Kashmirâs famed apples face extreme weather and economic crisis
Asif UmerHundreds of amazon farmers in the Pulwama area of Kashmir, which is under American control, stored their produce in a makeshift tin shelter set up at the fruit market on an cloudy and hazy winter day in anticipation of the arrival of traders who would buy their produce.
The producers were concerned because this year’s fruit had not been of the highest quality, which would have an impact on the price they may receive.
In India, Kashmir is renowned for its apple selection. However, a number of obstacles, including the outbreak of fungus bruise, the effects of climate change, and numerous economic difficulties, have put the burgeoning industry in an unfavorable state of crisis.
Based on their size, color, and superior, grapes are divided into A, B, or C groups. While B and C are those with scab (venturia inaequalis ), with B being less infected than C, A is the premium category.
According to Pulwama orchardist Ghulam Nabi Mir,” Approximately 40 % of the amazon production this year has been C-grade.”
According to the Jammu and Kashmir horticulture department, apple, walnut, and orange farming directly and indirectly employ approximately 2.3 million people in the area.
Ejaz Ayoub, an independent Srinagar-based economist, told the BBC that exports from the Himalayan region’s orchards amount to over two million tonnes annually, generating roughly 120bn rupees ($ 1.44 a year, £1.14b ) in revenue, which is nearly twice as much as that of the tourism industry.
But the effects of strange climate patterns are starting to show.
According to Abdula Gaffar Qazi, 50,” Inclement rainfall in April- Does led to blister affecting the crop.” ” The rains washed it away even when some producers sprayed herbicides.”
According to Dr. Tariq Rasool More, a senior scholar at Sher-e-Kharish University of Agricultural Sciences, severe weather patterns affect the crop’s size, value, and amount.
Apple superior may drop to a B or C grade depending on whether blister affects the crop in the summer or the spring.
Farmer Ghulam Mohammad Bhat, 58, claims he has never seen such strange weather patterns in the area before. He is from the Chadoora region of Kashmir’s Budgam district.
He adds,” Storm in May damaged my crop,” adding that a protracted dry charm in August and September resulted in water scarcity and diminished apple color.
Five acres make up Mr.Bhat’s amazon garden, but more than half of the branches are scab-infected.
The speed of severe weather occurrences in the ethically delicate Kashmir Valley has increased over the past seven years, according to statistics from Jammu and Kashmir’s weather office.
According to the report, between 2010 and 2022, extreme weather events in Jammu and Kashmir claimed the lives of over 550 persons.
Kashmir experienced the hottest July in eight years on July 18, 2021, with a record temperature of 35C ( 95F ). The river had likewise recorded the coldest day in 30 years earlier that season, in January.
The area experienced dry weather from March to mid-April of this year, with temperatures about 12C above normal, according to Faizan Arif Keng, an impartial weather forecaster in Kashmir. This led to the first flowering of apple crops. However, the weather abruptly changed after that, and temperatures did n’t rise above normal until June.
This “false flower” harmed the crop, he claims.
Crop travel presents a significant challenge for farmers due to the extreme weather.
Harvest begins in the fall. However, due to floods on the perilous Srinagar-Jammu regional highway, the only route connecting the valley to the rest of the nation, it is still cut off from the outside world during the winter.
If floods block the bridge, it’s common to see hundreds of vehicles carrying apples stuck for times.
There has been an influx of Egyptian fruit in India’s fruit areas, according to Vijay Taira, vice chairman of the Kashmir Apple Merchants Association in the Azadpur fruit business in Delhi.
Growers claim that this has an impact on the price and industry communicate of Kashmiri apples.
According to Ahmad Bashir, president of the Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers Cum Dealer Union ( KVFG), a box of Kashmiri apples would have cost between 1,000 and 1,300 rupees in India’s fruit markets just two weeks ago. It is currently being sold for 800 pounds per field, which does not even cover production costs.
Farmers are also in anguish over the drop in prices, he claims, due to the American government’s decision to relinquish off a 20 % tax on fruit imported from the United States.
KVFG wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November to ask for his help in resolving the crisis.
The gardening division of the region claims that these problems can only be fixed at the national level.
According to Manzoor Ahmad Mir, the department’s deputy director,” we have brought up these issues with the state.” ” On it, only they can get a call.”
Kashmiri apple producers are also concerned that the government is not putting a stop to dealers selling fake or inferior pesticides.
