links for 2007-12-28
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The new Apple OS has Japanese dictionaries built in.
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Our blog’s intention is to request the US government to grant us a chance to defend our mother country Japan at the American court of law regarding the resolution “Comfort Women” passed July 30, 07.
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“The speech has become a hot topic recently on our university’s BBS (bulletin board system) and students are very interested in Fukuda’s visit, the future of China-Japan relations and how to secure a ticket
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The Asahi Shimbun reported Thursday that the two countries held secret talks on the gas dispute ahead of Fukuda’s visit.
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The Japanese Education Ministry announced Wednesday that it would partly reinstate references in textbooks to the Japanese military’s role in forcing civilians to commit mass suicide during the Battle of Okinawa
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Beijing, China’s water-poor and overpopulated capital, is stretching its resources to the limit. It is time for a new strategy, writes Xinyu Mei, the country should seriously consider moving its capital.
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A California free speech group whose board of directors includes Google and Yahoo said on Monday it had asked U.S. trade officials to challenge China’s Internet restrictions as a violation of global trade rules.
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[CCB] planned to open branches in London, Dubai and Doha according to a statement on its website.
Bush and Chávez on Equal Ground in China
Chinochano notes [es] that most visits by foreign heads of state to China result in the same press release, names changed. In Spanish from the blog, here are the two hypothetical* examples.
| George W. Bush | Hugo Chávez |
| Pekín, 2 nov 2007 — El presidente de China, Hu Jintao, sostuvo conversaciones hoy aquí con su homólogo estadounidense, George Bush, quien está realizando una visita de Estado a China.Ambos líderes expresaron su satisfacción por el desarrollo de las relaciones bilaterales y acordaron profundizar la cooperación entre los dos países.Desde el establecimiento de las relaciones diplomáticas entre los dos países hace 35 años, la cooperación amistosa China-EEUU ha presenciado un desarrollo sin contratiempos, gracias al entendimiento y confianza mutuos, dijo Hu, quien expresó su aprecio por el apoyo de EEUU a la política de “una sola China”. | Pekín, 9 nov 2007 — El presidente de China, Hu Jintao, sostuvo conversaciones hoy aquí con su homólogo venezolano, Hugo Chávez, quien está realizando una visita de Estado a China.Ambos líderes expresaron su satisfacción por el desarrollo de las relaciones bilaterales y acordaron profundizar la cooperación entre los dos países.Desde el establecimiento de las relaciones diplomáticas entre los dos países hace 30 años, la cooperación amistosa China-Venezuela ha presenciado un desarrollo sin contratiempos, gracias al entendimiento y confianza mutuos, dijo Hu, quien expresó su aprecio por el apoyo de Venezuela a la política de “una sola China”. |
| Emphasis mine. I’m leaving out one on the Klingon state visit. |
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The sentence in bold had caught my eye in an English release when Bush and Hu last met. Without looking it up, it says that Hu “expressed his appreciation for United States/Venezuelan support of the ‘one China policy.’” Just thought I’d post this, as it seems to me that the United States, long walking a diplomatic tightrope on the issue, is one of the biggest substantial factors in why Taiwan remains how it is—despite decades of lip service about “one China.” Doesn’t mean you don’t get thanks for lipservice though.
* I had failed to make clear that these aren’t real releases. I’ve been fooled before, but this was just sloppy writing.
Librairie Avant-Garde – Brilliant Nanjing Bookstore
Today, just as my wandering was turning into a walk home, I passed the Librairie Avant-Garde in Nanjing, a bookstore in an apparently never-used parking garage. Needless to say, I was not able to resist. Though its selection of foreign-language books is apparently zero, the range of subjects and the atmosphere of the store and the cafe inside are better than anything I’ve seen for a long time. This is located on the north side of Wutaishan (五台山). More pics after the break.
Driving up into the store.
(I have no idea what’s with the cross.)
Hitting the Road: Nanjing, Shanghai, and ???
I’m going to be bouncing around China a bit after more than four months in Beijing. I am flying tomorrow (Tuesday) from Beijing to Nanjing, where I will be doing some reporting and research. I’ll be heading to Shanghai around Friday for a week or so, and may keep moving to some other destinations as plans get settled. (Possibilities: Hong Kong, Shenzhen, others.)
I’d be interested to meet with anyone in Nanjing or Shanghai, whether you live there or are passing through as well. The same goes for when I’m in Beijing, actually, but please do e-mail g7 at gwbstr dot com if you’ll be around.
Expect decreased posting and perhaps some photos for the next few weeks.
–Graham
links for 2007-12-06
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France’s president has urged China to commit to sustainable development. Dongying Wang talked to Brice Lalonde, the French climate-change ambassador, and asked him what China can learn from France’s new green initiatives.
