Xinhua 08-31-2015
BEIJING, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks
with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev in Beijing on Monday,
agreeing to build stronger ties.
Xi welcomed Nazarbayev to China for his state visit and to participate in the country's V-Day celebrations on Sept. 3.
Xi praised the progress of ties since the two forged an all-round
strategic partnership in 2011, citing expanded cooperation, solid
political trust and efficient coordination.
He called on both sides to strengthen support for each other and safeguard each other's core interests.
Xi called for improved bilateral cooperation in capacity, investment,
trade, energy, infrastructure and high technology, and urged the
countries to make full use of financing mechanisms such as the Asian
Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Silk Road Fund.
The two leaders agreed to integrate the China-proposed Silk Road
Economic Belt with Kazakhstan's new economic policy, called the Bright
Road, to achieve common prosperity.
China is ready to cement security cooperation with Kazakhstan to jointly safeguard regional peace and stability, Xi said.
READ MORE.....
Monday, August 31, 2015
Sunday, August 30, 2015
From China to Pakistan: A well-thought-out 3,000km lifeline
Pramit Pal Chaudhuri and Imtiaz Ahmad, Hindustan Times, Beijing/Delhi/Karachi|
Hindustan Times - Aug 30, 2015
Through September, working groups of Chinese and Pakistanis will finalise 40-plus projects to launch the $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Both governments see this as more than just a construction project. The corridor is designed to transform Pakistan’s economy—and potentially China’s global status.
Already in the Arabian Sea port of Gwadar, the southern terminus of the corridor, the Chinese have begun upgrading the harbour. So has the expansion of the highway out of the port, a road that will run 3000 kilometres to the Chinese border town of Kashgar.
Much of the corridor’s initial expenditure is on power plants. Nearly $34 billion of the corridor’s funds will go to energy projects, with over half of this going to electricity production. When completed, Pakistan’s national grid will receive 10,400 MW additional power.
Beijing’s logic is simple. As an ex-Chinese ambassador to Pakistan explained, “Solving Pakistan’s power deficit is the first step to stabilising its economy.” Pakistan struggles with rolling blackouts thanks to an annual power deficit of about 5,000 MW. The contracts also help Chinese makers of generators, solar cells and the like, all of which suffer from huge overcapacity and need overseas buyers. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, publicly says before his term ends in 2018, power cuts will be a thing of the past.
READ MORE....
Hindustan Times - Aug 30, 2015
Through September, working groups of Chinese and Pakistanis will finalise 40-plus projects to launch the $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Both governments see this as more than just a construction project. The corridor is designed to transform Pakistan’s economy—and potentially China’s global status.
Already in the Arabian Sea port of Gwadar, the southern terminus of the corridor, the Chinese have begun upgrading the harbour. So has the expansion of the highway out of the port, a road that will run 3000 kilometres to the Chinese border town of Kashgar.
Much of the corridor’s initial expenditure is on power plants. Nearly $34 billion of the corridor’s funds will go to energy projects, with over half of this going to electricity production. When completed, Pakistan’s national grid will receive 10,400 MW additional power.
Beijing’s logic is simple. As an ex-Chinese ambassador to Pakistan explained, “Solving Pakistan’s power deficit is the first step to stabilising its economy.” Pakistan struggles with rolling blackouts thanks to an annual power deficit of about 5,000 MW. The contracts also help Chinese makers of generators, solar cells and the like, all of which suffer from huge overcapacity and need overseas buyers. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, publicly says before his term ends in 2018, power cuts will be a thing of the past.
READ MORE....
Friday, August 28, 2015
Nazarbayev to visit China
By Dinara Urazova
Tengrinews - AUGUST 25, 2015
Nursultan Nazarbayev is going on an official state visit to China to meet Xi Jinping amid the tumultuous situation in the global economy, Tengirnews reports citing the press-secretary of the Kazakh President Dauren Abayev.
"On August 31 the President of Kazakhstan will pay a state visit to China at the official invitation of Beijing. (...) He will meet with the Chinese President Xi Jinping, will take part in the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Victory. The leaders will "compare notes" in all areas of our cooperation, especially given the difficult situation in the global economy, including the global trend of weakening of the national currencies (Chinese yen and Kazakh tenge)," Abayev said.
High level agreements will be signed in industry, investment, energy and logistics during the visit that is expected to become a new stage in the development of strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and China.
"The President will also discuss increasing trade turnover and synchronization of transport projects Nurly Zhol and the New Silk Road. In addition, the President will meet with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and the heads of the largest corporations in China. Large-scale joint investment projects are also on the agenda of these meetings," the press secretary of the Kazakh President said.
Abayev emphasized that Nazarbayev was going to China for a state visit, not just to attend the Victory Day celebrations.
"As far as I know, among the big number of world leaders who are arriving in China for the Victory Day, only Nursultan Nazarbayev was given an opportunity to make a state visit," representative of Akorda said. He did not rule out that in the framework of his visit, the President of Kazakhstan would have bilateral meetings with leaders of other countries who will attend the Victory Day parade in Beijing.
"As Nursultan Nazarbayev puts it, crisis is a window of opportunity, so we are going to China once again to use these opportunities,” the spokesman concluded.
READ MORE.......
Tengrinews - AUGUST 25, 2015
Nursultan Nazarbayev is going on an official state visit to China to meet Xi Jinping amid the tumultuous situation in the global economy, Tengirnews reports citing the press-secretary of the Kazakh President Dauren Abayev.
"On August 31 the President of Kazakhstan will pay a state visit to China at the official invitation of Beijing. (...) He will meet with the Chinese President Xi Jinping, will take part in the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Victory. The leaders will "compare notes" in all areas of our cooperation, especially given the difficult situation in the global economy, including the global trend of weakening of the national currencies (Chinese yen and Kazakh tenge)," Abayev said.
High level agreements will be signed in industry, investment, energy and logistics during the visit that is expected to become a new stage in the development of strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and China.
"The President will also discuss increasing trade turnover and synchronization of transport projects Nurly Zhol and the New Silk Road. In addition, the President will meet with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and the heads of the largest corporations in China. Large-scale joint investment projects are also on the agenda of these meetings," the press secretary of the Kazakh President said.
Abayev emphasized that Nazarbayev was going to China for a state visit, not just to attend the Victory Day celebrations.
"As far as I know, among the big number of world leaders who are arriving in China for the Victory Day, only Nursultan Nazarbayev was given an opportunity to make a state visit," representative of Akorda said. He did not rule out that in the framework of his visit, the President of Kazakhstan would have bilateral meetings with leaders of other countries who will attend the Victory Day parade in Beijing.
"As Nursultan Nazarbayev puts it, crisis is a window of opportunity, so we are going to China once again to use these opportunities,” the spokesman concluded.
READ MORE.......
China, Kazakhstan reach six-point consensus on advancing cooperation
English.news.cn | 2015-08-26
BEIJING, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli and First Deputy Prime Minister Bakytzhan Sagintayev of Kazakhstan reached a six-point consensus to advance bilateral cooperation on Tuesday.
Zhang and Sagintayev co-chaired the seventh session of the China-Kazakhstan Cooperation Commission in Beijing, at which they summarized the results and planned future cooperation in the areas of manufacturing capacity, energy and resources, trade and investment, inter-connectivity, technology and people-to-people contact.
The two sides agreed to step up integration of the China-proposed Silk Road Economic Belt with Kazakhstan's new economic policy of the Bright Road. They will establish a joint work group on building the Silk Road Economic Belt as soon as possible and start drafting a guideline on bilateral cooperation at the earliest possible date.
The two sides vowed to deepen cooperation on manufacturing capacity. The two governments will sign an agreement on investment and manufacturing capacity cooperation as soon as possible. They will materialize a number of short-listed projects and accelerate study on establishing a bilateral fund for manufacturing capacity cooperation.
The two sides also agreed to boost bilateral trade to 40 billion U.S. dollars a year by strengthening cooperation on infrastructure, equipment manufacturing, construction materials, petrochemical industry, automobiles and agriculture.
The two sides vowed to advance construction of roads connecting the western part of China, Kazakhstan and western parts of Europe. They agreed to better facilitate cargo transport by trains between China and Europe and foster a smooth and stable Eurasia railway passage.
READ MORE......
BEIJING, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli and First Deputy Prime Minister Bakytzhan Sagintayev of Kazakhstan reached a six-point consensus to advance bilateral cooperation on Tuesday.
