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 de Chine
  28-30.9.2015, No. 590  
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Table of contents

Mongolia

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Switzerland

China, Switzerland pledge to strengthen military cooperation (Xinhua)
2015-09-29
Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan met with visiting Chief of the Swiss Armed Forces Andre Blattmann Tuesday in Beijing, vowing to strengthen military cooperation. Hailing the sound development of ties between the two militaries in recent years, which featured high-level reciprocal visits and regular exchanges, Chang said he hoped both sides would pursue further cooperation, pointing to specific fields such as international peacekeeping, defense mobilizations and humanitarian operations. Blattmann said the Swiss side attached high importance to military ties with Chins and was ready to boost exchanges and strengthen pragmatic cooperation in various areas. ^ top ^

 

Foreign Policy

China's President Xi Jinping to make first state visit to Britain in October (SCMP)
2015-09-29
President Xi Jinping will make his first state visit to Britain next month, the British government said on Tuesday – 10 years after the last such visit by a Chinese president. The news of Xi's October 20 to 23 visit comes a week after British finance minister George Osborne visited China to strengthen economic and financial ties. Despite disagreements over human rights and the former British colony of Hong Kong, China values Britain's staunch defence of free trade and lack of obstacles to investing in Britain. Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, would be staying at Buckingham Palace, the palace said in a statement, according to an email from the British embassy in Beijing. The last Chinese head of state to visit Britain was President Hu Jintao in 2005.A state visit usually includes a visit to parliament and a meeting with the prime minister. Prince William, the grandson of Queen Elizabeth, visited China in March, becoming the first high-level British royal to go to the country since the queen and her husband, Prince Philip, visited in 1986.During Prince William's visit he presented President Xi Jinping with an invitation from his grandmother to visit Britain. ^ top ^

Chinese president calls for development, stability to resolve European refugee crisis (Xinhua)
2015-09-29
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday called for elimination of poverty and conflict to address the European refugee crisis. Meeting with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, Xi said that the root of the current refugee crisis troubling the Europe lies in unbalanced development and social instability. In addition to humanitarian aid, the international community should find an effective solution for poverity and social instability and especially eliminate the cause of conflicts in the refugees' countries in order to cope with the crisis, Xi noted. According to the UN refugee agency UNHCR, over 42,000 people, mostly refugees, reached Greece by sea in the first five months of 2015. Tsipras said he agreed with Xi that both the symptoms and root causes of the refugee crisis should be addressed. China believes the European countries can make concerted efforts to cope with this challenge, and properly handle relevant issues, Xi said. With regard to the China-Greece relations, Xi called Greece as a good friend and partner and hailed the development of bilateral relations since its establishment 43 years ago. He said China was ready to work with Greece to enhance traditional friendship, deepen mutual understanding and trust, and bring the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership to a new height. Xi said the two sides should maintain high-level engagement, expand exchanges between governments, parliaments and political parties, and beef up people-to-people exchanges. Xi called on the two countries to make new progress in areas such as establishing cultural centers, students exchanges, jointly training high level talents as well as tourism industry. The two countries should make full play to the China-Greece Maritime Cooperation Year, facilitating the exchanges and cooperation on maritime development, exploration and protection, Xi said. Tsipras said Greece cherished its traditional ties with China and was grateful for China's valuable assistance, adding that cooperation with China is of strategic importance. Greece hopes to expand bilateral cooperation in areas including agriculture, shipping, finance, investment and maritime, and would actively take part in cooperation under the framework of China's Belt and Road initiative. The bilateral meeting took place on the sidelines of the 70th session of the UN Geneneral Assembly, where Xi gave a speech in the morning. The Chinese president left here for Beijing on Monday after concluding his first state visit to the United States and first appearance at the UN headquarters. ^ top ^

Kerry: U.S.-China warm friendship strengthened by cooperating on tackling challenges (Xinhua)
2015-09-29
The warm friendship between the peoples of the United States and China is strengthened by the bilateral cooperation on overcoming some of the toughest challenges facing the Asia-Pacific region and the world, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday. In a congratulatory message to China on the 66th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Kerry said the U.S. wishes the people of China "a joyous celebration, and peace and prosperity over the coming year." Kerry said that, over the last year, including during the first state visit to the U.S. by Chinese President Xi Jinping last week, "we have shown how much we can accomplish through cooperation." "To bring our people closer, we've made it easier for our citizens to visit each other. To make the world safer and more secure, we're working to stem nuclear weapons proliferation. And to make the Earth safer for our children and grandchildren, we've made progress together in curbing greenhouse gas emissions and combating climate change," the top U.S. diplomat said. "All the major challenges facing the world can benefit from the cooperation of the United States and China, and we look forward to continuing to build on our progress," Kerry added. ^ top ^

China confers Friendship Awards to foreign workers (Xinhua)
2015-09-29
The Chinese government on Tuesday conferred its Friendship Award to 50 foreigners from 21 countries working in China, in recognition of their contribution to China's development. Addressing the ceremony, Chinese Vice Premier Ma Kai said China will adopt more efficient and open policies to attract foreign talent, establish more convenient, open and transparent channels for their employment, and offer better protection of intellectual property rights. "We welcome foreign talent of all categories to participate in China's reform and development, promote mass innovation and serve as cultural envoys," Ma said. "The Chinese government and people will never forget the positive contribution that foreign experts have made to China's development and progress," he added. First conferred in 1991, the Friendship Award is the government's top honor for foreigners working in China. So far, 1,449 have been awarded. ^ top ^

Chinese President Xi Jinping makes US$1 billion pledge to development fund, 8,000 peacekeeping troops (SCMP)
2015-09-29
President Xi Jinping pledged US$1 billion to a joint China-UN peace and development fund as he addressed the United Nations General Assembly for the first time on Monday. In an ongoing push to present China as a global power, Xi said China would also set up a permanent peacekeeping force of 8,000 troops. Another US$100 million in military assistance would be provided to the African Union for peacekeeping missions in the next five years, he said. Xi started his address with a reference to a military parade in Beijing this month to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of the second world war. Reflecting on the event that was shunned by major Western nations and Japan, he said it was important to remember history but not for continuing hatred but to learn a lesson Seeking to ease concerns over China's military might, Xi said China would stick to a peaceful development path. “China will never sought hegemony, expansionism or a sphere of influence,” he said, adding that militarism was like “putting a stone on a nation's feet”, hampering development. He also demanded more representation for developing nations on international bodies. “The vote of China in the United Nations always belongs to developing nations,” he said. The commitments come after Xi pledged on the weekend to put US$2 billion into a fund to help developing countries, and to give another US$10 million for women's development. Xi support on Monday for peacekeeping missions was greeted with applause from Chinese officials attending the assembly. Li Junhua, the director general of the foreign ministry's department of international organisations and conferences, said earlier that China had sent 30,000 people to take part in 29 UN peacekeeping missions since 1989. Xi will attend a UN peacekeeping summit Monday afternoon co-chaired by US President Barack Obama and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to further discuss China's involvement in the UN peacekeeping efforts. ^ top ^

Western view of Chinese women's rights 'groundless' (Global Times)
2015-09-29
Chinese people are in the best position to judge women's rights development in the nation, said the Chinese delegation to the United Nations summit on Sunday, hitting back at Western accusation against the nation's women's rights. "We have noticed that some individuals or entities have expressed their views on Chinese women's rights development. Some made groundless views or showed a lack of understanding," Li Junhua, director general of the department of international organizations and conferences at China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a Sunday press conference in New York. The response came after former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton called Chinese President Xi Jinping "shameless." Xi on Sunday co-chaired the UN summit of world leaders on gender equality and women's empowerment. "Xi hosting a meeting on women's rights at the UN while persecuting feminists? Shameless," Clinton wrote on Twitter, attaching the link to a New York Times story about five Chinese feminist activists who were arrested in March to the post. "Clinton's accusation came as a short-sighted attempt to distract the public, as she has been plagued by the e-mail scandal, which may become an obstacle to her campaign for the presidential election in 2016. The aggressive term might have also been aimed at winning support from some radical voters," Sun Chenghao, an expert with the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times. "The arrest was not because they promoted the women's rights development, but because they have violated Chinese laws," Li explained, stressing that the whole nation is in full support of protecting women's rights. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hong Lei also told a daily briefing on Monday that China attaches great significance to women empowerment and has made positive contributions to the international women's cause through concrete domestic measures to promote women's rights. The five activists were reportedly arrested right before Women's Day this year when they had planned to stage a protest against sexual harassment on public buses. All were released one month later with no further official information regarding their arrest. "The government does not oppose to the anti-sexual harassment issue," said blogger Chen Yaya, an expert with the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, on March 29. Chen added that the authorities, however, stood firmly against those in alliance with their foreign counterparts to challenge the leadership of All-China Women's Federation, a government-related organization to protect women's rights. ^ top ^

