Month: April 2024

A day before meeting Beijing’s top brass to tackle thorny issues including Russia, Taiwan and trade, Blinken’s visit to Shanghai has seen him sample local food, watch a basketball game and stroll along the city’s famous Bund promenade.

Visiting the local Communist Party leader in a room with sweeping views of the Shanghai skyline, Blinken said US President Joe Biden was committed to “direct and sustained” dialogue between the world’s two largest economies after years of mounting tension.

“I think it’s important to underscore the value — in fact, the necessity — of direct engagement, of speaking to each other, laying out our differences, which are real, seeking to work through them,” Blinken said.

“We have an obligation for our people — indeed an obligation to the world — to manage the relationship between our two countries responsibly.”

The Chinese Communist Party secretary for Shanghai, Chen Jining, welcomed Blinken partly in English and spoke of the importance of US businesses to the city.

“Whether we choose cooperation or confrontation affects the well-being of both peoples, both countries and the future of humanity,” Chen told him.

The country’s financial capital, Shanghai is often a stepping stone to power in China, with President Xi Jinping previously serving briefly in the city.

China has not announced plans for Blinken to meet Xi, although on Blinken’s last visit in June, they saw each other in a meeting announced at the last minute.

On Thursday, Blinken also met students at the Shanghai campus of New York University, where he voiced hope for more Americans to study in China.

He insisted the United States was committed to welcoming Chinese students.

Beijing has repeatedly alleged that Chinese nationals with valid travel documents, including students, have been subject to aggressive interrogations and deportations at US airports.

“President Biden and President Xi are determined to strengthen our people-to-people ties,” Blinken said.

Pressing on Russia

Blinken, the first US secretary of state in 14 years to visit Shanghai, opened his visit on Wednesday evening at a restaurant serving steamed buns.

Sporting a suit without a tie, he ate with his senior staff in a shopping arcade as curious onlookers snapped pictures.

Blinken then went to watch a basketball game between the Shanghai Sharks and Zhejiang Golden Bulls, staying until the end of the nail-biting play-off.

 

 

Such softer diplomacy, once a staple of US-China relations, would have been unimaginable until recently, with hawks in both countries speaking of an emerging new Cold War.

Blinken’s aides hope his smiling persona at public events draws an implicit contrast to his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov and his gruffer approach when he visited China earlier this month.

Blinken is expected to raise concerns about China’s relationship with Russia when he meets the leadership in Beijing.

Although US officials were initially pleased that Beijing has not shipped weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine, they now say that China’s alarm at Moscow’s setbacks on the battlefield has prompted it to export vast quantities of industrial supplies to Russia.

 

 

US officials believe China is more receptive to Western concerns as it seeks to focus on managing economic headwinds at home and wants to avoid friction with the West.

But China is also furious about a series of moves by Biden — who is facing a tough re-election fight in November against Donald Trump — they say serve to constrain the Chinese economy.

Most recently, the US Congress approved legislation that would force the divestment of blockbuster social media app TikTok from its Chinese owners or face a ban in the world’s largest economy.

Biden supports the legislation, arguing that TikTok, popular among young people, poses security and privacy concerns. China has accused the United States of unfair economic coercion.

 

 

Unusually, Trump has distanced himself from a TikTok ban. He has otherwise championed a tough line on China, with vows to raise tariffs drastically if he returns to office.

US officials also say that Blinken will encourage China to act with restraint as Taiwan inaugurates a new president next month.

China claims the self-governing democracy as its own and has not ruled out using force to seize it.

Privately, US officials were relieved by China’s approach during Taiwan’s election, believing that easing US-China tensions helped.

They assessed that Beijing’s assertive military moves did not go beyond past precedent.

It comes amid speculation about the future of the SNP’s power-sharing deal with the Scottish Green Party.

Ministers usually meet on a Tuesday but have been called to Bute House for the second time this week.

It follows criticism of the Scottish government’s decision to scrap its 2030 climate target and the way it responded to a review of gender services.

 

The agenda for the meeting is not known.

Last week the Scottish Greens confirmed that members would vote on whether they party should remain in power with the SNP.

It came after the SNP’s Energy Secretary Mairi McAllan announced that Scotland’s 2030 net-zero target was out of reach.

Scotland’s NHS also said it was pausing prescribing puberty blockers to under-18s referred by the country’s only specialist gender clinic following a report by Dr Hilary Cass.

Patrick Harvie said he would quit as co-leader if the Greens vote to end the coalition with the SNP

Greens Co-leader Patrick Harvie said issues had “come to a head” with party members calling for a debate on how to move forward.

Mr Harvie has said he would quit as co-leader if the Greens vote to end the coalition with the SNP.

The first minister previously said he valued the power-sharing deal – known as the Bute House agreement – and does not expect it to be scrapped.

But he indicated that his party members would not be getting another vote on the issue, despite calls from senior SNP figures such as Kate Forbes.

