Far East-Pacific - 萬歲 Wansui Sino-Slavic Cooperation.

[TsarSamuil]

Map,
www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/images/liancourt-map2.jpg

S. Korea condemns Japan's renewed claim to disputed islets.

SEOUL, March 30 (Xinhua) -- In a move that has been repeated all too often, South Korea on Wednesday railed against Japan's latest territorial claim to a set of disputed islets lying half way between the two Asian neighbors.

The islets have been a source of recurring diplomatic feud between South Korea and Japan, whose conflict-ridden relations date back to Japan's brutal 1910-45 colonial occupation of the Korean peninsula.

"The government strongly protests the authorization of middle school textbooks describing Dokdo as part of the Japanese territory, and we demand Japan immediately withdraw its decision," Seoul's foreign ministry spokesman Cho Byung-Je said in an official statement.

The islets belong to South Korea "historically, geographically and by international law," the spokesman added. "We remain firm in our stance that we will deal resolutely with any attempt by Japan to damage our sovereignty over Dokdo."

The strongly worded statement was issued shortly after the Japanese government approved a dozen school textbooks describing the set of rocky outcroppings in the East Sea, called Takeshima in Japan, as its territory, its newest attempt.

The islets have been controlled by South Korea, which considers Japan's territorial ambition as a sign that it is not entirely repentant of its past as a colonial ruler. Besides the claims to the islets, the new textbooks also "justify and beautify" Japan's colonial occupation, the foreign ministry said.

Repeated calls by leaders of the two countries for "forward- looking relations" have always paled in the face of recurrent territorial disputes, which are often quick to stoke up nationalistic sentiments in both countries.

This time around, the renewed claim comes as a particularly bigger shock to many South Koreans, whose donations to the neighboring country scrambling with the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami have reached a record high in its foreign aid history.

Some now deride the on-again, off-again bickering as an "annual event," but the foreign ministry spokesman said the conflict will have to repeat itself unless Japan resolve the outstanding issues. "Japan is solely responsible for the problem, because it created the problem," Cho Byung-je told reporters.

Still, bad blood surrounding the disputes should not discourage South Korea's efforts to help its quake-hit neighbor get back on its feet, Cho said. "We believe care and support that has been poured into Japan is a reflection of our love for humanity, and hope the textbook issues wouldn't change that."

Discussions are currently underway here as to how to diplomatically address the thorny issue, but the South Korean government is not considering at this point summoning its top envoy to Japan back home in protest, according to the foreign ministry. South Korea, which has a coast guard unit stationed on the islets in a show of its effective control of them, is reportedly planning to revive a heliport there in response to Japan's renewed sovereignty claim.

The new school Japanese textbooks will be in use starting April.

[TsarSamuil]

Russia urges Japan to stop radioactive dumping into Pacific.

Russia hopes that Japan will disclose full information about the situation at the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant and will stop dumping radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean, the Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

"We hope that our Japanese partners will provide all interested parties with complete information about the radiation situation in the area around the Fukushima nuclear power plant, and will take measures to prevent further discharge of radioactive water into the ocean," the ministry statement said.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), the Fukushima Daiichi operator, began releasing around 11,500 tons of low-level radioactive water into the ocean on Monday. The company said it regretted the move but that was the only way to deal with the problem.

The ministry said Russia appreciates the fact that the dumping was a "forced measure, designed to prevent a more serious threat," and that it hopes this will not harm human health or the environment.

Russia is continuously monitoring radiation levels near its shores and so far they are within the norm, it added.

TEPCO has been working to stop highly radioactive water from leaking into the sea and cleaning up contaminated water within the plant.

The Japanese government is reviewing the radiation exposure level currently used to designate the evacuation zone around Fukushima.

Shortly after the March 11 earthquake started the nuclear accident, the government ordered the evacuation of residents within a 20-kilometer radius of the nuclear plant and advised those in the 20-30 km zone to leave the area or stay indoors.

