| This American Life: Americans in China Posted: 24 Jun 2012 10:48 PM PDT This American Life broadcast a segment on Americans in China. From the prologue: Months ago, in preparing for this show, we started reaching out to Americans living in China and asking for their stories. A shocking amount of the expats came back with stories about different times they were on Chinese television. So many people sent us their China TV stories that we began to wonder, "have ALL of you guys been on TV?! Is this the consummate expat experience in China?" Several expats talk to Ira about why the Chinese love foreigners on their TV shows. And Evan Osnos, a staff writer for The New Yorker who writes about China, says it's hard for Americans living in China to figure out what to tell friends and family back home.
In this section, New Yorker reporter Evan Osnos interviews Baidu's Director of International Communication, rock musician and "uber-expat" Kaiser Kuo:
In Act II, author Michael Meyer talks about his experiences living in rural China:
Read more about foreigners in China, via CDT.
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Post tags: Evan Osnos, foreigners in China, kaiser kuo, views of China
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| Hexie Farm (蟹农场): The Dragon Boat Posted: 24 Jun 2012 10:25 PM PDT |
| China Cements Ties with Argentina,Uruguay Posted: 24 Jun 2012 09:34 AM PDT For the first time in 27 years, Wen Jiabao, is visiting Argentina to discuss the importation of corn into China. From Bloomberg Businessweek: Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will spend three days in Argentina from tomorrow as part of a Latin American tour that will reap several agriculture deals, Vice Foreign Minister Xie Hangsheng said June 18, without elaborating. For Argentine producers, which include George Soros-backed Adecoagro SA (AGRO) (AGRO), Wen's visit is evidence that initial approvals to export genetically-modified corn will be ratified, said Martin Fraguio, head of growers' association Maizar. Argentina, the second-largest exporter, would give China an alternative to the U.S. as the Asian nation imports a record 7 million metric tons that at today's price would be worth about $1.5 billion. China became a net corn importer in 2009 as its domestic crop failed to keep up with growth in livestock feed demand and a corn-processing industry that makes everything from starch used in aspirins to high fructose corn syrup used to sweeten Coca Cola. Slowing economic growth probably won't curb corn imports as rising incomes boost demand for beef and pork. China aims to be self-sufficient in grains to shield itself from the risk of natural disasters in other growing regions, Agriculture Minister Han Changfu wrote in a May 26 article published on the website of the People's Daily. Han will accompany Wen on the Buenos Aires trip.
Aside from deals on corn, Xinhua reports that Wen's visit to Buenos Aires will also focus on diplomatic ties: In a written speech released upon his arrival, Wen said the two countries have seen frequent high-level exchange visits, deepening political mutual trust, and fruitful cooperation in such sectors as economy, trade, culture, education, science and technology since the establishment of diplomatic ties 40 years ago. The two countries have also enjoyed good coordination on international and regional issues, he said, adding that China is willing to work with Argentina to promote mutually beneficial cooperation. The Chinese premier said he expects to exchange views with the Argentine leaders on bilateral ties as well as on international and regional issues of common concern.
Wen's first stop on this regional tour was Uruguay, and this was his first visit to the country since they had established diplomatic ties in 1988. AFP adds: In a statement, Wen said that he and his counterparts would discuss international and regional issues of mutual interest. A Uruguay foreign ministry source told AFP there was strong government interest in having Chinese investors fund the building of a deepwater port in the southeast department of Rocha. China is Uruguay's second-largest trading partner after Brazil. Wen, whose stay wraps up Saturday, is also scheduled to visit Chile and Argentina on his trip to the region.
According to China Daily, during his visit, Wen claimed that China sees the South American market as an important figure: Facing the global financial crisis and other complex situations, China and Uruguay have enhanced their common interests and consensus, the premier said, adding that "China is willing to work with the Uruguayan side to enhance high-level contacts and open up broad prospects for China-Uruguay relations to better serve the interests of the two peoples." China attaches importance to the role of the South American Common Market (Mercosur) and will work with the regional trade organization to enhance cooperation, he said. Mujica hailed the development of bilateral ties in recent years, saying his country will expand mutually beneficial cooperation with China, enhance exchanges in culture and education sectors, consolidate coordination on international affairs and promote cooperation between the Mercosur and China. After their talks, the two states inked five cooperation agreements on environmental protection, economic and technology cooperation, quality monitoring and inspection, and telecommunication.
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Post tags: argentina, corn, diplomacy, Latin America, south america, Uruguay
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| Record Dive Follows Space High Posted: 24 Jun 2012 09:35 AM PDT After a successful docking in space, China has now broken the country's deepest dive record in the Mariana Trench. From Xinhua: China's manned submersible, Jiaolong, made its fourth dive in the Mariana Trench on Sunday morning to attempt the world's first 7,000-meter dive below the surface of the Pacific Ocean. The dive started at 7 a.m. Sunday local time (2100 GMT Saturday) in heavy rain and with the Rafale at 6 levels. Three oceanauts, Ye Cong, Liu Kaizhou and Yang Bo, are conducting the dive with the support of nearly 100 scientists on board.
