31st of October 2011
The Lion Awakes
Daily News, Culture & Current Affairs about China
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People's Daily
5:58 a.m. on November 1: Shenzhou-8 to be launched
A China manned space program spokesperson said that the unmanned spacecraft Shenzhou-8 is scheduled to be launched at 5:58 a.m. on November 1. The fuel will be injected into carrier rocket today.
At present all the systems are in correct technical state. The spacecraft and the launching site are in good conditions, meeting the mission requirement.
Can Internet accurately gauge public opinion?
Reporter: The number of netizens in China has exceeded 480 million. To what extent does Internet public opinion represent all netizens, and to what extent does Internet public opinion represent the public opinion of society as a whole?
Hu, Sarkozy discuss euro bailout
President Hu Jintao and his French counterpart, Nicolas Sarkozy, discussed global economic prospects on the phone Thursday, as Beijing welcomed a eurozone bailout deal aimed at reducing the debt burden facing Greece.
Sarkozy briefed Hu on the EU summit in Brussels and the bloc's latest measures to solve the eurozone debt crisis, saying that the EU will actively address the issue, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
China to continue current monetary policy
In light of China's economic situation, the country will continue to carry out the current monetary and fiscal policies, said Zhou Xiaochuan, governor of the People's Bank of China, recently.
In addition to properly implementing the policies, the central bank should be wary of whether or not the international economy will face unexpected or worse-than-expected problems. He said that China's current monetary policy should be flexible and pertinent enough to cope with a possible bad situation.
China's development no threat to Japan
The key to developing forward-looking China-Japan relations lies in advancing the two systematic programs of deepening mutual political trust and boosting exchanges between the people of the two countries, said Tang Jiaxuan, head of the Chinese delegation to the fifth 21st Century Committee for China-Japan Friendship, at the third annual meeting of the body.
"I have pointed out during my talks with Former Japanese Ambassador to China Koreshige Anami that the late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping once said that some problems between China and Japan could be left to future generations to resolve," Tang said.
Anami replied that we are simply the later generation that Deng spoke of.
Shanghai developers slash home prices
Shanghai's property prices have dropped sharply in recent weeks, with certain apartments being sold for one-third of their original prices.
"In fact, Shanghai's housing prices have been falling since March this year. So far, the prices of apartments in 50 to 60 real estate projects have dropped by more than 10 percent," said Fu Qi, a senior analyst at China Real Estate Information Corporation.
As home prices go down, disputes surge
Shanghai municipal government has urged home buyers and property developers to resolve their disputes on home prices through talks or judicial process.
Now, as the city’s home prices have shown clear signs of weakness, thanks to Beijing’s stringent measures to prevent property bubbles from harming the broader economy, home owners on mortgage are complaining about “being forced into underwater”, staging protests which sometimes escalates to violence.
China to update military conscription system
China's Ministry of Defense held a monthly press conference on Oct. 26. At the conference, the spokesman Yang Yujun answered a question about reviewing the amendment to China’s military conscription law. Question and answer are as follows:
Reporter: Currently, winter recruitment has started. What problems in your eyes are outstanding in the recruitment? What measures will be taken to deal with these problems?
US urged to stop Taiwan arms sales
BEIJING - A Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman on Wednesday urged the United States to stop arms sale to Taiwan in order to ensure the steady development of Sino-US military relations.
Yang Yujun said at a monthly press briefing in Beijing that the United States promised to reduce its arm sales to Taiwan in accordance with the Sino-US "August 17 Communique" signed in 1982, but it has run contrary to its commitment despite China's solemn representation.
"I think the way the United States handles some issues in Sino-US ties is neither professional nor diplomatic," Yang said.
Gucci settles sweatshop charges with Chinese workers
Unfairly treated Gucci employees at the Shenzhen store reconcile with the employer on Oct. 25 after rounds of negotiation.
The Shenzhen Federation of Trade Unions recently stepped in to settle a labor dispute between a Gucci store in Shenzhen and its staff members over what they call unfair company rules.
Last month, two former staff members of the Gucci store in Shenzhen posted complaints on the Internet that the store mistreated its employees.
Bill Gates open doors to help China
BEIJING - China's Ministry of Science and Technology signed a memorandum of understanding with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to invest together in research and development of new products and technologies to help with global health and agriculture.
Under the $300 million project, for every dollar the foundation gives to support selected China-grown products and technologies that can help advance health and agriculture, particularly in the developing world, the ministry will offer $2 as grant money.
Human and animal vaccines, diagnostics for tuberculosis and other diseases, hardier varieties of rice and other crops, and more productive livestock are among the innovations likely to be considered first.
Why China slashed its US debt holdings
China cut its holdings of U.S. government debt by 36.5 billion U.S. dollars in August, which was the first decrease after four consecutive months of increases and also the biggest one-month decline in recent years, according to statistics issued by the U.S. Treasury this week. China now holds more 1.1 trillion U.S. dollars of U.S. government debt.
"Over the past few months, U.S. Treasury yields have been steadily dropping, and Treasury prices have been rising. Given the relatively good prices, it is reasonable and efficient for China to sell part of its U.S. dollar assets," said Ding Zhijie, a professor at the School of Banking and Finance under the University of International Business and Economics.
Why Taoism can change the world
The closing ceremony of the international Taoism forum and a prayer meeting for world harmony concluded at Hengshan Mountain of Hunan province on Oct. 25. The forum has made the "Nanyue Declaration," which states that "being simple and sincere can help people to secure a peaceful mind, and following the laws of nature will ensure sustainable development," "respecting public lives will generate common prosperity" and "striving to promote harmony between heaven and mankind as well as world peace."
Wives, mistresses fight back
Liu Zhixian relives her sadness and heartbreak every time she learns that another man has cheated on his wife.
"I ended my 16-year marriage three years ago because I was tired of arguing with my husband about his affair," she said. "Now I want to help more women who have similar experiences so they can start a new life."
Liu is the key organizer of a group that offers solace and advice in Xiamen, Fujian province. It provides an online platform for women with unfaithful husbands and it aims to help them save their families or, at least, to talk about their experiences.
China Daily
Financial officials changed in major reshuffle
BEIJING - New banking, securities and insurance regulators have been appointed in the biggest reshuffle of financial officials for almost a decade.
Hu starts key trip to Europe
President to visit Austria before attending crucial G20 summit
BEIJING / VIENNA - President Hu Jintao left for Vienna on Sunday as China's role in helping the debt-ridden eurozone comes under the global spotlight.
