US-China Summit

The two most important countries in the world have an entangling cord of self interest that cannot be broken. Between these two countries there are also contradictions and chaos that are difficult to rationalize. This is the status quo of China and the United States at this moment. If we merely look at the relationship between these two countries, then the newsworthiness of the contents of the China-US bilateral ties are enough to let the mainstream media from China and the United States to feel as if they had hit the jackpot and found the treasure.

Moreover, for this current visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao to the United States, US President Barack Obama has accorded the grandest welcoming ceremony and high diplomatic protocol that were rarely used in the United States to receive a national leader. Adding to this, President Obama also used the "most private dinner" and the "most elaborated banquet" to entertain Hu Jintao....In this regard, whether we view Hu's visit to the United States from political contents or from merely the elaborated grand scale, the meeting between Hu and Obama was indeed a rare media feast for the press.

Diplomatic Event
Quite a lot of media have joined the crowd and watched the China-US diplomatic event passing by (in Washington, DC). However there were even more media channels devoting their energy to analyze the meeting between Hu and Obama. Just as the analysis done by the US Cable News Network (CNN) said: "If we can use one word to describe the China-US relationship, the relationship between these two countries can be described as 'complex'." As a matter of fact, the "complexity" of China-US relations is but the most essential nature and fundamental relationship between these two countries. The China-US economic and trade relations are related to business gains and advantages. However, amid such bi-lateral trade relationship, there exist bi-lateral disputes over the exchange rate of the Chinese currency Renminbi and the existing trade imbalance between the two countries. Coincidentally, out of the total Chinese foreign currency reserve as a result of the accumulation of China's trade surplus over the years, nearly $900 billion dollars of it has been used to repurchase the US treasury bonds. These bonds have in turn become a staunch financial support for the US Federal Government.

The geopolitical conflict of interest between China and the United States in Northeast Asia, the Cheonan ship incident, and the conflict between South and North Korea over the artillery shelling of Yeongpyeong island have eventually led to the strengthening of the US-Japan-South Korea alliance partnership. These developments in Northeast Asia have even led the world community to have glimpse of a possible development of a Cold War in the Korean Peninsula. But on the other hand, the United States has also considered China as a decisive force in resolving the pending North Korean nuclear weapon crisis.

Media's Interpretation
Because of this, the interpretation of the mainstream media on China-US relationship can also be quite complex, even contradictory. Take The New York Times as an example: On one hand this US media said the Chinese national leader has brought a message of peace and harmony to the United States; and on the other, this US media also questioned the authority, power and credibility of Hu Jintao. Similarly, when China's "People's Daily" emphasized the rapid and positive development of China-US trade ties; yet at the same time, this Chinese media also candidly said that the Chinese market has already become "a tree that can shake off money" of the United States. It further counter questioned the rationale of why the United States should still be unhappy about China.

Because of the complexity of China-US relations, it is unrealistic for the media from China and the United States to praise the elaborated and luxury meeting between Hu and Obama loudly and to hold high expectation that after the Hu-Obama meeting, the contradiction between China and the United States will all be eliminated and the hard ice between the two countries will all be melted. It is not practical to think that the China-US relationship has entered a period of springtime after the Hu-Obama meeting.

It remains a fact that the respective Chinese and US media will, regardless of whether their political philosophy is leaned toward right or left, will always stand on the side of their own country. Under such complex and contradicting circumstances encountered by China and the United States, we are not at all surprised that the Chinese and the US media will also engage in a kind of media war eventually.

It is worth mentioning that over the past year, the disputes and arguments between China and the United States have made the media from both sides of the countries feeling uneasy. As such, both the Chinese and US media are still full of expectation and optimism over the meeting between Hu and Obama. China's Xinhua News Agency, People's Daily, China Central Television (CCTV) and other media in China have elaborately highlighted the New energy Agreement signed between China and the United States. The Chinese media stressed that this round of meeting between Hu and Obama has opened a new chapter in China-US ties.

US Ungrateful Attitude
The Chicago Tribune is deemed as a good representation of the US media with optimistic outlook. It quoted Mayor of Chicao Richard D. Daley as saying that the visit of Chinese President Hu to China was "big deal." It reported that the Chicago Mayor has used the word "big" five times in the sentence. The excitement over Hu's visit to China as reported by the US press was palpable. Washington Post, the Associated Press, Bloomberg, and other US press have also given high hope for the positive outcome of the meeting between Hu and Obama.

