Geo-Strategic Trend - 206. page

Xinhua posted an article that was originally published by People’s Daily (overseas edition), discussing the U.S. and Israel’s positions on Iran’s nuclear issue. The article focused on the February 29, 2012, meeting between U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak. The article said, “As Iran’s nuclear issue was becoming more and more pressing, Israel continued to claim, at difference strategic points, that it would launch a military attack against Iran. Recently, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported that Iran’s nuclear development program has made new progress. This news worried Israel. In particular, the U.S. and E.U.’s economic sanctions against Iran’s development of nuclear weapons has seemed not to have had any effect. Israel is becoming even more anxious. "

“Regarding Israel’s continuous claim that its military will strike Iran’s nuclear facilities, the U.S. has been warning Israel to hold back. The U.S. appears to believe that it is not yet the right time to take military action against Iran. The U.S. prefers to wait for the economic sanctions to run their course, or  not to take action until Iran’s Middle East ally (Syria’s Assad) gets into trouble.”

“On Iran’s nuclear issue, both the U.S. and Israel have the same goal—to prevent Iran from having nuclear weapons. Israel is anxiously trying to take action, whereas the U.S. warns it to hold back. This “mutual cooperation” of both sides looks quite interesting.”

Source: Xinhua, March 5, 2012
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2012-03/03/c_111596862.htm

On March 3, 2012, Huanqiu (the Chinese edition of Global Times) published an article titled “Being in the Lead Position in Northeast Asian Affairs, China Should Not Be Anxious about Thorny Peninsula (North Korea) Issues.” The article commented on an agreement that the U.S. and North Korea announced on February 29, 2012, that “North Korea will temporarily halt its nuclear tests, long-range missile launches, and Yongbyon uranium enrichment activities in exchange for aid from the United States in the form of food.” The article said that China should not hesitate to continue its special friendship with North Korea, since China has more influence on North Korea than the United States, Russia, and other major powers. Though North Korea will not strictly follow China’s advice, it has much more strategic trust in China than it does in other countries.

The article repeated its emphasis on China’s confidence in China-DPRK relations. China should have confidence in itself because “no matter how close the US-DPRK relationship is, it cannot be closer than the Sino-DPRK relationship. No one can possibly ‘trick China’ in terms of Peninsula affairs.” “Once a crisis occurs, others will panic more than we will.”

Source: Huanqiu, March 3, 2012
http://mil.huanqiu.com/Observation/2012-03/2490580.html

The Shanghai based news network East Day recently republished a report, originally from India’s TV news network IBNLive on work done by an independent Indian research institute. Research revealed that people believe there is a good possibility that China will make a “demand for territory,” and that a “massive military attack” is potentially likely, especially in the Arunachal Pradesh region, which the Chinese call “Southern Tibet.” There is a major difference in the understanding of the location of the “Line of Actual Control” between China and India. The research suggested a “hybrid strategy of defense plus offense” as a response to the potential invasion. The research concluded that, essentially, the best answer to an attack is to have an equivalent strategy.

Source: East Day, March 1, 2012
http://mil.eastday.com/m/20120301/u1a6396894.html

On February 26, 2012, China Review News interviewed Rear Admiral Peng Guangqian, a major general in the People’s Liberation Army and a strategist for China’s Academy of Military Science, about the situation in the Middle East. Peng pointed out that the West’s ultimate goal in attacking Syria is to target Iran, but there are many restrictions keeping the West from sending armed forces against Iran. Peng believes that if the U.S. were to launch a war against Iran, it would be the most difficult decision in U.S. history. Once such a war started, it would be the beginning of the real decline of American hegemonism; the Persian Gulf might well mark the end point of American hegemony. Peng suggested that it may be time for the ancient Persian and the modern American imperialists to come to an end together.

Source: China Review News, February 26, 2012
http://gb.chinareviewnews.com/doc/1020/1/6/6/102016680.html?coluid=148&kindid=7550&docid=102016680&mdate=0226001256

A Xinhua article reported on the recent visit of Chinese Vice-Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zhai Jun  to Syria and on China’s position on the Syria issue.

The article declared that China is a responsible peace mediator in Syria. China is not like the Western countries, which “support one side while attacking the other side.” Zhai visited both the current top government officials of Syria, including the president and the foreign minister, and the leaders of opposing factions.

As for what China will do if the UN votes again on a resolution on the Syria issue, Qu Xin, the Director of the China Institute of International Studies, said, “As a permanent member of the United Nations (UN) Security Council, China needs to take a clear stand on the Syria issue. In the next step, China will continue to promote a dialogue among the differing factions in Syria. ‘The UN cannot become a voting machine for launching another war.’ China opposes using exterior armed forces to interfere with the ‘change of power’ in a country.”
 
Source: Xinhua, February 24, 2012
http://news.xinhuanet.com/herald/2012-02/24/c_131427092.htm

According to a Xinhua article published on February 21, 2012, state owned China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC), along with Anglo-Irish Tullow Oil, and France’s Total, will invest in an oil refinery in the Lake Albert rift basin in western Uganda. The projected cost is $1.5 billion. The report said that the three companies investing in the refinery will have a one-third interest in each of the basin’s three blocks. Tullow said Tuesday that it had finalized a long-delayed $2.9 billion sale of two-thirds of its Uganda oil licenses to Total and CNOOC. The group will now focus on a $10 billion plan to start pumping oil from huge reserves discovered on the shores of Lake Albert. Early production is scheduled to start in 2013 before ramping up to a major production phase in 2016.

Source: Xinhua, February 21, 2012
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2012-02/21/c_122734986.htm

On February 6, 2012, Huanqiu (the Chinese edition of Global Times) published an article about China’s UN Veto on Syria titled, “China Should Vote Whatever Is on Our Mind.” According to the article, China has acted “tough” in the last two years because China, as a rising nation, has a sense of crisis. U.S. Senator John McCain recently said in Munich (on February 4, 2012, at the 48th Munich Security Conference, to Zhang Zhijun, China’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs) that the Arab Spring will spread to China. China is now worried that the U.S. may adopt “Overthrowing the Chinese Regime” as America’s No. 1 goal and fundamental diplomatic policy. In the UN Council, as all parties were forcing China to speak out, and China did have something to say, China just voted according to what was on our mind. If China did not speak out what was on our mind, there might be more trouble.

Source: Huanqiu, February 6, 2012
http://blog.huanqiu.com/blog-89545-2385705.html

People’s Daily recently reported that the 138th Confucius Institute started classes on January 24 in Ottawa, Canada. The report indicated that the purpose of opening this new Confucius Institute was decided on as a reaction to filling students’ needs to face the challenges of globalization and to be more prepared for the future job market. In the opening ceremony, the mayor of Ottawa suggested that the number of Chinese tourists already surpassed those from Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. China is now Canada’s second largest trading partner after the United States. The trade volume is expected to double within the next four years. In addition to teaching the Chinese language, this new Confucius Institute also offers business consulting and training services to government agencies, private enterprises, and chambers of commerce.

Source: People’s Daily, January 30, 2012
http://world.people.com.cn/BIG5/16949815.html