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SCHWEIZER
BOTSCHAFT IN BEIJING
EMBASSY OF SWITZERLAND IN BEIJING
AMBASSADE DE SUISSE EN CHINE |
Der wöchentliche
Presserückblick der Schweizer Botschaft in der VR China
The Weekly Press Review of the Swiss Embassy in the People's Republic
of China
La revue de presse hebdomadaire de l'Ambassade de Suisse en RP
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Mongolia
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| Foreign Policy |
Vice premier leads talks in US as officials push for free trade in Europe (Global Times)
2018-05-17
The visit of the Chinese delegation led by Vice Premier Liu He to the US is aimed at engaging in in-depth communication to seek a proper solution to the countries' trade dispute and safeguard healthy bilateral trade ties, said Liu, Chinese President Xi Jinping's special envoy. Liu made the remarks during a visit with former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger who celebrates his 95th birthday on May 27. Kissinger and former Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai were instrumental in establishing Sino-US diplomatic relations in the 1970s. The Chinese delegation arrived in Washington on Tuesday for the second round of trade negotiations, after a US delegation visited Beijing earlier this month. It is Liu's second visit to the US this year where he held trade consultations at the onset of the trade frictions in late February. There have been noticeable additions to the Chinese delegation for this second round of formal trade talks. Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Han Jun and Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology Luo Wen are part of the delegation this time. "The line-up demonstrates Beijing's sincerity in holding constructive talks that will directly involve the persons responsible for key areas," Li Chunding, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday. High-tech and agricultural industries are expected to be among key sectors in the negotiations. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will lead the discussions, along with Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, according to a statement released by the White House. "I believe China and the US will and should come up with some practical short-term solutions, which will not only pave the way for further discussions but are also critical in avoiding a trade war," said Wei Jianguo, deputy director of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, a Beijing-based think tank. "Both sides should agree to expand imports to China of certain US products like crude oil, natural gas and coal. In return, the US should eliminate export restrictions on high technologies," Wei said. During the talks, China will not make concessions on principles, nor trade its core interests for the sake of reaching an agreement, Li said, while noting that trade tensions will eventually be resolved through talks rather than a lose-lose trade war. Liu also met with some key US lawmakers including Sen. Orrin Hatch, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Xinhua reported. Meanwhile, China is reaching out to other countries to secure and expand free trade. Foreign Minister Wang Yi was in France for trade consultations, and other high-level officials conducted negotiations to finalize free trade agreements in other European countries. Wang denounced trade unilateralism and protectionism during his official visit to France, saying that they are on the wrong side of history, according to the foreign ministry website on Thursday. During his meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, Wang said China and France are committed to defending the international trade system based on World Trade Organization regulations. On Thursday, China signed a free trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union in Astana, Kazakhstan, strengthening trade ties with Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia in sectors such as customs cooperation, intellectual property and government procurement. China and Norway held the 11th round of negotiations on a free trade agreement from Monday to Wednesday in Oslo, which yielded progress in cargo trade, service trade, investment, intellectual property rights protection among other fields, according to the Ministry of Commerce. ^ top ^
China, France agree on "three handles" to enhance practical cooperation (Xinhua)
2018-05-17
China and France have agreed to make use of "three handles" to comprehensively enhance practical cooperation between the two countries, visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here Wednesday. Wang made the remarks at a joint press conference with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian after their talks. The two sides have agreed to seize the opportunity and bring the bilateral ties to a new level, said Wang, who is also a state councilor of China. The first handle is their major cooperative projects, through which the two countries would jointly promote the development of various high-tech industries such as nuclear energy, aeronautics and space, said Wang. The second handle is China's further opening-up, which allows the two sides to deepen cooperation on various new areas such as innovation, artificial intelligence, digital economy, and to open new grounds for bilateral cooperation, the Chinese minister said. The third handle is the hosting of China-France Year of the Environment, a joint decision by the leaders of the two countries made in January during French President Emmanuel Macron's state visit to China, according to the Chinese top diplomat. The two countries will strengthen strategic communication and cooperation on climate and environment, promote bilateral cooperation on green manufacturing and green finance, and contribute to the global efforts to fight climate change and achieve sustainable growth, said Wang. The Chinese minister also highlighted alignment of China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative with France's own development strategies. Other issues the two foreign ministers discussed during their meeting include China-European cooperation, Iran nuclear deal, and their commitment to the multilateral global trade system with the World Trade Organization at its center. ^ top ^
China reportedly offers Trump US$200bn cut in trade surplus, as Vice-Premier Liu He makes surprise visit (SCMP)
2018-05-18
China has reportedly offered to cut its trade surplus with the US by US$200 billion amid a new round of bilateral trade talks in Washington. The offer of increased purchases of US goods and other measures, reported by Reuters and Bloomberg, citing anonymous sources, came as US President Donald Trump took a harsher tone in discussing China and its business practices. Trump on Thursday met with Vice-Premier Liu He, China's top economic aide to President Xi Jinping, at the White House ahead of a second round of trade negotiations between the two nations. The surprise meeting was not open to media, and no transcripts were available. But Trump on his Twitter account, posted a photo of the two men in the Oval Office. He said they were "talking trade". Their friendly-looking handshake was a stark contrast to the negative tone Trump took earlier in the day, when he said on trade, "we have been ripped off by China," and denied that his recent comments about helping resolve US sanctions on Chinese telecommunications giant ZTE meant that his administration was going soft on Beijing. In his remarks, which came during a meeting with Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, the president also suggested Xi may have influenced North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un, to take a harder line against the US ahead of a planned Trump-Kim summit. "We lost 800 billion dollars on trade last year, of which China was US$500 billion," Trump said ahead of the meeting with Liu, reiterating part of his rationale for the upswing in bilateral tensions that started earlier this year. Concerning ZTE, the US Department of Commerce initiated a ban last month on sales of components by American companies to the Chinese telecommunications equipment maker. The department said that ZTE had been making false statements about measures it had agreed to take against employees running a unit that was doing business with Iran in violation of sanctions. But Trump pledged on Twitter on Sunday to help give ZTE "a way back into business, fast", after the company was banned from buying components from US suppliers for seven years. "Too many jobs in China lost. Commerce Department has been instructed to get it done!" Trump tweeted. That drew accusations that his treatment of the company contradicted his hard-line approach to national security threats, particularly with respect to Beijing. On Thursday, Trump defended himself, saying that the commerce department sanctions had his approval and that no decision had yet been made to retract them. Regarding North Korea, and its abrupt announcement Wednesday that it might back out of the Trump-Kim summit meeting planned for June 12 in Singapore, Trump said that Xi "could be influencing" Kim. "If you remember two weeks ago, all of a sudden out of nowhere Kim Jong-un went to China to say hello again – second time – to President Xi," Trump told reporters, referring to a May 8 meeting between the leaders. "It could very well be that he's influencing Kim Jong-un. We'll see what happens," Trump said. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that the administration was continuing to prepare for Singapore. Trump also said that if the meeting didn't take place, the administration would move on. "If the meeting happens, it happens, and if it doesn't we go on to the next step," Trump said. "Our people are literally dealing with them right now in terms of making arrangements." The meeting between Trump and Liu was something of a surprise. It was not on the White House schedule or mentioned in the US State Department's recent announcement about the trade talks. "The president is meeting with Liu this afternoon," National Economic Council director Larry Kudlow told White House reporters in the morning. "It means that there's great interest here in furthering the deal and furthering negotiations and trying to reach some remedies regarding unfair and illegal trading practices." Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is leading the trade negotiations, along with Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, whose department is currently holding hearings in Washington with US companies and industry associations about proposed punitive tariffs on imports from China. Liu's trip to America is his second in three months and follows the recent visit to Beijing by the US delegation led by Mnuchin, which ended without tangible achievements. […] ^ top ^
China urges U.S. to cease Section 301 investigation (Global Times)
2018-05-17
China on Thursday reiterated its opposition to the U.S. Section 301 investigation and urged the United States to cease investigation procedures. Gao Feng, spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce, made the remarks at a press conference when commenting on the public hearings in the United States on the tariff proposal based on the Section 301 investigation against China from May 15 to 17. In April, the U.S. administration proposed tariffs on a list of Chinese goods worth 50 billion U.S. dollars based on the Section 301 investigation into alleged Chinese intellectual property and technology transfer practices. The Section 301 investigation is "an act of unilateralism" and "unpopular with the public," he said, citing that more than 90 percent of the 2,000-plus published comments during the hearings opposed the tariff proposal. Gao also denied links between the public hearing and the ongoing China-U.S. economic and trade consultations in Washington. "We urge the United States to cease the Section 301 investigation to create a good environment for bilateral economic and trade cooperation," he said. ^ top ^
SCO highlights creative cooperation (China Daily)
2018-05-18
The 15th Meeting of Cultural Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Member States was held in Sanya, Hainan province, on Wednesday and Thursday. Key discussions focused on achieving more in-depth and creative multilateral cultural cooperation. In a keynote speech at the gathering, Luo Shugang, China's minister of culture and tourism, expressed the goodwill of the Chinese government and people in seeking to build a shared community with other countries. He spoke highly of the cultural ministers meeting mechanism of SCO member states in promoting regional cultural cooperation and mutual understanding of the people. Luo proposed further building up the "Shanghai spirit" through deepening cultural exchanges and the cooperation of member states. He suggested developing creative models to create cultural brands and suggested that local forces should be encouraged to join in cultural exchanges and cooperation. He said China will continue to deepen exchanges and cooperation to enhance understanding and friendship with SCO member states, based on principles of mutual respect and mutual benefits, to provide ethical and cultural support for the healthy and sustainable development of the organization. All participants agreed that cultural cooperation between SCO member states made remarkable progress in the past year, and reports presented at the meeting about diversified exchanges and cooperation clearly showed that bilateral and multilateral cooperation is growing deeper and wider. The two-day meeting concluded on Thursday with the issuance of the 2018-20 Executive Plan. The representatives also joined in a news release welcoming India and Pakistan into the SCO and encouraging more direct contacts and practical exchanges of cultural organizations within SCO member states, as well as joint creation of cultural products and works. "India has a long history of cultural exchanges with China and other SCO member states," said Mahesh Sharma, India's minister of culture. "Joining the SCO has provided a new platform, greater space and opportunities for exchanges and cooperation." "Culture brings people together. It is a binding force in the development of peaceful coexistence for humanity. It will be a win-win situation for China and India - both of which have a rich and diversified culture - to further explore and develop wider cultural exchanges and cooperation that could include tourism, education, science, archaeology, music, drama and even yoga." Vladimir Aristarhov, the Russian Federation's first vice-minister of culture, said at the meeting: "More multilateral cooperation among smaller cities in SCO member states should be developed, and more diversified cooperation programs including education, cultural contests, art festivals and exchanges of students should be cultivated to produce cultural cohesion." At a welcome dinner on Tuesday, Shen Xiaoming, the governor of Hainan, said SCO member states are important tourist resources for the province, which is developing an international tourism and consumption center under the new development strategy laid down by the central government. Hainan attaches great importance to the SCO tourism market and will build more platforms to promote cultural and tourism exchanges and cooperation with SCO member states, Shen said. ^ top ^
China 'voiced concern over trade hawk Peter Navarro' after talks with US in Beijing (SCMP)
2018-05-18
