China has blocked the broadcasting signal for a popular television network, a company official said Monday, amid growing media censorship in the country.
Sun TV viewers on the Chinese mainland called the network's Hong Kong office on December 5 to report that they had lost their signal, the spokesman said, declining to give his name or job title.
"Some people in the audience called our broadcasting centre," he told AFP.
"We later confirmed that all the signals on the mainland are blocked, but we don't know the reason."
Chinese talk show celebrity Yang Lan founded Sun TV, which is owned by Hong Kong-listed Sun Television Cybernetworks Enterprise. Its programmes are aired in Hong Kong and throughout Southeast Asia.
It was unclear why China cut the signal, but the network's politically outspoken guests may have angered Beijing.
The move comes after China detained several thousand people in a crack down on internet pornography with authorities offering rewards of up to 10,000 yuan (1,465 dollars) to Internet users who report websites with adult content.
China's Communist Party has a history of blocking online content it deems unhealthy, which includes pornography and sensitive political information.
As of November 30, authorities had shut down over 400 video and audio websites this year for operating without a licence or for containing pornography, copyright-violating content or other "harmful" information.
Popular sites such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter have also been blocked in China as authorities try to tighten the flow of information, especially following unrest in Xinjiang this year and Tibet last year
Showing posts with label China. Show all posts
Showing posts with label China. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
China: Gas pipeline from Turkmenistan nearly completed
China said Thursday a natural gas pipeline from Turkmenistan to its Xinjiang region would be completed this month, as President Hu Jintao prepared for a weekend visit to the central Asian nation.The pipeline will ship gas over more than 1,800 kilometres (1,120 miles) from Turkmenistan, through neighbouring Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan to China, vice foreign minister Wang Guangya told reporters. "The construction started in July 2008 and one of the two lines of the project will be completed in mid-December this year," Wang said at a briefing on Hu's upcoming trip.
According to earlier state press reports, the two-line project will have a total transmission capacity of 30 billion cubic metres (1.1 trillion cubic feet) of gas a year to energy-hungry China. Hu is due to leave for Kazakhstan on Saturday and will head on Sunday to Turkmenistan, where he will attend an inauguration ceremony of the so-called Central Asia-China gas pipeline.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
China: Surge in Luxury cars sales for Audi, BMW & Mercedes
Strong Chinese luxury auto sales have lifted the prospects of German luxury car makers which were left behind in an earlier rush to buy cheaper models with 'cash-for-clunkers' subsidies, analysts say.Audi, BMW and Daimler, which owns Mercedes-Benz, all reported better sales in November on a 12-month basis, with China clearly the fastest growing market for all three.
"China is outstanding right now," Metzler Bank auto analyst Juergen Pieper reports.
Already the biggest market for Audi's parent group Volkswagen, "within five years it will be the most important country for Daimler and BMW and in the next three or four years for Audi," Nord LB analyst Frank Schwope forecast.
Schemes approved by governments worldwide to boost the auto sector with credits for junking an old car mainly benefitted makers of cheaper autos, including VW which aims to overtake Toyota as the biggest automaker by 2018.
Budget conscious auto buyers shunned the kind of powerful cars that Germany is best known for and luxury auto sales slumped sharply early this year.
November deliveries thus compared favourably with what were already weak sales one year earlier, with Daimler reporting a gain of 16 percent, BMW one of 11.5 percent and Audi one of 8.9 percent.
"Since September, sales have been back on the growth track," BMW sales director Ian Robertson said in a statement. "We intend to continue this trend in December and continue to exploit the increasing demand in China," he added.
Monday, December 7, 2009
China: Slams foreign banks over 'evil intentions' behind derivatives losses
China has accused several foreign investment banks of "maliciously" selling derivative products to dozens of state-owned companies, which then booked more than 11 billion yuan in losses on the deals.
The losses were "closely associated with the intentionally complex and highly leveraged products that were fraudulently peddled by international investment banks with evil intentions," said Li Wei, vice chairman of the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC).
"To some extent some international investment banks were the chief culprits and the root of ruin for the Chinese enterprises who encountered this financial derivatives Waterloo."
Li singled out Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley and Citigroup in the article published in the latest edition of the Study Times, an official Communist Party newspaper.
He said 68 of the more than 130 companies controlled by SASAC bought derivatives to hedge against rising commodity prices and fluctuating exchange and interest rates.
The losses were "closely associated with the intentionally complex and highly leveraged products that were fraudulently peddled by international investment banks with evil intentions," said Li Wei, vice chairman of the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC).
"To some extent some international investment banks were the chief culprits and the root of ruin for the Chinese enterprises who encountered this financial derivatives Waterloo."
Li singled out Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley and Citigroup in the article published in the latest edition of the Study Times, an official Communist Party newspaper.
He said 68 of the more than 130 companies controlled by SASAC bought derivatives to hedge against rising commodity prices and fluctuating exchange and interest rates.
China: Regulator raises capital requirements for banks
China's banking watchdog has tightened capital requirements for banks amid concerns rampant lending will lead to a sharp rise in bad debts, state media reported Friday.
Wang Zhaoxing, vice chairman of the China Banking Regulatory Commission, said the minimum capital adequacy ratio for large banks (CAR, the amount of capital banks must hold against their risk) has been raised to 11%.
The CAR was previously set at a minimum of 8%. The move was in response to the "changing macroeconomic situation," Wang wrote in the latest edition of the central bank-backed China Finance magazine. Wang did not say when the new rules came into effect.
"The intention is to ask banks to convert more earnings into capital and provisions ... to withstand potential risks in the future," Wang said. The regulator has told small- and medium-sized lenders to maintain a CAR of at least 10%, he said.
The watchdog last month issued a rare warning that it will impose curbs on banks unless they strengthen their defences against bad loans as Beijing tries to put the brakes on record lending.
Those that fail to comply will face "restrictions on market access, overseas investment, and outlets and business expansion," the regulator warned.
New bank loans reached 7.4 trillion yuan (1.1 trillion dollars) in the first half of the year, hitting a record 1.89 trillion yuan in March, as banks heeded Beijing's calls to pump money into the world's third largest economy.
The figure declined significantly to 355.9 billion yuan in July before rebounding in August and September amid concerns that much of the money had been funnelled into stocks and property at the risk of spiking asset prices.
