In the News 新闻帖

[everywhere]

Web China: Majority of poll respondents favor scrutinizing foreigners' job status
(Shanghai Daily/Xinhua)

BEIJING, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Ninety-four percent of participants in a recent online survey agreed that the financial conditions, real estate assets and job status of foreigners living in China should be more closely scrutinized.

More than 6,000 netizens have responded to a poll created on Monday by outspoken children's writer Zheng Yuanjie on Sina Weibo, a popular Chinese microblogging site.

Zheng kept the poll simple, limiting it to a single question with two choices: maintain the "status quo" of China's visa policy, or implement a stricter examination process.

Although some angry respondents cited examples of unqualified foreign teachers "lazing away" as language instructors at English training schools, other netizens criticized the poll's "biased and populist" nature.

A netizen using the name "chenlianhua" chastised Zheng for his "closed-door mentality," while another respondent using the name "nelnel" said foreigners' criminal records, rather than their financial assets, should be more closely scrutinized.

The number of foreigners coming to China has increased significantly since the country implemented its opening-up and reform policies in the late 1970s.

Official figures indicate that the number of foreigners entering China jumped from 740,000 in 1980 to 27.11 million last year, with an average annual increase of 10 percent over the last decade. As of 2011, over 4,700 foreigners were issued permanent residence permits in China.

More than 20,000 foreigners were found to enter, reside or work in China illegally last year, figures from the Ministry of Public Security show.

A source from the ministry claimed that illegal residents tend to be from neighboring countries and are typically employed as foreign language teachers, entertainers or housekeepers.

The lack of a national database for foreign residents and a shortage of foreign language-speaking police officers have made the identification of illegal foreign residents more difficult, the source said.

China's top legislature recently began deliberating changes to laws concerning the entrance, residence and working status of foreigners in order to "cope with new conditions."

The National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee has reviewed twice a draft law that combines two separate current laws regulating entry and exit procedures for Chinese nationals and foreigners, respectively.

A recent report submitted to the NPC Standing Committee by the State Council, or China's cabinet, proposes ramping up legislative efforts and creating an information database for the purpose of strengthening management over foreigners entering and exiting the country.

Hou Jianguo, a member of the NPC Standing Committee, said strengthening management does not imply a "raised threshold" for foreigners who wish to enter China.

"Efforts are being directed at both facilitating entries for financial, recreational and academic purposes and reducing the number of people who are illegally entering, residing or working in China," he said.

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article...a.asp?id=72268

[everywhere]

China to curb planless rural school closures
(Shanghai Daily/Xinhua, May 22)

BEIJING, May 22 (Xinhua) -- China's education authorities have said to take measures to stop hasty school closures and mergers in rural areas

Gao Hong, an official with the Ministry of Education (MOE), made the remarks Monday during an interview with China National Radio.

"Public opinion, especially that from farmers and parents, must be solicited prior to the closure and merger of schools," Gao said.

According to MOE statistics, 302,099 rural primary schools were closed from 1997 to 2010, 81.3 percent of the total number of primary schools shut down in China.

And China had 440,284 rural primary schools in 2000, while the number dropped to 210,894 in 2010, down 52.1 percent.

The MOE has admitted that some closures and mergers were not carried out appropriately.

Yet the policy has cut school operational costs for local governments, according to Liu Shanhuai, a researcher on rural education with the Northeast Normal University.

On the other hand, farmers have to generally pay more now for their children's education and students often have to travel further to get to school, raising safety risks, Liu said.

Gao said efforts are being made to solve problems such as long journey for students, poor education quality and substandard accommodation conditions in boarding schools.

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article...a.asp?id=72269

[everywhere]

Wu Ying Gets Reprieve from Death Sentence‎

The Wu Ying saga came to a close with the announcement of sentence legal analysts interpreted as life imprisonment


(Beijing) – It was a massive financial fraud case unique not only in the sense that it generated widespread public sympathy for the defendant but that it saw China's highest courts overturning a death sentence.


After a serial of trials which first began in April 2009, Wu Ying was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, according to the Zhejiang Higher People's Court website.


Legal experts immediately interpreted the sentence as life imprisonment under China's legal environment.


Wu's former lawyer Zhang Yanfeng said to Sina, "She's been sentenced to life imprisonment, barring any wrongdoing in the next two years." Zhang said the verdict was expected as provincial high courts are subordinate to the Supreme People's Court.


