Politics | CHINDIA ALERT: You'll be living in their world, very soon

24/04/2013

* China’s Xinjiang hit by deadly clashes

BBC: “Clashes in China’s restive Xinjiang region have left 21 people dead, including 15 police officers and officials, authorities say.

The violence occurred on Tuesday afternoon in Bachu county, Kashgar prefecture.

The foreign ministry said it had been a planned attack by a “violent terrorist group”, but ethnic groups questioned this.

There have been sporadic clashes in Xinjiang in recent years.

The incidents come amid rumbling ethnic tensions between the Muslim Uighur and Han Chinese communities. In 2009 almost 200 people – mostly Han Chinese – were killed after deadly rioting erupted.

Nothing is stopping foreign journalists from booking flights to Xinjiang after hearing reports of violence there. However, simply travelling to the region doesn’t guarantee the ability to dig out the truth behind this story.

In 2009, dozens of foreign reporters were permitted to join an official tour of Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, after clashes between minority ethnic Uighur residents and majority Chinese Hans killed 197 people.

Their experiences were mixed. Some reporters were able to speak to a variety of people on the ground, while others faced harassment and intimidation.

The situation remains the same today. Reporters who travel to the area are closely followed by government minders. Locals often hesitate to answer questions, fearing reprisals from government authorities.

Uighur exile groups often provide accounts that differ from the official Chinese government reports. Reconciling the two can be tricky.

The situation isn’t any easier for Chinese journalists. China’s propaganda departments have warned domestic news outlets against conducting their own independent reporting on sensitive Xinjiang stories, ordering them to reprint official stories from China’s major state news agencies.

It is very difficult to verify reports from Xinjiang, reports the BBC’s Celia Hatton.

Foreign journalists are allowed to travel to the region but frequently face intimidation and harassment when attempting to verify news of ethnic rioting or organised violence against government authorities.”

via BBC News – China’s Xinjiang hit by deadly clashes.

Posted in China alert, Culture, Dissident, Ethnic clash, History, Instability, Insurgency, Internal politics, Politics, terrorism, unrest | 2 Comments »

Tags: Ürümqi, Beijing, China, Ethnic group, Han Chinese, politics, sporadic clashes, Uyghur people, Xinjiang

24/04/2013

* Ladakh incursion: India and China face-off at the ‘Gate of Hell’

China’s only unresolved land border!

Posted in China alert, Chindia Alert, Defence, Diplomacy, Foreign invasion, GeoPolitics, History, India alert, Military, Neighbour conflict, Politics, Territorial dispute | 1 Comment »

19/04/2013

* Supreme Court criticizes official bureaucracy

Xinhua: “The Supreme People’s Court (SPC) on Thursday named six officials and institutions that have violated eight bureaucracy-busting guidelines announced by central authorities late last year.

English: a Balance icon ‪中文(繁體)â¬: 天平圖示 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The officials involved in the cases have been punished, according to a statement from the SPC.

Since the election of the new leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in November, the CPC has launched a high-profile campaign to stamp out bureaucracy, formalism and the improper spending of public funds.

The bureaucracy- and formalism-fighting guidelines were introduced by a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee in December.

In one of the cases, officials from the Intermediate People’s Court of the city of Huanggang in central China’s Hubei Province spent 14,396 yuan (2,329 U.S. dollars) on two dinners and were reimbursed by the court. Two officials involved in the case have been punished.

Another case involved two judges from a court in Xishui County in southwest China’s Guizhou Province who left the office on a weekday afternoon to play cards at a teahouse on Jan. 8. The two officials have been punished with administrative discipline.”

via Supreme Court criticizes official bureaucracy – Xinhua | English.news.cn.

Zhou Qiang Picked as President of China’s Supreme People’s Court – Bloomberg (bloomberg.com)

Posted in China alert, Illegal practices, Politics, Reform | Leave a Comment »

Tags: China, communist party of china, cpc central committee, politics, Supreme People's Court of the People's Republic of China, Xi JinPing

19/04/2013

* Govt vows to further curb public spending

China Daily: “China’s central government has pledged to slash 126 million yuan ($20.38 million) from its spending on public-funded vehicles, receptions and overseas trips this year, a move that experts said lives up to the new leadership’s promise to be frugal.

