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Geo-Strategic Trend - 182. page

On Ukraine: China Should Lean Towards Russia

China.com.cn, a key State news website under China’s State Council Information Office and the National Internet Information Office, published a commentary stating that as the crisis in Ukraine unfolds, China should gradually lean towards Russian. 

According to the commentary, there are two reasons for China to be more active on the issue of Ukraine. First, China has been objective and impartial without taking sides, while showing moral sympathy toward Russia. This approach has won respect from the parties and expanded China’s influence on the issue of Ukraine. However, as the situation develops, it would be impossible to be “absolutely independent” or even “relatively independent.” Second, while the U.S. focuses on Ukraine, Obama does not forget China. The U.S. has been beating the drum on the issues of the East China Sea and the South China Sea. It equates Crimea with Taiwan and its recent remarks clearly show that whatever happens in Europe will not affect the U.S. adjustment in its Asian Pacific strategy, which deems China as its top adversary. 
“So should China make a corresponding policy move to lean towards Russia on the issue of Ukraine as retaliation against the United States?” The commentary predicted that during Putin’s visit to China in May, the two strategic partners will issue surprising announcements concerning further cooperation between the two, a natural response by China and Russia to the U.S. intrusion and containment. 
Source: China.com.cn, April 16, 2014 
http://news.china.com.cn/world/2014-04/16/content_32107518.htm
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440 Confucius Institutes and 646 Confucius Classrooms around the World

On April 17, Social Sciences Academic Press and Hubei University jointly issued the "Culture Blue Book, Chinese Culture Development Report." The Report states that although the Confucius Institute was launched not long ago, it already has had a huge effect and a far-reaching influence. Compared to other major international organizations that promote language and culture, the Confucius Institute is leading the league in terms of pace of expansion and magnitude of influence. According to the latest data from Hanban (the Chinese National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language), by the end of 2013, 440 Confucius Institutes and 646 Confucius Classrooms had been established in 120 countries (regions) around the world. The United States has the largest number (97) of Confucius Institutes.

Pushed forward by the Confucius Institute, learning the Chinese language has become popular around the globe. In 2010 and 2011, Russia and France each organized the "Chinese Year" activities. According to the China culture media network, a website under the Ministry of Culture, in 2010, about 100 million foreigners were learning Chinese; that figure reached 150 million in 2013. The Confucius Institute has become the brand name for promoting the Chinese language and showcasing China’s "soft power."

Source: People’s Daily Online, April 17, 2014
http://politics.people.com.cn/n/2014/0417/c1001-24908823.html

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Xinhua: French Customs Seized Two Million Cases of Counterfeit Drugs

Xinhua recently reported that, at the end of February, the French customs seized over two million cases of Chinese counterfeit drugs in the port city of Le Havre in Northern France. According to the announcement made by French customs, this is the largest batch of medicine confiscated in the history of the European Union. French customs reported that all of the cases were marked “Chinese Tea.” Customs also emphasized that some of these drugs contained no active ingredients and that their only use was to cheat the consumers. Some medicines contained an inaccurate level of active ingredients, which can seriously threaten the health of the consumers who take them. 
Source: Xinhua, April 11, 2014
http://news.xinhuanet.com/overseas/2014-04/11/c_126380377.htm
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Chinese Investment in Australia

In March of 2014, KPMG and the University of Sydney’s China Study Center jointly published the report, "Demystifying Chinese Investment in Australia." The report explores the recent direction of Chinese investment in Australia.

In 2013, Australia lost to the United States as the top destination for Chinese outbound direct investment. The total value of Chinese investments in Australia from 2005 to 2013 was $57,250 million, second to the U.S., which was $59,900 million.

Although Chinese investments in Australia registered a 10 percent decrease in 2013 as compared to 2012, there was a clear shift toward larger numbers of small to medium sized deals having larger shares of private Chinese investors, particularly in the commercial real estate sector.

