Switzerland

• Experts hail cultural development in China's Tibet in Geneva (Global Times)
• President Xi appoints 6 new ambassadors (Xinhua)

Foreign Policy

• 11 nations sign Trans-Pacific trade pact as Trump imposes steel and aluminium tariffs (SCMP)
• 'No back-room deals, everything is transparent': China defends belt and road investments (SCMP)
• Beijing accuses 'external powers' of flexing muscles in South China Sea after US carrier docks in Vietnam (SCMP)
• US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says African countries should weigh Chinese loans 'carefully' as he begins five-nation tour (SCMP)
• China denies trying to supplant US role in global affairs (SCMP)
• Bangladeshi president hopes for new high in Bangladesh-China ties (Xinhua)
• Chinese army has right to build at Sino-Indian border: analyst (Global Times)
• Diaoyu Islands belong to China despite new Japanese guideline: FM (Xinhua)
• 'Lack of transparency': US snipes at China's defence budget boost (SCMP)
• Major business lobby warns against "protectionism" of Aussie foreign transparency scheme (Xinhua)
• Beijing-Vatican agreement 'a good thing,' says bishop (Global Times)

Domestic Policy

• Highlights of Supreme People's Procuratorate work report (China Daily)
• Chinese leaders underline rural vitalization, high-quality development (Xinhua)
• Draft constitutional amendment revised for further review (Xinhua)
• Highlights of Chinese foreign minister's press conference (Xinhua)
• Proposed amendment to CPPCC charter unveiled (Xinhua)
• NPC military deputies call for investment in training of border staff (Global Times)
• Pop star Wanting Qu issues update on mother's death-penalty case, declaring Chinese law 'perfect and righteous' (SCMP)
• Tibetan man dies in self-immolation protest in China's Sichuan province, group says (SCMP)
• After #MeToo success, Chinese rights activists urge lawmakers to join the fight against sexual harassment (SCMP)
• Corruption surveillance to triple as China's new anti-graft agency tightens screws (SCMP)
• Islamic group hails Ningxia's progress on Muslim rights (Global Times)
• China claims move to scrap presidential term limit has wide support (SCMP)
• Highlights of Chinese Premier's government work report (Xinhua)
• China's party system is great contribution to political civilization: Xi (Xinhua)
• Presidium elected, agenda set for China's annual legislative session (Xinhua)

Tibet

• Tibetan GDP grows more than 10 percent for 25th consecutive year (Global Times)
• Shunning Dalai Lama helps heal Sino-Indian relations (Global Times)

Xinjiang

• China's latest satellite tech helps police fight against drugs, terrorism in Xinjiang (Global Times)

Hongkong

• HK party calls for new ID system (China Daily)

Taiwan

• How telecom fraud is piling even more strain on Taiwan-Beijing ties (SCMP)
• Taiwan authorities urged to return to 1992 Consensus as soon as possible (Xinhua)
• Taipei faces brain drain as Beijing dangles 'equal status' offers (SCMP)

DPRK

• Trump has agreed to meet DPRK leader Kim by May (China Daily)
• Nuclear crisis at 'crucial moment' for US-North Korea talks, Chinese minister says (SCMP)
• South Korea's spy chief in high level delegation to visit Pyongyang on Monday (SCMP)

Mongolia

• Intergovernmental agreement signed with Turkey (Montsame)
• Cabinet meeting in brief (Montsame)

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Experts hail cultural development in China's Tibet in Geneva (Global Times)
2018-03-08
Experts on Wednesday expounded efforts and achievements in the cultural development in China's Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) during an event on the sidelines of the 37th session of the UN Human Rights Council here. The event held at the building of the United Nations office at Geneva was sponsored by the non-governmental organization China Society for Human Rights Studies. More than 60 experts, government officials, representatives from international and non-governmental organizations as well as media reporters took part in the symposium titled "Protection and Development of Tibet Culture." Zheng Dui, director-general of the China Tibetology Research Center, told participants that both the local TAR and Chinese central governments deem the traditional Tibetan culture as an important component of the traditional Chinese culture, and have provided effective preservation for its varied heritages. For example, he said, it took 20 years and more than 100 Tibetan language experts to accomplish the collation and publication of Kangyur and Tengyur, or the Tibetan-language Buddhist scriptures Tripitaka, a project funded mainly by the central government. "Tibetan culture is an important part of Chinese culture," Zheng said, adding that inheriting and developing it helps promote the human culture. Meanwhile, Zheng noted the study and use of the Tibetan language in TAR schools, as well as the central government's efforts to boost education and academic research in Tibet, including the founding of Tibet University, Tibetan Traditional Medicine College and Tibet Academy of Social Sciences. Answering question on the freedom of religious belief in Tibet, Zheng said it is "obvious" in the everyday sight of prayer flags almost everywhere and praying walks often in size as massive as of several hundred people. China's central government has been subsidizing the livelihood of Tibetan monks and nuns, and funding the maintenance of Tibetan temples since the 1980s, he added. Jinmei Wangcuo, secretary-general of the Tibet Association For International Cultural Exchange, said there are today more than 1,700 religious facilities in Tibet, one for every 1,800 Tibetans in average; and there are currently some 46,000 registered monks and nuns, one in every 70 Tibetans. He said that as a native Tibetan, he witnessed and experienced the remarkable progress made in Tibet, "seen in both the protection of traditions and the development achievements," thanks to government policies fitting Tibet's realities. Zha Luo, a researcher from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said great importance has been attached to highlighting the traditional Tibetan culture in local education, such as in school textbooks and Tibet University's subjects. Tibetan children from the families of farmers, herdsmen or the urban poor can enjoy 15 years of free education through high school, a welfare "unimaginable by the former generations" in Tibet, he added. Kelsang Droma, a researcher from the China Tibetology Research Center, said that thanks to Tibet's cultural development strategy, "currently there are 4,680 various cultural enterprises in Tibet, employing 32,000 people; and the contribution of the cultural industry to local economy is becoming increasingly prominent," now boasting a growth above the national level. ^ top ^

President Xi appoints 6 new ambassadors (Xinhua)
2018-03-05
Chinese President Xi Jinping has appointed six new ambassadors in accordance with a decision by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, according to a statement by the national legislature Monday. Yu Jianhua was appointed China's permanent representative and ambassador to the United Nations Office at Geneva and other international organizations in Switzerland, replacing Ma Zhaoxu. Ma Zhaoxu was appointed China's permanent representative and ambassador to the United Nations, replacing Liu Jieyi. Zhang Zuo was appointed ambassador to Bangladesh, replacing Ma Mingqiang. Jiang Yan was appointed ambassador to Uzbekistan, replacing Sun Lijie. Shen Zhifei was appointed ambassador to Lithuania, replacing Wei Ruixing. Jin Zhijian was appointed ambassador to Iceland, replacing Zhang Weidong. ^ top ^

11 nations sign Trans-Pacific trade pact as Trump imposes steel and aluminium tariffs (SCMP)
2018-03-09
Trade ministers from 11 Pacific Rim countries signed a sweeping free trade agreement Thursday to streamline trade and slash tariffs just hours before President Donald Trump announced his plans to impose new tariffs on aluminum and steel to protect US producers. Trump withdrew the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership last year, causing fears that it would not prosper without its most influential country. But the remaining 11 members pressed ahead, saying they were showing resolve against protectionism through global trade. The ministers dropped key provisions that the Americans had required on protection of intellectual property, among others. The renegotiated pact signed in Chile's capital was also renamed the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership, or CPTPP. "Despite the diverse and difficult challenges, the CPTPP is a historic achievement that creates free and fair 21st century rules in the Asia-Pacific region," Japanese Economy Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said a news conference after the signing of the deal. The pact that covers 500 million people includes Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam, which together account for 13 per cent of the global economy. Its success highlights the isolation of the US under Trump's protectionist rhetoric on trade and his "America first" philosophy. "It leaves the US at a disadvantage from both a trade and a broader strategic perspective," said Joshua Meltzer, senior fellow in the global economy and development programme at the Brookings Institution. "It is now a trade bloc that discriminates against the US" Meltzer said the United States' ability to shape the rules of trade in the Asia-Pacific region "is very much diminished." The US, originally the biggest TPP economy, was one of the trade deal's strongest supporters before Trump took office. Trump has said he prefers country-to-country deals and is seeking to renegotiate several major trade agreements, including the North American Free Trade Agreement that includes the US, Mexico and Canada. This is "a strong sign against the protectionist pressures, and in favour of a world open to free trade, without unilateral sanctions and the threat of trade wars," Chilean Foreign Minister Heraldo Munoz said. The European Union said this week that it is ready to retaliate against Trump's tariffs – of 25 per cent on imported steel and 10 per cent on aluminum imports – with counter-measures against iconic US products like Harley-Davidson motorcycles, Levi's jeans and bourbon. The EU threat and Trump's impending announcement on the tariffs were expected to escalate the risk of a trade war, in which nations try to punish each other by hiking taxes on traded goods. Experts say that tends to harm both exporting nations as well as importing countries' consumers, who face higher costs. The EU considers itself to be caught in the crossfire of a trade dispute, in which Trump has mainly singled out China for being unfair in its commercial deals. The original TPP was conceived by the US as a counterweight to China's growing economic influence through a robust trading bloc that excluded the Asian giant. The thinking was that China would have an incentive to open its market and liberalise its policies in an effort to eventually qualify for TPP membership. "Without the United States, it doesn't serve that purpose," said Edward Alden, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. "It becomes a modest liberalisation measure." China's foreign minister, Wang Yi, commented Thursday on the deal before it was signed. "China did not participate in the CPTPP Agreement. However, China has always been a staunch supporter of trade liberalisation and an important participant in Asia-Pacific regional cooperation and economic integration," Wang Yi said at a news conference. "Of course, we also hope that the various free trade arrangements in the Asia-Pacific region will be able to communicate and coordinate with each other and form a benign interaction, playing a constructive role in their respective fields in resisting trade protectionism and building an open world economy." ^ top ^

'No back-room deals, everything is transparent': China defends belt and road investments (SCMP)
2018-03-09
Beijing on Thursday defended China's growing role along the new Silk Road and massive investment in Africa, rejecting concerns that its projects lacked transparency and exacerbated some of its partners' debt problems. Foreign Minister Wang Yi said projects under the "Belt and Road Initiative" – Beijing's flagship programme to boost infrastructure and trade links with nations from Asia to Africa – were needed by the nations involved. Wang gave several examples of belt and road projects with Chinese investment that had benefited foreign countries. Container volume had been ramped up at the Greek port of Piraeus, he said, since it was taken over by Cosco Shipping Ports and China Merchants Port Holdings. Meanwhile a steelmaker in Serbia had become profitable and 5,000 jobs had been saved after it was acquired by a Chinese firm, and energy projects in Pakistan were meeting local electricity needs thanks to Chinese investment. "All Belt and Road Initiative deals were made under bright sunlight … there were no back-room deals, everything is transparent," Wang said on the sidelines of the National People's Congress, China's legislature, in Beijing. "It is a transparent initiative that follows the golden rules of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits," he said. Through the sprawling strategy launched by President Xi Jinping in 2013, China hopes to extend its reach to the rest of the world with loans and investment in infrastructure building. But critics say the US$124 billion plan is a means for Beijing to expand its influence and power in foreign countries. Earlier this week, Washington-based think tank the Centre for Global Development rated as "junk", or below investment grade, the sovereign debt of 27 nations out of 68 listed as belt and road partners – suggesting that, as a key creditor, China should review its lending standards. It said the debt levels of eight countries could rise dramatically because of the initiative. Those countries are Pakistan, Laos, the Maldives, Mongolia, Montenegro, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Djibouti, where China has built its first overseas military base. Pakistan – home to Gwadar port, a key part of a trade corridor with China – faces a high debt risk, with China reportedly financing about 80 per cent of its US$62 billion worth of infrastructure and energy projects. But Wang said 80 countries and international organisations had signed belt and road agreements with China, and the projects provided momentum for their development. One of those is the Hinkley Point nuclear power plant in England, which Wang held up as "a model for cooperation in new hi-tech projects under the initiative". British Prime Minister Theresa May in 2016 delayed approving the power station because of security concerns stemming from the Chinese investment. Two months later it got the go-ahead on the condition that the British government would have more oversight of the project. Wang also defended Beijing's involvement in Africa, saying China was responding to the needs of its "African brothers and sisters", whose friendship with China was "unbreakable". "Africa is facing challenges of maintaining peace and stability, and of promoting development and revitalisation. In response to needs, China will step up mediation in regional flashpoints and cooperation with African countries on unconventional security threats such as terrorism, piracy and natural disaster, and help them build capacity to ensure their own peace and security," Wang said. China opened its first overseas military base in East African nation Djibouti last summer, with plans to send troops to fight terrorism in the war-torn region. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson criticised China on Tuesday ahead of his first state visit to five African nations, saying Chinese investment had the potential to improve Africa's infrastructure, but its approach had led to mounting debt while creating few jobs. But Wang said: "Be assured, no matter how the world may change, or what others might say, the profound friendship between China and Africa will remain unbreakable." ^ top ^