Wang Zhaoxing, vice chairman of the China Banking Regulatory Commission, said the minimum capital adequacy ratio for large banks (CAR, the amount of capital banks must hold against their risk) has been raised to 11%.
The CAR was previously set at a minimum of 8%. The move was in response to the "changing macroeconomic situation," Wang wrote in the latest edition of the central bank-backed China Finance magazine. Wang did not say when the new rules came into effect.
"The intention is to ask banks to convert more earnings into capital and provisions ... to withstand potential risks in the future," Wang said. The regulator has told small- and medium-sized lenders to maintain a CAR of at least 10%, he said.
The watchdog last month issued a rare warning that it will impose curbs on banks unless they strengthen their defences against bad loans as Beijing tries to put the brakes on record lending.
Those that fail to comply will face "restrictions on market access, overseas investment, and outlets and business expansion," the regulator warned.
New bank loans reached 7.4 trillion yuan (1.1 trillion dollars) in the first half of the year, hitting a record 1.89 trillion yuan in March, as banks heeded Beijing's calls to pump money into the world's third largest economy.
The figure declined significantly to 355.9 billion yuan in July before rebounding in August and September amid concerns that much of the money had been funnelled into stocks and property at the risk of spiking asset prices.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
China: Reducing Barriers for Foreign Investors and Partnerships
Foreign firms and individuals will be allowed to form partnerships in China under new rules that legal experts say will make it easier for overseas investors to set up in the country.The State Council, or cabinet, said the new rules will reduce bureaucratic red tape for foreigners wanting to start a business in China.
Lawyers said the rules would mostly benefit foreign companies in the services sector, such as restaurants and consultants.
The rules, which come into effect in March 2010, are designed to "stabilise and expand" foreign investment in China, the State Council said in a statement posted on its website this week.
They will "simplify bureaucratic procedures ... for foreign companies or individuals to set up partnerships within China," the statement said.
Foreign companies and individuals will be allowed to register their operations and will not need to seek the approval of the Ministry of Commerce.
"It will have a great impact on foreign investors. The rules offer an additional investment vehicle," said Zou Ji, a Shanghai-based lawyer with Allen and Overy.
China currently allows foreigners to invest in China through joint ventures or wholly owned foreign enterprises and are required to stump up a certain amount of cash, depending on the industry, Zou said.
Under the new rules "there is no clear requirement that investors have to contribute cash," she said.
Huang Kai, a Beijing-based lawyer with Lutong United Law Firm, said: "If I do not have much money and just want to open a restaurant, now I can choose to go with a partnership." It will be interesting to see what role the partner plays in this agreement and whether there are restrictions on elligibility of suitable partners.
The rules do not apply fully to private equity funds.
But Zou sounded a note of caution, saying: "You never know how they are going to enforce or implement these in practice. From the face of it there seems to be more flexibility."
Thursday, December 3, 2009
China: No Country for iPhones and no Demand either
China Unicom has sold just five iPhones through a big online retail site in the two weeks since it opened the virtual store, the latest sign that the handset is suffering in China from its high price and lack of Wi-Fi.
An official iPhone store on Taobao.com, the biggest Chinese e-commerce Web site similar to eBay, has sold just two 8GB iPhones and three 16GB iPhones, according to figures on the site. The store launched in the middle of last month, a few weeks after China Unicom began offering the first official iPhones in China.
China Unicom is also selling iPhones through its own Web site, which does not list sale figures. But Taobao is China's top online retail site and many users turn to it to buy items like mobile phones and laptops.
The China Unicom iPhones have to compete with iPhones brought into the country from abroad, which users have bought since long before the official handset arrived.
No WiFi Feature
iPhones bought outside China have Wi-Fi, which was removed from the China Unicom iPhones to comply with local regulations. The official handset is also more expensive than iPhones bought elsewhere.
The 32GB iPhone 3GS with no service contract costs 6,999 yuan (US$1,024) in China, compared to about US$800 in nearby Hong Kong.
An official iPhone store on Taobao.com, the biggest Chinese e-commerce Web site similar to eBay, has sold just two 8GB iPhones and three 16GB iPhones, according to figures on the site. The store launched in the middle of last month, a few weeks after China Unicom began offering the first official iPhones in China.
China Unicom is also selling iPhones through its own Web site, which does not list sale figures. But Taobao is China's top online retail site and many users turn to it to buy items like mobile phones and laptops.
The China Unicom iPhones have to compete with iPhones brought into the country from abroad, which users have bought since long before the official handset arrived.
No WiFi Feature
iPhones bought outside China have Wi-Fi, which was removed from the China Unicom iPhones to comply with local regulations. The official handset is also more expensive than iPhones bought elsewhere.
The 32GB iPhone 3GS with no service contract costs 6,999 yuan (US$1,024) in China, compared to about US$800 in nearby Hong Kong.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
China: Communist Leader's 'Privileged' Family joins Debutantes Ball for Elitists
Blessed by the privilege of wealth, birth or both, 24 teenage girls on Saturday descend on Paris' debutantes ball, an aristocratic tradition that has unfortunately survived France's guillotining of royalty and it's sychophantic lapdogs, over 200 years ago.
But in a sign of changing times not better times, the late princess Diana's niece Lady Kitty Spencer, 18, will this year be joined by Jasmin Li, 17, granddaughter of Jia Qinglin, fourth ranking member of China's Communist party.
A highlight of Europe's wealthy elitist society calendar, the ball at the Crillon Hotel marks the "coming out" of daughters of the rich, famous and 'nouveau royals', including Clint Eastwood's daughter Francesca, 16, and the granddaughter of Macau casino mogul Stanley Ho, Ariel.
Bringing together 24 so-called debutantes from 12 countries. Controversially, the event includes for the first time the New World wealthy of Australia and Venezuela, causing great 'stir' from the European 'establishment'. Turkey will also be represented by national ski team member Gulsah Alkoclar, and India by a fading memory, the last descendant of the maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir.
The quintessentially English 'decadent upper class' event was intended as an in-breeding opportunity for young girls to be presented at 'court' where they might find a future husband from a suitably moneyed bloodline. A simple way of ensuring that the wealth is not 'shared' amongst those classified as, unworthy.
But with the execution of much of France's aristocracy in the wake of the 1789 revolution, the tradition became too dangerous for public exhibition and went underground. Recently, in these times where money an d wealth is flaunted openly, it was resurrected as a public event by Ophelie Renouard and became very well subscribed very quickly. If you have the 5 figure entrance fee.
