By Wu Hao
This year marks the 40th anniversary of Sino-Maldivian diplomatic relations, with planned celebrations including a small film festival and increased cultural exchange.
“We’re going to send cultural troupes sometime during the year to perform in different locations in the Maldives, and then bring them to perform in Beijing,” said Ahmed Latheef, Maldives’ ambassador to China. “Also I’m hoping to have high-level delegations from Maldives come to China.”
The Chinese embassy in Maldives is also planning some activities on the island-nation of just over 300,000 people, Latheef said.
Last year, the Chinese government opened an embassy in Maldives, an important development for the two countries’ relations.
“With the two embassies joining together, we can do many more things, we can expect our relations to grow much faster,” Latheef said.
The pearl on the Indian Ocean
Being one of the best-known tourism destinations around the world, the Maldives and its unique scenery has become increasingly popular in China, especially among young couples.
“Last year, Chinese were among the top visitors from around the world to come to the Maldives. By the end of last year, we had almost 200,000 visitors from China, quite a significant number,” Latheef said.
There are direct flights from Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing and Hong Kong, and discounted flights available during holidays such as Spring Festival and National Day.
There are different travel packages for Chinese tourists to choose from. They include sightseeing, accommodations and transportation.
Four-night packages range from 8,000 to 12,000 yuan, depending on the quality of the hotel.
“You have your private beach right in front of you because the rooms are usually all around the hotels facing the sea,” Latheef said. “The beach is private property.”
The islands, Latheef pointed out, never get too crowded due to accommodation limitations.
“Each island has 100 to 150 rooms; you don’t even see others on the beach. It’s peaceful and exclusive in that sense, unlike Sanya,” Latheef said.
Exchanges over
the years
Latheef said he has been quite impressed by China’s development.
During the past few years, with more and more high-level exchanges in various areas between the two countries, Sino-Maldivian relations have been strengthened.
“Many development projects in the area of housing and other infrastructure have grown at a faster pace,” Latheef said. “And in the area of investment, we talked with many groups and companies and individuals who are interested in investing in Maldives. There are so many potential places of investment and so many opportunities in Maldives that are unutilized.”
Although Latheef thinks many Chinese may find that the investment scale in Madives isn’t as big as they’re used to, he said he believes the country is making progress and something big will come up in the near future.
Few people can speak Chinese in the Maldives, which has traditionally also been an obstacle.
“We’ve just sent a Chinese teacher to Maldives to teach in the schools, industries and institutions. Also, we now have young diplomats who are studying Mandarin here in China,” Latheef said.
Latheef said he was impressed by the modern teaching methods he encountered at the Confucius Institutes headquarters in Beijing.
“We want to start a Confucius classroom first, according to the response from students, and then try to link it with the Confucius Institutes,” he said. “This is something we’ve been trying to do in the past four years.”
Fan of
Chinese sports
Latheef first arrived in Beijing as ambassador in 2008. He said Beijing improved dramatically both during and after the Olympics. He was impressed that “a big city like Beijing has been able to maintain cleanliness and order. It’s becoming more vibrant, more cosmopolitan. You have everything here.”
But 2008 wasn’t Latheef’s first visit to China. Being a ping pong player, he’s participated in a bit of ping pong diplomacy in the past.
“I’m a big sports fan. I like Beijing because there are so many sports facilities here,” he said.
Latheef has organized a ping pong tournament in each of his four years in China. This year, he’s planning something special.
“Last year we had 32 embassies participate,” he said. “It’s a great way to meet new friends and diplomats. We also get the support of the Ping Pong Association of China.”
Latheef goes to local clubs or parks up to three times a week to play ping pong.
“Most of the locals don’t expect a foreigner to play ping pong well at my level,” he said. “When you go to club and start playing, then Chinese people want to play with you. It’s very interesting. If you win, then somebody else would like to play with you, and you can’t leave until you lose.
“The first night, if you’re lucky, you can leave the club, but the next day they get somebody from somewhere that is very skilled to make sure you don’t win the second time.”
Even though those people have no idea that Latheef is an ambassador, they all know the Maldives, and Latheef feels happy with their “close affection.”
“We can relate to them easily,” he said.
Latheef now is also trying to learn tai chi, after he was invited by a Chinese NGO to experience tai chi with other diplomats. “2012 could be my last year in China,” he said. “I have to practice tai chi more seriously because this is the last year.”
“This is something I want to take back to the Maldives after leaving here,” he said.
By Wu Hao
This year marks the 40th anniversary of Sino-Maldivian diplomatic relations, with planned celebrations including a small film festival and increased cultural exchange.
“We’re going to send cultural troupes sometime during the year to perform in different locations in the Maldives, and then bring them to perform in Beijing,” said Ahmed Latheef, Maldives’ ambassador to China. “Also I’m hoping to have high-level delegations from Maldives come to China.”
