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Tag: President Xi Jinping

China’s businessman jailed for 18 years for calling president Xi ”a clown”
A Chinese property mogul and arch critic of President Xi Jinping jailed for corruption after calling the president a clown.
Ren Zhiqiang, the former chairman of state-owned real estate group Huayuan, received a sentence of 18 years for corruption, bribery and embezzlement of public funds.
He was also handed a 4.2million yuan (£484,485) fine, according to Beijing No. 2 Intermediate Court.
The court verdict, released earlier today, said the 69-year-old ‘voluntarily and truthfully confessed all his crimes’ and would not appeal the court’s decision.
Rights campaigners accuse President Xi Jinping and the Communist Party of using corruption charges to silence dissent.
Ren, who was once among the ruling Communist Party’s inner circle, disappeared from the public eye in March shortly after penning an essay that lambasted Xi’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The piece has since been scrubbed from China’s internet, which regularly censors content that challenges the authorities, but was shared widely elsewhere online.
‘This epidemic has revealed the fact that the Party and government officials only care about protecting their own interests, and the monarch only cares about protecting their interests and core position,’ Ren wrote, without naming Xi.
He added: ‘Standing there was not an emperor showing off his new clothes, but a clown stripped of clothes who insisted on being an emperor.’
Ren, who was once among the ruling Communist Party’s inner circle, disappeared from the public eye in March shortly after penning an essay that lambasted Xi’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The piece has since been scrubbed from China’s internet, which regularly censors content that challenges the authorities, but was shared widely elsewhere online.
‘This epidemic has revealed the fact that the Party and government officials only care about protecting their own interests, and the monarch only cares about protecting their interests and core position,’ Ren wrote, without naming Xi.
He added: ‘Standing there was not an emperor showing off his new clothes, but a clown stripped of clothes who insisted on being an emperor.’
Ren’s influential blog on the Twitter-like Weibo platform attracted millions of followers before his account was closed by authorities in 2016 after he repeatedly called for greater freedom of the press.
Beijing has stepped up its crackdown on civil society since Xi took power in 2012, tightening restrictions on freedom of speech and detaining hundreds of activists and lawyers.
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September 22, 2020
To contribute Chinese power to global cooperation against COVID-19
By He Yin
Chinese President Xi Jinping on May 18 delivered a speech titled Fighting COVID-19 Through
Solidarity and Cooperation, Building a Global Community of Health for All via video link at the
opening of the 73rd World Health Assembly (WHA).
Proposing to build a global community of health for all, he expounded on China's propositions in
pandemic response and raised a series of important initiatives, which has practical and long-term
significance for boosting global confidence in defeating the virus, promoting international anti-
pandemic cooperation, and planning future global governance system.
What the world is facing is the most serious global public health emergency since the end of
World War II. The WHA, convened at a critical moment, received high attention from around the
world. Xi's speech reflected the high recognition from the international community on China's
achievements in COVID-19 prevention and control, as well as China's important role played in
global anti-pandemic cooperation.
To mobilize resources worldwide to defeat the virus, Xi said the world must do everything it can
for COVID-19 control and treatment, provide greater support for Africa, strengthen global
governance in the area of public health, restore economic and social development, and strengthen
international cooperation. Besides, the World Health Organization (WHO) should lead the global
response, Xi said.
What Xi put forward was the valuable experience drawn from China's anti-pandemic practices,
which addresses both the urgent problems and the long-term development in global public health,
and forms an integrated and complete system. His proposals further proved that China is always a
pioneer in solidarity and cooperation.
"The message from President Xi Jinping has inspired us so much to fight the pandemic," said
Bounkong Syhavong, president of the 72nd session of the WHA and Minister of Health of Laos.
He praised China for playing an important role in providing valuable assistance, saying the
country has made huge contribution at the critical moment of fighting the pandemic.
China's pandemic response is lauded as an example for the world, and its achievements are
bringing the world hope. The international society is gradually coming to realize that China's
proposal for solidarity and cooperation is able to build tremendous power that leads to final
victory.
