sweetgrape
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Can understand the poster is very happy China team are suppressd by no matter who, what a poor vietcong, final post is in China&Far East forum
The Great Game Changer: Belt and Road Intiative (BRI; OBOR)
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BoQ77
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What about Vietnam?
straight ques, straight ans. Vietnam is weak at that.
And Phan Thi Ha Thanh doesn't reach her best performance.
Can understand the poster is very happy China team are suppressd by no matter who, what a poor vietcong, final post is in China&Far East forum
Sorry for not so good achievement, China men and women team performed in Rio.
They deserved to have 2 golds for China.
IT is my surprise to see these results.
But dont deny the progress of Japan and USA.
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sweetgrape
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You think it hurt us? hehe, what a poor vietnam! we are much more mature than you, we are not at the same level, you can't understand, kid
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ahojunk
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The countries along the Belt & Road Initiative are lucky.
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China's new scholarship to sponsor students from Belt & Road nations
Source: Xinhua 2016-08-11 20:57:40
BEIJING, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- The central government will establish a Belt and Road scholarship, which will sponsor students from countries along the routes to study in China, according to an action plan publicized Thursday.
The scholarship will sponsor 10,000 foreign students each year over the next five years, according to an action plan on education cooperation, published by the Ministry of Education.
In the next three years, the government will also sponsor 2,500 Chinese students to study in Belt and Road initiative nations each year, according to the document.
The Belt and Road initiative refers to the building of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road. It will be a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes.
The action plan also listed projects that would see the joint founding of schools and training for teachers and other professionals.
--------
China's new scholarship to sponsor students from Belt & Road nations
Source: Xinhua 2016-08-11 20:57:40
BEIJING, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- The central government will establish a Belt and Road scholarship, which will sponsor students from countries along the routes to study in China, according to an action plan publicized Thursday.
The scholarship will sponsor 10,000 foreign students each year over the next five years, according to an action plan on education cooperation, published by the Ministry of Education.
In the next three years, the government will also sponsor 2,500 Chinese students to study in Belt and Road initiative nations each year, according to the document.
The Belt and Road initiative refers to the building of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road. It will be a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes.
The action plan also listed projects that would see the joint founding of schools and training for teachers and other professionals.
ahojunk
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An Australian journalist's view of OBOR.
You can sense some frustration that Australian is not included.
--------
Australia not part of China's Silk Road expansion of trade, for now
Ross Gittins
July 31 2016
You've heard of belt and braces. You may even have heard of one country, two systems. But have you heard of One Belt, One Road? No, I thought not. Rest assured, you will.
It's a topic much discussed in business and economic circles in China, as I learnt on a visit there sponsored by the Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology, Sydney.
China's new silk road will run through central Asia. Photo: Prashanth Vishwanathan
It's a plan for the establishment of a new Silk Road between Europe and China, to increase trade and cultural exchange between all the countries along the route.
It's an initiative of the Chinese government, first announced by President Xi Jinping in 2013, and much elaborated since then.
The belt refers a land-based Silk Road Economic Belt running through China to Central Asia to Russia and Europe.
The road refers to a sea-based Maritime Silk Road taking in the countries of south-east Asia and running through the Indian Ocean to the countries of South Asia, then through the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean.
To keep muddling metaphors, the maritime "road" may even have a spur line to Africa. In principle, more than 60 countries could be involved.
It may sound like a politicians' grand vision that won't get far. That's certainly the way some American critics have reacted to it. There could be much suspicion, resentment and resistance to China's expansion plans from countries and their citizens, they say.
But while politicians talk big in Western countries, in China they tend to act big. Making the initiative a reality would involve much spending on infrastructure such as sea ports, airports, railways, highways, oil and gas pipelines, power stations and special economic zones.
China has much to gain from all this, of course. Its existing development activity in certain African countries suggests it would supply much of the materials and labour for infrastructure projects.
Should the oft-predicted economic "hard landing" eventuate and lead to rapidly rising unemployment at home, its desire to get on with foreign construction projects might be heightened.
Establishing a new Silk Road means China, already the world's largest trading nation, would greatly expand its export opportunities.
Many Australian companies are well-equipped to supply such consulting services, but to-date our firms have shown limited appetite for the higher risks involved in developing country projects.
But trade between a willing buyer and willing seller is mutually beneficial. And increased trade could do much to hasten the economic development of the "stans" of Central Asia - such as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Already there is much interest and activity in Pakistan.
Geoff Raby, a former Australian ambassador to China, has observed that the initiative is "of great strategic significance for Beijing, as it is also intended to reduce China's major strategic vulnerability caused by so much of its seaborne trade, especially crude oil, having to go through the Strait of Malacca".
As an aside, this vulnerability also helps explain China's sensitivity over the South China Sea.
Full implementation of the initiative could take decades, of course. But a solid start has already been made. For instance, a freight rail link between the south-western China province of Sichuan (the one with the spicy food) and Lodz in Poland is now running three trains a week.
This fits also with the Chinese government's earlier - and continuing - Go West campaign to move economic activity - particularly labour-intensive manufacturing - inland from the richer coastal provinces, where labour is getting ever-more expensive.
But have you noticed something? The many countries that could get involved with the initiative include Indonesia, but not us.
