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T
ILMAN
A
RETZ
’
S BLOG
[
http://taretz.blogspot.com
]
———
Chronology of events in Greater China in 2007
1
Chronology of events in Greater China in 2007
Jan. 1: A new law comes into effect in the PRC stipulating that any death sentence handed out by a lower court mustbe given final approval by the Supreme People
’
s Court (
zuigao renmin fayuan
最高人民法院
) Jan. 5: After talks with Iran
’
s top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani in Beijing PRC President Hu Jintao
胡錦濤
calls onIran to make a serious response to the international community
’
s concern over its nuclear program; five tele-communications workers from the PRC are abducted by gunmen near Port Harcourt (Nigeria) in the oil-richNiger delta (freed on Jan. 17, 2007); PRC police kill 17 people in a raid on an alleged militant training camp of the Eastern Turkestan Islamic Movement (
dong tujuesitan yisilan yundong
東突厥斯坦伊斯蘭運動
, abbrev. ETIM)on the Pamir plateau in Xinjiang, a policeman also dies during the raid, according to reports of Xinhua News Agency (
xinhua tongxunshe
新華通訊社
) weapons are seized Jan. 6: France
’
s socialist presidential candidate Ségolène Royal arrives for a 3-day visit in the PRC and urges the PRCto improve its human rights record, meeting with PRC VP Zeng Qinghong
曾慶紅
on Jan. 8
Jan. 9: Israel’s
PM Ehud Olmert arrives for an official 3-day visit in the PRC, the following day PRC Premier Wen Jiabao
溫家寶
assures the PRC opposes any plans by Iran to develop nuclear weapons, Olmert meets PRCPresident Hu Jintao on Jan. 11; journalist Lan Chengzhang
蘭成長
who investigated the local coal mining industry is beaten to death at Hunyuan County
渾源縣
(Datong City
大同市
, Shanxi Province), on Jan. 24 PRCPresident Hu Jintao calls for a swift investigation Jan. 10: PRC officials admit most provinces of the PRC in 2006 failed to meet targets for improved energy efficiency and reduced pollution emissions; Japan
’
s PM Abe Shinzo
安倍晉三
urges the EU to keep its embargo on armssales to the PRC, citing
‘
lack of transparency in China
’
s defense spending
’
Jan. 11: The PRC successfully launches an anti-ballistic missile at the Xichang Satellite Launching Center (
Xichang wei- xing fashe zhongxin
西昌衛星發射中心
) in Xichang
西昌
(Sichuan Province) to destroy an old PRC polar orbit weather satellite ca. 865 km above earth, the US government protests, Japan and Australia express their concernabout a possible new arms race in space Jan. 12: Gas explosion at the Niuxinhui Coal Mine
牛心會煤礦
in Ningwu County
寧武縣
(Xinzhou City
忻州市
,Shanxi Province); 13 dead Jan. 13: The PRC and Russia block a US-sponsored resolution of the UN Security Council on Myanmar by veto Jan. 14: Tenth ASEAN-PRC summit in Cebu (Philippines), attended by PRC Premier Wen Jiabao Jan. 17: The Sakizaya/Sakiraya (
shaqilaiya zu
沙奇萊亞族
/
saqilaiya zu
撒奇萊雅族
) are officially recognized as thir-teenth aboriginal group in Taiwan; Kaohsiung
高雄
in Taiwan loses its bid to host the 2011 Universiade toShenzhen
深圳
(Guangdong Province); the PRC and the EU begin negotiations on a new treaty; flooding at theHaolaigou Iron Mine
壕賴溝鐵礦
near Baotou
包頭
(Inner Mongolia), 29 miners are trapped, efforts torescue them are abandoned a week later Jan. 21: A group of young DPP members publicizes a proposal for constitutional reform, suggesting a parliamentary government system in which the legislature would be the dominant authority Jan. 25: The PRC
’
s National Bureau of Statistics (
guojia tongjiju
國家統計局
, abbrev. NBS) reports the PRC
’
seconomy grew 10.7 percent in 2006; nine Chinese working for the PRC
’
s China National Petroleum Corporation(