Beijing accuses 'external powers' of flexing muscles in South China Sea after US carrier docks in Vietnam (SCMP)
2018-03-08
China's foreign minister on Thursday took a veiled swipe at a US aircraft carrier's highly symbolic visit to a Vietnamese port, saying "external powers" were showing off their military muscle and creating a great disturbance in the South China Sea region. Speaking at a press conference in Beijing on the sidelines of the National People's Congress – the annual session of the country's ceremonial parliament – Wang Yi said also that China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations planned to hold at least three rounds of talks on a code of conduct for handling disputes in the South China Sea, though he avoided answering a question on whether such a code would be legally binding. The USS Carl Vinson arrived in Da Nang, Vietnam, on Monday, becoming the first aircraft carrier to dock in the country since the end of the Vietnam war in 1975. The visit was seen by some as a warning to Beijing over its military build-up in the region. "Now the major challenge is that there are certain external powers who are unwilling to accept the stability in the South China Sea and always want to stir up trouble," Wang said. "Sending a fully armed vessel and aircraft to show off its military powers in the South China Sea has become the greatest disturbance to the peace and stability in the South China Sea." The US aircraft carrier was accompanied on the port call by the guided missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain and destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer. The three ships had a combined crew of about 6,500 sailors and Marines. Meanwhile, a recent report by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a US think tank, said China has completed the construction of a large communications/sensor array on Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly Islands, which could be used for intelligence gathering. Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, through which about US$5 trillion worth of goods passes every year. And despite a landmark ruling in 2016 by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that said there was no legal basis for China's maritime claims, it has pressed ahead with island building in the disputed waterway. The Philippine Inquirer newspaper reported last month that China has almost finished transforming seven reefs in the Spratly Islands into military bastions, with ports, air strips, lighthouses, hangars and multistorey buildings. Despite the concerns over its rapid militarisation in the region, Wang said China remained steadfast in its commitment to maintaining peace and stability. "The basis of our handling of South China Sea issues is that … we are responsible for the Chinese people, we are responsible for the historical facts, we are responsible for peace in the region, and we are responsible for the international rule of law," he said. China has been Asean's biggest trading partner for the past nine years, with the value of bilateral trade reaching US$500 billion last year, Wang said. China would continue to build on its relations with Asean, with the focus on increasing cooperation on political and security issues, economics and trade, cultural exchanges, and the Mekong River, he said. ^ top ^

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says African countries should weigh Chinese loans 'carefully' as he begins five-nation tour (SCMP)
2018-03-07
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Thursday that African countries should weigh Chinese loans carefully, while adding that Washington was not trying to keep Chinese investment away from the continent. Tillerson, a former Exxon chief executive, is seeking to bolster security alliances on a continent increasingly turning to Beijing for aid and trade. He may also seek to smooth relations after US President Trump reportedly dismissed some African nations as "s**thole countries" in January. Trump later denied making the comment. "We are not in any way attempting to keep Chinese dollars from Africa," Tillerson told a news conference in the Ethiopian capital during his first diplomatic trip to the continent. "(But) it is important that African countries carefully consider the terms of those agreements and not forfeit their sovereignty." Though the United States is the leading donor of humanitarian aid to Africa, China surpassed the US to become Africa's largest trading partner in 2009. Beijing has pumped billions into infrastructure projects, though critics say there is often little upside for local economies because Chinese firms and labour build the roads and rails. Tillerson took that line on Thursday, saying that Chinese investments "do not bring significant job creation locally" and criticised how Beijing structures loans to African government. If a government accepts a Chinese loan and "gets into trouble", he said, it can "lose control of its own infrastructure or its own resources through default." He did not give examples. Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, visiting Zimbabwe on Thursday, said he did not think it was appropriate for Tillerson to criticise China's relationship with African countries. "It was not appropriate to criticise the relations of his hosts when he was a guest there with another country," he said. Tillerson arrived in Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous nation, on Wednesday and visited the African Union headquarters on Thursday. The complex was fully funded and built by China and is seen as a symbol of Beijing's thrust for influence and access to the continent's natural resources. Ethiopia is home to some of Beijing's biggest investments, from a railway to Djibouti that opened last year to factories and industrial estates. His comments followed a speech earlier this week in which he criticised "China's approach" to Africa which he said encouraged dependency through "opaque contracts" and "predatory loan practices". "We welcome Chinese participation, but we hope they will follow international rules, international norms and respect the sovereignty of countries," he said. He made no mention of the political situation in Ethiopia. The prime minister resigned suddenly last month in what he described as a bid to smooth reforms. A state of emergency was swiftly imposed but protests in the restive Oromia region have continued. Tillerson was due to meet with Ethiopian officials before flying to tiny Djibouti, host to sprawling military bases owned by the US, China, Japan, France, and Italy. He will then visit Kenya, a key US ally in the fight against al-Shabab Islamist militants in Somalia, before travelling to Chad and Nigeria, which are also battling to contain Islamist insurgents. Analysts say Trump has focused mainly on security concerns in Africa at a time when China, Turkey and other nations are ramping up diplomatic and business links. ^ top ^

China denies trying to supplant US role in global affairs (SCMP)
2018-03-08
China is seeking a more prominent role in global leadership but rejected suggestions that it is trying to supplant the United States in world affairs as "strategic misjudgment". Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday laid out this year's broad policy agenda of boosting its presence in Africa, the Asia-Pacific and Latin America, and pushing for talks to defuse tensions over the Korean peninsula. Asked whether China was deviating from its long-standing policy of non-interference in other countries given that Beijing has pushed for peace talks in Myanmar, dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians, and participated in peacekeeping missions, Wang said Beijing was taking a more proactive approach. "China will … participate more proactively in reforming and constructing global governance, in resolving regional and international hot issues... and effectively coping with global challenges together with all parties," Wang told reporters on the sidelines of the National People's Congress in Beijing. One way China is taking a bigger role beyond its borders is through the "Belt and Road Initiative", its strategy to boost infrastructure and trade links from Asia to Africa that critics say is a way for Beijing to expand its influence and power. In September, China will host a cooperation forum with Africa in Beijing, expected to be attended by the leaders of dozens of African nations, with a belt and road theme. At the last such forum held in South Africa in 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced investments of US$60 billion in the continent over three years and waived 10 billion yuan (US$1.58 billion) of African debt. Xi will also visit Argentina later this year for the G20 meeting, where more trade and investment deals are expected as China tries to forge closer ties with Latin America. China's huge investment in Africa has been met with suspicion elsewhere. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Thursday that African countries should be careful not to forfeit their sovereignty when they accept loans from China. But Wang dismissed concerns that Beijing was trying to replace the US in its role on the world stage, saying the two nations should focus more on cooperation. "Some people in the US believe that China is overtaking the role of the US in international affairs. This is a fundamental strategic misjudgment," Wang said. "If you say there is competition between China and the US, this should be positive competition and this is normal in international relations." Wang said China was not "targeting or replacing anyone" through its engagement with Latin America, Washington's "backyard". He also said China should play a bigger role in regional international affairs as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. "This is what we ought to do, as well as what many others expect us to do," Wang said. China will also expand the role of the security-focused Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), led by Beijing and Moscow, so that it is more active in regional and global diplomacy, Wang said. Its next summit will be held in the coastal city of Qingdao in June. The group includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan and it has held regular counterterrorism exercises in central Asia. Tensions have been rising between China and the US over trade and their influence in global affairs. Beijing has positioned itself as a defender of free trade and globalisation amid concerns over the protectionist path the US is taking under President Donald Trump. But China's approach has sparked fears, especially among its neighbours, that it is gaining too much influence. The latest US national security and defence strategy listed China as a "strategic rival" and called for a strong economic, military and technological response to confront it. Countries in the Asia-Pacific region are meanwhile calling for stronger ties between Japan, Australia and India under the leadership of the US to form a quadrilateral alliance to counterbalance China amid fears of political infiltration and that Beijing will push smaller nations to take its side as its economic and military power grows. But Wang rejected concerns that the country posed a threat and said the quadrilateral alliance should not aim to contain China. "Another cold war would be so out of date," he said. He also said Washington was using the "wrong remedy" of trade sanctions, such as punitive tariffs on steel and aluminium, to settle disputes, saying they would damage both sides. "China will take a legitimate and necessary response," he said. On North Korea, Wang called for direct dialogue between North Korea and the US, and said Washington and Seoul should continue to suspend military drills in exchange for Pyongyang halting nuclear tests. He said the "dual suspension" approach had already helped cool the crisis on the Korean peninsula, with North Korea suspending its nuclear and missile activities in return for South Korea and the US doing the same with military drills during the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. "This proves that China's proposal of suspension for suspension was the right prescription for the problem and created basic conditions for the improvement of inter-Korean relations," Wang said. He also welcomed recent moves by Japan to improve its relationship with China, but asked Tokyo to continue the momentum. ^ top ^

Bangladeshi president hopes for new high in Bangladesh-China ties (Xinhua)
2018-03-08
Bangladeshi President Abdul Hamid has spoken highly of the relations between Bangladesh and China, hoping for a new high to be achieved in their ties in the future. The Bangladesh president made the remarks Wednesday while receiving the credentials presented by Chinese new Ambassador to Bangladesh Zhang Zuo. Bangladesh-China relations are excellent, Abdul Hamid said, expressing his sincere thanks and appreciation for continued Chinese assistance and support for various key development projects in the country. He also hope that the relations between Bangladesh and China would be further strengthened in the days to come. The Chinese ambassador said that China-Bangladesh relations were upgraded to a strategic partnership of cooperation in 2016, bringing new opportunities for bilateral cooperation in various fields. Ambassador Zhang said he will do his best to promote the implementation of the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, and strengthen cooperation in the Belt and Road development so as to push for greater progress of the bilateral ties. ^ top ^

