Category Archives: World News

Exchange, World News

Swedish Director-General of Sida, Charlotte Petri Gornitzka spoke at Development talks

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By Xuefei Chen Axelsson

Stockholm, Sept. 11(Greenpost)–Development Talks focusing on Gender, Peace and Security was held in Swedish International Development Agency Sida on Thursday.

Filmed by Xuefei Chen Axelsson on Sept. 10, 2015.

Swedish Director-General of Sida, Charlotte Petri Gornitzka spoke at the opening of the meeting.

“It is not time to look back about women and peace, it is time to look for the future,” said Gornitzka.

She said the meeting is to share experiences and learn from each other. She used to work in Swedish Red Cross and Save the Children.

Madeleine Rees is the Secretary General of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom.  She reviewed the MDG’s in Women and the Beijing conference on Women.

She said the goals have been achieved, but now goals need to put up forward.

About one hundred delegates from around the world participated the half day meeting.

Business, China, Environment, Green-tech, World News

China to draw international experience in urbanization

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DALIAN, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) — Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday welcomed deeper cooperation between developed and developing nations to improve China’s urban development and planning.

“Each and every country has its own unique strengths, or comparative strengths, in its urbanization process,” Li told business leaders during the annual meeting of the New Champions, also known as the Summer Davos Forum.

Noting China’s urbanization rate at only 55 percent, the premier said China’s urbanization remains a long-term process and will provide vast room for domestic demand.

Acknowledging challenges in rapid urbanization, Li said China will press ahead with the large-scale renovation of low standard housing, where about 100 million urban residents deserve modern living conditions.

The premier added that China is developing underground infrastructure, with latest progress having been made in underground urban utility pipeline networks.

The Summer Davos Forum is being held from Sept. 9-11 in China’s northeastern city of Dalian. Li is expected to give a keynote speech on Thursday. Enditem

Energy, Environment, Exchange, Green-tech, World News

Video: Marshall Islands’ President Loeak speaks at World Water Week

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By Xuefei Chen Axelsson

Stockholm, Sept. 8(Greenpost)–Marshall Islands’ President Christopher Loeak spoke at the World water week in Stockholm about the situation in his country.

Marshall Islands’ President Christopher Loeak spoke at the World water week in Stockholm about the situation in his country on Aug. 24, 2015, filmed by Anneli Larsson.

“Although the future of my country is bleak, we are optimistic people.” said Loeak.

He said they have taken a lot of measures to deal with the climate change including using solar energy and treating waste water.

Business, China, World News

China’s Alibaba seeking to boost Latin America presence

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BUENOS AIRES, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) — China’s e-commerce giant, Alibaba, is seeking to increase its presence in Latin America, according to Michael Lee, the firm’s head of international marketing and business development, on Tuesday.

This expansion will primarily be centered on Argentina and Brazil, where the company has recently been growing, said the executive.

Lee made this declaration in Buenos Aires during a conference organized by the Latin American Institute for Electronic Commerce and Argentina Chamber for Electronic Commerce.

“South and Central America account for six percent of our total revenue, but this has grown a lot, especially in Brazil and Argentina,” said Lee.

To capitalize on this growth, Alibaba recently launched versions of its site in Spanish and Portuguese to better cater to customers in the region.

Furthermore, Ali Express, one of Alibaba’s online platforms, has recently shown considerable staying power in Brazil, Chile and Mexico. In July, it actually led the ranking of international e-commerce sites in terms of visits from Brazil.

This platform, which has a history of seeking to adapt its offering to the local market, has become an important e-commerce bridge between China and Latin America, Lee added.

“Alibaba is a global company headquartered in China. We carry over 100,000 suppliers and manufacturers and see transactions in the billions of U.S. dollars a day. We are building up trust..e-commerce creates unlimited opportunities for all,” he noted.