Beijing was frustrated with fierce criticism from White House trade adviser Peter Navarro during the first round of talks with Washington and relayed its concern to the US, sources say. The development comes as Chinese Vice-Premier Liu He is in Washington for more talks with the US delegation, led by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, on Thursday and Friday. The latest talks have been overshadowed by reports in US media that there is a rift between Navarro, a trade hawk who has said China threatened America's economic dominance, and Mnuchin, who is seen as more moderate. People familiar with the trade talks said Navarro had been very harsh on China during the negotiations in Beijing two weeks ago, and demanded that it fundamentally change its industrial policy. "Navarro is not good from China's perspective. He is too tough and not sincere about solving problems. His intention is to contain China," a source said. Lu Xiang, a US affairs specialist at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said it was counterproductive to have Navarro involved in the talks. "Navarro's views on economics and Sino-US relations have always been illogical and absurd, so I think having him as a member of the US negotiating team would not be beneficial to either side," Lu said. Navarro was initially excluded from this week's talks because of concerns about his behaviour in the Beijing negotiations, Bloomberg reported, citing White House officials. He was not on the list of US officials who will take part in the second round of talks released by the White House on Wednesday, but an official later told Bloomberg that Navarro would participate. The talks are aimed at staving off a trade war between the world's two biggest economies, after the first round failed to make any progress. Washington has vowed to impose hefty punitive tariffs on Chinese goods over what it deems unfair trade practices, and Beijing has said it would also slap tariffs on US products. But US President Donald Trump this week extended an olive branch to China, suggesting that he would be open to reversing a ban on US firms from selling parts to Chinese telecoms company ZTE. There are tensions within the US finance team between the moderates and hardliners, with Navarro and Mnuchin having a public shouting match in Beijing, according to Politico. […] ^ top ^
China keeps up UN peacekeeper role (China Daily)
2018-05-16
China will continue to offer consistent and comprehensive support to United Nations peacekeeping missions in an effort to save lives and promote world peace, senior Chinese peacekeeping officers said recently before the upcoming International Day of UN Peacekeepers on May 29. Being an instrument to help conflict-torn nations transition to lasting peace, more than 1 million men and women have served under the UN flag in more than 70 UN peacekeeping operations since the first mission in the Middle East in May 1948. "Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to cope with conflict by peaceful means," as former US president Ronald Reagan once said, a statement that is relevant this year as the UN celebrates its 70th anniversary of peacekeeping. Today, according to the UN, more than 100,000 military, police and civilian personnel from 125 countries are serving in 14 peacekeeping operations worldwide, from militia infested deserts in South Sudan to fields of land mines near Lebanon. "The UN peacekeeping operation is an effective measure in promoting multilateralism and collective security, and has played a major role in easing regional tensions and conflicts," said Major General Yang Chaoying, the acting force commander at the UN mission in South Sudan, where more than 1,000 Chinese blue helmets are serving. South Sudan has more Chinese peacekeepers than any other mission area, Yang said. But the harsh and dangerous environment has helped shape Chinese peacekeepers' skills, characters and "impeccable discipline," he said. "Those who have participated in the peacekeeping missions are more patriotic and cherish China's hard-earned peace and prosperity even more," Yang said. "Chinese blue helmets also get to learn and interact with peacekeepers from other countries, thus allowing us to expand our horizon, build friendship and showcase Chinese peacekeepers' image." China will continue to shoulder its duty as a responsible big nation and has carried out "sacred missions" given by the UN to protect civilians, supervise human rights, provide humanitarian aid and create favorable conditions for lasting peace, Yang said. Since 1990, China has sent more than 35,000 troops, experts and police to 24 missions. As of April, China has 2,500 peacekeepers in operations, providing more personnel than the four other permanent members of the UN Security Council combined. China's financial support to the UN peacekeeping budget also jumped, from 3 percent of total contributions in 2013 to about 10.2 percent, making China the second-largest funder of peacekeeping operations behind the United States. In 2015, President Xi Jinping pledged to establish a 10-year, $1 billion peace and development fund to support the UN's work and said China would set up a permanent peacekeeping police squad and a peacekeeping standby force of 8,000 troops. The standby force has finished its registration process with the UN and will be deployed after training, China's Defense Ministry said in September. The force will include members from 28 divisions and 10 fields, ranging from infantry battalions and quick-response forces to helicopter and drone crews. In April, the 16th batch of Chinese peacekeepers to Lebanon were awarded the UN Peace Medal of Honor for their contributions. Two months earlier, the fifth contingent of Chinese peacekeepers to Mali received the same award. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that China has become an "honest broker" and "bridge-builder" in international conflicts thanks to its consistent support to peacekeeping operations. China's strong commitment is becoming more appreciated as other nations, such as the US, are scaling back its financial and personnel support. On Tuesday, the UN lowered the troop ceiling from 4,800 to 4,500 personnel for its peacekeeping mission in Abyei, an oil-rich region that is highly contested between Sudan and South Sudan. Major General Wang Xiaojun, force commander of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, said one of the biggest challenges for peacekeeping operations is cutting staff while work is becoming harder as terrorism, trafficking and armed conflicts continue. "Defusing conflicts through political negotiation is extremely hard and takes a very long time," Wang said. "But I am sure we will find a way. Once rebuilding starts and the economy begins booming, peace will shortly follow." ^ top ^
International writers join Amnesty and PEN in calls for China to free Liu Xiaobo's 'helpless and hopeless' widow (SCMP)
2018-05-16
Celebrated authors and international literary figures are demanding the release of Liu Xia, as years of house arrest reportedly take a psychological toll on the widow of dissident and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo. Liu Xia's mental health has recently worsened, friends of the 57-year-old poet, painter and photographer said, after hopes faded in recent months that she and her brother would be able to leave China. "She is extremely helpless and hopeless now," Ye Du, a poet and friend to Liu Xiaobo, told the South China Morning Post. "The extended house arrest has wrecked her to a point now that there seems to be nothing left in her," Ye said, calling her psychological condition "fairly awful". Liu Xia told her friend, the exiled Chinese writer Liao Yiwu, during a phone conversation early this month that she was "ready to die at home", after being kept under house arrest for nearly eight years. She has never been charged with any offence by the Chinese authorities. Chinese officials have maintained that Liu Xia is free, notwithstanding the daily restrictions and surveillance she faces. But Liu Xia's friends have said she has been cut off from the outside world since her husband's death, and is taking medication for depression. International literary groups have attempted to ratchet up the pressure on Beijing to release Liu Xia. In videos released by Amnesty International and PEN America on Wednesday, writers and artists advocating for Liu Xia's freedom called attention to her ordeal by reading her poems. Participants included Rita Dove, JM Coetzee, Paul Auster, Khaled Hosseini and others. "Liu Xia's cry for freedom resonates around the world and rebukes the Chinese government's hollow claim that she is free," said Suzanne Nossel, chief executive of PEN America, a New York-based organisation that strives to advance literature, defend free expression and foster international literary fellowship. Herbert Wiesner, a former president of the PEN centre in Germany, is also collecting signatures from German citizens supporting the call for Liu Xia's release. Earlier this week, a German envoy was among five European diplomats who attempted to visit Liu Xia at her flat out of concern about her health but were turned away by officials at the gate to her complex after an identity check. When Liao, who lives in Germany, revealed Liu Xia's despair at being unable to leave China in an open letter that gave details of their phone call last month, the exiled writer also disclosed behind-the-scenes diplomatic efforts to secure Liu's release. In late April, German ambassador to China Michael Clauss and the US renewed calls for Liu to be released from house arrest and allowed to travel overseas, as expectations ebbed that she would be able to leave. In his letter, Liao also claimed that the German foreign ministry had a plan to secretly collect Liu and take her to an airport to leave the country, and that it had also made arrangements for her treatment and recovery in Germany. A German foreign ministry source did not confirm Liao's claims to the Post, but said it had been discussing Liu's case with the Chinese government and would continue to do so. When Liu Xiaobo died at age 61 in a Liaoning hospital on July 13, he became the first Nobel Peace Prize winner to die in custody since German pacifist Carl von Ossietzky in 1938 under Nazi rule. Since Liu Xiaobo was serving an 11-year jail sentence for subversion when he was awarded the prize, he was represented at the 2010 ceremony in Oslo by an empty chair. The human rights activist was jailed in 2009 after co-authoring a petition known as Charter 08 that called for sweeping political reforms in China. ^ top ^
China visit by Australian trade minister unlikely to improve ties (Global Times)
2018-05-16
The first visit to China in eight months by any Australian minister may not ensure a recovery in bilateral ties if Canberra does not abandon its hostile policy, Chinese analysts said on Wednesday. Trade Minister Steven Ciobo is expected to arrive in Shanghai on Thursday and deliver a keynote speech at a business awards ceremony, but Canberra is not showing any sign of altering its unfriendly policy toward China, the observers noted. A main speaker at the annual AustCham Westpac Australia-China Business Awards, Ciobo will also attend Asia's largest food and beverage exhibition, SIAL China. During his three-day visit, Ciobo will promote the second annual Australian Football League match at Shanghai's Jiangwan Stadium on Saturday between Port Adelaide and the Gold Coast, the Xinhua News Agency reported. "Australia treats its trade ties with China seriously as it is enjoying a surplus from bilateral trade," Yu Lei, a research fellow at the Oceania Research Center of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangdong Province, told the Global Times on Wednesday. "It doesn't want to see trade impacted by political and diplomatic factors." Ciobo on Wednesday was quoted by Xinhua as saying China was "Australia's largest trading partner, largest source of tourists, fifth-largest direct investor and an important partner for regional cooperation. Growing trade, tourism and investment with China will create new Australian jobs." Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's government has been under pressure from Australian industrial and commercial circles for its unfriendly policy toward China, Yu said. Ciobo's visit will attempt to somewhat pacify domestic groups rather than act as a turning point for bilateral ties, he said. "There's no evidence to show that Turnbull's government wants to make a major change," Yu said. "The APEC [Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation] meeting this year will be held in Papua New Guinea, which is an island country in the north of Australia on which Canberra can exert significant influence, and Turnbull is very likely to make trouble for China and favor the US in setting the agenda for the meeting. "Therefore, we need more time to observe Australia's behavior." Australia doesn't need to choose sides between China and the US, said Xu Liping, a researcher with the National Institute of International Strategy at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. "The best position for it is to play the role of a bridge rather than stand on one side and make trouble for the other." ^ top ^
China, Norway make "positive progress" in free trade negotiations (Xinhua)
2018-05-17
China and Norway on Wednesday completed their latest round of negotiations for a free trade agreement and "positive progress" has been made. The 11th round of free trade agreement negotiations between China and Norway was held in Oslo from Monday to Wednesday, the Chinese delegation said in a press release. Both sides conducted negotiations on issues such as trade in goods, trade in services, investment, rules of origin, customs procedures and trade facilitation, intellectual property rights (IPR), competition policies and government procurement. "Positive progress has been made in the negotiations," according to the press release. The free trade agreement negotiations between China and Norway not only helped promote the two countries' cooperation in economy and trade, but also sent a strong signal of their opposition against unilateralism and trade protectionism, it said. China and Norway launched their free trade agreement negotiations in 2008 in order to further deepen bilateral relations and cooperation in economy and trade, promote the economic development of the two countries, and improve the living standards of the two peoples. This is the third round of talks after the recovering of China-Norway free trade agreement negotiations in April 2017. ^ top ^
Irish teachers freed after 10 days detained in China over work visas (SCMP)
2018-05-17
Two Irish teachers have been freed from detention in Beijing, after spending 10 days in cells because of problems with their working visas. The two women, whose identities have been withheld, were released on Tuesday following investigations into their visas and they remain in Beijing, The Irish Times reported on Wednesday. Both women were teaching at language schools in the city, for which they hold valid working visas, but were said to have taken extra jobs at an unlicensed private school. They were detained along with nine others, who were not identified, during a police raid on the private school on May 5. The Irish nationals did not realise there was a visa issue with them taking on the additional work, according to the newspaper. Foreigners found working illegally in China can be fined up to 10,000 yuan (US$1,500), but it was unclear if any fine had been imposed on the two women. John Lyman, spokesman for the Irish embassy in Beijing, confirmed that the two Irish nationals were detained and had since been released. "We provided support over the past week, but they have requested for privacy now and that includes us giving comment," he said on Wednesday. One of the women is from County Kildare, 50km west of Ireland's capital Dublin, while the other is from County Offaly, which is 100km to the west. The pair were well looked after during their detention but were not allowed contact with their parents, according to the newspaper. Irish embassy officials were said to be in regular contact with the prison authorities throughout their detention. Chinese news site Baijiahao reported that the women were held in single cells. Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade updated its travel advice for China last week, stating on its website: "The embassy strongly recommends that anyone who is considering teaching English in China should research prospective employing schools and language centres thoroughly and ensure their bona fides." It also asks teachers to make sure they have the correct visa to work in a Chinese school, and to check with authorities if a new visa or work permit is needed when taking up further part-time employment. Irish citizens, not the schools they work for, are responsible for violation of visa rules, the department says. China has become more strict on foreign workers' visas since it set up the State Immigration Administration in March. The new administration is managed by the Ministry of Public Security and is responsible for overseeing visas for the growing number of foreigners coming to China to work. There were more than 900,000 foreigners working on mainland China in 2016, compared to only 10,000 in the 1980s, according to official data. The public security ministry declined to comment on the case. ^ top ^
