WORLD: CHina-india border talks P.18 | NAtion: cross-straits dialogue P.22

VOL.57 NO.8 FEBRUARY 20, 2014 WWW.BJREVIEW.COM

RMB6.00 USD1.70 AUD3.00 GBP1.20 CAD2.60 CHF2.60 JPY188 邮发代号2-922·国内统一刊号：CN11-1576/G2

VOL.57 NO.8 FEBRUARY 20, 2014 CONTENTS

THE DESK 12COVER STORY » The Fight Against Poachers 02 THIS WEEK COVER STORY » Knocking Poachers 14 The battle continues WORLD » Warming up the Winter 16 Friendship at the Olympics 30 » Bordering on a Solution 18 BUSINESS China and India buddy up Setting the Tone NATION Policy stance made clear United Front for Conservation » Striving for Equality 24 A cause without borders Making incomes fair » Deadly Disease on Campus 26 The fight against AIDS

BUSINESS 32 » Floating on Air 34 BUSINESS Online giant goes public » Market Watch 36 CULTURE » Parallel Paths 40 Illusions of conflict » In Love With the Past 42 A romantic time » Culture Show 44 Domestic Market Has Crafts on display ‘Spring in Its Step’ Holiday unleashes consumption FORUM potential 22 » On the Reform of English Testing 46 NATION EXPAT’S EYE Historic Breakthrough » Crossing Cultures, Crossing Languages 48 Mainland and Taiwan enhance ties Understanding our identities

©2014 Beijing Review, all rights reserved.

ONLINE AT » WWW.BJREVIEW.COM BREAKING NEWS » SCAN ME » Using a Qr code reader Beijing Review (ISSN 1000-9140) is published weekly for US$64.00 per year by Cypress Books, 360 Swift Avenue, Suite 48, South San Francisco, CA 94080, Periodical Postage Paid at South San Francisco, CA 94080. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Beijing Review, Cypress Books, 360 Swift Avenue, Suite 48, South San Francisco, CA 94080 THE DESK

A News Weekly Magazine Published Since 1958  Editor President & Editor in Chief: Wang Gangyi Vice President: Qi Wengong Associate Editors in Chief: Li Jianguo, Huang Wei, Wang Yanjuan, Zhou Jianxiong, Ding Zhitao Assistant President: Li Zhenzhou Assistant Editor in Chief: Wa Chunfang Executive Editor: Ding Zhitao