Once the organisers expenses have been stashed away from prying eyes, a token donation will be given to charity, making the event appear "less trivial and frivolous," according to this year's host Stephane Bern.
"The tradition has lost nothing of its appeal to the wealthy and well endowed but it perpetuates itself by abandoning the vestiges of aristocratic glory: there are more and more 'wanabee' debutantes from families that have accumulated great wealth other than simply by being born into the privileged family," explains Bern.
"The debutantes ball thus appears less trivial and more functional, thanks to its defence of a token humanitarian cause. Participants are more and more conscious of justifying their privileges and undertake an occasional charitable gesture during the year, which doesn't stop them attending an extravagant evening on the Place de la Concorde in a haute couture dress, as their 'reward'." added Bern, a society journalist.
The source of wealth is not a barrier. Pop stars, presidents, abusers of human rights, usurpers, dictators and criminals are all welcome, as long as they pay their dues.
Last year saw singer Phil Collins accompany his daughter to the event, which also saw the coming out of Maria Abou Nader, niece of former Lebanese presidents Amine and Bachir Gemayel. Rumours of their connections to Hezbollah and the Colombian drug barons still ringing in their ears.
The two Chinese debs, have modestly chosen a Dior and US designer Carolina Herrera gown, costing around $10K. After all they are 'of the people, for the people' and being gilded 'by the people'. Should the honest, hard working Chinese people object to this privileged extravaganza, they will be labeled dissidents, beaten severly and imprisoned, or worse.
Miss Eastwood will wear a dress specially created by Dolce and Gabbana, while Cosima Sarno-Pigozzi, granddaughter of the creator of the now defunct Simca car, will wear something by Frenchman Stephane Rolland. How we all wish we could live so well on the proceeds of our old second hand cars.
During dinner, the debutantes promenade with their devoted or paid for, companions and are presented to the master of ceremonies. During coffee and liquors, host Bern will open the ball by dancing a Strauss waltz with the youngest girl present.
Gone is the tradition of de-flowering the youngest virgin on the alter of commercial exploitation and debauchery, allegedly but where are you going to find a virgin or an honest man in Paris, certainly not at the Debutante's Ball.
But in a sign of changing times not better times, the late princess Diana's niece Lady Kitty Spencer, 18, will this year be joined by Jasmin Li, 17, granddaughter of Jia Qinglin, fourth ranking member of China's Communist party.
A highlight of Europe's wealthy elitist society calendar, the ball at the Crillon Hotel marks the "coming out" of daughters of the rich, famous and 'nouveau royals', including Clint Eastwood's daughter Francesca, 16, and the granddaughter of Macau casino mogul Stanley Ho, Ariel.
Bringing together 24 so-called debutantes from 12 countries. Controversially, the event includes for the first time the New World wealthy of Australia and Venezuela, causing great 'stir' from the European 'establishment'. Turkey will also be represented by national ski team member Gulsah Alkoclar, and India by a fading memory, the last descendant of the maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir.
The quintessentially English 'decadent upper class' event was intended as an in-breeding opportunity for young girls to be presented at 'court' where they might find a future husband from a suitably moneyed bloodline. A simple way of ensuring that the wealth is not 'shared' amongst those classified as, unworthy.
But with the execution of much of France's aristocracy in the wake of the 1789 revolution, the tradition became too dangerous for public exhibition and went underground. Recently, in these times where money an d wealth is flaunted openly, it was resurrected as a public event by Ophelie Renouard and became very well subscribed very quickly. If you have the 5 figure entrance fee.
Once the organisers expenses have been stashed away from prying eyes, a token donation will be given to charity, making the event appear "less trivial and frivolous," according to this year's host Stephane Bern.
"The tradition has lost nothing of its appeal to the wealthy and well endowed but it perpetuates itself by abandoning the vestiges of aristocratic glory: there are more and more 'wanabee' debutantes from families that have accumulated great wealth other than simply by being born into the privileged family," explains Bern.
"The debutantes ball thus appears less trivial and more functional, thanks to its defence of a token humanitarian cause. Participants are more and more conscious of justifying their privileges and undertake an occasional charitable gesture during the year, which doesn't stop them attending an extravagant evening on the Place de la Concorde in a haute couture dress, as their 'reward'." added Bern, a society journalist.
The source of wealth is not a barrier. Pop stars, presidents, abusers of human rights, usurpers, dictators and criminals are all welcome, as long as they pay their dues.
Last year saw singer Phil Collins accompany his daughter to the event, which also saw the coming out of Maria Abou Nader, niece of former Lebanese presidents Amine and Bachir Gemayel. Rumours of their connections to Hezbollah and the Colombian drug barons still ringing in their ears.
The two Chinese debs, have modestly chosen a Dior and US designer Carolina Herrera gown, costing around $10K. After all they are 'of the people, for the people' and being gilded 'by the people'. Should the honest, hard working Chinese people object to this privileged extravaganza, they will be labeled dissidents, beaten severly and imprisoned, or worse.
Miss Eastwood will wear a dress specially created by Dolce and Gabbana, while Cosima Sarno-Pigozzi, granddaughter of the creator of the now defunct Simca car, will wear something by Frenchman Stephane Rolland. How we all wish we could live so well on the proceeds of our old second hand cars.
During dinner, the debutantes promenade with their devoted or paid for, companions and are presented to the master of ceremonies. During coffee and liquors, host Bern will open the ball by dancing a Strauss waltz with the youngest girl present.
Gone is the tradition of de-flowering the youngest virgin on the alter of commercial exploitation and debauchery, allegedly but where are you going to find a virgin or an honest man in Paris, certainly not at the Debutante's Ball.
Japan PM asks China's defence chief for 'transparency' in government
Tokyo (AFP) Nov 27, 2009 - Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama called on China's defence chief Friday to enhance the "transparency" of the communist giant's military build-up, the foreign ministry said.
Hatoyama made the request in a meeting with Chinese Defence Minister Liang Guanglie, who held talks with his Japanese counterpart earlier Friday and agreed to promote mutual visits and hold joint maritime rescue drills. Liang arrived here on Thursday as the first Chinese defence minister to visit Japan since Hatoyama took office in September.
The premier told Liang that China's defence budget has increased "by two digits every year" and that he wanted Beijing to "enhance its transparency more than ever," the ministry said in a press release.
