China will be peaceful, responsible player: Xi [Straits Times]

The Beijing Consensus continues to manifest. Here is China continuing to build bridges – but it is always seems pertinent to remember that their internal stability matters most to them. Sustainability and stability is a lesson they have learnt, and judging from their stockpiling of resources and good relations, the world ultimately still has to be ready – to get along with prosperous China. Are we ready to have say 1 billion prosperous Chinese in the global village?

Mr Xi also shared frankly the internal challenges his country faces, saying: ‘China’s development still remains unbalanced, uncoordinated and unsustainable.’ It is, he noted, ‘under pressure’ to create more jobs for its workers, while helping its 150 million people in poverty.

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China will be peaceful, responsible player: Xi
Prosperous and stable China means more opportunities for others, he says
By Li Xueying & Cai Haoxiang
Source – Straits Times, published November 16, 2010

 

Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at a meeting at the Shangri-La Hotel yesterday. Both leaders committed to strengthening cooperation and discussed Singapore's contribution to the economic development of China's north-eastern, central and western regions, among other matters. -- ST PHOTO:ALPHONSUS CHERN

THE man set to become China’s next president took pains to give reassurances yesterday that his country was committed to being a peaceful and responsible global player – even as it grapples with internal challenges of development.

On a visit here, Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping stressed: ‘A prosperous and stable China does not pose a threat to any nation. It only means more development opportunities for other countries.’

He added: ‘China will continue to undertake due responsibilities for regional peace and common development.’

Filed under: Beijing Consensus, Charm Offensive, Communications, Culture, Domestic Growth, Economics, Influence, International Relations, New Leadership, Popular Science Australia, Public Diplomacy, Singapore

N.Korea’s Kim heads home from China: reports [The Age]

N.Korea’s Kim heads home from China: reports
by Park Chan-Kyong
Source The Age, published August 29, 2010 – 4:24am

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il was apparently preparing to return home from China, with Beijing’s diplomatic and financial support for an eventual handover of power to his son, reports said.

A convoy of about 20 cars, protected by 10 Chinese security vehicles, left a hotel in the northeastern city of Changchun where he was believed to have met Chinese President Hu Jintao, South Korean media said.

It stopped at an international food exhibition site and an agriculture university before returning to the hotel for a lunch break, YTN TV said.

Filed under: Beijing Consensus, Charm Offensive, Influence, International Relations, North Korea, Popular Science Australia, Public Diplomacy, Soft Power, The Age

Iran Loads Up On High-Tech Chinese Riot-Control Trucks

Iran Loads Up On High-Tech Chinese Riot-Control Trucks
By Stuart Fox
Source – Popular Science, 11 Feb 2010

DES- 516B Riot Truc via Dalian Eagle Sky Industries - Photo - Popular Science

Today marks the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Iran. And in anticipation of Green Movement protests today, Iran has a new fleet of scary, high-tech riot-control trucks.

Made in China, the trucks hold 2,640 gallons of water that they can spray at protesters from up to 220 feet away. The truck also contains three 26-gallon drums that can be filled with tear gas, burning chemicals, and paint. The paint marks protesters, so that if they slip pass a police cordon during the chaos of rioting, they can be picked up by the cops later in the day. Each truck costs around $650,000, but it is unknown how many the Iranian government purchased.

What is known is that the trucks, combined with a pre-anniversary Internet crackdown, early shows of force by Basij militia members, and a year long wave of opposition arrests, has succeeded in controlling Green Movement opposition protests.

Filed under: Popular Science Australia, Science, Technology

Chinese Woman Surgically Switches Fingerprints To Evade Japanese Immigration Officers

Chinese workers have been making their way to work in Japan for some time now, legally or otherwise, but this takes the cake. It will be interesting to acquire some numbers to get some sense of scale.

Quotable Quotes – “According to Japanese police, Chinese doctors run a booming business in fingerprint surgery to help citizens slip past customs...”

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Chinese Woman Surgically Switches Fingerprints To Evade Japanese Immigration Officers
The Register, UK
Source – Popular Science, 9 December 2009

When attempting to evade biometric sensors, most go with the Tyler Durden or the John Doe from Se7en route, and simply cut or burn off their fingerprints. Unfortunately, that’s a little obvious. So, for criminals looking to slip through fingerprinting in Japanese airports, fingerprint transplant surgery is all the rage.

That’s what Lin Ring did when attempting to sneak back in Japan. Lin, a 27-year-old Chinese national, paid around $14,600 to have the fingerprints on her left hand switched with the fingerprints on her right hand. Customs agents discovered the fraud when they saw scars from the surgery on Lin’s fingers.

While the BBC says this is Japan’s first case of biometric fraud, the Mainichi Daily News claims that Lin is the eighth person arrested this year in Japan for altering their fingerprints in some fashion. According to Japanese police, Chinese doctors run a booming business in fingerprint surgery to help citizens slip past customs.

Lin was first deported from Japan in 2007; then, after she snuck back into the country with the fake prints, she was investigated for faking a marriage with a 55-year-old Japanese man. Customs agents discovered the phony fingerprints and she was deported again.

The lesson here: when getting surgery to defeat biometric sensors, shell out the extra dough for the high-class Helen Mirren package, not the low-rate Tara Reid job. It may cost a little more, but it’s totally worth it.

Filed under: Confucius, International Relations, Popular Science Australia, Science

China Designs Indigenous UAV Stealth Fighter, and Bootlegs Some US Models

Really neat article! Dark Sword UAV definitely sounds wicked.

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China Designs Indigenous UAV Stealth Fighter, and Bootlegs Some US Models
By Stuart Fox
Source – Popular Science Australia, 16 October 2009

 

China’s Dark Sword UAV Stealth Fighter via Defense Professionals

 

When I hear the phrase “knock-off Chinese products”, I usually think of either the bootleg DVDs I get on the subway or the cheap electronics I get in Midtown. But a new report in Defense Professionals notes that the Chinese military has channeled that same skill for replication towards closing their UAV technology gap. By simply copying US technology, China has created a stock of advanced drones, and gained the technical knowledge to create some interesting native UAVs as well.

The story lists most of China’s major UAV programs, most of which simply knock off successful American UAVs like oh so many cheap copies of Crank 2 or Louis Vuitton handbags. They claim that the Yi-long reconnaissance drone is nothing more than a xerox of our Predator, with the Xiang-long and WuZhen-2000 drones copying the Global Hawk.

However, the article also notes that despite the pervasive replication of US technology, the Chinese military has also developed some interesting indigenous drone technology. In particular, the Dark Sword drone seems unlike anything the American military fields today. The Chinese describe it as the “future of Chinese unmanned combat aviation,” and emphasize the high maneuverability, stealth features, and air-to-air combat specialization.

Considering how badass that Dark Sword UAV sounds, maybe the US should think about copying it. Turnabout is fair play, after all.

Filed under: military, Popular Science Australia, Science