Chinese Premier Research Articles

China-Asean Relations, September 2013 to December 2013: Chronology of Events

China-Asean Relations, September 2013 to December 2013: Chronology of Events WU Dan (bio) As a research institute based in Singapore, the EAI monitors developments in relations and interactions between China and the individual countries of Southeast Asia as well as the ASEAN grouping as a whole. This material is presented in the form of (1) a chronology of events, and (2) important documents. —the Editors September 2013 2nd The ASEAN-China Transport Ministers’ Special Meeting on Connectivity is held on the sidelines of the 10th China-ASEAN Expo in Nanning, China. China’s Minister of Transport of Yang Chuantang and Lao PDR Minister of Public Works and Transport Sommad Pholsena co-chair the meeting, which sees in-depth discussions on transport connectivity and constructive exchanges of views and ideas between transport ministers of ASEAN and China and representatives from the industry. The ministers consider it opportune to continue to build upon the existing collaborative mechanisms to deepen transport connectivity cooperation as both China and ASEAN member states are working to upgrade the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area and advance negotiations on the “Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership”. In this connection, the ministers have reached the following consensus: (i) to optimise the working mechanism; (ii) to consider establishing a financing platform; (iii) to dovetail with the connectivity master plans of both sides; (iv) to encourage the participation of enterprises in the connectivity cooperation; (v) to strengthen maritime transport connectivity; (vi) to strengthen air connectivity; and (vii) to maintain a balanced development. 3rd Chinese Premier Li Keqiang delivers his keynote speech titled “Bring the China-ASEAN Strategic Partnership of Long-Term Friendship and Mutually Beneficial Cooperation to a New High” at the 10th China-ASEAN Expo and China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit in Nanning, China. Li stresses that China and ASEAN need to deepen and upgrade pragmatic cooperation, and push for new progress in the strategic partnership. To this end, Li proposes the following for cooperation: (i) to build an upgraded version of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA); (ii) to promote connectivity; (iii) to enhance financial cooperation; (iv) to carry out maritime cooperation; and (v) to increase people-to-people exchange. 4th China and Singapore hold the Senior Officials Meeting of Joint Committee of Bilateral Cooperation, co-chaired by China’s Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin and Singapore’s Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Trade and Industry Ow Foong Pheng. 11th The East Asia Summit (EAS) Senior Officials Meeting is held in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, and officials from 18 countries, including the 10 ASEAN countries, Australia, China, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Russia and the United States, attend the meeting. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin leads a delegation to attend the meeting. The senior officials exchange views mainly on the preparation work for the Eighth EAS in October and have reached broad consensus. All parties agree that as a strategic forum “led by the leaders”, the EAS has carried out very productive dialogue and cooperation in major regional and international issues of common concern, enhanced mutual understanding and trust, and promoted the process of regional cooperation in East Asia, since its establishment. The ASEAN-China, Japan, Republic of Korea (10+3) Senior Officials’ Meeting is held on the same day in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. The parties agree to take the ASEAN plus three Leaders’ Meeting as an opportunity to fully review the cooperation in various fields and to plan for the future development, promoting the ASEAN plus three cooperation to a new level. 11th–12th The ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Workshop on Measures to Enhance Cyber Security—Legal and Cultural Aspects, which is jointly hosted by China and Malaysia, is held in Beijing. This is the first time that China hosts a workshop on cyber security under the ARF framework. Government officials, experts and scholars from ASEAN countries, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Russia, the US, Canada, Australia and the European Union, as well as officials from the ASEAN secretariat, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and other representatives attend the workshop. In-depth discussions revolve around the latest development in cyber security and regional practice, cyber security capacity...

