3rd January 2012
The Lion Awakes
Daily News, Culture & Current Affairs about China
See how China sees the world, see how the world sees China
Xiaosui Zhou is the owner & editor of Kaixin
These are stories of her time growing up in China
during the Cultural Revolution
Maybe that war with China isn't so far off
The United States has the doctrine, the means and the motivation to make mischief for China in 2012. In an unusually toxic election year, expect the US to feed the "return to Asia" narrative with the specter of China as an arrogant and destabilizing regional threat. That will make China leery and ready to repel any sign that Washington may apply its "preventative diplomacy" doctrine to cross red lines in Taiwan, Tibet and the South China Sea. Miscalculation on either side could spark trouble. - Peter Lee
People's Daily
China's economy to remain beacon and engine in 2012
BEIJING, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- China's economy will not break. Instead, it will sustain its robust vitality and remain a beacon of hope and an engine of growth for the still fragile world economy in 2012.
Some Western analysts, including Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman, who is known not only for his economic insights but for his harsh judgement on China's economy, recently warned of a possible crash of the Chinese economy in the near future.
They claimed that slowing growth and declining stock and commodity prices were signals that the country's property bubble was set to burst.
Such warnings, however, are simply far-fetched and do not reflect the reality of China's economy.
Charting a course to peace
BEIJING - The South China Sea will continue to be a testing matter next year between China and its neighbors, but hope remains for improvement, experts said.
China has experienced increased pressure this year regarding sovereignty of the South China Sea, where Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Vietnam hold competing claims.
Although China has clear historical evidence to confirm it rightfully holds sovereignty, Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam and the Philippines, enlarged their presence in the water area and adopted a tough stance over their disputes with China, said Zhang Tuosheng, a researcher at the China Foundation for International and Strategic Studies.
The interference of the United States further complicated the situation, he said.
Chinese, Russian presidents exchange new year greetings
BEIJING, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev on Saturday exchanged their new year greetings.
China, U.S. agree to enhance dialogue, properly handle disputes
BEIJING, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo and U.S. National Security Advisor Tom Donilon held a telephone conversation on China-U.S. relations on Friday.
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China Daily
Land sales in Chinese cities fall 13%
BEIJING - Land sales in 130 major Chinese cities dropped 13 percent year-on-year in 2011, as property market curbs continued to bite the realty industry, according to the China Index Academy.
Land premiums, which are major sources of financial revenues for local governments, reached 1.86 trillion yuan ($295.2 billion) in 130 Chinese cities last year, the private real estate research agency said in a report on Monday.
Huang Yu, the academy's vice president, attributed the declines in land sales to squeezed liquidity conditions of developers and a cooling market in the midst of the government's strict tightening measures, including prohibiting purchases of third homes and raising down payment requirements.
Tapping into the expat market
A number of companies have shown how they can successfully sell Chinese culture to English speakers in Beijing.
BEIJING - On a recent brisk afternoon, Meghan Cochran swung by one of China's few remaining hutong areas in Beijing's Beixinqiao district. Huddled around a large kitchen table with a handful of other foreigners, the medical intern set out to master the art of making dumplings.
How to make Dumpling (Jiao zi)
Share your China stories!
The China Daily website is inviting foreign readers to share their China stories with our worldwide audience. Please send your story with your contact information to mychinastory@chinadaily.com.cn. Photos of the author or the story are also welcome.
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XinHua News
China's railways carried 5.1 mln passengers on New Year's Day
BEIJING, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- Over 5 million people traveled across China by train on New Year's Day this year, the Ministry of Railways (MOR) said Monday.
Increasing numbers of mid-and short-distance travelers contributed to the heavy traffic, according to the MOR.
A total of 137 temporary trains were put into service on Sunday, the first day of the three-day New Year holiday, the MOR said.
China completes cross-border power transmission project with Russia
BEIJING, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC), the country's largest power supplier, said Sunday it has put to trial operation a cross-border electricity transmission project in northeastern Heilongjiang province to supply Chinese with Russia's electric power exports
Chinese president delivers New Year address, stresses world peace, development
BEIJING, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- In a New Year's address broadcast on Saturday, Chinese President Hu Jintao vowed that China will continue to develop friendly exchanges with other countries and positively participate in international cooperation on global issues.
While addressing domestic and overseas audiences via state TV and radio broadcasters, Hu urged the acceleration of the transformation of the country's economic development pattern and structural adjustments while making more efforts in ensuring people's livelihood.
