• December
• November
• October
• August
• July
• June
• May
• April
• March
• February
• January

Prior to 2009 this page also included material on India

• 2011
• 2010
• 2009
• 2008
• 2007
• 2006
• 2005
• 2004 and earlier

• At 119, Mao’s still provocative
  Global Times | 2012-12-28 0:34:06 By Bai Tiantian A giant portrait of Mao Zedong hangs in front of a bronze statue at a square in Shaoshan county, Hunan Province Wednesday. Tens of thousands of visitors from across the country came to pay tribute to the deceased top leader on his 119th birthday at his birthplace. Photo: CFP A giant portrait of Mao Zedong hangs in front of a bronze statue at a square in Shaoshan county, Hunan Province Wednesday. Tens of thousands of visitors from across the country came to pay tribute to the deceased top leader on his 119th birthday at his birthplace. Photo: CFP Thousands of people Wednesday gathered at Shaoshan county, Hunan Province, the birthplace of China's Great Helmsman Mao Zedong, to celebrate the 119th anniversary of his birth. Undeterred by the winter weather, they waited through Tuesday evening, then at the stroke of midnight at the Mao Zedong Bronze Statue Square in the county, they fired multiple gun salutes, rang bells and bowed to Mao's likeness. "People from different parts of the world came to this ceremony to honor our leader Chairman Mao," Qian Jiming, a Hunan-born choreographer who attended the memorial ceremony on Wednesday, told the Global Times. "It was raining and cold, but people's spirits were very high. Many bought firecrackers to celebrate the anniversary. Others sang the song The East is Red at the square. People took turns to bow to Chairman Mao's statue and to show their respect to him," Qian said. Local authorities estimated that more than 12,000 people attended the ceremony. Still a god for some [Mao Zedong] [Inequality]
• Nuance expected in China's policy on NK: experts
  WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- China's new leadership is expected to deal with North Korea in a more aggressive manner, abandoning a "kid-glove" approach, experts said Thursday. But Beijing will continue to "reluctantly tolerate" Pyongyang's long-range rocket launch program, which the North claims to be part of peaceful space initiative, according to Adam Cathcart, a history lecturer at Queen's University in Northern Ireland. His views are in an article on the prospects for China-North Korea relations distributed by the Pacific Forum CSIS, affiliated with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. [China NK]
• North Korea’s trade with China jumps while South Korea trade declines in 2011
  By Associated Press, Published: December 27 SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea’s trade with China surged more than 60 percent last year, a sign of deepening dependence on Pyongyang’s biggest ally. South Korea’s Statistics Korea said Thursday in an annual report that North Korea’s exports and imports with China reached $5.63 billion in 2011, up 62 percent from $3.47 billion in the previous year. China accounted for 70 percent of North Korea’s annual trade in 2011, higher than 57 percent in 2010. Statistics Korea said the volume of North Korea’s annual trade reached $8.03 billion last year, up 32 percent from 2010. [China NK] [Trade]
• Name and shame China over North Korea launch
  By Stephen Yates, Special to CNN Editor’s note: Stephen J. Yates is former Deputy Assistant to the Vice President for National Security Affairs (2001-2005) and currently CEO of DC International Advisory. The views expressed are his own. North Korea’s seemingly successful long-range missile test presents a significant challenge to the U.S. and its allies. This is North Korea’s most successful provocation since demonstrating the ability to detonate a nuclear device in 2006. North Korea has now demonstrated a significant leap in its long-range missile capability, and it would be a mistake to assume further leaps forward are beyond its reach in the not too distant future. New and very young leader Kim Jong Un has succeeded where his father did not – a major propaganda victory for him. While not the reason the Obama administration had in mind when announcing its supposed pivot to Asia, a nuclear capable rogue showing off a newly proven delivery capability has a way of seizing international attention not otherwise given to Northeast Asia in recent years. The initial White House reaction was appropriate. North Korea’s actions are irresponsible, provocative, and a threat to regional security [Satellite] [China NK] [Hysteria]
• Ma congratulates Abe on taking office
  The MOFA expects Taiwan-Japan relations to go from strength to strength under Japan’s new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. (MOFA) •Publication Date:12/27/2012 •Source: Taiwan Today •By Rachel Chan ROC President Ma Ying-jeou congratulated Shinzo Abe on being chosen Japanese prime minister and forming a new government, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dec. 26. “The ROC and Japan share values of freedom and democracy and enjoy a special partnership with close cultural, economic, tourism and trade exchanges,” the MOFA quoted Ma as writing in a congratulatory letter. “We look forward to working with Tokyo in taking bilateral cooperation and exchanges to new heights.”
• For China's New Leaders, the Spirit of Deng Remains Strong
  December 17th, 2012 by Ezra Vogel When China’s top seven new leaders stood in a row, in dark blue suits and ties, their appearance was almost indistinguishable. The attendees at the 18th Party Congress all clapped as the leaders laid out their goals for the years ahead. But behind the display of unity to promote socialism with Chinese characteristics, a peaceful rise, and the welfare of the Chinese people, there were many different views about how to get there. Among Chinese concerned about national policy, inside and outside the Communist Party, one can detect at least four major perspectives: 1) Maoism, 2) rule-based liberalism, 3) assertive patriotism, and 4) Dengism. Maoism No one advocates a return to the mass mobilization and large-scale collective projects of Mao Zedong’s Great Leap Forward. Some protesters demonstrating against corruption and unfair treatment may draw lessons about how to attack officials from Mao’s Red Guards, but no one calls for a return to the revolutionary violence of the Cultural Revolution. At the mammoth Historical Museum adjacent to Tiananmen Square, displays from the period of the Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution are nowhere to be found. But many workers in large enterprises, who in Mao’s days enjoyed high prestige and lived more comfortable lives than most Chinese, are upset that the working class no longer enjoys such prestige and special privilege and that businessmen and officials who milk the system for private gain live much better than the average worker. [Mao Zedong] [Deng Xiaoping]
• World's longest high-speed rail line makes debut
  Xinhua | 2012-12-26 11:11:48 By Agencies Passengers sit in high-speed train G502 at the Changsha South Railway Station in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, Dec. 26, 2012. The Changsha South Railway Station is one of the stops of the 2,298-kilometer Beijing-Guangzhou High-speed Railway, the world's longest, which was put into operation on Wednesday. Running at an average speed of 300 kilometers per hour, the high-speed railway will cut the travel time to about 8 hours from the current 20-odd hours by traditional lines between the country's capital and capital of south China's Guangdong Province. Photo: Xinhua Passengers sit in high-speed train G502 at the Changsha South Railway Station in Changsha, capital of Central China's Hunan Province, December 26, 2012. The Changsha South Railway Station is one of the stops of the 2,298-kilometer Beijing-Guangzhou High-speed Railway, the world's longest, which was put into operation on Wednesday. Running at an average speed of 300 kilometers per hour, the high-speed railway will cut the travel time to about 8 hours from the current 20-odd hours by traditional lines between the country's capital and capital of South China's Guangdong Province. Photo: Xinhua [Railways]
• Chen stresses need for economic integration
  ROC Premier Sean C. Chen sets out the government’s policy on boosting regional economic integration Dec. 22 in Kaohsiung City. (Courtesy of the Cabinet) •Publication Date:12/24/2012 •Source: Taiwan Today •By Rachel Chan Taiwan must play a greater role in regional economic integration as this is key to boosting the country’s trade and sustainable development, ROC Premier Sean C. Chen said Dec. 22. “Integration among global economic and trade systems is taking place at a faster rate with 337 free trade agreements signed since 2003, 210 of which took effect over the last nine years,” Chen said. “This trend signals that it is more than isolation but a matter of life and death if Taiwan is excluded from the process.” [FTA]
• Korea, China overlap claims on East China Sea shelf
  Korea and China made overlapping claims to an extended portion of continental shelf beyond their exclusive economic zones (EEZs) in the East China Sea, with Seoul set to submit its official claim to a United Nations body this week, officials and experts said Sunday. Beijing presented its official document to the U.N. Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) on Dec. 14, claiming that its natural prolongation of the continental shelf in the sea extends to the Okinawa Trough, according to local media reports. [Territorial disputes]
• China checks the US picket line
  By Peter Lee The passing year was the People's Republic of China's (PRC) first opportunity to get up close and personal with the United States' pivot back to Asia, the strategic rebalancing that looks a lot like containment. The PRC spent a lot of 2012 wrestling with contentious neighbors emboldened by the US policy, like Vietnam and the Philippines; combating American efforts to nibble away at the corners of China's spheres of influence on the Korean peninsula and Southeast Asia; and engaging in a test of strength and will with the primary US proxy in the region, Japan. This state affairs was misleadingly if predictably spun in the Western press as "assertive China exacerbates regional tensions", while a more accurate reading was probably "China's rivals exacerbate regional tensions in order to stoke fears of assertive China." Whatever the framing, this was the year that the world - and in particular Japan - discovered that the PRC can and could kick back against the pivot. [China confrontation]
• China’s Other Territorial Dispute: Baekdu Mountain
  J. Berkshire Miller With disputes brewing in the East and South China Seas, there is another piece of contested territory in Asia that could pose some serious problems... Last month, just one week after Barack Obama was reelected president in the U.S., the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) wrapped up its 18th Party Congress and elected a new seven member group to its elite Politburo Standing Committee (PBSC). The PBSC is the most important decision making body in China, and controls all essential elements of domestic and foreign policy. The new leadership in China faces a raft of challenges — both internal and external —which will help to determine its relationship with the U.S., Japan, Russia, India, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and others in the region. [Territorial disputes]
• Inside the Ring: U.S. warns China on North Korea
  By Bill Gertz - The Washington Times Wednesday, December 19, 2012 The State Department is pressuring Beijing about its communist ally North Korea following failed efforts to halt the recent rocket launch that proved to be Pyongyang’s first successful long-range missile test. According to a Western intelligence official, the State Department sent a diplomatic protest note to China after the Dec. 12 launch that placed a non-functioning satellite into orbit. The message to Beijing from Washington was blunt: Do more to rein in North Korea or the United States will sharply increase military cooperation with Asian allies, including Japan and South Korea. [Satellite] [Pressure]
• Almost 1,000 doomsday cult members arrested in China
  The BBC's Damian Grammaticas says police are likely to detain suspected cult members for several days Police in China have carried out further arrests of members of a doomsday cult for spreading rumours about the imminent end of the world, state media say. Almost 1,000 members of Christian group Almighty God have now been detained. State media terms Almighty God an "evil cult" - the same description it applies to the banned Falun Gong group. The sect predicts Friday will usher in three days of darkness and has urged its members to overthrow communism. Its adherents believe 21 December is the last day in the Mayan long count calendar and thus signifies the end of the world. The belief has gained considerable popularity in China where the film 2012 was a box office hit.
• Official: No passport discrimination
  Global Times | 2012-12-19 13:30:00 By Xie Wenting Twenty-one-year-old Atikem Ruzi, a junior student at Minzu University of China, found out last week she was denied a passport that she wanted so she could study abroad. The Uyghur woman says an official at the Beijing Exit-Entry Administration Department would not say why, beyond explaining that the "Xinjiang side" did not give their approval. When Ruzi complained about the decision on Sina Weibo, her teachers called her in and urged her to post less. When the Global Times asked Exit-Entry Administration Department spokesman Lin Song to comment on the case, he refused to comment on the specifics, but added, "Different areas might have a few differences on the requirements." He referred further questions to the police, who also refused to comment. Ruzi is not the only member of an ethnic group to find herself in this situation. [Ethnic]
• Chinese leaders still suspicious of religion, party document shows
  Carlos Barria/Reuters - China’s government has asked the universities to guard against foreigners who they suspect are using religion as a tool to threaten the Communist party. By William Wan, Wednesday, December 19, 2:57 PM BEIJING — Chinese leaders issued an order last year quietly directing universities to root out foreigners suspected of plotting against the Communist Party by converting students to Christianity. The 16-page notice — obtained this month by a U.S.-based Christian group — uses language from the cold war era to depict a conspiracy by “overseas hostile forces” to infiltrate Chinese campuses under the guise of academic exchanges while their real intent is to use religion in “westernizing and dividing China.” The document suggests that despite small signs of religious tolerance in recent decades,China’s ruling officials retain strong suspicion of religion as a tool of the West and a threat to the party’s authoritarian rule. And with the country’s top leadership in transition and looking to consolidate power, Chinese religious leaders worry that the stance is unlikely to change in the near future. [Subversion]
• Former U.S. Official: Don’t Mistake Support on South China Sea.
  A former senior U.S. defense official viewed as a possible successor to Leon Panetta as defense secretary said the Philippines has recently mistaken U.S. renewed engagement in the region as an opportunity to more assertively pursue territorial claims against China. Michèle Flournoy, who served as undersecretary for defense policy until February 2012, said last month while the U.S. needed to send clear signals of support for its allies in the region, it also needed to ensure that support didn’t lead allies to act provocatively. Naming the Philippines specifically, she said there was a risk of Manila “mistaking U.S. support for an opportunity to be much more assertive in staking their claims. I think we have to be careful that we don’t feed that dynamic.” [Client] [Territorial disputes]
• Former U.S. Official: Don’t Mistake Support on South China Sea.
  A former senior U.S. defense official viewed as a possible successor to Leon Panetta as defense secretary said the Philippines has recently mistaken U.S. renewed engagement in the region as an opportunity to more assertively pursue territorial claims against China. Michèle Flournoy, who served as undersecretary for defense policy until February 2012, said last month while the U.S. needed to send clear signals of support for its allies in the region, it also needed to ensure that support didn’t lead allies to act provocatively. Naming the Philippines specifically, she said there was a risk of Manila “mistaking U.S. support for an opportunity to be much more assertive in staking their claims. I think we have to be careful that we don’t feed that dynamic.” [Client] [Territorial disputes]
• Hard to remember
  Global Times | 2012-12-12 19:25:05 By Liang Chen People visit a wall depicting images of survivors at the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders on December 7. Photo: CFP People visit a wall depicting images of survivors at the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders on December 7. Photo: CFP While people across the country were commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre on December 13, Zhu Chengshan, director of the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders, had something more important to worry about. "It is of great importance to inscribe the Nanjing Massacre archives as part of the global heritage. It is a vivid history textbook for the Japanese, the Chinese and people all across the world. It reminds us to remember history and cherish peace," Zhu said. [Nanjing Massacre] [War crimes] [Japanese colonialism]
• China makes a splash with coastguard rules
  The article below this comment originally appeared at Asia Times Online on December 8, 2012. It can be reposted if ATOl is credited and a link provided. Reuters for some reason continued to beat the Hainan coast guard regulations dead horse with an analysis posted on December 9 that begins: Imagine if the U.S. state of Hawaii passed a law allowing harbor police to board and seize foreign boats operating up to 1,000 km (600 miles) from Honolulu. That, in effect, is what happened in China about a week ago. It’s not what happened in China a week ago, either actually or "in effect", as I think can be concluded by reading my ATOl piece. Even if ATOl is not on Reuters’ radar, Dr. Fravel of MIT (and his commentary at The Diplomat, which is quoted and footnoted below) should be. It’s not even what the article says, for that matter. Actually, the Reuters piece looks like a factless rehash in the genre of Western journalists unable to extract useful information from stonewalling Chinese bureaucrats retaliate with inflammatory lede. [Media] [Territorial disputes [China bashing]
• U.S. intelligence sees Asia's global power rising by 2030
  By Tabassum Zakaria WASHINGTON | Mon Dec 10, 2012 2:48pm EST (Reuters) - China's economy is likely to surpass the United States in less than two decades but the Asian country is not expected to take on the superpower role of the United States in gathering coalitions to deal with global issues, U.S. intelligence analysts said on Monday. [Hegemony] [Decline] [Alliance] [China rising]
• Labor Data Show That China Is a Bubble Waiting to Burst
  by Benn Steil and Dinah Walker December 5, 2012 China “may have” overinvested to the tune of 12-20% of gross domestic product (GDP) between 2007 and 2011 – this is the diplomatically worded conclusion of a working paper released last week by the IMF. This week’s Geo-Graphic backs it up. [China problem]
• China Inspects All Ships from N.Korea for Contraband
  China is apparently inspecting all ships that enter its ports from North Korea to see whether their cargo violates UN sanctions against the North. "China has recently started inspecting the cargo of all ships that have passed through North Korea," said a high-ranking government source here. "The measure is aimed at curbing North Korea's use of Chinese ports to import and export items that have been banned by the UN." The official said Bejing apparently feels the need to show it is doing all it can to stop the North from trading weapons of mass destruction after a Chinese vessel carrying what were believed to be North Korean ballistic missile components was nabbed in Busan in May. The ship was on its way to Syria with 445 graphite cylinders, which can be used in re-entry vehicles carrying the nozzles and warheads of missiles back into the Earth's atmosphere. Notified by South Korea, the UN Security Council is investigating the intend use of the cylinders, how it ended up aboard the Chinese vessel, and the weapons-smuggling connection between North Korea and Syria. [Sanctions] [Media]
• 24 Chinese sailors arrested for violence on Korean officers
  Korean maritime police said Sunday they have arrested 24 Chinese sailors who violently resisted the authority's crackdown on their illegal fishing in the Yellow Sea. The latest clash took place in waters near the western port city of Incheon on Nov. 27, when Chinese sailors aboard three vessels fought against Korean maritime police officers, hurling fishing gears and wielding steel pipes at them, Incheon Coast Guard officials said.
• China's new boss Xi hits nationalist note with talk of "revival"
  By John Ruwitch SHANGHAI | Thu Dec 6, 2012 4:03pm EST (Reuters) - In his first three weeks as China's Communist Party boss, Xi Jinping has shown himself to be more confident, direct and relaxed than his predecessor - but also quick to invoke nationalistic themes to win public support and legitimacy. He has at least twice spoken publicly, and in heroic terms, about national "rejuvenation" and the "revival of the Chinese nation". The phrase has been uttered by all of Xi's predecessors as party boss, but his frequent usage so early in his tenure is intended to "create cohesion" through nationalism, said Li Weidong, a political commentator and former magazine editor. [Media] [Xi Jinping]
• China's air force holds large-scale drill amid tensions with Japan, South China Sea claimants
  Published December 07, 2012 Associated Press BEIJING – China says its air force has staged one of its largest-ever drills amid heightened tensions with Japan and its southern neighbors over territorial claims. State media said Friday that the air combat exercises involving more than 100 pilots were held over 11 days last month in the vast northwestern region of Xinjiang. Aircraft taking part included China's most modern jet fighters, the J-10 and J-11, according to the website of the Communist Party newspaper People's Daily. While the exercises were being held, China's navy for the first time launched and recovered aircraft from the country's first aircraft carrier. The exercises also came amid stepped-up sea patrols around East China Sea islands claimed by China but controlled by Japan, as well as renewed feuding between China and other claimants in the South China Sea. [Media] [Heading]
• Xi Jinping calls for powerful missile force
  Xinhua | 2012-12-6 11:37:01 By Agencies The People's Liberation Army (PLA) has been ordered to build a powerful and technological missile force by Xi Jinping, the newly elected chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Xi, also newly elected general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, made the comments on Wednesday while meeting delegates at the 8th Party congress of the People's Liberation Army (PLA)'s Second Artillery Force. The artillery force is the core strength of China's strategic deterrence, the strategic support for the country's status as a major power, and an important cornerstone safeguarding national security, Xi said. [Missile]
• Battery maker that received stimulus money could be sold to Chinese company
  By Steven Mufson, Thursday, December 6, 2:42 PM A bankrupt battery manufacturer that was a cornerstone of President Obama’s effort to make the United States a global leader in clean-energy technology could end up in the hands of a Chinese company when it goes on the auction block Thursday. Congressional Republicans call the company, A123 Systems, which received $133 million in federal stimulus grants, a textbook case of how the Obama administration wasted taxpayer money trying to nurture new industries. Administration officials say the stimulus money was used to build a new manufacturing facility in Michigan that could remain open under new owners, even if they turn out to be foreign. The company also has a Pentagon contract classified as “secret,” and Sens. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) and John Thune (R-S.D.) are waving red flags. In a letter to Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner, they called for a review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, an inter-agency group that reviews transactions that might harm national security. Treasury oversees CFIUS. [Decline] [China rising] [China bashing]
• US academics back East China Sea peace initiative
  US academics back East China Sea peace initiative(from left) Evans J.R. Revere, NCAFP senior officer, Song Yen-huei, Academia Sinica researcher, Donald Zagoria, NCAPF senior vice president, Edward I-shin Chen, Tamkang University professor and Gerald L. Curtis, Columbia University professor, take a break from discussing the merits of the ROC government’s East China Sea peace initiative Dec. 3 in New York. (Courtesy of TECO in New York) •Publication Date:12/05/2012 •Source: Taiwan Today The ROC government’s East China Sea peace initiative was roundly praised by members of U.S.-based National Committee on American Foreign Policy during a seminar Dec. 3 in New York. Evans J.R. Revere, NCAFP senior officer and former US State Department acting assistant secretary of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, and Gerald L. Curtis, Columbia University professor, both came out in support of the initiative during the event held to discuss disputes over islands in the East and South China seas. [Territorial disputes] [Softpower] [Purchase]
• SEC charges China arms of top accounting firms
  By Aruna Viswanatha and Rachel Armstrong WASHINGTON/SINGAPORE | Tue Dec 4, 2012 2:44am EST (Reuters) - U.S. regulators have charged the Chinese arms of the world's five top accounting firms with securities violations, raising tensions in a regulatory standoff which experts say could kill off U.S. listings for Chinese firms if not resolved. [China confrontation] [Finance] [Softpower] [Extraterritoriality]
• Chinese firm in illegal nuclear exports to Pakistan
  US Department of Justice The US restricts nuclear-related exports to Pakistan Continue reading the main story Related Stories Pakistan tests ballistic missile A Chinese government-linked company has pleaded guilty to illegally exporting high-performance coatings from the US to a nuclear power plant in Pakistan. China Nuclear Industry Huaxing Construction was fined $3m (£1.9m), the US Department of Justice said. The US has restricted nuclear-related exports to Pakistan since the country's detonation of a nuclear device in 1998. It marks the first time a Chinese company has admitted guilt in a US criminal export case. Nanjing-based Huaxing admitted to charges that it conspired to ship the epoxy coating through China to Pakistan's Chashma II Nuclear Power Plant in 2006 and 2007. Huaxing was building the site as part of a nuclear cooperation pact signed between Pakistan and China. A Chinese subsidiary of the company that made the coating, PPG Industries, pleaded guilty in the same investigation in 2010. [Extraterritoriality]
• Concerns arise in Chinese bid for genomics firm
  By STEVE FRIESS | 12/4/12 4:42 AM EST The pending sale of a major American gene-mapping company to a Chinese firm is sparking yet another dust-up over what sensitive industries the rising Asian power ought to be allowed to dominate in the United States. A key question — as it has been with Chinese involvement in aviation, cloud computing and telecom hardware — is whether there are national security concerns attached to allowing a company largely funded by the Chinese government to have access to human DNA being decoded for doctors, researchers and pharmaceutical companies. BGI Shenzhen has bid $118 million for Mountain View, Calif.-based Complete Genomics, a sale under review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. A third gene-mapping company, San Diego-based Illumina, last month offered $123 million, but the board of Complete Genomics rejected that, saying the Chinese bid was of “superior quality.” [FDI] [China confrontation]
• Hacking the President’s DNA
  The U.S. government is surreptitiously collecting the DNA of world leaders, and is reportedly protecting that of Barack Obama. Decoded, these genetic blueprints could provide compromising information. In the not-too-distant future, they may provide something more as well—the basis for the creation of personalized bioweapons that could take down a president and leave no trace. This is how the future arrived. It began innocuously, in the early 2000s, when businesses started to realize that highly skilled jobs formerly performed in-house, by a single employee, could more efficiently be crowd-sourced to a larger group of people via the Internet. Initially, we crowd-sourced the design of T-shirts (Threadless.com) and the writing of encyclopedias (Wikipedia.com), but before long the trend started making inroads into the harder sciences. Pretty soon, the hunt for extraterrestrial life, the development of self-driving cars, and the folding of enzymes into novel proteins were being done this way. With the fundamental tools of genetic manipulation—tools that had cost millions of dollars not 10 years earlier—dropping precipitously in price, the crowd-sourced design of biological agents was just the next logical step. In 2008, casual DNA-design competitions with small prizes arose; then in 2011, with the launch of GE’s $100 million breast-cancer challenge, the field moved on to serious contests. By early 2015, as personalized gene therapies for end-stage cancer became medicine’s cutting edge, virus-design Web sites began appearing, where people could upload information about their disease and virologists could post designs for a customized cure. Medically speaking, it all made perfect sense: Nature had done eons of excellent design work on viruses. With some retooling, they were ideal vehicles for gene delivery. Soon enough, these sites were flooded with requests that went far beyond cancer. Diagnostic agents, vaccines, antimicrobials, even designer psychoactive drugs—all appeared on the menu. What people did with these bio-designs was anybody’s guess. No international body had yet been created to watch over them. [cbw] [DNA]
• China overtakes U.S. as trading partner
  In just five years, China has surpassed the United States as a trading partner for much of the world, including U.S. allies such as South Korea and Australia, according to an Associated Press analysis of trade data. By JOE McDONALD and YOUKYUNG LEE The Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea — Shin Cheol-soo no longer sees his future in the United States. The South Korean businessman supplied components to American automakers for a decade. But this year, he uprooted his family from Detroit and moved home to focus on selling to the new economic superpower: China. [Decline] [China rising]
• It’s Not Freedom vs. Truth; It’s Daniel Bell vs. Mark MacKinnon (and David Bandurski)
  In an interesting piece of synchronicity, just as the Lei Zhengfu sex tape case turned the microscope on the political minefields that Chinese reporters tiptoe through every day, the careful and circumspect work habits of PRC journalists were also invoked by Tsinghua University professor Daniel Bell in his response to a none-too-favorable profile of him by Mark MacKinnon in the Globe and Mail. Dr. Bell is a favored intellectual for the PRC regime because he regards democracy as a relative rather than absolute good and thinks China is doing better with a mixed system of single-party rule at the top and some democratic rumblings down below. Dr. Bell’s views go beyond the Burkean advocacy of social stability through elite rule (a strain recapitulated throughout the modern history of the West) to the rather questionable assumption that the PRC government is a high-functioning meritocracy, at least at the national level. [Media] [China bashing]
• God & country
  Global Times | 2012-11-30 19:35:05 By Lin Meilian Chinese President Hu Jintao (right) shakes hands with Christian leader Ding Guangxun at the 4th session of the 10th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in Beijing on March 3, 2006. Photo: Xinhua Chinese President Hu Jintao (right) shakes hands with Christian leader Ding Guangxun at the 4th session of the 10th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in Beijing on March 3, 2006. Photo: Xinhua Chinese Christian leader Bishop Ding Guangxun or K. H. Ting, who was described as a "patriotic religious leader" and "a well-known social activist," passed away on November 22 at the age of 97. However, even after his death, debates surrounding this controversial figure still linger on. The Protestant bishop had held several positions. He chaired the National Committee of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement of the Protestant Churches in China (TSPM), was president and honorary president of the China Christian Council and remained as a principal of Nanjing Union Theological Seminary till his death. Describing Ding as a "great visionary," the Reverend Olav Fykse Tveit, secretary general of the World Council of Churches, expressed admiration in an online letter. "He was a great visionary who demonstrated his commitment to addressing reconciliation between church and society, Christian and non-Christian … and re-establishing the Chinese church's links with worldwide churches," Tveit said. Jesus or Marx? Nevertheless, some believe that Ding was a hypocrite, as he reconciled the atheistic ideology of communism with Christianity in order to have a good relationship with the Chinese government. [Religion]
• Kim Jong-un receives personal letter from Chinese delegation
  Posted on : Dec.1,2012 10:30 KST Liu Qibao, head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China’s Central Committee and politburo member Message from new Chinese leader could have been related to bilateral alliance, or NK’s rocket plans By Park Min-hee, Beijing correspondent and Kim Kyu-won, staff reporter North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was given a signed personal letter on Nov. 30 from Xi Jinping during a meeting in Pyongyang with Communist Party of China Politburo member and National People's Congress vice-chairman Liu Qibao. North Korea's Korean Central Television and China's Xinhua news agency reported that Liu conveyed a message from Xi, the new leader of China, saying that it was the "strong determination of the new Communist Party of China leadership to solidify and develop the traditional friendly relations" between China and North Korea.? [China NK
• Kim Jong Un Meets CPC Delegation
  Pyongyang, November 30 (KCNA) -- Kim Jong Un, first secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, first chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK and supreme commander of the Korean People's Army, Friday met the visiting delegation of the Communist Party of China led by Li Jianguo, member of the Political Bureau of the C.C., the Communist Party of China and vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China. Present there were Li Jianguo, Wang Jiarui, head of the International Liaison Department of the C.C., the CPC, Wang Xiaohui, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the C.C., the CPC, Liu Jieyi, deputy head of the International Liaison Department of the C.C., the CPC, Yao Zengke, vice-minister of Supervision, and Liu Hongcai, Chinese ambassador to the DPRK. Also present there were Kim Ki Nam, member of the Political Bureau and secretary of the WPK Central Committee, Kim Yang Gon, alternate member of the Political Bureau and secretary of the C.C., the WPK, and Kim Song Nam, vice department director of the C.C., the WPK. Li Jianguo conveyed a personal letter of Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission of the CPC, to Kim Jong Un. [China NK]
• Fitting Taiwan into the new East Asia
  •Publication Date:12/02/2012 •Source: Taiwan Today The ancient sages advised adjusting to difficult events as they happen to achieve maximum results with least effort. Trying to go against the tide will accomplish little, despite herculean exertions. In the last 20 years Taiwan has seen many examples of this lesson. A crucial one involves how Taiwan will fit into the new geopolitical order in East Asia. In the first half of the 1990s, former President Lee Teng-hui took advantage of the end of the global Cold War and third wave of democratization to push for democracy in Taiwan, cross-strait rapprochement and pragmatic diplomacy, creating a promising new state of affairs. During the same period, the Chinese communists exploited 9/11 to direct U.S. attention to the war on terror, gaining 10 valuable years in which to grow rapidly. In the last four years the Ma Ying-jeou administration’s policy of reconciliation with Beijing has relieved outside pressure to some extent, but the two sides of the strait are no longer comparable in terms of the clout they pack. [Taiwan] [Straits]
• Winning Without Fighting: Chinese Public Opinion Warfare and the Need for a Robust American Response
  By Dean Cheng November 26, 2012 Abstract : Over the past decade, the People's Republic of China has exhibited a growing interest in waging asymmetrical warfare. The purpose of this interest is chilling: to enable the PRC to win a war against the U.S. without firing a shot. To this end, the PRC is expanding potential areas of conflict from the purely military (i.e., involving the direct or indirect use of military forces) to the more political. Such expansion will be fueled by manipulation of public opinion, legal systems, and enemy leadership. It is essential that the United States counter the PRC's new soft-power surge not only by rebutting political attacks, but also by taking the offensive and promoting America's positions to a global audience. Over the past decade, the People's Republic of China (PRC) has exhibited a growing interest in waging asymmetrical warfare. To this end, the PRC released an initial set of regulations regarding political warfare in December 2003, before updating them in 2010. These "political work regulations" for the People's Liberation Army (PLA) address the importance of waging "the three warfares": public opinion warfare, psychological warfare, and legal warfare [China confrontation] [Softpower]
• Chinese state media accuses Cisco of helping US spies, sees turnabout as fair play
  By Jon Fingas posted Nov 29th, 2012 at 8:23 PM 88 China state media accuses Cisco of helping US spies, says turnabout is fair play We get the impression China isn't very happy that the names of Huawei and ZTE are being dragged through the mud in the US. Almost directly mirroring some American stances, state-backed Chinese media outlets such as China Economy & Informatization and People's Daily are raising alarm bells over Cisco's presence in a large amount of local network infrastructure, alleging that it's a potential backdoor for espionage; CE&I goes so far as to cite purported experts insisting that the US government could take over Chinese communications in a crisis. China Unicom is acting on the threat by phasing out Cisco gear, the magazine says. Other allegations point to 72 members of Congress possibly being influenced by their Cisco shares and the ever-controversial Patriot Act aiding any nefarious plans. Given the publications' ultimate benefactors, the chances of politics skewing the agenda are high -- although the collective stance underscores just how much tension has surfaced ever since Chinese tech giants got the evil eye. [China confrontation] [Cyberespionage] [Response]

• Senior Chinese Envoy Visits N.Korea
  A senior Chinese official arrives in North Korea on Thursday, marking the first visit by a Beijing apparatchik since Xi Jinping took over the world's most populous country. Politburo member Liu Qibao is expected to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and brief him about the party congress that appointed Xi to the leadership. He will also deliver a personal message from the new general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party that could include an invitation to China.
• China’s footprint to go deeper in Myanmar
  Global Times | 2012-11-29 1:15:05 By Yu Jincui My last stop on a recent trip to Myanmar was Sagaing Hill. The hill, located on the Ayeyarwady River, 20 kilometers to the southwest of Mandalay, is dotted with hundreds of stupas and Buddhist monasteries, among which a pagoda, known as the Japanese pagoda to locals, is rising up. The pagoda was donated by Japanese citizens to commemorate their soldiers who died in the battlefields of Myanmar and India during World War II. Standing in front of the pagoda with Myanmese architectural characteristics while its base is carved in hundreds of Japanese names, I didn't know how to react. Just a few hours ago in Mandalay, some Chinese-ethnicity Myanmese told me that several Chinese survivors of World War II had officially asked for a monument for their comrades who had died in the Myanmar theater. Given their advanced age, it is unlikely a monument will be built before they pass away. I have heard many views, both from locals and Chinese working in Myanmar, praising Japan's good work in Myanmar during my trip. The locals in particular are impressed by Japan's assistance in aspects like road construction, donations for planting and pagoda building, and free personnel training. [Softpower]
• Passport map draws fire from neighbors
  Global Times | 2012-11-27 1:05:06 By Xu Tianran Vietnam's immigration authorities are issuing separate visa sheets to new Chinese passport holders instead of stamping directly on visa pages, after Beijing issued new passports that include a map of territories also claimed by other countries. At the Lao Cai border gate in northern Vietnam bordering China, 111 new Chinese passports were proclaimed by Vietnam as invalid as of Sunday, but the holders were able to enter the country with the visa sheets, according to Vietnam's tuoitrenews.vn website. Meanwhile, Vietnam's government lodged a formal complaint with the Chinese embassy, according to Bloomberg. The map lays clear claim of China to the maritime sovereignty in the South China seas. But Vietnam is refusing to accept this. [Territorial disputes]
• China Aircraft Carrier Style! Assessing the First Takeoff and Landing
  By Andrew Erickson and Gabe Collins Two months after China’s first aircraft carrier Liaoning was commissioned, and a year and a half after it began sea trials, an Chinese J-15 fighter became the first known fixed wing aircraft to take off from and land on it. Footage of the occasion aired on CCTV over the weekend shows the fighter jet, tail-hook clearly visible, successfully catching the arrestor wire on the deck of the Liaoning before coming to a stop and being directed to a designated location for technical checks. The video subsequently shows footage of the aircraft preparing for flight and flying off the end of Liaoning’s ski jump deck. Once again, China has exceeded the expectations of many foreign observers regarding timelines for military capabilities development, though the tremendous publicity the event has received could limit the country’s ability to move with such speed in developing its aircraft carrier going forward. One carrier image in particular has caught the Chinese public’s imagination: that of a launch officer’s signal to release the wheels and send the aircraft racing down the runway. This iconic image of a “shooter” in action, popularized in the American film “Top Gun,” encapsulates Chinese aspirations for national success, reaching world standards, and achieving the recognition that has long eluded China. Accordingly, images of Chinese of a wide range of ages and walks of life assuming the stance, some in the most unlikely locations, have flooded the Internet — a meme reminiscent of planking that Chinese Internet users having taken to calling “Aircraft Carrier Style,” after a certain viral video out of South Korea. In addition to the shooter gesture, American naval aviators with whom we spoke have noted familiar hardware and procedures akin to U.S. Naval Air Training and Operating Procedures Standardization (NATOPS) in footage of the J-15 landing and take-off. The landing signals officer platform, optical landing system, effective non-skid flight deck, and color-specific uniforms are all strikingly similar to their U.S. and Russian equivalents.
• China’s Unmanned Aircraft Evolve from Figment to Reality
  Nov. 26, 2012 - 07:42AM | By WENDELL MINNICK | ZHUHAI, China — China’s UAVs have grown more teeth, according to the evidence on hand at this year’s Zhuhai airshow, an event that has expanded exponentially since its debut in 1996. [Airpower] [UAV]
• China launches Sri Lanka's first satellite as India watches ties grow
  COLOMBO | Tue Nov 27, 2012 6:25am EST (Reuters) - Sri Lanka launched its first communications satellite on Tuesday in partnership with a Chinese state-owned space technology firm, the Sri Lanka partner said, adding to unease in neighboring India about Beijing's growing ties with the island nation. The Sri Lankan government has emphasized the launch was a private effort, carried out by SupremeSAT (Pvt) Ltd and the China Great Wall Industry Corp. But Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa's youngest son, Rohitha, has been credited in domestic media as the creator of the satellite. Vijith Peiris, chief executive of SupremeSAT, told Reuters in Colombo that the launch from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in western China was successful. The joint launch marked the latest in a series of economic and military ties between the two countries, a relationship that is being closely watched by India. "It reinforces the impression that Sri Lanka is getting slowly but surely closer to China," said Brahma Chellaney, an analyst at the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi.
• The 18th Party Congress Crosses the Yalu: Implications for China’s North Korea Policy
  By Nathan Beauchamp-Mustafaga All eyes were on Beijing as the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) 18th Party Congress ushered in the Xi Jinping era, forcing Pyongyang to cede the title of most-watched transition in the communist world, and leaving Kim Jong Un no longer the newest ruler of an authoritarian state in East Asia. Xi, along with his six fellow Politburo Standing Committee (PSC) members, will lead a rising China during arguably the most challenging 10-year period since Deng Xiaoping’s Reform and Opening, which set China on its current path. The new Chinese leadership is tasked with navigating through daunting challenges of official corruption, growing socioeconomic inequality, mounting social unrest and a need to rebalance the economy, among a host of other problems. Beyond these pressing issues at home, Xi and his team look out onto a world wielding greater power and influence than the CCP has ever known but also shouldering heavier expectations from the West to play a more constructive role in global affairs.One of the most important foreign policy issues Xi Jinping is expected to confront is North Korea and its nuclear program. While territorial disputes with Japan over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands and with Vietnam and the Philippines in the South China Sea greeted Xi on his first day in office, North Korea is one foreign policy curmudgeon that will likely stay with him throughout the next ten years. As Stephanie Kleine-Ahlbrandt noted here earlier this year, China’s North Korea policy appears to have decreasing utility in serving China’s interests. However, Beijing does not seem prepared to abandon its treaty ally once and for all.
• China conducts flight landing on aircraft carrier
  Xinhua | 2012-11-25 8:37:51 By Agencies China has successfully conducted flight landing on its first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, naval sources said. A new J-15 fighter jet was used as part of the landing exercise. After its delivery to the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy on September 25, the aircraft carrier has undergone a series of sailing and technological tests, including the flight of the carrier-borne J-15. Capabilities of the carrier platform and the J-15 have been tested, meeting all requirements and achieving good compatibility, the PLA Navy said. Since the carrier entered service, the crew have completed more than 100 training and test programs. The successful flight landing also marked the debut of the J-15 as China's first generation multi-purpose carrier-borne fighter jet, the PLA Navy said. Designed by and made in China, the J-15 is able to carry multi-type anti-ship, air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles, as well as precision-guided bombs. The J-15 has comprehensive capabilities comparable to those of the Russian Su-33 jet and the US F-18, military experts estimated. More photos. [Airpower]
• MOEA fast-tracks ECFA follow-up talks
  The MOEA plans to expand Taiwan’s share of emerging markets in the Middle East and Southeast Asia to increase Taiwan’s competitiveness. (Courtesy of TAITRA) •Publication Date:11/22/2012 •Source: Taiwan Today The ROC Ministry of Economic Affairs said Nov. 21 that it will accelerate completion of follow-up consultations on the Cross-Straits Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) and seek to sign free trade agreements with Taiwan’s trading partners. Other measures to boost the country’s competitiveness include continued development of emerging markets in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, assistance to industry in upgrading and restructuring, the Taiwan-Japan Industrial Cooperation Promotion Office, and relaxation of restrictions on foreign, overseas Chinese and mainland China investment, the MOEA said. The ministry’s comments came in response to the announcement Nov. 20 by Beijing, Tokyo and Seoul that they will hold first-round talks on a trilateral FTA early next year. According to preliminary modeling by Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research, Taiwan’s exports would fall 0.76 percentage points to 1.17 percentage points as a result of such an accord, while gross domestic product would be reduced by 1.16 percentage points, equivalent to US$4.5 billion, the MOEA said. The tripartite FTA could lead to an estimated reduction of US$15.9 billion in Taiwan’s total industrial output, the ministry said. Hardest hit would be traditional sectors such as plastics, petrochemicals and textiles, because of the higher tariff rates on their products. (SH-THN) [FTA] [Straits]
• China Challenges West for Arms Trade
  New, Better Products on Display at Zhuhai Show Nov. 19, 2012 - 09:17AM | By WENDELL MINNICK | Comments ZHUHAI, China — Those who bought a Chinese tank or ship or plane in the 1960s or 1970s were most likely putting their troops in double jeopardy — facing an enemy with equipment that was, at best, cheap imitation Soviet junk not even trusted by Russian troops. This is not the case today, as the ninth biennial Airshow China proved to attendees here last week. Russian imitations of aircraft, radar, missiles and other equipment are being supplanted by high-quality made-in-China replacements. Granted, much of the equipment has Russian or Ukrainian roots, but Chinese engineers and manufacturers have learned just about as much as can be learned from them. China’s military industrial revolution has come of age. [China rising] [Arms sales]
• China a Military Threat? No Wonder China is Nervous as Obama Pivots
  By F. William Engdahl Global Research, November 21, 2012 To read the mainstream Western media, one would conclude that China has become an economic giant now intent on flexing its military muscle and making a massive arms buildup to do so. China’s designated new President, Xi Jinping, has just won both the top Communist party post from predecessor Hu Jintao as well as the head of the powerful Central Military Commission, giving Xi a full takeover of party and armed forces. [China confrontation] [Military balance][Media] [Missile Defense]
• MAC reiterates ROC sovereignty
  MAC reiterates ROC sovereigntyA picture of Sun Moon Lake in central Taiwan’s Nantou County appears in new passports issued by mainland China. (Photo: Chang Su-ching) •Publication Date:11/23/2012 •Source: Taiwan Today •By Taiwan Today The ROC is a sovereign state with its own inherent territory, the Mainland Affairs Council said Nov. 22. “Mainland China should pragmatically face the objective fact that the ROC exists,” the MAC stressed, noting that the two sides are ‘one Republic of China, two areas,’ in line with the ROC Constitution and the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area. “Beijing should shelve disputes and face reality based on the existing foundations of cross-strait relations and continue to work toward the peaceful and stable development of those ties,” the council said. [Straits]
• South Korea Seeks to Balance Relations with China and the United States
  Current Issues in U.S.-ROK Relations Author: Han Suk-hee, Associate Professor, Yonsei University South Korea Seeks to Balance Relations with China and the United States - south-korea-seeks-to-balance-relations-with-china-and-the-united-states Publisher Council on Foreign Relations Press Release Date November 2012 In August 2012, South Korea (the Republic of Korea, or ROK) and China celebrated their twentieth anniversary of diplomatic normalization. During the past two decades, the two states have advanced their political, economic, diplomatic, and cultural relations with unprecedented speed and scope. This development has been driven by expanding bilateral economic cooperation and its resulting benefits. Trade between the two countries has increased approximately thirty-five times, from $6.37 billion in 1992 to $220.63 billion in 2011. Currently, China is South Korea's largest trading partner and South Korea is China's third largest. However, underneath the surface of this relationship is an increase in South Korea's negative perceptions of China. [SK China] [Tribute]
• The rise and rise of the renminbi
  November 18th, 2012 Authors: Arvind Subramanian and Martin Kessler, PIIE China might already be the number one economy in the world on a purchasing power parity basis, but, so far, this position has only been translated very partially into a strategy of currency internationalisation. Some have predicted that a full internationalisation of the renminbi (meaning use of the renminbi as a reserve asset, fully convertible, and usable in international transactions) could happen in the next two decades — but China will need drastic reforms of its capital account and of its domestic financial system before it acquires a global status. A third dimension, however, has often been overlooked. This is the ‘reference currency’ dimension, meaning that the exchange rate of a given ‘dominant’ currency is tracked by other exchange rates, either by virtue of being pegged to it, or because of the forces of the market, or in intermediate regimes between those two possibilities. The renminbi long held a fixed peg against the US dollar, but China allowed its currency to float within a band, first from July 2005 until the wake of the financial crisis, and then again after June 2010. Since the global financial crisis, with the United States and Europe struggling economically, the renminbi has increasingly become a reference currency: emerging market exchange rates now move more closely with it [Renminbi] [Reserve]
• The renminbi as a global currency?
  November 19th, 2012 Author: Peter Drysdale, Editor, East Asia Forum As China’s share of regional trade has grown so too has the importance of its currency, the renminbi, in international transactions. Since 2002, China’s share in East Asia’s trade has leapt from 10 per cent to 23 per cent, while the share of US trade has gone in exactly the other direction, from 23 per cent to 10 per cent. Of course, growth in trade share alone does not automatically make it attractive for countries to use the currency of the trading partner as the currency through which transactions are traded or in which assets are held. As Japan’s trade share grew in the 1970s and 1980s, the yen grew in importance as an international currency but not in parallel, nor nearly commensurately with trade. This was for a number of reasons: first, because there were restrictions on the Japanese capital account that limited the movement of yen in and out of Japan; and secondly because Japanese financial markets were not entirely open, distorting the relationship between the returns on yen investments and investments in dollars, UK sterling or other European currencies. In the 1980s and 1990s, Japan tried to internationalise its currency, and the use of the yen in trade settlement and in foreign exchange transactions rose because of important reforms that led to opening of the Japanese capital account. Yet despite those efforts, Japan’s currency never played a significant role as a major international currency, even at the height of its importance in the global economy, partly because the process of capital account financial market liberalisation came late, and was incomplete, and also because of the continuing attractiveness of the dollar. [Renminbi] [Reserve]
• Ex-President Chen receives proper medical care
  Ex-President Chen receives proper medical careDeputy Minister of Justice Chen Shou-huang (center) and Deputy Foreign Minister Tung Kuo-yu (right) explain the treatment former ROC President Chen Shui-bian is receiving in prison at a news conference Nov. 16. (Staff photo/Grace Kuo) •Publication Date:11/16/2012 •Source: Taiwan Today •By Grace Kuo Former ROC President Chen Shui-bian has been provided the best living conditions and health care permissible by law and the current facilities of Taipei Prison, Deputy Minister of Justice Chen Shou-huang said Nov. 16. Chen Shou-huang made the remarks at an international news conference co-hosted by the Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taipei City in response to concerns from home and abroad over the former president’s treatment in prison and health condition following his escort under guard to Taipei Veterans General Hospital Sept. 21. He is serving a sentence of 18 1/2 years for corruption. [Corruption] [Democracy]
• Full text of Hu Jintao's report at 18th Party Congress
  Xinhua | 2012-11-18 9:57:00 Hu Jintao, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chinese president, delivers a keynote report during the opening ceremony of the 18th CPC National Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 8, 2012. The 18th CPC National Congress opened in Beijing on Thursday. Photo: Xinhua Hu Jintao, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chinese president, delivers a keynote report during the opening ceremony of the 18th CPC National Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 8, 2012. The 18th CPC National Congress opened in Beijing on Thursday. Photo: Xinhua [18Congress]
• Korean unification dream will never die
  Global Times | 2012-11-8 0:35:05 By Ding Gang On my flight from Beijing to Bangkok, I watched As One, a Korean movie that made its box office debut in May. The movie is based on the true story of the first united South and North Korean table tennis team which attended the 1991 World Table Tennis Championships in Chiba, Japan. It is a match that the South and North Korean public will never forget, and it's a dream team inscribed in the memory of all Koreans. The united Korean women's team defeated their Chinese counterpart, the winner of nine successive championships, and won the championship under the name of a single Korea. As a Chinese, I felt somewhat uncomfortable watching the film. It overemphasized the victory over Chinese team and the overwhelming momentum of the united Korean team. As a result, the Chinese team members were intentionally depicted only as a backdrop to the victory. The tagline of the films is "It wasn't gold that brought them together." Apparently, the director sought to express his hope for national unification. This theme excites the public in both Koreas. Seven years ago, I paid a visit to South Korea. At the time there was a positive approach toward the North, expressed through the official Sunshine Policy. The policy, which was first articulated in 1998 and which was aimed at the peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula, made a powerful impact upon the public. [Unification]
• Smooth transition paves way for change
  Global Times | 2012-11-16 7:40:00 By Huang Weiping Xi Jinping was elected general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee at the first plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee, realizing a peaceful, orderly and institutionalized transition of power. It marks an achievement in the political reform that began with China's reform and opening-up. Members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the 18th CPC Central Committee, who were elected at the first plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee, met both Chinese and foreign journalists in the Great Hall of the People Thursday. [18Congress] [Democracy]
• Kim Jong Un Sends Congratulatory Message to Xi Jinping
  Pyongyang, November 15 (KCNA) -- Kim Jong Un, first secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and first chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK, Thursday sent a congratulatory message to Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and chairman of the Central Military Commission of the CPC. The message said: Please accept my warm congratulations on the successful holding of its 18th National Congress and your election as general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission. It is an expression of deep trust and great expectation of all the party members, service personnel and people of China that you take the important posts as general secretary of the C.C. and chairman of the Central Military Commission of the CPC at a time when the cause of socialist modernization drive of the Chinese people has entered into a new stage.
• Will China's New Leader Seek Reform in N.Korea?
  China's new leader Xi Jinping is unlikely to change the country's relationship with North Korea drastically, but experts predict Xi could push for specific reform plans in the North and greater market opening. "Beijing believes it is important to stabilize North Korea and halt its nuclear ambitions to benefit China's economic growth," said Park Byung-kwang at the Institute for National Security Strategy. "China thinks it is possible to stabilize North Korea and resolve the nuclear dilemma over the long-term by strengthening economic cooperation."
