Research, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
News on Mongolia, Russia, CCP, Hong Kong, Japan, U.S., Estonia
News (1)
X Sensation: The most popular post recently! This country is choking Russia and China
Editor : Fang Xun / Source: Yiping News Network / https://www.aboluowang.com/2024/0214/2017735.html / Image : Former President of Mongolia Elbegdorj (small picture) shows the territorial map of the Mongolian Empire in 1471 AD (red part). At that time, the Grand Duchy of Moscow (yellow part) was only a small part of the Mongol Empire. Recap X@Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj
Some people and some countries like to talk about "since ancient times", but never tell Mongolia which places are "territory from ancient times". Because when you talk about "territory from ancient times", you will be choked by Mongolia, just like Russian President Vladimir Putin was slapped in the face by former Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj.
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin accepted an exclusive interview with the American far-right independent news commentator Tucker Carlson. It was as if he transformed into a history teacher and started to talk about the history of Russia starting from 862 AD.
He spent about 30 minutes emphasizing that Ukraine is Russia's "territory from ancient times" and that Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, is an integral part of Russian culture. The current country of Ukraine is an enemy of Russia in order to weaken Russia. It was created by the power of the people.
According to comprehensive foreign reports, Putin’s remarks that Ukraine is Russia’s “traditional territory from ancient times” made former Mongolian President Elbegdorj freeze to death. He posted a post on social media X, claiming to help Putin teach "correct" history lessons. Elbegdorj directly showed several maps, one of which was the territory map of the Mongolian Empire in 1417 AD. Russia did not even exist at that time. There was only a small part of the "Grand Duchy of Moscow" under the rule of the Mongol Empire. Most of the rest of Russia's territory today is the territory of the Mongol Empire.
Elbegdorj slapped Putin in the face. If according to his logic, Ukraine is Russia's "territory from ancient times", then Mongolia should own most of Russia's territory. Elbegdorj is still posting, "After Putin's speech, I found the historical map of Mongolia. Don't worry, we are a peaceful and free nation."
According to the map posted by Elbegdorj, if the statement "since ancient times" is true, today's Russia, China and other countries, and even parts of India, were once the territory of the Mongol Empire.
This post caused a sensation on social media X. It has been viewed more than 8 million times in just one day, making it one of the most popular posts in recent times.
Image : Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) gave an exclusive interview to American far-right independent news commentator Carlson (left) last week. (Associated Press)
Image : The map posted by former Mongolian President Elbegdorj claims that today's Russia, China and other countries, and even parts of India, were once the territory of the Mongolian Empire. Recap X@Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj
According to the map posted by Elbegdorj, if the statement "since ancient times" is true, today's Russia, China and other countries, and even parts of India, were once the territory of the Mongol Empire.
Reporter : Li Yan / Editor : Lin Yan / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/24/2/9/n14177131.htm
News (2)
Putin was interviewed by Carlson. What else did they talk about for more than two hours?
Image : On 6 February 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin was interviewed by American talk show host Tucker Carlson at the Moscow Kremlin. (Gavriil Grigorov/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview broadcast on Thursday (8 February 2024) that Russia will “fight to the end” for its interests, but there is no intention to expand the war in Ukraine to other countries such as Poland and Latvia.
Putin was interviewed for more than two hours in Moscow on 6 February 2024 by former Fox News host and American conservative talk show host Tucker Carlson. It was Putin's first interview with a U.S. reporter since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago.
The interviews covered topics ranging from the war in Ukraine to NATO, from detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich to Tesla founder Elon Musk.
When asked by Carlson about the prospects for peace in Ukraine, Putin said that Western leaders have realized that a strategic defeat for Russia is impossible and want to know what to do next.
"We are ready for this conversation," he said.
Asked whether it was conceivable that Russia would send troops to attack NATO member Poland, Putin replied, "There is only one scenario, if Poland attacks Russia."
"Why?" he explained, "Because we have no interest in Poland, Latvia or anywhere else. Why would we do this? We don't have any interest at all."
During the interview, Putin spoke in Russian with simultaneous English translation. He began with a lengthy discussion of Russia's historical relations with Ukraine, Poland and other countries.
Putin's last official interview with the American media was in October 2021, when CNBC's Hadley Gamble spoke with him.
Putin's interview with Carlson comes as U.S. lawmakers debate whether to provide more funding for the war in Ukraine. The show aired on the same day that Ukrainian President Zelenskyy replaced the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valery Zaluzhny, who is considered a national hero, with the commander of ground forces, General Oleksandr Syrskyi.
News (3)
Journalist case progress
Putin also said he believed it was possible to reach an agreement to release U.S. citizen Evan Gershkovich. The Wall Street Journal reporter has been detained in Russia for nearly a year. He was detained by Russian authorities in March last year on espionage charges. Currently, his trial is awaited.
Putin said that Russian and U.S. secret services were discussing the Gershkovich case and had made some progress.
Putin said Moscow wanted Germany to release Vadim Krasikov in return. He was convicted of the 2019 murder of a Chechen dissident in Berlin. However, Putin did not mention Krasikov's name.
