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Showing posts from December, 2023

Chinese New Year - date, six traditions of celebration

 Chinese New Year, also known as Spring Festival or Lunar New Year, is one of the most important holidays for the Chinese and is celebrated for 15 days. Chinese New Year celebration, china-ukraine.info In 2024, the Chinese New Year will begin on February 10 in the Gregorian calendar and will be celebrated throughout the year of the Yellow Dragon. This year will replace the year of the Black Water Rabbit, which began on January 21, 2023. Traditions to celebrate Chinese New Year include: Family Gathering: This is a time when the family gets together. People return to their parents' homes to celebrate together. Cleansing Rites: People clean their homes to remove bad spirits and make room for good energies. Red Decorations: The color red is considered lucky, so houses are decorated with red lanterns, paper products and red pendants. Dragons and Lions: Parades of dragons and lions are held in the streets to predict luck and success. Festive food: Food plays an important role. Some po...

Chinese banks must stop financing the Russian war in Ukraine

The Financial Times notes that China has become a particularly important source of funds for Russian companies. The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the Bank of China, the China Construction Bank and the Agricultural Bank of China began to significantly increase their activities in Russia. Therefore, Washington's warning to cut off delinquent lenders from the US market could have significant diplomatic implications for the Chinese government. The decision to target the banks is part of a broader effort by the United States and others to find alternative financing for Ukraine, including a possible move by the G7 to seize some of the $300 billion in frozen Russian sovereign assets to finance Kyiv. The new order comes as Republicans in the US Congress continue to block efforts by the Biden administration to provide Kiev with US funds after Russia's nearly two-year war in Ukraine. Ukrainian forces are preparing for a long war of attrition with Russia next year after a faile...

Borrell underscored the need for the West to prepare for a prolonged and intense conflict

 Josep Borrell, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs of the European Union, has expressed the stance that Russian President Vladimir Putin is pursuing a complete victory in Ukraine, uninterested in a limited territorial success or sincere negotiations with Ukraine. Borrell underscored the need for the West to prepare for a prolonged and intense conflict. High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission Josep Borrell. (Reuters) Ukraine is focusing on bolstering its defense capabilities by developing a strategy for domestic production of military equipment, including drones, ammunition, missiles, and other gear. The objective is to alleviate the risk of a shortage amidst conflict with Russia.  The Ukrainian army is utilizing drones for reconnaissance and gathering information in southern areas where Russian Su-34 fighter planes have been shot down. Russian troops are searching for the anti-aircraft systems that downed t...

China calls on Ukraine to delist China Railway Construction Company as ‘war sponsor’

 China on Thursday called on Ukraine to delist Beijing’s second-largest state-owned railway construction company as “war sponsor,” local media reported. CRCC headquarters in Beijing, May 2021 Representative China, as always, hypocritically declared that it wants peace. “China always stands on the side of peace and justice on the issue of Ukraine,” said Wang Wenbin, spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, in response to Ukraine’s move of listing the China Railway Construction Corporation as “war sponsor.” Beijing urges the Ukrainian side “to immediately correct its mistake and avoid negative consequences,” Wang told reporters in the Chinese capital, according to daily Global Times. The agency said the Chinese construction company began working in Russia six years ago and opened its office in the country after “Russian aggression in 2014.” It particularly noted media reports that officials from Moscow and Beijing were discussing plans for the construction of an underwater tunnel ...

China is profiting from the Russian war in Ukraine

The country's trade with Russia this year has exceeded $200 billion, and makers of cars and trucks are the big winners. Chinese-made trucks lining up in Heihe for delivery to Russia. Credit... Gilles Sabrié for The New York Times On China's snowy border with Russia, a dealership that sells trucks has seen its sales double in the past year thanks to Russian customers. China's exports to its neighbor are so strong that Chinese construction workers built warehouses and 20-story office towers at the border this summer. The border town Heihe is a microcosm of China's ever closer economic relationship with Russia. China is profiting from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has led Russia to switch from the West to China for purchases of everything from cars to computer chips. Russia, in turn, has sold oil and natural gas to China at deep discounts. Russian chocolates, sausages and other consumer goods have become plentiful in Chinese supermarkets. Trade between Russia and...