The Colonial Empire War of France in East Asia Seas (1858-1887)

France owned a powerful army and navy in the 19th century. The decline of China’s Qing dynasty made it difficult for them. The powerful French Navy played an important role in East Asia. During this period, Japan imitated the colonialism of the Western Empire and expanded its Empire in the world. European countries went to Asia in order to obtain oriental resources and mines. The “Sino-French War” was when France invaded China and war broke out from 1883 to 1885. On October 25, 1883, the squadron of French Tokin Bay Sea’s Commander Courbet was ordered by the French government to attack China initiatively. The crucial decision-makers between China and France were Chinese Premier Viceroy Li Hong-Zhang and French Prime Minister Jules Ferry. China’s policy was Li Hong-Zhang’s “To give up Vietnam, to defend Taiwan”; France’s policy was Jules Ferry’s “To give up Taiwan, to defend Vietnam.” In brief, in the Second Empire, Napoleon III had looked for the glory of France, and established a colonial Empire to go across the Four Continents of Europe, Africa, America, and Asia; subsequently, the Third Republic of France still possessed its own potentiality, superiority, and advantage to engage in the expansion of overseas colonies. Afterwards, France finally established the “French Indochina” in Southeast Asia.

Indian Media's Coverage of the Chinese Premier's May 2013 Visit to New Delhi

Indian Media's Coverage of the Chinese Premier's <scp>M</scp>ay 2013 Visit to New Delhi

When the barking stopped: Censorship, self-censorship and spin in Fiji

After four military coups in 20 years, Fiji is poised to return to democracy in elections promised for 2014. An emergency decree placing censors in newsrooms was lifted in January 2012, but with domestic media gagged by lawsuits and Fiji Television threatened with closure for covering opposition figures, a pervasive climate of self-censorship imposed by government decrees is enforced by a government-appointed judiciary. As elections draw closer, the illusion of press freedom is framed by highly paid American ‘spin doctors’ from a prominent Washington DC public relations and lobbying firm. Paralysis in the newsroom is reflected at Fiji’s premier University of the South Pacific, once a leader in journalism education. The author taught television journalism at the university and trained reporters for Fiji TV in the 1990s, but returned to find Fiji’s media and higher education in a crisis reflecting the decline of Western influence in the Pacific. Student grievances over harassment and expulsion in retaliation for independent reporting echo the deceit and dysfunction unfolding on the national stage. As traditional allies Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom and the United States anguish over sanctions, unprecedented visits to the Fijian government by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and incoming Chinese Premier Xi Jinping portend diplomatic rivalry and raise the stakes for a fragile Pacific nation.

China-ASEAN Relations, September 2012 to December 2012: Chronology of Events

China-ASEAN Relations, September 2012 to December 2012Chronology of Events Dan Wu (bio) As a research institute based in Singapore, the EAI monitors developments in relations and interactions between China and the individual countries of Southeast Asia as well as the ASEAN grouping as a whole. This material is presented in the form of (1) a chronology of events, and (2) important documents. — the Editors SEPTEMBER 2012 21st–25th China and ASEAN sign investment programmes worth more than USD6 billion at the 9th China-ASEAN expo held in Nanning, capital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping attends the opening ceremony. 24th On the sidelines of the 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi meets Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, Laos Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, and Myanmar Foreign Minister U Wunna Maung Lwin, exchanging views on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of common concern. 26th Chairman of the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress, Wu Bangguo, meets with the President of the Thai National Assembly and Speaker of the House of Representatives Somsak Kitasuranont, who attends the 13th Western China International Fair held in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. Wu says that China is promoting the development of China’s western region, which has brought new opportunities to deepen practical cooperation between China and Thailand. [End Page 157] 27th The mission of the People’s Republic of China to ASEAN, which will serve to promote and strengthen the strategic relationship between China and ASEAN, is inaugurated in Jakarta. Chinese Ambassador to the mission Yang Xiuping and Secretary General of ASEAN Surin Pitsuwan attend the ceremony. OCTOBER 2012 18th At the Fourth Meeting of the ASEAN plus Three Committee on Women (ACW+3) held in Vientiane, Laos, Vice President of the All-China Women’s Federation (ACWF) Meng Xiaosi says that Chinese women would be more than happy to join hands with women of East Asian countries to promote gender equality and environmental sustainability. 23rd China opens a new consulate general in Khon Kaen in northeastern Thailand. The jurisdiction of the new consulate general, which was established under an agreement between the two countries in April 2012, covers 20 northeastern provinces of Thailand. It is the third Chinese consulate general in the country following those in Chiang Mai in the north and Songkla in the south of Thailand. 29th An agreement is forged between Thailand’s Kasikorn Bank and 19 Chinese partner banks, which include China Minsheng Banking, Shanghai Pudong Development Bank, China Merchants Bank, etc., to create the largest Sino-Thai factoring service network. It is expected that the overall factoring transactions under the agreement will reach about USD957 million. Under this cooperation, Kasikorn Bank and the Chinese banks agree to purchase trade receivables from each other, as well as offer the service of debt collection from each others’ trade receivables. Meanwhile, business loans will be offered to reduce international trade risks and assure importers and exporters of smooth and flexible business operations. NOVEMBER 2012 4th–8th The 16th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) meeting of the heads of national defence universities and colleges held in Beijing aims to strengthen communication among members of the ARF in defence and security areas, and promote the exchange of military education between China and other countries. The meeting, themed “Education on National Security Strategy in a Changing World”, is co-chaired by the National Defence University, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (CPLA), and the Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies of Brunei Darussalam. Participants from defence universities and colleges see the need to adapt their programmes to keep up with the evolving security [End Page 158] environment, as well as the growing needs of the military, in terms of its expanding roles, keeping up with technological advancements and in managing the mindsets of different generations. 6th Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao attends the second session of the Ninth Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit in Vientiane, Laos and delivers a keynote speech titled “Sharing the Task of Promoting the Steady Economic Growth of the World”. Wen raises a four-point initiative on deepening Asia...