The Chinese embassy in Maldives is also planning some activities on the island-nation of just over 300,000 people, Latheef said.
Last year, the Chinese government opened an embassy in Maldives, an important development for the two countries’ relations.
“With the two embassies joining together, we can do many more things, we can expect our relations to grow much faster,” Latheef said.
Latheef participates in a bit of ping pong diplomacy. Photo provided by Maldives embassy
The pearl on the Indian Ocean
Being one of the best-known tourism destinations around the world, the Maldives and its unique scenery has become increasingly popular in China, especially among young couples.
“Last year, Chinese were among the top visitors from around the world to come to the Maldives. By the end of last year, we had almost 200,000 visitors from China, quite a significant number,” Latheef said.
There are direct flights from Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing and Hong Kong, and discounted flights available during holidays such as Spring Festival and National Day.
There are different travel packages for Chinese tourists to choose from. They include sightseeing, accommodations and transportation.
Four-night packages range from 8,000 to 12,000 yuan, depending on the quality of the hotel.
“You have your private beach right in front of you because the rooms are usually all around the hotels facing the sea,” Latheef said. “The beach is private property.”
The islands, Latheef pointed out, never get too crowded due to accommodation limitations.
“Each island has 100 to 150 rooms; you don’t even see others on the beach. It’s peaceful and exclusive in that sense, unlike Sanya,” Latheef said.
By Han Manman
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is known for creating controversial awareness campaigns that advocate for animal rights in Europe and the US, but recently the organization turned its attention to the Chinese mainland.
“I used to be a proponent of fur because I didn’t know about the abuse and cruelty behind it,” said actress Annie Yi, who recently participated in a graphic anti-fur video for PETA Asia.
As images of skinned animals – some still panting and blinking – and scenes of rabbits picked up by the ears and shot in the head with stun guns on Chinese fur farms appear on screen, Yi intones: “Some people think the fur … from fur farms is humane. But we can’t see how they treat the animals. Animals on fur farms spend their entire lives confined to cramped, filthy wire cages … [then] they are anally electrocuted.”
PETA public relations officer Joan Chan said PETA and its affiliates have conducted several undercover investigations of fur farms in China and around the world.
One investigation revealed that rabbits kicked and screamed as they were shot with electric stun guns. Video footage from another investigation showed that workers slammed foxes and raccoons to the ground before skinning them, sometimes while they were still alive.
Chan said when investigators went into another animal market in southern China, they were horrified to find dogs and cats being bludgeoned, hanged, bled to death and strangled with wire nooses.
PETA is not the only organization to promote anti-fur in China. A No Fur China campaign was launched last month by ACTAsia for Animals, a UK-based charity set up by experienced animal rights advocates.
More than 50 Chinese animal welfare groups have joined and are supporting the No Fur China campaign. Different groups are conducting events throughout the country.
Statistics from ACT Asia shows more than 50 million rabbits, raccoons, minks and foxes are kept in dreadful conditions on Chinese fur farms.
According to a report released by ACT Asia, China has become a major producer and consumer of fur, which is most often bought by the younger generation. Items include coats, hats, cushions, bedcovers and other accessories made from pelts. The majority of buyers are unaware of the terrible cruelty involved in raising and killing animals for their fur.
“This shows that our public awareness campaign is desperately needed to stop the huge and growing fur industry in China,” the report said.
Chan said there are no penalties for abusing animals on fur farms in China, which is the world’s largest fur exporter, supplying more than half of the finished fur garments in the US.
Chan said that in Sweden, PETA’s investigators found minks on fur farms suffering from severe psychological distress, spending their days bobbing their heads and pacing. Many minks even resorted to self-mutilation and cannibalism.
“Just a little fur can cause great suffering to animals,” Yi said, adding that many people may not know that about 70 million rabbits are killed yearly for their skins.
“Fur farmers kill rabbits using cruel methods … stringing them up by the legs and cutting off their heads,” she said. “We need to care about other life on earth. They have the right to live.”
Protesters from an animal rights group hold a demonstration at a busy intersection in Hong Kong. IC Photo
By Han Manman
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is known for creating controversial awareness campaigns that advocate for animal rights in Europe and the US, but recently the organization turned its attention to the Chinese mainland.
“I used to be a proponent of fur because I didn’t know about the abuse and cruelty behind it,” said actress Annie Yi, who recently participated in a graphic anti-fur video for PETA Asia.
As images of skinned animals – some still panting and blinking – and scenes of rabbits picked up by the ears and shot in the head with stun guns on Chinese fur farms appear on screen, Yi intones: “Some people think the fur … from fur farms is humane. But we can’t see how they treat the animals. Animals on fur farms spend their entire lives confined to cramped, filthy wire cages … [then] they are anally electrocuted.”
PETA public relations officer Joan Chan said PETA and its affiliates have conducted several undercover investigations of fur farms in China and around the world.
