Outside View

China is back on familiar territory

As Chinese mainland and Taiwan's relation and Sino-Japan ties are warming, China is beginning to resume its centuries-old position as the linchpin of East Asia, The Guardian said.

The Japanese prime minister Yasuo Fukuda has declined to visit Yasukuni, as did his predecessor Shinzo Abe, while high-level contacts between the two countries have been resumed with clear signs of growing warmth. Furthermore, the two countries have announced that they will undertake joint development of two gas fields in the disputed waters.

As Japan and China are the world's second and third largest economies in the world, they are two great powers in East Asia.

"The key question is whether Japan will be able to reconcile itself to China's emergence as the increasingly dominant power in the region," The Guardian said.

While 2008 has witnessed a serious improvement in Sino-Japan relations, the recent election of Ma Ying-jeou as Taiwan's leader, and the sweeping victory of the Kuomintang in local parliamentary elections in March, have created an entirely different atmosphere between the mainland and Taiwan.

Economic relations are likely to grow increasingly close while a new agreement was reached on extending tourism and enabling a major increase in direct flights.

The public in Taiwan had grown weary of Chen Shui-bian's desire to constantly provoke the mainland, and increasingly concerned about the malaise that was engulfing the previously dynamic Taiwan economy and its failure to foster closer relations with the soaring mainland economy, The Guardian said, "increasing economic integration appears inevitable."

With these relations improving, China's position in East Asia has been through a rapid metamorphosis compared with the situation a decade ago.

It already enjoys an extremely good relationship with the ASEAN countries of Southeast Asia, while South Korea has moved much closer to China. China is resuming its centuries-old position in East Asia, The Guardian said.

English big challenge for Beijing cabbies

English is a small task but big challenge for Beijing taxi drivers, The Independent reported.

"As well as struggling to implement a raft of new instructions about how they should behave for foreign visitors during the Olympics and dealing with an 18 percent increase in fuel prices, the Beijing cabbie also has to learn some pretty complicated small talk to appease foreign guests arriving for the Games," the newspaper said.

Alongside the more usual English expressions, such as "Is this seat taken?", was more topical chit-chat, including: "Did you know China raised petrol prices for the first time in 18 months the other day? Analysts say it is because of the rising cost of oil around the world." Quite a mouthful in any language.

Beijing is home to 66,000 licensed cabs, so it is convenient to take taxis at all hours of the day. But it's a pity that taxi drivers' English is poor.

Now the city's cabbies are being officially encouraged to learn phrases about the well-known basketball player Yao Ming as well as the vocabulary to welcome foreigners.

A group of 3,000 "Golden Taxi Drivers" will provide transport for the Olympics. They all need to have 10 or more years of driving experience and pass English tests.

The drive to improve cabbies' English is part of a broader goal to improve English around Beijing.

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(China Daily 06/27/2008 page9)