5th August 2010

The Lion Awakes 

News at a Glance

今天的中国新闻

A compilation of Headlines + Brief Summary from Chinese & International Publications relating to China.

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China News Archive

From 2008

China Daily

Special: 100-day countdown – 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games

As Guangzhou begins the 100-day countdown to the 16th Asian Games, let's take a look at some of the memorable moments so far in the run-up to the spectacular sporting event to be held in South China's Guangzhou city from November 12 to 27, 2010.

China Daily

Security bolstered for Asiad in Guangdong

GUANGZHOU - Governor of Guangdong province Huang Huahua demanded no mistakes in security for the Asian Games and the police pledged to make an all-out effort to safeguard the event, as the 100-day countdown began on Wednesday to the opening of the Games on November 12.

My visit to Tibet
By Sirkka Korpela

Like so many other people in the West, for a long time I have had a very romantic idea of Tibet as a mystical fantasy land. When, before the Beijing Olympics, somebody asked me what I thought about the riots in Lhasa, I realized I didn't really know anything about the past or the present reality in Tibet! This made me decide to start learning about the history and the current reality in Tibet.

Contrary to the romantic idea prevalent in the West, I learned that before 1959 Tibet had been a feudal, almost medieval society, where serfs were bound to their masters'land and to their accumulating, hereditary debts to the landowners; slaves could be bought and sold and their hands could be lopped off or eyes gauged out for almost any offence against their masters from the small nobility class. There were no schools besides religious teachings in the monasteries and very few people could read or write.

I also learned how Tibet had been used as a geopolitical pawn by foreign powers, especially the United Kingdom, and for destabilization efforts by the CIA during the Cold War.

This summer I finally had a chance to go to Tibet and see the reality with my own eyes.

Kaixin OpEd – This article will be dismissed by most people in the ‘west’ as propaganda. I had not paid that much attention to Tibet as an issue until I met Xiaosui. I accepted the ‘western’ propaganda. Xiaosui pointed out that there were two sides to the issue. She also told me of the long history of Tibet and it relationship to China. This is all set out in Kaixin’s ‘China & Tibet’.

I am now amused when I listen to people become excited over those terrible Chinese who have destroyed the Tibetan Culture. I notice that most have never been to Tibet. Those that have went with the intention of finding fault with anything to do with China.

“The train is a travesty that destroys Tibetan culture and is only there to facilitate more Han Chinese going to Tibet,” is the mantra.

They never seem to ask the Tibetans what they think. I, like Sirkka Korpela, have now done a lot of research on Tibet. I have not been there but at least I have opened my mind.

I suggest that people in the west open theirs and try not to be led by the nose. If you are truly concerned, then I suggest you research the issue and go to Tibet to speak to a wide range of people.

China & Tibet

Green leapfrog

The completion of Geely's buyout of the Volvo car brand from Ford Motor Co Monday is certainly a time to rejoice considering that this may be regarded as a pivotal moment in the global car industry's center of gravity shifting from the West to China.

Yet, the far more demanding task for Geely will be to transition from a cost-efficient domestic carmaker to a multinational auto giant that will hope to eventually remodel itself into a leading green carmaker.

China has steadily embraced fuel-efficient and clean-energy cars over the years. If any automaker tries to excel only in being a top supplier of traditional cars, it will suffer sooner or later from its myopia. The success of Geely's ownership of a big luxury brand may therefore hinge on whether it can actually make that great green leap.

China auto sales, output to exceed 15m in 2010

BEIJING - China's annual production and sales of new autos will both surpass 15 million vehicles this year, Dong Yang, secretary-general of the China Association of Automobile Manufactures, said Wednesday.

Sino-ROK's FTA talks 'likely next year'

BEIJING - A top South Korean diplomat to China has said that Beijing and Seoul are likely to launch negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA) next year, a move Chinese analysts said will help reshape trade in East Asia.

Yu Woo-ik, South Korea's ambassador to China, told China Daily in an exclusive interview that the two Asian nations "are expected to initiate official FTA talks in 2011", after a four-year feasibility study among governments, industrial associations and academies from the two countries was wrapped up recently.

Japan, China and South Korea have the largest, second-largest and fourth-largest economies in Asia, accounting for about 70 percent of the Asian economy and 18.6 percent of the global economy.

Overseas officials head to Chinese classrooms

Beijing - China has become one of the world's most popular overseas study destinations for government officials from developing nations, Ministry of Commerce figures showed.

The Chinese government funded 1,395 research and training programs in the past 11 years and these were attended by 36,364 government officials from developing countries, ministry figures showed.

China to ban additives in fresh juice

BEIJING - China's State Food and Drug Administration (SDA) has released a set of draft regulations banning the use of food additives in fresh juices.

According to the regulations on the management of fresh juice in catering establishments, which were published on the SDA's website seeking public opinion, fresh juices refer to directly edible beverages that are made of fresh fruits, vegetables, cereals or beans in accordance with food safety requirements.

