Geo-Strategic Trend - 248. page

Chinese news website SecretChina quotes a report by Sydney Morning Herald that Sydney University has opened Confucius Institute the week of June 19, 2008. According to the report, 50 percent of the funding comes from the “Chinese Office” of China’s Education Ministry. Qiu Shaofang, general consular of the Chinese Consulate in Sydney, said that if the Confucius Institute supports those students and staffs who oppose Chinese Communist Party’s policy toward Falun Gong and Tibetans, Chinese government will not accept.

Originally, China planed to open 100 Confucius Institutes. So far, 227 such institutes in 66 countries have already established. China has set a new goal of having 1,000 Confucius Institutes worldwide.

Source: Secretchina.com, June 19, 2008
http://www.secretchina.com/news/250237.html

A survey results reported by a Russian newspaper suggested that 33.3 percent of surveyed consider US as its number one enemy to Russia and Sakartvelo ranked the second at 31 percent. Among the list of allies, 35.5 percent surveyed chose White Russia as number one and followed by China as the second at 18 percent. Germany ranked the third at 16.7 percent followed by Armenia at 12.7 percent, France 9.4 percent, and Italy at 9.1 percent.

Source: Xinhua, June 20, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2008-06/20/content_8399299.htm

Late afternoon on May 30, 2008, the Chicago office of the Epoch Times received a threatening letter containing white powder and statements such as "Long Live the Communist Party."  Enclosed in the letter was a newspaper clip of an Epoch Times report in Chinese on the arrests of pro-Communists during earlier violence in Flushing, New York against Falun Gong volunteers at the "Quit the Chinese Communist Party Service Center" in Flushing.

Epoch Times is a New York based media company.  Started as a Chinese language newspaper, it has become a multi-language publication distributed throughout North America, Europe, Asia, Oceana, Africa and the Middle East.

Source: Epoch Times, May 31, 2008
http://news.epochtimes.com/gb/8/5/31/n2137580.htm

A huge mining deal between the Democratic Republic of Congo and China is getting extra scrutiny as critics say it does not provide enough benefits for ordinary Congolese. But the government says it is crucial to the country’s development. The $9 billion deals call for China to loan $6 billion for infrastructure development and $3 billion for helping revamp the mining sector in exchange for access to mining interests, including cobalt and copper fields. Opposition leaders from the Movement for the Liberation of the Congo say the Congolese government’s contract with China is not a good deal. Congo’s Deputy Minister of Mines Victor Kasongo says "The Western world did not have all that level of money to do that, so now we got the assistance coming from the Asian country."

Source: Voice of America, May 16, 2008
http://www.voanews.com/chinese/w2008-05-16-voa2.cfm

The State owned China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) has recently signed a framework agreement with Venezuela’s Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA ) to form two joint ventures, one for heavy oil development in Venezuela and the other for oil refining in China. PDVSA will hold 60% and CNPC 40 % in the development of the joint venture project in Block Junin 4 of the Orinoco belt in Venezuela, with an estimated production capacity of 20 million tons per year. The refinery in China will refine the 20 million ton of crude oil from the Block Junin 4 joint venture. CNPC will hold 60% and PDVSA 40%.

Source: Xinhua, May 13, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2008-05/13/content_8162051.htm

The newspaper World Journal in South Korea reported on April 29, 2008 that a Chinese thug involved in the violence during the Olympic Torch Relay in Seoul had been identified as the head of the Chinese Students Association in Korea. The unnamed person is a PhD candidate in police administration at Dongguk University in South Korea. According to the report, he was an official from China Public Security prior to admission into Dongguk University and upon graduation, is scheduled to return for a professorship at the Public Security University in China.

South Korean MBC TV reported on April 28, 2008 that Chinese students studying in South Korea disclosed that several thousand Chinese students were brought from China to South Korea for the Olympics Torch Relay greeting teams.

Japanese Asahi Shimbun also reported that Chinese embassies organized, directed and financed “greeting teams” in the cities the Olympics Torch Relay passed.

Source: Epoch Times, May 2, 2008
http://news.epochtimes.com/gb/8/5/2/n2102399.htm

Five Chinese students in Australia are facing charges and potential deportation due to scuffles at the April 24 Olympic Torch Relay event, according to Australian Chinese Website, Snowpear on April 29, 2008. Chinese students are hoping the matter would be resolved via diplomatic channels. Apparently the Chinese embassy and consulates in Australia have been unwilling to get involved stating they had nothing to do with the incident.

Source:
Snowpear.com, April 29, 2008
http://www.snowpear.com/viewnews-12014.html
Renminbao, April 28, 2008
http://renminbao.com/rmb/articles/2008/4/28/47553b.html

China.com.cn reports that negotiations between China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC) and Iran’s national gas company are nearing the last stage of reaching an agreement on a US$16 billion natural gas project. This is the second big energy deal between the two countries in the last couple of months. According to the report, CNOOC will provide technical support and take care of factory construction, transportation, and sales for the exploration of the North Pars gas field of Iran. In return, China will be allowed to share half of the liquid gas produced. China will have the right to purchase one billion tons of liquid gas each year. The deal is effective for 25 years. Also reported by International Herald Leader (Xinhua), the United States has been applying pressure on China regarding the negotiations, but China is not afraid of the interference.

Source: China.com.cn, April 18, 2008, and Xinhua, April 22, 2008 http://big5.china.com.cn/economic/txt/2008-04/18/content_14973718.htm http://news.xinhuanet.com/herald/2008-04/22/content_8025512.htm