Cincunri Sakia

Rabu, 27 November 2019

Like Trump, China's Xi needs 'phase one' deal for a political win at home, expert says - CNBC

President Donald Trump (L) shakes hand with China's President Xi Jinping at the end of a press conference at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on November 9, 2017.

Fred Dufour | AFP | Getty Images

Chinese President Xi Jinping has had a "horrible couple weeks" politically — and he's not likely to sign a "phase one" trade deal with U.S. President Donald Trump without any roll back in existing tariffs, one expert said.

"China has politics the same as U.S. has politics. Trump has to play to his base, Xi has to worry about his internal politics, he has to worry about his standing within the party," Steve Okun, senior advisor at consultancy McLarty Associates, told CNBC's "Street Signs Asia" on Wednesday.

Any trade deal between the two countries "needs to be a win-win," Okun said, and delaying new tariffs may not work.

In light of political challenges facing Xi such as Hong Kong, Okun said he can't see the Chinese leader signing an agreement "in which he gets nothing other than the postponement of new tariffs."

In addition to the stalemate in the U.S.-China trade negotiations, the protests in Hong Kong could be another major challenge to Xi's authoritative rule, according to political commentators and media reports.

The former British colony, which returned to Chinese rule in 1997, has seen widespread demonstrations since early June, some of which have led to violent clashes between protesters and the police.

President Xi is not in a great position right now, he's had a horrible couple weeks; President Trump has had a horrible couple weeks. Both sides really should be looking for a win-win...

Steve Okun

McLarty Associates

Those protests also led to the U.S. Congress passing the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act last week, which many saw as a way to pressure China to refrain from violently cracking down on protesters. The bill comes at a time when both sides are negotiating a "phase one" deal, and Trump has called the Hong Kong situation a "complicating factor" in trade talks.

However, trade experts, including Okun, said Hong Kong wouldn't be a direct hurdle to the U.S. and China reaching a deal. The bigger issue is whether Trump would roll back existing tariffs — as China has repeatedly called for — at a time when Xi appears to need a political boost back home, said Okun.

That's especially so after China has seemingly addressed some of the U.S. concerns by agreeing to increase agricultural purchases, open up China's financial sector and strengthen intellectual property rights, explained Okun.

"President Xi is not in a great position right now, he's had a horrible couple weeks; President Trump has had a horrible couple weeks. Both sides really should be looking for a win-win, they haven't to date," he said.

WATCH: What is Hong Kong's relationship with China?

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2019-11-27 07:49:00Z
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Selasa, 26 November 2019

Albania hit by 6.4-magnitude earthquake, killing at least 14 and injuring hundreds - The Washington Post

Albania was struck Nov. 26 by its strongest earthquake in decades. It killed at least seven people and injured 300.

ROME — Albania was struck early Tuesday by its strongest earthquake in decades, killing at least 14 people and injuring more than 600, according to the Associated Press, while setting off a race to find victims buried under the rubble.

The 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck in the middle of the night and brought several buildings tumbling down. Slightly farther from the epicenter, in the capital of Tirana, the quake opened cracks in apartments and caused alarmed people to flee into the streets after the shaking.

The AP, citing Albania’s Defense Ministry, said seven bodies were pulled from the rubble in Durrës, a coastal port city, and that five others died in a collapsed apartment in the hard-hit town of Thumanë. In another town, one person died after jumping from his home in an attempt to escape.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake caused tremors throughout the Balkans into southern Italy. Its epicenter was along Albania’s western coast, just north of Durrës. The earthquake struck just before 4 a.m. local time and originated from a fairly shallow depth, just 12 miles underground. Shallow quakes tend to cause more damage than deeper ones, because their waves lose less energy before reaching the surface.

Albania’s president, Ilir Meta, said on Twitter that the situation was “dramatic” in that town and that everything must be done to save people “stuck under the ruins.”

A government spokesman said that more than 300 people have received medical help at hospitals in Tirana and Durrës.