Zhongguo shiyou tianranqi jituan gongsi
中國石油天然氣集團公司
, abbrev. CNPC) are kidnapped in Nigeria (re-leased unharmed on Feb. 4, 2007) Jan. 25
–
27: 7
th
round of the China-Japan Strategic Dialogue (
Zhong Ri zhanlüe duihua
中日戰略對話
) in Beijing,co-chaired by PRC Deputy FM Dai Bingguo
戴秉國
and his Japanese counterpart Yachi Shotaro
穀內正太郎
Jan. 26: The PRC National Audit Office (
guojia shenjishu
國家審計署
) reports it believes that RMB 272 million of RMB 9.6 billion allocated for 2004 and 2005 for residents misplaced by the Three Gorges Dam (
sanxia daba
三峽大壩
) project have been misappropriated by local authorities; KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou
馬英九
repeatshis pledge to resign if he were indicted for embezzling from his special allowance fund while serving as mayorof Taipei
台北
Jan. 30: PRC President Hu Jintao embarks on a 12-day journey to eight African countries (Cameroon, Liberia, Sudan,Zambia, Namibia, South Africa, Mozambique, Seychelles), heads back to the PRC on Feb. 10 Jan. 31: The weekly tabloid N
EXT
M
AGAZINE
(
yizhoukan
壹週刊
) publishes an interview with former ROC PresidentLee Teng-hui
李登輝
, quoting him as saying he ‘never backed Taiwan independence’
Feb. 1: Hong Kong bars mainland women who are seven months or more pregnant without hospital booking fromentering Hong Kong
T
ILMAN
A
RETZ
’
S BLOG
[
http://taretz.blogspot.com
]
———
Chronology of events in Greater China in 2007
2
Feb. 2: The US says it is reevaluating possible space cooperation with the PRC, including joint moon exploration; anexplosion at the Xing
’
an Coal Mine
興安煤礦
in Tianchi Town
天池鎮
(Minchi County
澠池縣
, HenanProvince) kills 24 minersFeb. 3: The PRC launches the fourth satellite in its Compass Navigation Satellite System (
beidou weixing daohang xitong
北斗衛星導航系統
, abbrev. CNSS)Feb. 8: A new round of six-party talks with North Korea, South Korea, the PRC, the US, Japan and Russia begins inBeijing; the PRC executes Uighur activist Ismail Semed in Urumqi for
‘
attempting to split the motherland;Feb. 9: The names of three state-run enterprises (Chinese Petroleum Corporation [
Zhongguo shiyou gufen youxian gongsi
中國石油股份有限公司
, abbrev. CPC], China Shipbuilding Corporation [
Zhongguo zaochuan gongsi
中國造船公司
, abbrev. CSBC], Chunghwa Post [
中華郵政
Zhonghua youzheng
]) are changed in Taiwan,
replacing “China” with “Taiwan”; KMT lawmakers call the step ‘illegal’;
one day later the Central Bank of China [
zhongyang yinhang
中央銀行
, abbrev. CBC] is renamed as wellFeb. 11: Billionaire Stanley Ho
何鴻燊
opens a big new casino in Macau; former ROC President Lee Teng-huicriticizes the name changes of ROC state-run enterprises and says the move could endanger peace; Beijing startsa campaign to eradicate bad manners like spitting, littering or line-jumping ahead of the 2008 OlympicsFeb. 12: DPP Chairman Yu Shyi-kun
游錫堃
vows his party would help Taiwan become a
‘
normal
’
country withinthe next decadeFeb. 13: Ma Ying-jeou is indicted for allegedly embezzling money from his
“
special allowance
”
fund when he was Taipei mayor, resigns as KMT chairman and names Wu Po-hsiung
吳伯雄
acting chairman; North Koreaagrees to halt its nuclear programs in exchange for energy Feb. 15: PRC FM Li Zhaoxing
李肇星
arrives for a 3-day visit in Japan, meets his Japanese counterpart Aso Taro
麻生太郎
and Japanese PM Abe ShinzoFeb. 18: At the 57
th
Berlinale, the movie
“
Tuya
’
s marriage
” (
tuya de hunshi
圖雅的婚事
) of Chinese director Wang Quan
’
an
王全安
wins the Golden Bear AwardFeb. 26: Li Fuyuan
李付元
, boss of the Xinjing Coal Mine
新井煤礦
in Zuoyun County
左雲縣