More than 12,340 people are known to have died in the quake and subsequent tsunami, while nearly 15,350 remain unaccounted for.

MOSCOW, April 7 (RIA Novosti)

[TsarSamuil]

Ukraine, China prepare foundation for further cooperation.

KYIV, April 20 /UKRINFORM/. The establishment of the Intergovernmental Commission on Cooperation between Ukraine and China will become an effective platform for development and promotion of economic relations between the countries, First Deputy Prime Minister/Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine Andriy Kliuyev told reporters following the Commission's 1st meeting.

He noted that Ukrainian-Chinese relations have the potential to boost turnover to USD 10 billion a year. Among the main areas for increased cooperation are trade, energy, engineering, medicine, science and technology, education and culture, and agriculture.

In the industry focus is made on aircraft construction. First of all, it is the interaction between the Antonov state-owned company with China Aviation Industry Corporation (AVIC), expanding the supply of aircraft engines and spare parts. Joint projects to build planes of various modifications are being also discussed.

The parties also agreed on the amendments and additions to the Program of Ukrainian-Chinese Cooperation in Space Sector 2011-2012, Kliuyev said.

As part of the Commission meeting, an agreement was reached on the participation of China's scientific and technical state-owned company Tiandi Science & Technology Co, Ltd in the modernization of technical equipment of mines in Ukraine.

Apart from this, the sides signed an agreement to accelerate the elaboration of a project of cooperation between Ukraine's Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry and China National Machinery Industry Corporation (SINOMACH) to build combined cycle power plant in Shchelkino, Crimea, south of Ukraine.

The sides also discussed the possibility of attracting Chinese companies to upgrade the transport infrastructure of Ukraine, issues of container service on the route China - Ukraine - Western European countries.

Additionally, Ukraine and China concluded an agreement on investment cooperation in a project for chlorine-free potash fertilizers in Kalush, Ivano-Frankivsk region, among the Ministry of Environment of Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivsk Regional State Administration, foreign investment company Kitpred and the Chinese Wuhuan Engineering Co.,Ltd, Export-Import Bank of China.

Moreover, the sides signed a memorandum on the establishment of a Chinese-Ukrainian industrial park in the field of agriculture.

The first meeting of the Commission also resulted in memorandums signed between the Ukrainian State Agency for Investments and National Projects and China's Ministry of Commerce, and the Ukrainian League of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (ULIE) and China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products (CCCME).

[TsarSamuil]

American suggests building new Japan in Russia.

RT.com
21 April, 2011, 18:04

An American woman has suggested that the disaster-hit Japanese people buy a part of Russia to build a new country instead of staying in the ruined one.

The Japan Times newspaper has published a letter by Gwendolyn Maddy from Rapid City, Michigan, in which she advises the Japanese to “resettle” Japan on Russia’s territory and use their home island as a resort to visit rather than as a place to live. As Maddy writes in her letter, “Consider a land deal with Russia.”

She apparently fell in love with the Land of the Rising Sun after visiting it some time ago.

“I loved my visit to Japan. I traveled all over the country and enjoyed the ryokans, department stores, shrine cities, bullet train, dolls, Noh and Kabuki, tea ceremony and, most of all, the people. I love Japan! It grieves me that Japan is suffering all these earthquakes and that the country is ruined in the Tohoku-Pacific region, with so much death and destruction,” writes Maddy in her letter.

Maddy also says that “the Japanese deserve a less volatile, dangerous and uncertain place to live,” but because of geological activity, neither earthquakes nor tsunamis will go away.

“There is no paradise anywhere,” she writes. “But at least Japan can continue in a better locale with more peaceful and certain land conditions. Our prayers in America go out to Japan. We have permanent e-mail locations for sending money for reconstruction.”

On March 11, Japan suffered from a severe earthquake and was then hit by a tsunami, which destroyed much of northeastern Japan and ruined the Fukushima nuclear plant. Russia immediately offered its help, sending loads of humanitarian supplies and rescue teams. It has also offered assistance in putting out fires after nuclear plant blasts.