In an online statement on April 20, the Supreme Court overturned Wu's death sentence and required the Zhejiang Higher People's Court to review the case. It stated that Wu had been cooperative in confessing her crimes, including bribing officials.


Wu was convicted and sentenced to death in December 2009 on charges of fund-raising fraud. She was found guilty of raising a combined 390 million yuan from 11 people for fraudulent purposes between May 2005 and February 2007.


Public opinion rallied behind the former millionaire for nearly a year after she was handed the death penalty by local courts.


Lawyers across the country submitted an open letter January 25 addressed to an official who oversees criminal trials at the Supreme People's Court, the nation's highest court, arguing that evidence presented by prosecutors at Wu's trial indicated she did nothing to deserve capital punishment.


In addition to this, Wu's case was held up as an outgrowth of China's restricted formal lending system, which some argue encourages a private lending network.


Many commenting in the Chinese blogosphere said the case reached a fair conclusion. Weibo user "三线子弟哥" said "It's a reasonable sentence. As a pioneer of private lending, Wu Ying played an important role in the development of the private economy in Zhejiang Province."

http://english.caixin.com/2012-05-21/100392423.html

[everywhere]

BEIJING, May 22 (Xinhua) -- China on Tuesday voiced "firm opposition" to the Philippines' decision to draw a third party into the incident over Huangyan Island.

The move will "further escalate the situation and even change the nature of the issue," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said during a routine press briefing.

A recent Philippine media report quoted the country's foreign affairs secretary as saying that some countries are helping the Philippines to establish a "minimum credible defense posture" to complement its diplomatic capacity in dealing with territorial disputes with China.

When asked to comment on the report, Hong said China has consistently used diplomatic means to urge the Philippines to correct its mistakes and ease the situation.

Hong reaffirmed that Huangyan Island is an inherent part of China's territory.

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article...a.asp?id=72295

[everywhere]

Two charged in killing of Chinese graduate students
(Shanghai Daily/Agencies, May 23)

TWO men accused of fatally shooting a pair of Chinese graduate students at the University of Southern California were charged yesterday with capital murder, making them eligible to face the death penalty if convicted, prosecutors said.

Engineering graduate students Ming Qu and Ying Wu, both 23, were killed early on April 11 as they were sitting in a parked car outside Wu's rented home, a few blocks from the USC campus.

Their deaths were the result of an attempted robbery gone wrong, the Los Angeles District Attorney's office said, and sparked a debate over whether the university provides adequate security measures in neighborhoods adjacent to the urban campus where many students live.

The men arrested in the case, 20-year-old Bryan Barnes and 19-year-old Javier Bolden, have been charged with capital murder during a suspected robbery. Prosecutors have not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty or life in prison, both options in a capital case, the district attorney's office said.

Barnes and Bolden, handcuffed and wearing casual clothing, and acting serious and reserved, briefly appeared in a Los Angeles court yesterday to face the charges before the hearing was continued until June 25.

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/nsp/Wor...te%2Bstudents/

[everywhere]

China, Vietnam hold first round of negotiations on Beibu Gulf
(Shanghai Daily, May 23)

HANOI, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese and Vietnamese working groups held the first round of negotiations on the demarcation and joint exploitation of the maritime space at the entrance to the Beibu Gulf on May 21-22 in Vietnamese capital Hanoi.

A Chinese embassy official told Xinhua Wednesday that the negotiation was held in accordance with the consensus reached by the two countries' leaders and heads of the border negotiation delegations.

During the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on the demarcation and joint exploitation of the maritime space at the entrance to the Beibu Gulf, and agreed to hold the second round of negotiations in China in the second half of this year.

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article...a.asp?id=72513

[everywhere]

Cross-cultural forum looks abroad
(Shanghai Daily/Xinhua, May 23)

QUFU, Shandong, May 23 (Xinhua)-- A Chinese forum dedicated to promoting cross-cultural exchanges and the Confucian spirit of harmonization expects to hold a special session at the United Nations (UN) headquarters later this year, organizers said Tuesday.

"We are planning to organize a Nishan Forum later this year in the United States, and we hope to do it at the UN headquarters. It's where the call for cultural diversity was initially launched," Xu Jialu, founder and president of the forum's organizing committee, said at a Tuesday meeting with officials from UN agencies in the city of Qufu in east China's Shandong province.

