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Today — 13 July 2025News

德语媒体:单凭提升军力 台湾还不足以自保

13 July 2025 at 19:17
null 媒体看中国
2025-07-10T13:58:20.814Z
日报:单凭提升军力 台湾还无法自保

(德国之声中文网)中华人民共和国的武统威胁日益加剧之际,台湾周二开始了过去数十年来最大规模的军演。《日报》发表评论称,加大军演规模实属必要,因为台湾往年的军演更像是公关秀,根本没有起到军事威慑的作用。这篇题为《军事手段并不足够》的评论写道:

“通过这次规模创纪录的军演,台北传达出了多重信号。首先是面对中国的信号:自治且民主的台湾不会屈服于北京的威胁。 其次是对本土民众发出的信号:自由派政府高度重视提升国防能力,积极为最坏情况进行准备,并在努力提高台湾民众的危机意识。第三是对美国发出的信号:华盛顿已签署条约承诺协防台湾。至于美国届时会向台湾提供武器、抑或直接派兵参战,美国故意不做出明确表态,目的就是要让北京不明就里,捉摸不定,同时也是为了不助长台湾独派进行冒险。拜登曾明确表示若有需要会以武力护台,而特朗普目前则对此含糊其辞,并敦促台湾加强自身防务。

面对中国日益扩张的军备以及对台湾构成的严重威胁,除了继续巩固其在高端芯片领域的垄断地位所构成的所谓‘硅盾’之外,强化自身防御能力已经成了台湾的不二选择。但仅凭‘硅盾’和提升军力还远远不够。一方面,毕竟台湾无法在同中国的军备竞赛中胜出;另一方面,北京更可能会对台湾实施海上封锁,而不是发动正面进攻。只要九成以上能源和七成食品继续依赖进口,台湾就极易受到中国的渗透、破坏和封锁。长期以来,北京一直在通过不断的挑衅来试探台湾和美国的反应,而迄今为止,台美双方也一直没有给出令人信服的应对方案。”

金砖集团 - 世界新秩序的序幕?

《柏林日报》以《世界新秩序的序幕》为题,就金砖集团的快速崛起发表评论。

“金砖国家要求对全球贸易与金融体系进行大刀阔斧的改革。以国际货币基金组织与世界银行为代表的布雷顿森林体系应进行民主化改革,以反映 21 世纪的力量对比。2000 年以来,金砖国家在全球市场的份额已从 20% 翻倍至 40%。为此,IMF 的配额制度应当进行改革,以便让投票权分配与贷款决策变得更加合理,使金砖国家在融资与管理层面拥有更强的影响力。

金砖峰会的联合公报中写道,‘多边贸易体系长期以来一直处于转折点’。关税与贸易保护主义威胁着全球贸易和供应链,进而加剧了世界的不平衡发展。美国的制裁机制更加促进了金砖各国的团结。

柏林日报:金砖集团 - 世界新秩序的序幕?

联合公报称:‘我们谴责任何违反国际法的单边强制措施,并重申包括单边经济制裁和次级制裁在内的此类措施会对人权造成深远的负面影响。’” 

评论指出,金砖国家的主张引起了美国总统特朗普的强烈不满。他发出威胁称,任何同反美主义金砖集团结盟的国家,都将被课以10%的惩罚性关税。

“华盛顿的反应暴露了问题的实质。七国集团与金砖阵营之间的分歧与矛盾正在日益加剧。如果西方不放弃对现行世界秩序的单边主张,制度性脱钩的到来可能会快过多数人的预想。到那时,欧洲国家将不得不在两种世界秩序间做出选择,甚至会沦为两大阵营的博弈棋子。

无论在经济,还是政治议题上,金砖国家都表现出了不容置疑的结盟姿态。他们对‘美以两国对伊朗的攻击、加沙的种族灭绝以及乌克兰对俄罗斯基础设施的轰炸’进行明确谴责。他们虽反对俄乌战争,但却拒绝承认俄罗斯为侵略战争的唯一责任者。俄乌战争正在欧洲大陆进行,因此欧洲也就必须承担相应的后果。 巴西和中国已就乌克兰和平发布了路线图,而布鲁塞尔和柏林则尚未做出回应。世界力量格局的转移,往往就是这样发生的。”

 

摘编自其他媒体的内容,不代表德国之声的立场或观点。

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© 2025年德国之声版权声明:本文所有内容受到著作权法保护,如无德国之声特别授权,不得擅自使用。任何不当行为都将导致追偿,并受到刑事追究。

德国医院呼吁加强立法 严惩“医闹”

13 July 2025 at 19:17
德才
2025-07-13T11:09:30.395Z
医院协会呼吁加强立法严惩“医闹”肇事者

(德国之声中文网)德国医院和诊所不得不采取各类防护措施,以防范医护人员遭到暴力侵害。德国医院协会DKG主席加斯(Gerald Gaß)呼吁加重处罚,并为受害者建立更完善的报备系统。

德国医院协会与联邦医师协会共同呼吁,对医院和诊所工作人员的侵害应当加重处罚。DKG主席加斯在接受德国编辑网络(RND)采访时表示:“国家必须发出一个明确的信号,那就是无论急诊室等待时间多么长、医院的流程多么复杂,暴力都是绝对不可接受,也决不能够容忍的。”。

加斯指出,在对医护人员的攻击案件中,量刑时应当与对消防员、急救人员及其他救援人员的袭击同等对待。联邦医师协会主席莱因哈特(Klaus Reinhardt)也呼吁提高惩罚力度。此外,莱因哈特还呼吁建立全国范围内简单高效的报备系统,对暴力事件进行登记。“只有如此,才能让这类暴力案件的真实规模浮出水面,并采取有效对策。

医护人员须”学习防身术”

德国医院协会主席加斯表示,为了保护医护人员不受日益增多的言语和肢体暴力,医院和诊所正在不断加强安全措施,“其中包括聘请安保人员、开展化解冲突与防身培训,有时甚至会对医院建筑进行相应改造。”

加斯说,有些医院甚至采取了这样的安保方案:在急诊室的等候区,患者及其家属只能同训练有所的安保人员进行接触。

医院协会主席加斯:一些医院开始对医护人员进行化解冲突与防身技巧的培训。

对于那些所谓“高风险”班次,则尽量安排体格强壮的护理人员来值班。莱因哈特表示,各地医师协会正通过继续教育和冲突化解培训,帮助医生学会在不同场合下应对攻击性行为。

“医闹”暴力不断蔓延

有报道称,一些医师协会还专门设立了举报渠道,供受害者报告暴力侵害事件。加斯表示,对于医院加强安保措施的努力,政府应给予财政支持。他批评道:“截至目前,医院加强安保所产生费用都是自行承担的。”

德国医院研究所去年进行的一项调查显示,73%的受访医院表示其工作人员遭受暴力侵害的事件有不同程度的增加。其中约半数医院指出急诊室遭受暴力侵害的事件尤为突出,而侵害对象主要是护理人员。

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© 2025年德国之声版权声明:本文所有内容受到著作权法保护,如无德国之声特别授权,不得擅自使用。任何不当行为都将导致追偿,并受到刑事追究。



Trump Administration Poised to Ramp Up Deportations to Distant Countries

13 July 2025 at 17:01
Eight men sent by the United States to South Sudan could presage a new approach to Trump-era deportations, even as critics say the practice could amount to “enforced disappearance.”

