放羊的星星
Chinese Embassy firmly rejects NZ intelligence report hyping 'Chinese interference,' says claims rife with Cold War thinking_我的网站
一 | NEW YORK -- A'ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces secured their place as one of the greatest teams in WNBA history.The Aces became the first team to repeat as champions in 21 years, getting 24 points and 16 rebounds from Wilson and a defensive stop in the closing seconds to beat the New York Liberty 70-69 in Game 4 of the Finals on Wednesday night.“It’s not easy, as you know. This is what it's all about,” Wilson said. “Not a lot of people get to do it. To be short-handed and win is amazing. It makes the win that much better. It's hard to get back to the Finals to win again.”The Aces joined the Los Angeles Sparks (2001-02) and the Houston Comets (1997-2000) as the only teams in league history to win consecutive titles.Las Vegas did it without starters Chelsea Gray and Kiah Stokes, who were both sidelined with foot injuries suffered in Game 3. Gray, the 2022 WNBA Finals MVP, was constantly in the ear of her teammates during timeouts and shouting encouragement from the sideline. Las Vegas was also still missing veteran Candace Parker, who had foot surgery in late July.“We’ve been facing adversity all season, playing without different players. ... We have some professional fighters," said Alysha Clark, who was pressed into the starting lineup Wednesday. “To weather the storm of everything we went through, to show up every single day. To be in this moment right now and do it together, it speaks volumes about us, our chemistry.”Coach Becky Hammon said this was the closest team she has ever been around. The entire team attended the postgame news conference and cheered every answer, especially those by Wilson, the Finals MVP, who finished third in the regular-season MVP balloting.With the game tied at 64, Las Vegas scored six straight points, including the first four by Jackie Young, to go ahead 70-64 with 1:26 left.Courtney Vandersloot hit a 3-pointer on New York's next possession, then stole the ball from Kelsey Plum, which led to Sabrina Ionescu's foul-line jumper to get the Liberty within one with 41.7 seconds left.On the ensuing possession, Las Vegas worked the shot clock down before Hammon called timeout with 3 seconds left on the shot clock. The Aces got the ball to Wilson on a lob, but Breanna Stewart blocked the shot, giving New York one last chance.After a timeout with 8.8 seconds left, the Liberty got the ball to Stewart, who was double-teamed. The ball swung over to Vandersloot in the corner, but her shot missed badly, setting off a wild celebration by the Aces at midcourt.“It's a play we’ve ran before, get the ball to Stewie’s hand,” Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said. “Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. We got it where we wanted to, but didn’t make it.”Vandersloot finished with 19 points and Betnijah Laney added 15 for New York. Hammon said before the game she would be “throwing the kitchen sink at (the Liberty), see what sticks, see what works.”The Aces rotated defenses, which stymied New York after the Liberty scored 23 points in the first quarter. “I think they were throwing whatever defense they had at us and make sure it’s ugly,” Stewart said. “Sometimes we lost our flow and ball movement.”Hammon started WNBA sixth woman of the year Clark and Cayla George in place of Gray and Stokes. Clark did a stellar job on her former Seattle Storm teammate Stewart, holding her to 10 points on 3-of-17 shooting. George had 11 points.“Just knowing what she likes to do. And just locking in and making sure that I don’t give that to her," Clark said of guarding Stewart. "I’m so proud of this team.”This was the first close game of the season between these teams. The four regular-season matchups were all blowouts with the closest contest being a nine-point win by New York on Aug. 28. The first three games of the WNBA Finals were also routs, with New York winning Game 3 87-73 to stave off elimination.Game 4 was so tense that Ionescu was seen vomiting into a trash can during a timeout midway through the fourth quarter, shortly after she hit a 3-pointer to get the Liberty within 60-58. Ionescu stayed in the game after the timeout.New York's record fell to 2-10 all-time in the WNBA Finals. Teams that fall behind 0-2 in the best-of-five series Finals have lost all nine of those series.STAR-STUDDED CROWDOnce again, New York drew dozens of celebrities to the game, including basketball royalty Sue Bird and Dawn Staley — the South Carolina coach who loudly cheered on her former star player, Wilson. The two embraced in a long hug after the game. Also in attendance were Liberty Ring of Honor members Vickie Johnson and Sue Wicks, and actors Jennifer Connelly, Issa Rae and Jason Sudeikis.___AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball。
China has firmly rejected and condemned a new annual report by the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service on Friday which once again fabricates and sensationalizes claims about so-called "Chinese interference" and "China threat," stressing that the report is rife with Cold War thinking and contains unfounded accusations against China.
This report is clearly linked to a series of recent negative developments in New Zealand's China-related policies, a Chinese expert told the Global Times on Friday.