Xu, 75, said he was impressed by the "unexpectedly fruitful outcome" of the Paris Nishan Forum, which took place last month as a joint effort with UNESCO, and was thus inspired to create a greater global presence for the forum.


GOING GLOBAL

The Nishan Forum came into being in September 2010 after Xu, a retired vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and renowned Confucian scholar, spent nearly three years working to turn it into China's first high-level spiritual dialogue.

As many as 30 foreign scholars came from the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Australia, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Thailand to take part in the first forum, accounting for about one-fifth of the event's participants.

However, organizers have been working to strengthen the forum's overseas presence, holding the Nishan Forum on April 16 this year at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris. The one-day event drew more than 200 participants, including ambassadors, politicians and educators.

With the success of the Paris forum, the event to be held in the U.S. later this year will mark the forum's first step toward creating a greater international presence.

"The initial plan for the U.S. Nishan Forum has already taken shape. We probably will invite about 30 scholars and religious leaders, mostly from North America and Europe, to attend the conference," Xu said.

Xu said the attendees will discuss methods to attain peaceful relations between different cultures, a more difficult issue than the significance of cultural diversity, a topic that was previously discussed at the forum.

The forum's organizers have clearly stated a desire to work with cultural branches of the UN, including UNESCO and the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), a program established in 2005 to ease misunderstandings between different cultures and religions.

The forum has become a global partner of the grassroots "Do One Thing For Diversity and Inclusion" campaign launched in 2011 by UNESCO and UNAOC. Both agencies are expected to participate in the upcoming U.S. forum.

"We are keen to collaborate with the Nishan Forum," said Jean-Christophe Bas, a senior UNAOC advisor.

"The UNAOC's own annual forum will be held in Vienna, Austria in February 2016. There will be thousands of participants from all over the globe," he said.

While it may be possible to hold the U.S. Nishan Forum at the UN headquarters, the organizers must wait until the venue is available, Bas said.


IMPORTANT PLATFORM

Xu said the forum exists largely for the purpose of embodying and encouraging cultural diversity and inclusion, adding that the forum allows foreign participants to embrace diversity by presenting new cultures in a comprehensive way.

Larry Hurtado, a professor at the School of Divinity under the University of Edinburgh, said many westerners are only familiar with China through the products they purchase from the country, adding that few people broach deep societal concepts, such as culture and philosophy.

Dialogues like the Nishan Forum will provide ways for them to understand China more thoroughly, Hurtado said, adding that the meetings will help to build trust and sustain relationships between people of different cultures.

His opinions were echoed by Darrol Bryant, an emeritus professor at the University of Waterloo.

"It is quite different to come and talk to people of different cultures and religions, compared with learning from the books. It is impossible to understand a culture purely through books," Bryant said.

"It's difficult to predict the total outcome, but the endeavor is very positive and promising. It's nice that the Nishan Forum is continuing," Hurtado said.

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/nsp/Nat...not%2Btorture/

[everywhere]

China keeps quarantine on Philippine fruits
(Shanghai Daily, May 26)

CHINA'S quality watchdog said yesterday that it will maintain a quarantine on fruit imports from the Philippines.

The move is aimed at preventing the introduction of harmful organisms into China and safeguarding the nation's ecological security as well as people's health, according to a statement posted on the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine's website.

It said that China's move is in line with rules and standards set by the World Trade Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

The agency said earlier that harmful insects or bacteria had been found in pineapples, bananas and other fruit imported from the Philippines in the last year.

The statement added that AQSIQ officials and experts held talks with a visiting Philippine delegation about the problems, showing the delegation photos of harmful organisms found with the exported fruit.

The AQSIQ said the Philippine side has invited Chinese delegates to the Philippines to conduct examinations, but the AQSIQ has no immediate plans to send delegates to the country. The AQSIQ also rejected a demand by the Philippines to send its own quarantine experts to jointly examine the exports, which the AQSIQ said violates international conventions and Chinese law.

The Chinese administration urged the Philippines to take effective measures to improve and enhance preventive efforts against harmful organisms in orchards and packaging plants, as well as to strengthen quarantine checks before exports, the statement noted.

