Beijing restaurant manager refuses to apologize over ‘racist’ sign

 News
Feb 282013
 
Beijing restaurant manager refuses to apologize over ‘racist’ sign

Associated Press 3:13 pm | Thursday, February 28th, 2013 A restaurant in Beijing displays its sentiment toward the citizens of the Philippines, Vietnam and Japan with which China has territorial issues in the West Philippine Sea and the Sea of Japan. The sign says Japanese, Filipinos, Vietnamese and dogs are barred from the restaurant, presumably in that order. AFP FILE PHOTO BEIJING – A defiant Beijing restaurant manager refused to apologize Thursday despite removing a “racist” sign barring citizens of states in maritime disputes with China, along with dogs, following an international outcry. The notice in the window of the Beijing Snacks restaurant read: “This shop does not receive the Japanese, the Philippines, the Vietnamese and dog(s)” in both Chinese and English. But despite taking down the sign after accusations of racism, the manager said he had no regrets and would not apologize for any offence caused. Images of the sign went viral in Vietnam and were splashed across newspapers in the Philippines on Wednesday. Both are involved in bitter territorial disputes with China over islands in the South China Sea. The manager, surnamed Wang, said it was taken down “because it was a lot of bother”. “I don’t have any regrets,” he told AFP. “I was just getting too many phone calls about it.” He seemed surprised at the attention it had generated but said he would not apologize for any offense caused, suggesting it may have been misinterpreted. “Maybe people misunderstood our meaning… it only said we would Read More …

China rejects Philippine UN mediation bid

 News
Feb 202013
 
China rejects Philippine UN mediation bid

Associated Press 2:38 pm | Wednesday, February 20th, 2013 AP FILE PHOTO BEIJING—China said Tuesday it has rejected the Philippines’ attempt to seek international arbitration over conflicting claims to territory in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said that China’s ambassador to Manila, Ma Keqing, had returned Manila’s formal notification of the move to a Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) official. Hong said the proposal was historically and legally incorrect and contained unacceptable accusations against China. The Philippines informed China last month of its plans to take the countries’ conflicting claims to a tribunal operating under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. It wants the panel to declare Beijing’s moves in the potentially oil-rich waters unlawful. The DFA said in a statement Tuesday that China’s rejection will not interfere with the arbitration process that the Philippines has started. “The Philippines remains committed to arbitration, which is a friendly, peaceful and durable form of dispute settlement that should be welcomed by all,” the statement said. Even if a tribunal ruled against China, Beijing could choose to ignore the ruling. Six governments have overlapping claims in the West Philippine Sea. China claims sovereignty over virtually all of it. Chinese paramilitary ships confronted Philippine vessels last year in a monthslong standoff over a disputed shoal. China has effectively controlled the shoal since June, when Manila withdrew its ships as a typhoon approached. There are fears that territorial conflicts in the region, Read More …

Intex offers REEs for free

 Economy
Feb 132013
 
Intex offers REEs for free

MANILA, Philippines – Norwegian-based Intex Resources ASA which operates Mindoro Nickel Mining says that it can produce rare earth elements (REEs) to the country for free. The announcement came on the heels of reports that the Philippines is dead set on exploring for REEs to take advantage of China’s move to cut on REEs’ production to the global market. REEs are a group of elements that are used in a wide range of products we use every day, including hard drives, IPods, wind turbines, hybrid cars, fiber optics and energy efficient fluorescent bulbs, among others. Their properties, notably as lightweight magnets, make them key to the on-going miniaturization of electronics and the growth of green technologies. Last year, the country’s plan to produce REEs was stalled after Beijing reneged on earlier commitments to help Manila despite several “reminders” by the MGB. This came amid a dispute between Manila and Beijing over the Panatag Shoal in the West Philippine Sea. Before the dispute, Manila and Beijing were set to sign a deal to jointly explore for rare earth elements. The Philippines is already conducting its own exploration surveys in Nueva Vizcaya and Palawan, where rare earth deposits were found to be close to copper-gold mines. The MGB said that the Aquino government has earmarked P20 million for REEs’ development. The amount is for the entire reconnaissance phase for the two-year preliminary survey. It said that once the three stages of exploration go well, the program may take five years. Business ( Read More …

China ships in disputed waters as tension runs high

 News
Feb 102013
 

Agence France-Presse 2:25 pm | Sunday, February 10th, 2013 TOKYO – Four Chinese ships were spotted Sunday in disputed East China Sea waters, Japanese officials said, as Tokyo considered disclosing video footage and pictures as evidence of a Chinese frigate’s alleged radar-lock incident. For the first time after Tokyo made the allegation last week, China sent maritime surveillance vessels near Japanese-controlled islands in the East China Sea, known as Senkaku in Tokyo and Diaoyu by Beijing, which also claims them. They were seen sailing in the contiguous waters near one of the outcrops as of 0000 GMT, the Japan Coast Guard said. Tokyo accused a Chinese frigate of locking its weapons-tracking radar on a Japanese destroyer — the first time the two nations’ navies have locked horns in the territorial dispute that has provoked fears of armed conflict breaking out between the two. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday demanded Beijing apologize and admit to the incident, which occurred late January, after Chinese authorities flatly denied Tokyo’s accusation. Japan’s Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said on Fuji TV on Sunday that Tokyo was carefully studying whether or how to disclose military data as evidence. However he also said he did not think China would “admit to it even if Japan discloses a variety of evidence, because it is trying to protect its national interest”. Onodera on Saturday told the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper that Tokyo had “evidence to show the fire-control radar chased after the ship (of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces) for Read More …

China accuses Japan of ‘smear’ over radar incident

 News
Feb 072013
 
China accuses Japan of ‘smear’ over radar incident

Agence France-Presse 5:34 pm | Thursday, February 7th, 2013 BEIJING—Beijing on Thursday accused Japan of seeking to “smear” it after Tokyo said a Chinese frigate locked its weapons-targeting radar on a Japanese warship, as the Asian giants are locked in a maritime row. Asked to respond to Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera’s description of the radar incident as a “threat of force”, Beijing foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said: “Recently Japan has been hyping up crisis and deliberately creating tension to smear China’s image.”    

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