Tibet protesters expelled, child miners, welcoming Yang Jiechi April 30, 2007
Posted by Vibhu Norby in Activism, China, Foreign Relations, Human Rights, Labor, Olympics, Students for a Free Tibet, Taiwan, Tiananmen, Tibet, United States.2 comments
Quote of the day: “Chinese people are not programmed robots. They actually form their own opinions, and they don’t believe they are stupid. It is not enough to learn the language; you must listen to their perspective and respect them as fully formed human beings who believe it sincerely. If all you do is harass them about being genocidal maniacs and mindless Communist zombies, they won’t listen to it. Because you’re being a jerk, and they don’t deserve personal blame for the actions of their government.”
- Chinese blogger Mutant Palm, on how to engage Chinese people in the Tibetan cause
OLYMPICS
China expels 5 American protesters – “China said Friday it has expelled five Americans who staged a protest against the Olympics on Mount Everest to challenge Chinese rule over the mountainous region.”
Tibet Olympic protesters “intimidated” in detention – “Five Americans detained and deported by China for demonstrating for a free Tibet and protesting against the 2008 Beijing Olympics at the base of Mount Everest said on Saturday they feared for their safety while in custody…The Americans, who arrived in the Nepali capital late on Friday after being detained by the Chinese for more than two days, said the guards detained them in freezing conditions, initially without food or drink…’It was a perfect, crazy Chinese interrogation,’ said Tenzin Dorjee, the Tibetan American.’They asked us ‘who did you talk to in Tibet, where did you stay and eat’, basically they were trying to find out the local Tibetans who came in touch with us,’ Dorjee, wearing a Tibetan prayer scarf, said.” Perfect, crazy Chinese interrogation? What a quote. These guys are real heroes.
China Reveals Olympic Route; Taiwan Objects -”Taiwan wanted the torch to enter and depart via nations other than China. China would like Taiwan to be part of the domestic route.”
Games ‘catalyst for China abuses’ – “China is using the 2008 Olympic Games as a catalyst for suppressing dissent in the name of stability, Amnesty International has said.” So…all the human rights groups are picking up on SFT’s work linking the Olympics with Human Rights. They better pay us back with some Tibet activists in Beijing…
ACTIVISM
China releases Mass.-based activist – “A U.S.-based Chinese activist has been released after serving a five-year prison term on charges of spying for rival Taiwan and entering China illegally, his lawyer said Saturday. ..The U.S. government had appealed to Beijing to free Yang Jianli, who was detained in 2002 while traveling around China meeting with activists and laid-off workers..Yang founded the Foundation for China in the 21st Century, which advocates political change in China. Communist authorities view such groups as threats to their monopoly on power. The espionage charges appear to stem from four $100 grants given to student researchers. Chinese prosecutors alleged the grants were funded by someone in Taiwan’s government. The island split with China in 1949 and the two spy actively on each other…They said Yang was forced to do so because he was banned from China after participating in the 1989 pro-democracy protests centered on Tiananmen Square.”
LABOR
China miners risk deadly disease – “An average of 17 miners are killed in mining accidents each day, the official People’s Daily newspaper reports. Independent labour groups believe the death toll is much higher…He also said that 621 of the pneumoconiosis cases reported last year involved workers under the age of 18.” WHY ARE THERE STILL KIDS UNDER 18 WORKING IN COAL MINES?
FOREIGN RELATIONS
China Names New Foreign Minister – “China named a new foreign minister Friday, picking a polished diplomatic operator with fluent English and broad experience in dealing with the United States. The ascension of Vice Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, 57, to replace Li Zhaoxing as China’s top diplomat was considered unlikely to bring major foreign policy changes. Important foreign affairs decisions traditionally have been taken in senior ranks of the Chinese Communist Party; the foreign minister is assigned to carry them out…His elevation was viewed as a sign of Hu’s emphasis on keeping ties with the United States as friendly as possible.”
