Wu’er Kaixi, a member of the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Emeritus Board, was a leader of the Tiananmen Square protest in 1989. Christophe Deloire is Secretary-General of RSF. By Wu’er Kaixi and Christophe Deloire Since the Tiananmen Square massacre 30 years ago, China has achieved extraordinary economic development. Yet, contrary to the expectations of many Western leaders and analysts, the country has not gradually embraced press freedom or respect for civil rights. On the contrary: as a recent Reporters Without Borders (RSF) report shows, China today is actively working to build a repressive “new world media order” – an initiative that poses a clear and present danger to the world’s democracies. Press freedom, one of the main demands of the Tiananmen demonstrators, is officially guaranteed by Article 35 of the Chinese constitution. Yet the Communist Party of China (CPC) and its state apparatus still routinely flout … [Read more...] about China’s new world media order
China new year
Chinese visitors to New Zealand drop during peak Chinese New Year period
Chinese visitors to New Zealand dropped during a peak holiday period this year, while visitors from other countries increased. The number of visitor arrivals from China was 50,900 in February, down 18,000 from the same time in 2018 - and it's due to fewer arrivals during the Chinese New Year period. New Zealand-China rift: Is it really that bad? What Chinese President Xi Jinping thinks of New Zealand China-New Zealand Year of Tourism officially opened at Te Papa Stats NZ released data that showed total visitor arrivals to New Zealand in February this year were 417,900, down 5,500 compared with the same month in 2018. Visitor numbers from countries other than China rose, however, with an increased amount of arrivals from countries such as South Korea, Australia and Taiwan. Visitor number changes South Korea - up 1,800 United Kingdom - down 1,700 Australia - up 1,200 Taiwan - up 1,200 The Chinese New Year is a peak holiday season for travellers from China. And while the number of … [Read more...] about Chinese visitors to New Zealand drop during peak Chinese New Year period
China-New Zealand Year of Tourism officially opened at Te Papa
The Prime Minister's visit to China finally gets underway on Sunday - and another long-awaited event has happened on Saturday in Wellington. The China-New Zealand Year of Tourism was officially opened at Te Papa, after being shelved last month. China tourism promotion finally gets underway Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on why she cut short her 'important' China trip Jacinda Ardern downplays NZ-China tension: 'Our relationship is complex' Opened by Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis and China's Minister of Culture Luo Shugang, it's designed to strengthen economic ties through tourism - and not focus too much on numbers. "It's a lot about the people-to-people connections, and if we get the relationship right then other things will flow on from there," Davis says. What that means is understanding the changing habits of Chinese tourists to New Zealand, in order to cater to them better. "We're expecting to see more and more Chinese visitors to come. They're staying for longer, they're spending … [Read more...] about China-New Zealand Year of Tourism officially opened at Te Papa
China industrial output growth hits a low
Growth in China's industrial output fell to a 17-year low in the first two months of the year and the jobless rate rose, pointing to further weakness in the world's second-biggest economy that is likely to trigger more support measures from Beijing.But a mixed bag of major data on Thursday also showed property investment was picking up, while overall retail sales were sluggish but steady, suggesting the economy is not in the midst of a sharper slowdown.China is ramping up assistance for the economy as 2019 growth looks set to plumb 29-year lows, but support measures are taking time to kick in. Most analysts believe activity may not convincingly stabilise until the middle of the year.Premier Li Keqiang last week announced hundreds of billions of dollars in additional tax cuts and infrastructure spending, even as officials vowed they would not resort to massive stimulus like in the past, which produced swift recoveries in China and strong reflationary pulses worldwide."The latest data … [Read more...] about China industrial output growth hits a low
Commission to strengthen anti-subsidies measures by end of year
The European Commission will propose by the end of 2019 new measures to address the negative impact of foreign subsidies and state-owned companies, according to documents made available on Wednesday (13 March), as the EU aims for a more assertive tone towards China. The set of proposals will be part of a review of the competition rules. A large majority of member states called for changes in order to better take into account the growing pressure of global companies. A total of 19 EU governments have proposed updating the EU’s antitrust rules in order to facilitate the emergence of European industrial giants able to face “fierce competition” from the US and China. But the Commission disagrees with the Franco-German demand for weakening antitrust rules to facilitate the creation of ‘European champions’. Instead, the EU executive will bolster its tools to address unfair practices by global rivals. The new plans were announced in the wake of the … [Read more...] about Commission to strengthen anti-subsidies measures by end of year