Russia and China Save Obama Presidential Legacy with Iran Nuclear Votes

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Thank you President  Xi Jinping of China and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia

How bizarre is the news?  After years of negotiating with Iran over nuclear weapons by the Obama administration, at the eleventh-hour the breakthrough came and the world first heard about approval of a treaty between Iran and the United States, and the UK, and Germany, and France, and the European Union, and who did you say?

In the end, it was the vote of Russia and China, equal partners in the negotiations, who gave life to the treaty and hope to the people of Iran, who have lived under the yoke of sanctions for years.  President Xi Jinping of China and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia saved the day for Obama.

 

Funny, you do not hear much about how Russia and China made the Obama treaty possible.  I did not hear Obama and Kerry thanking the two semi-bad boys for making possible perhaps the greatest peace development in the Middle East.

Last year I wrote an article calling for an end to sanctions against Iran, Cuba, and Russia, on the grounds the sanctions did not work.  So far, actions by the Obama administration are ending them in Cuba and Iran.

The wisdom and effectiveness of the lifting of sanctions will take years to determine but the initial hope it has given to the Iranian people is gratifying.  The people of Iran believe they have been set free and that is a good side benefit.

Which brings up another question, why is it the Iranian people were the only people in the world celebrating this new treaty?  They refer to it as "freedom."  Perhaps the significance of the treaty goes way beyond nuclear bombs, and it will open the gate toward improved relations with the people of Iran.

I say give the treaty a try, things cannot get worse with Iran.  At the same time, Obama needs to start mending fences with other friends and allies like Israel, Russia, and China.  Stop blaming them for everything bad and try working toward something good.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping - A Man for the Times

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In one of the first signs that major change is underway in China the following stories note the drastic change I the approach of the new Chinese President Xi Jinping as he takes control of the massive Chinese government institutions.

Xi to Politburo - Shape Up and Make Clean Break from Past!

By Russell Leigh Moses

After telling the lower ranks of the Communist Party to shape up and make a clean break from past practice, Chinese leader Xi Jinping has taken aim at a new target:  the Party leadership itself.

And he’s done so with authority and openness from the highest pulpit of politics in China–the Politburo, the very place where the senior leaders sit and make policy.

In a speech at the conclusion of a three-day special meeting that was covered across Party media and took up nearly half of the evening newscast on Tuesday evening, Xi proclaimed that senior members of the Party needed “to play an exemplary role,” and that they had to be “broad-minded enough to reject any selfishness…to adhere to self-respect, self-examination and self-admonition” in their work in Chinese.

It’s extremely rare for Politburo proceedings to be spoken of in such detail and openness.  And it’s unprecedented in modern times for the Party boss to start taking swings at his colleagues at the top by so directly reminding them of their responsibilities—a move that suggests he might be planning something even stronger soon.

Having just admonished lower-level cadres in a salvo last week, some observers might think that Xi is simply putting on a show here. After all, it’s difficult to demand improvement in the work-styles of the rank and file without at least paying lip-service to the idea that those at the top could stand to do a little better themselves.

But the tone of Xi’s comments and the play they’ve received in the state media suggest this is far more than just rhetorical window dressing.  It wasn’t enough for high officials to “strictly abide by party discipline and act in strict accordance with policies and procedures,” Xi said. Those at the top must also “strictly manage their relatives and their staff and refrain from abuse of power.”

“The sole pursuit” of senior members of the Party, Xi insisted, should be tied to “the Party’s cause and interests” – in other words, “to seek benefits for the Chinese people as a whole.”

Whether it’s misuse of official license plates or the high-end looting of state assets, Xi knows that corruption is not always confined to lower-level cadres.

Xi was careful to concede that there have been some positive developments in the ways by which the Politburo and other Party bodies operate, such as “improvements in research and reporting.”  Meetings have been shortened and presentations streamlined, “enhancing the majority of party members’ and cadres’ sense of purpose, as well as the view of the masses” towards the Party leadership, he noted.

But it’s clearly morality at the top — not the way that decisions are made — that concerns Xi and his allies the most.   As Xi’s speech noted, “as long as Politburo comrades always and everywhere set an example, they can continue to call the shots, for that will have a strong demonstration effect, and the Party will be very powerful.”

But Party leaders “must follow their own strict requirements first.”

Xi’s reprimand seems to imply that some of them are not.  His predecessors talked about the general threat to Party rule from the evils of corruption; but in nearly every case they chose to scold officials in the abstract, instead of smacking them around.  As with so many other efforts, Xi’s being different.

