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SCHWEIZER
BOTSCHAFT IN BEIJING
EMBASSY OF SWITZERLAND IN BEIJING
AMBASSADE DE SUISSE EN CHINE |
Der wöchentliche
Presserückblick der Schweizer Botschaft in der VR China
The Weekly Press Review of the Swiss Embassy in the People's Republic
of China
La revue de presse hebdomadaire de l'Ambassade de Suisse en RP
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Mongolia
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| Foreign Policy |
Donald Trump may crack down on China's 'IP theft' laws with US$30b tariffs - upsetting US Chamber of Commerce (SCMP)
2018-03-16
US President Donald Trump will soon crack down on Chinese intellectual property theft, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said, escalating a confrontation with companies that might suffer from a US-China trade war. Among the solutions Trump will be offered are tariffs of US$30 billion or more to be placed on Chinese goods unless the country agrees to end a law forcing foreign businesses to transfer proprietary technology to their Chinese partners. But that suggestion has been slammed by the US Chamber of Commerce, which says that such tariffs could have a "devastating" effect on the incomes of American families. In an interview on CNBC, Navarro said: "In the coming weeks, President Trump is going to have on his desk some recommendations on [US Trade Representative] Robert Lighthizer's … investigation into China's theft and forced transfer of intellectual property. "This will be one of the many steps the president is courageously going to take in order to address unfair trade practices," he said. "I don't think there's anybody on Wall Street that will oppose cracking down on China's theft of our intellectual property." But Navarro's assumption was challenged hours later by the US Chamber of Commerce, an industry group representing more than 3 million businesses, including Ford Motor Co. "The administration is right to focus on the negative economic impact of China's industrial policies and unfair trade practices, but the US Chamber would strongly disagree with a decision to impose sweeping tariffs," it said in an announcement. "Tariffs of US$30 billion a year would wipe out over a third of the savings American families received from the doubling of the standard deduction in tax reform. "If the tariffs reach US$60 billion, which has been rumored, the impact would be even more devastating." The tariffs of US$30 billion or more were first reported by The Wall Street Journal, citing a White House official and people briefed on administration deliberations. The clash over how to challenge both China's trade surplus with the US and its treatment of intellectual property started just a few months into Trump's tenure, with a self-initiated investigation into imported steel and aluminium. In August, Lighthizer launched an investigation under section 301 of the US Trade Act of 1974 into the Chinese regulations, which force US companies operating in the country to transfer technology and intellectual property rights to local business partners. Soon afterward, his office began taking testimony from US companies, seeking verification that the Chinese government uses unfair tactics on US companies' operations in China "to require or pressure the transfer of technologies and intellectual property to Chinese companies", according to USTR documents. Navarro's comments come less than a week since Trump announced he would soon levy punitive tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum. That move came with the caveat that some allies, including Canada and Mexico, would receive exemptions, and singled out China as a source of state-subsidised oversupply of the metals. US lawmakers, including speaker of the Republican-controlled House of Representatives Paul Ryan and Senator Orrin Hatch, the second-highest ranking congressional Republican, have been pressuring Trump in recent weeks to direct his punitive trade initiatives at China. Condemnation of China's trade practices has become a bipartisan exercise in Washington. "China has taken terrible advantage of America over the past decade or two, and they don't play fair," Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said ahead of last week's announcement on metal tariffs. He also urged the Trump administration to "make sure what they do is focus on China. They are our number one trade problem; not Canada, not Europe". Restrictions on foreign investment in sectors including finance, media and telecommunications and car manufacturing have been in place as part of the terms of China's accession to the World Trade Organisation. These rules force foreign companies to partner with local entities, effectively ceding to them proprietary technology. "China entering the WTO in 2001 was a fundamental shock," Navarro told CNBC. "China came in saying they'd play by the rules and since that time they've basically broken every rule in the book. And basically they've destabilised the world trading system." The US trade deficit with China reached a record US$276 billion (HK$2.16 trillion) last year, putting more pressure on Trump, who campaigned for president in 2016 on a promise that he would address the trade imbalance. The US Chamber of Commerce has pushed back against tariffs as a solution to the trade imbalance nearly every time Trump's anti-China rhetoric escalates. "The US Chamber is very concerned about the increasing prospects of a trade war, which would put at risk the economic momentum achieved through the administration's tax and regulatory reforms," the trade body said shortly before Trump announced his plan for a 25 per cent punitive tariff on steel and 10 per cent on aluminium. "We won't drive the economy to over 3 per cent growth or continue to create jobs if we go down this path. "These new tariffs would directly harm American manufacturers, provoke widespread retaliation from our trading partners and leave virtually untouched the true problem of Chinese steel and aluminium overcapacity," the chamber said. "Alienating our strongest global allies amid high-stakes trade negotiations is not the path to long-term American leadership." ^ top ^
Petition campaign sparked by Chinese reporter's dramatic eye roll demands probe of US broadcaster's Communist Party ties (SCMP)
2018-03-16
A social media explosion ignited by a Chinese journalist's reaction to a softball question during China's annual parliamentary meeting has led to the creation of a petition that asks the US government to investigate a US-based broadcaster and its ties to the Chinese Communist Party. The petitioners want the investigation to determine whether Los Angeles-based American Multimedia Television USA (AMTV) is related to the publicity apparatus of the Chinese government. "Based on the Foreign Agents Registration Act, we ask to investigate its fund sources and cooperation with the Communist Party of China and shut it down if it is found to have violated the law," the petition reads. The plea came after Zhang Huijun, who claimed to be the operating director of AMTV, posed a long-winded, softball question to a Chinese official during the National People's Congress, prompting a theatrical eye-roll from a journalist from financial news site Yicai, standing next to her. The action, broadcast live on television, lit up China's internet, and triggered questioning of Zhang's background and the broadcast outlet she represents. The media accreditation of the Yicai reporter, Liang Xiangyi, to cover the NPC, ultimately was revoked, according to one of her colleagues. Some 689 people had signed the petition as of Thursday evening. AMTV could not be reached for comment. According to its official website, AMTV, founded in 2004, offers Chinese-language programmes across 14 US cities. Under its partnership with China's state broadcaster, it showed its programmes on an international channel from 2006 to 2008. Internet users have dug up archival footage that shows Zhang representing two different media outlets in 2011 and 2013. In a video clip from the 12th National People's Congress in 2013, Zhang introduces herself as a reporter from World Affairs, a Chinese magazine founded by early communist Hu Yuzhi in 1934. In a video from the 11th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in 2011, Zhang is seen posing a question as the operating director of "Hong Kong Cable Broadcast of China Economy and Tourism". Zhang's and Liang's names remained blocked in search results on social media platform Weibo on Thursday. ^ top ^
China, Nepal agree to facilitate resumption of quake-damaged border point (Xinhua)
2018-03-15
China and Nepal agreed on Thursday to construct a frontier inspection station and facilitate resumption of Nepal-China border point, which has been closed after a devastating earthquake in 2015. Amid a special function organized at Nepal's Ministry of Finance in Kathmandu, the two neighbors signed an agreement on the Post-disaster Recovery for Tatopani (Zhangmu) Frontier Inspection Station Project. The agreement was signed by Chinese Ambassador Yu Hong and Nepal's Secretary at Ministry of Finance Shankar Prasad Adhikari. The support is under a 3-billion-Chinese yuan (475-million-U.S. dollar) grant pledged by China during International Conference for Nepal's Reconstruction in 2015. The project includes repairing of buildings, establishing protection measures to prevent from secondary disasters, including debris flow and landslide, and improving trade clearance capabilities. "The Chinese government has been making positive effort to reopen the Zhangmu port. We will carry out work of disaster treatment and road repair on the Chinese side. Considering the construction of border inspection station, both the countries have been discussing reconstruction of the border bridge," Ambassador Yu said. Tatopani, known as Zhangmu port, was severely damaged in the 2015 earthquake and could not function because of geographical challenges. Since then, the Kerung port, also known as Rasuwagadhi, has been in operation for cross border trading and tourism. The ambassador further informed that the Syaphrubesi-Rasuwagadhi highway repair and improvement project and Timure Frontier inspection station project will be started within this year. "The China-Aid projects and the Cross Border Economic Zone will effectively enhance our infrastructure connectivity and increase trade flow under the framework of Belt and Road Initiative," she said. Besides the border project, the two sides also signed agreement on "Hospital Recovery Project in Sindhupalchowk" and "Jiri Secondary School Reconstruction Project." The government of Nepal expressed its appreciation to the Chinese government for the assistance and its continuous support for reconstruction of quake-hit Nepal. Shankar Prasad Adhikari, Secretary at Ministry of Finance, said, "I am confident that the economic cooperation between Nepal and China will help especially to overcome our infrastructure bottleneck and improve connectivity." Right after the earthquake, China had pledged to help Nepal with post-disaster reconstruction in five areas - infrastructure, livelihood recovery in hilly regions, cultural heritage renovation, capacity building of disaster prevention and health. Up to now, 22 China-Aid projects have been already initiated and are in the process of implementation. ^ top ^
China irons out high-altitude jet fighter engine faults in boost to defences against India, analysts say (SCMP)
2018-03-15
Footage of Chinese warplanes on drills in the country's mountainous southwest suggest the military has overcome engine problems plaguing the aircraft at high altitudes, sounding a warning to regional rival India, military analysts said. Video of Chengdu J-10 and Shenyang J-11 jets flying low over snow-capped mountains was posted on the People's Liberation Army's official website on Monday. The jets are part of China's fleet of third-generation lightweight multi-role fighter aircraft and are powered by Russian AL-31F engines. Military observers said the engines had previously lost power above 3,000 metres, leading to a string of accidents. In September 2015, a J-10 from the former Shenyang Military Region crashed on a night patrol when the plane climbed above 3,350 metres, state-run China Central Television reported. The pilot ejected to safety. The footage also showed a Shaanxi Y-9 transport aircraft taking off and landing at a high-altitude airport. The Y-9 can carry 106 passengers or 132 troops at one time. A Xian JH-7 fighter-bomber is also seen flying over the snow-covered terrain, filling out the combat line-up in the PLA Air Force's Western Theatre Command, which ranges from Chongqing to Tibet and Xinjiang. In the video, Zhan Houshun, the western theatre's air force commander, also said domestic and international training had boosted the air force's combat readiness. "In various exercises, we not only target 'imaginary rivals', but focus more on acquiring useful and effective combat skills," Zhan said. Military analysts said the apparent smooth flights by the warplanes suggested the air force had overcome the engine's high-altitude problems, bolstering the PLA's defences against India. Beijing-based military commentator Song Zhongping said the lack of air pressure at high altitudes made flying difficult, a situation complicated by variations in airflow in mountainous terrain. "The video showed that the engines in Chinese warplanes have been improved in terms of stability over complex geography. It also signalled that China has set up a highly specialised air wing in the country's west," Song said. Hong Kong-based military analyst Leung Kwok-leung said the improvements would strengthen China's air defences against India. "Once the engine problem is solved, Chinese planes will be able to easily take off and land in high-altitude areas, making India's air force less effective," Leung said. The apparent advances come less than a year after a protracted border stand-off between Chinese and Indian troops in the Doklam region in the Himalayas. ^ top ^
Philippines looks forward to China International Import Expo in November (Xinhua)
2018-03-15
The Philippines is looking forward to the first ever China International Import Expo (CIIE) to be held in Shanghai in November, seeing the event as a good platform to showcase Philippine products and services, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said Thursday. The CIIE will be the biggest ever overseas trade fair that the Philippines will participate in, with over 100 product and service exporters as well as investors and government representatives attending the event, the minister said at a CIIE roadshow conducted in preparation for the event. "The CIIE is a major international event that reiterates China's strong support for trade liberalization, as well as their way to actively open the Chinese market to the world," Lopez said while launching a CIIE information mission at the roadshow. He said the CIIE can open doors of opportunity to Philippine investors, and help them gain access to the huge China market. China is the Philippines' top trading partner in 2017 with a total bilateral trade valued at 23.82 billion U.S. dollars. China also ranked fourth biggest export market for the Philippines last year and the Philippines' top import source. Lopez appealed to Filipinos to take advantage of China's huge market. "Accessing to this market will surely leapfrog the level of business transactions between the Philippines and China," he said. The CIIE information mission will also be held in Cebu City in the central Philippines and Davao City in the southern Philippines. The CIIE, to be held on November 5-10, will cover a total exhibition area of over 240,000 square meters, with eight exhibition areas, including one for country pavilion, six for trade in goods and one for trade in service. More than 3,000 enterprises from different countries and regions have confirmed to attend the expo, according to officials from China's Commerce Ministry. ^ top ^
Can China's 'firefighter' Wang Qishan break the deadlock with US over trade? (SCMP)
2018-03-15
