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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/52972758

Archived

The involvement of Chinese vendors in the rollout of Vietnam's 5G network may deter foreign companies from investing in the Southeast Asian nation, a top EU official said on Tuesday.

European telecom firms Ericsson and Nokia are developing Vietnam's core 5G network, but in recent months Vietnamese state-owned operators have awarded 5G contracts to Chinese rivals Huawei and ZTE.

That marks a notable shift following years of caution towards China, and the change has ⁠sparked concerns among ⁠Western officials.

"Be careful with dependencies in strategic areas," EU Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Sikela said when asked about the Chinese contracts.

"5G is the new battlefield," he told Reuters on the sidelines of an EU-Vietnam investment forum in Hanoi. "Through the network you can access a lot and you can control a lot, ⁠and you have to be always careful who is your trusted vendor."

"If investors have doubts about the security of their data, they might decide not to take the risk and not to invest," he said.

[...]

Vietnam is a major industrial hub and hosts large manufacturing operations of big Western multinationals, including European firms Adidas and Lego. Its decades-long economic boom hinges on foreign investment.

The European Union and European states ⁠on Tuesday ⁠announced a new package of investment in Vietnam's transport and energy sector.

[...]

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/52972758

Archived

The involvement of Chinese vendors in the rollout of Vietnam's 5G network may deter foreign companies from investing in the Southeast Asian nation, a top EU official said on Tuesday.

European telecom firms Ericsson and Nokia are developing Vietnam's core 5G network, but in recent months Vietnamese state-owned operators have awarded 5G contracts to Chinese rivals Huawei and ZTE.

That marks a notable shift following years of caution towards China, and the change has ⁠sparked concerns among ⁠Western officials.

"Be careful with dependencies in strategic areas," EU Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Sikela said when asked about the Chinese contracts.

"5G is the new battlefield," he told Reuters on the sidelines of an EU-Vietnam investment forum in Hanoi. "Through the network you can access a lot and you can control a lot, ⁠and you have to be always careful who is your trusted vendor."

"If investors have doubts about the security of their data, they might decide not to take the risk and not to invest," he said.

[...]

Vietnam is a major industrial hub and hosts large manufacturing operations of big Western multinationals, including European firms Adidas and Lego. Its decades-long economic boom hinges on foreign investment.

The European Union and European states ⁠on Tuesday ⁠announced a new package of investment in Vietnam's transport and energy sector.

[...]

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/52972758

Archived

The involvement of Chinese vendors in the rollout of Vietnam's 5G network may deter foreign companies from investing in the Southeast Asian nation, a top EU official said on Tuesday.

European telecom firms Ericsson and Nokia are developing Vietnam's core 5G network, but in recent months Vietnamese state-owned operators have awarded 5G contracts to Chinese rivals Huawei and ZTE.

That marks a notable shift following years of caution towards China, and the change has ⁠sparked concerns among ⁠Western officials.

"Be careful with dependencies in strategic areas," EU Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Sikela said when asked about the Chinese contracts.

"5G is the new battlefield," he told Reuters on the sidelines of an EU-Vietnam investment forum in Hanoi. "Through the network you can access a lot and you can control a lot, ⁠and you have to be always careful who is your trusted vendor."

"If investors have doubts about the security of their data, they might decide not to take the risk and not to invest," he said.

[...]

Vietnam is a major industrial hub and hosts large manufacturing operations of big Western multinationals, including European firms Adidas and Lego. Its decades-long economic boom hinges on foreign investment.

The European Union and European states ⁠on Tuesday ⁠announced a new package of investment in Vietnam's transport and energy sector.

[...]

Archived

The involvement of Chinese vendors in the rollout of Vietnam's 5G network may deter foreign companies from investing in the Southeast Asian nation, a top EU official said on Tuesday.

European telecom firms Ericsson and Nokia are developing Vietnam's core 5G network, but in recent months Vietnamese state-owned operators have awarded 5G contracts to Chinese rivals Huawei and ZTE.