At least, not directly. There is scope, however, for Australian banks and other financial institutions help facilitate the funding of infrastructure projects.
Much of the construction of projects will be done by big Chinese state-owned enterprises. We could, of course, sit back and hope this leads to restored demand for our coal and iron ore.
But the SOEs will often need to partner with foreign firms able to provide the specialist expertise they lack in in such things as engineering and major construction.
Many Australian companies are well-equipped to supply such consulting services, but to-date our firms have shown limited appetite for the higher risks involved in developing country projects.
Much safer to limit your innovation and agility to pressing the government for "reforms" that cut the tax you pay or allow you to drive harder bargains with your employees.
But not to worry. There are Japanese and South Korean firms who'll be happy to eat the Chinese lunch we don't fancy.
Ross Gittins is the Herald's economics editor.
You can sense some frustration that Australian is not included.
--------
Australia not part of China's Silk Road expansion of trade, for now
Ross Gittins
July 31 2016
You've heard of belt and braces. You may even have heard of one country, two systems. But have you heard of One Belt, One Road? No, I thought not. Rest assured, you will.
It's a topic much discussed in business and economic circles in China, as I learnt on a visit there sponsored by the Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology, Sydney.
China's new silk road will run through central Asia. Photo: Prashanth Vishwanathan
It's a plan for the establishment of a new Silk Road between Europe and China, to increase trade and cultural exchange between all the countries along the route.
It's an initiative of the Chinese government, first announced by President Xi Jinping in 2013, and much elaborated since then.
The belt refers a land-based Silk Road Economic Belt running through China to Central Asia to Russia and Europe.
The road refers to a sea-based Maritime Silk Road taking in the countries of south-east Asia and running through the Indian Ocean to the countries of South Asia, then through the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean.
To keep muddling metaphors, the maritime "road" may even have a spur line to Africa. In principle, more than 60 countries could be involved.
It may sound like a politicians' grand vision that won't get far. That's certainly the way some American critics have reacted to it. There could be much suspicion, resentment and resistance to China's expansion plans from countries and their citizens, they say.
But while politicians talk big in Western countries, in China they tend to act big. Making the initiative a reality would involve much spending on infrastructure such as sea ports, airports, railways, highways, oil and gas pipelines, power stations and special economic zones.
China has much to gain from all this, of course. Its existing development activity in certain African countries suggests it would supply much of the materials and labour for infrastructure projects.
Should the oft-predicted economic "hard landing" eventuate and lead to rapidly rising unemployment at home, its desire to get on with foreign construction projects might be heightened.
Establishing a new Silk Road means China, already the world's largest trading nation, would greatly expand its export opportunities.
Many Australian companies are well-equipped to supply such consulting services, but to-date our firms have shown limited appetite for the higher risks involved in developing country projects.
But trade between a willing buyer and willing seller is mutually beneficial. And increased trade could do much to hasten the economic development of the "stans" of Central Asia - such as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Already there is much interest and activity in Pakistan.
Geoff Raby, a former Australian ambassador to China, has observed that the initiative is "of great strategic significance for Beijing, as it is also intended to reduce China's major strategic vulnerability caused by so much of its seaborne trade, especially crude oil, having to go through the Strait of Malacca".
As an aside, this vulnerability also helps explain China's sensitivity over the South China Sea.
Full implementation of the initiative could take decades, of course. But a solid start has already been made. For instance, a freight rail link between the south-western China province of Sichuan (the one with the spicy food) and Lodz in Poland is now running three trains a week.
This fits also with the Chinese government's earlier - and continuing - Go West campaign to move economic activity - particularly labour-intensive manufacturing - inland from the richer coastal provinces, where labour is getting ever-more expensive.
But have you noticed something? The many countries that could get involved with the initiative include Indonesia, but not us.
At least, not directly. There is scope, however, for Australian banks and other financial institutions help facilitate the funding of infrastructure projects.
Much of the construction of projects will be done by big Chinese state-owned enterprises. We could, of course, sit back and hope this leads to restored demand for our coal and iron ore.
But the SOEs will often need to partner with foreign firms able to provide the specialist expertise they lack in in such things as engineering and major construction.
Many Australian companies are well-equipped to supply such consulting services, but to-date our firms have shown limited appetite for the higher risks involved in developing country projects.
Much safer to limit your innovation and agility to pressing the government for "reforms" that cut the tax you pay or allow you to drive harder bargains with your employees.
But not to worry. There are Japanese and South Korean firms who'll be happy to eat the Chinese lunch we don't fancy.
Ross Gittins is the Herald's economics editor.
TaiShang
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Russia engages with China on THAAD
August 12, 2016
Moscow suggests US rethinks NK threat
China and Russia are discussing a proposal to prevent the further escalation of tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the Russian ambassador told media, which experts say indicates that the two countries are growing closer in the face of the deployment of a US missile defense system that has altered the fragile geopolitical balance in Northeast Asia.
The Russian Embassy in Beijing confirmed the proposal with the Global Times on Thursday, adding that it was mentioned by Russian Ambassador Andrey Denisov in an interview with Russian media.
China's foreign ministry has yet to confirm the existence of a joint proposal.
No other details have been released, but Denisov told Russian newspaper Izvestia that Russia believes the US and South Korea should at least control the scale of their joint military drills if they cannot cancel the exercises.
