The 'soft-pedal coverage' of the Chinese President Xi Jinping's speech at the Communist Party centenary has left US experts sounding the alarm bells. Geopolitical experts believe that commercial motive could be behind the mellow reporting of the communist nation by American media.

According to Fox News, the mainstream media in the United States had a celebratory tone leading up to the 100-year anniversary of CCP, despite its poor human rights record.

China expert Gordon Chang believes that a lot of news organizations want to do business in China, and as a result, they are willing to mellow down their coverage.

"I think it's because a lot of news organizations want to do business in China, and so they are willing to soft-pedal coverage and they are not willing to give context where context is required," Chang told Fox. "I think there's the commercial motive there."

During the 100th founding anniversary of the CCP, Xi threatened that any nation that gets in the way of China's priorities "will find their heads bashed bloody against a great wall of steel".

According to Chang, the mainstream media didn't pick up on an "important message" that was sent to America through the communist leader's rhetoric.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/philippine-military-plane-carrying-85-people-crashes-40-rescued-395665">Also read |&nbsp;Philippine military plane carrying 85 people crashes; 40 rescued</a>

"What they should have said was that Xi Jinping has territorial designs on other countries. So really what he was saying was that he's going to wage war on the region. And that was not pointed out," Chang said, adding that most American media outlets lack context when covering China and failed to pick up on a key element of the speech.

On Thursday, former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the Chinese President is serious about his 'bashing heads bloody' remark and called on President Joe Biden's administration to strengthen its policies against Beijing.

Pompeo urged the Biden administration to take the Chinese threat seriously and that the Chinese President sees America as 'weak'. "We've seen this now for six months with this administration: unprepared to respond to Chinese aggression," he said.

Pompeo further remarked: "Xi is serious. He has confidence, he's aggressive. He thinks America is declining. He's wrong about that but it's going to take American leadership to prove him wrong."

According to Fox News, China revelled in what it views as the bedrock of the nation's global success. However, they will without a doubt fail to mention that tens of millions of people have been killed at the hands of the CCP.&nbsp;

The 'soft-pedal coverage' of the Chinese President Xi Jinping's speech at the Communist Party centenary has left US experts sounding the alarm bells. Geopolitical experts believe that commercial motive could be behind the mellow reporting of the communist nation by American media.

The 'soft-pedal coverage' of the Chinese President Xi Jinping's speech at the Communist Party centenary has left US experts sounding the alarm bells. Geopolitical experts believe that commercial motive could be behind the mellow reporting of the communist nation by American media. According to Fox News, the mainstream media in the United States had a celebratory tone leading up to the 100-year anniversary of CCP, despite its poor human rights record. China expert Gordon Chang believes that a lot of news organizations want to do business in China, and as a result, they are willing to mellow down their coverage. "I think it's because a lot of news organizations want to do business in China, and so they are willing to soft-pedal coverage and they are not willing to give context where context is required," Chang told Fox. "I think there's the commercial motive there." During the 100th founding anniversary of the CCP, Xi threatened that any nation that gets in the way of China's priorities "will find their heads bashed bloody against a great wall of steel". According to Chang, the mainstream media didn't pick up on an "important message" that was sent to America through the communist leader's rhetoric. Also read | Philippine military plane carrying 85 people crashes; 40 rescued "What they should have said was that Xi Jinping has territorial designs on other countries. So really what he was saying was that he's going to wage war on the region. And that was not pointed out," Chang said, adding that most American media outlets lack context when covering China and failed to pick up on a key element of the speech. On Thursday, former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the Chinese President is serious about his 'bashing heads bloody' remark and called on President Joe Biden's administration to strengthen its policies against Beijing. Pompeo urged the Biden administration to take the Chinese threat seriously and that the Chinese President sees America as 'weak'. "We've seen this now for six months with this administration: unprepared to respond to Chinese aggression," he said. Pompeo further remarked: "Xi is serious. He has confidence, he's aggressive. He thinks America is declining. He's wrong about that but it's going to take American leadership to prove him wrong." According to Fox News, China revelled in what it views as the bedrock of the nation's global success. However, they will without a doubt fail to mention that tens of millions of people have been killed at the hands of the CCP.

US experts raise alarm over 'soft-pedal coverage' of CCP's centenary

DETROIT (Reuters) - Automotive industry executives are less interested in pursuing acquisitions this year as compared to the last year. They prefer deals that minimize political or technology risks, according to a new survey by Ernst and Young. 
 