The visit to Austria, from Oct 30 to Nov 2, is the first by a Chinese president in 12 years.
Hu will also attend the Cannes G20 meeting on Nov 3-4, when world leaders will address the global economic situation and the EU debt crisis.
Restructure 'urgent' as population benefit ebbs
HAIKOU - China is likely to lose its demographic dividend in the next five to six years, but the country can make up for it by restructuring its economy to drive growth, experts said.
"Rising costs have added urgency to the need for China's economic transition," said Lu Zhongyuan, vice-minister of the Development Research Center of the State Council, China's Cabinet.
As labor costs continue to rise, China may lose its demographic dividend gradually over the next "five or six" years, Lu said in a speech at a two-day international forum in Haikou, Hainan province, on Sunday.
"China is not a cheap place any longer," said Zhang Yansheng, director of the Institute for International Economic Research under the National Development and Reform Commission.
"The country is quickly losing its traditional advantages, while its new advantages have yet to take their place," Zhang said.
The nation's export-reliant, investment-driven economic structure is unsustainable and China must upgrade its industrial structure and strengthen its innovation capabilities, he said.
Sprinkle, sprinkle, little star
Rich pickings for foreign firms in China's agriculture irrigation market
Chinese farmers will soon be able to control their sprinklers with mobile phones and make sure the devices offer the exact amount of water and fertilizer the plants need - all without setting foot on their farms. The cutting-edge irrigation system designed by France-based Irrifrance Industries, a leading sprinkler producer, will roll out next year and will be first available for Chinese farmers because the state-of-the-art devices were designed in China.
"We've transferred all of our technologies to China completely. Our products in China are as advanced as those produced in France, sometimes even more cutting-edge than those developed in our headquarters," says Karim Al-Wadi, China chief representative of Irrifrance.
US energy companies seek partnerships with nation's coal firms
BEIJING - US-based companies are looking for opportunities to build cooperative relationships with the Chinese mining industry by providing machinery, safety equipment and clean coal technology, aiming to open the market further.
A delegation of US-based energy companies, including Peabody Energy Corp, Kress Corp, Jupiter Oxygen Corp and Caterpillar Global Mining Greater China and Korea, a division of Caterpillar Inc, led by US Commerce Department officials, came to China in late October to seek partnerships with Chinese businesses.
Call to play key role for peace
ROK leader hails Beijing's efforts as vice-premier kicks off visit
SEOUL / BEIJING - Lee Myung-bak, the president of the Republic of Korea (ROK), called on Wednesday on China to play a key role on issues related to the Korean Peninsula amid a flurry of diplomacy to revive long-stalled talks on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) nuclear program.
"The ROK appreciates China's constructive role and is willing to work with the parties concerned to push the denuclearization process forward," Lee said during talks with Vice-Premier Li Keqiang, who arrived in Seoul on Wednesday.
The meeting came a day after Li's three-day visit to the DPRK and also came on the heels of what the United States termed as "very positive" talks with the DPRK in Geneva on restarting the Six-Party Talks.
Tide turns against businesses
GUANGZHOU - Guo Zhuliang took a deep breath and shook his head as he talked about his company.
"We have 33 injection molding machines. But less than half of them are operating due to reduced orders. I am really worried about the future," said Guo, a production manager at Huijun Plastic in Foshan, a manufacturing city on the Pearl River Delta.
Positions at foreign firms less attractive
Professionals opt to join State companies, report Wu Wencong and Li Jing in Beijing.
Vincent Chen is ready to change jobs, moving from a world-famous foreign aircraft manufacturer to a State-owned aviation group. And three colleagues are going with him.
A 27-year-old engineer, Chen often complained to friends about his low salary compared to others in the same field, but it is not the 20 percent pay increase that makes him so determined to quit.
"It depends on where I can get to in the State-owned company. If I work hard, the chances are that I'll get a generous bonus at the end of the year," Chen said. "Counting on a fixed wage won't do, you know."
Over the past 18 months, about half of Chen's colleagues in Beijing have left their jobs. Seventy percent ended up in State-owned enterprises.
JP Morgan confident in its China growth
SHANGHAI - JP Morgan said its business in China will maintain robust growth, despite gloomy prospects for the global financial sector.
Due to new banking regulations and financial turmoil in the eurozone, banking profitability has been in decline over the past 12 months. But Shao Zili, China head of JP Morgan, said the bank's China business overall is still growing at a solid pace, although its primary business has been affected by market volatility.
The bank said it remains confident in its plan to double its revenue in China over the next three years. The rapid growth in China comes as JP Morgan reported this month that its global third-quarter earnings fell 4 percent overall.
Made for China ...
Foreign firms are eyeing the Chinese market as they try to beat the downturn
GUANGZHOU - While Europe struggles with its sovereign debt crisis and recovery falters in the United States, China is becoming the focus of attention for global manufacturers hoping to increase sales in the world's second-largest economy.
China, ASEAN to cement economic ties
NANNING - China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), two of Asia's most dynamic economies, are set to overcome differences and difficulties to forge closer ties and sustain growth as uncertainties weigh on the world economy.
For Wang Jianmin, a border trade dealer in Pingxiang City of southwest Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China-ASEAN cooperation must not be derailed under any circumstances.
"The better China-ASEAN relations are, the better my business is," said Wang, who started dealing fruits at the border in 1993, two years after China and ASEAN established dialogue relations.
China's largest freshwater lake parched
Red flowers and green grass thrive on a piece of dried exposed riverbed of Poyang Lake, the China's largest freshwater lake in Jiangxi province, Oct 26, 2011. The water level of the lake's gauging station had declined to 9.98 meters on Oct 27, below the critical level of 10 meters, which marks the lake formally entering low water season. It is roughly 10 days earlier than the average date since 2000. The water surface of Poyang Lake has contracted to 536 square kilometers from about 1,000 square kilometers in September.[Photo/CFP]
With this click, I will thee wed
Online marriage game may be more than harmless romantic fantasy, Zhang Yuchen reports from Beijing.
Qian Yu spends hours talking to his bride, discussing furniture for their luxury duplex and colors for the living room walls. They have finally pinned down European Classic style, light purple for the walls and red for the carpet.
Since the summer holidays, Qian has seemed the normal happy newlywed, excited by the mere details of cooking and dining with his wife. But he is just 15 and his married life exists only in cyberspace.
Qian and his "bride" - he said he doesn't know her real name - are two among millions of Chinese teenagers and adults who indulge in virtual marriage. "Not legally binding, for romantics only," according to the home page at 78ba.com.
