Leaders from six African countries are to hold peace talks in Moscow and Kyiv to end the conflict in Ukraine. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said he had spoken with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin and both men had agreed to host an African-led peace mission. The six countries taking part are South Africa, Uganda, the Republic of Congo, Egypt, Zambia and Senegal although there is no timeframe for the talks. The joint Russian-Ukrainian declaration is surprising given recent disruption within the relationship between Russia, South Africa and the US.
African countries, including Zambia, Senegal, Egypt and South Africa, have drawn up a peace initiative to put an end to the conflict in Ukraine. The proposed mission will visit Moscow and Kiev as part of the peace process. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who represented the initiative, also said that UN Secretary-General Antonio Gruterres and the African Union (AU) had been briefed and welcomed the initiative.
China's property market showed signs of slowing growth, with data revealing house prices rose in April for the third consecutive month but at a slower rate. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the average price of a new home in 70 cities rose 0.3% in April, less than March figures of 0.4%.
Chinese multinational conglomerate Tencent's advertising revenues rose 17% in Q1, compared to the same period last year. The firm also revealed that its fintech segment saw a 14% rise in revenue driven, in part, by WeChat Pay and gaming sales. Shoppers and diners using the digital wallet contributed one third of the group's total revenues, while virtual armour and other game sales also contributed a third. However, the company was impacted by a new rule limiting the amount of time minors can play games, which led to a 96% drop in game time compared to Q1 2020.
Britain has said it will support all countries that want to send F-16 jets to Ukraine, subject to US approval for the transfer of the military technology. It is part of the effort to set up an international coalition with the Dutch and other nations to come to the aid of Ukraine in its conflict with Russia. It was announced amid a web of diplomatic efforts over the invasion of Ukraine, including the extension of a deal with Turkey that would allow the country to export millions of tonnes of grain through the Black Sea, which would otherwise be blocked by Russian warships. China has also sent peace envoys to mediate talks in Russia, Poland, France, and Germany about the conflict.
China's special envoy for Eurasia, Li Hui, will visit Brussels as part of his European tour, which began in Kyiv on 11 January, before passing through Warsaw, Paris, and Berlin, and concluding in Moscow. According to reports, Li added Brussels to his itinerary after being told that Kyiv would not accept any proposals leading to territorial loss. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said the country will not “accept any proposals that would involve the loss of its territories or the freezing of the conflict”.
Paris Olympics vows to carry torch for LGBTQ rights after watershed of Tokyo
CBC
23-05-17 17:00
Organizers of the Paris Olympics have pledged to use the event to push for greater LGBTQ rights worldwide, as part of their inclusive ethos. Paris 2024 intends to create a Pride House to celebrate LGBTQ people, and will give competitors and campaigners the opportunity to speak out about LGBTQ rights. Athletes will also be “free to speak and share their messages” outside of competing, according to organizing committee president Tony Estanguet. The move appears to buck previous conventions, with activists having their voices silenced and some being arrested at previous Olympics.
Chinese authorities have requested that foreign embassies in the capital avoid displaying "politicized propaganda", prompting concerns over the right to free speech. While no specific instances were cited in connection with the request, diplomats have acknowledged the move is a response to displays of support for Ukraine. Russia's actions in Ukrainehave failed to garner international support and by stopping such displays, China is cause for concern. However, foreign governments have so far shown little inclination to abide by the request.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he is considering following President Biden's lead and restricting domestic companies from investing in critical industries in China. Sunak said he was "engaged in a dialogue" with the US and that UK authorities are carrying out "policy thinking on that particular area". Biden has indicated he is considering issuing an executive order to create a screening mechanism for outbound US technology investment, making it harder for China to obtain cutting-edge technology. Sunak said that a joint action over tougher controls on western investments in China was a "work in progress and would not be agreed at the G7 summit".
Boston-based Forrester Research is closing its office in mainland China and releasing most of its analysts there as China tightens its rules on foreign consultants and law firms. The move came as a surprise to its employees in China, according to an anonymous source familiar with the matter. China has already targeted global advisory firms operating in the country with investigations. Forrester said its restructure was announced earlier as part of a global overhaul and it would still cater for its global clients with operations in China. It added that the Chinese business was not globally significant.
China will resume importing Australian timber from Thursday after a suspension that began in late 2020 due to the discovery of pests, according to Xiao Qian, China’s ambassador to Australia. The annual trade, which was worth AUD600m ($399m), has been largely off-limits since then.
