News » Politics » Chinese PLA Navy exercises simulate hostile encounter in East China Sea

---

• Chinese PLA Navy exercises simulate hostile encounter in East China Sea
• Killed for Organs: China's Secret State Transplant Business
• Winners Announced for NTD’s 6th International Vocal Competition
• How Jiang Zemin Encouraged Bo Xilai’s Atrocities, Part I
• China releases guidelines on raising pre-school children
• Chinese student team to compete in international mahjong tournament
• Taiwan's DPP divided on whether to revise independence clause
• Nestle continues merging with Chinese food firms
• Half-naked Vietnamese fully exposed after arrest in Taoyuan
• PRC nationals rush to apply for Taiwanese passports
• Suzhou insurance provider markets anti-philandering policy
• Corrupt Chinese officials still get promoted, research shows
• Tibetan Sets Self on Fire, Charges Chinese Police
• Steven Strauss: Megatrend: China's GDP Will Exceed U.S. GDP in the 21st Century -- Deal With It
• Obama's first term: pivot to Asia and tweaks to Latin America
• Hong Kong seizes more than 1,000 smuggled ivory tusks
• Tibetan man dies after setting himself on fire in China
• Culture clash with my nanny
• Vanishing Shanghai
• Tibetan Man Sets Self On Fire In Protest

Chinese PLA Navy exercises simulate hostile encounter in East China Sea Posted: 22 Oct 2012 04:18 AM PDT Chinese civilian maritime authorities and the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy conducted a joint exercise in the East China Sea on Friday simulating an encounter with foreign vessels. A total of 1...

Killed for Organs: China's Secret State Transplant Business Posted: 21 Oct 2012 08:26 PM PDT It's being called "abhorrent" and a "crime against humanity." Allegations of forced organ harvesting in China started to surface in 2006. Since then, mounting evidence suggests these allegations are true—and even worse than originally suspected.

Winners Announced for NTD’s 6th International Vocal Competition Posted: 21 Oct 2012 08:16 PM PDT Tenor Mario Zhang from Canada and Soprano Iaia Hanying Tso from Taiwan have taken the Gold award at NTD's 6th International Vocal Competition.

