China – Slugger O'Toole

Widespread protests across China against Covid restrictions…

Brian O'Neill on November 28, 2022, 2:17 pm

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group of people standing in front of brown wooden table

I have never been to China, but whenever I read about it or watch any documentaries, I am always surprised by how subservient the people seem. The infamous social credit system sounds like a dystopian nightmare. The general bargain seems to be shut up and take in, and in return, we will give you material wealth. This has all worked the past decade or two, but cracks in the system have been materialising. There were the property protests last year, …

Omicron’s Real Threat to the NHS May Be Shutting Its Chinese Supply Line

Gerry Lynch on December 24, 2021, 10:30 am

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If the last two years have taught us anything, it’s that the world never pays enough attention to things that happen in inland China in December. The whole metropolitan region of the Chinese city of Xi’an, home to the terracotta warriors, has just been put under a hard lockdown, with residents to stay home except for one person from each household allowed out to buy groceries every two days. Thirteen million people confined at home because of a Delta outbreak …

Your quick guide to Taiwan…

Brian O'Neill on October 27, 2021, 11:34 am

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cityscape, city, city lights

Taiwan has been in the news lately with rising tensions between it and China. If like me you are wondering why ginormous China is bothered about a small island it all goes back to the Chinese Civil War in the 1940s. Essentially the losing side fled to Taiwan and took 2 million of their followers with them. There they set up the Republic of China and declared themselves the true government of China in opposition to Mao’s People’s Republic of …

Questions remain about the origin of Covid 19…

Terry Maguire on April 12, 2021, 7:49 am

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I try to avoid being duped by conspiracies theories. When I read about a cabal of paedophiles in the basement of a Washington pizzeria, I switch off. When Donald J Trump is too quick to say that Coivd19 was made in China, I know better. I always try to keep objectively to the facts convinced I can spot the lunatic fringe at their zany work from a mile off. But sometimes, somehow, a weird story cannot be easily dismissed. Things …

Cartoon – Don’t mention the…

Brian Spencer on October 21, 2015, 12:10 pm

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Whitehall has a clear policy on China. It knows there are human rights abuses, you just don’t talk about them. With the sophistication of technology and leven of government surveillance it’s hard to say that the report into paramilitary groups revealed anything new, it just said what people knew. Brian SpencerBrian is a writer, artist, political cartoonist and legal blogger. Actively tweeting from @brianjohnspencr. More information here: http://www.brianjohnspencer.com/ www.brianjohnspencer.com/

Hong Kong: the spirit of freedom

Patrick Corrigan on October 3, 2014, 9:50 am

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As far as the eye can see, young pro-democracy protestors have taken to the streets of central Hong Kong to demand the right to elect freely the next chief executive of the territory. The students’ speeches, songs and placards celebrate the freedoms they want to enjoy. Beijing has announced restrictions for the 2017 election – which effectively rule out any prospect of a democrat standing. The youth of Hong Kong are not happy with how their non-democratic future is shaping up. …

OFMdFM: “as open and transparent as possible”

Pete Baker on May 18, 2013, 7:40 pm

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After much foot-dragging, the Northern Ireland First and deputy First Ministers have released the cost [to date – Ed] of their 12-day March junket trip to Brazil and the USA to “Develop and promote political, investment, trade, university and tourism links” – an eye-watering £155,509. As Mark Devenport tweeted So were FM and DFM’s recent investment trips value for money? Costs breakdown published here tinyurl.com/c75mymq — Mark Devenport (@markdevenport) May 16, 2013 It’s difficult to answer the ‘value-for-money’ question in the …

Beijing accounts for just 1% of FDI in Europe so Ireland will have to wait…

Mick Fealty on May 23, 2012, 5:23 pm

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Nice observation from Simon Carswell in his Bottom Line column today in the Irish Times, regarding the recent high level visit of the putative leader of the Peoples Republic of China. …these visits really only suggest the potential that exists. China accounts for just 3 per cent of exports and most of that is dairy products, notably infant milk formula. UCD economist Colm McCarthy pointed out that Ireland exported the same amount of merchandise to China last year as it …

Northern Ireland – China relations and human rights

Patrick Corrigan on May 3, 2012, 11:45 am

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China’s persecution of ‘barefoot lawyer’ activist Chen Gaungcheng continues to cast a long, dark shadow across the two-day visit of US Scretary of State Hillary Clinton. The BBC reports a senior US diplomat: The United States believes that no state can legitimately deny the universal rights that belong to every human being – or punish those who exercise them. A China that protects the rights of all its citizens will be a stronger, more prosperous partner for the United States. I …

OFMDFM: “We welcome our friendship with the Peoples Republic of China…”