That marks a notable shift following years of caution towards China, and the change has ⁠sparked concerns among ⁠Western officials.

"Be careful with dependencies in strategic areas," EU Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Sikela said when asked about the Chinese contracts.

"5G is the new battlefield," he told Reuters on the sidelines of an EU-Vietnam investment forum in Hanoi. "Through the network you can access a lot and you can control a lot, ⁠and you have to be always careful who is your trusted vendor."

"If investors have doubts about the security of their data, they might decide not to take the risk and not to invest," he said.

[...]

Vietnam is a major industrial hub and hosts large manufacturing operations of big Western multinationals, including European firms Adidas and Lego. Its decades-long economic boom hinges on foreign investment.

The European Union and European states ⁠on Tuesday ⁠announced a new package of investment in Vietnam's transport and energy sector.

[...]

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/52970381

[Op-ed by Human Right Lawyer Benedict Rogers.]

Archived

Almost six years ago, within hours of the imposition of a draconian National Security Law by Beijing on Hong Kong, the British government initiated a new scheme for Hong Kongers to find sanctuary and a pathway to citizenship in the United Kingdom. It was announced by the prime minister at the time, Boris Johnson, and championed by his Home Secretary Priti Patel. It received unanimous cross-party support. It was one of the few things upon which Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer agreed.

Broadly speaking, that consensus has continued.

[...]

However, there is one individual whose case is causing considerable concern among the diaspora community and those who support them. He is one of Hong Kong’s most prominent pro-democracy campaigners, has endured a campaign of harassment and threats from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) here in Britain, and he has a price on his head. His name is Finn Lau and he is my friend.

Finn came to Britain in 2019 on a working visa as a chartered surveyor, but switched to the BNO visa two years later. In 2024, he was granted indefinite leave to remain. In June 2025, in accordance with the rules, he applied for British citizenship.

Yet more than nine months later, his application remains undecided. The Home Office says it is still conducting “good character” checks.

[...]

Three years ago, the Hong Kong government issued an arrest warrant for Finn and placed a £100,000 bounty on his head. He has also received various other threats which have been widely reported in the media. In the current trial of alleged spies from the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Finn has been cited as a major target of espionage. During the 2019 protests, he was arrested and detained for 48 hours – and only released because the Hong Kong police did not realise that he had played a key role in mobilising demonstrators.

[...]

Unnecessarily delaying Finn Lau’s citizenship application not only causes him uncertainty. It sends mixed messages to the Hong Kong diaspora whom we have rightly welcomed into our country. At a time when they are seeking stability and trying to settle down to new lives in Britain, this uncertainty causes them unnecessary alarm and confusion. In the same week that the Home Office told Finn they were still conducting “good character” checks, 10 Downing Street invited him to a Lunar New Year reception. This inconsistency and limbo is unacceptable.

[...]

Most likely, this delay is an administrative hiccup. In the British government, cock-ups are more usual than conspiracies. Nevertheless, the threats to Finn Lau – and the dire consequences if he were to be rendered stateless or worse, deported to Hong Kong to face certain long-term imprisonment – ought to make his case a slam dunk.

[...]

In an era of often toxic political debates, support for Hong Kongers is one of the few issues that unites our politicians across all parties and that must remain the case. So surely it is in the Home Office’s interests to spare any further bureaucracy or embarrassment by approving his citizenship – and in so doing, sending a clear and unambiguous message to the thousands of Hong Kongers who have come to the United Kingdom over the past six years: you are very welcome here.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/52970934

Archived

A rights group called for the immediate release of jailed Chinese artist Gao Zhen, whose works criticised former leader Mao Zedong, as his trial began on March 30.

[...]

Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) said 69-year-old Gao, who is accused of slandering China's heroes, was tried behind closed doors at a court in the northern city of Sanhe, though no verdict has yet been announced.