Alibaba now has 40 million registered users in over 190 countries, making it one of the uncontested leaders of international e-commerce. In September 2014, Alibaba.com was listed on the New York Stock Exchange, becoming the largest global IPO of all time. Enditem

 

China, Green-tech, Indepth, World News

China looks forward to adoption of post-2015 development agenda at UN summit

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UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 1 (Greenpost) — A Chinese envoy to the United Nations on Tuesday said China looks forward to the successful adoption of the post-2015 development agenda at the UN summit, stressing it will “guide International cooperation for development.”

The remarks were made by Wang Min, China’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, at a meeting of the 69th session of the UN General Assembly.

“China welcomes the adoption by the General Assembly of the resolution on the draft Outcome Document of the United Nations summit for the adoption of the post-2015 development agenda to transmit the post-2015 development agenda agreed by consensus to the summit for its consideration and adoption,” said Wang. “As a development agenda that will guide international cooperation for development in the next 15 years, the post-2015 development agenda is of profound historical significance.”

The document also reaffirms the purposes and principles of the charter of the United Nations and the principle of the common but differentiated responsibilities among other basic principles, while placing continued focus on poverty eradication, he said.

The post-2015 development agenda will not only give renewed impetus to international cooperation for development, but also lay a solid foundation for a successful UN summit of the agenda’s adoption, he said. “China looks forward to the successful adoption of the post-2015 development agenda at the UN summit.”

Moreover, he assured that “China is ready to join others in untiring efforts to implement the post-2015 development agenda and revitalize international cooperation for development.”

In August, negotiators from 193 UN member states agreed on a draft blueprint for sustainable development that will last through 2030. The document outlines 17 ambitious Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) ranging from issues of poverty, gender equality and economic development to climate change and ocean resource protection. Enditem

Source Xinhua

Editor  Xuefei Chen Axelsson

China, News, World News

Xi Jinping says China to reduce the army by 300 thousand

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By Xuefei Chen Axelsson

Stockholm, Sept. 3 (Greenpost)–Chinese President Xi Jinping has announced that China will reduce its army by 300 thousand.

IMG_0315He made the announcement at the Tiananmen Parade on Thursday.

He said  the aim of our commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War is to bear history in mind, honor all those who laid down their lives, cherish peace and open up the future.

Ravaging through Asia, Europe, Africa and Oceania, that war inflicted over 100 million military and civilian casualties. China suffered over 35 million casualties and the Soviet Union lost more than 27 million lives. The best way to honor the heroes who gave their lives to uphold freedom, justice and peace and mourn the loss of innocent lives brutally taken during the war is to make sure that this historical tragedy will never repeat itself.

War is like a mirror. Looking at it helps us better appreciate the value of peace. Today, peace and development have become the prevailing trend, but the world is far from tranquil. War is the sword of Damocles that still hangs over mankind. We must learn the lessons of history and dedicate ourselves to peace.

seventy years ago today, the Chinese people, having fought tenaciously for 14 years, won the great victory of their War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, marking the full victory of the World Anti-Fascist War. On that day, the world was once again blessed by the sunshine of peace.

On this occasion, on behalf of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the State Council, the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, and the Central Military Commission, I pay high tribute to all the veterans, comrades, patriots and officers in China who took part in the War of Resistance and all the Chinese at home and abroad who contributed significantly to the victory of the War. I extend heartfelt gratitude to foreign governments and friends who supported and assisted the Chinese people in resisting aggression. I also warmly welcome all the foreign guests and representatives of the armed forces of foreign countries present today.

IMG_0317He recalled the history that Chinese people and army fought against Japanese invaders in the 1930s and 1940s.

The Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War were a decisive battle between justice and evil, between light and darkness, and between progress and reaction. In that devastating war, the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression started the earliest and lasted the longest. In defiance of aggression, the unyielding Chinese people fought gallantly and finally won total victory against the Japanese militarist aggressors, thus preserving China’s 5,000-year-old civilization and upholding the cause of peace of mankind. This remarkable feat made by the Chinese nation was rare in the history of war.

The victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression is the first complete victory won by China in its resistance against foreign aggression in modern times. This great triumph crushed the plot of the Japanese militarists to colonize and enslave China and put an end to China’s national humiliation of suffering successive defeats at the hands of foreign aggressors in modern times. This great triumph re-established China as a major country in the world and won the Chinese people respect of all peace-loving people around the world. This great triumph opened up bright prospects for the great renewal of the Chinese nation and set our ancient country on a new journey after gaining rebirth.

During the war, with huge national sacrifice, the Chinese people held ground in the main theater in the East of the World Anti-Fascist War, thus making major contribution to its victory. In their war against Japanese aggression, the Chinese people received extensive support from the international community. The Chinese people will always remember what the people of other countries did for the victory of their War of Resistance.

“In the interest of peace, we need to foster a keen sense of a global community of shared future. Prejudice, discrimination, hatred and war can only cause disaster and suffering, while mutual respect, equality, peaceful development and common prosperity represent the right path to take. All countries should jointly uphold the international order and system underpinned by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, build a new type of international relations featuring win-win cooperation and advance the noble cause of global peace and development.” Xi said.

In the interest of peace, China will remain committed to peaceful development. We Chinese love peace. No matter how much stronger it may become, China will never seek hegemony or expansion. It will never inflict its past suffering on any other nation. The Chinese people are resolved to pursue friendly relations with all other countries, uphold the outcomes of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, and make greater contribution to mankind.

Xi stress that the People’s Liberation Army of China is the people’s army. All its officers, men and women must bear in mind their responsibility of serving the people whole-heartedly, faithfully fulfil the sacred duty of protecting the nation’s security and people’s well-being, and carry out the noble mission of upholding world peace.

“Here, I announce that China will cut the number of its troops by 300,000.”

Xi quoted the first Chinese book of poems, “After making a good start, we should ensure that the cause achieves fruition.” The great renewal of the Chinese nation requires the dedicated efforts of one generation after another. Having created a splendid civilization of over 5,000 years, the Chinese nation will certainly usher in an even brighter future.

“Going forward, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, we, people of all ethnicities across the country, should take Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the important thought of Three Represents and the Scientific Outlook on Development as our guide to action. We should follow the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, pursue the four-pronged comprehensive strategy, promote patriotism and the great spirit of resisting aggression and forge ahead as one to reach our goals.

Let us bear in mind the great truth of history: Justice will prevail! Peace will prevail! The people will prevail!”  Xi said.

Source: Xinhua

China, World News

China announces more sites commemorating war against Japan

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BEIJING, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) — China’s State Council has released a list of 100 state facilities and sites commemorating the 70th anniversary of victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the end of World War II.

The graves of Tong Linge and Zhao Dengyu, both commanders of the Nationalist Army, are on the list. Tong and Zhao died during the war.

Also on the list is the cemetery for the fallen soldiers in the Battle of Pingxingguan, which took place in north China’s Shanxi Province in September 1937. The Communist troops, who were familiar with the mountainous area, cut off the enemy’s logistics line and killed more than 1,000 Japanese troops in an ambush.

Also on Monday, the Ministry of Civil Affairs announced a list of 600 fallen soldiers and groups who sacrificed their lives during the Japanese invasion of China in the 1930s and 40s.

China released the first two lists of facilities, sites, fallen soldiers and heroic groups to commemorate the country’s victory in the war in September of last year.

Japan invaded northeast China in September 1931. However, historians agree that the full-scale invasion began on July 7, 1937, when a bridge that acted as a crucial access point to Beijing was attacked by the Japanese.

The Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was an important part of World War II. Enditem

 

China, Exchange, World News

China Focus: 1,000 foreign troops join China’s V-Day parade

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BEIJING, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) — Nearly 1,000 foreign troops from 17 countries will participate in China’s military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II on Sept. 03, a military official said on Friday.

Although China has so far held 14 military parades to mark National Day, the parade next month will be the first commemorating the anniversary of the end of WWII and the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. It is also the first time that foreign armies will participate in a military parade in China.

Belarus, Cuba, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Kyrghyzstan, Mexico, Mongolia, Pakistan, Serbia, Tajikistan and Russia have dispatched formations to march in the parade, said Qu Rui, deputy chief of the Operations Department of the General Staff Headquarters of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

Each formation consists of around 75 people.