Chinese army has right to build at Sino-Indian border: analyst (Global Times)
2018-03-06
China has the right to build military facilities within its own territory and complaints from New Delhi made "no sense," a Chinese expert said after the Indian defense minister was quoted as saying that China was building its army presence in Doklam. No sooner had Chinese and Indian troops redeployed away from the hotspot than China began building "helipads, sentry posts and trenches" for its army personnel there, Indian defense minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Tuesday, the Economic Times of India reported. "Actually, China has the right to build any military construction it wants as long as it is within its territory," Hu Zhiyong, a research fellow at the Institute of International Relations of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Tuesday. "Additionally, India is also building a lot of military bases in the regions bordering China, so if India wants to complain or accuse China of this, it is unqualified and it makes no sense." After the face-off in 2017, troops of both sides "redeployed themselves away from their respective positions at the face-off site," Sitharaman said replying to a question on whether satellite images revealed China had constructed seven helipads while also deploying tanks and missiles in the area, the Indian newspaper the Economic Times reported. The situation along India's border with China was "sensitive" and had the potential to escalate, junior defense minister Subhash Bhamre was quoted as saying by the Mumbai-based newspaper. The Doklam standoff was caused by Indian troops' trespassing, said a Chinese military analyst who requested anonymity. The move afforded the PLA "the opportunity, motivation and excuse to boost military construction and increase its military presence in this area so that in future if any crisis happens in any border area, it won't bring anything good to the country who starts the provocation." India is hosting an eight-day joint navy exercise in the Indian Ocean from Tuesday. Milan naval exercise participants include Australia, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, New Zealand, Oman, Vietnam, Thailand, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Kenya and Cambodia, the Times of India reported. "There are voices saying that the exercise is targeting China's growing influence in the Indian Ocean, but many participants in this exercise also have good and close relations with China, so there is really no need to worry at all," the analyst said. ^ top ^

Diaoyu Islands belong to China despite new Japanese guideline: FM (Xinhua)
2018-03-06
The fact that the Diaoyu Islands belong to China will not change, no matter what Japan says or does, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Tuesday. Geng made the remarks at a routine news briefing when asked for comments on the Japanese Education Ministry's decision to add "the Diaoyu Islands are 'inherent' parts of Japan's territory" in its new teaching guidelines for senior high schools. "Diaoyu Island and its affiliated islands have always been an inherent part of Chinese territory," said Geng, adding that no matter what Japan says or does, it cannot change the fact that the Diaoyu Islands belong to China and cannot shake China's determination to safeguard its territorial sovereignty. China urges Japan to face up to history and reality and to educate younger generations with a correct historical view to avoid making new trouble for China-Japan relations, Geng said. ^ top ^

'Lack of transparency': US snipes at China's defence budget boost (SCMP)
2018-03-06
"Lack of transparency". That was the oblique buzz phrase on the lips of a top US naval officer on Tuesday when pressed on whether China's largest defence spending increase in three years was of concern. Accompanying the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson's highly symbolic visit to Vietnam, Vice Admiral Phillip Sawyer, commander of the Asia-based Seventh Fleet, used the term repeatedly to respond to questions about China, including Monday's revelation that Beijing was boosting defence spending by 8.1 per cent. Vice Admiral Phillip Sawyer, Commander of the US Navy's 7th Fleet, greets Vietnamese officials after the US aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson pulled into port in Da Nang. Photo: US Navy "I really can't speak to the numbers that are published on somebody else's defence budget. What I can speak to is … about transparency," the three star admiral said in a telephone interview with regional journalists. "Lack of transparency causes angst and that is certainly here in the region, and that is potentially disruptive to security and stability and the free flow of commerce and trade," Sawyer said. His comments came as Chinese state media on Tuesday forcefully defended the country's increased defence spending. Analysts from regional countries including Japan voiced concern about the increase after the release of the annual budget report during the "Two Sessions" parliamentary session. "China's defence budget has become a lightning rod for those keen to claim there is a threat from China, for whatever reason," the English language China Daily said in an editorial that was republished on the Ministry of Defence's website. "But although the 2018 defence budget will be 1.11 trillion yuan (US$175 billion), the reality of the matter is the increase, though up from last year's 7 per cent, is still relatively low compared with many countries in the world," the newspaper said. It added: "As to accusations of China's rising assertiveness in the East and South China seas, that is a denial of the truth, as China is merely trying to stand up for itself and its rights." Sawyer, asked about the Chinese military's activities in the disputed South China Sea, repeated his mantra that "lack of transparency" was the biggest sticking point. Rear Admiral John Fuller, the commander of the battlegroup accompanying the USS Carl Vinson, meanwhile said the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier was continuing operations in the area in accordance with international law. It was the first time since the end of the Vietnam war that an American aircraft carrier had berthed in the Communist-ruled Southeast Asian country. While smaller US warships have visited Vietnam in recent years, the 5,500 sailors of the Carrier Strike Group 1 represent the biggest American military contingent in the country since the end of hostilities in 1975. The port of call, Da Nang, was the site where American combat troops first landed during the bloody, decades-long war. "We are continuing to show our presence to reassure our friends, allies and partners that the United States is there and we are trying to make sure we support international laws, rules and norms," Fuller said. "By us being there and by maintaining the free lanes of communications there, we are actually helping to develop prosperity in the region," he added. Beijing has previously voiced opposition to the battlegroup's patrols in the disputed waters, claiming they are "damaging the sovereignty and security of littoral countries under the flag of freedom of navigation and overflight". Asked if there had been an official reaction from China to the aircraft carrier's latest visit to Vietnam, Sawyer said he was unaware of any diplomatic, political or military level contact from Beijing. Reuters on Monday reported Vietnamese diplomats had been "working for months to ease the concerns of their giant Chinese neighbour" over the visit and the prospect of broader Washington-Hanoi ties. Zhang Mingliang, an expert in Southeast Asian affairs at Jinan University, said the US hoped to contain China with the help of Vietnam. "The US hopes that through strengthening military cooperation with Vietnam, Vietnam will be able to adopt a firmer stance against China on the South China Sea issues," said Zhang, "But it will not be able to change the status quo of China's control in the South China Sea." But Xu Liping, a professor at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Asian-Pacific Studies, said the port call was largely "symbolic". "The ranking of the Vietnamese officials who hosted the visit was not that high in order not to provoke China," he said, "The activities they are engaged in are also mainly sports and cultural events instead of activities with clear military purpose." While bilateral ties have largely remained cordial, Vietnam is isolated in standing its ground and publicly chastising China over its claim of sovereignty over nearly all of the South China Sea. Other erstwhile vocal claimants of the disputed waters from Southeast Asia – Malaysia, Brunei, and the Philippines – have watered down their resistance as they seek to tap Beijing's economic largesse.  ^ top ^

Major business lobby warns against "protectionism" of Aussie foreign transparency scheme (Xinhua)
2018-03-06
A proposed Australian Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme will cripple business ties with China, a leading business lobby has warned. The Australia China Business Council (ACBC), which represents the interests of Australian companies doing business in China, recently expressed its concern over the bill in a submission to a Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security. "We must take care not to compromise the overwhelmingly positive business, NGO and cultural relationships Australia enjoys with China and the rest of the world," John Brumby, president of the council and former Premier of Victoria, said in the submission. "We urge caution to avoid an atmosphere of suspicion towards Chinese businesses and organisations, and indeed towards the Chinese Australian community." The bill has been championed by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who said it was necessary to protect Australia's security. "We are in danger of taking the relationship (with China) for granted," Helen Sawczak, chief executive of the ACBC, told The Australian Monday. "We are supposed to be living in a global world supporting free trade. We can't go down the road of suspicion and protectionism," she said. ^ top ^

Beijing-Vatican agreement 'a good thing,' says bishop (Global Times)
2018-03-04
The vice chairman of Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, Bishop Lei Shiyin on Saturday called the reported framework accord between China and the Vatican on the appointment of bishops in China an "absolutely good thing," which Chinese experts say is a positive indication that China and the Vatican have achieved a breakthrough on the thorny issue. The relationship between China and the Vatican will move in a direction that "meets everyone's expectations, promotes peace in China and the world, and creates a positive impact on Chinese Catholics," said Bishop Lei, who was appointed by the Chinese government. Lei is also a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and was interviewed following the opening of the first session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee in Beijing on Saturday, Lianhe Zaobao reported on Sunday. Lei, who has not been ordained by the Vatican, was commenting on the reported accord reached between China and the Vatican on the joint appointment and ordination of bishops. He said the two sides "only do things that are good." Considering that Lei is backed by one of the major government-approved Catholic organizations, Lei's upbeat remarks are being seen as a reliable indicator of improved relations, Liu Guopeng, an expert at the Institute of World Religion Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences told the Global Times on Sunday. Zhan Silu, vice chairman of the Bishops' Conference of the Catholic Church in China, also hopes that the two sides will resume diplomatic relations, according to the Lianhe Zaobao report. The State-sanctioned Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA) appoints its own bishops without the approval of the Pope, while the underground community swears allegiance solely to the Vatican, which is considered illegal by the Chinese government. Liu noted that all Vatican-related issues in China are dealt with cautiously using one voice, indicating that Lei's positive remarks in public likely have the government's tacit approval. ^ top ^

Highlights of Supreme People's Procuratorate work report (China Daily)
2018-03-09
China's Procurator-General Cao Jianming delivered a work report of the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) on Friday at the first session of the 13th National People's Congress, China's national legislature. Following are the highlights of Cao's report. WORK IN 2013-2017 -- Approved the arrest of 4.53 million criminal suspects and prosecuted 7.17 million criminal suspects, down 3.4 percent and up 19.2 percent respectively from the previous five years -- Prosecuted 405,000 for serious violent crimes including homicide, kidnapping and arson -- Prosecuted 8,932 for crimes related to mafia-like organizations -- Prosecuted 51,000 involving in major cases of telecom and cyberspace fraud since 2016 -- Prosecuted over 10,000 for violent crimes related to infringement of students' right since 2016 -- Prosecuted 144,000 for sabotaging financial management order and financial fraud, 2.2 times of the figure in the previous five years -- Prosecuted 82,000 for illegal fund-raising and pyramid selling -- Handled 13,000 cases of public interests litigation related to ecology and environment -- Investigated 254,419 for work-related crimes, up 16.4 percent from the previous five years, recovering economic losses of over 55.3 billion yuan ($8.72 billion) -- Investigated 120 former officials at provincial-level or above, including Zhou Yongkang, Sun Zhengcai, Ling Jihua and Su Rong, and prosecuted 105 such officials. -- Helped to bring back 222 suspects of work-related crimes who had been on the run from 42 countries and regions -- Rectified mishandling in granting commutation, parole and temporary execution of sentence outside prison for 118,000 people -- Investigated 11,560 judicial staff for suspected power abuse, graft or dereliction of duty PLAN FOR 2018 -- To deepen study and implementation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era -- To safeguard national political security and social stability -- To ensure legal guarantee for sustainable and healthy economic and social development in the new era -- To intensify efforts on legal supervision and uphold the unity, sanctity and authority of China's legal system -- To firm up political orientation in deepening reform -- To strengthen team building for the new era and exercise strict governance on procurators ^ top ^

