EU: “Just protecting the freedom of expression”

All the news that’s fit to blog.

Fri, Febr 24, 2023	One year after the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian war, China publishes a Confucius-says “position paper”. Originally, it had been advised as a “peace plan” by China’s supreme diplomat Wang Yi, but has since been de-ambitioned. Meantime, China’s foreign-ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin (汪文斌) offers a clue as to why: FMPRC tweet, Febr 24, 2023
Thu, Febr 23, 2023	The central committee of Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP, 民進黨) approved a timetable that presidential nominations would be decided by April 12, and Legislative Yuan nominations in May. It appears to be widely accepted among the party’s legislators that, in the light of a poor showing in Taiwan’s “mid-term elections”, i. e. the country’s local elections in November 2022, more time is needed to prepare for the nation-wide presidential and legislative elections next year. Lai Ching-te, the incumbent Tsai administration’s current Vice President, has recently been elected chairman of the DPP, and Chen Jien-jen, Lai’s predecessor as Taiwan’s Vice President from 2016 to 2020, became head of the cabinet in January this year. Source: 央廣 / Radio Taiwan International
Wed, Febr 22, 2023	High-level foreign-policy and defense officials from Japan and China met at Japan’s foreign ministry in Tokyo on Wednesday. It was the first such meeting after an interruption of about four years. Chinese Deputy foreign minister Sun Weidong (孙卫东) was quoted as saying that there was “an important consensus” that neither country posed a threat for the other. However, Sun also said that there were Chinese concerns about Japan’s “strategic documents” issued in 2022, and Japan’s increasing cooperation with “outside forces” (域外力量), and about “negative tendencies” in Taiwan. Source: Radio Japan
Wed, Febr 22, 2023	Russian president Vladimir Putin met China’s chief diplomat Wang Yi in Moscow on Wednesday. The Kremlin published a detailed account of the meeting the same day. Source: Kremlin
Wed, Febr 15, 2023	Pyongyang was said to have gone under a Covid-related lockdown in late January, allegedly lasting from January 25 to 30. But was there a lockdown at all? Source: SinoNK
Tue, Febr 14, 2023	Chen Xuyuan (陈戌源) was – effectively, maybe not nominally yet – fired as chairman of the Chinese Football Association earliert his month, after having been confronted with the usual suspicions of “serious violations of discipline”, which appears to serve as a regular CPC codeword for corruption charges. Chen, a Shanghai native born in 1956, was also the football association’s deputy party secretary. Source: Ifeng
Mo, Febr 13, 2023	“Less then half the world is on the internet”, a BBC documentary broadcast told the audience on February 11, two days ahead of World Radio Day. Source: BBC
Tue, Febr 7, 2023	Critics of the EU’s censorship policy against Russia’s foreign-language service “RT” had a field day early this month, after the EU’s high-representative for for foreign affairs, Josep Borrell, had told a “European Union External Action” (EEAS) conference that by imposing “restrictive measures on the Kremlin’s propaganda machinery and effectively ban them from operating within the European Union”, “we are not attacking the freedom of expression, we are just protecting the freedom of expression”. The EU’s “restrictive measures” aren’t limited to banning RT work from within the EU. Access to RT from EU countries is only possible via VPN. This includes the organization’s German and Chinese services. Main Source: EEAS

Chip War: Better Behavior, Enthusiastic Reactions

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“Under pressure from business, senators have rowed back on plans for an immediate moratorium on Chinese components as the chip war continues”, “Tech Monitor”, apparently a portal from the UK, wrote on December 7. Business, or the US Chamber of Commerce more specifically, may actually brought forward some technial arguments that were hard to deny, given an existing supply chain of “older, less-powerful chips used in a wide range of electronics”.

But what Alan Estevez, US commerce under-secretary for industry and security, reportedly had to say to add to the business side of the discussion, doesn’t look encouraging:

“We are seeing better behaviour. Mofcom has been more forthcoming.”

Estevez reportedly also said that “it’s not the first time we’ve seen such a change in attitude, so it depends on how long that is sustained”.
That’s easy to predict: as long as China remains dependent on cooperation with the West – and it would be surprising if Estevez wasn’t aware of that. And after that, the “wolf warrior diplomats” – or worse – will be back.

