China’s Car Exports Falling

That said, the major issue in China’s foreign relations isn’t love and understanding (which doesn’t mean that losing face wouldn’t hurt). So long as official boycotts of Chinese goods aren’t on the cards – and the only Turkish minister who called for one had only expressed his personal view – there may be Chinese hurt feelings, but the oil keeps will keep coming in – and China, contrary to most countries, does keep importing lots of it. Iran’s, Oman’s, and Kuwait’s crude oil exports to China all rose per May this year, according to steelguru.com – and they will all try to keep their business. Chinese exports to Muslim countries may be a different story, but the current declines can hardly be attributed to 7-5. Let’s take a look at the Chinese car industry and its exports, for example. According to globalautoindustry.com, China exported only 61,000 vehicles in the first quarter of 2009, a decline of 62% from the previous year.

Chinese Car, Syrian Characteristics

Cars made in China may go almost unnoticed in most of Europe (and North America, I guess), but you do see a lot of them in Syria, which was among the four countries visited by Wu Sike (吴思科), China’s special representative for the Middle East, late in July and earlier this month. In 2006, the major export markets for the Chinese car industry were Russia, Iran, Belgium, Syria, Algeria, Kazakhstan, Angola, Vietnam, Ukraine, and Iraq (the countries written in bold letters are among the four visited by special representative Wu). The 2006 numbers in detail, according to wtojob.com, were as follows:

Rank	Country	Vehicles	in 1,000 USD
1.	Russia	38,051	350,030
2.	Iran	10,606	237,710
3.	Belgium	18,147	197,730
4.	Syria	51,662	191,560
5.	Algeria	20,201	156,950
6.	Kazakhstan	5,703	135,520
7.	Angola	6,966	131,540
8.	Vietnam	14,491	99,650
9.	Ukraine	10,119	82,800
10.	Iraq	13,618	77,920

The average price paid per car varies strongly from country to country.

According to the same source, exports to Syria showed a small decline in 2007, while exports to Russia rose to 106,000 vehicles – that would be 17.3 per cent of China’s total automobile exports. Major markets in 2007, besides Russia, were Syria, Ukraine, South Africa, Algeria, Vietnam, Iran, and Venezuela.

Exports to Russia went down in 2008, with only 77,000 vehicles. Especially in the fourth quarter, there were hardly any exports to Russia. Exports to Africa, Latin America and ASEAN countries kept rising, but the trend in Russian exports is pointing downward this year, too.

Statistics for the first half of 2009 are rather fragmentary on the internet, but Changan Global Sales Company‘s general manager is quoted as saying that he sees problems on all of the industry’s (or Changan’s) existing markets. The China Automobile Industry Association reportedly recorded automotive exports dropping by 62 per cent during the first quarter this year, compared to the same period [last year]. As far as Zhejiang province’s carmakers [the source seems to refer to the first four months of this year] are concerned, their exports to Syria fell by more than half, according to this source which claims to quote the Zhejiang Ministry of Commerce.

China’s automotive companies may not abandon the roads for the skies yet, but if China’s propaganda has it right, industry insiders expect China to become the pacemaker of a new-energy automobile industry in the future thanks to strong policies from the government and a full industrial chain.

That said, it probably depends on which industry insiders you ask. The globalautoindustry.com website is less euphoric than the Global Times.

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Related:
在叙利亚看中国车：东方之子售3.7万美元, sina.com, March 20, 2005

Thomas More Kim Dae-jung, 1924/5 – 2009

“I underwent many ordeals in my life but I never strayed from principles and never compromised with injustice, even at the risk of my life,” Kim Dae-jung said in 2006, according to AFP. He survived several assassination attempts, was sentenced to death, and tortured in jail. He was exiled twice and put under house arrest countless times. He had become Catholic in 1956 (taking the name Thomas More), he was a dissident, and became Korea’s first Catholic president, in 1998. Pope John Paul II probably saved him from execution in 1980 by writing a letter to then president (or dictator) Chun Doo-hwan. When Chun himself was sentenced to death in 1996, for authorizing the Gwangju massacre and for charges of corruption, he was pardoned through the efforts of then-President-elect Kim Dae-jung.

After 1998, he Kim continued to live through hopes and backlashes. His Sunshine Policy toward North Korea was and is disputed, and all three of his sons and several aides became involved in a series of corruption scandals.

He left a mixed political legacy. And he left this lecture.

JR’s China Backgrounder

Urumqi – If you are wondering why visiting leaders from Beijing rarely stay in Xinjiang for longer than 24 hours these days, it may actually be for security reasons. Le Courrier du Vietnam reports that Xinjiang Train Station Police announced baggage controls on train stations for the security of passengers and cargo. The following measures took effect on July 30, and will remain in force until the end of the national holidays in October:

- instruments containing flat springs (if JR translated des lames correctly) are banned
- the amount of nail polish will be limited to 20 milliliters
- the amount of hair dyeing lotion will be limited to the same quantity
- and the same applies for any other kind of cosmetic liquid.