He said tensions have escalated to a severe level and Russia believes measures should be taken to at least prevent it from further deteriorating, Izvestia reported Thursday.
Russia suggested the US, Japan and South Korea re-evaluate the threat level of North Korean military capabilities, which they could be exaggerating, Denisov told Izvestia.
"The deployment of the THAAD (Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense) system is driving China and Russia to move closer to each other to counter pressure from the US and the unstable factors on the Korean Peninsula," Wu Enyuan, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.
Wu said it is too early to say whether the situation would slide into "a new Cold War," but the THAAD deployment has broken the fragile strategic balance in the geopolitically volatile Northeast Asian region.
"It raises the possibility of confrontation to a new level, with the US, South Korea and Japan on one side and China, Russia and North Korea on the other. If anything happens, conflicts are likely to spill beyond the Korean Peninsula," he noted.
South Korea declared last month it had agreed to deploy the controversial US missile defense system as a countermeasure against North Korean weapons tests, drawing strong criticism from China and Russia.
The THAAD system, when implemented with the AN/TPY-2 long-range radar, is capable of spying on activities in neighboring countries' territory. It also dampens China's strategic nuclear missile deterrence capacity, a key part of China's national security.
"China could always increase the number of its nuclear weapons and improve their performance to rebuild the strategic balance between China and the US ruined by the THAAD deployment," Wu Riqiang, an international affairs scholar at the Renmin University of China, wrote to the Global Times on Thursday. "However, through this process, Sino-South Korean relations will be seriously damaged."
THAAD in Japan?
Meanwhile, the Japanese Defense Ministry is inclined to hasten efforts to deploy a THAAD battery in the wake of North Korea's recent missile launches, Chosun Ilbo quoted NHK as saying.
A North Korean Rodong missile fell into Japan's exclusive economic zone on August 3.
"We cannot eliminate the possibility of another THAAD deployment in Japan in the future. However, by releasing the news at this time, Japan wishes to kill two birds with one stone - to show its support for the US deployment in South Korea and to test China's and Russia's response to its own purchase of a THAAD battery," Da Zhigang, director of the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies at the Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday.
Wu Enyuan said that with THAAD deployments in South Korea and Japan, US moves will be interpreted as an attempt to forge an "Asian NATO."
The THAAD deployment has damaged mutual trust between China and South Korea, and China and the US.
On Thursday, US Missile Defense Agency director James D. Syring said in South Korea that the THAAD deployment is strictly meant to protect South Korea and will not be used against China. He added that THAAD in the Korean Peninsula will not be part of the US' wider missile defense network, the Korean Herald reported. But analysts said China is unconvinced by the statement alone.
China is deeply suspicious that the US' pivot to Asia strategy is aimed at containing it.
"The key to resolving issues on the Korean Peninsula rests on the US. If the US is willing to extend an olive branch to North Korea like it did to Iran, tensions would be eased in a week. Neither China nor Russia holds such a huge sway on North Korea," Da said.
August 12, 2016
Moscow suggests US rethinks NK threat
China and Russia are discussing a proposal to prevent the further escalation of tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the Russian ambassador told media, which experts say indicates that the two countries are growing closer in the face of the deployment of a US missile defense system that has altered the fragile geopolitical balance in Northeast Asia.
The Russian Embassy in Beijing confirmed the proposal with the Global Times on Thursday, adding that it was mentioned by Russian Ambassador Andrey Denisov in an interview with Russian media.
China's foreign ministry has yet to confirm the existence of a joint proposal.
No other details have been released, but Denisov told Russian newspaper Izvestia that Russia believes the US and South Korea should at least control the scale of their joint military drills if they cannot cancel the exercises.
He said tensions have escalated to a severe level and Russia believes measures should be taken to at least prevent it from further deteriorating, Izvestia reported Thursday.
Russia suggested the US, Japan and South Korea re-evaluate the threat level of North Korean military capabilities, which they could be exaggerating, Denisov told Izvestia.
"The deployment of the THAAD (Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense) system is driving China and Russia to move closer to each other to counter pressure from the US and the unstable factors on the Korean Peninsula," Wu Enyuan, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.
Wu said it is too early to say whether the situation would slide into "a new Cold War," but the THAAD deployment has broken the fragile strategic balance in the geopolitically volatile Northeast Asian region.
"It raises the possibility of confrontation to a new level, with the US, South Korea and Japan on one side and China, Russia and North Korea on the other. If anything happens, conflicts are likely to spill beyond the Korean Peninsula," he noted.
South Korea declared last month it had agreed to deploy the controversial US missile defense system as a countermeasure against North Korean weapons tests, drawing strong criticism from China and Russia.
The THAAD system, when implemented with the AN/TPY-2 long-range radar, is capable of spying on activities in neighboring countries' territory. It also dampens China's strategic nuclear missile deterrence capacity, a key part of China's national security.
"China could always increase the number of its nuclear weapons and improve their performance to rebuild the strategic balance between China and the US ruined by the THAAD deployment," Wu Riqiang, an international affairs scholar at the Renmin University of China, wrote to the Global Times on Thursday. "However, through this process, Sino-South Korean relations will be seriously damaged."
THAAD in Japan?
Meanwhile, the Japanese Defense Ministry is inclined to hasten efforts to deploy a THAAD battery in the wake of North Korea's recent missile launches, Chosun Ilbo quoted NHK as saying.