• China's New Boss
  Xi Jinping has charisma, a common touch and a beloved pop-star wife. But can he reform a Communist elite accustomed to the fruits of corruption?. Xi Jinping has already charmed some of his hosts overseas. Above, Mr. Xi kicks a Gaelic football during a February visit to Ireland. .Where is a new leader of China to turn for advice? Xi Jinping, who takes the country's top post on Thursday, knows better than to look to Mao, the revered founder of the Communist regime who vowed never to take "the capitalist road." Tell that to the hundreds of millions of Chinese who, in the past three decades, have risen from poverty thanks to market-oriented reforms. With a leadership change in China imminent, what do we really know about the man who is widely expected to take over the ruling Communist Party? The WSJ's Jeremy Page tells us what differences to expect and what Xi Jinping needs to do to steer China through the next decade. . As China prepares for a transition in leadership, many are wondering if Xi Jinping's wife will steal the spotlight. Here's a look at a few of her popular folk song performances. .Mr. Xi might instead dig deeper into Chinese history, to the austere ancient wisdom of Mencius, the Confucian scholar who advocated the "mandate of heaven" principle that an unjust Emperor could be overthrown. "Why talk of profit?" Mencius asks a ruler in his most famous work. If a king seeks profit over humanity and duty, so will his lords and common people, he says. "Then everyone high and low will be scrambling for profit, and the nation will be in danger [Xi Jinping]
• More Chinese inroads into Rason?
  Choson Exchange | Tuesday, November 13th, 2012 By Michael Madden On 26 October 2012, the DPRK and China staged three ceremonial events in the Rason. A ceremony was held to lay the foundation for the construction of the administrative office building for the Sino-DPRK Economic Trade Zone [ETZ] Management Committee. The ceremony included a symbolic ground-breaking, a speaking program, the placement of a foundation monument and announcement of the DPRK and Chinese managers who will work in the committee’s office. According to KCNA, Vice Chairman of the Rason City People’s Committee Hwang Chol Nam said that “ground-breaking ceremony is another progress in developing and activating the Zone.” Vice Governor of the Jilin Provincial People’s Government “stressed the need to concentrate efforts on accelerating the progress of major cooperation projects on the principles of government guidance, priority to enterprises, marketing rule, reciprocity and co-prosperity, developing the combined land and maritime transport route and building and perfecting basic establishments on a phased basis.” [Rason]
• More hukou reform on horizon
  Global Times | 2012-11-14 0:45:08 By Ling Yuhuan Experts called for further loosening of the current household registration system to allow more migrant workers to become registered residents of urban areas and enjoy the benefits and privileges offered by the city in which they work and live. Yang Zhiming, vice minister of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, said that the country will take proactive measures to keep migrant workers in urban areas. Yang suggested migrant workers can apply to register in a county after having a stable job for over half a year, and in a small or medium-sized city after working there for over three years and meeting other criteria. [Migration]
• IPR pirates face tougher prison terms
  Global Times | 2012-11-14 1:00:00 By Du Liya and Yan Shuang A senior official vowed Monday that China would begin far harsher crackdowns on piracy and that even selling a few pirated items might land fraudsters in prison. This comes as publication authorities have readied an amendment law proposal on copyright protection. Liu Binjie, head of the General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP), said during the 18th National Congress of the CPC that the draft law would double down on the protection of digital copyright. The amendment to China's Copyright Law will also enhance punitive measures for piracy, he said. For example, illegal vendors caught selling even just one or two pirated copies will be sentenced to jail, as compared to the 600 copies stipulated by current laws. [IPR]
• DPRK Delegation Leaves for China
  Pyongyang, November 12 (KCNA) -- A DPRK delegation headed by Vice-Minister of Electric Power Industry Kim Yong Chol departed here on Monday to take part in the 64th meeting of the Board of Directors of Korea-China Hydroelectric Power Company to be held in China. Arriving here on the same day was a delegation of the General Administration of Sports of China led by Vice-Minister Wu Qi.
• MAC touts peaceful development of cross-strait ties
  CCP General Secretary Hu Jintao (standing) suggests Nov. 8 in Beijing that Taiwan and mainland China should commence negotiations on a cross-strait military mutual trust mechanism and peace agreement. (CNA) •Publication Date:11/09/2012 •Source: Taiwan Today •By Rachel Chan The ROC Mainland Affairs Council said Nov. 8 that the peaceful development of Taiwan-mainland China ties is in the best interests of people from both sides of the strait. “The government is committed to maintaining the cross-strait status quo of no unification, no independence and no use of force based on the ROC Constitution and 1992 consensus,” a MAC official said. “This policy represents the mainstream opinion of the Taiwan people and is the best way of furthering cross-strait relations.” The MAC remarks came in response to those made by Hu Jintao, mainland Chinese leader and Chinese Communist Party general secretary, during an address to the 18th CCP Congress in Beijing. Hu suggested that Taiwan and mainland China should negotiate a cross-strait military mutual trust mechanism and peace agreement so as to create new prospects for the development of Taipei-Beijing ties. [Straits]
• Competing with China: Lessons from South Korea’s Manufacturers
  October 11, 2012 by Sunghun Park The 2008 financial crisis reminded many countries that a strong manufacturing sector is required to maintain a healthy economy and to compete globally. Developed nations that neglected their manufacturing sector have begun to rebuild it. However, they are finding that they have a formidable rival: China. South Korea’s manufacturers have long felt the heat of Chinese competition. Examining the competitive advantages of South Korean and Chinese manufacturers, and which South Korean industries are most vulnerable to Chinese competitors, holds lessons for companies and countries looking to maintain an edge. The 2008 financial crisis reminded many countries of a fundamental reality: a strong manufacturing sector is required to maintain a healthy economy and to compete globally. Earlier in the decade, many developed nations saw their financial sector grow to dominate their economy. The global meltdown, however, made clear the risks and detrimental effects of one sector assuming such a pivotal position and of countries moving away from producing tangible products. As a result, developed nations that neglected their manufacturing sector have begun to throw their full weight behind rebuilding it. As these countries refocus, however, they are finding that the competitive landscape has changed. China has become a formidable rival. During the past decade, the country’s manufacturing sector has grown exponentially, aided by low wages, a large domestic market, and government support. South Korea’s manufacturers have long felt the heat of Chinese competition and feared being surpassed despite being more productive and technologically more advanced. A recent reappraisal of the sector by The Boston Consulting Group found that South Korea continues to have an edge over China regardless of the latter’s incessant focus on supremacy. Our research included an assessment of the main sources of competitive advantage for each country’s manufacturing sector and determined which South Korean industries are the most and least vulnerable to Chinese competitors. This article discusses these findings, which hold lessons for all countries and companies that have a rival in China and are looking to maintain their edge. [China competition] [Manufacturing] [Financialisation]
• Opportunism won’t help Washington stay on top
  Global Times | 2012-11-9 0:40:07 By Global Times An American committee, the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (UCESRC) issued a 156-page report Wednesday, which gives detailed descriptions of Chinese companies' investments in the US. It claims the security and economic risks posed by China's large-scale investments as a "potential Trojan horse," which shocked us. The US' investment in China is of a much larger scale. Many companies have close ties with Washington. If we use the logic in the report, there are a great number of "Trojan horses" in China. If so, Chinese people should be wary of these "Trojan horses," as local governments in China are busy courting foreign investment. China doesn't have an organization like the UCESRC, which does nothing but destroy opportunities for mutual economic cooperation. Even if there was such a commission which issued a similar report, saying that Microsoft and IBM may overthrow China, those who wrote the report would be condemned. [F&E] [ODI]
• For China’s next first lady, a lowered profile
  View Photo Gallery — China’s first ladies:?Unlike her American counterpart, the spouse of a Chinese president often stays well in the background, clear of the spotlight. But China’s next first lady, Peng Liyuan, a popular singer, may break from that mold. By William Wan, Nov 10, 2012 04:42 PM EST The Washington Post BEIJING — Next week, when her husband is expected to be introduced as China’s new leader, Peng Liyuan will probably be out of sight. Her image won’t be splashed across any front pages; her name is likely to go unmentioned on state-run TV’s breathless coverage of China’s once-a-decade leadership transition. No Michelle Obama-style advocacy. Nor Jackie Kennedy-like glamour. Simply the expectation that one will fade into the black cloak of secrecy that surrounds all of China’s leaders. And yet if anyone could break free of that muted tradition, it would be Peng, one of China’s most recognizable folk singers. For most of her marriage to China’s current vice president, Xi Jinping, her fame has eclipsed his. A civilian member of the Chinese army’s musicale troupe, she was admired by hundreds of millions for her annual performances on state television’s New Year’s Eve shows. And according to people who have met her, she exudes an easy grace, a confident grasp of conversational English and a seemingly sincere heart for charitable causes. “If this were the West, one would say she has the perfect requirements for being a leader’s wife: beauty, stage presence, public approval,” said one party intellectual, who requested anonymity to avoid jeopardizing his work teaching future government officials at party schools. “But things are different in China.”
• Key quotes from Hu Jintao's report to CPC national congress
  Xinhua | 2012-11-8 14:47:00 By Agencies Hu Jintao, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chinese president, delivers a keynote report during the opening ceremony of the 18th CPC National Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 8, 2012. The 18th CPC National Congress opened in Beijing on Thursday. Photo: Xinhua Chinese leader Hu Jintao delivered a report on Thursday at the opening of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC). The following are key quotes from his report: On Scientific Outlook on Development [18Congress] [CCP]
• NK expresses hope for closer ties in message marking China's congress
  2012-11-08 18:52 North Korea has expressed its hope for friendlier relations with China, its major ally and patron, in a letter sent to mark the neighboring country's congress to usher in a new leadership, the North's state media said Thursday.
• Health care in China: Entering ‘uncharted waters’
  Multinationals are flocking to take advantage of the opportunities, but long-term success is by no means assured. NOVEMBER 2012 • Franck Le Deu, Rajesh Parekh, Fangning Zhang, and Gaobo Zhou Source: Healthcare Systems and Services Practice In This Article Exhibit: Health care expenditures in China have more than doubled since 2006, benefiting virtually every related sector. .About the authors Comments .. China’s health-care sector continues to develop at an astonishing rate: spending is projected to grow from $357 billion in 2011 to $1 trillion in 2020. From pharmaceuticals to medical products to consumer health, China remains among the world’s most attractive markets, and by far the fastest-growing of all the large emerging ones. It is not surprising that multinationals are flocking to take advantage of the opportunities, but long-term success is by no means assured. Although we remain optimistic about the overall outlook for China’s health-care market, multinationals will find it harder to compete. We expect a clearer separation between winners and laggards. Late entrants may struggle. [Health]
• China opens Communist Party congress as leadership change begins
  The move begins the transfer of power to a new generation of leaders China's Communist Party has begun a week-long congress that will see a new group of leaders unveiled. More than 2,000 delegates are attending the meeting, in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, which begins the once-in-a-decade power transfer. President Hu Jintao is opening the meeting with a work report on achievements and future goals. Security is very tight across the city, with many dissidents detained or under house arrest, rights groups say. Addressing delegates at the start of the meeting, Mr Hu said the party faced both opportunities and challenges in an ever-changing environment. It would continue to push for development, build wealth and create harmony for the people, he said. [CCP] [18Congress]
• As China enters new era, how much of Mao will stay?
  1 of 5. A statue of the late Chairman Mao Zedong is seen at Dong Fang Hong Square in Nanjie village of Luohe city in China's central Henan province in this September 25, 2012 file photo. In 1981, five years after his death, China's ruling Communist Party began to save history from Mao Zedong. Today, speculation about whether it is poised to finish the job has cast a spotlight on one of the most emotive debates simmering inside the party - how much of Mao can it erase without undermining its authority. Credit: Reuters/Jason Lee/Files By John Ruwitch BEIJING | Wed Nov 7, 2012 5:05am EST BEIJING (Reuters) - In 1981, five years after his death, China's ruling Communist Party began to save history from Mao Zedong. Today, speculation about whether it is poised to finish the job has cast a spotlight on one of the most emotive debates simmering inside the party - how much of Mao can it erase without undermining its authority. The debate is also a proxy for the more tangible battle inside the party over the direction and extent of future reforms. Recent omissions of the term "Mao Zedong Thought" from some policy statements have piqued speculation that the party might remove it from the party charter when it amends the document at the 18th Party Congress, which starts on Thursday. [CCP] [18Congress] [Mao Zedong]
• China party says learns from Bo scandal, vows further reform
  By Michael Martina BEIJING | Wed Nov 7, 2012 6:27am EST BEIJING (Reuters) - China learnt an "extremely profound" lesson from the Bo Xilai scandal and will make fighting corruption a priority alongside further reform, a Communist Party spokesman said on Wednesday, a day before a key congress opens to usher in a leadership change. But Cai Mingzhao said political reform had to be realistic, and that China's current system of one-party rule was not up for debate. [CCP] [18Congress]
• China Hauls Away Activists in Congress Crackdown
  By Associated Press Nov. 06, 20120 (BEIJING) — During her 30-hour train journey to Beijing, Wang Xiulan ducked into bathrooms whenever the conductors checked IDs. Later, as she lay low in the outskirts of the capital, unidentified men caught her in a nighttime raid and hauled her to a police station. She assumed a fake identity to get away, and is now in hiding again. Wang’s not a criminal. She’s a petitioner. She’s among many people attempting to bring local complaints directly to the central government in an age-old Chinese tradition that has continued during the Communist Party era. But police never make that easy, and this week, as an all-important leadership transition begins, a dragnet is aimed at keeping anyone perceived as a threat or a troublemaker out of Beijing. “There is no law in China, especially for us petitioners and ordinary folk,” Wang, 50, said in an interview with The Associated Press. “Even common gangsters and hoodlums get to leave after they serve time for crimes, but for us, if we get locked up, we never know when we might be freed.” [CCP] [18Congress]
• Viewpoint: The powerful factions among China's rulers
  China's political elite is dominated by two factions. But once the new leaders are unveiled, who will have the upper hand, and how will competing factions balance power? As part of a series on challenges for China's new leaders, political analyst Cheng Li says the country's future could be decided by a tussle at the top. Of all the concerns about the forthcoming political succession in China, none may ultimately prove as important as whether or not the factional balance of power will be maintained. China is now confronting widespread social unrest, slowing economic growth, increasing divisions within domestic public opinion on the issue of the country's political trajectory and rampant official corruption as revealed by the Bo Xilai scandal. Any further signs of elite disunity or upsets in the factional balance of power within the top leadership could be overwhelmingly detrimental in terms of the continued rule of the Communist Party. [CCP] [18Congress]
• China’s Hu seeks to exert influence long after he leaves power
  By William Wan, Nov 06, 2012 01:51 AM EST The Washington Post Published: November 6 BEIJING — After a decade in power, President Hu Jintao has been using his final weeks on the job to shore up his reputation, maneuver allies into key positions and elevate his interpretation of communist ideology — all in an attempt to preserve his influence over Chinese politics. Hu’s recent moves fit a familiar pattern in China, where top leaders don’t simply retire. They linger behind the scenes, exerting powerful but often unseen leverage until death. How successful Hu and his supporters are in these remaining days could affect the direction of the country’s leadership for years to come. [CCP] [18 congress] [Hu Jintao]
• CPC opens 18th national congress
  Xinhua | 2012-11-8 9:37:00 By Agencies Hu Jintao, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chinese president, delivers a keynote report during the opening ceremony of the 18th CPC National Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 8, 2012. The 18th CPC National Congress opened in Beijing on Thursday. Photo: Xinhua The 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) opened Thursday at "the decisive stage of completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects." Jiang Zemin, Wu Bangguo, Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin, Li Changchun, Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, He Guoqiang and Zhou Yongkang were present at the opening ceremony of the congress, along with about 2,300 delegates and specially invited delegates. Hu Jintao is delivering a report entitled "Firmly march on the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics and strive to complete the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects." The theme of the congress is to "hold high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, follow the guidance of Deng Xiaoping Theory, the important thought of Three Represents and the Scientific Outlook on Development, free up the mind, implement the policy of reform and opening up, pool our strength, overcome all difficulties, firmly march on the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and strive to complete the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects." [CCP] [18Congress]
• Hu vows to boost domestic demand, deepen economic reform
  Xinhua | 2012-11-8 13:53:45 By Agencies Hu Jintao, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chinese president, delivers a keynote report during the opening ceremony of the 18th CPC National Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 8, 2012. The 18th CPC National Congress opened in Beijing on Thursday. Photo: Xinhua Hu Jintao on Thursday vowed to drive the economy more by domestic demand and push forward across-the-board economic reforms to address problems in the country. "We must strive to remove major structural barriers to sustained and sound economic development, with a focus on improving the demand mix and the industrial structure, promoting balanced development between regions and advancing urbanization," Hu told about 2,300 delegates attending the opening ceremony of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC). In his keynote report to the congress, Hu said strategic adjustment of the economic structure is the major goal of accelerating the change of the growth model. [18Congress]
• China to follow path of socialism with Chinese characteristics
  Xinhua | 2012-11-8 12:22:04 By Agencies Hu Jintao said on Thursday that China must unswervingly follow the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics in order to complete the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects, accelerate socialist modernization, and achieve the great renewal of the Chinese nation. Delivering a keynote report to the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Hu said this is a definite conclusion drawn from China's eventful modern history and a promising future of the Chinese nation. [18Congress]
• Be wary of populism led by democracy
  Global Times | 2012-11-7 1:00:05 By Global Times Results of the US presidential election will be made public today. No matter who wins, Barack Obama or Mitt Romney, there's no expectation either domestically or externally that US policies will dramatically change. The problems in the US will remain. The election has just been about getting votes, and this is gradually becoming a popular political rule throughout the world. Politicians should try their best to please the voters and make various promises. The demands of voters will continue to increase, while their patience for setbacks grows weaker. The electoral system encourages populism. Parties and politicians are slowly turned into its captives. [CCP]
• Hu Jintao tells China Communist party congress to stamp out corruption
  President opens proceedings that will see him hand over power to Xi Jinping with warning that inaction could bring down state Reuters in Beijing guardian.co.uk, Thursday 8 November 2012 04.30 GMT Hu Jintao, shown with his predecessor, Jiang Zemin, at the opening of the Communist party congress that will see Xi Jinping become China's next president. Photograph: Goh Chai Hin/AP China's departing president, Hu Jintao, has warned that corruption threatens the ruling Communist Party and the state, promising political reform as he formally opened a party congress that will usher in a once-in-a-decade leadership change. More than 2,000 hand-picked delegates gathered at Beijing's Great Hall of the People for the start of the week-long session, held against a backdrop of growing social unrest, public anger at graft and a yawning gap between rich and poor. "If we fail to handle this issue [corruption] well it could prove fatal to the party and even cause the collapse of the party and the fall of the state," Hu warned in an opening speech. [CCP] [Corruption] [18Congress] [Hu Jintao]
• China 'pivot' trips over McMahon Line
  By Peter Lee China is looking for a "Western" pivot to counter the United States' diplomatic and military inroads with its East Asian neighbors such as Japan, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Myanmar. For China's strategists, as an interesting analysis in the Indian Express tells us, the "Western" pivot means nurturing the PRC's continental Asian relationships with the interior stans and, across the Himalayas, India. Pakistan's descent into basket-case status and the PRC's concurrent anxiety about Islamic extremism in Xinjiang indicates that the old China/Pakistan lips and teeth united front against India (and offsetting threats of destabilization in Kashmir and Tibet) may be past its sell-by date. [1] [Border war]
• Is China more legitimate than the West?
  Martin Jacques
  2 November 2012 China and the United States are about to choose new leaders via very different methods. But is a candidate voted for by millions a more legitimate choice than one anointed by a select few, asks Martin Jacques. This week will witness an extraordinary juxtaposition of events. On Tuesday the next American president will be elected. Two days later, the 18th congress of the Chinese Communist Party will select the new Chinese president and prime minister. The contrast could hardly be greater. Americans in their tens of millions will turn out to vote. In China the process of selection will take place behind closed doors and involve only a relative handful of people. You are probably thinking, "Ah, America at its best, China at its worst - the absence of democracy. China's Achilles heel is its governance. This will be China's downfall." I want to argue quite the contrary. [CCP]
• Neil Heywood 'briefed MI6 on Bo Xilai'
  Wall Street Journal claims murdered British businessman provided information on the disgraced Chinese politician's family Tania Branigan in Beijing guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 6 November 2012 10.23 GMT The Wall Street Journal said Neil Heywood continued to provide information on Bo even after learning the person worked for MI6. Photograph: AP Neil Heywood, the British businessman whose death sparked the downfall of former Chongqing party boss Bo Xilai, knowingly provided information on the high-flying Chinese politician's family to MI6, according to the Wall Street Journal. Bo's wife, Gu Kailai, was convicted earlier this year of murdering the Briton last November. The court heard she had feared for her son's safety after a business dispute with Heywood – a claim his friends cast doubt upon. The 41-year-old had known the family since the 1990s, but relations had soured before his death. The Journal, citing current and former British officials and friends of Heywood, said the businessman continued to meet a contact and provide information on Bo's affairs after learning that the person was an MI6 officer. His contact even warned him to be careful "not to become a headline" as his relations with Gu became tense. [Bo Xilai] [Espionage]
• U.S. Navy Take Notice: China is Becoming a World-Class Military Shipbuilder
  November 01, 2012 By Gabe Collins and Andrew Erickson The engine of China's naval rise has flown under the radar - until now. China’s military shipyards now are surpassing Western European, Japanese, and Korean military shipbuilders in terms of both the types and numbers of ships they can build. If Beijing prioritizes progress, China’s military shipbuilding technical capabilities can likely become as good as Russia’s are now by 2020 and will near current U.S. shipbuilding technical proficiency levels by 2030. China is now mass producing at least six classes of modern diesel-electric submarines and surface warships, including the new Type 052C “Luyang II” and Type 052D “Luyang III” destroyers now in series production [Seapower] [China rising]
• State Media: New China Stealth Fighter in Test Flight
  Nov. 1, 2012 - 08:20AM BEIJING — China’s second stealth fighter has made its first test flight, state media reported Nov. 1, in a boost to the country’s air capabilities even though the plane is unlikely to be deployed for years. The J-31, the second stealth plane to be unveiled by China in less than two years, flew for 11 minutes on the morning of Oct. 31, the state-run Global Times reported, citing an eyewitness. Photos posted online by Chinese military enthusiasts appeared to show the black-painted combat plane in mid-flight. Images of the aircraft were first leaked online in September. China’s first stealth fighter, the J-20, was unveiled in early 2011 but is not expected to enter service until 2018. The country’s first aircraft carrier entered service last month, with others capable of carrying aircraft expected to follow. The J-31 appears to be more mobile than the J-20, with its landing gear suggesting it is designed to be launched from an aircraft carrier, military expert Andrei Chang told AFP. [Airpower] [China rising]
• Flight tests on China’s air carrier confirmed by Ministry of Defense
  Global Times | 2012-11-5 1:05:04 By Xu Tianran A two-seat variant of the J-15 carrier-based fighter is spotted Saturday at the runway of the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC), Liaoning Province, two days after the maiden flight of SAC’s stealth fighter dubbed as “J-31.” Photo: www.meyet.com Military authorities confirmed Sunday that carrier-based jets have been conducting take-off and landing training on the country's first aircraft carrier Liaoning. According to an official report released by the Ministry of Defense, jets have practiced touch-and-go landings, a maneuver that involves landing on the flight deck of the carrier and taking off again without coming to a stop. It is the first time Chinese authorities have acknowledged that jet pilots have been training on the Liaoning. Online photos from unofficial sources have shown that the Shenyang J-15 carrier-based fighter has made at least several fly-bys above the carrier and military experts have long speculated that touch-and-go landings are being practiced by pilots. Lan Yun, editor of the Beijing-based Modern Ships magazine, said touch-and-go landings are the last step in primary training for carrier-based fighter pilots.
• Han Suyin obituary
  Chinese-born author best known for her 1952 book A Many-Splendoured Thing John Gittings The Guardian, Sunday 4 November 2012 18.38 GMT Han Suyin in 1986. Photograph: Ulf Andersen/Getty Images Colonial Hong Kong, a doomed love affair and the echoes of revolution in China were the explosive mixture that made the reputation of the author Han Suyin, who has died aged 95. The film of her 1952 book A Many-Splendoured Thing may have been just a classic weepie, but the original novel shocked Hong Kong with its tale of her love affair with a married man and its sympathy for the appeal of communism to China's downtrodden millions.
• Unable to copy it, China tries building own jet engine
  By David Lague and Charlie Zhu HONG KONG | Tue Oct 30, 2012 6:05am EDT HONG KONG (Reuters) - China has designed nuclear missiles and blasted astronauts into space, but one vital technology remains out of reach. Despite decades of research and development, China has so far failed to build a reliable, high performance jet engine. This may be about to change. China's aviation sector is striving for a breakthrough that would end its dependence on Russian and Western power plants for military and commercial aircraft. Beijing is evaluating a 100 billion yuan plan to galvanize a disjointed and under-funded engine research effort, aviation industry officials say. The giant, state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China AVIC.L, China's dominant military and commercial aviation contractor, has been lobbying hard for the extra money, officials familiar with the details say. AVIC, with more than 400,000 employees and 200 subsidiaries including 20 listed companies, has already set aside about 10 billion yuan of its own funds for jet engine development over the next three years. The engine financing plan is under high-level discussion in Beijing, said Zhao Yuxing, an official at the securities office of Shanghai-listed Xi'an Aero-Engine Plc (600893.SS), a key military engine-making unit of AVIC. "What we know is our company has been included in the strategic programme, which is designed to greatly develop and support the engine industry," he said by phone from his company's headquarters in the northwestern city of Xi'an. China's military industry as a whole has suffered from Tiananmen-era bans on the sale of military equipment from the United States and Europe. Moreover, foreign engine-makers have been loath to transfer technology. That has prevented China from taking its usual route to closing a technology gap: copying it.
• Ma seeks to deepen cross-strait ties
  ROC President Ma Ying-jeou is set to expand cross-strait relations in the final three years of his presidency. (CNA) •Publication Date:10/25/2012 •Source: Taiwan Today •By Grace Kuo ROC President Ma Ying-jeou unveiled plans Oct. 24 to further promote cross-strait relations by expanding exchanges, establishing reciprocal representative offices, completing economic agreements and reviewing relevant laws. The president’s comments came at a meeting of the ruling Kuomintang’s Central Standing Committee, according to a KMT official present at the gathering. [Straits]
• MOFA reaffirms ROC Diaoyutais sovereignty
  Former MOFA Deputy Minister Stephen S.F. Chen (left) and Asian Affairs expert Alan Romberg discuss Taiwan’s role in resolving Diaoyutais disputes Oct. 17 in Washington. (Courtesy of CSIS) •Publication Date:10/19/2012 •Source: Taiwan Today •By Rachel Chan ROC Minister of Foreign Affairs David Y.L. Lin reaffirmed national sovereignty over the Diaoyutai Archipelago Oct. 18, urging Japan to resolve disputes in accordance with the government’s East China Sea peace initiative. “The Diaoyutai Islands actually form an inherent part of the territory of the ROC based on the islands’ geographical location, geological structure, relevant historical evidence, and international law,” Lin said. “Japan's claim over the islands simply does not stand up to close scrutiny.” Lin, who made the remarks in his commentary carried by respected U.S. publication Foreign Policy, described Tokyo’s Sept. 11 move to “nationalize” three islets in the Diaoyutais as raising tensions in East Asia. “Japan’s claim of sovereignty over the Diaoyutai Islands by virtue of ‘discovery-occupation’ under international law is invalid ab initio [from the onset], as such claims can only be made to terra nullius [land without owner].” According to Lin, the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) was forced to cede the Diaoyutais and other territories to Japan as per Treaty of Shimonoseki in 1895. But these territories were all returned to the ROC after WWII based on the Cairo and Postdam declarations, the Instrument of Surrender of Japan, the San Francisco Treaty, and the Treaty of Peace between the ROC and Japan, he added. [Territorial disputes] [[Diaoyu]
• China: where’s our Gangnam style?
  October 17, 2012 1:51 pm by Leslie Hook Over the past five years, China has spent millions of dollars to promote its image overseas. The state news agency has rented offices in Times Square in New York and boosted the budget for English-language programming. Around the world there are nearly 400 Confucius Institutes teaching Chinese compared with none a decade ago. And last year when president Hu Jintao visited the US, China even ran a video ad in Times Square featuring famous Chinese. Soft power, in other words, is something Beijing takes seriously. So as the popularity of South Korea’s quirky music video “Gangnam Style” soars around the world, its success has been met in China with a mixture of awe, envy, and soul-searching. [Softpower] [Agency]
• All set for CPC Congress
  Global Times | 2012-11-2 0:45:09 By Yang Jingjie A man walks past an electronic billboard at the media center for the 18th CPC National Congress in Beijing on Thursday. The CPC's Central Committee convened on Thursday for its final preparations for the 18th Party Congress, to be held in a week, to usher in leaders for the next decade. Photo: AFP The 17th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Thursday held their last plenary meeting in Beijing, as the whole country gears up for the upcoming 18th National Congress of the CPC on November 8. The Central Committee, which has more than 360 members and alternate members, decided on the final version of a work report and a draft amendment of the CPC Constitution, which will be submitted to the 18th Party Congress for deliberation by delegates. Participants at the meeting also reviewed the draft work report of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, which will also be submitted to the upcoming Party Congress. Zhang Yaocan, a professor of political science with Central China Normal University, told the Global Times Thursday that the seventh plenary session was held to make final preparations for the 18th Party Congress. According to Zhang, before the plenum, the work report and draft amendment of the Party Constitution were deliberated upon by a small circle, and the last deliberation by the 17th CPC Central Committee put them into their final forms. The drafts were deliberated over by the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on October 22. "Members of the 17th Central Committee have accomplished their mission, but their tenure will not officially come to an end until a new Central Committee is elected at the 18th Party Congress," said Zhang. [CPC]
• China’s roadmap based on Syrian realities
  Global Times | 2012-11-1 0:25:05 By Guan Yan China tabled a four-point proposal to end the Syrian conflict when Lakhdar Brahimi, the UN-Arab League peace envoy visited Beijing this week. Brahimi's visit was seen as a sign that he needed to secure China's support for his mediation role and hoped China would play a more active part in solving the Syrian situation. Long-term violence has forced all parties involved to accept that the situation has evolved from where it was 19 months ago. It has been gradually acknowledged that the final solution can only be sought through dialogue between the Assad government and the rebels. The idea of forcing one side to surrender has to be abandoned. Not only have the Syrian people suffered great atrocities because of the war, but the large number of refugees swarming to neighboring countries is also beginning to threaten regional stability.
• Chinese trade takes place of US tanks
  Global Times | 2012-10-31 20:30:04 By Ding Gang Last week, China opened another consulate in Khon Kaen, northeastern Thailand. It is the third Chinese consulate in the country, following the two in Phuket and Chiengmai. Kohn Kaen lies nearly at the center of Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos. It is a key city in the Isan region of northeastern Thailand, and also an important hub connecting these four countries. Those who've been to Kohn Kaen will remember the broad highways there. That's a legacy of the Vietnam War. Back in that era, the US military had an important basis in this area. Lots of military supplies were transported to the frontline through the airports and highways in this region. Besides, those US soldiers on garrison rotation or on vacation often enjoyed a few days or weeks of R&R there. Today's Kohn Kaen is much quieter than Bangkok. But in the few bars in the night streets of Kohn Kaen, there are a number of Thai girls hosting Western tourists. It is somewhat reminiscent of the days when US soldiers were there. After World War II, this spot became an important route through which the CIA permeated into Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Today in every shopping mall in Thailand, you can find Jim Thompson, a famous brand of Thai silk. Its founder, once a CIA agent, entered Laos through this area. Traveling north from Kohn Kaen, after a 200-kilometer drive and passing over Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge, you arrive at Vientiane, capital of Laos. On the Thai side, there is a street-side "border market" sign with Chinese characters on it. "Made-in-China" goods and clothes can be easily found at various stalls within the market. Last week, a source in Laos revealed that China agreed to provide financing for the construction of a railway between the two countries which would cost $7 billion. The 418-kilometer railway will stretch from Vientiane all the way to China-Laos border. If this becomes a pan-Asian railway network, this railway will further extend to Kohn Kaen and Bangkok. [China rising]
• Locke's visit shows US ready to play Tibetan card one more time
  Global Times | 2012-10-31 20:35:04 By Global Times The US ambassador to China Gary Locke visited monasteries in Aba prefecture in Sichuan Province in September. Aba is home to many ethnic Tibetans. Self-immolations happened since February 2009 there, and thus it has been hyped as a hotbed of protest against the central government. The visit of Locke, the first Chinese-American to serve as US ambassador in Beijing, was conducted after a series of self-immolations took place there. In August, two more Tibetans were reported to have set themselves on fire. Due to Locke's position, his behavior always has US government backing, and the motivation for his visit to Aba cannot be seen as purely his own. Negative remarks about human rights in Tibetan areas by the US have been part of Sino-US relations over the past decades. The US has always urged China to address the human right issue in Tibetan areas, and by using this, it tries to take a share of China's internal affairs. During her visit to China in 2009, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she would continue to press China on issues such as human rights and Tibet. The Dalai Lama fled into exile in 1959 and enjoys strong public support in the US. Whenever the Sino-US relations are at a deadlock, the Dalai Lama enhances his activities abroad. When the US tries to show friendliness to China, he restrains himself. [Tibet] [Manipulation]

• Unification minister calls for China's cooperation in unification efforts
  BEIJING, China (Yonhap) -- South Korea's much-wanted unification with North Korea will be more beneficial to China than the two remaining in a stable state of division, Seoul's unification minister said Tuesday in Beijing, calling for China's cooperation in unification efforts. "China needs a proactive perception that unification of the Korean Peninsula will be a benefit to the country as well as a blessing to South Korea and East Asia," Minister Yu Woo-ik said in a speech at a forum in Beijing organized by South Korean think-tank Korea Institute for National Unification. [Unification]
• Shadow of war hasn't yet disappeared from East Asia
  Global Times | 2012-10-29 22:15:06 By Guan Yan Illustration: Liu Rui Editor's Note: As tensions in East Asia grow, driven by conflicts over islands, China's rising power, and the renewed US role in the region, some find the situation disturbingly reminiscent of Europe in the 1910s. Could the region be drawn into a wider war? Or will trade and economic interdependence keep peace in place? The Global Times invited two writers to comment. History does offer clues to contemporary international relations, but simple comparisons can sometimes lead to misleading, if not dangerous, conclusion. [China confrontation] [Conflict]
• Bottoms up: China booze makers defy economic gloom
  By Melanie Lee SHANGHAI | Thu Oct 25, 2012 11:11pm EDT SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China's high-end liquor companies raised prices in a faltering economy and faced a Beijing clampdown on drinking their pricey booze at banquets, yet still managed to turn in strong quarterly profits. Kweichow Moutai Co Ltd, China's leading maker of the potent and expensive baijiu liquor, reported a doubling of its third-quarter net income to 3.4 billion yuan ($544.72 million) on Thursday, beating analysts forecasts of 2.4 billion yuan, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
  Foreign brands have enjoyed success too. Australia's Treasury Wine Estates, which has been pushing its premium wines including Penfolds and Beringer in China with high-end product launches, aims to sell into 100 Chinese cities over the next five years, up from 15 now. "We have not actually seen any evidence of a real slowdown in Asia at all," Chief Executive David Dearie told reporters this week. Treasury Wine is the world's second-largest wine company. Australian government data released last week showed bottled wine exports to China surged 23 percent by value in the year to September, and 16 percent by volume. The same figures showed the category of wine over A$10 per liter saw demand from China grow 37 percent. [Wine]
• China's health authorities order recall of Korean instant noodles
  HONG KONG (Yonhap) -- China's health authorities have ordered a recall of Nongshim Co.'s instant noodle products that were found to have been tainted in its home country South Korea, officials said Saturday. China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine made the announcement on its Web site against six types of instant noodles products made by South Korea's largest instant noodle maker. The affected noodles include popular Neoguri, bowl-type Neoguri and Saeng Saeng Noodle. They were found to contain benzopyrene, which could cause cancer. [SPS] [Health]
• US learns hard lessons of Asia 'pivot'
  By Peter Lee The real action in Sino-US relations this week was not the predictable China-bashing in the third election debate between US President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney in Florida on October 22: it was the little-noticed concurrent visit to Asia of a high-powered team of retired US diplomats. The team, a bipartisan affair consisting of Richard Armitage, Stephen Hadley, James Steinberg and Joseph Nye, had a tough task. With sanction from Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton as a quasi-official delegation, these Asian-affairs worthies were called on to demonstrate that the Obama administration's strategy for Asia - the famous "pivot" of military forces, diplomatic and economic initiatives, and strategic attention - can deliver effective diplomatic engagement with the People's Republic of China, and not just produce a threatened and angry Chinese panda. The team's task is probably impossible - which is probably why it is being undertaken by a group of retirees and not snub-sensitive government officials. The PRC is in no mood to support US pretensions to being the only, indispensable honest broker in the region. Beijing wants to punish the United States for the pivot, which it sees as nothing more or less than a tilt away from China. These are tense times for "the pivot". The PRC is testing the US strategy in what appears to be an unexpected way: leaving the US alone and selectively beating up on US ally Japan on the issue of the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands. This is an eventuality the United States does not seem to have planned for. [China confrontation]
• Conversation with Kurt Campbell: The U.S. and Asia - A Status Report
  USCI Senior Fellow Mike Chinoy interviews Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell on the Obama Administration's refocusing on the Asia-Pacific region. Release Date: 09/28/2012 Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs is the top Asia hand in the Obama administration. He is one of the architects of the "Pivot", the administration's effort to move the center of gravity of American foreign policy to the Asia-Pacific. He has been a key interlocutor with China at a time of increasingly strained relations between Washington and Beijing, and has also been deeply involved in efforts to address mounting regional tensions, most notably in the East China Sea and South China Sea, fueled by nationalistic passions in China, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia. He sat down with USC U.S.-China Institute Senior Fellow Mike Chinoy to discuss U.S. policy and the current situation in Asia. [Video] [China confrontation]
• The Generalissimo speaks
  Global Times | 2012-10-25 19:40:03 By Xuyang Jingjing The blown-up cover of a biography of Chiang Kai-shek is displayed at a book fair in Beijing on January 9, 2010. Photo: CFP For decades, Kuomintang leader Chiang Kai-shek (Jiang Jieshi) was demonized on the mainland. Chiang, who lost the civil war in 1949 and fled to Taiwan, establishing his own regime in Taipei, was branded a reactionary, traitor, and US puppet. Until the 1980s, the dominant view on him was exemplified in a 1948 book by Chen Boda, one of Mao Zedong's secretaries, later to be put on trial for his own role in the Cultural Revolution (1966-76), which described Chiang as an "enemy of the people." Chiang's betrayal of Shanghai communists in 1927, when he massacred hundreds of his one-time allies, was depicted as the core of his corrupt character. But now views are changing. [Chiang Kai-shek] [Straits]
• American ‘China Hands’
  Global Times | 2012-10-25 0:40:03 By Agencies Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger attends the 20th anniversary of the Johns Hopkins University, Nanjing University Center for Chinese and American Studies, on June 23, 2007. Photo: CFP The past few decades have seen the emergence of many well-financed think tanks, dedicated scholars and influential pundits in the US, who have just one main research subject: China. They range from the Fairbank Center established by John King Fairbank in 1955, the first of its kind to support and promote advanced research and training in all fields of Chinese studies, to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), which boasts a number of programs focusing on China. From books such as The Coming Conflict with China by the representatives of the New China Threat school of thought, Richard Bernstein and Ross Munro in 1998, to The Three Faces of Chinese Power by David Lampton in 2008, the engagement of several generations of US experts with China reflects the complex history of the Sino-US relationship.
• No Force on Earth Can Break Sino-Korean Friendship: Chinese Party Official
  Pyongyang, October 24 (KCNA) -- Li Shumin, who is heading the visiting delegation of the Dandong Municipal Committee, Liaoning Province of the Community Party of China, was interviewed by KCNA Wednesday. The participation in the inaugural ceremony of the Cemetery of the Chinese People's Volunteers Martyrs helped him recall the CPV martyrs who performed feats in the Korean front, he said, and went on:
• China's reformers hope for a game-changer
  [This piece originally appeared at Asia Times Online on October 20, 2012. It can be reposted if ATOl is credited and a link provided.] Jaded China watchers observe the fall of Chongqing's "Red Leader" Bo Xilai and see little more than the disposal of another corrupt Communist sociopath who crossed multiple red lines - not of reckless criminality, but of naked ambition, of disobedience to the Center, and of unseemly and embarrassing behavior involving foreigners - and got slapped down by the party leadership. Score one for the Chinese Communist Party, in other words, for the efficient use of party disciplinary functions, media operations, and kangaroo courts to wrap up the messy package without overt violence and organized public dissent or embarrassing private leaks from Bo's allies inside and outside the CCP, thereby maintaining the public veneer of leadership unity going into the transitional 18th party congress. This interpretation is not satisfactory to China's reformers, who see the country lurching into crisis and hope to shoehorn the Bo Xilai affair into a narrative of national political, social and economic renaissance. [Bo Xilai]
• Local challenges will decide China’s rise
  Global Times | 2012-10-24 0:15:06 By Global Times The last debate before the presidential election between US President Barack Obama and his Republican challenger Mitt Romney was held on October 22. The two candidates have relented to a degree over China, and have recognized China as an important partner. Although both of them have stated that they will "punish" China in specific fields, they have toned down their rhetoric. Even public opinion in the US is tired of watching them use China as a gimmick. Accordingly, the two candidates were more restrained. It once again showed that Sino-US relations involve many interests. Their opposition toward China will not last long. The US is gradually losing the ability to dictate the Sino-US relationship because of China's continuous development. [China confrontation] [china rising] [China problems] [US_election12]
• China an adversary: Obama
  Global Times | 2012-10-24 1:00:04 By Wang Zhaokun US President Barack Obama (L) greets Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R) following the final presidential debate at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida, on Monday. Photo: AFP US President Barack Obama surprised China and his own people by labelling China an "adversary" in the final presidential debate on Monday, though he and Republican candidate Mitt Romney also made friendly gestures toward China. "China's an adversary, and also a potential partner in the international community if it's following the rules," Obama said. The rare display of labeling surprised US media. CNN pointed out Tuesday that it ran "counter to the general trend in Sino-US relations" in recent years, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had earlier refuted those who defined China as an adversary. The Chinese foreign ministry on Tuesday also urged US politicians to view China's development objectively. [China confrontation] [china rising] [US_election12]
• China’s other transition: Military to be led by new generation
  LARRY DOWNING/REUTERS - Chinese military troops stand at attention at the Bayi Building in Beijing on Sept. 18, 2012. At a time when a rising China is increasingly pressing territorial claims against its neighbors, the Central Military Commission, which effectively runs the PLA, is expected to undergo dramatic turnover. BEIJING — Along with China’s transition to new political rulers next month, sweeping change is also coming to the leadership of the People’s Liberation Army with the elevation of a new generation of commanders in the world’s largest military. At a time when a rising China is increasingly pressing territorial claims against its neighbors, the Central Military Commission, which effectively runs the PLA, is expected to undergo dramatic turnover. As many as seven of its 10 military members, including two vice chairmen, are retiring, and many other top military positions are also slated to change hands. Keith Richburg The growing spending, worrisome to neighbors, is allowing PLA to embark on sweeping modernization program. After years of modernization, the armed forces have become an increasingly powerful player driving China’s engagement with the world. Some outspoken generals have publicly pushed for a tougher diplomatic line against China’s Asian neighbors and the United States, trying to usurp what was once exclusively the role of the Foreign Ministry.
• Autopsy: Chinese fisherman killed by bullet to chest
  Posted on : Oct.22,2012 15:52 KST On Oct. 15, a National Assembly lawmaker demonstrates how to use a gun that fires rubber bullets, such as the one used to kill a Chinese fisherman in the West Sea on Oct. 16. (Yonhap News) Fisherman killed during coast guard crackdown on Chinese vessels’ illegal fishing By Ahn Kwan-ok, Gwangju correspondent The results of an autopsy show that the cause of a Chinese fisherman’s death on Oct. 16 was rupture of the heart caused by the impact of a South Korean Coast Guard‘s rubber bullet. The fisherman, identified by his surname Zhang, 44, was involved in a violent clash between the coast guard and the crew of a Chinese fishing boat said to have been operating illegally inside South Korea’s exclusive economic zone. The autopsy was performed by the National Forensic Service and found that Zhang had a 2mm rupture at the apex of the heart after the rubber bullet struck him in the lower left central region of the chest. There was no sign of blunt-force trauma of assault and the report found that he did not suffer from any chronic diseases. These findings were released on Oct. 20 and the final results of the autopsy are scheduled to be released in ten days.
• Chinese Fisherman Died of Ruptured Heart
  A Chinese fisherman who was killed by a rubber bullet on Oct. 16 died of a ruptured heart, the National Forensic Service said Saturday. [Media]
• U.S. sets steep final duties on Chinese solar panels
  By Doug Palmer WASHINGTON | Thu Oct 11, 2012 1:54am EDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Wednesday slapped steep final duties on billions of dollars of solar energy products from China, but turned down a request from lawmakers and U.S. manufacturers to expand the scope of its order. China's government and its solar manufacturers criticized the decision, adding more heat to the U.S.-China trade relationship following a congressional panel report on Monday urging American companies not to do business with two Chinese telecommunications companies because of security concerns. "The United States is provoking trade friction in the new energy sector, and sending a negative signal to the world that stirs global trade protectionism and obstructs the sector's development," said China's Commerce Ministry spokesman Shen Danyang. Shen called on Washington to "correct its mistaken ways" and warned that the duties would harm U.S. exporters and customers. [China competition] [Protectionism] [Dumping]
• China rejects US solar panel tariffs as protectionism, says they will hurt clean energy
  By Associated Press, AP BEIJING — China demanded Thursday that Washington repeal steep tariffs on solar panels that Chinese producers fear will shut their equipment out of the American market. The tariffs upheld Wednesday by the U.S. Commerce Department add to financial pressure on struggling Chinese solar panel manufacturers that are suffering heavy losses due to weak demand and a price-cutting war. “The United States is inciting trade friction in new energy and sending a negative signal to the whole world about protectionism and obstructing the development of new energy development,” Ministry of Commerce spokesman Shen Danyang said in a statement. It gave no indication whether Beijing might retaliate. [China competition] [Protectionism] [Dumping]
• Lenovo knocks HP from top of global PC market: Gartner
  By Poornima Gupta and Lee Chyen Yee SAN FRANCISCO/HONG KONG | Thu Oct 11, 2012 9:12am EDT SAN FRANCISCO/HONG KONG (Reuters) - China's Lenovo Group Ltd edged out Silicon Valley icon Hewlett-Packard Co to become the world's No. 1 PC maker in the third quarter, according to data released by research house Gartner on Wednesday. A rival to Gartner, IDC, still ranks HP in the lead - but by less than half a percentage point - in terms of PC shipments worldwide. Both studies reinforce HP's struggles against rivals as new chief executive Meg Whitman tries to overhaul the stalled 73-year-old company.
• Obama’s Geopolitical China ‘Pivot’: The Pentagon Targets China
  By F. William Engdahl Global Research, August 24, 2012 Since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the nominal end of the Cold War some twenty years back, rather than reducing the size of its mammoth defense spending, the US Congress and all US Presidents have enormously expanded spending for new weapons systems, increased permanent military bases around the world and expansion of NATO not only to former Warsaw Pact countries on Russia’s immediate periphery; it also has expanded NATO and US military presence deep into Asia on the perimeters of China through its conduct of the Afghan war and related campaigns. Part I The Pentagon Targets China On the basis of simple dollar outlays for military spending, the US Pentagon combined budget, leaving aside the huge budgets for such national security and defense-related agencies of US Government as the Department of Energy and US Treasury and other agencies, the US Department of Defense spent some $739 billion in 2011 on its military requirements. Were all other spending that is tied to US defense and national security included, the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies estimates an annual military spending of over $1 trillion by the United States. That is an amount greater than the total defense-related spending of the next 42 nations combined, and more than the Gross Domestic Product of most nations. [China confrontation] [Pivot]
• Taiwan shaken by US conference confusion
  By Jens Kastner TAIPEI - Taiwan watchers are in overdrive about an ominous no-show of senior US defense and diplomatic officials at an event held annually to address US-Taiwan defense cooperation as well as to sort out the island's arms-procurement plans. Because this year's Taiwan-US Defense Industry Conference in Hershey, Pennsylvania, came after a series of aggressive moves carried out by Taiwan's political leadership and elements of the island's armed forces against US ally Japan over its stance on the disputed Diaoyutai/Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, it is the prevailing assessment in Taiwan that the conspicuous absence of the US officials and Washington's dissatisfaction with Taipei are connected. Observers with a very close eye on the pending US elections have a strikingly different take on the issue, however. [Territorial disputes] [Alliance]
• CNOOC's Nexen deal brings out China bashers
  By Peter Lee An interesting side product of globalization is how China bashing has become a staple of domestic politics in nations around the world, from America to Zambia, from Sydney to Tokyo. Best practices also propagate with remarkable speed and efficiency. It may not be a coincidence that, just as the United States finally gets the memo that the Chinese currency is no longer significantly undervalued, the commentariat turns on a dime (or jiao, if you prefer) to announce that the real problem is the market-distorting, security-undermining shadow of China's state-owned enterprises (SOEs) over the world economy. [China bashing] [ODI]
• China's Afghan Moment
  As the United States draws down in Afghanistan, China is finally moving in. BY ANDREW SMALL |OCTOBER 3, 2012 Until recently, Beijing's policy in Afghanistan could be characterized as masterful inactivity: It sat on the sidelines of a war that it wanted neither side to win. But the late September visit by security chief Zhou Yongkang, the first by a senior Chinese leader in almost five decades, is the most visible sign that the U.S. 2014 withdrawal date is bringing that spectator status to an end. As the United States dials down its goal of defeating the Taliban, China could become Afghanistan's most important mediator and investor. Since the 9/11 attacks, China's goals in Afghanistan have been almost entirely negative: no victory for the West, nor for extremists; no long-term U.S. bases and no terrorist training camps for Uighur separatists. Most importantly, the Chinese wanted no serious involvement in Afghanistan. With the exception of its large but painfully slow-moving Aynak copper-mine project, China has steered clear of anything beyond a token presence in Afghanistan's economic, security, or political affairs. Fearing the reaction in the Islamic world if it were visibly associated with the Western-led war effort, yet not wanting to poison its relations with the West by rooting for the insurgency, Beijing has treated Afghanistan as a neighbor in name only. China has denied Afghanistan, separated by a mountainous sliver of land and a tiny border kept as closed and undeveloped as possible, the political attention and largesse that such a strategically significant country might have expected. But the looming U.S. drawdown has changed this calculus.