Videos on social media showed collapsed and damaged buildings, cars demolished by rubble and cracks in sidewalks. Rescue teams waded through rubble, carrying stretchers, as volunteers mounted their own efforts.

Hektor Pustina

People stand near a damaged building after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake in Durres, western Albania, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2019.

Three aftershocks, with magnitudes between 5.1 and 5.4, followed in the aftermath of the initial quake. Another earthquake, with a recorded magnitude of 5.4, was reported to the north in Bosnia.

“Our country was hit by a wave of earthquakes like never before in the darkness of the early hours of today!” Meta said in a statement. “It is important to work with dedication and professionalism to save every human life under the rubble of buildings and to help the injured. It is important to identify residents who cannot return to their homes and who need housing.”

Italy, Greece and Turkey were among the countries offering to assist in the rescue work.

Albania is one of Europe’s poorest countries and has been in long discussions to join the European Union.

It was the second time in two months that Albania has been hit by a significant earthquake. In September, a 5.6-magnitude tremor hit roughly the same area and caused dozens of injuries. It was said to be Albania’s most powerful earthquake in 30 years.

A terrifying preview of ‘The Big One’ — a giant quake that may hit Southern California

Scientists claim progress in earthquake prediction

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2019-11-26 12:52:00Z
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Albania hit by 6.4-magnitude earthquake, killing at least 7, injuring 300 - The Washington Post

Albania was struck Nov. 26 by its strongest earthquake in decades. It killed at least seven people and injured 300.

ROME — Albania was struck early Tuesday by its strongest earthquake in decades, killing at least seven and injuring 300 according to the Associated Press, raising fears that more people might be buried under the rubble.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the 6.4-magnitude earthquake caused tremors throughout the Balkans into southern Italy. Its epicenter was along Albania’s western coast, just north of the port city of Durrës. The earthquake came just before 4 a.m. local time and originated from a fairly shallow depth, just 12 miles underground. Shallow quakes tend to cause more damage than deeper ones, because their waves lose less energy before reaching the surface.

The Associated Press said that three apartment buildings had fallen during the night and it was unknown how many people might be trapped.

Citing Albania’s Defense Ministry, the AP said that one person who lived 30 miles north of the capital, Tirana, died after jumping from his home in an attempt to escape. According to Reuters, two other women were found in the rubble of an apartment building in the town of Thumanë.

Albania’s president, Ilir Meta, said on Twitter that the situation was “dramatic” in that town, and that everything must be done to save people “stuck under the ruins.”

A government spokesman said that more than 300 people have received medical help at hospitals in Tirana and Durrës.

Videos on social media showed collapsed and damaged buildings, cars demolished by rubble, cracks in sidewalk, and people fleeing into the streets after the shaking. Rescue teams waded through rubble, carrying stretchers, as volunteers mounted their own efforts.

Hektor Pustina

People stand near a damaged building after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake in Durres, western Albania, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2019.

Three aftershocks, with magnitudes between 5.1 and 5.4, followed in the aftermath of the initial quake. Another earthquake, with a recorded magnitude of 5.4, was reported to the north in Bosnia.

Italy and Greece were among the countries offering to assist in the rescue work.

Albania is one of Europe’s poorest countries and has been in long discussions to join the European Union.

It is the second time in two months that Albania has been hit by a significant earthquake. In September, a 5.6-magnitude tremor hit roughly the same area and caused dozens of injuries. It was said to be Albania’s most powerful earthquake in 30 years.

A terrifying preview of ‘The Big One’ — a giant quake that may hit Southern California

Scientists claim progress in earthquake prediction

Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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Stung by Hong Kong vote, China slams Reuters report on liaison office shake-up - The Washington Post

Ng Han Guan AP Protesters in Hong Kong hold up their hands to represent their five demands in front of the Chinese and Hong Kong flags on Nov. 15. Local elections in the financial center on Sunday delivered a rebuke to Beijing.

