Latest news with #Chiang
Epoch Times
18-05-2025
- Business
- Epoch Times
Carney Says China Presents Major Foreign Interference Threat to Canada
Liberal Leader Mark Carney says China poses one of the biggest foreign interference threats to Canada. Carney made the remarks at a campaign stop in Niagara Falls on April 18. The Liberal leader had been asked by a reporter to expand on his comments at the English-language leaders debate on April 17, where Carney 'It is one of the largest threats with respect to foreign interference, which we have to counter, and we are, we are countering,' Carney told reporters in Niagara Falls. He said that China is 'a threat within a broader Asia and to Taiwan' and that Beijing is supporting Russia's war in Ukraine. 'So we both have to engage with China and take steps to protect ourselves here,' he said, adding that one of the ways of doing so was to protect the Arctic. Related Stories 3/31/2025 3/26/2025 'China is a threat, becoming an emerging threat to the Arctic, which is ... one of the reasons why we'll now have a year-round presence in the Arctic,' Carney told reporters. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has also identified China as a threat to Canada, saying that China has declared itself a 'near Arctic state.' Poilievre has also committed to building a permanent Arctic military base in Iqaluit, the Nunavut capital. International Relations Carney said the current U.S. tariffs are altering the world economic order and will impact Canada's international relations. 'We'll end up with different levels of engagement with different countries, depending on the degree of which values are shared,' he said. 'There's a very large gap with respect to China, obviously, which has implications already for our trade and will be going forward.' He said he believes there are opportunities for Canada to expand its trade with Europe, Asia, and elsewhere. 'There are huge opportunities in Europe, in ASEAN, Mercosur, other parts of the world where we can further deepen [our trade relationships]. And we should, and I think we will,' Carney said, referring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Southern Common Market, a South American trade block. The Conservatives, for their part, have raised questions about Carney's interactions with Chinese leaders while he was in the private sector. More recently this month, photos surfaced of Carney with representatives of the The United Front functions as the CCP's 'primary foreign interference tool' working to 'stifle criticism, infiltrate foreign political parties, diaspora communities, universities and multinational corporations,' says a 2020 Carney responded to an April 10 report by 'If somebody happens to be in the room and takes a picture with me, that's not a meeting,' Carney told reporters. The Liberal Party said the JCCC's claim about an 'in-depth' discussion between Carney and the group's leaders was false. It said it had asked the group remove the claim from its website. Carney also faced questions over his Carney on March 31 said Chiang had apologized and would not be removed as a candidate. Chiang subsequently The RCMP, in a statement to media, said it is 'looking into' the comments made by Chiang, without giving further details. The national police force noted that foreign interference and transnational repression remain 'pervasive' threats in Canada. Chinese Information Operation Around Carney Canada's Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections 'The SITE Task Force assesses that the foreign state-backed information operation was intended to influence Canadian-Chinese communities and look to mould perceptions about the candidate [Carney],' said Laurie-Anne Kempton, assistant secretary to the cabinet for communications with the Privy Council Office, during a press conference in Ottawa on April 7. 'This kind of coordinated inauthentic behaviour is just an attempt to pollute the digital environment and try to shape opinions one way or the other,' she added. Noe Chartier, Carolina Avendano, Omid Ghoreishi contributed to this article.
Epoch Times
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
RCMP Investigating Liberal Candidate's Chinese ‘Bounty' Comment
The federal police force says it is investigating comments made by former Liberal MP Paul Chiang who suggested his then rival, Conservative candidate Joe Tay, should be brought to the Chinese Consulate to collect a bounty on his head. The democracy advocacy group Hong Kong Watch had written to the RCMP on March 31 asking for an investigation into Chiang's comments, which had been made weeks earlier during a Chinese cultural media conference. Hong Kong Watch 'Foreign actor interference, including instances of transnational repression, continues to be a pervasive threat in Canada,' Duheme said in the letter, dated April 24. Hong Kong authorities issued a warrant for Tay, who is an outspoken advocate for democracy in the region, and placed a HK$1 million bounty on his head in December 2024. Chiang made the comments shortly afterward in January. 'To everyone here, you can claim the $1 million dollar bounty if you bring him to Toronto's Chinese Consulate,' Chiang said. Related Stories 4/29/2025 4/21/2025 Hong Kong Watch thanked Duheme for looking into this instance of 'transnational repression' against Tay and said it is pleased the RCMP is investigating the matter. In its March 31 'Mr. Chiang's conduct would appear to fit within the parameters of counselling to commit the indictable offence of kidnapping, per section 464 of the Criminal Code,' the group said. Hong Kong Watch also suggested a section of the recently passed Foreign Interference and Security of Information Act might have been breached. The law states it is an offence to help a foreign entity to induce by intimidation or threat any person to do anything or cause anything to be done. 'It is without question that Mr. Chiang's comments are an attempt to intimidate Mr. Tay and his supporters and to silence him during an election,' said the advocacy group. Chiang did not immediately respond to a request for comment After his bounty comment came to light, he 'It was a terrible lapse of judgement,' he said in a March 30 statement. 