How Jiang Zemin Encouraged Bo Xilai’s Atrocities, Part I Posted: 21 Oct 2012 07:12 PM PDT Ousted Bo Xilai and his wife Gu Kailai. (New Epoch Weekly Photo Archive) When the now-disgraced former Chinese Communist Party (CCP) chief of Chongqing, Bo Xilai, was courting his first wife, Li Danyu, he wrote her a love poem. The 26 year-old's poem mimicked the style of Mao Zedong's poem "Snow—To the Tune of Chin Yuan Chun." Bo titled his poem, "Forward—To the Tune of Chin Yuan Chun." Following the strict form of the Song Dynasty Chin Yuan Chun lyric, Bo Xilai wrote at one point, "Reading the brilliant history, [I] ask the Chinese people, who will take over the succession?" Top to Bottom Growing up, Bo Xilai experienced being near the top of the CCP's hierarchy and also experienced plummeting to the bottom. Bo Xilai was born in July, 1949, the son of one of the most powerful members of the CCP. He attended the elite No. 4 High School in Beijing. His father, Bo Yibo, was the vice premier of the CCP State Council from 1957-1966. In the 1980s and 1990s, he came to be known as one of the eight immortals, the aged founders of the CCP who assisted Deng Xiaoping in ruling China. But before Bo Yibo climbed back in the company of Deng to the heights of the Party, he was struck down during the Cultural Revolution. Identified in 1966 as a "capitalist roader," Bo Yibo was accused of many crimes and spent the decade of the Cultural Revolution in prison. His son Bo Xilai was an enthusiastic Red Guard who at one point beat his father, breaking three of his ribs, something Bo Yibo would later recall with pride as a sign Bo Xilai had what it took to succeed in the CCP. But Bo Xilai's fanaticism did not save him. He was eventually imprisoned and served five years, released in 1976 along with the other members of his family after the Cultural Revolution collapsed. The cruelty Bo suffered in prison made him shady, manipulative, and tyrannical. He believed power was the only truth in this world. When Bo got out of jail, he started working as a repairman at an auto shop, and he began courting his childhood friend Li Danyu. In terms of status, all of the advantages were on the side of Li Danyu. Li Danyu's father had before the Cultural Revolution been the Party secretary of Beijing. He lost that post, but did not fall as far as Bo Yibo. Li's father was not branded an enemy of the people; he remained a "revolutionary comrade." Li Danyu herself was a military doctor at the prestigious 301 People's Liberation Army Hospital in Beijing—the hospital where all of the Party leaders were treated. For his part, Bo Xilai was handsome, charming and, like Li herself, intelligent. Bo won his suit and married the plain-looking and hot tempered Li in September, 1976. Gu Kailai Appears Bo Yibo was rehabilitated in 1978, and Bo Xiali and Li Danyu moved into Zhongnanhai, the CCP leadership's compound in Beijing. Bo Xilai was admitted to study history at Peking University and then became a graduate student at the newly established Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, meant to be the premier institution for research in the social science in the People's Republic of China. On their 4-year-old son's birthday, June 20, 1981, Bo and Li's marriage experienced a drastic change. As Bo Xilai cried holding his wife and son in his arms, he announced he was divorcing Li, because he had "no feelings for her anymore." No one knows when exactly Gu Kailai barged into Bo's life. Gu Kailai's father was the deputy director of the PLA General Political Department, second secretary of the Xinjiang District—he was the Party's second in command in the army based in Xinjiang. In 1978 Gu Kailai enrolled at Peking University School of Law, then transferred to International Politics and studied for 3 years to get her Master's. She is 11 years younger than Bo Xilai. Gu Kailai tells the outside world that the first time she met Bo was an accident, after he arrived at Jin County in Liaoning. This is no doubt a lie. Many of Gu's classmates from Peking University confirm that Gu and Bo already had a relationship while they were still at Peking University. In addition, Li Danyu told the New York Times that she began accusing Gu of being the third party in the divorce Bo Xilai had requested and thus guilty of damaging a military marriage, which is illegal in China. In 1984 Li was forced by Bo Yibo's pressure to divorce Bo Xilai officially. In 1986, Gu Kailai married Bo Xilai. Bo Xilai had become mayor of Dalian in 1993, and Gu Kailai opened a law firm in 1995. Any enterprises that wanted to invest in Dalian had to follow an unspoken rule and hire lawyers from Gu's firm for consulting. Consulting fees could run into the millions, but only in this way could the firms be sure of having Bo's support. Around this time, Bo and Gu met the English businessman Neil Heywood, who had come to Dalian looking to get wealthy. Heywood not only helped their son Bo Guagua with English, but started to help them launder money overseas. Stuck as Mayor Bo looked to move up from Dalian and thought he should move up. He was highly regarded, popular, politically savvy, and capable. He had brought new construction to Dalian and beautified the city with parks and boulevards. Moreover, his father as one of the eight immortals was extremely well connected. At the 15th Party Congress in 1997 Bo did not get a single vote for a seat on the Central Committee. Nor was he promoted to a province-level position somewhere—longstanding CCP officials of Bo's rank are often moved from one spot to another, climbing the ladder of promotion, but not Bo. What disappointed Bo most was that his family had a special relationship with Party head Jiang Zemin, but that relationship wasn't paying off. In the spring of 1995, then-paramount leader Deng Xiaoping received a letter from seven officials at the provincial level reporting on Jiang. Deng gave it to Bo's father, Bo Yibo, and asked him to take care of it. Bo's father took the letter to Jiang. Jiang was terrified after reading the letter. Bo's father had always wanted his son to be promoted to the top of the political chain and he made a deal with Jiang. Bo's father agreed to conceal Jiang's crimes, and Jiang agreed to promote Bo Xilai. But Jiang was not holding up his end of the bargain. Then, in 1999, Bo Xilai found a way to get Jiang's enthusiastic support. Next ... Jiang launched the persecution of Falun Gong Prev | 1 | 2 | Next | - View As Single Page

China releases guidelines on raising pre-school children Posted: 22 Oct 2012 01:54 AM PDT In a bid to prevent the teaching of subjects meant for elementary schools at the pre-school level, the Chinese Ministry of Education published a set of guidelines for raising children aged between thr...

Chinese student team to compete in international mahjong tournament Posted: 22 Oct 2012 01:54 AM PDT A team of students from China's top universities will compete in the World Mahjong Championships held at the end of October in Chongqing, in southwestern China, reports the Sichuan-based West China Ci...

Taiwan's DPP divided on whether to revise independence clause Posted: 22 Oct 2012 01:54 AM PDT Since a landmark visit to China earlier this month by Taiwan's former premier Frank Hsieh of the Democratic Progressive Party, opinion within the opposition party has been divided on whether to revise...

