1st of December 2010
The Lion Awakes
Daily News, Culture & Current Affairs about China
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China Daily
China actively defuses Korean Peninsula tensions
BEIJING - Chinese analysts have refuted criticism that China is not acting responsibly enough to address the recent increase in tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
It is evident that China is actively making diplomatic efforts to ease the tensions and pushing for contacts and talks among relevant parties, they said, adding that these facts should not be ignored.
John McCain, a senior U.S. senator said China "is not behaving as a responsible world power" in dealing with the Korean Peninsula situation.
China does not control the DPRK, and China's actions are made out of a respect for other sovereign states and humanitarian considerations, said Zhu Feng, professor at Peking University's School of International Studies.
Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi met with Chi Jae Ryong, Ambassador of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to China, and held telephone conversations with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, ROK Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara to exchange opinions on the Korean Peninsula situation.
Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo met with ROK President Lee Myung-bak Sunday in Seoul.
After a long, candid and in-depth talk, the two sides said the situation on the peninsula is worrisome, agreeing that parties concerned should make joint efforts to engage in serious contact and dialogue to ease tensions and safeguard peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in northeast Asia.
Ni Feng, deputy director of the CASS Institute of American Studies, called on the Chinese government to make further efforts to promote talks, despite existing difficulties.
Dialogue is better than confrontation, Ni said, adding that if the situation deteriorates, the biggest losers will be the DPRK and the ROK.
China calls for resumption of dialogue, negotiations
BEIJING - China on Tuesday called for a resumption of dialogue and negotiations amid rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
"Under current circumstances, it is imperative and important to return to dialogue and negotiations as soon as possible," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei at a regular press conference.
Kaixin OpEd – Kaixin reluctantly agrees with the ‘west’ on this issue.
North Korea cannot be allowed to act like a petulant child.
It is China’s petulant child, so China should take it behind the wood shed and give it a good whacking.
Kaixin can understand that China does not want Uncle Sam dancing up and down the Korean peninsular waving at Beijing and polishing his A-Bombs.
So, it behoves Washington and Beijing to work out an agreement and force it on North Korea.
Korean Unification with Chinese characteristics.
Credit supply may top govt targets
otal credit in 2010 seen higher than market expectations
BEIJING - China's new loans in November may top 500 billion yuan ($75 billion), sparking speculation among analysts that the whole-year credit supply may exceed the central government's target of 7.5 trillion yuan.
"The total credit supply for 2010 is likely to reach 8 trillion, exceeding the government target by 6.7 percent, said Liu Yuanchun, deputy director of Renmin University's School of Economics.
China, India conclude border talks to boost ties
BEIJING - China and India Tuesday concluded their 14th round of border talks with a joint call to "seek a fair and reasonable solution acceptable to both sides," according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement Tuesday.
China to launch campaign for Party agenda for next 5 yrs
BEIJING - The Communist Party of China (CPC) will launch in December a nationwide publicity campaign for the Party's agenda for China's development over the next five years, a statement said Tuesday.
Student stabs woman to death after hitting her in car accident
XI'AN - A university student who allegedly stabbed to death a young mother he had injured in a car accident has sparked a new public furor over moral standards among the children of China's privileged classes.
Kaixin OpEd – The independence and impartiality of the Chinese legal system does indeed have to be improved.
This is yet another story of power being abused in China.
It is good to see it bought to national prominence in the Chinese media. It is the voice of the people being heard. The people of China will not put up with this and are calling for fundamental change.
For the other story see Kaixin's - Insights into China (18/11/201 'My father's name is Li Gang')
Copyright inspections target Chinese govt software
BEIJING - Chinese copyright inspectors are to conduct a nationwide sweep of local and central government computers to ensure they are using only authorized and genuine software.
Sinopec sees higher domestic oil demand
Consumption to increase by up to 6% by 2015 on economic growth
BEIJING - China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation (Sinopec), the nation's largest oil refiner, has forecast increasing domestic demand for oil.
"China's oil products market will grow at a rate of 5 to 6 percent over the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015), fueled by the economy's strong momentum which is likely to grow by 10 percent annually," said Cai Xiyou, vice-president of Sinopec.
The nation's reliance on imported oil is around 50 percent at present, according to an earlier estimate by Zhang Fuqin, deputy chief engineer with the China Petroleum Planning and Engineering Institute.