Meantime, the Netherlands and Japan appear to be coming around to America’s chip policies on China. While there have apparently been accusations against Washington of “strong-arm” policies and disregard for (Japanese) sovereignty. Resistence would probably have been futile, because U.S. technology is virtually everywhere across semiconductor supply chains, the United States has the power to authorize or block sales extraterritorially, a signed article published by “The Diplomat” said on Tuesday.

Meantime, China has sent technology scouts to Europe again, after a long Covid-caused ice age. But while travel restrictions are receding, the emissaries have encountered a colder atmosphere than what they had been used to, writes “Neue Zürcher Zeitung”‘s (NZZ)  tech correspondent. China is in dire need of a technological push, writes the correspondent, during the first nine month of 2022, GDP grew by only three per cent (according to official statistics) – “one of the lowest growth rates since Mao’s death in 1976”.

Success is imperative for China’s agents:  resolute prevention of a large-scale return of poverty (坚决防止出现规模性返贫) had to be carried out, a joint economic conference convened by the Central Committee of the Communist Party and the State Council, and led by Personality-in-Chief Xi Jinping, stated in its communiqué on December 17.

France and Germany appear to be important destinations for China’s technological sourcing – there may be no great chip industries there, but the business environment may be somewhat more welcoming than the Netherlands or Japan.

That said, one of the traveling tech scouts told NZZ that European interlocutors were “under pressure” when “cooperating with China”. Trying to explain his difficulties to his domestic audience on “WeChat”, he reportedly pointed to the many American military barracks in Germany.

“Enthusiastic reactions”, CCTV, Dec 17, 2022

Meantime, people from all walks of life and nationalities are celebrating the economic work conference:

The Central Work Conference’s spirit has aroused enthusiastic reactions, and everyone says that we must unite our thought for common purpose, aggregate consensus, work industriously to get things done, put the party’s decisions and arrangements into place by taking practical aciton, make efforts to complete the objectives of economic and social development, and create a good starting point for the comprehensive construction of a socialist modern country.
中央经济工作会议精神在全国各地引起热烈反响，大家表示，要统一思想、凝聚共识、真抓实干，以实际行动把党中央决策部署落实到位，努力完成经济社会发展目标任务，为全面建设社会主义现代化国家开好局起好步。

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August 15, 1945 Commemoration: Putin, Kim, according to KCNA

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Dizzying heights: Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin,
Vladivostok, April 25. 2019 (Source: Kremlin)

Putin to Kim Jong-un	金正恩收到普京发来的贺电
Pyongyang, August 15 (KCNA) — Kim Jong Un, president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, received a message of greeting from Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, president of the Russian Federation, on August 15.	朝中社平壤８月１５日电　朝鲜民主主义人民共和国国务委员长金正恩同志１５日收到了俄罗斯联邦总统弗拉基米尔•弗拉基米罗维奇•普京发来的贺电。
In the message, Putin extended sincere felicitation to the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un on the occasion of the day of liberation, a national holiday.	普京总统在贺电中表示，值此民族节日——解放日之际，谨向尊敬的金正恩阁下致以由衷的祝贺。
The message noted that the two countries have deeply kept the memories of servicepersons of the Red Army and patriots of Korea who fought shoulder to shoulder for the liberation of Korea.	我们两国珍藏着为了实现朝鲜的解放，并肩作战的红军战士们和朝鲜的爱国者的回忆。
The glorious traditions of friendship and cooperation gained in the grim days serve as a durable foundation for developing the good neighborly relations between the Russian Federation and the DPRK today, it stressed.	在严峻的年代里缔造的友好合作的光荣传统，如今也成为发展俄罗斯联邦和朝鲜民主主义人民共和国之间睦邻关系的牢固基础。
It said that we would continue to expand the comprehensive and constructive bilateral relations with common efforts,	普京总统表示相信，我们做出共同努力，将继续扩大综合性的建设性双边关系。
adding that this would entirely conform with the interests of the peoples of the two countries and contribute to strengthening the security and stability of the Korean peninsula and the whole of the Northeastern Asian region.	这将完全符合我们两国人民的利益，而且将为加强朝鲜半岛和整个东北亚地区安全与稳定做出贡献。
It wished Kim Jong Un good health and success and all citizens of the DPRK happiness and prosperity. -0-	普京总统在贺电中祝愿尊敬的金正恩阁下身体健康、事业有成，同时希望贵国的全体公民享受幸福和繁荣，并表示了敬意。（完）
http://www.kcna.kp (Juche111.8.15.)	http://www.kcna.kp (主体111.8.15.)

