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.
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India’s election commission issued a notice asking political parties not to use images of the country’s armed forces in their campaign posters and other advertising during its upcoming general election.
The notice followed pictures posted to social media recently showing the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party used images in their campaign posters of a captured Indian Air Force pilot recently returned by Pakistan after a clash with India over the disputed Kashmir territory.
The Election Commission said in a notice on its website on Saturday that political parties must refrain from using photographs of defence personnel in advertisements or their election campaign propaganda as the armed forces are “apolitical and neutral stakeholders in a modern democracy.”
The commission cited a 2013 order that said photographs of defence personnel should not be used “in any manner in advertisement/propaganda/campaigning or in any another other manner in connections with elections by political parties and candidates.”
It called for “strict compliance” with the order.
The pilot, Abhinandan Varthaman, was shot down on Feb. 27 by Pakistani aircraft during clashes between the two nuclear-armed powers that began after a terror attack last month in Kashmir that killed 40 Indian paramilitary police.
India blamed Pakistan for the attack and harbouring the militants that claimed responsibility for the attack. Pakistan denies the charges.
India later attacked a site inside Pakistan it claimed was a militant training camp. That triggered aerial clashes that led to Varthaman’s capture. Pakistan released him last week as a peace gesture.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed his release and claimed the clashes with Pakistan were an Indian victory. Nationalistic passions in India have risen since the terror attack.
Recent social media posts showed a campaign poster on a billboard in Indian capital of New Delhi with Varthaman’s face alongside Modi’s, along with the words: “If Modi is in power, it is possible! NaMo again 2019!” NaMo is an acronym for Modi.
Later on Sunday, the Election Commission is due to announce the polling schedule for the upcoming general election, which will be the world’s biggest democratic exercise.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday praised the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) for playing a major role in ensuring the security of the country’s national assets.
SNS Web | New Delhi | March 10, 2019 2:18 pm
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday praised the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) for playing a major role in ensuring the security of the country’s national assets.
At the 50th Raising Day ceremony of the central armed police force, the PM pointed at the threat from Pakistan.
“Enough is enough,” he said, while referring to the terror attacks in Pulwama and Uri, adding, “We cannot keep suffering till eternity.”
The PM said that protecting nation is a challenging thing because of the hostile neighbour.
“Your achievement is important because when neighbour is hostile, incapable to fight war, conspiracies to hit the nation internally find a safe haven there, and terrorism shows its face in different forms then protecting the nation becomes challenging,” said the PM.
He acknowledged that providing security to establishments where lakhs of people come daily is a task that is incomparable to any.
“The task of providing security to an establishment where over 30 lakh people come daily and every face is different is far more than security to a VIP,” he said at the golden jubilee ceremony in Indirapuram in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad.
The PM added that there was a need to spread awareness among the public regarding the security aspect.
“There is a need to educate the citizens because if they do not cooperate then the task of CISF becomes even more difficult,” he said.
Recalling the services of the CISF in the rescue efforts following the Kerala floods, the PM said that the force has given an invaluable contribution in tackling natural calamities and humanitarian crises in India and abroad.
“Your contribution in natural calamities is praiseworthy. You saved the lives of thousands in the recent Kerala floods,” he said, adding, “CISF has also played its role whenever humanity has come under threat in the world.”
Before addressing the CISF personnel, the PM laid a wreath at the Martyr’s Memorial.
He also reviewed the parade of the CISF and presented the Police and Fire Service Medals for distinguished and meritorious services.
The event was attended by Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh, Ministers of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju and Hansraj Gangaram Ahir.
Raised in 1969, the CISF has currently over 1.5 lakh personnel who provide security to vital installations of the country, including 61 airports, seaports, Delhi Metro and various state-owned industries.
FUZHOU, March 9 (Xinhua) — Youth-led startups in cultural and creative industries are adding new vitality to economic development in Quanzhou, a city which is more than 1,700 years old and has been a crucial hub of global maritime commerce for centuries.
In an active commercial area in urban Quanzhou, Fujian Province, one can hardly imagine a finely refurbished cluster of buildings — accommodating more than 6,000 young people with creative ideas — were once deserted plants built in the 1980s and 1990s.
“It was like an area totally forgotten by the city that was developing so well,” Zhang Shunan, one of the developers, recalled his amazement when he encountered the industrial heritage with some friends ten years ago. “We wanted to add value to it in the city’s economic growth process.”