Nestle continues merging with Chinese food firms Posted: 22 Oct 2012 01:54 AM PDT Nestle, a Switzerland-based food company, reported sales for the first three quarters of US$72.8 billion, up 11% from a year earlier, thanks to the purchase of a 60% stake in two Chinese food compan...

Half-naked Vietnamese fully exposed after arrest in Taoyuan Posted: 22 Oct 2012 01:54 AM PDT A Vietnamese female visitor, who was in such a hurry to get away with her theft that she forgot to wear anything on the lower half of her body, was caught while trying to run away after stealing from ...

PRC nationals rush to apply for Taiwanese passports Posted: 22 Oct 2012 01:54 AM PDT Taiwan's foreign ministry has received more than one hundred applications for Taiwanese passports from Chinese nationals after the United States' announced Taiwan's membership in its Visa Waiver Progr...

Suzhou insurance provider markets anti-philandering policy Posted: 22 Oct 2012 01:54 AM PDT An insurance company in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, is promoting a new product available exclusively to married couples. The life insurance product covers the husband, with his wife as the beneficiary. ...

Corrupt Chinese officials still get promoted, research shows Posted: 22 Oct 2012 01:54 AM PDT The vast majority of 72 government officials confirmed to have been involved in corruption enjoyed promotions during their time in public service, a researcher has claimed, reports the China Youth Dai...

Tibetan Sets Self on Fire, Charges Chinese Police Posted: 21 Oct 2012 01:05 PM PDT A Tibetan man screams as he runs engulfed in flames after self-immolating at a protest in New Delhi, India, on March 26, 2012. Recently a Tibetan man set himself on fire and charged at police. (K Asif/India Today Group/Getty Images) Another Tibetan man set himself on fire to protest against Chinese rule, and ran at a group of plainclothes police officers in western Gansu Province over the weekend. It was the fifth self-immolation in a month.  Nearly 60 Tibetans have set themselves ablaze since 2009, and the frequency of the immolations have only increased in the past year. Tibet's leaders-in-exile have essentially condemned the practice, saying that that there are too few Tibetans inside China to be giving up their lives so easily. Lhamo Kyab, 27, and a father of two, set himself on fire near the Bora monastery and died in the incident, according to the International Campaign for Tibet, or Save Tibet, rights group, which cited local Tibetans in the area.  "The same sources said that police tried to put out the flames, and a local man took off his shirt and tried to fling it over Lhamo Kyab but the blaze was too strong," the rights group said. He shouted slogans against Chinese rule. Locals took the man's body to Bora monastery after "some tension" between them and Chinese security forces, Save Tibet added. An unnamed Tibetan source told Radio Free Asia that Kyab attempted to to run to the Bora monastery while he was on fire. "When he encountered some policemen in plainclothes, who were pretending to circumambulate [walk around] the monastery and tried to stop him, he charged at them," the source continued. "They avoided him." Bora monastery was the site mass protests earlier this year where more than 100 monks marched to local government buildings. On Sunday, the exiled Tibetan government reacted to Kyab's self-immolation, and called for a coordinated global effort to end the crisis. "The tragic self-immolations by Tibetans would stop only if the Chinese government address their genuine and long-standing grievances, and find a lasting solution to the problem of Tibet through dialogue," Kalon Dicki Chhoyang, with the Central Tibetan Administration, said in a statement. The Chinese regime has stepped up security in Tibetan regions, likely due to the impending 18th National Party Congress that will see a change in key leadership positions in the ruling Communist Party. Chinese authorities have cracked down on dissent across the country ahead of its largest national conclave. Rights group Free Tibet said the frequency of the self-immolations has taken place at an unprecedented rate, with Tibetans protesting in this manner for more than 18 months, terming it the "Tibet Spring."  "As news of the protests and self-immolation has spread, more and more Tibetans are prepared to risk imprisonment by sharing photos and videos to make sure the world sees what is happening in their country," it said. Related Articles Grandfather of Tibetan Religious Figure Self-Immolates There are are more Chinese security forces deployed in key Tibetan areas, including Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Prefecture, and hundreds of people have been reported missing or arrested, Free Tibet said. The self-immolations will continue to take place unless the Chinese regime addresses Tibetans' underlying rights issues, it added. chinareports@epochtimes.com The Epoch Times publishes in 35 countries and in 19 languages. Subscribe to our e-newsletter. Click www.ept.ms/ccp-crisis to read about the most recent developments in the ongoing crisis within the Chinese communist regime. In this special topic, we provide readers with the necessary context to understand the situation. Get the RSS feed. Who are the Major Players?

