1st of October 2010 - China's National Day
The Lion Awakes
Daily News, Culture & Current Affairs about China
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China Daily
Celebration around China before National Day - A selection of Photos
China slams US bill on yuan
BEIJING - China on Thursday expressed strong opposition after the US House of Representatives backed legislation that could pave the way for sanctions against China over what the US claims is an undervalued yuan.
Analysts in China said the country is set to retaliate if the bill becomes law. For that to happen, the Senate has to pass the bill and President Barack Obama sign it.
Using the yuan exchange rate issue as an excuse to engage in trade protectionism against China can only harm China-US trade and economic relations, and will have a negative effect on both economies and the world economy," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told a regular news briefing.
Commerce Ministry spokesman Yao Jian was quoted by Xinhua as saying that the bill was in breach of World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.
See Kaixin's Follow the Debate Series - 'Yuan Revalutation & Internationalisation'
Premier pledges to keep housing price reasonable, stable
BEIJING - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said Thursday that the government will keep housing price at a reasonable and stable level.
Kaixin OpEd – And he probably will too ………. contrast that with President George W Bush’s bright idea to give houses to everyone in America.
A simple solution from a simple man conned by the far from simple thieves on Wall Street.
Countdown begins for China's 2nd lunar mission
XICHANG, Sichuan - The exact launch time for the country's second lunar probe was announced as authorities said the mission faces three major challenges.
Chang'e-2, a circumlunar satellite that will test key technology involved in a soft-landing on the moon around 2013, is scheduled to blast off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 6:59:57 pm on Friday, a spokesman for the China National Space Administration said.
Japan urged to stop making irresponsible comments
BEIJING - Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu on Thursday urged Japan to stop making irresponsible comments concerning China and take substantial action to safeguard bilateral ties.
Jiang's comment came in response to new Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara's criticism of China on Wednesday over an incident in waters off the Diaoyu Islands involving a Chinese trawler and two Japanese coast guard vessels.
At a regular press conference, Jiang reiterated that the Diaoyu Islands and the adjacent islets have been an integral part of Chinese territory since ancient times.
"Japan's illegal detention of the Chinese fishing ship and its crew violated China's territorial sovereignty and the personal rights of the Chinese citizens," she said.
Premier promises more open policies for foreign talents
BEIJING - Premier Wen Jiabao said in Beijing on Thursday that the Chinese government would develop more open policies to attract high-level foreign talent to China.
China still a developing country: top legislator
BEIJING - China's top legislator Wu Bangguo says the country is still a developing country despite remarkable economic growth over the past 30 years.
Though China has registered remarkable economic growth, various structural problems and a growth model heavily reliant on labor and resources still plague the economy, says the memo sent to Xinhua outlining the article's contents.
Wu also stressed in the article that striking divides remain between the urban and rural areas, among different regions, and between economic growth and social development.
Additionally, while Chinese people in general lead a moderately well-off life, there is still a sizable number of people living under the poverty line or who are paid poorly.
Lament of the lens
Chinese photo artists are increasingly engaged with contemporary realities, be it urban stress or fast-disappearing lifestyles, finds Raymond Zhou at the Pingyao photo festival
The grand prize in the 2010 Pingyao International Photography Festival that ran from Sept 19-25, goes to a set of photos about dilapidated industrial facilities and their equally haggard and soot-covered inhabitants. It is a fitting and subtle commentary on the former factory workshops where they were displayed and whose vibrancy can be detected only in a few pieces of machinery that now serve as interior decorations.
Tian'anmen in Pictures Now & Then - Slide Show
Pictures tell a generation of stories - Slide Show
A Teacher's Last Lesson - Slide Show
Expo gears up for China's National Day - Video
Beijing Blossoms for October 1st - Video
Part Two
Kaixin - A Must See!!
Global Times
China's Cabinet holds National Day reception
A reception was held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Wednesday night to mark the 61st anniversary of the founding of New China, which falls on Oct. 1.
Jia Qinglin, Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang, all members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, joined 3,500 guests, including representatives of overseas Chinese and compatriots from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, at the reception.
Addressing the reception, Jia, who is also chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), said the country had gained great achievements over the past 61 years and overseas Chinese, along with the compatriots from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, have made remarkable contributions to the prosperity of the motherland.
