Nov 14 (REUTERS) – APEC leaders tackle climate change negotiations and economic integration, as Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama stresses the need for free trade zone.
Penny Tweedie, Reuters
Obama seeks stronger links in Asia
Nov 14 (REUTERS) – United States President Barack Obama pushes for greater U.S. involvement in Asia, welcoming a “strong, prosperous” China.
Penny Tweedie, Reuters.
China to lead Somalia piracy fight
Nov 13 (REUTERS) – China will assume a leadership role in an international coalition fighting maritime piracy off Somalia, signaling its navy’s growing ambitions beyond Chinese waters.
Stefanie McIntyre reports.
Two serparate newsbites have just hit the Reuters wire. The first, describes the success many African immigrants in China have experienced since moving to the Middle Kingdom (China). The second outlines how China’s trade with Africa is increasing and how China will likely a extend a new $5 billion credit line to Africa.
BEIJING (Reuters) – Barely a month goes by without some new energy or mineral deal being struck between China and an African nation. These deals have transfixed the West, but China gets far more from the relationship than raw resources.
Africa offers China two important things — a chance to earn the global respect it believes it deserves in recognition of its growing economic clout, and friends who do not judge it, or who at least have little reason to directly fear China’s rise.
China’s friendly relations with Africa go back decades, to when Beijing backed newly independent states as well as liberation movements. The continent’s backing was vital in getting China into the United Nations in 1971.
“You could argue that the contemporary driver is economic, but they’ve always had a political interest in Africa, from the mid-1950s onward,” said Chris Alden, an Africa expert at the London School of Economics.
“As China becomes a more active player in multilateral affairs, it recognizes it needs partners, and Africa in many ways is a very suitable partner.”
In 2006, President Hu Jintao promised a leap in investment, trade and aid at Beijing’s first summit with African leaders. At the G20 summit of big developed and developing economies last November, he raised Africa’s needs during the global economic turmoil.
Click here to read the complete article written by Reuters reporter Ben Blanchard
According to this Bloomberg article, Abu Yahya al-Libi, the alleged successor to Osama Bin Laden has declared a holy war against the Chinese state for its repression of its Uighur.
Abu Yahya al-Libi has been quoted saying:
“The state of atheism is heading to its fall.”
“China will suffer the same fate as the “Russian bear.”
How China is going to deal with this new threat remains to be seen. Also, how Abu Yahya al-Libi plans to wage this holy war is far from clear. Foreign policy buffs describe some obvious concerns such as the growth of the Xinjiang-based East Turkistan Islamic Movement, which is based in the Taliban-rules areas of Pakistan.
This declaration of sorts comes on the heels of The July riots in the capital of Xinjiang which were the deadliest in China in decades. Bloomberg writes, “Al-Libi’s speech, entitled ‘East Turkistan, the Forgotten Wound,’ echoed complaints of the Uighurs that decades of government-sponsored migration to the province is making them a minority in their homeland.”
Personally, this blogger feels a threat such as a Pakistan based, anti-Chinese (Han) movement is not a major problem in the short-term, but it will no less force China to become more involved over the future of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
All eyes will be watching next week when members of Shanghai Cooperation Organization meet in Shanghai to discuss regional issues. This group includes China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Xinjiang, or East Turkistan, as many in the Muslim world refer to it lies at the heart of this grouping of Central Asian countries.
Click here to access Bloomberg’s article on this topic
Although Sino-African trade had weakened during the global financial
crisis, Chinese and African enterprises could strengthen their
collaboration and emerge from the downturn together, Chinese trade
officials said at a trade fair Wednesday. Huang Xiwen, chief of Jilin
Province’s Commerce bureau, said at the 2009 China Africa Economic and
Trade Cooperation Seminar that local enterprises had been vigorously
developing business with African companies. He said 19 local companies
had invested ..
