News » China » Commentary: U.S. sends wrong signal over Diaoyu Islands issue
News » China » Commentary: U.S. sends wrong signal over Diaoyu Islands issue |
- Commentary: U.S. sends wrong signal over Diaoyu Islands issue
- Police crack down on substandard fireworks
- Provincial 'two sessions' convene amid expectations
- Beijing to release Gini coefficient
- Robots enter catering industry
- Bank predicts 8.5% China growth in 2013
- Icefall scenery in SW China
- Armed helicopters will be in training for combat missions
- Pig farmer 'forced into psychiatric hospital'
- Overseas Chinese stage lunar new year show in Houston
- China opposes U.S. comments about Diaoyu Islands: spokesman
- China strongly discontent on U.S. comment about Diaoyu Islands: spokesman
- China opposes US comments about Diaoyu Islands
- Armed helicopters will be in training for combat missions
- Gas hampers rescue of 11 miners in SW China
- Report highlights risks of single people
- Beijing to restrict cars on roads in polluted days
- 2 dead, 3 injured in SW road accident
- Armstrong wants to compete again
- How do i love thee?
| Commentary: U.S. sends wrong signal over Diaoyu Islands issue Posted: 20 Jan 2013 09:28 AM PST BEIJING, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday claimed that the Diaoyu Islands were under the administrative authority of Japan, and therefore the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty applies to it. Clinton also said the United States opposed "any unilateral actions that would seek to undermine Japanese administration." Her words showed explicit U.S. endorsement of Japan over the Diaoyu Islands issue, sending a mixed and wrong signal and adding fuel to the matter. It was exceedingly wrong for Clinton, a senior U.S. governmental official in charge of American foreign affairs, to make such comments when meeting in Washington with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida. Firstly, Clinton's comments were ignorant of essential historical facts and international law, and indiscriminate of rights and wrongs. Diaoyu Island and its affiliated islets have been part of China's inherent territories since ancient times. China has indisputable sovereignty over the islands whether on the aspects of history, geography and legal principle. However, the U.S. arbitrarily placed the Diaoyu Islands under its administration in the 1950s and transferred the so-called "administrative authority" to Japan in the 1970s. The two countries' backroom deals over the islands have seriously violated China's territorial sovereignty and sowed seeds for future disputes over the territory. The U.S. has an unshirkable historical responsibility on the Diaoyu Islands issue. However, instead of retrospecting history, the country has made mistakes repeatedly. Secondly, Clinton's words indicated the chaotic U.S. foreign policies. It would embolden right-wing forces in Japan and intensify tensions between China and Japan. Not long before, Washington had still seemed to remain cautious when dealing with the issue of the Diaoyu Islands. The Wall Street Journal on Thursday reported that Kurt Campbell, the top U.S. diplomat for East Asia, recently issued a subtle but clear message to Japan, suggesting that Tokyo tone down its rhetoric and actions in its dispute with Beijing. In addition, The Journal said Campbell "maintained a neutral tone in describing the situation." However, Clinton's recent remarks have indicated clearly that the U.S. stance on the issue was contradictory. Clinton's comments would be seen as backing Japan's rightwingers, making it more complicated to solve the issue. Thirdly, Clinton's remarks actually jeopardized the national interests of the U.S. Since America unveiled its "pivot to Asia" strategy, what it would do reflects its Asian-Pacific strategy. Will it help promote regional security and prosperity and thus be able to share the results of economic development of the region? Or will it add fuel to the flames and become a troublemaker? The irresponsible U.S. remarks concerning the Diaoyu Islands will worsen, rather than relieve the tension over the issue. With intensified tension and deteriorated security within the region, no less the prospect of reviving militarism in Japan, the security and economic recovery of the U.S. would be largely affected. It is unwise for the politicians to act shortsightedly. Instead of pursuing immediate interests, Washington should take its general relations with China into consideration and adopt a responsible attitude in regard to the issue of the Diaoyu Islands. | ||||
