India’s opposition supporters protest arrest of key leader
NewsFeed Protesters attempted to march to Prime Minister Modi’s house after a key opposition leader was arrested in an alcohol corruptions case just weeks ahead of national elections. The ruling BJP has been accused of suppressing opposition after senior leaders were jailed for similar charges. Published On 28 Mar 202428 Mar 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Eleven dead, thousands affected as Cyclone Gamane batters Madagascar
Houses washed away and roads destroyed after cyclone hits north of the Indian Ocean island. At least 11 people have been killed and hundreds of homes destroyed as Cyclone Gamane smashed into northern Madagascar, according to officials. The storm was projected to skim the Indian Ocean island, but changed course and hit the island’s Vohemar district in the early hours of Wednesday. Video images showed torrents of water rushing through villages and people making human chains in waist-deep water while trying to help those trapped in their houses escape the deluge. Numerous routes and bridges were flooded and cut off. Six people drowned and five others were killed by collapsing houses or falling trees, with some 7,000 people affected overall. “It’s rare to have a cyclone like this. Its movement is nearly stationary,” General Elack Andriakaja, director general of the BNGRC national disaster management office, said in a statement. “When the system stops in one place, it devastates all the infrastructure. And that has serious consequences for the population. And significant flooding”, he said. The full extent of the damage is still unclear, because many villages in the region were cut off from the rest of the country, making access difficult for rescue teams. The cyclone moved across the island with an average wind speed of 150km/h (93mph) and heavy rainfall. In some places, winds of 210km/h (130mph) were measured. Gamane has been reclassified as a tropical storm and was expected to leave the island on Friday afternoon, according to meteorologists. Located off the coast of southeastern Africa, Madagascar is regularly affected by severe weather. A year ago, tropical Cyclone Freddy devastated the country as well as the neighbouring mainland countries of Mozambique and Malawi. More than 500 people lost their lives. Adblock test (Why?)
Former US Senator Joe Lieberman dies at age 82: Media reports
Joe Lieberman, Al Gore’s running mate during the hotly contested 2000 presidential election, has died at age 82 after suffering complications from a fall. United States media announced his death on Tuesday afternoon, citing a family statement. One of the few high-profile independents in the US political sphere, Lieberman largely caucused with the Democratic Party during his four terms as a senator, representing the state of Connecticut. But he identified as a centrist, and towards the end of his career, he embraced the No Labels movement, an organisation that shirks the traditional two-party system in favour of “common ground”. Lieberman, however, was part of the Democratic presidential ticket in 2000, when Gore – then-vice president under Bill Clinton – raced for the White House himself. When Gore chose Lieberman as his vice presidential candidate, the senator became the first Jewish running mate to represent a major party in the general elections. The decision also catapulted Lieberman into one of the most divisive presidential races in recent history. The Gore-Lieberman ticket won the popular vote – but it lost the crucial Electoral College, the metric the US uses to decide who wins the presidency. Instead, Republican George W Bush emerged victorious in that race, after the US Supreme Court ruled to end a recount effort in the pivotal swing state of Florida. An estimated 537 votes separated Bush and Gore in the state. Lieberman’s career in national politics, however, came to an end in 2013, after he announced his retirement. For years, he had faced criticism for his hawkish approach to the US’s war in Iraq. He has, however, continued to exercise influence as a political lobbyist, lawyer and advocate for groups like No Labels. Al Gore and Joe Lieberman rally together for the US presidency in Jackson, Tennessee, on October 25, 2000 [File: Stephan Savoia/AP Photo] Senate career Lieberman started his national political career in 1988, earning his first US Senate win with an unconventional ticket. He ran as a Democrat but was backed by prominent conservatives like pundit William F Buckley Jr. A New York Times article that year captured the surprise at the odd-couple pairing: “Buckleys Are Backing A Democrat?” But the alliance proved to be a fruitful one. Lieberman – who had previously served as a state senator – squeaked out a narrow win against three-time incumbent Republican Lowell Weicker Jr, who was considered the favourite to win. Once in office, Lieberman continued to work both sides of the aisle. In 1990, for instance, he rallied bipartisan support for amendments to strengthen the Clean Air Act. He also championed efforts to restrict violence in video games, pledging to develop a