Zhang and Sagintayev co-chaired the seventh session of the China-Kazakhstan Cooperation Commission in Beijing, at which they summarized the results and planned future cooperation in the areas of manufacturing capacity, energy and resources, trade and investment, inter-connectivity, technology and people-to-people contact.
The two sides agreed to step up integration of the China-proposed Silk Road Economic Belt with Kazakhstan's new economic policy of the Bright Road. They will establish a joint work group on building the Silk Road Economic Belt as soon as possible and start drafting a guideline on bilateral cooperation at the earliest possible date.
The two sides vowed to deepen cooperation on manufacturing capacity. The two governments will sign an agreement on investment and manufacturing capacity cooperation as soon as possible. They will materialize a number of short-listed projects and accelerate study on establishing a bilateral fund for manufacturing capacity cooperation.
The two sides also agreed to boost bilateral trade to 40 billion U.S. dollars a year by strengthening cooperation on infrastructure, equipment manufacturing, construction materials, petrochemical industry, automobiles and agriculture.
The two sides vowed to advance construction of roads connecting the western part of China, Kazakhstan and western parts of Europe. They agreed to better facilitate cargo transport by trains between China and Europe and foster a smooth and stable Eurasia railway passage.
READ MORE......
Thursday, August 27, 2015
Egypt releases Arabic documentary on Cairo Declaration
English.news.cn 2015-08-27
CAIRO, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The first-ever Arabic-language documentary discussing the sacrifices and roles of both China and Egypt during World War II was released in Cairo Wednesday.
CAIRO, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The first-ever Arabic-language documentary discussing the sacrifices and roles of both China and Egypt during World War II was released in Cairo Wednesday.
The documentary, dubbed "Cairo Declaration... A story of a document,"
tackles the Chinese-Japanese conflicts over territories and islands
seized by Japan during its war against China which started July 7, 1937
and ended September 11, 1945.
On Dec. 1, 1943, after week-long intensive meetings in Cairo, then U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek, jointly vowed to continue their military operations against Japan to "restrain and punish it" until its "unconditional surrender."
Dismissing thoughts of gains or territorial expansion, the three powers agreed their target was that "Japan shall be stripped of all the islands in the Pacific" which it seized or occupied since the beginning of World War I, along with "all territories Japan stole from China."
Japan will be expelled from all territories it took by force, read the declaration issued at Cairo's Mena House, a restaurant complex near the renowned Giza Pyramids.
The statement was published simultaneously in Washington, London and China's wartime capital Chongqing on the day it was issued.
The Cairo Declaration set the tone for an imminent victory in World War II, as well as the goals for post-war world order.
Adel Sabri, CEO of the Egyptian O2 E-Content company which independently produced the documentary, told Xinhua that he has been working on the documentary for three years and meant to release it on the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.
"The Chinese people sacrificed a lot. These sacrifices were not well highlighted and the Chinese people were not appropriately appreciated for this," he said during the film's release held at the Mena House hotel, organized by the Chinese Embassy in Cairo.
Sabri said he produced the film in Arabic to give Arab nations further chances to get acquainted with extra facts regarding that era, adding that the documentary will be screened on Arabic-language TV channels.
"Arabs are under-informed concerning the Chinese-Japanese war, which is why it took three years of information and fact gathering to present to Arab viewers," he added.
Sabri pointed out that Cinema should be used widely and correctly to present historical facts to people everywhere.
"Many people do not even know that half a million Egyptians were killed during World War I, and thousands died during World War II," he said.
Sabri stressed that millions of Chinese were also killed during these wars, but these facts were not appropriately mentioned in history books and the media.
Concerning the difficulties he faced during the making of the documentary, Sabri said collecting information was the greatest difficulty, adding that documenting and filming were additionally difficult, however his team managed to overcome these challenges.
The film introduces the deeply-rooted historical Chinese-Egyptian relationship. It also tackles the periods before and after the Cairo Declaration, along with China's determination to retrieve its seized rights.
Meanwhile, Charge d'affaires Qi Qianjin from the Chinese Embassy in Egypt told Xinhua that the Cairo Declaration remains a cornerstone of war against fascism.
"The Cairo Declaration set the framework and foundation for a new post-war international order in the Asian Pacific region," he said.
On Dec. 1, 1943, after week-long intensive meetings in Cairo, then U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek, jointly vowed to continue their military operations against Japan to "restrain and punish it" until its "unconditional surrender."
Dismissing thoughts of gains or territorial expansion, the three powers agreed their target was that "Japan shall be stripped of all the islands in the Pacific" which it seized or occupied since the beginning of World War I, along with "all territories Japan stole from China."
Japan will be expelled from all territories it took by force, read the declaration issued at Cairo's Mena House, a restaurant complex near the renowned Giza Pyramids.
The statement was published simultaneously in Washington, London and China's wartime capital Chongqing on the day it was issued.
The Cairo Declaration set the tone for an imminent victory in World War II, as well as the goals for post-war world order.
Adel Sabri, CEO of the Egyptian O2 E-Content company which independently produced the documentary, told Xinhua that he has been working on the documentary for three years and meant to release it on the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.
"The Chinese people sacrificed a lot. These sacrifices were not well highlighted and the Chinese people were not appropriately appreciated for this," he said during the film's release held at the Mena House hotel, organized by the Chinese Embassy in Cairo.
Sabri said he produced the film in Arabic to give Arab nations further chances to get acquainted with extra facts regarding that era, adding that the documentary will be screened on Arabic-language TV channels.
"Arabs are under-informed concerning the Chinese-Japanese war, which is why it took three years of information and fact gathering to present to Arab viewers," he added.
Sabri pointed out that Cinema should be used widely and correctly to present historical facts to people everywhere.
"Many people do not even know that half a million Egyptians were killed during World War I, and thousands died during World War II," he said.
Sabri stressed that millions of Chinese were also killed during these wars, but these facts were not appropriately mentioned in history books and the media.
Concerning the difficulties he faced during the making of the documentary, Sabri said collecting information was the greatest difficulty, adding that documenting and filming were additionally difficult, however his team managed to overcome these challenges.
The film introduces the deeply-rooted historical Chinese-Egyptian relationship. It also tackles the periods before and after the Cairo Declaration, along with China's determination to retrieve its seized rights.
Meanwhile, Charge d'affaires Qi Qianjin from the Chinese Embassy in Egypt told Xinhua that the Cairo Declaration remains a cornerstone of war against fascism.
"The Cairo Declaration set the framework and foundation for a new post-war international order in the Asian Pacific region," he said.
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Cfp: CHINA IN THE MIDDLE EAST: Neoliberalism with Chinese Characteristics and Political Transformations in the Middle East DOHA, QATAR MARCH 23 AND 24, 2016
Call for Papers: 2ND ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE: CHINA IN THE MIDDLE EAST: Neoliberalism with Chinese Characteristics and Political Transformations in the Middle East
DOHA, QATAR MARCH 23 AND 24, 2016
DOHA, QATAR MARCH 23 AND 24, 2016
ORGANIZERS:
The
College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) at Qatar University, Ottoman and Modern Turkish Studies and Department
of Central Eurasian Studies Indiana University, Center
for Turkish Studies, Shanghai University and Sociology of Islam Journal (Brill)
The College of
Arts and Sciences (CAS) at Qatar University, Ottoman and Modern Turkish
Studies and Department of Central Eurasian Studies Indiana University and
Sociology of Islam Journal invite interested scholars and advanced graduate
students to submit proposals for the conference below. The event will take
place at the Qatar University on MARCH 23 AND 24, 2016. Please submit a
200-word paper proposal along with your CV to china.middleeast@yahoo.com by Monday November 30, 2015.
ORGANIZATION COMMITTEE
Dr.
Mohammedmoin Sadeq, Qatar University, Qatar
Dr.
Guo Changgang, Center for Turkish Studies, Shanghai University
Dr. Jamsheed
Choksy, Indiana University, USA
Dr.
Kemal Silay, Indiana University, USA
Dr.
Zan Tao, Peking University, People’s Republic of China
Dr.