"There are many successful examples of these talks," Putin said. "Maybe this will also be successful, but we have to reach an agreement."
Russia and the United States have reached high-profile prisoner exchange agreements in the past, most recently in December 2022. At that time, Moscow exchanged American basketball star Brittney Griner, who was imprisoned in Russia on illegal drug possession charges, for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
The Kremlin said Putin agreed to the interview with Carlson because the former Fox News host differed from many Western news outlets that have reported "one-sided" coverage of the conflict in Ukraine.
Carlson posted a video of the interview on his personal website and X social account. The interview took place in the gilded halls of the Moscow Kremlin.
Putin also praised Tesla founder and X boss Musk. "I think Elon Musk is unstoppable," he said.
(This article is based on relevant reports from Reuters)
News (4)
After making a fool of himself one after another, Xi Jinping loses control in the Year of the Dragon
Editor : Fang Xun / https://www.aboluowang.com/2024/0213/2017155.html / Image : Web Screenshot
On New Year's Day this year, many commentators predicted that the new year in Beijing would only be more difficult than the past one. But unexpectedly, just over a month later, many things happened that caused Beijing a headache. For example, stock investors actually flocked to the Weibo page of the U.S. Embassy in China, asking to save the stock market. Beijing is actually most afraid of "foreign forces", and now stock investors are asking the United States for help; another example is that world football king Messi was invited to Hong Kong for a friendly match, but the fact that he did not come on stage, did not explain, and even refused to take photos with Chief Executive Li Jiachao became international news, and Hong Kong became an international joke. All signs show that Beijing is now helpless and out of control over many things.
The Shanghai Composite Index of China's stock market fell to its lowest point since 2018 on the 5th, falling below the psychological threshold of 2,800 points and 2,700 points to 2,643 points. In the three years from 2021 to 2023, the Chinese and Hong Kong stock markets have evaporated a total of US$6 trillion. In just one month in 2024, another US$1 trillion has evaporated, for a total loss of US$7 trillion in three years and one month. The UK's GDP in 2023 will be US$3.52 trillion, and that of France will be US$3.56 trillion. The loss in the Chinese stock market is equivalent to the loss of the combined economies of the UK and France.
Beijing prohibits people from criticizing the economy and the stock market. On the 2nd, investors flocked to the official Weibo page of the U.S. Embassy in China to complain and request the United States to bail out the market. The U.S. Embassy in China closed the message function on its webpage on the 4th; the stock market plummeted again on the 5th, and netizens flocked to the webpages of the Indian and Japanese embassies to express their dissatisfaction. Shareholders said that they now understand the importance of the "concession"; some countered that venting grievances in the concession was the work of "traitors", while others retorted that it would be embarrassing if no one was allowed to criticize.
The behavior of stock investors seeking help from the United States shows that no matter how Beijing usually promotes its love for the party, as long as the government cannot save the economy and the stock market, stock investors will not buy it. Since the beginning of this year, the stock market has accelerated its decline, and the government has been saying that it will rescue the market, but all measures have been ineffective. On the 7th, Xi Jinping dismissed Yi Huiman, chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, and ordered the China Securities Regulatory Commission to report to him on the stock market situation in the future. However, the replacement was only a political means and did not use economic reforms to save the market. Stock investors who are in dire straits can only seek help from foreign forces, using the web pages of foreign embassies as a "wailing wall".
Messi and his Inter Miami team were invited to Hong Kong to play a friendly match on the 4th. The Hong Kong government aims to host an international event to enhance Hong Kong's image as an international city. Tickets are sold for 4,800 Hong Kong dollars (approximately US$600). , 40,000 fans came upon hearing the news, and the stadium was full, but Messi did not play. The Hong Kong fans were furious and shouted "backwater" (refund the admission fee) on the spot. The Hong Kong government also threatened to withdraw the US$2.045 million subsidy. Seeing the public outrage, Inter Miami had no choice but to say that it did not want the Hong Kong government's subsidy.
To add fuel to the fire, Messi left Hong Kong for another friendly match in Japan and actually played. On the eve of the game, he held a press conference in Japan. When asked about the Hong Kong incident, he said that he was feeling discomfort in his inner thigh at the time, so he did not play. According to the contract, he could not play if he was injured. In the friendly match on the 7th, he played 30 minutes and was relaxed and showed no signs of leg injury.
Why did Messi not play in Hong Kong? In addition to the real possibility of leg discomfort, there are at least the following two possibilities: First, the Hong Kong government and the public relations company have improper arrangements. The Hong Kong government uses Messi for publicity and requires him to attend promotional events frequently. Celebrities, officials, and pro-China congressmen flock to him , competing to take photos with him; Messi did not want to be taken advantage of and refused to cooperate but he took the initiative to attend a public training session where the public participated and interacted with children.
During the anti-extradition movement in 2019, Messi was playing in Barcelona. It was impossible for him not to know the news about the anti-extradition movement. At that time, the Hong Kong government used the police to arrest students; it was even more impossible for him not to know that Li Jiachao was the top commander of the police (at that time (Secretary of Security), and was therefore sanctioned by the U.S. government. Messi was worried about negative publicity, so he avoided Li Jiachao and did not take photos with him.