• North Korea campaigning for Chinese investment
  Posted on : Sep.27,2012 15:56 KST China’s private investors show much interest in the event over two days in the hope of attracting investment by introducing “promising investment areas” for Chinese entrepreneurs , at the the Bridge Art Center in downtown Beijing Sep. 26. This event is organized by the North Korean Committee for the Promotion of Economic Cooperation and China’s private GBD Public Diplomacy and Culture Exchange Center. Kim Jong-un regime seeking to attract investors, but questions remain over NK’s investment climate By Park Min-hee, Beijing correspondent Cars pulled up one after another on Sept. 26 in front of the Bridge Art Center in downtown Beijing, where a big blue sign read “Introduction to the Choson (North Korea) investment environment and counseling on investment areas.” The Chinese corporate executives who stepped out of the vehicles filed into the venue for a briefing on investment in North Korea. The North Korean Committee for the Promotion of Economic Cooperation and China’s private GBD Public Diplomacy and Culture Exchange Center staged the event over two days in the hope of attracting investment by introducing “promising investment areas” for Chinese entrepreneurs. [FDI]
• Why does US fear Chinese telecom giants?
  Global Times | 2012-10-9 0:35:04 By Global Times According to the BBC, the House of Representatives' Intelligence Committee is set to release a report which requests that the US government prevent Chinese telecoms equipment makers Huawei and ZTE from accessing the US market. The BBC report says the committee believes Huawei and ZTE "cannot be trusted" and will "pose a security threat to the US." The US has repeatedly obstructed Chinese companies from entering into US domestic competition under the pretext of "national security." The US is gradually becoming reduced to an unreasonable country. Huawei is engaged in equipment supply in most countries around the world. Why would only the US be threatened? According to this logic, there's no secure country, because US companies supply telecommunications equipment and software operating systems to the whole world. It is because the US government wants to protect the interests of US companies that it is being so unreasonable. [China competition] [Cyberespionage]
• China to Deploy Drones to Monitor Ieo Island
  China is claiming once again that the submerged rocks of Ieo Island are part of its own territory and included them among places to be monitored by aerial drones. The move came six months after Liu Xigui, the director of China's State Oceanic Administration, said Beijing would now regularly patrol Chinese waters using both ships and surveillance aircraft. China's State Oceanic Administration held a ceremony demonstrating the drones in Jiangsu Province on Sunday and said it would bolster control over its waters by using them, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported Monday. [Territorial disputes]
• China Boosts Naval Presence Near Korean Peninsula
  Alarm bells are ringing in some quarters here as China becomes more assertive in waters near the Korean Peninsula. Beijing reportedly wants to include a submerged rock effectively controlled by Korea in regular maritime patrols near the peninsula and deploy its first aircraft carrier there in August. It is also bolstering naval facilities at Dalian port and increasing the number of naval destroyers.
• Gov't to Bolster Protection of Ieo Island
  President Lee Myung-bak on Monday said his government is bolstering protection of two of the most remote areas under Korea's control. "The government has recently taken steps to strengthen the security of Ieo Island and Dokdo," Lee said in a speech in Busan commemorating the 59th anniversary of Korea's maritime police. [Territorial disputes]
• China's first aircraft carrier starts service
  Globaltimes.cn | 2012-9-25 12:13:23 By Agencies China's first aircraft carrier was delivered and commissioned to the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy Tuesday, according to report by National Defense Ministry's official website. Overseen by top Chinese leaders, the carrier, with a name of "Liaoning" and hull number 16, was officially handed over at a ceremony held in a naval base of northeast China's Dalian Port, according to Xinhua. [Seapower]
• China Seeks Korea's Support in Territorial Claims
  China has asked Korea for support in seeking UN confirmation of its claim to the outer limits of a continental shelf that lies under the Diaoyu or Senkaku Islands disputed between China and Japan. Diplomatic sources in Seoul said China notified Korea of plans to submit the request to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. [Territorial disputes]
• Death by China
  “A truly life-changing, mouth-dropping documentary film…Peter Navarro’s ‘Death by China’ grabs you by the throat and never lets go.” -Francesca McCaffery, Blackbook Magazine About the Film From best-selling author and filmmaker, Peter Navarro, comes DEATH BY CHINA, a documentary feature that pointedly confronts the most urgent problem facing America today – its increasingly destructive economic trade relationship with a rapidly rising China. Since China began flooding U.S. markets with illegally subsidized products in 2001, over 50,000 American factories have disappeared, more than 25 million Americans can’t find a decent job, and America now owes more than 3 trillion dollars to the world’s largest totalitarian nation. Through compelling interviews with voices across the political spectrum, DEATH BY CHINA exposes that the U.S.-China relationship is broken and must be fixed if the world is going to be a place of peace and prosperity. [China bashing]
• China Scare
  by DAN La BOTZ To call this feature-length film xenophobic, fear-mongering and hysterical almost understates the case. The whole thing is so over-the-top that, like a bad horror movie where you can see the strings moving the monster, it leaves us numbed and bored or perhaps laughing. Yet it’s not funny. “Death by China” opens with shoppers happily buying cheap Chinese products, turns to closed American factories, then to unemployed workers. Talking heads tell us that China, without workers’ rights or environmental controls, competes unfairly with American workers. The animation shows jobs rolling away to Chinese factories, as Chinese bombers, labeled “money manipulation” or “trade deficit,” bomb the American capitol repeatedly. Someone comments, “One day they’re going to own us.” [China bashing]
• China announces names of geographic entities on Diaoyu Islands
  Xinhua | 2012-9-22 10:52:02 By Agencies Diaoyu Island and some of its affiliated islets. Photo: Xinhua The State Oceanic Administration (SOA) and the Ministry of Civil Affairs on Friday jointly released a list of standardized names for the geographic entities on the Diaoyu Island and some of its affiliated islets. The list also relates to the surrounding waters of the islands.

• Dealing with comrades
  Global Times | 2012-8-29 21:25:03 By Feng Shu The China-North Korea Friendship Bridge crosses the Yalu River, linking Dandong, Northeast China's Liaoning Province, and North Korea's second largest city, Sinuiju. Nearly 80 percent of all bilateral trade goes through Dandong. Photo: CFP As the only entry point into the North Korean Rason free-trade zone, the 560-meter-long bridge linking Quanhe port, Hunchun in Jilin Province, to the port of Won Jing Ri in North Korea is packed every day. From North Korea, many trucks fully loaded with seafood, clothes and minerals drive into China while traders take food, oil and other daily necessities the other way to meet Korean needs.
• US election pick barely matters for China
  Global Times | 2012-8-30 1:15:04 By Global Times Mitt Romney was officially nominated as its presidential candidate by the US Republican Party Tuesday. Romney has showed a tough posture toward China, vowing to label China as a currency manipulator on his first day in office if he is to be elected. But he has attracted less attention from the Chinese public than previous candidates. In the recent few days, Chinese media has focused on a fleeing official and the inappropriate behavior of a security supervisor at the site of a traffic accident. To China, the US matters less than before. Even though the majority of Chinese think the US intends to contain China and are worried about potential confrontation between the two sides, but the worry hasn't generated much apprehension. [US China] [Romney]
• Ties with China Are Key to Korea's Future
  South Korea and China mark 20 years of diplomatic relations on Friday. On Aug. 24, 1992, foreign minister Lee Sang-ok and his Chinese counterpart Chen Chien-jen signed a pact normalizing diplomatic relations at the Diaoyutai state guest house in Beijing. The two countries, which fought against each other during the 1950-53 Korean War, at last formed diplomatic ties and broke down the walls of the Cold War in Northeast Asia. [SK China]
• Japan, US conduct island defense drill near Diaoyu Islands
  Globaltimes.cn | 2012-8-21 15:43:00 By Globaltimes.cn The Japanese newspaper Sankei Shimbun has reported that Japan and the US are undertaking a joint military exercise in the western Pacific, starting on August 21 and will run through September 26th.(Source: CNTV) ?The drill focuses on island defense. 40 of Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force personnel take part in the exercise with US Marines stationed in Okinawa. ?Though Japan Ministry of Defense says the drill is not directed against any third country, it has brought a lot of attention at a very sensitive time for the region. ?Japan’s Nikkei Weekly says the Japanese government plans to use unmanned scout planes to conduct the mission of monitoring the Chinese navy in the area. [Territorial disputes] [Alliance] [China confrontation]
• Morsi kicks off visit to China
  Global Times | 2012-8-28 1:25:05 By Yang Jingjie Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi will be paying a state visit to China from Tuesday to Thursday, with the Syrian crisis and the courting of Chinese investment for a post-revolution Egypt topping his agenda. Observers said Morsi's visit, the first state visit outside the Middle East region since he took office two months ago, indicates a reorientation of Egypt's foreign policy, a gauging of Beijing's attitude toward the region's revolutions as well as the country's attempts to draw experiences from China's development model. Morsi paid his first foreign visit since inauguration to Saudi Arabia last month, and is expected to visit the US next month. [China rising] [realignment]
• Chinese Businesses' View of Korea Deteriorates
  Chinese businesspeople are now slightly less impressed with Korea than they were five years ago, a survey suggests. They still regard Korea as a more important business partner than Japan but believe that China is catching up in technology and the so-called Korean Wave is ebbing away. The findings come from a poll of 502 Chinese firms and 320 Korean companies in China by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency on the 20th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Seoul and Beijing. [Sandwich] [China competition]
• Chinese feel antipathy toward Korean hosts
  Chinese students clash with Korean policemen during the 2008 Beijing Olympics torch relay in Seoul on April 27, 2008. / Korea Times file This is the first in a series of articles highlighting the love-hate relationship between Korea and China on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the two countries’ diplomatic ties that falls Friday. ? ED. By Chung Min-uck A rapid expansion of people exchanges between Seoul and Beijing is being met with growing anti-Korean sentiment in China, posing a serious threat to the nations’ bilateral relations which mark their 20th anniversary Friday. Among others, nearly 70,000 Chinese students studying here are believed to be among those responsible for such sentiments. The students send their experiences of discrimination here through QQ, China’s largest online chat space, and Weibo, a Twitter-like micro-blogging site in China, to their homeland in real time. “I felt discriminated against when employers give bigger pay checks to Korean students when we all do the same part-time work,” said Piao Dongguo, 24, an exchange student at Dongguk University. “I barely have Korean friends because Korean and Chinese students almost never have any interaction. It’s quite frustrating.” [China SK]
• MOFA summons Japan envoy over Diaoyutai visit
  ROC Foreign Minister Timothy Chin-tien Yang stresses Aug. 19 that unilateral claims or actions by Japan will not change ROC sovereignty over the Diaoyutais. (CNA) •Publication Date:08/20/2012 •Source: Taiwan Today •By Grace Kuo ROC Foreign Minister Timothy Chin-tien Yang summoned Sumio Tarui, head of Japan’s Interchange Association Taipei Office, Aug. 19 to lodge a protest over visits to the Diaoyutai Archipelago by Japanese legislators and activists. “The Diaoyutais are an inherent part of ROC territory, administered as islands affiliated to Taiwan,” Yang said. “ROC sovereignty over the Diaoyutais is indisputable, from the perspective of geography, history, practical use and international law. Unilateral claims or actions by the Japanese ruling or opposing party will not change this fact.” Yang was referring to a visit to the islands by a group of 150 Japanese, including several parliamentarians, the same day. Some of the activists swam ashore and planted Japanese flags. [Territorial disputes]
• N.Korea Wins No Fresh Aid Pledge from China
  Jang Song-taek enters Beijing Capital International Airport to return to North Korea on Saturday. /Yonhap North Korean eminence grise Jang Song-taek apparently returned empty-handed from a six-day trip to China. Jang left without receiving any pledges of material support from Beijing, a high-ranking government official here said on Sunday.
• Powerful N.Korean Official Meets Chinese Leaders
  The powerful uncle of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has met with Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao after Beijing pledged earlier in the week to help Pyongyang develop two economic zones in North Korea. The talks Friday morning were the highest diplomatic exchanges between the two Communist countries since Kim Jong-un assumed power after the sudden death last December of his father, Kim Jong-il. China's President Hu Jintao (right) shakes hands with Jang Song-taek, chief of the central administrative department of the Workers' Party of North Korea, in Beijing on Aug. 17, 2012. /Reuters The official China Radio International said the meetings came near the end of Jang Song-taek's six-day visit to China to discuss joint economic projects in the North's Rajin-Sonbong port and a second economic zone, Hwanggumpyong, on the border between China and North Korea. Analysts say the talks are a sign that Pyongyang and Beijing are strengthening ties after the new North Korean leader expressed his intention to improve his country's impoverished economy.
• Jang Song-thaek’s visit sign of a fresh start for China-NK relations
  Posted on : Aug.18,2012 10:12 KST Modified on : Aug.18,2012 10:36 KST Chinese President Hu Jintao (right) meets with Jang Song-thaek on Aug. 17 in Beijing. (Reuters) North Korea’s second in command garners promises of investment, high-level treatment By Park Min-hee, Beijing correspondent Jang Song-thaek and Hu Jintao's August 17 meeting could symbolize a fresh start to relations between Pyongyang and Beijing in the Kim Jong-un era. Hu, the Chinese president, referred to North Korea as a "brother" and emphasized the cooperative relations between the two countries, offering his sympathies for North Korea's recent flood ravages. Jang, the vice chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea, is believed to have talked about his country's current economic reform measures and asked for active support from Beijing. Relations between the two countries were strained due to internal problems in Pyongyang after the death of Kim Jong-il last December and the country's April long-range rocket launch attempt. Things are now showing signs of normalizing, with Jang and Hu's meeting coming on the heels of a North Korea visit early this month by Wang Jiarui, Chief of the Chinese Communist Party’s international affairs office, to meet with Kim Jong-un.
• Chinese President Hu lauds North Korea ties despite tension
  BEIJING | Mon Apr 23, 2012 2:18pm EDT BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese President Hu Jintao vowed on Monday to bolster ties with North Korea and backed its young leader, Kim Jong-un, despite an international outcry over the North's recent rocket launch and the possibility of a third nuclear test by the isolated state. [Media]
• China and North Korea hold highest-level talks since rocket
  BEIJING (Reuters) - China and North Korea on Saturday held their highest-level talks since Pyongyang staged a rocket launch that drew international censure, and they exchanged views about the tense Korean peninsula, according to an official Chinese news report. Wang Jiarui, the head of the ruling Chinese Communist Party's International Department, met Kim Yong-il, the Korean Workers' Party director of international affairs, for "strategic" talks between the two ruling parties, the Xinhua news agency reported. [Media]
• Seoul, Beijing 'See Eye-to-Eye on N.Korea'
  A high-ranking Cheong Wa Dae official on Thursday hinted that Seoul and Beijing have been frankly discussing Beijing's long-term troublesome ally North Korea. The official told reporters relations between South Korea and China are the "best ever" and added "the nature and content" of the agenda of a recent bilateral summit were "unimaginable a few years ago." "There is constant strategic dialogues between the two countries," he added. [Spin]
• Chinese president vows more cooperation with DPRK
  Xinhua | 2012-8-17 20:16:27 By Agencies President Hu Jintao said Friday that China is ready to work with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to lift their traditional friendly and cooperative relationship to a new level. Hu made the remark as he met with a DPRK delegation headed by Jang Song Thaek, chief of the central administrative department of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). Jang, also a member of the WPK Political Bureau and vice-chairman of the National Defense Commission, is in Beijing to attend a meeting of the joint steering committee for developing and managing the Rason Economic and Trade Zone and the Hwanggumphyong and Wihwa Islands Economic Zone in the DPRK. Hu said during the meeting that recent years have seen rapid growth in China-DPRK trade and economic cooperation and remarkable results in cooperation on trade and investment. [China NK]
• Jang Song-thaek wins investment support on his visit to China
  Posted on : Aug.17,2012 13:50 KST Jang Song-thaek, vice chairman of the North Korea‘s National Defense Commission, gets in a car to leave Beijing Airport, August 13. Contracts signed to develop North Korea’s Rason special economic zone By Park Min-hee, Beijing correspondent China’s Yatai Group announced plans this week for major investment in the Rason special economic zone, located in the northern tip of North Korea. Workers’ Party of Korea vice chairman and North Korean second-in-command Jang Song-thaek has been busy in China this week working to drum up economic cooperation and support for his country’s development. Yatai, a conglomerate based in the city of Changchun in Jilin province, put out a stock market announcement on August 15 saying it had signed a framework agreement with the Rason committee the day before for investment and cooperation toward the building of a construction materials complex in the city. [FDI]
• Cook Islands prepare for Hillary Clinton visit
  By Nick Perry 6:47 PM Friday Aug 17, 2012 US Secretary of State HIllary Rodham Clinton will be attending the Pacific Islands Forum in Rarotonga at the end of the month. Photo / AP The tiny Cook Islands are proving almost too small for Hillary Clinton. The South Pacific island chain, home to just 10,000 people, is buzzing as it prepares for the expected visit of the US secretary of state, the biggest dignitary to stop by since Queen Elizabeth II nearly four decades ago. Hosting such a high-profile guest and her entourage, however, is posing problems for a government that owns just three small SUVs and is scrambling to borrow cars from residents to create a proper motorcade. Clinton is expected to attend the Pacific Islands Forum, an annual meeting of Pacific leaders that begins Aug. 27 on the main island of Rarotonga. Sending such a high-level delegation would emphasize Washington's so-called Pacific pivot, a policy shift in which it's placing increased emphasis on trade, humanitarian aid and military presence in the region as it seeks to capitalize upon and counterbalance the rise of many Pacific and Asian nations including China. [China confrontation]
• MOFA urges release of HK Diaoyutai activists
  The Hong Kong Diaoyutai activists were detained Aug. 15 by the Japanese government. (CNA) •Publication Date:08/16/2012 •Source: Taiwan Today •By Grace Kuo The Japanese government should release 14 Diaoyutai activists from Hong Kong as soon as possible to reduce tensions in the East China Sea, the ROC Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Aug. 15. The Hong Kong activists, who sailed to the Diaoyutai Archipelago to protest an upcoming visit to the islands by Japanese lawmakers, were taken into custody by the Japanese [territorial disputes]
• DPRK delegation visits Beijing
  By Ding Qingfen and Li Xiaokun (China Daily)08:22, August 14, 2012 Trip may signal move to boost battered economy, experts say A delegation from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is visiting Beijing to hold talks with officials on economic and trade ties, sources told China Daily. Specialists in Korean Peninsula affairs said the visit will play a crucial part in improving the DPRK economy following food shortages and severe flooding. Members of the delegation will attend a conference on Tuesday, sources said, covering the two DPRK special economic zones involving both countries.
• China Rolls Out Red Carpet for N.Korea's Jang Song-taek
  North Korean eminence grise Jang Song-taek, the uncle of leader Kim Jong-un, was given the red carpet treatment on a visit to China at the head of a large entourage. His visit recalled earlier trips by former leader Kim Jong-il in many aspects of protocol. Jang's entourage reportedly consists of 25 to 30 members. About a dozen arrived as an advance party last weekend and 15 others arrived with Jang on Monday. A Unification Ministry official here commented, "I've never heard of an advance party being sent ahead of an overseas trip by any senior North Korean official other than Kim Jong-il." China's official Xinhua and the North's state-run KCNA news agencies carried photos of a session of a joint guidance committee on Tuesday that show Jang and Chinese Ambassador to Pyongyang Liu Hongcai together. China's ambassadors to North Korea have customarily returned to their country a few days before former leader Kim Jong-il's state visits, in order to greet him as he crossed the border and to accompany him during his visit. A South Korean government official speculated that Liu's presence shows China providing Jang with protocol arrangements usually reserved for foreign heads of state. After attending a meeting about faltering joint development projects in the North's Hwanggumpyong Island and Rajin-Sonbong special economic zones on Tuesday morning, Jang traveled to Changchun, the capital city of Jilin Province. He is expected to tour the province for two days and meet provincial party secretary Sun Zhengcai. Jang will also reportedly travel to the boomtown of Shenyang in Liaoning Province, where he will meet provincial party secretary Wang Min. During each of his four visits to China since May 2010, Kim Jong-il also toured the three northeastern Chinese provinces. Jang was put up overnight at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse on Monday, which also tends to be an honor reserved for foreign heads of state, according to an informed observer. [China NK]
• N.Korea, China to Push Development Projects Again
  North Korea and China on Tuesday again presented an optimistic blueprint for the development of special economic zones in the North's Rajin-Sonbong port and Hwanggumpyong and Wihwa islands. Benchmarking the Kaesong Industrial Complex, a joint Korean project, both sides will set up a separate supervisory committee to take care of the development projects, and China will directly supply electricity to Rajin-Sonbong. The projects faltered because there has been practically no interest from Chinese investors, so they will have to undergo substantial review. A South Korean government official said on Tuesday, "The purpose of [North Korean eminence grise] Jang Song-taek's visit to China was to urge China's central government to step in as the private sector has shown no interest in the projects over the last two years." North Korea wants to see the projects make progress under government-led management like Kaesong." But China is apparently sticking to its position that the development plans should be based on market principles, and this has been restated in the new agreement. This means that unless North Korea creates the political and institutional environment to attract investment of Chinese private companies, the projects will falter again.
• Third Meeting of DPRK-China Joint Guidance Committee Held
  Beijing, August 14 (KCNA) -- The third meeting of the DPRK-China Joint Guidance Committee for the joint development and management of the Rason Economic Trade Zone and Hwanggumphyong and Wihwado Economic Zones was held in Beijing on Tuesday. Present there were members of the delegation of the DPRK-China Joint Guidance Committee led by its DPRK side Chairman Jang Song Thaek who is department director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea and Ji Jae Ryong, DPRK Ambassador to China. Also present there were members of the delegation of the China-DPRK Joint Guidance Committee led by its Chinese side Chairman Chen Deming, minister of Commerce of China and Liu Hongcai, Chinese Ambassador to the DPRK. The meeting reviewed the work done for developing them since the second meeting of the joint guidance committee. [SEZ]
• The Diminishing Returns of China’s North Korea Policy
  By Stephanie Kleine-Ahlbrandt North Korea’s economic dependence on China may have reached an all-time high, but Kim Jong Un is determined to set a course for greater political independence from Beijing. This has left China in a state that one insider has referred to as ‘desperate’ over its rocky relations with the country since Kim Jong Un came to power. But given that Beijing’s priority is to maintain a stable and divided peninsula, it seems set to continue to bankroll its belligerent neighbor even as their once-close political relationship unravels [China NK]
• When Will King Jong-un Visit China?
  Jang Song-taek, the eminence grise behind the North Korean throne, is visiting China flanked with a 50-strong entourage, fueling speculation that 20-something North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will also soon travel to Beijing. North Korean Minister of Public Security Ri Myong-su visited China between July 24 and 28, while top Chinese apparatchik Wang Jiarui was in North Korea between July 30 and Aug. 3. The exchange of visits came some months after relations between the two sides chilled over the launch in April of what Pyongyang claimed was a space rocket. [China NK]
• Jang Song-taek to Push China Over Development Projects
  The chief purpose of a visit to China by North Korean eminence grise Jang Song-taek is to meet with Chinese officials over the joint development of special economic zones in Rajin-Sonbong and Hwanggumpyong and Wihwa Islands, the North's official KCNA news agency reported. North Korea is dissatisfied by the lack of Chinese enthusiasm about the development projects, a government source here said. They were apparently pet projects of dead leader Kim Jong-il.
• High-level North Korean delegation seeking investment in China
  Posted on : Aug.15,2012 11:48 KST Modified on : Aug.15,2012 12:20 KST Jang Song-thaek and Chen Deming pose after the third meeting of the two countries’ Joint Leadership Committee for Development of Rason and Hwanggumpyong in Beijing, August 14. 50-person group led by Jang Song-thaek on sid-day trip to North Korea’s main ally By Park Min-hee Beijing correspondent and Kim Kyu-won, staff reporter The Kim regime appears to reaching out overseas for help with rebuilding its economy after finishing with its early organization changes. Questions are now being raised about whether the changes afoot in North Korea, including the recent abolition of parts of its distribution system and planned economy, are signaling farther-reaching reforms and openness to come.? Jang Song-thaek arrived in China on August 13 for a six-day visit. The Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) vice chairman, known to be the "second-in-command" for the Kim Jong-un regime in Pyongyang, came with a large delegation. Meanwhile, North Korea has also been pushing for talks with Japan and the United States after ongoing frictions. An official from South Korea’s Ministry of Unification predicted on August 14 that Jang and his delegation would ask for bold investment and support from the Chinese central government to support North Korea's economic development.? [FD[] [SEZ] [Rason] [Hwanggumpyong}
• DPRK Delegation Leaves for China
  Pyongyang, August 13 (KCNA) -- A delegation of the DPRK-China Joint Guidance Committee Monday left here for Beijing, China to take part in the third meeting of the committee. It was headed by its DPRK side Chairman Jang Song Thaek who is a department director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea. The meeting is reportedly to discuss the joint development and joint management of Rason Economic Trade Zone and Hwanggumphyong and Wihwado Economic Zone.
• Is North Korea becoming China’s satellite?
  Jang Song-thaek, left, powerful uncle of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, shakes hands with Chinese Minister of Commerce Chen Deming during a meeting to discuss the joint development of economic zones, in Beijing, Tuesday. / AP-Yonhap By Kim Young-jin China has struck deals with North Korea this week to develop economic zones and foster investment in the impoverished country. The moves, analysts say, signals Beijing’s full support of fledgling North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The promises boost the viability of Kim, who is in his late twenties, but also rekindle fears that Beijing is turning the North into a satellite state ? setting up a challenge for the next South Korean president. On Tuesday, the China’s commerce ministry said it would “steadily push” the development of two economic zones in the North near their border and encourage investment from major firms. This came during a trip to Beijing by Jang Song-thaek, the powerful uncle of Kim. Jang, a technocrat, is seen as a key figure driving reform.
• China finishes railway linking ASEAN
  Updated: 2012-08-15 01:45 (Xinhua) TONGHAI, Yunnan -- Construction workers on Tuesday laid the last piece of a railway that will link southwest China's Yunnan province with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries. The Yuxi-Mengzi Railway has a total length of 141 km with a designed maximum speed of 120 km per hour. It passes through 35 tunnels and crosses 61 bridges, which together account for 54.95 percent of the line's total length. [Railways] [ASEAN]
• Bogu Kailai stands trial for intentional homicide
  Global Times | 2012-8-10 1:40:03 By Xinhua – Global Times The intentional homicide trial of Bogu Kailai and Zhang Xiaojun began Thursday in the Hefei City Intermediate People's Court in Anhui Province. Prosecutors said Bogu and her son, surnamed Bo, had conflicts with British businessman Neil Heywood over economic interests. Worried about the threat Heywood posed to her son's personal security, prosecutors alleged Bogu decided to murder Heywood. The prosecutors went on to say that Bogu asked Zhang Xiaojun, the other defendant, who was then an employee of the general office of the Chongqing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), to invite Heywood to Chongqing in Southwest China and to accompany him from Beijing. It was claimed that Heywood stayed in Room No.1605 of the No.16 building of a vacation resort, the Lucky Holiday Hotel, in Chongqing. [Bo Xilai] [Chongqing]
• The Chongqing Model Worked
  Bo Xilai might be a crook, but he was actually pretty good at his job. BY KEVIN LU |AUGUST 8, 2012 Chongqing has long been known as the "foggy capital" of China, an allusion to its humidity and its status as then-leader Chiang Kai-shek's base during the Japanese invasion. The fog has thickened since the March downfall of Bo Xilai, the former party secretary of the mountainous mega-municipality, and the frenzy of allegations about him and his family members. On Thursday, Bo's wife Gu Kailai will be tried for the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood; she will almost certainly be found guilty. As for Bo himself, his fate remains uncertain. When the fog clears, however, the real impact of this bizarre episode on China's future may become apparent. A unique set of economic and social policies the Bo administration adopted in Chongqing for the past four and half years -- widely known in China as the "Chongqing model" -- are a radical departure from mainstream state policy. In the aftermath of the Bo incident, the model is being discredited, especially the nostalgic "sing red" movement that organized massive public gatherings to sing revolutionary songs, and the heavy-handed "smash black" campaign against organized crime. Many elements of the Chongqing model, however, continue to be popular locally. It's important to understand why. [Chongqing]
• Medical Check of Activist Shows Possible Signs of Torture
  Signs of possible torture were discovered on the face of prominent South Korean activist Kim Young-hwan in a medical examination after he was released from Chinese detention last month. Kim underwent magnetic resonance imaging at Jeonju Samsung Hospital in North Jeolla Province on Wednesday, which found abnormal tissue in the muscle and bone between his eyes and cheekbones. It appeared dark and collapsed in the MRI image. "This seems to be the result of being struck," said Shim Yong-shik, head of the hospital. "Nerves below the eyes are very sensitive to pain. Kim said he did not suffer blows to the head but was struck repeatedly under his eyes, suggesting that the scars resulted from blows inflicted by experts in torture." Left: Activist Kim Young-hwan receives a check-up at a hospital in Jeonju on Wednesday; Right: Kim's MRI image taken on Wednesday shows abnormal tissue between his eyes and cheekbones (the black areas marked with arrows). /Courtesy of Jeonju Samsung Hospital Shim said the skin under Kim's eyes also appeared abnormal. "But in order to verify whether that is a sign of torture, he needs to undergo a thorough medical checkup at a large hospital with state-of-the-art equipment," Shim added. Forensic experts say the medical test results alone are not enough to prove Kim was tortured. "Four months have passed since his beatings," said one forensic expert. "Even if he suffered tissue damage, the wounds would have disappeared." Other experts said the sunken areas are too symmetrically balanced around his nose making it difficult to link them to being struck in the face. Kim plans to undergo detailed tests some time next week. [Torture] [Hype]
• NK collapse may trigger Sino-US war: expert
  James Dobbins By Kim Young-jin In the event North Korea collapses, it could cause a war between the United States and China in the coming decades, a U.S. security expert warned Wednesday. A report by James Dobbins, director of the International Security and Defense Policy Center at the RAND National Defense Research Institute, said in such a scenario the militaries might clash while trying to secure the impoverished nation’s borders and weapons of mass destruction. [Collapse] [Conflict] [Agency]
• US wrong on China: Keating
  PUBLISHED: 06 Aug 2012 14:31:00 | UPDATED: 07 Aug 2012 05:08:08 Greg Earl Asia-Pacific editor Paul Keating urged Australia and the US to recognise the legitimacy of China as a great power in his speech on Monday. Photo: Louie Douvis Former prime minister Paul Keating has broken with the Rudd-Gillard governments’ close alignment with the US to criticise President Barack Obama’s approach to the relationship with China. In a speech at the Lowy Institute in Sydney, Mr Keating warned that history showed the US could not expect to win another war on the Asian mainland and should focus more on strategic co-operation with China. ¦ Hugh White | US can learn to share power with China “I have long held the view that the future of Asian stability cannot be cast by a non-Asian power – ­especially by the application of US ­military force,” he said. He strongly rejected the idea that Australia had no choice but to back US rivalry against a rising China, and declared the US and Australia needed to recognise the legitimacy of the current Chinese government and its prerogatives as a great power. The speech underlines divisions within both sides of federal politics about how to manage growing tensions between the US and China, particularly as business interests place more weight on relations with fast-growing China over Australia’s traditional security [Allegiance]
• Chiang-Chen talks get under way in Taipei
  SEF Deputy Chairman Kao Koong-liang (right) greets his ARATS counterpart Zheng Lichong at the beginning of cross-strait talks Aug. 8 in Taipei City. (CNA) •Publication Date:08/09/2012 •Source: Taiwan Today The eighth round of talks between Chiang Pin-kung, chairman of Taipei-headquartered Straits Exchange Foundation, and Chen Yunlin, chairman of Beijing-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits, kicked off Aug. 9 in Taipei City. The SEF and ARATS heads are expected to sign cross-strait agreements on customs cooperation and investment protection, as well as hash out the agenda for the next meeting in mainland China. “The investment pact will provide institutionalized guarantees, helping spur more cross-strait investment and the process of globalization,” Chiang said in his opening address. [Straits]
• Recharging China’s electric-vehicle aspirations
  Despite setbacks, the country’s strategy for building an electric-vehicle industry could still get back on track. JULY 2012 • Axel Krieger, Philipp Radtke, and Larry Wang In This Article Exhibit 1: China has fallen behind other markets in electric-vehicle readiness. Exhibit 2: Plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles have a signi?cant advantage in total cost of ownership over battery-electric vehicles. .About the authors .. China understands that embracing electric vehicles could help it not only to manage its energy dependency and environmental challenges but also to build a car industry that could leapfrog its global competitors in this emerging sector. But progress toward that goal has been disappointing, and the country needs a new strategy, McKinsey research finds. Automakers have produced only a fraction of the vehicles once expected. Ownership has fallen far short of projections, and the needed infrastructure has failed to materialize. Notwithstanding massive investment in battery R&D by automakers and suppliers, few vendors are qualified to provide batteries to the industry.
• Japan responds to East China Sea peace initiative
  MOFA Minister Timothy Chin-tien Yang reaffirms ROC sovereignty over the Diaoyutai Archipelago Aug. 7 in Yilan, eastern Taiwan. (CNA) •Publication Date:08/08/2012 •Source: Taiwan Today •By Rachel Chan Japan has responded positively to the ROC government-proposed East China Sea peace initiative, buoying hopes that both sides can work to resolve disputes involving the Diaoyutai Archipelago. “Remarks made by Koichiro Gemba, Japan’s foreign minister, are to some extent in line with our call for handling disagreements over the Diaoyutais in a peaceful and rational manner,” a MOFA official said Aug. 7. “The ROC government welcomes Tokyo’s response to the initiative, based on which we will seek consensus with our Japanese partners through ongoing dialogue.” Earlier in the day, Gemba said the government of Japan does not want friendly Taipei-Tokyo relations affected by Diaoyutais disputes, and believes there is room for discussing the establishment of a cooperation mechanism. This development is important for the sake of peace and stability in the East China Sea, he added. But Gemba said this possibility for cooperation is conditional on Taiwan dropping sovereignty claims over the islands. [media] [Heading] [Territorial disputes] [Self-delusion]
• N. Korean FM bawls at Chinese counterpart over media report: source
  North Korea's top diplomat spoke in an unusually high-pitched tone to his Chinese counterpart during bilateral talks last month as he protested a Chinese media report critical of Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions, a source familiar with the issue said Monday. North Korean Foreign Minister Pak Ui-chun held talks with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi for about an hour on July 11, ahead of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum in Cambodia, also known as ARF. "During the talks, Pak raised his voice at Yang, calling on him to clarify the government's position regarding the Global Times editorial. The meeting almost turned into a venue for quarrel," a source from China familiar with the issue told Yonhap News Agency. [China NK]
• China hits back over US Sansha claim
  Global Times | 2012-8-6 1:00:04 By Yang Jinghao A ceremony is held to mark the establishment of Sansha city on the Yongxing Island in China's southernmost province of Hainan, July 24, 2012. The Yongxing Island is part of the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea. Photo: Xinhua China has voiced strong dissatisfaction after the US on Friday issued a statement regarding the South China Sea, which singled out Beijing for criticism over its establishment of Sansha city and its associated garrison. The US statement ignored the facts and sent a totally inaccurate signal, which is not conducive to the efforts being made to safeguard the peace and stability of the South China Sea and even the Asia Pacific region, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Qin Gang said in a statement published Saturday. "China expresses strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition toward this," it read. [South China Sea]
• Taiwan proposes peace initiative over island row
  Global Times | 2012-8-7 0:25:03 By Wang Zhaokun Taiwan's leader Ma Ying-jeou on Sunday proposed a peace initiative to address disputes over the Diaoyu Islands - which are claimed by both China and Japan - urging relevant parties to show restraint and seek a peaceful resolution to the issue. Under what he called "the East China Sea Peace Initiative," Ma urged all parties to refrain from taking actions that could escalate tensions, observe international laws and resolve disputes through peaceful means, the Taiwan-based China Post reported.
• The South China Sea: “Disputed waters” everywhere?
  By Huy Duong No. 123/2012 dated 11 July 2012 Synopsis Since 2011, the disputes over maritime space in the South China Sea have involved not only which country has sovereign and jurisdictional rights over an area, but also whether an area constitutes disputed waters. This is an important question that must be answered with certain principles. [South China Sea]
• The emergence of a new Asia Pacific order
  August 6th, 2012 Author: Peter Drysdale, Editor, East Asia Forum The change in the economic balance of power, between America and China, is leading inexorably to the emergence of a new order in Asia and the Pacific. Little more than half a decade ago, the major trading partner of every East Asian economy, including Australia, was either the US or Japan.Today, China is the major trading partner of all those economies except the Philippines. China is set to overtake the US as the largest economy in the world in real terms within little more than half a decade, according to the IMF. This large and rapid shift in the structure of regional and global economic power is inevitably accompanied by shifts, not perfectly but nonetheless strongly correlated, in the structure of Asian Pacific political and military power and influence. [Decline] [Hegemony] [Allegiance]
• America’s choices about China
  August 5th, 2012 Author: Hugh White, ANU Many people see the danger that America’s relations with Beijing may deteriorate, and no one wants that to happen. But little thought is being given to what America could be doing to minimise the danger, and to improve the chances of a stable relationship between the world’s two strongest states. The assumption is that the problems are all China’s fault, so it is up to China to fix them. This is only half right. Three steps are needed to kick-start the China debate that America needs to have. [Hegemony]
• Power Shift: Hugh White’s 'The China Choice'
  Malcolm Turnbull The Monthly | Books | August 2012 | Add a Comment Hugh White has helped shape strategic thinking in Canberra and Washington by confronting the world as it is, not as we would like it to be, and outlining the choices that need to be made, even if we don’t agree with his conclusions. The thesis of White’s timely and provocative book, The China Choice: Why America Should Share Power (Black Inc.; $29.99), briefly stated, goes like this. China and the whole region, including Australia, have benefited from the peace and stability delivered over more than 40 years by the unchallenged pre-eminence of the United States Navy. According to the IMF, China, the world’s second-largest economy, will overtake the US within five years. Its wealth and dignity compel it to acquire a military capacity worthy of a great power, even though it only spends 2% of GDP on defence compared to the US’s 4.7%. [Hegemony] [Allegiance]
• Southeast Asia: will markets and geography trump the TPP?
  July 30th, 2012 Author: Vikram Nehru, Carnegie Endowment There hasn’t been much to cheer about in global trade these last few years. The Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations is comatose, if not dead. So the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a recent initiative to deepen trade relations among the countries bordering the Pacific, has been greeted with much applause and welcome relief as a step in the right direction. But while the TPP should be recognised and applauded for what it will be — an agreement providing increased rules-based certainty in trading relations among TPP members — it does not include China, the world’s second-largest economy, and largest exporter and manufacturer. For Southeast Asia, that is important. [TPP] [China confrontation]
• US: China’s new military garrison risks escalation of tensions in South China Sea
  By Associated Press, Published: August 3AP WASHINGTON — The United States on Friday criticized China’s new military garrison in the contested South China Sea as risking an escalation in tensions. The State Department statement underscored U.S. concerns about the situation in the resource-rich sea, a potential flashpoint. It voiced strong support for diplomatic efforts by Southeast Asian nations to negotiate with China, the region’s rising military power which claims virtually all of the sea for itself and would prefer Washington stay out of the matter. [South China Sea]
• US 'using islands dispute to muddy waters'
  Updated: 2012-08-06 02:35 By Li Xiaokun in Beijingand Tan Yingzi in Washington (China Daily) Washington's bid to take advantage will damage ties, analysts say Three Chinese officials, in the space of 24 hours, slammed US criticism of Beijing's decision to set up a military garrison in the South China Sea, a rare gesture analysts said showcases Beijing's determined stance on the territorial issue. The US, trying to take advantage of the worsening South China Sea situation, may damage ties between the world's two largest economies, experts said. Assistant Foreign Minister Zhang Kunsheng called in Robert Wang, the US embassy's deputy chief of mission on Saturday, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on its website. US State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said on Friday that China had raised tension in the region with the announcement last month that it had established a city and garrison in the South China Sea. [South China Sea]
• China summons US diplomat over S. China Sea remark
  GILLIAN WONG | August 5, 2012 05:33 AM EST | BEIJING — China summoned an American diplomat to protest U.S. criticism of its new military garrison in the South China Sea, accusing Washington of confusing right and wrong and trying to stir up trouble in the region. China created Sansha city on a remote island 220 miles (350 kilometers) from its southernmost province two weeks ago. Sansha is intended to administer hundreds of thousands of square miles (kilometers) of water where China wants to strengthen its control over potentially oil-rich islands that are also claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam and other Asian nations. The Philippines, a U.S. treaty ally, has described China's move as unacceptable. Vietnam called it a violation of international law. The U.S. State Department said Friday that China's formal establishment of the city of Sansha and a military garrison there was risking an escalation in tensions. It voiced strong support for diplomatic efforts by Southeast Asian nations to negotiate with China over conflicting territorial claims. Assistant Foreign Minister Zhang Kunsheng summoned the deputy chief of mission of the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, Robert S. Wang, on Saturday to express China's opposition to those comments. [South China Sea]
• China strongly opposes US State Department's statement on South China Sea
  Xinhua | August 05, 2012 08:43 By Agencies China expressed its strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition on the press statement released Friday by the US Department of State on the South China Sea, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said Saturday. The statement "completely ignored the facts, deliberately confounded right and wrong, and sent a seriously wrong signal, which is not conducive to the efforts safeguarding the peace and stability of the South China Sea and the Asia Pacific region," Qin said in a statement. China has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands and their adjacent waters, and has ample historical basis for this, said Qin. China set up offices in Xisha, Nansha and Zhongsha Islands, which were affiliated to the Guangdong Province, in 1959, to administrate the three islands and their adjacent waters, said Qin. "Setting up Sansha city is the Chinese government's necessary adjustment of the current administrative agencies, which is completely within China's sovereignty," he said. [South China Sea]
• North Korea's Kim tells China, economy a priority
  By Chris Buckley and Ju-min Park BEIJING/SEOUL | Fri Aug 3, 2012 7:57am EDT BEIJING/SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea's new young leader has told chief backer China that his priority is to develop the decaying economy and improve living standards in one of the world's poorest states, the latest sign that he may be planning economic reforms. Kim Jong-un, who took over the family dictatorship last December, has presented a sharply contrasting image to his austere father. He was shown most recently in public at a Pyongyang theme park with his young wife on his arm and riding a roller coaster in the company of a man reported to be a British diplomat. "Developing the economy and improving livelihoods, so that the Korean people lead happy and civilized lives, is the goal the Korean Workers' Party is struggling towards," he was quoted by China's Xinhua news agency on Friday as telling Wang Jiarui, visiting head of the Chinese Communist Party's International Department and Beijing's key interlocutor with the North. Though the report offered no details, there has been mounting speculation that Kim's one-party state is looking at reforms to help lift an economy dragged down by decades of mismanagement and international sanctions, and rarely far from famine. [Agency] [Mismanagement] [Media]
• China 2030: Building a Modern, Harmonious, and Creative High-Income Society
  February 27, 2012 “China’s leaders have recognized that the country’s growth model, which has been so successful for the past 30 years, will need to be changed to accommodate new challenges,” said World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick. BEIJING February 27, 2012 - China should complete its transition to a market economy -- through enterprise, land, labor, and financial sector reforms -- strengthen its private sector, open its markets to greater competition and innovation, and ensure equality of opportunity to help achieve its goal of a new structure for economic growth. [Marketisation] [Softpower]
• Taiwan Expects U.S. Deals After Beef Import Concession
  After months of wrangling, Taiwan has decided to allow imports of American beef that contain a controversial feed agent. But the decision -- which had grown so controversial that it shut down parliament in June -- was not made because Taiwanese want more steak dinners. The government of the trade-dependent, diplomatically isolated island expects key favors in return from its strongest informal ally, Washington. Taiwan's parliament agreed to allow imports of beef containing traces of ractopamine, an additive to animal feed that makes meat leaner, that some governments ban because of health concerns. American officials backed by the beef industry had pressured Taiwanese officials for five years to follow the lead of Japan, South Korea and 100 other nations in allowing imports of beef that contain the drug. [Tribute]
• No reason for Hongkongers to fear national education course
  Global Times | 2012-8-2 20:15:04 By Global Times Tens of thousands of Hongkongers took to the streets on Sunday to protest the introduction of a national education course that is set to begin in local primary schools this September. Protestors argued that the course will "brainwash" students from early on. They also said that if the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region insists on introducing the course, a student strike might be launched. Primary and middle schools in many countries have national education classes. The objection to it by some Hongkongers seems quite exceptional from a global point of view, and somewhat extreme. In fact, those who oppose to it are likely to be more "brainwashed" by the Western ideology, as Hong Kong used to be a British colony. That's why they were so vigilant against the course. They were seeing China from a Western perspective. [Global elite] [Nationalism]
• Top DPRK leader meets senior Chinese official on relations
  Xinhua | 2012-8-3 17:07:36 By Agencies Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), discussed the strengthening of relations between China and the DPRK during a meeting with a visiting senior Chinese official on Thursday in Pyongyang.
• Kim Jong Un Meets CPC Delegation
  Pyongyang, August 2 (KCNA) -- Kim Jong Un, first secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and first chairman of the DPRK National Defence Commission (NDC), met the visiting delegation of the International Liaison Department of the C.C., the Communist Party of China on Thursday. Present there were members of the Chinese delegation led by its Head Wang Jiarui and Chinese Ambassador to the DPRK Liu Hongcai. Also present there were Vice-premier of the Cabinet Kang Sok Ju, member of the Political Bureau of the C.C., the WPK; Kim Yang Gon, alternate member of the Political Bureau and secretary of the C.C., the WPK, and Kim Song Nam, vice department director of the C.C., the WPK. At the meeting Wang Jiarui conveyed greetings from the collective leadership of the CPC including General Secretary Hu Jintao.
• North Korean leader meets 1st foreign dignitary
  By Kim Young-jin North Korean leader Kim Jong-un received his first senior foreign dignitary since taking power last December, state media said Friday, hosting a Chinese official to cement support from his chief ally. Kim met the previous day with Wang Jiarui, head of the International Liaison Department of China’s Communist Party, the North’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The “frank and cordial” talks signaled Kim’s control over foreign affairs following the death of his dictator father, Kim Jong-il.
• Beijing Asked Seoul to Stop Help for N.Korean Defectors
  China asked Seoul to make sure that South Koreans stop engaging in "organized activities" there to help North Koreans escape if South Korean activist Kim Young-hwan was to be released. Kim was tortured during his 114 days in Chinese detention for helping North Korean refugees. [Refugee encouragement] [China SK]
• Belated thanks show NK diplomatic shift
  Global Times | 2012-8-2 20:15:04 By Chen Ping On July 27, while the whole world was focusing on the opening of the 30th Olympic Games in London, North Korea held a big national meeting in Pyongyang, followed by a state banquet and display of fireworks, to mark the 59th anniversary of the signing of the armistice agreement that ended the Korean War (1950-53). During the celebration, military strongman Choe Ryong-hae, member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea and director of the Korean People's Army General Political Bureau, made a rare but explicit acknowledgement of China's irreplaceable role during the war, when at least 180,000 Chinese soldiers died fighting the US-led UN forces in a foreign land. Calling the three-year war "a just war for defending the freedom and sovereignty of the country," Choe told a big gathering "we always remember" that during the early 1950s, "admirable sons and daughters of the Chinese people volunteered to the Korean front." Meanwhile, the Korean Central News Agency ran a high-profile editorial entitled "Victory in Fatherland Liberation War Is Common Victory of DPRK, China." To China's Korea watchers, the speech by a top-ranking military figure and the commentary from the state news agency indicated a drastic change that is more significant than the appearance of mini-skirts and Disney cartoon animation images in North Korea. [Korean War]
• Detachment no longer serves Chinese interests in Middle East
  Globaltimes.cn | 2012-8-2 22:53:06 By Aron Shai Recently, within Chinese and Israeli intellectual circles, there has been a somewhat concealed debate as to whether China should be more involved diplomatically and even strategically in the Middle East conflict. The US and Europe have been historically engaged in the region. China, despite its ever increased role in the international arena, is only mildly and moderately involved in this critical region, though the next global conflict might emerge from the Middle East. For China, it is not enough to concentrate on the economic-commercial sphere. International trade and global interests relating to energy security cannot dwell separately from active diplomacy and at times even from interference of a kind in crucial regions.