Indeed, such comments raise the very real possibility that Xi has someone specific in mind – that he could be about to strike against one or more of the conservatives who populate the Politburo and who might be standing in the way of further reforms.

Whatever form the next round of fighting takes, Xi and his reformist colleagues are clearly interested in creating a fresh sort of politics, even at the very top of the system.  This is risk-taking and resolution of a high order–and it brings a real political showdown with opponents of Xi’s brand of reform all the closer.

Reuters

 The Path to the Top of Chinese Politburo

 By Michelle FlorCruz

Western politicians may have ups and downs in their careers, facing various obstacles like campaigning, raising funds, and another concept foreign to Chinese politicians: elections.

China’s top brass, however, deal with a different path to the top, one that may take longer but appears far steadier. The seven men who make up its Communist Party Politburo Standing Committee, an exclusive group that sits at the top of the country's hierarchy, took 38 years, on average, to get there and followed a pretty linear path, as illustrated by the curves in the above graph.

Contrast that with the political career of U.S presidents Barack Obama (11 years in public office before being elected to the White House); George W. Bush (five years); and Bill Clinton (13 years) -- none of them spent more than one-third of the time in office it takes a Chinese politician to reach the top.  

For the most part, as previously described here, and translated in the above image, climbing the ranks of the Party is pretty formulaic; if you pay your dues at lower level positions and excel, promotion to high office becomes more of a formality. Yet, the seven men at the top still displayed exceptional characteristics. 

China’s current president, Xi Jinping, had the fastest ascent to power, going from the political bottom rung to leading the world’s second-biggest economy in 28 years -- but his rise, while fast, is pretty steady, as the curve shows.  Xi’s major contribution to creating the Special Economic Zones and economic liberalization is what propelled him to top-level politics. Xi’s military background, serving the minister of Defense early on, also made him a standout nominee for the presidency.

China’s Vice President, Li Keqiang, also experienced a relatively quick rise, but rose much faster early in his career. Li rose from a municipal leadership position, to a provincial level position, to a provincial deputy minister position, in just four years, becoming the youngest provincial governor at the age of 43, when he was appointed to lead Henan. This jump took China’s president twice the time to achieve.  Many attribute Li’s quick rise to power to efforts he made leading an economic development project in Henan, transforming poor areas in the province into profitable, investment-attractive cities.

In addition, most of the standing committee members have held positions in the Chinese Communist Youth League, considered one of the best ways to land on a fast-track in Chinese politics and has a reputation for cultivating top-level caliber leaders. Li Keqiang, Liu Yunshan, Zhang Dejiang and Li Yuanchao were all part of the Youth League at some point in their careers.
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The China Syndrome - America's Jaundice View

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Ignoring History - Dismissing Truth

 

The China Syndrome was a 1979 American thriller movie that tells the story of a television reporter and her cameraman who discover safety cover ups at a nuclear power plant.

 

Starring Jane Fonda, Jack Lemmon and Michael Douglas it was released on March 16, 1979 at the Cold War peak when people were starting to become wary of those "nuclear reactors" popping up all over the country.

 

What would happen if one of those plants had a problem?  If the reactor core melted down and super-heated radioactive materials sank through the reactor core en route to China?  That frightening scenario was the core of the movie so to speak.

 

 

People may not remember but the reference to "China syndrome" meant an American nuclear reactor meltdown in which the radioactive core could sink all the way through the Earth and contaminate China.

 

Of course back in that time China was allied with the Soviet Union so it was politically correct to disparage the Communists with such negative innuendoes as suffering the worst from an American nuclear accident.

 

Fate being the ever-fickle player on the world stage, just 12 days after the release of the unsettling China Syndrome movie the first real nuclear power plant accident in the world took place at Three Mile Island (TMI) in Pennsylvania.

 

It would be five years before the extent of damage from the melt down would be known and cost over $1 billion to clean up the mess and seal the contaminated reactor.  By the way, there were no deaths or serious injuries.

 

 

Well times have changed since then.  China is no longer a potential enemy but now the holder of more American debt than any other nation on Earth.  With over one billion people it is now the second largest economic force in the world.

 

Yet our American government still doesn't get it.  President Obama and his administration still blame China for problems ranging from tariff wars to cyber hacking, from the theft of patents and intellectual property to investing in natural resources in other countries as if that was a bad thing.

 

 

Somewhere along the line America decided China was part of the dark force that cloaked the world and in the process we conveniently forgot the 5,500 years that China has been contributing to the advances of mankind.  In truth it is the rest of us who have pretty much ripped off the Chinese.

