This major change in background may get reflected in the sort of long-term investments China undertakes. Will there be another three gorges dam? Will highways, railways and power stations be built at the same pace as in the past? Or will social and cultural investments come to the fore?
18/11/2012
* Southeast Asia calls for talks with China on sea dispute
S E Asia may be joining hands to call China to the discussion table; but China really dislikes being pressured and much prefers one-to-one dialogue and bi-lateral agreements.
Reuters: “Southeast Asian nations displayed a rare show of unity on Sunday against China’s sweeping maritime claims, calling for the first formal talks with Beijing over a sea dispute that has raised tensions and exposed deep divisions in the region.
As Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao arrived in Cambodia for meetings with Southeast Asian leaders, the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) appeared determined to avoid a repeat of an embarrassing breakdown of talks in July over competing claims in the mineral-rich South China Sea, its biggest security challenge.
Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen will tell Wen that ASEAN wants to begin talks on a binding Code of Conduct, aimed at reducing the chance of naval flashpoints, as soon as possible, ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan told reporters.
“Prime Minister Hun Sen himself will be discussing with the PM of China tonight and delivering this consensus on the ASEAN side,” Surin said.
“They would like to see the commencement of the discussion as soon as possible because this is an issue of interest, concern and worry of the international community.”
China’s assertive claims in the South China Sea have sown deep divisions within the bloc at a time when military spending in the region is surging and the United States refocuses attention on Asia – a “pivot” that President Barack Obama will reinforce on his visit to the summit on Monday in Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh.
Chinese ally Cambodia has used its powers as ASEAN chair this year to restrict discussion of the issue, in line with Beijing’s view that the disputes should be discussed on a bilateral basis. China has said it is willing to discuss the Code of Conduct when the “time is right.”
Diplomats said the Philippines, a close U.S. ally, had invited fellow Southeast Asian claimant states Vietnam, Brunei, and Malaysia to separate talks in Manila to be held later this year or early next year.
“We are trying to make that happen, hopefully in Manila,” Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario told reporters.
The other members of ASEAN include Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia, none of which have claims on the South China Sea.
One Philippine diplomat said the meeting was aimed at resolving issues among the claimant states, such as overlapping economic zones. He voiced frustration with China for delaying the start of talks with ASEAN over the Code of Conduct.
“ASEAN has done its part,” the diplomat said. “Now it is up to China to also come up with its own because when we formally sit down we will present our position to them. In fact we have already written it.””
via Southeast Asia calls for talks with China on sea dispute | Reuters.
See also:
- https://chindia-alert.org/political-factors/chinese-tensions/
- https://chindia-alert.org/political-factors/geopolitics-chinese/
17/11/2012
* Four killed in fresh Assam violence; curfew continues in Kokrajhar
Despite the appearance of ‘unity in diversity’, India seems to be continually beset with violent tensions; by Maoists/Naxalites, by ethnic groups and borderland disaffection.
Times of India: “Bodoland area in lower Assam witnessed fresh trouble with the killing of four persons by armed assailants in Jiaguri even as police arrested a member of Bodoland Territorial Autonomous District in connection with the killing.
The assailants fired randomly on a group of persons at Jiaguri in Kokrajhar police station in which four persons were killed late on Friday night, inspector general of police (BTAD) S N Singh said.
“Monokumar Brahma alias Jalja, a member of BTAD, was arrested early today in connection with the killing,” he said.
“Two AK-47 rifles, magazines of AK-47 rifles and 60 rounds of assorted ammunition were seized from his bedroom. He is currently being interrogated,” he said.
Indefinite curfew has been continuing in Kokrajhar district as violence flared up in the area again, the police said.”
via Four killed in fresh Assam violence; curfew continues in Kokrajhar – The Times of India.
See also:
17/11/2012
* Students from China add $5b to US economy
Not only does China own more of US debt than any other country, Chinese students account for the number 1 foreign students in the US. On top of it trade between the two is also at a very high level. Any concerns about military conflict between the US and China must be a remote possibility. They are too inter dependent. Never did the US-Soviet relationship approach anything like that of US-China. I hope I am right!
China Daily: “Booming Chinese-student enrollment in United States colleges and universities contributed nearly $5 billion to the US economy in the 2011-12 academic year, an education expert estimated.
“The rise of China as a contributor to the economies of many US institutions mirrors the increasing influence of China in the global economy,” wrote Rahul Choudaha, director of research and advisory services at World Education Services in an e-mail to China Daily.
World Education Services is a New York-based nonprofit that specializes in international education and research.
“In 2003-04, there were 61,765 Chinese students enrolled in the US, contributing an estimated $1.4 billion to the economy. This ballooned to 194,029, contributing nearly $5 billion, in 2011-12,” Choudaha added.
The number of Chinese students enrolled in US institutions of higher education in 2011-12 increased from 157,558 to 194,029, or 23 percent, over the previous year, a new report shows.
