What has always been apparent is now getting very obvious. Chinese-majority Singapore is located in a part of the world where they are quite isolated from natural allies such as their own ethnicity, and alignment with China was always going to be important.
Quotable Quotes - "English has long united the ethnically diverse island-state but Singapore's leaders now foresee a time when Mandarin will be the country's dominant language and they are aggressively encouraging their people to become fluent in Chinese."
Also - "In two generations, Mandarin will become our mother tongue." Singapore's first prime minister Lee Kwan Yew.
---
Eyeing China, Singapore sees Mandarin as its future
Wed, Sep 16, 2009
Reuters
Source - AsiaOne, 16 September 2009
SINGAPORE - A cacophony of Mandarin and English echo through the streets of Singapore's Chinatown as crowds of shoppers buy joss sticks and fruit as offerings to the spirits during the Seventh Month Ghost Festival.
English has long united the ethnically diverse island-state but Singapore's leaders now foresee a time when Mandarin will be the country's dominant language and they are aggressively encouraging their people to become fluent in Chinese.
'Both English and Mandarin are important because in different situations you use either language. But Mandarin has become more important,' said Chinatown shopkeeper Eng Yee Lay.
Hit hard by the global slowdown, strengthening ties with China has taken on a strategic imperative in Singapore which seeks to leverage the bilingual skills of its ethnic Chinese majority to get a larger slice of China's fast expanding economic pie.
'With the growing importance of China on the world stage, Chinese Singaporeans who are competent in the language and familiar with the culture would have a distinct advantage when working and interacting with Chinese nationals,' Lim Sau Hoong, chairwoman of the Promote Mandarin Council, told Reuters.
The government-sponsored campaign to promote Mandarin began in 1979 to unite under one language Singapore's disparate Chinese communities that spoke a multitude of dialects passed on by their ancestors who came from China in the 19th and early 20th century.
Unifying the Chinese majority in a country with sizeable Malay and Indian minorities was a priority and in the early days the Speak Mandarin Campaign discouraged ethnic Chinese from speaking the dialects that prevailed such as Hokkien.
Now, with a majority of Singaporeans speaking Mandarin in their homes, according to government figures, the focus is on improving fluency in spoken and written Mandarin.
'In two generations, Mandarin will become our mother tongue,' said Singapore's first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew at the launch of the 2009 Speak Mandarin Campaign earlier this year.
His vision is for Singapore to become China's Southeast Asia hub as it expands its commercial interests in the region, while Singapore firms would entrench their positions in China, giving them a first-mover advantage over foreign firms.
Already, despite its small demographic size, Singapore was China's third largest foreign investor with total foreign direct investment of S$6.5 billion in 2008, a 40 per cent rise from 2007, according to the Chinese government.
Trade between the countries has risen 17-fold since 1991 to S$91.4 billion ($63.34 billion) in 2008.
TRADE AND CULTURAL TIES
Singapore has come a long way since the 1970s when its Campidge-educated Lee was suspicious of Maoist China's designs on the region and focused on keeping the country predominantly English speaking and aligned with anti-Communist powers, the United States and UK.
As Singapore prepares to mark two decades of ties with China next year, 20,000 Singaporeans are working in China and scores of joint ventures are underway.
Among them is the construction of an 'eco-city' in Tianjin, near Beijing, which is being designed to use renewable energy, recycled water and has an extensive public transport system.
Singapore's senior cabinet minister and head of its Monetary Authority, Goh Chok Tong, discussed the project with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao during a visit to China last week.
Among Singapore investors in China are offshore oil rig builder Keppel Corp, bank DBS, water treatment firm Hyflux, energy services provider Rotary Engineering and Raffles Education.
Singapore developer CapitaLand, which aims to build 58 malls across 40 Chinese cities, said this month it planned to nearly double the value of its assets in China to $8 billion, or 45 per cent of its overall assets.
Singapore is proving to be a fertile recruiting ground for Mandarin-speaking middle and senior managers to run multinationals' operations in China where a lack of qualified managers has held back expansion plans by many foreign firms.
MITIGATING RISK
The financial crisis took a toll on Singapore's export dependent economy, reducing annual economic growth to just 1.1 per cent in 2008, compared to around 8.2 per cent between 2004-2007, and creating the highest unemployment rate in five years. Strengthening ties with China is seen as mitigating Singapore's risk.
China is expected to become Singapore's largest single market for non-oil exports this year, overtaking the United States, says economist Irvin Seah at Singapore's top bank DBS Group.
'We use the term 'China-ready,' meaning we will just have to grow with them,' IE Singapore CEO Chong Lit Cheong, whose state agency promotes Singapore firms' investment apoad, told Reuters.
'As far as China grows 7 to 8 per cent a year in a foreseeable future, we will continue to have a bigger presence there.'
Singaporeans were among the first foreign investors in China after Deng Xiaoping adopted a market economy in 1978. Singapore's then prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, still in the cabinet, has visited China almost every year.
After Deng's 1992 remarks to officials to 'learn from the world and, especially Singapore, and do better than Singapore", thousands of Chinese officials started flooding the city-state for trips and university degree programmes in administration.
Around three-quarters of Singapore's population are ethnic Chinese, giving many of its businessmen a cultural advantage versus the West, but the government is also trying to strengthen understanding of the Chinese culture and mindset.
'Although we speak the same language, when we look at issues we are different,' said IE Singapore's Chong. 'The next step is how we see China in a Chinese perspective.'
Business China, an agency under Lee's patronage, is tasked to 'groom 20,000 to 30,000 bilingual and bi-cultural Singaporeans with the ability to communicate effectively in the China market'.
Eugene Aw, a 22-year-old Singaporean, sees his professional future in China after studying for his degree in the UK and turning down a job with an American multinational firm.
'I realised that Asia wouldn't wait for me. For now I intend to stay local (in Singapore) to gain exposure, contacts, and especially capital. And then if I can, I will spring into China.'
Showing posts with label International Relations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label International Relations. Show all posts
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
New PM cements Japan power shift
Now this should signal a brand new dynamic in the Asia-Pacific region. New Japanese Leadership that affirms needs for strong ties with the US. An undercover (to an extent) public announcement of a renewed deterrent force to China's rise I suspect.
Quotable Quotes - "On foreign policy, he said ties with the US were a priority.
But he said he wanted a relationship in which Japan "can act more proactively and tell them our opinions frankly", adding that his party's position on reviewing deals relating to the US troop presence had not changed." Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama
---
New PM cements Japan power shift
Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama promised economic revival and strong US ties, hours after taking office.
Source - BBC 16 September 2009
In a news conference, he vowed to deliver a "people-oriented society", quick economic improvements and frank but trusting ties with Washington.
Mr Hatoyama's Democratic Party of Japan won a huge poll victory last month, ending 50 years of almost unbroken Liberal Democratic Party rule.
His untested government now faces tough economic and social challenges.
The new cabinet will be sworn in by Emperor Akihito later in the day.
Former DPJ leader Katsuya Okada becomes foreign minister and Hirohisa Fujii, a veteran bureaucrat, takes over as finance minister.
Another former DPJ leader, Naoto Kan, will head a new National Strategy Bureau set up to oversee the bureaucracy. He also becomes deputy prime minister.
The defeated LDP, meanwhile, will hold an election later this month to choose its new leader, after former Prime Minister Taro Aso stepped down.
The DPJ has entered into a coalition deal with two smaller parties, the Social Democratic Party and the People's New Party, and controls both houses of parliament.
Its priorities now include tackling a rapidly ageing society and an economy still struggling after a brutal recession.
"We would like to carry out policies that will stimulate households so the Japanese people can have hopes for the future," Mr Hatoyama said.
He has promised to increase social welfare spending, cut government waste and rein in the powerful bureaucracy.
''Now is the time to practise politics that are not controlled by bureaucrats,'' he said.
On foreign policy, he said ties with the US were a priority.
But he said he wanted a relationship in which Japan "can act more proactively and tell them our opinions frankly", adding that his party's position on reviewing deals relating to the US troop presence had not changed.
The DPJ was elected as a wave of discontent with LDP rule swept across Japan.
Opinion polls have shown many people did not vote for the DPJ because of their policies - but because they wanted change.
Analysts say the electorate will be watching the DPJ closely in the next few weeks and months to see if it can deliver.
The BBC's Roland Buerk, in Tokyo, says that in defeating the LDP, Yukio Hatoyama has already achieved what many people thought for years was impossible.
But now the difficult part - governing Japan - begins, our correspondent says.
Anaylsis
Roland Buerk, BBC News, Tokyo
Yukio Hatoyama looks like many who have gone before him, the scion of a wealthy dynasty, the grandson of a former prime minister. But his DPJ has promised profound reform.
For decades the LDP, bureaucrats and big business held sway, steering the country from wartime defeat to economic might. But in recent years this brought stagnation, rising unemployment and increasing inequality.
Mr Hatoyama wants to build a more 'fraternal' society, with a social safety net including a generous child allowance to try to encourage people to have children and arrest Japan's declining population. He wants to turn away from export-led growth and encourage domestic demand.
But there are deep concerns over whether the untested new government can deliver the new era they promise.
Quotable Quotes - "On foreign policy, he said ties with the US were a priority.
But he said he wanted a relationship in which Japan "can act more proactively and tell them our opinions frankly", adding that his party's position on reviewing deals relating to the US troop presence had not changed." Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama
---
New PM cements Japan power shift
Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama promised economic revival and strong US ties, hours after taking office.
Source - BBC 16 September 2009
In a news conference, he vowed to deliver a "people-oriented society", quick economic improvements and frank but trusting ties with Washington.
Mr Hatoyama's Democratic Party of Japan won a huge poll victory last month, ending 50 years of almost unbroken Liberal Democratic Party rule.
His untested government now faces tough economic and social challenges.
The new cabinet will be sworn in by Emperor Akihito later in the day.
Former DPJ leader Katsuya Okada becomes foreign minister and Hirohisa Fujii, a veteran bureaucrat, takes over as finance minister.
Another former DPJ leader, Naoto Kan, will head a new National Strategy Bureau set up to oversee the bureaucracy. He also becomes deputy prime minister.
The defeated LDP, meanwhile, will hold an election later this month to choose its new leader, after former Prime Minister Taro Aso stepped down.
The DPJ has entered into a coalition deal with two smaller parties, the Social Democratic Party and the People's New Party, and controls both houses of parliament.
Its priorities now include tackling a rapidly ageing society and an economy still struggling after a brutal recession.
"We would like to carry out policies that will stimulate households so the Japanese people can have hopes for the future," Mr Hatoyama said.
He has promised to increase social welfare spending, cut government waste and rein in the powerful bureaucracy.
''Now is the time to practise politics that are not controlled by bureaucrats,'' he said.
On foreign policy, he said ties with the US were a priority.
But he said he wanted a relationship in which Japan "can act more proactively and tell them our opinions frankly", adding that his party's position on reviewing deals relating to the US troop presence had not changed.
The DPJ was elected as a wave of discontent with LDP rule swept across Japan.
Opinion polls have shown many people did not vote for the DPJ because of their policies - but because they wanted change.
Analysts say the electorate will be watching the DPJ closely in the next few weeks and months to see if it can deliver.
The BBC's Roland Buerk, in Tokyo, says that in defeating the LDP, Yukio Hatoyama has already achieved what many people thought for years was impossible.
But now the difficult part - governing Japan - begins, our correspondent says.
Anaylsis
Roland Buerk, BBC News, Tokyo
Yukio Hatoyama looks like many who have gone before him, the scion of a wealthy dynasty, the grandson of a former prime minister. But his DPJ has promised profound reform.
For decades the LDP, bureaucrats and big business held sway, steering the country from wartime defeat to economic might. But in recent years this brought stagnation, rising unemployment and increasing inequality.
Mr Hatoyama wants to build a more 'fraternal' society, with a social safety net including a generous child allowance to try to encourage people to have children and arrest Japan's declining population. He wants to turn away from export-led growth and encourage domestic demand.
But there are deep concerns over whether the untested new government can deliver the new era they promise.
Geylang: The new Chinatown
This is a long feature, but worth a read. Welcome to Singapore's true Chinatown - Geylang! Singapore's 'official' red-light district is transforming into a social enclave for Chinese foreign, and migrant workers.
As you read on, you might notice that the Chinatown in Chinese is 'Tang Ren Jie' literally, Street of the People of the Tang. Now why not Han Ren Jie (i.e. Street of the Han People)? The Chinese are often known as the Han (ethnicity), even the spoken language is known as Han, so why 'Tang Ren Jie', where 'Tang' refers to the 'Tang Dynasty'?
Now this is an ancedote so I'm not entirely sure. Apparently the Teochew diaspora was responsible for much of the establishment of Chinatowns around the world. Out of the 40-over million Chinese overseas, more than half are Teochew. Now this is way more Teochews than there are on the mainland. And I'm Teochew too. Known to be rather resilient entrepreneurs (think Thaksin and Lee Ka Shing), they've become some of the richest overseas-born Chinese there are today. Now, the Teochews, geographically and socially never quite associated themselves with the Han (people and dynasty), but more with the culture and ways of the sophisticated Tang Dynasty - and there you have it. Tang Ren Jie.
Quotable Quote - “Geylang is a food haven and a district populated with places of worship, clan associations and other traditional enterprises. New arrivals could have been drawn to Geylang because of these characteristics.” Dr Leong Chan Hoong, research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies
---
Geylang: The new Chinatown
China nationals are flocking to Geylang, drawn by low rents and cheap food.
By Jamie Ee Wen Wei
Straits Times | Tue, Sep 15 2009
Source - AsiaOne Relax
Ask Hebei native Albert Li where the real tang ren jie, or Chinatown, is in Singapore, and he will tell you confidently that it is in Geylang.
“Among the Chinese nationals here, we have privately discussed this many times,” he said in Mandarin.
“Geylang is more like a tang ren jie than Chinatown. There must be more Chinese nationals living and working here than in Chinatown,” said the 25-year-old.
Mr Li, who has been in Singapore for almost two years, mans a provision shop on Geylang Road which sells goods from China.
Indeed, his sentiments are shared by most of the China nationals whom The Sunday Times met in the neighbourhood known for its red-light allures and food.
No official numbers are available but anecdotal evidence suggests that a growing number of China nationals – namely the working class, students and entrepreneurs – are flocking to the precinct.
Singaporeans certainly have noticed their presence. In a letter to The Straits Times Forum two months ago, a reader observed how Geylang has evolved from a racially mixed, multilingual area into an enclave for new residents from China, with a growing prevalence of Chinese-only shop signs.
When The Sunday Times visited the neighbourhood last week, many such signs were seen, advertising Chinese products and services like hairdressing and Internet usage. Mom-and-pop eateries serving authentic Chinese cuisine dotted the shophouses.
Their waitresses, almost all China nationals, greeted passers-by in various Chinese accents. Drive by in the evenings, and you spot groups of Chinese workers sitting along the busy streets to unwind.
Why is Geylang such a magnet?
Dr Leong Chan Hoong, a research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, said that historically, immigrants from developing countries tend to congregate in the less fanciful or desirable town centres because of lower rent and cheaper food.
This was true of Chinatown in Singapore, and elsewhere, like the Newtown suburb in Wellington, New Zealand, and the Fortitude Valley in Brisbane, Australia, he said.
“Geylang is a food haven and a district populated with places of worship, clan associations and other traditional enterprises. New arrivals could have been drawn to Geylang because of these characteristics,” he said.
Indeed, China nationals who live and work there said they chose Geylang for its lower rents, array of Chinese food and accessibility.
Mr Liu Yang, 28, who lived in a dormitory for foreign workers for eight months, said the rent for a bed space in Geylang is between $150 and $180 a month, way below that elsewhere.
“I’ve a friend who works in Chinatown. He tried to find a place to stay in Outram and was quoted $280 for a bed space,” said Mr Liu who works at a beancurd shop in Geylang. He lives in Whampoa now.
Ms He Wen Wen, 24, chose Geylang as it is near her school in Aljunied, where she studies accounting and finance. The Henan native lived in an HDB flat in Sengkang before moving to a condo in Geylang with seven friends – all students from China – five years ago.
“I like the food here, such as the beef hor fun at Lorong 9. I can also find Shanghainese food like xiang la xie (spicy crab), which I enjoy.”
Dr Leong said the nooks and corners in the neighbourhood also favour small-time businessmen who can nurture their trades at a lower cost. Indeed, businesses like Internet cafes and eateries targeting the Chinese have mushroomed.
Earlier reports estimated that there are about 200 food outlets opened by China nationals.
On weekends especially, scores of their countrymen living elsewhere flock to the area for a touch of home.
Singaporean Kelvin Ho, 35, who runs two supermarkets in the neighbourhood, has benefited from their presence. Some 70 per cent of his customers are China nationals.
“I’ve been doing business here for about 10 years and it’s obvious to me the number of China nationals is growing,” said the businessman who stocks items like vegetables and beauty products.
Dr Leong said a social enclave like the one developing in Geylang is harmless and is a natural coping mechanism for new immigrants.
“It is only human instinct to want to meet and socialise with people who share a similar cultural background and nationality.”
Sociologist Tan Ern Ser from the National University of Singapore agrees, noting that social enclaves serve the needs of new immigrants and help them settle in faster.
But if it becomes a segregated community with different habits and values, it could lead to prejudice, discrimination and tensions, he said.
Already, some Singaporeans whom The Sunday Times spoke to are complaining that the China nationals tend to talk loudly and some have undesirable social habits. Ms Linda Ong, 40, who runs an electrical goods store on Geylang Road, said they sometimes discard empty bottles or food outside her shop.
