CRI中国国际广播电台 News & Reports 2012-09-22

 Hello and Welcome to News and Reports on China Radio International.

 
In This Edition
 
Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping says China is committed to settling territorial disputes with neighboring countries via negotiations.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda wins two more years in office following victory in election in the ruling Democratic Party of Japan.
The United States lifts its ban on New Zealand's naval ships in its ports.
And Chinese auto makers introduce their newest models at the ongoing International Motor Show in Hanover, Germany.
 
Hot Issue Reports
 
Chinese VP: China Committed to Settling Territorial Dispute via Talks
Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping says China is committed to settling territorial disputes via negotiations.
 
Xi made the statement at the opening of the 9th China-ASEAN Expo in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
 
"We will unswervingly protect national sovereignty, safety and territorial integrity. We are committed to settling territorial disputes with neighboring countries peacefully via negotiations and talks. We will never engage in aggression and never seek hegemony."
 
Meanwhile, the Chinese government is urging Japan to return to the negotiation table over the Diaoyu Islands dispute.
 
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei says China will maintain communications with the Japanese sides at all levels and demonstrate China's stance on the Diaoyu Islands.
 
Noda Re-elected DPJ Head, Retains PM Post
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has won a party leadership vote against 3 challengers.
 
Noda was reelected president of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan for another 2 years.
 
The re-election means he remains Prime Minister despite falling public support for the Party.
 
Analysts say Noda has had to deal with many controversial issues as Prime Minister, such as tax rises which have already caused rifts in the ruling party.
 
Noda said the doubling of the sales tax by 2015 was key to cutting Japan's high public debt.
 
Noda also has to deal with other key diplomatic and security issues including the ongoing Diaoyu disputes with China.
 
"What's important to us is that we won't soften our stance and we will state them firmly in the future. At the same time, we won't provoke the situation and we won't stand for provocation from others either. We will conduct diplomacy cool-headedly."
 
Noda said earlier that he under-estimated reaction from China on the Japanese "purchase" of the Diaoyu Island. He said he would try to solve the dispute by diplomatic means, which includes sending a special envoy to China.
 
It is reported Noda's latest proposal may have been prompted by the pressure of a flagging bilateral trade.
 
China to Deepen Relations with ASEAN for Sustained Development
Chinese vice President Xi Jinping attended the opening ceremonies of Ninth China-ASEAN Expo and Business and Investment Summit in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Friday. Participants have proposed measures for further cooperation in sustainable development in the region.
 
CRI's Luo Laiming has more.
 
Since its inauguration in 2004, the annual event has become a major platform for effective cooperation in regional economic and trade affairs as well as a big boost for the development of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area.
 
Chinese vice President Xi Jinping said the event focuses on the prosperous trade connection and good- neighborly relations between China and ASEAN countries.
 
"Among ASEAN's dialogue partners, China is the first to have established a strategic partnership and the first to have started the FTA process. On major international and regional issues, the two sides have maintained close communication and coordination and worked together to safeguard the interests of developing countries."
 
Meanwhile, two-way trade between China and ASEAN surged from 7 billion U.S. dollars in the early days of the dialogue relations to 362.8 billion last year, registering an average annual growth of more than 20 percent.
 
Since the China-ASEAN FTA was launched in 2010, the win-win situation in the economy and trade has gained even greater vitality.
 
Xi said China was committed to mutually beneficial development, resulting in growing gains in trade and economic cooperation.
 
"China has provided financial support to ASEAN to the best of its ability by setting up the China-ASEAN Investment Cooperation Fund and making concessional loans to facilitate economic development in ASEAN countries."
 
Francis Chua, Chairman Emeritus of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, participated in the summit. He said the growth of China-ASEAN ties have contributed to the region's integration process and brought real benefits to people in the region.
 
"The China-ASEAN cooperation is well established and has grown so much. I believe that by 2015, China-ASEAN trade will outpace China-U.S. or China-European trade. This is a great development because it shows that prosperity in Asia can be created between China and ASEAN. "
 
The Expo, namely "10+1", was proposed by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao eight years ago as a platform for elites in this region to exchange views on accelerating economic development and creating a better trade environment.
 
For CRI, I am Luo Laiming reporting from the China-ASEAN summit in Nanning.
 
