Posts tagged china

BEIJING - China on Monday asked the United States to abandon its “Cold War mentality” and cease making groundless accusations against China, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said.

Spokesman Liu Weimin made the remark at a daily press briefing when commenting on an annual national security threat assessment report delivered by the U.S. government.

The report stated that China has invaded American computer networks on a large scale, stolen intellectual property and conducted economic espionage. The report also named Chinese intelligence agencies as the biggest threat to the U.S. in relevant fields for the next few years.

Liu said the accusations are “totally fictitious” and were made with an ulterior motive in mind.

Cyberattacks are transnational and anonymous, Liu said, adding that it is “unprofessional and irresponsible” to deduce the source of an attack without a thorough investigation.

The spokesman said China has repeatedly declared its stance on issues regarding Internet security. China is willing to continue cooperation with the international community on safeguarding Internet security, he added.

(Source: chinadaily.com.cn)

A man in south-west China who contracted the bird flu virus died on Sunday, health authorities said, the second human death from the virulent disease in the country in just under a month.

The news comes after neighbouring Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia also reported deaths from avian influenza, and after chickens tested positive for the H5N1 virus in Hong Kong, prompting a mass cull of birds.

The latest Chinese victim fell ill on January 6 and was admitted to hospital in Guiyang - capital of Guizhou province - where his condition rapidly deteriorated, the provincial health department said in a statement.

Tests on the patient before he died confirmed he had contracted the H5N1 virus, it added.

“So far, 71 people who had close contact with the victim have not developed abnormal symptoms,” the health department said.

He is the second man to die from bird flu in China in less than a month, after a bus driver in the southern province of Guangdong passed away from the disease on December 31.

The latest death brings to 28 the number of people in China who have died from the disease - which is fatal in humans in about 60 per cent of cases - since 2003, out of 42 reported human cases.

The Hong Kong Department of Health said in a statement on Sunday it had been notified of the case by the mainland’s health authorities, which said the patient was 39 years old.

Authorities from Hong Kong and the mainland have been working closely together since three chickens in the Chinese territory tested positive for the H5N1 virus in mid-December.

Most human infections are the result of direct contact with infected birds, and the virus does not pass easily among humans.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says it has never identified a “sustained human-to-human spread” of the virus since it re-emerged in 2003.

But according to the Hong Kong health department, the Guizhou province victim, who has not been named, had not reported any obvious exposure to poultry before the onset of symptoms.

Aside from China, Vietnam on Thursday reported its first human death from the virus in nearly two years, and the disease also claimed the life of a toddler in Cambodia.

Indonesia, meanwhile, on Friday reported its second human death from bird flu this year when a five-year-old girl who recently lost her relative to the deadly virus also passed away.

China is considered one of the nations most at risk of bird flu epidemics because it has the world’s biggest poultry population and many chickens in rural areas are kept close to humans.

But the Guizhou health department sought to ease concerns on Sunday, saying bird flu was “preventable, controllable and treatable”.

AFP

(Source: abc.net.au)

BEIJING (AP) — China on Monday slammed the United States’ new Asian-focused defense strategy, saying its accusations of a lack of openness in Beijing’s military policy were “groundless and untrustworthy.”

The strategy unveiled Thursday shifts the U.S. military focus away from Iraq and Afghanistan and makes a renewed commitment to assert America’s position in the Asia-Pacific region.

The document says the growth of China’s military power must be accompanied by greater clarity in its strategic intentions to avoid causing friction in the region.

In response, China said it was committed to peaceful development and a “defensive” policy.

“China’s strategic intent is clear, open and transparent,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin told reporters at a regular briefing.

“Our national defense modernization serves the objective requirements of national security and development and also plays an active role in maintaining regional peace and stability. It will not pose any threat to any country,” Liu said. “The charges against China in this document are groundless and untrustworthy.”

He added that maintaining peace, stability and prosperity in the region serve the common interests of all Asia-Pacific countries “and we hope the U.S. will play a more constructive role to this end.”

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said the U.S. is not anticipating military conflict in Asia, but that it became so bogged down in Iraq and Afghanistan after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that it missed chances to improve its strategic position elsewhere.

