China raises Tibet issue with President Patil

May 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Beijing, May 28 — Chinese President Hu Jintao and Chairman of National People’s Congress Wu Bangguo avoided the touchy Tibet issue. So it was left to Jia Quinglin to give the parting shot to President Pratibha Devisingh Patil in Beijing on Friday.

External Affairs officials said it wasn’t unusual for Quinglin to raise the Tibet issue and convey “concern” about the Dalai Lama’s “activities” in India. “He is the Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) that deals with ethnic issues in China, and that includes the Tibetans,” an official said.

The 2196-member strong CPPCC is regarded as China’s top political advisory body. The 70-year-old Jia met Patil at the Great Hall of the People in the afternoon.

While waxing eloquent on India’s age-old relationship with China, he raised the Tibetan issue. Jia described the Dalai Lama as more of a political leader than a spiritual figure.

But Patil referred to as the Dalai Lama as a spiritual leader “who stays in India”. The President, officials said, told Jia that India regarded Tibet Autonomous Region as a part of China and “this does not allow any anti-China activities by Tibetans in India”.

The President cited the example of Olympic torch relay in India ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and how the Indian government took steps to ensure nothing untoward happened. Later, at her first public speech during her six-day visit, Patil told China’s leadership that ‘mutual understanding of each other’s sensitivities’ held the key to “deeper and sturdier friendship” between the two Asian giants.

She emphasized the “time-tested” Sino-India friendship “forged in the crucibles of civilisation”, foreseeing growing scope for cooperation between the two countries.

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After Dalai Lama, Aga Khan gets Canadian honour

May 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Toronto, May 29 (IANS) Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper Friday bestowed honorary citizenship on the Aga Khan and laid the foundation stone of what would be one of the largest Muslim art and culture centres in North America.

The Aga Khan is the Imam of over 15 million Shia Ismaili Muslims spread around the world.

‘Conferring honorary citizenship upon His Highness the Aga Khan is a recognition of His Highness’s leadership as a champion of international development, pluralism and tolerance around the world and of his remarkable leadership as Imam of the worldwide Ismaili community,” the Canadian Prime Minister said.

The Canadian parliament had passed a resolution last year to confer the honour on the Aga Khan who becomes the second religious figure after the Dalai Lama to get the country’s honorary citizenship.

Laying the foundation stone of the museum with the Aga Khan, the prime minister said, ‘Canada is honoured to have been chosen as the site for these important institutions. They will serve to promote pluralism, peace and tolerance through greater understanding of Islam.”

Called the Aga Khan Museum for Islamic Art and Culture, the seven-acre centre will be completed by 2013 at a cost of $300 million.

The museum will display of artefacts related to the intellectual, cultural, artistic and religious heritage of Muslim civilizations.

Thanking Canada for the honour, the Aga Khan said, ‘I have always felt at home in Canada, but never more so than today.”

The 75,000-strong Ismaili community in Canada wields an influence which is way beyond its numbers. Most Ismailis – who have come mostly from Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya – have established themselves in businesses and professions like law, medicine, and politics.

Rahim Jaffer, a Ugandan-born Ismaili, was elected as Canada’s first Muslim MP in 1997.

Mobina Jaffer, who also came from Uganda with her family, is Canada’s first senator of South Asian origin, nominated to the Canadian Upper House in 2001. An Ismaili of Gujarati origin, she is also a very successful lawyer in Vancouver.

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Dalai Lama inaugurates Buddha Smriti Park in Patna

May 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Patna, May 27 (IANS) Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama Thursday inaugurated the Buddha Smriti Park, a sprawling 22 acre park dedicated to Lord Buddha in the heart of the city, on the occasion of Buddha Purnima.

The inauguration of the Buddha memorial park was an international event attended by delegations from four predominantly Buddhist countries — Sri Lanka, Burma, Japan and Thailand.

The Dalai Lama thanked Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for inviting him to inaugurate the memorial park built to commemorate the 2,554 th birth anniversary of Gautam Buddha and described his visit to the state as a pleasant one.

The foreign delegations attended the prayer ceremony during the inaugural function. They brought consecrated Buddha urns and gifts, which were kept at the memorial park by the Dalai Lama.

The spiritual leader also planted a sapling of the tree under which Lord Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment in Bodh Gaya. A branch of the original Mahabodhi tree is believed to have been taken to Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka by Emperor Ashok’s son Mahendra.

The Sri Lankan delegation had brought a sapling from this tree to be planted at the Buddha Smriti Park.

Bihar Governor D. Konwar and the chief minister, along with his cabinet colleagues and top officials, were present during the ceremony.

The park is located near the Patna railway junction and is spread over 22 acres of prime land located in the heart of the city. The project is estimated to have cost more than Rs.125 crore.

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TIMELINE – Obstacle course for U.S.-China ties in 2010

May 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Senior Chinese and U.S. officials gathered in the Chinese capital on Monday for their second Strategic and Economic Dialogue to discuss the direction of ties between the two global powers.

