Tag: China

  • Can you get coronavirus through your AliExpress order?

    Can you get coronavirus through your AliExpress order?

    Chinese health authorities have said that the international outbreak of respiratory illness caused by coronavirus has killed over 70 people and affected at least 1,500 others.

    The deadly outbreak began in Wuhan, China, at a market selling live poultry, seafood and wild animals. Now the virus has turned up in Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan, Vietnam, Nepal, France, Australia and even the United States. Investigators in still other countries, including Pakistan and several American states, are evaluating possible cases.

    Officials in China have closed transportation links from and within Wuhan and other affected cities. The move was a significant escalation in the country’s attempts to contain the virus as millions embarked on holiday travel for the Lunar New Year.

    ALIEXPRESS POSING ANY THREATS?

    With news of the outbreak taking the world by storm and people going an extra mile to protect themselves and their loved ones, someone has pointed out how global population might be at risk due to ordering stuff from Chinese online shopping giant, AliExpress.

    Launched by the Alibaba Group in 2010, AliExpress is made up of small businesses in China and other locations, such as Singapore, that offer products to international online buyers.

    But can ordering stuff from China also get the virus delivered to your doorstep?

    The answer is no. Reports quoted Epidemiologist Zoran Radovanovic as saying that an order from AliExpress takes several weeks to be delivered, and the virus cannot survive that long. The length of time it survives primarily depends on the conditions — whether it’s damp, dark, and on what surface it finds itself, because it’s easier to survive on plastic than on metal.

    In the case of this virus, it’s a matter of hours — it can survive for several hours on a surface, but not for several days. So chances are that if you pay extra for faster delivery, you could end up being at risk of getting infected.

  • Shahid Afridi deletes tweet supporting Uyghur Muslims in China

    Shahid Afridi deletes tweet supporting Uyghur Muslims in China

    Former Pakistan cricket captain Shahid Afridi has deleted his tweet in which he implored Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan to speak up against China’s persecution of the minority.

    Afirid had on Sunday posted a tweet in which he wrote, “Hearing of atrocities committed against the Uighur Muslims is heartbreaking. I request Imran Khan to speak up against this; talk of uniting the Muslim ummah includes our brothers & sisters in China too”.

    The cricket star in his tweet also requested the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan to address the issue.

    China has been facing criticism for detaining around one million Uighurs and other Muslims in internment camps in Xinjiang. The activists in Uighur had claimed last month that they have documented nearly 500 camps and prisons run by the country to detain members of the ethnic group.

    Moreover, according to Samaa, a Washington-based group, East Turkistan National Awakening Movement gave the geographic coordinates of 182 suspected “concentration camps” where Uighurs are allegedly pressured to renounce their culture.

    The organisation after researching images from Google Earth, said it also spotted 209 suspected prisons and 74 suspected labor camps in the country.

    Chinese foreign ministry, however, has denied these allegation, terming them “baseless.”

  • Afridi urges PM Imran to speak up against Chinese persecution of Muslims

    Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi has urged Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan to “speak up” for Uighur Muslims in China and requested the Chinese government to give “humane” and “just” treatment to Muslims.

    Shahid Afridi in a recent tweet on Monday said, “Hearing of atrocities committed against the Uighur Muslims is heartbreaking,” and reminded PM Imran that “our brothers and sisters” in China are also part of the Muslim Ummah.

    He also requested the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan to address the issue.

    https://twitter.com/SAfridiOfficial/status/1208701954328629250?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1208701954328629250&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.samaa.tv%2Fnews%2F2019%2F12%2Fafridi-asks-pm-khan-to-speak-up-for-chinese-muslims%2F

    China has been facing criticism for detaining around one million Uighurs and other Muslims in internment camps in Xinjiang.

    The activists in Uighur had claimed in November that they have documented nearly 500 camps and prisons run by China to detain members of the ethnic group.

    According to Samaa, a Washington-based group, East Turkistan National Awakening Movement, that seeks independence for the mostly Muslim region known to China as Xinjiang, gave the geographic coordinates of 182 suspected “concentration camps” where Uighurs are allegedly pressured to renounce their culture.

    Moreover, the group after researching images from Google Earth, said it also spotted 209 suspected prisons and 74 suspected labor camps in the country.

    However, China’s foreign ministry has denied these allegation, terming them “baseless.”

  • VIDEO: British journalist destroys Shireen Mazari on silence over China’s repression of Uighur Muslims

    British journalist Mehdi Hasan has called out the Prime Minsiter (PM) Imran Khan-led Pakistan government for voicing concerns over repression being faced by Muslims across the globe expect the Chinese persecution of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang.

    Speaking to Federal Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari on his show, Al Jazeera’s Hasan asked as to why had Pakistan not publicly criticised China on its detention of millions of Uighur Muslims.

