China protests mix colonial anger, modern dispute

Anti-Japan protesters hold portraits of the late Communist leader Mao Zedong, Chinese national flags, and a poster that reads: "Sept. 18, National Humiliation Day," while …more marching on a street outside the Japanese Embassy in Beijing Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2012. The 81st anniversary of a Japanese invasion brought a fresh wave of anti-Japan demonstrations in China on Tuesday, with thousands of protesters venting anger over the colonial past and a current dispute involving contested islands in the East China Sea. (AP Photo/Alexander F. Yuan)

By DIDI TANG | Associated Press – 09/18/2012

BEIJING (AP) — Old wounds amplified outrage over a burning territorial dispute Tuesday as thousands of Chinese protested Tokyo's purchase of islands claimed by Beijing and marked the 81st anniversary of a Japanese invasion that China has never forgotten.

China marks every Sept. 18 by blowing sirens to remember a 1931 incident that Japan used as a pretext to invade Manchuria, setting off a brutal occupation of China that ended only at the close of World War II. Demonstrations are not routine, but this year, as Chinese fume over last week's Japanese purchase of long-contested islands in the East China Sea, they spread across the country.

Outside the Japanese Embassy in Beijing, thousands of protesters shouted patriotic slogans and demanded boycotts of Japanese goods. Some burned Japanese flags and threw apples, water bottles and eggs at the embassy, which was heavily guarded by three layers of paramilitary police and metal barricades.

Audio commentary by Heng Virak (Part 3)

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Anti-Japan protests spread in China over disputed islands

September 16, 2012
Los Angeles Times (USA)

BEIJING -- Anti-Japan protests spread to dozens more Chinese cities Sunday, as thousands of demonstrators agitated by the Japanese government’s plan to buy several uninhabited islands near Taiwan marched in front of diplomatic compounds, attacked Japanese businesses and burned Japanese flags.

In the southern city of Guangzhou, demonstrators stormed into the first two floors of a complex that houses the Japanese consulate, breaking windows in a hotel and smashing a vehicle. In nearby Shenzhen, police fired tear gas and used a water cannon to disperse a large crowd of marchers. Japanese factories, grocery shops, restaurants and car dealerships were reported damaged in a number of cities, including Qingdao.

In Beijing, more than 1,000 marchers waving flags and carrying banners gathered for a second straight day in front of the Japanese Embassy, hurling water bottles at the building and chanting slogans such as “Knock down the little Japanese,” “Long live the People’s Republic of China” and “China will prevail.”

Asian territory disputes could trigger war: Panetta

2012-09-16
AFP

China and other Asian countries could end up at war over territorial disputes if governments keep up their "provocative behaviour", US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Sunday.

Speaking to reporters before arriving in Tokyo on a trip to Asia, Panetta appealed for restraint amid mounting tensions over territorial rights in the East China Sea and the South China Sea.

"I am concerned that when these countries engage in provocations of one kind or another over these various islands, that it raises the possibility that a misjudgment on one side or the other could result in violence, and could result in conflict," Panetta said, when asked about a clash between Japan and China.

"And that conflict would then have the potential of expanding."

China’s presumed next leader reappears in public after 2-week absence

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, center, attends an activity to mark this year’s National Science Popularization Day at China Agricultural University in Beijing, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2012. China’s presumed next leader Xi made an appearance Saturday for the first time since dropping from public view earlier this month, a two-week absence that fueled rumors about his health and raised questions about the stability of the country’s succession process. (Xinhua, Lan Hongguang/ Associated Press)

September 14, 2012
By Associated Press

BEIJING — Chinese leader-in-waiting Xi Jinping reappeared in public Saturday after a two-week absence that sparked rumors about his health and questions about the stability of the country’s succession process.

State media said Xi toured exhibits at China Agricultural University in Beijing commemorating National Science Popularization Day, but offered no explanation of why he had dropped from sight.

Photos posted on the government’s official website showed Xi dressed casually in an open-necked shirt and black wind breaker as he toured the university. He smiled as he examined corn plants, showing no sign of disability or ill health. State-run China Central Television broadcast video of Xi looking at the plants, listening to researchers and watching students conduct experiments.

Scandals, missing official put China's political future in question

Xi Jinping (L) toasting with Hun Xen during his visit to Cambodia

12 Sept 2012
By Calum MacLeod,
Special for USA TODAY

YANQING, China -- Communist Party member Guan Rong was among 100 government officials to gather in this rural district Tuesday and listen to a touring propaganda team praise the new leadership in Beijing.

"I was very moved" by the inspirational tales themed as "the party in our hearts," said Guan, 25.

"The party seeks to serve the masses ever better," she said.

