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Japanese Embassy: Living in Beijing is Like Taking Part in an Experiment on Animals

People’s Daily recently reported that, on February 8, 2013, the Japanese Embassy held a discussion forum with the Japanese people who live in China. The forum focused on the topic of the recent widely discussed air pollution issue. The Embassy commented that people who currently live in Beijing feel as if they are part of an experiment on animals. Around 150 Japanese citizens attended the forum. Environmental specialists explained the negative impact of the PM2.5 pollution sources. They also conducted a demonstration of the use of masks. All attendees expressed deep concern regarding their own health. Many of them are seriously considering returning to Japan. Embassy medical officers at the forum provided medical advice. The Embassy also arranged display booths so that a number of air purifier vendors could provide information on their products.
Source: People’s Daily, February 8, 2013
http://gongyi.people.com.cn/n/2013/0208/c152509-20467590.html
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Canadian Singer Sang a Revolutionary Opera Piece at CCTV’s Spring Festival Gala

Thomas Glenn, a Canadian opera singer who won a Grammy Award in 2012 for best Opera recording, sang a Revolutionary Beijing Opera piece at Chinese Central Television’s (CCTV) 2013 Spring Festival Gala.

The Spring Festival Gala, also known as Chun Wan, is one of the government TV network’s flagship programs. It provides a live broadcast every year on the Chinese New Year’s Eve to billions of Chinese people, domestically and overseas, who are celebrating the Lunar New Year at home, most of whom have their TV turned on. The four-plus-hour-long gala, put together after almost a year-long preparation, with the programs carefully selected and heavily censored, served the purpose of propagandizing the ruling regime’s accomplishments over the past year while entertaining the audience.

At CCTV’s official website that hosted the program, a subtitle identified Glenn as a student of the Confucius Institute, a language-teaching facility sponsored and driven by the Chinese government. According to the Confucius Institute’s website, since 2004 it has launched over 300 Confucius Institutes and 500 Confucius Classrooms in five continents. The Revolutionary Opera Piece, Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy, is one of the eight Revolutionary operas, or model operas, (Chinese: 样板戏; pinyin: yàngbǎnxì) planned and engineered during the Cultural Revolution by Jiang Qing, Mao Zedong’s wife. They are commonly viewed as typical propaganda pieces for the Communist Party.

Source: China Central Television, February 10, 2013
http://chunwan.cctv.com/2013/02/10/VIDE1360474568955538.shtml

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Huanqiu: China Must Avoid Being Kidnapped by the DPRK’s Nuclear Policy

On February 6, 2013, Huanqiu (the Chinese edition of Global Times) published an editorial article titled “China Treasures the Sino-DPRK Friendship; North Korea Should Also Cherish It.” Below is a summary of the article:

It is beyond doubt that North Korea is very important to China. However, China must avoid being kidnapped by the DPRK’s nuclear policy. If North Korea insists on conducting a third nuclear test, North Korea will get less assistance from China. However, China probably will not “punish” North Korea in the same way as the U.S., Japan, and the South Koreans. China is not afraid of North Korea, which is an important principle. Some Chinese scholars, however, do have concerns about a breakup of the Sino-DPRK relationship due to China’s participation in international sanctions against North Korea. Without China’s support, North Korea may “survive” but it will certainly not be better off.

Source: Huanqiu, February 6, 2013
http://opinion.huanqiu.com/editorial/2013-02/3622838.html

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CRN: A Chinese Company Now Operates Gwadar Port

China Review News (CRN) recently reported that a Chinese company now operates the Pakistani port named Gwadar. Gwadar Port is a warm-water, deep-sea port located on the Arabian Sea, at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, approximately 290 miles west of Karachi. The Port is situated near the strategic Strait of Hormuz and its busy trading and oil shipping lanes. This Chinese operating power has significant value for constructing oil pipelines from the Middle East to Western China. The Port also offers China a land-based path to the Indian Ocean. However, although the Gwadar Port appears to be a good opportunity for the Chinese Navy to establish a military base, the infrastructure has significant limitations. Vessel and weapon repair facilities, as well as ammunition storage and medical supplies, are not available. In addition, a strong Chinese presence at the Gwadar Port arouses concern in both India and the United States. 
Source: China Review News, February 3, 2013
http://www.zhgpl.com/doc/1024/2/5/9/102425913.html?coluid=169&kindid=0&docid=102425913&mdate=0203000522
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BBC Chinese: Doing Business with China Weakens Press Freedom in HK and Taiwan