According to China Daily, Jiaolong reached a depth of 7015 metres: The Jiaolong, China's manned submersible named after a mythical sea dragon, succeeded in diving 7,015 meters below sea level at around 11 am local time during its fourth dive into the Mariana Trench. The oceanauts had succeeded in reaching the depths of 6,671, 6,965 and 6,963 meters in their previous three dives from June 15 t0 22, well surpassing the record of 5,188 meters last July. "It has been proved during the four times of dive that the submersible is stable in function and the capabilities of the team performing the test dives are rising gradually." said on-scene commander Liu Feng.
Although China's deepest dive broke the nation's record, other vessels have gone much deeper into the trench. AFP adds: The same submersible reached 5,188 metres in a Pacific dive in July last year. And in a series of three previous dives since June 15, the craft has gone deeper still. Experts say 7,000 metres is the limit of its design. Other manned submersibles have gone deeper than China's craft. Earlier this year, American film director James Cameron descended almost 11,000 metres to the bottom of the Mariana Trench. His effort is believed to have at least equalled the record for the deepest manned dive, set by a US Navy officer and a Swiss oceanographer in 1960, according to Guinness World Records. China intends to use the submersible for scientific research, such as collecting samples of undersea life and studying geological structures, as well as future development of mineral resources, experts say.
While one of the three dives was originally scheduled on a different day, the date of the dive was changed to the same day as China's space docking. Bloomberg adds: A Chinese submarine descended to 6,908 meters (22,600 feet) in the Mariana Trench today, breaking the record for the nation's deepest dive a day after astronauts performed China's first manned space docking. An earlier dive attempt was aborted because of a communications problem. A leaking hydraulic pipe was also fixed, Xinhua said. The dive occurred less than 24 hours after three Chinese astronauts, including China's first woman in space, docked their spacecraft with an orbiting Tiangong space module. The docking was broadcast live on state television.
Read more about China's Submarine, Jiaolong, via CDT.
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Post tags: explorations, Jiaolong, ocean, scientific advancement, scientific development, submarine
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| Photo: Bai Men Relaxing, By Jeff Horowitz Posted: 24 Jun 2012 07:13 AM PDT |
| Chinese, Philippines Boats Collide in South China Sea Posted: 24 Jun 2012 07:02 AM PDT The Philippines claimed Sunday that a Chinese ship accidentally rammed a fishing boat to the north of the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, according to AFP: The fishing boat set out from the northern coastal town of Bolinao, in Pangasinan province, last Monday and was reported to have sunk two days later, Office of Civil Defence chief Benito Ramos told AFP. "Of the eight fishermen aboard, four were plucked out of sea only yesterday, but one of them died in a hospital," Ramos said. "Four more are still missing." The rescued fishermen told authorities they believed the vessel which collided with their boat was Chinese, Ramos said, though this could not be independently verified. Chinese embassy officials were not available for comment on Sunday.
This latest spat with the Philippines comes just days after China and Vietnam traded diplomatic barbs in connection with both sides' claims to sovereignty over the Spratly and Paracel islands. James Holmes writes for The Diplomat that while several speakers at a recent Naval War College strategy forum likened China's policy in the South China Sea to the United States' 19th century Monroe Doctrine, but such claims are misguided: As it turns out, then, China's policy in the near seas today bears scant resemblance to U.S. policy in the Caribbean and Gulf in the age of the Monroe Doctrine. For one thing, Washington never asserted title to the Caribbean the way Beijing claims the South China Sea. For another, America never sought to restrict naval activities in its near seas, whereas China opposes such things as routine aircraft carrier operations in the Yellow Sea. It cites the flimsy pretext that such operations place U.S. warplanes in striking range of the capital city. Beijing also wants to forbid longstanding, clearly lawful practices like aerial surveillance in international airspace. And just last week, reports Indian pundit C. Raja Mohan, a Chinese warship "escorted" an Indian Navy flotilla in international waters in the South China Sea. According to Mohan – and I agree – the message is, "nice to see you here, but you are in our territorial waters and within them there is no right to 'freedom of navigation' for military vessels. You are here at our sufferance." In effect, China has vaulted past the most bellicose, most meddlesome interpretations of the Monroe Doctrine and Roosevelt Corollary. Pushback from fellow regional powers is both predictable and warranted. They should push back – just as Latin Americans pushed back against the interventionism of Theodore Roosevelt's successors, William Howard Taft and Woodrow Wilson. U.S. officials ultimately found the wisdom and flexibility to repudiate the Roosevelt Corollary, doing away with a policy that blackened America's good name among its southern neighbors. Another President Roosevelt, Franklin Delano, replaced it with a "Good Neighbor" policy that served the U.S. and common interests far better. Popular opinion had little stake in the corollary, so any objections were muted. By contrast, Chinese leaders have depicted their policy in the near seas as a matter of sovereignty – something no nation, and certainly not one as prideful as China, lightly surrenders. In so doing, they may have painted themselves into a corner. Public sentiment will judge their deeds against their words. If they compromise now, then by the standard they have set, they will have forfeited sovereignty over waters that have belonged to China since antiquity. Would a vociferously nationalist populace tolerate such a betrayal? Doubtful. In short, Beijing is making a mess for itself that will take a long time to clean up – and there's no Elihu Root or FDR around to do the cleaning. In the United States, our Latin American friends still give us an earful about past interventionism from time to time. China should expect no less from its neighbors.
