カテゴリー: News

Deja Vu All Over Again

Yasukuni Shrine Issue Again on Front Page-Deputy PM and Lawmakers Visit Shrine to Honor War Dead in Same Week.

The Japan Times Online (April 24, 2013) reported that a record 168 lawmakers visited Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo’s Chiyoda ward to honor the war dead. The Times article stated that this was the largest number of legislators to visit since 1989.

The legislators’ visit on Tuesday followed a Sunday (April 21, 2013) visit  by Japan’s Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso and Minister of Internal Affairs Yoshitaka Shindo to Yasukuni Shrine. This visit had called forth quick response from two of Japan’s neighbors.

China lodged a diplomatic protest and the Republic of Korea cancelled the visit of its foreign minister to Japan. In a continuation of the story, Korea’s Chosun Ilbo (April 25, 2013) reports that Japan’s Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe responded to criticism by its neighbors by saying that officials have the right “not to submit to any threats.” In a daily news conference, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hua Chunying called the visit a “negative act.”

(DP)
Japan Times Online article here: http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/04/24/national/record-168-lawmakers-visit-yasukuni/#.UXkfHuCJLMU
ChosunIlbo article here: http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2013/04/25/2013042501200.html
CCTV article here: http://english.cntv.cn/20130423/106623.shtml

Chinese Navy Poses Real Threat To Somali Pirates

Since 2008 China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) under United Nations authorization has conducted anti-piracy and protection operations in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia.

To date, the PLAN has sent 14 naval detachments to the area, has escorted 5,000 ships, conducted rescue operations on two Chinese ships that had been boarded by pirates and came to the aid of 22 ships being actively pursued by pirates.

The PLAN conducts exchanges and cooperation with other escort forces to protect international sea lanes. Since 2012, China, Japan, India and the Republic of Korea (ROK) have strengthened their convoy coordination to provide smooth scheduling and comprehensive coverage of the sea lanes in question.

According to the white paper on defense issued by the Information Office Of The State Council in April 2013, Chinese ships have carried out anti-piracy drills with naval forces of the ROK, Pakistan and the United States of America. In addition the PLAN has also done joint safeguarding with Russian naval forces. China takes part in conferences of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) and also participates in the Shared Awareness and Deconfliction (SHADE) meetings on merchant shipping.

In the white paper mentioned above, the Chinese government clearly lays out its policy and rationale for participation in missions such as the Somalia anti-piracy efforts:

V. Safeguarding World Peace and Regional Stability

China’s security and development are closely connected with the peace and prosperity of the world as a whole. China’s armed forces have always been a staunch force upholding world peace and regional stability, and will continue to increase cooperation and mutual trust with the armed forces of other countries, participate in regional and international security affairs, and play an active role in international political and security fields.

 (“The Diversified Employment of China’s Armed Forces”  Issued by the Information Office of the State Council, The People’s Republic of China in Beijing, April 2013)     (DP)

 Full text of this white paper: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-04/16/c_132312681.htm

Photo: CCTV

(DP)

Dunhuang Project Puts Spotlingt On Teamwork.

                                                                            Dunhuang.jpg

                           (Photo: Friends of Dunhuang)

                              by David Parmer

While the media spotlight in Asia focuses on territorial issues and frictions, scholars, historians and preservationists from seven countries are working through the International Dunhuang Project (IDP) cooperate to digitize some of the planet’s most valuable artifacts.

The National Library of China and seven major libraries and research institutions worldwide are cooperating to digitize and share some of the world’s most important cultural data. These countries include China, Britain, Russia Korea, Japan, Germany and France. The data in question is a massive digital representation of the artifacts found in the Mogao caves located 25 km southwest of Dunhuang, China.

Dunhuang, in western China’s Gansu Province, is at the crossroads of the ancient Silk Road. The Dunhuang area, which was declared an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, is home to a system of 492 temples and an amazing 735 Buddhist caves. At the end of the Qing dynasty a treasure trove of ancient scrolls and manuscripts, including one of the oldest known copies of the Diamond Sutra were found.

Materials dating from 100 BC to 1200 AD were removed and dispersed worldwide and now reside in museums in Beijing, St. Petersburg, London, Berlin and Beijing. These materials include scrolls paintings, murals, artifacts, coins and manuscripts in over twenty different languages and scripts. While many are strictly Buddhist in nature others are secular and deal with everyday administrative matters.

Now the IDP is collaborating to make these materials available online. To date, a staggering 400,000 images can now be viewed on the various member sites.
The IDP was formed in 1994 with it directorate at the British Library and has centers in China, Japan, Korea, Germany, Russian and France.
You can find this amazing story on the IDP website. (http://idp.bl.uk/idp.a4d). (DP)

台湾当局：放宽大陆籍白领赴台有配套

http://www.chinanews.com/tw/2013/03-15/4646042.shtml　（テスト記事）

中新网3月15日电 据台湾”中央社”报道，台当局两岸事务主管部门昨天(14日)表示，放宽台资跨境企业大陆籍白领来台，可增加台湾企业的竞争力，并吸引优秀人才；对外界疑虑的洋华案前例，相关机关已做过处理，并对后续申请案制订原则・・・・　

详见：http://www.chinanews.com/tw/2013/03-15/4646042.shtml

 

中国、ローマ法王庁に台湾との断交と内政不干渉を改めて要求

http://sankei.jp.msn.com/world/news/130314/chn13031418000005-n1.htm　（テスト記事）

中国外務省の華春瑩報道官は１４日の定例記者会見で、フランシスコ１世を新たな法王に選出したローマ法王庁（バチカン）との関係改善の条件として、台湾との関係断絶と中国の内政への不干渉をあらためて求めた・・・

　　（続きはURLへ）

http://sankei.jp.msn.com/world/news/130314/chn13031418000005-n1.htm

Xi　Jinping’s　Ｆｉｒｓｔ　Ｏｖｅｒｓｅａｓ　Ｖｉｓｉｔ

Profile: Xi Jinping: Man of the people, statesman of vision

                                     (Photo Xinhua)

The New York Times reports that President Xi Jiping’s first overseas visit will be to Moscow.　The　Times　speculates that　Mr.Xi　will　attempt　to　get　Russia’s　support　for　its　ongoing　territorial　issues　with　its　Asian　neighbors. Russia　herself　has　had　a　long-standing　dispute　with　Japan　over　islands　seized　during　the　closing　days of WWII, that Japan insists are Japanese territory. Other issues could include world hot spots such as Iran, North Korea and Syria. Possible preliminary talks on a Russia-China energy deal may also be on the table.http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/22/world/asia/new-chinese-leader-xi-jinping-to-visit-moscow.html?

官房長官「中国と戦略的互恵関係築く」

http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXNASFL140MT_U3A310C1000000/　　（テスト記事）

菅義偉官房長官は14日午後の記者会見で、中国共産党の習近平総書記が胡錦濤氏に代わる新しい国家主席に選出されたことを受けて「日中関係は最も重要な２国間関係の１つで、・・・

（続きは下記のURLへ）

http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXNASFL140MT_U3A310C1000000/