Chinese leaders underline rural vitalization, high-quality development (Xinhua)
2018-03-09
Chinese President Xi Jinping said Thursday the rural vitalization strategy is the leading agenda for government work on agriculture, rural areas, and rural residents. Local authorities should have a profound understanding of the strategy's importance and necessity and implement it earnestly, Xi said as he joined a panel discussion with deputies from east China's Shandong Province at the first session of the 13th National People's Congress. The quality of a moderately prosperous society and socialist modernization is determined by agricultural competitiveness, rural environment, and rural incomes, said Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission. Xi urged local authorities to reenergize rural industries, increase incomes of rural residents, alleviate poverty, and enrich rural life. He pointed out that national food security should be ensured, agricultural structure optimized, and establishment of a modern rural industry system quickened. China should push forward talent vitalization in rural areas, form a virtuous circle comprising of professionals, land, capital and industries, Xi said. Stressing cultural vitalization in rural areas, Xi said ideological and moral education as well as public cultural services should be strengthened in the countryside. The president underlined ecological vitalization and green development in rural areas. The three-year action plan to improve the rural living environment must be implemented, while the ongoing "toilet revolution" will be carried forward. He highlighted better governance and strengthened leadership of the CPC in rural regions to establish a modern administrative system for the rural society. The rural vitalization strategy should be carried out step by step, and "vanity projects" should be completely eradicated, he said. Xi asked authorities to respect the wishes of rural residents and turn their desire for a better life into a force driving rural vitalization, protecting their fundamental interests and bringing them common prosperity. Xi also stressed the strategic importance of the ocean in China's pursuit of high-quality development, urging progress in the construction of world-class sea ports, a modern maritime industry system, and a green and sustainable marine ecological environment to push for the building of maritime power. Li Keqiang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, and Han Zheng, members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, also joined NPC deputies in panel discussions Thursday. Attending the discussion with deputies from Liaoning Province, Li urged the northeastern province to carry out policies made by the CPC Central Committee and State Council that aim at reviving old industrial bases in northeast China, maintain the favorable momentum of economic growth through reform and opening-up, and work for a comprehensive revival of the province. Joining deputies from east China's Anhui Province, Wang instructed the province to achieve high-quality growth under a new vision of development, fuel economic growth by innovation, forestall and defuse major risks, carry out targeted poverty alleviation, and prevent and control pollution. Speaking to deputies from Shanxi Province, Zhao stressed that the campaign against corruption and undesirable work practices will not ease off nor halt, promising not only to hunt down "tigers," high-ranking corrupt officials, but also swat "flies", the low-ranking ones, and to step up actions against corruption occurring on the people's doorsteps. Joining deputies from Fujian Province, Han called for the efforts to speed up industrial restructuring, achieve high-quality development, improve people's livelihood, and protect the environment. ^ top ^

Draft constitutional amendment revised for further review (Xinhua)
2018-03-08
The presidium of the first session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) met Thursday to decide on matters about the draft constitutional amendment. The presidium was briefed on the deliberation of the bill among all NPC delegations and a revised version of the bill drafted by the executive chairpersons based on opinions of delegations, said a statement issued after the meeting. It decided to send the report about the deliberation and the revised version to all delegations for another round of review. The meeting was presided over by Li Zhanshu, executive chairperson of the presidium. Before the presidium meeting, executive chairpersons held their first meeting, also chaired by Li. ^ top ^

Highlights of Chinese foreign minister's press conference (Xinhua)
2018-03-08
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met the press Thursday morning on the sidelines of the first session of the 13th National People's Congress. Wang briefed journalists from home and abroad on China's foreign policies and answered questions on a wide range of diplomatic issues. The following are the highlights of this news conference. Diplomatic agenda in 2018. First, Boao Forum for Asia annual conference will take place in Hainan this April, and focus on reform and opening-up. Second, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit will take place in Qingdao this June, and focus on revitalizing the Shanghai Spirit. Third, the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation summit will take place in Beijing this September, and focus on the Belt and Road Initiative. Fourth, the First China International Import Expo will take place in Shanghai this November, and focus on further market opening. Head-of-state diplomacy. President Xi's leadership and charisma has earned him and his country many good friends, among foreign leaders who represent a diverse range of cultures and social systems. Belt and Road Initiative. Everything is in the open. There is no backroom deal, and every step is transparent. It would be high-standard and economically viable, beneficial to the world as well as to China. China-U.S. relations. Despite elements of competition, China-U.S. ties are defined more by partnership, not rivalry. China has no need or intention to replace the United States' international role. Trade war is never the right solution, as it will harm both the initiator as well as the target country in a globalized world. In the event of a trade war, China will make a justified and necessary response. China-Russia relations. The China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination is as stable as Mount Tai. "Sky is the limit" for bilateral cooperation. There is always room to make the relationship even better. China-EU relations. China would always support European integration and had faith in Europe's future. China wants to partner with Europe to create a more stable world in what are uncertain times. China-Japan relations. China is willing to work with Japan to restore the relationship to healthy and steady growth, as long as Japan "does not prevaricate, flip-flop or backpedal and instead accepts and welcomes China's development." China-ASEAN relations. China will continue to put the cooperation with ASEAN high on its agenda of international cooperation this year. China looks to upgrade the strategic partnership and build a closer community of shared future with ASEAN. China-India relations. The Chinese "dragon" and the Indian "elephant" must not fight but dance with each other. With political trust, not even the Himalayas can stop us from friendly exchanges. Without it, not even level land can bring us together. China-Africa relations. Africa's concerns are China's concerns. Africa's priorities are China's priorities. As we work together for a community with a shared future for humanity, African brothers and sisters are welcome to get on board China's fast train of development. China-LAC relations. Wang Yi cited a Chinese proverb: "Nothing not even mountains or oceans can separate those with a shared goal." South China Sea issue. China has strong resolve and deep commitment to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea. China's position is firm and consistent. Korean Peninsula issue. All relevant sides, particularly the U.S. and the DPRK, should make contact and conduct dialogue as soon as possible based on the "dual-track approach," advance denuclearization of the peninsula and promote peace mechanisms. Here comes another moment of truth for the parties to demonstrate their seriousness about resolving the issue. We must not let the opportunity slip by. Helping settle regional flashpoints. In helping to settle regional flashpoints, China has its do's and don'ts. China takes a peaceful, justifiable and constructive approach to help settle regional flashpoints. Refuting "China threat theory". As China grows, the "China collapse theory" has collapsed and become an international laughing stock. Meanwhile, the "China threat theory" with its various sensational versions is losing market. Refuting "Indo-Pacific" strategy. Stoking a new Cold War is out of sync with the times and inciting bloc confrontation will find no market. Trade liberalization. China is positive about any open, transparent and inclusive agreement that reinforces regional economic integration and the WTO-centered global free trade system. Xiongan New Area development. China will promote the Xiongan New Area to the world this year. Consular protection. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working on drafting legislation on consular protection and assistance. Public consultation will start after the two sessions. SCO summit. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Qingdao this year will be "a new milestone in the history of the SCO". Countries breaking so-called "diplomatic ties" with Taiwan. Adhering to the one-China principle and not having official ties with Taiwan have become a generally observed norm in international relations. It is a correct choice in line with the tide of history to establish diplomatic relations and carry out regular cooperation with the government of the People's Republic of China, the sole legal representative of the whole of China. Such a choice would best serve the long-term interest of these countries and their people. Of course this is the overriding trend and an unstoppable one. ^ top ^

Proposed amendment to CPPCC charter unveiled (Xinhua)
2018-03-08
A draft amendment to the charter of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China's political advisory body, was submitted for deliberation Thursday at the ongoing session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee. "New content includes the new important thinking, views, judgments, and measures proposed at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC)," said Zhang Qingli, vice chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, when briefing political advisors on the revision. Major decisions and plans concerning the CPPCC's work made by the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core since the 18th CPC National Congress, as well as the CPPCC's achievements in theoretical, practical and institutional innovation are also planned to be added, he said. Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era has been incorporated into the guiding theories of the CPPCC. Scientific Outlook on Development has also been added, according to the draft amendment. The definition of the CPPCC's nature and tasks has been enriched. Expressions, such as "[the CPPCC] is an important component of China's governance system and an institutional arrangement unique to China," have been added, the draft read. In addition, the draft said a new paragraph on socialist consultative democracy has been added. "Consultative democracy is a model and strength unique to China's socialist democracy. The CPPCC is a major channel for socialist consultative democracy, and its committees are specialist consultative bodies," part of the paragraph read. Wang Yang, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and host of the presidium meeting of the session of the political advisory body, was present at Thursday's meeting. The CPPCC is an important organ for multiparty cooperation and political consultation led by the CPC. The current CPPCC charter was adopted in 1982 and has undergone three amendments in 1994, 2000, and 2004. The session, which opened on March 3, will run until March 15. ^ top ^

NPC military deputies call for investment in training of border staff (Global Times)
2018-03-08
Foreign language, culture and communication training should be bolstered for border staff to strengthen and safeguard the Chinese frontier and coastal regions, military deputies to the 13th National People's Congress said on Thursday. Training in the languages of neighboring countries and ethnic minorities should be enhanced under flexible plans to improve the border forces' working capabilities, said Bao Lin, a border defense battalion commander of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and a deputy to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), China Military Online reported Thursday. Border and coastal defense forces still struggle with international communication issues, Bao warned. They include a shortage of interpreters to meet neighboring countries' representatives and language barriers in stating facts in some disputed regions. The PLA Army Academy of Border and Coastal Defense should shoulder the responsibility of cultivating talent for border defense, said Hou Shengliang, head of its teaching and research section. Bao called for education in border defense history, policies and geography so that border defense personnel could not only win battles but also be better at knowing, communicating and managing border issues. China's vast frontier and coastal defense areas generate complicated situations that require staff of rich knowledge and outstanding capabilities, China Military Online reported Thursday, citing Xu Zhongfa, commander of a border troop company in Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region and a deputy to the 13th NPC. Border and coastal areas are usually undeveloped, Bao noted. Beijing's response was favorable policies that plough finance and materials into those areas. These policies might also be used by the military to upgrade their border defense and management capability, he suggested. Mechanisms to attract, retain and motivate talent on the border and in the coastal forces should be forged and crafted, Bao said, including special policies for solving family difficulties in the more remote regions. About 400 students graduated from a five-month-training program in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region on February 1 and will be sent to grass-roots units of frontier defense, China Military Online reported. "We cannot depend solely on the passion of those young people," said Li Daguang, a professor at the PLA National Defense University. "More policies and measures should be introduced and issued to provide favorable conditions for frontier staff, and let them work and stay at the frontier out of their willing choice." ^ top ^