 

Now there is a new president of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping.  For the first time the largest country in the world has a political leader who has experienced the world and understands the role China can play in the world.

 

 

Furthermore, Xi has a First Lady, Peng Liyuan who is nearly as famous as her husband, the president.  Adept at opera, patriotic, folk and  pop singing while becoming a major general in the Chinese military, she was the first in China to earn a Master's Degree in Ethnic Music when the degree was first established in the 1980's.

 

 

 

 

 

Charismatic and personable, she is the consummate performing artist both on and off the stage.  Oh, did I mention she is quite beautiful as well whether dressed for opera, the military, or just hanging out with the prez.

 

 

President Xi came from a family deeply involved in the overthrow of what they considered to be the corrupt Republic of China that came to power in 1911 and ruled until the Communists took over in 1949.

 

 

By 1968 Xi's father, a prominent member of the Communist ruling body, was arrested as part of the brutal Cultural Revolution of Mao.  When asked about this experience later by state television, Xi recalled it saying, "It was emotional. It was a mood. And when the ideals of the Cultural Revolution could not be realised, it proved an illusion."

 

Other events that influenced the evolvement of Xi included:

 

Over 20 million Chinese civilians were killed by the Japanese during World War II, a war fought from 1937-1945.

 

The Republic of China overthrew the last dynasty in 1911, and ruled the Chinese mainland until 1949 when Mao Zedong led the Communist revolution.

 

 

October 1, 1949 the People's Republic of China was declared by Mao Zedong who ruled from 1949 to 1976.

 

Population nearly doubled under Mao (550 million to 900 million).

 

From 1958-61 under Mao's "Great Leap Forward" campaign 45 million Chinese died, mostly of starvation.

 

Mao's "Cultural Revolution" lasted from 1966 until his death in 1976.

 

You can add to these the fact that Joseph Stalin had been working since the Russian revolution (1917) to bring about a revolution in China and fold them into the Soviet umbrella.

 

One of the disasters of World War II was that two allies, America and the Soviet Union, would save the world from Hitler and the Japanese yet whose distrust for each other would send the world spiraling into a Cold War and the greatest arms race in history.

 

 

I think we forget that China had a long and illustrious history from the time humans first showed up on Mother Earth.

 

China has been a Communist nation for just 64 years, less time that Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton and even George Bush have been alive.

 

The area of China was first populated between 250,000 and 2.4 billion years ago.  A cave in Zhoukoudian contained fossils dated 300,000 to 750,000 years ago, fossils that proved the existence of civilized man.  The Peking Man site yielded remains of Homo sapiens dating back 18,000-11,000 BC.

 

 

Over 5,000 years ago, around 3,000 years before Jesus, Chinese were writing and the Xia dynasty began a system of hereditary monarchies known as dynasties that ruled the land.  By 221 BC several states were conquered and thus began the Chinese Empire under the reign of the Qin Dynasty.

 

Along the way there were some pretty powerful leaders like the Mongol leader Kublai Khan.

 

Also along the way the Chinese literally wrote the book for mankind in terms of health care and treatment, math, technology and even religion as Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism all evolved in the Chinese culture thousands of years before Christianity.

 

 

I will be devoting future articles to the Chinese contributions to mankind.  But first I want to make my own little contribution to the Chinese.  I want to recognize the fact that the word "China" has nothing to do with the long and colorful history of the largest population in the world.

 

Zhongguo is the most common name for China. The first character zhōng (中) means "central" or "middle," while guó (國/国) means "state" or "states," and in modern times, "nation."

 

The term in ancient usage referred to the “Central States” of the period before the unification of the empire around 221 BC; a culturally distinct core area centered on the Yellow River valley.

 

 

In the 20th century students began to spread the concept of Zhōnghuá (中华/中華), which represented the people, including 56 minority ethnic groups and the Han-Chinese with a single culture identifying themselves as "Chinese".

 

The Republic of China (1911) and the People's Republic of China (1949) both used the title "Zhōnghuá" in their official names. Thus, "Zhōngguó" became the common name for both governments.

 

As for the purpose of this article, it is to begin to introduce you to the truth about China and the Chinese.  We have a most extraordinary opportunity to turn our international relations away from using force and fear to manage the world.

 

 

China has a new president who actually went to visit Iowa, my home state, when he first got involved in Chinese politics.  It seems feeding the people was a lot more important than hurting the people to young Xi Jinping.