Xi Jinping criticised as 'shameless' for touting China's record on rights for women at United Nations (SCMP)
2015-09-28
President Xi Jinping told the United Nations on Sunday that all Chinese women have the opportunity to excel, touting his government's record on women's rights as the United States slammed Beijing and others for jailing women for their views. China and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon co-hosted a UN meeting of world leaders on gender equality and women's empowerment, raising eyebrows among some western diplomats and human rights defenders in China and abroad. “As the Chinese people pursue a happy life, all Chinese women have the opportunity to excel in life and make their dreams come true,” Xi told the meeting on the sidelines of the annual gathering of world leaders at the UN General Assembly. Leaders from about 80 countries and dozens of diplomats attended the meeting to mark the 20th anniversary of the UN women's conference in Beijing and press for implementation of its 150-page action plan for gender equality – which remains one of the 17 new development goals adopted by world leaders on Friday. Among the Chinese leader's strongest critics was Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton who tweeted: “Xi hosting a meeting on women's rights at the UN while persecuting feminists? Shameless.” As US first lady, Clinton galvanised the 1995 Beijing conference with a rousing speech that included words that have become a mantra for the global women's movement: “human rights are women's rights – and women's rights are human rights.” Xi partly echoed her words, telling Sunday's meeting that “women's rights and interests are basic human rights. They must be protected by laws and regulations.” China was criticised internationally for detaining five women who were taken into custody on the weekend of March 8, International Women's Day, after they planned to demonstrate against sexual harassment on public transport. While the women were released a month later, they say their status as criminal suspects has stopped them from returning to activism and had a chilling effect on women's rights groups. “If you want to empower women, don't imprison them on the basis of their views or beliefs,” US Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power – a member of President Barack Obama's cabinet – said in a statement. Over the past couple of weeks, Power has highlighted 20 cases of women unjustly detained around the world for their beliefs or defence of the rights of others, including Chinese journalist Gao Yu, 71, who was jailed in April for seven years for providing state secrets to foreign contacts. Xi's administration has detained hundreds of rights activists in the past two years in what some rights groups say is the worst clampdown on dissent in the Communist-led country for two decades. “In too many places – from China to Egypt, from Russia to Venezuela – women have been swept up in repressive crackdowns on civil society, and deprived of their universal rights and fundamental freedoms,” Obama said in a statement. Xi said China would do more to enhance gender equality as its “basic state policy” and called on developed countries to “scale up financial and technical assistance to developing countries”. He said China would donate US$10 million to the UN gender equality body, UN Women, to “support women's development worldwide”. Chinese officials have said the country's achievements on women's issues are clear and that authorities handled the recent case of the five activists according to law. […] China has also faced international criticism for effectively placing Liu Xia, the wife of jailed Chinese Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo, under house arrest since 2010. Switzerland exceeded China's donation to UN Women. President Simonetta Sommaruga said it would increase its contribution to almost US$50 million for the 2015 to 2017 period, but most other commitments from more than 45 countries were in promised actions rather than money. Afghanistan's Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah pledged to “spare no effort” to implement a law ending violence against women. Austrian President Heinz Fischer made a commitment “to further tackling gender stereotyping”. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said her government would launch an initiative to improve the professional qualifications of women in developing countries and promote “the entrepreneurial power of women”. […] ^ top ^

China becomes first non-EU country to announce contribution to Juncker plan: EU (Xinhua)
2015-09-28
The European Union (EU) on Monday said China has become the first non-EU country to announce its contribution to the continent's ambitious 315-billion-euro investment plan (352 billion U.S. dollars), or Juncker Plan. China's announcement was made at Monday's High Level Economic and Trade Dialogue in Beijing, the EU said in a press release, adding that both sides agreed to work toward closer cooperation on investment issues. The move was viewed as a further positive step for bilateral relations after the two sides agreed to enhance cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative and the bloc's investment plan at the 17th China-EU Summit which took place here on June 29. Another outcome of the Beijing dialogue was that China and the EU agreed to set up a joint working group, including experts from China's Silk Road fund, the European Commission, and the European Investment Bank, to increase cooperation on "all aspects of investment." Besides, the Commission and the Chinese government also signed a memorandum of understanding on the EU-China connectivity platform to enhance synergies between China's Belt and Road Initiative and the EU's connectivity initiatives. The EU said the bloc stood ready to establish cooperation with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank as soon as it was established in early 2016 and would offer technical assistance in the bank's start-up phase. Potential co-financing for projects was also under consideration. "We want to deepen our economic relations with China in the context of the investment plan, as well as the Belt and Road Initiative, to promote connectivity between the EU and China," said the Commission's Vice President Jyrki Katainen, who co-chaired the dialogue with Chinese Vice Premier Ma Kai. "We have produced some real results for the future of EU-China cooperation in investment. This is the right moment to invest in Europe," he added. "I am delighted that China has announced its intention to contribute to the investment plan. I am confident that other institutional investors will follow." To date, nine EU member states, including Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Slovakia, Bulgaria and the United Kingdom, have announced contributions to the Juncker Plan. The Belt and Road Initiative was proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013 with the aim of reviving the ancient trade route between Asia and Europe. The 315-billion-euro investment plan for Europe was initiated by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in late 2014 in a bid to boost the European economy. ^ top ^

EU, China sign key partnership on 5G (Xinhua)
2015-09-28
The European Union (EU) on Monday announced that it has signed a key agreement with China on 5G network, saying both sides are ready to enhance cooperation on research funding and facilitating market access. "Both parties are committed to reciprocity and openness in terms of access to 5G networks research funding, market access as well as in membership of Chinese and EU 5G associations," EU said in a press release. Signed at Monday's EU-China high level economic and trade dialogue in Beijing, the agreement was described by the bloc as a "milestone" in the global race to develop 5G networks. By 2020 there will be more than 30 times as much mobile Internet traffic as there was in 2010, the EU said, adding that in the future everybody and everything will use 5G, the next generation of communication networks. "With today's signature with China, the EU has now teamed up with the most important Asian partners in a global race to make 5G a reality by 2020. It's a crucial step in making 5G a success," said Gunther Oettinger, European commissioner in charge of digital economy and society. Under the agreement, the EU and China seek to reach a global understanding, by the end of 2015, on the concept, basic functionalities, key technologies and time plan for 5G. The EU also vowed to make joint efforts with China to promote global standardization for 5G, implement joint research actions and facilitate bilateral participation of enterprises in 5G research projects. ^ top ^

Chinese FM calls for upgraded version of China-CELAC cooperation (Xinhua)
2015-09-28
Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday put forward a four-point proposal for an upgraded version of the all-round cooperation between China and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). Wang made the suggestions in his meetings with his counterparts from the CELAC "Quartet." The Quartet comprises the current rotating chair of the CELAC, its previous rotating chair and its next rotating chair -- Ecuador, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic, respectively -- as well as Barbados, current rotating chair of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). Thanks to concerted efforts from both sides, cooperation between China and Latin American and Caribbean states has maintained a good momentum of growth under the framework of the China-CELAC Forum, Wang said. New progress has been made in implementing the outcomes of the first ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC Forum, Wang said, adding that China is willing to work together with the Latin American and Caribbean nations to continue deepening their partnership of comprehensive cooperation. Wang put forward a four-point proposal for the building of an upgraded version of the China-CELAC comprehensive cooperation. "First, we should strengthen political dialogue and cooperation in international affairs," the foreign minister said, calling on the two sides to maintain high-level exchanges and give full play to the existing dialogue mechanisms between China and CELAC. Second, the two sides should work together to ensure the successful holding of sub-forums under the framework of the China-CELAC Forum, as well as the full implementation of the consensus having been reached at previous forums on infrastructure, technology, youth and people-to-people friendship, Wang said. Third, efforts should also be made to accelerate work for implementing the financing package China has offered to CELAC countries, the foreign minister said, calling for a good use of the special loans, cooperation funds as well as loans on favorable terms under the principles of flexibility, pragmatism and balance. Fourth, Wang called for enhanced people-to-people exchanges between the two sides. Under the framework of the China-CELAC Forum, the two sides should expand cooperation and exchanges in such areas as technology, culture, tourism and staff training, Wang said. The Quartet foreign ministers, for their part, said that the relationship between China and CELAC has been making great progress in recent years, and the establishment of the China-CELAC Forum has helped lift bilateral relations to a higher level. They said Latin American and Caribbean states regarded China as an important cooperation partner in the global political and economic arena, and were looking forward to forging a strong partnership of comprehensive cooperation with China. They also said they hoped to continue boosting bilateral cooperation in such areas as financing, energy, infrastructure, technology and youth under the framework of the China-CELAC Forum so as to accelerate the industrialization process of the region, optimize the economic structures and achieve mutual benefits and win-win results along with China. ^ top ^