Tuğrul Keskin, Portland State University, USA
Conference
communication assistant: Michael McCall, Leiden University - china.middleeast (at) yahoo.com or Tugrul Keskin tugrulk (at) vt.edu
Description and
Objectives:
The
increasingly neoliberal economy that has developed since the early 1980s has
led to an emergence of a vibrant middle class in China. This new demographic,
roughly 350-400 million people, began to consume more. This has continued to
shape Chinese Foreign Policy towards oil producing countries, particularly in
the Middle East after Xi Jinping came to power in 2013. One of the first
signs of these changes can be seen in the proposal of a new Silk Road
initiative, introduced by Xi Jinping. Over the last two years, we have seen
the increase of Chinese political and social activities in the region, fueled
by the economic needs for PRC. As a result of this new political strategy, the
PRC started to play a more active role within the Middle Eastern political arena.
Hence, Xi Jinping visited
Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi and Arabia in March 2015. Additionally, Chinese social
and cultural activities began to appear more visibly within the universities
and educational institutions in the Middle East. Hanban Institutes started to open and finance
Confucius Institutes in the region that facilitate Chinese cultural and
language classes and promote mutual understanding between China and the Middle
East. For example these institutes have arisen in Turkey, Israel, Iran,
Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Jordan, UAE, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Morocco.
China has also become one of the largest economic and trade partners with
Middle Eastern states such as Iran, Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, Israel. Therefore,
we would like to make this academic initiative a permanent conference meeting,
and each year, we will organize a China and the Middle East Conference in
different countries in collaboration with other universities.
We organized a
very successful first academic conference on this topic in collaboration with
Beijing University, on March 17-18, 2015. The conference took place in Beijing
University and 24 papers were presented within six different panels. On the
second day, the newly opened Indiana University Beijing office hosted two
panels. The selected conference proceedings (approximately 6-8) will be
published by a peer-reviewed academic journal, the Sociology of Islam, in the
Fall of 2015. You will find the first conference program at the following
homepage:
As a result of
this conference and academic initiative on China and the Middle East, we
established a new academic mailing list on China and the Middle East, hosted by
Virginia Tech University. In our second upcoming conference, we will examine
social, political and economic relations between China and Middle Eastern states
and societies in the context of the neoliberal economy. The conference
proceedings will also be published in the Sociology of Islam Journal (Brill - http://www.brill.nl/sociology-islam).
The second
conference (MARCH 23 AND 24, 2016) will have six different panels and 24
participants.
Participants
are responsible for their travel expenses, accommodation and any other
expenses.
This
is a purely academic conference.
Tentative Program and
Panels’ Titles
Keynote Speech - TBA
Conference Program
MARCH 23, 2016
9:00
- 9:30 AM Opening Ceremony
9:00
- 9:15 AM Welcome Speech by Representative of Qatar University
9:15
- 9:30 AM Opening Remarks by Representative of Qatar University
9:45
- 12:00 Panels
1. Panel:
NEOLIBERALISM IN CHINA
2. Panel:
NEOLIBERALISM IN THE MIDDLE EAST
12:00-13:30
PM Lunch
14:00-16:30
PM Panels
3. Panel:
SOCIAL AND POLITICAL CHANGES IN CHINA AND THE MIDDLE EAST IN THE CONTEXT OF
NEOLIBERALISM
4. Panel:
MARCH 24, 2016
9:30-12:00
5. Panel:
CHINESE POLITICAL ECONOMY TOWARD MIDDLE EAST
6. Panel: ENERGY AND SECURITY IN CHINA AND MIDDLE EAST
Closing
Remarks by Dr. Jamsheed Choksy, Indiana University, USA
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Uygur couple tie the knot on Chinese Valentine's Day
By Liu Jing in Kashgar
chinadaily.com.cn - 2015-08-22
The Qixi Festival is often known as Chinese Valentine's Day. According to traditional Chinese folklore, it is the day when the Weaver Girl (Zhinu) and Cowherd (Niulang) can finally reunite for one night after a year's separation.
This year, the spirit of holiday romance was felt by the Uygur ethnic group in Jiashi county in Kashgar, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region as a couple in the county got married during Thursday's festival.
READ MORE....
chinadaily.com.cn - 2015-08-22
The Qixi Festival is often known as Chinese Valentine's Day. According to traditional Chinese folklore, it is the day when the Weaver Girl (Zhinu) and Cowherd (Niulang) can finally reunite for one night after a year's separation.
This year, the spirit of holiday romance was felt by the Uygur ethnic group in Jiashi county in Kashgar, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region as a couple in the county got married during Thursday's festival.
READ MORE....
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
China's Economic Diplomacy towards the Arab Countries: challenges ahead?
Degang Sun & Yahia H. Zoubir
Journal of Contemporary China Volume 24, Issue 95, 2015
Since the outbreak of the Arab revolts in late 2010, China has adhered to its ‘business-first’ economic diplomacy towards the Arab countries, a policy driven by China's ongoing geoeconomic interests. The ten-year-old China–Arab States Cooperation Forum serves as the nucleus for China's economic diplomacy in the region. The Chinese authorities have also initiated interagency coordination and central–local governments' power sharing in order to pursue this diplomacy successfully. However, while its economic diplomacy may be evolving, China, unlike what it has achieved in Black Africa, seems to have failed to develop strategic, political and cultural exchanges with its Arab counterparts. The intertwined geopolitical and geoeconomic factors that have emerged since the Arab revolts might make it harder for China to reap economic benefits while shelving political entanglement to sustain this economic diplomacy in the longer run.
READ MORE....
Journal of Contemporary China Volume 24, Issue 95, 2015
Since the outbreak of the Arab revolts in late 2010, China has adhered to its ‘business-first’ economic diplomacy towards the Arab countries, a policy driven by China's ongoing geoeconomic interests. The ten-year-old China–Arab States Cooperation Forum serves as the nucleus for China's economic diplomacy in the region. The Chinese authorities have also initiated interagency coordination and central–local governments' power sharing in order to pursue this diplomacy successfully. However, while its economic diplomacy may be evolving, China, unlike what it has achieved in Black Africa, seems to have failed to develop strategic, political and cultural exchanges with its Arab counterparts. The intertwined geopolitical and geoeconomic factors that have emerged since the Arab revolts might make it harder for China to reap economic benefits while shelving political entanglement to sustain this economic diplomacy in the longer run.
READ MORE....
Xinjiang forum focuses on Silk Road economic belt
Guan Yang 丨 CCTV.com 08-19-2015
The opening ceremony of the 2015 China Xinjiang Development Forum is held in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Aug. 18, 2015. The theme of the two-day forum is "Building the Silk Road Economic Belt -- Development Opportunity and Choice of Xinjiang". The economic belt along the Silk Road is inhabited by nearly 3 billion people and represents the biggest market in the world. And with several new projects approved, Xinjiang is reviving the commercial splendor of the ancient Silk Road. At the forum, representatives from all around the world want a piece of the action. "When you trade goods, you also trade ideas. And the rest of the world will increasingly see—because of this area being a hub for the Silk Road—the rest of the world is going to see and benefit from the skills, history, and what people have to offer here," said Stockwell Day, vice chairman of Canada-China Business Council. The forum encourages participants to exchange ideas on the construction of the core area of the economic belt, connectivity with neighboring countries, regional stability and cultural heritage of the Silk Road—all for the common good. "I think China is going to share its developments with neighboring countries, in terms of investments, technology development, experience of social development. All these are beneficial for the member countries," said Afrasiab Khattak, former senator of Pakistan. As Xinjiang will be the bridgehead of the Silk Road economic belt, the region will become more proactive in promoting cooperation with other countries. Xinjiang has seen fast economic development and improved living standards over the past decade. The region's GDP growth has been in double-digits since 2010. The forum today provides the participants with a sound prospect of how will they benefit from Xinjiang's prosperity.
READ MORE.....
The opening ceremony of the 2015 China Xinjiang Development Forum is held in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Aug. 18, 2015. The theme of the two-day forum is "Building the Silk Road Economic Belt -- Development Opportunity and Choice of Xinjiang". The economic belt along the Silk Road is inhabited by nearly 3 billion people and represents the biggest market in the world. And with several new projects approved, Xinjiang is reviving the commercial splendor of the ancient Silk Road. At the forum, representatives from all around the world want a piece of the action. "When you trade goods, you also trade ideas. And the rest of the world will increasingly see—because of this area being a hub for the Silk Road—the rest of the world is going to see and benefit from the skills, history, and what people have to offer here," said Stockwell Day, vice chairman of Canada-China Business Council. The forum encourages participants to exchange ideas on the construction of the core area of the economic belt, connectivity with neighboring countries, regional stability and cultural heritage of the Silk Road—all for the common good. "I think China is going to share its developments with neighboring countries, in terms of investments, technology development, experience of social development. All these are beneficial for the member countries," said Afrasiab Khattak, former senator of Pakistan. As Xinjiang will be the bridgehead of the Silk Road economic belt, the region will become more proactive in promoting cooperation with other countries. Xinjiang has seen fast economic development and improved living standards over the past decade. The region's GDP growth has been in double-digits since 2010. The forum today provides the participants with a sound prospect of how will they benefit from Xinjiang's prosperity.
