After China Abuse Scandal, Celebrity Teacher’s American Wife Files for Divorce

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Associated Press

Li Yang, creator of Crazy English, speaks at a middle school in Chengdu, southwestern China’s Sichuan province Wednesday, March 26, 2008.

Sina Weibo

A screenshot shows a message posted to Kim Lee’s account on Sina Weibo on October 24, 2011 in which she announces plans to divorce her husband, “Crazy English” founder Li Yang.

The American wife of China’s most famous English teacher has filed for divorce after a months-long public battle between the two that ignited a rare public debate in the country around domestic violence.
Kim Lee, wife of “Crazy English” founder Li Yang, filed for divorce with the Beijing Chaoyang District Court, China’s state-run Xinhua news agency reported Thursday, citing the court.
Ms. Lee had posted a message earlier this week on her account on China’s Twitter-like Sina Weibo microblogging service announcing that she was headed to divorce court. “Happiness will find me. I will leave the past behind me. Today my life begins,” she wrote, attaching a picture of a pair rings laid on top of a “Memorandum of Reconciliation” apparently written by Mr. Li on Sept. 9 in which he vowed never again to use violence against his wife.
The controversy over Mr. Li’s treatment of his wife exploded at the end of August when Ms. Lee posted a photo of her bruised and swollen forehead, writing in Chinese “I love losing face = I love hitting my wife’s face?” – an apparent reference to a message her husband had posted to his own Weibo account the same day in which he’d laid out the “Crazy English credo”: “I enjoy losing face! I enjoy making mistakes! I enjoy being laughed at. I love practicing English. The more mistakes you make, the more progress you will make!”
Over the next few days, Ms. Lee would go on to post additional photos of injuries she’d sustained, accusing Mr. Li of being violent with her in front of their children. In one post, she accused him of slamming her head into the floor.
Mr. Li publicly acknowledged hitting his wife roughly a week later, apologizing to her and the pair’s children while saying he had agreed to undergo counseling.
The revelation that Mr. Li – whose messianic persona and immensely successful English-teaching empire have earned him fame even outside China (he was the subject of a 6,000-word profile in the New Yorker in 2008) – launched a widespread debate about domestic violence on the Chinese Internet. Mr. Li helped fan the debate himself by saying in subsequent interviews he was surprised at the controversy. “Our problem involves character and cultural differences,” he told the China Daily on Sept. 13. “I hit her sometimes but I never thought she would make it public since it’s not Chinese tradition to expose family conflicts to outsiders.”
While a reluctance to air dirty household laundry in public is common the world over, women’s rights activists, sociologists and others concerned with protecting the rights of the abused in China have long lamented the effect the “keep it in the family” ethos has had in stifling discussion of domestic violence in the country.
That reticence also makes it difficult to judge the accuracy of domestic violence statistics. According to a report by the All-China Women’s Federation and the National Bureau of Statistics released earlier this month, nearly 25% of Chinese women have experienced domestic violence – roughly the same rate as in the U.S. according to the most recent available statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Justice (pdf).
Roughly 80 million Chinese households have been affected by domestic abuse, China Daily reported in September, citing the All-China Women’s Federation.
Further complicating the effort to address domestic violence, Chinese women’s rights advocates say, is the failure of legislators to approve a long-discussed law that would establish guidelines for the handling of domestic abuse cases and create a support system for domestic abuse victims.
Ms. Lee’s travails – and Mr. Li’s highly erratic handling of the controversy – may help speed up the passage of that law. Despite trumpeting traditional Chinese discretion, the language teacher has seemed all too eager to discuss the details of his family’s deterioration, most recently during a salty on-air show-down with reality show star Jin Xing during which he matter-of-factly described battering his wife’s head against the floor.
For her part, Ms. Lee has responded by documenting her struggles with Mr. Li on Weibo and in letters translated and posted online by an anti-domestic violence NGO. “Even if I could not remain safely at home, I have the option of returning to my own country. This is not a choice for Chinese women,” she wrote in one letter posted Oct. 16. “If I can help to change the very wrong concepts that domestic violence is ‘common, acceptable, should not be disclosed, the fault of the wife, part of Chinese culture’ then I feel both honored and obligated to do so.”
Ms. Lee has requested custody of the couple’s three daughters and 50-50 split of their joint property, Xinhua said.

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O governo chinês causou indignação ao tentar acobertar um acidente de trem

O acidente com um trem-bala chinês em 23 de julho, que matou 40 pessoas e feriu 191, tinha uma versão oficial. Um raio o teria atingido e causado o descarrilamento. O caso teria acabado assim se o repórter Atsuki Okudera, do diário japonês Asahi Shimbum, não tivesse testemunhado policiais e operários enterrando o primeiro vagão, onde ficam todos os instrumentos que registram a operação do veículo. Ali mesmo, ao lado do viaduto de onde o trem despencara. A publicação da reportagem sobre o procedimento suspeito chegou às redes sociais na China e deu início a uma campanha popular por transparência nas informações oficiais. Até mesmo a imprensa chinesa cobrou explicações. O governo foi obrigado a desenterrar o vagão e admitir que pode ter havido falha humana. Uma comissão foi criada para investigar o caso. “Nunca havia visto algo assim na China”, disse Okudera. Uma vitória do jornalismo sobre a mentira.

