Guests of Chinese Communist Party's centennial events get a list of dos and don'ts - The Straits Times

BEIJING - Ahead of the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) centennial celebrations on Thursday (July 1), journalists, diplomats and other invited guests have been given a list of dos and don'ts for partaking in the festivities at Tiananmen Square.

Among them: refrain from taking toilet breaks after 7.30am; no hats; no taking personal belongings.

Details of the parade, which starts at 8am, have been kept tightly under wraps, but President Xi Jinping will address the nation while a fly-past of fighter jets and helicopters is also slated.

In a note to attending envoys, who checked into Diaoyutai State Guesthouse on Wednesday night for a Covid-19 test and quarantine, diplomats were encouraged to sing along and wave the Chinese flag during the celebratory event "to help with the atmosphere".

Control over the centennial celebrations has been unprecedented - more stringent than when the country marked the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China two years ago.

Residents who live near Tiananmen Square told The Straits Times that they are not allowed to leave their homes after 2pm on Wednesday. Policemen are on guard at every street to make sure they abide by their curfew.

Journalists, who all have to be fully vaccinated to cover the event, had to quarantine in a hotel for at least 15 hours before being taken to the venue.

They were also told on Wednesday that they could not take hats, umbrellas, water or food to the venue, and only one mobile phone is allowed for each person.

The party has been on a campaign to reinforce its political legitimacy.

In February, President Xi announced that the country had eradicated extreme poverty after lifting 100 million people out of it.

On Thursday, he is also expected to announce that China has reached its target of becoming a "moderately prosperous society" by doubling its per capita gross domestic product (GDP) to US$10,000 (S$13,400) from 2010 levels.

Its membership has swelled in recent years. On Wednesday, the party said its membership number has crossed the 95 million mark, growing nearly 4 per cent from the end of 2019.

The CCP started with about 50 members when it was founded in 1921.

About 2.31 million people joined in the first half of this year alone, said a statement from its organisation department.

Nearly 25 per cent of its members are aged 35 or younger, while 28.8 per cent of all members are women.

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2021-06-30 14:06:41Z
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PM Lee congratulates President Xi Jinping on Chinese Communist Party's 100th anniversary - CNA

SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has congratulated Chinese President Xi Jinping on the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Writing in his capacity as secretary-general of the People’s Action Party (PAP), Mr Lee noted the CPC’s role amid “tremendous and rapid” changes in the world over the past century.

"Against this backdrop, the CPC has steered China to overcome many domestic and external challenges, and shepherded China onto the path of peace and prosperity,” he wrote in a letter addressed to Mr Xi as general secretary of the CPC.

“China has made momentous progress in its development, raising the standard of living for an unprecedented number of people.”

In the letter released to the media on Wednesday (Jun 30), Mr Lee said that in recent years and under Mr Xi's leadership, China "has succeeded in eradicating absolute poverty and achieving a moderately prosperous society".

China has also brought its COVID-19 situation under control, paving the way for economic recovery, he added.

READ: Leaders exchange congratulatory messages on 30th anniversary of Singapore-China diplomatic ties

READ: China's Communist Party to celebrate 100th birthday in show of pomp and power

The CPC marks its 100th founding anniversary on Jul 1. The party has ruled China since 1949.

Mr Lee said the goals laid out in the CPC’s 14th five-year plan will bring China "another step closer to its vision of a modern socialist economy".

"A stable, prosperous, and successful China that is well-integrated into the international system benefits not just China, but also the rest of Asia and the world," he wrote.

Mr Lee added that the PAP and the CPC share warm and friendly ties, underpinned by regular exchanges.

“The growing relations between both parties have kept pace with our countries’ evolving development priorities and greatly benefited our peoples,” he said.

"I am confident that our bilateral relations will continue to strengthen in the years ahead.”

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2021-06-30 10:21:32Z
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China's model collective village in trouble as Communist Party marks 100th anniversary - South China Morning Post

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2021-06-30 07:04:15Z
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Malaysia's King wants Parliament to sit before state of emergency expires on Aug 1 - The Straits Times

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia’s King wants Parliament to reconvene before the state of emergency expires on Aug 1, despite the government committing to a sitting by October.

In a joint statement on Wednesday (June 30), the chairs of both Houses in the federal legislature said Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah had “decreed his view” during an audience on Tuesday, which was also attended by their deputies. 

“(We) stated our commitment and the full readiness of Parliament to meet as decreed by His Majesty,” said Lower House Speaker Azhar Harun and Senate president Rais Yatim. 

