China This Week: Geological Disasters; US-Chinese Relations; Carbon Emissions

Geological Disasters Spike: China recorded more than 26,000 geological disasters in the first seven months of this year, nearly 10 times the number in the same period last year, Minister of Land and Resources Xu Shaoshi said on Friday.

The disasters, ranging from landslides to ground subsidence, left 843 people dead or missing and led to direct economic losses of more than 3.34 billion yuan ($491 million), Xu said.

Xu attributed the disasters to frequent extreme weather such as severe droughts and rainstorms, as well as to the impact of seismic activities.

Four dead, 88 missing after mudslides: Four people have been confirmed dead and 88 others are still missing Thursday after mudslides hit a remote mountain town in southwest China's Yunnan Province.



Days of torrential rain triggered the mudslides, local officials said.

Torrential rains have wreaked havoc across China this summer, with the worst flooding and landslides in decades. Massive mudslides on 8 August 8 in Zhouqu county, in Gansu Province in northwestern China, have left 1,287 people dead and 457 missing.

China “Not a Threat” in Latin America: The US does not view China as a threat in Latin America and Washington is in talks with Beijing on cooperation in the region, long considered America's backyard, a senior US official said on Wednesday.

While China's trade share in Latin America is small, the potential is huge and there are many areas of possible cooperation, said Arturo Valenzuela, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere affairs, as he arrived in China for a five-day tour. However, Valenzuela added, "We are talking generally we haven't come up with any concrete steps".

The Obama Administration's top diplomat for Latin America said he regarded China's accession to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) as well as official observer status at the Organization of American States (OAS) as positive moves.

China Criticises US Military Report: China on Wednesday lashed out at a Pentagon report on Beijing's defense capabilities. "Issuing this report is not beneficial for the improvement and development of China-US military ties," Senior Colonel Geng Yansheng, spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, said.

The report, issued on Monday after a five-month delay, devoted a whole chapter to blaming the current impasse in China-US military contacts on Beijing. Military contacts were frozen in January after Washington pressed for a $6.4-billion arms deal with Taiwan.

In June, China rejected a proposed visit by US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.

China envoy visits North Korea: Wu Dawei, China's special representative for Korean Peninsula affairs, visited the Democratic People's Republic of Korea from 16-18 August, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

Wu exchanged views with the North Koreans on maintaining the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and on restarting the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear programme.

China, Mongolia Military Co-operation: The Chinese andMongolian militaries should continue exploring new areas of co-operation, said Ma Xiaotian, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, as he meeting Bor Baatar, Secretary of State of Mongolia's Defense Ministry, on Friday.

The two sides also exchanged views on regional security.

China Maritime Hotline with Japan?: China has proposed establishment of a maritime emergency hotline with Japan to prevent civilian and military clashes in the East China Sea and other waters, sources from both governments have said.

The measures raised by Beijing include an annual meeting, a conference to discuss emergency situations, and sharing of frequencies and signals used by ships and airplanes during emergencies.

Beijing has already established hotlines with Seoul and Washington.

China, IAEA to Ink Nuclear Safety Deal: China and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are expected to sign an agreement on nuclear safety as the UN nuclear watchdog's chief, Yukiya Amano, visits China.

The two sides will boost cooperation in personnel training and nuclear safety in East Asia and across the world, according to a draft of the agreement.

Carbon Reduction Locations: The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China's top economic planning body, said on Wednesday that it has selected pilot carbon cities to address the nation's carbon emissions issues.

The NDRC has selected five provinces --- Guangdong, Hubei, Liaoning, Shaanxi, and Yunnan --- and the cities of Tianjin, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Xiamen, Shenzhen, Guiyang, Nanchang, and Baoding.

Each area is required to draft a plan to reduce carbon emissions and develop a green economy for China's 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015).

The country pledged to reduce its 2005 carbon intensity rate --- the amount of carbon dioxide produced per unit of GDP --- by 40 to 45% before the end of 2020.

China to Spend Billions on Forestation: China's government will earmark a total 200 billion yuan ($30 billion) to forestation schemes to the end of 2021, the State Forestry Administration (SFA) announced Wednesday.

China had 195 million hectares of forests by the end of 2008, according to the most recent survey.

UPDATED New York's Proposed Islamic Cultural Center: The Daily Show's Investigation

UPDATE 22 August: And the comedy and incisive comment keeps on coming. Jon Stewart and his crew have returned to the controversy over the Islamic Cultural Center to take on "guilt by association" claims in "Extremist Makeover --- Homeland Edition". Their conclusion? Using the critics' "logic" and the example of a piece of cardboard and a yellow highlight, you can turn Fox News into Terrorist Command Central.

