Bᴜᴄᴜʀᴇșᴛɪ, ᴘʀɪᴠɪᴛ sᴜʙɪᴇᴄᴛɪᴠ
📸 Sᴛᴀᴛᴜɪᴀ ᴅᴏᴍɴɪᴛᴏʀᴜʟᴜɪ Șᴛᴇғᴀɴ ᴄᴇʟ Mᴀʀᴇ șɪ Sғâɴᴛ, sᴇᴄᴛᴏʀ 2
🗓 Nᴏɪᴇᴍʙʀɪᴇ 2018
©️ Cʟᴀᴜᴅɪᴜ Oᴄᴛᴀᴠɪᴀɴ Pᴇʀᴀ
Eᴅɪᴛᴀʀᴇ: Mᴏɴɪᴄᴀ Lᴜɪᴢᴀ Iᴏɴ
Chinese and Philippine relations have increased over the past years especially recently under the Duterte administration. Improved cooperation between the two countries is important as China’s Belt and Road development campaign is well under way and the Philippines’ participation is vital to its fruition. This aggressive movement has also caught the attention of the rest of the world due to its ambitious nature and rather quick pace inciting both positive and negative interpretations.
The ‘Belt and Road initiative’ or ‘BRI’ is a $900bn infrastructure project that aims to strengthen ties among nations in Asia and Europe, and consequently improve the openness of the Chinese economy. The infrastructural program will push for a ‘21st Century Maritime silk road’ and a ‘Silk Road Economic Belt’. President Xi Jinping aims to connect more nations and tap the potential of overlooked areas along the land and sea routes. Slated to be completed in 2049 in time for People’s Republic of China’s 100th Anniversary, it is still too early to create sound judgement if it would become a success.
It is imperative that those countries interested in the Belt and Road Initiative must proceed with caution. The Chinese government remains vague regarding the process and parameters of the BRI although countries engaging in bilateral agreements with China have confidence in their positions in this grand scheme. China‘s foreign direct investments in the Philippines have reached $1bn by March 2018, surpassing the amount of Chinese inflow in the previous administrations. Considering the staggering amount, the Philippine government should be concerned about a possible looming debt trap from Chinese loans. There are several neighboring countries on the planned route of the BRI that have pre-existing, unsettling levels of foreign debt. When these vulnerable countries are incapable of paying debt, it’s possible for China to ask for political favors underlining the question whether the BRI is China’s way to advance regional strategic control. A prime example of this is Sri Lanka. The island nation has already agreed to repay China for its politically linked Hambantota developments by leasing a major strategic port to Beijing over a 99-year period. With the current economic instability in the Philippines, the country must be wary of the security implications.
Based on the 2017 forum in Beijing, the Philippines thus far is considering the BRI largely due to the fact that the current administration is equally focused on pushing for major domestic structural improvements. President Duterte’s ‘Build, Build, Build’ pet project is envisioned to be the ‘Golden Age of Philippine infrastructure’. This parallelism in priorities presents a clear congruence of interests. With China’s trade leadership and the Philippines’ strategic proximity, a stronger partnership will aid the economic growth of the country. Consequently, there are valuable prospects in maritime trade linkages, and connectivity in the region. Nonetheless, the Philippine government must keep in mind that China’s intentions are unpredictable hence the country ought to consider further diversifying the sources of foreign investments to prevent China from possibly gaining disproportionate control in Philippine local affairs.
ׁ
Oh, Bucureşti. Îți urăsc maşinile şi băşinile lor.
Oh, Bucureşti. Îți iubesc bulevardele şi băşinile de ți le ofer nonşalant, la miez de noapte, la Obor.
O să mă omori mai repede decît ar putea s-o facă alcoolul şi țigările. Eşti un drog împuțit, dar un drog dorit. Am nevoie de tine ca de aerul pe care nu-l ai. Eşti imperfect, infect, dar te iubesc.
Omoară-mă ca să trăiesc.