Assistant Executive Editors: Yao Bin, Zhang Zhiping, Zan Jifang Editorial Administrators: Zhang Xiaoli, Shi Bosen Opinion Editor: Zan Jifang World Editor: Yan Wei The Fight Nation Editor: Yao Bin Business Editors: Yu Shujun, Lan Xinzhen Culture Editor: Liu Yunyun Editorial Consultants: Joseph Halvorson, Kieran Pringle, Eric Daly Against Poachers Staff Reporters: Tang Yuankai, Ding Ying, Ding Wenlei, Wang Jun, Li Li, Yin Pumin, Pan Xiaoqiao, Yuan Yuan, Wang Hairong, Liu Xinlian, Yu Yan, Yu Lintao, Zhou Xiaoyan, Bai Shi, Deng Yaqing, Ji Jing “No buying, no killing.” The slogan raises awareness of an international poaching crisis, but the Photo Editor: Wang Xiang truth is that endangered wildlife species face a variety of grave threats. Photographer: Wei Yao Art: Li Shigong Aside from publicizing the importance of protecting wildlife, tougher penalties need to Art Director: Wang Yajuan be implemented to prohibit poaching and smuggling. From December 30, 2013 to January Chief Designer: Cui Xiaodong 26, 2014, China led a campaign against transnational wildlife crimes, in cooperation with 27 Designer: Zhao Boyu Proofreading: Qin Wenli, Ma Xin other countries and international organizations. The operation, code-named Cobra II, inflicted Distribution Director: Hu Keqiang a stunning blow on poachers and smugglers. It cracked over 350 cases involving more than Human Resources: Hou Jin 400 suspects, and captured more than 3 tons of ivory and ivory products, including over 1,000 International Cooperation: Zhang Yajie hides and a number of other wildlife products. Marketing/PR Director: Pan Changqing Legal Counsel: Yue Cheng Wildlife poaching and smuggling has become a serious global issue. As early as September 2012, the Chinese Government called for a multinational crackdown on the crimes, initiating North America Bureau Chief: Huang Wei the first Operation Cobra, involving 22 countries, in early 2013. Deputy Chief: Xu Tao The two Cobra operations show that the international community is highly united Tel/Fax: 1-201-792-0334 and strongly determined in cracking down on crimes of wildlife poaching and smuggling. E-mail: [email protected] Furthermore, Cobra operations have provided a strong example of joint law enforcement and Africa Bureau offer international cooperation experience in each participating country. Chief: Li Jianguo Africa Managing Editor: Francisco Little Wildlife smuggling cannot be resolved by only one country or even several international Tel: 27-71-6132053 operations. All countries involved should prepare to make enduring efforts to control wildlife E-mail: [email protected] crimes. During the Operation Cobra II, joint law enforcement activities encountered difficulties. General Editorial Office Nature is an integrated whole. Once a biological chain is destroyed, the rest of nature will Tel: 86-10-68996252 Fax: 86-10-68326628 fall into irretrievable chaos. Thus, protecting wildlife and endangered species is a measure of English Edition protecting the human race. Following the Operation Cobra II, people shall call for more interna- Tel: 86-10-68996259 tional campaigns to fight against wildlife poaching and smuggling. n Advertising Department Tel: 86-10-68995810 E-mail: [email protected] Distribution Department Tel: 86-10-68310644 E-mail: [email protected] Published every Thursday by BEIJING REVIEW, 24 Baiwanzhuang Lu, Beijing 100037, China. Overseas Distributor: China International Book Trading Corporation (Guoji Shudian), P. O. BOX 399, Beijing 100044, China Tel: 86-10-68413849, 1-416-497-8096 (Canada) Fax: 86-10-68412166 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.cibtc.com WRITE TO US General Distributor for Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan: Peace Book Co. Ltd. Send an e-mail: [email protected] 17/Fl, Paramount Bldg, 12 Ka Yip St, Chai Wan, HK Tel: 852-28046687 Fax: 852-28046409 Please provide your name and address along with your submissions. Beijing Review (ISSN 1000-9140 USPS 2812) is published weekly in the Submissions may be edited. United States for US$64.00 per year by Cypress Books, CHINA...... RMB6.00 U.S.A...... USD1.70 AUSTRALIA...... AUD3.00 UK...... GBP1.20 360 Swift Avenue, Suite 48, South San Francisco, CA 94080 CANADA...... CAD2.60 SWITZERLAND...... CHF2.60 JAPAN...... JPY188 EUROPE...... EURO1.90 News Postage Paid at South San Francisco, CA 94080 TURKEY...... YTL5.00 HK...... HKD9.30 NEPAL...... RS40 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Beijing Review, Cypress Books, 360 Swift Avenue, Suite 48, 北京周报 英文版 2014年 第8期 ISSN 1000-9140 广告许可证 0171号北京市期刊登记证第733号 Available on App Store South San Francisco, CA 94080 邮发代号2-922·国内统一刊号：CN11-1576/G2 国内零售价：人民币6.00元

2 BEIJING REVIEW FEBRUARY 20, 2014 http://www.bjreview.com THIS WEEK XINHUA

EARTHQUAKE HITS XINJIANG People seek safety outdoors after a 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck Yutian County, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, on February 12. As the epicenter did not happen in a densely populated area, there were not yet reports of casualties as of 11 p.m. that day. An emergency rescue team is already operating in the area.

http://www.bjreview.com FEBRUARY 20, 2014 BEIJING REVIEW 3 THIS WEEK SOCIETY XINHUA

New Base China completed its fourth Antarctic research station called Taishan on February 8. Construction of the traditional Chinese lantern-shaped station began in December 2013. A 28-strong team braved snowstorms, temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius, and high-altitude conditions to build the station. It can house as many as 20 people and will be used as a scientific research station during the Antarctic summers, lasting from December to March.