BEIJING — China’s Communist Party admonished the Reuters news agency Tuesday over what the party called a “false report” about a move to replace the head of the government’s Hong Kong liaison office for failing to foresee the resounding defeat of the pro-Beijing establishment in local elections last weekend.

Reuters reported Tuesday that the Chinese leadership had set up a crisis command center in a luxury villa on the outskirts of Shenzhen, on the mainland side of the border with Hong Kong, to deal with the long-running political unrest in the semiautonomous financial hub.

The report said Beijing was considering replacing its most senior official stationed in Hong Kong, liaison office director Wang Zhimin, because it was dissatisfied with his handling of the crisis.

In a stunning rebuke to Beijing, Hong Kong residents gave an overwhelming majority to pro-democracy candidates running in local elections held Sunday. Voters handed control of 17 of the territory’s 18 councils to representatives who oppose China’s increasing influence, giving the pro-democracy camp greater say in the choice of Hong Kong’s next leader.

The Foreign Ministry’soffice in Hong Kong said Tuesday that it had lodged “solemn representations” with Reuters about the “false report.” It said it had urged the agency “to uphold a true, professional and responsible attitude, and immediately stop spreading false information.”

In Hong Kong elections, big defeat for elites pressures Beijing to rethink approach]

The ministry has insisted throughout the six months of protests in Hong Kong that the unrest is an internal domestic matter and that China will never waver from the “one country, two systems” formula under which Britain returned Hong Kong to China in 1997.

Under that framework, Hong Kong is supposed to enjoy a degree of autonomy and relative political freedom until 2047, but its residents are bristling at Beijing’s increasingly muscular control over the territory. Tensions burst into the open in June, when the Beijing-backed Hong Kong government moved to implement a law that would have allowed Hong Kongers to be extradited to the mainland.

Ju Peng

Chinese leader Xi Jinping, right, with Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam in Shanghai earlier this month.

Hong Kong has a much stronger and more transparent rule of law than the mainland, and many residents feared that the proposal, which has since been scrapped, could be used to target Beijing’s critics.

The Reuters report, which cited Chinese officials briefed on the discussions, said that Chinese leader Xi Jinping and other top officials have been receiving daily written briefings from the villa, named “Bauhinia” after the flower emblem of Hong Kong, bypassing the liaison office in Hong Kong.

Embattled Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam had attended meetings there, according to the report, which could not be independently verified.

[Xi must be dismayed: Chinese leader fighting fires on all fronts

China’s leaders appear increasingly vexed about how to deal with the unrest in Hong Kong, analysts say, as a months-long crackdown marked by thousands of arrests has only hardened public opinion against Beijing. Having repeatedly refused to offer concessions, Beijing finds itself with few options.

“I don’t think they’re going to change their strategy,” said Jeff Wasserstrom, a professor at the University of California at Irvine and the author of an upcoming book on Hong Kong’s political crisis. “I don’t see any reason to think they are going to make any major concessions.”

Beijing has blamed the protests on outside forces, led by the United States, eager to foment unrest and undermine the Communist Party. It apparently sees evidence of that in the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act just passed by Congress, which is intended to safeguard political freedoms in Hong Kong and pave the way for sanctions against those who undermine those rights.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang summoned Ambassador Terry Branstad on Monday to “lodge stern representations and strong protest” against the passage of the act.

China urged the United States to “correct its mistake immediately” and “stop meddling in Hong Kong affairs and China’s other internal affairs,” Zheng told Branstad, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

On Tuesday, at her first news conference since the election, Hong Kong leader Lam declined to offer any concessions to protesters, who are calling for an independent probe into police brutality, genuine universal suffrage and other measures. She said Beijing did not blame her for voters’ rejection of pro-Beijing parties and endorsement of the democracy movement.

The central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong serves to propagate Beijing’s influence in the city, report back on political developments and forge patronage networks with business groups and influential local figures. Protesters in Hong Kong pelted the office with eggs and paint over the summer and defaced the Chinese emblem.