However, Geylang Serai citizens’ consultative committee chairman Eric Wong said he has not received any feedback specifically about China nationals, although residents do complain about the crowds and noise in the area.
He does not think Geylang is evolving into a Chinatown. “There is a good mix of foreigners and locals here,” he said.
Whether the area will continue to draw the China nationals remains to be seen. Dr Lai Ah Eng, a senior research fellow at the Asia Research Institute, noted those who have moved up socially and economically tend to relocate.
Dr Leong agreed, saying: “There is no reason why a successful immigrant, who is financially well-off, can speak English and has a bigger circle of Singaporean friends, would choose to patronise shops only in Geylang or Chinatown.”
Ms He, for one, hopes to move out of Geylang once she finds a job after completing her studies.
She does not find the area ideal – she has been mistaken as a streetwalker and has been propositioned. She said: “The culture here... it’s too complicated.”
Good place to work but not to live.
For four years, Geylang has been both home and workplace for Shandong native Wu Min.
He lives in a condo in Lorong 31 with his wife, also a Shandong native. She is a nurse at the Singapore General Hospital.
They met in Singapore four years ago through a friend when Mr Wu was studying for a degree at the Singapore Institute of Materials Management.
They registered their marriage here last year and have a four-month-old daughter, who lives with his parents in China.
He opened a provision shop here after he found the work at a logistics company, which he had joined after his studies, too stressful and the pay low.
The 29-year-old said he chose to do business in Geylang because of its large Chinese population, wide variety of food and convenience of travel.
He used to visit restaurants in the area on weekends.
Sited between Lorong 11 and 13, his provision shop sells local products and China imports. The minimart, called Ba Fang Guo Huo, has another outlet between Lorong 40 and Lorong 42.
The two outlets were set up with $100,000 borrowed from his parents. Every month, he pays about $6,000 in rent for each of his shops, and income is just enough to cover costs now.
About 60 per cent of his customers are China nationals.
“It’s more like ‘Chinatown’ than the real Chinatown. You see Chinese here every day, not like in Chinatown, where perhaps the Chinese may visit on weekends,” said Mr Wu.
Given a choice, however, he said he would not want to live in Geylang. He is considering moving to Tampines, where he lived for about two years as a student.
“Geylang is a good place to run a business but it’s not so ideal for a home,” he said, referring to the red-light district.
Location won them over.
For married couple Dai Xue Yong and Zhang Zhi Ying, Geylang was the perfect location to set up their food business, Orient Garden Restaurant.
The one-year-old homestyle eatery, which serves Shanghainese cuisine, sits alongside several other Chinese restaurants.
“We know that Geylang is a food haven. We thought we could offer another variety of Chinese cuisine,” said Ms Zhang, 40.
Indeed, on week nights and weekends, their eatery is packed with China nationals who go there for a taste of home.
Singaporeans and tourists are among the patrons as well.
Ms Zhang said she and her 43-year-old husband had considered setting up shop in Chinatown, but a scouting trip to Geylang last year led them to do so in Lorong 39 instead.
They have been in Singapore for a year now and used to run a trading company in Shanghai.
“We felt that Chinatown attracts more of the tourist crowd whereas in Geylang, you get the people who live and work here,” she said. “We just see so much potential in Geylang.”
The couple hired two chefs and two waitresses from China. They will consider opening a branch when business picks up.
They are now making small profits after paying the monthly rent of about $8,250, Ms Zhang said.
The couple live in the upstairs unit of the shophouse that is home to their restaurant. They like the location because they can get both local and China products easily.
“If I feel like eating prata, there’s a stall just down the street. If I want to eat Chinese food like dianxin, it’s also easily available here,” she said.
As you read on, you might notice that the Chinatown in Chinese is 'Tang Ren Jie' literally, Street of the People of the Tang. Now why not Han Ren Jie (i.e. Street of the Han People)? The Chinese are often known as the Han (ethnicity), even the spoken language is known as Han, so why 'Tang Ren Jie', where 'Tang' refers to the 'Tang Dynasty'?
Now this is an ancedote so I'm not entirely sure. Apparently the Teochew diaspora was responsible for much of the establishment of Chinatowns around the world. Out of the 40-over million Chinese overseas, more than half are Teochew. Now this is way more Teochews than there are on the mainland. And I'm Teochew too. Known to be rather resilient entrepreneurs (think Thaksin and Lee Ka Shing), they've become some of the richest overseas-born Chinese there are today. Now, the Teochews, geographically and socially never quite associated themselves with the Han (people and dynasty), but more with the culture and ways of the sophisticated Tang Dynasty - and there you have it. Tang Ren Jie.
Quotable Quote - “Geylang is a food haven and a district populated with places of worship, clan associations and other traditional enterprises. New arrivals could have been drawn to Geylang because of these characteristics.” Dr Leong Chan Hoong, research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies
---
Geylang: The new Chinatown
China nationals are flocking to Geylang, drawn by low rents and cheap food.
By Jamie Ee Wen Wei
Straits Times | Tue, Sep 15 2009
Source - AsiaOne Relax
“Among the Chinese nationals here, we have privately discussed this many times,” he said in Mandarin.
“Geylang is more like a tang ren jie than Chinatown. There must be more Chinese nationals living and working here than in Chinatown,” said the 25-year-old.
Mr Li, who has been in Singapore for almost two years, mans a provision shop on Geylang Road which sells goods from China.
Indeed, his sentiments are shared by most of the China nationals whom The Sunday Times met in the neighbourhood known for its red-light allures and food.
No official numbers are available but anecdotal evidence suggests that a growing number of China nationals – namely the working class, students and entrepreneurs – are flocking to the precinct.
Singaporeans certainly have noticed their presence. In a letter to The Straits Times Forum two months ago, a reader observed how Geylang has evolved from a racially mixed, multilingual area into an enclave for new residents from China, with a growing prevalence of Chinese-only shop signs.
When The Sunday Times visited the neighbourhood last week, many such signs were seen, advertising Chinese products and services like hairdressing and Internet usage. Mom-and-pop eateries serving authentic Chinese cuisine dotted the shophouses.
Their waitresses, almost all China nationals, greeted passers-by in various Chinese accents. Drive by in the evenings, and you spot groups of Chinese workers sitting along the busy streets to unwind.
Why is Geylang such a magnet?
Dr Leong Chan Hoong, a research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, said that historically, immigrants from developing countries tend to congregate in the less fanciful or desirable town centres because of lower rent and cheaper food.
This was true of Chinatown in Singapore, and elsewhere, like the Newtown suburb in Wellington, New Zealand, and the Fortitude Valley in Brisbane, Australia, he said.
“Geylang is a food haven and a district populated with places of worship, clan associations and other traditional enterprises. New arrivals could have been drawn to Geylang because of these characteristics,” he said.
Indeed, China nationals who live and work there said they chose Geylang for its lower rents, array of Chinese food and accessibility.
Mr Liu Yang, 28, who lived in a dormitory for foreign workers for eight months, said the rent for a bed space in Geylang is between $150 and $180 a month, way below that elsewhere.
“I’ve a friend who works in Chinatown. He tried to find a place to stay in Outram and was quoted $280 for a bed space,” said Mr Liu who works at a beancurd shop in Geylang. He lives in Whampoa now.
Ms He Wen Wen, 24, chose Geylang as it is near her school in Aljunied, where she studies accounting and finance. The Henan native lived in an HDB flat in Sengkang before moving to a condo in Geylang with seven friends – all students from China – five years ago.
“I like the food here, such as the beef hor fun at Lorong 9. I can also find Shanghainese food like xiang la xie (spicy crab), which I enjoy.”
Dr Leong said the nooks and corners in the neighbourhood also favour small-time businessmen who can nurture their trades at a lower cost. Indeed, businesses like Internet cafes and eateries targeting the Chinese have mushroomed.
Earlier reports estimated that there are about 200 food outlets opened by China nationals.
On weekends especially, scores of their countrymen living elsewhere flock to the area for a touch of home.
Singaporean Kelvin Ho, 35, who runs two supermarkets in the neighbourhood, has benefited from their presence. Some 70 per cent of his customers are China nationals.
“I’ve been doing business here for about 10 years and it’s obvious to me the number of China nationals is growing,” said the businessman who stocks items like vegetables and beauty products.
Dr Leong said a social enclave like the one developing in Geylang is harmless and is a natural coping mechanism for new immigrants.
“It is only human instinct to want to meet and socialise with people who share a similar cultural background and nationality.”
Sociologist Tan Ern Ser from the National University of Singapore agrees, noting that social enclaves serve the needs of new immigrants and help them settle in faster.
But if it becomes a segregated community with different habits and values, it could lead to prejudice, discrimination and tensions, he said.
Already, some Singaporeans whom The Sunday Times spoke to are complaining that the China nationals tend to talk loudly and some have undesirable social habits. Ms Linda Ong, 40, who runs an electrical goods store on Geylang Road, said they sometimes discard empty bottles or food outside her shop.
However, Geylang Serai citizens’ consultative committee chairman Eric Wong said he has not received any feedback specifically about China nationals, although residents do complain about the crowds and noise in the area.
He does not think Geylang is evolving into a Chinatown. “There is a good mix of foreigners and locals here,” he said.
Whether the area will continue to draw the China nationals remains to be seen. Dr Lai Ah Eng, a senior research fellow at the Asia Research Institute, noted those who have moved up socially and economically tend to relocate.
Dr Leong agreed, saying: “There is no reason why a successful immigrant, who is financially well-off, can speak English and has a bigger circle of Singaporean friends, would choose to patronise shops only in Geylang or Chinatown.”
Ms He, for one, hopes to move out of Geylang once she finds a job after completing her studies.
She does not find the area ideal – she has been mistaken as a streetwalker and has been propositioned. She said: “The culture here... it’s too complicated.”
Good place to work but not to live.
For four years, Geylang has been both home and workplace for Shandong native Wu Min.
He lives in a condo in Lorong 31 with his wife, also a Shandong native. She is a nurse at the Singapore General Hospital.
They met in Singapore four years ago through a friend when Mr Wu was studying for a degree at the Singapore Institute of Materials Management.
They registered their marriage here last year and have a four-month-old daughter, who lives with his parents in China.
He opened a provision shop here after he found the work at a logistics company, which he had joined after his studies, too stressful and the pay low.
The 29-year-old said he chose to do business in Geylang because of its large Chinese population, wide variety of food and convenience of travel.
He used to visit restaurants in the area on weekends.
Sited between Lorong 11 and 13, his provision shop sells local products and China imports. The minimart, called Ba Fang Guo Huo, has another outlet between Lorong 40 and Lorong 42.
The two outlets were set up with $100,000 borrowed from his parents. Every month, he pays about $6,000 in rent for each of his shops, and income is just enough to cover costs now.
About 60 per cent of his customers are China nationals.
“It’s more like ‘Chinatown’ than the real Chinatown. You see Chinese here every day, not like in Chinatown, where perhaps the Chinese may visit on weekends,” said Mr Wu.
Given a choice, however, he said he would not want to live in Geylang. He is considering moving to Tampines, where he lived for about two years as a student.
“Geylang is a good place to run a business but it’s not so ideal for a home,” he said, referring to the red-light district.
Location won them over.
For married couple Dai Xue Yong and Zhang Zhi Ying, Geylang was the perfect location to set up their food business, Orient Garden Restaurant.
The one-year-old homestyle eatery, which serves Shanghainese cuisine, sits alongside several other Chinese restaurants.
“We know that Geylang is a food haven. We thought we could offer another variety of Chinese cuisine,” said Ms Zhang, 40.
Indeed, on week nights and weekends, their eatery is packed with China nationals who go there for a taste of home.
Singaporeans and tourists are among the patrons as well.
Ms Zhang said she and her 43-year-old husband had considered setting up shop in Chinatown, but a scouting trip to Geylang last year led them to do so in Lorong 39 instead.
They have been in Singapore for a year now and used to run a trading company in Shanghai.
“We felt that Chinatown attracts more of the tourist crowd whereas in Geylang, you get the people who live and work here,” she said. “We just see so much potential in Geylang.”
The couple hired two chefs and two waitresses from China. They will consider opening a branch when business picks up.
They are now making small profits after paying the monthly rent of about $8,250, Ms Zhang said.
The couple live in the upstairs unit of the shophouse that is home to their restaurant. They like the location because they can get both local and China products easily.
“If I feel like eating prata, there’s a stall just down the street. If I want to eat Chinese food like dianxin, it’s also easily available here,” she said.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Cambodia PM lauds China's aid
More exemplars of China making friends, without any complicated conditions apparently. It's getting more and more apparent South-East Asia's place as an extension of China's strategic southern 'shield'.
Quotable Quotes - "China respects the political decisions of Cambodia...We have a mutual understanding and respect each other." Cambodia Premier Hun Sen.
---
Cambodia PM lauds China's aid
Reuters
Source - Straits Times 15 September 2009
PHNOM PENH - CAMBODIA'S premier lauded China on Monday for providing billions of dollars of aid without imposing conditions, a subtle jibe at Western donors who seek curbs on human rights abuses and corruption.
'They are quiet, but at the same time they build bridges and roads, and there are no complicated conditions,' Prime Minister Hun Sen at a ceremony for the construction of a new bridge built with US$128 million (S$182.6 million) of Chinese aid.
Mr Hun Sen recently rejected World Bank aid intended for settling land disputes after the Washington-based institution and rights groups accused Cambodian authorities of forcibly evicting tens of thousands of people from their homes.
Speaking to about 1,000 villagers and China's ambassador in Prek Kdam, about 50 km (30 miles) north of the capital Phnom Phen, Mr Hun Sen said Beijing's aid had helped Cambodia become more independent while fostering social and economic development.
'China respects the political decisions of Cambodia,' he said. 'We have a mutual understanding and respect each other.' Cambodia's government has come under fire recently, accused of corruption and undermining the judiciary, although analysts say the investment environment is stable after decades of poverty, brutalilty and instability.
China is Cambodia's biggest aid donor, providing US$600 million in 2007 and about US$260 million in 2008. It also leads the country's foreign direct investment, with about US$1 billion spent in the war-scarred South-east Asian nation this year.
Mr Hun Sen added he also supported China's multimillion dollar investments in hydroelectric power. Western environmentalists have accused Cambodia of failing to provide adequate environmental safeguards for such projects. -- REUTERS
Quotable Quotes - "China respects the political decisions of Cambodia...We have a mutual understanding and respect each other." Cambodia Premier Hun Sen.
---
Cambodia PM lauds China's aid
Reuters
Source - Straits Times 15 September 2009
PHNOM PENH - CAMBODIA'S premier lauded China on Monday for providing billions of dollars of aid without imposing conditions, a subtle jibe at Western donors who seek curbs on human rights abuses and corruption.
'They are quiet, but at the same time they build bridges and roads, and there are no complicated conditions,' Prime Minister Hun Sen at a ceremony for the construction of a new bridge built with US$128 million (S$182.6 million) of Chinese aid.
Mr Hun Sen recently rejected World Bank aid intended for settling land disputes after the Washington-based institution and rights groups accused Cambodian authorities of forcibly evicting tens of thousands of people from their homes.
Speaking to about 1,000 villagers and China's ambassador in Prek Kdam, about 50 km (30 miles) north of the capital Phnom Phen, Mr Hun Sen said Beijing's aid had helped Cambodia become more independent while fostering social and economic development.
'China respects the political decisions of Cambodia,' he said. 'We have a mutual understanding and respect each other.' Cambodia's government has come under fire recently, accused of corruption and undermining the judiciary, although analysts say the investment environment is stable after decades of poverty, brutalilty and instability.
China is Cambodia's biggest aid donor, providing US$600 million in 2007 and about US$260 million in 2008. It also leads the country's foreign direct investment, with about US$1 billion spent in the war-scarred South-east Asian nation this year.
Mr Hun Sen added he also supported China's multimillion dollar investments in hydroelectric power. Western environmentalists have accused Cambodia of failing to provide adequate environmental safeguards for such projects. -- REUTERS
Monday, September 14, 2009
China showers gifts on Timor
Spanking new government buildings built for countries friendly to China are becoming more frequent. Some might argue it is a form of 'white-elephant' support, I seriously doubt the receivers of such goodwill have much to complain about. Or, is there anything they can do to stop that generosity, probably with an agenda?
Quotable Quote - 'The growing Chinese presence is part of their natural expansion into Southeast Asia and I think Timor is not really their priority,' said Loro Horta, at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University. 'But they are definitely keeping an eye on it. The Chinese are very patient people and they think very long term.'
---
China showers gifts on Timor
Reuters
Source - Straits Times, 14 September 2009
DILI - DILI'S gleaming new Presidential Palace and Foreign Ministry, gifts from China, stand in stark contrast to nearby burnt-out buildings and are symbols of how the energy-hungry superpower is growing closer to tiny, oil-rich East Timor.
In the 10 years since the independence vote that led to a split from Indonesia, China has spent more than $53 million (S$75.5 million) in aid to East Timor, also known as Timor Leste.
While that is just a fraction of the US$760 million in Australian government aid, China has raised its profile in dusty Dili in several other ways.
It is building big and showing generosity such as its donation of 8,000 tonnes of rice during a recent food crisis. Noticeable projects such as a new Ministry of Defence building, houses for soldiers and schools are underway as are scholarships and training programmes for civil servants.
In all, China is sending a very public message that it is serious about strengthening bilateral ties with East Timor,which many analysts put down to its desire to diversify strategic energy interests.
Loro Horta, who is a China expert at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University and is the son of East Timor's President Jose Ramos-Horta, said that the aid is linked to China's desire for energy and infrastructure contracts. East Timor is one of Asia's poorest and least developed countries, but it has enormous oil and gas reserves.
