Tag: diplomat

China expels Canadian consul in diplomat row

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Tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions are normal in international diplomacy, but relations have been rocky between the two countries for years and China has targeted Canadian trade in the past. Canola exports, for instance, were banned for years in the wake of Canadian authorities detaining Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in 2018.
This latest move comes after Canada declared diplomat Zhao Wei persona non grata on Monday over his alleged involvement in an attempt to pressure Conservative MP Michael Chong through his extended family living in Hong Kong.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said in a statement Monday Canada has “zero tolerance” for “any form of foreign interference,” and that Canada has warned diplomats in the country that they could be sent packing over such actions.
It followed a story in The Globe and Mail newspaper that described a Canadian intelligence report warning China is targeting Canada to interfere in domestic politics. An anonymous source quoted in the article accused Zhao of working on the influence campaign against Chong, who had sponsored a motion in 2021 decrying China’s abuses of the Uyghur Muslim minority population as a genocide. Following those revelations, the head of Canadian intelligence then informed Chong in person last week that he and his family were being targeted.
Chong and others have accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of taking too long to expel Zhao. But Trudeau maintained he had to weigh the possible repercussions.
Chong’s case is just the latest to rock political circles. Foreign interference has been a wider controversy simmering in Canada for a long time — until March, when it exploded into one scandalous revelation after another, putting the Liberals on the defensive ever since.
Leaked reports from Canadian intelligence have singled out Chinese meddling in Canadian affairs as the greatest threat to national security, and warned that Beijing has tried to influence outcomes of local races in elections in 2019 and 2021. What’s more, China allegedly tried to bolster support for Liberal candidates and defeat Conservatives.
Canadian lawmaker Han Dong resigned from the governing Liberal Party that month and now sits as an independent, following allegations in a Global News report alleging he advised a Chinese diplomat to hold off on releasing two high-profile Canadians, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, who were held captive by China at the time. He is suing the news outlet for defamation for publishing the allegations, which he denies.

The House of Commons has also called on the government to call a public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada’s elections, heaping more pressure onto the beleaguered Liberals over the matter.
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( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

May 9, 2023
Baltics blast China diplomat for questioning sovereignty of ex-Soviet states

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The Baltic states of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia are demanding an explanation from Beijing after China’s top envoy to France questioned the independence of former Soviet countries like Ukraine.
Lu Shaye, China’s ambassador to France, said in an interview on Friday with French television network LCI that former Soviet countries have no “effective status” in international law.
Asked whether Crimea belongs to Ukraine, Lu said that “it depends how you perceive the problem,” arguing that it was historically part of Russia and offered to Ukraine by former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev.
“In international law, even these ex-Soviet Union countries do not have the status, the effective [status] in international law, because there is no international agreement to materialize their status as a sovereign country,” he said.
The comments sparked outrage among Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia — three former Soviet countries.
Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs said in a tweet that his ministry summoned “the authorized chargé d’affaires of the Chinese embassy in Riga on Monday to provide explanations. This step is coordinated with Lithuania and Estonia.”
He called the comments “completely unacceptable,” adding: “We expect explanation from the Chinese side and complete retraction of this statement.”
Margus Tsahkna, Estonia’s foreign minister, called the comments “false” and “a misinterpretation of history.”

Gabrielius Landsbergis, Lithuania’s foreign minister, shared the interview on Twitter with the comment: “If anyone is still wondering why the Baltic States don’t trust China to “broker peace in Ukraine,” here’s a Chinese ambassador arguing that Crimea is Russian and our countries’ borders have no legal basis.”
Kyiv also pushed back strongly against the ambassador’s comments.
“It is strange to hear an absurd version of the ‘history of Crimea’ from a representative of a country that is scrupulous about its thousand-year history,” Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office, said in a tweet on Sunday. “If you want to be a major political player, do not parrot the propaganda of Russian outsiders.”
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called the remarks “unacceptable” in a tweet on Sunday. “The EU can only suppose these declarations do not represent China’s official policy,” Borrell said.
France in a statement on Sunday stated its “full solidarity” with all the allied countries affected, which it said had acquired their independence “after decades of oppression,” according to Reuters. “On Ukraine specifically, it was internationally recognized within borders including Crimea in 1991 by the entire international community, including China,” a foreign ministry spokesperson was quoted as saying.
The foreign ministry spokesperson also called on China to clarify whether the ambassador’s statement reflects its position or not.
The row comes ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg on Monday, where relations with China are on the agenda.

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#Baltics #blast #China #diplomat #questioning #sovereignty #exSoviet #states
( With inputs from : www.politico.eu )

April 21, 2023
China granted visas to over 18,000 Indians since January: Diplomat

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Kolkata: China has issued visas to over 18,000 Indians in the last three months, a Chinese diplomat said.
Interacting with a group of journalists in Kolkata, Minister Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in India, Chen Jianjun, said he was looking forward to more Chinese being given visas by India.
“The number of visa applications for China has been on the rise. Since January, we have given visas to 18,560 Indians,” he said.

“Since August, 9,409 student visas have been issued to Indian students,” he said.
However, Jianjun said, the number of visa applications is yet to reach the pre-pandemic levels.
In June last year, China announced plans to provide visas to Indian professionals and their families stranded in India following the strict restrictions imposed by Beijing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Separately, it also started processing visa applications of thousands of Indian students studying in Chinese universities who conveyed their interest to rejoin their colleges and universities. About 23,000 Indian students, mostly studying medicine were stranded back home due to the restrictions.
Jianjun said China was working with India for an early resumption of direct flights between the two countries.