Foreign diplomats and businesspeople expect China's former anti-graft tsar to play a key role in de-escalating trade tensions with the United States, and that he could also get global relations higher up the nation's policymaking agenda. Containing tensions with Washington and other economic trouble spots are expected to be the top priorities for Wang Qishan – known for his "firefighting" skills and ability to handle the tough tasks – when he takes charge of diplomatic issues as China's new vice-president, a role he is expected to be handed on Saturday. The 69-year-old's return to the top hierarchy comes as Beijing looks to shift gear on diplomacy to cope with a more hawkish US administration under President Donald Trump and also as Beijing is becoming more assertive. The National People's Congress, the legislature, will elect the new vice-president on Saturday morning, with Wang highly likely to replace Li Yuanchao – and in the process add substance to what has been a largely ceremonial position, especially given the US mission. Five years ago, President Xi Jinping chose Wang to lead the ruling Communist Party's anti-graft agency, when corruption was widely seen as the main threat to the regime. Diplomats say he was likely chosen for his wealth of experience in tackling thorny issues, ranging from insolvency among state-owned financial institutions hit by the Asian financial crisis in the 1990s to the Sars (severe acute respiratory syndrome) outbreak that struck mainland China in late 2002. "Of course it would be good to have someone who's responsible for foreign policy among the top leadership – we haven't seen such a figure in the top seven in the past, which is unusual in terms of the international practice," said a diplomat, referring to the supreme, seven-member Politburo Standing Committee. Although Wang stepped down from the standing committee in October, he is seen as a close ally of Xi. Putting him in the vice-president role handling foreign affairs would indicate that Beijing was keen to raise its profile in international affairs. The diplomat said while it was expected that Wang would be involved in the trade issues with Washington because of his expertise in economics, it remained to be seen how he would handle other foreign policy matters and relations with countries other than the United States. "At least the good thing is that he is pragmatic – he's not hawkish," the diplomat said. China sent its top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, and top economic adviser Liu He on separate trips to Washington last month in a bid to defuse trade tensions, but they failed to achieve any substantial results. Meanwhile Wang was said to have met former and current US officials in recent months, including ambassador to China Terry Branstad and former US treasury secretary Henry Paulson, one of his counterparts in previous China-US economic talks. Before he became the formidable figure behind Xi's unprecedented anti-corruption drive, Wang was managing economic issues as vice-premier from 2008 to 2013, when he led trade talks with the European Union and the United States. Reportedly a fan of American political drama House of Cards, highlighting the role of the party whip in ensuring discipline in the legislature, Wang is also said to enjoy hit South Korean TV series My Love From the Star. One foreign diplomat said Wang was expected to focus on US relations, and that he knew how to communicate with Americans. A foreign businessman in Beijing who has known Wang for decades also thought he would be good in the diplomacy role. "I like the directness and intelligence he has," the businessman said. "He has a high reputation among foreigners. He knows how to handle difficult problems." But Wang will face a different and more hostile US administration from his vice-premier days. Washington suspended the comprehensive economic dialogue – a key negotiating channel – last year after becoming frustrated with the lack of progress on key areas such as market access in China, less government intervention in the economy and reducing subsidies for state enterprises. Trump has labelled China as one of America's strategic rivals threatening its global dominance in the economy, military and geopolitics, as the administration dominated by China hawks hardens its stance. US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer has said it was a mistake to support China's entry to the World Trade Organisation and that it is seeking an alliance with the EU and Japan to counter China's trade practices. Washington also wants Beijing to cut its trade surplus with the US by US$100 billion and is planning to impose import tariffs targeting China's technology and telecoms sectors in retaliation against alleged intellectual property theft. So far China has not hit back with countermeasures, and it is said to have struggled to open the communication channel with Washington amid chaotic changes in the Trump administration. A source close to the US business sector said Wang will have his work cut out negotiating on trade. "He will have some flexibility if necessary to handle trade issues with the US, and he'll certainly try to persuade the US not to take action against China," the source said. "But it will be difficult because the US has made it very clear that China must first take concrete action, and it has to be taken quickly." ^ top ^
China saved 100 organ trafficking victims during crackdown, Vatican conference is told (SCMP)
2018-03-15
Chinese health authorities told a Vatican trafficking conference that Beijing's efforts to crack down on illegal "underground" organ transplants had resulted in 220 arrests and 100 victims being rescued over the past 10 years. Dr Wang Haibo, deputy chief of China's organ donation and transplant foundation, provided the data as part of China's efforts to convince the international medical community that it no longer harvests organs from executed prisoners. He reaffirmed on Wednesday that the organ harvesting practice officially stopped in 2015 and that China was working to prevent illegal transplant activity. He said the underground trade, mostly in kidneys, was not conducted in hospitals but in remote civilian, non-medical facilities. "This kind of underground activity – they're getting smarter, so it's difficult to identify," he said. To combat it, Wang said the health ministry and police recently began surveillance of transplant candidates' contacts with potential organ brokers via their communications and social media. He also said China had proposed information-sharing agreements so countries could identify whether patients on a waiting list in one nation travelled to another potentially seeking an illegal transplant. He acknowledged medical privacy and ethical concerns surrounding the proposal. The Vatican conference was closed to the news media. Last year, at a similar conference, Wang and the head of China's programme, Dr Huang Jiefu, engaged in spirited debate with trafficking experts who pressed China to allow independent inspections to ensure China's programme meets international standards. China has rejected independent inspections, but it has proposed a World Health Organisation task force to coordinate anti-trafficking initiatives. China's participation in another Vatican conference was the latest evidence of increased cultural and scientific exchanges, and comes amid indications from the Vatican that an agreement is near over the thorny issue of Chinese bishop appointments. ^ top ^
Analysts worry Pompeo adds uncertainty to Sino-US ties (Global Times)
2018-03-14
The change in US Secretary of State might impact Sino-US relations, but whoever holds the post needs to respect the interdependency between the two countries, Chinese analysts said, after US President Donald Trump replaced Rex Tillerson with the CIA chief. Trump said on Twitter on Tuesday that CIA Director Mike Pompeo will become the new Secretary of State. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said at Wednesday's daily press conference that "we would like to work with the new secretary of state, and follow the important agreement reached by the leaders of the two countries" to push the development of Sino-US relations. "China and the US can cooperate in some crucial bilateral areas and some international hot spot issues, because cooperation has mutual benefits, and also serves the expectations of the international community. China hopes to continue the trend of cooperation with the US," Lu said. Despite Tillerson's latest harsh criticism of China's foreign policy in dealing with African countries, the former oil mogul was seen by many Chinese scholars as a balancing figure against the Trump administration's hawkish tendency toward China. Lu said, "We admire Secretary Tillerson's efforts to improve Sino-US relations. We hope Mr. Tillerson remains supportive of bilateral ties." Tillerson said in his farewell statement at the Department of State on Tuesday that "Much work remains to establish a clear view of the nature of our future relationship with China. How should we deal with one another over the next 50 years and ensure a period of prosperity for all of our peoples, free of conflicts between two very powerful nations?" Tillerson, who represents pro-establishment Republicans, was the last person who served as a balance to radical hardliners in the Trump administration, so the change will bring uncertainty to Sino-US relations, said Diao Daming, an associate professor at the Renmin University of China. "Pompeo is a hawkish person with a military background, so in the Trump administration, whether on economic and trade policies or foreign and defense policies, hardliners have further strengthened and reinforced their influence, and this is rare in history." Pompeo is a former Tea Party congressman, and graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point, newyorker.com reported. With Pompeo as US Secretary of State, China and the US might have more friction on economic and trade issues and on international and regional affairs, including the Korean Peninsula issue and the Iran nuclear deal, Diao noted. Tillerson provided a balance to hardliners in foreign affairs policy, and he has contributed to the positive change that we saw in the peninsula, said An Gang, a senior research fellow at the Pangoal Institution, a Beijing-based think tank. Lu called for continued efforts on the Korean Peninsula issue and the Iran nuclear deal despite personnel adjustments in the US. Compared to Tillerson, Pompeo's views on the peninsula issue are likely tougher. The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that Pompeo shares Trump's contempt for "the Iran nuclear deal, and he has spoken of regime change in North Korea as an objective." Trump's policy on China, which combines competition and cooperation, is set, and the new secretary of state cannot fundamentally change it, An said. "On the peninsula issue, the meeting with Kim Jong-un is Trump's idea, so the meeting is unlikely to be canceled," he said. ^ top ^
Australia WeChat ban originates with 'narrow nationalism': observer (Global Times)
2018-03-14
"Narrow nationalism" motivated the Australian defense department's ban on WeChat, Chinese experts said Wednesday, warning that the decision could hurt Chinese people's feelings and further strain Sino-Australian relations. In a move that highlighted growing concerns at Chinese espionage activities, Australia's Department of Defence has prohibited staff and serving personnel from downloading WeChat on their work phones, the Australia Financial Review reported on Sunday. Facebook was fine to use, the Sydney-based business and finance newspaper said. The decision follows former defense head Dennis Richardson saying Chinese spies were "very active" in the country and Australia's top spy agency announcing in 2017 that it was "overwhelmed" by foreign espionage activities, the report said. The Australian government's decision reflected "narrow nationalism," without any flexibility, Li Yi, a senior research fellow at the Internet Research Center under the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times. Canberra was showcasing its strong desire to pander to US interests in the region by containing China, he said. The Australian Defence Department is also phasing out use of Huawei and ZTE phones after US spy chiefs issued blunt security warnings about the companies' products, The Sydney Morning Herald reported last month. Australia was "on the one hand demanding Beijing open up for US-backed services like Facebook, while on the other banning Chinese apps, for its own best interest," Yu Lei, a research fellow at the Oceania Research Center of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangdong Province, told the Global Times. Canberra should stop damaging relations with Beijing before it was too late, he said. There must be room for negotiation with Tencent and other Chinese internet service providers when it comes to addressing the alleged security concerns, Li said. Li cited Apple and Amazon moving data servers to China, suggesting it was feasible for Tencent to follow suit for its overseas business. ^ top ^
Australia to stress international law in handling South China Sea disputes (SCMP)
2018-03-13
Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop will on Tuesday hail the role of international law in settling regional conflicts, comments apparently aimed at bolstering Australian efforts to build a coalition against Chinese assertiveness. In a speech ahead of a special meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in Sydney, Bishop will not name China but will argue that international law will stabilise a region strained by rival claims in the South China Sea. "The rules-based order is designed to regulate behaviour and rivalries of and between states, and ensure countries compete fairly and in a way that does not threaten others or destabilise their region or the world," Bishop will say in Sydney, according to a leaked draft of the speech seen by Australian Financial Review. "It places limitations on the extent to which countries use their economic or military power to impose unfair agreements on less powerful nations." Beijing claims most of the South China Sea, an important trade route which is believed to contain large quantities of oil and natural gas, and has been building artificial islands on reefs, some with ports and air strips. Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, all of which are members of Asean, and self-ruled Taiwan also have claims in the sea. Australia, a staunch US ally with no claim to the South China Sea, has long maintained its neutrality on the dispute to protect its economic relationship with China. But with relations between Canberra and Beijing souring in recent months, Bishop's comments underscore a new Australian tactic. "Australia is trying to get Asean on side with the notion that China is a rule-breaker," said Nick Bisley, professor of international relations at Melbourne's La Trobe University. "If it can get Asean to use that language, it will strengthen Australia's position considerably." Asean and China in August begun talks to develop a code of conduct for the South China Sea, though a deal is unlikely before 2019, Singapore's Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said in February. The issue of the South China Sea is set to dominate the unofficial agenda of a special three-day meeting of Asean countries and Australia, which starts on Friday. Officially, the summit will focus on fostering closer economic ties among the 10 members of Asean and Australia, and countering the threat of Islamist militants returning to the region from the Middle East. Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi is expected to travel to Sydney where she will hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who is under pressure to publicly condemn the deaths and expulsion of thousands of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar's Rakhine State over recent months. ^ top ^
China-ASEAN Expo to be held in September (Xinhua)
2018-03-13
The 15th China-ASEAN Expo is scheduled to be held from Sept. 12 to 15 in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the organizer announced Tuesday. The theme of this year's expo is "Jointly building the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and the China-ASEAN community of innovation." Cambodia is this year's country of honor. Wang Lei, secretary-general of the expo, said more countries, especially those along the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, will be invited to attend the expo to create more business opportunities. Guo Chuanwei, an official with the Ministry of Commerce, said he hopes that China and the ASEAN members can organize more top-level companies to attend the expo to deepen cooperation. Initiated in 2004, the expo is an important platform to promote trade and relations between China and ASEAN. China is ASEAN's largest trade partner, and ASEAN is China's third largest partner. Trade between the two rose 13.8 percent to 514.8 billion U.S. dollars last year. ^ top ^
Sri Lanka says to actively participate in Belt and Road Initiative (Xinhua)
2018-03-13
Sri Lanka on Tuesday said it firmly adheres to the one-China policy and will actively participate in the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by China. During his talks with China's Ambassador to Sri Lanka Cheng Xueyuan, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Tilak Marapana praised the long-standing friendship between the two countries and thanked China for its long-term support to Sri Lanka's economic and social development as well as to Sri Lanka's efforts to safeguard national unity and stability, according to a statement released by Chinese embassy in Sri Lanka. Marapana said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka will coordinate various government departments to speed up projects assessment and approval in order to promote the friendly cooperation, and bring tangible benefits to Sri Lankan people as soon as possible. Ambassador Cheng said that China and Sri Lanka were traditionally friendly neighbors and had been long supporting each other's core interests and major concerns. Attaching great importance to Sino-Sri Lanka relations, the ambassador said China is willing to work with all sectors of Sri Lanka to actively implement the consensus reached by leaders of both countries, speed up the mega projects cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative framework and strive for early harvest to bring real benefits to the two peoples. ^ top ^
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Candidate list for China's new state leadership put forward for deliberation (Xinhua)