China urges restraint after Israeli troops kill dozens of Palestinian protesters on Gaza border (SCMP)
2018-05-15
China on Tuesday called for restraint, "especially" from Israel, after dozens of Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces during clashes and protests along the Gaza border against the US embassy opening in Jerusalem. "China is seriously concerned about the large number of casualties caused by the violent conflict in the Gaza border," foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a regular press briefing. "We oppose violence against civilians. We call on both sides, especially Israel, to maintain restraint and avoid further tension and escalation of the situation," Lu said. The spokesman reiterated Beijing's support for a two-state solution, with the establishment of a Palestinian state based on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. "China has always believed that the final status of Jerusalem should be finally settled through peace talks between Palestine and Israel in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the United Nations," Lu said. ^ top ^
Two Chinese among 19 killed in fighting in Myanmar, foreign ministry says (SCMP)
2018-05-15
Two Chinese nationals were among the 19 people killed in northern Myanmar on Saturday when ethnic rebels attacked security force posts and a casino in an area bordering China, Beijing said. Several rockets and stray bullets fell on Chinese territory, foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a regular press briefing on Monday, adding that more than 300 refugees had fled to China after the deadliest flare-up in the area in recent years. "China is highly concerned about the armed conflicts that took place in northern Myanmar on May 12," he said. "According to what we have learned, as of now, the conflict has caused the death of two Chinese nationals in Myanmar, and three rockets and some stray bullets have fallen into Chinese territory." China had offered temporary shelter to "more than 300 Myanmar border residents who entered China to flee the violence", Lu said, giving no details of how the Chinese were killed. The Taang National Liberation Army, one of several insurgent groups fighting for more autonomy in the north, said it launched the operation on Saturday. "China demands that the parties to the conflict stop the fire immediately, take all measures to prevent further escalation of the situation … and prevent incidents that sabotage the peace and stability in the China-Myanmar border region," Lu said. Saturday's attack was launched outside the town of Muse in Shan state, which is situated at a crossing and major trading post between Myanmar and southwestern China's Yunnan province. Clashes in the border region early last year sent more than 20,000 Myanmar refugees scrambling across the border into Yunnan, raising tensions between the neighbours. Rights activists said clashes in northern Myanmar have intensified since January as the international community focuses on the unfolding Rohingya crisis in the west of the country, where the Myanmar army stands accused of an ethnic cleansing campaign. ^ top ^
US criticises China for shielding Mynamar from UN action over Rohingya crisis (SCMP)
2018-05-15
The United States has indirectly criticised China for shielding Myanmar from strong UN Security Council action over a military crackdown against Rohingya Muslims that the US and other countries have denounced as ethnic cleansing. US Ambassador Nikki Haley did not mention China by name, but China proposed substantial amendments to a British-drafted Security Council statement on Myanmar last week. The 15-member council eventually agreed a weaker statement. The Security Council met on Monday night to discuss a visit by envoys to Myanmar and Bangladesh two weeks ago. Rohingya insurgent attacks on security posts in Myanmar's Rakhine state in August last year sparked a military operation that sent nearly 700,000 Rohingya fleeing to camps in Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh. "Some members of the council have kept us from taking action for cynical and self-interested reasons," Haley said. "Some undermined the unity of the council demonstrated during the trip with unhelpful edits that only weakened the council's message." Speaking before Haley, China's UN Ambassador Ma Zhaoxu told the Security Council that Myanmar and Bangladesh should be encouraged to solve the crisis bilaterally to make sure it doesn't "drag on or become more complicated". "The council should continue to encourage Myanmar and Bangladesh to increase consultations and cooperation for the early implementation of the bilateral arrangement," he said. Myanmar and Bangladesh agreed in January to complete the voluntary repatriation of the refugees within two years but differences between the two sides remain and implementation of the plan has been slow. Diplomats said Russia has also backed China in council discussions on Myanmar. Speaking after Haley, Russia's deputy UN Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy said the unity of the council on the issue was important and he hoped some members "will not fall prey to the temptation of using this situation to pursue their narrow, domestic political aims". Fleeing refugees have reported killings, rapes and arson on a large scale. Myanmar denies ethnic cleansing and has said its operations in Rakhine were a legitimate response to attacks on security forces by Rohingya insurgents. "The government of Myanmar has stated time and again that no violation of human rights will be condoned," Myanmar's UN Ambassador Hau Do Suan told council on Monday. "Allegations supported by evidence will be investigated and action taken in accordance with the law." The United States and Canada have imposed unilateral sanctions against a general in Myanmar's military for his role in the crackdown and the European Union is preparing individual sanctions. Haley, who did not travel to Myanmar and Bangladesh, said that the Security Council had "unique tools to encourage Burma to take real steps towards resolving this crisis," though she did not elaborate. "We should move quickly to adopt a resolution that institutes real steps to resolve this enormous and growing humanitarian and human rights crisis," Haley said. ^ top ^
Gap apologises for selling T-shirt with 'incorrect' map of China (SCMP)
2018-05-15
US clothing retailer Gap Inc has apologised for selling a T-shirt which it said had an incorrect map of China because it was missing areas of Tibet and Taiwan. The apology came after a person posted pictures of the T-shirt on Chinese social media network Weibo, saying that Chinese territories, including south Tibet, the island of Taiwan and the South China Sea, were omitted from the map. The user said the photo of the T-shirt was taken at an outlet in Canada. "Gap Inc respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China. We've learned that a Gap brand T-shirt sold in some overseas markets failed to reflect the correct map of China. We sincerely apologise for this unintentional error," it said in a statement posted on its Chinese social media account on Monday. The company said it would now implement "rigorous reviews" to prevent a repeat of the mistake. It added that the products had been pulled from the Chinese market and destroyed. Gap's apology comes as China has been ramping up efforts to police language used to describe Chinese-claimed territories such as Taiwan. Other US companies which have issued apologies for similar incidents include Delta Air Lines and the hotel chain Marriott International. The White House earlier this month sharply criticised China's efforts to force foreign airlines to change how they described Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau on their websites as "Orwellian nonsense". ^ top ^
Chinese state councilor, Iranian foreign minister hold talks (Xinhua)
2018-05-13
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Beijing on Sunday. Wang said China attaches importance to the traditional friendship with Iran, as well as the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. China regards Iran as an important partner in the Belt and Road construction, Wang said, noting that China is willing to work with Iran to implement the consensus reached by leaders of the two countries to promote various cooperation. Wang said China firmly safeguard multilateralism and international agreements. The Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was hard-earned and the deal helped to safeguard the international system of non-proliferation and maintain the peace and stability in the Middle East, Wang said. As an important party, China made a lot of work in the process of reaching and implementing the JCPOA, Wang said. "China will take an objective, fair and responsible attitude, keep communication and cooperation with all parties concerned, and continue to work to maintain the deal," Wang said. Zarif said Iran attaches great importance to traditional friendly ties with China and is willing to have cooperation with China in infrastructure and connectivity within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative. The Iranian foreign minister spoke highly of China's stance on maintaining the JCPOA and stressed Iran is willing to keep communication and cooperation with the parties who still support the deal. Zarif said it is the responsibility and obligation of all parties to ensure that the JCPOA should be implemented in a sustainable, comprehensive and effective way, and Iran is willing to make its own efforts. Both sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern. ^ top ^
Chinese embassy calls for restraint in fresh conflict in N Myanmar (China Daily)
2018-05-13
The Chinese embassy in Myanmar has called for parties concerned to exercise restraint for an immediate ceasefire and take concrete and effective measures to prevent the worsening of the situation, following the outbreak of a fresh conflict between the Myanmar armed forces, police and armed groups in Muse Township, northern Myanmar, on Saturday. A statement of the Chinese embassy issued late on the day said some Myanmar inhabitants in the border area fled into the Chinese territory and some stray bullets were landed in the Chinese territory. Condemning the violent incident and saddened by the injuries and death of the innocent people, China has urged the parties concerned to ensure life and property safety of the two countries' inhabitants in the border area. Pointing out that at present, relevant parties in Myanmar are actively preparing for the third meeting of the 21st Century Panglong Peace Conference and China has been providing required assistance in this regard, the statement voiced firm opposition to any attempt to undermine peace and stability along the China-Myanmar border and any act deliberately obstructing the Myanmar peace process. The statement called on all parties concerned to enhance dialogue, promote mutual trust, and move forward in the same direction to play a due constructive role in promoting national reconciliation and Myanmar peace process. At least 19 people, including a police, four militia and 14 civilians, were killed and 27 others injured in attacks by armed groups in Muse township, Myanmar's Shan state Saturday morning, according to a release from the office of the Commander-in-Chief of Defense Service of Myanmar. The attacks targeting three areas were launched by a combined force of Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA). ^ top ^
Donald Trump 'working together' with President Xi Jinping to help restart China's ZTE (SCMP)
2018-05-14
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he has asked the Commerce Department to help Chinese technology company ZTE Corp "get back into business, fast," after being crippled by a US ban, a concession to Beijing ahead of high-stakes trade talks this week. "Too many jobs in China lost. Commerce Department has been instructed to get it done!" Trump wrote on Twitter, saying he is working with Chinese President Xi Jinping on a solution. Shortly after Trump's tweet, a Democratic lawmaker questioned the move to help the Chinese company, given numerous warnings about ZTE's alleged threat to US national security. "Our intelligence agencies have warned that ZTE technology and phones pose a major cyber security threat," Representative Adam Schiff, a Democrat, said on Twitter. "You should care more about our national security than Chinese jobs." Trump's offer to help comes as Chinese and US officials prepare for talks in Washington with China's top trade official Liu He to resolve an escalating trade dispute between the world's two largest economies. Trump's proposed reversal will likely ease relations between the United States and China. The world's two biggest economies have already proposed tens of billions of dollars in tariffs in recent weeks, fanning worries of a full-blown trade war that could hurt global supply chains as well as business investment plans. In trade talks in Beijing earlier this month, China asked the United States to ease crushing sanctions on ZTE, according to people with knowledge of the matter. In a second tweet on Sunday, Trump said past US trade talks with China posed a hurdle that he predicted the two countries would overcome. "China and the United States are working well together on trade, but past negotiations have been so one sided in favour of China, for so many years, that it is hard for them to make a deal that benefits both countries," Trump wrote on Twitter. "But be cool, it will all work out!" he added. ZTE, one of the world's largest telecom equipment makers, suspended its main operations earlier this month after the US Commerce Department banned American supplies to its business. ZTE pleaded guilty last year to conspiring to violate US sanctions by illegally shipping US goods and technology to Iran and entered into an agreement with the US government. The ban is the result of ZTE's failure to comply with that agreement, the Commerce Department said. The ban also came two months after two Republican senators introduced legislation to block the US government from buying or leasing telecommunications equipment from ZTE or Huawei, citing concern the companies would use their access to spy on US officials. […] Trump's reversal will likely have a significant impact on ZTE's US suppliers such as Qualcomm Inc and Intel Corp. ZTE relies on US companies such as Qualcomm Inc, Intel Corp and Alphabet Inc's Google. American companies are estimated to provide 25 per cent to 30 per cent of the components used in the phone maker's equipment, which includes smartphones and gear to build telecommunications networks. In 2017, ZTE paid over US$2.3 billion to 211 US exporters, a senior company official said on Friday. ^ top ^
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Chinese intellectual Fan Liqin who openly criticised move to scrap term limits speaks out (SCMP)
2018-05-18