All in all, 255 Russians went to help in Japan. Russia’s Federal Migration Service expressed its readiness to provide visa support and job vacancies to Japanese citizens who have been left without employment.

[boroslav]

Why don't she suggest them to buy a part of the USA?

[zidar]

Japanese money is no good in Russia. Has to be land compensation. A switch of Japan to Russia, for Kamchatka to the Japanese. ;D

[zidar]

Kamčatka:

[White Cossack]

Americans are such dumbasses. LOL!

[TsarSamuil]

Chinese Companies Seek to Invest Big in Bulgarian Agriculture.

Novinite.com
Business | May 13, 2011, Friday

Chinese companies have demonstrated committed interest in investment in Bulgaria's agriculture, according to Agriculture and Foods Minister Miroslav Naydenov.

Naydenov met Friday with a Chinese business delegation, including Tianjin State Farms Agribusiness Group Company, which declared its readiness to rent 100 000 decares of land, mostly in Northwestern Bulgaria.

Tianjin State Farms Agribusiness Group Company is seeking to buy or rent 12 000 decares in the Vidin District, and more land in the districts of Vratsa and Montana, also in the Northwest, which is the poorest region in the EU. In addition, the Chinese corporation is interested in some 40 000 decares of land in the Yambol District in the southeast.

According to the Vice President of the company, Li Liyan Suo, the potential investors are interested in breeding corn and forage crops, and to export the produce to China.

He pointed out that China is currently importing the same agricultural products from the USA, and that their investment in Bulgaria will create jobs and stimulate domestic demand.

Tianjin State Farms Agribusiness Group Company is the first agricultural cooperative in the Chinese province Tianjin; it deals with food industry, agriculture, cattle breeding, metallurgy, and real estate.

"Foreign investment is welcome in the Bulgarian agriculture," Minister Naydenov told the Chinese investors stressing that they will be able to take advantage of all respective tax cuts and breaks.

Mrs. Dzang Chu Ya, a representative of the Sino French Venture Dynasty Winery, said her company wanted to buy a winery in Bulgaria and to export its produce to China, and/or to buy or rent vineyards in the country. In her words, the Sino French Venture Dynasty Winery has a guaranteed market, and is currently facing shortages of produce to sell.

[TsarSamuil]

Russia dismisses Japan's protest over Kurils visit.

The Russian Foreign Ministry shrugged off on Monday Japanese discontent over a Russian state visit to the disputed Kuril Islands.

"We remind you that Russia's sovereignty over these islands has indisputable international and legal foundations," the Russian Foreign Ministry told RIA Novosti. "So 'regrets' regarding the Russian officials' visit to the islands are inappropriate."

The Russian delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov visited the Kunashir and Iturup islands on Sunday as part of a working tour around Russia's Far East.

The Japanese Foreign Ministry lodged an official complaint with the Russian embassy in Tokyo on Monday.

Both Japan and Russia have laid claims to the South Kuril Islands, called the Northern Territories by the Japanese, since they were annexed by the Soviet Union at the end of World War II. The dispute has prevented the two countries from signing a peace treaty to formally end hostilities.

The long-standing territorial dispute escalated in November last year following a visit by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to one of the four South Kuril Islands. Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan called Medvedev's trip "inexcusable rudeness," sparking an angry reaction from the Kremlin.

MOSCOW, May 16 (RIA Novosti)

[TsarSamuil]

Vid,
rt.com/news/russian-chinese-relations-expert/

Russia and China can build new world order – political scientist.

RT.com
16 June, 2011, 15:25



As the leaders of two of the world's biggest and fastest-growing emerging economies meet in Moscow, political analysts predict the strategic co-operation between the two nations could shift the balance of power in the world.

