Roundup - 21/12/2009

• As the dust settles on the Copenhagen summit China has lauded the Copenhagen Accord as an important first step. No nation was satisfied with the deal and all leading nations have been criticised. But none more so than China who many see as having been the main culprit in stalling the talks. Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said that Copenhagen was ‘not a destination but a new beginning.’
The next climate summit will be held in Mexico city in 2010. China has already indicated that it will not weaken its stance at the next summit. Foreign Ministry Official Yi Xianliang said that China saw the 2010 summit as a struggle over the ‘right to develop.’

• The President of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits, Chen Yunlin, has arrived in Taiwan for trade talks. Taiwanese President Ma Yingjiu hopes that Taiwan and the mainland can sign a free trade treaty early next year. However, opposition to closer ties with the mainland led to defeat in recent local elections. Tens of thousand of protesters are already gathering to oppose the negotiations.

• President Hu Jintao has concluded his tour of Macao amid celebrations of ten years of ‘One Country, Two Systems.’ Macao switch from Portuguese to Chinese rule in 1999 on condition that the mainland would allow a large degree of autonomy to the territory.
The last ten years has seen Macao prosper, largely due to gambling. In October Macao’s casinos took in 12.7 Macao Patacas or US$1.57 billion, almost twice as much as the state of Nevada.

• Liu Xiaobo will be tried on charges of inciting the subversion of state power on Wednesday according to his wife, Liu Xia. Liu Xiaobo, who also participated in the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, was detained a year ago after his involvement in the Charter 08 document which called for political reform. Liu Xia has said that she will not be allowed to attend the trial and she has little hope for the outcome. Liu Xiaobo is facing a sentence of up to 15 years.

• A government funded gay bar in Yunnan opened its doors for the first time on Saturday. The bar was supposed to open on World Aids Day on the 1st of December was remained closed amid fears that the publicity would discourage homosexuals who feared discrimination. The bar will provide information and advice on sexual health issues in addition to cheap drinks. Officials hope that it will help to control the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. It is the first government funded project of its kind in China.

• An article in the China Daily, ‘Top 10 Darndest Things Officials Said in 2009,’ shows the continuing dismay at the attitude of officials towards housing demolition. 4 of the ten quotes are related to construction. These include a comment that ‘any action against the government is illegal,’ a comment made to Pan Rong who won wide spread praise on the internet after defending her home against demolition with Molotov cocktails. Number four on the list was a to a 66-year old who threatened to commit suicide if he did not receive compensation for his home being demolished. When he asked a local official, Shi Guozhong, for help Shi replied that he should go ‘straight to the fifth floor’ (to jump off).
Regulations over the demolition of housing have been a hot topic in China after the cases of Tang Fuzhen, who died after setting herself alight in protest at the demolition of her home, and Yue Xiyou who died trying to defend his fiancé’s apartment.