One investigation revealed that rabbits kicked and screamed as they were shot with electric stun guns. Video footage from another investigation showed that workers slammed foxes and raccoons to the ground before skinning them, sometimes while they were still alive.
Chan said when investigators went into another animal market in southern China, they were horrified to find dogs and cats being bludgeoned, hanged, bled to death and strangled with wire nooses.
By Wang Xudong
The ambassador of Denmark to China said at a recent press conference that his country would welcome more investment from Chinese companies, and for companies to consider making Denmark their first choice, considering the poor economic condition of other European countries.
“Commercial relations between China and Denmark have always been strong, friendly and constructive,” said Friis Arne Petersen, Denmark’s ambassador to China, in an activity held at the Danish embassy on January 5.
The theme of the activity was “Ideal Investor Overseas of Chinese Companies,” and featured participants from Aigo Entrepreneur Alliance (AEA) and embassy officials.
Aigo is a leading Chinese company of digital products, while AEA comprises different companies in electronics, maritime products, real estate and clothing.
AEA has been trying to create a friendly atmosphere for Chinese companies by making agreements with target countries via negotiations and on-site investigations.
“Chinese brands will go global only if companies form an alliance,” noted Feng Jun, leader of both Aigo and AEA.
He added that the members of the alliance all agreed that Denmark met their requirement for investment, and investing in Denmark itself will make the companies more competitive.
The Danish government always supports investments from overseas and outlaws trade protectionism, Feng said. Meanwhile, Denmark has proved to be a good target country considering its debt ratio is only half of its GDP, much lower compared with other European countries.
Moreover, Denmark is in a leading position in energy, biomedical and design, the last of which may help Chinese companies close the gap between themselves and the world’s leading companies.
“It was, among other things, Denmark’s strengths within design and innovation that made the investors decide on Denmark,” Feng said.
Last December, members of AEA visited Denmark and were received by Pia Olsen Dyhr, Denmark’s Minister for Trade and Investment. They spoke about rent reduction and free business consulting for Chinese companies in Denmark.
Yin Ziqin, a member of the alliance, said she thinks that AEA has built a platform to make communication more convenient between Chinese companies and the Danish government and Danish companies.
AEA expects to open an office in Denmark in March.
Denmark will hold the EU’s rotating presidency during the first half year of 2012.
By Wang Xudong
The ambassador of Denmark to China said at a recent press conference that his country would welcome more investment from Chinese companies, and for companies to consider making Denmark their first choice, considering the poor economic condition of other European countries.
“Commercial relations between China and Denmark have always been strong, friendly and constructive,” said Friis Arne Petersen, Denmark’s ambassador to China, in an activity held at the Danish embassy on January 5.
The theme of the activity was “Ideal Investor Overseas of Chinese Companies,” and featured participants from Aigo Entrepreneur Alliance (AEA) and embassy officials.
Aigo is a leading Chinese company of digital products, while AEA comprises different companies in electronics, maritime products, real estate and clothing.
AEA has been trying to create a friendly atmosphere for Chinese companies by making agreements with target countries via negotiations and on-site investigations.
“Chinese brands will go global only if companies form an alliance,” noted Feng Jun, leader of both Aigo and AEA.
Italian ambassador to China Attilio Massimo Iannucci recently published an article on Xinhua’s website stressing that Italy has the confidence to get out of the ongoing eurozone debt crisis. Below are his words.
As Italians emerge from the current holiday season they know that 2012 will be a trying year – one that will possibly define the future of the country beyond the current generation.
This comes as no surprise to Italians because 2011 has already tested them beyond their expectations. 2011 was supposed to be a year of celebration as the nation feted the 150th anniversary of the reunification of the Italian peninsula under Piedmont Savoy’s dynasty, with a ceremony marked by the presence of high-level officials coming from around the world. China honored my country with the presence of Vice President Xi Jinping.
But with the crisis from Greece, Ireland and Portugal spilling over into the bigger European economies such as Spain and Italy, the structural problem of public debts within the eurozone provided international financial speculators with painful leverage.
To prove its commitment to the economic benchmark of the times – budgetary discipline – within the space of six months Italy changed government and passed three austerity budgets, the one more severe than the other. The last one, which was approved by the Italian Parliament just before Christmas, in a case of the government feeling the pain of the common man, even elicited public tears from a cabinet welfare minister.
Yet, despite the gloom of the current economic outlook, Italians know that the fundamentals of the economy are strong. Just to mention few but significant signs: a small budget deficit, a low debt of the private sector, a strong manufacturing sector (second in Europe only to Germany, the fifth in the world), a solid financial condition of households, the soundness of the banks and limited foreign debt.
While Italy has been endowed with great beauty, its land has a remarkable lack of natural resources. Its greatest asset is human capital, which over a span of 3,000 years – almost at a par with China – has made the Italian peninsula a beacon of civilization and ideas, a source of bewildered admiration from foreign visitors.
