Be kind, there is no crime!

By: Kassy Sangster

The citizens of China are not being kind about Japan in the last few months. Not long ago they were smashing up Japanese cars in protest over the Senkaku islands. This tense relationship has not yet changed as when 2,200 Chinese citizens went to Japan to go to the local fireworks festival, they were met with hostility from other Chinese citizens. China wishes to be able to trade with Japan and keep themselves on friendly terms even with this large disagreement between them so they are discouraging the people from acting out this way. The only ones that are actually committing a crime are those who do things like smash up cars out of protest, not the owners of the cars or the tourists who were greeted kindly by the Japanese but yelled at by their own people. It seems surprising that there needs to be such reminders and that the feuds of the country could so deeply affect the people of China!

Canada and China's Strange New Deal

~Cynthia Dawn Roy

 

A great new deal is being signed between Canada and China’s economies. It’s a deal that’s been in the works for 18 years and in February the negotiations were finally wrapped up. Hu Jintao and Steven Harper finally signed the deal September 8 in Vladivostok, Russia.

                For some reason, this pact is now getting criticized by Canadian journalists and investment experts in such a way that wasn’t seen months ago while negotiations were underway. What people are most concerned about is the lack of attention is business pact is getting. This deal has not been debated in the House of Commons and only an hour of committee time has been devoted to its steady. Lawrence Martin commented in the Globe and Mail “Our role is to accept it on faith – to take the government’s word for it.” That’s the sort of mindset Chinese citizens are expected to take … not Canadians.

An investment deal with China and Canada is important and actually necessary. China is rising in power every year and Canada needs to step up and take hold of China’s gains. Canada has raw materials and energy China needs so badly. This deal will give Canadian investors rights and protections they didn’t have before and Canadian firms in China will be treated with more respect.

This agreement may become just as significant as the NAFTA agreement was for Canada, except that NAFTA may be dropped within six-months’ notice. The China deal is locked in for at least 15 years. So why is nobody talking about it?

Canada is eager to create positive relationships with such a powerful state, but Harper’s eagerness is now being carefully watched by economic analysts, who think that Harper may be sacrificing too much to create this positive impression. Critics claim this deal is not reciprocal. This deal may leave Canada vulnerable to the “vagaries of the Chinese system,” as Michael Den Tandt puts it. Canadian investors in China are required to use local suppliers and labour, but Chinese investments in Canada don’t have the same requirements. Clauses like this make Canadian critics uncomfortable, especially since no one wants to talk about this pact.

Uncensored words, could it mean trouble?

By: Kassy Sangster

It is fascinating to see that the citizens of China have had the opportunity to follow the Bo Xilai case since he was outed from his post in the party. Not only that, but get a view of China's organ harvesting practice, as the words "Bo Xilai" and "Organ harvesting" became free for the public of China to search. Practicers of the Falun Gong religion have been imprisoned by the government and it has been said that they have suffered from live organ transplants against their will. This sort of knowledge being passed to the citizens of China has rightfully shocked them. As China is having to be aware of both their public image they present to the outside world, and the image they show to their own people perhaps this sort of forced openness on topics such as organ harvesting will be harmful.

Obama & Romney Trash Talkin' China

-By Taviana Macleod

An article published by Fox News on October 19th, 2012 (which is after the 2nd presidential debate) brings up how both presidential candidates now feel about American trades with China. Romney repeatedly states similar comments directing his point of view: “On day one, I’ll label China a currency manipulator and that will allow me to apply tariffs where they steal our intellectual property and kill jobs. As a result, the crowd cheers in agreement. Obama, along the same lines states : “We have brought more trade cases against China in one term than the previous administration did in two." They therefore, for this one of very few points, share the same view. Both think that within the next 4 years the US should become "tougher" on China.
There are two sides of the spectrum regarding the American people: those who are advantaged by chinese trade and those who are disadvantaged. In Washington alone, 40% of all jobs are partly tied to international trade. Therefore cutting trade would cause the loss of jobs of many Americans. On the other hand, tightening trade could cause even more factories and plants to close than have already been shut down. For example, in Washington,  they've lost 50,000 manufacturing factories and plants over the last decade. That’s about six million manufacturing jobs. So either way some American will be out of work. This is the result of China being such a leader in the game of international trade. 