A Descriptive Study of Norms in Interpreting: Based on the Chinese-English Consecutive Interpreting Corpus of Chinese Premier Press Conferences

Interpreting performance is shaped by three major forces: a) the interpreter’s interpreting competence, b) cognitive conditions on-site and c) norms of interpreting. This research is a descriptive study of norms in the Chinese-English interpreting of Chinese Premier Press Conferences, which reveals the actual norms of consecutive interpreting especially with regard to source text and target text relations. It employs the research paradigm of descriptive translation studies and the analytic tool of shifts. Through inter-textual comparative analysis of the parallel corpus of the on-site interpretation of 11 Chinese Premier Press Conferences (1998-2008), three types of shifts are identified, including Type A shifts (Addition), Type R shifts (Reduction) and Type C’ shifts (Correction). With quantitative statistics of the regularity of the occurrences of shifts and qualitative analysis of every type of shifts in the corpus, four typical norms of ST-TT relations are identified: a) the norm of adequacy, b) the norm of explicitation in logic relations, c) the norm of specificity in information content, d) the norm of explicitness in meaning. This descriptive study of norms based on a relatively large corpus of on-site interpretation can serve as a tentative exploration of the methodology in descriptive interpreting studies. It may also shed new light on interpreting quality studies.

China-ASEAN Relations, April 2011 to December 2011: Chronology of Events

China-ASEAN Relations, April 2011 to December 2011:Chronology of Events Weng Cuifen (bio) APRIL 2011 13th Zhou Yongkang, member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the CCP Central Committee and head of the Central Political and Legislative Committee, meets with the Minister of Public Security of Vietnam, Lê Hồng Anh, in Beijing. Zhou conveyed the CCP Central Committee's congratulations to the new central leadership of the Vietnam Communist Party. Lê stated that Vietnam-China relations are a priority for the Vietnam Communist Party. 14th-16th Yang Jiechi, Foreign Affairs Minister of the People's Republic of China, and the Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr Surin Pitsuwan, meet during the Boao Forum of the Asia Annual Conference 2011 in Hainan. This year marks the 20th anniversary of ASEAN-China dialogue relations. Under the theme "ASEAN-China: Mutually Beneficial and Win-Win Partners", ASEAN and China will be implementing a series of activities to promote good-neighbourly relations, deepen cooperation and consolidate people-to-people friendship. Yang underscored the fact that practical cooperation between ASEAN and China has entered a new phase. During the meeting, Yang also welcomed the participation of the United States and Russia in the East Asia Summit (EAS). However, China believes that ASEAN should continue to play a central role in the expanded EAS. [End Page 136] 20th A workshop on the China-Malaysia Qinzhou Industrial Park, located in the Beibuwan area of Guangxi Province, is launched in Beijing. It will be the first industrial park built by Malaysia in China. General planning of the project has been finished. China has become Malaysia's biggest trading partner and largest market for Malaysian palm oil, while Malaysia is China's top trading partner in ASEAN. Bilateral trade rose to a record high of USD74.2 billion in 2010. 25th Shortly before his official visits to Malaysia and Indonesia, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao gives a joint interview to journalists from the China National News Agency, Star of Malaysia, SCTV, Kompass and the Jakarta Post of Indonesia, and answered their questions at Zhongnanhai. Regarding the South China Sea, Wen stated that China remains committed to the Declaration of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea. He also pointed out that although China and Malaysia have some territorial disputes over some islands and reefs in the South China Sea, this has not prevented the two countries from peaceful coexistence. Wen also claimed that the countries concerned should and can carry out joint development in the South China Sea. 27th-28th Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao pays a two-day official visit to Malaysia. He held talks with his Malaysian counterpart Najib in Kuala Lumpur. Both sides exchanged views on how to enhance China-Malaysia strategic cooperation as well as international and regional issues of common concern. Wen and Najib also addressed the China-Malaysia Economic, Trade and Investment Cooperation Forum in Kuala Lumpur. Wen put forward a five-point proposal for the promotion of trade and cooperation between China and Malaysia. 