• U.S. model for a future war fans tensions with China and inside Pentagon
  By Greg Jaffe, Published: August 1The Washington Post When President Obama called on the U.S. military to shift its focus to Asia earlier this year, Andrew Marshall, a 91-year-old futurist, had a vision of what to do. Marshall’s small office in the Pentagon has spent the past two decades planning for a war against an angry, aggressive and heavily armed China. A look at China’s military:?Although the People’s Liberation Army has no history of meddling in domestic politics, it did help the Communist Party win control of China. No one had any idea how the war would start. But the American response, laid out in a concept that one of Marshall’s longtime proteges dubbed “Air-Sea Battle,” was clear. [China confrontation] [Conflict] [AirSea Battle]
• Indoctrination in Hong Kong
  Bobby Yip/Reuters A protester wearing a cap with a sticker that reads ‘‘No brainwashing!’’ By VERNA YU Published: August 1, 2012 ¶ HONG KONG — My three-year-old daughter came home one day late last year, proudly waving a paper Chinese national flag that she had made at her kindergarten. The five yellow stars were neatly colored-in amid a sea of red on a piece of paper stuck onto a drinking straw. ¶ “Look, mom, it’s got to have five stars!” she said excitedly. Then she paused. ¶ “Mom, will you take me to see the flag-raising ceremony in Beijing?” she said with her little eyes twinkling expectedly. Then she started humming the Chinese national anthem. ¶ I was taken aback. I murmured: “Yes darling, one day, when you’re older.” ¶ This indoctrination of patriotism is coming a bit too early, I thought. I looked at my daughter and tried to hide my unease. [Indoctrination] [Double standards] [Global elite]
• WA eyed for US carrier task force
  By Greg Ansley 5:30 AM Thursday Aug 2, 2012 The United States congressional armed services committee will be asked to consider building a new base in Western Australia for an aircraft carrier task force, including nuclear submarines and possibly strike aircraft. The proposal is one of four options contained in a report commissioned by the US Department of Defence, and follows an earlier Australian report suggesting a similar upgrading of the Stirling navy fleet base near Perth. Both reports were cast in the shadow of China's expanding presence in the Pacific and rising tensions in the South China Sea. The US report, by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, provided its options as part of the planning of President Barack Obama's new strategic "Asia pivot" which will swing focus from Europe and insulate the Pacific from military budget cuts of US$487 billion over the next decade. [US global strategy] [Seapower] [Alliance]
• No need for nerves over routine goodwill calls
  Global Times | August 01, 2012 19:15 By Global Times On July 24, ships from the Chinese fifth fleet sailed out of the northern exit of the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean. The ships visited the Mediterranean after an anti-piracy patrol off Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden. It was the first time that a Chinese escort fleet has passed into the Mediterranean. Some Western scholars have strong feelings about this issue. They related China's visit to the celebration of Russia's Navy Day, which involved some exercises off Sevastopol. They expected that there would be joint exercises launched by China, Russia, Syria and Iran. Even when this conjecture was officially denied, they still considered the visit as the embodiment of Chinese naval ambition. These arguments put too much weight on the visit. It is a planned escort fleet instead of a provisional decision. According to established practice, such military visits are decided long in advance, and are more about goodwill than a specific purpose. [China rising] [Sea power]
• Seoul pushing Beijing on alleged torture of citizen
  Posted on : Aug.1,2012 13:30 KST Beijing denies allegations, increasing chances of conflict between South Korea and China By Park Min-hee, Beijing correspondent and Park Byong-su, staff reporter The South Korean government plans to hold consular interviews with all 625 South Korean detainees being held in China after Kim Young-hwan reported being tortured while in custody in the country. Kim spent 114 days in detention in China after having been arrested working with North Korean refugees in the border area. Kim was once a pro-North Korea activist who changed his tune and now works to encourage democracy in North Korea.
• China Hits Back at U.S. Sanctions Against Bank
  By WAYNE MA BEIJING—China on Wednesday urged the U.S. to revoke its sanctions against Bank of Kunlun Co., a unit of state-owned China National Petroleum Corp., and warned that the move would damage China's interests and Sino-U.S. relations. U.S. sanctions against Chinese financial institutions "badly violate rules governing international relations and hurt China's interests," China foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in a statement posted on the ministry's website. "China is strongly dissatisfied, is firmly opposed to it and will raise solemn representations to the U.S. from both Beijing and Washington." Qin's comments came after the White House imposed sanctions against Kunlun and Elaf Islamic Bank in Iraq for their involvement in Iran's energy sector, saying both "facilitated transactions worth millions of dollars on behalf of Iranian banks." The sanctions against Kunlun are the latest attempt by the U.S. to ratchet up pressure on Iran to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons. Earlier this year, the U.S. sanctioned Zhuhai Zhenrong Co., China's largest importer of Iranian crude oil, alleging that it exported gasoline to Iran in 2010 and 2011--an allegation that Zhuhai denied. [Sanctions]
• MOFA urges role in South China Sea discussions
  A South China Sea code of conduct without ROC participation would be incomplete and regrettable. (CNA) •Publication Date:08/01/2012 •Source: Taiwan Today The ROC should be a participant in Association of Southeast Asian Nations discussions on a code of conduct for the South China Sea, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said July 31. Exclusion of the ROC would render the results of any such talks “incomplete and regrettable,” according to James Chou, deputy director-general of MOFA’s Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. [South China Sea]
• S.Korean Activist Recounts Chinese Detention Ordeal
  A prominent South Korean activist who was detained in China for 114 days for helping North Korean refugees there on Monday recounted his ordeal in the torture chambers there. Kim Young-hwan "I could smell my flesh burn as I was being tortured with a cattle prod in a State Security Agency facility in Dandong," Kim Young-hwan told the Chosun Ilbo in an exclusive interview. "They also threatened several times to send me to North Korea."
• Is Kim Jong-un Preparing to Visit China?
  A senior Chinese official in charge of the Communist Party's external relations arrived in Pyongyang on Monday for talks with his North Korean counterpart. Wang Jiarui and Kim Yong-il "briefed each other on their party's activities, and exchanged views on matters of mutual concern to further strengthen and develop the traditional relations of friendship and cooperation between the two countries and the two parties," the North's official KCNA news agency said.
• China denies joining military drill in Syria
  Globaltimes.cn | 2012-7-31 17:44:00 By Globaltimes.cn The Ministry of National Defense (MND) denied foreign reports that China dispatched a destroyer to Syria to join the naval drill there, the Global Times reported Tuesday. According to ynetnews.com, the Egyptian daily Al-Shuruk reported Sunday that a Chinese destroyer sailed through the Suez Canal in Egypt into the Mediterranean Sea, and that the destroyer could be heading for the Syrian coast where four countries including China and Syria are reportedly holding naval military drills.

• MAC mulls possibility of ARATS office in Taiwan
  MAC Minister Lai Shin-yuan explains July 30 the issues set for discussion at the upcoming cross-strait talks. (Courtesy of MAC) •Publication Date:07/31/2012 •Source: Taiwan Today •By Rachel Chan The ROC Mainland Affairs Council is reviewing regulations to determine if there is a legal basis for Taiwan’s Straits Exchange Foundation and its mainland Chinese counterpart, the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits, to establish reciprocal representative offices. [Straits]
• Is Kim Jong Eun Planning a Visit to China?
  Some action up north is leading to speculation that North Korean dictator Kim Jong Eun is planning his first trip to China, his country’s political ally and chief economic benefactor. North Korea’s Minister of People’s Security Ri Myong Su traveled to China last week and it’s now become clear where he went, if not exactly why.
• Zuma warns on Africa’s trade ties to China
  By Leslie Hook, Published: July 19The Washington Post BEIJING — South African President Jacob Zuma warned Thursday that the unbalanced nature of Africa’s burgeoning trade ties with China is “unsustainable” in the long term. The South African leader was addressing the China-Africa Forum in Beijing just after China’s president pledged $20 billion in loans to Africa, doubling the amount Beijing agreed to give the continent three years ago at the same forum. “Africa’s commitment to China’s development has been demonstrated by supply of raw materials, other products and technology transfer,” Zuma said. “This trade pattern is unsustainable in the long term. Africa’s past economic experience with Europe dictates a need to be cautious when entering into partnerships with other economies.” Zuma appeared to be referring to the concerns of some African nations about the unbalanced nature of the trade relationship. Two-way trade between China and Africa hit $166 billion last year, with a trade surplus in Africa’s favor due to exports of raw materials such as crude oil and copper. China is a major exporter of cheap manufactured goods to Africa, such as electronics and clothes. Critics have accused China of taking a neo-colonialist approach to the continent and of exploiting Africa’s natural resources. Many African nations want China to import more than just resources. China sees Africa as a strategic ally and has pushed for expanded African roles at the United Nations, while encouraging Chinese infrastructure and resources companies to invest in the continent. China’s investment in Africa — estimated at $15 billion over the past decade — is growing rapidly, and Chinese companies are building infrastructure across the continent, from dams and airports to mines and wind farms. On Wednesday, Nigeria announced the signing of a $1.5 billion railroad project to be built by the state-owned China Civil Engineering Construction Corp. [Media] [Heading]
• S.Korean Activist 'Tortured' in China
  Kim Young-hwan speaks in a press conference in Seoul on Wednesday. A South Korean activist who was detained in China for 114 days says he was tortured by Chinese security forces. Kim Young-hwan (49), who helps North Koreans escape, made the allegation in a press conference in Seoul on Wednesday. "I received a lot of brutal treatment including physical pressure and sleep deprivation while I was detained there," he said but did not go into detail.
• 'Kim Jong-il and North Korea'
  Global Times | 2012-7-26 20:05:03 By Lu Qianwen Book reveals subtle changes about the secret state Many people seem to have endless questions about what the "real" North Korea is like, beneath its secluded presence in the international community. Released in early July, the book Kim Jong-il and North Korea attempts to unveil this mysterious country through words. This is the first book in the Chinese mainland to comprehensively introduce North Korea during the reign of Kim Jong-il and the first to feature him on the cover. The book is a collection of reports gathered from several Xinhua News Agency journalists stationed at Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. Most of the reports are about recent events. [Chinese IR]
• Gu’s trial will test principle of rule of law
  Global Times | 2012-7-27 0:50:14 By Global Times Gu Kailai and Zhang Xiaojun, an employee of Gu's, have been charged with homicide by the Hefei Municipal Procuratorate in Anhui Province, Xinhua News Agency reported Thursday. As Gu Kailai is the wife of Bo Xilai, a dismissed member of the Political Bureau, the case has drawn widespread attention. A trial held according to law will strengthen the Chinese people's confidence in the country's legal system. The special background of Gu Kailai and the relationship between her case and the Bo Xilai case can easily trigger speculation in society nowadays. The social psychological and opinion sphere is quite complicated, and will linger throughout the trial. The law should be the sole principle followed by the trial. No matter what impact the ruling will have, judges must be loyal to the law. This is a test of their commitment to the rule of law. Both the trial and the final verdict should reflect their consciences. [Bo Xilai] [Legality]
• N.Korean Security Chief Visits China
  North Korea's Minister of Public Security Ri Myong-su met with his Chinese counterpart Meng Jianzhu in Beijing on Thursday, the North's official KCNA news agency reported. It was the first time in three years and eight months that a North Korean minister of public security has visited China since the Ri's predecessor Ju Sang-song. A government source here said Ju's visit at the time "was mostly to negotiate security and bodyguard issues prior to [then-leader] Kim Jong-il's visit in May the following year, so we're trying to find out whether that means [new leader] Kim Jong-un is going to visit China soon."
• Jeju Naval Base. Why?
  Despite bitter and widespread protest a billion dollar United States Naval Base is being constructed at Gangjeong on Jeju Island about 70km South of mainland ROK. This map, tells you why:
  The base is 490 km (305 miles) from Shanghai, China.
  That is about all you need to know really.
  It has nothing to do with the securing the waterway for international trade, or incursions by Chinese fishing boats, or DPRK, or Socratra Rock or any of the other disputed islands in that region. [China confrontation] [Bases]
• China plays cards close to chest in military transparency bid
  TONGZHOU, China | Tue Jul 24, 2012 3:19am EDT TONGZHOU, China (Reuters) - China showed off an elite helicopter unit to foreign media on Tuesday in its latest bid to address concerns about its growing military might amid increasingly aggressive moves to assert its sovereignty over the South China Sea. China organizes annual tours of military bases to try to assuage those concerns and to answer criticism over a perceived lack of transparency, but officials refused to answer any contentious questions. While the Defence Ministry announced over the weekend it would set up a formal military garrison for the South China Sea, officers accompanying reporters to the Tongzhou base in Beijing's far east avoided the issue. "Our military's aim is to protect peace. The training exercises we carry out are normal and in line with what we always do," Zhang Zhilin, the jocular commander of the Army Aviation 4th Helicopter Regiment, told reporters. China has conflicting claims with the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan across the South China Sea, key shipping lanes thought to contain rich energy reserves. Asked about whether he and his comrades could or would deploy to the South China Sea, Zhang answered simply: "Our deployments are decided by the higher ups." His unit, which operates Harbin Z-9 attack helicopters, a licensed-built version of the Eurocopter Dauphin II, as well as older Russian Mil Mi-17 transport helicopters, also flies China's astronauts back to base when they return to Earth. [Military balance] [Double standards] [Media]
• ROC reaffirms South China Sea sovereignty
  The Coast Guard Administration base on Taiping Island, the largest of the Nansha (Spratly) Islands, plays an integral role in safeguarding ROC sovereignty in the South China Sea. (CNA) •Publication Date:07/23/2012 •Source: Taiwan Today •By Rachel Chan The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed ROC sovereignty over four island groups in the South China Sea July 20, urging neighboring countries and territories to exercise self-restraint and refrain from activities that impinge upon the nation’s rights. “From the perspective of history, geography and international law, the Nansha (Spratly) Islands, as well as the Xisha (Paracel), Zhongsha (Macclesfield Bank) and Dongsha (Pratas) island groups and their surrounding waters are all undoubtedly an inherent part of ROC territory,” a MOFA official said. “The ROC exercises full sovereignty over the island groups and other countries and territories are in no position to question ROC administrative jurisdiction.” [Territorial disputes] [South China Sea]
• Pivoting and rebalancing: The good, the bad and the ugly
  Dan Blumenthal | Foreign Policy July 03, 2012 Article Highlights • The administration is making critical strategic choices that will affect its posture in Asia. One choice is to slash the defense budget. Tweet This • Things with China will get ugly. Our talk of rebalancing is a response to Chinese power and provocations. The competition is intensifying. Tweet This • If the U.S. stopped playing the role of benign hegemon in Asia chaos would ensue. [Pivot] [US global strategy] {china confrontation]
• Obama’s transportation secretary hails Chinese infrastructure
  Posted By Josh Rogin Thursday, July 5, 2012 Echoing the laments of pundits like Thomas Friedman of the New York Times, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood argued Saturday that China outpaces the United States in building major transportation infrastructure like high-speed rail because of its authoritarian system and because the Chinese don't have the Republican Party holding up progress. "The Chinese are more successful [in building infrastructure] because in their country, only three people make the decision. In our country, 3,000 people do, 3 million," LaHood said in a short interview with The Cable on the sidelines of the 2012 Aspen Ideas Festival on June 30. "In a country where only three people make the decision, they can decide where to put their rail line, get the money, and do it. We don't do it that way in America." LaHood said that despite this, democracy is still preferable. "We have the best system of government anywhere on the planet. It is the best. Because the people have their say," he said. [Decline] [Railways] [Governance]
• China in Huge Infrastructure Projects Near N.Korean Border
  China is building a massive highway and rail network in Liaoning and Jilin provinces near the border with North Korea. Beijing is expected to spend more than US$10 billion on the project by 2015. Experts believe the aim is not only to tap into North Korea's mineral resources but to secure easy access for Chinese troops in case of an emergency in the North. According to Jilin Province officials, a 41.68 km railway is to link the city of Helong with the border town of Nanping, which is just a stone's throw from North Korea's Musan, where the North's largest iron ore deposits are. The railway will apparently be used to carry iron ore from Musan to the steel town of Anshan in Liaoning Province. The Changbai region in Jilin, on the western side of Mt. Baekdu and just across the border from North Korea's Hyesan, is rapidly becoming a regional traffic hub. A 100.58 km highway and 126.4 km railway linking Songjianghe with Changbai will be completed in 2015. Hyesan is home to North Korea's biggest copper mine. Another highway is also being built connecting Shenyang, Liaoning Province, home of the regional government office that has jurisdiction over the border area, with the border town of Ji'an in Jilin Province. "A four-lane highway is being built into the remote region and many people think it is for military purposes," said one source in Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in Jilin. [China NK] [Takeover] [response]
• For China, it's all about America
  Michael Auslin | The Diplomat July 06, 2012 • Beijing will interpret any U.S. policies in the region as aimed at China, in a mirror-reflection of its own perspective. • China’s focus on America will continue to be the main reason it concentrates on military modernization After a while, an undertone creeps into discussions with Chinese counterparts on regional and global issues. Whether meeting with Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials, academics and policy analysts, or the media, an American soon begins to sense that part of the conversation is missing. What’s absent is not boilerplate about values, opportunities, or common interests, but rather a sense of China’s broader set of relationships. Ultimately, as one European diplomat put it to me, when it comes to China’s foreign policy, it’s all about the United States. This monofocus on America tells us a great deal about China’s worldview, but it also reveals the degree to which Washington is hampered in forging a better working relationship with Beijing. Unlike the United States, which has had a complex, yet robust set of alliances and more informal partnerships in Asia since the 1950s, China has not formed deep ties with any Asian state. There is no analogue in Chinese foreign policy to America’s relationship with Japan or its initiatives with Singapore. While there is always skepticism abroad about Washington’s true intentions towards it’s Asian partners, and a resignation about the inherently unequal power relationship between America and any of its smaller allies, there is also recognition that the United States usually seeks some type of mutually-beneficial status. [China confrontation]
• Anniversary of DPRK-China Treaty of Friendship Observed
  Pyongyang, July 10 (KCNA) -- A reception was given at Okryu Restaurant in Pyongyang on Tuesday to mark the 51st anniversary of the treaty of friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance between the DPRK and China. It was hosted by the Korean Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries and the Central Committee of the DPRK-China Friendship Association. Present there on invitation were Ambassador Liu Hongcai and staff members of the Chinese embassy in Pyongyang. Also attending the reception were Minister of Public Health Choe Chang Sik who is chairman of the Central Committee of the DPRK-China Friendship Association and officials concerned. [China NK]
• Chinese top leaders call for innovation in science, technology
  Xinhua | 2012-7-8 8:38:48 By Agencies Chinese President Hu Jintao, who is also general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivers a speech at the national scientific innovation conference in Beijing, capital of China, July 6, 2012. Photo: Xinhua China's top leaders have called for the country to become more innovative in science and technology, and for these systems to be reformed in a bid to build scientific power. While attending the national conference on science and technology innovation held Friday and Saturday, President Hu Jintao stressed a strategy of invigorating the country with science and technology, as well as human resources. Hu also urged China to enhance its capacity for innovation in these fields, and to integrate science and technology with social and economic development. [Innovation]
• Taiwan boat enters Diaoyu waters
  Global Times | 2012-7-5 2:40:03 By Guo Kai Officials from Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration said five patrol boats had been sent to protect a boat, the Chuan Chia Fu and the nine people on it, after it sailed into waters close to the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea, in a move to strengthen sovereignty over the islands. Taiwan officials said that the boat left Taiwan at 11 pm on Tuesday and sailed into the waters 2.7 nautical miles from the Diaoyu Islands and left the area around 9 am Wednesday. The Japan Coast Guard said a fishing boat carrying Taiwanese activists was spotted sailing Wednesday morning near the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea and "eventually entering Japanese territorial waters," the Kyoto News reported. A Japanese coast guard aircraft spotted the boat about 37 kilometers southwest of the Diaoyu Islands. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura told a news conference Wednesday, "We do not know their objective but whatever the purpose, we will definitely not tolerate the action of entering (Japanese) waters." A liaison team has been set up at the prime minister's office to maintain surveillance, the government's top spokesman said, according to the report. The mainland has urged Japan not to take any action that could endanger Chinese lives and property following a Taiwanese vessel's entry into waters near the Diaoyu Islands, a foreign ministry spokesman said Wednesday. "We have already urged the Japanese side to refrain from taking action that could endanger lives and property, including those of our Taiwanese compatriots," Liu Weimin said at a press conference. The Diaoyu Islands and its affiliated islands have been China's inherent territory since ancient times and China has undisputable sovereignty over the islands, Liu said. The mainland will continue to take necessary measures to firmly safeguard its sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands, he said. "These actions from Taiwan might deter Japan from coveting our territory, and it would also alleviate the relations across the Taiwan Straits, promoting cooperation between the mainland and Taiwan," Sun Yingchun, a professor at the Communication University of China, told the Global Times. [Territorial disputes] [Straits]
• Shifang fiasco is a lesson for all local governments
  Global Times | 2012-7-4 0:25:13 By Global Times The molybdenum copper plant project in Shifang, Sichuan Province has been suspended after local protests erupted and police officers arrived to disperse the crowds. The local government's public credibility was harmed, and most importantly, this is not the first case that Chinese local authorities should take as a grave warning. Objectively, the escalation of the scenario in Shifang doesn't mean the project itself was completely wrong. The project indeed brought huge investment and job opportunities. If the environmental assessment had been reliable and trusted by local residents, the project might have been a chance for growth in this city which was hit by the massive 2008 earthquake.
• Official Chinese Paper Slams Korea-Japan Military Pact
  A military intelligence-sharing pact being pursued by Korea and Japan is a threat to China and must be stopped, an editorial in China's official Global Times said Tuesday. Headlined "South Korea Must Stick to Role of Balancer," the editorial said, "The military deal, if signed, could turn the U.S.-Japan and U.S.-South Korea alliances into a triangular one." It warned, "Signing the pact would hurt South Korea's relations with China, and this is a geopolitical role South Korea may not be willing to play." The Global Times said strengthened military ties between Seoul and Tokyo would pose a potential threat to China and urged Beijing to take steps to pressure Korea to scrap the agreement.
• S.Korea must stick to role of ‘balancer’
  Global Times | 2012-7-3 0:45:07 By Global Times South Korea has decided to postpone the signing of the General Security of Military Information Agreement with Japan amid strong public opposition to the pact. The military deal, if signed, could turn the US-Japan and US-South Korea alliances into a triangular one. The pact nominally targets North Korea, but it actually includes strategic expansion targeting China. Signing the pact would hurt South Korea's relations with China, and this is a geopolitical role South Korea may not be willing to play. During the Roh Moo-hyun administration, South Korea positioned itself as a balancing force in Northeast Asia. But since Lee Myung-bak stepped into office, politically South Korea has tilted more toward the US and Japan. The economic scenario is the opposite. Last year, South Korea's trade volume with China surpassed its combined trade volume with the US and Japan. Strategically, if South Korea leans more toward the US and Japan, it may face an increasingly narrow path ahead. Such a shortsighted strategy accelerates geopolitical division in Northeast Asia, and makes South Korea one of the uncertain elements in the regional geometry. [China SK] [Roh Moo-hyun] [China global strategy]
• China and a U.S.-Iran War
  by John W. Garver Negotiations about Iran’s nuclear program moved to a crucial stage in May and June of 2012. Unless Tehran accedes to international demands that it open to international inspections that verify that Iran’s nuclear programs are not designed to produce nuclear weapons, a pre-emptive military strike -- perhaps by Israel alone, perhaps with U.S. participation -- could well result. In the midst of this escalating tension, prominent voices in the United States are urging that China could play an important role in resolving the Iran nuclear issue and averting a potential clash between Iran and the US. and/or Israel. I believe these hopes for China are misplaced. Although there are people in China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs who believe that such a Chinese effort resulting in an accommodation between the Iran and the U.S.-led international community would serve China’s interests, other voices take a far more jaundiced view of how China should deal with the United States. These bitter and hawkish views are strong in China’s military
• Is the PLA a Paper Dragon?
  China's military has its weaknesses. But it's strong enough to dominate Asia, thanks in part to America.. By MICHAEL AUSLIN Beijing China's boasts about its military may soon be put to the test, as new tension with Vietnam in the South China Sea comes on the heels of a months-long standoff with the Philippines. How confident Chinese leaders are in the strength of their armed forces will play a big role in how far they push their territorial claims. It also will indicate whether Beijing is trying to bluff America into staying out of these controversies roiling Asia. The question is whether the People's Liberation Army is a paper dragon, and the honest answer is mixed. In theory, the growth in the PLA has been startling since the 1990s. Starting from a ground-centric force relying on 1950s technology, and with very little modern air or sea capabilities, China's military is now the second-largest in the world. Most impressively, it is now able to operate at farther distances from the continent. Its navy can undertake long-endurance anti-piracy missions off the coast of Africa, while its various maritime patrol agencies are a constant presence in the South and East China Seas. Beijing clearly wants to project a blue-water navy, as the development of a 70-ship submarine fleet and the launching of its first aircraft carrier this year show. The air force is also modernizing, introducing advanced fourth-generation fighters. It is also slowly increasing the complexity of its operations, venturing into more night missions and joint operations where it works with army or navy units. While still overwhelmingly a self-defense force, it can reach most of the contested South China Sea islets. Then there are the missile forces, all of whose variants—like intercontinental ballistic missiles—have grown since the 1990s. Much attention has been paid to China's advances in an anti-ship ballistic missile, the DF-21, which may be able to target U.S. aircraft carriers. The problem is these numbers tell only a part of the story. There is far more debate over the quality of China's armed forces than over their quantity or ostensible modernity. [China confrontation] [Military balance]
• 5 Signs of the Chinese Economic Apocalypse
  From hog ratios to growing coal stockpiles, the Chinese economy is blinking red. BY TREFOR MOSS |JULY 2, 2012 The lights are flickering in the world's economic powerhouse. Although China's outlook may still be positive by, say, European standards, the numbers show that the country's storied growth engine has slipped out of gear. Businesses are taking fewer loans. Manufacturing output has tanked. Interest rates have unexpectedly been cut. Imports are flat. GDP growth projections are down, with some arguing that China might already be in recession. In March, Premier Wen Jiabao put the 2012 growth target at 7.5 percent; then seen as conservative, it's now viewed as prescient. If realized, it would be China's lowest annual growth rate since 1990, when the country faced international isolation after the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. What are the concrete indications that China is experiencing something more than just a spreadsheet slowdown? Here are five real-world signs of China's economic malaise. [China problems]
• China 'Won't Tolerate More N.Korean Provocations' Liang Guanglie
  China will not tolerate an additional nuclear test and any provocations by North Korea, Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie told retired military leaders from South Korea in Beijing recently. Ko Myung-seung, the president of the Korea Retired Generals and Admirals Association, told the Chosun Ilbo that Liang "expressed strong opposition" to any additional provocations from North Korea when leaders of the association met him on June 19. It is rare for a Chinese government official to speak his mind about the antics of Beijing’s closest ally. Ko quoted Liang as saying North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is preoccupied with economy, while his aides are focusing on diplomatic opening and economic policies, so Kim is more likely to listen to China's advice than his predecessors Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il. [Spin] [Self-delusion]
• The laowai's burden
  Global Times | 2012-6-29 21:00:02 By Huang Jingjing With hammers in hand, wearing shabby clothes and "PLA shoes," the green canvas sneakers commonly worn by manual workers in China, three white men were dismantling an old house in Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei Province. The men were temporary models for Benoit Cezard, an amateur photographer from Metz, a city in northeast France. The scene is from a set of pictures titled China 2050. "With the decline of the US and Europe and the strong economic development of China, a big wave of new immigrants, coming from the old superpowers, arrived in the Chinese mainland," said the statement attached to China 2050. Under Cezard's cameras, these Westerners have become migrant construction workers, urban dustmen, gardeners, tricycle drivers and street vendors chased by chengguan, urban management officers. "China is undoubtedly on its way to becoming a global super power. The middle classes live a comfortable life and some people have already become rich," Cezard told the Global Times. Cezard is convinced that by 2050, China will be the premier economic superpower, as many experts have predicted. He believes that most Chinese people will own a car, will be able to travel overseas, and that everyone will have access to social services. [China rising]
• China Takes a Big Step to Make the Yuan a Rival to the Dollar
  Beijing looks to its reformist past to launch an important experiment aimed at expanding the country’s role in global finance By Michael Schuman | @MichaelSchuman | July 2, 2012 | Shenzhen is where China’s economic miracle began. Back in 1980, Deng Xiaoping and his Beijing comrades launched a special economic zone, or SEZ, in the southern enclave that became the center of a grand experiment in introducing free capitalism into Communist China. Foreign investors were invited to set up factories in the zone, cracking open the tightly controlled economy to the outside world, and as money poured in, attracted by China’s cheap and plentiful labor, world economic history was altered forever. The Asian giant was transformed from an agrarian basket case into the “Workshop of the World” and chief rival to American economic dominance. [Reserve] [Finance]
• China hires tens of thousands of North Korean guest workers
  China is inviting tens of thousands of North Korean guest workers into the country in a deal that will provide a cash infusion to help prop up a teetering regime with little more to export than the drudgery of a desperately poor population. By Barbara Demick Los Angeles Times SEOUL — China is inviting tens of thousands of North Korean guest workers into the country in a deal that will provide a cash infusion to help prop up a teetering regime with little more to export than the drudgery of a desperately poor population. The deal, which has not been publicly announced by either Beijing or Pyongyang, would allow about 40,000 seamstresses, technicians, mechanics, construction workers and miners to work in China on industrial training visas, businesspeople and Korea analysts say. Most of the workers' earnings will go directly to the communist North Korean regime [Labour]

• S.Korea media hypes North’s labor push
  Global Times | 2012-6-28 19:25:04 By Global Times Editor's Note: China-North Korea economic cooperation has recently been a hot issue in South Korean media, especially the issue of North Korean labor export and speculations over the Hwanggumpyong island special economic zone (SEZ). How should we view the economic cooperation between China and North Korea? Global Times (GT) reporter Wang Zhaokun talked to Bradley Babson (Babson), Chair of the DPRK Economic Forum at the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Lü Chao (Lü), an expert on North Korea with Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, and Kim Suk-hi (Kim), a professor with the College of Business Administration at the University of Detroit Mercy, on these issues. [Labour]
• China's Growing Economic Importance to Central Asia
  29.06.2012 Alexander Shustov, political scientist on Central Asia The June summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) highlighted China's swelling economic presence in Central Asia. Chinese premier Hu Jintao unveiled an ambitious agenda for the region, with $10b in loans to be infused into the corresponding projects. At the moment, the Chinese investments in Central Asian republics estimatedly total $20b, and Beijing evidently aims at the role of the main economic partner of the entire Central Asia, especially in the spheres of energy and transit. China is open about being keenly interested in Central Asian energy sector and transit projects. At the summit, Hu Jintao called the Central Asian partners to move on to the formation of an integrated network of railroad and expressway transit, telecommunications, and energy supply and pledged China's assistance in the training of 1,500 specialists from SCO countries over the next three years, along with financial support for 30,000 students and professors plus perks like scholarships for 10,000 visitors from the Confucius Institutes scattered across the SCO countries over the next five. The above list shows that the Chinese soft power is meant to reinforce Beijing's already impressive economic influence in Central Asia. [China rising] [Softpower]
• New Survey Finds U.S. Concerns Over a Rising China
  By MARK MCDONALD HONG KONG — Two-thirds of Americans now see China as a serious or potential military threat to the United States. Nearly six in 10 Chinese believe their country is destined to become the world’s leading superpower, and increasing numbers of everyday Chinese believe the United States is trying to prevent them from achieving that status. [Public opinion] [China rising]
• ROC reaffirms sovereignty over Diaoyutais
  The MOFA urges Japan to respect ROC sovereignty over the Diaoyutai Archipelago and avoid actions that could undermine robust Taipei-Tokyo relations. (CNA) •Publication Date:06/28/2012 •Source: Taiwan Today •By Rachel Chan The ROC Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed national sovereignty over the Diaoyutai Archipelago June 27, urging Japan to exercise self-restraint and not undermine Taipei-Tokyo ties. “The Diaoyutais are an inalienable part of ROC territory and we continue to exercise full sovereignty,” MOFA Minister Timothy Chin-tien Yang said. According to Yang, the gravity of this issue was explained in no uncertain terms by Huang Ming-lung, secretary-general of the Association of East Asian Relations, to Kenichi Okada, secretary-general of Japan’s Interchange Association, during a meeting in Taipei City. The associations oversee Taiwan-Japan ties in the absence of formal diplomatic relations. [Territorial disputes]
• N.Koreans Despise Chinese, Says Ex-Envoy John Everard
  North Koreans despise the Chinese even though China is the Stalinist country's sole ally, a former British ambassador to North Korea says. John Everard was promoting a book about his experience in North Korea titled "Only Beautiful, Please" at the conservative Brookings Institution in Washington on Monday. He said it North Korean hate the Chinese although or because they rely on massive economic assistance from China. Economic cooperation between the two countries keeps growing, but the belief that Chinese are arrogant as well as a deep-rooted North Korean sense of racial purity seems to be at play, he said. He recalled that while numerous signs and billboards in North Korea display hostile slogans aimed at U.S. imperialism, ordinary North Koreans did not feel much animosity toward America. Not many North Koreans believed the U.S. would attack their country and very few of them thought that South Korea would attack since they consider South Korea a puppet state of the U.S., Everard added. Everard said the opening of the British Embassy in Pyongyang in July 2001 met with significant opposition in the U.K. because of the cost and doubts over the influence London would actually be able to wield. But he claimed diplomatic missions run by the U.K. as well as Germany and Sweden in Pyongyang were able to take a huge amount of influence in the North. [MISCOM] [Spin]
• MOFA dismisses Japan’s Diaoyutai protest
  The ROC maintains its sovereignty over the Diaoyutai Islands through routine patrols with vessels such as the Shun Hu No. 6. (Courtesy of CGA) •Publication Date:06/27/2012 •Source: Taiwan Today •By Grace Kuo The Diaoyutai Archipelago is an integral part of ROC territory that is routinely patrolled by the nation’s Coast Guard Administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said June 26. MOFA made the remarks after Japan Broadcasting Corp. and the Yomiuri Shimbun, a Japanese daily, reported that a Taiwanese coastal patrol vessel left the waters surrounding one of the archipelago’s islands—Chiwei Islet—20 minutes after its Japanese counterpart issued a warning. The CGA said in a statement that its patrol vessel Shun Hu No. 6 encountered a boat from the Japan Coast Guard at 25 degrees 59 minutes north latitude and 124 degrees 22 minutes east longitude, 12.5 nautical miles off Chiwei Islet earlier in the day. “Conflicts between the two sides did not take place nor was there an occurrence of the situation depicted by the Japanese media,” the CGA said. “We regret that the Japanese media covered the situation so inaccurately and will lodge our protests through suitable channels.” [Territorial disputes]
• Suffering sommeliers
  Global Times | 2012-6-26 20:25:02 By Wei Xi According to data released earlier this year by International Wine and Spirit Research (IWSR), a leading provider of data on wines and spirits, China consumed about 1.9 billion bottles of wines in 2011, exceeding the UK and becoming the fifth largest consumer of wine in the world, following the US, Italy, France and Germany. The number continues to rise. Robert Beynat, CEO of IWSR told china.org.cn that "China will be the fastest growing market over the next four years," predicting a 54.3 percent increase between 2011 and 2015. But despite China's growing wine consumption, the salary and reputation of domestic winemakers lag behind Europe and the US, as domestic sommeliers and winemakers are often regarded as subordinate technicians. [Wine]
• China to Reconsider N.Korean Investment Program
  China has told North Korea that it will reconsider a dubious development project on North Korea's Hwanggumpyong island. The island located on the border between China and North Korea was designated a special economic zone last June. North Korea promised to lend the island to China for 50 years so Beijing can foster IT, tourism, light industry and modern agricultural industry there. In return for the development project from Chinese investors, North Korea would give China access to its Rajin port on the East Sea. However, the Chinese government told North Korea last month that it will review the project from the scratch, apparently because it believes the island has little business value. North Korea's rocket launch in April despite Chinese protests may also have provoked the rethink. [SEZ]
• China in Talks With U.S. Home Builder
  State Bank in Talks to Provide Lennar $1.7 Billion for Two Long-Stalled Projects . smaller Larger By DINNY MCMAHON and ROBBIE WHELAN Lennar Corp., LEN +3.05%one of the U.S.'s largest home builders, is in talks with the China Development Bank for approximately $1.7 billion in capital to jump-start two long-delayed San Francisco projects that would transform two former naval bases into large-scale housing developments, according to people familiar with the discussions. The negotiations aren't final and the financing arrangement could still fall through. But if completed, the deal would reflect a changing dynamic between the U.S. and Chinese economies, as an American company turns to China for help funding a long-delayed and partially publicly funded project that otherwise wouldn't get done. [ODI]
• China repeatedly violated economic sanctions against North Korea
  THE ASAHI SHIMBUN China time and again has flouted economic sanctions imposed by the U.N. Security Council against North Korea to punish Pyongyang for its nuclear and missile programs. In more than half of all instances, China was the culprit, according to a report by a panel of experts trying to track whether members are adhering to the punitive measures outlined in U.N. resolutions [Sanctions]
• China's role in Korean War more active than previously known: data
  WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- China played a more active role in the Korean War than previously known, a detailed analysis of official data carried out by a U.S. think tank showed Friday. The analysis carried out by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, in Washington, showed Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai offering tactical military advice to the North Korean military even before the country entered the conflict. The conflict began with a surprise attack by the North on June 25, 1950 and ended in an armistice three years later. After initial setbacks by the outgunned South Korean army, United Nations forces led by the United States conducted a successful amphibious landing in Incheon, west of Seoul, in September 1950 that set the stage for the full-fledged withdrawal of North Korean forces. This landing allowed allied forces to march toward the Sino-North Korea border that caused Beijing to side with its ideological partner and enter the war in late October. [Korean War] [China NK]
• The coming conflict
  By Shin Hyun-gook China and the United States seem to be heading toward a course of conflict. These two mega-powers of the world have now become global rivals. Their relations are tense; their interests are in conflict; and they face tougher times ahead. Just decades ago, in the mid-1980s, these two giant nations saw each other as strategic partners, both interested in an alliance of necessity with the other to prevent the domination of Asia by the Soviet Union. However, the collapse of the Soviet Union has removed the rationale for the 20 years of close cooperation between the two countries. [China confrontation] [Allegiance]
• China to Employ Another 20,000 N.Korean Workers
  China has decided to allow 20,000 North Koreans to work in the Dandong area of Liaoning Province along the Apnok River separating it from North Korea. Earlier, China permitted another 20,000 North Koreans to work in the border cities of Tumen and Huchun in Jilin Province along the Duman River. The 40,000 include many factory workers who lost their jobs when South Korea halted trade with North Korea in 2010 after the North's sinking of the Navy corvette Cheonan. A source in Dandong said the Liaoning government and North Korea's Committee of Investment and Joint Venture signed an agreement in April authorizing the dispatch of of 20,000 North Koreans to Dandong. Liaoning Province arrived at the number by assessing the needs of businesses in Dandong, the source added. [China NK] [Sanctions] [Unintended consequences]
• Korean reunification would benefit everyone, especially China
  Posted on : Jun.21,2012 14:04 KST A unified peninsula would reduce the likelihood of conflict among the powers of Northeast Asia When it comes to discussing Korean reunification, China’s stance and attitude are rarely left off the agenda. It seems many in South Korea believe China wants to maintain the status quo on the Korean Peninsula and does not want reunification. Is this true? China has always said that it is in favor of peaceful unification of Korea. It emphasizes the word “peaceful.” If the process of reunification is not peaceful, China will resolutely oppose it. China has experienced a great deal of armed conflict in its surrounding area. The damages sustained in those conflicts form the basis for the emphasis on peace and stability. On the other hand, some say China does not welcome the idea of Korean reunification. A unified peninsula would mean US military forces being stationed right up against the Yalu River, on China’s current border with North Korea. This theory holds that the US military will remain on the Korean Peninsula after reunification. [Unification] [Naiveté]
• China takes exception to US-Japan-South Korea military exercises
  Posted on : Jun.23,2012 11:07 KST Beijing officials feel new alliance is being formed to ‘keep China in check’ By Park Min-hee Beijing correspondent Beijing is raising alarm over joint South Korea-US-Japan naval exercises in south Jeju islands held from June 21-22. China feels the exercises were aimed at checking Chinese military expansion. In materials issued on June 14, the South Korean government said the exercises would be non-combat in nature, including search and rescue drills and maritime interdictions. The Ministry of National Defense also cautioned against reading too much into them, describing them as "regular drills that have taken place since 2008." But this is also known to be the first time Seoul has gone on record about joint exercises with the US and Japan. [Joint US military] [China confrontation]
• Koreans stab in the back: Taiwanese CEO
  The chief executive officer of a Taiwanese electronics maker producing iPhone and iPad handsets for Apple Inc. has attacked Koreans, creating harsh criticism. According to NOWnews, a Taiwanese online paper, on June 19, Guo Tai-ming, 62, chief executive officer of Foxconn told a general meeting of stockholders at the head office the firm in Taipei that Koreans may stab them in the back. "I respect Japanese. They never stab people in the back. But Bangzi (a derogatory Taiwanese term for Koreans) are different," Guo said, indicating that Koreans may betray their customers or friends. He also made a controversial comment involving sensitive issue of territory over a group of islands in the East China Sea. “I hope to buy Diaoyudao to develop it jointly with Japan,” Guo was quoted as saying. The Senkaku Islands in Japanese is uninhabited and now under control of Japan. China has claimed sovereignty over it. Chinese lashed out at Guo, saying, “He is a person who dares to sell his home country to Japan."
• From Milk to Peas, a Chinese Food-Safety Mess
  By MARK MCDONALD Another incident of tainted milk in China — this time with mercury — has led to a major recall. HONG KONG — There’s mercury in the baby formula. Cabbages are sprayed with formaldehyde. Gelatin capsules for pills, tens of millions of them, are laced with chromium. Used cooking oil is scooped out of gutters for recycling, right along with the sewage. Accounts of dubious or unsafe food in China are as mesmerizing as they are disturbing — “artificial green peas,” grilled kebabs made from cat meat, contaminated chives, chlorine showing up in soft drinks. There have been stories of imitation soy sauce made from hair clippings, ink and paraffin being used to dress up cheap noodles, and pork buns so loaded with bacteria that they glow in the dark. A new investigation by the Chinese magazine Caixin has found that “these publicized food safety scandals represent only a fraction of unsafe food production practices. Hundreds of chemical food additives are pumped into products that Chinese people consume every day.” The official Chinese news agency Xinhua reported Wednesday that Chinese authorities have discovered 15,000 cases of substandard food so far this year while shutting down 5,700 unlicensed food businesses. [Food safety] [Quality]
• A nation of outlaws: A century ago, that wasn't China -- it was us
  When Charles Dickens, left, arrived in Boston in 1842, he was startled to see what Americans would do for profit and infuriated to find bookstores filled with unauthorized copies of his work. When Charles Dickens, left, arrived in Boston in 1842, he was startled to see what Americans would do for profit and infuriated to find bookstores filled with unauthorized copies of his work. By Stephen Mihm | August 26, 2007 If recent headlines are any indication, China's rap sheet of capitalist crimes is growing as fast as its economy. Having exported poison pet food and toothpaste laced with antifreeze earlier this year, the world's emerging economic powerhouse has diversified into other, equally dubious product lines: scallops coated with putrefying bacteria, counterfeit diabetes tests, pirated Harry Potter books, and baby bibs coated with lead, to name but a few. Politicians are belatedly putting China on notice. Representative Frank Wolf of Virginia delivered one of the more stinging counterattacks last month, warning that the United States "must be vigilant about protecting the values we hold dear" in the face of China's depredations. [Food safety] [Quality]
• Stricter laws proposed against foreigners illegally in country
  Global Times | 2012-6-20 1:30:03 By Liu Linlin Chinese lawmakers are proposing to strengthen the management of expatriates by further tightening laws regarding their illegally entering, living and working in the country, or "three illegals," encountering diverse opinions toward the possible impact of such laws. A draft law on exit and entry administration is being discussed by China's top legislators at the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and the final version is expected to be released in late June. Expats who work in China without working permits or work-related documents and international students working in violation of related work-study program regulations will be listed as illegally working, according to the draft. It also said that those who have illegally provided documents or letters of invitation to foreigners will be fined between 2,000 yuan ($314.70) and 10,000 yuan with their illegal incomes confiscated, and will also be required to cover the expenses to send the foreigners back. Liu Guofu, an expert on immigration law from the Beijing Institute of Technology, told the Global Times yesterday that the draft is a timely amendment to the current laws that took effect in 1986. [China rising] [Migration]
• China successfully launches spaceship with first female astronaut
  Xinhua | 2012-6-17 10:32:44 China on Saturday sent three astronauts, including its first female astronaut Liu Yang, into space for the nation's manned space docking mission. Shenzhou-9 spacecraft, atop an upgraded Long March-2F carrier rocket, blast off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China's Gobi desert at 6:37 pm Saturday. Shenzhou-9 will complete an automated docking procedure with the orbiting Tiangong-1 lab module in two days. The astronauts will then attempt a manual docking which is considered as a major step forward in China's manned space program to build a space station around 2020. About 20 minutes after the ignition, commander-in-chief of China's manned space program Chang Wanquan announced the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft had accurately entered its orbit and the launch was successful. President Hu Jintao, who is in Denmark for a state visit, said in a congratulatory letter that he was very glad to hear the success of launching Shenzhou-9 and "would like to extend warm congratulations and sincere regards to all those participating in the research and tests (of the country's space program)." [Aerospace]
• Pew survey finds China seen as top economic power
  By Joe McDonald AP Business Writer / June 13, 2012 BEIJING—For the first time, people responding to a global survey are more likely to view China and not the United States as the world's leading economic power. The results of the Pew Research Center survey do not reflect reality: America's economy remains well ahead of its closest rival. But it does highlight China's steadily rising public image amid rapid growth, as well as the erosion of the United States' status as the global superpower, especially after the 2008 financial crisis left it struggling with recession and high unemployment. The 21-nation poll found that 41 percent of people said China was the world's economic power, while 40 percent favored the U.S. Among the 14 nations that were asked the same question in 2008, the margin was wider: 45 percent placed the U.S. on top four years ago, with just 22 percent for China, but in the latest poll China was favored 42 percent to 36 percent. The trend was especially strong in Europe: 58 percent of people in Britain saw China as the leading economy, versus just 28 percent for the United States. Even in the U.S., respondents were about evenly divided on the question. [China rising] [Public opinion]
• China Gives Work Visas for 20,000 N.Koreans
  China is issuing work visas for 20,000 North Koreans so they can work in three northeastern provinces of Jilin, Liaoning and Heilongjiang. The move comes amid a crackdown on illegal North Korean migrants who typically drift into menial jobs, but a diplomatic source in Seoul said the three Chinese provinces now decided to legally hire 20,000 North Koreans for jobs there in a bid to ease a labor shortage. A company in Tumen, Jilin Province already hired some 29 North Korean women this month, and another 160 women were also sent there. The press in the three provinces is full of ads looking for North Korean workers. [Remittances]
• Panda War Two Camps Battle for Control of U.S. China Policy
  BY: Bill Gertz - May 8, 2012 5:00 am Two groups of specialists have been locked in a battle to dominate U.S. policy toward China for the past three decades, and the camp of hawkish skeptics sharply increased its influence in the last few years, according to a long-time Pentagon specialist on Asian affairs. Establishment China hands who favor a partnership with the communist government in Beijing at all costs are declining, said Michael Pillsbury, a policymaker and adviser to three presidents who spent 40 years studying China and its military for the Pentagon’s Office of Net Assessment, a think tank devoted to studying future warfare. “One school basically comes out of the Wilsonian mode. ‘We must cooperate with China. Everything depends on cooperation with China. And anything that gets in the way of that in China is a minor source of friction or needs to be better explained to the Chinese,’” Pillsbury said during a Capitol Hill forum. These China specialists, both within government and in academic circles, do not fear a stronger China, but trust China to join the current U.S.-led world order and keep its military forces modest and unthreatening to the United States, according to Pillsbury. [China confrontation]
• China's Arms Shipment to N.Korea 'Swept Under Carpet'
  South Korea, the U.S. and Japan last year discovered that China exported missile launch vehicles to North Korea, but they did nothing to hold Beijing to account, the Asahi Shimbun reported Wednesday.
• China Conducts River-Crossing Drill at N.Korean Border
  Chinese troops conducted river-crossing drills on Tuesday afternoon near Dandong on the Apnok River which separates China and North Korea. Around 100 Chinese soldiers partook in the exercise using six or seven small boats and around 10 pontoon bridges measuring 20 to 30 m to move troops and equipment across. Chinese troops conduct a river-crossing drill on Tuesday afternoon near Dandong on the Apnok River, which separates China and North Korea. /Yonhap Chinese troops conduct a river-crossing drill on Tuesday afternoon near Dandong on the Apnok River, which separates China and North Korea. /Yonhap Locals said Chinese troops had conducted several such drills before and that exercises using pontoon bridges usually take place in the summer. The Chinese military exercise appears aimed at preparing for a swift entry into North Korea in the event of an emergency there. [Takeover] [Response] [Warning]
• North Korea nuclear denials meet suspicion
  Global Times | 2012-6-13 19:05:02 By Global Times Editor's Note: North Korea issued a statement on Saturday denying again claims that it is planning another nuclear test, echoing similar statements last month. However, according to foreign media reports, satellite images showed heightened activity at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site, and US and South Korean experts also noticed significant upgrades since last year at the Musudan-ri launch site. Will North Korea's repeated denial cool down tensions? What's China's role in preventing another test? Global Times (GT) reporter Wang Zhaokun talked to Sharon Squassoni (Squassoni), director and senior fellow of the Proliferation Prevention Program at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, Cai Jian (Cai), deputy director of the Center for Korean Studies at Fudan University, and David Maxwell (Maxwell), associate director of the Center for Security Studies of Georgetown University, on the issues. [Chinese IR]
• Match your deeds with your words
  Updated: 2012-06-06 09:55 (chinadaily.com.cn) Only after the US adjusts its mindset and discards the outdated logic can it match its words with its deeds and find the right direction toward healthy Sino-US relations, an article on People Daily. Excerpts: United States Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta explained the “United States’ re-balance strategy in the Asia-Pacific region” in the Shangri-La dialogue, denying outright that the purpose of the strategy is to contain the rise of China. The Associated Press commented that Panetta “appeared to offer an olive branch to the communist power”. Panetta said that the often-feuding rivals must learn to work together better. High-ranking officials in the US have often spoken positively of Sino-US relations in recent years. The US military is also learning to talk about its strategy on China in softer tones. However, there is a saying in China as well as the US: Actions speak louder than words. The re-balancing strategy is a further supplement to the US’ return to the Asia-Pacific region. The US has already maintained the strongest military presence in the region. Its re-balancing action may disturb the stability of this region. Will the disturbance bring more peace or uncertainties to the region in the future? Some Western pundits have said the new US strategy in the region will cause more regional conflicts. The Associated Press observes Panetta’s visit to Asia is to reiterate that the US is going to help its allies and partners to develop and exert their maritime rights in waters claimed mostly by China. And the US hopes to counter China’s increasing influence with its partnership and alliances in the region. The US action will necessarily invite more corresponding anti-intervention strategies from China. [Pivot]
• Chinese military conducts river-crossing drill
  DANDONG, China (Yonhap) -- More than 100 Chinese soldiers took part in a river-crossing exercise on its Yalu River border with North Korea Tuesday, renewing speculation the Chinese military is preparing to defend against any influx of North Korean refugees following possible regime collapse in Pyongyang. Uniformed soldiers wearing orange life vests could be seen building and rebuilding about a dozen pontoon bridges at various points along the Yalu River, which separates China and North Korea. Each bridge stretched 20 to 30 meters, made up of six or seven sections connected to each other. [Response] [Spin]
• China Lays Claim to Koguryo, Balhae Ruins
  At least two archaeological sites from the ancient Korean kingdoms of Koguryo and Balhae have been included along what China claims is a newly discovered section of the Great Wall that runs to the east coast of China. Lee Sung-jae of the Northeast Asian History Foundation told a forum on Tuesday that the remains announced a week ago by Tong Mingkang, deputy chief of China's State Administration of Cultural Heritage, apparently include fortress walls from Koguryo and Balhae in Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces.
