Latest news with #LiKeqiang
Saba Yemen
25-06-2025
- Business
- Saba Yemen
Chinese PM warns against escalated tensions in global trade
Beijing - Saba: Chinese Premier Li Keqiang warned on Wednesday of the "escalation" of global trade tensions. During the opening of the World Economic Forum in Tianjin (northeastern China), Li said, "Protectionist measures are increasing significantly, and frictions in the global economy and trade are intensifying." He emphasized that "the global economy is highly interconnected, and no country can grow or prosper alone." He pointed out that the global economy is "experiencing profound changes," an implicit reference to the tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump on its trading partners, which particularly target Chinese products. The World Economic Forum meetings, also known as "Summer Davos," are being held this week, with the participation of a number of political leaders and economic figures from around the world. The Chinese Premier explained that "when the global economy faces difficulties, what we need is not the law of the jungle, where The weakest are prey to the strongest, but rather cooperation." He also emphasized that his country seeks to develop domestic demand and become a "consumer superpower." He said, "The Chinese economy continues to grow, providing strong support for the accelerated recovery of the global economy." The World Economic Forum meetings in Tianjin come several months after US President Donald Trump launched a trade war against his country's trading partners and rivals, most notably China. Beijing and Washington agreed to a temporary trade truce after successive tariff increases by both sides disrupted global supply chains. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print more of (International)
Express Tribune
04-06-2025
- General
- Express Tribune
China hits back at Marco Rubio's remarks on Tiananmen Square crackdown
The Chinese flag at Tiananmen Square flies at half-mast in memory of late former Chinese premier Li Keqiang, in Beijing, China on November 2, 2023. PHOTO: REUTERS Listen to article Beijing hit back on Wednesday at US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for saying the world will 'never forget' the deadly Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989, describing his remarks as an 'attack' on China. Troops and tanks forcibly cleared peaceful protesters from Beijing's Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989, after weeks-long demonstrations demanding greater political freedoms. The exact toll is unknown, but hundreds died, with some estimates exceeding 1,000. China's communist rulers have since sought to erase any public mention of the crackdown, with censors scrubbing all online references. Police were seen by AFP on Wednesday at the entrance to Wan'an Cemetery, a site in west Beijing where victims of the crackdown are known to be buried. Officers were also posted at several intersections leading into Tiananmen Square. On Wednesday evening, a line of buses and a cherry picker partially blocked screens at the German and Canadian embassies showing images of candles, a symbol commonly used to pay tribute to Tiananmen victims. 'Never forget' Rubio said in a statement that the 'world will never forget' what happened on June 4, even as Beijing 'actively tries to censor the facts'. 'Today we commemorate the bravery of the Chinese people who were killed as they tried to exercise their fundamental freedoms, as well as those who continue to suffer persecution as they seek accountability and justice for the events of June 4, 1989,' Rubio said. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian hit back during a briefing in the capital, saying Beijing had 'lodged a solemn protest' over the American politician's comments, which 'maliciously distort historical facts … and seriously interfere in China's internal affairs'. Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te echoed Rubio's remarks, vowing to preserve the memory of victims of the bloody crackdown. 'Authoritarian governments often choose to be silent and forget history; democratic societies choose to preserve the truth and refuse to forget those who have contributed to the ideal of human rights and their dreams,' Lai said on Facebook. China claims Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to seize the democratically run island by force. 'Reaffirm our commitment' In Hong Kong, jailed activist Chow Hang-tung began a 36-hour hunger strike on Wednesday, a dogged attempt to individually commemorate the anniversary in a city that once hosted huge public remembrances. The former lawyer used to help organise an annual vigil that drew tens of thousands to the city's Victoria Park. Hong Kong had been the only place under Chinese rule where commemoration of the crackdown was tolerated. Slogans at the candlelight vigil sometimes called for democracy in China and an end to one-party rule. But after huge and sometimes violent protests roiled the city in 2019, Beijing brought in a wide-ranging national security law that has quashed political dissent. The public memorial has effectively been banned and Chow imprisoned, facing a potential life sentence on subversion charges. On Wednesday, AFP journalists saw at least seven people taken away by police around Victoria Park, including two schoolgirls holding white flowers — which often signify mourning in Chinese culture — and a man standing in silent tribute. Some people were stopped and searched by police. 'It's a shame that there's no more [vigils] … In fact, no one will ever forget [the vigils],' a man named Yuen, 49, who did not give his first name, told AFP. Over the last few years, activists have been detained for 'offences in connection with seditious intention' around the anniversary. In a social media post, Chow said her hunger strike would 'commemorate this day and reaffirm our commitment' and urged authorities to apologise over her 'wrongful' imprisonment. 