2018-03-16
The presidium of the first session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) Thursday decided to send some key documents and a candidate list for the upcoming elections of state leaders for deliberation. Presided over by Li Zhanshu, the presidium's executive chairman, the presidium made a decision that the list of candidates to the president and vice president of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and chairman of the Central Military Commission of the PRC, as well as the 13th NPC Standing Committee chairman, vice chairpersons and secretary-general, will be sent to all NPC delegations for discussion and consultation. The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee recommended the candidates for state leaders to the session's presidium. Entrusted by the CPC Central Committee, Chen Xi, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, made explanations to the presidium on the candidates for the state leadership positions. The presidium also decided to hand the draft election method to all delegations for deliberation, and adopted an arrangement for holding ceremonies for newly-elected and appointed officials to take oath of allegiance to the Constitution. The other documents, which the presidium decided to send to all delegations for deliberation, included the draft resolutions on the government work report, on the implementation of the national economic and social development plan in 2017 and the plan for 2018, on the implementation of the central and local budgets in 2017 and the central and local budgets in 2018, as well as a revised version of the draft supervision law. The presidium also decided to send the draft decision on the institutional restructuring plan of the State Council to the delegations for deliberation. Before the presidium meeting, executive chairpersons held their fourth meeting, also chaired by Li. ^ top ^
China Focus: China's top political advisory body concludes annual session, stressing CPC leadership (Xinhua)
2018-03-15
China's top political advisory body concluded its annual session Thursday, stressing the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC). "Taking a clear political stand is an essential feature of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC)," said Wang Yang, newly-elected chairman of the 13th CPPCC National Committee, when addressing the closing of the session. The CPC leadership is a fundamental political guarantee for the development of the CPPCC and a basic political principle that the advisory body must observe in the new era, Wang said. Wang asked political advisors to uphold the CPC leadership, take Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the guiding principle for the work of the CPPCC, perform their duties for the people, improve their consultation competence, and act within the boundaries of the Constitution and laws. A resolution on an amendment to the CPPCC Charter was passed at the meeting in a move widely believed by observers as representing an important chapter in the development of democracy in China. Xi's thought was incorporated into the amendment as a guiding theory of the CPPCC. The definition of the CPPCC's nature and tasks was enriched, and the idea of "socialist consultative democracy" was written into the charter. This was the fourth amendment to the CPPCC charter since it was adopted in 1982. The CPPCC is an important organ for multiparty cooperation and political consultation led by the CPC, which has been described as "a new type of party system growing from China's soil." As a distinctively Chinese political institution, it is a major channel for socialist consultative democracy. As of 5 p.m. on March 9, political advisors had submitted 5,360 proposals since the session started on March 3, ranging from strengthening overall CPC leadership, the "three critical battles" against major risks, poverty, and pollution, to high-quality development. A resolution on a work report of the Standing Committee of the 12th CPPCC National Committee, a report on the examination of proposals, and a political resolution on the annual session were also approved at the closing meeting. The CPPCC should uphold the CPC leadership, firmly safeguard the core status of Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, the authority of the CPC Central Committee and its centralized, unified leadership, the political resolution read. It called on political advisors to rally Chinese people from all parties, social and ethnic groups, strata and sectors to strive for the achievement of goals and tasks set at the 19th CPC National Congress in October. Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Zhang Dejiang, Yu Zhengsheng, Zhang Gaoli, Li Zhanshu, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji and Han Zheng attended the closing meeting. Xi and other Chinese leaders took group photos with political advisors after the meeting. ^ top ^
Top political advisor encourages good stories of consultative democracy (Xinhua)
2018-03-15
China's top political advisor Wang Yang on Thursday encouraged journalists to tell the stories of China, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and consultative democracy through vivid examples. Wang, who was elected chairman of the 13th CPPCC National Committee Wednesday, made the remarks when he met with journalist representatives of major domestic media outlets. Wang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, expressed appreciation for the efforts made by all journalists covering the annual session of the top political advisory body. He expressed his hope that media outlets could give play to their advantages, continue to cover news related to the CPPCC well, promote the system of CPC-led multiparty cooperation and political consultation, and show the CPPCC's progress in the new era. The political advisory body concluded its annual session Thursday. ^ top ^
Lawyers, soldiers, religious leaders vow loyalty to amended Constitution (Global Times)
2018-03-15
China's just-approved Constitutional amendment sparked discussions among the Chinese public, with various study groups held across the country to discuss the significance of the amendment and how it will impact ordinary people's lives. The amendment, adopted on Sunday, removed the two-term presidential limit, added Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and listed new supervisory commissions as a State organ in the Constitution. In all, there are 21 changes to the Constitution. It also added "the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) is the defining feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics." On Tuesday, 11 top Chinese legal scholars were invited to a symposium held in Beijing by Guo Shengkun, a member of the Political Bureau of the 19th Central Committee of the CPC and head of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the CPC Central Committee. Wang Junfeng, head of the All China Lawyers Association, said at the meeting that the amendment is a milestone in China's progress on the rule of law and that removing the two-term presidential limit helps optimize China's trinity leadership mechanism where leadership of the Party, the State and the military is held by one person. Wang vowed his association will take the lead in studying, promoting and abiding by the amended Constitution and said his association will lead China's 360,000 lawyers in voluntarily safeguarding the authority of the Constitution. Study groups were also held across various Chinese military theater commands this week with military officers vowing to safeguard the Constitution. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Daily reported on Wednesday that an army garrison from the Southern Theater Command held three study sessions on the Constitution during patrol breaks and the East China Sea Fleet sent study materials on the Constitution amendment to the sailors through a mobile phone application. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi wrote in an article published Wednesday in the People's Daily, the flagship newspaper of the Party, that the Constitution for the first time adds policies related to foreign affairs, advocating for peaceful development, a win-win strategy and the community of shared future for mankind. The amendment shows China is more confident about its legal and social systems, Bishop Guo Jincai, deputy head of the Bishops' Conference of the Catholic Church in China, told the Global Times. "It's an inevitable trend that China is reaching out to the world and will get more involved in global interaction as it enters a new era after the opening-up policy," said Guo, who is also a National People's Congress (NPC) deputy. Love for peace Yu Minhong, a political adviser and founder of New Oriental Education Group, said that the constitutional amendment plays a positive role that will help China to open further to the world. "Many of the amended items are oriented toward opening up, and we expect the government policies to better connect China to the world," Yu told the Global Times. Shi Zongwei, head of the Guangdong Entry-exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, said that China's Constitutional amendment provides the entire world the option of an alternative political system. "China's development will not only share our experience with the rest of world, but will also find a way to achieve global common prosperity," Shi told the Global Times. The Constitutional amendment is in accordance with China's current situation, and will promote the further management and progress of our economic and social development, Liu Zhendong, board chairman of Liando company, told the Global Times. Shi Chonghua, a political adviser and deputy head of the Yunnan Provincial Buddhist Association, stressed that the amendment is conducive to the country's stability, creating continuous policies and a stronger leadership. The love for peace is in the spirit of the Chinese people and the constitutional revision has presented this in a convincing way, said NPC deputy Yi Aiwen from Shandong Province. ^ top ^
China Focus: "New type of party system" serves interests of all (Xinhua)
2018-03-14
China is showing the world how a "new type of party system" can work in the best interests of the people. While attending a panel discussion at the ongoing session of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), President Xi Jinping called the system of multiparty cooperation and political consultation led by the Communist Party of China (CPC) "a new type of party system." Combining the Marxist political party theory with Chinese reality, China created the "new type of party system" which is mainly carried out through the CPPCC. The first session of the 13th National Committee of the CPPCC has brought together over 2,000 national political advisors from various political parties, people's organizations, and people of all ethnic groups, as well as from all sectors of society. They have been conducting extensive discussions on the country's political, economic and social issues to pool their wisdom for decision making. REPRESENTS ALL, SERVES ALL When attending meetings and discussions of the session, national political advisor Duan Minglong wears a round emblem embroidered with colorful threads on his chest. "It was made by my aunt before I traveled to Beijing. It's a symbol of the sun that brings good luck, as our Jingpo people worship the sun god," said the 29-year-old of Jingpo ethnicity from southwest China's Yunnan Province. Duan also sees the emblem as a reminder for him to represent and be a voice for Jingpo ethnic people and people from remote Wangzishu township, where he works as a judicial officer. As a grassroots judicial staff member, he often visits the villagers' homes, mediating disputes and spreading legal knowledge. However, it is not easy to reach many villagers' homes on rainy days. "There are no cement roads in some places. Sometimes I have to walk in ankle-deep mud," he said. During the session, Duan made a suggestion to improve rural roads, which was echoed by many other political advisors from underdeveloped areas. Talking about his young age, Duan said part of the reason why he was chosen to be a national political advisor was probably due to his background as a non-CPC member from an ethnic group with a population of less than 150,000. Of the 2,158 members of the 13th CPPCC National Committee, only about 40 percent are from the Communist Party of China (CPC). All 56 ethnic groups are represented. The members are from all walks of life, including farmers, factory workers, officials, entrepreneurs, experts and scholars, as well as religious leaders. "It's a system that represents different levels of society, so the country is more able to make policies that work best for its people," said Fred Teng, president of the America China Public Affairs Institute and a specially invited overseas observer of the session. PARTIES UNITE Before attending the session, political advisor Yu Minhong visited a private school in Beijing's suburbs, where most of the students are children of migrant workers who work as couriers, vegetable growers and care workers in the city. "The school is poorly equipped and staffed, and the parents have to spend 2,000 yuan (316 U.S. dollars) on tuition fee every year, which is a big burden for many," said Yu, chairman and CEO of education company New Oriental and a member of the China Democratic League (CDL). Yu proposed pushing to readjust the allocation of education funding so that children of migrant workers can enjoy equal access to compulsory education. "I get so worried when I see rural children suffer," said Yu, who was also born to a farmer family. Since 2008, when Yu became a member of the CPPCC National Committee, he has been traveling around the country to understand the educational conditions of the rural areas. One of China's eight non-communist parties, the CDL mainly consists of intellectuals working in the fields of culture, education, science, and technology. "'Working relentlessly for state affairs, focusing on the well-being of the people' has been a tradition for the CDL," said Ding Zhongli, chairperson of the CDL Central Committee. Unlike a one-party system or Western-style competitive and confrontational multiparty politics, China's multiparty cooperation and political consultation system allows the ruling party and the participatory parties to work jointly for the nation, he said. Led by the CPC, the non-communist parties have been involved in campaigns related to health care, education, regional economic integration and poverty reduction. Statistics show that since 2016, the non-communist parties have conducted 166 supervisory investigations into poverty reduction work and offered 567 suggestions to CPC committees and governments at different levels. During the past five years, the non-communist parties invested in nearly 2,000 poverty-reduction projects, donated a total of 2.31 billion yuan in the form of money or material, and organized training that benefited some 399,000 people. IT WORKS "The sweetest thing for a political advisor is realizing that your proposals really worked to make a difference," said national political advisor Hu Guozhen, vice governor of Qiandongnan Miao-Dong Autonomous Prefecture of southwest China's Guizhou Province. Hu recalled that at the session of the CPPCC National Committee in 2015, she put forward a proposal calling for the integration of rural and urban healthcare insurance schemes. At the beginning of 2016, the country announced the decision to merge the two separate schemes for more equal access to basic health care. In the 2014 session, she asked for more government subsidies on afforestation in rural areas. Later on, she was informed by the State Forestry Administration that the subsidy increase had been incorporated into the 13th Five-Year Plan. "Now the subsidy on the state-owned forests has been increased from eight yuan to 15 yuan per mu in my hometown," she said. Since 2010, Yu Minhong has submitted several proposals on improving rural teachers' income. "I'm glad to see that the country has launched some policies to improve their incomes and other conditions," he said. As many of the members are experienced officials, experts and professionals in different fields, they are in a good position to make proposals and offer wisdom on state affairs to the CPC and the government. Wan Gang, vice chairperson of the CPPCC National Committee, said that over the past five years, a total of 29,378 proposals had been submitted by the CPPCC National Committee members, and 99 percent of them had been handled as of Feb. 20 this year. "Most of the proposals have either been taken up or gradually put into practice," Wan said. ^ top ^
Wang Yang takes the helm of China's top political advisory body (SCMP)
2018-03-14
