Today’s Focus:
A shooting incident in Wuhan resulted in one fatality, with the perpetrator firing four shots seeking revenge; overseas, “Who Will Foot the Bill for the ‘Three Gorges’?” discusses starting from the bombing of the Sudanese dam; the UK and EU join hands again! A win-win agreement is reached.
On May 18th, a shooting incident occurred at a barbecue stall in Wuhan, Hubei Province, with multiple individuals being shot, and at least one man dying on the spot. Witnesses claim that the perpetrator didn’t randomly target people but had specific revenge motives.
A circulated video claimed that around 10 p.m. on the 18th, a shooting incident took place in front of a barbecue stall in the Aiguo community on Chongren Street in the Caidian District of Wuhan. The footage showed multiple gunshots suddenly ringing out in front of the stall, with a man being shot in the head, blood flowing from his mouth and nose, and his clothes soaked in blood. Eventually, someone covered his head with an item.
Reports online state that the shooter fired at least four shots, resulting in two immediate deaths.
Eyewitnesses mentioned that a man sitting on a chair died on the spot after being shot in the head while another man hit with a bullet collapsed on the ground, succumbing to his severe injuries. The shooter fled after firing four shots.
An informant revealed that one of the gunshot victims was the local “boss,” and the other was his driver.
Under the alias Li Xiang, an informant disclosed that the deceased boss used to operate a gaming hall and was suspected of gambling. He has since transitioned to managing a billiards room. The shooter sought revenge for his son, who was betrayed and ended up in jail due to the boss’s actions, eventually dying in prison. The informant emphasized that the shooter sought revenge and not indiscriminate killing. At the time of the incident, the boss was enjoying barbecue. The shooter appeared well-trained as he used a regular Colt 1911, not a makeshift gun.
Another anonymous citizen confirmed that it was a case of vendetta. The shooter arrived at the scene on a bicycle and fired four shots at close range, hitting three people. One individual died on the spot from a headshot, while the conditions of the other two wounded individuals remain unknown.
Another eyewitness suggested that his friend was present at the scene and claimed it was a revenge killing possibly motivated by economic disputes, although specific details were unclear.
Although the shooting incident generated significant online buzz, local authorities did not issue an immediate public announcement. It wasn’t until the afternoon of the 19th that the Caidian District Public Security Bureau in Wuhan released a police report stating that on the night of May 18th at 9:37 p.m., an intentional injury incident occurred at the entrance of a restaurant on Chongren Road due to a “dispute.” The current suspect has been apprehended, with one person succumbing to ineffective rescue efforts, while the other two are currently not in life-threatening conditions.
The police report did not elaborate on the incident’s cause, ambiguously labeling it as a “dispute.” Furthermore, the police refrained from terming it as a shooting incident, instead downplaying it as “intentional injury.” This approach raised skepticism among many netizens, who believed the authorities intentionally minimized the severity of the incident.
One netizen bluntly remarked, “The focus isn’t on the ‘dispute,’ but on where the ‘gun’ came from.”
In the early hours of January 13, 2025, Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces used drones to attack the Merowe Dam, known as Sudan’s “Three Gorges Project,” resulting in a widespread power outage.
This event raises a significant issue—the numerous “overseas three gorges” projects that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is constructing through its “Belt and Road” initiative and the impact of these projects on the respective countries’ populations.
Let’s first focus on Sudan’s Merowe Dam project, led by China’s Sinohydro Corporation, currently one of the largest ongoing hydropower projects in Sudan and Africa, dubbed the Sudanese “Three Gorges Project.”
The then-Sudanese President Bashir hailed this project as the “21st-century Sudanese Pyramid.” Sudan’s former First Vice President, Taha, stated during the diversion ceremony that upon the completion of the Merowe Dam, Sudan would break free from poverty, setting the country’s economy on a path of positive development. The electricity generated by the dam’s power plant would bring a bright future for Sudan, ushering in a new chapter of economic growth.
However, since the formal operation of the dam in 2009, Sudanese people have continued to live in extreme poverty.
The Merowe Dam project not only altered the flow of the River Nile in Sudan but also changed the political history of Sudan.