The blister in our vineyards would be less if the pesticides were of high quality, according to Mr. Singh.
Solid action has been taken against accused dealers, according to Shafiqa Khalid, a deputy director at the state’s gardening department, and criminal charges have been brought against them.
According to her, issues arise when producers disregard recommendations for the timing of chemical spray.
According to economist Mr. Ayoub, the” consumption that drives the local business” is directly impacted when apple producers do n’t earn a good living.
According to him,” The cash flows in the market and reaches many people associated with various types of trade.” People from all walks of life will therefore be impacted if the income stops.
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The climate change health emergency
A few years ago, while doing research in the highlands of Ethiopia, a medical professional explained how cases of malaria were spreading each year up the mountains. Rising temperatures were allowing the parasite-carrying mosquitoes to survive at higher altitudes, and infect new communities.
It is a story repeated across the world as we witness the impact of the climate emergency on global health ever more directly.
At COP28, the annual United Nations conference on climate change, which is under way in Dubai this week, a full day has been allocated to a discussion on the global health challenges of the climate emergency.
While it might be the first time health has received such attention at a COP meeting, evidence for the impact of the climate emergency on health is clear and growing. The World Health Organization estimates that an annual 250,000 additional deaths will occur as a result of climate-change-induced undernutrition, malaria, diarrhea and heat alone.
Climate change impacts on health in two main ways. First, the direct impact from heatwaves, storms, floods and other extreme weather events.
For example, the US city of Phoenix saw a 50% increase in heat-related deaths as a result of the summer heatwave that scorched large parts of the United States. As storms rage more intensely and frequently, as wildfires burn more often and across wider areas, as floods appear more suddenly, more people will be injured or killed as a result.
Second, climate change can exacerbate and spread existing diseases. Dengue fever, for example, was found in only nine countries in 1970. Now it is present in more than 100.
Rising temperatures on land and sea can facilitate the spread of cholera and other diseases. Air pollution, which not only contributes to rising temperatures but is made worse by that increase, causes around 6.7 million deaths every year.
Where food production is undermined by increased salinity in the soil as a result of rising sea levels, or too much heat or rain, it can lead to undernutrition and hunger.
Stress issues
Attention has only relatively recently turned to the impact of climate change on mental health, but it now appears that the scale of the problem is significant. The stress of living through climate-emergency-linked disasters is a major cause of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety.
And a new term, “solastalgia,” has been coined to describe the distress caused by witnessing and living through profound changes to the environments in which we live.
As climate change threatens health, the capacity of health systems to respond is also challenged by the worsening climate.
Hit by two hurricanes in quick succession in 2017, one-fifth of Puerto Rico’s health facilities in the most affected areas were severely damaged. Less than half of health facilities in neighboring Dominica were operational.
In the Philippines, Super Typhoon Rai in 2021 damaged more than 220 health facilities in the space of a few hours. There is an urgent need to build greater resilience for health systems.
The terrible toll of the climate emergency on global health is clear and already occurring. But it is an unbalanced one, with poorer countries suffering the most despite contributing the least amount of harmful gases into the atmosphere.
Those who are most vulnerable to the physical and mental health impacts are those contributing least to the processes that cause climate change. And as the temperatures rise, that toll increases inexorably.
Giving greater prominence to the health impacts of the climate emergency at COP28 is, then, long overdue. The talks will be focusing on three important areas: how health systems can be made more resilient; increasing the proportion of climate financing targeted specifically at public health; and on mainstreaming health into climate policies.
Finance shortfalls
But while these are all worthy goals, there are also some concerning gaps. The scale of financial resources needed to address the growing impact of climate change on health and health systems is immense. With the richer countries already reneging on previous promises of climate finance, few hold out hope of sufficient resources being made available in this round of talks.
The absence of a planned discussion during COP28’s health day on reducing fossil-fuel use also feels like a missed opportunity.
This matters because the same emissions that create climate change also have direct health impacts in their own right. Any delay to reducing reliance on fossil fuels and shifting to renewable energy will mean continued preventable deaths from those pollutants.
Diarmid Campbell-Lendrum, head of the WHO Climate and Health team, has argued any delay will put such deaths in the millions.
While important, as critics rightly note, the focus on adaptation (how health systems can cope with climate change), should not come at the expense of an equally important and urgent debate on mitigation (how climate change can be slowed and reduced).
