Chinese tycoon tries to buy The New York Times to change its editorial focus and make it a platform for positive news about China
Chen Guangbiao, a rags-to-riches tycoon who made millions in the recycling business, is seeking to buy The New York Times. CNN reports:
The Times has already made significant investments designed to attract readers in China, including a Chinese language website.
But the site, along with its English language counterpart, has been blocked since 2012, when the paper published an investigation into the family wealth of former premier Wen Jiabao. Tensions remain high, and in recent weeks the paper went public with concerns that China might withhold visas for its journalists.
In the unlikely event that his purchase is successful, Chen suggested that he would seek to change the paper’s editorial focus.
“I hope it could become a platform to publicize positive information on China,” Chen said. “In the past, China has been misunderstood at many levels.”
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http://money.cnn.com/2014/01/02/news/companies/china-new-york-times/index.html?hpt=hp_c5&iid=article_sidebar
Well, could the Chinese have bought themselves the governing party in Malta, and in consequence, an EU member state? Could it have happened?
““I hope it could become a platform to publicize positive information on China,” Chen said. ”
Another one who doesn’t want “negative comments”.
Meanwhile, the Communist Chinese government tries to buy the Maltese government to dictate its way in the European Union.
We seem to have missed the point that Manwel Mallia’s threat that its either the sale of citizenship or more taxes means that the Maltese government is threatening us with the “issikkar tac-cintorin.”
P.S. Does anyone know when Joe Azzopardi will be discussing the sale of citizenship (Mark 2) on Xarabank?
I hope to see Joe Bannister and David Curmi of the Chamber of Commerce on the ‘penill’.
Selling Malta (i.e. eu) passports cheaply to those seeking surreptitious entrance to Europe by the back door is a subject much too highbrow for Xarabank audiences. They would be clapping in all the wrong places unless prompted by big brother.
And Tony Zahra, why not.
I agree. We were never given the “details” of the agreement signed between the then Leader of the Opposition and the Chinese government when the former paid a visit to that country.
He refused then and is refusing now to reveal the contents of that “agreement”. Maltese newspapers seem to have ignored this point completely which echoes the infamous secret treaty signed behind the people’s back with North Korea in the ’80s.
Can we find one journalist in Malta who would actually bother and press the PM for such details? The PL signed a “secret” treaty with China while still in Opposition and no one seems to take this seriously.
I am just concerned that more “surprises” will come out eventually of the Chinese-Pandora-Box.
I have this strong feeling that the secret memorandum of understanding with China is actually the “roadmap” they’ve been talking about.
And when they see it has been “kostid”, they probably mean it will cost at least 1,800 EU passports.
Why wait for reporters to ask questions? You can do that too. Write to the PM and publish his (non) reply. Ask your MP to ask questions in parliament on your behalf.
The Capitalist West deserves what is coming to it.
They made China their money making base, making China rich, not the people but the government and its cronies.
Now the same rich Chinese are out to buy the democratic West’s democratic roots, killing democracy.
Europe needs to get back its industrial base from China.
Hear hear. Westerners are so stupid sometimes. You have everyone wagging their finger and fuming either at the evil Nazis or the evil Jews, but no one’s wagging their finger at the evil Chinese.
Most sensible thing I have read all week.
Ideally Europe’s industrial base should be in Africa.
Unfortunately Africa was at a low general development level at the time of independence and the colonial economy had not penetrated so deeply into African society leading to the failure of the state after independence and its subsequent marginalization.
Africa has the necessary man power and a determined people.
Africa is close and therefore transportation of raw materials and finished products ought to cost less than producing and importing from the Far East. Wages are not an issue.
An additional bonus would be the reduction of emigration from Africa into Europe as wealth starts to dribble into Africa.
In gradual substitution of aid to Africa, Europe should seek the industrialization of the continent and invest in what may become Europe’s industrial base, at least that’s my view.
No. Europe’s industrial base should be in Germany, Eastern Europe and Russia, including a ring of partner nations outside the EU, even those within the Russian sphere of influence. We owe it to them.
Democracy is what put these dangerous people in government, but until someone comes up with a better idea , democracy is still the best form of choosing the government.
Hey people of Europe, fasten your silk road economic belt.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2013-11/29/content_17141843.htm
And roll out the red carpet. A 8,000 kilometre one.
“Du Dewen, of the Chinese consulate in Almaty, said Kazakhstan had spent billions of U.S. dollars in designing and building a road between west China and west Europe that is expected to become operational in 2015.
The 8,000-km-long highway, from China’s Khorgos, an inland port in Xinjiang, to St. Petersburg of Russia through Kazakhstan, will become a new important trunk line connecting Asia and Europe.”
