End the violence, distribute natural resources wealth fairly, pope tells PNG

BenarNews Staff
2024.09.07

Pope Francis delivers his speech at APEC Haus in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

 AP Photo/Mark Baker

The head of the Catholic Church Pope Francis has highlighted Papua New Guinea’s inequality and instability and called for an end to tribal violence during a public speech in the capital Port Moresby.

Speaking to government authorities and diplomats and huge crowds of PNG people, he also spoke out on women’s equality, fair distribution of wealth from natural resources and resolution of Bougainville’s independence aspirations.

He said it was his particular hope that tribal violence will come to an end, “for it causes many victims, prevents people from living in peace and hinders development.”

Pope Francis is presented with a wooden model of a traditional boat outside the APEC Haus in Port Moresby, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, as he arrives with Papua New Guinea's Governor General Bob Dadae, left. [Gregorio Borgia/AP]

Deadly clashes between tribes regularly occur in the Pacific island nation of about 12 million people, including 49 killed in February in the mountainous Highlands. At least 16 people died in rioting in the capital Port Moresby a month earlier.

Stability for Papua New Guinea, which gained its independence from Australia in 1975, has remained elusive as it grapples with challenges such as corruption and lack of roads and basic healthcare in many regions. 

The Pope amended his written remarks, according to Associated Press, to include violence against women, saying women “are the ones who carry the country forward they give life, build and grow a country, let us not forget the women who are on the front line of human and spiritual development”

People dressed in traditional attire wait for the arrival of Pope Francis at Caritas Technical Secondary School in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. [Mark Baker/AP]

Domestic violence affects more than two-thirds of women in Papua New Guinea. In March 2019, more than 200 domestic violence and sexual violence cases were reported in Lae and Port Moresby, where over 23 murders alone were attributed to domestic violence.

The Pope singled out PNG’s rich natural resources which he said were “destined by God for the entire community. “

 “Even if outside experts and large international companies must be involved in the harnessing of these resources, it is only right that the needs of local people are given due consideration when distributing the proceeds and employing workers, in order to improve their living conditions” he said.

He appealed for the people of PNG to embark on the path that leads to fruitful cooperation for the benefit of all the people of the country.

The Pope also referred to the autonomous state of Bougainville, which is seeking independence from the PNG Central Government. An estimated 10,000-15,000 people died in a decade-long civil war between Bougainville and Papua New Guinea that ended with a peace agreement in 2001.

The Pope said fruitful cooperation can create the conditions in which the question of the status of Bougainville Island can also find a definitive solution while avoiding the rekindling of ancient tensions.

Pope Francis meets performers outside the APEC Haus in Port Moresby, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, where Pope Francis and Papua New Guinea's Governor General Bob Dadae attended a traditional dance performance. [Gregorio Borgia/AP]

Today is the first full day of the Pope’s two-day visit to PNG, a country of devout Christians, of whom an estimated 31-percent are Catholics. 

Followers have walked for days through remote mountains while others have made long journeys by canoe to see the Pope.

Tomorrow the Pope will hold an open-air mass which is expected to be attended by thousands in the Sir John Guise stadium in the capital before flying to the border town of Vanimo for a brief visit. He departs Port Moresby on Monday morning. 

Francis is on an 11-day, four nation tour that began in Indonesia, he will head to East Timor next before his final stop in Singapore

Visiting Papua New Guinea, pope says

 natural resources must benefit all

By AFP
September 7, 2024


The 87-year-old pope is on a marathon 12-day visit to the Asia-Pacific - Copyright AFP Tiziana FABI
Clément MELKI

Pope Francis visited Papua New Guinea Saturday, where he called for vast natural resources to benefit the “entire community” — a politically charged demand in a nation where many believe their riches are being stolen or squandered.

Addressing political and business leaders, the 87-year-old pontiff hailed his hosts as being rich in culture and in natural resources — a nod to vast reserves of gold, copper, nickel, gas and timber.

But, he suggested, the tens of billions of dollars made from digging, dredging and drilling the earth needed to benefit more than a fraction of the country’s 12 million people.

“These goods are destined by God for the entire community,” Pope Francis said.

Despite its resource wealth, Papua New Guinea is one of the poorest countries in the Pacific.

Between a quarter and half the population lives in extreme poverty. Scarcely more than 10 percent of homes have electricity.

Even if “outside experts and large international companies must be involved in the harnessing of these resources”, they should not be the only ones to benefit, the pope said.

