China Jittery About Obama Amid Signs of Harder Line

This article is about concerns that China has with the new administration in charge of the US. Concerns have arisen since statements had been made of China manipulating its currency. It is a further concern that these concerns might have an impact foreign relations.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/25/washington/25diplo.html?_r=1

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/concoughlin/4389438/We-must-treat-China-as-a-friend-and-ally-in-this-financial-crisis.html

Interesting article about a British reporter urging the British people to warmly receive the Chinese leader and to accept China as their friends.

China's Tibet action sparks plea

The Tibetan government-in-exile has appealed to the international community to intervene in a Chinese security crackdown in Tibet's capital.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7857896.stm

Tibet independence campaigners say China's anti-crime operation appears to be aimed at intimidating Tibetans two months ahead of the 50th anniversary of the failed uprising against Chinese rule, which led to the Dalai Lama's flight into exile.

The Tibetan government is urging China to back off as the operation appears to be creating a 'heightened sense of fear and intimidation'. The government felt the operation would only 'create...further political unrest'.

Japan Moves to Take Stakes in Ailing Companies (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/business/worldbusiness/28yen.html?scp=2&sq=Japan&st=cse)

Japan, in an effort to prevent small and medium-sized companies from failing as demand falls, have pumped aid into the sector. This move reflects that done be the U.S. and Europe which partially nationalized some operations. Japan added that the aid was not for free but allows the government to take partial stake in these companies. As the effects of the economic down turn are felt around the world, are the efforts being made to combat the situation correct (or will this be another mess-up like in the early 1930's?)

China's Economy Slowed Sharply in 4th Quarter; POLS 495

China's usually fast-growing economy faced a sharp decline in growth in the 4th quarter last year. From this situation, the reality of more job losses for the country's workers becomes more prevalent. Furthermore, the stability of the world's third-largest economy comes into question. From October to December of last year, China's economy grew 6.8%. This may not seem like a big deal, but it is the nation's weakest quarter of economic growth since they began keeping quarterly stats in 1992. This goes to show that the growing economic concerns we have here in America are being faced all across the world. People are worried about losing their jobs and how they will survive without income. With countries doing more and more trade globally, this economic disaster will have reprecussions throughout the international arena.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/21/AR2009012103481.html

China Slams Geithner's Comments on Currency; POLS 366

U.S. Treasury Secretary-designate Timothy Geithner recently stated that the Obama Adminstration is worried that China might be manipulating its currency. However, this claim has been met with some disagreement from China. Su Ning, the Vice Governor of the People's Bank of China, said that statements like these are misleading and hurt the progress made towards ending the financial crisis both nations face. The exchange between the two sides shows how the growing economic problems can even hurt diplomatic relationships among nations. China is the United States' largest foreign creditor, and the most eminent threat the to the United States' global dominance. A dispute over economics at this time between the two superpowers could have tremendous implications.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/24/AR2009012400995.html

China Revises 2007 GDP

China recently restated it's 2007 GDP to 3.76 Trillion U.S. Dollars. This represents annual adjusted growth of 13%, up 1.1% from the previous estimate. This adjustment moves China ahead of Germany to being the worlds third largest economy, behind those of The United States and Japan (respectively).

However, given the global economic slowdown, analysts are predicting only single-digit growth for China in 2008. This would be the first time in six years China will have posted single-digit growth. With many economists now claiming 2009 will be worse than 2008, worldwide, this slowed growth trend isn't likely to be reveresed this year or perhaps even in 2010.

Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-01/14/content_10658107.htm

Does China like Obama?

Does China Like Obama? was the center of an article posted on the China Elections & Governance Website. Because human relationships, nonetheless political ones, are complex, the answer to this question is not simply a yes or no. Neverthless, here is what the story revealed about how the Chinese people and government feel about the newbie president:

1. Historically, Asian countries like dealing with Republicans over Democrats
   
2. Chinese officials fear that Obama, unlike Bush, will place great pressure on them over labor, enviromental, and human rights issues
   
3. The arrival of Obama has excited Chinese youth about U.S. politics
   
4. China is impressed with Obama's international and ivy league background
   
5. Despite optimism surrounding Obama, the Chinese will approach relations with new administration with caution because he is still a politician at heart
   

At the moment, these feelings in China towards Obama are premature. Despite some strong comments made about China in his inaugural addrses, Obama is still a new President who has not enacted or committed to any policies involving China (yet). 

The China Elections & Governance Website was jointly launched in 2002 by the Carter Center China Program and the Institute of International Comparative Political Economy of Renmin University of China.  It has been maintained and updated by the Beijing Center for Policy Research since 2004.  