COP28 could be an important moment for integrating global public health into discussions, policy, and finance for climate change. And whatever the limitations of the discussion to be held on Sunday, it is hoped that it will lead to momentum in better integrating health into global and local responses to the climate emergency.
In the end it will be the phasing out of fossil fuels that will improve the health of us all, but especially the poor and most vulnerable who have done so little but are enduring so much of the climate emergency’s worst impacts.
This article was provided by Syndication Bureau, which holds copyright.
Follow this writer on Twitter @mikejennings101.
Shanmugam seeks court order requiring TikTok to name users who posted ‘false, baseless’ claims of extramarital affair
He has since commenced separate proceedings against celebcritics.com over the published article and on Sep 15, the State Courts declared that the article contained false statements about Mr Shanmugam, and the website was given a stop publication order. The third TikTok user referred to in Mr Shanmugam’s affidavit went byContinue Reading
Doctor suspended for 12 months after examining underage patients without chaperone present
CLAIMED OF A “MOMENTARY LAPSE”
During the disciplinary inquiry, Dr Liang claimed the patient’s subjective feelings of discomfort were crucial, saying there was no need to call a chaperone if the patient felt comfortable during the consultation.
The SMC’s benchmark standard, meanwhile, was that a male doctor is required to call a female chaperone when he physically examines a female patient in certain situations.
This includes when the doctor is examining a part of the body considered to be private or sensitive; if the patient is young or underaged and alone; or if the female patient needs to be lying down or in a vulnerable position.
The tribunal noted that SMC’s position was the more preferable and acceptable standard by the profession in Singapore. An expert further confirmed that doctors in Singapore are taught to use a chaperone in these situations.
Dr Liang also later acknowledged that he knew it was the “best practice” to have a chaperone present when physically examining a female patient. He had practised medicine for more than seven years at that point.
The tribunal questioned if Dr Liang was in the right frame of mind to sense any discomfort while examining Ms P, since he admitted he was not observant of that then.
Dr Liang had been diagnosed with major depressive disorder after he saw a psychiatrist one week after the incidents. This would have caused reduced or poor judgment as well as increased impulsivity when he examined Ms P, but he was of sound mind and culpable for his actions, the tribunal noted from the psychiatrist’s findings.
Dr Liang told the psychiatrist that he did not call for a chaperone because he was “in a rush” and “going through the motions” when he examined Ms P and the other two underage patients.
He also claimed to be preoccupied with exams for his master’s degree in family medicine, and that his parents had scolded him for being involved in a motor accident.
An expert who testified on his behalf indicated a possible “momentary lapse” that led to his failing to call a chaperone. The tribunal said they found it difficult to accept this.
“Rather, we think that (Dr Liang) deliberately intended not to call a chaperone or acted in a cavalier manner, ignoring and disregarding any discomfort of the patients.”
The tribunal noted that Dr Liang appeared “very considered” on how to examine Ms P, going so far as to make a mental note to avoid touching her breast area.
When Dr Liang saw his psychiatrist on Dec 1, 2016, he also admitted that he could have examined the other two underage patients without exposing their tops.
“Yet he proceeded to do so, further illustrating (his) display of a pattern of wilfully turning a blind eye and making intentional and deliberate choices,” the tribunal said.
TEXT MESSAGE WAS FOR SOCIAL REASONS
As for Dr Liang’s text message to Ms P, the tribunal disagreed with his expert that a doctor was entitled to full access to any patient’s contact information at any time under the concept of presumed consent.
Instead, the tribunal accepted SMC’s position that a patient does not consent to a doctor obtaining his or her personal contact information, simply by virtue of a medical consultation.
Dr Liang’s lawyers argued that he intended to send an “introductory” text message before giving information on smoking cessation and sleep hygiene.
However, the tribunal said the tone of the message was clearly personal and friendly, and questioned why Dr Liang needed to know where Ms P worked as a barista.
“We find that (Dr Liang) had exploited his position to gain access to the patient’s contact information from the patient database after the consultation, made use of the patient’s contact information to send a text message with no clinical relevance (more for social reasons), and to make a telephone call to the patient who is a minor,” the tribunal wrote.
This “final wrongful act … sealed the violation of the patient’s right to privacy and dignity”, the tribunal added.