At the WHA, Xi came up with five measures for the sake of boosting international cooperation
against COVID-19, and all of them are welcomed by the world.
China will provide US$2 billion over two years to help with COVID-19 response and with
economic and social development in affected countries, especially developing countries.
China will work with the UN to set up a global humanitarian response depot and hub in China,
ensure the operation of anti-epidemic supply chains and foster “green corridors” for fast-track
transportation and customs clearance.
China will establish a cooperation mechanism for its hospitals to pair up with 30 African hospitals
and accelerate the building of the Africa CDC headquarters to help the continent ramp up its
disease preparedness and control capacity.
COVID-19 vaccine development and deployment in China, when available, will be made a global
public good. This will be China’s contribution to ensuring vaccine accessibility and affordability
in developing countries.
China will work with other G20 members to implement the Debt Service Suspension Initiative for
the poorest countries. China is also ready to work with the international community to bolster
support for the hardest-hit countries under the greatest strain of debt service, so that they could
tide over the current difficulties.
These constructive measures aim at addressing the priorities and difficulties of global pandemic
response for the present and the years to come, carry the sincere wish of China to make positive
construction to promoting global cooperation against COVID-19, and demonstrate the major
country responsibility of China for the lives and health of its people, as well as the development of
global public health.
Now the world is at a critical moment when solidarity and responsibility are needed more than
ever, and China's proposals are made upon international consensus.
Key words such as "solidarity" and "support the WHO" appeared in almost all the speeches
delivered by heads of state and international organizations at the WHA. "Now is the time for unity,
for the international community to work together in solidarity to stop this virus and its shattering
consequences," said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the opening of the assembly.
When solidarity triumphs over ideology, anything is possible, said WHO Director-General Tedros
Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Calling the assembly "one of the most important assemblies in the history of the WHO," French
President Emmanuel Macro said this must be a moment of unity and solidarity, and also a moment
of clear thought and effective action. German Chancellor Angela Merkel noted that "the WHO is a
legitimate world organization in the area of health. We should continue to work to improve the
procedures within the WHO. We should also look into its financing to ensure that it is
sustainable."
"Mankind is a community with a shared future. Solidarity and cooperation is our most powerful
weapon for defeating the virus. This is the key lesson the world has learned from fighting
HIV/AIDS, Ebola, avian influenza, influenza A (H1N1) and other major epidemics. And solidarity
and cooperation is a sure way through which we, the people of the world, can defeat this novel
coronavirus." Xi's expounding not only charters the course, but also enhances confidence.
The world must be aware that only joint cooperation can protect the lives and health of the people
around the world and common homeland of the human beings. Building a global community of
health for all concerns the well-being of all mankind, and countries shall make joint efforts to
achieve this goal.
May 22, 2020
President Xi Jinping on Thursday delivered a speech titled “Working Together to Defeat the COVID-19 Outbreak” at the Extraordinary G20 Leaders’ Summit via video link in Beijing.
The following is an English translation of the full text of the speech:
Working Together to Defeat the COVID-19 Outbreak
Remarks by H.E. Xi Jinping
President of the People’s Republic of China
At the Extraordinary G20 Leaders’ Summit
Beijing, 26 March 2020
Your Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud,
Dear Colleagues,
It is good to join you. Let me begin by expressing my sincere appreciation to His Majesty King Salman and Saudi Arabia for having done tremendous work of communication and coordination to make this summit possible.
Facing the COVID-19 outbreak that caught us all by surprise, the Chinese government and Chinese people have been undaunted as we took on this formidable task. From day one of our fight against the outbreak, we have put people’s life and health first. We have acted according to the overall principle of shoring up confidence, strengthening unity, ensuring science-based control and treatment and imposing targeted measures. We have mobilized the whole nation, set up collective control and treatment mechanisms and acted with openness and transparency. What we fought was a people’s war against the outbreak. We have put up a strenuous struggle and made tremendous sacrifices. Now the situation in China is moving steadily in a positive direction. Life and work are quickly returning to normal. Yet, there is no way we will lower our guard or relax control.
