Beijing has appointed a trusted member of the Chinese Communist Party to head up its international propaganda operation.
Former Cyberspace Administration of China director Xu Lin (徐麟) is to be in charge of efforts to portray China as a progressive force for good in the world at a time when it is facing criticism over its allegedly unfair trading practices, human rights abuses and militarization of island claims in the South China Sea.
Xu’s appointment to the position of minister of the Chinese State Council Information Office was announced by state media yesterday.
Since US President Donald Trump took office, Beijing has sought to draw a contrast with his administration by emphasizing its role in promoting free trade and addressing global issues.
Critics have said that contradicts China’s roles as the most restricted major economy and a leading polluter.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has also gone to lengths to promote his trademark US$1 trillion Belt and Road Initiative that seeks to link China with other parts of Asia, Europe, Africa and beyond through transport and infrastructure projects.
China’s entirely state-controlled media have been aggressively expanding overseas in hopes of countering unflattering images of the nation and promoting Beijing’s take on global matters.
Xu, 55, had earlier been brought in to enforce China’s strict regulations on the Internet after his predecessor, Lu Wei (魯煒), was ousted in a corruption scandal.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique