14th of July 2011
The Lion Awakes
Daily News, Culture & Current Affairs about China
Graeme has been using ChinesePod since 2007
"I highly recommend ChinesePod, I haven't found any Online teaching programmes that come close."
People's Daily
High-speed railway power failures not a threat to passenger security: ministry
China's railway authority said Wednesday that recent power failures that have caused delays on the newly built Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway pose no threat to its operational safety.
The trains travelling on the high-speed railway are all "highly protected" and are designed to immediately stop running in case of a power failure, the Ministry of Railways said.
The railway has experienced three delays over the last four days, with the latest taking place on Wednesday. Power failures previously halted 19 trains on Sunday and 29 others on Tuesday.
China urges U.S. Congress to refrain from supporting arms sale to Taiwan
A visiting delegation from China's National People's Congress (NPC) has urged the U.S. Congress to refrain from supporting arms sale to Taiwan, in order to promote peaceful development of the cross-strait relations.
The Taiwan issue is the most important and sensitive core issue in the China-U.S. relations, and China hopes that the U.S. side will abide by the principles of the three joint communiques between the two countries, and handle the Taiwan issue with caution, the Chinese delegation said at the talks.
Mullen wraps up China visit, "confident" of U.S.-China military ties
Mike Mullen, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, wrapped up his four-day trip to China and departed from the eastern coastal province of Zhejiang on Wednesday after visiting a submarine base of the People's Liberation Army (PLA).
Consumption in China set to gradually rise
China's household consumption rate will rise gradually, and experts said the government should improve the welfare system to increase consumers' willingness to spend.
"It suggests China is moving to a consumption-oriented economy, which will allow policymakers to consider more consumption-stimulating policies and welfare reform to achieve a soft landing of the economy," said Jing Ulrich, JPMorgan Chase &Co's managing director and chairman of global markets for China. "The consumption-to-GDP ratio will increase in the future."
China has long promoted an economic overhaul, seeking a balance between exports and an investment-oriented economy and a consumer-based economy that would allow it to reduce reliance on international markets.
China's economy growth eases fears of hard landing
The economy grew 9.5 percent in the second quarter, beating expectations and easing concerns over a hard landing amid tight monetary policies targeting high inflation.
Wind power companies breaking into foreign markets
China's wind power companies are finding their way into overseas markets, where fierce competition has previously limited their presence, usually by acquiring existing projects or investing in joint venture efforts.
China Longyuan Power Group Corp (CLPG), the world's third-largest wind power operator by installed capacity, took its first step overseas by acquiring the rights to develop a 100 megawatt (mW) project in Ontario, Canada on Wednesday from Farm Owned Power (Melancthon) Ltd.
China approves Zhoushan Archipelago New Area
China's State Council, or the Cabinet, has approved a plan to establish the Zhoushan Archipelago New Area in southeastern Zhejiang Province, local authorities said Thursday.
It will be the country's fourth state-level new district after Pudong New Area in Shanghai Municipality, Binhai New Area in Tianjin Municipality and Liangjiang New Area in Chongqing Municipality, Zhejiang provincial governor Lu Zushan said at a press conference.
The New Area, covering all of Zhoushan City with 1,440 square kilometers of land area and 20,800 square kilometers of inland sea, is planned to be built into a pioneer area in leading oceanic economic development as well as an important new growth engine for the Yangtze River Delta economic zones, Lu said.
First shooting Lowest-hanging target
By Li Hongmei
An overall analysis of the currently burning South China Sea can see a general divide of, to put it briefly, big and minor issues:
Kaixin - A detailed anlysis of the issue from China's perspective
A vision for ruling CPC
By Li Hong
Three events will serve as footnotes for the 90th anniversary of the ruing Communist Party of China: the world's single longest high-speed railroad connecting Beijing and Shanghai goes to operation; top lawmakers approve an amendment to the tax code, giving tax exemptions to low- and middle-income earners but adding tax on the rich; and probably, by coincidence, Premier Wen Jiabao visits Hungary, Britain and Germany, forging a deeper and closer partnership with Europe
China Daily
Forex hike suggests influx of 'hot money'
BEIJING - China's foreign exchange reserves rose by a faster-than-expected 30.3 percent year-on-year by the end of June to reach $3.2 trillion, a possible indicator of an increasing inflow of "hot money", analysts said.
