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Truong My Lan, a Vietnamese real estate tycoon, was sentenced to death on Thursday for her role in a financial fraud case, in a major display of the ruling Communist Party’s resolve to crack down on corruption. The trial for Ms. Lan, who was the chairwoman of the real estate developer Van Thinh Phat Group, was part of the government’s campaign against corruption. The leader of Vietnam’s Communist Party, Nguyen Phu Trong, has sought for years to stamp out corruption as the nation emerges as a major manufacturing hub and as one of Asia’s fastest-growing economies. Mr. Trong launched the anti-corruption drive in 2016, saying that graft could threaten the survival of the Communist Party, which has governed the country for nearly half a century. The campaign has led to the downfall of many business leaders and top officials, including former President Vo Van Tong, who resigned in March amid corruption allegations.

Persons: Truong, Lan, Van Thinh, Nguyen Phu Trong, Trong, Vo Van Tong Organizations: Vietnam’s Communist Party, Communist Party Locations: Vietnamese, Ho Chi Minh City

☆ Vietnamese property tycoon sentenced to death in country’s biggest ever financial fraud, state media reports
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Sophie Kiderlin | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Vietnamese property tycoon Truong My Lan (C) looks on at a court in Ho Chi Minh city on April 11, 2024. The Vietnamese property tycoon Truong My Lan was sentenced to death on Thursday for her involvement in the country's biggest ever financial fraud case, state media outlet Thanh Nien reported. She was sentenced to death for the embezzlement charges and to 20 years in prison for each of the other two accusations, according to state media. Around $12.3 billion were allegedly funnelled to Van Thinh Phat while other funds were used privately. Alongside Lan, more than 80 other people including central bank officials have been charged in the case for damaging SCB, state media reported.

Persons: Truong, Lan, Van Thinh, Van Thinh Phat, Vietnam's Organizations: Thanh, Van Thinh Phat Holdings Group, Stock Commercial Bank, Reuters, CNBC, Communist Locations: Ho Chi Minh, Saigon

☆ Truong My Lan: Vietnam tycoon sentenced to death in $12 billion fraud case
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Hanoi CNN —A court in Vietnam sentenced real estate tycoon Truong My Lan Thursday to death over her role in a 304 trillion dong ($12.46 billion) financial fraud case, the country’s biggest on record, state media reported. The crackdown, dubbed “blazing furnace,” has seen hundreds of senior state officials and high-profile business executives prosecuted or forced to step down. Lan and her accomplices were accused of siphoning off more than 304 trillion dong from Saigon Joint Stock Commercial Bank, or SCB, which she effectively controlled through dozens of proxies, according to investigators. From early 2018 through October 2022, when the state bailed out SCB after a run on its deposits, Lan appropriated large sums by arranging unlawful loans to shell companies, investigators said. Lan will appeal the verdict, a family member told Reuters before it was issued.

Persons: Hanoi CNN —, Truong, Van Thinh, Vietnam’s, Nguyen Phu Trong, ”, Lan Organizations: Hanoi CNN, Van Thinh Phat Holdings Group, Communist Party, Stock Commercial Bank, Reuters Locations: Hanoi, Vietnam, Chi Minh City, Saigon

☆ China is sending its highest-level delegation to North Korea since 2019 to kick off a ‘friendship year’
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The three-day visit, at North Korea’s invitation, shows the “great importance” China attaches to those relations, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said. The delegation will also arrive amid heightened global concern about North Korea, which has in recent months ramped up its bellicose rhetoric and continued its weapons testing. The trip could also be an important opportunity for the upper echelons of China’s political establishment to better understand the circumstances in North Korea today. Balance of powerChina has long walked a thin line in its relations with North Korea. It is a critical economic lifeline for a North Korea crippled by international sanctions over its illegal weapons testing.