[...]

Gao and his brother Gao Qiang gained fame in the early 2000s for art touching on sensitive political topics like the Cultural Revolution, the Tiananmen Square protests, and the legacy of Mao, who led China from 1949 until his death in 1976.

Their works include a sculpture of the Communist leader kneeling, titled Mao's Guilt , and another called Execution of Christ , in which several bronze statues of Mao aim rifles at one of Jesus.

Gao Zhen, who emigrated to the United States in 2022, was detained at his studio on the outskirts of Beijing in August 2024 during a visit to China.

[...]

Gao has several medical conditions, and his health has deteriorated during his detention, CHRD said.

His wife and their seven-year-old son, a US citizen, have been barred from leaving China.

The absence of a verdict on March 30 indicated that a political decision has not yet been made about the case , CHRD's co-executive director Sophie Richardson said.

[...]

The space for artistic expression in China has narrowed since President Xi Jinping came to power in 2012, with authorities often using the crime of insulting heroes and martyrs to target artists and cultural figures.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/52970934

Archived

A rights group called for the immediate release of jailed Chinese artist Gao Zhen, whose works criticised former leader Mao Zedong, as his trial began on March 30.

[...]

Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) said 69-year-old Gao, who is accused of slandering China's heroes, was tried behind closed doors at a court in the northern city of Sanhe, though no verdict has yet been announced.

[...]

Gao and his brother Gao Qiang gained fame in the early 2000s for art touching on sensitive political topics like the Cultural Revolution, the Tiananmen Square protests, and the legacy of Mao, who led China from 1949 until his death in 1976.

Their works include a sculpture of the Communist leader kneeling, titled Mao's Guilt , and another called Execution of Christ , in which several bronze statues of Mao aim rifles at one of Jesus.

Gao Zhen, who emigrated to the United States in 2022, was detained at his studio on the outskirts of Beijing in August 2024 during a visit to China.

[...]

Gao has several medical conditions, and his health has deteriorated during his detention, CHRD said.

His wife and their seven-year-old son, a US citizen, have been barred from leaving China.

The absence of a verdict on March 30 indicated that a political decision has not yet been made about the case , CHRD's co-executive director Sophie Richardson said.

[...]

The space for artistic expression in China has narrowed since President Xi Jinping came to power in 2012, with authorities often using the crime of insulting heroes and martyrs to target artists and cultural figures.

Archived

A rights group called for the immediate release of jailed Chinese artist Gao Zhen, whose works criticised former leader Mao Zedong, as his trial began on March 30.

[...]

Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) said 69-year-old Gao, who is accused of slandering China's heroes, was tried behind closed doors at a court in the northern city of Sanhe, though no verdict has yet been announced.

[...]

Gao and his brother Gao Qiang gained fame in the early 2000s for art touching on sensitive political topics like the Cultural Revolution, the Tiananmen Square protests, and the legacy of Mao, who led China from 1949 until his death in 1976.

Their works include a sculpture of the Communist leader kneeling, titled Mao's Guilt , and another called Execution of Christ , in which several bronze statues of Mao aim rifles at one of Jesus.

Gao Zhen, who emigrated to the United States in 2022, was detained at his studio on the outskirts of Beijing in August 2024 during a visit to China.

[...]

Gao has several medical conditions, and his health has deteriorated during his detention, CHRD said.

His wife and their seven-year-old son, a US citizen, have been barred from leaving China.

The absence of a verdict on March 30 indicated that a political decision has not yet been made about the case , CHRD's co-executive director Sophie Richardson said.

[...]

The space for artistic expression in China has narrowed since President Xi Jinping came to power in 2012, with authorities often using the crime of insulting heroes and martyrs to target artists and cultural figures.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/52970381

[Op-ed by Human Right Lawyer Benedict Rogers.]