They added that they had made this known to Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and suggested to him that “a special sitting be held before Aug 1”.

It is unlikely that Tan Sri Muhyiddin will respond quickly to the latest and most direct missive from the palace, as he was hospitalised on Wednesday after suffering from diarrhoea overnight.

The issue of exactly when Parliament should meet for the first time since December has been the subject of heated debate in the fortnight since the King and eight other state rulers said that the legislature should assemble as soon as possible.

Sultan Abdullah and the other rulers had convened a special meeting on June 16. Prior to that, the King had spent a week in a series of audiences with leaders of major political parties, heads of institutions and experts on the pandemic following the deadliest weeks of Malaysia’s ongoing Covid-19 outbreak.

The royal statements came just a day after Mr Muhyiddin unveiled a National Recovery Plan, which outlined a September or October target for a parliamentary session to be held when Malaysia’s worst Covid-19 wave eases and lockdown restrictions are loosened.

Although the law states that it is up to the embattled Premier to decide when to bring the House into session, the royal opinions are weighing on Mr Muhyiddin, whose grip on a parliamentary majority has been in doubt since a spate of defections in January.

It was immediately after two Umno lawmakers withdrew support for his Perikatan Nasional government that the state of emergency was imposed on Jan 11. It suspends the need for Parliament to sit within six months of its last meeting in December.

Cabinet ministers have insisted that the government’s timeline meets the royal criteria of “as soon as possible”, while critics and the opposition disagree. 

Heaping pressure on Mr Muhyiddin, main opposition pact Pakatan Harapan has begun the process of convening the assemblies of the three states it governs - Selangor, Penang and Negeri Sembilan. Pahang, ruled by the King himself, will resume in August.

Pahang’s state government is led by Umno, Mr Muhyiddin’s partner in the federal administration, which has been pushing for fresh polls to be held as soon as the pandemic is under control.

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2021-06-30 06:50:46Z
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Chinese Communist Party honours ‘ordinary heroes’ with centenary medal - South China Morning Post

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1. Chinese Communist Party honours ‘ordinary heroes’ with centenary medal  South China Morning Post
2. China's ruling party censors its past as centenary nears  CNA
3. China's Xi says party needs new 'heroes' to meet future goals  The Straits Times
4. Why a prosperous society, or xiaokang, is worth celebrating in China  South China Morning Post
5. WSJ Opinion: Was Milton Friedman Wrong on China?  Yahoo Finance
6. View Full coverage on Google News

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2021-06-29 04:01:58Z
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Taiwan to get vaccine boost with more Moderna shots on their way - CNA

TAIPEI: Taiwan will discuss easing the import and export of COVID-19 vaccines with the United States when it holds trade talks with Washington this week, which will help in bringing the pandemic under control, President Tsai Ing-wen said on Tuesday (Jun 29).

The two sides are due to resume long-stalled trade discussions on Wednesday as Washington seeks to deepen its support for the Chinese-claimed island, and at a time when Taiwan is dealing with a cluster of domestic COVID-19 cases.

In an address from her office, Tsai said the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement talks, or TIFA, would include what she referred to as an "important" topic.

"That is to simplify the import and export process of vaccines and other medical supplies. This substantive cooperation will bring important help to our current epidemic situation. I have asked our negotiating team to go all out," Tsai said.

"If Taiwan's epidemic is brought under control and economic fluctuations are reduced, it will be a further contribution to the peace and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region."

Taiwan is a major producer of semiconductors, a global shortage of which has reverberated around the world, though the island's domestic COVID-19 outbreak has not had a substantial impact on supplies.

READ: Taiwan to extend COVID-19 curbs into July

A further 410,000 doses of Moderna Inc's COVID-19 vaccine will arrive in Taiwan on Wednesday, Deputy Minister of the Interior Chen Tsung-yen said earlier on Tuesday, part of its direct order for 5.05 million doses from the company.

Only about 8 per cent of Taiwan's 23.5 million people have received at least one of the two shot regimen against COVID-19, and the government has been under pressure to speed up deliveries of the millions of doses it has on order.

When asked if a government-run research centre is in talks with Moderna to make COVID-19 vaccines, Health Minister Chen Shih-chung said the government "will not give up any opportunity" and is currently reviewing its vaccine manufacturing capacity for international companies.

"We are reviewing related capacity, willingness and division of labour domestically. That will smooth things out in a negotiation," Chen told a daily news briefing, without giving details.