Second, Messi's attitude changed 180 degrees when he arrived in Japan, because the activities arranged by Japan were completely different from the Hong Kong government's Wolf Warrior attitude; he met with the legendary Japanese "male publicist" Roland, and the two had a great conversation. He is a football player. Wang's Messi encouraged Roland to develop his professional career in male public relations. Roland praised Messi for not having any airs. Messi also gave Roland signed gold sneakers. In Japan, Messi does not have to deal with officials, only his own publicity and PR considerations.
Hong Kong government officials have been pursuing the case for days, demanding an explanation from Messi and exploiting the dissatisfaction of Hong Kong fans to incite nationalism and demand compensation. China's little pink netizens elevated the incident to the level of "Messi insulting China" and loudly called on Beijing to cancel Messi's visit to China in March this year. The Hangzhou Municipal Government announced on the 10th the cancellation of the March competition, and the public relations company also announced on the 10th that half of the admission fee for the Hong Kong competition would be refunded.
Messi has billions of fans around the world. Little Pinkies accuse him of insulting China, and arouse hostility among Messi fans, that will only worsen the relationship between Beijing and the world. In order to save the economy and investment, Xi Jinping is trying to make peace with Europe and the United States, but Little Pinkies are out of control and the accusations of insulting China will only make the world further anti-communist.
News (5)
Shocking: Qin Gang tried to commit suicide! The secret lover was reported by the Kremlin, involving the British MI6
Reporter : Wang Duruo / Editor : Fang Xun / https://www.aboluowang.com/2024/0214/2017679.html / Image : Web Screenshot
The U.S. magazine "Newsweek" reported on 13 February 2024 that a former US official told "Washington Post" columnist David Ignatius that Qin Gang, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Communist Party of China, was facing the possibility that his secret lover was a secret agent from a foreign country, and thus attempted suicide.
Qin Gang's disappearance and dismissal came after a high-level warning from the Kremlin. Moscow discovered links between Qin Gang's lover, former state media reporter Fu Xiaotian, and the British Secret Intelligence Service, better known as MI6.
Xi Jinping’s efforts to tighten control over government and society have made the inner workings of CCP China’s political system increasingly difficult to decipher, even for long-term observers and top intelligence agencies in the West. However, few CCP experts believe this scandal alone is enough to bring down Qin Gang.
Many believe that Xi Jinping is surrounded only by Communist Party cadres loyal to him. He is estimated to have purged dozens of military and political officials as part of a personal campaign to root out weaknesses, including vulnerabilities caused by corruption.
Qin Gang, 57, is a former Chinese Communist Party ambassador to the United States. He became the Minister of Foreign Affairs in January 2023. He disappeared in June and was officially expelled from elite politics in October. The former U.S. official quoted by Washington Post columnist Ignatius may help shed some light on the months-long mystery surrounding Qin's fate, but Newsweek cannot independently verify this information.
In December, China's top disciplinary body issued the most serious hint yet that personnel in the country's diplomatic service may have been infiltrated. However, Beijing officials have repeatedly refused to comment on Qin Gang's whereabouts. China’s Foreign Ministry did not respond to calls seeking comment, and the British Foreign Office declined to comment.
Related link: https://www.newsweek.com/china-foreign-minister-qin-gang-lover-fu-xiaotian-british-spy-mi6-1869408
News (6) to (9) / Editor : Li Dongqi / https://www.aboluowang.com/2024/0213/2017428.html
News (6)
It is getting harder and harder for Chinese people to run away when traveling abroad and being scrutinized
Image of Suvarnabhumi Airport Departure Hall : Web Screenshot
Since the covid outbreak, there have been increasing reports of mainland Chinese people fleeing abroad because they cannot bear the high pressure at home, as near as Japan, Singapore, Thailand, and Southeast Asia, and as far away as the United States, Canada and Europe. At the same time, news about mainland China tightening restrictions on overseas travel spread intensively.
News (7)
CCP Authorities spy on overseas travelers
Compared with the current large-scale reports by overseas media about Chinese people traveling to the United States, the mainland media has been silent, almost blocking similar topics, and rarely appears on social media. When reporters searched for "routing" on Douyin, they basically found negative videos about routing. There was also a video on Douyin saying that after the authorities cracked down on Myanmar's fraud centre, the next step was to crack down on routing. In Douyin's overseas version Tiktok, I entered the Chinese character "routing", but I can no longer find the wiring video.
Chinese people's routes vary greatly. Some people with sufficient funds can enter Mexico through a Schengen visa or a day visa; some people use a Korean visa to enter Panama without a visa; and some people directly obtain a Mexican visa under the arrangement of an agency and complete the crossing by the shortest route.
However, some people took a longer route. They first flew to Thailand, then flew from Thailand to Turkey, and then from Turkey to Ecuador; some people flew to Turkey via Hong Kong, etc.