'I recognize the severity of the statement and I am deeply disappointed in myself.' Chiang was the incumbent MP and running in the Markham-Unionville riding. In response to the controversy over the bounty comments, Liberal Leader Mark Carney had said that Chiang had a lapse in judgment, but rejected calls to remove him as a candidate. Chiang He was replaced in the riding by former Toronto police deputy chief Peter Yuen, who has previous links to China. Yuen had once attended a military parade in Beijing and gave a military salute to the Chinese flag while in police uniform during a flag-raising ceremony at the Ontario legislature. Yuen lost in the election to the Conservative candidate. Tay was running in Markham-Unionville when Chiang made the bounty comments in January, but later switched to the Don Valley North riding. He lost his bid to win a seat against the Liberal candidate. The Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections (SITE) Task Force This is 'not about a single act, but rather about the accumulated impact of many acts designed to discredit a candidate, silence criticism and dissent, and manipulate the information that informs voters,' Laurie-Anne Kempton, assistant secretary to the cabinet for communications with the Privy Council Office, said during a SITE briefing on April 21. During the campaign, SITE also said Beijing was trying to influence Chinese Canadians with an information operation on Carney. Carney said during the campaign that the top security threat to Canada is China.
The Star
12-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Taiwan downgrades Chiang Kai-shek's mausoleum to ‘camp area' as it grapples with legacy
Chiang Kai-shek's mausoleum has officially been consigned to history, as Taiwan's military reclassified the site in the city of Taoyuan as a 'camp area' – the latest move by the island's independence-leaning authorities to erase the legacy of the former Kuomintang (KMT) leader. The mausoleum of Chiang's son and successor, Chiang Ching-kuo, located just 2.2km (1.4 miles) from his father's tomb, was also reclassified, according to a notice issued by the island's defence ministry on April 22. The two sites, which house the preserved remains of the two former leaders, will no longer be referred to as 'mausoleums' or 'spirit-worship facilities', according to the announcement. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. It said the elder Chiang's resting place, previously known as the Cihu Mausoleum, would be renamed the 'Cihu Camp Area', while his son's Daxi Mausoleum would be designated as the 'Daxi Camp Area'. In the announcement, the military said the revised guidelines reflected updated administrative needs and the 2014 reclassification of Taoyuan as a metropolitan area. But Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers argued that the move signalled a deeper shift in the island's memory – part of transitional justice reforms aimed at removing what they saw as symbols of dictatorship and authoritarian rule. For decades, the military had referred to the sites using terms traditionally reserved for royalty, such as 'mausoleum' and 'paying respects to the exalted spirit'. Pro-independence voices have long criticised this reverence towards the Chiangs, arguing it glorified a legacy of political repression and martial law. These criticisms intensified in 2000 when the DPP first gained power and have grown louder since 2016. The move is likely to reinforce Beijing's perception that Taipei is trying to erase its common history with the mainland. Chiang, despite fighting the Communists in China's civil war and being seen as an enemy by Beijing his entire life, had sought to bring the mainland and Taiwan under the same rule – that of the Republic of China. In recent years, the Chiang family has been viewed more favourably on the mainland as a historical link between Taiwan and mainland China. Under the revised guidelines, the phrase 'coffin viewing area' is retained only for the specific rooms housing the Chiangs' remains, while the broader sites are classified simply as military camp areas. 'The term 'mausoleum' typically refers to imperial tombs,' said DPP lawmaker Chiu Chih-wei during an April 16 legislative session. 'The military's duty is to defend the country, not to guard the graves of dictators.' Chiu has also demanded the military withdraw its ceremonial honour guards from the sites, arguing they were a misuse of public resources. He noted the current deployment had been based on a 2007 directive issued by then Taoyuan county chief Eric Chu Li-luan – now KMT chairman – as a tourism initiative. 'But how many tourists still go there today?' Chiu said. 'If we continue this, does it mean any local shrine or memorial can request military guards, too?' In response, the defence ministry said it would convene a meeting later this month with the Presidential Office, cabinet, and Taoyuan city officials to evaluate whether continued military presence was warranted. Taiwanese Defence Minister Wellington Koo Li-hsiung added that relocating the Chiangs' remains to the Wuzhishan Military Cemetery for permanent burial might offer a solution. He noted that Chiang Fang-liang, widow of Chiang Ching-kuo, had written to the ministry in 2004 requesting such a move, and Chen Shui-bian – Taiwan's leader at the time – had endorsed the plan. However, the relocation has yet to take place. Chiang Kai-shek died in 1975 and was placed at the Cihu site in Taoyuan, pending eventual burial in mainland China, from which he fled after losing the Chinese civil war in 1949. His son, Chiang Ching-kuo, died in 1988 and was laid to rest in nearby Daxi. Their plan was to be buried in their ancestral hometown once reunification was achieved through the KMT's recapture of the mainland – a goal now seen as impossible. Beijing, which sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary, has ramped up military pressure on Taiwan since Tsai Ing-wen