The Chinese defence minister replied China had been "making effort to enhance the transparency," the statement said. "China is pursuing national defence policy that is defensive in nature and that will not become a threat to any country," Liang was quoted as telling Hatoyama.
A Chinese budget report in March said that military spending was to rise 15.3 percent in 2009 to 472.9 billion yuan (69 billion dollars). For the last two years, China has announced military budget increases of over 17 percent.
In the ministerial talks, Liang and Japanese Defence Minister Toshimi Kitazawa "agreed to make their positive contribution to peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the world," according to a joint press statement.
"They agreed to promote their comprehensive, strategic relationship of reciprocity between the two countries through continued and stable exchanges in defence matters," the statement said.
During the meeting, the two ministers in particular agreed to continue reciprocal visits with Kitazawa now scheduled to travel to China in 2010, the statement said. They also agreed to carry out joint drills for rescue operations against maritime accidents or disasters, with Japanese warships scheduled to make a port call in China next year.
"For us, the relationship with China is unquestionably one of the most important bilateral relations," Kitazawa told a news conference. Liang said: "China and Japan are important neighbours. We agreed to secure safety and stability in the region by strengthening our defence exchanges."
At the news conference, Liang, who visited Pyongyang on his way to Japan, made no remarks on North Korea, where he met its reclusive leader Kim Jong Il. Liang was the latest top Chinese official to visit the isolated nation since Prime Minister Wen Jiabao went there early last month as the two nations celebrate the 60th anniversary of bilateral ties.
Hatoyama made the request in a meeting with Chinese Defence Minister Liang Guanglie, who held talks with his Japanese counterpart earlier Friday and agreed to promote mutual visits and hold joint maritime rescue drills. Liang arrived here on Thursday as the first Chinese defence minister to visit Japan since Hatoyama took office in September.
The premier told Liang that China's defence budget has increased "by two digits every year" and that he wanted Beijing to "enhance its transparency more than ever," the ministry said in a press release.
The Chinese defence minister replied China had been "making effort to enhance the transparency," the statement said. "China is pursuing national defence policy that is defensive in nature and that will not become a threat to any country," Liang was quoted as telling Hatoyama.
A Chinese budget report in March said that military spending was to rise 15.3 percent in 2009 to 472.9 billion yuan (69 billion dollars). For the last two years, China has announced military budget increases of over 17 percent.
In the ministerial talks, Liang and Japanese Defence Minister Toshimi Kitazawa "agreed to make their positive contribution to peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the world," according to a joint press statement.
"They agreed to promote their comprehensive, strategic relationship of reciprocity between the two countries through continued and stable exchanges in defence matters," the statement said.
During the meeting, the two ministers in particular agreed to continue reciprocal visits with Kitazawa now scheduled to travel to China in 2010, the statement said. They also agreed to carry out joint drills for rescue operations against maritime accidents or disasters, with Japanese warships scheduled to make a port call in China next year.
"For us, the relationship with China is unquestionably one of the most important bilateral relations," Kitazawa told a news conference. Liang said: "China and Japan are important neighbours. We agreed to secure safety and stability in the region by strengthening our defence exchanges."
At the news conference, Liang, who visited Pyongyang on his way to Japan, made no remarks on North Korea, where he met its reclusive leader Kim Jong Il. Liang was the latest top Chinese official to visit the isolated nation since Prime Minister Wen Jiabao went there early last month as the two nations celebrate the 60th anniversary of bilateral ties.
Europe joins US in applying pressure on China to revalue Yaun
The head of the European Central Bank said here Sunday that a revaluation of the yuan currency would be "appropriate" after talks with China's Premier Wen Jiabao.
"We discussed the exchange rate policy, the de facto peg of the yuan," Jean-Claude Trichet told reporters at a briefing after talks between EU officials and Wen in the eastern city of Nanjing.
He said officials encouraged Beijng to take "a more flexible policy," adding "it seems it would be appropriate."
The talks, which also involved Eurogroup chief Jean-Claude Juncker and EU economic and monetary affairs commissioner Joaquin Almunia, took place a day ahead of a major China-EU summit expected to focus on climate change.
The yuan currency's exchange rate is one of the thorniest issues between China and the European Union.
The Chinese currency has been effectively pegged to the dollar since the summer of 2008, and Europe fears the euro's rise against the yuan will hurt EU exports to China and eventually slow the continent's economic recovery.
Beijing, which faces complaints from both the United States and Europe that it is manipulating its currency to gain an unfair trade edge, says it wants to take its time and reform its exchange rate system.
Juncker also told reporters that the global economic recovery was not strong enough yet to withdraw stimulus measures introduced by various governments to fight the financial crisis.
"We are considering the moment has not yet arrived to withdraw the stimulus packages that are under way in various parts of the world," he said.
"The euro area will see no major withdrawal of stimulus measures in 2010."
"We discussed the exchange rate policy, the de facto peg of the yuan," Jean-Claude Trichet told reporters at a briefing after talks between EU officials and Wen in the eastern city of Nanjing.
He said officials encouraged Beijng to take "a more flexible policy," adding "it seems it would be appropriate."
The talks, which also involved Eurogroup chief Jean-Claude Juncker and EU economic and monetary affairs commissioner Joaquin Almunia, took place a day ahead of a major China-EU summit expected to focus on climate change.
The yuan currency's exchange rate is one of the thorniest issues between China and the European Union.
The Chinese currency has been effectively pegged to the dollar since the summer of 2008, and Europe fears the euro's rise against the yuan will hurt EU exports to China and eventually slow the continent's economic recovery.
Beijing, which faces complaints from both the United States and Europe that it is manipulating its currency to gain an unfair trade edge, says it wants to take its time and reform its exchange rate system.
Juncker also told reporters that the global economic recovery was not strong enough yet to withdraw stimulus measures introduced by various governments to fight the financial crisis.
"We are considering the moment has not yet arrived to withdraw the stimulus packages that are under way in various parts of the world," he said.
"The euro area will see no major withdrawal of stimulus measures in 2010."
EU showing modest change to defecit with China
The European Union issued new figures on Friday showing that the bloc's trade deficit with China narrowed in the first half of the year, three days from a bilateral summit in China.
In the first half of 2009, when the euro was rising against the dollar, to which the Chinese yuan is de-facto pegged, the value of EU exports to China fell to 37 billion euros (55.5 billion dollars) from 39 billion dollars in the corresponding period of 2008.