Both sides want to ease tensions after a bumpy start to the year. Here is a timeline of major dates in relations this year:

Jan. 12 – Google threatens to pull out of China over censorship and hacking attacks from within the country.

Jan. 21 – U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivers speech calling for Internet freedoms, names China as a country that has stepped up censorship of the web.

Jan. 29 – Obama administration notifies U.S. Congress of proposed arms sales to Taiwan worth $6.4 billion. China condemns the sales to the island, which it considers its territory, and threatens sanctions on companies involved.

Feb. 17 – U.S. aircraft carrier USS Nimitz visits Hong Hong, the self-administered territory under Chinese rule, despite a Chinese pledge to curtail military exchanges with the United States after its announced arms sales to Taiwan.

Feb. 18 – Obama meets exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader the Dalai Lama at the White House. China reviles the Dalai Lama as a separatist for advocating self-rule for his homeland and condemns the meeting.

March 2-4 – U.S. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg and Jeffrey Bader, Senior Director for the U.S. National Security Council for Asian Affairs, visit Beijing for talks, seeking to ease tensions.

March 15 – One hundred and thirty members of U.S. Congress issue a letter demanding more pressure on China to let its yuan currency appreciate. The next day, a bipartisan bill on the issue goes before the Senate.

March 22 – Google shuts its China-based search service Google.cn and begins redirecting mainland Web searchers to a portal in Hong Kong. China criticises Google but does not entirely shut off the Hong Kong site.

March 31 – China agrees to serious negotiations with Washington and other Western powers about proposed new U.N. Security Council-backed sanctions on Iran after months of stressing its reluctance to back sanctions. China has the power to veto any Security Council resolution.

April 1 – China says Hu will attend a summit on nuclear security in Washington, adding to signs that tensions between the two nations are ebbing.

April 3 – U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner says he is delaying an April 15 report on whether China manipulates its currency but vows to press for a more flexible Chinese currency exchange rate policy.

April 8 – Geithner briefly visits Beijing, holding talks with Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan.

April 12-13 – Obama hosts a multi-nation nuclear security summit in Washington that is attended by Chinese President Hu Jintao.

April 15 – Hu attends “BRIC” summit in Brazil, bringing together the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India and China for their second such meeting.

May 3-7 – North Korean leader Kim Jong-il visits China, his country’s main backer.

May 13-14 – The United States and China resume a formal bilateral dialogue on human rights after a two-year hiatus.

May 16-26 – U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke leads trade mission to Hong Kong, China and Indonesia, promoting deals with American companies in clean energy.

May 18 – China joins the four other permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, including the U.S., in backing a draft Security Council resolution proposing expanded sanctions against Iran over its disputed nuclear activities.

May 20 – South Korea says it has found North Korea was responsible for torpedoing its warship, the Cheonan, on March 26, killing 46 sailors. The United States condemns the North over the sinking. Beijing does not openly criticise its neighbour.

May 23 – South Korea says it will taking the bombing case to the U.N. Security Council.

May 24-25 – Senior officials from the United States and China meet in Beijing for Strategic and Economic Dialogue, an annual meeting to discuss broad economic, foreign policy and security concerns. The U.S. side to be led by Clinton and Geithner.

June 26-27 – Meeting of G20 leaders of major rich and developing economies scheduled in Toronto, Canada, giving Hu and Obama an opportunity to meet.

Later in the year — The two countries are preparing for their Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade, a regular meeting that focuses on economic ties. Last year’s was held in late October in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou.

Nov. 2 – Mid-term elections for U.S. Congress. With economic concerns uppermost in many voters’ minds, trade and currency tensions with China may become a electoral factor.

Nov. 11-12 – South Korea to host second summit for the year of the G20 group of major rich and developing economies, where Hu and Obama will have a further chance to meet.

Nov. 13-14 – Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, to be held in Yokohama, Japan, presents another opportunity for the two leaders to meet.

November-December – When Obama visited China in November 2009, Hu accepted his invitation to visit the United States in 2010. This would be a state visit separate from his attendance at the nuclear summit. No date has been set for the trip, but a time late in the year appears most likely.

(Reporting by Chris Buckley in Beijing; Jim Wolf, Doug Palmer and Paul Eckert in Washington; Ralph Jennings in Taipei; Editing by Nick Macfie)

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Tibetans in-exile pay homage to victims of China earthquake

May 19, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Dharamsala (Himachal Pradesh), May 19 (ANI): Tibetans in-exile held a candlelight vigil and offered special prayers in Himachal Pradesh”s Dharamsala city for their comrades, who died in the devastating earthquake that hit China on April 14.

They paid homage to the victims in a candlelight procession and finally gathered at the main Buddhist temple, Tsuglagkhang.

Buddhist Monks held prayer sessions for the rebirth of the victims and will continue to offer prayers for seven weeks, in keeping with tradition.

“Today is the fifth week of those who have died on April 14 during the earthquake. So we are showing our solidarity for them. Those who have lost their lives, we are offering prayers for their rebirth,” said Tsering Phungchok, Tibetan settlement officer.