• 'We can turn China into blessing'
  Seok Tong-youn, secretary-general of the Northeast Asian History Foundation By Chung Min-uck China is a blessing to Korea rather than a curse, a China expert said Wednesday. “I think it as a blessing to have a country like this next to us,” said Seok Tong-youn, 58, secretary-general of the state-run Northeast Asian History Foundation (NAHF). “China is turning from being the world’s factory to becoming the world’s market; but how to put this to our best use is left to our own discretion,” he said.
• Washington's Asia Pivot Gains Momentum
  By Jim Lobe* WASHINGTON, Jun 8, 2012 (IPS) - The much-anticipated U.S. "pivot" from the Greater Middle East to the Asia/Pacific accelerated this week, which began with Pentagon chief Leon Panetta's high-profile, nine-day swing through the region and ended with a White House summit between Barack Obama and Philippine President Benigno Aquino. For the first time, Panetta put some meat on the bones of the promised military "rebalancing" - the new phrase favoured by the administration - by declaring at a major regional military meeting in Singapore that the U.S. Navy will deploy 60 percent of its global forces, including six aircraft carrier battle groups, to the Asia/Pacific region by 2020, as compared to the current 50 percent. In addition, Washington intends to increase the number and size of its military exercises and port visits to friendly countries in the region, according to Panetta. [Pivot]
• Review: The China Threat
  By Yunping Chen, June 8, 2012 nancy-tucker-china-threatIn her new book The China Threat, which features a colorful poster of the People’s Liberation Army on the cover, the distinguished American diplomatic historian Nancy Bernkopf Tucker combed manuscript collections, searched through oral histories, conducted interviews in both Beijing and Washington, and reviewed numerous other published documents to present the memories, myths, and the realities of the 1950s and 1960s. This was a peak period of the “China threat” in the United States, a time of the book-turned-movie The Manchurian Candidate, which straddled the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations and created a certain paranoia in the U.S. public. [China confrontation] [US global strategy]
• Vague and Meandering Plan to "Contain" China: Panetta’s Pacific Vision
  by GABRIEL KOLKO Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta’s declarations the past weeks that the U.S. remains a Pacific power, and will be even more involved there in the future, is far less a reiteration of an old doctrine but actually a search for a new strategy to find a justification for the vast sums the Pentagon will spend over the coming years after the defeats or, at best, stalemates in Iraq and Afghanistan. The anti-Chinese aim of his visits to the Philippines, India, and Vietnam, was clear. Without building permanent bases, the U.S. will want rights to use those that exist already. The Philippines will allow the U.S. to use the immense installations at Subic Bay and the Clark Air Base again, which the Americans built and from which in 1992 the Filipinos expelled them. The U. S. will increase its spending on Philippines arms by three times in 2012 and give it 20 reconditioned helicopters, two or three cutters, and a squadron (12 to 24 planes) of reconditioned F-16 fighters so that it can resist Chinese claims to islands and territories in the East Asian Sea. In Vietnam, Panetta went to Cam Ranh Bay, the home of a vast American military complex during the Vietnam War, and where the U. S. again wants (and probably will get) base rights to counter the growing Chinese navy. [US global strategy] [China confrontation]
• China Breaches Arms Embargo to N.Korea
  Chinese firms are violating a UN embargo by supplying North Korea with key components to make weapons, the Daily Telegraph said. These include parts for ballistic missiles including launch vehicles, according to evidence provided by an Asian intelligence agency. Classified documents seen by the paper show that Beijing has failed to act when confronted with evidence that Chinese companies are breaking UN Resolution 1874 and helping North Korea build long range missiles. The intelligence agency found that North Korea companies continue to buy banned materials in China. The report said these entities "have been smuggling in or out controlled items by either setting up and operating a front company in China, or colluding with Chinese firms to forge documents and resorting to other masking techniques."
• China has no reason to abandon Syrian stance
  Global Times | 2012-6-11 0:50:02 By Global Times Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated several days ago that Russia would support Assad's stepping down if the majority of Syrians requested it. The remarks have been cited by analysts as proof Russia may waver in its stance on Syria. A few pro-Western Chinese also suggested China make adjustments so to avoid being sold out by Russia. However, Lavrov also reiterated Russia's opposition against the UNSC passing a resolution supporting military action against Syria. This stance is in tune with China's. The conclusion that Russia has changed its Syrian stance is very unprofessional. Russia and China are not against Assad stepping down. What the two countries oppose is external interference in Syria's political development. Moscow and Beijing support concerned Syrian parties in deciding the fate of Assad and his regime through negotiations. This stance has been decided by Russian and Chinese national strategic interests and their fundamental diplomatic philosophy. It is not easily subject to change. The two countries may adjust specific policies depending on the circumstances. They both have the willingness and channels of communication for coordinating such an adjustment. [Syria]
• In Philippines, banana growers feel effect of South China Sea dispute
  By Andrew Higgins, Monday, June 11, 2:22 PM PANABO, Philippines — Dazzled by the opportunities offered by China’s vast and increasingly prosperous populace, Renante Flores Bangoy, the owner of a small banana plantation here in the southern Philippines, decided three years ago to stop selling to multinational fruit corporations and stake his future on Chinese appetites. Through a local exporter, he started shipping all his fruit to China. Today, his estate on the tropical island of Mindanao is scattered with heaps of rotting bananas. For seven weeks now — ever since an aging U.S.-supplied Philippine warship squared off with Chinese vessels near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea — Bangoy has not been able to sell a single banana to China. He is a victim of sudden Chinese restrictions on banana imports from the Philippines that China says have been imposed for health reasons but that Bangoy and other growers view as retaliation for a recent flare-up in contested waters around Scarborough Shoal. [Sanctions] [Double standards]
• Chinese firms breaking UN embargo on North Korea
  Chinese firms are breaking a United Nations embargo by supplying North Korea with key components for ballistic missiles including launch vehicles, according to evidence provided by an intelligence agency in the region. a new missile is carried during a mass military parade at the Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the country's founding father Kim Il Sung A missile is carried during a mass military parade at the Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea Photo: AFP/GETTY By Julian Ryall, Tokyo 8:30PM BST 08 Jun 2012 Classified documents seen by The Daily Telegraph show that Beijing has failed to act when confronted with evidence that Chinese companies are breaking UN Resolution 1874 and helping North Korea to build long range missiles. This measure, passed with China's support on June 12, 2009, strengthens an arms embargo by urging all UN members to inspect North Korean cargoes and destroy any items linked to the country's missile or nuclear programmes. [Sanctions]
• North Korea, China and the abducted Chinese fishing boats
  June 6th, 2012 Author: Leonid Petrov, University of Sydney China often describes its relations with North Korea, its closest regional ally, as intimate but not substantial. For more than half a century, Beijing’s attitude toward the Korean Peninsula has revolved around avoiding three scenarios: ‘no new war on the Korean Peninsula’, ‘no regime change in North Korea’ and ‘no American troops on the Sino–Korean border’. But could the developments of recent weeks shake this strategic alliance tested by time, wars and revolutions? Earlier this year North Korea declared that it has ‘passed through the gate’ to prosperity on the way to its self-professed goal of becoming a strong and prosperous nation (Kangsong Taeguk). Yet there are signs that within North Korea’s closed borders the domestic situation is deteriorating and the regime is taking every opportunity to earn desperately needed cash and goods through the activities of its government agencies.
• China to launch spacecraft in mid-June for manned space docking
  Xinhua | June 10, 2012 08:40 By Agencies The Shenzhou-9 manned spacecraft, the Long March-2F rocket, and the escape tower wait to be vertically transferred to the launch pad at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China's Gansu Province, June 9, 2012. China will launch its Shenzhou-9 manned spacecraft sometime in mid-June to perform the country's first manned space docking mission with the orbiting Tiangong-1 space lab module, a spokesperson with the country's manned space program said Saturday. Photo: Xinhua China will launch its Shenzhou-9 manned spacecraft sometime in mid-June to perform the country's first manned space docking mission with the orbiting Tiangong-1 space lab module, a spokesperson said Saturday. The spacecraft and its carrier rocket, the Long March-2F, were moved to the launch platform at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on Saturday, a spokesperson with the country's manned space program said. [Aerospace]
• Inside the Ring: Forbes pressures Obama
  By Bill Gertz - The Washington Times Wednesday, June 6, 2012 The extended peacetime competition with China "at its heart is a clash of visions for the international system," Rep. J. Randy Forbes, Virginia Republican, says. (Associated Press) A key House Republican this week stepped up pressure on the Obama administration for its weak public response to the growing threat posed by China's military buildup. Rep. J. Randy Forbes, a co-chairman of the Congressional China Caucus, said in an article published Tuesday that the U.S. government has a “frightening reluctance” to highlight the challenges posed by China. “This needs to end,” the Virginia Republican said on the blog of the Center for International and Strategic Studies. “U.S. officials must come to accept that while there are plenty of opportunities for cooperation with [China], there are also elements of our relationship that are and will remain competitive.” The extended peacetime competition with China “at its heart is a clash of visions for the international system,” he said. “This is not to say that conflict between our countries is inevitable. But if U.S. leaders are expected to marshal the diplomatic and military resources necessary to engage in this long-term competition, they must first be willing to speak more candidly about Beijing’s growing capabilities and strategic intentions.” [China confrontation] [Hegemony]
• Hamid Karzai shortens China visit over Nato air strike deaths
  Afghan leader to return after report of civilian deaths in Logar province air strike and suicide attacks on Nato base in Kandahar guardian.co.uk, Thursday 7 June 2012 09.04 BST Hamid Karzai is cutting short an official visit to China following reports of civilian deaths in a Nato air strike in southeast Afghanistan and an insurgent bombing in the south, the Afghan presidential palace has said. Karzai said 18 civilians were killed in a pre-dawn air strike in Logar province on Wednesday. The Nato-led international security assistance force said it was investigating.
• Red Star Over Hollywood
  Chinese expansion into American film industry heightens fears over censorship, kowtowing to Beijing, rights activists say BY: Bill McMorris - June 4, 2012 5:00 am China’s communist regime is negotiating private deals with American film studios and financing the purchase of America’s second largest theater chain, leaving experts and human rights activists fearing the spread of dictatorial soft power and censorship to American shores. “The Chinese Communist party has a program that they call ‘the Great Propaganda,’ and its aim is to export Chinese social power,” said former political prisoner Dr. Yang Jianli. “Cinema is the perfect way to do that.” The Chinese government is making a push to export its influence overseas by helping companies tap into foreign markets, including the U.S. As part of that mission, it is providing an undisclosed amount of financing to help China’s sixth-wealthiest man, Wang Jianlin, purchase AMC Entertainment, the second largest theater chain in the U.S., for $2.6 billion. The move would make Wang’s Wanda Group the largest chain of movie theaters in the world. [China bashing] [Softpower] [Double standards]
• Afghanistan, China to take relationship to “new strategic level”
  AFP | 8 hours ago KABUL: Afghanistan and China will this week announce the elevation of their relationship “to a new strategic level”, Kabul’s foreign ministry said Monday, as Nato forces prepare to pull out of the country. The announcement would be made by presidents Hamid Karzai and Hu Jintao on the sidelines of a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman Janan Mosazai told AFP. The SCO is a Central Asian grouping headed by Beijing and Moscow, and intended as a counterweight to US influence in the region. “This new step is a solid reaffirmation of the ever growing importance and significance of the friendship and economic, political, cultural and other fields of cooperation and partnership between Afghanistan and China,” Mosazai said. The two countries share views and commitment over the security and stability of Afghanistan and the wider region and the necessity of joint efforts “to tackle the menaces of terrorism and extremism”, he said. Mosazai gave no details of any security role China might play in Kabul’s fight against hardline Islamist Taliban insurgents, saying the announcement “will be fleshed out by both sides as we move forward in our friendship and cooperation”. [Client] [SCO] [Realignment] [China global strategy]
• China 'arrests high-level US spy' in Hong Kong – reports
  Chinese and US flags (file photo) Relations between China and the US have been tense in recent months A Chinese security ministry official has been arrested on suspicion of spying for the US and passing on state secrets, Hong Kong media reports say. The man, who was private secretary to a vice-minister in the security ministry, was arrested earlier this year, various press reports say. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declined to comment on the reports. If confirmed, it would be the third major incident to hit China-US relations in the past few months. It would also be the highest-level spy case involving China and the US to become public since 1985, when intelligence official Yu Qiangsheng defected to the US. The official had been recruited by the CIA, local press and Reuters report. 'Pretty woman trap' Hong Kong-based Oriental Daily quotes the monthly New Way as saying on 25 May that the official "fell into a pretty woman trap" set up by the CIA. After the two were photographed in secret liaisons, he was blackmailed and agreed to supply secret information to the US, the reports say. "The destruction has been massive," a source told Reuters. The official was arrested between January and March on allegations that he had passed information to the US for several years on China's overseas espionage activities, Hong Kong press and Reuters report. China's foreign ministry did not respond immediately to a request for comment faxed by Reuters on Friday. China-US relations have been fraught with tension in recent months, following two high-profile cases. [Espionage]
• The Beijing SCO Summit: Not a Routine One for China
  14:18 GMT, May 29, 2012 The 12th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) leadership summit is scheduled to be held in Beijing on 6-7 June 2012. This annual summit brings together the Council of Heads of States of the SCO members to discuss various issues of mutual strategic interest. The summit is being held in Beijing, where the SCO Secretariat is headquartered. President Hu Jintao has stated that “the Beijing summit…is an important meeting in terms of inheriting past traditions and breaking new ground”. While China would like to ensure that the summit is a success, to what extent it will endorse those “past traditions” and welcome “new ground” needs to be seen. As it is, the SCO is entering the second decade of its existence after its formation on 15 June 2001 and a leadership change will take place in Beijing in 2012-13. [SCO]
• Direct currency trading with yen gets underway
  Global Times | June 02, 2012 00:55 By Chen Dujuan Direct currency trading of the Chinese yuan against the Japanese yen started on Friday, the first time a major currency other than the US dollar was allowed to directly trade with the yuan. [Currency] [Reserve]
• China must not let N.Korea go nuclear
  Global Times | June 02, 2012 00:15 By Global Times North Korea has proclaimed itself as a nuclear state in its amended constitution. Washington and Seoul have dismissed the claim, saying that they would not recognize North Korea as a nuclear power. China should not join the two and help them exert pressure on North Korea. However, it is also necessary for China to criticize North Korea's latest move and oppose its intention to legalize its nuclear status. China needs to make efforts to deter North Korea from possessing nuclear capabilities, or at least openly oppose North Korea's move to attain them. The historical friendship between the two should facilitate their frank communication, rather than be a historical or ideological burden restraining China's expression of its stance. If North Korea's possession of nuclear capabilities becomes "legalized," Japan and South Korea will inevitably want to have nuclear capabilities too. A chain reaction may then take place - Taiwan may also demand the right to nuclear arms. This will lead to the most serious crisis in China's neighboring regions [China global strategy]
• ‘Going out’ culturally: another perspective on China’s global impact
  May 21st, 2012 Author: Philippa Jones, China Policy China places culture at the forefront of policy: it is an essential component of political arrangements and should be thought of as an abbreviated term for the complex of history, institutions and social relationships that come down from the past. Culture is far from a decoration on the fringe of public affairs. General Secretary Hu Jintao’s declaration in 2011 of the Party’s intent to ‘construct a cultural great power’ underlines the enduring importance of cultural policy in China. This new orientation will take a place at the top of the policy pyramid, setting the terms for a stream of policies and measures that will issue from it. Hu’s directive underscores the special status of wenhua (culture) in the Chinese worldview, illustrating its use as a powerful political operator. First, wenhua encapsulates ‘us-ness’ — national identity as a condensed image of who ‘we’ are and wish to be. In China, the state protects and nurtures this image, taking over the role played by religious faith in other societies. Culture is, by the same token, a source of political legitimacy. Second, intimately related to this is the concept of wenhua as an ethical watershed — the source of the values dividing the civilised from the barbarian. Finally, wenhua is inescapably a channel of political control. The Party, being legitimate, shows this by fostering and directing culture in the national interest. [Softpower] [China vision]
• U.S. Rule Puts Confucius Schools Under Spotlight
  Associated Press Is the U.S. government taking on one of the Chinese government’s best known efforts to promote China’s image abroad? That was the question ricocheting around the Chinese Internet this week after the Chronicle of Higher Education reported on a new U.S. State Department directive that could complicate things for the Beijing-sponsored network of language-teaching outposts known as the Confucius Institutes. From the Chronicle’s report: The memorandum, dated May 17, states that any academics at university-based institutes who are teaching at the elementary- and secondary-school levels are violating the terms of their visas and must leave at the end of this academic year, in June. And it says that, after a “preliminary review,” the State Department has determined that the institutes must obtain American accreditation in order to continue to accept foreign scholars and professors as teachers. Among those protesting the directive was Kong Qingdong, a firebrand Beijing University professor widely identified as a direct descendent of the great sage. “Citing visas, the U.S. has set a deadline for Chinese Confucius Institute teachers to leave the country,” Mr. Kong wrote Thursday on the popular Twitter-like microblogging service Sina Weibo. “Meanwhile, in China, everywhere you look you find Hollywood movies, Silicon Valley microchips and McDonald’s French fries. From entertainment to technology to food products, the American cultural invasion is multipolar, omnidirectional and deep.” [Softpower] [Culture War] [China confrontation]
• 5 Things the Pentagon Isn't Telling Us About the Chinese Military
  Here's what you won't find in the Defense Department’s latest report on China's military rise. BY TREFOR MOSS | MAY 23, 2012 Think of it like an iceberg: The top lies in plain sight, but a lot more hides beneath the surface. In its annual appraisal of the Chinese military published last week, the U.S. Department of Defense seems to be describing an object it finds both familiar and mysterious. The report certainly answers many of the important issues concerning China's military, including its attempts to develop an anti-ship ballistic missile and its continuing fixation on Taiwan. Yet for many crucial aspects of China's strategy, the Pentagon seems like it's just guessing. Here are the five most important questions about Beijing's defense strategy that remain stubbornly unanswered. [Military balance] [China global strategy]
• Chinese Counterfeit Electronics ‘Flood’ U.S. Military Aircraft: Senate Report
  May. 21, 2012 - 08:43PM | By MICHAEL MATHES, Agence France-Presse | 1 Comments WASHINGTON — More than a million Chinese counterfeit electronic parts are estimated to be in use in U.S. military aircraft, according to a U.S. Senate report released May 21 saying the discovery jeopardizes safety and national security. The Senate Armed Services Committee said its year-long investigation launched by Democratic chairman Carl Levin and ranking Republican John McCain uncovered 1,800 cases of bogus parts, including on the U.S. Air Force’s largest cargo plane, special operations helicopters and Navy surveillance planes. The 112-page report “outlines how this flood of counterfeit parts, overwhelmingly from China, threatens national security, the safety of our troops and American jobs,” Levin said. “It underscores China’s failure to police the blatant market in counterfeit parts — a failure China should rectify.” [Counterfeit] [Inversion]
• Winning Without Fighting: Chinese Legal Warfare
  By Dean Cheng May 21, 2012 Abstract: Over the past decade, there has been growing interest in legal warfare or “lawfare.” While the U.S. is focusing on the interplay between the law and counterinsurgency operations, China is approaching lawfare from a different perspective: as an offensive weapon capable of hamstringing opponents and seizing the political initiative. Indeed, Chinese planners are almost certainly preparing legal war plans aimed at controlling the enemy through the law or using the law to constrain the enemy. Consequently, the United States must take steps to prepare for the possibility of legal warfare and incorporate defensive measures into its strategic, operational, and tactical policies. Over the past decade, many nations have demonstrated a growing interest in legal warfare or “lawfare.” In the United States, lawfare discussions are focusing on the interplay between the law and counterinsurgency operations. Specifically, the U.S. is concerned that opponents, especially insurgents, may employ legal means to secure victories that they cannot obtain on the battlefield. The People’s Republic of China (PRC), and, in particular, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), is approaching lawfare from a different perspective: as an offensive weapon capable of hamstringing opponents and seizing the political initiative in wartime. Context: The “Three Warfares” Chinese writings often refer to the “three warfares” (san zhan): public opinion warfare, psychological warfare, and legal warfare. Chinese analyses almost always link the three together, as they are seen as interrelated and mutually reinforcing. [Softpower] China confrontation] [Legality] [Inversion] [UNUS]
• Faustian bargains leave public rich but culture weakened
  Global Times | May 27, 2012 19:10 By Global Times China's growing power is unmistakable, but cultural values and civil society often seem to be lagging behind the nation's new strength. Two experts discussed these issues at the Shanghai Forum 2012, hosted by Fudan University on May 26-28. Nation and society Susanne Weigelin-Schwiedrzik, vice-rector of the University of Vienna In ancient China, both the nation and society were powerful. According to John K. Fairbank's studies, ancient China had a very special governance pattern, one that could manage the relationship between central and local authorities well. He believes that in ancient China, civil society was a powerful partner of the nation. R. Bin Wong, director of the UCLA Asia Institute, holds that in ancient China, the nation's power lay in its capability to maintain unity, and the nation's political symbolic meanings exceeded its practical efficiency. Meanwhile, civil society's power lay in its autonomy and its supervision of the nation. [Softpower]

• China Starts 5-Month Crackdown on N.Korean Defectors
  Chinese security forces launched a massive crackdown on North Korean defectors in Jilin Province's Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture on May 15. Chinese officials say the crackdown is part of a nationwide bust of illegal aliens, but there are suspicions that the drive specifically targets North Korean defectors hiding out in northeastern China as well as South Korean activists and religious organizations who are helping them.
• What's Behind China's Fresh Crackdown on N.Koreans?
  The announcement of a massive five-month crackdown on North Korean defectors by security forces in China's Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture has triggered a rush of speculation. The aim appears to be to choke off that escape route from impoverished North Korea once and for all. Yanbian lies just across the Duman River from North Korea and has been the major transit route for North Korean refugees. Many starving North Koreans cross the border at the mid- or upper regions of the river which tend to be narrower than the lower reaches. In Yanbian they find clandestine work in restaurants, factories or farms. The number of North Koreans in this region, which at one time was estimated to be over 30,000, has dwindled recently, and experts estimate there are fewer than 15,000 left.
• Yanbian swoops on illegal immigrants
  Global Times | May 25, 2012 01:10 By Zhang Zhilong A crackdown on foreigners illegally living or working in the country has spread to Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, Jilin Province, as the foreign ministry Thursday rejected claims of an "anti-foreigner trend." The Yanbian Public Security Bureau said local police have pinpointed problematic areas where foreigners usually stay or illegally enter the prefecture. Local police also set up a hotline and encouraged residents to report "illegal foreigners" during the five-month campaign, which started May 15. The prefecture has a population of nearly 2.3 million, around 40 percent of whom are ethnically Korean. Li Yongxue, director of the entry-exit management division of the bureau, told the Xinhua News Agency that some of the "illegal foreigners" had committed crimes and caused social problems in the prefecture.
• Human rights still weapon for the US
  Global Times | May 26, 2012 01:00 By Global Times US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi attend a news conference after their meeting in Beijing June 29, 2008. During their one-hour talk, the two sides agreed to resume dialogue on human rights based on equality and mutual respect. Photo: Xinhua The US State Department issued its annual human rights report on other countries on Thursday that labeled China an "authoritarian country" and said the human rights situation in China has "deteriorated." China's State Council responded by issuing its 2011 human rights record report on the US the following day. It's a tit-for-tat quarrel once again. The issue of human rights is a conventional weapon the US uses to pressure other countries, among which China is a major target. Now that the Chinese public has freer access to information, it's easier for the US to use human rights diplomacy, which has proved more effective. The US should be clear that China has been making rapid progress in securing human rights of the general public. It not only comments on human rights of China, but also wishes to tarnish China's image in the world. The US's method is to focus on individual cases while ignoring the general situation. This is why it always highlights a couple of dissidents and labels them "representatives" of China's human rights. The struggle of these people against China's system is packaged to more effectively resonate with those in the West. The US has been skillful in packaging dissidents including Liu Xiaobo, Ai Weiwei and Chen Guangcheng. In fact, the experiences of these people represent rare cases in China, and their stories have mysterious connections with the West. The Chinese are puzzled whether these people are miserable "dissidents" or a lucky draw for US politicians. [Human rights] [Manipulation] [Softpower]
• Ties between China and North Korea hit rough weather in wake of Kim Jong Il’s death
  By Associated Press, Published: May 24 BEIJING — China’s leadership is hitting a rough patch with ally North Korea under its new leader Kim Jong Un, as Beijing finds itself wrong-footed in episodes including Pyongyang’s rocket launch and the murky detention of Chinese fishing boats. The testy state of China-North Korea affairs became public this week after Chinese media flashed images of the fishing crews, some of the 28 crew members stripped to their longjohns, returning home after 13 days in North Korean custody accused of illegal fishing. The reports quoted the fishermen as saying they were beaten and starved, and the coverage unleashed furious criticism in China’s blogosphere. “The North Koreans are like bandits and robbers,” China’s Southern Metropolis Weekly newspaper quoted one fisherman as saying Tuesday. The story, shared thousands of times on China’s Sina Weibo social media website, said the hijackers ripped down the Chinese flag on one boat and used it “like a rag.” While much remains unclear about the event — including whether the fishing boats were poaching in North Korean waters — to some Chinese observers it seemed like a slap on the face from Kim Jong Un, who took power after his father died in December. “The context of what is happening now between China and North Korea is this: Since Kim Jong Il died, the Kim Jong Un regime has been unfriendly to China,” said Shi Yinhong, an international relations expert at Renmin University in Beijing. [China NK]
• Hype unnecessary over N.Korean sea action
  Global Times | May 22, 2012 21:05 By Li Ying All 29 Chinese fishermen kidnapped by unidentified North Koreans were freed on Sunday with the help of diplomats from both sides. However, the incident has raised the ire of some Chinese people, who have been asking why it took so long for news of the event to be released and why China has reacted so calmly over this issue. Three Chinese fishing ships were operating in waters between North Korea and China on May 8 when they were boarded, and 29 crew members were taken hostage and the vessels hijacked, but China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs didn't confirm the news until nine days later. However, I see this as understandable. North Korea is a country which is relatively isolated from the outside world. It might have taken longer for the North Korean hijackers to release the news. Conflicts and incidents in neighboring waters between China and North Korea are not that rare. They happen from time to time, and this kind of incident is nothing new in the international community. China and North Korea are long-time allies, so they have downplayed past incidents and solved them peacefully in order to avoid escalation. Only this time the hijackers complicated the problem by making ransom demands, so the issue made a media splash. The emergence of national sentiment is natural. But it is unnecessary and unhelpful for us to take this fishing row to a diplomatic level, even exerting doubts over China's relationship with North Korea. China and North Korea's alliance has developed well for decades and it is beneficial to both sides. This firm relation also contributes to regional stability and world security.
• In Chongqing, Bo Xilai’s legacy and popularity endure
  By Keith B. Richburg, Wednesday, May 23, 12:27 PM Chongqing, China — The legacy of Bo Xilai, the ousted regional Communist Party chief, endures in this southwestern Chinese mega-city with its four-lane highways, expanding factories and hundreds of thousands of new apartments. While Bo remains under house arrest in Beijing, longtime residents hail what they describe as the transformation during his four-year reign of what not long ago was a provincial, insular, inland city. For the most part, a new regional leader appointed by the central authorities appears to be moving cautiously for fear of antagonizing Bo’s many backers. “Before Bo came, Chongqing was like a little girl. After Bo, we grew into a young beauty,” said Ding Rui, a 43-year-old tourist-van driver and Chong­qing native. In January, Ding, his wife and their daughter moved into a brand-new, government-subsidized, 785-square-foot, two-bedroom apartment — thanks to one of Bo’s pet projects: to build housing for low-income residents. “He made a lot of dramatic changes that ordinary people can feel,” Ding said. “As for the new party secretary, we don’t even know what he looks like.” [Chongqing]
• Beijing rejects Pentagon report assessing China’s expanding military power
  By Associated Press, Published: May 20 BEIJING — China on Saturday rejected an annual Pentagon report that said Beijing is aggressively modernizing its military forces. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said the report made irresponsible statements about China’s legitimate defense development and falsely claimed that the country presented a military threat. “China is developing its limited military forces only to protect its national independence and sovereignty,” Hong said. “No country needs to worry if it harbors no hostility toward China.” This year’s report, which was released Friday, describes an ambitious, fast-growing Chinese military program aimed at transforming the People’s Liberation Army into a modern force. It says its main goals include preserving Communist Party rule and preparing for possible hostilities with Taiwan. [China confrontation] [Military balance]
• North Korea Releases Chinese Fisherman
  By BRIAN SPEGELE BEIJING—A group of Chinese fishermen apparently detained by North Koreans nearly two weeks ago has been released, Chinese state media reported Sunday. The state-run Xinhua news agency quoted Jiang Yaxian, Chinese counselor to North Korea, as saying the detained vessels and fishermen were on their way back to China. The Xinhua report provided few details about the fishermen's detention, and it remained unclear why the vessels were detained in the first place and whether Chinese authorities had agreed to pay a ransom in exchange for their release.
• Rogue N.Korean Soldiers Suspected in Hijack of Chinese Boats
  Three Chinese fishing boats that were seized by a small North Korean Navy boat on the West Sea on May 8 returned to Dalian Port at around 7 a.m. on Monday. The fishermen were given a health check immediately after they arrived. Three complained of extreme dizziness, and three others showed clear signs of external injuries, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency. Twenty eight Chinese fishermen had been abducted, not 29 as reported earlier.
• Crew treated 'inhumanely'
  Global Times | May 22, 2012 01:10 By Hao Zhou in Dalian and Xu Tianran in Beijing Fishermen rest after reaching a port in Dalian, Liaoning Province Monday, after being held by unidentified North Korean captors for 13 days. Photo: CFP Twenty-eight abducted Chinese fishermen safely reached a port in Dalian, Liaoning Province Monday, bringing gruesome accounts of their 13 days of captivity at the hands of unidentified North Korean captors, as analysts warned that similar cases may happen again in the future. "Before they released us, they brought us ashore and gave each of us a pack of cigarettes. Then they pointed their guns at our heads, forcing us to write a confession saying that we entered North Korean waters illegally and they had treated us very well," Yuan Xiwen, one of the fishermen, told the Global Times. Zhu Chuang, one of the captains of the three boats, said the abductors only gave each boat half a bag of rice before ordering them to leave. "They took everything onboard, including communication devices and our clothes, leaving some of us only with underwear. Fortunately, we could still use the Beidou for guidance," Zhu told the Global Times, referring to China's indigenous satellite navigation system, a rival to the GPS.
• China-NK bond must be seen in daily life
  Global Times | May 21, 2012 01:00 By Global Times Three Chinese fishing boats, which had been freed by the North Korea, anchor at a port of Dalian, northeast China's Liaoning Province, May 21, 2012. A total of 29 Chinese fishermen and their three fishing boats returned to Dalian on Monday morning, following 13 days of detention by the NK. Photo: Xinhua North Korea's foreign ministry notified the Chinese embassy in Pyongyang Sunday that all recently detained Chinese fishermen and their vessels had been freed. China's diplomatic authorities made a quick response in the last two days, which is a worthy accomplishment. But China should look into itself and solve loopholes. This is the premise on which the maritime security of Chinese fishermen can be improved. The fishing boats and their crews were detained by North Korea on May 8, but it took several days for rescue work to be carried out. This exposes at least two problems. The first is that the law enforcement authorities at sea are unable to protect fishermen while North Korea just turned a blind eye to them. The second problem is that the emergency mechanism for protecting fishermen is flawed. It fails to act when any emergency occurs. However, China's emergency mechanism quickly goes into actio1 1n when frictions involving South Korea or the South China Sea and anti-pirate campaigns in Africa take place. The public feels that once any conflicts involving North Korea occur, authorities will not take tough measures. [China NK]
• Cherish NK ties but ensure sailors' safety
  Global Times | May 18, 2012 00:50 By Global Times Media reports revealed that three Chinese fishing boats were seized by unidentified North Koreans and were brought to North Korean waters on May 8. Twenty-nine Chinese sailors were held and the kidnappers have put up their request for ransom. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Thursday demanded that North Korea guarantee the safety of the Chinese fishermen and their legal interests. Rescuing the fishermen is the most important thing. Meanwhile, relevant authorities should publicize the reasons behind the incident and the rescue process. Even if the details cannot be revealed now, they should be made public afterward. As lives are involved, the severity of the incident cannot be offset by national interests, including Sino-North Korean relations. Chinese authorities should not only rescue the sailors, but also take tough measures to prevent similar incidents.
• China veterans urge sacking of politician Zhou Yongkang
  By Michael Bristow BBC News, Beijing In this Aug. 16, 2011 file photo, China"s security chief Zhou Yongkang applauds after signing an agreement on economic cooperation with Nepal, in Katmandu, Nepal. Mr Zhou is in charge of China's police force, its courts and its spy network A group of veteran Communist Party members in China have written to President Hu Jintao to ask him to sack leading politician Zhou Yongkang. Mr Zhou is currently in charge of China's security apparatus. In an open letter to President Hu, the party's general secretary, the veterans suggest Mr Zhou is part of a movement to revive the China of Mao Zedong. Speculation has been growing about the future of Mr Zhou since the downfall of another top politician, Bo Xilai. It is not often that party members make such a daring plea to their boss. The letter urges the president to sack Mr Zhou from his post as head of China's police force, its courts and its spy network. He is also a member of the standing committee of the Chinese Communist Party, the country's highest decision-making body. The letter's authors, who all know each other, also want him out of that job too. Veteran members Some of the veteran party members who wrote the note joined the Chinese communists before they took power in 1949. They hold no senior positions - and do not seem to be particularly influential. But one of the authors, Yu Yongqing, told the BBC that they had received hundreds of calls of support, and some threatening ones. Mr Yu, who held a senior position in the party in the city of Zhaotong in Yunnan province, said Mr Zhou had to go because of his support for Bo Xilai. Mr Bo was recently sacked from his position in the party's politburo and as party secretary of the city of Chongqing, where he led a campaign that sought to revive interest in the Mao Zedong era. [Chongqing] [Bo Xilai]
• Mystery Deepens Over Chinese Fishermen Held in N.Korea
  Bafflement is growing over the fate of 29 Chinese fishermen who are being held to ransom in North Korea. Reports now say they were fishing in North Korean waters, but there are conflicting accounts whether they were seized by a military gunboat or by pirates. Pyongyang has not commented on the incident, and a Chinese government spokesman on Thursday only said Beijing is trying to resolve the matter in cooperation with North Korea and called on Pyongyang to guarantee their rights.
• 29 Chinese fishermen allegedly seized by NK
  Globaltimes.cn | May 17, 2012 16:14 By Globaltimes.cn File photo of Liaodanyu 23979, one of three ships allegedly seized by an unidentified North Korean ship on May 8. Source: We54.com. Owners of three Chinese fishing boats, which were allegedly seized by an unidentified North Korean ship last week, told the Global Times on May 16 that they cannot meet the captors' ransom demand and hope local authorities can help resolve the issue.
• Kadeer's incorrect claims fail to reflect Xinjiang's complex reality
  Global Times | May 18, 2012 00:35 By Turgunjun Tursun Kadeer's incorrect claims fail to reflect Xinjiang's complex reality "The Chinese government says it is assimilating and eventually eliminating the Uyghur people and other indigenous people," accused Rebiya Kadeer, leader of the Munich-based World Uyghur Congress, at the Congress' fourth meeting held in Tokyo Monday. China has strongly protested the meeting. But was Kadeer telling the truth? The facts can speak for themselves. On the political aspect, the Constitution of the PRC and the Law of the PRC on Regional Ethnic Autonomy have ensured the political rights of every ethnic minority group, including the Uyghurs. According to official data, in 2007, ethnic minorities accounted for 57 percent of the local workforce, and about 58.89 percent of skilled workers were ethnic minorities. In 2008, 363,000 officials in Xinjiang had ethnic minority backgrounds, accounting for 51.25 percent of the total number of officials, including many senior posts. [Separatism] [Xinjiang]
• N.Koreans Hold 3 Chinese Trawlers to Ransom
  Three Chinese fishing vessels have been seized by North Koreans and are being held to ransom, CCTV reported on Wednesday. The unidentified North Koreans demanded 1.2 million yuan or W220 million. According to Chinese media reports, one boat left Liaoning and was seized by the North Koreans around 4:30 a.m. on May 8 when they were fishing in waters 123 degrees 57 minutes east and 38 degrees and five minutes north. Two more Chinese fishing vessels were seized later that day. A total of 29 crew were aboard the three vessels. Crew of other Chinese trawlers that managed to escape the scene alerted maritime police back home. CCTV said the fishing boats were seized in Chinese waters. The North Korean abductors handed a satellite phone to the fishermen, who phoned their family and told them they would be freed if the ransom was paid. They said they were already in North Korean waters. It is common for Chinese fishing boats to be seized by South Korean maritime police while fishing illegally in the South's waters but very rare for them to be seized by North Korea. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said it was trying to assess the situation and keep in contact with North Korea to resolve the dispute. [Territorial disputes] [China NK]
• Resource-Rich Canada Looks to China for Growth
  By CHIP CUMMINS and ALISTAIR MACDONALD [CANCHINA] Reuters Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper, center, inspects a guard of honour with China's Premier Wen Jiabao in Beijing in February. VANCOUVER—For almost a century, Canada's economy has been firmly tethered to its much larger southern neighbor. Now, Canadian officials and executives also are betting their future on China. For almost two centuries, the U.S. has been Canada's most important trading partner. Now China is gaining ground. Video and reporting by WSJ's Chip Cummins. Canada's economic reliance on the U.S. has ebbed for decades amid sporadic efforts to diversify. But weak demand from a prolonged economic downturn south of the border has accelerated the move, sending Canadian companies looking for new markets. [Decline] [China rising] [Canada]
• China’s choices and ours
  May 7th, 2012 Author: Hugh White, ANU Although he’s confident that Asia’s present regional order and institutions will keep Asia peaceful and harmonious as China’s power grows, Amitav Acharya does acknowledge that adjustments will be needed. The question, then, is what kind of adjustments are required? I have argued that the key change needed to preserve Asia’s peace and stability over the next few decades is a shift from an order based on US primacy to one that is based on a relationship of equality between the region’s great powers. The reason is simple: as its power grows, China will no longer be satisfied with a regional order based on what China sees as its political and strategic subordination to the US. That dissatisfaction will be expressed — is already being expressed — by a determined attempt to change the order which is already undermining regional stability. [Hegemony]
• US considers selling Taiwan new fighters
  Publication Date:04/30/2012 Source: Taiwan Today By Rachel Chan Washington is considering selling Taipei new fighter jets to help upgrade the ROC’s aging fleet and address the growing gap between Taiwan and mainland Chinese air capabilities, according to the White House April 27. The issue will be a top priority for Mark Lippert, new assistant secretary of defense, said Robert L. Nabors, an assistant to U.S. President Barack Obama and director of the White House Office of Legislative Affairs. Lippert, in consultation with relevant agencies and the Congress, will play a leading role in discussing force transformation with his Taiwan counterparts, Nabors said. This near-term course of action includes how to address Taiwan’s fighter gap through the sale of an “undetermined number of new U.S.-made fighter aircraft,” he added [Taiwan] [Arms sales]
• Liberalising China’s international capital movements
  April 29th, 2012 Author: Yu Yongding, CASS After the Chinese government launched its so-called Pilot RMB Trade Settlement Scheme in April 2009, efforts to internationalise the renminbi have made impressive headway. By September 2011, RMB deposits in Hong Kong reached RMB622.2 billion, and it was widely expected that the amount would surpass RMB1 trillion by the end of 2011. Things turned out otherwise. One might ask how the renminbi could be internationalised without a liberalised capital account. In truth, internationalisation of the renminbi is capital account liberalisation in disguise. If progress has been made in the renminbi’s internationalisation, it can be regarded as a by-product of capital account liberalisation. [China rising] [Renminbi]
• China's View of U.S. Presidential Politics
  Interviewee: Jia Qingguo Interviewer: Bernard Gwertzman, Consulting Editor April 25, 2012 The Chinese leadership is following the U.S. presidential campaign very closely, says Jia Qingguo, a leading American studies scholar, "because whoever gets elected may make policies that have serious consequences for China." He says it is fashionable to criticize China during an election, but some of these criticisms reflect U.S. domestic problems. "Significant parts of the U.S. economy are in trouble and you need to find a scapegoat, and China happens to be the one," Jia says. "But if the past experience serves as a guide, a new president will not significantly change the U.S. policy toward China because the relationship between the two countries has become so close and the interests have become so intertwined." Does the Chinese leadership follow the U.S. election pretty closely? Definitely. I think the Chinese leaders pay a lot of attention to what's going on in the United States, especially the presidential campaign, because whoever gets elected may make policies that have serious consequences for China. So it's customary that the Chinese leaders pay a lot of attention to U.S. elections. [US_election12] [F&E] [China bashing]
• Is China About to Get Its Military Jet Engine Program Off the Ground?
  By Gabe Collins and Andrew Erickson Tensions in the South China Sea—most recently with the Philippines—and Beijing’s unease about Washington’s renewed strategic focus on Asia are likely to strengthen calls from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) for more modern fighters and strike aircraft. Russia has historically supplied the high performance military jet engines that power these craft. However, China’s defense industry is working hard to become capable of mass producing Chinese-made military jet engines in order to end dependence on Russia, give China maximum strategic flexibility, and begin to compete with Russian-made combat aircraft in export markets. [Military balance]
• Dalai assassination claims mind-boggling
  Global Times | May 14, 2012 00:40 By Global Times The Dalai Lama recently revealed his fear to the Western media that Chinese agents have trained female devotees to kill him with poison while seeking blessings. He said he was not sure about the claims to assassinate him, since there was no reliable source. Why did the Dalai Lama decide to openly speak of this unconfirmed information? He spread the information of this kind at his pleasure, even more enthusiastically than the other ordinary Tibetan monks in exile. In fact, some of the rumors related to Tibet originated from the Dalai Lama. Let's put it simply: If the central government wanted to "eliminate" the Dalai Lama, why has it waited for such a long time? Isn't it foolish to take action against Dalai at such an old age? The assassination plot told by the Dalai is more like something you would find in a martial arts novel. Revealing such unreliable information, the Dalai appears to have become mixed up in his old age. But some believe he is playing an insidious trick. He could use his claims as an excuse for any diseases he has in the future. Even if he dies of a normal illness, the speculation would be that he was poisoned. This claim by the Dalai Lama have no credibility, not only because there is no benefit for Chinese agents to poison him, but also because of the fact that since the establishment of the PRC, the country has never assassinated its political opponents in exile. China won't change its practice and principles for the Dalai. The Dalai has been rather active after betraying his country. He travels safely around the world and doesn't receive any punishment for instigating violent activities in the Tibetan region. This is a result of China's stable political culture. If his country was the US, Israel, Russia or Turkey, he wouldn't have lived such a stable life. [Tibet] [Assassination]
• Govt denies army at 'combat readiness'
  Global Times | May 12, 2012 00:40 By Wang Zhaokun China on Friday refuted allegations that troops in South China have been preparing for war. "The reports alleging that the PLA Guangzhou Military Area Command and the Navy's South China Sea Fleet have entered combat readiness are not true," the Ministry of National Defense said in a statement issued on its website on Friday. Meanwhile, anti-China demonstrations advocated by some Filipino activists to stage on Friday did not turn out to be as large as claimed. Around 200 Filipino activists reportedly held an anti-China protest outside the Chinese consulate in Manila. China accused the Philippines of escalating tensions amid the row over Huangyan Island. "Inciting anti-China protests was a mistake by the Philippines that has escalated the current situation and made it more complicated," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters in Beijing. [Territorial disputes]
• Brit beaten after alleged sex attack
  Global Times | May 11, 2012 00:40 By Wei Na A British man has been detained by police for indecency, after he was alleged to have molested a young Chinese woman around 11 pm on Tuesday evening, on Xuanwumenwai Dajie, Xicheng district, Beijing public security bureau (PSB) confirmed Thursday. The PSB made the microblog announcement in response to a video, which was uploaded Wednesday evening. The three-minute clip, recorded on a cell phone, appears to show the man, who has not been identified, trying to commit a sexual act in public with the woman, who has also not been identified. The video had been viewed over 3 million times by late last night. The video was captioned "Beijingers, remember this laowai's face. We'll beat him up every time we see him." The man, wearing a turquoise top and dark trackpants, was standing between the legs of a Chinese woman lying on her back in a raised bed of flowers. The woman, her dress rucked up exposing her underwear, is audibly crying, screaming she does not know him and saying "bu yao," (no, no). [Social media] [Resurgence]
• Chen trump for US in human rights game
  Global Times | May 06, 2012 19:30 By Sima Pingbang Poker players all know that in most trick-taking games, the face cards are normally the best. However, the "2", generally the lowest in rank, can become a special trump under certain game rules. It can even turn a losing game completely upside-down, if used properly. What I'm arguing is not about card games, but blind Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng, who has sadly become a trump in US political games. As China continues to improve its citizens' human rights, the US has found human rights issues becoming more and more ineffective at causing any major domestic turbulence in China. This has driven the US to seek a special trump to leverage its chance in the changing game, and it has found Chen. I and a few friends were able to visit Chen last December at his hometown, Dongshigu village in Linyi in Shandong Province. To our surprise, Chen's reputation wasn't as far-reaching as we have learned from the Internet. Most people living there had never heard of him or his deeds, including the resourceful local taxi-drivers. This hugely imbalanced fame of Chen's between cyberspace and the reality disappointed me. Chen was quite excited when he heard of our arrival. He questioned who was behind our visit, and, after learning that we are just a group of grass-roots observers there to look for a peaceful solution, he told us that his problem couldn't be solved by ordinary means. I remember him saying "my problem can only be solved by the UN. I only trust the UN, and it will come to save me sooner or later." [Human rights] [Manipulation]
• Bo Xilai, China and Media Hypocrisy
  By Bhaskar Menon* NEW DELHI, , 2012 (IPS) - The story of Chinese "princeling" Bo Xilai, his "Jackie Kennedy wife" Gu Kailai, and murdered "British businessman" Neil Heywood is a textbook case of mass media hypocrisy in covering international affairs. Consider for example the Letter from China ( http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/evanosnos/2012/04/chin as-public-servants-why-bo-xilai-matters.html ) headlined "Corruption Nation: Why Bo Xilai Matters" in the last week’s New Yorker, and the investigative piece by Bloomberg (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-13/china- murder-suspect-s-sisters-ran-126-million-business- empire.html ) on Gu's four sisters who "controlled a web of businesses from Beijing to Hong Kong to the Caribbean worth at least $126 million." In both articles, as in the general flow of news agency reporting of the matter, the focus is firmly on Chinese corruption. The cesspool represented by Neil Heywood, who Reuters reported was "poisoned after he threatened to expose a plan by a Chinese leader’s wife to move money abroad," remains firmly in the shadows. Heywood was no ordinary "British businessman." He was a fixer for the global black market centered on and run from The City, London's financial center. His main job seems to have been helping corrupt Chinese officials move hot money into safe havens abroad. On the side he reported to MI6, Britain's nefarious spy agency (a link he advertised in a pathetically juvenile manner by incorporating 007 on his car license plate). Why is China "corruption nation" and not Britain? [Corruption] [Double standards]
• Beijing's tax chief gets death sentence
  Global Times | May 10, 2012 01:15 By Zou Le The former chief of the Beijing Local Taxation Bureau was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve by the No.1 Intermediate People's Court of Beijing Wednesday. The court found that between 2002 and 2009, 64-year-old Wang Jiping took bribes worth more than 4 million yuan ($633,944), and embezzled 10 million yuan. The court concluded that Wang colluded with his brother, son and other relatives to rig the bidding process for government procurement, construction tenders and employment, the China News Service (CNS) reported. [Corruption]
• Chan case not a sign of growing tensions with journalists
  Global Times | May 10, 2012 00:45 By Shan Renping China refused to extend the press credentials and visa of Melissa Chan, English correspondent of the Arabic-language news network Al-Jazeera in Beijing, and hasn't allowed the channel to find someone to replace her. The news network said that its Beijing bureau was "forced out of China." Foreign media claimed that Melissa Chan was the first accredited foreign journalist to be expelled from China since 1998. In the past 14 years, there has been a lot of friction between China and other countries. China has seen many occasions when foreign media discredited the country with a biased perspective. But the Chinese government takes a restrained attitude toward them, as most Chinese officials acknowledge that it only makes things worse for a country's image if they take a confrontational position with foreign journalists. China didn't give a specific reason for expelling the reporter. [Media]
• China’s rise and security in the Asian century
  May 6th, 2012 Author: Amitav Acharya, AU The future of Asian security has caused much anxiety. Not surprisingly, a good deal of it concerns China’s recent geopolitical ‘assertiveness’. Territorial disputes over the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands, the South China Sea, and Arunachal Pradesh suggest China’s much-vaunted ‘charm offensive’ toward its neighbours is over. So what comes next? Among academic and policy circles, China’s rise evokes three possible scenarios about Asia’s future. [China rising]
• ROC reiterates South China Sea policy
  ROC reiterates South China Sea policy Publication Date:05/04/2012 Source: Taiwan Today The Ministry of National Defense and Mainland Affairs Council separately reiterated the ROC government’s South China Sea policy May 3 amid rising tensions among competing claimants in the region. MND Deputy Minister Chao Shih-chang said during a Legislative Yuan Foreign and National Defense Committee hearing that “at this complicated and sensitive time in the region,” the status quo should be maintained in terms of the ROC’s weapon deployments in the Dongsha (Pratas) Islands and Taiping Island, the largest of the Nansha (Spratly) Islands. [Territorial disputes]
• Inside China: Admiral says China can destroy destroyers
  By Miles Yu The Navy’s next-generation warship, the 15,000-ton Zumwalt-class destroyer, is no good and can be destroyed by Chinese fishing boats armed with explosives, according to a leading Chinese military commentator, People’s Liberation Army Rear Adm. Zhang Zhaozhong. Adm. Zhang made the remarks April 30 during a nationwide broadcast of “Defense Review Weekly,” a program on state-run China Central TV. The admiral has been the station’s chief military commentator since 1998. [Military balance] [Asymmetry]
• US concerned over ROC role in South China Sea
  Publication Date:05/03/2012 Source: Taiwan Today U.S. officials have expressed mild concern about the possibility of the ROC expanding its military presence in the South China Sea amid rising tensions across the region. American Institute in Taiwan spokesman Christopher Kavanagh said May 2 that Washington shares a number of national interests with the international community in the South China Sea. “The U.S. position remains clear. We support a collaborative diplomatic process by all claimants to resolve their disputes without coercion.” Washington does not take a position on competing sovereignty claims over land features in the South China Sea, Kavanagh added. “However, we call on all claimants to conform all of their claims, both land and maritime, to international law, including as reflected in the Law of the Sea Convention.” [Territorial disputes] [Friction]
• MND ups security in Diaoyutais, South China Sea
  Publication Date:05/02/2012 Source: Taiwan Today By Rachel Chan The ROC Ministry of National Defense said May 2 that it has taken steps to bolster security in and around the Diaoyutai and South China Sea island groups. These measures include increasing the frequency and range of air and coastal patrols, conducting regular visits by supply aircraft and warships, and holding military drills on islands with permanent bases such as Taiping Island in the Nansha (Spratly) Islands. The MND remarks were contained in a joint Coast Guard Administration and Ministry of Foreign Affairs report presented to the ROC Legislature’s Foreign and National Defense Committee the same day. [Territorial disputes]
• China launches two more Beidou navigation satellites
  China's navigation satellite being launched China plans to launch 35 navigation satellites China has moved a step closer to completing its own navigation and positioning satellite network with the launch of two more navigation satellites. It brings the Beidou system, which became operational with coverage of China last December, to 13 satellites. To have global coverage, the country eventually aims to have 35 satellites in orbit by 2020. China hopes that Beidou will wean it off the US Global Positioning System. Just like GPS, the Chinese system is designed to let users determine their positions to within a few meters. Beidou, also known as Compass, has been developed for both military and civilian uses. [China rising] [GPS] [Decline] [Satellite]
• 'Bo Xilai case affects China policy on N. Korea'
  By Kim Young-jin The apparent rise of reformers in the Chinese Communist Party raises the possibility of a tougher line on North Korea amid growing frustration over Pyongyang’s provocations, an expert said Tuesday. Analysts say the recent ouster of former politburo member Bo Xilai in connection with the suspected murder of a British businessman and a bugging scandal has exposed deep rifts in the Chinese leadership, with reformers taking the opportunity to push for change. Gordon Flake, executive director of the Mark and Mike Mansfield Foundation, said the movement away from “old-school conservatives” such as Bo could encourage Beijing to recalibrate a North Korea policy that was criticized for enabling Pyongyang’s behavior. [MISCOM] [China NK]
• Fears of spying hinder U.S. license for China Mobile
  Law enforcement officials say a license for the telecom giant to offer international service to American customers could allow theft of intellectual property and espionage. By Ken Dilanian, Los Angeles Times May 5, 2012 WASHINGTON — Concerned about possible cyber spying, U.S. national security officials are debating whether to take the unprecedented step of recommending that a Chinese government-owned mobile phone giant be denied a license to offer international service to American customers. China Mobile, the world's largest mobile provider, applied in October for a license from the Federal Communications Commission to provide service between China and the United States and to build facilities on American soil. [ODI] [China confrontation] [Espionage]
• Taiwan academic rebuts Japan’s Diaoyutai claim
  The Diaoyutai Archipelago is ROC territory as indicated by several Japanese government documents unearthed by a Taiwan academic. (CNA) Publication Date:05/07/2012 Source: Taiwan Today By Rachel Chan A Taiwan academic has questioned Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara’s plan to purchase three islands in the Diaoyutai Archipelago, citing documents from 1885-1895 in which the Japanese government acknowledges Chinese ownership. Shaw Han-yi, a research fellow at Taipei-based National Chengchi University’s Research Center for International Legal Studies, made the statement in an opinion piece published May 3 by The Wall Street Journal. “The governor’s nationalist rhetoric and provocative actions do nothing to resolve the issue, and will make coming confrontations harder to back down from,” Shaw said. “The only way to heal the wound once and for all is for the two parties to return to the crux of the problem: the merits of their legal claims.” [Territorial disputes]
• Japan's Dubious Claim to the Diaoyus
  The facts, not nationalist rhetoric, should count in a territorial dispute. By HAN-YI SHAW Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara has reignited tensions between China and Japan with his plan for the metropolitan government to buy three of the disputed islands in the East China Sea known as the Diaoyus in Chinese and the Senkakus in Japanese. The governor's nationalist rhetoric and provocative actions do nothing to resolve the issue, and will make coming confrontations harder to back down from. The only way to heal the wound once and for all is for the two parties to return to the crux of the problem: the merits of their legal claims. Japanese and Chinese politicians alike continue to offer one-sided and often flawed historical arguments. [Territorial disputes]
• Putin's re-election a chance to cement ties
  Global Times | May 08, 2012 01:10 By Global Times Vladimir Putin was sworn in as Russia's President Monday. The media is generally predicting that his re-election will enable Moscow to maintain a hardline approach toward the West for a long time. It is also regarded as a positive factor for Sino-Russian relations. These predictions are based on Putin's ruling style and the values he upholds. Russia's national interests are more clearly framed as he returns to the Kremlin. The likelihood that Moscow can be deterred or coerced in the future is decreasing. But the personal preferences of the top leader do not necessarily dictate a country's foreign policies. That said, Putin's re-election as president does not mean that Russia's ties with the West and China are predestined. But he is the most suitable person in terms of China deepening its strategic partnership with Russia. Putin's philosophy regarding the West and his strategic vision all bode well for the China-Russia relationship. [China Russia] [NCW]
• China expels Al Jazeera correspondent; news channel closes its English bureau in Beijing
  By Tom Lasseter | McClatchy Newspapers BEIJING, China — Al Jazeera’s English-language channel was forced Tuesday to shutter its bureau in China after authorities here declined to renew credentials for a journalist with a reputation for hard-hitting journalism. The de facto expulsion of Melissa Chan, reportedly the first such incident in almost 14 years, and Beijing’s refusal to issue a visa for a new correspondent left the channel with no other decision, the Qatar-based satellite news network said in a statement. The network's Arabic-language reporting operations here will not be affected.