Persons: Zhao Leji, ”, KCNA, Zhao, Xi Jinping, China’s, Joe Biden, Fumio Kishida, Kishida, Li Qiang, Liu Dongshu, …, ” Liu, Kim, Li Mingjiang, Vladimir Putin, Yun Sun Organizations: Hong Kong CNN — China’s, Beijing, Foreign Ministry, Japanese, CNN, Communist, North Korea –, Hong Kong’s City University, North, Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, “, United Nations Security, Stimson Locations: China, Hong Kong, North Korea, Pyongyang, Beijing, Moscow, United States, North, Japan, South Korea, Ukraine, Asia, Washington, Philippines, Russia, North Korean, Covid, Pacific, American

☆ China concerns bring new unity to once-turbulent US-Japan-Philippines relationship ahead of major White House summit
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Both the Philippines and Japan are US defense treaty allies, and the US military retains permanent bases in Japan and has base rights in the Philippines. That threat is manifested in three key areas – Taiwan, the South China Sea and the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, analysts say. Here's why 03:27 - Source: CNNJapan and Philippines both have separate territorial disputes with China, in the former’s case the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea and in the latter’s areas of the South China Sea. Meanwhile, China claims the shoal, which is in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, as its sovereign territory, as it does much of the South China Sea, in defiance of an international arbitration ruling. “Alliance building is the most practical way to deal with China’s moves” in the South China Sea, he said.

Persons: ”, James D.J, Brown, Joe Biden, Fumio Kishida, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Xi Jinping, Biden, Micah Jeiel Perez, Marcos, Kishida, ” Marcos, Shinzo Abe, Ricardo Jose, ” Jose, Thomas, CNN Marcos, Shoal, China –, Masaharu Homma, –, Perez, Rodrigo Duterte, Marcos Jr’s, Duterte, Thomas Shoal, Veejay Villafranca, Robert Ward, BRP Antonio Luna, you’ve, Donald, Trump, ” Brown, “, Ward Organizations: South Korea CNN, White, Temple University, Japanese, Taiwan –, Communist Party, Taiwan Relations, University of, Nikkei Asia, University of the, “, CNN, East China, Philippine, China Coast Guard, US, US State Department, Gen, “ Alliance, Clark Air Base, Naval, Bloomberg, Getty, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Cooperative, Philippine Navy, BRP, Royal Australian Navy, Self, Defense Forces, JS Akebono, US Navy, USS, Multilateral Maritime Cooperative, Armed Forces, AP Analysts Locations: Seoul, South Korea, United States, Japan, Philippines, China, Tokyo, Philippine, Taiwan, Washington, South, Senkaku, East China, University of the Philippines, CNN Japan, East, South China, Palawan, China – Washington, Beijing, Spain, Spanish, Imperial Japan, New Orleans, Bataan, Subic, Manila, US, Australia, India, Vietnam, Warramunga, IISS

☆ Microsoft warns China will use AI to try to influence US elections
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A new report from Microsoft shows how Chinese social-media accounts have used AI. The accounts target East Asian countries but also aim to influence US elections, per the report. AdvertisementMicrosoft says in a new report that China will use AI-generated media to influence elections in East Asian countries and the US. AdvertisementMany of the Chinese social-media messages ask followers to comment about which presidential candidates they support. Microsoft said the "accounts could be operating to increase intelligence gathering around key voting demographics within the United States."

Persons: —, Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, Trump Organizations: Microsoft, CCP, Service, Microsoft Threat Intelligence, National Intelligence, Chinese Communist Party, Reuters, CIA Locations: China, East, East Asia, Hawaii, Kentucky, United States, PRC

☆ Opinion | What Janet Yellen Needs to Tell China’s Leaders
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Peter Coy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It would be great if Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen had a copy of “The Portable Karl Marx” with her on her trip to China this week. China was “among the most unequal countries in the world” in 2018, another I.M.F. working paper released that year said. While Xi Jinping name-checks Marx, it’s clear from his behavior that what he really pursues is national greatness under the direction of the Chinese Communist Party. That’s more in line with Lenin, who believed that a “vanguard” party would lead the proletariat, than with Marx or Engels.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Karl Marx ”, Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, ” Marx, Xi, Marx, it’s, Lenin, Engels Organizations: International Monetary Fund, Chinese Communist Party Locations: China, Brazil

CNN —Eight Chinese migrants have been found dead on the coast of southern Mexico, authorities said, after their boat capsized along a popular but perilous route for illegally entering the United States. One Chinese man survived the trip, the statement said. The prosecutor’s office said it was working with federal agencies to investigate the incident and the Chinese embassy in Mexico to identify the bodies. The number of Chinese migrants illegally entering the US from Mexico has skyrocketed in recent years. The influx of Chinese migrants spotlights the urgency many now feel to leave their homeland, even amid what Chinese leader Xi Jinping has claimed is a “national rejuvenation.”Many Chinese who left the country point to a struggle to survive.

