https://www.scmp.com/rss/506689/feed Sophie Zinser is a researcher focusing on forced labour and China's role in the Middle East, South and Central Asia. She has worked with refugees and migrants on developing community-focused policy solutions for five years across the Middle East and Asia. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com The United Arab Emirates is the third-most-vaccinated country in the world, having administered more than 6 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines, according to the Bloomberg vaccine tracker. China has played a prominent role in this since Abu Dhabi began phase three clinical trials for the Sinopharm vaccine back in June. Last month, the UAE announced a partnership with Sinopharm to manufacture its vaccines locally. For the UAE, “vaccine diplomacy” with China is just one step in a broader project... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3123969/uae-chinas-vaccine-diplomacy-stepping-stone-its-own-geopolitical?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3123969/uae-chinas-vaccine-diplomacy-stepping-stone-its-own-geopolitical?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Mar 2021 01:15:09 +0000 Before the violent attacks at the US Capitol this week, President Donald Trump had issued an executive order on the last day of 2020 declaring January 2021 National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month in the United States. The Trump administration has repeatedly exploited the issue of modern slavery for political gain without enacting comprehensive policies supporting victims. However, combating modern slavery remains one of the few issues maintaining support across party lines in... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3117516/embrace-sustainable-circular-economy-end-demand-forced-labour?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3117516/embrace-sustainable-circular-economy-end-demand-forced-labour?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Jan 2021 14:00:09 +0000 On November 28, top Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was assassinated near Tehran. Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called for the “definitive punishment” of those who perpetrated this crime, which was apparently the result of a complex operation and is being blamed on both the United States and Mossad, Israel’s external security agency. The assassination came amid mounting US-Iran tensions: in the days leading up to the killing, the US sanctioned five Chinese and... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3112748/will-china-lead-middle-east-alliance-us-iran-tensions-escalate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3112748/will-china-lead-middle-east-alliance-us-iran-tensions-escalate?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Dec 2020 18:30:15 +0000 Chinese President Xi Jinping’s ambitious promise to achieve carbon neutrality before 2060, announced on September 22, may have global implications, although it contradicts the nation’s reliance on fossil fuel investments and the coal powering its domestic industry. Despite the US State Department’s 1,800-word “fact sheet” released on September 25, pointing out China’s past environmental violations, Xi’s long-term carbon-neutral goal is a strong example of global leadership. Documents released on... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3103926/how-china-can-turn-its-carbon-neutral-pledge-reality-and-benefit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3103926/how-china-can-turn-its-carbon-neutral-pledge-reality-and-benefit?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Oct 2020 18:00:13 +0000 Despite the turbulent Sino-India relationship, Chinese investment may soon provide critical support to India’s pandemic-ravaged health infrastructure. India’s finance ministry recently discussed an US$8 billion national health infrastructure project with the Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), World Bank and Asian Development Bank. If the deal is signed, the AIIB may have a significant stake in one of India’s most ambitious public sector projects: ameliorating its crippled... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3097464/investing-indian-health-care-will-bolster-aiibs-global-ambition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3097464/investing-indian-health-care-will-bolster-aiibs-global-ambition?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Aug 2020 13:00:19 +0000 As Covid-19 barrels across the world – impacting both high- and low-income earners in the global labour market – new estimates by the International Labour Organisation reveal that 55 million domestic workers globally, 37 million of them women, are at risk of unemployment. While individuals with economic security can use technology to work from home, domestic workers suddenly face difficult conditions amid changing restrictions. Many have been forced to stay in home quarantine with employers.... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3094430/covid-19-making-millions-domestic-workers-more-vulnerable-tech-can?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3094430/covid-19-making-millions-domestic-workers-more-vulnerable-tech-can?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Jul 2020 08:30:10 +0000