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Geo-Strategic Trend - 188. page

BBC Chinese: The U.S. Partially Lifted Its Embargo on the Sale of Arms to Vietnam

BBC Chinese recently reported that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh on October 2. The United States decided to lift its embargo on the sale of weapons for naval defense purposes. The embargo on the sale of arms started in 1975 and has lasted nearly four decades. The U.S. government explained that this move was based on improvements in the human rights situation in Vietnam. Further expansion of the scope of lifting the embargo will depend on more improvements in the human rights area. U.S. officials denied any relationship between this announcement and the conflicts China is currently having with its neighboring countries in the South China Sea. The United States and Vietnam restored normal relations 20 years ago. The current annual trade volume between the United States and Vietnam is around US$20 billion. 
Source: BBC Chinese, October 2, 2014
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/world/2014/10/141002_us_vietnam_arms_sales
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Wang Yang: China and Japan Should Resume the Economic Dialogue

The South China Morning Post, a Hong Kong based century-old newspaper, recently reported that Chinese Deputy Premier Wang Yang met with the Japan-China Economic Association Delegation on September 24. At the meeting, Wang suggested that the two countries should resume the Senior Officials Economic Dialogue that they suspended four years ago. This comment was made in response to the Japanese Delegation’s emphasis on the importance of improving the two nations’ relationship. The Japanese Delegation also called for a meeting between Prime Minister Abe and the Chinese President Xi Jinping at the upcoming APEC Leadership Summit. However Wang kept quiet on this matter. The Japan-China Economic Association has high ranking managers from large Japanese companies as members. Since 1975, it has sent 39 delegations to China. The current delegation, which is the largest ever, hoped to meet with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. However, that did not become a reality.
Source: South China Morning Post, September 25, 2014
http://www.nanzao.com/sc/international/38786/zhong-ri-jian-nuan-wang-yang-ji-jin-zao-hui-fu-jing-ji-dui-hua
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Huanqiu: China and Japan Should Be Rational in Bilateral Relations and Not Let the U.S. Benefit

In an opinion article, Lian Degui, deputy director of the Asian Pacific Research Center at the Shanghai Institute of International Affairs, said that the U.S. has always been dividing China and Japan and that dividing China and Japan is a geopolitical need for the Unites States. Lian observed that the United States is now using the "China threat" theory and the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) to block Sino-Japanese cooperation. It asks Japan to cooperate militarily and politically with the U.S. in its Asia-Pacific rebalancing strategy, acting as a pawn of the United States. 

As for how China should understand Sino-Japanese relations, Lian expressed the belief that Japan has three important attributes in relation to China. Japan is one of China’s most important neighboring countries; it is one of China’s most important regional powers; and it is one of China’s most important trade partners. [China] should recognize the fact that, although the Sino-Japanese relations are currently at an impasse, the reality of the China and the "Abe" relationship is not equivalent to the entire Sino-Japanese relationship. 
Lian concluded that China and Japan should make a rational assessment of their own interests. They should avoid pushing the other side in the opposite direction so they do not become chess pieces of an extraterritorial nation on the [U.S.’s] strategic chessboard and let the third party [the U.S.] benefit. 

Source: Huanqiu (Global Times), September 23, 2014 
http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2014-09/23/c_127020412.htm 
http://mil.huanqiu.com/observation/2014-09/5146600.html

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Foreign Ministry Spokesperson on the Sino-Russian Military Alliance Issue

On September 17, Hong Lei, the spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, was answering reporters’ questions. A news reporter asked, “Yesterday, a Russian congressman suggested that the Western’ sanctions against Russia will push Russia and China to establish a military alliance. What is China’s response?”

Hong replied, “The Sino-Russian comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership will not have an alliance, we will not confront each other, and we will not target third-parties. China will adhere to its strategic cooperative partnership position. [China will,] with Russia, continuously increase our strategic trust, promote mutually beneficial cooperation, and strengthen our cooperation on international and regional affairs.”

Hong also stated, “On the Ukraine issue, sanctions will not solve the problem. The issue will ultimately be handled through a political resolution.”

Source: Xinhua, September 17, 2014
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2014-09/17/c_1112522728.htm

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BBC Chinese: HK Poll Showed Half of the People Do not Support Political Reform Proposal

BBC Chinese recently reported that the South China Morning Post conducted a scientific poll on the recent government-proposed reform of the political system that determines how the Chief Executive of Hong Kong will be elected. The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress approved the proposed reform. However the Hong Kong Legislative Council has to pass the proposal before it can become law. According to the results of the poll, 48 percent of the sample thought that the Legislative Council should veto the proposal. Thirty-nine percent said it should pass. Thirteen percent of the people surveyed were unsure. Among all of the people who responded to the poll, 70 percent of those between 18 and 29 years old favored a veto; 50 percent of those between 30 and 49 years old supported a veto; 37 percent of those who are 50 or older supported a veto. The proposed reform includes a “filtering mechanism” to limit the candidacy.

[Editor’s note: Beijing has rejected open nominations in favor of having a nominating committee select who can run.]

Source: BBC Chinese, September 15, 2014
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/trad/china/2014/09/140915_hongkong_democracy.shtml
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BBC Chinese: Survey Showed 93 Percent of Japanese Have Negative Views of China

BBC Chinese recently reported that Genron NPO, a well-known Japanese non-profit think tank, just released the results of its public opinion poll on the Japan-China relationship. The organization started this annual poll in 2005. The current survey was done jointly with China Daily, a Chinese state-owned newspaper published mainly in foreign languages. Among the Japanese surveyed, 93 percent had negative views of China. Among the Chinese people surveyed, 86.8 percent had negative views about Japan. The Japanese negative views were based primarily on China’s violation of international rules, its selfishness in sharing natural resources, its territorial disputes, and on China’s constant criticism of Japan’s war history. After the number one threat, North Korea, 64 percent of the Japanese thought of China as a military threat. For the Chinese in the survey sample, 55 percent expressed the belief that Japan is a military threat, the number one threat being the United States.
 
Source: BBC Chinese, September 9, 2014
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/world/2014/09/140909_japan_poll_china.shtml
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EU Chamber of Commerce: Golden Age of Doing Business with China is Ending

Well-known Chinese news site Sina recently reported that the European Union’s Chamber of Commerce just released its annual report on the state of the EU-China business relationship. In its report, the Chamber questioned how trustworthy China will be in keeping its promise to let the market play a decisive role in the economy. The report warned that the Communist country must speed up on the delivery of its promise of reform or the world’s second largest economy will see a landslide in its growth rate. The Chamber suggested that “the golden age of doing business with China is about to end.” The report expressed the belief that the window of opportunity for rebalancing the Chinese economy is closing. In the meantime, the Chamber had doubts about whether, during the process, foreign companies will be treated fairly or not. It also expressed concern about the role that state-owned companies will play. The Chamber’s report from last year already showed that only 44 percent of the EU companies saw a growth in their profits in China. 
Source: Sina, September 10, 2014
http://finance.sina.com.cn/china/20140910/145320255115.shtml
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Xi Jinping met Putin: China and Russia Should Support and Back Each Other

According to Xinhua News Agency, when Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe on September 11, Xi told Putin that the Sino-Russian bilateral relationship between the two countries and their cooperation in a number of fields was strong. He recommended that the two sides strengthen their mutual support, expand opening up to each other, and back each other up so they can jointly cope with external risks and challenges in order to achieve the grand goal of each country’s own development and rejuvenation. 

Source: Xinhua, September 12, 2014 
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2014-09/12/c_1112448800.htm
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