Italians are not only an inventive, creative and resourceful people. They also remain thrifty and industrious one. SMEs (Italy’s “pocket multinationals” as they are called) give a sound economic contribution and guarantee the country’s prominence in world exports. These companies are known for their niche specialization and the quality and reliability of their products. It is no small feat that in the middle of the severest world recession since 1929, the country is still achieving one of the largest foreign trade surpluses in manufactured products.
Italians remain frugal and wary of private debt. The financial condition of Italian households is solid. The household total net wealth is high by international standards estimated at 178 percent of the size of the GDP. In the real estate market – like in China, also Italy’s favorite investment – prices are stable, thus preserving families’ net worth. True to the legacy of a people that has produced 19 Nobel Prize laureates, Italy’s educational performances appear in line with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries.
The Canadian American economist John Kenneth Galbraith once remarked that the real reason for the miracle of post-World War II Italian reconstruction was that “Italy had incorporated in its products an essential component of the culture found in cities such as Florence, Venice, Rome, Naples and Milan.”
The claim that culture is Italy’s oil sounds true still today. There are few other ancient civilizations that have steadily produced as much as Italy.
Culture is well rooted in our past and it is also a pillar of the present, of progress and sustainability.
The gravity of the economic challenge posed will not deter Italy from remaining in 2012 actively engaged in the international arena, where since 1945 it has been a provider of peace, stability and security, also outside of its immediate reaches in the European continent and the Mediterranean.
History has often put Italy in the position of being “Europe’s comeback kid.” We have been there before and while we do not necessarily relish this situation – far from it – we know that we can come back successfully one more time and overcome the challenges ahead in the incoming Year of the Dragon. (Xinhua)
Italian ambassador to China Attilio Massimo Iannucci recently published an article on Xinhua’s website stressing that Italy has the confidence to get out of the ongoing eurozone debt crisis. Below are his words.
Attilio Massimo Iannucci/Photo from ce.cn
As Italians emerge from the current holiday season they know that 2012 will be a trying year – one that will possibly define the future of the country beyond the current generation.
This comes as no surprise to Italians because 2011 has already tested them beyond their expectations. 2011 was supposed to be a year of celebration as the nation feted the 150th anniversary of the reunification of the Italian peninsula under Piedmont Savoy’s dynasty, with a ceremony marked by the presence of high-level officials coming from around the world. China honored my country with the presence of Vice President Xi Jinping.
But with the crisis from Greece, Ireland and Portugal spilling over into the bigger European economies such as Spain and Italy, the structural problem of public debts within the eurozone provided international financial speculators with painful leverage.
To prove its commitment to the economic benchmark of the times – budgetary discipline – within the space of six months Italy changed government and passed three austerity budgets, the one more severe than the other. The last one, which was approved by the Italian Parliament just before Christmas, in a case of the government feeling the pain of the common man, even elicited public tears from a cabinet welfare minister.
Yet, despite the gloom of the current economic outlook, Italians know that the fundamentals of the economy are strong. Just to mention few but significant signs: a small budget deficit, a low debt of the private sector, a strong manufacturing sector (second in Europe only to Germany, the fifth in the world), a solid financial condition of households, the soundness of the banks and limited foreign debt.
While Italy has been endowed with great beauty, its land has a remarkable lack of natural resources. Its greatest asset is human capital, which over a span of 3,000 years – almost at a par with China – has made the Italian peninsula a beacon of civilization and ideas, a source of bewildered admiration from foreign visitors.
By Zhao Hongyi
This month, the Malaysian embassy in Beijing opened a website to lure more Chinese students to study in Malaysia.
An increasing number of Chinese junior high students are studying abroad for language and vocational studies.
The website tries to make a case for why it’s better to study in Malaysia than places like the UK, US, Australia and New Zealand. Factors include lower cost, more Chinese cultural influences, looser restrictions on visas and work permits, availability of scholarships and improved services for international students.
Because of its history as a former British colony, Malaysia has very good English education programs.
A list of the major universities, high schools and vocational schools is displayed on the newly launched website.
The Embassy of Malaysia is also an active player in most overseas education exhibitions held throughout China, such as the annual Overseas Educational Expo by the Chinese Ministry of Education.
The embassy is strengthening its ties and cooperation with China’s overseas education agencies, providing professional suggestions for interested Chinese students.
Around 8,000 Chinese students are studying in Malaysia, according to Mustapa Mohamed, minister of higher education of Malaysia. That figure increases between 15 to 20 percent each year.
“We hope the number can increase two or three times that within the next few years,” the minister said at the opening ceremony of the new Education Section Office of the Malaysian embassy.
Chinese students are becoming a major group of visitors to developed countries with good schools.
The latest statistics from China’s Ministry of Education show that 289,000 Chinese students went abroad last year.
There are as many as 160,000 Chinese students studying in the US, 90,000 in the UK and 25,000 in Germany.
