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21/11/2012

* Hope rule of law will prevail in Pak in 26/11 case: Khurshid

The Hindu: “With the execution of lone surviving Mumbai attacks gunman Ajmal Kasab, India hopes “rule of law” will prevail in Pakistan as well, said External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid even as civil society organisations were saddened by the end to the country’s moratorium on capital punishment.

Mr. Khurshid was referering to a trial in Pakistan of seven persons accused of masterminding the Mumbai attacks. The Minister said India had not received any request from Pakistan for handing over the body of Kasab whose hanging came barely 12 hours after India voted against a non-binding resolution in the United Nations banning the death penalty.”

via The Hindu : News / National : Hope rule of law will prevail in Pak in 26/11 case: Khurshid.

Posted in India alert, Politics, Rule of law, terrorism | Leave a Comment »

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21/11/2012

* Construction on Chery-Jaguar Land Rover JV starts in east China

Jaguar-Land Rover is following a path long set by other top-end car makers like Mercedes and BMW. It will, hopefully, not mean a reduction of jobs in the UK.

Xinhua: “Construction of a joint venture (JV) project between China’s auto giant Chery and Britain-owned luxury carmaker Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) started Sunday in east China’s Jiangsu Province.

Foundation stone-laying ceremony was held at the economic and technology development area in the city of Changshu, according to the city’s government.

The JV project, with a total investment of 17.5 billion yuan (2.8 billion U.S. dollars), will have an ultimate annual output of 250,000 units of passenger vehicles, said the government in a press release.

The first phase of the project, which costs 10.9 billion yuan, is expected begin producing vehicles in July 2014. Annual production capacity of the first phase will include 77,000 Land Rover SUVs, 23,000 Chery cars, and 30,000 unit of Jaguar cars by 2016.

New energy vehicles and cars with aluminum body will be produced in the JV, and its own brand will also be developed after its completion.

The JLR is also expected to establish a research and development center in the city, said the press release.

Chery was founded in 1997 and has since emerged as one of China’s largest and most productive automotive manufacturers. In 2011, Chery recorded sales of 643,000 units, ranking the sixth among China’s passenger vehicle manufacturers.

JLR, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Motors, is the largest manufacturer of premium vehicles in Britain.

In 2005, sales in China accounted for one percent of combined Jaguar and Land Rover sales. The country is now JLR’s third largest market and is still growing.”

via Construction on Chery-Jaguar Land Rover JV starts in east China – Xinhua | English.news.cn.

Posted in Affluence, China alert, Consumer, Economics, FDI, joint venture, luxury brand, Manufacturing | Leave a Comment »

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21/11/2012

* China’s commerce minister voted out in rare congress snub

Is this the start of something new and different – internal CPC democracy?  Time will tell.

Reuters: “China’s commerce minister was surprisingly blocked from a spot on the ruling Communist Party’s elite body during a conclave this week, sources said, a rare snub for an official that could raise questions about trade policies during his tenure.

China's Minister of Commerce Chen Deming looks on during a news conference at the 8th World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference in Geneva December 15, 2011. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

The failure of Chen Deming to secure a seat on the 25-member Politburo marks one of the few surprises to emerge from the party’s five-yearly congress that wrapped this week with the anointing of a new slate of top leaders who will run the world’s second largest economy.

It is also the first time in more than two decades that an official designated for a Politburo spot has been voted out of the party’s 205-member Central Committee in elections. Central Committee membership is a prerequisite for a Politburo seat.

“Chen Deming was voted out during multi-candidate elections to the Central Committee,” one source told Reuters. State news agency Xinhua said there were eight percent more candidates than seats in a preliminary vote before the formal election on Wednesday.”

via China’s commerce minister voted out in rare congress snub: sources | Reuters.

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21/11/2012

* Will the Chinese people demand democracy any time soon?

If personal income (above US$10,000 per annum) is a criteria for the desire to seek democracy, and if the plan to double the personal income in a decade is met; then by the end of this leadership decade, CPC better get ready to act – in one way or another!

Posted in Affluence, China alert, Democracy, Politics | Leave a Comment »

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20/11/2012

* China, India to hold strategic economic dialogue this month

Xinhua: “China and India will hold the second round of strategic economic talks in New Delhi on Nov. 26, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson confirmed Tuesday.

Zhang Ping, head of China’s National Development and Reform Commission, and Indian Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia will co-chair the dialogue.

At a daily press briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying briefed reporters on the talks.

Hua said the dialogue constituted an important part of the “Year of China-India Friendship and Cooperation” activities.

The two sides will exchange views to seek broader economic cooperation and promote coordination on macroeconomic policy. They will also strenghten cooperation in areas such as investment, infrastructure, high-technology, energy-saving and energy resources.

China and India held the first round of the strategic economic dialogue in Sept. 2011.

When responding to a question on border issues, Hua said specific information of the new round of meetings between special representatives on China-India border issues will be released at an appropriate time.

China and India experienced a border conflict in 1962.

The two countries launched the mechanism of meetings between special representatives on border issues in 2003. The previous round of meetings on border issues was held in India in January.”

via China, India to hold strategic economic dialogue this month – Xinhua | English.news.cn.

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20/11/2012

* Only one Politburo Standing Committee members are not technocrats

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?

Posted in 10 year leadership change, China alert | Leave a Comment »

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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.

(L - R)Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Thailand Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen and the Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah hold hands during the opening ceremony of the 21st ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and East Asia summits in Phnom Penh November 18, 2012. REUTERS-Samrang Pring

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.

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Posted in China alert, Diplomacy, GeoPolitics, Instability, Neighbour conflict, Politics, Territorial dispute | 4 Comments »

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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.

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Posted in Dissident, Ethnic clash, India alert, Inequalities, Instability, Insurgency, Justice, self determination, unrest | Leave a Comment »

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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.

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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 help in construction of Hindu temple in Bihar

“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/

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