Wang Yang, a vice-premier and member of China's apex of power, was elected chairman of the country's political advisory body on Wednesday. He received full votes from the 2,144 delegates to the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference at the Great Hall of People in Beijing. They also elected 24 vice-chairs and standing committee members for a new five-year term until 2023. Wang was Guangdong's party boss from 2007 to 2012 and is credited with putting the province on track to becoming an economic powerhouse through a series of reforms – including Guangzhou becoming the first mainland city to release its budget. He was also involved in economic talks between China and the United States and headed a government leading group on poverty alleviation. He was elevated to the ruling Communist Party's powerful Politburo Standing Committee in October. Former party secretary of Zhejiang province Xia Baolong, a vice-chairman of the CPPCC, became its new secretary. Xia entrenched his reputation as a conservative hardliner when he launched a campaign that removed more than a thousand crosses from church roofs across Zhejiang and, in some cases, demolished entire church buildings. Hong Kong's former chief executives Tung Chee-hwa and Leung Chun-ying were also re-elected as two of the CPPCC's 24 vice-chairmen, with 2,134 and 2,140 votes in favour, respectively. Former World Health Organisation head Dr Margaret Chan Fung Fu-chun and a group of Hong Kong business leaders were among the new faces promoted to the top echelon of the political advisory body. "I was a standing committee member of the CPPCC for two [five-year] terms, and I've been a vice-chairman since last year. I am not unfamiliar with the CPPCC's work," Leung told China News Service before the vote. Leung said he hoped Hong Kong's innovation and tech industries could make good use of the opportunities from Beijing's "Greater Bay Area" project, which aims to turn Hong Kong, Macau and nine neighbouring cities in southern China into an integrated economic and business hub. "I often encourage foreign innovation and tech firms to set up an office in Central [Hong Kong] and put their other departments in the Greater Bay Area... this can help them to save costs," he said. As well as Tung and Leung, 16 other delegates from Hong Kong were elected as standing committee members. Nine of them are joining the standing committee for the first time. They include Margaret Chan, Tourism Board chairman Peter Lam Kin-ngok, Chinese General Chamber of Commerce chairman Jonathan Choi Koon-shum, Federation of Trade Unions president Lam Shuk-yee, and Tan Tieniu, a deputy director of Beijing's liaison office in Hong Kong. Among the seven re-elected was Hong Kong's former chief secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen, billionaires Victor Li Tzar-kuoi and Peter Lee Ka-kit, and former Hospital Authority chairman Anthony Wu Ting-yuk. Movie star Jackie Chan and well-known astronaut Yang Liwei were among dozens of candidates who failed to get enough votes to join the standing committee. But after receiving only two votes in favour, Chan said he did not even know he had been nominated. "I was totally in the dark," Chan said, adding that he was not disappointed and was content with being a political adviser on the CPPCC. "I doubt whether I would have enough time to be a standing committee member, even if they had asked me," he said. "It's not so bad to leave that to someone else." ^ top ^
China puts an end to its notorious one-child policy enforcer (SCMP)
2018-03-14
China's family planning commission, which for nearly four decades enforced the country's notorious one-child policy, will be absorbed by a new agency as the government stops trying to clamp down on births. The new National Health Commission will take over responsibility for population management from the National Health and Family Planning Commission, which dates back in various forms to 1981 and known for its use of forced abortions and sterilisation, and hefty fines to limit births. The phrase "family planning" will disappear from the ministerial structure, as China grapples with a shrinking labour pool and rapidly ageing population. The new health commission will also be responsible for national health policy, reforming in the medical system, controlling tobacco use, and overseeing occupational health, according to a proposal presented the National People's Congress in Beijing on Tuesday. "It is a historic change and watershed moment," said Yi Fuxian, a long-standing critic of China's birth control policy and a researcher at the University of Wisconsin. "China is shifting from population control to population development." As late as in 2013, filmmaker Zhang Yimou and his wife Chen Ting were fined 7.48 million yuan for having three extra children. At the time, commission spokesman Mao Qunan said the agency's work had reduced the number of births in China by "400 million". While China still has not dropped "family planning" from its constitution, Beijing is clearly abandoning restrictive birth control policies to embrace a more balanced approach. According to Huang Wenzheng, co-founder of population policy NGO Cnpop.org, birth control policies are "about to exit history". "Organisational reshuffles at the State Council usually pave the way for policy revisions," Huang said. China has gradually relaxed the one-child policy over the last few years, announcing in October 2015 that from the start of the next year, all couples could have two children. Other policies designed to discourage people from having babies were also gradually lifted. In October 2017, an NPC legislative affairs subcommittee asked officials from five provinces – Guangdong, Yunnan, Jiangxi, Hainan, and Fujian – to revise rules allowing companies to fire their employees who had extra children. And during the Communist Party's five-yearly national congress last year, President Xi Jinping dropped the usual reference to "family planning", saying China would promote "the coordination of childbirth policies with other economic and social policies". It was the first time in nearly 30 years that the party work report did not contain a reference to "birth control". At the time, Li Bin, the commission's minister, said the authority would use "scientific judgment" of China's demographic situation to harness family planning policies. ^ top ^
Commentary: China's anti-poverty drive boosts global human rights progress (Xinhua)
2018-03-14
China, at the annual session of its top legislative body in Beijing, has pledged to lift another 10 million people out of poverty in its rural areas this year. The ambitious call for action demonstrates the country's earnest efforts to eliminate poverty, after more than 68 million people have been lifted out of poverty over the past five years. Through nearly 40 years of reform and opening-up, against the existing rural poverty standards, China has lifted 700 million people out of poverty, more than the total population of the United States, Russia, Japan and Germany, accounting for over 70 percent of the global poverty reduction accomplishments. Besides, the Asian country has established the world's largest social security system and cut the national poverty rate to 3.1 percent, becoming the first country to complete the United Nations (UN) Millennium Development Goals. The successful achievements China has made in poverty alleviation have not only promoted the development of its own human rights endeavor, but also greatly contributed to that of the international community. Today, poverty remains one of the most serious challenges to the fulfillment of human rights, and the elimination of extreme impoverishment has been recognized as a global goal. As the world's most populous country, China had around 30 million people living below the national poverty line at the end of last year due to unbalanced and inadequate development in different regions, though it has seen a remarkable economic achievement over the past decades. The grave reality has prompted the Chinese government to set priorities in honoring its firm commitment to improving the people's rights to subsistence and development -- the most primary and basic human rights, as China's State Council recognized in 2016 in a white paper. These two rights are also enshrined and secured in the Constitution and make poverty alleviation a must-do. To realize the goal of eliminating extreme poverty in the rural areas by 2020, China is carrying out a basic strategy of targeted approach, which requires officials of all levels to clarify who the actual impoverished are and figure out factors that led to poverty. Each household or even each family member would be advised with a bespoke poverty relief plan. In addition, officials who fail to do so would be held accountable. China's anti-poverty drive has been globally lauded. China has realized "the most rapid large-scale poverty reduction in human history over the last 25 years," read a 2016 World Bank document, which was released after the World Bank's one-year research of worldwide poverty reduction efforts in partnership with the Chinese government. "We should not forget the fact that China has contributed the most in world poverty alleviation in the past decade," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said last year about China's poverty reduction achievements. Though the battle against poverty is hard, China is determined to fight its battle and win, as it is trying to build a society where its people can share the bounties of development. As Chinese President Xi Jinping said: "On the march towards common prosperity, no one must be left behind." ^ top ^
Chinese President Xi Jinping confident and relaxed as lawmakers vote to remove term limit (SCMP)
2018-03-11
Under the watch of a confident and relaxed President Xi Jinping, nearly 3,000 Chinese lawmakers were nearly unanimous in their approval on Sunday of changes to the state constitution that included removing the term limit on the presidency. Xi, who had maintained a poker face throughout the opening day of China's parliamentary session last Monday, appeared much more at ease on Sunday. He even smiled when Wang Cheng, the vice-chairman of the National People's Congress, announced the final result of the voting. Only two of the 2,964 deputies voted against the constitutional revisions, three others abstained and one ballot was declared invalid. This year's constitutional revisions received the highest approval rating for such a move since 1999, with the whole voting process also completed in record time. The last time China amended its constitution, in 2004, it took almost two hours. Now, thanks to technology, the lawmakers took less than an hour to pass what was considered the most ambitious revision to the country's modern constitution since its first draft in 1982. There was no debate, no discussion and not even canvassing. The whole event was meticulously managed to the last detail. All the deputies gathered at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing at 3pm sharp. Each received a pink ballot paper the size of an A4 sheet. They were given a short briefing on how to use a specially designed pen to tick the box of their choice before putting the completed ballot papers in 28 red, electronic ballot boxes designed to immediately scan and record the results. It was a smooth and error-free process – something many deputies say is how things in China should be run. Against the backdrop of cheerful traditional Chinese music, Xi walked on to the stage to cast his vote amid thunderous applause. His trusted ally Wang Qishan – despite being only an ordinary party member after retiring from the party leadership in October – was also clapped loudly. Wang Qishan, 69, sat on the second row of the podium, alongside members of the party's Politburo. His seat was right after the seven members of the Politburo Standing Committee – the topmost body in Chinese politics. Every detail at such an important political event, including the sitting order, is carefully choreographed and carries a political message.Sources have told the South China Morning Post Wang Qishan is expected to become China's next vice-president. Like Xi's presidency, there will be no limit on the term of the vice-president following Sunday's revisions to the constitution. The atmosphere on the podium was markedly more relaxed than a few days previously. Many top leaders looked more relaxed after casting their vote. Wang Cheng, who presided over the process, chatted casually with Xi, Premier Li Keqiang and incoming NPC chairman Li Zhanshu – the three top-ranking party officials. Han Zheng, another member of the Politburo Standing Committee, busily engaged in conversation with Wang Huning, the top party official overseeing publicity, and Ding Xuexiang, a Politburo member who is Xi's right-hand man as director of the party's General Office. With the whole event under heavy control, there was, unsurprisingly, a marked absence of dissenting voices inside and outside the Great Hall. When asked about the voting, the deputies either enthusiastically voiced their support or walked away. Nobody deviated from the official line. The biggest news of the day did not generate much discussion online in China. With the topic heavily censored, it was almost impossible to gauge true public sentiment. A few liberal voices did manage to find a way to express their discontent, but their voices appeared to be just a tiny minority. At a press conference broadcast live of state media after the voting, the interpreter omitted a reference to the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution in a question from a Reuters correspondent. Shen Chunyao, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee's Legislative Affairs Commission, said the move to remove the term limit on the presidency would not risk a return to strongman rule or lead to political turmoil or infighting. "As for the assumptions, conjecture and stretched situations in your question, I think that does not exist," Shen said. ^ top ^
China Focus: China's national legislature adopts landmark constitutional amendment (Xinhua)
2018-03-11
China's National People's Congress (NPC), the national legislature, enshrined Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era in the country's Constitution on Sunday, codifying its guiding role. The amendment, adopted at the first session of the 13th NPC with an overwhelming majority, wrote Xi's thought into the Constitution's preamble, along with other guiding theories including Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, and the Theory of Three Represents. Scientific Outlook on Development has also been incorporated into the Constitution as a guiding theory. "As an important content of the amendment, the inclusion of Xi's thought into the country's fundamental law reflects the common aspiration of the entire Communist Party of China (CPC) and all Chinese people of various ethnic groups," said Shen Chunyao, chairman of the Commission for Legislative Affairs of the 12th NPC Standing Committee. "It has been the fundamental theoretical guide for the historic achievements and shifts made in the cause of the Party and the country since the 18th CPC National Congress," Shen said at a press conference held right after the amendment was adopted. The CPC announced the formation of Xi's thought for the first time at its 19th National Congress in October, hailing it as "the latest achievement in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and an important component of the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics." Upon conclusion of the congress, Xi's thought was written into the Party's Constitution as a new guide to action. This was the first amendment to the country's fundamental law in 14 years. Key concepts, policies and strategies the Thought encompasses were embedded in the Constitution. Included are a vision of innovative, coordinated, green and open development for all; the five-sphere integrated plan for coordinated economic, political, cultural, social and ecological advancement; the goal of a "great modern socialist country"; and an oath of allegiance to the Constitution. The amendment has enriched clauses on the patriotic united front, harmonious relations among ethnic groups, and peaceful foreign policies, including the addition of building a community with a shared future for humanity. The expression that China will "adhere to the peaceful development path and the mutually beneficial strategy of opening-up" was added to the preamble. The following sentence was also added in the Constitution to stress the overall CPC leadership: "The leadership of the Communist Party of China is the defining feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics." "The greatest strength of the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics is the leadership of the CPC," said Cao Qingyao, an NPC deputy and a district Party chief of Chongqing Municipality. "The revision has enriched provisions concerning upholding and strengthening the overall CPC leadership and is significant to ensuring the Party and the country to forge ahead along the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics," Cao noted. Other revisions include adding core socialist values and granting Chinese cities, with subordinate districts, the power to make local laws and regulations. The people's congresses and their standing committees in these cities will be able to adopt local laws and regulations under the condition that they do not contradict the Constitution, national laws and regulations, and provincial laws and regulations, according to the amendment. A revision to a clause concerning the Chinese President and Vice President's terms of office was also incorporated. "It is a key measure to improve the state leadership system," Shen told the conference. Supervisory commissions have been listed as state organs in the Constitution, with a section about such organs added to the third chapter, "The Structure of the State." Supervisory organs are listed together with administrative, judicial and procuratorial organs of the State, all of which are created by the people's congresses to which they are responsible and by which they are supervised. Lawmakers at the session agreed that the constitutional revision, which accords with the aspiration of the Party and the people and has won approval from both inside and outside the Party, is of historic significance for ensuring prosperity and lasting security of both the Party and the country. The draft amendment was submitted to the first session of 13th NPC for deliberation among nearly 3,000 deputies on Monday. A constitutional change is either proposed by the NPC Standing Committee or by more than one-fifth of all NPC deputies, and then requires the approval of two-thirds or more of NPC deputies during the annual session. The amendment was put into effect Sunday. Revising part of the Constitution is a major decision made by the CPC Central Committee from the overall and strategic height of upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, said Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, when joining NPC deputies in a panel discussion on Wednesday. The People's Republic of China enacted its first Constitution in 1954. The current Constitution was adopted in 1982 and amended in 1988, 1993, 1999 and 2004. While the reform and opening-up drive, which began 40 years ago, has made amazing progress, it brought major changes to the country's Constitution. From 1988 to 1999, amendments included reform of land-use rights, a legal status for the private economy, the theory of building socialism with Chinese characteristics, replacing the phrase "planned economy" with "socialist market economy," and incorporation of Deng Xiaoping Theory. The most recent amendment in 2004 protected private property and human rights, and gave the Theory of Three Represents constitutional authority. China's Constitution has been developed along with the people's practices of building socialism with Chinese characteristics under the CPC leadership, according to Li Shuzhong, vice president of the China University of Political Science and Law. "The amendment makes the Constitution in keeping with the times by incorporating new achievements, experiences and requirements of the Party and the country's development as socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era," Li said. ^ top ^
