Chindia Alert: You’ll be Living in their World Very Soon
aims to alert you to the threats and opportunities that China and India present. China and India require serious attention; case of ‘hidden dragon and crouching tiger’.
Without this attention, governments, businesses and, indeed, individuals may find themselves at a great disadvantage sooner rather than later.
The POSTs (front webpages) are mainly 'cuttings' from reliable sources, updated continuously.
The PAGEs (see Tabs, above) attempt to make the information more meaningful by putting some structure to the information we have researched and assembled since 2006.
Chan is accused of supporting Beijing’s so-called nine-dash line, which is its historical justification for its territorial claims in the resource-rich sea
Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Brunei all have competing claims in the waterway that overlap with China’s
Film star Jackie Chan. Photo: Reuters
Martial arts film star Jackie Chan’s planned visit to Vietnam for a charity has been cancelled following an online backlash related to Beijing’s expansive claims in the disputed South China Sea.
The Hong Kong-born actor was set to visit Hanoi on November 10 to support Operation Smile, a charity that gives free surgery to children with facial disfigurements.
Jackie Chan says he wants to make films in Saudi Arabia
But the plans were scrapped after thousands of angry Facebook users flooded the charity’s official page when his visit was announced last week.
Some of their comments claimed Chan had spoken in support of China’s so-called nine-dash line – its historical justification for its territorial claims in the resource-rich sea.
A map showing claimant countries’ exclusive economic zones in the South China Sea.
However, Chan has not explicitly expressed public support for the controversial maritime assertion.
Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Brunei all have competing claims in the waterway that overlap with China’s – long a source of tension in the region.
Issuing a mea culpa on Friday for failing “to predict the reaction” of the Vietnamese public, the charity asserted that their work is “non-political”.
“We are very sorry … Operation Smile will not organise any activities with [Chan’s] involvement” in Vietnam, they said.
A Chinese coastguard ship sails by a Vietnamese vessel off the coast of Vietnam in 2014. Photo: Reuters
Vietnam is one of Beijing’s most vocal critics over the flashpoint South China Sea issue.
The foreign ministry on Thursday repeated its usual proclamation on the sea, citing the country’s “full legal basis and true evidence to affirm Vietnam’s sovereignty”, deputy spokesperson Ngo Toan Thang said.
Chan has in the past been accused of siding with China over Hong Kong’s democracy protests after calling the unrest in his hometown “sad and depressing”.
The comment sparked ire in Hong Kong but was warmly received by many in China where he has a massive fan base.
Abominable has been criticised for a scene showing the nine-dash line. Photo: DreamWorks
Beijing claims most the South China Sea through the vague delineation, which is based on maps from the 1940s as the then-Republic of China snapped up islands from Japanese control.
BEIJING, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) — China’s top political advisor Wang Yang will pay official visits to Egypt, Oman and Laos, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang announced here Thursday.
Invited by Speaker Ali Abdel-Aal of the Egyptian Parliament and Chairman Yahya bin Mahfoudh Al Manthri of State Council of Oman, Wang Yang, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), will pay official visits to Egypt and Oman from Nov. 10 to 16, Geng said.
Invited by member of the Political Bureau of the LPRP Central Committee and President of the Lao Front for National Construction Saysomphone Phomvihane, Wang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, will pay an official visit to Laos from Nov. 16 to 19, Geng added.
Li Zhanshu, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), meets with Speaker of the Czech Chamber of Deputies Radek Vondracek in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 7, 2019. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao)
BEIJING, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) — Chinese top legislator Li Zhanshu met with Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Radek Vondracek in Beijing on Thursday.
Li, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), said China and the Czech Republic have traditionally enjoyed friendly ties, and China’s further opening-up will bring greater opportunities for cooperation between the two countries.
Li called on China and the Czech Republic to uphold mutual respect, mutual trust and mutual benefit to push the strategic partnership between the two countries to new heights.
The NPC stands ready to work with the parliament of the Czech Republic, he said.