Pop star Wanting Qu issues update on mother's death-penalty case, declaring Chinese law 'perfect and righteous' (SCMP)
2018-03-09
Wanting Qu, the Vancouver-based Chinese pop star and former girlfriend of the Canadian city's married mayor, has issued an update on her mother's long-delayed death-penalty case, saying she is "waiting in silence" because she believes Chinese law to be "perfect and righteous". Qu Zhang Mingjie, a former planning official in Harbin city, Heilongjiang, was arrested in 2014 and tried in July 2016 on charges of corruption, accused of embezzling about 350 million yuan (US$55 million) in a real estate scam which saw a state-owned corn farm transferred to a private firm for redevelopment in 2009. Chinese media said the deal left hundreds of workers, already living on the farm, in dire conditions, denied millions of yuan in compensation and with the heat to their dorms shut off in sub-zero conditions. Zhang vigorously denied the charges, and said her confession was extracted illegally. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. In a statement issued on her Weibo page on Wednesday, Wanting Qu said no judgment had been issued since the trial, conducted over just two days by the Harbin City Intermediate People's Court. "It has been 3 years and 6 months since my mom was taken away on September 22, 2014. There is no point I wouldn't feel pain, having seen the loss of my mother this way. However, each country has its own law. I believe that the court would hand down a ruling according to law. This is also the only reason I'm waiting in silence," said Qu. Chinese courts have recently had a conviction rate of 99.9 per cent, but Qu said she was "grateful to the court for giving judgment of acquittal for a number of cases in recent years". "So I believe the law is perfect and righteous. I believe there are righteous judges, lawyers, and leaders, and that they will act according to the law. No matter how hard it is, they'd treat my mother fairly." The court has issued no statement on the trial since it concluded on July 20, 2016. Qu alluded to internet speculation about the case, asking that "kind-hearted netizens" not "cook up a story … to add insult to injury". 'Truly heartbroken': Grief of Wanting Qu over mother's corruption arrest In an account of Zhang's trial carried by the official Xinhua news agency, she was accused of deceiving farm officials into signing a deal in 2009 transferring the property into the hands of the private Harbin Dongjiang Agricultural Technology Co. The contract was said to have been doctored to illegally include land-use rights. It said Zhang conspired with Wei Qi, an official from Harbin Dongjiang, to split hundreds of millions of yuan in profits when the land was later transferred to a real estate company controlled by Wei, who had plans to transform the site into a huge apartment complex. Private media outlets covering the trial reported that the real estate company, Harbin Xianfa Real Estate Development Co, hired Zhang's brother as deputy general manager of the project. According to a separate account by thepaper.cn, the proposed redevelopment necessitated the eviction of 420 staff and 146 retired workers who lived in dormitories on the 50-hectare farm. Xinhua said Zhang failed to enforce the payment of resettlement fees to the workers, and instead allowed Dongjiang Co "to unlawfully transfer 61.6 million yuan into a bank account which was opened under the name of the farm, which was actually controlled by Dongjiang." Thepaper.cn said one veteran employee who had worked on the farm for 20 years only received 2,000 yuan in severance. The report said Harbin Dongjiang halted pensions and health insurance to the workers in 2009 and shut down the dormitory's boiler room; with January low temperatures averaging minus-24 Celsius, frozen pipes burst and workers resorted to coal fires to try to stay warm. "The court was told that Zhang had not only breached her duty as a civil servant, but also committed the crimes of embezzling public properties worth an enormous amount of money," Xinhua reported. In her Weibo statement, Qu said she had no choice but to believe in the court. "Because if I don't, is there still any hope? Being hopeless is equal to death. I don't want to die now. I still have many wishes to fulfil. I want to achieve them one by one in the future." On February 15, Qu sent a Chinese New Year message on Weibo, apparently to her mother, saying "I believe there is rule of law and justice in the world. I miss you. Sending you my love." Qu did not respond to a request for further comment made to her Canadian record label, Nettwerk. Qu, 34, dated Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson from about July 2014 until about May 2017, with Qu celebrating their 18-month anniversary on social media on January 23, 2016. Robertson, now 53, had separated from wife Amy in mid-2014. ^ top ^

Tibetan man dies in self-immolation protest in China's Sichuan province, group says (SCMP)
2018-03-08
A man set himself on fire and died in southwestern China's Sichuan province in the first self-immolation protest among Tibetans this year, monitoring groups reported on Thursday. Tsekho Tugchak, reportedly in his 40s, died in Ngaba county on Wednesday amid intensified security in the restive region ahead of the anniversary of the 2008 riots in Lhasa, the Tibetan capital, and the 1959 independence uprising, the International Campaign for Tibet said. ICT said his death was the 153rd self-immolation by a Tibetan since the protests began in 2009. The Free Tibet Campaign and US-backed Radio Free Asia also reported the death, saying it took place in Ngaba's Meruma township. In Beijing, Tibet's Communist Party chief – the region's most powerful official – dismissed the reports. "I don't think they're telling the truth," Wu Yingjie told reporters at a meeting on the sidelines of the annual session of China's ceremonial parliament. The self-immolations by Tibetans monks, nuns and laypeople aim to highlight harsh Beijing rule and the oppression of Tibet's Buddhist culture, as well as appeal for the return of exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. The region is closed to foreign media, making it virtually impossible to confirm reported self-immolations, which are believed to have peaked in 2012 with 83 that year. Staff members reached at police headquarters, government offices and the local propaganda department in Ngaba, also known by its Chinese name, Aba, said they had no knowledge of the case. All declined to give their names as is usual among Chinese bureaucrats. China claims Tibet's traditional territory, including Ngaba, has been part of its territory for more than seven centuries and regards the Dalai Lama as a dangerous separatist. Many Tibetans insist they were essentially independent for most of that time and have protested what they regard as Beijing's heavy-handed rule imposed after it took control of Tibet in 1950, in what it calls a "peaceful liberation" of the remote, Himalayan region. An uprising against Beijing's rule in Tibet erupted in 1958 and troops crushed it the following year. The Dalai Lama fled from the crackdown and was granted asylum in India. He has lived mostly in Dharamsala, where his supporters run a small government in exile and advocate for autonomy for Tibet by peaceful means. Xinjiang 'separatists' and Tibet's 'Dalai cliques' – targets in China's latest organised crime crackdown Meanwhile, Indian officials said on Wednesday that exiled Tibetans had been banned from holding a rally with the Dalai Lama in New Delhi this month to mark the 60th anniversary of the failed uprising against Beijing's rule. "We don't want Tibetans to hold big anti-China protests in New Delhi because it creates a bit of diplomatic tension between India and China," a senior foreign ministry official said. "It's a very sensitive time for India and China ties and we want to ease tensions." ^ top ^

After #MeToo success, Chinese rights activists urge lawmakers to join the fight against sexual harassment (SCMP)
2018-03-08
As China's policymakers gather in Beijing to deliberate government plans, officials' appointments and constitutional changes, rights activists are appealing for them also to consider what can be done to combat sexual harassment. And the first step, they say, is acknowledging the problem. "It is time for China's lawmakers to talk about what sexual harassment really is," said Sophia Huang Xueqin, a 29-year-old freelance journalist turned #MeToo activist. Speaking on the eve of International Women's Day, Huang said that no new mechanisms, regulations or laws should be introduced until clear definitions of what sexual harassment was and how perpetrators of it should be punished were agreed. "Sexual harassment has already gained a strong public awareness in China and more victims are coming forward to speak up every day," she said. In a bid to move things forward, women's rights groups, lawyers and others who have taken a stand against sexual violence recently wrote to National People's Congress delegates calling for their support, Wei Tingting, head of the Guangzhou Gender and Sexuality Education Centre, said. The result was that at least three proposals on the subject of sexual harassment had been submitted at this year's legislative session, Huang said. "Even the education ministry has promised to roll out a long-term mechanism to fight sexual harassment on campus. What other obstacles are there?" she said. She was referring to a recent case involving the prominent scholar Chen Xiaowu, who was sacked by Beihang University after several of his former students came forward to accuse him of sexual misconduct. Many of the injured parties spoke through the #MeToo platform. Although it struggled initially to gain traction in China, the movement – known as #Woyeshi in Mandarin – has enjoyed huge success in enabling people around the world to speak out against sexual and domestic violence, and gender discrimination in the workplace and on university campuses. China currently has two pieces of legislation – the Law on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of Women and the Special Rules on the Labour Protection of Female Employees – that make passing references to sexual harassment, though neither defines the actual offence or gives clear guidance on how perpetrators should be punished. As a result, Chinese lawyers have found it almost impossible to take sexual harassment or even sexual assault cases to court as they have no statutes on which to base them. More often, sexual harassment allegations in the workplace are treated as labour disputes, while victims of sexual assault outside work are encouraged to file personal injury claims. Lu Xiaoquan, a lawyer from Qianqian, a Beijing-based legal firm that specialises in women's rights, said the absence of specific legislation made it difficult to prevent and punish sexual harassment in China. "Now is a good time to raise awareness of sexual harassment as it mirrors the global #MeToo movement," he said. "Despite numerous efforts to tackle sexual harassment in the workplace and on campus, it continues to go on, challenging our moral standards. The National People's Congress needs to look into it urgently," Lu said. "There are criminal laws that deal with obscenity and the protection of personal rights, but sexual harassment is more than that," he said. Huang was one of the first women in China to embrace the #MeToo movement when she came forward last year with her experiences of sexual harassment. During the process of polling female journalists on a social media platform, she was approached by other victims who wanted to share their stories. One of them was the United States-based Chinese academic Luo Xixi, who along with five other women made the damning allegations against Chen. When Huang's reports of the abuse claims made national headlines, Beihang University reacted, and the once eminent scholar was stripped of his professorship and removed from his administrative roles. The university said at the time that his behaviour had violated professional ethics and created a negative influence on society. "The university is planning to introduce a mechanism to prevent sexual harassment on campus," Huang said. "It's really quite extraordinary to get this far in today's China." Students across the country had been inspired by the achievement and written to their own universities demanding similar policies be introduced to tackle sexual harassment, she said. Earlier this week in Hong Kong Huang released a report titled Workplace Sexual Harassment of Chinese Female Journalists after polling women journalists online. Of the 416 who responded, more than 80 per cent said they had experienced some form of sexual harassment at work, while 20 per cent said they had experienced the problem on at least five occasions. "You feel like you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, but when a crack appears everything seems possible," Huang said "We don't know how far we can walk, but the hope is there." ^ top ^

Corruption surveillance to triple as China's new anti-graft agency tightens screws (SCMP)
2018-03-06
China's new anti-graft agency will keep an eye on triple the number of targets than the existing watchdogs, the supervision minister said on Monday. There will also be more staff to handle the extra workload but it will be "a huge job", Minister of Supervision Yang Xiaodu said on the sidelines of the National People's Congress. The agency, the National Supervisory Commission, will be run according to a new supervision law that has been submitted to the largely ceremonial legislature for passage at the annual parliamentary session under way in Beijing. It will see the ruling Communist Party's anti-graft watchdog, the CCDI, merged with government departments tasked with tackling corruption. The new agency will coordinate with judicial and procuratorial bodies and law enforcement departments. "The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and local commissions will have a 10 per cent increase in manpower [after the merger]," Yang said. "The targets have been increased by 200 per cent so, based on our experience, we know this is going to be a huge job." Yang did not say exactly how many staff would be involved. The national agency will oversee commissions around the country – at provincial, city and county levels – that will be able to investigate, question, search, detain and take disciplinary action against not just party cadres suspected of corruption but all civil servants. There is no information available on how many people are employed in China's public service. The commissions will also have the power to investigate businesspeople suspected of graft. Pilot schemes have already been rolled out in areas including Beijing and Zhejiang and Shanxi provinces, with disciplinary watchdogs merged with other agencies at the local levels. The agency will take a more institutionalised approach to fighting graft, rather than the campaign-style crackdown seen in President Xi Jinping's first term. Facilities for questioning suspects have also been upgraded. Wang Lishan, who heads the CCDI in Hubei, said the size and number of detention rooms in the province had been expanded now that investigators will be questioning a wider range of, and more, suspects. He said disciplinary action against party members and detention of non-party members was "not exactly the same". "We've upgraded the facilities where we conduct interrogations so that they meet the standards under the new law," Wang said, adding that it required audio and video recordings to be made of all interviews conducted during investigations. "We expect the total number of rooms to increase by about one-third," he said, without elaborating. Within the hierarchy, the new graft-buster sits after the State Council, China's cabinet, and the Central Military Commission, but before the courts and the procuratorates – prompting fears that it could become a "super agency" with too much power, and take action that was above the law. But Yang dismissed those concerns. "I do not think we are a 'super agency'," he said. "The majority of our work is daily and trivial – monitoring work, stopping people who make small mistakes from making bigger mistakes." Yang added that prosecutors would be asked to assess investigation requests and conduct checks to make sure there were legal grounds for them, and that they would be able to reject those requests. The NPC will nominate the director to head the new agency and supervise its operation, and they will be limited to two consecutive terms. ^ top ^