READ MORE.....
Saturday, August 15, 2015
Public Relations in China Building and Defending your Brand in the PRC
David Wolf
PALGRAVE - 2015
China presents a massive market with intense competition and little brand loyalty, and effective public relations has become essential for any company seeking success. Few companies have found the right formula, but those who have done so have been rewarded with thriving franchises in the world's largest market.
David Wolf provides business owners and PR practitioners with a roadmap to corporate credibility in China. Laced with thoughtful advice and braced with illustrative cases, Public Relations in China strips out the normal agency pitch hype and excessive jargon and offers something rare: a practical handbook for building and defending a brand in China.
READ MORE.....
PALGRAVE - 2015
China presents a massive market with intense competition and little brand loyalty, and effective public relations has become essential for any company seeking success. Few companies have found the right formula, but those who have done so have been rewarded with thriving franchises in the world's largest market.
David Wolf provides business owners and PR practitioners with a roadmap to corporate credibility in China. Laced with thoughtful advice and braced with illustrative cases, Public Relations in China strips out the normal agency pitch hype and excessive jargon and offers something rare: a practical handbook for building and defending a brand in China.
READ MORE.....
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Trade focus of Erdogan China trip, but Uighur discussed
By Enes Kaplan BEIJING
ANADOLU AGENCY - 29 July 2015
President's plan to meet with representatives from China's Uighur, Hui Muslim communities welcomed by Chinese officials
Bilateral trade was the focus of discussion Wednesday during President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's first visit to China as president, but both countries’ leaders also touched on more sensitive issues. Turkish presidential sources told Anadolu Agency after Erdogan's meeting with President Xi Jingping that the two statesmen had discussed issues surrounding China's Muslim population. Around 350 Uighur held at detention centers in Thailand have been at the center of a diplomatic tug-of-war between the two countries, with China identifying them as from northwestern Xinjiang, while Turkey welcomed them as its own. Turkey has also voiced concerns over reports that members of China's Muslim community had been banned from fasting - suggestions that led to protests against Beijing in Turkey and flag burning by nationalist Turks. The issue was a topic at the meeting, said the sources who did not wish to be named for reasons of confidentiality. They added that Erdogan's plan to meet with representatives from China's Uighur and Hui Muslim communities was welcomed by Chinese officials. "Turkey's sensitivity about Chinese territorial integrity was [also] mentioned in the meeting, as well as not accepting any terrorist incidents inside China," the source said. Chinese state media has reported that "Muslim terrorists" have orchestrated attacks on police stations and other symbols of the state in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, which many Turks refer to as East Turkestan. Prior to delegate talks in the Great Hall of People, Erdogan told media that both countries had paved the way for strategic cooperation in 2010 and were now "ready to put those plans into practice." "We took the first step in 2010 with China with a strategic alliance, and we are now in the practice phase. We are looking at our relations with China from a strategic way," he said. "This visit will strengthen the understanding between our nations and help cement friendship between our people," he added. The three-day trip is Erdogan's second diplomatic trip to the country, following a previous visit in 2012 as prime minister. Since his first election win of 2003, diplomatic relations -- established between the two countries in 1971 -- have significantly improved, peaking over the last 10 years through several high-level bilateral visits. In 2010, the two countries adopted a “Joint Declaration on the Establishment and Development of the Strategic Relationship of Cooperation,” and bilateral trade -- at $1 billion in 2000 -- is now estimated to have surpassed more then $24 billion. President Xi Jingping highlighted the importance of such economic relations remaining on a firm footing Wednesday, saying that he hopes they will continue to be "rich in content." The countries signed several agreements over the course of the day, among them a Memorandum of Understanding on Establishing a Cooperation Committee between Turkey and China on Deputy Prime Ministers' Level, and a Development Plan for Middle and Long Term about Mutual Encouraging and Protection of Investment Between Turkey and China. The sources told Anadolu Agency that Erdogan and Xi Jingping have now targeted $100 billion in trading volume and will invite businessmen to visit both countries. Erdogan began his visit with a trip to the Monument to the People's Heroes in Tiananmen Square where he placed a wreath. After an hour-long closed door meeting with Prime Minister Li Keqiang, he headed to the National People's Congress for a 30-minute meet with Zhang Dejiang, the head of the country's parliament and the ruling Communist Party's third ranked leader. Accompanying Erdogan were Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu, Transport Minister Feridun Bilgin, Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci and Energy Minister Taner Yildiz. On leaving China on July 30, Erdogan is scheduled to fly to Indonesia, where he will meet President Joko Widodo and participate in a Turkey-Indonesia Business Forum.
* Anadolu Agency correspondent Satuk Bugra Kutlugun contributed to this report from Ankara.
READ MORE.....
ANADOLU AGENCY - 29 July 2015
President's plan to meet with representatives from China's Uighur, Hui Muslim communities welcomed by Chinese officials
* Anadolu Agency correspondent Satuk Bugra Kutlugun contributed to this report from Ankara.
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Xi and Erdogan focus on economic ties, shelve Uighur row
SINAN TAVSAN, Nikkei Staff Writer
NIKKEI ASIAN REVIEW -August 3, 2015
ISTANBUL -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday completed a three-day state visit to China. For Erdogan, the trip was a high-wire act. Part of his mission was to convince Chinese companies that they should get involved in ambitious transportation, energy and other large-scale infrastructure projects in Turkey. But he was also there to ask that China respect the human rights of the country's ethnic Turkic population. These ethnic Turkics, or Uighurs, reside in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, in western China, where discontent with Beijing has often bubbled to the surface. Turkey is in a bit of a tight spot. In terms of gross domestic product, its economy averaged 3.4% growth from 2007 to 2014. That is a big drop from the 7.2% average growth it experienced from 2002 to 2006. It also mirrors the European Union's slow economy over a similar time span. Turkey, the crossroads between Asia and Europe, now wants to enhance its relations with the nations to its east. And, as it happens, China would like to engineer what it calls a new Silk Road Economic Belt so that its exports can more easily make their way to Europe. While in China, Erdogan hailed China's plan and made sure to point out that Turkey would be a willing participant.