Why do we say this? The Merowe Dam project is one of the world’s most controversial projects, as it is not solely a hydraulic project but also a political one. In particular, the project compelled tens of thousands of residents to relocate from fertile Nile River basin to arid desert regions. This displacement triggered strong protests from the populace, yet the authorities disregarded public opinion, deploying armed militias to quell protests, resulting in three fatalities.
To forcibly remove residents, the Sudanese authorities employed extreme measures of using floods to make people leave their homeland, a startling move.
The Secretary-General of the International Rivers Network, Bosc, described this as “Sudan’s government driving its citizens away like mice, using floods to oust its own people.”
Despite the Sudanese government’s extreme measures, the progress of the Merowe Dam project wasn’t smooth. It wasn’t until April 8, 2010, that the entire project was officially completed, almost two years past the original contract completion date of June 30, 2008.
In 2019, long-serving Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir was ousted.
In October 2021, the Sudanese military staged a coup, with Army Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Rapid Support Forces leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo sharing power post-coup.
However, in April 2023, the two military leaders fell out, leading to armed clashes between their forces in the capital, Khartoum, spreading nationwide and resulting in at least 29,700 fatalities and over 12.3 million displaced.
In January 2025, the Rapid Support Forces of Sudan launched a drone attack on the Merowe Dam. Later, on April 3, they signed a political charter with allies in Nairobi, Kenya.
On April 15, Dagalo announced the establishment of the Sudanese “Peace and Unity Government” to govern the entire country. He also announced the issuance of a new currency by the new government. This signifies that the previous currency, featuring the “Three Gorges Dam,” built with assistance from the CCP, may become worthless.
This is the backstory behind the Merowe Dam; then, how many more such “Three Gorges Projects” does the CCP have in its “Belt and Road” initiative? Though precise data is lacking, the CCP has claimed to dominate over 70% of overseas water projects.
According to the China Energy Construction Group’s website in November 2023, since the inception of the “Belt and Road” initiative in 2013, the group has signed contracts for and constructed over 100 hydropower projects, with a total installed capacity exceeding 30 million kilowatts. Currently, the company has constructed over 300 hydropower projects abroad, with a total installed capacity exceeding 100 million kilowatts.
In summary, the CCP has created numerous “Three Gorges Projects” within its “Belt and Road” initiative, sometimes building two or even three such projects in a single country.
For instance, Sudan boasts three “Three Gorges Dams,” namely the Merowe Dam, the Roseires Dam, and the Upper Atbara Dam; Ethiopia also features three “Three Gorges Projects,” including the Tekeze Hydropower Station, the Gilgel Gibe 3 Hydropower Station, and the Renaissance Dam;
Furthermore, Cameroon has the “Three Gorges Project” of the Mavallé Hydropower Station, Malaysia with the “Three Gorges Project” of the Bakun Dam, Myanmar featuring the “Three Gorges Project” of the Yeywa Hydropower Station, Guinea with the “Three Gorges Project” of the Kaléta Dam, among others.
Notably, while Chinese state-owned enterprises dominate over 70% of the overseas market, dam construction is just one facet of the CCP’s “Belt and Road” initiative, encompassing highways, railways, airports, seaports, telecommunications, water supply projects, and more.
Many believe the CCP’s “Belt and Road” initiative aims to assist underdeveloped countries. However, from a political perspective, the initiative is a vital cog in the CCP’s global strategy, aiming to export ideology, promote the “superiority” of socialism, “rise of the East and Fall of the West,” “Community of Shared Destiny for Mankind,” and establish a “New World Order,” binding a group of smaller nations with debt and technology to expand the CCP’s sphere of influence. Economically, it serves to maintain and develop the CCP’s distorted industrial structure, export excess production capacity, including surplus human resources from China, and control the world’s infrastructure.
Overall, the “Belt and Road” initiative operates under the unified command of the CCP Central Committee and the central government, involving diplomatic, financial, propaganda, educational, national security, and state-owned enterprise participation in a coordinated effort.
In international dam construction projects, while the Three Gorges Group and Gezhouba Group led the initial charge, the specialized China Energy Construction Group is now spearheading operations, backed by state-owned banks like the China Export-Import Bank.
