BBC Monitoring Quotes From China, Taiwan Press 2 Aug 2007
The following is a selection of quotes from editorials and commentaries carried in 2 August 2007 website editions of mainland Chinese, Hong Kong and Taiwan newspapers and news portals available to BBC Monitoring. Unless otherwise stated, the quotes are in Chinese. The figure in brackets after the quote indicates the date of publication on the website
“Hope for Darfur”
Beijing’s China Daily in English: www.chinadaily.com.cn “Authorization of the deployment of up to 26,000 joint peacekeepers in Darfur by a unanimous vote at the UN Security Council on Tuesday [31 July] points to the wisdom and patience displayed by the international community in finding a solution to the complicated crisis… The resolution should be viewed as an unprecedented UN peacekeeping mission rather than the exertion of pressure on the Sudanese government. The sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country must be respected in carrying out the mission… Sanctions and political pressure can only make the situation worse and more complicated. The adoption of the resolution speaks volumes.” (Commentary) (2)
“Sudan is left with a stark option”
Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post in English: www.scmp.com “…As watered-down as the deal [UN resolution on Darfur] may be, it is the best hope yet to help bring about peace… Perhaps most importantly, the government of Sudan has been given a stark option: to either work for an end to the genocide taking place within its borders, or face multilateral measures if it fails to comply.” (Editorial) (2)
“America’s ‘fatigue’”
Shanghai’s Jiefang Ribao: www.jfdaily.com.cn “….This year, the White House’s ‘fatigue’ seems more apparent. It has taken a rare initiative in the Middle East to seek changes, is paying more attention to the relevant parties in the region, particularly coordination between allies, and focusing on pursuing stability… For the White House, it is most important that no new trouble arises now… But what is noteworthy is that this temporary ‘fatigue’ does not amount to a decline in strength. As next year’s [presidential] election becomes clearer, the United States will certainly not shrink back from this strategic place, the Middle East. After all, maintaining a global hegemony is the unanimous strategic goal of both parties.” (Cheng Luo, commentator) (2)
Afghanistan
Beijing’s Guangming Ribao (Chinese Communist Party newspaper): www.gmw.com.cn “…For the Taleban, the hostage crisis has reached a state today where they cannot back down. If South Korea and Afghanistan insist on rejecting the Taleban’s conditions, the Taleban is likely to take a desperate gamble and kill the hostages in batches, so that it stands entirely against the international community and thus turns into a vilified target. The Taleban will pay a very severe price for killing the hostages.” (Zhou Rong, reporter, Islamabad) (2)
Guangzhou’s Nanfang Dushi Bao: www.nanfangdaily.com.cn “…From any perspective, this incident is a ‘lose-lose’ situation… For the Taleban, the theoretical foundation and moral yardstick that they have stood by has been smashed by their abduction and long-term detention of non-combatant peaceful women…” (Tao Duanfang, columnist, Canada) (2)
US treasury secretary’s visit to China
China Daily in English: “The route US Treasure Secretary Henry Paulson has taken during his latest visit to China [inspecting environmental protection projects in Qinghai] is recommended for US senators who insist on faster appreciation of the Chinese currency as a panacea to US economic woes… Last week, the Senate Finance Committee overwhelmingly approved a bill that would give the US administration new tools to press for faster revaluation of the yuan… The US government should resist the temptation of myopic protectionist measures that will only create more problems than they can answer. And for US lawmakers, it will be worthwhile to try and take a broader view of China than many of them have done.” (Commentary) (2)
Guangzhou’s Guangzhou Ribao: www.dayoo.com “…Paulson has chosen environmental issues as a breakthrough… Many US congressmen are still pestering China on the exchange rate issue, while others are pondering how to turn China into a shield against limiting greenhouse gas emissions so as to reduce the pressure that the United States is facing on this issue… The United States is exerting pressure on China through the global warming issue to let a rising China pay the main price for tackling global environmental problems that have been caused by industrialized countries over centuries. Everyone knows that this issue is a bottomless pit. It appears that a tough battle is still to come in the Sino-US strategic economic dialogue.” (Prof Wang Yiwei, Institute for American Studies, Fudan University, Shanghai) (2)
Shanghai’s Dongfang Zaobao (Oriental Morning Post): www.dfzb.cn “…Paulson wants to use the strategic economic dialogue platform to discuss some ‘long-term, forward-looking and strategic issues’, but on the other hand, the US Congress and other government departments are constantly formulating new policies that are not conducive to the normal development of Sino-US economic and trade relations. If such a disjointed situation in strategy and policy is allowed to continue, it will inevitably lead to the Chinese government having no choice but to be prepared on two fronts…” (Dr Song Guoyou, researcher, Institute for American Studies, Fudan University) (2)
Sino-US environmental cooperation
China Daily in English: “…First, environmental issues should be viewed from the perspective of enhancing bilateral strategic mutual trust and widening the scope of mutual development… Strategic mutual trust between the two sides remains inadequate… Second, environmental cooperation should be immune from the influences of politics and ideology… The US needs to do away with technological barriers against China and reduce ideological prejudices in its dealings with China. Third, bilateral environmental cooperation does not have time on its side, it is imperative to see quick results… The food-safety problems evolving from environmental pollution are getting increasingly intensified. They could wreak severe damage to the Sino-US economic relationship…” (Yuan Peng, researcher, China Institute of Contemporary International Relations) (2)
US comfort women resolution
Beijing’s Xuexi Shibao (Study Times, Chinese Communist Party Central Party School newspaper): www.studytimes.com.cn “…The United States now sees that Japan is becoming increasingly isolated in Asia, and cannot play its role as a US ally. The morality of the United States is also being increasingly questioned… On the comfort women issue or the issue of Japan’s history of aggression, the United States has long taken an evasive attitude, with no morality whatsoever. This attitude has become increasingly untenable in the past few years. The reason being the rise of Asia… The United States increasingly feels that if it continues like this and turns a blind eye to historical issues, it will lose popularity in Asia and lose the moral high ground in the international community. Therefore the United States has begun to reflect on this issue.” (Mu Delei) (2)
Cross-strait relations
Hong Kong’s Apple Daily: appledaily.atnext.com “…Over the past 30 years, public opinion in Taiwan has been increasingly inclined towards independence. This has been caused entirely by the Chinese Communist Party’s [CCP] constant cry of reunification and reunification by military force, and its all-out efforts to shut down Taiwan’s international space… If the CCP no longer mentions reunification, renounces the use of force against Taiwan and allows Taiwan to enter the international community, it will be more conducive to cross-strait harmony, and there will be an opportunity to achieve some form of reunification. But the hegemonic and ignoble CCP is obviously incapable of such tolerance and understanding.” (Lee Yee, columnist) (2)
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