“It is only right that the needs of local people are given due consideration when distributing the proceeds and employing workers, to improve their living conditions,” he added.

It is a message likely to resonate with millions of Catholics in Papua New Guinea — and with millions more in resource-rich regions of Africa, Latin America and elsewhere.

Twenty-two-year-old pilgrim Jonathan Kais, from Manus Island, welcomed the pope’s remarks and said he hoped they would spur the government to provide better services.

“The service we receive in our villages by our leaders at the parliament, it’s not much (compared to) what they are getting from the resources of the country,” he told AFP.



– ‘Poverty hardly changed’ –



For decades, Papua New Guinea has been dotted with vast American, Australian, Canadian, European and Chinese-run mines.

A $19 billion project led by ExxonMobil has produced tens of millions of tonnes of liquified natural gas since operations began in 2014.

But economists have found little evidence that any of the projects have helped poor Papua New Guineans.

A recent World Bank study showed that between 2009 and 2018, the country’s gross domestic product per person grew by more than a third on the back of the resource boom.

“Poverty hardly changed over that time,” the report’s authors said.



– ‘Spiral of violence’ –



Pope Francis is on a marathon 12-day visit to the Asia-Pacific, visiting Indonesia, East Timor and Singapore as he promotes interfaith dialogue and embraces regions on the periphery of world affairs.

On Saturday he also made a plea for Papua New Guineans to “stop the spiral” of tribal violence that has killed untold numbers of people and displaced tens of thousands more.

“It is my particular hope that tribal violence will come to an end,” he said.

“It causes many victims, prevents people from living in peace and hinders development.”

There are few reliable estimates as to how many people have died during decades of tribal unrest between dozens of clans in the country’s Highlands.

But UN agencies estimate that about 100,000 people have been displaced by the cycle of retaliatory attacks, which have intensified in recent years.

The murders are often extremely violent, with victims hacked by machetes, burned, mutilated or tortured. Civilians, including pregnant women and children, have been targeted in the past.

An influx of mercenaries and automatic weapons has made clashes much more deadly. Where bows, spears and clubs were once the weapons of choice, now tribesmen have a veritable armoury of SLR, AK-47, and M16 rifles.

Papua New Guinea’s stretched government has tried suppression, mediation, gun amnesties and a range of other strategies to control the situation, with little success.

But experts say the violence has little to do with ancient customs, and is more about the modern problems of a surging population, a breakdown in traditional rules of war, joblessness and the rising cost of living.

And there is growing concern that violence is spreading to other parts of the country.

In July, at least 27 people — among them 11 children — were massacred in Angoram District, not far from the northern coast.

Pope calls for greater care of indigenous

 populations in Papua New Guinea


Pope Francis visits Street Ministry and Callan Services in the Caritas Technical Secondary School in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Saturday. Photo by Alessandro Di Meo/EPA-EFE

Sept. 7 (UPI) -- Pope Francis said the world needs to address climate change while visiting the Pacific Island nation of Papua New Guinea, which is partly endangered by a rising Pacific Ocean.

The Pope began his visit Friday in the nation where islanders living near coastal areas might have to relocate if waters rise too much. It's the Pope's second stop during an 11-day tour of four nations in the region.

Deforestation and pollution from mining operations also are affecting the nation's water supplies.

"Climate change is real," Papua New Guinea Governor-General Bob Dadae told the Pope Saturday in Port Moresby. "The rise in the sea level is affecting the livelihoods of our people.

He asked Francis. 87, to advocate for nations to do more to counteract climate change and exploitation of natural resources.

"While foreign companies are involved in resource extraction, it is only fair that local populations benefit from the income and labor to improve their living conditions," Francis said while advocating for the "common good" for all people.

The Pope also called for greater recognition of the roles women fulfill in Papua New Guinea and other nations.

Women "are the ones who carry the country forward, give life, build and grow a country," Francis said.

While meeting with Bishops, clergy and others later Saturday, Francis said it's important to care for the "marginalized and wounded,both morally and physically, by prejudice and superstition."

Pope Francis also visited the Shrine of Mary, Help of Christians, in Port Moresby Saturday, where he praised the work of missionaries to brought Christianity to the island nation.

"It is thanks to them, to their starts and restarts,that we are here and that despite the current challenges ... we continue to move forward without fear, knowing we are not alone," Francis said.

Francis traveled to Papua New Guinea after visiting Indonesia during his tour of four nations in Southeast Asia and Oceania from Monday through Thursday.

On Sunday, the pope will travel to Vanimo, a city in the northwesternmost province of Papua New Guinea.

