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BBC Chinese: China Cautiously Mediating Peace in Middle East

BBC Chinese recently reported that Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu both visited Beijing in the same week. However, neither of the two sides nor the new Chinese President Xi Jinping seemed to be ready to start a negotiation with China being the mediator. Meanwhile, Xi Jinping did offer a four-point peace proposal. Although Xi’s proposal does not have anything new or creative, the report expressed the belief that he was somewhat playing a mediator’s role, with caution. When Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met with Netanyahu, he suggested that the sole solution to the Middle East peace and stability issue is conducting dialogues and peace talks. Li also mentioned that China is willing to work with the two sides on the peace-making effort, since China is a common friend of both. China has a US$10 billion annual trade volume with Israel and half of China’s annual oil imports are from the Middle East region. 
Source: BBC Chinese, May 9, 2013
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/press_review/2013/05/130509_press_review_china_middleeast.shtml
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Chinese Scholar on the China-Burma Relations amid the Political Reform in Burma

Iin a recent article, Du Jifeng, a scholar at the National Institute of International Strategy at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, discussed China-Burma relations amid Burma’s political reform. Du expressed the belief that, although Burma is re-balancing the three-way relationship between China, the U.S., and Burma, China’s strategic importance to Burma in geopolitics, energy supply, and border security has not changed substantially. 

In the article Du said, “Since March 2011, Burma’s new government has completed the power transfer and has been working on political reform. At the same time, the government of Burma began to adjust its foreign policy. The bilateral relations between Burma and the U.S.-led Western countries has been warming up; high-level leaders have repeatedly visited each other. Western countries have canceled or loosened the 20 years of economic sanctions on Burma. Burma has also changed its once one-sided foreign policy toward China and rebalanced the triangular relationship with China and the United States.” 
“While Burma gradually becomes closer to the US-led Western countries, the bilateral relations between China and Burma have gone up and down on some specific matters. … Burma’s worry about the rapid rise of China is an important consideration in Burma’s adjustment of its diplomatic focus. Actually, in the history of their relations, Burma has always remained guarded toward China. The growth of China’s economic strength only resulted in Myanmar having more worries.” 
Regarding China-Burma relations under Burma’s new diplomatic policy, Du said, “The main purpose for Burma’s adjustment of its diplomatic focus is to implement a diverse diplomacy and avoid over-reliance on the Chinese economy. However, the strategic importance of China to Myanmar in geopolitics, border, and energy security has not changed substantively. At the same time, China has significant economic interests in Burma and therefore will not easily give Burma up.” 

Source: Sohu, April 2, 2013 
http://news.sohu.com/20130402/n371469340.shtml

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Xinhua: North Korea Asks Mongolia for Food

Xinhua recently published a report on aid to North Korea based on a number of different international media sources. On April 22, the North Korean Ambassador to Mongolia told the Mongolian President that North Korea “may soon face a very serious food shortage.” He asked if Mongolia would consider the possibility of providing assistance in the form of food. Korea shares a common cultural heritage with Mongolia, such as their ancient language. On the same day, the United States suggested that it would consider resuming food aid as long as North Korea would allow personnel from the U.S. to monitor the distribution and allocation of the food provided by the U.S. The United States recently refused the acknowledgement of North Korea’s status as a nuclear country.
Source: Xinhua, April 24, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2013-04/24/c_124622524.htm
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Global Times: Japan Claims Highest Numerber of Interceptions of Chinese Airplanes

Global Times recently reported, based on Japanese media reports, that, in the year 2012, the Japanese Air Force intercepted Chinese aircraft the highest number of times since the Cold War. The total emergency missions was 800 in one year.  The Chinese military aircraft that were intercepted included fighter jets and Intelligence reconnaissance aircraft. The Japanese Air Force not only deployed fighter jets, but, for the first time, deployed Airborne Monitoring & Control Aircraft and Early Warning Aircraft as well. According to Japanese media reports, in 2012, the number of times Chinese military aircraft approached Japanese territory increased by 60 percent over the year 2011. Also, the Japanese media widely reported the recent signing of a friendly fisheries agreement between Japan and Taiwan.
Source: Global Times, April 13, 2013
http://mil.huanqiu.com/paper/2013-04/3827899.html
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Confucius Institute Opened at Columbia University