Panetta said the Asia-Pacific region is growing in importance for the U.S. economy and national security, so the nation needed to maintain “our military’s technological edge and freedom of action.”

The new strategy also identified India as a long-term strategic partner that can serve as a regional economic anchor and provider of security in the Indian Ocean region. It said the U.S. will try to maintain peace on the Korean peninsula by working with allies and others in Asia to defend against North Korean provocations.

(Source: Guardian)

Chinese police have busted two huge child trafficking rings that spanned 10 provinces, arresting more than 600 suspects and rescuing 178 children, the government said.

Child abductions and trafficking are rife in China, despite repeated police crackdowns - a problem that many experts blame on the nation’s strict one child policy and lax regulations on adoption.

The public security ministry said in a statement that police in the south-western province of Sichuan had chanced on clues that a child trafficking gang was operating there when dealing with a traffic accident in May.

Then in August, police in the south-eastern province of Fujian discovered the existence of another gang involved in widespread child trafficking.

After a long period of evidence-gathering, more than 5,000 police officers from 10 different provinces across China launched a joint offensive on November 30, arresting 608 suspects.

They rescued 178 children, who have now been placed in welfare agencies, in what the statement called “the biggest victory yet for anti-trafficking” operations.

It did not say how old the children were, or whether they had been reunited with their parents.

Lax adoption rules for childless couples in China have led to a thriving underground market for kidnapping, buying and selling children.

Many academics also blame the problem on the nation’s one-child policy, which has put a premium on baby boys, as many families want a male heir.

AFP

(Source: abc.net.au)

A group campaigning against cluster bombs says it is concerned about the Federal Government’s plan to allow a greater US military presence in Australia.

The Cluster Munition Coalition says a government bill before the Senate would allow the US military to store cluster bombs on Australian soil despite the nation’s official policy against the weapons.

The concerns are echoed by a former chief of the Defence Force and a long list of lawyers, human rights advocates and aid agencies.

Cluster munitions spread explosives far and wide and are known to be a threat to civilians decades after their use.

In 2008 Australia signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which says that “never under any circumstances” must a state party use, develop, produce, stockpile or transfer cluster munitions. Assisting or encouraging other parties to do so is also off limits.

Michelle Fahy from the Cluster Munition Coalition of Australia says the Government has a plan that will undermine that.

“It allows Australian troops to do everything in using, helping the US deploy clusters except actually pull the trigger,” she said.

Ms Fahy says the deal Australia has struck to allow more US military planes to fly in and out of the Northern Territory increases her concerns.

“It’s our territory and we are supposed to be using our best endeavours to promote the banning of this weapon system,” she said.

“So to then turn around and give a country, roll out the red carpet and say guys you can bring your cluster bombs here, would seem to fly directly in the face of the treaty that we’ve signed.”

There is no indication the US wants to bring cluster munitions to Australia, let alone stockpile them here.

In March, before he was appointed Chief of Defence, General David Hurley told a Senate committee there was a chance US planes and ships could have cluster munitions on board when they come to Australia.

General Hurley said any stockpiling of munitions here was a political decision.

But legislation to ratify the Convention on Cluster Munitions has exemptions in it which have raised concerns from the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The ICRC says the bill could allow Australia’s forces to be directly and actively involved in activities such as training for - and planning - the use of cluster munitions, and that would contravene the convention and undermine its goals.

Wrong message

Those concerns were echoed in a letter to the Federal Government which was signed by a long list of lawyers, human rights groups, aid groups and former Defence Force chief Peter Gration in July.

A former secretary of the Department of Defence, Paul Barratt, also signed the letter.

“What we’re doing is seeking to have an absolute minimum impact by allowing the United States to store cluster bombs in Australia if they wish,” he said.

Mr Barratt says while there is no indication the US will seek to store cluster bombs here, the exemptions send the wrong message on the weapons.

“We’re trying to preserve the option of doing everything short of pulling the trigger within the framework of a treaty in which we’re supposed to be working strenuously for the complete elimination of these awful weapons,” he said.

Greens Senator Scott Ludlum has proposed amendments to the bill that remove the exemptions.

“The announcement of the potential for the Marine Corps to be based in Darwin really sharpened our critique and our resolve that the bill not pass until it is amended,” he said.