China's Xi Jinping pledges US$2 billion in aid to lift world's poorest states (SCMP)
2015-09-28
Beijing has pledged billions in aid and debt forgiveness for the world's poorest nations as President Xi Jinping continues his overseas push to present China as a global power. In his first address to the United Nations in New York, Xi said Beijing would set up a development fund with an initial pledge of US$2 billion to help developing countries realise a wide-ranging, “post-2015” global sustainable development agenda. “China will continue to increase investment in the least-developed countries, aiming to increase its total to US$12 billion by 2030,” Xi told a sustainable development summit. China would also forgive some debts owed by the least developed countries this year and launch 600 projects to cut poverty and boost development overseas over the next five years. In addition, US$2 million in cash would be given to the World Health Organisation, the president said on Saturday. In making the commitments, Xi said China was “putting justice before interests”. “To solve various global challenges, including the recent refugee crisis in Europe, the fundamental solutions lie in seeking peace and realising development,” Xi said. Xi also co-chaired a Global Leaders Meeting on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment yesterday, saying China would donate US$10 million to the UN Women programme. US presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton said on Twitter: “Xi hosting a meeting on women's rights at the UN while persecuting feminists? Shameless.” Xi is expected to address the UN General Assembly for the first time today. The pledge on Saturday came a day after China promised US$3.1 billion to help developing countries adapt to climate change. Developed nations have long criticised China for not taking enough responsibility for global problems. In his meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday, Xi said China was committed to fostering a new model of international relations but developed nations should “take their historic and moral responsibilities” to support developing nations, Xinhua reported. Zhang Jun, director general of the foreign ministry's department of international economic affairs, said the US$2 billion pledge carried more political weight than practical meaning. […] He added there would be no political conditions imposed on the aid. Jin Canrong, an international relations expert at Renmin University, said the expanded aid programme showed that Beijing was increasingly aware of its global responsibilities. “China has the moral responsibility to keep its promise to ensure developing countries share the benefits of China's progress. It is also responding to the … developing world, which has asked for help,” Jin said. “The third motive is to ease the pressure from developed countries, especially the US, which have accused China of being a selfish 'free rider'.” [The pledge on investment] is not much compared to our GDP Jin Canrong, professor He said the US$12 billion commitment over 15 years was lower than he expected. […]  ^ top ^

China, Russia vow to jointly safeguard order (Xinhua)
2015-09-28
An international seminar titled "70-Year Common Victory" was co-organized by the Communist Party of China and the Communist Party of Russia in Khabarovsk, Russia, on Saturday to mark the 70th anniversary of victory in World War II. Liu Qibao, head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, attended the seminar together with Ivan Melnikov, vice-chairman of the Communist Party of Russia. In his opening speech, Liu, also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, said both China and Russia, as the main battlefields during World War II in Asia and Europe, made great sacrifices and contributions to victory in the war. The commemorative activities jointly held by the two countries reflect the two peoples' common respect for history, Liu said. He also noted that both China and Russia, as founding members of the United Nations, share a common responsibility for safeguarding peace, security and stability in the region and the world. Liu called on the two countries to strengthen coordination to defend the fruits of the World War II victory as well as the postwar order, firmly oppose any act of whitewashing wartime atrocities and promote the establishment of lasting peace and common prosperity across the world. Melnikov said Russia is ready to further strengthen cooperation and coordination with China to counter any falsification of history and make joint efforts to promote global peace, development and multi-polarization. Before the opening of the seminar, the CPC delegation presented fresh flowers at the Lenin monument in Khabarovsk with the delegation of the Russian Communist Party. At the invitation of the Communist Party of Russia, the CPC delegation, headed by Liu, kicked off its visit to Russia on Wednesday to attend activities to commemorate the victory in the world anti-fascist war. ^ top ^

China might push on with work on South China Sea reefs despite warning from US President Barack Obama (SCMP)
2015-09-27
China might press on with land reclamation in the strategically important South China Sea despite US President Barack Obama's warning last week that the work would affect peaceful resolution of maritime disputes in the area, Chinese military sources and observers say. In talks with President Xi Jinping on Friday, Obama said he had “candid” discussions on Asia-Pacific disputes, voicing concerns about Chinese militarisation of artificial islands in the waters where China has competing territorial claims with several Southeast Asian neighbours. Obama said he conveyed US unease over land reclamation and militarisation of the waters, saying it “makes it harder for countries in the region to resolve disagreements peacefully”. Xi denied there was a military build-up but added that the islands in the area were Chinese territory from “ancient times” and Beijing had the right to uphold its maritime rights. Southeast Asian nations are increasingly worried about China's reclamation projects, which they see as Beijing flexing its military muscle. In May, Beijing said its navy was shifting from an “offshore defence” power to one committed to “open-seas protection”. “China needs those artificial islands and airstrips in the South China Sea, because [the area] is a supply base for its navy and air force in the Asia-Pacific,” a source close to the Chinese military said, adding that Beijing would carry out reclamation when necessary. Hong Kong-based military commentator Liang Guoliang said Xi was taking a tough stand on South China Sea issues to scotch hopes among other claimants that he would give ground under US pressure. Bonnie Glaser, from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said Beijing dramatically scaled back its South China Sea reclamation projects ahead of Xi's state visit to the US. “[But] the Chinese are not responding at all to the Obama administration's proposal to halt land reclamation, construction and militarisation,” she said. “The construction is continuing and I think that's just a message to the US that China thinks what it is doing is legal, legitimate and justifiable, and that all the other claimants have undertaken reclamation and construction.” Jane's Defence Weekly published last week satellite images of Fiery Cross Reef dated September 20 that it said showed China had completed a 3km runway. Earlier reports said two other runways were likely to be built on Subi and Mischief reefs in the Spratly Islands. Taiwan's National Security Bureau chief Lee Hsiang-chou said intelligence showed five of Beijing's seven land reclamation projects in the Spratlys were approved by Xi personally. ^ top ^

Chinese President Xi Jinping crowns US state visit with deal on cyberespionage (SCMP)
2015-09-27
The leaders of China and the United States yesterday pledged to curb commercial cyberespionage as President Xi Jinping concluded a state visit that analysts said had made incremental progress in bolstering recently strained relations. In what was possibly the final summit between the pair in a two-way setting - US President Barack Obama leaves office in 2017 - China sought to emphasize cooperation amid concerns the next administration may take a tougher stance against it. Speaking after the summit - and an elaborate welcoming ceremony at the White House - the leaders sought to highlight areas where the nations could work together, but recognised that many differences remained. Chinese state media reported that Obama reiterated at the summit that the US would not interfere in Hong Kong and did not support "independence" for Taiwan, Tibet or Xinjiang. Even on the thorniest issue - that of the South China Sea - there was some progress. While Xi reiterated China had the right to uphold its territorial sovereignty, he also said it did "not intend to pursue militarisation" of the artificial islands it had built there. Chinese officials have made similar pledges before. […] On cybersecurity, the governments said they would launch biannual ministerial-level talks by the end of this year. This would be a higher level of negotiation than talks suspended a year ago after the US charged five Chinese military officers with hacking. Xi said he and Obama had reached "a lot of consensus" on cybersecurity while Obama said both countries would refrain from state-sponsored cybertheft of intellectual property. Obama said they had "made significant progress" in areas such as information exchange and cooperation between law enforcement agencies. But he also reminded Xi that sanctions could still be imposed on Chinese companies. "The question now is: Are words followed by actions?" Obama said. Xi's weeklong US trip - he is spending his final days in New York, where he is addressing the UN - comes at a time of heightened tensions. Chinese scholars said the deals in the trip, while not as significant as those at a summit last year, showed Xi's desire for greater cooperation with the US. […] Professor Robert Sutter, of George Washington University, said Xi was increasingly seen as "playing a double game, as duplicitous and untrustworthy". Glaser said a widespread view the next US president would take a firmer stance on China had prompted Beijing to shift its focus. […] ^ top ^

 

Domestic Policy

Former vice president of supreme court expelled from Party (Xinhua)
2015-09-29
Xi Xiaoming, former vice president of the Supreme People's Court, has been expelled from the Communist Party of China (CPC) and removed from public office. With the approval of the CPC Central Committee, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) launched an investigation into Xi and found he had "seriously breached discipline rules," the CCDI said in a statement on Tuesday. According to the statement, Xi breached "political discipline rules and the political code of conduct," defying the country's efforts to strengthen rule of law. Xi also violated the Party's organizational discipline rules by being "disloyal and dishonest" to the Party and concealing "personal matters" that he was supposed to report. The CCDI also accused Xi of seeking profits for family members who run businesses using resources endowed by his position, and of attending business receptions in violation of the CPC's frugality rules. Moreover, Xi breached confidentiality rules by leaking classified trial information to unauthorized parties, and sought unwarranted profits for others in civil litigation after accepting bribes. The CCDI statement said Xi is suspected of the crimes of accepting bribes and seeking profits for others by taking advantage of his public office. Xi has been put under investigation by prosecutors, the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) announced. He was ordered to refund the money he took as bribes. The SPP said Xi has also been placed under "coercive measures," which might include summons by force, bail, residential surveillance, detention and arrest. ^ top ^

Interview: China's national emissions trading system plan is "a very important signal": WB VP (Xinhua)
2015-09-29
The recent announcement by China to start its national emissions trading system in 2017 is a clear signal of China's commitment to a low carbon future, said Rachel Kyte, World Bank Group Vice President and special envoy for climate change. In an exclusive interview with Xinhua on Monday, she said that "the announcement over moving to a national carbon market sends a very important signal that after the pilots that have been operating in China, the government stands behind its decision to go national." "The announcement of the generosity in China in providing climate finance to developing countries is an extraordinary new development, (and is) very positively received," she said. The joint statement of China and the United States was issued during Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to the United States, where the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to reach an ambitious agreement in 2015 that reflects the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities. In the statement, China vows to start its national emissions trading system in 2017, a system that will cover key industry sectors such as iron and steel, power generation, chemicals, building materials, paper-making, and nonferrous metals. "The announcement reaffirms the cooperation between the two largest economies. It sends a very clear signal from the president of the People's Republic of China that he is personally driving this pathway to lower carbon growth," said Kyte. […] Now we have an auction in California. We have pilots in China. We have a trading system in Korea. Some countries are putting carbon taxes in place," she said. "We provide a mutual technical platform to let these experiences be exchanged." "We have been very pleased to help other economies to learn from China's experiences as well as to support China," she said. Recognizing that China's plan for a national market shows "China is ready to learn from those pilots (projects) and move to a national system," Kyte said that "And this will immediately create the largest carbon market in the world. Other carbon markets in the world will want to link with China. This does put China in a leadership position in helping the global economy move to low carbon growth." Kyte also highlighted the importance of setting the right prices in the success of a trading system. "The prices must be set in such a way that the prices reflect the ambition, that the emissions are reduced, that the poor people are treated fairly, that they are transparent and that they can be understood by the consumer," she said. Speaking on the "common but differentiated responsibilities", Kyte said that the principle is reflected in the fact that the journey towards a low carbon future means different things in different economies. "It might mean a revolution in energy efficiency for some economies, for other economies it might mean managing the landscape in a very different way. […] ^ top ^

