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Tag: China

  • Legislation to compel Nigerian entities to patronize NIGCOMSAT

    Legislation to compel Nigerian entities to patronize NIGCOMSAT

    The Minister of Communication, Alhaji Adebayo Shittu has hinted the Nigerian government will make statutory legislation to compel Nigerian entities to patronize the country’s satellite company, Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT).

    The Communication Minister hinted on this while addressing State House correspondents after a closed-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday.

    He said part of his meeting with the President was to update him on the approved procurement of two new satellites from China at the cost of 550 million dollars.

    Shittu revealed the China EXIM bank had agreed to pay the entire 550 million dollars for the procurement of the satellites.

    He, however, explained that the initial agreement was that the China EXIM bank would provide 85 per cent of the total cost ($550 million) while Nigeria would pay the remaining 15 per cent as counterpart funding for the projects.

    He stated that as Nigeria could not be able to meet her obligation in paying the counterpart funding, the agreement was renegotiated with the China EXIM bank and the manufacturer of the satellites, the China Great Walls.

    “Initially the agreement was that they will provide the cost of the two satellite 550 million dollars minus 15 per cent which is the counterpart funding.

    “Because we could not afford this 15 per cent, we have renegotiated with the China EXIM Bank and the China Great Walls who are the manufacturers and they have happily agreed to pay the entire $550 million to procure two new satellites,” Shittu said.

    The minister stated that the new satellites would ensure that the Nigerian satellite company would conquer the entire African continent in regard to the provision of satellite communication services.

    He said that the Chinese had appreciated the potential market that existed in the satellite business in Nigeria and the African continent.

    “This is a very big business opportunity and I am sure that the Chinese appreciate the potential market which is so vast and that is why they have agreed that even without our ability to contribute 15 per cent they are prepared to pay the entire sum of $550 million for the procurement of the two new satellites for Nigeria,’’ he added.

    Shittu revealed that the production of the satellites would commence immediately the final agreements were signed.

    “It takes two years to produce because it is when we sign the papers they will start production.

    “We hope that before the end of this month we will sign the papers and then they will commence the production. It is the completion of the production that the two satellites will be launched, he said.

    He added that Nigeria had nothing to lose because the country would not put anything into the project in terms of financial resources.

    “The president was excited and was not surprised because the Chinese are not just going to market our satellite to the entire African continent but also perhaps by legislation insists that all Nigerian entities must patronize the Nigerian satellite company rather than going to Israel, UK, US for satellite services.

    “Now we can say by our local content policy we must patronize Nigeria. The major issue is not about employment but by providing satellite services to all companies which require it.

    “Currently most Nigerian companies and even Nigerian government establishments patronize foreign satellite companies.

    “So the first thing is that we want to make profit, we want to capture the local market and we also want to capture the African market,” he said.

     

  • China announces visa waiver for nationalities from 53 countries

    China on Thursday announced visa waiver for visitors from 53 countries to Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei for up to six days, state media said on Thursday.

    People’s Daily, the mouthpiece of the Communist Party, said that visitors must enter and exit from one of six ports.

    According to the Economic Times, the waiver goes into effect from Thursday and will impact Germany and other members of the European Union’s passport-free Schengen area, as well as the U.S., Brazil, Mexico, Chile and Argentina.

    Beijing, the capital of China, is a major tourist hub as the home of the Great Wall of China, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and other important historical monuments.

    Beijing and Tianjin previously allowed visa-free travel for up to 72 hours for certain nationalities.

    The same arrangement continues in 16 other cities, including Shanghai.

    Shenzhen, on the border of Hong Kong, also issues a special five-day visa on arrival for some nationalities.

     

  • Zimbabwe to borrow $218m from China for the renovation of Robert Mugabe Int’l Airport

    Zimbabwe today signed a bilateral agreement with the government of China with terms to borrow, in part, $153 million with the purpose, among others, to renovate Robert Mugabe International Airport.