While sending more students abroad, China is also trying to lure foreign students to study in its schools. It has opened 322 Confucius Institutes and 369 Confucius Classes around the world to promote Chinese culture.
Many Chinese educational institutions are attracting foreign students. They actively participate in education expos around the world and provide scholarships, accommodation and other support for foreign students.
Chinese students are becoming a major group of visitors to developed countries with good schools. CFP Photo
By Zhao Hongyi
This month, the Malaysian embassy in Beijing opened a website to lure more Chinese students to study in Malaysia.
An increasing number of Chinese junior high students are studying abroad for language and vocational studies.
The website tries to make a case for why it’s better to study in Malaysia than places like the UK, US, Australia and New Zealand. Factors include lower cost, more Chinese cultural influences, looser restrictions on visas and work permits, availability of scholarships and improved services for international students.
Because of its history as a former British colony, Malaysia has very good English education programs.
A list of the major universities, high schools and vocational schools is displayed on the newly launched website.
The Embassy of Malaysia is also an active player in most overseas education exhibitions held throughout China, such as the annual Overseas Educational Expo by the Chinese Ministry of Education.
The embassy is strengthening its ties and cooperation with China’s overseas education agencies, providing professional suggestions for interested Chinese students.
Around 8,000 Chinese students are studying in Malaysia, according to Mustapa Mohamed, minister of higher education of Malaysia. That figure increases between 15 to 20 percent each year.
“We hope the number can increase two or three times that within the next few years,” the minister said at the opening ceremony of the new Education Section Office of the Malaysian embassy.
Chinese students are becoming a major group of visitors to developed countries with good schools.
The latest statistics from China’s Ministry of Education show that 289,000 Chinese students went abroad last year.
There are as many as 160,000 Chinese students studying in the US, 90,000 in the UK and 25,000 in Germany.
While sending more students abroad, China is also trying to lure foreign students to study in its schools. It has opened 322 Confucius Institutes and 369 Confucius Classes around the world to promote Chinese culture.
Many Chinese educational institutions are attracting foreign students. They actively participate in education expos around the world and provide scholarships, accommodation and other support for foreign students.
By Han Manman
Many among Beijing’s North Korean community mourned the passing of leader Kim Jong Il on Monday after they learned of his death.
Kim, officially the general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) and chairman of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) National Defense Commission, died from “great mental and physical strain” on a train during a field guidance tour on December 17, the DPRK’s Korean Central News Agency reported at noon on Monday.
At the DPRK embassy in Beijing, the flag was lowered to half-mast.
“My grief is beyond words,” a middle-aged consulate official told Xinhua. He said he would support Kim Jong Un, the youngest son of Kim Jong Il, in carrying on the work of the late leader.
People were seen holding flowers on their way to mourn Kim at the DPRK embassy in Beijing. Some placed flowers on a table under a picture of Kim and wept.
Many North Koreans in Beijing have stopped entertainment activities and several restaurants in Beijing associated with the DPRK were closed for business on Monday, Xinhua reported.
Moranbong, a North Korean restaurant in Beijing, was closed by orders of the North Korean embassy Monday morning. Another restaurant run by North Koreans, Pyongyang Asiatic Apple Flower, is still open, but all domestic performances have been suspended. Employees at both Moranbong and Pyongyang Asiatic Apple Flower were heard weeping and crying loudly, some netizens wrote on their microblogs.
In China’s nearest border city to DPRK, Dandong, many DPRK nationals rushed back to their home country to mourn the death of Kim.
Meanwhile, travel agencies in Dandong suspended DPRK travel services. A manager surnamed Wang told Xinhua that such services would not be open to the public until January 20.
The vast majority of DPRK-themed restaurants were also closed. Although Korean song and dance performances used to be the major Christmas events in Dandong, all of them have been canceled, Xinhua reported.
The Chinese government on Monday offered its “deep condolences” to the DPRK.
“We are shocked to learn that the DPRK’s top leader, comrade Kim Jong Il, passed away and we hereby express our deep condolences on his passing and send our sincere regards to the people of the DPRK,” China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said in a statement.
“We believe the people of the DPRK will definitely be able to turn sorrow into strength and remain united in order to continuously push forward the socialist cause of the DPRK,” he said.
Meanwhile, some locals voiced hope that the country’s relationship with China will not be affected.
The flag was lowered to half-mast Monday at the DPRK embassy in Beijing. Xinhua Photos
By Han Manman
Many among Beijing’s North Korean community mourned the passing of leader Kim Jong Il on Monday after they learned of his death.
Kim, officially the general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) and chairman of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) National Defense Commission, died from “great mental and physical strain” on a train during a field guidance tour on December 17, the DPRK’s Korean Central News Agency reported at noon on Monday.
At the DPRK embassy in Beijing, the flag was lowered to half-mast.
