Hendrik_2000
Lieutenant General
Another good one
The relation between China and the neighboring country
- Thread starter Hendrik_2000
- Start date
Hendrik_2000
Lieutenant General
Another good documentary from Channel A
Hendrik_2000
Lieutenant General
Heart warming story when China is strong there is peace and prosperity in Asia when China is weak there is trouble in Asia Compare to middle east Asia is now in peace and reaching prosperity
Instead of regime change ,revolution, war, dislocation, refugee China built road, LRT, power plant bettering people life
Hikmataullo Zoirov, now a deputy head of the boiler and turbine floor, was trained in 2012 in China, where "the best" specialist in heating boilers taught them not only theories but also practice.
"I think what the Chinese have built here for us is nothing but friendship," said the 30-year-old engineer.
Xinhua Headlines: Chinese companies bring warmth, convenience to Central Asian people
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 17:01:33|Editor: Xiang Bo
Aerial photo taken on Oct. 9, 2018 shows the Dushanbe No. 2 thermal power station in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. (Xinhua/Zhang Ruoxuan)
By Xinhua Writers Shi Hao, Liao Bingqing
DUSHANBE, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Muyassar Sadykova, 56, cannot remember how many cold and dark winters she had "lived through and suffered" in the Tajik capital until a new thermal power plant was put into service two years ago.
"We used to wear lots of clothes and light up a stove ... Thank God, our apartment has become warm and comfortable this year," she said cheerfully.
She recalled the tough days when there was no light, no heating and no hot water. "It was very difficult for us before. We even threw in the stove old shoes and rubbish as there was nothing else to burn," Sadykova groaned.
Now, with another winter drawing near, living in a cozy three-room apartment with her son, the Dushanbe native said she is grateful for the better life brought by the stable operation of the central heating system that came into use in November 2016.
SENDING WARMTH
Tajikistan suffered for years a severe power shortage in winter as the country used to rely on hydropower that goes down drastically during the dry season, thus a limited use of electricity and heating is quite common across the country.
In 2011, the Tajik government and China's TBEA energy company jointly launched the project of the Dushanbe-2 thermal power station, a combined heat and power plant with a total installed capacity of 400 megawatts.
Completed in 2016, the station now meets 60 percent of the power demand here. At the same time, the plant enabled the restart of central heating for more than 700,000 Dushanbe residents after 15 years of suspension.
"The completion of the Dushanbe-2 thermal power station has solved the country's long-existing problem of power shortages in winter," said Wang Jian, director of the TBEA office in Tajikistan.
Wang stressed that the project uses latest technologies to cut pollution and reduce environmental impact to the lowest.
BUILDING ROADS
While people in Dushanbe are embracing another winter of warmth and light, commuters in the Kazakh capital of Astana are expecting a much easier trip from home to office as the sometimes nightmarish traffic in the city during the rush hours is likely to be improved.
The China Railway No. 2 Group, the China Construction Sixth Engineering Division Corporation and the Beijing Urban Construction Group are busy working on the Astana light rail transit (LRT) project, the first of its kind in Kazakhstan.
Scheduled to operate in 2020, the 22-km line with 18 stations will run across downtown Astana and connect the city's airport with its new railway station.
The driverless light rail based on Chinese technology and standards will operate at a speed of about 80 km per hour, transporting about 160,000 people daily, a number that is likely to reach 360,000 in five years.
"As temperature in Astana can climb up to 40 degrees Celsius in summer and drop up to minus 50 degrees Celsius in winter, the construction of the light rail is no doubt a big challenge," said Xing Daisi, a project manager of the China Railway No. 2 Group, adding that frequent gales also pose a threat to the communication system.
However, all these problems have been solved by constructors using China's cutting-edge technology in this area.
For residents in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek, the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) literally means more convenient transportation as the Chinese government is renovating for free 23 streets with a total length of 38 km in the city.
New technology of rubble mastic asphalt is used and the material will make the roads more durable, water-proof and easy to maintain, said Zhang Xin, who is with the China Road & Bridge Corporation and in charge of the road renovation project, the largest ever in the history of Bishkek.
The China Road & Bridge Corporation entered the Kyrgyz market in 2001 and has built and renovated roads about 1,600 km long in over 20 projects in the country since then.
"China today is such a great country. Our relations have been even closer in recent time. As for the economic ties, I think we need each other," said Nurlan Eshenbayev, head of Bishkek's construction management department.