The EU's statistics agency said imports fell faster to 103 billion euros from 112 billion euros, meaning the trade deficit for the 27 EU countries with China dropped to 65 billion euros from 73 billion euros between January and June last year.
However, the fall "was less steep than the general downward trend" in the EU's total external trade, said a statement from Eurostat, which highlighted China's place as the bloc's second most important trading partner after the United States.
European Central Bank governor Jean-Claude Trichet, outgoing Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Joaquin Almunia -- due to take up the competition portfolio -- and the formal head of the group of 16 countries that use the euro, Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, will hold talks with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Sunday.
These precede the first full summit between the EU and China in two years, after last year's was cancelled amid Beijing protests at French President Nicolas Sarkozy hosting Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.
In the first half of 2009, when the euro was rising against the dollar, to which the Chinese yuan is de-facto pegged, the value of EU exports to China fell to 37 billion euros (55.5 billion dollars) from 39 billion dollars in the corresponding period of 2008.
The EU's statistics agency said imports fell faster to 103 billion euros from 112 billion euros, meaning the trade deficit for the 27 EU countries with China dropped to 65 billion euros from 73 billion euros between January and June last year.
However, the fall "was less steep than the general downward trend" in the EU's total external trade, said a statement from Eurostat, which highlighted China's place as the bloc's second most important trading partner after the United States.
European Central Bank governor Jean-Claude Trichet, outgoing Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Joaquin Almunia -- due to take up the competition portfolio -- and the formal head of the group of 16 countries that use the euro, Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, will hold talks with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Sunday.
These precede the first full summit between the EU and China in two years, after last year's was cancelled amid Beijing protests at French President Nicolas Sarkozy hosting Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
China: Ramps up Cyberwar against USA
A US government report warned Thursday that China is sharply stepping up espionage against the United States as the rising Asian power invests in cyber warfare and grows more sophisticated in recruiting spies. "China is changing the way that espionage is being done," said Carolyn Bartholomew, the chair of the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission.
In its wide-ranging annual report to Congress, the commission reported a steep rise in the disruption and infiltration of websites of the US government and perceived Beijing rivals such as Tibet's exiled leader the Dalai Lama.
Colonel Gary McAlum, a senior military officer, told the commission the US Defense Department detected 54,640 malicious cyber incidents to its systems in 2008, a 20 percent rise from a year earlier. The figure is on track to jump another 60 percent this year.
While the attacks came from around the world, the commission said China was the largest culprit. Some Chinese "patriotic hackers" may not receive official support, but the report said the government likely planned to deploy them in a conflict to disrupt a foreign adversary's computers.
The bipartisan commission found that China was the most aggressive nation in spying on the United States and was trying to recruit more American spies.
While China historically tried to tap Chinese Americans -- believing, often incorrectly, that they would be sympathetic -- it was now turning to the Soviet model of seeking to bribe informants with cash and gifts, the report said.
It said the Chinese were expanding "false flag" operations, in which sources are deceived into thinking they are providing information elsewhere.
It pointed to the case of Tai Shen Kuo, a furniture salesman in New Orleans arrested last year after persuading two retired US military officials to give sensitive information by telling them it was headed to Taiwan, not mainland China.
The commission also found that China has launched an effort to influence US think-tanks and academia by rewarding scholars with access and depriving visas to more critical voices.
"It becomes self-censorship. If you're in graduate school and want to become a China scholar, you need to go to China. And if you criticize the Chinese government on certain things, you won't get in," said Bartholomew, a former top aide to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
"What it means is that we have a generation of China analysts who are being created who don't necessarily have the freedom or the ability to think through a broader range of questions," she said.
The commission also criticized China on its trade policy, recommending that the United States press Beijing to make its yuan more flexible and to turn to the World Trade Organization to fight what it termed predatory trade practices.
Shortly after the release of the report, two lawmakers called for an investigation into China's "currency manipulation," which would set the stage for slapping import duties on Chinese goods.
President Barack Obama this week paid his first visit to China, which is now the top holder of the ballooning US debt. His administration has sought cooperation with China on battling the global slowdown.
The commission paid a field trip to Rochester in upstate New York, where it said core industries such as machine tools, auto parts and optoelectronics were struggling against Chinese competition that often enjoys state support.
"For 20 years we have watched China policy be controlled really by a handful of large multinational corporations. They're the ones who determine the interests," Bartholomew said.
"But there are a lot of constituency interests out there -- particularly small and medium-sized enterprises -- that are being hurt by the current US-China policy," she said.
Separately, the report recommended that the United States "continue to work with Taiwan to modernize its armed forces," saying China was rapidly expanding its military advantage despite easing tensions with the island.
The Obama administration has yet to decide on Taiwan's requests to buy arms, including F-16 jet fighters. Such a step would almost certainly anger China, which considers the island its territory.
China sentences quake 'activist' to three years for 'speaking out'
A Chinese protestor labelled as a 'dissident' who campaigned for the parents of children killed in last year's Sichuan earthquake was sentenced Monday to three years in jail on a state secrets charge, his wife said.
Huang Qi, 46, who had investigated accusations that shoddy school construction contributed to the quake's heavy toll, was found guilty by a court in the city of Chengdu of possessing state secrets, his wife Zeng Li told AFP.
"We will surely appeal," she said by phone from Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province.
The sentence came just days after US President Barack Obama paid his first visit to China, during which he raised the issue of human rights, saying the United States believed in fundamental rights for all people.
US ambassador Jon Huntsman also specifically brought up Huang's case with the Chinese government in the lead-up to Obama's visit, a US embassy official told AFP.
The sentencing was the second move since Obama's visit by Chinese authorities against dissidents.
On Thursday, Zhou Yongjun, a student leader of China's 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, was tried for fraud, also in Sichuan.
No verdict has been announced in Zhou's case.
The nature of the state secrets in Huang's case was not publicly released, but his lawyer Mo Shaoping denounced the verdict, saying it was information freely available on the Internet, although he declined comment on it.
"We do not acknowledge the verdict. We maintain that he is innocent," Mo said.
Calls to the court, in Chengdu's Wuhou district, went unanswered.
The London-based rights group Amnesty International demanded Huang's immediate release and condemned the use of "vague" state secret laws to silence dissent.