The 11-day trip is the longest Francis has undertaken while Pope and concludes with visits to East Timor and Singapore.

 

Looking at ASEAN only in context of US-China relations a mistake

Several ASEAN countries will be growing faster than China for the first time in over three decades, according to the Asian Development Bank.

Reported By:| Edited By: DNA Web Team |Source: DNA webdesk |Updated: Nov 28, 2022, 06:03 AM IST

File Photo

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states have, in recent years, repeatedly expressed their concern regarding the insular economic policies of the US, as well as the downward slope in China-US ties ever since the ‘trade war’ between both countries began in 2018.  

The US withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in 2017, and the deterioration in ties between Beijing and Washington after the imposition of tariffs by former US President Donald Trump were viewed with great concern by the ASEAN region. Several ASEAN countries have underscored the point that they have close economic ties with China and good relations with the US, and thus, would not want to take sides in case of a conflict between the two. 

Indonesia, which also recently hosted the G20 Summit 2022 in Bali, reiterated the same point. “ASEAN must become a peaceful region, and an anchor for global stability, consistently uphold international law and not be a proxy to any powers,” Indonesian President Joko Widodo said while addressing the ASEAN Summit.

While Indonesia has been critical of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it has refused to provide arms to Ukraine. Joko Widodo had visited both Russia and Ukraine in June 2022 and offered to mediate, saying that Indonesia was prepared to bridge ‘Russia-Ukraine communications’. 

Over the past few years ASEAN was viewed from the prism of China-US relations by many commentators. But in recent days, it has been witness to three important events; ASEAN Summit (Phnom Penh), G20 Summit (Bali, Indonesia) and Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit (Bangkok).  

While the G20 Summit was witness to a meeting on the side lines between the US President, Joe Biden and Chinese President, Xi Jinping, the APEC Summit witnessed an exchange between Chinese President, Xi Jinping and US Vice President, Kamala Harris. There is no doubt that differences between both countries persist on crucial issues – such as Taiwan -- both sides agreed that they needed to resume engagement and work on crucial issues – such as climate change. 

“I noted a key message that President Biden emphasised in his November 14 meeting with President Xi: we must maintain open lines of communication to responsibly manage the competition between our countries,” Kamala Harris had stated in a tweet.

Apart from the above, the US reiterated the importance of ASEAN especially in the context of its Indo-Pacific strategy. Both Biden and Kamala Harris also referred to the importance of ASEAN in the Indo-Pacific strategy. Biden said that ASEAN is at the heart of his ‘..administration’s Indo-Pacific strategy’. The US emphasis on ASEAN’s geopolitical importance was relevant because apart from US’ withdrawal from TPP, there has been a perception that the US has not been paying much attention to the ASEAN region --- even though the Biden administration has tried to dispel this notion (apart from visiting Thailand for the APEC Summit, US Vice President Kamala Harris also visited Philippines). 

In spite of internal problems and differences and excessive bureaucracy within ASEAN grouping which according to many analysts has hampered decision making, recent events have reiterated its geopolitical importance. Interestingly, for the first time in over three decades, several ASEAN countries will be growing faster than China, according to the Asian Development Bank (ADB).   

In conclusion, while ASEAN has been afflicted by numerous problems, recent events are important not just in terms of symbolism, but highlight the geopolitical and economic significance of the region. It would thus be a mistake to look at ASEAN only in the context of US-China relations. 

The author, Tridivesh Singh Maini, is a New Delhi-based policy analyst associated with the OP Jindal Global University, Sonipat

Scientists identify how harmless gut bacteria "turn bad"

UNIVERSITY OF BATH

Research News

 

IMAGE: PROFESSOR SAM SHEPPARD FROM THE MILNER CENTRE FOR EVOLUTION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BATH LED THE STUDY. view more 

CREDIT: UNIVERSITY OF BATH

An international team of scientists has determined how harmless E. coli gut bacteria in chickens can easily pick up the genes required to evolve to cause a life-threatening infection. Their study, published in Nature Communications, warns that such infections not only affect the poultry industry but could also potentially cross over to infect humans.

E. coli is a common bacterium that lives in the intestines of most animals, including humans. It is usually harmless when it stays in the gut, however it can become very dangerous if it invades the bloodstream, causing a systemic infection that can even lead to death.

Avian pathogenic E.coli (APEC) is most common infection in chickens reared for meat or eggs. It can lead to death in up to 20 per cent of cases and causes multi-million pound losses in the poultry industry. The problem is made worse by increasing antibiotic resistance and infections also pose a risk of causing disease in humans.