© Ivor Prickett for The New York Times

Downtown Juba, South Sudan, last year. Third-country deportations could accelerate under new internal guidance issued by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

伊朗:愿同国际原子能机构开展“有条件的合作”

13 July 2025 at 18:17
德正
2025-07-13T10:00:09.991Z
伊朗外长:伊朗愿同国际原子能机构开展”有条件的合作“。

(德国之声中文网)七月初,伊朗通过立法叫停了同国际原子能机构的一切合作。现如今,德黑兰的立场显然已经有所松动。

伊朗外长阿拉格奇(Abbas Araghtschi)宣布,该国仍愿意同国际原子能机构开展合作,但必须通过伊朗国家安全委员会。他表示,今后国际原子能机构的所有请求都将由国家安全委员会逐一审议并处理。对伊朗核设施的任何核查也必须事先获得该委员会批准。阿拉格奇以安全因素作为理由,指出核设施内部存在放射性物质或弹药残留的风险,因此必须保证核查人员的安全。 

国际原子能机构工作人员已离开伊朗

本月初,伊朗总统佩泽希齐扬(Massud Peseschkian)签署了议会此前通过的一项法律,就此为伊朗同国际原子能机构的合作画上了句号。而此前大约一周,国际原子能机构工作人员已经悉数离开伊朗。

伊朗当时的解释是,在能够为本国核设施提供安全保障之前,将拒绝国际原子能机构的任何访问请求。此外,伊朗议会还要求国际原子能机构承认伊朗有权发展核计划,并谴责以色列和美国对伊朗核设施的袭击。

伊朗仍希望开展“有条件的外交斡旋”

对于未来关于伊朗核计划的谈判,阿拉格奇重申了其政府的条件:在与美国重启核谈判之前,必须获得不会再次发动袭击的保证;政府也不会同意任何禁止本国铀浓缩的协议。他表示,谈判须仅限于核计划,不得涉及防务问题,例如伊朗的导弹项目。

六月21日,美国出动B2战略轰炸机对伊朗核设施进行了轰炸。

以色列于6月13日对伊朗发动战争,袭击了伊朗境内包括核设施在内的多处目标。大约十天后,美国也参与了袭击行动,攻击了福尔多(Fordo)、纳坦兹(Natanz)以及伊斯法罕(Isfahan)等地的核设施和浓缩设施。目前尚不清楚这些袭击造成的损害有多严重。美国称这些设施已被“彻底摧毁”,而伊朗则否认上述设施遭到严重破坏。

以色列和美国称,他们之所以发动袭击,是因为伊朗已经“危险地接近”自主研发核武器的目标。伊朗领导层则一再强调,伊朗的核计划仅用于民用目的。

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© 2025年德国之声版权声明:本文所有内容受到著作权法保护,如无德国之声特别授权,不得擅自使用。任何不当行为都将导致追偿,并受到刑事追究。

Inside the Congolese mine vital to mobile phones, as rebels give BBC rare access

13 July 2025 at 07:40
Hassan Lali / BBC Two miners with their backs to the camera bend over as they dig in a pit at Rubaya mine in eastern DR Congo. The one in the left wears a red tank top and his colleague on the right wears a yellow sports shirt with numbers printed on the back. In the background the metal spade of another miner can be seen.Hassan Lali / BBC
More than 10,000 people work at the Rubaya mine digging up coltan ore

M23 rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo recently allowed the BBC to visit a huge mining site under their control which is vital to the production of the world's mobile phones - and over its vast expanse not one person was idle.

Thousands of miners dotted the landscape covered with pits and tunnels.

Some were deep underground digging up ore with shovels, others then hoisted sacks of the extracted rock containing coltan, which is used to make many electronic devices, on to their shoulders. They then took it to assembly points where others washed and filtered it with spades and by hand.

"We usually have more than 10,000 or more people working here daily," Patrice Musafiri, who has supervised the Rubaya mining site since the rebels took control of it in April last year, told the BBC.

It is tricky terrain to navigate - our team needed the aid of walking sticks, as well as Mr Musafiri's guidance, to stop us falling - yet for most of the men it is the only life they have known. It may be onerous and dangerous, but it allows them to make a small living.

"When we are deep in the mines, temperatures are very high - digging the mineral is also very hard... plus there can be other harmful gases," mineworker Peter Osiasi told the BBC.

"Sometimes cold air is pumped inside so that we can continue working," he said.

But the young man said he was grateful that since he began mining five years ago, he has been able to save a little money for a dowry and is now married with children.

"My life has really changed. Mining has really helped me."

The swathe of golden scarred earth they mine is found in the sprawling, lush Masisi Hills of North Kivu province - around 60km (37 miles) north-west of the city of Goma - and holds 15% of the world's coltan supply and half of the DR Congo's total deposits.

Little wonder that global investors have their eyes on this area.

It has provided immense wealth over the years to the various armed groups that have overseen it at different times, including the army.

Hassan Lali / BBC Overhead shot of mining activities at Rubaya mine where the terrain is hilly - slightly terraced. The bare earth is a light brown, some of it has a darker more orange shade. Many groups of miners can be seen from a distance cleaning ore. One corrugated metal shack can be seen. In the distance are green fields.Hassan Lali / BBC
The Rubaya mine supervisor said no armed men were allowed at the vast site

We arrived at the mine, which is around 10km outside Rubaya town, several days after a ceasefire deal was signed in Washington by DR Congo and Rwanda as part of the peace process aimed at ending three decades of instability in the region.

The roots of the insecurity in the east of DR Congo are notoriously complicated.

There is an ethnic dimension, with many rebel groups operating here - including an ethnic Hutu militia linked to the Rwandan genocide of 1994, which Kigali believes has Congolese backing.

In Washington both sides committed on 27 June to disarm and disengage their alleged proxies (despite denying having any).

The M23 was not party to the deal. Mainly led by ethnic Tutsis, it controls large parts of eastern DR Congo - and since January has taken control of Goma, the city of Bukavu and two airports. Rwanda has been accused by many — including the UN — of backing the M23. However, the authorities there deny sending military or financial aid.

The US's involvement in the process seems to hinge on getting access to DR Congo's mineral resources - though nothing has so far been specified.

"We're getting for the United States, a lot of the mineral rights from the [DR] Congo," said US President Donald Trump ahead of the signing.