CREATING JOBS
The construction of the LRT project has provided about 900 jobs in Kazakhstan. Tasqyn, 26, is one of them.
"The LRT project under the BRI will help reduce traffic jams and make the city more beautiful," he said, adding that people in Astana will be very proud since it is the first light rail in Central Asia.
Tasqyn further shared his satisfaction with his job. He said that when he was a boy, he dreamed of becoming a diplomat and establishing friendship between Kazakhstan and other countries. "This job brings me closer to my dream."
Tasqyn also showed his strong belief in the BRI, which from his perspective will do good to other countries, including Kazakhstan. "Everybody knows China's economy has been growing rapidly in recent years," he noted.
Meanwhile, more than 600 local employees are working at the Dushanbe-2 thermal power station and many of them received training in China.
Hikmataullo Zoirov, now a deputy head of the boiler and turbine floor, was trained in 2012 in China, where "the best" specialist in heating boilers taught them not only theories but also practice.
"I think what the Chinese have built here for us is nothing but friendship," said the 30-year-old engineer.
(Xinhua writers Zhang Ruoxuan, Li Dongxu also contributed to the story)
Instead of regime change ,revolution, war, dislocation, refugee China built road, LRT, power plant bettering people life
Hikmataullo Zoirov, now a deputy head of the boiler and turbine floor, was trained in 2012 in China, where "the best" specialist in heating boilers taught them not only theories but also practice.
"I think what the Chinese have built here for us is nothing but friendship," said the 30-year-old engineer.
Xinhua Headlines: Chinese companies bring warmth, convenience to Central Asian people
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-13 17:01:33|Editor: Xiang Bo
Aerial photo taken on Oct. 9, 2018 shows the Dushanbe No. 2 thermal power station in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. (Xinhua/Zhang Ruoxuan)
By Xinhua Writers Shi Hao, Liao Bingqing
DUSHANBE, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Muyassar Sadykova, 56, cannot remember how many cold and dark winters she had "lived through and suffered" in the Tajik capital until a new thermal power plant was put into service two years ago.
"We used to wear lots of clothes and light up a stove ... Thank God, our apartment has become warm and comfortable this year," she said cheerfully.
She recalled the tough days when there was no light, no heating and no hot water. "It was very difficult for us before. We even threw in the stove old shoes and rubbish as there was nothing else to burn," Sadykova groaned.
Now, with another winter drawing near, living in a cozy three-room apartment with her son, the Dushanbe native said she is grateful for the better life brought by the stable operation of the central heating system that came into use in November 2016.
SENDING WARMTH
Tajikistan suffered for years a severe power shortage in winter as the country used to rely on hydropower that goes down drastically during the dry season, thus a limited use of electricity and heating is quite common across the country.
In 2011, the Tajik government and China's TBEA energy company jointly launched the project of the Dushanbe-2 thermal power station, a combined heat and power plant with a total installed capacity of 400 megawatts.
Completed in 2016, the station now meets 60 percent of the power demand here. At the same time, the plant enabled the restart of central heating for more than 700,000 Dushanbe residents after 15 years of suspension.
"The completion of the Dushanbe-2 thermal power station has solved the country's long-existing problem of power shortages in winter," said Wang Jian, director of the TBEA office in Tajikistan.
Wang stressed that the project uses latest technologies to cut pollution and reduce environmental impact to the lowest.
BUILDING ROADS
While people in Dushanbe are embracing another winter of warmth and light, commuters in the Kazakh capital of Astana are expecting a much easier trip from home to office as the sometimes nightmarish traffic in the city during the rush hours is likely to be improved.
The China Railway No. 2 Group, the China Construction Sixth Engineering Division Corporation and the Beijing Urban Construction Group are busy working on the Astana light rail transit (LRT) project, the first of its kind in Kazakhstan.
Scheduled to operate in 2020, the 22-km line with 18 stations will run across downtown Astana and connect the city's airport with its new railway station.
The driverless light rail based on Chinese technology and standards will operate at a speed of about 80 km per hour, transporting about 160,000 people daily, a number that is likely to reach 360,000 in five years.
"As temperature in Astana can climb up to 40 degrees Celsius in summer and drop up to minus 50 degrees Celsius in winter, the construction of the light rail is no doubt a big challenge," said Xing Daisi, a project manager of the China Railway No. 2 Group, adding that frequent gales also pose a threat to the communication system.