The team of scientists, led by the Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath, sequenced and analysed the whole genomes of E. coli bacteria found in healthy and infected chickens bred at commercial poultry farms to better understand why and how these normally innocuous bugs can turn deadly.

They found there was no single gene responsible for switching a harmless bacterium into a pathogenic one, but rather that it could be caused by several combinations of a diverse group of genes.

Their results indicate that all bacteria in chicken intestines have the potential to pick up the genes they need to turn into a dangerous infection, through a process called horizontal gene transfer.

Horizontal gene transfer enables bacteria to acquire new genetic material from other bacteria nearby. This can happen by scavenging DNA molecules from dead bacteria; by exchanging strands of DNA by having 'bacterial sex' or by getting infected by viruses which transfer DNA from one bacterium to another.

Professor Sam Sheppard, from the Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath, led the study. He said: "Previously we thought that E. coli became pathogenic by acquiring specific genes from other bugs, often packaged in mobile elements called plasmids.

"But our study compared the genomes of disease-causing and harmless E. coli in chickens and found that they can 'turn bad' simply by picking up genes from their environment.

"Bacteria do this all the time inside the guts of chicken, but most of the time the scavenged genes are detrimental to the bacteria so it becomes an evolutionary dead end.

"However, there are 26 billion chickens worldwide, representing around 70 per cent of all bird biomass on earth.

"That increases the likelihood of bacteria picking up genes that could help the bacteria survive and turn infectious, or even jump species to infect humans."

The study authors stress the need to monitor strains that are most likely to become pathogenic so can treat them before they become dangerous.

Professor Sheppard said: "We were surprised to find that it's not just a single strain that causes APEC, but any strain can potentially acquire the 'monster combination' of genes needed to turn bad."

Strains with the potential to turn pathogenic could be identified using a similar method to that used to detect variant strains of Covid19. After whole genome sequencing, rapid PCR tests can be used to probe for specific genes that could lead to an APEC infection.

Professor Sheppard said: "We identified around 20 genes that are common in pathogenic bugs and if we can look out for these key genes in a flock of birds, that would help farmers target those carriers before they cause a problem."

###

North American Union (SPP) Protests In Alberta

The Three Amigos are in Montreal this coming week-end to discuss their secret corporate pact to create a single EU style market place on the North American Continent.

Teach Ins are planned across Canada including in Alberta. Home of Petro Powers That Be. Organizers are to be congratulated for focusing on making these protests Teach Ins rather than the usual street protests that follow the G8, WTO, etc.

Since most folks have no clue as to the nature of these binding yet secret corporatist-state agreements, the point is to inform them.

We did a Teach In in Edmonton during the APEC Energy Conference. Since few people knew anything about APEC or this corporatist state model for global governance.

The annual APEC meeting was held in Vancouver which resulted in the first RCMP Attack on protesters, which was to become national and international state security policy in dealing with anti-globalization protests.

August 19

Edmonton, Alberta
Protesting the SPP in Edmonton! Help preserve Canada’s sovereignty, join the protest.
Host: Protest The S.P.P.
Time: 10:00am - 2:00pm GMT
Where: Legislative Assembly of Alberta Street: 10800 - 97 Ave. Edmonton, AB

Calgary, Alberta
Protesting the North American Union
Host: Lindsay Ross and other concerned citizens!.
Time: 12:00 p.m. – 3 p.m. GMT
Where: Calgary City Hall, 800 Macleod Trail SE, Calgary, AB, then marching to the U.S. Consulate at 615 Macleod Trail for more speeches

For cross Canada protests see Verbena-19

See:

Free Labour = Free Of Unions

Derek Burney Voice of America

Deep Integration

Origins of the Captialist State In Canada

Time For A Canadian Steel Workers Union

Will Canadian Labour Accept Free Trade?

Cold Gold

Mittal Plays Monopoly

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How cities around the world are tackling dangerous air quality

Story by Uday Rana • Yesterday 

In a very short span of time, Chinese authorities put into place emergency measures to improve air quality in Beijing for the 2014 APEC conference.© Provided by Global News

Last week, large swaths of North America were choking under wildfire smoke.

Cities in both the U.S. and Canada saw a haze descend on them, spurring warnings to stay indoors and to mask up for those who had to be outdoors. And as wildfires are expected to keep wreaking havoc on air quality, the response of cities across the world to emergency levels of air pollution may offer some solutions.