Mr. Lu, who is doing business in Thailand, said that the Chinese Communist Party has strengthened exit controls. As long as you follow a tour group, there is no problem in visiting Thailand. People will not ask questions. However, if you travel independently, you will most likely be questioned for a long time about why you want to travel to Thailand.
"The authorities are worried that after you go to Thailand, you may go from Thailand to Turkey, South America, and the United States. I learned that there is another place in Chengdu and Luoyang. People who came from the three places told me that when they left the country, they revealed if you travel freely, you will be questioned, and the shortest time is 25 minutes.”
Mr. Lu analyzed that the reason why the customs interrogated people like this was that they must have received requests from their superiors to strictly investigate the purpose of leaving Communist China.
Mr. Zhang, who just came out of CCP China, said that when they came out in September 2023, it was relatively normal and there were no restrictions but in December, when they were buying tickets at the Thai airport and preparing to fly from Suvarnabhumi to Istanbul, they saw many Chinese flights cancelled on the flight status signboard.
Mr. Zhang said that a friend of his also went to Turkey but at a different time. He bought a ticket that required a layover in Chengdu, that is, he flew from Suvarnabhumi to Chengdu and then to Istanbul. When he entered Chengdu Tianfu Airport, the airport staff started to stop him and dragged him to the China area, making every possible effort to prevent him from leaving. Fortunately, he was smart and there was a Turk next to him, so he did not cross the border at the airport. "Once he enters the airport and passes through the border, he will definitely not be able to get out if he enters the Chinese area. Thinking about it, this is a rather scary thing."
"It started to be tightened in early December. I heard about it before, but we experienced it firsthand along the way." Mr. Zhang said.
Mr. Yang, a Thai Chinese, said that the tourists he comes into contact with are mainly in groups, and there are very few tourists who travel independently, but he believes that independent travel will definitely be tightened.
"Those who are able to run, most people have basically finished running after the epidemic is over. There are still some echelons behind, because they have families, children, real estate, and businesses that have not been dealt with, so they have to run slowly." He said, crackdown is certain to go online because there are too many Chinese people walking away from home now.
Mr. Yang mentioned that not long ago, he came into contact with two people who wanted to go to the United States. In order to be safe, they went to Hong Kong first. In fact, they can also go directly to South America from China, but they were afraid that if they fled China, their intentions would be discovered at once. So they go to Hong Kong first, and then start the route to Ecuador.
"Many Chinese people have never even drunk tea. This way they will not attract attention and the Communist Party will not focus on them, so they leave as soon as they want. They are the kind of people who have never drunk tea. If they are really old tea drinkers those who are still restricted and unable to leave the country find ways to sneak across," he said.
Mr. Wei, who just came to the United States last year, said that it was just a coincidence that he encountered no obstacles when passing through customs. "Personally, it was very smooth. The customs staff knew that I was traveling on a motorcycle in China, so he looked through my photo album on his cell phone and saw a lot of pictures he had taken along the way, so he believed it and let me go."
However, a friend who wanted to go through the line was stopped. Later, the friend told Mr. Wei that as soon as he showed his passport at the customs, the customs officers took him directly to a small dark room and asked him directly, "Are you familiar with Ecuador?"
"Before he arrived at the port, the customs officers already knew where he was going and were waiting for him there. Where did they get the information? The customs said it was from WeChat chat records and his recent frequent searches. Air ticket information, these actions betrayed him." Mr. Wei said.
Later, Mr. Wei also learned about the situation of leaving the customs from other friends. They reported that it was difficult, or they were interrogated for a long time, such as 15 minutes, half an hour, and some were even taken to a small dark room for interrogation for an hour. . Some have to unpack and undergo inspection, and the purpose of each item must be explained. If you think you may have the idea of escape, you will not be allowed to leave.
“I learned from many people that many barriers in the country are currently being tightened,” he said.
Li Beixing, who came to the United States last year, said, "The cross-examinations all have different questions. For example, when they were directed at me, they asked me to dig out everything in my bag, and then they had to take out all the mobile phone communication records. At least they were cross-examined. For more than two hours, they asked every question they could think of."
News (8)
Lianjiang County cracks down on "wire routing"
Recently, a picture was uploaded on social media showing that Lianjiang County in Fujian Province was preparing to focus on cracking down on the "treading" behavior. It read, "Lianjiang County's crackdown on wire-traveling and smuggling to the United States and the deployment meeting for the control of key personnel involved in fraud."
Image : Web Screenshot
Mr. Wu from Fujian Province said that what happened to Lian Jiang was true. "If you are caught there, you will be fined, especially the snakeheads, who will be bankrupted."
Mr. Wu said that this area of Lianjiang County is the hometown of overseas Chinese and has a tradition of smuggling out of the country. Over the years, many people have smuggled out of the country. In the years from 2009 to 2011, we focused on catching smugglers who smuggled people into the country, and many of them were caught. From 2013 to 2019, there were fewer illegal immigrants. But three years after the epidemic was banned, a large number of people began to flee again, and many people smuggled across the border.