However, all these problems have been solved by constructors using China's cutting-edge technology in this area.
For residents in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek, the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) literally means more convenient transportation as the Chinese government is renovating for free 23 streets with a total length of 38 km in the city.
New technology of rubble mastic asphalt is used and the material will make the roads more durable, water-proof and easy to maintain, said Zhang Xin, who is with the China Road & Bridge Corporation and in charge of the road renovation project, the largest ever in the history of Bishkek.
The China Road & Bridge Corporation entered the Kyrgyz market in 2001 and has built and renovated roads about 1,600 km long in over 20 projects in the country since then.
"China today is such a great country. Our relations have been even closer in recent time. As for the economic ties, I think we need each other," said Nurlan Eshenbayev, head of Bishkek's construction management department.
CREATING JOBS
The construction of the LRT project has provided about 900 jobs in Kazakhstan. Tasqyn, 26, is one of them.
"The LRT project under the BRI will help reduce traffic jams and make the city more beautiful," he said, adding that people in Astana will be very proud since it is the first light rail in Central Asia.
Tasqyn further shared his satisfaction with his job. He said that when he was a boy, he dreamed of becoming a diplomat and establishing friendship between Kazakhstan and other countries. "This job brings me closer to my dream."
Tasqyn also showed his strong belief in the BRI, which from his perspective will do good to other countries, including Kazakhstan. "Everybody knows China's economy has been growing rapidly in recent years," he noted.
Meanwhile, more than 600 local employees are working at the Dushanbe-2 thermal power station and many of them received training in China.
Hikmataullo Zoirov, now a deputy head of the boiler and turbine floor, was trained in 2012 in China, where "the best" specialist in heating boilers taught them not only theories but also practice.
"I think what the Chinese have built here for us is nothing but friendship," said the 30-year-old engineer.
(Xinhua writers Zhang Ruoxuan, Li Dongxu also contributed to the story)
Last edited:
Hendrik_2000
Lieutenant General
After so many years of twist and turn finally the last steel is installed on the bridge between Russian and China
The last beam of the Chinese section of a China-Russia joint rail bridge project at Tongjiang City, northeast China was installed on the Russian side on Saturday. Construction of the project began in February 2014. Once completed, it will be the first rail bridge spanning the two countries' border river.
The last beam of the Chinese section of a China-Russia joint rail bridge project at Tongjiang City, northeast China was installed on the Russian side on Saturday. Construction of the project began in February 2014. Once completed, it will be the first rail bridge spanning the two countries' border river.
Hendrik_2000
Lieutenant General
Chinese railway engineering firms hand over 4 bridges to Laos
Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-27 20:03:45|Editor: Yang Yi
Via JSch
Slowly the trans Asia railway from Kunming to Singapore come into being
Lao Minister of Public Works and Transport Bounchan Sinthavong (C) poses with representatives of the Laos-China Railway Company, China Railway No. 2 Group (CREC2) and China Power, who were commended in an order signed by Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, during a handing-over ceremony in Vientiane, Laos, on Sept. 26, 2018. Chinese engineering companies, which are building China-Laos railway in northern Laos, have handed over four bridges to the Lao government. (Xinhua/Liu Ailun)
VIENTIANE, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese engineering companies, which are building China-Laos railway in northern Laos, have handed over four bridges to the Lao government.
A handing-over ceremony was held on Wednesday in Lao Ministry of Public Works and Transport in capital Vientiane.
Li Bingxuan, director general of the Laos-China Railway Company, the China-Laos joint venture in charge of the construction and operation of China-Laos railway, briefed the construction and completion of the four bridges in Attapeu Province in southern Laos, and handed over them to the Laos side.
To honor the achievement and contribution of the Chinese engineering companies, Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith signed an order of commendation for the Laos-China Railway Company, China Railway No. 2 Group (CREC2) and China Power.
On behalf of the government, Lao Minister of Public Works and Transport Bounchan Sinthavong, conferred development medals to the three companies.
The fracture of saddle dam D, one of five auxiliary dams at the under-construction Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy hydropower project, some 560 km southeast of Lao capital Vientiane, resulted in massive flooding on July 23 which has killed 40 people with 97 remaining missing. Over 6000 more have been left homeless.
The Chinese engineering companies along the China-Laos railway construction sites proactively responded to the Lao government's request, donating cash and materials to the disaster-hit areas and offering assistance to urgently build four bridges for the access to the flooded villages of Attapeu Province, Li Bingxuan told Xinhua on Thursday.
