Geo-Strategic Trend - 222. page

An opinion article on the People’s Daily website questions the purpose of Western countries’ military action in Libya. “The original idea of UN Security Council resolution 1973 was to stop violence and protect civilians." However, one wonders at the Western countries’ purpose. “Help the opponent obtain a military opportunity by striking the government’s army. This has led the conflict in Libya to escalate. Is this stopping the violence?” “Some Western countries directly fund and arm the opponents to achieve their goal of ‘overthrowing Gaddafi.’ Is this consistent with its emphasis that ‘the purpose is not to overthrow Gaddafi?’"

“In fact, behind the slogan of protecting civilians’ interests is protecting Western countries’ interests. … including economic interests and … Western leader’s mindset of leading the world from their bones.” “From their action toward Libya, … it seems there is a ribbon to bind them together, i.e. Western countries leading world affairs.”

The article concluded: “the future direction of Libya is not only to test how long Gaddafi can last, but also to test whether Western countries’ mindset toward the world will change.” 　　

Source: People’s Daily, April 1, 2011
http://world.people.com.cn/GB/14290933.html

Xi Jinping, the Vice President of China, met with Liberian Foreign Minister McIntosh in the People’s Hall in Beijing on March 30, 2011. Xi said the Chinese government is "highly concerned about peace and the security situation in Africa, and along with African countries, including Liberia, would like to actively promote a peaceful resolution of the crisis.”

Source: Xinhua, March 30, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2011-03/30/c_121249926.htm

Source: Xinhua, March 30, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2011-03/30/c_121249991.htm

People’s Daily published an article on Libya titled “Social Unrest: the Wrong Path for a Country and a Tragedy for the People.” The article said, “From the end of last year through this spring, a number of countries in Eastern and Northern Africa have suffered from continued political instability and social disruptions, having a negative economic impact on their people. Moreover, Libya is now trapped in a vortex of war.” The article concludes that the Chinese people should treasure their current “harmony and stability.” “Every one of us should do our utmost, achieve more development under this stability and continuously reap happy fruits during our development.”

Source: People’s Daily, March 23, 2011
http://politics.people.com.cn/GB/30178/14212813.html

Even though Beijing abstained from voting on U.N. resolution 1973, since Saturday March 19, when the U.S. and allied forces started launching missiles and conducting air strikes against Libyan government forces, Chinese official media have run nonstop criticism against the military intervention. One March 22 Xinhua article titled “Western Forces Continue Air strikes in Tripoli; Anti-war Voices Rise in the International Community,” gives a list of countries (Russia, Turkey, Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovakia, South Africa, Argentina, and Gabon) that are part of the anti-war camp; it also highlights the civilian deaths from the air strikes and suggests that the military intervention is for the purpose of occupation to obtain oil and gas resources.

Source: Xinhua, March 22, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2011-03/22/c_13791949.htm

Xinhua recently quoted a few overseas Chinese media as saying that the overseas Chinese population calls for “fighting to safeguard the motherland’s stability and harmony.” They include Singapore’s Lianhe Zaobao (《联合早报》), U.S. based Chicago China News and Digest (《芝加哥华语论坛》), Japan’s Chubun (《中文导报》) and European News or Nouvelles d’Europe (《欧洲时报》) in France. 

Source: Xinhua, March 15, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2011-03/15/c_13780316.htm

According to a UNESCO report, since 2000, the population of students studying abroad has grown by 75%; the number increased from 2.96 million in 2008 to 3.43 million in 2009. Chinese students studying abroad, as many as 440,000, are important players in the global higher education market. The U.S. is the destination for the largest number of students from around the world, hosting around 700,000. Their annual contribution to the U.S. economy amounts to US$20 billion. Chinese students, overtaking Indians and South Koreans, have now become the largest group of foreign students in the U.S. Meanwhile, in the coming years, China is planning to attract 500,000 foreign students to study in its country.

Source: International Herald Leader, March 7, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/herald/2011-03/07/c_13764823.htm