World
China’s Xi warns West against economic ‘decoupling’
The Chinese president praised his Belt and Road Initiative at its 10-year anniversary forum, saying it is the ‘right path forward’.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has warned Western states against “decoupling” from his country’s economy, insisting amid declining foreign investment that China’s development should be viewed as not a threat but an asset.
Xi’s caution came as he opened the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) forum in Beijing on Wednesday. He also used his speech to laud the scheme, which was launched 10 years ago with the professed aim of building infrastructure and energy networks to link Asia, Africa and Europe.
“We stand against unilateral sanctions, economic coercion, decoupling, and supply chain disruption,” Xi said, hitting back at perceived Western efforts to hamper China’s growth.
“Viewing others’ development as a threat or taking economic interdependence as a risk will not make one’s own life better or speed up one’s development,” he added. “China can only do well when the world is doing well… When China does well, the world will get even better.”
Attracting investment
As part of China’s efforts to attract more foreign investment, one measure of which hit a 25-year low earlier this year, Xi also pledged to ease investment restrictions and facilitate better trade ties.
“We will comprehensively remove restrictions on foreign investment access in the manufacturing sector,” while opening up “cross-border trade and investment in services and expand market access for digital products,” Xi said.
He added that China plans reforms for state-owned companies, as well as the digital economy, intellectual property rights, and government procurement.
At the same time, China will continue to pour billions of dollars into the economies of developing countries as it builds on the BRI, the Chinese president pledged.
Who’s attending the forum?
Leaders and representatives of over 130 countries are attending the forum, which celebrates the 10-year anniversary of Xi’s ambitious scheme, which he has called the “project of the century.”
Prominent guests include Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, and Pakistani Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar.
Xi met with Putin, whom he calls a “dear friend,” before the forum, and reaffirmed their strong partnership.
“The political mutual trust between the two countries is continuously deepening,” Xi said, according to the state news agency Xinhua, hailing their “close and effective strategic coordination”.
Western scepticism
European leaders largely stayed away from the event, with Hungary’s nationalist-populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban the sole European Union head of state in attendance.
Western leaders have come to view China’s BRI with suspicion, seeing it as a tool to amplify Beijing’s global influence and reach. Many Western countries are seeking to diversify supply chains to reduce reliance on China, which is the world’s second-largest economy.
‘Right path forward’
Going forward, Xi said the Belt and Road Initiative would move towards addressing issues of artificial intelligence and climate change, including through intensified cooperation in “green infrastructure, energy, and transportation”.
The Chinese president added that the BRI has put it on the right side of history, according to China’s Xinhua state news agency. “It represents the advancing of our times, and it is the right path forward.”
An estimated 104 journalists lost their lives in 2024, with Palestine the most dangerous territory.
An estimated 104 journalists were killed worldwide over the past year, according to data shared earlier this month by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).
Another report by NGO Reporters Without Borders (RSF) puts the figure at 54, but its methodology means it only includes killings that are considered “directly related” to journalists’ professional activity.
Both organisations say that Palestine is the deadliest place on earth for journalists. More than half (55) of the 104 killings reported by IFJ were Palestinian media professionals in Gaza, while a further six were killed in Lebanon.
At least 138 journalists have been killed in Gaza since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out on 7 October 2023, making the country one of the “most dangerous in the history of modern journalism, behind Iraq, the Philippines and Mexico,” according to the IFJ.
Reporters without Borders has described the number of killings in Gaza as “an unprecedented bloodbath”.
Israel firmly denies it has intentionally targeted any journalists, but has recognised some that have been killed in its airstrikes on Gaza.
The 104 total killings reported by the IFJ is a slight decrease on the 129 they reported on in 2023, which is considered the bloodiest year for journalists since 1990.
How do other world regions fare?
Asia Pacific is the world’s second most dangerous region for journalists, after the Middle East, according to the IFJ.