Canada is not the first country to face weeks of poor air quality, and in many parts of the world residents in cities like Beijing, China; New Delhi, India; Bogota, Colombia; and Paris, France have had to innovate and adapt.

Here's how they do it.

In November 2014, Beijing played host to the 21st Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference. The city, notorious for some of the world’s worst air quality, had to clean up its air before the summit began.

In a very short span of time, the Chinese authorities put into place emergency measures to improve air quality ahead of the summit.

Production in factories around the capital city was either stopped or halted, along with slowing down construction work. Vehicular traffic was heavily curtailed, with traffic rules put in place alternating which vehicles could drive on which days.

The rule, when in place, means only vehicles with odd-numbered licence plates are allowed to drive on one day and only even-numbered ones the day after -- a move introduced in 2008 to help ease congestion and reduce pollution during the Olympics and Paralympics, according to Reuters.

When improvements in 2014 did not meet expectations, the government doubled down.

Enhanced emissions reduction measures were put into place. Iron and steel, glass and coking industries were stopped. The curbs lasted all of 11 days but appeared to yield something Beijing residents hadn’t seen in quite some time – a blue sky.

The term 'APEC Blue' caught on in China as meaning something beautiful, but fleeting.

A study in the Journal of Traffic and Transport Engineering in 2016 looked at the "odd-even" traffic measures and determined when used in 2008, it did lead to improvements -- but that they also come with a heavy impact on residents.

"Short-term traffic demand management measures can provide support for mega-events. However, based on the analysis in this paper, the degree of traffic reduction is not proportional to the number of vehicles restricted."

Even as Beijing’s air quality showed signs of improvement amid the 2014 measures, in another Asian city officials were acknowledging air quality was just as bad.

According to The Guardian newspaper, Indian authorities admitted in May 2014 that air pollution in New Delhi was comparable to that in Beijing -- a challenge that continues to hang heavy.

Every fall, the smoke from agricultural fires in the north makes its way toward New Delhi. The city’s air quality plummets around this time, mixing with its already-high base levels of pollution.

In response to rising concerns in 2016, Indian authorities rolled out a Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to try to tackle air quality.

The plan consists of four emergency stages, each of which corresponds to a threshold of air pollution, and the idea is simple – the worse the air quality gets, the more stringent the controls get.

The scale measures levels of what is known as particulate matter (pm) 2.5. That refers to particulate matter in the air that's either two and a half microns wide, or less.

Video: Toxic smog blankets India’s capital, forcing closure of schools

The first stage, where the levels of particulate matter (pm) 2.5 levels are between 61 and 120, the air quality is labelled “poor." In this first stage, the government imposes heavy fines on garbage burning. Authorities also sprinkle water on the streets with heavy vehicular traffic, to keep the particulate matter from dispersing up into the air as vehicles roll by.

The second stage is called the “very poor” stage, where pm 2.5 levels are between 121 and 250.

In this stage, the government cracks down on the usage of diesel-powered electricity generators. To keep cars off the streets, municipal parking fees are hiked significantly, and the frequency of buses and Delhi Metro trains increases. Children, the elderly and people with respiratory problems are advised to stay indoors.

In the “severe” category (251-250), hot mix plants, brick kilns and stone crushers are banned from operating. And when the levels of pm 2.5 cross 350 on the Air Quality Index (AQI) and the city enters the “severe plus” or “hazardous” level, all construction activity is stopped.

Heavy vehicles like trucks and tankers are banned from entering the city. Even schools are shut down, though there remain questions about the impacts of such plans.

“While these graded response systems are a necessary intervention, their impacts are questionable. They may not necessarily have the kind of impact that that we need,” said Siddharth Singh, an energy, mobility and climate policy expert and the author of the book The Great Smog of India.

The city of Bogota, Colombia also has a graded response plan, and while not facing air quality as poor as Beijing or New Delhi, the city has laid out numerous proposals over recent years to tackle air quality and pollution.

Rather than short-term proposals, many of Bogota's plans look longer-term.

In 2020, it became the first Latin American city to declare a climate emergency. An important part of Bogota’s climate plan is to replace the use of fossil fuels to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent by 2030.

The city pledged to stop buying any public transportation vehicles that use fossil fuels. Bogota also made commitments regarding changes in land use policy, to make communities more sustainable.

Video: Canada wildfires: Air quality a major risk for those living outside

The perspective is similar in ways to approaches taken by Paris, where Singh lives.

He says Paris has transformed its cityscape radically in a very short span of time, with markedly improved air quality in the French capital.

