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china Archive
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China now world’s top energy user
China over took the USA last year to become the world’s largest energy user, the International Energy Agency revealed yesterday. With this new status, China is expected to be more influential in the global energy markets in determining prices and how it is used. Fatih Birol, the IEA’s chief economist, said: “In the 2000, the US [...] -
Oil spill in Yellow sea after pipeline explosion
Two pipelines at an oil storage belonging to the China National Petroleum Corp, China’s biggest oil company, exploded in Dalian’s Xingang Harbour in Liaoning province on Friday July 16. The blast, which happened after a Libyan-flagged tanker discharged its load at the port, triggered a spill of approximately 1,500 tonnes of crude oil into the [...] -
Google is back in China
After Google’s decision in March to shut down its service in China due to dispute over internet censorship, Chinese official said on Sunday July 11 that the government has agreed to renew Google’s operation license once again. This approval came after Beijing Guxiang Information Technology Co. Ltd, the operator of Google’s China website, submitted an [...] -
“Recovery and New beginnings”: Harper’s G-20 Summit
Leaders of the Group of Twenty (G-20) issued a communiqué that includes aggressive deficit-cutting targets and allows individual countries to devise their own approach to meeting those goals. The communiqué said “These (actions) will be differentiated and tailored to national circumstances.” The communiqué saw advanced economies making commitments to halve deficits by 2013. The G20 saw [...] -
Mainland and Taiwan to sign trade agreement
The Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) between Mainland China and Taiwan is scheduled to be signed on June 29 in the city of Chongqing, after trade officials from both sides finalized the deal yesterday. This unprecedented agreement will ease cross-strait tension, and bring economic ties between the two parties closer than [...] -
Australia and China Sign Major Deals
Australia and China signed new deals worth A$10 billion dollars on Monday, vowing to push for an early free trade agreement as they ignored diplomatic concerns to focus on economic ties. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd warmly welcomed China’s Vice-President Xi Jinping to Canberra as he spoke of the booming economic ties with Australia’s biggest trading [...] -
China Pledges Yuan Flexibility
On Sunday, China stated that any appreciation in its currency value would be gradual, a day after announcing that it would allow a more flexible currency. This move is a clear attempt to reassure the Chinese people that there would not be a disruptive change, many of whom view the appreciation as a sign of [...] -
China Neglects to Censure North Korea at Summit
The tragic sinking of the Cheonan dominated the recent tri-nation summit held in South Korea, a conference originally meant to discuss trade relations. Resisting pressure from South Korean and Japanese leaders during two days of talks, Prime Minister Wen Jiabao of China gave no indication that his government was ready to join in reproaching North [...] -
China and USA commence talks on trade and North Korea
The United States and China begin high-level talks in Beijing, today. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner begin their Strategic Economic dialogue with their counterparts in China. Topping the agenda of the talks will be Korean tensions after a multinational panel on Thursday blamed a North Korean submarine for torpedoing the [...] -
China opens first office in Taiwan to promote tourism
Signalling improved relations between China and Taiwan, China opened its new office in Taiwan, hoping to boost tourism. China’s quasi-official Cross-Strait Tourism Exchange Association formally launched its Taipei office — reportedly it’s largest outside the mainland — at a gala dinner at the capital’s Grand Hotel. This event happened three days after Taipei opened its [...] -
China and USA- Human Rights
For the first time in two years, China and the United States of America are discussing human rights, with a feud brewing over US support for efforts to crack through China’s Internet firewall. Senior officials from both countries had closed door dialogues over a span of two days, in Washington. The United States has pledged to [...] -
North Korea Reaffirms Commitment to Nuclear Disarmament
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il announced his commitment to nuclear disarmament a year after quitting talks on its atomic arsenal, during a secretive 5 day visit to China. North Korea conducted tests on 2 nuclear missiles last year, angering the US and its allies. It remains unclear whether North Korea plans to ameliorate conditions [...] -