But he also had to address the Uighur situation. "It seems they have found a middle way for now regarding the Uighurs" said Selcuk Colakoglu, head of the Asia-Pacific Research Center, a think tank based in Ankara, an academic unit of Ankara based think tank USAK. "The visit was instrumental for rebuilding trust between parties and repairing damaged ties." Of course, Colakoglu continued, "the Uighur problem is the soft underbelly of Turkey-China relations." Turkey and China have been in a diplomatic tiff over the Uighur situation since the end of June. The Turkish foreign ministry at the time summoned Chinese ambassador Yu Hongyang to convey "deep concern" regarding media reports that China had banned Uighurs from fasting and observing other religious rites during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Then last month, Thailand sent a number of Uighur refugees trying to make their way to Turkey back to China against their will.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying it "deplores the act of the government of Thailand." But the situation only escalated. More than 200 people, mostly belonging to an Uighur-related association in Turkey, stormed the Thai consulate in Istanbul and vandalized the building. Since then, East Asian tourists and residents in Turkey have come under increasing amounts of harassment by Turkish people who assume their targets are Chinese. The usually outspoken Erdogan had to tip-toe around the issue to strike the appropriate tone and not draw the ire of China ahead of his key visit. "Allegations that our brothers living in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region of the PRC are under pressure has caused sensitivity in our public opinion," Erdogan said during a fast-breaking dinner reception for foreign ambassadors in Turkey, in July. "Especially, as a considerable number of the images and reports circulating in the media have either been [fabrications] or wrong, opening the door to exploitation." Erdogan was more diplomatic than he had been in 2009, when violent clashes between Han Chinese and Uighurs led to scores of deaths. Erdogan labeled the killings a "genocide," drawing harsh criticism from China. In April 2012, following then Vice President Xi Jinping's high-profile visit to Turkey, Erdogan became Turkey's first prime minister to visit Xinjiang. He took a stroll through the city center and chatted with Uighurs in Turkish before visiting Beijing, where he struck a conciliatory tone on the issue. During last week's visit, Erdogan received China Islam Society members, including Uighur and Hui Muslims, in Beijing. Turkish presidential sources told the official Anatolia News Agency that China welcomed the meeting. Chinese officials even expressed their content with the comments Erdogan had made on the Uighur situation before his visit. "China allowing such a meeting shows there is a mutual understanding between the countries," said Dr. Altay Atli of the Bogazici University Asian Studies Center. "They want to solve their Uighur problem. After the tensions the two countries have experienced in the last months, now mutual trust has been restored, for the time being." Sino-Turkish relations have significantly advanced during the past couple of years. Chinese companies are now eager to play a larger role in Turkey's massive infrastructure and defense projects, including high speed trains, nuclear plants and missile defense systems. After wrapping up talks with Erdogan on July 28, Xi attended a Turkey-China business forum the next day. The conference drew close to 300 businessmen from both countries. Erdogan was also on hand. Pundits are suggesting that Xi showing up at the symposium shows that China attaches importance to its relations with Turkey. At the forum, Xi said China wants to cooperate in future high-speed rail projects in Turkey and "play an active role" in the country's planned third nuclear power plant. China was in the running to develop Turkey's second nuclear power plant, but a Japanese-French consortium ended up winning the contract. During his speech, Erdogan also welcomed Chinese involvement in developing his country's next nuclear power plant. Turkish officials have told the Nikkei Asian Review that Westinghouse of the U.S. and China's State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation in June presented a joint pre-feasibility report to Turkey's energy ministry. In the report, they proposed building four reactors that could be either Westinghouse's pressurized water reactor AP 1000 model or China's CAP 1400 model, which is based on the AP 1000. Turkey is currently evaluating the report. On the defense front, the two leaders agreed to continue negotiating a deal in which Turkey would buy a multibillion-dollar long-range air and missile defense system from China, Turkish sources said. Negotiations will also continue on joint production and technology transfers, according to the sources. The China Precision Machinery Export-Import Corporation in 2013 had been announced as having won the contract for the defense system with a bid of $3.4 billion. But the result drew a negative reaction from Turkey's NATO allies. Negotiations have been continuing since then, with European and U.S. companies now also in the running. Erdogan noted that Turkey is running a trade deficit of around $22 billion with China. He made the remark during the business forum and urged China to "close this gap with Chinese investments." During their talks, Erdogan and Xi set a long-term target for trade between the two countries to reach an annual $100 billion. Erdogan also proposed that the two countries use their own currencies when trading between each other. The nations have other economic links. Turkey became a founding member of the China-kick-started Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. While in Beijing, Erdogan said Turkey provided $2.6 billion of the bank's initial capital, for which it received voting rights of 2.48 percent. That makes Turkey the bank's 11th largest shareholder. On another front, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China in April completed regulatory approval for acquiring 75% percent of Turkey's small-cap Tekstilbank. Tekstilbank in May issued a statement saying, "Reviving the silk road and Turkey becoming a founding member of AIIB have laid a foundation of future infrastructure agreements between China and Turkey." In Turkish politics, the Justice and Development Party, known as the AKP, of which Erdogan is among the leading founders, in June lost its majority for the first time in nearly 13 years. Should coalition talks fail, Turkey faces an early election, possibly at the end of November. The AKP is currently playing the nationalism card as it tries to regain its single party majority. But if the Uighur situation flares up again, the AKP and Erdogan might be put in a squeeze. Making public statements in favor of the Uighurs would certainly play well at home but would also anger China. Bogazici University's Atli admitted that such a scenario could play out "in theory, but it would be highly unlikely so soon after such a high-profile visit." While in China, Erdogan and Xi signed several agreements, among them a memorandum of understanding on establishing a cooperation committee at the deputy prime ministerial level. They also signed a pact calling for the two countries to mutually encourage and protect investments between them.
READ MORE....
NIKKEI ASIAN REVIEW -August 3, 2015
ISTANBUL -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday completed a three-day state visit to China. For Erdogan, the trip was a high-wire act. Part of his mission was to convince Chinese companies that they should get involved in ambitious transportation, energy and other large-scale infrastructure projects in Turkey. But he was also there to ask that China respect the human rights of the country's ethnic Turkic population. These ethnic Turkics, or Uighurs, reside in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, in western China, where discontent with Beijing has often bubbled to the surface. Turkey is in a bit of a tight spot. In terms of gross domestic product, its economy averaged 3.4% growth from 2007 to 2014. That is a big drop from the 7.2% average growth it experienced from 2002 to 2006. It also mirrors the European Union's slow economy over a similar time span. Turkey, the crossroads between Asia and Europe, now wants to enhance its relations with the nations to its east. And, as it happens, China would like to engineer what it calls a new Silk Road Economic Belt so that its exports can more easily make their way to Europe. While in China, Erdogan hailed China's plan and made sure to point out that Turkey would be a willing participant.
But he also had to address the Uighur situation. "It seems they have found a middle way for now regarding the Uighurs" said Selcuk Colakoglu, head of the Asia-Pacific Research Center, a think tank based in Ankara, an academic unit of Ankara based think tank USAK. "The visit was instrumental for rebuilding trust between parties and repairing damaged ties." Of course, Colakoglu continued, "the Uighur problem is the soft underbelly of Turkey-China relations." Turkey and China have been in a diplomatic tiff over the Uighur situation since the end of June. The Turkish foreign ministry at the time summoned Chinese ambassador Yu Hongyang to convey "deep concern" regarding media reports that China had banned Uighurs from fasting and observing other religious rites during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Then last month, Thailand sent a number of Uighur refugees trying to make their way to Turkey back to China against their will.