And, if you stay tuned, you get The Daily Show's take on the contest between "Team Mohammad" and "Team Jesus".



Watch programme.... (US Readers: "Extremist Makeover" and "Team Mohammed v. Team Jesus")

US Politics & Religion: A Way Forward on and beyond the Islamic Cultural Centre (Ezell)
New York's Proposed Islamic Cultural Center: Information & Comment (Olbermann)

Prompted by readers, we're hoping to feature analyses later this week on the controversy over the proposed Islamic Cultural Center on Park Avenue, 2 1/2 blocks from the site of the World Trade Center. I am working through many thoughts and some emotion on this issue, so --- while I reflect --- I turn this issue over to The Daily Show, which has not just one but two commentaries by Jon Stewart and not just one but two reports by Wyatt Cenac.

Watch Programme 1.... (US readers watch via Daily Show for Stewart and Cenac)

Watch Programme 2.... (US Readers watch via Daily Show site)

The Latest from Iran (21 August): Nuclear Games and Questions

2140 GMT: Bushehr Games. The Israeli Government has denounced the introduction of uranium rods into Iran's first nuclear plant. Foreign Ministry spokesman Yossi Levy said:

It is totally unacceptable that a country that so blatantly violates resolutions of theSecurity Council, decisions of the International Atomic Energy Agency and its commitments under the NPT (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) should enjoy the fruits of using nuclear energy. The international community should increase pressure on to force Iran to abide by international decisions and cease its enrichment activities and its construction of reactors.

[Editor's Note: Israel is not a signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.]

1850 GMT: Why Can't We Be Friends? Looks like Britain has got an unexpected round of applause from Iran's state media.

Earlier today Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt put out the statement, "The loading of Russian fuel into the Bushehr nuclear power reactor demonstrates that Iran can have the benefits of nuclear power. We have always respected Iran's right to develop an exclusively civil nuclear power programme."

Press TV found a reason to be cheerful: "UK: Iran Entitled to Peaceful N Energy".

However, the Iranian website did not mention the next sentence of Burt's statement: "The problem is Iran's continued refusal to satisfy the IAEA and international community that its work on uranium enrichment and heavy water projects are exclusively peaceful."

NEW Iran Video: BBC Interview with Human Rights Lawyer Mohammad Mostafaei
Iran Document & Analysis: Supreme Leader’s Speech on US-Iran Relations & Internal Situation (18 August)
Iran: Obama Administration Dampens Down War Chatter (Mazzetti/Sanger)
The Latest from Iran (21 August): Khamenei v. Ahmadinejad?

1840 GMT: Tough Talk Today (cont.). Brigadier General Yadollah Javani waves at the US and Israel, "Should the enemy make this mistake [of attacking Iran], the Islamic Republic is capable of defending itself beyond its borders and of putting the interests of the enemies in jeopardy."

Javani said the test-firing of the new surface-to-surface missile, Qiam 1, "demonstrate[d] Tehran's military might to the enemies".

1505 GMT: Family Matters. Zahra Rahnavard has strongly condemned the "Family Protection" bill, urging Parliament to reject it, as she claims that it gives more power to men to be polygamous without the knowledge of a wife and harshly discriminates against women. Rahnavard asserted, "Striking the so-called 'Family Protection bill from Parliament's agenda is not a feminist demand but rather is a symbol of national demand for the prosperity of the Iranian nation and the stability of Iranian families."

1425 GMT: Shutting Down Politics. The Ministry of Interior has re-confirmed that the Islamic Iran Participation Front and Mojadehin of Islamic Revolution party are now illegal.

1420 GMT: The Human Rights Lawyer. We have posted the video of BBC HARDTalk's interview with lawyer Mohammad Mostafaei, who recently had to leave Iran to avoid arrest.

1320 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch (The Lawsuit Against Nokia Siemens). CNN has picked up on the story of the lawsuit of detained journalist Isa Saharkhiz and his son Mehdi against Nokia Siemens Networks for sale and provision of technology used by the Iranian Government for surveillance (see 0835 GMT).

1315 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Hamed Omidid, a technology student at Allameh University, has been sentenced to three years in prison for assembly and conspiracy against national security.

Omided was detained on 10 February during a Tehran University protest of the execution of Ehsan Fattahian. He was given the maximum sentence become he was in the front row of demonstrators. He has also been banned from continuing his studies.

1310 GMT: Tough Talk Today. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, talking to Qatari daily Al-Sharq, on the response if Iran is attacked:

Our options will have no limits....They will touch the entire planet....I believe that some think about attacking Iran, especially those within the Zionist entity. But they know that Iran is an indestructible bulwark and I do not think their American masters will let them do it. They also know that the Iranian response will be hard and painful.