Another six countries — Afghanistan, Cambodia, Fiji, Laos, Vanuatu and Venezuela — sent teams of around seven people each, he said.

The troops will be grouped alphabetically according to their country names, and will follow PLA foot formations in the parade.

Thirty-one countries, including France and Republic of Korea, have also promised to send high-level military delegations.

“Victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression was not only a victory for the Chinese people, but also for people from around the world,” according to Qu.

“The participation of foreign formations, representative teams and military delegations manifests the international nature of the war. We firmly believe that the commemoration activities will cement trust between the PLA and foreign troops participating in the parade,” h said.

All foreign troops have already arrived at the parade training base and are training with their Chinese counterparts. They participated in parade rehearsals on Thursday and Saturday last week.

Qu shrugged off concern over the absence of troops from the United States, Japan and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, saying that “history would not be changed by the attitude of certain countries.”

“We respect countries’ choices over whether to come or not, and we will extend our warmest welcome for all foreign troops and delegations that have decided to come,” he said.

The Sept. 3 parade will include more than 10,000 Chinese troops, who will pass the giant rostrum in central Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, either on foot or in vehicles, while close to 200 military aircraft fly in formations overhead.

China will also showcase its military sophistication by rolling out 27 armament formations. Most of the weaponry and equipment has never been shown to the public before.

Business, News, World News

China’s central bank pumps in billions to ease liquidity strain

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BEIJING, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) — The central bank on Tuesday pumped the most funds into the financial system in open market operations since January 2014 amid efforts to ease a liquidity strain.

The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) conducted 150 billion yuan (23.4 billion U.S. dollars) of seven-day reverse repurchase agreements (repo), a process in which central banks purchase securities from banks with an agreement to resell them in the future.

The reverse repo was priced to yield 2.5 percent, unchanged from the yield on a net injection last week of 150 billion yuan using reverse repos, according to a PBOC’s statement.

Liquidity in the money market has tightened due to dropping new yuan funds outstanding for foreign exchange and a depreciating Chinese yuan.

The PBOC also channelled another 110 billion yuan via its medium-term lending facility, which allows banks to borrow from the central bank by using securities as collateral.

Despite the cash injection, in Tuesday’s interbank market, the benchmark overnight Shanghai Interbank Offered Rate (Shibor), which measures the cost at which Chinese banks lend to one other, climbed by 1.3 basis points to 1.879 percent, a four-month high. Enditem

 

Energy, Environment, Green-tech, News, World News

Managing Water Resources for Green Growth and Equity

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STOCKHOLM, Aug. 25 (Greenpost)– The workshop  “Managing Water Resources for Green Growth and Equity” was held on Tuesday at the ongoing World Water Week in Stockholm.

Director-General of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), Ms. Charlotte Petri Gornitzka, delivered a keynote speech on green growth and equity.

Practitioners and analysts have given the distinctive development trajectories of countries and regions, the pathways through which water can contribute to green growth and equity.

Dr. Akissa Bahri (African Development Bank), Mr. Dhesigen Naidoo (Water Research Commission, RSA), Ms. Sofia Ahlroth (World Bank Group), Mr. Dammika Sirinesa (National Development Bank PLC) and Dr. Casey Brown (University of Massachusetts) have been the panelists.

Energy, Environment, Green-tech, News, World News

Sweden’s view of the new climate agreement

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Stockholm, Aug. 21(Greenpost)–From 30 November to 11 December, the world’s leaders will gather in Paris for the twenty-first session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The session is particularly important since the countries are to agree on a new global climate agreement that will apply from 2020.

The Government wants to see a global, fair and legally binding climate agreement that will help keep global warming as far below two degrees Celsius as possible. The agreement must allow countries to take ever more ambitious emission reduction measures over time.

Sweden wants to see legally binding emissions limitation commitments for all countries. All countries should contribute according to their responsibilities and respective capabilities. Sweden also wants the agreement to cover support to low-income countries’ implementation of measures for both emission reductions and adaptation. Support should cover financing, technology diffusion and capacity-building. In particular, support is needed to strengthen efforts in the poorest and most vulnerable countries.

