Unrest over health hazards in China

Hundreds of villagers in China’s Shaanxi province stormed a lead smelting plant on Monday after it emerged that more than 600 children in two villages had taken ill with lead poisoning.

Monday’s incident is the latest in a number of recent cases of public unrest caused by environment pollution by factories in China’s provinces. While the government has in recent years begun to strengthen its environmental pollution laws, violations are still widespread at the provincial level.

Officials said on Monday the Dongling Lead and Zinc Smelting Group in central China’s Shaanxi province was responsible for poisoning at least 615 children in two villages near the township of Chagqing located near its plant. Officials found that lead content in the water and soil in surrounding areas was dangerously high.

Out of the 615 children who had taken ill with lead poisoning, 166 were in a serious condition and admitted to local hospitals. Officials said in some cases the lead content found in their blood was more than four times safe levels. “The medical test by doctors showed that for 20 out of 30 children the lead in blood was excessive, and 10 had more than 200 mg of lead per litre of blood,” Zhang Yongxiang, a local villager, told the State run China Daily newspaper. The normal lead content in blood is between 0 and 100 mg per litre. “One girl was taken to a hospital because her lead content was 306 mg,” he said.

While environmental laws have been strengthened at the central level, enforcement at the local level remains week, and many say influential companies, which often enjoy close relationships with local governments, escape strict enforcement. It emerged on Monday that Dongling had even passed emission standards tests and inspections conducted by local authorities.

Another high-profile case last year saw more than 3 lakh children fall ill after consuming milk powder tainted with the industrial chemical melamine. Later, investigations found that the Sanlu Company, China’s largest dairy producer, had for months covered up tests which had found its milk products to be unsafe. It also emerged that Sanlu had close ties with the provincial government in Hebei where the company was based.

Next month, the first ever environmental protection lawsuit filed against a government body in China on behalf of residents will be heard in Guizhou province. Usually, affected residents receive little compensation given the weakness in enforcement of environmental laws. But a local municipal court last month, for the first time, accepted a public interest petition filed against the government for a construction project that polluted two water bodies.

“No matter what the conclusive is, we hope it will serve as a warning to government departments that they should fulfil their duty to protect the environment,” Liu Haiying, a judge at the Qingzhen municipal court in Guizhou told China Daily. “They need to gradually realise they are not only under the supervision of the Communist Party and other administrative departments, but also under the watch of citizens.”

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Turkey supports China on Xinjiang

Turkey, the lone voice in the international community that strongly criticized China for its handling of July’s ethnic unrest in Xinjiang, now appears to have mended its fences with China.

Only a few weeks ago, Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan described the events as “a kind of genocide”. Now, it appears to have considerably changed its tone.

“We have the confidence that those who caused the incident would be brought to transparent, fair and swift justice by the Chinese authorities,” said Turkish Ambassador to China Murat Salim Esenli on Friday, during a four-day visit to the troubled Muslim-majority Xinjiang region. Relations between the two countries have been strained following the ethnic clashes between Han Chinese and minority Uighurs, an ethnic Turkic-speaking Muslim group that broke out in Urumqi on July 5.

At least 197 people were killed in what was the biggest ethnic unrest in China’s recent history.

Migrant community:

Turkey has a large Uighur migrant community, which is viewed in the country as sharing a common pan-Turkish ethnic identity. Shortly after the violence, Mr.Erdogan said he would approach the United Nations to “discuss” the issue.

Last month, Trade Minister Nihat Ergun also called on consumers to not buy Chinese goods. But Turkey has found itself isolated in the international community over its stance on Xinjiang.

The country’s trade relationship with China has also grown close in recent years, and Mr. Erdogan’s government has found itself walking a tight-rope balancing economic and geo-political considerations with domestic public opinion that remains strongly against China.

Opposition parties in Turkey have also sought to gain political mileage out of the issue, and more than 10,000 people attended a recent protest rally criticizing China’s handling of the unrest and calling for a strong response from the government.

But now, the government appears to have softened its stance. Mr. Esenli for the first time toured Xinjiang last week, as part of a delegation of envoys from the U.S., Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Togo, Egypt, Turkey, Kuwait and Afghanistan. During the visit, Mr. Esenli praised the Chinese government for opening up the region to foreign media, and blamed the Western media’s “biased and prejudiced reporting” for influencing public opinion in Turkey, State media reported.