Departments under the central government and organizations that receive public funds are planning to spend 7.97 billion yuan this year to buy and use cars, travel overseas and host meetings — collectively known as “the three public expenses” — the Ministry of Finance said on Thursday.

Spending on public receptions, which decreased 64 million yuan, or 4.3 percent year-on-year, will drop the most among the three.

Although laws require central government departments to release their budgets in 20 working days after authorities approve them, it is the first time that these departments included the three public expenses in the disclosure. Previously, the amount of public spending was usually withheld until July, when departments released their final figures from the previous year.

Experts said the budget cuts have echoed the pledge of the central leadership, which has made cutting red tape and reducing the number of ceremonies one of its priorities since its election.

China’s new premier, Li Keqiang, has promised that public spending in the Cabinet will only go down — one of the three commitments he made in his first news conference as premier in March.

Before that, the new leadership of the Communist Party of China called upon officials in December to adhere to the “eight disciplines”, which asks the governments to cut pomp, ceremonies, and bureaucratic visits and meetings.

Ye Qing, deputy director of the Hunan provincial Statistics Bureau, said the central government has made progress in slashing the three public expenses, although spending is still high and needs further reduction.

Specifically, the authorities have earmarked nearly 4.4 billion yuan — about 55.2 percent of the budget — for buying and maintaining vehicles, while the amount for overseas trips is 2.1 billion yuan, and about 1.4 billion yuan for public receptions.

“It is astonishing that officials spend nearly 4.4 billion yuan on using cars each year. Reform of car use is imminent,” Ye said.”

via Govt vows to further curb public spending |Politics |chinadaily.com.cn.

Corrupt Chinese officials splurge US$160bn in tax dollars a year (wantchinatimes.com)

Posted in China alert, Illegal practices, Politics, Reform, Transparency | Leave a Comment »

Tags: China, Chinese yuan, Government, Government spending, Li Keqiang, politics

16/04/2013

* Central authority fails to face up to surge in emigration

Given that China has 1.3 billion people and there are over 1 million millionaires – according to Huran survey, does it matter that some successful people are emigrating? All it will do is open the way for the ‘next level’ to step up and be successful too.

See – http://business.financialpost.com/2012/08/01/meet-the-average-chinese-millionaire-39-plays-golf-and-owns-an-ipad/

Why So Many of China’s Rich Still Have Emigration on Their Mind (tealeafnation.com)

Posted in China alert, Economics, emigration, Politics | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Asia, Business and Economy, Chinese emigration, Overseas Chinese

16/04/2013

* Henan villagers ‘beaten up by hundreds of rail workers’ over land dispute

SCMP: “Villagers in central China’s Henan province who were protesting a land grab in Huangchuan county said they were beaten up by hundreds of employees from the China Railway 13th Bureau at the weekend.

The villagers were demonstrating against the bureau, which planned to build a new railway line. They said they were “indiscriminately” attacked on Sunday morning by more than 300 uniformed construction workers with metre-long sticks, news portal Dahe.cn reported on Monday.

The protesters said the attackers spoke in northeastern Chinese accents and destroyed 30 mobile phones of those who had tried to film the incident. A villager’s car was also smashed up.

Police were called in but were “forced to turn back” by the 300 workers, the report said.

More than 10 people were injured and two were still in hospital on Monday.

The land dispute arose after villagers tried to prevent the bureau from acquiring the land for a new line for the Nanjing-Xian Railway. Villagers said the compensation offered to them was too low.

The China Railway 13th Bureau is a large state-owned construction enterprise and subsidiary of the China Railway Construction Corporation. Prior to 1948, it was part of the People’s Liberation Army Railway Corps No 3 Division.”

via Henan villagers ‘beaten up by hundreds of rail workers’ over land dispute | South China Morning Post.

China Railways – General (javmode.wordpress.com)
* China scraps railways ministry in streamlining drive (chindia-alert.org)
China ex-rail minister charged with graft (news.com.au)

Posted in China alert, Construction, Economics, Illegal practices, Infrastructure, land grab, railways, Rule of law, Transport | Leave a Comment »

Tags: China, China Railway Construction Corporation, Henan, Trains and Railroads, transportation

16/04/2013

* China’s freeway to North Korea: A road to nowhere

Reuters: “A new stretch of China’s G12 expressway arcs toward the northernmost tip of North Korea, connecting one of the world’s most vibrant economies to probably its most stagnant. It is a symbol of China’s long-term goal of building economic ties with its unpredictable neighbor.