• Kim Jong-un plans to visit Beijing later this year: report
  TOKYO (Yonhap) -- North Korea's young leader, Kim Jong-un, is seeking to visit Beijing later this year amid tightening international sanctions on Pyongyang due to its recent failed rocket launch, a local report said Sunday. North Korea is also believed to be preparing to conduct another nuclear test after ones in 2006 and 2009, which brought strong sanctions by the U.N. Security Council. Kim Yong-il, who is in charge of international relations at the North's ruling Workers' Party, visited Beijing in late April to convey to Chinese leader Hu Jintao Kim Jong-un's plan to visit the Chinese capital, Japan's Nihon Keizai newspaper reported. Hu welcomed the proposed visit to Beijing by Kim Jong-un, who took over after the sudden death of his father Kim Jong-il in December, according to the daily. [China NK]
• US to arrange for Chen to pursue overseas studies
  Global Times | May 05, 2012 01:45 By Huang Jingjing Chen Guangcheng may apply to study abroad through legal means like other Chinese citizens, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release on Friday. "If he hopes to study abroad, as a Chinese citizen, he can apply according to laws with relevant departments and through the same channels as other Chinese citizens," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin replied when asked to make a comment on reports that Chen wished to study abroad. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Friday that she saw "progress" in resolving the Chen Guangcheng incident, and was "encouraged" by Beijing's statement.
• Counting the dead
  Global Times | May 04, 2012 01:40 By Zhao Qian Discussion has been rife online of late about the true number of deaths and causes of the famine that occurred during the period known as the "Three Years of Natural Disasters," which lasted from 1959 to 1961 when famine blighted the country during the Great Leap Forward. It has been officially characterized as being widespread natural disasters, mainly drought, compounded by economic planning errors by the government. [Great Leap Forward]
• Chinese upset in kimchi cabbage row
  By Chung Min-uck Chinese cabbage has been the name for the main ingredient for the Korean side dish kimchi. But now Koreans are establishing sovereignty over what they eat by having an international naming organization almost decide to call it “kimchi cabbage.” Of course, there are grounds for the name change with the change in appearance, but Chinese netizens are upset at the adjective indicating the nationality of the vegetable being withdrawn and are showing their displeasure.
• China 'Would Lose Patience with N.Korea Over Nuke Test'
  China will change its position on North Korea if the isolated nation carries out a third nuclear test, a Chinese academic predicted Wednesday. Chu Shulong, a professor at Tsinghua University, said Beijing "will work with the UN Security Council" on possible sanctions against the North. Chu was speaking in a seminar hosted by the Kwanhun Club, a senior journalists fraternity. Chu added another nuclear test will also result in "China halting fuel and humanitarian aid to North Korea, and the strongest sanctions it has ever faced" from Beijing. Prof. Zhu Feng of Beijing University, also speaking at the seminar, warned the North Korean regime is breaking up. "We don't know when the rupture in the North Korean regime will begin, but it has to face its eventual collapse," he said. "It's unlikely that the Kim Jong-un regime will last 20 years." [China NK] [Test] [Chinese IR] [Collapse]
• Kwanhun Club
  Kwanhun Club, established in 1957, is the oldest Korean journalists' club with over 900 members. In early 1970, Kwanhun Club members gave every effort to promote responsibility and freedom of journalism in Korea
• Dialogue can mend or worsen Sino-US ties
  Global Times | May 03, 2012 00:15 By Global Times Chinese President Hu Jintao (C) addresses the opening session of the fourth round of the China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Beijing, capital of China, May 3, 2012. Photo: Xinhua The fourth China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue starts Thursday in Beijing with military officials from both sides also in attendance. Amid rising worries over the bilateral relationship, the dialogue faces the pressing agenda of answering these concerns. Mutual distrust between China and the US is apparently increasing. The high-level dialogue needs to ensure that the two countries can keep this negative sentiment under control and avoid it being turned into strategic opposition under specific disputes. There are many things that can be done to advance Sino-US ties, but meanwhile it seems hard to find where exactly to start. [F&E]
• The rich find religion
  Global Times | May 02, 2012 19:35 By Xuyang Jingjing Zhang Xin and Pan Shiyi, the real estate tycoon couple, have said on many occasions that religion changed their lives. They converted to the Baha'i faith in 2005, a religion that originated in Iran 150 years ago, has over 5 million followers around the world and claims to be one the fastest growing religions in the world. "Baha'i has transformed me," Zhang, CEO of SOHO China, told the Wall Street Journal. Zhang, with a net worth of over $2.7 billion according to forbes.com, says that she and her husband are now focusing less on material success and more on family, charity and spiritual well-being. Zhang and Pan are not the only entrepreneurs who found religion after they found wealth. About half of the high net worth individuals (HNWI) admit to religious beliefs, according to the Chinese Luxury Consumer White Paper 2011, jointly released by Hurun Report and the Industrial Bank in late March. The report is based on surveys of 878 individuals with assets over 6 million yuan ($952,200), living in 29 cities. The white paper shows about 30 percent of respondents believe in Buddhism, 5 percent are Protestants, 3 percent Muslim, 2 percent Catholic and 10 percent believe in other faiths. [Religion]
• Chinese activist Chen leaves U.S. Embassy for hospital, is surrounded by police
  By Keith B. Richburg, Jia Lynn Yang and Steven Mufson, Published: May 2 | Updated: Thursday, May 3, 6:05 PM BEIJING — The blind legal activist Chen Guangcheng left the refuge of the U.S. Embassy in Beijing for a hospital on Wednesday, but he was quickly cordoned off by Chinese police and reportedly seized by misgivings about his decision, as an apparent diplomatic triumph risked dissolving into a damaging episode in U.S.-China relations. After four days of secret negotiations, U.S. diplomats on Wednesday initially touted then later scrambled to defend their role in forging an agreement that they said contained extraordinary Chinese promises to allow Chen — a self-taught lawyer known for criticizing Chinese policies on abortion — to move his family to Beijing, where he would begin a new life as a university student.
• Brewing Up a Conflict With China
  by PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS Washington has pressured the Philippines, whose government it owns, into conducting joint military exercises in the South China Sea. Washington’s excuse is that China has territorial disputes with the Philippines, Indonesia, and other countries concerning island and sea rights in the South China Sea. Washington asserts that China’s territorial disputes with the like of Indonesia and the Philippines are a matter of United States’ national interests. Washington has not made it clear what Washington’s stake is in the disputes. The reason Washington cannot identify why China’s disputes with the Philippines and Indonesia are threats to the United States is that there is no reason. Nevertheless, the undefined “threat” has become the reason Washington needs more naval bases in the Philippines and South Korea. What this is all about is provoking a long-term cold war conflict with China that will keep profits and power flowing into Washington’s military-security complex. Large profits flow to armaments companies. A portion of the profits reflow into campaign contributions to “the people’s representatives” in DC and to presidential candidates who openly sell out their country to private interests. [China confrontation] [MISCOM]
• Vessel owner denies poaching charges
  Global Times | May 02, 2012 01:10 By Liu Linlin The South Korean Coast Guard is searching a Chinese fishing vessel on April 30 morning. Photo: huanqiu.com The South Korean Coast Guard (KCG) is seeking arrest warrants for twoa Chinese nationals accused of poaching, but the owner of the boat yesterday denied illegal fishing charges and blamed KCG officials for injuring his crew. "The ship did not fish in South Korean waters. They were there to transport seafood," the owner of the Zheyu Fishery & Transportation 581 vessel told the Global Times on condition of anonymity. "All crewmembers are from Shandong Province and have a fixed income. They all know about Seoul's recent sentencing of a Chinese captain to 30 years in jail for the death of a South Korean official, so they would not take violent measures unless they were provoked," he said.
• J-20 fighter on trial flight
  Xinhua | April 30, 2012 17:06 By Agencies J-20 fighter on trial flight China has conducted another test-flight of its J-20 stealth fighter,which is also named the "Black Ribbon" by military fans. Photo: Xinhua Photo: Xinhua China has conducted another test-flight of its J-20 stealth fighter,which is also named the "Black Ribbon" by military fans. Photo: Xinhua Photo: Xinhua China has conducted another test-flight of its J-20 stealth fighter,which is also named the "Black Ribbon" by military fans. Photo: Xinhua Photo: Xinhua China has conducted another test-flight of its J-20 stealth fighter,which is also named the "Black Ribbon" by military fans. Photo: Xinhua [Photos] [Military balance]

• The US Labor Movement and China
  by ALBERTO C. RUIZ The statistics are chilling. In a country where workers have no real right to organize a union, they face an ever falling standard of living. The workers’ attempts to organize independent unions are faced with repression – 25% of the companies illegally fire workers who try to organize; active union supporters indeed have a 1 in 5 chance of being fired; over half of the companies threaten to have undocumented, foreign laborers deported during organizing campaigns; over half of the companies threaten to close the plant if it is organized; and nearly half of companies that are unionized never reach a labor contract with the union. Of course, this country is not China, but rather, is, according to the AFL-CIO, the United States. [Labour] [China bashing]
• Tokyo offer to buy Diaoyu Islands stirs public wrath
  Global Times | April 28, 2012 00:50 By Yang Jingjie Chinese analysts and activists have lambasted an attempt by Japanese right-wing politicians to purchase the Diaoyu Islands, saying the unilateral action wouldn't change the facts that the islands are under Chinese sovereignty. Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara announced Friday that the metropolitan government had set up an account for people to send money to help it purchase the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea, the Japan Times reported. "We've received so many phone calls (from citizens) saying they want to donate money … Some even sent us 100,000 yen ($1,240)," Ishihara said at a news press conference on Friday. The metropolitan government will set up a bureau Tuesday to draw up a concrete plan for purchasing the islands, Ishihara said. During a visit to the US last week, Ishihara announced that the Tokyo metropolitan government would purchase land on the Diaoyu Islands from a private owner, which the Chinese government labelled as "illegal and invalid. [China confrontation] [Territorial disputes]
• New York Times dips into rumor mill
  Globaltimes.cn | April 29, 2012 00:01 By Chen Chenchen As the investigation into the Bo Xilai case continues, without yet reaching a final conclusion, rumors of miscellaneous juicy details swirl among Western media. One of the latest sensational reports was published in the New York Times Wednesday, which implicated Bo in a "wiretapping scandal," citing a group of anonymous sources. [Bo Xilai] [Media]
• Eurasian Economic Boom and Geopolitics: China’s Land Bridge to Europe: The China-Turkey High Speed Railway
  by F. William Engdahl Global Research, April 27, 2012 The prospect of an unparalleled Eurasian economic boom lasting into the next Century and beyond is at hand. The first steps binding the vast economic space are being constructed with a number of little-publicized rail links connecting China, Russia, Kazakhstan and parts of Western Europe. It is becoming clear to more people in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Eurasia including China and Russia that their natural tendency to build these markets faces only one major obstacle: NATO and the US Pentagon’s Full Spectrum Dominance obsession. Rail infrastructure is a major key to building vast new economic markets across Eurasia. China and Turkey are in discussions to build a new high-speed railway link across Turkey. If completed it would be the country's largest railway project ever, even including the pre-World War I Berlin-Baghdad Railway link. The project was perhaps the most important agenda item, far more so than Syria during talks in Beijing between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Chinese leadership in early April. The proposed rail link would run from Kars on the easternmost border with Armenia, through the Turkish interior on to Istanbul where it would connect to the Marmaray rail tunnel now under construction that runs under the Bosphorus strait. Then it would continue to Edirne near the border to Greece and Bulgaria in the European Union. It will cost an estimated $35 billion. The realization of the Turkish link would complete a Chinese Trans-Eurasian Rail Bridge project that would bring freight from China to Spain and England.1 [Railways] [Eurasian landbridge] [China rising]
• North Korea should think twice on tests
  Global Times | April 26, 2012 19:55 By Li Ying Western analysts are expecting a third nuclear test soon from North Korea, as it has reportedly almost completed preparations after a failed rocket launch. But at the moment, there is nothing stirring on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea is still thinking and waiting for the right timing. One thing the North Koreans have to think through is whether they are ready for a new round of nuclear tests, technically and economically. Its rocket launch on April 13, which exploded into around 20 pieces and fell into the sea, has been confirmed as a failure. North Korea said its scientists were assessing what caused the explosion. [Test] [Satellite] [Chinese IR] [China NK]
• With Bo Xilai’s ouster, China’s premier pushes more reform
  Pontus Lundahl/AFP/Getty Images - China's Prime Minister Wen Jiabao – in his final months in office – is pushing for new reforms, including calling for a breakup China’s powerful state banking monopoly and giving foreign companies more access to government contracts. By Keith B. Richburg, Friday, April 27, 1:56 PM BEIJING — Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao has seized upon the ouster of his Communist Party rival Bo Xilai to reinvigorate what had until recently seemed a lonely campaign for Western-style economic liberalization and a battle against corruption. Since singling out Bo for criticism at a dramatic March 14 news conference, Wen has moved aggressively to press ahead with a reform agenda that had gained little traction during most of his nine years as China’s second-ranking official. [Chongqing] [Bo Xilai]
• China Warns N.Korea Off Nuclear Test
  A high-ranking official in China's Foreign Ministry has issued a rare public warning to North Korea against another nuclear test, saying it would violate China's national interest. The comments were made by Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai to reporters at a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday. "I am opposed to any act that damages peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia, since such acts can damage the national security and interests of not only other countries but China's as well," Cui said. "No side should commit acts that raise tensions." This is the first time for China to comment publicly on the North's nuclear development since the possibility of Pyongyang conducting a third nuclear test was raised. But Cui resisted U.S. demands that China step up pressure on North Korea. "Maintaining peace on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia is the joint responsibility of all of the concerned countries, not just China alone," he said. [Spin] [Media]
• China's aircraft carrier undertakes new trial on sea: spokesman
  English.news.cn 2012-04-26 17:08:54 • The ongoing sea test of the country's aircraft carrier is not related to the current regional situation. • More research tests will be carried out according to preset plans, spokesman Geng Yansheng said. • China has stressed that it maintains a defensive nature in national defense policy. In Pictures: China's refitted aircraft carrier in sea trail In Pictures: New photos of China's refitted aircraft carrier released BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) -- China's Defence Ministry said Thursday that the ongoing sea test of the country's aircraft carrier is not related to the current regional situation. Previous sea tests of the aircraft carrier have achieved expected results, and more research tests will be carried out according to preset plans, spokesman Geng Yansheng told a monthly press briefing. Media reported earlier that China's aircraft carrier is to begin service this year, but Geng made no comment about this. [Military balance] [Seapower]
• Chinese, Russian warships hold live ammunition exercise
  Chinese, Russian warships conclude live fire exercise 04-26 15:39 Chinese and Russian warships concluded a live ammunition exercise on Thursday, following a no-weapon joint war game earlier the same day. China, Russia hold naval drill 04-26 11:16 Chinese and Russian warships joined a drill Thursday morning in the Yellow Sea of the Pacific Ocean. Russian, Chinese warships start joint sea exercise 04-26 10:16 Chinese and Russian warships on Tuesday left a naval base in the eastern Chinese harbor city of Qingdao to start a joint exercise in the Yellow Sea. Joint navy drill to boost China-Russia military ties: senior Chinese officer 04-26 10:31 An upcoming China-Russia maritime drill will further promote strategic coordination and mutual trust between the two militaries, a senior Chinese military official said Tuesday. Broader prospects in China-Russia relations: Chinese ambassador 04-26 10:15 Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang's upcoming visit to Russia would further facilitate the development of China-Russia relations, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Li Hui said. [Russia China] [Military exercises] [NCW]
• Kim Yong Il Meets Chinese President
  Pyongyang, April 24 (KCNA) -- Hu Jintao, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and president of the People's Republic of China, said that China will in the future, too, strive hard to boost the Sino-DPRK friendly relations in the spirit of "inheriting the tradition, facing up to the future, building good-neighborly friendship and strengthening cooperation." Kim Yong Il, alternate member of the Political Bureau and secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea who is heading the WPK delegation, paid a courtesy call on Hu Jintao at the Great Hall of the People on Monday.
• China Reaffirms Ties with N.Korea Despite Rocket Launch
  Despite joining the international community in condemning North Korea's recently attempted rocket launch, China has reaffirmed its commitment to expanding amicable ties with its long-time ally. According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Sunday, State Councilor Dai Bingguo met with senior North Korean party official Kim Yong-il in Beijing, where Dai stressed the importance of the two countries' traditional friendship. The ministry did not say whether the two officials discussed the [China NK]
• Chinese Firm Sold Missile Transporter Chassis to N.Korea
  A Chinese company is suspected of providing components for a mobile missile platform showcased in a recent parade in North Korea, Reuters reported Saturday quoting a U.S. official. "The Obama administration suspects the Chinese manufacturer sold the chassis -- not the entire vehicle -- and may have believed it was for civilian purposes, which means it would not be an intentional violation of UN sanctions," the news agency said. The White House plans to convey its concerns to China to ratchet up pressure on Beijing to tighten enforcement of international sanctions on North Korea.
• China apparently running out of patience with North Korea
  Pyongyang arranges hasty meeting to heal relations with its only major ally By Park Min-hee, Beijing correspondent China and North Korea discussed Korean Peninsula issues at their first senior-level talks since the latter’s recent rocket launch. Communist Party of China international liaison department chief Wang Jiarui met with Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) international affairs secretary Kim Yong-il in Beijing on Saturday for strategic party-level talks. They exchanged views on international and local issues, China’s Xinhua news agency reported. [Media] [China NK] [Liberal]
• Seoul pays close scrutiny on NK-China ties
  By Kim Young-jin Seoul is paying close attention over the allegedly tense relations between North Korea and China amid hints of stress following Pyongyang’s failed satellite launch. A Seoul official expressed concern over a possible third nuclear test by North Korea, Sunday, saying it was a “political option” for Pyongyang following a rocket failure. “North Korea has its destiny at its discretion (after the nuclear test),” a Cheong Wa Dae official said asking for anonymity.
• Top Chinese diplomat meets NKorea officials, expresses confidence in Kim’s leadership
  By Associated Press, Updated: Monday, April 23, 5:43 PM BEIJING — China’s top foreign policy official has met a North Korean delegation and expressed confidence in the country’s young leader just over a week after Pyongyang conducted a rocket launch that Beijing had discouraged. The Foreign Ministry said State Councilor Dai Bingguo met late Sunday with a North Korean group led by Kim Yong Il, secretary of the central committee of the ruling Workers’ Party. Dai said he was confident that under Kim Jong Un, North Korea would continue to move toward building a prosperous country, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement. China is the North’s biggest ally but had expressed concern about its rocket launch, which the U.S. said was a cover for testing long-range missile technology. The U.S. suspended food aid to North Korea after the failed launch. North Korea had said the Unha-3 rocket carried an Earth observation satellite and touted it as its most ambitious effort yet to join the exclusive club of space-faring nations. But the rocket broke apart soon after the April 13 launch, apparently during its first stage. Analysts said the failed mission suggested that North Korea had not learned much from previous Unha rocket shots in 1998, 2006 and 2009, which are all believed to have ended in failure. Dai’s comments were released before the latest threat from North Korea, in which the military said Monday it will launch “special actions” soon meant to wipe out conservative South Korean President Lee Myung-bak’s administration. The army statement carried by state media said the actions would last 3 to 4 minutes and be carried out “by unprecedented peculiar means and methods of our own style.” It gave no more details. North Korea has issued a steady stream of harsh criticism of Lee and his government. Pyongyang says Lee insulted the North’s recent celebrations of the birth centennial of national founder Kim Il Sung. [Satellite] [China NK]
• Strategic Dialogue between WPK and CPC Held
  Pyongyang, April 22 (KCNA) -- A strategic dialogue between the Workers' Party of Korea and the Communist Party of China took place in Beijing on Saturday. Present there from the WPK side were members of the WPK delegation led by Kim Yong Il, alternate member of the Political Bureau and secretary of the C.C., the WPK, and Ji Jae Ryong, DPRK ambassador to China, and from the CPC side Wang Jiarui, head of the International Liaison Department of the C.C., the Communist Party of China, and members of the department. Both sides exchanged views on further developing the friendly and cooperative relations between the two parties and two countries and matters of mutual concern. The dialogue proceeded in a comradely and friendly atmosphere. Wang Jiarui gave a reception in honor of the WPK delegation in the evening.
• Forbes bill calls for more US intel, military assets against China
  By Carlo Munoz - 04/18/12 01:06 PM ET U.S. defense and intelligence institutions must step up their efforts against China as the Asian powerhouse continues to flex its military might in the Pacific. The Pentagon and intelligence community need to ramp up "unambiguous defense and intelligence capabilities" into the Pacific, according to new legislation introduced Wednesday by Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.) [China confrontation]
• China’s Rise, America’s Fall
  Which superpower is more threatened by its “extractive elites”? By Ron Unz | April 18, 2012 The rise of China surely ranks among the most important world developments of the last 100 years. With America still trapped in its fifth year of economic hardship, and the Chinese economy poised to surpass our own before the end of this decade, China looms very large on the horizon. We are living in the early years of what journalists once dubbed “The Pacific Century,” yet there are worrisome signs it may instead become known as “The Chinese Century.” [Decline] [China rising]
• North Korea’s new missile could have come from China
  Investigation to take place into whether China violated UN sanctions by providing technology » A new long-distance ballistic missile was unveiled at Sunday’s military parade in Pyongyang. By Kwon Tae-ho, Washington correspondent The United Nations launched an investigation into allegations that a missile launcher displayed by the North Korean military at an Apr. 15 parade in Pyongyang was developed with Chinese technology, Britain’s Financial Times reported Thursday. [Media] [Liberal]
• Chinese captain gets severe sentence for murder of Korean coast guard
  Normal guidelines were exceeded in captain’s 30-year sentence By Kim Young-hwan, Incheon correspondent A Chinese fishing boat captain who stabbed a Korean coast guard to death after being caught fishing illegally has sentenced to 30 years in prison and a fine of 20 million won (about US$17,500). This verdict exceeds the Korean judiciary’s sentencing guidelines. [China confrontation]
• China Halts Repatriation of N.Korean Defectors
  The Chinese government has halted the repatriation of North Korean defectors, apparently in response to South Korean requests and because it is angry that the North went ahead with its rocket launch. The Yomiuri Shimbun on Wednesday cited an official from China's Liaoning Province as saying China, which had been repatriating up to 30 North Korean defectors a day since the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in December, recently stopped doing so.
• War games show hypocrisy of US intentions
  Global Times | April 17, 2012 01:18 Students vandalize the outer wall of the US embassy during a protest in Manila Monday. Photo: AFP The US and Philippines kicked off a joint war game Monday. The annual exercise was moved to an area adjoining the Nansha Islands. The Philippines has claimed repeatedly that the exercise is not aimed at China. But the claim will not change China's assessment of the situation in the South China Sea. Manila has been openly seeking US naval backing in regional maritime disputes. Washington is also interested in lending its support. It is clear what the real target of the joint exercises is even if the two sides deny it. [China confrontation] [Joint US military] [Territorial disputes]
• US gov't urged to act on rumors of NK-China missile ties
  WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- A U.S. lawmaker has formally requested the Obama administration examine reports of possible missile cooperation between North Korea and China, a congressional source said Wednesday. In a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) said the U.S. should do something if the allegations are found true, added the source. He cited some experts' analysis of a transporter-erector-launcher that carried what is believed to be the North's new long-range missile in a recent military parade in Pyongyang. [China confrontation]
• N.Korean Missile Platform 'Came from China'
  The 16-wheeler platform used in the military parade in Pyongyang (above) looks very similar to the platform from a Chinese maker of special vehicles (below). /AP-Yonhap The mobile platform that transported what looked like an intercontinental ballistic missile in Sunday's military parade in Pyongyang was probably imported from China. A government source here said it looks very similar to platforms from a Chinese maker of special vehicles.
• Strong words don't mean break with N.Korea
  Global Times | April 17, 2012 19:18 By Global Times North Korean performers sit beneath a screen showing images of leader Kim Jong-un at a theater during celebrations to mark the 100th birthday of the country’s founding leader Kim Il-sung, in Pyongyang on Monday. Photo: AFP Monday's UN Security Council's presidential statement condemning North Korea's launch of a satellite last week was considered stronger than similar statements have been in the past, due to China's support. The international community was surprised that China, North Korea's strongest ally, was on board with the Security Council's condemnatory statement. However, I think China has just followed its long-held Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence as usual. [US global strategy]
• N.Korea's nuanced change to be encouraged
  Global Times | April 16, 2012 00:18 By Global Times North Korean leader Kim Jong-un applauds during a military parade in Pyongyang Sunday. Photo: AFP During the military parade in Pyongyang yesterday to celebrate the centennial anniversary of the birth of founding leader Kim II-sung, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un delivered a public speech. The speech itself carried little surprising content, but its unusual format drew attention. At the age of 29, the junior Kim may bring changes to the engagement between Pyongyang and the outside world. He might also have an open attitude toward building a strong country as his youth may help him pursue change. The announcement of the rocket launch and its subsequent failure were accompanied by strong protests from the US, Japan and South Korea. But the announcement itself and the admittance of failure were seemingly signs of change brought by the new leader. Such signs of opening up should be encouraged by the world. Whether Pyongyang embraces reform not only depends on its next step, but also on how the world reacts to this nuanced change. [Kim Jong Un] [US NK policy] [Exhortation]
• After launch flop, N.Korea faces tough choice
  Global Times | April 15, 2012 18:18 By Global Times The official Korean Central News Agency of North Korea confirmed Friday that the country's satellite failed to enter orbit, creating new suspense on the Korean Peninsula. Will North Korea risk a third nuclear test to save face or is there an opportunity for it to return to the table at the Six-Party Talks? A new round of gamesmanship is just beginning. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has fully inherited the strategic thinking of his late father Kim Jong-il. Under his leadership, North Korea is continuing its military-first policy, taking security as the top priority. The country pays the most attention to its diplomacy concerning the US, as it is the decisive element to safeguard North Korea's security. [Chinese IR] [Satellite]
• Dead British businessman in China had links to ex-MI6 officers' firm
  Mystery deepens over in Chongquing death of Neil Heywood, occasional consultant to business intelligence firm Hakluyt & Co Tania Branigan in Chongqing, Luke Harding and Dom Gilchrist guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 27 March 2012 19.29 BST Article history Bo Xilai, Chonquing's high-profile political party leader resigned two weeks ago and also had links to British businessman Neil Heywood. Photograph: Feng Li/Getty Images The British businessman whose sudden death has been linked to China's current leadership struggles worked as a consultant for a business intelligence firm founded by ex-MI6 officers, it has emerged. Britain said on Sunday that it had asked China to investigate the sudden death of Neil Heywood in Chongqing last November. The 41-year-old had ties to Bo Xilai, the city's high-profile party boss, whose dismissal two weeks ago has sent shockwaves through Chinese politics in the runup to this autumn's leadership transition. A spokesman for Hakluyt & Co said Heywood worked for them on a periodical basis and had not handled any work in the south-western city for them. "Neil had a long history of advising western companies on China and we were among those who sought his advice. We are greatly saddened by his death," he added.
• Kerry Brown: This inept move may finally try the patience of China
  Has Kim Jong-un been given rope to hang himself or will this failure strengthen his hand? Kerry Brown Saturday 14 April 2012 There are two aspects of the failed North Korean nuclear launch, one technical, and the other political. The technical issue is easy to deal with. This event was a big loss of face for Pyongyang. A successful launch would have reminded the world that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is not going to go away, and needed to be given more serious airtime. It might have been worth the flak the country knew they were going to get as a result of this event. [Satellite] [MISCOM] [China NK] [Hysteria]
• Chinese politician Bo Xilai's wife suspected of murdering Neil Heywood
  Gu Kailai 'highly suspected' of killing British businessman who died in November in Chongqing, where Bo was party secretary Share 64 reddit this Tania Branigan in Beijing guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 10 April 2012 20.34 BST Article history Neil Heywood, a British businessman with links to the ousted Chongqing party chief Bo Xilai, was found dead in a hotel room The wife of high-flying Chinese politician Bo Xilai is suspected of murdering British businessman Neil Heywood, state media has reported, the latest twist in the biggest scandal to rock China's political class for decades. Bo was suspended on Tuesday from powerful positions within the ruling party. His wife, the lawyer Gu Kailai, is being held in custody in connection with Heywood's death, as is Zhang Xiaojun, who worked at the family's home, the official news agency Xinhua reported. The scandal erupted after Britain announced it had asked for the circumstances of Heywood's death to be reinvestigated. The 41-year-old businessman died last November in the south-western city of Chongqing, where Bo was party secretary until his dismissal last month. Heywood's family have dismissed suggestions of foul play and said they believe he died of a heart attack. Bo, once tipped to reach the nation's top political body in this autumn's once-in-a-decade power transition, has been suspended from the politburo and central committee because he is suspected of "serious disciplinary violations", Xinhua reported – ending his political career. He and his wife have not been seen since he was dismissed as party secretary of Chongqing last month.
• Bo's case shows resilience of rule of law
  Global Times | April 11, 2012 00:55 By Global Times Bo Xilai left the meeting room during the Fifth Session of the 11th National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 9. Photo: the Beijing News The Central Committee of CPC announced Tuesday the suspension of Bo Xilai's membership from the Central Committee and its Politburo. Bo's wife and one orderly of his family were suspected to be connected to the death of British businessman Neil Heywood. The case is now under investigation. The high-profile case has finally brought an initial conclusion to two months of speculations and rumors. This emergency, starting from former deputy mayor of Chongqing Wang Lijun seeking refuge at the US consulate in Chengdu in February, shows that China has its own resilience. It is not easily disrupted by sudden incidents. Law is the base to deal with problems at all levels. This is the foundation for China to keep a healthy political structure. When the Wang Lijun case was disclosed, the government did not cover it up but initiated an investigation accordingly. This is no longer the era where China would rather cover issues up to avoid revealing problems. The CPC's decision against Bo highlights that nobody is above the law and discipline in China. Power abuses are not allowed no matter how superior one's authority is. Local affairs cannot be dominated by an individual's interests.
• China voices NK concerns
  Global Times | April 09, 2012 01:20 By Xu Tianran A North Korean soldier stands guard in front of the Unha-3 rocket at the Tongchang-ri Space Center on Sunday. Photo: AFP China again expressed concerns Sunday over the development of the situation on the Korean Peninsula, as some 30 foreign reporters have arrived in North Korea for the upcoming satellite launch. During the sixth trilateral foreign ministers' meeting between China, Japan and South Korea in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi urged all parties to remain calm and exercise restraint over Pyongyang's satellite launch set to take place between April 12 and 16. "China will maintain close communication and coordination and work with parties to play a constructive role in upholding overall peace and stability of the region and advancing the Six-Party Talks process," Yang told his South Korean counterpart, Kim Sung-hwan, and Japanese counterpart, Koichiro Gemba. According to the Xinhua News Agency, the rocket for Pyongyang's planned satellite mission has been installed on the launch pad. A North Korean official told Xinhua correspondents at the scene Sunday that the Unha-3 rocket has not been fuelled yet. [Satellite]
• Long-term Sino-US worries need addressing before they explode
  Global Times | April 08, 2012 16:38 By Global Times There's great concern in China about the US pivot to Asia. I recognize that many in China see this as fundamentally focused on China, and believe that the underlying motivation is to contain or even to disrupt China's ongoing rise. But the strategy is aimed at an overall regional engagement. It is not aimed at constraining or disrupting China's rise. Indeed, I would argue that it has at its heart the notion of a basically constructive relationship with China. Without that, the strategy would make no sense. A huge problem that we confront is that despite all our engagement, despite all of the accomplishments, despite the mutual interdependence, there's been growing distrust about each other's long term intentions. Not distrust over what we'll do tomorrow but distrust over how we see the relationship 15 years from now. I think increasingly each side views the long term with a degree of pessimism. [US China] [Hegemony]
• Sino-DPRK Friendship Will Be in Fuller Bloom: Head of Chinese Delegation
  Pyongyang, April 8 (KCNA) -- Major General Qian Lihua, director of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Ministry of National Defense, who is heading the visiting delegation of diplomatic officials of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, referred to the relations of friendship and cooperation between the DPRK and China now growing stronger as the days go by. The delegation came to the DPRK to bring into fuller bloom the Sino-DPRK friendship, the head said, and went on: [China NK]
• “Rebalancing” Toward Asia
  Mark E. Manyin, Coordinator Specialist in Asian Affairs In the fall of 2011, the Obama Administration issued a series of announcements indicating that the United States would be expanding and intensifying its already significant role in the Asia- Pacific, particularly in the southern part of the region. The fundamental goal underpinning the shift is to devote more effort to influencing the development of the Asia-Pacific’s norms and rules, particularly as China emerges as an ever-more influential regional power. Given that one purpose of the “pivot” or “rebalancing” toward the Asia-Pacific is to deepen U.S. credibility in the region at a time of fiscal constraint, Congress’s oversight and appropriations roles, as well as its approval authority over free trade agreements, will help determine to what extent the Administration’s plans are implemented and how various trade-offs are managed. [China confrontation] [Pivot]
• The Missing Asia Pivot in Obama's Defense Strategy
  By Bruce Klingner January 6, 2012 Print PDF More President Obama’s new defense strategy is long on rhetoric but bereft of details on how it will actually be implemented. The President boldly promised to maintain or augment U.S. military capabilities against a spectrum of global threats, but planned draconian defense cuts of $1 trillion would undermine the U.S.’s ability to achieve its national interests and defend allies. Despite a new U.S. prioritization on Asia, significant questions remain on how security policies will be implemented. [Pivot]
• China Buys Inroads in the Caribbean, Catching U.S. Notice
  Jason Henry for The New York Times Tourists and locals enjoying the view at a restaurant and bar in Nassau, a beneficiary of China's largess. More Photos » By RANDAL C. ARCHIBOLD Published: April 7, 2012 NASSAU, the Bahamas — A brand new $35 million stadium opened here in the Bahamas a few weeks ago, a gift from the Chinese government. The tiny island nation of Dominica has received a grammar school, a renovated hospital and a sports stadium, also courtesy of the Chinese. Antigua and Barbuda got a power plant and a cricket stadium, and a new school is on its way. The prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago can thank Chinese contractors for the craftsmanship in her official residence. [ODI] [China bashing] [China rising]
• FM calls for China to play greater role over NK rocket launch
  BEIJING (Yonhap) -- South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan called for China Saturday to play a greater role in handling North Korea's planned long-range rocket launch, saying Pyongyang should be punished with sanctions if it goes ahead with the provocative move, an official said. Kim issued the appeal during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, calling for a strong and stern message to North Korea over the rocket launch that violates a U.N. Security Council resolution, Seoul's Foreign Ministry spokesman Cho Byung-jae said. [Satellite]
• China troubled by North Korea’s rocket launch plans, urges more diplomacy
  By Associated Press, Updated: Sunday, April 8, 7:14 PMAP BEIJING — China’s foreign minister said Sunday that Beijing is troubled by North Korea’s plans to launch a rocket and has urged more diplomacy to handle the situation, a measured response to a provocation that has unsettled the region. Yang Jiechi said he discussed North Korea’s launch plans during trilateral talks with his counterparts from Seoul and Tokyo in the eastern Chinese city of Ningbo. 0 ( Peter Parks, Pool / Associated Press ) - China’s Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, center, Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba, right, and South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan pose for a photo before the start of the 6th Trilateral Foreign Ministers Meeting between China, Japan and South Korea in the eastern Chinese city of Ningbo Sunday, April 8, 2012. .Japan’s defense minister has ordered missile units to intercept the North Korean rocket if it or its fragments threaten to hit Japan. Seoul has also warned it might shoot down any parts of the North Korean rocket heading for South Korean territory. “We considered and exchanged views about the situation on the Korean peninsula, including the announcement by the DPRK that they plan to launch a satellite,” Yang told reporters at a press briefing, referring to the North by its formal name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. [Satellite] [Japanese remilitarisation]
• US report 'exaggerates' China's army development
  Global Times | April 07, 2012 00:10 By Yang Jingjie 1 E-mail Print The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission has released a staff research paper on "Indigenous Weapons Development in China's Military Modernization." Photo:uscc.gov Observers on Friday rejected a US study about indigenous weapons development as part of China's military modernization, calling it a trick to maintain US military spending levels by playing up the so-called China threat. The report prepared for the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) said the US has underestimated the growth of China's military as policymakers have taken public statements at face value or failed to understand Beijing's thinking. The USCC was set up by the US Congress in 2000 to assess security implications from China and submit an annual report to Congress. According to the study released on Thursday, the US has a mixed record on predicting China's new weaponry, including largely missing the emergence of more advanced submarines. As for the speed of military modernization, the study found "identifiable cases of miscalculation [China confrontation] [Military balance]
• U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission
  The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission was created by the United States Congress in October 2000 with the legislative mandate to monitor, investigate, and submit to Congress an annual report on the national security implications of the bilateral trade and economic relationship between the United States and the People’s Republic of China, and to provide recommendations, where appropriate, to Congress for legislative and administrative action. [China confrontation] [Military balance]
• Indigenous Weapons Development in China’s Military Modernization
  U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission Staff Research Report April 5, 2012 Primary Author: Amy Chang, USCC Research Fellow for Military & National Security Affairs Editor and Contributing Author: John Dotson, USCC Research Coordinator [China confrontation] [Military balance]
• China to patronize NK in post-launch tensions: expert
  WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- Should North Korea go ahead with a long-range rocket launch as early as next week, China will likely repeat its typically tepid and equivocal approach -- requesting the international community to act in a calm manner, an expert said Friday. Pyongyang will apparently try to ride on its renewed "blood alliance" with Beijing in defending itself from pressure from other regional powers, according to Masako Ikegami, professor of political science at Stockholm University. "Beijing will turn a blind eye towards North Korea's latest provocation, while simultaneously calling for restraint by all parties," she said in a report released by the Hawaii-based East-West Center. North Korea's new leadership announced a plan to blast a rocket, which it says is aimed at sending a satellite into orbit, between April 12 and 16. The timing is symbolic for the North, coinciding the centenary of the birth of late founding leader Kim Il-sung, who is grandfather of the current ruler, Kim Jong-un. [Satellite] [China NK]
• Chinese Applicants Flood U.S. Graduate Schools
  By MELISSA KORN Dow Jones Newswires reporter Melissa Korn checks in on Mean Street to highlight the growing number of Chinese students applying for enrollment at U.S. graduate schools. .More than ever, Chinese students have their sights set on U.S. graduate schools. Application volume from that country rose 18% for U.S. master's and doctoral programs starting this fall, according to a new report from the Council of Graduate Schools that provides a preliminary measure of application trends. Specific programs of interest include engineering, business and earth sciences. That is on top of a 21% jump last year and a 20% rise in 2010—and is the seventh consecutive year of double-digit gains from China, according to the graduate-school industry group. Applications from China now comprise nearly half of all international applications to U.S. graduate programs. [US China] [Education]
• Prosecutors Seek Death Penalty for Chinese Skipper
  Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Cheng Dawei, a Chinese skipper accused of fatally stabbing Korean Coast Guard sergeant Lee Cheong-ho during a raid on trawlers that were illegally fishing in Korean waters in December. Prosecutors also called for a three-year jail sentence for eight other crewmembers who were arrested for trying to prevent the Coast Guard from boarding their vessel by use of weapons.