Islamic group hails Ningxia's progress on Muslim rights (Global Times)
2018-03-06
The spokesman of the Islamic Association of China (IAC) on Tuesday hailed local efforts to promote ethnic unity and religious freedom in Northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, a region that has one-fifth of China's Hui ethnic groups. "As a major hub for Muslims in China, the region has made remarkable efforts in sinicizing Islam," Jin Rubin, deputy chairman and spokesman of the association, told the Global Times. Ningxia has around 2.47 million Hui people, which accounts for 36 percent of the region's population, and a majority of them believe in Islam, according to official data obtained by the Global Times. The region has 4,391 mosques and 10,150 registered imams, which makes religious staff a significant group to promote patriotism and unity in the region, Jin said. Ningxia has vowed to protect religious freedom through multiple measures, including the education sector. The Ningxia Institute of Socialism and Ningxia Islamic Institute have been conducting training or seminars on religious affairs. "As many of China's imams only have a high school education background, they are eager to enrich religious knowledge to improve themselves and better serve believers and the prosperity of society," he said. At a time of knowledge explosion, young Muslims in China are especially eager to learn about developments in the religious sector, he noted. "China's religious freedom policy has been praised by several Arab countries, which gives us more confidence to share Chinese Muslims' stories to the world," said the spokesman, who is in charge of IAC's religious exchanges with other countries. During the exchanges, China must firmly resist the infiltration of extremism, he noted. "Anti-extremism has been a consensus in the Islamic world. Extremism has distorted the Islamic doctrines to serve their political agenda, and mild and inclusive ideals have always been the mainstream in the Islamic world," Jin noted. The region has also made huge progress in ethnic works, Ningxia officials said at a panel discussion held on the sidelines of China's annual meeting of the National People's Congress. "Party and government officials in the region regard ethnic unity as a lifeline of every work and a basis for the region's scientific development," Jin said. ^ top ^

China claims move to scrap presidential term limit has wide support (SCMP)
2018-03-05
China sought to justify its controversial plan to allow President Xi Jinping to rule without term limits at the opening of its legislature on Monday, citing an "overwhelming appeal" from the party and the public to do so. The proposal to remove the presidential term limit from the constitution has dominated global discussions about China since it was announced last month, sparking fears of a dangerous return to one-man rule. It has also drawn fierce criticism from intellectuals and business elites at home, despite heavy censorship on social media and a crackdown on dissent. Speaking on Monday to about 3,000 lawmakers who are widely expected to approve the change in a vote on Sunday, a senior official with the National People's Congress defended the move, claiming it was widely supported by party cadres and the public. "During consultations and surveys at the grass-roots level, many regions, departments and members of the party and the public have unanimously called for the rules on presidential term limits in the constitution to be revised," said Wang Chen, secretary general of the NPC, without saying which regions or departments. "During the party's seventh plenum and 19th congress [in October], such calls were also loud among delegates who attended those meetings," he added. In China, the president is a largely ceremonial title and the real power rests with the other two offices a top leader holds – Xi is also chief of both the party and the military. But the president is the only one with a formal limit of two terms – introduced by late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping in 1982 to prevent another lifelong dictatorship after Mao Zedong's tumultuous rule. Wang said proponents of the repeal suggested removing the limit would put the presidency on a par with the other two positions, which would help to protect the authority of the party's top leadership with Xi at its "core" and improve the leadership system – a line echoing an article in party mouthpiece People's Daily on Thursday and a government spokesperson's remarks on Sunday. He also said that the team tasked with amending the constitution had sought opinions from a wide range of groups – from officials and party elders to non-party members and academics – since November. But observers were not convinced. "It's really hard for me to buy into that," said Alexander Gabuev, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Moscow Centre. "If it would be the case that a wide number of people were being consulted, I'd imagine there would be many leaks – people would leak that to international media," he said. Kerry Brown, director of the Lau China Institute at King's College London, said Wang's claim that the proposal had overwhelming support could be a veneer. "It seems a highly tactical move, and one where those who were likely to be supportive were selected and recruited into the proposed change, creating a sense of consensus, and those likely to oppose it were kept out of the loop," he said. It is almost impossible to precisely gauge genuine public opinion on the extension of Xi's rule, with state media strictly controlled by the government and the internet diligently scoured by censors for any comment that harbours explicit criticism or veiled mockery. Well-educated urbanites took to social media to express their thinly veiled disaffection, but their sarcastic posts were swiftly met with blanket censorship. In the country's vast rural backwaters, however, Xi seems to enjoy more support among the less privileged thanks to his popular war on graft and poverty. It is also hard to measure the level of real support for the idea within the party, given Xi's unchallenged authority and his ferocious anti-corruption campaign to crush disloyalty and dissent in the ranks, said Pan Chengxin, professor of Chinese foreign policy and politics at Deakin University in Australia. "The party machine might have some kind of internal mechanism to sound out these kinds of ideas, but in any case, the opposition... would've been silenced because of the anti-corruption campaign," he said. "Even if there are significant disagreements, probably they will not share this kind of dissent." Gal Luft, co-director of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security in Washington, said there were bound to be pockets of opposition among party elders and aspiring leaders, but he believed Xi had amassed enough support to push the changes through. "One cannot please everyone but Xi would not have pursued the changes had he not sensed that the mainstream of the party, and by extension the majority of Chinese, is genuinely behind him," he said. "Xi capitalised on a public sentiment that China, certainly compared with other countries, is on an upward momentum and that the momentum should not be stopped due to bureaucratic constraints." This will be the first time in 14 years that China has amended its constitution. Apart from scrapping the limits on the presidency and vice-presidency, the proposal also includes an amendment to set up a new anti-graft agency that will extend the powers of the party's graft watchdog to cover all state employees. Xi's political theory will also be added, along with that of his predecessor Hu Jintao. Wang said the move to end the term limits was necessary given that China had entered "a new era", with new requirements for the country's development. Xi heralded the dawn of China's "new era" at the party congress in October, saying it would see the nation pursue its great "rejuvenation" and move closer to the global centre stage. Wang also said that upholding the party's leadership was the top principle behind amending the constitution. "The centralised and unified leadership [at the very top] of the party... has been adhered to throughout the whole process of the constitutional amendment to ensure [it is heading] in the correct political direction," he said. ^ top ^

Highlights of Chinese Premier's government work report (Xinhua)
2018-03-05
Following are the highlights of a government work report distributed to media ahead of the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC) Monday morning. Over past five years -- China's gross domestic product (GDP) has risen from 54 trillion to 82.7 trillion yuan, registering average annual growth of 7.1 percent. -- More than 68 million people have been lifted out of poverty. -- Tourist departures have grown from 83 million to over 130 million. -- Both energy and water consumption per unit of GDP have fallen more than 20 percent, the release of major pollutants has been consistently declining, and the number of days of heavy air pollution in key cities has fallen 50 percent. -- Personal income has increased by an annual average of 7.4 percent, outpacing economic growth and creating the world's largest middle-income group. -- More than 66 million new urban jobs have been added, and the country, with its population of over 1.3 billion, has achieved relatively full employment. Major targets for 2018 -- GDP growth of around 6.5 percent -- CPI increase of around 3 percent -- Over 11 million new urban jobs, the surveyed urban unemployment rate within 5.5 percent, and the registered urban jobless rate within 4.5 percent -- Basic parity in personal income growth and economic growth -- A steady rise in import and export volumes, and a basic equilibrium in the balance of payments -- A drop of at least 3 percent in energy consumption per unit of GDP, and continued reductions in the release of major pollutants -- Substantive progress in supply-side structural reform, basically stable macro leverage, and systematic and effective prevention and control of risk What else to do this year -- This year's deficit as a percentage of GDP is projected to be 2.6 percent, 0.4 percentage point lower than last year. -- Cut steel production capacity by around 30 million metric tons and coal production capacity by approximately 150 million metric tons. -- Reduce taxes on businesses and individuals by more than 800 billion yuan. -- This year will see 732 billion yuan invested in railway construction and around 1.8 trillion yuan invested in highway and waterway projects; the scale of investment in ongoing water conservancy projects will reach 1 trillion yuan. -- The general manufacturing sector will be completely opened up, and access to sectors like telecommunications, medical services, education, elderly care, and new-energy vehicles will be expanded. -- Actively expand imports, host the first China International Import Expo, and lower import tariffs on automobiles, some everyday consumer goods, and so on. -- Promote the peaceful growth of cross-Strait relations on the basis of the 1992 Consensus, and advance China's peaceful reunification. -- Promote coordination and cooperation among major countries, deepen friendships and achieve common development with our neighbors, and enhance unity and cooperation with other developing countries. -- Ensure the success of the annual conference of the Boao Forum for Asia, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit, the Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. ^ top ^

China's party system is great contribution to political civilization: Xi (Xinhua)
2018-03-04
President Xi Jinping Sunday called the system of multiparty cooperation and political consultation led by the Communist Party of China (CPC) "a great contribution to political civilization of humanity." It is "a new type of party system growing from China's soil," said Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, when attending a joint panel discussion with political advisors from the China Democratic League and the China Zhi Gong Party, those without party affiliation and those from the sector of returned overseas Chinese, at the first session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). Xi said the system is new because it combines Marxist political party theories with China's reality, and truly, extensively and in the long term represents fundamental interests of all people and all ethnic groups and fulfills their aspiration, avoiding the defects of the old-fashioned party system which represents only a selective few or the vested interest. The Chinese system is new, Xi said, because it unites all political parties and people without party affiliation toward a common goal, effectively preventing the flaws of the absence of oversight in one-party rule, or power rotation and nasty competition among multiple political parties. The Chinese system is new, Xi said, also because it pools ideas and suggestions through institutional, procedural, and standardized arrangements and develops a scientific and democratic decision making mechanism. It steers away from another weakness of the old-fashioned party system, in which decision making and governance, confined by interests of different political parties, classes, regions and groups, tears the society apart, he said. Fitting China's reality and fine traditional culture, it is "a great contribution to political civilization of humanity," he said. Xi said upholding the CPC leadership was not meant to do away with democracy. Instead, it aims to create a form of democracy that is broader and more effective, he said. The CPC-led system of multiparty cooperation and political consultation stresses both the CPC leadership and socialist democracy which features political consultation, participation in the deliberation of state affairs, and democratic supervision, he said. Acknowledging their contribution to achievements made in the past five years, Xi called on non-communist parties and people without party affiliation to enhance confidence in the path, theory, system, and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics, consolidate political orientation and actively offer their suggestions. Non-communist parties and people without party affiliation should act as good consultants, aides, and co-workers of the CPC while improving their capability of consultation, he said. He urged intellectuals to set the example of upholding socialist core values and organizations of returned overseas Chinese to unite and mobilize overseas Chinese. Wang Yang, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, also attended the discussion. ^ top ^

Presidium elected, agenda set for China's annual legislative session (Xinhua)
2018-03-04
Deputies to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) gathered here Sunday morning at a preparatory meeting to elect the presidium and set the agenda for the first session of the 13th NPC scheduled to begin on Monday. A 190-member presidium was elected, with Wang Chen as secretary-general of the NPC session, according to a statement issued after the meeting. "All preparation for the annual session is done," said Chairman of the 12th NPC Standing Committee Zhang Dejiang, who presided over the preparatory meeting. "I hope the session will be democratic, united, pragmatic and progressive, and rally Chinese people of all ethnic groups closely around the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core." The meeting also adopted the ten-item agenda of the session. The newly-elected presidium met shortly afterwards and elected Li Zhanshu and nine other deputies to the 13th NPC as executive chairpersons of the presidium. Zhang shook hands with all executive chairpersons before heading out the meeting hall accompanied by Li, amid warm applause. Earlier Sunday morning before the preparatory meeting, chairman and vice chairpersons of the 12th NPC Standing Committee concluded their last meeting to make preparations for the upcoming session. The meeting, presided over by Zhang, finalized a list of candidates for the presidium and secretary-general of the first session of the 13th NPC and heard a report on the session's draft agenda, which were later submitted to the preparatory meeting. ^ top ^