government rating system for the industry if it did not do so itself. “Few parents would buy these games for their kids if they really knew what was in them,” Lieberman told reporters in 1993. His advocacy helped forge the Entertainment Software Rating Board, a self-regulating arm of the gaming industry. It was one of many moves Lieberman made in his attempts to represent the moral high ground in the US cultural discourse. Another example came in 1998 when then-President Clinton found himself engulfed in long-running sexual assault allegations and questions of misconduct. As details about Clinton’s extramarital relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky emerged, Lieberman condemned the president on the Senate floor in a high-profile speech. He is sometimes credited as the first prominent Democrat to speak out publicly against Clinton’s actions. “Such behaviour is not only inappropriate,” Lieberman said of Clinton. “It is immoral, and it is harmful.” He ultimately voted with his fellow Democrats in Clinton’s Senate trial, opting not to remove the president from office. Joe Lieberman leaves the White House after a visit on May 17, 2017 [File: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Photo] A hawkish track record Critics often cite Gore’s decision to choose Lieberman as his running mate in the 2000 presidential race as an effort to distance the Democratic ticket from the scandal of the Clinton years. It was also an appeal to the political centre: Lieberman had backed several traditionally conservative issues, including by supporting school voucher programmes, something many Democrats feared would imperil funds for public schools. Though the Gore-Lieberman ticket ultimately failed to win the presidency in 2000, Lieberman still managed to hang onto his Senate seat that year: Connecticut law allowed him to run in both races at the same time. But the attacks on September 11, 2001, would highlight Lieberman’s track record for hawkishness – something that would ultimately lead to his political decline. Lieberman had previously shown a hawkish streak: In 1991, he co-sponsored a bill that authorised the use of military force in the Gulf War. He also backed the 1998 Iraq Liberation Act, which supported efforts to remove Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. He was one of only two Senate Democrats to do so. So when the administration of Republican President Bush announced its intention to invade Iraq in 2003, as part of his post 9/11 “war on terror”, Lieberman was a vocal supporter. In an interview with CBS’s Face the Nation, he echoed talking points that Hussein was harbouring weapons of mass destruction, and therefore the invasion was necessary. “We know he had enormous quantities that were never accounted for. And that’s why we’ve got to continue to look for them,” Lieberman said. Those claims, however, were later shown to come from flawed or exaggerated intelligence reports. Lieberman also helmed efforts to create the Department of Homeland Security, another part of the US’s response to the 9/11 attacks. Its mission was to “secure the United States from terrorist threats or attacks”, but critics warned it would violate civil rights protections and other civilian privacy measures. Speaking to the New York Times in 2005, Lieberman acknowledged that his stance on the 2003 Iraq invasion had sown division in the Democratic Party. “Some Democrats said I was being a traitor,” he told the newspaper, though he credited some of the backlash to the
US stock market hits record high after three-day lull
S&P 500 rises 0.9 percent as major players including Apple and Tesla see gains. The US stock market has hit a record high after a string of downbeat trading sessions. All three leading stock indexes rose on Wednesday, ending a three-day lull. The S&P 500, which tracks the performance of 500 of the largest US companies, finished up 0.9 percent on Wednesday, surpassing last week’s record. The rise leaves the benchmark index up more than 10 percent so far in 2024. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq Composite rose 1.22 percent and 0.51 percent, respectively. Among the big corporate players, Apple and Tesla climbed 2.12 percent and 1.22 percent, respectively, while semiconductor company Nvidia Corp declined 2.5 percent. Pharmaceutical giant Merck climbed 5 percent after announcing that the US Food and Drug Administration had approved its drug Winrevair to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension. Cruise line Carnival rose 1 percent after the company raised key earnings and revenue projections and revised its costs downward. Cintas, an office supplies company, surged 8.2 percent after reporting a better-than-expected profit for the latest quarter. Trump Media & Technology Group, former US President Donald Trump’s social media company, rose 14.2 percent, continuing its rally after surging 16 percent in its market debut the previous day. Investors are anticipating the release of key US economic data this week, including updated figures on jobless claims, gross domestic product and consumer sentiment. Adblock test (Why?)