US Lifts Ban on NZ Naval Ships
The United States is lifting its ban on New Zealand naval ships in its ports.
 
The move was announced by U.S. Defence Secretary Leon Panetta, who's in New Zealand to promote strategies to improve military cooperation.
 
"We are removing obstacles to talks between defence officials and the restrictions that were there on exercises. They demanded that there be a waiver and an action take place before these discussions could take place."
 
The visit by Panetta was the first to New Zealand by a Pentagon chief in some 30 years. It is seen as an improvement in U.S.-New Zealand since the mid-1980s, when Wellington declared itself nuclear-free and barred nuclear warships from entering its waters.
 
Since then, US warships have been unable to use New Zealand ports, and Washington suspended its defence treaty with New Zealand and banned New Zealand naval ships in its ports right after.
 
For his part, New Zealand Defence Minister Jonathan Coleman said, although New Zealand still holds its nuclear-free stance, both countries can still work together towards greater cooperation.
 
During his visit, Panetta is also meeting with other senior leaders to explore deeper U.S. military engagement with New Zealand. It's all part of a new US military strategy to rebalance its forces to the Asia-Pacific.
 
Pakistan FM to Partner with the US to Combat Militants
Pakistan is poised to hold confidential talks with the United States and Afghanistan to potentially combine their counter-terrorism strategies.
 
The country's foreign minister, Hina Rabbani Khar says the 3 countries have agreed to re-establish dialogue in order to decide which militant groups to include in their priority lists.
 
"We are willing to work with anyone against any forces which are a threat to peace and stability in Afghanistan, OK? So I think this has to be a joint effort to determine who is a threat and who is not a threat. And then a joint effort, a partnership approach, to determine how do we deal with those who are a threat, and how do we bring in those which are not a threat."
 
The negotiations are being viewed by the US and Pakistani officials as a possible breakthrough, after more than a year of diplomatic turmoil, bringing counterterrorism cooperation to an almost complete halt.
 
The downturn in counter-terrorism ties follows last year's US raid in Pakistan, that killed Osama Bin Laden.
 
Arab States Refrains from Targeting Israel with a Resolution over Its Assumed Nuclear Arsenal
Arab states have decided not to target Israel with a resolution over its assumed nuclear arsenal as the International Atomic Energy Agency convenes in Vienna.
 
Though sharply criticizing Israel, Arab states said they would not put forward a decision to call on Israel to join the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
 
This however, was not well received by Israel or the U.S., with the Israeli ambassador Ehud Azoulay saying Iran represented the largest threat to peace and security in the Middle East.
 
"No one else in this room could distort the real facts behind Iran's drive to nuclear weapons. Pointing an accusing finger towards Israel will not change this sombre reality."
 
Senior U.S. diplomat Robert Wood said they are devoted to the goal of a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction, but to single out Israel for censure in an IAEA meeting was a step in the opposite direction.
 
Being the only regional state not signing the Non-Proliferation Treaty, Israel has drawn frequent condemnation from Arab states.
 
Israel and the U.S., however, consider Iran as the main threat.
 
Meanwhile, a resolution adopted at the IAEA shows great concerns about the nuclear activities not wholly devoted to peaceful purposes in Middle East.
 
The resolution calls upon states in Middle East to accede to and implement, all relevant nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation convention, to fulfill international obligations and to cooperate fully with the IAEA.
 
Ahmadinejad Promises Debate on Syrian Crisis as He Departs for UN
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has left Tehran to attend the 67th session of the UN General Assembly, highlighting Syria's conflicts as a priority for his visit.
 
Speaking before his departure, Ahmadinejad promised debate on the Syrian crisis in the UN.
 
"We would like to hold discussions about the crises that have hit regions like Syria and form contact groups. I have made preliminary phone calls myself and the Foreign Minister has contacted several officials to arrange appointments. We will hold meetings with members of the Non-Aligned Movement regarding the reforms in the UN structure as well as forming up a contact group to deal with regional conflicts and stopping the violence."
 
The 18-month Syrian conflicts have killed some 23,000 people, according to activists.
 
The Non-Aligned Movement is a Cold War-era group that Iran seeks to transform into an alternative voice to Western power as Tehran battles pressures over its nuclear program.
 
Tehran hosted the annual conference of the grouping of 120 nations in August.
 