Stern Hu hires Shanghai Lawyer

Stern Hu (胡士泰, Hu Shitai), head of Rio Tinto‘s sales team in China and currently under arrest for charges of of infringing trade secrets and of bribery, has opted for a Shanghai based lawyer, Duan Qihan, reports The Australian. He reportedly acts in line with advice from Chinese legal circles that using a company lawyer could be counter-productive.

Wu Sike corrects some Biased Views

Maybe you sometimes wondered why the Chinese foreign ministry employs a special representative for the Middle East. And if you’ve never heard of him before, his name is Wu Sike (吴思科), and he’s actually pretty busy these days. It’s not so much because he’s going to bring peace to the holy land, but to because he’s teaching the muslims a bit of history. And if the muslims didn’t know (some Turks I know are somewhat cross concerning the 7-5 incident), Wu Sike has news for them:

“Islamic countries from government to the people, all understand and support the measures the Chinese government took to maintain stability.“

“伊斯兰国家从政府到人民，都对中国政府为维护稳定所采取的措施给予理解和支持.“

He made his brave statement on a news briefing after his return to Beijing on August 11, after touring Qatar, Algeria, Syria, and Iran. Let’s hope that this very small and insignificant misguided minority which took to the streets in Turkey will act in a more informed way from now.

Tibet: Domestic Issue, Dialog Abroad

A three-day conference in Geneva called Finding Common Ground gathered more than 100 internationally-based Chinese and Tibetan scholars and writers. One of them was Yan Jiaqi 嚴家其, a Chinese political scientist and formerly director of the Institute of Political Research of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. He was one of the participants who addressed the conference – and with one remark he called the glass half full. Listing what he sees as the Dalai Lama’s achievements in exile, he mentioned that dialog and unity between Tibetan and Han people has been initiated abroad. Abroad, anyway.

Only few participants still lived in China, writes tibetfocus.com. While Beijing and the Dalai Lama both seem to agree that Tibet is a domestic issue, China’s government isn’t available for a dialog. Nevertheless, back in China, some 300 intellectuals apparently made twelve suggestions for dealing with the Tibetan situation.

The BBC’s China editor Shirong Chen (陈时荣) interviewed the Dalai Lama in Geneva on August 6. Both English and Chinese language transcripts are available on the BBC website.

Learning Chinese / English with the CCP

“We must sincerely remember premier Wen Jiabao’s instructions (嘱托), be models of hard learning, models of diligent work, models of correctness and honesty (清正廉洁), and must live up to the glorious A-Civil-Servic- Collective-to-the-satisfaction-of-the-people title (‘人民满意的公务员集体’这个光荣的称号)!”

On August 15, Zai Yu (载誉), our province’s delegate to the national Civil-Servant-to-the-Satisfaction-of-the-People (人民满意的公务员) and A-Civil-Service- Collective-to-the-Satisfaction-of-the-People (人民满意的公务员集体) award ceremony, returned home. At Zhong Chuan Airport, the Provincial Organizational Department (省委组织部), the Provincial Human Resources and Social Security Office (人力资源和社会保障厅) as well as the Municipal Organization Department (市委组织部) and the Municipal Personnel Office (市人事局) held a warm welcome ceremony for our province’s delegate of honor.

On August 14, the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee (中组部), the Central Propaganda Department (中宣部), the Human Resources Department (人力资源部) and the State Administration of Civil Service (国家公务员局) held the seventh national Civil-Servant-to-the-Satisfaction-of-the-People and A-Civil-Service- Collective-to-the-Satisfaction-of-the-People Award Convention. Wang Zhirui (王志睿), deputy head of the Baiyinshi public security bureau’s (白银市公安局) Baiyin High Technology Park branch office’s police station had been chosen as the national Civil-Servant-to-the-Satisfaction-of-the-People, and Lanzhou Qilihe District Xi Hu (西湖) subdistrict office had been chosen as A-Civil-Service- Collective-to-the-Satisfaction-of-the-People. Wang Zhirui’s wife Wang Jiancui and Xi Hu subdistrict office party work committee secretary Chen Dongmei were cordially received by Wen Jiabao and other party and state leaders.

JR’s Weekender: Politics and Science

Elections are looming in Germany, and if Frank-Walter Steinmeier (the SPD prefers the handier name Frank Steinmeier these days) became chancellor, it would be a big – though pleasant – surprise. Contrary to the incumbent, he even went into some detail to tell us what the social democrats want to achieve during the next four years.

I had a discussion with a friend about the economy recently, while having coffee at a fast-food restaurant, about the likelihood that we would see a substantial growth in German domestic demand in our lifetimes. I believe we will, during the next ten years.

I made that bold statement, and when quizzed about how that would happen, I had to admit that I don’t know how. Interestingly, no political party represented in Germany’s federal parliament is seriously discussing the challenge either (although the social democrats and the Greens seem to give it some thoughts). A conservative columnist, Olaf Gersemann, even seems to suggest that there is no problem. But then, I’m sure that some mad scientists are already making plans.

Premature Concept

FDR’s New Deal hadn’t been asked for by the establishment. But it came at a time when it was needed. I see no reason to believe that our current economic system is the end of history.