However, recent scandals and the disappearance from public sight of the man who is supposed to inherit the presidency has rumors swirling that the Communist Party's once-a-decade leadership change may not go off as planned.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Tuesday that he had no information about the status of the leader-in-waiting, Vice President Xi Jinping, who dropped from sight 11 days ago and has canceled a series of meetings with foreign visitors.

Yangtze River Turns Blood Red in Chongqing, China

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHPIdlk5vyw

China to Clinton: No Question of Sovereignty Over South China Sea

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi (R) and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hold a news conference at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, September 5, 2012.

06 September 2012
Scott Stearns, VOA Khmer

BEIJING — China says there is no questioning its sovereignty over waters and islands in the South China Sea, some of which are claimed by Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan, and the Philippines. But Chinese officials told visiting Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that they are willing to work with Southeast Asian nations to resolve the dispute peacefully.

Secretary Clinton discussed the South China Sea disputes with Chinese President Hu Jintao and Foreign Minister Yang Jeichi Wednesday.

China has been critical of outside involvement in the dispute, saying foreign governments are trying to divide the region. Speaking to reporters following their talks, Yang repeated China's insistence that this be resolved by the claimants themselves and made clear that China's position is unassailable.

​​The foreign minister says there is plentiful historic and legal evidence for China's sovereignty over the islands in the South China Sea and adjacent waters. As for disputes to those claims, he says these should be discussed by those directly concerned on the basis of respect for historic facts and international law, to be settled through "direct negotiation and friendly consultation."

China, Asean pledge to boost trade ties

Thursday, August 30, 2012
Agencies

SIEM REAP (Cambodia) China and Southeast Asian nations pledged on Wednesday to strive for closer economic ties, setting aside regional tensions over a territorial row in the resource-rich South China Sea.

Trade between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) jumped to over $200 billion in the first seven months of 2012, up 9 per cent year-on-year, Chinese Commerce Minister Chen Deming said during a meeting with regional economic ministers in the Cambodian tourist hub of Siem Reap.

The business relationship between Asean and China was ‘particularly important’ amid global economic gloom, he said, adding that both sides have ‘a solid basis for cooperation’ and “bright prospects”.

China supports HK's access to FTA with ASEAN: minister

Xinhua | 2012-8-30

China supports Hong Kong's access to the China-ASEAN Free Trade Zone (FTA) as it facilitates the economic integration of the southeastern Asian nations, said the Chinese Minister of Commerce Chen Deming on Wednesday.

Chen made the remarks when speaking to the media at the sidelines of the on-going 44th ASEAN Economic Ministers Meeting in Cambodia's tourist City of Siem Reap.

Chen said that Hong Kong's access to the FTA is listed as one of the widely discussed topics during the ministers' meetings. Some of the ASEAN nations had voiced their desires to initiate the negation about Hong Kong's entrance.

Sea row set aside as China, ASEAN seek trade boost

29 August 2012
By Michelle Fitzpatrick (AFP)

SIEM REAP, Cambodia — China and Southeast Asian nations pledged Wednesday to strive for closer economic ties, setting aside regional tensions over a territorial row in the resource-rich South China Sea.

Trade between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) jumped to over $200 billion in the first seven months of 2012, up nine percent year-on-year, Chinese Commerce Minister Chen Deming said during a meeting with regional economic ministers in the Cambodian tourist hub of Siem Reap.

The business relationship between ASEAN and China was "particularly important" amid global economic gloom, he said, adding that both sides have "a solid basis for cooperation" and "bright prospects".

The more you give, the more you receive

Li Kaiwen, a high school student in Beijing, poses with kids in Siem Reap, Cambodia, where she spent her summer vacation as a voluntary worker.

2012-08-29
ByZhang Yue ( China Daily)

Before leaving for Cambodia to do voluntary work, Li Kaiwen thought she was going to a poor country to offer her help. But, that was only half the story - she gained more from the experience than she ever imagined.

The Chinese high school student remembers trying with all her might to saw some plywood under the scorching sun of Siem Reap. She was sunburned, and beads of sweat rained down her cheeks. Yet she could not get the work done.

A 5-year-old Cambodian boy, seeing her struggling with the wood, ran to her and gently wiped off the sweat on her forehead with his sleeves. He offered to show Li how to saw the wood, which seemed like a piece of cake.

The 16-year-old from one of the best international high schools in Beijing says at that very moment, she felt like an idiot.

"If both the kid and I were left on a lonely island, the little one would be able to build himself a wooden shelter," she says. "But I, well educated, well fed and raised, would freeze to death."

Will the Chinese volunteer comrades help rid Cambodia of the neo-capitalist bloodsucker Hun Xen?

Xu Jiatian and other volunteers help build wooden classrooms and dormitories for children in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Xu Jiatian and other volunteers help build wooden classrooms and dormitories for children in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Chinese volunteer workers in Cambodia

2012-08-29
By Zhang Yue (China Daily)

Xu Jiatian was a high achiever in college. Instead of climbing the corporate ladder, he is now a volunteer worker in Cambodia. He shares his motivation with Zhang Yue.