The official death toll climbed to 2,046 people, with 193 still missing in the strong quake that toppled hundreds of homes and schools.

Meanwhile, the Dalai Lama has appealed to the Chinese Government to allow him to visit China for the first time in 51 years and see the quake zone in Qinghai province, where he was born. (ANI)

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China targets Tibet artists, intellectuals – report

May 18, 2010 By Leave a Comment

China is cracking down on Tibetan intellectuals and artists who have sought to open up discussion of the future of their region after unrest that spread across the area in Spring 2008, an overseas activist group said on Tuesday.

More than 30 men and women, including writers, bloggers, singers and environmentalists, have been detained or are imprisoned, mostly after sharing views or information about conditions in ethnic Tibetan areas, the International Campaign for Tibet said in a new report.

“Raging Storm: The crackdown on Tibetan writers and artists after Tibet’s Spring 2008 protests” details scores of arrests and long jail sentences for many intellectuals.

Protests led by Buddhist monks against Chinese rule in March 2008 gave way to deadly violence, with rioters torching shops and turning on residents, especially Han Chinese.

At least 19 people died in the 2008 unrest, which sparked waves of protests across Tibetan areas. Pro-Tibet groups overseas say more than 200 people were killed in a subsequent crackdown.

China’s Communist Party-run government says that Tibet has historically belonged to China, and it is spending generously there to develop a poor remote area. Officials accuse the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled leader, of fanning separatism.

A new generation of young, often bilingual and tech-savvy, ethnic Tibetans have been exploring their ethnic identity in the wake of the 2008 protests, the report says.

“These (writings) have been published in blogs, articles in one-off or unauthorized literary magazines, in books published and distributed privately, and also in the lyrics of songs sung in public places, uploaded onto Youtube or as cellphone ringtones,” the report said.

Their efforts, which challenge the official account of the events of 2008 as a conspiracy mounted by outside forces, have prompted the most wide-ranging suppression of Tibetan artists and intellectuals since the Cultural Revolution of 1966 to 1976, it said.

“For the first time since the Cultural Revolution, singers, artists and writers have been the target of a drive against Tibetan culture in which almost any expression of Tibetan identity not validated by the state can be branded ‘splittist’.”

Lhasa, the regional capital of Tibet, is introducing rules to restrict access to printing and photocopying services, state media reported, in what officials said was an effort to stop “illegal activities”.

Under the rules, operators of printing and copying businesses in Lhasa must be cleared by the police, and must collect the names, addresses and identity card numbers of anyone using their services, said a report in the Lhasa Evening News last week.

“TORTURE WITHOUT TRACE”

Among the Tibetans under pressure is civil servant, essayist and editor Shogdung, who before 2008 had been considered a radical critic of Tibetan traditions and close to the Chinese state after he authored an article denouncing Buddhism.

However his latest book, “The line between Sky and Earth”, is an exploration of the 2008 protests and their impact on Tibetan identity, and argues for the right to civil disobedience.

It includes a section apologising for earlier views and a discussion of the pressures and discriminations Tibetans face.

“They have made everyone, be they close or distant, powerless, helpless and desperate,” the report quotes it saying.

He was detained on April 23 this year, and his whereabouts and welfare have been unknown since.

Two Tibetans who worked for Western NGOs received sentences of 14 years and life, apparently for attempting to pass on information about the situation in Tibet, the report said.

Singer Tashi Dhondup, who performed songs with lyrics mourning the dead and ongoing repression, including one with the title ‘Torture Without Trace’ was also detained in December and sentenced to 15 months of “re-education through labour”.

The Qinghai provincial government’s media department declined comment on Shogdung, Tashi Dhondup and other Tibetans detained there. The Tibetan government could not be reached for comment.

(Editing by Alex Richardson)

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US-China human rights talks to begin today in Washington

May 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, May 14 (ANI): The two-day human rights dialogue between China and US will commence today in Washington.

Thus far the US approach to China’s reported disregard for human rights has been characterized by frequent raps on the knuckles in the form of lecturing, imposing sanctions, proposing bills to condemn China at UN human rights conferences and linking human rights with trade, the China Daily reports. This approach has not met with much success.

Though critics are unconvinced about the effectiveness of the talks, they are probably the most productive way both governments can address human rights’ issues confronting China.

“Dialogue is better than resistance,” the paper quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu as having said on Thursday.

“China would like to talk to the US on the basis of equality and mutual respect and I hope this opportunity will increase the understanding of the two nations,” he added.

The talks are being led by Michael Posner, the US assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor, and Chen Xu, China”s Foreign Affairs Ministry director general for international organizations, the paper reports.

With the coming of the Obama administration, there has been a significant shift in sentiment regarding China, he favours the “principled pragmatism” approach. The Chinese side has reciprocated this positivity.

Liang Shuying, an international law professor at the China University of Political Science and Law, said the talks suggest China is ready and willing to show the US how it has specified human rights protection in the Constitution and protected human rights through administrative litigation – although problems still exist in Chinese society.

The talks were scheduled for February, but were postponed due to US arms sales to Taiwan and Obama”s meeting with the Dalai Lama early this year.