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/nsp/Nat...ppine%2Bfruit/



Private capital eyed in SOE reform
(Shanghai Daily, May 26)

AFTER sweeping economic reforms, which in three decades have powered China to become the world's second-largest economy, the country is moving ahead with reform of state-owned enterprises by inviting private investment in their restructuring.

The move is in line with other recent measures announced by the central government to stimulate the national economy while also opening the more heavily state-controlled and monopolized sectors to private investment.

A guideline, issued by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council yesterday, did not give details on how private capital could get involved in SOEs' restructuring, but provided some general directions.

Private investors can participate in the restructuring of SOEs through cash investment, share-stake acquisition, subscription to SOE's convertible bonds and finance leases, according to the guideline.

more: http://www.shanghaidaily.com/nsp/Bus...BSOE%2Breform/

[everywhere]

Youngsters turning to religion
(Shanghai Daily, May 28)

SEATED near the gateway of a lamasery, 27-year-old Qiqige stares at the throngs of worshipers clutching burning bundles of incense as they pray.

Unlike them, she has little interest in bowing to the gods.

Even though she grew up in an ethnic Mongolian Buddhist family, she says she's not a follower. But she doesn't mind accompanying her aunt to Yonghegong.

The college student says the aroma of incense mixed with the scent from the butter-oil lamps relaxes her, and the temple offers her an escape from life outside its red walls.

Located in downtown Beijing, Yonghegong, a Tibetan Buddhist temple with a history of more than 300 years, attracts thousands of pilgrims and visitors every day.

The lamasery, also know as Lama Temple, received an estimated 1.7 million visitors last year, with around 60,000 visitors each day during the peak season of Spring Festival.

Liu Junhong, from Shanghai, has visited many temples across the country, but she says Yonghegong has a richer religious environment than others.

"The ethnic mix of various elements of religion can be spotted everywhere in the temple, such as the co-existence of characters of Tibetan, Chinese as well as Manchu languages," says Liu, who studied classic literature at university.

After three decades of reform and opening up, Chinese people's understanding of religion has changed, and young people no longer see religion as "spiritual opium," says Li Decheng, a religion researcher with the China Tibetology Research Center in Beijing.

"Today religion is usually interpreted in a cultural perspective, and is regarded as a personal choice or heritage of values. The change reflects that Chinese society, especially the younger generations, is becoming more inclusive," Li says.

On the other side of the city is Xuanwumen Catholic Church where Tian Yu has just concluded her prayers. "My mum is Catholic. I learned to pray when I was a child," Tian says.

Established as the first church in Beijing by the Italian Jesuit priest Matteo Ricci in 1605, it had about 200 devotees. Today, the church is a major attraction for many young worshipers.

The China Religion Report 2010 by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences says more than 100 million Chinese are religious believers with young people accounting for a third of the total.

Most young people in China receive an atheistic education, but many have converted.

Zhang Yiwu, a humanity professor with Peking University, says this does not suggest the failure of atheistic education.

People born in the 1980s and 1990s can barely stand the pressure of the fast-paced market economy, and convert to get a sense of comfort and relief from religious belief, Zhang says.

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/nsp/Nat...to%2Breligion/

[everywhere]

Op-Ed: Philippines must stop running amok
(Chu Zhaogen, China Daily, May 28)

The Philippines should seek a diplomatic solution to the ongoing dispute over the sovereignty of Huangyan Island. China's position is firm; the government prefers diplomatic negotiations to resolve the current tensions, but it will unswervingly safeguard its territorial sovereignty.



The Philippines' unrealistic ambition to grab China's Nansha Islands, of which Huangyan Island is part, has led to its gamesmanship over the past month. This has included harassing Chinese fishing vessels, stating its intention to seek international arbitration, trying to rename the island and removing Chinese signs and monuments and inciting anti-China demonstrations in the Philippines.



For a long time, China's restrained, calm and constructive attitude toward disputes in the South China Sea has been taken advantage of by some countries, especially Vietnam and the Philippines, who have been emboldened to encroach on China's islands and reefs, territorial waters and resources in the South China Sea. They have even sought to introduce third parties into the disputes in an attempt to internationalize the South China Sea and intimidate China.