In less than 50 days, the CREC2 and Sinohydro Bureau 10 under China Power, with the guidance from the Laos-China Railway Company, completed the construction of four brand new bridges in southern Laos' flooded Attapeu.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-27 20:03:45|Editor: Yang Yi
Via JSch
Slowly the trans Asia railway from Kunming to Singapore come into being
Lao Minister of Public Works and Transport Bounchan Sinthavong (C) poses with representatives of the Laos-China Railway Company, China Railway No. 2 Group (CREC2) and China Power, who were commended in an order signed by Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, during a handing-over ceremony in Vientiane, Laos, on Sept. 26, 2018. Chinese engineering companies, which are building China-Laos railway in northern Laos, have handed over four bridges to the Lao government. (Xinhua/Liu Ailun)
VIENTIANE, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese engineering companies, which are building China-Laos railway in northern Laos, have handed over four bridges to the Lao government.
A handing-over ceremony was held on Wednesday in Lao Ministry of Public Works and Transport in capital Vientiane.
Li Bingxuan, director general of the Laos-China Railway Company, the China-Laos joint venture in charge of the construction and operation of China-Laos railway, briefed the construction and completion of the four bridges in Attapeu Province in southern Laos, and handed over them to the Laos side.
To honor the achievement and contribution of the Chinese engineering companies, Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith signed an order of commendation for the Laos-China Railway Company, China Railway No. 2 Group (CREC2) and China Power.
On behalf of the government, Lao Minister of Public Works and Transport Bounchan Sinthavong, conferred development medals to the three companies.
The fracture of saddle dam D, one of five auxiliary dams at the under-construction Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy hydropower project, some 560 km southeast of Lao capital Vientiane, resulted in massive flooding on July 23 which has killed 40 people with 97 remaining missing. Over 6000 more have been left homeless.
The Chinese engineering companies along the China-Laos railway construction sites proactively responded to the Lao government's request, donating cash and materials to the disaster-hit areas and offering assistance to urgently build four bridges for the access to the flooded villages of Attapeu Province, Li Bingxuan told Xinhua on Thursday.
In less than 50 days, the CREC2 and Sinohydro Bureau 10 under China Power, with the guidance from the Laos-China Railway Company, completed the construction of four brand new bridges in southern Laos' flooded Attapeu.
Hendrik_2000
Lieutenant General
Via JSCh
China, Myanmar sign MoU on feasibility study of Muse-Mandalay railway
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-23 00:25:53|Editor: mym
Managing Director of the Myanma Railways U Thurein Win(R, front) signs a document with Zhu Ying (L in front), president of China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group Co. Ltd, during a signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, Oct. 22, 2018. China and Myanmar signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday to conduct feasibility study of a railway linking Muse, a border town in Myanmar's northeastern Shan state, with Mandalay, the country's second largest city in the north. (Xinhua/U Aung)
NAY PYI TAW, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- China and Myanmar signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Monday to conduct feasibility study of a railway linking Muse, a border town in Myanmar's northeastern Shan state, with Mandalay, the country's second largest city in the north.
Under the MoU, inked between China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group Co. Ltd and state-run Myanma Railways, the feasibility study will be conducted within two years covering environmental and social impact assessment.
The project is expected to reduce transportation cost, contribute to socio-economic development while conforming to environmental conservation, Myanmar Transport and Communication Minister U Thant Zin Maung said during the signing ceremony.
He said the railway, part of the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor, is economically and strategically important, and will contribute to the two countries' long-term paukphaw (fraternal) friendship.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar Hong Liang said the railway project will inject new energy into the development of China's Belt and Road initiative and the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor.
Hong hoped that the railway will contribute to Myanmar's economic development and peace and stability of northern Myanmar.
The railway extends 431 km with a designed speed of 160 km per hour. It will run through important towns in the country's north and some economic hubs.
China, Myanmar sign MoU on feasibility study of Muse-Mandalay railway
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-23 00:25:53|Editor: mym
Managing Director of the Myanma Railways U Thurein Win(R, front) signs a document with Zhu Ying (L in front), president of China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group Co. Ltd, during a signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, Oct. 22, 2018. China and Myanmar signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday to conduct feasibility study of a railway linking Muse, a border town in Myanmar's northeastern Shan state, with Mandalay, the country's second largest city in the north. (Xinhua/U Aung)
NAY PYI TAW, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- China and Myanmar signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Monday to conduct feasibility study of a railway linking Muse, a border town in Myanmar's northeastern Shan state, with Mandalay, the country's second largest city in the north.