Archived

Almost six years ago, within hours of the imposition of a draconian National Security Law by Beijing on Hong Kong, the British government initiated a new scheme for Hong Kongers to find sanctuary and a pathway to citizenship in the United Kingdom. It was announced by the prime minister at the time, Boris Johnson, and championed by his Home Secretary Priti Patel. It received unanimous cross-party support. It was one of the few things upon which Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer agreed.

Broadly speaking, that consensus has continued.

[...]

However, there is one individual whose case is causing considerable concern among the diaspora community and those who support them. He is one of Hong Kong’s most prominent pro-democracy campaigners, has endured a campaign of harassment and threats from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) here in Britain, and he has a price on his head. His name is Finn Lau and he is my friend.

Finn came to Britain in 2019 on a working visa as a chartered surveyor, but switched to the BNO visa two years later. In 2024, he was granted indefinite leave to remain. In June 2025, in accordance with the rules, he applied for British citizenship.

Yet more than nine months later, his application remains undecided. The Home Office says it is still conducting “good character” checks.

[...]

Three years ago, the Hong Kong government issued an arrest warrant for Finn and placed a £100,000 bounty on his head. He has also received various other threats which have been widely reported in the media. In the current trial of alleged spies from the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Finn has been cited as a major target of espionage. During the 2019 protests, he was arrested and detained for 48 hours – and only released because the Hong Kong police did not realise that he had played a key role in mobilising demonstrators.

[...]

Unnecessarily delaying Finn Lau’s citizenship application not only causes him uncertainty. It sends mixed messages to the Hong Kong diaspora whom we have rightly welcomed into our country. At a time when they are seeking stability and trying to settle down to new lives in Britain, this uncertainty causes them unnecessary alarm and confusion. In the same week that the Home Office told Finn they were still conducting “good character” checks, 10 Downing Street invited him to a Lunar New Year reception. This inconsistency and limbo is unacceptable.

[...]

Most likely, this delay is an administrative hiccup. In the British government, cock-ups are more usual than conspiracies. Nevertheless, the threats to Finn Lau – and the dire consequences if he were to be rendered stateless or worse, deported to Hong Kong to face certain long-term imprisonment – ought to make his case a slam dunk.

[...]

In an era of often toxic political debates, support for Hong Kongers is one of the few issues that unites our politicians across all parties and that must remain the case. So surely it is in the Home Office’s interests to spare any further bureaucracy or embarrassment by approving his citizenship – and in so doing, sending a clear and unambiguous message to the thousands of Hong Kongers who have come to the United Kingdom over the past six years: you are very welcome here.

[Op-ed by Human Right Lawyer Benedict Rogers.]

Archived

Almost six years ago, within hours of the imposition of a draconian National Security Law by Beijing on Hong Kong, the British government initiated a new scheme for Hong Kongers to find sanctuary and a pathway to citizenship in the United Kingdom. It was announced by the prime minister at the time, Boris Johnson, and championed by his Home Secretary Priti Patel. It received unanimous cross-party support. It was one of the few things upon which Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer agreed.

Broadly speaking, that consensus has continued.

[...]

However, there is one individual whose case is causing considerable concern among the diaspora community and those who support them. He is one of Hong Kong’s most prominent pro-democracy campaigners, has endured a campaign of harassment and threats from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) here in Britain, and he has a price on his head. His name is Finn Lau and he is my friend.

Finn came to Britain in 2019 on a working visa as a chartered surveyor, but switched to the BNO visa two years later. In 2024, he was granted indefinite leave to remain. In June 2025, in accordance with the rules, he applied for British citizenship.

Yet more than nine months later, his application remains undecided. The Home Office says it is still conducting “good character” checks.

[...]

Three years ago, the Hong Kong government issued an arrest warrant for Finn and placed a £100,000 bounty on his head. He has also received various other threats which have been widely reported in the media. In the current trial of alleged spies from the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Finn has been cited as a major target of espionage. During the 2019 protests, he was arrested and detained for 48 hours – and only released because the Hong Kong police did not realise that he had played a key role in mobilising demonstrators.

