Equal Times

16 February 2024

“An age of cultural decline” coupled with an unusual boom – the curious impact of Hong Kong’s national security law on its book industry

The year 2020 marked an inflection point for Hong Kong’s book sector, when the Chinese government imposed a sweeping national security law on the city, partly to crush the 2019 protest movement that challenged Chinese President Xi Jinping. Publishing words in Hong Kong has become a risky [...]Read the full article

An escalating arms race will not solve the world's multidimensional problems

23 February 2023

Human rights

An escalating arms race will not solve the world’s multidimensional problems

Jesús A. Núñez Villaverde: “The issues of security and wellbeing are not antithetical but are the two basic pillars of peace, both within and beyond the borders of all states.”Read the full article

China moves to displace Russia in the ‘New Great Game' in Central Asia

3 November 2022

Politics & economy

China moves to displace Russia in the ‘New Great Game’ in Central Asia

Juan Antonio Sanz: China has displaced Russia as the dominant power in Central Asia. It has done so thanks to its diplomatic and economic might. Russia’s decline highlights the fragility of relations with Central Asia based on Moscow’s military superiority.Read the full article

Pushing back against China's debt-trap deniers

20 October 2022

Politics & economy

Pushing back against China’s debt-trap deniers

Paulo Casaca : Although China did not invent the concept of the ‘debt-trap’, as the world’s most important source of international development finance, China is currently the main international player of this centuries-old debt power game.Read the full article

Building Hong Kong's civil society was a decades-long process; destroying it took just months

30 June 2022

Politics & economy

Building Hong Kong’s civil society was a decades-long process; destroying it took just months

Macy Leung : The very systems that have made Hong Kong an open society, a remarkable success story and a free place distinctly different from repressed China, have all but disintegrated.Read the full article

At Greece's largest port, dockworkers fight for a collective agreement

22 June 2022

Labour

At Greece’s largest port, dockworkers fight for a collective agreement

Hundreds of dockworkers at Greece’s largest port are demanding better working conditions and a new collective agreement. Ever since the Chinese state-owned enterprise COSCO became the majority owner of the Piraeus Port Authority, workers there have had fewer rights and [...]Read the full article

8 April 2022

Human rights

The 2026 World Cup is our chance to show why democratic values are better

Cathy Feingold: As players from the US and around the world prepare for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, FIFA must improve its track record of turning a blind eye to authoritarians and ‘sportswashing’ human rights violations.Read the full article

Over 90,000 people have left Hong Kong in the past year; those who remain face an uncertain future

29 September 2021

Human rights

Over 90,000 people have left Hong Kong in the past year; those who remain face an uncertain future

“The trade union sector is now living in unprecedented fear. When the national security law arrived, political groups were the primary target. In July and August, it became clear that trade unions are also a main target.”Read the full article

China harnesses ‘health diplomacy' to strengthen its foothold in the Middle East

14 July 2021

Politics & economy

China harnesses ‘health diplomacy’ to strengthen its foothold in the Middle East

Beijing has used the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic as an opportunity to boost its global image. And to strengthen its foothold in the MENA region, its interests, long limited to securing the flow of oil, have been broadened to include a range of areas, stretching from culture to [...]Read the full article

The ILO's condemnation of Belarus is unequivocal – but so is China and Russia's support for Lukashenko

8 July 2021

Labour

The ILO’s condemnation of Belarus is unequivocal – but so is China and Russia’s support for Lukashenko

Frank Hoffer: The ILO’s findings not only demand clear action by Belarus to respect international human rights, but they also establish a moral imperative for the international community not to stand idly by.Read the full article

Ma Jun: “There is a green momentum in China. We had no choice but to change our model”

18 June 2021

Environment

Ma Jun: “There is a green momentum in China. We had no choice but to change our model”

Ma Jun is the father of environmental activism in China. The degradation of the landscapes of his childhood led him to embark on an unexplored path: transparency in industrial data.Read the full article

Will Beijing's education reforms succeed in “brainwashing” Hong Kong's rebellious youth?

22 January 2021

Human rights

Will Beijing’s education reforms succeed in “brainwashing” Hong Kong’s rebellious youth?