Domestic iron ore, steel trends hit markets

Beijing - Rising domestic iron ore production and slowing steel demand have hit some foreign miners and affected the global market, industry leaders said on Tuesday.

China's iron ore imports dropped for the third straight month to 47.2 million tons in June, while spot prices have dropped to about $122 per ton after peaking at $185 per ton in April.

Global Times

Editorial - Breaking out of US containment

Plenty of water has passed under the bridge for China and the US since President Obama took office. What started out warmly soon turned chilly, and many feel the Sino- US relationship is heading toward a dangerously uncertain era.

Tensions have been building in recent weeks over events in the Yellow Sea and the South China Sea. Many Chinese observers wonder if the US is trying to contain China's peaceful growth. The US is even improving its relationships with China's neighbors that were once former US opponents.

There are signs that the US is trying to meddle and dominate issues involving China.

For decades, US policy toward China wavered between containment and engagement.

Kaixin OpEd – America has long been used to sticking its nose in if it served America’s interests. Sometimes it was welcome and sometimes not. Since the fall of the USSR, America has become belligerent. Iraq and Afghanistan are two extreme examples. Yes, the issue of containing terrorism is relevant and the issue is not simple.

However, perhaps it is time America respected the views of a nation or a region and if not invited, not come to the party.

Asia is working out how to live together in harmony. It does not need an American policeman with huge boots and very little understanding of Asian culture to help.

Then again, the last thing America wants is a strong and united Asia strongly aligned to China. Britain used the policy of divide and rule for centuries. Perhaps Clinton has brushed up on her history books.

Also, it is perhaps time to acknowledge that America deeply distrusts the rise and rise of China. Not so much now. Now China is obviously committed to peaceful growth. That growth benefits the world. However, who can say what will happen when China starts to challenge America in power, both economically and militarily.

Every country puts the interests of its citizens first. That is how it should be in the absence of a global village.

A powerful China could well threaten America in the future. So, logically, it is best to contain that power in its early stages and either delay the growth of that power, or better still, stop it.

That is America’s policy, we would argue. China’s policy is the opposite.

Oh well ………….

Winds of change

Despite worries that the industry is over-heated, wind power energy companies are surging ahead at an astonishing speed in a bid to satisfy Yumen's appetite for renewable energy targets.

Chen Jinwei, business manager of the Yumen Branch Office of the New Energy Investment company under China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), the nation's largest offshore oil and gas producer, said the firm "has the ability to withstand uncertainties" as it has invested some 2 billion yuan on a 150,000-kilowatt wind farm with 134 wind turbines in Yumen.

Middle-aged tales of far-off mountains and villages

I met Lao Wang at our local exercise park with the yellow and blue contraptions where you spin the big wheel to loosen up your shoulder or sit and push with your legs, and that's how we started talking about what it's like to be well into middle age.

I guess that's also how we started talking about our youth. Ah yes, the 1960s, what a time to be young.

I let my hair grow past my shoulders, wore tie-dyed T-shirts and read Rolling Stone magazine. Wang wore a classic green uniform, with matching short-peaked cloth cap and carried a little red book.

Wang traveled to rural Shaanxi to learn from farmers and live in a cave. I hitchhiked around the countryside and chilled out at off-the-grid communes.

Wang performed energetic patriotic dances waving red flags to entertain and bemuse the peasantry. I almost made it to Woodstock, and a friend who did was never the same after a bad acid trip.

The message of my youth was "Make love not war." Wang's siren call was "Up to the mountains and down to the villages."

Wang was one of millions sent to learn from the farmers. I was one of millions who carried a placard denouncing the Vietnam War.

So, here we were 40 years later forcing our muscles to defy gravity and age in an exercise park. Our youthful experiences were seemingly in antithesis but somehow very similar.

We agreed that sharing that tumultuous decade definitely gave us an immediate yuanfen ("being fated to meet").

News for Today

China     Business     Culture     Science & Technology     Travel

International News Sources

The 6th Yi ethnic group International Torch Festival opens (China Daily)

The sixth Yi ethnic group International Torch Festival opened in Xichang city, Sichuan province on August 4, 2010. Thousands of Yi people wear costumes to celebrate their culture at the traditional festival. The Torch Festival is recognized as one of China's intangible culture heritages.[Photo China Daily]

The Wall Street Jounral   China RealTime Report

Away From China’s Top Cities: Property Reassurance

China’s property-market restrictions instituted in April, including higher mortgage down-payment requirements for second and third apartments, appear to be achieving their intended effect. High-end property sales have fallen sharply in China’s wealthiest cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. If official statistics are to be believed, prices have so far fallen only marginally, but they are expected to come down further.

Kaixin - This is the message we are getting from China. The property market is slowing, so people are holding off. 

Stocks Up, But Retail Investors Still Unconvinced

China’s domestic stock market may have refound its mojo, but one question hangs over the market: Where are the investors?

Factories to Shut Down so Beijing Can Keep Cool

Cities around Beijing could have their electricity rationed to guarantee power to the capital this summer, state media reported.