The country will continue to balance maintaining steady and relatively fast economic growth with adjusting its economic structures and managing inflation expectations, he said in the speech titled "Jointly Improve World Peace and Development," which was broadcast by China Radio International, China National Radio and China Central Television.
China will stick to the guidelines of "one country, two systems," "Hong Kong people governing Hong Kong," "Macao people governing Macao," and a high degree of autonomy in maintaining the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and Macao, Hu said.
"We will adhere to the principles of 'peaceful reunification' and 'one country, two systems,' continue to push forward the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, ensure the basic benefits for those of the Chinese nationality, and endlessly work for the common benefit of the compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait," he said.
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Global Times
A better world benefits a transitional China
Whether you like it or not, 2012 is here. We have reason to believe the upcoming Year of the Dragon will bring a brighter future for the world and for China.
In an era of globalization, China's development has become integrated into that of the rest of the world. It would be too optimistic to assume that China can stand alone in a world depressed by financial crisis. At the same time, the nation has suffered losses: It has yet to recover from the sequence of inflation caused by a 4-trillion-yuan stimulus plan. The gloomy economic situation of the world also serves as a spur to the sporadic occurrence of internal conflicts in China.
Under-the-table wrestling between China and the US will become more fierce, though neither of the two rivals will seek a showdown. Meanwhile, the quarrelsome soap opera of the two will enter a new season, producing more material for the fanfare proclaiming a new Cold War.
China cannot steer international relations, and solely relying on restraint to manage diplomacy would be risky. China should gradually cultivate a broader worldview, but not be grudging over trivial things; at the same time it must have the courage to take more risks in defense of its core interests.
China should seek a new balancing point between peace and competition and have a new understanding of "good" external relations. Frictions are unavoidable in the process of China's rise. However, we shouldn't be frightened by the conflicts. On the contrary, we should work to make the rest of the world more accustomed to easing frictions with wisdom.
Countries stagnate in their comfort zone
The year 2011 has witnessed many political and economic changes and some of the changes foreshadow future trends. China is one of the driving forces of world change. Interactions between China and the world are clear, but it is not certain in what ways the two influence each other.
The uncertainty of China is being discussed all over the world. However the problem is not only China but the whole world being uncertain.
It seems the US has a relatively stable political framework, but the country's future, its gross national output and welfare are not necessarily certain. Once the economy cannot be maintained, US politics will be difficult to predict.
No countries stay permanently in a safe zone. It is a global law that countries move between progress and recession and recession always goes with instability.
At the beginning of 2011, China was listed as a country at high risk of revolution by the Western countries. They hyped up the protest staged by a handful of people in Wangfujing of Beijing as China's "Jasmine revolution."
China has contemplated its uncertainty and made efforts to solve these problems. It treats domestic issues seriously and has made the most prominent changes among global economies.
Compared with China, the US and Europe have not made any remarkable progress in economy and politics, merely changing leaders or slogans.
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CHINA
CCTV 9
News and Current Affairs
China launches 3D TV on New Year´s Day
China has marked the New Year with the start of 3D TV service. After a trial run, the 3D TV will be ...
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The Wall Street Journal
China's New Leaders Get in Line
BEIJING—China begins a once-a-decade leadership change in 2012 that could paralyze decision-making, stir infighting and expose flaws in an ossified political system—just when urgent action is needed to steer the world's second-largest economy.
Signs of Strength in Chinese Economy
BEIJING—China's official Purchasing Managers Index rose to 50.3 in December compared with 49.0 in November, boosted by activity ahead of holidays in China, the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing, which issues the data with the National Bureau of Statistics, said in a statement Sunday.
How China’s Train Tragedy Unfolded
Until seconds before he plowed the bullet-shaped nose of his locomotive into the rear of another in an accident that killed him and 39 others, Pan Yiheng had no idea he was whizzing along occupied track.
Economists React: China-Japan Currency Pact
China and Japan announced a wide-ranging currency accord on Christmas day that is expected to give the yuan a more prominent role in international trade. Among the measures, the two countries agreed to promote direct yuan-yen trade, rather than converting their currencies first to dollars, and also for Japan to hold yuan in its foreign-exchange reserves.
China Shifts Foreign-Investment Focus
China has reshuffled a list of key sectors where it wants to attract foreign investment, downgrading traditional industries like autos and putting more emphasis in emerging fields such as new energy sources.