For the first time, Chinese investments in Australia were not concentrated in the mining sector. Instead the power transmission industry dominated with the State Grid deal accounting for 40 percent of the total investment value in 2013, followed by mining (24 percent), gas (21 percent), commercial real estate (14 percent) and agribusiness (1 percent).

Source: "Demystifying Chinese Investment in Australia," March 2014 Update.
http://www.kpmg.com/au/en/issuesandinsights/articlespublications/china-insights/pages/demystifying-chinese-investment-in-australia-march-2014.aspx

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Xinhua: Peruvian Government Called Temporary Halt to CHINALCO Copper Project

On March 31, Xinhua reported that the government of Peru has recently shut down a China Aluminum Corporation (CHINALCO) copper mine development project temporarily, citing environmental violations. CHINALCO controls the Toromocho Copper Mine located in central Peru. The development is to construct one of the largest copper mines in the world, with the level of its capacity at 10-million tons. The Toromocho project is also China’s largest copper project overseas. The Peruvian environmental protection agency OEFA ordered the temporary shut-down due to the fact that the copper waste being discharged into the nearby lakes violated environmental protection codes. This was discovered around mid-March. The CHINALCO spokesperson refused to confirm the news because of the “lack of details.” China Aluminum Corporation is a multinational aluminum company headquartered in Beijing. It is the world’s second largest aluminum producer (and the only producer in China).
Source: Xinhua, March 31, 2014
http://news.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2014-03/31/c_126334845.htm
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People’s Daily: Street Politics is not Democracy

People’s Daily published a commentary on “street politics” or “color revolutions,” citing interviews with three Chinese scholars of international political science.  

According to the article, Western media tend to characterize street protests aimed to overthrow the government as resulting from people’s great efforts for democracy, while they dub other street events as "anarchist riots." Contrary to democracy, countries with street protests for “democracy” suffer from chaos and violence. This is because of the major forces that promote “street politics” from behind the scene. The influence of Western forces is behind the scene in many of the countries where they take place. Repeated changes of governments bear a close relationship to whether or not the West likes them. All countries can explore their own path, but it must be done according to the laws of that country. 

Source: People’s Daily reprinted by Xinhua, April 3, 2014 
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2014-04/03/c_126349005.htm

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BBC Chinese: China and Britain Signed Agreement on RMB Settlement

BBC Chinese recently reported that the British government signed an RMB Clearing and Settlement Agreement with China. This is the first agreement of its type outside of Asia. It further strengthened London’s position as the primary RMB exchange center in the Western world. After Hong Kong became the first offshore trading center for the Chinese currency (RMB) in 2009, several other cities such as Singapore and Tokyo competed to be the second primary RMB trading market. The Chinese government is trying to make the RMB a key player in the competition to challenge the U.S. dollar as the dominant currency in the global economy. The Bank of England signed a currency exchange agreement with the People’s Bank of China in June last year; that agreement expires in three years.
Source: BBC Chinese, March 26, 2014
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/uk/2014/03/140326_china_uk_rmb.shtml
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Sino-Russian Youth Friendship Exchange Year Launched in St. Petersburg

The opening ceremony of the "Sino-Russian Youth Friendly Exchange Year" was held on March 28 in St. Petersburg, Russia. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin each sent a letter of congratulations.

In his letter, Xi Jinping said that, "President Putin and I jointly decided to hold the ‘Sino-Russian Youth Friendly Exchange Year.’ Year 2014 is a ‘Sino-Russian Youth Friendly Exchange Year’ and year 2015 will also be a ‘Sino-Russian Youth Friendly Exchange Year.’" The initiative will promote the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Russia at a high level and will promote the China-Russia friendship for the coming generations. The leaders of the two countries have undertaken this major initiative with an eye toward long-term bilateral relations.

In his letter, Putin expressed that large humanitarian events such as Russia’s "Year of China" greatly expand bilateral cooperation in many fields, including education, science, culture, tourism and sports. The "Youth Friendly Exchange Year" will further strengthen the China-Russia comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.

Source: Xinhua, March 29, 2014
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2014-03/29/c_126330401.htm

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