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Kim Jong-un to Putin	金正恩向普京发去贺电
Pyongyang, August 15 (KCNA) — Kim Jong Un, president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, sent a message of greeting to Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, president of the Russian Federation, on August 15.	朝中社平壤８月１５日电　朝鲜民主主义人民共和国国务委员长金正恩同志１５日向俄罗斯联邦总统弗拉基米尔•弗拉基米罗维奇•普京发去贺电。电文如下：
Kim Jong Un in the message extended the warm greetings to the president, the government and people of the Russian Federation on behalf of the government and the people of the DPRK on the occasion of the 77th anniversary of Korea’s liberation.	值此朝鲜解放７７周年之际，我以朝鲜民主主义人民共和国政府和人民的名义谨向你和俄罗斯联邦政府以及人民致以亲切的问候。
The servicepersons of the heroic Red Army showed the example of noble internationalism by dedicating their blood and precious lives to the struggle for liberating Korea, and merits and feats performed by them are deeply kept in the minds of the Korean people as an eternal monument, the message noted.	英勇的红军全体官兵在争取朝鲜解放的斗争中树立了无私奉献自己的鲜血和生命的国际主义的崇高典范，而且他们所建树的功绩和功勋作为永恒的纪念碑巍然屹立且永远珍藏在了我国人民的记忆中。
The DPRK-Russia friendship forged in the anti-Japanese war against the common enemy has been invariably consolidated and developed century after century, it noted, adding that the strategic and tactical cooperation, support and solidarity between the two countries have put on a new high stage in the common front for frustrating the hostile forces’ military threat and provocation, and high-handed and arbitrary practices.	在反对共同敌人的抗日大战年代里凝成的朝俄友谊跨世代和世纪不断得到巩固和发展下来，如今两国之间的战略战术合作和支持声援在粉碎敌对势力的军事威胁和挑衅、强权和专横的共同战线上正在提升到新的更高阶段。
It expressed the belief that the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries based on comradely friendship and militant unity would grow stronger in all fields on the basis of the agreements reached at the 2019 meeting in Vladivostok and thus contribute to the prosperity and wellbeing of the peoples of the two countries.	我表示相信，根植于同志式友谊和战斗团结的朝俄友好合作关系将本着２０１９年在符拉迪沃斯托克会晤中达成的协议精神，在各领域进一步得到蓬勃加强和发展，为实现两国人民的繁荣和福利做出贡献。
The message sincerely wished the Russian president good health and big success in his responsible work for defending the sovereignty and interests of the country and people and achieving the prosperity of the country. -0-	借此机会，衷心祝愿你身体健康，并在维护国家和人民的主权和利益、争取国家复兴的责任重大的工作中取得更大的成果。（完）
http://www.kcna.kp (Juche111.8.15.)	http://www.kcna.kp (主体111.8.15.)

Xi Jinping’s Heroes (2): Martyrs, Wave upon Wave

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The following is my second instalment of an article gathering notable Xi quotes concerning heroes; part one is there. No excerpts in this second part; every Xi word within the following paragraphs has been faithfully translated. All errors are my own; corrections or suggestions are welcome.

For the particularly pious, there’s “A Daily Word from Xi”,
a regular morning meditation on
China People’s Broadcasting Station (CPBS)

Links within blockquotes added during translation.

Main Link: “The Secretary General has talked about Heroes like these”, by Wen Hongyan and Song Jingsi, published on Sept 29

For the beloved motherland of their ideals, countless revolutionary martyrs held high the torch of faith, with an honor that doesn’t look back, they entered the powerful historical torrent of the people’s independence and the people’s liberation. Facing danger without fear and advancing dauntlessly in wave upon wave, they fought a brave, blood-soaked fight despite all setbacks.