Xu Jiatian is better known as Kurt to kids in many orphanages and primary schools in Cambodia.

"Kids would happily scream and run out of the classroom once they see Xu's smiling face outside the classroom window," says Boran, head of the PACDOC orphanage in Siem Reap.

Xu, 24, has been a volunteer in Cambodia since he graduated from college two years ago.

Chinese Police To Help Deport Taiwanese Extortion Suspects [-Chinese interference in Cambodia's domestic affairs?]

Cambodia has no diplomatic relations with Taiwan; it follows the one-China policy.

21 August 2012

Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer

PHNOM PENH - A team of Chinese policemen arrived from Beijing on Tuesday to help Cambodian authorities deport 15 Taiwanese nationals who were arrested in connection with an extortion racket earlier this month.

“We had some evidence provided by the Chinese government to arrest the Taiwanese [suspects],” said Khieu Sopheak, a spokesman for the Ministry of Interior.

The 15 suspects, including four women, were arrested Aug. 8 in Kampong Speu province on suspicion of using Internet phone systems to extort money from people in China and Taiwan.

They were arrested for entering the country without passports or documentation. Cambodia has no diplomatic relations with Taiwan; it follows the one-China policy.

China's Guangxi TV Showcase Week screened on Cambodia's TV

Xinhua | 2012-8-21

China's Guangxi Television Showcase Week will be screening on the state-owned National Television of Cambodia (TVK) from August 21-26 at 10:00 pm (local time) in order to further enhance cooperation on information and culture between Cambodia and China.

The inauguration of the China's Guangxi TV showcase week was held at the TVK's studio on Tuesday under the presidence of Khieu Kanharith, Cambodian Information Minister, Shen Beihai, director of Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Guangxi Committee, and Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Pan Guangxue.

The event was live televised through the TVK and the Guangxi TV. Speaking at the launching, Khieu Kanharith said the event was a part of information and culture exchange between Cambodia and China.

Manila seeks firms to prospect for oil in Spratlys area

Wednesday 1/8/2012
AFP/Manila

The Philippines will offer three oil and gas exploration contracts in the disputed South China Sea, including two in areas claimed by China, an official said.

All three blocs off the coast of the western Philippine island of Palawan are part of Philippine territory, energy undersecretary Jose Layug said, dismissing China’s territorial claims.

Tensions between the Philippines and China over the South China Sea have been running high due to disputes over the Reed Bank and the Spratly islands to the south of the prospects, and Scarborough Shoal to the north.

But Layug dismissed suggestions the latest quarrel, over the shoal, would dampen interest in the bid.

Philippines gets bids for S. China Sea exploration

Wed, August 01 2012
Jim Gomez, Associated Press, Manila, Philippines

The Philippines received bids Tuesday to explore for oil and gas deposits in two South China Sea areas also claimed by China, which already had protested the potential contracts as an infringement on its territorial rights.

The Philippines has dismissed China's claims, saying the offshore areas lie well within the Philippines's internationally-recognized 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone, where it has sole right to exploit resources under a U.N. convention.

China is claiming to own waters that lie very near the Philippines, including one area just 79 kilometers (49 miles) northwest of Palawan province, according to Energy Undersecretary Jose Layug Jr.

The two oil exploration areas for which the bids were received are more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) from the nearest Chinese coast, he said.

បើករណីសម រង្ស៊ីមិនសំខាន់ហេតុអ្វីពួកសាកែបួនជើង ដណ្តើមគ្នាប្រតិកម្មខ្លាំងម្លេះ?

នាយ(Whisky​)ខៀវ​កាញារីទ្ធ​៖ កម្ពុជា​មិនត្រូវ​ការ​អាមេរិក ឬ​ចិន មក​និយាយ​បញ្ហា​សមរង្ស៊ី​ទេ


ថ្ងៃទី 28 កក្កដា 2012
ដោយ: រតនា
Cambodia Express News

ភ្នំពេញ: មន្ត្រីជាន់ខ្ពស់​រាជរដ្ឋាភិបាល​បានបញ្ជាក់​ជាថ្មី​ម្តង​ទៀត ថា សហរដ្ឋអាមេរិក​ពុំមាន​ឥ​ទ្ធ​ពល​អ្វី​ដាក់​ការគាបសង្កត់​មកលើ​ក​ម្ពុ​ជា ក្នុងការ​អនុញ្ញាត​ឲ្យ​លោក សម រង្ស៊ី មេគណបក្ស​ប្រឆាំង ដែល​ជាប់​ឈ្មោះ​ជា​ទណ្ឌិត តាម​អំណាច​សាលដីកា​ស្ថាពរ​របស់​តុលាការ​កំពូល​នោះ ចូលមក​ស្រុក​វិញ ដោយ​គ្មាន​ការអនុវត្តន៍​តាមច្បាប់​នោះទេ​។​

