Why China won’t call JeM terrorists?
Why has China consistently refused to categorize Kashmiri militant Masood Azharand his group, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), as terrorists? Writing in Foreign Policy, Yelena Biberman and Jared Schwartz offer a plausible theory:
China and Pakistan are facing a delicate balancing act. They both want to push the Taliban to engage with Kabul. But the Taliban, which have extensive ties to groups such as JeM, can generate instability in the region through operations similar to the February 14 attack in response to pressure.
China and Pakistan, in order to protect the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), must simultaneously remain on the militant groups’ good side and cajole the Taliban. The potential costs of failure, such as regional chaos and lost investment, are high. But the potential benefits of success — snatching Afghanistan from India while building a massive economic corridor with security benefits likely to follow — are highly alluring.
Another blow against freedom of assembly in Hong Kong
The BBC reports:
Nine pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong have been found guilty of public nuisance charges for their role in a civil disobedience movement that called for free elections in the city.
Among them are three prominent activists, seen as figureheads of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement.
They could be jailed for up to seven years for their part in the "Umbrella Movement" protests of 2014.
—Jeremy Goldkorn, Editor-in-Chief
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