Taiwan has received a total of 4.85 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to date, including 1.24 million donated by Japan and 2.5 million donated by the United States. Japan has pledged another 1 million, while Lithuania is giving Taiwan 20,000.

READ: Taiwan's COVID-19 cases fall to month-and-a-half low

Taiwan's own domestic outbreak of the virus is being brought under control, but it remains wary about a handful of cases of the highly contagious Delta variant in southern Taiwan.

The island reported 54 new domestic infections on Tuesday, down from 60 a day earlier, marking the smallest daily rise since May 15, when the government raised the alert level for Taipei and its neighbouring city in the wake of a sudden spike of domestic cases. 

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic and its developments

Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram

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2021-06-29 03:35:29Z
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41 suspects arrested or investigated in Hong Kong, Singapore for involvement in transnational job scam syndicate - CNA

SINGAPORE: Forty-one suspects were arrested or investigated in Hong Kong and Singapore for their involvement in transnational job scams, said the Singapore Police Force (SPF) on Tuesday (Jun 29).

Fourteen alleged "core members" of the scam syndicate, which operated from Hong Kong, were arrested by Hong Kong Police between Jun 16 and Jun 18 over 134 cases of jobs scams in Hong Kong that involved HKD 9 million (S$1.56 million).

Another 27 people were arrested by the Singapore police for their suspected involvement in job scams. 

"Preliminary investigations indicated that they had allegedly facilitated in bank transfers, funds withdrawals, or had relinquished their bank accounts to the scam syndicate," said SPF.

READ: 'People are gullible to believe whatever’s told to them' - Inside the mind of an ex-scammer

In a news release, SPF said it has seen a rise in the number of job scam cases in recent months.

"In these scams perpetuated by the Hong Kong syndicate, the syndicate would post advertisements for jobs promising quick cash on different social media platforms," said SPF.

The job would require the victims - job seekers - to assist in "improving the sales of online platforms", which included Taobao, HKTV Mall, and "some malicious mobile apps", added SPF.

The victims would then be told to make payments by transferring funds to different bank accounts. In return, they were promised reimbursements of the full sum, with 5 per cent to 12 per cent commissions.

In the initial stages, the scammers would purportedly reimburse the victims and pay them commissions to convince them that it was a legitimate job. This was also done to "induce them" to deposit increasingly larger sums of money to earn more commission, said Singapore police.

Cash seized from operations in Singapore. (Photo: SPF)

"At this point, the scammers would promise commissions only after a certain number of tasks had been completed and would delay payments," said SPF.

"The victims would only realise they had fallen prey to a scam when they did not receive the subsequent reimbursements and commissions."

READ: Singapore and Malaysia police bust transnational Internet love scam syndicate in joint investigation

INVESTIGATIONS AND ARRESTS

The Commercial Affairs Department (CAD), Police Intelligence Department and seven land divisions of the SPF, together with the Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau of the Hong Kong Police Force, had "jointly crippled" the transnational job scam syndicate, said SPF.

Mobile phones and cards seized from operations in Singapore. (Photo: SPF)

SPF managed to detect potential victims who could have received unsolicited texts, WhatsApp and Telegram messages from the alleged scammers.

Since May 20, the CAD's Anti Scam Centre has contacted more than 660 potential victims to advise them of these job scams, said SPF.

The centre has also terminated more than 270 phone numbers and frozen more than 80 bank accounts suspected to be linked to these scams.

"IF IT IS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT PROBABLY IS"

CAD's director David Chew said the transnational crime syndicate targeted unsuspecting victims in "many jurisdictions", including Singapore.

"In this instance, they had enticed potential job seekers with promises of highly paid jobs that allowed them to work-from-home," said Mr Chew.

SPF will continue collaborating "closely" with its counterparts to detect and deter such syndicates, which "exploit the anonymity of the Internet", he added.

(Graphic: SPF)

Members of the public are advised that e-commerce platforms will never ask anyone to transfer money on the promise of a refund with a commission.

"If it is too good to be true, it probably is. Do not accept dubious job offers that offer lucrative returns for minimal effort," said SPF.

People who are randomly invited into a messaging application group chat, which they suspect is promoting a scam, should report the group chat using the in-app function.

"If possible, always verify the authenticity of the job with the official websites or sources; and do not click on suspicious URLs or download applications from unknown sources," SPF added.

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2021-06-29 10:53:46Z
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