Briefings - 1083. page

A survey shows that 96% of Chinese Internet users (among 12,661 survey participants) support punitive sanctions against the U.S. in response to the Obama administration’s Taiwan arms sale decision, according to the official newspaper Global Times.

One netizen commented that an effective use of sanctions is necessary as “protests and condemnation” are not enough to deter the U.S. Another said, “If (the Chinese government) doesn’t take real sanctions, the U.S. will not have its economic interests hurt and its inveterate disease cured.” Quite a few suggested to punish U.S. companies that have a large China market, such as Boeing and Otis.

Lu Minghua, a Nanjing University scholar, said in an interview that China should learn from the U.S., which quite often “waves the stick of sanctions” in Sino-U.S. trade.

Source: Global Times, February 5, 2010
http://mil.huanqiu.com/Taiwan/2010-02/710235.html

Xinhua reports that a Chinese military commentator predicts the continuing trend of China’s rise and gain in international influence in 2010. Peng Guangqian also predicts that the national security environment for China will continue to improve. He states, if the security situation in 2009 was “difficult,” the security situation in 2010 will be “complex,” notably, “diversified, varied, complex and uncertain.”

Source: Xinhua, January 29, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2010-01/29/content_12898656.htm

The Sino-US conflict has reached new heights, with the “Dalai Lama issue” escalating into more than just a squirmish between the two countries, according to the Global Times. The Global Times article suggested that any meeting between the American President Obama and the Dalai Lama this month would draw attention to and emphasize the Western and Chinese ideological point of view.  

The paper quotes expert opinions, "It could be the last straw that collapses the Sino-US relationship, or Obama might “take it easy” and return to the Sino-US relationship after making his point of  “not yielding to China.”  

Whatever the cause of Obama giving China the cold shoulder, China is putting its foot down and won’t return to business as is. China is in the process of changing the rules of the game. In the past, China gave only lip service, unsupported by actual action, when the U.S. sold weapons to Taiwan and met with the Dalai Lama. This time China is truly protesting and taking countermeasures.

Source: Global Times, February 3, 2010
http://world.huanqiu.com/roll/2010-02/708072.html