Since 1990, the two governments have held 14 rounds of dialogue on human rights, the last in May 2008.

Such talks were suspended for six years from 2002 to 2008 after the US criticized China at a UN human rights conference. (ANI)

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Dalai Lama”s envoy urges China to allow spiritual leader to visit quake-hit area

May 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Dharamsala, May 14 (ANI): Lodi Gyari, an envoy of Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has urged the Chinese leadership to respond positively to his wish to visit the earthquake-affected Kyegudo region of Tibet on Thursday.

In an interview to a private news channel, Gyari said the Chinese leadership should show some far-slightness to further goodwill among the Tibetans.

“Lodi Gyari said if the Chinese leadership, in their far-sightedness is able to make a visit by His Holiness to Kyegudo, this will – he said – increase enormous goodwill among the Tibetan people to the Chinese government,” said Thubten Samphel, spokesperson of the Tibetan government in-exile in Dharamsala.

Samphel also said that the Dalai Lama had praised Chinese Prime Minister, Wen Jiabao, for visiting Kyegudo and overseeing the relief work.

“His Holiness praised Jiabao for showing his sorrow with Tibetan people, for comforting them,” Samphel added.

Kyegudo in Qinghai province experienced an earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale on April 14.

The official death toll climbed to 2,046 people, with 193 still missing in the strong quake. (ANI)

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Dalai Lama holds hopes for ultimate resolution of contentious Tibet issue

May 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 8 (ANI): The Dalai Lama is still hoping for a softening of China’s stand on the contentious Tibet issue.

Undeterred by the years of inconclusive negotiations with Beijing over the touchy topic of Tibet’s autonomy, the Dalai Lama said that talks still needed to press ahead, and that there is still a possibility of working out a solution that is consensual.

“So far, dialogue failed, but that does not mean in future no possibility,” the Daily Express quoted Dalai Lama as saying. .

He conceded that years of indecisiveness over the issue of his homeland had left him despondent, but the slight change in mood from the Chinese side has renewed his hope, the report said.

He says that the worldwide awareness about the plight of Tibetans, sympathy amongst the Chinese intelligentsia regarding Tibet and mixed signals from some Chinese leaders in a departure from their hitherto reified stand were the cause of his newfound optimism, it added.

“They are realistic,” he said of the Chinese leadership. “They have the ability to act according to a new reality,” the report quoted him, as saying.

He says he doesn’t mind waiting a decade or two more for a peaceful resolution to the Tibet issue, and prescribes patience to achieve the desired results.

Talks between Chinese representatives and the Dalai’s envoys were restarted in January, however, Beijing stuck to its original stance and summarily rejected the idea of granting autonomy to Tibet.(ANI)

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Dalai Lama included in 2011 census

May 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Dharamsala (Himachal Pradesh), May 8 (ANI): Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, endorsed his relevant details in the form for the 2011 census.

His inclusion in the census has paved the way for bona fide Tibetan refugees residing in India to be reckoned in the census.

“We visited Dalai Lama and he signed the census form with great happiness. He said that he is staying here for the last 50 years and is very happy to be included in the 2011 census count of India,” said B R Chauhan, Census Officer.

“He also assured that all Tibetans in-exile would include their names in the census so that they can get their ensuing UID (Unique ID Card) that is at par with any authentic document of an individual,” he added.

The Dalai Lama expressed his delight at the inclusion of Tibetans-in exile in the 2011 census of India, asserting that he himself has been residing here for the past five decades.

The Tibetan population in-exile is being counted in the census of India 2011 for the first time.

The census of 2011 is regarded as the gateway for every citizen to obtain the proposed Unique ID card that the Central Government has proposed to launch. (ANI)

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Dalai Lama offers prayers for Tibet earthquake victims

April 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Dharamsala (Himachal Pradesh), Apr 28 (ANI): The Dalai Lama and hundreds of Tibetan monks and nuns offered prayers in Dharamsala here on Tuesday for victims of the recent Tibet earthquake.

Prayers were held at Tsuglagkhang, the main Buddhist temple, and were attended by many locals and representatives of different non-profit organizations.

“The official report from the Chinese Government says that over 2,000 people have died, so because of the earthquake in Tibet, thousands of Tibetan people died. There are many people, who are suffering right now; there are many orphans who don”t have any parents,” said Tibetan Youth Congress President Tsewang Rigzin.

“We are gathered here today to pray for the deceased and show solidarity with our brothers and sisters inside the Tibet,” he added.

Reportedly, over 2,000 people died last week in the tremors that rocked the Qinghai province in the autonomous Tibet region of China. (ANI)

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Tibetan women launch art campaign to mark Panchen Lama”s birthday

April 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Dharamsala, Apr 26 (ANI): The Tibetan Women”s Association launched an art campaign in Dharamsala to mark the birthday of the 11th Panchen Lama.

The 11th Panchen Lama is the second highest-ranking figure in Tibetan Buddhism.

Sunday marked the 21st birthday of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, named by Tibet”s spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, as the 11th Panchen Lama.

