The Nation Newspaper

Tag: china

  • No prisoner transfer agreement between Nigeria, China — Dabiri-Erewa

    No prisoner transfer agreement between Nigeria, China — Dabiri-Erewa

    Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Abike Dabiri-Erewa has urged Nigerian citizens in China to abide by the laws of that country.

    Dabiri-Erewa made the call on the side line of an international seminar on Nigeria-China relations in Abuja on Thursday.

    She said that there were about 500 Nigerians in Chinese prisons detained for various offences and also explained that there was no prisoner transfer agreement between both countries.

    She also refuted claims that there were thousands of Nigerians detained in Chinese prisons.

    “You hear 2000 but that is exaggerated.  I think we have less than 500 Nigerians in Chinese prisons.

    “Until we sign a treaty; there is no treaty between both countries for prisoners’ transfer, when that exists the transfer of prisoners would be possible.

    “We get a lot of appeals and some prisoners say they want to move from one prison there to another, it is not going to happen.

    “We have been talking to them but their law is their law.  My appeal to Nigerians is to obey the laws of that country because it is getting tougher; they have sanctions and they follow through.”

    She also said that Nigerian businesses were thriving in China

    Dabiri-Erewa further urged Nigerians to learn from the Chinese culture of discipline and persistence in promoting national development.

    “Discipline and leadership are what we should learn from China; they have a plan for the next 20 years, even the young ones in schools are being groomed for that plan.

    “ They also have the we can do spirit, it is working for them.

    She also called for continuous support for the current administration’s effort in the fight against corruption. (NAN)

  • Russia holds spot as China’s top oil supplier for 7th month

    Russia holds spot as China’s top oil supplier for 7th month

    Russia held on to its position as China’s top crude oil supplier ahead of Angola and Saudi Arabia for the seventh straight month in September.

    According to a breakdown of commodity trade data released by the General Administration of Customs, , imports from Russia in September were almost 1.545 million barrels per day, up 60.5 per cent from the same month in 2016.

    It showed that for the first three quarters, crude volumes from Russia gained 18 per cent year-on-year to nearly 1.2 million bpd, also holding firm its top ranking.

    The lower cost of Russian crude and China’s shift to cleaner diesel was the key driver behind the record Russian oil purchases.

    “Many teapot refineries are not equipped with hydrotreating units to cut down sulfur. That means they need to import crude with lower sulfur content to meet the cleaner diesel quality,” said Harry Liu of consultancy IHS Markit.

    The widening spread between Brent-linked crudes and Middle Eastern benchmark Dubai also made Russia’s ESPO grade, priced off Dubai, relatively attractive, Liu added.

    Meanwhile Angola, China’s second largest source of crude, supplied 11.7 per cent more oil than a year earlier at 1.14 million bpd.

    Angola also maintained the second spot for the January-September supplies ahead of Saudi.

    Supplies from Saudi Arabia were up 9.6 per cent in September year-on-year at about 1.04 million barrels per day (bpd).

    Shipments for the January-September period dipped 0.6 per cent on year at 1.03 million bpd.

    Russian supplies could climb further in 2018 as privately run conglomerate CEFC China Energy agreed earlier this month to buy 220,000 to 260,000 bpd of oil from Rosneft, as part of a $9.1 billion investment in the world’s largest listed oil company.

    Shipments from Iran were up 59 per cent in September from a year earlier to 784,060 bpd.

    Traders with knowledge of Iran’s oil sales said the hefty growth was spurred by resumption of condensate lifting and as Chinese firms lifted more oil from joint venture productions in Iran.

    U.S. supplies in September were 120,580 bpd, up 260 per cent on year, and for the January-September totaled 127,150 bpd, after the country started exports to China in 2016.

    China’s total crude oil imports in September climbed to the second highest on record at around nine million bpd, buoyed by purchases from CNOOC and as independent refineries returned from maintenances.

