Tag Archives: Xi Jinping

China sends another 120 army peacekeepers to South Sudan

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China has sent 120 troops to South Sudan as part of a 700-member U.N. peacekeeping force, deepening its commitment to the troubled East African nation where two Chinese peacekeepers were killed in fighting over the summer.

 

Once the entire battalion is deployed, they will replace Chinese peacekeepers currently in place, the second battalion to be deployed to South Sudan to protect civilians, U.N. staff and humanitarian workers, conduct patrols and provide security escorts.

 

South Sudan has seen continuous fighting since its civil war broke out in December 2013. The more than 12,000 U.N. peacekeepers already in the country have been criticized for failing to protect civilians. China was an early investor in the new state’s energy sector, but fighting and corruption have largely prevented it from reaping any benefits.

 

In July, two Chinese peacekeepers died and five others were wounded after their vehicle was struck with a rocket propelled grenade as fighting swept the capital, Juba.

 

As part of its push to raise its international profile, China has become the biggest contributor of peacekeepers among the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, with 2,639 currently deployed.

 

President Xi Jinping said last year that China would also set up a permanent peacekeeping standby force of 8,000 troops to be deployed whenever necessary.

China threatens to cut iPhone sales if Trump declares a trade war.

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China’s state-run newspaper says the government would respond with “countermeasures” if President-elect Donald Trump starts a trade war against the country, warning that the sales of iPhones and US cars would suffer a “setback.” In an editorial published on Sunday, the Global Times said it would be “naive” for Trump to follow through on his campaign promises to implement a 45 percent tariff on Chinese exports to the US and to declare the country a currency manipulator.

 

Trump repeatedly targeted China during his presidential campaign, vowing to take a tougher stance on trade in the hopes of reviving manufacturing in the US. In its editorial, the Global Times dismissed the notion that Trump alone could implement a 45 percent tariff on Chinese exports, though it warned that any protectionist measure could leave trade “paralyzed.”

 

“China will take a tit-for-tat approach then,” the editorial reads. “A batch of Boeing orders will be replaced by Airbus. US auto and iPhone sales in China will suffer a setback, and US soybean and maize imports will be halted. China can also limit the number of Chinese students studying in the US.”

 

As president, Trump would be able to implement tariffs on specific goods, though he can impose a tariff of no more than 15 percent on all goods — and only for 150 days — unless a state of emergency is declared. Trump has dismissed concerns from economists and policymakers over a potential trade war with China, the country’s biggest trading partner, saying at a June rally: “We already have a trade war. And we’re losing, badly.”

 

As with many of his other campaign promises, it’s unclear whether the president-elect will be as aggressive against China when he gets to office. In its editorial, the Global Times said that “as a shrewd businessman,” Trump “will not be so naïve.”

 

“If Trump wrecks Sino-US trade, a number of US industries will be impaired,” the paper said. “Finally the new president will be condemned for his recklessness, ignorance and incompetence and bear all the consequences.”

 

Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke with Trump on a phone call Monday, telling the president-elect that “cooperation is the only correct choice for China and the United States,” according to state-run media. The two men agreed to maintain close communication and meet “at an early date,” Chinese media reported.