“Paris has actually seen quite a bit of transformation. If you see the air quality levels from 10 years ago, you will see a significant drop (in pollution levels),” he said.

“There is much-improved air quality on average and Parisians have benefited since several roads are now pedestrianized. Cars and trucks are no longer welcome on the streets, and those streets have been reclaimed by people.”

Paris’s dedicated bicycle lanes have also reduced vehicular traffic in the city, Singh said. In 2015, Paris also banned old cars to combat its infamously poor air quality.

Cities in North America, however, are more sprawled out than Delhi, Beijing or Paris and far more car-reliant, making access to public transit difficult. But they too will need to decide how to tackle air quality in the longer term.

“As North American cities grow, they must think about how they design new neighbourhoods, how they're able to ensure that there's greater public transport access, that there's more integration of renewables in urban settings," Singh said.

This year, Canada could be on track to having a record level of land burnt due to wildfires. In 2023, 2,293 wildfires have torched 3.8 million hectares of land. These fires forced more than 20,000 Canadians out of their homes.

Environmentalists say climate change has made this year’s wildfires worse.

China flags readiness to work with US 'at all levels' ahead of APEC summit

South China Morning Post
Wed, November 8, 2023 

China is ready to strengthen dialogue with the United States "at all levels" to mend their relations and work together on global challenges, Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng said on Wednesday.

Han was speaking just a few days before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders' forum in San Francisco, where US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping are expected to meet for the first time since Bali a year ago.

Beijing has not yet confirmed Xi's attendance at Apec, but recent months have seen an increase in reciprocal high-level visits between Washington and Beijing - widely seen as laying the groundwork for a bilateral summit.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

Addressing the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore, Han said the recent official interactions had sent out "positive signals" and raised the world's expectations of an "improvement" in China-US relations.

"A stable and sound China-US relationship is the common expectation of people from all sectors in other countries and the international community as a whole," he said.

"We're ready to strengthen communication and dialogue with the United States at all levels to promote mutually beneficial cooperation, properly manage differences and jointly address global challenges."

China's Vice-President Han Zheng addresses the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore on Wednesday. 

Han added that Beijing always views and handles its relations with Washington in accordance with the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation.

Han's comments also coincided with Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng's visit to the US, which has also been seen as part of the effort to set the stage for Biden-Xi summit at the Apec meeting, which begins on Saturday.

He, China's top economic and financial policy official, will meet US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen during his five-day trip, amid disagreements over tech curbs and subsidies between the world's two largest economies.

In his speech, Han said unilateralism and protectionism "lead nowhere" and that the issue of security "cannot be overstretched".

"Decoupling, severing industrial and supply chains and the so-called 'de-risking' will all only divide the global economy into many isolated islands," he said, adding that China has always been a supporter of economic globalisation.

Han said the country is committed to advancing institutional opening-up and providing more market and investment opportunities for companies from all over the world. "China's economy has been rebounding and improving on the whole," he added.

According to Han, geopolitical tensions are compounded with the evolving economic landscape and emerging crises of food, energy and debt.

At the same time, the deepening of the new round of technological and industrial transformation has brought new opportunities for sustainable economic growth, he said.

Han affirmed China's commitment to innovations in big data, AI and new energy technologies to upgrade its industrial structure for smarter and greener development.

Han's speech was also made at a time of escalating conflict in the Middle East and Russia's protracted war in Ukraine - another layer in the complicated backdrop to a Xi-Biden summit in California.

"We need to be more determined to resolve conflicts through dialogue and consultation and create a stable international environment that is conducive to development," Han said.

"China is ready to work with the rest of the world to uphold world peace and security."

Saudi Arabia's investment minister Khalid Al-Falih spoke after Han at the forum and said he sees positive signs in the US-China relationship as engagement between the two economic powerhouses increases.

"Pragmatism is surfacing," Al-Falih said, noting that his nation has strong relationships with both countries. "We call for collaboration and coexistence between the world's two economic superpowers and geopolitical powers."

Al-Falih said he believed the two powers will reduce their rhetoric about a natural strategic competition and ultimately achieve peaceful coexistence.


Copyright (c) 2023. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

CIIE:China, Afghanistan cultivate deeper ties with agriculture deals

South China Morning Post
Tue, November 7, 2023 

China is expanding its agricultural trade with Afghanistan, deepening relations with the war-torn country as it attempts a return to normal economic activity, tangles with sanctions from the West and rebuilds after a devastating earthquake in October.