(Shanxi Province) where 56 miners drowned in May 2006, is sentenced to 16 years in prisonFeb. 27: The Shanghai Composite Index (
Shanghai zonghe zhishu
上海綜合指數
) drops almost 9 percent (opening at3048.83 points, closing at 2771.79 points), triggering a global domino effect with share prices falling worldwideMarch 1: HKSAR Chief Executive Donald Tsang
曾蔭權
and his challenger for the top post Alan Leong
梁家傑
face off in a televised debate; the US offers Taiwan a package of advanced missiles worth US$ 421 million
March 2: Japan’s
PM Abe Shinzo says there was no evidence that women were forced to become sex slaves by the Japanese army during WWII; the PRC demands the US scrap the planned missile sale to Taiwan, the US rebutthe objections, saying the offered missiles were defensive; the ROC government decides to rename the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall (
zhongzheng jiniantang
中正紀念堂
) in Taipei to
“
Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall
”
(
Taiwan minzhu gongyuan
台灣民主公園
)March 4: NPC spokesman Jiang Enzhu
姜恩柱
announces a 17.8 percent hike of the PRC
’s defense budget
in 2007; Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin
郝龍斌
says the Taipei city government would not agree with the ROC cabinet
’
splan to rename the CKS Memorial Hall in Taipei; ROC President Chen Shui-bian
陳水扁
says Taiwan shouldpursue independence, write a new C
onstitution and change its official name from “Republic of China” to
Taiwan, the US State Department later calls these comments
‘
unhelpful
’
March 7: PRC state media report 6990 birds were culled in
Tibet’s capital
Lhasa
拉薩
after an outbreak with thedeadly H5N1 virus on a poultry market in Lhasa
’
s Chengguan District
城關區
killed 680 chickenMarch 8: DPP legislator Wang Sing-nan
王幸男
demands the expulsion of AP reporter Lee Min
李閩
from Taiwanbecause Lee had called ROC VP Annette Lu
呂秀蓮
‘
scum of the nation
’ (
minzu bailei
民族敗類
)March 9: About 20,000 farmers violently protest against rising public transportation costs in Yongzhou
永州
(Hunan Province), large PAP units quell the riots by March 13; PRC Finance Minister Jin Renqing
金人慶
announces the PRC is setting up a new investment agency to manage its foreign exchange reserves (previously managed by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange [
Zhongguo waihui guanliju
中國外匯管理局
, abbrev.SAFE]); Yu Shyi-kun announces he takes a
“
leave of absence
”
as DPP chairman between March 8 and May 20,appoints Chai Trong-rong
蔡同榮
acting DPP chairmanMarch 12: The Japanese governor of Okinawa
沖繩島
, Nakaima Hirokazu
仲井真弘多
, visits the Diaoyutai Islands
釣魚台列島
, the ROC MOFA
reiterates the ROC’s sovereignty over the archipelago
T
ILMAN
A
RETZ
’
S BLOG
[
http://taretz.blogspot.com
]
———
Chronology of events in Greater China in 2007
3
March 13: China Aviation Industry Corporation I (
Zhongguo hangkong gongye diyi jituan gongsi
中國航空工業第一集團公司
, abbrev. AVIC I) introduces the new commercial ARJ21-700 passenger jet (capacity: 78 to 105 seats) to thepublic in Shenyang
瀋陽
(Liaoning Province)March 14: Wu Po-hsiung resigns as acting KMT chairman to ensure a fair competition in the KMT chairmanby-electionMarch 16: On the final day of its two-
week annual session, the PRC’s NPC passes
the landmark Property Law (
wu- quanfa
物權法
) that increases the protection of private property rights and
covers an individual’s right to own
assets, 26 of the 2889 delegates refrain from backing that law; the Japan Coast Guard installs a light beacon onOkinotorishima
衝鳥島
March 17: Ma Ying-jeou says the deadlock in cross-strait relations can be solved if Taiwan abides by the
“1992
C
onsensus”
(
jiuer gongshi
九二共識
