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Communist China celebrates 60th anniversary with instruments of war and words of peace
Barbara Demick, LA Times
At the end of a gala today celebrating Communist China's 60th anniversary, President Hu Jintao and his predecessor, Jiang Zemin, got down from their podium and joined hands with the dancers in Tiananmen Square.

It was a symbolic gesture designed to soften the image of a remote and authoritarian leadership that was reinforced by a military parade earlier in the day.

But the day of festivities was like that -- full of contrasting images and a hodgepodge of sometimes contradictory slogans...
(X Sept 2009)

China vows to crack down on industrial overcapacity
Simon Rabinovitch and Jim Bai, Reuters
China's cabinet has laid out detailed plans to curb overcapacity in industries such as steel, aluminum, cement and wind power, warning that the country's economic recovery could otherwise be hampered.

In a reiteration of existing policy targets, the State Council said meeting the government's long-standing goal of reducing overcapacity was urgent because the result of inaction would be factory closures, job losses and rising bad bank loans.

"What especially requires our attention is that it is not only traditional industries such as steel and cement that suffer from productive overcapacity and are still blindly expanding," it said in a notice posted late on Tuesday on www.gov.cn.

While highlighting overcapacity in sectors such as steel and cement -- both energy-guzzling and polluting --, it also aimed at new industries such as wind power equipment and silicon...
(30 Sept 2009)

China, U.S. risk rifts in Middle East: former Chinese envoy
Chris Buckley, Reuters
China and the United States risk deepening rifts over influence and oil in the Middle East, Beijing's former envoy to the region has said, urging his nation to bolster ties with Iran and other energy-exporting powers.

Sun Bigan was China's special envoy on the Middle East until March, and in a new essay he said U.S. President Barack Obama's effort to improve ties with Islamic states in the Middle East was a tactical shift that had not removed the potential for friction between Washington and Beijing in the region.
China faced growing risks to energy security as it increasingly relied on imported oil, especially from the volatile Middle East, where Beijing's sway had been limited, Sun said.

"The U.S. has always sought to control the faucet of global oil supplies. There is cooperation between China and the U.S., but there is also struggle, and the U.S. has always seen us as a potential foe," he wrote in the September issue of "Asia & Africa Review," which reached subscribers this week...
(30 Sept 2009)

Nigeria and China’s oil deal still a secret
Elisha Bala-Gbogbo, next
All is not yet clear about the nature of the talks between Nigeria and China over the 16 oil blocks currently held by multinational oil companies.

The Minister of Sate Petroleum Resources said that Nigeria is not offering China National Offshore Oil Corporation oil licences currently operated by Chevron, ExxonMobil and Anglo-Dutch Shell to China, while renewal negotiations are still ongoing.

Odein Ajumogobia, the Minister of State for Petroleum, said yesterday in Abuja: “We are not offering leases that are up for renewal in the middle of negotiations. That is not happening.”

But Mr. Ajumogobia added that the Chinese firm was one of several state-owned Chinese companies searching for opportunities in Nigeria and elsewhere.

This clarification came after the Financial Times of London published on Tuesday that the Chinese state-controlled oil company was bidding to acquire concessions in 23 prime blocks, some of which are currently under lease to oil giants Shell, ExxonMobil, and Chevron.
(1 Oct 2009)

Parades and protests mark China's National Day
S.L. Shen, upi.asia
The Chinese government is holding a grand military parade Thursday along with many other lavish events in the capital Beijing to celebrate its 60th birthday, culminating in a gala performance and fantastic fireworks display. It will be a joyful time for tens of thousands of citizens chosen to participate in or watch these events.
For the rest of the citizens, however, it is a time of restrictions. Security is so tight in Beijing that residents living along the route of the parade were warned against standing on their balconies or opening their windows during the parade.

According to Chinese media around the country, lots of other things have been banned, including large gatherings in cities other than Beijing, watching foreign television channels, and even getting divorced.

Moreover, the media is forbidden to report or follow up on bad news – like at least two random killings that took place in the streets near Tiananmen Square and an explosion that blew up a Uighur restaurant, all in the past two weeks and despite the presence of thousands of troops and police in the city – in order not to disturb the joyful atmosphere of the celebrations.

However, things are different in Hong Kong, which still enjoys freedom of speech 12 years after returning to Chinese rule, thanks to a deal made with the British when they handed over the territory that promised 50 years of protection for civil society.

In Hong Kong there will be a grand fireworks display over Victoria Harbor, highlighting patriotic themes, accessible to anyone who can find a spot to watch – unlike Beijing, where tickets have been handed out and access is restricted. But there will also be many other events of a different nature taking place on this public holiday in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong is one place under Chinese sovereignty where people can freely and publicly discuss national developments and debate issues related to press freedom, human rights and the one-party dictatorship...
(1 Oct 2009)