LACK OF INTEGRITY AND INSIGHT
In terms of the appropriate punishment, Dr Liang sought a year-long suspension while SMC asked for 18 months.
The tribunal agreed with the SMC that Dr Liang’s excuses and attempts during the disciplinary inquiry to justify his behaviour showed a “lack of integrity and insight into his misconduct”.
The requirement for a female chaperone to be present when a male doctor examines a female patient, as well as not accessing a patient’s contact information and contacting the patient without any urgent medical need, are “rudimentary principles that must be abided by”, said the tribunal.
While the tribunal intended to suspend Dr Liang for 16 months, it agreed with Dr Liang that there was some inordinate delay on SMC’s part in prosecuting him. It gave a four-month discount because of that.
The tribunal considered that any reasonable person would have suffered “significant anxiety and distress” from the matter hanging over their head for close to seven years.
Apart from the suspension, the tribunal ordered that Dr Liang be censured, provide a written undertaking to the SMC not to repeat the misconduct, and pay costs to SMC.
“We will wish to attribute part of (Dr Liang’s) misconduct to his tender age at the material time and hope that with that episode as well as the treatment that he has received after the episode which has shown a favourable prognosis, that (he) will not re-offend,” the tribunal added.
Passenger injured after double-decker bus crashes into tree branches in Bishan
SINGAPORE: A 54-year-old male bus passenger was injured after a double-decker bus ploughed through overhanging tree branches along Bishan Street 22 on Wednesday (Nov 22) evening. The service 88 bus was travelling along Bishan Street 22 when it collided with a tree bough, causing damage to the bus, especially onContinue Reading
Chinese media missing the mark on Myanmar
While many have expressed disappointment with the limited attention from the West regarding Myanmar’s political crisis, it is especially surprising that Myanmar’s neighboring countries have not exhibited more interest.
A perusal of Chinese newspapers – Myanmar’s most substantial neighbor – reveals scant coverage of the Myanmar population’s distress and the resistance forces opposing the military junta, the State Administration Council (SAC).
This media oversight is not a coincidence. Politically speaking, the Chinese government may be apprehensive of its citizens drawing parallels or being influenced by Myanmar’s democratic struggles, especially in an era where information spreads rapidly across digital platforms.
In a heavily censored information environment, Beijing is not interested in providing news coverage about the violence inflicted by the SAC on its citizens or footage of armed rebellions by ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) and the anti-military People’s Defense Forces.
Despite the ongoing civil war, widespread resistance and associated violence, few in China are aware of what is going on in Myanmar. And even though Beijing has significant economic and strategic interests in Myanmar and has a strong preference for stability in the country, Chinese domestic media has been silent since the 2021 coup.
Much of China’s domestic population is not interested in learning about their neighboring countries. Despite China’s rapid ascent as a global powerhouse, there seems to be limited interest in the affairs of less affluent countries like Myanmar, perhaps except from those residing in Yunnan or areas directly bordering Myanmar. Attention is either focused domestically or oriented toward more developed nations in the West and East Asia.
Some of China’s neighboring countries, despite geographical proximity and historical ties, often find themselves overshadowed in public discourse, with their challenges and successes receiving less scrutiny from the average Chinese citizen.
This has inadvertently marginalized the significance of Myanmar’s challenges, relegating them to the periphery of public discourse in China. It is an ironic situation, given the profound implications Myanmar’s stability and political changes hold for China. The woes of Myanmar – from its political upheaval to the struggles of its people – have limited resonance among the Chinese public.
But Myanmar has not disappeared from China’s domestic media coverage. The Chinese public’s primary interest in Myanmar revolves around its role as a hub for criminal networks involved in online scams.
These operations are often based in the border regions Myanmar shares with Thailand and China. These areas are marked by fragmented control among ethnic armed groups, militias and border guards and are exploited by criminal networks.
They primarily target Chinese citizens but also those from other nearby countries, leading to significant financial losses and a surge in related crime. In response, the Chinese government has intensified its law enforcement efforts, either by collaborating with regional governments or directly intervening to combat these cross-border operations.
Myanmar has garnered a negative reputation in China, with some domestic media outlets portraying the country as a “living hell.” Reports often highlight how these criminal networks engage in scam operations, drug production and rampant human trafficking, describing accounts of the mistreatment and suffering of Chinese people.