China releases over 1b fish into Yangtze River
BEIJING - A total of 1.3 billion fish were released into the Yangtze River on Tuesday as part of a project that will help to restore fishery resources that were affected by a recent drought, according to the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA).
XinHua News
Zhu Min nominated as Deputy Managing Director of IMF
WASHINGTON, July 12 (Xinhua) -- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced Tuesday that its Managing Director Christine Lagarde has proposed the appointment of Zhu Min, currently Special Advisor to the Managing Director, to the position of IMF's Deputy Managing Director.
Chinese President joins Taiwan youth for cultural exchange activities
BEIJING, July 12 (Xinhua) -- President Hu Jintao joined a gathering of young people from across the Taiwan Strait in Beijing's Great Hall of the People on Tuesday.
Canadian FM Baird to make first visit to China
OTTAWA, July 12 (Xinhua) -- Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird will travel to China this weekend for the first official visit since assuming the portfolio following the Conservative Party's victory in the May 2 federal election.
Senior CPC official starts visit to UAE
DUBAI, July 12 (Xinhua) -- He Guoqiang, a senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC), arrived here on Tuesday evening, kicking off an official visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE
Senior CPC official pushes for closer economic ties between China, Serbia
BELGRADE, July 12 (Xinhua) -- A visiting senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Tuesday said China and Serbia, through joint efforts, would achieve more "fruitful results" from bilateral economic cooperation.
China approves plan for energy "golden zone"
BEIJING, July 7 (Xinhuanet) – The central government has approved plans for an energy industry "golden zone" linking Shaanxi province and the autonomous regions of Ningxia Hui and Inner Mongolia in northwestern China, said an autonomous region official on Wednesday.
The blueprint for the zone, connecting the energy-rich regions of Yulin city in north Shaanxi province, Ordos in southwestern Inner Mongolia and the Ningdong energy and chemical base in Ningxia Hui autonomous region, was first proposed by Vice-Premier Li Keqiang during an inspection of Ningxia in February 2010.
Global Times
Friends indeed
Foreigners who have contributed to China’s development are sometimes bestowed a seemingly simple honorific that says a lot about the esteem with which they are held.
To be called a Chinese people’s “lao pengyou” (old friend) is something that is not easily earned, nor is it offered willy-nilly.
To become a “friend” a foreigner must give their heart to the country and understand China’s soul.
Included among China’s officially recognized friends are powerful past and present world leaders and historical figures who dedicated, and sometime gave their lives, in shared common purpose with China. They also include teachers who helped educate the disadvantaged, medical workers who saved countless lives and foreign experts who helped make progress possible.
In diplomatic circles the title “Chinese People’s old friend” is not something that is casually bandied about. “It’s a top honor by China to recognize foreigners who helped with the revolution, or later with the country’s development,” Jia Qingguo, deputy director of the School of International Studies at Peking University, told the Global Times.
Chinese people usually learn who has been designated a “Chinese people’s old friend” from
Kissinger recalls four decades of Sino-US balance
It’s 40 years this week since Pakistan International Airlines secretly flew Henry Kissinger to Beijing to meet Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai, paving the way for reopening diplomatic ties between US and China.
“It was my 70th visit to China, of which 50 were official visits and 20 were private visits,” the 88-year-old Kissinger told visitors in Chongqing last week.
China Television News & Dialogue (30 Minute Current Affairs Program)
China's economy: From boom to slowdown
Back in January this year, economists debated whether China's economy was becoming over-heated. But six months later, worries about too much growth have all but dissipated. Instead, the latest flurry of economic data suggests the world's second-largest economy is putting its foot on the brakes. Yin Hang breaks down the numbers.