A problem rising from this is that now chinese people are beginning to feel that the relationship between China and the United-States is becoming less cooperative (shown by the results of a survey given in China). Business leaders in the US are also worried for the simple reason that the majority of profit comes from imports and exports.  The motivation for both candidates now is getting votes, so it's time for the people to stand up and let the state know what they believe should happen.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/10/19/obama-romney-talk-tough-on-china/

Tightening the noose on internet crime

By: Kassy Sangster

China raises the eyebrows of the western world whenever their internet censorship is mentioned. So with that in mind, any success China has had in 'cracking down' on internet crime comes with a degree of scepticism.
There have been close to 9,000 people have been arrested on charges. How serious these convictions are is yet to be said but 3,500 sites have been shut down and 1.88 million messages have been deleted. Some of the charges they mentioned bring people on were for internet porn, fraud, hacking and selling illegal goods.
 One case they had a great deal of success on was in stopping a gang that was blackmailing businesses by threatening to put unwanted posts on the pages. China also has fired employees for doing the opposite, removing unwanted information off the interest for bribes. China has had a firm grip on the internet of the people but with so many arrests it leads one to wonder if the population is finding more ways to evade them. One must also wonder since the rules in China are so strict if perhaps some of these 'internet thugs' would be considered the same threat here as they are there. Perhaps this signals growing discontent, or perhaps just the iron grip of China getting tighter, its hard to tell.

The Fall of Bo Xilai

~By Cynthia Dawn Roy

As the China’s leadership is in the midst of transition, an old story is returning to the international scene. On September 28 it was announced that Bo Xilai would be prosecuted for misusing power, taking bribes, improper sexual relations and other offenses. Though no date has been announced for the trial, people are pleased that the Chinese government is taking this stand and moving forward with the case.

Last month, Bo Xilai, formerly an candidate for the extremely powerful 9-member Standing Committee of the Politburo, was expelled from the Communist Party.

Bo’s corruption and political misplay was revealed last February when Bo’s deputy, Wang Lijun, ran to the U.S. consulate in Chengdu and claimed that Mr. Bo’s wife had murdered a British businessman, Neil Heywood. In doing so, Wang had international attention drawn to a very sensitive political issue. Bo’s wife has been tried for this murder and given a suspended death sentence.

The long list of charges against Bo stretches back 15 years. Many Chinese citizens suspect that if international attention had not been drawn to this case through Wang’s accusations that Bo would have never have been accused, but may have succeeded was the leader to replace Hu Jintao, president of China. Instead, Xi Jinping will be stepping into this role.

Hero to zero

By: Kassy Sangster

In February, Wang Lijin a former respected police chief of Chongqing, was sentenced to 15 years of jail for defecting, abusing his power, taking bribes and 'bending the law for selfish means'.
 This light sentence likely surprised most chinese citizens. When the case was being deliberated on citizens actually got a chance to comment on his case, as not all versions on Wang's name were censored, and most believed that Wang Lijin would receive a lifetime in jail or the death sentence. While the commentors were cautious about being able to speak, there was an opportunity to see that the people were confused with what he was being sentenced with as well (link).
 Now that he has been convicted of his crimes (which he didn't attempt to defend himself against), it serves to wonder what advantage China got from not giving Wang Lijin more time or sentencing him to death. That answer lies in his reason for being charged in the first place, Wang Lijin taken from being a hero of China to a traitor when Wang Lijin defected to a US consulate
. He would not have defected without good reason, and that reason was that he had tried to help a powerful offical named Bo Xilai's wife Bogu Kailai cover up a murder. Bo Xilai was previously a member of the communist party of China before Wang Lijin confessed to everything that they had been doing. By offering to help identify other criminals, Wang Lijin reduced his sentence and this may encourage other crooked individuals to give up their bosses in the future.
 Now China is looking at Bo Xilai to be an example on how they are taking down corruption in their ranks (link). Will this make the communist party more solid? Only time can tell