Americans are murderers: Massive protest in Athens against Syria airstrikes

Thousands of Greeks turned up at a rally and march in central Athens organised by the Communist Party to protest the US-led airstrikes against Syria.

The protesters gathered Saturday at Athens' central Syntagma Square before marching to the US Embassy, chanting anti-US slogans and carrying banners.

Some wrote on the pavement in red paint: "Americans, murderers of people."

Police vehicles barricaded access to the embassy and protesters left peacefully.

Dimitris Koutsoumbas, the Communist Party's leader, blasted Greek politicians for believing "flimsy excuses about a use of chemical weapons" by Syria.

He also criticized their "subservience" to the EU and NATO, as well as their support for Israel.

He told the crowd "the imperialists once again spill the blood of the local people. They destroy and splinter states by using fabricated evidence.

Chinese court begins trial against ex-minister over corruption charges

A Chinese court on Thursday began a trial against former Agriculture Minister Sun Zhengcai over graft charges.

Zhengcai, 54, was charged with accepting bribes and abuse of power by the State Attorney's Office on February 13, Efe news reported.

He was an influential Politburo member of the Communist Party of China until 2017.

The anti-corruption wing of the Communist Party of China had initiated investigations against Zhengcai in July 2017, and in September he was expelled from the party and removed from office.

Zhengcai, who has been accused of using his political positions to receive large amounts of money and property, was the first serving member of the Politburo to be probed over corruption charges since Bo Xilai, also a former Chongqing party chief.

In 2017, Sun was abruptly replaced by Chen Miner, former propaganda chief of President Xi Jinping and one of his most trusted aides.

Sun's trial is part of Xi's anti-corruption campaign that he launched after taking office in 2013.

China set to make Xi era permanent with sweeping legal overhaul

In his first five years, President Xi Jinping has seized control of economic policy, reasserted the Communist Party’s authority and sidelined potential rivals in an unprecedented anti-corruption campaign.
Now, he’s set to make the Xi era permanent.
In a two-week session starting Monday, China’s rubber-stamp parliament is expected to enact sweeping legislative changes that would allow Xi to rule indefinitely and give him greater control over the levers of money and power. The agenda includes repealing presidential term limits, creating a powerful new agency to police officials and possibly approving the biggest regulatory overhaul of the $43 trillion finance-and-insurance sector in 15 years.
Xi is also reportedly planning to use the annual meeting of the 3,000-member National People’s Congress to install allies in key government posts, including the vice presidency, the central bank governorship and dozens of minister-level positions. It’s unclear when exactly specific decisions will be announced.

Xi confidant Liu He emerges as front runner to head China's central bank

Liu He, a Harvard-trained economist who is a trusted confidant of Chinese President Xi Jinping, has emerged as the front runner to be the next governor of the People's Bank of China (PBOC), according to three sources with knowledge of the situation.

Liu may be in a position to become one of China's most powerful economic and financial officials ever, as he is already top adviser to Xi on economic policy and is also expected to become vice premier overseeing the economy.

Liu would replace current PBOC chief, 70-year-old Zhou Xiaochuan, who is China's longest-running head of the central bank, having taken the job in 2002. Zhou is expected to retire around the time of the annual session of parliament in March, sources previously told Reuters.

Trump trade war: China's most powerful weapon may cause worldwide turmoil

As tensions escalate between the US and China, one crop is emerging as the most powerful weapon in a potential trade war: the soybean.China is the biggest buyer of American soybeans, picking up about a third of the entire US crop, which it uses largely to feed 400 million or so pigs. President Xi Jinping’s administration is studying the impact of restricting soybean imports in retaliation for US tariffs on washing machines and solar panels, people familiar with the situation told Bloomberg last week.Any China soybean curbs would directly hit farmers in the Midwestern US states that President Donald Trump needs to win re-election in 2020. Yet they would also pose a big risk for Xi: His nation is the world’s largest pork producer and consumer, and higher costs for pig farmers could increase prices of meat for his nation’s 1.3 billion citizens.

China unveils new leadership line-up as Xi Jingping strengthens his hand

China’s ruling Communist Party broke with recent precedent on Wednesday and revealed a new leadership line-up without a clear successor to President Xi Jinping, who has become arguably the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong.

Apart from Xi, Premier Li Keqiang was the only one to retain his spot amid sweeping changes on the Politburo Standing Committee. There is now speculation Xi could seek to stay on in some capacity beyond the end of his second term in 2022.

All seven Standing Committee members are in their 60s and, for the first time, no member was born before the 1949 Communist revolution.

The make-up of the committee, which has ultimate control over the world’s second-largest economy, appeared to be a compromise to include a broad range of voices from party elites.

The committee includes one person known to be very close to Xi - Li Zhanshu. Li, who often accompanies Xi on overseas trips, was named the third-ranked member, meaning he will most likely assume the role of head of the largely rubber-stamp parliament.
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Xi Jinping revamps PLA ahead of 19th Communist Party Congress

Chinese President Xi Jinping has reshuffled the top leadership of the powerful PLA, packing it with a new set of generals, vastly strenghtening his power base in the world's largest military ahead of the Congress of the ruling Communist party.

The reshuffle comes prior to the 19th Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) which will open here from October 18. The meeting is widely expected to confer a second five-year term to Xi as General Secretary.

Two top officials, Gen. Fang Fenghui, head of the Joint Staff Department Central Military Commission (CMC), and Gen. Zhang Yang, head of its Political Work Department have been removed in the latest shake up of the 2.3 million strong PLA, increasing Xi's dominance over the military.

Xi heads the all-powerful CMC the overall high command of the PLA and he is the only civilian in the 11-member body.

The "ousting" of Fang and Zhang is further proof that Xi is "cementing his control over the military", the Hong Kong- based South China Morning Post reported today.
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