Aku membawa obor kematian
Ia padam
Lalu membara
Menyamai langkah manusia
Aku membawa obor kematian
Ia bersuka ria
Kala yang lain tersiksa
Fana
Kau menggerutu
Inikah isi kepalamu?
Tanpa bintang
Tanpa pelangi
Biarkan aku memutar jalan sendiri
Lalu kubiarkan kau memutar jalanmu sendiri
Tidak usah saling peduli
Tidak usah saling mencaci
Kini kau buta
Dibutakan
Atau membutakannya sendiri
Meninggikan imajinasi
Kini kau tuli
Memilah kata yang menurutmu menyenangkan
Iri
Meraung-raung ego terpendam
Sulitkah menghirup udara kedamaian?
Tanpa gulungan frasa sampah dari moncong manusia hebat
Tanpa cekikikan di depan jasad nestapa
Tanpa palsunya wajah-wajah mendua
Padahal aku adalah serpihanmu juga
Kala kita menyatu
Dulu
Jutaan tahun cahaya
14 Juni 2018
18:13
Z
Many were already heavily in debt and needed “sustainable finance” and private investment, Li Ruogu former exim bank head. said, adding that the countries’ average liability and debt ratios had reached 35 and 126 per cent, respectively, far above the globally recognised warning lines of 20 and 100 per cent. ✔ *… a huge funding gap of up to US$500 billion a year.*
28/07/2016 • obor
28/07/2016 • obor
28/07/2016 obor
pinhole photography
Traditionally, within the remit of the OBOR initiative, projects have been financed by the likes of the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Silk Road Fund, China Development Bank and Export-Import Bank of China.
Seven companies have initially been granted approval by the CSRC to issue bonds worth a total of around 50 billion yuan (8 billion US dollars) through the aforementioned stock exchanges. Perhaps unsurprisingly one of those companies is the Russian aluminium producer UC Rusal, which issued the first officially approved corporate bonds worth 1 billion yuan on the Shanghai Stock Exchange. Furthermore, in early 2018, Chinese cement maker Hongshi Holding Group issued bonds worth 300 million yuan, utilised to purchase equipment for a cement plant in Laos.
Tellingly, Singapore-based Global Logistics Properties, which is a major warehouse operator recently received approval by the CSRC to issue up to 12 billion yuan (1.8 billion US dollars) worth of bonds to finance its recent acquisition of European logistics firm Gazeley, demonstrating how nations are seeking to take advantage of Chinese investment to further their own ambitions to develop across the entire OBOR region from Vladivostok in the east to Lisbon in the west.
The myopic western view that the OBOR initiative is all about Chinese expansionism and hegemony is quite simply not the case as, in a small part, the above examples illustrate. China will seek to encourage global companies to issue bonds in the Chinese capital markets and will work to finance projects across the entire OBOR initiative in mutually beneficial ways. This development is a further example of how China is seeking global integration and cooperation with respect to the OBOR initiative.
Nations such as the US and UK should take note of such developments simply because at some point they are going to have to either embrace the OBOR or sink into the abyss. It is also quite clear that the US and UK need to look to reindustrialise and the OBOR and Chinese capital markets could significantly assist in that respect.
La Cina bussa ai porti Italiani
China’s Silk Road Plan Facing Problems
Voice of America
Pakistan and China have good relations; some Pakistani officials even call China their “Iron Brother.” China has played an even bigger role in the country since U.S. President Donald Trump decided last week to suspend security assistance to Pakistan.
Yet, plans for the countries to build a $14-billion dam on the Indus River were put in doubt, after Pakistan’s water authority announced China wanted to own part of the project.
China has denied making the demand. However, the water authority rejected China’s reported demand as against Pakistani interests, and withdrew Pakistan from the dam project.
Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks during a news conference at the end of the Belt and Road Forum at the Yanqi Lake International Conference Center, north of Beijing, May 15, 2017.
Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks during a news conference at the end of the Belt and Road Forum at the Yanqi Lake International Conference Center, north of Beijing, May 15, 2017.
