The Olympic gold medalist, who came out as gay in 2013, has produced a documentary called Tom Daley: Illegal to Be Me, in which he visits the most homophobic countries in the Commonwealth .
Chinese economic players in Myanmar initially relied on ties to the government and ruling elites. Faced with controversy, they turned to actors that local communities trust and listen to as de facto partners and informal advisers.
On December 31, President Xi Jinping appeared on CCTV and extended his “New Year’s wishes to Chinese of all ethnic groups.” On January 15, Beijing officials detained Ilham Tohti, a leading Uighur economist and subsequently accused him of “separtist offenses”; a fresh report shows arrests of Uighurs for “endangering state security” in Xinjiang rose sharply last year; and the
Delivering vaccines to Myanmar’s junta, but also to rebel groups that are the generals’ sworn enemies, China is playing both sides to strengthen its hand in the messy politics of its southern neighbor.
Beijing has already handed over nearly 13 million doses to the generals, who in February ousted the government of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and plunged Myanmar and its healthcare system into chaos.
The junta has appeared powerless to halt the spread of the virus, spooking authorities on the other side of its porous, 2,000km frontier with China, where officials are waging a “zero case” war on COVID-19.
So