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China\’s People\’s Daily newspaper said in an opinion piece published in its Monday edition that U.S. President Barack Obama\’s weekend meeting with the Dalai Lama was an "unscrupulous trick of pragmatism," adding that the move has undermined the U.S.\’s status as a major world power.

Obama\’s meeting with the Dalai Lama, a political exile engaged in separatist activities against China under the guise of religious practice, has grossly interfered in China\’s internal affairs, the article said.

By objecting to the U.S. president\’s meeting with the Dalai Lama, China is not only safeguarding its own core interests, but is also respecting the principle of non-interference in each other\’s domestic affairs, a basic norm of international relations, the article said.

"Tibet\’s peaceful liberation and democratic reform was a major historic event, with significance comparable to the liberation of black slaves in America, the abolition of slavery in Europe and the end of the apartheid system in South Africa," the article said.

The article also questioned the knowledge and morality of U.S. media and officials, who are seemingly fooled by the Dalai Lama\’s "charming smile" and his title of "Nobel laureate," the article said.

Those who are knowledgeable of history know that the old Tibet, as it was ruled under the Dalai Lama, used a feudal serf system that wasn\’t abolished until the 1950s, the article said.

The article also said that "American pragmatists" are using the meeting as a political tool, failing to see the great progress that Tibet has made since its peaceful liberation and democratic reform.

It is unfair for the U.S. to handle China-U.S. relations based on its own internal politics, and doing so will not contribute to the stability of China-U.S. ties, the article said, urging Washington to "sincerely" treat Beijing as a strategic partner.

Source: Xinhua

President of Uzbek Senate Ilgizar Sabirov will pay an official goodwill visit to China from July 20 to 26, according to a statement by the Standing Committee of the Chinese National People\’s Congress (NPC) on Monday.

Invited by Chinese top legislator Wu Bangguo, Sabirov will lead a delegation of Uzbek Supreme Assembly to visit China.

Source: Xinhua

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (R) shakes hands with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in Beijing, capital of China, July 18, 2011. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)

China and Iraq on Monday vowed to conduct further reciprocal cooperation in oil exploration, electricity and other fields, and signed two cooperation deals.

The pledge was made during talks between Premier Wen Jiabao and visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki, who\’s also the first prime minister to visit China in the over 50 years of history of diplomatic relations.

"The Chinese government will encourage companies to establish a long-term and stable relationship on oil and natural gas supply and demand with the Iraqi side and expand cooperation in oil exploration, refinery and equipment trade," Wen said.

He said China will continue to provide assistance for Iraq\’s economic reconstruction, seriously implement debt relief agreements, actively participate in Iraq\’s infrastructure construction, and help its personnel training.

Maliki said he hopes more Chinese companies will invest in Iraq and called for the two sides to expand cooperation in such fields as oil and gas, electricity, transportation, housing, telecommunications and agriculture.

He also vowed to take further measures to protect the safety of Chinese in Iraq and the interests of Chinese companies there.

After the hour-long talks in the Great Hall of the People, the two prime ministers witnessed the signing of a cooperation deal on economic and technology and an exchange of notes on personnel training.

In the talks, Wen also reaffirmed China\’s support for Iraq\’s efforts to maintain national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as to strive for stability and development.

Noting China always respects the hopes and choices of the Iraqi people, Wen said China will strengthen high-level exchanges, enhance mutual understanding and trust, and conduct closer coordination and cooperation with Iraq on major international and regional issues.

"We believe Iraq is able to realize long-term stability and economic development and contribute to regional peace and stability," the premier added.

Maliki spoke highly of the traditional friendship between the two countries and thanked the Chinese government and people for assistance amid Iraq\’s difficulties.

The valuable assistance and support played important role for Iraq\’s stability and reconstruction, Maliki said, adding that the Iraqi government will steadily abide by the one-China policy and will make joint efforts with China, an important strategic partner, to promote bilateral cooperation in all fields.

In addition to the talks, President Hu Jintao is scheduled to meet Maliki during his stay in the capital city. Maliki will also travel to Shanghai.

