The Baloch House

Brussels, 19 September 2018Questions & AnswersWhat is 'connectivity' for the European Union?Connectivity is essentially about networks. These can be in the form of transport links: by air, land or sea. Connectivity can be digital networks: mobile or fixed, from cables to satellites, from the internet backbone to the last mile. Connectivity also includes energy networks and flows: from gas, including liquefied natural gas (LNG) to electricity grids, from renewables to energy efficiency. Finally, connectivity has a very obvious human dimension: from cooperation in education, research and innovation to travel and tourism. Connectivity serves and facilitates human interaction.Connectivity brings people, places and opportunities closer, which is why it has to be approached and managed well. To work efficiently, connectivity requires internationally agreed practices, rules, conventions and technical standards, supported by international organisations and institutions that enable…

Robin EmmottBRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission proposed on Wednesday a foreign policy plan to improve transport, energy and digital infrastructure links with Asia but denied seeking to counter China’s ambitions that have raised suspicion in Western capitals.FILE PHOTO: Construction workers work on the new standard gauge railway line near Voi town, Kenya, March 16, 2016. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic/File PhotoThe plan, which would be backed by additional funds from the EU’s common budget from 2021, private sector loans and development banks, amounts to a strategic response to China’s largesse in much of central Asia and south-eastern Europe, where Beijing has invested billions of dollars.SPONSOREDThe 13-page strategy outlined by the EU executive did not specify how much the bloc would spend, but the Commission is relying on a proposed 60 billion euro ($70 billion) fund that would act as an insurance for investors if projects fail.That fund could raise more than 300 billion euros b…

Europe unveils its answer to China’s Belt and Road plan Brussels concerned that Beijing is dividing bloc with ‘16+1’ regional initiative Federica Mogherini, EU foreign policy chief Michael Peel in Salzburg YESTERDAY 27 The EU has launched proposals for its answer to China’s Belt and Road Initiative to build infrastructure across Europe and Asia. Federica Mogherini, the EU’s foreign policy chief, said the plans would represent a “European way” of connecting the two continents, an implied contrast with some Beijing-backed projects that have loaded countries with debt or offered poor value for money. Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative refers to a swath of Chinese infrastructure projects in dozens of countries, and is a signature foreign policy for Xi Jinping, China’s president, linking the country more closely to neighbours while promoting development. Ms Mogherini insisted that the plan was not a reaction to Belt and Road or any other international initiative, “be it in Beijing, Washin…

2018-09-20 09:58:44 China Daily Mo Hong'eSculptures stand out against the harsh desert background at an outdoor exhibition in Wuwei, Gansu province, on Aug 22, 2018.　(Photo/Xinhua)BRI offers mutual benefits, says head of NDRCChina will manage well the financial risks in projects related to the Belt and Road Initiative as the initiative is designed to benefit all parties involved, according to officials and financial experts."The fundamentals to promote the initiative are to make sure it can be a mutual learning experience and mutually beneficial," He Lifeng, head of the National Development and Reform Commission, said during the annual World Economic Forum in Tianjin on Wednesday.Since the initiative was launched in late 2013, China has signed 150 cooperation documents with 106 countries and 29 international organizations.More than $86 billion has been invested in parties involved in the BRI, and 82 economic and trade development zones have been built. The initiative has…

Among the more visible areas of involvement is finance, with British banks quick to join China’s global trade initiativeNazvi CareemUPDATED : Thursday, 20 Sep 2018, 12:31PMBritish Prime Minister Theresa May was careful to ensure that there was no official backing for China’s “Belt and Road Initiative” when she led a major trade delegation to Beijing in January.But there is indirect support as Britain searches for strategic partners in a post-Brexit era. “For the UK, the recognition of its new status – clearly out of the European Union and most likely a hard Brexit scenario – has pushed May towards an intermediary role,” Natixis said in a report summarising May’s visit with about 50 ministers and business leaders.The UK will become the first large advanced economy to support the initiative, if not directly. London is also identified as a key participant for financing. British and Chinese banks are invited to collaborate in financing the initiative, and the UK government has agreed to c…

China is at risk of becoming colonialist power
Jamil Anderlini
https://www.ft.com/content/186743b8-bb25-11e8-94b2-17176fbf93f5The British high commissioner ordered the destruction as retribution for the murder of 20 emissaries, including a British journalist, who had been sent to negotiate a truce with the Manchu empire. But this crucial detail is never mentioned in the Chinese government’s official version of the event. The sanitised historical record taught in schools and drummed into every Chinese citizen today is part of a decades-old propaganda effort to portray imperialism and colonialism as the exclusive preserve of evil foreigners. According to this narrative, China is a peace-loving nation lacking any ill intentions and constitutionally incapable of acting like a bully or coloniser. Many countries (and people) think this way about themselves. But China’s attitude raises a danger when combined with its new-found position as a rising superpower with an explicit plan to project it…

