Geo-Strategic Trend - 108. page

Taiwan Liberty Times Net reported that, since the beginning of this year, despite the on-going spread of the Wuhan Coronavirus, the PLA has performed night time training activities and even flew across the Taiwan Straits Midline a minimum of five times. In response to the threat, on the morning of March 24, the Taiwan Ministry of National Defense launched the “Lianxiang” joint air defense combat training. The upgraded F-16V fighter was reported to have participated in the training. The “Lianxiang” exercise is normally done quarterly each year however it was performed specifically to target the excessive military actions that the PLA has performed.

Source: Taiwan Liberty Times Net, March 25, 2020
https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/politics/paper/1361242

Well-known Chinese news Tencent News recently reported based on information provided by Reuters that Kristalina Ivanova Georgieva-Kinova, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) just revealed that an additional 20 countries have ask for help. She said the IMF is prepared to utilize its full lending power (around US$1 trillion) to support its member countries to combat the coronavirus crisis. She did not list the names of the countries seeking support. However, Iran indicated last week that it did ask the IMF for an emergency loan. Georgieva-Kinova also made it clear that a globally coordinated financial stimulus action is becoming more and more reasonable. She made the comments before attending the G7 teleconference and pointed out that the global action should be on a scale similar to the 2008 global financial crisis. She praised the easing policies that the U.S. Federal Reserve has led.

Source: Tencent News, March 18, 2020
https://new.qq.com/omn/20200318/20200318A096K200.html

Radio Free Asia (RFA) Chinese Edition recently reported that, the symbolic China-Pakistan Corridor, which is a key piece of the One Belt One Road initiative, is now facing serious challenges. The problems lie in the Port Gwadar Project, which is a US$62 billion undertaking. Gwadar is the ending point of the China-Pakistan Corridor, which is located in Southwest Pakistan. The project planned to construct the port facilities, roads, railways, oil pipes, tens of factories and Pakistan’s largest airport. However, seven years after the project’s initiation, the airport construction hasn’t even started and the investment money has been late for three years and still counting. The industrial park south of the airport shows no sign of starting. The port now has only three berths and the only visitor to the port was the Pakistan Navy. The planned weekly cargo ships from Karachi are nowhere to be seen. Some experts think that the true objective of building the port was to establish a Chinese naval base named Jiwani. According to public records, the main challenge to the China-Pakistan Corridor is money. So far, the initiative has only completed less than one third of the project, costing US$19 billion. Pakistan has not been able to continue the construction work due to lacking further funding.

Source: RFA Chinese, March 4, 2020
https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/pakistan-belt-03042020052407.html

Well-known new Chinese news site The Paper recently reported that the British retail giant Tesco just announce the sale of a 20 percent stake in Gain Land to China Resources Group (also known as CRC). Gain Land is a joint venture between Tesco and CRC. This 275 million pound deal marked the final exit for Tesco in leaving the Chinese market. From the beginning, Tesco’s Chinese venture did not do well. It changed its strategy later and partnered with CRC to continue with its 135 branch stores. Tesco has been retreating from major overseas markets, including Japan, the United States, and South Korea. It is also looking at exiting Thailand and Malaysia. Tesco plans to focus its business on Europe. The company said that the income from the Chinese CRC deal will be used for day-to-day operations.

Source: The Paper, February 26, 2020
https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_6166629

BBC Chinese recently reported that Hong Kong police just detained Hong Kong Next Digital Group founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, former HK Legislative Council Member and former Democratic Party Chairman Yeung Sum, as well as Lee Cheuk-yan, who is a former HK Legislative Council Member and current General Secretary of the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions. The Hong Kong government accused them of participating in an unauthorized gathering. Both Lee and Yeung said to the media that they were mentally prepared for the arrest and that the people of Hong Kong have the right to demonstrate, which does not need police approval. Lee also pointed out that there were a large number of people in the demonstrations. It is hard to understand why he was singled out. The Police claimed there was no political intent behind these arrests. All three gentlemen are currently on bail, pending court hearings in May. None of them were the initiators of the freedom demonstrations.

Source: BBC Chinese, February 28, 2020
https://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/chinese-news-51670403