He said that there are relatively few people smuggling across the city of Fuzhou, mainly in the Lianjiang, Guantou, Langqi, and Changle areas, near the mouth of the Minjiang River and near the sea. Many people smuggle in. In the 1990s, they were all going to Japan. Now they are all going to the United States. T
"Why do we need to leave China? They are all gone, there is no one here anymore, and the international influence is very bad!" Mr. Wu said.
Mr. Li of Lianjiang said that Lianjiang’s crackdown on wiring is true, and it has been particularly strict recently. It is because the Communist Party of China is afraid of losing face, so the higher-ups are suppressing them, and now they are trying to punish them.
"Everything is under control and it is difficult to travel freely. The reason is that it is very chaotic outside, especially in the surrounding countries, where there are scammers and people who cut off their waists. It is said that teachers are now starting to hand in all their passports."
Mr. Li said, "Especially Lianjiang County is a key area. There are two to three thousand people in one township who are leaving, and hundreds of people are leaving in our village. Other places will be better, but it is not so easy to leave now."
He said, "Almost all the young people in every village have left. Originally, the young people here used to make game consoles. After Xi came to power, they were all shut down, so there was no big source of income. In the past few years, the economy has been affected by the epidemic again. My financial support is broken, so I want to go to a free country."
News (9)
Outbound travel is restricted but the number of people traveling abroad is still rising
The current mentality of the Chinese people is described by four words: volume, leek, lie down, and moisturize. Under the dual pressure of economy and politics, the people either have no choice but to become leeks harvested by others in the inner struggle, or they refuse to be leeks. The passive people choose to lie down, while the active people choose to "moisten" and run away abroad.
For the middle class whose career, family and social relations are all rooted in mainland China, unless they are extremely lack of confidence in domestic prospects, intolerable, and consider practical interests, they will not easily leave China and go to a country where everything from language to living habits is different. They want to start over in a new place.
The human rights group Safeguard Defenders released a report in May 2023 stating that between 2016 and 2020, the number of cases mentioning exit bans in the legal database of the Supreme Court of the Communist Party of China increased eightfold.
As the authorities continue to strengthen so-called "national security" control, relevant restrictions on state-owned enterprises and civil servants have been expanded since 2021, including bans on overseas travel, restrictions on travel frequency and overseas stay time, cumbersome approval processes, and confidential training and education before departure. The relevant measures have nothing to do with the covid epidemic.
"Restrictions on exit have become one of the many tools used by the Chinese Communist Party to tighten its control over all aspects of people's lives," the report added.
News (10)
One sentence from the Chinese Communist Party’s CCTV is completely cool! The "good days" for officials are coming!
Editor : Qin Rui / https://www.aboluowang.com/2024/0213/2017433.html
Recently, a propaganda article by the Chinese Communist Party media seemed to expose the huge financial dilemma of the Chinese Communist Party. Under the political pressure of the Chinese Communist Party, wealthy people have fled for their lives. Their escape, in turn, further stretched the CCP's resources and began to promote "mattresses patched together with old clothes patched together."
The Chinese Communist Party's "CCTV Network" published an article on 6 February 2024, "General Secretary Daxing's "Three Styles of Work" Re-Deployments for this Major Inner-Party Event." The article stated that it is necessary to promote the so-called "pragmatic style, honest style and frugal style".
The article claimed that the leader of the Communist Party of China “used his bungalow as both an office and a dormitory when he was working in Zhengding, Hebei Province. He had a mattress made of old clothes patched together, and he was reluctant to throw them away. When he was working in Ningde, Fujian Province, he asked for an office and a dormitory. Without refurbishment, an old Shanghai brand car that had traveled more than 100,000 kilometers later accompanied him all over the mountains and rivers of eastern Fujian."
After the 18th National Congress, “During local inspections, I lived in a small suite of 16 square meters, with old furniture and cracked bathroom tiles. When dealing with overseas visits, he repeatedly instructed the delegation to calculate the number of nights they would stay in the hotel, and save where they could. It doesn’t have to be luxurious, just clean and comfortable.”
For officials at all levels of the Chinese Communist Party, their lives will be even more difficult when propaganda such as "a mattress made of old clothes is patched together with patches upon patches, and you can't bear to throw it away" appears.
In December 2022, the leader of the Communist Party of China revealed the financial predicament of the Communist Party of China at the Central Economic Work Conference. He used a word, "climbing and overcoming obstacles." He said, "When are there no difficulties? One by one, every year, every year is good...". This reminds me of a couplet, "Every year is sad, every year is sad, every year is better."
More than a year later, it can be seen that the CCP’s life is even more miserable through the phrase “patch after patch upon patch upon patch of mattresses, still reluctant to throw them away” in the CCP’s propaganda.
However, judging from the feedback from the CCP’s official media, CCP officials are quite dissatisfied.
Not long after the CCP leader's words about "climbing up and overcoming obstacles" were made public, on January 26, 2023, the CCP's "Shangguan News" published an article, ostensibly recalling Shanghai after 1949 and the then mayor Chen Yi. But there is obviously something behind the words.