He pledged that the central government would firmly stick to its basic policies in Hong Kong and Macao to maintain the long-term development and stability of the two special administrative regions.
The cross-Strait ties between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan were enhanced with a series of new and important achievements over the past year. The mainland would adhere to the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations and continue to promote mutual political trust, exchanges, common sentiments and Chinese culture among compatriots on both sides of the Strait, Jia said.
The Chinese government would continue to protect the legitimate rights and interests of overseas Chinese through legal means, Jia said.
Chinese top leaders Hu Jintao (5th R), Wu Bangguo (4th R), Wen Jiabao (4th L), Jia Qinglin (3rd R), Li Changchun (3rd L), Xi Jinping (2nd R), Li Keqiang (2nd L), He Guoqiang (1st R) and Zhou Yongkang (1st L) attend the reception to celebrate the National Day at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 30, 2010. China's State Council (Cabinet) on Thursday held the reception to mark the 61st anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, which falls on Oct. 1.
Dialogue - A 30 Minute Current Affairs Programme on CCTV - 9 (In English) where current issues are discussed by experts from China and Internationally:
American Empire and cold peace
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News for Today
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The Wall Street Journal China RealTime Report
China Wants Smart Grid, But Not Too Smart
Whoever figures out how much electricity China uses stands to make lots of money.
The country is in the process of adopting a smart electrical grid, including Advanced Metering Infrastructure, or AMI, which includes equipment like meters for residences and companies.
Kaixin – This photo indeed defines China. China is not a developed country, as the huge chimneys suggest. China is not a third world un-developed country as the man pushing the bicycle suggests.
China is a developing country and need to find its way in a complex and competitive world. (Photo Courtesy of WSJ)
China iPhone Craze Breeds Scalpers
Apple customers who were hoping the company’s recently expanded presence in China would mean easier access to officially sold iPhone 4s have been disappointed, but a run on the devices has been kind to at least one group: gadget scalpers.
Kaixin OpEd - Xiaosui visited her family in China a few weeks ago. She took up an Apple iPhone 4 to give to our niece. You can imagine the face having an iPhone 4 weeks before the official launch gave a teenager in China.
The lesson for Apple and the rest of the world though, is that China will soon be ahead in that area of technology. Instead of getting the crumbs from the table by simply manufacturing a device, China will create its own international brand and gulp down the whole loaf of bread. Over the next decade, Kaixin predicts that China will concentrate on creating international Brand names. The people in China are very nationalistic, and will support those brands. It will indeed, be a competitive world.
Google ‘Fighting the Good Fight’ in China
More than half a year after Google announced that it would stop censoring its content in China, it’s still hard to say whether the move did more to help or hurt free access of information within the country.
Kaixin OpEd – I don’t know if you noticed, but Google is still operating in China and is still voicing its opinion.
China could quite easily have shut Google out of China.
Instead Google is operating in China, not without problems Google claims, but it is there.
It is good to see this debate is allowed to occur. It clearly demonstrates how far China has come in the last 30 years.
For the average Chinese the attitude to Google is clear and unambiguous:
Google who??
We use Baidu!
Economists React: U.S. House Takes on Yuan
In a stark warning to China over its handling of the yuan, the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday voted overwhelmingly in favor of a bill that would authorize the White House to impose punitive tariffs on a variety of Chinese imports. Analysts weigh in:
China Tries to Ease U.S. Trade Tension
BEIJING—China's government gave a muted response to the U.S. House of Representatives' legislation targeting its currency practices, reflecting Beijing's interest in minimizing a dispute that could threaten the $300 billion in annual trade flows between the two countries.
How China Might Strike Back on Currency
After the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation yesterday targeting China’s currency practices, how is Beijing likely to respond?
Chinese Netizens Defiant on U.S. Yuan Move
Online reaction in China to the passage of a U.S. bill to penalize China for currency practises spanned the range from outraged to amused.
For a full coverage on this issue see Follow the Debate 'Yuan Revaluation & Internationalisation'
Real People vs. Celebrities
Yiyi Lu, an expert on Chinese civil society, discusses China’s plan to air a promotional commercial to bolster its image abroad. Ms. Lu is a research fellow at the University of Nottingham’s China Policy Institute and an associate fellow at the U.K.-based Chatham House. She is the author of “Non-Governmental Organisations in China: The Rise of Dependent Autonomy” (Routledge 2008).