No matter how the Chinese and US media interpreted the meeting between Hu and Obama, the message given out through the high profile meeting between Hu and Obama to China and the United States as well as to the world community is a good and favorable one. President Hu Jintao said: "Cooperation between China and the United States will benefit both the countries but confrontation between China and the United States will cause losses to both China and the United States." The Joint statement issued by President Hu Jintao and President Barack Obama after their meeting has stressed that these two nations would establish comprehensive and mutually beneficial partnership relationship. This has reflected the inner desire and wish of the governments of the two countries.

There is one thing we must mention here. China has signed a $13 billion dollar worth of clean energy bill, bought Boeing aircrafts and signed a big agreement worth $45bil dollars with the United States. China has taken pragmatic action to express China's goodwill and sincerity to the United States. This shows that although the China-US relationship is very complex, as long as both countries are willing to change their traditional thinking process and release goodwill to each other, there is no knot that cannot undo.

The question we have in mind now is that after the gala meeting held between Hu and Obama, while the United States enjoys the economic big feast given by China, will the US political and media circles again relapse to their own attitude and repeat their ungratefulness to China as the Chinese saying goes: "He is one who sucks the milk but turns back to scold the mother "? If this is the case, then the fantastic scene of the meeting between President Hu Jintao and President Barack Obama will become the clouds in the sky that resemble nothing. This will lead the world community to feel happy about the good meeting between Hu and Obama for nothing.

China Invites RSA To Join BRIC States As Full Member

Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane informed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Yang Jiechi that BRIC (Brazil, Russian Federation, India, China) invites Republic of South Africa into BRICS (Brazil, Russian Federation, India, China, and South Africa) as a full member.

Agreement Reached
The Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of South Africa, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, received a telephone call from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Yang Jiechi informing her that China, in its capacity as the rotating chairperson of the BRIC formation, based on agreement reached between the BRIC Member States, invites South Africa as a full member into BRICS.

He further indicated that President Hu Jintao also issued a letter of invitation to President Jacob Zuma to attend the 3rd BRICS Leaders' Summit to be held in China. Minister Yang conveyed that China believed that South Africa's accession would promote the development of BRICS and enhance cooperation among emerging market economies.

Communication and Coordination
On behalf of President Zuma and the South African Government, Minister Nkoana-Mashabane expressed South Africa's sincere appreciation for the invitation to join BRICS, as well as the invitation from President Hu to attend the Summit. The Minister emphasized that South Africa was ready to step up communication and coordination with China and other BRICS Member States for mutually beneficial cooperation.

Minister Nkoana-Mashabane wrote to her BRIC counterparts in 2009 to raise the possibility of South Africa's BRIC membership. President Zuma subsequently met with BRIC leaders in the course of 2010. The rationale for South Africa's approach was in consideration of a matter of crucial importance to BRICS Member States, namely the role of emerging economies in advancing the restructuring of the global political, economic and financial architecture into one that is more equitable, balanced and rests on the important pillar of multilateralism.

Relations With Emerging Powers
In fact, the approach to intensifying relations with emerging powers and other countries of the South is, of course, through active and strong bilateral engagement. In addition, however, BRICS also see the NAM (Non-Aligned Movement) and the G77 as important for South-South interaction, especially within the framework of the United Nations.

At another level, it is seen the formation of the IBSA (India, Brazil, South Africa) and our membership of that body as a mechanism not only for enhancing our trilateral partnership with India and Brazil, but also as an important pillar for strengthening the muscle of the South in global affairs.

Enhanced Cooperation Efforts
It is believed that the IBSA will get a better balance, and become even stronger, with South Africa now as a member of the BRICS. However, it remains convinced that South Africa's diversified foreign policy objectives and interests allow for both groupings (IBSA and BRICS) to co-exist. It is the belief that the mandates of BRICS and IBSA are highly complementary.

South Africa and BRICS Member States already collaborated and will continue to collaborate closely in various international organizations and formations such as the United Nations, the G20 and the IBSA Dialogue Forum. All BRICS countries will serve on the UNSC [United Nations Security Council] in 2011 as permanent (China, Russian Federation) or non-permanent members (Brazil, India and South Africa), which augurs positively for enhanced cooperation efforts in terms of the salient issues of common interest.

Indian Nuclear Installations, Reserves Highly Insecure

Recently, India and France signed a nuclear deal, under which France would provide two nuclear plants to India. The increasing Indian nuclear tendency raises several significant questions regarding security of the nuclear program. India has always been censuring Pakistani nuclear program so as to divert the global attention from the threats posed by its own nuclear program.