“My grief is beyond words,” a middle-aged consulate official told Xinhua. He said he would support Kim Jong Un, the youngest son of Kim Jong Il, in carrying on the work of the late leader.
People were seen holding flowers on their way to mourn Kim at the DPRK embassy in Beijing. Some placed flowers on a table under a picture of Kim and wept.
Many North Koreans in Beijing have stopped entertainment activities and several restaurants in Beijing associated with the DPRK were closed for business on Monday, Xinhua reported.
North Korean people holding a wreath to mourn the death of Kim Jong Il in Beijing.
Moranbong, a North Korean restaurant in Beijing, was closed by orders of the North Korean embassy Monday morning. Another restaurant run by North Koreans, Pyongyang Asiatic Apple Flower, is still open, but all domestic performances have been suspended. Employees at both Moranbong and Pyongyang Asiatic Apple Flower were heard weeping and crying loudly, some netizens wrote on their microblogs.
In China’s nearest border city to DPRK, Dandong, many DPRK nationals rushed back to their home country to mourn the death of Kim.
Meanwhile, travel agencies in Dandong suspended DPRK travel services. A manager surnamed Wang told Xinhua that such services would not be open to the public until January 20.
The vast majority of DPRK-themed restaurants were also closed. Although Korean song and dance performances used to be the major Christmas events in Dandong, all of them have been canceled, Xinhua reported.
The Chinese government on Monday offered its “deep condolences” to the DPRK.
“We are shocked to learn that the DPRK’s top leader, comrade Kim Jong Il, passed away and we hereby express our deep condolences on his passing and send our sincere regards to the people of the DPRK,” China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said in a statement.
“We believe the people of the DPRK will definitely be able to turn sorrow into strength and remain united in order to continuously push forward the socialist cause of the DPRK,” he said.
Meanwhile, some locals voiced hope that the country’s relationship with China will not be affected.
By Han Manman
The US government is willing to start issuing five-year visas to Chinese nationals to lure more cash-flushed Chinese travelers to its shores, but only if China agrees to do the same for American citizens, said US ambassador to China Gary Locke.
“We’d like to issue five-year visas for Chinese visitors to the US for business, travel or study,” Locke said on Wednesday during a ceremony held to celebrate the new record of the US handling Chinese visa applications.
The five-year visa would mean Chinese visitors would not need to reapply for visas every time they travel to the US within a five-year period. Currently, visitors with temporary tourist and business visas, also known as B1 or B2 visas, are only valid for one year.
“We’ve officially asked the government of China to also issue five-year visas for Americans as well,” he said, indicating that Chinese government’s decision will directly affect the US’ final decision.
Figures provided by the US embassy show by the end of last week, the US consular officers adjudicated a record-breaking 1 million visas in China in this fiscal year – an increase of more than 34 percent compared to last year, and double the number of visas adjudicated just five years ago.
During the last year, more than 160,000 student visas were issued to Chinese citizens to study at US colleges and universities, and today 18 percent of all foreign students in the US are from China.
The ambassador said nearly 90 percent of those 1 million applications are issued upon application by US embassies in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenyang and Chengdu.
More Chinese visitors would help create jobs in the US and help lift its sluggish economy, Locke said.
Other than longer visas, the US has also tried to shorten applicants’ wait times to less than a week, opening more windows, adding 50 visa officials in the near future.
Locke said all the 50 visa officials can speak Chinese and are expected to arrive in China in the spring.
During the ceremony, the ambassador issued visas to six Chinese citizens who applied for visas at the beginning of the month.
At the ceremony, the ambassador became a guest visa official and interviewed applicants on the scene.
When he learned a Chinese family’s purpose for visiting the US was to take their 3-year-old daughter to Disneyland in California, Locke became excited and said he always takes his children there as well.
Gary Locke (right) issues a visa to a Chinese family. Photo by Han Manman
By Han Manman
The US government is willing to start issuing five-year visas to Chinese nationals to lure more cash-flushed Chinese travelers to its shores, but only if China agrees to do the same for American citizens, said US ambassador to China Gary Locke.
“We’d like to issue five-year visas for Chinese visitors to the US for business, travel or study,” Locke said on Wednesday during a ceremony held to celebrate the new record of the US handling Chinese visa applications.
The five-year visa would mean Chinese visitors would not need to reapply for visas every time they travel to the US within a five-year period. Currently, visitors with temporary tourist and business visas, also known as B1 or B2 visas, are only valid for one year.
“We’ve officially asked the government of China to also issue five-year visas for Americans as well,” he said, indicating that Chinese government’s decision will directly affect the US’ final decision.
Figures provided by the US embassy show by the end of last week, the US consular officers adjudicated a record-breaking 1 million visas in China in this fiscal year – an increase of more than 34 percent compared to last year, and double the number of visas adjudicated just five years ago.
By Han Manman
Two pandas will be sent to France early next year and will live there for a decade, according to the French embassy in Beijing.
Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding and the France-based Beauval Zoo signed a 10-year panda loan agreement at the French embassy in Beijing last Saturday.
After years of top-level negotiations, a deal on the pandas was to have been announced at the G20 summit in the French resort of Cannes in early November, but the announcement was delayed as leaders dealt with more pressing matters.
The pair will be the first pandas sent to France since the death of Yen Yen in 2000, who was given to former president Georges Pompidou in the 1970s along with another panda, who died shortly after arriving.
The two pandas are not the only recent pair to have been loaned to foreign countries. Two pandas recently arrived in the Edinburgh zoo in Scotland.
The pair of 8-year-olds – Tian Tian (Sweetie) and Yang Guang (Sunshine) – were born in 2003 at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Sichuan Province. They will be the first giant pandas in the UK in 17 years, ever since Ming Ming was sent back to China from London Zoo in 1994.
Their arrival in the UK is part of a 10-year China-UK joint research program studying how human-bred pandas can survive in the wild. Tian Tian is expected to give birth during her stay overseas.
Giant pandas are among the world’s most endangered species, with only about 1,600 living in the wild and some 300 in captivity, mostly in China.
China is famed for “panda diplomacy.” As friendly ambassadors, 23 giant pandas were sent as state gifts to nine countries from 1953 to 1982. Since 1982, giant pandas have no longer been sent as gifts, but loaned out.
China has loaned dozens of pandas to other countries in recent decades, including the US, Thailand, Singapore, Spain, Austria and Japan.
Tian Tian being unloaded from a plane at Edinburgh Airport. CFP Photo
By Han Manman
Two pandas will be sent to France early next year and will live there for a decade, according to the French embassy in Beijing.
Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding and the France-based Beauval Zoo signed a 10-year panda loan agreement at the French embassy in Beijing last Saturday.
After years of top-level negotiations, a deal on the pandas was to have been announced at the G20 summit in the French resort of Cannes in early November, but the announcement was delayed as leaders dealt with more pressing matters.
The pair will be the first pandas sent to France since the death of Yen Yen in 2000, who was given to former president Georges Pompidou in the 1970s along with another panda, who died shortly after arriving.
By Han Manman
The European Travel Commission (ETC) recently launched its official Chinese website to attract more Chinese tourists to the financially shaky continent.
More and more Chinese are traveling abroad for their holidays, reflecting the increasing wealth among the country’s fast-expanding middle class, who have benefited from rapid economic growth and a booming property market, Petra Hedorfer, president of ETC, said at the launch of visiteurope.com.cn last week.
However, the vast majority of outbound trips from China are still to Asian destinations, she said.
“With the launch of our new Chinese website, we declare our common initiative to focus on the Chinese market, inviting the people of China to come and discover the wealth of culture and diversity that our beautiful continent has to offer,” Hedorfer said.
Figures from ETC show the total number of outbound trips from China reached 15.7 million in 2010, with 24 percent, or 3.8 million, going to European countries. Asia accounted for 67 percent of China’s outbound trips, and the Americas accounted for 8 percent.
Hedorfer said she hopes the website, which provides extensive information on the cuisine, history and culture of 35 European countries, will help boost the number of outbound trips from China to Europe to 8 million by 2030.
The launch of the Chinese website marks the first step in the recently strengthened cooperation between ETC and the European Commission to promote Europe as a travel destination in coming years.
Pedro Ortun, director for Tourism of European Commission, said more needs to be done to attract Chinese tourists. Ortun said the continent needs to improve its Chinese language skills as well as knowledge of Chinese habits in order to attract more Chinese people.
He added that the approval of the Visa Code for the Schengen area and the recent adoption of a harmonized list for supporting documents to be presented by visa applicants in China will certainly help to attract more Chinese visitors.
By Han Manman
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. While the two governments launch a series of events in commemoration, 49-year-old Zamir Ahmed Awan, counselor of technical affairs at the Pakistan embassy in China, offered his perspective of the countries’ relationship.
He was among the first Pakistani students to come to China in 1980, witnessing the country’s turn from a conservative, closed society to one of open-mindedness and growth. While he has been happy about Pakistan and China’s strengthening relationship, he also feels a great responsibility to pass on what he knows to the countries’ younger generation of people.
Dream of
studying in China
“I was so lucky to study in China in the 1980s, the beginning of the country’s change since its reform and opening-up in 1978,” Awan said in his office. “It was a really special period for China.”
He paused for a sip of coffee, then added that change was obvious month after month.
Awan had dreamed of going to China since he was a child. The idea may have come from his father, who went to China in the 1940s when he served in the British army.
“My father told me lots of stories about his life in Hong Kong and Shanghai when I was a child,” Awan said, adding that his father died when he was 11. But his father’s experience abroad gave him a glowing impression.
After finishing high school, Awan decided to apply to study in China.