The article stated that Chen Yi made a couplet. The first couplet is "Every year is sad, every year is sad, every year is sad, and every year passes"; the second couplet is "Nothing is accomplished, nothing is accomplished, nothing is accomplished, everything is accomplished." The horizontal comment is "spring awaits the coming year".
"Shangguan News" is the official website of "Liberation Daily", the organ of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China.
These few dozen words, in addition to sighing about "being sad every year", also point to "nothing is accomplished". This makes people wonder, who is the official newspaper of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China saying that "nothing can be accomplished"?
What was said in the article is even more reminiscent of mainland China today.
The article said, "In early 1950, the central finance was very tight" and "the central finance had higher expectations for Shanghai." "Shanghai was collecting public debt at this time, and public debt and taxation also put capitalists and businessmen under double pressure. "The result is that as of April, "more than 300 factory directors and managers have fled to Hong Kong."
Shortly after the "Shangguan News" article was published, in June 2023, the British consulting firm (Henley& Partners) released the Henley Private Wealth Migration Report. The report states that China is expected to see an outflow of 13,500 high net worth individuals (HNWI) this year (2023), continuing the trend of millionaire emigration abroad over the past decade.
Henry & Co. defines a high-net-worth individual as someone with more than $1 million in investable assets.
Nikkei reported that this outflow trend will cause tens of millions of dollars of wealth to disappear from CCP China, further worsening the slowdown in China's economic growth.
Under the political high pressure of the Chinese Communist Party, these rich people fled for their lives. Their escape, in turn, made the CCP even more stretched, and began to promote "mattresses patched together with old clothes, patched one after another, and they still can't bear to leave them behind."
News (11)
Local officials do not take Li Qiang seriously. He is really a coward
Editor : Zhongkang / Source : The Epoch Times / https://www.aboluowang.com/2024/0213/2017450.html
On 9 February 2024, Lunar New Year's Eve, although Hubei officials promoted "all-access highways," videos circulated showed that many people driving back home were stuck on Hubei highways and could not move. Also on this morning, Li Qiang, Premier of the State Council of the Communist Party of China, accompanied by Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing and Secretary-General of the State Council Wu Zhenglong, came to the Ministry of Emergency Management. Official media reported that it was to "inspect and guide Spring Festival travel service guarantees and safety management in key industries".
As Xi's little follower, it is not surprising that Li Qiang first wants his subordinates to "deeply implement" the spirit of Xi's important instructions. Afterwards, he came to the command hall and learned about the smooth transportation of Spring Festival transportation, response to rain, snow and ice disasters, and passenger service guarantees through video system dispatch. Obviously, the video system in the command hall should be able to see the congestion situation on the Hubei Expressway. It is also visible to the naked eye that the people who are blocked have problems eating and drinking.
However, Li Qiang did not even have a single word of criticism regarding this major event that affected whether hundreds of thousands or even millions of people could go home to celebrate the New Year. He could not even find relevant words in the official media, let alone any " instructions". This once again proves that what senior CCP officials say about "caring about the people" is nothing but empty words and clichés. Of course, Li Qiang did not dare to say it because he was afraid of causing trouble to the party leader who had just said that "the scenery here is unique."
In addition, it can be seen from official media reports that an important purpose of Li Qiang's "inspection" is to ensure "overall social stability." In layman's terms, it means that there should be no major accidents during the Chinese New Year to avoid causing social unrest. So, downplaying the large number of people stuck on the highway to celebrate New Year's Eve is also for the sake of "overall social stability."
Hubei Provincial Party Committee Secretary Wang Menghui and Governor Wang Zhonglin, who are at the center of public opinion, will not understand Li Qiang's attitude. They are well aware of their superiors' intentions and have no pressure. What they have been doing is to downplay the blocking of Hubei highways. First of all, the top leaders of Hubei Province have not held a special meeting to solve the problem. It seems that this issue is not important.
For example, at the provincial government executive meeting chaired by Wang Zhonglin on February 8, only the last paragraph mentioned the need to "implement the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council and the work requirements of the provincial party committee, and carefully and meticulously restore production and living order after low-temperature rain, snow and freezing disasters" ...". On the same day, Wang Menghui said at the provincial group meeting, "Recently, our province has experienced a rare low-temperature rain, snow and ice disaster in history. Under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Xi as the core, the whole province is united and united to fight this crisis." A tough battle to deal with low-temperature rain, snow and freezing disasters..."
On February 10, Wang Menghui and Wang Zhonglin came to the general duty room of the Provincial Party Committee General Office and inspected the duty status of relevant units at the city, state and provincial level as well as the province's highway intersections, airports, railway stations and other key places through the large screen. The report did not mention the difficult situation of the trapped people in the past few days or the incompetence and inefficiency of the Hubei authorities.
The attitude of Li Qiang and local officials in Hubei also determines the attitude of the media. In addition to some real news disclosed on social media, all official media of the Chinese Communist Party are indifferent to the numerous people being blocked on Hubei highways. The "Spring Festival Gala" on New Year's Eve still sells false and flashy brainwashing programs.