Prayers were held at several places in India including the northern hill station of Dharamsala, home to the Dalai Lama, on Sunday.

More than 20 acclaimed Tibetan artists created a portrait of the imaginary face of the 21-year-old Panchen Lama, during the Panchen Lama Artwork Campaign.

One of the portraits made by the artists would be chosen as an emblem for the campaigns aimed at pressing for the release of Panchen Lama.

“All of us are really saddened by the fact that despite 15 years of his imprisonment and despite 15 years of our consistent call for his release, we have not heard a word about him since his abduction in 1995,” said Dhardon Sharling, spokesperson of Tibetan Women”s Association

“Today, we are all remembering the Panchen Lama, who is the most important spiritual leader for Tibetan Buddhism and for the Tibetan people at large,” he added.

Also, as a part of the awareness campaign, young monks and nuns from the monastic institutes in and around Dharamsala wrote essays expressing their thoughts on the Panchen Lama.

“Today is the 21st birthday of the Panchen Lama. We have come here to share our feelings. We are just writing some poems and whatever we feel about him,” said Tenzin Cheodon, a Tibetan Buddhist nun.

After the 10th Panchen Lama died in 1989, Beijing and the Dalai Lama made rival choices for his successor, and the Dalai Lama”s choice, then aged six, suddenly disappeared from public view. (ANI)

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Tibetans pray for Chinese earthquake victims

April 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Suja (Himachal Pradesh), Apr 24 (ANI): Tibetan students in India offered special prayers for Chinese earthquake victims in Himachal Pradesh’s Suja village.

Over 2,000 people died last week as tremors rocked Qinghai Province.

Tibetans in India expressed shock over the news.

“Ever since this unfortunate incident, we have organized prayers. The Karmapa has visited our school to perform prayers, and recently, they had a private audience with the Dalai Lama. His Holiness is very concerned about what happened to people inside Tibet,” said Namkhang, a teacher at the TCV School in Suja.

Over 40 students of different age groups are reported to have lost their family members and relatives in the tragedy.

The students, offered prayers for the peace of departed souls. (ANI)

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U.S., China to resume human rights dialogue in May

April 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The United States and China will formally resume their dialogue on human rights next month for the first time in two years, a further sign relations are stabilizing after disputes over Tibet, Taiwan and the value of China’s currency.

The U.S. State Department said on Thursday the May 13-14 meeting in Washington would address issues including religious rights, rule of law and Internet freedom — which this year put online giant Google Inc on a collision course with Beijing.

The two sides last formally held a dialogue on human rights in May 2008. Before that, the discussion had been frozen since 2002.

State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said the dialogue could be expected to include cases of lawyers and human rights activists who have clashed with the Chinese government, as well as Internet censorship.

“I am sure that the broader topic of Internet freedom and the availability of information to Chinese citizens … would come up,” Crowley said.

This year’s meeting was originally scheduled for February but had to be rescheduled because “the timing was not right,” Crowley told a news briefing.

China — the largest holder of U.S. Treasury securities and the second-biggest trading partner of the United States — was infuriated in January by Washington deciding to go ahead with a $6.4 billion arms sale to Taiwan, an island Beijing regards as its territory.

Chinese leaders were further incensed in February when U.S. President Barack Obama met exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, who Beijing reviles as a separatist plotting to divide Tibet from China.

Relations were further rocked by the Google case, which saw the U.S. search engine giant scale back activities in China amid allegations of hacking and censorship, and by U.S. pressure on Beijing to boost the value of the yuan relative to the dollar.

Despite these frictions, the two sides have worked hard in recent weeks to put ties back on track on a range of issues including military cooperation and Iran and North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.

(Reporting by Andrew Quinn; Editing by John O’Callaghan)

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U.S. and China ties grow closer

April 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – Chinese President Hu Jintao’s visit to Washington for a nuclear security summit this week is the latest sign of a warming in relations with President Barack Obama’s administration that looks set to continue in the months ahead.

The two leaders, who hold a one-on-one meeting on the sidelines of the summit on Monday, are expected to work more closely this year on a range of issues, including Iran’s nuclear ambitions, military cooperation and North Korea.

Beijing may also be close to revaluing its yuan currency and unveiling a long-awaited shift in its foreign exchange regime. Washington has argued that it is in the interest of China, and the world, to let the yuan strengthen.

U.S.-Chinese relations have improved rapidly since April after months of disputes over China’s currency and Internet controls, U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and Obama’s meeting with the Dalai Lama at the White House.

“China reacted maybe a bit tougher rhetorically than in the past and than we had expected,” said Bonnie Glaser, a China expert and senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

But she added, “The reaction was limited primarily to rhetoric,” with China, for example, threatening to impose sanctions on U.S. goods, but never actually moving to do so.

After weeks of coyness, Beijing announced on April 1 that Hu would attend the two-day nuclear security summit.

Days later, Washington said it would delay a report that could have labeled China a currency manipulator.

“The relationship with the Chinese goes up and goes down,” said J.J. Ong, an Asia expert at the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee. “There are cycles to it.”