Hassan Lali / BBC Muddy workers are seen on a slope at Rubaya mine in DR Congo. One in green wellingtons, black jeans and T-shirt looks at the camera, another in a similar outfit is seen from the back as he walks with a sack on his shoulders. A group of women are seen a little further down the slope near some big basins and jerry cans.Hassan Lali / BBC
Some women work at Rubaya mine site selling food and water to the miners

During our brief visit - we were allowed access for around 45 minutes - there was no hint that the chain of command was about to change.

The supervisor, appointed by the M23, was keen to explain how the set-up at Rubaya had been reorganised over the last year and how the rebel group had brought security to allow miners to work without fear - specifying that no armed men were allowed on the site.

"We have already solved so many issues," Mr Musafiri said.

"Presently we have a mining department that regulates and monitors safety issues and also resolves internal disputes within the mines. If a tunnel becomes dangerous, people are told to leave to avoid accidents.

"People from different groups come here to mine daily and others to buy the minerals and now we have a huge market in Goma where they can resell what they buy here."

Hassan Lali / BBC A group of five miners, wearing wellingtons, work at station cleaning the rocks brought up to the surface. They are standing next to a pool of orange, brown water used in the process. Behind them can be seen the Masisi Hill.Hassan Lali / BBC
The coltan ore must be washed ready for the buyers who trade it on - and eventually tantalum will be extracted from this for use in electronic devices

In December, a UN experts' report detailed how the M23 makes hundreds of thousands of dollars each month from taxing coltan, much of it was sent directly to Rwanda - allegations both the M23 and Kigali deny.

Surrounded by his colleagues wearing jeans, sweaters and wellington boots, all of whom buy permits to work at the site, Mr Osiasi agreed that conditions were better.

"Business is going on very well here because we have at least some semblance of peace, but the pay is very low. We are paid very little money," the miner said.

Trump's second term coincided with the M23's seizure of much of North Kivu and South Kivu provinces and the humiliating retreat of the Congolese army.

Political analyst Akramm Tumsifu says DR Congo decided to use its rich mineral reserves as a bargaining chip to get US assistance - for months it had sought military support.

With a tentative peace process under way, the Congolese authorities' great hope, he told the BBC, was that American firms would be in a position to make "massive investments" in its mining sector, which is currently dominated by Chinese companies.

US companies are reportedly already looking to cash in on the opportunity to invest in Rubaya's mining sector.

The Rubaya supervisor told us investment would be welcomed, but only initiatives aimed at boosting the local economy - with jobs, schools and hospitals - would be allowed.

"Any foreign investor can come here, as long as they come with development for our people and increase daily wages for the miners," Mr Musafiri said.

Despite the country's colossal natural endowments, most mining communities have little infrastructure, without even accessible roads to the mines where the wealth is scooped from the ground.

Mr Tumsifu reckons the presence of American investors could also act as a "caution against fighting or a resurgence of other armed groups".

But it is not yet clear how or with whom an investor would do business given the M23 is still very much in control in the east.

A parallel mediation effort led by Qatar - which involves direct talks between the armed groups and the Congolese government - may yield more clarity in the coming months.

The M23, which is part of the broader Congo River Alliance, said the Washington-backed deal had fallen short of addressing the causes of the long conflict. It maintains it took up arms to protect the rights of the minority Tutsi group in DR Congo.

While the belligerents try and hammer out their preferred pathways to peace, local people at the Rubaya mine, like elsewhere in eastern DR Congo, only hope for a definitive end to the fighting and bloodshed which has seen hundreds of thousands of people flee their homes.

"My appeal to fellow young men and our leaders is to keep and maintain peace in our area," said Mr Osiasi.

As he prepared to go back to hours of more digging, he added: "I also appeal to the owners of the mines to increase our pay because it's very little."

Additional reporting by the BBC's Robert Kiptoo and Hassan Lali

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US drops charges against doctor accused of destroying Covid vaccines

13 July 2025 at 15:17
Reuters US Attorney General Pam Bondi, a woman with short blonde hair wearing a black blouse, speaks in front of a US flag, with US President Donald Trump behind  her wearing a dark blue jacket, white shirt and bright blue tie.Reuters
Attorney General Pam Bondi said she had ordered the charges to be dropped

The US attorney general has ordered charges to be dropped against a doctor accused of destroying Covid-19 vaccines worth $28,000 (£20,742), distributing fake vaccination record cards, and giving children saline shots instead of the vaccine at their parents' request.

Pam Bondi said Dr Michael Kirk Moore Jr. "gave his patients a choice when the federal government refused to do so". He had been indicted by the Justice Department under the Biden administration in 2023.

The plastic surgeon was already on trial in Utah, where he had pleaded not guilty to all charges including conspiracy to defraud the US.

The acting US Attorney for the district of Utah, Felice John Viti, filed to dismiss the charges on Saturday, saying this was "in the interests of justice".

Dr Moore was accused of providing fraudulently completed vaccination certificates for more than 1,900 vaccine doses, the US Attorney's office in Utah said in 2023.

These were allegedly provided, without administering the vaccine, for a charge of $50 (£37), in exchange for direct cash payments or donations to a specific charity.

The government also accused him of giving children saline shots at their parents' request so that the "children would think they were receiving a COVID-19 vaccine," according to the US attorney's office.

He was accused alongside his company - Plastic Surgery Institute of Utah, Inc. - and three others of seeking to defraud the US and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Bondi wrote on X on Saturday that she had ordered the Justice Department to drop the charges because Dr Moore "did not deserve the years in prison he was facing".

She said US Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene and Senator Mike Lee, both Republicans, had brought the case to her attention, calling them champions for "ending the weaponization of government".

Lee thanked the attorney general for "standing with the countless Americans who endured too many official lies, mandates, and lockdowns during COVID".

Dr Moore and other defendants faced up to 35 years in prison on multiple charges, according to the Associated Press news agency.

The current US Health Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., ran a group for eight years, Children's Health Defense, that repeatedly questioned the safety and efficacy of vaccination.

Kennedy has in the last year repeatedly said he is not "anti-vax" and will not be "taking away anybody's vaccines".

Amid Tariff Chaos, U.S. Allies Try to Redraw the Trade Map

13 July 2025 at 17:03
Facing growing chaos, the European Union and numerous other countries are seeking to forge a global trading nexus that is less vulnerable to American tariffs.

© Ingmar Nolting for The New York Times

A Volkswagen factory in Zwickau, Germany. President Trump’s tariffs have E.U. leaders looking elsewhere for reliable trading partners.

To Sidestep Trump Tariffs, Asian Nations Seek New Trade Partners

13 July 2025 at 17:01
Most nations are still negotiating in hopes of avoiding punitive import taxes. At the same time, they’re looking for trading partners as a way around the United States.

© Doug Mills/The New York Times

President Trump’s tariffs have baffled business and political leaders around the world.