    TheNewsGuru reports the Zimbabwe-China loan will also cater for 2 other projects: the construction of a new Parliament Building that will accommodate 650 legislators and the expansion of High Computer Performance Centre at University Zimbabwe.

    The country will also as part of the agreement receive a $65 million grant on economic and technical cooperation.

    Zimbabwe China

    Signing the agreement, Chinese Ambassador Huang Ping said more deals with the Zimbabwean government would be propping up soon.

    The Zimbabwe-China loan accrues 2% per annum with a 20 years grace period.

     

  • Mugabe praises China for investing, maintaining friendly relations with Africa

    President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe on Friday praised China for maintaining friendly relations with Africa and the developing world at large, as well as for providing assistance to the continent.

    In an interview with Chinese media, Mugabe told Xinhua he is glad to see that China has prioritised relations with African countries for decades and shared its development achievements with them.

    Mugabe said that Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Africa in 2015 was a major highlight in bilateral relations.

    In December 2015, Xi paid state visits to Zimbabwe and South Africa, and co-chaired a summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC)in Johannesburg, where he and African leaders adopted a package of programmes aimed at strengthening China-Africa cooperation and supporting Africa’s development.

    Recalling Xi’s visit, Mugabe said Zimbabweans knew they were not just hosting an individual who happened to be the head of China’s ruling party, but one who was carrying a blueprint for development with him from China to Africa and Zimbabwe.

    “He was carrying with him what we regard as a real blueprint for development as being assisted by China,” he said.

    In Johannesburg, Xi pledged 60 billion U.S. dollars in funding to ensure the implementation of an action plan for China-Africa cooperation.

    The plan covers a wide range of areas, including agricultural modernisation, infrastructure, financial services, public health, peace and security.

    “So the Chinese are sharing their own development, the results of their own socio-economic endeavors with us,” he said, pointing out that China had assisted Zimbabwe in averting humanitarian crises caused by hunger.

    Mugabe acknowledged the assistance China was providing to Africa through the FOCAC, adding that Xi had come with more assistance for Zimbabwe to develop and help its people through resources which are now at its disposal.

    Mugabe also said that the country cherishes its traditional friendship with China, which has been forged in the anti-imperialism and anti-colonialism era.

    “The independence, the sovereignty we enjoy would not have come that easily were it not for China,” he said.

    “It’s vital for our children to know as they grow up that once upon a time, when imperialism had stretched over our land, we outdid it, (and) threw it out of Africa using the assistance that came from China,” he added.

  • North Korea nuclear test rocks parts of China

    North Korea’s nuclear test Sunday was widely felt in northeast China and rocked some cities for as long as eight seconds, according to reports and accounts on social media.

    The tremor was felt as far away as the city of Changchun around 400 km (250 miles) northwest of the North’s test site at Punggye-ri, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

    In the small city of Yanji, some 20 km from the border, some people reported the shaking was so intense that they fled their homes.

    Jiemiao Cangxin, a commentator on the Chinese microblog Weibo, said his building swayed so much that “I put my underpants on and I just ran, and when I reached the first floor I can say I wasn’t the only one running away with just my underpants on!”

    “In Yanji, we felt the shaking for ten seconds,” said Weibo user Buziranshaonv.

    “I was lying down and sleeping when the tremor woke me up. At first, I thought it was a dream,” said another.

    The test, North Korea’s sixth, was substantially larger than previous ones, measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale according to US monitors.

    That would make it between five to six times larger than Pyongyang’s previous effort in September last year, according to South Korea’s weather agency.

    The North called it a test of a hydrogen bomb which was a “perfect success”.

    Reports of the explosion also provoked widespread concern further away in China, with many commentators speculating about the timing of the event — just hours before Chinese President Xi Jinping is due to open a summit of BRICs nations in southern China.

    “An earthquake happened in North Korea, everyone thinks at once it is a nuclear test,” said one user, cheekily adding “is it a form of greetings for the summit in Xiamen?”

    AFP

  • Nigeria values relationship with China – Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari has stated that the nation values its relationship with the People’s Republic of China.