Hu and Obama had an extended telephone conversation on April 1 in which Obama urged Hu to help ratchet up pressure on Iran over its nuclear activities, after China agreed to join serious talks about possible new U.N. sanctions on Tehran.

“I think what we’ve seen throughout the year is that at important junctures, the president’s bilateral meetings and conversations with these leaders helps kind of move things forward,” Ben Rhodes, deputy national security adviser for strategic communications, told reporters this week.

“Our view from the beginning has been is that if you really want to broaden the ability to isolate Iran and to affect its cost-benefit analysis as it relates to their continued failure to live up to their obligations, that you needed to bring in a broader coalition, and that Russia and China would be important parts of that effort,” he said.

‘IT WON’T BE ROSY’

Analysts said they would be looking for more from China on Iranian sanctions, a resumption of U.S.-Chinese military cooperation and signs of whether China can help bring North Korea back to six-party talks seeking to end Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions in exchange for aid.

“It won’t be rosy. If we can manage the currency issue, and Iran and North Korea — by manage, I do mean manage, and not solve — then I think that we will at least build some sort of a track record of some positive accomplishments between our two countries,” Glaser said.

Hu is also expected to make a state visit to Washington later this year, to return Obama’s visit last November, and U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates may visit China.

“Tensions are down and both sides are stressing the positive,” said Kenneth Lieberthal, director of the John L. Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institution.

At the center of the strategy is the administration’s ability to keep global issues central to the Washington-Beijing relationship, separate from disputes over trade and currency between the United States and its largest creditor.

“If the Chinese had really high expectations with Obama coming into office, after what he said about it being one of the most important bilateral relationships and elevating strategic dialogue to show the importance China has in U.S. foreign policy, invariably they were going to be disappointed when the U.S. sold weapons to Taiwan or met with the Dalai Lama or criticized the Chinese human rights record,” said Walter Lohman, head of Asian studies at the Heritage Foundation.

No one expects economic issues to go away.

Washington must still issue the hotly anticipated currency report, and the White House is under pressure from Congress to name China a currency manipulator. The Obama administration is generally expected to bring other countries into its effort to push China on the yuan, which may be a theme at the G20 summit in Canada in June.

“Looking back next year, my guess is if there is seen to be a major problem in U.S.-China relations during the course of 2010 … it will be the trade relationship,” Lieberthal said.

He said the issue was a potent one politically, especially with U.S. congressional elections in November. A combination of high U.S. unemployment and the huge U.S. trade deficit has made China an easy target, and put pressure on Obama to get tough with Beijing on trade and currency issues.

“It (the currency issue) is clear and simple and therefore politically powerful,” Lieberthal said.

(Additional reporting by Paul Eckert; Editing by Peter Cooney)

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China denies hacking Indian Defence Ministry computers

April 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Apr 7 (ANI): China has denied that Chengdu-based hackers stole information from the Indian Defence Ministry.

A group of researchers at the Munk Centre for International Studies at the University of Toronto claimed that a cyber-espionage group based in southwest China stole documents from the Indian Defence Ministry and emails from the Dalai Lama’s office.

The hackers allegedly stole classified reports about security in several Indian states, and about several Indian missile systems.

“China firmly opposes any kind of cyber crime, including cyber attacks. The cyber attack is an international issue requiring the cooperation and joint efforts of the international community,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu told reporters.I don’t know what evidence these people have, or what their motives are,” the China Daily quoted Jiang said, as referring to the researchers.

The spokesperson added that China could investigate if these allegations were provided with evidence.

“Our policy is very clear. We resolutely oppose all Internet crime, including hacking,” she said.

The “cyberspies” used popular online services, including Twitter, Google groups and Yahoo mail, to access infected computers, ultimately directing them to communicate with command and control servers in China, said the report released by the Munk Centre, entitled Shadows in the Cloud.

Stolen documents recovered by the researchers contained sensitive information taken from India’s National Security Council Secretariat, the group of researchers said.

“We have heard about the hacking report and the concerned department is looking into the case,” said Sitanshu Kar, Indian Defence Ministry’s spokesman. (ANI)

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China denies hacking Indian Defence Ministry computers

April 7, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Apr 7 (ANI): China has denied that Chengdu-based hackers stole information from the Indian Defence Ministry.

A group of researchers at the Munk Centre for International Studies at the University of Toronto claimed that a cyber-espionage group based in southwest China stole documents from the Indian Defence Ministry and emails from the Dalai Lama’s office.

The hackers allegedly stole classified reports about security in several Indian states, and about several Indian missile systems.

“China firmly opposes any kind of cyber crime, including cyber attacks. The cyber attack is an international issue requiring the cooperation and joint efforts of the international community,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu told reporters.I don’t know what evidence these people have, or what their motives are,” the China Daily quoted Jiang said, as referring to the researchers.

The spokesperson added that China could investigate if these allegations were provided with evidence.

“Our policy is very clear. We resolutely oppose all Internet crime, including hacking,” she said.