Under the MoU, inked between China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group Co. Ltd and state-run Myanma Railways, the feasibility study will be conducted within two years covering environmental and social impact assessment.
The project is expected to reduce transportation cost, contribute to socio-economic development while conforming to environmental conservation, Myanmar Transport and Communication Minister U Thant Zin Maung said during the signing ceremony.
He said the railway, part of the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor, is economically and strategically important, and will contribute to the two countries' long-term paukphaw (fraternal) friendship.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar Hong Liang said the railway project will inject new energy into the development of China's Belt and Road initiative and the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor.
Hong hoped that the railway will contribute to Myanmar's economic development and peace and stability of northern Myanmar.
The railway extends 431 km with a designed speed of 160 km per hour. It will run through important towns in the country's north and some economic hubs.
Hendrik_2000
Lieutenant General
Good move by both countries to set aside difference and built on economy and cooperation instead of animosity
Economic realpolitik brings Asia’s big guns together
There were deals a-plenty between China and Japan in Beijing on Friday, as Asia’s top economies hedge against global financial risk
By OCTOBER 26, 2018 7:47 PM (UTC+8)
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reviews a military honor guard during a welcome ceremony outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on October 26, 2018. Photo: AFP/Greg Baker
Nothing beats a potential financial crisis to bring geopolitical rivals together. This dynamic was on full display in Beijing Friday when the premiers of China and Japan joined hands on a US$30 billion currency swap, a yuan clearing bank and business deals worth billions.
The steps agreed upon by Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe were aimed at between Asia’s top two economies and maintaining financial stability in the region. The timing could not be more significant.
Must-reads from across Asia - directly to your inbox
The links come just as US President Donald Trump’s trade war throws China’s debt-fueled economy off balance and imperils Japan’s six-year effort to defeat deflation.
And the moves are bilaterally significant, in that they appear to override the historical, ideological and territorial disputes that so often dominate relations between Asia’s two leading economies.
Hopes are high that they signal an improvement in Beijing-Tokyo ties that were severely strained over the Senkaku-Diaoyu islands territorial dispute in 2012, and have remained so ever since over a range of diplomatic and strategic differences ranging from the South China Sea to North Korea.
The results of meetings between Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping, however, are still to come, and may include thornier political issues than the economic deals done between Li and Xi.
Business, financial stability
Early reports coming out of Beijing lack details, but the meeting between Abe and Li appears to have produced some substantial deliverables.
According to Li, were officially signed. These included moves to cooperate in developing cities and around Asia. One such joint “smart city” project could be in Thailand, according to Japanese reports.
The key outcome so far appears to be the resumption of a bilateral currency swap that was nixed in 2013 – a sign economic realpolitik is entering China-Japan relations, with an unintended nudge from Trump’s tariffs, and possibly as a hedge against the coming financial storm the IMF has warned may be on the horizon.
The three-year, $30 billion pact between both central banks aims to enhance financial stability in Northeast Asia and will pave the way for links between financial exchanges that traders long craved.
In discussions with Li, Abe’s team also agreed to boost cooperation in securities markets. That includes exchange-traded funds and smoother clearance between dealers and counterparties.
The yuan clearing bank to be set up in Japan, meantime, will make it easier for companies and financial entities to conduct cross-border transactions and investments.
These two steps should win Trump’s attention. A key priority of Xi has been to reduce the dollar’s dominance in world trade. On Friday, the No. 2 and No. 3 economies began setting up a bilateral infrastructure to at least begin phasing out the US currency.
Abe called Friday an “.” At least where the dollar’s reserve status is concerned, it may well be.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) leads the way for Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the end of a signing ceremony in the Great Hall of the People on October 26, 2018. Photo: AFP/Greg Baker
Free trade details remain vague
Abe expressed hopes of greater two-way access to finance, health care, infrastructure, logistics and other sectors. Friday’s negotiations also featured talk of a China-Japan-South Korea trade zone – a long-discussed, but so-far unrealized project. Tokyo and Beijing also agreed to cooperate in a series of yet-to-be-named third-country building projects.
One area where both sides appeared to agree was in freer trade at a time when Trump’s tariffs loom long over the region. Beijing is being driven into the arms of Japan – a nation with which it has many a gripe – as Washington’s tariff arms-race crimps mainland exports, fixed-asset investments, and purchasing managers’ orders, while slamming bourses in Shanghai and Shenzhen.