China lifts entry ban on HIV/AIDS foreigners
BEIJING – The Chinese government has permanently lifted a 20-year old ban on entry of foreigners with HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases and leprosy, as well as narrowed the restrictive scope for mentally ill and tuberculosis patients to only “severe mental patients” and those with infectious tuberculosis. There are also pragmatic reasons for the revision, which comes [...] -
China following managed floating exchange rate regime
In the midst of the BRIC summit, President Hu Jintao said that China has been following a managed floating exchange rate regime in accordance with the principle of independent initiative, controllability and gradualism. Hu said “despite the tremendous difficulties caused by the global financial crisis, we have kept the RMB exchange rate basically stable and have [...] -
Obama’s Nuclear Summit Makes Headway
Obama’s fight against Iran’s nuclear proliferation seemed off to a promising start. Obama set the tone with one-on-one meetings with various world leaders, procuring a verbal promise from China’s president Hu Jintao to engage in sanction negotiations against Iran. In a 90-minute conversation before the start of the nuclear security summit, the two leaders also [...] -
US Delays Currency Report on China, Brightens Relations
The US Treasury has decided to delay release (originally due out April 15) of a potentially incendiary currency report that may have labeled China a “currency manipulator”, signaling to China that the Obama administration prefers to resolve the dispute diplomatically. Many believe that China undervalues the yuan by 20%-40%, a move which boosts Chinese exporters [...] -
Volvo sold to Geely by Ford for $1.8b
Ford Motors has inked a $1.8b agreement to sell its Swedish subsidiary Volvo to Geely. This sale, widely regarded as a sign that the world’s car industry’s centre of gravity is shifting to East Asia, marks China’s largest foray into the ownership of a luxury brand. This deal follows other similar acquisitions such as MG [...] -
Google Ceases Operations in China Following Dispute
Following the demise of Google’s search engine in China, the world’s largest search engine attempted to circumvent censorship by rerouting Mainland users to its servers in Hong Kong. This unorthodox move sparked backlash from the State Council Information office, citing the move as “totally wrong” and “violating the written promise it made on entering the [...] -
India, China sign on to Copenhagen accord
India and China have signed on to the Copenhagen climate change agreement reached in December 2009, which calls for setting voluntary limits on emissions of greenhouse gases. More than 100 countries have now agreed to the Copenhagen accord, including all major economies except for Russia. The accord states the countries’ “aim” to keep [...] -
China-ASEAN rail link development on track
Plans are advancing for a rail network that would eventually link Singapore to Kunming, China through six Southeast Asian nations. There are still gaps in the various national lines that would link the countrys, and many parts of the current track are decrepit. Currently, critical gaps are being filled in Cambodia. The ADB as [...] -
Caution or optimism over Asian economic recovery?
After Taiwan and Thailand announced strong economic growth in 4Q 2009, the Financial Times and Bloomberg responded with reports on increased demand and better growth prospects in Asia for 2010. Taiwan’s fourth quarter growth was up 9.6% year-on-year, while Thailand’s was up 5.8%. The New York Times, however, was less optimistic, and stressed that the [...] -
Timeline: straining of US-China relations in 2010
In the initial months of 2010, there was a shift in U.S. strategy, with the U.S. seeming reluctant to cede to China any diplomatic ground at all. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton criticized China for censoring the Internet, in the wake of Google’s allegations about Chinese hackers. The Obama administration went ahead with weapons sales [...] -
Iranian nuclear program received with mixed reactions
On Wednesday, 3rd of February, Iran launched a rocket into space, violating international law. Iran now faces the threat of new sanctions from the US and others. The incident has also increased diplomatic tensions between countries that disagree how to engage Iran, especially the US and China. The domestically-produced Kavoshgar-3 rocket was equipped with a satellite [...] -
US, China face off with sanctions, censure over Taiwan, Iran
The United States and China are locked in an escalating row over US arms sales to Taiwan. The row was sparked by a 6.4 billion-dollar sale of missiles, helicopters, ships and other weaponry. -