The Bayu Undan gas field is expected to reap US$12-15 billion by 2023, the country's Natural Resources Minister, Alfredo Pires said. Bayu Undan is already the subject of a deal between Australia and East Timor but other, untapped reserves still need development partners.
Another oil field, Kitan, has an estimated 40 million barrels of recoverable light oil, Mr Pires said, and the Greater Sunrise field contains around 300 million barrels of condensate and 9.5 trillion cubic feet of gas, according to the United Nations.
Lucrative opportunities also exist in the minerals sector, including copper, gold, silver and marble, and for big-ticketinfrastructure projects as East Timor tries to reverse years of under-investment.
Mr Pires said Spain, China and Australia are all keen on a piece of the Timor resources pie, while East Timor expert Damien Kingsbury from Deakin University said the United States and the United Kingdom are also interested. -- REUTERS
Trade Routes
China and East Timor's links date back centuries. Hakka Chinese traders sailed there more than 500 years ago looking for sandalwood, rosewood and mahogany. Many stayed on, forming an overseas Chinese community as in many other parts of Asia.
Today, Dili's main street is lined with buildings, some of which display Chinese script, families can be seen praying at a Confucian temple in downtown Dili, while Chinese traders run appliance stores on busy streets.
Chinese labourers are already at work on one of two heavy oil power plants which are under construction after Dili in 2008 awarded the Chinese Nuclear Industry 22nd Construction Company a $360 million contract to build the power plants and a national power grid. East Timor also paid US$28 million for two petroleum vessels from China.
Loro Horta said China is also angling for big ticket infrastructure contracts such as a pipeline that East Timor wants built from its Greater Sunrise oil field to a proposed processing plant on land. He said Chinese oil giant PetroChina has already done studies and is keen to drill.
Yang Donghui, a spokesman for the Chinese ambassador in Dili, said that the first phase of the seismic investigation was completed as an aid project, but that a proposed second phase investigation became the subject of commercial talks between the East Timor government and PetroChina.
China's ambassador to East Timor, Fu Yuancong rejected speculation that China's interest in the fledgling nation isdriven by a desire to gain an advantage when East Timor is handing out contracts to develop its billion-dollar oil and gas fields.
He also said that his government was in energy talks with Dili. And as stability has slowly returned to Dili, Mr Fu said hisgovernment has encouraged a new generation of Chinese entrepreneurs to move to East Timor.
'The growing Chinese presence is part of their natural expansion into Southeast Asia and I think Timor is not really their priority,' said Loro Horta, at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University.
'But they are definitely keeping an eye on it. The Chinese are very patient people and they think very long term.'
Quotable Quote - 'The growing Chinese presence is part of their natural expansion into Southeast Asia and I think Timor is not really their priority,' said Loro Horta, at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University. 'But they are definitely keeping an eye on it. The Chinese are very patient people and they think very long term.'
---
China showers gifts on Timor
Reuters
Source - Straits Times, 14 September 2009
DILI - DILI'S gleaming new Presidential Palace and Foreign Ministry, gifts from China, stand in stark contrast to nearby burnt-out buildings and are symbols of how the energy-hungry superpower is growing closer to tiny, oil-rich East Timor.
In the 10 years since the independence vote that led to a split from Indonesia, China has spent more than $53 million (S$75.5 million) in aid to East Timor, also known as Timor Leste.
While that is just a fraction of the US$760 million in Australian government aid, China has raised its profile in dusty Dili in several other ways.
It is building big and showing generosity such as its donation of 8,000 tonnes of rice during a recent food crisis. Noticeable projects such as a new Ministry of Defence building, houses for soldiers and schools are underway as are scholarships and training programmes for civil servants.
In all, China is sending a very public message that it is serious about strengthening bilateral ties with East Timor,which many analysts put down to its desire to diversify strategic energy interests.
Loro Horta, who is a China expert at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University and is the son of East Timor's President Jose Ramos-Horta, said that the aid is linked to China's desire for energy and infrastructure contracts. East Timor is one of Asia's poorest and least developed countries, but it has enormous oil and gas reserves.
The Bayu Undan gas field is expected to reap US$12-15 billion by 2023, the country's Natural Resources Minister, Alfredo Pires said. Bayu Undan is already the subject of a deal between Australia and East Timor but other, untapped reserves still need development partners.
Another oil field, Kitan, has an estimated 40 million barrels of recoverable light oil, Mr Pires said, and the Greater Sunrise field contains around 300 million barrels of condensate and 9.5 trillion cubic feet of gas, according to the United Nations.
Lucrative opportunities also exist in the minerals sector, including copper, gold, silver and marble, and for big-ticketinfrastructure projects as East Timor tries to reverse years of under-investment.
Mr Pires said Spain, China and Australia are all keen on a piece of the Timor resources pie, while East Timor expert Damien Kingsbury from Deakin University said the United States and the United Kingdom are also interested. -- REUTERS
Trade Routes
China and East Timor's links date back centuries. Hakka Chinese traders sailed there more than 500 years ago looking for sandalwood, rosewood and mahogany. Many stayed on, forming an overseas Chinese community as in many other parts of Asia.
Today, Dili's main street is lined with buildings, some of which display Chinese script, families can be seen praying at a Confucian temple in downtown Dili, while Chinese traders run appliance stores on busy streets.
Chinese labourers are already at work on one of two heavy oil power plants which are under construction after Dili in 2008 awarded the Chinese Nuclear Industry 22nd Construction Company a $360 million contract to build the power plants and a national power grid. East Timor also paid US$28 million for two petroleum vessels from China.
Loro Horta said China is also angling for big ticket infrastructure contracts such as a pipeline that East Timor wants built from its Greater Sunrise oil field to a proposed processing plant on land. He said Chinese oil giant PetroChina has already done studies and is keen to drill.
Yang Donghui, a spokesman for the Chinese ambassador in Dili, said that the first phase of the seismic investigation was completed as an aid project, but that a proposed second phase investigation became the subject of commercial talks between the East Timor government and PetroChina.
China's ambassador to East Timor, Fu Yuancong rejected speculation that China's interest in the fledgling nation isdriven by a desire to gain an advantage when East Timor is handing out contracts to develop its billion-dollar oil and gas fields.
He also said that his government was in energy talks with Dili. And as stability has slowly returned to Dili, Mr Fu said hisgovernment has encouraged a new generation of Chinese entrepreneurs to move to East Timor.
'The growing Chinese presence is part of their natural expansion into Southeast Asia and I think Timor is not really their priority,' said Loro Horta, at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University.
'But they are definitely keeping an eye on it. The Chinese are very patient people and they think very long term.'
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Is Hokkien My ‘Mother Tongue’?
Poignant, brilliant and perceptive writing by Singapore playwright Alfian Sa'at as he points out the simple truths about the melting pot of Singapore's intercultural growth, leading to an inextricable confluence of language. This broth consequently led to the emergence of Chinese more aptly described as 'Nanyang Chinese' (like the old Straits Chinese) who really, at least right now, feel more at home with his Malay and Indian neighbours than their bloodline of ancestors and brothers/sisters from mainland China.
Quotable Quote - "There are even some Cantonese words that are now part of Malay parlance, such as pokai (broke or penniless), as well as samseng (gangster). Interestingly, it has been postulated that the word sam seng (three star) was derived from the fact that recruits from the Malayan People’s Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA) used to wear caps emblazoned with three stars, each one representing one of the main races in Malaya: the Malays, Chinese and Indians." Alfian Sa'at
---
Is Hokkien My ‘Mother Tongue’?
Alfian Sa’at
8 September 2009
Soruce - The Online Citizen
A long time ago, a Chinese man saw some Malays eating a fruit. It had a spiky shell, but its insides were filled with large seeds covered by yellow, buttery flesh. He had never seen (nor smelt!) a fruit like it before, in his native village in Fujian. He asked them what the fruit was called.
‘Durian’, they replied. This was from the Malay word for duri, which means ‘thorn’. And so the Chinese man went back and told his friends about this new fruit. As the word spread, it became incorporated into the Hokkien vocabulary as loo lian.
Then one day, a new fruit made its appearance, native to South America, possibly brought in by colonial travelers. It was also green, with a spiky exterior. In English, it was known as ‘soursop’.
The Malays had a tendency to append the word belanda (meaning ‘Dutch’) to anything foreign that they had never seen before. Examples include the Dutch goat (kambing belanda, or sheep), the Dutch chicken (ayam belanda, or turkey) and the Dutch cat (kucing belanda, or rabbit). So they called the fruit durian belanda.
The Hokkiens, on the other hand, called it ang mo loo lian. Ang mo (roughly meaning ‘Western’) was also used for other edibles, like ang mo kio (tomato) and ang mo chai thou (carrot). Thus the word ang mo loo lian now carries traces of Hokkien contact with both Malays and Westerners.
The study of loan words has always fascinated me, because they give clues to the kinds of social interactions that occurred in the past. At the beginning of this article, I sketched a scenario of how a single word from one language entered another. But the process is definitely much more complex, and would involve long-term, sustained contact. The chain of transmission might even involve an intermediary, such as the Straits Chinese (or Peranakans), whose Baba patois contains both Malay and Hokkien words.
I have often felt a sense of loss at the fact that the lingua franca among Singaporean Chinese is no longer the Southern Chinese languages (such as Hokkien, Teochew and Cantonese), but Mandarin. A little bit of research revealed to me the words that were borrowed from Hokkien into Malay. These include: (note that ‘c’ in Malay has the ‘ch’ sound): beca (trishaw), bihun (vermicelli), cat (paint), cincai (anyhow), gua (I/me), guli (marbles), kentang (potato), kamceng (close), kuih(cake), kongsi (share), kuaci (melon seeds), teko (teapot), taugeh (bean sprout), tahu (beancurd) and tauke (boss).
This process of linguistic exchange was two-way, as demonstrated by these Malay words that have penetrated Hokkien: agak (guess or moderate), botak (bald), champur (mix), gadoh (fight), gaji (wages), jamban (toilet), kachiau (disturb), longkau (drain), loti (bread), otang (owe/debt), pumchet (puncture), pantang (superstitious/taboo), pakat (conspire), pasar (market), pitchia (break), salah (wrong), sapbun (soap), sinang (easy), senget (crooked), sukak (like), timun (cucumber),tiam (quiet) and torlong (help).
There are even some Cantonese words that are now part of Malay parlance, such as pokai (broke or penniless), as well as samseng (gangster). Interestingly, it has been postulated that the word sam seng (three star) was derived from the fact that recruits from the Malayan People’s Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA) used to wear caps emblazoned with three stars, each one representing one of the main races in Malaya: the Malays, Chinese and Indians.
In the army, one of the things that we were told by a sergeant was that ‘over here, Hokkien is your mother tongue’. But this was based on stereotypes: that Hokkien was a gendered, macho language (with the most pungent swear words) and the primal expression of working-class angst (as exemplified by the tattooed Hokkien-peng squatting and glowering in the yellow smoking box).
But considering how Hokkien words have entered the Malay language, I have realized that there is a larger truth to that statement. It’s like tracing a family tree and then discovering that I had a Hokkien great-great-great-great grandmother. As a matter of fact, since almost two-thirds of the Malay lexicon consists of borrowings, I definitely had Arabic and Indian (linguistic) ancestors too.
Malays have a saying, bahasa jiwa bangsa, which means, ‘language is the soul of a race’. But I’ve always noted a tension in the phrase. We tend to think of ‘race’ as something that is often bounded and rigid, defining it in terms of bloodline descents. But ‘language’ does not have such impermeable borders. Words of various origins pass through open checkpoints, undergo shifts in meaning, and become naturalized over time.
Thus, as much as we’d like to be essentialist about our ‘race’, we cannot escape from the hybridities already extant in our language. There is humility in the idea that no language is perfect on its own, and will borrow words to make up for its lack. If I’m feeling schmaltzy I’d even imagine this as a scene from the movie Jerry Maguire, where Tom Cruise utters to Renée Zellwegger the words, ‘You complete me.’ I also imagine her replying, ‘Shut up…just shut up. You had me at hoh boh.’
In Royston Tan’s getai musical, ‘881’, the main song started with ‘jit lang jit pua, kamcheng buay sua’ (one half for each [friend], relationships will not dissipate). The following line was ‘jit lang jit su ku, kamcheng jia eh ku’ (a quarter for each, relationships will endure). I had always wondered why Hokkien often resonated with me much more than Mandarin. And my guess is that this has to do with my recognition of some words, like kamcheng and su ku (which means ‘quarter’ in Malay).
Similarly, the well-loved comedians Wang Sa and Ye Fong not only switched among the different languages with ease, they expected audiences to do so as well. Malay idioms and phrases were common. Their trademark remark, whenever a situation was deemed to have gone out of hand, was: ‘Ah di ah, aga aga jiu hor ar’: ‘Hey [brother], you would do well to act in moderation (aga aga)’.
My Hokkien friends who travel overseas would often relate to me the sense of dislocation they feel when speaking to other Hokkien-speakers. A friend who went to Taiwan, for example, was surprised to note that they did not understand what loti meant. Another friend shared a story about the nuances of the word pokai in Hong Kong. At the end of the month, he moaned out loud at the office kam chi pokai le (‘I’m broke this time’) and all eyes turned on him. Pokai meant ‘broke’ in Singapore, but the reason why his colleagues reacted was because pokai (literally, ‘cast out on the streets’) in Hong Kong meant something worse, like being destitute on the streets, or being beaten up.
Because we are inundated by messages that often emphasise cultural purism, it is easy to interpret these instances as cases where the Chinese from this part of the world have been ‘contaminated’ by other cultures. I happen to take the opposite view: the Nanyang Chinese has evolved an identity of their own, incorporating elements of the other cultures that surround them. That this has been possible is a testament to their openness, curiosity and lack of insularity—a far cry from the global stereotype of cliquish and ethnocentric Chinese immigrants.
Much ink (and tears) has been spilled on how the Speak Mandarin Campaign has resulted in what some have called the ‘cultural lobotomy’ of the Chinese community. In many ways, I find great sympathy with the late Kuo Pao Kun’s observation that Chinese Singaporeans are ‘cultural orphans’. After all, they were forcibly snatched from their biological Southern Chinese bosoms and placed in the laps of Mandarin-speaking foster mothers.
A familiar lament is that the declining use of the Southern Chinese languages has resulted in the estrangement between generations of Chinese Singaporeans. But I’d also argue that it has also led to some kind of estrangement among the various races. I don’t know if I should worry about the fact that these days, the traffic of loan words has almost ceased between Malay and Mandarin. It is perhaps premature to theorise that this is a symptom of lesser interaction between these races, as compared to the past—after all, there is English to mediate our communication with one another.
But the fact remains that I don’t know of a single Malay word that has Mandarin origins. Which is why I feel it’s all the more urgent to preserve the variety of Southern Chinese languages spoken here (I refuse to call them ‘dialects’). They are reminders of the mingling and blending that has occurred here in Singapore; the very metabolism of what we understand not simply as ‘multiracialism’ but a deeper, more engaged ‘interculturalism’.
Somehow, our forefathers, of various races, knew how to pakat against common enemies, were able to kongsi their resources, and in the process of all that champur became kamcheng with one another. The product of their alliances, friendships and inter-marriages is reflected in the language they have passed on to us. To lose this legacy is to sever a vital connection not only to the historical origins of the Nanyang Chinese, but also to Singapore’s dynamic multicultural past.
(My profuse thanks to Lai Chee Kien for input into this article)
Quotable Quote - "There are even some Cantonese words that are now part of Malay parlance, such as pokai (broke or penniless), as well as samseng (gangster). Interestingly, it has been postulated that the word sam seng (three star) was derived from the fact that recruits from the Malayan People’s Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA) used to wear caps emblazoned with three stars, each one representing one of the main races in Malaya: the Malays, Chinese and Indians." Alfian Sa'at
---
Is Hokkien My ‘Mother Tongue’?
Alfian Sa’at
8 September 2009
Soruce - The Online Citizen
A long time ago, a Chinese man saw some Malays eating a fruit. It had a spiky shell, but its insides were filled with large seeds covered by yellow, buttery flesh. He had never seen (nor smelt!) a fruit like it before, in his native village in Fujian. He asked them what the fruit was called.
‘Durian’, they replied. This was from the Malay word for duri, which means ‘thorn’. And so the Chinese man went back and told his friends about this new fruit. As the word spread, it became incorporated into the Hokkien vocabulary as loo lian.
Then one day, a new fruit made its appearance, native to South America, possibly brought in by colonial travelers. It was also green, with a spiky exterior. In English, it was known as ‘soursop’.
The Malays had a tendency to append the word belanda (meaning ‘Dutch’) to anything foreign that they had never seen before. Examples include the Dutch goat (kambing belanda, or sheep), the Dutch chicken (ayam belanda, or turkey) and the Dutch cat (kucing belanda, or rabbit). So they called the fruit durian belanda.
The Hokkiens, on the other hand, called it ang mo loo lian. Ang mo (roughly meaning ‘Western’) was also used for other edibles, like ang mo kio (tomato) and ang mo chai thou (carrot). Thus the word ang mo loo lian now carries traces of Hokkien contact with both Malays and Westerners.
The study of loan words has always fascinated me, because they give clues to the kinds of social interactions that occurred in the past. At the beginning of this article, I sketched a scenario of how a single word from one language entered another. But the process is definitely much more complex, and would involve long-term, sustained contact. The chain of transmission might even involve an intermediary, such as the Straits Chinese (or Peranakans), whose Baba patois contains both Malay and Hokkien words.