Saleem ShahidUpdated September 17, 2018

QUETTA: Around 20,000 personnel of police, Levies force and Frontier Corps will be deployed in Balochistan to provide security to mourning processions on the 7th and 10th of Muharram.This information was given to Home Minister Mir Saleem Ahmed Khosa in a meeting held here to review the overall security situation in the province.The minister presided over the meeting.“The Muharram security plan was reviewed in the meeting keeping in view the recent remote control blast in Pishin and a security alert issued by the authorities concerned,” official sources said.ARTICLE CONTINUES AFTER ADThe security apparatus, they said, was highly alert in provincial capital Quetta where heavy contingents of police and FC personnel had been deployed at all Imambargahs and routes leading to the venues of Majalis.The home minister was told that checking of hotels and rented houses had begun in Quetta. “Checking of the record of the families living in rented houses is …

Saleem ShahidUpdated September 20, 2018

Balochistan's rich reserves of marble, chromite, limestone, coal and other minerals await proper planning and exploration.—File photoQUETTA: A research and investment Chinese company — MCC Tongsin Resources Ltd — has expressed its keen interest in developing the mineral sector of Balochistan.In a meeting with Chief Minister Jam Mir Kamal Khan Alyani on Wednesday, the MCC Tongsin President Wang Jincheng offered to explore natural resources of the province.He informed the chief minister that his company has merged with the Chinese firm working on the Saindak project.He asked the provincial government to allow the company so it could expand Saindak project that would increase jobs opportunities for local people and beneficial for the provincial economy.“Our company has been working to explore minerals in various countries and owns assets worth $50 billion worldwide,” he said, adding that MCC will recommend the Chinese government to include estab…

Syed Ali ShahSeptember 18, 2018
Two Levies personnel were martyred and another injured when unidentified armed men opened fire at the security officials in Balochistan's Killa Saifullah district on Tuesday evening, DawnNewsTV reported.According to the Levies officials, the incident occurred at Junction Chowk area of Killa Saifullah.The martyred soldiers, identified as Munir and Akram, died on the spot and their bodies were shifted to District Headquarters Hospital in Kila Saifullah along with the injured officer.Police and Levies officials reached the spot soon after and cordoned off the area as an investigation into the incident went underway.ARTICLE CONTINUES AFTER ADHowever, the assailants managed to escape unhurt. This incident comes two days after armed men martyred a Levies Risaldar in Killa Saifullah.265 militants surrender in QuettaAs a part of a reconciliation policy, 265 Ferraris belonging to various banned militant organisations, surrendered before the senior government …

PERSPECTIVES

Short-term and long-term strategies are being used in CPEC in the field of energy, transportation infrastructure, and the Gwadar portYasir Habib KhanSEPTEMBER 20, 2018Pakistan is never going to rollback and abandon  China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Asia’s first transport corridor and the lifeline of Xi’s global Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Considering the avalanche of benefits some which have already been reaped and the rest will take effect soon.Reason to keep the ball rolling on the CPEC project is that the civil and military leadership underpinned by a league of economists are all on the same page with no misgivings. Moreover, the understanding between both Islamabad and Beijing marks the immortalization of the project.For Pakistan, CPEC is as beneficial as atomic technology policy, since both serve national interests on security and economic landscapes.Earlier Pakistan was battling energy dearth, economic meltdown, insecurity, withering governance system, po…

* Senate chairman says Pakistan and Turkey have time tested relations and are connected through religious, cultural and historic bonds

SEPTEMBER 19, 2018ISLAMABAD: Senate Chairman Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani on Tuesday invited over Turkish businessmen to invest in Gwadar free economic zone and benefit from the economic potential of the development activities in the country.He expressed these views while talking to a delegation of Turkish businessmen including parliamentarians. Pakistan Turkey Friendship Group Chairman Senator Talha Mahmood and Senate Secretary Amjad Parvez Malik were also present in the meeting.Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani said that Pakistan and Turkey have time tested relations and are connected through religious, cultural and historic bonds. He said that Pakistan cannot forget the support provided during the earthquake in Pakistan by Turkey. Sadiq Sanjrani said that the cooperation of Turkey in social and economic development of Pakistan is also unprecedented. He said that Pa…

KARACHI: Milestone, a real estate developer, has connected Gwadar Development Authority (GDA) to important Japanese investors with interest in real estate, tourism, and beach area development for the first time in Pakistan.The visiting Japanese delegation expressed a huge interest in real estate, tourism, beach area development, golf course development, infrastructure development, and public-private partnerships especially in Karachi and Gwadar, a statement said on Wednesday.The visiting delegation comprised of Cosmo Ec Co Ltd Senior Managing Director Atsushi Isutani, Bros Japan directors Yukio Nishihata and Syed Rehan Ali, Angles National Golf Club President and CEO Shinjiro Nakano, and Milestone Managing Partner and CEO Umer Khalid.They met with government of Pakistan Ministry of Maritime Affairs Chairman Dostain Khan Jamaldini, Gwadar Free Zone Company Limited Deputy General Manager Peter Hu, and GDA Director General Dr Sajjad Hussain Baloch at Gwadar.The GDA is a public and govern…