Since the Chinese media reported in August that the government was making a promotional film to boost China’s international image, there has been controversy over the choice of people to be featured in the promo.
China's Aggressive New Diplomacy
Beijing drives its neighbors into the arms of the U.S.
Ever since Deng Xiaoping dumped the Marxist half of Marxism-Leninism some 30 years ago, the Chinese regime has depended on the twin pillars of economic growth and nationalism for its legitimacy. Usually the world sees more of the former than the latter. Perhaps not anymore.
Kaixin OpEd – Maybe …. maybe not.
The writer miss-understood, in Kaixin’s opinion, what Deng Xiaoping was trying to achieve, see ''Poverty is not socialism. To be rich is glorious.'', Deng Xiaoping 邓小平
I think the Asian countries are indeed looking on with interest. However, Kaixin detects in the news that they are starting to realise that they are indeed Asian.
After almost a century of being a glove puppet for Uncle Sam they finally want to sit down ….. and talk to China.
Europe had deep historic divisions, which had to be overcome before the European Union could be formed. Asia also has deep historic divisions, which will have to be overcome before a united Asian Economic Union can be achieved.
Kaixin does not think this impossible some time in the 21st century.
Gates, Buffett Discuss Charity with China's Wealthy
In listening to the remarks of these newly minted moguls, Mr. Buffett said he realized he had traveled halfway around the world only to continue a conversation started in America. "It was remarkably similar to the dinners we've had in the U.S.," he said. "There was no reluctance of people to tell their own stories and their experiences about reservations they had connected with charity."
Charity has only recently emerged in China. Personal fortunes are a relatively new phenomenon,
China Moves Toward Real-Estate Tax On Residences
SHANGHAI—China stepped up its rhetoric on the possible introduction of a real-estate tax on residential properties Thursday by describing such a move as a necessary step toward restructuring the economy and promoting healthy and genuine demand for housing.
The Ministry of Finance said in a statement posted on its website that it will launch a trial version of the tax in select cities before gradually expanding it to the rest of the country.
How to Start a Trade War
When it comes to the debate over China's currency, the voices of moderation are getting edged out.
Now that the House of Representatives has voted, with strong backing, in favor of legislation that would allow the U.S. to levy tariffs on Chinese goods, a trade war is one step closer. Much depends on whether China can stay measured in its response.
Calmer heads in Beijing will see that the House's latest move has ...
Asian Central Banks Keep Up Intervention as Dollar Weakens
SINGAPORE—The central banks of South Korea, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia were suspected of intervening in foreign exchange markets Wednesday to contain gains in their currencies, but analysts say the continued weakness of the U.S. dollar means Asian units should extend their rallies.
The New York Times
Op-Ed Contributor
Cultivating the Chinese Consumer
By STEPHEN S. ROACH
To fix the U.S.-China trade imbalance, new initiatives are needed to encourage Americans to save more and Chinese to spend more.
I.H.T. Op-Ed Contributor
China's Charitable Past
The relatively small amount of charitable giving in Communist China is an aberration in the longer sweep of Chinese history
A Photo Show Where Exposure Has Two Meanings
With 80,000 works, the Pingyao International Photography Festival may be the largest event of its kind. It may also be the grittiest, with outdoor displays exposing art and viewers to the elements.
Talk of Reform to Enliven Leaders’ Meeting in China
Some officials have been calling for an overhaul of the country’s political system, while others have explicitly rejected such talk.
I.H.T. Op-Ed Contributor
Don't Surrender U.S. Influence to Beijing
The best reason why America should not welcome a stronger Chinese currency is, to put it crudely, military.
I.H.T. Op-Ed Contributor
A Message Too Powerful to Stop
A master of Aesopian wit blogs from inside China, criticizing the government in acerbic terms. Shutting down the blog could trigger a rebellion.
Kaixin OpEd - Big deal!! There are plenty of Blogs in China which criticise the goverment at all levels. They are seldom shut down.
Chinese Developers Tap Into Japanese Insecurity
A jumble of tensions has been set off by China’s investment in Japan, especially land deals.
Kaixin OpEd - Perhaps if Japan hadn't taken America's helpful advice in the late 1908's their economy would not be stuffed and China would not be able to afford to buy Japan's real estate at knock down prices.