I have often felt a sense of loss at the fact that the lingua franca among Singaporean Chinese is no longer the Southern Chinese languages (such as Hokkien, Teochew and Cantonese), but Mandarin. A little bit of research revealed to me the words that were borrowed from Hokkien into Malay. These include: (note that ‘c’ in Malay has the ‘ch’ sound): beca (trishaw), bihun (vermicelli), cat (paint), cincai (anyhow), gua (I/me), guli (marbles), kentang (potato), kamceng (close), kuih(cake), kongsi (share), kuaci (melon seeds), teko (teapot), taugeh (bean sprout), tahu (beancurd) and tauke (boss).
This process of linguistic exchange was two-way, as demonstrated by these Malay words that have penetrated Hokkien: agak (guess or moderate), botak (bald), champur (mix), gadoh (fight), gaji (wages), jamban (toilet), kachiau (disturb), longkau (drain), loti (bread), otang (owe/debt), pumchet (puncture), pantang (superstitious/taboo), pakat (conspire), pasar (market), pitchia (break), salah (wrong), sapbun (soap), sinang (easy), senget (crooked), sukak (like), timun (cucumber),tiam (quiet) and torlong (help).
There are even some Cantonese words that are now part of Malay parlance, such as pokai (broke or penniless), as well as samseng (gangster). Interestingly, it has been postulated that the word sam seng (three star) was derived from the fact that recruits from the Malayan People’s Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA) used to wear caps emblazoned with three stars, each one representing one of the main races in Malaya: the Malays, Chinese and Indians.
In the army, one of the things that we were told by a sergeant was that ‘over here, Hokkien is your mother tongue’. But this was based on stereotypes: that Hokkien was a gendered, macho language (with the most pungent swear words) and the primal expression of working-class angst (as exemplified by the tattooed Hokkien-peng squatting and glowering in the yellow smoking box).
But considering how Hokkien words have entered the Malay language, I have realized that there is a larger truth to that statement. It’s like tracing a family tree and then discovering that I had a Hokkien great-great-great-great grandmother. As a matter of fact, since almost two-thirds of the Malay lexicon consists of borrowings, I definitely had Arabic and Indian (linguistic) ancestors too.
Malays have a saying, bahasa jiwa bangsa, which means, ‘language is the soul of a race’. But I’ve always noted a tension in the phrase. We tend to think of ‘race’ as something that is often bounded and rigid, defining it in terms of bloodline descents. But ‘language’ does not have such impermeable borders. Words of various origins pass through open checkpoints, undergo shifts in meaning, and become naturalized over time.
Thus, as much as we’d like to be essentialist about our ‘race’, we cannot escape from the hybridities already extant in our language. There is humility in the idea that no language is perfect on its own, and will borrow words to make up for its lack. If I’m feeling schmaltzy I’d even imagine this as a scene from the movie Jerry Maguire, where Tom Cruise utters to Renée Zellwegger the words, ‘You complete me.’ I also imagine her replying, ‘Shut up…just shut up. You had me at hoh boh.’
In Royston Tan’s getai musical, ‘881’, the main song started with ‘jit lang jit pua, kamcheng buay sua’ (one half for each [friend], relationships will not dissipate). The following line was ‘jit lang jit su ku, kamcheng jia eh ku’ (a quarter for each, relationships will endure). I had always wondered why Hokkien often resonated with me much more than Mandarin. And my guess is that this has to do with my recognition of some words, like kamcheng and su ku (which means ‘quarter’ in Malay).
Similarly, the well-loved comedians Wang Sa and Ye Fong not only switched among the different languages with ease, they expected audiences to do so as well. Malay idioms and phrases were common. Their trademark remark, whenever a situation was deemed to have gone out of hand, was: ‘Ah di ah, aga aga jiu hor ar’: ‘Hey [brother], you would do well to act in moderation (aga aga)’.
My Hokkien friends who travel overseas would often relate to me the sense of dislocation they feel when speaking to other Hokkien-speakers. A friend who went to Taiwan, for example, was surprised to note that they did not understand what loti meant. Another friend shared a story about the nuances of the word pokai in Hong Kong. At the end of the month, he moaned out loud at the office kam chi pokai le (‘I’m broke this time’) and all eyes turned on him. Pokai meant ‘broke’ in Singapore, but the reason why his colleagues reacted was because pokai (literally, ‘cast out on the streets’) in Hong Kong meant something worse, like being destitute on the streets, or being beaten up.
Because we are inundated by messages that often emphasise cultural purism, it is easy to interpret these instances as cases where the Chinese from this part of the world have been ‘contaminated’ by other cultures. I happen to take the opposite view: the Nanyang Chinese has evolved an identity of their own, incorporating elements of the other cultures that surround them. That this has been possible is a testament to their openness, curiosity and lack of insularity—a far cry from the global stereotype of cliquish and ethnocentric Chinese immigrants.
Much ink (and tears) has been spilled on how the Speak Mandarin Campaign has resulted in what some have called the ‘cultural lobotomy’ of the Chinese community. In many ways, I find great sympathy with the late Kuo Pao Kun’s observation that Chinese Singaporeans are ‘cultural orphans’. After all, they were forcibly snatched from their biological Southern Chinese bosoms and placed in the laps of Mandarin-speaking foster mothers.
A familiar lament is that the declining use of the Southern Chinese languages has resulted in the estrangement between generations of Chinese Singaporeans. But I’d also argue that it has also led to some kind of estrangement among the various races. I don’t know if I should worry about the fact that these days, the traffic of loan words has almost ceased between Malay and Mandarin. It is perhaps premature to theorise that this is a symptom of lesser interaction between these races, as compared to the past—after all, there is English to mediate our communication with one another.
But the fact remains that I don’t know of a single Malay word that has Mandarin origins. Which is why I feel it’s all the more urgent to preserve the variety of Southern Chinese languages spoken here (I refuse to call them ‘dialects’). They are reminders of the mingling and blending that has occurred here in Singapore; the very metabolism of what we understand not simply as ‘multiracialism’ but a deeper, more engaged ‘interculturalism’.
Somehow, our forefathers, of various races, knew how to pakat against common enemies, were able to kongsi their resources, and in the process of all that champur became kamcheng with one another. The product of their alliances, friendships and inter-marriages is reflected in the language they have passed on to us. To lose this legacy is to sever a vital connection not only to the historical origins of the Nanyang Chinese, but also to Singapore’s dynamic multicultural past.
(My profuse thanks to Lai Chee Kien for input into this article)
Monday, September 7, 2009
Singapore can learn much from China
A very timely piece that'll be useful for me. It's crunch time as it has become time to submit the research proposal. Wish me luck people.
Quotable Quote - "...while there are still some lessons China could learn from Singapore, it is no longer a one-way flow." Singapore's Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong
---
Singapore can learn much from China
Source - AsiaOne 4 September 2009
THERE is much for Singapore to learn from China.
This was Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong's response when asked about the achievements and transformations of China over the past 30 years.
In an interview conducted in August by the Director of the Thailand branch of China News Service, Mr Gu Shihong, SM Goh replied in writing stating that while there are still some lessons China could learn from Singapore, it is no longer a one-way flow.
He brought up Deng Xiaoping's visit to Singapore in 1978, in which he saw a first-hand account of how Southern Chinese had settled and progressed in Singapore, and felt that China could achieve the same results with its much bigger population.
Now, SM Goh said that each time he visited China, he was left impressed by its new urban landscape, skyscrapers, wide motorways and obvious signs of a higher standard of living, as opposed to how the country was pre-1978.
The greater change, he replied, is the mindset of the Chinese towards modernisation based on market principles.
Besides praising China for its reformation over the past decades, the Senior Minister also wrote about the many aspects in which both countries have cooperated.
He mentioned that the key pillar in bilateral cooperation with China is human resource development, in which there are tailored programmes for Chinese officials in Singapore to fit the needs and national conditions of China.
On the education level, there are extensive collaborations between the two and when it came to doing business, China continues to be an exciting investment destination for Singapore companies, while Singapore continues to be an attractive base for China companies to expand their international reach.
This year, relationship with China had also reached a new milestone with the signing of the China-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (CSFTA).
One of the many struggles both countries face is the ever-expanding income divide. SM Goh stressed that China and Singapore no exceptions as it is a challenge all market economies face.
He also said that Singapore is ready to share its sustainable development for a cleaner and greener environment.
Environment protection is a contradictory problem that China is facing due to its economic expansion.
Quotable Quote - "...while there are still some lessons China could learn from Singapore, it is no longer a one-way flow." Singapore's Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong
---
Singapore can learn much from China
Source - AsiaOne 4 September 2009
THERE is much for Singapore to learn from China.
This was Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong's response when asked about the achievements and transformations of China over the past 30 years.
In an interview conducted in August by the Director of the Thailand branch of China News Service, Mr Gu Shihong, SM Goh replied in writing stating that while there are still some lessons China could learn from Singapore, it is no longer a one-way flow.
He brought up Deng Xiaoping's visit to Singapore in 1978, in which he saw a first-hand account of how Southern Chinese had settled and progressed in Singapore, and felt that China could achieve the same results with its much bigger population.
Now, SM Goh said that each time he visited China, he was left impressed by its new urban landscape, skyscrapers, wide motorways and obvious signs of a higher standard of living, as opposed to how the country was pre-1978.
The greater change, he replied, is the mindset of the Chinese towards modernisation based on market principles.
Besides praising China for its reformation over the past decades, the Senior Minister also wrote about the many aspects in which both countries have cooperated.
He mentioned that the key pillar in bilateral cooperation with China is human resource development, in which there are tailored programmes for Chinese officials in Singapore to fit the needs and national conditions of China.
On the education level, there are extensive collaborations between the two and when it came to doing business, China continues to be an exciting investment destination for Singapore companies, while Singapore continues to be an attractive base for China companies to expand their international reach.
This year, relationship with China had also reached a new milestone with the signing of the China-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (CSFTA).
One of the many struggles both countries face is the ever-expanding income divide. SM Goh stressed that China and Singapore no exceptions as it is a challenge all market economies face.
He also said that Singapore is ready to share its sustainable development for a cleaner and greener environment.
Environment protection is a contradictory problem that China is facing due to its economic expansion.
Chinese diplomacy can't rest on its laurels
A highly useful perspective that cuts through the fog about Chinese diplomacy.
Quoteable Quote - "Sometimes China is shouldering responsibilities that surpasses its strength. That's not necessarily a bad thing, though. In a way, it gives you soft power. Of course you have to pay for that. Soft power often needs a solid economic base." Gao Zhikai
---
Chinese diplomacy can't rest on its laurels
Source - Global Times, 4 September 2009
Editor's Note:
China's diplomacy has chartered a twisting road in the past 60 years. As the country is poised to be a major power in the world, what lessons it has learned from the past six decades, and what's the future direction of its diplomacy? The following is an interview conducted by the Global Times (GT) with Hao Yufan (Hao), Professor of Political Science at the University of Macau, and Gao Zhikai (Gao), current affairs commentator.
GT: How do you see the gains and losses of Chinese diplomacy over the past 60 years in retrospect, especially the long-time issues that haven't been solved?
Hao: As for the shortcomings, in the first 30 years, that is from 1949 to 1979, China was relatively independent from the international system.
We emphasized being independent, partly due to the political environment back then, and sometimes we stood against two superpowers simultaneously. But that was dangerous in a way and we were isolated.
The 30 years of reform and opening-up has been a learning process for China. And we learned well during our interaction with the rest of the world. The downside is that we are still passive in our involvement in international affairs and international discourse. We are still learning.
For China and the rest of the world, China has transformed from a revolutionary, "outlaw" type of country into a responsible one, willing to maintain the status quo. That's the biggest achievement of the past 60 years.
But even today we don't have an overall strategy for our diplomacy. In the past we were on the defensive, busy handling situations, and didn't have a long term, systematic strategy that ensures the consistency of our foreign policies.
A country's diplomatic strategy should serve its ultimate goals. On certain level, we should consider: What are China's ultimate goals in the next 20 years?
Gao: China today is a major force for peace and stability in the world, and its diplomatic independence has positioned the country well to play a crucially important role in many regional and international issues in the world.
Furthermore, as its economy is already the third largest in the world, and its growth rate is much higher than the rest of the world, China is destined to have more important roles to play in the years to come.
On the other hand, China is also confronted with many daunting challenges in its diplomacy.
For example,how to make the rest of the world, especially the Western countries, understand China's growth better? How to prevent major divides between China and the West? How to make sure that China's relations with its neighboring countries are peaceful and mutually beneficial? How to make sure that many territorial disputes and controversies are well dealt with without flaring up into any armed conflicts? How to identify and play an increasingly more important role in the world that is commensurate to China's growing economic might? How to maintain China's domestic stability and development on the one hand and promote international harmony and peace on the other hand?
All these are major tasks that China needs to grapple with in its diplomatic theory and practice.
GT: How do you see the current diplomatic challenges China faces now?
Gao: There are many people and forces in the West who, for one reason or another, want to put China as an enemy or potential enemy of the world.
This is not only a major diplomatic challenge China needs to address, but is also intricately related to many important issues at home, including Taiwan, Tibet, and Xinjiang.
China needs to be more effective and eloquent in communicating with the Western countries that we stand for peace, stability, harmony and development.
China needs to constantly improve its diplomatic theory and practice in line with the rapid development of its economy and the growing weight it carries in global trade and international finance.
If one is lagging behind the other, then China's diplomacy may either become less effective, or its potentials for world peace and stability and development may not be fully utilized.
We need wisdom and a sense of urgency in dealing with many tough issues we are confronted with.
Another weakness in China's diplomacy is that we stay on the defensive too much and for too long.
Any expectation that we may be able to sit through an issue, and many problems may solve by their own momentum may be false.
On major issues like Tibet, China needs to come up with greater initiative and greater wisdom in achieving a lasting solution for issues.
Throughout Chinese history, as soon as a dynasty prospered it started to lose the sense of urgency, and many people simply began to indulge in the good life.
Therefore, we need to make sure that the great economic miracles and the peace and prosperity we enjoy now at home do not blind us to the harsh realities at home and abroad, and do not deplete our dynamism, innovation and momentum for even greater achievements.
Hao: Europe, the US and Japan are taken aback by China's rapid development. Though they are adjusting their attitude toward China, in fact they don't want to see China grow too fast, but couldn't find a reason to persuade China to slow down.
What can they do? As far as they know, the only thing they can do is finding faults with China's political system.
Take the July 5 riots in Xinjiang for example. Some overseas scholars told me that such things happen in some so-called democratic countries in Asia quite often. But the Western elites will not point fingers at them because they find it inevitable that economic inequality causes racial or ethnic conflicts in many developing countries. But when it comes to China, they criticize China's political system or communism.
Meanwhile there's a certain degree of jealousy and prejudice, as they overemphasize the difference in political systems. I don't think they actually see China as an opponent, but are adjusting to China's rising status. Therefore it is not a fundamental conflict, and we need to think of a solution.
Gao: One thing we need to think about carefully is whether the US would ever allow China to peacefully rise to such an extent that its economy eventually surpasses the US economy? Is this something inevitable or irreversible? Or will some forces be deployed to make sure that it will not happen, at least not in a peaceful way?
How to make sure that the US and China will never have a major conflict with each other? How can we make sure that the US will not feel (or think it feels) threatened by the rapid peaceful rise of China? Can both China and the US come up with enough wisdom and vision so that we will not fall into the historical curse of conflict and come up instead with a new model of long-term cooperation rather than eventual conflict?
GT: For a long time we have abided by the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. Today China is asked to take more international responsibilities. Is it a contradiction?
Hao: China's rapid development has led to higher demands from the international community, and in turn, China needs to respond to the expectations and requirements of being one of the world's greatest countries.
China is the world's biggest developing country. That statement stayed unchallenged until recent years. The West doesn't want to give China a free ride.
What we have here is a gap between conception and reality. Perhaps China is not as powerful as the great powers in the world, but when the people, leaders and media worldwide see you as a superpower, they will hold you to that standard.
Sometimes China is shouldering responsibilities that surpasses its strength. That's not necessarily a bad thing, though. In a way, it gives you soft power. Of course you have to pay for that. Soft power often needs a solid economic base.
Gao: I think we need to look at it from two sides. There's nothing wrong with peaceful coexistence or harmony. But it takes two to tango.
What if you want to seek harmony and peaceful coexistence, but your opponent wants to seek your destruction and derailment?
We also need to decide on which matters we need to be tough and principled, but on which other matters can we soften up as much as we can, and demonstrate all the flexibility that we can?
We also need to move from a moralistic foundation of diplomacy to a legalistic foundation of diplomacy. What does that mean?
For example, rather than jumping out of our seat in condemnation each time a senior Japanese government official visits the Yasukuni Shrine, which memorializes some war criminals, we could promulgate a law or regulation denying such officials visas to visit China.
In a sense, harmony should be based on the rule of law, both at home and in the international arena.
Quoteable Quote - "Sometimes China is shouldering responsibilities that surpasses its strength. That's not necessarily a bad thing, though. In a way, it gives you soft power. Of course you have to pay for that. Soft power often needs a solid economic base." Gao Zhikai
---
Chinese diplomacy can't rest on its laurels
Source - Global Times, 4 September 2009
Editor's Note:
China's diplomacy has chartered a twisting road in the past 60 years. As the country is poised to be a major power in the world, what lessons it has learned from the past six decades, and what's the future direction of its diplomacy? The following is an interview conducted by the Global Times (GT) with Hao Yufan (Hao), Professor of Political Science at the University of Macau, and Gao Zhikai (Gao), current affairs commentator.