Over the years, China has insisted on one-on-one dialogue with the countries disputing its sovereignty of certain territories, but with the United States as the puppeteer behind the scenes, Vietnam and the Philippines have chosen to rebuff China's friendly intentions and its proposal to "put aside disputes and seek common development".



With the US' strategic center of gravity shifting to the Asia-Pacific region, the South China Sea issue provides an "entry point" for Washington's new strategic deployment. Against this background, the Philippines and Vietnam believe their opportunities are coming and they are rushing to "rake in the profits" on offer in the South China Sea.



Despite China's low-key restraint, offer of mutually beneficial economic cooperation, diplomatic protests and consultation within ASEAN, the Philippines insists on provoking China.


Clearly the Philippines has been emboldened to run amok in the South China Sea because it thinks it has the military might of the US behind it.


On May 9, the Philippines' Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario issued a statement that repeatedly mentioned Washington's commitment to the Philippines-US Mutual Defense Treaty to prove that the Philippines and the US are longstanding allies.


But although the Philippines has been trying to use the ambiguity of the treaty to satisfy its wishful thinking that the treaty applies to the South China Sea, the US has never given a clear response, nor any substantial commitment to the Philippines over the South China Sea issue. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta have stressed the US is not taking sides in the dispute, although they have assured the Philippines the US will honor the 1951 mutual defense treaty.



In fact, by "returning to Asia" the US wants to create discord and chaos in the region so as to sell arms and stimulate its economic recovery. But the US does not want to end up being dragged into a conflict with China by the irresponsible actions of its smaller allies.


However, Art Villasanta, a Philippine defense expert and regular contributor to the Philippine Daily Inquirer has said the Philippines has nothing to lose from escalating the current war of words with China over Huangyan Island, as China will not use force because it is aware of the fatal consequences military action would have on its economic recovery and its growing political stability. He concluded that by continuing to raise its voice against China and keeping the international community's attention on the issue, the Philippines will be playing its best card.

These remarks reflect the Philippines risk-taking mentality in dealing with China.


By intensifying the dispute between the two countries, Philippine President Benigno Aquino III is trying to shift attention from his country's domestic woes, which are a direct result of his poor performance in managing economy and internal affairs. He is hoping that he can intimidate China by leaning on the US.


But he should realize that China will never be intimidated and will safeguard its territory with force if necessary.




The author is a researcher with the China Centre for Public Policy Studies at Fudan University.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/opinion...t_15398952.htm

[everywhere]

BEIJING, May 28 (Xinhua) -- China on Monday welcomed newly-appointed Philippine Ambassador to China Sonia C. Brady to take office as soon as possible.

"We welcome the Philippine government to send the ambassador to Beijing as soon as possible, and we believe it will help strengthen communications between both sides through diplomatic channels," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin told a regular press briefing.

Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III designated career diplomat Brady the country's ambassador to China earlier this month.

Brady first served in the Philippine Embassy in Beijing as the third secretary and vice consul and as second secretary and consul from 1976 to 1978, and she previously served as the Philippine ambassador to China from April 2006 to January 2010.

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article...a.asp?id=73439

BEIJING, May 28 (Xinhua) -- China's Commerce Minister Chen Deming said Monday that China is expected to become the world's largest consumer market in 2015.

The volume of consumer retail sales will surpass 5 trillion U.S. dollars in 2015 amid an accelerated urbanization rate and the rise of people's incomes, Chen said at the opening ceremony of the first Beijing International Fair for Trade in Service.

The number of outbound tourists is expected to reach 88 million at that time, he said.

Demand for home services, education and training, medical care, financing, technology and tourism is booming, he said.

China currently ranks fourth in the world in terms of service trade volume, with 419.1 billion U.S. dollars in 2011 compared with 66 billion U.S. dollars in 2000.

Hosted by the Ministry of Commerce and the Beijing municipal government, the Beijing Fair, akin to China's major commodities fair, the Canton Fair, attracted more than 22,000 service providers from 82 countries and regions to foster trade in the sector for the coming five days.

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article...a.asp?id=73430

[everywhere]

MANILA, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Police authorities from China and the Philippines arrested 37 members of a transnational telecom fraud syndicate in recent joint operatives in Para Aque City in Metro Manila, local police announced Monday.

Samuel D Pagdilao Jr., chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) of Philippine National Police released the above-mentioned information and publicize the identities of the 37 suspects in a statement on Monday.

