Conversations on Vietnam Development
Armed conflict between the world’s two superpowers, while not yet inevitable, has become a real possibility. The 2020s will be the decade of living dangerously. By Kevin Rudd
Written by Kevin Rudd, read by Paul-William Mawhinney, and produced by Jessica Beck. Executive producer is Max Sanderson
theguardian – Fri 15 Apr 2022 06.00 BST
Tiếp tục đọc “How to stop China and the US going to war – podcast”
Snow covers sections of connected pipework at the Gazprom PJSC Atamanskaya compressor station, part of the Power Of Siberia gas pipeline extending to China, near Svobodny, in the Amur region, Russia, in 2019. Photo: Bloomberg
Two recent developments reveal the possibility of a new energy agreement between China and Russia. First, Russian gas giant Gazprom PJSC announced a contract to design the Soyuz Vostok pipeline across Mongolia towards China. Second, Beijing is reported to be discussing with its state-owned companies opportunities to buy stakes in Russian energy companies, and is also looking at a Power of Siberia 2 pipeline to China.
With the exit of international energy companies from Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, Germany’s decision to halt the certification process of the Kremlin-backed Nord Stream 2 pipeline, and rounds of sanctions on Russia, there are certainly new opportunities for the Chinese government and companies to strengthen their position in the Russian market.
However, even as domestic, regional and global factors may push China towards a new energy deal with Russia, Beijing could also face a range of challenges.
Firstly, Beijing’s ambition to be carbon-neutral by 2060 and replace much coal with gas is one of the most important domestic factors prompting China to further improve its relations with Russia.
Russian gas exports – whether liquefied natural gas or pipeline gas delivered through the original Power of Siberia, for example – would help China reduce greenhouse gas emissions as the country makes a green transition.
Secondly, the withdrawal of Western energy companies such as BP and Shell from Russia due to the Ukraine war creates opportunities for Chinese energy companies, especially state-owned ones, to invest in Russia and diversify their portfolio.
Thirdly, while China also imports gas from Turkmenistan, Russian gas is one of the cheapest options for Chinese consumers, making a new energy deal with Russia that much more attractive.
However, there could also be obstacles to such a deal. One problem could be the political and economic uncertainties now looming over Russia; the deterioration of the Russian business environment under current sanctions might discourage Chinese companies from investing in Russia.
Particularly, sanctions led by Washington seem to inspire caution in Beijing and Chinese companies. For example, the state-run Sinopec Group recently suspended talks about a major petrochemical investment and a gas marketing venture in Russia, apparently heeding a government call to tread carefully with Russian assets.
March 31, 2022
(WASHINGTON, DC)—U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and U.S. Representative James P. McGovern (D-MA), Chair and Cochair of the bipartisan and bicameral Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), issued today the Commission’s 2021 Annual Report on human rights conditions and rule of law developments in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The full report and an executive summary are available for download on the CECC’s website.
“The Chinese government’s horrific abuse of human rights and trampling of human dignity make it more important than ever that the Congressional-Executive Commission on China document abuses of human rights and the rule of law in China, as the Commission has done for the past 20 years,” said CECC Chairman Merkley. “This report calls attention to the limitations of China’s model of governance in meeting the needs of the Chinese people and in respecting fundamental rights both in China and globally. It should serve as a call to action. Those fleeing persecution, facing arbitrary detention, fighting coercion, or fearing the destruction of their culture need to know the United States has their back, and I hope Congress and the Biden Administration will continue to act on the CECC’s recommendations to do so.”
Tiếp tục đọc “US CONGRESSIONAL-EXECUTIVE COMMISSION ON CHINA”Is Myanmar heading into civil war — or already there?
Nikkei – Nikkei staff writers – February 5, 2022 09:29 JST
NEW YORK — Welcome to Nikkei Asia’s podcast: Asia Stream.
Every week, Asia Stream tracks and analyzes the Indo-Pacific with a mix of interviews and reporting by our correspondents from across the globe.
New episodes are recorded weekly and available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all other major platforms, and on our YouTube channel.
Plain English Version – July 27, 2021
Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Photo Credit: Aly Song/Reuters.
China is challenging the West. What is the West? It is not only nations in Europe or North America. It is countries that practice democracy.
India, Japan, South Korea, and Australia are Western nations that surround China. They worry about China’s size and ambitions. They view China with suspicion. Also, in the West, the United States and most of Europe see China as an adversary.
China is one country against the West.
nikkei – From refugees to sanctions, Asian countries are being forced to pick sides in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Nikkei staff writers – March 18, 2022 11:43 JST
NEW YORK — Welcome to Nikkei Asia’s podcast: Asia Stream.
Every week, Asia Stream tracks and analyzes the Indo-Pacific with a mix of expert interviews and original reporting by our correspondents from across the globe.
From Nixon’s 1972 visit to Beijing condoning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, we investigate what went wrong in the U.S.-China relationship
Nikkei – February 25, 2022 13:08 JST
NEW YORK — Welcome to Nikkei Asia’s podcast: Asia Stream.
Every week, Asia Stream tracks and analyzes the Indo-Pacific with a mix of interviews and original reporting by our correspondents from across the globe.
New episodes are recorded weekly and available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all other major platforms, and on our YouTube channel.
Tiếp tục đọc “PODCAST: Asia Stream: The old and new Cold War”
Analysis by Simone McCarthy, CNN
Updated 1005 GMT (1805 HKT) March 16, 2022
Hong Kong (CNN)In a year when all Xi Jinping craved was for things to be stable, 2022 is shaping up to be anything but.