GT: How do you see the gains and losses of Chinese diplomacy over the past 60 years in retrospect, especially the long-time issues that haven't been solved?
Hao: As for the shortcomings, in the first 30 years, that is from 1949 to 1979, China was relatively independent from the international system.
We emphasized being independent, partly due to the political environment back then, and sometimes we stood against two superpowers simultaneously. But that was dangerous in a way and we were isolated.
The 30 years of reform and opening-up has been a learning process for China. And we learned well during our interaction with the rest of the world. The downside is that we are still passive in our involvement in international affairs and international discourse. We are still learning.
For China and the rest of the world, China has transformed from a revolutionary, "outlaw" type of country into a responsible one, willing to maintain the status quo. That's the biggest achievement of the past 60 years.
But even today we don't have an overall strategy for our diplomacy. In the past we were on the defensive, busy handling situations, and didn't have a long term, systematic strategy that ensures the consistency of our foreign policies.
A country's diplomatic strategy should serve its ultimate goals. On certain level, we should consider: What are China's ultimate goals in the next 20 years?
Gao: China today is a major force for peace and stability in the world, and its diplomatic independence has positioned the country well to play a crucially important role in many regional and international issues in the world.
Furthermore, as its economy is already the third largest in the world, and its growth rate is much higher than the rest of the world, China is destined to have more important roles to play in the years to come.
On the other hand, China is also confronted with many daunting challenges in its diplomacy.
For example,how to make the rest of the world, especially the Western countries, understand China's growth better? How to prevent major divides between China and the West? How to make sure that China's relations with its neighboring countries are peaceful and mutually beneficial? How to make sure that many territorial disputes and controversies are well dealt with without flaring up into any armed conflicts? How to identify and play an increasingly more important role in the world that is commensurate to China's growing economic might? How to maintain China's domestic stability and development on the one hand and promote international harmony and peace on the other hand?
All these are major tasks that China needs to grapple with in its diplomatic theory and practice.
GT: How do you see the current diplomatic challenges China faces now?
Gao: There are many people and forces in the West who, for one reason or another, want to put China as an enemy or potential enemy of the world.
This is not only a major diplomatic challenge China needs to address, but is also intricately related to many important issues at home, including Taiwan, Tibet, and Xinjiang.
China needs to be more effective and eloquent in communicating with the Western countries that we stand for peace, stability, harmony and development.
China needs to constantly improve its diplomatic theory and practice in line with the rapid development of its economy and the growing weight it carries in global trade and international finance.
If one is lagging behind the other, then China's diplomacy may either become less effective, or its potentials for world peace and stability and development may not be fully utilized.
We need wisdom and a sense of urgency in dealing with many tough issues we are confronted with.
Another weakness in China's diplomacy is that we stay on the defensive too much and for too long.
Any expectation that we may be able to sit through an issue, and many problems may solve by their own momentum may be false.
On major issues like Tibet, China needs to come up with greater initiative and greater wisdom in achieving a lasting solution for issues.
Throughout Chinese history, as soon as a dynasty prospered it started to lose the sense of urgency, and many people simply began to indulge in the good life.
Therefore, we need to make sure that the great economic miracles and the peace and prosperity we enjoy now at home do not blind us to the harsh realities at home and abroad, and do not deplete our dynamism, innovation and momentum for even greater achievements.
Hao: Europe, the US and Japan are taken aback by China's rapid development. Though they are adjusting their attitude toward China, in fact they don't want to see China grow too fast, but couldn't find a reason to persuade China to slow down.
What can they do? As far as they know, the only thing they can do is finding faults with China's political system.
Take the July 5 riots in Xinjiang for example. Some overseas scholars told me that such things happen in some so-called democratic countries in Asia quite often. But the Western elites will not point fingers at them because they find it inevitable that economic inequality causes racial or ethnic conflicts in many developing countries. But when it comes to China, they criticize China's political system or communism.
Meanwhile there's a certain degree of jealousy and prejudice, as they overemphasize the difference in political systems. I don't think they actually see China as an opponent, but are adjusting to China's rising status. Therefore it is not a fundamental conflict, and we need to think of a solution.
Gao: One thing we need to think about carefully is whether the US would ever allow China to peacefully rise to such an extent that its economy eventually surpasses the US economy? Is this something inevitable or irreversible? Or will some forces be deployed to make sure that it will not happen, at least not in a peaceful way?
How to make sure that the US and China will never have a major conflict with each other? How can we make sure that the US will not feel (or think it feels) threatened by the rapid peaceful rise of China? Can both China and the US come up with enough wisdom and vision so that we will not fall into the historical curse of conflict and come up instead with a new model of long-term cooperation rather than eventual conflict?
GT: For a long time we have abided by the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. Today China is asked to take more international responsibilities. Is it a contradiction?
Hao: China's rapid development has led to higher demands from the international community, and in turn, China needs to respond to the expectations and requirements of being one of the world's greatest countries.
China is the world's biggest developing country. That statement stayed unchallenged until recent years. The West doesn't want to give China a free ride.
What we have here is a gap between conception and reality. Perhaps China is not as powerful as the great powers in the world, but when the people, leaders and media worldwide see you as a superpower, they will hold you to that standard.
Sometimes China is shouldering responsibilities that surpasses its strength. That's not necessarily a bad thing, though. In a way, it gives you soft power. Of course you have to pay for that. Soft power often needs a solid economic base.
Gao: I think we need to look at it from two sides. There's nothing wrong with peaceful coexistence or harmony. But it takes two to tango.
What if you want to seek harmony and peaceful coexistence, but your opponent wants to seek your destruction and derailment?
We also need to decide on which matters we need to be tough and principled, but on which other matters can we soften up as much as we can, and demonstrate all the flexibility that we can?
We also need to move from a moralistic foundation of diplomacy to a legalistic foundation of diplomacy. What does that mean?
For example, rather than jumping out of our seat in condemnation each time a senior Japanese government official visits the Yasukuni Shrine, which memorializes some war criminals, we could promulgate a law or regulation denying such officials visas to visit China.
In a sense, harmony should be based on the rule of law, both at home and in the international arena.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Growing interest in Confucius Institute in Singapore
With 40 million people learning Mandarin today (according to the Office of Chinese Language Council International), the Confucius Institutes are a key stratagem in Chinese public diplomacy efforts, exerting cultural capital to facilitate people seeing things their way. It even clearly echoes some pretty obvious political alignment. Check out the blurp from their website, and how it sings of the harmonious world -
"Confucius Institute, as a non-profit education organization, devoted to satisfying the demands of people from different countries and regions in the world who learn Chinese language, to enhancing their understanding of the Chinese language and culture, to strengthening educational and cultural exchange and cooperation between China and other countries, to deepening friendly relationships with other nations, to promoting the development of multi-culturalism, and to the building of a harmonious world.
The Confucius Institute Headquarters is a non-profit organization that has the independent status of a corporate body. It owns the proprietorship of the name, logo and brand of the Confucius Institutes. The Headquarters is the regulatory body that provides guidelines to the Confucius Institute worldwide. The Headquarters is located in Beijing in the People’s Republic of China.
The Confucius Institutes shall provide the following services:
a. Develop Chinese language courses for various social sectors;
b. Train Chinese language instructors for local institutions and providing them with Chinese language teaching resources;
c. Establish local facilities for the holding of the HSK Examination (Chinese Proficiency Test) and for the administration of procedures for the Certification of the Chinese Language Teachers;
d. Provide information and consultative services concerning Chinese education, culture, economy and society;
e. Promote research about Contemporary China."
Source - Confucius Institute Online
http://www.confuciusinstitute.net/ky_en/about.html
Date of Access 05 September 2009
And now for the article...
---
Growing interest in Institute
By Cai Haoxiang
Source - Straits Times 5 September 2009
THERE is growing interest in Chinese-language promotion centre Confucius Institute, which has attracted more than double the number of students in the last two years.
Every week, more than 500 students attend over 20 courses now - up from 200 students who turned up for eight courses two years ago.
The increase is due to keener interest in Chinese language and culture by working professionals, who form three quarters of the students.
Centre director Koh Hock Kiat said people initially mistook the Institute as a place to promote Confucian philosophy.
But that perception has changed in the four years since the Institute was set up in 2005. It moved to Nanyang Technological University's (NTU) one-north campus in Buona Vista two years later.
'We started using a lot of contemporary icons to change people's impressions, like comics and popular living writers,' said Associate Professor Koh.
'Now, they know us as a place for kids, literature and basic Chinese, similar to what the British Council or the Japanese Association offers.'
Still, he said what motivates most people to sign up for its courses is their desire to learn more about the Chinese language for business purposes.
Among the students are Mr Steve Wong, 52, director of management consultancy Synthesis Consulting Group. He is doing a three-month business Chinese programme at the Institute.
'Most Chinese business people in Asia, like Thailand and Indonesia, don't speak much English,' he said. 'To communicate effectively, you really have to know the (Chinese) language.'
"Confucius Institute, as a non-profit education organization, devoted to satisfying the demands of people from different countries and regions in the world who learn Chinese language, to enhancing their understanding of the Chinese language and culture, to strengthening educational and cultural exchange and cooperation between China and other countries, to deepening friendly relationships with other nations, to promoting the development of multi-culturalism, and to the building of a harmonious world.
The Confucius Institute Headquarters is a non-profit organization that has the independent status of a corporate body. It owns the proprietorship of the name, logo and brand of the Confucius Institutes. The Headquarters is the regulatory body that provides guidelines to the Confucius Institute worldwide. The Headquarters is located in Beijing in the People’s Republic of China.
The Confucius Institutes shall provide the following services:
a. Develop Chinese language courses for various social sectors;
b. Train Chinese language instructors for local institutions and providing them with Chinese language teaching resources;
c. Establish local facilities for the holding of the HSK Examination (Chinese Proficiency Test) and for the administration of procedures for the Certification of the Chinese Language Teachers;
d. Provide information and consultative services concerning Chinese education, culture, economy and society;
e. Promote research about Contemporary China."
Source - Confucius Institute Online
http://www.confuciusinstitute.net/ky_en/about.html
Date of Access 05 September 2009
And now for the article...
---
Growing interest in Institute
By Cai Haoxiang
Source - Straits Times 5 September 2009
THERE is growing interest in Chinese-language promotion centre Confucius Institute, which has attracted more than double the number of students in the last two years.
Every week, more than 500 students attend over 20 courses now - up from 200 students who turned up for eight courses two years ago.
The increase is due to keener interest in Chinese language and culture by working professionals, who form three quarters of the students.
Centre director Koh Hock Kiat said people initially mistook the Institute as a place to promote Confucian philosophy.
But that perception has changed in the four years since the Institute was set up in 2005. It moved to Nanyang Technological University's (NTU) one-north campus in Buona Vista two years later.
'We started using a lot of contemporary icons to change people's impressions, like comics and popular living writers,' said Associate Professor Koh.
'Now, they know us as a place for kids, literature and basic Chinese, similar to what the British Council or the Japanese Association offers.'
Still, he said what motivates most people to sign up for its courses is their desire to learn more about the Chinese language for business purposes.
Among the students are Mr Steve Wong, 52, director of management consultancy Synthesis Consulting Group. He is doing a three-month business Chinese programme at the Institute.
'Most Chinese business people in Asia, like Thailand and Indonesia, don't speak much English,' he said. 'To communicate effectively, you really have to know the (Chinese) language.'
Former Australia PM claims Chinese diplomacy 'clumsy' Part Two
And so, China responds to John Howards' criticisms that Chinese diplomacy was clumsy. Go here for the original article that started this.
And the quotable quote from the article reads - "It's a common fault of some Australian officials that they don't think of the mutual beneficial perspective" of bilateral ties, Zhao said. "For instance, on the visit by Kadeer, Howard's remark reveals a unilateral attitude, which obstructs the development of bilateral ties." Zhao Guojun, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.
---
China rejects former Aussie PM's criticism
People's Daily
Source - Global Times 4 September 2009
China said on Thursday that former Australian prime minister John Howard's criticism of Chinese diplomatic policies is "unacceptable."
Howard criticized Chinese diplomatic efforts to gag exiled dissidents as "clumsy," and linked strained relations between Beijing and Canberra to a failed mining deal.
"They've got this silly habit, if they don't want you to see someone, they say so – which means that you must see them," Howard said.
He told a business function in Sydney on Wednesday that China's attempts to prevent Rebiya Kadeer from visiting Australia last month were "ridiculous."
"They've done that with the Dalai Lama (and) the way they carried on about that lady with the visa (Kadeer), " he said.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu yesterday hit back by saying, "It is dishonorable to indulge and even support separatists."
"Such action will only damage his own image," Jiang said, urging foreign diplomats to see through Kadeer's separatist nature, and to protect overall interests by not doing separatists any favor.
Regarding Kadeer's intention to talk with the Chinese government, Jiang said Kadeer is a criminal under Chinese law. "Her accusations against China are not worth refuting," Jiang added.
China canceled a senior minister's visit over Canberra's receiving of Kadeer, whom Beijing accuses of being a separatist and inciting deadly unrest in Urumqi in July.
"As former Australian prime minister, Howard still wields a lot of influence in his country," Zhao Guojun of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences told the Global Times.
He added that Howard's criticism indicates the diversified and sometimes controversial attitudes inside Australian political parties.
"It's a common fault of some Australian officials that they don't think of the mutual beneficial perspective" of bilateral ties, Zhao said. "For instance, on the visit by Kadeer, Howard's remark reveals a unilateral attitude, which obstructs the development of bilateral ties."
The conservative leader of Australia for 11 years, Howard also said recent tension between China and Australia could be traced back to mining giant Rio Tinto's rejection of a $19.5 billion cash injection from China's state-owned aluminum giant, Chinalco.
China says the detention of Australian Rio Tinto executive Stern Hu is linked to allegations of industrial espionage and bribery during fraught iron ore negotiations.
Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said Australia-China ties would experience difficulties, but the "long-term beneficial nature" of the relationship would overcome controversies such as those surrounding Hu and Kadeer.
"We have a very good economic relationship with China, and that will continue," AFP quoted Smith as saying. "We need to take a long-term view of our relationship, and we need to be patient."
Agencies contributed to this story
Source:Global Times
And the quotable quote from the article reads - "It's a common fault of some Australian officials that they don't think of the mutual beneficial perspective" of bilateral ties, Zhao said. "For instance, on the visit by Kadeer, Howard's remark reveals a unilateral attitude, which obstructs the development of bilateral ties." Zhao Guojun, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.
---
China rejects former Aussie PM's criticism
People's Daily
Source - Global Times 4 September 2009
China said on Thursday that former Australian prime minister John Howard's criticism of Chinese diplomatic policies is "unacceptable."
Howard criticized Chinese diplomatic efforts to gag exiled dissidents as "clumsy," and linked strained relations between Beijing and Canberra to a failed mining deal.
"They've got this silly habit, if they don't want you to see someone, they say so – which means that you must see them," Howard said.
He told a business function in Sydney on Wednesday that China's attempts to prevent Rebiya Kadeer from visiting Australia last month were "ridiculous."
"They've done that with the Dalai Lama (and) the way they carried on about that lady with the visa (Kadeer), " he said.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu yesterday hit back by saying, "It is dishonorable to indulge and even support separatists."
"Such action will only damage his own image," Jiang said, urging foreign diplomats to see through Kadeer's separatist nature, and to protect overall interests by not doing separatists any favor.
Regarding Kadeer's intention to talk with the Chinese government, Jiang said Kadeer is a criminal under Chinese law. "Her accusations against China are not worth refuting," Jiang added.
China canceled a senior minister's visit over Canberra's receiving of Kadeer, whom Beijing accuses of being a separatist and inciting deadly unrest in Urumqi in July.
"As former Australian prime minister, Howard still wields a lot of influence in his country," Zhao Guojun of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences told the Global Times.
He added that Howard's criticism indicates the diversified and sometimes controversial attitudes inside Australian political parties.
"It's a common fault of some Australian officials that they don't think of the mutual beneficial perspective" of bilateral ties, Zhao said. "For instance, on the visit by Kadeer, Howard's remark reveals a unilateral attitude, which obstructs the development of bilateral ties."
The conservative leader of Australia for 11 years, Howard also said recent tension between China and Australia could be traced back to mining giant Rio Tinto's rejection of a $19.5 billion cash injection from China's state-owned aluminum giant, Chinalco.
China says the detention of Australian Rio Tinto executive Stern Hu is linked to allegations of industrial espionage and bribery during fraught iron ore negotiations.
Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said Australia-China ties would experience difficulties, but the "long-term beneficial nature" of the relationship would overcome controversies such as those surrounding Hu and Kadeer.
"We have a very good economic relationship with China, and that will continue," AFP quoted Smith as saying. "We need to take a long-term view of our relationship, and we need to be patient."
Agencies contributed to this story
Source:Global Times
Australia is a partner we can't live without
A good, middle-pathed commentary found in the Global Times by a People's Daily senior reporter.
---
Australia is a partner we can't live without
by Ding Gang
Source - Global Times 3 September 2009
On Tuesday, the Global Times ran a story "China is a partner Australia can't live without." I think this is only one side of the story.We should also recognize that Australia is a partner China can't live without. Both are equally important, especially in terms of economy and trade.
Recently there's been a comeback of the so-called China threat in Australia. For issues concerning China's fundamental interest, we shouldn't flinch, but handle them in accordance with the law and refute opposing arguments with reason. Yet it should be noted that the frictions are the results of closer economic and trade ties between China and Australia.
Some Chinese netizens think lightly of Australia. They believe that Australia relies so heavily on China for its economy and trade that China could easily "crush" Australia.