Shanghai Again Claims Port Crown
A decade after China was accepted into the World Trade Organization, its east coast port of Shanghai is the globe’s busiest for containers.
China Pins Hopes on Public Housing - VIDEO
One of the biggest public-housing projects in history will help determine whether China can remake its real-estate sector fast enough to prevent its economy from flaming out.
China is in the midst of a crash program to build 36 million subsidized apartments by the end of 2015—enough units to house the entire population of Germany.
Chongqing Mayor on Property Market Goals: ‘There’s a Ratio for That’
Huang Qifan is the mayor of the southwestern China metropolis Chongqing and one of the country’s most well-known voices on property market issues. He is now spearheading one of the largest buildups of subsidized housing in China, which itself is undertaking one of the world’s largest-ever such projects. It is important for social and economic stability in the world’s most-populous nation.
Home Economics: Free Apartment in Chongqing
A top gripe in China is the inability to find affordable housing. The government is responding with one of the world’s largest subsidized-housing programs. For some in Chongqing, that means a free apartment.
Will Wukan Be the New Normal?
By Russell Leigh Moses
It would be tempting to think that the peaceful end to the standoff in Wukan between local officials and villagers heralds an important shift in the way the Communist Party handles unrest – through new forms of dialogue, rather than the old default of intimidation.
Tempting – but wrong.
Space Report Touts Tech, Tiptoes Around Military Uses
Since China shocked the world by obliterating one of its aging weather satellites with a missile in 2007, it has struggled to reassure other countries of its peaceful intentions in space.
That’s the background to a State Council white paper, released on Thursday, that reveals ambitious plans for space exploration over the next five years.
Restaurateur Finds Retention in Overlooked Corner: Intellectually Disabled
The Shanghai-based franchisee, who runs 500 Dairy Queen and Papa John’s Pizza outlets in China, hires many of his employees from a special training school in the city, called Ji Xun. It’s a school for the intellectually disabled.
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The New York Times
Currencies in Asia Won't Settle Down Soon
Exchange rate volatility shows no sign of abating, reflecting a dilemma for Asian policy makers: If the currency is too strong, exports get more expensive; too weak and domestic buying power fades.
China Unveils Ambitious Plan to Explore Space
A five-year development timeline unveiled Thursday by the Chinese government could establish it as a major rival in space at a moment when the American program is in retreat.
Mao's Spell and the Need to Break It
According to one of the world's foremost sociologists of religion, China first must break the tyrannical spell cast by Mao Zedong in order to establish true freedom.
Will China Outsmart the U.S.?
America’s global competitiveness is based on introducing the newest, best ideas. So what happens when China catches up?
An Upbeat View of America's 'Bad' Year
A look back at the past 12 months suggests that U.S. power is more resilient than many analysts like to think.
China Isn’t Manipulating Currency, U.S. Says
The Treasury Department’s semiannual report cited China’s progress in raising the exchange rate but said more progress was needed.
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Asia Times Online
BOOK REVIEW
A future with China
China and the Credit Crisis: the Emergence
of a New World Order
by Giles Chance
The book explores the inter-connection between United States policy and China's participation in globalization. The presentation on what the current economic crisis means for the future of the US dollar and the necessary adjustment by the world's financial and regulatory systems to incorporate China's needs are balanced and satisfying. Yet the most important reason to read this work may be what it has to offer about how these troubled times will reshape US-China relations.
- Benjamin A Shobert
INTERVIEW
Getting the dragon onboard
The Chinese may have an attitude whereby they want to exploit the rest of the world for their own benefit. They do not see themselves yet as a responsible leader of the world economy. The issue is how can China be brought to stand alongside Europe and America? So asks Giles Chance, author of China and the Credit Crisis in a conversation with Benjamin A Shobert
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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Caixin Online
- A Garment Industry in Tatters
- South Africa was once a good fit for Chinese clothing manufacturers, but wage issues are threatening their existence
- China to Put Brakes on Foreign Investment in Auto Sector
- The turnaround in preferential policies to promote foreign investment comes after the withholding of core technologies to Chinese companies, say analysts
- Policymakers Issue New Guidelines on Foreign Investment
- China revised its foreign investment catalog, making the first changes since October 2007
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- China is running a deficit in 'intellectual trade' with the United States and needs to make a greater effort to understand its partner and rival
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