Época - 08/08/2011

O Filtro

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China, Pakistan sign for billions

With 13 economic agreements already signed, the two nations set to ink billions more in deals during Chinese PM's visit. Last Modified: 18 Dec 2010 07:54 GMT

Wen Jiabao, the first Chinese premier in five years to visit Pakistan, met his counterpart, Yusuf Raza Gilani [Reuters] China and Pakistan have signed nearly $20bn in economic deals, boosting trade and investment as Wen Jiabao became the first Chinese premier in five years to visit the nuclear-armed state. Business leaders are scheduled to formalise another $10bn worth of deals on Saturday at Islamabad's Marriott Hotel, where a devastating suicide truck bomb killed 60 people in 2008. Pakistan, on the front line of the US battle with al-Qaeda and struggling with Taliban fighters in its northwest, considers China its closest foreign ally and treated Wen and a massive business delegation to a red-carpet welcome upon his arrival on Friday. Qamar Zaman Kaira, Pakistan's information minister, said the countries signed 13 agreements and memorandums of understanding on Friday in fields ranging from energy to railways, from reconstruction to agriculture and culture. Kaira said China had promised to fund "all the energy projects of Pakistan," which he termed a "major breakthrough". Pakistan suffers from a debilitating energy crisis and produces only 80 per cent of the electricity it needs. "China will provide assistance in 36 projects in Pakistan to be completed in five years," he said. "Basically this is a five-year development plan." Nuclear co-operation Although not specifically mentioned, behind-the-scenes talks are also expected on China building a one-gigawatt nuclear power plant as part of Pakistani plans to produce 8,000 megawatts of electricity by 2025 to make up its energy shortfall. Tariq Pirzada, a strategic affairs analyst, told Al Jazeera that this relationship had a two-fold purpose and served the interest of both Islamabad and Beijing. Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr reports from Islamabad on growing ties between Pakistan and China "Today, in a show of massive strategic and military support, a Chinese leader is visiting a Pakistani military base - something that has not happened too often," Pirzada said. "With some $20bn worth of investment, China is sending a strong message to New Delhi and Washington." Wen is expected to inaugurate a cultural centre built as a monument to Pakistani-Chinese friendship, and is scheduled to hold talks with the country's opposition leader Nawaz Sharif and senior figures in the military, which depends on China for hardware. After the business leaders' meeting, Asif Ali Zardari, the Pakistani president, is to host a state banquet, before Wen addresses a special joint session of parliament early on Sunday. "The outcome of the visit is beyond our expectations. It is an historic day," Masood Khan, Pakistan's ambassador to Beijing, said. Pakistan depends on China's financial and political clout to offset the perceived threat from rival India and rescue its economy from the doldrums of catastrophic flooding, a severe energy crisis and poor foreign investment. Pakistan's prime minister has expressed hope that trade will rise to between $15bn and $18bn over the next five years. China, meanwhile, has been concerned about the threat of fighters infiltrating its territory from Pakistan. Before arriving in Islamabad, Wen visited India, where he and his 400-strong delegation inked deals that will see bilateral trade double to $100bn a year by 2015.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

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#CHINA #NEWS : Decision of Norwegian Nobel Committee does not represent wish of majority of people

BEIJING, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- China's human rights experts said here on Saturday that the decision of the Norwegian Nobel Committee could not represent the wish of the majority of the people in the world and Liu Xiaobo does not represent the Chinese people.

The head of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Thorbjoern Jagland, insisted during an earlier press conference that "this is not a prize against China. This is a prize honoring people in China."

Professor Zhang Xiaoling, director of the human rights research center of the Party School of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said, "Liu Xiaobo is an imprisoned Chinese criminal and Chinese courts handled Liu Xiaobo's case according to the law. Therefore, how could Liu represent the Chinese people?"

If the committee really wanted to honor people in China, why wouldn't they select China's workers, farmers and scientists? It is they who make contributions to China's development, and international society has widely acknowledged this point of view, she said.

China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Jiang Yu, said Friday night "We are firmly against attempts by any country or individual to use the Nobel Peace Prize to interfere in China's internal affairs and infringe on China's judicial sovereignty."

Jiang said that China's position "has won the understanding and support of over 100 countries and major international organizations."

Further, China's human rights experts said China was pushing forward its human rights cause in all respects, along with progress in reform and development while maintaining social stability. In the future, China would unswervingly stick to a development road that is in accordance with China's national conditions.

China is a vast and populous country, and its stability has a direct bearing on world order. Responsible international organizations and institutions should weigh their actions against the interests of a peaceful world order, rather than confine themselves to a Cold War mentality, said China's human rights experts.

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Em Oslo, cadeira vazia marca entrega de Nobel da Paz a dissidente chinês

Da cadeia, Liu Xiaobao dedica prêmio às ‘almas perdidas’ no massacre da Praça da Paz Celestial, de 1989; sob pressão da China, 16 países não vão ao evento, que pela primeira vez em 75 anos se realiza sem o agraciado ou um representante dele

11 de dezembro de 2010 | 5h 03

NYT e AP

O dissidente chinês Liu Xiaobo foi premiado ontem com o Nobel da Paz em uma cerimônia realizada em Oslo, na Noruega. Mas uma cadeira vazia marcou sua ausência. De sua cela de prisão, na China, ele dedicou o prêmio às "almas perdidas" no massacre da Praça da Paz Celestial, em 1989. Irritada com a indicação de Liu, Pequim qualificou o prêmio de "farsa política".

Pela primeira vez em 75 anos, nenhum representante do vencedor compareceu para receber a medalha, um diploma e o cheque de US$ 1,5 milhão. A última vez que isso ocorreu foi em 1935, quando Adolf Hitler impediu que o conde Carl von Ossietzky, preso em um campo de concentração, comparecesse à cerimônia. Destacando a ausência, Thorbjorn Jagland, presidente do Comitê do Nobel, foi ovacionado ao dizer que o fato mostrava o quanto o prêmio era apropriado: "A China precisa estar preparada para receber críticas."

Representantes das mais de 60 missões diplomáticas credenciadas em Oslo comparecem normalmente à cerimônia. Este ano, porém, 17 embaixadores, incluindo os de China, Rússia, Venezuela e Cuba, não foram. Sem ninguém para receber o Nobel, Jagland colocou a medalha e o diploma sobre uma cadeira vazia, onde havia uma foto de Liu sorridente.

O presidente dos EUA, Barack Obama, que recebeu o prêmio em 2009, emitiu uma declaração dizendo que Liu era muito mais "merecedor" do prêmio do que ele foi. "Liu nos lembra que a dignidade humana depende também do avanço de democracia", disse Obama, que pediu a libertação imediata de Liu, preso no ano passado após ser sentenciado a 11 anos por subversão.

Mas Pequim demonstrou irritação desde o momento em que Liu foi indicado, chamou os membros do comitê do Nobel de "palhaços" e suspendeu por tempo indeterminado as negociações comerciais com a Noruega - os dois países não se falam oficialmente desde outubro, quando Liu foi anunciado como escolhido para receber o prêmio.