Dalai Lama’s tricks, Taiwan’s war, biggest polluter April 26, 2007
Posted by Vibhu Norby in Activism, Africa, Canada, Censorship, China, Dalai Lama, Democracy, Economy, Environment, Ethiopia, Foreign Relations, Global Warming, Human Rights, Japan, Mongolia, MySpace.cn, Olympics, Panchen Lama, Piracy, Students for a Free Tibet, Taiwan, Tibet, Tragedy, Uhygur, World Trade Organization.1 comment so far
Quote of the day: “The child you mentioned is growing up like other teenagers and enjoys free life like other children in China.”
- Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao, when asked to comment on the whereabouts of Gendun Choekyi Nyima
TIBET
China criticizes foreign lawbreakers after ‘free Tibet’ protest – “Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said, ‘Whichever foreign citizen comes to China, it is their duty and responsibility to abide by Chinese laws. They certainly should not engage in activities that harm another country’s sovereignty and unity.’” Only because native citizens can’t…see the two posts below this for more coverage of SFT’s activists.
Tibet’s Panchen Lama turns 18 in custody – “The Dalai Lama’s choice as Tibet’s second most important spiritual figure turns 18 on Tuesday after almost 13 years in Chinese custody amid signs of worsening repression, a rights group said.” Yesterday we wished him happy birthday at the nearby library with some cakes, a petition, and information about him.
Chinese, atheists denounce plan to fly Tibetan flag for Dalai Lama – “China’s ruling Communist Party and the largest atheist group in the United States are criticizing a plan to honor the Dalai Lama by flying the Tibetan flag over City Hall during his visit next week to the Wisconsin capital.” Oh, give it a break. The Tibetan flag is not a religious flag. It has no relation to Tibetan Buddhism. Dalai Lama is a widely recognized Human Rights activist and an important figure in the world. He has received the Nobel Peace Prize and he is also being awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor this year. Let them fly the flag for a few days as a show of support.
Chinese scholars accuse Dalai Lama of “sowing seeds of violence” – *STATE MEDIA PROPAGANDA WATCH* “Song Guoyou, a Ph.D student with the International Affairs Studies Institute in Shanghai, said the Dalai Lama’s criticism of the railway was based on incomplete statistics that show that many Chinese from other parts of China ride the railway to Tibet and stay there… According to Di, ‘non-violence’ and ‘dialogue’ are tricks the Dalai Lama uses to deceive the international community. ‘Does the image of a benevolent monk preaching tolerance and compassion tally with the reality?’ questioned Di.” Non-violence and dialogue are tricks? In answer to Di’s question, yes, actually, it does tally with reality. People’s Daily Online is really going after H.H. the past few days.
Tibet policies enrich region’s development – *STATE MEDIA PROPAGANDA WATCH* The Dalai Lama named himself ‘the spokesperson of all 6 million Tibetan people’ and peddled his idea of ‘greater autonomy’ in Tibet and the Tibetan habitats in provinces neighboring the Tibet Autonomous Region. The Dalai Lama is playing with words by adding the modifier ‘greater’ to ‘autonomy’ in an attempt to mislead people. It is actually another word for ‘Tibet independence’ sought by the Dalai Lama over the last decades.”
TAIWAN
Taiwan says it would win war with China – “A computer simulation projected that China could land forces on rival Taiwan, but they would be repulsed after two weeks of fierce fighting and harsh losses to both sides, Taiwan‘s military said Tuesday.” I wonder what happens if they take into account U.S. support…
HUMAN RIGHTS
China’s Rapid Growth Threatens Minorities – “China’s rapid growth is not only marginalizing the minority groups but it is also not benefiting them and also threatening their indigenous cultures and languages, according to a new report published by the Minority Rights Group International and Human Rights in China. The report also said that the main ethnic minority groups, the Uighurs, Mongols and Tibetans are not benefiting from China’s booming economic growth and in places where they are seeing development, the impact is often damaging.”
TRAGEDY
Oil Brings Price In Blood For China – “A 37-member Chinese oil exploration team guarded by more than 100 Ethiopian soldiers at a site near the Somali border was attacked in the early morning Tuesday by more than 200 ethnic Somali rebels armed with heavy weapons. Intense fighting lasting for nearly an hour claimed the lives of 74, including nine Chinese workers. The rebels also kidnapped seven Chinese workers. One Chinese worker was found missing.”