29th-30th Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao makes a two-day official visit to Indonesia. He met with ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan in Jakarta. Both sides vowed to enhance bilateral cooperation and ties. Wen also met with Indonesian Vice President Boediono in Jakarta to boost economic and trade cooperation between the two countries. Wen said he reached a broad consensus with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for the two sides set a new target for a two-way trade volume of USD80 billion by 2015. MAY 2011 4th The 14th ASEAN+3 Finance Ministers' Meeting opens in Hanoi. The meeting was also attended by the newly appointed Director of the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office and the President of the Asia Development Bank. During the meeting, participants discussed the recent macroeconomic [End Page 137] situation in the East Asian region. Chinese Deputy Minister of Finance Li Yong briefed the meeting on China's current macroeconomic situation and the Twelfth Five-Year Plan, and put forward five suggestions for consolidating the economic recovery of the region. 16th Visiting Chinese State Councillor and Defence Minister Liang Guanglie meets with his Singaporean counterpart Teo Chee Hean in Singapore. Teo, who is...

The Pakistan Thorn in China–India–U.S. Relations

At a time when Pakistan is under intense scrutiny about its role in fighting extremism and terrorism, the world has been watching to see how Beijing decides to deal with Islamabad. Despite Pakistan’s growing diplomatic isolation in recent months, China’s support has been steadfast, at least publicly. Two weeks after the May 2011 U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Yousef Raza Gilani went to China on a four-day visit to celebrate the 60th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries. Of course, there is much to celebrate in a bilateral relationship that Pakistan’s ambassador to Beijing has described as ‘‘higher than the mountains, deeper than the oceans, stronger than steel, dearer than eyesight, sweeter than honey, and so on.’’ 1 China was the only major power that openly voiced support for Pakistan after bin Laden’s assassination, defending Islamabad and emphasizing that the Pakistani government may not have known about bin Laden’s presence on its territory. During Prime Minister Gilani’s visit, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao affirmed that ‘‘Pakistan has made huge sacrifices and an important contribution to the international fight against terrorism, that its independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity must be respected, and that the international community should understand and support Pakistan’s efforts to maintain domestic stability and to realize economic and social development.’’ 2 Wen went on to state that

Institutionalizing public relations in China: A sociological analysis of the Chinese Premier's Press Conference

Unlike previous studies that focus on the problems of public relations management, this study tackles the institutionalization of PR in China from a sociological perspective. Through the process of social construction, public relations is institutionalized according to changes in the larger environment, making use of different sources of legitimation. Focusing on the evolution of the Chinese Premier's Press Conference (CPPC), this study finds that the institutionalization of PR in China, especially in the realm of governmental practices, has varied in its structure, settings and contents, which are mixed with informal features within the Chinese social–political context. The CPPC has become a venue for top-down publicity for the powers that be. Because the organizational structure of the CPPC is more centralized than that of other governmental institutions, the form and content of its PR communications are mostly predictable. However, it is the process of the institutionalization of the CPPC that is revealing of how the Chinese government rationalizes its authority and legitimacy.