Abe is also getting hammered as Japan becomes collateral damage of . Any hopes his Abenomics would boost wages, confidence and productivity are dwindling with global shares.
One solution is freer trade. Abe is furiously promoting the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, regional free trade model, while inviting key economies to join, including South Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines and others – .
On Friday, according to reports, Chinese and Japanese officials talked about accelerating the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, or RCEP, process. Yet this China-led free-trade pact between China, Southeast Asia and other Pacific Rim powers – including Tokyo – has become bogged down in territorial disputes and hit other speed bumps. Still, given the lack of detail, it is not clear whether the two parties are aligned on the RCEP.
Abe called Friday’s flurry of deals a “win-win-win” for Asia’s two economic superpowers, but investors need to keep their powder dry until more details become clear, and Tokyo and Beijing need to think even bigger in the weeks ahead.
Even so, Friday’s economic realpolitik could not come at a better moment. Today’s talks in Beijing show what is feasible when leaders push aside disputates and politics and concentrate on what matters.
Economic realpolitik brings Asia’s big guns together
There were deals a-plenty between China and Japan in Beijing on Friday, as Asia’s top economies hedge against global financial risk
By OCTOBER 26, 2018 7:47 PM (UTC+8)
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reviews a military honor guard during a welcome ceremony outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on October 26, 2018. Photo: AFP/Greg Baker
Nothing beats a potential financial crisis to bring geopolitical rivals together. This dynamic was on full display in Beijing Friday when the premiers of China and Japan joined hands on a US$30 billion currency swap, a yuan clearing bank and business deals worth billions.
The steps agreed upon by Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe were aimed at between Asia’s top two economies and maintaining financial stability in the region. The timing could not be more significant.
Must-reads from across Asia - directly to your inbox
The links come just as US President Donald Trump’s trade war throws China’s debt-fueled economy off balance and imperils Japan’s six-year effort to defeat deflation.
And the moves are bilaterally significant, in that they appear to override the historical, ideological and territorial disputes that so often dominate relations between Asia’s two leading economies.
Hopes are high that they signal an improvement in Beijing-Tokyo ties that were severely strained over the Senkaku-Diaoyu islands territorial dispute in 2012, and have remained so ever since over a range of diplomatic and strategic differences ranging from the South China Sea to North Korea.
The results of meetings between Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping, however, are still to come, and may include thornier political issues than the economic deals done between Li and Xi.
Business, financial stability
Early reports coming out of Beijing lack details, but the meeting between Abe and Li appears to have produced some substantial deliverables.
According to Li, were officially signed. These included moves to cooperate in developing cities and around Asia. One such joint “smart city” project could be in Thailand, according to Japanese reports.
The key outcome so far appears to be the resumption of a bilateral currency swap that was nixed in 2013 – a sign economic realpolitik is entering China-Japan relations, with an unintended nudge from Trump’s tariffs, and possibly as a hedge against the coming financial storm the IMF has warned may be on the horizon.
The three-year, $30 billion pact between both central banks aims to enhance financial stability in Northeast Asia and will pave the way for links between financial exchanges that traders long craved.
In discussions with Li, Abe’s team also agreed to boost cooperation in securities markets. That includes exchange-traded funds and smoother clearance between dealers and counterparties.
The yuan clearing bank to be set up in Japan, meantime, will make it easier for companies and financial entities to conduct cross-border transactions and investments.
These two steps should win Trump’s attention. A key priority of Xi has been to reduce the dollar’s dominance in world trade. On Friday, the No. 2 and No. 3 economies began setting up a bilateral infrastructure to at least begin phasing out the US currency.
Abe called Friday an “.” At least where the dollar’s reserve status is concerned, it may well be.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) leads the way for Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the end of a signing ceremony in the Great Hall of the People on October 26, 2018. Photo: AFP/Greg Baker
Free trade details remain vague
Abe expressed hopes of greater two-way access to finance, health care, infrastructure, logistics and other sectors. Friday’s negotiations also featured talk of a China-Japan-South Korea trade zone – a long-discussed, but so-far unrealized project. Tokyo and Beijing also agreed to cooperate in a series of yet-to-be-named third-country building projects.