‘We are in a war’: Hong Kong accountant by day becomes street fighter by night

Xi must be dismayed: Chinese leader fighting fires on all fronts

Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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2019-11-26 09:26:00Z
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Senin, 25 November 2019

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam vows to 'listen humbly' after pro-democracy victory at polls - New York Post

Hong Kong’s battered and bruised leader on Monday said she respected election results that handed a big victory to pro-democracy candidates, vowing to “listen humbly” to the voters and to “seriously reflect” on the stunning results.

“The government will certainly listen humbly to citizens’ opinions and reflect on them seriously,” Chief Executive Carrie Lam said in a statement issued by the government, but offered no specifics on the likely response.

The pro-democracy candidates grabbed 388 seats — a whopping net gain of 263 — of the 452 in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory’s 18 district councils after months of sometimes-violent unrest, according to local media.

The establishment held on to only 59 seats after the rout. Five went to independents.

A record 71 percent of Hong Kong’s 4.1 million registered voters cast ballots in the city’s only fully democratic elections, well exceeding the 47 percent turnout in the same poll four years ago, when pro-democracy candidates won just 100 seats.

“There are various analyses and interpretations in the community in relation to the results, and quite a few are of the view that the results reflect people’s dissatisfaction with the current situation and the deep-seated problems in society,” Lam added in response to the rebuke of her leadership and of Beijing.

The city leader has stubbornly dismissed calls for political reform and repeatedly suggested that a silent majority supported her administration and opposed the protest movement.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters during a visit to Tokyo on Monday that any attempts to undermine Hong Kong will fail.

“No matter what kind of things happen in Hong Kong, Hong Kong is a part of Chinese territory,” he said. “Any attempts to destroy Hong Kong or harm Hong Kong’s stability and development cannot possibly succeed.”

And Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Beijing “resolutely supports” Lam and backs the police and judiciary in Hong Kong in “punishing relevant violent and illegal behaviors,” according to Agence France-Presse.

But opponents quickly called on Lam to accede to a five-point list of demands, including direct elections for the city’s legislature and leadership, as well as a probe into alleged police brutality against protesters.

“The government must squarely face public opinion,” said Wu Chi-wai, the chairman of the Democratic Party, Hong Kong’s largest anti-establishment party.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam casts her ballot at a polling place in Hong Kong on Nov. 24.AP

The election results could force the central government in Beijing to rethink how to handle the unrest. The district councils have little power, but the vote became a referendum on public support for the protests.

“It’s nothing short of a revolution. This is a landslide,” said Willy Lam, a political expert at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. “It’s a sound repudiation of the Carrie Lam administration and shows the silent majority are behind the demands of the protesters.”

But it does not mean Beijing — which blames foreign powers for fomenting the unrest in the former British colony, which was returned to China in 1997 — will budge on the demonstrators’ demands, he added.

Pro-democracy councilor Paul Zimmerman said in a speech outside the Polytechnic University that “the people of Hong Kong have spoken.”

“Now is time for the government to respond. Don’t fail Hong Kong again,” he said.

Many pro-Beijing political heavyweights were defeated, including controversial lawmaker Junius Ho, who is reviled by protesters for supporting a bloody mob attack on demonstrators in July.

Ho was stabbed with a knife during campaigning this month.

The winners included many young activists and a candidate who replaced Joshua Wong, the only person barred from running in the election.

Pro-democracy rally organizer Jimmy Sham, who was beaten by hammer-wielding assailants last month, also emerged victorious, as did a pro-democracy lawmaker who had part of his ear bitten off by an assailant.

Millions took to the streets earlier this year after Lam’s government introduced a bill to allow extraditions to China’s opaque judicial system.

Gary Fan Kwok-wai, lawmaker and newly elected district councillor, right, and lawyer Wong Kwok Tung, left, walk through burned debris as they try to meet with the trapped protesters at the Polytechnic University in Hong Kong.AP

The bill was eventually withdrawn, but the resulting public rage unleashed broader demands and led to violent clashes between police and protesters.