Flight services between the two countries have been disrupted ever since coronavirus was first reported in Wuhan in late 2019 and spread across the world.
The flight disruption turned out to be a major problem for hundreds of Indian students as well as families of Indians working in China and businessmen to travel back and forth.
Indians are currently travelling to China through Sri Lanka, Nepal and Myanmar, and some other countries, shelling out an exorbitant amount of money on steep airfares.
Jianjun also said that his country was looking forward to a more fair and friendly business environment in India.
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#China #granted #visas #Indians #January #Diplomat
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 1, 2023
India-China border now stable, situation of ’emergency control’ over: Chinese diplomat

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Kolkata: The earlier situation of “emergency control” at the India-China border is a matter of the past, and overall it is stable at present, a senior Chinese diplomat said here.
Interacting with journalists on Friday evening, Minister Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in India, Chen Jianjun, said the two Asian giants continue to maintain communication via diplomatic and military channels, promoting the transition of the border situation to “normalised management and control”.
“The current border situation is overall stable,” he said.
Indian and Chinese soldiers clashed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh on December 9, resulting in minor injuries to a few personnel from both sides. The clash near Yangtse in the sensitive sector took place amid the border standoff between the two sides in eastern Ladakh.
The ties between India and China nosedived significantly following the fierce clash in Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two neighbours in decades.
“The Chinese side has always viewed and handled China-India relations from a strategic and long-term perspective. Although the relationship faces some difficulties, China’s position has never wavered and we have been committed to pushing it back on the track of healthy and steady development,” Jianjun said.
He said the two countries could draw strength from their ancient civilisations, and share oriental wisdom with the world, so as to jointly maintain the stability of the international order.
“In a world intertwined with changes and chaos, China and India could speak out loud for more institutional rights of developing countries. The two countries working together will bear on the future of Asia and beyond,” he added.

Jianjun said China supports India in fulfilling its role during its presidency of G20 and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
“China and India’s bilateral trade continues to grow. Cultural, scientific, technological, educational and other people-to-people exchanges and cooperation resume in an orderly manner,” he said.
The diplomat said China and India share similar positions on many regional and international issues, and have extensive common interests in South-South cooperation, development and poverty reduction, climate change and energy security.
“We believe that China and India could find a way for the neighbouring countries to live in peace and develop together, so as to realise the ‘Asian Century’,” he added.
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#IndiaChina #border #stable #situation #emergency #control #Chinese #diplomat
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 1, 2023
UN diplomat complains of broken seats, cockroaches on US-Delhi Air India flight

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New Delhi: A UN diplomat has complained about broken seats, no call buttons/reading lights, and cockroaches in an US-Delhi Air India flight.
“As a UN diplomat, I’ve flown worldwide but Air India 102 JFK to Delhi was my worst flight experience: Broken seats, no entertainment/call buttons/reading lights, and cockroaches. Poison spray. Disregard for customer care,” the diplomat had Tweeted about a week ago.
On Monday, the diplomat asked for another clarification as to how Air India flights from New York have cockroaches and do not have any on board safety equipment.
“Any thoughts and comments on how Air India flights from NY are infested with cockroaches and has non-operational standard on board safety equipment,” the diplomat asked from his Twitter handle #GPS (Gurpreet).
Air India responded to the tweet, regretting the inconvenience caused to the diplomat.
“We sincerely regret the experience you have had with us. This is not something good to hear. Please help us with your booking details via DM for us to highlight the same to the relevant team for necessary review,” said the airline.
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#diplomat #complains #broken #seats #cockroaches #USDelhi #Air #India #flight
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 21, 2023
American diplomat discusses India-US connections at Andhra University

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Amaravati: Political-Economic Chief of the US Consulate General Hyderabad, Sean Ruthe visited Andhra University on Monday to lead a discussion on US-India tech collaboration.
The discussion explored how both countries can work together through the recently established initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET).
Speaking at the event Ruthe said, “Few global issues are as critical as emerging technology and few relationships are as important as the US-India Strategic Partnership. So it’s natural that our two countries would team up to harness the potential of new and emerging technologies to bolster peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.”
He said US president Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the US-India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) in May 2022.
The initiative will elevate and expand the strategic technology partnership and defence industrial cooperation between the governments, businesses, and academic institutions said the US diplomat.
“In January, the National Security Advisors of the United States and India met in Washington, DC to discuss opportunities for greater cooperation in critical and emerging technologies, co-development and coproduction, and ways to deepen connectivity across U.S. and Indian innovation ecosystems,” he said.
Monday’s discussion took place at the American Corner in Visakhapatnam. Hosted by Andhra University, the American Corner provides a space where Americans and Indians in Visakhapatnam can gather to discuss important political, economic, cultural, educational, and social trends in the United States and how those developments are shaping the U.S.-India partnership.

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#American #diplomat #discusses #IndiaUS #connections #Andhra #University
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 6, 2023
Kerry to stay on as Biden’s top climate diplomat

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Kerry’s relationship with his Chinese counterpart, Xie Zhenhua, has been a rare bright spot between the United States and China. Kerry has sought to carve out a separate lane to discuss climate with China, the world’s top emitter. He told The Boston Globe those talks have been paused for the past and was informed that Xie had been ill with Covid-19.
The future of natural gas and oil is sure to color the upcoming climate talks amid rising energy costs, energy security concerns stemming from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the UAE’s role as a major hydrocarbon producer.
The decision to stay in his current role, however, will also open Kerry up to investigations by the Republican-led House, with House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) already requesting documents and communication from Kerry’s office. Kerry told the Globe “we have nothing to hide.”
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#Kerry #stay #Bidens #top #climate #diplomat
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

February 27, 2023