1130 GMT: Sanctions Watch (US-Turkey Edition). The Turkish daily Hurriyet follows up the story that a US delegation from the State and Treasury Departments have warned that Turkish companies that continue their relations with Iran in defiance of sanctions risk breaking business ties with the US.

The delegation reportedly stated it will enforce sanctions against Turkish organizations investing in Iran’s energy sector and selling petroleum products to Tehran.

The US Embassy's spokeswoman said, “A group visited this week from the Treasury Department and discussed the new U.S. legislation on the UN’s decision [to impose] sanctions against Iran. There are Turkish companies that want to do business with the United States and they should be aware of the latest law."

1120 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Professor Hadi Hakim-Shafaei has been given a three-year sentence for acting against national security, insulting the Supreme Leader, and carrying out anti-regime propaganda.

Hakim-Shafaei was detained on 11 February and held for 30 days, 15 in solitary confinement, before being released on $50,000 bail. He has also been banned from teaching .

1015 GMT: Nuclear Hype. Amidst a slow news day in Iran, The Daily Telegraph uses the Bushehr nuclear plant as an excuse for a blatant distortion of an article.

The Telegraph lifts the comment from Gary Samore, President Obama's advisor on nuclear proliferation, in The New York Times article that we noted yesterday: "The process of converting nuclear material into a weapon that worked would take at least 12 months."

Setting aside the fact that Bushehr has nothing to do with a possible military programme, the Telegraph ignores the context of Samore's comment, which was part of an Obama Administration pushback against talk of an Israeli airstrike on Iran. Instead, the headline in the Telegraph turns Samore's intervention into the pressure for such action: "Iran '12 Months from Nuclear Weapon' US Warns as Bushehr Reactor Started".

0835 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch (The Lawsuit Against Nokia Siemens). Cyrus Farivar, writing for Deutsche Welle, follows up on this week's story that detained journalist Isa Saharkhiz and his son Mehdi have filed a lawsuit in US Federal Court against Nokia Siemens Networks, alleging that the Finnish-Germany company sold and provided equipment used by the Iranian Government for surveillance of dissidents:

Testifying before a European Parliament committee on human rights over two months ago, Nokia executive Barry French said his company had sold "roughly one third of the deployed capacity" for mobile and data service to two major Iranian mobile operators, MCI and Irancell.

As part of these networks, Nokia Siemens provided a "lawful interception capability to both operators" and "a related monitoring center to MCI."

But Herischi, the lead attorney for the plaintiffs, alleged that Nokia Siemens either knew or should have known that lawful interception in Iran does not conform to international standards.

"Lawful interception is required for every network," he said. "And that's what we're asking. The one that Iran used was unlawful interception with the same device, and they knew that it was going to be used unlawfully."

Nokia Siemens on Friday expanded on their previous statements concerning the US lawsuit, saying that it was "brought in the wrong place, against the wrong party, and on the wrong premise."

"The Saharkhizes allege brutal treatment by the government in Iran, but they have not sued that government," the company wrote on its Web site. "Instead, they are seeking to blame Nokia Siemens Networks for the acts of the Iranian authorities by filing a lawsuit in the US, a country that has
absolutely no connection to the issues they are raising."

0750 GMT: Over-the-Top Headline of the Day. I guess, since everyone from New York to Jerusalem is leading with the Bushehr nuclear plant story, you have to dare to be different, but the BBC may have un-distinguished itself: "Will Fuelling The Bushehr Reactor Give Iran The Bomb?"

(The answer is No.)

0715 GMT: No doubt what the lead story will be in Iranian state media and "Western" press today, from Press TV to Reuters to The New York Times to The Jerusalem Post.

After years of delays, the first uranium rods will be loaded into Iran's first nuclear plant at Bushehr. State television is showing live pictures of the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi, and his Russian counterpart watching the process.

We're going to buck the trend. For EA, the curious tale is why President Ahmadinejad apparently contradicted the Supreme Leader over Iran's position on talks with the US on uranium enrichment. On Thursday, Ahamadinejad told a Japanese newspaper that discussions could begin within weeks; less than 24 hours earlier, Ayatollah Khamenei had ruled out any negotiations unless the US pulled back on sanctions against Tehran.

There's an important context, indeed precedent, for the story. Last autumn, it was Ahmadinejad who was pushing for a deal with the US and other countries, all the way to the Geneva talks in October. One of  the reasons why those discussions, the first direct public contact with Washington in years, stalled was because of the opposition of not only the Supreme Leader but also key political figures such as Speaker of Parliament Ali Larijani.

