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27 May - 2 June 2019 | 326 comments (326 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)
Re: World REPUBLICS (none / 0)
China, Niger state visit 27-30 May.
Xi holds talks with Nigerien President, vowing to boost ties
[Xi} said China will continue to support Niger in fighting terrorism for regional peace and stability, and promote the UN support for the Group of Five Sahel joint force. Calling for more communication and collaboration on major international affairs, Xi promised China will help Niger improve people's livelihood in such field as medical care.
[...]
As for China-Africa cooperation, [Mahamadou] Issoufou said African countries appreciate China's adherence to the principles of sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith, as well as the eight major initiatives put forward by Xi at the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.

Little to no Anglo-american press coverage. Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Lu Kang explained last Wednesday [23 May]that Beijing's interests in Africa, and through the Belt and Road Initiative more broadly, are supported by African leaders themselves.
China counters 'debt trap' claims over African loans

archived 2018
No sooner had Madames May and Merkel glided home ...

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed May 29th, 2019 at 05:38:49 PM EST
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Re: World REPUBLICS (none / 0)
Chinese state owned "Belt and Road Portal" (domain name ends in .gov.cn) reports that "African countries appreciate China's adherence to the principles of sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith". Film at eleven.
by Bernard (bernard) on Wed May 29th, 2019 at 06:57:01 PM EST
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Re: World REPUBLICS (none / 0)
I idly followed up on 'debt trap' developments in the past year, since the Summit. Looks like Dubai has put the squeeze on Djibouti, not unexpectedly considering its beach head value to ahh adversarial combatant proxy wtfs in the straits forthcoming.

Dispute Between Dubai And Djibouti Over Port Seizure Continues, Despite Tribunal Ruling, 3 Aug 2018

London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) ruled that the Djibouti government had acted illegitimately when it seized control of the Doraleh Container Terminal from DP World on February 22 this year.
"English law" vs ROW (ie. Chinese FDI)
Djibouti [had] moved to strip the company of its concession. Under Law No. 202 enacted in 2017, along with a number of decrees issued in 2018, the government gave itself the power to terminate the contract with the Dubai-based port operator.
VOA | Prospect of Chinese Control of Djibouti Port Concerns [US] Senators, 13 Nov 2018b
In a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware said they were concerned about Djibouti's termination of a contract for the Doraleh Container Terminal with United Arab Emirates-based DP World in February and the nationalization of the port in September.

Reports that Djibouti, heavily indebted to Beijing, would most likely cede the port's operations to a Chinese state-owned enterprise were "even more alarming," they said.

Djibouti Ordered To Pay $533M In Compensation to Dubai, 4 April 2019

m'k

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed May 29th, 2019 at 07:53:26 PM EST
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Re: World REPUBLICS (none / 0)
"English law"? Djibouti was a French colony until the independence referendum in 1977. Since then, the US military presence has totally eclipsed the French one.
by Bernard (bernard) on Wed May 29th, 2019 at 08:26:24 PM EST
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Re: World REPUBLICS (none / 0)
London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) is about as French as the Rome Statute and the ICC.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
by Cat on Wed May 29th, 2019 at 08:49:24 PM EST
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Re: World REPUBLICS (none / 0)
post-colonial racketeering, yo
Hong Kong Lawsuit Challenges China's 'One Belt, 19 Feb 2018, more detail
DP World, which filed the lawsuit at Hong Kong's Court of First Instance in August 2018, argues that the Chinese firm caused the Djibouti government to violate a 30-year concession agreement, effective since 2004, that allows it to operate the terminal, along with the option for two 10-year renewals.
[...]
According to FactWire, Djibouti began to express dissatisfaction with DP World in 2009, saying that the concession agreement "gave a foreign company the opportunity to oppose the fundamental interests of the Republic of Djibouti by hindering its economic and social development process."

Djibouti authorities eventually sold 23.5 percent of its shares in DCT to China Merchants Port Holdings in 2013, according to the court documents, a violation of the terms of the concession agreement.

If BoC dropped $700M in grant and loan on Djibouti tommorow, DP World would demand $1.3B. If BoC dropped another 700M on Djibouti, and Djibuouti cut a check same day, UAE would sue at WTO, DPW:DU would sue in USA, and US "allies" of unknown origin would embargo [sic] Djibouti goods.

This is the language of psychopathy world can't take no more.

archived
Hong Kong legislators brawl over contentious extradition law

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed May 29th, 2019 at 08:43:01 PM EST
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Re: World REPUBLICS (none / 0)
Chamber slaves of the patriarchy (developed nations division) yawn, because intersectionality.

South Africa's president names Cabinet that is 50% women

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed May 29th, 2019 at 09:27:51 PM EST
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Re: World REPUBLICS (none / 0)
Botswana Decriminalizes Gay Sex in Landmark Africa Case, Republic of

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
by Cat on Tue Jun 11th, 2019 at 05:08:40 PM EST
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Re: World REPUBLICS (none / 0)
DW is funded in part or in whole by Germany government.

