Is China–CEEC cooperation truly a role model?

In 2020, according to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, China and Central and Eastern European countries (CEE) saw their trade value cross US $100 billion for the first time, writes Dr Jianli Yang. The Chinese media lauded this development, deeming it a ‘role model’ in a time when regional cooperation has taken a hit. It…

Romania’s prisons “persistently” poor conditions the focus of Council of Europe meeting

Between 9-11 March, the representatives of the 47 member states of the Council of Europe met to examine the implementation of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, in accordance with the supervisory role of the Committee of Ministers under Article 46 of the European Convention on Human Rights. On the agenda was Romania and…

Mineral wool plant planned in France continues to face opposition on health grounds

The mineral wool industry continues to face opposition in France, with leading player Rockwool seeming unlikely to receive the needed permits. Arnaud Svrcek, the Mayor of Courmelles, told L’Union newspaper shortly before the start of the public inquiry to authorize the operation of a mineral wool plant in the Soissons region of France and to…

Tibet Uprising 1959 Anniversary

Tibet

10 March marks the 62nd anniversary the uprising by Tibetans against the military occupation of Tibet. The date is remembered worldwide by Tibetans to recall the 1959 Tibetan uprising against the invasion by the People’s Republic of China in 1949. After the uprising, many Tibetans, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, were forced to find refuge…

Digital Development Targets

The Europe Commission has set out new targets as part of Europe’s Digital Decade 2030. Reaction to the announcement on Monday was swift with Vodafone Group External Affairs Group Director, Joakim Reiter telling this website, “Vodafone believes that the new Digital Decade 2030 targets set out by the European Commission today, combined with the €672.5…

Human Rights Abuses in China: The World is Watching

Human Rights Abuses in China

Former Tory party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith has called for “much tougher action” to combat human rights abuses in China, writes Philippe Lejeune. His plea comes after the EU, earlier this year, passed new laws which allows it to impose sanctions on those guilty of serious human rights abuses, including against China. The so…

Reject the EU Mercosur Agreement: Save the Rainforest

Reject the EU Mercosur Agreement

The Austrian Vice-Chancellor, Werner Kogler, insists to reject the EU-ercosur Agreement in a letter to Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa. The Austrian government calls to reject the EU Mercosur Agreement because it is in contradiction with the objectives of the Green Deal and the Paris Agreement. The Portuguese EU Presidency had announced that it would…

Rally of Hope Reaches 320m With Message of Peace

Rally of Hope

Nearly two million people worldwide registered for the 5th Rally of Hope, with viewers reaching 320 million people on more than 400 digital platforms. UPF co-founder Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon shared an inspiring message of hope in her Founder’s Address, as speakers focused on key global issues—like COVID-19, race relations, poverty, and inequality—under the theme “Building Partnerships for Peace based on Interdependence, Mutual…

Winter Olympics: Call for China to Improve Human Rights

Winter Olympics

 International human rights organisations are urging states and athletes to condition their participation in the February 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics on specific improvements in China’s human rights practices. “Decisions about participation should not only be punitive, but also constructive,” according to Dr. Jianli Yang, a leading Chinese dissident and president of the Washington DC-based Citizen Power Initiatives for…

Beijing under pressure over human rights violations.

Global revulsion at the continued persecution of China’s Uyghur minority, a Turkic Muslim people in the NorthWest of the country, is growing amid calls for the situation to be declared a “Genocide”. The Netherlands recently became the first EU member state to pass a resolution to this effect, and Belgium appears to be following the…