"He should never have been detained in the first place and should be released immediately," Sam Zarifi, Amnesty's Asia Pacific director, said in a statement.
"These laws are used extensively to retroactively penalise lawful human rights activities and restrict freedom of expression."
Amnesty further expressed concern for Huang's "deteriorating health" and allegations of mistreatment while in police custody.
Huang was taken into custody in June 2008, weeks after the 8.0-magnitude quake struck on May 12, leaving nearly 87,000 dead or missing.
The government has said the toll included 5,335 children killed in school collapses.
The high student toll prompted accusations that official corruption left many schools poorly constructed, causing them to collapse while many other adjacent structures withstood the quake.
China Human Rights Defenders, a network of domestic and overseas activists, said it was believed Huang was imprisoned for reporting on the issue and giving interviews to foreign journalists about it.
Earlier this month the US Congress unanimously approved a resolution expressing "support" for Huang and detained activist Tan Zuoren -- who was also working on the school issue -- and called for them to receive fair trials.
Huang Qi, 46, who had investigated accusations that shoddy school construction contributed to the quake's heavy toll, was found guilty by a court in the city of Chengdu of possessing state secrets, his wife Zeng Li told AFP.
"We will surely appeal," she said by phone from Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province.
The sentence came just days after US President Barack Obama paid his first visit to China, during which he raised the issue of human rights, saying the United States believed in fundamental rights for all people.
US ambassador Jon Huntsman also specifically brought up Huang's case with the Chinese government in the lead-up to Obama's visit, a US embassy official told AFP.
The sentencing was the second move since Obama's visit by Chinese authorities against dissidents.
On Thursday, Zhou Yongjun, a student leader of China's 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, was tried for fraud, also in Sichuan.
No verdict has been announced in Zhou's case.
The nature of the state secrets in Huang's case was not publicly released, but his lawyer Mo Shaoping denounced the verdict, saying it was information freely available on the Internet, although he declined comment on it.
"We do not acknowledge the verdict. We maintain that he is innocent," Mo said.
Calls to the court, in Chengdu's Wuhou district, went unanswered.
The London-based rights group Amnesty International demanded Huang's immediate release and condemned the use of "vague" state secret laws to silence dissent.
"He should never have been detained in the first place and should be released immediately," Sam Zarifi, Amnesty's Asia Pacific director, said in a statement.
"These laws are used extensively to retroactively penalise lawful human rights activities and restrict freedom of expression."
Amnesty further expressed concern for Huang's "deteriorating health" and allegations of mistreatment while in police custody.
Huang was taken into custody in June 2008, weeks after the 8.0-magnitude quake struck on May 12, leaving nearly 87,000 dead or missing.
The government has said the toll included 5,335 children killed in school collapses.
The high student toll prompted accusations that official corruption left many schools poorly constructed, causing them to collapse while many other adjacent structures withstood the quake.
China Human Rights Defenders, a network of domestic and overseas activists, said it was believed Huang was imprisoned for reporting on the issue and giving interviews to foreign journalists about it.
Earlier this month the US Congress unanimously approved a resolution expressing "support" for Huang and detained activist Tan Zuoren -- who was also working on the school issue -- and called for them to receive fair trials.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Dalai Lama said his death would be a great setback for Tibetan struggle
Rome (AFP) Nov 18, 2009 - The Dalai Lama said Wednesday his death would be a "setback" for Tibetans' struggle, but that he was confident the next generation would carry on his torch. The 74-year-old Nobel peace laureate said his death would be a "setback, there's no doubt" but that the struggle was not that of "just one generation."A "very, very healthy younger generation (is) now coming up with the potential to lead," the Buddhist leader told a news conference in Rome. The Dalai Lama was in Rome to attend the fifth edition of the World Parliamentarians Convention on Tibet, also attended by US actor Richard Gere, a longtime Buddhist and arch supporter of the Tibetan cause.
Speaking on the day after US President Barack Obama urged an early resumption of talks between Beijing and envoys of the Dalai Lama, the Buddhist leader said the US government had "consistently" supported the Tibetan people.
The White House has been "very sympathetic, very supportive," he said. "All administrations, whether Republican or Democrat, are concerned about human rights violations." "Understandably, there's limitations," he added with a laugh, in an apparent reference to the complex but key bilateral relationship between Beijing and Washington.
The Dalai Lama spoke out against Chinese "communist hard-liners (who) believe power comes from the barrel of a gun." He said Tibetans were "committed to non-violence, we are not seeking separation" -- Beijing's persistent charge. The Dalai Lama has been living in India since he fled Tibet following a failed uprising in 1959 against Chinese rule, nine years after Chinese troops invaded the region.
The Buddhist leader said his faith in the Chinese people had "never been shaken." He said that because of Chinese government "propaganda and censorship" many Chinese people "really developed anger towards us," adding that they "have the right to know the reality."
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
China: 'E-waste capital of the world' tries to clean up image
The southern Chinese city of Guiyu is where pc's, cellphones and Playstations go to die. The workers who recycle them are exposed to dangerous chemicals.Chen Yinghong hasn't made tea with the water from the well or the little lake behind his workshop for years - not since the tea started foaming, and the women who work in the shop only drink bottled water.
During a recent visit, Yinghong's workshop was a mess of electronic waste: keyboards. motherboards, power cords and pc casings. Women were melting motherboards on cookers to recover the lead and copper in them. For years these acid baths and other chemicals have been dumped unceremoniously into rivers and streams in and around Guiyu.
5 euros a day
Six men wearing protective masks were pounding away at pc's, Playstations, TV's and mobile phones with screwdrivers and hammers. Lead and glass particles danced in the sunlight. The fans are too small and weak to keep the air in the room healthy, and the workers complain of headaches, watery eyes and soar throats - all that for 5 euros and ten hours a day.
Around 70 percent of the world's electronic waste ends up here in Guiyu. It is brought here from the nearby ports of Hong Kong and the Pearl River delta. There are around 7,000 e-waste processing workshops in Guiyu, where more than 60,000 economic migrants from the poorest parts of southern China remove the precious metals from electronic parts by hand.
Their working conditions resemble those of 19th century British factory workers.
For this reason the authorities in Guiyu are not very fond of journalists. When discovered they are strongly advised to leave unless they want to be beaten up.
Crisis
Chen Yinghong had no problem talking to journalists. The e-waste trade has made him a rich man, as the BMW parked out front and his three sons' new scooters showed. Chen's workers, by contrast, have not gotten rich, or they wouldn't be working here.