    NAN

  • China approves domestically-developed Ebola vaccine

    China approves domestically-developed Ebola vaccine

    China has approved a domestically developed Ebola vaccine, according to China Food and Drug Administration ( CFDA ) on Friday.

    CFDA said the vaccine was developed by Academy of Military Medical Sciences and CanSino Biologics INC.

    It stated that the approval made China the third country to develop vaccine against Ebola following  United States and Russia.

    The vaccine is based on 2014 mutant gene type and in the form of freeze-dried powder which can
    remain stable for at least two weeks in temperatures of up to 37 degrees Celsius and suitable for climate in West Africa.

    The vaccine was clinically approved by CFDA in February 2015 and underwent clinical trials in Sierra Leone, one of the country’s worst hit by Ebola.

    The virus was discovered in 1976 and severely affected countries including Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone from 2013, claiming the lives of more than 11,000 people.

    NAN

  • Hillary Clinton says U.S. threats of war with North Korea ‘dangerous, short-sighted

    Hillary Clinton says U.S. threats of war with North Korea ‘dangerous, short-sighted

    Former U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Wednesday said “cavalier” threats to start war on the Korean peninsula were “dangerous and short-sighted”.

    Clinton, however, urged the U.S. to get all parties to the negotiation table.

    Clinton also called on China to take a “more out-front role” in enforcing sanctions against North Korea aimed at curbing its missile and nuclear development.

    “There is no need for us to be bellicose and aggressive over North Korea,” Clinton told the World Knowledge Forum in Seoul, stressing the need for more pressure on North Korea and diplomacy to bring Pyongyang to talks.

    Tension between Pyongyang and Washington has soared following series of weapons tests by North Korea and a string of increasingly bellicose exchanges between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

    “Picking fights with Kim Jong Un puts a smile on his face,” Clinton said, without mentioning Trump by name.

    Clinton also indirectly referred to Trump’s social media comments on North Korea, saying, “the insults on Twitter have benefited North Korea, I don’t think they’ve benefited the United States”.

    The war of words has seen Trump call the North Korean leader “little rocket man” on a suicide mission, and vow to destroy the country if it threatens the U.S. or its allies.

    In turn, the North called Trump “mentally deranged” and a “mad dog”.

    Talks between the adversaries have long been urged by China in particular, but Washington and its ally, Japan have been reluctant while Pyongyang continues to pursue a goal of developing a nuclear-tipped missile to hit the U.S.

    On Tuesday, Deputy Secretary of State, John J. Sullivan, said the U.S. did not rule out the eventual possibility of direct talks with North Korea.

    The situation on the Korean peninsula was now touch-and-go point and a nuclear war may break out any moment”, North Korea’s Deputy UN Amb. Kim In Ryong had told a UN General Assembly committee on Monday.

    In Seoul, the vice foreign minister said South Korea was considering levying its own sanctions on the North, although no decision had yet been made.

    NAN

  • Scouts from Uk, China, To Storm Asisat Oshoala Football Clinic

    Scouts from Uk, China, To Storm Asisat Oshoala Football Clinic

    Reigning African Queen, Asisat Oshoala  has promised to award  scholarships to the best talents at the first-ever Asisat Oshoala Lagos State girls secondary schools football clinic, slated for  November in Lagos. Oshoala also stated that the five-day event  will have  scouts from Arsenal, China visit Lagos to train secondary schools girls.

    The 5-day education and football clinic tagged “#Lagosgirlsfootball” is endorsed by the Lagos State Sports Commission led by Deji Tinubu , the Lagos state Football Association and its also supported by the office of the First Lady of Lagos state,  Bolanle Ambode.

    According to Oshoala, the  project is  part of her effort to develop the game of Women’s football in Lagos.

    She said: “The project is my  give back program for the society , part of my foundation programme to develop the game of Women’s football in Lagos, Nigeria. When you educate a girl , you have educate a nation , kick out prostitution out of Lagos, kick out early pregnancy on the side of girls , they can play football and still go to school.