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Negotiations between China Mobile and Apple hit a snag earlier this month over the business model, and there is a rumor in the Chinese press that the parties have walked away from the table.
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The Japanese finance minister, Fukushiro Nukaga, urged Chinese leaders at a meeting in Beijing to allow their currency to appreciate at a faster pace, joining calls from governments in Europe and the United States.
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“President Hu Jintao will visit Japan next year. As for the specific date, that is still to be decided by the two sides,” ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters.
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Choking on Growth Part VI
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The summit did not produce much in the way of concrete results, much to Amaki Naoto’s consternation. The two governments agreed to cooperate on green technology, and Foreign Ministers Yang and Komura made resolution of the East China Sea gas fields disput
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Former US president Jimmy Carter said Wednesday that when ties with China were re-established 29 years ago, Beijing privately acknowledged that the United States would keep selling arms to Taiwan.
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Baidu is now the first Chinese company ever to be added to the NASDAQ index. It entered the Top 100 Monday when its stock rose 3.3 percent in trading.
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Keso was reprimanded by another writer in the general-interest forum. “No discussion of politics here!” his fellow netizen insisted.
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China’s government is studying a U.S. intelligence review that concludes Iran stopped developing nuclear weapons in 2003, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday.
Tom Daschle on China-U.S. Environment Cooperation
My former employer, CampusProgress.org at the Center for American Progress, has published a lengthy piece by former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (a senior fellow at CAP) on U.S.-China environmental responsibility.
His central argument is that a leadership vacuum in both countries is a challenge to improving the environment. In the United States, he argues, the federal government lacks vision while many states are making progress on their own. In China, on the other hand, he points out that the central government is working hard on these issues but the challenge comes in spreading compliance to the provinces. The piece is full of good links, but much of the information will not be news to Transpacifica readers.
I’m taking advantage of Campus Progress’s generous republishing policy to include the full text here. The article was originally posted here.
The Greenhouse Heavyweights
Both the United States and China need climate change leadership.
By Tom Daschle
November 30, 2007
The United States and the People’s Republic of China are two of the 21st Century’s leading superpowers. China’s economic development continues to dramatically outpace other countries. During the first half of this year, China’s GDP reached 11.5%, putting China on track for its 5th consecutive year of double-digit growth. For its part, America remains the world’s leading engine of innovation, using our free market of ideas and capital to continue forging new solutions in science, medicine, and technology.
Regrettably, however, the United States and China have now ascended to world leadership in another much more threatening way: greenhouse gas emissions. The International Energy Agency has estimated that China will become the world leader in emissions by the end of the year. The Netherlands Environment Assessment Agency has reported that China is already there. Not to be outdone, the United States remains the world’s largest emitter on a per-capita basis. For every person in the United States, there are 6 tons of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere. The United States and Chinese governments must not ignore these facts, but should instead embrace them as a catalyst for change. Indeed, the Communist Party of China’s (CPC) recent 17th National Congress and the upcoming presidential elections in the United States provide a historic opportunity for our two countries to begin a new chapter of global leadership in the fight against climate change.
Staging for the Beijing Olympics—in Japan
Noted without comment.
A large travel agency is planning a big promotion overseas to get foreign sports teams to stay in Japan before going on to Beijing for the start of next year’s Olympic games. They are touting the facilities, the lack of pollution, the variety of food, the public safety, and the ease of access to Beijng.
The agency is serious–and they report the British swimming team has already decided to stay in Japan first!
Via Ampontan.
Me in the Boston Globe on Deval Patrick and China
Among the several reasons this site has been slow recently is that I’ve had a glut of work. Yesterday, I covered Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick’s trip to China. The story appears in Tuesday’s Boston Globe business section.
Gov. Patrick pushes state trade ties with China
By Graham Webster
Globe Correspondent
December 3, 2007BEIJING — On his first foreign trade mission, Governor Deval L. Patrick today told a Beijing audience that Massachusetts and China have had a “special trade relationship” that spans more than two centuries. Patrick noted that the first United States merchant ship to sail for China — in 1784 — had Boston owners.
The governor and a delegation of about a dozen business executives, and academic and state government officials are meeting with their Chinese counterparts to discuss biotech and clean energy. They are not expected to strike any business deals before heading home on Friday, after traveling to Shanghai for more ceremonies and meetings.
Members of the delegation will also meet with executives of China’s Hainan Airlines in hopes of establishing direct flights between Boston and Beijing, possibly to begin in 2009, according to Massachusetts Port Authority chief executive Thomas Kinton, who said talks have been underway for two years. [full story]
