June 25:
Namibia’s President Hifikepunye Pohamba sacked the defense force chief General Martin Shalli over "serious allegations of irregularities" related to a $69 million deal with China’s state-run Nuctech Corp. Nuctech has a Namibian government contract to supply security scanners for its ports and airports paid for with a Chinese government loan granted during President Hu Jintao’s 2007 visit to the country. Shalli’s suspension follows Namibia's Anti-Corruption Commission’s graft probe of Nuctech, which was formerly headed by Hu Haifeng, the Chinese President’s son. Mr. Hu headed Nuctech until last year, when he was promoted to head of Tsinghua Holdings, which controls Nuctech and 20 other companies. General Shalli, one of the most powerful men in Namibia, is accused of having Nutech transfer millions to him, The Australian reports.
[Editor’s Note: Internet users in China are being blocked from accessing the story. Leading Chinese web portals, Sina and Netease, were closed for hours after they posted initial reports. Several internet editors from Sina and Netease were later fired and fined after they published details of the corruption probe, London’s Telegraph reports.]
SANA, Syria’s official news agency, reports that it will join China Central Television (CCTV) in launching an Arabic-language international satellite channel. The new channel will cover the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia-Pacific through 3 telstar satellites, and it will reach nearly 300 million people in 22 Arabic-speaking countries. CCTV Vice President Zhang Changming said it will broadcast news, entertainment and cultural programs including programs such as Window on China, Chinese Documentary Films, and Chinese Arts 24 hours a day "to present the world with the real China."
July 26:
Shanghai has relaxed its one-child policy encouraging couples that are themselves only children to have a second baby, The Statesman reports. Under the new rule, divorced Shanghai residents are also allowed a child with a new spouse even if they already have one from a previous marriage. Disabled parents can also have more than one child. Officials will publicize the policy, visit families, and provide consulting services, said Xie Lingli, director of the Shanghai Population and Family Planning Commission. The campaign was aimed at reducing the ratio of the elderly and preventing future labor shortages, Xie said. One-third of China's total population or about 437 million people will be over 60 years old in 2050. China’s one-child policy was enacted in 1979 and it encourages late marriages and late childbearing, and limits most urban couples to one child and most rural couples to two children.
July 28:
China has loaned $1 billion to cash-strapped, resource-poor Moldova, nearly tripling its external debt and challenging the U.S. and Russia. Beijing's loan came after Russia's recent agreement to loan $500 million to Moldova and the U.S. Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) offered $25 million. The Chinese loan beats by $300 million what the MCA could offer. The Chinese terms are 3 percent annually over 15 years with a five-year grace period on interest, and no human rights strings attached. The money will be funneled through Covec, China's largest construction company, and will combine Chinese equipment and expertise with cheap Moldovan labor to build energy, irrigation, and water treatment infrastructure projects, the Financial Times reports.
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