was elected the island's leader in 2016 and refused to accept the one-China principle. Most countries, including the US, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the self-governed island by force and is committed to arming Taiwan. Since passing a transitional justice law in 2017, the DPP government has accelerated efforts to remove symbols of Chiang Kai-shek's rule, revise historical narratives, and blame the late Chiang for past abuses. Thousands of statues of the elder Chiang have been removed from parks, schools, and military facilities. The campaign aims to break the legacy of martial law and authoritarian rule led by Chiang, which defined much of the history of Taiwan in the 20th century. One major milestone came in July 2024, when ceremonial honour guards inside the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei ended their 44-year vigil. The military's rifle-twirling ritual, long a popular tourist attraction, was moved outside to the public plaza in front of the hall after public consultation. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Chiang Kai-shek's death. In April, civil society groups launched a campaign urging the government to close the main hall in Taipei and get rid of authoritarian symbols – including place names, statues, and currency bearing Chiang's image. 'Taiwan truly doesn't need a dictator's memorial hall,' said Michelle Wang, chairwoman of the Koo Kwang-ming Foundation. 'We must face our history honestly and move forward.' Not everyone agrees. Former Taiwanese leader Ma Ying-jeou has defended Chiang's legacy, saying it was 'a bit excessive' to label him a dictator. 'As a political leader, Chiang bore responsibility for certain wrongdoings,' Ma said. 'But his contributions to Taiwan outweigh his mistakes. Having a memorial hall for him is not unreasonable.' Taipei Mayor Wayne Chiang Wan-an, a great-grandson of Chiang Kai-shek, pushed back on recent remarks by the island's current leader, William Lai Ching-te, who in February described Chiang as 'a dictator who committed heinous crimes to maintain his rule over Taiwan'. The Taipei mayor urged leaders to 'face history with caution and humility' and to 'adopt a broader, more inclusive vision'. More from South China Morning Post: For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2025.
Indianapolis Star
10-05-2025
- Business
- Indianapolis Star
Eli Lilly, Purdue create $250 million partnership for pharma research as federal cuts hit labs
Eli Lilly and Purdue University are changing how groundbreaking research can be funded as universities and labs across the country grapple with sudden federal funding cuts to vital research. Lilly CEO Dave Ricks and Purdue University President Mung Chiang on May 9 announced a $250 million collaboration to build up pharmaceutical technology in what the two Indiana leaders believe is the largest industry-academic partnership in the country. "It will be focused on accelerating innovation at every stage of the work we do," Ricks said. "And then also on talent, training the workforce of the future to work at Lilly and other advanced pharmaceutical companies." Over the next eight years, Lilly and Purdue will use the investment to speed up several areas of innovation in the pharmaceutical industry, including using AI-powered tools to augment traditional drug discovery methods; incorporating robotics to scale manufacturing capacity; and facilitating the drug pipeline at the future Lilly Medicine Foundry in Lebanon. An existing partnership was set to expire in 2027, but this program, named the Lilly-Purdue 360 initiative, will expand the collaboration and keep it running until at least 2032. The announcement comes as universities are grappling with how to respond to a sudden loss of money from the federal government. Some universities are laying off employees or dipping into endowment funds to keep labs afloat. Chiang said industry partnerships can be used to cover gaps in federal funding, but he cautioned against universities relying exclusively on industry support. He believes Purdue "can win" with a steady combination of industry and federal funding well into the future. "With today's announcement, Lilly and Purdue is taking a leadership position across the entire country with the largest such agreement in scale and perhaps in scope, too, to demonstrate what we can do together," Chiang said. "Now this may not be the only part of the future of research, but it certainly is an increasingly important part and we are proud of a nationally leading agreement today." As part of the agreement, Purdue will make space available for Lilly researchers to work on site at the West Lafayette campus while Purdue researchers will collaborate at Lilly sites in Indianapolis and at the LEAP District along I-65 in Boone County. Dave Ricks on tariffs: Eli Lilly CEO says tariffs are not the answer, urges Trump to move fast on trade deals The Lilly-Purdue partnership will strengthen the university's Lilly Scholars program, which provides full-ride scholarships and paid internships to Purdue undergraduates in STEM. The scholars program is one way Lilly hopes to keep talent in Indiana after they graduate college. Meanwhile, Lilly is continuing to increase how much medicine is manufactured in the United States, a move that could require additional employees. The pharmaceutical giant broke ground on its Medicine Foundry at the LEAP District in Lebanon earlier in the week, a first of its kind facility where clinical trials will be conducted and medicine manufactured. Earlier this year, Lilly announced a $27 billion investment to build four new American manufacturing facilities. Upon completion, Lilly will be able to supply medicine in the U.S. completely from U.S. facilities, Ricks previously said. Jason Thiagarajan, a Purdue sophomore from Bloomington in the Lilly Scholars program, said he hopes the investment will increase mentorship in the program and keep more young professionals like him in the state well into their careers. "I've never been more proud to be born and raised in Indiana," Thiagarajan said.