A North Korean Rodong missile fell into Japan's exclusive economic zone on August 3.
"We cannot eliminate the possibility of another THAAD deployment in Japan in the future. However, by releasing the news at this time, Japan wishes to kill two birds with one stone - to show its support for the US deployment in South Korea and to test China's and Russia's response to its own purchase of a THAAD battery," Da Zhigang, director of the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies at the Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday.
Wu Enyuan said that with THAAD deployments in South Korea and Japan, US moves will be interpreted as an attempt to forge an "Asian NATO."
The THAAD deployment has damaged mutual trust between China and South Korea, and China and the US.
On Thursday, US Missile Defense Agency director James D. Syring said in South Korea that the THAAD deployment is strictly meant to protect South Korea and will not be used against China. He added that THAAD in the Korean Peninsula will not be part of the US' wider missile defense network, the Korean Herald reported. But analysts said China is unconvinced by the statement alone.
China is deeply suspicious that the US' pivot to Asia strategy is aimed at containing it.
"The key to resolving issues on the Korean Peninsula rests on the US. If the US is willing to extend an olive branch to North Korea like it did to Iran, tensions would be eased in a week. Neither China nor Russia holds such a huge sway on North Korea," Da said.
Jlaw
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China should side with Japan on the comfort women issue. From other sources there is a strong indication the Korean comfort women were actually pimped by korean men to the Japanese.
I know I know bro, lets hope he will be more wisely before handing out bans just because some hybrid started to complain. Anyway things are looking good for China, Russia and DPRK when it comes down to chess pieces. But i gotta give it to you a tectonic bomb in JP?Brilliant. I myself would not hesitate to use our Megaton toys if someone dares to even lay a finger on our Mainland.
He's been harsh on me in the past because that fake SE Asian jap complained, fake Latino complained, and BBQ the Viet troller complained.
Complained and I got banned even though what I said were the truth.
TaiShang
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Wow, he sums up nicely.
And he well captures the "money walk, talk talks" rule.
Australia has been surprisingly hostile to "anything" Chinese, recently, including their disgusting media insulting Team China members in the most blatantly racist manner. Low-life whatevers!
This teaches one lesson (that we should have learned so far already): They will respect power only.
Now, back to topic.
China adds a fourth branch to its European OBOR route.
**
China-Europe freight train adds new route to Russia's Chelyabinsk
(Xinhua) August 14, 2016
A cargo train left Zhejiang in eastern China on Saturday for Russia's Chelyabinsk, the latest freight train service China has launched to boost trade ties along the ancient Silk Road. [Photo: zjnews.8531.cn]
HANGZHOU, Aug. 13 -- A cargo train left east Chinese province of Zhejiang on Saturday for Russia's Chelyabinsk, the latest freight train service China has launched to boost trade ties along the ancient Silk Road.
The X8024 freight train leaving from Yiwu at 4:18 p.m. Saturday is the fourth route connecting the eastern Chinese export hub with cities in Europe, Central and Western Asia.
The weekly train service will travel 7,200 kilometers in eight days before reaching Chelyabinsk, a logistic and transit hub for Russia in the Ural Mountains region.
This compares with 35 days for a shipping route connecting Yiwu and Chelyabinsk.
Trade between Yiwu and Russia amounted to 507.4 million U.S. dollars in 2015. Daily package delivery from Yiwu to Russia stands at 23,000, or roughly half of all the e-commerce orders Russia has placed in Zhejiang Province.
This newly opened freight train service takes only two thirds of the time used for road transportation and costs only one fifth of air transportation.
The freight train service is also expected to extend to Russian's capital Moscow in the future.
TaiShang
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Interview: Belt & Road Initiative to foster China-Serbia win-win cooperation: Serbian expert
Xinhua | 2016-08-14
Chinese President Xi Jinping (C, front) attends a luncheon hosted by Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic (R, front) and Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic (L, front) in Belgrade, Serbia, June 19, 2016. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)
by Wang Huijuan, Nemanja Cabric
BELGRADE, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- China-proposed Belt and Road initiative offers new perspective for the growth of the friendly ties between China and Serbia towards achieving win-win results in various fields, Zivadin Jovanovic, a Serbian expert on international relations, told Xinhua in a recent interview.
Jovanovic served as Yugoslavian foreign minister from 1998 to 2000 and is now president of the think-tank "Belgrade Forum for a World of Equals" founded in 2000.
Jovanovic said people in both Serbia and China shared in history a tradition of fighting against aggression and oppression and defending national dignity.
"Today our two countries share the same basic objectives, such as peaceful coexistence, independent internal and foreign policy, support to United Nations and respect for the international law," he said, adding that both countries acknowledge the need to build a new world order based on the principle of sovereign equality of all nations.
Both countries have "stable friendship" and are "trusted partners" in various fields, the Serbian expert said, citing China's solidarity with Serbia during the 1999 NATO bombing of then Yugoslavia as well as China's support for Serbia following the 2014 floods that struck Serbia hard as examples.
He also noted that in a move to honor the Serbia-China friendship, just two months ago, Belgrade named the street in front of the future Chinese cultural center after the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius (551-479 BC) and named the area around the center as "Square of Serbian-Chinese Friendship".
