Geo-Strategic Trend - 249. page

Li Baodong, China’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, announced on March 31 that the Chinese government will add 10 million yuan ($1.47 million) to Haiti’s post-quake relief. 

North Korea’s top leader Kim Jong-il will most likely visit China soon, according to the International Herald Leader. The article suggests that the most obvious reason for Kim’s visit is to ask for financial aid from China. North Korea is short of funds, especially since last-year’s embargo initiated by the U.N. that greatly restricted North Korea’s arm sales overseas. Also, Kim Jong-il is likely to officially introduce his chosen successor, his third son Kim Jong-un to Chinese leaders. The article said that Kim Jong-il’s visit to China will fall between March 25 and 31. He will visit Northeast China first before he comes to Beijing.

Source: International Herald Leader, March 25, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/herald/2010-03/25/content_13242755.htm

While visiting Russia on March 23, China’s Vice President Xi Jinping joined Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin for the opening ceremony of Russia’s “Chinese Year.” 

People’s website published a commentary on January 24, 2010, criticizing India’s talk of being at war with both China and Pakistan, on two fronts. It stated that China has no interest in other country’s territory and blamed some Indian’s for having a hidden agenda to promote a "China Threat."

It stated, "India has a territory dispute with almost all its neighboring countries and was in a war situation with Pakistan in the past more than once. Now, it wants to have wars on "two fronts." What good will it do for India to disturb its neighbors?   

Source: People’s website, January 24, 2010
http://military.people.com.cn/GB/42969/58520/10831507.html

Citing a U.S. Defense News website, Xinhua reports that Vietnam is now officially Russia’s biggest arms client due to recent orders for six Kilo-class submarines and 12 Su-30 fighter jets, according to a Moscow-based think tank. Vietnam’s deal for its first submarines is Russia’s second-biggest contract for subs in the post-Soviet period, after a 2002 contract with China for eight submarines, said the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies that monitors Russian military exports. Now Vietnam joins the top 5 clients of Russian arms sales. The other 4 are India, Algeria, Venezuela, and China.

Source: Xinhua, Janaury 25, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2010-01/25/content_12868679.htm

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently reiterated the position that Japan’s claim to jurisdiction over large areas of waters based on Okinotori Reef violate The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Article 121 Section 3. It was reported that the Japanese government is about to submit to Congress a new law which protects the exclusive economic zone based at the location of Okinotori Reef. The Chinese government believes that the area of Okinotori Reef, with a rising tide, is less than 10 square meters, which “obviously” cannot sustain any human residence.

Source: Xinhua, January 19, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2010-01/19/content_12838459.htm

A Chinese official newspaper, Wenhui, reported on January 19, 2010, that the first rescue workers who arrived in Haiti were actually the Chinese, 2 hours earlier than the Americans.

However, Obama is much better at publicizing his rescue effort to the world’s TV than China, inviting two former presidents in the White House to call for donations and sending Hillary Clinton to Haiti. Yet, what is the amount of the badly needed food, medicine and drinking water the U.S. has brought to the local disaster victims? What is seen is that the U.S. military army has controlled the only local airport so as to give the U.S. nationals the priority to withdraw from Haiti, resulting in French nationals being stranded in the airport for many days, while the plane with French donated field hospital equipment was not able to land in the U.S.-controlled airport. 

Source: Wenhui, January 19, 2010
http://wenhui.news365.com.cn/gj/201001/t20100119_2595374.htm

On January 20, 2010, People’s Daily, published an interview with Chen Deming, Minister of the Commerce Department in China, about China’s investment in Africa. Chen Deming denied the international community’s allegations –

of china’s neo-colonialism in Africa, as well as the plundering of African resources – as "totally without justification."

Chen proudly stated that China increased investment in Africa by 77.5% in the first three quarters of 2009. The total investment in 2009 will exceed $1 billion. In addition, China has set up a China-Africa Development Fund, supporting those Chinese enterprises and projects involved with African countries, which will encourage more Chinese companies to invest up to $3.6 billion in Africa.

Source: People’s Daily, January 20, 2010
http://finance.people.com.cn/GB/10801223.html