​លោក ខៀវ កាញារីទ្ធ រដ្ឋមន្ត្រីក្រសួង​ព័ត៌មាន និង​ជា​អ្នកនាំពាក្យ​រាជរដ្ឋាភិបាល បាន​មានប្រសាសន៍​កាលពី​រសៀល​ថ្ងៃទី​២៧ ខែកក្កដា ឆ្នាំ​២០១២ យ៉ាងនេះ​ថា នៅពេលដែល​លោកស្រី ហ៊ីល​ឡា​រី គ្លី​ន​តុ​ន រដ្ឋមន្ត្រី​ក្រសួងការបរទេស​អាម​រិ​ក មក​កម្ពុជា (​ដើម្បី​ចូលរួម​កិច្ចប្រជុំ​កំពូល​រដ្ឋមន្ត្រីការបរទេស​អា​ស៊ន បូក​អាមេរិក កូរ៉េ ចិន សបា្តហ៍​មុន​នោះ​) គឺ​លោកស្រី​បានប្រកាស​ផ្តល់ជំនួយ​ថ្មី​បន្ថែមទៀត​ដល់​កម្ពុជា និង​បាន​បង្កើន​កិច្ចសហប្រតិបត្តិការ​ថែមទៀត​ជាមួយ​កម្ពុជា​។​

​លោក​រដ្ឋមន្ត្រី​បាន​មានប្រសាសន៍​បន្តទៀតថា "​ប៉ុន្តែ​មិនមែន​ដោយសារ​បញ្ហា​ហ្នឹង ចំពោះ​យើង​វា​អត់​សំខាន់ ទៅរក​អ្នកណាៗ​មិន​សំខាន់​ទេ ហើយ​យើង​អត់​ត្រូវការ​អាមេរិក ឬ​ចិន ឬអី មក​និយាយ​បញ្ហា​នេះ​ទេ បើ​គេ​ចង់​និយាយ គឺ​ត្រូវ​ទៅ​និយាយ​ជាមួយ​តុលាការ​"​។​

China appoints officers to South China Sea garrison

Photo illustration of China's Peoples' Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers parade. China has appointed military officers at a newly-established garrison in the South China Sea, state media reported Friday, the country's latest step to bolster claims to disputed islands in the area

Map showing the disputed Paracel and Spratly islands in the South China Sea

By Kelly Olsen | AFP – 07/27/2012

China has appointed military officers at a newly-established garrison in the South China Sea, state media reported Friday, the country's latest step to bolster claims to disputed islands in the area.

The defence ministry announced the appointments Thursday, the China Daily said, two days after China said it had established the city of Sansha on an island in the disputed Paracel chain, along with the military garrison.

China's neighbours reacted furiously to the move with Vietnam, which also claims the Paracel Islands, filing a formal protest and saying it "violates international law".

Manila, which is involved in a dispute over another archipelago, the Spratly Islands, summoned the Chinese ambassador to lodge a complaint against the garrison announcement.

Kishore Mahbubani: Is China Losing the Diplomatic Plot?

Professor Kishore Mahbubani was ranked on Foreign Policy magazine's list of the world's top 100 thinkers. He believes China is losing the diplomatic plot at a time when it needs it most. -- ST PHOTO: DESMOND FOO

Jul 27, 2012
Straits Times (Singapore)

For the first time in 45 years, the Asean Ministerial Meeting (AMM) failed to agree to a joint communique, ostensibly because Asean's current chair, Cambodia, did not want the communique to refer to bilateral disputes in the South China Sea. But the whole world, including most Asean countries, perceived Cambodia's stance as the result of enormous Chinese pressure.

SINGAPORE - In 2016, China's share of the global economy will be larger than America's in purchasing-price-parity terms. This is an earth-shaking development; in 1980, when the United States accounted for 25% of world output, China's share of the global economy was only 2.2%. And yet, after 30 years of geopolitical competence, the Chinese seem to be on the verge of losing it just when they need it most.

China's leaders would be naive and foolish to bank on their country's peaceful and quiet rise to global preeminence. At some point, America will awaken from its geopolitical slumber; there are already signs that it has opened one eye.

But China has begun to make serious mistakes. After Japan acceded to Chinese pressure and released a captured Chinese trawler in September 2010, China went overboard and demanded an apology from Japan, rattling the Japanese establishment.

Similarly, after North Korean shells killed innocent South Korean civilians in November 2010, China remained essentially silent. In a carefully calibrated response, South Korea sent its ambassador to attend the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony for the imprisoned Chinese human-rights activist Liu Xiaobo in December 2010.