Page 11 - ARUBA TODAY

A11
WORLD NEWS Thursday 16 May 2019

China voices strength, pushes nationalism around trade war

By YANAN WANG — all run spots about the
SAM McNEIL United States as being a
Associated Press problematic negotiating
BEIJING (AP) — What do partner,” said Jake Parker,
tilapia, Jane Austen and vice president of China op-
Chinese revolutionary post- erations for the U.S.-China
er art have in common? Business Council.
All have been used to ral- President Xi Jinping, the
ly public support around ruling party’s most pow-
China’s position in its trade erful leader in decades,
dispute with the U.S., as has made China’s foreign
the ruling Communist Party policy more assertive while
takes a more aggressive nurturing the growth of a
approach — projecting red-blooded but tightly
stability and stirring up na- controlled nationalism.
tionalistic sentiment in the The approach reflects a
process. new willingness to allow
“If you want to negotiate, a shift in domestic public
the door is open,” anchor opinion where the trade
Kang Hui said Monday on war is concerned, Parker
state broadcaster CCTV. said. Weibo, a Twitter-like
“If you want a trade war,” social media platform
however, he added, “we’ll A social media post exhorting Chinese consumers to buy more tilapia to offset the effects of which generally censors
fight you until the end.” China’s ongoing economic dispute with the United States is seen on a computer screen in Beijing, political discourse, has fea-
“After 5,000 years of wind Wednesday, May 15, 2019. tured an unusual amount
and rain, what hasn’t the Associated Press of tariff-related content
Chinese nation weath- Donald Trump’s decision as of Friday. raising duties of 5% to 25%. since Monday. The site’s
ered?” Kang said. to hike tariffs on $200 billion After negotiations in Wash- Then came the govern- ranking of “trending top-
The toughly-worded mono- worth of Chinese imports. ington ended last week ment’s public relations on- ics,” usually dominated by
logue on the banner eve- Trump startled financial with no agreement, China slaught. celebrity news, highlighted
ning news program fol- markets with his May 5 an- retaliated Monday with “Overnight, we saw official Kang’s monologue and the
lowed days of muted offi- nouncement that U.S. tariffs higher tariffs on $60 billion media — in the People’s subject “American stock
cial responses to President would rise to 25% from 10% worth of American goods, Daily, China Daily, CCTV market plunges.”q

North Korea says it is suffering worst drought in decades

Associated Press average during the same blamed the food shortage
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — period. on bad weather and inter-
North Korea said Wednes- The report came after U.N. national economic sanc-
day it is suffering its worst food agencies said in a tions that were toughened
drought in nearly four de- joint assessment earlier this after the country conduct-
cades amid reports of se- month that about 10 mil- ed a series of high-profile
vere food shortages. lion people in North Korea nuclear and missile tests in
The official Korean Central were facing “severe food recent years.
News Agency said an aver- shortages” after the coun- In a high-stakes summit in
age of 54.4 millimeters (2.1 try had one of the worst Vietnam in February, U.S.
inches) of rain fell through- harvests in a decade. President Donald Trump re-
out the country in the first In February, North Korea’s jected North Korean leader
five months of this year. It ambassador to the United Kim Jong Un’s call for an
said that is the lowest level Nations, Kim Song, issued easing of the sanctions in
since 1982, when North Ko- an unusual appeal for ur- return for dismantling his In this May 6, 2019, photo, North Korea’s Kaepoong town is seen
rea received 51.2 millime- gent food assistance. main nuclear complex, a behind a North Korean military guard post, bottom, from the
unification observatory in Paju, South Korea.
ters (2 inches) of rain on North Korean officials have partial disarmament step.q Associated Press