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This is an interesting view that Perlez includes some points like the Philippines now tends to consider the economic. He also includes some interesting point like the divorce with America seems like a show. Anyway, at this stage, it looks like the dispute of South China Sea reached a peaceful ending.

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In his declaration that he was seeking a " separation " from the United States - a statement that he scaled back when he got home - Mr. Duterte seemed to signal that he was dumping his country's longtime ally and former colonial power.

He also said he would form a triple alliance with China and Russia to "face the world."

Some analysts marveled at Beijing's good fortune, after a tense period leading to a ruling by an international tribunal in The Hague against China about its activities in the South China Sea. And Mr. Duterte's apparent about-face came without the leadership in Beijing doing much more than accepting the results of the democratic election that put him in office.

"It's a gift, not a victory," Mr. Yan said of Mr. Duterte's remarks. "Victory means you get something through your own effort. We did nothing. It's a gift."

At the same time, Mr. Duterte's hosts were startled by his anti-American remarks, raising concerns that he could become a liability.

There is little chance, for example, that Beijing policy makers would want a China-Russia-Philippines alliance, said Zhang Baohui, a professor of international relations at Lingnan University in Hong Kong.

"I don't think at this moment Beijing wants a really close partnership with him, especially if that partnership could be seen as an anti-U.S. alliance," Professor Zhang said.

On social media, there was skepticism about Mr. Duterte's sincerity. Perhaps he was engaging in a game like one played by couples in Shanghai, who arrange fake divorces to evade restrictions on property purchases, one person wrote on Weibo.

Others on social media made fun of Mr. Duterte as the ruler of a country that is often belittled here as a place for abundant tropical fruit but not much more. One cartoonist depicted Mr. Duterte as a banana salesman who had plenty for sale now that the embargo of the last four years had been lifted.

Still, the Philippine delegation's visit was viewed as a success on several fronts.

The Philippine defense secretary, Delfin Lorenzana, met with his Chinese counterpart, Chang Wanquan, and agreed to a renewal of ties between the two navies. There were no specifics on what the new relationship would entail, but the encounter struck a different tone to the strained relationship under President Benigno S. Aquino III.

Another gain for China: the acceptance by the Philippines of large amounts of infrastructure to be built by state-owned Chinese companies. If the deals come to fruition, they will significantly reverse China's relatively small economic presence in the Philippines.

One of the deals that is likely to give China particular satisfaction is a pledge by the state-owned CCCC Dredging to enlarge the Cebu International and Bulk Terminal port.

That company carried out most of the reclamation for creating the artificial islands in the Spratly archipelago in the South China Sea that the former Philippine government protested in its recent case against China at The Hague.

The Philippine trade secretary, Ramon Lopez, said that China had agreed to spend $15 billion on projects to help achieve the biggest infrastructure boom in the Philippines since the authoritarian rule of President Ferdinand Marcos.

Trinh Nguyen, an economist specializing in the Asian Pacific region at Natixis Bank, sounded a note of caution about the value of the Chinese investments.

"Pledges do not necessarily translate into realized foreign direct investment for the Philippines," she said. "This is just a symbol of the Chinese government's good will toward the country." In Indonesia, for example, China outbid Japan on a high-speed train line, but the project has been badly delayed and yet to deliver results, she added.

Despite Mr. Duterte's anti-United States stance in Beijing, he refrained from specifically stating that he would halt American access to five Philippine bases. In the longer term, China would relish such a policy because it would further the country's goal of control of the South China Sea and complicate American military planning.

But such a pledge was not expected on the first visit, and China was satisfied with Mr. Duterte's decision to accept the plan for direct talks on the South China Sea, a position that is contrary to American policy, analysts said.

The United States has argued that disputes over territory and fishing rights in the waterway should be settled among all the countries involved in the dispute, and preferably under the auspices of the regional group, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Mr. Zhang, the Lingnan University professor, said Mr. Duterte had "confirmed that the bilateral approach does work better."

"This lends major support to China," Mr. Zhang said.

He also noted that the American strategy needed a "victim" of China to rally other countries around, but that Mr. Duterte had removed the Philippines from that posture.

There is no doubt that Mr. Duterte's success with China has rattled Southeast Asian nations who seek its economic largess but fear its strategic ambitions, said Alexander L. Vuving, a professor of international relations at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Hawaii.

Vietnam is now being forced to rethink its stance of leaning toward the United States, he said. But more likely than tilting toward China, Vietnam will seek to persuade Washington to strengthen its commitment to the region, he said.

"Duterte's pivot causes confusion," Mr. Vuving said, "but also validates Vietnam's current approach to China, which combines deference with resistance and avoids relying on a single great power."

Correction: November 24, 2016

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far east  south and southeast asia and pacific areas

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Rodrigo Duterte Gets Closer to China, and the Neighbors Notice

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In his declaration that he was seeking a " separation " from the United States - a statement that he scaled back when he got home - Mr. Duterte seemed to signal that he was dumping his country's longtime ally and former colonial power.

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Australian universities the latest battleground in Chinese soft power offensive

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Australian universities the latest battleground in Chinese soft power offensive

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Mr Fitzgerald said he wouldn't have taken the money. It is interesting. I just want to say if you do not want the money, please give it to me.

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Updated October 14, 2016 10:26:44

In an exclusive interview, Australia's first ambassador to China has raised the alarm about China's influence in the higher education sector.

Stephen Fitzgerald singled out Bob Carr's Australia China Relations Institute for particular criticism, saying universities need clear firewalls between donations and research.

ACRI, part of the University of Technology Sydney, was established with a large donation from the Chinese businessman Huang Xiangmo.