After years of careful preparation, the Chinese leader is expected to step into an almost unprecedented third term at the helm of the country and its Communist Party this fall.
But instead of a smooth ride, dual crises are threatening to upend the status-quo, with China’s largest outbreak of Covid-19 in two years emerging at home while overseas, Russia embarks on a brutal, widely denounced invasion of Ukraine.
Tiếp tục đọc “This was supposed to be Xi Jinping’s big year. Instead, he’s dealing with Covid and war”Asia is home to some of the world’s largest and most dynamic cities. Why do some of them fail?
Nikkei staff writersFebruary 18, 2022 11:59 JST
NEW YORK — Welcome to Nikkei Asia’s podcast: Asia Stream.
Every week, Asia Stream tracks and analyzes the Indo-Pacific with a mix of interviews and original reporting by our correspondents from across the globe.
New episodes are recorded weekly and available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all other major platforms, and on our YouTube channel.
cfr – The 2021 coup returned Myanmar to military rule and shattered hopes for democratic progress in a Southeast Asian country beset by decades of conflict and repressive regimes.
WRITTEN BY Lindsay Maizland
Last updated January 31, 2022 11:00 am
Summary
Tiếp tục đọc “Myanmar’s troubled history: Coups, military rule, and ethnic conflict”
nikkei – Feb. 21 marks the 50th anniversary of U.S. President Richard Nixon’s trip to China, a turning point in international relations.
Washington and Beijing joined together to counter the Soviet Union, but China did not democratize as the U.S. hoped. It has now become an economic and military powerhouse under the one-party rule of the Communist Party. A half-century after the handshake that changed the world, cooperation has turned to confrontation. The U.S.-China relationship and global affairs have all undergone tumultuous change.
Tiếp tục đọc “A handshake that changed the world: 50 years after Nixon’s trip to China”
New Delhi has been silent on Russia’s actions in Ukraine so far.
thediplomat – By Sudha Ramachandran – February 25, 2022
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24 has put India in a particularly difficult spot. Since the conflict between Moscow and the U.S. over Ukraine began escalating late last year, India has avoided taking sides. But with Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, that cautious approach will become increasingly untenable for New Delhi. It could hurt India’s interests in the long-run.
Tiếp tục đọc “India’s ‘neutrality’ on the Ukraine conflict could hurt it in the long run”
H. MINH 21/2/2022 6:00 GMT+7
TTCT – Nhà chức trách Trung Quốc đã chỉnh sửa và loại bỏ hàng loạt cảnh của một nhân vật đồng tính nữ trong bộ phim truyền hình dài tập hài (sitcom) Friends (Những người bạn) của Mỹ, vốn là hiện tượng văn hóa ở đất nước tỉ dân, gây ra không ít bất bình trong giới hâm mộ.
Về cơ bản, việc nhân vật Carol Willick là người đồng tính nữ đã bị xóa sổ trong phần 1 của loạt phim, bắt đầu được phát lại trên các nền tảng xem phim phổ biến của Trung Quốc như iQiyi, Tencent Video, Youku và Bilibili từ tuần trước. Một cảnh khác có hai nhân vật nam chính hôn nhau vào tối giao thừa ở phần 10 cũng bị xóa.
Những cảnh và cuộc nói chuyện khác về tình dục, vốn đầy rẫy trong bộ phim gồm 24 phần nổi tiếng thế giới Friends, phát sóng tập đầu ở Mỹ năm 1994, cũng bị biên tập mạnh tay. Báo Hong Kong SCMP dẫn một ví dụ là cụm từ “cực khoái nhiều lần” (tiếng Anh: “multiple orgasms”) được dịch thành “phụ nữ ai cũng thích nói chuyện thị phi” trong phần phụ đề tiếng Trung.
TT – 02/04/2018 16:07 GMT+7
Mức độ ô nhiễm bom mìn tại Việt Nam rất nghiêm trọng, bởi đã trải qua nhiều cuộc chiến tranh, hứng chịu hàng triệu tấn bom đạn.
Quang cảnh họp báo
Theo báo cáo công bố hiện trạng tồn lưu ô nhiễm bom mìn, vật nổ sau chiến tranh, diện tích đất đai Việt Nam bị ô nhiễm bom mìn, vật nổ là trên 6,1 triệu ha, chiếm 18,71 % diện tích đất cả nước.
Tiếp tục đọc “Gần 19% diện tích cả nước ô nhiễm bom mìn, vật nổ”
PUBLISHED 16 FEB 2022
The US has gained ground against China in the contest for regional influence in Southeast Asia, according to the latest State of Southeast Asia Survey. ASEAN continues to be seen as ineffective in the eyes of respondents; at the same time, they are willing to give it credit when it is due.
The United States is gaining significant ground against China in the battle to win friends and influence countries, with respondents across Southeast Asia confident that Washington would be able to lead on issues such as championing free trade and upholding the rules-based regional order.
A fresh reading of The State of Southeast Asia Survey also showed that pressing issues — the Covid-19 pandemic, unemployment and economic retraction as well as climate change – continue to be prioritised by respondents. In their view, however, ASEAN is seen as too slow and ineffective to cope with rapid developments.
Tiếp tục đọc “2022 State of Southeast Asia Survey: Diverse Perspectives and Hard Realities”
CVD 