Heart disease patients in China getting younger (Xinhua)
2015-09-29
Heart disease is affecting more of the younger generation in China, while medical experts predict a surge in cases over the next decade, according to a paper published Tuesday. The findings, published by the National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, said one in five Chinese are in "poor cardiovascular shape", and one person dies from heart disease every ten seconds in China. Statistics show that the number of Chinese aged between 35 and 44 with coronary heart diseases has increased 30 percent over the last three years, and the death rate of the same age group has risen 111 percent over the past 15 years. Cardiovascular disease is currently one of the leading cause of death in China, said Shi Xubo, cardiologist with Beijing Tongren Hospital. China should adopt an intervention strategy to improve the health of its citizens, he said. ^ top ^

60 pct of high-emission vehicles removed from China's roads (Xinhua)
2015-09-29
From January to August, China removed 696,500 high-emission vehicles from roads nationwide, accounting for 60 percent of China's high-emission cars, said the Ministry of Environmental Protection on Tuesday. China has only four months to remove the others to meet this year's target of pulling all high-emission commercial vehicles registered before the end of 2005 from roads. The target was set in a government work report in March in an effort to improve air quality. According to statistics released by the ministry, north China's Tianjin Municipality has fulfilled its share ahead of schedule, while 13 provincial regions including Hunan, Shandong, Hainan and Fujian have fallen behind with less than 50 percent of their work completed. To accelerate the removal of targeted vehicles, the ministry has filed monthly reports briefing the public on the latest developments in each provincial region since July. ^ top ^

Watchdog punishes more media, journalists for 'publishing fake news' (Global Times)
2015-09-29
Fifteen media outlets and 17 journalists were punished for publishing fake news, the Chinese media watchdog said on Monday. The media outlets and journalists "severely" disturbed standards and damaged media credibility, the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT) stated on Monday. They have ignored journalism ethics and only published "sensational" stories without verifying the information, SAPPRFT added. Wang Xing, former reporter of the Guangzhou-based Nandu Daily, was among the journalists punished. Wang was persuaded to resign from the newspaper and was banned by SAPPRFT from doing reporting and editing work for five years. Wang wrote a story about a female official in Pingdingshan, Henan Province, who died by suicide in December 2014. The article claimed that the officials' death may have been linked to corruption allegations. SAPPRFT said on Monday that Wang's story is incorrect, and failed to cite the inaccurate information beforehand. However, Wang denied on Monday afternoon via his Sina Weibo account the punishment and that his story was fabricated. SAPPRFT ordered all its branches to improve media supervision and crack down on fake news. Any journalist who fabricates news and causes "serious" consequences will have their journalist cards withdrawn and be banned from reporting and editing work within five years. All provincial-level regions must set up a "journalistic ethics committee" to catch journalists' misbehavior, such as reporting unverified information and blackmail, according to a statement issued on Thursday. ^ top ^

Chinese population may face sharp drop from 2017 (China Daily)
2015-09-29
Shanghai-based China Business News on Monday stated that the country's birth rate was on the decrease and that population figures may fall starting from 2017. A village kindergarten in Xuzhou of Jiangxu province has witnessed an annual drop in enrollment numbers, from more than 30 to less than 10 in each junior class, the head told the newspaper, adding that it is the same at other kindergartens in their town. The declining population of kindergarteners is an epitome of the underage group nationwide. Truth In a country where the population of children under 15 accounts for 15 to 18 percent of the total number, the birth rate is severely low, according to demographic criteria, In China, the population of the same group accounted for 16.6 percent in 2010, having been 40.7 percent in 1964, 33.6 percent in 1982, 27.7 percent in 1990 and 22.9 percent in 2000. In the 1990s, more than 20 million children were born annually. The figure has dropped to around 16 million since, while the lowest number was 15.8 million in 2006, according to China Population Association. A research report has stated that primary-school enrollment had declined from 25 million in 1997 to 16.58 million in 2014. Likewise, junior high school enrollment numbers decreased from 22.63 million to 14.48 million during the same period. Warning The country's population will peak in 2026, the UN's "World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision" said, citing an estimated medium birth rate. In case of a low birth rate, the year 2017 will see the country's population's peak resting at 1.36 billion people. All experts interviewed by the newspaper said the peak year would fall between 2017 and 2016. They also warn that the impact of such a decline will harm China in various ways. An aging population leaves the country with weak domestic demand, fewer workers and more dependents, resulting in slower economic growth and more deflationary forces. Who will give birth to more babies? It seems that the above problem could be solved easily if people are encouraged to give birth to more babies. But it is not that simple. Experts have been calling for a loosening of government family planning restrictions to slow the aging of society, but the country still has to allow all couples to have a second child. Furthermore, they are concerned that young couples have already showed less interest in having more children, citing economic and other reasons. It's not simply about implementing a second-child policy, experts explained, saying relevant policies, regulations, formalities and social culture need to be in place to encourage people, which takes time. ^ top ^

Vanishing artefacts: China's cultural treasures stolen or destroyed from lack of resources (SCMP)
2015-09-28
The treasures of China's thousands of years of culture face being plundered – sometimes violently – or disappearing under bulldozers as authorities either do not care or do not have the resources to look after them, China's cultural heritage chief says. In an interview published on Monday in the influential Communist Party newspaper the Study Times, Director of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage Li Xiaoji said the situation he faced in trying to protect the country's culture was “severe”. From 2009 to 2014, police uncovered more than 7,000 cases of cultural artefacts being stolen, smuggled out of the country or otherwise plundered, especially tombs, Li told the newspaper, published by the Central Party School which trains rising officials. “These criminal activities are organised, use high technology and violence, and steal to order,” Li said, adding that efforts to crack down on such activity had achieved some results but that the road ahead would be difficult. Another problem was that some local governments seemed not to care about the treasures in their jurisdiction, or simply lacked the ability to look after them. “In some culturally protected areas or where there are construction controls, there is illegal construction, damaging the historical features, including the treasures themselves. Some precious ancient sites and buildings have vanished beneath bulldozers,” Li said. In many cases, the damage was actually caused by local governments and officials, he said. But this was hardly surprising as his administration lacked the people and funds to protect cultural artefacts, and in four provinces, there were fewer than 10 people in the job, Li said. Some parts of China that were particularly rich in cultural heritage had no dedicated officials working to protect the treasures, the cultural heritage chief added. There was also a huge funding gap, especially in poorer central and western regions, Li said. ^ top ^

The good, the bad and the redeemable: China's top graft-buster signals shift towards corruption prevention (SCMP)
2015-09-28
Cadres should not be classed as either “good comrades” or “the condemned”, China's top graft-buster has said, signalling a shift in the Communist Party's anti-corruption campaign from enforcement to prevention, analysts say. Wang Qishan, head of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, said that if it was not too late to put cadres back on the right path, most cases should involve lighter disciplinary action or reprimands. Since President Xi Jinping launched his anti-graft campaign in late 2012, tens of thousands of cadres from junior “flies” to top-level “tigers” have been disciplined. Among those to have put behind bars, sacked from public office or expelled from the party are the country's security tsar, a former presidential aide and several senior military commanders. “The relationship within the party should be normalised. Criticism and self-criticism should be carried out regularly … and light punishment by the party disciplinary wing or the organisation should be the norm,” a CCDI statement quoted Wang as saying during a trip to Fujian province over the weekend. “The situation in which party members are either 'good comrades' or 'the condemned' must change.” Earlier this month, Wang made an unusually upbeat assessment of the anticorruption campaign, saying corruption was being contained and they expected to yield gains in discipline. Zhuang Deshui, a governance professor at Peking University, said Wang's remarks indicated the graft-busters were now trying to nip corruption in the bud. The party is working on modifying its punishment regulations, which lay out 10 types of discipline violations, and Wang's remarks are seen as setting the tone for the overhaul. “Anti-corruption is not about giving officials a hard time but trying to save them. There is a cost in cultivating an official, after all,” Zhuang said. He said criticism and self-criticism would improve the existing disciplinary oversight by introducing options such as reminders, talks, encouragement and warnings to keep officials on the straight and narrow. Zhuang said the new options did not mean major breaches would be ignored but would reinforce Wang's view that most party discipline violations were minor ones. “It is impossible to be completely free of corrupt officials because corruption is a problem that is part of a historical context. It is impossible to eliminate all tigers within a short time,” Zhuang said. ^ top ^

