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China hosts major Asia security conference

China hosted a major regional summit in Shanghai on May 20 and May 21 as part of an effort to facilitate Asia-wide security discussions.

The largest number of leaders in the 22-year history of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia, or CICA, will attend the summit.

While Asia has become the world's most economically dynamic region and is closely watched in the world's power landscape, security cooperation has been a weakness. The region faces a slew of traditional and non-traditional security threats, ranging from terrorism to economic instability.

Asia has some subregional organizations that are grouped according to the cultural background and development level of member countries, but it lacks a platform for dialogue that covers the region as a whole, according to He Jingjun, an observer with the Chahar Institute, a Beijing-based think tank.

Beijing, Moscow cement partnership

A record-breaking 49 agreements were reached between Beijing and Moscow on May 20, covering political, trade and military areas in a move to further strengthen the Sino-Russian partnership.

President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin also issued a joint statement on the future of bilateral relations.

The two countries would expand local currency settlement for bilateral trade, cross-border investment and financing, and strengthen exchanges to formulate macro-economic policies, the statement said.

Putin, visiting Shanghai for an Asian security summit, was accompanied by a huge delegation of high-ranking officials and business leaders.

Xi announced the agreements during a joint news conference after talks with Putin.

Although a long-awaited natural gas deal remained to be signed, both sides vowed to continue efforts to reach an agreement.

Pandas make delayed journey to Malaysia

Two pandas loaned from China arrived in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur early on May 21 after a month-long delay amid tensions between the two countries over the missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner.

Female panda Feng Yi and male partner Fu Wa were being transported from the Dujiangyan base of Wolong National Nature Reserve in Sichuan province and flown to Malaysia late on May 20 by MAS Kargo. The airline is a cargo division of parent company Malaysia Airlines.

Panda breeders Li Caiwu and Yang Haidi accompanied the animals and will stay with them until they are used to their new environment.

Agricultural investment not land grabbing

China's investment in African agriculture has nothing to do with "land grabbing", an agricultural expert said on May 16 at a seminar on China's agricultural investment in Africa.

"I think the land-grabbing idea is a little hard to sustain because there has not been that much Chinese agricultural investment in Africa," said Deborah Brautigam, a professor and director of the International Development Program of the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

Brautigam, who has followed China's agricultural relationship with Africa for 30 years, said some farmland that Chinese companies have bought or rented is quite old, and some were even set up in the colonial period.

Kenya aims to dominate Youth Games

The Kenyan team left on May 16 for Gaborone, Botswana, hoping for an improved performance in the African Youth Games as a warm-up for the Youth Olympics in Nanjing, China, in July.

Team leader and coach Japheth Kemei said: "The team is stronger and better prepared. We are taking this event seriously, unlike the inaugural edition where there was nothing at stake for the winners.

"In Gaborone, the IAAF will be using it as a qualifier for the Youth Olympics in China and we must be at our best to get the maximum slots available."

The contingent of 128 athletes (54 in track and field) is twice the size of the team that represented Kenya in the inaugural African Youth Games in Rabat, Morocco, in 2010.

Migrants to China on increase

China is working closely with the international community to deal with challenges posed by changing migration patterns, including an increase in the number of people heading to the country.

There were 685,775 migrants to China in 2010, an increase of 35 percent from 2000, according to the 2013 World Migration Report.

The Chinese version of the report was released in Beijing by the International Organization for Migration on May 19.

The number of foreigners holding residence permits in China in 2010 rose by about 29 percent compared with the figure for 2006.

William L. Swing, director-general of the organization, of which China has been an observer country since 2001, said Chinese authorities had been seeking expertise from other nations through the organization to better manage the trend.

China urges more talks in South Sudan

China has urged parties in South Sudan to further ease tensions and underscored its commitment to African peace and security.

"We expect moves by relevant parties to help further ease the situation in South Sudan," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on May 16.

South Sudanese rival parties signed an agreement in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on May 9, stipulating a comprehensive ceasefire and formation of a transitional government to arrange general elections within a year.