Serbia and China in June agreed to upgrade their relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership. "This is a natural result of long-lasting friendship, comprehensive cooperation and mutual trust between the two countries," Jovanovic said, stressing that it presents an iron foundation for accelerating bilateral cooperation in the 21st century.
"Multidimensional, global initiative Belt and Road has opened new unprecedented perspectives for expansion and intensification of cooperation," he said.
When it comes to bilateral economic cooperation, Jovanovic listed some of the major achievements within the framework of the Belt and Road initiative -- Mihajlo Pupin Bridge, Kostolac thermal power plant, the E763 highway, the Serbia-Hungary railway and Smederevo Steel Mill.
In his opinion, the Belt and Road initiative expands, widens and intensifies Sebia-China cooperation.
The initiative provides an opportunity to expand and modernize Serbia's regional and European infrastructure and will help Serbia activate its existing resources towards achieving modern and sustainable development, Jovanovic said.
Moreover, it will help Serbia adapt its strategy of development and distribution of international cooperation towards its own potentials, priorities and new realities in the world, the Serbian expert said.
Serbia and China "in spite of geographic distance, incomparable size of territories, population and economic potentials, do respect each other, do share values of peace stability and win-win cooperation," therefore they have wide area for bilateral and international cooperation, he added.
"Thanks to cooperation with China, especially within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, Serbia is resolving some long-standing economic difficulties, accelerating economic and technological development and reinforcing partnership position in Europe," Jovanovic said, adding, "China, on the other side, can always be confident in Serbia that it will be its stable partner in Europe, particularly in the process of the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative."
Xinhua | 2016-08-14
Chinese President Xi Jinping (C, front) attends a luncheon hosted by Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic (R, front) and Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic (L, front) in Belgrade, Serbia, June 19, 2016. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)
by Wang Huijuan, Nemanja Cabric
BELGRADE, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- China-proposed Belt and Road initiative offers new perspective for the growth of the friendly ties between China and Serbia towards achieving win-win results in various fields, Zivadin Jovanovic, a Serbian expert on international relations, told Xinhua in a recent interview.
Jovanovic served as Yugoslavian foreign minister from 1998 to 2000 and is now president of the think-tank "Belgrade Forum for a World of Equals" founded in 2000.
Jovanovic said people in both Serbia and China shared in history a tradition of fighting against aggression and oppression and defending national dignity.
"Today our two countries share the same basic objectives, such as peaceful coexistence, independent internal and foreign policy, support to United Nations and respect for the international law," he said, adding that both countries acknowledge the need to build a new world order based on the principle of sovereign equality of all nations.
Both countries have "stable friendship" and are "trusted partners" in various fields, the Serbian expert said, citing China's solidarity with Serbia during the 1999 NATO bombing of then Yugoslavia as well as China's support for Serbia following the 2014 floods that struck Serbia hard as examples.
He also noted that in a move to honor the Serbia-China friendship, just two months ago, Belgrade named the street in front of the future Chinese cultural center after the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius (551-479 BC) and named the area around the center as "Square of Serbian-Chinese Friendship".
Serbia and China in June agreed to upgrade their relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership. "This is a natural result of long-lasting friendship, comprehensive cooperation and mutual trust between the two countries," Jovanovic said, stressing that it presents an iron foundation for accelerating bilateral cooperation in the 21st century.
"Multidimensional, global initiative Belt and Road has opened new unprecedented perspectives for expansion and intensification of cooperation," he said.
When it comes to bilateral economic cooperation, Jovanovic listed some of the major achievements within the framework of the Belt and Road initiative -- Mihajlo Pupin Bridge, Kostolac thermal power plant, the E763 highway, the Serbia-Hungary railway and Smederevo Steel Mill.
In his opinion, the Belt and Road initiative expands, widens and intensifies Sebia-China cooperation.
The initiative provides an opportunity to expand and modernize Serbia's regional and European infrastructure and will help Serbia activate its existing resources towards achieving modern and sustainable development, Jovanovic said.
Moreover, it will help Serbia adapt its strategy of development and distribution of international cooperation towards its own potentials, priorities and new realities in the world, the Serbian expert said.
Serbia and China "in spite of geographic distance, incomparable size of territories, population and economic potentials, do respect each other, do share values of peace stability and win-win cooperation," therefore they have wide area for bilateral and international cooperation, he added.
"Thanks to cooperation with China, especially within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, Serbia is resolving some long-standing economic difficulties, accelerating economic and technological development and reinforcing partnership position in Europe," Jovanovic said, adding, "China, on the other side, can always be confident in Serbia that it will be its stable partner in Europe, particularly in the process of the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative."
TaiShang
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China makes headway on Belt and Road, urbanization
Xinhua, August 17, 2016
Progresses in the Belt and Road Initiative and China's urbanization drive are among the bright spots in the country's efforts to fulfill targets in its development plan.
Capacity, infrastructure and education cooperation with countries under the Belt and Road Initiative have made substantial progress, said Zhao Chenxin, spokesperson for the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) at a news briefing.
ADVANCES IN BELT AND ROAD
The total value of bilateral industrial cooperation has exceeded 100 billion U.S. dollars under the framework. So far, Chinese companies have built 46 cooperation zones in countries along the routes, while China's Ministry of Education has inked over 60 deals with those countries.