Property market shows signs of recovery
China's property market is showing signs of recovery after the central government implemented a series of measures in late September to constrain soaring prices. Industry insiders said that the market is steady now and might see an upswing after the Lunar New Year.
See Kaixin's - China Real Estate
Sino-US book gap more than just language
NEW YORK - Western publishing companies continue to face problems in penetrating China's vast book market as well as getting Chinese books into the United States, industry insiders say.
Publishing companies report vast differences between Western and Chinese methods of marketing and distributing, and while US companies have had some success in selling US material to bilingual audiences, most of the money to be made in China will not be with English material, experts say.
Additionally, very few Chinese-written books have made a successful leap into the US.
China revises penalties for price violations
BEIJING - The State Council, China's Cabinet, said Monday it will revise penalties to further crack down on price violations in order to tackle inflation.
The revised code will mainly target price manipulation, collusion, malicious hoarding and the spreading of false information, a statement issued after a State Council executive meeting presided over by Premier Wen Jiabao said.
Investors see gold as inflation hedge
SHANGHAI - Investors are flocking to banks and famous gold stores in the city to snap up the yellow metal as a hedge against inflation.
"Gold investment is regarded as a safe haven by wealthy investors when uncertainties exist in the domestic stock and property markets," Wang said.
Rabbit abuse video highlights animal rights issue
BEIJING - Animal rights experts are calling for urgent legislation to stop animal cruelty, following the exposure of an emerging business behind widespread videos of rabbit abuse on the Internet.
A woman, who was paid to abuse rabbits to death on a video clip, has reported to the police after angry netizens launched a "human flesh search" on her and found out her identity, Xinhua News Agency reported on Tuesday.
Kaixin OpEd – It is good to see this being exposed and dealt with. It is also a good example of what Kaixin calls ‘Tech-Democracy’.
The power of the Internet and Mobile Phone Text Messages is growing in China. Wo betide anyone who gets on the wrong side of it. The average people of China have found a powerful voice, and they use it.
Talk in the ‘west’ of Beijing being in absolute control of the Internet is bunkum. There is more control than in the ‘west’, but it is far from absolute.
The peoples voice is heard loud and clear in Blogs unless it becomes too strident or encourages people to break the law.
As to Mobile Phone’s. …. take those away and there would be an instant revolution.
School Stages stamede drill
A police officer teaches students of a primary school in Shenyang, capital of Liaoning province, how to protect themselves when a stampede happens, following the Monday school stampede in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region that injured 41 students.
SLIDESHOW - First cross-sea bridge in Fujian opens
Click on the Photo to go to the Slideshow
The spectacular Pingtan Strait Bridge in Pingtan County, southeast China's Fujian Province. The 4,976-meter bridge opened on Tuesday is the first cross-sea bridge in Fujian, linking Fuqing City and Pingtan County, Fujian's biggest, China's fifth biggest island.
Solar power supply in remote areas
State Grid staffs work with photovotaic battery panels in Neixiang County, central China's Henan province, Nov 29, 2010. Local government has installed photovotaic devices for fifty househoulds located in remote areas to guarantee their power supply this year.
A farmer walks past photovotaic battery panels in Neixiang County, central China's Henan province
The 16th United Nations Climate Change Conference
Chinese Zodiac
Jewellry
Global Times
'Pressuring N.Korea' rhetoric is self-deceiving
South Korea rejected China's proposal for restarting Six-Party Talks. South Koreans are now being misguided by radical emotions. It's true that Six-Party Talks can ease Korean Peninsula tensions, but South Korea first needs to vent its anger.South Korea rejected China's proposal for restarting Six-Party Talks. South Koreans are now being misguided by radical emotions. It's true that Six-Party Talks can ease Korean Peninsula tensions, but South Korea first needs to vent its anger.
A test of tolerance over the Korean Peninsula
After the recent artillery exchange on the Korean Peninsula, North Korea seems to be the only country that gained, but Pyongyang is drinking poison to curb its thirst. It is running head long down a road that leads to nowhere.
Is the Korean Peninsula heading toward a dangerous dead end?
Stability is a shared goal of all the countries involved. North Korea wishes to maintain a stable government; the South would like to see a stable border area.