Bodies of 11 trapped miners recovered in China – “Rescuers have recovered the bodies of 11 miners trapped in a state-run coal mine in north China when a burst of gas and rubble on Friday blocked the way out, Xinhua news agency said on Tuesday…Rescuers were still searching for the eight miners missing in another accident, also in Handan, which killed nine others on Thursday, the agency said…In neighbouring Henan province, 33 coal miners were feared dead after a gas blast last week left the Wangzhuang mine ‘a sea of fire’.”
Smoking May Kill One-Third of China’s Middle-Aged Men by 2030 – “Tobacco-related diseases may kill a third of middle-aged men by 2030 in China, where smoking habits resemble those of America in the 1950s, researchers found.”
ENVIRONMENT
China Passing U.S. as No. 1 Polluter – “China will pass the United States as the world’s biggest source of greenhouse gases this year, an official with the International Energy Agency said…China is a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol on reducing greenhouse gasses, but is exempt from its restrictions because it is a developing country.”
China delays climate change plan indefinitely – “China has delayed indefinitely its national “action plan” on climate change, which was due to be released on Monday after exhaustive consultations among ministries in Beijing and provincial and local governments. No explanation was given for the move, although global warming is causing increasing international concern about the country’s high-speed economic growth model.”
PIRACY
Canada asks to join WTO talks on China piracy – “Canada has asked to join a U.S. challenge of Chinese piracy and counterfeiting as a third party in World Trade Organization consultations, Trade Minister David Emerson said on Wednesday… He said Japan would also likely join the case but was not sure if the European Union would.” Yes, Canada, yes you can. I give you permission.
DEMOCRACY
China vows government transparency, within limits – “China unveiled rules on Tuesday promising to expose its secretive government to greater transparency in an effort to fight graft and misrule — but within strict limits. The regulations, signed by Premier Wen Jiabao, will empower citizens to demand information about government finances and economic plans, statistics, land development, environmental regulations and many other policies. But in a sign that the ruling Communist Party does not want a free-for-all, the rules offer a broad opt-out for officials, saying that information released ’should not harm state security, economic security or social stability.’” So…if a trees falls down in the middle of the forest, and nobody is there to hear it…
JAPAN
China is Japan’s biggest trade partner in 2006 – “CHINA replaced the United States as Japan’s biggest trading partner in fiscal year of 2006, Japanese Finance Ministry has said. The total trade value between the Japan and China rose to 25.43 trillion yen (US$214.62 billion) for the year through March, up 9.6 percent from the previous fiscal year, according to Finance Ministry figures.”
CENSORSHIP
MySpace launched in China – “MySpace announced its launch in China Thursday, following months of speculation about the Rupert Murdoch-controlled social networking site’s plans for the nation’s 137 million Internet users.” Check it out at MySpace.cn. It seems that you have access to the entire contents of MySpace Int’l…try looking up Tibet in the search engine.
Tibet activists remain in detention, whereabouts unknown after Everest protest; IOC approves torch route April 26, 2007
Posted by Vibhu Norby in Activism, China, Human Rights, Olympics, Students for a Free Tibet, Taiwan, Tibet.1 comment so far
The Olympic torch route through Taiwan and Tibet was approved by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) today:
The head of Taiwan’s Olympic Committee, however, said it would not participate in the relay, because it “downgraded” the island’s sovereignty. At a Beijing ceremony attended by senior members of China’s ruling Communist Party and the International Olympic Committee, organizers said the route would cover 85,000 miles, last 130 days and reach Mount Everest. “It will be a relay that will cover the longest distance and be most inclusive and involve the most people in Olympic history,” said Liu Qi, the head of Beijing’s Olympic organizing committee. The relay is the latest grand plan associated with an Olympics that organizers and IOC officials have said should set a new standard for the games. But it also takes the games into politically tricky terrain. Stops in Taiwan and Tibet, where Mount Everest towers, have generated controversy ever since Beijing telegraphed its intentions to include them on the route years ago. Taiwan has resisted Beijing’s overtures—and sometimes threats—to unify after splitting amid civil war while China’s often harsh 57-year rule over Tibet has been widely criticized. Four American activists were detained by Chinese authorities Wednesday on Mount Everest after they unfurled a banner calling for Tibet’s independence. “Organizers for the 2008 Beijing Olympics announced Thursday what will be the longest torch relay in the history of the games, tracing a route that covers five continents and makes politically sensitive stops in Taiwan and Tibet. “
From SFT HQ:
“More than twenty four hours after they were detained at Mt. Everest base camp for an unprecedented protest against the Beijing 2008 Olympics, four American Tibet activists remain missing. One American eyewitness to the protest has arrived safely in Nepal. Tenzin Dorjee, the first known exile Tibetan to stage a protest inside Tibet, was detained along with Kirsten Westby and Laurel Mac Sutherlin for unfurling a banner, which read “One World, One Dream, Free Tibet 2008.” Shannon Service, who was videotaping the action, was also detained.