Light News
 
Belarus President Lashes out at Opposition over Election Boycott
Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has harshly criticized leading opposition parties for their decision not to participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections.
 
The opposition in Belarus has urged voters to boycott a upcoming parliamentary election which they denounce as a sham.
 
Lukashenko, staying in power since 1994, said his opponents demonstrated that they were unable to compete in a free and fair political struggle.
 
"They have shown that they are nothing, that they will lose even those dozen people who still support them. So they will lose them totally. They are afraid of going to the people, and they do not really want power."
 
The election on Sunday to a 110-member chamber is widely seen as a formality which will only reinforce Lukashenko's grip on power.
 
Scores of opposition activists were arrested in the December 2010 election unrest and many people, including several candidates who stood against Lukashenko, were jailed.
 
Protesters Demand to Sue Officials over Prison Abuse Scandal in Georgia
Thousands of protesters have rallied in Georgia to demand the prosecution of top officials sacked in a prison abuse scandal that threatens to unseat the ruling party in the country's upcoming elections.
 
Demonstrators gathered overnight outside the Gldani prison in capital Tbilisi where the videos of abuse were filmed, stopping several prison vans and asking prisoners inside whether they had suffered abuse.
 
Georgian president Mikhail Saakashvili said during the opening ceremony of Justice House that those who were disseminating footage of violence in the prison had political aims.
 
"I want to ask why those who were recording this violence were keeping it hidden because they wanted to release it for the elections. They want this election to bring Georgia back to the dark times. We know very well, we are not blind that with Russian money, Russian style blackmailing they are conducting a classical Russian campaign to bring Georgia into the Russian Empire."
 
Saakashvili has sought to contain the damage by firing his interior minister and the minister in charge of the penitentiary system while also reshuffling prison personnel.
 
But despite these efforts, protesters increased their demands insisting the ministers to be brought to justice.
 
An opposition victory in the October 1 vote would make Bidzina Ivanishvili Georgia's prime minister. He would succeed Saakashvili to become the country's president.
 
Family not to Ask Pardon for Hospitalized Fujimori
The daughter of former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori visited her father in the hospital and confirmed that the family is not asking for a pardon at this time.
 
Keiko Fujimori criticized the administration of President Ollanta Humala for not considering a humanitarian pardon on the grounds of poor health.
 
"For now, we are putting the request for a pardon aside because of the insensitive and inhumane attitude that this government has had when they indicated that they would only give Alberto Fujimori a pardon if he were dying, in other words, at death's door."
 
Fujimori was found guilty of human rights abuses and is currently serving a 25-year sentence for his role in death squad murders and kidnappings during his 10-year presidency.
 
He was hospitalized on Wednesday after suffering complications from his August 23rd surgery, the fifth operation to remove precancerous lesions on his tongue.
 
Keiko Fujimori was first lady under her father's administration between 1990 and 2000 and has served both as a member of congress and as head of his political party.
 
She ran unsuccessfully for presidency against Humala last year.
 
Police Intervene as Party Invitation Goes Viral in Dutch Town
Riot police were called into the suburban Dutch town of Haren on Friday night as thousands of revellers gathered after a teenager's Facebook birthday invite went viral.
 
Footage filmed by Dutch broadcaster RLT 4 showed riot police being pelted with bottles and stones as they tried to clear the revellers from the area.
 
A vehicle appeared to have been turned upside down and set on fire.
 
Some of the revellers accused the police of overreacting.
 
"The way the police are acting is making the people to react this way."
 
Some local residents said they were frightened by the sheer size of the crowd.
 
"I find this really scary, the crowd coming towards you. I hope it quietens down later."
 
Police had been on high alert ever since the Facebook invite went viral, receiving more than 20-thousand replies.
 
The birthday girl, who forgot to mark her invite "private", was forced to flee her home earlier on Friday.
 
Several websites emerged in the run up to the event, dubbing it "Project X Haren" after the 2012 film "Project X" about a party which grows rapidly out of control.
 
Women in London Stage "SlutWalk" Protest against Rape
Thousands of women marched through central London on Saturday, some dressed only in their underwear, protesting at the way rape victims are treated by the police and justice system.
 
The so-called 'Slutwalk' protesters demand that sexual assault laws be applied without prejudice to clothing, drunkenness or other circumstances in which sexual abuse occurs.
 
