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Tag: China

  • China is welcome to contribute to the rebuilding of the country: Taliban spokesman

    China is welcome to contribute to the rebuilding of the country: Taliban spokesman

    China has played a constructive role in promoting peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan and is welcome to contribute to the rebuilding of the country, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told Chinese state media.

    “China is a big country with a huge economy and capacity — I think they can play a very big role in the rebuilding, rehabilitation, reconstruction of Afghanistan,” Shaheen told CGTN television in an interview late on Thursday.

    During Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s meeting with a Taliban delegation in Tianjin last month, the Chinese envoy said he hoped Afghanistan could adopt a moderate policy.

    Earlier, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying, told a press briefing that China encourages and hopes that the Afghan Taliban can follow through its positive statements, unite with all parties and ethnic groups in Afghanistan, establish a broad-based, inclusive political framework that fits the national conditions and wins public support through dialogue and consultation.

  • Huawei faces lawsuit after allegedly spying on Pakistani citizens through stolen tech

    Huawei faces lawsuit after allegedly spying on Pakistani citizens through stolen tech

    Huawei has been sued in California federal court for creating a “backdoor” that allowed it to collect sensitive data “important to Pakistan’s national security”, reports Reuters.

    Business Efficiency Solutions (BES), a California-based IT consultant company, filed a complaint against the China-based tech giant on Wednesday, August 11.

    According to the complaint, Huawei subcontracted with BES in 2016 for its $150 million bid to develop software for a Pakistani government programme providing new technology for police and law enforcement in Lahore. BES said it created software for the project that collects data from government agencies, controls access to buildings, monitors social media and manages drones, among other things.

    Huawei officials allegedly demanded that BES send this information to the company in China for testing, and BES said it agreed to the demand but terminated its authorisation to use the technology after Huawei revoked its access to the testing laboratory.

    The complaint said Huawei has yet to return any of the confidential software design tools or uninstall the software, as BES said it had agreed to.

    BES said Huawei later demanded it install its data-aggregation software – used by Pakistani law enforcement to collect and analyse “sensitive data from different sources and government agencies” – in its Chinese lab, “this time not merely for testing purposes but with full access to data at the Lahore Safe City project.” BES said it agreed, under threat of termination and withheld payments, after Huawei said it had approval from the Pakistani government.

    Huawei has yet to respond to the lawsuit filed by BES through its legal team. BES also did not share any more information beyond the case that it filed in the federal court.

    The IT consulting firm also accused Huawei of stealing the “trade secrets, and other intellectual properties in its possessions after officials of the China tech company demanded it for testing.”

    Up until now, the lawsuit alleged that Huawei has not returned the software design tools to BES.

    Moreover, BES said that it only allowed Huawei to use the software with full access as the latter threatened that they will not be paid, which the Chinese giant has yet to do for some of the software in the project.

    Huawei is a Chinese firm that has been banned in the United States (US) after it was accused of being a security risk. Thus, Google forcibly removed its services from the devices of the Chinese phone maker.

    However, Huawei recently decided to live without Google by debuting its own operating system across all of its devices.

  • ‘Kabul should avoid pointing fingers at Pakistan for its own failures’: Shah Mahmood Qureshi

    ‘Kabul should avoid pointing fingers at Pakistan for its own failures’: Shah Mahmood Qureshi

    Foreign Minister (FM) Shah Mahmood Qureshi asked the Afghan government to avoid pointing fingers at Pakistan for its own failures and look into its governance issues.

    In a press briefing at the Foreign Office (FO), he said Pakistan had repeatedly said it had no favourites in Afghanistan and saw all sides of the conflict as Afghans.

    “It is unfortunate to scapegoat Pakistan for the failures of others; the issues of governance and meltdown of Afghan National Defence Forces need to be looked into — and not just start pointing fingers at Pakistan.”

    “The time has come when the world wants answers to what has been achieved in Afghanistan in these past 20 years. The taxpayer in the United States (US), the United Kingdom (UK), and Europe wants to know who is responsible for no achievement. Pakistan will not be apologetic, as we are not accountable nor responsible for the trillions spent and nothing to show for it. No capacity building, no arms, where has everything gone?” remarked Qureshi.

    “Pakistan is against a forceful takeover of Afghanistan. Pakistan does not want a military takeover, as we do not support one. We speak of a political takeover. A military takeover will result in more bloodshed and the people of Afghanistan have suffered and this suffering should end. Leadership inside Afghanistan should rise to the occasion and avoid a military takeover. We urge all sides to show respect for human rights and international humanitarian laws,” said Qureshi.

    “We had made a request to be present there, but unfortunately, it was not accepted,” he said, adding that at the time of India assuming the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) presidency, Pakistan had asked it to operate objectively.

    However, India did not behave in a manner that was befitting of that responsibility, the foreign minister said. “India has been, in our view, in breach of its obligation as president of the Security Council.”

    Pakistan has been facilitating the peace process, and its role has been and will continue to be of a facilitator, the foreign minister said.