A liberal intellectual who openly criticised Beijing's decision to remove the term limit on President Xi Jinping has spoken out for the first time since his article was put up on the campus of China's top university earlier this month. While the article was censored on the mainland, it has been circulating on Chinese social media for the past two weeks. The controversial move to scrap the term limit and allow Xi to stay in power beyond 2023 – a change that was made to the constitution in March – sparked a huge backlash among China's liberal thinkers, even though the ruling Communist Party insisted it was widely supported by the public. Despite the heavy censorship, many of them have found ways to express their concerns and criticism. But few went as far as Fan Liqin, who was educated at prestigious Peking University. His article – which was publicly displayed on the Beijing campus on May 4, a sensitive date marking a student-led political movement – sent shock waves through intellectual circles after he questioned the decision and warned against the danger of a cult of personality around the president and an over-concentration of power. It was signed off by Fan, who is in his 70s and well known among intellectuals, and he confirmed for the first time to the South China Morning Post on Wednesday that he had written the piece. "Thanks to everyone for their encouragement, I was making these points on behalf of some of us," he said. "This is what people of my generation ought to do … I'm well, no one is troubling me. I'm just tired and want to rest." In the 24-page article, Fan condemned the revision that ended term limits on the presidency and vice-presidency and added Xi's name to the constitution. "Removing the term limits is a fundamental denial of the 1982 constitution," Fan wrote. "It's a challenge to the system and to the people." China's constitution, which took effect in 1982, was amended for the fifth time in March when the party's proposal to make the changes was passed almost unanimously by the largely ceremonial legislature. The president's political theory, "Xi Jinping Thought", was also written into the constitution as one of the "guiding principles" of the party and the state. He was the first leader in decades to enshrine his name in the constitution by naming his theory after himself. Deng Xiaoping's eponymous theory was added to the constitution only two years after his death. "Frankly speaking, Xi Jinping is building up a personality cult … He's the first leader to name a 'guiding principle' after himself since Mao Zedong," Fan wrote. Citing events from the Mao era including the Cultural Revolution, a decade of violence and upheaval that began in 1966, Fan wrote that a personality cult around the leader would lead to great tragedy for China and the Chinese people. "I'm already over 70 – I'm a survivor of hardships, I never dreamed that I'd see a leader building up a personality cult again in my lifetime," he wrote. Last month, Xi reportedly told foreign dignitaries and Chinese officials that he was "personally opposed" to lifelong rule, adding that critics had "misinterpreted" the constitutional amendment. Fan, who was a biology student at Peking University, was known for opposing the Red Guard leaders supported by Mao during the Cultural Revolution, for which he was tortured by student rebels. After the decade of mayhem, which only ended with Mao's death in 1976, Fan worked for state-owned investment company Kanghua, and for the China Disabled Persons' Federation, a semi-official organisation. His article was put up on campus on May 4, the anniversary day of Peking University – known as "China's Harvard". The date was set to commemorate the May 4 Movement in 1919, which was led by students and has become a symbol for patriotism and the pursuit of democracy and science. The university was a base for the student organisers of the movement. "We are, after all, from Peking University – not like others," Fan wrote. "[Peking] should not be like other universities." Although the constitutional amendment drew a backlash from the international community and some in China, such open criticism is rarely seen amid heavy censorship and fears of retribution. But a week before legislators passed the amendment, Li Datong, a former editor with state-run China Youth Daily, wrote an open letter calling for the proposal to be voted down. Li, 66, said his comments represented an unspecified group of "like-minded people", which he described as professors, business executives and former officials. ^ top ^
Senior CPC official stresses absolute Party leadership over public security work (Global Times)
2018-05-18
A senior Chinese official has called for firm adherence to the absolute leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) over public security work. Guo Shengkun, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks at a symposium of the Ministry of Public Security on Thursday. Guo stressed the importance of resolutely safeguarding the core status of Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, and the authority of the CPC Central Committee and its centralized, unified leadership. "More efforts should be made to combat all illegal and criminal activities in accordance with law," he said. Guo also called on the public security system to deepen reforms that aim to benefit and help people. ^ top ^
Simpler rules for establishing foreign-funded firms adopted (Global Times)
2018-05-17
China will streamline procedures for the establishment of foreign-funded companies to promote trade and facilitate investment. Measures will be taken to dramatically reduce the time foreign firms need to register their business, according to a statement released after a State Council executive meeting presided over by Premier Li Keqiang Wednesday. Starting June 30, it will be easier for foreign firms to file and register their business as the procedures will be paperless and free of charge, and will not require a personal appearance. To facilitate the implementation, banks, customs, tax and foreign exchange agencies are requested to share business information and coordinate with each other. China has been pushing for easier access for foreign investment with a series of favorable policies this year. More than 35,000 foreign-funded businesses were established on the Chinese mainland last year, with direct investment hitting an all-time high of 878 billion yuan (around $140 billion). The meeting also decided to integrate online platforms of government services at the national. No less than 90 percent of the service items offered at the provincial level and 70 percent at city and county levels will be made available online by the end of 2019. ^ top ^
Nation aims for core tech breakthrough (China Daily)
2018-05-18
China will ramp up resources to develop core technologies such as artificial intelligence chips and sensors, as part of its broader push to integrate AI into the manufacturing sector, the nation's top industry regulator said on Thursday. Zhang Feng, chief engineer of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said China is now the world's second-largest owner of invention patents and international scientific papers, with significant progress made in voice and image recognition, as well as natural language understanding. "In future, more efforts will be made to pursue breakthroughs in crucial technologies that are key to the entire industry and can serve as a strong motivation. We will focus on AI chips, sensors and core algorithms," Zhang said at a conference in Beijing to celebrate the World Telecommunications Day, which fell on Thursday. According to him, the country will also strengthen research and development on cutting-edge technology such as cognitive computing and machine learning. The ministry unveiled a three-year plan in December to boost the application of AI in the automobile, robotics, healthcare and other sectors, in its latest push to upgrade the country's real economy. On top of aiming to build a globally competitive smart internet-connected car industry by 2020, the country also wants to accelerate the use of AI-enabled systems to assist doctors in medical cases, and services robots that can help senior citizens and children. But to achieve these goals, more efforts are needed to cultivate homegrown companies that specialize in high-end sensors and AI chips. Platforms that integrate software and hardware are also needed to power self-driving vehicles and other applications, said Wang Weiming, deputy director of the science and technology department of the ministry. Last year, China outlined its plan to build a 150 billion yuan ($23.6 billion) AI core industry by 2020, which is supposed to stimulate as much as 1 trillion yuan in related business. In November, the central government said it would build four national AI open innovation platforms by relying on Alibaba Group Holding Ltd in smart city technologies, Baidu Inc in self-driving technologies, Tencent Holdings Ltd in AI-enabled medical treatment, and iFlytek Co Ltd in voice-recognition technology. Li Zhengmao, vice general manager of China Mobile, the nation's largest mobile telecom carrier by subscribers, said the company is building a large-scale internet of things network which will build a sound foundation for the era of AI. ^ top ^
Video we-media apologizes for 'humiliating' a martyr (Global Times)
2018-05-17
A popular video we-media apologized on Thursday for "erroneously referring to a hero" and "creating a bad social influence" after it reportedly humiliated a civil war hero and ignited a backlash. "Wangnima," a we-media and video platform host on baozoumanhua.com released a statement on Sina Weibo on Thursday saying that "We deeply apologize for the inadequate supervision and for not deleting photos released by netizens in 2015, which referred to the name of a martyr. We have deeply reflected on erroneously mentioning the name of a martyr in one of our videos in 2014… and apologize for the bad social influence the incident created." Some netizens said baozoumanhua.com released on May 8 a 58-second video footage which humiliated heroes Dong Cunrui and Ye Ting. Dong sacrificed his life carrying explosives into an enemy bunker during the Battle of the War of Liberation (1946-49). Ye Ting was a well-known military leader of the Communist Party of China. "Wangnima" has more than 16.6 million followers on Sina Weibo. Baozoumanhua.com's Sina Weibo account was shut down on Thursday evening. Sina said in a release on Thursday that 16 accounts, including baozoumanhua, were shut down for humiliating, insulting or damaging the heroes' reputations. The video showed "Wangnima" retelling the story of Dong to make ads for a hamburger and recomposed Ye's poem for painless induced abortion, a screen capture of the video showed. The video was firstly streamed online in 2014 and reposted on news and information content platform Jinri Toutiao, or Toutiao, and other online streaming platforms on May 8, guancha.cn reported. The video was deleted as of press time. The incident has triggered a backlash on social media with many netizens criticizing "Wangnima" for insulting the heroes and violating laws. China's law protecting the reputation and honor of heroes and martyrs took effect on May 1, and states that those who violate the heroes and martyrs' names, portraits, reputations, and honor will be punished. The law also outlaws acts that glorify invasions, with offenders facing administrative or criminal punishment based on the severity of their actions. In response to netizens' questions, "Wangnima" said on Sina Weibo that "the contents were made to ridicule improperly embedded advertising and did not intend to humiliate martyrs." The explanation failed to quell the outrage. Toutiao announced on Wednesday evening that it had removed the controversial videos and would block baozoumanhua from the platform. The Xinhua News Agency's Sina Weibo account posted short comments on the incident on Thursday, saying that "it has been half of month since the law protecting the reputation and honor of heroes and martyrs took effect. The law is meant to punish those who humiliate heroes." "Wangnima" said in its Thursday statement that they have learned their lesson and would strengthen supervision over future videos. "We will obey the law which protects the reputation and honor of heroes and martyrs, and will prevent ridiculing heroes and martyrs," the statement said. ^ top ^
Chinese cities prepare security measures for Ramadan (Global Times)
2018-05-17
Cities across China have unveiled measures for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan which begins on Thursday, including fire and food safety, and public security measures. Religious authorities in Ma'anshan, East China's Anhui Province have ordered enhanced security checks, including a comprehensive check on water and electrical facilities, fire equipment and secure channels in mosques, the city government's website says. Authorities also require health and food authorities in Ma'anshan to conduct routine checks in the dining facilities of mosques to avoid food poisoning, according to a notice released on Monday. On security measures, the city requires mosque staff to pay attention to the number of participants, the time and scale of such religious events to ensure the events' safety and order. Shanghai's religious authorities have rolled out measures to ensure that activities are "limited within mosques, do not disturb the public, and are safe and orderly," an official surnamed Pan from the office of Islamic-related issues at Shanghai's ethnic and religious committee, told the Global Times on Thursday. The move is meant to make sure that Muslims in the city have a "joyful and peaceful" Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr celebration, the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, the Shanghai committee said. Shanghai's religious authority is also encouraging Muslims to register before attending large-scale religious events, its website said. Data released by the Shanghai government in 2017 showed the city has 127,000 Muslims. Meetings on security and other support measures for Ramadan were also conducted by local ethnic and religious authorities across China, including in Beijing, and in Yangzhou and Nanjing in East China's Jiangsu Province. Local governments in China have always supported relevant measures during the Islamic holy month, Jin Rubin, deputy chairman and spokesman of the Islamic Association of China (IAC), told the Global Times. The IAC is also conducting lectures to greet Ramadan, according to a notice released on the website of the State Administration for Religious Affairs on Wednesday. The first event was held in a mosque in Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang Province on May 11, where three imams lectured on socialist core values before 200 people. During the Islamic holy month, Muslims are not permitted to eat or drink between sunrise and sunset. Ramadan is widely observed by many of China's ethnic minorities, including Hui, Uyghur, Kazakh and Uzbek. ^ top ^
First Belt and Road graduate school launched (Global Times)
2018-05-16
To support the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Beijing-based Renmin University of China (RUC) launched the first graduate school in the country named after the Initiative — the Silk Road School — to cultivate high-end international professionals and future leaders from Belt and Road countries and regions. Candidates passionate about Chinese culture and have a deep understanding of China`s development path, models and experiences are ideal for the program. After years of preparation, the program features access to RUC's quality resources in international education and think-tank, the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies. The institute offers four majors: Chinese politics, Chinese economy, Chinese law and Chinese culture, all staffed with known professors and scholars. English is the main language used during courses. Eligible candidates will complete the two-year program at RUC Suzhou campus in Jiangsu Province. The School also offers a Master of Law degree. International students will be exempt from tuition, accommodation and medical insurance fees and are eligible for stipends during the duration of study. The program also provides cultural visits and internships to enrich their academic experiences. The application deadline is June 10, and online interviews will follow. ^ top ^
Party to strengthen diplomatic leadership (China Daily)
2018-05-16