Chinese femmes fatale in 2.5m yuan blackmail scam filmed sex acts with local officials: court (SCMP)
2015-09-28
Five Chinese femmes fatale allegedly blackmailed up to 2.5 million yuan (HK$3 million) from dozens of local officials after secretly filming them having sex using a camera hidden in their handbags, mainland media reports. Only one of the 55 victims – most of them local cadres – from 10 cities, including Hengyang and Chenzhou, in the four provinces of Hubei, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Hunan went to the police after being caught between 2010 and 2013, The Beijing News reported. The women were allegedly part of a gang of 12 criminals, all from Hengyang, in Hunan, who appeared in court this month charged with blackmail at a closed-door hearing at Henyang's People's Court in Shigu district. The report did not reveal the pleas of the defendants or the outcome of the trial. This case is similar to the trial of Lei Zhengfu, a former Communist Party official from Chongqing, who was blackmailed after being caught up in a sex video scandal and jailed for 13 years for bribery in June 2013. The trial of Lei, a former Beibei district party chief who was purged from office after images from the video were posted online, led to the downfall of more than 20 government and state enterprise officials in the city. This month's trial was told that the gang was well-organised, with each member allegedly having a specific role to play, the newspaper report. Some members were said to have been in charge of luring the officials, while the women slept with the victims while secret filming the process with cameras hidden in their handbags, the newspaper reported. Others allegedly made copies of the recording on CDs and posted them to the officials. Some of the victims paid the women for sleeping with them at the time, believing they were simply with prostitutes, the newspaper said. However, they were later shocked to receive a CD showing them having sex with the women – plus demands for further payments. The victims were all lured by the gang using the same simple ploy, The Beijing News reported. The court was told the women would call or text the officials, asking them for a face-to-face meeting, then sleep with the victims in a hotel room while filming them having sex, and later blackmail them after sending them the CD showing them having sex. The list of the victims is known only to the local party watchdog and the police. […] During Lei's trial, the Chongqing court was told that the six people involved in the scam had obtained five million yuan from Lei and the other official by blackmailing them with secretly filmed sexual encounters. ^ top ^

New rules to hold prosecutors accountable for life (Xinhua)
2015-09-28
The top procuratorate on Monday issued a mandate ordering that prosecutors be held accountable for life for any illegal conduct. The Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) instruction said that prohibited acts included misprision, perjury, extorting confessions or evidence by torture or other illegal means, illegal search and seizure, and violation of personal freedom. Also, in cases where the suspects indicted were acquitted, or where the suspects died or were injured, an accountability investigation will also be launched. Prosecutors found to have committed intentional violations or gross negligence will be subjected to punishments ranging from work suspension to dismissal. It was noted, however, that should there be sufficient evidence proving that prosecutors practiced their due duties with necessary attention, they will not be punished for their misjudgement. In addition, it was ruled that a unified working system that tracks prosecutors throughout their professional careers, to ensure timely supervision, be established. The new rules would ensure "justice be done to the public in every judicial case," according to the SPP document. ^ top ^

CPC to increase presence in NGOs, trade unions (Xinhua)
2015-09-28
The Communist Party of China (CPC) plans to establish more branches in NGOs, trade unions and foundations and to increase its membership in these organizations. CPC organs are needed to "guide them in the right political direction" through promoting and carrying out Party policies, according to a statement issued by the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee on Monday. The branches should also "mobilize and educate ordinary people to stand against negative influence and illegal activities." NGOs, trade unions or foundations with more than three CPC members should establish a CPC branch, and the CPC also encourages neighborhoods to establish branches and organize activities, said the statement. The Organization Department asked NGOs, trade unions or foundations, especially those with few CPC members, to recruit more members, especially executives and senior members of these organizations. Party organs' operational costs will be included in an organization's operational expenses and will not be taxed, it said. According to the statement, the CPC membership fee that every member of a CPC branch pays each month will be returned in full to these branches and the CPC will provide additional financial assistance. ^ top ^

Communist confrontation (Global Times)
2015-09-28
A recent online debate over communism between a famous real estate developer and the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of China (CYLC) has rekindled the nation's discussion on ideology. Analysts said that the debate between two groups of Party members will only create more problems. The debate started when Wang Xiangming, a professor at the School of Marxism Studies at Renmin University of China, wrote an opinion article in China Youth Daily on September 21. It dismisses public speculation about whether the current leadership would over-emphasize ideology, after President Xi Jinping said earlier in September that the country is still working toward communism. On the same day, the CYLC kicked off an online discussion on Sina Weibo hash-tagged "we are the successors of communism" - a well-known lyric from a song popularized by the Young Pioneers, a communist youth organization. The CYLC's posts called for people to uphold communism, which they said is "the greatest ideal." The topic became a major topic of construction online when real estate icon Ren Zhiqiang reposted a CYLC Weibo post, which contained a link to Wang's article, and complained that he had been "fooled" by the "successors of communism" slogan. This bold comment quickly caught wide attention. Ren then explained that he still hopes that communism will one day be realized, but argued that it is "ridiculous" to ask CYLC members to be "communist successors" before communism has been achieved. "Karl Marx told us that communism cannot be realized in one country. It has to be a consensus of universal values that hold no antagonism. Such a premise is so far non-existent. History has also proven that communism cannot be reached through violent revolution or a public-owned or planned economy. Nor will it become real without democracy and rule of law," said Ren in his post, which has been "liked" by netizens over 23,000 times as of press time. While many voiced their support, criticism also poured in as netizens wondered whether Ren, a Communist Party member and a member of the Beijing Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, had betrayed his pledge of loyalty to the Party. Two days after Ren wrote his post, the CYLC responded with comments from Jing Lin, a CYLC official, saying that communism is a "noble goal" which can only be achieved with the efforts of successive generations. Jing added that the exchange of posts was a "serious and calm" discussion with Ren, who "opposes communism in such an open, obvious and serious way." Ren wrote on his blog on the same day that the CYLC should stop lying to its members. […] While some experts have agreed with Ren's point about slogans not being able to solve problems, they have also criticized the debate as not being useful. Shen Yang, a Guangzhou-based political science scholar, said that the CYLC should spend more time explaining how the cause of communism is related to the nation's development at present rather than on spreading old slogans. "The so-called debate is meaningless both in academia and in governance. They will only introduce more problems if they try to solve a problem through such debate," he noted. On the other hand, Ren's opinions are echoed among many people born in the 1950s who had suffered a lot during the Cultural Revolution (1966-76), according to Shen. "The word 'communism' may bring back bad memories of that time. This is unfortunately a historical fact whose impact the Communist Party of China (CPC) cannot escape." Shen pointed out that similar debates can be seen every now and then in the past 30 years, as a reflection of the intra-Party debate between groups of Party members who emphasize reform and ideology respectively. "As a party of pragmatism, the CPC has tried to balance and absorb both groups' wisdom in governance." ^ top ^

Hubei mall replaces iconic church, lacks clearances (Global Times)
2015-09-28
A century-old Protestant church in Wuhan, Hubei Province has been converted into a shopping center and opened for business over the weekend with incomplete official documents, rekindling public discussions on church demolitions, reports said Monday. The Dacheng shopping center began a test run on Saturday, after its predecessor, the Trinity Protestant Church, which was built in 1910, was demolished in 2013 as a "dangerous building," news site thepaper.cn reported, citing local urban management officials. The three-storey church covering an area of 6,000 square meters had been cited as one of the three remaining churches in Wuhan whose architecture was a blend of Chinese and Western styles. Some local officials also tried to preserve the building, but it was demolished before a certificate was issued to prove its historical significance. Construction of the shopping center began in June 2013 to "prevent the loss of State-owned property," said Wang Ruimin, an officer from the Wuchang district urban management bureau in Wuhan. However, Wang said that the shopping center failed to complete all the formalities and approvals before construction, indicating the local government decides the fate of the shopping center. ^ top ^

China reportedly to start operations at 31 new nuclear plants (Global Times)
2015-09-28
China's nuclear energy authorities have recently finished investigative research on 31 nuclear power plants in inland regions, indicating a commencement of operations at the nation's new reactors. "A report based on the research has been submitted to the State Council. Once approved, it will be a signal of the beginning of the operations of new nuclear reactors," an anonymous energy expert at the Energy Research Institute of the National Development and Reform Commission, told the Beijing-based China Times. The research, aimed at ensuring the safety of operations, was jointly conducted by the Chinese Academy of Engineering and China Nuclear Energy Association (CNEA). China halted its nuclear power projects after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan, only approving several such projects in eastern coastal areas. Although the resumption of the inland nuclear power projects has yet to be officially announced, at least 10 provinces have already proposed to develop a nuclear power industry. According to the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20), installed nuclear power capacity will reach 58 million kilowatts by 2020. The capacity of those currently under construction is 30 million kilowatts. "It's difficult to reach that goal without new nuclear power reactors in inland regions," the expert was quoted as saying. Three nuclear reactors in inland regions have already obtained approval from the National Development and Reform Commission and are waiting to be established. They are the Taohuajiang nuclear power plant in Hunan Province, the Xianning nuclear power plant in Hubei Province and the Pengze nuclear power plant in Jiangxi Province. As of the end of 2013, the Taohuajiang nuclear power plant has received 4.6 billion yuan ($700 million) in investments while the other two plants attracted about 3.4 billion yuan each. "If the nuclear power projects in inland regions restart, the three plants will be the first to start operation," an insider who requested anonymity, told the China Times. The China Times reporter learnt from a nuclear power conference that the country will focus on developing nuclear power projects along the east coastal regions, and only develop one or two projects in inland regions. ^ top ^