signal-receiving function had been the development of the nation’s in less-developed regions over the Yutu’s Return restored to normal, but the causes of food industry, vowing to establish past three years, according to figures China’s moon rover Yutu has awoken the mechanical control fault are still systems to improve people’s nutri- released on February 10. up from its concerningly abnormal being verified. tional intake. Students’ living conditions dormant period, while experts are “Yutu went into sleep while The guideline said that, although have improved since 2010, when still trying to figure out the cause of reporting an abnormal status,” Pei China’s food production capacity ministries of education and finance the abnormality, a spokesman with said, adding that experts were initially has been expanded and people’s di- launched a program of renovating the country’s lunar probe program concerned that it might not be able to ets and health has improved, current primary and junior schools in rural revealed on February 13. survive the extremely low tempera- supplies cannot meet the nutritional areas, according to the ministries. The abnormality was discovered tures during the lunar night as a result. demand for everyone. Nearly 69,000 schoolhouse just before Yutu entered its second “The rover stands a chance of The government vowed to renovation projects started from period of inactivity as the lunar being saved now that it is still alive,” establish mechanisms to monitor 2010 to 2013, of which more than night closed in on January 25. Due he said. people’s diets, strengthen supervi- 51,000 have been completed. to extreme temperatures, Yutu must sion and information analysis, and The dormitory area for each lie dormant during lunar nights or intervene in areas or among groups primary and junior school pupil otherwise risk damage to its systems. Nutrition Guarantee where people are suffering from bad reached 3.1 and 4.2 square meters Pei Zhaoyu, the spokesperson, On February 10, China’s Central nutrition. respectively, which made for increas- said that the moon rover’s normal Government issued a guideline for es of 24 percent and 40 percent compared to 2009.

ZHANG chunxiang Rural Schooling Nearly 700 counties in impover- The Chinese Government has spent ished areas built school canteens, nearly 40 billion yuan ($6.6 billion) facilitating the government’s efforts on renovating rural schoolhouses to improve students’ nutrition, ac- cording to the ministries. Water Management The Ministry of Water Resources said on February 6 that it has established

 a new performance appraisal system to evaluate local governments FUN TIME on their management of water resources. National Outdoor Sports Camp for Juveniles kicks off in Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang Chen Mingzhong, Director of Province, on February 11 the Department of Water Resources

4 BEIJING REVIEW FEBRUARY 20, 2014 http://www.bjreview.com THIS WEEK chen xiaowei Parents in urban and rural areas and is believed to reveal the relation-  whose only children have become ship the ancient Chinese culture of disabled will receive monthly allow- the time had with nature. ances of 270 yuan ($44) and 150 A team led by the Shaanxi NEW YEAR’S SHOW yuan ($24), respectively, Yao said. Provincial Institute of Archeology Chinese Dancer Tang Shiyi performs in began their excavation work at the Marseile, France, on February 8 for a show site in April 2013. Over 100 artifacts titled Cultures of China, Festival of Spring. Improving Xinjiang made of clay, bones, copper, wood The event has been an important annual The government of northwest and stone have been unearthed, cultural event to celebrate the Chinese China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Lunar New Year all around the world since and the earliest wooden floors seen its debut in 2009 Region will continue to allocate large sums of money in 2014 toward on the plateau were also found. enhancing locals’ livelihoods, The team’s leader, Sun Zhanwei authorities announced. said that the thickness of each piece A total of 61.66 billion yuan of floorboard was different, which under the ministry, said that China is ($10.17 billion) will be handed out would have created a flat surface on committed to more efforts to ensure this year to help fund 150 projects the rugged terrain. effective implementation of its water covering employment, housing, Experts said two winding corri- resources management system, healthcare, agriculture, and other dors surrounding the main building which was put into place in 2012 and have enough water and nearly 300 fields, said Huang Wei, vice chairman clearly demonstrate that the archi- is the strictest-ever standard on water million rural residents lack access to of the regional government, on tecture had ritual significance. conservation and waste water treat- safe drinking water. February 11. ment in the country. More than 484 billion yuan ($80 Major indicators on limiting City of Style billion) has been mobilized in similar the exploitation of water resources, Shanghai surpassed Tokyo and Family Aid programs over the past four years, improving efficiency of its use, and Hong Kong to become Asia’s China will increase financial aid to according to official figures. curbing pollution of water sources elderly citizens whose only child has most stylish city, a new survey has will be incorporated into the assess- died or become disabled, an official found. ment system for local governments’ with the National Health and Family Excavated Remains According to research by Global work, Chen added. Planning Commission (NHFPC) said Remains of a 4,200-square-meter Language Monitor, a U.S.-based data According to Chen, local on February 10. building on a hilltop in northwest research firm that catalogs trends government heads will be held ac- Effective from the beginning of China’s Shaanxi Province are the by tracking word usage, Shanghai is countable for failing to perform their 2014, parents in urban areas who largest ritual site from the Shang the reigning fashion capital of Asia, responsibilities. have lost their only son or daughter Dynasty (1600-1046 B.C.) yet ranking 10th worldwide. China faces a national water will be provided with 340 yuan ($56) discovered on the Loess Plateau. Asia is well-represented in shortage of over 50 billion cubic each month while families living in Located in Xinzhuang, Qingjian the top 20, with Tokyo at No.11, meters on average every year, the rural regions will receive 170 yuan County on the west bank of the Singapore at No.19 and Hong ministry’s figures showed. Two ($28), said NHFPC spokesman Yao Yellow River, the late Shang site Kong at No.20. Beijing didn’t make thirds of its cities reportedly don’t Hongwen at a news conference. covers up to 100,000 square meters the top 55. YIN XIANGLONG First Patrol of 2014 A live fire drill is held in the West the 23-day mission. Pacific Ocean on February 7 by a After the mission in the flotilla with China’s Nanhai Fleet South China Sea and the East during its annual patrol and China Sea, the flotilla passed training mission. along crucial straits, including The three-ship flotilla, con- the Sunda Strait, Lombok Strait, sisting of the amphibious landing and Makassar Strait, to enter craft Changbaishan and the the Indian Ocean and the West destroyers Wuhan and Haikou, Pacific Ocean for the drill. patrolled waters off the Xisha They returned to a military Islands, Nanshan Islands and the port in south China’s Guangdong Zengmu Reef, the southernmost Province on February 11 after sail- part of the country’s territory, in ing nearly 8,000 sea miles.