Mr Huang was the donor at the centre of the controversy surrounding Labor senator Sam Dastyari.

"I wouldn't have taken the funding," Mr Fitzgerald told Background Briefing.

"This is one of the really difficult issues about what is happening at the moment, because you don't want to say no to all Chinese money.

"That would be ridiculous, self defeating, but you have to put firewalls between the donation and the way it is spent, and you have to be certain about the origins of that money."

The director of ACRI, former foreign minister Bob Carr, said he disagreed.

"[This criticism] is coming from people on the cold warrior fringe of the Australian politics, people who are resentful of any hint of Australia running a pragmatic national interest-based China policy," he said.

"There are two standards being applied here."

'No place' for Confucius institutes

As well as ACRI, hundreds of other language and culture centres have been established on campuses worldwide through confidential agreements between universities and the Chinese education ministry.

Mr Fitzgerald said he believed these centres, known as Confucius institutes, had no place in Australian higher education institutions.

"I just don't think they should be in universities," he said.

"Have them in Australia by all means; have them all over the country. I'd welcome them, but I don't think they should be in universities."

"There will be people who have been involved with these institutes who will say there has never been one instance of any attempt to influence what we teach and what we say.

"There will be others who might admit that there has been such an attempt."

Controversy over Sydney Uni plan

Background Briefing has revealed that at the University of Sydney, a confidential 2007 plan included a clause that would have seen the university's existing Chinese language program incorporated into a Confucius institute.

This draft agreement ended up in the hands of Professor Jocelyn Chey, the former Australian consul-general in Hong Kong and a visiting professor at the university's Department of Chinese Studies.

"I wasn't sure that the university authorities knew what they were letting themselves in for," she said.

"There's the question of academic freedom and the right of academics not just to teach but to research and publish in areas where they are not under the guidance or direction of anybody."

Professor Chey wrote a strongly worded letter to the vice chancellor outlining her concerns and saying the Confucius institute should be rejected, or the arrangement should be significantly modified to protect the integrity of the university.

"People who accept donations should be aware of the expectations and obligations that they're taking on with the finance," she said.

The university senate voted in favour of the Confucius Institute, but adopted some of the changes to the arrangement that were recommended by Professor Chey.

A University of Sydney spokesperson confirmed a proposal to establish a Confucius Institute at the University of Sydney was circulated to the senate in 2007.

Feedback from staff was considered, and it was confirmed that the university did not intend for existing university programs to be delivered by the Confucius Institute.

The spokesperson said these programs continue to be delivered by the Department of Chinese Studies in the School of Languages and Cultures.
Hear Hagar Cohen's full investigation on RN's Background Briefing at 8:05am on Sunday, or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, ABC Radio or your favourite podcasting app.
Topics: university-and-further-education, education, foreign-affairs, government-and-politics, world-politics, sydney-2000, nsw, australia, china

First posted October 14, 2016 09:44:17

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Universities the latest battleground in Chinese soft power offensive

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Updated October 14, 2016 10:26:44 In an exclusive interview, Australia's first ambassador to China has raised the alarm about China's influence in the higher education sector. Stephen Fitzgerald singled out Bob Carr's Australia China Relations Institute for particular criticism, saying universities need clear firewalls between donations and research.

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Huge amounts of criticisms that Chinese newspaper have made in regard to South China Sea issue. Fierce debates are still ongoing, and this time the focus comes to Singapore. As Feng mentions that 'Singapore has neither the ability nor intention to hurt China.' However, Chinese public opinion tend to make sure that Singapore is not going to stand in the opposite side. Under the pressure I think Singapore still need to rethink the statement they made.

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Relations between Singapore and China, and Singapore's South China Sea (SCS) policy in particular, have recently become a hot topic in Chinese media.

Following a war of words between Global Times editor-in-chief Hu Xijin and Singapore's ambassador to China Stanley Loh, the Chinese media quoted remarks made by a Chinese military expert who stressed the need to "make Singapore pay the price". Singapore momentarily turned into an Asean country that was deliberately "making things difficult" for China on the SCS issue, and many commentators urged punishment for Singapore the "troublemaker". Even so, it is simply not necessary to hurt Sino-Singapore ties over Singapore's policy on the SCS.

The "clash" between Singapore's ambassador to China and a well-known Chinese media editor was originally a good thing. On Sept 27, Singapore's English newspaper The Straits Times translated and ran the Global Times' criticism of Singapore's actions at the 17th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit; and then on Sept 28, the Global Times published the full rebuttal letter from Ambassador Stanley Loh together with the reply from editor-in-chief Hu Xijin. Opinions from both sides went back and forth and doubts were clarified in a public manner. Initially, it was a positive way for the Global Times to demonstrate the openness and honesty of the Chinese media. However, just because both countries differ on their understanding on the SCS and on Singapore's actions at the NAM summit, it does not necessarily mean that Singapore is "anti-China". Nonetheless, Chinese media has continued to launch "crusades" calling for China to "punish" Singapore. This misrepresents the state of Sino-Singapore relations and goes to show that some people are perhaps just too narrow-minded and biased in their world view.

What is Singapore's policy on the SCS? First, Singapore is indeed a critic of China's SCS policy. This is a fact. But in general, Singapore is considered to be a relatively reserved "critic" of China's policy. The Singapore Government takes a principled stand and stresses respect for international law when it comes to resolving the SCS disputes. It has made no mention of both the historical evolution of sovereignty in the SCS and of historical facts about China being the first to propose territorial claims over the SCS islands. As China's neighbour in Asia, Singapore claims neutrality in its stand on SCS sovereignty disputes, but in only recognising the law and not the historical issues in the SCS, Singapore is being unfair to China.