The “cyberspies” used popular online services, including Twitter, Google groups and Yahoo mail, to access infected computers, ultimately directing them to communicate with command and control servers in China, said the report released by the Munk Centre, entitled Shadows in the Cloud.

Stolen documents recovered by the researchers contained sensitive information taken from India’s National Security Council Secretariat, the group of researchers said.

“We have heard about the hacking report and the concerned department is looking into the case,” said Sitanshu Kar, Indian Defence Ministry’s spokesman. (ANI)

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Canadian, US researchers reveal India-focused spy ring based in China

April 7, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Toronto, Apr 6(ANI): Canadian and United States computer security researchers have uncovered a massive network of a China-based online espionage gang breaching servers of dozens of countries, and primarily focusing on India and the Dalai Lama.

According to the Globe and Mail, the intruders pilfered classified and restricted documents from the highest levels of the Indian Defense Ministry.

Stolen documents recovered in a year-long investigation, included 78 documents related to the financing of military projects in India, details of live fire exercises and missile projects, and two documents marked “secret” belonging to the national security council.

It also had classified assessments about security in several Indian states, and confidential embassy documents about India’s relationships in West Africa, Russia and the Middle East.

The report, titled ‘Shadows in the Cloud’, said that the online espionage was done with the use of seemingly harmless means such as Twitter, Google Groups, Blogspot, blog.com, Baidu Blogs and Yahoo Mail.

It also claims that every e-mail sent to or from the Dalai Lama’s offices in 2009 has shown up in the files.

The findings, which are part of a report released in Toronto on Monday, is written by researchers at the University of Toronto’s Munk Centre for International Studies, the Ottawa-based security firm SecDev Group and a U.S. cyber sleuthing organization known as the Shadowserver Foundation.

“This would definitely rank in the sophisticated range. While we don’t know exactly who’s behind it, we know they selected their targets with great care,” The New York Times quoted Steven Adair, a researcher with the Shadowserver Foundation, as saying.

“Essentially we went behind the backs of the attackers and picked their pockets,” said Ron Deibert, Director of the Citizen Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs. (ANI)

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TIMELINE-The obstacle course for U.S.-China ties in 2010

April 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

April 5 (Reuters) – U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has postponed a report due out on April 15 that could have branded China a “currency manipulator”.

The decision follows an announcement in Beijing that Chinese President Hu Jintao will attend a nuclear security summit in Washington from April 12-13 and seems to be a move to keep tensions over currency in check. [ID:nTOE63100K]

Both governments are seeking to cool those tensions. Here is a timeline of significant dates in relations this year:

Jan. 12 – Google threatens to pull out of China over censorship and hacking attacks from within the country.

Jan. 21 – U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivers speech calling for Internet freedoms, names China as a country that has stepped up censorship of the web.

Jan. 29 – Obama administration notifies U.S. Congress of proposed arms sales to Taiwan worth $6.4 billion. China condemns the sales to the island, which it considers its territory, and threatens sanctions on companies involved.

Feb. 17 – U.S. aircraft carrier USS Nimitz visits Hong Hong, the self-administered territory under Chinese rule, despite a Chinese pledge to curtail military exchanges with the United States after its announced arms sales to Taiwan.

Feb. 18 – Obama meets exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader the Dalai Lama at the White House. China reviles the Dalai Lama as a separatist for advocating self-rule for his homeland and condemns the meeting.

March 2-4 – U.S. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg and Jeffrey Bader, Senior Director for the U.S. National Security Council for Asian Affairs, visit Beijing for talks, seeking to overcome tensions.

March 15 – One hundred and thirty members of U.S. Congress issue a letter demanding more pressure on China to let its yuan currency appreciate. The next day, a bipartisan bill on the issue goes before the Senate.

March 22 – Google shuts its China-based search service Google.cn and begins redirecting mainland Web searchers to a portal in Hong Kong. China criticises Google but does not entirely shut off the Hong Kong site.

March 31 – China agrees to serious negotiations with Washington and other Western powers about proposed new U.N. Security Council-backed sanctions on Iran after months of stressing its reluctance to back sanctions. China has the power to veto any Security Council resolution.

April 1 – China says Hu will attend a summit on nuclear security in Washington, adding to signs that tensions between the two nations are ebbing.

April 3 – Geithner said he was delaying an April 15 report on whether China manipulates its currency but pledged to press for a more flexible Chinese currency policy.

April 12-13 – Obama hosts a multi-nation nuclear security summit in Washington, opening an opportunity for a bilateral meeting with Hu.

April 15-16 – Hu due to attend “BRIC” summit in Brazil, bringing together the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India and China for their second such meeting.

May 15-25 – U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke leads trade mission to Hong Kong, China and Indonesia, promoting deals with American companies in clean energy.

Late-May – Senior officials from the United States and China due to meet in Beijing for Strategic and Economic Dialogue, an annual meeting to discuss broad economic, foreign policy and security concerns. The U.S. side is likely to be led by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Geithner.

June 26-27 – Meeting of G20 leaders of major rich and developing economies scheduled in Toronto, Canada, giving Hu and Obama an opportunity to meet.