“China and France seeking to develop bilateral ties”Vice Premier Wang
Qishan said Wednesday China had always valued its relationship with
France, and said he hoped the two countries could work together to
promote bilateral ties. Wang met Jean-David Levitte, a diplomatic
adviser to French President Nicolas Sarkozy Wednesday. Relations had
developed smoothly on the whole since the two countries forged
diplomatic ties 45 years ago, he said. Wang said he hoped the two
countries could handle the relationship from a strategic and long-term
…
China and Laos reaffirmed their determination to further advance their
traditional friendly relations as senior leaders of the ruling parties
of the two countries met in Beijing Wednesday. He Guoqiang, member of
the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central
Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), met Sisavath
Keobounphanh, chairman of the Central Committee of the Lao Front for
National Reconstruction. Sisavath Keobounphanh, 81, has visited China
many times over t …
The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) Secretary General Katsuya Okada
said Wednesday that the DPJ will continue to advance Japan-China
relations after taking the reins of government. Okada made the remarks
at a symposium to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the
People’s Republic of China following the DPJ’s landslide victory over
the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in the lower house election
Sunday. “The DPJ has, as always, attached great importance to
Japan-China relations and …
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) Thursday announced a three-year moratorium on approvals of new expansion-related proposals in the iron and steel industry, as the government pledges to eliminate outdated capacity.
China’s top negotiators in the bitter and protracted row over the price of iron ore seem destined never to agree – risking a loss of face that will raise questions about whether they are up to the job and who it is they are actually representing.
Their apparent refusal to compromise is damaging the competitiveness of smaller domestic steel mills, forcing them to buy from their larger counterparts, say analysts. The bigger firms have been content to pay whatever the spot price is for ore and pass on the premiums.
China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC), the country’s largest oil and gas producer, will speed up overseas acquisitions in regions such as Africa and South America this year, in a bid to boost China’s quest for energy security.
A large-scale restructuring of the coal industry in China’s major coal-producing province of Shanxi, starting at the end of this month, will reduce accidents and improve efficiency by shutting down small coal mines, officials said.
“The restructuring this time is the largest after years of adjusting the coal industry’s structure,” Miao Huanli, planning section director of Shanxi provincial coal bureau, said yesterday.
Chinese ambassador to Peru, Gao Zhengyue, said that relations between his country and Peru “are at their best moment” in history.
According to him, both countries have deepened the confidence in the political, economic, technological educational, cultural, tourism and justice areas, among others.
The Chinese diplomat noted the increase of the economic, trade flow and bilateral investments, and highlighted the increase of the Chinese investments in Peru, with over seven billion dollars.
“I am convinced that with joint efforts the relations between our two brotherly countries will enter a new stage of development and reach a higher level in the two peoples’ benefit,” said Zhengyue.
Chinese telecom-gear makers Huawei and ZTE have already conquered Africa and Asia. Next stop: Latin America.
(Fortune Magazine) — At phone operator Movistar’s sales offices in Buenos Aires, customers line up to buy high-speed wireless services to access the web on their mobile phones. Most Argentines don’t realize, though, that the company providing the gear for their broadband connections isn’t a longtime supplier to Latin America like Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, or Motorola, but a relative newcomer called Huawei.
China’s telecom suppliers are coming to the Americas. Pursuing the same formula they’ve used to win business throughout Asia and parts of Africa (selling cheap gear in low-income countries), equipment makers Zhong Xing Telecommunication Equipment (also known as ZTE) and Huawei are now getting a foothold in countries such as Argentina, Chile, and Colombia. Says Leandro Musciano, project director at Movistar Argentina, a unit of Spain’s Telefónica: “Price is important.”
The recent visit of Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio “Lula” da Silva to China in May 2009 reflected the Asian nation’s expanding economic and political influence in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). One year ago, the Brazilian government had announced that China would surpass the United States as its major business partner. The results of da Silva’s visit verified this after the two nations signed 13 agreements, including a $10 billion loan from the China Development Bank to Brazil’s state oil company Petrobras. Petrobras also concluded a deal with a subsidiary of China’s oil refiner Sinopec for the export of crude oil. A major commercial agreement will also see the beginning of huge poultry exports to China.