Can we talk about Tate? The ‘manosphere’ in Australian schools
Young fans of self-styled “manfluencers” like Andrew Tate, currently facing charges including rape in a Romanian court, are increasingly bringing misogynist views into Australian schools, leaving other children, teachers and parents searching for answers. In response, the Australian government is offering 3.5 million Australian dollars ($2.3m) in grants in a trial aimed at tackling “harmful gender stereotypes perpetuated online”. The manosphere’s reach into Australian schools has gotten so bad that some Australian teachers are quitting their jobs, according to a recent study published by Monash University in Melbourne. The Monash researchers found that students were openly expressing “male supremacist” views in class. One teacher says a student told her “I hate women”, while another said boys as young as 13 were made “sexual moaning noises” in her class. “People are crying out for what to do,” Naomi Barnes, a senior lecturer in the School of Teacher Education and Leadership at the Queensland University of Technology, told Al Jazeera. A former teacher who now lectures aspiring teachers, Barnes says that teachers and parents have come to her asking what to do about the ideas peddled by people like Tate, and how to discuss them with their children, Drawing on her research on how misinformation from bad faith actors spreads, Barnes developed guidelines she’s used in her own classrooms. But she acknowledges it is not easy. “Andrew Tate has already given them all the comebacks,” she said, noting how Tate tries to use arguments of free speech in response to critics, even when what is being said is not true, and potentially harmful. She encourages parents and teachers to be prepared to listen and to try to understand what a child is trying to say. Young people may be more likely to respond when a conversation is brought up by a trusted adult, Barnes adds, including on questions like what it “means to be a part of a fair and just society”. In her classrooms, she tries to “open up a space where students feel comfortable to tell me what they’re really thinking”. Instead of telling students their ideas are wrong, she asks them to explain their thinking. “Be careful. Think through what you said,” she advises, as well as telling them, “You’ve taken a group of people’s humanity away.” ‘He has your children’ Currently facing charges of rape, human trafficking and being part of an organised crime group, Tate’s particular brand of toxic masculinity has attracted some 9 million followers on X, and billions of views on TikTok and YouTube. A former kickboxer, Tate gained notoriety after he was removed from the United Kingdom’s version of the Big Brother reality television show after a video showing him attacking a woman emerged. He then turned his attention to social media, where bans from major platforms have done little to dampen his popularity. “You can listen to 20 hours of Andrew Tate, and not hear anything misogynistic. But his fans listen to hundreds of hours. And these things cohere together into a narrative that he’ll never say in one soundbite,” explained author and senior lecturer Tyson Yunkaporta. Yunkaporta’s most recent book Right Story, Wrong Story delves into the spread of disinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Speaking to high school students late last year he says he asked them to “put your hands up, who’s into Andrew Tate?” “Almost all of the boys. And surprisingly, more than half of the girls put their fists in the air [and] cheered,” Yunkaporta told Al Jazeera. Yunkaporta says the English teachers he spoke to from the school were aware of Tate’s influence. “English teachers are the best with staying on top of the problematic discourses that infect the world,” he said. But he noted some of the other teachers had no idea who Tate was. “He’s in the top five most influential people on the planet right now. And he has your children,” he told them. But it is not only schools where followers of the manosphere are making themselves known. Sharna Bremner, the founder of End Rape on Campus Australia, says similar ideas are now “flowing onto university campuses”. Australian teachers say students are increasingly spreading ‘manosphere’ ideas inside their classes [File: Dan Peled/EPA-EFE] And Bremner says it’s not just students who are sharing Tate’s views in class. “It’s something that people are hearing from their classmates or sometimes even from their tutors,” she told Al Jazeera. Homegrown misogyny While much of the recent focus has been on Andrew Tate, who is currently awaiting trial in Romania and extradition to the United Kingdom, the ideas he is spreading are hardly new to Australia, which has long struggled with sexism and gendered violence. “Manfluencers or manosphere-type” influencers “have been around forever”, said Barnes, who thinks Tate will inevitably be replaced by someone else. In recent years, sexual abuse and domestic violence have attracted significant discussion in Australia, something Bremner attributes to the “Rosie Batty effect”. Batty became a prominent advocate against domestic violence after her 11-year-old son Luke Batty was murdered by his father. She was named Australian of the Year in 2015. But the problems have persisted, including in Australia’s parliament where reports of widespread sexism led to protests across the country in 2021 and efforts to address gender inequality in Australia continue to be met with resistance. Last month, Australian senator Matt Canavan referenced Tate in response to new data on the gender wage gap in Australia. “I’m sick and tired of this bulls***,” Canavan, a member of the Nationals party, told reporters. “Young men in particular feel like they are now being discriminated against and that’s why they are going to watch the likes of Andrew Tate.” Minister for Families and Social Services Amanda Rishworth described Canavan’s comments as “dangerous”. “Linking Australia’s first major report on the gender pay gap to influencers like Andrew Tate who glorify violence against women is unacceptable,” she said. “By contrast, we’re investing 3.5 million [Australian dollars; $2.28m] to counter harmful gender stereotypes perpetuated online as part of our