Xi Jinping promotes two allies, including one to head office set up in 1999 to crack down on Falun Gong (SCMP)
2015-09-27
Two more allies of President Xi Jinping have been promoted to key posts in recent days. Fu Zhenghua, 60, a deputy public security minister, has been given an additional post in charge of the Central 610 Office, responsible for social stability and cult control, the Xinjiang Daily reported yesterday. It's the second important promotion for Fu since this year. In March, Fu, a native of Hebei province who was named director of Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau in 2010, was promoted from fifth- to third-in-command at the national ministry. On Friday another Xi ally, Zhao Yide, 50, secretary-general of the Zhejiang provincial committee of the Communist Party, was named mayor of Hangzhou, the provincial capital. Zhao had served under Xi in Zhejiang for years when Xi was in charge of the province early last decade. The central authorities, however, have kept relatively quiet about Fu's new post. Few government-run media released the official announcement until the Xinjiang Daily reported on Saturday that China's top political adviser, Yu Zhengsheng, led a government delegation including Fu to the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The report named Fu as deputy public security minister and chief of the Central 610 Office. The 610 Office is a central-authority level security agency associated with the Political and Legislative Affairs Committee of the Communist Party that tackles illegal cults. It gets its name from the date of its creation - June 10, 1999 - when it was set up to crack down on the Falun Gong sect. Fu earlier made a name for himself by leading the controversial crackdown on influential internet commentators, an important plank in Xi's plan to "seize the ground of new media" in 2013. In October that year, Xi placed Fu, who was Beijing's police chief at the time, in charge of a special unit investigating the scandal surrounding retired leader Zhou Yongkang. Fu reported directly to Xi in his capacities as head of the Beijing armed police, a Standing Committee member of the party's Beijing municipal committee and deputy minister of public security. Since 2013, Xi has promoted his allies in a major reshuffle of the party, government and military. In March, Deng Weiping, 59, who headed the party's anti-graft watchdog in Guangxi, was promoted to anti-graft chief of the Public Security Bureau. Deng was deputy secretary of the Fuzhou Gulou District party committee when Xi was party secretary for Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian province. Just days ago, Wang Xiaohong, the public security chief for Henan province, was promoted to police chief of Beijing after Fu left his post. Wang was Xi's subordinate during the years he served in Fujian. ^ top ^

Disgraced security tsar's associate booted out of China's parliament, paving way for prosecution on corruption charges (SCMP)
2015-09-27
A former senior associate of China's jailed former security chief Zhou Yongkang has been dismissed from the country's parliament after a graft probe, paving the way for his prosecution. Zhou Benshun, who is not related to Zhou Yongkang, had been the top official in Hebei province, which surrounds Beijing and is China's most important steel producer. The Communist Party's anti-graft watchdog accused him in July of “serious breaches of discipline and the law”, a euphemism for corruption. Zhou Benshun had now been booted out of the National People's Congress, the state-run Xinhua news agency said late on Saturday, meaning he has lost the immunity from prosecution he had enjoyed as a member. The brief report provided no other information and it was unclear whether he had a lawyer. It was not possible to reach him for comment. The Hebei city of Zhangjiakou this year won the right to host the 2022 Winter Olympics along with Beijing. Zhou Benshun had attended meetings of the bid committee. Zhou Benshun worked for five years under Zhou Yongkang in the Central Politics and Law Commission as its secretary general. He became party chief in Hebei in 2013. President Xi Jinping, who doubles as party and military chief, has pursued a relentless campaign against deep-rooted corruption since assuming power three years ago, vowing to go after powerful “tigers” as well as lowly “flies” Ling Jihua, a one-time top aide to former president Hu Jintao, had been expelled from the party and would be criminally prosecuted on corruption charges, the party's anti-graft agency said in July. ^ top ^

Report highlights legal role in human rights (Global Times)
2015-09-26
The China Society for Human Rights Studies (CSHRS) published a report on Friday stating that human rights in China have made significant improvement in 2014 and are entering the new stage of full legalization. The blue paper laid out new progress in human rights that China has achieved under comprehensive reforms. It also analyzes the influence of China's drive to promote rule of law on human rights, saying that human rights will be fully safeguarded by law in the future. The report discusses social assistance, health, education, private data protection, employment of ethnic groups, and other rights issues. It also reported on legal assistance for migrant workers, and social organizations. "Human rights in China have made all-round development with the comprehensive deepening of economic, political, cultural, social, ecological and environmental and judicial reforms," Chang Jian, vice director of the Center for the Study of Human Rights at Nankai University, who also participated in drawing up the the report, told the Global Times on Friday. A survey of the Chinese public's view toward government anti-corruption efforts was also included in the annual report, aiming at finding out whether people think the anti-corruption campaign is efficient. "Anti-graft is one of the government measures to protect human rights. The survey found that the government's work of anti-graft is highly recognized," Chang said. According to the report, human rights in China in 2014 have significantly improved, compared to that of 2013. Chang said noticeable areas of improvement such as the equality of resident status and the reform of the household registration system as well as the establishment of the government power list, which help reduce problems of abuse of power. The report also discussed human rights problems that has rose in recent years such as the data privacy of Chinese citizens. Wang Sixin, a media law professor with Communications University of China, who participated in the report, told the Global Times on Friday that citizens' data privacy is a key problem to look at since Internet usage is getting increasingly common. "The report found that the Chinese government has made sufficient effort in the legislation and judiciary areas to enhance cyberspace security," Wang continued."For example, it has strengthened operators obligations and implemented a real-name registration policy for cellphones." "Challenges however continue, as the operators may not be willing to fully implement the government measures, since they worry that strict supervision will affect users daily usage," he said. ^ top ^

 

Tibet

SPP to promote environmental protection, law enforcement in Tibet (Xinhua)
2015-09-29
The Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) has pledged to promote environment protection and law enforcement in Tibet and other Tibetan-inhabited areas. The SPP made the pledges at a session to study the role of judicial organs in Tibet-related cases on Tuesday. The SPP said in a statement that it will go after major cases involving environmental damage in Tibet and other Tibetan-inhabited areas in Sichuan, Yunnan, Gansu and Qinghai.Prosecutors of the five regions must realize the importance of environmental protection and crack down on environmental crimes in accordance with law, it said. Addressing the meeting, Cao Jianming, head of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, stressed adherence to the principle that all people are equal before the law in punishing and preventing crimes in the above-mentioned regions. He also urged grass-roots law officers to explain law and the harm of criminal acts to the public to win their understanding and support. ^ top ^

Dalai Lama says any potential female successor to his role "must be very attractive" (Xinhua)
2015-09-28
The Dalai Lama has said any potential female successor to his role "must be very attractive," in an interview with the BBC, provoking accusations of sexism. "I mean, if female Dalai Lama come, then that female must be very attractive," the 80-year-old was quoted by the Guardian as telling BBC reporter Clive Myrie. "Otherwise not much use." Myrie said "really? You're joking." The 14th Dalai Lama replied "no, true." He said there was no reason why a future Dalai Lama could not be a women. The Buddhist leader's remarks on reincarnation provoked accusations of sexism that casted a shadow over his tour of the UK, which had began on Sept. 14. Women's equality campaigners said the Dalai Lama's remarks were disappointing, according to the Guardian report. Vivienne Hayes, CEO of the Women's Resource Center which campaigns widely on women's inequality, said "it's disappointing that any woman's ability to take on a leadership role should be determined by her appearance. This seems to be a common obsession across the media, given some of the comments about women in politics." "We are concerned that society is in fact going backwards in terms of women's equality, and will keep tirelessly campaign against this," said the CEO. ^ top ^

Dalai Lama's former biographer takes up residence in mainland China (SCMP)
2015-09-27
A former senior member of the exiled Tibetan government in India and one-time biographer for the Dalai Lama has returned to live in China, a Chinese government-run news website said. Tibet.cn said late on Saturday that Achok Rinpoche, who had visited China several times in recent years, returned in May and was now living permanently in Ngaba, a heavily Tibetan part of the southwestern province of Sichuan that is traditionally strongly defiant of Chinese rule. “I've now really become a Chinese citizen,” he was quoted as telling senior Sichuan government official Cui Baohua last week. The website showed a picture of the two of them walking around a temple in Ngaba surrounded by Tibetan Buddhist monks. According to the website of the Austria-based Tibet Centre Institute, where Achok Rinpoche is listed as a teacher, he had been working on compiling a list of teachings of the Dalai Lama and had once been his official biographer. He also lived in Beijing for a year in 1987 at the request of the Dalai Lama and the late Panchen Lama, working at a school for reincarnated lamas, the centre said. China has ruled Tibet with an iron fist since the People's Liberation Army “peacefully liberated” it in 1950. Achok Rinpoche and Cui, who heads the United Front Work Department in Sichuan, which is in charge of co-opting religious groups and ethnic minorities, were “old friends”, the Chinese report said. Achok Rinpoche, who was born in Sichuan in 1944 and left in 1959 after a failed Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule, first went back to China in 1982 as part of an effort by Beijing to engage with exiled Tibetans, the Chinese website said. Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama fled at the same time. China reviles him as a separatist, although he says he merely wants genuine autonomy for Tibet. Achok Rinpoche had headed a Tibetan hospital and worked as a senior librarian in exile, the Chinese website said. He fell and injured himself while in Nepal in December 2014 and asked to be taken to China for treatment, which Cui organised, the report said. During each trip Achok Rinpoche could see with his own eyes China's amazing development, and that religious and ethnic groups were well-treated, the website said. “The motherland and home are the best. The motherland is the warmest,” it said. Although he was invited to the Dalai Lama's birthday celebrations in July, what he wanted to do more was come home and settle down, the website said. It was not immediately possible to reach him for comment. ^ top ^