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying it "deplores the act of the government of Thailand." But the situation only escalated. More than 200 people, mostly belonging to an Uighur-related association in Turkey, stormed the Thai consulate in Istanbul and vandalized the building. Since then, East Asian tourists and residents in Turkey have come under increasing amounts of harassment by Turkish people who assume their targets are Chinese. The usually outspoken Erdogan had to tip-toe around the issue to strike the appropriate tone and not draw the ire of China ahead of his key visit. "Allegations that our brothers living in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region of the PRC are under pressure has caused sensitivity in our public opinion," Erdogan said during a fast-breaking dinner reception for foreign ambassadors in Turkey, in July. "Especially, as a considerable number of the images and reports circulating in the media have either been [fabrications] or wrong, opening the door to exploitation." Erdogan was more diplomatic than he had been in 2009, when violent clashes between Han Chinese and Uighurs led to scores of deaths. Erdogan labeled the killings a "genocide," drawing harsh criticism from China. In April 2012, following then Vice President Xi Jinping's high-profile visit to Turkey, Erdogan became Turkey's first prime minister to visit Xinjiang. He took a stroll through the city center and chatted with Uighurs in Turkish before visiting Beijing, where he struck a conciliatory tone on the issue. During last week's visit, Erdogan received China Islam Society members, including Uighur and Hui Muslims, in Beijing. Turkish presidential sources told the official Anatolia News Agency that China welcomed the meeting. Chinese officials even expressed their content with the comments Erdogan had made on the Uighur situation before his visit. "China allowing such a meeting shows there is a mutual understanding between the countries," said Dr. Altay Atli of the Bogazici University Asian Studies Center. "They want to solve their Uighur problem. After the tensions the two countries have experienced in the last months, now mutual trust has been restored, for the time being." Sino-Turkish relations have significantly advanced during the past couple of years. Chinese companies are now eager to play a larger role in Turkey's massive infrastructure and defense projects, including high speed trains, nuclear plants and missile defense systems. After wrapping up talks with Erdogan on July 28, Xi attended a Turkey-China business forum the next day. The conference drew close to 300 businessmen from both countries. Erdogan was also on hand. Pundits are suggesting that Xi showing up at the symposium shows that China attaches importance to its relations with Turkey. At the forum, Xi said China wants to cooperate in future high-speed rail projects in Turkey and "play an active role" in the country's planned third nuclear power plant. China was in the running to develop Turkey's second nuclear power plant, but a Japanese-French consortium ended up winning the contract. During his speech, Erdogan also welcomed Chinese involvement in developing his country's next nuclear power plant. Turkish officials have told the Nikkei Asian Review that Westinghouse of the U.S. and China's State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation in June presented a joint pre-feasibility report to Turkey's energy ministry. In the report, they proposed building four reactors that could be either Westinghouse's pressurized water reactor AP 1000 model or China's CAP 1400 model, which is based on the AP 1000. Turkey is currently evaluating the report. On the defense front, the two leaders agreed to continue negotiating a deal in which Turkey would buy a multibillion-dollar long-range air and missile defense system from China, Turkish sources said. Negotiations will also continue on joint production and technology transfers, according to the sources. The China Precision Machinery Export-Import Corporation in 2013 had been announced as having won the contract for the defense system with a bid of $3.4 billion. But the result drew a negative reaction from Turkey's NATO allies. Negotiations have been continuing since then, with European and U.S. companies now also in the running. Erdogan noted that Turkey is running a trade deficit of around $22 billion with China. He made the remark during the business forum and urged China to "close this gap with Chinese investments." During their talks, Erdogan and Xi set a long-term target for trade between the two countries to reach an annual $100 billion. Erdogan also proposed that the two countries use their own currencies when trading between each other. The nations have other economic links. Turkey became a founding member of the China-kick-started Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. While in Beijing, Erdogan said Turkey provided $2.6 billion of the bank's initial capital, for which it received voting rights of 2.48 percent. That makes Turkey the bank's 11th largest shareholder. On another front, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China in April completed regulatory approval for acquiring 75% percent of Turkey's small-cap Tekstilbank. Tekstilbank in May issued a statement saying, "Reviving the silk road and Turkey becoming a founding member of AIIB have laid a foundation of future infrastructure agreements between China and Turkey." In Turkish politics, the Justice and Development Party, known as the AKP, of which Erdogan is among the leading founders, in June lost its majority for the first time in nearly 13 years. Should coalition talks fail, Turkey faces an early election, possibly at the end of November. The AKP is currently playing the nationalism card as it tries to regain its single party majority. But if the Uighur situation flares up again, the AKP and Erdogan might be put in a squeeze. Making public statements in favor of the Uighurs would certainly play well at home but would also anger China. Bogazici University's Atli admitted that such a scenario could play out "in theory, but it would be highly unlikely so soon after such a high-profile visit." While in China, Erdogan and Xi signed several agreements, among them a memorandum of understanding on establishing a cooperation committee at the deputy prime ministerial level. They also signed a pact calling for the two countries to mutually encourage and protect investments between them.
READ MORE....
TÜRKİYE-ÇİN İLİŞKİLERİNE YENİ YOL HARİTASI
Selçuk Çolakoğlu
ANALIST - Türkiye / 2015 Ağustos
Türk-Çin ilişkileri uluslararası alanda en dinamik gelişen ikili ilişkilerden. Bunda Çin’in ve Türkiye’nin yükselen ekonomiler arasında yer almasının payı büyük. Türkiye ve Çin’de sadece ekonomik yapı değil, toplumsal hatta siyasi yapı da oldukça dinamik. İki ülkenin de bu dinamik yapısı ikili ilişkilerdeki iş birliği alanlarını hızla genişlettiği gibi bazı riskleri de ortaya çıkarabiliyor. Bu açıdan Türk ve Çinli liderlerin her beş veya on yılda bir karşılıklı oturup ikili ilişkilerin ortak vizyonunu, fırsat pencerelerini ve olası riskleri değerlendirmesi gerekiyor.
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ANALIST - Türkiye / 2015 Ağustos
Türk-Çin ilişkileri uluslararası alanda en dinamik gelişen ikili ilişkilerden. Bunda Çin’in ve Türkiye’nin yükselen ekonomiler arasında yer almasının payı büyük. Türkiye ve Çin’de sadece ekonomik yapı değil, toplumsal hatta siyasi yapı da oldukça dinamik. İki ülkenin de bu dinamik yapısı ikili ilişkilerdeki iş birliği alanlarını hızla genişlettiği gibi bazı riskleri de ortaya çıkarabiliyor. Bu açıdan Türk ve Çinli liderlerin her beş veya on yılda bir karşılıklı oturup ikili ilişkilerin ortak vizyonunu, fırsat pencerelerini ve olası riskleri değerlendirmesi gerekiyor.
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China Exclusive: New Orient Express on track to popularity
I CROSS CHINA - 2015-08-05
HOHHOT, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- A luxury long-distance train service linking Beijing and Moscow and modelled on the infamous Orient Express is bridging cultures and harking back to an era before low-cost air travel. Ticket sales are picking up steam since the first of the trains departed earlier this summer, according to the local authorities and travel agencies behind the service. On Wednesday, the latest train arrived in Erenhot, on the China-Mongolia border, carrying 187 passengers. "The route of the Orient Express has changed and it has been suspended many times over the past century, but the spirit remains -- exploring the unknown, seeking common understanding and accepting differences as well," said Wang Danyang, deputy chief of the tourism bureau of Erenhot. The city government partnered with three travel agencies, one in Beijing, one in Erenhot and the other in Germany, to launch the train service on May 20, scheduling 12 journeys this summer. "Six trains start from Beijing and six from Moscow. Today's train is the seventh and we are looking forward to more in the future," said Wang. The total length of the route is more than 7,800 km -- about one fifth of the circumference of the Earth. Tourists usually spend 11 days on the train and stay in hotels at a cost of more than 40,000 yuan (6,442 U.S. dollars) per person. Many Chinese are familiar with the Orient Express through the Agatha Christie detective novel set on the train and its film adaptation, but long-distance train travel is becoming a novelty as the country's burgeoning middle class turn instead to flying, said Yao Jun, president of the Erenhot China Youth Travel Service. However, Yao believes a slow but relaxed train journey gives passengers a chance to appreciate culture along the way. And what culture. The route covers much of the ancient "Tea Road" created by Chinese merchants in the 17th century. They brought tea, china, silk and other goods by camel from Fujian Province to Russia and then to other European countries. Li Haoming, a Beijing native who took the new Orient Express in June, described the experience as like being in a "mini UN." "Most of the tourists were foreigners. We tasted vodka together in Russia and rode horses in Mongolia. Then some fellow Chinese travelers taught everyone how to do tai chi. I've never felt so close to people of other cultures before," said Li. Enditem.
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HOHHOT, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- A luxury long-distance train service linking Beijing and Moscow and modelled on the infamous Orient Express is bridging cultures and harking back to an era before low-cost air travel. Ticket sales are picking up steam since the first of the trains departed earlier this summer, according to the local authorities and travel agencies behind the service. On Wednesday, the latest train arrived in Erenhot, on the China-Mongolia border, carrying 187 passengers. "The route of the Orient Express has changed and it has been suspended many times over the past century, but the spirit remains -- exploring the unknown, seeking common understanding and accepting differences as well," said Wang Danyang, deputy chief of the tourism bureau of Erenhot. The city government partnered with three travel agencies, one in Beijing, one in Erenhot and the other in Germany, to launch the train service on May 20, scheduling 12 journeys this summer. "Six trains start from Beijing and six from Moscow. Today's train is the seventh and we are looking forward to more in the future," said Wang. The total length of the route is more than 7,800 km -- about one fifth of the circumference of the Earth. Tourists usually spend 11 days on the train and stay in hotels at a cost of more than 40,000 yuan (6,442 U.S. dollars) per person. Many Chinese are familiar with the Orient Express through the Agatha Christie detective novel set on the train and its film adaptation, but long-distance train travel is becoming a novelty as the country's burgeoning middle class turn instead to flying, said Yao Jun, president of the Erenhot China Youth Travel Service. However, Yao believes a slow but relaxed train journey gives passengers a chance to appreciate culture along the way. And what culture. The route covers much of the ancient "Tea Road" created by Chinese merchants in the 17th century. They brought tea, china, silk and other goods by camel from Fujian Province to Russia and then to other European countries. Li Haoming, a Beijing native who took the new Orient Express in June, described the experience as like being in a "mini UN." "Most of the tourists were foreigners. We tasted vodka together in Russia and rode horses in Mongolia. Then some fellow Chinese travelers taught everyone how to do tai chi. I've never felt so close to people of other cultures before," said Li. Enditem.