And yet Chen complained. There is no shortage of electronic waste, but the economic crisis has led to a severe drop in the price of copper and steel, he said. Worse, Chen is being made to move his workshop to a new industrial location with modern recycling facilities for which he will be charged rent. "First the crisis, now this. They're killing our business," he grumbled.
The working conditions in Guiyu were first exposed seven years ago by US environmental activists, but the Chinese authorities are only now getting around to doing something about them. After all, the e-waste business is good for a 100 million euros a year turnover.
US urging early China talks with Dalai Lama
US President Barack Obama on Tuesday addressed the thorny issue of Tibet with China's Hu Jintao, saying he backs an early resumption of talks between Beijing and representatives of the Dalai Lama.
"We did note that while we recognise that Tibet is part of the People's Republic of China, the United States supports the early resumption of dialogue" between envoys of the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader and Beijing, Obama said.
The Dalai Lama fled Chinese-ruled Tibet more than 50 years ago and is seen by Beijing as a separatist seeking independence for his Himalayan homeland -- an accusation that the Buddhist monk has vehemently denied.
China has repeatedly said the door was always open for dialogue with the Dalai Lama's representatives, but so far sporadic talks since 2002 have failed to make progress.
The Dalai Lama's office in his home in exile in the Indian hilltown of Dharamshala said the spiritual leader was willing to engage China in further dialogue in his quest for "meaningful autonomy" for Tibet.
"We are always willing to have talks with China and we hope both sides -- the Chinese as well as the Tibetans -- are true to their intentions," Chime Chhoekyapa, spokesman of the exiled Tibetan leader, told AFP by phone.
Following foreign pressure, two envoys of the Buddhist monk met Chinese officials in Beijing in July last year for the seventh round of dialogue.
The Dalai Lama has been living in India since he fled Tibet following a failed uprising in 1959 against Chinese rule, nine years after Chinese troops invaded the region.
In October, he made his first visit to Washington in 18 years that did not include a meeting with the US president.
Critics of Obama said he avoided an encounter so as not to upset Beijing before his high-stakes debut visit to China.
White House aides have said the two Nobel Peace Prize winners would meet at an "appropriate time" after the president's visit to China.
In the key policy speech of his nine-day Asia trip in Japan at the weekend, Obama did not specifically mention Tibet.
"We did note that while we recognise that Tibet is part of the People's Republic of China, the United States supports the early resumption of dialogue" between envoys of the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader and Beijing, Obama said.
The Dalai Lama fled Chinese-ruled Tibet more than 50 years ago and is seen by Beijing as a separatist seeking independence for his Himalayan homeland -- an accusation that the Buddhist monk has vehemently denied.
China has repeatedly said the door was always open for dialogue with the Dalai Lama's representatives, but so far sporadic talks since 2002 have failed to make progress.
The Dalai Lama's office in his home in exile in the Indian hilltown of Dharamshala said the spiritual leader was willing to engage China in further dialogue in his quest for "meaningful autonomy" for Tibet.
"We are always willing to have talks with China and we hope both sides -- the Chinese as well as the Tibetans -- are true to their intentions," Chime Chhoekyapa, spokesman of the exiled Tibetan leader, told AFP by phone.
Following foreign pressure, two envoys of the Buddhist monk met Chinese officials in Beijing in July last year for the seventh round of dialogue.
The Dalai Lama has been living in India since he fled Tibet following a failed uprising in 1959 against Chinese rule, nine years after Chinese troops invaded the region.
In October, he made his first visit to Washington in 18 years that did not include a meeting with the US president.
Critics of Obama said he avoided an encounter so as not to upset Beijing before his high-stakes debut visit to China.
White House aides have said the two Nobel Peace Prize winners would meet at an "appropriate time" after the president's visit to China.
In the key policy speech of his nine-day Asia trip in Japan at the weekend, Obama did not specifically mention Tibet.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
60% of US deficit debt is with China - $22.1 Billion
On Friday, as President Obama crossed the Pacific to begin his first trip to Asia, the Census Bureau released its monthly trade tally.The headline was that the U.S. trade deficit grew to $36.5 billion in September, more than forecasters expected and the biggest such figure since January.
Incredibly, the really dramatic number was that 60.5% of the deficit, or $22.1 billion, was with just one country: China.
Obama arrived in Beijing Monday, but experts don't expect anything to get resolved. The U.S.-China economic relationship has become far too complicated and contradictory to benefit from simple solutions.
Within the U.S., the imbalance is mainly seen as the product of protectionist policies by China, in particular China's refusal to let its currency, the yuan, appreciate against the dollar.
It's universally agreed in all countries, except China, that a freely floating yuan would be worth significantly more than the 15 cents it currently trades for. By keeping its currency's value artificially low, China makes its products cheaper in the U.S., thus encouraging and maintaining the imbalance in trade.
History shows us that when China linked its currency to the dollar in the early 1990s, it was not out to create trade surpluses but to establish a bit of stability in the turbulent global currency markets.
During the emerging-market currency crises of 1997 and 1998, China's success in keeping the yuan fixed at 8.3 yuan to the dollar was applauded in the West as a major contribution to averting financial chaos.
Since 2005, China has been willing to allow the yuan to appreciate a bit (the current exchange rate is 6.8 yuan to the dollar) but only on its own extremely conservative terms.
Meanwhile, in China, it is fashionable to blame U.S. trade deficits on the debt-addicted ways of American citizens and their government and there may be an element of truth to this.
If the U.S. borrowed and spent less, its trade imbalances would be smaller but China has been enabling this profligate behaviour for years by buying trillions of dollars in U.S. government debt and mortgage securities as part of its long term strategy and continuing efforts, to keep the yuan from appreciating against the dollar.
It's a bit reminiscent of the seemingly endless wrangles in the late 1980s and early 1990s with Japan, which accounted for the bulk of the U.S. trade deficit in those days. The trade deficit with Japan never shrank much in dollar terms, but it became smaller as a share of GDP starting in the mid-1990s, and was eclipsed by the trade imbalance with China in 2000 (in September the U.S. trade deficit with Japan was $4.1 billion, compared to $22.1 billion with China).
The issue was never resolved, but it ceased to seem so important. The question now is whether the same could happen with China?