Xinhua reported that Hanban, the headquarters of the Confucius Institute, In collaboration with Columbia University, held an opening ceremony for the Confucius Institute. The ceremony was held at Columbia University on April 9, 2013. Xu Ling, the Director of Han Ban, Lee C. Bollinger, the university president, Chen Yulu, President of Renmin University of China, as well as Dong Xiaojun, consul-general of the Chinese Consulate General in New York, attended and spoke at the ceremony.

Source: People’s Daily, April 10, 2013
http://usa.people.com.cn/n/2013/0410/c241376-21077219.html

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Xinhua: Who Really Wants to Make Trouble on the Korean Peninsula?

On April 11, 2013, Xinhua published an article by Hu Wenlong, research fellow at the China Academy of Military Sciences. Hu stated that it is inevitable and understandable that North Korea may be making trouble because of the U.N. Security Council sanctions resolution against North Korea. However, the United States may want North Korea to make trouble.

According to Hu, the U.S. response this time is different from its previous responses in three respects. First, its ultimate motive is different. The U.S. is not trying to diffuse the tension or push for negotiations. Instead, it is watching North Korea and following suit. It is escalating the military confrontation, thereby demonstrating its selfishness rather than a desire to safeguard world peace. “In fact, a phone call would diffuse the tension, but Obama does not pick up the phone.” Second, the U.S. is maneuvering things militarily. Besides issuing threats and escalating the situation, the U.S. is preparing for war. “More importantly, the U.S. is engaging in combat deployment and is rehearsing operations. Clearly the U.S. wants North Korea to make trouble. It is not the U.S.’s real wish for North Korea not to make trouble.” Third, the U.S. points a finger at China in order to mislead the media, to the extent that it wants to hold China responsible. “Now it is clearly pressuring China and blaming China for not taking tougher measures against North Korea. … Targeting North Korea is a pretext; targeting China is its true intent.”

Source: Xinhua, April 11, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2013-04/11/c_124564746.htm

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China’s State-Media Comments on The U.S. Air Force’s Designation of Six Cyber Tools as Weapons

China’s state-run media published an article commenting on the U.S. Air Force’s designation of six cyber tools as weapons. It said, “This unprecedented decision means that the government and the military of the United States officially define the attacks on the Internet as the reality of war. In addition to land, sea, air, and outer space, virtual cyberspace has become the new real battlefield.” “This approach will extend the arms race to Internet space, thereby affecting the international military and political structure.” 

The article pointed out that for the U.S. to launch attacks using cyber tools was not a secret; the move may have had two major purposes. First, the U.S. Air Force is trying to echo the propaganda that the Obama administration put forth on "cyber threats" this year. Second, the U.S. military wants to secure more defense funding from the U.S. Congress. 
The article was initially published on the website for China Youth Daily. Other major websites for China’s state media then republished it. 
Source: People’s Daily, April, 10, 2013 
http://world.people.com.cn/n/2013/0410/c157278-21077984.html
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China Has again Become Canada’s Largest Source for Immigration

According to Radio Free Asia on April 8, 2013, China has again become Canada’s largest source for immigration. In 2012, a total of 32,990 Chinese people obtained permanent resident visas. China’s social system, social problems, and environmental disasters have filled the Chinese people with despair. That is why China has been Canada’s largest source for immigration. However, China is in the 3rd position in terms of the number of permanent residents having become Canadian citizens. 

Source: Radio Free Asia, April 8, 2013
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shehui/to-04082013102050.html  

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