Economic ties:

The trip, organized by the Chinese government, comprised a number of envoys from Muslim countries, many of whom enjoy close economic ties with China and have in recent weeks publicly voiced their support to the Chinese government on the Xinjiang issue. Turkey has now joined that list.

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India, China to set up hotline

India and China have decided to set up a hotline between Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and Wen Jiabao as a confidence building measure. The decision was taken during the 13th Round of India-China Special Representatives talks on the boundary question which concluded here on Saturday in a “cordial and friendly atmosphere.”

Bilateral relations and regional issues were also discusses. At the ministerial level, India now has a hotline only with Russia, while China has a functional hotline with the United States. External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna told Parliament last month that the proposal had come from the Chinese side and the intention was to “maintain regular contacts at the highest level.”

‘Centrepiece’:

Discussing a broader agenda than just the border issue, the two special representatives – National Security Advisor M.K Narayanan and State Councillor Dai Bingguo – identified trade and economic relations as the “centrepiece” of the bilateral relations and noted that despite the global economic slowdown, India-China trade last year was $52 billion. They resolved to create suitable conditions and an environment to maintain the expansion of trade ties.

In order to “fittingly” observe the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations next year, it was decided to hold the year of Friendship with China in India, while China will also kick off similar celebrations, said sources privy to the two-day meeting. Mr. Narayanan and Mr. Dai also noted that the frequent interactions between the two countries lent “global significance” to the bilateral ties.

China had proposed the establishment of the hotline during a meeting between Dr. Singh and Chinese President Hu Jintao on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Yekaterinburg, Russia. There were expectations of the hotline getting activated in July. No date has so far been announced and officials said technical and other modalities were being worked out.

Describing ties with China as a key foreign policy priority, Mr.Narayanan said the joint document on a “Shared Vision for the 21st Century” signed during Dr.Singh’s visit to China January last year had taken bilateral relations to a new level.

An External Affairs Ministry statement said Mr.Dai referred to the rapid growth witnessed in bilateral relations in recent years. Highlighting the importance of the ongoing consultations and coordination between the two countries on multilateral for a, he hoped that the two countries would jointly meet global challenges in the spirit of the “Shared Vision.”

During his visit, Mr. Dai called on Dr. Singh and United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi. He conveyed the greetings of Mr. Hu and handed over a written message of greetings from Mr. Wen to Dr. Singh.

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Designing your career

New Zealand’s campuses provide a great environment in which students can pursue their studies. Even those students interested in subjects like art and design have ample scope for study here. Among the top ranked design and art schools in New Zealand are the Design and Arts College (DAC), Christ-church, and Natcoll which has three campuses across the country. A visit to these centres was an enriching experience. Natcoll is among the top 10 digital design schools the world over. Courses include full-time, diploma and certificate options and several specialized courses, such as web designing, graphic designing for print industry, animation, etc. Said Campus principal Jeff Lockhart, “Natcoll’s programmes offer a pathway to a great future in the field of design. We have just introduced a trial intership programme and also started Creative Byte, a commercial design studio that gives our graduates some work experience – both were planned keeping the demand for job options in mind.”

Interestingly, students at Natcoll do not give any exams! Grades are given based purely on tutor evaluation alone. A strict cheat code is in place. “We tell students to take their cameras and bring original photos for use in their creations. We accept only original work. Any infringement of this clause results in suspension.” adds Lockhart.

Jasmeet Sarna, a Delhiite is studying her level 5 in animation. She, like other Indian students on campus, feels the course is extremely creative. P Madhukar from Hyderabad, who has enrolled for a one-year Diploma in Digital Media, acknowledged that his course was very advanced compared to those offered back home. “It’s very different and international in approach. There is a lot of scope,” he said.

All courses stipulate a maximum of 20 students per programme and at least three hours of practicals ever day. The cost for international students is NZ$ 15,000-17,000.