“I believe the world is now at a historic crossroads,” Dr Kiyul Chung told RT. “Or some may say the world is at the brink of either being subdued or overcoming the US/NATO military intervention in Libya, [which is] now moving possibly to Syria or even to Iran, if Russia and China, or [the] Shanghai Co-operation Organization are [too] weak to stop US-led NATO military aggression in [the] North African region So I hope Russia and China [can] lead this new global movement to balance the power in the world, so they can build new world order where no more unilateral, aggressive or even colonial methodology [is] being put into a sovereign nation such as Libya.”

“China-Russia trade and economic relationship and huge development between the two nations, I believe, is not only impacting the European continent, but also the global scene,” added Dr Kiyul Chung. “This economic and trade relationship is not limited only to economy, it is also a strategic relationship. So, it is going to have a huge impact on the world.”

US are jealous of Russian-Chinese ties – political analyst

Chairman of the Russian-Chinese Centre of Trade and Economic Co-operation Sergey Sanakoev believes that China is one of the places where the real economy of the future lies, and choosing Beijing as Russia’s leading trade partner was a wise decision.

“We think that with this country we have a lot of opportunities. We are going to deal with China,” he said.

He agrees that this growing Russia-China alliance could become a threat to the economic and political interests of the US and its allies.

“I think that the US and China in the modern world are competitors,” he said. “And certainly, [the] US is a little bit jealous when they see how Russia and China co-operate.”

He also believes there is a possibility that US could try to hamper Russian-Chinese relationship at some point.

“China and US are the biggest economies in the world,” he explained. “And may be sometime they will have something like G2.”

As Russia, China and key Central Asian states were meeting once again for what is known as the Shanghai Co-operation Organization, some concerns arose about this group rivaling NATO in the future.

Sergey Sanakoev believes SCO is already a serious opponent to NATO in the region.

“[The] Shanghai Organization is already playing big role in the world,” he said. “And certainly the leaders of our countries also have intents to be original leaders in this area, and they do their best to show it to the whole world.”

One of the problematic issues for the two countries remains weapon exports. Back in the 1990s, China was the leading buyer of Russian arms. But now Russia fears China is copying its weapons and selling them at lower prices.

Ekaterina Koldunova, a scholar of Asian and African Studies at the Moscow State University of International Relations, believes Russian-Chinese military cooperation should be revised.

“Of course it is a problematic issue. This situation drives the military technical co-operation and trade in the military technical sphere to the case of unbalanced partnership,” she says. “On the other hand it is a good impulse to revise our trade relations on the military technical co-operation and to try to find out new opportunities; maybe on the model which we have with India, when we do co-operate in the hi-tech sphere.”

Asia Times Correspondent Pepe Escobar says Russia is shifting its interest eastwards and is boosting co-operation with China for a number of reasons.

“Number one is pipelines. It’s a big chessboard and a big energy games are being played all across Eurasia,” he says. “Number two, the BRIC relationships with Brazil, Russia, India and China are getting closer and closer, and now South Africa is part of BRIC. And number three, the new great game in Eurasia itself, which involves, for instance, how to solve the Afghan quagmire – and Russia and China have to be part of the solution. It cannot be in the hands of Pentagon.”

Escobar says in terms of China’s national security, Russia and Central Asia are getting much more important on a daily basis, compared to the Middle East and the Persian Gulf:

“For the Chinese strategically it means two things: escape from Malacca – the Malacca Straits, and escape from Hormuz – the Hormuz Straits. As much as they can escape these two bottle necks which are more or less controlled by the US Navy, let’s put it this way, they can rely more and more on Central Asia and on Russia for their energy needs. It’s a long term strategy.”

Russia and China take a common stand on many international issues, but have different approaches to the Shanghai Co-operation Organization, adds Escobar.

“Russia sees the SCO as a new strategic body, very important in terms of not only countering the power of NATO, but countering American influence in Eurasia as a whole. And China still views the SCO as a trade and economic co-operation mechanism. They are very reticent to create something that would antagonize the US immediately,” he concluded.

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Vid,
rt.com/news/russia-china-meeting-moscow/

Russian and Chinese leaders meet in Moscow.