One area where both sides appeared to agree was in freer trade at a time when Trump’s tariffs loom long over the region. Beijing is being driven into the arms of Japan – a nation with which it has many a gripe – as Washington’s tariff arms-race crimps mainland exports, fixed-asset investments, and purchasing managers’ orders, while slamming bourses in Shanghai and Shenzhen.
Abe is also getting hammered as Japan becomes collateral damage of . Any hopes his Abenomics would boost wages, confidence and productivity are dwindling with global shares.
One solution is freer trade. Abe is furiously promoting the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, regional free trade model, while inviting key economies to join, including South Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines and others – .
On Friday, according to reports, Chinese and Japanese officials talked about accelerating the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, or RCEP, process. Yet this China-led free-trade pact between China, Southeast Asia and other Pacific Rim powers – including Tokyo – has become bogged down in territorial disputes and hit other speed bumps. Still, given the lack of detail, it is not clear whether the two parties are aligned on the RCEP.
Abe called Friday’s flurry of deals a “win-win-win” for Asia’s two economic superpowers, but investors need to keep their powder dry until more details become clear, and Tokyo and Beijing need to think even bigger in the weeks ahead.
Even so, Friday’s economic realpolitik could not come at a better moment. Today’s talks in Beijing show what is feasible when leaders push aside disputates and politics and concentrate on what matters.
Hendrik_2000
Lieutenant General
China to create trade zone with Thailand and Laos as tariffs bite
APORNRATH PHOONPHONGPHIPHAT, Nikkei staff writerNovember 12, 2018 15:18 JST
via long
BANGKOK -- As the trade war with the U.S. intensifies, China is looking to strengthen commercial ties with countries in the Mekong region of Southeast Asia by setting up a free-trade zone on the border between Thailand and Laos.
In the planned zone, Beijing will waive tariffs and value-added tax on imports from countries that do not share a border with China.
"This is the first time that China has offered special privileges via border trade to have closer ties with the Mekong countries and finally to the whole of ASEAN," said Danaitun Pongpatcharatorntep of Chiang Mai University's China Intelligence Center.
President Xi Jinping vowed last week to import $40 trillion worth of goods and services over the next 15 years -- a figure that includes products from Mekong nations. While that speech was seen as a bid to counter criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump over Beijing's trade practices, China's move to boost commercial ties in the Mekong region appears to be a way to mitigate the fallout from the trade war.
China has poured $1.7 million this year into the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation -- an initiative proposed by Thailand to develop the region. The cooperation came up with the idea of extending the China-Laos border free-trade zone to the Thai-Laos border.
Thai Commerce Minister Sontirat Sontijirawong said Thailand will take the lead in setting up talks between China and Laos to finalize a framework for the trade zone, which is expected to be completed in the next few years.
Oramon Sapthaweetham, director-general of Thailand's Trade Negotiation Department, said the trade zone will cover an area stretching from the southern Chinese border district of Mohan to Chiang Khong in far north of Thailand.
China has already signed a memorandum of understanding with the Laotian government to study a project to shorten travel times on the R3A highway that links the southern Chinese city of Kunming with Huay Sai in Laos and Thailand's Chiang Khong. Work has also started on the Bangkok-Nong Khai high-speed rail line, which is planned to eventually link with Vientiane and Chinese rail routes.
The southern China region has a population of 47.4 million people, a total gross domestic product of 1.4 billion yuan ($201 million) and is growing around 8% a year, according to the Bank of Thailand.
Beijing also intends to use the project to capitalize on growing demand for cross-border e-commerce. The Chinese government has built up such facilities and logistics infrastructure with a one-stop customs services in Mohan and other locations along its southern borders.
"Thailand is also interested in developing its e-commerce in Mohan and is about to set up Chiang Mai as an e-commerce hub aiming to export more products to southern China," Oramon said.
She said the free trade zone will also be a way for Thailand and the Mekong countries to profit from China's flagship Belt and Road initiative by exporting into the European market via China's western border with Kazakhstan.
APORNRATH PHOONPHONGPHIPHAT, Nikkei staff writerNovember 12, 2018 15:18 JST
via long
BANGKOK -- As the trade war with the U.S. intensifies, China is looking to strengthen commercial ties with countries in the Mekong region of Southeast Asia by setting up a free-trade zone on the border between Thailand and Laos.
In the planned zone, Beijing will waive tariffs and value-added tax on imports from countries that do not share a border with China.