    Education is not only in the class, kick out badoo in Ikorodu , we need the government to support the huge project, I can’t do it alone, we  are doing the project in support of the Lagos Sports Commission and I  want to use this medium to commend  Deji  Tinubu for standing by me and also her excellency Mrs Bolanle Ambode.

    About 5000 girls from different secondary schools are expected to take part in the competition. Balls, boots, jerseys, school bags and other educational and sports equipment are to be distributed to all participants.

    Asisat promised to make the clinic an annual event while also adding that , she would take the most valuable player from the clinic to either UK or China to study and also play football.

  • Sharapova eyes strong finish to season after Tianjin title

    Sharapova eyes strong finish to season after Tianjin title

    Maria Sharapova is looking for a strong finish to a season that began with a doping ban and hit a high in China on Sunday when she won her first title in two years.

    The former world no. one, who returned from the 15-month ban in April, defeated Belarusian teenager, Aryna Sabalenka 7-5 7-6(8) in the final of the Tianjin Open on Sunday.

    Sharapova said she was looking forward to building on the success next week in Moscow at the Kremlin Cup, a tournament she has not appeared at since 2007.

    “Obviously coming there with the title already means a lot, but I do really want to finish strong,” said the Russian, who accepted a wild card for the event.

    “I don’t remember the last time that I played three events in a row. But I will give it everything I have got and I know I have so many amazing fans there.”

    The five-time grand slam champion said the Tianjin title, the 36th of her career, was special.

    “It has been a couple of years since I have held the winner’s trophy. It is a great feeling,” she said.

    “When you start all the way from the beginning of the tournament and then you end up playing the final in a full stadium, with so much enthusiasm and energy.

    “And you are the one that wins the last point, just everything falls into place.

    “You have to appreciate those moments, never take them for granted.”

    Sharapova takes on Slovakia’s Magdalena Rybarikova in the opening round in Moscow.

    NAN

  • Vietnam flood deaths rise to 72 as heavy rains continue

    Vietnam flood deaths rise to 72 as heavy rains continue

    Rescuers have found the bodies of another 13 people following flash floods in Vietnam, raising the death toll to 72, while 33 remain missing, authorities said on Monday.

    “Up to 700 millimetres of rain had fallen as the result of a tropical depression over the previous five days in central and northern Vietnam.

    “It, however, stopped on Friday, but resumed Sunday night and is continuing through Monday.

    “Thirteen of those killed in Hoa Binh province died early on Thursday when their houses were buried by a landslide while they were sleeping,’’ the committee for disaster prevention said.

    The committee added that five people were still missing in that incident.

    According to reports, almost 50,000 homes were still submerged across the centre and north of the country, while floods destroyed bridges and roads, isolating many areas, and several dams have burst.

    Some 9,300 pigs, cows and buffalo have been killed, as well as nearly 300,000 poultry.

    The National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting has warned that more landslides could hit the country’s mountainous central and northern regions, as the land had absorbed too much water.

    “More carnage is also expected as Vietnam braces for Tropical Storm Khanun, which is moving in from the South China Sea,’’ the centre said.

    It added that it is expected to weaken to a tropical depression in the Gulf of Tonkin on Monday.

    “Authorities have instructed 75,000 fishing boats with over 300,000 fishermen to dock at ports or move out of dangerous areas in the South China Sea,’’ the disaster prevention committee said.

    NAN

  • AfDB and rise of China

    AfDB and rise of China

    Devex  International Development, a media platform for global community, has said the involvement and investment of Asian countries in Africa’s development is widely acknowledged.

    “It has become a hotly debated topic, with many questioning whether all Asian aid and investment in Africa is benefitting the continent in a sustainable manner,” it said.