China says Tiananmen crackdown was 'correct'

The response was a rare acknowledgment of the killings, which had followed seven weeks of protests in 1989 by students and workers calling for democracy and an end to corruption.

Hundreds, possibly more than 1,000 people were killed when soldiers and tanks chased protesters and onlookers in the streets around the square. One secret British diplomatic cable put the possible number of dead at up to 10,000.

Trade war 'hasn't made America great again,' says China
"White Paper" digest, no link to text

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
by Cat on Sun Jun 2nd, 2019 at 09:26:17 PM EST
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Re: World REPUBLICS (none / 0)
Back in 1990, Trump said that it showed "the power of strength":

Donald Trump has praised the Chinese government over Tiananmen Square as well as Kim Jong-un - Independent

He was asked whether he meant a "firm hand as in China?", to which Trump replied:

    When the students poured into Tiananmen Square, the Chinese government almost blew it. Then they were vicious, they were horrible, but they put it down with strength. That shows you the power of strength. Our country is right now perceived as weak... as being spit on by the rest of the world.

Trump, of course, referring to the Tiananmen Square massacre in which hundreds of pro-democracy protesters were killed by a military presence of as many as 10,000 troops accompanied by tanks.

by Bernard (bernard) on Mon Jun 3rd, 2019 at 06:30:24 PM EST
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Re: World REPUBLICS (none / 0)
The only thing that cretin understands is brute force.  It's his business model.  He's a high-velocity blunt object.
by rifek on Tue Jun 4th, 2019 at 02:31:01 PM EST
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Re: World REPUBLICS (none / 0)
"high-velocity" : the velocity of a golf cart.
by Bernard (bernard) on Tue Jun 4th, 2019 at 06:50:22 PM EST
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Re: World REPUBLICS (none / 0)
I was thinking of his mouth.
by rifek on Wed Jun 5th, 2019 at 12:01:34 AM EST
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Re: World REPUBLICS (none / 1)
Oh the mouth is definitely quicker than the brain on this one.
by Bernard (bernard) on Thu Jun 6th, 2019 at 06:20:12 PM EST
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Re: World REPUBLICS (none / 0)
Hong Kong pupils petition against extradition bill as protests build, Umbrella stand 9 June 2019
In a highly rare move, more than 120,000 pupils, alumni, staff and parents from 185 secondary schools have signed a joint petition against the so-called Fugitive Offenders Ordinance amendment bill. The petition organizers say they are expecting many of their signatories to turn out, with some opposition estimates suggesting some 300,000 could join the rally in what would be the biggest protest since the Occupy pro-democracy street demonstrations in 2014.
[...]
The proposed legislation has stoked mass protests in the freewheeling former British colony, which was promised a high degree of autonomy under a "one country, two systems" formula when it returned to Chinese rule in 1997, including its independent judiciary. Embattled government officials have offered tweaks to the bill but have refused to ditch it, saying that suspects at risk of political and religious persecution and torture would not face extradition.
[...]
Hong Kong's independent courts would still have review of extradition cases as the government seeks to extend case-by-case renditions to countries, including mainland China, beyond the 20 nations with whom it has formal extradition deals.

archived
Hong Kong Lawsuit: DP World v. China Merchants Port Holdings (Djibouti)
Hong Kong legislators brawl over contentious extradition law
China changes laws in trade war with U.S., enforcement a concern

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

by Cat on Wed Jun 5th, 2019 at 01:19:19 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Not Sweden (none / 0)
Hong Kong Authorities Bow to Beijing, Determined to Ignore a Million Protesters, A/V (EN), transcript
SEAN STARRS: Well, so I mean, they're protesting erosion of their basic freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and so on, as you mention. But you know, the immediate rationale for this extradition law is in reference to Taiwan. So I mean, Hong Kong has extradition agreements with about 20 countries, but not with Taiwan or mainland China. So a Hong Konger, Tong Kai Chan, admitted to killing his girlfriend, his pregnant girlfriend, in Taiwan, and then he escaped back to Hong Kong. And so the immediate rationale for this bill is to allow Taiwan to extradite Chan. But actually Taiwan has said that they don't want to extradite Chan, and president Tsai Ing Wen of Taiwan yesterday, Monday, said that this extradition bill represent means that we should not have one country, two systems in Taiwan. So they're using this actually to harden their pro-independence sentiments in Taiwan.

So obviously this is about Beijing's increasing encroachment on Hong Kong's basic freedoms, which is supposed to be enshrined in the the Basic Law until 2047.



Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
by Cat on Wed Jun 12th, 2019 at 12:21:30 AM EST
[ Parent ]
not Macron (none / 0)
Hong Kong slams brakes on extradition bill amid ["excessive police force"]
Amid the chaos, government officials delayed the opening of debate on the bill, which has drawn massive protests from students and other pro-democracy advocates in the economically free-wheeling city of more than 7 million people.

The legislation, if approved, would allow Hong Kong to extradite suspected criminals to jurisdictions outside the former British colony without a prior agreement - most notably mainland China. It was not immediately clear when formal consideration of the bill would take place.

Lawmaker Charles Mok visited the protest Wednesday, defending the crowd as "well-meaning citizens" exercising freedom of expression.
[...]
The U.S. State Department this week expressed "grave concern" over the extradition proposal, saying it could threaten Hong Kong's "special status" with the mainland. That brought a sharp response from Beijing on Wednesday, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang saying no country has a right to interfere in its internal affairs.
[...]
"All of this promises a similarly more determined response from the protestors," [Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Michael C.] Davis told USA TODAY. "The government has shown no interest in trying to mitigate this evolving situation. If blocked from protesting around LegCo the protesters may resort to strikes and boycotts. The government holds the cards to pull back and reconsider the bill but has shown no inclination to do so."

Today -100: June 12, 1919: Of treaties and "stolen goods."

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
by Cat on Thu Jun 13th, 2019 at 12:59:39 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: not Macron (none / 0)
"postponed"

The bill is scheduled to be voted on June 20. Hong Kong's leader, Carrie Lam, has said she plans to sign it.
by Bernard (bernard) on Thu Jun 13th, 2019 at 08:20:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]
not USA (none / 0)
What [American] Citizens Have Learned About Hong Kong's Protests
"The reports are mostly intended for domestic readers," said Cheung Siu Wai, a senior lecturer at Hong Kong Baptist University. "It's impossible to completely to censor all information, so they still need an official interpretation of the events for Chinese readers."


Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
by Cat on Mon Jun 17th, 2019 at 11:12:18 AM EST
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Re: World REPUBLICS (none / 0)
Mohamed Morsy, ousted Egyptian president, dies in court
Morsy, 67, had been on trial for an espionage case when he suffered a heart attack, Egypt's state-run Al Ahram online reported.
[...]
Last year, in a report from a panel commissioned by Morsy's family and made up of British Parliamentarians said that the conditions of his detention "would constitute cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment," and "could meet the threshold for torture in accordance (with) Egyptian and International law." The panel wrote that Morsy is receiving inadequate medical care "which is likely to lead to premature death."
Is Clinton sending flowers?

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
by Cat on Mon Jun 17th, 2019 at 07:12:24 PM EST
[ Parent ]
We came, We saw, He died (none / 0)
Brother/sister in arms to send jihadists into Syria and wage another war to remove Assad!

SIRTE, Libya -- An analysis of video obtained by GlobalPost from a rebel fighter who recorded the moment when Col. Muammar Gaddafi was first captured confirms that another rebel fighter, whose identity is unknown, sodomized the former leader as he was being dragged from the drainpipe where he had taken cover.

○ Seven years after Obama's 'worst mistake,' Libya killing is rampant

Related articles, my diary ...

○ From Libyan Jihad to a Strike in UK's Heartland

○ Libya's Fayez al-Sarraj threatens Europe with another flow of migrants

Amnesia and Gaza Genocide

by Oui on Mon Jun 17th, 2019 at 09:57:56 PM EST
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Re: World REPUBLICS (none / 0)
Diplomats [not really]: Europeans weigh [blockade of] Venezuela's [trade]
Steady progress is being made on building a solid legal case [?!] for [ADDITIONAL SANCTIONS], but the main obstacle is the uncertain impact it could have on a mediation effort by Norway between representatives of Maduro and opposition leader Juan Guaidó, the sources added.
NEW! "Oslo talks" host concept of "human rights" accords, fail, as is the custom
After two rounds of meetings in Norway, the opposition had not agreed by Saturday to a third round scheduled to begin next week in Barbados, three diplomats told AP. Guaidó ... has pledged not to return to the negotiating table until Maduro is ready to call early presidential elections.

The Swedish government also confirmed Friday that it hosted talks this week between major powers with interests in Venezuela. The talks in Stockholm were not attended by either side in the Venezuelan power struggle but did include diplomats from Russia -- Maduro's main financial and military backer -- as well as Enrique Iglesias, the new EU envoy for Venezuela.

projection
Underscoring that strategy, Lilian Tintori, the wife of prominent Venezuelan opposition activist Leopoldo López, on Friday met with Spain's foreign minister and called on the country and the EU to tighten restrictions and increase "pressure on the cruel dictatorship of Nicolás Maduro."


Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
by Cat on Mon Jun 17th, 2019 at 10:40:54 PM EST
[ Parent ]

27 May - 2 June 2019 | 326 comments (326 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)
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