Steven Strauss: Megatrend: China's GDP Will Exceed U.S. GDP in the 21st Century -- Deal With It Posted: 21 Oct 2012 07:56 AM PDT Supporters of 'Romney-Ryan as economic saviors' believe they'll miraculously produce the hyper-economic growth we failed to achieve by lowering marginal tax rates, repealing Obamacare, and increasing military spending. If you believe Romney-Ryan will produce this miracle, you probably also believe in the Tooth Fairy. Read more: Elections 2012, Mitt Romney, China, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Romnesia, US Economy Growth, China Economy Growth, China Economy, Politics News This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Obama's first term: pivot to Asia and tweaks to Latin America Posted: 21 Oct 2012 07:31 AM PDT India got charm but little substance from the US president's foreign policy, while Europe got exasperation Away from the Middle East, Barack Obama's foreign policy has been largely about turning to Asia, sending mixed signals to Latin America, ignoring sub-Saharan Africa – and hoping that Europe and its implacable crisis go away. Arguably the single most important strategic decision of his first term was the "pivot" to Asia – the promise this year to deploy 60% of naval assets to the Asia-Pacific region by 2020. Chinese analysts say this is the principal reason why bilateral relations are now at their lowest point since Obama became president. Otherwise, the Obama administration has taken care not to upset the Chinese unduly. Obama himself waited more than two years before privately meeting the Dalai Lama; the secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, made it clear early on that disagreements over human rights should not interfere with co-operation on broader issues between the world's two foremost economic powers. The other rising power of the east, India, usually enjoys better relations with the US when a Republican president is in office. But Obama, who visited India in November 2010, charmed his hosts with flattering references to their country's heritage and booming economy, a stab at speaking Hindi in parliament and a promise of support for a permanent seat on the United Nations security council, a long-cherished ambition that is extremely unlikely to be fulfilled any time soon. If the style was there — Indians were delighted by the youthful charisma of the president and his wife compared with the stuffy and status-obsessed local politicians — the substance has been less evident, however. Major defence deals have gone elsewhere, the Indians are deeply concerned by the US rush to exit Afghanistan – which they fear could benefit hostile neighbour Pakistan – and nothing as significant as the 2008 US-India nuclear deal that his predecessor pushed through has even been spoken of. On Africa, Obama – the son of a Kenyan – has spent less than 24 hours in sub-Saharan Africa as president – and failed to produce a signature policy initiative, leaving many with a sense of anti-climax. "The president's Kenyan heritage inspired unreasonably high hopes for a robust Africa policy, but his administration has failed to meet even the lowest of expectations," wrote Todd Moss recently in Foreign Affairs. "Even Obama's most vocal supporters quietly admit that he has done much less with Africa than previous presidents have." But Clinton has made four trips and notched up 15 African countries. Most recently she was accompanied by executives from some of America's leading companies including Boeing, Walmart and FedEx. This underlines an evolving philosophy of seeing Africa more as investment destination than aid-hungry victim. Militarily, America's backing of African Union peacekeepers in Somalia has been a quiet triumph but al-Qaida's tentacles now stretch to countries such as Mali. Despite the disappointments, Obama still commands popular support – Conakry, the capital of Guinea, has more than one "Obama" cafe and restaurant. Obama has tweaked rather than transformed US policy towards Latin America, despite the increased influence and integration of a region that is growing economically and becoming more dependent on China. Aside from a slight relaxation of the embargo on Cuba in 2009, the White House has largely continued the approach of previous administrations by putting a priority on the (losing) battle against narcotics trafficking. Promises to put more emphasis on reducing US demand as well as Latin American supply have failed to produce results: drug use and murder rates are both rising. Mixed signals on other matters have not helped to impress other nations in the region. The US initially condemned the 2009 coup in Honduras against the leftwing leader José Manuel Zelaya but has subsequently supported the administration of Porfirio Lobo. Obama also signed a free trade agreement with Colombia despite opposing such a measure when it was initiated under the previous administration. The rhetorical pitch has, however, softened compared with the era of George W Bush. The Venezuelan president, Hugo Chávez, has said he would choose Obama if he could vote in the forthcoming election, which is likely to be a mixed blessing. On Russia, an early move to "reset" relations and make progress on nuclear arms reduction has been more than outweighed by a new deterioration in relations, sparked by Vladimir Putin's crackdown on the opposition, and