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2014-01-05/news/public-transport-to-cost-taxpayer-2m-per-month-3604611073/
These people are mad. If they think anyone’s willing to enter an agreement into a loss-making operation they’re utterly dumb.
No wonder Mizzi can’t even talk. He has no idea where to start. He got rid of Arriva, which as it were, was absorbing those losses, took over accumulated debts and will now add another 12 million minimum.
This is what happens when chit-chat becomes policy, empty promises have to be kept and a government jumps into bed with its political backers. All they had in mind was to discredit the system, not improve operations.
Not to mention scrapping any lessons learnt, acquired know-how and implementing support systems. With Labour it’s truly a case of wasting energy and effort.
Mizzi can’t talk because he’s dumb. That’s why he’s in the job.
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/national/Residents-prefer-offshore-terminal-Delimara-gas-plant-EIA-20140104
OK, so will someone explain why Konrad Mizzi insisted on expressions of interest and speeding up the process, or is this the token Gvern li Jisma’ thingy? And weren’t works supposed to have started in October?
The renderings issued are also far from the truth. If it has to be a supertanker moored opposite the plant, it cannot be one pyloned jetty but two: one for the actual pipework and another basically a clear pathway for vehicular access running in parallel and distanced from the first.
Standards require the second for safety, risk attenuating operations and security monitoring, otherwise supply ships won’t even come nowhere near.
Oh no, another impeachment motion to avoid.
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/national/CAJ-finds-Lino-Farrugia-Sacco-guilty-of-misbehaviour-20140105
Farrugia Sacco retires next August. All Muscat needs to do is fudge the issue till then.
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2014-01-05/opinions/its-like-having-that-green-passport-again-3602710534/
A friend of mine was heading back to Malta from a non-Schengen country. When she handed her passport to the immigration officer, he checked it and, before he gave it back to her, snidely asked: “Do you want to sell it?”
This is why they have sent Konrad Mizzi’s wife there as a disguise.
Ic-Cinizi qerdu d-dinja ghax hafna mil jobs haduhom huma u hlief mbarazz ma jbieghux. Umanita ma jafux xi tfisser.
Haga biss ghandhom tajba; ma jindahlux fil-politka u fit-tmexxija bhalma jaghmlu l-Amerikani.
Minghalik. MINGHALIK. U anke invazjonijiet ghamlu, kontra dak li jghid dak ir-ragel stupidu Reno Calleja. Staqsi lill-Vietnam. Biex ma nsemmix it-Tibet.
Apparti li huma l-akbar razzisti u supremacists li qatt rat l-istorja, akbar anke min-Nazis.
And East Turkestan. The Uyghars aren’t particularly fond of their Han overlords.
And the Horn of Africa, West Africa, the Indian Ocean and the Sahel, if you include the suspiciously enthusiastic deployment of Chinese troops under a UN mandate.
The Chinese government’s mantra, heard in countless speeches at chanceries all over the Western world, is “peaceful rise”. That’s a very Sino-Maltese understanding of peace. We’ve had our share of political murders and torture too, and yet we delude ourselves that we are a peaceful and peace-loving nation, just because we included a few lines in the constitution about not joining Nato (for that is what it means, translated).
My friends, I may not have much left to live, but sure as the mountains, I will live to see myself in in chains, carried off to slavery by the Chinese. How will we rue our cheap iPads then.
I suggest you read what the Chinese are doing in Africa, they are destroying it and taking away all the natural resources at any cost to the environment. The Chinese are colonising Africa by stealth.
My apologies as this is not related to the post above.
I am sharing the link below to promote humanitarianism rather than the so called patriotism:
I found this to be troubling story with shocking comments:
http://www.inewsmalta.com/dart/20140104-waqfu-ajnuna-ax-dar-osanna-pia-bdiet-tilqa-barranin.
All this while the istrina is keeping to break records. I fail to understand the logic and morals of the people.
inews readership demographic is squarely in the racist camp. What did you expect?
Vespasian is quoted as saying “Pecunia non olet” – something to the effect that money is not that finicky when it comes to politics, or truth for that matter.
Liza Minelli praised its ‘merits’ in her song “Money makes the world go round”
How very true, in both cases.
I have just finished seeing the news on TVM, but to our national TV station, the decision by the Commision of Justice regarding magistrate Farrugia Sacco, is also of no news value.
if it goes through we might soon start reading editorials such as ”Mintoff and China – When two giants met” unfortunately
It seems that China already has editorial influence on the Times of Malta. Some days ago the online edition started a poll about sale of citizenship mark 2. When voting rapidly remained unchanged at 64% – 31%, identical to mark 1, this was quickly removed after a few days to be replaced by a hunting referendum poll.
Here’s a clue: Shiv Nair.