 

Xinjiang

Senior leader visits Kyrgyz autonomous prefecture in Xinjiang (China Daily)
2015-09-30
Top Chinese political advisor Yu Zhengsheng on Monday visited China's western-most Kizilsu region as China prepares to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Bordering Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, Kizilsu is the only Kyrgyz autonomous prefecture in the country. Some 27 percent of the local population was Kyrgyzstan 2013 local government figures show. Yu met with factory workers, representatives of people from all walks of life and cadres based in Xinjiang. Yu urged local enterprises to seize the opportunity of the "Belt and Road" initiative and join enterprises from bordering countries to achieve win-win results. When meeting with students of bilingual teacher-training school, Yu said bilingual education would play a significance role in the future of the nation, and it boosted ethnic solidarity in Xinjiang. He also called on local residents of different ethnic groups to have more contacts and cherish their peaceful life. Local officials were urged to continue their efforts to rid the county of terrorism to maintain stability in Kizilsu and ensure that its people live in peace. He also said more should be done in the areas of poverty alleviation, employment and education. Yu was in Xinjiang leading a central government delegation to attend events marking the 60th anniversary of the founding of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, which will run till Oct. 1. ^ top ^

 

Hongkong

You will face justice: Hong Kong leader CY Leung's stark message on illegal protests a year after Occupy Central (SCMP)
2015-09-29
Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying on Tuesday vowed to bring anyone who staged an illegal demonstration to justice, after veterans of the Occupy Central movement marked the first anniversary of the 79-day sit-ins for democracy. Leung was questioned about the matter before an Executive Council meeting, the day after scores of people, many carrying yellow umbrellas, gathered in Admiralty to mark one year since police fired tear gas at protesters. “We welcome any means of expression. But any illegal means of expression will be punished by the law,” Leung said in a two-minute speech. Leung reiterated the government's stance that political reform in the city must abide by the Basic Law and a decision made by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in August. The committee's ruling – that Hongkongers could elect their chief executive in 2017, but only from a shortlist of two or three selected by a nominating committee – helped spark the protests. A reform package based on that model was voted down by lawmakers in June. ^ top ^

Hong Kong activists mark Occupy protest anniversary and set sights on next battleground (SCMP)
2015-09-29
Occupy organisers and protesters vowed yesterday to involve the wider community in their fight for greater democracy, looking to coming elections as the key battleground, as they marked the first anniversary of last year's mass sit-ins. There was a strong sense of déjà vu near government headquarters in Tamar as hundreds returned to the site they had occupied for 79 days. They formed a sea of yellow umbrellas again, chanting the familiar slogan, "I want genuine universal suffrage". But the mood was more subdued and reflective than aggressive, while police were out in force to prevent any violence or reoccupation of roads in Admiralty. On the other side of Tamar and in Causeway Bay, more than 100 anti-Occupy protesters held a counter commemoration, claiming it "was not a day to celebrate", but a date that marked the beginning of Hong Kong's economic decline and deep social divide. Anti-occupy protester John Chan Siu-yan, 29, said: "I still don't understand why my father, mother and sister supported Occupy. They have a different view and still do. We argue and bang on the dinner table about it." Familiar-looking booths lined Tim Mei Avenue in Admiralty yesterday, hours before the pro-democracy rally started, as activists distributed T-shirts, leaflets and the ubiquitous yellow ribbons that symbolised the Occupy movement. "Lots of memories flash back as I come back," said Daniel Tang, a booth volunteer. "It's understandable that many people are still recovering [from the ultimate failure of the movement] but we have to continue the fight." November's district council polls followed by the Legislative Council elections next year would be the key areas of focus to sustain the pro-democracy drive, he said, looking ahead after exhausting the final resort - illegal occupation - last year. Tang said: "Another round of occupation would only give the government an excuse that we are affecting the lives of others and it's hard to win support from family members." Leaflets calling on voters to back pan-democratic candidates in the elections were handed out, while some participants said they were inspired to take up more active new roles in society. Amy Cho, a social worker in her 30s, said she was inspired by the new pro-democracy groups set up by professionals post-Occupy, and may join one to stand firm on Hong Kong's core values. Occupy organisers urged Hongkongers supporting democracy to continue the campaign and help foster better understanding to secure wider public support. […] At 5.58pm, the moment when police fired the first of 87 tear gas canisters at protesters a year ago, participants raised their yellow umbrellas and marked five minutes of silence to reflect on the civil disobedience campaign. Before the rally, People Power activist Tam Tak-chi vowed to block Harcourt Road for 87 minutes, but there was no one to join him. A number of civil rights groups also officially launched a new platform - the Anti-Political Prosecution Campaign - which organised yesterday's rally and vowed to help those they said were being "persecuted" for their political beliefs. Police estimated 920 people took part in the rally yesterday at its peak. ^ top ^

Hong Kong's ICAC steps up publicity drive against election fraud following 1,500 complaints about electoral roll (SCMP)
2015-09-29
The city's graft-buster has beefed up its publicity drive against vote-rigging ahead of district council elections in November, and urged candidates to more accurately declare campaigning costs. The push for clean elections will particularly target elderly residents and first-time voters to remind them not to be taken in by fraudsters, following a series of vote-rigging scandals which marred the polls four years ago. Last month it emerged that residents of homes for the elderly had apparently been registered as voters for the coming polls without their consent. The cases were among about 1,500 complaints processed by the courts regarding the electoral roll. Lily Cheung Lai-tuen, programme coordinator of elections at the Independent Commission Against Corruption, said the watchdog would dish out some 300,000 pamphlets, hold talks at universities and homes for the elderly, and stage exhibitions around town to spread the message about the importance of a clean election. "The ICAC has teamed up with the Registration and Electoral Office and the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau to fight against vote-rigging," Cheung said. "We also call on the public not to engage in bribery, which includes accepting meals and entertainment [in return for votes]." In 2011, media unearthed a series of vote-rigging incidents in the wake of the district council elections that year. The watchdog received 2,746 complaints, of which about 1,600 were related to vote-rigging, but only 58 people were prosecuted and 50 eventually convicted. Cheung said the prosecution rate was low because most of the complaints were only about voters failing to update their address after moving house. She also said half of the remaining 1,100 complaints referred to the inaccuracy of candidates' expenses declarations. Candidates should make "reasonable estimates" of the costs incurred by their use of online promotion channels, including social media, she said. Incumbent councillors are required to include payments to their assistants when declaring staff costs if those people are assigned to helping with the hustings, Cheung added. The ICAC has briefed political parties and about 1,000 election aspirants on the "dos and don'ts" of elections, it said. ^ top ^

 

Taiwan

Senior leader calls for unification ahead of National Day (Xinhua)
2015-09-29
Senior Chinese leader Liu Yunshan reiterated opposition against "Taiwan independence" during celebrations for the upcoming 66th National Day with Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao and overseas Chinese representatives on Tuesday. Liu, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee, made the remarks at a reception held for more than 2,800 representatives at the People's Great Hall. National Day falls on Oct. 1."We adhere to the '1992 consensus' which demonstrates the one-China principle, and oppose 'Taiwan independence," said Liu, adding that unification is the common wish of all Chinese people. Liu mentioned the grand V-Day parade held at Tian'anmen Square in early September, stressing that the contribution by Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macao people and overseas Chinese during war times will never be forgotten. He said the central government will continue its policies of "one country, two systems", "Hong Kong and Macao people administering their own affairs" and "high degree of autonomy" in Hong Kong and Macao while supporting adherence to basic law to support long-term prosperity there. Liu also vowed to carry on China's policy on the treatment of overseas Chinese, returned overseas Chinese and their relatives and protect their fundamental interests. "A thriving motherland is the common glory of all Chinese," said Liu, urging them to work together for the goal.  ^ top ^

China opposes Taiwan party leader's visit to Japan (Xinhua)
2015-08-25
The Chinese mainland expresses strong concern and firm opposition to Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen's scheduled trip to Japan next month, a spokesman said on Friday. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei called on Japan to adhere to the one-China principle and honor its commitment to China on Taiwan-related issues. "Japan should refrain from providing platforms for anybody in any name or pretext for spreading Taiwan-independence remarks," Hong said at a regular news briefing. Taiwan issue concerns China's core interests. Japan has made repeated statements on upholding the one-China policy and not supporting "Taiwan independence" or "UN membership referendum" by Taiwan authorities. ^ top ^

 