About 52 per cent of senior auto industry executives that were surveyed said they planned to pursue an acquisition within the next 12 months, down from 59 percent in October 2015 and 70 percent in April 2015, Ernst and Young found. The consulting and accounting firm said it surveyed more than 100 senior auto industry executives for its twice yearly Automotive Capital Confidence Barometer.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;They are trying to spread out and minimize their risk,&quot; Mark Short, global automotive and transportation industry leader for Ernst and Young&rsquo;s transaction advisory services, told Reuters. Those risks can be political, economic and technological, he said. 
 
Some recent high profile automotive deals, including Toyota Motor Corp`s investment in Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL], reflect automakers` efforts to get a foothold in new technology or business models, such as self-driving cars and ride hailing. 
 
The United States, the UK, Germany, India and Brazil are the top countries targeted for investment among auto executives surveyed, Ernst and Young found. 
 
&ldquo;For the first time in a very, very long time China&rsquo;s not in our top five market destinations for deals,&rdquo; Short said. 
 
Auto makers and suppliers poured money into China as it grew to become the world&rsquo;s largest auto market by vehicle sales. Now, there is concern that the Chinese economy may be slowing. 
 
In Brazil, vehicle sales are slumping with the rest of the economy, but assets &ldquo;are very, very cheap,&rdquo; Short said. 
 
Companies are doing &ldquo;a lot of scenario planning&rdquo; for the possibility that British voters will opt to exit the European Union, Short said. So far, Ernst and Young has not seen potential deals get put off because of uncertainty over Britain&rsquo;s future in the EU, he said. 
 
About a third of executives surveyed said they are looking for alliances with other companies to make money from underused assets or reinforce research and development. Short said automotive companies and technology companies can ally themselves to explore ventures without committing significant cash.

utomotive industry executives are less interested in pursuing acquisitions this year as compared to the last year. They prefer deals that minimize political or technology risks, according to a new survey by Ernst and Young.

DETROIT (Reuters) - Automotive industry executives are less interested in pursuing acquisitions this year as compared to the last year. They prefer deals that minimize political or technology risks, according to a new survey by Ernst and Young. About 52 per cent of senior auto industry executives that were surveyed said they planned to pursue an acquisition within the next 12 months, down from 59 percent in October 2015 and 70 percent in April 2015, Ernst and Young found. The consulting and accounting firm said it surveyed more than 100 senior auto industry executives for its twice yearly Automotive Capital Confidence Barometer. "They are trying to spread out and minimize their risk," Mark Short, global automotive and transportation industry leader for Ernst and Young’s transaction advisory services, told Reuters. Those risks can be political, economic and technological, he said. Some recent high profile automotive deals, including Toyota Motor Corp`s investment in Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL], reflect automakers` efforts to get a foothold in new technology or business models, such as self-driving cars and ride hailing. The United States, the UK, Germany, India and Brazil are the top countries targeted for investment among auto executives surveyed, Ernst and Young found. “For the first time in a very, very long time China’s not in our top five market destinations for deals,” Short said. Auto makers and suppliers poured money into China as it grew to become the world’s largest auto market by vehicle sales. Now, there is concern that the Chinese economy may be slowing. In Brazil, vehicle sales are slumping with the rest of the economy, but assets “are very, very cheap,” Short said. Companies are doing “a lot of scenario planning” for the possibility that British voters will opt to exit the European Union, Short said. So far, Ernst and Young has not seen potential deals get put off because of uncertainty over Britain’s future in the EU, he said. About a third of executives surveyed said they are looking for alliances with other companies to make money from underused assets or reinforce research and development. Short said automotive companies and technology companies can ally themselves to explore ventures without committing significant cash.

Auto executives going soft on acquisitions, says E&Y.

Japanese mobile carrier SoftBank announced Wednesday they are planning to sell at least $ 7.9 billion (USD) of its stake in Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, as it looks to pay down a whopping debt load. 
 
The move will reduce SoftBank&#39;s 32.2 per cent holding in the Chinese company to about 28 per cent with the sale, it said, adding that proceeds would be earmarked to pay down debts. 
 
SoftBank said in a statement it has &quot;approved of a series of capital raising transactions, which involve monetising a portion of the shares of Alibaba&quot;. 
 
The Japanese mobile carrier, led by Masayoshi Son, first made its investment in Alibaba in 2000. 
 