Belt and Road Initiative
From Pakistan to Hungary to Tanzania, projects under Chinese President Xi Jinping’s “Belt and Road Initiative” are being canceled, renegotiated or delayed. Host countries have disputed costs and benefits that they would receive.
The “Belt and Road Initiative” is a plan to build projects across 65 countries, from the South Pacific through Asia to Africa and Europe. Such projects include oil drilling in Siberia, new ports in Southeast Asia, railways in Eastern Europe and power plants in the Middle East.
In this Dec. 22, 2017, photo, a Pakistani motorcyclist drives on a newly built Pakistan China Silk Road in Haripur, Pakistan.
In this Dec. 22, 2017, photo, a Pakistani motorcyclist drives on a newly built Pakistan China Silk Road in Haripur, Pakistan.
The United States, Russia and India view the Belt and Road initiative as a way for China to expand its influence.
Many countries have welcomed plans to build infrastructure that would keep their economies growing. Nations such as Japan have given or lent billions of dollars for development through the Asian Development Bank.
China, however, remains the largest or only source of money for many projects.
Many projects cancelled or delayed
In November, Nepal canceled plans for Chinese companies to build a $2.5-billion dam. Officials said building contracts for the Budhi Gandaki Hydro Electric Project violated rules that require offers from numerous bidders.
The European Union is also looking into whether Hungary awarded contracts to Chinese builders for a high-speed railway to Serbia without competing bids.
In Myanmar, plans for a Chinese oil company to build a $3-billion refinery were canceled in November because of financing problems.
In Thailand, work on a $15-billion high-speed railway was delayed in 2016 following complaints that not enough business went to Thai companies.
In Tanzania, the government has reopened negotiations with China and the gulf state of Oman over ownership of a planned $11-billion port in the city of Bagamoyo. Tanzania wants to make sure its people get more than just taxes collected from the port.
Even Pakistan, one of China’s friendliest neighbors, has failed to agree on key projects. Among them are a $10-billion railway in Karachi and a $260-million airport for Gwadar.
A general view of Gwadar port in Gwadar, Pakistan Oct. 4, 2017. The port is at the heart of the $50 billion Chinese investment in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
A general view of Gwadar port in Gwadar, Pakistan Oct. 4, 2017. The port is at the heart of the $50 billion Chinese investment in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Limited success
There is no official list of all Belt and Road projects. However, BMI Research has created a list of $1.8 trillion worth infrastructure investments across Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
Christian Zhang is with BMI Research. He said, “it’s probably too early to say at this point how much of the overall initiative will actually be implemented.”
Kerry Brown is a Chinese politics professor at King’s College London. He said China has faced and may continue to face “a lot of disagreements and misunderstandings.”
Brown added, “It’s hard to think of a big, successful project the ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ has led to at the moment.”
Despite the setbacks, Chinese officials say most Belt and Road projects are moving ahead with few problems.
The state-run China Development Bank announced in 2015 it had set aside $890 billion for more than 900 projects across 60 countries in gas, minerals, power, telecommunications, infrastructure and farming. The Export-Import Bank of China said it would support 1,000 projects in 49 countries.
And last November, deputy commerce minister Li Chenggang said that work on pipelines to deliver oil and gas from Russia and Central Asia is making “steady progress.”
I’m Ashley Thompson. And I’m Caty Weaver.
Hai Do adapted this story for Learning English based on an Associated Press report. Ashley Thompson was the editor
Kodak Gold 200 exp. 2002
Ve čtvrtek 21. září 2017 se v době od 9:30 do 11:15 bude v posluchárně BR-B1 (budova na Bezručově nám. 13) konat neformální setkání vedení Ústavu fyziky se studenty 1. ročníku fyzikálních bakalářských studijních oborů. Setkání není povinné, pouze doporučené; můžete na něm získat užitečné informace, ptát se na věci, které vás zajímají, vyjasnit nejasnosti…
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China bans burqa, long beards and madrasas associated with radical Islam
in Xinjiang province but want to help such people in Pakistan
- the irony !
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