RT.com
16 June, 2011, 10:08

Agreement on increasing Russian-Chinese trade turnover, bilateral investment and terms of Russian gas supplies to its neighbor are the main topics of negotiations as Chinese leader visits Russia on an official four-day visit.

The leaders of two of the world's biggest and fastest-growing emerging economies have met in Moscow on Thursday.

Russia and China share a wide range of common interests, with Moscow becoming an increasingly important supplier of energy, fuelling growth across its southeastern border.

Chinese President Hu Jintao is on an official visit in Moscow at Dmitry Medvedev's invitation. Gas issues seem to be taking up most of the day’s agenda in the meeting between the leaders.

Russia and China are each other’s biggest neighbors, and both sides have much to gain from a productive relationship. Both sides, though, say there is still a lot of room for improvement within their bilateral relationship, and that is what both Hu Jintao and Dmitry Medvedev are looking to achieve during the meeting.

Russia is one of the largest suppliers of natural resources, such as oil and gas, while China is a very lucrative market for Russia.

The trade turnover with China is one of the biggest Russia currently has. Although they have agreed to increase their bilateral trade turnover to $100 billion by 2015, and up to $200 billion by 2020.
Gas matters

After meeting with President Medvedev, the Chinese leader met Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Gazprom CEO Aleksey Miller at Gazprom’s headquarters in Moscow to discuss the agreement over Russian gas supplies to China for the next 30 years.

The legally-binding agreement was signed in September 2010, but the price remains a stumbling block in the issue.

Russia's intention is to set the price at $306 per thousand cubic meters – the same as for Europe – but the Chinese side is pressing for a discount.

According to the Gazprom CEO Aleksey Miller, the agreement for gas supplies to China is supposed to be signed in 2011.

This is a beneficial deal for both sides. Russia will receive billions of dollars in revenue, and the Chinese will receive the fuel they need to continue their economic growth.

During the meeting in Gazprom’s main office, Miller also assured that after the disagreement over prices is solved, Gazprom will start building a pipeline to China.

The deal makes provision for western and eastern modes of gas supplies from Russia .The former is supposed to use resources of Western Siberia and the second Eastern Siberia, Far East and Sakhalin Shelf off Sakhalin Island. The basic, western, mode is the gas pipeline Alta, which Gazprom is ready to start building in the middle of 2011, with supplies commencing at the end of 2015.

The western route is expected to supply about 30 billion cubic meters of gas per year, and the eastern 38 billion.

Russian gas is arguably what Beijing is most interested in. But there is a stumbling block over price. Shujie Yao, a professor of Economics at the University of Nottingham, believes Russia needs some patience for effective negotiations.

“China is in a very good position in terms of negotiating with Russia about the price,” he said. “But Russia has to have patience. In the longer term the demand from China for natural gas will be increasing. And because the energy price keeps going up, Russia probably has to take medium and longer terms to negotiate with China to get a higher price.”

“We are talking about 20 to 30, even 50 years of relationship,” he added. “This is a mutually beneficial deal between the two giants.”

But Aleksandr Lukin, director of Shanghai Co-operation Organization Center in the Moscow State University of International Relations, says that disagreement over prices will not influence the political relationship between Russia and China.

“It is just a commercial issue. Such issues are usual between many countries, commercial partners, companies. So it does not influence it at all,” he told RT.

More business deals are expected to be discussed during the next two days as Hu Jintao and Dmitry Medvedev will be traveling to St. Petersburg, where they will participate in the Economic Forum.

On Wednesday the two leaders met at the SCO summit, where the questions of Libya and Syria were raised.

Both sides share the opinion that diplomatic solutions, both in Libya and Syria, should be preferred over any kind of military presence in the area, potential intervention, or even UN sanctions.

This stance has been reiterated during President Hu Jintao’s visit to Moscow.

[TsarSamuil]

Large, more detailed map with all (?) the islands named
www.spratlys.org/maps/1/spratly-islands_95.jpg

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Chinese naval maneuvers seen as warning to Vietnam.

