Author Archives: News Digest

This is has been a big week for the region, especially for China. President Xi Jinping is now at the tail end of his America’s visit, and today begin’s his much-anticipated Sunnylands Conference with US President Barack Obama. It’s being billed as the first chance for the two leaders to know each other on a personal level, and seeing the informal nature of the visit, it should give them plenty of time to talk. Hopefully some good can come out of the meetings, the Sino-US relationship could certainly use a friendly interlude.

Within China, the First Annual China-South Asia Expo began on Thursday in Kunming. ExSE’s own Brian Eyler has coverage of that event and what it means to China here.

Elsewhere, the World Economic Forum is taking place in Myanmar (Burma) this week. The developing nation will be hoping to use the hosting of this meeting of international business leaders as a showcase of their development thus far and attract investors for the future.

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Just links this week.  Next week be sure to follow Xi Jinping and Barack Obama’s California Summit as well as Li Keqiang’s trip to Kunming’s China-South Asia Expo.

CHINA IN THE REGION/WORLD

The Sino-American Decade –  Council on Foreign Relations Michael Spence writes that cooperation between the United States and China on issues surrounding the environment, trade, investment, and financial stability will be critical not only for the continued well-being of the two countries, but also for the successful rebalancing of the world economy.

What Should Obama and Xi Accomplish at Their California Summit? – ChinaFile “We shouldn’t expect any major agreements or other “deliverables” to result from this meeting. The goal of the encounter is to establish the personal relationship between the two leaders and explore ways to dispel—or at least better manage—the mutual suspicions that have recently been dragging down the relationship. Both leaders are seeking to reassure one another that their intentions are not hostile.”

Frustrated Chinese send complaints to White House website – The Guardian Frustrated by censorship and Beijing’s stonewalling, bloggers and campaigners are turning to Barack Obama. The Chinese people would like President Barack Obama to stop an oil refinery from being built in southern China, endorse sweet-flavoured tofu and reopen an 18-year-old criminal probe of a poisoning case. And while he’s at it, if he wouldn’t mind mobilising US troops to liberate Hong Kong, as well as China as a whole, that would be great, too.

Asia Week Ahead: Xi’s journey to the West – Reuters Video President Obama readies the red carpet for China’s Xi Jinping, Australia faces economic pressures and Malaysia awaits crucial trade figures. Wayne Arnold gives us a preview of next week’s top stories.

China to study possibility of joining U.S.-led trade talks | Reuters China will study the possibility of joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade talks, the Commerce Ministry said on Thursday, signaling its openness to the U.S.-led trade pact.

The Containment Fallacy: China and the TPP | Brookings Institution The argument that the TPP is a club that bars Chinese entry is inaccurate and unhelpful. China, like any other APEC economy, has the right to request entry into the TPP. Whether the Chinese leadership will judge TPP membership to be in their country’s national interest and whether TPP members can be persuaded that China is prepared to abide by the negotiated disciplines is a separate matter. But it is important to dispel the notion that the TPP precludes Chinese entry.

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The top stories this week are Myanmar President Thein Sein’s historic visit to the White House, Li Keqiang’s South Asian diplomacy tour, and Kunming’s environmental protests.

Top media outlets like AP, South China Morning Post, the Telegraph, the Guardian offer analysis and discussion of the government’s follow-up/crackdown after the latest 5/16 protest.  In addition to ExSE’s continuing discussion of the Kunming protests, we recommend the following three pieces.

New Dawn for Chinese Activism – SBS Australia A new age of environmental protest is dawning in China as the ‘lao  baixing’, or ordinary people, gain a voice with the help of social  media, writes Monica Tan.

China’s Environmental Politics: A Game of Crisis Management  – Council on Foreign Relations

Why China Can Handle Social Unrest – The Atlantic Recent protests in Kunming reveal an increasing consciousness of environmental rights in the country. But do they threaten the Communist Party’s grip on power?