With support from the local government, Zhang and his two friends led a group of young people to transform the space into a cultural and creative industrial park, known as Live SHOW Wonderland.
“Quanzhou has a strong base in the manufacturing industry, with many national brands and listed enterprises. But youth-led startups in the service industry have not sufficiently matched the city’s development,” said Zhang.
“We see this gap as an opportunity,” he said. “We want to gather them to play a role in the city’s industrial development.”
Zhang and his team founded Live Show Culture & Tourism Development Group, to take charge of the park’s management.
“We provide them with various support and services, such as helping enterprises deal with the government and other industries, and organize seminars and forums on entrepreneurship and creative industries,” said Wu Fong-yu, general manager of Live SHOW Wonderland.
Many startups draw inspiration from Quanzhou’s history and culture and provide services to enhance the city’s charm.
Quanzhou Film and Picture Center in the park is equipped with advanced studios and technologies to integrate the city’s images, catering to governmental and corporate needs to produce promotional videos.
“Quanzhou is a city of entrepreneurship,” said Wu, who was encouraged by the spirit of young urbanites. “Young people here act fast and have a strong will to cooperate.”
Yang Shufen, an illustrator who had been working for companies since she graduated, finally has her own studio and a chance to realize her dream.
“I’ve always wanted to integrate my paintings with local cultural elements into gadgets for daily use,” she said with a smile, hands softly stroking colorful silk scarves hanging in the studio. “Quanzhou embraces open ideas and has a long tradition of business engagement. Young people are brave enough to explore new things, but their minds are deeply attached to their hometown.”
WASHINGTON, March 8 (Xinhua) — The Chinese Embassy in Washington D.C. will hold a celebration marking the 40th anniversary of sister city relationships between Chinese and U.S. cities, it said in a statement Friday.
Officials of U.S. states, cities, and towns that have sister city ties with their Chinese counterparts are expected to join the celebration on Wednesday, which will be co-hosted by both the Chinese embassy and Sister Cities International (SCI), a non-profit organization that promotes local level ties between the United States and other countries.
The event would also celebrate the 40th anniversary of the China-U.S. diplomatic relations, the embassy’s statement said.
BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) — China will expand the mixed ownership reform to more than 100 state-owned enterprises (SOEs), an official with the country’s state-asset regulator said Saturday.
“There will be more than 100 SOEs in the fourth batch of mixed ownership reform, which will be pushed ahead in key areas,” Xiao Yaqing, head of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, said at a press conference on the sidelines of the annual legislative session.
Since 2016, China has selected 50 SOEs in three batches to conduct the pilot reform in fields including power, energy, civil aviation, telecommunications, and defence.
The first three batches have done a good job in exploring and experimenting with the means, equity ratio and governance structure of mixed ownership, Xiao said.
Next, China will create a sound environment for the reform so that enterprises of all kinds of ownership can realize integrated and common development, he added.
Researchers say they spend so much time on grant applications that they get no time to do science
Funding applications are said to be too onerous and inflexible
Chinese scientists say funding applications are too onerous and restrictive. Photo: Xinhua
Chinese scientists are appealing for a bigger say over research funding as they buckle under a rigid and bureaucratic application system.
The appeal from delegates to the country’s peak advisory body, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, comes as the central government prepares to launch a pilot project that will give research teams greater flexibility in the way funds are used.
Despite slowing economic growth, the central government also plans to increase the budget for science and technology by 13.4 per cent this year to 354.31 billion yuan (US$52.7 billion) as Beijing tries to challenge the United States in the race for high technology.
But researchers have been hampered by a funding structure that demands they clearly state the use of their research and submit a detailed plan with a deadline for delivery of results.
Application rules have become stricter in the last few years, partly a result of a crackdown on corruption, which has led to a dozen university presidents and top scientists being arrested for embezzling research and infrastructure funding.
Chinese science minister warns scientists not to overstep ethical bounds after He Jiankui’s gene-edited babies scandal
CPPCC delegate Yuan Zhiming, an agricultural scientist from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Wuhan, said he spent so much time filling out funding applications that he did not have time to do any research.
“It’s not easy to complete the budget with detailed outcomes, because I don’t already know my research results,” Yuan said in an open panel discussion on the sidelines of the CPPCC.
Wang Liming, a CPPCC delegate from China National Nuclear Corporation, agreed, saying funding applications were too onerous and inflexible. “Money earmarked for buying soy sauce cannot be used to buy vinegar,” he joked.