&quot;This investment has been phenomenally successful and, over the past 16 years, we have built a close relationship, working together on 
many exciting projects,&quot; Son said in the statement, adding that the pair would continue to work together. 
 
Led by Son, SoftBank launched an acquisition streak that saw it pick up an assortment of firms, including its $16 billion purchase of US-based mobile giant Sprint. 
 
But the buying spree has put pressure on SoftBank&#39;s finances, and the firm also announced earlier this year it would buy back more than 14 per cent of its stock at a cost of about 500 billion yen. 
 
&nbsp;As per the official statement, Son and Alibaba&#39;s executive chairman Jack Ma will remain on the board of the other&#39;s firms 
 
&quot;Under the leadership of Masayoshi Son, SoftBank has been a highly valued, long-time partner of Alibaba for more than 16 years, and we look forward to continuing our strong partnership together,&quot; Ma said in a separate statement. 
 
&quot;As SoftBank looks to strengthen its own balance sheet, Alibaba determined that it was the best use of our capital to re-invest in our own business through an efficient buyback of a large number of shares in our own company that is accretive to our stockholders.&quot; 
 
SoftBank said Alibaba itself would buy back at least USD 2.0 billion worth of the shares it is selling. 
 
SoftBank has seen its profits boosted thanks to Alibaba&#39;s record USD 25 billion market debut in 2014 in New York. 
Today&#39;s announcement came after the Chinese online giant disclosed last week that US securities regulators were probing its accounting for possible violations of US securities laws. 
 
SoftBank shares rose more than two percent shortly after the opening bell today. 
 
Alibaba&#39;s US-listed shares declined 3.1 per cent yesterday after the announcement of SoftBank&#39;s planned share sale. (AFP)

Japanese mobile carrier SoftBank today said it will sell at least $ 7.9 billion (USD) of its stake in Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, as it looks to pay down a whopping debt.

Japanese mobile carrier SoftBank announced Wednesday they are planning to sell at least $ 7.9 billion (USD) of its stake in Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, as it looks to pay down a whopping debt load. The move will reduce SoftBank's 32.2 per cent holding in the Chinese company to about 28 per cent with the sale, it said, adding that proceeds would be earmarked to pay down debts. SoftBank said in a statement it has "approved of a series of capital raising transactions, which involve monetising a portion of the shares of Alibaba". The Japanese mobile carrier, led by Masayoshi Son, first made its investment in Alibaba in 2000. "This investment has been phenomenally successful and, over the past 16 years, we have built a close relationship, working together on many exciting projects," Son said in the statement, adding that the pair would continue to work together. Led by Son, SoftBank launched an acquisition streak that saw it pick up an assortment of firms, including its $16 billion purchase of US-based mobile giant Sprint. But the buying spree has put pressure on SoftBank's finances, and the firm also announced earlier this year it would buy back more than 14 per cent of its stock at a cost of about 500 billion yen. As per the official statement, Son and Alibaba's executive chairman Jack Ma will remain on the board of the other's firms "Under the leadership of Masayoshi Son, SoftBank has been a highly valued, long-time partner of Alibaba for more than 16 years, and we look forward to continuing our strong partnership together," Ma said in a separate statement. "As SoftBank looks to strengthen its own balance sheet, Alibaba determined that it was the best use of our capital to re-invest in our own business through an efficient buyback of a large number of shares in our own company that is accretive to our stockholders." SoftBank said Alibaba itself would buy back at least USD 2.0 billion worth of the shares it is selling. SoftBank has seen its profits boosted thanks to Alibaba's record USD 25 billion market debut in 2014 in New York. Today's announcement came after the Chinese online giant disclosed last week that US securities regulators were probing its accounting for possible violations of US securities laws. SoftBank shares rose more than two percent shortly after the opening bell today. Alibaba's US-listed shares declined 3.1 per cent yesterday after the announcement of SoftBank's planned share sale. (AFP)

SoftBank to sell part of stake in China's Alibaba for $7.9 billion

Benjamin Netanyahu has turned to a 14-year-old Arab peace plan in trying to project a softer image internationally for a new governing coalition in Israel widely seen as more hardline towards Palestinian statehood.

In what some political commentators and opposition politicians called spin but a spokesman for Netanyahu dubbed &quot;an important development&quot;, the right-wing prime minister said on Monday the 2002 Saudi peace initiative had &quot;positive elements&quot;, although some revisions would have to be made.

