Ukraine celebrates Trump's weapons reversal, but the 'devil's in the details'
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South China Morning Post
7 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Pakistan jails 8 from former PM Imran Khan's party over 2023 riots
A Pakistani anti-terrorism court sentenced eight senior members of former Prime Minister Imran Khan's party to 10 years in prison late on Tuesday over riots that targeted military sites following Khan's 2023 arrest, their lawyer said. Khan is on trial on similar charges, being tried separately. The government accuses him and other leaders of inciting the May 9, 2023, protests, during which demonstrators attacked military and government buildings, including the army headquarters in Rawalpindi and the residence of a senior commander in Lahore. The prosecution is still presenting witnesses in Khan's proceedings, and Tuesday's verdict does not directly affect his case. The sentences, issued in a prison trial in Lahore, are among a series of prosecutions involving Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. Defence lawyer Burhan Moazzam said they would appeal. 'It is surprising that six people were acquitted while eight were convicted, even though they were all charged under the same allegations,' he said. The case relates to one of several incidents stemming from the May 9 unrest, involving alleged incitement during attacks near a major intersection in Lahore. Moazzam said separate trials were continuing in connection with other incidents that day.
South China Morning Post
8 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Sanctioned German China expert visits Beijing in sign of easing restrictions
The head of a German think tank sanctioned by Beijing four years ago has returned from a trip to China, suggesting that travel restrictions on the organisation may be easing. Mikko Huotari, the executive director of the Mercator Institute for China Studies (Merics) was in Beijing from July 14 to 17, after being invited by a leading Chinese think tank. Merics was among the European institutions hit with travel bans and asset freezes in March 2021, in retaliation for EU sanctions on Chinese officials accused of perpetrating human rights violations in Xinjiang, charges it denies. The news comes on the eve of a high-stakes EU-China summit . It also comes the week after Beijing further loosened its restrictions on members of the European Parliament, suggesting the Chinese government may be trying to improve the mood music ahead of an event that has been mired in negativity. 'We welcome the easing of travel restrictions and hope that more engagement between researchers and think tankers will be possible in the future. We look forward to future opportunities to engage with our Chinese counterparts whether in China, at MERICS or elsewhere in Europe,' Merics said in a statement. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas hold the 13th round of China-EU High-level Strategic Dialogue in Brussels, Belgium, on July 2. Photo: Xinhua One of Europe's largest China-focused think tanks, Merics researchers have been unable to travel to China for four years and EU leaders and officials have repeatedly called on Beijing to remove the sanctions.
South China Morning Post
14 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
How China's latest mega-dam threatens to undermine thaw in ties with India
Donald Trump's approach to international relations has placed China on the defensive, but by also alienating key US allies and partners, it may have created an unexpected opening for Beijing. Since the US president unveiled his tariff plans in April, Beijing has significantly ramped up efforts to improve ties with Europe, Southeast Asia, and even its most formidable regional rivals – Japan and India. In a sign of deepening detente between the Himalayan neighbours, India's external affairs minister S. Jaishankar visited Beijing last week for the first time since a deadly clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020. During the visit, Jaishankar, a former ambassador to both China and the United States, met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and Vice-President Han Zheng, along with President Xi Jinping as part of a group meeting of foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. The trip was widely seen as paving the way for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the SCO summit in Tianjin at the end of August. According to state news agency Xinhua, Xi said he hoped to 'chart the course of the organisation together' with the nine other members of the SCO.