A woman stands in a gift shop in central Rason city, part of the special economic zone northeast of Pyongyang, in this August 30, 2011 file photo. REUTERS-Carlos Barria-Files

But the thin traffic along a highway lined with fallow fields in China’s Jilin province, two years after it was finished, shows how far there is to go and why plans for high-speed rail links to Chinese cities along the border look misplaced.

The problem for Beijing is twofold: getting Pyongyang to buy into the idea of economic reform and the reluctance of Chinese businessmen to venture into one of the world’s riskiest investment destinations.

While China is frustrated with Pyongyang over its threats to wage war on South Korea and the United States, its efforts to build economic links with North Korea from places like Jilin help explain why Beijing is unlikely to crack down hard on the reclusive state.

Since then-Premier Wen Jiabao went to North Korea in 2009 – just months after Pyongyang’s second nuclear test – China has sought to stabilize the Korean peninsula by stepping up its effort to steer the North toward economic reform. China is not about to give up that goal even though it’s under U.S. pressure to get tough after North Korea’s third nuclear test, on February 12.

“It’s not even shepherding anymore. It’s more of just inundating North Korea with all of these influences from the Chinese side where the idea is to essentially corrupt them, show them what it tastes like to make money,” said John Park, a North Korea expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Harvard Kennedy School.”

via Insight: China’s freeway to North Korea: A road to nowhere | Reuters.

Chinese boarder travel agencies halt tours to North Korea (fmnnow.com)

Posted in China alert, Economics, GeoPolitics, Politics | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Beijing, China, Jilin, jilin province, North Korea, Pyongyang, South Korea

16/04/2013

* China, India, Singapore could join new Arctic Circle forum

Reuters: “China, India, Singapore and other countries far from the Arctic Circle could be part of a new global forum to widen the discussion about the fate of the planet’s Far North, Iceland President Olafur Grimsson said on Monday.

Map of the Arctic with the Arctic Circle in blue. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The non-profit forum, Arctic Circle, will hold its first meeting in Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital, in October.

Such a gathering is needed, Grimsson said, because, while most countries have a stake in the melting of Arctic ice, only eight – Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States – are members of the Arctic Council, an intergovernmental group set up in 1996.

Some non-Arctic countries can observe the deliberations, but they have no formal voice on the Council about sustainable development and environmental protection in the region.

The Icelandic leader said he had discussions about the Arctic this year with officials from China, India and Singapore. The first agenda item of these discussions was when these countries would get a seat on the Arctic Council.

The Arctic Circle forum will be “an open, democratic tent where everybody who wants to participate will actually be welcome,” Grimsson said at an event at the National Press Club.

He said concerned citizens, representatives of non-governmental organizations, scientists, researchers can join governments and corporations to be part of this discussion.

And while it may take a while for the Arctic Council to decide which countries might become permanent observers at its meetings, these same countries can send representatives to the Arctic Circle to make the case for inclusion.

He also mentioned that China and Iceland announced a new free trade agreement on Monday.

Arctic sea ice is a key indicator of climate change and a powerful global weather-maker. Last year, Arctic sea ice melted to its lowest levels on record, authorities have said.

Besides making global sea levels rise and influencing world weather, the ice melt means new water routes are opening between Europe, Asia and North America, a trend that will have a profound impact on global shipping.

Last year, as summer sea ice shrank, the first Chinese icebreaker made the trip from Shanghai to Iceland via the Northern Sea Route along the Russian coast.

By mid-century, the quickest way to get goods from Asia to the U.S. East Coast might well be right over the North Pole, according to a University of California-Los Angeles study.”

via China, India, Singapore could join new Arctic Circle forum | Reuters.

No European Union Membership In The Arctic Council – OpEd (albanytribune.com)

Posted in China alert, Chindia Alert, Economics, GeoPolitics, India alert, Politics | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Arctic, Arctic Circle, Arctic Council, arctic sea ice, China, climate, environment, Iceland, North Pole, reykjavik iceland, Singapore

16/04/2013

* 10 Maoists killed in encounter on Andhra, Chhattigarh border: Police

Times of India: “At least 10 Maoists were killed in a gun battle between security forces and the rebels in Kanchal forests close to the inter-state border of Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in tribal Bastar region on Tuesday morning, police said.

