2nd of February 2011
The Lion Awakes
Daily News, Culture & Current Affairs about China
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China Daily
Planes carrying 480 Chinese nationals leave Egypt
CAIRO - Two planes, carrying a total of 480 Chinese nationals who were stranded in Egypt, took off from the Cairo airport early Tuesday, and are heading for China, according to the Chinese embassy in Egypt.
The planes, one dispatched by Air China International and the other by Hainan Airlines, left the Cairo International Airport at around 1:43 am and 2:23 am local time on Tuesday.
White House: US envoy to leave China post
WASHINGTON - US ambassador to China Jon Huntsman, a Republican with potential presidential ambitions, has advised officials that he intends to leave the post during the first part of this year, the White House said Monday.
Huntsman, a former governor of Utah, was appointed ambassador by President Barack Obama in 2009. Huntsman's plans have generated considerable attention in political circles because his foreign policy experience could stand out in a crowded Republican field.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Huntsman has informed officials of his desire to end his diplomatic assignment.
Huntsman, 50, surprised many Republican strategists when he accepted the post in China, considered one of the United States' key diplomatic assignments. A fluent Mandarin speaker from his time as a Mormon missionary, he earned high marks from the Democratic administration but perhaps damaged his own political standing should he seek the Republican nomination in 2012 or 2016.
China allocates $228m for vegetable supply
BEIJING - China's central government has allocated 1.5 billion yuan ($227.96 million) to support vegetable supplies for key northern cities, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said Tuesday.
The fund will be used to subsidize producers and suppliers to ensure winter vegetable supplies, the MOF said in a statement on its website.
Energy giants to give agriculture high priority
BEIJING - China has called upon its energy companies to ensure fertilizer producers get ample supplies of natural gas for the spring planting season, to avert shortages as demand grows for foodstuffs including grain and meat.
China National Petroleum Corp, China Petrochemical Corp and CNOOC Ltd are barred from selling gas to other customers until they fill farm-related orders, the National Development and Reform Commission said on Sunday in a statement.
China should increase precious metals reserves
SEOUL - China should increase its gold and silver reserves, the Economic Information Daily reported on Monday, citing an interview with China's central bank adviser Xia Bin.
Increasing gold reserves at the "appropriate time" is in line with the strategy of internationalizing the yuan, the report cited Xia as saying. "Related departments" should employ a "buy in the dip" strategy over a very long period of time, Xia said.
Chinese New Year
2011
The Year of the Rabbit
A BRIEF HISTORY
OF
CHINA
Global Times
What will Year of the Rabbit bring?
For Chinese people, the New Year doesn't officially start until after the Spring Festival. In two days, the year of the Rabbit will kick off. An event-laden January may cast some predictions for the year ahead.
The frozen rain in the South and drought in the North suggest natural disasters will continue to be the biggest challenge to China. The No. 1 Central document has outlined a timetable for water control. The central government released tighter measures to tame the property market, including levying a property tax in Shanghai and Chongqing.
Tests for the government will also be controlling inflation and reducing Beijing's clogged-up roads.
Chinese President Hu Jintao visited the US in January, signing a joint statement framing the bilateral relationship as a cooperative partnership and reversing the 2010 downward trend in bilateral relations, giving hope for growth this year.
A year ago, China became the world's second largest economy, a title that has not translated into effective comparative might. In coping with challenges from natural disasters to reducing misunderstandings held by the outside world, China appears to be scrambling for solutions.
China is far from an ideal state. We should both avoid overreaching and an inferiority complex. In the year of the Rabbit, domestic and diplomatic conflict will most likely still happen. As long as China's development is not disrupted, we have reasons to believe this year will be a positive one.
There are several major tasks that the government should try to score points on. Securing a good agricultural harvest and ensuring the upgrading of the irrigation system are high on the list. In addition, there should be immediate efforts to control inflation and the property market. With a positive start of the Sino-US relationship, this year should see fewer diplomatic troubles.
In this year, perhaps every one of us should reflect. China is much stronger than before, however, what makes us feel vulnerable so often? We are leading better lives, yet we are seemingly less happy. We hold higher hopes for the country's future, but it should not become an unpractical goal.
China will continue to be scrutinized in this year. It will not be an easy task. If faced with uncertainty, let us face it with hope.