Hong Kong Businessman Pushes for Democracy

Hong Kong businessman Jimmy Lai speaks to a BBC journalist recounting the influence that the Tienanmen Square Massacre of 1989 had on his political coming of age and his activism for democratic reforms in China. He says talks about his life experiences, which mirror many of the major historical events including Mao's Cultural Revolution and living in a British-ruled Hong Kong. His pro-democracy leanings are evidence of the shifting social and political attitudes of the Chinese and mirror debates about maintaining the essence of Chinese culture while adapting to international opinions and pressures.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/7851719.stm

China and North Korea resume talks on denuclearization

In his first meeting with Chinese officials since his stroke, North Korean leader Kim Jong-il reaffirms his country's commitment to denuclearization in the Korean Peninsula. Kim Jong-il met with Wang Jiarui, a senior CCP official to discuss six party talks on denuclearization. The United States, China, Japan, Russia and North and South Korea are expected to be part of the talks that were post-poned following Kim Jong-il's stroke six months ago.
Despite North Korea's seeming willingness to cooperate with the talks, they have refused to reveal their full nuclear arsenal until South Korea agrees to do the same. Since both sides are stalling, it could put the talks at an indefinate standstill.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/ukfs_news/hi/newsid_7840000/newsid_7846300/7846323.stm

China to help WTO on Piracy

The WTO ruled Monday that Beijing was negligent in allowing the piracy of dvd's. The US backed this decision and stated that it was losing millions of dollars per year due to illegal piracy in China. The US also claimed that China was allowing sales of counterfeit drugs and designer clothing. The WTO did not support the these particular claims. Based on this WTO position, China has expressed regret for it's lax trading policies.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/ukfs_news/hi/newsid_7850000/newsid_7853000/7853016.stm

Nikkei jumps on government plan

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7852771.stm

In the slowing economy Japan is now taking steps similar to the US in raising funds for a large government bailout of the island nations key industries. They have injected 4.8 Trillion Yen into the sagging economy in hopes that they can create larger income in the future by expanding profit margins and cutting costs further.

This move by Japan is important because the global recession is finally starting to hit home with other nations around the world and the opinion and number of economists saying that we will be in for a long haul has intensified. China has seen similar conditions too recently as undoubtedly the US Economic downturn has hurt the manufacturing, services and finance sectors. While growth is still forecasted for the Chinese it appears that their growth too will slow.

The major economic engines of the world are slowing, paddling upstream in frozen credit markets where no liquid assets exist.

Chinese TV Censors Part of Address by Obama

This article tells of how President Obama's inaugural speech was censored when it aired by the CCTV. The speech was censored to remove the word communism. The article also mentioned that the next day in printed transcripts the word communism was once again removed.

This article gives a very present example of how the state censors what it wants (or does not want) its people to hear or read. I found it interesting to find such a current example that came with similar discussion about censored information in class.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/22/world/asia/22china.html?ref=asia

Chinese scholars accuse CCTV on harmful censorchip

Earlier this month, 22 Chinese professionals and scholars called for the boycott of Chinese Central Television, in an online published letter (http://boxun.com/)accusing CCTV, a state owned broadcasting company, of spreading propaganda to its state-wide audience. CCTV responded, in a letter to the Associated Press, in defense of its reporting and also went on to say that propaganda is prevelant worldwide - including in the U.S.
Read the AP article, "China state broadcaster rejects propaganda charge": http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28638082/

China ushers in Year of Ox with celebration

"BEIJING – China greeted the arrival Monday of the Year of the Ox with fireworks and celebrations, bidding farewell to a tumultuous 2008 marked by a massive earthquake, the Olympics, and a global economic crisis."

"The Lunar New Year is China's most important holiday. It is generally the time of the year for lavish spending on elaborate meals with friends and family and exchanges of "hong bao," or red envelopes stuffed with money.
But the country's economic outlook this year has been dampened by the deepening global financial crisis, with China's 2008 annual growth down to a seven-year low of 9 percent. Thousands of factories have closed in China's export-driven southeast and estimates of job losses exceed 2 million.
Communist leaders have worried publicly about rising tensions and possible unrest as laid-off workers stream back to their hometowns. They have promised to create new jobs and are pressing employers to avoid more layoffs."

This goes back to what we were discussing in class the other day regarding how important a job is to a Chinese person versus and American person. A job is not a job to a Chinese person, it is their life. To have this many layoffs could cause considerable unrest among the Chinese population.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090126/ap_on_re_as/as_china_new_year;_ylt=AkLOHd03IOasfV5qCcGvfggBxg8F

Taiwan embraces China's gift of 2 pandas

"China presented the 4-year-old pandas to mark warming ties between the mainland and the island, which split amid civil war in 1949, although opposition politicians and other Taiwanese skeptics have denounced the gift as propaganda. China named the animals Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan, which together means "reunion.""

I thought this was interesting news considering how we have been discussing in POLS 495 about how China is upset with Taiwan because of their split from the mainland in addition to their different political ideals. This seems to indicate that there is a bit of ease in the tensions between the 2. In Chapter 1 of Shirk, Shirk discusses the difficult position the United States would be put in if an incident were to occur between China and Taiwan. Hopefully with steps like this taken towards peace between China and Taiwan, we won't ever be presented with that type of situation.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090126/ap_on_re_as/as_taiwan_china_pandas;_ylt=AgSZs2BHFtkN_KxBlycmBoIBxg8F

Chinese official meets with N. Korean leader- CNN.com/asia

Chinese official meets with N. Korean leader- CNN.com/asia

A Chinese official met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il in Pyongyang on Friday, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The North Korean leader Kim Jong-II met with the leader of the International Department of the Communist Party of China after a reported stroke in late August. Wang, leader of the Department, is leading a delegation to strengthen the economy between China and North Korea.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/01/22/nkorea.china.kim/index.html

Migrant factory workers at a loss as China's economy slumps

Migrant factory workers at a loss as China's economy slumps.