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The big news this week came out of Kunming, Yunnan with the anti-PX plant protest. Following a successful, small-scale protest earlier in the month, over 2000 Kunmingers protested. East by Southeast had riveting on-the-scene coverage that was picked up by CFR’s Asia Unbound blog, Sinocism, China Digital Times and the Shanghaiist, among other news sources. Check out the Guardian, the Wall Street Journal  and Voice of America for more coverage.

Following the non-violent, 5 hour-long protest that shut down much of central Kunming, the city’s mayor, Li Wenrong, opened a Weibo account for public discussion of the chemical refinery’s construction and Kunming’s environmental issues as a whole.  The movement is definitely picking up steam, it will be fascinating to see what direction it goes in the coming weeks. Our blog will be bringing you continuing coverage of the protests next week.

The Taiwan/Philippines row looks to be heating up, even after an apology from Philippines over the killing of a Taiwanese fisherman in the South China Sea. Interesting to see how Taiwan, often overlooked in the island disputes, has responded to the situation, also how folks on the mainland view the situation.

Also, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang goes on his first foreign tour this week, visiting India, Pakistan, Switzerland and Germany. Should make for an interesting trip to India following the recent flare-up at the border.

These past two weeks have seen ExSE reach new heights in terms of readership and coverage, a big thank you to our readers for showing your support, make sure to check out the comment sections and let us know what you think about these issues! Continue reading →

The China/India border kerfuffle is over for now, and the Chinese tourists came home from their fandango into disputed waters – see below.  Shifting back to the interior, the NY Times has two excellent stories linked to the damming of the Nu River in Yunnan.  EbSE blogger Zhou Dequn posted on this critical issue in April.

The biggest news this week in EbSE land comes from Kunming where EbSE has briefly entered the spotlight while covering Kunming’s protest against the construction of a PX chemical plant west of  the city.  EbSE blogger Brian Eyler live-tweeted the protest on 5/4 (@aikunming) and was mentioned  here at China Digital Times.  EbSE contributed photos used in international coverage of the protest.  The BBC, Reuters, Phoenix Satellite all had protest coverage. Phoenix and Caixin have ongoing analysis.

Kunming protestors sent a petition with 13000 signatures to the White House this week.  Hopefully it doesn’t get lost in the mound of mock petitions sent to the White House by China’s Netizens as well this week.

People’s Daily English version released a statement that Kunming’s PX project is still on hold and the Chinese language version acknowledged that “today we live in the information and government institutions and state owned enterprises must be transparent in their processes.”  The Chinese language version posted on 5/8 that “protesting the PX project is part of the road to decision making.”  Both assessments suggest certain institutions at the central government level are in support of these protests.

Whether or not the protest was approved by the city Civil Affairs Bureau remains unsettled.  EbSE contacts say the protest was indeed approved, but other sources close to organizers claim the protest was not approved.  The relaxed and permissive atmosphere during the three hour protest suggests that the it received approval, but we could be wrong.

Lastly, the Philippines’ South China Sea arbitration case against China at ITLOS is gathering a lot of discussion online.  EbSe launched its focus on the South China Sea and this issue yesterday with the first in a series of posts from RedOceans.

One month into our launch, we are providing you with more content throughout the week, so the news digest will be published on Fridays from here forward for your weekend reading pleasure.

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Despite the May holiday, it was a busy week for regional news on China and Southeast Asia.

A good deal is happening to suggest China is giving second thoughts to the core principles of its foreign policy.  News below shows that once again disputes in the South China Sea are abroil.  China is sending tour boats to islands that Vietnam also claims as its own, armed military helicopters to support counterinsurgents in Myanmar, and crack troops of soldiers to disputed territories with India.

Along with these changes to the status quo come a flurry of analyses – many listed below – on China’s role in the region and how its leaders think about foreign policy.

Lastly, the Guardian is proving that it is leading the way in reporting on the region.  Check out their excellent articles below on environmental degradation in the Mekong region and China’s footprint in Africa.

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