| Police crack down on substandard fireworks Posted: 20 Jan 2013 05:58 AM PST BEIJING - Police on Sunday vowed to step up efforts against substandard fireworks as the Spring Festival, China's biggest holiday, approaches. Producers and distributors will be inspected nationwide in a bid to prevent substandard products from entering the market, as well as stop illegal production of fireworks, a Ministry of Public Security statement said. Police will also step up patrols during the Spring Festival holiday, which falls on Feb 10, the statement said. Since December, police nationwide have confiscated more than 230,000 boxes of substandard fireworks and detained 1,545 suspects. The ministry also called on citizens to buy quality fireworks and take necessary precautions when setting them off. Last Spring Festival, one person died and 271 people were injured in accidents caused by fireworks in Beijing alone.  | ||||
| Provincial 'two sessions' convene amid expectations Posted: 20 Jan 2013 05:58 AM PST BEIJING - The first session of the new provincial legislature of East China's Jiangsu province opened Sunday, the country's first region to start annual meetings of both its legislature and political advisory body. A 27-page government work report, delivered by Li Xueyong, governor of Jiangsu, focused on improving people's living standards, outlining achievements during the past five years and development goals for the next half-a-decade. The report was shorter than in recent years, apparently following the eight requirements for leaders to improve their work style and fight bureaucratism, which were adopted by the Communist Party of China's new leadership, which was elected in November. The session of the 12th Jiangsu provincial committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country's top political advisory body, opened Saturday. Sessions of the CPPCC committees in Central Henan province and southwestern Yunnan province convened on the same day. There were no fresh flowers in conference halls, nor colorful banners or traffic controls on the streets. The registration process of attendees was short. There were fewer dishes of food in hotels for them. This illustrated that local authorities have become more simple, practical and efficient in their working style. In the next ten days, annual sessions of provincial legislatures and political advisory bodies will open in other provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions. Prior to the annual sessions of the national legislature and political advisory body in March, the provincial political events occur more than two months after the national congress of the ruling party. New governors, heads of provincial legislatures and political consultative bodies, provincial high courts and procuratorates, will all be elected during the events. Acting mayors or governors of eight provinces or municipalities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Zhejiang, are expected to be elected to the posts. "Simple and clear. I had never had such fresh feelings over the past decade," said Yang Decai, a political advisor of Jiangsu, describing his impression of Saturday's opening session of the provincial political consultative body. "With strict enforcement of orders, the country will be more hopeful," said Yang on the Internet. He is a professor in economics at Nanjing University. | ||||
| Beijing to release Gini coefficient Posted: 20 Jan 2013 05:58 AM PST BEIJING - Beijing will release its own Gini coefficient for 2012, a National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) Beijing survey branch spokesman said Sunday. Gini coefficient, or Gini index, is used to measure income inequality, with a figure of 0 representing equality and 1 inequality. Xing Zhihong, the spokesman, said that China's statistics departments used to publish two indexes -- the per capita disposable income of urban residents and the per capita net income of rural residents -- to reflect income distribution. "However, we will act according to the schedule of relevant departments and carry out unified investigation into the income of both urban and rural residents, and publish the Gini number in a timely manner," Xing said at a press conference. Beijing is the first city in the country to announce it will be releasing a Gini coefficient. According to original indexes, in 2012, per capita disposable income of urban residents in Beijing was 36,469 yuan ($5,864). Per capita net income of rural residents was 16,476 yuan ($2,650). On Friday, China released the index for 2012, saying that the Gini coefficient reached 0.474, higher than the warning level of 0.4 set by the United Nations. The index has retreated gradually since peaking at 0.491 in 2008, dropping to 0.49 in 2009, 0.481 in 2010 and 0.477 in 2011, according to NBS calculations. "The statistics highlight the urgency for our country to speed up income distribution reforms to narrow the gap," Ma Jiantang, NBS director said on Friday. Related: China Gini coefficient at 0.474 in 2012 | ||||
| Robots enter catering industry Posted: 20 Jan 2013 05:58 AM PST HARBIN - A restaurant on Central Street in Harbin city, capital of Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, offers service with a difference. The Haohai Robot Restaurant is like a scene from a film with robots resembling movie characters, such as Optimus Prime and Wall.E, serving customers each day.