Vondracek said the Czech Republic is willing to seize the important opportunity provided by China’s development and further opening-up, enhance high-level exchanges, promote practical cooperation and explore the Chinese market. The Czech Republic will continue to uphold the one-China principle, he said.
Image copyright REUTERSImage caption Landslides are common in India after heavy rains
Landslides are common in rural and mountainous areas of India, especially after heavy rain. Scientists now say they have developed a low-cost technology for detecting them, using a motion sensor commonly found in smartphones.
The device is currently being trialled in more than 20 locations in the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh, where landslides kill dozens of people every year.
Scientists say they are hopeful that it will help drastically reduce the deaths and damage caused by these natural disasters.
An accelerometer is a type of motion sensor which measures changes in velocity. In smartphones, this is what allows people to use compass and maps applications and even flip their screens horizontally or vertically.
But now scientists from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district have found that with some modifications, it can be used as a low-cost early warning system for landslides.
They told BBC Click’s Shubham Kishore that it will cost an estimated 20,000 rupees (£218; $282) to manufacture – a fraction of the cost of existing technologies.
Authorities say the frequency of landslides in Himachal Pradesh is due to its mountainous terrain and the instability of the Himalayas, which is a relatively young mountain range.
However, excessive rain, rampant deforestation, and unauthorised construction has exacerbated the problem.
Image copyright IIT MANDIImage caption One of the devices being fitted
The Environmental Information (ENVIS) centre for the Ministry of Environment and Forest said in a report that casualties from landslides were also growing because “the increase of road connectivity and number of vehicles plying on these roads in the state, means the number of road accidents and loss of precious human lives is increasing day by day”.
This is because landslides frequently wash away roads and destroy homes – many of which are built with materials like clay mud or unburned bricks.
Early warning
Dr Varun Dutt, a computer engineer, with his colleague, Dr KV Uday, a civil engineer, are leading efforts to develop the technology. These researchers say they are using the motion sensor to measure soil movements.
“When we embed it in the soil, the accelerometer will move when the soil moves. Essentially soil moves if some force acts on it.
“What the sensor does is allow us to record the extent of that movement. It throws up a range of data that then allows us to track small displacements in soil which causes landslides,” Dr Dutt told the BBC’s Ayeshea Perera.
He explained that a series of small soil movements could help provide an early warning to a larger disaster in the making. Due to the early warnings from small movements, detecting a landslide is easier than trying to detect an earthquake, which is more instantaneous with a very small warning corridor.
The device measures all these movements, and when it detects a significant displacement of earth which could result in a landslide, it emits loud noises and sends text messages to officials so that they can evacuate and stop vehicular movement to and around the area.
Image copyright AFPImage caption The new device helps to detect landslides
The device has already seen some success.
In Kutropi, in the state’s Mandi district, the device was able to successfully alert officials about an impending landslide. Police were able to turn away vehicles from a road that was later completely washed away.
Dr Uday told the BBC that they have managed to alert officials after using the device that a hill in the state’s Deode region needed to be monitored carefully as the soil movements indicated that the hill was at risk of sliding.
Dr Dutt says that state officials – who often have to deal with the tragic consequences of landslides – are excited about the technology.
“We were invited to present it at a workshop by the state government in partnership with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) earlier this year.
“We showcased the technology and we got a lot of requests to commercialise it. So now we are in the process of marketing it and setting it up,” he said.
At present, the device has managed to demonstrate enough of a lead time to allow officials to warn residents and motorists shortly before a potential landslide.
But Dr Dutt and Dr Uday want the technology to be more predictive than reactive.
So the team has begun using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning on the sets of data thrown up by the device, and are hoping that it can develop algorithms that will enable them to predict landslides 24 hours or even a week in advance.
These algorithms are currently being refined, and scientists are hoping to test them more accurately in the field by the 2020 monsoon.
“We are excited but we want it to be accurate. There should be fewer false alarms.
“The good part is that policymakers understand that this is experimental work and it will improve as more data gets collected. If it all goes to plan, it will be very useful,” Dr Dutt said.