'History tells us that [the apology] will likely take a very long time — the Tiananmen Mothers have been waiting for 36 years and still have not received an apology,' she said, referring to an activist group made up of families of victims of the crackdown. A video featuring 87-year-old Zhang Xianling, whose 19-year-old son was killed in 1989, circulated online last week. China's authorities have never addressed the group's plea for dialogue around the issue — instead, they have used all means to monitor and wiretap members of the Tiananmen Mothers, Zhang said. 'The lights in Victoria Park may have been blown out by the gales, but the sparks of justice will glow in the hearts of every conscientious person,' she added. At a vigil on Wednesday in Taipei's Liberty Square, 20-year-old American student Lara Waldron told AFP: 'I feel like this June 4 is very close to me right now. 'As a college student, I'm of the age of many organisers and participants — people [who] lost their lives in Tiananmen. '
Kuwait Times
27-05-2025
- Business
- Kuwait Times
Representative of Amir receives Asian leaders
Representative of Amir receives Asian leaders KUALA LUMPUR: Representative of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah meets with Prime Minister of Malaysia Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China Li Keqiang, His Majesty Sultan Haji Al-Bulqah Mu'izzaddin Wal-Dawla of Brunei, Prime Minister of the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) Dr Sonexay Siphandone, Singaporean Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Lawrence Wong on the sidelines of the 2nd ASEAN-GCC summit and the 2nd ASEAN-GCC-China summit in Kuala Lumpur. Discussions also covered the close bilateral relations between the countries and ways to enhance and develop them to achieve the common interests of the countries and peoples. — KUNA photos Representative of His Highness the Amir, His Highness the Crown Prince met with Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China Li Keqiang on the sidelines of the 2nd ASEAN-GCC summit and the 2nd ASEAN-GCC-China summit. Representative of His Highness the Amir, His Highness the Crown Prince receives with His Majesty Sultan Haji Al-Bulqah Mu'izzaddin Wal-Dawla of Brunei on the sidelines of the second summits of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the People's Republic of China. Representative of His Highness the Amir, His Highness the Crown Prince holds talks with Prime Minister of the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) Dr Sonexay Siphandone on the sidelines of the 2nd ASEAN-GCC summit and the 2nd ASEAN-GCC-China summit. Representative of His Highness the Amir, His Highness the Crown Prince on Monday met with Singaporean Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Lawrence Wong, on the sidelines of the 2nd ASEAN-GCC summit and the 2nd ASEAN-GCC-China summit.
South China Morning Post
23-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Brazilian data partnership with China draws criticism from former officials
A new partnership between Brazil's national statistics agency and China's data bureau is drawing sharp criticism from former Brazilian officials and researchers who warn that the move could undermine the agency's credibility and commitment to transparency. The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) confirmed on Thursday that it is deepening cooperation with China's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), following a visit by IBGE leadership to Beijing last week. The trip marked the implementation of a 2024 agreement and included new deals with Chinese academic institutions as well. As China has become the world's second-largest economy, the reliability of its data has become increasingly important beyond its shores. Yet economists and policymakers outside the country have had long-standing concerns over China's record of limiting access to sensitive data and whether its statistics are politicised. US diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks in 2010 disclosed that Li Keqiang – then China's vice-premier and later its premier – had privately admitted that China's official GDP figures were 'man-made' and 'unreliable'. Li reportedly said he relied instead on electricity use, rail cargo volume and loan disbursements to gauge economic performance, which Western economists subsequently dubbed the Li Keqiang index.
Japan Times
20-05-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Ten years of Made in China 2025 sees mixed success
A decade ago this month, China launched Made in China 2025 (MIC2025), a 10-year program of economic restructuring so bold and controversial that within three years the Beijing government essentially banned that moniker from use in official communications (although the project remained in place). MIC2025 aimed to transform China from a low-cost manufacturer to the world's leader in key technologies. MIC2025 set an ambitious agenda and a decade on, first assessments conclude that it has had mixed success but insist that its ambitions and objectives will guide Chinese policymaking for decades to come — no matter what the project is called. It is up to the world to respond. The record thus far has not been promising. Then-Premier Li Keqiang announced in May 2015 that the government was launching MIC2025 to modernize the Chinese economy and transform it from a low-cost manufacturer of goods into a, if not the, leader in the creation and production of critical technologies. The project aimed to increase domestic content in vital infrastructure sectors such as power, rail equipment and shipbuilding through technologies such as artificial intelligence, biotech, new materials and the like. Central to the project was cultivating national champions that would capture domestic and foreign markets in those sectors.