Around 20 robots work at the restaurant, which has served more than 10,000 customers since it opened in June 2012. The robots operate as entertainers, greeters, cooks and wait on tables. They cook Sichuan cuisine and northeastern food. "It's amazing. It makes me feel I'm in the future. The robots cannot only speak, their dishes also taste delicious," said a woman surnamed Zhang. In fact, people who come here indulge in their curiosity rather than appease their appetite. Most of the guests just take pictures. Liu Hasheng, chief engineer of the restaurant said, "Almost 60 percent of guests are parents and children, and tourists account for 20 percent. People come here not only for a meal but to experience the world of science fiction." Liu runs Harbin Haohai Robot Co., Ltd. developing and producing robots. The restaurant is a part of the company and the robots were developed by Liu and his research team. Each robot has a dozen facial expressions and speak using short simple sentences. Ultrasonic detection devices prevent the robots from hitting any barriers. Related: | ||||
| Bank predicts 8.5% China growth in 2013 Posted: 20 Jan 2013 05:58 AM PST SHANGHAI - Economic growth in China will be about 8.5 percent this year, with domestic demand being the driving force for expansion, a Bank of Communications report predicted. Demand from Europe and the United States will bottom out and boost Chinese trade. Exports will rise about 8.5 percent this year from 2012 and imports will climb 10 percent, the report released on Friday said. Domestic demand will continue to replace investment as the leading engine for economic growth, according to the report. It forecast nominal growth for retail sales at 16 percent and actual growth rate at 12.5 percent in 2013. China will adopt loose fiscal and stable monetary policies to support the real economy. Its new lending will stand at about 9 to 9.5 trillion yuan ($1.43 to $1.51 trillion) in 2013, the report said. China's gross domestic product grew 7.8 percent year on year to 51.93 trillion yuan, the first annual growth rate below 8 percent since 1999, National Bureau of Statistics data showed on Friday. Related: WB predicts 8.4% growth for China GDP growth to reach 8% in H1: Deutsche Bank China's H2 GDP growth to quicken: DB | ||||
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| Armed helicopters will be in training for combat missions Posted: 19 Jan 2013 07:53 PM PST Chinese army will put armed helicopters in training programs for combat operations, according to Sunday's PLA Daily, the flagship newspaper of China's armed forces. | ||||
| Pig farmer 'forced into psychiatric hospital' Posted: 19 Jan 2013 06:21 PM PST A court in northeast China has begun to hear a case in which a farmer petitioner sued government departments in an eastern city for allegedly forcing him into psychiatric hospital. | ||||
| Overseas Chinese stage lunar new year show in Houston Posted: 19 Jan 2013 11:13 PM PST Overseas Chinese staged a show here on Saturday night to celebrate the upcoming Chinese lunar new year. | ||||
| China opposes U.S. comments about Diaoyu Islands: spokesman Posted: 19 Jan 2013 11:13 PM PST China is firmly opposed to comments made by the United States about the Diaoyu Islands, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said here Sunday. | ||||
| China strongly discontent on U.S. comment about Diaoyu Islands: spokesman Posted: 19 Jan 2013 09:13 PM PST China expressed strong discontentment on and firmly opposed the recent comment that the U.S. side made about the Diaoyu Islands, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Qin Gang said here Sunday. | ||||
| China opposes US comments about Diaoyu Islands Posted: 19 Jan 2013 11:18 PM PST China is firmly opposed to comments made by the United States about the Diaoyu Islands, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said Sunday in Beijing. • Japan should have responsible attitude | ||||
| Armed helicopters will be in training for combat missions Posted: 19 Jan 2013 07:53 PM PST Chinese army will put armed helicopters in training programs for combat operations, according to Sunday's PLA Daily, the flagship newspaper of China's armed forces. | ||||
| Gas hampers rescue of 11 miners in SW China Posted: 19 Jan 2013 06:18 PM PST Rescuers said Saturday that the high density of gas has hampered rescue efforts after 11 miners were trapped in a coal pit following a gas outburst in southwest China's Guizhou Province. | ||||