On many occasions on the global stage - whether bilateral or multilateral in nature - Singapore's declaration of its policy on the resolution of SCS disputes definitely leaned towards the United States and other Western countries. But Singapore's stance on the SCS still took Singapore-China relations into consideration, and it was certainly not a high-profile, no-holds-barred critic.

ST ILLUSTRATION : MANNY FRANCISCO

After the SCS arbitration ruling was announced on July 12, Singapore's Foreign Ministry issued a relatively reserved response and did not sing loud praises of the deeply flawed ruling. At the Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in Vientiane on July 25, Singapore showed support for China by not mentioning the arbitration ruling in their joint statement after China and Asean reaffirmed their commitment to the Declaration on the Code of Conduct in the SCS.

Second, when it comes to China's actions in the SCS, Singapore is a great worrier. Due to professional research requirements, I often visit Singapore and am very familiar with the Singapore Government and the society's stand on the SCS. Singapore's concerns about China when it comes to the SCS primarily reflect the Western characteristics of Singapore's political, social and cultural education; Singapore is, without question, the most "Westernised" country in Asean. Its concerns also reflect the traditions of Singapore's foreign policy and strategy premised on finding a balance between East and West, more often than not by representing Western values and interests to review and interpret issues in the East. That is due to Singapore's history, strategy and geopolitical environment. This unique approach to diplomacy has remained unchanged from the time of Singapore's first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew through the term of its second, Mr Goh Chok Tong, until today with Mr Lee Hsien Loong at the helm.

Third, Singapore is a "cooperator" on China's SCS policy, for though its stance is on the side of the West, it clearly understands that both Eastern and Western perspectives must be taken into account and doing so is in line with Singapore's interests. China is Singapore's largest business partner and brings significant benefits to Singapore in terms of investment, tourism and business partnerships. More importantly, as a business-oriented country situated in the Strait of Malacca and a free economy, Singapore cannot avoid broad yet close economic, trade and social links with China, nor does it want to see crises or military clashes in the SCS. To ensure Singapore's prosperity, stability in the SCS must be maintained, and that means keeping up coordination among various parties and, in particular, cooperation with China.

Despite its frequent declarations of neutrality on the disputes over the SCS islands and maritime rights, Singapore has clearly chosen sides, as evidenced by its foreign and defence policies. Singapore is a military ally of the US and has allowed US littoral combat ships to be stationed at its Changi Naval Base. In addition, the US was granted approval to deploy its P-8 air reconnaissance aircraft from Singapore's Paya Lebar Air Base to conduct surveillance in the SCS.

After delivering a keynote speech at the Special Session of the Nikkei 22nd International Conference on The Future of Asia last Thursday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told reporters that Singapore must never be seen to be "playing multiple sides" on an issue. He also expressed concern over China's rise and the geopolitical situation in East Asia. These remarks show that Singapore has already "chosen sides" on regional politics and defence issues.

Furthermore, as a country with a Chinese-majority population in South-east Asia, Singapore has pushed for a united Asean to play up "Asean-centrism" in East Asian politics so as to maintain a prominent position in the Asean community. Singapore has also long chosen to consciously keep a distance from China in both its foreign and defence policies. In the short term, the Chinese media and public need not harbour any illusions about Singapore's SCS policy and the diplomacy and strategy behind it. It would be naive to think that China can force Singapore to change sides by going on the offensive. Punishing Singapore will yield the opposite effect.

The Chinese government and its people are firm in their belief on the need to safeguard China's sovereign and maritime interests in the SCS. However, we are indeed facing a "Singapore test" in maintaining our rights amidst the current complex and challenging circumstances in the SCS. The core of this test is not how much trouble Singapore stirs, but how much we can influence the thinking behind Singapore's policymaking in a way that inclines our small but important Asian neighbour to empathise more with us and understand China's SCS policy.

To achieve this, we should not lash out whenever others say things China does not want to hear. Nor should we retaliate or punish whoever is not saying or doing things according to China's wishes. To put it plainly, Singapore does not have the ability or intention to hurt China. On the contrary, if we are willing to listen carefully to different voices, opinions, concerns and criticisms among our Asian neighbours and then respond cordially and adjust our own policies and actions to work towards a common goal, only then will we be considered a strong China.

Professor Evelyn Goh, a Singaporean academic and also a professor of strategic policy studies at the Australian National University, stated in a recent interview with The Economist that if China maintains a munificent approach towards its periphery, not just pushing for "win-win"relationships or extending its economic embrace, Asian countries will truly welcome the return of the king. I completely agree with Prof Goh's opinion.

Diplomatic work is basically work that focuses on building human relations. The way to win people's hearts and minds as China rises is to cross the hurdle of the "Singapore test".

Singapore is still an Asian country that China should respect. If we have to retaliate and punish another country every time a war of words breaks out, then China will either be seen as acting high and mighty and prematurely asserting a hegemonic mentality in foreign diplomacy, or starting to suffer from the chronic illness of strategy fatigue.
The writer is the executive director of the China Centre for Collaborative Studies of the South China Sea and also dean of the School of International Relations at Nanjing University, China. The article first appeared in the Chinese online edition of The Financial Times on Oct 4, 2016. Translated by Kua Yu-Lin.
Please note that unlike Japan, Australia and the Philippines, Singapore is not a treaty ally of the US, as stated in the article above. Singapore is instead a major security cooperation partner of the US.

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China's South China Sea stance must be able to withstand the Singapore test

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Relations between Singapore and China, and Singapore's South China Sea (SCS) policy in particular, have recently become a hot topic in Chinese media. Following a war of words between Global Times editor-in-chief Hu Xijin and Singapore's ambassador to China Stanley Loh, the Chinese media quoted remarks made by a Chinese military expert who stressed the need to "make Singapore pay the price".