This isn't completely groundless. Australia's official statistics last year show that China was its second largest trade partner. Exports to China accounted for 14.6 percent of Australia's total, and imports from China, at 15.6 percent, were the largest of any nation. Moreover, a large number of Chinese students went to study in Australia, pouring money into the economy. On the other hand, Australia doesn't rank that high on China's foreign trade list.
For historic reasons, we like the economic approach when judging a country's influence. Therefore, some people emphasize the economic and trade ties with Australia, as if others will change their opinion about us when we become heavily relied upon. This perception shows an
excessive worship of power.
In fact, economic and trade relations are about mixed interests. Australia provides China with some indispensible goods. Recently CNPC signed a contract with Australia to buy $41 billion natural gas. China goes global, and increases economic connections with other countries. Meanwhile, China builds codependent relationships and her interests are interwoven with the rest of the world. China's position has changed, so has its relations with the world.
The relationship of interest is about mutual development and benefit, not about fearing and being feared.
Take Chinese overseas students, for example. They benefit Australia's economy and receive better education. Some of them will come back and contribute to China's development.
Our relations have changed from no connections to codependency. It's no longer a one way street. And as China gets stronger, it's unlikely that we'd build unbalanced foreign relations. Nor should we make the assumption that they can't live without us.
Even if someday China becomes so powerful that it could lead the world single-handedly, other countries will not necessarily be crushed without China. Besides, the confrontations of ideologies and system, or people's prejudices, cannot be resolved through economic and trade measures or raw power.
Usually there're boundaries in the game of interest between two codependent countries. Within the boundaries, the two parties can negotiate; going past them, both could get hurt. That's why when we say "China is a partner Australia can't live without," we should
ask ourselves, "Can China live without Australia?"
After all, our economic and trade relations are mutually beneficial. It's a win-win situation. China has gained a lot from its relations with Australia, and Australia hasn't gone so far as to treat China as an enemy.
If we can view China's relations with Australia and other Western countries from this perspective, we'll understand our own power much more clearly.
And when the people can look at our own country more objectively, we will have more flexibility in foreign affairs.
The author is a senior reporter with People's Daily
---
Australia is a partner we can't live without
by Ding Gang
Source - Global Times 3 September 2009
On Tuesday, the Global Times ran a story "China is a partner Australia can't live without." I think this is only one side of the story.We should also recognize that Australia is a partner China can't live without. Both are equally important, especially in terms of economy and trade.
Recently there's been a comeback of the so-called China threat in Australia. For issues concerning China's fundamental interest, we shouldn't flinch, but handle them in accordance with the law and refute opposing arguments with reason. Yet it should be noted that the frictions are the results of closer economic and trade ties between China and Australia.
Some Chinese netizens think lightly of Australia. They believe that Australia relies so heavily on China for its economy and trade that China could easily "crush" Australia.
This isn't completely groundless. Australia's official statistics last year show that China was its second largest trade partner. Exports to China accounted for 14.6 percent of Australia's total, and imports from China, at 15.6 percent, were the largest of any nation. Moreover, a large number of Chinese students went to study in Australia, pouring money into the economy. On the other hand, Australia doesn't rank that high on China's foreign trade list.
For historic reasons, we like the economic approach when judging a country's influence. Therefore, some people emphasize the economic and trade ties with Australia, as if others will change their opinion about us when we become heavily relied upon. This perception shows an
excessive worship of power.
In fact, economic and trade relations are about mixed interests. Australia provides China with some indispensible goods. Recently CNPC signed a contract with Australia to buy $41 billion natural gas. China goes global, and increases economic connections with other countries. Meanwhile, China builds codependent relationships and her interests are interwoven with the rest of the world. China's position has changed, so has its relations with the world.
The relationship of interest is about mutual development and benefit, not about fearing and being feared.
Take Chinese overseas students, for example. They benefit Australia's economy and receive better education. Some of them will come back and contribute to China's development.
Our relations have changed from no connections to codependency. It's no longer a one way street. And as China gets stronger, it's unlikely that we'd build unbalanced foreign relations. Nor should we make the assumption that they can't live without us.
Even if someday China becomes so powerful that it could lead the world single-handedly, other countries will not necessarily be crushed without China. Besides, the confrontations of ideologies and system, or people's prejudices, cannot be resolved through economic and trade measures or raw power.
Usually there're boundaries in the game of interest between two codependent countries. Within the boundaries, the two parties can negotiate; going past them, both could get hurt. That's why when we say "China is a partner Australia can't live without," we should
ask ourselves, "Can China live without Australia?"
After all, our economic and trade relations are mutually beneficial. It's a win-win situation. China has gained a lot from its relations with Australia, and Australia hasn't gone so far as to treat China as an enemy.
If we can view China's relations with Australia and other Western countries from this perspective, we'll understand our own power much more clearly.
And when the people can look at our own country more objectively, we will have more flexibility in foreign affairs.
The author is a senior reporter with People's Daily
Saturday, September 5, 2009
U.S., Australia want joint exercises with China
Hard power to the fore with this bit of reality. It seems some countries seem really keen to check out China's military hardware with some up close and personal 'daylight' spying and intel gathering. Let's wait and see what China has to say in response.
---
U.S., Australia want joint exercises with China
The Associated Press
Source - The Army Times
Posted : Thursday Sep 3, 2009 5:45:52 EDT
SYDNEY — Australia and the United States will invite China to take part in joint military exercises to help ease fears about China’s growing military power and improve ties, the top U.S. military officer in the Pacific was quoted as saying in a report Thursday.
Adm. Timothy Keating, head of U.S. Pacific Command, and Australian Defense Force Commander Angus Houston met in Sydney this week and agreed to approach China’s Ministry of National Defense about holding joint naval and land exercises “at the earliest opportunity,” The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Keating as saying.
Concerns about China’s military expansion and strained relations between Beijing and Canberra highlight the need for improved military and diplomatic ties, Keating said.
“We are anxious to engage with them,” the newspaper quoted him as saying. “We want to understand much better than we do now China’s intentions.”
On Wednesday, Keating told The Associated Press in New Zealand that the U.S. had resumed talks with China’s military for the first time in 10 months, amid concerns in Washington over some of the weapons systems Beijing is developing.
Keating said the talks, which started over the weekend, were a “positive signal that China is willing to engage” and would be instrumental in understanding “where they intend to go with their weapons systems and how we can avoid them becoming a threat.”
He said some of the weapons and military capabilities “don’t appear to us to support their notion of peaceful rise and harmonious integration, so we will watch carefully with many others to see how that development unfolds.”
Keating told The Sydney Morning Herald the joint exercises could include small-scale naval and land activities and personnel exchanges.
The Chinese Embassy in Canberra said it was not authorized to comment on the proposed exercises.
Tensions have grown recently between Australia and China over Australia’s decision to grant a visa to an exiled ethnic Uighur activist, and China’s arrest of an Australian mining executive on charges of infringing trade secrets and bribery.
---
U.S., Australia want joint exercises with China
The Associated Press
Source - The Army Times
Posted : Thursday Sep 3, 2009 5:45:52 EDT
SYDNEY — Australia and the United States will invite China to take part in joint military exercises to help ease fears about China’s growing military power and improve ties, the top U.S. military officer in the Pacific was quoted as saying in a report Thursday.
Adm. Timothy Keating, head of U.S. Pacific Command, and Australian Defense Force Commander Angus Houston met in Sydney this week and agreed to approach China’s Ministry of National Defense about holding joint naval and land exercises “at the earliest opportunity,” The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Keating as saying.
Concerns about China’s military expansion and strained relations between Beijing and Canberra highlight the need for improved military and diplomatic ties, Keating said.
“We are anxious to engage with them,” the newspaper quoted him as saying. “We want to understand much better than we do now China’s intentions.”
On Wednesday, Keating told The Associated Press in New Zealand that the U.S. had resumed talks with China’s military for the first time in 10 months, amid concerns in Washington over some of the weapons systems Beijing is developing.
Keating said the talks, which started over the weekend, were a “positive signal that China is willing to engage” and would be instrumental in understanding “where they intend to go with their weapons systems and how we can avoid them becoming a threat.”
He said some of the weapons and military capabilities “don’t appear to us to support their notion of peaceful rise and harmonious integration, so we will watch carefully with many others to see how that development unfolds.”
Keating told The Sydney Morning Herald the joint exercises could include small-scale naval and land activities and personnel exchanges.
The Chinese Embassy in Canberra said it was not authorized to comment on the proposed exercises.
Tensions have grown recently between Australia and China over Australia’s decision to grant a visa to an exiled ethnic Uighur activist, and China’s arrest of an Australian mining executive on charges of infringing trade secrets and bribery.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Former Australia PM claims Chinese diplomacy 'clumsy'
This is an interesting read. Even more interesting would be the Chinese response to this. This will be well-worth a series!
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Chinese diplomacy 'clumsy'
AFP
Source - Straits Times 3 September 2009
SYDNEY - FORMER Australian prime minister John Howard has criticised 'clumsy' Chinese diplomatic efforts to gag exiled dissidents and linked recent strains between Canberra and Beijing to a failed mining deal.
Mr Howard said China's attempts to prevent exiled Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer visiting Australia last month were 'ridiculous' and left Canberra with no choice but to grant her a visa.
Conservative leader of Australia for 11 years, Mr Howard said Beijing had adopted similar tactics when Tibet's spiritual leader visited the country, failing to appreciate that efforts to dictate diplomatic policy were destined to backfire.
'They can be very clumsy diplomatically,' Mr Howard told a business function in Sydney on Wednesday. 'They've got this silly habit, if they don't want you to see someone, they say so - which means that you must see them.'
'It's just ridiculous, they've done that with the Dalai Lama (and) the way they carried on about that lady with the visa (Kadeer). '
'Of course we had to give that lady a visa. Heavens above, you don't allow the Chinese, or any government - whether it's China or Britain or America - to tell us who we should give visas to.'
Australia revealed last month that China had cancelled a senior minister's visit over Canberra's decision to grant a visa to Kadeer, whom Beijing accuses of being a separatist and inciting deadly unrest in northwest China's Xinjiang region in July.
Mr Howard said recent tensions between China and Australia could be traced back to mining giant Rio Tinto's rejection of a US$19.5 US billion (S$28 billion) cash injection from China's state-owned aluminium giant Chinalco.
'I think they got their noses out of joint over the Chinalco thing and some of the things they have done in response have been conditioned by that reaction,' he said.
China arrested Australian Rio Tinto executive Stern Hu in the weeks after the Chinalco deal collapsed, but says his detention is linked to allegations of industrial espionage and bribery during fraught iron ore negotiations. -- AFP
---
Chinese diplomacy 'clumsy'
AFP
Source - Straits Times 3 September 2009
SYDNEY - FORMER Australian prime minister John Howard has criticised 'clumsy' Chinese diplomatic efforts to gag exiled dissidents and linked recent strains between Canberra and Beijing to a failed mining deal.
Mr Howard said China's attempts to prevent exiled Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer visiting Australia last month were 'ridiculous' and left Canberra with no choice but to grant her a visa.
Conservative leader of Australia for 11 years, Mr Howard said Beijing had adopted similar tactics when Tibet's spiritual leader visited the country, failing to appreciate that efforts to dictate diplomatic policy were destined to backfire.
'They can be very clumsy diplomatically,' Mr Howard told a business function in Sydney on Wednesday. 'They've got this silly habit, if they don't want you to see someone, they say so - which means that you must see them.'
'It's just ridiculous, they've done that with the Dalai Lama (and) the way they carried on about that lady with the visa (Kadeer). '
'Of course we had to give that lady a visa. Heavens above, you don't allow the Chinese, or any government - whether it's China or Britain or America - to tell us who we should give visas to.'
Australia revealed last month that China had cancelled a senior minister's visit over Canberra's decision to grant a visa to Kadeer, whom Beijing accuses of being a separatist and inciting deadly unrest in northwest China's Xinjiang region in July.
Mr Howard said recent tensions between China and Australia could be traced back to mining giant Rio Tinto's rejection of a US$19.5 US billion (S$28 billion) cash injection from China's state-owned aluminium giant Chinalco.
'I think they got their noses out of joint over the Chinalco thing and some of the things they have done in response have been conditioned by that reaction,' he said.
China arrested Australian Rio Tinto executive Stern Hu in the weeks after the Chinalco deal collapsed, but says his detention is linked to allegations of industrial espionage and bribery during fraught iron ore negotiations. -- AFP
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
China scraps events over Dalai Lama visit to Taiwan
The aftermath has arrived, China was bound to be heavy-handed, albeit its earlier composed mannner (see previous post) - and went ahead to cancel and postpone important markers of 'improving' cooperation. Cross-strait relations have been getting better for a while now, and has been the centerpiece/hallmark of the current Taiwanese leadership. What happens when this emblem of their work fails?
The NY Times in fact, argue that the visit by the Dalai Lama was always only going to compound the Taiwanese leadership problems, and discusses the Taiwanese leadership's headaches; it was not a clear-cut call to make. Go here for article.
---
China scraps events
Tension over Dalai Lama
Source - Straits Times, 01 September 2009
TAIPEI - CHINA has canceled or postponed several events meant to underscore improving relations with Taiwan, apparently to show anger over the Dalai Lama's visit to the island, Taiwan's governing party said on Tuesday.
The visit of the Tibetan spiritual leader - aimed at offering comfort to the victims of Typhoon Morakot - has created the most serious challenge for relations between the democratic island and the communist mainland since Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou took office 15 months ago on a platform of ending 60 years of hostility.
China has canceled or postponed the planned Taiwan visits of at least two important delegations, and nixed ceremonies meant to mark the expansion of direct air service between the sides, said Nationalist Party spokesman Chen Shu-rong said on Tuesday.
Beijing already had announced that its delegation will not take part in Saturday's opening of the Deaf Olympics in Taipei.
The Chinese moves follow Sunday's statement from the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office that the Dalai Lama's visit 'is bound to have a negative influence on the relations between the mainland and Taiwan.'
Speaking to The Associated Press, Ms Chen said the cancellations appeared linked to the Taiwan visit of the Dalai Lama, whom Beijing reviles as a 'splittist' because he allegedly seeks independence for his native Tibet.
Ms Chen declined on Tuesday to comment on news reports that the party sent an emissary to China last week to seek its understanding on the visit, but acknowledged that it is using its normal channels of communications with the Communists to try to mitigate Beijing's anger.
'We have continued to keep up our contact,' she said.
China and Taiwan split amid civil war in 1949. Beijing regards the island as part of its territory and routinely condemns any interference in its affairs from outside parties. -- AP
The NY Times in fact, argue that the visit by the Dalai Lama was always only going to compound the Taiwanese leadership problems, and discusses the Taiwanese leadership's headaches; it was not a clear-cut call to make. Go here for article.
---
China scraps events
Tension over Dalai Lama
Source - Straits Times, 01 September 2009
TAIPEI - CHINA has canceled or postponed several events meant to underscore improving relations with Taiwan, apparently to show anger over the Dalai Lama's visit to the island, Taiwan's governing party said on Tuesday.
The visit of the Tibetan spiritual leader - aimed at offering comfort to the victims of Typhoon Morakot - has created the most serious challenge for relations between the democratic island and the communist mainland since Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou took office 15 months ago on a platform of ending 60 years of hostility.
China has canceled or postponed the planned Taiwan visits of at least two important delegations, and nixed ceremonies meant to mark the expansion of direct air service between the sides, said Nationalist Party spokesman Chen Shu-rong said on Tuesday.
Beijing already had announced that its delegation will not take part in Saturday's opening of the Deaf Olympics in Taipei.
The Chinese moves follow Sunday's statement from the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office that the Dalai Lama's visit 'is bound to have a negative influence on the relations between the mainland and Taiwan.'
Speaking to The Associated Press, Ms Chen said the cancellations appeared linked to the Taiwan visit of the Dalai Lama, whom Beijing reviles as a 'splittist' because he allegedly seeks independence for his native Tibet.
Ms Chen declined on Tuesday to comment on news reports that the party sent an emissary to China last week to seek its understanding on the visit, but acknowledged that it is using its normal channels of communications with the Communists to try to mitigate Beijing's anger.
'We have continued to keep up our contact,' she said.
China and Taiwan split amid civil war in 1949. Beijing regards the island as part of its territory and routinely condemns any interference in its affairs from outside parties. -- AP
Monday, August 31, 2009
China slams Dalai Lama visit
Two versions of the same story - the first via the Straits Times (from Reuters), and the second from Al Jazeera; and it's got to do with Tibet, and the Dalai Lama again (visiting Taiwan for the third time) who asserts his trip is 'not for political reasons'
A statement by the state run Xinhua Agency made it quite resolutely clear - they still see the Dalai Lama as a 'splittist' who has no place in the Greater China sphere.
And this is is always tricky as we have one 'spliitist' in the Dalai Lama, and the 'split-ed' (albeit now seemingly and gradually 'unifying' Taiwan together in the same media spotlight. Result - kneejerk Chinese reaction although this time the Chinese improved their tact. From the Reuters report in the Straits Times..."As with a denunciation it issued when the visit was announced last week, China focused its criticism on the opposition Democratic Progressive Party.By not blaming Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou or the ruling Nationalist Party (KMT), Beijing may have indicated that it does not wish to escalate the issue."
---
China slams Dalai Lama visit
Reuters
The Straits Times 31 August 2009
BEIJING - CHINA denounced the Dalai Lama's trip to Taiwan, saying the visit by a man Beijing brands a separatist could 'have a negative influence' on relations between the mainland and Taiwan, state media reported on Monday.
