Tag: China

Celebrity Judges: The Voice Singapore, Malaysia Must Embrace Diversity

The celebrity judges of the inaugural Singapore/Malaysia edition of reality singing show The Voice agree that in future, the show should consider lifting its Mandarin-speaking requirement.

At the show’s first press event held at Hotel Jen in Johor Baru on Tuesday (July 4) evening, Malaysian singer Gary Chaw, one of the four mentor-judges on the show, told The Straits Times that the show should “diversify”.

The 37-year-old said in a mix of English and Mandarin: “This is just the first season, but going forward, perhaps the producers could work out something with the franchise rights holder where the show could work in many languages.

“After all, Singapore and Malaysia are multi-racial countries, and so we should diversify.”

The producer of the show, mm2 Entertainment, had told The Straits Times in May that it had acquired the format licence to produce the Singapore/Malaysia version of The Voice in Mandarin “based on the assessment that it is most commercially viable.”

Source: www.thestraitstimes.com

July 8, 2017
PRC Academics Ridicule Singapore Government In The Midst Of Lee Family Feud

Academics from prominent state-linked universities in China have weighed in on the Lee Family Feud over 38 Oxley Road, the home of the late former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew.

The dispute between current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, his younger sister Dr Lee Wei Ling and younger brother Lee Hsien Loong, has become a topic of public interest in China, particularly among government officials. This comes after shocking revelations released on a nearly daily basis from the prime minister’s younger siblings.

The key criticism of Singapore’s model of governance comes from a Confucian point of view.

One academic who specializes in Southeast Asia, Ju Hailong, expressed doubts on the ability of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to continue ruling Singapore: “This will definitely affect his political base, as ethnic Chinese hold the value that if a person cannot handle his family well then he loses the ability to run a country.”

Another academic, Zhang Mingliang from Jinan University also spoke on the Confucian concept of family harmony, stating that Lee’s image has been undermined after he could not maintain his own family’s harmony.

Even the State Council Information Office has criticized Lee for failing to uphold the Singaporean principles of integrity and meritocracy, values built up painstakingly by his father, pointing out that “even his closest family members distrust and openly accuse him.”

Source: www.allsingaporestuff.com

June 21, 2017
China Siapkan Masjid Ke-3 Terbesar Di Dunia

Dunia bakal menyaksikan satu lagi seni bina hebat apabila negara dari benua Afrika iaitu Algeria kini dalam proses membina sebuah masjid yang diiktiraf sebagai ketiga terbesar di dunia apabila siap kelak.

Masjid yang bakal siap sepenuhnya pada tahun ini adalah hasil kerjasama antara syarikat kejuruteraan pembinaan dari China dan tempatan iaitu Algeria sendiri dengan pelbagai seni reka bentuk yang hebat.

Dikenali Djamaa El Djazair atau Bouteflika, masjid yang berharga lebih dari satu bilion euro (RM4 bilion) itu bakal menempatkan dewan solat seluas 20,000 meter persegi yang mampu memuatkan hingga 120,000 jemaah selain menara setinggi 264 meter yang dianggap tertinggi setakat ini.

CNN melaporkan negara yang kaya dengan hasil minyak itu telah memberikan penghargaan kepada sebuah firma kejuruteraan dari China kerana menghasilkan seni bina untuk masjid tersebut.

“Kami berterima kasih kepada rakan dari China yang menghasilkan karya seni bina ini. Ia akan ditulis dalam sejarah sebagai karya monumental seni bina agama.

“Ia adalah masjid ketiga terbesar di dunia, kedudukannya hanya selepas dua masjid terbesar iaitu Masjidil Haram di Makkah dan Masjid Nabawi di Madinah.

“Ia adalah sebuah bangunan yang megah, yang melambangkan persahabatan antara Algeria dan China,” kata Menteri Perumahan Algeria, Abdelmadjid Tebboune.

Beliau berkata demikian selepas majlis menempatkan menara masjid pada Sabtu lalu yang dihadiri China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) dan Duta Besar China di Algeria, Yang Guangyu.

Abdelmadjid turut menyampaikan pingat kepada jurutera dari China dan Algeria yang memberikan sumbangan cemerlang kepada pembinaan masjid tersebut.

“Taraf pembinaan projek ini adalah sangat tinggi. Ia direka dan dibina mengikut standard yang akan bertahan dalam masa selama seribu tahun.

“Selepas lima tahun berusaha, kami telah berjaya melepasi tahap pertama kejayaan untuk mencapai kejayaan pembinaan masjid ini,” kata Ketua Pengarah CSCEC di Algeria, Zhou Sheng.

Kompleks yang mula dibina pada 2012 itu terletak antara pusat tarikan pelancong dan daerah golongan bekerja yang sebelum ini menjadi kawasan pelampau Islam.

Rilek1Corner

Source: http://www.malaysiandigest.com

April 21, 2017
Chinese Community Riot In Paris To Protest Alleged Police Brutality

Protesters spelling the word ‘violence’ in front of riot policemen in Paris on Monday.

French police said on Tuesday they opened an inquiry after a Chinese man was shot dead by police at his Paris home, triggering riots in the French capital by members of the Chinese community and a diplomatic protest by Beijing.

The shooting on Sunday, which led China’s foreign ministry to call in a French diplomat, brought about a 100 members of the French-Chinese community on to the streets in Paris’s main Chinatown district on Monday night.

Some protesters threw projectiles outside the district’s police headquarters and a number of vehicles were torched in a confrontation with riot police.

Media reports said a 56-year-old man of Chinese origin was shot dead at his home on Sunday night in front of his family after police were called to investigate an altercation with a neighbour.

Police said the man attacked police with scissors, adding that an inquiry had been opened. The man’s family, according to media reports, denied this and some media said he was holding scissors because he had been cutting fish.

Police said they questioned 35 people after Monday’s street protests and three members of the police had been treated for slight injuries, they said.

In Beijing, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday it had summoned a French diplomat to explain events. It also sought a thorough investigation by French authorities and steps to be ensure the safety of Chinese citizens in France.

Source: www.tnp.sg

March 29, 2017
Terrex Case: PRC Ship Captain And Shipping Company Face Charges From Hong Kong Authorities

The captain of a container ship belonging to shipping company APL has been charged with not having the required licence when his vessel stopped in Hong Kong with nine Singapore Armed Forces armoured vehicles last November.

Pan Xuejun, 39, did not enter a plea at the West Kowloon Magistrate Court yesterday. The Chinese national faces one count of importing strategic commodities without the necessary licence. He was allowed bail of HK$50,000 (S$9,010), and his case has been adjourned to May 19. If convicted, Pan could face a fine and up to seven years in jail.

APL is understood to be also facing prosecution.

The Hong Kong authorities said it has “sufficient evidence to prove” that both APL and Pan had breached the law. It also said the Singapore Government could not be held responsible for the breach as it was only the consignee of the vehicles.

The court heard that on Nov 23 last year, Pan was the captain of a vessel transporting the Singapore-made Terrex infantry carriers back to Singapore after a military exercise in Taiwan. The ship stopped in Hong Kong without an import licence issued by the city’s Director-General of Trade and Industry. This led Customs officials to seize the vehicles.

According to the Customs authorities, vessels must declare all cargo on board before docking at its port. Generally, cargo in transit does not require an “import or export licence” as it will remain on the ship. However, such a licence is needed for “certain type of strategic commodities”.

Source: www.tnp.sg

March 25, 2017