“We call on the Chinese government to immediately release Tenzin Dorjee, Kirsten Westby, Laurel Mac Sutherlin and Shannon Service. If Beijing wants to deserve the honor of hosting the Olympic Games, it must play by the rules of the international community, that includes tolerance of free speech and expression,” said Lhadon Tethong, Executive Director of Students for a Free Tibet from Kathmandu. “We also call on the IOC, and Jacques Rogge specifically, to stop denying their obvious involvement in the politics of China and use their leverage to pressure the Chinese authorities to release the activists.”
The activists were last heard from soon after being detained by Mt Everest security and before being handed over to Chinese police. It has now been over twenty four hours since they have been able to make contact. The Chinese government has so far denied the US government officials access to or information on the detainees. A Xinhua statement issued this morning said “Authorities of Tibet said it was a serious incident in which foreigners seriously violated Chinese laws and were engaged in an activity not in line with their status when entering China.”
The protest coincided with a meeting of the International Olympic Committee in Beijing to discuss the planned route of the Olympic torch relay and a trial Olympic torch ascent of Everest by a Chinese mountaineering team. The IOC is expected to approve of China’s planned torch route in a press conference today. Tibetans see the proposal to run the torch through Tibet as a political move by China aimed at gaining international endorsement for its control over the region.”
The protest is getting a lot of attention from media(475 articles at this time, probably more). I am conflicted between hoping that Tenzin Dorjee and the others are safe, getting food, water, not being tortured, and getting out as soon as possible, and hoping that they are detained for longer so that the press builds up around the issue and their action is made valuable a hundred-fold.
Updated: First exiled Tibetan protester in Tibet on Mt. Everest April 24, 2007
Posted by Vibhu Norby in Activism, China, History, Human Rights, Olympics, Students for a Free Tibet, Tibet.add a comment
Tibetan-American Amongst those Detained in High Altitude Protest
Kathmandu – Three Tibetan independence activists, including one Tibetan-American, were detained by Chinese authorities today after demonstrating and unfurling a banner reading “One World, One Dream, Free Tibet 2008” in English, and “Free Tibet” written in Tibetan and Chinese, at Mount Everest’s main base camp in Tibet.
The protest was held on the eve of the International Olympic Committee’s announcement of the final Beijing 2008 Olympic torch relay route and as a Chinese team of climbers prepared a trial ascent of the mountain. If approved, China will take the torch over Mount Everest and through Tibet, a move that Tibetans and their supporters decry as offering international approval to China’s brutal occupation of Tibet.
…
According to an eyewitness report, Chinese authorities detained the three activists, including Tenzin Dorjee, a Tibetan-American, who was wearing a t-shirt that read “No Torch through Tibet.” Prior to his detention, he lit a symbolic torch of Tibetan freedom and sang the Tibetan National Anthem. Tenzin Dorjee is the first known exiled Tibetan to stage a protest inside Tibet. At least one other American has also been detained in conjunction with the protest.
Read the full report here.
We hope Tenzin Dorjee is safe. Some of you know him, like myself. We are very excited about this.
Here is a video that SFTHQ has released of Tenzin Dorjee speaking while holding the banner:
Is loving the enemy a flawed philosophy? April 24, 2007
Posted by Vibhu Norby in Buddhism, Dalai Lama, Religion, Tibet.add a comment
A few days ago I said I would have a post on justifying the ends with the means. I made a quick reference to what might happen when the Dalai Lama passes away, particularly if it was the result of an assassination. I would like to talk about this for a moment. The following verses are from the Kate Crosby and Andrew Skilton’s translation of Śāntideva’s Bodhicaryāvatāra. This text is one of the most influential texts in Mahāyāna Buddhism, and is often quoted by H.H. Dalai Lama. It is definitely a recommended read if you have any interest in Buddhism.