)March 18: 2000 people take part in a pro-democracy march in Hong Kong; gas explosion at the Miaojiang Coal Mine
苗匠煤礦
in Zezhou
澤州
(Jincheng City
晉城市
, Shanxi Province); 21 dead;
the mine’s license had expired
before the accidentMarch 19: The PRC State Council announces it approved plans to design and build passenger jets which can carry more than 150 peopleMarch 19
–
31: PRC Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan
曾培炎
travels to the South Pacific
—
a region also wooed by TaiwanROC
—
and pays official visits to Australia, New Zealand, Vanuatu and Papua New GuineaMarch 20: Xinhua News Agency reports the PRC government plans to open 60 new language and cultural centers(
“
Confucius Institutes
”,
Kongzi xueyuan
孔子學院
) abroad to help meet the growing demand for Chineselanguage teachersMarch 22: The ROC Supreme Court (
zuigao fayuan
最高法院
) rejects an appeal of KMT legislator Chiu Yi
邱毅
against his 14-month jail sentence handed down on charges of public disturbances after the ROC presidentialelection 2004March 25: Donald Tsang wins a second five-year term as Hong Kong SAR Chief Executive with 649 to 123 votes inthe 800-seat election committee in a secret ballot against Alan Leong March 26: PRC President Hu Jintao starts a 3-day state visit to Russia aimed at promoting trade and energy ties; Japanese PM Abe says he stands by Japan
’
s 1993 apology known as the Kono Statement; Intel Corp. announcesit will build a US$ 2.5 billion chip factory in Dalian
大連
(Liaoning Province)March 28: PRC state media report that the PRC and Russia will launch a joint Mars mission in 2009; a gas explosionat the Yujialing Coal Mine
余家嶺煤礦
in Pingyuan Township
平垣鄉
(Yaodu District
堯都區
, Linfen City
臨汾市
, Shanxi Province) leaves 26 workers deadMarch 31: Thousands of protesters join a march against the anti-Chiang Kai-shek campaign in Taipei April 1: Residents of the Penghu
澎湖
archipelago are included in the three mini links (
xiao santong
小三通
) April 3: The corruption trial against Ma Ying-jeou begins in Taipei April 7: In the KMT chairman by-election Wu Po-hsiung wins with 86.97 percent of the 181,374 votes cast, Hung Hsiu-chu
洪秀柱
receives 13.03 percent, turnout of KMT members 53 percent April 10: The US lodge a formal complaint against the PRC at the World Trade Organization (WTO) over high levelsof copyright piracy and counterfeiting; the Macau Monetary Authority (
Aomen jinrong guanliju
澳門金融管理局
,abbrev. MAM) unblocks funds worth US$ 25 million on North Korean accounts that had been frozen April 10
–
13: PRC Premier Wen Jiabao visits South Korea and Japan, addresses Japan
’
s parliament on April 12 April 14: The PRC launches its fifth CNSS satellite
(also its first navigation satellite) on a “Long March 3A” (
chang- zheng sanhao jia
長征三號甲
) rocket at Xichang April 15
–
16: Second Northeast Asia Trilateral Forum (
dongbeiya mingrenhui
東北亞名人會
) with participants from thePRC, Japan, and South Korea in Tokyo April 16: C
HINA
D
AILY
reports that the Yangtze River
長江
is seriously and largely irreversibly polluted April 17: The
Municipal Intermediate People’s Court of Urumqi
(
Wulumuqishi zhongji renmin fayuan
烏魯木齊市中級人民法院
) sentences Ablikim Abdureyim, son of exiled Uighur activist Rebiya Kadeer, to 9 years in prison for
‘instigating and engaging in secessionist
activities’
April 18: China News Service (
Zhongguo xinwenshe
中國新聞社
, abbrev. CNS) reports that the PRC is planning to setup a national strategic uranium reserve April 19: CCP politburo member Wu Guanzheng
吳官正
arrives for a 4-day visit in Cuba, meets president FidelCastro and acting president Raul Castro the following day
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