diametrically opposed world views on Syria. This leaves Europe and the spiralling debt and currency crisis. The Obama administration has been exasperated by Europe's response to the crisis and has consistently urged policymakers to take dramatic, once-and-for-all action to signal that the eurozone is safe. Obama knows that a Grexit (Greece leaving the eurozone) or an unravelling of the currency would decimate global growth and hammer the US economy – and hurt his re-election bid. But the American view of economic crisis management has been totally at odds with that of the Germans, who are minded to respond: where did the global financial crisis start anyway? Obama administration United States US politics US elections 2012 China Asia Pacific Russia Europe Africa India Honduras Tania Branigan Jason Burke David Smith Jonathan Watts Ian Traynor guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Hong Kong seizes more than 1,000 smuggled ivory tusks Posted: 21 Oct 2012 01:50 AM PDT Customs officers confiscate largest ever haul of tusks and ornaments in containers from Tanzania and Kenya Hong Kong has seized its largest ever haul of illicit ivory tusks and ornaments, which had been smuggled from Africa, authorities say. Customs officers in Hong Kong and neighbouring Guangdong confiscated the ivory, worth HK$26.7m (£2.2m) and weighing a total of 3.8 tonnes, in raids at a container port last week, the Hong Kong government said. "It is the biggest ever in Hong Kong in the number of tusks seized in a single seizure," a government spokesman said. Customs officers found 972 tusks and the ornaments in bags of plastic scraps inside a container that arrived from Tanzania on Tuesday, the government said. Another 237 tusks were found the next day in a container carrying beans from Kenya. Customs officials quoted by Hong Kong media said they did not think much of the ivory had been destined for the Chinese mainland. "We believe a small portion would have gone to the mainland and the rest elsewhere in the region, such as Japan and Taiwan," the South China Morning Post quoted the senior Hong Kong customs official Lam Tak-fai as saying. Hong Kong was a major importer, trader and manufacturer of ivory carvings, crafts and other products before the international trade in ivory was banned in 1990. Hong Kong China Asia Pacific guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Tibetan man dies after setting himself on fire in China Posted: 21 Oct 2012 01:10 AM PDT Lhamo Kyeb has self-immolated in Gansu province calling for Dalai Lama's return to Tibet, says rights group Another Tibetan has set himself on fire while shouting slogans calling for the Dalai Lama's return to Tibet, a London-based rights group says. Free Tibet said Lhamo Kyeb, 27, died on Saturday near a monastery in north-western China's Gansu province. Citing a witness, it said he set himself on fire and ran towards Bhora monastery in Xiahe county and that state security forces standing nearby ran after him and tried to put out the flames. The witness said Lhamo Kyeb attempted to stop them from extinguishing the fire, forcing them to back away, and then walked towards the monastery and fell to the ground. The group said nearly 60 Tibetans had set themselves on fire since March 2011 to protest against Chinese rule over the Himalayan region. Calls to the county government and police rang unanswered on Sunday. A man on duty at the prefectural government said he had no information. "Protests against China's brutal suppression of Tibetan culture and identity have now reached a point where the international community must speak out," the Free Tibet director Stephanie Brigden said in a statement. "This Tibet spring is not going to go away just because international governments choose to ignore it." Chinese authorities routinely deny Tibetan claims of repression, although they have confirmed some self-immolations and accused supporters of the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama of encouraging such acts. The Dalai Lama and representatives of the self-declared Tibetan government-in-exile in India say they oppose all violence. Tibet China Asia Pacific guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Culture clash with my nanny Posted: 21 Oct 2012 10:08 AM PDT What do you do when your childcare provider wants your child to defend himself, but you'd rather he turn the other cheek? Tessa Thorniley addresses one of the greatest challenges of expat parenting: child-rearing culture clashes. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Vanishing Shanghai Posted: 21 Oct 2012 05:16 AM PDT ... Read more: China Photos, Video, Vanishing Shanghai, Shanghai, China, World News This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Tibetan Man Sets Self On Fire In Protest Posted: 21 Oct 2012 03:07 AM PDT BEIJING -- Another Tibetan has set himself on fire while shouting slogans calling for the Dalai Lama's return to Tibet, a London-based rights group sa... Read more: Dalai Lama, Tibet Protest, Tibet Self Immolation, Man Sets Self on Fire, Lhamo Kyeb Tibet, Bhora Monastery, Lhamo Kyeb, Free Tibet, Tibet, China, Lhamo Kyeb Self Immolation, Video, World News This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

You are subscribed to email updates from Update » News » Politics To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610