Aside from the suspects, the police also seized assorted telecommunication and information technology equipment that the syndicate used in their operations, the statement said.

According to Pagdilao, last Saturday, Chinese and Philippine police raided two separate residences in Parañaque where the 37 Chinese were arrested.

Of the arrested suspects, 21 are Taiwanese nationals while the rest are from mainland China, he added.

Pagdilao said the arrested suspects have been doing telecom and financial fraud in China since 2007. Following the crackdown on the group by the Chinese authorities in 2010, the group moved their operations outside of China and continued their operations of victimizing Chinese through internet.

Via the internet, the group usually called an unsuspecting victim in China to introduce themselves as policemen. Then, the suspects would tell the victims that their bank accounts were being used for money laundering and other terrorist funding activities. The syndicate would then tell the victim to transfer their money to a "safe account" that the suspects would provide, to which many victims have agreed out of fear and anxiety.

Chinese authorities later tracked the base of operations of the syndicate in the Philippines after they traced the Internet Protocol (IP) address used by the suspects, the statement said.

Wang Ben, police liaison officer from Chinese embassy in Philippines, told Xinhua that by Philippine legal procedures, the suspects will be prosecuted by Philippine procuratorial organ first.

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article...a.asp?id=73432

[everywhere]

Breaking News: ex-railways minister expelled for corruption

BEIJING, May 28 (Xinhua) -- China's former Railways Minister Liu Zhijun was expelled from the Communist Party of China (CPC) due to severe disciplinary violations, the CPC disciplinary watchdog said Monday.

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article...a.asp?id=73455

[everywhere]

SHANGHAI, May 29 (Xinhua) -- China's urbanization rate had reached 51.3 percent by the end of 2011, according to a report released Tuesday by the China Association of Mayors (CAM).

The China Urban Development Report 2011 shows by the end of last year, the country had 30 cities whose permanent population has topped 8 million, and there were 13 cities with a population of more than 10 million.

With over half of China's population now living in cities, experts noted that the country should still improve conditions in its urban centers by paying more attention to people's quality of life, the balance of urban and rural development, benefits for migrant workers and protection of natural and cultural resources.

The CAM was established in 1991 as approved by the State Council. It has organized experts and scholars to compile the annual China Urban Development Report since 2001.

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article...a.asp?id=73770

[everywhere]

Mark Zuckerberg makes surprise cameo on Chinese TV documentary
(Joongang Daily/Associated Press, May 30)

Beijing - Social media sites and blogs have lit up after eagle-eyed viewers spotted a surprise cameo in a Chinese TV documentary about the country’s police force: Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, and his now-wife, Priscilla Chan.

The documentary by CCTV was part of a series on Chinese police and high-tech crime-solving methods. A few seconds of footage showing Zuckerberg and Chan walking behind two police officers were shown included in a brief clip posted online by the Hebei provincial satellite station.

The footage shows the couple wearing the same clothes they were photographed in during a March 27 visit to Shanghai.

http://koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.c...px?aid=2953582

[everywhere]

China sacks official over dam accident amid flood concerns
(Shanghai Daily, May 30)

CHANGSHA, May 30 (Xinhua) -- A township official in central China's Hunan province has been removed from his post after the provincial flood control headquarters decided to hold local authorities responsible for a dam breach that occurred on Friday.

The headquarters issued a circular on Wednesday stating that precautionary measures and warnings were not implemented before the collapse of a dam on the Badoucun Reservoir on May 25.

Although no casualties occurred, a resulting flood inundated several houses and farms.

Liu Xiaoyang, the Communist Party of China (CPC) chief of Majitang township, has been removed from his post. Other officials involved are being investigated for their role in the incident, according to the circular.

The provincial flood control authority said Wednesday that the province is dealing with severe flooding following torrential downpours earlier this month.

Most of the province's 13,000-plus reservoirs are nearing 80 to 90 percent of their maximum water storage capacity, the authority said.

The authority has asked governments at multiple levels to organize round-the-clock patrols along river embankments and dams during rainstorms.

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article...a.asp?id=73915

[everywhere]

China to fulfill duty as UNSC president in fair, neutral matter
(Shanghai Daily/Xinhua, May 31)

UNITED NATIONS, May 30 (Xinhua) -- China will fulfill its duty as the rotating president of the UN Security Council in June in a fair, neutral way so as to effectively maintain international peace and security, the Chinese UN envoy said here on Wednesday.