Tariffs on Brazil Could Leave Coffee Drinkers With a Headache

Trump’s pledge to place a 50 percent tariff on all imports from the South American nation will drive up the prices of coffee — and orange juice.

© Kelsey McClellan for The New York Times

Tariffs would put more pressure on the coffee industry as prices have already risen this year.

Trump Is Gutting Weather Science and Reducing Disaster Response

As a warming planet delivers more extreme weather, experts warn that the Trump administration is dismantling the government’s disaster capabilities.

© Jordan Vonderhaar for The New York Times

A cadaver dog was used to search for human remains among the rubble near the Guadalupe River in Kerrville, Texas.

What to Know About the Secret Service, a Year After It Failed to Protect Trump

13 July 2025 at 17:01
The agency withstood criticism and a reckoning after a lone assassin grazed Donald J. Trump on the campaign trail. Today, recruiting is up.

© Doug Mills/The New York Times

The attempted assassination of Donald Trump was perceived to be one of the worst failures in the history of the Secret Service.

Climate Law Could Shape the Race for New York City’s Next Mayor

13 July 2025 at 15:00
Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee, has vowed to strictly enforce the measure, Local Law 97, which calls for potentially expensive upgrades to buildings to curb greenhouse emissions.

© Stephanie Keith for The New York Times

Local Law 97 is seeking to curb greenhouse emissions from the largest buildings in New York City. How the law is implemented has been up for debate.

New York City Set to Expand Minimum Pay Law for Delivery Workers

13 July 2025 at 15:00
The City Council is expected to pass a package of bills to include nearly 20,000 grocery delivery workers in legislation that improved working conditions for food delivery workers.

© Leonardo Munoz/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

There are nearly 20,000 grocery delivery workers in New York City, according to officials.

Uncovering truth about hundreds of babies buried in this garden in Ireland

13 July 2025 at 07:24
Getty Images A general view of the former site of the Bon Secours Mother and Baby home and the memorial garden where it is believed 796 children are buried can be seen on February 21, 2024 in Tuam, Ireland. Getty Images

No burial records. No headstones. No memorials.

Nothing until 2014, when an amateur historian uncovered evidence of a mass grave, potentially in a former sewage tank, believed to contain hundreds of babies in Tuam, County Galway, in the west of Ireland.

Now, investigators have moved their diggers onto the nondescript patch of grass next to a children's playground on a housing estate in the town. An excavation, expected to last two years, will begin on Monday.

The area was once where St Mary's children's home stood, a church-run institution that housed thousands of women and children between 1925 and 1961.

Getty Images/Charles McQuillan A general view of the former site of the Bon Secours Mother and Baby home and the memorial garden where it is believed 796 children are buried can be seen on February 21, 2024 in Tuam, Ireland. From 1925 to 1961 hundreds of children died at the St Mary's Mother and Baby home, a maternity home for unmarried mothers and their children, in Tuam, County Galway.Getty Images/Charles McQuillan

Many of the women had fallen pregnant outside of marriage and were shunned by their families - and separated from their children after giving birth.

According to death records, Patrick Derrane was the first baby to die at St Mary's – in 1915, aged five months. Mary Carty, the same age, was the last in 1960.

In the 35 years between their deaths, another 794 babies and young children are known to have died there - and it is believed they are buried in what former Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Enda Kenny dubbed a "chamber of horrors".

PJ Haverty spent the first six years of his life in the place he calls a prison - but he considers himself one of the lucky ones.

"I got out of there."

Getty Images/Charles McQuillan A man in a blue polo shirt stands at a waist-high stone wall. In the background is a patch of lawn that continues until a high boundary wall. Part of the wall is covered in ivy - on another part can be seen the number 796 in large, white wooden lettering. The man in the foreground is older, bald and has his hands placed on the low wall. It is day time and the sky is clear blue. Getty Images/Charles McQuillan
PJ Haverty, pictured at the garden where investigators will begin their excavations

He remembers how the "home children", as they were known, were shunned at school.

"We had to go 10 minutes late and leave 10 minutes early, because they didn't want us talking to the other kids," PJ said.

"Even at break-time in the school, we weren't allowed to play with them – we were cordoned off.

"You were dirt from the street."

A composite long banner image with the word "Tuam" in large black letters above the words, in smaller font "Ireland's secret burial shame". On the right hand side is an image showing a set of rosary beads hanging on a gate; three people, two women and a man; and a patch of grass with a high boundary wall on which are wooden boards spelling out the number 796

Read more from the survivors, relatives and campaigners who helped reveal the secret of Tuam after a decades-long wait for the truth.

Long blue line to divide the story link from the rest of the story

The stigma stayed with PJ his whole life, even after finding a loving foster home and, in later years, tracking down his birth mother, who was separated from him when he was a one-year-old.

The home, run by the nuns of the Bon Secours Sisters, was an invisible spectre that loomed over him and many others in Tuam for decades – until amateur historian Catherine Corliss brought St Mary's dark past into the light.

Discovering the mass grave

Getty Images/Charles McQuillan An older woman sits at a kitchen table. She is holding a sheet of paper in each hand. On the table in front of her are more documents and sheets of paper. She has short brown, greying hair and is wearing a white top and a blue jacket. In the background there are kitchen cupboards and a kitchen door which has two glazed windows set into it. Getty Images/Charles McQuillan
Catherine Corliss' shocking findings about the mass grave emerged in 2014

Interested in delving into her family's past, Catherine took a local history course in 2005. Later, her interest turned to St Mary's and the "home children" who came to school separately from her and her classmates.

"When I started out, I had no idea what I was going to find."

To begin with, Catherine was surprised her innocuous inquiries were being met with blank responses or even suspicion.

"Nobody was helping, and nobody had any records," she said.

That only fed her determination to find out more about the children at the home.

A breakthrough came when she spoke to a cemetery caretaker, who brought her to the housing estate where the institution once stood.

Getty Images/Charles McQuillan Two high stone walls intersect at right angles in a garden - in the corner of the angle, sits a grotto centred on a statue of Virgin Mary. It is surrounded by flowers and shrubs. There are some candles on a shelf near the statue's feet. There are also messages underneath the statue that have been left by people and, to the right, a white board on which a message of remembrance is writtenGetty Images/Charles McQuillan
The grotto at the garden above what is believed to be the mass grave. People have left mementoes, messages and items of remembrance

At the side of a children's playground, there was a square of lawn with a grotto – a small shrine centred on a statue of Mary.

The caretaker told Catherine that two boys had been playing in that area in the mid-1970s after the home was demolished, and had come across a broken concrete slab. They pulled it up to reveal a hole.

Inside they saw bones. The caretaker said the authorities were told and the spot was covered up.

People believed the remains were from the Irish Famine in the 1840s. Before the mother-and-baby home, the institution was a famine-era workhouse where many people had died.

But that didn't add up for Catherine. She knew those people had been buried respectfully in a field half a mile away - there was a monument marking the spot.