See Kaixin's - Marriage in China: Ancient & Modern
It takes two to tango
Huge potential of co-productions attracts global filmmakers to China
For several years, despite its rich promise, China never figured prominently on the agenda of global filmmakers and distributors as the path to success was riddled with obstacles like strict regulations, piracy and a not too receptive audience.
Circa 2011 and things have changed dramatically with the industry heading for a dream run with several blockbusters in the making.
Not only has China become a market that commands the attention of buyers and sellers, but also an integral market in box-office returns for global film companies.
Industry sources say that China could surpass Japan and India in box-office receipts next year to take the second position globally and pose a strong threat to market leader US by the end of the decade. Lending credence to these claims are industry growth rates in excess of 64 percent and collections of over $1.5 billion (1.1 billion euros). Rough estimates for 2011 indicate that the industry could end up with receipts of over $2 billion.
During the past five years, domestic box-office revenue has grown by nearly 400 percent to 10 billion yuan ($1.57 billion, 1.13 billion euros) in 2010.
Govt slams Romney yuan attacks
BEIJING - The Foreign Ministry said on Monday that attacks by leading US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Chinese trade and currency practices were "irresponsible".
Romney last week threatened trade sanctions against China if the world's No 2 economy does not halt what he claimed was currency manipulation, unfair subsidies and rampant intellectual property theft.
Romney's tough stance came as he has sought to stake out differences with President Barack Obama and tap into the US public's rising concern over China's economic and military growth.
"We think that frequently blaming others, looking for scapegoats and even misleading the public is an irresponsible attitude," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said at a news conference.
New Yuan FDI scheme unveiled
Analyst say program will broaden channels for the currency overseas
BEIJING - China on Friday formally launched a pilot program that allows foreign enterprises to use the yuan to invest in the country, as part of its efforts to raise the global profile of the currency.
The People's Bank of China, the central bank, issued the rules on foreign direct investment (FDI) in yuan in a statement, saying that institutional and individual investors from overseas will be able to apply for permits to make direct investment in China with the settlement in yuan.
The Ministry of Commerce also unveiled detailed definitions and application procedures for the process, explaining that applications for yuan FDI worth 300 million yuan ($47 million) or higher must be submitted to the Ministry.
The move was seen as a major step in China's ambitions to internationalize the yuan after Vice-Premier Li Keqiang pledged in August to support Hong Kong as a key offshore yuan hub and to encourage overseas companies to make direct investment in the mainland with the currency.
'Politicizing trade issues only harm Sino-US ties'
BEIJING - Chinese Vice-Premier Li Keqiang said Friday that politicizing economic and trade issues can only harm Sino-US economic and trade ties, instead of resolving the economic and employment problems of the United States.
Li made the remarks in a meeting with visiting former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, while touching on the US Senate's passing of the Currency Exchange Rate Oversight Reform Act.
The bill, passed on Tuesday, is specifically directed at China's currency, which the United States claims is undervalued to make Chinese exports to the United States cheaper.
China is gravely concerned about the potential passing of the bill, Li said, noting that politicizing economic and trade issues will also obstruct the global economic recovery and sustainable growth.
"Sino-US economic and trade ties have the distinctive feature of mutual benefits," Li said.
China: Yuan bill to hurt US job growth
BEIJING - China warned the United States on Monday of a trade war if Congress passes a bill pressuring Beijing to appreciate the yuan. The warning came a day before US lawmakers are set to vote on the bill.
PBOC deeply regrets US Senate's yuan bill
BEIJING - The People's Bank of China, the country's central bank, Tuesday expressed its "deep regret" about the US Senate's currency bill that pushed China to let the yuan appreciate further.
The central bank said the US Senate's bill may seriously affect China's currency reform, and could result in a trade war between the two economies.
Pushing yuan bill risks trade war
BEIJING - With chronic financial ailments and persistent high unemployment driving thousands of protesters to the streets in New York and 50 other cities, some US lawmakers are, tediously, again trying to blame the Chinese currency instead of addressing the real reasons for the country's economic woes.
China to subsidize sales of building materials in more rural areas
BEIJING, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese government will subsidize sales of energy-saving building materials in more rural areas as part of the country's efforts to improve living conditions of people in the countryside.
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XinHua News
China's Three Gorges hits full capacity
YICHANG, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- China's Three Gorges Dam on Sunday reached its designed highest mark, the second time for the world's largest water control and hydropower project to run at full capacity.
The water level hit 175 meters at 5 p.m. after storing water for nearly two months from the water level of 152 meters, said an official with the China Three Gorges Project Corporation (CTGPC), the developer of the project.
A dozen hydropower turbo-generator units started operation on Sunday, generating power capacity of 8.2 million kw, said the official.
China introduces first national plan on groundwater pollution control
BEIJING, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- China has introduced the country's first national plan on groundwater pollution control, urging a combination of legal, economic, technological and administrative measures for groundwater protection, according to ministries.
The ministries of environmental protection, land and resources, and water resources announced Friday at a press conference that the State Council, or China's Cabinet, has already approved the national plan on groundwater pollution control for 2011-2020.
China will invest a total of 34.66 billion yuan (around 5.48 billion U.S. dollars) on the prevention and treatment of pollution in the country's groundwater in 2011-2020, according to the plan.
The money will go to six categories of projects, including survey, prevention, remediation of groundwater pollution, control of pollution in underground drinking water sources, agriculture-related groundwater pollution control, and underground water environment monitoring capacity building.
U.S. House Speaker reiterates opposition to passing China currency bill
WASHINGTON, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives John Boehner reiterated on Tuesday his opposition to taking up a bill passed by the Senate on so-called China's currency manipulation, saying that it is "a very dangerous policy. "
Boehner told a news conference that President Barack Obama should take the lead on the issue of China's currency, instead. " The fact is the president of the United States should ought to stand up and take a position," he said.
Vice foreign minister stresses China-Africa cooperation
HANGZHOU, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhai Jun Wednesday stressed more cooperation with member countries of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Africa.
Zhai, also the co-chairman of the Chinese Follow-up Committee of the FOCAC, said at the 8th Senior Officials meeting of the FOCAC that the forum is closely related to the well-being of two billion people in China and 50 countries in Africa.
China's top political advisor calls to boost Sino-Dutch ties through mutual respect
THE HAGUE, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- China's top political advisor Jia Qinglin on Thursday urged the Netherlands to continue to respect China's core interests and major concerns, so as to contribute to long-term steady development of Sino-Dutch ties.