Li Baodong, the Chinese permanent representative to the United Nations, made the statement in an interview with the UN-based Chinese media at the country's mission to the United Nations.

"As the rotating president and a permanent member of the Security Council, we will adhere to the principle of being fair, neutral, efficient and pragmatic to ensure success of the work of the Security Council, so as to maintain international peace and security in an effective manner," Li said.

According to the current provisional work program in June, the Security Council is expected to review nearly 30 issues, including major international hot-spot ones such as Syria, Sudan, South Sudan and the Middle East, he said.

The UN Security Council is also scheduled to hold an open debate in June on the protection of civilians in armed conflicts, the envoy added.

The Council presidency rotates among the members of the Security Council in the English alphabetical order of their names. Each president holds office for one calendar month. China previously assumed the presidency in March 2011.

The Security Council has 15 members: five permanent members -- China, Britain, France, Russia and the United States -- and 10 non-permanent members elected by the UN General Assembly for two-year terms.

Under the UN Charter, the Security Council has the primary responsibility for the maintenance of peace and security in the world at large.

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article...a.asp?id=74127

[everywhere]

China benefiting Africa through investments
(Shanghai Daily/Xinhua, May 31)

BEIJING, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Gathered in Beijing for the first international fair for service trade, officials from Africa have applauded burgeoning Sino-African cooperation.

"We have resources that China needs, and I do not believe China is plundering our resources," said Prime Minister of Zimbabwe Morgan Tsvangirai.

Morgan Tsvangirai was in Beijing attending the International Fair for Trade in Services, which had attracted more than 22,000 service providers from 82 countries and regions to foster trade in the sector.

At a forum on Sino-African service trade and investment, Morgan Tsvangirai dismissed accusations of China "robbing" resources in Africa, saying despite the presence of Chinese investments in a wide range of areas, his country had full control over how the contracts should run.

China has become the largest trading partner to Africa, with the bilateral trade reaching a record high of 160 billion U.S. dollars in 2011.

Also, the continent has become a major investment destination for Chinese enterprises, where over 2,000 Chinese companies have invested in various sectors ranging from electronics, telecommunications to transport.

But these cooperations had triggered criticism from some countries, with some accusing China of practicing "new colonialism" in Africa.

Instead of resource plundering, Bheki Langa, South African ambassador to China, said at the forum that Chinese projects on the African continent, including dam construction, telecommunications, airports and roads, had helped create jobs and drive technological development there.

Compared with European countries and U.S., China's trade growth with African countries has been relatively steady.

"African countries' foreign trade has taken a hit from the global financial crisis of 2008, especially exports to the European countries and U.S., but Sino-African trade has maintained steady," said Henri Mumba, Malawi's deputy ambassador to China, adding the claims that "Sino-African cooperation puts African countries at a disadvantage" were "definitely wrong."

While calling for more cooperation in the traditional sectors of infrastructure and manufacturing, officials on both sides now seek to expand trade in the service sector.

Li Jinzao, Chinese vice minister of commerce, said Tuesday that China will further deepen cooperation with Africa in the service trade.

"Sino-African cooperation in the service sector, though at a small scale currently...has ample room for growth in the future," he said.

With China's expanding presence in the continent, African countries also expressed hopes that China could help further facilitate their development efforts.

"My hope is that my country can cope with a variety of challenges in its development, such as energy, water supply, roads and education...and China can play a significant role in this process," said Morgan Tsvangirai.

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article...a.asp?id=74216

[everywhere]

US must 'respect' China's legitimate concerns in Asia-Pacific region


Beijing on Thursday urged Washington to respect China's interests in the Asia-Pacific region as US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta vowed, on the eve of his Asia trip, that the US will increase its military presence.


Although the US has insisted that its strategic shift to the region is not targeted at China, experts said Washington's deeds, including its plan to highlight the South China Sea issue at an annual regional security meeting at the weekend, exposed its true intentions.


They also reminded US officials to choose their words carefully to avoid denting Beijing's trust.


Asked about Panetta's Asian trip, Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said at a news briefing on Thursday that China hoped the US would "play a positive and constructive role in the region".


"We also hope the US will respect China's interests and concerns in the region," he added.