Videos of malnourished children show Gaza’s forced starvation crisis
NewsFeed Starvation is getting worse in north Gaza where 31% of children under the age of 2 are suffering from acute malnutrition, a percentage which has doubled since January. Published On 27 Mar 202427 Mar 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Japan pulls red mould supplement pill linked to deaths and hospitalisations
Kobayashi company recalls supplement brands with ‘benikoji’ ingredient after kidney complaints by customers. Japan has ordered the recall of health supplements believed to have killed two people and hospitalised more than 100. Kobayashi Pharmaceutical recalled three brands containing red yeast rice, or “benikoji”. The Osaka-based drugmaker said on Wednesday that it was investigating a suspected link between the products and ill effects on kidneys. Benikoji contains Monascus purpureus, a red mould that is also used as a food colouring. “Beni koji choleste help” and two other products are billed as helping to lower cholesterol. “The total number of suspected deaths [is now] two” while “106 cases of potentially linked hospitalisation also came to light,” government spokesperson Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters. In addition to Kobayashi’s supplements, more than 40 products from other companies containing benikoji, including miso paste, crackers and a vinegar dressing, have been recalled, a Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare official said. Health Minister Keizo Takemi said on Tuesday that the government has instructed Kobayashi Pharmaceutical to “promptly provide information”. The ministry has also “instructed local authorities nationwide to collect information on health damage”, he said as he offered condolences to those affected. Kobayashi is investigating the issue. The recalled products could be purchased over the counter without a prescription. Apologising, the company issued a statement calling on purchasers not to use the supplements “Please stop taking our products, and please do not use them in the future,” it said. The ministry official warned there could be more victims in the days ahead and called on all people to avoid benikoji. Those with health problems, like weak kidneys, could be especially vulnerable, he said. All the products were made in Japan although it is unclear if any of the raw materials were imported. A recall of imported health supplements has happened before, but this is the first major recall of a domestically produced supplement, according to Japanese media reports. Medical studies describe red yeast rice as an alternative to statins for lowering high cholesterol but also warn of a risk of organ damage depending on its chemical makeup. Adblock test (Why?)
Human rights crisis in El Salvador ‘deepening’: Amnesty
Rights group says President Nayib Bukele has reduced gang violence by replacing it with state violence. As El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele embarks on his second term in office, an international rights group has warned that his war on gangs has created a spiralling human rights crisis. As of February 2024, Bukele’s draconian two-year campaign, which has seen the authorities detain about 78,000 people, has caused 235 deaths in state custody, said Amnesty International on Wednesday. Citing a local rights group, it also reported 327 cases of enforced disappearances. “Reducing gang violence by replacing it with state violence cannot be a success,” said Amnesty’s Americas director Ana Piquer in a statement. The Salvadoran government had adopted “disproportionate measures”, she said, denying, minimising and concealing human rights violations. Bukele launched his war on gangs in March 2022, slashing homicides to the lowest rate in three decades after imposing a state of emergency that suspended the need for arrest warrants and the right to a fair trial, among other civil liberties. Prison overcrowding currently stands at 148 percent, according to Amnesty. After Bukele consolidated power in a landslide win in February’s election, the rights group warned the situation looks set to worsen. “If this course is not corrected, the instrumentalization of the criminal process and the establishment of a policy of torture in the prison system could persist,” it said. On Tuesday, Minister of Justice and Security Gustavo Villatoro pledged there would be no let-up in the government’s campaign against the gangs, and promised to “eradicate this endemic evil”. “This war against these terrorists will continue,” he said on state television. Piquer said that Bukele had created a “false illusion” that he had found “the magic formula to solve the very complex problems of violence and criminality in a seemingly simple way”. She described the international community’s response as “timid”. “The international community must respond in a robust, articulate and forceful manner, condemning any model of public security that is based on human rights violations,” she said. Adblock test (Why?)