Getty Images/Charles McQuillan A dog-eared sheet of paper lists names, date of death and age at death - it lists dozens of names from top to bottom. In the background, there are other sheets of paperGetty Images/Charles McQuillan
Catherine received a list recording hundreds of children's deaths at the St Mary's institution

Her suspicion was further raised when she compared old maps of the site. One, from 1929, labelled the area the boys found the bones as a "sewage tank". Another, from the 1970s after the home was demolished, had a handwritten note next to that area saying "burial ground".

The map did seem to indicate there was a grave at the site – and Catherine had read the sewage tank labelled on the map had become defunct in 1937 so, in theory, was empty. But who was buried there?

Catherine called the registration office for births, deaths and marriages in Galway and asked for the names of all the children who had died at the home.

A fortnight later a sceptical member of staff called to ask if she really wanted them all – Catherine expected "20 or 30" - but there were hundreds.

The full list, when Catherine received it, recorded 796 dead children.

She was utterly shocked. Her evidence was starting to indicate who was likely to be underneath that patch of grass at St Mary's.

But first, she checked burial records to see if any of those hundreds of children were buried in cemeteries in Galway or neighbouring County Mayo – and couldn't find any.

Without excavation, Catherine couldn't prove it beyond doubt. She now believed that hundreds of children had been buried in an unmarked mass grave, possibly in a disused sewage tank, at the St Mary's Home.

When her findings broke into an international news story in 2014, there was considerable hostility in her home town.

"People weren't believing me," she recalled. Many cast doubt - and scorn - that an amateur historian could uncover such an enormous scandal.

But there was a witness who had seen it with her own eyes.

Warning: The following sections contains details some readers might find distressing

Getty Images/Charles McQuillan An older woman with medium-length grey hair stands in a living room. We can see her head and shoulders. She is wearing a dark jacket and a patterned silk scarf. In the background, which is out of focus, we can see a picture hanging on the living room wall and a cabinet. Getty Images/Charles McQuillan
Mary Moriarty lived in one of the houses built at the site of the home in the 1970s

Mary Moriarty lived in one of the houses near the site of the institution in the mid-1970s. Shortly after she spoke to BBC News, she passed away, but her family have agreed to allow what she told us to be published and broadcast.

Mary recalled two women coming to her in the early 1970s saying "they saw a young fella with a skull on a stick".

Mary and her neighbours asked the child where he had found the skull. He showed them some shrubbery and Mary, who went to look, "fell in a hole".

Light streamed in from where she had fallen. That's when she saw "little bundles", wrapped in cloths that had gone black from rot and damp, and were "packed one after the other, in rows up to the ceiling".

How many?

"Hundreds," she replied.

Some time later, when Mary's second son was born in the maternity hospital in Tuam, he was brought to her by the nuns who worked there "in all these bundles of cloths" - just like those she had seen in that hole.

"That's when I copped on," Mary says, "what I had seen after I fell down that hole were babies."

Getty Images/Charles McQuillan A woman with shoulder-length blonde-grey hair looks off to the side. She is standing in front of a light-coloured wall. She is wearing an olive-coloured top.Getty Images/Charles McQuillan
Anna Corrigan discovered her mother gave birth to two boys - John and William - in the home

In 2017, Catherine's findings were confirmed - an Irish government investigation found "significant quantities of human remains" in a test excavation of the site.

The bones were not from the famine and the "age-at-death range" was from about 35 foetal weeks to two or three years.

By now, a campaign was under way for a full investigation of the site - Anna Corrigan was among those who wanted the authorities to start digging.

Until she was in her 50s, Anna believed she was an only child. But, when researching her family history in 2012, she discovered her mother had given birth to two boys in the home in 1946 and 1950, John and William.

Anna was unable to find a death certificate for William, but did find one for John – it officially registers his death at 16 months. Under cause of death it listed "congenital idiot" and "measles".

Getty Images/Charles McQuillan A close-up on an Irish death certificate. It has a table of information including name, date and place of death, sex, age and other details. The information is written in flowing cursive writing and notes that the dead person is called John, was 16 months old and lists "congenital idiot" and "measles" under cause of deathGetty Images/Charles McQuillan
The death certificate for John lists "congenital idiot" and "measles" under cause of death

An inspection report of the home in 1947 had some more details about John.

"He was born normal and healthy, almost nine pounds (4kg) in weight," Anna said. "By the time he's 13 months old, he's emaciated with a voracious appetite, and has no control over bodily functions.

"Then he's dead three months later."

An entry from the institution's book of "discharges" says William died in 1951 – she does not know where either is buried.

Anna, who set up the Tuam Babies Family Group for survivors and relatives, said the children have been given a voice.

"We all know their names. We all know they existed as human beings."

Now, the work begins to find out the full extent of what lies beneath that patch of grass in Tuam.

'Absolutely tiny'

PA A man wearing a grey jacket, light-coloured shirt and glasses looks off to the side. He has short cropped dark hair with flecks of grey. He is standing in front of survey map which is overlaid on an image of a sitePA
Daniel MacSweeney, the head of the excavation, has previously been involved in searches for missing bodies in conflict zones around the world

The excavation is expected to take about two years.

"It's a very challenging process – really a world-first," said Daniel MacSweeney, the head of the operation, who has helped find missing bodies in conflict zones such as Afghanistan.

He explained that the remains would have been mixed together and that an infant's femur - the body's largest bone - is only the size of an adult's finger.

"They're absolutely tiny," he said. "We need to recover the remains very, very carefully – to maximise the possibility of identification."

The difficulty of identifying the remains "can't be underestimated", he added.

For however long it takes, there will be people like Anna waiting for news - hoping to hear about sisters, brothers, uncles, aunts and cousins they never had the chance to meet.

Details of help and support with child bereavement are available in the UK at BBC Action Line

Lab-grown cheese is coming. But would you eat it?

13 July 2025 at 08:12
BBC A selection of cheeses, figs, dried apricots, nuts, grapes, chutney and crackers sits on a wooden cheeseboard on a table.BBC

In an unassuming building in Stratford, east London, British start-up Better Dairy is making cheese that has never seen an udder, which it argues tastes like the real thing.

It is one of a handful of companies around the world hoping to bring lab-grown cheese to our dinner tables in the next few years.

But there has been a trend away from meat-free foods recently, according to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB).

The statutory research organisation says that plant-based cheese sales across the UK declined 25.6% in the first quarter of 2025, while sales of cow's cheese grew by 3%.

One reason for this, the AHDB tells the BBC, might be because the number of vegans in Britain is small – just 1% of the population (the Vegan Society puts it at 3%), far fewer than the amount of dairy cheese eaters – and has slightly declined lately.

The Vegan Society insists that the meat-free food market remains "competitive" and steady.