The exercises in the South China Sea escalate tensions over a potentially resource-rich area also claimed by several neighboring countries.

By Barbara Demick, Los Angeles Times
June 18, 2011 - Reporting in Beijing



The Chinese navy conducted three days of exercises — including live fire drills — in the disputed waters of the South China Sea this week, escalating tensions over a potentially resource-rich area also claimed by some neighboring countries in Southeast Asia.

The display of naval might hundreds of miles from China's southernmost border was widely seen as a warning to Vietnam, which this week conducted its own live fire drills near the Spratly Islands. Several countries claim sovereignty over the string of uninhabited volcanic rocks, which are ringed by jagged reefs and crusted with bird droppings but rendered attractive by virtue of the surrounding waters that are fertile fishing grounds and may cover significant reserves of oil and natural gas.

Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei all claim jurisdiction over some of the territory. But China contends its sovereignty dates from ancient national maps that show the islands to be an integral part of its territory.

On Friday, state television showed video of Chinese patrol boats firing repeated rounds at a target on what looked like an uninhabited island, as twin fighter jets streaked in tandem overhead. The report said 14 vessels participated in the maneuvers, staging antisubmarine and beach landing drills aimed at "defending atolls and protecting sea lanes.''

China has pressed its claim to the outcrops in the South China Sea more assertively in the last two years. Chinese civilian vessels have increasingly confronted fishing and oil-exploration ships from other countries operating in those waters.

The latest spike in tension began late last month when Vietnam accused a Chinese fishing boat, escorted by two patrol boats, of deliberately severing a cable of a seismic survey ship owned by PetroVietnam, the national oil and gas company. Relations between the two countries are fraught: They waged a border war in 1979, and have since clashed occasionally at sea over the Spratlys as well as another island chain, the Paracels.

The Vietnamese government is under pressure from its own intensely nationalist media and its citizenry to stand up to China. The sea skirmish in May sparked an anti-Chinese outpouring in Vietnam, and the government has permitted rare public demonstrations to allow a mostly youthful crowd to vent anger.

Social media are also fueling anti-Chinese sentiments, including an online petition to change the name of the South China Sea to the Southeast Asia Sea.

"Vietnam has always been in a bad position to have such a large and powerful neighbor as China, but we are also angry that the Vietnamese government takes such a subservient attitude toward China," said Thuc Vy Huynh, a 27-year-old activist and blogger.

Chinese officials say they are merely protecting their national economic interests.

"We cannot avoid dealing with this issue. The Vietnamese are collecting gas and encroaching on our territory," said Xu Guangyu, a retired Chinese military officer and analyst with the China Arms Control and Disarmament Assn.

China has also dispatched its largest civilian vessel to pass through the region, sending the 3,000-ton, helicopter-equipped Haixun to dock in Singapore. And an unidentified Oceanic Administration official was quoted in China's state news media as saying that the civilian maritime surveillance force would be increased to 15,000 from 9,000 personnel by 2020.

With Vietnam and the Philippines issuing sharp warnings against further Chinese encroachment on their commercial ventures, observers say the potential for violence is there.

"The highly charged situation in which vessels with paramilitary capabilities ignore each other's signals and engage in provocative actions could easily devolve into a shooting incident," said Stephanie Kleine-Ahlbrandt of the International Crisis Group's Beijing office. "If bullets fly, we could really see things escalate."

The dispute also has implications for the United States, which is the largest naval power in Southeast Asia and has declared freedom of navigation in the waters to be a U.S. national interest. The Obama administration has called for the competing claims to be resolved through an international diplomatic process involving all countries with a stake in the issue.

China rejects that approach, contending that differences should be resolved with each country individually.

As China adopts a more forceful posture in its international relations, nervous neighbors have become more receptive to U.S. involvement, pushing countries like Vietnam to seek an American counterweight to Chinese power.

