Chinascope – Page 787

New study: Beijing Not Fit for Human Habitation Due to Severe Pollution

The Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences released a new study of 40 major cities around the world, ranking them according to their environment. The study ranked Beijing as the second worst, stating that Beijing’s pollution has made the city nearly “uninhabitable for human beings.”

The ecological factors in the survey included habitability, environment, and pollution. Beijing was rated the second worst, according to the study, because “Beijing’s habitability is far below average and the city is considered not habitable; its environment is about half way below the average, meaning it is far from meeting the [safety] standards; pollution is extremely severe, and is much worse than the average. It has even reached the extent that it is not fit for human habitation.”

According to the official release of the Beijing authorities early this year, in 2013 the city had 176 days of good weather and 58 days of severe pollution.

Source: Finance, February 12, 2014

http://finance.jrj.com.cn/2014/02/12114516651875.shtml

Briefings | | February 14, 2014 | Economy/Resources

Chinese Man Taken into Custody for “Spreading Rumors” Online about Bird Flu

Xinhua reported that a Mr. Zhou was taken into custody because he forwarded an online message that a doctor in Yichang City, Hubei Province died of bird flu.

According to the police, Mr. Zhou, in Yichang City, saw the message on a microblog on February 9. “Without confirming the authenticity, [he] forwarded the message and synchronized the posting with his Tencent microblogging, causing adverse effects.”

“On February 10, the Zigui County Public Security Bureau captured the suspect Zhou. According to the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Penalties for Administration of Public Security, Article 25, paragraph 1, netizen Zhou was sentenced to seven days of detention as punishment for spreading rumors.”

[Article 25: A person who commits one of the following acts shall be detained for not less than 5 days but not more than 10 days and may, in addition, be fined not more than 500 yuan. and if the circumstances are relatively minor, he shall be detained for not more than 5 days or be fined not more than 500 yuan: (1) intentionally disturbing the public order by spreading rumors, making false reports of dangerous situations and epidemic situations, or raising false alarms or by other means; …]

Source: Xinhua, February 12, 2014

http://news.xinhuanet.com/legal/2014-02/12/c_119303802.htm

http://www.npc.gov.cn/englishnpc/Law/2007-12/13/content_1384114.htm

Briefings | | February 14, 2014 | Government/Politics

People’s Daily: U.S. Misjudgment of Diaoyu Islands Situation May Cause China-U.S. Military Conflict

On February 7, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to the promises made in the "Japan-U.S. Security Treaty" signed in 1960. He emphasized that the commitment "included the East China Sea." It is believed that the speech was focused on the Diaoyu Islands. In an interview with CCTV, Sun Zhe, a Professor at the Institute of International Studies of Tsinghua University, stated that the U.S. misjudgment of the situation may cause the Sino-Japanese dispute to turn into a military conflict between China and the U.S.

Sun Zhe pointed out that, in the past, the United States would use the names of both the "Diaoyu Islands" and the "Senkaku Islands" when referring to the Diaoyu Islands in a written document. Now, however, only the latter is used. In addition, the United States is concerned about China’s cruise surveillance at the Diaoyu Islands. The U.S.’s protection and support of Japan has become more evident. This is the equivalent of [the U.S.] "choosing sides." This could make Japan misjudge the situation.

Sun further pointed out that the United States assumes it needs to mediate as a judge when friction results in an accident. It makes the assumption that, if something happens in the Diaoyu Islands, the U.S. and Japan will act together and it will send troops to help Japan seize de facto control [of the islands]. This would be a misjudgment of the situation. It may turn the Sino-Japanese dispute into a military conflict between China and the U.S. and cause a lot of damage to the building of new China-U.S. relations.

Source: People’s Daily, February 10, 2014

http://military.people.com.cn/n/2014/0210/c1011-24312232.html

Briefings | | February 13, 2014 | US-China Relations

Outflow of Wealth Accelerates as More Chinese Emigrate

Xinhua recently reported on information from the annual blue book on Chinese International Migration (2014), released by the Center for China & Globalization (CCG). According to the blue book, a huge number of emigrants have left China taking 2.8 trillion yuan with them.

The blue book stated that as of 2013, emigrants to overseas had reached 9,343,000, an increase of 128.6 percent in 23 years. These emigrants brought 2.8 trillion yuan (US$46 billion) with them when they left China, thus making China the 4th largest source of emigrants.

According to the blue book, in 2011, those people who had over 6 million yuan available for investment had a total assets of 33 trillion yuan in China. Of that amount, 2.8 trillion has since been transferred out of China, accounting for about 3 percent of China’s GDP in 2011.

Hong Kong, the United States, and Canada have become the main destinations for the transfer of assets, accounting for 22 percent, 21 percent and 16 percent respectively, followed by Switzerland (9 percent), Singapore (6 percent) and Australia (5 percent).