© Scott Greene for China Digital Times (CDT), 2012. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: maritime disputes, philippines, South China Sea, territorial disputes
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| The Weekend Twit (@chinahearsay links) – June 23/24, 2012 Posted: 24 Jun 2012 06:24 AM PDT Don't expect too much here. Holiday weekend, dog days of summer — interesting news is hard to come by. Tomorrow should be equally as underwhelming, a combination of summer holiday hangover and Monday, which is usually slow here in Greenwich +8 land. I hope you had a lot of fun this weekend playing with your dragon boat, or as we call it here in China, a scull. But enough of my bitching. Somewhere in this country, someone must be talking about something, right? AFP: Chinese ship 'accidentally rams' Philippines boat — I'm writing this around 8:45pm, so God knows what will have happened later on tonight or tomorrow. Details are sketchy, with reports of at least one fatality. Things just calmed down in the South China Sea a few days ago, now this? Might make for a more interesting than expected week. FYI, I like the 'accidentally rams' language, including what I'm assuming are sneer quotes. Ha ha. It's like saying "mistakenly strangled" or "inadvertently disemboweled." NY Times: Chinese Data Said to Be Manipulated, Understating Slowdown — Trying to guess what the "real" economic stats are is practically a sport among China analysts (military budget gurus also). The usual method is to take the official economic growth stats and compare them with proxies, the favorite being electricity consumption. The NYT's Keith Bradsher takes a crack at it, finding that the official data might be overstating growth — golly gee! Changjiang Daily (via Global Times): Foreigners bring new chances and challenges — You remember the story of the "dark-skinned" expat who was beaten to death last week? We still don't know whether it was a crowd of people or the cops who did the deed, but the incident is still giving rise to a lot of discussion. You'd think all the talk would be focused on how to prevent such deaths, but apparently some in the media are more worried about how best to handle the scary influx of foreigners. For shame. China's first female astronaut excels in performance — Wow, is that right? Didn't see that coming. Honestly, I just found this headline/story to be a lot of fun. Not only is the entire "story" completely devoid of any news and is a weak attempt at feel-good propaganda (note that the propaganda A-Team is on holiday), but I detect a subtle, unstated misogynistic extra three words that could have been added to that headline but were not. Can you guess? The three words are "for a girl." I don't recall ever seeing an article written about the performance of a male rocket jockey, do you? If you're looking for other nationalistic, prestige type stories, you have your choice this weekend between the continuing space news (e.g. Chinese spacecraft docks with orbiting module), which is sexy as well as sciency, and China submersible breaks 7000-metre mark. Time to go put my dragon boat back in storage.
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| Milan Nixes Citizenship For Dalai Lama Posted: 24 Jun 2012 06:18 AM PDT The Italian city of Milan has scrapped plans to give honorary citizenship to the Dalai Lama due to concerns such a move would jeopardize Chinese involvement and investment in the 2015 Expo, according to Reuters: Milan had intended to honor the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, who is considered a separatist by Beijing, before his arrival next week for a two-day visit. But the city council suspended the decision on Thursday. "The Chinese consul told me that making the Dalai Lama an honorary citizen would have been interpreted as a sign of non-friendship towards the Chinese people," Milan mayor Giuliano Pisapia was quoted as saying by Italy's leading newspaper Corriere della Sera on Friday. Contacted by Reuters, Pisapia's spokesman confirmed the remark. "There is no citizenship but a request which the Dalai Lama has accepted that he solemnly talks before the city council on Tuesday morning," the spokesman said.
Milan would have joined other Italian cities, including Rome and Venice, in giving the Dalai Lama the honor. The LA Times blog reports that the decision has outraged supporters of the Tibetan cause.
© Scott Greene for China Digital Times (CDT), 2012. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: 2015 Expo, citizenship, Dalai Lama, italy, Milan, Tibet
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