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WORLD NEWS Friday 7 June 2019

China says list of 'unreliable' foreign firms coming soon

By KEN MORITSUGU pion as Beijing fights back
Associated Press against U.S. claims that the
BEIJING (AP) — China's company poses a security
Commerce Ministry will re- risk and should be exclud-
lease a list of "unreliable" ed from development of
foreign companies in the super-fast next-generation
near future, a spokesman 5G networks.
said Thursday, without giv- Huawei has denied it might
ing a specific date. be forced to spy on behalf
The decision to create the of China's ruling Communist
list, announced last week, is Party and demanded that
widely seen as a response the U.S. and other govern-
to a U.S. decision to put ments produce evidence
Huawei Technologies on a to back up their allega-
blacklist for alleged theft of tions.
intellectual property and Chinese President Xi Jin-
evasion of Iran sanctions. ping highlighted the Chi-
Chinese Commerce Minis- nese government's strong
try spokesman Gao Feng support for the company,
told reporters at a weekly based in southern China's
briefing that the process Shenzhen, by presiding
of drawing up the list was over a signing ceremony
underway. He said no par- in Moscow on Wednesday
ticular company or industry of a deal between Huawei
is being targeted. Russian President Vladimir Putin, second right, and Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, sign their and Russian telecom com-
names on a Havel F7 car during a presentation of the investment project on opening the Great
"Companies that abide by Wall Motors' new Haval car factory in Russia's Tula Region in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, pany MTS.
Chinese laws and contrac- Wednesday, June 5, 2019. The deal calls for MTS and
tual spirit totally needn't Associated Press Huawei to jointly develop
worry," he said. 5G networks in Russia, MTS
The U.S. Department of takes effect after a 90-day Gao said China does not end." said in a statement.
Commerce has issued an grace period. want a trade war but is not Huawei, once a little- Xi and Russian President
order that U.S. companies China hasn't said what ac- afraid of one. known supplier of telecoms Vladimir Putin also attend-
will have to seek govern- tion it would take against "If the U.S. keeps escalat- network gear and now the ed a launch ceremony for
ment approval for sales to the entities included on its ing trade frictions," he said, industry leader, has be- a Chinese car factory in
Huawei once its own list list. "China will follow to the come a national cham- Russia's Tula region. q

Hong Kong court: Denying same-sex spousal benefits unlawful

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong first place, are simply not protect and fulfil the rights
Kong's Court of Final Ap- relevant to a consideration of people with different
peal said Thursday the of the justification exercise," sexual orientations."
government cannot deny the ruling said. Tam called on the gov-
spousal employment ben- Although same-sex mar- ernment to review its laws,
efits to same-sex couples, riage is not recognized in policies and practices to
in a ruling hailed as a major Hong Kong, the Court of end all discrimination on
step forward for same-sex Final Appeal ruled last year the grounds of sexual ori-
equality in the semi-auton- that the same-sex partner entation, gender identities
omous Chinese territory. of a British expatriate mar- and intersex status, saying,
The court overturned an ried abroad was entitled to "No one should experience
earlier judgment, saying equal visa treatment under discrimination because of
unanimously that denying immigration law. who they are or who they
same-sex couples access Man-kei Tam, Director love."
to spousal benefits is unlaw- of Amnesty International Taiwan last month became
ful. Hong Kong, called Thurs- the first place in Asia to al-
"It follows therefore that day's judgment a "huge low same-sex marriage in a Angus Leung Chun-kwong, a senior immigration officer, right,
the 'prevailing views of the step forward for equal- legislative vote on a cause and Scott Adams, a same-sex couple who married in New Zea-
community on marriage' ity" that brings Hong Kong that the island's LGBT rights land five years ago, pose for photographers outside the Court of
...even if this can confi- "more in line with its interna- activists have championed Final Appeal in Hong Kong, Thursday, June 6, 2019.
dently be gauged in the tional obligation to respect, for two decades. q Associated Press