China's top legislator vows to boost strategic partnership with Venezuela
BEIJING, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislator Wu Bangguo pledged on Wednesday to boost exchanges with Venezuela between governments, parliaments and parties in order to further cement the two countries' bilateral strategic partnership.
Top Chinese legislator vows to boost ties with Botswana
BEIJING, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Top Chinese legislator Wu Bangguo met with his Botswana counterpart Margaret Nasha Monday in Beijing, and they hailed the growth of bilateral ties and pledged to further cooperation.
China will enhance political mutual trust and deepen cooperation with the African nation in manufacturing, mining industry and infrastructure, said Wu, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC).
China's top political advisor starts 5-day visit to Greece
ATHENS, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- China's top political advisor Jia Qinglin arrived in Greece's capital Athens Sunday afternoon for a 5-day visit to the debt-ridden eurozone country.
Since China and Greece established diplomatic ties in 1972, both countries have always respected each other, treated each other on an equal basis and cooperated sincerely, Jia, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), said in a written statement upon arrival.
In recent years, the two countries have deepened their mutual political trust, and have promoted mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields, Jia said.
China attaches great importance to the development of its comprehensive strategic partnership with Greece, and is ready to work with Greece to further uplift bilateral cooperation to a new level, he said.
China urges EU to recognize full-market economy status
BEIJING, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- China on Friday urged the European Union (EU) to recognize its full-market economy status at an early date and properly settle trade disputes amid the tumbling world economy.
"China hopes Belgium will exert its influence to push for an early recognizing of China's full-market economy status and remind the EU to be cautious on and restrain from using trade remedy measures," Vice Premier Wang Qishan told visiting Crown Prince Philippe of Belgium.
Chinese premier meets leaders of ASEAN nations
NANNING, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao met with the leaders from Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member nations in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, who will attend the 8th China-ASEAN Expo scheduled to open Friday morning.
China's first A380 ready to fly
China Southern Airlines held press conference in Beijing, the capital of China, on Oct. 16, 2011. It announced that the first A380 jumbo jethas passed CAAC test fly, and will fly on commercial domestic route between Beijing and Guangzhou from Oct. 18-26, 2011.
Global Times
No celebrations for 7 billionth global citizen
Editor's Note:
The world's 7 billionth citizen will be born on October 31, probably in sub-Saharan Africa or Asia. New estimates from the UN Population Fund suggest that the global population may not peak until 2100, revising earlier estimates of 2050, and may reach as many as 12 billion people. Can the world survive the burden? Will an aging population doom some nations? Global Times (GT) reporter Yu Jincui talked to Reiner Klingholz (Klingholz), director of the Berlin Institute for Population and Development, on these issues.
China and Europe: Who's the pinch-fist?
European leaders reached an agreement yesterday to reduce the Greek debt. They expect cash-rich countries outside the EU to partly provide funding for their bail-out plan. China, with the largest foreign exchange reserve, has become a key target.
A developed Europe turns to China for cash. This sounds jarring to people in both Europe and China. Some Europeans hold that Europe hasn't dropped to the level to beg China just yet. The mainstream mentality there seemingly thinks the EU should prompt China to provide funding, while it shouldn't give China any other benefits.
In China, fierce debates are underway. Many can't understand why China should extend a helping hand to Europe, since its own city of Wenzhou is in a funding crisis.
If the EU really wants China's funding, they should consider further opening their markets to China, as well as admitting China's position as a market economy. If they think such "deals" are not worth it, China won't force them to proceed.
Alert to but not lured by foreign influence
China's rise in recent years has not only brought prosperity to its massive population but also surprised the rest of the world, and even intensified the international situation in some respects. For some hostile forces in the West, which do not represent the mainstream, creating civil turmoil is a handy shortcut to meddling in China's affairs.
Living in an international environment that China temporarily cannot change, we need to be alert to foreign interference as well as keep a sober mind, clean house and constantly improve governance.
Rule weeds out weak TV entertainment
In a country where ideology is a sensible topic, there has been little experience on how to open up its entertainment programming and regulate it.
China's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) announced on October 25 a new rule limiting the broadcast of entertainment programs on 34 satellite TV channels, which will go into effect next year. This announcement has ignited fierce public debate.
The SARFT announcement and the debate around it indicate that entertainment today is not only a topic of leisure and joy, but also remains highly associated with China's culture and morality. The shockwave that can run through the two realms is still stronger than in countries where the TV industry is more developed.
Entertainment has undergone 30 years of development in China since the opening-up. It is the emotional part of China's changing society.
We used to object to rock music and songs which dealt with love. We once had a wide definition of "indecency," which we laugh about today.
Panetta skips China, nothing to worry about
The newly appointed US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta decided to visit Indonesia, Japan and South Korea, but not China, during his first Asian trip. It may further indicate that the US is about to shift its strategic focus back to Asia. Speculations on how the US will deal with China can be easily found in Western media.
The media may not be accurate in speculating what Panetta was thinking when he talked about shifting the strategic focus or planning his tour. Even if the media were right, it wouldn't change anything in the near future. It is practically impossible for one US defense secretary, or even one US president, to decide the overall Sino-US relationship.
Those who can decide are people from both countries, as it will determine their fate along with East Asia's, and perhaps even the whole world, because it will influence whether or not the 21st century will be a peaceful one.
China needs to stay calm and accept challenges and burdens as it has the world's second largest economy.
Don't take peaceful approach for granted
The sea disputes that some countries have created not only threaten China's long-term interests over the sovereignty of its sea borders, but also challenge the unity of China's politics on the issue. Growing voices urging the government to "strike back" will eventually form through influence.
Currently, China's mainstream understanding is that it should first go through the general channels of negotiating with other countries to solve sea disputes. But if a situation turns ugly, some military action is necessary.
Foshan tragedy measures China's morality
Footage from a seven-minute video, in which a toddler in Foshan, a city in southern China, was hit twice by vehicles and ignored by 18 people walking by while she lay in her own blood, has stirred up fierce debate over China's moral crisis.
The public is shocked by the cold-heartedness of the 18 people who did nothing to help the girl. However, many sigh that they themselves might have been the 19th detached witness had they been there.
Cracks can be seen in the moral framework of Chinese society. According to a latest survey by the Global Times website, 88 percent of the respondents said they would have helped save the two-year old girl. It is a pity the survey ratio did not achieve a non-hesitant 100 percent.