China can learn from Li Na's personality
Despite losing the final at the Australian Open, 28-year-old Chinese tennis player Li Na is all the rage in the foreign media. This is related not only to her identity as the first Asian to play in a Grand Slam singles final, but also her courtside humor and bubbly personality.
Women's Tennis Association CEO Stacey Allaster said that on the global stage, Li represents the image of the Chinese people.
Every successful athlete, on certain occasions, becomes a symbol of his or her nation. Previously, Chinese sports players had a strong sense of "representing China," and often appeared conservative and overcautious. Foreign journalists used to find it hard to distinguish among Chinese athletes due to their lack of individuality in their eyes. Li is breaking that stereotype.
Li's impressive performance on the court was driven by her own personality and it represents a social change in China during the past two decades. Mainly, the constraints on self-expression have been shaken off. This forthright girl represents a different China that allows her to "just be herself."
SLIDESHOW - Finally, here comes the Chinese Slam finalist
MELBOURNE - Li Na is on fire to become the first Chinese player to win a Grand Slam final, as she kicked out world No.1 Catholine Wozniacki 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 in Thursday's semifinal of Australia Open.
Color revolutions will not bring about real democracy
In a sense, democracy means to convey all grass-roots sentiment to the government level, but many existing governments do not do this. The more extreme elements exist in a society, the harder it is for a government to maintain a reasonable line. The Middle East is the region where beliefs and viewpoints clash most with the Western world view. Hence, Western countries support non-democratic governments who play into their hands.
Most Western democracies matured over a long period. Japan and South Korea, though implanted democracies, have to pay the price of accepting foreign armies on their territory. Some other countries have had an even tougher time in adopting a democratic system.
In general, democracy has a strong appeal because of the successful models in the West. But whether the system is applicable in other countries is in question, as more and more unsuccessful examples arise.
In the West, democracy is not only a political system, but a way of life. Yet some emerging democracies in Asia and Africa are taking hit after hit from street-level clamor.
Democracy is still far away for Tunisia and Egypt. The success of a democracy takes concrete foundations in economy, education and social issues.
As a general concept, democracy has been accepted by most people. But when it comes to political systems, the Western model is only one of a few options. It takes time and effort to apply democracy to different countries, and to do so without the turmoil of revolution.
Dialogue
A 30 Minute Current Affairs Programme on CCTV - 9 (In English) where current issues are discussed by experts from China and Internationally:
China's Spring Festival transport rush
Revolution: Wealth redistribution
Obama's speech & political comeback
Future beyond Cancun Climate Conference
Taiwan & China - From revolution to reunification
US & China's best way forward through trade
International News Sources
The Wall Street Journal - China RealTime Report
The Wall Street Journal
Pictures of China
Slideshows
Analyst: Skip the Rate Hike, Enjoy the Holiday
China economic watchers have been waiting and wondering whether the People’s Bank of China would boost interest rates ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday, which kicks into full gear tomorrow (Feb. 3). Aside from the usual secrecy associated with central banks, the PBOC, unlike the U.S. Fed, doesn’t regularly schedule meetings where it makes interest rates calls the way the U.S. Fed. So analysts spend a lot of time guessing when the central bank might make an announcement.
Gibbs: China Envoy Huntsman Is Expected to Leave Soon
U.S. ambassador to China Jon Huntsman submitted a letter of resignation on Monday, saying he intends to leave the post April 30, a senior White House official said.
Earlier in the day, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters that he expects Mr. Huntsman to step down as the U.S. ambassador to China later this year, a move that would allow the former Utah governor to challenge the man who named him to that post – President Barack Obama.
China Money Inflows Rose, Data Show
BEIJING—China's current and capital account surpluses both rose in 2010, the country's foreign-exchange regulator said Monday, highlighting the challenges China still faces to reduce imbalances with the rest of the world.
Retailers Turn Lunar New Year Into a Shopping Spree
Coming off impressive Christmas sales, Hong Kong retailers are amping up efforts to turn another major holiday into a shopping bonanza: the Lunar New Year.
Elements mall in West Kowloon is marketing Year of the Rabbit Lunar New Year as a shopping holiday.
Kaixin OpEd - I think you will find that goes for all of China
The New York Times
The Thucydides Trap
The theory that American anxiety about China's increasing power might evolve into animosity and aggression.(After Thucydides's account of the causes of the Peloponnesian war.)
