Features

Irritants surface in China-West European ties

Published

4 years ago

2022/11/10

Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President Xi Jinping

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz could very well have broken rank with some of his fellow member states in the European Union by choosing to visit China with the aim of mending economic fences with the latter. Scholz sought to reassure the political leadership of the Union and their publics that he meant well by his visit by promising to take up with President Xi Jinping the question of ‘respect for civil and political liberties and the rights of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang Province’.

However, given the general vibrancy of human rights advocacy in the West, the issues in question are bound to crop up continually in Western Europe’s ties with China.

The allegation doing the rounds in the West is that the Chinese authorities are subjecting to genocide the Uyghur minority community in China, which, for some time now has been agitating for a measure of autonomy in its regions of habitation in the country. Over the years, sections of the Western media have been replete with footage of what is made out to be the persecution of the Uyghurs. Tens of thousands of members of the community are shown packed in narrow physical confines, which are made out to be ‘rehabilitation centres’. If authentic, such media coverage establishes the point that the Uyghurs’ fundamental rights are being grossly violated.

At the time of writing, it is not clear whether the German Chancellor has made a persuasive case for the Uyghurs with the Chinese political leadership. Equally importantly, it is not clear whether the Chinese authorities would be doing anything constructive, if convinced of the rightness of the Uyghur cause, to address the rights violations allegedly suffered by the minority. But one could be fairly certain that the alleged rights violations of the Uyghurs would intermittently surface in Germany’s ties with its allies in the EU and other like-minded sections in the West.

However, Germany could be expected to be in a hurry right now to ensure unruffled relations with China in consideration of its pressing economic concerns. Issues growing out of the Russian invasion of Ukraine have intensified these worries in recent times. Besides energy considerations, Germany’s need to ensure smooth trade and investment relations with China, in Europe’s current gathering economic discontent, could be considered as having urgently prompted the German Chancellor’s visit to China last Friday.

Apparently, Germany’s economic self-interest is over-riding all other considerations of relevance to its Western European allies in its present efforts to keep its economic fences intact with China. For Germany, it may not be quite to the point to be accused of being inconsistent in its standards and of being hypocritical. For, after having condemned authoritarian Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and after having doubled its efforts to arm the latter against the invader, here is Germany in an urgent attempt to maintain unruffled and advantageous economic ties with China; a state that is as authoritarian and undemocratic as Russia.

For Germany, its national interest is of prime importance and this is applicable to all states. Right now, it has no choice but to continue to work with and do business with China. May be as time goes by it could convince China of the advisability of managing Uyghur issues more insightfully.

A high-profile business delegation accompanied Chancellor Scholz to China and its composition reveals the economic considerations underlying the first visit undertaken by a prominent G7 leader, since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, to China. In the Chancellor’s delegation were the CEOs of the following business organizations: Volkswagen, Deutsche Bank, Siemens and BASF, a ‘chemical giant’. Underscoring the economic importance of China to Germany are the following statistics as revealed in the media: 12 per cent of Germany’s imports last year were attributable to China. Eighty per cent of imported laptops, 70 per cent of mobile phones came from China. The latter accounted for 40 per cent of Volkswagen’s global deliveries in the first three quarters of 2022 and China is also rated as a top market for Mercedes Benz cars.

Reports also indicated that last year China was Germany’s biggest trading partner for the sixth consecutive year. China’s trade with Germany the same year was worth some $242 billion.

The above statistics alone point to the paramount importance of China for Germany in the economic sphere. Clearly, it would be self-defeating for Germany to draw back from sustaining its economic links with China, which comes a close second to the US as a foremost economic power.

However, how will Germany convince the human rights lobbies of the West that it is putting its best foot forward to advance the cause of human rights the world over, now that the tragedy unfolding in Ukraine is demonstrating in no uncertain terms that the legitimate rights of a people could be crushed underfoot by major powers that have no allegiance to democracy and its values?

This is a major poser with foreign policy implications for Germany and other big powers that lay claim to democratic credentials but who insist on not burning their economic boats with repressive states. More simply, how will they establish that they are not being hypocritical when they preach human rights?

Such dilemmas are likely to intensify in particularly the West in the days ahead. Major democracies would be compelled by deteriorating economic conditions, now that a global recession is taking hold, to tread a very tight rope between the advancement of economic self-interest and giving proof of their continuing commitment to promoting the cause of democracy and human rights. In a vital sense, the world’s major democracies are at a cross-roads. Needless to say, this situation is a setback for democracy.

However, the defenders of democracy have no choice but to stick to their cause in view of the fact that the interests of people everywhere are best served by the democratic system of government. They need to forge ahead with the utmost judiciousness and patience and a good example on this score is provided by no less a person than Chancellor Scholz himself. Answering a question on his China visit the Chancellor said: ‘Global problems can only be solved through cooperation with China. Meeting face-to-face facilitated discussion, even of issues over which both countries strongly disagree.’

