July 23:
India’s Intelligence Bureau (IB) is increasingly concerned about Chinese military support for insurgents groups in the country’s northeast. An IB report indicates that arms are being smuggled from China’s Yunan Province to insurgents groups in India’s Arunachal Pradesh via the Arkaan areas in Myanmar [Burma] and from the sea off Cox's Bazaar to Chittagong. Mr. A.K. Doval, former director of the IB, said in comments carried by the Indian newspaper The Asian Age, "China's movements, both covert and overt, are a matter of security concern for India. Its implications need to be analyzed and responses formulated."
July 24:
Taiwan's national athletics team will withdraw from the 2008 Beijing Olympics if it is referred to as "Zhongguo Taipei," which means "Taipei, China." The name implies that Taiwan is part of China, Tai Shia-ling, minister of the self governing island’s Sports Affairs Council, said during a second Cabinet meeting on contingency responses to Beijing’s name games. In accordance with a 1981 protocol signed with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Taiwan has been participating in international sports events under the English title "Chinese Taipei." In 1989, an agreement between Beijing and Taipei stated that all sports teams representing Taiwan would follow IOC regulations when participating in sports events in China. Taiwan’s team should be "Chunghua Taipei" in Chinese characters, or "Chinese Taipei" in English, in the games' official publications, invitations, athletic badges and media broadcasts, Tai said in comments carried by Taipei’s official Central News Agency.
Beijing is pressuring Exxon Mobil Corp. and Vietnam over a small project in the South China Sea. China maintains its "sovereignty and jurisdiction" over the South China Sea and “has stated its position to relevant parties involved in the deal," the Wall Street Journal quoted a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman was as saying. Although Exxon Mobil has not yet signed any contracts for exploration in Vietnamese waters, a spokesman said the company is evaluating several possible exploration projects offshore of Vietnam and has been working with state-controlled Vietnam Oil & Gas Corp., also known as PetroVietnam.
[Editor’s Note: Last year, China pressured foreign oil companies, including Britain's BP PLC, to abandon their oil and natural-gas exploration contracts with Vietnam in the South China Sea. Exxon Mobil, the world's largest publicly traded oil company, has ties with state-owned China Petroleum and Chemical Corp., better known as Sinopec, including a 25 percent stake in a three-way joint-venture oil refinery being built in southern Fujian province.]
July 25:
On July 21, the Communist Party of China’s (CPC) Central Committee held a forum at Zhongnanhai, the Communist Party’s headquarters, for non-party elites, where Chinese President Hu Jintao gave the keynote address. China’s Xinhua domestic news bureau reported that several Chairman of China’s dozen or so “political parties” [i.e. political entities tolerated by the CPC with very modest influence and membership] were in attendance. President Hu outlined his administrations half-dozen top objectives for the remainder of the year, they include: (1) “stable and fairly fast economic growth” bolstered by “expanding domestic demand;” (2) “effectively controlling commodity prices from rising too fast” by “increasing effective supply and controlling unreasonable demand;” (3) “stress on agricultural production;” (4) “vigorously promoting scientific and technological progress and innovation in enterprises” and “efforts to conserve energy and reduce emissions;” (5) ”continue to advance reform and opening up” through “improvement of the capital market; reform of administrative management system; and open up wider to the outside world;” and (6) “do a good job the post-disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction.”
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