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Yesterday was Chinese traditional Mid-Autumn Festival, many Chinese people watch the launch of Tinggong 2 on television. It was excited for all Chinese people to see the stronger power from space exploration. China has a series of plans for Tinggong 3 and build the space stations in the future. 'Next month, two astronauts will go to the station to conduct research.' and I am looking forward to seeing it.

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China has launched a second experimental space station, as it looks to have a crewed outpost by 2022.

The Tiangong 2 blasted off just after 22:00 local time on Thursday from the Gobi desert.

Next month, two astronauts will go to the station to conduct research.

Beijing has made space exploration a national priority and is the third country, after the Soviet Union and the US, to launch people into space.

The mission follows the launch of the Tiangong 1 prototype in 2011, a smaller but also operational model.

Is it a proper space station?

Depends on what you mean by "proper". It is an experimental space laboratory which is part of the preparation for a permanently manned station that Beijing wants to have circling around the globe sometime around 2020.

But make no mistake, the Tiangong 2 is still an operational space station, even if it is still only a prototype ahead of the real thing. Translated as Heavenly Palace 2 it is about 15m long and can have other missions dock with it.

The astronauts that will come on board next month are to spend a full month up there - a longer period of time than possible on Tiangong 1.

What will happen on the Heavenly Palace 2?

Once the crew arrive next month they will embark on research projects.

Quantum communications, gamma ray burst research and fluid physics. There is also the (slightly easier to grasp) research on plant growth in space.

Most interestingly perhaps for a layperson, the space station will carry an atomic clock which Xinhua news agency said will only lose one second every 30 million years.

This is expected to make future mobile navigation more accurate, Xinhua cited scientists has saying.

If all this makes you worried about China's long-term cosmic ambitions, then you are not the only one.

China's space ambitions

Pushing ahead with its space programme is a priority for Beijing, and China insists it is of a purely civilian nature.

The US Department of Defense has said that some elements of it seem targeted at being able to stop other countries from being able to use their space assets - like satellites - in a time of crisis or confrontation.

In August, the country launched the world's first quantum satellite, aimed at achieving "hack-proof" communications between space and ground control.

China is a late starter when it comes to space exploration. It's only in 2001 that they launched space vessels carrying test animals and in 2003 Yang Liwei became the first Chinese person to go to space, making China the third country after the Soviet Union and the US to conducted manned missions in orbit.

Space stations 1 - 2 - 3

The programme for a space station kicked off in earnest with the 2011 launch of the Tiangong 1 which was a smaller prototype able to host astronauts, but for a shorter period of time.

It ended its data service earlier in 2016 but is still circling the earth's orbit, gradually coming closer. It is projected to burn upon entry in the atmosphere in the second half of 2017.

Eventually, Tiangong 3 is to be the final step on the way to a manned station. Around the year 2022 is the scheduled timeframe and the success of Thursday's launch will be crucial for any of those future ambitions.

The sky's the limit? By 2024 China wants to do its first moon walk and a trip to Mars is scheduled for around 2050.

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China launches second trial space station

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China has launched a second experimental space station, as it looks to have a crewed outpost by 2022. The Tiangong 2 blasted off just after 22:00 local time on Thursday from the Gobi desert. Next month, two astronauts will go to the station to conduct research.

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It seems many migrants actually do not want to bring Mao's ideology to Australia. However, they cannot deny Mao has huge impacts on everywhere in the world. The conflicts that have been mentioned in the text show that culture revolution also lead to negative influence to oversea.

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The key organisers and sponsors of the Maoist remembrance concerts, including the International Cultural Exchange Association Australia and LB Homes Group, were also behind a high-profile commemorative event last year marking the 70th anniversary of China's war against the Japanese, coinciding with a massive military parade in central Beijing.

"[Mao] brought 76 years of peace and stable development for the Chinese people, until today where China has been restored to the status of an international major power," a flyer for the "red songs" concerts reads. The concerts, on September 6 in Sydney and September 9 in Melbourne, mark the 40th anniversary of Mao Zedong's death.

Chongyi Feng, an associate professor in China Studies at the University of Technology Sydney who tracks the activities of local Chinese community groups, said business and cultural groups increasingly staged "patriotic" events to "show their loyalty to the consulate, to the Chinese government back home in order to curry favour", in the hope of receiving preferential treatment for their commercial interests.

But putting on an event to glorify Mao has touched a raw nerve among Chinese-Australians, many of whose families suffered under the leader's brutal legacy, the Cultural Revolution and Great Leap Forward contributing directly to the deaths of tens of millions of people.

An image of the Sydney Town Hall mocked up by those opposed to the Mao commemoration event.
Photo: Supplied

"Mao for them is just like Stalin to Russians or Hitler to Germans - he's a mass murderer in their judgment so they're very angry," Dr Feng said.

For some, the Mao concerts are seen as the culmination of a large influx of mainland Chinese migrants in recent years which is reshaping the Chinese community in Australia. A divide has emerged broadly between two camps: naturalised Australians who migrated in the 1980s and 1990s with the spectre of the Tiananmen Square crackdown of 1989 fresh in their memories, and more recent emigres who have been enriched by China's economic miracle of the past two decades and are emboldened by their country's rise as a major international power.

Cancelled: Advertising material from the commemorative event.
Photo: Supplied

Shangxiao Han, 62, arrived in Australia in 1988. In the wake of the Tiananmen Square crackdown on pro-democracy student protesters in June 1989, he was an instrumental figure in lobbying the Hawke government to allow Chinese students to remain in Australia.