Recently, New Zealand has continuously toughened its rhetoric toward China, which to some extent reflects a form of "compensatory hawkishness" aimed at demonstrating its reliability within the Five Eyes alliance, Chen Hong, director of New Zealand Studies Centre, East China Normal University, told the Global Times. "Rather than reflecting 'strategic confidence,' this trend may reveal a sense of 'identity anxiety,'" Chen said.
The New Zealand intelligence agency claimed in the report released on Thursday that China is the only nation pursuing espionage in New Zealand at scale, Radio New Zealand reported. It also claimed that such activity posed threat to New Zealand, which is the "most challenging of recent times."
Many of its unfounded accusations against China either maliciously label normal exchanges, communication and cooperation as so-called espionage or interference activities, or are simply baseless fabrications. China absolutely rejects and firmly opposes this, the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand said in a statement released on Friday.
The release of this report at this time is part of a new round of attacks, smears and vilification of China orchestrated by certain international forces. In itself, the report may well be the result of foreign interference, the embassy said.
In June, security agencies from the "Five Eyes" alliance issued a warning, claiming that Chinese spies used online job platforms to recruit people with access to sensitive information, according to a Reuters report.
For now, the annual report has further escalated its rhetoric, effectively creating a chain in which the Five Eyes' warnings and New Zealand's domestic threat assessments reinforce and echo each other, the Chinese expert said.
The Lowy Institute said in a latest article on Thursday that New Zealand had long been considered the weakest link in Five Eyes and the easiest for China to try to cow. "But New Zealand has now called out China by name in its intelligence warnings so often that officials joke it has become tougher on Beijing than Australia is," the article said.
The extent to which New Zealand's intelligence agencies have publicly singled out China has in fact gone further than Australia's, which, I think, represents a compensatory hardline posture, Chen noted.
"New Zealand wants to demonstrate that it is a very active and very tough member of the Five Eyes. In fact, we have recently seen New Zealand take a high-profile stance on issues ranging from Pacific Island countries and China's relations with South Pacific and South China Sea nations to China's missile tests and other China-related issues. All of these developments can be viewed in the context of this policy shift," the expert said.
This suggests that some forces within New Zealand's security and foreign policy establishment are consciously trying to demonstrate that New Zealand is not a weak link in the Five Eyes alliance, but rather an active participant, Chen added.
The report also reflects the fact that some people both within and outside New Zealand do not want to see China-New Zealand relations develop positively. By going to great lengths to spread rumors, they seek to drive a wedge between the peoples of the two countries, create a chilling effect among the public, including overseas Chinese, undermine bilateral mutual trust, and obstruct the development of bilateral relations, the embassy noted.
Their actions serve geopolitical purposes and the narrow, short-sighted political interests of certain forces. Their intentions are clear to anyone with insight, and their objectives will not succeed.
The embassy also noted that the essence of China-New Zealand relations is mutually beneficial cooperation and win-win outcomes. In recent years, with the joint efforts of both sides, bilateral relations have made steady progress. Bilateral trade has repeatedly reached new highs, bringing substantial income and employment opportunities to New Zealanders.
People-to-people exchanges have continued to grow, with the numbers of tourists and international students increasing steadily, promoting mutual understanding and closer ties between the peoples of the two countries. The overseas Chinese community in New Zealand has played a unique and important positive role in this regard.
Since China introduced a unilateral visa-free policy for New Zealand, many New Zealand tourists have visited China, witnessing firsthand China's development achievements and openness and inclusiveness, the embassy said.
As a result of various factors, New Zealanders' understanding of China has become more comprehensive and objective in recent years, while favorable views of China and support for China-New Zealand relations have continued to rise
The embassy also warned those forces and individuals attempting to engage in political manipulation: Do not undermine the hard-won, mutually beneficial and win-win China-New Zealand relationship for your own selfish interests, thereby harming the interests of New Zealand and its people.
Acting as pawns for anti-China forces internationally will ultimately prove counterproductive. Creating controversies in foreign relations will not solve New Zealand's problems; it will likely only make matters worse, the embassy said, urging these forces and individuals not to resort to desperate measures that will ultimately harm themselves, or lift a rock only to drop it on their own feet.
China attaches importance to its relations with New Zealand and is willing to work with the New Zealand side, on the basis of the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, to advance exchanges and cooperation in various fields, including political mutual trust, practical cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, and to better benefit the peoples of both countries, the embassy said.
However, the development of China-New Zealand relations does not depend on China alone. We hope the New Zealand side will work in the same direction as China, rather than the opposite. Otherwise, the New Zealand side will bear responsibility for any consequences arising from such a course of action, it noted.
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