Persons: San Francisco del, Iris Wang, Wang, “, ”, Xi Jinping, –, Communist Party’s, China’s, Xi Organizations: CNN, Communist Locations: Mexico, United States, San Francisco, San Francisco del Mar, Oaxaca, Mexican, Tapachula, Chiapas, Guatemala, Venezuela, China

☆ Mike Gallagher on Why Conservatives Want TikTok Sold - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Jane Coaston | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Last month, the House passed a bill that would require TikTok’s parent company to sell its U.S. business to a company without ties to the Chinese government, or face a ban of the TikTok app in the United States. In Washington, which has become increasingly hawkish toward the Chinese government, worries and fears about the Chinese Communist Party’s role in ByteDance are widespread. But outside Capitol Hill, millions of people — especially younger Americans — use TikTok everyday for entertainment and increasingly for search. Representative Mike Gallagher, the Wisconsin Republican, is a co-sponsor of the legislation — he’s about to leave Congress but if this becomes law, it will have an effect on social media and U.S.-China relations long after his departure. Many lawmakers in both parties are concerned about the effects of social media on teens.

Persons: Mike Gallagher, Donald Trump’s Organizations: Communist, Wisconsin Republican Locations: United States, Washington, ByteDance, Hill, China

The official purchasing managers index, or PMI, rose from 49.1 in February to 50.8 in March. The monthly manufacturing PMI has mostly been under 50 over the past 12 months: Other than this month, factory activities only recorded an expansion in September. Zhao said the survey also showed some problems for companies remained, including increasing competition in industries and a lack of market demand. And it said 10.4 billion yuan ($1.4 billion) would go to upgrading industries and modernizing manufacturing. According to the survey released Sunday, the non-manufacturing PMI rose to 53 from 51.4 in February.

Persons: Zhao Qinghe, Zhao Organizations: BEIJING, —, PMI, National Bureau, Statistics, National People’s Congress, Communist Locations: China

☆ Was Jesus a man of color? Why this question matters more than ever
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-31 | by ( John Blake | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

But the question over the color of Jesus’ skin is a serious one this Easter, for two reasons. But there are some who say Jesus’ color should stay the same, or that it doesn’t matter at all. He concedes that there are barriers to worshipping a White Jesus that he, a White man, may not understand. Jesus didn’t simply care about the poor, he was poor.”Cleveland tells CNN that people who say Jesus’ color wasn’t important ignore history. She says the experience taught her how much White Christian nationalism and the White Jesus have merged.

Persons: CNN — Christena Cleveland, Thomas ”, Jesus, —, Cleveland, Thor, ”, Jesus didn’t, Megyn Kelly, “, Trump, Donald Trump, Al Drago, Gentile, Warner, he’s, Sallman, Edward J, Blum, Jesus Christ, Mario Tama, Christina L, Barr, ” Barr, he’d, coon, ” Antony Pinol, Pinol, God, Jesus doesn’t, ” Pino, Jeff Hutchens, Albert Cleage, George Floyd, Black, Dante Stewart, ” “, ” Stewart, James Cone, Toni Morrison, White, ‘ ’ Blum, MAGA, White MAGA Jesus, Paul Weaver, Drew Angerer, Jesus ’, Frederick Buechner, John Blake Organizations: CNN, Cleveland, TSA, Fox News, Bloomberg, Getty, CARE, New York Times, Christ, America, Communist Party, Warner, Republican Party, Black Tea News, Pennsylvania State Capitol, Christianity Locations: Cleveland, Hollywood, barbershops, Santa Claus, America, White, Avoca , Pennsylvania, Israel, Port, Prince, Haiti, Africa, Dillon , South Carolina, Asia, Southern, Eastern Europe, Rome, Harrisburg , Pennsylvania, Gaza, New York City

☆ Taiwan needs more babies. But conservative traditions are holding back some fertility solutions
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Eric Cheung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Taipei, Taiwan CNN —For married Taiwanese men Alan Hung and Danny Huang, the process of having a biological child together was never easy. Cases like this are troubling to Chen Ching-hui, who last month became the first fertility specialist to win a seat in Taiwan’s parliament. Same-sex couples and single women are banned from accessing procedures such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) or egg freezing in Taiwan, while surrogacy is outlawed entirely. The issue is particularly pressing for Taiwan because, as its population dwindles, so do its military ranks. A nurse handling egg freezing inside a Taipei clinic run by fertility specialist, and now lawmaker, Chen Ching-hui.