All Indian nuclear installations are situated in the eastern part of the country, where several separatist movements, including naxalites (Maoist guerrillas), are on their zenith. Similarly the Indian missile installations are situated either in the areas affected by naxalites or in those areas where Hindu extremists are active. Neither is the Indian Government's writ established nor is the Indian law enforced in 90 percent of these areas. The area has, rather become a no-go zone for the Indian Government.

Grim Situation
Koteshwar Rao, a Maoist leader, has recently claimed that they would get independence before 2050. If the naxalites can stop the Indian security forces from coming in any area, they can also blackmail the entire world by occupying the nuclear installations and material. According to the Indian Government sources, Uranium Processing Plant, Uranium Corporation of India Limited, Tiljer Heavy Water Plant, and Institute of Physics Jharkand are situated in the area where naxalites have complete control and their activities are at a premium.

Most of the Indian missiles installations are in Chandigarh, where the Sikh separatists, under the banner of Babar Khalsa are running an independence movement. Similarly, the reserves of Prithvi ballistic missiles are in the disputed valley of Jammu and Kashmir.

Ajit Dowel, former director of the IB [Intelligence Bureau], says that there are strong possibilities that naxalites direct their attention to illegal trade of uranium in order to enhance their resources. There are several people in the circles of the Indian nuclear scientists who are sympathetic to the naxalites, and provide covert support to the naxalites in using and illegal trade of Uranium. M. Mahalingam, scientist at Kaiga Nuclear Power Plant Karnataka, was one of them. Mahalingam mysteriously disappeared in June 2009, and his body was found in a pond a few days later.

It was presumed that he had committed suicide. In fact, RAW (Research and Analysis Wing), the Indian intelligence agency, had arrested Mahalingam for suspected links with the naxalites. However, he died as a result of the third degree torture during interrogation.
Illegal Trade of Nuclear Material
India has made no special security arrangements for its nuclear installations. Therefore, its installations meet accidents every now and then. The incident at Kaiga Nuclear Power Plant is one of these. In this incident, 90 officials fell ill as a result of drinking radiated water. In the nuclear installations throughout the country, 134 untoward incidents occurred during the 1990s. The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board claimed in 1998 that 28 incidents had occurred in nine power stations. However, none of these incidents was of a serious nature.

Nevertheless, the fact is that plants were shut because of fire eruption in five of these incidents. In one of the incidents, a scientist died when poisonous gas spread in a heavy water plant. Atomic pilfering, smuggling of nuclear fuel and mysterious deaths of scientists have become a regular feature of Indian nuclear plants and installations.

The Mumbai police arrested three people with large quantities of uranium on 7 December 2009. Similarly, the Bihar police arrested a group of smugglers near the Nepal's border on 19 February 2008. The police recovered 4-kg of uranium from their custody. The West Bengal police arrested two people and recovered more than 200 gm of semiprocessed uranium on 27 August 2001. The Mumbai police recovered 8.3-kg of uranium on 1 May 2000.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the police arrested eight people on charges of involvement in illegal trade of nuclear material on 13 November 2008. Three uranium rods were also recovered from their custody. According to the IAEA sources, the Indian police recovered 57 pounds of uranium on 7 November 2000, and arrested two people for illegal trade of nuclear material.

All these incidents prove that Indian Nuclear Energy Commission does not have complete control over nuclear material. Moreover, its monitoring system is also quite deficient. As far as smuggling of nuclear material and the relevant resources is concerned, India is not behind any country. According to the CNN report of 26 January 2003, NEC (Naranjo Engineering Consultants) engineers, an Indian company, sent 10 consignments to Iraq, including very sensitive tools for the nuclear plant. Indian nuclear installations are threatened by the terrorists as well.

Security Measures
Fire erupted mysteriously in Bhabha Atomic Research Center on 29 December 2009. Later investigations proved that goons from the racket of Chhota Rajan, a Mumbai underworld don, had set it ablaze in collaboration with some less known serving as well as expelled police officials. Such incidents cast further doubts regarding the Indian nuclear program and nuclear installations. These incidents also raise questions as to how the United States and the Western countries can sign deals with India, in spite of such security arrangements of nuclear program.

These incidents are slap on the face of the Western media persons and governments. These incidents prove that Indian nuclear installations and reserves, rather the entire infrastructure, is highly insecure, and possibilities that extremists might gain access to it are far greater as compared to that of Pakistani nuclear infrastructure. India cannot boast the security measures of its nuclear program and its insecurity is a food for thought for the IAEA and also for the entire world.