These verses are from the 6th chapter on the Perfection of Patience (Forbearance in this translation). Patience is the anti-dote to anger and hatred. It is from this chapter that the philosophy of loving your enemies arises from, referenced frequently in the Tibet movement.
—-
104. If one thing does not exist without another, and does exist when that also exists, then that other thing is really its cause. How can that be called an obstacle?
105. After all, a person in need who turns up at a suitable time is not a hindrance to generosity, nor can it be called a hindrance to going forth when one meets someone who has gone forth!
106. Beggars are easy to find in this world but those who will cause harm are not, because, if I do no wrong, no one wrongs me.
107. Therefore, since he helps me on the path to Awakening, I should long for an enemy like a treasure discovered in the home, acquired without effort.
108. Both he and I, therefore, receive the reward of this forbearance. It should be given to him first, since the forbearance was first occasioned by him.
109. If an enemy deserves no honour, because he did not intend you to achieve forbearance, then why is the True Dharma honoured? It too is the unconscious cause of achievement.
110. If an enemy is not honoured because his intention is to hurt, for what other reason will I be patient with him, as with a doctor who is intent on my well-being?
111. In that case, it is really dependence upon his malign intention that forbearance is produced, and in that case it is really he that is the cause of my forbearance. I must worship as the True Dharma.
…
114. The greatness of the intent comes not from itself but rather from its effect…
——-
Śāntideva’s basic argument here is that the perfection of patience can only arise when anger exists, and because an enemy brings these feelings and allows one to overcome them, the enemy should be worshiped as a way to enlightenment. The enemy’s intention does not matter, only the ultimate end.
He uses two examples to prove his point, one being the lack of good intention in the True Dharma (Buddhism), and the other being the respect we have for a doctor’s work rather than intention.
The problem is that both of these examples are flawed using his own logic, and thus leave his point unproven and probably untrue. The idea of intentions having no importance besides their result can also have drastic effects on activity in the world.
The second example of the doctor is easier to break down. First, we do indeed respect doctors for their good intentions. A doctor without intentions for our well-being would be a doctor nobody would visit, and if nobody visits that doctor, then they aren’t really a doctor. Our respect is only increased when that doctor’s good intentions manifest into healing or some other process. Plus, we can imagine a doctor who has malicious intents to show the importance of intent. A doctor with malicious intents could easily bring great harm to someone. Once we have entrusted our bodies to them, they could surely kill us, poison, inflict more damage, charge ridiculous prices, and so on. The whole purpose of intent is that it motivates into action. Good intent leads to good action, and vice versa.
His first example with the True Dharma can be shown as flawed using verse 104, which says “If one thing does not exist without another, and does exist when that also exists, then that other thing is really its cause. How can that be called an obstacle?” Let us use the True Dharma with this quotation. The True Dharma does not exist without achievement (spiritual attainment), and does exist only with attainment. That means that attainment is really the cause of the True Dharma. Where did this attainment come from? The original attainment was that of Śakyamuni Buddha, who aspired to this attainment through his intention to uplift suffering. The attainment would not exist without the positive intention, and vice versa, therefore – yup – it is positive intention that causes True Dharma, and therefore when we worship it, we worship also it’s pure intentions.
So now we see that in both of Śāntideva’s examples, there is certainly a difference between a positive intention and a negative one. Does that mean that loving your enemy is flawed? I would say yes. If we do believe we should, we would be forced to throw away things like the Tibet freedom movement, fighting Human Rights violations in China, and even simply any wish that those subject to great suffering should be uplifted. The fact remains that tragedies do not occur to create heroes, and occupation does not exist to create a freedom fight. If the Dalai Lama agrees with Śāntideva, then he would probably have to support his own assassination. I cannot support that, however, if even Śāntideva himself could not make a proper argument for it.
