Xinhua published an article commenting on U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s visit to China on February 14 to 15. It will be his second in 10 months. Jia Xiudong, a Research Fellow at the China Institute of International Affairs was the author.
New Forced Labor Camps in Disguise
Beijing News reported that Henan Province has established a few forced labor camps in disguise. People who petition the authorities for redress of grievances are subjected to “24 hour non-stop admonitions, warnings, education, and persuasion.”
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.”
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.
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.
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.
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
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