The world's second-largest economy may start importing Afghan pomegranates next month with an initial shipment of 1,000 tonnes via an "agricultural cooperation" deal, a trader at the China International Import Expo told the Post on Monday.

Those shipments would start after more than two years of approval and certification work, said exhibitor Shams Ullah Shams, general manager of the Afghanistan export firm Biraro. His company took 200 tonnes to the show as samples this month.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

Afghanistan export firm Biraro displays pomegranates at the China International Import Expo on November 6, 2023. Photo: Mandy Zuo alt=Afghanistan export firm Biraro displays pomegranates at the China International Import Expo on November 6, 2023. 

<Photo: Mandy Zuo>

"We can't sell them, just give them to our Chinese friends to try, and after five days they'll be gone," Shams said with a hopeful laugh.

Afghanistan's once nearly US$20 billion economy crashed to US$14.58 billion in 2021 as the country of 40.1 million people experienced a food shortage. One in every two Afghans is poor, according to the World Bank.

The Islamic fundamentalist Taliban regained power the same year, after a long military struggle ended with the withdrawal of US troops.

It now faces post-war sanctions from the West, purportedly imposed over the legitimacy of its leadership and women's access to education.

China is happy to build relations, starting with trade, to fill a void left by the West and seize opportunities for longer-term gain, analysts said.

"There was a huge vacuum after America withdrew, so I think the Chinese see this as an opportunity," said James Chin, a professor of Asian studies at the University of Tasmania.

Two-way trade has been "growing fast" and China may become Afghanistan's second-largest trading partner this year after Pakistan, business advisory Dezan Shira & Associates said in a February research note.

China appointed Zhao Xing as the new ambassador to Kabul in September, and Afghan officials attended the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing in mid-October.

Afghanistan sent US$40.02 million in goods to China in all of 2022, with US$23.08 million of that tallied in the final two months, per the data. China exported US$550.13 million of goods to its Central Asian neighbour last year.

In the first nine months of this year, Afghanistan exported US$33.93 million worth of goods to China, which shipped US$959.69 million of its own wares the other way, according to Chinese customs data.

Afghanistan's chief exports to China at the end of 2022 were nuts, animal hair, semi-precious stones, dried fruits and vegetable products, Dezan Shira said.

There may also be other motivations at play.

A boost in trade might eventually facilitate Chinese infrastructure projects such as pipelines for oil and natural gas, said Naubahar Sharif, head of the public policy division at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Chinese ambassador to Afghanistan Zhao Xing, left, shakes hands with Mohammad Abas Akhund, acting minister for Afghanistan's National Disaster Management Authority, during a handover ceremony for earthquake relief materials. Photo: Xinhua alt=Chinese ambassador to Afghanistan Zhao Xing, left, shakes hands with Mohammad Abas Akhund, acting minister for Afghanistan's National Disaster Management Authority, during a handover ceremony for earthquake relief materials. 

<Photo: Xinhua>

The country could fit well into China's Belt and Road Initiative, a 10-year effort to build infrastructure abroad to smooth trade, Sharif added.

Whatever factors may be under consideration, Peking University international studies Professor Zha Daojiong said, relations will persist as China sees Afghanistan as a "neighbour that won't go away".

The countries share a 92-kilometre (57-mile) land border. With that in mind, he said, China "simply does not have the luxury of pretending that whoever is in charge there is irrelevant".

Copyright (c) 2023. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bullish Standard Chartered to continue investing in China amid strengthening economic recovery

South China Morning Post
Wed, November 8, 2023 

Standard Chartered, one of Hong Kong's three currency-issuing banks, said China's economy is on a solid footing, bolstering its confidence to invest more in the country.

Jerry Zhang, CEO of the emerging-markets focused lender's China business, said third-quarter economic data added to evidence that business and commercial activities in the world's second-largest economy were strengthening.

"We maintain our long-term bullish forecast on China," Zhang said at a media briefing on the sidelines of the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai on Wednesday. "Standard Chartered remains committed to investing in China."

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The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday revised upwards its forecast for mainland China's gross domestic product (GDP), saying it would expand 5.4 per cent year on year in 2023, up from its earlier estimate of 5 per cent.

The revision follows Beijing's decision to issue 1 trillion yuan (US$137.3 billion) of sovereign bonds while allowing local governments to front-load part of their 2024 bond quotas.

For the quarter ending September, China's GDP grew 4.9 per cent year on year and 1.3 per cent quarter on quarter, which Zhang described as encouraging signs of the economy's resilience.