‘Backs to the wall’: Myanmar military prepares to mark Armed Forces Day
The Myanmar military will mark Armed Forces Day on Wednesday with its usual parade in the purpose-built capital of Naypyidaw. Thousands of armed troops from all three branches will march in formation, while tanks roll through the streets and fighter jets screech overhead. But the show of strength will do little to paper over the reality – Myanmar’s military is at its weakest point in decades. Perhaps not since 1949, when the Karen National Union captured the Insein neighbourhood, in the then-capital Yangon, has the military been so humiliated on the battlefield. Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, who seized power in a 2021 coup, is expected to lead the festivities, despite presiding over the recent loss of huge swathes of territory and facing unprecedented calls for him to step down, even within pro-military circles. “He has become the most unpopular commander-in-chief among [the] rank and file in Tatmadaw history,” said Min Zaw Oo, the executive director at the think tank Myanmar Institute for Peace and Security, using the formal name for the Myanmar military. Min Aung Hlaing seized power after Aung San Suu Kyi led the National League for Democracy to a landslide election victory in 2020, with the military then killing hundreds of protesters who took to the streets calling for them to go. The bloody crackdowns inspired an armed revolt, both in the long-restive borderlands where ethnic minorities have fought for political autonomy for decades and in the previously peaceful heartland where the Bamar ethnic majority live. Anticoup protesters stamp on a picture of military leader Min Aung Hlaing [Johnson Lai/AP] The widespread armed resistance has left the military overstretched and undermanned; a situation exposed in late October when the Three Brotherhood Alliance launched a stunning offensive known as Operation 1027. The trio of ethnic armed groups seized large chunks of territory in northern Shan and southern Chin states as well as in Rakhine State, where fierce fighting continues to rage. “Operation 1027 and subsequent operations showed that the Myanmar military was much weaker than thought,” said Richard Horsey, a senior Myanmar adviser at the International Crisis Group. “A collapse of the military doesn’t appear imminent, however. The generals’ backs are to the wall, and they likely see no real alternative to fighting on,” he said, adding the same is true for Min Aung Hlaing on a personal level, who “appears determined to tough things out”. While the Brotherhood has kept some distance from the broader pro-democracy uprising, other armed groups launched their own offensives in the wake of Operation 1027, seemingly hoping to capitalise on the military’s vulnerability. The People’s Defence Force and Karenni Nationalities Defence Force, both formed after the coup, seized towns and territory in Sagaing Region and Kayah State respectively, with the KNDF now fighting on the streets of the state capital. The Kachin Independence Army – formed in 1961 and today closely aligned with the post-coup movement – supported the fighting in Sagaing and launched a major coordinated offensive of its own in Kachin State earlier this month. Min Zaw Oo said the military is “losing ground” in northern Shan, Rakhine and Kachin, where powerful ethnic armed groups are leading the charge. But it is a different story in Sagaing, where the military has managed to claw back some major towns lost to resistance groups formed after the coup. “The pro-democracy opposition is still weakly armed and fragmented,” Min Zaw Oo said, explaining that they are largely dependent on the more established ethnic armed groups. Horsey agrees. “The military’s most powerful foes are the larger ethnic armed groups and they are very unlikely to want to march on Naypyidaw as they have their own priority objectives closer to home,” he said. “Post-coup resistance forces would be motivated to take the fight to the capital, but they lack the necessary firepower, coordination and experience.” The spectacular fighting in northern Shan fizzled out after the Brotherhood signed a China-brokered ceasefire with the military, allowing the groups to consolidate control over their newly-claimed territories. But KNDF Chairman Khun Bedu said the ceasefire has also allowed the military to “consolidate their power and continue to maintain the central area”. He blamed Beijing’s continued support for propping up the military and the military’s more advanced technology. China and Russia have both provided arms to the military since the coup, including fighter jets. Khun Bedu said recently that the military has also been more frequently using drones rigged with explosives in kamikaze-style attacks or to drop bombs on resistance positions. Maintaining cohesion As a result of the recent defeats, Min Aung Hlaing has faced highly unusual public criticism from military officers and supporters. A major-general in the air force called him the “worst leader in the history of the military”, while ultranationalists called for him to step down during rallies in the aftermath of Operation 1027. But three years after overthrowing a hugely popular civilian government, presiding over unprecedented territorial losses, a calamitous economic collapse and seemingly unable to protect supporters from assassination, the bigger