BREAKING: CHINA Issues List Of Top 10 International Friends. No S'porean On List

<table><tbody><tr><td class="black18" height="50">China Awards Top Ten International Friends

</td></tr><tr><td valign="top"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td width="130" align="left" height="25">December 09,2009</td> <td width="130" align="middle" height="25">
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</td></tr><tr><td> China on Tuesday awarded the top ten international friends selected by Internet users for "making exceptional contributions to the country in the past 100 years."
Those who came onto the list include Norman Bethune, a Canadian doctor who died during the anti-Japanese war in the 1930s for saving Chinese soldiers; John Rabe, a German who rescued 250,000 Chinese people during the Nanjing Massacre committed by the Japanese invaders; Juan Antonio Samaranch Toriello, honorary president of the International Olympic Committee who supported China's bid for the 2008 Olympics; Edgar Snow, an American journalist who wrote the renowned book "Red Star over China" in the 1930s to make the Chinese Red Army world famous; Dr. Joseph Needham, a British scientist who spent some 50 years writing a milestone masterpiece "Science and Civilization in China".
<table style="width: 176px; height: 282px;" width="176" align="center" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1"> <tbody> <tr> <td> </td></tr> <tr> <td>Wang Taihua (Right), minister of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, presents a certificate to Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of the Kingdom of Thailand during the awards ceremony for the online selection event "Chinese Connection - Top Ten International Friends of China" at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Dec. 8, 2009. [CRIENGLISH.com]</td></tr></tbody></table>
Also on the list are Poland-born Chinese citizen Israel Epstein, New Zealand educator Rewi Alley, Indian doctor Kwarkanath Kotnis, Thai princess Maha Chakri Sirindhom and Morihiko Hiramatsu of Japan.
Top political advisor Jia Qinglin extended appreciation for the great support and help of the prize winners and their representatives, adding the Chinese people would never forget their contribution.
"China cannot develop without the support of foreign friends from various countries, neither can the world proper in the absence of China," said Jia, chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, while meeting with the winner or their representatives.
As globalization continues, countries and people around the world need to enhance understanding and boost cooperation to promote world peace and development, he said.
"The Chinese people are willing to join hands with friends around the world to contribute to the building of a harmonious and beautiful world," he said.
Princess Sirindhom said she was greatly moved to receive the honor, as that meant the Chinese people had never forgotten those old friends who had extended helping hands to China.
The online voting was organized by China Radio International as part of the activities to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China. Altogether 56 million eligible votes had been collected in the voting which lasted from Aug. 31 to Oct. 10.
(Source: Xinhua December 8)
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goot! ... dose self-important, boastful fellas not in ze list ... dun hv 2 hear ze trumpet fr 154th ...

There must be a mistake. According to press articles in SPH over the years, old man is supposed to have advised China how to develop their economy, teach them about trade, housing infrastructure, manners, culture etc. He also used tax payers money to build Suzhou as a model city for industry.

scroobal said:

There must be a mistake. According to press articles in SPH over the years, old man is supposed to have advised China how to develop their economy, teach them about trade, housing infrastructure, manners, culture etc. He also used tax payers money to build Suzhou as a model city for industry.

Click to expand...

Bro,
I think Old Fart made a name for himself and Singapore by adding a new word to the English dictionary - "Suchowed". It's something like "Shanghaied".

Shanghaied - kena sold as cheap labour.

Suchowed - kena tipu big time.

hiak! hiak! hiak!
DOM

But Lee Kuan Yew was just a kempetai's running dog !!!

there's no need to thank one's brother and one's blood kin...

But..but.....but...we were given (at least loan) 2 pandas that only a few 'priviledged' countries can have.


Hang on a minute !!.....Costing $2M (if I remembered correctly) a year with special land to grow bamboo shoots, for 10 years then after fat fat, then give back to China, smells like a punishment to me.

If 1 or both died during the 10 year period, China will take the merlion. Hmmm....on second thought, that is a good deal for us !