| Report highlights risks of single people Posted: 19 Jan 2013 07:23 PM PST Single living may pose serious impact on social development, experts have warned. | ||||
| Beijing to restrict cars on roads in polluted days Posted: 19 Jan 2013 06:24 PM PST The number of vehicles on Beijing's roads could be cut on days when the city suffers from heavy air pollution, according to a new regulation released for comments on Saturday. | ||||
| 2 dead, 3 injured in SW road accident Posted: 19 Jan 2013 08:01 PM PST NANNING - Two people were killed and another three injured in a seven-vehicle pileup Sunday morning in Southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, local police said. At about 4:30 am, a truck carrying bananas turned over on a section of Guangkun (Guangzhou-Kunming) Expressway in Baise City in Guangxi and caused a pileup on the road, killing two. Medical workers have been dispatched to the site to rescue the injured, according to local traffic police. The accident caused a traffic jam on the section, and police has sent a crane to move away the truck. The cause of the accident is under further investigation. | ||||
| Armstrong wants to compete again Posted: 19 Jan 2013 08:01 PM PST Disgraced athlete wants chance to be in marathons or triathlons Shamed cyclist Lance Armstrong wants to return to competitive sports, but says the driving force behind his belated doping confession was the well-being of his five children.
"The biggest hope and intention was the well-being of my children," Armstrong told talk show host Oprah Winfrey in the second segment of their televised interview, which aired on Friday. In the first installment aired on Thursday, the 41-year-old Texan admitted for the first time that an array of performance-enhancing drugs helped sweep him to a record seven Tour de France titles from 1999-2005. Years of aggressive denials - including vitriolic attacks on those who questioned him - collapsed last year when he was stripped of his Tour titles and banned for life by the US Anti-Doping Agency. "The older kids need to not be living with this issue in their lives," Armstrong said. "That isn't fair for me to have done to them. And I did it." But Armstrong said that if a confession could help him regain a place in sports - in triathlons or marathons - he'd jump at it. "Hell yes, I'm a competitor," Armstrong said, adding that he didn't think he deserved the "death penalty" of a lifetime ban. "Frankly, this may not be the most popular answer, but I think I deserve it," he said, telling Winfrey that former team-mates who implicated themselves in testifying against him received lesser punishments. "I deserve to be punished," Armstrong said. "I'm not sure that I deserve a death penalty." When Winfrey noted that virtually every article on the once revered cyclist now begins with the word "disgraced" Armstrong said he felt it fit. "But I also feel humbled. I feel ashamed. This is ugly stuff," he said. "I'm deeply sorry for what I did. I can say that thousands of times and it may never be enough to get back." Thursday's first installment of the interview was a ratings winner for Winfrey, with its estimated 3.2 million viewers in the United States making it the second-most-watched show ever on her fledgling OWN network. However, it left many still skeptical of Armstrong's motives and methods, doubtful he felt real remorse. Genuine emotion seeped through on Friday. Armstrong's eyes reddened and his voice cracked as he described telling his 13-year-old son Luke: "Don't defend me anymore" when his transgressions at last caught up with him. "When this all really started, I saw my son defending me and saying, 'That's not true. What you're saying about my dad is not true.' "That's when I knew I had to tell him," Armstrong said. "And he'd never asked me. He'd never said, 'Dad, is this true?' He trusted me." Armstrong recalled the days in October, after the USADA released the report documenting its case against him, that led to his stepping down as chairman of the Livestrong cancer charity he founded and then leaving the board entirely. "I wouldn't at all say forced out," Armstrong said. "I was aware of the pressure. "It was the best thing for the organization but it hurt like hell ... That was the lowest." He discussed the financial fallout, in particular the stampede of sponsors away from him with sportswear giant Nike in the lead. "You could look at the day or those two days or the day and a half where people left," he said. "That was a $75 million day."