The Open Doors 2012 report, published on Tuesday by the Institute of International Education with support from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the US State Department, reveals that international students in US universities make a significant positive economic impact on the US.
The report also shows that nearly half of Chinese students favor business and engineering, which became the top two majors among Chinese students.”
via Students from China add $5b to US economy |Society |chinadaily.com.cn.
Related articles
- Overseas students set record for US enrollment – Pittsburgh Post Gazette (post-gazette.com)
- U.S. colleges get more international students (qctimes.com)
- International enrollment at US colleges is climbing (foxnews.com)
- Chinese Enrollment Soars as More International Students Attend U.S. Colleges (thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com)
- Why there’s a boom in Chinese students attending US universities (qz.com)
17/11/2012
* Muslims help in construction of Hindu temple in Bihar
It is gratifying to learn that Hindu-Muslim relationships are not always about antipathy and violence.
Times of India: “While violence over the expansion of a Hindu temple near Charminar in Muslim-dominated Hyderabad’s Old City is hogging media attention, in Bihar’s Sitamarhi district, Muslims have been quietly helping Hindus construct a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, ahead of the Chhath festival.
“Muslims are not only donating money for temple construction, they are also actively involved in ensuring that it should come up soon,” Rajkishore Raut, president of the Shiva Temple Construction Committee, told IANS.
Raut, a school teacher, said the construction of the temple was a fine example of Hindu-Muslim brotherhood.
Mohammad Sadre Alam Khan, a villager, said that dozens of Muslims, including village head Akbari Khatoon, have contributed in one way or another for the construction of the temple.
“This is a positive development for the village as a whole,” Khan said.
Another villager, Lalbabu Sah, said that villagers of both the communities were working jointly for the construction of the temple.
“The construction of the temple will strengthen harmony between the two communities and pave the way for greater cooperation in future,” Sah told IANS.
Sitamarhi town, which had a history of communal conflict, witnessed rioting in the mid-1990s. Muslims comprise around 16 percent of the 105 million people of Bihar.
Just months ago, Muslims observing Ramadan helped in the construction of a Jain temple in Bhagalpur town in the state.
Mohammad Janeshar Akhtar even demolished a portion of his house in Bhagalpur to enable the movement of a 70-foot truck laden with a granite stone block meant for an idol in the temple.
Other Muslims had helped widen the street so that the vehicle could reach the temple without difficulty.
Earlier this year, some Muslims had helped in building a Hindu temple dedicated to goddess Durga in Bihar’s Gaya district.
Muslims there not only donated money but engaged in the actual construction of the temple.
Earlier, a Muslim had donated land for a temple dedicated to god Shiva in Begusarai district. Mohammad Fakhrool Islam had given his land for the temple in the Muslim-dominated Bachwara village.
via Muslims help in construction of Hindu temple in Bihar – The Times of India.
See also: https://chindia-alert.org/political-factors/indian-tensions/
Related articles
16/11/2012
* Rahul Gandhi to lead Congress poll campaign
Reluctant Rahul finally emerges with key role.
BBC: “Congress party leader, Rahul Gandhi, has been appointed the head of a committee which will look after party activities relating to the 2014 general elections.
Correspondents say this appointment effectively means that Mr Gandhi will lead the campaign for the party.
Party leaders have been demanding a larger role for Mr Gandhi.
Support for Congress in its second term has been hit by economic concerns and corruption cases.
Last month, PM Manmohan Singh inducted 22 new ministers into the government in a major reshuffle, a move seen as an attempt to get younger politicians into the Congress party-led government ahead of general elections.
And, earlier this month, the party held a conclave, attended by 70 leaders, including Mr Gandhi and his mother and party chief, Sonia Gandhi.
The meeting was seen as another attempt to revitalise the party and government ahead of the polls.
Congress spokesman Janardhan Dwivedi said Mr Gandhi will head a party “coordination committee … keeping in view the general elections to be held in 2014″.
Results of elections in the states of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh are expected by this year-end.
A number of crucial state polls in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattishgarh, Rajasthan and Delhi will be held next year ahead of the general elections.
The two-term Congress government is expected to face a tough general election in 2014, correspondents say.
It has been beset by allegations of corruption and inaction in its present second term.”
via BBC News – Rahul Gandhi to lead Congress poll campaign.
See also: https://chindia-alert.org/2012/10/28/rahul-gandhi-mia/
Related articles
- * Rahul Gandhi can change Congress’ image with cabinet entry (chindia-alert.org)
15/11/2012
* China names conservative, older leadership
For the last 20 years, the majority of the standing committee, Politburo (then 9 members) have been engineers. Now only two of the seven-member of the central committee are experienced engineers, including the president-designate (chemical engineering). The other seven count amongst them the following academic disciplines: law, economics, Korean, politics, and history. One wonders whether the hitherto strong focus on infrastructure and major new engineering will take a back seat?
Reuters: “China’s ruling Communist Party unveiled an older, conservative leadership line-up on Thursday that appears unlikely to take the drastic action needed to tackle pressing issues like social unrest, environmental degradation and corruption.