Persons: Taiwan CNN —, Alan Hung, Danny Huang, “, ” Huang, Chen Ching, Hung, Huang, Aiden, Danny Huang “, Chen, –, Dr Chen Ching, Eric Cheung, ”, ” Chen, Hsueh, Chang, Paula Bronstein, Huang – Organizations: Taiwan CNN, CNN, Kuomintang, KMT, Communist Party, Taiwan’s Institute for National Defense and Security Research, Democratic Progressive Party, China Medical University Hospital Locations: Taipei, Taiwan, Russia, United States, Taiwan’s, China, East Asia, Japan, Singapore, Korea, Hong Kong, South Korea, Southeast Asia

☆ Paw patrol: China’s most popular new police officer is a corgi
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —China’s most popular new police officer is making waves on social media with his stubby legs, wide grin and wagging tail. Fuzai is a reserve police dog and started training when he was two months old, according to state media. Weifang public security bureau/DouyinSome of these peers are featured on Fuzai’s official account on Douyin – the Chinese version of TikTok - with the account run by Weifang police. Weifang public security bureau/DouyinAt the end of the line is Fuzai – strapped to the back of an officer, paws dangling, like a fuzzy backpack. The country’s police forces range from public security departments and neighborhood patrols to more heavy-handed state security and paramilitary forces as well as a highly secretive civilian spy agency.

Persons: CNN —, ”, pooch, Fuzai, –, Wang Yanan, emojis Organizations: CNN, corgi, Weibo, bloodhound, China Daily, Chinese Communist Party Locations: Shandong, China, …, Liaoning

☆ This US state is not covered by the NATO treaty. Some experts say that needs to change
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Because in a quirk of geography and history, Hawaii is not technically covered by the NATO pact. Mengshin Lin/AP“People tend to assume Hawaii is part of the US and therefore it’s covered by NATO,” he says. The exception is spelled out in the Washington Treaty, the document that established NATO in 1949, a decade before Hawaii became a state. It also says any island territories must be in the North Atlantic, north of the Tropic of Cancer. Hawaii, Guam, Taiwan and North KoreaSome experts say times have changed in the decades since the Washington Treaty was signed – and argue today’s political situation in the Indo-Pacific might require a rethink.

Persons: “, ”, David Santoro, Mengshin Lin, ” Santoro, –, China’s, Xi Jinping, —, Joe Biden, John Hemmings, ” Hemmings, Hemmings, Forum’s Santoro, Amy Picard, Luis Simon, Simon, ” Simon Organizations: CNN, NATO, Hawaii, Pacific Command, Atlantic Treaty Organization, Aloha, Pacific Forum, Sailors, USS Arizona Memorial, USS, 82nd, Treaty Organization, Washington Treaty, Tropic, Cancer, US State Department, United, Argentine, South Atlantic, Communist Party, Taiwan Relations, White, Center, New, New American Security, Foreign, USS Arizona . US Navy, Interim, Andersen Air Force Base, Korean, . Air Force, 23rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, Force, . Air Force ‘ Coalition, Research Centre, Security, Brussels School, Governance, NATO Command, Union Locations: Sweden, United States, Hawaii, Pearl, Honolulu, USS Arizona, Pearl Harbor, Honolulu , Hawaii, California , Colorado, Alaska, North America, Washington, Europe, Argentina, Falkland, British, South, Guam, Taiwan, North Korea, New American, China, Beijing, Oahu, USS West Virginia, USS Tennessee, France, Nazi Germany, Japan, Italy, Korean, Soviet Union, Belgium, Ukraine

☆ Xi Jinping is caught in a bind: How do I undermine US power while also courting its investors?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

But Xi is also trying to dent US global power on several fronts. AdvertisementChina's President Xi Jinping presented an uncharacteristically affable image Wednesday, smiling broadly for US business leaders at a meeting in Beijing. The Chinese leader sought to assure investors including Cristiano Amon of Qualcomm and Stephen Schwarzman of the Blackstone Group that the downturn in China's economy, its biggest contraction in 15 years, would be over soon. AdvertisementOn the one hand, Xi is seeking to implement China's long-term strategy of displacing the US as the world's pre-eminent power. China's economy, after decades of growth, is experiencing its most serious problems in decades.