The Communist Party of China Central Committee's centralized and unified leadership over foreign affairs should be strengthened to open up new prospects of "major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics", President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday. Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remark at the first meeting of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee held in Beijing. Xi is director of the commission. In his speech, Xi said that under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee, China has innovated its diplomatic theory and practice, pushed developing the Belt and Road Initiative, proactively participated in reforms to the global governance system, safeguarded national sovereignty, enhanced the Party's leadership over diplomatic work and found a new way of conducting major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics. Xi pointed out that unstable and uncertain factors are increasing in the world and China faces opportunities and challenges in its development. The president called for the implementation of plans of major diplomatic activities, being aware of risks and resolutely safeguarding national sovereignty, security and developmental interests. Hailing the Belt and Road Initiative as an important platform to press ahead with building a community of shared future for mankind, Xi said that the Belt and Road Initiative has been translated from a concept to reality, with great achievements being made. Xi urged carrying out decisions formulated at the first Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, gathering the consensus from all sides, expanding the national opening-up and enhancing coordination with other sides to benefit the people of all countries. Xi also highlighted the importance of local governments' diplomatic work, saying it has great significance to advance international exchanges and deepen reform. Local governments' diplomatic work should be guided under the centralized and unified leadership of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, Xi said, adding that the resources of all local governments should be properly distributed and used. Xi stressed the importance of the role played by the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, which he said should provide effective guidance for the country's diplomatic work. The top-level design and coordination must be enhanced to advance reforms of the foreign affairs system, Xi said. The meeting adopted some documents, including a regulation on the work of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee. ^ top ^
Scientists find materials in S.China Sea needed in military, aerospace equipment (Global Times)
2018-05-16
The month-long deep-sea exploration of the South China Sea ended Wednesday with the discovery of polymetallic nodules and ancient hydrotherm which will help in exploiting metal resources and will provide the materials needed to manufacture military and aerospace equipment, observers said. Scientists have made great discoveries through the exploration, and the data and samples collected provided new materials to study the structure and deposition of the South China Sea, Zhou Huaiyang, the leading scientist of the exploration and professor at the school of marine and earth sciences at Tongji University, told the Global Times, after the research ship docked at the Xiamen port in East China's Fujian Province on Wednesday. The exploration used a Canadian-made unmanned submersible for the first time to explore to a depth of 4,000 meters, and Chinese scientists also found two ancient hydrothermal vents on the seafloor, which is significant to the study of mineral deposits and exploiting metal resources, Zhou said. Hydrothermal vents contain chemicals in the vents' fluids, which provides clues to the form of metals. Chinese scientists also found the biggest ferromanganese nodules. The South China Sea contains rich polymetallic resources that are rare and difficult to find on land, just like the ferromanganese nodules, and China depends on the South China Sea for its future use of resources, Lin Hongmin, an adviser to the Hainan Provincial Maritime Environment Protection Association, told the Global Times. "The nodules contain nickel, chromium and manganese, minerals that are indispensable for military equipment, such as submarines, tanks and aerospace facilities," Lin said. The exploitation of resources, including metals and combustible ice, in the South China Sea could ensure China's energy security, even as China continues to face challenges in the exploitation and extraction of these metals, Lin added. China has successfully extracted more than 300,000 cubic meters of combustible ice, a type of natural gas hydrate, from the South China Sea in 2017, People's Daily reported. Chinese scientists also live-streamed the deep-sea exploration and showed images of the 4,000 meter-deep seafloor, and creatures found in the cold seep into the South China Sea through an Ocean Science (ROPOS) robot, according to the live stream on the news site thepaper.cn. "Creatures living in the cold seep area means that they can live in a completely dark environment with no oxygen but high in temperature and chemicals, and scientists could study their genes for future use for medicines and treatment of cancers," Lin said. ^ top ^
China's vice-president Wang Qishan given key foreign policy role (SCMP)
2018-05-15
China's vice-president Wang Qishan has been given a central diplomatic role, it emerged on Tuesday, following official confirmation of his attendance at the inaugural meeting of a key Communist Party body on foreign affairs. Wang's membership of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission, headed by President Xi Jinping, was stated in a report by Xinhua. His attendance confirmed earlier reports by the South China Morning Post that Wang, who is valued for his "firefighting skills", would play a leading role in foreign affairs after he left his previous post spearheading the party's anti-corruption drive. Several other party heavyweights also attended the meeting, including Premier Li Keqiang, the commission's deputy head, and Politburo Standing Committee members Wang Huning and Han Zheng, though the report did not say if the latter were members of the new commission. Xi highlighted the current uncertainty in international affairs and said the foreign affairs commission would play a leading role in China's diplomacy. The first meeting of the commission coincided with the start of vice-premier Liu He's second trip to the United States for a new round of trade negotiations. Wang could follow Liu to Washington in late June or July, in an attempt to keep strategic-level dialogue between the world's largest two economies open on various issues, a source familiar with the situation told the Post earlier. At Tuesday's meeting, Xi said he would continue to promote the "Belt and Road Initiative" – his signature foreign policy venture – as "an important platform for [China] to push for the construction of a community of a shared future for mankind," Xinhua said. The Central Foreign Affairs Commission – formerly the Central Leading Group on Foreign Affairs, before being upgraded in Xi's overhaul of party and state institutions in March – is a top decision making and coordination body under the party's elite Central Committee. As well as being the two most senior figures in the new commission, Xi and Li are both part of the seven-member Politburo Standing Committee. In contrast, Wang, having stepped down from the Standing Committee last year, is now, officially at least, just an ordinary party member. After securing his place on the new commission, however, the reality is clearly somewhat different. Indeed, during China's annual parliamentary meetings in March, Wang was presented as the party's "No 8" leader, analysts said at the time. Li Mingjiang, an associate professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, said the announcement was proof that Wang would be heavily involved in foreign affairs. "It's clear that he will be a very important decision maker in China's foreign policy," he said. "And because of his experience, informal political status and personal relations with Xi Jinping … his actual role will be much bigger than that of a regular member [of the new commission]." Li said the reason Wang was not given the deputy head's role in the new commission was probably because giving a leadership role to someone who was not even a member of the Central Committee – the largest of the party's ruling bodies – "would be a problem politically". "A member is more acceptable … but it doesn't really diminish the role he will be playing in foreign policymaking," he said. Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute in London, said Wang's seat at the commission was not unexpected. "If my information is correct, Wang already attends PBSC [Politburo Standing Committee] meetings, which is much more important than making him a member of the foreign affairs commission," he said. "Xi wants Wang as he needs someone whom he can really trust and rely on, and who is knowledgeable about the USA and trade to oversee the crucial relations with the USA in a particularly testing time." he said. "I don't want to imply that Xi does not trust Liu He, but Liu is not Wang and does not enjoy the very close relationship Wang has with Xi. I would be surprised if Wang is not very closely involved in superintending Liu's visit to the USA," he said. Li said China's greatest foreign policy challenge, which Xi described on Tuesday as "a proliferation of uncertain and unstable factors in the world", was the complex bilateral relationship it had with the US amid trade skirmishes and other tensions with major players in the Indo-Pacific framework. ^ top ^
Sichuan county bans some India-educated monks from teaching Buddhism to avoid separatism (Global Times)
2018-05-18
Monks wrongly educated in India are banned from teaching Buddhism to residents of Litang county in Southwest China's Sichuan Province, an official said Monday. The county stages patriotic education classes every year for those educated and awarded Gexe Lharampa - the highest academic degree in Tibetan Buddhist studies - in India, an official from Litang's ethnic and religious affairs bureau told the Global Times. Those who behaved improperly at the patriotic classes or showed "any signs of separatist intent" are strictly monitored and banned from teaching Buddhism to the public, said the official who refused to be named. China has its own criteria to award Gexe Lharampa, and candidates have to pass Chinese Buddhist tests and a sutra debate. Those awarded the degree overseas are not acknowledged by China and are not qualified to teach Buddhism in the country, Zhu Weiqun, former head of the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, told the Global Times. Some 105 monks in Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region have been awarded the Chinese Buddhist version of the degree since 2004, the Xinhua News Agency reported. As some monks received education overseas from the 14th Dalai Lama clique - whom China regards as separatists - it is necessary to tighten supervision so as to avoid the clique using local Buddhists to conduct separatist activities, Zhu said. The official did not say how many monks are banned. The move was a standard practice every year, said the official, in response to the county's severe separatist situation. Litang county is home to prominent Buddhists including the Seventh and 10th Dalai Lama. Litang Temple has about 800 monks and can accommodate more than 4,300, news site china.com reported. ^ top ^
First carrier designed in China begins sea trial (China Daily)
2018-05-14
China's first domestically designed aircraft carrier set out its maiden sea trial on Sunday morning, indicating it might not be long before it is delivered to the Chinese Navy. The colossal vessel, which displaces 50,000 metric tons, left the Dalian Shipbuilding Industry's shipyard in Liaoning province about 7 am amid thick fog with the assistance of several tugboats before navigating into the sea under its own power. The People's Liberation Army Navy said in a statement the trial aims to demonstrate the reliability and capability of the ship's propulsion systems, adding its construction has been proceeding well. […] The ship, the largest and most sophisticated naval vessel in China, was designed and built by the nation on its own. Its construction began in November 2013, and work in the dry dock began in March 2015. The carrier was launched — moved into water — in April 2017. By now its outfitting — during which engineers installed and fine-tuned all interior equipment and weapons — has been completed. Gao Zhuo, a military analyst in Shanghai who follows China's aircraft carrier programs, said that after the first sea trial, more trials will follow to verify the carrier's maximum speed, resistance to different sea conditions, electronics and weapons systems as well as the compatibility of aircraft and aviation-support devices. He said the vessel will be better than China's other aircraft carrier, the CNS Liaoning, when it comes to deploying and supporting fighter jets in combat thanks to designs by Chinese engineers. […] Experts have said that the new carrier will have missions that differ from those of the Liaoning, which is mainly tasked with testing equipment and weapons and training personnel. The new vessel, by comparison, will focus on what a genuine aircraft carrier is supposed to do: run combat-ready patrols and safeguard the nation's maritime sovereignty and interests. Zhang Junshe, a researcher with the PLA Naval Military Studies Research Institute, said the Chinese Navy needs at least three aircraft carriers. When it has that many, one can be on duty, one can train personnel and the third can take on maintenance, he said. Besides China, seven countries — the United States, Russia, Britain, France, Italy, Thailand and India — operate a total of 18 aircraft carriers. The US is the largest operator, with 11 nuclear-powered carriers, each having a full-load displacement of about 100,000 tons. ^ top ^
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| Beijing |
Beijing responsible for most of its air pollution, and thus for curbing it (China Daily)
2018-05-16
Beijing said on Monday, that about two-thirds of the airborne particles smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter that can penetrate people's lungs and harm their health were produced by the city itself last year, among which vehicles and the dust from construction sites and roads were the main contributors. Beijing Youth Daily comments: It is good that the capital city has identified the main sources of its PM2.5 air pollutants as it means that its measures can be more precisely targeted. Beijing reduced the annual average concentration of PM2.5 to 58 microgram per cubic meter in the air last year, fulfilling the objective it set in 2013, when the figure was 89.5 microgram per cubic meter. It is noteworthy that vehicles contributed 45 percent of the PM2.5 in Beijing last year, 1.4 times higher than the year before. The authorities should pay more attention to checking the growing number of vehicles on the capital's roads. In particular, they should control the use of diesel-guzzling heavy duty trucks, and require construction companies to take measures to curb the amount of dust produced by their construction work. And since Beijing has the most developed public transport system in China, the authorities can also pay more attention to raising the public's awareness that public transport is a less polluting means of transport than private cars. People should know that they too are obliged to play their part in the fight against air pollution, and they should not enjoy the efforts of others while making none themselves. The authorities should also strengthen their cooperation with the science and research institutes to obtain more accurate data on PM2.5 sources so they can introduce more targeted measures to curb air pollution. ^ top ^
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| Tibet |
Tibet officials finish US tour warning Americans not to support Dalai Lama clique (Global Times)
2018-05-15
A National People's Congress delegation of legislators from the Tibet Autonomous Region of China completed a six-day trip to the US on Monday with the goal of reiterating China's sovereignty over Tibet and urging Washington "not to support the Dalai Lama clique," a Chinese expert said on Tuesday. Led by Baima Wangdui, deputy of the People's Congress of the Tibet Autonomous Region, the delegation met US Senator Dan Sullivan, Congressmen Darin LaHood, Rick Larsen, Jim McGovern and US Department of State officials in Washington DC, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Tuesday. During the meetings, Baima Wangdui emphasized the importance of a good China-US relationship, but also reiterated that the Tibet question is about China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, which is a core interest of China, the Beijing-based agency reported. He urged the US to recognize the anti-China nature of the Dalai clique and not to contact or support them. The US side reaffirmed it recognized Tibet as a part of China and would not support "Tibetan independence," Xinhua said. "Although the US said they recognize Tibet as part of China and would not support 'Tibetan independence,' they have been meeting the Dalai Lama and in the past have funded the Tibetan 'government-in-exile,'" Qin Yongzhang, an ethnologist at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences told the Global Times on Tuesday. "Only time can tell if the delegation's latest visit will change the double-faced actions of the US, but it was important to reiterate China's position," Qin said. The US recently approved "a new batch of funding to support the Dalai Lama, even more than the sum back in the Obama days," Zhu Weiqun, former chairman of the ethnic and religious committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, told the Global Times on Tuesday. "I don't see any difference in terms of supporting the Dalai clique by the Trump administration compared to previous governments." The reason behind US double-dealing was its attempt to prevent China from being united and becoming strong, Zhu noted. The US still sees China as a threat, not a partner, he asserted. The delegation introduced Tibet's remarkable progress since its peaceful liberation over 60 years ago, not only in the meetings with US officials in Washington but also with local overseas Chinese and Tibetan representatives in San Francisco, according to Xinhua. "In the US, many people don't realize the Dalai Lama's nature as a separatist," Zhu said. "This visit will play an important role in letting US politicians and people know the truth." It was in the best interests of the US to give up on the Dalai clique and build a better relationship between the two countries, Zhu said. ^ top ^