• Nobel laureates clueless about real Tibet
  Global Times | April 05, 2012 00:30 By Global Times 2 E-mail Print An ornate monastery on the side of a mountain in Tibet Autonomous Region. Photo: Liang Chen/GT Twelve Nobel laureates wrote an open letter to Chinese leaders recently citing the self-immolation of monks and criticizing China's Tibet policy. The letter did not mention overseas political organizations that encouraged self-immolations. Ironically few of these 12 Nobel laureates have been to Tibet personally. They do not have enough understanding of Tibetan culture and the Tibet of today. Their intervention appears to complement Western opinion. It is doubtful whether they truly know what they talk about. There is no religious issue in Tibet. The young monks who set themselves on fire are political victims of the Dalai group's clash with the central government. The Dalai group's survival relies on Western support. The core agenda of the Dalai Lama has been painstakingly veiled, thanks to careful publicity. This open letter could be part of this publicity. [Tibet]
• China joins Syrian President Assad in calling on rebels in Syria to end their attacks
  By Associated Press, Published: March 30AP BEIJING — China said Friday that rebels fighting in Syria had to commit to talks and stop attacks they have been carrying out, mirroring demands from embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad. A peace plan put forward by U.N. envoy Kofi Annan includes a call for a full cease-fire, but Assad’s condition that there be an express promise from the opposition to stop attacks could complicate Annan’s attempts to bring an end to more than a year of violence that the U.N. says has killed more than 9,000 people. China, which along with Russia has twice vetoed proposed U.N. sanctions over Assad’s crackdown, has said it backs Annan’s peace plan, but also says there should be no external interference in Syria. [Syria]
• China and Russia plan joint naval war exercises in Sea of Japan and Yellow Sea
  By Associated Press, Published: March 29AP BEIJING — China says it will join Russia in naval war games starting next month in the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea. The official Xinhua News Agency quoted Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun as saying Thursday that the exercise will begin in late April and run into May. The specific locations were not disclosed. Yang says the joint exercise is aimed at improving cooperation and ensuring stability in the Asia-Pacific region. China and Russia have conducted several joint military exercises since 2005 within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The group also includes the Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and aims to promote regional cooperation and check U.S. influence. [SCO] [NCW] [Exercises]
• China Sees U.S. as Competitor and Declining Power, Insider Says
  By JANE PERLEZ Published: April 2, 2012 BO’AO, China — The senior leadership of the Chinese government increasingly views the competition between the United States and China as a zero-sum game, with China the likely long-range winner if the American economy and domestic political system continue to stumble, according to an influential Chinese policy analyst. [F&E] [Chinese global strategy]
• MOFA dismisses Japan’s claim to Diaoyutai Islands
  The ROC exercises full sovereignty over the Diaoyutai Islands. (CNA)•Publication Date:03/28/2012 •Source: Taiwan Today •By Grace Kuo The Diaoyutai Islands are an integral part of ROC territory and there is no room for compromise on the issue, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said March 27. MOFA’s comments came one day after the Japanese government announced it now considers Diaoyutai’s Northern Islets to be part of the “the national property of Japan.” Earlier this month Japan laid claim to sovereignty over the entire Diaoyutai Islands, incorporating them into its exclusive economic zone. [Territorial disputes]
• Taiwan Prepares to Intercept N.Korean Missile
  As the date approaches for the launch of what North Korea claims is a space rocket, Taiwan is following Japan in preparations to intercept the missile should it stray off course and fall on its territory. Taiwan's Defense Ministry has told missile units to have PAC-3 Patriot and Tienkung missiles in wartime readiness, local media reported Sunday If the North Korean rocket is readied for launch this week, Taiwan will move the interceptor missiles to the eastern part of the country and await orders to intercept. A spokesman for the Taiwanese military said, "We have focused on gathering intelligence on North Korean developments and ordered our forces to take necessary measures." If the rocket were to stray off course and Japan fails to intercept it, Taiwan would let its Patriot missiles handle the job while putting the Tienkung missiles on standby. Taiwanese media said other defense systems in the capital Taipei will also enter wartime readiness levels. [Satellite]
• Chinese companies snapping at South Korea’s heels
  Companies from China have narrowed technology gap to 3.7 years and become serious competitors By Ryu Yi-keun, staff writer Samsung Electronics vice chairman Choi Ji-sung has confessed to feeling “nervous” about the performance of Chinese companies. “They’re doing the same things we were ten years ago,” Choi explained. Choi made the comments while attending the 2012 Mobile World Congress last month in Barcelona. At the event, the Samsung Electronics booth was sandwiched between Chinese firms ZTE and Huawei. Chinese companies that had been absent from the exhibition a few years before were now occupying center stage. ZTE and Huawei ranked fifth and sixth in worldwide mobile phone sales for 2012, coming in behind Nokia, Samsung, Apple, and LG. ZTE passed LG in sales for 4Q11. Competitive prices and rapid technological improvement are behind the Chinese companies’ swift ascent. China now holds 903 patents for the Long Term Evolution 4G mobile communications technology, putting it third behind the US’s 1,904 and South Korea’s 1,124. [China rising] [China competition]
• China arrests over coup rumours The internet rumours have spooked China's top leadership
  Chinese police have arrested six people and shut 16 websites after rumours were spread that military vehicles were on the streets of Beijing, officials say. The web posts were picked up last week by media outlets around the world, amid uncertainty caused by the ouster of top political leader Bo Xilai. [Cyberactivism] [Subversion]
• Vice President-elect Wu attends Boao Forum
  ROC Vice President-elect Wu Den-yih (left) and high-ranking mainland Chinese leader Li Keqiang (right) meet April 1 prior to the Boao Forum for Asia in southern mainland China’s Hainan province. (CNA)•Publication Date:04/02/2012 •Source: Taiwan Today •By Grace Kuo Taiwan and mainland China should sustain peaceful bilateral relations, seek common ground while shelving differences and make the people’s livelihood the top priority, according to ROC Vice President-elect Wu Den-yih April 1. Wu’s comments came during a meeting with high-ranking mainland Chinese leader Li Keqiang prior to the Boao Forum for Asia in Hainan province. [Straits]
• ROC emphasizes South China Sea sovereignty
  MOFA reiterates ROC sovereignty over Thitu, an island in the Nansha archipelago, March 31. (CNA)•Publication Date:04/02/2012 •Source: Taiwan Today Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed ROC sovereignty over four island groups in the South China Sea March 31, after the Philippines announced plans to build a port in the Nansha Islands. According to news reports, a wharf will be constructed on the Philippine-occupied island of Thitu, the second largest in the archipelago, in a move aimed at exercising the nation’s territorial dominion. In response, MOFA said that from the perspective of history, geography and international law, the Nansha Islands (Spratlys), as well as the Xisha (Paracel), Zhongsha (Macclesfield Bank) and Dongsha (Pratas) island groups and their surrounding waters are all undoubtedly integral parts of ROC territory. [Territorial disputes] [South China Sea]
• China won't be worst post-launch sufferer
  Global Times | March 31, 2012 01:15 By Global Times 0 E-mail The order by Japanese Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka to intercept North Korea's planned rocket launch to put a satellite in space in mid-April has heightened tensions in Northeast Asia. There will be chaos if interception occurs and succeeds. It is the last scenario China wants. What China looks for above all is Pyongyang's consideration of downsides to such a launch. If North Korean leaders insist on proceeding with the launch, China would then expect the North's neighboring countries to show some constraint. Pyongyang's satellite launch should not be put on par with a long-range ballistic missile launch. The issue at hand is not to overwhelm the regional agenda. [Satellite]
• China Nervous About U.S.-Led Missile Defense System
  China is growing nervous after U.S. calls for an Asia-wide missile-defense system against the threat of North Korean intercontinental ballistic missiles. In a lengthy article on Thursday, the official Global Times said, "North Korea and Iran are named by Washington as the targets of the missile defense system, though it is clear the real targets are China and Russia." It added China "should firmly oppose it." The paper also said China should learn from what Russia has done to oppose the deployment of a U.S.-led missile defense shield in Europe. [China confrontation] [Missile defense] [Pretext]
• China-N.Korea Communication Breaks Down
  High-level communication channels between China and North Korea have apparently been shut down since the death of former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. Pyongyang is failing to inform its sole ally of important developments like the upcoming missile launch. The only high-ranking Chinese official to visit North Korea since Kim's death was Vice Foreign Minister Fu Ying, who was in Pyongyang between Feb. 20 and 25 to discuss aid to the North. Fu met his North Korean counterpart Kim Sung-gi but did not speak with higher ranking officials. China was stunned by the announcement on March 16 of the launch plan for what the North says is a space rocket and had to summon the ambassador to China late at night to protest. Wu Dawei, China's chief delegate to the six-party nuclear talks, then met with North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho on March 19 when Ri was visiting Beijing. There are rumors that Ri also met with State Councilor Dai Bingguo, who outranks Wu. But North Korean officials dealing with China are only working-level bureaucrats, making it doubtful that Beijing's concerns over the North's missile launch were expressed to the highest echelons of the North Korean regime, according to experts. China has through various diplomatic channels tried to hold talks with North Korea, but the North is apparently rejecting the requests saying it is still in mourning for Kim Jong-il. [China NK]
• China Warns Against Joint Exercises in South China Seas
  Chinese officials in Beijing are warning against any joint military patrols or exercises between Vietnam and the Philippines in the disputed South China Sea. Vietnam and Philippines military officials have discussed conducting joint exercises in the disputed region in meetings earlier this month. The exercises could include joint patrols of the Spratly Islands, which both countries and China claim as their own. [Territorial disputes] [South China Sea]

• Quick stop to good progress in N.Korea
  Global Times | March 30, 2012 00:30 By Global Times The US has suspended its planned food aid to North Korea as Pyongyang has firmly stuck to its plan of launching a satellite. China is expressing its concern over such a reversal to the situation on the Korean Peninsula. The situation changes quickly and a rise in tensions is becoming ever more likely. There is no real beneficiary here. If we take the economic development and livelihood level in Northeast Asia as a yardstick, North Korea undoubtedly suffers the biggest loss from the nuclear issue. North Korea is an important country to China. China can understand its dilemma between the nuclear issue and launching this carrier rocket. China believes that the leadership of North Korea is hoping to lead the country to prosperity. [Satellite]
• Welcome Signs That China's Attitude to N.Korea Is Changing
  Chinese President Hu Jintao told his South Korean counterpart Lee Myung-bak on Monday that his government attempted several in-depth talks with Pyongyang to express its "deep concern" over the North's planned rocket launch. Hu added Beijing is urging Pyongyang to give up the rocket launch plan and focus on improving the livelihood of its people. Regarding the controversial issue of Beijing's repatriation of North Korean defectors arrested in China, Hu said his country is "taking a lot of interest and giving consideration" to the issue. It "respects the position" of South Korea and will "strive to ensure that the issue is resolved smoothly."
• China to Let N.Koreans in S.Korean Missions Go
  North Korean defectors hiding out the South Korean Consulate in Beijing will soon be able to come here, a diplomatic source in Seoul said Monday. The source said after a meeting between Chinese President Hu Jintao and President Lee Myung-bak the chances are good that China will let the North Korean defectors who have been hiding out at the consulate for almost three years go.
• Keep talking, Hu urges
  Global Times | March 27, 2012 01:25 By Xu Tianran President Hu Jintao and US President Barack Obama held talks yesterday on a range of issues, including the situation on the Korean Peninsula, on the sidelines of the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit. Hu said China is concerned by the recent development of conditions on the peninsula. "China hopes the US and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea will maintain contacts and dialogue and honor the consensus reached between them so as to improve their relations," Hu told Obama.
• Wrong policies leave the world open to nuclear danger
  Global Times | March 27, 2012 00:35 By Global Times The second Nuclear Security Summit started yesterday in Seoul. The content of the summit has not been widely discussed in the media which instead focused on US President Obama's DMZ visit and other non-essential matters. South Korea, as a host country, has tried to keep the world attention centered on the Korean Peninsula conflict. However, it was agreed beforehand that the North Korean nuclear issue would not be a topic of the summit.
• Why do we continue to ignore China's rise? Arrogance
  Martin Jacques, author of a bestseller on China, asks why the west continues to approach the rise of the new global powerhouse with a closed mind. We obsess over details of the race for the White House, yet give scant regard to the battle to replace China's current leadership. If we fail to pay heed to the political and economic shift of gravity, we will be sidelined by history [China rising]
• [Column] Quiet and active diplomacy needed to sway China
  Issue of North Korean defectors can be approached with both subtlety and insistence China's repatriation of North Korean defectors is a distressing matter. Beijing is violating the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, if defectors face with punishment on their return to North Korea. Even a person who defects for economic reasons can be classified as a "mandate refugee" if they are targeted for political punishment. In that sense, China needs to either prove that they won’t be punished when they return to North Korea, or at least offer a refugee review. A mandate refugee is defined as an individual living in his or her own country, or in a third country, who has been granted refugee status by UNHCR..
• Part I The Jeju Naval Base Another US Base in Korea: Strategic Threat to China
  Post Categories: Head Stories by Kiyul Chung | Friday, March 16, 2012, 17:27 Beijing487 views 7Print Emergency Report: The Entry to Jeju Island by 3 American members of “Veterans for Peace” on March 15th were denied, detained & forcibly deported by S. Korean authorities. Check the VfP’s official press release for their Public Protest against South Korea’s pro-US, authoritarian, dictatorial and facist Lee regime in Seoul; “U.S VETS REFUSED ENTRY INTO SOUTH KOREA: Protest Friday at South Korean Consulate in New York” http://www.4thmedia.org/2012/03/16/u-s-vets-refused-entry-into-south-korea-protest-friday-at-south-korean-consulate-in-new-york/ I As well-known already in the region and some other parts of the world as well, from the very beginning of the idea to contstruct a naval base in Korea as another US naval base which is only about 200 miles away from China’s southeastern areas, the Jeju Naval Base has not been a Korea-US issue only. [Jeju] [Bases] [China confrontation]
• Sanctions chance for China to show mettle
  Global Times | March 22, 2012 00:25 By Global Times The US exempted 11 countries from sanctions relating to Iran, but left China and India among others exposed to possible punishment from Washington. This latest step gives rise to the potential friction between China and the US. This round of Iran sanctions have not been authorized by the UN. China and India are in line with the international law, though the US media tries to single out China. US-backed sanctions are not frightening. At most they would bring only minimal damage to China. [Sanctions]
• North Korea to launch satellite in April amid int'l concerns
  Globaltimes.cn | March 19, 2012 22:52 By Globaltimes.cn Photo released by Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on March 15, 2012 shows leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un (Front) inspects a combined strike drill of the three services of the Korean People's Army. Photo: Chinanews.com Editor's Note: The DPRK on Friday announced it would launch an "earth observation" satellite, using a long-range rocket to mark the 100th birthday of late leader Kim Il-sung. DPRK's official news agency said the satellite would be launched from a station in North Phyongan province between April 12 and 16. But analysts expressed concerns over the timing of the mission and called on relevant parties to exercise restraint.
• Coast Guard Deploys Extra Aircraft Near Ieo Island
  The Coast Guard deployed an additional aircraft on Korea's southern sea to patrol nearby waters including an outcropping off Ieo island. This comes amid escalating tensions between Seoul and Beijing after a Chinese official claimed the rocks lie in waters that fall under Chinese jurisdiction. The deployed CN-235 fixed-wing airplane can fly for up to seven hours at a speed of 400 km per hour, according to maritime authorities. It added that the aircraft is fitted with a cutting-edge radar system, thermal equipment, flares and equipment for dropping lifeboats. The coast guard currently maintains six CN-235s. They are engaged in duties such as tracking illegal fishing vessels and maintaining security in Korea's coastal areas [China confrontation] [Territorial disputes]
• Stability: The New Paramount Leader
  By Roger Cavazos March 15, 2012 Roger Cavazos, Nautilus Institute Associate, writes, "Zhang Dejiang’s ascension as Party Chief in Chongqing is modeled on a proven formula for putting in a steady, consistent leader. Given Zhang’s DPRK connections and a PRC preference for stability Sino-DPRK relations will plod along in a more or less positive small steps, but they likely won’t deteriorate, either. The DPRK also has another channel for improved relations and communications with China since Zhang is a known quantity to the DPRK leadership." The views expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Nautilus Institute. Readers should note that Nautilus seeks a diversity of views and opinions on significant topics in order to identify common ground. II. Report by Roger Cavazos -“Stability: The New Paramount Leader” by Roger Cavazos Zhang Dejiang’s ascension as Party Chief in Chongqing is modeled on a proven formula for putting in a steady, consistent leader. Given Zhang’s DPRK connections and a PRC preference for stability Sino-DPRK relations will plod along in a more or less positive small steps, but they likely won’t deteriorate, either. The DPRK also has another channel for improved relations and communications with China since Zhang is a known quantity to the DPRK leadership. [China NK]
• North Korean-Schooled Zhang Picked to Replace Bo in Chongqing
  By Bloomberg News on March 15, 2012 Facebook LinkedIn Google Plus 0 Comments Email Print Zhang Dejiang, a Chinese vice premier who oversees industrial and energy policy, was picked by the ruling Communist Party to take over Chongqing, replacing Bo Xilai, whose firing was announced today.
• There Goes the Neighborhood? Zhang Dejiang, Chongqing, and Chinese-North Korean Relations
  by Charles Kraus Zhang Dejiang Scandal is sweeping the southwest. Bo Xilai (???), the once rising “red” political star, has been removed as Party Secretary of Chongqing. No longer presiding over a municipality of nearly 30 million residents, his replacement is the 65-year old Zhang Dejiang (???). Who is Zhang, and what does the leadership scuffle in the southwest mean—if anything—for North Korea? For starters, Zhang Dejiang hails from the Northeast. He was born in Tai’an, Liaoning Province, in November 1946. While Tai’an is by no means a border city (it is located some 300-kilometers from Dandong, China’s gateway into North Korea), the timing of Zhang’s birth coincided with an important stage in the Chinese Civil War in which the Chinese Communist Party was greatly aided by North Korea. Much of Liaoning Province, including Tai’an, was “liberated” in autumn 1945, only to fall back into Nationalist hands in 1946. Thousands of Chinese Communist troops and personnel fled into North Korea and endured a long but safe march into the forests of Linjiang. While Zhang and his family probably did not leave Tai’an, this was an era in which the foundations of the Chinese-North Korean alliance were born.
• Luxury Chinese Liquors Become Multibillion-Dollar Brands
  By Venessa Wong on March 16, 2012 Tweet China's Savers Wise Up to Above-Market RatesYear of the Dragon May Give China's Economy a LiftVideo `Middle Class' Brands to Seize China GrowthEven though you probably have not heard of them, two brands of Chinese, high-end alcohol—Moutai and Wuliangye—are among the best-selling luxury liquors worldwide. They don’t just excel in the luxury liquor market, either. The Hurun Research Institute, a wealth-analysis group in Shanghai, counts them among the 10 most-valuable luxury brands overall, pegging their “brand values” (based on the net value of brand equity) above such well-known European names as Gucci (PP:FP), Rolex, and Cartier (CFR:VX). The Institute estimates Moutai’s brand value at $12 million and Wuliangye’s at $7 million. [Brand]
• Beating China, Corporate Style
  By Hannah Gurman, March 7, 2012 As anxiety about the end of American hegemony abounds and the U.S. unemployment rate remains high, talk about the necessity of out-competing China is on the rise. The leading presidential candidates have zeroed in on China as a major threat to U.S. economic security and have vowed to ensure that the United States remains on top of the global economic ladder. [Decline] [China rising] [China bashing] [Labour]
• Why China can’t persuade N.Korea alone
  Global Times | March 19, 2012 00:30 By Global Times Pyongyang announced Friday its plan to launch a satellite next month, setting off another round of condemnation from South Korea, Japan and the US. China summoned North Korea's ambassador to China to express its concerns. A sense of nervousness is seemingly shrouding the Korean Peninsula. China appears to be put in an awkward position every time Pyongyang makes a surprise move. It has to maintain a balance between preventing radical actions in the Peninsula and keeping friendly ties with North Korea. Pyongyang is acquiring a stronger nuclear ability and strategic striking power despite daunting external pressure. Seoul, Tokyo and Washington are hoping China exert more pressure on North Korea. They are counting on the fact that China can eventually bring Pyongyang to its knees. But it's a flawed logic. China should distance itself from the policy these three countries insist on. They need to answer the question of why the financially strapped North Korea is obsessed with developing strategic weapons, and why it barely cares about the condemnation from international community. The reason is simple: North Korea feels insecure. [Satellite] [China NK]
• Reasons for China leadership shakeup still uncertain
  Tom Lasseter McClatchy Newspapers BEIJING — On the same day that state media announced that one of the nation's most famous politicians was being removed from office, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin fielded a news conference question: Was Bo Xilai's unceremonious exit a sign of turmoil in central leadership? "That sort of idea is rather absurd," Liu retorted. With Beijing offering no details on why Bo was shunted aside Thursday from his post as Chinese Communist Party secretary of the megacity of Chongqing, there's been little to go on besides conjecture — absurd, informed or otherwise — to explain his departure. That's unlikely to change in the coming days.
• China voices concern to North Korean ambassador over planned long-range rocket launch
  By Associated Press, Published: March 17AP BEIJING — China said it has expressed concern to North Korea about its plan to launch a long-range rocket, as a North Korean nuclear envoy arrived in Beijing on Saturday for talks. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun met with North Korea’s ambassador to China, Ji Jae Ryong, to voice Beijing’s concern over the planned launch, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. (Vincent Thian/Associated Press) - Ri Yong Ho, a Vice Minister of North Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, walks out from the airport VIP hall in Beijing, China, Saturday, March 17, 2012. China has expressed its concern about North Korea’s plan to launch a satellite into space, saying all parties should avoid escalating tensions in the region. .It said Zhang told the ambassador that China hopes all parties will remain calm, exercise restraint and avoid escalating tensions in the region. North Korea announced Friday that it plans to blast a satellite into space next month to mark the centenary of the birth of its founder, Kim Il Sung. The U.S. says the rocket launch would use the same technology as long-range missiles and would be a “deal-breaker” for a new agreement in which the U.S. pledged to exchange food aid for nuclear concessions. Senior North Korean nuclear negotiator Ri Yong Ho did not make any comments to reporters when he landed Saturday in Beijing. China’s Foreign Ministry had no immediate comment on his visit. South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said Ri will meet with Chinese nuclear negotiator Wu Dawei. It said Ri also visited Russia for talks on ways to resolve the nuclear issue on the Korean peninsula. [Satellite]
• The Post’s View: A purge in China
  By Editorial Board, Saturday, March 17, 11:32 AMThe Washington Post THE DOWNFALL of the Chinese party baron Bo Xilai, who on Thursday was unceremoniously purged from his post in the Chongqing region, looks at first glance like good news for the cause of liberal reform. Mr. Bo, after all, had been whipping up popular support for a neo-Maoist “red revival” in his territory, staging public singings of old Communist standards and texting Mao’s maxims to Chongqing cellphones. His dismissal means he will not get the post on the country’s most powerful body, the nine-member standing committee, that he was aiming for during a leadership transition later this year. [Chongqing]
• Can Seoul Blame China for Repatriating N.Koreans?
  Kang Chol-hwan It has been more than 15 years since the flood of defections of North Koreans began after the death of nation founder Kim Il-sung. For the last 10 years, activist and reporters have been risking their own lives to cover the harrowing escapes of North Korean defectors, rescuing women who were being sold off into sexual slavery and letting the world know about China's repatriation of North Korean defectors. [Manipulation]
• Zhang Dejiang replaces Bo Xilai as Chongqing's Party chief
  Globaltimes.cn | March 15, 2012 10:42 By Globaltimes.cn Bo Xilai left the meeting room during the Fifth Session of the 11th National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 9. Photo: the Beijing News Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang has replaced Bo Xilai as the Party chief of Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, according to a decision of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Xinhua reported Thursday. Zhang is also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said Wednesday the Chongqing authorities must reflect on and draw lessons from the Wang Lijun incident at a press conference after the conclusion of the annual session of the National People's Congress. While commenting on the Wang Lijun incident, Wen urged Chongqing authorities to seriously reflect on and draw lessons from the case. Wang, vice mayor and former police chief of Chongqing, made headlines last month after he entered the US consulate in Chengdu, Sichuan Province.
• Beijing’s naval buildup leaves Seoul vulnerable
  Claim to Ieodo linked to China’s strategy to become naval power By Kang Hyun-kyung Korea and China will resume working-level talks soon to draw a maritime boundary to end a dispute regarding Ieodo, a submerged reef in waters south of Jeju Island. Prospects for progress in the meeting are bleak, given that the previous 16 rounds of talks ended in vain. Analysts indicate that China’s use of Ieodo for its maritime ambitions is behind the strained dialogue. Maritime law experts here say China will find it challenging to prove that the reef, submerged 4.6 meters below sea level, is part of its territory. Ieodo is located 272 kilometers from China, whereas its distance from Korea is only 179 kilometers. The short distance between South Korea and China makes their Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) overlap. Even if the two sides fail to reach an agreement on the drawing of the EEZs and take the issue to an international court, experts say Korea will most likely have the upper hand. Questions remain unanswered though. Why has China been refusing to agree on the EEZ with Korea? Why does it prefer wasting its time by leaving Ieodo an object of prolonged dispute rather than resolve the issue and move on? Military experts speculate that Beijing’s unwillingness to agree on a maritime boundary in the waters south of Jeju Island is linked to its strategy to become a naval power. In a report titled “China’s Maritime Quest” released in June 2009, David Lai of the Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College said Beijing has three core components to achieve its maritime ambitions. [Bases] [China confrontation] [Subordinate][Territorial disputes]

• Beijing to Build World's Largest Airport in Langfang
  China will build the world's largest airport between Beijing and Langfang in neighboring Hebei Province within five years, the Chinese media reported Sunday. To that end, the city of Langfang plans to start constructing a transportation network, including rail links and roads, to better connect it to the capital. Located between Beijing and Tianjin, Langfang is about 40 km from the capital and can be reached in only 20 minutes by high-speed train. The new airport will have nine runways and be able to handle 130 million passengers and 5.5 million tons of freight per year, local media said.
• DIA director: China preparing for space warfare
  Growing threat to United States
  BY: Bill Gertz - February 23, 2012 5:00 am Army Lt. Gen. Ronald L. Burgess, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, disclosed new details of China’s space weapons programs last week, including information regarding China’s anti-satellite missiles and cyber warfare capabilities. Burgess stated in little-noticed written testimony prepared for an appearance before the Senate Armed Services Committee that Beijing is developing missiles, electronic jammers, and lasers for use against satellites. Much of the space warfare activity is being carried out under the guise of China’s supposedly non-military space program, he said. “The space program, including ostensible civil projects, supports China’s growing ability to deny or degrade the space assets of potential adversaries and enhances China’s conventional military capabilities,” Burgess said. “China operates satellites for communications, navigation, earth resources, weather, and intelligence surveillance, and reconnaissance, in addition to manned space and space exploration missions,” he said. [China confrontation] [Aerospace] [MISCOM]
• Red dragon in North American oil patch
  Beijing is quietly buying up U.S. energy assets By William C. Triplett II - The Washington Times Thursday, February 23, 2012 Of the three shale plays that are transforming American onshore oil and gas production, the Eagle Ford in South Texas is perhaps the least well-known outside the industry. Beginning roughly at Laredo on the Mexican border, it runs more or less northeast through 30 Texas counties, ending east of San Antonio. Since the oil field infrastructure demands are so high, the actual impact of the Eagle Ford activity extends south to the Port of Corpus Christi on the Gulf of Mexico and even as far east as Houston, where the oil companies and their suppliers are mostly headquartered. The entire South Texas brush country has been impacted by an unprecedented economic boom. Union Pacific’s rail line from San Antonio to Corpus Christi runs through family property. About five miles up the track from us, in Pleasanton, Texas, FTS International, usually known as “Frac Tech,” has built a railroad siding to bring in chemicals for its hydraulic fracturing support of Eagle Ford drilling operations. The China Investment Corp., Beijing’s sovereign wealth fund, already owns a substantial piece of Frac Tech. Both the China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) and the China Petroleum Corp. (CPC) are competing with Middle Eastern interests to expand their Frac Tech holdings. With Beijing’s almost unlimited financial resources, it is not impossible that China could soon have a controlling interest in the firm. Access to Frac Tech’s technology would be a “major step towards tapping resources in China and elsewhere,” the Wall Street Journal noted in December. [ODI] [FDI] [Double standards]
• FTA with China could spell disaster for agriculture
  Recent analysis shows elimination of tariffs could boost some sectors, but mean doom for others » Farmers try to block the first public hearing on the South Korea-China free trade agreement at the COEX convention center in southeastern Seoul, Feb. 24. Disorder caused the hearing to be concluded early without deep debate. (Photo by Shin So-young) By Jung Eun-joo Analysts are predicting that the signing of a free trade agreement with China would generate welfare effects of $27.59 billion from a 2.28% rise in real gross domestic product over ten years.? But observers expressed concern about job losses and other damages as Chinese products enter the domestic market in areas such as agriculture, fishing, and domestically-focused SMEs.? [FTA]
• ‘Underground palace’ roils Hong Kong leadership race
  By Andrew Higgins, Published: February 22 HONG KONG — Just a month before Hong Kong selects a new leader, the former British colony is experiencing something that Britain never allowed and that China, in charge here since 1997, certainly doesn’t want: a contest for the top job that increasingly resembles a real election. Only 1,200 people — out of a population of 7.1 million — get to vote, but public opinion has now muscled its way onto center stage. Instead of the tightly choreographed transfer of power planned by Beijing, Hong Kong has produced a raucous political brawl featuring an illegal “underground palace” stocked with fine wines, a humiliated wife standing by her man and a flood of front-page headlines screaming of lies, cowardice and betrayal.
• Seoul-Beijing Tension Over Defectors Grows
  Tension is growing between Seoul and Beijing over the impending repatriation from China of dozens of North Korean defectors. "We've urged China to send North Korean defectors to a third country of their choice from a humanitarian standpoint and are considering bringing the issue up at the UN Human Rights Council," Foreign Ministry spokesman Cho Byung-jae told reporters Tuesday
• Web fury targets Nanjing officials
  Global Times | February 22, 2012 01:15 By Liu Linlin A tourist is visiting the Memorial Hall of Nanjing Massacre on September 18, 2011. Photo: Chinanews.com The Nanjing city government defended its officials Tuesday after Internet users accused local authorities of being slow in responding to Nagoya mayor Takashi Kawamura's denial of the Nanjing Massacre. "The delegation, led by Liu Zhiwei, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Nanjing Municipal Committee (CPCNMC), responded to Kawamura's claims during their talks Monday in Nagoya," Chen Hua, director of the Foreign Affairs Office of the CPCNMC's Publicity Department, told the Global Times, without offering details. The statement contradicted a report by Kyodo News that Liu did not challenge Kawamura's view at the meeting and "shook hands with the mayor while exchanging gifts with him," causing public anger. [Democracy]
• NK kept China in the dark on death of leader
  By Sunny Lee BEIJING — North Korea didn’t even keep its closest ally in the loop about its most important development in over a decade: the death of Kim Jong-il, shedding light on one of the most intensely speculated elements surrounding the leader’s demise. China did not know of Kim’s death in advance of North Korea’s official announcement, two sources from two different countries who are familiar with the matter, independently told The Korea Times. [KJI_death]
• Behind the China Missile Hype
  January 20, 2012 By Harry Kazianis The Diplomat’s Assistant Editor Harry Kazianis sits down with Roger Cliff of the Rand Corporation to discuss China’s much talked about anti-ship missile, the DF-21D. The DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missile is in the headlines quite a bit for a weapon that has never been formally and publicly tested on a moving target. A little over a year ago, the U.S. military declared the missile had reached Initial Operating Capability (IOC). In your view, where does the missile stand today, in terms of operational readiness? I haven’t heard of any additional tests of this missile, although I guessed that they might test it this past January 11. So far, I haven’t heard that they did, but it’s possible that they did and we just haven’t heard about it yet. The PLA generally doesn’t announce its weapons tests, and they would have had a particular incentive not to publicize a test that occurred this month, because of its proximity to the January 14 elections in Taiwan. The Chinese leadership discovered in 1996 and again in 2000 that overt threats don’t influence elections in Taiwan in the way that they want them to, so they’ve refrained from such threats in subsequent elections. That doesn’t necessarily mean that they didn’t test this year, however. If they did, U.S. satellites would have detected and tracked the missile launch, but the U.S. government generally doesn’t publicize such matters at the time that they occur either, although the information may later leak out or subsequently may be mentioned by U.S. officials in speeches, interviews, or Congressional testimony. [A2/AD] [Military balance] [China confrontation]
• China to launch next manned spacecraft in summer
  BEIJING | Fri Feb 17, 2012 3:09am EST BEIJING (Reuters) - China will launch its next manned space mission sometime between June and August, which will attempt to dock with an experimental module launched last year, state news agency Xinhua reported Friday. It will be China's fourth manned space mission since 2003, when astronaut Yang Liwei orbited Earth 14 times, becoming the country's first man in space. [Aerospace] [China rising]
• West's pressure pushed China, Russia together
  Global Times | February 19, 2012 20:03 By Global Times Luo Yuan (??) Editor's Note: Turmoil in Syria and the threat of war in Iran are raising tensions throughout the Middle East. What can China do to cope with the uncertain situation? Could a China-Russia collaboration be effective in countering Western hegemony? People's Daily Online (PO) interviewed Luo Yuan (Luo), major general in the PLA Academy of Military Sciences, on these issues. PO: Is the Marxist-Leninist outlook on war outdated? What role should the UN play in dealing with problems concerning international wars? Luo: There have been several wars recently in the world, including the war in Iraq, the war in Afghanistan and the war in Libya. They not only caused large-scale humanitarian disasters but also triggered battles between the warlords. We should reflect on that. [NCW]
• China Steps Up in Syria
  by Peter Lee The conventional picture of US policy in the Middle East is of a hellbound train rushing toward war with Iran, pulling burning coaches filled with European passengers howling praise of Western values out the windows at horrified bystanders. Actually, I think it’s more like a monster truck exhibition. Lots of sound, fury, testosterone, and bravado, but just spinning wheels, spewing mud, roaring in circles, and going nowhere. What is very interesting is that China, usually an apostle of non-interference, believes it has something to contribute to the Syrian situation, probably for two reasons: 1) it needs to road-test some new approaches to managing and accommodating dissent in anticipation of the day when Arab-Spring type upheavals become an important factor in China and 2) the current situation is so screwed up the Chinese feel they can make a genuine contribution. Though Russia has the lead role as defender of the Syrian regime, China has been following the situation closely. One of the appendixes to the infamously suppressed Arab League report on Syria listed representatives of foreign media who had been allowed into the country; a large number of them were Chinese, and I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them, as Xinhua is known to do, were wearing intel hats in addition to their journalist roles. Interestingly, the Angry Arab news service noted an interview Al Jazeera Arabic did with China’s Foreign Ministry desk officer for Syria and remarked: “ His Arabic is as good as the best Arabic speakers. It is incredible. I never ever met an American diplomat with this fluency. I mean that. And his pronunciation is so excellent that it carries no trace of a Chinese accent.” Maybe the Chinese—highly dependent on Saudi and Iranian oil, with a government apparatus largely insulated from global and Israeli pressure, and providing generous human and financial resources to a foreign service designed to help China navigate through a dangerous neighborhood without the crutch of a dominating military presence—knows the Middle East better than we do? [Intelligence]
• Xi ends US trip with LA visit
  Global Times – Agencies | February 18, 2012 08:18 By Agencies Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping talks with Rick Kimberley as they sit in the cab of a tractor while touring the Kimberley family farm Thursday in Maxwell, Iowa. Xi reached out to heartland America with billions of dollars in farm deals. Photo: AFP Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping ended the last leg of his five-day official US trip in Los Angeles. He toured the Port of Los Angeles, accompanied by California Governor Jerry Brown and LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Thursday. With $120 billion of goods passing through the port on the way to China, Xi praised it as an example, saying "this is an environmentally friendly green port," that could serve as a model as China is "growing and... greening its own ports." Xi's tour of Los Angeles included an economic forum and luncheon with US Vice President Joe Biden and Governor Brown on Friday. The governor and LA mayor were set to lobby Xi for more Chinese investment on a planned LA to San Francisco highspeed railway line. [Xi Jinping] [ODI] [Railway]
• China unwavering on Syria in new UN vote
  Global Times | February 18, 2012 00:35 By Global Times Wang Min, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, speaks after a vote at the UN General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York, Feb. 16, 2012. China opposes armed intervention or forcing a so-called "regime change" in Syria, Wang said Thursday. Photo:Xinhua China voted against a draft resolution on Syria at the UN General Assembly Thursday, days after it vetoed a UN Security Council draft resolution pressing for regime change in Damascus. The country's courage to truly express itself and to calmly stand its ground is worthy of merit. Some Western media ridiculed certain nations, including China and Russia, for these choices. The trajectory of China's influence on world politics is rising. The West should be advised to reduce its expectations on abstention votes by China. Like it or not, China's stance must be taken into more serious consideration. [China rising] [Resurgence]
• Jon Huntsman criticizes Mitt Romney’s China policy
  By Felicia Sonmez Former Utah governor and ambassador to China Jon Huntsman (R) may be backing Mitt Romney, but he isn’t offering a full-throated endorsement of his former rival’s proposed China policy. Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy In an interview Thursday on MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports,” Huntsman said his view of the U.S.-China relationship differs from that of Romney, who on Thursday penned a Wall Street Journal op-ed blasting the Obama administration’s China policy. The op-ed comes one day after Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping visited Washington. ”You were the ambassador, leading that policy,” Mitchell asked Huntsman. “Is Mitt Romney wrong?”
• Xi Jinping calls for partnership with US on Korea
  WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- The Chinese leader-in-waiting, on a landmark trip to the U.S., on Wednesday stressed the importance of a close partnership between the two global powers in dealing with issues on the Korean Peninsula. Vice President Xi Jinping, on track to become China's leader in October, described Korea as a "hotstpot." "The world is currently undergoing profound changes, and China and the United States face shared challenges and shared responsibilities in international affairs," Xi said in a speech at a Washington forum of business leaders.
• Xi Jinping visits Iowa, where the diplomatic equivalent of love is in the air
  By William Wan, Thursday, February 16, 1:42 PM MUSCATINE, Iowa — Love is in the air in Iowa — or at least the diplomatic equivalent of it. When Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping arrived in this small town late Wednesday, carefully chosen welcoming gifts were on hand, nostalgic remembrances were on everyone’s lips and hearts all around were ready for the wooing. Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping goes to Iowa today. He is scheduled to stop in Muscatine, a town he also visited in 1985. He's likely to find that China looms large in the minds of local residents. (Feb. 15) Officially speaking, Xi, who is expected to become China’s president next year, picked Iowa as the centerpiece of his U.S. tour because he visited here as a lowly provincial official in 1985 to learn about American agriculture. But, more broadly, the town of Muscatine provides a convenient backdrop for Chinese officials hoping to emphasize the idea of an enduring U.S.-Chinese friendship at a time when the two nations are fierce economic competitors, policy opponents and military rivals. [Xi Jinping] [F&E]
• New debate over Chongqing model after police chief incident
  Global Times | February 15, 2012 01:10 By Zou Le Share Tens of thousands of people participate in a red song gala in Chongqing on June 29 to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Communist Party of China. Photo: CFP The southwestern city of Chongqing has been drawing admiration as well as controversy in recent years for its characteristic development involving a reduction of the wealth gap, integration of the rural and urban population, a "red culture" revival, and a high-handed crackdown on organized crime. A new round of criticism over the so-called Chongqing model resurfaced over the past few days after it was announced by the local government that Wang Lijun, Chongqing's deputy mayor and former police chief who became a hero of the gang-busting campaign in the past few years, was said to be on a "vacation-style" leave of absence and later said to be under investigation after a sudden visit to the US consulate in Chengdu. Some are saying this incident shows that the Chongqing model is doomed to fail because of the absence of a systemic change under the rule of law. Others argue that the latest surge of naysayers are only self-proclaimed liberal intellectuals who are targeting the "Chongqing model" as they attack whatever they believe to be connected to former leader Mao Zedong's era. [Chongqing]
• Ahmadinejad to visit China
  Global Times | February 14, 2012 01:13 By Chen Ping, Wang Wen in Tehran, Zhu Shanshan Share Iranian President Mohmoud Ahmadinejad speaks at the 33th anniversary of Islamic Revolution victory at the Azadi Square in Tehran, the capital of Iran on February 11, 2012. Photo: Xinhua Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will travel to Beijing by mid-March, officials in Tehran said Monday, with analysts saying the trip will aim to secure oil exports to China amid a fresh wave of Western sanctions. Ramin Mehmanparast, a spokesman for Iran's foreign ministry, told the Global Times that Ahmadinejad would visit China soon along with a high-level delegation. Key topics will include economic cooperation and political issues, including wider-ranging Middle East matters, Mehmanparast said. His words echoed earlier remarks by Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi, who said Ahmadinejad would visit China before the end of the Iranian calendar year on March 19 at the invitation of the Chinese leadership.
• The myth of China as a harmless tiger
  By Yu Jie, Tuesday, February 14, 1:33 PM Yu Jie is the author of several Chinese-language books, including “China’s Best Actor: Wen Jiaobo.” He left China last month for the United States, where he intends to study and write on religious freedom. Chinese dissident writers exiled to the West today get a very different response than Soviet writers received not so long ago. In 1975, Secretary of State Henry Kissinger advised President Ford not to meet with writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn, warning in a memorandum that doing so would offend the Soviet Union. Now, similar views are held not only by pragmatic politicians but also by multinational corporations with large investments in China as well as universities and foundations with inextricable links to China. .The Chinese communist regime’s penetration of the West far exceeds that of the former Soviet Union. In the Cold War era, the Soviet Union was blocked behind the Iron Curtain; there were few links between Soviet and Western economies. An average American family would not be using products “made in the USSR.” Today, China is deeply embedded within the globalized system. An American recently wrote an interesting book detailing a year of her refusal to buy products that were “made in China” and the many difficulties she encountered as a result of this decision. [China confrontation] [Banana]
• China’s president-in-waiting heads to Washington for a visit crucial to both nations
  By William Wan, Monday, February 13, 3:38 PM The man who is expected to become China’s next president will arrive in Washington on Monday for a visit crucial to his political ascension and also to U.S. hopes for easing the mounting tensions between two of the world’s most powerful nations. Xi Jinping is regarded as more self-confident and gregarious than President Hu Jintao, the famously stiff leader he is on track to succeed next year in a highly choreographed transition that includes, as a major step, this week’s visit. .He is, for example, quick to mention his fondness for the American Midwest, having toured Iowa’s small towns in 1985 as a lowly provincial official, visiting farms and staying overnight in the cramped bedroom of a middle-class family, surrounded by their boys’ “Star Trek” figures. But it remains unclear whether Xi’s familiarity with U.S. culture will help lead to warmer relations between the countries after years of intensifying economic and military rivalry. So far, he appears no less likely than previous Chinese leaders to resist demands for expanded human rights at home or to rail against Westerners for meddling in Chinese affairs.
• Assassination rumor of Kim Jong-un’s death is a hoax
  American officials have shot down rumous that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was assassinated. The claim originated in China yesterday and rapidly circulated on Twitter and Chinese micro-blogging sites. Due to the difficulty of verifying news from the ultra-secretive government of North Korea, news organizations were unable to debunk the rumor. But U.S. officials said that they believed the claim to be untrue, and had seen no evidence of 'abnormal activity' in North Korea, the Daily Mail reported. [Assassination] [Social media] [Psychwar]
• Why Beijing Votes With Moscow
  By MINXIN PEI Published: February 7, 2012 In many ways, China’s decision to join Russia in vetoing the Syria resolution in the United Nations Security Council seems an aberration. The veto not only derailed the latest attempt to pressure the Assad regime to end its bloody crackdown, but also damaged China’s relations with both the West and the Arab League, which sponsored the resolution. [Banana]
• China's elite: a language deficit
  Kerry Brown, 8 February 2012 Beijing is concerned by Washington's more assertive regional policy in Asia. But here as elsewhere its inability to talk to the rest of the world in a natural way blunts its capacity to respond, says Kerry Brown. About the authorKerry Brown is an associate fellow on the Asia programme? , Chatham House. His books include The Purge of the Inner Mongolian People's Party in the Chinese Cultural Revolution, 1967-69: A Function of Language, Power and Violence? (Brill, 2004); Struggling Giant: China in the 21st Century? (Anthem Press, 2007); Friends and Enemies: The Past, Present and Future of the Communist Party of China? (Anthem Press, 2009); and Ballot Box China: Grassroots Democracy in the Final Major One-Party State? (Zed Books, 2011). His website is here? It was a bleak moment for the foreign-policy specialists in the central government in Beijing when Hillary Clinton’s plane touched down in Rangoon in early December 2011. For several years, China had been the one steadfast friend of Burma's ever more isolated military regime. It was thus able to enjoy something approaching an economic monopoly there, even if India sought to press its interests in the resource-rich but isolated south Asian country. Beijing had advance warning of an autumn chill when Barack Obama declared during his visit to Asia in late November that the United States was, after its post-9/11 diversions in the middle east and Afghanistan, now back and fully focused on its Pacific interests. For China, such sentiments evoke the fear that the US is becoming more involved than it would like in the affairs of its neighbours. But the pattern is longer still. For in mid-2010, the US secretary of state said - in the context of flare-ups between Japan and China over disputed maritime borders - that both the South and East China Seas were legitimate areas of American’s strategic interest. Such consistency in the US’s pronouncements and behaviour over the last eighteen months suggests that it is indeed "back", strategically and psychologically, in east Asia. Many in Beijing see this refocus as an effort to thwart, frustrate and challenge a China that itself now has more ability to assert its key interests. [China confrontation]
• China cannot stay out of Syrian chaos
  Global Times | February 09, 2012 00:30 The West has sped up efforts against Syria after the double veto by China and Russia over the UN Security Council resolution. Russia has sent its envoy to the country. China cannot sit idly by as the situation moves away from its intentions. Even it is not able to dictate the direction of the Syrian situation, China can at least cast its influence in three aspects. [Syria]
• China notes rifts with U.S. on global issues ahead of Xi Jinping visit
  By Keith B. Richburg, Published: February 9 | Updated: Friday, February 10, 6:05 AM BEIJING — On the eve of an official visit to Washington by Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, the country’s vice foreign minister in charge of U.S. affairs said the two countries now suffer from a “trust deficit” that the trip might help resolve. “The level of mutual trust between China and the U.S. is lagging behind what is required for further development of our bilateral relations,” Cui Tiankai said Thursday. [US China] [Syria]
• The DPRK: Uncertain but More Hopeful
  By Shen Dingli February 7, 2012 Shen Dingli, Professor and Executive Dean at Fudan University, writes that the new leadership in Pyongyang has to continue to strengthen Kim Jong-un’s power base, which doesn’t allow it to be either too hostile or receptive to the outside world. It also has to be politically correct and follow Kim Jong-il and Kim Il-sung’s Juche ideology, demonstrating self-reliance. Therefore, to quit the nuclear weapons program is a non-starter. While the DPRK has signaled its intent to return to the Six-Party Talks, this is, in Shen Dingli’s opinion, a tactical move, not a strategic commitment to denuclearization. "All parties involved in the talks should combine their legitimate needs with a realistic approach ... Unless other parties would relinquish their nuclear weapons or the benefit of a nuclear umbrella, demanding Pyongyang to rid its nuclear program without prior trust-building is wishful thinking.” In the meantime, in order to manage its shortage of resources, the DPRK has to keep bargaining with others and develop its economy—and this could bode well for engagement and stability [Agency] [Transition] [China NK] [Chinese IR]
• China's Role In JSF's Spiraling Costs
  Feb 3, 2012 By David Fulghum, Bill Sweetman, Amy Butler Washington, Washington, Washington How much of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter’s spiraling cost in recent years can be traced to China’s cybertheft of technology and the subsequent need to reduce the fifth-generation aircraft’s vulnerability to detection and electronic attack? That is a central question that budget planners are asking, and their queries appear to have validity. Moreover, senior Pentagon and industry officials say other classified weapon programs are suffering from the same problem. Before the intrusions were discovered nearly three years ago, Chinese hackers actually sat in on what were supposed to have been secure, online program-progress conferences, the officials say. The full extent of the connection is still being assessed, but there is consensus that escalating costs, reduced annual purchases and production stretch-outs are a reflection to some degree of the need for redesign of critical equipment [Cyberespionage] [China confrontation]
• What’s in store for China in 2012?
  Despite food price inflation and a stagnant housing market, China should maintain a rapid rate of growth. FEBRUARY 2012 • Gordon Orr Government policies will spur consumption and investment [Domestic demand]
• Biding and Hiding No Longer: A More Assertive China Rattles the Region
  By Nick Bisley [December, 2011] China's newfound assertiveness, particularly in its maritime disputes with its neighbors, has disturbed the region and reawakened US attention to a part of the world it had largely been neglecting. Some observers see the robust US response to China's behavior as a victory for America, but Nick Bisley argues that great-power rivalry between the two could produce a more unstable and crisis-prone region unless they can work together to forge a new order that accommodates the interests of both nations and the rest of Asia. Since the mid-1990s, China's strategy in Asia has been to play a cautious long-term strategic game. Its domestic economic program, by far its greatest priority, required it to pursue a "status quo" strategic policy as it focused on opening up and strengthening its economy. This meant making peace with its neighbors, signing up to multilateral institutions and tacitly welcoming the free ride provided by America's military predominance. China's own ambitions could wait, its leaders reckoned. For some observers this rational approach showed the benefits of one-party rule in implementing strategic policy. [Resurgence]
• China’s big bet on green industry – and how it might green the world
  John Mathews, 3 February 2012 After the failure of Durban, a promising plan B to reducing carbon emissions rests upon green development industrial strategies being pursued by individual countries. And here China is in the vanguard. About the authorProfessor John Mathews holds the Eni Chair of Industrial Dynamics and Global Strategy at LUISS Guido Carli University, in Rome.The gloom spread by the failure of Durban and the Kyoto process generally to set any effective cap on carbon emissions is palpable. But what would have happened if Durban had actually delivered a binding cap on carbon emissions – one that, to be effective, would stop Chinese and Indian industrialization in its tracks? [China rising] [Green]
• MOFA pledges fair treatment in case of arrested diplomat
  •Publication Date:02/02/2012 •Source: Taiwan Today The case involving Jacqueline Liu, former director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Kansas City who pleaded guilty to labor fraud, will be handled in a fair and open manner, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Jan. 31. International, ROC and U.S. law will all be taken into account, along with civil service regulations and the protection of human rights, MOFA said. In a press statement, MOFA noted that the case of Liu, who was arrested in the U.S. last November and charged with fraud in connection with her treatment of two Filipino maids, involves a number of complex issues, including the views of Taiwan and the U.S. on the definition of diplomatic immunity and its implementation under their bilateral agreement signed in 1980, as well as U.S. judicial independence and Liu’s personal rights. [Client]
• China mulls EU cash boost
  Global Times | February 03, 2012 01:10 By Zhu Shanshan Premier Wen Jiabao Thursday revealed the possibility of injecting capital into the anemic eurozone after meeting with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel. In a joint press meeting held with Merkel, Wen told journalists that China is considering greater involvement in the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) and the upcoming European Stability Mechanism (ESM), and is still studying how it might lend further support. Wen said resolving the eurozone debt crisis was "urgent", and Beijing will support Europe's efforts to stabilize the euro. He did not make any explicit financial commitment. [EU]
• US high-tech revival blocks China’s industrial climb
  Global Times | February 02, 2012 22:30 By Zhou Shijian The Obama administration has adopted new methods of reviving industry, looking to new energy and other high-tech fields like biotechnologies and new materials. Such a rebirth will be rough and it's unlikely it will see progress for three to five years. But in the long term, the shift may be a truly significant one. This is not good news for China, which is also struggling to optimize and upgrade its industrial structure and trying to gain a foothold in middle- and high-end products. Take the clean energy industry. Early in 2005, former US President George W. Bush unveiled plans to develop and lead in alternative energy technologies. The Americans will not be happy to see competitors. Bans on high-tech exports and protectionism have become a common practice targeted at China, as evidenced by recent anti-dumping probes that the US has announced into Chinese solar products and wind towers. Such accusations on China relating clean energy will grow.
• No need to sweat over minor unrest
  Global Times | February 02, 2012 01:20 The world is paying increasing attention to the situation in China's Tibetan region, and also to the recent increase in police strength in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Many people outside China see incidents in China's ethnic minority areas as one of the country's biggest challenges. It is true that in recent years, Tibet and Xinjiang have not been as peaceful as before. China's reform and opening-up and social reforms have brought many changes. Conflicts are on the rise both in inland and border areas. But the reform and opening-up drive has also made the country more able to maintain stability. Growing experience and knowledge is helping Chinese society eliminate many worries that China used to have. The grass-roots level of Chinese society, including in Tibet and Xinjiang, will certainly become more diverse both in thought and interests thanks to the opening-up drive. This will make some external forces take advantage of globalization and manipulate minorities in China. [Separatism]
• Chinese J-20 Stealth Fighter Advances
  Jan 31, 2012 By Bill Sweetman Washington Every indication is that nobody in Western intelligence saw the Chengdu J-20 coming. While it was known that China was developing a stealthy combat aircraft, the J-20 has emerged earlier than expected and appears to be more mature than the X-plane or demonstrator that many people anticipated. The debut of the J-20 had been predicted in a November 2009 interview on Chinese television by Gen. He Weirong, deputy commander of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force. The general said at the time that a “fourth-generation” fighter would be flown in 2010-11 and be operational in 2017-19. At least two J-20 prototypes were complete by the time the aircraft made its first flight—or at least its first public flight—on Jan. 11, 2011. The two aircraft are distinguished by the detail design of their exhaust nozzles, leading to speculation that one of the aircraft has Russian-supplied AL-31F engines, of the type fitted to the Chengdu J-10, and the other has the Chinese-developed WS-10 engine. [military balance] [China rising]
• Australia looks uneasily between US and China
  Global Times | January 31, 2012 21:08 By Global Times Editor's Note: This year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of Sino-Australian diplomatic ties. As the US shifts its strategic attention to Asia-Pacific, Australia will have to deal with two powers in the region: China, the new emerging power, and the US, which wants to remain dominant. What does this mean for Sino-Australian relations? After four decades, what are the prospects of the bilateral relations? Global Times reporters Yu Jincui, Qiu Wei and Wen Ya visited Australia and talked to several scholars on these issues. New friendships don't expel old ties Australia needs to face tough choice [China confrontation] [Australia] [Dilemma]
• China Sends Rice to N.Korea
  China has reportedly sent hundreds of thousands of tons of rice to North Korea to help the Stalinist country maintain stability after leader Kim Jong-il's death. Do Hee-yoon of South Korean activist group Citizens' Coalition for Human Rights of Abductees and North Korean Refugees on Monday said thousands of Chinese cargo trucks carrying bags of rice entered the North between Jan. 9 and right before the Lunar New Year holidays. As proof, he showed pictures taken near the customs office in Tumen in the Chinese province of Jilin on Jan. 12 .