Those Vegan Cowboys Hille van der Kaa stands in a field wearing a colourful dress (left) and (right) a Those Vegan Cowboys cheese sits on a cheese board surrounded by dried cranberries and walnuts.Those Vegan Cowboys
Hille van der Kaa touts a "silent revolution", swapping cheeses people don't often think about

Other reasons may be concerns about health and price. A recent government survey found that that food being ultra-processed - a key challenge with vegan cheese - was the second-greatest concern for consumers, the first being cost. Plant-based cheese is generally more expensive than cow's cheese, the AHDB says.

So are these efforts a recipe for success or disaster? Some think the coming years present an opportunity.

In the Netherlands, Those Vegan Cowboys expects to bring its cheeses to the US later this year, and Europe in three to four years due to regulatory hurdles. This is because lab-made cheeses count as a "novel food" and so need EU approval to go on sale.

Its chief executive, Hille van der Kaa, admits the appetite for vegan cheese is low right now, but her company is targeting a "silent revolution" by swapping cheeses people don't often think about.

"If you buy frozen pizza, you don't really think of what kind of cheese is on that," she explains. "So it's quite easy to swap."

Meanwhile, French firm Standing Ovation plans on launching in the US next year, and in the UK and Europe in 2027.

And back in Stratford, London-based Better Dairy hasn't launched its lab-grown cheese yet because it would cost too much right now.

But chief executive Jevan Nagarajah plans to launch in three or four years, when he hopes the price will be closer to those seen in a cheesemonger, before getting it down to the sorts seen in a supermarket.

Jevan Nagarajah stands in Better Dairy's lab in east London. He wears a dark top and trousers.
Jevan Nagarajah sees vegan hard cheeses as having the greatest "quality gap" to the real thing

So does it taste any good?

Better Dairy invited me – a committed carnivore and dairy devotee – to its lab to poke holes in this new cheese.

Currently, the company is only making cheddar because it sees vegan hard cheeses as having the biggest "quality gap" to dairy cheeses. It has made blue cheese, mozzarella and soft cheese, but argues the proteins in dairy don't make as big a difference in taste.

The process starts with yeast that has been genetically modified to produce casein, the key protein in milk, instead of alcohol. Jevan says this is the same technique used to produce insulin without having to harvest it from pigs.

Other companies also use bacteria or fungi to produce casein.

Once the casein is made through this precision fermentation, it is mixed with plant-based fat and the other components of milk needed for cheese, and then the traditional cheese-making process ensues.

Having tried Better Dairy's three-month, six-month and 12-month aged cheddars, I can say they tasted closer to the real thing than anything else I've tried. The younger cheese was perhaps a bit more rubbery than usual, and the older ones more obviously salty. On a burger, the cheese melted well.

A cheeseburger cut into quarters sits on greaseproof paper in a basket.
On a burger, Better Dairy's cheddar was visibly melty

Jevan accepts there's room to improve. He says the cheese I tried was made in his lab, but in future wants artisanal cheesemakers to use the firm's non-dairy "milk" in their own labs to improve the taste.

As the company cannot use dairy fats, it has had to "optimise" plant-derived fats to make them taste better.

"If you've experienced plant-based cheeses, a lot of them have off flavours, and typically it comes from trying to use nut-based or coconut fats – and they impart flavours that aren't normally in there," Better Dairy scientist Kate Royle says.

Meanwhile, Those Vegan Cowboys is still focusing on easy-to-replace cheeses, like those on pizzas and burgers, while Standing Ovation says its casein can make a range of cheeses including camembert.

Will these new cheeses find their match?

It'll be a tall order. Of those who bought vegan cheese on the market in the past year, 40% did not buy it again, according to an AHDB survey – suggesting taste may be a turn-off.

Damian Watson from the Vegan Society points out that resemblance to the real thing may not even be a good thing.

"Some vegans want the taste and texture of their food to be like meat, fish or dairy, and others want something completely different," he tells me.

And Judith Bryans, chief executive of industry body Dairy UK, thinks the status quo will remain strong.

"There's no evidence to suggest that the addition of lab-grown products would take away from the existing market, and it remains to be seen where these products would fit in from a consumer perception and price point of view," she tells the BBC.

Studio Lazareff/Antoine Repesse A selection of Standing Ovation's cheeses on a cheese board with figs and grapes (left) and (right) Yvan Chardonnens standing on a rooftop wearing a dark green shirt over a white t-shirt.Studio Lazareff/Antoine Repesse
Yvan Chardonnens hopes to launch his cheeses in the UK in 2027

But both Better Dairy and Those Vegan Cowboys tout partnerships with cheese producers to scale up production and keep costs down, while Standing Ovation has already struck a partnership with Bel (makers of BabyBel).

Standing Ovation's CEO Yvan Chardonnens characterises the recent unpopularity as a first wave in the vegan "analogues" of cheese faltering because of quality, while he hopes that will improve in the next phase.

Besides the current concerns about a shrinking vegan market, taste, quality and price, the issue of ultra-processed foods is one that these companies may have to grapple with.

They argue a lack of lactose, no cholesterol and lower amounts of saturated fats in lab-made cheese can boost its health benefits - and that any cheese is processed.

Precision fermentation may also allow producers to strip out many ultra-processed elements of current vegan cheeses.

Hille suggests it's a question of perception. People have a "romanticised view" of dairy farming, she says, despite it now being "totally industrialised" - a point backed by AHDB polling, which found 71% of consumers see dairy as natural.

"I wouldn't say that's really a traditional, natural type of food," Hille argues.

"We do have an important task to show people how cheese is made nowadays."

德国电动车在欧洲市场大步前进

13 July 2025 at 17:17
德才
2025-07-13T08:49:39.245Z
德国电动车制造商受益于本国和欧洲市场的成长

(德国之声中文网)咨询公司安永(EY)周三(7月9日)公布的数据表明,在德国市场上,本土品牌电动汽车的市场份额较去年同期从56%上升至64%。就销量而言,各大德国厂商的电动汽车销量增长了56%。大众汽车的表现尤其出色,尽管它在重要的中国市场遭遇了挫折。

据安永统计,大众旗下各品牌的电动汽车上半年在德国的销量几乎翻了一番,市场份额从31.7%增至46.4%。这意味着,今年上半年德国几乎每两辆新注册的电动汽车中就有一辆来自大众,上半年最畅销的六款电动汽车也都来自大众品牌。

排名第二的是宝马,其旗下的Mini和劳斯莱斯占据了11%的市场份额。第三名是韩国现代,市占率8%。特斯拉一年前排名第二,市场份额略低于12%,而今年则暴跌至3.6%,排名第八。德系车电动转型不佳 特斯拉与比亚迪继续领跑全球

欧洲市场可期

根据大众集团公布的全球交付量数据,上半年,大众整体交付量(含燃油车)同比增长1.3%,达到441万辆。售出的纯电动汽车46.55万辆,同比增长47%,其中大部分在欧洲销售,大众目前在欧洲电动车市场的份额上升到28%。

这与欧洲的电动车走向普及有关,大众集团负责销售的高管马可·舒伯特 (Marco Schubert)表示,目前在西欧新注册的汽车中,电动车已占到2成。他说:“南美和欧洲的销量增长足以抵消中国和北美预料之中的销量下滑。”

大众汽车还算是一家德国企业吗?