Panetta said before leaving the US on Tuesday that his trip to Vietnam, Singapore and India was aimed at remaining "vigilant" in the face of China's growing military.


"China's military is growing and modernizing. We must be vigilant. We must be strong. We must be prepared to confront any challenge," Panetta said when addressing graduates of the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.


Still, he said the key to peace in the region is to develop a new era of defense cooperation with China.


He is also due to join a large high-ranking US delegation at the annual Asia security summit, the Shangri-La Dialogue, in Singapore on Saturday. Defense ministers and military chiefs of 28 Asia-Pacific states will attend the forum.


According to Pentagon officials, who briefed the media anonymously, Panetta is to deliver a major policy speech at the forum, "focusing on the Asia-Pacific, and the US role in the Asia-Pacific in light of the new strategy and rebalance".



The South China Sea "will be something that's pretty high on people's minds during Panetta's trip", a US official told the media.


The officials also said that the US defense secretary welcomes the opportunity to meet Chinese officials at the forum.


Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun said at a regular news briefing on Thursday that Beijing will send Lieutenant General Ren Haiquan, vice-president of the PLA Academy of Military Science, to lead the Chinese delegation at the dialogue.


He dismissed reports that China had deliberately lowered the ranking of its delegation, saying it followed normal arrangements based on scheduled commitments.


Yang did not exclude the possibility of a meeting between high-ranking Chinese officers and Panetta at the forum, and rejected reports that Panetta's Asia trip avoided China as Panetta has announced he will visit later this year.


However, the US defense secretary will have to watch his language in Singapore and Vietnam to avoid heightening Beijing's concerns that the renewed US strategic focus on Asia seeks to contain China's rise as a global power, Reuters quoted an expert as saying.


"It's ... important for the kinds of message that he wants to send, lest there be triggering responses on the part of the Chinese," said Jonathan Pollack, a China analyst at the Brookings Institution think tank.


"So words do count. And ... hopefully he (Panetta) will be careful about what he says."


Panetta's visit follows the strategic shift toward Asia announced by US President Barack Obama last year, when the president announced plans to increase military presence in the region by 2017 despite cuts to the military budget.


Panetta specifically mentioned, in his Tuesday speech, strengthening alliances with Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia and the Philippines to safeguard American interests in the region.


Relations between Beijing and Manila plunged in April after Chinese vessels prevented a Philippine warship from arresting fishermen in Chinese territorial waters in the South China Sea.


Shortly after the incident, the US and the Philippines held a high-profile series of joint war drills. Over 7,000 troops took part in the exercises.
Panetta is expected to meet with defense officials from the Philippines during his trip.


Philippine President Benigno Aquino will visit the US on June 8.


The US is not only attempting to consolidate ties with traditional allies but is also expanding its influence to new partners, Shi Yinhong, an expert on international relations with Renmin University of China, said.


"Although Washington denies its strategic shift is aimed at any one country, it is obvious that China is one of its concerns ... The shift shows that the US is taking strategic precautions against China," Shi said.


The strategic shift indicates that the US has concentrated more of its focus on China, said Liu Hui, an expert on American studies with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Contact the writers at lixiaokun@chinadaily.com.cn and zhouwa@chinadaily.com.cn

http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2...t_15440872.htm

[everywhere]

BEIJING, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie on Monday met with visiting Pakistani Chief of Air Staff Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt to discuss bilateral military ties.

Liang, also a state councilor, said as two neighboring states, China and Pakistan enjoyed a sound and stably developing cooperative partnership.

He added that the two nations had carried out in-depth cooperation in various fields, benefiting the two peoples. Their coordination in international and regional issues effectively helped defend common interests of both sides.

The defense minister said the two countries' armed forces maintained close relations, which was a strong support for bilateral ties.

The armed forces had solid friendship, regular high-level exchanges and fruitful cooperation, Liang said, adding that he hoped both sides to cherish the momentum, continue to strengthen people-to-people exchanges and deepen pragmatic cooperation between the two armed forces, especially their air forces.

Butt said Pakistan attached great importance to the Pakistan-China friendship and appreciated China's long-standing assistance.

The chief of air staff also expressed satisfaction with achievements in the defense industry, military training and personnel exchanges and hoped that the two air forces would further deepen cooperation.

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article...a.asp?id=74905