The Baloch House

BYDavid BrewsterCOMMENTS29 May 2018 11:30While many eyes are on China’s port investments in the Indian Ocean, Japan has also been busy. The scale of its infrastructure investments in the region rivals, and sometimes exceeds, that of China.But Japan argues that its growing presence in the Indian Ocean is qualitatively different, focused on transparency, economic sustainability, and a rules-based order that should become part of regional norms. Australia must consider the role in can play in these projects.Compared with China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Japan’s investment activities in the Indian Ocean are barely promoted, and as a result its projects often fly under the radar. This obscures the fact that Japan has been very active in building infrastructure and “connectivity” across the region.Indeed, spending on these projects is not too different from China’s spending on the BRI, which is sometimes inflated, double-counted, or based on vague future promises.Japan’s “Partnership…

Thursday, May 31, 2018Janet Yang on cinema, China, and being an Asian-American woman in a Harvey Weinstein world
GIF by Lucas Niewenhuis. View pronunciation video from Jia.Dear reader,Five things for you at the top today, with the rest of the links below.If you’re not an Access member, please sign up to receive tomorrow’s newsletter.Have a great weekend!—Jeremy Goldkorn, Editor-in-Chief1. Yili’s Chairman Pan: A Chinese business storyYili is one of China’s big two dairy firms along with Mengniu. Both companies are based in Inner Mongolia, although the former is state-controlled while Mengniu was founded in 1999 by a former Yili employee. Mengniu and Yili both escaped China’s 2008 melamine milk scandal more or less unscathed, but I believe the Chinese public remains dubious about the domestic dairy industry as a whole. Which is perhaps one reason why this story has legs:Earlier this month, we noted the story of two Chinese writers who were detained and accused of “defamation and picking …

| Masood compares AJK, IHK regarding peace, HR situation | Terms BRI unprecedented project aiming at global connectivity, economic prosperity

MIRPUR (AJK) -  A seminar titled “Pakistan’s New Role between China and Europe; Opportunities and Challenges of China’s Silk Road Project” was organised by the Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy (AIES) in Vienna city.It was hosted by Dr Werner Fasslabend, former defense minister and president of AIES, says a message reaching and released to the media here Wednesday eveningThe event was co-hosted by Austria National Defence Academy and the Universal Peace Federation that were represented by Brigadier Walter Feichtinger and Mr Peter Haider respectively. It was attended by over 70 scholars, analysts, ambassadors, diplomats, UN representatives and members of civil society.On the occasion, AJK President Sardar Masood Khan hoped that Pakistan would be among top economies of the world by 2050. Explaining the scope of the Belt and Road I…

An ancient Silk Road city wants to cash in
May 31st 2018| XI’ANCHINA’S vague but much-vaunted Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has been providing buzzword fodder for government leaders and official sloganeers since 2013, when the country launched the scheme to extend its political and economic influence abroad by investing in infrastructure and other big projects. The “belt” refers to an overland push across Eurasia and the “road” to a maritime route to South Asia and beyond. But in recent months some new rhetoric (consistent in its challenging use of metaphor) has been promoting a virtual dimension: a “digital Silk Road”.Xi Jinping, China’s president, has revealed few details, beyond that it will encompass quantum computing, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, big data and cloud storage. In April he said it would involve helping other countries to build digital infrastructure and develop internet security. The digital Silk Road will help to create “a community of common destiny in …

BEIJING, May 31 (Xinhua) -- China and countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative inked trade deals worth 389.1 billion U.S. dollars in the first four months, the Ministry of Commerce said Thursday.
It represented a growth of 19.2 percent year on year, Gao Feng, spokesperson for the ministry, told a press briefing.China's non-financial investment in those countries increased 17.3 percent from the same period a year ago to 4.67 billion U.S. dollars.Business volume of outbound contract projects came in at 24.2 billion U.S. dollars, up 27.7 percent year on year.Economic integration of China and the Belt and Road countries gained steam. The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) reached between China and Georgia has become effective. China held the first round of FTA negotiations with Mauritius and the second round of FTA talks with Pakistan. It also signed an economic and trade cooperation pact with the Eurasian Economic Union."Construction of major projects have progressed well …

Free train rides for performers may help Beijing soften project's imageJENS KASTNER, Contributing writerJune 01, 2018 12:40 JSTHong Kong artist Frog King Kwok, right, will be among those creating works as part of a special train journey along the "Belt and Road" from Germany to China. (Photo by Jens Kastner)DUISBURG, Germany -- In a park next to the River Rhine, Kwok Mang-ho, also known as Frog King Kwok, shakes his shaman gong against the backdrop of a sprawling abandoned industrial plant while workmen set up exhibition tents.Promoted as China's first-ever performance artist, Kwok describes Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative to improve infrastructure links between China and Europe as bringing goodwill and prosperity to the many countries along the so-called New Silk Road."I am an artist from China, live in Hong Kong and am here in Duisburg to do the simple job of being an ambassador for harmony and sharing happiness," Kwok said. However, his main role …

Anadolu agency: 31 May 2018
Picture: AFPBerlin. China sought to ease Germany’s concerns over New Silk Road project and related initiatives, stressing that they are not intended to undermine the European Union, Anadolu Agency reports.Speaking at a joint news conference with his German counterpart Heiko Maas on Thursday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China’s "16+1 initiative” with Central and Eastern European countries was aimed at contributing to economic growth, enhancing economic cooperation.
“I would like to underline that we continue to support the integration process in Europe, we want the EU remain united and prosperous,” he said.Wang also underlined that they shared with Germany the vision of a multipolar world and of global free trade. 
“It is not in the interest of China to cause divisions between European states, we do not want to divide Europe,” he stressed. 
EU’s heavyweight Germany has been skeptical about China’s "16+1 cooperation”, and senior political …