“If the Australian Government is serious about the elimination of cluster weapons, and we thought they were, then there is I think no way they can hold their heads up and pass this legislation through as is because we’d effectively be enabling the continued deployment of these weapons by the US government.”

He says cluster bombs are widely used by the US army and it is not unreasonable to expect them to stockpile them in Australia.

“They will be stockpiling equipment there, whether it be in Darwin or perhaps the proposed Marine facility in Western Australia, and while we may think in Australia, because of course the ADF has never deployed these weapons, they’re not particularly exotic as far as the United States is concerned,” he said.

“It’s standard kit that they arm B52 bombers and other aircraft with and so I think it’s just quite a safe assumption that it’s reasonably likely that these things would be either stockpiled here or at least transited through on their way from A to B.”

A spokesman for the Federal Government told The World Today that the bill faithfully implemented the convention and ensured that all conduct prohibited by the convention was the subject of a criminal offence under Australian law.

The spokesman said the US would not be able to use cluster munitions in exercises on Australian territory and there were currently no foreign stockpiles of cluster munitions in Australia.

(Source: abc.net.au)

The Chinese government has questioned whether it is wise for Australia to host US Marines in the north of the country.

Up to 2,500 US Marines will be stationed in Australia by 2017 under a new agreement announced by Prime Minister Julia Gillard and US president Barack Obama.

The announcement comes as Australia and the US mark the 60th anniversary of the ANZUS alliance, and is widely seen as an attempt to balance against the rising influence of China in the region.

In response to a question from the ABC, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin contrasted his government’s actions with the stationing of American troops on Australian soil.

Mr Liu said China would never enter such military alliances.

“We believe that there should be real actions to further strengthen cooperation with the two sides,” he said.

“As for using the form of a military alliance, China has its own concepts of friendly co-operation with all countries.”

He also said that his country was actively promoting peaceful international development and called on other nations to adopt the same attitude.

Mr Liu said the global economy was in a rocky state and questioned whether now was a smart time for Australia to make the new agreement with the United States.

“It may not be appropriate to strengthen and extend this military alliance,” he said.

“Whether it suits the common interests of countries around the region and the whole international community remains under question.”

Mr Liu also said he hoped the United States will match its actions with its words in terms of promises that it is not trying to rein in China.

When questioned about China’s future in the Asia-Pacific, Mr Obama said he “welcomed a rising, peaceful China” but warned it must “play by the rules of the road”.

“What they’ve [China] been able to achieve in terms of lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty has been nothing short of remarkable,” he said.

“The main message that I’ve said not only publicly but also privately to China is that with their rise comes increased responsibility.”

Mr Obama also said he would welcome consultations with China.

“The notion that we fear China is mistaken. The notion that we are looking to exclude China is mistaken,” he said.

Indonesia has also expressed concern about the decision to station US marines in Australia.

Foreign minister Marty Natalegawa warned it could provoke a negative reaction.

“What I would hate to see is if such developments were to provoke a reaction and counter-reaction precisely to create that vicious circle of tensions and mistrust or distrust,” he said.

“That’s why it’s very important when a decision of this type is taken there is transparency of what the scenario being envisaged is and there is no misunderstanding as a result.”

(Source: abc.net.au)

President Barack Obama to set up US military base in Darwin

THE US will have a permanent new military presence in Australia by rotating marines through a base in Darwin, US President Barack Obama is set to announce.

Mr Obama will make the announcement with Prime Minister Julia Gillard when they visit Darwin next Thursday during his first visit to Australia as President, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

“This is all about the rise of China, the modernisation of the People’s Liberation Army and, particularly, it’s about the increased vulnerability of US forces in Japan and Guam to the new generation of Chinese missiles,” Alan Dupont, the Michael Hintze professor of international security at Sydney University, told the newspaper.

“The new Chinese missiles could threaten them in a way they’ve never been able to before, so the US is starting to reposition them to make them less vulnerable.

“Australia’s ‘tyranny of distance’ is now a distinct strategic advantage.”

The marines will use the Robertson Barracks, the Australian base near Darwin.

The base is home to about 4500 Australian soldiers and may be expanded to accommodate more.

(Source: heraldsun.com.au)