09/02/2012
Xinhua: “Vice Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday called for strict and harsh punishments against food safety violations and urged strengthened supervision to ensure food safety.
Li, also head of the food safety commission under the State Council, or China’s cabinet, told participants at a plenary meeting of the commission that authorities should take a pro-active approach to deter violations.
Prominent problems that threaten food safety have not been fundamentally rooted up, and China still faces a grave situation in ensuring its food safety, he said at the meeting.
China will continue its heavy-handed measures against criminal offenses in food scandals and seek to establish a long-term mechanism to check food safety in 2012, Li said at the meeting, during which an agenda for the priorities of China’s annual food safety work was reviewed.”
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2012-02/08/c_131399200.htm
Li Keqiang is the expected Premier-to-be when the top two posts change hands late this year/early next year in the Chinese decennial handover. For more on this go to http://chovanec.wordpress.com/2011/05/08/primer-on-chinas-leadership-transition/#comment-4286
Posted in China alert, corruption, Good news, Rule of law |
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09/02/2012
The Hindu: “Indian and Chinese leaders on Wednesday laid out a new roadmap for bilateral ties, calling for a “flexible” and “imaginative” approach in 2012 to minimise the effect of persisting political irritants, such as the border dispute and Tibet.
External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna, who on Wednesday evening inaugurated India’s new $10-million embassy, which he described as turning “a new page” in ties, underscored India’s willingness to calm sources of tension. He particularly stressed in unusually strong terms New Delhi’s support to Beijing on the Tibetan issue, amid ongoing unrest in Sichuan province that has seen at least 16 self-immolation protests by Tibetans in the past year and clashes last month with police forces that have left at least two killed and dozens injured.”
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2872755.ece
Posted in China alert, Chindia Alert, Diplomacy, Good news, India alert |
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08/02/2012
Times of India: “Foreign secretary Ranjan Mathai on Wednesday met secretary of state Hillary Clinton and held a series of meetings at the State Department and the White House on a range of bilateral, regional and global issues.
On his first bilateral visit to the US as the foreign secretary, Mathai is understood to have presented India’s perspective on a wide range of regional and global issues including Iran, the peace talks with Taliban and situation in the region.”
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Foreign-secretary-Ranjan-Mathai-meets-Hillary-Clinton/articleshow/11804711.cms
Posted in Diplomacy, India alert |
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08/02/2012
Xinhua – “Vice President Xi Jinping is scheduled to pay official visits to the United States, Ireland and Turkey from Feb. 13 to 22, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said Tuesday.
Xi is visiting the three nations at the invitation of U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny and Turkish President Abdullah Gul, spokesman Liu Weimin said at a news briefing.
Xi’s U.S. visit is aimed at further implementing an important consensus reached by state leaders of the two countries to establish a China-U.S. cooperative partnership of mutual respect and reciprocity, Liu said.
He added that China hopes the visit will enhance the two sides’ strategic mutual trust, expand bilateral cooperation, and aid in the maintenance of the sound and stable development of China-U.S. ties.”
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2012-02/07/c_131396185.htm
Xi Jinping is the President-to-be when the top leadership changes occur between late 2012 and early 2013. For more on this go to http://chovanec.wordpress.com/2011/05/08/primer-on-chinas-leadership-transition/#comment-4286
See also: https://chindia-alert.org/political-factors/geopolitics-chinese/
Posted in China alert, Diplomacy, GeoPolitics |
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07/02/2012
Xinhua: China’s deserts are shrinking by 7,585 sq km annually, compared with an annual expansion of 10,400 sq km at the end of last century. The decrease showed the desertification that started in China in the late 1990s had been “primarily brought under control,” said Zhu Lieke, deputy director of the State Forestry Administration.
China has 2.64 million sq km of land eaten up by desertification, which accounts for 27.46 percent of its land territory.