Later in the year – The two countries are preparing for their Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade, a regular meeting that focuses on economic ties. Last year’s was held in late October in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou.

Nov. 2 – Mid-term elections for U.S. Congress. With economic concerns uppermost in many voters’ minds, trade and currency tensions with China may become a electoral issue.

Nov. 13-14 – Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, to be held in Yokohama, Japan, presents another opportunity for the two leaders to meet.

November – South Korea scheduled to host second summit for the year of the G20 group of major rich and developing economies, where Hu and Obama will have a further chance to meet. The summit is likely to take place immediately before or after the APEC summit.

November-December – When Obama visited China in November 2009, Hu accepted his invitation to visit the United States in 2010. This would be a state visit separate from his attendance at the nuclear summit. No date has been set for the trip. One possibility is June, when Hu attends the G20 summit in Canada, but a date after the U.S. mid-term elections appears more likely. (Reporting by Chris Buckley in Beijing; Jim Wolf, Doug Palmer and Paul Eckert in Washington; Ralph Jennings in Taipei; Editing by Nick Macfie)

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TIMELINE – The obstacle course for U.S.-China ties in 2010

April 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Thu, Apr 1 02:12 PM

REUTERS – China said on Thursday that its President Hu Jintao will go to a nuclear security summit in Washington on April 12-13, ending uncertainty about his attendance after a bout of tensions between the two powers.

Both governments are seeking to cool those tensions. Here is a timeline of significant dates in relations this year:

Jan. 12 – Google threatens to pull out of China over censorship and hacking attacks from within the country.

Jan. 21 – U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivers speech calling for Internet freedoms, names China as a country that has stepped up censorship of the web.

Jan. 29 – Obama administration notifies U.S. Congress of proposed arms sales to Taiwan worth $6.4 billion. China condemns the sales to the island, which it considers its territory, and threatens sanctions on companies involved.

Feb. 17 – U.S. aircraft carrier USS Nimitz visits Hong Hong, the self-administered territory under Chinese rule, despite a Chinese pledge to curtail military exchanges with the United States after its announced arms sales to Taiwan.

Feb. 18 – President Obama meets exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader, the Dalai Lama, at the White House. China reviles the Dalai Lama as a “separatist” for advocating self-rule for his homeland and condemns the meeting.

March 2-4 – U.S. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg and Jeffrey Bader, Senior Director for the U.S. National Security Council for Asian Affairs, visit Beijing for talks, seeking to overcome tensions.

March 15 – One hundred and thirty members of U.S. Congress issue a letter demanding more pressure on China to let its yuan currency appreciate. The next day, a bipartisan bill on the issue goes before the Senate.

March 22 – Google shuts its China-based search service Google.cn and begins redirecting mainland Web searchers to a portal in Hong Kong, shifting responsibility for censoring Google for Chinese users from the company to the Chinese government. China criticises Google but does not entirely shut off the Hong Kong site.

March 30 – President Obama says he hopes the United Nations Security Council will approve new sanctions against Iran over its nuclear activities within weeks. China has stressed its reluctance to approve such sanctions. It has the power to veto any Security Council resolution.

April 12-13 – President Obama hosts a multi-nation nuclear security summit in Washington D.C. Chinese President Hu Jintao will attend, opening an opportunity for a bilateral meeting between the two leaders.

April 15 – U.S. Treasury due to release latest six-monthly report on whether China and other countries are manipulating their currencies for trade advantage. In the past, release of the report has been sometimes postponed.

April 15-16 – Chinese President Hu due to attend “BRIC” summit in Brazil, bringing together the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India and China for their second such meeting.

May 15-25 – U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke leads trade mission to Hong Kong, China and Indonesia, promoting deals with American companies in clean energy.

Late-May – Senior officials from the United States and China due to meet in Beijing for Strategic and Economic Dialogue, an annual meeting to discuss broad economic, foreign policy and security concerns. The U.S. side is likely to be led by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.

June 26-27 – Meeting of G20 leaders of major rich and developing economies scheduled in Toronto, Canada, giving Presidents Hu and Obama an opportunity to meet.

Later in the year – The two countries are preparing for their Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade, a regular meeting that focuses on economic ties. Last year’s was held in late October in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou.

Nov. 2 – Mid-term elections for U.S. Congress. With economic concerns uppermost in many voters’ minds, trade and currency tensions with China may become a electoral issue.

Nov. 13-14 – Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, to be held in Yokohama, Japan, presents another opportunity for the two leaders to meet.

November – South Korea scheduled to host second summit for the year of the G20 group of major rich and developing economies, where Hu and Obama will have a further chance to meet. The summit is likely to take place immediately before or after the APEC summit.

November-December – When President Obama visited China in November 2009, Chinese President Hu accepted his invitation to visit the United States in 2010. This would be a state visit separate from his attendance at the nuclear summit. No date has been set for the trip. One possibility is June, when Hu attends the G20 summit in Canada, but a date after the U.S. mid-term elections appears more likely.

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