Japan Faces Uphill Battle in Curbing Yen's Rise

A combination of Chinese buying and continued weakness in the U.S. has sent the yen to its highest level in eight months, threatening the Japanese economic recovery and frustrating government and company officials who have few tools to prevent the currency's rise.

Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda strengthened the rhetoric on Wednesday, saying the yen's "current movement is a little one-sided," he said, and he promised to "monitor" yen exchange rates "more closely." Mr. Noda's words did little to weaken the Japanese currency. Only better economic data out of the U.S. interrupted the gains.

Mr. Noda and his counterparts have little ...

Kaixin OpEd: 'A comination of Chinese buying ... ', that's interesting. why are they buying? Stay tuned.

Reuters

UPDATE 1-Chinese buying of short-term yen notes hits record

Chinese buying of short-term Japanese debt surges in May

* China net buying hits Y694.8 bln, peak on data since 2005

* Move underscores yen's appeal in times of market stress

* May reflects temporary demand rather than long-term shift

WSJ - China Plans Oil-Storage Spree

Beijing may be tapping the brakes on growth, but oil-market bulls can take heart: The tanks are on their way.

China is on the cusp of a major expansion of its oil storage capacity that will boost its oil imports and underpin its refinery runs going forward, even if the country's gross domestic product doesn't again reach the giddy 11.9% growth seen in the first quarter of the year.

According to the state-run Xinhua news agency, China's oil product storage capacity may reach close to 500 million barrels by 2015, nearly 50% above last year's level.

In addition, the country ...

CIC Seeks Harvard's U.S. Real-Estate Portfolio

In a major push into the battered U.S. commercial real-estate market, China's $300 billion sovereign-wealth fund is in advanced talks with Harvard University's endowment to buy its stakes in half a dozen U.S.-focused real-estate funds for about $500 million, according to people familiar with the matter.

Kaixin OpEd – Americans (and most people in advanced ‘western’ economies) became increasingly lazy after 1979 when Deng Xiaoping took the leash off the Chinese economy and negotiated access to the American market.

“Why work, when we can have a Chinese peasant do it for us.” It wasn’t a question, it was a statement.

Millions of peasants making just a few cents a widget adds up over the years. It was a transfer of wealth from America and the ‘west’ to China. America and the ‘west’ decided that work was old hat; financial engineering was the way to go.

Which all led to the Great Financial Crisis, founded on the delusion that you did not have to create real wealth at all. The financial geniuses on Wall Street turned American houses into tulips with the inevitable consequence.

The Chinese peasants are still only making a few cents a widget, and working as hard as ever. But, they have put the price of the widget up a couple of cents.

The money flow from west to east is increasing. This is finally worrying America. Rather than actually address the problem by working, Americans now blame the Chinese peasants for working too hard and defrauding the American worker. America wants to play US$ exchange rates and steal the money back. Anything but work!!!

This century will see the rise and rise of China. The transfer of wealth from the west to the east will continue until the west finally realises it has to actually work to create wealth.

Could take some time …

Caixin Online

Onward for Yuan Reform (Part I)

In an exclusive interview, leading central banker Hu Xiaolian described exchange rate reform and the yuan's future path

(Beijing) – China currency trackers have been getting plenty of food for thought lately. Five articles were posted on the website of China's central bank over a two-week period starting July 15, sketching out official visions behind the country's monetary policy in general and its exchange rate in particular.

The austerity debate: all about history?

The controversy that has emerged in the US and Europe between the proponents of further stimulus and the advocates of retrenchment reads very much like a debate about economic history. Both sides have revisited the lessons from the Great Depression of the 1930s but also the centuries-long history of sovereign debt crises. In this unusual controversy history-based arguments often trump standard economic policy arguments.

Trapped in Land Financing

Huge profits have encouraged many local authorities to sell-off land

The New York Times

On China’s Beaches, Different Accounts of an Oil Spill

DALIAN, China — Three weeks after a flood of heavy crude oil  fouled scores of miles of this immense northern city’s beaches and rocky coastline, a remarkable — some would say heroic — cleanup effort has scrubbed away most traces of the spill.

Whether Dalian’s government can eradicate damning accounts of a major industrial accident and a narrowly averted catastrophe that could have killed thousands, on the other hand, remains in considerable doubt.

The Age

Beijing billionaire who grew up with Mao sees no housing bubble

"I don't see any bubbles," says Zhang, dressed in a white V-neck zippered top, black slacks and red heels. "The next few months will be a fantastic time to buy."

Asia Times Online

Trade deal casts shadow on Taiwan
By Cindy Sui

TAIPEI - The Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA), a landmark trade pact Taiwan signed with mainland China in late June, is set to have an impact across Taiwanese society and politics well beyond increasing business between the former foes facing each other across the Taiwan Strait.

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THEMES

A selection of News and OpEd reflecting the main themes for

contemporary China starting from August 2008

Green China  

Insights into China

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China News Archive for daily News on China starting August 2008

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