It is in the interest of China to keep an uneventful situation on the Peninsula, and the US hopes to see its influence in Northeast Asia unchallenged. Japan and Russia hold attitudes similar to China's or the US'.
However, this shared goal is often interrupted by other interests, primarily, the pursuit of nuclear weapons by the North and its continuous provocation. In addition, the inconsistent policies of the US and South Korea toward Pyongyang also cause the North agitation, which in turn tends to overreact.
Strategic trust is almost zero among the players involved. The efforts China makes in promoting regional stability are often offset by US strategic intentions in the western Pacific. China's efforts also often get the cold shoulder by North Korea. The on again, off again, Six-Party talks best exemplify the difficulty.
The hard line approach of the US is unlikely to succeed on the Korean Peninsula. If it did succeed it would mean the failure of China's diplomacy and bring unbearable strategic risk to China. But it is equally impossible that China's moderate stance takes the lead, which suggests a much needed fundamental policy adjustment from the US, South Korea and Japan.
The stalemate will continue and test the tolerance of all the parties involved. But the way things stand now, South Korea will go on living under the shadow of the non-stop provocations of the North; while Pyongyang will continue suffering isolation and poverty, which is getting worse after each incident.
Among all the countries with a stake in the region, it looks like South Korea can and should take the initiative to adjust its policy toward the North. But, the question is, is it willing to do so?
Kaixin Oped - The reason China supports North Korea is blindingly obvious.
It is the United States of America.
The U.S is uneasy about China because China is so far removed from the American mindset.America has sought to contain China since 1949. It supported the Kuomintang (KMT or Chinese Nationalist Party) in China and then in Taiwan. America only opened the door to China in the 1970’s when they were more afraid of the potential of Russia, than of China.
America obviously underestimated the potential of a China, bought to its knees by the Cultural Revolution.
The rise and rise of China has startled America.
It sees China as a threat. Perhaps not in the immediate time scale, but in the future, when China is strong enough to threaten America. So the logic behind America’s policy of containment is understandable.
North Korea is chock-a-block with nuclear arms. China obviously does not want America sitting next door playing with those toys.
If China did not support North Korea, then South Korea would have taken over long ago. That would have meant Uncle Sam smiling and waving at China from right next door, only ducking down to the basement every so often to polish his nuclear bombs.
A US Carrier in the region is sending a strong message to North Korea, South Korea, China and the region.
In Kaixin’s opinion, North Korea might have some big toys to play with but it is unlikely China will allow the children to get out of control. Diplomacy dictates China’s response. But Kaixin suspects China is like a parent who smiles when their child is naughty while friends visit, then gives it a good clip under the ear when they leave. Certainly hope so, given the alternative.
Dialogue - A 30 Minute Current Affairs Programme on CCTV - 9 (In English) where current issues are discussed by experts from China and Internationally:
Inclusive growth of next five years
Beijing vows to keep a lower but steady GDP growth rate in the next five-year plan. The blueprint is compared to a more sustainable strategy of inclusive development.
The consensus is generated at a landmark conference of the Chinese communist party that comes to a very fruitful conclusion on Monday. The strong visible hand of the central government has helped bail out a big continental economy in times of financial meltdown.
But is the Chinese mode of development healthy enough to sustain a sizable economy that will be based more on its domestic consumption and environmentally friendly manufacturing? How shall we examine the sense of global responsibility for China as its economy continues to pull the world economy out of recession?
12th Five-Year Plan & Sustainability
These days obersvors around the world have been discussing if China would sustain its double-eadged growth in the next five years, Beijing vows to transfer multi economy from labor intensive and exports growth to domestic consumption. It means to be more innovative and more invironmentally friendly and to prioritize improvement of people's lifelyhood and their social security programs.
But very quietly, more people are discussing if more sustanable and incrusive goals in this country would lead to broader political participation. With these questions, BRANDON BLACKBURN-DWYER and FARZAM KAMALABADI are taking part in this discussion.
CCTV - 9
News for Today
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International News Sources
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The Wall Street Journal - China RealTime Report
The Wall Street Journal
Pictures of China
Slideshows
Singapore’s Lee Rates China’s Leaders
Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s founding father and minister mentor, and the grand old man of Asian politics, is famously blunt with his views. All the more, it would seem, in supposedly private diplomatic conversations than in public.
