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Xi pledges China will never seek hegemony

China will never seek hegemony, no matter how strong it becomes, President Xi Jinping said in Beijing on June 28 at a meeting to mark the 60th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.

"China does not accept the logic that a strong country is bound to become hegemonic, and neither hegemony nor militarism is in the Chinese DNA," Xi said in a speech, as he played host to leaders from Myanmar and India to commemorate the anniversary.

Citing poems and old sayings from the three countries, Xi called for dialogue based on equality to resolve disputes and joint efforts to preserve regional peace.

He also announced the establishment of a friendship award and an outstanding scholarship related to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.

Observers said Xi's remarks and the first meeting of leaders of all three of the peace code's founding countries since its inception sought to assure the world of China's peaceful development amid simmering tension in the East and South China seas.

Chinese airline signs Mauritius tourism pact

Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority and China Southern Airlines on June 30 signed an agreement to develop tourism.

The agreement signed in Port Louis will enable Mauritius to advertise itself through the Chinese carrier, while the latter will use Mauritius as a hub for its expansion in Africa.

"Our destination will be included in the company's campaigns on social networks and other campaigns that will be jointly conducted with China Southern Airlines in China," said Karl Mootoosamy, MTPA director.

"Next week, MTPA and CSA will be together in Shenzhen, Chengdu and Hangzhou for a road show aimed at creating visibility for Mauritius and attracting more Chinese visitors to the country.

"We want to expand our flights to the African market and the Indian Ocean region, and Mauritius will be the gateway," Zhang Jianmin, the airline's vice-chairman, said.

He expressed his desire to add a second flight to Mauritius before the end of September.

Mauritius became the first African destination to be served by China Southern Airlines, one of the biggest airlines in China.

China to reopen Somalia embassy

China will reopen its embassy in Somalia after a 23-year period of closure that began when the country descended into civil war, the Foreign Ministry said on June 30.

A Chinese task force was due to travel to the country to begin reestablishing the embassy.

Somalia was the first East African country to establish diplomatic ties with China, making the move in 1960. China closed its embassy there after Somalia was submerged in civil war in 1991.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said China has made unremitting efforts to help restore peace and stability in Somalia together with the international community since then.

Hong said Somalia has entered a new period of national reconstruction as the peace process achieved a breakthrough in 2012 and the first formal government and parliament have been formed in 21 years.

Cuban paper lauds China's 'unique' model

Cuba's leading newspaper on June 27 praised China's success in devising and following its own development model to sustain its position as one of today's leading powers of trade.

In a lengthy feature article, headlined "China and the realization of a dream," Granma praised the China for "choosing its own path to development".

In the past 35 years, China has lifted millions out of poverty, built modern cities, attracted the world's most important businesses and become "one of the main trade partners for Europe, the United States, Latin America, Asia and Africa," the article said.

The author, who attended a recent seminar in China called "Socialism in the 21st century", said that now China has succeeded in generating wealth, it is looking to fairly distribute that wealth.

Software moves to pressure foreign firms

The government's rising fears over information safety may further cut the market share for overseas software enterprises in government procurement, a major profit source for global giants including Microsoft, Adobe and Oracle, analysts said on June 30.

Their remarks followed a China Securities Journal report that China is ruling out Microsoft's Office software suite from some state-level government agencies, citing unnamed sources.

The US company quickly rejected the report as "completely untrue".

"We have contacted the Ministry of Finance, the governing body of government procurement projects," a senior Microsoft executive said on condition of anonymity. "They had no idea of the ruling as well."

But overseas software products will feel increasing pressure in getting government orders as local players are set to win over market share in the long run, industry insiders said.

Forbidden City feels squeeze of visitors

The Palace Museum in Beijing is looking for new ways to accommodate the overwhelming number of visitors who pour through its doors every year.

Proposals being considered include half-price tickets after 2 pm.

"We would like to encourage visitors to avoid the peak time in the morning and switch to the afternoon, so they can have more comfortable touring experiences," said the museum's director, Shan Jixiang.

The museum will try out the new pricing from Sept 14 to 16.

Japanese cabinet lifts limits on self-defense

Thousands of demonstrators from all over Japan loudly protested outside Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's official residence on July 1 after he announced his cabinet's decision to lift the decades-long ban on collective self-defense.

The cabinet announced it will reinterpret Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution to allow for collective self-defense, or coming to the aid of an ally under attack. The article bans the use of military force to settle international disputes and prohibits Tokyo from sending troops overseas to fight.

On July 1, Beijing protested against Tokyo's strategy of pushing a domestic political agenda through its talk of a "China threat".

The Japanese cabinet has taken unprecedented measures in military and security fields, which has prompted "a major change in Japan's defense policies", Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said. "People cannot help but question whether Japan will change its path of peaceful development, which has been upheld since the war."

Evacuated Chinese return from Iraq

The first group of Chinese workers evacuated from war-plagued Iraq spoke to their families by phone after landing in Guangzhou on June 29.

They said they were happy to be rid of the threat from flying bullets and bombs.

Public attention had focused on the safety of Chinese nationals since more than 1,200 Chinese working on power plant construction projects became trapped in the northern Iraqi city of Samarra.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed on June 27 that all 1,200 from China Machinery Engineering Corp had been evacuated to Baghdad.

HK youth urged to protect rule of law

Vice-President Li Yuanchao called on youth in Hong Kong to safeguard the rule of law and support the Hong Kong government to proceed with electoral reform in accordance with the Basic Law.

His call comes after a controversial poll and amid celebrations and protests on the anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China. Li told about 2,000 Hong Kong youths at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on July 1 that the Basic Law is the most important constitutional guarantee of the "one country, two systems" policy and Hong Kong's stability and prosperity.

Li said he hopes Hong Kong's young people can reinforce their awareness of the rule of law in order to safeguard the city's stability and support the local government reform of the 2017 chief executive election within the framework of the Basic Law and relevant decisions by the National People's Congress Standing Committee in a gradual and orderly manner.

On July 1, the Hong Kong government and residents held more than 200 activities to mark the return of the special administrative region to China 17 years ago, including flag-raisings and visits to the garrison of the Chinese army. Organizers estimated that 450,000 attended these activities.

Quake damage blamed for panda's death

It will be at least 10 more years before vegetation is restored in the mountains of the Wolong National Nature Reserve, China's largest panda reserve, so that the terrain, weakened by the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, will be more stable, a panda expert says.

Zhang Hemin, chief of the reserve's administrative bureau, made the remarks after an adult panda was found dead near the sluice gate of the Gengda Hydropower Station in Wolong, Sichuan province, on June 27.

Taiwan's choices respected, says official

Mainland authorities are respectful of the Taiwan people's choice of social system and lifestyle, said the mainland's chief official on Taiwan affairs.

The mainland and Taiwan have evolved with different social systems, values, thoughts and lifestyles after decades of development, and mainland authorities respect those differences, said Zhang Zhijun, director of State Council Taiwan Affairs Office.

Zhang made the remarks during a meeting with Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu in Taiwan on June 27.

China Daily-Xinhua

(China Daily Africa Weekly 07/04/2014 page2)