Democracy lies, child-like censorship, controlling rain April 23, 2007
Posted by Vibhu Norby in Activism, Buddhism, Canada, Censorship, China, Dalai Lama, Darfur, Democracy, EU, Environment, Foreign Relations, Human Rights, India, MySpace.cn, Olympics, Pakistan, Piracy, Russia, South Africa, Tibet, Tragedy, Uhygur, Yahoo.add a comment
Quote of the day: “Oh, that is wrong! Tibetan freedom is very much linked with the Tibetan Buddhism. Without Tibetan freedom, the Tibetan Buddhism cannot survive.”
- H.H. Dalai Lama, on Western Buddhists apathetic regard for the Tibet conflict
HUMAN RIGHTS
Yahoo sued for informing China on dissidents – “A human-rights group sued Yahoo Wednesday on grounds the U.S. search company assisted China’s communist government with torture by revealing information that led to the arrest of dissidents…The lawsuit cites federal laws that govern torture and other violations of international law. Plaintiffs included jailed dissident Wang Xiaoning and his wife, Yu Ling, who was visiting San Francisco this week as part of the group’s campaign.”
China sentences Canadian activist to life in prison – A Canadian human rights campaigner jailed in China after allegations that he was linked to terrorism was sentenced to life in prison…Celil, a member of the Uighur minority group from the western Xinjiang region, was born and raised in China and drew the attention of authorities by campaigning for the rights of his people. He was arrested in China and tortured, but escaped from prison in 2000 and fled to Uzbekistan and Turkey before reaching Canada, where he was given citizenship…His extradition has been a point of contention between Canada and China, which does not recognize Celil’s Canadian citizenship and says his case is not subject to consular agreements.”
DEMOCRACY
In China, Talk of Democracy Is Simply That – “Communist Party journals and the state-run news media have published a stream of commentaries by retired officials and academics on ‘political system reform’ and the need for ’socialist democracy,’ including a bold-sounding call for China to mimic Switzerland’s worker-friendly democratic governing style…China is not embracing Western-style democracy, even in theory. But by permitting a relatively open round of political discussion, President Hu Jintao and other top leaders have sought to cast themselves publicly as progressives who are open-minded about ways to improve government practices and reduce corruption, party officials and political experts say.” Interesting article. The fact that talking about democracy is a way of gaining support from the party means that obviously democracy is something many of these officials would like to see.
CENSORSHIP
Cartoon police to ‘patrol’ all Web sites in China – China plans to expand its use of animated police figures into a virtual force symbolizing the government’s monitoring of all major Web sites and online forums…The government believes the floating images of male and female police officers have proved successful during trials in the southern city of Shenzhen…Web sites in Shenzhen have been patrolled since last year by the uniformed Jingjing and Chacha, two smiling male and female cartoon figures who float astride surfboard-like keyboards. Thousands of technicians, censors, chatroom monitors and real police help to maintain control of the Internet in China.” These are disgusting psychological games that the government plays. Portraying censorship in a humorous, and innocent fashion is inappropriate given the seriousness of the action.
There are rumors on the street that Myspace.cn will be launching this Thursday with a press conference…see our first post on Myspace.cn and censorship.
FOREIGN RELATIONS
China and Pakistan sign 13 agreements on cooperation – “China and Pakistan on Tuesday signed 13 agreements on cooperation in fields such as space, telecommunications, education and legal assistance, vowing to raise the strategic partnership ‘to a new level.’” This certainly has something to do with India, and Tibet.
China, Russia, South Africa oppose UN sanctions on Sudan – “China, Russia and South Africa on Wednesday voiced opposition to US and British plans to push for UN sanctions against Sudan at a time when Khartoum is cooperating with the United Nations on Darfur.”
PIRACY
EU: Europe could file complaint on China – “Europe could join the U.S. in filing a World Trade Organization complaint about China’s patchy record on tackling intellectual property piracy unless Beijing takes more action, EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said Wednesday.”
ENVIRONMENT
Beijing plans big umbrella for athletes during Olympics – “Beijing will use aircraft, missiles and cannon in what could amount to a massive umbrella over the city to keep athletes dry during next year’s Olympics…No details were released on exactly how the plan will work but artificial rain is normally created by seeding clouds with chemicals such as silver iodide spread by rockets and planes. China claims a successful record of influencing the weather by artificial means. Earlier this year official media reported that snowfalls had been artificially generated by cloud seeding in the north of the country. This week the media reported that China had successfully created artificial snowfalls in the mountainous region of Tibet, raising hopes of a man-made solution to drought and melting glaciers there.” Well…that’s one way to go about it. Generally the other method would be to make the stadiums with roofs, and sell umbrellas and raincoats.