In 2015, nearly half of the international students in China came from countries along the routes, Zhao said. Nearly 400,000 foreign students from 202 countries and regions came to study in China in 2015, data showed.
Meanwhile, China has built railways, highways and ports along the routes while signing MOUs with its neighbors and partners.
Launched in late 2013, the initiative is an umbrella term for the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road. It will be a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along ancient trade routes.
PROGRESS ON URBANIZATION GOALS
China has also made significant progress in shanty-town renovation and building affordable housing and public transportation, the spokesperson said at the same briefing.
As of the end of June, the country had met 66.9 percent of its annual shanty-town renovation target, 8.2 percentage points higher than the same period last year.
As for urban affordable housing projects, 97.9 percent of the annual target had been reached as of the end of June, Zhao said.
In the first half of 2016, city and inter-city railway networks grew rapidly. Rail transit in 25 cities reached a length of more than 3,300 kilometers, and another 3,800 km was under construction in 37 cities. The intercity traffic network hit 1,250 km.
Governments of all provincial regions have released their reform plans on the household registration system.
The central government is supporting 37 towns to innovate infrastructure investment financing and help medium and small cities and towns to improve infrastructure weak points in water, heat and gas supply as well as sewage and garbage treatment.
Zhao also said that China will strive to foster new pillars of economic growth and deepen international cooperation in its urbanization drive.
CHALLENGING CAPACITY CUTS AHEAD
However, overcapacity reduction casts a shadow over the Chinese economy. China still faces daunting challenges in reducing capacity for the rest of 2016, despite an acceleration in July, according to Zhao.
By the end of July, capacity reduction in China's steel sector totaled just 21 million tonnes, or 47 percent of the annual target, Zhao said. This marked substantial progress, as China had only completed about 30 percent of planned cuts for the year by the end of June, but it is still far from the target.
To fulfil the annual target, local governments were urged to be more resolute in cutting capacity and introducing measures such as accountability systems, public exposure and blacklisting, according to Zhao.
China had reached 38 percent of annual coal capacity reduction targets as of the end of July, Zhao added.
Zhao attributed the default largely to a spike in steel and coal prices this year and local governments' reluctance to cut capacity in order to protect jobs and local economies.
Despite the default, Zhao said China's overcapacity cutting efforts will not drag on the country's growth or harm the world economy.
Overcapacity is a global problem resulting from the 2008 financial crisis and occurs in many industries such as crude oil, iron ore and auto making, causing shale oil and gas stockpiles in the United States and iron ore overproduction in Australia, Zhao said when responding to concerns raised by a Reuters correspondent.
Even in the steel sector, overcapacity is not just a "China problem." "Many countries are confronting the problem. It is a global issue," he said. In 2014, China's rate of capacity utilization of crude steel was about the same as the world's average of 73.4 percent.
Moreover, China's iron and steel products are mainly for the domestic market to support the country's urbanization, manufacturing and infrastructure development.
Xinhua, August 17, 2016
Progresses in the Belt and Road Initiative and China's urbanization drive are among the bright spots in the country's efforts to fulfill targets in its development plan.
Capacity, infrastructure and education cooperation with countries under the Belt and Road Initiative have made substantial progress, said Zhao Chenxin, spokesperson for the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) at a news briefing.
ADVANCES IN BELT AND ROAD
The total value of bilateral industrial cooperation has exceeded 100 billion U.S. dollars under the framework. So far, Chinese companies have built 46 cooperation zones in countries along the routes, while China's Ministry of Education has inked over 60 deals with those countries.
In 2015, nearly half of the international students in China came from countries along the routes, Zhao said. Nearly 400,000 foreign students from 202 countries and regions came to study in China in 2015, data showed.
Meanwhile, China has built railways, highways and ports along the routes while signing MOUs with its neighbors and partners.
Launched in late 2013, the initiative is an umbrella term for the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road. It will be a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along ancient trade routes.
PROGRESS ON URBANIZATION GOALS
China has also made significant progress in shanty-town renovation and building affordable housing and public transportation, the spokesperson said at the same briefing.
As of the end of June, the country had met 66.9 percent of its annual shanty-town renovation target, 8.2 percentage points higher than the same period last year.
As for urban affordable housing projects, 97.9 percent of the annual target had been reached as of the end of June, Zhao said.
In the first half of 2016, city and inter-city railway networks grew rapidly. Rail transit in 25 cities reached a length of more than 3,300 kilometers, and another 3,800 km was under construction in 37 cities. The intercity traffic network hit 1,250 km.
Governments of all provincial regions have released their reform plans on the household registration system.
The central government is supporting 37 towns to innovate infrastructure investment financing and help medium and small cities and towns to improve infrastructure weak points in water, heat and gas supply as well as sewage and garbage treatment.
Zhao also said that China will strive to foster new pillars of economic growth and deepen international cooperation in its urbanization drive.
CHALLENGING CAPACITY CUTS AHEAD
However, overcapacity reduction casts a shadow over the Chinese economy. China still faces daunting challenges in reducing capacity for the rest of 2016, despite an acceleration in July, according to Zhao.
By the end of July, capacity reduction in China's steel sector totaled just 21 million tonnes, or 47 percent of the annual target, Zhao said. This marked substantial progress, as China had only completed about 30 percent of planned cuts for the year by the end of June, but it is still far from the target.