Many financial institutions have given various predictions on the Chinese economy, but one conclusion remains the same...China's economic growth is pacing down.
Interpretation of Mullen's remarks on South China Sea
For more on the visit of Mike Mullen, we are joined by our current affairs commentator, Professor Zhang Chuanjie from Tsinghua University.
Q1: Hello, Professor Zhang. In a speech delivered on Sunday, Mullen said the US will maintain its presence in the South China Sea. How do you interpret his remarks?
Q2: Mullen also said the Chinese and US military should respect each other, and neither side can give up on their relationship. So how do you view the prospect of military exchanges between the two countries?
How should China tackle problems triggered by population pressure?
For more analysis on this year's World Population Day, CCTV was joined on line by Wang Feng, director of the Brookings Public Strategy Research Center at Tsinghua University.
Q1: The UN says the world population will reach 7 billion this year. What are the new problems and challenges that lie ahead?
Q2: China has one-fifth of the world's population. How should the country tackle the problems triggered by the population pressure?
Dialouge (30 Minute Current Affairs Program) - Tougher IPR battles
The Wall Street Journal
China Gives Mullen Rare Look at Jet, Sub
HANGZHOU, China—Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, wrapped up a four-day visit to China with a rare visit to a submarine base on an island off the country's eastern coast, a day after being given access for the first time to a Su-27, one of China's most advanced operational fighter jets.
Economists React: GDP Growth Slows Slightly
China’s gross domestic product grew 9.5% from a year earlier in the second quarter, the National Bureau of Statistics said Wednesday, down from 9.7% growth in the first quarter, but slightly faster than expectations for a 9.4% rise. Industrial production growth also surprised on the upside, rising 15.1% from a year earlier in June, up from 13.3% in May, and defying economist expectations for a slowdown to 13.1% growth. The strong data may keep pressure on Beijing to continue tightening policy. Economists react: ...
China Growth Suggests Tightening Ahead
BEIJING—China reported a raft of data that showed its economy continuing to expand quickly, easing immediate concerns about a possible slump in growth but raising the prospect of further tightening measures as the government continues its fight against inflation.
China Property Sector Surges
SHANGHAI—Property investment and sales in China remained robust last month, indicating that the government is unlikely to ease the various tightening measures aimed at slowing the rapid rise in house prices in the country.
The real-estate sector's relative resilience suggests that policy makers are trying to carefully engineer a gradual slowdown in the market rather than risk pulling the brakes too hard and precipitating a hard landing for the economy, analysts said. They added that the impact of recent tightening moves, including higher financing costs and ...
The New York Times
In China, a History Too Recent to Be Written?
A new study tackles the middle years of Communist Party history in China, but by committee. There are some surprising inclusions in the text, but the omissions point to the difficulty of the task.
Sharing the Wealth and Living Large in a Tiny Chinese Village
HUAXI, China — Huaxi is known as the socialist collective that works — where public ownership of the means of production has not just made everyone equal, but rich, too.
On the ground floor of New Village in the Sky, a Dubai-inspired skyscraper in the village of Huaxi, final touches are being put on a cavernous concert hall that can seat 1,600 people.
Endangered Dragon
A Lurking Liability
By DAVID BARBOZA
This is the first in a series of articles examining China’s system of government-managed capitalism, and the potential weaknesses that could threaten the nation’s remarkable economic growth.
Caixin Online
Rotations in Inflation and Interest Rates
With inflation at a three-year high, are more interest rate adjustments on the horizon? CPI figures for July and August will be crucial to determining the direction of change at China's central bank
(Beijing) -- China's central bank announced the third interest rate hike of the year, three days after the National Bureau of Statistics released the consumer price index (CPI) figures for June which rose 6.4 percent year-on–year – a three-year high.
Guangdong Calls for One-Child Policy Waiver
Guangdong Province recently submitted a proposal to the central government asking for the waiver of the one-child policy if only one of the parents is an only child
(Beijing) – Guangdong Province has called on the central government to adjust the one-child policy. The change in policy is intended to cope with the province's foreseen aging problem, a source with Guangdong's family planning commission told Caixin.