Source: Xinhua, February 7, 2014

http://news.xinhuanet.com/house/sh/2014-02-07/c_119231579.htm

Briefings | | February 13, 2014 | Economy/Resources

China to Fund Zimbabwe’s “Comprehensive Financial Package”

The government of Zimbabwe is looking to China to help fund its $27 billion plan to rebuild its economy. The Africa Report wrote on Wednesday that this fund would be more than twice the size of the economy of the impoverished southern African nation. The five-year plan will seek to improve basic services and revitalize the slowing economy.

On February 11, Zimbabwe’s Finance and Economic Development Minister Patrick Chinamasa and the Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe Lin Lin had signed the deal in Harare. As reported in People’s Daily, it included the loan amount of $23 million earmarked for the construction of clinics, primary and secondary schools in resettled areas acquired under the land reform program, as well as boreholes drilling and acquiring meteorological equipment.

Not revealing details, Chinamasa, who visited Beijing last month, said, "The government of the People’s Republic of China and the government of Zimbabwe are working towards a comprehensive financial package. (We) have committed ourselves to finalizing the matter within three months."

Zimbabwe had not been able to obtain funds from western governments and funding institutions such as the World Bank, as it had previously failed to repay billions of dollars in debt. Since 2005, the nation has adopted a “Look East” policy as a result, relying increasingly on emerging Asian economies to offset sanctions from traditional Western partners, People’s Daily reported.

China, on the other hand, is interested in the rich mineral resources in Zimbabwe, including the world’s second largest reserves of platinum, huge deposits of gold, alluvial diamonds, coal, and chrome. China had previously loaned nearly $700 million to Zimbabwe, in March 2011, the biggest package to date. In addition, last November, China’s Export Import Bank agreed to lend Zimbabwe $320 million to expand its Kariba hydro-power plant.

Source: BBC Chinese, February 11, 2014
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/china/2014/02/140211_zimbabwe_china.shtml

Briefings | | February 12, 2014 | Geo-Strategic Trend

Wu Jinglian: Chinese Economy This Year Will Face Difficulties

At the annual conference of Chinese Economists forum 50, Wu Jinglian, a prominent economist and a fellow at the Development Research Center of the State Council, expressed his view that China’s economy in 2014 will face difficulties and that what’s most important is to let the market play a decisive role in allocating resources. Wu believed that the debate around whether real estate is a "pillar industry" is by itself planned economy thinking. If the central bank continues to print money, housing prices will continue to climb. Wu noted that a very important aspect of furthering the reform is to prevent the outbreak of systematic risks. Regarding the local governments, he believes that the transition of their functions involves a lot of personal power and interests. Wu said that China’s economy this year will face difficulties because many problems, accumulated over the decades, need to be sorted out and resolved. For state-owned enterprises (SOE) reform, Wu believes it is important to pay attention to "near-death" enterprises, as a large number of highly indebted SOE’s still rely on subsidies to survive.

Source: Xinhuha, February 11, 2014
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2014-02/11/c_126111686.htm

Briefings | | February 12, 2014 | Economy/Resources

The Confucius Institute at the University of Sheffield

The following is from a recent Xinhua report about the Confucius Institute at The University of Sheffield, UK.

"In 2004, the first Confucius Institute was set up. Along with the development of China, within just ten years, Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms have emerged all over the world. Data shows that, as of now, 120 countries and regions on five continents have established 440 Confucius Institutes and 646 Confucius Classrooms, with 850,000 registered students."

"The management and operations of the Sheffield Confucius Institute at the University of Sheffield, UK is a cooperation of the University of Sheffield, the Beijing Language and Culture University, and Nanjing University. For nearly seven years, it has been an important center for the Chinese and English languages and cultural exchanges in the central and northern UK."

Zhao Xia, the Director of the Sheffield Confucius Institute and a Lecturer at the School of East Asian Studies of the University, stated, "We have partnered with the Sheffield City Council to organize three ‘out of the bookshelf’ Literary Festivals. We have also collaborated with the Sheffield City Department of Children and Family Services to hold Chinese traditional festivals and cultural activities at 26 libraries. Meanwhile, a number of activities and projects have been initiated, such as the Chinese New Year Painting Competition, the Chinese style photo contest, and library activities." In 2013, the Sheffield Confucius Institute held 149 cultural activities, reaching 18,000 people."

Wang Zhimin, Deputy Director of the Institute and a Professor from the Beijing Language and Culture University, added, "The Confucius Institute offers an opportunity for many Western students to understand Chinese culture and get in touch with Chinese music, movies, and other art forms." "China’s development supports and needs the global promotion of Chinese culture. We should be mindful of the current situation and fulfill our historic mission."

Source: Xinhua, February 10, 2014
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2014-02/10/c_119264730.htm

Briefings | | February 12, 2014 | Geo-Strategic Trend

Wu Guoguang: Xi Jinping’s Reversal of the Course, Will China’s Transition be Peaceful or Marked with Bloodshed?

Cheng Xiaonong: U.S.-China Strategic Relations Have Crystallized

Xinhua Commentaries: “Exposing the Three Major Political Deficits of the U.S.”

The CCP’s Performing Arts Troupes in the U.S.