China-ASEAN Relations, April 2010 to September 2010: Chronology of Events

APRIL 2010 3rd The Joint Commission on Economic, Trade and Technical Cooperation between Indonesia and hold its 10th Session at Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Chinese Minister of Commerce Chen Deming and his counterpart, Indonesian Minister of Trade, Mari Elka Pangestu, jointly host the session. Indonesia and agree to implement the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA) as scheduled and not postpone its application on 228 tariff posts as requested by Indonesian entrepreneurs. 5th During the Mekong River Commission Summit, makes a strong commitment for the first time to the five countries on the lower Mekong: Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand. All countries should have a discussion before building dams that might damage the environment or harm people living along the river. The Summit endorses a declaration over four issues: a) food security, energy and hydropower development; b) climate change impact mitigation; c) infrastructure development; and d) increasing involvement of civil society stakeholders in planning activities and the decision-making processes. 5th Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Chinese Trade Minister Chen Deming meet at the State Palace in Jakarta. Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Hatta Rajasa, says that China will allocate more than USD15 billion [for investment] in the ASEAN region. For Indonesia, this will be prioritised on infrastructure and transportation. 9th A Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) is signed during the 16th Summit of ASEAN held at Hanoi. The DOC is an important document between the ASEAN and aimed at promoting trust-building and cooperation. The concerned parties pledged to observe and accelerate the implementation of the commitment. 13th President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao exchange congratulatory messages with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between their countries. Vice President Xi Jinping and his Indonesian counterpart Boediono also exchange congratulatory messages on the occasion. 16th The ASEAN-China Joint Working Group convenes a meeting on implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) in Hanoi. The two-day meeting underlines the significance of the DOC in order to develop trust and ensure peace, stability, security and cooperation in the region. 22nd-25th Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao pays an official visit to Brunei, Indonesia and Myanmar at the invitations of the Sultan of Brunei Darussalam Hassanal Bolkiah, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Myanmar Prime Minister Thein Sein. 27th An ASEAN-China Senior Officials' Consultation Meeting takes place in the central city of Hue, with the participation of assistant foreign ministers from the ten ASEAN countries and China. Vietnamese Assistant Foreign Minister Pham Quang Vinh and Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Hu Zhengyue co-chair the meeting which includes the ASEAN Deputy General Secretary. MAY 2010 4th Member countries of the ASEAN agree to jointly negotiate with on oil exploration projects in the resource-rich but hotly-contested Spratly Islands in the South Sea. During the ASEAN summit in Hanoi, members agree to negotiate as one body to avoid being placed in a weakened bargaining position with China. 17th Vietnamese Defence Minister Phung Quang Thanh meets with visiting Deputy Chief of General Staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, Ma Xiaotian, in Hanoi. At the meeting, Thanh welcomes the Chinese delegation, led by Ma to attend the Security Policy Conference of the ASEAN Regional Forum in Vietnam. 20th Taiwanese president Ma Ying Jeou says Taiwan will push for bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs) with the ASEAN member states once it has inked the Taiwan-China Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA). …

India and China eye each other warily

When Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visits New Delhi on 15–17 December he will find the political mood quite different from when he was last there nearly five years ago. While it is often claimed that Asia is large enough to accommodate the simultaneous emergence of both China and India as rising powers, India is visibly concerned over Beijing's growing attention to South Asia, and especially over China's more assertive approach to a longstanding border dispute. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said in September that ‘China would like to have a foothold in South Asia and we have to reflect on this reality… It's important to be prepared.’