"This is the first time that China has offered special privileges via border trade to have closer ties with the Mekong countries and finally to the whole of ASEAN," said Danaitun Pongpatcharatorntep of Chiang Mai University's China Intelligence Center.
President Xi Jinping vowed last week to import $40 trillion worth of goods and services over the next 15 years -- a figure that includes products from Mekong nations. While that speech was seen as a bid to counter criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump over Beijing's trade practices, China's move to boost commercial ties in the Mekong region appears to be a way to mitigate the fallout from the trade war.
China has poured $1.7 million this year into the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation -- an initiative proposed by Thailand to develop the region. The cooperation came up with the idea of extending the China-Laos border free-trade zone to the Thai-Laos border.
Thai Commerce Minister Sontirat Sontijirawong said Thailand will take the lead in setting up talks between China and Laos to finalize a framework for the trade zone, which is expected to be completed in the next few years.
Oramon Sapthaweetham, director-general of Thailand's Trade Negotiation Department, said the trade zone will cover an area stretching from the southern Chinese border district of Mohan to Chiang Khong in far north of Thailand.
China has already signed a memorandum of understanding with the Laotian government to study a project to shorten travel times on the R3A highway that links the southern Chinese city of Kunming with Huay Sai in Laos and Thailand's Chiang Khong. Work has also started on the Bangkok-Nong Khai high-speed rail line, which is planned to eventually link with Vientiane and Chinese rail routes.
The southern China region has a population of 47.4 million people, a total gross domestic product of 1.4 billion yuan ($201 million) and is growing around 8% a year, according to the Bank of Thailand.
Beijing also intends to use the project to capitalize on growing demand for cross-border e-commerce. The Chinese government has built up such facilities and logistics infrastructure with a one-stop customs services in Mohan and other locations along its southern borders.
"Thailand is also interested in developing its e-commerce in Mohan and is about to set up Chiang Mai as an e-commerce hub aiming to export more products to southern China," Oramon said.
She said the free trade zone will also be a way for Thailand and the Mekong countries to profit from China's flagship Belt and Road initiative by exporting into the European market via China's western border with Kazakhstan.
Hendrik_2000
Lieutenant General
for decades Australia did nothing to help her neighbor But once China get involve they launch tirade and accusing China of all kind nefarious mischief like debt diplomacy etc But what have they do nothing Here is an exapmle what China did to improve the life of Micronesian countries
added .
·
Butuka Campus, symbolic project of - friendship, welcomes students
Butuka Campus, a symbolic project of the #China-friendship, stands ready to welcome local students to its new campus built under the support of Chinese engineers.
The new campus covers an area of 55,000 square meters and features a kindergarten, primary school, and high school equipped with multifunctional. The new campus also has a teacher’s dormitory and is expected to host 2,700 local students.
Before the revamp, the campus only had 2,000 square meters of area to host 1,500 students, with poor hygiene and teaching environments. The turning point came in 2016 when the Chinese city of Shenzhen and Port Moresby became friendship cities and the renovation of the campus became listed as the first key project under the friendship MOU.
The new campus is reportedly one of the best schools in the Southern Pacific region, with beautiful buildings as well as computers and other experimental equipment to improve the teaching environment.
According to Li Pu, the person in charge of the project construction from Shenzhen, the campus not only follows local architecture tradition, but also deploys greener technology in its design. For example, it has a steep roof that can reflect heat and window-shades in the classrooms that can help keep the classrooms cool.
added .
·
Butuka Campus, symbolic project of - friendship, welcomes students
Butuka Campus, a symbolic project of the #China-friendship, stands ready to welcome local students to its new campus built under the support of Chinese engineers.
The new campus covers an area of 55,000 square meters and features a kindergarten, primary school, and high school equipped with multifunctional. The new campus also has a teacher’s dormitory and is expected to host 2,700 local students.
Before the revamp, the campus only had 2,000 square meters of area to host 1,500 students, with poor hygiene and teaching environments. The turning point came in 2016 when the Chinese city of Shenzhen and Port Moresby became friendship cities and the renovation of the campus became listed as the first key project under the friendship MOU.
The new campus is reportedly one of the best schools in the Southern Pacific region, with beautiful buildings as well as computers and other experimental equipment to improve the teaching environment.
According to Li Pu, the person in charge of the project construction from Shenzhen, the campus not only follows local architecture tradition, but also deploys greener technology in its design. For example, it has a steep roof that can reflect heat and window-shades in the classrooms that can help keep the classrooms cool.