The cabinet is the main decision-making body of the Scottish Government. It is made up of the first minister and all cabinet secretaries.

The BBC understands that the SNP would form a minority government if the Bute House agreement ends.

He thanked voters for the landslide victory by his Peoples National Congress, which promised a boom in building apartments, bridges and new airports with Chinese funding.

Muizzu, 45, won September presidential polls after vowing to evict 89 Indian troops deployed in the country.

The Indian contingent, operating three aircraft patrolling the archipelago’s vast maritime boundary, is due to leave by May 10.

Muizzu consolidated his hold on power by winning more than two-thirds of the seats in Sunday’s vote for the 93-member assembly.

“We will bid farewell to the enduring anguish of housing insecurity, a pressing and long-standing concern burdening the Maldivian populace,” his office said, quoting his promise at a victory rally in Male on Monday.

He did not mention China or India by name, but said he will work towards ensuring that the country’s sovereignty is not compromised.

“It is important that Maldivians have sole authority over matters concerning our nation, to be addressed according to our desires,” he said.

Muizzu previously declared that the deployment of Indian troops was an affront to Maldivians, who he said were capable of patrolling their own waters without personnel from the regional powerhouse.

“As long as their presence here in Doha, as we have always said, is useful and positive in this mediation effort, they will remain here,” foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari told a press conference.

Qatar, which has hosted Hamas’ political leadership since 2012 with the blessing of the United States, has been engaged in weeks of behind-the-scenes talks on a possible truce in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

But after mediators, also including the US and Egypt, failed to bring about a pause in fighting during Ramazan, Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said last week that Qatar was reassessing its role. The announcement prompted speculation that Hamas could be asked to quit the gas-rich Gulf state.

Ansari confirmed Qatar was continuing to reassess its mediation role and that a decision on the presence of Hamas members in Doha “will not be taken unless we are finished with that reassessment”.

Qatar, which also hosts the region’s largest US military base, has rebuffed frequent criticism of its mediation efforts from Israeli officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Ansari said on Tuesday the decision to re-evaluate those efforts was prompted by frustration with political attacks including from “ministers in Netanyahu’s government, who spoke negatively about the Qatari mediation.” He added: “They all know what the Qatari role is, its nature, and its details during the previous stage and they lied.”

Qatar successfully brokered the only pause in the Gaza war so far, a week-long truce in November during which scores of Israeli and foreign prisoners were released.

The Rwanda bill was introduced to allow the scheme to go ahead after the Supreme Court ruled it was unlawful.

The government says any asylum seeker entering the UK “illegally” after 1 January 2022, from a safe country such as France, could be sent to Rwanda.

They would have their asylum claims processed there, rather in than the UK.

If successful, they could be granted refugee status and allowed to stay in the landlocked east-central African country.

If not, they could apply to settle in Rwanda on other grounds, or seek asylum in another “safe third country”.

No asylum seeker would be able to apply to return to the UK.

Ministers say the plan will deter people from arriving in the UK on small boats across the English Channel.

There is no limit on the number of asylum seekers who could be sent to Rwanda.

According to BBC home and legal correspondent Dominic Casciani, there are currently 52,000 people who could be considered.

The first flight to Rwanda was scheduled for June 2022, but was cancelled after legal challenges.

Speaking on 22 April, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the first flight would now leave in 10-12 weeks. This is later than the government’s previous goal of sending people in spring.

Mr Sunak did not confirm how many people would be on board, but said there would be “multiple flights a month through the summer and beyond”.

The PM also said the government had “put an airfield on standby” and had booked commercial charter planes.

Legal challenges meant the first Rwanda flight was cancelled shortly before take-off in June 2022

He said the number of detention spaces for people the government was preparing to remove had been increased to 2,200 and that “200 trained, dedicated caseworkers” were available to process cases quickly.

Mr Sunak said that 25 courtrooms and 150 judges were available to deal with any legal cases, and there were “500 highly trained individuals ready to escort illegal migrants all the way to Rwanda”, with a further 300 to be trained.

 

After the Supreme Court ruled that the scheme was unlawful, the government introduced a bill to make clear in UK law that Rwanda is a safe country.

The legislation – which was finally approved on 22 April after intense political wrangling – orders the courts to ignore key sections of the Human Rights Act.

It also compels the courts to disregard other British laws or international rules – such as the international Refugee Convention – which would block deportations to Rwanda.

The UK government also signed a new migration treaty with Rwanda, which Home Secretary James Cleverly said guarantees that anyone sent there would not risk being returned to their home country.

The Rwanda bill was fiercely criticised by opposition parties and by many charities representing asylum seekers.

After the bill was passed, the illegal migration minster Michael Tomlinson said a “whole range of legal challenges” is now expected.

These are likely to come both from individual asylum seekers appealing against their own deportation, and specialist expert refugee organisations.

 

In November 2023, the UK Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the Rwanda scheme was unlawful.

It said genuine refugees would be at risk of being returned to their home countries, where they could face harm.