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| Xinjiang |
Inside the camps where China tries to brainwash Muslims until they love the party and hate their own culture (SCMP)
2018-05-17
[…] Since last spring, Chinese authorities in the heavily Muslim region of Xinjiang have ensnared tens, possibly hundreds of thousands of Muslim Chinese – and even foreign citizens – in mass internment camps. This detention campaign has swept across Xinjiang, a territory half the area of India, leading to what a US commission on China last month said is "the largest mass incarceration of a minority population in the world today." Chinese officials have largely avoided comment on the camps, but some have been quoted in state media as saying that ideological changes are needed to fight separatism and Islamic extremism. Radical Muslim Uygurs have killed hundreds in recent years, and China considers the region a threat to peace in a country where the majority is Han Chinese. The internment programme aims to rewire the political thinking of detainees, erase their Islamic beliefs and reshape their very identities. The camps have expanded rapidly over the past year, with almost no judicial process or legal paperwork. Detainees who most vigorously criticise the people and things they love are rewarded, and those who refuse to do so are punished with solitary confinement, beatings and food deprivation. The recollections of Bekali, a heavyset and quiet 42-year-old, offer what appears to be the most detailed account yet of life inside so-called re-education camps. The Associated Press also conducted rare interviews with three other former internees and a former instructor in other centres who corroborated Bekali's depiction. Most spoke on condition of anonymity to protect their families in China. Bekali's case stands out because he was a foreign citizen, of Kazakhstan, who was seized by China's security agencies and detained for eight months last year without recourse. Although some details are impossible to verify, two Kazakh diplomats confirmed he was held for seven months and then sent for re-education. The detention programme is a hallmark of China's emboldened state security apparatus under the deeply nationalistic, hardline rule of President Xi Jinping. It is partly rooted in the ancient Chinese belief in transformation through education – taken once before to terrifying extremes during the mass thought reform campaigns of Mao Zedong, the Chinese leader sometimes channelled by Xi. "Cultural cleansing is Beijing's attempt to find a final solution to the Xinjiang problem," said James Millward, a China historian at Georgetown University in Washington. Rian Thum, a professor at Loyola University in New Orleans, said China's re-education system echoes some of the worst human rights violations in history. "The closest analogue is maybe the Cultural Revolution in that this will leave long-term, psychological effects," Thum said. "This will create a multigenerational trauma from which many people will never recover." Asked to comment on the camps, China's Foreign Ministry said it "had not heard" of the situation. When asked why non-Chinese had been detained, it said the Chinese government protects the rights of foreigners in China and they should also be law-abiding. Chinese officials in Xinjiang did not respond to requests for comment. However, bits and pieces from state media and journals show the confidence Xinjiang officials hold in methods that they say work well to curb religious extremism. China's top prosecutor, Zhang Jun, urged Xinjiang's authorities this month to extensively expand what the government calls the "transformation through education" drive in an "all-out effort" to fight separatism and extremism. In a June 2017 paper published by a state-run journal, a researcher from Xinjiang's Communist Party School reported that most of 588 surveyed participants did not know what they had done wrong when they were sent to re-education. But by the time they were released, nearly all – 98.8 per cent – had learned their mistakes, the paper said. Transformation through education, the researcher concluded, "is a permanent cure." On the chilly morning of March 23, 2017, Bekali drove up to the Chinese border from his home in Almaty, Kazakhstan's largest city, got a stamp in his Kazakh passport and crossed over for a work trip, not quite grasping the extraordinary circumstances he was stepping into. Bekali was born in China in 1976 to Kazakh and Uygur parents, moved to Kazakhstan in 2006 and received citizenship three years later. He was out of China in 2016, when authorities sharply escalated a "People's War on Terror" to root out what the government called religious extremism and separatism in Xinjiang, a large Chinese territory bordering Pakistan and several Central Asian states, including Kazakhstan. The Xinjiang he returned to was unrecognisable. All-encompassing, data-driven surveillance tracked residents in a region with around 12 million Muslims, including ethnic Uygurs and Kazakhs. Viewing a foreign website, taking phone calls from relatives abroad, praying regularly or growing a beard could land one in a political indoctrination camp, or prison, or both. The new internment system was shrouded in secrecy, with no publicly available data on the numbers of camps or detainees. The US State Department estimates those being held are "at the very least in the tens of thousands." A Turkey-based TV station run by Xinjiang exiles said almost 900,000 were detained, citing leaked government documents. Adrian Zenz, a researcher at the European School of Culture and Theology, puts the number between several hundreds of thousands and just over 1 million. Government bids and recruitment ads studied by Zenz suggest that the camps have cost more than US$100 million since 2016, and construction is ongoing. Bekali knew none of this when he visited his parents on March 25. He passed police checkpoints and handed over his decade-old Chinese identity card. The next day, five armed policemen showed up at Bekali's parents' doorstep and took him away. They said there was a warrant for his arrest in Karamay, a frontier oil town where he lived a decade earlier. He couldn't call his parents or a lawyer, the police added, because his case was "special." Bekali was held in a cell, incommunicado, for a week, and then was driven 800 kilometres (500 miles) to Karamay's Baijiantan District public security office. There, they strapped him into a "tiger chair," a device that clamped down his wrists and ankles. They also hung him by his wrists against a barred wall, just high enough so he would feel excruciating pressure in his shoulder unless he stood on the balls of his bare feet. They interrogated him about his work with a tourist agency inviting Chinese to apply for Kazakh tourist visas, which they claimed was a way to help Chinese Muslims escape. "I haven't committed any crimes!" Bekali yelled. They asked for days what he knew about two dozen prominent ethnic Uygur activists and businessmen in Kazakhstan. Exhausted and aching, Bekali coughed up what he knew about a few names he recognised. The police then sent Bekali to a 10 by 10-metre (32 by 32ft) cell in the prison with 17 others, their feet chained to the posts of two large beds. Some wore dark blue uniforms, while others wore orange for political crimes. Bekali was given orange. In mid-July, three months after his arrest, Bekali received a visit from Kazakh diplomats. China's mass detention of ethnic Kazakhs – and even Kazakh citizens – has begun to make waves in the Central Asian country of 18 million. Kazakh officials say China detained 10 Kazakh citizens and hundreds of ethnic Kazakh Chinese in Xinjiang over the past year, though they were released in late April following a visit by a Kazakh deputy foreign minister. Four months after the visit, Bekali was taken out of his cell and handed a release paper. But he was not yet free. Bekali was driven from jail to a fenced compound in the northern suburbs of Karamay, where three buildings held more than 1,000 internees receiving political indoctrination, he said. He walked in, past a central station that could see over the entire facility, and received a tracksuit. Heavily armed guards watched over the compound from a second level. He joined a cell with 40 internees, he said, including teachers, doctors and students. Men and women were separated. Internees would wake up together before dawn, sing the Chinese national anthem, and raise the Chinese flag at 7.30am. They gathered back inside large classrooms to learn "red songs" like Without the Communist Party, there is no New China, and study Chinese language and history. They were told that the indigenous sheepherding Central Asian people of Xinjiang were backward and yoked by slavery before they were "liberated" by the Communist Party in the 1950s. Before meals of vegetable soup and buns, the inmates would be ordered to chant: "Thank the Party! Thank the Motherland! Thank President Xi!" Discipline was strictly enforced and punishment could be harsh. Bekali was kept in a locked room almost around the clock with eight other internees, who shared beds and a wretched toilet. Cameras were installed in toilets and even outhouses. Baths were rare, as was washing of hands and feet, which internees were told was equated with Islamic ablution. Bekali and other former internees say the worst parts of the indoctrination programme were forced repetition and self-criticism. Although students didn't understand much of what was taught and the material bordered on the nonsensical to them, they were made to internalise it by repetition in sessions lasting two hours or longer. "We will oppose extremism, we will oppose separatism, we will oppose terrorism," they chanted again and again. Almost every day, the students received guest lecturers from the local police, judiciary and other branches of government warning about the dangers of separatism and extremism. In four-hour sessions, instructors lectured about the dangers of Islam and drilled internees with quizzes that they had to answer correctly or be sent to stand near a wall for hours on end. "Do you obey Chinese law or sharia?" instructors asked. "Do you understand why religion is dangerous?" One by one, internees would stand up before 60 of their classmates to present self-criticisms of their religious history, Bekali said. The detainees would also have to criticise and be criticised by their peers. Those who parroted official lines particularly well or lashed into their fellow internees viciously were awarded points and could be transferred to more comfortable surroundings in other buildings, he said. "I was taught the Holy Koran by my father and I learned it because I didn't know better," Bekali heard one say. "I travelled outside China without knowing that I could be exposed to extremist thoughts abroad," Bekali recalled another saying. "Now I know." A Uygur woman told AP she was held in a centre in the city of Hotan in 2016. She said she and fellow prisoners repeatedly were forced to apologise for wearing long clothes in Muslim style, praying, teaching the Koran to their children and asking imams to name their children. Praying at a mosque on any day other than Friday was a sign of extremism; so was attending Friday prayers outside their village or having Quranic verses or graphics on their phones. While instructors watched, those who confessed to such behaviour were told to repeat over and over: "We have done illegal things, but we now know better." Other detainees and a re-education camp instructor tell similar stories. […] ^ top ^
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| Hongkong |
Chinese army promotes new political commissar at Hong Kong garrison (SCMP)
2018-05-16
A senior role overseeing ideological work at the Chinese army's Hong Kong garrison has been filled, after almost half a year vacant. Major General Cai Yongzhong has been promoted to political commissar at the garrison. He replaces Lieutenant General Yue Shixin, who was transferred to serve as deputy political commissar at the Southern Theatre Command late last year, according to a statement by the garrison on Tuesday. The promotion was ordered by President Xi Jinping – who is also the head of the all-powerful Central Military Commission – and announced by the Southern Theatre Command chief, Vice-Admiral Yuan Yubai, during his visit to the Hong Kong garrison. Cai said that during his three years as the deputy political commissar at the garrison, he "deeply felt Hong Kong's important position and role in the nation's security and its development strategy, and the strong vitality of the great policy of 'one country two systems'". The major general was referring to the model under which Hong Kong is guaranteed a high degree of autonomy from Beijing. He also pledged to protect the nation's sovereignty, security and development interests and safeguard Hong Kong's stability and prosperity, according to the statement. Cai, 56, was appointed a member of the party's central commission for discipline inspection in October. He is almost unknown to the general public in Hong Kong and his name appeared more often in media reports of community celebratory events or ceremonies as a guest of honour and representative from the garrison. "Political commissar is a senior position in the army," Hong Kong-based veteran China watcher Johnny Lau Yui-siu said. "He is as senior as the commander. A political commissar takes care of the ideological work in the army, while the garrison's commander looks after more the military or combat side of the operation." One of the roles of the commissar is to serve as the public relations officer, but that does not mean it is a position to be taken lightly, said the Macau-based military analyst Antony Wong Dong. "A political commissar is in charge of building the political ideology, and sometimes his nod has to be secured even before the commander makes a decision," he said. ^ top ^
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| Taiwan |
Taiwan whips out the censor's pen for books published on the Chinese mainland (Global Times)
2018-05-17