    “We cannot guarantee, we can only facilitate,” he said, noting it was up to the Afghans to decide their future, and now the world community was backing Pakistan’s narrative that there is no military solution in Afghanistan.

    While on the request of President Ashraf Ghani, intra-Afghan peace talks were postponed in Islamabad, Pakistan now looks forward to the August 11 peace talks of the troika consisting of Pakistan, China, and Russia with an aim of chartering a political way out for an Afghan-led peace process.

    “We reiterate the need for the effective use of available peace mechanisms,” Qureshi said, adding Pakistan has always stressed the need for talks.

  • ‘World’s smallest baby’ goes home after 13 months in hospital

    A baby thought to be the world’s smallest at birth has been discharged from a Singapore hospital after 13 months of intensive care, BBC reported.

    Kwek Yu Xuan weighed only 212g, the weight of an apple, when she was born with the height of 24cm.

    She was delivered at just under 25 weeks, which is very early of the average 40 weeks.

    BBC News

    According to the University of Iowa’s Tiniest Babies Registry, the girl who previously held a record was a girl in the US who weighed 245g at birth in 2018.

    Yu Xuan’s mother gave birth to her by emergency C-section four months early after she was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia — dangerously high blood pressure that can damage vital organs and be fatal for both mother and baby.

    Yu Xuan now weighs a much healthier 6.3kg (14 pounds).

    The baby girl had a “limited chance of survival”, according to Singapore’s National University Hospital (NUH) where she was born.

    “Against the odds, with health complications present at birth, she has inspired people around her with her perseverance and growth, which makes her an extraordinary ‘Covid-19’ baby — a ray of hope amid turmoil,” the hospital said in a statement.

    Yu Xuan was given multiple kinds of treatment and relied on different kinds of machines to survive.

    Doctors say her health and development went well under their care and she is now healthy enough to be discharged.

    Yu Xuan still has chronic lung disease and will need help with her breathing at home. However, doctors say she is expected to get better with time.

    Yu Xuan’s parents were able to pay for her treatment through a crowdfunding campaign that raised $366,884 (Rs 44,522,019).

  • Government selects five Pakistani movies for a screening in China

    Government selects five Pakistani movies for a screening in China

    As part of the celebratory activities of 70 years of Pakistan-China diplomatic ties, five movies from Pakistan will be screened during a first-ever Pakistan Film Week starting from Wednesday, August 4.

    According to details, Pakistan Embassy, Beijing and China-Film Administration have jointly organized the four-day film week to further enhance cultural exchanges between the two countries.

    The premier of Sohai Ali Abro’s Motorcycle Girl will be held on August 4, with Chinese and English subtitles. Other films included in the list are Humayun Saeed’s blockbusters Punjab Nahi Jaungi and Bin Roye.

    Mahira Khan’s Ho Maan Jahan and Mathira’s Blind Love will also be screened in the following days.

    In November 2020, Parwaaz Hai Junoon became the first Pakistan film to hit the cinemas in China. The movie received the round of applause from around 400 people including officials of the Chinese government.

  • Pakistan economic security on the rise, ranks top 10 in business environment

    Pakistan economic security on the rise, ranks top 10 in business environment

    Pakistan has reformed to simplify initiating a company and obtaining a construction permit, applying a series of preferential policies in the latest years, says the Annual Report on Investment Security of China’s Belt and Road Construction (2021), jointly released by China Belt and Road Think Tank Cooperation Alliance, Beijing International Studies University, and other institutions.

    The report puts forward the results of researches on the political, economic, social, cultural, and ecological investment security in countries along the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

    According to the report, these steps upgraded Pakistan’s ability to attract foreign investment and strengthened the ease of doing business year by year, making Pakistan one of the world’s top 10 economies with the most improved business environment, China Economic Net (CEN) reported.

    In terms of political security, the report stated that South Asia as a whole is greatly affected by the superpower game.

    China, the United States, Russia, Japan, and other countries outside the region have historical ties and practical cooperation here, which makes the geopolitical environment of South Asia complicated.

    The conflict between India and Pakistan has also increased pressure on political security in the region, under which the dispute over Kashmir poses a long-standing risk of war.

    From the perspective of economic security, Pakistan’s economic security scored up by 220% in 2019 compared to 2010, showing an overall trend of growth.

    The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) construction has greatly boosted public confidence, stimulated domestic demand, and driven production.

    However, it is worth noting that since 2019, the accelerated marketisation of the domestic exchange rate in Pakistan has led to market fluctuations, currency devaluation, sustained inflation, forcing the government to raise the benchmark interest rate. Besides, the debt burden increased and the international sovereign rating lowered.

  • 15 Chinese officials to investigate Dasu bus tragedy: Sheikh Rasheed

    15 Chinese officials to investigate Dasu bus tragedy: Sheikh Rasheed

    Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid said that 15 Chinese officials have been included in the ongoing investigation of the Dasu bus tragedy in which 13 people, including nine Chinese nationals, were killed, reports Dawn.

    Addressing a press conference, Rasheed said, “The investigation of the event is at its final stages and the highest institutions of Pakistan are investigating it. Fifteen individuals from China have been included [in the investigation] as well.”