Esta semana, em Pequim, tapumes foram colocados diante do prédio de Liu para bloquear a visão dos cinegrafistas estrangeiros que ali se aglomeram. A mulher do dissidente, Liu Xia, tem sido mantida incomunicável desde o anúncio do prêmio.

Membros da família e cerca de 300 amigos e conhecidos estão sob estrita vigilância. A censura atingiu também a CNN e a BBC, que tiveram suas transmissões bloqueadas. A vigilância na Praça da Paz Celestial foi reforçada. O esquema de segurança está sendo comparado ao da Olimpíada, em 2008, e ao da cerimônia dos 60 anos da Revolução Chinesa, no ano passado.

Esta não foi a primeira vez que um dissidente famoso recebeu o prêmio. O físico soviético Andrei Sakharov, o líder sindical polonês Lech Walesa e a ativista birmanesa Aung San Suu Kyi também foram laureados e representados na cerimônia por parentes próximos.

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#NEWS:#TWITTER Chinese officials reach out with micro blogs

BEIJING, Dec. 10 (Xinhuanet) -- Not only has micro-blogging become the trendiest social networking model for Chinese netizens, it has also been increasingly utilized by government officials as a means of communication with the public.

More and more Chinese authorities are resorting to Twitter-like micro blogs to communicate and hopefully win the support of the public, building images contrary to the otherwise drab portrait of Chinese officials who tend to be restrained and stuck to scripted lines.

Recently, 21 courts in Shanghai opened online micro-blogging accounts at xinmin.cn, a local news portal. They have so far generated 1,900 fans and followers in two months since Oct 8.

The move, possibly the first of its kind nationwide, aims to facilitate communication between the courts and the public, said Shen Gang, coordinator at the Higher People's Court of Shanghai. Shen is responsible for operating and monitoring the courts' micro blogs.

"We intend to present and promote the image of Chinese courts to the public by using modern information technology," he said. "We could also have a better understanding of what the public really wants to know through posting messages and receiving feedbacks."

More than 1,300 pieces of information have so far been released through the courts' micro blogs, including announcements, pictures, video files as well as responses to inquiries and questions posed by Internet users, Shen said.

But netizens still want to see more flexibility in the courts' communication with the public.

One netizen, under the tag of Wuyuzegang, said there is a lack of efficiency in the release of information from the courts. The netizen said they should invite public participation in discussing corruption cases and other issues.

Shen said that they did have problems in ensuring the efficient release of information when the micro blog began but are now gradually adapting to the needs of the public.

"There are huge differences between the traditional means of information release of Chinese officialdom and micro-blogging, which allows a maximum of 140 words in a single message and therefore demands far greater efficiency and conciseness ... It has offered us a great opportunity to learn how to deliver messages in the most efficient way," he said.

"All of the micro blogs of the Shanghai courts are monitored by us, and our focus is to find out what are the main concerns of the public."

Micro-blogging, or weibo as it is called by Chinese netizens, was launched only a little more than a year ago in China but has already gained about 50 million users. It is growing at a rapid pace in China, the world's biggest Internet market by users.

Wu Hao, deputy director of the publicity department of the Yunnan provincial Party committee, first started the trend for government officials to use micro blogs.

Wu, who is known for his innovation in trying to change the traditional image of the government's publicity departments, set up his own micro blog to better communicate with the public. Sensitive social issues, including the topic of forced demolitions, are all included in his micro blog, which have led to heated discussions among netizens.

Wu said on his micro blog that he believes micro-blogging is like a social university where people could learn, share and think together.

"Micro-blogging has become a trend in recent years, which is a new form of communication between the public and the government, as well as a great channel to collect public thoughts," said Zhou Baohua, a professor in media research at Fudan University.

"We must appreciate the positive effects achieved by the government by building various channels to deliver information to the public, although there is still much room for improvement," he said.

"The government also needs to remember that micro-blogging is not the only platform that can be used to communicate with the public. The best way is to combine it with other platforms such as a government website," Zhou said.

Due to its popularity with the great majority of Chinese netizens, micro-blogging has also been instrumental in helping with police crackdowns in criminal cases. A major case was solved with the help of forwarding and exchanging messages through micro-blogging last month in Xiamen, Fujian province.

Xiamen police released information of a murder case including details of the victim's pictures and asked for netizens' help to provide clues. It received more than 3,000 feedback messages and was forwarded 10,000 times. The case was solved six days later with clues from the public.

According to online records, dozens of local police had opened their official micro blogs in 2010, including in Beijing, and in provinces such as Shandong, Jiangsu and Fujian.

"In general, it is the fastest and most cost-effective way to bridge information between the government and the public," Zhou said. "I believe it will become one of the most commonly used methods in the future."

(Source: China Daily)

7 things Sina Microblog (Weibo) has that Twitter doesn’t

Sina Microblog – better known in China as Weibo (pronounced ‘way-bore’) – is establishing itself as the leading Chinese microblog platform. According to Sina’s CEO, Weibo had more than 5 million users in early March 2010.

While Weibo is essentially the same concept as Twitter, there are a few differences:

1) Blog-like comments. Unlike Twitter’s ‘replies’, Weibo’s comments do not appear independently in the feed; instead, they are listed under the entry, more like a traditional blog. All discussion around a single Weibo entry, therefore, can be seen easily in one place.

2) Focus on verified accounts. Although Twitter now has now brought them in, verified accounts are a much bigger deal in Weibo; they are given out far more readily, to all kinds of celebrities and brands, and a pretty “v” appears by every verified user’s Weibo entry. With 1,259,038 fans, Yao Chen, a young actress, is the most popular ‘Weiborer’:

3) The backing of a Chinese giant. Sina is better known in China for its blogging platform, which is one of the most widely read in the world. This not only connects Weibo to a huge user base and content source, years of self-censoring experience have earned Weibo acceptance from the government. For these reasons and more, Weibo is in a very strong position in China.

4) Embedded picture & video attachments. By clicking on thumbnails that can be easily added to any Weibo entry, pictures or video can be viewed without leaving the page. This is this handy for the user and provides opportunities for marketing, as brands can more easily associate visuals with entries. The following screenshots show an embedded video before it is clicked:

And after it has been clicked:

5) Stringent self-censorship. Unlike Twitter, users risk having entries deleted by Weibo, without explanation, if they contain anything deemed politically sensitive.