story may be how the military has managed to hold together this long. There have only been two unit-level defections – both ethnic militias that were loosely under military command but already operated with a high degree of autonomy. “Despite facing widespread opposition, the military has maintained its cohesion by projecting strength externally, a common strategy among military institutions worldwide,” said activist Thinzar Shunlei Yi, who works with People’s Goal, an organisation that encourages defections from the military. However, she said this perception of strength is being challenged by recent events. She said the military’s historic “indoctrination techniques are deeply rooted in nationalism and religious ideologies”, which are increasingly rejected by ethnic minorities and pro-democracy groups, leaving “soldiers and their families feeling disoriented amidst shifting societal paradigms”. “Defecting soldiers, particularly the younger generation, often cite disillusionment with the military’s actions rather than support for the revolution,” she added. A major offensive that began at the end of October last year reinvigorated forces
China’s Xi to meet foreign business leaders amid jitters over economy
Taipei, Taiwan – Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to meet with American business leaders in Beijing, media outlets have reported, as he tries to woo foreign investment back to China after a challenging few years for the world’s second-largest economy. The meeting on Wednesday is expected to include Apple CEO Tim Cook, Blackstone head Stephen A Schwarzman and HSBC’s Noel Quinn, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the roster. Many of the world’s top executives are already in Beijing this week for the China Development Forum which took place on Sunday and Monday. The forum’s guest list includes World Bank President Ajay Banga, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, and representatives of more than 100 multinational firms. While business leaders have been able to meet with many senior Chinese leaders in recent days, the invitation to meet Xi signals a concerted effort by Beijing to address negative perceptions about the current business environment. “It’s possible that investors and executives will air some grievances at the meeting, and it’s possible that lobbying might make some impact, but I don’t think that’s what this meeting is really about,” Chris Beddor, deputy China research director at Gavekal Dragonomics, told Al Jazeera. “This is primarily about Xi sending a message. The message is that the Chinese government is attuned to the concerns of global companies and investors, and still wants their presence in the country, at a time when global businesses are very wary of China.” Last year, foreign direct investment in China fell 8 percent as companies scaled back operations and sought to “de-risk” their businesses amid continuing geopolitical tensions and a tougher regulatory environment. Tightened espionage and state secrets laws have also made some firms question whether they are truly welcome, while the COVID-19 pandemic drew attention to their overreliance on Chinese supply chains. Still, some foreign companies have stressed their eagerness to double down on their investment. Cook on Sunday told Chinese media that he hoped to increase Apple’s investment in China, where the company’s flagship iPhone has lost ground to local Huawei models like the Mate 60 Pro Plus. “I think China is really opening up, and I’m so happy to be here,” Cook was quoted as saying on the sidelines of the China Development Forum. Others, including IMF Director Georgieva, are more jittery over China’s future. During a speech at the China Development Forum, Georgieva told policymakers that more pro-market reforms are needed to help China’s economy rebound from the pandemic. Despite growing 5 percent last year, China’s economy is struggling with deflation and a protracted real estate crisis. “China is poised to face a fork in the road – rely on the policies that have worked in the past, or update its policies for a new era of high-quality growth,” Georgieva said, suggesting that reforms could add $3.5 trillion to the economy over the next 15 years. Shifting to consumption-focused growth, however, may be easier said than done in an economy marked by weakened domestic demand and sagging business confidence. Chinese officials have long relied on mega infrastructure projects to boost gross domestic product, necessitating a mind shift among policymakers to move towards consumption-led growth. Despite these concerns, China has set this year’s GDP target at 5 percent and pledged to continue its support for strategic sectors, among other goals outlined to attendees of the China Development Forum. This year’s China Development Forum got off to a less rocky start than last year’s event, which was overshadowed by the aftermath of Beijing’s tough pandemic curbs and controversy over a Chinese spy balloon in US airspace. “US-China tensions are a bit more stable this year, so the political pressure on American attendees has lessened somewhat,” Beddor said. “There simply weren’t that many foreign visitors in China in March 2023. So it’s not surprising that attendance is up this year, because foreign travel of all sorts to the country is a bit more normal compared to last year,” he said. Adblock test (Why?)