Property Prices Continue to Rise
The average sales growth for ten major property companies increased by 68 percent, according to calculations by Caixin
(Beijing) – Average property prices in China grew dramatically in the first half of this year, according to data compiled by Caixin.
Sinosteel Wallows Deep in an Australian Hole
An iron ore mine and port project in Western Australia advertised as a victory for Sinosteel is now in big trouble
China's first successful hostile takeover abroad is looking more like a money pit for Sinosteel Corp., China's largest iron ore trader, which was recently forced to suspend its huge mining and project in Western Australia.
Analysts Diverge on Inflation Forecasts
Is a reversal in the record-high inflation just around the corner? Some analysts say CPI figures are set to drop on lower demand, while others expect pork prices to grow
With China's inflation figures up at a three-year high in June, analysts are divided over whether inflation has reached its peak.
The Most Favored Go-Between
By Eu Li
Henry Kissinger's On China offers a rich examination of Sino-U.S. relations from 1971 onward
Ancient Chinese history and the Chinese concept of "face" in diplomacy are explored in Henry Kissinger's most recent book, "On China." While American readers may be interested in the former national security advisor's musings on Chinese diplomacy, Chinese readers will be keen to know the details of Kissinger's interactions with Chinese leaders, which cover a span of forty years. Starting with U.S. President Richard Nixon's first visit to China in 1971, his recollections include an intimate conversation between Nixon and Deng Xiaoping, where Deng turns the microphone off. The book also offers a rare glimpse into the friendship that was formed with former Premier Zhou Enlai.
Asia Times Online
INTERVIEW
Like daughter, like mother
In 2004, at the age of 36, Iris Chang shot herself to death, seven years after her novel The Rape of Nanking had become an international bestseller. Iris' mother Ying-Ying Chang recalls how she converted this tragedy into a positive force to write the recently released memoir The Woman Who Could Not Forget - a tribute to Iris' courage.
See Kaixin's - Nanking, Nanking
India, China share a monsoon tango
By Raja Murthy
Decreasing attention spans of the 21st century make the arrival of the monsoon season in India a no less anticipated event, while China needs the rains that were once a "mandate from heaven" and could break empires. As the clouds empty the nectar of life for over a third of humanity, new science reveals the ancient, interlinked dependency the countries share.
SINOGRAPH
China looks askance at Europe's debt woes
By Francesco Sisci
China is looking on as the fissures of a debt crisis begin to threaten the very existence of political and economic integration in Europe. In the face of even bigger challenges at home, the European predicament is a lesson that could test many of China's political assumptions.
Sinophobia on the rise in the Philippines
By Joel D Adriano
As the Philippines announces plans to take the diplomatic spat over contested territories in the South China Sea to a United Nations tribunal, a clamor to boycott Chinese-made goods is gaining traction. The popular response in the Philippines could jeopardize growing ties, and shows that rising tensions over the issue may hurt China's regional trade aspirations.
Kaixin - Do I detect the murky hand of America in there?
BOOK REVIEW
Pomp and porn during the Qing Dynasty
Decadence Mandchoue by Sir Edmund Trelawny Backhouse
Reviewed by Kent Ewing
In an erotic romp through the twilight years of the Qing Dynasty, these memoirs recount among other trysts the Victorian Orientalist author's subservient servicing of the Empress Dowager Cixi, then 69, and adventures with the eunuchs and catamites of Peking's bathhouses. Intermingled with fantastical imperial palace intrigue, the work has faced charges of fraudulence and obscenity; this belies its charm and historical significance.
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
"The Real China is made by Chinese mothers and grandmothers, from each individual family's hard work," says Xue Xinran
Insights into China's
Society & Culture
China Themes
Insights into China's Society & Culture
Yuan Revaluation & Internationalisation
SEND AN EMAIL and tell a friend about Kaixin’s Just the Headlines
Be Informed
Subscribe to 'The Lion Awakes'
NEWS FEED
& Receive a Daily Summary of the International News about China
Share Article 