At the most difficult moment in our fight against the outbreak, China received assistance and help from a lot of members of the global community. Such expressions of friendship will always be remembered and cherished by the Chinese people.
Major infectious disease is the enemy of all. As we speak, the COVID-19 outbreak is spreading worldwide, posing enormous threat to life and health and bringing formidable challenge to global public health security. The situation is disturbing and unsettling. At such a moment, it is imperative for the international community to strengthen confidence, act with unity and work together in a collective response. We must comprehensively step up international cooperation and foster greater synergy so that humanity as one could win the battle against such a major infectious disease.
For that to happen, I would like to put forth four proposals.
First, we need to be resolute in fighting an all-out global war against the COVID-19 outbreak. The community of nations must move swiftly to stem the spread of the virus. In this regard, I propose that a G20 health ministers’ meeting be convened as quick as possible to improve information sharing, strengthen cooperation on drugs, vaccines and epidemic control, and cut off cross-border infections. G20 members need to jointly help developing countries with weak public health systems enhance preparedness and response. I propose a G20 COVID-19 assistance initiative for better information sharing and policy and action coordination with the support of the World Health Organization. Guided by the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind, China will be more than ready to share our good practices, conduct joint research and development of drugs and vaccines, and provide assistance where we can to countries hit by the growing outbreak.
Second, we need to make a collective response for control and treatment at the international level. This is a virus that respects no borders. The outbreak we are battling is our common enemy. All must work together to build a strongest global network of control and treatment that the world has ever seen. China has set up its online COVID-19 knowledge center that is open to all countries. It is imperative that countries pool their strengths and speed up research and development of drugs, vaccines and testing capabilities in the hope to achieve early breakthrough to the benefit of all. Discussions are also needed regarding the establishment of regional emergency liaison mechanisms to enable quicker response to public health emergencies.
Third, we need to support international organizations in playing their active roles. China supports WHO in leading the global efforts to develop science-based and proper control and treatment and minimize cross-border spread. I call on G20 members to enhance anti-epidemic information sharing with the support of WHO and to promote control and treatment protocols that are comprehensive, systematic and effective. The G20 platform for communication and coordination may be used to increase policy dialogue and exchange, and a high-level meeting on international public health security may be convened in due course. For China, we will be happy to join other countries and scale up support for relevant international and regional organizations.
Fourth, we need to enhance international macro-economic policy coordination. The outbreak has disrupted production and demand across the globe. Countries need to leverage and coordinate their macro policies to counteract the negative impact and prevent the world economy from falling into recession. We need to implement strong and effective fiscal and monetary policies to keep our exchange rates basically stable. We need to better coordinate financial regulation to keep global financial markets stable. We need to jointly keep the global industrial and supply chains stable. What China will do in this regard is to increase its supply of active pharmaceutical ingredients, daily necessities, and anti-epidemic and other supplies to the international market. What’s more, we also need to protect women, children, the elderly, people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups, and provide for people’s basic needs. China will continue to pursue a proactive fiscal policy and prudent monetary policy. We will continue to advance reform and opening-up, widen market access, improve the business environment, and expand imports and outbound investment to contribute to a stable world economy.
I want to call on all G20 members to take collective actions – cutting tariffs, removing barriers, and facilitating the unfettered flow of trade. Together, we can send a strong signal and restore confidence for global economic recovery. The G20 needs to draw up an action plan and promptly set up communication mechanisms and institutional arrangements for anti-epidemic macro policy coordination.
Dear Colleagues,
Now is a crucial moment, a time for us to rise up to challenge and act with swiftness. I am convinced that through solidarity and mutual assistance, we will prevail over this outbreak and we all will embrace a brighter future for mankind!
Thank you.
April 1, 2020