Thus, patient diplomacy could pay some dividends on the questions of advancing democratic development and promoting human rights. Flexibility and patience emerge as vital resources for human rights defenders.

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Features

New US sanctions on ICC, a fillip to worldwide political repression

Published

20 hours ago

2026/10/15

Thilina Walpola

The International Criminal Court in session. UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s warning to the International Criminal Court (ICC) was stark: ‘Either the ICC will end its threats, or we will end the ICC.’ It followed US central administration accusations that the court was unfairly targeting Americans on the basis of trumped-up war crimes charges.

However, a new plethora of sanctions has been clamped on the ICC by the US, which in turn has spurred accusations by sections of the world that the latter has unleashed an ‘assault’ on the international legal order.

What some of the sanctions would mean for the ICC was outlined by Rubio: ‘We will ban transactions with this rogue court, cutting off their resources and crippling their ability to operate against us.’

The ICC has shown consistency of purpose over the years. Despite some operational constraints it has indicted a large number of political strongmen from around the world, accused of war crimes and other governance excesses that come under its purview. Two such recent figures are: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Rather than enjoy a mere nominal presence in the world community, the ICC has proved its effectiveness by detaining and bringing to justice scores of VIP politicians and others of their ilk who have been found guilty of human rights abuses and kindred excesses that come within the terms of reference of the ICC.

Accordingly, the international justice system would be stymied considerably as a result of the ICC being dis-empowered, particularly financially. Needless to say, potential and real perpetrators of the species of crime coming under the jurisdiction of the ICC would stand to gain most from such anarchic tendencies. That is, political repression globally would be enabled to enjoy a new lease of life.

A detailing of the types of crime coming under the purview of the ICC provides an idea of what it would cost the international community if the ICC’s operations are gravely hampered. They are mainly: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression.

That is, the part of the world to be worst affected would be the global South, since the latter is awash with the mentioned crimes. Needless to say, a chronically-disaffected South will sooner rather than later undermine the well being of the world dangerously. The world is already being put through these paces.

At the time of writing, ‘illegal migrants’ from the South, for example, are aggravating many a Western economy’s woes, besides creating for them acute law and order issues. The fact that these migrants’ presence goes on to become a virtual test of the migrant receiving states’ ability to forge domestic social inclusion in the face of jingoistic protests by mainly white supremacist groups is evidence of the latter. As is known, the US, to take just one example, has been up against this crisis for quite a while.

Accordingly, it will be in the best interests of the West if ‘illegal’ migrant arrivals on their shores are stemmed. If the socio-political and economic problems assailing the South are effectively managed through North-South collaborative, ‘trouble-shooting’ efforts the causes leading to ‘illegal’ migration and connected issues could be resolved at source as it were. For, it is the aggravation of the South’s material questions that lays the basis for the emergence of repressive and anti-democratic regimes in the hemisphere.

Until such time that the aforementioned issues in North-South relations are visited afresh and addressed urgently, a vibrantly functioning ICC would be needed. For, the latter would prove a deterrent to Southern political and military strongmen, highly prone to power abuse and like excesses, from coming into being in the wake of the South’s chronic material woes and the wars and conflicts that result from them.

It stands to reason then that the US would be acting in its own interests by enabling the ICC to perpetuate its mandate without hindrance. For a crop of issues that impinges negatively on internal law and order would be defused.

Meanwhile, there needs to be a meeting of minds among the rest of the West to put back in place a North-South dialogue process aimed at reducing some of the economic pressures that are weighing on the South.

Since economics usually drives politics it will be in the interests of the world community to scrutinizingly re-visit North-South issues of the past and put in place economic relief packages for Southern publics that would enable them to tide over their material hardships rather than permit the latter to aggravate into social disaffection and eventually armed militancy. It is the latter juncture that paves the way for the emergence of authoritarian rulers in the South who then go on to be a blight on their publics.

Accordingly, the Southern-based global development thinking of the past that envisaged a more equitable world economic order needs to be seen as an urgent need. That is, NAM’s international development paradigms need to be resuscitated to the extent possible.

It is unlikely that rightist governments of the West, such as the current Republican administration in the US, would find these projects feasible, but democratic states of Europe, led by perhaps the UK, are likely to think otherwise. For it would not be beneficial for the democratic world to be having on their hands repressive governments in the South who would be gravitating towards the major military and economic actors of the South, such as Iran and North Korea, who tend to be in constant power struggles with the West.

However, until such time that the mentioned, pro-people initiatives are given serious thought the ICC would need to be enabled by the international community to be in place comfortably and carry on with its mandate of bringing repressive rulers to book. Besides the ICC should pave the way for the peoples of the developing world to enjoy some substantial respite from the political repression and even terror which tend to be their lot.

Meanwhile, the wars of West Asia are relentlessly aggravating the economic hardships of people everywhere, driving the point home to enlightened sections that there is no alternative to peacemaking. A challenge is to convert the US under President Trump to this line of thinking.