6) A comprehensive portal page. Weibo’s portal page features far more than Twitter’s, with extensive lists including rankings for individual entry, topic, and user popularity.

7) An ‘eager’ automatic URL shortener. Enter any ‘http://…’ address — regardless of length — and it will be shortened to something like http://sinaurl.cn/kljlkj. While often handy, this will frustrate anyone that needs to make it clear to users exactly what link they’re following.

For more detail, read an article by Sinobytes; for context, read a ‘Chinese Microblog Roundup’ by East-West-Connect; and for more Webb in China stuff on Weibo, click here.

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#NEWS: China blocks foreign media ahead of Nobel award

http://www.swedishwire.com/

BEIJING (AFP) - The websites of several foreign media outlets appeared to be blocked in China on Thursday on the eve of the award ceremony in Oslo honouring the 2010 Nobel peace laureate, jailed dissident Liu Xiaobo.

AFP attempts to access the websites of television networks CNN, the BBC and Norwegian public broadcaster NRK were unsuccessful, with the message "Internet Explorer cannot display the web page" appearing on the screen.

China on Thursday stepped up its criticism of the Oslo-based Nobel committee that in October chose Liu -- who was jailed in December 2009 for 11 years on subversion charges -- as this year's honoree.

"Those people at the Nobel committee have to admit they are in the minority. The Chinese people and the overwhelming majority of people in the world oppose what they do," foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told reporters.

"Any attempt to exert pressure on China... cannot succeed."

When Liu was named the peace prize winner two months ago, initial reports were blacked out on CNN, BBC and French satellite channel TV5, while the state network China Central Television did not report on the prize.

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#NEWS : US military leader chides China over N. Korea crisis

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
12/09/2010 07:11

TOKYO — The top US military chief is turning up pressure on China over the military crisis on the Korean peninsula, saying Beijing has failed to take effective action even though it has more influence over North Korea than any other government.

Adm. Mike Mullen, on a brief stopover in Tokyo on Thursday, said it is imperative China do more to lead North Korea away from escalating the threat of an all-out war. The North attacked a South Korean island with artillery two weeks ago, killing four people, and it is blamed for the deadly sinking of a South Korean warship in March.

Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said: "China must lead and guide North Korea to a better future."

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#NEWS : China Clones, Sells Russian Fighter Jets

By JEREMY PAGE

ZHUHAI, China—A year after the collapse of the Soviet Union, a cash-strapped Kremlin began selling China a chunk of its vast military arsenal, including the pride of the Russian air force, the Sukhoi-27 fighter jet.

For the next 15 years, Russia was China's biggest arms supplier, providing $20 billion to $30 billion of fighters, destroyers, submarines, tanks and missiles. It even sold Beijing a license to make the Su-27 fighter jet—with imported Russian parts.

Associated Press

Chinese fighter jets, believed to be J-11Bs, train over Tibet in July.

Today, Russia's military bonanza is over, and China's is just beginning.

After decades of importing and reverse-engineering Russian arms, China has reached a tipping point: It now can produce many of its own advanced weapons—including high-tech fighter jets like the Su-27—and is on the verge of building an aircraft carrier.

Not only have Chinese engineers cloned the prized Su-27's avionics and radar but they are fitting it with the last piece in the technological puzzle, a Chinese jet engine.

In the past two years, Beijing hasn't placed a major order from Moscow.

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Now, China is starting to export much of this weaponry, undercutting Russia in the developing world, and potentially altering the military balance in several of the world's flash points.

This epochal turnaround was palpable in the Russian pavilion at November's Airshow China in the southern city of Zhuhai. Russia used to be the star of this show, wowing visitors with its "Russian Knights" aerobatic team, showing off fighters, helicopters and cargo planes, and sealing multibillion dollar deals on the sidelines.

This year, it didn't bring a single real aircraft—only a handful of plastic miniatures, tended by a few dozen bored sales staff.

China, by contrast, laid on its biggest commercial display of military technology—almost all based on Russian know-how.

The star guests were the "Sherdils," a Pakistani aerobatic team flying fighter jets that are Russian in origin but are now being produced by Pakistan and China.

Milestones

• 1950s — Soviet Union allows China to copy various low-tech weapons

• 1956 — Ideological dispute leads to cutoff of Soviet military assistance

• 1992 — China becomes first country outside former Soviet Union to buy Su-27 fighter jet

• 1994 — China buys four Kilo class diesel submarines from Russia

• 1996 — China buys license to assemble Su-27

• 1997 — China buys two Sovremenny-class destroyers from Russia

• 2002 — China buys eight more submarines and two more destroyers from Russia

• 2007 — China unveils J-11B, which Russians say is a copy of Su-27

"We used to be the senior partner in this relationship—now we're the junior one," said Ruslan Pukhov, of the Russian Defense Ministry's Public Advisory Council, a civilian advisory body to the military.

Russia's predicament mirrors that of many foreign companies as China starts to compete in global markets with advanced trains, power-generating equipment and other civilian products based on technology obtained from the West.

In this case, there is an additional security dimension, however: China is developing weapons systems, including aircraft carriers and carrier-based fighters, that could threaten Taiwan and test U.S. control of the Western Pacific.

Chinese exports of fighters and other advanced weapons also threaten to alter the military balance in South Asia, Sudan and Iran.

China's military muscle still lags far behind that of the U.S., by far the world's largest weapons manufacturer and exporter. China accounted for 2% of global arms transfers between 2005-2009, putting it in ninth place among exporters, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

But no other Asian country has sought to project military power—and had the indigenous capability to do so—since Japan's defeat in 1945.

China's rapid mastery of Russian technology raises questions about U.S. cooperation with the civilian faces of Chinese arms makers.

The Aviation Industry Corp. (AVIC), China's state aerospace company, builds fighters, for instance. But it is also making a new passenger jet with help from General Electric Co. and other U.S. aerospace companies. A GE official says the company has partnered with foreign engine manufacturers for decades "with elaborate protections built in place" that have preserved the company's intellectual property.