People’s Daily, the Communist Party’s mouthpiece, reported in December 2016 that it took a scientist a month to finish an annual report for a regular research project and much longer for a major one.
The fears about more bureaucracy in research intensified last year when the National Natural Science Foundation – which manages science funding and promotes research – was downgraded and put under the Ministry of Science and Technology.
The authorities said the change was aimed at strengthening the government’s “research-driven development strategy” and “optimising the distribution of funding on science and technology”, while scientists said it meant funding approval would be more stringent.
China’s science and tech minister calls on private enterprises to develop ‘core technologies’
But senior Chinese officials said they understood the need to speed up research for China to transform itself into an innovation powerhouse.
Science and Technology Minister Wang Zhigang said on Friday that China would overhaul the way funding was managed to give researchers more incentives.
“The ministry [of science and technology] has done a series of things to ease the burden on researchers, so that they will not be bothered by forms, reimbursements, titles and prizes and have more time to do real research,” Wang said.
“The upcoming reforms will be centred on how to ignite researchers’ enthusiasm, initiative and creativity.”
Even though officials have sounded more positive about negotiations with the US recently, failure to achieve a deal would see tariffs on $200bn (£152bn) of Chinese goods rise almost immediately and could see the US impose fresh tariffs.
Still, Mr Evans-Pritchard said “broader weakness in global demand means that, even if Trump and Xi finalise a trade deal soon, the outlook for exports remains gloomy.”
HANOI (Reuters) – Vietnam is seeking clarification of how a fishing boat came to sink this week in the contested South China Sea, the Foreign Ministry said on Saturday, days after a local rescue agency said it was rammed by a Chinese vessel.
Vietnam and China have long been embroiled in maritime disputes in the potentially energy-rich stretch of water, called East Sea by Vietnam.
The boat sank on Wednesday near Da Loi island in the Paracel Archipelago, the ministry said in an emailed statement. It said all five fishermen on board were rescued by another Vietnamese fishing boat.
“Vietnamese authorities are continuing to clarify the cause of the incident,” the ministry said, without elaborating.
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESImage captionThe blast occurred at a busy bus station in Jammu city
Indian police have arrested an alleged member of the Hizbul Mujahideen militant group after a grenade attack killed at least two people and injured more than 30 others.
The attack took place on Thursday in a bus station in the Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Last month a suicide attack against security forces triggered cross-border air strikes between India and Pakistan.
Hizbul Mujahideen has said it was not behind Thursday’s attack.
But police told BBC Urdu that the accused, Yasir Javed Bhat, had confessed. He is a Kashmiri and reported to be in his 20s.
“He revealed that he was tasked with throwing the grenade by Farooq Ahmed Bhat, a district commander of Hizbul Mujahideen in Kulgam district,” inspector general Manish Kumar Sinha said.
Mr Sinha added that they were gathering more intelligence on Yasir.
Hizbul Mujahideen was formed in 1989 when an armed insurgency against Indian rule first broke out in the valley. It was the largest Kashmiri militant group through the 1990s and is considered to be pro-Pakistani.
India has blamed Pakistan for supporting militancy in the region – a charge Islamabad denies.
Image copyrightREUTERSImage captionPakistan PM Imran Khan said Pakistan was not behind the suicide attack in February
This has long been a source of tension between the nuclear-armed neighbours as groups based in Pakistan have carried out deadly attacks on Indian soil. The suicide attack last month killed more than 40 central reserve policemen in Indian-administered Kashmir.
Tensions between the two sides escalated quickly. India carried out air strikes against what it said was a militant camp based in Pakistan and the latter retaliated with air raids of its own.
An Indian fighter jet was shot down in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and the pilot was captured. Two days later, Pakistan handed over the pilot to Indian officials establishing a fragile truce.
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India said on Saturday Pakistan had “plenty to hide” by preventing journalists from accessing the site of an air strike by Indian fighter jets inside Pakistan.
Citing “security concerns”, Pakistani security officials on Thursday barred a Reuters team from climbing a hill in northeastern Pakistan to the site of a madrasa, or religious school, and a group of surrounding buildings that was targeted by Indian warplanes last week.
“The fact that Pakistan has now refused access to journalists from visiting the site means that they have plenty to hide,” Indian foreign ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar told reporters.
He reiterated the government’s stand that India’s air strikes were “successful and achieved the desired objectives”, after being asked about a Reuters report that said high-resolution satellite images reviewed by Reuters showed that the madrasa appeared to be still standing.
CHINDIA ALERT: You'll be living in their world, very soon 