links for 2007-03-24

SCMP: “…the drumbeating [within China] about being the top medal winner at the [Beijing 2008] Olympic Games has already damaged China’s image.”

Nakamatsu said he planned to invent a missile shield system that can “make missiles turn around.” When asked how he planned to accomplish the feat, he replied, “I cannot give you a simple answer.”

“Mainichi Shinbun reports that Shiro Asano, DPJ candidate for the Tokyo gubernatorial race, has decided to make challenging Gov. Ishihara’s nationalist views a part of his election campaign.”

“China must be more transparent about its military intentions, top US general Peter Pace has said.”

“China’s military is proposing officer exchanges and other confidence-building measures with the U.S. Army and may be inching closer to setting up a “hotline” for emergency communication with Washington, the top U.S. general said Friday.”

“Japanese participants in the study said Tuesday the joint project was ending because both nations were unable to reconcile their positions on how to approach the study of international relations in Asia, the Japan Times reported.”

“Japanese government ministers will “discuss proposals on a new framework that will ensure participation by the United States and China, the world’s largest greenhouse-gas emitters,” a foreign ministry official said.”

China and Japan will set up a working group to find out ways to prevent pollution by disused computers, air conditioners and other electronic junk from Japan. This will be the first time for the two neighbours to set up a discussion group for the handling

the Chinese and Japanese teams, 10 on each side, will write separately their own take on the history between the countries, both ancient and modern, and will exchange any controversial points

Yesterday, French presidential candidate François Bayrou called for a boycott of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, saying that China was not doing enough to stop the bloodshed in Darfur:

Japan is preparing new laws to protect offshore oil and gas rigs in a move that will raise the stakes in a long-running dispute with China over maritime boundaries in the East China Sea.