The other 12 percent (over 990 netizens) said they would have ignored the girl. Such people live among us, and in everyday life we do not despise them for such ideas. This is why at the accident scene in Foshan, this online ratio was completely overturned – 18 left the girl in a coma, and finally one elderly garbage collector called for help.
It is not that all of China lives in a state of brutal detachment within society. Most Chinese believe bad people are still the minority here, and if an old person falls down, there is still a greater chance he or she will be saved, rather than neglected.
"How can we live with ourselves?"
CHINA
CCTV 9
News and Current Affairs
Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains - FEATURE
China-ASEAN Expo kicks off in southwest China
NANNING, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- The eighth China-ASEAN Expo kicked off in the southwestern city of Nanning in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Friday, with economic cooperation and environment protection on top of the agenda.
Reviving ancient Tang Dynasty glamor at China Fashion Week - VIDEO
The Wall Street Journal
Cough it Up: A Guide to China’s New Foreigner Social Security Tax
This summer China passed a new law, which technically went into effect on October 15, requiring foreign workers and their employers to contribute to a social security fund. To help foreigners living in China better understand what the new social security tax means, China Real Time has compiled a list of facts that the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security has revealed thus far:
Beijing on Foreigners, Pension Payments: ‘Trust China’
China passed a law this summer requiring foreign workers and their employers to contribute to a social security fund. The result has been confusion among business and bureaucrats alike about how it will work.
China Plays Down Expectations on Europe Bailout
BEIJING—Chinese and European officials sought to play down expectations about when and how China may deploy its vast financial resources to help bail out indebted countries in Europe.
China a Failure at Exporting Cars? Not Exactly
True or false?: Despite much hype about the global prospects of its automakers, China has not become a major exporter of cars.
Answer: All of the above.
Watch VIDEO: In Interview, Hank Paulson Says U.S. Needs China to Succeed
Beijing, Seoul to Expand Bilateral Currency Swap
SEOUL—China and South Korea on Wednesday agreed to an enlarged bilateral currency swap agreement for 64 trillion won or 360 billion yuan ($56.65 billion), Korean authorities said, in a deal meant to bolster South Korea's defenses against global turbulence.
Just How Powerful Are China’s State-Owned Firms?
China’s super-competitive exporters give the country a capitalist flair and obscure fact that the country’s state-owned companies still play a huge role in the economy. How big? According to a new report for the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, a congressional review group, state-owned entities of one kind or another, account for about 50% of China’s rapidly expanding gross domestic product.
In Deft Move, Chinese Property Tycoon Issues Own Currency
Pan Shiyi, the real-estate mogul who became an object of online ridicule earlier this month, on Wednesday showed an ability to laugh at himself – as well as an ability to turn a public-relations stumble around.
A Glimpse into Chinese Law-Making
Stanley Lubman, a long-time specialist on Chinese law, teaches at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law and is the author of “Bird in a Cage: Legal Reform in China After Mao,” (Stanford University Press, 1999).
The most that Westerners hear about Chinese law usually pertains to human rights violations, examples of arbitrary official conduct and a weak judiciary. While these problems remain critical, they tend to overshadow an equally important, though less headline-ready, topic: How laws are drafted in China and what that means for the country’ progress toward greater legality.
In Trade Talks, U.S. Targets State Subsidies
Administration Uses Pacific Pact Negotiations to Seek Limits on Government-Owned Companies, With an Eye on China
WASHINGTON—The Obama administration is using negotiations this week over a multilateral trade deal to try to craft limits on the ability of state-owned companies to use government preferential treatment and subsidies to outcompete privately owned firms.
Shanghai Homeowners Smash Showroom in Protest Over Falling Prices
A weekend scuffle in Shanghai over a drop in apartment prices adds to increasing evidence that China’s efforts to tame a surging property market are having an impact – even as it offers a hint of what could happen if the measures go too far.
U.S. Won't Cut Forces in Asia
TOKYO—Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said troop withdrawals from Iraq and Afghanistan will allow the Pentagon to shift more of its resources to Asia, signaling the administration's resolve to check China's rapid military buildup despite budget woes at home.
What’s Behind the Communist Party’s Focus on Cultural Reform
Russell Leigh Moses is a Beijing-based analyst and professor who writes on Chinese politics. He is writing a book on the changing role of power in the Chinese political system.
That was quite a head-fake that the Communist Party gave to the rest of the world.
But while a lot of people were looking in one direction, the Party went in the other. The plenum ducked personnel changes and continued to hew to the hardline. So, at the very time when the economy here is slowing and some of the leading financial indicators are dancing in different directions, the Central Committee sidestepped confrontation and presented an initiative in apparently the one area that it could agree on: protecting and expanding Chinese culture.
A foreign target is needed to shift domestic attention away from the frail US economy. The RMB definitely fills this need. However, a funny fact is that the RMB has risen by about 30 percent in five years while the US unemployment rate has increased from 7 percent to 14 percent.
No need to sweat over Senate yuan bill - Global Times
China Calls Rapid Yuan Rise Impossible
Unusually Strong Wording Signals Beijing May Put Brakes on Currency as Growth Concerns Edge Out Inflation
BEIJING—China said that rapid yuan appreciation in the near term is out of the question as it would harm China's economic growth, in one of the strongest responses yet to U.S. pressure for a faster rise in the currency.
Paulson: U.S. Should Think Twice About Forcing Yuan Issue
China should embrace a faster appreciation of its currency but U.S. policy makers should be wary of taking punitive actions to force the issue, former U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said Tuesday.
Getting Tough With China (the Right Way)
Hold Beijing's feet to the fire over its slide back into mercantilism.
So it appears that U.S. House Speaker John Boehner may be able to sideline Senate legislation to punish China for its supposed currency manipulation. House Democrats are pressing for a vote, but Mr. Boehner deserves credit for resisting this pressure despite President Obama's lack of help and GOP Presidential candidate Mitt Romney's call for anti-China tariffs.
Chamber of Commerce CEO: China Currency Bill Invites Retaliation
The head of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce warned Monday that China would retaliate by slashing prices or through other means if U.S. lawmakers press forward with legislation targeting Beijing’s management of its currency.
Wen Says China to Keep Yuan Basically Stable
SHANGHAI—Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said China will keep the yuan basically stable to avoid hurting exporters, in the highest-level statement yet from Beijing on its currency policy since the U.S. Senate approved a bill that would take China to task over the issue.
