Uganda slams report Huawei helped spy on opposition leaders Kampala, Uganda | AFP | Uganda on Friday denied a report that employees of Chinese telecom giant Huawei had aided a domestic spying operation targeting pop star turned opposition icon Bobi Wine. The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Huawei …
Read More »Parliament committee cautions gov’t on expensive China loans
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The National Economy committee of Parliament has asked the government to scale down debt contracting to only projects that have high economic and financial returns, and target cheaper concessional loans to finance investments. According to the committee, as the country’s external debt position faces …
Read More »US, China step up war of words over Hong Kong
Washington, United States | AFP | The United States and China have stepped up an increasingly harsh war of words over pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, as Beijing seeks to push its accusations that the mass demonstrations are being fueled by foreign powers. In the latest exchange, Washington on Friday called …
Read More »Beijing warns of ‘countermeasures’ over US missile plans
Beijing, China | AFP | China warned Tuesday it would take unspecified countermeasures if the United States goes ahead with plans to deploy ground-based intermediate-range missiles in the Asia-Pacific region. The comments come days after US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Washington was now free to deploy the weapons following its …
Read More »Chinese yuan falls to weakest level against dollar since 2010
Shanghai, China | AFP | China’s decision to let its currency weaken against the dollar on Monday sent global markets diving further into the red and provoked a Twitter tirade from US President Donald Trump. The deteriorating picture appeared to worsen as official Chinese media reported Beijing ceased purchases of …
Read More »How can China retaliate to Trump tariffs?
Beijing, China | AFP | Beijing says it is ready to retaliate if President Donald Trump goes through with his threat to impose punitive tariffs on another $300 billion in Chinese goods on September 1. The 10 percent duties would extend Washington’s border taxes to almost every import from China, with …
Read More »Latest Trump tariffs to directly hit consumers
New York, United States | AFP | Earlier US tariffs enacted in President Donald Trump’s trade war with China have dealt only a glancing blow to consumers, but those announced Thursday are different. “This hits consumers straight on,” Steve Pasierb, president of the Toy Association, said in an interview. “This …
Read More »US importers find ways to adapt to, skirt Trump’s tariffs
New York, United States | AFP | Big US companies are accelerating efforts to move more of their supply chains from China to neighboring countries in light of Trump administration tariffs. Companies in sectors such as technology, clothing and footwear are exporting more goods from emerging giants including Vietnam and Malaysia, …
Read More »Sweden rejects Chinese embezzlement extradition request
Stockholm, Sweden | AFP | Sweden’s top court on Tuesday rejected a Beijing extradition request for a Chinese man accused of economic crimes because of risks of persecution and the death penalty in China. Qiao Jianjun, a former official of the Chinese state grain administration, is wanted by Beijing under a …
Read More »Behind Russia’s growing influence in Africa
Why the new development could be bad news for the US, Europe and India Kampala, Uganda | ISAAC KHISA | As Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin, hosts more than 50 African presidents for the first-ever Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi on Oct. 24, top on the agenda will be how to sustain …
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