Cabinet reshuffle: some new, some gone, some merged (Global Times)
2018-03-13
China unveiled a plan to restructure the government with a major cabinet reshuffle aimed at making the administration more efficient and service-oriented. The ministerial reform plan was submitted Tuesday to the ongoing first session of the 13th National People's Congress for deliberations. The plan will see some ministries merge, others restructure, new ones created and a few dissolved. Once the plan is implemented China's central government will have 26 ministries and commissions. There will also be new administrations including the immigration administration, an international development cooperation agency, and a banking and insurance regulatory commission. Compared with the current setup, the number of ministerial-level entities will be reduced by eight and that of vice-ministerial-level entities by seven. The reform, focusing on institutional restructuring in key areas, will strengthen the government's functions on economic management, market supervision, social management, public service, and ecological and environmental protection, said State Councilor Wang Yong, reported the Xinhua News Agency. "It focuses on the needs of development and meets the people's expectations," Wang said. He said the cabinet reshuffle clears institutional obstacles to make the market play a decisive role in resource allocation. The reshuffle will also help China build a modern economy with high-quality growth. Another main theme of the reform is the strengthening of the leadership of the Party. The reforms will help "combat various efforts to deny, weaken and dilute the Party's leadership," Ding Xuexiang, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, wrote in a commentary published in the People's Daily. In some areas, the weakening of the Party's leadership still exists, Ding said in the commentary. "This is also restricting the systematic development of the socialist market economy." Beginning 1982, amid its reform and opening-up, China began downsizing the central government about every five years, Xinhua reported. The new ministries that the State Council plans to establish reflect the need for change, experts said. A State immigration administration is to be set up under the Ministry of Public Security to formulate and enforce immigration rules, as the number of foreigners working and living in China has been increasing, raising new requirements on immigration administration and services." "This shows that China is becoming more confident in opening to the international community, and foreigners in China will receive better service," said Wang Huiyao, founder and president of the Center for China and Globalization, a Beijing-based think tank. The proposed administration will be responsible for formulating and implementing immigration policies including border control, administering visas for foreigners, the management of refugees and nationality, taking the lead in coordinating the administration of foreigners who illegally enter, work or overstay in China, and the repatriation of illegal immigrants, Xinhua reported. The welfare of military personnel will be better protected with the establishment of a new ministry devoted to veterans' affairs. "A well-developed and sophisticated care system for veterans will provide more confidence and conditions to the country when considering the use of military forces overseas," said a military expert and PLA veteran who asked for anonymity. "If the government can't protect and take care of veterans, then the young people's will to serve in the military will be damaged, and the source of the country's military strength will weaken," Zhu Lijia, a professor of public management at the Chinese Academy of Governance, told the Global Times on Tuesday. The move aims to protect the legitimate rights and interests of military personnel and their families, improve the service and management system of demobilized military personnel, and make military service an occupation that enjoys public respect, Xinhua reported. A banking and insurance regulatory commission will be formed to replace the China Banking Regulatory Commission and the China Insurance Regulatory Commission. The new body will be more effective at forestalling risks in the financial sector. The international development cooperation agency, to be formed by merging parts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Commerce, will "give full play to foreign aid as a key means of major-country diplomacy," Wang said. ^ top ^
China launches mega aid agency in big shift from recipient to donor (SCMP)
2018-03-13
China is laying the groundwork for a new aid agency to oversee its massive – and opaque – foreign aid programmes as Beijing closes in on Washington as the world's biggest donor. The new agency, the International Development Cooperation Agency, will answer to China's highest executive body, the State Council, and consolidate roles that had been between divided between the ministries of commerce and foreign affairs. It comes as China, the world's second-biggest economy, is dispensing foreign aid in all forms, from loans at both market and concessional rates to donations, making the transition from recipient to donor. According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, China was still receiving US$2.5 billion in foreign aid in 2008, about half of which came from Japan. Germany, France and Britain were the next biggest contributors. The creation of the agency is part of a broad structural overhaul of the party and state apparatus unveiled during the National People's Congress meeting in Beijing on Tuesday morning. The State Council said the new body would take over all aid-related work in a push to strengthen strategic planning and coordination, and consolidate management of the programmes. While other departments will carry out the work on the ground, the agency's focus will be on planning to "better serve the country's global strategy and to build the 'Belt and Road Initiative'", President Xi Jinping's signature infrastructure and trade drive to link China to Asia, Africa and beyond. According to a 2014 State Council white paper, most of the country's foreign aid went to Asia and Africa between 2010 and 2012. During the period, China channelled US$14.41 billion in foreign grants, interest-free loans and concessional loans offshore. China has repeatedly said it does not impose political conditions on its contributions or interfere in the internal affairs of recipient countries, but the lack of transparency in the deals and the exponential growth in China's aid over the past decade has raised suggestions it is trying to use aid to expand its overseas influence. In October, US-based AidData said China had come as close as it ever had to overtaking the United States as the world's biggest aid donor. AidData, which tracks contributions to more than 5,000 projects in 140 countries, found that China gave almost US$354.4 billion in aid and other forms of support between 2000 and 2014 while the US spent US$394.6 billion. Yet China's aid has only started to take off since 2009. Renmin University public administration professor Mao Shoulong said the new agency reflected the growing importance of economic aid in China's global strategy. "Diplomacy and the military have been the two traditional pillars of its international strategy, and now China is increasingly relying on economic ties, including foreign aid, to achieve its goals," Mao said. "It's not easy to coordinate economic diplomacy when powers are scattered among different ministries. The new agency can help in this regard." Marina Rudyak, who researches Chinese foreign aid at Heidelberg University in Germany, said the Ministry of Commerce's aid bureaucracy had been understaffed. "It's a great development that is happening now because the foreign aid structure in China was so fragmented," Rudyak said. "We will have to see if China will allocate enough manpower and train enough aid specialists to do [it] and to be effective." She said that in the past the ministry had made China's economic interests a key consideration but there appeared to be a new understanding in the government that aid needed to involve multiple stakeholders. "I think... [the new agency is] a very important step in taking on responsibility in becoming a country that provides aid not only for its own economic interests … but becoming engaged in international development." ^ top ^
China Focus: Draft supervision law to pave way for Party-led unified anti-graft network (Xinhua)
2018-03-13
China's draft supervision law was submitted for its third reading at the national legislature Tuesday, aiming at a centralized, unified, authoritative and efficient supervisory network under the Party's leadership. The new law, an essential part of China's reform of supervisory institutions, is expected to serve as a fundamental and guiding law against corruption and for state supervision, said Li Jianguo, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the 12th National People's Congress (NPC), when explaining the bill to the 13th NPC. The law is aimed at enhancing the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on anti-corruption campaigns, he said. According to the bill, new supervisory commissions will be established at the national, provincial, city and county levels. Tasked to handle job-related crimes, they will independently exercise supervisory power, and not be subject to interference from the government, social organizations and individuals. The commissions are entrusted to oversee state functionaries, investigate corruption cases such as bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power, impose administrative penalty on corrupt officials, and hand over criminal cases to prosecutors, according to the bill. "In face of a tough and complicated situation, our existing supervisory institutions were clearly unable to meet the demands of the battle against corruption and the campaign to clean up the Party," Li said. Under the old supervisory system, the Party disciplinary network oversaw all Party members and the administrative supervisory agencies governed civil servants, which left a considerable number of state functionaries unsupervised. The supervisory power was also divided among three agencies, with the Party disciplinary agencies regulating Party members according to Party rules, administrative supervisory agencies watching civil servants according to the administrative supervision law, and procuratorates prosecuting state functionaries suspected of corruption according to the criminal procedure law. "The agencies, with their power divided and overlapping, did not function in harmony," Li said, adding that procuratorates, which not only investigate but also prosecute, were not under effective supervision. Under the reform, supervision, corruption control and prevention divisions under the government and procuratorates are merged, pooling anti-graft resources together. The new law also aims to legalize a unified system between state supervision and Party disciplinary inspection. "Since 80 percent of civil servants and 95 percent of leading officials are Party members, the tasks of Party internal inspection and state supervision highly overlap, requiring a more unified supervisory system," Li said. New supervisory commissions will share staff and offices with the Party disciplinary inspection agencies. The draft law has incorporated practices of the pilot reform of supervisory system, which began in Beijing, Shanxi and Zhejiang in December 2016, and then was expanded nationwide in November 2017, Li said. Among the new practices in the pilot reform, a new detention system has been tested to replace the practice of "shuanggui," an intra-party disciplinary practice, exercised by Party disciplinary officials, where a Party member under investigation must cooperate with questioning at a set time and place. "Replacing shuanggui with rigorously-regulated detention will help settle a long-lingering legal problem," Li said. "This has displayed our resolve and confidence to realize a full law-based governance." As of now, supervisory commissions have been founded at the provincial, city and county levels across the country. The constitutional amendment, adopted by the NPC Sunday, listed supervisory commissions as a new state organ. The national supervisory commission will be made up of one director, several deputy directors and a few members. The director will be elected by the NPC, serve the same term as that of the NPC and for no more than two consecutive terms. Deputy directors and members will be appointed and removed by the NPC Standing Committee upon the request of the director. Local supervisory commissions will follow a similar setup to the national agency. Under the bill, supervision commissions will be entitled to oversee staff of Party organs, legislatures, governments, courts, procuratorates, political advisory bodies, as well as their own staff, executives of state-owned enterprises, managing staff of public institutions and mass organizations, among others in public office. Supervisory commissions will be supervised by the people's congresses at the same level and their standing committees, to which they report their work and answer inquiries. Supervisory commissions will have the power to question witnesses, interrogate suspects, search properties, freeze bank accounts, seize and identify suspicious assets, among other means. A suspect implicated in graft offenses could be detained at a designated location if further investigation is necessary, and if the suspect is likely to flee, commit suicide, collude with accomplices or tamper with evidence. The detention must be approved by the supervisory commissions. The supervisory commissions will authorize relevant agencies, following strict approval procedures, to take technical investigation measures, issue fugitive notices, or block suspects from traveling abroad. Rigorous restriction will be introduced upon the power of supervisory commissions. According to the bill, clear protocols will be set up for supervision and investigation procedures and provisions will be added to better protect personal and property rights of those under investigation. To detain a suspect, city and county supervisory commissions must ask for permission from their superior commissions, while provincial commissions shall inform the national commission. Detention shall last no longer than three months, and the family and work unit of the detained suspect shall be notified within 24 hours, except those who might hinder investigations. The detention can be extended for another three months only once, under "special circumstances" and with approval from the higher-level supervisory commission. Food, rest and safety should be guaranteed and medical care provided for those in custody. ^ top ^
China boosts environmental watchdog's powers as next step in battle against pollution (SCMP)