Getting Kabbalistic with the Yuan Exchange Rate
And maybe there was a subtle joke in there, too. Sharp-eyed traders noticed the pronunciation of the numbers in Thursday’s rate — 6.3737 (liudian sanqisanqi) yuan to the U.S. dollar – sounds in Chinese like 有点生气生气 (youdian shengqishengqi), or “a little bit angry.”
Let’s hope tomorrow’s parity isn’t 6.7474, which in Chinese sounds like “go die, go die!”
Kaixin - They are right ...... : )
Chinese Bashing is All the Rage — But No Antidote
Let’s all blame China.
The latest episode of U.S. China-bashing is a Senate measure that would call on the White House to impose unilateral and broad-based tariffs against countries with “misaligned” currencies.
Why China Has the Upper Hand With U.S. Business - VIDEO
Watching China bully Wal-Mart this week is an embarrassing reminder of a simple fact: China, the world's fastest growing major market, has the upper hand with U.S. business. John Bussey explains on The News Hub.
Asia Today: China Bites Back at U.S.- VIDEO
Asia Today: China and the U.S. remain at odds over China’s control of the yuan. The WSJ’s Mariko Sanchanta, Ken Brown and Alex Frangos discuss.
China Seeks to Lower Yuan as U.S. Bill Advances
BEIJING—In a defiant response to U.S. Senate approval of a bill that would pressure China to let its currency rise faster, the nation's central bank set the guideposts for the yuan substantially lower on Wednesday and warned that the bill could imperil further currency reform.
But the Chinese currency ended higher in Wednesday trading as investors took it higher within its tight trading range, underscoring skepticism that the bill will become law, and taking into account the pressures that are pushing Beijing to let the yuan rise.
The People's Bank of China, which tightly controls the yuan's trading on the ...
Fast Enough? China’s Currency Record
Beijing doesn’t deny that it stage manages the yuan’s rise and says that some day it will let the yuan float — though it never says exactly when. Still, the yuan’s rise doesn’t seem as far out of whack as complaints would have it.
The Kind of Chinese Currency Manipulation the U.S. Likes
In recent days, the Chinese central bank has been intervening in currency markets to drive up the value of the yuan against the dollar while other currencies have been falling against the dollar. This is the kind of currency “manipulation,” that the U.S. Treasury likes — and has taken note of privately. But it’s wary of patting the Chinese on the back. That’s because the only safe political position in Washington on Chinese currency issues is that Beijing isn’t doing enough.
Leaders Step Up Pressure on China
U.S. leaders took swipes at China on Thursday, as the Senate voted to advance a bill to penalize countries said to be manipulating their currencies and President Barack Obama accused the country of manipulating the yuan.
U.S. Intensifies Criticism of China's Yuan Policy
WASHINGTON—U.S. criticism against China swelled in Washington on Thursday as sharp words from President Barack Obama and a Senate vote on a currency measure illustrated how Beijing's policies are emerging as an issue in next year's elections.
Mr. Obama, at a White House news conference, accused China of manipulating the yuan and taking other actions to bolster its growth at the expense of the rest of the world.
Not the Time for the U.S. to Slam China
By Nicholas Hastings
China may well be right this time.
Calls by the U.S. for Beijing to speed up appreciation of the yuan are not the solution.
In fact, slowing growth in the world’s second largest economy as the global recovery continues to falter could well make matters worse.
The trouble is the U.S. is getting desperate.
Boehner on China Bill: ‘A Dangerous Thing’
China may have a friend in the U.S. Congress after all.
House Speaker John Boehner on Tuesday said it was “dangerous” for lawmakers to pass legislation aimed at addressing concerns about China’s currency, saying it goes well beyond Congress’s responsibilities.
Senate Moves to Punish China for Yuan's Low Value
WASHINGTON—The Senate voted Monday to move ahead with a bill that would punish China for keeping the value of its currency low, a measure that lets lawmakers deflect some of the blame for the sour U.S. economy on another country.
Guest Contribution: How to Value a Currency
Arvind Subramanian
With the Senate about to take up legislation to penalize China for “manipulating” its currency and keeping it artificially undervalued, we asked Peterson Institute of International Economics economist Arvind Subramanian to explain how calculations of under- and overvaluation are made. Mr. Subramanian is the author of a new book on China’s economic future, “Eclipse: Living in the Shadow of China’s Economic Dominance.” In recent Congressional testimony, he said China’s currency was about 15% undervalued, citing work by two colleagues at PIIE.
The U.S. Politics of Dealing With China
Next week is bash-China week in Washington. Some politicians are taking up two-by-fours; others are trying to dance around the issue.
The New York Times
Europe Seeks Chinese Investment in Euro Rescue
PARIS — A day after European leaders unveiled their latest plan to save the euro, top officials opened talks with China in an effort to lure tens of billions of dollars in additional cash, giving China perhaps its biggest opportunity yet to exercise financial clout in the Western world.
China Unveils Supercomputer Based on Its Own Chips
The Sunway system, which can perform about 1,000 trillion calculations per second — a petaflop — will probably rank among the 20 fastest computers in the world.
Saab Lives On, Saved by Chinese Investors
Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile and Pang Da Automobile Trade agreed to pay €100 million, or $140 million, just before the struggling Swedish automaker faced court action.
China Takes a Loss to Get Ahead in the Business of Fresh Water
TIANJIN, China — Towering over the Bohai Sea shoreline on this city’s outskirts, the Beijiang Power and Desalination Plant is a 26-billion-renminbi technical marvel: an ultrahigh-temperature, coal-fired generator with state-of-the-art pollution controls, mated to advanced Israeli equipment that uses its leftover heat to distill seawater into fresh water.
China Takes Loss to Get Ahead in Desalination Industry
The Chinese government hopes to become a force in yet another environment-related industry: supplying the world with desalinated water.
After Quick Growth, and Pollution, China Retools
First, Toby Smith faced the daunting task of gaining access to the factories and power plants involved in China's environmental transformation. The next challenge was funding a project of this scale.
Trade Disputes Hurt Renewable Energy, Chinese Executive Asserts
The head of a Chinese solar panel manufacturer said a U.S. dumping suit was counterproductive.
Volvo Adjusts to Life With a Rich, Quiet Benefactor
The Swedish automaker has thrived while being largely left alone by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, which acquired the brand from Ford in 2010.
Nanjing Requiem — By Ha Jin — Book Review
By ISABEL HILTON
Ha Jin’s novel recreates the horrors of the Japanese invasion of Nanjing.