China-ASEAN Relations, October 2009 to March 2010: Chronology of Events

China-ASEAN Relations, October 2010 to March 2011: Chronology of Events Weng Cuifen As a research institute based in Singapore, the EAI monitors developments in relations and interactions between China and the individual countries of Southeast Asia as well as the ASEAN grouping as a whole. This material is presented in the form of (1) a chronology of events, and (2) important documents — the Editors October 2010 4th Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao attends the 8th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM 8) Summit in Brussels to exchange views on ways to recover from and prevent financial crises. Wen Jiabao presents a brief account of the achievements made since the ASEM 7 Summit convened in Beijing two years ago, particularly the economic and financial recovery made by ASEM partners. He also proposes some recommendations to the ASEM 8 leaders. 12th At the first ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM Plus) in Hanoi with the defence ministers from the 10 member states and eight of ASEAN’s dialogue partners, Chinese National Defence Minister General Liang Guanglie says, “China is positive and open to regional security cooperation and supports ASEAN centrality” in the ADMM Plus mechanism. General Liang recommends that the new forum promote mutual understanding and trust to consolidate the political foundation for regional security cooperation, and to move ahead with practical cooperation. [End Page 353] 21st The 7th China-ASEAN Expo opens in Nanning, Guangxi. Themed “CAFTA and New Opportunities”, this expo is the first one after the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area agreement came into effect on 1 January 2010. Deputy Director General Jia Guoyong of the Trade Development Bureau of Ministry of Commerce of China reports that the annual expo has been instrumental in boosting the economies between ASEAN and China. 29th At the 13th ASEAN-China Summit, the ASEAN leaders and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao agree to a Joint Statement on Sustainable Development, with a view to sustaining economic growth and promoting trade and investment linkages, social development, poverty reduction and environmental protection. The joint statement substantiates the ASEAN Leaders’ Statement on Sustained Recovery and Development which was adopted at the 16th ASEAN Summit in April 2010. The ASEAN leaders meet the three East Asian state leaders from Japan, the Republic of Korea and China at the ASEAN Plus Three Summit, where they voice their accord for the Luang Prabang Joint Declaration on ASEAN Plus Three Civil Service Cooperation. The declaration was adopted just before the ASEAN Plus Three Summit takes place, by the heads of the ASEAN Conference on Civil Service Matters Plus Three, during their meeting in Luang Prabang, Lao PDR. 31st The 2010 Shanghai Expo is declared officially closed by the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in Shanghai. The ASEAN member states participate in the expo and the Summit Forum preceding the closing ceremony. S. Pushpanathan, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for the ASEAN Economic Com-munity, says, “There was no better platform for ASEAN to reach out to 70 million Chinese visitors at one go than at the Shanghai Expo”. ASEAN is one of the 13 international organisations in the International Organisations Joint Pavilion. November 2010 12th Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, during his trip to Guangzhou to attend the opening ceremony of the 16th Asian Games, meets with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. Wen says that China has become the biggest export partner and second-largest trading partner of Thailand, and the two countries should use the platform of the China-ASEAN free trade area to increase bilateral trade exchanges. The ASEAN-China Air Transport Agreement is signed at the 9th ASEAN and China Transport Ministers Meeting. The member states of ASEAN agree to allow designated ASEAN airlines to fly from any city with an international airport in its region to any city in China with an international airport, and vice versa with full third and fourth freedom traffic rights. [End Page 354] 14th At the invitation of Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, China’s Vice-President Xi Jinping arrives in Singapore for a three-day official visit. After a meeting with Singapore’s then Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, Xi and Lee attend the unveiling ceremony by the Singapore River bank of the monument...

The art of shoe-throwing: shoes as a symbol of protest and popular imagination

The art of shoe-throwing has captured popular imagination and is here to stay as a form of popular political protest. In a recent incident, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao became a near-victim of a notorious flying shoe during his visit to London in February 2009. Shoe-throwing has become a celebrated art form ever since an Iraqi journalist threw his shoes at then US President George W. Bush, eternally sealing Bush's last presidential moments with the iconic image of the shoe. Popular acts of communication and protests enter new forms of relationships with audiences and global spectators beyond the political context and the shoe-throwing incident is no exception. It has been consummately appropriated into popular culture and entertainment in the multimedia platforms of the internet, transforming political images and political protests into voyeuristic entertainment for the masses.

U.S.-China S&amp;T at 30

In 1972, The Shanghai Communique of President Nixon and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai ended 23 years of isolation between the United States and China. Tucked into a single sentence was a brief reference to cooperation in science and technology (S&T). Visits by scientists and scholars then gradually increased, guided on the U.S. side by the nongovernmental National Academy of Sciences. Six years later, and presaging formal diplomatic relations in 1979, came the breakthrough science diplomacy mission of the President9s Science Advisor Frank Press, accompanied by representatives of nearly every technical federal agency. That trip laid the groundwork for the formal Agreement on Cooperation in S&T, signed exactly 30 years ago this week by President Carter and the Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping.

