カテゴリー: News

 Putin’s 2014 News Conference (Photo: Kermlin.ru)

Just about a year ago, on 21 Dec. 2013, we posted an article describing Vladimir Putin’s banner year. Things were going right for the president of Russia. Russia had been instrumental in brokering a Syrian peace deal, an energy agreement with Ukraine went in Russia’s favor, and the Sochi Olympic games were just down the road. A smiling Putin faced the world. But events have a way of making even the rosiest dream into a nightmare. In December 2014 a defiant Putin faced the world at his annual news conference. He promised that the economy would turn around within two years. And the while the economy wasn’t his only problem, it was certainly his main. Russia’s ruble had plunged in value by December 2014, and western sanctions imposed because of Russia’s support of Ukrainian separatists and Russia’s annexation of Crimea were taking their toll.

Added to that was the downing of a Malaysian airliner in July killing 283 passengers and 15 crew. Ukrainian fighters, using Russian equipment, are thought to be to blame. Russian oil exports plummeted as the global price of crude continued to slide at year end. Putin himself remains firm in his beliefs, and his popularity ratings would be the envy of any elected president in the world. Russia and China might again become new best friends, particularly with the progress being made on a new Silk Road. But Vladimir Putin has a tough road ahead in 2015. Hard economic times, sanctions and international isolation look  like they are what is on the cards for the coming year. But let us remember that Putin and the Russians are hardy survivors, and hard times don’t necessarily last forever. Maybe next December will tell a different story. Certainly the Russian president hopes so.

                                                        New Olympic Statium (http://www.dezeen.com)

Zaha Hadid’s design for the 2020 Olympic came under fire from Japanese architects this year resulting in changes in the original design. A group of Japanese architects led by award winning Fumiko Maki attacked Hadid’s proposed building as being too big, too expensive and poorly designed. The architects led by Maki included Toyo Ito, Kengo Kuma and Sou Fujimoto.

On 8 July 2014 dezeen magazine reported that the Japan Sports Council had reduced the budget for the stadium from 300 billion Yen to 189 billion Yen. Zaha Hadid Architects responded by adapting the design to make materials more cost efficient.

The national stadium is not the only venue that is being re-thought. The construction of 10 other venues are now being reviewed due to rising labor and construction costs. The use of existing facilities is being proposed as a cost-cutting alternative. On 19 November 2014  Reuters reported that, IOC Vice President John Coates urged Japan to move events outside the city to cut spending. Such moves would go against Japan’s Olympic bid proposal calling for no venue to be more than 8km from the Olympic Village.

It is likely that some solutions will be arrived at in meetings to be held in Japan in early 2015. Whatever the outcome, it is clear that is back to the drawing board for the 2020 Olympics.

                       China’s Bohai Sea Region (NASA)

                          by David Parmer

Viewed from space, the Bohai Sea region could be seen as an emerald dragon penetrating the Asian landmass. And that impression of power and energy is certainly borne out at ground level. The Bohai sea, the innermost gulf of the Yellow Sea is said to be one of the busiest seaways in the world. Whatever is happening in North China or will happen in North China is connected with the Bohai Sea.

                                  (Map: Wikimedia)

To the north and east of the Bohai Sea is the Sea of Japan, to the south is the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea. The sea (and until recently often referred to as a “bay”) has its opening through the Bohai Strait which runs between the Liaoning peninsula on the north and the Shandong peninsula on the south.  The Bohai Sea is the ocean outlet for North China and West China, and is the commercial hub known as the Bohai Sea Economic Zone, which could be thought of as stretching west, past Beijing all the way to Inner Mongolia and as far north as China goes. The Bohai Sea is bordered by Shandong, Liaoning,  and Hebei provinces and by the municipality of Tianjin. Prominent cities include Tianjin, Tangshan, Yantai and Dalian.

A variety of industries make the Bohai Sea region the powerhouse of North China that it is. These include fisheries, shipbuilding, transportation, hydropower, salt making and oil and gas. Oil fields include Shengli, Suizhong 36-1and Gudao. In addition, several rivers flow into the Bohai Sea including the Yellow ,Hai, Liao and Luan.

Development of the region is not confined land: a plan has been put forward to build the world’s longest (123km) undersea tunnel connecting Dalian on the Liaoning peninsula to Yantai on the Shandong peninsula. This would cut travel time from eight hours to just under one hour. Construction costs and technology are under discussion but all indications suggest that the plan is a go for the not so distant future.

With so much development and constant traffic it is understandable that there are environmental concerns for the Bohai Sea area. Negative impacts that have been cited include pollution in Bohai Bay, loss of wetlands and a decrease in fish catches. These notwithstanding, it looks like the Bohai Sea and its surrounding area will only increase in importance to its region and to the overall Chinese economy.

http://www.unep.org/dewa/giwa/areas/reports/r34/regional_definition34b_giwa_r34.pdf

http://www.pemsea.org/profile/pollution-hotspots/bohai-sea