“The enormous political pressure facing teachers today is without precedent in the history of Hong Kong. The chilling effects are sweeping across school campuses, curricula and even exam papers.”Read the full article

2 December 2020

Environment

Mega industrial pig farms in Argentina: economic opportunity or socio-environmental catastrophe?

In a yet-to-be-signed memorandum of understanding, Argentina and China have laid out plans to set up 25 macro pig farms in the South American country, which would multiply by 14 the number of pigs there. The province of Chaco is already moving ahead with the signature of an agreement with a [...]Read the full article

Uyghur refugees speak out against genocide and crimes against humanity

18 November 2020

Human rights

Uyghur refugees speak out against genocide and crimes against humanity

Tens of thousands of Uyghurs have fled China in recent years since Beijing began its policy of subjugation and assimilation of the minority group. Around 60,000 of them have found relative safety in Turkey, but pressure from China has made their future [...]Read the full article

As it finances extraction and construction projects around the world, China is exporting its labour model and standards

19 August 2020

Politics & economy

As it finances extraction and construction projects around the world, China is exporting its labour model and standards

The single factor that most damages China’s reputation abroad is undoubtedly the treatment of workers in its investment projects.Read the full article

The risks of teaming up with Big Brother to protect health

18 June 2020

Human rights

The risks of teaming up with Big Brother to protect health

Adrián Foncillas: Surveillance technology has helped to contain the spread of coronavirus, but it is essential that limits be set on how much information can be collected and for how long, to prevent governments from extending its use once the crisis is [...]Read the full article

How to win friends and influence people – the Beijing way

20 April 2020

Politics & economy

How to win friends and influence people – the Beijing way

Behind China’s friendly narrative, in which it presents itself as an example to follow for its successful economic transition from communism and for its speedy recovery from the 2008 financial crisis, often lies veiled criticism of the West and the values of liberal [...]Read the full article

9 April 2020

Politics & economy

Huawei and the global race for 5G

Andrés Ortega: There is a global race for 5G and the Chinese company Huawei is in pole position. 5G technology, as well as being a strategic tool for a whole host of sectors, is crucial to the new information and communication boom being driven by the Internet of Things and artificial [...]Read the full article

Can the European Union lead the world's ecological transition?

29 January 2020

Environment

Can the European Union lead the world’s ecological transition?

Last December, the European Commission announced its ecological transition plan, intended to be a “new growth strategy” for the continent. But even if the EU can achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, what good will it do if the other regions of the world don’t join the green [...]Read the full article

Lee Cheuk-yan of the HKCTU: “When you beat, arrest, prosecute and shoot at protesters, social dialogue is very difficult”

18 October 2019

Politics & economy

Lee Cheuk-yan of the HKCTU: “When you beat, arrest, prosecute and shoot at protesters, social dialogue is very difficult”

“HKCTU plays an important role and we are part of the movement, so in supporting the young protesters we are also supporting ourselves,” says Carol Ng, chairperson of the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU).Read the full article

Cold War in the Arctic: the latest hotspot in global geopolitics thanks to climate change

20 September 2019

Politics & economy

Cold War in the Arctic: the latest hotspot in global geopolitics thanks to climate change

A new battle – economic and political for the moment – is emerging on one of the most hostile geographical stages on the planet, the Arctic.Read the full article

25 February 2019

Labour

In Cambodia, Chinese workers earn more, but pay the price with diminished labour rights

While Cambodians fear the economic impact of Chinese migrant labourers, foreign workers risk exploitation in a country where they have few resources, no union representation and little knowledge of the local language.Read the full article

Unprecedented Kazakh court judgement spares “re-education camp” political asylee potential death sentence in China

14 August 2018

Human rights

Unprecedented Kazakh court judgement spares “re-education camp” political asylee potential death sentence in China

“Kazakhstan has a very poor record upholding the principle of non-refoulement and Sayragul’s case is a welcome departure from that record.”Read the full article

In the antechamber of a multi-front trade war

16 May 2018

Politics & economy

In the antechamber of a multi-front trade war

Federico Steinberg: Obsessed with cutting its bilateral trade deficits, the US fears that in the absence of pressure and threats, the EU will not agree to sit down at the negotiating table. The current trade dispute is being played out against the backdrop of two more far-reaching issues: the WTO’s viability and [...]Read the full article

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