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Nepal: Communist Protestors clash with police
HONG KONG — Communist protesters clashed with the police and surrounded the Singha Durbar, the seat of government in the center of Katmandu, as they called for the resignation of the president, local news agencies reported Thursday from the Nepalese capital.
The police fired tear gas at a crowd of protesters that was blocking access to administrative offices, and some minor injuries to police officers and picketers were reported by the news portal República.
The demonstrators began gathering in Katmandu before dawn, many of them arriving on buses from outlying towns and villages, according to Nepalnews.com, and thousands of heavily armed National Police officers were mobilized.
Photos of the scene showed large crowds in the streets, and some reports said tens of thousands of protesters had assembled. Signs calling for “civilian supremacy” could be seen, as well as red flags bearing the hammer-and-sickle emblem.
Most civil servants and politicians were able to reach their offices in the Singha Durbar, although local schools were closed for the day, the Himalayan Times reported.
The protesters were led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the former guerrilla fighter better known by his nom de guerre, Prachanda, and who led the 10-year Maoist insurgency that overthrew the Nepalese monarchy in 2006. The Nepalese republic was formed in May 2008.
Earlier in the week, Prachanda warned the government that he and his supporters could be forced to “take up arms,” if the government used the police and military to block demonstrations, Nepalnews reported.
The police fired tear gas at a crowd of protesters that was blocking access to administrative offices, and some minor injuries to police officers and picketers were reported by the news portal República.
The demonstrators began gathering in Katmandu before dawn, many of them arriving on buses from outlying towns and villages, according to Nepalnews.com, and thousands of heavily armed National Police officers were mobilized.
Photos of the scene showed large crowds in the streets, and some reports said tens of thousands of protesters had assembled. Signs calling for “civilian supremacy” could be seen, as well as red flags bearing the hammer-and-sickle emblem.
Most civil servants and politicians were able to reach their offices in the Singha Durbar, although local schools were closed for the day, the Himalayan Times reported.
The protesters were led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the former guerrilla fighter better known by his nom de guerre, Prachanda, and who led the 10-year Maoist insurgency that overthrew the Nepalese monarchy in 2006. The Nepalese republic was formed in May 2008.
Earlier in the week, Prachanda warned the government that he and his supporters could be forced to “take up arms,” if the government used the police and military to block demonstrations, Nepalnews reported.
Monday, November 9, 2009
China Buys Further into African Economy with Cheap Loans
BEIJING — China offered African governments a multibillion-dollar package of financial and technical assistance on Sunday, stepping up a courtship that already has gained Beijing wide access to oil and minerals across perhaps the most resource-rich continent in the world.
ChinaPrime Minister Wen Jiabao pledged to grant African countries $10 billion in low-interest development loans over the next three years, to establish a $1 billion loan program for small and medium-size businesses, and to forgive the remaining debt on certain interest-free loans that China previously granted less-developed African nations.
Mr. Wen made the pledge in an address to the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, held in the Egyptian city of Sharm el Sheik. The $10 billion in new loans is double the amount China pledged at the last meeting in 2006. The debt forgiveness continues a series of annual loan cancellations that extends to 2006.
Mr. Wen told officials of the 49 African nations in attendance that this year’s session “represents a new stage of development in relations with Africa.”
Besides the financial assistance, Mr. Wen also promised to form a partnership to address climate change in Africa, including the building of 100 clean-energy projects across the continent. Beijing will also remove tariffs on most exports to China from the least-developed African nations that do not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, and sponsor an array of other programs in health, education, culture and agriculture.
The gestures are likely to further cement China’s good relations with many African nations, and may help address rising concern in some quarters that China is merely replacing Europe as a colonial power.
China’s focus on extracting oil and minerals from Africa has drawn some criticism from African scholars, and labor and safety conditions at some Chinese-run mines and smelters have set off outcries by African workers. Some critics say that the flood of low-cost Chinese goods into African cities has displaced products once made by local workers.
China has long offered low-interest loans to African nations, usually on the condition that governments spend the money on Chinese-made goods or on projects built by Chinese companies. African governments have eagerly accepted the loans, in part because they are free of conditions that international and Western lenders often attach to loans, like improvements in governance.
One result is that China has become a major builder of Africa’s infrastructure, including railroads, highways and canals.
The loans and other overtures have turned China into one of Africa’s largest trading partners. Trade has soared to $106.8 billion last year from about $10 billion in 2000; Chinese direct investment in Africa leaped 81 percent in the first six months of this year, to $552 million, according to the Commerce Ministry.
ChinaPrime Minister Wen Jiabao pledged to grant African countries $10 billion in low-interest development loans over the next three years, to establish a $1 billion loan program for small and medium-size businesses, and to forgive the remaining debt on certain interest-free loans that China previously granted less-developed African nations.
Mr. Wen made the pledge in an address to the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, held in the Egyptian city of Sharm el Sheik. The $10 billion in new loans is double the amount China pledged at the last meeting in 2006. The debt forgiveness continues a series of annual loan cancellations that extends to 2006.
Mr. Wen told officials of the 49 African nations in attendance that this year’s session “represents a new stage of development in relations with Africa.”
Besides the financial assistance, Mr. Wen also promised to form a partnership to address climate change in Africa, including the building of 100 clean-energy projects across the continent. Beijing will also remove tariffs on most exports to China from the least-developed African nations that do not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, and sponsor an array of other programs in health, education, culture and agriculture.
The gestures are likely to further cement China’s good relations with many African nations, and may help address rising concern in some quarters that China is merely replacing Europe as a colonial power.
China’s focus on extracting oil and minerals from Africa has drawn some criticism from African scholars, and labor and safety conditions at some Chinese-run mines and smelters have set off outcries by African workers. Some critics say that the flood of low-cost Chinese goods into African cities has displaced products once made by local workers.
China has long offered low-interest loans to African nations, usually on the condition that governments spend the money on Chinese-made goods or on projects built by Chinese companies. African governments have eagerly accepted the loans, in part because they are free of conditions that international and Western lenders often attach to loans, like improvements in governance.
One result is that China has become a major builder of Africa’s infrastructure, including railroads, highways and canals.
The loans and other overtures have turned China into one of Africa’s largest trading partners. Trade has soared to $106.8 billion last year from about $10 billion in 2000; Chinese direct investment in Africa leaped 81 percent in the first six months of this year, to $552 million, according to the Commerce Ministry.
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