To fulfil the annual target, local governments were urged to be more resolute in cutting capacity and introducing measures such as accountability systems, public exposure and blacklisting, according to Zhao.
China had reached 38 percent of annual coal capacity reduction targets as of the end of July, Zhao added.
Zhao attributed the default largely to a spike in steel and coal prices this year and local governments' reluctance to cut capacity in order to protect jobs and local economies.
Despite the default, Zhao said China's overcapacity cutting efforts will not drag on the country's growth or harm the world economy.
Overcapacity is a global problem resulting from the 2008 financial crisis and occurs in many industries such as crude oil, iron ore and auto making, causing shale oil and gas stockpiles in the United States and iron ore overproduction in Australia, Zhao said when responding to concerns raised by a Reuters correspondent.
Even in the steel sector, overcapacity is not just a "China problem." "Many countries are confronting the problem. It is a global issue," he said. In 2014, China's rate of capacity utilization of crude steel was about the same as the world's average of 73.4 percent.
Moreover, China's iron and steel products are mainly for the domestic market to support the country's urbanization, manufacturing and infrastructure development.
艹艹艹
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(Beijing) – China National Petroleum Corp., one of the country's largest gas and oil producers, has started developing a second pipeline to import 15 million metric tons of crude oil each year from Russia, official People's Daily reported on August 16.
The 940-kilometer pipeline connects Mohe, the northernmost Chinese county bordering Russia, and Daqing, the country's largest oil field by output in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang. The project is due to be finished in January 2018 and it runs parallel to another US$ 25 billion pipeline linking the town of Skovorodino in Siberia to the world's biggest consumer of energy.
Once completed, the pipeline will double the annual volume of crude imports from Russia to 30 million metric tons, CNPC said in May.
Russia, which overtook Saudi Arabia as the world's largest oil producer in 2009, is one of China's top sources of crude.
CNPC commences laying second China-Russia oil pipeline in NE
Source:Global Times Published: 2016/8/17 23:08:39
0
China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC), the nation's biggest oil and gas producer, has started laying the second oil pipeline of the China-Russia crude oil pipeline project in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.
The pipeline, which runs from Mohe to Daqing, both in Heilongjiang, will be 940 kilometers long and is expected to have an annual capacity of 15 million tons, according to a report published by the People's Daily on Wednesday.
The project is likely to be completed by the end of October 2017, and is expected to start operations on January 1, 2018.
The energy relationship between China and Russia, one of the world's biggest oil producers, has deepened since Russia started sending oil supplies to China in 2011, Bloomberg reported in May.
China's imports of Russian crude jumped nearly 30 percent in 2015, making Russia the second-largest supplier to China on an annual basis after Saudi Arabia, noted the report.
China signed an agreement with the Russian government to expand crude oil trade cooperation in March 2013.
In June 2013, CNPC signed a contract with Rosneft to increase Russian crude supplies to China. Under the contract, starting from January 2018, Rosneft is to increase supplies of crude to China via the pipeline being constructed now.
The second pipeline project was approved by the National Development and Reform Commission, China's top economic planner, in March 2014.
TaiShang
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In the final month of 2015, in fact, Russia overtook the KSA in crude shipments. This was also the case in the first three months of 2016. I anticipate Russia to become the top supplier of crude in 2016.
Kiss_of_the_Dragon
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China’s recent announcement of an increase of its humanitarian support for the Syrian people and that it would provide additional training to the Syrian forces comes as a “headache for the US,” according to the American media.
“As if the multi-party war in Syria weren’t complicated enough, it now appears that the People’s Republic of China has decided to take a more active role in the conflict, providing increased humanitarian assistance and possibly military training to Syrian forces,” says the New York-based news website The Fiscal News.
The website notes that Beijing’s announcement comes just a day after Russia announced that it had launched strikes against Daesh from an airbase inside the Islamic Republic of Iran.
“Combined, these two events create a major foreign policy conundrum for the Obama administration, as three of the countries, most resistant to the US on the global stage, appear to be teaming up against a non-state actor that has frustrated the US for years,” it further notes.
This point of view is echoed by The New York Times, which says that Russia now has “the ability to strike from virtually all directions in a region where it has been reasserting its power — from Iran, from warships in the Caspian Sea, from its base in the Syrian coastal province of Latakia and now from the Mediterranean.”
The newspaper however notes that the decision to fly the long-range bombers from Iran rather than from Moscow is even “far more important militarily”: if it continues, this “could result in a more devastating air war over a long period of time.”
The outlet explains that “while both Russia and the US say they share the goal of defeating the Islamic State group (Daesh) in Syria, they are waging parallel but separate wars against the militant group while simultaneously backing opposite sides in the conflict between Russia’s ally, President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, and his other opponents, including rebels backed by the US.”
Meanwhile on Wednesday Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that he US has acknowledged that it has been unable to separate the opposition in Syria from terrorists.
"Regrettably, our partners in fact acknowledged that they cannot do this," Lavrov said.
"But we are not making a tragedy out of this. The directions of our work now allow switching to a coordinated and a more efficient cooperation in the fight against terrorists," Russia’s top diplomat added.
Earlier in August Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov also said that the US was unprepared to separate terrorist organizations from the moderate opposition in Syria.