Mr Han, who has supported his family as a courier and most recently as a real estate agent, had kept a low profile for more than 20 years but said the Mao concert, as well as the increasing influence of the Chinese government in Australia, had forced many apolitical and moderate Chinese-Australians to take a stand. He is part of a loose collective, the Embrace Australian Values Alliance, which is circulating an online petition calling for the concerts to be cancelled.

Concerts in Sydney and Melbourne next month to mark the 40th anniversary of Mao Zedong's death are creating division within the Chinese community in Australia.
Photo: iStock

"Like me, when we ran away from China we were the majority," Mr Han told Fairfax Media. "Now the pro-Chinese Communist Party, pro-Maoism, they are becoming the majority."

The Communist Party today acknowledges Mao as the founder of modern China while avoiding overt mention of the damage of the disastrous Cultural Revolution and Great Leap Forward. While Mao's portrait hangs over the Forbidden City and his embalmed corpse lies in a mausoleum overlooking Tiananmen Square, authorities distanced themselves from a concert staged at Beijing's Great Hall of the People which commemorated Cultural Revolution-era "red songs" after a public backlash.

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Controversial Chairman Mao tribute concerts sharpen Chinese community divide

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The key organisers and sponsors of the Maoist remembrance concerts, including the International Cultural Exchange Association Australia and LB Homes Group, were also behind a high-profile commemorative event last year marking the 70th anniversary of China's war against the Japanese, coinciding with a massive military parade in central Beijing.

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China and U.S. declare ambition of environemnt 

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China and U.S. declare ambition of environemnt 

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This is what I want to mention in my research essay. Obama suggests 'History will judge today's effort as pivotal.' U.S. and China agree that the key is to control and reduce the carbon emission. Maybe it works if the two biggest countries come together to advance their efforts. For China, it also is a good chance to declare the future plan, and Chinese citizens do want government to come up with effective plan that they can get the blue sky back.

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The US and China - together responsible for 40% of the world's carbon emissions - have both formally joined the Paris global climate agreement.

After arriving with other leaders of G20 nations for a summit in the city of Hangzhou, Mr Obama said: "History will judge today's effort as pivotal."

CO2 emissions are the driving force behind climate change.

Last December, countries agreed to cut emissions in a bid to keep the global average rise in temperatures below 2C.
What is climate change? What does the climate deal mean for me?
The Paris deal is the world's first comprehensive climate agreement. It will only come into force legally after it is ratified by at least 55 countries, which between them produce 55% of global carbon emissions.

Members of China's National People's Congress Standing Committee adopted "the proposal to review and ratify the Paris Agreement" on Saturday morning at the end of a week-long session.

Analysis: BBC environmental analyst Roger Harrabin

This is a big step towards turning the Paris climate agreement into reality.

Other nations will still tussle over their own ratification, but this will put pressure on G20 nations over the weekend to move faster with their pledge to phase out subsidies to fossil fuels.

But even if enough other players step forward to make the Paris deal law, huge challenges lie ahead.
Read more from Roger
Before China made its announcement, the 23 nations that had so far ratified the agreement accounted for just over 1% of emissions.

The UK has yet to ratify the Paris deal. A spokesman for the prime minister told BBC News that the government would ratify as soon as possible - but gave no date.

The White House issued a statement on Saturday morning announcing the US move.

In a speech in Hangzhou, Mr Obama said the Paris deal was the "single best chance that have to deal with a problem that could end up transforming this planet".

He praised US and Chinese leadership on the climate issue, saying: "We are moving the world significantly towards the goal we have set."

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon praised Mr Obama for what he called "inspiring" leadership.

Mr Ban said Mr Obama and China's President Xi Jinping had both been "far-sighted, bold and ambitious".

However, analysts warn that the target of keeping temperature rises below 2C is already in danger of being breached.

For 14 consecutive months meteorologists have recorded the hottest month on record, and the UK's Met Office has forecast that 2016 is likely to hit temperatures 1.1C above pre-industrial levels.

Average temperatures worldwide are likely to increase more in the coming years as the effect of previous carbon emissions makes itself felt.

Environmental campaigning group Friends of the Earth welcomed the move by China and the US.

But spokesman Asad Rehman added: "The Paris agreement is a step in the right direction, but the reality is it's too weak and delays action to the next decade.

"What's needed is comprehensive and urgent action now to slash emissions and build a low-carbon future."

The G20 summit in Hangzhou starts on Sunday.

This is expected to be Mr Obama's last trip to Asia as US president.

However, as he arrived there was a security dispute on the tarmac at Hangzhou airport as White House officials, including National Security Adviser Susan Rice, and reporters tried to get closer to the president. A Chinese official shooed them away shouting: "This is our country! This is our airport!"

Paris agreement: Key points

To keep global temperature increase "well below" 2C and to pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5C

To peak greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible and achieve a balance between sources and sinks of greenhouse gases in the second half of this century

To review progress every five years

$100bn a year in climate finance for developing countries by 2020, with a commitment to further finance in the future

Once the deal comes into force, countries that have ratified it have to wait for a minimum of three years before they exit

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The US and China - together responsible for 40% of the world's carbon emissions - have both formally joined the Paris global climate agreement. After arriving with other leaders of G20 nations for a summit in the city of Hangzhou, Mr Obama said: "History will judge today's effort as pivotal."

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As China increased their sports power for the past 30 years, Chinese athletes have achieved significant results. People are so keen for the gold medals, because of sports systems that is criticised. Government and Chinese people spend huge amount of money on training talented athletes and providing sports infrastructure. People argue that we pay our tax to support the development of sports, so they only want to see gold medals as the best results of their efforts. But, recently, the public opinion has been changed. Athletes, who did not win the gold medal like Fu Yuanhui, can also be very popular in China. In addition, we need to think the money distribution in sports area from government budget. We do want China can be the top one in the medal table, but we also want Chinese athletes do not feel too much pressure.