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Source: Xinhua
http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/html/2011-07/19/nw.D110000renmrb_20110719_1-01.htm

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (4th L) holds talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki (3rd R) in Beijing, capital of China, July 18, 2011. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)

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China will support Japanese products entry into the Chinese market on the basis that they are safe, Minister of Commerce Chen Deming said Monday.

"China is willing to help Japan with its post-disaster reconstruction and economic recovery," Chen said while meeting Japan\’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Banri Kaieda in Beijing.

Chen noted that the country will arrange a special exhibition area for the promotion of Japanese goods at the 110th Canton Fair, or China Import and Export Fair, which will take place this fall in south Guangdong Province.

China will invite Japanese companies to attend the fair, especially those companies from the three worst-hit regions — Fukushima, Miyagi and Iwate, he said.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Commerce, the two ministers talked about various issues, including China\’s rare earth export policies, and enhanced cooperation in fields such as the e-commerce, energy-saving, environmental protection, and protection of intellectual property rights.

Source: Xinhua

Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang (R) meets with Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird in Beijing, capital of China, July 18, 2011. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

China on Monday called for stronger cooperation with Canada in fields ranging from trade and the economy to energy and the environment.

"We expect China and Canada to expand substantive cooperation in comprehensive fields covering economy and trade, energy and resources, science and technology, environmental protection, and public health," Vice Premier Li Keqiang said in a meeting with Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird.

Baird came to Beijing on Sunday for his five-day China trip. This is Baird\’s first outgoing visit since he took office as foreign minister in May.

Li started the meeting by reviewing the growth of China-Canada relations since the two countries forged diplomatic ties in November 1970.

China-Canada relations ushered in a new era of development as President Hu Jintao and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper exchanged visits and reached consensus on developing a bilateral strategic partnership, Li said.

As influential countries in the Asian-Pacific region and the world, China and Canada are economically complementary, share a solid foundation for cooperation, and boast huge potentials, Li said.

"China-Canada cooperation, which is comprehensive, not only benefits the two countries, but also keeps up with the time," Li said.

Li said China will deal with its relations with Canada from a strategic perspective and make joint efforts with Canada to advance bilateral relations and benefit their peoples.

Baird said the Canadian government and Prime Minister Harper are committed to developing ties with China and are prioritizing Canada-China ties.

Canada has been satisfied with the achievements the two countries have achieved over the past two years, Baird said, adding Canada would like to work with China to boost bilateral relations.

Earlier Monday, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi held talks with Baird.

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Source: Xinhua
http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/html/2011-07/19/nw.D110000renmrb_20110719_6-01.htm

CHINA, the biggest buyer of United States Treasury debt, increased its holdings in May for the second straight month, after five months of declines.

China boosted its holdings by US$7.3 billion to US$1.16 trillion, the Treasury Department said yesterday.

Total foreign holdings of Treasury securities rose 0.6 percent to US$4.51 trillion.

The report shows that foreign investors didn\’t lose their appetite for US government debt in May, even though the US reached its US$14.3 trillion borrowing limit that month.

The limit is the total amount the government can borrow to finance its operations. Since reaching the limit on May 16, the Treasury has relied on accounting maneuvers to avoid running out of cash. But Treasury says it would have exhausted those maneuvers by August 2.

If the borrowing limit isn\’t raised by then, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner says, the government will default on its obligations.

Congressional Republicans have demanded large spending cuts as a condition for voting in favor of raising the limit. President Barack Obama has pushed to include some tax increases on wealthier Americans, which Republicans have adamantly opposed.

The standoff has persisted for weeks, spurring warnings from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and leading investors on Wall Street that a default would be disastrous for the US economy.

Republicans in the House and Senate are taking different tacks this week. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has proposed allowing Obama to raise the debt limit unilaterally, though Congress could vote to disapprove the increase.

House Republicans are pushing legislation that would cut spending, exclude tax rises, and add a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution.

Source: Shanghai Daily

Canada sees its relationship with China as a strategic priority and it is committed to taking the ties to a new level, Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird said Monday during his official visit to China.

"Canada is a big country with a small population and huge resources, so our economy is naturally complementary to one another," Baird said in an interview with Xinhua on Monday night.