BBC Chinese recently reported on the World Press Freedom Index for 2013 that Reporters Without Borders published on January 30, 2013. The list ranked the press freedom in the countries of the world. The ratings for both Hong Kong and Taiwan were lower than the previous year. Among 179 countries and regions, Hong Kong ranked 58th (dropping from 54th last year) and Taiwan ranked 47th (dropping from 45th last year). Well-known Hong Kong political analyst Lin Heli suggested that the lowered rankings are mainly the result of increased business activities between the two regions and the Mainland. The rankings have been on the decline ever since the year 1997, when Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule. Lin expressed the belief that many Hong Kong media owners invested heavily in the Mainland. This might have played an important role in media self-censorship. Meanwhile, the semi-official branch of the central government in Hong Kong has often conducted “conversations” with Hong Kong media owners and senior editors. Taiwan has a similar situation.
Source: BBC Chinese, January 30, 2013
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/china/2013/01/130130_iv_press_freedom_lin_heli.shtml
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A Panamanian Lawyer’s View on China’s Silent Army

BBC Chinese recently interviewed a Panamanian lawyer, Berta Thayer, about her view on the new book, China’s Silent Army.  It was written by two Spanish journalists, who documented the unprecedented growth of China’s economic investment in the developing world and its impact at the local level.

According to the United Nations, in 2001, China’s investment in Latin America was less than one US$1 billion, while the figure grew to 44 billion in 2010.

For example, according to Thayer, in Panama, about one fifth of its 3.3 million population is either ethnic Chinese or of Chinese descent. China is already the second largest client of the Panama Canal, next to the U.S. China is also the largest supplier in Panama’s Colon Free Zone, whose annual trade volume amounts to US$5 billion.

Source: BBC Chinese, February 1, 2013
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/china/2013/02/130201_china_silent_army_berta.shtml

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Xinhua: What’s the Hidden Agenda behind the Japanese Politicians’ Frequent Visits to China

A Xinhua article commented on Japan’s Prime Minister Abe’s intentions regarding China policy. The article stated that “important political officials and former heads of government in Japan have visited China recently, one after the other. In just two weeks, Japan has sent many people to China for a visit.” The article asked the question, “What do these Japanese visits mean?” 

The article commented, “To cope with the thorny issue of Sino-Japanese relations, Abe is subtly playing double faces: on the one hand, he is showing the ‘big and hard-line’ military ambition; on the other hand, he is ‘lowering his profile’ to stay humble in order to obtain economic interests at the Sino-Japanese summit.” 
“Abe is trying to use Japanese officials’ intensive visits to China to achieve multiple purposes: paving the way to obtain economic benefits from China; alleviating domestic pressure by talking about the Diaoyu Islands dispute between China and Japan; and, at the same time, finding an excuse to increase militarily arms preparations.” 

The article warns, “This time Abe perhaps made a wrong calculation; he underestimated the will and wisdom of the Chinese leaders. Chinese leaders have repeatedly made it clear that China will never trade its core national interest. … If Abe really wants to press the "reset" button on Sino-Japanese relations, to ‘walk in the same direction (as China) is the only correct path. No matter how many ‘personal letters’ or visits to China, perhaps it (Japan) will lose credibility because of the military ambitions of the Japanese side.” 
Source: Xinhua, January 31, 2013 
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2013-01/31/c_124295594.htm

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North Korea to Detonate Oversize Atomic Bomb on the Border of North East China

On January 28, 2013, infeng.com published an article titled “North Korea’s Heartless Treatment of China: To Detonate Over-sized Atomic Bomb on the Border of North East China.”

On January 22, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2087 condemning North Korea’s long-range rocket launch last December as a violation of an existing ban against nuclear and missile activity. In response, North Korea announced plans for a third nuclear test and continued its rocket launches. North Korea may detonate an oversized atomic bomb, an “enhanced atomic bomb” that is equivalent to a small hydrogen bomb. The Chinese people are afraid that North Korea will detonate this extra large atomic bomb on the border of North East China in a densely populated area. 

The article concluded, “China has made national sacrifices for Korea three times and provided huge assistance to North Korea for a long period of time. It is definitely unwise and heartless for North Korea to treat China in such a way.”

Source: infeng.com, January 28, 2013
http://news.ifeng.com/opinion/zhuanlan/xuelitai/detail_2013_01/28/21668791_0.shtml

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