Booksellers and publishers on the island of Taiwan are calling for a revision of a 2003 regulation on introducing publications from the Chinese mainland, after Taiwan regulators shocked the industry by requiring censorship of such books, an unprecedented move since Taiwan abolished the Publication Act. Earlier this month, Taiwan's cultural regulators sent a notice to publishers and associations, asking them to submit an application for publishing books from the mainland, Taiwan-based news site udn.com reported. Publishing such books without the approval of Taiwan's "Ministry of Culture" will lead to "administrative penalties," said the report. "The demand for review was never raised before. It's a huge reversal of freedom of the press," Taiwan bookseller Shen Rongyu told the Global Times on Wednesday. Since 2005, Shen's store has sold over 8 million books from the mainland, and the bookseller expected higher sales because of the booming publishing industry across the Straits. However, over 2,000 books the store ordered from Shanghai and Hangzhou are now stranded en route to Taiwan as they need to be "reviewed," said Shen. When Shen filed the application for "review" earlier this week, officials in Taiwan told him "they have no time due to staff shortage." Applying for review of books introduced from the mainland is not an easy job, as booksellers have to submit documents including contract and proxy notes, said Shen. What's more confusing is that the new rule has come at a time Taiwan's publishing industry is struggling with bookstores being shut down, while business on the mainland is booming as the government steps up efforts to popularize the reading habit, said a business director surnamed Zhang at the Taiwan-based Dragon Totem Cultural Limited. Exchange of books could help people across the Straits, especially the young generation, to get closer to one another, Zhang told the Global Times. The company has introduced 700 books from the mainland since it was set up seven years ago. The books are published in traditional Chinese characters in Taiwan, said Zhang. The censorship decision was made according to articles of a regulation on mainland publications in 2003, though such a requirement has never been evoked before, Taiwan media said. The notice also triggered wide discussion about amending the articles, as Taiwan publishers expressed strong concerns over a trend of scrutinizing publications in the future. According to the regulation, newspapers, magazines, films, and television and radio broadcasts from the mainland also need approval before being introduced in Taiwan. The regulation also bans publications that promote Communism, an article regarded "unconstitutional" as it goes against a judicial interpretation made in 2008, renowned Taiwanese publisher Chen Ying-ching was quoted as saying by udn.com. The response of Taiwan's publishing industry makes it all the more necessary to revise the regulation and to avoid such moves in the future, said Zhang. Lu Ching-cheng, president of the Association of Taipei Publishers, said that several industry associations are discussing changes that need to be brought about in the regulation, World Journal, a US-based Chinese-language newspaper, reported. Instead of being considerate toward the needs of the people, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is going the other way and continues to set barriers to impede normal exchange across the Straits, An Fengshan, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said at a press conference Wednesday. What DPP is actually restricting is bigger and better opportunities for Taiwan compatriots, said An. The notice intends to alienate the mainland as "pro-independence" forces in Taiwan are scared of larger exchange across the Straits, Lü Cuncheng, a research fellow at the Institute of Taiwan Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told Global Times. A closer interaction between people on both sides is unavoidable as the mainland is becoming increasingly alluring for Taiwan locals and more preferential policies will be introduced to facilitate their work and life on the mainland, Lü said. According to An, the mainland will continue to promote the implementation of the 31 preferential policies for Taiwan. Introduced in 2013, the policies cover legal rights, education, culture, and tourism, and are aimed at improving the lives of all Taiwan people. ^ top ^
US lawmakers send letter to WHO that interferes with China sovereignty (Global Times)
2018-05-17
A US House of Representatives' letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) demanding an observer seat for Taiwan at the upcoming World Health Assembly was downright interference in China's internal affairs, a Chinese observer said on Thursday. Initiated by the House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce, the letter was jointly sent by 172 members of House of Representatives urging WHO to register, without any preconditions, Taiwan as an observer for the assembly in Geneva, Switzerland from May 21 to 26, reported Taiwan-based news website chinatimes.com. The move violated the one-China principle, which is already recognized by the US government, Yang Lixian, a specially appointed researcher at the Beijing-based Research Center on Cross-Strait Relations, told the Global Times on Thursday. The letter claimed that rejection of Taiwan observing at the assembly violated the principal rules of the WHO that "the health of all is essential to peace and security, and it relies on full cooperation between individuals and countries," chinatimes.com said. The US has strengthened interference in China's internal affairs, Yang said, while noting that the move showed endorsement for "Taiwan independence," but it could be merely a chip to bargain in negotiating with Beijing on other matters. Taiwan authorities should rethink why they were rebuffed by the assembly instead of passing the buck and misleading Taiwan compatriots and the international community, An Fengshan, a spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council in Beijing, said on Wednesday. The reason why Taiwan was able to observe at the assembly from 2009 to 2016 was the fact that both sides of the Straits adhered to the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus, he reiterated. These political foundations and preconditions were undermined by Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party, who refuses to recognize the one-China principle and 1992 Consensus, An said. Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen took office on May 20, 2016. The Taiwan authorities have only themselves to blame for failing to receive an invitation this year, Yang noted. The year 2017 was the first that Taiwan was not invited to the assembly after being an observer for eight consecutive years. WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in May last year that the organization would keep upholding the one-China principle and properly handle Taiwan-related issues on the basis of resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly and the World Health Assembly, news website haiwainet.cn reported. The assembly is the WHO's decision-making body and is attended by delegates from all WHO member states. ^ top ^
Blacklist proposed to target and punish Taiwan separatists (Global Times)
2018-05-16
Any stubborn and wrongheaded supporters of "Taiwan independence" will be condemned by the people and punished by history, said An Fengshan, a spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council in Beijing on Wednesday, in response to the suggestion of a blacklist being composed for Taiwan separatists. Bringing only catastrophe to Taiwan compatriots, "independence" will eventually reach a dead end, An said. An's remarks came after a Chinese WeChat social media account user suggested publishing a list of Taiwan separatists to enable their punishment, with their names being added to an international wanted list. "Taiwan independence" separatists would never hide from what they did and said, An said, adding that "any obsessive and obstinate separatist will receive condemnation from the people and punishment from history." The spokesman's remarks were "warnings and a deterrent to Taiwan secessionist forces," said Yang Lixian, a specially appointed researcher at Beijing-based Research Center on Cross-Strait Relations. "If the list does exist, it may be made by some civilians with an eagerness for reunification." "Two sides of Taiwan Straits are one family" is the mainstream public opinion of Taiwan compatriots, which reflects their wish of development in Taiwan and of cross-Straits ties, Yang added. ^ top ^
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| Economy |
China to streamline procedures for establishing foreign-funded firms (Xinhua)
2018-05-16
China will streamline procedures for the establishment of foreign-funded companies in order to promote trade and facilitate investment. Measures will be taken to dramatically reduce the time foreign firms need for business registration, according to a statement released after a State Council executive meeting presided over by Premier Li Keqiang Wednesday. Effective on June 30, foreign firms will see much easier business filing and registration as the procedures will be finished paperless and free of charge and needs no presence in person. To facilitate the implementation, banks, customs, taxation and foreign exchange agencies will share business information and coordinate management. China has been pushing for easier access for foreign investment, with an array of favorable policies rolled out this year. More than 35,000 foreign-funded businesses were established on the Chinese mainland last year with direct investment hitting an all-time high of 878 billion yuan (around 140 billion U.S. dollars). The meeting also decided to integrate online platforms of government services at the national, provincial and city levels, with all services items to be put on online, except those laws otherwise stipulated and confidential information. No less than 90 percent of the services items offered at provincial level and 70 percent at city and county levels will be available online by the end of 2019. A series of measures will be also be rolled out to reduce logistics costs by more than 12 billion yuan this year, according to the meeting. Land use taxes will be halved for logistics companies that rent land for warehouses between May 2018 and the end of 2019. Vehicle purchase taxes of trailers will be halved during the next three years from July. Expressway toll stations at provincial boundaries will be gradually removed. ^ top ^
Tesla sets up wholly-owned subsidiary in Shanghai (People's Daily)
2018-05-15
U.S. electric vehicle maker Tesla has set up a wholly-owned subsidiary in Shanghai, the latest effort to penetrate the Chinese market. Tesla received the business license for its subsidiary from the market regulation bureau of the Pudong New Area on Thursday, according to the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System. The newly-established subsidiary registered capital of 100 million yuan (15.8 million U.S. dollars). The only shareholder is Tesla Motors HK Limited. The firm's businesses include technology development and transfer in the fields of electric cars, auto parts, batteries, energy storage equipment and photovoltaic products, and wholesale and import and export of such products. China announced in April that it would scrap share-holding limits for new energy vehicles for foreign investors in 2018. It also pledged to reduce tariffs for imported cars. Earlier the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Information Technology said Tesla and the government had maintained good communication and would continue to discuss Tesla's plant in the municipality. Tesla's global revenue for 2017 grew 67 percent to nearly 12 billion U.S. dollars. The Chinese market contributed 2 billion U.S. dollars, up 90 percent. ^ top ^
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| DPRK |
Pyongyang's goodwill deserves corresponding moves (Global Times)
2018-05-17
North Korea's moves toward denuclearization deserve corresponding responses from relevant parties, China's foreign ministry spokesman warned on Thursday after North Korea blasted US-South Korea military drills and threatened to reconsider a summit with the US next month. Significant endeavors from North Korea, including its announcement of a halt to nuclear tests and the dismantlement of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site, showed the country's goodwill in promoting denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and building mutual trust with relevant parties, foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a daily briefing on Thursday. The moves deserved full appreciation and should be "encouraged, welcomed and supported" by international community as well as receive corresponding moves from relevant sides, he said. The comments came after Pyongyang on Wednesday threatened to pull out of the June 12 summit with US President Donald Trump in Singapore, saying it might not attend if Washington continued to demand a unilateral abandonment of its nuclear arsenal. Trump said on Wednesday it was unclear if his summit with North Korea would go ahead and insisted he would not back down on his demand for denuclearization, Reuters reported. "There is no sign or reason to cancel the summit although the US and North Korea have huge differences on denuclearization," Lü Chao, a research fellow at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times. An inflexible US approach was the largest risk to the summit, Lü said, adding that Washington had not only failed to respond to Pyongyang's goodwill promises, but had also kept up pressure. The meeting was by no means a sure thing, said Zhu Feng, an international relations professor at Nanjing University. Risks included a new round of confrontation brought on by a shutdown in diplomatic communications or a new nuclear test by North Korea, Zhu said. Nonetheless, withdrawing from the summit would bring North Korea no benefits, and the summit is also the last chance for the US to resolve the issue diplomatically, he noted. The US has demanded North Korea ship nuclear warheads, an intercontinental ballistic missile and other nuclear material overseas within six months, the Tokyo-based Asahi newspaper said Thursday, citing sources familiar with North Korean issues. All parties concerned on the peninsula nuclear issue should move toward each other, not in the opposite direction, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Wednesday. Wang is on an official tour to France, Spain, Portugal and Argentina. Wang told reporters that to achieve denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula - an issue with deep and complex historical roots - the situation of one party showing flexibility and the other tending to take a tougher stance must be avoided. "All the other related parties, especially the US, should cherish the opportunity for peace that we are witnessing," he said. "We shall all be a promoter of peace, not a discourager." ^ top ^
Donald Trump says North Korea could have been 'influenced' by Xi Jinping to turn on US ahead of talks with Kim Jong-un (SCMP)
2018-05-18
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Chinese President Xi Jinping "could be influencing" North Korean leader Kim Jong-un after Kim's regime abruptly shifted to a sharp, negative tone this week, calling off a summit with South Korea and threatening to drop a planned June meeting between Trump and Kim. "If you remember two weeks ago, all of a sudden out of nowhere Kim Jong-un went to China to say hello again – second time – to President Xi," Trump told reporters during an Oval Office meeting with Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, referring to a May 8 meeting between the leaders. "It could very well be that he's influencing Kim Jong-un. We'll see what happens. Meaning the President of China, President Xi, could be influencing," Trump said. Trump's remarks came the day after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged the US to remain calm over North Korea's about-face. During an official visit to Paris, Wang said that "all parties, especially the United States, should cherish this opportunity for peace and should not work as a barrier". "Measures that North Korea has taken to ease tension on the Korean peninsula should be acknowledged," he added. "To solve this problem, it's necessary for the two parties to work towards the same direction, not the opposite. What I would like to emphasise is that the current eased situation on the peninsula issue has been hard won." Pyongyang cited this week's long-planned US-South Korea "Max Thunder" military exercises as the reason for its cancellation of talks with high-level South Korean officials, according to North Korean state media. This year's edition of the annual drills, which began on Monday and will continue until the end of next week, was a plot to "make a preemptive air strike at the DPRK and win the air", North Korea said. Pyongyang warned the US to call off the exercises or "think twice" about the fate of the Trump-Kim summit. North Korea continued its complaints on Thursday as it warned of a "rupture" in ties with South Korea, calling the country's officials "ignorant and incompetent". The White House said it had had no official notice from the North Korean government and it was continuing to plan the Trump-Kim meeting. The Pentagon said it had no plans to scale back the drills. Trump has said that if the talks don't happen, the US will move on. Kim visited Xi in the Chinese port city of Dalian on May 8 after a surprise two-day visit to Beijing in late March. The quick succession of meetings indicated that the strained ties between the two are improving rapidly as North Korea seeks talks over its nuclear programme. The neighbouring nations, which fought together during the Korean war, had grown apart last year after China backed United Nations sanctions crimping North Korea's energy imports and sources of foreign cash in a bid to pressure it to halt its nuclear and missile tests. Now China and North Korea's interests are becoming more aligned. North Korea relies on China to support its economy, while Xi could use closer ties with Kim as leverage in his talks with Trump over the trade dispute between the world's two largest economies. […] ^ top ^