The Impact of Deng Xiaoping, Beyond Tiananmen Square
By DAVID BARBOZA
Ezra F. Vogel has written a major biography of Deng Xiaoping, Mao’s vice premier, who set China on its path of reform, but also authorized the use of force in Tiananmen Square in 1989 .
Fear of Dragons
By YU HUA
China's commemorations of the 1911 revolution say less about 1911 than about Beijing's fears.
Yu Hua’s latest book, “China in Ten Words,” will be published next month.
The Case for Countering China’s Rise
Aaron L. Friedberg considers the growing Sino-American rivalry and calls for the U.S. to project hard power to counter China’s rise.
Op-Ed Columnist
For Jobs, It’s War
“The war for global jobs is like World War II: a war for all the marbles. The global war for jobs determines the leader of the free world. If the United States allows China or any country or region to out-enterprise, out-job-create, out-grow its G.D.P., everything changes. This is America’s next war for everything.”
Caixin Online
Reform's Vital Contribution to Creative Juices
China's long-awaited cultural reforms, now at hand, are certain to encourage creativity and benefit the economy
"Cultural reform" was the main theme for discussions at the recently held sixth plenary session of the 17th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. Adopted at the event was "a decision concerning major issues of deepening cultural system reforms, to promote great development and prosperity for socialist culture."
Rural Students to Receive 16 Billion in Meal Subsidies
China's State Council has launched a pilot program to give 26 million rural students three yuan a day for meals, months after a grassroots free lunch campaign kicked off online
In some parts of China, three yuan will fetch little more than a bottle of water. But for students living in the countryside, three yuan may just be the difference between malnutrition and health.
Central Bank Governor: China's Economy Rebalancing
Zhou Xiaochuan, central bank governor to the People's Bank of China said China's trade surplus to GDP ratio is expected to decline in 2011
Deposits In, Illegal Loans Out
An Inner Mongolia kidnapping opened investigators' eyes to weak bank management and illicit money flows
The phone rang late July 19 at the home of Zhang Fenghuai, president of the Bank of China's Inner Mongolia Branch, and his wife answered.
A voice on the phone told her that a deliveryman with a package was standing outside the front door of their Hohhot home, waiting.
She went to the door. Then she disappeared.
Wenzhou's Crash Test for Private Enterprise
The credit squeeze that shook a center of private business also underscored how badly China's needs more market reforms
Rising loan defaults in Wenzhou brought Premier Wen Jiabao to this cradle of private enterprise recently and prepared him for a State Council meeting October 12 to hammer out new financing and tax policies for small- and medium-sized enterprises.
Hong Kong Begins Offshore Yuan Denominated Gold Trade
Trading of the world's first offshore yuan denominated spot gold contracts started October 17 in Hong Kong under the newly-launched Renminbi Kilobar Gold program
(Beijing) – Hong Kong has opened the world's first offshore yuan denominated spot gold contracts, further expanding the city's role as an international hub of the Chinese currency.
African Safari: CIF's Grab for Oil and Minerals
A mysterious company introduces a new model for doing business in Africa
Editor’s Note
Africa has become one of China’s most important energy sources. Nowhere on the continent is this more evident than in Angola, China’s second-largest oil supplier, trailing only Saudi Arabia.
Underground Rumblings, then a Financial Quake
Private, real economic activities are on shaky ground as high-rate loans, speculation and the state sector surge
A real business does not go bankrupt simply because it can't borrow money. But a money-burning speculator does.
This fact explains why it's wrong to blame the recent wave of private company bankruptcies in Wenzhou on China's monetary tightening and credit squeeze. The real story is that the companies speculated with borrowed money, and lost.
Resource-Hungry Chinese Firms Flock to Brazil
Last year's record deals by Chinese state-owned companies marked the start of a foreign investment push
Chinese investment in Brazil was a blowout in 2010 as the National Development Reform Commission (NDRC), the government's economic planner, approved projects with a combined value of US$ 12.6 billion.
Beiqi Foton to Set up Auto Plant in India
Leading commercial car maker Beiqi Foton said the move would enable the company's plans for expansion in the Indian car market
(Beijing) -- Beiqi Foton Motor Co. (SHE: 600166), a leading commercial vehicle maker in China, said October 11 that it will invest US$ 387 million to build an auto manufacturing plant in India.
Closer Look: Expensive Bluster on the Economy
Confidence in China's economic growth is important, but it must also be tempered by the realities of shifts in external demand and access to natural resources
Amid mounting debt and declining tax revenues, the United States and European nations will see negative economic growth rates, so goes the argument made by Fan Gang, renowned Chinese economist and former advisor to China's central bank. In a speech made in late September, Fan said in three to five years from now, western economies will sink into recession.
Another Sidetrack for China's Railway Reform
Plans for breaking up and marketizing China's rail system are back on the table, but it seems there's no rush to implement
Had not a high-speed train collision occurred near Wenzhou in late July, a Ministry of Railways reform plan might never have seen the light of day.
Central Bank Eyes Wider Scope for M2 Equation
'Social financing' and off-balance-sheet activity soon may be included in calculating the nation's money supply
China's central bank may fine-tune M2 calculations in a quest for a more accurate picture of the nation's money supply and to shed light on murky, off balance-sheet accounting at the nation's banks.
Child Trafficking Probe Clears Hunan Agencies
Party officials disciplined 12 officials but say government agencies did not take children to sell as orphans abroad
An official investigation into alleged child trafficking by family planning and orphanage employees in Hunan Province has cleared all government agencies of wrongdoing.
Following Ji Xianlin's River West, Then East
Eastern thought offers a valuable perspective of economic and ecological issues, proving that culture ebbs and flows
This past summer holiday, I finally read a 2006 book in Chinese written by the grand, old man of Chinese cultural linguistics, Professor Ji Xianlin (1911-2009). The title of his book crystallizes his view that culture and civilization are like a river that flows east for 30 years and then west for the next 30.
Not Too Late for Fujian's Tulou Buildings
The 400-year-old Chengqi clan home in Fujian Province's Yongding County is known as the "king of earthen Hakka buildings." Known locally as ‘tulou,’ it received World Cultural Heritage status from the United Nation’s World Heritage Centre in 2008.
Asia Times Online
Taiwan's Ma talks peace but gets an earful
By Jens Kastner
Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou has touted an unprecedented peace deal with China to end decades of animosity, with the opposition saying the pact would weaken Taipei's position, potentially inviting invasion. Though this may dent Ma's image ahead of next January's elections, the move also forces his opponents' hands on the sensitive unification issue.
