Archive for ‘Politics’

21/02/2012

* Chinese VP arrives in Turkey for official visit

extracted from Xinhua: “Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping arrived here Monday evening for an official visit to Turkey at the invitation of Turkish President Abdullah Gul.

“The main purpose of my visit is to deepen mutual understanding and the traditional friendship between our two peoples, and boost the friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Turkey in a variety of fields so as to better benefit the two countries and the two peoples,” Xi said in a written speech upon his arrival.

“We are pleased to see the continuous development in bilateral cooperation in the political, economic, cultural and other fields since China and Turkey established diplomatic relations in 1971,” the Chinese leader noted.

During his stay, Xi will meet separately with Turkish President Abdullah Gul, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Parliament Speaker Cemil Cicek.

Turkey is the last leg of Xi’s three-nation tour, which has already taken him to the United States and Ireland.”

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2012-02/21/c_131421272.htm

Curiously, the trip by the president-in-waiting consisted of the US, Ireland and Turkey. One can only surmise that China believes it is already in close enough touch with the leading countries and wanted to take the opportunity of the return trip to include two secondary, but none-the-less important countries. Ireland because of its capability to host foreign companies at lower-than -average corporate taxes; and Turkey, a secular Muslim country on the border of Arab-stan weilding increasing influence in the Middle East.

20/02/2012

* What a politician has to do to raise profile! Chinese VP Xi plays Irish sports.

On his visit to Ireland Chinese ‘president-in-waiting’ Xi has to try his hand at hurling and Gaelic football, as well as swill down Irish coffee. And no one in Ireland is expected to vote for him (nor any of the Chinese citizens either, for that matter).

http://photos.independent.ie/gallery/Xi_Jinping%27s_visit_to_Ireland/slideshow/Chinese_Vice_President_Xi_Jinping_%28C%29_tries_his_hand_at_the_traditional_Irish_game_of_hurling/0dMUbKN8IZcxS

20/02/2012

* China offers to broker Palestine-Israel talks

Xinhua: “Chinese Middle East envoy Wu Sike said Sunday that China is willing to play a constructive role in bringing Israel and the Palestinians back to peace negotiations.

Wu, on a visit to the region, met with Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Yitzhak Molcho, head of Israel’s negotiating team to the Amman exploratory talks with Palestinians earlier this year.

Wu noted that Israeli-Palestinian peace process should remain the focus in the Middle East, despite latest changes of international or regional situation.

China welcomes and supports recent meetings between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority, in an effort to restart long- stalled talks, the Chinese envoy said, adding that his government hopes both sides show enough flexibility and create a favorable environment to resume peace negotiations.

Wu also discussed Syrian issue with Lieberman. Negotiation was the only way to solve the crisis in the Middle East, he noted.”

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2012-02/21/c_131421297.htm

18/02/2012

* 30% of Indian MPs have criminal charges and every MP under 30 ‘inherited’ seat;

Telegraph, June 2009: “A total of 153 of the 543 politicians elected in the biggest democratic election history have criminal cases pending, including nine ministers, according to a study by two non-governmental organisations, the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch (NEW)

… there is a possibility that some of the charges were brought by political opponents …”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/5422967/One-third-of-Indian-MPs-have-criminal-charges-filed-against-them.html

Patrick French, in researching for his book  ‘India: A Portrait’, found that every Indian MP under 30 has in effect ‘inherited’ a seat from a family member. Not quite as non-representative as the composition of the Chinese people’s national assembly, but …

17/02/2012

* Death sentence for ex-tycoon fuels debate over private lending, and over capital punishment

China Daily: “Death sentence for ex-tycoon fuels debate over private lending, report Li Jing and He Na in Beijing, and Xu Junqian in Zhejiang.

Wu Ying used to be one of the richest women in China. Today the former billionaire is on death row.

In the eyes of many people, particularly the judge who threw out her appeal last month, Wu is a fraudster who swindled her friends and business partners out of 770 million yuan ($122 million).

Yet, others oppose the sentence and say her case highlights a major issue in China: the reliance among small- and medium-sized enterprises on high-interest loans from private lenders.

From loan sharks and underground banks to pawnshops and auction houses, the private lending chain is huge and diverse, according to economists, who blame the situation largely on the struggles experienced by entrepreneurs in getting startup funds through authorized channels.

After 30 years of ongoing reforms, experts are now adding their voices to calls for China’s financial sector to be opened up even further.”

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2012-02/14/content_14597676.htm

China has reduced the list of crimes for which capital punishment applies from 68 to 55. Even so, many of these are for economic crimes, reminescent of the times (18th century)when European countries would execute or deport these criminals (eg Jean Val Jean of Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables and Mr Micawber of Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield). Crime and punishment is cultural. Hence in some Muslin countries adulterers can be stoned to death (or at least the female partner can).

In my personal opinion it is also a facet of developing human consciousnes: the more ‘enlightened’ a society is the less likely will it favour capital punishment.

14/02/2012

* Leader-in-waiting makes four-point proposal on US visit

Abbreviated from Xinhua: “Visiting Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping here on Monday called on the U.S. side not to let its presidential elections negatively affect the development of Sino-U.S. ties, during a meeting with several former senior U.S. officials.

Xi made a four-point proposal on how to enhance the Sino-U.S. relationship.

Firstly, he said, the two sides should regard history as a mirror.

Secondly, he said both sides should adopt a long-term perspective.

Thirdly, he said, the two sides should respect each other and build mutual trust.

Fourthly, the two sides should achieve mutual benefits and win-win results, he said.

“We should deal with friction and differences in bilateral economic and trade cooperation in the spirit of seeking mutual benefits and win-win results through a positive and constructive way,” Xi said.”

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2012-02/14/c_131409436.htm

12/02/2012

* Panda diplomacy strikes again – for Canada

Huff Post: “Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper wrapped up a visit to China aimed at boosting oil sales by announcing Saturday that Beijing will lend two of the country’s prized giant pandas to Canadian zoos.

Harper visited a zoo in the southwestern city of Chongqing to say that the Chinese government is loaning the panda pair to Canada for the next 10 years, Harper’s press secretary Carl Vallee said.

The pandas are expected to arrive in Canada early next year and will go to the Toronto and Calgary zoos for five years each. The giant panda is unique to China and is regularly sent abroad as a sign of warm diplomatic relations or to mark breakthroughs in ties.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/11/canada-pandas-china_n_1270742.html

11/02/2012

* India acting contrary

Within weeks, India has taken actions that could be interpreted as re-asserting its non-aligned status:

– Sending a large trade delegation to Iran

– Telling Britain that it’s aid is not needed

– Supporting un-elected Maldives regime

– Buying French fighter rather than Euro-fighter.

As there are no national elections imminent, it is not clear to which audience India is playing.

09/02/2012

* Chinese vice premier urges harsh punishments for food safety violations

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

09/02/2012

* Playing down irritants, India and China call for new, ‘flexible’ approach to ties

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

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