Economy
Fanya Exchange's 36 billion yuan default 'tip of iceberg' in China (SCMP)
2015-09-25
Rhodium and steel to garlic and onion, you name it, they trade it. Hundreds of these so-called commodity exchanges, which have mushroomed across the mainland in a regulatory void and attracted 1 trillion yuan in investments, are now under the microscope. Beijing this week was treated to a rare sight of protesting investors wielding banners outside the office of the country's top securities authority, complaining they were duped by the Fanya Metals Exchange in Yunnan province. But Fanya, say industry insiders, is only the tip of the iceberg. "There are at least 400 such exchange platforms in China, managing roughly one trillion yuan of assets," said Wang Hongying, head of the China Financial Derivatives Investment Research Institute. "Local governments have been very supportive of these exchanges as their turnover adds to the local GDP data." The angry investors, wearing T-shirts calling Fanya a "scam", demanded the central government investigate Fanya for defaulting on 36 billion yuan it owed investors. […] But the main reason why these supposed spot trading markets flourished even as allegations abound of them manipulating prices and swindling investors, is the regulatory grey area in which they operate. "The China Securities Regulatory Commission [CSRC] does not have the power to regulate regional exchanges," said a CSRC source who did not want to be identified. Geng Shuang, a senior lawyer based in Guangzhou, said: "Spot markets come under the ambit of the Ministry of Commerce while securities and futures markets are under the CSRC. These so-called spot-trading exchanges are structuring contracts and complicated financial products based on commodity spot prices, creating a regulatory uncertainty. As a result, neither the ministry nor the CSRC minds them at present." China Financial Trading, an industry data provider, has identified 653 commodities exchange houses on the mainland, trading more than 200 commodities on their platforms. […] "Fanya didn't pass the latest CSRC inspection but has continued to operate because of the local government's support," an official said. […] Many exchange houses are manipulating product prices in the small market they have created. Investors who get trapped by such exchanges are usually ignored because these schemes do not pose such a great threat to the nation's economy or financial stability. Plus, almost every exchange is politically protected," said a lawyer in Guangzhou who has been fighting for justice for victims of exchange platforms. […] Fanya said in its latest announcements that the exchange had been caught in a liquidity crunch as a result of the economic slowdown on the mainland and policy changes. "Some overseas forces colluded with domestic institutions and maliciously shorted China's rare metals. They want to crush Fanya and then grab China's precious rare metals for cheap," it said in an announcement. […] ^ top ^

 

Mongolia

Autumn plenary session of Mongolian Parliament to commence on October 1st (Infomongolia)
2015-09-29
The regular Autumn session of the State Great Khural (Parliament of Mongolia) will commence on October 01, 2015 at 09.00 am. On this occasion, the Council under the Speaker of the Parliament had a meeting on September 29, to discuss the agenda for the coming plenary session of the Parliament. On October 02, Mongolian parliament will start discussion on amendments to the Law on dismissal of a government member and Law on Pardon, adopted on occasion of 25th anniversary of the establishment of permanent functioning parliament in Mongolia. ^ top ^

UN Resident Coordinator makes statement on launch of SDGs (Montsame)
2015-09-29
The UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative to Mongolia Ms Beate Trankmann made a statement in connection with launching of Sustainable Development Goals on Monday in the UN House, Ulaanbaatar. The statement was published on Monday on the UNDP Permanent Representative House's website. “This weekend the world entered a new era. On 25 September 2015, leaders from 193 countries adopted the Sustainable Development Goals - the global development agenda for the next 15 years. The SDGs are a global call to action to end poverty, fight inequality, protect the planet and ensure that all human beings enjoy peace and prosperity without leaving anyone behind. The SDGs have been set by all the people of the world for the people of the world – today and tomorrow. They are the result of an unprecedented 3 yr long consultation process. People across the world, including in Mongolia shared their vision for a better world and what is needed to attain it. […] The SDGs build on the achievements of the MDGs that were established in the year 2000. […] More than 500,000 Mongolians were lifted out of the poverty. Mongolia succeeded where many countries failed, namely in decisively reducing maternal and infant/ under five mortality. But still 21.6% of the population live below the poverty line. They continue to lack equal opportunities to decent jobs, access to quality education, health and social care services. Achieving MDG targets for clean water and sanitation also remains a challenge. Mongolia as many other countries will also not reach the MDG target for gender equality in decision making. In addition, not everybody in Mongolia has benefitted equally from economic growth and development. Inequality between urban and rural is on the rise. Ger district populations also do not benefit from services to the same level. […] The role of civil society will be critical both to raise awareness with communities on new legislation and initiatives related to the SDGs but also to ensure that the views and actual needs of marginalized groups and remote populations are reflected in these plans. The SDGs will be the center piece of the UN's work in Mongolia. To start, we will support Mongolia in producing reliable data and indicators that are essential for measuring progress and making sure our efforts reach everyone. […] ^ top ^

Ch.Saikhanbileg PM meets ADB President (Montsame)
2015-09-28
In frames of the 14th Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Ministerial Conference, the Prime Minister of Mongolia Mr Ch.Saikhanbileg last Friday met with Takehiko Nakao, the President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). At the meeting, the sides discussed issues of creating new job places and the ADB's support for Mongolia's sustainable and adequate development by diversifying the national economy. Mr Nakao said he highly spoke ongoing measures by the government of Mongolia for stabilizing the economy, managing the inflation and improving the investment environment. Mentioning that Mongolia is in a strategically important geographical location and has plentiful mineral resources, the ADB President expressed willingness to render assistance to Mongolia for fulfilling all its advantages and opportunities. During the CAREC Ministerial Conference, CAREC Ministers exchanged views on the developments affecting the economic performance of the group's 10 member states: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, the People's Republic of China (PRC), Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Mr Nakao said in his keynote address at the Ministerial Conference that in the current difficult global economic environment, CAREC countries should further strengthen regional cooperation and integration efforts. “Enhancing the subregion's connectivity, promoting trade and investment across borders, and improving access to external markets will help improve the prospects of the subregion as a whole,” he said. ADB functions as the Secretariat of the CAREC Program, which promotes regional cooperation in transport, energy, trade facilitation, trade policy, and other key sectors of mutual interest. Cumulatively, the CAREC Program has mobilized $28.3 billion of investments since it was set up in 2001, of which ADB accounts for more than $10 billion. In its project lineup for this year, ADB is planning to invest almost $1 billion to improve CAREC road corridors and enhance border services among CAREC countries. To provide knowledge support to implementing action plans in the four priority areas, ADB is supporting the CAREC Institute, which launched its physical base in March 2015 in Urumqi, PRC. Besides conducting regional projects, Mr Nakao noted, ADB has provided or is planning substantial assistance to help individual countries adjust to new economic circumstances and institute policy reforms. Most notably a $1 billion loan to Kazakhstan through the counter-cyclical support facility was approved in August, and a $150 million loan for social welfare support program in Mongolia is being prepared for approval in the near future. […] ^ top ^

President Ts.Elbegdorj participated in the High-Level Environmental Event: A Call for Joint Action to achieve the SDGs (Infomongolia)
2015-09-28
President Tsakhia ELBEGDORJ participated and delivered a speech at a High-Level Ministerial and Stakeholders Event, themed "A Call for Joint Action to achieve the SDGs: Advancing integrated solutions to accelerate change" organized by the United Nations Environment Assembly of UNEP. The President of Mongolia expressed his appreciation for the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which sets a new roadmap for global development for the next 15 years. He noted that now all Member States of the United Nations have a responsibility to make significant efforts to ensure its full implementation. Furthermore, President Ts.Elbegdorj outlined that the implementation of the SDGs will be directly dependent on the outcome of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21) to be held in December 2015, as it needs to achieve a new international agreement on the climate change, applicable to all countries. In order to reduce effects of the climate change it has become necessary for those countries which have greater greenhouse gas emitters to make a firm commitment. He also stated that the global community has to take into account developing countries who are in need for financial resources necessary to implement the global goals. For instance, Mongolia as a country with considerable resources of renewable energy has a capacity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, at the same time it is also crucial to have foreign investment and financial support. Thus, he called for greater and improved collaboration between the countries. The participants of the event were Mr. Mogens Lykketoft, President of the General Assembly, Mr. Achim Steiner, Under Secretary-General and Executive Director of UNEP and Ms. Sanjaasuren OYUN, President of the United Nations Environment Assembly of UNEP. ^ top ^

PM Ch.Saikhanbileg addresses CAREC Investment Forum (Montsame)
2015-09-25
An Investment Forum was held here Thursday, organized by Erdenes Mongol LLC and the Asian Development Bank, in frames of the 14th Ministerial Meeting of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation, running these days in Ulaanbaatar. Some 350 delegates from 26 countries attended the forum to share practices of investment, and exchanged information about their own countries' investment opportunities and business environments. In his speech, the PM noted that CAREC is a program that plays an important role in redusing poverty and promoting economic growth in the region. "By joining the program, the member states are facilitated with a possibility to coordinate their actions with other countries' efforts. Mongolia has been an active and supportive member of CAREC from the starting point", he highlighted. Mongolia has been forwarding national mega projects for strengthening its economy, said the PM and noted that many projects are still eyeing potential investments. The Premier pointed out that creating favorable legal environment for foreign investments is a priority of the Government and invited the investors to cooperate with Mongolia. ^ top ^

 

Mrs. Mirjam Eggli
Embassy of Switzerland
 

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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