Regions in China are starting to feel the effects of struggling economies in the United States and Europe. Provinces that normally thrive off of exports, like Guangdong, have started to suffer from a drop-off in orders. Factory shutdowns in these provinces has led to unemployment for many migrant workers (and could possibly lead to civil unrest as Shirk illustrates in chapter three of her book).



Link: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-chinamigrant23-2009jan23,0,3404505.story

Kim Jong Ill meets with Chinese dignitary (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,481824,00.html)

Since becoming ill sometime last fall, Kim Jong Ill held his first meeting with a foreign dignitary. That dignitary is none other than a senior official from China. 

China Censors Obama Speech

The government in China censored parts of Obama's inaugural address as it was translated it into Chinese on websites and on television. The censors decision to omit parts of the speech brings to light the control that the government exerts over the population. The portions omitted vaguely reference communism and oppressive government leaders. It is curious that the government of China would omit these particular parts in Chinese, and more interestingly, leave the original in English. Chinese officials expressed concern over some of the rhetoric used and that the new president's approach toward the country may not "be as friendly" as the former.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7841580.stm

Vast Difference Between the Cities and Villages of China

In 2001 I had the opportunity to spend several weeks traveling throughout China and Tibet. It is quite striking the dramatic difference in the daily lives of the people living within China. The lifestyles of people living in the densely populated urban areas such as Beijing and Xian is very much like what one finds in most modern American cities. However, the conditions of the more rural areas I traveled too such as Chen village and the Buddist temple at Shao'lin are unlike anything you would find here at home and are rather more reminiscent of a poor African village. While the urbanites of the metropolitan areas enjoy widespread use of the luxuries we take for granted from electricity to running water, the peoples in the rural farming communities often had little or in some cases, no direct access to either. I will never forget walking through Chen village along the streets during the the harvest while all the streets were covered in the very grains of the harvest to dry...for all to travel on be it by foot, car or even common herd animals.

Obama speech censored in China (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7841580.stm)

It seems that the Chinese government has made a successful effort to edit comments made about communism from President Obama's inauguration speech. When the president spoke he said, "Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions." This statement was edited form newspapers and the live translation so that fascism was included but the comment on communism omitted. The editing out of critical material is not a new occurrence in china. Though this is true, the Chinese government, the reporter commented, if worried that the new administration may not be cordial to the communist government's practices. and though in recent years the Bush administration has allowed the Chinese some leeway, worries are that President Obama will not be so cordial and possibly ignore the growth in bi-lateral ties between the United States and China.

Does anyone else think Obama would be right in taking action against the Chinese? And in what manner? In my opinion, though we heavily rely on Chinese-made products, some steps must be taken to limit the environmental impact that China is having on the world and their own environment. I'm not sure what can be done as I am not well versed in Chinese-American relations, but that is a concern for mine.

Asian Markets on the Up as Obama's Inaguration Comes Closer

Many Asian markets have been receiving temporary boosts as the new US President comes into office. Investor are excited about the new economic stimulus plans, that President Obama has enacted, especially the money going into the car industry. Hong Kong was up 0.6%, Tokyo up 0.32%, Shanghai up 1.65%, Seoul up 1.4%.

It is indeed a good thing to see the international markets raising instead of falling. However these market boosts will only be useful in they stay up after the inauguration is over, and after the new president settles into office.

"Families File Suit in Chinese Tainted Milk Scandal"

Continuing with the story on the poisoned milk from the other day, I found in today's New York Times, that the families involved filed a lawsuit on Friday. Two hundred thirteen children and their families are have filed. The parents are all asking to be compensated to varying degrees, totaling $5.2 million. This case is very rare. Layers in China do not usually file class-action product liability cases.
I can understand the parents of these children wanting to bring this case to court. The poisoned milk may cause kidney damage in their children. and they want the milk company to suffer consequences for their actions and they want to receive some compensation for their own suffering.

Japan economic crisis

Japan is suffering a tremendous economic crisis. The fallout is so severe that Japan has decided to set aside it's differences with North Korea.

Lawsuit filed against Chinese formula makers

Lawsuits have been filed for the second time against the infant formula makers. The first suit consisted of 63 families and the second of 11 families. The suit is asking for $73,000 per dead child

Japan

Japan’s Outcasts Still Wait for Society’s Embrace

Japan has a feudal caste system. It is outdated.
Comments
Japan has a rigid hierarchical societal structure.

China Recalls milk

China recalls milk due to posion.

It is bad thing that should fixed.