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Ministry of Foreign Affairs: The Security Council Voted at the Wrong Time

People’s Daily reported on March 16 that Qin Gang, the spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, issued a statement at a press conference on the UN Security Council’s vote on Crimea. Qin indicated that China had abstained from the vote. However, China believed the UN Security Council picked the wrong time for the vote, which may further complicate the situation in that region. The vote will only strengthen the opposition among a number of different parties. Meanwhile Qin also stated that China respects all other nations’ sovereignty and territorial integrity. He called for quickly establishing an international coordination mechanism to facilitate a diplomatic resolution. Before a peaceful solution is reached, China would like to ask all parties not to further worsen the conflict. 
Source: People’s Daily, March 16, 2014
http://world.people.com.cn/n/2014/0316/c1002-24647228.html
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BBC Chinese: Chinese Real Estate Developer Invested in London

BBC Chinese recently reported that Chinese government backed real estate developer the Greenland Group will construct a multi-functional building for both commercial and residential purposes located in the Financial District of London. It will be the tallest building in Europe. The Commercial Estate Group (CEG) was the entity selling the land. The project is expected to be valued at 600 million pounds (around US$1 billion) after its completion. This latest Greenland development investment once again demonstrated the clear trend that more and more Chinese real estate developers are looking for international breathing room in order to fight a falling domestic housing market. The Greenland Group is the second largest real estate company in China. Not long ago, Greenland cut another deal in the United States for a US$5 billion development project in the middle of downtown Brooklyn, NYC.
Source:  BBC Chinese, March 12, 2014
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/uk/2014/03/140312_uk_china_skyscrapers.shtml
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Huanqiu Editorial: Russia Really Turns the West into a Paper Tiger This Time

The People’s Daily’s subsidiary Huanqiu published an editorial regarding the “battle” between the West and Russia in the Crimean crisis. Below is an excerpt from the article: 

Although on March 11, the U.S. Congress passed a resolution condemning Russia and called on the White House to expel Russia from the Group of Eight (G8) and implement visa and economic sanctions, the overall attitude of the U.S. and its European allies on the Crimean crisis is widely considered to be "weak." 
This time, in front of Russia and Putin, the West really is a bit like a "paper tiger." 
First, the West is afraid of Russia’s military forces. Western countries must exclude the option of war due to how super powerful Russia’s military force is while in conflict. As for other cards to play, the West also has to calculate carefully the possibility of whether it can overpower Moscow.　　 
Economic sanctions are not easy either. Russia’s has everything; its export goods are energy and raw materials that are in short supply. 
If the West could disrupt Russia politically, making Moscow start a "revolution," then that would be the most effective way, but Moscow’s "nationalism" (Russia believes that is patriotism) is very active. At the moment, "Democracy" is not going to win the battle. 
Finally, Moscow has accumulated more odds to win in the Crimean showdown. Whether by military or with "Democratic rule," the West will be worried about losing the tug of war in Crimea. 
Ukraine has become the frontline of conflict between the West and Russia, but it is too far away from the heart of the West and is too close to Russia’s core interests. Although Russia is much weaker than the West, when Russia really is prepared to "fight" at any price, the West exhibits fear. The West’s retreat this time is worth a global strategist’s serious study. 
In the promotion of Western political values, the U.S. and European powers are willing to pick apart their weak opponents. Once they hit a hard one, the West is not going to sacrifice itself to help non-Western countries’ "democrats." The West is selfish and constantly calculating its own interests. 
Source: Huanqiu, March 13, 2014 
http://opinion.huanqiu.com/editorial/2014-03/4900117.html

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Huanqiu Editorial: Chinese Media Should Make a Greater Effort to Support Russia and Putin

Huanqiu, a state-run media under People’s Daily, published an editorial commenting on China’s position regarding the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. Below are some quotes from the article:

 
“While the Chinese Government is playing the necessary balance of diplomacy in the Ukrainian situation, the Chinese media have been freely discussing the development. Most stand on the Russian side. Their opinions regarded Russia’s move as a reaction to how the West has, over the long-term, been squeezing Russia.” 

“We tend to agree with the public opinion that supports Russia. The reason is that the Russian resistance to the Western forces moving Eastward in Ukraine is not only related to the fate of Russia itself, but also directly related to China’s major strategic interests. We often regard North Korea as a buffer force against the U.S. and Japan. The effect is actually very limited because North Korea is too small. Today, Russia and China will constitute a genuine mutual strategic buffer to enable China’s ascent. If the West were to crush Putin’s Russia, it would be an extremely heavy blow to China’s geopolitical interests.” “Looking at the world today, Russia is our most worthy partner in developing comprehensive strategic cooperation. At least in the coming decades, no one will be able to replace Russia in its strategic importance to China.”