    This was revealed in a statement signed by Mr Abiodun Oladunjoye, a Deputy Director (Information), Presidential Media Office, Abuja, on behalf of Mr. Femi Adesina, the special adviser on media and publicity to the president.

     

    Oladunjoye said Adesina stated this when he received the Vice Minister of Information of State Council, People’s Republic of China, Mr Guo Weimin who was on an official visit to Nigeria.

    According to Adesina, the fact that the Nigerian President cherishes the cooperation between Nigeria and China automatically means that there will always be areas of mutual cooperation between the two countries.

    Adesina explained that media organisations from the two countries should profit from the mutual cooperation.

    The presidential aide reiterated the readiness of the presidential media team to build on the existing mutual relationship while also exploring other areas of cooperation.

    He assured Weimin that the presidential media office would work closely with the Chinese Ministry of Information to explore areas where agreements were signed during the visit.

    Adesina expressed optimism that such agreements would enhance the interests of the Nigerian media in particular and the Nigerian Government in general.

    Earlier, Weimin said the delegation, comprising officials of the Chinese Government was in Nigeria to explore areas of exchange of ideas toward deepening the relationship between the Chinese and the Nigerian media industry.

    He identified New Media, transparency in governance, broadcast communication and socio-cultural values as areas in which the delegation hoped to share ideas with their Nigerian counterparts.

    The vice minister, who said Adesina had had a big role to play in deepening the relationship between the two countries solicited his cooperation.

    Weimin disclosed that his delegation had interacted with a broad spectrum of Nigerian media professionals, to get the first hand information from them on their expectations from the visit of the delegation.

     

     

     

    NAN

  • Nigeria, China sign MoU on Information, Media Cooperation

    Nigeria, China sign MoU on Information, Media Cooperation

    The Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Peoples Republic of China on Friday in Abuja signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance friendly cooperation in Media and Information Exchanges.

    The MoU was signed between the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture of Nigeria and the State Council Information Office of China

    Speaking at the event, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed who signed on behalf of Nigeria said the MoU was a very important milestone in diplomatic relations between Nigeria and China.

    The minister said that the MoU would also enhance friendly cooperation and interaction between government media agencies of the two countries,

    He said it would facilitate news exchange, joint coverage, mutual visits including wider coverage of economic, cultural and social news and other events in the respective mass media.

    In addition to the wide areas covered by the MoU, the minister requested capacity building cooperation programmes for Resident Information Officers in his ministry and media practitioners in general.

    Specifically, he requested that China should offer training to Nigerian Journalists, Broadcasters, Media Practitioners, Social Media Practitioners, as well as Community Radio, Television and Newspapers.

    Mohammed said that his ministry was also interested in co-operation pogrammes mutually beneficial in the area of animation and co-production of films which project the culture of both Nigeria and China.

    The minister said the cooperation should extend to film distributions as well as collaboration between the National Films and Video Censors Board and the Chinese Censors Board to eradicate piracy and production of fake and adulterated films

    He called for partnership to address infrastructure deficit in Nigeria creative industry, particularly in the area of building community cinemas across the country.

    The minister also called for strengthening of the existing MoU between the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) and its Chinese counterpart, XINHUA

    He said the partnership would go a long way in addressing the problem of fake news.

    “This is significant because we are in the era of fake news and unlike China, the social media here is unrestrained.

    “It is important you get your news from official source, the News Agency of Nigeria and the Ministry Official App created for the country,’’ he said.

    The minister seized the opportunity to clarify that contrary to lies being peddled in the social media, the government “is working assiduously to redeem its electoral promises’’.

    “We have succeeded in nursing a very sick economy and very soon we will get out of recession.

    “Our fight against insecurity is yielding fruits and our fight against corruption is focused.

    “We are resolute that we will fight corruption until it goes down,’’ he said.

    Mohammed said he was optimistic that both countries would work to ensure a thorough implementation of the MoU for the benefit of their peoples.

    In his remarks, Mr. Guo Weimin, China’s Vice Minister of the State Council Information Office said the signing of the MoU marked a new beginning in the relations between the two countries in the area of media and cultural relations.