The Chinese government invests 2 billion yuan (250 million U.S.dollars) a year in fighting desertification, but it is difficult to hit the target that all the country’s “curable” desertified land will be restored by 2050. It would cost at least 238.5 billion yuan (29.8 billion U.S. dollars) to reach the goal, said Zhu.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-05/30/content_4618229.htm
Both the reduction of deserts and the diversion of water from southern to northern rivers, and – of course – the Three Gorges Dam, are signs that a country where the majority of top leaders are trained and experienced engineers will find engineering solutions to its problems. See – http://chindiapedia.org/Politicslocalandgeo.aspx
See also: https://chindia-alert.org/economic-factors/greening-of-china/
Posted in China alert, Ecology, Good news, Green |
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06/02/2012
Times of India: “Britain today defended its multi- million pound aid to India, amid demands by ruling Conservative party MPs and others to end it, saying “now is not the time to quit”.
The passionate debate was reignited on Sunday with the re-publication of remarks by finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, who said in 2010 that in the overall context of funds that India spends on development, British aid was “peanuts”, and one that India could do without.”
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/We-are-changing-our-approach-to-India-Britain/articleshow/11779696.cms
Posted in Diplomacy, Economics, India alert |
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06/02/2012
China Daily: ” China vowed to expand financial support for affordable housing projects this year as the government continues its efforts to bring housing prices back to reasonable levels.
… to build 36 million affordable housing units during the 2011-2015period in an effort to give more mid- and low-income households access to housing and stabilize runaway property prices, with 10 million units planned for both 2011 and 2012.”
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2012-02/06/content_14547215.htm
Posted in China alert, Economics, Good news |
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03/02/2012
McKinsey has made the following prediction: Despite food price inflation and a stagnant housing market, China should maintain a rapid rate of growth. In detail:
1. Government policies will spur consumption and investment.
2. Dominant models will emerge for reforming rural land ownership.
3. Real estate will stagnate.
4. The fundamentals will cause further inflation in food prices.
5. Chinese investment in green tech will spike upward.
6. Accounting scandals will continue.
7. Private-equity and venture capital funds may go ‘walkabout.’
8. Chinese acquirers will be bolder.
9. The automobile segment will be slow.
10. Hospital reform will accelerate.
For full report: https://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Economic_Studies/Productivity_Performance/Whats_in_store_for_China_in_2012_2925
For a summary of the key events affecting China in 2011 go to http://chindiapedia.org/China2011roundup.aspx
Posted in China alert, Economics, Reform |
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03/02/2012
Business Week: “Dassault Aviation SA, seeking its first export order for Rafale fighters, will begin exclusive negotiations to supply 126 jets to India after being selected as the lowest bidder.
“The French company and India’s defense ministry will begin talks within 15 days, an Indian government official told reporters in New Delhi yesterday. Negotiations will probably extend beyond the March 31 end of India’s fiscal year.”
http://news.businessweek.com/article.asp?documentKey=1377-aQTsvG2MxPoI-73IQMDIULOJV791GE0FE2Q4NAD
This news is particularly disappointing to Mr Cameron who had paid a visit to India a couple of years ago and got reassurance that India will try and increase its trade with Britain. Presumably either the British supplier was not able to make as good an offer or the timing was just wrong (or both).
Posted in Defence, Economics, GeoPolitics, India alert, Military |
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03/02/2012
Declaring the allocation of 2G spectrum by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government “illegal” and an example of the arbitrary exercise of power, the Supreme Court on Thursday cancelled all 122 telecom licences allotted on or after January 10, 2008 to 11 companies during the tenure of the former telecom minister, A. Raja.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2853159.ece
Mr Raja is charged with corruption.
This ruling, although deemed to be a step in the right direction, makes foreign investors nervous as it means any past deals, if proven to be corrupt, could be overturned, several years later.
For a view about corruption in India go to http://chindiapedia.org/Indianpitfalls.aspx
Posted in corruption, Economics, India alert, Rule of law, Technology |
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CHINDIA ALERT: You'll be living in their world, very soon 