    “We completely reassure the Chinese government that these culprits, hidden hands and enemies of CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) and China-Pakistan friendship will never be forgiven at any cost,” he added.

    Nine Chinese nationals and three Pakistanis lost their lives on Wednesday. Chinese workers and accompanying Pakistani staff were proceeding to their workplace for an ongoing project, as per a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA). 

    China had announced that it was sending a team to Pakistan to deal with the aftermath of the incident. “Today China will send a cross-departmental joint working group to Pakistan to help with relevant work,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian had said at a media briefing in Beijing.

    A team comprising of 15 Chinese officials has reached Pakistan to probe into the Dasu bus tragedy.

    Chinese ambassador to Pakistan has visited the site of the shuttle bus explosion near the Dasu Hydropower plant to investigate the cause, together with the Pakistani military and a Chinese team.

  • Parents dump daughter on deserted island to ‘tame’ her

    Parents dump daughter on deserted island to ‘tame’ her

    A “rebellious” teenager was dumped on a desert island by her parents in the hope that she’d grow up.

    As per reports, the 13-year-old was saved from the empty piece of land in Shandong, China after flagging down some fisherman.

    She had been taken to the deserted place by her parents, who were tired of her bad behaviour.

    Read More: Jeweller makes necklaces, rings from teeth of dead loved ones

    They said that they wanted to teach the girl a lesson about hardship and adversity after she was dropped out of school.

    The island is located one kilometre off the coast of Rushan City and has been deserted for many years. It has no running water or electricity.

  • Father reunited with kidnapped son after 24-year search

    Father reunited with kidnapped son after 24-year search

    A man reunited with his kidnapped son after a 24-year hunt across China. After travelling half a million kilometres across China on a motorbike, handing out missing-person flyers, which cost him his savings and left him with huge debts, Guo Gangtang was finally reunited with his son.

    As per reports, Guo Gangtang, 51, began searching for his then 2-year-old son after he was kidnapped in 1997 from their home in a village in the eastern province of Shandong.

    When he tried to find his son, he found no trace but Guo did not give up and began a decades-long search.

    Guo travelled China on a motorcycle with a flag that had his lost son’s picture and carrying a bag full of flyers.

    Read More: Woman discovers son’s bride is her long-lost daughter

    Police in June tracked down a man matching his son’s description in central Henan province, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

    After a DNA test confirming the relationship, a family reunion with his son Guo Xinzhen was arranged on Sunday.

    The 26-year-old, Guo Xinzhen, is now a teacher.

    Guo’s son was found after the Ministry of Public Security launched a nationwide campaign this January to solve cold cases involving child abduction.

    Police have located and rescued 2,609 missing or abducted children this year, including adults who had gone missing or were kidnapped as kids. One victim was traced after 61 years.

    Guo’s motorcycle journey of around 500,000 km (311,000 miles) took him to most of China’s provinces. He also went through 10 motorcycles.

    In 2012, Guo set up a website “Tianya Xunqin”, which translates as “Find your family on the edge of the world”. It has since helped dozens of people locate family members, he told local media.

    Guo Gangtang’s story has been covered extensively by local media over the years and inspired the 2015 hit film “Lost and Love” starring Chinese megastar Andy Lau in the role of a character based on Guo.

    “I’ve found my son, and I want to get back to normal life as soon as possible,” Guo said in a video on his Tiktok social media page on Tuesday.

  • Afghan Taliban want China’s friendship, say will not interfere in Chinese affairs

    After seizing about one-third of Afghanistan’s districts, the Taliban this week swept through the northeastern Badakhshan province, reaching the mountainous border with China’s Xinjiang region, reports The Wall Street Journal.

    These days, the Taliban go out of their way to ease China’s concerns, eager to secure Beijing’s acquiescence to their rule.

    “The Taliban want to show China goodwill,” said Qian Feng, head of research at the National Strategy Institute of Tsinghua University in Beijing. “They hope that China can play a more important role, especially after America pulls out its troops.”

    With the American military withdrawal nearly complete, China is also becoming increasingly powerful in the Central Asian states that border Afghanistan to the north.

    “We care about the oppression of Muslims, be it in Palestine, in Myanmar, or in China, and we care about the oppression of non-Muslims anywhere in the world. But what we are not going to do is interfere in China’s internal affairs,” said a senior Taliban official in Doha, Qatar.

    Another official, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen, pointed out that the Islamist group pledged in the February 2020 Doha deal with Washington to not let the country’s territory be used against other nations and to not accept any refugees or exiles outside the framework of international migration law.

    “We will not allow anyone whether it is an individual or an entity — to use the soil of Afghanistan against the United States, its allies, or any other country, and that includes China,” Shaheen said.

    While caring about the plight of the Uyghurs of Xinjiang, the Taliban will seek to help their fellow Muslims through political dialogue with Beijing, he added. “We do not know the details. But if we have the details, we will show our concern,” he said. “If there are some problems with the Muslims, of course, we will talk with the Chinese government.”