Celebrations broke out outside polling stations overnight when results were announced. On Monday, dozens of supporters gathered in a business district for a victory rally, where a woman popped a champagne bottle and poured drinks for everyone.

“This is historic. As our city plummets from being semi-autonomous to semi-authoritarian, we react by showing what’s democracy in action,” Wong tweeted.

With Post wires

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2019-11-25 12:42:00Z
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China issues stern response to landslide victory of Hong Kong pro-democracy forces - NBCNews.com

HONG KONG — Pro-democracy forces swept Hong Kong district council elections over the weekend, boosting pressure on the city's Beijing-backed government to listen to protesters' demands for greater freedoms.

China responded sternly to the landslide in the vote widely seen as a referendum on public support for the anti-government demonstration movement. Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that no matter how the situation in Hong Kong changes, the semi-autonomous region is part of China.

"Any attempt to disrupt Hong Kong and damage [its] stability and prosperity will not succeed," he told reporters in Japan, where he was attending a G-20 foreign ministers meeting.

Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang added Monday that Hong Kong's most urgent task is to restore order that has been increasingly shaky as protesters continue to clash with police.

Pro-democracy supporters chant as they celebrate the loss of a pro-Beijing candidate in Hong Kong's district council elections on Monday. Philip Fong / AFP - Getty Images

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Geng also stressed that tensions in Hong Kong are purely China's internal affairs.

“The determination of the Chinese government to safeguard the interests of national sovereign security and development is unshakable,” he was quoted as saying by Global Times, a hawkish newspaper owned by the Chinese Communist Party.

China has blamed Western governments for fomenting the unrest in the former British colony.

For months, Hong Kong protesters have been demanding that China loosens its grip.

Beijing has steered clear of interfering in the protesters directly, saying that it trusts Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam to handle the situation. However, the protests have presented Chinese leader Xi Jinping with one of the biggest popular challenges since he came to power in 2012.

Although district councils have little power and the election is normally a low-key race, over 2.9 million cast their votes in Hong Kong Sunday in a 71 percent turnout, exceeding the 2015 participation levels by nearly 25 percent.

The pro-democracy camp had won a commanding majority of the 452 district council seats at stake, taking control of at least 17 of the city’s 18 district councils in a rebuke to Lam and her handling of the protests.

People queue to cast their vote in the district council elections in Tseung Kwan O district of Hong Kong on Sunday. Ye Aung Thu / AFP - Getty Images

Lam issued a statement Monday, saying her government respects the results and promised to “humbly listen” to the public’s opinions.

“There are various interpretations related to the results, and quite a few view it as a reflection of people's dissatisfaction with the current situation and society's deep-seated problems,” she acknowledged.

The vote is the only fully democratic one in Hong Kong. Members of the legislature are chosen partly by popular vote and partly by interest groups representing different sectors of society, and the city’s leader is picked by a 1,200-member body that is dominated by supporters of the central government in Beijing.

Yuliya Talmazan

Yuliya Talmazan is a London-based journalist.

Jasmine Leung

Associated Press contributed.

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2019-11-25 11:32:00Z
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5 things to know for November 25: US Navy, Hong Kong protests, impeachment investigation - CNN

Here's what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door. (You can also get "5 Things You Need to Know Today" delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here.)

1. US Navy

The Pentagon made a very unusual move yesterday and forced Navy Secretary Richard Spencer to resign for his part in ongoing tensions between the White House and the Pentagon over the discipline of a Navy SEAL. Spencer allegedly went outside his chain of command to propose a "secret agreement with the White House" to end the standoff, according to a senior defense official. President Trump has vocally supported the SEAL, Eddie Gallagher, who is one of three service members facing war crimes allegations. Gallagher posed with the dead body of an ISIS fighter, which is against regulations, and could be kicked out of the force as a result. Trump has openly criticized the Navy's handling of Gallagher's case and said he would not let the Navy discipline him. Against advice from the Pentagon, he officially restored Gallagher's rank last week and pardoned the two other service members. However, yesterday military officials announced the White House will not intervene in the review.