Persons: Xi Jinping, He's, Xi, —, Cristiano Amon, Stephen Schwarzman, Jonathan Ward, Ali Wyne, Joe Biden, Robert Daly, Wilson Organizations: Service, Qualcomm, Blackstone Group, United, Communist Party, US Navy, Taiwan, Wilson Center, CBS, International Crisis Group, Institute, NPR, US Locations: Beijing, China, Xinhua, United States, Ukraine, Russia, Taiwan, Iran, North Korea

The International Energy Agency, a Paris-based intergovernmental group, notes that in 2023 China accounted for around 60% of global electric car sales. Yellen's remarks are to be delivered Wednesday afternoon at Suniva — a solar cell manufacturing facility in Norcross, Ga. It is reopening, in part, because of incentives provided by the Democrats' Inflation Reduction Act, which provides tax incentives for green energy manufacturing. The European Union, also concerned about the potential threat to its auto industry, launched its own investigation into Chinese subsides for electric vehicles last year. “In the past, in industries like steel and aluminum, Chinese government support led to substantial overinvestment and excess capacity that Chinese firms looked to export abroad at depressed prices,” Yellen said.

Persons: Janet Yellen, China's, ” Yellen, ”, Xi Jinping, Xi Organizations: WASHINGTON, —, International Energy Agency, Treasury, Democrats, China, Trade Organization, U.S, Chinese Commerce Ministry, European Union, “, Communist Party Locations: China, Georgia, Paris, Norcross , Ga, U.S, Beijing

China’s economy has struggled to recover from severe self-imposed restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic that it lifted only at the end of 2022. But Xi said that China was again contributing to world economic growth in the double digits percentage-wise. China's economy has been bogged down by a crisis in its property market in which builders are struggling under mountains of debt, and buyers are paying off loans on apartments that may never be completed. Other issues, such as an aging population and high youth unemployment, are prompting China's leaders to lean more heavily on boosting export manufacturing to make up for weak demand at home. “The respective successes of China and the United States create opportunities for each other," Xi was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

Persons: —, Xi Jinping, Xi, ” Xi, Stephen A, Biden, Donald Trump, “, Craig Allen, China's, Antony Blinken, Janet Yellen Organizations: BEIJING, U.S, Communist Party, China's, Xinhua News Agency, Blackstone . Trade, U.S ., China Business Council, Apple, Xinhua Locations: Beijing, China, U.S, United, Washington, San Francisco, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Tibet, Xinjiang, People's Republic, United States

☆ China's Xi meets U.S. executives as businesses navigate bilateral tensions
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

The forum this year coincided with other efforts to attract foreign business. However, a combination of geopolitical tensions, regulatory uncertainty and slower economic growth have made it more challenging for foreign businesses in China. ... foreign companies share the same lack of confidence and worries about an uncertain future that is felt amongst much of China's domestic industry. Looking for economic clarityFor businesses considering China investment plans, the country's near-term growth outlook is another factor. He emphasized China's large market, industrial supply chain, and pointed out how China has worked on issues such as data exports and equal market treatment for foreign businesses.

Persons: Tim Cook, Management Dean Bai Chong, Xi Jinping, Stephen Schwarzman, Cristiano Amon, Mark Carney, Rajesh Subramaniam, Joe Biden, Carlos Gutierrez, Sean Stein, Gutierrez, Biden, Scott Kennedy, Peter Bachmann, Bachmann, Kennedy, Stephen S, Roach, Yale Law School's Paul Tsai, he's, China's, Han Zheng, Amin H, Nasser Organizations: Apple, China Development Forum, Tsinghua University School of Economics, Management, China News Service, Getty, U.S . Blackstone, Qualcomm, Bloomberg, FedEx, China, Cyberspace Administration, U.S, American Chamber of Commerce, of Commerce, Scott, Scott Kennedy Center for Strategic, Studies, China Centre, University of Applied Sciences, Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Yale Law, Yale Law School's Paul Tsai China, Communist Party, Invest, CNBC, Aramco Locations: China, BEIJING, U.S, San Francisco, Beijing, Shanghai, Washington ,, Saudi