Kaixin OpEd - Insightful comments, well worth reading.
Potent Implications of a Mundane Tax Statement
A seemingly inconspicuous statement from China’s Ministry of Finance on the details of an 11-month-old capital gains tax on profits from transfers or sales of fomerly nontradable shares was widely cited as one of the reasons behind a heavy sell-off in the Chinese stock market today.
Inflation Adds to Pressure for Stronger Yuan
Official Worries About Rising Prices Will Push Policy Makers to Allow Chinese Currency to Rise, Some Economists Say
BEIJING—In the complicated cocktail of policies China has pursued in recent weeks to tackle an unwanted burst of inflation, one ingredient has been missing: a stronger yuan. But economists think that is likely to change.
See Kaixin's - Yuan Revaluation & Internationalisation
Does Ford Have the Right Horse For China Race?
Now that General Motors Co. has the rough approximation of a pony car in China, does rival Ford Motor Co., whose affordable but sporty Mustang spawned the term “pony car” in the 1960s, have anything to match it?
See Kaixin's - Chinese Zodiac Jewellry - Year of the Horse 马 (ma)
North Korea and Name-Calling
Even diplomats can be undiplomatic when it comes to North Korea, Asia’s perennial problem child.
China Seeks Solution to North Korea Problem
BEIJING—A senior North Korean official arrived in Beijing for talks about the crisis on the Korean peninsula Tuesday, as a new batch of leaked U.S. diplomatic cables released Monday showed a China caught between loyalty to Pyongyang and pressure from the U.S. and others to take a tougher stance.
Taiwan’s Ma Fumbles His Message
Taiwan’s economy has weathered the global crisis and is expanding steadily. Economic ties with China are flourishing. The stock market is marching higher.
But over the weekend, the opposition Democratic Progressive Party captured more votes than the ruling Kuomintang in mayoral elections ...
Lobsters Caught in China Smuggling Crackdown
CANBERRA—Australia's lucrative rock lobster export industry has been hit by a Chinese crackdown on illegal smuggling into the mainland through Hong Kong, industry representatives said Tuesday.
China Cracks Down on Property-Rights Abuses
BEIJING—Chinese officials announced details of a crackdown on intellectual-property abuses that some lawyers and executives say is perhaps China's most intensive effort against piracy to date.
The campaign, which began in October and is set to last six-months, includes several measures aimed at addressing a piracy problem that has been the subject of complaints from U.S., European and other foreign companies.
It also is seen as a move by Beijing to promote innovation by Chinese companies by ensuring their protection.
Hedge Funds Flock Back to Asia
HONG KONG—Global hedge fund managers are beefing up their presence in Asia, particularly Hong Kong, in the hope of raising more capital amid a swell of investor interest in the region.
Among the big names hanging out their shingles in Asia are Soros Fund Management LLC, Viking Global Investors and GLG Partners LP. D.E. Shaw recently said a member of its six-person executive committee is moving to Hong Kong and Maverick Capital, Ltd. raised the number of analysts in its Hong Kong office to four in August.
David Gray, head of prime services for UBS AG in the Asia-Pacific region, ...
Morgan Stanley Moves Step Closer to New China Venture
SHANGHAI—China's securities regulator approved China International Capital Corp.'s plan to change its shareholding structure, bringing Morgan Stanley a big step closer to finally selling its 34.3% stake in the Chinese brokerage.
Morgan Stanley plans to sell the stake for about $1 billion to a group of investors including Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. and TPG Capital, which have agreed to take about 11% each, said a person familiar with the situation. The Wall Street Journal reported in February that a deal was likely between Morgan Stanley and the two private-equity firms.
The sale still requires further approvals from the Chinese ...
China to Slash Medicine Prices
BEIJING—China's top economic planning agency said it will slash the maximum retail prices of some medicines by an average of 19% starting on Dec 12, a move that it said will ...
China Approves Fund to Invest in Foreign Gold Funds
HONG KONG—China's securities regulators have given the go-ahead for a mutual fund to invest in exchange-traded gold funds outside the country, potentially tapping interest among mainland China investors who face negative real interest rates on their bank deposits and want to hedge against inflation.