 

Because of his family involvement he knows the good and bad of Communist politics and has already demonstrated that what happened in the past will not be tolerated in his time as president of the people of China.

 

America and Obama can embrace the Chinese as ancient friends and help America and the world rediscover the treasure trove of scientific, technology, medical, arts and military history and achievements of the past 5,000 years of Chinese history.

 

The citizens of both America and China will be the beneficiaries.  Don't forget, while we lay claim to the highest standard of living and most money in the world the Chinese people live longer and have far fewer health problems than we do.

 

 

There is a lot of beauty in China, yes, like my favorite Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi.

 

It seems there is a lot we can share.

Thank you.

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China & America - It's Time for a New Partnership

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How long does it take for a nation like the United States who is now 236 years old, to recognize the incredible history, knowledge, science, health and many other aspects of a culture like China who is now over 5,500 years old?

China not only is an ancient civilization but it has a mysterious, metaphysical and mystical legacy that captivates and becomes the source of fable, folklore and fantasy.

This ancient society has contributed much more than myth and legend, however, with health and wellness through Traditional Chinese Medicine, (TCM) being among the most significant.  The following description is from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Shi-hua Wu & wife

"Traditional Chinese medicine, which encompasses many different practices, is rooted in the ancient philosophy of Taoism and dates back more than 5,000 years. Today, TCM is practiced side by side with Western medicine in many of China’s hospitals and clinics.

TCM is widely used in the United States. Although the exact number of people who use TCM in the United States is unknown, it was estimated in 1997 that some 10,000 practitioners served more than 1 million patients each year.

According to the 2007 National Health Interview Survey, which included questions on the use of various CAM therapies, an estimated 3.1 million U.S. adults had used acupuncture in the previous year.

In addition, according to this same survey, approximately 17 percent of adults use natural products, including herbs, making it the most commonly used therapy. In another survey, more than one-third of the patients at six large acupuncture clinics said they also received Chinese herbal treatments at the clinics.

Underlying the practice of TCM is a unique view of the world and the human body that is different from Western medicine concepts. This view is based on the ancient Chinese perception of humans as microcosms of the larger, surrounding universe—interconnected with nature and subject to its forces. The human body is regarded as an organic entity in which the various organs, tissues, and other parts have distinct functions but are all interdependent. In this view, health and disease relate to balance of the functions.

The theoretical framework of TCM has a number of key components:

Yin-yang theory—the concept of two opposing, yet complementary, forces that shape the world and all life—is central to TCM.

In the TCM view, a vital energy or life force called qiIn traditional Chinese medicine, the vital energy or life force proposed to regulate a person’s spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical health and to be influenced by the opposing forces of yin and yang. circulates in the body through a system of pathways called meridians. Health is an ongoing process of maintaining balance and harmony in the circulation of qi.

The TCM approach uses eight principles to analyze symptoms and categorize conditions: cold/heat, interior/exterior, excess/deficiency, and yin/yang (the chief principles). TCM also uses the theory of five elements—fire, earth, metal, water, and wood—to explain how the body works; these elements correspond to particular organs and tissues in the body.

These concepts are documented in the Huang Di Nei Jing (Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor), the classic Chinese medicine text."

When it comes to America's view of China today it is largely a holdover of the Cold War view of the Soviet Union and Red China.  They were opponents, competitors, adversaries and anything else that might inspire fear.

We often forget that the Soviet Union, the first Communist nation, was in power for nearly 75 years while China has been Communist just 63 years.  China was our ally back in World War II as first Japan and then the Soviet Union overran China.

World War II left China with over 22 million military and civilian deaths , second in deaths only to the Soviets who suffered 45 million deaths.  This compares to the United States, active in both the Atlantic and Pacific campaigns, who suffered a total of 296,000 deaths, military and civilian.

China is no longer the suppressive state that once rigidly enforced birth control or suppressed human rights.  Just this week Chen Guangcheng, a Chinese dissident in the middle of an international crisis when he fled to the US Embassy in China, was released by the Chinese along with his family to move to the United States so he could attend New York University law school.

Not only is China the largest purchaser of US Treasury Bonds, but China is investing substantial funds in US businesses like this weeks $6 billion purchase of AMC Theaters.

This fall China will elect a new president and it is expected to be Xi Jinping, now vice president of China and the apparent successor to President Hu Jintao.

Mr. Xi is expected to formally take the reins of the world’s second-largest economy and fastest-modernizing military power late in 2012.