Shades of Gray for Asia Economic Forecast
2011 looks much more complex than the bright outlooks for years past, with inflation, policy concerns and China’s growth weighting on assessments.
Room For Debate
What Is a College Degree Worth in China?
While China's economy keeps growing at a rapid pace, the dim employment prospects of many of its college graduates pose a potential economic problem.
According to recent statistics, the average Chinese college graduate makes only 300 yuan, or about $44, more a month than the average Chinese migrant worker. In recent years, the wages of college graduates have remained steady at about 1,500 yuan a month. Migrant workers' wages, however, have risen to 1,200 yuan.
Related
If China's graduates are unable to capitalize on their costly investment in education, then is it worthwhile for students to obtain a college degree? What does the imbalance say about China's education system and its economy in general?
Debaters
Reform the Private Sector - Yasheng Huang Yasheng Huang, professor of political economy
Few Promising Opportunities - Gordon G. Chang Gordon G. Chang, author and columnist
High Test Scores, Low Ability - Yong Zhao Yong Zhao, professor of education
A Stratified Education System - Qiang Zha Qiang Zha, assistant professor of education
What the Graduates Go Through - Readers' Comments Readers' Comments
Caixin Online
Embarrassment of Riches
The world grew wealthier in the first decade of the 21st century – but why does everyone feel poorer?
Despite the dotcom bust, 9-11, the wars in the Middle East, the U.S. property bubble, the euro zone sovereign credit crisis, the continuing stagnation of the Japanese economy – the first decade of the 21st century was the most prosperous, according to conventional measurements, in our lifetime. But the prosperity on paper isn't reflected in the moods of peoples around the world. In fact, most people around the world say that they are dissatisfied with their economic plight.
The poor quality of economic growth may explain the gap between economic indicators and social moods.
Central Bank Sets M2 Growth Target at 16%
The bank lending quota for 2011 still has not been set but the money supply target has been announced
(Beijing) - The People's Bank of China, the central bank, said the broadest measure of money supply is expected to grow by 16 percent in a report released on March 30.
The Asian Minsky Investment Model
Sustaining prosperity in the face of aging populations and growing unemployment – the same features that elevated Asian economies aren’t going to be the features that take them further
The Asian model is typically described by Western economists as mercantilist, namely, nationalistic and self-interested economies that expand exports with an implied "beggar thy neighbor" attitude. Of course, these commentators tend to omit the fact that most Western powers started out by being mercantilists. Indeed, former British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan famously stated that the British Empire was founded not by imperialist design, but by profit-minded pirates who conquered distant lands, forcing the English government to make them colonies.
But when mercantilist economies reach developed-market status, they face the common conundrum of how to sustain prosperity, either through free markets and small government (as propounded by the neoclassical school) or through government fiscal investments (the Keynesian school).
Is the style of parenting advocated by Amy Chua in her latest book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, truly Chinese?
Recently, Amy Chua's article titled, "Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior," in the Wall Street Journal, ignited a sociological fire across parenting circles. A professor at Yale Law School, Chua's article was an excerpt from her book, "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother" – in which she claims through a strict parenting culture, Chinese children are able to perform exceptionally well in the United States, while western parents abandon their due responsibilities out of "respecting individuality." According to Time Magazine, within a few days, news related to the article attracted over a million views and more than 5,000 comments worldwide.
The new book, however, uses simple, summarized slogans so that those who are either busy or lazy can flip to a simple answer from the perspective of Chinese parenting. But her account misses countless details. The book is ultimately more about a conversation on the differences between traditional and non-traditional parenting techniques, rather than the contrasts between Chinese and western styles of raising children.
When Chua's younger daughter was finally given the opportunity to make a decision for herself, she actually chose tennis – a very pushy sport for female players.
But since her children have been raised in the United States, the only way they will ever truly know is the American way.
The author is a scholar studying in the U.S.
See Kaixin's - Follow the Debate on Tiger Mum - Amy Chua 'Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother'
Sometimes a salary just doesn't cover all the expenses – how the malignant corruption of He Shen became the most egregious example of imperial corruption during the Qing Dynasty
Rising to become Emperor Qianlong's most trusted consort during the late Qing Dynasty, the legend of He Shen continues to live in the minds of many Chinese as a parable of rank official corruption. By the court's own archives of the time, He Shen was documented as having amassed a combined 107.2 million tael in 1799 with his relatives, when his assets were finally confiscated by the central government. The list is recorded in China's First Historical Archives Center, Volume 195.