Brazil’s two-way trade with China, one of the few economies still growing despite the global crisis, reached US$3.2 billion in April, surpassing the $2.8 billion trade total with the US. So far this year, Brazilian exports to China grew 65 percent over the same period in 2008, rising from $3.4 billion to $5.6 billion.
[China - Africa] — China’s New Silk Road shines in Africa
The word “China” has echoed in the meeting halls of the ongoing three-day World Economic Forum on Africa, reflecting the close attention to the Asian country which is widely regarded as Africa’s crucial partner in the strive against global economic crisis and future development.
The issues related to China have become hot topics in the platform which attracted over 800 participants from 50 countries and five African leaders in a bid to seek practical solutions to foster better business practices and greater investment across the continent, under the theme of “Implications of the Global Economic Crisis for Africa”.
[China - Africa] — ICBC chief says China to increase investment in Africa
Chief of China’s major bank ICBC, Jiang Jianqing, said on Thursday that he believes China will continue increasing investment in Africa which is mutually beneficial.
“With the development of economic globalization, China will have more and closer business links with the rest of the world, which will finally lead to increasing oversea investment from China. Therefore, I believe more investment with mutual benefits will come to Africa,” said Jiang in a joint interview with Jacko Maree, group chief executive of the Standard Bank Group.
“China and Afghanistan are traditional friendly neighbors” who share mutual respect and support, said Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi in a meeting with Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta.
[China - North Korea] — Senior CPC leader calls on closer media co-op with ROK
Senior Chinese leader Li Changchun on Friday called on media organizations from China and the Republic of Korea (ROK) to offer more news reports that conducive to cementing bilateral strategic and cooperative partnership.
Hailing fruitful media cooperation between the two countries, Li hopes press organizations take the opportunity of the dialogue to set up a regular exchange mechanism, and provide more news reports and information that help boost Sino-ROK strategic and cooperative partnership.
[China - Pacific Island Countries] — Pacific parliamentary delegations to visit China
The five delegations will be led respectively by Isaac Figir, Speaker of the National Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia; Tu’ilakepa, Speaker of the Parliament of the Kingdom of Tonga; Manu Korovulavula, Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee in Fiji; Billy Talagi, Chairman of the Bills Committee of the Parliament of Niue and Lino Bulekuli Dit Sacsac, Clerk of the Parliament of the Republic of Vanuatu.
Russia and Brazil, seeking to reduce their dependence on the dollar, announced plans to buy $20 billion of bonds from the International Monetary Fund and diversify foreign-currency reserves.
Brazil will buy $10 billion of bonds issued by the International Monetary Fund to help the Washington-based lender provide financing to countries hurt by the financial crisis, Finance Minister Guido Mantega said.
“This is an investment that Brazil is doing with part of its reserves and making available financing so that the IMF may help emerging countries, especially developing countries which today face a shortage of capital because of the global financial crisis,” Mantega said.
Russia’s central bank said today it may cut investments in U.S. Treasuries, currently valued at as much as $140 billion, a week after China said it may reduce reliance on the dollar and U.S. bonds. Treasuries fell after Alexei Ulyukayev, first deputy chairman of Bank Rossii, said some reserves may be moved into IMF debt.
“Since the beginning of the new era in Afghanistan in late 2001,China has been among our most committed and generous friends,” Spanta, who is here for an official visit, told a seminar on Afghanistan’s role in the region.
China has been instrumental in regional consensus and international solidarity with Afghanistan, he said, noting China is also the largest investor in the war-hit country.
The Chinese armed forces are willing to advance friendly cooperation with Cameroon, Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie said here Wednesday.
The Chinese armed forces attach importance to its relations with Cameroon, said Liang, adding China is ready to work together with Cameroon to raise bilateral military ties of friendly cooperation to a higher level.