☆ StanChart CEO Winters meets China FX regulator, launches investment banking unit
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Standard Chartered CEO Bill Winters met with the head of China's foreign exchange regulator on Monday, a month after the bank suspended new investments by its clients in the country into offshore products via a quota-based channel. "We have confidence in China's continued financial sector opening and economic transition," Winters said. "The inauguration of SCSCL will enhance Standard Chartered's ability to serve clients domestically and internationally, deepening and diversifying our capabilities in China". StanChart started hiring staff in China since 2023 as it geared up to launch the investment banking unit targeting niche bond deals, chairman of the unit said last year. Blackstone's Schwarzman held a meeting on Monday with the chief secretary of Communist Party of China, Cai Qi, a statement from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs shows.

Persons: Bill Winters, Winters, Zhu Hexin, StanChart, Zhu, China's, StanChart's Winters, Noel Quinn, Blackstone's Schwarzman, Cai Qi, Cai Organizations: China's, Administration of Foreign Exchange, SAFE, Standard Chartered Securities China, China Development, Communist Party of China, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Locations: London, China, U.S, Los Angeles

☆ China is trying to connect Southeast Asia by high-speed rail. Here’s how that’s going
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —Imagine jumping on a train in southwestern China, traveling some 2,000 miles and arriving in Singapore – less than 30 hours later. Southeast Asia is the “obvious” choice because of its “proximity to China,” Bowerman adds. “Beijing, I think, ultimately wants to see Southeast Asian countries within its sphere of geopolitical influence. A staff member waits for passengers to board the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed train during a week-long public trial phase at the Halim station in Jakarta on September 17, 2023. “In the example of a high-speed railway line between Malaysia and Singapore, Singapore would likely have just one stop – Malaysia would have more,” Wong told CNN.

Persons: China’s, Gary Bowerman, ” Bowerman, ”, Pon Souvannaseng, Peerapon Boonyakiat, Bowerman, Pan Wenbo, Pan, Mei Wei, Wei, “ I’m, Xi Jinping’s, Souvannaseng, Hong Kong –, Hong Kong’s, Yasuyoshi Chiba, Wong Muh Rong, ” Wong Organizations: CNN, Initiative, China Railway, Reuters, East Japan Railway Co, Malaysian, Bentley University, of, Communist Party, Laos Railway, Laos Railway cumulatively, Orient Express, Getty Locations: China, Singapore, Asia, Laos, Kunming, Vientiane –, Indonesia, Jakarta, Bandung, West Java, Thailand, Bangkok, Thai, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Southeast Asia, “ China, Peerapon, Cities, Penang, Malacca, Phuket Old Town, Beijing, Vietnam, Philippines, Cambodia, Wat, Siem Reap, ”, Kowloon, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Halim, AFP, “

☆ Son Jun-ho: South Korean soccer player returns home after being detained in China on suspicion of accepting bribes
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Gawon Bae | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —South Korean soccer star Son Jun-ho, who was detained in China for allegedly accepting bribes, has recently returned home, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Monday. The ministry has been communicating with the Chinese authorities through “various channels” and requested cooperation to “ensure a swift and fair process,” it said without giving details of the release. He has also represented South Korea’s men’s national team and reached the knockout stages of the World Cup in 2022 with the squad. Son became the first foreign soccer player to be investigated and detained since the CSL started in 2004, according to China’s state-run Global Times. His arrest was part of a broader initiative by Beijing to rid Chinese soccer of alleged corruption in the highest levels of the sport, during which the Communist Party’s anti-graft watchdog has been investigating a host of Chinese Football Association figures.

Persons: Son, “, ” Organizations: CNN, South, country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chinese Super League, Football Association, Korea’s, CSL, Times, Communist, Chinese Football Association Locations: South Korean, China, China’s, Liaoning, Shandong Taishan, Beijing

☆ Mike Gallagher to leave Congress in April, giving GOP an even narrower majority
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-22 | by ( Melanie Zanona | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

GOP Rep. Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin will resign from Congress early, handing another blow to Speaker Mike Johnson and his razor thin Republican majority. Once Buck and Gallagher leave, Johnson will be down to a 217-to-213 majority, meaning Republicans will only be able to lose one vote with full attendance and still be able to pass legislation. Gallagher is chairman of the high-profile Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, and Gallagher noted the hunt for a new chair once he departs in his announcement. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise downplayed the tightening majority. “It is tough with a five-seat majority, it is tough with a two-seat, one will be the same,” Scalise told CNN.