    According to it, while there is a general consensus that the role of Asian organisations in driving Africa’s development is growing, there is little publicly available data to understand this growth. “Opacity of aid and investment flows, especially from the heavyweight Chinese economy, makes it difficult to analyse the phenomenon,” it said.

    The body averred that many organisations are working to plug this data gap. “McKinsey’s recently released report on Chinese-African economic ties draws on hundreds of boots-on-the-ground observations and interviews with business leaders; and AidData’s carefully crafted methodology for tracking aid flows from less transparent donors, has allowed it to produce a large dataset on Chinese development financing flows.

    “As part of our African Development Bank (AfDB) contractor insights series, Devex can shine light on one aspect of this phenomenon: the growing success of Asian firms in winning AfDB contract awards.

    “While AfDB projects constitute only a portion of development activity in Africa, the market for AfDB contracts might serve as microcosm of African development, through which we can observe Asia’s growing presence on the continent,” it added.

  • Buhari happy with relations with China

    Buhari happy with relations with China

    President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed delight with the mutually beneficial cooperation that exists between Nigeria and China.

    In a letter of felicitation with His Excellency, President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China, on the occasion of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), President Buhari lauded China for “becoming an indispensable force in the comity of nations.”

    The Chinese President is also the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPC.

    The President’s letter, according to a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and publicity, Femi Adesina, reads in part: “On behalf of the Government and people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I have the pleasure to send our warmest congratulations to you and through you to all the 2287 delegates and the 89 million party members on the auspicious occasion of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

    “It is my firm belief that the 19th National Congress of CPC will be a new starting point in the history of China, and it will usher in a new period of great accomplishment for your Party and the nation.

    “The leadership of CPC is understood to be the defining feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics. China has made remarkable progress under the leadership of CPC and remains an inspiration to developing countries and the whole world. In the past 30 years and more, over 700 million Chinese have been lifted out of poverty, creating a Chinese miracle in the history of poverty reduction.

    “As you often say, ‘Empty talk harms the country, while hard work makes it flourish.’ Under the strong and focused leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Your Excellency as its core, the CPC has continuously guided the Chinese people to achieve the Two Centenary Goals and realize the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, while China is becoming an indispensable force in the comity of nations. Indeed, I am satisfied with the mutually beneficial cooperation between Nigeria and China.

    “While expecting the delivery of policy guidelines and framework for China’s development and foreign relations in the next 5 years and beyond, and the election of a new CPC Central Committee, we wish the 19th National Congress of the CPC a complete success.” It stated

  • China punishes 1.3m officials for corruption

    China punishes 1.3m officials for corruption

    China President Xi Jinping’s anti-graft drive, which has targeted officials at all levels, has punished more than 1.3 million people in five years, the anti-corruption watchdog said Sunday.

    The anti-corruption campaign, which Jinping launched shortly after becoming the Communist Party’s leader in 2012, was meant to fall both high-level “tigers” within the party and “flies” in lower bureaucratic ranks.

    More than 1.3 million officials at the township level or lower have been punished in the past five years, including 648,000 village officials, said the party’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

    The announcement comes just as the Communist Party is preparing to convene, starting Oct.18 in a congress that takes place once every five years to anoint the party’s top leadership.

    Jinping is largely expected to remain president for another five years but some reshuffling might take place in the Politburo Standing Committee, the top decision-making body.

    Critics say the president has used the anti-graft campaign as a way to purge political opponents and consolidate power, along with other strategies such as tightening the control over state media and restructuring the military.

    Former high-flyers whose heads have rolled in the anti-corruption drive include; Zhou Yongkang, a former security chief and Standing Committee member.

    Others were Bo Xilai, former Commerce Ministry and Governor of Liaoning Province; and Sun Zhengcai, a former party secretary of Chongqing who had been seen as a potential successor to Jinping.

    The head of the anti-corruption agency, Wang Qishan, is Jinping’s close friend and might remain in the Standing Committee despite passing the informal retirement age of 68.

    NAN