http://www.bjreview.com FEBRUARY 20, 2014 BEIJING REVIEW 5 THIS WEEK ECONOMY LIN YIGUANG

A Blossoming Hub A florist wraps up fresh flowers in Shilin, Yunnan Province, on February 11. Over the last few years, Yunnan has actively promoted development of its flower industry. The annual output value of the sector has surpassed 30 billion yuan ($4.95 billion) to date. Flowers from the province have a market share of over 70 percent in China and have been shipped to over 50 countries. The province aims at becom- ing Asia’s flower hub in coming years.

the January figures “surprisingly energy and cut emissions. subsidy policy, which was scheduled Robust Trade strong,” as the institution expected Subsidies for new-energy to be phased out at the end of 2015, Stronger-than-expected growth in weak January trade performance car buyers in 2014 and 2015 will will be extended, the statement said. China’s foreign trade in January has based on weak PMI export orders, be raised from previous levels surprised the market. a high base from last year, and regulated by a standard introduced Aviation Biofuel China’s foreign trade volume holiday distortions. in September 2013, according to climbed 10.3 percent year on year “Today’s strong export report a statement jointly issued by the China’s top oil refiner has been given in January to $382.4 billion, mark- could have been boosted by a rush Ministry of Finance and three other a license allowing the commercial ing a strong beginning for 2014, of shipments ahead of the Chinese government departments. use of its self-developed aviation according to data released by the New Year holiday,” Chang said. New-energy passenger car buy- biofuel, the country’s aviation au- General Administration of Customs Overall, the data suggest that ers received subsidies from 35,000 thority said on February 12. on February 12. the underlying strength of Chinese yuan ($5,730) to 60,000 yuan The Civil Aviation Administration Exports rose 10.6 percent from exports is probably better than we ($9.894) per vehicle in 2013, while of China (CAAC) granted the license, a year earlier to $207.13 billion, expected, he added. new-energy coach buyers received the first of its kind, to Sinopec, al- while imports increased 10 percent subsidies of up to 500,000 yuan lowing the company’s No.1 Aviation to $175.27 billion. The trade surplus ($82,450) in 2013. Biofuel to be used by airlines. stood at $31.86 billion in January, Electric Car Subsidies In 2013, it was stipulated that Xu Chaoqun, Deputy Director of up 14 percent from a year ago and On February 8, the Chinese China would lower the subsidies by CAAC’s Flight Criteria Department, 24.25 percent from December 2013. Government announced measures 10 percent this year from the 2013 hailed the development as a signifi- Chang Jian, Chief China to further promote the use of new- level and by 20 percent in 2015. cant breakthrough for the country’s Economist at Barclays Capital, called energy vehicles in an effort to save The new statement, however, research, production and application

DENG ZHIWEI made an adjustment that will lower of aviation biofuel. subsidies by only 5 percent in 2014 CAAC received Sinopec’s and 10 percent in 2015 from the 2013 application for commercial use of level. The change came into effect the biofuel in early 2012. The No.1 on January 1, 2014. Aviation Biofuel had gone through To enhance government sup- several rounds of strict tests before it port for new-energy vehicles, the was given the green light, according to Xu. With an annual consumption of nearly 20 million tons, China has become a large consumer of  aviation fuels, and the development of biofuel will help ease resource SMILE FOR CHINA pressures and cut pollution. People taking snapshots at the 2014 Singapore Biofuel is gaining popularity Airshow’ s China pavilion on February 12 worldwide. The International Air