Recently Xi Jinping made a whirlwind tour of the US from Congress and the White House to Iowa cornfields and then to California and he gave hints of a new opportunity for Chinese American partnerships if we can just get past the misconceptions of the past.

His views of the West remain difficult to divine. He once told the American ambassador to China over dinner that he enjoyed Hollywood films about World War II because of the American sense of good and evil, according to diplomatic cables obtained by WikiLeaks.

On a visit to Mexico in 2009, when he was defending China’s record in the global financial crisis before an audience of overseas Chinese, he suggested that he was impatient with foreigners wary of China’s new power in the world.

“Some foreigners with full bellies and nothing better to do engage in finger-pointing at us,” he said. “First, China does not export revolution; second, it does not export famine and poverty; and third, it does not mess around with you. So what else is there to say?”

Who is he?

Currently China's vice-president and vice chair of the Central Military Commission (which controls the army).  He is the s on of Xi Zhongxun, one of the Communist Party's founding fathers.  Xi joined the ruling party in 1974.  His wife, singer Peng Liyuan, describes him as frugal, hardworking and down-to-earth.

Most important, he will be the new leader of China and it is time we gave the Chinese what they have earned and deserve, a partnership agreement with the US.  Remember, China still maintains direct access to North Korea, Iran and Syria.

The construction activity in China dominates the world economic market and directly impacts on commodity prices, crude oil supplies, even wood for housing.

It is time we treat them as the second most powerful force on Earth.

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Chinese Dominate American Politics, Sports and Dog Shows

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The Year of the Dragon 2012

What a month for the Chinese in America starting with the Chinese New Year on January 23, 2012 celebrating the Year of the Dragon.

Think about the dragon!

In Chinese astrology the dragon is the only animal of the Chinese zodiac year that is not real.

In Chinese astrology the dragon is quite special and very much revered.

The dragon holds special significance for the Chinese people.

More than 4,000 years ago, there were two large tribes and many smaller tribes in China. The tribes had animals as emblems. The two large tribes unified and chose the dragon as their symbol. In fact, the Han Chinese still call themselves the descendants of the Dragon.

In Chinese astrology the dragon was seen as a powerful almighty king because it was made up of different parts of animals such as a tiger, fish, snake and an eagle.

The Chinese dragon was not seen as a threatening evil being as we do in the west - rather a symbol of power, superiority and rule.

Still today, the Dragon is a revered symbol. You can see many sculptures and carvings of the dragon. Even today, the Chinese associate the dragon with power and wisdom.

In Chinese astrology a dragon person is special. Born in the Chinese Year of the Dragon they usually stand out as befits a dragon. They are powerful and wise.

Future Leader of China Visits America

China's leader-in-waiting, Vice President Xi Jinping, met with President Barack Obama Tuesday on the first day of his week in the USA with stops scheduled in Iowaand Los Angeles.

The 58-year-old is expected to succeed China's President Hu Jintao, who must retire as head of the Communist Party later this year and from the presidency in 2013.

He becomes the highest ranking Chinese official to visit the USAsince 2002 and he noted that 40 years ago it was President Richard Nixon who was the first American leader to visit China and open the door to future cooperation.

Nixon's visit to the People's Republic of China in 1972 opened diplomatic relations between the two nations.

Chinese American Jeremy Lin and Linsanity

TORONTO (AP)—Even after his amazing week, this one took Linsanity to a whole new level. Against Toronto on Tuesday, it was Lin for the win!

New York Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin made a tiebreaking 3-pointer with less than a second to play to cap his finishing flurry of six straight points and New York rallied to beat the Raptors 90-87, extending its winning streak to six games.

“I’m just glad it went like this so we can calm the Linsanity down,”cracked Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni.

No chance of that. The NBA’s first American-Taiwanese player, Lin scored 27 points and added a career-high 11 assists in his first game since being named Eastern Conference player of the week.

Pekingese Struts Away with Westminster Dog Show Championship

A Pennsylvania dog has claimed top honors at the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.  Malachy, a Pekingese won Best in Show tonight at the 136th New York show, beating seven other group winners.  The victory was his 115th overall best in show title.

The Pekingese is a well-balanced, compact dog of Chinese origin.

Chinese art throughout the ages, starting with the Tang dynasty of the 8th century, abounds with images of the Pekingese, who gets his name from the ancient city of Peking, now called Beijing.

Pekingese were held sacred in ancient China and could only be owned by royalty. At that time, the punishment for stealing a Pekingese was death. Pekingese came to Europe as a result of war. When the British overtook the Chinese Imperial Palace in 1860, they returned home with several of the dogs.
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