China: Yangtze Is Irreversibly Polluted – “China’s massive Yangtze river, a lifeline for tens of millions of people, is seriously polluted and the damage is almost irreversible…The Yangtze accounts for 35 percent of China’s total fresh water resources, the report said.”
TRAGEDY
China bus crash kills 24 – “A bus plunged 20 meters (65 feet) off a highway overpass in southwest China on Monday killing 24 people, state media said, the day the country launched a week-long road safety campaign…A pile-up of 52 vehicles, mostly trucks, killed five people and injured 36 on a Chongqing highway on April 13.” I see a lot of these types of stories every day. I’m going to report them more frequently now to give some perspective on the tragedies that befall America and other places more familiar to us.
Catching up on important China news, past 2 weeks April 19, 2007
Posted by Vibhu Norby in Activism, China, China by numbers, Dalai Lama, Darfur, Economy, Education, Foreign Relations, Japan, Military, Olympics, Pakistan, Piracy, Satellite missiles, Tibet, United States.add a comment
Quote of the catch-up: “Well, the initial reports are that they will have the capability with enough production of these ASATs by 2010 to basically knock out most of our satellites in Low Earth orbit.”
- Senator Bill Nelson, at a hearing on China’s military modernization and particular their anti-satellite capabilities
Notes: The article above was from Thomas Laird, who wonders, as do I, why this hearing wasn’t given more attention. The articles here took an awfully long time to come up with, but if I missed any that you think were important in the past 2 weeks, please let me know. I had literally thousands of articles to look through. I will post recent news from the past 2 or 3 days soon, then we will be caught up here. Thanks for understanding.
FOREIGN RELATIONS
US files case over China piracy – “The US is to file a formal complaint against China at the World Trade Organization (WTO) over high levels of copyright piracy and counterfeiting. A spokeswoman said the case was being lodged to tackle China’s failure to enforce laws on copyright violation. US software, music and book publishers say they lose billions of dollars of sales in China as a result of piracy.”
China’s Spying Overwhelms U.S. Counterintelligence – “U.S. intelligence officials say the Mak case is unusual — not in the nature of the charges brought against him, but that charges were brought at all.”
Japan and China: Is the Ice Breaking? – “Despite the strains — and the rivalry dating back millennia — today’s China-Japan relationship is held together by an overwhelming imperative: business. Even when ties were at their frostiest over Koizumi’s visits to Yasukuni and the response of Chinese protestors, economic ties continued to strengthen — last year, bilateral trade passed $200 billion, and China will soon become Japan’s top trading partner.”
EDUCATION
China’s illiterate swell to 116M – “Over the last five years, China’s illiterate population grew by 30 million, the China Daily newspaper reported. According to census data, 87 million adults in China were illiterate in 2000. Literacy in China is defined as someone who can read and write 1,500 Chinese characters — a fraction of the 7,000 to 10,000 characters required for college graduates.” I wonder how they test it. Do they go out and have people write as many characters as they can, then tally them to see if they got 1,500?
OLYMPICS
Beijing Games to contribute to change in China – Rogge – “Next year’s Beijing Olympic Games should help to foster change in China, International Olympics Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge believes. ‘I think that the Games will contribute to the evolution of China,’ Rogge told Belgian newspaper De Tijd at the weekend. ‘The 20,000 journalists who come to the Games will show China as it is. It speaks for itself that that will accelerate the social evolution,’ the Belgian said.”
China to spend less on Olympic security – “China will spend less on Olympic security than other recent hosts of the Summer Games but is confident the 2008 competition will be trouble-free, a security official said Wednesday.” They will spend less because people are willing to work for less. Besides that, they are obviously underestimating how many activists will be there. There may even be terrorists.