So, given the growing tensions within the Iranian political elite --- tensions highlighted by both the Supreme Leader and the leader of Tehran Friday Prayers this week --- are the nuclear talks again intersecting with power plays in Tehran?

Israel-Palestine Analysis: Why Did Ramallah Agree to Direct Talks? (Yenidunya)

On Friday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas will each meet with President Barack Obama on 1 September, with formal direct negotiations starting the following day. The Quartet (United Nations, United States, European Union and Russia) echoed Washington's invitation and said a deal could be reached within a year.

Netanyahu's office issued a statement, highlighting the significance of Israel's security institutions, "We are coming to the talks with a genuine desire to reach a peace agreement between the two peoples that will protect Israel's national security interests, foremost of which is security." Defense Minister Ehud Barak said both parties will be required to make "courageous decisions to reach an agreement."

LATEST Israel-Palestine-Gaza Latest: Not So Fast With Those Talks?; Lebanese Aid Ship Delayed
UPDATED Israel-Palestine: US Invites Both Sides to Direct Talks on 2 September

Netanyahu has got what he wanted with direct talks without preconditions, so his welcome is understandable. On the other hand, Ramallah had been showing resistance. But why the change in position? And why now?

As a non-state organisation, the Palestine Authority's capabilities and room for manoeuvre are relatively limited. It is neither sovereign nor territorially defined and its decision-making process is more fluid, given the lack of legitimate authority both in the eyes of Palestinians and Israelis. So Ramallah's resistance, in the face of Washington's sustained efforts, was curbed.

Ramallah also faced an imminent deadline, with the Israeli moratorium on settlement expansion in West Bank ending on 26 September. Any hope of an extension rested on an apparent breakthrough, otherwise the intense conservative discourse in Israel--- "Palestinians not missing an opportunity to miss an opportunity" --- would prevail. So the Palestine Authority now seeks to consolidate the demand for a moratorium, as well as an extension of the freeze to East Jerusalem, as part of the negotations. a rule of negotiations, a sine qua non necessity legitimized  in the eyes of international community.

In the end, despite the months required for the effort, Washington was able to use this leverage to get Mahmoud Abbas and his team to the table, given the limited assurances that the non-state could hope to extract. We have no idea whether President Obama threatened sanctions against the PA and/or showed a carrot, such as a pledge that he would bring forth his own map, based on pre-1967 borders, if Netanyahu did not produce one before the winter. However, what we know is that Washington successfully made Ramallah sit down. (On Saturday, the London-based al-Hayat newspaper claimed that the Obama Administration gave assurance to Abbas.)

The decision to go to Washington is strategically the least damaging option for Ramallah. Following the conditional approval of the Arab League for the talks and the international pressure, Ramallah will not be tarred --- at least in the short term --- as the party who always misses opportunities. The Palestinian Authority will try to play the card of getting assurances over Israeli settlements for the continuation of direct talks after 26 September. Less than 24 hours of the approval, the chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said:

It can be done in less than a year. The most important thing now is to see to it that the Israeli government refrains from settlement activities, incursions, fait accompli policies.

Given no clear timeframe, specific terms of reference, and a monitoring mechanism, Ramallah is already insisting on taking the Quartet inside the negotiation room.  The PA will try to further the Quartet's March statement, saying that talks should lead to a settlement, negotiated between the parties within 24 months, with an end to the occupation that began in 1967 and an independent, democratic, and viable Palestinian state living side-by-side in peace and security with Israel and its other neighbours. The statement also called for a freeze to settlements in the West Bank and an end to the annexation of East Jerusalem.

On Friday, the Quartet expressed support for the pursuit of a just, lasting and comprehensive regional peace as envisaged in the Madrid terms of reference, Security Council resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative. So far, Israelis have not responded to this statement and it is not known if and when the Obama Administration will include the Quartet in direct talks.

At the end of the day, however, given the limits of Ramallah's bargaining power, the catalyst for any advance in the talks will be the decisiveness of the Netanyahu Administration: how serious is it about reaching a deal regardless of public pressure over "non-negotiable security needs"?

Iran Video: BBC Interview with Human Rights Lawyer Mohammad Mostafaei

The BBC's HARDTalk has a 23-minute interview with lawyer Mohammad Mostafaei, who has represented Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, the women sentenced to death for adultery, and many other clients facing execution or lengthy sentences.

Mostafaei recently fled Iran when authorities tried to detain him, imprisoning his wife and brother-in-law for weeks.

Part 1 of 2

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6g53lLOo64[/youtube]

Part 2 of 2

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnpUUPbGn2I&feature=related[/youtube]