minerals that is conducive to China’s resource security, and achieving a rational, efficient and secure allocation of key minerals,” they wrote. “At the same time, China should focus … on strengthening cooperation with other mineral resource supplying countries, form international resource alliances, and speak out together in international trade negotiations to ensure the security of supply of key minerals to China and friendly countries.” The authors – Zhao Shen from Jiangxi University of Science and Technology and Wang Peng from the Ganjiang Innovation Academy at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Jiangxi – are based in Ganzhou, the resource-rich region home to state-owned China Rare Earth Group. The proposal is part of an assessment of US policies on supplies of essential minerals over the decades. It comes amid a US drive to strengthen its alliances with Western democracies to counter China on a range of fronts, from the military to technology. Zhao and Wang said that drive reflected Washington’s shift in focus “from being solely oriented towards security of supply to meeting political and diplomatic needs”. China is a major player in mineral processing. It...
“Pacing China Challenge” necessitated Afghan Pull-out: US Official
A senior American defence official has dismissed the ubiquitous notion that the United States abruptly withdrew its troops from Afghanistan, saying the move was driven by the Biden administration’s shift in “strategic priorities”. Pentagon Under Secretary of Defence for Policy Colin Kahl made the startling but not surprising statement at an August 8, 2022, press conference in Washington, which was the first candid and categorical expression of why the US withdrew from Afghanistan a year ago. It was not abrupt, the official implied. “The fundamental driver of the President’s decision to complete the withdrawal from Afghanistan …..was a recognition that America’s strategic priorities had shifted and that the United States had to prioritize the challenge – a pacing challenge posed by the People’s Republic of China,” Kahl said, signaling that the US is now focused on China’s westward expansion, and the Biden administration is gradually implementing a policy that defines China as a rival country. The under-secretary underscored a need to extricate the US from over two decades of war in Afghanistan and focus on the threats that Russia and China pose to the United States. “We had to be prepared to focus more on the threat to European security represented by the acute threat that — that Russia poses. That for too long, we had been bogged down in a particular part of the world at the expense of other, more pressing strategic priorities. And I think the events we’ve been talking about today, whether it’s across the Taiwan Strait or in Russia-Ukraine, validate that assessment — that the world has changed and we need to focus on the biggest threats to our security in the contemporary environment.”, Kahl underscored. President Joe Biden, in an address to Congress on April 29, 2021, made several references to China to underline the new focus on the world’s second-biggest economy. “We compete with China and other countries to win the 21st Century”, Biden said. President Xi...
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I am also a member of National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting. Recently, we held a meeting with the Director General of Radio Pakistan and we told them to initiate such local programs (like Constituency Hour) in regional languages to educate and inform people. Even Indian Radio can be heard in FATA which is being used for propaganda purposes and must be closed. Therefore, we should launch some standard and quality programs like CRSS that will change the taste of the listeners.