He drew&nbsp;attention to Arab countries&#39; past offer of normal relations with Israel, in return for a full withdrawal from occupied territory, at a time when he is trying to counter a French push for an international conference on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Netanyahu&#39;s partial embrace of the Arab plan comes after far-right politician Avigdor Lieberman was sworn in as defence minister in a broadened coalition on Monday, an appointment that has raised concern at home and abroad.

Israel fears it could face strong world pressure for concessions towards the Palestinians once foreign ministers, including U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, convene in Paris on June 3 in preparation for a full conference in the autumn.

&quot;The Europeans are gathering ammunition, the danger is real.&nbsp;(Netanyahu) is bracing for all this with a regional initiative that has cost him only words for now,&quot; political commentator Ben Caspit, a frequent critic of the Israeli leader, wrote in the Maariv newspaper.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry accused Netanyahu of playing a &quot;public relations game&quot;. But Nickolay Mladenov, the U.N.&#39;s special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, welcomed the Israeli leader&#39;s comments.

&quot;This can help advance negotiations on achieving a two-state solution,&quot; said Mladenov, who also referred to a public promise last week by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi of warmer ties with Israel if it accepted efforts to resume peace talks with the Palestinians.

Lieberman, who also spoke in English on Monday with an international audience in mind, said he concurred with Netanyahu&#39;s comments on the regional peace proposal. There was no immediate response from Arab countries.

A spokesman for the prime minister declined to discuss what changes Israel might seek in the initiative, which speaks of a &quot;just solution&quot; for Palestinian refugees but whose terms were softened in 2013 to include possible land swaps between Israel and the Palestinians.

Zeev Elkin, a minister in Netanyahu&#39;s cabinet, said on Israel Radio that any division of Jerusalem under the plan - Israel captured the eastern part of the city in the 1967 conflict - is &quot;certainly not acceptable&quot;.

Netanyahu has also said Israel would never relinquish the strategic Golan Heights, territory it annexed in 1981 but which the world considers occupied Syrian land.

Israel Prime Minister has turned to a 14-year-old Arab peace plan to project a softer image of Israel

Benjamin Netanyahu has turned to a 14-year-old Arab peace plan in trying to project a softer image internationally for a new governing coalition in Israel widely seen as more hardline towards Palestinian statehood. In what some political commentators and opposition politicians called spin but a spokesman for Netanyahu dubbed "an important development", the right-wing prime minister said on Monday the 2002 Saudi peace initiative had "positive elements", although some revisions would have to be made. He drew attention to Arab countries' past offer of normal relations with Israel, in return for a full withdrawal from occupied territory, at a time when he is trying to counter a French push for an international conference on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Netanyahu's partial embrace of the Arab plan comes after far-right politician Avigdor Lieberman was sworn in as defence minister in a broadened coalition on Monday, an appointment that has raised concern at home and abroad. Israel fears it could face strong world pressure for concessions towards the Palestinians once foreign ministers, including U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, convene in Paris on June 3 in preparation for a full conference in the autumn. "The Europeans are gathering ammunition, the danger is real. (Netanyahu) is bracing for all this with a regional initiative that has cost him only words for now," political commentator Ben Caspit, a frequent critic of the Israeli leader, wrote in the Maariv newspaper. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry accused Netanyahu of playing a "public relations game". But Nickolay Mladenov, the U.N.'s special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, welcomed the Israeli leader's comments. "This can help advance negotiations on achieving a two-state solution," said Mladenov, who also referred to a public promise last week by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi of warmer ties with Israel if it accepted efforts to resume peace talks with the Palestinians. Lieberman, who also spoke in English on Monday with an international audience in mind, said he concurred with Netanyahu's comments on the regional peace proposal. There was no immediate response from Arab countries. A spokesman for the prime minister declined to discuss what changes Israel might seek in the initiative, which speaks of a "just solution" for Palestinian refugees but whose terms were softened in 2013 to include possible land swaps between Israel and the Palestinians. Zeev Elkin, a minister in Netanyahu's cabinet, said on Israel Radio that any division of Jerusalem under the plan - Israel captured the eastern part of the city in the 1967 conflict - is "certainly not acceptable". Netanyahu has also said Israel would never relinquish the strategic Golan Heights, territory it annexed in 1981 but which the world considers occupied Syrian land.

Netanyahu turns to Arab peace plan to face new challenges

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