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The Confucius Institute at the University of Sheffield

The following is from a recent Xinhua report about the Confucius Institute at The University of Sheffield, UK.

"In 2004, the first Confucius Institute was set up. Along with the development of China, within just ten years, Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms have emerged all over the world. Data shows that, as of now, 120 countries and regions on five continents have established 440 Confucius Institutes and 646 Confucius Classrooms, with 850,000 registered students."

"The management and operations of the Sheffield Confucius Institute at the University of Sheffield, UK is a cooperation of the University of Sheffield, the Beijing Language and Culture University, and Nanjing University. For nearly seven years, it has been an important center for the Chinese and English languages and cultural exchanges in the central and northern UK."

Zhao Xia, the Director of the Sheffield Confucius Institute and a Lecturer at the School of East Asian Studies of the University, stated, "We have partnered with the Sheffield City Council to organize three ‘out of the bookshelf’ Literary Festivals. We have also collaborated with the Sheffield City Department of Children and Family Services to hold Chinese traditional festivals and cultural activities at 26 libraries. Meanwhile, a number of activities and projects have been initiated, such as the Chinese New Year Painting Competition, the Chinese style photo contest, and library activities." In 2013, the Sheffield Confucius Institute held 149 cultural activities, reaching 18,000 people."

Wang Zhimin, Deputy Director of the Institute and a Professor from the Beijing Language and Culture University, added, "The Confucius Institute offers an opportunity for many Western students to understand Chinese culture and get in touch with Chinese music, movies, and other art forms." "China’s development supports and needs the global promotion of Chinese culture. We should be mindful of the current situation and fulfill our historic mission."

Source: Xinhua, February 10, 2014
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2014-02/10/c_119264730.htm

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Netease: EU Parliament Asked for Drastic Measures against Chinese Dumping

The well-known Chinese online news site Netease recently reported that the European Parliament officially urged EU trade officials to apply “drastically tough measures” against the low-price dumping strategy used by many of the Chinese exporters. EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht is seeking amendments to the tools that are currently available to fight unfair trade. These tools were designed before China became a large exporter. The EU Parliament expected the new tools would be able to arm the small-sized EU companies to fight unfair trade behavior such as pricing goods below cost. Although the newly proposed regulations did not mention China, yet most of the trade conflicts that the European Union is suffering from are between the EU and China. The current daily China-EU trade volume is more than one billion euros. The potential retaliation from trade partners is still a big concern on the EU side. Karel De Gucht is calling for serious consideration of fairness and balance. 
Source: Netease, February 6, 2014
http://money.163.com/14/0206/15/9KDKJOH600252C1E.html
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China Daily: ICBC to Take over the International Branch of Standard Bank

China Daily recently reported that the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), which is the largest commercial bank in China, will acquire 60 percent of the International Market Division of the Standard Bank of South Africa for US$765 million. The International Market Division is headquartered in London. If approved, ICBC’s control will make it the first large Chinese state-owned bank to have large-scale operations in London. The British authorities used to refuse Chinese banks wanting to establish branches in London. Standard Bank of South Africa is the largest commercial bank in Africa. In 2008, it sold 20 percent of its stock to ICBC. In recent years, the Standard Bank has been shifting its focus to high growth regions in Africa. The latest deal will also give ICBC a five-year right to acquire an additional 20 percent of the International Market Division from Standard Bank.
Source: China Daily, January 31, 2014
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/hqgj/jryw/2014-01-31/content_11143594.html
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Xinhua: HK Government Announced Phase One Sanction against the Philippines

On January 29, Xinhua reported that the Hong Kong government announced a phase one sanction against the Philippines. The sanction is in response to the refusal from the Philippines to apologize for the Manila Hostage Incident which occurred on August 23, 2010. It caused the death of eight Hong Kong residents during the rescue mission. The latest sanction will remove the 14-day visa waiver for Philippine’ official passport holders. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately announced its official support of the Hong Kong government’s position. The Philippines Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded on January 30 that the Philippine’ government regretted seeing the outcome of the Incident, but did not intend to issue an official apology. 
Source: 
Xinhua, January 29, 2014
http://news.xinhuanet.com/gangao/2014-01/29/c_126080168.htm
China Radio International (CRI), January 31, 2014
http://gb.cri.cn/42071/2014/01/31/6071s4410562.htm

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BBC Chinese: Most Illegal Miners Ghana Expelled Were Chinese