为了理想中“可爱的中国”，无数革命先烈高擎信仰的火炬，义无反顾地踏入为了民族独立、人民解放的历史洪流中。他们临危不惧、前赴后继，他们浴血奋战、百折不挠。

On July 24, 2020, secretary general Xi Jinping, ending inspection work in Jilin province, pointed out:

2020年7月24日，习近平总书记在吉林考察工作结束时的重要讲话中指出：

“During the war of resistance against Japan, under extremely vile conditions, General Yang Jingyu led armed forces braved temperatures of minus 40 degrees fighting blood-soaked battles with enemies several times stronger in numbers while having nothing but dry grass, tree bark and cotton wadding in their stomachs. Their achievements were shaking popular feelings.”

“抗日战争时期，在极其恶劣的条件下，杨靖宇将军领导抗日武装冒着零下四十摄氏度的严寒，同数倍于己的敌人浴血奋战，牺牲时胃里全是枯草、树皮、棉絮，没有一粒粮食，其事迹震撼人心。”

On September 18, 1931, Japanese imperialism manufactured the Mukden Incident and began the large-scale invasion and occupation of northeastern China. In 1932, Yang Jingyu was commissioned by the party central committee to organize the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army, and led the Northeast military-civilians in a bloody battle at the White Mountain and Black Water . Facing the Japanese army’s frantic pressure, Yang Jingyu was brimming with fighting spirit: “A Revolution is like fire. The snow may be sealing the mountains and hiding the birds’ and animals’ traces, but as long as we carry the spark, we can chase away the bitter winter and bring light and warmth.”

1931年9月18日，日本帝国主义制造九一八事变，开始大举侵占中国东北。1932年，杨靖宇受党中央委托到东北组织抗日联军，率领东北军民与日寇血战于白山黑水之间。面对日军疯狂镇压，杨靖宇充满斗志：“革命就像火一样，任凭大雪封山，鸟兽藏迹，只要我们有火种，就能驱赶严寒，带来光明和温暖。”

In February 1940, Yang Jingyu, in a world of ice and snow and out of ammunition and food, fought a lone fight against a great number of Japanese invaders, and heroically sacrificed his life after fighting for five days and nights, in Mengjiang County (now Jingyu County in Jilin Province).

1940年2月，杨靖宇在冰天雪地、弹尽粮绝的情况下，孤身一人与大量日寇周旋，战斗五昼夜后，在濛江县（今吉林省靖宇县）壮烈牺牲。

In times of difficulty, circumstances create heroes. In this great struggle in the war of resistance against Japan, the sons and daughters of China independently and freely casted their lives, sprinkled warm blood, mothers sent their sons to fight the Japanese invaders, wives sent their young husbands to the battleground, men and women, old and young equally mobilized.

天下艰难际，时势造英雄。在抗日战争这场救亡图存的伟大斗争中，中华儿女为中华民族独立和自由不惜抛头颅、洒热血，母亲送儿打日寇，妻子送郎上战场，男女老少齐动员。

It was Jiawu 2014. In a commemorative ceremony for the whole nation’s war of resistance that had started 77 years earlier, Secretary Xi Jinping, with deep emotion, told a heroic story: a mother from Miyun County in Beijing named Deng Yufen sent her husband and five children to the front, and they all died in battle.

2014年，岁逢甲午。在纪念全民族抗战爆发七十七周年仪式上，习近平总书记深情讲述了一位英雄母亲的抗战故事：“北京密云县一位名叫邓玉芬的母亲，把丈夫和5个孩子送上前线，他们全部战死沙场。”

Deng Yufen clenched her teeth and stood firm under these blows, smiling less than before but becoming more active in the anti-japanese war and closer to the younger generations of soldiers.

面对沉重的打击，邓玉芬硬是咬牙挺住了。她脸上的笑容少了，但对抗日工作更积极了，对子弟兵更亲了。

In August 1945, the Chinese people finally defeated the Japanese aggressor. Deng Yufen had tears in her eyes, comforting her husband and her sons under the nine springs: we are victorious! Before her death in February 1970, Deng Yufen told her fellow villagers, “bury me next to the roadside, I want to see the children return”.

1945年8月，中国人民终于打败日本侵略者，邓玉芬眼噙泪花，告慰九泉之下的丈夫和儿子们：咱们胜利了！1970年2月临终前，邓玉芬对乡亲们说：“把我埋在大路边，我要看着孩子们回来。”

In the extraordinarily difficult years of the anti-Japanese war, the Chinese people fought against powerful enemies, built a great wall out of blood and flesh, with always another one stepping into the breach to replace the fallen, and wrote a majestic epos, for a shaken world to read and to make even supernatural beings cry²⁾, thus winning the fist war by Chinese against foreign aggressors in modern times³⁾.