Anastasia Richardson is the organizer of the 'Slutwalk' protest in London.
 
"Rape is rape, you know, even if you're wearing a short skirt, you're drunk, in a relationship with the man, married for twenty years, if it was your husband. If you are an asylum seeker and you were raped in a detention centre. You're an immigrant, you're a sex worker, you were raped by a client. Whatever, rape is rape. We are all worthy of protection. We all want protection."
 
"SlutWalks" started in Toronto, Canada in 2011, after a police officer made remarks that women could avoid being raped or victimised by not dressing like "sluts".
 
Pop Singer Juanes Calls for Peace and Change in Colombia
Colombian rocker and activist Juanes has called for change as the government of the South American country nears peace talks with the rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.
 
The singer attended a peace conference in Bogota and encouraged young people to become peace-makers in their communities.
 
"We have to think of what we are doing wrong, of where the problem is and where it comes from. That's why we have to look at what is happening that makes us so violent. I think this is really important; it is a time to reflect and to change this paradigm and put our minds elsewhere."
 
Juanes made these comments as Colombia and the FARC look to start peace talks next month in Norway before moving them to Cuba.
 
Many in Colombia hope the negations will end nearly five decades of violence in the South American country.
 
The FARC group was set up in 1964 as a peasant army fighting to reduce the gulf that still divides rich and poor in Colombia.
 
The last attempt at peace was more than a decade ago, but those talks collapsed, and they were seen as having helped the FARC build up their fighting forces.
 
Xinhua: Japan's Noda Needs to Reset his China Policy
 
It has been reported that Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda plans to send a special envoy to China to ease tensions after Tokyo's "purchase" of the Diaoyu Islands.
 
Noda appeared on television Wednesday and floated this idea. Also, Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba has voiced his intention to maintain communication with China.
 
A commentary by the Xinhua News Agency says Noda should reset his current ailing China policy with concrete actions for the benefits of both nations.
 
The article notes that Noda is poised to fend off challenges to his premiership in the next general elections after being reelected as head of the ruling Democratic Party on Friday.
 
Amid the election buzz, the commentary reminds Noda to not lose sight of the need for an immediate China-policy overhaul to ease the tension caused by his current policies.
 
About two weeks ago, Noda's government decided to "purchase" part of China's Diaoyu Islands despite repeated protests from Beijing.
 
The provocative move immediately caused a ripple effect that drove bilateral relations to a near freezing point and ignited protests across China.
 
The Xinhua commentary says Noda showed a lack of historical perspective among other blunders, despite his claim to have handled the territorial dispute "from broad viewpoints."
 
The commentary points out that Noda should realize that mishandling of the issue risks devastating the hard-won healthy relationship between the world's second and third largest economies, creating a flash-point in Northeast Asia.
 
The commentary concludes in saying that it would be a better choice for Noda to back down from nationalist impulses and sketch out a new strategy that serves to benefit both sides in a year that marks the 40th anniversary of the normalization of bilateral ties.
 
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China Daily: Expo Proof of Cooperation
 
The 9th China-ASEAN Expo kicked off in southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in the past week, during which leaders from China and ten ASEAN nations are scheduled to discuss bilateral and regional issues and forge new programs of cooperation.
 
An editorial in the China Daily newspaper says Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping's attendance at the expo demonstrates the great importance China attaches to its relations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
 
The article affirmed the active role that the expo plays in serving as a platform for showcasing prospering trade ties and good neighborly relations between the two sides. Since its inauguration in 2004, the expo has boosted momentum for the smooth development of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area, officially established in January, 2010.
 
It adds that the healthy growth of China-ASEAN ties contributes to the region's integration process and brings real benefits to people in the region. That explains why both sides have put a lot of effort in recent years into expanding their interactions from trade to other common concerns, such as regional security.
 
Given the fact that China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand have strengthened joint patrols along the Mekong River after the brutal killing of 13 Chinese sailors, the editorial says the move is essential in combating cross-border crimes and maintaining regional security and stability.
 
The editorial is convinced that the successful transnational cooperation on the Mekong demonstrates that regional conflicts can be addressed and eased as long as countries in the region shore up friendship and cooperation. The same principle should be applied to the South China Sea disputes that involve China and a few ASEAN members, according to the editorial.