Epoch Times
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Election Outcomes for Candidates or Ridings in Beijing's Crosshairs
Some of Beijing's top critics in Parliament were re-elected this week, but a Tory candidate said by authorities to be targeted by a Chinese regime operation lost his bid to sit in the House of Commons. There is no evidence so far that Conservative candidate Joe Tay fell short because of Beijing's efforts, but in the lead-up to the vote election security officials had warned he was the victim of a transnational repression operation. Tay was running in the Don Valley North riding of Toronto, which was the site of Chinese interference in the 2019 Liberal nomination contest, according to government intelligence. Tay lost to Liberal candidate Maggie Chi, a Toronto public servant, by nearly 5,000 votes. Tay has been an outspoken advocate for freedom and democracy in Hong Kong, and the region's authorities placed a bounty on his head in December 2024. The repression operation directed at him, revealed by the Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections (SITE) Task Force, was said to have leveraged this aspect on Chinese social media. SITE officials said users who searched for information on Tay on Chinese social media would also only get results related to the bounty and arrest warrant for him. Related Stories 4/29/2025 4/29/2025 This is 'not about a single act, but rather about the accumulated impact of many acts designed to discredit a candidate, silence criticism and dissent, and manipulate the information that informs voters,' said Laurie-Anne Kempton, assistant secretary to the cabinet for communications with the Privy Council Office, on April 21. SITE took a more proactive approach during this election, providing weekly briefings to the public. The election was conducted in an environment of heightened concern over foreign interference because it took place on the heels of a public inquiry into the threat. The inquiry reviewed intelligence and testimonies about alleged interference in the past two elections and identified China as the foremost perpetrator. Tay was the subject of another controversy during the election campaign, when previous comments made by Liberal candidate and incumbent MP Paul Chiang surfaced. Chiang remarked at a January ethnic media gathering that Tay should be taken to the Chinese consulate to claim the bounty on him. Liberal Leader Mark Carney rejected calls to remove him as a candidate but Chiang later stepped down of his own accord. Tay Chiang was replaced as the Liberal candidate in the Markham-Unionville riding by former Toronto police deputy chief Peter Yuen, who also had China links. Yuen attended a military parade in Beijing and also gave a military-style salute to China's flag during a ceremony at the Ontario legislature. Yuen was defeated by Conservative candidate Michael Ma by more than 2,000 votes. Some incumbent MPs who were previously targeted by Beijing for their stance against the regime have been re-elected. Tory MP Michael Chong was at the centre of a controversy in the spring of 2023, when media outlets were leaking intelligence reports on meddling by the People's Republic of China. One Globe and Mail 'I am profoundly disappointed to find out through a Globe and Mail report that the Trudeau government knew two years ago a PRC diplomat, working out of the consulate in Toronto, was targeting my family in Hong Kong,' Chong said in a Chong, who served as foreign affairs critic for the Tories in the previous Parliament, kept his Ontario seat of Wellington-Halton Hills North with 51.4 percent of the vote, compared to 43.7 percent for the Liberal candidate. NDP MP Jenny Kwan has also been targeted by Beijing for her advocacy for human rights in China. Kwan testified at the Foreign Interference Commission she was being ostracized by Chinese-Canadian community organizations. 'Intelligence holdings indicate that the PRC worked to exclude particular political candidates from public events in 2019, and that this strategy continued in 2021,' the Commission wrote in the section of its Kwan was re-elected this week in Vancouver East, besting the Liberal candidate by approximately 4,500 votes. Another case of interference took place in B.C. during the last general election in 2021, with Tory candidate and incumbent Kenny Chiu being targeted by false narratives on his stance on a foreign influence registry. 'Canadian intelligence holdings identified the media spreading these false narratives as having close links to the PRC government or PRC state media,' says the Commission's final report. Chiu had lost to Liberal Parm Bains at that time in the riding of Richmond East-Steveston. Bains was re-elected this week with an approximate 1,000-vote lead over the Tory candidate.