特朗普于3月底宣布对进口汽车征收25%的关税,并于4月进一步对贸易伙伴加征进口附加税。大众集团称,第二季度北美市场销量下滑尤为剧烈。尽管如此,电动汽车交付量(尤其是美国市场的交付量)在上半年仍保持了24%的大幅增长。

电动车“热潮”尚未来临

中国市场的情况则大相径庭。大众汽车长期以来在与本土制造商抢夺市场份额的竞争中败退。今年上半年,大众汽车对中国的出口总额下降了2%。然而,电动汽车出口却暴跌了34%以上。

纵观各大品牌在德国的业绩,大众(VW)品牌的销量大幅增长80%,继续保持领先优势。宝马位居第二,销量增幅达23%。这家总部位于慕尼黑的汽车制造商的品牌取代了特斯拉的第二名位置。特斯拉则下滑至第八位。第三名则由大众旗下的斯柯达占据,其销量增幅高达132%。

但安永并不认为德国在经历一场电动车“热潮”。 安永专家康斯坦丁·加尔(Constantin Gall)解释,一方面,目前电动汽车销售仍以公司用车为主,而私人客户通常仍然更青睐燃油车。另一方面,由于2023年底德国取消了电动汽车补贴,导致销量下降。“就2025年全年而言,电动汽车的销量甚至可能低于2023年的水平。”

 

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澳大利亚:不会预先承诺参与任何冲突

13 July 2025 at 16:47
德正
2025-07-13T08:46:43.271Z
美澳联合军演“护身军刀”周日开始。

(德国之声中文网)澳大利亚国防工业部长康罗伊(Pat Conroy)周日表示,澳大利亚不会事先承诺派兵参与任何冲突。此前有报道称,美国要求澳大利亚明确表态,一旦中美在台海发生战争,澳大利亚将会扮演何种角色

康罗伊在接受澳大利亚广播公司采访时表示,澳大利亚的优先选项是国家主权,“因此我们不会讨论假设性的议题。”“澳大利亚是否出兵,将会由冲突发生时的澳大利亚政府来决定,而不是事先决定。”

康罗伊表示,澳大利亚对中国核军备及常规军备的快速扩张感到忧虑,澳大利亚期望印太地区能够保持平衡、无人称霸。他指出,中国正在寻求在太平洋地区建立军事基地,这不符合澳大利亚利益。 

澳大利亚国防工业部长康罗伊:不会预先承诺参与任何冲突。

《金融时报》周六报道称,负责政策事务的美国国防部副部长科尔比(Elbridge Colby)一直在向日本和澳大利亚施加压力,要求他们就台海发生冲突时的行动计划做出明确表态,尽管华盛顿也未对保卫台湾作出明确的安全承诺。

科尔比此前在X平台上发文指出,美国国防部正在落实特朗普总统的“美国优先”议程,其中包括“敦促盟友加大国防开支及其他涉及集体防御的努力。” 

中华人民共和国宣称对台湾拥有主权,并从未排除武力攻台的选项。台湾总统赖清德则拒绝承认北京的主权索求,表示只有台湾人民才有权决定台湾的未来。

阿尔巴尼斯继续访华行程

正在访华的澳大利亚总理阿尔巴尼斯周日会晤了中共上海市委书记陈吉宁,这也为阿尔巴尼斯在华期间一系列高层会谈拉开了序幕。后续预计他还将会晤中国党和国家领导人习近平、总理李强以及中国人大常委会主席赵乐际。

2023年11月,澳大利亚总理阿尔巴尼斯首次访华,会晤中国领导人习近平。(资料图)

这是澳大利亚工党2022年执政以来,阿尔巴尼斯第二次访华。此前阿尔巴尼斯成功说服北京取消了一系列针对澳大利亚的制裁措施。由于澳大利亚保守派政府呼吁展开新冠病毒溯源调查,极大地激怒了北京,中澳关系曾一度陷入冰点。

周日,中国官方的新华社发表社评称,中澳关系正在“持续改善”并迎来了“新的动能”。社评指出:“中澳之间不存在根本性利益冲突,通过相互尊重处理分歧,以共同利益为着力点,双方可以实现共同繁荣与互利。”

美澳联合军演:“目标是不发生战争”

澳大利亚与美国最大的联合军演“护身军刀”(Talisman Sabre)周日在悉尼港拉开序幕。共有来自日本、韩国、印度、英国、法国和加拿大等19个国家的四万人参加。

澳大利亚国防工业部长康罗伊表示,中国海军可能会像以往一样,监控演习并收集情报。康罗伊表示:“至于这19个希望在该地区共同行动的国家、盟友与伙伴会给中国传达怎样的信息,我留给中国自行解读。但对我而言,这些国家追求的共同愿景是和平、稳定、开放、自由的印太地区。”