It recorded 20 deaths in the region in 2024, of which 70% happened in the southern Asian countries of Pakistan, Bangladesh and India.
The region has seen an “upsurge” in violence, according to the IFJ, with deaths increasing sharply from the 12 recorded in 2023.
Africa was the third most dangerous region for journalists at eight deaths, five of them in war-torn Sudan.
The number of journalists killed in south, central and north America has dropped sharply over the past two years, from 30 in 2022 to six in 2023, and another six in 2024. Mexico, considered to be one of the deadliest places in the world to do journalism, continues to see “threats, intimidation, kidnappings and murders” against journalists, particularly due to reporting on drug trafficking.
Number of journalists behind bars on the rise
According to IFJ estimates on 10 December, there were 520 journalists in prison across the world, considerably more than in 2023 (427) and 2022 (375).
China, including Hong Kong, accounts for most of journalists behind bars, followed by Israel and Myanmar.
The IFJ says the figures show how “fragile” the independent press is and how “risky and dangerous” the profession of journalism has become.
World
Christmas in Puerto Rico is a 45-day celebration with caroling, festive decorations, family feasts and more
Christmas, Navidad in Puerto Rico, extends far beyond Dec. 25.
The island proudly proclaims itself as having the “longest holiday season in the world,” according to the website Discover Puerto Rico.
On average, the holiday festivities in Puerto Rico last about 45 days, per the source, commencing right after Thanksgiving, and stretching all the way through mid-January.
The Christmas season in Puerto Rico typically lasts around 45 days. (iStock)
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The holiday season in Puerto Rico is full of rich traditions beloved by families.
One tradition those who visit Puerto Rico will immediately notice during the holiday season is decorations.
In Puerto Rico, decorations are typically put up by Thanksgiving, and kept up until the season concludes in mid-January, with opportune picture moments at every corner.
Parrandas, Christmas caroling, is a holiday staple.
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Carolers choose houses of family and friends to visit, typically starting around 10 p.m., performing aguinaldos (traditional Christmas songs), with not only their voices, but often with instruments as well, according to Discover Puerto Rico.
The group you begin caroling with is likely not the same group you end with.
In Puerto Rico, when carolers visit a house, they’ll often stop inside for conversation, food and drink before moving to the next residence.
Coquito is a popular beverage enjoyed during the holiday season in Puerto Rico. Coconut, vanilla and rum are among the ingredients. (Mayra Beltran/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
Usually, the residences of the house visited will join the group for the next house, according to Discover Puerto Rico.
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A night of serenading loved ones can last quite a while, often stretching into the early morning hours of the following day, according to the source.
The biggest day of the holiday season in Puerto Rico actually isn’t Christmas, but instead, the night before.
In Puerto Rico, Dec. 24 is Nochebuena. On that day, loved ones gather for the exchange of gifts, caroling and a large feast.
Many families will also attend a midnight Mass on the day, known as Misa de Gallo.
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After Christmas passes, the festivities go on in Puerto Rico.
Another big event in the holiday lineup is Three Kings Day on Jan. 6, a holiday that “commemorates the visit that the Three Wise Men paid to Jesus after his birth,” according to Discover Puerto Rico.
On the eve of the day, children fill up a shoebox with grass to be left for camels to munch on while the Three Kings leave behind gifts for them, according to PuertoRico.com.
For a particularly festive Three Kings Day, Juana Díaz is the place to go, as it hosts the largest celebration in Puerto Rico for the holiday. In Juana Díaz, there is an annual festival and parade in honor of Three Kings Day that brings together over 25,000 people every year, according to Discover Puerto Rico.
Gifts are primarily exchanged between loved ones on Christmas Eve in Puerto Rico. (iStock)
Then, eight days later is Octavitas, a post-holiday celebration where families get together and celebrate one last time for the season.
The end of the holiday season is marked with the San Sebastián Street Festival.
This festival, spanning over multiple days, takes place in Old San Juan, and is filled with live music, dancing, shopping and parades.
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