But the Vietnamese government is also mindful of the risks of disrupting its growing economic ties with China. It has been careful, so far, to avoid overly provoking Beijing. Its live-fire drill conducted Monday appeared to be an anticlimactic affair, conducted close to land without the firing of anti-ship missiles.

"The cable-cutting incident was like the work of hooligans," said Carl Thayer, a Vietnam scholar teaching at the Australian Defense Force Academy. "But it is not something Vietnam is going to war over."

[TsarSamuil]

Vid,
rt.com/news/china-far-east-amur/

Mighty China a boon and concern for Russia’s distant east.

RT.com
5 August, 2011, 08:25

The Amur region is thousands of kilometers distant from Moscow and merely five minutes by boat from China. Unsurprisingly, the influence of its fast-developing neighbor is felt all over the region.

High heels and a hard hat – it is not a look many women can pull off. But then Li Lihua, or Larissa as she prefers to be called in Russia, is no ordinary woman. Having first arrived in the Russian Amur region as an interpreter in the early 1990s, she and her family worked their way up from running a small café to owning this large construction company.

Spread across the region’s capital, Blagoveshchensk, are no fewer than four large Chinese restaurants owned by the Li family. They are full most nights and serving up a taste of the Orient to Russian diners. It is an impressive portfolio, and one that the mother-of-two says she could not have built in China.

“I saw an opportunity to create something here. Russia needs skilled laborers and with China being so close I had easy access to Chinese goods, equipment and a ready workforce," says Li Lihua.

Lihua/Larissa is just one of a growing band of successful Chinese entrepreneurs operating in Russia’s Far East, where the Amur River is all that separates the two countries. Easy proximity coupled with favorable visa regulations inspire thousands of Chinese workers to flock across the border every year.

One of the tried and tested business models is selling cheap, second-hand Chinese clothes. Whether it is a pair of trendy trainers or some designer sunglasses you are after, the people of Blagoveshchensk know they can pick up a bargain or two at this Chinese market. Of course everything in there bears the label “made in China” and all the sellers also come from China. It was absolutely packed inside on the day RT came to visit, and apparently the situation is the same every single day. Clearly, business in booming.

“I’ve been here for three years. I left China as there were not enough jobs. Things are going well here,” one market trader said.

“You can get things really cheap here which is great if you've got a large family. The quality varies hugely but on balance I think we’re lucky to have Chinese traders here – Russian goods just can’t compete on pricing,” a Russian customer told RT.

By hopping on one of the many packed ferries that cross the Amur River every day, Russian consumers can enjoy an even more authentic Chinese shopping experience – albeit with a slight Slavic flavor. They are keen for a bargain and in the process, help to fuel the Chinese economy.

It has lead some to fear that Russia’s Far East is being exploited by its entrepreneurial neighbor. Local government officials disagree.

“Pessimists revel in self-pity at the site of China forging ahead, while optimists think of ways to develop Blagoveshchensk at the same pace using Chinese expertise, capital and labor. I believe our region is hugely fortunate to border China. If we compare our city to others in Russia, we’re much better off in almost every respect,” says Igor Gorevoy, the region’s minister for foreign economic ties, labor and the consumer market.

Officials speak of extensive plans for more joint ventures and greater integration between the two countries. As far as government is concerned, it is a relationship worth strengthening.

Due to the importance of communication with China, learning Chinese is becoming routine for the citizens of Blagoveshchensk, Ekaterina Chirkova from the Confucius Institute told RT.

“Learning Chinese is a usual thing here in Blagoveshchensk as we are located very close to China, so more and more people, not only young people but also grown-ups, older generations, strive to learn Chinese,” she said. “Of course, it is very useful as we have a lot of opportunities to go traveling, shopping, doing business with China.”

From the Amur coastline China is so close that you almost feel like you can reach out and touch it. People living there say they have been witness to the phenomenal pace of development along the skyline, representative of the growth of the Chinese economy as a whole, and its influence here in Russia.

[TsarSamuil]

Belarus to stay reliable partner, friend of China.