Will local officials take Li Qiang like this seriously? Unlike when Li Keqiang was Prime Minister, if major local events occurred, local officials would often mention Li Keqiang's "instructions" or "requirements" after mentioning the "spirit of Xi's instructions". However, now local officials have finished mentioning " After "Xi Spirit" and "Xi Instructions", Li Qiang is rarely mentioned.
For example, on February 1, the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council issued the "Notice on Preventing and Responding to Low Temperature Rain, Snow and Freezing Disasters Before and After the Chinese New Year." On the 2nd, Li Qiang chaired an executive meeting of the State Council to "deploy the prevention and response work for recent low-temperature rain, snow and freezing disasters." Notifications and deployments were quickly distributed to all provinces. The relevant provinces all mentioned the spirit of Xi's instructions during the meeting, but did not mention Li Qiang at all, or Li Qiang had no "requirements" at all.
For example, on 4 February 2024, Wang Menghui emphasized at the end of the 2023 work review meeting of city, state and party committee (party group) secretaries of some units on grassroots party building work that “we must conscientiously implement the practical instructions on disaster prevention, reduction, relief and low-temperature rain, snow and ice.” In the spirit of important instructions for disaster prevention and response work, we will make every effort to win the tough battle to deal with low-temperature rain, snow and freezing disasters."
On the same day, Guizhou Province Governor Li Bingjun went to the Provincial Emergency Management Department to coordinate the province's low-temperature rain, snow and freezing disaster prevention and response work via video, also saying that "it is necessary to thoroughly study and implement the spirit of Xi's important instructions on disaster prevention, reduction, relief and relief." The same is true for Qinghai, Jiangxi and other provinces.
Some such examples can be found. This can only explain one problem, that is, local officials do not take Li Qiang seriously. There are two reasons:
1. Li Qiang’s status as prime minister has weakened, and his presence in the central government is much weaker than that of Li Keqiang.
Since the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Xi Jinping has adopted extraordinary means to be re-elected for the third time. As Prime Minister, Li Qiang has also deliberately lowered his stance and repeatedly expressed his loyalty to Xi. He listens to Xi's words and never goes beyond the limits.
For example, when Li Qiang chaired the first executive meeting of the new State Council after becoming Prime Minister, he made it clear that "the State Council is first and foremost a political organ." In this way, the State Council, which is supposed to solve the sufferings of the people, in order to create prosperity and good things, The situation can completely ignore the suffering of the people. The traffic jam on the Hubei expressway is a typical example.
As Xi has been evading the power of the prime minister, his status has naturally become weaker, and his presence is even lower than that of his predecessor Li Keqiang. For example, in December last year, Hong Kong Chief Executive Li Jiachao reported to Xi Jinping in Zhongnanhai, and Li Qiang and other members of the Politburo Standing Committee accompanied him to listen. This breaks the practice since 1997, that is, when the chief executive of Hong Kong and Macao go to Beijing to report their work every year, they first report to the prime minister, and then the president meets with the chief executive. This was true when Li Keqiang was prime minister.
How can local officials not know every move of the central government? The central government has weakened Li Qiang's power and Li Qiang's fear of making decisions. How can local officials take him seriously?
2. Li Qiang himself did not have many political achievements. The promotion of Li Qiang, who caused the tragedy of Shanghai's city closure, also gave officials some ideas.
Li Qiang, who was born as a political worker, did not have any significant political achievements in the past. If he had not become Xi Jinping's chief secretary, he would not have been able to rise through the ranks. The tragedy of the Shanghai lockdown caused by it in 2022 not only turned the economic growth of an international metropolis into an unprecedented negative growth, causing people to complain, but also highlighted Li Qiang's limited ability. He neither dared to disobey Xi's orders, nor could he solve various people's livelihood problems during the lockdown. He lacked responsibility and responsibility.
Li Qiang's rise to power made provincial officials lament that they were not lucky enough to have the opportunity to work beside Xi Jinping. In fact, they also had little respect for Li Qiang in their hearts, because the promotion of Li Qiang and others was nothing more than a new "chicken and dog ascending to heaven." It’s just another manifestation of the nepotism rule in the CCP’s officialdom.
How many senior CCP officials, including local officials, would take such a weak Li Qiang with little political achievements seriously? Of course, everyone can do superficial things but the day Li Qiang steps down, there will definitely not be any waves. As for the common people, they will not miss him in any way.
News (12) to (14) / Reporter : Lin Yan / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/24/2/13/n14180327.htm / Image : The picture shows Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. (Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images)
News (12)
Estonia warns: Beijing to escalate infiltration into EU
Estonia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (VLA) warned the European Union on Tuesday (February 13) that in the past year, Beijing has increased its invitations to EU officials to visit China. It also has frequent contacts with EU individuals and political parties that share similar ideologies with it.
The Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service published the annual report "International Security and Estonia 2024" on Tuesday, summarizing the Chinese Communist Party's foreign policy. Although a small country, Estonia has been more outspoken than other major European countries in criticizing Beijing.
“Beijing’s long-term plan to create a gap between Europe and the United States has not changed,” the report said. “At the government working group level, Beijing continues to pursue common interests with the EU, ensure its strong participation at the negotiating table, and influence the EU’s actions. Make a decision that is beneficial to China."