CPEC will only be an opportunity if Pakistan invests to develop skills among young cadres. There should be nine Special Economic Zones spatially distributed among provinces. Each SEZ should provide unique opportunities to engage the local community, especially the youth
Shakeel Ahmad RamaySEPTEMBER 20, 2018Pakistan is home to one of the largest youth bulge in the world. Statistics show that almost 31.36 percent population fall in the category between the 0-14 years age group, and 21.14 percent are between the ages of 15-24 years. It represents almost 55 percent of the population.  Despite being blessed with this youth capital, Pakistan finds it hard to realise the youth dividend. It faces challenges in meeting the prerequisites to benefit from the youth bulge which mainly includes good quality education, skill development, quality health facilities and good environment for development. Specifically, two very important groups of youth namely madrasa students and uneducated youth remain…

Dawn.comSeptember 19, 2018

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Bajwa in a meeting with the President of China Xi Jinping. —DawnNewsTVChief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Bajwa calling on the President of China Xi Jinping. —DawnNewsTVChief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Bajwa in a meeting with the President of China Xi Jinping. —DawnNewsTVChief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Bajwa calling on the President of China Xi Jinping. —DawnNewsTVChief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Bajwa in a meeting with the President of China Xi Jinping. —DawnNewsTVChief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Bajwa, on special invitation, called on the President of China Xi Jinping in China on Wednesday to discuss the region's security and the challenges it is faced with, the military's media wing said.The Chinese president acknowledged that Pakistan has been a "time-tested iron friend" to China and the Pakistan Army has had a role in this lasting relationship, according to a…

* Chinese president says Beijing will continue to support Islamabad as a strategic partner* Gen Bajwa says Pakistan Army will ensure security of CPEC at all costsStaff ReportSEPTEMBER 20, 2018ISLAMABAD: Chinese President Xi Jinping Wednesday said those who oppose the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) or the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor(CPEC) will never succeed.“Those who oppose Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) or China-Pakistan Economic Corridor(CPEC)shall never succeed as this is an initiative of peace and development not only for China but for the whole region and beyond,” a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) quoted the Chinese president as having said during a meeting with Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, who is on a two-day official visit to China.“Pakistan is our time-tested iron friend and Pakistan Army has a pivotal role towards this lasting relationship,” the Chinese president told the COAS. He appreciated professionalism of Pakistan’s …

Ted PicconeSeptember 2018Download the full paperExecutive SummaryConsistent with its ambitions to play a central role in leading the international order, China is emerging as a pivotal player in the international human rights system. In the past few years, China has shifted from its traditionally more defensive posture to a more activist role, particularly on the U.N. Human Rights Council. This stems from a two-part strategy that seeks to 1) block international criticism of its repressive human rights record, and 2) promote orthodox interpretations of national sovereignty and noninterference in internal affairs that weaken international norms of human rights, transparency, and accountability. While these goals are not new, the more proactive tactics that Chinese officials are using, especially since the reappointment of Premier Xi Jinping, suggest the start of a more wholesale campaign to reshape the rules and instruments of the international human rights system.This paper looks at Ch…

19/9/2018
DASHT:-According to residents of Dasht, Today Pakistani forces raided in a house in Teeran desk, Dasht Where occupying army abducted Riyaz S/o Uzman R/o Teeran Desk, Dasht.

19/9/2018
GRESHAG:- According to reports Today Pakistani army and Local death squads Raided in house of Bahoot in Reesh, Where occupying tired to abduct 9 years old Taheer S/o Bahoot, On the same time his mother Bibi Jumaithi tried not to let them to abduct her son, Unfortunately Pakistani forces Brutally Tortured Bibi Jumaithi Civilians told us Pakistani army extremely beat Bibi Jumaithi due to which her foot were broken by Security forces & her 9 years old abducted Taheer S/o Bahoot.

TRIVIUM CHINADRIVING THE DAY1.  China retaliates in the trade war
It didn’t take long for China to retaliate against the latest round of US tariffs (CNN):"The Chinese government said Tuesday that it would impose tariffs on US goods worth $60 billion following the Trump administration's announcement that it was hitting $200 billion worth of Chinese goods with new tariffs.""China's new tariffs will be levied at rates of 5% or 10%, depending on the product.""More than 5,000 US goods will be affected, including meat, nuts, alcoholic drinks, chemicals, clothes, machinery, furniture and auto parts."The Chinese are clearly frustrated:"'The Chinese side has repeatedly emphasized that the only correct way to solve the trade dispute between China and the United States is through talk and consultation on the basis of equity, integrity and mutual respect,' [Ministry of Foreign Affairs] spokesman Geng Shuang said at a regular news briefing."&q…