by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Jeddah : The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) welcomed the United Nations General Assembly’s vote in favor of a resolution granting the State of Palestine additional powers to be able to assume the chairmanship of the Group of 77 and China in 2019.
In a statement issued Wednesday, the OIC considered the resolution as reflecting a sound international position toward consolidating the status of the State of Palestine and its right to enjoy full UN membership.
OIC Secretary General of the Organization Dr. Yousef Al-Othaimeen commended the positions of all the countries that voted for Palestine. He said the resolution is a political, moral and humanitarian message from the international community toward supporting the rights and aspirations of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.
Meanwhile, the OIC chief called for taking advantage of this historic achievement in mobilizing international efforts for sponsoring a political process leading to the realization of the vision of a two-state solution, based on the international legitimacy resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.
—AB/UNA-OIC
by admin | May 25, 2021 | World
By Hassan Isilow,
Johannesburg: Some leading African analysts have said China may be trapping African countries into debt by offering them heavy loans they may not be able to repay.
“In the end, China will ask defaulting countries for other forms of re-payment such as harbors and land,” Northwest University Professor Andre Duvenhage told Anadolu Agency in an interview.
He said he believes that in the long run, China might start influencing political and economic decisions of certain African countries.
However, China denies that its loans to the continent have political strings attached.
“China does not interfere in Africa’s internal affairs and does not impose its own will on Africa,” President Xi Jinping told leaders at the two-day Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) last month.
During the meeting, Xi offered Africa $60 billion in new development financing, in addition to another $60 billion Beijing had offered the continent in 2015.
“China is not coming to Africa to develop it. Africa has been weak in thinking that other countries are coming here to benefit them,” University of South Africa’s professor Shadrack Gutto told Anadolu Agency.
He said he believes China has its own strategy when it comes to dealing with Africa, so the continent should be careful when signing deals.
“We have to work on our own interests to see how we benefit,” he said in an interview on Friday.
This week, Sierra Leone cancelled a $400 million Chinese-funded project to build an airport in the West African country.
Local media quoted the country’s aviation minister Kabineh Kallon as saying that the current President Julius Maada Bio did not see the need for a new airport.
The loan agreement with China had been reached by former President Ernest Bai Koroma before losing elections earlier this year.
“I see Sierra Leone setting a precedent for other Africa countries to follow and open their eyes,” professor Duvenhage told Anadolu Agency.
According to media reports, China has become the largest bilateral financier of infrastructure development projects on the continent.
—AA
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Investing, World
Kathmandu : Nepal and China have agreed to facilitate joint investment in the power sector, according to a joint statement issued by both sides after a meeting here.
The meeting of the Nepal-China Joint Implementation Mechanism was conducted on Friday as a stepping stone to implement the Memorandum of Understanding on Energy Cooperation signed by the energy ministers of both countries during the visit of Nepali Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli to China in June, the Himalayan Times reported on Saturday.
According to the joint statement, both sides introduced their power systems, investment prospects, power markets, future plans among others to make both sides familiar with each other’s power system.
The joint statement said that during the meeting, possible energy collaboration and the possibility of developing cross-border interconnection were also discussed.
Dinesh Ghimire, a spokesperson at Nepal’s Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation (MoEWRI), told Xinhua news agency that the two sides agreed to prepare a power system cooperation plan once the Nepali and Chinese authorities give the go-ahead.
“A joint working group will be formed to prepare the plan,” Ghimire said, adding that the plan will also involve the identification and selection of energy projects for joint development.
The Nepali team was led by Anup Kumar Upadhyay, secretary at MoEWRI, while the Chinese delegation was led by He Yang, an official at the National Energy Administration of China.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | World
United Nations : President Donald Trump on Tuesday before the United Nations General Assembly demanded that changes be urgently made to the “world trading system” and defended his trade war with China, saying that the US trade deficit with the Asian giant is “not acceptable”.
“Last month, we announced a groundbreaking US-Mexico trade agreement. Yesterday, I stood with (South Korean) President Moon (Jae-in) to announce the successful completion of the brand-new US-Korea trade deal,” said the US leader in a somber and calmly forceful address to the General Assembly, Efe reported.
“This is just the beginning. Many nations in this hall will agree that the world trading system is in dire need of change,” he declared.
Trump warned that the US “will no longer tolerate it and we will not allow our workers to be victimized, our companies to be cheated, and our wealth to be plundered and transferred.”
“The United States has just announced tariffs on another $200 billion in Chinese-made goods. The total so far of $250 billion,” he said.
“I have great respect and affection for my friend, (Chinese) President Xi (Jinping), but I have made clear that our trade imbalance is just not acceptable. The market distortions and the way that they deal cannot be tolerated as my administration has demonstrated,” Trump said.
In the same vein, Trump said “We reject the ideology of globalism and accept the ideology of patriotism.”
“Sovereign and independent nations are the only vehicle where freedom has ever survived, democracy has ever endured, or peace has ever prospered,” said the US leader.
“Together, let us choose a future of patriotism, prosperity, and pride. Let us choose peace and freedom over domination and defeat,” he urged the assembled world leaders and delegates.
Trump arrived late for his scheduled speech and sparked laughter from the crowd with one of the earliest statements of hyperbole in his speech.
“In less than two years, my administration has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country,” he claimed, engendering a smattering of laughter from the crowd, which then increased when he quipped, with a broad smile, “I did not expect that reaction. That is OK.”
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | World
Moscow : The US’ latest batch of sanctions targeting Russian businesses and China undermine global stability and are akin to playing with fire, officials here said on Friday.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov’s comments came after Washington on Thursday imposed a new batch of sanctions, hitting 33 of Russia’s most high-profile citizens with ties to the Kremlin.
Ryabkov said the sanctions were aimed at Russian defence organizations, politicians and businessmen.
“It would be good for them to recall the notion of global stability, which they recklessly upset by whipping up tensions in Russian-US relations,” Ryabkov said in a statement cited by TASS news agency. “It’s foolish to play with fire, because things could get dangerous.”
“We’ve been keeping a close eye on how the US applies it sanctions against our country. This seems to have turned into some sort of national sport, with yesterday’s anti-Russian measures becoming the 60th since 2011.
“Every new round of sanctions shows that our enemy’s previous attempts to pressure Russia have failed to yield any result. Numerous US blacklists duplicate each other more and more. That’s funny, but this is true,” the minister said.
Among the blacklisted people was billionaire mogul Yevgeny Prigozhin, known as “Putin´s chef” and allegedly responsible for orchestrating the digital fake news campaign against the US.
The security and military businesses targeted by the sanctions included the Wagner Group, a private security company which Moscow allegedly use in their Syria operations; Oboronlogistika 000, responsible for feeding and transporting Russian troops in Crimea and KnAAPO, an aircraft manufacturer.
China was also targeted in the new wave of sanctions for buying weapons from a previously blacklisted Russian arms dealer.
“We recommend that Washington’s operators of the sanctions machine at least superficially acquaint themselves with our history to stop going round in circles,” Ryabkov said.
—IANS