READ MORE....
China confirms Uighur repatriation fears
Lucy Hornby and Christian Shepherd
Financial Times - August 5, 2015
Uighurs forcibly repatriated to China from Thailand last month tried to resist getting on the aircraft for fear they would be executed, China has confirmed for the first time. Thailand in July returned 109 Uighurs out of the 400 who were discovered last year in people-smuggling camps in its southern jungles, in their attempt to flee China for refuge in Turkey. The previous week, Turkey had agreed to take 173 of the Uighurs, many of them women and small children. Uighurs are a Muslim people with cultural and linguistic ties to Turkey that are native to the resource-rich region of Xinjiang on China’s border with Central Asia. Beijing blames rising strife in the region on Islamist terrorism and independence movements, while Uighur groups point to an influx of Chinese business interests and discriminatory employment and religious restrictions. China has accused the repatriated Uighurs of attempting to flee in order to “commit jihad” overseas, but statements from some of the returnees published in Chinese state media this week paint a picture of people who spent all their savings to pay off human smuggling groups known in China as snakeheads. The clash between the Uighur returnees and Chinese and Thai security forces was detailed in series of interviews with a number of Uighurs now detained in Urumqi. The broadcast of confessions from jail by high-profile detainees is a Communist practice that has been revived in recent years, and is frequently used in cases involving Uighurs. The reports of the fighting, which Chinese media said left at least one man with a head injury, are the first since the World Uyghur Congress, an exile group, claimed in early July that 25 people had been killed in fights with authorities at the Thai airport as they were forced to board aircraft for China. The group retracted its report after it was denied by the Thai government. The forced repatriations caused tensions between China and Turkey, which Beijing accused of helping Uighurs flee, ahead of a state visit by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish president, in late July. During his visit, Mr Erdogan pledged to work with China to “combat the influence of terrorist groups” and declared himself opposed to “activities that could harm China’s territorial integrity”. In their published confessions, the Uighurs said that they were led astray by snakeheads and jihadis and claimed they were treated well in detention by Chinese authorities. The confessions offer a glimpse into the smuggling networks throughout Southeast Asia on which Uighurs and others rely on to exit China. One man said he spent Rmb30,000 ($4,800) to cross the Chinese border, then paid traffickers another Rmb9,000 in Vietnam and $3,600 in Cambodia. Another gave up land he had contracted in Xinjiang to bring his wife and daughter out. Muhemmet Imin, who in 2010 migrated from the Uighur heartland in south Xinjiang to the Xinjiang capital, Urumqi, said he had spent Rmb70,000 of his father’s savings to pay his way to Turkey, where he told his father he would start a business. “My father would not touch that money because it was so precious, and now I lost it all,” according to the Xinjiang Daily, a local state-run paper. China’s Ministry of Public Security said in July that 13 of the Uighurs were implicated in terrorist activities. Photos since circulated of the flight show all of the returnees shackled to accompanying police officers with their heads covered in black hoods.
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Financial Times - August 5, 2015
Uighurs forcibly repatriated to China from Thailand last month tried to resist getting on the aircraft for fear they would be executed, China has confirmed for the first time. Thailand in July returned 109 Uighurs out of the 400 who were discovered last year in people-smuggling camps in its southern jungles, in their attempt to flee China for refuge in Turkey. The previous week, Turkey had agreed to take 173 of the Uighurs, many of them women and small children. Uighurs are a Muslim people with cultural and linguistic ties to Turkey that are native to the resource-rich region of Xinjiang on China’s border with Central Asia. Beijing blames rising strife in the region on Islamist terrorism and independence movements, while Uighur groups point to an influx of Chinese business interests and discriminatory employment and religious restrictions. China has accused the repatriated Uighurs of attempting to flee in order to “commit jihad” overseas, but statements from some of the returnees published in Chinese state media this week paint a picture of people who spent all their savings to pay off human smuggling groups known in China as snakeheads. The clash between the Uighur returnees and Chinese and Thai security forces was detailed in series of interviews with a number of Uighurs now detained in Urumqi. The broadcast of confessions from jail by high-profile detainees is a Communist practice that has been revived in recent years, and is frequently used in cases involving Uighurs. The reports of the fighting, which Chinese media said left at least one man with a head injury, are the first since the World Uyghur Congress, an exile group, claimed in early July that 25 people had been killed in fights with authorities at the Thai airport as they were forced to board aircraft for China. The group retracted its report after it was denied by the Thai government. The forced repatriations caused tensions between China and Turkey, which Beijing accused of helping Uighurs flee, ahead of a state visit by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish president, in late July. During his visit, Mr Erdogan pledged to work with China to “combat the influence of terrorist groups” and declared himself opposed to “activities that could harm China’s territorial integrity”. In their published confessions, the Uighurs said that they were led astray by snakeheads and jihadis and claimed they were treated well in detention by Chinese authorities. The confessions offer a glimpse into the smuggling networks throughout Southeast Asia on which Uighurs and others rely on to exit China. One man said he spent Rmb30,000 ($4,800) to cross the Chinese border, then paid traffickers another Rmb9,000 in Vietnam and $3,600 in Cambodia. Another gave up land he had contracted in Xinjiang to bring his wife and daughter out. Muhemmet Imin, who in 2010 migrated from the Uighur heartland in south Xinjiang to the Xinjiang capital, Urumqi, said he had spent Rmb70,000 of his father’s savings to pay his way to Turkey, where he told his father he would start a business. “My father would not touch that money because it was so precious, and now I lost it all,” according to the Xinjiang Daily, a local state-run paper. China’s Ministry of Public Security said in July that 13 of the Uighurs were implicated in terrorist activities. Photos since circulated of the flight show all of the returnees shackled to accompanying police officers with their heads covered in black hoods.
READ MORE.....
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Qatar-China Year of Culture Announced for 2016
MARHABA - April 8, 2015
HE Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage, Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kuwari, and Chinese Minister of Culture, Luo Shugang, have signed the announcement of the Qatar-China Year of Culture 2016, during the official visit of HE the Minister of Culture to China, reports Qatar News Agency (QNA).
Before signing the announcement, the Ministers, Dr Al Kuwari and Shugang, held a session of talks to discuss cultural relations between the two countries and ways of enhancing them. HE Charge d’affaires of the Qatari Embassy to the People’s Republic of China, Abdullah Saif Al Khayreen, attended the signing ceremony and the talks session.
During his visit to China, HE Dr Al Kuwari paid a visit to the Chinese National Museum and the Palace of the Forbidden City in Beijing, expressing his appreciation for the rich culture of China and the depth of the historical relations between Arabs and Chinese. According to Dr Al Kuwari, 2016 will see many different events within the framework of the excellent and historical relations between Qatar and China.
Qatar Museums (QM) launched the ‘Qatar Turkey 2015 Year of Culture’ in January 2015. Qatar Turkey 2015 Year of Culture is held under the patronage of HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad Al-Thani, the Chairperson of Qatar Museums, following the success of Qatar Brazil 2014, Qatar UK 2013 and Qatar Japan 2012. The Qatar Turkey 2015 Year of Culture celebrates the relations between both countries through cultural partnerships involving organizations, institutions and individuals.
HE Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage, Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kuwari, and Chinese Minister of Culture, Luo Shugang, have signed the announcement of the Qatar-China Year of Culture 2016, during the official visit of HE the Minister of Culture to China, reports Qatar News Agency (QNA).
Before signing the announcement, the Ministers, Dr Al Kuwari and Shugang, held a session of talks to discuss cultural relations between the two countries and ways of enhancing them. HE Charge d’affaires of the Qatari Embassy to the People’s Republic of China, Abdullah Saif Al Khayreen, attended the signing ceremony and the talks session.
During his visit to China, HE Dr Al Kuwari paid a visit to the Chinese National Museum and the Palace of the Forbidden City in Beijing, expressing his appreciation for the rich culture of China and the depth of the historical relations between Arabs and Chinese. According to Dr Al Kuwari, 2016 will see many different events within the framework of the excellent and historical relations between Qatar and China.
Qatar Museums (QM) launched the ‘Qatar Turkey 2015 Year of Culture’ in January 2015. Qatar Turkey 2015 Year of Culture is held under the patronage of HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad Al-Thani, the Chairperson of Qatar Museums, following the success of Qatar Brazil 2014, Qatar UK 2013 and Qatar Japan 2012. The Qatar Turkey 2015 Year of Culture celebrates the relations between both countries through cultural partnerships involving organizations, institutions and individuals.