在艰苦卓绝的抗日战争中，中国人民以铮铮铁骨战强敌、以血肉之躯筑长城、以前仆后继赴国难，谱写了惊天地、泣鬼神的雄壮史诗，赢得了近代以来中国抗击外敌入侵的第一次完全胜利。

Secretary-general Xi Jinping pointed out on a symposium commemorating the 69th anniversary of the Chinese people’s anti-Japanese war of resistance’s victory and the world’s war against fascism’s victory: “High-ranking officers like Yang Jingyu, Zhao Shangzhi, Zuo Quan, Peng Xuefeng, Tong Linge, Zhao Dengyu, Zhang Zizhong, Dai Anlan and others from numerous heroic entities such as the Eight-Route Army’s ‘Five Heroes on Langya Mountain’, the New Fourth Army’s ‘Liulaozhuang company’, the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army’s eight female warriors, the KMT Army’s ‘eight heroes’, are outstanding representatives of the Chinese people undefiant,self-sacrificing stance.”

习近平总书记在纪念中国人民抗日战争暨世界反法西斯战争胜利69周年座谈会上指出：“杨靖宇、赵尚志、左权、彭雪枫、佟麟阁、赵登禹、张自忠、戴安澜等一批抗日将领，八路军‘狼牙山五壮士’、新四军‘刘老庄连’、东北抗联八位女战士、国民党军‘八百壮士’等众多英雄群体，就是中国人民不畏强暴、以身殉国的杰出代表。”

While fighting the liberation war, the Communist Party of China relied closely on the masses, obtained a power that toppled the mountains and overturned the seas, and ended the KMT’s reactionary rule, establishing a brandnew People’s Republic.

解放战争中，中国共产党紧紧依靠人民群众，获得了排山倒海的力量，结束了国民党的反动统治，建立了崭新的人民共和国。

“With no care for their heads, their warm blood irrigated the country.” To win national independence and the people’s liberation, countless revolutionary martyrs marched forward bravely, building the great wall of steel that rescued the nation in peril and defended the nation’s dignity. According to incomplete statistics, there were 3.7 million martyrs among revolutionary the troops led by the party from 1921 until 1949.

“未惜头颅新故国，甘将热血沃中华。”为争取民族独立和人民解放，无数革命先烈勇往直前以赴之，筑起拯救民族危亡、捍卫民族尊严的钢铁长城。据不完全统计，从1921年到1949年，党领导的革命队伍中，有名可查的烈士就达370多万人。

Secretary-general Xi Jinping emphasized: “The republic is red, and can’t weaken this color.⁴⁾ The blood of countless martyrs gave our flag its color. There is no way that we would not build the republic well that they hoped, fought and sacrificed for.”
“We absolutely must engrave the martyrs’ final wishes and never forget the great ideals they sacrificed their blood for.”

习近平总书记强调：“共和国是红色的，不能淡化这个颜色。无数的先烈鲜血染红了我们的旗帜，我们不建设好他们所盼望向往、为之奋斗、为之牺牲的共和国，是绝对不行的。”“我们一定要铭记烈士们的遗愿，永志不忘他们为之流血牺牲的伟大理想。”

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Notes

¹⁾ White Mountain + Heilongjiang = Dongbei
²⁾ Xi Jinping appears to have a particularly strong liking for warm blood “irrigating” the motherland, but also for borrowing from the world on the other side of the cupboard: supernatural beings have played a role in his commemorative speech about the Korean war, too, and – if a verbatim quote of what Xi said back then – in his September 2015 speech.
³⁾ Among Chinese – not among Americans or Taiwanese – “近代” usually seems to refer to the times from around 1912 to 1949. The term is discussed by a Wikipedia article, too.
⁴⁾ xCompare commemorative speech about the Korean war in October with the same phrase: 共和国是红色的，不能淡化这个颜色. Another translation for “weaken” could be “dilute” or “trivialize” its color.
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China Radio International: And Now, No News

There are basically two kinds of program formats carried by China Radio International (CRI) now: those with, and those without news and current affairs coverage. Regionally, you can (roughly) draw aline between East and West, with only the former still getting CRI news in regional languages.

