Category: China

Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso arrived in China yesterday with the hope of improving relations between the two countries which have been strained for quite some time.

In Beijing, Prime Minister Aso met with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to discuss the current financial crisis, the North Korean nuclear threat, and other topics that will be better resolved with improved bilateral relations.

“The development of stable, long-term, friendly neighborly Sino-Japan relations meets the fundamental interests of the people of both our nations,” said Premier Jiabao.

Japan’s past actions, dating back to the 1937 Nanjing massacre, have left many in China with Anti-Japanese sentiment.

“Historical issues are sensitive and affect the feelings of a nation’s people. It is hoped the Japanese side can endeavor to handle them properly,” remarked Premier Jiabao.

U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao discussed a long list of issues during an hour-long meeting in London on the eve of the Group of 20 summit.

During the meeting, President Obama accepted “with pleasure” an invitation extended to him by President Hu to visit China sometime later this year.

Furthermore, the leaders also agreed to establish an ongoing “U.S. – China Strategic Dialogue,” aimed at addressing a number of issues including the world economy and security.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will represent the U.S. in the talks while State Councilor Dai Bingguo and Vice Premier Wang Qishan will represent China.

With the first meeting scheduled for this summer in Washington, the talks are planned to be held yearly with the location alternating annually between the capitals.

A popular new collection of short stories calling for China to rise up and assert itself in the world has been a hot topic of debate among Chinese recently.

The collaborative effort of five Chinese authors, “Unhappy China” was released on March 13 and has already moved to the best-sellers list on the popular website Dangdang.com; quickly selling out its initial 270,000 copies.

“From looking at the history of human civilization, we are most qualified to lead this world; Westerners should be second,” writes one author in the book.

The book is extremely nationalistic – criticizing and blaming the U.S. and other Western countries for their denigration of China and their role in the current economic downturn.

“This economic problem has shown the Chinese people that America does have problems, that what we’ve been saying is right,” said Wang Xiaodong, one of the authors, in an interview on Friday.

The book also is extremely critical of China’s current governmental leaders who the authors feel have taken a soft and timorous stance when dealing with Western nations.

“I’ve already lost all hope in China’s elite,” says Mr. Wang. “America will face a less friendly China in the future.”

Despite the high volume of sales, the book has been met with a large degree of criticism from academics and bloggers in China who feel that the publication is an attempt to cash in on the nationalistic sentiment currently felt in the country.

Others claim that the book is an embarrassment and write it off simply as unconstructive.

Reports released by the University of Toronto and Cambridge University over the weekend have revealed a vast and intricate electronic espionage program run from servers in China that have infiltrated computers in more than 100 countries.

The program, dubbed GhostNet, has reportedly compromised more than 1,295 computers in 106 countries: including embassies, foreign ministries, government offices, and exile centers of the Dalai Lama in cities like London, New York, and Brussels.

The attacks were fairly direct – typically in the form of emails with accompanying links or attachments that would trigger the virus. Once active, the virus would allow the hacker to operate the host computer as if it were its own, including being able to move or send files, and even capable of turning on the computer’s camera and microphone, effectively creating a surveillance bug.

Although the researchers at the University of Toronto have found China to be the source of the hackers, they have not found any evidence that would suggest the government was involved.

“We’re a bit more careful about it, knowing the nuance of what happens in the subterranean realms,” said Ronald J. Deibert, who is a member of the research team. “This could well be the C.I.A. or the Russians. It’s a murky realm that we’re lifting the lid on.”

The report by two researchers at Cambridge University, however, had no qualms with accusing the Chinese government of conducting cyber attacks on Tibetan exile groups.