International

Beijing, Tokyo pledge to enhance constructive, stable relationship

The Communist Party of China and Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, along with its coalition partner Komeito, agreed on Tuesday to jointly promote the building of a constructive and stable Sino-Japanese relationship that meets the requirements of the new era.

The agreement was reached during the ninth meeting of the China-Japan ruling party exchange mechanism in Beijing, during which both sides engaged in candid discussions on their important responsibilities in upholding an international order underpinned by international law amid global turbulence and transformation.

They had an open exchange of views on enhancing mutual trust, expanding cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and deepening mutually beneficial cooperation.

Both sides acknowledged the significant role of the meeting of the exchange mechanism in politically guiding China-Japan relations since it was inaugurated in 2006 and welcomed its resumption after a hiatus of more than six years, with the last meeting held in Japan in October 2018.

Both sides agreed to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, adhere to the principles set out in the four political documents between China and Japan, and make joint efforts to comprehensively advance the China-Japan strategic and mutually beneficial relationship.

They affirmed the necessity of maintaining close dialogue and communication between China and Japan regardless of the circumstances facing their relations. They called for enhancing exchanges between the two countries’ political parties, leaders, and young politicians to enhance mutual understanding and trust, to lay a solid political foundation for improving and developing China-Japan relations and building a constructive and stable relationship.

Implementing consensus

The two sides exchanged views on issues including the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the sea and China’s import of Japanese aquatic products, agreeing to implement the consensus reached by the two governments, accelerate communication and consultations, and properly address each other’s concerns.

Both sides confirmed their commitment to promoting practical cooperation through ruling party exchanges and tentatively agreed to hold the 10th meeting of the China-Japan ruling party exchange mechanism in Japan in the fall.

A delegation of Japan’s ruling coalition, led by Moriyama Hiroshi, secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party, and Nishida Makoto, secretary-general of the Komeito party, kicked off a three-day visit to China on Monday.

Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference National Committee, met with the delegation in Beijing on Tuesday.

Wang emphasized the importance of deepening bilateral exchanges based on the consensus reached by President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru during their meeting on the sidelines of the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Lima, Peru, in November.

He called for joint efforts to develop China-Japan relations to contribute to regional and global prosperity and development.

The leaders of the Japanese delegation said that China and Japan are important neighbors to one another.

They expressed their willingness to promote bilateral exchanges at all levels, including young parliamentarians and local leaders, through a party-to-party dialogue mechanism to bridge differences and foster bilateral cooperation, in the spirit of seeking common ground while reserving differences.

On Monday, Li Shulei, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, also met with the Japanese delegation in Beijing.

Sino-Japanese relations have witnessed a sign of improvement in recent weeks. Last month, Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi visited China. A delegation from the Eastern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army will visit Japan in mid-January under a mutual agreement. (article from China Daily)

International

10 % ON EXPORTS TO US

US President Donald Trump says it’s Liberation Day in America as he announced his sweeping new tariffs. The new measures took effect at midnight. Since taking office in January, Trump has imposed several of the measures.

US President Donald Trump has announced a 10 percent universal tariff on all imports into the country. This includes Barbadian exports to the American market. According to Mr. Trump, the tariff is in retaliation for the 10 per cent tariff now charged by Jamaica on U.S. imports.

The tariff means American consumers are likely to see an increase in the price of Jamaican goods sold on the U.S. market.

St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, Jamaica, The Bahamas, Belize, Suriname, St. Kitts and Antigua are among the Caribbean countries that will also see a 10% tariff applied to their exports.

Nearly 60 countries across the world have been hit with tariffs ranging from 10 per cent to as high as 49 per cent. China, countries in the European Union, Taiwan and Vietnam are among the hardest hit. It’s one of the most sweeping impositions of tariffs in U.S. history.

Trump says the tariffs are aimed at protecting American markets from unfair global trade practices. He’s projecting a resurgence in American manufacturing as a result of the sweeping tariffs.

International

China’s Xi Jinping tells top global CEOs to use their influence to defend trade

Gathering of senior business leaders in Beijing comes amid rising tensions with US

Xi Jinping has urged global business leaders to work together to protect supply chains at a meeting with a group of executives including Rajesh Subramaniam of FedEx, Ola Källenius of Mercedes-Benz and Georges Elhedery of HSBC.

Amid a deepening trade war with the US, the Chinese leader told the group of more than 40 business leaders, which also included Pascal Soriot of AstraZeneca, Miguel Ángel López Borrego of Thyssenkrupp and Amin Nasser of Saudi Aramco, that foreign business leaders should resist behaviours that “turn back the clock” on history.

“We hope everyone can take a broad and long-term view . . . and not blindly follow actions that disrupt the security and stability of global industrial chains and supply chains, but instead contribute more positive energy and certainty to global development,” Xi told the gathering in Beijing on Friday.

The event at the Great Hall of the People marked the second consecutive year that Xi held a carefully staged meeting with foreign chief executives in the Chinese capital. Last year’s event was held exclusively with US business leaders.

The meeting came at the conclusion of a busy week for Chinese policymakers, who are trying to strengthen relations with international business amid rising tensions with US President Donald Trump’s administration.

China’s premier annual CEO conference, the China Development Forum, was held in Beijing this week, followed by the Boao Forum for Asia in the tropical resort island of Hainan. Beijing is seeking to promote itself as a bastion of stability in global trade in contrast to the US, where Trump has launched successive waves of tariffs on products from aluminium to cars. The president has vowed widespread, reciprocal duties on US trading partners on April 2, threatening further disruption to international trade.

“A few countries are building ‘small yards with high walls’, setting up tariff barriers, and politicising, instrumentalising, weaponising, and over-securitising economic and trade issues,” said Xi, who was accompanied by his foreign, commerce and finance ministers.

He said these actions were forcing companies “to take sides and make choices that go against economic principles”. “This runs counter to the overarching trend of open markets,” he said. He added that foreign enterprises, especially multinational corporations, had “considerable international influence”.

“We hope everyone will . . . resist regressive moves that turn back the clock,” Xi said. “Together, we must safeguard the stability of global industrial and supply chains. “Decoupling and severing ties harms others without benefiting oneself; it leads nowhere.”

International

US to Negotiate with Regional Governments on Hiring of Cuban Doctors

US special envoy to the Caribbean and Latin America, Mauricio Claver-Carone, says the United States intends to negotiate a mechanism with Caribbean governments regarding the hiring of Cuban doctors.

The US has threatened visa restrictions for nations who benefit from Cuban medical missions. They deem the programme as a form of forced labour and trafficking on the part of the Cuban government.

Several countries in the Caribbean rely heavily on Cuban medical missions to supplement local staff.

The special envoy says the US wants a united voice against human trafficking, in favour of international labour laws. He says they look forward to reaching a deal that allows Caribbean governments to directly hire Cuban doctors.