SUDAN
China offers Sudan stronger military ties – “‘Military relations between China and Sudan have been developing smoothly for a long time,’ Cao told him, according to Xinhua. China was ‘willing to further develop cooperation between the two militaries in every sphere’, he added.”
When is China revising truthfully “its” Sudan’s policies? -”Many Sudanese expected China to live up to the solemn promise the President of the Republic of China publicly announced in a Khartoum press conference during his recent trips to Africa . . .Instead, the People’s Republic of China has obviously chosen to play an elephant and mouse game in the Sudanese nation of Africa. The game is apparently processed via “obscure strategic plans” with the Muslim Brotherhood’s Government of Sudan, at expense of the People of Sudan. In this notorious game, a China elephant would provide with its huge stature the protection, shelter, aggressive weaponry, and even hidden “tips” and commissions that the ruling elite of Sudan, the mouse in this case, desperately needs to continue harassing its own people, cheat about the Naivasha Agreement with the South, genocide the poor peasantry and Bedouins of Darfur in the Sahara, and continue to exterminate successfully through the elephant’s protection the Sudan’s opposition parties and civil society groups that represent the genuine and most respectable source of Sudanese heritage and democratic experience, simply to stay in power.” This is from the Sudan Tribune.
DALAI LAMA
Dalai Lama’s security raised after threat reports – “Local newspapers said Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba — which is fighting against Indian rule in Kashmir and has been blamed for several attacks across India — had planned to target the 71-year-old spiritual leader of the Tibetans.” I don’t see Lashkar-e-Taiba’s business with him. Seems like they just want attention…until I saw this article:
China, Pakistan to consolidate ties – “China said Monday that it will work to further consolidate its strategic and cooperative partnership with its traditional partner Pakistan.” Maybe it’s a bad connection, but you never know.
I don’t want independence: Dalai Lama – “‘The past is past. When the People’s Liberation Army came to Tibet, according to legal experts, Tibet was a de facto independent nation. Therefore, we consider it an occupied land. But that doesn’t mean we are seeking independence. Because the world is changing and the reality is changing. Tibet is a backward country, economically, materially. Therefore for our own interest as far as material development is concerned, we want to remain within the People’s Republic of China,’ he says . . . The Dalai Lama, however, says if the Chinese hoped age is against him and time is on their side, they would be proved wrong. ‘The Tibetan issue will continue even after my death if it is not properly and realistically resolved.’” This kind of statement is damaging to the Tibet movement, especially those advocating freedom. Here is the video, from CNN-IBN. It’s a nice watch, despite the interviewer interrupting him every 4 seconds with “just one more quick question.”
TIBET
Tibet’s populations exceeds 2.8 million – *STATE MEDIA PROPOGANDA WATCH* “The Statistical Communique on Economic and Social Development in Tibet for 2006 was recently published. It shows that Tibet’s population was 2.81 million as of the end of last year, a net increase of 40,000 from 2005. The fertility rate was 1.74 percent, the death rate 0.57 percent and the natural growth rate 1.17 percent. The population has grown by 1.6691 million since the peaceful liberation in 1951.” Hmm…oh really?
Back April 17, 2007
Posted by Vibhu Norby in Uncategorized.add a comment
I just got my computer back today…I will have a lot of catch up work to do for this blog. I’m sorry that it took so long, the shop kept telling me it would be done the next day, and the next day, and so on.
Break April 4, 2007
Posted by Vibhu Norby in China.1 comment so far
The computer that I do my work on is in the shop, and so I will not be able to post for probably another week or two. Don’t forget us!
My teacher…the “Digital Monk” April 2, 2007
Posted by Vibhu Norby in Education, Tibet.1 comment so far
Special feature today…my teacher Lobsang Norbu Shastri, from the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies, located in Sarnath, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India (as reads his first slide of every Powerpoint presentation that he gives). We all love him. The first pictures are from his first smaller class, and the last two from his later bigger class. We call him the Digital Monk for his impressive presentations, skillful handling of the Mac, and love of electronics. He says that he will get the iPhone when it comes out, whether or not it works in India (he says it does, I don’t think so though). He is also in the market for a small video camera, camera, and audio recorder…
Got him to say an advertisement for the site…after a few tries, I just ended up cutting it.
(Notice the “An Inconvenient Truth” screensaver)