This concerted strategic effort, with a clear purpose, often outperforms private enterprises worldwide. Additionally, certain foreign private enterprises have been influenced or co-opted by the CCP, serving its interests under their seemingly “independent” status.
From a technical-economic standpoint, Chinese state-owned enterprises have advantages in technology, materials, personnel, funds, cost-efficiency, speed, with noteworthy characteristics being lower costs and faster project completion.
However, despite these advantages in cost efficiency and speed, the investment return in the “Three Gorges Projects” within the “Belt and Road” initiative remains notably low, often involving immense financial losses.
Given these circumstances, why does the CCP persist in constructing so many “Three Gorges Projects” for other countries?
President Xi Jinping provided an answer during his inspection of the Three Gorges Dam on April 24, 2018. Xi remarked that the Three Gorges Project is a “national treasure,” and “real national treasures must be held in our own hands.”
This underscores that large and super-large reservoir dam projects are a nation’s critical infrastructure, controlling its lifelines, hence dubbed national treasures.
The CCP seeks to retain these national treasures in its grip, and the countries participating in the “Belt and Road” initiative also aim to seize these national treasures for themselves, citing similar reasons, ultimately securing these assets in their hands. Whether Chinese state-owned banks can recoup the investments, much less generate returns, remains to be seen.
On May 19th, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and EU President Ursula von der Leyen jointly announced that the UK and EU have reached agreements in four critical areas: food trade, fisheries, defense cooperation, and border controls.
Starmer hailed the agreement as a “win-win,” emphasizing its paramount importance for the UK.
Von der Leyen termed it as a “historic moment,” noting enhanced cooperation in judiciary and immigration, including joint operations through the Europol for law enforcement actions. She stated, “Crime doesn’t stop at borders, and neither should our response.”
So, once the EU-UK agreement materializes, what practical changes will it bring for British citizens? Starmer mentioned that British travelers entering EU countries can use electronic customs gates known as “e-Gates” to circumvent long queues.
Furthermore, the UK and EU will establish a new Youth Mobility Scheme for individuals aged 18-30 to reside, study, or work more conveniently in each other’s countries. However, the specific quotas and conditions are still under discussion.
Regarding fisheries, the UK and the EU agreed to extend the existing fishing arrangements until 2038, extending the previous accord by 12 years. This extension allows EU fishing vessels to continue operating within UK waters. While some media outlets criticized this move for negatively impacting British fishermen, Starmer justified it as a measure for long-term stability, avoiding recurring uncertainties from renegotiations every year post-2026 expiration.
Von der Leyen added that the agreement will provide a more stable investment environment for fishermen on both sides of the English Channel.
In terms of food trade, the UK and EU also reached an unlimited food standards agreement. This aims to streamline customs procedures for agricultural products, particularly meats and dairy items, reducing border checks and bureaucratic processes, facilitating smoother trade in food and beverages.
Notably, while UK-EU relations have thawed, both sides emphasized no return to the “customs union” or “single market.” In other words, the UK will uphold its sovereignty post-Brexit. Nonetheless, they aim to deepen institutional dialogues, strengthen supply chain cooperation, address trade disputes, and restore high-level economic and trade meeting mechanisms.
In defense, the EU and UK will bolster cooperation. Reuters mentioned that the agreement includes a new defense security framework, potentially integrating the UK into the EU’s €1,500 billion military restructuring plan.
Ultimately, through this new agreement, the UK might join the EU Defense Development Fund, offering substantial benefits for the UK’s defense and steel industries. Additionally, the accord aims to enable the UK to reconnect to the European electricity market, simplifying carbon emission taxation processes.
Von der Leyen stated, “The agreement marks a new chapter in our relationship,” highlighting common energy challenges facing both the EU and the UK. The EU welcomes the UK’s return to closer cooperation tracks. Starmer remarked that the six-month negotiation process was remarkably efficient, surpassing previous engagements that could have taken several years to resolve individual issues. This efficiency underscores the urgency and importance of their cooperation.
This comprehensive agreement demonstrates a significant step forward in diplomatic and regulatory collaboration between the UK and the EU, paving the way for mutual benefits and enhanced cooperation across various sectors.