• Supervised studies
  Global Times | January 29, 2012 20:18 By Lin Meilian North Korean families visit Kumsusan Memorial Palace in Pyongyang. The palace was the official residence of North Korea's founder Kim Il-sung until his death in 1994. It is now a mausoleum where the bodies of Kim Il-sung and his son Kim Jong-il lay in state. Photo: CFP Ke Juping says the first time she saw North Korea's "great leader" Kim Jong-il, she wanted to crawl in a hole to avoid the awkward, judgmental stares from the people around her. Her problem was with what she was wearing: trendy black jeans and a yellow T-shirt that made her "stand out" in the crowd of seriously dressed North Koreans.
• With oil pipeline to US on hold, Canada eyes China
  Gingrich uses to attack Obama on environmental, geopolitical issue KITAMAAT VILLAGE, British Columbia — The latest chapter in Canada's quest to become a full-blown oil superpower unfolded this month in a village gym on the British Columbia coast. Here, several hundred people gathered for hearings on whether a pipeline should be laid from the Alberta oil sands to the Pacific in order to deliver oil to Asia, chiefly energy-hungry China. The stakes are particularly high for the village of Kitamaat and its neighbors, because the pipeline would terminate here and a port would be built to handle 220 tankers a year and 525,000 barrels of oil a day. But the planned Northern Gateway Pipeline is just one aspect of an epic battle over Canada's oil ambitions — a battle that already has a supporting role in the U.S. presidential election, and which will help to shape North America's future energy relationship with China. [Oil]
• Kim Jong-un’s regime: facing up to domestic challenges, China and the US
  January 26th, 2012 Author: Wei Zhijiang, Sun Yat-sen University After the death of Kim Jong-il in December, Kim Jong-un has officially become the supreme leader of North Korea and the supreme commander of the Korean People’s Army. This is in addition to his position as the Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Korean Workers’ Party, which was announced in September 2010. These appointments demonstrate that the succession system, with Kim Jong-un as the core person, has been stabilised. [Transition] [Kim Jong Un]
• Make Philippines pay for balancing act
  Global Times | January 29, 2012 00:55 By Global Times A warship moves during a live-ammunition military drill held by the South China Sea Fleet of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy in the South China Sea July 26, 2010. Photo: Xinhua The Philippines has signaled during a recent bilateral defense dialogue that it would expand the US military presence on its soil. US navy ships will reportedly be deployed in the Philippines, and more joint military exercises will be considered. China must respond to this move. Besides expressions of concern and disagreement, detailed countermeasures are necessary. Given the recent active maneuvers of the US military in China's neighboring area, the lack of a response from China would be inappropriate, though it is also impossible to react strongly toward every move by the US. It is thus necessary to single out a few cases and apply due punishment. The Philippines is a suitable target to impose such a punishment. A reasonable yet powerful enough sanction can be considered. It should show China's neighboring area that balancing China by siding with the US is not a good choice. The Philippines and Vietnam are the two main countries creating waves in the South China Sea. Yet Vietnam needs China's political support as an alliance between Vietnam and the US has a difficult line to cross. However, the Philippines can easily surrender itself as a pawn in the US' geopolitical game against China. But the Philippines has its own bitter memory of the US. At least for now, Filipinos remain aware of the history of US colonization. Meanwhile, China's economy presents a huge attraction. Well-measured sanctions against the Philippines will make it ponder the choice of losing a friend such as China and being a vain partner with the US. [China confrontation] [China global strategy][Territorial disputes]
• Why China’s Future Leader Is Going to Iowa
  By Austin Ramzy | @austinramzy | January 24, 2012 | 13inShare.13 The White House announced on Monday that Vice President Xi Jinping, the man most likely to be China’s next President, will visit Washington, D.C., and California next month. Also on his itinerary: Iowa. Washington is, of course, the nation’s capital and California its most populous state. Iowa, though, struggles a little harder for recognition. The state has just had its first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses, when it enjoys the national spotlight before another four years of anonymity. But Xi probably isn’t looking for tips on campaigning. [Softpower] [Xi Jinping]
• 'Chinese troops could reach Pyongyang in 2 hours'
  China is stepping up the mobility of its troops stationed in areas bordering North Korea in preparation for contingencies in the North, Japan’s Asahi Shimbun reported Sunday. Asahi quoted an unnamed Chinese military officer as saying that “we are stepping up our military mobility.” If contingencies happen in North Korea, Chinese troops could reach Pyongyang, the capital, in just two hours, the officer said. According to Asahi, a Chinese military think tank has activated a Korean Peninsula crisis management team since 2007 when North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s health began to show signs of deterioration. Kim died of heart failure on Dec. 17 last year at the age of 69. [China NK] [Takeover] [Warning]
• Philippines may allow greater U.S. military presence in reaction to China’s rise
  Zachary S. Welch/AP - Two decades after evicting U.S. forces from their biggest base in the Pacific, the Philippines is in talks with the Obama administration about expanding the American military presence in the island nation, the latest in a series of strategic moves aimed at China. By Craig Whitlock, Thursday, January 26, 9:32 AMUpdated: Thursday, January 26, 9:21 PM Two decades after evicting U.S. forces from their biggest base in the Pacific, the Philippines is in talks with the Obama administration about expanding the American military presence in the island nation, the latest in a series of strategic moves aimed at China. Although negotiations are in the early stages, officials from both governments said they are favorably inclined toward a deal. They are scheduled to intensify the discussions Thursday and Friday in Washington before higher-level meetings in March. If an arrangement is reached, it would follow other recent agreements to base thousands of U.S. Marines in northern Australia and to station Navy warships in Singapore. [China confrontation] [Alliance] [bases]
• China’s Tone Deaf Officials
  By Mu Chunshan January 24, 2012 China’s annual session of the National People’s Congress and the Political Consultative Conference will both be held in March. But, as is usual, there will be general meetings held in various Chinese provinces before more than 2,000 officials gather in Beijing. This past year, though, there has been a series of notable “gaffes” by lawmakers that will hang like a cloud over the gathered officials. One of the most notorious of these was a recent incident in Guangdong Province, where one Communist Party official proposed building a huge “Goddess of Harmony” on an island located at the western end of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge. The official who proposed building the statue thought that it was a good opportunity to construct a special “cultural monument,” in keeping with the Chinese government’s goal of promoting cultural development. The public, though, was less convinced an expensive statue was the best way to bring harmony to China, and the plan was met with a mixture of disbelief and derision. (The fact that the person proposing the mega project was a developer didn’t help his credibility). [Governance] [Acceptance]
• China Hires at Least Two Supertankers for Iranian Oil, Data Show
  January 24, 2012, 1:21 AM EST By Isaac Arnsdorf Jan. 23 (Bloomberg) -- China has hired at least two supertankers to ship oil from Iran as the U.S. and allies try to cut the Islamic Republic’s oil income to pressure it over its nuclear program. The two supertankers were booked to carry about 2 million barrels of crude from Kharg Island to China, according to Clarkson Research Services Ltd., a unit of the world’s largest shipbroker. Two other ships that called at an Iranian oil terminal are heading for China, according to AISLive Ltd. ship- tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. [Iran] [Sanctions]
• China Rolls out Low-cost Maglev Trains
  Xinhua | January 22, 2012 11:21 By Xinhua A low-cost maglev train rolls off the assembly line on Friday, January 20, 2012 in Zhuzhou, central China's Hunan Province. The three-carriage train, with a designed top speed of 100 kilometers an hour, is suitable for mass transit, inter-city travel and trips in scenic areas. (Photo: Xinhua) A locomotive producer in central China's Hunan province on Friday rolled out a low-cost magnetically levitated (maglev) train that is more environmental-friendly than conventional ones. The three-carriage train is designed to run at a maximum speed of 100 km per hour and carry 600 passengers, said Xu Zongxiang, general manager of Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Co. Ltd. of China South Locomotive and Rolling Stock Corporation (CSR). Xu said the new train was much quieter than conventional ones. While a conventional train moves forward by using friction between its wheels and the railway tracks, the maglev train replaces wheels by electromagnets and levitates on the guideway. According to Xu, his company's has minimized the risk of the new maglev train derailing or overturning. "It's ideal for mass transportation, as it is quiet and environmental-friendly. Its manufacturing cost is about 75 percent of a conventional light-rail train," said Xu. [Railways]
• Tycoon prods Taiwan closer to China
  Andrew Higgins/The Washington Post - Tsai Eng Meng, who has a sprawling business empire, says he can’t wait for Taiwan’s merger with China. Text Size PrintE-mailReprintsBy Andrew Higgins, Sunday, January 22, 12:07 AM TAIPEI, Taiwan — Shortly before Taiwan’s presidential election last weekend, Tsai Eng Meng, a local billionaire who spends most of his time in China, jumped in his Gulfstream 200 corporate jet and flew home to cast his vote. More than 200,000 other Taiwanese businessmen based in China also rushed back, contributing to a comfortable victory by an incumbent president committed to rapprochement with China. (Andrew Higgins/The Washington Post) - Wuerkaixi, a former Tiananmen Square student leader who now lives in exile in Taiwan, said he used to regularly get asked to write columns in China Times but not anymore after Tsai Eng Meng bought it. .Tsai’s role in prodding Taiwan closer to China, however, is far bigger than just his ballot. He not only has dozens of factories churning out rice crackers on the Chinese mainland but also controls a string of media properties in Taiwan that champion ever-closer ties between this boisterous island democracy and authoritarian but increasingly prosperous China. “Whether you like it or not, unification is going to happen sooner or later,” said Tsai, the chairman of Want Want Group, a sprawling conglomerate comprising a giant food business, media interests, hotels, hospitals and real estate. [Straits]
• Death penalty in fraud crimes divides public
  Global Times | January 20, 2012 00:30 By Yang Jingjie The death sentence verdict of a female billionaire, who cheated investors out of several hundred million yuan through illicit means of financing, has sparked heated public debate, with observers calling for a relaxation of limits on informal lending by authorities. The Zhejiang Provincial Higher People's Court Wednesday upheld the death penalty for Wu Ying, the 31-year-old former owner of the Bense Holding Group. Wu, born to a farmer's family, was the sixth-richest woman in the Chinese mainland in 2006, with total assets of 3.6 billion yuan ($569.99 million), according to the Hurun Report. She was arrested in 2007 for illegal fundraising and fraud.
• US actions make China-Russia alliance appealing
  Global Times | January 20, 2012 00:00 By Global Times As US aircraft carrier groups gather in the Arabian Sea, a showdown between Iran and the West is rumbling on. If a war erupts, this will be another upshot of the US pursuit of absolute national security. Mainstream forces in Washington are trying to sell a ludicrous standpoint to the American people: that it is worthwhile to bear financial costs and even lose some lives to confront lurking dangers to US security in the Middle East. This is not a rational analysis, but rather a pious belief in US politics. With an appetite for national security causes, the US becomes increasingly meticulous in eliminating potential challenges. The US has somewhat defused two powder kegs in the Middle East: Iraq and Afghanistan. It also helped bring the fall of Slobodan Milosevic and Yugoslavia. Now it is preparing for a potential confrontation with Iran, and appears confident of another successful air strike. [US global strategy] [China Russia] [NCW]
• US scholars weigh in on impact of Taiwan elections
  Doug Paul outlines his views on Taiwan’s recent elections at a seminar in Washington, D.C., Jan. 17. (CNA)•Publication Date:01/18/2012 •Source: Taiwan Today U.S. academics and officials expressed their views on the implications of the outcome of recent ROC presidential and legislative elections on Taiwan, the U.S. and cross-strait relations at a seminar in Washington, D.C., Jan. 17. The forum was held jointly by the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Brookings Institution. Bonnie Glaser, a CSIS senior fellow and co-host of the event, said the U.S. would continue with its established policy toward Taiwan, including the sale of military hardware and weapons systems to bolster the island’s self-defense capabilities. With the re-election of President Ma Ying-jeou, Taiwan’s wish to acquire advanced F-16 C/D fighters would remain an important issue, she added. Doug Paal, former head of the American Institute in Taiwan, echoed Glaser’s words, saying Taiwan would require additional arms to protect itself and U.S. weapons sales would therefore continue. Meanwhile, AIT Chairman Raymond Burghardt said opposition presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen’s calm acceptance of the election results was one of several indications in the Jan. 14 polls that Taiwan’s democracy has already matured. He added that democracy has become an inherent part of Taiwan’s identity. For his part, Richard Bush, former AIT chairman and co-host of the seminar, said further improvement in cross-strait relations would become more difficult looking forward as tougher issues, including more complex economic issues, would have to be tackled in the next stage. Bush noted that there currently is no foundation in terms of how the two sides should engage in talks on political and security issues, adding that the matter is complicated further by the fact that no consensus has been arrived at within Taiwan on proceeding with cross-strait political negotiations. If the two sides move forward too quickly on political talks, the result could be a stalemate, he added [Straits] [US global strategy]
• ROC sovereignty over Diaoyutais reaffirmed
  Taiwan’s representative office lodges a protest with Japanese authorities Jan. 17 after Japan announced a plan to name several islets in the Diaoyutai Islands. (CNA)•Publication Date:01/17/2012 •Source: Taiwan Today The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated ROC sovereignty over the Diaoyutai Islands Jan. 16, after a Japanese government spokesman said Japan plans to name 39 uninhabited islands in its exclusive economic zone, including four in the disputed island group. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura made the announcement at a news conference earlier the same day. [Territorial disputes]
• Diplomacy and military readiness keys to sea sovereignty
  Global Times | January 18, 2012 21:45 By Lu Tao Opinions regarding the South China Sea have been issued with increasing frequency by Chinese diplomats lately. According to Yang Jiechi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, although conflicts arise over territorial sovereignty and maritime rights in this region, dialogue and negotiation should always be the policies the related countries pursue. On January 6, Yi Xianliang, deputy director general of the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, exchanged views with netizens. According to Yi, the South China Sea issue becoming hot last year reflects the challenges caused by the many changes around China and across the world. [Territorial disputes] [China confrontation] [China global strategy]
• 40 years since Nixon show urgency of this moment
  Global Times | January 18, 2012 00:40 By Global Times Share E-mail Print Comments(0) The US and China should constantly enhance mutual understanding and deepen strategic trust, Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping said Monday, during a ceremony commemorating the 40th anniversary of former US President Richard Nixon's ice-breaking visit to China. The past four decades have witnessed ups and downs in Sino-US ties. Now these two biggest powers face unprecedented reliance on each other as well as challenges in their strategic cooperation. Despite coordination in various fields, the two take precautions due to intensifying competition. As analysts point out, strategic trust is a luxury in Sino-US ties. [US China relations]
• Stolen Childhood
  Global Times | January 17, 2012 00:50 By Zheng Yi Share Authorities in West China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region said Sunday that they have tracked down and rescued 1,332 Xinjiang runaway children around the country since May 2011. Most of the children are between the ages of 10 and 18 and were forced to steal by criminal gangs after being lured to larger cities in East China for work, said an official with the region’s civil affairs department. "These children have negatively impacted the image of Xinjiang people in the eyes of some, and therefore may damage future relations for the community," Turgunjun Tursun, an associate researcher with the Sociology Institute at the Academy of Social Sciences of Xinjiang, said to the Global Times. Current situation Turgunjun Tursun said he is glad that those 1,322 children are now able to return home, but he is still far from satisfied with the number as there are many other children struggling in other provinces around the country. "According to statistics released by the Xinjiang shelter for rescued children, there are currently still at least 30,000 runaway children in other provinces," said Tursun [China problems]
• In D.C., China builds a news hub to help polish its global image
  By Paul Farhi, Tuesday, January 17, 11:34 AM In a downtown D.C. office building hard by a Starbucks and a busy construction site, China’s most ambitious effort to become a global power in English-language TV news is literally taking shape. For months, Chinese and American workers have been constructing a multi-floor TV studio complex on New York Avenue NW. Within a few weeks, China Central Television (CCTV) — the nation’s state-run international broadcaster — intends to originate news broadcasts produced by a staff of more than 60 journalists hired in recent weeks from NBC, Bloomberg TV, Fox News and other Western news organizations. .The new Washington operation, its managers say, will be a hub of CCTV’s global news-gathering operations as the network launches a major expansion outside China to compete with international broadcasters such as CNN, the BBC and al-Jazeera. [Media] [China rising][Image]
• [Editorial] Taiwanese election offers lessons for the Koreas
  The ruling Kuomintang party recently won reelection by a large margin in the Taiwanese presidential and legislative elections. This unexpected rout reaffirmed the support of Taiwan's citizens for the country's version of the Sunshine Policy, which has brought economic growth and stability in cross-strait relations. With this, momentum was added to the process of unification between Taiwan and mainland China, where economic integration has been proceeding apace. It is a change wrought from mutual pragmatism, with Taiwan emphasizing the economy before politics and prioritizing easier tasks over more difficult ones, and China emphasizing the quieting of politics and placing concessions before demands. This transformation offers many implications for the wasteful antagonism of inter-Korean relations. [SK NK policy] [Engagement]
• Wine prices decline in China, Lafite worst hit
  Global Times | January 17, 2012 00:25 By Song Shengxia Share Wine prices decline in China, Lafite worst hit ? Brand tainted by numerous fakes: expert By Song Shengxia Prices of fine wines have seen a steady fall in recent months in China, with Lafite experiencing the steepest decline, Chinese wine dealers said yesterday. ”Taking Carruades de Lafite for instance, the price has dropped by 20 percent in the last six months and Chateau Lafite 2008 has even dropped by as much as 45 percent in value, the first price decline in eight years,” Li Zhuge, a wine dealer in Beijing, told the Global Times yesterday. A bottle of Carruades de Lafite was sold for around 5,000 yuan ($791.69) in China at the beginning of last year, but the price is between 3,000 yuan and 4,000 yuan. Chateau Lafite 2008 sold for up to 11,500 yuan per bottle last year, but is now selling for around 7,000 yuan, according to Li. In October 2010, the price of Chateau Lafite 2008 shot up by 20 percent in China after it was announced the bottles would have the Chinese character for the number eight, which is considered to be fortuitous in China, according to the London International Vintners Exchange. The vintage, which is seen as a barometer for Lafite prices, even reached a peak of more than 60,000 yuan per bottle in China in March 2011, Beijing Morning Post newspaper reported last October. ”China is not a mature market for wine. What the consumers care about most is the label on the bottle, not the taste of the wine,” Lu Fei, manager of a wine salon in Beijing, told the Global Times yesterday. [Wine] [Counterfeit] [Brand]
• Ma declares victory in Taiwan leadership election
  Updated: 2012-01-14 20:30(Xinhua) TAIPEI - Ma Ying-jeou, the incumbent Taiwan leader and chairman of the ruling Kuomintang (KMT), declared his victory in the island's leadership election Saturday evening. Ma extended appreciation and gratitude toward his supporters at a large gathering held in the KMT headquarters in Taipei amid a heavy rain. He attributed the victory to the policies his team has made to fight corruption and maintain peace. Taiwan people showed their recognition of the efforts KMT has made to shelf disputes with the mainland and maintain peace across the Taiwan Strait, he said at the gathering. The final result of ballot counting is not available yet. At a press conference at the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) headquarters, Ma's major rival Tsai Ing-wen admitted her failure in the election and announced that she would resign from the post of DPP chairwoman. [Taiwan] [Straits]
• Neighbor's well-timed visit
  Updated: 2012-01-10 08:22(China Daily) The on-going visit to China by The President of the Republic of Korea (ROK), Lee Myung-bak, has come at an important time. In a few months, the two countries will mark the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and they have designated this year one of friendly exchanges. Flourishing trade and people-to-people exchanges have been the most impressive areas of Sino-ROK cooperation. The Sino-ROK trade volume now exceeds the ROK's trade volume with the United States and Japan combined. China has for years remained the ROK's largest trading partner and its largest source of trade surplus, about 30 percent of ROK's exports now go to China. [China SK]
• Ma Ying-jeou, Taiwan’s pro-China president, wins reelection
  By Andrew Higgins, Sunday, January 15, 2:07 AM TAIPEI, Taiwan — President Ma Ying-jeou of Taiwan won reelection Saturday, cruising to a comfortable victory that should soothe Beijing and calm worries in Washington that the island — a rambunctious democracy just over 100 miles from China — might back away from a policy of detente with its giant, authoritarian and increasingly well-armed neighbor. “We’ve won,” Ma shouted to supporters at a rain-drenched victory rally outside the headquarters of the ruling Kuomintang, or KMT, in Taipei, the capital. Promising to continue on a path of rapprochement with Beijing begun in 2008, the Harvard-educated victor said his second term would bring “more harmonious” relations with China and reduce “the chances of conflict.” [Taiwan] [Election]
• No One Can Win the Future
  It's wrong to pit U.S. and Chinese scientists against each other in a research arms race. By Konstantin Kakaes,New America Foundation January 9, 2012 | Slate Almost a year ago, President Obama set a challenge in his State of the Union speech: "We need to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world." He had just signed a law that ordered the Department of Commerce to write a report on American “competitiveness.” That report was released last week and claims that "elements of the U.S. economy are losing their competitive edge which may mean that future generations of Americans will not enjoy a higher standard of living." [Innovation] [China confrontation]
• China Gets Cheaper Iran Oil as U.S. Picks Up Tab for Hormuz Strait Patrols
  By Indira A.R. Lakshmanan and Gopal Ratnam - Jan 13, 2012 9:07 AM GMT+1300 . .China stands to be the biggest beneficiary of U.S. and European plans for sanctions on Iran’s oil sales in an effort to pressure the regime to abandon its nuclear program. As European Union members negotiate an Iranian oil embargo and the U.S. begins work on imposing sanctions to complicate global payments for Iranian oil, Chinese refiners already may be taking advantage of the mounting pressure. China is demanding discounts and better terms on Iranian crude, oil analysts and sanctions advocates said in interviews. “The sanctions against Iran strengthen the Chinese hand at the negotiating table,” Michael Wittner, head of oil-market research for Societe Generale SA in New York, said in a phone interview. While there are no confirmed numbers, Chinese refiners are likely to win discounts on Iranian crude contracts as buyers from other nations halt or reduce their purchases of Iranian oil to avoid being penalized under U.S. and European sanctions, he said. [Unintended consequences]
• China tailors message for North Korea
  The front page of the China Daily, a state-controlled English newspaper, published Tuesday By Kang Hyun-kyung BEIJING ? Observers were left scratching their heads over China’s reassurance of its position earlier this week that it won’t exert any influence on North Korea. Questions arose over its motives after the state-controlled media’s fresh clarification of its decades-long position coincided with President Lee Myung-bak’s Beijing trip. China watchers speculated the target audience of such a message was probably Pyongyang, which is now undergoing a leadership change after the death of Kim Jong-il [China NK] [Media]
• .Former U.S. Diplomat Rattles Taiwan Before Election
  By ANDREW JACOBS Published: January 13, 2012 TAIPEI, Taiwan — In a closely fought election rife with verbal attacks and partisan rancor, the comments of a foreign academic with no official government position might normally be subsumed by the storm and stress of the campaign. Enlarge This Image Toshifumi Kitamura/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Supporters of Taiwan's main opposition party cheered Friday at a rally in New Taipei City. A former American diplomat offered an unfavorable opinion of the party's presidential candidate. But the remarks, uttered by a former American diplomat and splashed across the front pages of several Taiwanese newspapers on Friday, have kicked up a tempest, underscoring the enormous influence that the United States has on Taiwan’s adolescent democracy. The former diplomat, Douglas H. Paal, who was the American government’s de facto ambassador to Taiwan from 2002 to 2006, told a Taiwanese television station that a victory by Tsai Ing-wen, who is opposing President Ma Ying-jeou in the election on Saturday, could threaten the stability of the region. [US China] [Taiwan]
• China, South Korea edge closer to FTA
  Global Times | January 12, 2012 01:00 By Yang Jingjie Share Beijing and Seoul have vowed to improve their handling of fishery disputes and to start formal talks on a free trade agreement (FTA), according to a joint communique released Wednesday after a visit by South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak. "Maintaining dialogue on sea demarcation is of great significance to long-term, stable development of bilateral ties," the communique said. "The two sides agreed to launch dialogue and consultation between their foreign affairs and fishery departments, in efforts to boost cooperation on the sea," it said, adding that the two nations plan to set up a hotline between their foreign ministers. Lü Chao, a director of the Center of South Korea Studies at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that maritime exchanges between the two sides had become stagnant because of fishing disputes, but that this statement was a hopeful signal for their restart. [China SK] [FTA]
• Sino-NK ties: threat or opportunity?
  By Kang Hyun-kyung BEIJING — North Korea’s dependency on China after the death of Kim Jong-il has drawn fresh attention as experts predicted Sino-North Korea ties will likely intensify during the power transition in the “Hermit Kingdom.” In a paper presented in December, Choi Sung-kun, a senior fellow of Hyundai Economic Research Institute, said bilateral trade between the two nations hit record-high $4.7 billion last year. The bilateral trade has continued to surge since 2006 as the nuclear-armed North underwent several rounds of international sanctions after test-firings of missiles and conducting underground nuclear tests twice. [Trade]
• Taiwan Vote Lures Back Expatriates in China
  By ANDREW JACOBS Published: January 11, 2012 BEIJING — The only thing more striking than the $32,000 diamond-encrusted eyeglasses on display at the Baodao Optical department store here is the bronze statue of Chairman Mao that greets shoppers entering what is billed as the world’s largest eyeglass emporium. A bronze statue of Chairman Mao greets shoppers at a Baodao Optical store in Beijing. The store's owners are from Taiwan. That is because Baodao Optical’s owners are from Taiwan, the island whose governing party, the Kuomintang, fought a fierce — and losing — civil war against Mao’s Communist forces before fleeing the mainland in 1949 with more than a million refugees. The rival governments have yet to sign a peace accord. But by choosing to display Mao’s likeness and his famous credo “Serve the People” so prominently, Baodao Optical reveals how far some Taiwanese businesses will go to romance a Chinese market that many see as the wellspring of their future prosperity. Such gestures have become especially freighted as an estimated 200,000 people return to Taiwan for an election on Saturday whose outcome could determine the future of a relationship that has warmed steadily since President Ma Ying-jeou swept into office there in 2008.
• China top military paper warns U.S. aims to contain rise
  Chris Buckley Reuters 11:17 p.m. CST, January 9, 2012 BEIJING (Reuters) - The United States' new defense strategy focused on the Asia-Pacific region is directed at containing China's rise, the People's Liberation Army's newspaper said on Tuesday in Beijing's strongest warning yet against the new Pentagon stance. The commentary in the Liberation Army Daily, however, also said China's sensible response to the U.S. military re-focus on Asia should be "vigilance" and smart diplomacy, not panic. [China confrontation]
• China and North Korea after Kim Jong-il
  Francis Grove-White, 8 January 2012 Despite its strained relationship with North Korea in recent years, China has so far supported the ascendancy of Kim Jong-un. Francis Grove-White assesses China's prime economic and domestic reasons for backing the inexperienced leader
• Taiwan briefed on latest US defense strategy
  •Source: Taiwan Today •By Rachel Chan The ROC government was briefed Jan. 6 by the American Institute in Taiwan on America’s latest military objectives and its determination to maintain security and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, the National Security Council said. “Washington attaches great importance to Taiwan, as confirmed by the U.S. Defense Strategic Guidance briefing,” the NSC said. [China confrontation] [Taiwan]
• Seoul, Beijing display difference on NK
  President Lee Myung-bak talks with China’s Prime Minister Wen Jiabao during their meeting in Beijing, Tuesday. The leaders agreed to work together to ease tension on the Korean Peninsula following the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. Yonhap By Kang Hyun-kyung BEIJING ? The leaders of South Korea and China reaffirmed peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula as a top priority Tuesday with concerns growing over North Korea after the death of its leader Kim Jong-il. In a joint press statement released after President Lee Myung-bak met Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, the two sides agreed to cooperate in efforts to ease tension. They also agreed to work together to create favorable conditions for the resumption of long-stalled six-party nuclear talks. Earlier, South Korea and the United States demanded North Korea take necessary steps to resume the talks that include Japan, China, and Russia. Despite this, the statement displayed a subtle difference between Seoul and Beijing in their approach to tension. In the statement, China called on South and North Korea to reconcile and make joint efforts to improve relations through dialogue
• Tainted Chinese dairies turn to foreign cows
  Global Times | January 04, 2012 21:55 By Andrei Ni New Zealand produce is famous for its freshness, taste and quality. So it's little wonder that some shrewd Chinese businesses falsely claim to be flogging top Kiwi products. Xinhua reported recently that Nouriz, a "New Zealand" brand of baby formula, which sells well in China, was found to be wholly owned by Chinese. Nouriz is touted as one of the top formula brands in New Zealand. However, it is nowhere to be found in the country's supermarkets or on its big online shopping websites. It didn't take long before suspicious Chinese consumers discovered that Nouriz sells its formula only in China, and is not an authentic foreign brand. This revelation caused an online uproar, with many regretting their purchases of the pricey formula. At a time when indigenous dairy makers are mired in one scandal after another, young, middle-class Chinese parents have no choice but to pay more for branded imported formulas, which is generally considered safer for newborns. But it would be wrong to call Nouriz a "bogus foreign brand," or to berate it for "ripping off" Chinese buyers. After all, the company that owns the brand is indeed registered in New Zealand. What caused the controversy is that it is not directly involved in the production of formula, but has outsourced the job to a local dairy producer. Barring the fact that Nouriz has misled consumers with fraudulent advertising, the company's business is totally legal. Its raw milk and other ingredients are all produced and processed in New Zealand. The formula has passed tests by that nation's food and drug authorities and also those of China's quarantine watchdog.
• China in 2012
  Bonnie Glaser, Senior Fellow, Freeman Chair in China Studies, CSIS The sudden death of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-il could lead to a major crisis and even military conflict between the United States and China. [Conflict] [KJI_death]
• China's new role in the making of Europe
  By David Gosset The redistribution of global power modifies relations between great powers and invites them to reconsider their diplomatic priorities. While in the aftermath of World War II the future of Europe was proactively shaped by the United States, or more precisely, by a group of American "Wise Men", China is now in a position to have an unprecedented impact on the European integration. As Beijing fully develops its immense potential and becomes the world's biggest economy in the coming decade, its capacity to influence will certainly grow. [China rising]
• Power Play It's time for the U.S. to stand up to China. And cutting the Pentagon's budget isn't going to help.
  BY PATRICK M. CRONIN | JANUARY 5, 2012 For a president who admires a slick backdoor pass and the occasional alley-oop, it is fitting that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described his key strategic doctrine in terms of pivoting. In a recent Foreign Policy article, she articulated the administration's grand new strategy: America would "pivot" from conflict in the Middle East and Southwest Asia to deeper engagement in the dynamic Far East, shifting from an over-concentration on Japan and Korea to a more distributed posture across East Asia and throughout the Pacific and Indian oceans. The strategy entails a focus on ensuring alliances in the region are "nimble and adaptive," and guaranteeing allies up-to-date "defense capabilities and communications infrastructure." Speaking at the Pentagon today, President Barack Obama declared that the United States would achieve this pivot towards Asia, especially China, from a "position of strength." [China confrontation]
• Hu, Lee vow to work for stability
  Global Times | January 10, 2012 01:25 By Zhu Shanshan Share President Hu Jintao held talks with visiting South Korean President Lee Myung-bak Monday on the stability of the Korean Peninsula following the North Korean leadership transition, while the South Korean leader promised to begin domestic procedures for the start of formal negotiations with Beijing on forging a free trade agreement (FTA). Hu told Lee in the meeting Monday in Beijing that China will continue to support the improvement of relations through dialogue between the North and South and promised all parties concerned to make more moves to promote peace and stability on the Peninsula.
• Does US need own reform and opening?
  Global Times | January 09, 2012 20:45 Self-loathing blocks some from seeing flaws in American system By Liu Zhiqin I wrote an article about urging the US to reform and open up in Global Times on January 4, which prompted a mass of comments on the Internet. What was surprising is that most of the people who were unhappy with the article were Chinese. I think there are three reasons for the opposition. First, they lack trust in China. The political system of China is improving and making progress. Although the steps hasn't met the expectations of some people, especially Western politicians, the progress is admitted by all. European and American scholars have long concurred on the need for reform in the US political system. Only Chinese are still arguing over whether the US needs reform. Many Chinese compare the country's disadvantages with the advantages of the US. They think that China has no qualifications to comment on the political system of the US and other Western countries. [Acceptance]
• The Coming Collapse of China: 2012 Edition
  I admit it: My prediction that the Communist Party would fall by 2011 was wrong. Still, I'm only off by a year.
  BY GORDON G. CHANG | DECEMBER 29, 2011 In the middle of 2001, I predicted in my book, The Coming Collapse of China, that the Communist Party would fall from power in a decade, in large measure because of the changes that accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) would cause. A decade has passed; the Communist Party is still in power. But don't think I'm taking my prediction back. [Bizarre]
• ROC soldiers feature in US defense calendar
  A soldier manning a CM-11 tank with the ROC national emblem is shown in the Asia-Pacific Defense Forum’s 2012 calendar. (CNA)•Publication Date:01/06/2012 •Source: Taiwan Today Photographs of ROC soldiers and sailors, as well as the ROC emblem, have been included in the 2012 calendar published by the Asia-Pacific Defense Forum, a professional military journal put out quarterly by the Commander, U.S. Pacific Command. It marks the first time that pictures of the ROC military have appeared in the calendar, which depicts American soldiers as well as members of the armed forces of U.S. allies such as Canada, Japan and South Korea. The photos appear under the caption “Taiwanese Soldiers.” [China confrontation]
• Maybe that war with China isn't so far off
  By Peter Lee The year 2011 has been a tough one for Sino-United States ties. And 2012 does not look like it's going to be a good year either, with a presidential election year in the United States. For both the Democratic and Republican parties, bashing the Chinese economic, military and freedom-averse menace will probably be a campaign-trail staple. Lunch-pail issues - protectionism and the undervalued yuan - will focus disapproving US eyes. Tensions will also be exacerbated by the Barack Obama administration's "return to Asia" - a return to proactive containment of China - and the temptation to apply dangerous and destabilizing new doctrine, preventive diplomacy, to China. The potential for friction certainly exists. China, as it approaches a leadership transition, wants to avoid friction. However, the United States appears to welcome it and, in the election year, might even incite it. [China confrontation] [Conflict]
• CHINA BOOSTS N. KOREA TIES
  U.S. officials see signs that China is moving quickly to strengthen ties with its fraternal communist ally in North Korea, following the death of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il on Dec. 17. The indicators include Chinese state-run media reports that appear to be warning the United States not to seek to meddle in the power shift to Kim’s son, Kim Jong-un over concerns that the regime could collapse or fracture. Recent messages of support for the Kim dynasty by senior Chinese leaders stated that the two countries are “linked by mountains and waters and stand together sharing weal and woe,” the official Xinhua News Agency reported. It said that “Chinese people will stand together with the [North Korean] people forever.” Analysts said the messages of support from Beijing are stronger for the new Kim Jong-un regime than those sent in 1994 after the death of Kim Il-sung and the transition to Kim Jong-il. [China NK]
• Pentagon plan changes game in Asia
  Global Times | January 06, 2012 00:25 By Global Times Share The Pentagon issued a new defense plan on Thursday. The new strategy reduces defense spending in the next 10 years, ends the policy of maintaining constant strength to fight two wars at once and prepares the US to fight one war while waging a holding operation elsewhere against a second threat. This is a contractive strategy in general, but gives prominence to the Asia-Pacific region. According to the officials of Pentagon, the changes in strategy are mainly aimed at Iran and China. In front of such a US strategic adjustment, China should remain sober. Since it has become a firm strategic target of the US, its efforts to improve Sino-US relations have proved incapable of offsetting US worries over its rise. China can only use its strength to gain friendship from the US from now on. [China confrontation] [US global strategy]
• U.S. Asks China to Pressure North Korea to Avoid Provocations During Transition
  By CHOE SANG-HUN Published: January 5, 2012 SEOUL, South Korea — A senior American diplomat on Thursday called on China to help restrain the new leadership in North Korea from military provocations during the transition of power there. The diplomat, Assistant Secretary of State Kurt M. Campbell, is the highest American official to visit Northeast Asia since the death of Kim Jong-il, the longtime North Korean leader, in December. He spoke to reporters in Seoul on Thursday after meeting with the South Korean foreign minister, Kim Sung-hwan. [Inversion]
• Amid N. Korea succession, China makes push for stability
  By Chico Harlan, Published: January 5 BEIJING — In the days after Kim Jong Il’s death last month, China’s most powerful leaders hurried to the North Korean Embassy in Beijing, where they fanned across the parquet floor and bowed three times to Kim’s portrait. One Chinese state councilor was “hardly” able to keep back tears, North Korea’s state-run news agency later said. The show of public support lasted more than a week, with odes to the “Dear Leader” and congratulations to his young heir, Kim Jong Eun. But the message was also noteworthy for what it lacked: China said almost nothing about how North Korea’s new leadership should run or reform the country. The top U.S. Diplomat for Asian affairs says the U.S. And China plan to stay in "close contact" over developments in North Korea. Kurt Campbell, the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, is visiting East Asia. (Jan 4) . .Pyongyang’s precarious power transfer has narrowed China’s goals on the Korean Peninsula, experts here say, turning Beijing from a benefactor and adviser into a protector — concerned foremost with preventing collapse, not pushing for improvement. [Collapse] [Transition] [Media]
• North Korea coup rumors fueled by Chinese social media
  By Chico Harlan BEIJING — With its secretive dynastic dictators and its nuclear-armed military, North Korea produces its fair share of intrigue even without the help of Chinese social media. But in recent days, netizens in China added their own plot twist, posting rumors about a military coup that upended young leader Kim Jong Eun. Kim Jong Eun, shown in September. (AFP) The fast-spreading rumors, quickly deleted by China’s Internet censors, said that North Korean soldiers had taken over the state-run television station. They also claimed that Chinese troops were heading to the North Korean border to stem the likely flow of refugees. Since the rumors started flying Wednesday afternoon, U.S. government officials have found no reason to believe they are true. “There has been no movement among Chinese troops around the border,” said one U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information. Still, the rumors — and the speed with which they spread — underscored just how little is known about the world’s most opaque government. Experts and outside analysts can only guess at the age of heir Kim Jong Eun, who is trying to consolidate power in the wake of father Kim Jong Il’s death. (He might be 28 or 29.) They also have little sense of whether Kim Jong Eun is holding power, sharing power, or potentially fighting for it. Even a major power struggle in Pyongyang could be kept under wraps — certainly for hours, possibly for days. North Korea managed to keep Kim Jong Il’s death a secret for some 52 hours before telling the outside world. [Social media] [Collapse] [Media] [Inversion]
• Lee to Make State Visit to China Next Week
  President Lee Myung-bak will fly to China for a state visit on Monday. During the three-day trip, Lee is expected to hold a bilateral summit with his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao, setting the stage for the first private meeting between the two leaders since the death of North Korean ruler Kim Jong-il [China SK]
• China Criticizes U.S. Sanctions Against Iran
  Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei (file photo) /AP China is voicing strong opposition to U.S. sanctions against Iran. Authorities in Beijing say Chinese interaction with the Middle Eastern country does not violate United Nations resolutions and therefore should not be affected by the latest sanctions. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei repeated China's position that, on Iran, it prefers dialogue to sanctions. Hong specifically said China opposes one country placing its domestic law above international law and imposing unilateral sanctions on other countries.
• NK to top agenda of Lee visit
  Global Times | January 05, 2012 01:25 By Yang Jingjie Share South Korean President Lee Myung-bak will visit China next week to exchange views with Chinese officials on North Korea's leadership transition and stability in the region, following a visit to Beijing by a senior US diplomat yesterday. Hong Lei, a spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Lee will pay a state visit to China from January 9 to 11 at the invitation of President Hu Jintao. "President Hu will hold talks with Lee. Top legislator Wu Bangguo and Premier Wen Jiaobao will also meet him. The two sides will exchange views on Sino-South Korean relations, as well as international and regional issues of common concern," Hong said.
• Chinese military bases are about more than just naval supplies and protecting trade routes
  By HARSH V. PANT LONDON — So finally it is out in the open. China will be setting up its first military base abroad in Seychelles to "seek supplies and recuperate" facilities for its navy. The Indian Ocean island nation has defended its decision by suggesting that it has invited China to set up a military base to tackle piracy off its coast and Beijing has played it down by underlining that it is standard global practice for naval fleets to re-supply at the closest port of a nearby state during long-distance missions. But there should be no ambiguity for the rest of the world: Chinese footprint in the Indian Ocean has gotten bigger and will continue to get bigger in the coming years. [China confrontation] [Hegemony] [Seapower]
• China 'Wedded to Status Quo on Korean Peninsula'
  China remains committed to the status quo on the Korean Peninsula and has no interest in regime change in North Korea no matter how exasperated it may be with Pyongyang's military brinkmanship and refusal to reform, experts say. The mantra of Chinese Foreign Ministry and other spokespeople is "peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula," which is trotted out whenever the North launches a fresh provocation to the international community or South Korea, be it nuclear tests or localized military attacks. [China NK] [Takeover]
• Can Lee mend fences with China?
  The following is the second in a two-part New Year series gauging ties between South Korea and China that will celebrate the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two. — ED. By Sunny Lee BEIJING — After being sworn in four years ago, President Lee Myung-bak’s foreign policy has largely had two pillars. One was hard-line policy toward North Korea; the other was a pro-U.S. one. Lee has succeeded in both. The irony was that the more Lee succeeded with the two polices, the worse Lee’s relationship became with China. It was like a student who got an A in one subject, while flunking another, despite the teacher warning that both subjects were important. The United States is South Korea’s strongest ally, while China is its largest economic partner. Strategists say Seoul should maintain a strong alliance with Washington, while being on friendly terms with Beijing. Not alienating China is also important because it is an important stakeholder in North Korea. [China SK]
• Spying claim against Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou
  Reports allege intelligence service monitored rival election candidate Tsai Ing-wen and reported back to incumbent Associated Press guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 3 January 2012 05.43 GMT Article history Taiwan's president, Ma Ying-jeou, has been accused of receiving information from intelligence services on rival candidate Tsai Ing-wen. Photograph: Nicky Loh/Reuters Taiwan's opposition challenger for the presidency has accused intelligence services under the control of incumbent President Ma Ying-jeou of tracking her campaign events for political advantage. The allegations – unproven and denied by Ma – conjure up memories of Taiwan's one-party past when Ma's party, the Nationalists, used their total control of the state apparatus to persecute opponents. [Elections] [Media] [China confrontation]
• Workers claim abuse as China adds Zimbabwe to its scramble for Africa
  Workers on Robert Mugabe's pet construction project say they suffer regular beatings and miserable pay and conditions David Smith in Harare guardian.co.uk, Monday 2 January 2012 20.01 GMT Article history Robert Mugabe is welcomed to Beijing by the Chinese president, Hu Jintao. China plans to invest up to $10bn in Zimbabwe over the next five years, more than in any other country. Photograph: Peter Parks/AFP/Getty Images In the evening gloom the vast complex emerges into view. Beyond a high security wall, insects dance in the beam of a giant floodlight. Men are still hard at work in the skeletons of concrete tower blocks, and standing at the centre of it all is the arch of a Chinese pagoda. Zimbabwe's national defence college is under construction within a sprawling, heavily-guarded compound whose brooding presence sends a clear message to any would-be revolutionary. Some have dubbed it the "Robert Mugabe national school of intelligence". [China bashing] [Media]
• China: will 2012 be a replay of 2009?
  January 1st, 2012 Author: Yiping Huang, Peking University China’s economic developments in 2011 closely resembled those of 2008: over-heating at the beginning of the year; moderating due to policy tightening around mid-year; and decelerating as a result of external recession before year’s end. But 2012 will probably not be a replay of 2009, as neither a hard landing nor a sharp rebound look likely this year. GDP growth may slow from 9.1 per cent in 2011 to 8.1 per cent in 2012 — with softer external demand and weaker residential investment — and inflation could ease from 5.5 per cent to 3.2 per cent. Consumption will probably play a greater role in the coming year, and both monetary and fiscal policy should be modestly expansionary. Key risks for China include deeper recession of the world economy and a disorderly correction of the housing market.
• S.Korea Steps Up Defense Buildup as China's Military Power Grows
  The Chinese Academy of Sciences projected in 2008 that China will be able to match the U.S. in terms of military power after 2050 at the earliest, while it will take a further 20 or 30 years to finally catch up -- making it difficult for China to overtake the U.S. in this area within this century. But some experts say Beijing is being excessively humble in making such projections, as the country has made strides in recent years in boosting its naval, air, space and missile capabilities. China's first aircraft carrier, the remodeled 67,000-ton Varyag, which was purchased from Ukraine back in 1998, went on its test voyage last year. The country is also expected to launch its first homegrown aircraft carrier around 2015. [China confrontation] [Military balance] [China SK]
• China's Hu Congratulates New N.Korean Leader
  Chinese President Hu Jintao sent his congratulations to both new North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak over the New Year. Hu congratulated Kim on his promotion to supreme commander and sent a New Year's message to Lee marking the 20th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic ties between South Korea and China. North Korea's official KCNA news agency said Sunday Hu sent his "heartfelt congratulations" to Kim on Saturday. In his message to Lee, Hu said, "China will commit itself to rich and diverse exchanges with South Korea to enhance mutual understanding and friendship between the peoples of two countries."
• Drug Update: The Chinese Connection
  by Stephan Haggard | December 21st, 2011 | 06:04 am Back in July, we blogged on a spate of stories on the illicit drug trade. Curtis Melvin’s North Korea Economy Watch has a good archive on the topic. My colleague Barry Naughton alerted us to a recent story in the Hong Kong-based Phoenix Weekly ; we were intrigued because the media in China stays quiet on the issue. But Phoenix picked up a number of South Korean stories on the topic and the magazine has a distribution on the mainland. According to Naughton, the story attracted a lot of microblog commentary on Sina.com. [Drugs] [Evidence]
• Gilded Outside, Shoddy Within: The Human Rights Watch report on Chinese copper mining in Zambia
  Barry Sautman and Yan Hairong A November 2011 Human Rights Watch (HRW) report on labor abuses in mining firms in Zambia parented by state-owned enterprise (SOE) China Non-ferrous Metal Mining Co. (CNMC) has been a media sensation.1 CNMC subsidiaries operate two copper mines and two copper processing plants in Zambia:Non-Ferrous Company Africa (NFCA), CNMC-Luanshya Copper Mines (CLM), Chambishi Copper Smelter (CCS), and Sino Metals Leach Zambia (Sino Metals). In 2010 CNMC’s two mines accounted for 4.5% of the copper concentrate produced by foreign companies in Zambia and 4.2% of Zambia’s total. Myriad news outlets and blogs have reported HRW’s conclusions about CNMC: that the Chinese firms are 'bad employers' compared to the five Western-based major foreign investors in Zambia’s copper mining industry; that they have the worst record on the safety of workers, pay, hours and union rights. Despite HRW’s focus on one industry in one country, the report provokes inferences that accord with the larger, highly-skewed Western discourse of 'China-in-Africa.'2 Indeed, HRW asserts (p.1) that its report 'begin[s] to paint a picture of China’s broader role in Africa.' HRW investigations are widely assumed to be empirically accurate, methodologically sophisticated and politically neutral. We challenge these assumptions with respect to the HRW report on CNMC in Zambia, which draws empirically problematic conclusions and uses a dubious methodology. [China bashing] [NGO]
• Hu congratulates Kim on supreme commandership
  Chinese President Hu Jintao sent North Korea's new leader Kim Jong-un a congratulatory message on assuming the supreme commandership of the North's military, the official KCNA reported on Sunday. Kim, believed to be in his late 20s, last week received the supreme commandership of the North's Korean People's Army (KPA), one of the titles that his late father Kim Jong-il held before he died due to a heart attack on Dec. 17, the report said. "I extend warm congratulations to you upon your assumption of supreme commandership of the KPA. The peoples and armies of China and the DPRK have deep traditional friendship," Hu was quoted as saying in the message. DPRK, or the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, is the official name of North Korea. "I believe that the traditional Sino-DPRK relations of friendship and cooperation will steadily consolidate and develop in the new historic condition. I wish you success in your important work," Hu said. (Yonhap)
• Will China Outsmart the U.S.?
  By ADAM DAVIDSON Published: December 28, 2011 Three months before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Angus Echols, a member of DuPont’s executive committee, began shaping the chemical giant’s plans for the coming decade. The U.S. would soon be at war, he explained in a series of memos and high-level discussions, and the company needed to aid the effort. But it also needed to think far ahead. When the war ended, Echols argued, women would want to buy cheap stockings. And where was DuPont on this crucial matter? Deep Thoughts This Week: 1. R. and D. isn’t sexy, but it’s more important than ever. 2. The U.S. has perennially dominated the business. 3. So what happens when China starts coming up with most of the world’s best ideas and manufacturing them, too? Echols got his way. While DuPont provided nylon (among other things) to the U.S. military for parachutes and tires, its research department studied how to make stockings on the cheap and did work that eventually led to Orlon and Lycra. And eight days after the Japanese surrender, DuPont announced that it would shift nylon production from war materiel to ladies’ undergarments. Not only did veterans have solid jobs to return to, but the company dominated the burgeoning synthetic fiber and plastics business for decades to come. [China rising] [R&D]
• The New Space Race
  by BINOY KAMPMARK It was central to old occidental fantasies of the east that Cathay stood tall and strong as a majestic force, an intangible entity that mystified and terrified with its technological prowess and despotic enchantments. In a sense, the language of mystery and terror has not left. China endured invasion and occupation, but such historical incidents do little to erase entrenched perceptions. Modern China now finds itself bankrolling America’s warring escapades, and proving to be an emerging force in various areas of global politics. The relationship between China and the United States, permanently engaged, yet permanently estranged, is now moving into different areas of play. [China confrontation] [Aerospace] [Surveillance]