Everyone is nice if you give them $$$ and knowhow. But the Chinese only considers USA as their equal. After all just compare Shanghai to Singapore.

As the Chinese vie for political influence in the region its recent loan of 2 panda bears highlights Singapore's importance to the Chinese. Nothing to do with our vaunted HDB knowhow or guanxi garnered from Suzhou.

I suspect it has more to do with Singapore strategic shipping location and Singapore's close relationship with the US and our large ethnic Chinese pop. In geopolitical sense it is Chinese vs US influence.

MM knows this and thus Singapore plays hard to get (recent statement in US about need to counter Chinese power).

scroobal said:

There must be a mistake. According to press articles in SPH over the years, old man is supposed to have advised China how to develop their economy, teach them about trade, housing infrastructure, manners, culture etc. He also used tax payers money to build Suzhou as a model city for industry.

Click to expand...

China has just loaned 2 Pandas to Adelaide, a small inconsequential city that has no strategic importance to it. Its not the only time that Pandas have been loaned.

Any reliable city can seek the loan of Pandas if they meet the Chinese requirements such as building brand new and expensive facility including airconditioning, land cleared for having a Bamboo forest for feed, and conducting breeding and fertility programs.

longbow said:

As the Chinese vie for political influence in the region its recent loan of 2 panda bears highlights Singapore's importance to the Chinese. Nothing to do with our vaunted HDB knowhow or guanxi garnered from Suzhou.

I suspect it has more to do with Singapore strategic shipping location and Singapore's close relationship with the US and our large ethnic Chinese pop. In geopolitical sense it is Chinese vs US influence.

Click to expand...

I think you are missing picture it is not Adelaide but AUSTRALIA that China is interested in. As you know Australia is China's most impt supplier of raw materials.

Perhaps Australians chose Adelaide so as to draw local tourism to that city.

scroobal said:

China has just loaned 2 Pandas to Adelaide, a small inconsequential city that has no strategic importance to it. Its not the only time that Pandas have been loaned.

Any reliable city can seek the loan of Pandas if they meet the Chinese requirements such as building brand new and expensive facility including airconditioning, land cleared for having a Bamboo forest for feed, and conducting breeding and fertility programs.

Click to expand...

Singapore not friend, Singapore Mentor and short cut to migration to the west.

我们不是朋友，我们是自己人！ wa ha ha

Perhaps PRC does not regard Singapore as 'International', but 'domestic'. We are part of PRC already, perhaps the 4th SAR after HK, Macau and Taiwan.

longbow said:

I think you are missing picture it is not Adelaide but AUSTRALIA that China is interested in. As you know Australia is China's most impt supplier of raw materials.

Perhaps Australians chose Adelaide so as to draw local tourism to that city.

Click to expand...

yup. and china only acceded to sg's request (it's been years in the begging department) when conditions were all ok, and only at an auspicious event, such as apec, when "face" was extremely important to keep with so many leaders from the world showing up for a photo op. china's ultimate diplomatic gift or loan is the panda (or a pair of it), and they don't suka suka make those decisions based on quid pro quo.

There are 20 million people in Australia and their 4 biggest cities does not include Adelaide. I am sure that China is sensible enough to send the Pandas to where it can milk good will and raise its profile. I doubt the Pandas in Singapore is a good indicator of close ties.

longbow said:

I think you are missing picture it is not Adelaide but AUSTRALIA that China is interested in. As you know Australia is China's most impt supplier of raw materials.

Perhaps Australians chose Adelaide so as to draw local tourism to that city.

Click to expand...

Anyway pandas do not just mean good ties. It merely shows that the country is of importance to the Chinese. In the US they sent their pandas to San diego. That is a small city too. I think what is most impt is the country that gets the panda.