“Putin taught the color revolution a lesson. Russia’s resistance to the West, which Putin has led, has global significance. China does not have to worry that being on Russia’s side will damage our relations with Ukraine. In fact, that concern is unnecessary. Supporting Russia is consolidating China’s grand strategy. As long as the grand strategy is stable, many other bilateral relations will not be a problem.”　 

Source: Huanqiu (Global Times), March 5, 2013 
http://opinion.huanqiu.com/editorial/2014-03/4878080.html http://world.people.com.cn/n/2014/0306/c1002-24543884.html　　

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People’s Daily on Ukraine: Be on Guard against the Trap of Democracy

On February 28, 2014, People’s Daily published a commentary on the recent political events in Ukraine, titled “Be on Guard against the Trap of Democracy and Loss of Control.” 

“Acclimating to something alluring could not possibly be the life-saving magic that would bring a country onto a path of smooth development. A country would have no way out if it gave up exploring its own development path.” 
The article commented that, although the bloodshed in Ukraine has ceased, the country is in a total chaos without any control from its government. Ukraine is not alone. “Street riots, social chaos, economic depression and government paralysis have occurred repeatedly in countries in Southeast Asia, West Asia and North Africa. Different and diverse as the unrest is in each of these countries, the underlying reason is the same: a reckless choice of a development path has pushed the country into the trap of democracy. 
Source: People’s Daily reprinted by Huanqiu February 28, 2014. 
http://china.huanqiu.com/politics/2014-02/4866551.html
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People’s Daily: Unusual PM2.5 Levels in South Korea and Japan

People’s Daily recently published a report summarizing the media coverage in Japan and South Korea on the topic of PM2.5 pollution “possibly caused by the nearby Chinese haze.” On February 25, many regions in Japan started seeing a PM2.5 level that was over 85. The Japanese standard has a base safety level of 70. Residents in the polluted regions were warned to control outdoor activities. South Korea media reported that, since February 21, PM2.5 levels have been between 81 and 120. These readings were two to three times higher than normal readings. Some areas actually reached 200. In the past week, around 15 percent of China, including Beijing and over ten other major cities suffered haze pollution with a PM2.5 level that remained continuously over 400 and sometimes even reached 600. PM2.5 particles are air pollutants with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less, making them small enough to invade even the smallest airways. These particles generally come from activities that burn fossil fuels, such as traffic, smelting, and metal processing.
Source: People’s Daily, February 26, 2014
http://world.people.com.cn/n/2014/0226/c157278-24474527.html
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Xinhua: The West’s Strong Intervention Caused the Chaos in Ukraine

Xinhua recently reported on the fall of Ukraine’s Yanukovych government, which had been closer to Russia. The report expressed the strong belief that the heavy intervention that the West imposed significantly encouraged the opposition to “raise the price” against the Yanukovych government. Ever since the beginning of the crisis, the European Union and the United States have stood strongly behind the opposition. High ranking EU and U.S. government officials frequently visited Ukraine during the crisis. Some appeared in person right at the center of the demonstrations and even delivered speeches. The report downplayed the role Russia had in the process by saying Russia engaged in the negotiations too late and could do little to change the direction. The report concluded that uncertainty is still the key word to describe the situation currently in Ukraine. 
Source: Xinhua, February 23, 2014
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2014-02/23/c_126176278.htm
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China to Fund Zimbabwe’s “Comprehensive Financial Package”

The government of Zimbabwe is looking to China to help fund its $27 billion plan to rebuild its economy. The Africa Report wrote on Wednesday that this fund would be more than twice the size of the economy of the impoverished southern African nation. The five-year plan will seek to improve basic services and revitalize the slowing economy.

On February 11, Zimbabwe’s Finance and Economic Development Minister Patrick Chinamasa and the Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe Lin Lin had signed the deal in Harare. As reported in People’s Daily, it included the loan amount of $23 million earmarked for the construction of clinics, primary and secondary schools in resettled areas acquired under the land reform program, as well as boreholes drilling and acquiring meteorological equipment.

Not revealing details, Chinamasa, who visited Beijing last month, said, "The government of the People’s Republic of China and the government of Zimbabwe are working towards a comprehensive financial package. (We) have committed ourselves to finalizing the matter within three months."

Zimbabwe had not been able to obtain funds from western governments and funding institutions such as the World Bank, as it had previously failed to repay billions of dollars in debt. Since 2005, the nation has adopted a “Look East” policy as a result, relying increasingly on emerging Asian economies to offset sanctions from traditional Western partners, People’s Daily reported.

China, on the other hand, is interested in the rich mineral resources in Zimbabwe, including the world’s second largest reserves of platinum, huge deposits of gold, alluvial diamonds, coal, and chrome. China had previously loaned nearly $700 million to Zimbabwe, in March 2011, the biggest package to date. In addition, last November, China’s Export Import Bank agreed to lend Zimbabwe $320 million to expand its Kariba hydro-power plant.

Source: BBC Chinese, February 11, 2014
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/china/2014/02/140211_zimbabwe_china.shtml

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