There are also implications for U.S. weapons programs. Last year the Pentagon decided to cut funding for the F-22—currently the most advanced fighter deployed in the world—partly on the grounds that China wouldn't have many similar aircraft for at least 15 years.

But then Gen. He Weirong, deputy head of China's Air Force, announced that Chinese versions of such jets were about to undergo test flights, and would be deployed in "eight or 10 years."

The Defense Intelligence Agency now says it will take China "about 10 years" to deploy stealth fighters in "meaningful numbers."

For Moscow and Beijing, meanwhile, a dispute over the intellectual-property rights to such weaponry is testing their efforts to overcome a long historical rivalry and build a new era of friendly ties.

"We didn't pay enough attention to our intellectual property in the past," said a Russian defense official. "Now China is even competing with us on the international market."

J-11B Specs

• ENGINE — Originally fitted with Russian AL31F engine, now being fitted with Chinese WS-10A

• RANGE — 3,200 miles (with one aerial re-fueling)

• SPEED — Mach 2.35 (1,600 mph)

• RADAR — Indigenous radar capable of tracking 6-8 targets, and engaging 4, simultaneously

• WEAPONS — PL-8 and PL-12 air-to-air missiles, LT-2 laser-guided bomb, LS-6 precision-guided glide bomb, 30mm cannon

• ESTIMATED NUMBER IN CHINESE AIR FORCE — 50

Few things illustrate this more clearly than the J-11B, a Chinese fighter that Russian officials allege is a direct copy of the Su-27, a one-seat fighter that was developed by the Soviets through the 1970s and 1980s as a match for the U.S. F-15 and F-16.

Before the early 1990s, Moscow hadn't provided major arms to Beijing since an ideological split in 1956, which led to a brief border clash in 1969.

But after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Kremlin was desperate for hard currency. In 1992, China became the first country outside the former Soviet Union to buy the Su-27, paying $1 billion for 24.

The deal was a coup for China, which had shifted its military focus away from a potential Soviet land invasion, and now wanted to defend territorial claims over Taiwan and parts of the South China Sea and East China Sea.

Efforts to upgrade its air and naval forces had been hampered by U.S. and European Union arms embargoes imposed after the 1989 crackdown on protesters around Tiananmen Square.

China's military modernization program grew more urgent after its leaders were stunned by the display of U.S. firepower during the first Gulf War, Western military officials say.

Beijing's breakthrough came in 1996, when it paid Russia $2.5 billion for a license to assemble another 200 Su-27s at the Shenyang Aircraft Company.

The agreement stipulated that the aircraft—to be called the J-11—would include imported Russian avionics, radars and engines and couldn't be exported.

But after building 105, China abruptly canceled the contract in 2004, claiming the aircraft no longer met its requirements, according to Russian officials and defense experts.

Three years later, Russia's fears were confirmed when China unveiled its own version of the fighter jet—the J-11B—on state television.

"When the license was sold, everyone knew they would do this. It was just a risk that was taken," said Vassily Kashin, a Russian expert on the Chinese military. "At that time it was a question of survival."

The J-11B looked almost identical to the Su-27, but China said it was 90% indigenous and included more advanced Chinese avionics and radars. Only the engine was still Russian, China said.

Now it is being fitted with a Chinese engine as well, according to Zhang Xinguo, deputy president of AVIC, which includes Shenyang Aircraft.

"You cannot say it's just a copy," he said. "Mobile phones all look similar. But technology is developing very quickly. Even if it looks the same, everything inside cannot be the same."

The J-11B presented Russia with a stark choice—to continue selling China weapons, and risk having them cloned, too, or to stop, and miss out on its still lucrative market.

Russia's initial response was to suspend talks on selling China the Su-33, a fighter with folding wings that can be used on aircraft carriers.

Since then, however, it has re-opened negotiations on the Su-33, although it rejected China's offer to buy just two, and insisted on a larger order.

Sukhoi Aviation Holding Co.'s official position now is that it remains confident about its business in China.

Indeed, many aviation experts believe AVIC is having problems developing an indigenous engine for the J-11B with the same thrust and durability as the original Russian ones.

Sukhoi is betting that China will have to buy the Su-33 on Russian terms as Beijing will struggle to develop its own carrier-based fighter in time for the planned launch of its first carriers in 2011 or 2012.

The company also hopes to sell China the Su-35—a more advanced version of the Su-27—if the J-11B doesn't perform well enough.

"We're just hoping our aircraft will be better," said Sergey Sergeev, deputy director general of Sukhoi. "It's one thing to make a good quality copy of a spoon, but quite another to make one of an aircraft."

The Russian and Chinese governments both declined to comment.

In private, however, Russian officials say they worry that China is about to start mass producing and exporting advanced fighters—without Russian help. China bought $16 billion worth of Russian arms between 2001 and 2008—40% of Russia's sales.

Photographs published recently on Chinese military websites appear to show engines fitted on the J-11B and a modified version—called the J-15—for use on aircraft carriers.

That has compounded Russian fears that China has reverse engineered an Su-33 prototype it acquired in 2001 from Ukraine, according to Russian defense experts.

At last year's Dubai Air Show, China demonstrated its L-15 trainer jet for the first time. In June, China made its debut at the Eurosatory arms fair in France.

In July, China demonstrated the JF-17—the fighter developed with Pakistan—for the first time overseas at the Farnborough Airshow in Britain.

China also had one of the biggest pavilions at an arms fair in Capetown in September.

"They're showing up at arms fairs they've never been to before," said Siemon T. Wezeman, an arms trade expert at SIPRI. "Whereas 15 years ago they had nothing really, now they're offering reasonable technology at a reasonable price."

China is generating particular interest among developing countries, especially with the relatively cheap JF-17 fighter with a Russian engine.

The Kremlin has approved the re-export of the engine to Pakistan, as it has no arms business there.

But it was enraged last year when Azerbaijan, an ex-Soviet republic, began talks on buying JF-17s, according to people familiar with the situation.

Also last year, China's JF-17s and Russia's MiG-29s competed in a tender from Myanmar, which eventually chose the Russians, but paid less than they wanted.

This year, both entered a tender from Egypt, with China offering the JF-17 for $10 million less than Russia's $30 million MiG-29.