French leader calls for restraint and says he raised the topic ‘on several occasions’ during his visit
Two sides find common ground on need to defend free trade and fight climate change as Donald Trump starts process of pulling US out of Paris Climate Agreement
Xi Jinping and Emmanuel Macron at a welcome ceremony ahead of their talks in Beijing on Wednesday. Photo: AFP
French President Emmanuel Macron said he raised human rights and the Hong Kong situation during his talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Wednesday.
Macron’s visit to China concluded with pledges to work together on climate change, but the French leader also said he also called for a de-escalation of the situation in the city through dialogue after months of protests.
Macron, who had promised to raise “taboo” topics during the visit, told a press conference: “I obviously raised this with President Xi Jinping on several occasions.
“We have repeatedly called on the parties involved to [engage in] dialogue, to show restraint, to de-escalate.”
The discussion followed Xi’s meeting with Hong Kong’s embattled Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor in Shanghai on Monday, where he expressed “high trust” in her and “fully affirmed” support for her response to the unrest that has gripped the city since June.
Earlier the French and Chinese leaders had restated their commitment to protect free trade and pledged their continued support for the Paris Agreement as the United States begins the process of formally withdrawing from the global climate deal.
Macron expressed “regret” over “some countries’ negative attitude” towards environmental protection and the fight against climate change and pledged to work with China to halt the loss of biodiversity.
The French president’s office also released a statement on Wednesday that reaffirmed France and China’s joint support for the “irreversible” Paris Agreement.
Macron points to common ground with China on tariffs and climate action
With the European Union, China and Russia backing the pact, he added, “the isolated choice of one or another is not enough to change the course of the world. It only leads to marginalisation.”
The two countries also agreed to work together to develop joint nuclear power projects and signed a series of contracts worth US$15 billion.
The deals covered aeronautics, energy and agriculture, including approval for 20 French companies to export poultry, beef and pork to China.
An additional action plan released after the talks said French utility giant EDF and China General Nuclear Power should be encouraged to cooperate on projects in China or third countries, citing the joint efforts by the two companies to build nuclear reactors at the Hinkley Point C station in Britain as an example.
The two sides also committed to signing a contract for the construction of a nuclear fuel recycling plant in China, which would involve French energy giant Orano, by January 31.
Xi took what appeared to be a veiled swipe at the United States, which is still embroiled in a protracted trade war and other confrontations with Beijing.
“We advocate for mutual respect and equal treatment, and are opposed to the law of the jungle and acts of intimidation,” Xi said.
“We advocate for openness, inclusion and for mutually beneficial cooperation, and are opposed to protectionism and a zero-sum game.”
Macron said China and the European Union should work in partnership as the world became more unstable, calling on the two sides to further open up market access.
“We call again for trade multilateralism to respond to distortions that have appeared in the global economy, which have led to a profound rise in inequalities and imbalances that explain the surge of challenges to the international systems,” he said.
“China and Europe also share the same views that the trade war only leads to loss.”
Macron kicks off China visit with deal to protect wine and cheese from counterfeiting
Chinese state news agency Xinhua said the two countries agreed to work together to push forward with plans to assemble Airbus’s A350 model in China.
Meanwhile, Beijing Gas Group and French utility firm Engie will collaborate on a liquefied natural gas terminal and storage in the northern city of Tianjin, while France’s Total will set up a joint venture with China’s Shenergy Group to distribute liquid nitrogen gas by truck in the Yangtze River Delta.
The two countries also agreed to reach an agreement by the end of January 2020 on the cost and location of a nuclear fuel reprocessing facility to be built by Orano, formerly known as Areva.
Wu Libo a professor and director of the Centre for Energy Economics and Strategies Studies at Fudan University, said there was “great potential” for further cooperation between the two countries on nuclear energy.
“France has many useful experiences in the operation and management of nuclear power plants and its plants have long-term safe and stable operation records,” she said.