Armstrong's admissions could carry legal repercussions. The US Department of Justice is close to making a decision on whether to add the government's name to a complaint lodged in 2010 against Armstrong by former fellow US Postal Service teammate Floyd Landis. The Postal Service, a federal agency, paid $30 million in public money to sponsor Armstrong's team - and may now seek to get it back. Armstrong again denied he used drugs in his comeback from retirement in 2009 and 2010, saying he'd promised his ex-wife Kristin that he would "never cross that line again". He also denied USADA chief Travis Tygart's assertion in a 60 Minutes Sports interview last week that someone in Armstrong's camp offered the agency a $250,000 donation in what could be seen as an attempt at a pay-off. "That's not true," Armstrong said, noting that it wasn't in USADA's official case against him. Related stories: Armstrong stripped off Olympic bronze medal | ||||
| Posted: 19 Jan 2013 08:01 PM PST We asked a cross-section of people if they say 'I love you' to their parents, spouses and children. Liu Xiangrui and Sun Ye pounded the pavement and found that there seems to be a generation gap as far as expressions of love are concerned. ZHANG XUE 22, salesman, Beijing "I say 'I love you' to the people I love, including my parents. I live far away from my parents and know that they miss me a lot and that's why, now and then, I feel I need to tell them I love them. I don't find it difficult to say the words and I can see that they're happy and moved when they hear it. But they never say the words back." CHEN YUDA 34, civil servant, Shaoxing, Zhejiang province "I am reluctant to say 'I love you'. Perhaps it has something to do with our Chinese culture. Saying such words seems awkward in my family. I don't think it's necessary to speak out about love, as long as I have done my duty in supporting my family and working at all our relationships. I am more physical with my daughter, I hug her and she hugs me back. But it's interesting that my 5-year-old daughter often says 'I love you' to her mother, but never to me - probably because I don't live with her all the time. There is no physical expression of love to my parents, but I show my love through buying them things and visiting them as often as possible. I let my parents know that as they get old, I will always be there for them. That's how they know I love them." LI SHENG 68, retired, Beijing "I don't say 'I love you' to my family. I don't find it hard but it's just not necessary. We're close and love each other enough so it's not necessary for us to express it that way. You can say sweet things and promise a lot, but words are empty. It's what you do that really makes an impression." CAO LEI 32, teacher, Beijing "If I say 'I love you' to my parents, they'll be shocked! They'll think something must have happened to me. So I don't want to scare them. Rather, I'd show them my love through actions. That's the sort of love and filial piety their generation is more familiar with. And they can sense it through your behavior. But I'm a teacher, so I encourage my students to express their love more directly to their parents. Everything changes with time." REN RUOPING 70, retired, Beijing "When my children and grandchildren were very young, I did say 'I love you' to them. Not anymore. When they're old enough to understand your love for them, it's better for them to sense it through our interaction. It's when they don't understand your feelings for them that you need to say it out loud. I think that's what we Chinese do." LU JIANLI 56, farmer, Mashan county, Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region "I have never said 'I love you' to my family, and I don't think I will in the future. Saying it aloud is embarrassing for me. I don't think it's necessary to say it out loud. Actions are more important than words, and I show my love to my family through my deeds. For example, I try my best to take good care of my little grandchildren to show my daughter I love her. In the past, when we were poor, I would visit my parents often and take my children along so they can chat and stay with them. Making my parents happy was the best way to show them my love." |
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