That prompted Mikhail Pogosyan, who heads Sukhoi and the company that makes MiGs, to suggest that the Kremlin stop selling China the Russian engines for the JF-17.

The Kremlin hasn't done that yet, but Russian officials have suggested privately taking legal action if China exports more advanced jets like the J-11B.

Last month, Russia's government proposed new legislation attaching an intellectual property rights clause to foreign military sales agreements.

The issue was raised during a visit by President Dmitry Medvedev to China in October, according to people familiar with the situation.

"Of course we're concerned, but we also recognize there's very little we can do," said Mr. Pukhov, of the Russian Defense Ministry's Public Advisory Council.

Asked what advice he would give Western aerospace firms, Sukhoi's Mr. Sergeev said: "They should keep in mind what products they're selling—whether they're civilian or dual use. And most important is to prepare very carefully your contract documents."

While Russia worries about intellectual property, other countries are concerned about security. The arms programs China initiated two or three decades ago are starting to bear fruit, with serious implications for the regional—and global—military balance.

The J-11B is expected to be used by the Chinese navy as its frontline fighter, capable of sustained combat over the entire East China Sea and South China Sea.

Aircraft carriers and J-15 fighters would further enhance its ability to stop the U.S. intervening in a conflict over Taiwan, and test its control of the Western Pacific.

China's arms exports could have repercussions on regions in conflict around the world. Pakistan inducted its first squadron of Chinese-made fighter jets in February, potentially altering the military balance with India.

Other potential buyers of China's JF-17 fighter jet include Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Venezuela, Nigeria, Morocco and Turkey. In the past, China has also sold fighters to Sudan.

The potential customer of greatest concern to the U.S. is Iran, which purchased about $260 million of weapons from China between 2002-2009, according to Russia's Centre for Analysis of the Global Arms Trade.

In June, China backed U.N. sanctions on Iran, including an expanded arms embargo, but Tehran continues to seek Chinese fighters and other weaponry.

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#NEWS: Chinese president calls for calm to avoid escalating tension on Korean Peninsula

BEIJING, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao on Monday called for calm and rational response from all sides to prevent the deterioration of the fragile security situation on the Korean Peninsula.

In a telephone conversation with his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama, Hu said China is greatly concerned about the current tension on the peninsula, and deeply regrets the loss of lives and properties in the exchange of artillery fire between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and South Korea late last month.

The fragile security situation on the Korean Peninsula, if not properly handled, could lead to further escalation of tension, or even run out of control, which is not in the common interests of all parties concerned, said Hu.

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#news : Explosion kills 7, injures 37 in SW China Internet cafe

By Xinhua writers Li Zhongjiang, Yang Hongtao, Yang Dingdu

GUIYANG, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Seven people were killed and 37 injured in an Internet Cafe when chemicals exploded in an adjacent shop Saturday night in southwest China's Guizhou Province, local authorities said Sunday.

The explosion happened in a shop where sodium nitrite and other explosive chemicals were stored. The 11:05 p.m. blast and ensuing fire completely destroyed the next door Internet cafe in Kaili City, Qiandongnan Miao-Dong Autonomous Prefecture, said a spokesman with Kaili municipal government.

Six people were killed on site and one woman died of extensive burns after treatment failed Sunday afternoon in hospital.

Police have detained Wu Zhanzhi for illegal possession of chemicals. The Internet cafe's boss Chen Chenggui and manager Xing Guangchang were also in police custody for questioning.

Forty-five people were in the cafe when the explosion occurred. Only one of them was not injured.

The rescue work had ended, and the 37 injured, including 8 seriously, were being treated in local hospitals. A statement from the Kaili municipal government said the injured people were in a stable condition.

Long Xianze, deputy head of Qiandongnan Miao-Dong Autonomous Prefecture Hospital, said the seven seriously injured people the hospital admitted were out of danger. The most seriously injured suffered burns over 35 percent of his body.

"I was chatting online when the blast knocked me over. I pushed away a wreaked desk that had landed on me and managed to climb out," said 18-year-old Long Jiuke, who was being treated in the hospital.

"The ceiling fell down after the blast. Someone pushed me down in the chaos, others stamped on me," said a female student of Qiandongnan Prefecture Middle School, who declined to give her name. She had burns on her face.

The investigators are presently identifying the bodies of the dead, one of whom was a child. Xinhua reporters heard that middle school students were among the injured. But it was not immediately clear how many children were among the casualties.

Internet cafes are not allowed by law to receive people under 18 years old in China.

Aside from ripping through the Internet cafe, the blast also shattered windows of nearby residential buildings.

The Internet cafe, with 140 computers, had been operating with a license for a number of years, police said.

A further investigation is underway.

"The location and environment of the Internet cafe is not safe. We will find out who approved its operation and who was in charge of safety supervision. They will be held responsible," said Li Feiyue, head of Qiandongnan Miao-Dong Autonomous Prefecture.

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#news China says Russia supports emergency six-party consultations

BEIJING, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- China said Thursday that Russia had expressed support for emergency six-party consultations on the Korean Peninsula situation.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu made the remarks here at a regular news briefing.

S Korean FM to discuss DPRK issues with U.S., Japanese counterparts

SEOUL, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's top diplomat will meet with his U.S. and Japanese counterparts during a three-day trip to Washington starting Sunday, the foreign ministry here said Thursday.

Kim Sung-hwan is scheduled to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara for a three-way meeting next Monday to discuss countermeasures against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s artillery shelling of a South Korean island last Tuesday, according to the ministry.

The three top diplomats will also discuss collaboration on other issues regarding the DPRK, including the current nuclear standoff, the ministry said in a press release.

Two separate bilateral meetings are also scheduled, with Kim and Clinton expected to discuss DPRK issues along with a two-way free trade deal between Seoul and Washington that awaits legislative approval in both countries.

DPRK issues and bilateral relations between South Korea and Japan will top the agenda at a scheduled bilateral meeting between Kim and Maehara, according to the ministry.

U.S., S. Korea, Japan to meet on peninsula situation

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- Foreign ministers of the United States, South Korea and Japan will meet next Monday in Washington to discuss the recent developments on the Korean Peninsula and their impact on regional security, the U.S. State Department said on Wednesday.