Monday, August 3, 2015
Learning to Speak Lingerie Chinese merchants and the inroads of globalization.
By Peter Hessler
The New York Times - Letter from Egypt August 10, 2015 Issue
The city of Asyut sits in the heart of Upper Egypt, at a crescent-shaped bend in the Nile River, where the western bank is home to a university, a train station, approximately four hundred thousand people, and three shops in which Chinese migrants sell racy lingerie to locals. These shops are not hard to find. The first time I visited Asyut, I hailed a cab at the entrance of the city and asked the driver if he knew of any Chinese people in town. Without hesitation, he drove along the Nile Corniche, turned through a series of alleyways, and pointed to a sign that said, in Arabic, “Chinese Lingerie.” The two other shops, China Star and Noma China, are less than a block away. All three are owned by natives of Zhejiang province, in southeastern China, and they sell similar products, many of which are inexpensive, garishly colored, and profoundly impractical. There are buttless body stockings, and nightgowns that cover only one breast, and G-strings accessorized with feathers. There are see-through tops decorated with plastic gold coins that dangle from chains. Brand names include Laugh Girl, Shady Tex Lingerie, Hot Love Italy Design, and Sexy Fashion Reticulation Alluring.
Upper Egypt is the most conservative part of the country. Virtually all Muslim women there wear the head scarf, and it’s not uncommon for them to dress in the niqab, the black garment that covers everything but the eyes. In most towns, there’s no tourism to speak of, and very little industry; Asyut is the poorest governorate in Egypt. Apart from small groups of Syrians who occasionally pass through in travelling market fairs, it’s all but unimaginable for a foreigner to do business there. And yet I found Chinese lingerie dealers scattered throughout the region. In Beni Suef, at an open-air market called the Syrian Fair, two Chinese underwear salesmen had somehow embedded with the Syrians who were hawking cheap clothes and trinkets. Minya, the next city to the south, had a Chinese Lingerie Corner in a mall whose entrance featured a Koranic verse that warned against jealousy. In the remote town of Mallawi, a Chinese husband and wife were selling thongs and nightgowns across the street from the ruins of the Mallawi Museum, which, not long before the Chinese arrived, had been looted and set afire by a mob of Islamists.
READ MORE.....
The New York Times - Letter from Egypt August 10, 2015 Issue
The city of Asyut sits in the heart of Upper Egypt, at a crescent-shaped bend in the Nile River, where the western bank is home to a university, a train station, approximately four hundred thousand people, and three shops in which Chinese migrants sell racy lingerie to locals. These shops are not hard to find. The first time I visited Asyut, I hailed a cab at the entrance of the city and asked the driver if he knew of any Chinese people in town. Without hesitation, he drove along the Nile Corniche, turned through a series of alleyways, and pointed to a sign that said, in Arabic, “Chinese Lingerie.” The two other shops, China Star and Noma China, are less than a block away. All three are owned by natives of Zhejiang province, in southeastern China, and they sell similar products, many of which are inexpensive, garishly colored, and profoundly impractical. There are buttless body stockings, and nightgowns that cover only one breast, and G-strings accessorized with feathers. There are see-through tops decorated with plastic gold coins that dangle from chains. Brand names include Laugh Girl, Shady Tex Lingerie, Hot Love Italy Design, and Sexy Fashion Reticulation Alluring.
Upper Egypt is the most conservative part of the country. Virtually all Muslim women there wear the head scarf, and it’s not uncommon for them to dress in the niqab, the black garment that covers everything but the eyes. In most towns, there’s no tourism to speak of, and very little industry; Asyut is the poorest governorate in Egypt. Apart from small groups of Syrians who occasionally pass through in travelling market fairs, it’s all but unimaginable for a foreigner to do business there. And yet I found Chinese lingerie dealers scattered throughout the region. In Beni Suef, at an open-air market called the Syrian Fair, two Chinese underwear salesmen had somehow embedded with the Syrians who were hawking cheap clothes and trinkets. Minya, the next city to the south, had a Chinese Lingerie Corner in a mall whose entrance featured a Koranic verse that warned against jealousy. In the remote town of Mallawi, a Chinese husband and wife were selling thongs and nightgowns across the street from the ruins of the Mallawi Museum, which, not long before the Chinese arrived, had been looted and set afire by a mob of Islamists.
READ MORE.....
Turkey and China to boost trade, economic cooperation
INVESTMENT SUPPORT AND PROMOTION AGENCY - 30.07.2015
Turkey and China have agreed to increase economic cooperation and take their annual bilateral trade to USD 100 billion. On a two-day state visit to China, Turkey’s President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan held talks with the Chinese President Xi Jinping covering
economic and political issues concerning the two countries. Accompanied by a large delegation of ministers, government
officials and businessmen, strengthening ties with the world’s second
largest economy topped the agenda of President Erdogan, as both sides
agreed to work on increasing bilateral trade and investments. Turkey and
China, both G-20 members, already enjoy close ties in a number of
fields including infrastructure, finance and information technologies. Addressing the participants of the Turkish-Chinese Business Forum
held in Beijing, the Turkish President noted the importance of
strategic cooperation that existed between the two countries and called
for more Chinese investments into Turkey. “While the improvement in Turkish-Chinese trade in the last 12
years is remarkable, up from USD 2 billion in 2002 to USD 28 billion in
2014, we must also work together to balance this trade which is
currently tilted towards Chinese favor”, Erdogan said, calling on to
Chinese companies to increase their investments in Turkey. Stressing Turkey’s role in the ‘Silk Road Economic Belt’ project
drawn up to facilitate trade in Eurasia, Erdogan said that Turkey’s
infrastructure projects such as the Marmaray, an undersea rail tunnel
connecting Europe and Asia and transportation projects of
Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway and Edirne-Kars Railway, both undergoing trial
runs, would be key components of the modern ‘Silk Road’. Erdogan also
underlined Turkey’s support for the Asian Infrastructure Investment
Bank. Chinese President Xi Jinping, for his part, said that both
nations have agreed on extending their strategic cooperation and
expressed interest in Turkey’s high speed rail and nuclear energy
projects. The two leaders also discussed using local currencies in
bilateral trade and establishing a Turkish-Chinese university. Turkey and China are also negotiating on the joint production of
an air defense system. China’s biggest bank, the Industrial and
Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) became the first Chinese lender to
operate in Turkey following its acquisition of 75.5-percent stake in
Turkish Tekstilbank in 2014. Turkey hosts a regional management center
for the Chinese network solutions provider Huawei which also operates a
research and development lab in Istanbul.
Türkiye - Çin İlişkileri, Doç Dr. Şaban Kardaş
30.07.2015 tarihinde TRT Haber Tv ekranlarında ORSAM Başkanı Doç. Dr.
Şaban KardaşTürkiye - Çin İlişkileri konusunu değerlendirdi.
Saturday, August 1, 2015
Understanding the CPC ep. 3- The CPC's governance philosophy
CCTV - JULY 26, 2015
What is the governing philosophy of the Communist Party of China – the CPC, the Ruling Party? What are its beliefs and processes? Why has China opted for what it calls “multi-party cooperation under CPC leadership”? Would China be more stable with a multi-party competitive system? How does the CPC as the ruling party claim legitimacy? Can such a system with a single leading party increase needed transparency and establishchecks-and-balances?
What is the governing philosophy of the Communist Party of China – the CPC, the Ruling Party? What are its beliefs and processes? Why has China opted for what it calls “multi-party cooperation under CPC leadership”? Would China be more stable with a multi-party competitive system? How does the CPC as the ruling party claim legitimacy? Can such a system with a single leading party increase needed transparency and establishchecks-and-balances?
Exclusive interview with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan - CCTV
CCTV - Jul 30, 2015
As the starting point and the terminal of the Ancient Silk Road, China and Turkey shared close economic and cultural relations since ancient times. Now China has become Turkey’s third biggest trading partner and the second largest source of imports. We are honored to be joined by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is on a visit to China.
As the starting point and the terminal of the Ancient Silk Road, China and Turkey shared close economic and cultural relations since ancient times. Now China has become Turkey’s third biggest trading partner and the second largest source of imports. We are honored to be joined by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is on a visit to China.
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