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Japan PM Abe welcomed near Tiananmen Square in rare China visit
By Ben Dooley
Beijing (AFP) Oct 26, 2018

Chinese state TV journalist charged with assault in Britain
London (AFP) Oct 25, 2018 - A Chinese state TV journalist accused of slapping an activist at the Conservative Party conference this month has been charged with assault, British police said on Thursday.

"Lin Lin Kong, a journalist from Kings Cross in London, has been charged with common assault following an incident in Birmingham city centre on September 30," police said in a statement.

The journalist was arrested after heckling at a party conference debate on human rights in Hong Kong.

The China Central Television (CCTV) reporter was released the following day and is scheduled to appear in court on November 7.

Enoch Lieu, a party activist helping at the event, told AFP she slapped him twice after he had asked her to leave for shouting at one of the speakers and accusing him of being anti-China.

But the Chinese embassy called her ejection "completely unacceptable", in a statement posted on its website at the time.

"In a country that boasts freedom of speech, it is puzzling that the Chinese journalist should encounter obstruction in such a way and even assault at the fringe event when she simply raised a question and expressed her opinions," it said.

Contacted by AFP on Thursday, the embassy could not immediately comment on the case.

Chinese state broadcaster CGTN in a statement also at the time said the journalist "was blocked and assaulted when she raised a question and expressed her opinion".

It quoted a CCTV spokesperson saying it was "unacceptable" and called for an apology from organisers, urging British police to "protect her legitimate rights".

The event featured Hong Kong pro-democracy leaders Martin Lee, Nathan Law and Benny Tai, as well as British MP Fiona Bruce and campaigner Benedict Rogers.

Japan's Shinzo Abe inspected troops off Beijing's Tiananmen Square Friday during a rare visit to China as ties further improve and the two countries face trade challenges from US President Donald Trump.

Premier Li Keqiang greeted Abe as Japan's flag flew outside the opulent Great Hall of the People across from Tiananmen Square, and they reviewed an honour guard before going inside for talks.

Relations between Asia's two biggest economies have improved in recent years after they sunk to new lows in 2012 when Tokyo "nationalised" disputed islands claimed by Beijing.

The relationship has rapidly warmed up as Trump has slapped massive tariffs on China while also targeting Japanese exports in his effort to cut US trade deficits, despite touting his personal bonds with Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Abe and Xi are expected to discuss how to boost economic cooperation between the world's second and third largest economies when they meet later Friday.

Abe brought along delegates from 500 Japanese companies, which are eager for increased access to China's massive market, while Beijing is interested in Japanese technology and corporate know-how.

"Though the US is quite an influential factor in China-Japan ties, the effect is limited," China's nationalistic Global Times said in an editorial.

"If Beijing and Tokyo intend to plan their future bilateral relationship based on Washington's attitude, they will only get lost," the state-run daily said.

- 'Safeguard free trade' -

Abe and Xi are likely to focus on a range of potential deals, including joint investments in infrastructure in regional nations including Indonesia and the Philippines.

The last official visit to Beijing by a Japanese prime minister was in 2011.

Since an awkward 2014 encounter between Abe and Xi on the sidelines of a summit, there have been ministerial visits by both sides and a softening of rhetoric. Li visited Tokyo in May.

Abe's three-day trip, which began Thursday, sets up the possibility that Xi will visit Japan next year.

Abe and Li already met on Thursday during a reception to celebrate the signing of the treaty that put Japanese and Chinese relations back on track after World War II.

At the event, Li called for the countries to "jointly promote regional peace" and "safeguard multilateralism and free trade," according to state broadcaster CCTV.

For his part, Abe said: "Japan and China play an irreplaceable role in the economic development of Asia and even the world" and both sides should work together to "promote world peace and prosperity", according to CCTV.

- Territorial disputes -

Before heading to Beijing, Abe said he would also discuss North Korea and territorial frictions -- calling to make "the East China Sea a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation."

Just days before Abe's trip, Tokyo lodged an official complaint after Chinese ships cruised around the disputed islands that Tokyo calls the Senkaku and Beijing labels the Diaoyu islands.

China has long denounced Japan for what it says is an insufficiently contrite attitude towards its role in World War II.

But ahead of the trip, Beijing has taken a more cordial stance than it has in the past.

Japanese media have reported Abe is hoping the visit will produce a soft power win in the form of some panda diplomacy, with zoos in Sendai and Kobe apparently angling for new additions.


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SUPERPOWERS
Former US Europe commander warns of likely 'war with China'
Warsaw (AFP) Oct 24, 2018
The former commander of US Army forces in Europe warned on Wednesday of a "very strong likelihood" of an armed conflict between his country and China in the Pacific. "I think in 15 years, it's not inevitable, but it is a very strong likelihood that we will be at war with China," recently retired US Lieutenant General Ben Hodges told defence experts meeting at the Warsaw Security Forum in the Polish capital on Wednesday. Hodges served as US Army commander in Europe until last year and is now a s ... read more

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