Being able to measure, report and verify countries’ emissions is a prerequisite for stronger commitments over time. The agreement must therefore contain fundamental principles for a common regulatory framework for transparency and monitoring of countries’ commitments and implementation.

All countries should present their contributions to the new agreement in good time before the Paris session. The EU’s decision to reduce emissions by at least 40 per cent by 2030 is an important step, but a higher level of ambition is needed from both the EU and other parties that have submitted their bids.

The Government considers that a higher level of ambition prior to 2020 is important, both to close the gap between what countries are doing and necessary emission reductions, and to build confidence in the negotiations.

Much work remains before a new agreement can be put into place

Many difficult issues remain to be solved before and during the session in Paris, including what parts of the new agreement should be legally binding, how adaptation and emission reductions can be given equal political importance in the agreement, how climate financing can increase and which countries should contribute.

Reaching a global climate agreement in Paris is expected to be a major challenge, and even if an agreement is reached it will not provide a complete solution to the problem of climate change. The new agreement is needed to create a platform for more ambitious climate commitments and enhanced global action in the years ahead. However, a number of political and technical issues will remain after Paris, for example the detailed reporting regulations and market mechanisms under the new agreement.

Business, China, Chinese circle, World News

China Focus: Economists confident of medium-term 7-percent growth

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BEIJING, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) — Economists have high hopes China can keep GDP growth above 7 percent over the next five years, as leading officials prepare to discuss 2016-2020 development at a key political meeting.
Economic growth is high on the agenda of October’s plenary session of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, which will cover the 13th Five-year Plan (2016-2020).
These five years are critical if Chinese leaders are to realize their goals of doubling 2010 GDP and per capita income and completing the building of a moderately prosperous society by 2020.
“China’s potential growth can exceed 7 percent,” said Tsinghua University economist Hu Angang, using the technical term for the maximum pace an economy can sustain over the medium to long term without stoking inflation.
“China set a growth target of 7 percent for the 2011-2015 period, but the de facto annual growth was 7.8 percent on average. Potential growth will be lower in the 2016-2020 period, but it should be above 7 percent. I expect the de facto annual growth to be around 7.5 percent,” Hu said.
Fan Gang, an advisor to the central bank monetary policy committee, said he was confident of 7-percent growth in the long run and that more pessimistic analysts “had not taken cyclical factors such as overcapacity into account.” He believes the problem of overproduction by China’s industries will ease sooner rather than later.
“China is still in a relatively high growth range. The growth rate of 7 percent or above could last till 2023 backed by the three state strategies [the Belt and Road regional infrastructure and trade network, greater integration of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province, and the Yangtze River Economic Belt], deepening reform, industrial upgrading and urbanization,” said Liu Wei, deputy president of Peking University.
Wang Yiming, deputy director of the Development Research Center of the State Council, predicted the economy will resist looming downward pressure thanks to emerging favorable conditions.
These include industrialization and urbanization, openings for Chinese enterprises during global economic adjustment, and increasing consumption, according to Wang.
Enormous investment opportunities lie in areas including poverty reduction, environmental protection, water conservation and urban renovation, he added.
Economists also believe official campaigns to integrate technology such as cloud computing, robots and new materials with traditional industries, and to develop the country’s central and western regions will also aid growth.
However, as policymakers have accepted China entering a period of plateauing but more stable economic growth, and one of great strategic opportunities but also complicated challenges, Wang advised them to perfect macro regulation by improving fiscal and monetary policies and to be on the lookout for risks to prevent economic volatility.
The government should back reforms to create growth momentum, and stimulate innovation and entrepreneurship in high-tech industries, he added.
Ba Shusong, chief economist at the China Banking Association, pointed to various issues hampering growth. As the criteria used to evaluate officials’ performance change, local officials might be less motivated in wooing investment, Ba said, also citing rising labor costs as a problem.  Enditem