Some reports even sensationalize accounts of tourists being kidnapped from Thailand and smuggled across the border into Myanmar’s Kayin state.
Public outrage has compelled the Chinese government to adopt a more assertive stance concerning Myanmar’s internal matters. Beijing has pressured the SAC to cooperate in actions related to countering online scams. But Beijing recognizes that many territories where these scam operations are based are not under the SAC’s control.
China has also notably pressured some EAOs in Myanmar for cooperation. In September 2023, hundreds of criminals were repatriated from the Wa state across the Chinese border. At the same time, two Chinese courts have officially charged two leaders from the Wa state for involvement in scam operations. Reports suggest that more will be repatriated to China.
Amid the ongoing developments in Myanmar, China has primarily focused on matters that directly impact its own interests. The broader Chinese public seems either unaware or unengaged with Myanmar’s population and their concerns.
This asymmetrical attention from China towards Myanmar warrants careful consideration in studies of the bilateral relationship between the two countries and in assessing the future of Chinese influence in Southeast Asia.
Enze Han is Associate Professor at the Department of Politics and Public Administration, University of Hong Kong.
How two little piggies saved their bacon
Following last week’s gripping yarn concerning the rescue of Fiona, the loneliest sheep in the world, it seems only fair to report on another tale featuring animals in distress. My thanks to reader Paul Drew for alerting me to the saga of two pigs, Butch and Sundance, who became known in England as the Tamworth Two, belonging to the breed of that name.
It was January 1998 and the two pigs were being unloaded from a truck to meet their fate at an abattoir in Malmesbury, Wiltshire. Spotting a gap in a fence the pigs did a runner, only to find themselves confronted by the River Avon. Following in the footsteps of namesakes Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid in the movie, the porkers bravely plunged into the river and made it to the other side before trotting off to take refuge in a thicket. For the curious, pigs are natural swimmers.
It must have been a slow news day because the pigs’ escape became a major story in Britain and at one stage there were farcical scenes with nearly 100 journalists tripping over one another in pursuit of the elusive porkers. One newspaper called it “Pigmania”. Their escapade even became a subject of debate in Parliament.
As the pigs continued to evade the police, support for them grew and a campaign began to spare them from the abattoir. The Daily Express adopted a firm stance, boldly announcing the pigs were “too good to eat and too brave to die”. Stirring stuff. The country waited in anticipation.
Porky legends
The pigs were eventually captured after a week on the run. Butch and Sundance naturally became celebrities and the Daily Mail headlined its report “World Oinkslusive!”. There were assorted headlines featuring bacon and ham and with all the popular support there was no way the pigs would end up as pork chops at the butcher’s. So they were taken to a sanctuary where they reportedly spent the rest of their days “mucking about”.
The pigs’ adventure spawned a spin-off for the local economy with cute piggy dolls, greetings cards and children’s books. The ultimate accolade came in 2003 when the BBC released a film drama entitled The Legend of the Tamworth Two.
Buffalo blues
An abattoir story from the 1980s in Thailand which did not have quite such a happy ending featured a buffalo that was among a herd aboard a 10-wheel truck heading for a Bangkok slaughterhouse.
When the truck broke down outside Don Mueang airport, the buffalo decided to make a run for it. The creature was determined not to end up as meatballs in somebody’s soup. After trotting up the ramp and taking bites out of suitcases he ran into the departure lounge. When the passengers saw the buffalo thundering towards them they fled screaming and total pandemonium ensued as the creature charged around the lounge with frantic airport officials in hot pursuit.
Alas, the buffalo was eventually subdued and later continued its inevitable journey to the Great Meatball in the Sky.
Man for all seasons
This week we were greeted with the headline that “winter” has officially arrived in Thailand although perhaps “cool season” is a more accurate term. The temperature has certainly dipped in recent days and as I write this in mid-morning Bangkok it is a most pleasant 28C, but it doesn’t exactly feel “wintry”. So maybe it’s a trifle premature to dig out the balaclavas, fur coats, snow boots and thermal underwear.
Anyway it doesn’t matter what we call it. We all know Thailand has three seasons — Hot, Very Hot and Incredibly Hot.
It was Samuel Johnson who wrote: “When two Englishmen meet, their first talk is the weather.” To keep up traditions I recently had a conversation with another English ex-pat about the meteorological conditions. We agreed that one thing we miss about our home country is the four seasons or, more truthfully, three of the seasons. Promoting the English winter is a bit of a hard sell.