Tibetan GDP grows more than 10 percent for 25th consecutive year (Global Times)
2018-03-08
Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region witnessed its GDP grow 10 percent in 2017 from a year ago, marking the 25th straight year of double-digit growth. Tibet's GDP reached 131.06 billion yuan ($20.5 billion) in 2017, and per-capita disposable income of its rural residents exceeded 10,000 yuan, said Qi Zhala, the region's Communist Party vice secretary and a deputy to the 13th National People's Congress, according to Economic Daily on Thursday. "Tibet has to handle relations between government investment and social investment," he said. The unity of the Chinese people and China's policies including many targeted policies are the reasons for Tibet's stable economic development, Xiong Kunxin, a professor at Tibet University in Lhasa told the Global Times on Thursday. In 2018, the Tibetan government set a GDP growth target of about 10 percent, with an 18 percent increase in fixed-asset investment, a more than 10 percent rise in urban per capita disposable income as well as 13 percent for rural, the Xinhua News Agency reported. Chinese experts on Wednesday expounded on the efforts and achievements in the cultural development of Tibet during an event on the sidelines of the 37th session of the UN Human Rights Council, Xinhua reported. Improvement and support for Tibetan people's livelihoods and culture are applauded by the Tibetan people, Xiong said. "The Western media often hold a biased opinion when talking about the issue of China's human rights… I suggest they come to visit and see Tibet with their own eyes." ^ top ^

Shunning Dalai Lama helps heal Sino-Indian relations (Global Times)
2018-03-07
According to reports, Tibetan separatists in India recently cancelled a rally and prayer meeting to be held in New Delhi in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Dalai Lama fleeing China. This came after the Indian government reportedly told ministers and senior officials not to attend the events because this is a "very sensitive time" for India's relationship with China. The note was reportedly sent out at the insistence of Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale, who was once ambassador to China. New Delhi had previously defiantly allowed the Dalai Lama to take provocative moves regardless of severe warnings from Beijing. Although India's Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement Friday that there was "no change" in the country's position on the Dalai Lama, keeping officials from celebratory events is a subtle hint that India wanted to improve ties with Beijing. The year 2018 is important for China and India after their relations were severely strained last year by multiple disputes including more than two months of standoff at Doklam. Neither of the two Asian powers wants to see this happen again. They need to enhance communication and properly manage their disputes, a situation in which Tibet is a critical issue. India has previously tried to play the Tibet card to provoke China, but it didn't work because China wouldn't allow it. It brought no benefit to India and merely undermined the interests of both sides. After all these years, India should know how to handle the issue. For a long time India has had a mixed mentality toward China. Reluctant to accept the growing influence of its neighbor, India tries to group with other like-minded countries like the US and Japan to curb China and maintain its hegemony in the region. On the other hand, New Delhi has realized that a strong China brings not just challenges but also opportunities. China's successful development can provide useful experiences for India in areas like job creation and industrial upgrading, as well as tangible benefits. China and India have a wide range of areas for cooperation including trade, cultural exchanges, tourism and global issues like globalization and climate change. The Belt and Road initiative can also be an important platform to facilitate India's development. This year China and India will see a series of high-level meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi expected to visit China later this year. To play down the Tibetan separatists' celebrations and stop playing the Tibet card is a welcome step by New Delhi. It is hoped this approach can continue. ^ top ^

China's latest satellite tech helps police fight against drugs, terrorism in Xinjiang (Global Times)
2018-03-04
Applications and devices based on China's homegrown BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), including mobile terminal and police command systems, are playing increasingly important roles in safeguarding the country's public security, according to Chinese GNSS experts on Wednesday. The remarks were made by Qiang Xiaochun, a Shanghai-based BDS-based public security technology expert, who also serves as the deputy general manager of the public safety business center with the UniStrong Science & Technology Co, one of China's top GNSS companies, on Wednesday during an exclusive interview with the Global Times reporter on the sidelines of the company's annual global partners summit in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province. The integration of BDS technology with public security dates back to as early as 2014, starting off with complicated and dangerous situations including drug control in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and anti-terrorism in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, according to the expert. "In 2014, the Xinjiang regional public security authorities introduced 20,000 police mobile terminals based on the BDS, marking a first in history across the country," Qiang said. Compared with previous GPS-integrated police mobile terminals, those based on the BDS are more reliable and "safer" when it comes to combating issues that threaten national security and public order. Qiang recalled how the company won the bid with these advantages in cases such as anti-terrorism and drug control. Time and space are the key intelligence factors that allow police to detect, control, and prevent criminal activities, and it is exactly what the BDS is best at providing - accurate positioning and timing services, Qiang explained. He also highlighted the short message emergency communication function, also known as the positioning report service of the BDS terminals, saying that the 76-word message, though short, can make a huge difference in isolated areas when police carry out their activities in Xinjiang. The function will help police to efficiently narrow down the area of criminal activities and protects their lives in field missions when facing rogue elements in Xinjiang's wildest environments, when ordinary communication devices based on telecom ground stations such as cell phones don't do the job, he noted. In December 2017, UniStrong Science & Technology Co also won the bid to build a police command information platform for the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau. The company has already established such platforms in 14 provinces including Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia autonomous regions, Henan, Yunnan provinces and Beijing. According to a statement from the GNSS company on Thursday, the BDS-based police command platform offers a highly competitive "cloud+devices" solution to actual police operations, providing services including short message communication, satellite positioning, map navigation, and mobile command according to various police operation requirements. Such systems will help forge a new smart police system covering aspects from indoor command to real-time field operations, streamlining multiple command levels into one effective command. The company also established a pilot BDS-based digital anti-drug check and control system in Guangxi's Pingxiang, a city that shares a 97-kilometer-long border with Vietnam, and which was a national drug-control frontline in 2016. The local police, via the police mobile terminal used in the pilot BDS-based platform, have successfully seized four criminal suspects on the run in the city between December 2016 and February 2017. After the installation of the platform, the crime rate has decreased by 26.3 percent compared to the same period last year, according to data provided by UniStrong. The satellite navigation system will provide services for Belt and Road countries in 2018, and form a complete global satellite navigation system by 2020. "The BDS-based police applications and devices will be updated smoothly to more efficient versions, and their capability to strike, control and prevent criminal activities will also significantly increase, as the BDS improves," Qiang noted. ^ top ^

HK party calls for new ID system (China Daily)
2018-03-07
The largest political party in Hong Kong suggested on Tuesday that the central government should make the identity information system for Hong Kong citizens compatible with the system used on the Chinese mainland. The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong said the change would improve convenience for Hong Kong people in accessing services on the Chinese mainland. It would also contribute to "a better sense of belonging" among Hong Kong people, making them more willing to participate in the country's development, the party said. The remarks were made during a meeting with members of the media in Beijing. For the new five-year term, the Hong Kong party has three deputies serving in the country's top legislature, the National People's Congress, and three members in the top political advisory body, the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Starry Lee Wai-king, a new CPPCC National Committee member and chairwoman of the party, said identity recognition would reduce the red tape Hong Kong people face when they want to study or work on the Chinese mainland. Under the current rules, residents must apply for a work permit if they want to work on the mainland. Identity recognition would give Hong Kong people easier access to career opportunities on the mainland, as they would be treated the same as their mainland compatriots. This would save significant time in applying and waiting for permits, Lee said. Meanwhile, with their identities recognized on the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong people would enjoy more convenience in daily life, Lee said. NPC deputy Tam Yiu-chung, a former chairman of the party, added that solving Hong Kong people's identity compatibility issues on the mainland would encourage them to really look at the mainland market as a stage on which they can reach their full potential, progressing with the country. ^ top ^

How telecom fraud is piling even more strain on Taiwan-Beijing ties (SCMP)
2018-03-08
Liu Tai-ting was hoping to make money to support his child when he moved to Kenya from Taiwan and joined in what mainland Chinese authorities say was a telephone fraud scheme, posing as a government official to demand bogus payments and gain control of his victims' bank accounts. Liu told a court in Beijing that he made enough over two years to transfer more than US$8,000 to his ex-wife's bank account before he was tracked down by Chinese agents and sent to mainland China to face trial for fraud. "I apologise profusely to the victims and families," Taiwan's China Times newspaper quoted Liu as saying at the hearing. "After all, it was money you had struggled to save over a lifetime." Gangs operating from bases as far flung as Cambodia and Kenya, taking advantage of closer global connections and falling technology costs, are a growing source of tension between Beijing and the self-ruled island of Taiwan. The two sides, which split in 1949 after a civil war, agreed in 2009 to jointly fight crime despite their lack of diplomatic ties. The phone fraud cases are straining those good intentions. Beijing, which claims Taiwan as its territory and has no official relations with the island, broke off contacts in 2016 just months after the election of Tsai Ing-wen as Taiwan's president. Tsai angered Beijing by rejecting its stance that the two sides are "one China" as a condition for formal dialogue. Mainland officials now refuse to answer a hotline between the two sides or even respond to faxes and emails. "Our difficulty at the moment is that mainland China doesn't want to work with us," said Chan Chih-wen, an anti-fraud researcher for the Taiwan Criminal Investigation Bureau. "Because political relations aren't too great, they don't want to fully exchange information." Beijing's Ministry of Public Security did not respond to written questions about exchanges. The Taiwanese gangs have been operating the fraud rings for four decades, recruiting university students and others who need extra cash. They give recruits like Liu a script to memorise and pay them a commission of one to two per cent of what is stolen. The alleged fraudsters are not always aware they have been hired to commit crimes, said Chan Chih-wen, an anti-fraud researcher for the Taiwan Criminal Investigation Bureau. "Some younger people will think, 'Wow, I can go there and earn some money and even have fun.' It almost feels like the operation of an international company," Chan said. By 2005, there were about 40,000 phone and computer fraud cases per year in Taiwan. As police there cracked down, the gangs shifted operations to Southeast Asia and then further afield to Africa, Australia, India, Japan, Latvia and Spain, often targeting mainland Chinese victims. A network will rent a flat and set up equipment to show calls are coming from police or court phone numbers. Some callers speak with the accents of regions in China they plan to call and most fraud rings involve a handful of mainland Chinese suspects, said Liao You-lu, a criminal investigation professor at the Central Police University near Taipei. "If I call and say 'I'm with public security, I'm with the court,' mainland Chinese will be scared as soon as they hear that," making them more likely to comply with fraudsters' demands, Liao said. "Because of that, the fraud situation there has been quite severe in recent years." Philippine police arrested 44 Taiwanese in 2014 who were suspected of gaining access to bank accounts by telling victims they had been used by money launderers or terrorists. Other cases have involved fraudsters posing as tax collectors or other officials. As of September, the Taiwan Criminal Investigation Bureau said it was tracking 778 people and 58 groups with potential fraud links. Soon before Tsai took office, Beijing began demanding that governments of countries like Kenya, Malaysia and Spain that arrest phone and computer fraud suspects send them to China where they face almost certain conviction and up to life in prison. The Mainland Affairs Council, Taiwan's cabinet agency responsible for China policy, says such requests so far cover 288 suspects. In December, a court in Beijing sentenced 44 Taiwanese suspects, including Liu, to prison terms of up to 15 years after they were deported from Kenya. Ferdinand Manook Lavin, spokesman for the Philippines' National Bureau of Investigation, said officials were working with Taiwan and China to share data. "We should be making the world smaller for these criminal groups," Lavin said. Taiwan officials protested when a court in Spain agreed in December to send 121 Taiwanese fraud suspects to mainland China. Beijing contends that since victims of the crimes are Chinese, the suspects should be tried on the mainland. ^ top ^

