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China-Africa tradetops $210 billion

Trade between China and Africa rose 5.9 percent year-on-year to $210.2 billion last year, the China Chamber of International Commerce says.

Chinese exports to Africa were worth $92.8 billion, 8.8 percent more than in 2012. Imports from Africa were worth $117.4 billion, 3.8 percent more than in 2012.

More than 2,000 Chinese companies had been established in Africa by the end of last year, in sectors including agriculture, infrastructure, manufacturing, resources exploration, finance, trade and logistics.

However, as developed economies including the United States, the European Union and Japan realize the development potential in Africa, Chinese companies are facing ever increasing competition in the continent, said Stephen Priestley, Standard Chartered's Africa head of client coverage and origination.

Obama criticized for Diaoyu Islands remarks

Beijing is adamantly opposed to the Diaoyu Islands being placed under the US-Japan defense treaty, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said on April 23.

His comments came after US President Barack Obama, in a rare public statement ahead of his visit to Tokyo, committed US forces to back Japan in the event of a conflict over China's Diaoyu Islands.

In a written interview published April 23 by Japan's leading newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun, Obama said the islands "fall within the scope of Article 5 of the US-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security".

"And we oppose any unilateral attempts to undermine Japan's administration of these islands," Obama said.

Spokesman Qin Gang said the Foreign Ministry "firmly opposes" actions that place the Diaoyu Islands under the cover of the US-Japan treaty and urged Washington to "speak and act cautiously".

"The US-Japan alliance is a bilateral arrangement formulated during the Cold War era, which should not infringe on China's territorial sovereignty and lawful rights and interests," Qin said.

China condemns killing of civilians

China has strongly condemned the targeted killing of civilians based on their ethnic origins and nationality in Bentiu, South Sudan.

A Foreign Ministry spokesman, Qin Gang, said: "We urge the government and opposition forces in South Sudan to continue their political dialogue and resolve disputes to achieve reconciliation, peace and development."

The United Nations mission in South Sudan said on April 21 that the attacks took place in hospitals, mosques and churches, and a UN World Food Program compound between April 15 and 16.

China has energy interests in Bentiu, an oil center, and Qin said China hopes South Sudan can restore peace and stability.

Praise for moveto cap salaries

China has applauded the Zimbabwean government's recent move to cap salaries of state enterprise bosses, saying the country needs to reform and strengthen management of state enterprises to improve their viability.

Zimbabwe recently ordered a ceiling of $6,000 a month for state-owned businesses' senior managers, who had allegedly been paid twice the amount as their employees receive minimum wages.

Many of the once formidable state firms including Air Zimbabwe and National Railway of Zimbabwe have been struggling to survive in a harsh business environment and because of mismanagement.

China's ambassador to Zimbabwe, Lin Lin, said state enterprises had great potential to contribute to economic recovery in Zimbabwe and become a key pillar of the country's economy if they were radically transformed into efficient entities.

Pact to reduce sea conflicts

More than 20 countries from the Pacific region unanimously approved a landmark maritime agreement on April 22 to reduce the chances of miscommunication or the potential for situations to arise that could lead to conflict in busy sea lanes.

The Code For Unplanned Encounters at Sea was passed at the Western Pacific Naval Symposium, a biennial meeting that opened in Qingdao, Shandong province. A tactical maneuvering and signal manual was agreed on to govern the conduct of warships and aircraft from signatory countries that unexpectedly come close at sea.

APEC fuels renewed interest in English

Beijing appears ready to fuel a fresh wave of interest in English-language learning in the run-up to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting this fall.

"Compared with many international metropolises, the popularization of English is not as strong in Beijing," said Chen Mingming, a foreign language expert at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"The government should come up with more platforms and channels to facilitate language learning and better receive guests from across the globe during the APEC meeting."

Plan for more nuclear plants

The central government is quickening its approvals for nuclear energy and will launch projects in coastal areas to ensure energy security and economic growth, according to the State Energy Commission.

In a statement released on April 20, the commission said it discussed strategic problems in the development of the energy resources industry as well as some major projects.

The launch of new projects will resume at the proper time and will adopt the highest international safety standards, according to the commission, which met on April 18.

Reading becomes a social activity

More Chinese are settling down with a good book than ever before, albeit across a variety of platforms, and reading is becoming an increasingly fashionable social activity, according to the Chinese Academy of Press and Publication, which published its 11th National Reading Survey on April 21.

The report, which surveyed more than 40,000 people in 74 cities last year, found that Chinese readers got through 8.8 billion books, 600 million more than in 2012. And it seems they still can't get enough.

According to CAPP, which estimates that the Chinese book market is worth 46 billion yuan ($7.3 billion) per year, the average Chinese reader consumed 7.25 books in 2013 - about one-third in digital format.

In addition, they each read 70 editions of a newspaper and five magazines, spending 50 minutes a day reading online and 35 minutes on physical publications.

China Daily-Xinhua

(China Daily Africa Weekly 04/25/2014 page2)