Features

Clear, soft and shine-free skin

Published

21 hours ago

2026/10/15

Thilina Walpola

This week, I give you five simple, time-tested homemade remedies that help reduce the appearance of blemishes, control excess shine and leave your skin feeling softer and smoother.

The Honey and Lemon Brightening Dab:

For stubborn blemish marks, this is a classic. Mix one teaspoon of pure bee honey with three to four drops of fresh lemon juice. Apply gently, only on the affected spots, and leave for 10 minutes before rinsing with lukewarm water. While honey soothes and softens, lemon helps to brighten naturally. Use twice a week in the evening.

Besan and Rose Water Oil-Control Pack:

An ideal remedy to combat shine, especially on the T-zone. Take two teaspoons of besan (gram flour) and mix with sufficient rose water to form a smooth paste. Add a pinch of turmeric for its antiseptic goodness. Apply evenly, keep for 15 minutes and wash off. It absorbs excess oil without over-drying, leaving a beautiful matte finish.

Aloe Vera and Cucumber Ice Soother:

Blend fresh aloe vera gel with the juice of a grated cucumber and freeze the mixture in an ice tray. Each morning, wrap one cube in a soft muslin cloth and gently rub over a cleansed face for 30 seconds. It calms, tightens pores and imparts a baby-soft smoothness.

Oatmeal and Curd Gentle Polish:

Roughness and old blemish marks need gentle exfoliation. Combine one tablespoon of finely powdered oatmeal with one tablespoon of fresh curd (yoghurt). Massage very gently, in circular motions, for one minute, leave for five minutes and rinse. It removes dead cells and unveils softer, clearer skin.

Multani Mitti and Green Tea Magic Mask:

Brew some green tea and allow it to cool completely. Mix one and a half teaspoons of Multani Mitti (Fuller’s Earth) with the tea water to make a fine paste. Apply for 10 to 12 minutes – do not let it dry and crack completely – and wash off. It draws out impurities, fades blemishes and bestows a fresh, shine-free glow.

A Gentle Reminder:

As with any natural remedy, always do a patch test on your inner arm first. For those with oily or combination skin, avoid heavy coconut oil application and harsh scrubbing, as they tend to aggravate shine and blemishes.

Features

Compete, shine and be discovered at WCOPA 2027

Published

21 hours ago

2026/10/15

Thilina Walpola

Dream of performing on a world stage? Well, here is your unique, golden opportunity!

The World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA) — the one and only official “Talent Olympics” — is the world’s premier global platform for aspiring singers, dancers, actors, models, instrumentalists, etc., to compete, shine and be discovered!

And, yes, this world stage is open to YOU, Sri Lankans living in Sri Lanka and overseas!

Held annually in glittering Las Vegas, WCOPA brings together over 70 countries, all competing for Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals, just like the traditional Olympics.

Lakisha Bernard: Will represent Team Sri Lanka at WCOPA 2027

Outstanding performers vie for the coveted titles of Junior and Senior Grand Champion Performer of the World, with winners and standout participants awarded over $500,000 in scholarships, cash awards and prizes to catapult their education and careers!

Sri Lanka is already making waves! At WCOPA 2026, Natharie Wickramasinghe, representing Team Sri Lanka, made the nation proud by winning a Bronze Medal in the Ethnic/Folklore Dance category!

Lakisha: Accomplished freelance Model and Fashion Design graduate

Recruitment for this prestigious competition is handled through a system of scouts and licensed National Directors — and this is where our very own Chris Rajendra, now based in Las Vegas, and National Director for Team Sri Lanka, comes into the scene.

If you are a singer, dancer, actor, model, instrumentalist — if you have talent burning inside you — contact Chris Rajendra today for registration and, who knows, you may find yourself in Las Vegas, and proudly draped in the Sri Lankan flag, at WCOPA 2027!

The contact address is: Chris Rajendra, wcopa.nationaldirector.sl@gmail.com

or chris.rajendra@gmail.com

Meanwhile, a star is born for 2027, in the form of Lakisha Bernard who is all set to represent Team Sri Lanka at WCOPA 2027.

Originally hailing from the sun-drenched coastal city of Colombo and now carving out her creative career in Canada, 22-year-old Lakisha is stepping into the international spotlight.

This accomplished freelance Model and Fashion Design graduate has officially been appointed as the Team Sri Lanka Promoter for Canada as she prepares to represent Team Sri Lanka at WCOPA in Las Vegas.

Lakisha brings a unique blend of high-fashion sensibility, captivating camera presence and expert garment design to the Team.

Having built her career, from local college shoots to high-glamour concepts, Lakisha’s inspiring journey embodies the true spirit of cultural bridge-building and creative resilience, bringing immense pride and recognition to Sri Lanka on the global stage.

WCOPA 2027 will be held at the legendary Westgate Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, from 12th to 20th July – the very same iconic arena where the late, great Elvis Presley himself performed!

Your moment is now. Your stage is Las Vegas, so hurry and contact Chris Rajendra.