Pete Baker on April 19, 2012, 1:15 pm

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In the Irish Times, David Adams takes issue with the Northern Ireland First and deputy First Ministers’ “kowtowing last week to a visiting delegation from China”. On Slugger, Patrick focused on some of the propaganda aspects of the visit, and the OFMDFM press releases during the visit should probably be noted at that point. From the Irish Times article Yet one either believes in the inalienability and universality of fundamental rights, or one does not. It really is that simple. If the former is …

University of Ulster: “part of China’s overseas propaganda set-up”

Patrick Corrigan on April 13, 2012, 10:09 am

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It’s a big day for the University of Ulster as it welcomes senior Chinese Communist Party Politburo member Liu Yandong to officially launch its Confucius Institute. While promoted as independent educational and cultural bodies, the Confucius Institutes have perhaps been more accurately described as “an important part of China’s overseas propaganda set-up.” Who said that? Some external critic of China, no doubt? No, none other than Li Changchun, the propaganda chief of the Chinese Communist Party and the 5th ranked member …

“Obama has as President created a new climate in international politics…” – Redux

Pete Baker on November 16, 2011, 3:35 pm

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US President Barack Obama is on a 9 day trip to the Pacific region, beginning in Australia where, as the Guardian reports The president is expected to announce the US is expanding its military presence in Australia – putting more equipment in place, increasing its access to bases and conducting more joint exercises and training. This is in response to an increasingly aggressive China, which claims dominion over vast areas of the Pacific that the US considers international waters, and …

“We do not want foreigners in here” – Redux

Pete Baker on January 15, 2011, 3:33 pm

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And on a somewhat related note, Miriam Lord spots a report of comments by Fianna Fáil TD, Ned O’Keeffe, who, as they say, has form on the topic… From Miriam Lord’s Week Our thanks to reporter Brian Moore of the Avondhu newspaper in Mitchelstown for bringing us this update from Ned, who is doing the nation some service by keeping a beady eye on troop movements in the Far East. In the course of a wide-ranging interview on Cork local …

Eastern promises

Mack on January 12, 2011, 11:10 am

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It would appear that our Asian friends have confidence (and an interest) in the survival of the European project. Japan and China will help fund the European Financial Stability Fund that will be used to bailout European banks, sorry, I mean Ireland. With Japan pledging to buy 20% or more of the bonds that will be sold later this month. From Bloomberg – There is a plan for the euro zone to jointly issue a large amount of bonds late …

“the euro crisis had a Christmas break, but it’s back”

Pete Baker on January 10, 2011, 2:03 pm

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With Portugal heading back to an increasingly reluctant bond market, the BBC’s Europe editor, Gavin Hewitt, notes that “White knuckles have re-emerged in Brussels and other vulnerable European capitals.” Sometimes in Brussels I detect that the fight is less to save Portugal but more to ring-fence Spain. It’s the fourth-largest economy in the eurozone. If it needed rescuing the funds currently are probably not there. And then awkward questions would have to be asked – including whether Germans, in those …

Dave speaks out on human rights in China after all

Brian Walker on November 10, 2010, 10:22 am

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Only 24 hours ago, correspondents in David Cameron’s baggage train were confidently reporting how circumspect he would be this time in raising human rights in China. Well, it seems the Downing St briefers were holding back on the impact of his speech to Beijing students this morning. The quote isn’t great but the context of the whole thing is clear enough. I understand too that being in government is a huge challenge. I’m finding that running a country of 60 …

Il sorpasso

Mack on August 16, 2010, 1:51 pm

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Due to below par second qaurter Japanese GDP growth, China has overtaken Japan to become the worlds second largest economy. Bloomberg report China surpassed Japan as the world’s second-largest economy last quarter, capping the nation’s three- decade rise from Communist isolation to emerging superpower. Japan’s nominal gross domestic product for the second quarter totaled $1.288 trillion, less than China’s $1.337 trillion, the Japanese Cabinet Office said today. Japan remained bigger in the first half of 2010, the government agency said. …

US Ratings Agencies : Um.. please don’t use our ratings

Mack on July 21, 2010, 12:08 pm

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So, just as Ireland get’s downgraded by Moody’s, the Financial Reform Bill in the USA throws a spanner in the works, potentially making the agencies liable for inaccurate ratings. Their response – ‘stop using them please’. From the Wall Street Journal (via Naked Capitalism) The nation’s three dominant credit-ratings providers have made an urgent new request of their clients: Please don’t use our credit ratings. The odd plea is emerging as the first consequence of the financial overhaul that is …

Let ten thousand jobs bloom?

Mack on June 22, 2010, 10:03 am

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Brian Cowen confirmed this morning the government are aggressively pursuing a Chinese investment project that could bring up to 10,000 jobs to the midlands. Very early stage process by the sounds of things, and I’m sure we’ll face stiff competition, but here’s hoping. From RTE – Taoiseach Brian Cowen has confirmed today that he has held talks with potential investors and promoters behind a multi-million euro international project aimed at attracting major Chinese investment to the midlands. The project Mr …