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Geo-Strategic Trend - 223. page

A China-built Indonesian Power Plant Completed

Xinhua reported that a China-built 3×330MW power plant was completed on October 12, 2011, in Indramayu, a city in the West Java province of Indonesia. Three companies, China National Electric Engineering Co., Ltd. (CNEEC), China National Machinery Industry Group (CNMIG), and Indonesian PENTA, formed the consortium that contracted to complete the project. 

The power plant is one of the ten 10 million-kilowatt power stations that the Indonesian government has planned to alleviate the domestic power shortage. According to Xinhua, “the successful completion of the project will greatly ease the power shortage in the local region, help advance Indonesia’s social and economic development, and improve people’s living standards.” CNEEC, established in 1979 and wholly owned by CNMIG, is a company specializing in the construction of thermal and hydropower generation, power transmission, clean energy, and other energy projects.
Source: Xinhua, October 12, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2011-10/12/c_122150107.htm

Huanqiu: Breaking Up the Coalition on the South Chinese Sea

Huanqiu published a special commentary on the new coalition of Vietnam, India, the Philippines, and Japan. The article stated that the driving force behind the coalition came from Vietnam and the Philippines and that regardless of what China does, they will not back down. The U.S. and Japan are really reluctant to come to a wide-reaching impasse with China. India, ambitious as it may be, is not mature; it has low productivity and tends to act on impulse. “Based on the foregoing, to ‘shelve the dispute and jointly develop,’ we must dare to dispute and to develop. … Only if China draws an ‘insurmountable red line’ on key principles and demonstrates the power and resolve to defend that red line will other countries weigh the pros and cons and become prudent. Then the coalition will vanish."

Source: Huanqiu, reprinted by Xinhua, October 7, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/herald/2011-10/07/c_131176474.htm

Pressured By Beijing, Vietnamese Authorities Escalate Abuse of Falun Gong

Radio Free Asia reported that, in recent weeks, under pressure from Beijing, Vietnamese authorities have been escalating their intimidation and abuse of the local Falun Gong community, further intensifying a policy change that began last year. Two Falun Gong practitioners are scheduled to stand trial next week for broadcasting uncensored news to China. Since the end of August, on two occasions, the police have abducted or thugs have assaulted local Falun Gong practitioners while they were practicing their exercises in a park. 

The escalated harassment comes on the heels of direct Chinese Communist Party pressure on the Vietnamese authorities. According to a court indictment, the Vietnamese government arrested the men after a diplomatic memo was sent on May 30, 2010, from the Chinese Embassy to Vietnam’s Ministry of Investigation and Security. “The memo stated that the Police Department in China discovered radio signals coming from Vietnamese territory containing the same content about Falun Gong as heard on the ‘Sound of Hope’ radio station.” The indictment reads, “It was recommended that all … activities of Falun Gong individuals in the Vietnam territory must be attacked and stopped.”
Source: Radio Free Asia, October 5, 2011
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/la-10052011101736.html

PLA Daily: China and France to Deepen Military Ties

According to People’s Liberation Army Daily, at the 10th strategic dialogue between the Chinese and French defense ministries in Paris on September 28 and 29, both sides “conducted frank, friendly and fruitful exchanges on defense policies, military buildup, the regional security situation, and issues of international focus. They also had an in-depth exchange of views on further developing bilateral military relations.” “Both sides agreed that the Sino-French defense ministry dialogue mechanism will help deepen strategic mutual trust, expand areas of cooperation, and play a positive role for the two countries in building a new, mature and stable, comprehensive strategic partnership based on mutual trust and mutual benefit, while having a global perspective.”

Source: Xinhua, October 1, 2011
http://www.chinamil.com.cn/jfjbmap/content/2011-10/01/content_68269.htm

China’s Investments in Europe Doubled in 2010

According to Chen Jian, China’s Vice Minister of Commerce, China’s 2010 investments in Europe jumped to US$6.8 billion, registering a 102 percent growth over the previous year. Europe accounts for 10 percent of China’s total foreign investment.

According to the Commerce Ministry, China’s total foreign investment reached US$68.8 billion in 2010. Spread over 178 countries and regions, 70 percent was in Asia, followed by Africa and then Latin America. The statistics showed that State Owned Enterprises accounted for most of the companies making foreign investments overseas.

It was reported that the challenges these Chinese enterprises face are in the areas of business strategy, environment, national resource management, and human resources. Yao Zhizhong, Director of the Institute of World Economics and Politics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, stated that, in addition, they face “notions coming from the European countries.” “The EU should loosen its restrictions on Chinese enterprises and break through its notions and prejudice against Chinese companies.”

Source: People’s Daily Oversea’s Edition, September 30, 2011
http://mnc.people.com.cn/GB/15791354.html

Outlook Weekly: China Lacks Awareness of Ocean Development

Outlook Weekly, a magazine under Xinhua News Agency, recently published a commentary calling for “ocean development.” The commentary suggested that the oceans will provide China’s future “living space.” To develop awareness and to improve the sustainability of the Chinese civilization, China must change its old fashioned “land centric” mentality. The author suggested that the oceans connect all continents and are the cheapest “highway” that needs no construction. If China uses the potential of the oceans, it immediately brings vast economic benefits. The commentary drew on Japan as an example to increase awareness of how it used the oceans to protect Japanese interests. It expressed the belief that China should have a strategic view of the oceans and should take full advantage of ocean development for solving the problems of growth, unemployment and lack of resources.

Source: Outlook Weekly, September 17, 2011
http://news.sohu.com/20110917/n319690526.shtml

Sixth International Forum for Chinese Media Held in Chongqing

China News Service published an article on the sixth International Forum for Chinese Media that was held in Chongqing, Sichuan Province from September 17 to 19, 2011. There were close to 600 participants from 50 countries and regions. The forum focused on the ongoing changes in the world’s media environment, transformation opportunities for Chinese media, and the scientific development of the social livelihood issues that Chongqing faces.

The “Chongqing Declaration” was released at the end of the forum. It focused on the subject of the roles that overseas’s Chinese media play on the world’s media stage. According to the Declaration, oversea’s Chinese media will have growing opportunities as “the western language dominance weakens on the world’s media platform.” The article stated that in order to make themselves known to mainstream society, oversea’s Chinese media need to rely closely on the overseas Chinese people to promote further cooperation with and development of the local economy. While the emergence of new media technologies presents both challenges and opportunities for oversea’s Chinese media, they should maintain close cooperation and connections with their home countries including the mainland, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau, so they can be an international media outlet that speaks for their country.

Source: China News Service, September 18, 2011
http://www.chinanews.com/hr/2011/09-18/3335313.shtml

Mainland Media Tour Group Visited Taiwan

On September 22, 2011, Zhou Xishen, vice director of Xinhua, led a group consisting of leaders from 10 major Chinese media entities to tour Taiwan for an 8 day visit. China Times, one of the four biggest newspapers in Taiwan, arranged the tour. It included meetings with major Taiwan news media to establish future cooperation.

The media group included People’s Daily, Xinhua, Economic Daily, China National Radio, CCTV, and China Radio International. This is the third time that top Chinese central media have come together to visit Taiwan.

Source: Xinhua, September 22, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/tw/2011-09/22/c_131154634.htm