2. Hong Kong

The people of Hong Kong went to the polls this weekend in what was considered a de facto referendum on six months of violent unrest in the city. The results were abundantly clear: Pro-democracy candidates won the district council elections in a landslide, unseating several high-profile pro-government leaders and taking nearly 90% of the seats up for grabs. A record-breaking 71% of the city's population voted. Experts say the historic outcome is a sign that the people of Hong Kong are committed to democracy and political reform, and citizens are hoping the results will point a way forward from the city's current state of unrest.

3. Impeachment investigation

Scheduled public hearings are over and Democratic House aides will likely spend Thanksgiving week drafting a report that will spell out the case for impeachment. There are still some big witnesses House Democrats have pressured to testify, like former national security adviser John Bolton, but they're not going to force the issue. Meanwhile, one of Trump's top defenders may need to do some defending of his own. Late last Friday, news broke that an indicted associate of Rudy Giuliani would be willing to tell Congress that Devin Nunes met with an ex-Ukrainian official last year to discuss digging up dirt on Joe Biden. He's the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee -- the group leading the impeachment investigation centered around Trump asking Ukraine to dig up dirt on the Biden family. Nunes has disputed the report.

4. Egypt

The offices of Mada Masr, one of the last independent news outlets in Egypt, was raided by security forces yesterday. Four of the publication's staff, including the editor-in-chief and news editor, were detained and later released. The raid was condemned by several international rights organizations, and is a worrying development in the country's ongoing political tensions. In September, a wave of rare anti-government protests swept Egypt as citizens demanded the resignation of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Sisi was elected president in 2014, but he has since secured legislative powers that extended his term in office longer than the Egyptian constitution allows. Mada Masr's journalism has exposed corruption, security violations and the inner workings of the government, even in the face of nationwide crackdowns on reporting freedoms.

All Boris Johnson wants for Christmas is a Brexit vote. The UK's Prime Minister promised a speedy new vote on his Brexit deal and a lot of funding pledges if Conservatives win Britain's general election on December 12th. Johnson's Conservative party rolled out their manifesto yesterday, which included a "triple lock" on income tax, national insurance and VAT rates, a childcare program, an Australian-style points based immigration system, plus pledges for 20,000 new police officers and 50,000 extra nurses. Johnson also promised an extra £1 billion for social care and a £2 billion plan to fill potholes around the country. Keep in mind: Whatever happens election-wise, promise-wise or pothole-wise, the new Brexit deadline as set by the EU is January 31st.

BREAKFAST BROWSE

Lizzo's tiny purse stole the show at the American Music Awards

And the award for best accessory goes to...

The iconic Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons may not fly because of high winds

If you think balloon Barney is terrifying now, he'd be even worse careening unfettered through Manhattan.

Speaking of Thanksgiving, you want to check your fridge and supplies for these recalled foods

The only thing dangerous on your Thanksgiving table should be the carving knife.

Elon Musk says Tesla has gotten 146,000 orders for the futuristic "Cybertruck" since its unveiling

Guess a lot of people want to drive a car that looks like it was rendered in Minecraft.

TODAY'S QUOTE

"OK boomer."

Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz, using a viral social media phrase to respond to White House counselor Kellyanne Conway's concerns about marijuana legalization.

TODAY'S NUMBER

The total number of players disciplined for their part in that ugly brawl between the Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers nearly two weeks ago. That's a LOT of players.

TODAY'S WEATHER

AND FINALLY

Sooo relaxing

This video never fails to make me wheeze with laughter, and that's always a good way to start off the week, right? (Click here to view)

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2019-11-25 11:21:00Z
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Rabu, 27 November 2019

WATCH: What is Hong Kong's relationship with China?

Selasa, 26 November 2019

Senin, 25 November 2019

Share this:

1. US Navy

2. Hong Kong

3. Impeachment investigation

4. Egypt

BREAKFAST BROWSE

TODAY'S QUOTE

TODAY'S NUMBER

TODAY'S WEATHER

AND FINALLY