The two sides agreed to work together on joint nuclear power projects. Photo: AP
Jiang Kejun, a senior researcher at the Energy Research Institute of China’s National Development and Reform Commission, said China’s cooperation with France would add credibility to potential third-country projects.
“China has advanced third-generation technology but it’s still a new member in the nuclear power market, while France has developed nuclear energy for a long time, and its EPR reactors – a technology designed and developed in France – are in business operation,” he said.
Jiang said possible markets for the joint projects included Argentina and India, while some Middle Eastern states – such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar – had expressed interest in nuclear energy.
China’s ambassador hits out at Macron’s team for backing ‘hypocritical’ EU stance on Hong Kong
Tong Jiadong, professor of international trade at Nankai University, said that the deals between the two sides helped show that France and China could work together to counteract US unilateralism.
“Objectively speaking, this will form, or at least imply, an opposition to US unilateralism,” Tong said. “China hopes the cooperation between these two countries produces demonstrable effects for other EU member states.”
Ding Chun, a professor of European Studies at Fudan University, said he did not think the EU wanted to “choose a side” between the US and China.
But Ding continued: “If we are talking about free trade and multilateralism, there’s no doubt that the EU and China share a common view and can balance Donald Trump’s unilateralism.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Chief Executive of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam, who is here for the second China International Import Expo (CIIE), in Shanghai, east China, Nov. 4, 2019. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)
SHANGHAI, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) — President Xi Jinping on Monday met with Chief Executive of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam, who is in Shanghai for the second China International Import Expo.
After hearing Lam’s report on the recent situation in Hong Kong, Xi said the disturbances in Hong Kong have lasted five months. Lam has led the SAR government to fully discharge its duties, strive to stabilize the situation and improve the social atmosphere, and has done a lot of hard work, he said.
Xi voiced the central government’s high degree of trust in Lam and full acknowledgement of the work of her and her governance team.
Ending violence and chaos and restoring order remain the most important task for Hong Kong at present, he noted.
Xi demanded unswerving efforts to stop and punish violent activities in accordance with the law to safeguard the well-being of the general public in Hong Kong.
Meanwhile, effective efforts should be made in work including having dialogue with all sectors of the society and improving people’s livelihood, Xi said.
Xi expressed his hope that people from all walks of life in Hong Kong fully and faithfully implement the principle of “one country, two systems” and the HKSAR Basic Law, and make concerted efforts to safeguard Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability.
Image copyright WEIBO/SCREENSHOTImage caption The female passenger is seen here with her fingers in a V pose, also known as the peace sign
A Chinese pilot has been banned from flying after a photo went viral showing a female passenger in the cockpit.
The photo was taken in January on an Air Guilin flight from Guilin city to Yangzhou city, state media said, but was widely shared this week – causing the airline to take action.
It shows a woman posing in the cockpit with refreshments laid out next to her.
Air Guilin said in a statement the pilot had violated air safety regulations.
‘Thanks to the captain’
The incident took place on 4 January on flight GT1011 from Guilin city to Yangzhou city, according to state media outlet The Global Times.
But it was brought to the airline’s attention on Sunday after screenshots of the alleged passenger’s post started being shared widely on micro-blogging site Weibo.
The post showed the woman making a V sign with her fingers – a popular pose in China – with the photo captioned: “Thanks to the captain. So happy.”
The pilot, who was not named, has been banned from flying for life, though it is unclear if he was fired from all roles by the airline.
Air Guilin said in a statement that he had “violated [regulations] by allowing irrelevant personnel into the cockpit”.
According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China, passengers are not allowed to enter the cockpit without special approval or under “necessary” circumstances.
Other staff members involved in the incident have also been “suspended indefinitely” while further investigations are held.
“Passengers’ safety is always Air Guilin’s priority. We take a zero-tolerance approach against any inappropriate and unprofessional behaviour that might risk the aviation safety,” the Chinese carrier said.
Last year, Chinese carrier Donghai Airlines suspended a pilot for six months and revoked his qualifications as a flight instructor after he allowed his wife to go inside the cockpit.
Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, meets with Kazakhstan’s First Deputy Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov, who also co-chaired the 9th meeting of the China-Kazakhstan Cooperation Committee, in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 4, 2019. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)
BEIJING, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) — Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng met with Kazakhstan’s First Deputy Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov Monday in Beijing, who also co-chaired the 9th meeting of the China-Kazakhstan Cooperation Committee.
Han, also a Standing Committee member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said the development of bilateral ties had been healthy and steady to become a model of relations between neighboring countries.
Earlier this year, China and Kazakhstan upgraded their relations to a permanent comprehensive strategic partnership, which Han said marked a new phase of bilateral relations.
The China-Kazakhstan Cooperation Committee, as an intergovernmental mechanism, makes overall planning for, coordinates and guides bilateral cooperation.
Han said since the last meeting of the committee, the two countries had deepened the synergy of their development strategies, accelerated trade, investment and industrial cooperation, strengthened financial cooperation, and continuously enhanced cooperation in security, environmental protection, energy, technology and mining.
Noting the solid foundation, huge potential and broad prospects of bilateral cooperation, Han said the two countries should promote cooperation in industrial capacity, transportation, agriculture and energy.
He called on the two sides to jointly implement the synergy between the Silk Road Economic Belt and Kazakhstan’s “Bright Road” new economic policy, strengthen innovation-driven cooperation and carry out digital industry, blockchain and biotechnology cooperation to create new growth points.
He said the two sides should carry out more facilitation measures to constantly optimize the business environment and guarantee the rights and interests of enterprises from both countries.
Smailov said Kazakhstan is ready to work with China to promote cooperation in trade, finance, energy, agriculture, transportation, logistics and infrastructure to benefit the two peoples.
BEIJING, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) — China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOC) Monday announced the conclusion of negotiations on upgrading the existing Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between China and New Zealand.
In 2008, China signed an FTA with New Zealand, the first FTA between China and a developed country, according to the MOC.
The two countries launched talks on upgrading the FTA in November 2016, against the backdrop of profound changes in international trade rules and activities.
The upgrade is expected to reflect the rapid and dynamic development needs of bilateral economic and trade relations and further promote the process of regional economic integration, according to the MOC.
The negotiations have further upgraded the existing chapters on customs procedures and cooperation, rules of origin and technical barriers to trade.
New chapters have been added to e-commerce, environment and trade, competition policy and government procurement.
The two sides made new commitments in various aspects, such as market access for trade in services and goods and the movement of natural persons and investment.
Exporters from both China and New Zealand will benefit from the upgraded trade rules, which will make trade more convenient, according to the MOC.
The FTA has greatly promoted the development of bilateral trade. China has become New Zealand’s largest trade partner, largest export destination and a rapid growing service market.
New Zealand’s main exports to China include dairy products, timber, meat, aquatic products and fruits.
The completion of the FTA upgrade negotiations reflects the commitment of the two countries to adhere to free and open trade and support a rule-based multilateral trading system, according to the MOC.
It will inject new impetus into the economic and trade development of the two countries, providing strong support for trade negotiations between China and more developed countries and regions, according to the ministry.
Li Zhanshu, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), meets with Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 4, 2019. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling)
BEIJING, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) — Chinese top legislator Li Zhanshu on Monday met with Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic, calling for strengthening exchanges between the two countries’ legislative bodies.
Li, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), welcomed Jandrokovic to attend the second China International Import Expo.
Hailing Croatia as an important cooperation partner within the EU and the central and eastern European region, Li called on the two sides to maintain the momentum of high-level exchanges, expand pragmatic cooperation and strengthen exchanges between the two countries’ legislative bodies under the guidance of the two heads of state.
Jandrokovic congratulated the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, and said that Croatia has always adhered to the one-China principle and supports and participates in the construction of the Belt and Road as well as the cooperation between central and eastern European countries and China.
Croatia is willing to work with China and play a constructive role in promoting EU-China relations and cooperation between central and eastern European countries and China, Jandrokovic said.
CHINDIA ALERT: You'll be living in their world, very soon 