    He said staff training and programme exchanges would further solidify the cultural ties between both nations.

    Weimin said his ministry would scale up the broadcast of news about Nigeria in China and appealed to the minister to reciprocate the gesture.

    The Chinese Vice Minister acceded to Mohammed’s request for the training of the Resident Information Officers and said the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria would fine-tune the capacity building engagement.

    Weimin was accompanied by the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr. Zhou Pingjian to the signing of the MOU.

     

     

    NAN

  • Trump disappointed in China for doing ‘nothing’ on North Korea

    Donald Trump expressed his disappointment at China for failing to stop North Korea despite making “hundreds of billions of dollars in trade”.

    The US President has long accused China of profiting at the expense of America and refusing to stop North Korea’s nuclear programme.

    Pyongyang, which this week held another successful test of an intercontinental ballistic missile—that analysts said could mean the US mainland is now within range—counts China as its sole major ally.

    Trump accused “our foolish past leaders” of allowing the situation to unfold and tweeted that “we will no longer allow this to continue”.

    He said on Twitter, late on Saturday night: “I am very disappointed in China. Our foolish past leaders have allowed them to make hundreds of billions of dollars a year in trade, yet they do NOTHING for us with North Korea, just talk.

    “We will no longer allow this to continue. China could easily solve this problem!”

  • China rolls out national cyber-attack response plan

    China’s top cyber authority has formalised a new nationwide cyber-attack response plan on Tuesday.

    The country seeks to ramp up protection in the face of increasingly sophisticated global ransomware scare.

    The plan requires provinces to upgrade networks and construct expert response teams as part of the centralised reporting system, said the Cyberspace Administration of China in a notice posted on its website.

    The regulations also criminalise any failure by government departments to carry out the plan.

    China has increasingly sought to fortify its cyberspace from both internal and external attacks, citing threats to its national infrastructure and political stability.

    Last month, dozens of local authorities, including police and industry regulators, were hobbled by the WannaCry ransomware attack that infected more than 30,000 Chinese organisations and 300,000 worldwide in a matter of days.

    The national response plan includes a four-tier colour-coded warning system that ranks cyber-attacks as either red, orange, yellow or blue depending on severity, with red signalling the highest level of alert.

    It also requires relevant departments to open international channels of communication during the sudden onset of international security threats.

    Cyber-attacks in China spiked by over 950 percent between 2014 and 2016, according to a PwC survey, with “Internet of Things” (IoT) connected devices identified as a particular vulnerability.

    Last October, vulnerabilities in Chinese manufactured devices were partially blamed for a large-scale attack which temporarily crippled Twitter, Spotify, Netflix and other major websites.

     

  • Fake social media ‘likes’: Police arrest operators of huge Click Farm

    Three Chinese workers have been arrested at a rented Thailand house for operating a huge click farm and working without a permit.

    Motherboard reports the gigantic click farm in Thailand is latest to be caught.

    https://twitter.com/lmatsakis/status/874352947752189952

    The click farm had over 500 cell phones and 350,000 SIM cards. The setup also included nine computers and 21 SIM card readers.

    According to the Bangkok Post, a Chinese company gave the men 150,000 baht ($4,403) along with the phones to pull off the operation for a month.

    The men told the police they were operating to boost engagement for Chinese products sold in Thailand because of the low mobile phone fees.

    They were generating “fake” page views, likes, and shares through the social media app WeChat.

    Click farms are very adaptable.

    Companies can use them for everything — from acquiring LinkedIn connections to huge Facebook likes to massive Twitter followers, and to generate web traffic. And they make millions doing so.

    According to Mashable, the men are probably going to be deported back to China, rather than facing any time behind bars.

    This is not the first click farm to be busted. Just last month, a massive click farm with over 10,000 phones was discovered in China. And in today’s online-driven world, it almost certainly won’t be the last.

    Just remember where the online popularity might be coming from next time you’re checking out companies and products online.

     

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