The report pointed out that Beijing has increased its efforts to invite European officials to visit China, and usually they bear all relevant visit expenses. "The goal is to use these travel entertainment to cultivate a more pro-Beijing attitude among EU officials."
In addition, the Chinese Communist Party has also set the task of strengthening ties with foreign "comrades" and requires maintaining political relations with EU individuals and parties that share similar ideologies with it. This is part of the Chinese Communist Party's active overseas contact strategy.
“Since COVID restrictions were lifted in January 2023, China has significantly increased its aggressive engagement with Europe,” the report reads.
The Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service predicts that the CCP will continue these actions in 2024.
“It is important to emphasize that Beijing continues to recruit foreigners (to serve it), particularly within China,” the report reads.
News (13)
The West should understand the CCP’s worldview and not make preconceptions
The Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service also noted that “the Chinese Communist Party is gradually institutionalizing Xi Jinping’s ideology broadly.”
The report said that with the widespread institutionalization of the CCP leader’s ideology, the worldview of CCP diplomats, journalists and think tank experts began to blur.
"This increases the risk that Beijing may misjudge the international situation. In the eyes of the West, China's behavior is unreasonable. In turn, this may lead to the West further misjudged Beijing's potential actions," the report said.
The report suggests that when analyzing the CCP’s foreign policy decisions, the West needs to have a deeper understanding of the CCP’s worldview, and at the same time, use less Western rational thinking and models to think about China’s problems “first.”
The report also mentioned that in terms of diplomatic strategy, Beijing continues to pursue its own interests with the "One Belt One Road" as its core. After covid restrictions are lifted, Beijing is trying to revive its core policy Belt Road Initiative projects, some of which were shelved during the epidemic and others that were halted by host countries because of public outrage.
News (14)
CCP spreads false positions on Ukraine
The Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service also detailed how the Chinese Communist Party’s diplomacy spreads false positions on Ukraine overseas.
The first, the report said, was as a public relations ploy, with Beijing emphasizing that it warned Russia against the use of nuclear weapons and billing those warnings as its contribution to supporting Ukraine. Another narrative boasts that Beijing has been paying attention to Ukraine and is proposing a peace plan.
"However, its peace plan contains a 'consider the interests of all parties' clause, which means respecting Russia's interests." The report explained, "This statement is very consistent with China's global security initiative, which aims to do things like Russia likewise, first by destroying the existing European security architecture and then rebuilding it according to its interests."
News (15)
Former national security adviser: Trump will promote NATO reform if elected
Reporter : Zhang Lili / Editor : Ye Ziwei / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/24/2/14/n14180546.htm / Image : The picture shows the NATO summit held in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, from 11 to 12 July 2023. (Photo by Paul Ellis - Pool/Getty Images)
Former U.S. National Security Advisor Keith Kellogg said on 13 February 2024 that if former President Trump were re-elected, he will advise the new government to promote NATO reform and urge member states to fulfill their commitments to increase defense budgets as required.
Kellogg is a retired lieutenant general who served as national security adviser to former Vice President Mike Pence. In an interview with Reuters on Tuesday, he said that although Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty (hereinafter referred to as the "Convention") promises that an attack on one NATO member state will be considered an attack on all member states, NATO will joint response, but many NATO members have forgotten other articles, one of which is Article 3 of the Convention.
Although Article 3 of the Convention does not mandate that member states must spend at least 2% of their gross national product (GDP) on defense budgets, at the 2014 NATO Wales Summit, member states committed to this number will be achieved within 10 years (i.e. before 2024). According to NATO statistics in July 2023, only 11 of the 31 member states have achieved this goal, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and several Eastern European countries close to or bordering Russia.
In this regard, Kellogg said that if member states cannot comply with Article 3 of the Convention, the protection provided by Article 5 should not be regarded as "automatically available", "Alliances are important... but if you want to be an alliance member and as part of the alliance, we should contribute to the alliance..." He said that if the Republican front-runner Trump is re-elected, he will propose that NATO hold a meeting in June 2025 to discuss the future of NATO. “NATO could then become a ‘tiered alliance’ in which some members would enjoy greater protection due to their compliance with the terms of the Convention.”
Kellogg further explained that if some member states fail to increase their defense budgets to 2%, they may lose the protection of Article 5 of the Convention. In addition, they may also receive some other mild penalties, such as losing their qualifications to receive training or share military resources. Kellogg believes that the June 2025 dialogue will be a "dialogue between adults" and "one of many dialogues we should be having in the national security arena."
In December 2023, Robert O'Brien, the former national security adviser of the Trump administration, also told Reuters that if NATO member states cannot spend at least 2% of their GDP on defense spending, "the United States will impose trade tariffs on them." It may become one of the policies that the new Trump administration will discuss.
During his time in office and after leaving office, Trump repeatedly mentioned the failure of some NATO members to fulfill their responsibilities, arguing that the United States should reconsider its decades-long commitment to NATO. This position has been criticized by the Democratic Party and current President Biden.
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