2018-03-13
China has moved to strengthen the role of its environmental watchdog as it continues its uphill battle to tackle widespread ecological degradation and pollution. The move to set up a new ministry of ecological environment – a decade after the first full environmental ministry was established – was hailed by state media as a significant step to boost the power of the largely rubber-stamp watchdog and cut regulatory overlap after President Xi Jinping identified the battle against pollution as one of his priorities. But environmentalists and former government officials were not impressed and sounded a note of caution about the actual impact of this kind of bureaucratic shake-up without measures to tackle the deeply entrenched structural problems that stand in the way of meaningful reform. The new watchdog, announced as part of Tuesday's wide-reaching government overhaul, will absorb most of the functions of the existing environmental ministry and will also take on a variety of pollution monitoring and reduction roles that were previously carried out by other government bodies such as the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) as well as the ministries of water resources, agriculture and land and resources. The new ministry will continue the task of mapping out environmental policies and fighting air and water pollution. It will also be responsible for tackling maritime pollution, a task formerly carried out by the State Oceanic Administration. The ministry will also have responsibility for the task of combating global warming, which will include international climate negotiations. A ministry to manage China's natural resources will be also be created, replacing the land and resources ministry. The ministry of natural resources will also incorporate a large number of the planning and surveying functions formerly carried out by the NDRC and the ministries of agriculture, water resources and housing and urban-rural development. It is also expected to oversee both the maritime watchdog and the forestry administration, with a remit that has been expanded to cover World Heritage Sites, natural reserves and national parks. However, the plan fell short of establishing an all-powerful energy ministry to oversee the country's vast coal, oil and power sectors despite intense speculation this would be the case. The shake-up is expected to be approved by the National People's Congress, the country's parliament, on Saturday. The latest reforms mark the sixth attempt to revamp the role of the environmental watchdog since the early 1980s, according to state media. The changes reflect a sea change in public attitudes towards pollution control, a major source of public dissatisfaction and social unrest over the past four decades. Despite the unprecedented importance Beijing has attached to tackling the ecological problems that were a by-product of a its breakneck economic development, senior watchdog officials admitted on the sidelines of the NPC that they had yet to reach a turning point. Although Beijing saw an unusual number of clear sky days last year largely due to strong wind and lengthy bans on industrial production in neighbouring areas, the capital has been shrouded in a dense, choking haze for more than a week. Wang Yongchen, a Beijing-based environmentalist, said that while strengthening the environmental watchdog was a move in the right direction, it remained to be seen if the measures would succeed without a detailed implementation plan. "The move is aimed at reducing red tape and bureaucratic overlaps and wrangling, but it is too early to tell if the new bodies can overcome internal barriers and function properly considering the deep-rooted vested interests that exist," she said. A former senior environmental ministry official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, also admitted that the latest shake-up may not be enough to tackle persistent structural problems without long-stalled political reforms. "There is no such thing as a free lunch," he said. "If we are serious about tackling the pollution problems that resulted from decades of growth, are we ready to pay a steep price to improve the environment at the expense of our economic development?" ^ top ^
New immigration bureau set up to handle growing number of foreigners in China (SCMP)
2018-03-13
The growing trend of people emigrating to and from China has prompted Beijing to set up a new agency to coordinate immigration policies and their implementation. It comes as Beijing ramps up measures to attract more skilled foreigners to China for work – efforts that are often undermined by red tape, particularly the complicated visa application process. Managed by the Ministry of Public Security, the new immigration bureau will be responsible for overseeing visas, repatriation of people found to be in the country illegally, and border control. It will also provide exit and entry services for Chinese nationals. In addition, the Ministry of Science and Technology will take over the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, which handles employment of foreigners, under a government reshuffle plan tabled on Tuesday at the National People's Congress. "Along with the rise of China's power, an increasing number of foreigners have come to work and live in this country, which means better immigration services are needed," State Councillor Wang Yang told some 3,000 lawmakers at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The plan is expected to be endorsed by the NPC later this week. There were more than 900,000 foreigners working on mainland China in 2016, according to official data, compared with only 10,000 in the 1980s. China meanwhile granted permanent residency to 1,576 foreigners in 2016 – a 163 per cent jump from the previous year – under a "green card" scheme that began in 2004. The number of Chinese going to live in other countries is also on the rise, going from 4.1 million in 1990 to 9.3 million in 2013, according to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. But moving to China for work is no easy task for foreigners. Applying to work in the country can be a lengthy and difficult process, with an employment visa and a residence permit required. Foreigners must also register with local police within 24 hours of arrival, and when moving to a new place. Israeli Eli Beck, founder of EDB-China, which offers business development services between China and Israel, said he welcomed the move to set up a new immigration bureau. "In the past when we applied for a work visa and residency permit, we used to wait in lines, file our applications and then go to other locations to file another document. It's time-consuming and complicated," Beck said. He added that some of his colleagues had applied for a Chinese green card, but none were successful. "The requirements are very strict and very demanding. I guess very few [foreign] people qualify for it," Beck said. An official at a Shanghai immigration checkpoint run by the public security ministry said his department would come under the new agency, with the aim of providing a one-stop service. "In the future, various departments dealing with different immigration issues will come under the bureau's umbrella. It will be more convenient – both for us government officials and for people who need immigration services," said the official, who declined to be named. "But I don't think it will be easier for foreigners to get green cards because there's no change to the rules there. Applicants will still have to put together all the same paperwork." Wang Huiyao, director of the Centre for China and Globalisation, a think tank in Beijing, said it was high time an immigration bureau was set up. "With so many departments involved and a complicated application process, moving to China can be a real headache for foreigners and the bureaucracy has also put off international talent from coming here," Wang said, adding that a central agency could provide a better service and more welcoming atmosphere. Beijing-based lawyer Jiang Junlu, who specialises in labour issues and social security, said China needed to do more to lure skilled workers from overseas. He added that Beijing should also get tough on those who are in the country illegally and managing people with multiple nationalities, without elaborating. ^ top ^
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| Xinjiang |
Xinjiang official vows to continue 'intense' campaign against separatists (SCMP)
2018-03-14
Xinjiang deputy party secretary Zhu Hailun on Tuesday said the government would continue its campaign against separatists, and that the troubled far western region was "stable" thanks to its efforts. Speaking at the Xinjiang delegation meeting during the National People's Congress in Beijing, the deputy party chief of one of China's most repressive areas said the fight against separatists was "intense" and the government would not let its guard down. "Through the efforts that the people of Xinjiang have made, the region's overall situation has been stable. The people's sense of security has grown," Zhu said. "A stable situation benefits Xinjiang's economy and leads the people to better lives." Ethnic violence has killed hundreds of people in the tense Xinjiang region in recent years, and the authorities have ramped up security, with a heavy police presence on the streets, religious restrictions and a re-education programme. Xinjiang is home to at least 11 million mostly Muslim Uygurs. Zhu made the remarks a month after Human Rights Watch said it had found fresh evidence that the authorities had swept up citizens' personal information to police the population. Chinese security officials say the sprawling region harbours separatist and religious extremist elements. Zhu warned that the fight against separatists was "persistent, complicated, sharp and at times very intense" but said the authorities were determined to ensure stability. At the same meeting, Shohrat Zakir, chairman of the Xinjiang regional government, said more than 100 million tourists – both domestic and foreign travellers – had visited Xinjiang last year, up 32.4 per cent from 2016. He added that there had been a significant improvement in "social harmony", and "no violent attacks took place in Xinjiang last year". On the economy, Zakir said the region's gross domestic product was more than 1 trillion yuan (US$157.97 billion) last year, an increase of 7.6 per cent from 2016. That was reflected in wage growth, he said, with urban dwellers' salaries up 8.1 per cent from the year before, and farmers earning 8.5 per cent more. Another delegate told the meeting that a campaign had been launched to encourage exchanges between civil servants and ethnic groups in the region and foster "ethnic unity". Xinjiang has been flooded with security forces over the past decade, and Uygurs have reportedly been detained under "vocational training" programmes teaching Mandarin and patriotism. ^ top ^
Xinjiang reported free of terror attacks last year (China Daily)
2018-03-14
There were no terrorist attacks in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region last year, the region's chairman said on Tuesday as he discussed the regional government's determination to keep the social situation calm. "Xinjiang will continue to enforce the comprehensive anti-terrorism measures to keep the region stable," said Shohrat Zakir, chairman of Xinjiang. He spoke during a plenary session of the Xinjiang delegation to the first session of the 13th National People's Congress, the top legislature. A series of new anti-terrorism measures have been introduced since Chen Quanguo was appointed as Party secretary of Xinjiang in August 2016. They included setting up a network of police stations in all cities and townships to quickly react to any emergencies. Significant results have been achieved in maintaining social stability in Xinjiang, which has always been the front line of China's battle against terrorism, Chen said earlier in the annual NPC session. "Fighting separatism and terrorism is our utmost priority. We will continue to strike hard against such activities and win a people's war in border control," Zhu Hailun, secretary of the Xinjiang regional Political and Law Commission, said during the session, which was open to media. Zhu said while Xinjiang's social situation has been stabilized, it is still in a phase in which terrorist activities are active. He warned that the fight against separatism and terrorism is a long-term one. Maintaining social stability and long-term peace is the goal of Xinjiang, Zhu said. Having a safe and stable environment is the foundation for regional social development, he added. "Due to the complicated international situation, Xinjiang needs to continue to strengthen its anti-terrorism efforts. There is no room for slacking off," Zhu said. China will take strict preventive measures against terrorist activities this year and see them firmly stamped out, Premier Li Keqiang said in this year's Government Work Report. Xinjiang will step up security measures in key areas and border areas as well as enforce internet management to maintain social stability this year. It will further rely on technology to enhance front-line border control and improve infrastructure in border areas, such as improving road conditions, Shohrat said in January. ^ top ^
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| Taiwan |
Is Beijing planning to take Taiwan back... by force? (SCMP)
2018-03-15
Beijing is mapping out specific tactics to lure Taiwan into its orbit and possibly pave the way for forcible seizure of the self-ruled island, although there is no timetable for such a drastic move, according to a senior mainland Taiwan affairs adviser. Li Yihu, dean of Peking University's Taiwan Studies Institute, said Beijing was reinforcing its "carrot and stick" approach to dealing with Taiwan's independence forces after passing historic constitutional amendments on Sunday to remove presidential term limits on the mainland. Beijing has been using economic sweeteners or "carrots" such as offers of better paying jobs, access to bigger markets and equal treatment to lure Taiwanese to the mainland. Analysts have cautioned that if the sweeteners fail to work, the mainland could bring down its "stick" – moving to forcibly seize the wayward island. Li said that although he doubted that Xi had set a timetable for a Taiwan takeover, the Taiwan issue would remain prominent on the leader's agenda. "Cross-strait unification is more urgent when the mainland's economic power is rising," Li said. Beijing's involvement in the Taiwan issue has strengthened in tandem with the mainland's growth. Resolving the "Taiwan problem" is seen as a major step in achieving Xi's goal of "national rejuvenation". Li said that as a result the mainland was turning Xi's Taiwan-related strategies into detailed tactics in various areas – including the economy, politics, the military, culture, society and even the judicial sector – with some already being implemented. The moves come on the heels of the Beijing-based Taiwan Affairs Office's February announcement of 31 policies smoothing the way for greater Taiwan-mainland integration, including 12 measures related to business and 19 to social and employment issues. Unlike the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) signed between Beijing and Taipei in 2010 that lowered tariffs for Taiwanese businesses, the new measures were intended to put Taiwanese companies and residents on an equal footing with their mainland-based counterparts. Li said Beijing had also looked into ways to deal with tactical-level challenges from the island's independence forces. Analysts have speculated that a vote by the mainland's legislature to repeal presidential term limits, allowing the president to stay on past 2023, will empower Xi to take a tougher approach to Taiwan by forcibly taking back the island. "Resolving the Taiwan dilemma" would also clear the decks for the 2020 launch of Xi's push to build China into a leading innovation nation via the "two 15-year plans". Beijing plans to spend the first 15 years of this two-part undertaking transforming China into a top innovation nation. By 2035 it is to have a large middle-income population and a narrowed wealth gap. The government is to spend another 15 years driving China's evolution into a pioneering global influence by 2050. Huang Zhixian, chairman and Communist Party chief of the All-China Federation Of Taiwan Compatriots, a civilian group that focuses on Taiwanese living on the mainland, said Beijing would prefer to use peaceful means to reunify Taiwan. As part of the federation's effort to help Beijing engage the Taiwanese public, it would invite ordinary people from southern Taiwan, the power base of Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party, to take part in various mainland social and cultural exchanges, Huang said. Some 70 per cent of the island's grass roots had never visited the mainland, he said. General Han Weiguo, a People's Liberation Army ground force chief who spent more than 30 years stationed in Fujian province, across the Taiwan Strait from the island, said the PLA hoped Taiwan's problem could be solved peacefully, as soon as possible. "Taiwan should be unified, not by force, but peaceful means," Han said on the sidelines of the National People's Congress in Beijing. "But that doesn't mean the problem could be postponed indefinitely. It should be solved as quickly as possible." Taipei needed to appreciate the urgency of resolving the issue, Han said. Taipei-based political commentator Wang Hsing-ching – better known by his pseudonym, Nan Fangshuo – said the mainland's recently announced 31 integration measures would deal the island's independence-leaning forces a setback. "Beijing's economic power is now so powerful in the international community," he said. "It's a fact that Tsai's administration couldn't do anything due to its weakness, causing more and more Taiwanese talent to seek better job opportunities on the mainland." The commentator said he also feared Beijing's sweeteners would siphon away the DPP's political leaders and grass-roots supporters. ^ top ^