Speaking about China, Learning from China: Amateur China Experts in 1970s America

Realizing that soon the time will have passed when a twoor threeweek trip to the 'People's Republic' qualifies one as a 'China expert,' I want to seize the opportunity to join the ranks before they close.l With this droll confession, an American sociologist of science in the spring of 1981 began a short article in an academic journal. Speaking about China to the American public, he realized, was a privilege of those who had been there, not of professional China scholars. Indeed, beginning with ping-pong diplomacy in April 1971, the renewal of relations between China and the United States ushered in a brief new era of amateur China experts in America.2 While academics with decades of research behind them struggled to arrange their first visits to the place they had studied for decades, scores of Americans who could not even order a bowl of noodles in Chinese secured invitations to tour China's schools, factories, communes, and research institutions. Some were professionals eager to discover what their counterparts in China were doing. Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai particularly welcomed scientists with advanced knowledge of subjects valuable to China's modemization.3 Others were members of organizations like the U.S.-China

Science in China: 30 Years On

Three decades after introducing market reforms and opening up to the rest of the world, China has become a major economic power. As the country prepares to show the world its sporting might, its competitiveness in life sciences may still need a boost.

Japan–China relations

Japan–China bilateral relations have improved significantly and unexpectedly since Shinzo Abe became Japan's prime minister in 2006. His visit to Beijing in October succeeded in ‘breaking the ice’, and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao followed this up with an ‘ice melting’ visit to Japan in April 2007. Whether these moves mark the start of a true ‘strategic relationship’ remains, however, open to question.

Changes in China's Exchange Rate Policy and Future Policy Options

In responding to US pressure for changes in China's exchange rate regime, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has repeatedly said that the reform of the RMB exchange rate was a matter of China's sovereignty and that any external pressure or politicisation of an economic matter would not be conducive to a solution of the issue.

Wen Jiabao's South Asian Sojourn

Substantial, far-reaching and continuing changes constitute the milieu in which India–China relations are being recast and forged anew. In retrospect, all previous visits by Chinese premiers have represented a decisive and substantial perceptual and paradigmatic transformation in India–China relations. The April 2005 South Asia visit by the Chinese premier must also be placed in the context of a deepening economic and strategic engagement with the South Asian region. This is also in keeping with China's policy of ‘good neighbourliness’ on which it has laid so much stress, over the last decade and a half. Such a formulation though, can prevent one from seeing that there are different nuances to China's relations with each of the smaller countries of South Asia. India's centrality in the region is however evident. The relationship is now multilayered and operating at many different levels. The Joint Statement signed during the visit described the India–China relationship as a ‘strategic and cooperative partnership for peace and prosperity’, the precise nature of which is yet to evolve. In the economic and commercial fields, the advances have been quite remarkable, raising expectations of even greater increases. India–China cooperation in other regional and global theatres has in-built ambiguity. Both sides need to clarify these ambiguities as they move towards the realisation of the ‘strategic and cooperative partnership for peace and prosperity’.

China's Governance Crisis

PREDICTING THE OUTCOME of China's upcoming leadership suc cession has become a popular parlor game in certain Washington circles. The curiosity aroused by the transition is understandable, given the huge stakes involved for the world's largest country. If all goes well, the Chinese Communist Party (ccP) is scheduled to select a new and younger leadership at its Sixteenth Party Congress this fall. The incumbent ccP general secretary, 76-year-old Jiang Zemin, may step down and be replaced by China's Vice President Hu Jintao, who is 59. The all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee will see most of its members retire, as will the important Central Committee. In ad dition, Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji is to step down in March, and Li Peng, the leader of the National People's Congress (the country's legislature), may be heading for the exit as well. In a country ruled largely by man, not law, succession creates rare opportunities for political intrigue and policy change. Thus, speculation is rife about the composition, internal rivalries, and policy implica tions of a post-Jiang leadership. The backgrounds of those expected to ascend to the top unfortunately reveal little. By and large, the majority of new faces are technocrats. Some have stellar resumes but thin records; other front-runners boast solid experience as provincial party bosses but carry little national clout. In any case, conjectures about the immediate policy impact of the pending leadership change are an exercise in futility, because Jiang