China isn't cool - yet
China wants an international cultural impact comparable to its economic importance, with an image shaped by rich traditions replacing perceptions of authoritarian government, corruption and food scandals. However, the vague and stilted manner in which Communist Party bureaucrats laid out the strategy suggests Beijing will struggle to compete with Hollywood blockbusters and iconic American TV series in setting the cool agenda. - Kent Ewing
China's borrow-and-die epidemic spreads north
The fatal price paid by small Chinese companies as they borrow at extortionate rates is growing. Just weeks after Premier Wen Jiabao visited the eastern city of Wenzhou to find out why small companies were going bust, Ordos, in Inner Mongolia, is the latest center for suicides, bankruptcy and fleeing developers. - Olivia Chung
China seeks military bases in Pakistan
China says it will not accede to Islamabad's request and build a naval facility at Gwadar in Balochistan province. This could change in a flash if China is allowed to establish military bases in Pakistan's tribal areas from where rebels launch cross-border attacks into troubled Xinjiang province. India, which suspects China already has troops in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, is watching developments with some trepidation.
US plants a stake at China's door
By Peter Lee
United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has laid out a lengthy rationale of America's plans to "return to Asia". That's code for staking its claim to continued control of the Asian security dialogue and fostering instability inside and around China. Expect a decade of self-righteous mischief as a fading superpower deploys its assets to frustrate the grand ambitions of a rising regional power.
Blind hatred lurks in Western views
By Jian Junbo
LONDON - The "China threat theory" is re-emerging in Western narratives, seemingly buoyed by the pace of modernization within the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and a recent focus on the chances of military confrontation with the United States in China's backyard. More often than not, however, Western perceptions of the threat take an ill-informed trajectory that spins from the orbit of reality.
Beijing fails the American test
By Benjamin A Shobert
Failure on many counts marred China's annual report card from the United States Congress, not least the Arab Spring's test of whether Beijing could trust its own people to voice opposing views. With bad marks given on political and religious freedoms, and complaints about business practices more thorny than ever, acrimony and distrust could rock an engagement that has been a pillar of the world for several decades.
SINOGRAPH
Less nationalism builds more cultural muscle
By Francesco Sisci
Frustrated by a poor public image and squeezed by powers with less money but far stronger cultural muscle, China feels the pressure of not being able to explain itself abroad. A crucial question for the Chinese Communist Party is how to translate hard cash into soft power, and the keys are to allow more freedom of expression and to drop the heaviest elements of nationalism.
SUN WUKONG
Little Yueyue and China's moral road
By Wu Zhong, China Editor
Footage of bystanders sidestepping a two-and-a-half-year-old girl who'd been struck by a van, only to be struck a second time as she lay injured, has stirred outrage in China. There's talk of a good Samaritan law to prevent legal repercussions of intervening in instances like little Yueyue's double hit-and-run, but this will do nothing to address the apathy and greed behind China's moral decline
THE ROVING EYE
Obama, the king of Africa
By Pepe Escobar
The mineral rush in Africa is already one of the great resource wars of the 21st century. China is ahead, followed by companies from India, Australia, South Africa and Russia. The West is lagging. The name of the game for the United States and the Europeans is to pull no punches to undermine China. That's why Uganda is the perfect cover story for Barack Obama, the king of Africa, to plunge a dagger inside Islamic Africa.
SPEAKING FREELY
South China Sea: A new geopolitical node
By Prokhor Tebin
Prokhor Tebin is a PhD student at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Science.
For a long time, the planet's geopolitical nodes were situated in Europe, namely the Balkans and Alsace and Lorraine. For 20 years after the dissolution of Soviet Union geopolitical node of the planet was Middle East. Now it's safe to say that the new geopolitical node is the South China Sea.
Russia misses key China deal
By Robert M Cutler
Vladimir Putin signed investment agreements worth US$7 billion during what was probably his last trip to China as Russian prime minister. A $1 trillion contract for Siberian natural gas exports, however, continues to evade the Kremlin's grasp
SUN WUKONG
New leftists salute Wall Street brethren
By Wu Zhong, China Editor
China's new leftists are lending support to the Occupy Wall Street movement, viewing protesters as brethren in the anti-capitalist cause. Although authorities closed their eyes to two recent demonstrations that mark a shift from all talk to Mao-inspired action, many wonder what response would be meted out if those socialists craving an old-style redistribution of wealth were to camp among gleaming edifices in the financial districts of Beijing or Shanghai.
Taiwan's Ma bares his centennial steel
By Jens Kastner
As Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou reviewed a grand military parade at Taipei's celebrations of the 1911 revolution that created the Republic of China, he urged Beijing to emulate Taiwan's democratic model as the "only way" forward. The bold commitment to the republic's security undermines opposition efforts to paint Ma as China's lackey as elections near, but the mainland would never accept that its model be phased out. -
Putin enters the dragon's den
By M K Bhadrakumar
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin heads to China for a two-day visit at an important time for relations between the counties, and at an even more critical junction for the United States' "Silk Road" project to extend its influence in greater Central Asia. Beijing and Moscow will certainly want to hammer out an energy deal, while working on a viable counter-strategy to Washington.
BOOK REVIEW
US-China power imbalance threatens Asia
A Contest for Supremacy: China, America, and the Struggle for Mastery in Asia by Aaron L Friedberg
Reviewed by Benjamin A Shobert
A Contest for Supremacy: China, America, and the Struggle for Mastery in Asia by Aaron L Friedberg
While arguing that a stark evaluation of Beijing's military strategy proves the United States has been overly optimistic in believing economic engagement would foster democracy, this book makes no alarmist predictions of China pursuing global hegemony. However, to alter deep-seated patterns of power politics drawing the countries toward conflict, the US needs to rebalance its China relationship by urgently addressing its own economic and political dysfunctions.
INTERVIEW
Eagle and dragon lock claws in mid-flight
Benjamin A Shobert talks to Aaron L Friedberg, the author of A Contest for Supremacy: China, America, and the Struggle for Mastery in Asia
America's focus on the emerging challenge posed by China was first distracted by the "war on terror" and then the 2008 financial crisis, says author Aaron L Friedberg. In the meantime, Beijing advanced economically, developed asymmetric capabilities and grew assertive. China may not want to conquer Asia. However, it could extend a preponderant political influence over the region with dire consequences for the US.
THE ROVING EYE
An extreme traveler, Pepe's nose for news has taken him to all parts of the Pepe Escobar globe. He was in Afghanistan and interviewed the military leader of the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance, Ahmad Shah Masoud, a couple of weeks before his assassination
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