The DAC campus offers fashion designing and architecture, besides graphic design and digital design courses. Their short programmes include beauty, hair styling and make-up. Which are hugely popular among those in the theatre and beauty business. Said Cherry Chen, the international marketing liaison authority, “To encourage our students, DAC organizes some unique events. We have two fashion shows a year to provide for interactions with industry experts. Many students have found buyers at these shows and have gone on to work with design houses after graduating. We also have industry valuation for architecture students. In order to make our international students feel at home, we organize barbeque nights and fun competitions. International students are safe in New Zealand. Most of them come from China. India, Japan, Singapore and also the Fiji Islands.”

Vikash Verma, a professional graphic and digital designer from Mumbai, who won a trip to visit New Zealand’s campuses, courtesy, Education New Zealand, said, “The courses offered in these design centres will certainly add to a designer’s profile. They are futuristic and are planned for the global consumer.”

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China to India handle differences properly

Pending a mutually acceptable solution of the border row, china suggested India to “properly handle frictions and questions thereof” by maintaining the momentum of high-level exchanges, strengthening economic and defence cooperation, and by coordinating their positions on global issues such as economic crisis, climate change, energy and food security.

This was a recurrent theme of the two-day talks, between Chinese state councilor Dai bingguo and national security adviser concluded here over the weekend. Mr.Dai, who conveyed the greetings of Chinese president Hu Jintao and also handed over a written message of greeting from premier Wen Jiabao to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, said china took a positive view of India’s development and progress, and also supported a bigger role for India in international affairs. He iterated china’s commitment to consolidate the strategic and cooperative partnership, established in 2005, in all fields in a comprehensive way.

A Xinhua report cited Mr.Dai as also saying that in the next several years, china and India would have “a rare time period of opportunity” to solve their boundary issue. China experts such as Mohan Guruswamy from the centre for policy alternatives, Srikanth Kondapalli of Jawaharlal Nehru University and Phunchok Stobdan from the institute for Defence studies and analyses did not anticipate anything different emerging from the 13thround of the border talks, but so did a section of the Chinese media.

A China Daily report said the latest round of talks was hardly expected to make substantive progress. It quoted Fu Xiaoqiang, a scholar on south Asia at china institute of contemporary international relations, as saying that the border issue was complicated and the talks would at best serve to improve understanding between people of the two countries.

Further, china maintained that both sides should Endeavour to build “strategic mutual trust” to pave the way for resolution of “the questions left over from history”

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Pension plan for China’s farmers

Farmers will soon enjoy the same guaranteed income later in life as urban workers do, as the government on Tuesday announced that a trial pension plan scheme would be implemented across China by October.

Sponsored by the government, farmers over the age of 60 will be able to receive a monthly endowment according to the area concerned’s income standards, according to Hu Xiaoyi, Vice-Minister of the Department of Human Resources and Social Security (DHRSS).

“The new system is paid for by the farmers, collective benefits and government subsidy, which is totally different from the old system, paid by farmers themselves, with no subsidy from the government,” Mr. Hu told a news conference.

He said the payment for the insurance comprised two parts: basic insurance, which is fully provided by State financing, and the personal pension account, paid by farmers themselves.

The old insurance system has benefited 80 million farmers in China since the 1990s. However, the system virtually failed, as it required payment solely from farmers, who eventually gave up because of lack of money.

In June, Premier Wen Jiabao decided to launch trial projects in 10 per cent of countries to promote the new insurance during the State Council executive meeting.

A total of 3 billion yuan (roughly $450 million) from the central government was provided to subsidise local governments, ensuring that farmers can get enough basic insurance.

According to the DHRSS the subsidies for western provinces, the central region, and the eastern provinces vary, based on the minimum standards for pensions.

Rural residents over 16, who are not students and do not participate in the basic pension plans for urban workers, can take part in the new insurance scheme, according to the DHRSS.

Some richer areas along the Yangtze River Delta and some coastal cities have been trying out similar rural pension plans since 2003.

Donghai Country, in Jiangsu Province, is one of the pilot sites. Wang Tonghua, who participated in the new endowment insurance plan last year, was happy with the new system.

“I’ve always been jealous of the elderly in cities who receive retirement pensions, now I finally get my own,” she told Xinhua.

In Donghai in 2008, the payment for insurance was based on 20 per cent of the local per capita income of that year, of which 80 per cent was paid by individuals, and the remaining 20 per cent by governments at the country and village level.