Taiwan authorities urged to return to 1992 Consensus as soon as possible (Xinhua)
2018-03-08
Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Thursday that the Taiwan authorities should return to the 1992 Consensus as soon as possible. "The key to unlocking the cross-Strait stalemate lies in recognizing the 1992 Consensus and acknowledging that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one and the same China," said Wang at a press conference at the annual session of the National People's Congress. "This correct move will create a bright future for the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations." "Adhering to the one-China principle and not having official ties with Taiwan have become a generally observed norm in international relations," he said. "It is a correct choice in line with the tide of history to establish diplomatic relations and carry out regular cooperation with the government of the People's Republic of China, the sole legal representative of the whole of China. "Such a choice would best serve the long-term interest of these countries and their people. Of course this is the overriding trend and an unstoppable one," he said. ^ top ^

Taipei faces brain drain as Beijing dangles 'equal status' offers (SCMP)
2018-03-06
Taiwan will face a tough challenge staunching what could be an even bigger brain drain and exodus of investment to the mainland after Beijing's latest offer of economic sweeteners to lure Taiwanese, analysts warned. "More young people who have complained about low pay in Taiwan or who want to find a bigger market for development would choose to work on the mainland because of the incentives," said Chang Wu-ueh, a professor at Tamkang University's China Study Institute. In what analysts called an offensive designed to counter Taiwan's attempts to declare independence, Premier Li Keqiang promised in his government work report delivered at the first session of the 13th National People's Congress that the mainland would expand economic and cultural exchanges. The aim would be to gradually allow Taiwanese to receive the same treatment as mainlanders while studying, doing business, working or living on the mainland, Li said in the report. Stressing the importance of both the "one-China" principle and safeguarding China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, Li said Beijing would not tolerate separatist schemes and activity in support of the independence movement on the self-ruled island. Li's report followed an announcement by Beijing's Taiwan Affairs Office last week of 31 measures that would give Taiwanese companies and individuals freer access to opportunities and benefits across the strait. The measures would relax access to mainland markets for Taiwanese films, television programmes and books. Under the moves, Taiwanese professionals would also be free to join mainland-based industry associations or study for any of 134 professional qualifications. Beijing, which has long offered sweeteners to the people of Taiwan, has considered the island a wayward province subject to eventual union, if necessary by force. It has suspended official exchanges and talks with Taipei since Tsai Ing-wen of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party became president in 2016 and rejected the one-China principle. Analysts said that compared with previous incentives, the latest offer would be more comprehensive and systematic in attracting Taiwanese talent, enterprises, associations and artists to develop on the mainland. However, it might take some time for Taiwanese to become re-established in practice through various levels of mainland government and authority, the analysts said. Beijing could be expected to continue to offer incentives to Taiwanese to recruit talent and acquire the island's latest technology and investment, Chang said. The newcomers "would eventually grow roots on the mainland", he said. Su Chi, a former secretary general of the National Security Council, said the sweeteners would "definitely have a great impact on Taiwanese, many of whom would be moved over to the mainland". The benefits might lead to Taiwan becoming further divided as more people call for closer links with Beijing, Su said. In a sign of how the incentives have worried the Tsai government, Premier William Lai on Friday announced the launch of a task force to devise measures to retain local talent and investors. Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council has cautioned the public to be wary of incentives from Beijing that it said were politically motivated. ^ top ^

Trump has agreed to meet DPRK leader Kim by May (China Daily)
2018-03-09
US President Donald Trump has agreed to meet Kim Jong-un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), by May at the invitation of Kim, a visiting envoy of the Republic of Korea (ROK) said here on Thursday. Kim has said the DPRK "will refrain from any further nuclear or missile test," Chung Eui-yong, ROK's top national security adviser, told reporters at the White House. Kim was also committed to the denuclearization of the DPRK, said Chung, who arrived in Washington Thursday to brief Trump on the outcome of a ROK delegation's meeting with Kim earlier this week. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said the United States looks forward to the denuclearization of the DPRK, but will retain all sanctions and maximum pressure against Pyongyang. The place and time of the meeting will be determined, Sanders added. On Thursday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged the United States and the DPRK to hold talks sooner rather than later. He also called for resolving the legitimate security concerns of all sides including the DPRK on an equal footing. Signs of further detente on the Korean Peninsula have been detected as the DPRK made a tension-easing gesture during the two-day visit by the high-level ROK delegation. Kim, for the first time since he assumed power, personally hosted a dinner for the ROK delegation. The DPRK showed willingness to talk "candidly" with the United States on issues including denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and normalization of ties with Washington. It also agreed to hold the third inter-Korean summit in late April. ^ top ^

Nuclear crisis at 'crucial moment' for US-North Korea talks, Chinese minister says (SCMP)
2018-03-08
China called for direct dialogue between North Korea and the United States to defuse tensions on the Korean peninsula and warned there was still the potential for chaos amid the stand-off over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme. The warning by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday came despite the announcement that North and South Korea's leaders are to meet at a summit, raising hopes that the nuclear crisis might be defused. "History tells us that whenever tensions over the Korean peninsula subside, the situation will be clouded by various interference," Wang said during a press conference on the sidelines of the National People's Congress in Beijing. "We have now again come to a crucial moment for testing whether the parties involved are truly sincere in resolving the Korean peninsula nuclear issue." Wang said all sides involved should demonstrate their political courage and make correct political judgments to continue efforts to alleviate tensions. "The United States and North Korea must engage in dialogue as soon as possible," he said. The South China Morning Post reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may propose sending his sister, Kim Yo-jong, to the US as part of efforts to launch direct talks between Washington and Pyongyang. This may be one of a number of possible messages South Korean envoy Chung Eui-yong will deliver to US National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster in Washington this week, a South Korean diplomatic source told the Post, speaking on condition of anonymity. Chung is travelling to Washington with South Korea's national intelligence service chief Suh Hoon, who, according to multiple South Korean diplomatic sources, will meet his US counterpart Mike Pompeo. Kim Yo-jong, the North Korean leader's younger sister, spearheaded a charm offensive for Pyongyang when she attended the start of the Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang in South Korea last month and invited South Korea's President Moon Jae-in to visit Pyongyang. Wang said engagement between the two Koreas was an "important step in the right direction". The fact that North Korea did not conduct nuclear and missile tests during the Winter Olympics, while South Korea and the United States have suspended their military drills, proved that China's approach to handle the nuclear crisis was effective, Wang said. Beijing has called for South Korea and the US to stop military exercises in exchange for North Korea not conducting nuclear tests. Wang Sheng, a North Korean affairs expert from Jilin University, said talks between Washington and Pyongyang were vital to de-escalate the situation. "What China and South Korea can do at the moment is very limited, and existing measures such as the rounds of sanctions have proven to be of little help – the US really holds the key," Wang said. "As to the 'interference', that mainly comes from the US. Its joint military exercises near the peninsula and persistent calls to toughen sanctions against Pyongyang, more often than not, worsen the crisis." Cui Zhiying, director of the Korean Peninsula Research Centre at Tongji University in Shanghai, said North Korea had already softened its stance and showed it was willing to negotiate. "It has been China's consistent stance to call for more dialogue, whether it's direct or indirect, between the US and North Korea – as long as it can help resolve the nuclear crisis," Cui said. ^ top ^

South Korea's spy chief in high level delegation to visit Pyongyang on Monday (SCMP)
2018-03-04
South Korea will dispatch a delegation led by senior security officials for a two-day visit to North Korea starting on Monday, the Blue House announced, as US President Donald Trump hinted that he is ready to talk to Pyongyang. For its part, North Korea said it was not begging to talk with Washington and denounced upcoming US-South Korean joint military exercises, warning that it would take counter measures against the United States if they went ahead. The drills will take place next month, a South Korean presidential security adviser said according to the Yonhap news agency. They had been delayed until after the Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games in South Korea. The Blue House said National Security Office (NSO) head Chung Eui-yong and National Intelligence Service (NIS) chief Suh Hoon, a veteran of past negotiations with the North, would be among the 10-member South Korean delegation visiting Pyongyang. The visit was part of an effort to lower tensions on the Korean peninsula as well as possibly arrange talks between North Korea and the US, it said. After the visit to North Korea the envoys will travel to the US to brief officials, and Seoul said it would also coordinate closely with officials in Japan and China. During a joke-filled monologue at a dinner with journalists in Washington on Saturday, Trump suggested that the US will be meeting with North Korea but has told Pyongyang it must first "denuke". "We will be meeting and we'll see if anything positive happens," he said. It was unclear whether Trump was joking or if formal US-North Korea talks were imminent. On Sunday in Beijing before the opening of China's parliament, Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui said China hoped the US and North Korea would begin talking. "War and chaos on the peninsula in not in the interests of any side," Zhang said. Last month, US Vice-President Mike Pence was expected to meet North Korean officials, including leader Kim Jong-un's sister, while in South Korea for the Winter Olympics but the North Koreans cancelled at the last minute, US officials said in February. North Korea reiterated on Saturday that it was willing to talk to the US but not if there were conditions. A foreign ministry spokesman was quoted by KCNA as saying "we will neither beg for dialogue nor evade the military option claimed by the US". A commentary published by North Korea's official KCNA news agency warned that North Korea would "counter the US" if joint military drills go forward. The Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang last month gave a boost to recent engagement between the two Koreas after more than a year of sharply rising tensions over the North's missile programme and its sixth and largest nuclear test in defiance of United Nations sanctions. South Korean President Moon Jae-in hopes to capitalise on that thaw in relations by arranging talks over North Korea's nuclear weapon and missile programmes. During a phone call on Thursday, Moon told Trump of his plan to send a special envoy to North Korea in response to an invitation from leader Kim Jong-un. In sending an envoy to Pyongyang, Moon said he would be seeking to reciprocate Kim Jong-un's decision to send a senior delegation, including his sister, Kim Yo-jong, to the Olympics, marking the first visit by a member of the North's ruling bloodline since the 1950-53 Korean war. The White House has said any talks with North Korea must lead to an end of its nuclear programme, and on February 23, the US said it was imposing its largest package of sanctions to pressure North Korea to give up its nuclear and missile programmes. At the time, Trump also warned of a "phase two" that could be "very, very unfortunate for the world" if the steps did not work. ^ top ^

Intergovernmental agreement signed with Turkey (Montsame)
2018-03-09
Intergovernmental agreement between Government of Mongolia and Government of the Republic of Turkey on cooperation in social protection sector was signed by Minister of Labor and Social Protection of Mongolia S.Chinzorig and Minister of Labor and Social Security of Turkey Julide Sarieroglu. The agreement signing event was held during the ongoing visit of Parliament Speaker M.Enkhbold to Turkey Turkey at the invitation of Ismail Kahraman, Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. The agreement provides an opportunity to citizens of the two countries who are living and working in Mongolia and Turkey to count their paid social insurance premium toward their pension when they are retired. After the agreement signing ceremony, Speaker Enkhbold presented Polar Star Order to Member of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey and Head of Turkish-Mongolian friendship group in the GNAT Mehmet Erdogan, who is awarded in accordance with a decree of President of Mongolia Kh.Battulga. At the same day, Speaker M.Enkhbold laid wreath to Ataturk Mausoleum, founder of the Republic of Turkey, signing at golden book of honorary guests. ^ top ^

Cabinet meeting in brief (Montsame)
2018-03-07
At its regular meeting on March 7, the Cabinet made following decisions: (1) The Cabinet approved composition of the National Disaster Reduction Council and its rule. The council will be headed by Prime Minister of Mongolia. The Council will be responsible for ensuring state, private sector and inter-sectoral cooperation and citizens' participation and issuing policy recommendations. (2) Mongolian side's Head to Mongolia-Czech Republic Intergovernmental Commission for Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation will be Minister of Health while it had been Minister of Education, Culture, Science and Sports. Also Mongolian side's Head to Intergovernmental Commission between Mongolia and Bulgaria has been changed from Minister of Health to Minister of Education, Culture, Science and Sports. ^ top ^

Aurèle Aquillon
Embassy of Switzerland