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| Economy |
China shares technology with nuclear reactor exports (Global Times)
2018-03-13
China's exports of nuclear reactors will not threaten the world, but will be an opportunity to share its technology and help countries develop, nuclear specialists said on Monday. By exporting nuclear reactors, China is actually providing a convenience to the world, said Luo Qi, a member of the 13th National Committee of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and head of the Nuclear Power Institute of China. The Financial Times reported in August 2017 that China had been scheduled to construct nuclear facilities in Argentina, the UK and Iran and was bidding for more. "Time will tell whether these developments represent an opportunity or a forewarning of China's grand nuclear ambitions," the report said. "The reactors can mobilize local employment and generate tax income," Luo told the Global Times. Each reactor can bring a production value of 100 billion yuan ($15.8 billion). Moreover, nuclear reactors can raise the educational and industrial levels of recipient countries, he said. Political relations between recipient countries and China will be further strengthened on government-to-government and civilian levels, Luo noted. "Exporting nuclear reactors is consistent with China's Belt and Road initiative." Luo stressed that the country is knowledgeable in building nuclear power plants and has the most sophisticated technology, though the share of nuclear power to total electrical supply is relatively low, at only two percent. A total of 72 countries and regions have developed or are planning to develop nuclear power, with 41 of them along the Belt and Road, Liu Wei, a deputy of the National People's Congress (NPC) and general manager of China Nuclear Power Engineering Co. Ltd, said at a press conference on Sunday. China's Hualong One technology was applied in Pakistan's Karachi nuclear power plant in October 2017, and in November, a contract to build the "Chashma 5" reactor in Pakistan's Chashma power plant was signed. ^ top ^
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| DPRK |
Trump-Kim summit possibility hinges on location (Global Times)
2018-03-16
On Thursday, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho flew to Stockholm, Sweden from Beijing. Right now, the world is speculating on the possibility of a US-North Korea summit to take place in Sweden in May. Will a meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump, inconceivable by any stretch of the imagination a month ago, really happen in Sweden? In my opinion, officials from both countries have pondered the idea of Sweden as a possible summit location. It is not unlikely Kim would travel to Sweden to meet with Trump, but it would be one of the riskiest choices he has ever made. The likelihood of the two striking a historic agreement and turning bilateral relations around is not high. Ensuring Kim's safety will be Pyongyang's top priority. With that in mind, the question is, can Sweden guarantee the North Korean leader's "absolute safety" as I believe this is the country's expectation. Despite claims of being neutral, Sweden is a member of the European Union, and has security agreements with NATO. The Scandinavian country is also under US political and security influence, which makes its neutrality questionable. If the Trump-Kim meeting were to happen in Sweden's capital city, it would likely be a sincere host and ensure security for both sides while providing other convenient measures. However, if the US were to pressure Sweden to "take action" against Kim, would they resist cooperating? A question mark looms over such a scenario. If the country was not willing to help, could NATO "take action" against Kim either inside or within proximity to Sweden? Thus, placing an ellipsis on top of the question mark. So, would Washington use the summit opportunity to "take action" against Kim? From a diplomatic perspective, the chances are almost nil. Yet a different type of logic exists within politics. That is, if Trump and his security team had somehow decided to end the North Korean nuclear crisis by taking action against Kim, then the idea becomes much more palpable. A smooth summit meeting would be Trump's best-case scenario. Even if the leaders couldn't reach an agreement during their first meeting, Trump could influence North Korea to make denuclearization its ultimate goal, as well as keeping their promise on freezing its nuclear program. After North Korea delivers on its promise, everything would get better from there. Nonetheless, the US apparently lacks confidence in making this happen. With US public opinion, much of it is rhetoric filled with accusations, such as Pyongyang is "playing tricks" and attempting to "linger around." Besides, many oppose the meeting and believe Trump is the one who is taking a huge risk. President Trump is a very unique leader and does not play by the book. He is fond of throwing wild cards and unafraid of taking risks. If there was a single person within the US government who would be willing jump on the one percent chance of "taking action," it would be him. If Trump were to use extreme measures against Kim, it would be one of the most explosive news stories since the Cold War. How America and the Western world reacted would not be that important. However, what would be important is that Trump would believe Americans would not only forgive him, but applaud him, for ending the North Korean nuclear crisis. As previously stated, the possibility of "taking action" against Kim is almost nonexistent. However, the way North Koreans perceive the meeting could be similar to the way they view a game of Russian roulette. If you knew there was a bullet in the gun, would you still pull the trigger? If you were the leader of a nation, would your people support such an action? As per my analysis, it is very likely Kim will not choose a Western nation or any country under Washington's influence. Pyongyang has always been aware of the long-running existence of a South Korea-US assassination unit prepared to take Kim out of the game at the sound of a whistle. Pyongyang is worried a "decapitation" strike would be America's answer to the Korean Peninsula problem. Pyongyang's options will probably come down to Panmunjom, Beijing, or Ulaanbaatar. Panmunjom is a village that sits on the 38th parallel north close to the DMZ, where it has strong control. Beijing is the safest city, but Pyongyang might be unwilling because the bilateral relationship is at a low ebb. As for the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar, situated between China and Russia, North Korea has long enjoyed a friendly history with Mongolia. This location would minimize US opportunity to "take action" while promising Kim's safety. Due to the amount of power Kim has over North Korea combined with Western animosity, concerns for his safety could exist outside of the norm. How the Trump-Kim meeting goes down could be an enormous challenge for Pyongyang. The process by which North Korea returns to the international community will be an arduous and treacherous journey. The move will require support from China and Russia. Its effort in trying to be a balancing factor is not a perfect strategy and is a long-term issue. Choosing the location of the summit is a decision of utmost importance and requires the greatest of care. ^ top ^
N.Korea envoy visits Sweden, summit venue still uncertain (Global Times)
2018-03-15
A North Korean envoy began a visit to Sweden amid speculations about the venue of the announced meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump. North Korean foreign minister Ri Yong-ho will begin a rare two-day visit on Thursday to Sweden, which represents the US diplomatically in North Korea, the Swedish Foreign Ministry said, Reuters reported. Ri took a flight to Sweden via Beijing on Thursday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang told a press conference when asked about the presence of Ri at the Beijing Capital International Airport. "The selection of a venue is based on the decisions made by both the US and North Korea. They will send senior diplomats to visit the potential host country and listen to their views on arrangements. Then they will make a decision," said Cheng Xiaohe, an associate professor at Renmin University of China's School of International Studies. Why Sweden? Sweden is a neutral state for both the US and North Korea, Cheng said. "Additionally, Sweden is geographically located between the US and North Korea. If the meeting is to be held there, it will show equality between the two sides, which North Korea really cares about." Sweden has diplomatic ties with North Korea and is not a member of the US-led NATO military alliance. It used to occasionally represent the US in dealing with Pyongyang on detained US citizens in North Korea, Lü Chao, a research fellow at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times. Ri will hold talks with his Swedish counterpart Margot Wallstrom on the security situation of the Korean Peninsula and Sweden's representation of the US, the Swedish foreign ministry said, Reuters reported. Other locations that have been talked about by international media as potential sites for the meeting include Panmunjom, the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea, Beijing, Mongolian capital Ulan Bator, Switzerland and international waters, among others. Sweden is not the only possible location, Lü said. "Other choices also have advantages. For instance, Switzerland is also a neutral state and Mongolia also has friendly relations with both sides, while Beijing is experienced in arranging meetings for both sites during the previous six-party talks." Warning signs However, other factors could still potentially affect the planned meeting. On Thursday, South Korea also sent its foreign minister to the US, Reuters reported. Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper of North Korea's ruling party, condemned Seoul's and Washington's latest discussions on defense cost sharing, claiming South Koreans are the ones who hope for a troop withdrawal, the Yonhap News reported on Wednesday. "What South Koreans want is an unconditional withdrawal of US troops, an unwelcome guest that poses a threat to peace and security on the Korean Peninsula," the newspaper said. Trump will not meet with Kim unless North Korea takes "concrete and verifiable actions" toward denuclearization, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said on March 9. "Both sides should meet unconditionally first, otherwise too many conditions would damage the positive environment for talks and eventually ruin the trend," Lü said. ^ top ^
Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong-un to hold historic face-to-face meeting (SCMP)
2018-03-10
US President Donald Trump has accepted an invitation from Kim Jong-un for a historic face-to-face meeting, a surprise development that could mark a potential breakthrough in North Korea's nuclear stand-off with America and its allies. South Korea's national security adviser Chung Eui-yong made the announcement of Kim's offer in Washington on Thursday (Friday morning Hong Kong time). Chung said Kim was "committed to denuclearisation" and would refrain from any further nuclear and missile tests. He said Kim wanted to meet Trump as "soon as possible" and that Trump said "he would meet Kim Jong-un by May to achieve permanent denuclearisation" of the Korean peninsula. Kim "understands that the routine joint military exercises between the Republic of Korea [South Korea] and the United States must continue", Chung said. No American president has ever met with a North Korean leader. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders later confirmed Chung's comments. She said Trump would "meet with Kim Jong-un at a place and time to be determined. We look forward to the denuclearisation of North Korea. In the meantime, all sanctions and maximum pressure must remain." Chung headed a delegation that met Kim at a historic meeting in Pyongyang late on Monday, Kim's first with South Korean officials. Korea Society president Thomas Byrne hailed the announcement. "What we're seeing here is that the alliance is working. Both the US and the ROK [South Korea] are on the same page," Byrne, who's now in Seoul for meetings with government and business officials, told the South China Morning Post. "There's unison in ends. There may be flexibility in ways to meet that end but the end remains unchanged: The denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula and the use of maximum pressure. The joint military drills between South Korea and the US will go on and that's been assured from the highest levels here." Trump's aides have been wary of North Korea's diplomatic overtures because of its history of reneging on international commitments. South Korea's national security adviser Chung Eui-yong made the announcement of Kim's offer in Washington on Thursday (Friday morning Hong Kong time). Chung said Kim was "committed to denuclearisation" and would refrain from any further nuclear and missile tests. He said Kim wanted to meet Trump as "soon as possible" and that Trump said "he would meet Kim Jong-un by May to achieve permanent denuclearisation" of the Korean peninsula. Kim "understands that the routine joint military exercises between the Republic of Korea [South Korea] and the United States must continue", Chung said. No American president has ever met with a North Korean leader. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders later confirmed Chung's comments. She said Trump would "meet with Kim Jong-un at a place and time to be determined. We look forward to the denuclearisation of North Korea. In the meantime, all sanctions and maximum pressure must remain." Timeline: 16 key North Korea events that marked rocky road to Kim-Trump summit Chung headed a delegation that met Kim at a historic meeting in Pyongyang late on Monday, Kim's first with South Korean officials. Korea Society president Thomas Byrne hailed the announcement. "What we're seeing here is that the alliance is working. Both the US and the ROK [South Korea] are on the same page," Byrne, who's now in Seoul for meetings with government and business officials, told the South China Morning Post. "There's unison in ends. There may be flexibility in ways to meet that end but the end remains unchanged: The denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula and the use of maximum pressure. The joint military drills between South Korea and the US will go on and that's been assured from the highest levels here." Trump's aides have been wary of North Korea's diplomatic overtures because of its history of reneging on international commitments. But Trump himself declared the developments as "great progress" in a tweet, adding that "sanctions will remain until an agreement is reached". Earlier Thursday he boasted to journalists that South Korea would be making a "major statement" about North Korea. After his announcement to reporters in a surprise appearance in the White House briefing room, Trump was asked whether the announcement would be about talks with North Korea and he told ABC reporter Jon Karl: "It's almost beyond that. Hopefully, you will give me credit." A meeting between Kim and Trump, who have exchanged bellicose insults in the past year that have raised fear of war, would mark a dramatic breakthrough in efforts to resolve the tense stand-off over North Korea's effort to develop nuclear missiles capable of hitting the US mainland. Chung and South Korean National Intelligence Service chief Suh Hoon flew to Washington to explain North Korea's stance on possible future talks with Washington and the prospect of Pyongyang suspending nuclear tests if the security of the North's government is assured. Earlier Thursday, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that though "talks about talks" might be possible with Pyongyang, denuclearisation negotiations were likely a long way off, adding "we just need to be very clear-eyed and realistic about it." South Korean President Moon Jae-in made similar comments, saying: "This is just a start, and we can't be optimistic just yet." Japan's prime minister on Friday welcomed the surprise announcement of the summit between Trump and Kim. "I highly appreciate North Korea's change that it will begin talks on the premise of denuclearisation," Shinzo Abe said, adding that he planned to visit the United States to meet Trump "as early as April". The United States and North Korea were foes throughout the cold war and fought on