"You can see that even when China's economy was stuck in a difficult situation, Standard Chartered showed an upbeat mood about its mid- and long-term outlook," Zhang said, adding that the bank's investments in its mainland operations were proceeding smoothly.

In February 2022, Standard Chartered said it would spend an additional US$300 million by 2024 to reinforce its mainland businesses, including expanding its retail banking outlets and digitalising its operations.

Standard Chartered late last month reported worse-than-expected earnings for the third quarter because of high impairment charges related to exposure to mainland China's property sector.

The company, which generates much of its revenue in Asia, reported US$633 million in pre-tax profit, a decline of 54 per cent from US$1.39 billion last year, missing analysts' estimates of US$1.49 billion polled by Bloomberg.

Standard Chartered took credit impairment charges of US$294 million during the quarter, an increase of 37 per cent from a year earlier. This included a further US$186 million related to its mainland commercial property portfolio as a debt crisis in the real estate sector shows no signs of abating and economic growth remains sluggish.

The bank has provided US$1.1 billion in loans to the mainland's property sector over the last two years.

The China International Import Expo, the world's largest import trade fair, runs until Friday in Shanghai. Photo: EPA-EFE 

"Domestic and foreign banks will have to cut their reliance on the troubled property sector in the coming years while increasing loan exposure to new-energy and consumer businesses," said Ding Haifeng, a consultant at Shanghai financial advisory firm Integrity.

"Overall, China's economy, based on its scale and diversity, will still attract foreign investment, although the growth momentum will slow down."

The CIIE, the world's largest import trade fair, started on Sunday and will run until Friday.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang said at the CIIE's opening ceremony that consumer vigour and further opening up of mainland China could give a much-needed boost to the slowing global economy.

Copyright (c) 2023. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

CPC Opens Up To Canadian Media

The Communist Party of China not the Conservative Party of Canada. In order to get any information about our Prime Ministers discussions at the APEC meetings the Canadian Press corps had to rely on the Chinese Foreign Ministery and other countries to find out what was going on. They were denied access to Stephen Harper by Sandra Buckler. This from the guy who lectures other countries about freedom of the press. Do as I say not as I do seems a fitting epithat for our PM.

Harper was also asked about his accessibility at the APEC conference. And the news of his discussion with the Chinese president came by e-mail to reporters travelling with him 14 hours after the fact. It was the Chinese foreign ministry official who gave the Canadian media the first substantive description of the meeting.It was the Korean government that told Canadian reporters about the visit of a Canadian diplomat to North Korea. Harper's staff also blocked Canadian journalists from attending all but the first of Harper's public activities, even while foreign media were present or invited.

CTV's Roger Smith, travelling with the prime minister told CTV Newsnet Harper has kept an extraordinarily low media profile during the summit. In fact, on several occasions, reporters learned key details from media briefings held by other countries.

In fact, Harper's office didn't confirm that the meeting with Hu had taken place until 14 hours after it took place -- long after the Chinese had announced it had happened.

"We all found it very ironic we were getting more information, and faster, from the communist government of China than we were from the Conservative government of Canada," Smith said.

See:

PMO Spies On Cabinet Ministers

Harper Is No Statesman

Harpercrsy

Gong Show Redux

Harper




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Harpercrsy

Canadian reporters covering PM Harpers trip to Viet Nam for the APEC conference have been banned from asking him questions. No scrums are allowed with the PM. Instead PMO issues press statements. While the PM lectures Viet Nam on democracy, human rights and the need for a free press. Heh, heh. What a kidder this guy is.


Harper kicks off APEC activities by meeting Vietnamese prime minister

Canadian officials later told reporters that during the private portion of the meeting, Harper tied in human rights concerns with Vietnam's expanding trade file. He told Nguyen that economic openness went hand in hand with social and political freedoms. Harper also raised several individual cases of political dissidents imprisoned by the Vietnamese government, including one man who landed behind bars after providing testimony to the U.S. Congress on human rights in his country. Vietnam has been criticized by observers for religious persecution, particularly of Buddhists and Christians, and also for cracking down on journalists and publishers critical of the communist regime.

Of course Canada needs to lecture the rest of the world on Human Rights our record is so pure. Let's see our secret police arrest and keep folks in secret detention and deport folks to be tortured abroad. They raid journalists offices and throw them in jail. The PMO refuses to meet with press critical of the government. The government wants to remove human rights legislation passed by the previous government. And we have a one party state in Alberta.Yep a clear case of kettle calling the pot black.

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Harper

Arar


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