Persons: Mike Gallagher, Mike Johnson, Gallagher, –, Ken Buck, Buck, Johnson, “ I’ve, ” Gallagher, Steve Scalise, ” Scalise, “, ”, Majorie Taylor Greene Organizations: Republican, NBC News, Chinese Communist Party, CNN, House GOP, House Republicans, GOP Locations: Wisconsin, Colorado, Georgia

☆ As More Members Leave, House G.O.P. Will Be Able to Spare Just 1 Vote
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-22 | by ( Annie Karni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Republicans in Congress continue sprinting for the exits. Representative Mike Gallagher, Republican of Wisconsin, announced on Friday afternoon that he would resign from Congress months earlier than expected on April 19, bringing the already minuscule Republican majority down to a lonely one vote. After his departure next month, Republicans will control 217 House seats to the Democrats’ 213, allowing the G.O.P. to afford only a single defection from the party line on votes when all members are present. He said simply that “after conversations with my family, I have made the decision to resign my position,” and that he had “worked closely with House Republican leadership on this timeline.”But leaders had not anticipated it.

Persons: Mike Gallagher, Gallagher, “, Mike Johnson Organizations: Republican, Chinese Communist Party Locations: Wisconsin

☆ TikTok aside, Congress has its eye on the U.S. money going into China
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-21 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The House Select Committee on the CCP, established in January last year, led the legislative act to essentially ban TikTok in the U.S. if its Chinese parent ByteDance doesn't sell the popular social media app. watch nowThe House select committee in February also published a report alleging U.S. venture capital firms invested billions "into PRC companies fueling the CCP's military, surveillance state and Uyghur genocide." Similar research detailing the links between U.S. capital, venture firms in China and Chinese tech startups has started making its rounds in major media outlets since late 2023. The Senate in July overwhelmingly passed a bill that would have required U.S. investors in advanced Chinese technology to notify the Treasury Department. The Biden administration in August issued an executive order aimed at restricting U.S. investments into semiconductor, quantum computing and artificial intelligence companies citing national security concerns.

Persons: Ken Cedeno, that's, Mike Gallagher, Gallagher, Andrew King, King, Biden, Michael McCaul, Gregory W, Meeks Organizations: U.S, Capitol, Reuters, The U.S, Congress, Chinese Communist Party, CNBC, House Armed, Technologies, Innovation, Intelligence, CCP, Future, Ventures, Treasury Department, Treasury, Foreign, China's Ministry of Commerce, Financial Regulatory Administration Locations: Washington , U.S, Reuters BEIJING, The, China, United States, U.S, Beijing, San Francisco

☆ China's military, state media slam U.S. after report on SpaceX spy satellites
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Chinese military and state-run media on Sunday accused the United States of threatening global security, days after a Reuters report which found Elon Musk's SpaceX was building hundreds of spy satellites for a U.S. intelligence agency. Chinese military and state-run media on Sunday accused the United States of threatening global security, days after a Reuters report which found Elon Musk's SpaceX was building hundreds of spy satellites for a U.S. intelligence agency. A social media account run by the People's Liberation Army, or PLA, said the SpaceX program exposed the United States' "shamelessness and double standards" as Washington accuses Chinese tech companies of threatening U.S. security. "We urge U.S. companies to not help a villain do evil," Junzhengping, an account run by the PLA, posted on social media platform Weibo on Sunday. Wang Yanan, chief editor of Aerospace Knowledge, a magazine overseen by the ruling Communist Party, was quoted in an interview as saying the SpaceX satellite project posed "a challenge to global security and stability".

Persons: Elon, SpaceX's, Wang Yanan Organizations: Reuters, SpaceX, National Reconnaissance Office, NRO, People's Liberation Army, PLA, U.S ., Aerospace, Communist Party Locations: United States, Washington, U.S, Weibo

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