Saturday 2 January 2021

 

Stars galore… and one voracious Black Hole: Beijing 
China has sullied every international deal it's joined. No matter the United Nations, the WTO, the WHO, WFP, in each and every one it has corrupted their norms and their accepted practices. Beijing joins clubs and then demands they change their rules to accommodate them. And if they don’t, they flout them anyway.

Expecting China to respect the rules laid out in this latest deal with the EU is a “triumph” of vain hope over bitter experience.  A snip from the online article, where the “50-cent army” is out in force. Banging on about “win-win”. Right. A win for Beijing and a win for China. China continues full access to the EU, which gains highly restrictive “access” to China’s market. And Europe expects China to abide by international labour laws…

... the EU deal requires Beijing to ratify four International Labour Organization conventions, which would entail abolishing forced labour. By March 2021, China is expected to accede to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. This will be a tall order. More