Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte signed 29 deals with Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping on Tuesday during the latter’s visit to Manila. The agreements grant China greater access to Philippine territorial waters and bind the Philippines to China’s expansive Belt and Road infrastructure project. Xi has spent much of his tenure at the helm of the country invading the Philippines’ sovereign territory in the South China Sea, building artificial islands equipped with military assets on Philippine and Vietnamese territory. Duterte has repeatedly refused to challenge China, claiming that any attempt to assert Philippine sovereignty would end in a “massacre.”A poll released this week shows Duterte’s approach to relations with China is widely unpopular in the Philippines. Hundreds of angry protesters greeted Xi in Manila when he landed on Tuesday, demanding China evacuate Philippine territory in the South China Sea. Duterte has largely disregarded … [Read more...] about Xi Jinping Gets Philippines to Allow Chinese Drilling, Sink Deeper into Belt and Road
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Protests, Winnie the Pooh Memes Greet Xi Jinping in Philippines
Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping received a frigid welcome in the Philippines on Tuesday as hundreds of protesters circled the Chinese embassy in Manila and others took to attacking Xi on social media for launching a colonization campaign in Philippine territories of the South China Sea. Under Xi, the Chinese government has constructed artificial islands in the reefs of the Spratly Island chain, shared by the Philippines and Vietnam, and equipped them with advanced military and surveillance facilities. The Permanent Court of Arbitration at the Hague ruled in 2016 in favor of Philippine sovereignty over the territory and branded China’s actions illegal; China responded by ignoring the ruling.Since President Rodrigo Duterte took office in the Philippines in 2016, Manila has eased on challenging China in the region. In an opinion piece published in several Philippine outlets on Monday, Xi Jinping declared that the dispute was officially over and China and the Philippines … [Read more...] about Protests, Winnie the Pooh Memes Greet Xi Jinping in Philippines
‘Rainbow After the Rain’: Xi Jinping Declares Victory in South China Sea Dispute
Chinese Communist Party chief Xi Jinping declared in an opinion piece published Monday in Philippine media that the dispute about China’s colonization of the South China Sea is officially over. Xi is scheduled to arrive in Manila on Tuesday. China claims most of the South China Sea and has illegally constructed military and surveillance facilities in the Spratly Island chain, shared between Vietnam and the Philippines. The Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague ruled for the Philippines and declared China’s invasion of the territory illegal in 2016. China responded by vowing to ignore the ruling and continuing to expand its reach in the region.In his piece, published in several Philippine newspapers Monday, Xi declares that, thanks to President Rodrigo Duterte’s refusal to confront China on its illegal development, their “relations have now seen a rainbow after the rain.” “We need to properly handle differences through friendly consultations, … [Read more...] about ‘Rainbow After the Rain’: Xi Jinping Declares Victory in South China Sea Dispute
Jokowi discusses trade and digital economy with Xi Jinping
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Joko Widodo met with the President of the People`s Republic of China (PRC) Xi Jinping and discussed trade to the digital economy in a bilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the APEC Summit. The Deputy of Protocol, Press and Media of the Presidential Secretariat, Bey Machmudin, in a statement received in Jakarta on Saturday, said that the meeting was held at the Stanley Hotel, Port Moresby, Saturday evening. Starting the meeting, President Jokowi congratulated President Xi Jinping for the success of the PRC in holding an international export exhibition in Shanghai which took place recently. "I would like to congratulate you on the holding of The 1st China International Import Export Expo in Shanghai recently, where Indonesia became the `Country of Honor`," said President Jokowi. In addition, President Jokowi also appreciated the PRC for expressing sympathy and cooperation given in handling natural disasters in Lombok and Central Sulawesi. The … [Read more...] about Jokowi discusses trade and digital economy with Xi Jinping
Ex-Prisoner: China Forces Uighurs to Praise Xi Jinping or Forego Food in Political Camps
An ethnic Kazakh held prisoner in one of China’s Uighur concentration camps confirmed to National Public Radio (NPR) Tuesday that the Communist Party forces those detained there to praise Chinese leader Xi Jinping before eating. Kayrat Samarkand, who grew up in the mountains of China’s rural Xinjiang province just miles away from the border with Kazakhstan, told NPR that authorities at the camps, also known as “mind-transformation centers,” force prisoners to sing songs praising Chinese President Xi Jinping before being allowed to eat.China claims the camps are “vocational training” facilities where Uighurs learn Mandarin and essential trade skills. NPR explained: A typical day at the camp would start at 6 a.m., he says, when detainees were ordered to sing along to songs played over the camp’s PA system, praising China’s Communist Party. After breakfast in a canteen, he says they were led to classrooms, where teachers taught … [Read more...] about Ex-Prisoner: China Forces Uighurs to Praise Xi Jinping or Forego Food in Political Camps