The former leader of a Hong Kong pro-independence group says he received up to HK$3,000 from security officers per meeting to become an informant when he was released from jail in June before he fled to Britain and sought political asylum. In November 2021, Tony Chung, who was then 20,Continue Reading
BEIJING: A former vice-chairman of China’s banking regulator has been sentenced to life imprisonment, state media reported on Friday (Dec 29), the latest target in a crackdown on corruption in the second-largest economy’s finance sector.
Beijing launched a sprawling campaign to counter graft in 2012, following the ascension of leader Xi Jinping to the top of the governing Communist Party.
Since then, some 4.8 million party officials have been investigated, according to the latest official figures from June 2022.
Such investigations generally result in convictions and are suspected of serving as a tool for sidelining political figures seen as opposing Xi.
Cai Esheng was found guilty of accepting 407 million yuan (US$57.5 million) in bribes while in office, state broadcaster CCTV reported, citing a decision by a court in Zhenjiang.
He was also said to have taken an additional 110 million yuan in bribes after retiring.
CCTV reported he was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, which will be commuted to life in prison.
Born in 1951, Cai spent most of his career in finance and served for eight years as a vice-chairman of the country’s banking regulator.
Now retired, he came under scrutiny in 2021 with the launch of an investigation into “serious violations of discipline and the law” – wording that typically designates acts of corruption or embezzlement.
The former executive also served as a senior Communist Party representative to the banking regulator.
The conviction comes during a particularly active period for the crackdown on China’s finance sector.
On Thursday, a former head of China’s central bank was sentenced to more than 16 years in prison for corruption.
A legislative gathering on Friday saw the adoption of an amendment that provides tougher penalties for corruption, according to state news agency Xinhua.
BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday (Dec 29) urged Chinese ambassadors to forge a “diplomatic iron army” loyal to the Communist Party, reviving the abrasive “Wolf Warrior” rhetoric propagated by some diplomats as a sign of China’s increasingly assertive foreign policy. “Dare to be good at struggle and toContinue Reading
Winner of the Aga Khan Award for architecture for her design of the Bait-ur-Rouf Mosque in Dhaka, and designer of the country’s Independence Monument, Tabassum developed prototype shelters to test them against flash flooding and storm winds. “It can be assembled and disassembled very easily,” she told AFP, calling itContinue Reading
BEIJING: China named Dong Jun as its new defence minister on Friday (Dec 29) to replace the last minister who disappeared four months ago. The appointment by Chinese lawmakers comes as President Xi Jinping upgrades the military as part of his push to make China a dominant world power, aContinue Reading
Other than choosing the president, voters will also be handed two more ballots that will decide the make-up of the single-chamber legislative body.
One will pick their local lawmaker, the other will choose their preferred political party – which will decide how many legislators-at-large each party gets. There are 113 seats in the legislature, with the DPP currently holding over 60 and the KMT under 40.
If neither party can win at least 57 seats, the next president will find it difficult to pass Bills and effect much meaningful change.
One quirk of the system is the new lawmakers will start their term from February, which means outgoing President Tsai will need to work with a newly composed legislature for the final months of her tenure. That tension could prompt a return to the rambunctious scenes Taiwan’s lawmakers are renowned for.
Concerns around election interference by external forces have been a consistent feature of the campaign.
US officials in charge of relations with Taiwan have repeatedly said Washington has no preferred candidate and they will respect the voters’ choice.
China has been more forthright. Beijing views Taiwan as part of its territory, a claim it has vowed to back up with the use of its military, if necessary. In November, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office urged voters to “oppose independence” and make the right choice when facing peace or war, prosperity or recession, according to a China Central Television report.
Liu Pengyu, spokesman for the Chinese embassy in the US, has warned the outcome of January’s elections may affect Beijing’s relations with Washington. President Joe Biden made clear to Xi during a meeting in November that his government would oppose any Chinese attempt to sway voters.
He said Beijing would continue to “hold the international moral high ground and unite and rally the overwhelming majority in our world”, “carry forward our fighting spirit”, reject “all acts of power politics and bullying” and “leverage our institutional strengths” amid external uncertainties. “An equal and orderly multipolar world isContinue Reading
Alegra Group estimates China’s Luckin Coffee added 5,059 stores in the last 12 months, while another Chinese chain, Cotti Coffee, opened 6,004 outlets in the period. “The scale of the opportunity is such that both (local and international chains) will have to be very aggressive in facing off against theContinue Reading
Over 1,500 Rohingya have landed in Indonesia since November, according to data from the United Nations’ refugee agency (UNCHR), facing increasing hostility and rejection as locals grow frustrated at the numbers of boats arriving. On Wednesday (Dec 27), a large crowd of Indonesian students stormed a convention centre housing hundredsContinue Reading
China has experienced a year of climate extremes. Last week, most of the country was hit by a cold snap that rewrote records with sub-freezing temperatures, in contrast to the summer, when scorching heat that breached 52 degree Celsius in the northwest blistered the country. Summer storms also brought recordContinue Reading