BBC Chinese recently reported that Ghana’s Deputy Minister of Information announced that the government expelled 4,700 illegal gold miners last year. The majority of these illegal miners were Chinese citizens. Ghana’s Special Forces had arrested all these people. In Ghana, small scale gold mining is legal. However, this rule does not apply to foreigners. Over the past several years, with the increase in the international price of gold, a large number of foreign miners have gone to Ghana to mine for gold. The Chinese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi, visited Ghana last month. Wang promised that the Chinese government will assist in resolving the issue of the large number of Chinese gold miners. In addition to the Chinese, those expelled also included people from Nigeria, Russia, and South Africa.
Source:  BBC Chinese, January 23, 2014
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/world/2014/01/140123_brief_ghana_china_workers.shtml
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Huanqiu: The Possibility that Sino-Vietnamese Relations Will “Derail” Has Increased

Huanqiu (Global Times), which is under People’s Daily, published a commentary that discussed recent developments in Sino-Vietnamese relations. The following is a summary of the commentary. 　　 

Starting on January 18, Vietnam organized a series of activities to commemorate "the 40th anniversary of the Paracel Islands maritime war" including photo exhibits of how the "Paracel Islands belong to Vietnam," "naval martyrs of the Paracel Islands maritime war," a candlelight vigil," and an international forum on the subject of how the "Paracel Islands belong to Vietnam." In addition to a handful of media directly under the central government, most domestic media reported on related activities. It is said that the Vietnamese side will host activities to commemorate "the 35th anniversary of the northern border Battle [against China]." The above facts show that the possibility that Sino-Vietnamese relations will "derail" has increased. 
It is worth noting that nationalist sentiment in Vietnam is increasing. Sino-Vietnam relations are facing more and more severe challenges. In recent years, the differences between China and Vietnam have been increasingly focused on the South China Sea issue. On the South China Sea, Vietnam’s officials and the public’s views have been consistent: that it is "a matter of national survival." According to its maritime strategy planning, Vietnam expects to raise its maritime economic output to 53 to 55 percent of GDP by 2020. Therefore, advancing into the South China Sea is its inevitable choice. On the other hand, many Vietnamese worry that China will become an obstacle for Vietnam to achieve its goal. They believe a more powerful China will eventually endanger "the survival of the Vietnamese nation." 
As long as China continues to defend its rights in the South China Sea and as long as the Vietnamese need to maintain their "national unity," it will be difficult for its [hostile] domestic sentiments towards China to subside. 

Source: Huanqiu, January 21, 2014　 
http://opinion.huanqiu.com/opinion_world/2014-01/4773631.html

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Japan and India Agree to Cooperate in Forming an Anti-China Great Wall

The following is an excerpt from an article in Xinhua, China’s State-run media, entitled, "Eye on China: Japan and India Expand Their Cooperation on Defense." The article reported on Japan and India’s military cooperation:

Recently in New Delhi, Japan’s defense minister Itsunori Onodera reached an agreement with India to cooperate on defense. On the 7th, media from both countries invariably made this same interpretation. Both sides confirmed that they will hold regular joint exercises and strengthen anti-terrorism, humanitarian assistance, and other aspects of cooperation. As an "epic signal" of strengthening the relations between Japan and India, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will be present on the 26th of this month as the main guest at the India National Day military parade. Media from the two countries stressed that the common "China threat" is the "catalyst" for both sides to come together. 
The website of the Indian Digest magazine summarized the defense cooperation agreement that the two countries reached on the 6th. The title of the article was, "India and Japan Use Military Relations to Build an Anti-China Great Wall." 
Japan’s Daily News commented on the 7th that cooperation with India is a measure taken against the military rise of China. 

Source: Xinhua, January 8, 2014 
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2014-01/08/c_125971534.htm http://world.huanqiu.com/exclusive/2014-01/4732758.html

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People’s Daily Opens Special Column to Expose Japan’s Militarism, Invasiveness, and Destruction

In its January 5 edition, People’s Daily initiated a special column on its third page to “expose Japan’s militarism, its invasiveness, and its destructive nature.” The column consists of articles on the history of Japan’s war of aggression and expansion during the Second World War. In the opening remarks, the column stated that Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s recent visit to the shrine that honors soldiers including war criminals during the Second World War is a clear signal that he intends to revoke the historic facts. It identifies that action as a part of the Abe administration’s political moves and observes that Japan has no intention of improving its relationship with its neighboring countries.

Source: People’s Daily, January 5, 2014
http://world.people.com.cn/n/2014/0105/c1002-24024362.html

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