"We have noted the positive progress of the South Sudan situation," Hua said, adding that China welcomes and appreciates the ceasefire deal and peace talks.

On the United Nations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, Hua said China has always played an active part in the UN peacekeeping mission and would continue to contribute to African peace and security.

Security reviews on tech products

China will review a cyber security to keep national security and protect public interest, the State Internet Information Office said on May 22.

The review will target IT products, services and suppliers of information systems related to national security and public interest, according to a statement from the office.

The policy aims to prevent a supplier from taking advantage of its product to illegally control, disturb or shut down computer systems of its users, as well as gather, store, process or use information of its users, the statement said.

US envoy seeks Chinese funds to back projects

US Ambassador to China Max Baucus attempted to woo Chinese investors on May 19 for his country's infrastructure projects.

The envoy said that apart from a few high-profile rejections, most foreign investment projects in the US receive approval.

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States "is not nearly the problem that some people think", Baucus said at a US embassy forum in Beijing.

The committee has been regarded as a major hurdle to Chinese investment in the US since it cited national security concerns to block some large projects from China.

Fund to boost maritime Silk Road

Investment of 10 billion yuan ($1.6 billion) will support projects related to China's maritime Silk Road development, relevant parties said on May 19.

The city government of Fuzhou, capital of east China's Fujian province, signed an agreement with the China-Africa Development Fund and the Fujian branch of the China Development Bank to jointly set up a fund.

Yuan Jianliang, governor of the bank's Fujian branch, said the three parties will support projects that will boost Fuzhou's role as a hub on the Silk Road.

A 21st century maritime Silk Road was proposed by President Xi Jinping during his visit to Indonesia in October. Since ancient times, the sea route from ports in Fujian to overseas markets allowed China's silk, ceramics and products to be traded to the world.

Yang Yimin, mayor of Fuzhou, said the city will facilitate the building of a transport network and step up cooperation with Southeast Asian countries.

He said the fund will support projects such as setting up marine aquaculture farms and industrial parks in Southeast Asian countries.

Toxins in shoes, clothes of sports brands

Soccer wear and shoes from three international sports brands, all of which are major producers of apparel for the upcoming World Cup in Brazil, were found to contain toxic chemicals, according to a report issued by Greenpeace on May 19.

In its report, the environmental organization said it bought sporting goods from Nike, Adidas and Puma in 16 countries and regions across the world and conducted tests on them from March to May. It found that 81 percent of the three brands' soccer shoes and 35 percent of their soccer performance shirts had chemical residues, including plasticizer and perfluorinated compounds.

Terrorist group behind attack

A group on the United Nations' terrorist list was confirmed to have masterminded a deadly incident in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region last month.

The East Turkistan Islamic Movement was identified as orchestrating the attack in Xinjiang's capital Urumqi on April 30, killing three and injuring 79, the provincial publicity department said on May 18.

ETIM member Ismail Yusup, who lives outside China, planned the incident, it said, and on April 22 ordered 10 associates to launch the attack. Eight days later, the gang set off explosives and slashed people with knives at the exit of the South Railway Station of Urumqi around 7:10 pm.

Two members of the gang, Saderdin Sawut and Memetabudula Ete, died in the explosion.

President Xi vows to punish Urumqi bombers

Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to punish terrorists and spare no efforts in maintaining stability in response to the fatal explosions in Urumqi in the morning of May 22.

Police will step up patrols and security control over possible terrorist targets and prevent ripple effects, Xi said in a statement.

Xi asked local authorities to solve the case fast, put the injured under proper care, and offered condolences to families of the victims.

The Chinese government will continue to work hard in fighting terrorism and try its best to safeguard social stability, he said.

The explosions, which hit an open air market in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, have left 31 dead and more than 90 injured.

A working group led by Minister of Public Security Guo Shengkun left for Xinjiang to supervise the investigation and handle the aftermath.

China Daily-Xinhua

(China Daily Africa Weekly 05/23/2014 page2)