WCC
WCC
Aug 9, 2017 · 3 min read

Morning Reads in the Asia-Pacific (Aug 9, 2017)

  1. Ma is a Chinese puppet: Chinese businessman Guo
    Chinese tycoon Guo Wengui said yesterday that Beijing had monitored the private lives of Ma Ying-jeou and his family to gain leverage over him. Guo said that in a 2008 meeting with a senior PLA political officer, the official confirmed to him that “He [Ma] will listen to us 100 percent.” Guo also claims that the official said that Ma would imprison Chen Shui-bian, the previous DPP president who irked Beijing with his moves towards independence. Guo stated that Beijing’s strategy to rein in Taiwan and Hong Kong is to 1) manipulate stock exchanges and financial information; 2) blackmail officials; and 3) deceive businesses in China by falsely promising tax exemption only to pursue and prosecute at their convenience.
  2. Thousands of protesters disrupt traffic in India’s financial capital
    Organized by the Maratha community of Maharashtra, more than 200,000 protesters blocked off the streets in Mumbai to press their demands for reserved quotas in government jobs and in college admissions. This was the concluding protest of a series of 57 organized marches since last year. Rising unemployment and falling farm incomes have driven the rural communities to protest. About two-thirds of India’s 1.3 billion people depend on farming for their livelihood, but the sector only makes up 14% of GDP.
  3. Amid standoff with U.S., North Korea releases jailed Canadian pastor
    North Korea freed a Canadian pastor serving a life sentence on humanitarian grounds just hours after the United States warned it would counter any threat from the North with “fire and fury.” The release came a day after Canadian officials said a delegation led by the Canada’s national security adviser traveled to North Korea to discuss the case. North Korea is still holding three Americans and is due to restrict U.S. nationals from traveling to North Korea beginning in September.
  4. China slammed for delayed alert on palm oil spill
    Hong Kong authorities have closed more than a dozen beaches and launched a clean-up effort after a ship collision caused almost 1,000 tonnes of palm oil to spill into the sea. The collision occurred on Thursday in China’s Pearl River estuary near Guangdong, but only informed Hong Kong on Saturday. Although palm oil is not toxic to humans, many expressed not only environmental concerns, but also the lack of communication between the two governments and whether or not China would be liable for any damages caused by the spill.
  5. Vietnam-Germany relations sour over intrigue in Berlin
    The alleged kidnapping of a Vietnamese national on German soil by Vietnamese intelligence may sour relations among two countries who were on the verge of a Vietnam-EU trade deal. Germany claims that in violation of Germany sovereignty and international law, Trinh Xuan Thanh, the former chairman of PetroVietnam Construction, was abducted from Berlin while Vietnamese officials claim that he turned himself in. Germany expelled the representative of Vietnamese intelligence within its borders and in a news conference, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel called the abduction intolerable and said the government was considering further steps against Vietnam. Vietnam had been hoping for a trade deal with the EU after its hopes for the TPP were dashed by the American decision to withdraw.
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