Xi backs DPRK development (China Daily)
2018-05-17
China supports the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in developing its economy and improving the people's livelihood, President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday. Xi made the remark while meeting with a high-level delegation led by Pak Thae-song, a member of the Political Bureau and vice-chairman of its Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The delegation consisted of senior officials from all provinces and cities of the DPRK. China supports DPRK top leader Kim Jong-un to lead the DPRK's party and people to a development path that suits the country's situation, Xi said, adding that Beijing would like to deepen exchanges of governance experience with Pyongyang and push the two countries' building of socialism to obtain more progress. Xi also said that China supports improvement of north-south relations on the Korean Peninsula, promotion of dialogue between Pyongyang and Washington and achievement of denuclearization of the peninsula. During the meeting, Pak extended Kim's greetings to Xi, and Xi also asked Pak to extend his greetings to Kim. Xi recalled Kim's two recent visits to China — one in March and the other last week — saying that he and the DPRK's top leader have had communications on major issues that concern both sides, and such communications have set the direction of China-DPRK relations in the new era. The DPRK delegation's visit is a concrete way to implement the consensus reached by the two leaders, and it is also an important exchange between the Communist Party of China and the Workers' Party of Korea, Xi said. ^ top ^
Xi meets DPRK's WPK friendship visiting group (Xinhua)
2018-05-16
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chinese president, on Wednesday met with a friendship visiting group of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). The group was led by Pak Thae Song, member of the Political Bureau and vice-chairman of the WPK Central Committee, and composed of senior provincial and municipal level party officials. Wang Huning, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, attended the meeting. Pak extended sincere greetings to Xi from Kim Jong Un, chairman of the WPK and chairman of the DPRK State Affairs Commission. Xi also conveyed his best wishes to Kim via Pak. "Chairman Kim paid a successful visit to China in March and we had a historic meeting. Last week, Chairman Kim and I met again in Dalian. We had an in-depth exchange of views on major issues of common concern, charting a clear course for the China-DPRK relations in the new era," Xi said. Xi said the current visit by senior provincial and municipal level party officials of the DPRK was not only the concrete implementation of the important consensus reached between him and Kim, but also an important exchange between the CPC and the WPK. "This embodies the great importance Chairman Kim and the WPK Central Committee have attached to enhancing exchanges between the two parties and the two countries, and deepening China-DPRK friendly cooperation," Xi said. He said that he believed both sides would take the occasion of the visit to further advance exchange and cooperation to forge ahead with the China-DPRK friendship. Xi said that socialism with Chinese characteristics had entered a new era, while the DPRK's socialist development had entered a new historical period. "China backs the improvement of inter-Korean ties, the advancement of dialogue between the DPRK and the United States, and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," Xi said. "China supports the DPRK in developing its economy and improving its people's livelihood, and supports Chairman Kim in leading the Party and the people of DPRK to take a development path suitable to its own national situation," Xi said. Xi pledged to strengthen exchanges of experiences in party and state governance in the hope of promoting better development of the two countries' socialist causes. Calling the visiting officials the "backbone of the DPRK's socialist cause," Xi expressed his wishes that they would score greater achievements in promoting the DPRK's economic and social development under the leadership of Chairman Kim. Pak said top leaders of the WPK and the CPC carried forward the fine tradition of friendship between the two countries, held historic meetings in succession in a comradely and cordial manner, and promoted bilateral ties to a new stage. He told Xi that this visiting group, dispatched by Chairman Kim, aimed at implementing the consensus reached by top leaders of the two parties, learning from China's experience in economic development and reform and opening up, playing an active role in implementing the DPRK's new strategic line of concentrating efforts on economic development, and making new contribution to the consolidation of DPRK-China friendship that had been personally enhanced by leaders of the two parties. Xi took a picture with the WPK visiting group before the meeting. Ding Xuexiang, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, also attended the meeting. ^ top ^
North Korea 'threatens to cancel Donald Trump-Kim Jong-un summit, suspends high-level talks with South Korea' over military drills – but US will carry on (SCMP)
2018-05-16
North Korea announced on Tuesday it had suspended "high-level" talks with South Korea, and warned that June's planned meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un might be cancelled. It said that Wednesday's planned intra-Korea talks had been postponed indefinitely because of military drills being carried out jointly by South Korean and US forces. "This exercise, targeting us, which is being carried out across South Korea, is a flagrant challenge to the Panmunjom Declaration and an intentional military provocation running counter to the positive political development on the Korean peninsula," Yonhap, the South Korean news agency, quoted KCNA, the North Korean state news agency, as saying. "The United States will also have to undertake careful deliberations about the fate of the planned North Korea-US summit in light of this provocative military ruckus jointly conducted with the South Korean authorities." Regardless, the US said it would move ahead with preparations for the Trump-Kim summit meeting, scheduled for June 12. "We will continue to plan the meeting," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters, adding that Washington had received "no notification" of a position change by North Korea. "We are aware of the South Korean media report," White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters. "The United States will look at what North Korea has said independently, and continue to coordinate closely with our allies." The suspended meeting between the two Koreas was to take place between 10 officials – five from each country – at the border village of Panmunjom on Wednesday. They were to discuss enacting the pledges made in the declaration from an April 27 meeting there between Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, including promises to formally end the Korean War and to pursue "complete denuclearisation", the South's unification ministry, which handles ties with the North, said on Tuesday. They had also intended to discuss setting up military and Red Cross talks to reduce border tensions and restart reunions between families separated by the war. But the military exercise – which began on Friday and will run to May 25 – seems to have put a stop to that for now, after the KCNA denounced it as a "deliberate military provocation". Titled "Max Thunder", the exercise reportedly involves around 100 aircraft including the US Air Force's F-22 stealth fighters and B-52 strategic bombers, and comes after large-scale annual military exercises between the two countries that were held from April into May. South Korean media said that a record eight F-22s are taking part in the air exercise. The South Korean Defence Ministry says the number had been set before the prospect of a US-North Korean summit had emerged. Last year, Max Thunder involved about 1,500 US and South Korean personnel flying aircraft including F-16 fighter jets, according to a US Air Force website. South Korea's National Security Office head, Chung Eui-yong, said in early March, after meeting Kim, that the North Korean leader understood that "routine" joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States would continue in spite of a warming of ties. This was widely considered to be a major North Korea concession, though Pyongyang never publicly withdrew its long-standing demand for an end to joint US-South Korea military drills. […] ^ top ^
North Korean group touring China to study reform and opening-up (Global Times)
2018-05-15
A delegation of North Korean officials arrived in Beijing on Monday to tour the capital and study reform, opening-up and economic development in the second such bilateral exchange within a week following Pyongyang's vow to focus its energies on the economy and give up nuclear weapons. At the invitation of the International Department of the Central Committee of Communist Party of China, a friendship visiting group of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) arrived on Monday, foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said at a daily briefing on Tuesday. The group was seeking to see China's reform and opening-up achievements and learn about "domestic economic development," Lu said. The group was being led by Pak Thae-song, a member of the political bureau and vice chairman of the WPK Central Committee, the Korean Central News Agency reported. "North Korea's economic development is in a crucial period, as are its relations with China," Lü Chao, a research fellow at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times. "As Pyongyang shows more determination and actions toward peaceful development, Beijing will provide all necessary assistance to its neighbor. "Although it can gain abundant experience from China, North Korea is unlikely to fully copy China's model. The country needs a pattern that suits itself," he said. Lu did not reveal the duration of the tour or the planned stops. Chinese observers said the route might include representative cities like Shenzhen and Zhuhai in South China's Guangdong Province. As China's first special economic zone after reform and opening-up was launched in 1978, Shenzhen has transformed from a fishing village to a metropolis with the third-biggest GDP on the Chinese mainland. A North Korean special economic zone could pilot a legal and administrative system for foreign investment that differs with other regions of the country in a safe but efficient way of attracting foreign capital, Lü said. Compared to South Korea, China's experience is more practical for North Korea as the two countries' political systems are more similar, he said. The official trip comes after a delegation led by Chinese Ambassador Li Jinjun visited Sinuiju, capital of North Pyongan Province, on Friday and Saturday, when the North Korean side said it expected further joint exchanges and cooperation with China's Liaoning Province, the Xinhua News Agency reported Sunday. ^ top ^
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Incoming S.Korean Ambassador presents credentials (Montsame)
2018-05-17
On May 17, Jeong Jae Nam, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Mongolia, presented his Letter of Credence to Mongolian President Kh.Battulga. Following the ceremony, President Kh.Battulga held a meeting with the Ambassador, exchanging views on the matters regarding bilateral cooperation and regional development and security. Mentioning about active cooperation between the people of the two countries, the President emphasized an importance of focusing on expanding economic and trade ties further. He also expressed an interest to set up the Youth Business Council at the initiative of the Presidents of the two countries. Establishment of the council will create an opportunity for youth to share business and technological experiences and develop cooperation, said the President. In turn, the Ambassador said that he is willing to work for realizing the President's initiative successfully and expressed his commitment to work active with much effort to expand cooperation between the two countries. ^ top ^
BoM announces its return to normal operations (Montsame)
2018-05-16
The Bank of Mongolia (BOM) announced that the economy has stabilized and getting back to normal, introducing the report of 2017. In 2017 Mongolia's macroeconomy stabilized and the rise was observed with inflation being kept at the central bank's target and indicators such as GDP growth, credit rating, external debt sustainability, budget and balance of payments shows restored confidence in economy and improved macro environment, the report notes. The BOM made a profit of MNT 176.6 billion last year and its accumulated deficit lowered to MNT 2.8 trillion, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), an independent auditor of the report. Although the main objectives of the BOM are stability of tugrug and financial stability, not profit or loss, the international experience proves that due to high accumulated deficit the central bank would be at risk of losing its independency and fulfilling its main objectives. The stable economic environment leads to increase of private sector investment, employment, wages and salaries and creation of the basis for sustainable and inclusive growth. ^ top ^
Tavantolgoi coal price rises by 70 cents per ton (Montsame)
2018-05-18
On May 10-11, representatives of 'Erdenes Tavan Tolgoi' JSC held a regular meeting with Chalco Trading Hong Kong Co Limited to raise coal price and update the price index. At the meeting, the sides reached an agreement to raise the coal price, which was unchanged since 2017, to USD60 or by 70 cents per ton. In addition, Chalco Trading Hong Kong Co Limited pledged to study a request by ETT JSC to increase the price to USD61.35, introducing the request to its Board of Directors and give a response next week. The sides also agreed to make two kinds of updates in the price adjustment mechanism or price-indexing methodology, within the framework of correcting the mechanism's disadvantages in the agreement established in 2011 with Chalco Trading Hong Kong Co Limited. Specifically, one more indice will be added. By doing so, the price will be calculated in accordance with five indices, which changes the index basket coefficients. As a result, it decreases CR China Coking Price Index, which was at 60 percent, to 30 percent. It creates advantages to raise the price in harmony with market growth, bring the price closer to the coal price of West Tsankhi mine within 1 and 1.5 years, and protect from risks that may occur when coal prices fall. ^ top ^
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Ms. Selina Morell
Embassy of Switzerland
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The Press review is a random selection
of political and social related news gathered from various media
and news services located in the PRC, edited or translated by
the Embassy of Switzerland in Beijing and distributed among Swiss
Government Offices. The Embassy does not accept responsibility
for accuracy of quotes or truthfulness of content. Additionally
the contents of the selected news mustn't correspond to the opinion
of the Embassy.
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