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As another Olympic Games draws to a close, BBC Chinese's Yuwen Wu makes a personal journey through China's Olympics of the last few decades.

There is no doubt that one of the talking points of the Rio Games has been China's performance. The country lies third in the medal table, behind the USA and Great Britain, making it China's worst games since 2004.

In events in which it is traditionally strong - such as gymnastics - China performed miserably, and fell short in swimming and badminton too.

So what has gone wrong? I look at it another way: the very fact we are asking this question shows just how far China has come.

Los Angeles 1984: Fighting for one's country

After decades of political wrangling, China finally participated fully in the world's greatest sporting spectacle.

At home in Beijing, we had got our first colour TV, which became a focal point for the whole family as we watched the Chinese sporting heroes competing with some of the best in the world.

When Xu Haifeng won China's first ever Olympic gold medal, in pistol shooting, it was hailed as a "great breakthrough" and the whole nation celebrated.

China went on to win 15 gold, eight silver and nine bronze medals at those Games, finishing fourth in the medal table. Gymnast Li Ning, with three gold, two silver and one bronze medal, became an instant celebrity.

I still remember the women's volleyball final with the USA. China were already world champions and the players were household names.

They had lost to the USA in the preliminary round, but beat the USA 3-0 in the final. The match was tense, made worse by my over-enthusiastic neighbour, who constantly shouted out latest scores through his window for all to hear.

It was a time of great optimism, not only for sport, but for China's development too, as the country finally shook off the shadow of the Cultural Revolution and embarked on reform.

What's more, China's presence at the 1984 Games made the world sit up and notice.

Seoul 1988: War on doping

China was not able to replicate the feat four years later in Seoul, managing only 11th place in the medal table, with five gold, 11 silver and 12 bronze medals.

This was partly blamed on the strong performance of the Soviet bloc countries, back from their Olympic boycott.

But for a lot of people, the Seoul Games were remembered for one person: Ben Johnson, the Canadian sprinter who tested positive for a banned substance after he came first in the 100m final.

I was studying at the University of Toronto and witnessed first-hand the shock of the nation as euphoria turned to nightmare. I became aware of the issue of doping in sport for the first time, not anticipating that China was soon to have its own doping scandals.

At the 1994 Asian Games in Hiroshima, Japan, 11 Chinese athletes tested positive for steroids - seven of them swimmers, including world champions. They were stripped of their medals and banned for two years.

About the same time, a group of female long-distance runners caught the world's attention. Coached by Ma Junren, these athletes consistently broke Chinese, Asian and world records, accumulating three gold medals in the 1993 World Athletic Championships and one gold in the Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996.

In 2000, most of Ma's runners failed blood tests and were banned from the Sydney Games that year.

Early in 2016, a letter reportedly written by leading runner Wang Junxia and nine others, came to light, with detailed revelations about how Ma had forced them to take drugs to boost their performance. The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), which governs athletics, has indicated it will investigate the matter.

These episodes and others seriously tarnished China's image. Despite a crackdown and an improved testing regime, the battle is far from won - as shown by swimmer Chen Xinyi, who was forced to leave Rio after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.

Beijing 2008: Politics and sport

In 2008, Beijing hosted the Olympic Games, a matter of tremendous national pride. Politics and sport had never been so closely linked.

China wanted to showcase not only its sporting ability, but also how the country had been transformed by three decades of opening up and reform.

The Beijing Games divided opinion perhaps more than any other in post-war history, and as a journalist working in London, I have to admit I breathed a sigh of relief when they were finally over.

In sporting terms, China scored a great victory by coming top of the medal table, taking home advantage to the full.

By now, China was a recognised global sporting power. But things were not perfect. China's only medal hope in athletics, hurdler Liu Xiang, pulled out of the race due to injury, and the lack of transparency surrounding his injuries angered his fans and raised questions about commercial pressures put on elite athletes.

London 2012: Questions continue

Liu Xiang almost repeated the fiasco during the London Games four years later, this time crashing out at the first hurdle. His agonising pain was for all to see, but he managed to hop with one foot to the finishing line, to huge applause by a very appreciative crowd.

Other competitors showed class, too, by praising his spirit, one of the most heart-warming moments of the London Games.

Now, back to Rio. What has gone wrong with China's sportsmen and women?

Rio 2016: Winning is no longer everything

One explanation offered is the lack of new, world-class talent. I watched some gymnastic competitions on TV and I have to admit that, compared with others, Chinese gymnasts lacked power and artistry. But there might be other reasons.

Compared with 1984, when winning a gold medal was a political task and a patriotic duty, or with 2008, when more medals meant more national pride, we are seeing a more relaxed attitude.

While people still like to see China doing well, it perhaps no longer carries the importance it once did - although we have seen our share of soul-searching.

"As long as you gave your all, you're already a winner", Chinese netizens told bronze medallist Fu Yuanhui, who won hearts around the world with her expressive joy and honesty about competing during her period.

Could it also be that China, the world's second largest economy and more confident on the international stage, no longer needs to take winning in a sport event, however noble and inspiring, so seriously?

Who knows? Perhaps a more relaxed approach will help China produce more medals in the future. So UK and USA, watch out!

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As another Olympic Games draws to a close, BBC Chinese's Yuwen Wu makes a personal journey through China's Olympics of the last few decades. There is no doubt that one of the talking points of the Rio Games has been China's performance.