the opposite side of a bloody war in the 1950s. In the last two decades, they have been engaged in what is perhaps the world's most dangerous nuclear stand-off, with 30,000 US military personnel stationed just over the border in the South. "It's a stunning development, something that's caught everyone by surprise," Paul Stares, a senior fellow for conflict prevention and director of the Centre for Preventive Action at the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations, said. "People will liken this to the possibility of a Nixon to China move, but maybe Reagan to Reykjavík is more appropriate," Stares said, referring to a meeting between then US President Ronald Reagan and former General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev in the Icelandic capital in 1986. "The two of them came very close to agreeing to abolish nuclear weapons forever... It was a real breakthrough in terms of subsequent developments. "Kim Jong-un is looking for legitimacy and status. North Korean leaders have been wanting for many years to be seen on the same level as the US president, so this would give him a tremendous domestic boost." "Good evening. Today, I had the privilege of briefing President Trump on my recent visit to Pyongyang, North Korea. I'd like to thank President Trump, the Vice-President, and his wonderful national security team, including my close friend, General [H.R.] McMaster. "I explained to President Trump that his leadership and his maximum-pressure policy, together with international solidarity, brought us to this juncture. I expressed President Moon Jae-in's personal gratitude for President Trump's leadership. "I told President Trump that, in our meeting, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said he is committed to denuclearisation. Kim pledged that North Korea will refrain from any further nuclear or missile tests. He understands that the routine joint military exercises between the Republic of Korea and the United States must continue. And he expressed his eagerness to meet President Trump as soon as possible. "President Trump appreciated the briefing and said he would meet Kim Jong-un by May to achieve permanent denuclearisation. "The Republic of Korea [South Korea], along with the United States, Japan, and our many partners around the world remain fully and resolutely committed to the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula. Along with President Trump, we are optimistic about continuing a diplomatic process to test the possibility of a peaceful resolution. "The Republic of Korea, the United States, and our partners stand together in insisting that we not repeat the mistakes of the past, and that the pressure will continue until North Korea matches its words with concrete actions. Thank you." – Chung Eui-yong ^ top ^
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Minister of Defence visits Qatar (Montsame)
2018-03-15
Minister of Defence, MP N.Enkhbold visited the State of Qatar by invitation of Dr. Khalid bin Mohammad Al Attiyah, Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of State for Defence of Qatar and attended the Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX). Representatives of Defence sector and the Armed Forces of 54 countries attended the event and more than 180 international defence and security companies presented their products. The representatives of defence sector, armed forces and defence industry of the participating countries held talks about further relations and cooperation at this event. During the event Minister N.Enkhbold made an official meeting with the Deputy Emir of the State of Qatar Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani, Dr. Khalid bin Mohammad Al Attiyah, Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of State for Defence and the Chief of Staff the Qatari Armed Forces Major General Pilot Ghanem bin Shaheen Al Ghanem and discussed bilateral relations and cooperation in defence and shared views on Mongolia's economy and investment. The parties exchanged views on further expansion of cooperation, touching numerous issues including the revision of cooperation agreement between Mongolia and Qatar, mutual visits between the Defence Ministries, participation of Qatari Armed Forces in the 'Khaan Quest' international peacekeeping training organized in Mongolia, continuation of study of Mongolian soldiers at the Qatari defence academy and arabic language courses and field trainings organized by the Armed Forces of the two countries. In addition, the delegates led by Minister N.Enkhbold visited the exhibition hall of defence and security companies of Russia, China, India and Turkey. ^ top ^
Exhibition highlights Mongolian Armed Forces history (Montsame)
2018-03-15
On the occassion of Mongolian Soldiers' Day and the 97th anniversary of the Mongolian Armed Forces, a 'Tradition of Mongolian soldiers' exhibition opened at the Officers' Palace on March 14. The 18th of March was legislated to celebrate Armed Forces day in 2003, and this day was named 'Mongolian soldier day' in 2011 in connection with an amendment to the law on National Public Holidays, enabling those who completed military service and those still serving in the army to celebrate the day. The Mongolian Military Museum annually showcases four to six exhibitions. This time, the Museum demonstrates physical exhibits of ancient empires, soldiers and weapons that date back to the Great Mongol Empire, historical development of Mongolian soldiers in the Middle Ages, and the role of Mongolian soldiers in winning the Declaration of Independence in 1911 and the People's Revolution in 1921 respectively. Furthermore, varieties of exhibits are on display which relate to the 1939 Battles of Khalkhyn Gol, the 1945 war of liberation, objectives and weapons of the Battle of Baitag Bogd Mountain that took place in between June 5, 1947 and July 1948, designs of State Orders since 1926, a desk and belongings used by Marshal Kh.Choibalsan, the military uniform of young army commander J.Lkhagvasuren, and an all armed forces' flag. In addition, exhibits from 'Mongolian soldier's peacekeeping operations' have drawn much attention. The exhibition will run at the Officers' Palace until March 16 and in Khunnu Mall from March 17. ^ top ^
U.S President Donald Trump replies to letter of President of Mongolia Kh.Battulga (Montsame)
2018-03-14
President of Mongolia Khaltmaagiin Battulga wrote a letter to the U.S President Donald Trump and addressed bilateral economic relations, investment and visa issues in December 2017. The U.S President Donald Trump's reply to the President's letter was received on February 28. Following is the full letter of the head of state to the U.S President Donald Trump, as well as a summary of the reply sent to the President of Mongolia Kh.Battulga. "Dear Mr. President, I would like to extend my best wishes for the holiday season to you and your family, and offer my congratulations on the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between our two countries as we wrap up the commemorative program of the year. The people of Mongolia regards the United States as the leading nation of the free world. We sincerely hope that your nation's will, determination to establish and keep peace, democracy, freedom, and efforts to support human rights would never cease. I believe that the current economic relations of our countries is not near its full potential. The size of our trade with the United States is currently at a level that reaches not even two percent of our overall foreign trade. Since 1990, just over $300 million has been invested into Mongolia from the United States, which suggests that there is room for significant improvement. The praises of the United States that Mongolia is "an oasis of democracy" or "model of democracy" have not brought any substantial contribution to the economy. Discouraged by this fact, ordinary citizens of Mongolia are losing confidence in democracy and doubting the choice of democratic path. We hope that you can help Mongolia to solidify its economic security through utilizing your development finance tools, and make a significant difference through intensifying bilateral economic relations that are, in my view, not sufficiently robust. Mongolia needs a tangible economic support from the United States. We would like to ask you to provide us an improved access of our textile products exports into your market within the existing trading system. This would make a significant impact on the reduction of women's unemployment in our country. We believe that unrestricted traveling of our citizens between our two countries would have an indispensable role in the development of our bilateral relations, and a United States visa waiver for Mongolian citizens would be a major milestone for both our nations. In addition, we hope that you will support our country by helping American companies to invest in Mongolia and ensuring our political stability through economic growth. During the 27 years of our democratic path, the United States has been the trusted "third neighbor" of Mongolia. The term third neighbor was first coined on the basis of the remark by Secretary James Baker when he visited Mongolia in 1990, which allowed our country to expand significantly its international exposure. We are pleased that Secretary Baker's words led the development of one of the central tenets of Mongolia's foreign policy. Our two democratic countries have been pursuing the comprehensive partnership based on shared values and common strategic interests. I am confident that in your foreign policy, Mongolia, as a committed democracy in Asia and as the trusted partner of the United States, would play a significant role. We hope that the tradition of paying close attention and supporting Mongolia during the last 27 years by the Presidents of the United States will continue during your Administration and shall enrich itself with new milestones. Every nation has a right to consolidate its independence and freedom, and we expect you, Mr. President, to provide us a tangible to support in fully regaining our economic security. In closing, I would like to quote an American scholar Jack Weatherford, who once remarked that even though Mongolia and the United States are geographically far apart, "with the help of modern technology, our countries have become neighbors who share common democratic values and unwavering commitment toward progress." I wish progress and prosperity to both our nations. In the beginning of his letter President Donald Trump said, "Thank you for your letter and for your holiday wishes. On behalf of myself and Melania, I wish you, your family, and the Mongolian people all the best for a healthy and prosperous 2018. I want to assure you that my Administration is strongly committed to our valuable partnership with Mongolia. The United States is proud to be Mongolia's trusted "third neighbor," and we appreciate Mongolia's support as we work together to address regional and global challenges." H.E President Donald Trump added that the economic relations between the two countries have not reached their full potential. He noted that he is delighted to explore ways to expand trade and investment on a fair and reciprocal basis. In doing so, the Mr. Trump wrote that the United States trade and investment agencies, such as the United States Overseas Private Investment Corporation, are interested in expanding business opportunities in Mongolia, especially in the agricultural and renewable energy sectors. Additionally, he views that the upcoming Millennium Challenge Corporation compact should help create economic growth in Ulaanbaatar. At the end of the letter, the President of the United States H.E Donald Trump welcomed the President of Mongolia Battulga Khaltmaa to Washington, D.C., at an appropriate time in the future and wished for the very best in 2018. ^ top ^
Parliament Speaker M.Enkhbold calls on Turkish President (Montsame)
2018-03-12
Parliament Speaker M.Enkhbold paid a courtesy call on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his visit to Turkey, reported the Parliament's Press Division on March 10. The sides exchanged views on a wide range of issues concerning bilateral relations during the meeting, which continued for more than an hour. Speaker M.Enkhbold expressed Mongolia's support to Turkey's leading efforts in the fight against terrorism, and readiness to develop bilateral economic relations and activate commercial cooperation, especially in agriculture, tourism, light industry, urban planning, construction, education, arts, culture and health sectors in order to fully utilize the potentials. "The basis for this cooperation lies within the historical bond our two countries share," said the Speaker, highlighting the importance of direct cooperation between the private sectors and businesses. For his part, President Erdogan expressed Turkey's readiness to help redirect Turkish investment in areas of interest. "We regard Mongolians as our brothers," said the President, while proposing to cooperate in education, civil aviation, urban development and investment spheres. In specific, the President expressed his support of the project to establish a tourism complex based on Orkhon Valley. Furthermore, President Erdogan shared his experience in dealing with public transport issues while working as the Mayor of Istanbul, saying that it was possible for the two countries to cooperate in this area. The President also agreed to look into the matter of importing meat and meat products from Mongolia. Speaker M.Enkhbold agreed to pay attention to the matter of operations of Turkish schools in Mongolia, expressing his confidence that the corresponding organizations will find a mutually beneficial solution. Mongolia and Turkey will celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations next year. The dignitaries agreed to put diligent efforts to strengthen bilateral relations in anticipation of the anniversary. Speaker M.Enkhbold previously visited Turkey and met Mr. Erdogan in 2003 as Mayor of Ulaanbaatar and in 2006 as Prime Minister. President Erdogan visited Mongolia in 2005 and 2013 as Prime Minister. ^ top ^
Minister of Defense N.Enkhbold pays visit to India (Montsame)
2018-03-12
Defense Minister N.Enkhbold paid official visit to the Republic of India at the invitation of his counterpart Ms.Nirmala Sitharaman. During his visit, Minister N.Enkhbold held bilateral meetings with Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of State for Defense Dr.Subhash Bhamre, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat and they exchanged views on bilateral cooperation in defense sector, defining further directions. The parties agreed to co-work in establishing a cyber safety training center in Mongolia in nearest future to ensure realization of the memorandum of understanding on founding the center which was signed between the Governments of the two countries during the visit of Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi to Mongolia in 2015. Furthermore the sides will broaden the relations by commencing cooperation between the National Defense University of Mongolia and the National Defense College of India, developing relations between military hospitals and empowering physicians and specialists through sharing experiences. Indian Armed Forces always take part in multirnational peacekeeping exercise Khaan Quest which annually takes place in Mongolia. The Indian side expressed that they highly value the exercise and raise their participation in the future. ^ top ^
Mongolia to develop ties with Azerbaijan (Montsame)
2018-03-12
On March 12, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Mongolia D.Tsogtbaatar met with Foreign Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov in Baku, Azerbaijan and exchanged their views on bilateral relations and cooperation. Minister D.Tsogtbaatar noted that Mongolia is aiming to develop cooperation with Azerbaijan which shares a common historical heritage and emphasized the possibilities to cooperate in trade, economy, culture, education, science and sports sectors. He also, appealed Azerbaijan to join the multilateral agreement on the establishment of an International Research Center for Landlocked Developing Countries in Ulaanbaatar and invited the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan to visit Mongolia and attend the opening ceremony of the new center in this June. The Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov has expressed support for initiatives of the two country's Governments and other organizations on developing and expanding the relations between Azerbaijan and Mongolia. After the meeting, the sides signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between Foreign Ministries of Mongolia and Azerbaijan. ^ top ^
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Aurèle Aquillon
Embassy of Switzerland
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The Press review is a random selection
of political and social related news gathered from various media
and news services located in the PRC, edited or translated by
the Embassy of Switzerland in Beijing and distributed among Swiss
Government Offices. The Embassy does not accept responsibility
for accuracy of quotes or truthfulness of content. Additionally
the contents of the selected news mustn't correspond to the opinion
of the Embassy.
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