美国陆军太平洋副司令沃威尔(Joel Vowell)中将表示,“护身军刀”军演将提高各军种协同应对能力,并且“具备威慑机制,因为我们的最终目标是不发生战争”。

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相关图集:又是好朋友了?跌宕起伏的中澳关系

关系回暖:中国将终止对澳大利亚的进口葡萄酒征收惩罚性关税,中国商务部周四(3月28日)宣布了这一举措。在一份公告中该部门表示,鉴于中国相关葡萄酒市场情况发生变化,对原产于澳大利亚的进口相关葡萄酒征收反倾销税和反补贴税已无必要。
高额关税:关税最高可达218.4%,该规定从2021年3月实施,为期五年,中国还对澳大利亚商品实施了一系列其他的贸易壁垒手段,当时澳中关系已经因一系列事件一步步恶化。
外长出访:不久之前,澳大利亚总理阿尔巴尼斯在堪培拉会见中国外长王毅。王毅称,澳中两国关系已重回正轨。这是自2017年以来中国外长首次出访澳洲,标志两国外交关系回暖。王毅此行也是为今年晚些时候中国总理李强的正式访问做准备。
棘手议题:不过中澳关系依然面临挑战,比如澳籍华人杨恒均今年2月被中国司法机关以间谍罪判处死缓。在与王毅会晤后,澳洲外长黄英贤对外界表示,澳方对杨恒均案的判决感到震惊,“澳大利亚政府将继续为杨恒均案努力。”
关税的影响:随着葡萄酒关税的取消,澳大利亚希望中国能对其他食品的进口也降低管制门槛,比如龙虾和牛肉。根据中国商务部的声明,在 2023 年上半年,澳大利亚葡萄酒在中国进口葡萄酒的占比仅为 0.14%。而在征收关税前的 2020 年,这一比例为 27.46%。中国和澳大利亚原本有着紧密的贸易往来。
紧密的贸易伙伴:2015年中国和澳大利亚签署《中澳自贸协定》,同年12月开始生效,两国给予对方最惠国待遇,澳大利亚的乳制品、牛肉、海鲜、酒水等产品,以及煤、铜、镍等矿产资源可以部分零关税的低价格销售到中国。图为2016年9月时任澳总理特恩布尔(Malcom Turnbull)和中国国家主席习近平在杭州举行的G20峰会上握手。彼时的双边关系即使称不上亲密,至少也是友好合作。
工党议员被指“通华”:2017年的一起事件形成了中澳关系走向猜忌和对峙的转折点:工党参议员邓森(Sam Dastyari)迫于压力辞职。他被指控与一些中国商人过从甚密,其中包括据称与中共有联系的商人黄向墨。此后澳媒体开始曝光中国试图影响堪培拉政界的行为。当年内,特恩布尔总理就推出了一部旨在遏制外国干预的法律,对北京的防范之意十分明显。
带头禁用华为:2018年,澳大利亚以国家安全为由,做出了禁止华为参与5G网络建设的决定。在美国总统特朗普对华发起贸易战的背景下,中国科技巨头华为早已成为西方国家顾虑的对象,但澳大利亚则是美国的西方盟友中率先正式宣布禁用华为的国家。
新冠疫情源头调查:尽管政治领域的气氛日益紧张,但是中澳之间在一段时间内仍然保持着密切的经贸关系。中国对于澳大利亚的矿产资源和农产品有着巨大的需求。但是一场从中国武汉席卷全球的疫情带来了根本的转变。堪培拉政府2020年4月发出对新冠病毒源头进行独立调查的呼吁,彻底惹怒了北京。
“反华急先锋”?:在新冠疫情方面的争议,再加上澳政界和智库机构对新疆“再教育营”情况的调查披露,以及对香港民主法治遭到限制的批评,都使得堪培拉在北京眼中成为了“反华急先锋”。据一名中国官员透露,中国驻澳大使馆甚至有一份文件还列举了14项澳政府引起中国不满的行为。
澳驻华记者出于安全考虑紧急离境:2020年9月,中国外交部证实,前央视主持人、澳籍华裔女记者成蕾已经因为“涉嫌从事危害中国国家安全的犯罪活动”而接受调查。随后两名澳大利亚驻华记者——澳大利亚广播公司ABC的驻华记者比尔·伯特斯(Bill Birtles)和《澳大利亚金融评论》(Australian Financial Review)的记者迈克尔•史密斯(Michael Smith)——在北京被中国国安人员约谈。据称,约谈内容与成蕾案件有关。两人于9月7日紧急撤离中国。
“战狼”:赵立坚推文惹风波:2020年11月,中国外交部发言人赵立坚在其推特账户上发布了一张由中国艺术家付昱(网名为“乌合麒麟”)创作的讽刺画而陷入外交争端。画中描绘了一名澳大利亚士兵用刀子抵住一个阿富汗儿童的脖子。赵立坚以此来讽刺澳大利亚特种部队在阿富汗杀害平民的事件。推文发布后,澳大利亚时任总理莫里森立刻发表讲话,要求赵立坚撤下图片,并要求中国政府道歉。北京方面并未道歉,反而还讽刺堪培拉政府更应该为其士兵在阿富汗犯下战争罪行而“感到耻辱”。
北京下关税“狠手” 澳告到WTO:就在赵立坚推文风波发生之前,中国商务部刚刚宣布对澳大利亚葡萄酒开征反倾销税,税率最高达212%。此外,澳洲煤炭、大麦、红酒和龙虾等产品也成为北京惩罚性关税的受害者。由于中国是澳大利亚最重要的贸易伙伴,澳洲出口产品原本有大约三分之一销往中国。堪培拉政府表示要把关税案告到WTO,但是这些制裁对相关产业构成沉重的打击,已经是难以改变的事实。
工党胜选后澳中关系改善 :2022年5月,澳大利亚工党在大选中获胜,结束了自由党—国家党联盟连续九年的执政。工党党魁阿尔巴尼斯就任总理。同年11月15日,阿尔巴尼斯(前排右)在印尼举行的G20峰会上与中国国家主席习近平举行场边会晤。这是2016年以来,中澳领导人的首次会晤,标志着两国在经历多年的不信任后,在稳定经济和外交关系方面迈出了步伐。
恢复煤炭进口 取消部分关税:2023年1月,中国政府允许四家国资企业恢复从澳大利亚进口煤炭,标志着2020年北京对澳州煤炭实施的非正式禁运出现松动。2023年,中国从澳进口煤炭5247万吨,远高于2022年的286万吨。2023年8月,中国取消对澳大利亚大麦征收80.5%的反倾销税和反补贴税。
中国释放澳籍华裔女记者成蕾:在澳大利亚总理阿尔巴尼斯访华前夕,2023年10月11日,被指犯有“为境外非法提供国家秘密罪”而遭中国当局关押三年的澳大利亚籍华裔记者成蕾获释。澳大利亚外交部长黄英贤(Penny Wong,右)在机场迎接她返回澳洲。尽管中方称成蕾是在服刑期满后被执行驱逐出境,但成蕾获释的消息仍普遍被视为中澳关系升温的重要标志。
中国复审对澳葡萄酒惩罚性关税:2023年10月22日,中国同意复审从2021年3月开始执行的对澳大利亚葡萄酒征收218%反倾销关税的措施。澳大利亚暂停向世贸组织提出的相关申诉。在实施关税之前,中国是澳大利亚最大的葡萄酒出口市场。征收关税之后,2021年澳大利亚出口中国的葡萄酒销售额暴跌了97%。澳大利亚政府2023年12月表示,相信2024年初中国会取消对澳洲葡萄酒的反倾销关税。
阿尔巴尼斯破冰访华:2023年11月6日-7日,澳大利亚总理阿尔巴尼斯在前工党籍澳大利亚总理惠特拉姆访华50周年之际展开破冰之旅,对中国进行了正式访问。中国国家主席习近平在会见阿尔巴尼斯时表示,中澳两国恢复各领域交流,走上了改善发展关系的正确道路。阿尔巴尼斯也称澳中两国拥有广泛共同利益,对话合作才是正确选择。
澳潜水员被声纳攻击受伤:2023年11月,澳大利亚国防部长称,在日本附近海域的一次相遇中,一艘中国战舰对一艘澳大利亚护卫舰采取了使用声呐脉冲的“不安全而不专业”的行动,导致一名澳方潜水员受伤。阿尔巴尼斯总理称该事件损害了两国关系。2024年1月,中国驻澳大利亚大使肖千称解放军海军对此事故“没有责任”并试图将该事件归咎于日本。对此,澳方予以了反驳。
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