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For me, Aung San Suu Kyi probably is a women only living in my literature review. In recent news, she said she really pay attention to the relationship between Myanmar and China. Therefore, it looks like a definitive consequence that she eventually went to China. Well, according to this article, is someone still believing that China can make friends with Myanmar? I do not think so, but at least I suggest it is a good sign between two countries to incorporate with the major project - building a bridge at Kunlong. Especially, after South China Sea issue, Chinese government present their friendly to our neighbour.

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Posted August 18, 2016 22:39:53

Myanmar's de-facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi has made her first visit to China, where the issue of a stalled Chinese hydro-dam project in Myanmar's north featured in discussions.

Former Myanmar president Thein Sein suspended the $3.6 billion Myitsone dam project in 2011, after the plan drew widespread protests over its environmental impacts.

The move angered China, which would have received around 90 per cent of the dam's power.

Ms Suu Kyi was held under house arrest for 24 years by a military junta backed diplomatically by Beijing, and while she supported suspending the dam at the time, she is now facing pressure to resume the project.

"Aung San Suu Kyi said that the Myanmar Government has already set up an investigation committee to look for an appropriate resolution to the Myitsone dam issue," Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin told reporters after a meeting between Ms Suu Kyi and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

"She also said that she is willing to look for a resolution that suits both sides' interests via both sides' energy administrations' cooperation."

Ms Suu Kyi did not mention the dam in remarks to Mr Li made in front of journalists, but said she hoped her visit would "further consolidate and develop" relations.

Myanmar has long been hugely reliant on Chinese economic support, which has been seen again through Beijing vowing to build two new hospitals and a strategic bridge.

The bridge will be built in Kunlong, 32 kilometres from the border in north-eastern Myanmar, and near the Kokang region where an ethnic Chinese rebel group fought Myanmar's military last year.

Ms Suu Kyi also needs China's cooperation in talks with Myanmar's ethnic minority armed groups operating along their shared borders.

Mr Liu said Premier Li reaffirmed China's support for efforts to bring peace to northern Myanmar.

The visit is Ms Suu Kyi's first major diplomatic foray as de-facto leader after her National League for Democracy's sweeping election victory in November, and although barred from the presidency by a junta-drafted constitution, she holds several government posts including that of foreign minister.

Ms Suu Kyi will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday.
ABC/Reuters

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Suspended dam project dominates Suu Kyi's first China visit

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Posted August 18, 2016 22:39:53 Myanmar's de-facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi has made her first visit to China, where the issue of a stalled Chinese hydro-dam project in Myanmar's north featured in discussions. Former Myanmar president Thein Sein suspended the $3.6 billion Myitsone dam project in 2011, after the plan drew widespread protests over its environmental impacts.

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Beijing launches the world’s first quantum-communications satellite into orbit

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Beijing launches the world’s first quantum-communications satellite into orbit

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An very interesting news report from The Wall Street, China has spent five years in quantum-communications satellite project, and it criticises that U.S government granted not enough funds to this project. This satellite called Mozi,  which is the same as a Chinese philosopher's name. Chinese government believe to increase the national power, science and technology play important role. I hope the government can keep practising the strategy of invigorating China through science, technology and education, so that China will become more powerful.

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China's Latest Leap Forward Isn't Just Great-It's Quantum

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A rocket that shot skyward from the Gobi Desert early Tuesday is expected to propel China to the forefront of one of science's most challenging fields.

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Not only Australian government send the mixed messages to Chinese people, I think Chinese people also are paradoxical in social issues. Olympic Games should totally avoid political judgement, however now I think people started to hate each other because of some of the misleading messages. Is China buying the world? At least, Chinese citizens do not even think it is worth to buy Australia, because they believe Australian are able to confuse right and wrong. The conflicts are expending.

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When we are talking about the national power, we mainly focus on the economic condition, government's power, social conflicts and technology capability. China now has ability to build their granit transportation - Transit Elevated Bus (TEB). However, in Sina weibo, some people explored the background of TEB and realised that there might be a hidden scandal behind the TEB which may bring negative financial influences to our community. The inside information have not been published on main press and media. Keep following this issue, and I really hope this technique can improve Chinese traffic jam and be helpful to people.

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Posted August 03, 2016 15:15:08

An elevated bus that rides above traffic and can potentially carry as many as 1,400 passengers has been demonstrated in China.

The proposal, unveiled at the 91th China Beijing International High-Tech Expo in May, called for a bus that spans two traffic lanes, rides on rails outside existing lanes, has articulated segments, and provides 2.1 metres of clearance underneath for cars.

The Xinhua news agency reported in May that Beijing-based company Transit Explore Bus were building a life-size model they intended to test in July or August.

They have hit the target, with video from China's CCTV News showing the model rolling over cars on a road in Qinhuangdao, Hebei province.

The model, which debuted with a red ribbon taped to its nose, has one segment and can carry 300 people.

It also misses some refinements from the computer-generated animations of the proposal, such as an underside painted to simulate the sky and windows allowing drivers underneath to look out to the sides - although it does have lights underneath.

Passengers embarked from an elevated platform instead of the extending ramps shown in the animations, but photos of the inside of the prototype show a finished interior, with more standing space than seating and plentiful poles and hand rails for standing passengers.

If the electric busses can be built to the scale of the initial proposal, each one would replace 40 conventional buses, cutting annual fuel consumption by 800 tons and carbon emissions by almost 2,500 tones, chief engineer Song Youzhou told Xinhua in May.

Topics: science-and-technology, transport, human-interest, offbeat, china

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Chinese elevated bus takes its first ride over traffic

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Posted August 03, 2016 15:15:08 An elevated bus that rides above traffic and can potentially carry as many as 1,400 passengers has been demonstrated in China. The proposal, unveiled at the 91th China Beijing International High-Tech Expo in May, called for a bus that spans two traffic lanes, rides on rails outside existing lanes, has articulated segments, and provides 2.1 metres of clearance underneath for cars.

