Scoop from @Reuters: #China has drawn up plans to upgrade an airstrip and bridge on one of Kiribati’s remote islands about 3,000km southwest of Hawaii, lawmakers told Reuters, in a bid to revive a site that hosted military aircraft during World War Two. reuters.com/article/us-chi…
The plans, which have not been made public, involve construction on the tiny island of Kanton (also spelled Canton), a coral atoll strategically located midway between Asia and the Americas.
Kiribati opposition lawmaker Tessie Lambourne said she was concerned about the project, and wanted to know whether it was part of #China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
“The government hasn’t shared the cost and other details other than it’s a feasibility study for the rehabilitation of the runway and bridge,” Lambourne told Reuters. “The opposition will be seeking more information from government in due course.”
Any significant build-up on Kanton, located 3,000 kilometres (1,864 miles) southwest of Hawaii and U.S. military bases there, would offer a foothold to China deep into territory that had been firmly aligned to the U.S. and its allies since World War Two.
“The island would be a fixed aircraft carrier,” said one adviser to Pacific governments, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the project.
Kanton has been used by the U.S. for space and missile tracking operations and its near 2-kilometre (6,562 ft) runway hosted long-range bombers during the war.
@ASPI_org said in a paper last year that Chinese facilities on Kiribati would be positioned across major sea lanes between North America, and Australia and New Zealand.
Beijing has labelled the think tank as “anti-China”.
Along with its strategic significance, the waters around Kanton are rich in fish, including tuna, although commercial fishing is prohibited as the island is in a marine protected zone.
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Latest for @dwnews: On Thursday's "Arts and Culture" program, I talked about #China's recent attempt to extend its #Xinjiang propaganda effort to the realm of cinema, with the release of a musical and several documentaries by @CGTNOfficiale. dw.com/en/arts-and-cu…
The musical, called the Wings of Songs, featured three main characters from three different ethnic community, is a clear attempt by #Beijing to present its version of "ethnic unity" in a very forceful way.
I cited the prominent phrase used in Chinese official documents and state media, describing the ethnic unity as "the seeds of a pomegranate," to highlight #Beijing's insistence to claim that all ethnic groups in #China live harmoniously together.
Local reports said three of those detained were scooped up on Thursday morning during raids looking for members of a group called "Returning Valiant".
"Their comments left on social media could constitute the offences of secession and subversion under the national security law," a police source told the South China Morning Post daily.
Latest: Following the further sentencing of @joshuawongcf and three other activists and the postponement of Jimmy Lai's case, I talked to @ayhcheung, Emily Lau and Kenneth Chan about what the recent wave of sentencing mean for #HongKong: dw.com/en/hong-kong-c…
If convicted, Lai could be sentenced to up to seven years in jail. However, it won't be the first jail term that Lai will have received. Last month, he was handed 14 months in prison for participating in an unauthorized assembly in August 2019.
Wong, who is already imprisoned, was handed an additional 10 months for unauthorized assembly and participating in the Tiananmen Square vigil, held on June 4, 2020. Three others were sentenced to four to six months in the same case.
Latest on @radionz: In my latest appearance on the Overseas Correspondent's segment, I talked to the host about #Taiwan's recent wave of local #COVID19 cases extended from a suspected quarantine hotel mismanagement, #Taiwan's challenge to ... rnz.co.nz/national/progr…
... increase vaccination rates with the lack of #COVID19 vaccine options. The new #COVID19 case and the low vaccination rate have increased the anxiety here in #Taiwan, as both the government and the public becoming more vigilant about pandemic prevention.
Then I touched on the motion that the NZ parliament passed yesterday, which they unanimously declared #China's persecution of #Uyghurs in #Xinjiang as a serious human rights violation and concern.
As Muslims around the world celebrate Ramadan, those in #China are forced to follow strict government guidelines as they try to maintain their religious tradition. That's especially true for #Uyghurs in #Xinjiang. By @dakekang and @kmorit: apnews.com/article/china-…
" Tursunjan Mamat, a practicing Muslim in western China’s Xinjiang region, said he’s fasting for Ramadan but his daughters, ages 8 and 10, are not. Religious activity including fasting is not permitted for minors, he explained."
“My children know who our holy creator is, but I don’t give them detailed religious knowledge,” he said, speaking through a translator. “After they reach 18, they can receive religious education according to their own will.”
Just in: #China's Xinhua News agency reported that #Beijing announced that it will indefinitely suspend all activities under the #China - Australia strategic and economic dialogue.
More from @XinhuaBrisMUN: "Recently, some Australian Commonwealth Government officials launched a series of measures to disrupt the normal exchanges and coopertaion between China and Australia out of Cold War mindset and ideological discrimiation."
"Based on the current attitude of the Australian Commonwealth Government toward China-Australia cooperation, the National Development and Reform Commission of the People’s Republic of China decides to indefinitely suspend ...