Now America is offering the same advice to China and seems to genuinely wonder why China is firmly refusing to take it, being wary of the rubber glove that America still wears on its right hand.
Trying to Lace Together a Consensus on Biodiversity Across a Global Landscape
Despite about two decades of conferences, conventions and commitments, the earth’s biodiversity is steadily eroding as ecosystems suffer and species die out.
Kaixin - Follow the Full Debate in Kaixin's 'Green China'
I.H.T. Special Report: Global Clean Energy
China May Soon Make Use of Its Solar Assets
China has established itself as a leading producer of solar energy equipment, but it has made surprisingly little use of solar energy at home.
Paris Auto Show Focuses on Green Cars as Automakers Focus on China
The show highlights industry hopes that the cars of tomorrow will be electric — even as automakers race to build more of today’s cars in China.
Kaixin OpEd – The photo sorta says it all, doesn’t it? Volvo is now owned by a Chinese company because America led the world into a recession by turning their real estate into tulips in a great ponzi scheme engineered by Wall Street.
And now China leads the world in ‘Green Vehicles’, while the world talks about it, and talks about it ……………. and talks about it.
A Volvo electric model on display prior to the start of the Paris Motor Show. More Photos »
Eye on China, House Votes for Greater Tariff Powers
The House gave the Obama administration expanded authority to impose tariffs on Chinese imports, but the bill’s prospects for Senate approval are unclear.
China: Effort to Attract Foreign Students
A senior Chinese official says the country plans to have 150,000 foreign students studying for degrees by 2020 in order to increase China’s global influence.
Letter from China
Chinese Writers Give a Warmer Take on U.S. Democracy
While Americans fret about rapid Chinese economic growth, in China, something else is happening: deeper understanding of democracy is producing greater admiration, in some quarters.
Kaixin OpEd - Miss-understanding in Kaixin's opinion.
Gates, Buffett Say China Charity Meeting a Success
Warren Buffett and Bill Gates tried to dispel the notion that China’s class of super-rich was too miserly to measure up to Western philanthropic standards.
Caixin Online
Yuan May Just be Scapegoat for Ailing U.S. Economy
As U.S. mid-term elections approach, the value of China's currency has become a convenient scapegoat for America's domestic problems
With the official unemployment rate hovering above 10 percent and the mortgage default rate steep, the United States is showing symptoms of a slowdown. Meanwhile, imports are flooding its ports. The Port of Long Beach, the U.S.'s second busiest container port, recorded a hike in new arrivals. Up to late September, the port swallowed 2.7 million 20-foot-long containers, up from 2.4 million for the entire 2009.
Kaixin OpEd - Nothing 'may ' about it .... it is - 'Yuan Revaluation & Internationalisation'
The Age
China curbs lending in move to cool housing market
China has tightened limits on mortgage lending and plans to roll out a new tax on home sales, acting once again to cool a property market that some fear is frothing into a bubble.
The required downpayment for a first home purchases rises to 30 per cent, up from 20 per cent, while purchases of second homes will require a 50 per cent downpayment, up from 40 per cent. Loans for purchases of third homes are banned, said the announcement on the government's website.
US bill on yuan could hurt trade: China
China has rejected US legislation seeking to punish Beijing for allegedly manipulating its currency, warning that pressure on the yuan issue could "severely damage" trade ties.
Great wallets of China a hard barrier to crack
The deputy director of the China Charity Donation Information Centre, Liu Youping, suspects that, as in many countries, ordinary people give a higher proportion of their incomes than the wealthy.
Yu Pengnian, already one of China's biggest donors, recently gave his whole fortune of $US1.2 billion to a foundation set up in his name. The 88-year-old began as a street hawker, and made his fortune in hotels before spending it on health - funding 150,000 cataract removals - and other good causes.
While critics say it is unnatural not to leave his wealth to his family, he says: ''If my children are competent, they don't need my money. If they're not, leaving them a lot of money is only doing them harm.''
Asia Times Online
Taiwanese cool to China's overtures
By Jens Kastner and Wang Jyh-Perng
When Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao offered to remove missiles pointed at Taiwan without mentioning the one-China principle, suspicions grew of a masterplan to gradually lull the island's military, business leaders and then the population into passivity. People on the island are not that easily fooled.
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