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It really reminds me Beijing Olympic Games 2008 that did not put athletes and national committee in the position like that. However, we did have air pollution issue, at least the basic infrastructures in Olympic Village were safe and completed.

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AUSTRALIAN athletes will not move into their rooms at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics until serious plumbing, electrical and cleaning problems are fixed, with the troubled South American games opening in under two weeks.

Kitty Chiller, the head of the Australian delegation, said in a statement on Sunday that team members "will not move into our allocated building" at the Athletes Village. She gave no hint of when they might. Teams from Britain and New Zealand were also reported to be having similar problems.

This comes as the sprawling 31-building village, which will house 18,000 athletes and officials at the height of the games, opened officially on Sunday with some athletes expected to arrive. This is the latest problem for the troubled games, which have been hit by the Zika virus, security threats, water pollution, and severe budget cuts.

"We're having plumbing problems, we've got leaking pipes," Mike Tancred, the spokesman for the Australian team, said in an interview with AP. "We've got electrical problems. We've got cleaning problems. We've got lighting problems in some of the stairwells." He said more than 20 staff members have been unable to stay in the building, and said the first Australian athletes were to arrive on Monday.

"We did a stress test on Saturday, turned on the taps and flushed the toilets, and water came flooding down the walls," Tancred said.

Chiller listed the same problems, and added more.

"Water came down walls, there was a strong smell of gas in some apartments and there was 'shorting' in the electrical wiring," she said. "We have been living in nearby hotels because the village is simply not safe or ready." She said teams from Britain and New Zealand had similar problems, which have been going on for at least a week.

The United States Olympic Committee acknowledged there were small problems.

"As is the case with every games, we're working with the local organisers to address minor issues and make sure the village is ready for Team USA athletes," spokesman Patrick Sandusky told AP. Britain said in a statement that it had found "some maintenance difficulties." It said many team members would be preparing in a training camp in the city of Belo Horizonte and would not immediately need the village.

The International Olympic Committee and local organisers held emergency talks on Sunday and met with the heads of several teams. In a statement, the IOC said athletes with unfinished rooms would "be placed in the best available accommodation in other buildings." It said fixing the problem "will take another few days."

Rio organisers said despite the problems "a few hundred delegation members are moving in today as planned." Local reports said about five per cent of the 3,600 apartments had gas, water and electrical faults, and some were without toilet fixtures.

Chiller said the IOC will ask local organisers to do stress tests "throughout the Olympic Village," a process that could force major delays and require people living there now to relocate. The compound contains tennis courts, soccer fields, seven swimming pools - with mountains and the sea as a backdrop - topped off by a massive dining-kitchen compound that's as large as three football fields.

The 3,600 apartments are to be sold after the Olympics with some prices reaching $700,000. The development costs about $1.5 billion, built by the Brazilian billionaire Carlos Carvalho.

"From the exterior it looks like the Hilton Hotel," Tancred said. "But inside it's not finished."

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AUSTRALIAN athletes will not move into their rooms at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics until serious plumbing, electrical and cleaning problems are fixed, with the troubled South American games opening in under two weeks. Kitty Chiller, the head of the Australian delegation, said in a statement on Sunday that team members "will not move into our allocated building" at the Athletes Village.

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It has been few weeks after the South China Sea issue, as Chinese citizen, I feel like the relationship between China and her neighborhoods is still disorder. Does ASEAN really work in this war of "historic rights"?

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Indonesia has rejected criticism that the ongoing dispute in the South China Sea has highlighted weaknesses within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), saying they remain "united".

Critics have taken aim at a joint statement released by ASEAN and China late on Monday after days of talks at a meeting in Laos and a deadlock over what they would publicly present.

The meeting has marked the first time foreign ministers from the region have met since the UN-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration handed down its decision into the dispute between the Philippines and China, dismissing the latter's "historic rights" to vast swathes of the South China Sea.

While Monday's joint statement referred to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and freedom of navigation, Australian National University defence and strategic expert Dr John Blaxland said it was not the acknowledgment by China of the recent ruling that some countries wanted.

"After such a significant ruling for there to be no mention of it, it is a palpable indicator of the powerlessness of ASEAN," Dr Blaxland told AAP on Tuesday.

It also showed a "disturbing" push by China to continue pressing harder on the issue, by "ratcheting up the pressure" on those states, such as Cambodia and Laos, that are "effectively beholden" to it, he argued.

While he noted ASEAN's statements on the South China Sea had been "circumspect" in the past few years, Monday's communication showed how little clout countries such as Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia had on the issue.

"Their voices are shouted down. It's happened before, it has happened in other forums, but it confirms the trend," he said.

But Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said a joint communique about the situation in the South China Sea, which was published at the same time as the statement with China, portrayed unity within the region.

"This agreement is one proof that during hard times, ASEAN could unite and step forward to maintain its common house and interest," she said on Tuesday.

"(The) joint communique has also firmly stated ASEAN countries' commitment to maintain peace, security and stability in the region ... (and) to fully respect legal and diplomatic processes in accordance to international laws."

The ASEAN meeting of foreign ministers, held in the Laos capital Vientiane, also discussed a number of other issues, including unregulated fishing in the region, trade and tourism.

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Indonesia has rejected criticism that the ongoing dispute in the South China Sea has highlighted weaknesses within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), saying they remain "united". Critics have taken aim at a joint statement released by ASEAN and China late on Monday after days of talks at a meeting in Laos and a deadlock over what they would publicly present.