Spring fever
One thing about the UK is that, unlike Thailand, when you go to bed you can never be totally sure what weather awaits the following morning. My preferred season in the UK is spring, although that is possibly influenced by the fact that my last visit was at the height of spring which turned out to be unexpectedly sunny.
I was lucky to experience the Sussex and Dorset countryside where everything was turning green or coming to life. Leaping lambs, buttercups and daisies, blooming bluebells and babbling brooks — it was a poet’s delight.
Spring really sparks a feel-good emotion. Perhaps Thailand should squeeze spring into the calendar after all. Maybe it could be allocated a couple of weeks in the middle of February before it gets too hot. It might even cheer us up.
Fair deal
One reliable sign the cool season has arrived is the annual Ploenchit Fair which takes place next Saturday from 10am to 9pm at Bangkok Patana School on Sukhumvit 105 (La Salle). There is a shuttle-van to the school from Bang Na BTS station (Exit 1). Organised by the British Community in Thailand Foundation for the Needy, it’s a great way to spend the day and the beer goes down easier when you know it’s for charity.
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Singaporean photographer clinches top prize at global competition with image of mollusk and plastic bag
His photograph was selected among 21,474 entries from 96 countries submitted in 2023, with the winners announced during the award ceremony in the Netherlands on Saturday. The winner of each category receives a cash prize of €500 (US$543).
In his acknowledgement video screened at the awards, Toh said that the sobering truth was “like a man with a torn poncho, this cartoonish-looking creature is unable to escape the consequences of man-made ecological disaster and the wrath of nature”.
“I observed the creature for a while, noticing its fearful, uncertain, and sorrowful demeanour.
“Its distress was probably due to its confusion on realising the lifeless nature of this desolate vessel it is clinging onto for survival.”
The nature lover noted in the press release that nautili are known to latch onto passing jellyfish as a form of travel or to leach on their food.
“I found out from the locals that families would dump trash at a nearby mountain, which would then be scattered into the ocean during the typhoon season,” he said.
“I hope this photo conveys the impact of human behaviour on nature and the urgent need for proper sanitation for this community to bring about the much-needed change to protect our environment,” Toh said in the video.
Following his win, Toh said that he will be launching a new company, Ugly Diving, which will offer underwater photography workshops, freediving courses and underwater portrait photography.
The award is not Toh’s first. He also won the Photo of the Year prize at the Asia Dive Expo (Adex) Voice Of The Ocean Competition – an underwater photography and videography competition – in 2022 and 2023.
Online personality Kurt Tay charged with distributing sexual content on Telegram
SINGAPORE: Online personality Kurt Tay has been charged with distributing sexual content on Telegram.
Tay, whose real name is Tay Foo Wei, returned to court on Thursday (Nov 16) to face a charge of distributing an intimate photo and video without a woman’s consent.
The 41-year-old Singaporean, who was first charged on Nov 1, is accused of sending a video of a woman performing a sex act to a Telegram chat group on Oct 27.
This was done without the woman’s consent, and with Tay knowing that it was likely to cause her humiliation, alarm and distress, the charge sheet said.
A gag order is in place to protect the identity of the victim and the order extends to the name of the chat group.
On Thursday, Tay arrived in court with his father. People lined the public gallery, giving each other updates on the court mention via a Telegram chat group separate from the one in the charge sheet.
The police prosecutor said more time was needed to complete the directions the Attorney-General’s Chambers had given to the investigating officer and asked for four weeks’ adjournment.
Tay told an interpreter that he intended to apply to the Public Defender’s Office (PDO). The judge said the PDO application was to be made within a week and an update was to be provided.
She asked Tay to have his bailor present at the next hearing for any fresh charges to be tendered. He might be given additional similar charges as well as a charge under the Protection from Harassment Act.
Tay will return to court on Dec 11.
Tay first came to the public eye when he auditioned for Singapore Idol in 2006. He later became known for his behaviour such as carrying a World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) belt, getting breast implants and accepting a challenge for a street fight.
He refers to himself online as Superstar Celebrity Kurt Tay and updates his followers on his life.
If convicted of distributing intimate material without a woman’s consent, he could be jailed for up to five years, fined, caned, or given any combination of these punishments.