If you look at the map, the Chinese now have very close relationship with Laos and Cambodia - they are giving these 2 countries lots of loans, grants etc. Purpose? To open up a new front for the Vietnamese. Now the Vietnamese not only have china/vietnam border to contend with but have to look at that long border they it shares with Laos and Cambodia. Further south, Thailand has a pair of pandas. Strategic importance fir the Chinese then you have Singapore, further south and Australia. The way I look at it, you see pandas you see strategic importance (must also take into account when the pandas were given). For Thailand, Singapore and australia it is quite recent.

For Singapore, Chinese wants to cultivate the good ties. Singapore is major port for US military and we are close to the US. So Chinese knows that we are strategic and can choke off their supply of oil and raw materials. So must try and maintain the good ties. MM knows that and tries to play US against China and vice versa.

scroobal said:

There are 20 million people in Australia and their 4 biggest cities does not include Adelaide. I am sure that China is sensible enough to send the Pandas to where it can milk good will and raise its profile. I doubt the Pandas in Singapore is a good indicator of close ties.

Click to expand...

Here is report on Panda for Australia. Note the mention of resources.


Chinese pandas 'a symbol of friendship' with Australia

Posted Thu Sep 6, 2007 3:47pm AEST
Updated Thu Sep 6, 2007 4:13pm AEST
Wang Wang is one of two giant pandas which will be brought to Adelaide from China soon. (Adelaide Zoo)

Wang Wang is one of two giant pandas which will be brought to Adelaide from China soon. (Adelaide Zoo) (Adelaide Zoo)

Chinese President Hu Jintao says two giant pandas bound for Australia are a symbol of friendship between the two countries.

China has agreed to send the endangered animals to the Adelaide Zoo after talks were held today between Mr Hu and Prime Minister John Howard.

The Chinese leader says they will be part of a joint research program.

"I would like to stress that this is the first time that a pair of Chinese giant pandas have ever settled in Australia and to be more specific in the Southern Hemisphere," he said.

"I believe that this will certainly become a new symbol of our friendship."

Prime Minister John Howard says Australia welcomes the gesture from China very much.

"It's important when you're talking about billions of dollars of resource contracts and you're talking about tens of thousands of students, it's also important to find in the relationship, the warmth and exhilaration that can come from the temporary residence of such lovely creatures," Mr Howard said.

The Adelaide Zoo is hoping the arrival of the pandas from China will provide a major tourism boost for South Australia.

The male and female pandas are expected to arrive in 2009 and will be on loan to the Zoo for 10 years as part of the joint research program.

Adelaide will be one of only a handful of zoos in the world to house the endangered species.

The Zoo's director of conservation programs, Kevin Evans, says they will be a huge drawcard.

"We feel that people will come from New Zealand and interstate to see pandas as they do internationally," she said.

"People will travel vast distances to see giant pandas because they are so interesting and have been the flagship for conservation for over 30 years ... so we think we'll certainly have a huge spike in visitation when they arrive."

San Diego is the best US Zoo and is world famous.

longbow said:

Anyway pandas do not just mean good ties. It merely shows that the country is of importance to the Chinese. In the US they sent their pandas to San diego. That is a small city too. I think what is most impt is the country that gets the panda.

If you look at the map, the Chinese now have very close relationship with Laos and Cambodia - they are giving these 2 countries lots of loans, grants etc. Purpose? To open up a new front for the Vietnamese. Now the Vietnamese not only have china/vietnam border to contend with but have to look at that long border they it shares with Laos and Cambodia. Further south, Thailand has a pair of pandas. Strategic importance fir the Chinese then you have Singapore, further south and Australia. The way I look at it, you see pandas you see strategic importance (must also take into account when the pandas were given). For Thailand, Singapore and australia it is quite recent.

For Singapore, Chinese wants to cultivate the good ties. Singapore is major port for US military and we are close to the US. So Chinese knows that we are strategic and can choke off their supply of oil and raw materials. So must try and maintain the good ties. MM knows that and tries to play US against China and vice versa.

Click to expand...