Maoist rebels train with guns in Chhattisgarh

Preliminary reports said a joint team of Greyhounds-the elite commando force of Andhra Pradesh-and Chhattisgarh police had a fierce encounter for three hours between 0400 and 0700 hours under Pamed police station area in Bijapur district. Security forces claimed that they have gunned down 10 rebels during the encounter in which a large number of rebels were injured.

It’s not immediately known whether the bodies of slain rebels were recovered by the forces as the Maoists usually take away the bodies of their demand comrades. However, police said they have recovered arms and ammunitions, including INSAS and .303 rifles, from the encounter spot.”

via 10 Maoists killed in encounter on Andhra, Chhattigarh border: Police – The Times of India.

Maoist who was freed after Collector abduction, arrested (thehindu.com)
Condemn the cold blooded killing of ten Maoist cadres in a joint covert operation by the police and TPC in Chatra, Jharkhand! (democracyandclasstruggle.blogspot.com)
Dramatic events precede arrest of Maoist leader (thehindu.com)

Posted in Dissident, Freedom, Human rights, India alert, Inequalities, Instability, Insurgency, Politics, terrorism, unrest | 1 Comment »

Tags: Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, India, Maoism, Maoist

16/04/2013

* China issues white paper on national defense

China Daily: “China on Tuesday issued a white paper on national defense elaborating its new security concept and peacetime employment of armed forces.

Members of the People's Liberation Army guard of honour, 15 April 2013

The document, the eighth of its kind issued by the Chinese government since 1998, says China advocates a new security concept featuring mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality and coordination, and pursues comprehensive security, common security and cooperative security.

“China will never seek hegemony or behave in a hegemonic manner, nor will it engage in military expansion,” the white paper says.

According to the document, China will build a strong national defense and powerful armed forces which are “commensurate with China’s international standing and meet the needs of its security and development interests.”

The paper warns that China still faces multiple and complicated security threats and challenges.

The issues of subsistence and development security and traditional and non-traditional threats to security are interwoven, the document says.

“Therefore China has an arduous task to safeguard its national unification, territorial integrity and development interests,” it says.

The paper elaborates on the country’s diversified employment of the armed forces in peaceful times, saying that it responds to China’s core security needs and aims to maintain peace, contain crises and win wars.

Chinese armed forces are employed to safeguard borders, coastal and territorial air security and they will strengthen combat-readiness and combat-oriented exercises and drills, it says.

And they will readily respond to and resolutely deter any provocative action which undermines China’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity.

Transparency move

In this paper, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) for the first time reveals the actual number of army, navy and air force servicemen, designations of its army combined corps and the main missile lineup.

China now has about 850,000 army servicemen in 18 combined corps and additional independent combined operational divisions (brigades), according to the paper.

The combined corps, composed of divisions and brigades, are respectively under seven military area commands.

Currently, the PLA Navy has a total strength of 235,000 officers and men, and commands three fleets — the Beihai Fleet, the Donghai Fleet and the Nanhai Fleet.

The PLA Air Force now has about 398,000 officers and men and an air command in each of the seven military area commands of Shenyang, Beijing, Lanzhou, Jinan, Nanjing, Guangzhou and Chengdu. In addition, it boasts one airborne corps.

The PLA Second Artillery Force, the country’s core force for strategic deterrence, is composed of nuclear and conventional missile forces and operational support units, according to the paper.

It is equipped with a series of “Dong Feng” ballistic missiles and “Chang Jian” cruise missiles.

It also has under its command missile bases, training bases, specialized support units, academies and research institutions.”

via China issues white paper on national defense |Politics |chinadaily.com.cn.

Posted in China alert, Defence, Military, peace keeping, Politics, Territorial dispute, terrorism, Transparency, war | 1 Comment »

Tags: Beijing, China, Military, People's Liberation Army, People's Liberation Army Navy, United States

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* Ladakh incursion: India and China face-off at the ‘Gate of Hell’

* Supreme Court criticizes official bureaucracy

* Govt vows to further curb public spending

* Central authority fails to face up to surge in emigration

* Henan villagers ‘beaten up by hundreds of rail workers’ over land dispute

* China’s freeway to North Korea: A road to nowhere

* China, India, Singapore could join new Arctic Circle forum

* 10 Maoists killed in encounter on Andhra, Chhattigarh border: Police

* China issues white paper on national defense

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