They still do speak English

The mention of target areas does not imply that there may not be other target areas for certain languages, too. As for Esperanto, for example, I only listened to the broadcast to Europe, but Europe may  not be CRI Esperanto’s only target area.

This list is not at all exhaustive; there are many more CRI language services I haven’t recently listened to.

Language	Target areas	News
Vietnamese	Vietnam	Yes
Indonesian	Indonesia	yes
Malaysian	Malaysia	yes
Japanese	Japan	yes
Filipino	Philippines	yes
Khmer	Cambodia	yes
Bengali	Bengal	yes
Thai	Thailand	yes
Mongolian	Mongolia	yes
Urdu	Pakistan, India, Nepal	yes
Hausa	Niger, Nigeria	yes
Pashto	Afghanistan, Pakistan	yes
Esperanto	Europe	no
Romanian	Romania	no
Italian	Italy	no
Bulgarian	Bulgaria	no
Czech	Czech Republic	no
Polish	Poland	no
Serbian	Serbia & regional	no
Hungarian	Hungary & regional	no
German	Austria & regional	no

Programs without news / current affairs are usually filled up with music. Some language services without news add explanatory announcements to their music programs, but others run completely without spoken words.
Language services that may be considered global ones – Chinese, English, Russian, or Spanish, still have news in their programs, and maybe cultural programs, too, but CRI’s Portuguese service hasn’t.

Esperanto broadcasts a cultural program with lots of talk, but no news or current affairs either.

The mere-music programs may run without day-to-day updates. The genres vary, however. You get some revolutionary opera on frequencies that were used for Serb programs in the past, or rock and pop music on what was once the Czech service.
The replacement for the German service is particularly mean: typical “China restaurant” dining music.
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Related

Program reductions, Nov 25, 2019
CCTV, CRI, CPBS, March 30, 2018
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Useful links

Shortwave Info
Kiwi SDR
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Huanqiu Shibao: G7 London Meeting, small-circled cliques and factions

As he said before, it’s you, not us

The following is a translation of an article by Huanqiu Shibao online, published on Tuesday (May 4). Huanqiu’s translations from English do not necessarily reflect what the persons quoted there actually said.

The Reuters article referred to by Huanqiu Shibao can be found here.

Main Link: Evoking the China-Russia threat once again? (又渲染中俄威胁)

Bian Zihao, Huanqiu Online reporter — Hyping another Chinese-Russian threat? The G7 foreign ministers’ meeting in Britain’s capital London opened on May 3. According to Reuters, Britain will seek decisive action from the G7 member states to respond to global threats. Reuters says that these so-called “global threats” include China and Russia.

【环球网报道 记者 边子豪】又炒作中俄威胁？七国集团外长会3日在英国首都伦敦开幕，据路透社报道，英国4日将寻求与G7成员国采取果断行动以应对全球威胁。路透社称，上述所谓“全球威胁”包括中国和俄罗斯。

As it holds the G7’s rotating chairmanship this year, Britain also invited Australia’s, India ‘s , South Africa ‘s and South Korea ‘s foreign ministers this week. Reuters says that this is the first time in two years that G7 representatives talk face-to-face and that this is seen as an opportunity to “strengthening support for the international rules-based system.

作为今年七国集团轮值主席国，除了G7成员国外，英国本周还邀请了澳大利亚、印度、南非和韩国等国外长。路透社说，本次会谈是近两年来七国集团代表首次举行面对面会议，被英方视为“加强支持基于规则的国际体系的机会”。

Reuters also quoted Britain’s wording, an evocation of the so-called “China-Russia threat”, saying that China’s economic influence and Russia’s “evil activities” could break that system.