Leaders from Australia, Brazil, Comoros, Cook Islands, India, Indonesia, South Korea, and Vietnam are to attend the Group of Seven summit (G7) in Hiroshima this year, along with the leaders of the G7 nations. Japanese President Fumio Kishida has a determination to make nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation priorities of this year’s summit, with discussions expected to centre on Putin's threats against Ukraine and China's increasing threats against Taiwan.
Ukraine's foreign minister has told a high-level Chinese envoy that Kyiv will not accept any proposals to end the ongoing war with Russia that could lead to Ukraine losing territory. Dmytro Kuleba also said that "just peace" could only be restored if "respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine" was observed. Li Hui, China's special representative for Eurasian affairs, was in Kyiv to promote Beijing-led negotiations to resolve the conflict and is now expected to visit Moscow to discuss a possible political solution to the conflict.
Montana has become the first US state to enact a total ban on TikTok, with the law coming into effect in January 2024. In addition to barring TikTok from operating in the state, the law also prohibits its download. Tech companies have expressed doubts that the ban will be possible to impose, while the state's American Civil Liberties Union described the law as "excessive government control". TikTok, which has over 1 billion users globally, including 150 million in the US, has faced privacy concerns and alleged links to the Beijing government.
Explosions were reported in central and southern Ukraine, including the capital, Kyiv, on Thursday after air raid sirens sounded across the country. Missile attacks in central Vinnytsia and the death of one person in a strike on an industrial facility in Odesa were among other incidents reported. China's special envoy for Eurasian affairs, Li Hui, has confirmed there is no remedy to the conflict and called for Kyiv and Moscow to engage in talks to end the war. Meanwhile, Joseph Borrell, the European Union's foreign policy chief, called for the amount allocated for military aid for Ukraine to be raised by $3.85bn.
China and ASEAN negotiators have agreed to hasten a review of the code of conduct to maintain peace in the South China Sea, the Chinese foreign ministry announced on 28 July. The agreement comes a year after the legally binding code was supposed to be enacted. There are multiple claims and disputes over the area, with China enhancing its presence considerably in recent years. The US considers the South China Sea to be critical to its Indo-Pacific policy and has sent navy vessels to carry out exercises and maintain freedom of navigation close to Chinese-controlled islands and reefs in the area.
Montana has signed into law what is believed to be the first-ever ban on TikTok, which will come into force in 2022. The legislation will impose a $10,000 fine per day on stores offering TikTok downloads, in addition to making it illegal for the platform to operate in the state. Some 200,000 Montanans use TikTok, along with 6,000 businesses, according to a company spokesperson. The ban echoes influential opinions shared by US lawmakers and security chiefs that TikTok could present a national-security risk as Chinese technology companies are subject to government control via laws on intelligence work.
Leaders from the EU, Germany, France and Italy are set to join the G7 summit in Hiroshima, where tensions surrounding China are expected to dominate. While the thread linking the issues of Russia’s war in Ukraine, the Indo-Pacific tensions and the promotion of free market policies on trade is Beijing, negotiations are likely to be tricky; European officials are wary of directly anti-Chinese language, believing engagement with China is the smarter way to address the issue and cautious of creating more of a “west vs rest” global picture. Developing and emerging countries have also reportedly expressed concern that the G7 is focused too heavily on Ukraine and not enough on their needs and priorities.
Before the EU elections next June, Brussels lawmakers are bracing themselves for the mountain of legislation they have to get through, which includes around 200 files still open for approval by MEPs and member states, as well as proposals yet to be presented. With just over a year to go until the European Parliament votes again, including on rules relating to the digital euro and transparency requirements for NGOs, Brussels’ consensus on the new laws’ priority runs the risk of limiting progress on key environmental legislation. Proposals such as the new rules on healthy soils and genomic techniques for plants have already been been delayed or dropped from the commission agenda, to the alarm of EU commission president Ursula von der Leyen, who has warned the EU would struggle to absorb more environmental laws.
China's Special Envoy Li Hui has urged Ukraine and Russia to stop the war and resume talks as part of his own initiative to push for a ceasefire between the two countries. He was appointed as a peace envoy to Ukraine after a phone call between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky three weeks ago. Li met with senior Ukrainian officials to discuss a political solution to the crisis and their views on China-Ukraine relations. However, it is not known whether Beijing's peace proposal was received favourably by Kyiv.
The risk of declining consumer and business investor confidence in China's recovered economy may lead to a downward spiral. China's uneven recovery so far has not lifted the domestic mood. Although the country's official growth target for this year is only 5%, the risk of a downward spiral arises as disappointment becomes apparent, compounded by rising jobless rates, weak links, and geopolitical tensions. Easing monetary policy more straightforwardly remains an option for China, although the government may not prioritize this immediately, as the official growth target is unambitious.