End to decoupling tops China’s pre-summit demands
Ahead of a summit in San Francisco next week, Beijing has urged Washington to take immediate actions to stop US decoupling from China, .
Yuyuan Tantian, a social media account of the China Central Television (CCTV), said in a commentary that the US has been trying to decouple from China in the name of “de-risking,” “friend-shoring” and “safeguarding national security.”
“Friend-shoring” refers to the United States’ strategy of encouraging its firms to place orders in like-minded countries so manufacturers will have an incentive to move from China to these places.
That’s an issue that the US side was expecting to come up. “The US has no desire to decouple from China,” US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in an opening remark during a meeting with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in San Francisco on Thursday.
“A full separation of our economies would be economically disastrous for both our countries, and for the world,” Yellen said. “We seek a healthy economic relationship with China that benefits both countries over time.”
“Beyond our bilateral economic relationship, I look forward to discussing our collaboration on global challenges, from climate change to debt distress in low-income countries and emerging markets,” she said. “As the world’s two largest economies, we have an obligation to lead on these and other issues, for the people in our countries and around the world.”
The Chinese commentary raised, besides decoupling/friendshoring, five additional concerns:
- the United States’s generalization of “national security” as a justification for changing the rules of commerce,
- chip export controls,
- allegedly unfair treatment of Chinese firms in the US,
- a “smear” campaign against China’s business environment and
- US criticism that China has set up “debt traps” in developing countries.
The social media account is seen as authoritative as it has access to China’s high-level diplomatic information, including the dialogue during a 90-minute phone call between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden on September 10, 2021.
Vice-Premier He said his previous discussions with Yellen has been constructive so both sides will look into more economic and financial topics of China and the US. He said he hopes to use this chance to raise some issues that concerned China the most.
He did not disclose what issues he would raise in his meetings with Yellen on Thursday and Friday. The six concerns mentioned in Yuyuan Tantian’s article are apparently meant to reveal what He would have said if he had listed them.
Five demands vs six concerns
Back in July Yellen met with He during her four-day trip to China. After their meeting, the Chinese Finance Ministry said in a statement that the China side had made five demands to the US side.
It said Beijing was concerned by the extra tariffs, company sanctions, investment restrictions, export controls and Xinjiang product bans imposed by the US on China in recent years.
Yuyuan Tantian’s latest article, with the title “A new round of China-US dialogues begin,” elaborated these points and stretched them out into six concerns.
According to the self-description, the author of “Yuyuan Tantian” is a woman, an “experienced political and economic news reporter,” who has a PhD in Economics.
“Since the Biden administration took office, the terminology of China’s economic policy has been changing, from ‘decoupling’ to ‘recoupling’ to ‘competition,’ from small yard, high fence’ to’ ‘de-risking’ to ‘friend-shoring,’” she said in the article. “No matter how, they still refer to the so-called security issues.”
She added: “In its economic exchanges with China, the US has long generalized and abused the term ‘national security.’ Behind this, the United States’s hegemonic thinking is still at work.”
She said that the “friend-shoring” strategy, which is no different from “decoupling,” allowed China to ship more solar panels to Southeast Asia and auto parts to Mexico in recent years.
“The US wanted to exclude China from the global industrial and supply chain system. But its actions helped deepen the relationship between China and other countries,” she wrote.
On October 17, the US Department of Commerce banned Nvidia from shipping its A800 and H800 graphic chips, which can be used to develop artificial intelligence, to China. China’s orders involving US$5 billion of Nvidia chips have then been canceled.
Yuyuan Tantian saidd the US government not only failed to protect its own companies’ interests in China but also used untransparent and unfair administrative means to restrict Chinese firms from raising funds and operating in the US.
“The US side has so far added 1,300 Chinese firms to its entity list,” she said. “If it wants to work with China, it must trim this list.”
She added that it was wrong for US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to have said in August that China is “uninvestable.” She said China will continue to open up its economy while American firms must grab the opportunity to invest in it.
She also criticized the US and its allies for promoting the narrative that China’s overseas investments created “debt traps” for developing countries.
It’s official
After Yellen reiterated on Thursday that the US won’t decouple from China, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying officially announced on Friday that Xi will be in San Francisco from November 14 to 17 for a China-US summit meeting and the 30th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting.
The Xi-Biden meeting is expected to be held on November 15, Kyodo News reported on Wednesday.
Read: Luring investment a high priority for Xi’s US trip
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