此外，路透社还引述英方说法，渲染所谓“中俄威胁”说，中国的经济影响力和俄罗斯的“恶意活动”可能会破坏上述体系。

The report also mentioned that on May 3 local time, U.S. secretary of state Blinken, after meeting British forign secretary Raab, called for the building of an international alliance. He claimed that although there was no intention to “contain China”, there was a need to make sure that China “acted in accordance with the rules”. In a program broadcast by Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), Blinken explained his position similarly. He said there, “our goal isn’t to contain China, not to block China, not to inhibit China. (But) it is the protection of order-based rules to which China currently raises challenges …”

报道还提到，当地时间5月3日，在与英国外交大臣拉布会面后，美国国务卿布林肯呼吁组建一个全球联盟，他宣称尽管不想“遏制中国”，但要确保中国“按规则行事”。 而在5月2日哥伦比亚广播公司（CBS）播出的一档节目中，布林肯也曾有过相似表态。当时他说：“我们的目的不是遏制中国，不是阻止中国，不是压制中国。（而）是为了维护基于秩序的规则，（但）中国正在对（这些规则）提出挑战……”

The foreign ministers’ meeting is seen as a warm-up for the G7 summit in June. The G7 consists of Britain, America, France, Germany, Italy, Canada and Japan. Russia joined as the eighth country in 1997. In 2014, after the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis, Russia was excluded.

本次外长会被视为将于6月在英国举行的七国集团峰会的预热。七国集团由英国、美国、法国、德国、意大利、加拿大和日本组成，俄罗斯1997年加入后成为八国集团。2014年乌克兰危机爆发以后，俄罗斯被排除在外。

In reality, concerning talk about the so-called “China threat”, FMPRC spokesman Zao Lijian has previously emphasized that China adheres unswervingly to the road of peaceful development, we have never provoked a war on our own accord, and never violated an inch of another country’s territory, nor have we ever constituted a threat to any country. Facts have repeatedly proven that China has always been a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, a protector of international order, and that China’s development is an opportunity for the world.

事实上，关于所谓“中国威胁论”，中国外交部发言人赵立坚此前曾强调，中国坚定不移走和平发展道路，我们从来没有主动挑起过一场战争，也从来没有侵犯过别国一寸领土，不对任何国家构成威胁。事实一再证明中国始终是世界和平的建设者、全球发展的贡献者、国际秩序的维护者，中国的发展是世界的机遇。

Zhao Lijian said that China’s development spells the growth of global peace, that it is the woeld’s opportunity and not a challenge. China has always firmly upheld the international system with the United Nations at the core, based on international law. But that isn’t an international order defined by individual countries to protect their own interests. In the age of globalization, the destruction of international order [happens] for real when lines are drawn along ideology and when countries form small-circled cliques and factions. In the end, this is what really doesn’t enjoy popular support and what doesn’t provide a way out.

赵立坚说，中国的发展是世界和平力量的增长，是世界的机遇而非挑战。中方始终坚定维护的是以联合国为核心的国际体系和以国际法为基础的国际秩序，而不是个别国家为维护自身霸权所定义的国际秩序。在全球化时代，以意识形态划线，拉帮结派，搞针对特定国家的小圈子才是对国际秩序的破坏。这终究是不得人心的，也是没有出路的。

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Japan, Mongolia agree to jointly support Indo-Pacific policy

The following is a news article, originally by “The Paper” 澎湃新闻, republished by sohu.com.

Main link: Japan’s foreign minister to provide 25 billion Yen to aid that country in responding to new coronavirus (日外相访问蒙古国，将提供250亿日元贷款援助该国应对新冠)

Links within blockquotes added during translation.

Japan’s foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi visited Mongolia on October 9 saying that a loan of 250 billion Japanese yen (about 1.6 billion RMB) would be provided to help Mongolia respond to the new coronavirus pandemic.

日本外务大臣茂木敏充于9日访问蒙古国，表示将提供250亿日元（约合人民币16亿元）的日元贷款，帮助蒙古国应对新冠疫情。

According to Kyodo news on October 10, at nine local time, Motegi held talks with Mongolia’s prime minister Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh and Mongolia’s foreign minister Nyamtseren Enkhtaivan in Mongolia’s capital Ulanbataar. In his talks with Motegi, Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh expressed his gratitude for Japan’s support in combatting the new coronavirus epidemic, and Motegi replied by saying that [Japan] wanted to further deepen the development of bilateral relations. While meeting with Enkhtaivan, Motegi said that Japanese loans of 25 billion yen (about 1.6 billion RMB) would be provided to help Mongolia’s economy which was affected by the pandemic.