In 2008, the lowest payment was 800 yuan. Ms. Wang paid 640 yuan, and the rest was subsidy from the country and village governments. In Suzhou, a city in Jiangsu, men over 60 and women over 55 can receive the pension each month, without paying any money.

Biggest obstacle:

The biggest obstacle in applying for the new insurance is the low revenue of local governments. “Local governments with low revenue have no capability to promote the new policy. With no financial support from the local government, the related department has no enthusiasm to promote the new insurance,” said Ding Yifan, a researcher at the Development Research Center of the State Council.

While the old insurance allowed for management fee for the government, the new one prohibits the local government from extracting any such fee from the funds.

“The new insurance policy strives to achieve two things: one, to reduce the economic and policy gap between urban and rural areas, and the other is to solve the difficulties faced by the elderly in rural areas and help with implementing a rural population policy,” said Mr. Ding.

Once put into action, the trial programme will have a huge influence on China’s social security system, as it encourages farmers to purchase endowment insurance for a more secure life, according to Mr. Ding. He suggested that the governments make a reasonable contribution. He also called on the government to promote and implement this new endowment insurance policy as soon as possible Xinhua.

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UK jobless claims rise to 1.56 mn

The number of people claiming unemployment benefits in Britain rose in June at the slowest pace for 13 months, official data showed on Wednesday.

The number of people claiming benefits increased 23,800 last month to 1.56 million. Unemployment, according to the International Labour Organisation measure, rose by 281,000 to 2.38 million in the three months to May.

The quarterly increase was the highest since records began in 1971.

US official tells China to open up

US secretary of commerce Gary Locke has said that China should open its domestic markets and loosen its currency controls to help the global economy out of the ongoing financial crisis.

“If China allowed for greater flexibility in its exchange rate and further opened up its domestic markets for imports and foreign direct investment, it would accelerate the world’s return to growth,” Mr Locke told a business lunch.

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Stop indulging terror groups, says China

Wary of a growing terror threat from Islamic extremist groups following ethnic violence in the Muslim-majority region of Xinjiang, China on Tuesday “strongly urged” countries to stop “indulging and supporting” terrorist groups.

On Tuesday, the terror group Al-Qaeda, for the first time, declared it will target Chinese interests in North Africa to avenge the violence against Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang.

On July 5, at least 184 people were killed in ethnic clashes between Uighurs and China’s majority Han Chinese ethnic group in Urumqi, Xinjiang’s capital.

The Chinese government has in the past blamed organizations like the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), a group with alleged links to Al-Qaeda, for fomenting tensions in Xinjiang, and has also suggested that ETIM activities had a role in last week’s violence.

But some Uighur rights groups have said China has exaggerated the influence of the little-known ETIM, and has used its crackdown on terror to tighten restrictions and suppress the rights of ordinary Uighurs.

On Tuesday, the Chinese government “strongly urged” countries in South and Central Asia to step up efforts to clamp down on terror groups operating in the region. China said “some countries had supported and indulged” activities by extremist groups, without directly naming the countries.

China has in the past indicated that groups like the ETIM had received training in militant camps in Pakistan, and has begum to strongly pressure Pakistan to crack down on groups with ties to Xinjiang.

Last week, Chinese officials “briefed” their Pakistani counterparts about the unrest in Xinjiang, reportedly expressing concern that Uighur groups based in Pakistan had a role in the unrest. Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang on Tuesday said Pakistan and China had “stayed in close communication” following the unrest on July 5. “Regional countries like China and Pakistan should enhance cooperation in combating the Three Forces [separatism, terrorism and extremism] and jointly safeguard peace and tranquility,” he said.

In contrast with India, China’s experiences with terror have been few and far between, but are becoming increasingly frequent.

Last August, two terror attacks struck the border city of Kashgar in Xinjiang, while the ETIM was reportedly behind a bus bombing in the southern city of Kunming a month earlier. Chinese officials reportedly foiled a suicide bombing attempt by the ETIM on a flight out of Urumqi last March.

A report by the Stirling Assynt security consultancy released on Tuesday said a North African off-shoot of Al-Qaeda, the Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), was one of a number of terror groups reportedly targeting China following unrest in Xinjiang, according to a report in the Hong Kong- based South China Morning Post. “There is an increasing amount of chatter…….. among jihadists who claim they want to see action against China,” said the report.

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