At that time, most Pakistan students preferred studying in the UK. Being a former British colony, it was convenient for Pakistanis to go to Britain.
“But so few Pakistanis chose to study in China at that time, not only because of the language barrier, but also because we had so little knowledge of the country,” Awan said.
After a series of exams, Awan was selected as one of the four Pakistani students to study in China in 1980.
“My classmates and friends were all happy to hear I would go,” he said. “Although China is a really strange country in their minds, we’ve all learned since childhood that China has been very kind to Pakistan.”
The first years
Awan came to Beijing in 1980. He said he was comparatively open-minded coming from a country that had long been affected by British culture, but he felt China was very conservative.
“On the street, it was hard to find people willing to talk to me,” Awan said, adding that he felt locals were afraid to speak with foreigners like him.
After a year of language study at the Beijing Language and Culture University, Awan went to Shanghai in 1981 and spent six and a half years there to finish his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in engineering.
“Shanghai was more open to foreigners than Beijing,” he said. “My teachers and classmates helped me a lot whenever I had difficulties. I could feel their warm-hearted kindness.”
At the same time, however, Awan felt those teachers and classmates kept a careful distance from him.
Awan said at that time, the school prohibited Chinese students from going to foreign students’ dormitory. Even teachers were afraid to have close contact with foreigners.
Awan’s class only had two foreigners, and the other was from Africa. When either of them asked questions in class, the teachers would respond. But when they asked outside of class, the teachers would be curt.
“I don’t know what they were afraid of at that time,” Awan said. “I felt like the country had contradictions. While it tried to open up, it was afraid of doing so.”
Things gradually got better. It wasn’t just people’s attitudes toward foreigners that were changing – it was their attitudes about everything.
And it was their surroundings that changed, too. Every month, Awan recalled, a new road or a new building would be finished. And with that, a new culture was being born.
Hope for the
younger generation
After leaving China, Awan worked in many other countries as an engineer, then in the Ministry of Science and Technology in Pakistan. In every new country, he’d find himself making Chinese friends.
Last year, Awan was appointed technical affairs counselor to China and returned to the country.
He said he felt the two countries are getting closer on many different levels.
More Pakistani students are choosing to study in China. Awan said more than 6,000 Pakistani students are currently studying in this country, including his son.
But Awan also said he doesn’t think the relationship between the two countries’ younger generation is as close as it can be.
The young have a different attitude towards Pakistan, he said.
“The older generation in China has a great affection for Pakistan. In their mind, Pakistan is China’s best friend,” he said. “But the younger generation knows less about Pakistan.”
Awan said he has often heard young people tell him, “My father told me Pakistan is a good friend of China’s.” But then they’ll ask elementary questions such as, “What is Pakistan’s capital?” and “What’s Pakistan’s primary language?”
“These young Chinese in fact represent the younger generation’s understanding of Pakistan,” he said.
He added that Pakistan once had many Chinese students, in the 1980s and 1990s, but fewer and fewer Chinese have chosen to study in Pakistan in recent years.
“An old Chinese saying goes ‘Man struggles upwards, water flows downwards,’” he said. “Younger Chinese have more choices now. They have higher dreams and are willing to go to developed countries. But people in the older generation have a duty to pass on our long-standing friendship to the next generation.”
By Han Manman
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. While the two governments launch a series of events in commemoration, 49-year-old Zamir Ahmed Awan, counselor of technical affairs at the Pakistan embassy in China, offered his perspective of the countries’ relationship.
He was among the first Pakistani students to come to China in 1980, witnessing the country’s turn from a conservative, closed society to one of open-mindedness and growth. While he has been happy about Pakistan and China’s strengthening relationship, he also feels a great responsibility to pass on what he knows to the countries’ younger generation of people.
Awan with his family on the border of China. Photo provided by Awan
Dream of studying in China
“I was so lucky to study in China in the 1980s, the beginning of the country’s change since its reform and opening-up in 1978,” Awan said in his office. “It was a really special period for China.”
He paused for a sip of coffee, then added that change was obvious month after month.
Awan had dreamed of going to China since he was a child. The idea may have come from his father, who went to China in the 1940s when he served in the British army.
“My father told me lots of stories about his life in Hong Kong and Shanghai when I was a child,” Awan said, adding that his father died when he was 11. But his father’s experience abroad gave him a glowing impression.
After finishing high school, Awan decided to apply to study in China.
At that time, most Pakistan students preferred studying in the UK. Being a former British colony, it was convenient for Pakistanis to go to Britain.
“But so few Pakistanis chose to study in China at that time, not only because of the language barrier, but also because we had so little knowledge of the country,” Awan said.
After a series of exams, Awan was selected as one of the four Pakistani students to study in China in 1980.
“My classmates and friends were all happy to hear I would go,” he said. “Although China is a really strange country in their minds, we’ve all learned since childhood that China has been very kind to Pakistan.”
