Geo-Strategic Trend - 209. page
Xinhua: PetroChina Investments in Iran Got Stuck
27 Percent of China’s Billionaires Have Emigrated
China’s International Migration Report (2012) was released in December 2012. The report showed that in China, among business owners with personal assets of more than one billion yuan (US$160 million), 27 percent have emigrated, and 47 percent are considering emigration. In the past three years, at least 17 billion yuan ($US2.7 billion) of capital has flown abroad.
The Blue Book shows that the emigration of the wealthy reflects, to a certain extent, the problem of capital flight. Some people transferred their "gray income" overseas to achieve tax avoidance and also to evade prosecution in accordance with the national laws. This capital flight has led to a huge loss of the nation’s wealth.
Source: Xinhua, January 6, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2013-01/06/c_124191693.htm
Military Official Calls for a Powerful Chinese Air Force to Counter the U.S. and Japan at Sea
Senior Colonel Dai Xu, Director of the Marine Security and Cooperation Research Institute and a Professor a the National Defense University of the PLA China, recently published a commentary in Global Times (a division of People’s Daily). Dai recommended that China should develop a powerful air force to deal with the crisis in the open sea. He pointed out that "Japan has continuously dispatched F-15 fighters to intercept Chinese maritime surveillance aircraft and has deployed anti-submarine aircraft to harass China’s ocean surveillance ships.” “For Japan to send fighter jets is a qualitative change in diplomatic moves. … The Chinese Air Force has no choice but to come forward with equivalent or even greater efforts. The Chinese Air Force should develop a plan as soon as possible, have targeted training and deployment, make sure China is able to take immediate action when needed, and be able to win the war when in the fight.”
Military Professor: China Must Be on Guard against ‘Peace Disease’
On December 12, 2012, the International Herald Leader, a newspaper under Xinhua News Agency, published an article titled, “Liu Minggfu: China Must Be on Guard against ‘Peace Disease.’” According to Liu Mingfu, a professor at the PLA National Defense University, we must firmly grasp the “Missile” (People’s Safety) and the “Egg” (People’s Livelihood) with both hands.
Liu stated, “The development of China’s military forces is behind China’s economic development; it lags behind what is needed for the Sino-US strategic competition. Therefore, China must increase military spending and speed up the pace of the army’s build-up.”
Source: International Herald Leader, December 12, 2012
http://ihl.cankaoxiaoxi.com/2012/1212/134491.shtml
The Chinese Government Actively Supports the Development of Confucius Institutes
On Dec. 16, 2012, China’s State Councilor, Liu Yandong, delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of the seventh conference of Confucius Institutes. According to Liu, who is also the president the Confucius Institute Headquarters Council, the Chinese government will actively support the steady development of Confucius Institutes, following the spirit of the 18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party.
In 2012, 400 Confucius Institutes and over 500 Confucius Classrooms were in operation globally. They received about 655,000 registered students from 108 countries and regions. Liu encouraged Confucius Institutes to expand the coverage of their operations from major cities to other regions and from colleges to communities.
Source: Xinhua, December 16, 2012
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2012-12/16/c_114044652.htm
Xinhua: China’s Global Strategy
Jinghua Times: Some Countries Don’t Welcome the New Chinese Passport
Jinghua Times recently reported that the new version of the Chinese smart passport (which has an implanted chip) has triggered complaints from neighboring countries. The new passport includes pages with pictures and a map of China that includes disputed regions in Tibet and the South China Sea. So far, Vietnam, The Philippines, and India have complained. These countries are instead issuing the visa on a separate piece of paper instead of the visa page of the passport. Normal entry into these countries is still granted, even if the new passport is used. The United States suggested that it still considers the new passport to be a valid document and U.S. officials will still use the new passport for visa and stamps. However that does not mean the United States agrees with the borders drawn on the map. A spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs commented that neighboring countries should not overreact to the map part of the passport.
Source: Jinghua Times, November 30, 2012
http://epaper.jinghua.cn/html/2012-11/30/content_1908282.htm