The Tibetan spiritual leader arrived on Sunday in Taiwan, a self-ruled island claimed by Beijing, for a hasty visit to comfort victims of a typhoon.
As with a denunciation it issued when the visit was announced last week, China focused its criticism on the opposition Democratic Progressive Party.
By not blaming Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou or the ruling Nationalist Party (KMT), Beijing may have indicated that it does not wish to escalate the issue.
'The Democratic Progressive Party has ulterior motives to instigate the Dalai Lama's visit to Taiwan, who has long been engaged in separatist activities,' a spokesman for the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.
'We resolutely oppose this and our position is firm and clear,' the spokesman said. 'The Dalai Lama's visit to Taiwan is bound to have a negative influence on the relations between the mainland and Taiwan.' China is considered unlikely to retaliate by choking off growing economic ties between the long-time political rivals.
China opposes the Dalai Lama's trips abroad and condemned Taiwan opposition leaders for inviting him last week to visit until Friday. He will pray for victims of Typhoon Morakot, Taiwan's worst storm in 50 years which killed up to 745 people.
China has claimed sovereignty over Taiwan since 1949, when Mao Zedong's forces won the Chinese civil war and Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalists fled to the island. Beijing has vowed to bring Taiwan under its rule, by force if necessary.
The Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule, flew from India to Taiwan's main international airport for a mass prayer and other religious activities in storm-hit southern Taiwan. -- REUTERS
---
China slams Dalai Lama Taiwan visit
NEWS ASIA-PACIFIC
Source - Al Jazeera English 27 August 2009
China has denounced a proposed visit to Taiwan by the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, saying it threatens to "sabotage" improving relations between the two states.
Taiwan, the self-ruled island claimed by Beijing, approved the visit by the Nobel Peace laureate to comfort victims of deadly Typhoon Morakot that struck earlier this month and devastated parts of southern Kaohsiung county.
China said it was "resolutely opposed" to Thursday's visit, in a statement carried by the state-run Xinhua news agency on Thursday.
The Chinese government considers the Dalai Lama a "splittist" for promoting autonomy in Tibet.
Comforting victims
Beijing has often reacted angrily to governments which allow the Tibetan leader to visit.
"No matter under what form or identity Dalai uses to enter Taiwan, we resolutely oppose this," China's Taiwan Affairs Bureau said in its statement.
"Some of the people in the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) use the disaster rescue excuse to invite Dalai to Taiwan to sabotage the hard-earned positive situation of cross-straits relations," the statement continued.
An aide to the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, home to the Tibetan government-in-exile, said the spiritual leader had been keen to visit Taiwan.
Tenzin Taklha said: "We want to make it very clear that the Dalai Lama is visiting Taiwan to express condolences to victims and lead prayers."
More than 400 people were killed after Typhoon Morakot struck Taiwan on August 8 and unleashed floods and mudslides.
Strong moves
China is considered unlikely to retaliate by holding off growing economic ties between the long-time political rivals.
By blaming the opposition DPP, and not Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou or the ruling Nationalist Party (KMT), Beijing may have indicated it does not wish to escalate the issue.
"Beijing will be a little uncomfortable, but if they understand how severe the disaster is they will show some respect to Taiwan's people," said Wu Den-yih, the KMT secretary-general.
Last year, the Dalai Lama said that he wanted to visit Taiwan, but at the time, Ma said the timing was not right for such a visit. Taiwanese Buddhist groups criticised the decision.
But Beijing is also aware any strong moves against the Dalai Lama could play into the hands of Taiwanese opponents of President Ma, who has sought to ease tensions with Beijing.
Taiwan's relations with China have improved under Ma, who has taken a more conciliatory approach than his predecessor. Then-Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian rejected China's assertion that there is only "One China" and Taiwan is an inalienable part of it.
Political significance
China claims self-governing Taiwan as part of its territory, although the two split amid civil war in 1949.
Victor Gao, the director of China's National Association of International Studies, a think-tank affiliated with the Chinese government, told Al Jazeera that the Dalai Lama "continues to play both spiritual and political roles".
He said that while the proposed visit to Taiwan was for spiritual purposes, the Dalai Lama has "been consistently undermining China's sovereignty and territorial integrity."
"We also need to make it known that he himself is a Chinese national, and would be welcomed back if he chose to give up his activities," Gao said.
Over the past 12 years, the Dalai Lama has made three visits to the island which is home to a large exiled Tibetan community and millions of Buddhists.
The Dalai Lama made his first trip to Taiwan in 1997 and visited the island again in 2001, triggering strong condemnation from China.
The Tibetan spiritual leader is due to arrive on August 31 and to stay for four days.
A statement by the state run Xinhua Agency made it quite resolutely clear - they still see the Dalai Lama as a 'splittist' who has no place in the Greater China sphere.
And this is is always tricky as we have one 'spliitist' in the Dalai Lama, and the 'split-ed' (albeit now seemingly and gradually 'unifying' Taiwan together in the same media spotlight. Result - kneejerk Chinese reaction although this time the Chinese improved their tact. From the Reuters report in the Straits Times..."As with a denunciation it issued when the visit was announced last week, China focused its criticism on the opposition Democratic Progressive Party.By not blaming Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou or the ruling Nationalist Party (KMT), Beijing may have indicated that it does not wish to escalate the issue."
---
China slams Dalai Lama visit
Reuters
The Straits Times 31 August 2009
BEIJING - CHINA denounced the Dalai Lama's trip to Taiwan, saying the visit by a man Beijing brands a separatist could 'have a negative influence' on relations between the mainland and Taiwan, state media reported on Monday.
The Tibetan spiritual leader arrived on Sunday in Taiwan, a self-ruled island claimed by Beijing, for a hasty visit to comfort victims of a typhoon.
As with a denunciation it issued when the visit was announced last week, China focused its criticism on the opposition Democratic Progressive Party.
By not blaming Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou or the ruling Nationalist Party (KMT), Beijing may have indicated that it does not wish to escalate the issue.
'The Democratic Progressive Party has ulterior motives to instigate the Dalai Lama's visit to Taiwan, who has long been engaged in separatist activities,' a spokesman for the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.
'We resolutely oppose this and our position is firm and clear,' the spokesman said. 'The Dalai Lama's visit to Taiwan is bound to have a negative influence on the relations between the mainland and Taiwan.' China is considered unlikely to retaliate by choking off growing economic ties between the long-time political rivals.
China opposes the Dalai Lama's trips abroad and condemned Taiwan opposition leaders for inviting him last week to visit until Friday. He will pray for victims of Typhoon Morakot, Taiwan's worst storm in 50 years which killed up to 745 people.
China has claimed sovereignty over Taiwan since 1949, when Mao Zedong's forces won the Chinese civil war and Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalists fled to the island. Beijing has vowed to bring Taiwan under its rule, by force if necessary.
The Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule, flew from India to Taiwan's main international airport for a mass prayer and other religious activities in storm-hit southern Taiwan. -- REUTERS
---
China slams Dalai Lama Taiwan visit
NEWS ASIA-PACIFIC
Source - Al Jazeera English 27 August 2009
China has denounced a proposed visit to Taiwan by the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, saying it threatens to "sabotage" improving relations between the two states.
Taiwan, the self-ruled island claimed by Beijing, approved the visit by the Nobel Peace laureate to comfort victims of deadly Typhoon Morakot that struck earlier this month and devastated parts of southern Kaohsiung county.
China said it was "resolutely opposed" to Thursday's visit, in a statement carried by the state-run Xinhua news agency on Thursday.
The Chinese government considers the Dalai Lama a "splittist" for promoting autonomy in Tibet.
Comforting victims
Beijing has often reacted angrily to governments which allow the Tibetan leader to visit.
"No matter under what form or identity Dalai uses to enter Taiwan, we resolutely oppose this," China's Taiwan Affairs Bureau said in its statement.
"Some of the people in the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) use the disaster rescue excuse to invite Dalai to Taiwan to sabotage the hard-earned positive situation of cross-straits relations," the statement continued.
An aide to the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, home to the Tibetan government-in-exile, said the spiritual leader had been keen to visit Taiwan.
Tenzin Taklha said: "We want to make it very clear that the Dalai Lama is visiting Taiwan to express condolences to victims and lead prayers."
More than 400 people were killed after Typhoon Morakot struck Taiwan on August 8 and unleashed floods and mudslides.
Strong moves
China is considered unlikely to retaliate by holding off growing economic ties between the long-time political rivals.
By blaming the opposition DPP, and not Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou or the ruling Nationalist Party (KMT), Beijing may have indicated it does not wish to escalate the issue.
"Beijing will be a little uncomfortable, but if they understand how severe the disaster is they will show some respect to Taiwan's people," said Wu Den-yih, the KMT secretary-general.
Last year, the Dalai Lama said that he wanted to visit Taiwan, but at the time, Ma said the timing was not right for such a visit. Taiwanese Buddhist groups criticised the decision.
But Beijing is also aware any strong moves against the Dalai Lama could play into the hands of Taiwanese opponents of President Ma, who has sought to ease tensions with Beijing.
Taiwan's relations with China have improved under Ma, who has taken a more conciliatory approach than his predecessor. Then-Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian rejected China's assertion that there is only "One China" and Taiwan is an inalienable part of it.
Political significance
China claims self-governing Taiwan as part of its territory, although the two split amid civil war in 1949.
Victor Gao, the director of China's National Association of International Studies, a think-tank affiliated with the Chinese government, told Al Jazeera that the Dalai Lama "continues to play both spiritual and political roles".
He said that while the proposed visit to Taiwan was for spiritual purposes, the Dalai Lama has "been consistently undermining China's sovereignty and territorial integrity."
"We also need to make it known that he himself is a Chinese national, and would be welcomed back if he chose to give up his activities," Gao said.
Over the past 12 years, the Dalai Lama has made three visits to the island which is home to a large exiled Tibetan community and millions of Buddhists.
The Dalai Lama made his first trip to Taiwan in 1997 and visited the island again in 2001, triggering strong condemnation from China.
The Tibetan spiritual leader is due to arrive on August 31 and to stay for four days.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Chinese snap up Australian properties
70,000 migrants from the mainland to Australia just last year. Australia is synergistically aligned with China for its economic wellbeing (think natural resources, coal, steel, uranium, the list goes on), but the reverse flow is resulting in the Chinese buying up property and land in Australia. Tricky situation.
---
Chinese snap up Australian properties
By Jack Levine
Sun, Aug 23, 2009
China Daily/Asia News Network
Source - AsiaOne
SYDNEY: Chinese buyers are snapping up some of the best luxury properties in Sydney including big homes on the harbor, and new condominium developments.
Real estate brokers and developers said Chinese buyers are most interested in hot properties in the inner-city and by the beach. They are attracted by new foreign ownership rules, a favorable exchange rate, and the relative stability of the Australian property market.
After the UK and New Zealand, China is third in the lineup of countries that sends immigrants to Australia. Last financial year, more than 70,000 Chinese arrived in Australia to live permanently, including a steady stream of business migrants and a growing number of students.
"In many cases, Chinese immigrants to Australia are buying into key lifestyle markets, which are characterized as being close to the ocean or within the inner-city," said Tim Lawless, national research director at RP Data, a property and analytics information company.
In March, Chinese businessman Jiang Mei bought one of the most expensive houses ever sold in Sydney, an inner-city, Point Piper house for A$32.4 million (S$40 mil).
This set off a buying trend. Chinese buyers paid $14.5 million for a home at Rose Bay, and then a Shanghai couple bought in the same waterfront suburb for $15 million. Another Chinese couple bought a $5.8 million house, and a Chinese investor bought a smaller, second property for $1 million, with plans to rent out the home.
Raine and Horne, an Australian real estate agency that negotiated the Point Piper house deal, said interest from the Chinese mainland picked up by about 15 percent at the beginning of 2009.
In March, Australia's Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) introduced dramatic changes to rules governing foreign buyers, including that all apartments in new projects can be sold to foreigners. Previously, only half the apartments in a development could be sold to overseas buyers. Student visa holders who live in Australia are no longer limited to spending only $300,000 on a property.
Richard Lawrence, a partner with Holland & Knight's Beijing office, who often advises clients on China-related real estate projects, said Chinese buyers are becoming more active in foreign real estate, particularly those looking to diversify their portfolio.
In China, some people have concerns that a serious asset bubble is developing in real estate, so overseas markets are starting to look cheap by comparison.
"I think we will see Chinese corporate and institutional investors start to turn to real estate investment opportunities elsewhere," he said, noting that Australia and the US are key markets.
One real estate agent who deals with top-tier properties said more Chinese than ever are looking to buy in Sydney. Many Chinese want to migrate to Australia, either because their children attend school there, they are considering retiring, or they want to buy investment property.
Wendy Searle, a spokeswoman for Di Jones real estate, said most Chinese are discreet buyers.
"You only get to know they have purchased by looking at completion records, available after a sale," she said. "It is said in some circles that a majority of houses with the best Sydney harbor views will be owned by Chinese people in a few years."
She cited a list of the top 100 house sales in Australia for 2008. "A lot of the names of the buyers were Chinese," she said.
Australia's real estate market has proved to be very resilient in comparison with other Western markets. Housing prices fell by just 3.8 percent during the 2008 downturn and have since recovered during the first half of 2009.
---
Chinese snap up Australian properties
By Jack Levine
Sun, Aug 23, 2009
China Daily/Asia News Network
Source - AsiaOne
SYDNEY: Chinese buyers are snapping up some of the best luxury properties in Sydney including big homes on the harbor, and new condominium developments.
Real estate brokers and developers said Chinese buyers are most interested in hot properties in the inner-city and by the beach. They are attracted by new foreign ownership rules, a favorable exchange rate, and the relative stability of the Australian property market.
After the UK and New Zealand, China is third in the lineup of countries that sends immigrants to Australia. Last financial year, more than 70,000 Chinese arrived in Australia to live permanently, including a steady stream of business migrants and a growing number of students.
"In many cases, Chinese immigrants to Australia are buying into key lifestyle markets, which are characterized as being close to the ocean or within the inner-city," said Tim Lawless, national research director at RP Data, a property and analytics information company.
In March, Chinese businessman Jiang Mei bought one of the most expensive houses ever sold in Sydney, an inner-city, Point Piper house for A$32.4 million (S$40 mil).
This set off a buying trend. Chinese buyers paid $14.5 million for a home at Rose Bay, and then a Shanghai couple bought in the same waterfront suburb for $15 million. Another Chinese couple bought a $5.8 million house, and a Chinese investor bought a smaller, second property for $1 million, with plans to rent out the home.
Raine and Horne, an Australian real estate agency that negotiated the Point Piper house deal, said interest from the Chinese mainland picked up by about 15 percent at the beginning of 2009.
In March, Australia's Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) introduced dramatic changes to rules governing foreign buyers, including that all apartments in new projects can be sold to foreigners. Previously, only half the apartments in a development could be sold to overseas buyers. Student visa holders who live in Australia are no longer limited to spending only $300,000 on a property.
Richard Lawrence, a partner with Holland & Knight's Beijing office, who often advises clients on China-related real estate projects, said Chinese buyers are becoming more active in foreign real estate, particularly those looking to diversify their portfolio.
In China, some people have concerns that a serious asset bubble is developing in real estate, so overseas markets are starting to look cheap by comparison.
"I think we will see Chinese corporate and institutional investors start to turn to real estate investment opportunities elsewhere," he said, noting that Australia and the US are key markets.
One real estate agent who deals with top-tier properties said more Chinese than ever are looking to buy in Sydney. Many Chinese want to migrate to Australia, either because their children attend school there, they are considering retiring, or they want to buy investment property.
Wendy Searle, a spokeswoman for Di Jones real estate, said most Chinese are discreet buyers.
"You only get to know they have purchased by looking at completion records, available after a sale," she said. "It is said in some circles that a majority of houses with the best Sydney harbor views will be owned by Chinese people in a few years."
She cited a list of the top 100 house sales in Australia for 2008. "A lot of the names of the buyers were Chinese," she said.
Australia's real estate market has proved to be very resilient in comparison with other Western markets. Housing prices fell by just 3.8 percent during the 2008 downturn and have since recovered during the first half of 2009.
'China threat' theory rejected
This comes a little late - but we'll be hard pressed to find such stories that damn China the past few months. Note - article came up in April 2009. Not exactly Chinese style to go full-frontal in terms of strategy as it disobeys the mantra of Tao Guang Yang Hui (韬光养晦), but how interesting the 'accusation' -
The Wall Street Journal, quoting American national security officials, Wednesday reported that spies from countries like China and Russia had infiltrated the US electrical grid, planting software programs that could disrupt the network in a time of war.
CBS has a report here, whilst the original Wall Street Journal article is here and a recommended read. If it's true, there's certainly more a little more than meets the eye to China's rise and development.
---
'China threat' theory rejected
Source - Global Times 9 April 2009
Chinese scholars Wednesday rebutted US's allegations that China was engaged in spying and forging secret nuclear deals with foreign countries, saying these were induced by the perceived "China threat" worrying Washington.
US politicians have been debating the country's foreign and military strategy shifts in the wake of the financial crisis, and some took the opportunity to play up the "threat" posed by China for their own gains, experts in Beijing said.
The Wall Street Journal, quoting American national security officials, Wednesday reported that spies from countries like China and Russia had infiltrated the US electrical grid, planting software programs that could disrupt the network in a time of war.
China was accused earlier of using malicious software to infiltrate and take control of almost 1,300 computers belonging to the Dalai Lama in 103 countries.
In another development Wednesday, US prosecutors accused a Chinese metals company, along with six Iranian firms, of collaborating on a scheme to transfer missile and nuclear technology from China to Iran.