Hong Kong Legislators resign in a bid for full democracy
Five Hong Kong legislators have resigned from the Legislative Council, Hong Kong’s lawmaking body. The legislators represent two of the five pro-democracy political parties in Hong Kong. Their actions represent a desire to press for direct elections, a desire also held by some of the general public, in an attempt to force the Chinese communist [...] -
Compass: China’s external relations, trade and economy
APV Compass is a twice-weekly feature. It points readers to useful analysis of recent issues in the Asia-Pacific. -
State-run Indian company plans to take 4% stake in Myanmar-China pipeline
State-run Indian company Gail intends to acquire a 4% stake in the USD $2.01 billion Myanmar-China gas pipeline. The investment of Gail and OVL a subsidiary of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited would amount to approximately USD $250 million in the project. Gail’s investment comes after reports that its net profits have undergone a three-fold [...] -
Analyzing views on the sustainablity of China’s growth
In the past week, many have begun to question the sustainability of China’s quick economic recovery. Others in response have risen to defend it. The issue is an important one, especially for the economies of Southeast Asia. China accounts for 11.3 per cent of Southeast Asia’s external trade, and with developed nations still struggling to [...] -
China, Japan tensions flare over natural gas
Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and his Japanese countepart Katsuya Okada met Sunday to further promote China-Japan relations, but what made headlines was a spat over disputed boundary claims in the East China Sea. In his talks with Yang, the Japanese foreign minister said that Tokyo would take “action” if China violated a 2008 agreement over [...] -
Taiwan, China set talks for Dec 21-23
Taipei has confirmed that high-level talks with China will occur from December 21 to 23 on the city of Taichung. The talks are the fourth since relations between the two sides began to markedly improve in 2008. Though cross-Straits relations had improved consistently for some time, domestic pressure in Taiwan has mounted in recent weeks. An incident [...] -
EU urges China to show leadership on climate change
NANJING, China: The EU said Monday cataclysmic climate change cannot be averted without Chinese leadership, as the two sides wrapped up a summit with China defending its efforts against global warming. “We cannot solve the climate challenge to mankind without China taking on leadership and responsibility,” Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt said in his capacity as [...] -
China, Japan, South Korea sign memorandum on food safety
TOKYO: Health ministers from Japan, China and South Korea agreed on Monday to step up efforts to ensure food safety following concerns over pesticide-tainted Chinese dumplings. Japanese Health Minister Akira Nagatsuma, his Chinese counterpart Chen Zhu and South Korean health chief Jeon Jae-Hee signed their first joint memorandum on food safety after a meeting in Tokyo, [...] -
Vietnam, China agree to further boost economic cooperation
Vietnam and China agreed in Hanoi on Friday to further strengthen the cooperation in the economic corridor involving China’s Yunnan province and four Vietnamese localities of Hanoi, Lao Cai, Hai Phong and Quang Ninh. The agreement was made in the minutes signed by the involved parties at the wrapping up of the fifth conference on Vietnam-China [...] -
US, China stress cooperation on world issues, broach divides
BEIJING: US President Barack Obama and China’s Hu Jintao Tuesday pledged to apply their joint political might to the world’s toughest problems, but friction was evident on Tibet, economics and Iran. In solemn talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, the high point of Obama’s debut visit to China, the leaders ploughed through [...] -
Session 5: China’s Response to the Global Financial Crisis: What Role Can China Play to Support Global Recovery?
The afternoon’s first session focused on China’s role in the global economic recovery. With developed countries mired in recession, China is now seen by many as the largest engine for global economic growth, and the country that may “lead” the world out of recession. But many questions persist, such as whether the world economy can rebalance, and whether China’s recovery is sustainable. The session consisted of a speech from Chinese President Hu Jintao followed by a lively discussion between Jiang Jianqing, Chairman and Executive Director, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), Hermann Ude, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding, Derek Williams, Executive Vice President, Oracle Corporation, and Marjorie Yang.
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