The Canadian foreign minister arrived in Beijing on Sunday at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi. It is Baird\’s first outgoing visit since he took office as foreign minister in May.

Baird met with Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang and held talks with Yang respectively earlier on Monday.

"We discussed how we can take our relationship to the next level," Baird said, referring to his talks with Yang, adding that Canada and China have made good progress over the past years in advancing their bilateral ties.

"Over the past five years, we\’ve seen significant improvement, with more trade both ways, with more investment both ways," he said.

According to Statistics Canada, the value of Canadian exports to China rose by 18.7 percent in 2010 to 13.2 billion U.S. dollars, an impressive jump from 4 billion U.S. dollars in 2002.

In 2010, China\’s direct investment in Canada reached 14.69 billion U.S. dollars, up from some 5.9 billion U.S. dollars in 2008, statistics said. The amount ranked the sixth after the United States, the Netherlands, Britain, Switzerland, France and Japan.

Canada not only benefits from China\’s import and investment, but also helps to fuel the continuous economic growth of China in return, Baird said.

The foreign minister said that people-to-people exchanges are a cornerstone for the bilateral ties between Canada and China.

"People-to-people relationships are incredibly important," he said, adding that the contact between individual Chinese and Canadians help to lead the bilateral ties to "the next level."

"We were really thrilled with the Approved Destination Status," Baird said. Since China granted Canada Approved Destination Status last year, around 200,000 Chinese tourists traveled to Canada, a 20-percent increase from 2009.

Media reports say that there are 100,000 Chinese students studying in Canada.

"We have significant ties of education, tourism, and trade and commerce," he said, adding that the bilateral relations will help to "increase prosperity of both Canada and China."

Source: Xinhua

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, leading a high-level ministerial delegation, arrived in Beijing on Sunday at the start of his first China visit, which is expected to strengthen economic ties.

During his tour, which ends on Thursday, Maliki will meet President Hu Jintao, hold talks with Premier Wen Jiabao, meet Chinese entrepreneurs and visit flagship high-tech firms.

The Aswat al-Iraq news agency quoted Ali al-Dabbagh, the Iraqi government spokesman, as saying the leaders of the two countries will discuss the development of bilateral relations, especially in the fields of energy, transportation, agriculture, commodities, services and investment.

Ali al-Mousawi, an adviser to Maliki, told Aknews that the prime minister\’s visit is aimed at attracting more Chinese investment in Iraq.

China is currently involved in several sectors in Iraq, including electricity, water, manufacturing and oil.

Last month, China National Petroleum Corporation started operations at the Al-Ahdab oilfield in Iraq, making it the first major new area to start production in Iraq in 20 years. The site is expected to produce around 25,000 barrels of oil per day in the first three years.

Gao Zugui, associate president at the Research Institute for International Strategic Studies, affiliated to the Party School of the Central Committee of Communist Party of China, said Sino-Iraqi ties have enjoyed sound and stable development since the US-led invasion in 2003.

"Iraq has been facing lots of challenges since its reconstruction started and China has taken an active part in the process through both bilateral and multilateral cooperation. China has also reduced and cancelled Iraq\’s debts and offered various kinds of assistance," Gao said.

"All these efforts by China have laid good foundations for the two countries to enhance political understanding and mutual trust," he added.

He predicted that Maliki would seek further economic and trade cooperation with China and that his first visit to the country would bear fruit.

"Energy has always been an important field for both countries and will undoubtedly be the mutual focus during Maliki\’s visit," Gao said.

With US troops set to leave by the end of this year, China will find more opportunities as Iraq starts to shoulder more responsibilities for its development and defense, Gao added.

Mousawi said that the visit would also deal with political issues.

"China is a permanent member of the UN Security Council and is influential in the formation of international decisions, so politics will inevitably come up," he said.

Source: China Daily

Jia Qinglin (R), chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People\’s Political Consultative Conference, meets with Barry O\’Farrell, premier of New South Wales (NSW) of Australia, in Beijing, capital of China, July 18, 2011. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)

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Source: Xinhua