The Dalian-based LIMMIT Economic and Trade Co Ltd was among seven companies from China, Iran and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea that were sanctioned by US President Barack Obama on Feb 2 for spreading missiles and other weapons technology.
But the company's manager, Li Fangwei, told the Financial Times Wednesday that the company was "unaware of the charges", denying that the products were intended for "military use".
Teng Jianqun, deputy general-secretary of the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association, said these sanctions on China took place only in recent years, and it was a common strategy of the US to interfere in China's civilian trade.
"More accusations are being made nowadays, probably because the military contractors are fighting against a fundamental defense budget now proposed by the US defense chief," said Beijing-based military expert Song Xiaojun.
---
and an exerpt from the Wall Street Journal here -
Electricity Grid in U.S. Penetrated By Spies
By SIOBHAN GORMAN
APRIL 8, 2009
Source + Full Article - WSJ Online
WASHINGTON -- Cyberspies have penetrated the U.S. electrical grid and left behind software programs that could be used to disrupt the system, according to current and former national-security officials.
The spies came from China, Russia and other countries, these officials said, and were believed to be on a mission to navigate the U.S. electrical system and its controls. The intruders haven't sought to damage the power grid or other key infrastructure, but officials warned they could try during a crisis or war.
"The Chinese have attempted to map our infrastructure, such as the electrical grid," said a senior intelligence official. "So have the Russians."
The espionage appeared pervasive across the U.S. and doesn't target a particular company or region, said a former Department of Homeland Security official. "There are intrusions, and they are growing," the former official said, referring to electrical systems. "There were a lot last year."...
Full article here.
The Wall Street Journal, quoting American national security officials, Wednesday reported that spies from countries like China and Russia had infiltrated the US electrical grid, planting software programs that could disrupt the network in a time of war.
CBS has a report here, whilst the original Wall Street Journal article is here and a recommended read. If it's true, there's certainly more a little more than meets the eye to China's rise and development.
---
'China threat' theory rejected
Source - Global Times 9 April 2009
Chinese scholars Wednesday rebutted US's allegations that China was engaged in spying and forging secret nuclear deals with foreign countries, saying these were induced by the perceived "China threat" worrying Washington.
US politicians have been debating the country's foreign and military strategy shifts in the wake of the financial crisis, and some took the opportunity to play up the "threat" posed by China for their own gains, experts in Beijing said.
The Wall Street Journal, quoting American national security officials, Wednesday reported that spies from countries like China and Russia had infiltrated the US electrical grid, planting software programs that could disrupt the network in a time of war.
China was accused earlier of using malicious software to infiltrate and take control of almost 1,300 computers belonging to the Dalai Lama in 103 countries.
In another development Wednesday, US prosecutors accused a Chinese metals company, along with six Iranian firms, of collaborating on a scheme to transfer missile and nuclear technology from China to Iran.
The Dalian-based LIMMIT Economic and Trade Co Ltd was among seven companies from China, Iran and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea that were sanctioned by US President Barack Obama on Feb 2 for spreading missiles and other weapons technology.
But the company's manager, Li Fangwei, told the Financial Times Wednesday that the company was "unaware of the charges", denying that the products were intended for "military use".
Teng Jianqun, deputy general-secretary of the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association, said these sanctions on China took place only in recent years, and it was a common strategy of the US to interfere in China's civilian trade.
"More accusations are being made nowadays, probably because the military contractors are fighting against a fundamental defense budget now proposed by the US defense chief," said Beijing-based military expert Song Xiaojun.
---
and an exerpt from the Wall Street Journal here -
Electricity Grid in U.S. Penetrated By Spies
By SIOBHAN GORMAN
APRIL 8, 2009
Source + Full Article - WSJ Online
WASHINGTON -- Cyberspies have penetrated the U.S. electrical grid and left behind software programs that could be used to disrupt the system, according to current and former national-security officials.
The spies came from China, Russia and other countries, these officials said, and were believed to be on a mission to navigate the U.S. electrical system and its controls. The intruders haven't sought to damage the power grid or other key infrastructure, but officials warned they could try during a crisis or war.
"The Chinese have attempted to map our infrastructure, such as the electrical grid," said a senior intelligence official. "So have the Russians."
The espionage appeared pervasive across the U.S. and doesn't target a particular company or region, said a former Department of Homeland Security official. "There are intrusions, and they are growing," the former official said, referring to electrical systems. "There were a lot last year."...
Full article here.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Singapore's ties with Tibet to grow with improved connectivity
And fresh off the oven, Singapore-Tibet ties.
---
Singapore's ties with Tibet to grow with improved connectivity
Channel News Asia 23 August 2009
SINGAPORE: Singapore's relations with Tibet are expected to grow with improved connectivity.
Noting that Singapore's ties with China are excellent, Foreign Minister George Yeo who is in Lhasa, said on Saturday that he hoped there would be direct flights between Singapore and the Tibetan city one day.
Mr Yeo met Executive Vice Chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region Government, Mr Hao Peng, who has asked for Singapore's help and involvement in urban management and in developing Tibet's tourism industry.
Briefing Mr Yeo on the political, economic and cultural situation in Tibet, Mr Hao noted that Tibet has made enormous progress in the last fifty years and the main priorities are now on economic development, as well as environmental and cultural protection.
On economic development, he added that Tibet's infrastructure is improving dramatically and two more airports would be opened in addition to the existing three.
The Singapore delegation was also briefed on ethnic relations in Tibet, specifically the March 14 riots last year.
Mr Yeo added that he understood the challenges of ethnic diversity in Tibet. What is important, however, is for the problems to be managed well, taking into account ethnic sensitivities.
---
Singapore's ties with Tibet to grow with improved connectivity
Channel News Asia 23 August 2009
SINGAPORE: Singapore's relations with Tibet are expected to grow with improved connectivity.
Noting that Singapore's ties with China are excellent, Foreign Minister George Yeo who is in Lhasa, said on Saturday that he hoped there would be direct flights between Singapore and the Tibetan city one day.
Mr Yeo met Executive Vice Chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region Government, Mr Hao Peng, who has asked for Singapore's help and involvement in urban management and in developing Tibet's tourism industry.
Briefing Mr Yeo on the political, economic and cultural situation in Tibet, Mr Hao noted that Tibet has made enormous progress in the last fifty years and the main priorities are now on economic development, as well as environmental and cultural protection.
On economic development, he added that Tibet's infrastructure is improving dramatically and two more airports would be opened in addition to the existing three.
The Singapore delegation was also briefed on ethnic relations in Tibet, specifically the March 14 riots last year.
Mr Yeo added that he understood the challenges of ethnic diversity in Tibet. What is important, however, is for the problems to be managed well, taking into account ethnic sensitivities.
China VP to co-chair talks in Singapore
Further solidifying of Singapore's vision from a long-time ago that synergy and alignment with China was vital, if not essential for the coming years.
---
China VP to co-chair talks
By Lee Siew Hua
Source - Straits Times Aug 23, 2009
Chinese Vice- Premier Wang Qishan (above) begins a four-day visit here on Sunday at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng.
The two will co-chair talks to review and chart new directions for a pair of Singapore-Sino megaprojects - the Suzhou Industrial Park and Tianjin Eco-city.
The flagship Suzhou project - in its 15th year - serves as a model for Chinese industrial parks.
With Singaporean and Chinese officials developing the park, it is a venue for both sides to learn from each other.
Singapore shares its development experience, which is adapted to Chinese conditions.
The newer Tianjin venture has been progressing since November 2007, when a pact was signed to build an eco-city in the Chinese port city. Involved are Singapore's Ministry of National Development and several agencies, including the Housing Board and Land Transport Authority.
Mr Wang, 51, will also co-chair the sixth Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation with DPM Wong, said a statement from three Singapore ministries on Saturday.
The council is a platform to boost political ties and economic links. Mooted by Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong in 2002 when he was prime minister, it was launched in 2003.
One new aspect will be a working lunch hosted by SM Goh in his role as the Monetary Authority of Singapore chairman.
He and Mr Wang will discuss the global economic crisis, with ministers on both sides joining them.
---
China VP to co-chair talks
By Lee Siew Hua
Source - Straits Times Aug 23, 2009
Chinese Vice- Premier Wang Qishan (above) begins a four-day visit here on Sunday at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng.
The two will co-chair talks to review and chart new directions for a pair of Singapore-Sino megaprojects - the Suzhou Industrial Park and Tianjin Eco-city.
The flagship Suzhou project - in its 15th year - serves as a model for Chinese industrial parks.
With Singaporean and Chinese officials developing the park, it is a venue for both sides to learn from each other.
Singapore shares its development experience, which is adapted to Chinese conditions.
The newer Tianjin venture has been progressing since November 2007, when a pact was signed to build an eco-city in the Chinese port city. Involved are Singapore's Ministry of National Development and several agencies, including the Housing Board and Land Transport Authority.
Mr Wang, 51, will also co-chair the sixth Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation with DPM Wong, said a statement from three Singapore ministries on Saturday.
The council is a platform to boost political ties and economic links. Mooted by Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong in 2002 when he was prime minister, it was launched in 2003.
One new aspect will be a working lunch hosted by SM Goh in his role as the Monetary Authority of Singapore chairman.
He and Mr Wang will discuss the global economic crisis, with ministers on both sides joining them.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Minister Mentor Lee Kwan Yew rebuts NMP's notion of race equality
Singapore's Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew spoke up in parliament for the first time in a while , since 2007 in fact on pressing issues in governance. Not easy to handle this one, the Chinese are in fact 'accidental' invaders of a land native to our Malay friends, and it's getting worse with the influx of mainland Chinese threatening to seriously damage the status quo, at least in these early parts of assimilation.
---
MM rebuts NMP's notion of race equality
Constitution requires Government to give Malays special position, he says in House debate
By Clarissa Oon
Source - Straits Times 20 August 2009
IN A rare intervention in Parliament, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew rose yesterday to 'bring the House back to earth' on the issue of racial equality in Singapore.
Spelling out the Government's approach to the treatment of different races, he pointed out that the Constitution of Singapore itself enjoins the Government to give Malays a 'special position', rather than to 'treat everybody as equal'.
He rebutted as 'false and flawed' the arguments by Nominated Member of Parliament Viswa Sadasivan calling for equal treatment for all races.
On Tuesday, Mr Viswa had tabled a motion for the House to reaffirm its commitment to principles in the National Pledge when debating national policies.
A total of 14 MPs spoke on the motion over the past two days. The wide-ranging and vigorous debate ended with Parliament accepting an amended version of Mr Viswa's motion proposed by People's Action Party MP Zainudin Nordin, and modified slightly by MM Lee.
Mr Zainudin's amendment was to acknowledge the progress Singapore has made in nation building, while Mr Lee's was to highlight the principles in the Pledge as aspirations.
While present at almost every Parliament sitting, the last time Mr Lee rose to speak was in April 2007 during a furore over ministerial pay increases.
He told the House yesterday that he had not planned to weigh in on the debate over the Pledge, but was moved to do so by Mr Viswa's remarks on the hot-button issue of race.
In a lengthy speech on Tuesday, the NMP had expressed pride in Singapore's inter-racial harmony and principle of equal opportunity for all races.
However, he questioned if the Government was sending out mixed signals by emphasising racial categories, for example, through ethnic self-help groups.
MM Lee declared that the assumption of equal treatment for all races is 'false and flawed', and 'completely untrue'.
To 'remind everybody what our starting point is', he pointed to the racially tense period of the 1960s, the circumstances in which the Pledge had been written.
Singapore had just been thrown out of Malaysia. The Malays in Singapore were feeling particularly vulnerable, unsure if the Chinese majority here would treat them the way the Malay majority in Malaysia had treated the Chinese minority there.
Because of such a backdrop, the Pledge crafted by then Culture Minister S. Rajaratnam took pains to emphasise principles that would be 'regardless of race, language and religion'.
Mr Lee also drew the House's attention to Article 152 of the Constitution, which makes it the Government's responsibility to 'constantly care for the interests of the racial and religious minorities in Singapore'.
In particular, it states that the Government must recognise the special position of the Malays, 'the indigenous people of Singapore', and safeguard their political, economic and educational interests.
Mr Lee contrasted Singapore's approach with that of the United States, where despite a 1776 declaration that 'all men are created equal', blacks did not get the right to vote until a century later, and racial segregation continued well into the 20th century.
For Singapore to reach a point where all races could be treated equally 'is going to take decades, if not centuries', he said bluntly.
For this reason, he sees the Pledge not as an 'ideology', as Mr Viswa put it, but as an 'aspiration'.
Mr Viswa had also wondered if Singapore had got the balance right between prosperity and the happiness of its citizens, and if it had done enough to strengthen its democratic fundamentals.
Education Minister Ng Eng Hen, who spoke after MM Lee, provided a detailed response, spelling out how the Government's record over the past 50 years had been entirely in the spirit of the Pledge.
'Far from compromising these ideals in the pursuit of economic gro-wth, we have been defenders of these ideals in building a nation,' he said.
Policies are debated openly in Parliament, and the Government is accountable to the people at every election, he said.
He noted that Mr Viswa's model of a multi-party democracy, more opinionated media and politically active universities was drawn from other democratic models in the West.
In Asia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand have elements of these models too.
But he questioned if those places had done better than Singapore, and said it was not self-evident that their models would work here.
More important than high-flown rhetoric in pledges and anthems was the reality on the ground, in the lives that citizens led, he maintained.
He agreed with the NMP that Singapore must move with the times.
However, Dr Ng said: 'We must not do so unthinkingly, but consider carefully each step forward, carving our own path towards a better society and a more vigorous economy.'
---
MM rebuts NMP's notion of race equality
Constitution requires Government to give Malays special position, he says in House debate
By Clarissa Oon
Source - Straits Times 20 August 2009
IN A rare intervention in Parliament, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew rose yesterday to 'bring the House back to earth' on the issue of racial equality in Singapore.
Spelling out the Government's approach to the treatment of different races, he pointed out that the Constitution of Singapore itself enjoins the Government to give Malays a 'special position', rather than to 'treat everybody as equal'.
He rebutted as 'false and flawed' the arguments by Nominated Member of Parliament Viswa Sadasivan calling for equal treatment for all races.
On Tuesday, Mr Viswa had tabled a motion for the House to reaffirm its commitment to principles in the National Pledge when debating national policies.
A total of 14 MPs spoke on the motion over the past two days. The wide-ranging and vigorous debate ended with Parliament accepting an amended version of Mr Viswa's motion proposed by People's Action Party MP Zainudin Nordin, and modified slightly by MM Lee.
Mr Zainudin's amendment was to acknowledge the progress Singapore has made in nation building, while Mr Lee's was to highlight the principles in the Pledge as aspirations.
While present at almost every Parliament sitting, the last time Mr Lee rose to speak was in April 2007 during a furore over ministerial pay increases.
He told the House yesterday that he had not planned to weigh in on the debate over the Pledge, but was moved to do so by Mr Viswa's remarks on the hot-button issue of race.
In a lengthy speech on Tuesday, the NMP had expressed pride in Singapore's inter-racial harmony and principle of equal opportunity for all races.
However, he questioned if the Government was sending out mixed signals by emphasising racial categories, for example, through ethnic self-help groups.
MM Lee declared that the assumption of equal treatment for all races is 'false and flawed', and 'completely untrue'.
To 'remind everybody what our starting point is', he pointed to the racially tense period of the 1960s, the circumstances in which the Pledge had been written.
Singapore had just been thrown out of Malaysia. The Malays in Singapore were feeling particularly vulnerable, unsure if the Chinese majority here would treat them the way the Malay majority in Malaysia had treated the Chinese minority there.
Because of such a backdrop, the Pledge crafted by then Culture Minister S. Rajaratnam took pains to emphasise principles that would be 'regardless of race, language and religion'.
Mr Lee also drew the House's attention to Article 152 of the Constitution, which makes it the Government's responsibility to 'constantly care for the interests of the racial and religious minorities in Singapore'.
In particular, it states that the Government must recognise the special position of the Malays, 'the indigenous people of Singapore', and safeguard their political, economic and educational interests.
Mr Lee contrasted Singapore's approach with that of the United States, where despite a 1776 declaration that 'all men are created equal', blacks did not get the right to vote until a century later, and racial segregation continued well into the 20th century.
For Singapore to reach a point where all races could be treated equally 'is going to take decades, if not centuries', he said bluntly.
For this reason, he sees the Pledge not as an 'ideology', as Mr Viswa put it, but as an 'aspiration'.
Mr Viswa had also wondered if Singapore had got the balance right between prosperity and the happiness of its citizens, and if it had done enough to strengthen its democratic fundamentals.
Education Minister Ng Eng Hen, who spoke after MM Lee, provided a detailed response, spelling out how the Government's record over the past 50 years had been entirely in the spirit of the Pledge.
'Far from compromising these ideals in the pursuit of economic gro-wth, we have been defenders of these ideals in building a nation,' he said.
Policies are debated openly in Parliament, and the Government is accountable to the people at every election, he said.
He noted that Mr Viswa's model of a multi-party democracy, more opinionated media and politically active universities was drawn from other democratic models in the West.
In Asia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand have elements of these models too.
But he questioned if those places had done better than Singapore, and said it was not self-evident that their models would work here.
More important than high-flown rhetoric in pledges and anthems was the reality on the ground, in the lives that citizens led, he maintained.
He agreed with the NMP that Singapore must move with the times.
However, Dr Ng said: 'We must not do so unthinkingly, but consider carefully each step forward, carving our own path towards a better society and a more vigorous economy.'
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