[...]

Unnecessarily delaying Finn Lau’s citizenship application not only causes him uncertainty. It sends mixed messages to the Hong Kong diaspora whom we have rightly welcomed into our country. At a time when they are seeking stability and trying to settle down to new lives in Britain, this uncertainty causes them unnecessary alarm and confusion. In the same week that the Home Office told Finn they were still conducting “good character” checks, 10 Downing Street invited him to a Lunar New Year reception. This inconsistency and limbo is unacceptable.

[...]

Most likely, this delay is an administrative hiccup. In the British government, cock-ups are more usual than conspiracies. Nevertheless, the threats to Finn Lau – and the dire consequences if he were to be rendered stateless or worse, deported to Hong Kong to face certain long-term imprisonment – ought to make his case a slam dunk.

[...]

In an era of often toxic political debates, support for Hong Kongers is one of the few issues that unites our politicians across all parties and that must remain the case. So surely it is in the Home Office’s interests to spare any further bureaucracy or embarrassment by approving his citizenship – and in so doing, sending a clear and unambiguous message to the thousands of Hong Kongers who have come to the United Kingdom over the past six years: you are very welcome here.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/52949972

China imposed sanctions on Monday on Japanese lawmaker Keiji Furuya, a close ​aide of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, due to his "collusion with ‌Taiwan independence" forces, in its latest move in a diplomatic row over Taiwan.

Beijing will bar Furuya's entry into China and freeze his property and other assets in the country effective ​immediately, China's foreign ministry said.

[...]

Furuya, as the head of a cross-party Japan-Taiwan ​lawmakers group, has visited Taiwan many times accompanying Japanese political ⁠leaders, most recently earlier this month to meet its President Lai Ching-te ​in Taipei.

The Chinese ministry accused Furuya of colluding with "separatist forces" in Taiwan, ​as he made trips to the island "in defiance of China’s strong opposition".

[...]

Furuya said visiting Taiwan is a natural function of the parliamentary group he leads, ​adding he had not ​visited mainland ⁠China in decades and had no assets there, according to Kyodo.

Furuya has also been a close aide of Japanese ​Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, supporting her election as the ​ruling Liberal ⁠Democratic Party leader last year.

Ties between Tokyo and Beijing have deteriorated since Takaichi suggested last November that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger ⁠a ​Japanese military response.

Earlier last year, Beijing also sanctioned China-born ​Japanese lawmaker Seki Hei for his remarks on issues including Taiwan.

China imposed sanctions on Monday on Japanese lawmaker Keiji Furuya, a close ​aide of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, due to his "collusion with ‌Taiwan independence" forces, in its latest move in a diplomatic row over Taiwan.

Beijing will bar Furuya's entry into China and freeze his property and other assets in the country effective ​immediately, China's foreign ministry said.

[...]

Furuya, as the head of a cross-party Japan-Taiwan ​lawmakers group, has visited Taiwan many times accompanying Japanese political ⁠leaders, most recently earlier this month to meet its President Lai Ching-te ​in Taipei.

The Chinese ministry accused Furuya of colluding with "separatist forces" in Taiwan, ​as he made trips to the island "in defiance of China’s strong opposition".

[...]

Furuya said visiting Taiwan is a natural function of the parliamentary group he leads, ​adding he had not ​visited mainland ⁠China in decades and had no assets there, according to Kyodo.

Furuya has also been a close aide of Japanese ​Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, supporting her election as the ​ruling Liberal ⁠Democratic Party leader last year.

Ties between Tokyo and Beijing have deteriorated since Takaichi suggested last November that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger ⁠a ​Japanese military response.

Earlier last year, Beijing also sanctioned China-born ​Japanese lawmaker Seki Hei for his remarks on issues including Taiwan.