08.08.2011 19:47

MINSK, 8 August (BelTA) – Belarus has been and will always stay a reliable partner and friend of China, said Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to China Viktor Burya as he presented his credentials to President of the People’s Republic of China Hu Jintao in Beijing on 8 August.

The Belarusian ambassador stressed that the domestic and foreign policies of the two countries were based on similar principles while approaches to resolving urgent problems in international affairs were extremely close.

According to Viktor Burya, the Belarusian side has been unwavering about Taiwan’s reunion with China and condemns any attempts to speculate on human rights, events in Tibet and Xinjiang.

The Ambassador stressed that Belarus is sincerely rejoiced at China’s success. The amazing organization of the Olympics and the 2010 World Expo, achievements in economy, space exploration, scientific and technological advance vividly demonstrate it.

The joint declaration signed by the President of China and the President of Belarus in December 2005 stipulates that relations between the two countries had reached the level of strategic partnership. This document as well as other agreements and treaties have created all the necessary political and legal conditions for the comprehensive development of the bilateral relations.

Viktor Burya said that the task set by the leaders of Belarus and China to secure a $2 billion bilateral trade volume was accomplished in 2010, two years before the planned date. In 2010 Belarus-China trade volume reached $2.5 billion.

[TsarSamuil]

Bulgaria president meets Chinese military leader on bilateral ties.

SOFIA, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov met with visiting Vice Chairman of China's Central Military Commission Xu Caihou here on Wednesday.

During the meeting, Parvanov said that Xu's visit is a major event of Sino-Bulgarian military relationship in recent years, believing this will play an important role in the development of the two military forces and even the comprehensive cooperative partnership between the two countries.

Bulgaria attaches great importance to China's position and role in the world, appreciates China's foreign policies, views China as an important partner, and is proud of being the second country in the world to recognize the People's Republic of China, the president pointed out.

Parvanov underlined that Bulgaria adheres to the one-China policy, takes developing relations with China as the highest priority, and will never change this policy. Bulgaria is willing to work with China to advance the bilateral relations.

For his part, Xu said that China and Bulgaria have a traditional friendship, bilateral relations have withstood the test of history and great changes of the international situation.

In recent years, the two countries have frequent exchanges at all levels, have got fruitful achievemet in the cooperations at economy, culture and other fields, and maintain good cooperaion in international and regional affairs, said Xu.

Xu stressed that China cherishes its traditional friendship with Bulgaria, appreciates the Bulgarian government's adherence to the one-China policy and support to China's reunification. China is ready to make joint efforts with Bulgaria to deepen the development of friendly relationship and cooperation.

On the same day, Xu also met with Bulgaria's Parliament Speaker Tsetska Tsacheva and Denfense Minister Anyu Angelov.

Tsacheva told Xu that the development of friendly relations with China is the consensus of all Bulgarian parliamentary parties.

She said that Bulgaria Parliament is willing to actively promote the contacts of two legislative bodies, strengthen exchanges in legislation and promote the stable development of bilateral relations.

Bulgaria will play its unique role in promoting EU-China relations, stressed Tsacheva.

Xu said that Sino-Bulgarian relationship is a good example for the friendly co-existence between countries with different social systems. Bulgria is China's reliable friend and partner in the EU. China hopes both sides to keep mutual understanding and support the issues concerning each other's core interests.

During the meeting with Angelov, Xu said that the Chinese side attaches importance to developing bilateral military relations. China is willing to work with Bulgaria to maintain the momentum of high-level military visits and further strengthen the exchanges and cooperation in military academic, personnel training and professional areas, continue to deeply develop bilateral military relations.

According to Angelov, currently, the Sino-Bulgarian military relations have developed smoothly and played an important role in the overall development of bilateral relations.

Angelov expressed that he fully agreed with China on the proposals about the development of bilateral military relations. Bulgaria will make joint efforts with China to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in military technology, rescue disaster and other areas, learn from each other experiences in military modernization and advance the development of bilateral military relations.