Lion Fund Management Co. said they received approval from the China Securities Regulatory Commission on Monday to proceed with the fund, the first of its ...
Beijing Chided Pyongyang, Declined U.S. Call to Stop Tehran Missile Sales, Cables Show
China has expressed frustration with North Korea, with one official calling it a "spoiled child," at the same time as brushing off U.S. requests to choke off the flow of military technology from Pyongyang to Tehran that helps to sustain the regime, according to leaked U.S. diplomatic cables.
Kaixin OpEd – In other words, this is being played up because China did not support America’s stance on Iran.
The New York Times
U.S. and South Korea Balk at Talks With North
Officials said a return to the negotiating table would be rewarding Pyongyang for provocative behavior.
I.H.T. Op-Ed Contributor
Ignore Pyongyang
Washington and its allies should treat North Korea's histrionics with disdain.
North Korea Keeps the World Guessing
The cables on North Korea are short on facts, even when conveying the thoughts of diplomats from China, the North’s ally.
Chinese Export Regions Face Labor Shortages
Two main manufacturing areas have an acute shortage of migrant workers, giving laborers leverage.
G.M. Sells Parts Maker to a Chinese Company
The sale of Nexteer Automotive to Pacific Century Motors will make the Chinese company the largest private employer in Saginaw, Mich.
Breaking Away From Coal
Many companies find that older coal-fired plants require expensive upgrades to meet coming tougher rules on emissions.
China Bars U.S. From American Geologist’s Appeal
The United States embassy in Beijing was denied access to the appeal hearing of an American geologist sentenced in July for buying a database on China’s oil industry.
Caixin Online
Industrial Bank Economist Says Interest Rate Hike Ahead
Analysts expect another interest rate hike as inflation may continue to go up
(Beijing) -- The central bank may raise interest rates for the second time this year given massive new credit figures and the possible highest-ever consumer inflation in November, said an Industrial Bank economist.
Asia Times Online
SUN WUKONG
Maoism fuels princeling's power trip
By Wu Zhong, China Editor
Many members of China's elite are ambivalent about Mao Zedong, who brought families into the limelight even as he smashed their lives with his purges. Which explains why Chongqing party chief Bo Xilai is singing the patriotic songs of the Great Helmsman, and why others are listening.
See Kaixin's - Mao's last swimmer
China's city workers prefer rural roots
By Mitch Moxley
A significant majority of the many millions of China's migrant workers in cities are reluctant to give up their rural household registration - hukou - even though it means they lose out on some government benefits. The problem is, until Beijing overhauls the hukou system, migrants have more to gain by holding onto their rural status.
See Kaixin's - Insights into China
WSJ - Beijing’s Xu to Design Mouton Rothschild Label
Salvador Dali, Joan Miró, Georges Braque — add the name of China’s Xu Lei to the list of artists who have designed a label for top-flight Bordeaux wine producer Château Mouton Rothschild.
The winemaker has selected artists to design its label every year since 1945.
See Kaixin's - Insights into China
NYT - For China’s Women, More Opportunities, More Pitfalls
BEIJING — The question that dashed Angel Feng’s job prospects always came last. 
Fluent in Chinese, English, French and Japanese, the 26-year-old graduate of a business school in France interviewed between January and April with half a dozen companies in Beijing, hoping for her first job in the private sector, where salaries are highest.
“The boss would ask several questions about my qualifications, then he’d say: ‘I see you just got married. When will you have a baby?’ It was always the last question. I’d say not for five years, at least, but they didn’t believe me,” Ms. Feng said.
“The main issue we face is confusion, about who we are and what we should be,” said Qin Liwen, a magazine columnist. “Should I be a ‘strong woman’ and make money and have a career, maybe grow rich, but risk not finding a husband or having a child? Or should I marry and be a stay-at-home housewife, support my husband and educate my child? Or, should I be a ‘fox’ — the kind of woman who marries a rich man, drives around in a BMW but has to put up with his concubines?”
Guo Jianmei, director of the Beijing Zhongze Women’s Legal Counseling and Service Center, insists that, over all, women today are in a better position than they were three decades ago.
“They know so much more about their rights,” she said. “They are better educated. For those with a competitive spirit, there’s a world of opportunity here now, whether they are businesswomen, scientists, farmers or even political leaders. There really have been huge changes.”
Women in China
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