    “There’s a quote on your Twitter profile page from the great Muslim leader and the grandson of the prophet, Imam Hussain, that reads ‘those who are silent when others are oppressed, are guilty of oppression themselves’,” he said, adding that in China, millions of Uighur Muslims were being detained against their will in “concentration camps” and yet the Pakistani government had said nothing.

    “In fact, PM Imran Khan has said that he will not criticise China on this publically. Couldn’t the Uighurs say that your silence, Pakistan’s silence, means that you’re guilty of oppressing them too?”

    Responding to the question, Mazari said that the link established by Hasan was “absurd” since her government had talked to China. “When we have evidence, we take it up. But China is an ally of ours, and we will not go screaming on the streets about it.”

    When asked if Pakistan had condemned Chinese actions privately, the minister said that Islamabad had been speaking to the Chinese and “hearing their point of view”.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    “You haven’t stood up and spoken about the Uighurs… that’s the problem,” the journalist maintained as Mazari said repression must be called out regardless of who was behind it when asked if she would condemn the Chinese actions.

    PAKISTAN, CHINA & UIGHURS:

    The Chinese government has reportedly detained more than a million Muslims in reeducation camps. Most of the people who have been arbitrarily detained are Uighur, a predominantly Turkic-speaking ethnic group primarily from China’s northwestern region of Xinjiang.

    Human rights organisations, United Nations (UN) officials and many foreign governments are urging China to stop the crackdown; however, officials maintain that what they call “vocational training centres” do not infringe on Uighurs’ rights.

    While the Chinese government has refused to share information about the detention centres and prevented journalists and foreign investigators from examining them, internal documents leaked in late 2019 have provided important details on how officials launched and maintain the camps.

    As part of a campaign seeking relief for Uighurs in China, Islamabad has time and again been called out for raising its voice for Muslims facing Indian oppression in held Kashmir as well as helpless Palestinians, but not for those in China where lie Pakistan’s economic interests — such as the construction of China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

    CPEC is a collection of infrastructure projects that are currently under construction throughout Pakistan. Originally valued at $46 billion, the value of CPEC projects is worth $62 billion as of 2017.

    It is expected to not only benefit Pakistan and China, but also to have a positive impact on Iran, Afghanistan and India with the enhancement of geographical links through improved road, rail and air transportation system with frequent and free exchanges of growth and people to people contact.

  • TikTok apologises to Feroza, restores controversial video

    TikTok apologises to Feroza, restores controversial video

    After
    the backlash on Feroza Aziz’s controversial video that went viral on social
    media, TikTok has now restored her video. Video shows Feroza Aziz talking about
    eyelash curling but quickly switches to criticize China’s mass detention of
    minorities in its far northwest.

    She had advised the world to take notice of the sufferings of the minority Muslims in China as they are being tortured, raped, and forced to eat pork. Feroza called it another holocaust but no one is talking about it.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcqfCgCCLDk

    On its official website, Tiktok has issued a public apology for the error on their part. “We
    would like to apologize to the user for the error on our part this morning”, the
    statement read, further stating that they have decided to override the ban on
    Feroza Aziz’s account.

    TikTok
    has also explained that the same user’s previous account was banned following
    her post on Osama Bin Laden which violated the company policies.

    As per
    the community guidelines, “Terrorist organizations and any other criminal
    organizations are strictly prohibited from using TikTok.

  • Pakistan wins Rs1 billion damage claim against Chinese energy company

    Pakistan has clinched a favourable ruling in an international court regarding its one billion rupees of liquidated damage claim against a Chinese energy conglomerate for delaying renewable power projects, The News reported.

    According to reports, officials have said that London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) issued its final awards related to a dispute between Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA-G) and Zonergy Company Limited last week.

    In the determination of the disputes between the parties, the sole arbitrator decided the required commercial operations date, “as agreed between the parties under the respective energy purchase agreements, represented a valid and binding obligation”.

    “Consequently, CPPA-G’s imposition of liquidated damages for the power projects’ delay in achieving COD (commercial operations date) by RCOD (required commercial operations date) was justified,” the official said, citing the awards.

    The CPPA-G and three subsidiaries of Zonergy approached the London Court of International Arbitration earlier this year to agitate their disputes under three identical energy purchase agreements signed between CPPA-G and the subsidiaries of Zonergy in June 2015 to set up 300 megawatts of solar power project. Each solar independent power producer has the capacity to generate 100 megawatts.

    The final hearing for the LCIA arbitration numbers (183,881, 183,884 and 183,885) initiated by the independent power producers took place from April 29, 2019 to May 3, 2019 in Islamabad. The sole arbitrator appointed by the LCIA issued his final awards in the LCIA arbitration on November 19, 2019.

    The federal cabinet has approved a draft of a renewable energy policy, envisaging 20 percent clean energy by 2025 and 30 percent by 2030, up from around 4 percent currently. The government would soon convene a meeting of the Council of Common Interests to finalise the renewable energy policy.