据日本共同社10日报道，当地时间9日，茂木在蒙古国首都乌兰巴托与该国总理呼日勒苏赫及该国外长恩赫泰旺分别举行了会谈。在茂木与呼日勒苏赫的会谈中，呼日勒苏赫对日本支援抗击新冠疫情的举措表示感谢，茂木则回应称愿进一步深化发展双边关系。在与恩赫泰旺的会谈中，茂木表示为援助受新冠疫情影响的蒙古国经济，将为其提供250亿日元（约合人民币16亿元）的日元贷款。

Motegi and Enkhtaivan said that Japan and Mongolia, as countries with “fundamental values such as democracy and rule of law”, would deepen bilateral relations in broad areas. During the talks, the two sides said that they would join forces to realize the so-called “free and open Indo-Pacific”. The two sides also said that they would continue to work together on the issue of “Japanese people kidnapped by North Korea” and hoped to solve the issue at an early date. “Nihon Keizai Shimbun” reported on October 10 that Mongolia and North Korea had established diplomatic relations in 1948 and had a deep friendship.

茂木与恩赫泰旺表示，日本与蒙古作为共同拥有“民主和法治等基本价值观”的国家，将在广泛领域深化双边关系。双方在会谈中表示，为实现所谓“自由开放的印度-太平洋”将通力合作。双方还称将在“朝鲜绑架日本人”问题上继续合作，愿早日解决该问题。《日本经济新闻》10日的报道称，蒙古国与朝鲜在1948年建立了外交关系，有着深厚的友谊。

After the talks, Motegi held an online press conference and emphasized that “in the future, the strategic partnership between the two countries would be further developed.

会谈后，茂木举行了在线记者会，强调“今后将进一步发展两国间的战略伙伴关系”。

(This article is from “The Paper”. For more information, please download “The Paper’s” app.)

(本文来自澎湃新闻，更多原创资讯请下载“澎湃新闻”APP)

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Reception Report: Radio Japan Weekly News in Simple Japanese / Iran Radio Bros’ compromised Farsi

 

— Japan

Radio Japan has reportedly carried a new program since April, “Weekly News in Simple Japanese”.

From their announcement on May 21:

The program summarizes Japan’s weekly news in easy-to-understand Japanese which is read slowly and clearly by the announcer. Through the program, listeners will be able to grasp what is going on in Japan today. Weekly News in Simple Japanese is ten minutes long. It is broadcast every Saturday from 02:50 UTC on 17.810 MHz in Southeast Asia, and 15.325 MHz in Southwest Asia. It is rebroadcast seven hours later from 09:50 UTC on 15.280 MHz in Southeast Asia and 15.290 MHz in West Africa.

The news broadcast recordings can also be found online, on the NHK World Japan website.

— Tibet

A recent QSL card from Tibet – frequencies are shown to the right

— Iran

On Thursday, Islamic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) has reported extensively on talks by the country’s unelected leader, Ayatollah Ali Chamenei, first on US policies on Iran, and later on a “didactic” and “instructive” function of poetry. IRIB also had to convey some supreme criticism of itself:

Notice that our people have beautiful dispositions. The way our people responded on the issue of the floods in the north and south was very beautiful. Those who are aware of the developments – including in Golestan, in Khuzestan, in Khorram Abad and in Ilam: these were the main areas which suffered from the recent floods – who are aware of the presence and sacrifices of the people, and the services they rendered.

Well you can describe this in your poetry. When you include such concepts in your poetry, it becomes in fact the flag of national identity. It becomes the flag of the identity of your nation no matter if you compose poems on Islamic, national revolutionary and revolutionary issues, or on moral values or about such events. And my dear ones, identity is very important to every nation. A nation that loses its identity is easily squeezed and crushed in the fists of foreigners. This was about poetry.

As for the language, the truth is that I am worried. In the area of poetry, the poems that you compose are fortunately good poems and they enjoy a solid language. However generally speaking, language is wearing down. One can witness this. Tonight, one of the brothers from the radio was present here and he spoke with me about a very good development. I have, however, a complaint about the IRIB because instead of promoting proper, standard, refined and correct language, it is promoting a kind of language that is devoid of any identity, that is sometimes wrong, that uses wrong terminology and that worse than all, uses a language stuffed with foreign and western terminology.

Fortunately, foreign media are so much worse, so IRIB could turn to a reading of this article just a few minutes after its own dressing-down.

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