New party chief Xi Jinping, premier-in-waiting Li Keqiang and vice-premier in charge of economic affairs Wang Qishan, all named as expected to the elite decision-making Politburo Standing Committee, are considered cautious reformers. The other four members have the reputation of being conservative.
The line-up belied any hopes that Xi would usher in a leadership that would take bold steps to deal with slowing growth in the world’s second-biggest economy, or begin to ease the Communist Party’s iron grip on the most populous nation.
“We’re not going to see any political reform because too many people in the system see it as a slippery slope to extinction,” said David Shambaugh, director of the China Policy Program at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs.
“They see it entirely through the prism of the Soviet Union, the Arab Spring and the Colour Revolutions in Central Asia, so they’re not going to go there.”
Vice-Premier Wang, the most reform-minded in the line-up, has been given the role of fighting widespread graft, identified by both Xi and outgoing President Hu Jintao as the biggest danger faced by the party and the state.”
via China names conservative, older leadership | Reuters.
See also: profile of seven new leaders – BBC
14/11/2012
* Constitution hails reform and opening up China’s “salient feature”
It’s one thing to change the constitution, it’s another to effect real change. Let’s hope China means it and that by reform it means both economic and political reform.
Xinhua: The Communist Party of China (CPC) has amended its Constitution to hail reform and opening up as the path to a stronger China, and the salient feature of the new period in China, according to a resolution approved by the just-ended 18th CPC National Congress on Wednesday morning.
The inclusion of this statement in the Party Constitution will help the whole Party acquire a deeper understanding of the importance of continuing to carry out reform and opening up and thus pursue this endeavor even more consciously and with greater determination, says the resolution.
It is by carrying out reform and opening up that China has achieved rapid development in the past 30-plus years, and it is reform and opening up that will ensure its future development, it says.
“Only reform and opening up can enable China, socialism and Marxism to develop themselves,” it says.”
via Constitution hails reform and opening up China’s “salient feature” – Xinhua | English.news.cn.
14/11/2012
* Five Maoists killed in encounter in Odisha
The problem seems to be intractable. Unless India seriously eliminates rural poverty (as China has done over the last decades), it will never go away.
Times of India: “Five Maoists were killed in a fierce encounter with security forces in a forest on the border of Odisha’s Ganjam and Gajapati districts on Wednesday.
At least two security personnel were also injured in the exchange of fire in Bhaliagada jungle under Mohana police station area, police said.
“We have received information about the death of five Maoists during an exchange of fire in the jungle. The bodies are yet to be recovered as the operation is still on,” DIG of police (southern range) R K Sharma said.
The slain ultras belonged to a group headed by Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda, he said.”
via Five Maoists killed in encounter in Odisha – The Times of India.
See also: https://chindia-alert.org/prognosis/indian-challenges/
Related articles
- Maoists torch construction equipment in Odisha (indiavision.com)
- Three held in Odisha with explosives, Maoist literature (vancouverdesi.com)
- Jharkhand Police recovers huge cache of arms from Maoists (indiavision.com)
- India: Maoist action frees Political Prisoners (revolutionaryfrontlines.wordpress.com)
14/11/2012
* China turns to machines as farmers seek fresh fields
Unless China solves the agricultural productivity soon, it will become a global rather than a Chinese problem.
Reuters: “China needs to replace millions of workers who have quit farms for cities, but even its vast state power might not be able to transform the countryside into a network of big industrial farms capable of feeding its growing economy.
Pulling together small plots of land to make larger operations and introducing modern mechanical techniques would help boost productivity, vital if China’s agricultural sector is to meet soaring domestic food demand.
But efforts to modernize the sector are struggling to gain traction because many farmers are suspicious about giving up their land, and even for some mechanized farms, there are too few workers.
Guaranteeing food security is a major tenet of the ruling Communist Party. The country is self-sufficient in rice and wheat, but is struggling to meet corn demand and has long given up trying to satisfy soy demand. It is the world’s biggest importer of soybeans, and a major buyer of corn.
It has increased grains output for nine straight years and aims to add 50 million tonnes per year by 2020 to the record 571.21 million tonnes of grain harvested in 2011.
“It now needs the government to come out and manage the land of those who give consent, and improve economies of scale,” said Fu Xuejun, a manager at the Baoquanling farm, owned by the Beidahuang Group, a huge state-owned farming conglomerate in Heilongjiang in northeast China.
Some say China should give up its fixation with self-sufficiency and take advantage of growing grains trade internationally.
“China used to emphasize self-sufficiency because the international environment was not favorable,” said Li Guoxiang, researcher with the Rural Development Institute of the China Academy of Social Sciences (CASS). “Food security should have two aims – one is domestic production and the other is the ability to buy overseas.”
via Analysis: China turns to machines as farmers seek fresh fields | Reuters.
CHINDIA ALERT: You'll be living in their world, very soon 