Other "regional and global issues" will also be discussed by U. S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan and Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara, the department said in a statement.

"This meeting demonstrates the extraordinary close coordination between the United States, the Republic of Korea and Japan, and our commitment to security on the Korean Peninsula and stability in the region," the statement added.

Tensions persist on the Korean Peninsula after the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and South Korea exchanged artillery fire on Nov. 23, leaving four South Koreans dead and more than a dozen others injured.

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#news : S. Korea, U.S. Rule out Immediate Resumption of Six-Party Talks

South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton agreed Wednesday the stalled six-party talks should not be resumed until the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) shows a "responsible attitude" towards its recent provocation, the foreign ministry here said.

Kim met with Hillary Clinton on the sidelines of a summit meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, currently being held in Kazakhstan.

During the bilateral meeting, Clinton reiterated the U.S. commitment to defending South Korea and pledged to deal resolutely with the DPRK's artillery bombardment last Tuesday of an inhabited South Korean border island, which killed two civilians and two marines, according to the ministry.

The two agreed that the DPRK should first behave responsibly with regards to what Seoul and Washington say was an unprovoked attack and demonstrate its genuine will for denuclearization before resuming the long-stalled talks, the ministry said.

The six parties involve DPRK, South Korea, China, the United States, Russia and Japan.

China has recently proposed "emergency consultations" among the heads of delegations to the six-party talks to help defuse tensions on the Korean peninsula. Seoul has practically dismissed the call, citing the inappropriate timing.

The two top diplomats have agreed to meet next week in Washington for more discussion, according to the ministry.

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#NEWS #China urges preventing escalation of tension on #Korean Peninsula

BEIJING, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- China said Wednesday that the most pressing task now is to prevent escalation of the tension on the Korean Peninsula and nothing should be done to "inflame the situation."

SEOUL, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- The hard-line approach by the South Korean government toward the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is to be blamed for the ongoing standoff between the two Koreas, South Korea's opposition party leader said Tuesday.

Sohn Hak-kyu, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party, defended the engagement policy of the two previous administrations, commonly dubbed the "sunshine policy," from accusations that they only gave rise to provocations by Pyongyang as recently demonstrated in its shelling of a South Korean island last week.

The Lee Myung-bak administration has denied the rapprochement approach by his liberal predecessors and opted instead for sanctioning the DPRK, resulting in the DPRK's "armed provocation," he told a televised forum for Korea Broadcasting Journalists Club.

Sohn, while admitting that the sunshine policy was never a " panacea" in dealing with Pyongyang, said foes of the policy are misled if they believe engaging Pyongyang meant tolerating everything.

"The sunshine policy was about building a minimum condition for peace in the long term," he said.

Lee's two predecessors, Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun, have come under increasingly fierce criticism by the conservative base here for having aided Pyongyang only to see it turn against Seoul with a series of military provocations.

The conservative Lee administration, as it took office in 2008, quickly cut a free flow of aid to the DPRK and linked it to progress in Pyongyang's denuclearization progress, souring inter- Korean ties that have since further deteriorated.

The opposition leader, however, showed his support for a stern response to the DPRK, which bombarded a South Korean border island in what was the first attack on the South Korean soil and civilians since the 1950-53 Korean War. The DPRK claims the shelling was provoked by South Korean and U.S. forces then engaged in a naval exercise near a disputed western sea border it never acknowledged.

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#NEWS : China seeks to ease Korean tension

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440,000 residents evacuated as floods ravage S. China island province, more rains to come

HAIKOU, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- More than 440,000 people had been evacuated by Sunday as floods wreaked havoc in China's southernmost island province of Hainan, authorities said Monday.

The floods have disrupted the lives of 2.7 million people in 16 cities and counties on the island, and the affected area accounted for 90 percent of Hainan's total territory, Luo Baoming, governor of the province, said during a video conference on flood relief mobilization.

The floods have also destroyed more than 3,000 houses, and damaged more than 1,400 roads and 43 reservoirs in the province. Also, over 166,700 hectares of crops have been damaged, and among these, 74,000 hectares have been destroyed, according to the provincial civil affairs department.

Nearly 100 schools were toppled, and five cities and counties were forced to suspend school for two or three days, Luo said.

According to the local meteorological bureau, another round of rains is forecast to pound the island Wednesday, which will pose more difficulties for relief work, Luo added.

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China Anger After 8 From HK Die on Manila Bus

Anger was growing in Hong Kong and Beijing, a day after eight Hong Kong tourists died in a bus hostage standoff in Manila. Officials were trying to comfort grieving relatives, and Philippine authorities promised a full investigation. (Aug. 24)

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A China e a renda diferencial de Ricardo