Kaixin OpEd – The other legend on corruption is of the chief advisor to the Emperor in the Qing Dynasty, Kang Xi.
Kang Xi was infamous for his corruption and had also amassed a vast fortune.
A trusted adviser to the Emperor asked him why he didn’t do something about it and replace Kang Xi
The Emperor replied that Kang Xi was sated, the wolf was full.
If he appointed someone else, they would be a hungry wolf.
See Kaixin's - Corruption v 'li shang wang lai' 礼尚往来
The Age
Special oil greases China's alternative mechanism
The art of guanxi functions to break down the legal and other barriers to corrupt transactions.
THE art of building ''guanxi'' and the rituals of giving and soliciting bribes are not always the same thing in China, but they often are.
One reason Rio Tinto's Stern Hu is in jail is because he was no good at it.
''As experienced guanxi practitioners often say, 'the thing is half-done once the gift is accepted','' writes Li Ling in ''Performing Bribery in China'', in the current edition of the Journal of Contemporary China.
See Kaixin's - Corruption v 'li shang wang lai' 礼尚往来
Asia Times Online
SPENGLER
Food and failed Arab states
By Spengler
China, not the United States or Israel, presents an existential threat to the Arab world, and through no fault of its own: rising incomes have gentrified the Asian diet and priced food staples out of the Arab budget. Whether the Egyptian regime survives the current uprising or a new one replaces it, the outcome will be a disaster of biblical proportions. The jump in food prices was the wheat-stalk that broke the camel's back.
Germany, China have will to power
By Martin Hutchinson
Spiraling debt and lackluster growth can sap a nation's foreign-policy drive, a lesson Japan can teach the United States. If Washington, as is possible, takes a path of withdrawal, only two countries stand out as future world leaders (and uneasy partners) - Germany and China.
Chinese move on to Tajik fields
By Bruce Pannier
Chinese workers are moving into the cotton and rice fields of southern Tajikistan, sowing anger amongst native workers at their arrival and the government's unheralded decision to lease 2,000 hectares to a regional Chinese government. Yet without such a deal, the land might have gone to waste.
'Chinese spy' allegations rock Tibetans
By Saransh Sehgal
Speculation that the 17th Karmapa Lama is a Chinese agent, sparked by the seizure of a foreign currency stash at his monastery, has been dismissed by the Tibetan government in exile. While Beijing has also rejected the charge, it is well placed to capitalize on the divides the saga is creating in the Tibetan community as the current Dalai Lama's tenure nears an end.
SINOGRAPH
Confucius takes a stand
By Francesco Sisci
Chinese authorities last week placed a statue of Confucius in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, near the portrait of former paramount leader Mao Zedong. The move to give such a public face to the great philosopher is in line with Beijing's decision to cut down on Maoist paraphernalia in the political heart of China. Maoists are up in arms.
See Kaixin's - Confucius, Traditional Chinese Medicine ... best represent Chinese culture
See Kaixin's - Confucius - Video Documentary
See Kaixin's - Mao’s Last Swimmer - Chairman Mao's swim anniversary Nanning China
Kaixin OpEd – Xiaosui recalls the Cultural Revolution (which she lived through) and how Mao wanted to wipe Confucius from Chinese history.
Why?
Mao came from a village in rural China. He had seen how lofty ideas such as Confucianism had not benefited the rural population and peasants of China one jot.
He wanted to leave all that behind and forge a new China.
Yes, his ideals were corrupted by power, but the Cultural Revolution was actually founded on a sound idea, to rid China of the old ways that had contributed to grinding the average rural worker/farmer into the dust.
However, an idea, a philosophy, as strong as Confucianism cannot be wiped from the face of history.
It is re-emerging in China as China is taking its place in the world as a leading power. A place it held for most of recorded history.
The leaders of China know that the Chinese people, in particular the youth, need a powerful philosophy to guide them.
The influences and temptations of China’s re-gained wealth are great, and distracting.
Communism is a strong philosophy, but it is mainly political and economic. Also, China has let it evolve to benefit the needs of China, rather than wear it as a straightjacket.
Confucianism has 1,000’s of years of history in moral guidance.
Communism may provide the physical sustenance to the people of China, however Confucianism will provide the philosophical sustenance.
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