“The Syrian government has embarked on the separation of terrorists from the moderate opposition and the civilians.. Our colleagues in Washington were not ready to do for political reasons, and did not intend to do throughout the past months in defiance of the signals and the promises they gave us,” Ryabkov added.
Russian-US partnership in Syria cannot be genuine as long as Washington puts forward additional demands, according to the diplomat.
“We have repeatedly drawn the Americans’ attention to the fact that after each successful round of closed negotiations and after reaching certain agreements, Washington begins putting forward additional requirements that violate the entire balance and prevent progress immediately afterward,” Ryabkov then said.
He added that “there are regular Russia-US contacts along various lines. Both foreign and defense ministries are involved in these contacts.
“We attribute as unflattering the assessments we hear from our American colleagues,” he said.
“Washington has been completely inconsistent in its actions in Syria, putting forward demands to stop fighting terrorists as soon as the Syrian army has achieved real success in fight against terrorists”, Ryabkov said.
As soon as the Syrian government and the armed forces have achieved, with Russian support, a real progress in the fight against terrorists, the Americans began to use unacceptable methods, demanding, in essence, the cessation of the fight against terrorists.
US Secretary of State John Kerry made the promise to separate the groups as part of the understandings underlying the February 22 cease-fire, but never delivered on it.
A central issue in the US-Russian cease-fire negotiations in February was the fact that the opposition groups supported by the CIA operate in close proximity to and full cooperation with units of al-Nusra Front.
Last year the former US ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford (2010-2014), admitted that the Obama administration had long “looked the other way while the [al-]Nusra Front and armed groups on the ground, some of which are getting help from the US, have coordinated in military operations against the regime.”
Now, backed with US weaponry, these same groups are a significant barrier to upcoming peace talks in Geneva
“As if the multi-party war in Syria weren’t complicated enough, it now appears that the People’s Republic of China has decided to take a more active role in the conflict, providing increased humanitarian assistance and possibly military training to Syrian forces,” says the New York-based news website The Fiscal News.
The website notes that Beijing’s announcement comes just a day after Russia announced that it had launched strikes against Daesh from an airbase inside the Islamic Republic of Iran.
“Combined, these two events create a major foreign policy conundrum for the Obama administration, as three of the countries, most resistant to the US on the global stage, appear to be teaming up against a non-state actor that has frustrated the US for years,” it further notes.
This point of view is echoed by The New York Times, which says that Russia now has “the ability to strike from virtually all directions in a region where it has been reasserting its power — from Iran, from warships in the Caspian Sea, from its base in the Syrian coastal province of Latakia and now from the Mediterranean.”
The newspaper however notes that the decision to fly the long-range bombers from Iran rather than from Moscow is even “far more important militarily”: if it continues, this “could result in a more devastating air war over a long period of time.”
The outlet explains that “while both Russia and the US say they share the goal of defeating the Islamic State group (Daesh) in Syria, they are waging parallel but separate wars against the militant group while simultaneously backing opposite sides in the conflict between Russia’s ally, President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, and his other opponents, including rebels backed by the US.”
Meanwhile on Wednesday Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that he US has acknowledged that it has been unable to separate the opposition in Syria from terrorists.
"Regrettably, our partners in fact acknowledged that they cannot do this," Lavrov said.
"But we are not making a tragedy out of this. The directions of our work now allow switching to a coordinated and a more efficient cooperation in the fight against terrorists," Russia’s top diplomat added.
Earlier in August Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov also said that the US was unprepared to separate terrorist organizations from the moderate opposition in Syria.
“The Syrian government has embarked on the separation of terrorists from the moderate opposition and the civilians.. Our colleagues in Washington were not ready to do for political reasons, and did not intend to do throughout the past months in defiance of the signals and the promises they gave us,” Ryabkov added.
Russian-US partnership in Syria cannot be genuine as long as Washington puts forward additional demands, according to the diplomat.
“We have repeatedly drawn the Americans’ attention to the fact that after each successful round of closed negotiations and after reaching certain agreements, Washington begins putting forward additional requirements that violate the entire balance and prevent progress immediately afterward,” Ryabkov then said.
He added that “there are regular Russia-US contacts along various lines. Both foreign and defense ministries are involved in these contacts.
“We attribute as unflattering the assessments we hear from our American colleagues,” he said.
“Washington has been completely inconsistent in its actions in Syria, putting forward demands to stop fighting terrorists as soon as the Syrian army has achieved real success in fight against terrorists”, Ryabkov said.
As soon as the Syrian government and the armed forces have achieved, with Russian support, a real progress in the fight against terrorists, the Americans began to use unacceptable methods, demanding, in essence, the cessation of the fight against terrorists.
US Secretary of State John Kerry made the promise to separate the groups as part of the understandings underlying the February 22 cease-fire, but never delivered on it.
A central issue in the US-Russian cease-fire negotiations in February was the fact that the opposition groups supported by the CIA operate in close proximity to and full cooperation with units of al-Nusra Front.
Last year the former US ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford (2010-2014), admitted that the Obama administration had long “looked the other way while the [al-]Nusra Front and armed groups on the ground, some of which are getting help from the US, have coordinated in military operations against the regime.”
Now, backed with US weaponry, these same groups are a significant barrier to upcoming peace talks in Geneva
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