Xi Jinping Defends New Silk Roads In Paris As China Detains A US Citizen

Chinese President Xi Jinping defended his “New Silk Roads” during a visit to Paris, with the project described as “the project of the century” for connecting Asia to the rest of the world through new maritime and land routes.

“Reserved sections of an elegant restaurant near the Bund in Shanghai, one of the city's most expensive areas, had until recently been filled with high-ranking local officials of the Communist Party and officials from neighboring provinces, who frequently shared tables with executives of state-owned enterprises and businessmen”

El Mundo

Le Figaro said the framework agreement between Rome and Beijing was signed “the day after,” and that some EU member states feared Chinese ambitions that keep expanding worldwide.

El Mundo

RFI reported that Xi Jinping convened partner countries for his second Belt and Road Forum at the Yanqi Lake International Conference Center north of Beijing to present the new course for the megaproject.

RFI also quoted Xi Jinping saying, “We will ensure that these commitments are respected,” and added that he pledged to end subsidies to Chinese state-owned enterprises deemed unfair by Washington and Brussels.

The South China Morning Post said more than 200 representatives convened in Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province, including officials from US battleground states such as Iowa, Illinois and Minnesota, alongside universities such as Harvard and Yale, as Beijing detained a US citizen and farm-belt officials met from both sides.

Xinhua reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping and Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmon held talks in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, on Saturday and agreed to deepen their comprehensive strategic partnership to attain common prosperity and development.

Xinhua said the two presidents jointly drafted “a new plan for the development of bilateral relations” and agreed to commit their respective countries to developing friendship under all circumstances and to promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

Géoconfluences

Xinhua quoted Xi Jinping urging the two sides to strengthen the synergy between China’s Belt and Road Initiative and Tajikistan’s national development strategy, to harness potential, and to improve the quality of cooperation.

Xinhua also said Xi Jinping asked the two sides to deepen cooperation in the fight against “the three forces—terrorism, separatism, and extremism,” as well as against transnational organized crime, narcotics control, and cybersecurity.

The South China Morning Post framed a separate China-US track by saying more than 200 representatives convened in Zhengzhou, and that the Chinese side comprised officials from Henan, Liaoning, Anhui, Hunan and Shaanxi provinces.

El Mundo described how reserved sections of an elegant restaurant near the Bund in Shanghai had until recently been filled with high-ranking local officials of the Communist Party and officials from neighboring provinces, but that “This year they have disappeared,” according to the manager.

“LE SCAN ECO - During a visit to Paris, Chinese President Xi Jinping defends his vast portfolio of investments around the world, gathered under the banner of 'the New Silk Roads”

Le Figaro

El Mundo said the shift followed “last year's austerity policy” and that officials feared an anonymous complaint that could end their careers if it was discovered they spent money at a luxury restaurant.

El Mundo reported that Xi Jinping’s government published “Some twenty new provisions” regulating official meals, public vehicles, and institutional receptions, and said expensive dishes are banned at working lunches while cigarettes and alcohol are restricted.

El Mundo also cited the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) as the anti-corruption body overseeing “nearly eight million Chinese officials” and “more than 30 million employees of public institutions,” and said inspectors deployed inspection teams across the country.

El Mundo quoted People’s Daily warning that some officials had taken austerity too far, denouncing that certain administrations were “layering restrictions,” and adding that “Equating the prohibition of illegal eating and drinking with the prohibition of all kinds of food and drink is also a form of negligent governance.”