Autor(es): Paulo R.Haddad

O Estado de S. Paulo - 24/08/2010

Nos últimos cinco anos tenho trabalhado em atividades de consultoria em cerca de duas dezenas de municípios economicamente deprimidos, localizados principalmente no centro-norte do Pará e no leste de Minas Gerais. O objetivo é identificar oportunidades de investimentos diretamente produtivos visando a promover um processo de desenvolvimento desses municípios e suas microrregiões. Os principais obstáculos a ser enfrentados têm sido a profunda escassez de capital social e institucional, assim como o quadro de histerese socioeconômica que permeia as estruturas desses municípios e de seus habitantes. Faltam as condições necessárias para a mobilização social e política da população, de um lado, e para o empreendedorismo local, do outro, visando tanto a solucionar os problemas socioeconômicos quanto a ativar as potencialidades de crescimento econômico. Mas, em quase todos esses municípios, um evento portador de mudanças chega de forma inequívoca em suas economias. Com o crescimento acelerado da demanda mundial de produtos intensivos de recursos naturais renováveis e não-renováveis (alimentos, bioenergéticos, papel e celulose, minérios e metais, etc.), particularmente a partir da expansão intensificada do consumo e dos investimentos na China, tornou-se inevitável redefinir o nível de potencial econômico desses municípios. No médio prazo, pode-se dizer que a dotação de recursos de uma região menos desenvolvida é simplesmente o estoque de recursos naturais que são requeridos, em algum grau, pela economia nacional para atender às demandas interna e externa. À medida que os requisitos da economia se modificam no longo prazo, a composição do estoque se altera e, nesse sentido, o significado do que seja "dotação de recursos" muda com a dinâmica do crescimento econômico, ou seja, com os determinantes da demanda final (preferência dos consumidores, distribuição da renda e da riqueza, padrão do comércio exterior, etc.) e com as condições tecnológicas e de organização do sistema produtivo. Assim, o conceito de potencial de recursos é econômico, e não físico. O valor de um recurso natural não é, pois, intrínseco ao material que o compõe, mas depende da estrutura da demanda, dos custos de produção, dos custos de transporte e das inovações tecnológicas que sejam comercialmente adotadas. Ora, com a mudança do patamar da demanda global para produtos intensivos de recursos naturais, muitas áreas do País estão tendo sua potencialidade econômica redefinida. Ou porque os crescentes preços relativos desses produtos permitem o uso de recursos de pior qualidade (áreas ecologicamente degradadas) ou porque esses preços favorecem o uso de recursos geograficamente de menor acessibilidade (áreas mais distantes dos mercados consumidores). Dois economistas clássicos estudaram particularmente este processo de valorização de recursos naturais de menor produtividade ou pior qualidade (Ricardo) ou de pior acessibilidade e maiores custos de transporte (Von Thünen) gerando uma renda diferencial para os seus proprietários, num contexto de demanda induzida em expansão. Assim vem ocorrendo em muitos municípios do País, como no centro-norte do Pará, com o plantio de palmáceas de dendê para a produção de biodiesel em áreas de pastos degradadas; ou no leste de Minas, com a demanda de terras de menor produtividade para o plantio de eucaliptos para duplicação da capacidade produtiva da indústria de papel e celulose. O valor econômico do patrimônio fundiário se amplia seja por diferentes formas de arrendamento de parcelas das propriedades, seja por contratos de pré-compra com assistência técnica liderados por empresas-âncora. Como a expansão da demanda direta ou indireta por recursos naturais (ainda que de baixa produtividade ou de pior acessibilidade espacial) tende a ser sustentada, consistente e crescente em escala global, o crescimento da renda diferencial dos seus proprietários tende a se elevar e a contribuir para a formação do embrião de uma nova vertente da classe média rural nesses municípios.

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Inter-city rail projects cleared

A bullet train ready for departure at the Tianjin Railway Station. (Photo source: China Daily)

Beijing, August 14 (Xinhuanet) -- The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) on Friday approved a batch of inter-city rail transit networks, spanning more than 2,000 kilometers, to accelerate regional integration.

The nation's economic planner said on its website that it has cleared the plan to build the network across central China, mainly in Henan province. The network is expected to link nine cities and has a total length of 496 kms.

It also includes amendments on plans of the networks across the Pearl River Delta region, with a length of 1,478 kms, as well as metro lines in Xi'an, the capital city of Northwest China's Shaanxi province.

"The plans are a continuation of China's supportive policy on infrastructure construction," said Ou Guoli, a professor at the business and management department of the Beijng Jiaotong University.

"It will create huge investment opportunities and benefit industries like steel, cement and telecommunications," Ou said.

According to Ou, the average cost of a railway transit system ranges from 100 million yuan to 200 million yuan per km.

The cost is even higher for metro lines, with an average cost of 600 million yuan per km.

China's urbanization has come to a certain stage when there are more and more requirements on transportation efficiency, indicating a speed-up in the country's rail transit system, Ou said.

China has launched 31 metro lines in 10 cities. The State Council last year approved 79 additional metro lines in 22 cities, at an estimated investment cost of around 882 billion yuan. That in turn is expected to create huge demand for rail-related businesses, particularly, for train makers.

China CSR, one of the two largest train makers in China, has teamed up with the Henan and Guangdong provinces to cash on the booming city rail transit system.

"Two years back, we had an annual production capacity of 2,000 units. It still lags behind (the booming demand)," Zhao Xiaogang, chairman of China CSR, told Forbes China magazine in a recent interview.

The Chinese company plans to ramp up annual production capacity to 3,000 units this year.

French train maker Alstom has sold more than 1,200 trains to Shanghai Metro and over 400 in Nanjing. It also provides metro signaling systems for Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Alstom said it is now looking for opportunities in the second-tier cities.

(Source: China Daily)

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China, Argentina to strengthen cooperation on antarctic expedition

BUENOS AIRES, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- China and Argentina will conduct more active cooperation on antarctic scientific expedition, an official from the State Oceanic Administration of China has said.

"As a country closest to the South Pole in Latin America, Argentina provides ideal conditions for Chinese expedition teams to gather and rest before entering the pole," Wei Wenliang, head of the Polar Expedition Office of the administration, told Xinhua on Monday.

Wei is here with a delegation from the administration to attend the 22nd Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP) held in the Argentine capital.

"China is willing to launch more antarctic scientific expedition projects with Argentina and contribute to peace of the South Pole, especially after Argentine President Cristina Fernandez's successful visit to China in July this year," said Wei.

Wei said the third generation of China's polar expedition ship Xue Long (Snow Dragon) has entered the Buenos Aires harbor and Ushuaia harbor in southern Argentina for supplies several times. The first and second generations of China's polar expedition ship also have been to Argentina.

He added that when China's new polar expedition ship is launched, it will dock in Argentina on its way to the South Pole.

The Kunlun research station, located at the highest point of the antarctic icecap with the altitude of 4,090 meters, is under construction now. Wei said the project, upon completion in two or three years, will be open to scientists from different countries just like the Great Wall and Zhongshan stations.

Chinese scientists have made more than 5,000 visits to the South Pole and published a similar number of high-quality papers on the subject since antarctic scientific expedition started in China 26 years ago, said Wei. But he noted that China still has a lot to learn from other countries' experience and achievements.

He said it is difficult for any country to carry out a big project all by itself on the South Pole. Therefore, countries should join hands and drawn on each other's strength to achieve their goals.

The Antarctic Treaty Secretariat, with its headquarter in Buenos Aires, held several international conferences last week. Some 800 scientists from more than 40 countries attended the meetings, and discussed joint scientific expedition in the South Pole and the prevention of its pollution, among other topics.

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