This breaches the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which prohibits torture and inhuman treatment. The UK is a signatory to the ECHR.

The ruling also cited concerns about Rwanda’s poor human-rights record, and its past treatment of refugees.

Judges said that in 2021, the UK government had itself criticised Rwanda over “extrajudicial killings, deaths in custody, enforced disappearances and torture”.

They also highlighted a 2018 incident, when Rwandan police opened fire on protesting refugees, killing at least 11.

However, the total payment will be at least £370m over five years, according to the National Audit Office .

If more than 300 people are sent to Rwanda, the UK would pay a one-off sum of £120m to help boost the country’s economy, with further payments of £20,000 per individual relocated.

On top of that, up to £150,000 will be paid for each person sent there, the NAO report said.

These figures would not include the cost of payments to anyone to who chooses to go to Rwanda voluntarily.

Getty Images

Home Secretary James Cleverly visited Rwanda in December 2023, after the Supreme Court ruling

Previously released official figures suggested that removing each individual to a third country would cost £63,000 more than keeping them in the UK.

The prime minister previously claimed that the Rwanda plan would “literally save us billions in the long run“, but did not explain the figures.

The UK’s asylum system costs nearly £4bn a year, including about £8m a day on hotel accommodation.

Failure to process asylum claims efficiently “has led to unacceptable costs to the taxpayer”, a report by MPs said in October 2023.

The United States State Department Tuesday warned against the “potential risk of sanctions” in light of the business deals between Pakistan and Iran following Iranian President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi’s official visit to Pakistan.

Without mentioning Pakistan in a statement, a State Department spokesperson said: “We advise anyone considering business deals with Iran to be aware of the potential risk of sanctions.”

The spokesperson, while commenting on Islamabad’s trade and economic ties with Washington, said US is Pakistan’s biggest export market and one of its largest investors.

“We have also been a leading investor in Pakistan for the past 20 years. Pakistan’s economic success is in both of our interest, and we look forward to continuing our partnership,” they added, stressing the significance of economic relations between both countries.

However, considering Islamabad’s closeness with Tehran amid President Raisi’s three-day visit and the bilateral agreements signed between the two nations, the spokesperson hinted towards these relations being at risk with chances of potential sanctions owing to Iran’s position in the world.

“We do not preview potential sanctions actions,” the spokesperson said and referred journalists to the Government of Pakistan for any further comment on the matter.

The State Department’s statement comes at a crucial standpoint in Pakistan’s history as it works to advance its “brotherly ties” with Iran by welcoming their president, months after their cross-border skirmishes in January.

The statement also holds significance following Iran’s standing at the global level, owing to its regional activities and recent clashes with Israel after it attacked its embassy in Damascus, killing two senior members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Meanwhile, both Tehran and Islamabad also signed a total of eight accords on varying subjects to enhance cooperation in the different fields including trade, science technology, agriculture, health, culture, and judicial matters with both PM Shehbaz and President Raisi witnessing the momentous occasion.

In his address during joint presser with the prime minister, the Iranian president revealed that both Pakistan and Iran have agreed to increase trade volume to $10 billion.

The signing ceremony also marked the ratification of a security cooperation agreement between the governments of both countries.

RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir met with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, emphasising the need for “improved coordination” against the terrorists, a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Tuesday.

According to the military’s media wing, COAS Munir described described the Pak-Iran border as “the border of peace and friendship,” emphasising the need for improved coordination along the border to prevent terrorists from jeopardising the longstanding brotherly relations between the two neighbouring countries.

The statement said that the discussion between the two dignitaries primarily focused on matters of mutual interest, notably regional peace, stability, and border security.

“Both sides concurred on the necessity to bolster bilateral cooperation while jointly striving for regional stability and economic prosperity,” said the ISPR statement.

President Raisi, during the meeting, emphasised that by fostering cooperation between the two armed forces, Islamabad and Tehran can attain peace and stability for both nations and the region.

The Iranian head of state arrived in Pakistan on Monday on a three-day official visit, the first by any foreign leader to Pakistan after the February 8 polls.

He is being accompanied by his spouse and a high-level delegation, comprising the foreign minister and other members of the cabinet, senior officials and a large business delegation.

Following his arrival at the Prime Minister’s House to meet with PM Shehbaz Sharif on April 22, the Iranian president received a guard of honour from the smartly turned-out contingents of the armed forces.

The premier welcomed the high-profile guest as he arrived at the venue of the formal welcome ceremony after which the national anthems of both countries were played.

In the second leg of his high-profile visit to Pakistan, Raisi will travel to Lahore.

Later, the Iranian leader will travel to Karachi where his meetings are scheduled with Governor Kamran Tessori and Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.

Raisi will also visit Quaid’s mausoleum in Karachi and pay his respects to the founder of Pakistan.

The foreign leader would stay in Karachi and return to Tehran on Wednesday.

The provincial authorities are on high alert due to the high-profile visit and a public holiday has been declared in Karachi and Lahore today.