    Consequent to expiry of RE Policy 2006 in March 2018, AEDB initiated the formulation of a new policy in view of government’s decision to come up with a policy aimed at creating conducive environment supported by a robust framework for the sustainable growth of renewable energy sector.

    London Court of International Arbitration further determined that the identical liquidated damages provision in the energy purchase agreements was legal and enforceable.

  • ‘Gen Bajwa reached China to control situation after PTI ministers’ statements against CPEC’

    Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs Chairman Mushahid Hussain Sayed has said that Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa had to go to China to control the situation after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) ministers levelled baseless allegations regarding the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects.

    Speaking to a private media outlet Sunday, Mushahid said it was regrettable that the United States (US) openly opposed the CPEC initiative, adding that the project was not aimed at defence, though it did have various strategic implications.

    “China has no link with attempts to subjugate right to freedom in Pakistan,” he said and added that it was unfortunate how every government in Pakistan tried to take credit for the projects launched by its predecessors.

    Speaking about Federal Minister for Communication Murad Saeed’s allegations about corruption in CPEC projects, Mushahid said not even a single rupee corruption had been proven and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ahsan Iqbal should take Murad to court in this regard.

    The PML-N senator said that CPEC had a central position in the Pak-China strategic relationship, and maintained that the PTI leadership should be very careful in giving statements about the flagship projects as they were not fully aware of the sensitivities attached to it.

  • Pakistanis to face reduction in salaries in 2020: report

    The salaries across Pakistan are expected to record a substantial decrease this year due to rising inflation and depreciation of the Pakistani rupee, according to a report released on Tuesday by mobility consultancy ECA International.

    According to the details, the Salary Trend Report published by the group contends that the average real salary increase in Pakistan is expected to be negative, and employees will likely be worse off than they were last year. Lee Quane, Regional Director Asia at ECA International, has surmised these trends.

    Lee explained, “The average real salary increase in Pakistan is forecast to be -3.0%, meaning that employees will be worse off than they were last year. Despite the nominal increase staying at a relatively high 10.0%, inflation has shot up as the rupee has depreciated.”

    He also said that the Inflation in Pakistan is forecast to reach 13.0% in 2020, exceeding the nominal increase and leaving workers out of pocket compared to 2019.

    However, the same is not true for other Asia-Pacific countries, especially neighbor and arch-rival India. 

    According to the report, India topped the table for average real salary increases in Asia, but now also tops the table globally for 2020. The average real salary increase is set to be 5.4% for workers in India, which is four times the rise expected in Hong Kong. 

    “Salaries in India are set to rise significantly, with the 5.4% increase almost four times as high as the expected increase in Hong Kong. Despite inflation rising slightly from 2019 and the economy slowing slightly, though workers can still expect more increases” said Quane. 

    Workers in China are set to see a real salary increase of 3.6% in 2020, while UK workers will receive a lower real salary increase in 2020 as compared to the previous year.

    Overall, the global average salary increase stands at 1.4% and the Asia-Pacific average increase is 3.2%. 

  • ‘Pakistan may have released poisonous gas to pollute air in India,’ alleges BJP leader

    ‘Pakistan may have released poisonous gas to pollute air in India,’ alleges BJP leader

    A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vineet Agarwal Sharda has said alleged either Pakistan or China could have released poisonous gases into India to pollute its air, Pakistan Today reported.

    According to the details, the BJP leader that our neighboring countries should be blamed for the high levels of pollution in Delhi and adjacent areas, adding that “I feel that Pakistan or China are afraid of us”.

    “Ye jo zehreeli hawa aa rahi hai, zehreeli gas aayi hai ho sakta hai kisi bagal ke mulk ne chhori ho jo humse ghabraya hua hai (There is a possibility that this poisonous gas could have been released by any neighboring country which is afraid of us), BJP leader said.

    “We must seriously consider whether Pakistan has released any poisonous gas,” Vineet Agarwal said.

    Sharda said that Pakistan was “frustrated” ever since Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah took charge and was resorting to all sorts of tactics against India.

    Terming Modi and Shah as Lord Krishna and Arjuna from Mahabharata, Vineet said that both leaders were capable of solving all problems.

  • PM Imran plans to hand over Pakistan Steel Mills to China

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has decided to hand over Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) to China for its revival through government to government deal, Geo News has reported.

    According to the details, PM is also exploring options to finance multi-billion-dollar railways Mainline (ML-1) during his upcoming visit to Beijing.

    PM will take up five issues during his visit, he will offer China to get Pakistan Steel Mills, finalise deal on modernisation of ML-1, financing of Bunji hydropower project, agriculture and social sectors-related projects in and outside the ambit of CPEC.

    Pakistan’s top leadership will give assurances to the Chinese side that China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) would not slow down, but its next phase would be pursued with zeal and vigour despite passing through under the IMF [International Monetary Fund] programme.

    PM Imran will leave for a three-day visit to China on Monday, where he would also discuss Kashmir dispute.