6 BEIJING REVIEW FEBRUARY 20, 2014 http://www.bjreview.com THIS WEEK

XUE YUBIN Numbers 

TRAINING DAY 43 Crew members receive safety tips on a brand new inter-city CRH6 bullet train, Number of Chinese which has a maximum speed of 200 km per hour. The train made a no-load run between companies that made Chengdu and Dujiangyan, two cities in initial public offerings Sichuan Province on February 10 before on the A-share market being put into operation in January Transport Association forecasts that biofuel will account for 30 percent of aviation fuel used by 2020. License Approved Suning, one of China’s largest other online retailing platforms such charged Chinese telecom firms like appliance retailers, announced on as Vancl, Vipshop and Yihaodian fol- Huawei and ZTE higher patent roy- February 7 that it has obtained an lowed suit in applying. alty rates than it got from Apple Inc. international express delivery license 4.1 tln yuan and Samsung Electronics. It is also from the State Post Bureau, becom- suspected of using unfair trade prac- Land sales revenue in ing the country’s first e-commerce Anti-trust Probe China in 2013 player to operate the service. U.S. patent licensing company tices to force Chinese companies to The move will enable the InterDigital Inc. promised to work accept the offer. Nanjing-based company to expand with China’s anti-trust authorities in In last October, a court in the overseas market for its online the hope that the latter will suspend south China’s Guangdong Province retailing business while competing its ongoing investigation into the ordered InterDigital to pay Huawei with FedEx, DHL, UPS and TNT in in- firm. 20 million yuan ($3.28 million) in ternational express delivery service. The anti-monopoly bureau compensation for monopolistic Before the announcement, under the National Development practices. Suning had already obtained a and Reform Commission (NDRC) InterDigital said it will continue national license and more than confirmed on February 10 that it to cooperate with the investigation 10.7% 150 regional licenses for its express has received a commitment request and work with the NDRC to resolve The aimed share of delivery services around the country. from InterDigital that could form the any remaining concerns. non-fossil fuels in Under China’s anti-monopoly It has become common practice predicate for the suspension of the China’s overall energy for online shopping platforms anti-monopoly investigation. laws, fines for a company found consumption in 2014, to enter the logistics market. The NDRC said it will further violating the rules and refusing to Jingdong Mall became China’s first study the case before making any cooperate range from 1 percent to in an effort to further e-commerce company to obtain an decisions. 10 percent of its total revenue in the utilize clean energy express delivery license in 2012, and InterDigital has allegedly previous year. WANG BINGZHEN Electrical Meltdown A staff member from a local grid company de-ices a transmission line in Rongjiang, Guizhou Province, on February 11. 2.76 tln yuan More and more power supply lines Funds outstanding are covered with ice following continuous for foreign exchange snowy and rainy days in the province. The as of the end of 2013 Guizhou subsidiary of China Southern Power Grid sent out staff to inspect these lines and de-ice the lines to make sure of steady power supply.

http://www.bjreview.com FEBRUARY 20, 2014 BEIJING REVIEW 7 THIS WEEKWORLD

 BRITAIN Residents wearing homemade waders evacuate their home during a flood in south England’s Berkshire on February 10 XINHUA/AFP XINHUA/AFP XINHUA/AFP

  BOSNIA AND VIET NAM HERZEGOVINA People queue during the opening of the country’s first McDonald’s restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City on Fires blaze during protests outside a local February 8 government building in the capital city of Sarajevo on February 7

8 BEIJING REVIEW FEBRUARY 20, 2014 http://www.bjreview.com

  BELGIUM AUSTRALIA A pair of diamond-encrusted boots, made Participants throw colored powder at each from 40,000 diamonds, with a value other during the Color Run in Sydney on estimated at $3.27 million on display at the February 9 Museum aan de Stroom in Antwerp on February 10 XINHUA/AFP XINHUA/AFP

 ITALY Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta announced on February 13 that he would resign from office, after his own Democratic Party, a major force in the ruling coalition, asked for a new cabinet to be formed XINHUA/AFP

http://www.bjreview.com FEBRUARY 20, 2014 BEIJING REVIEW 9 THIS WEEKPEOPLE

“A growing number of Chinese tourists are not  Feminine Icon satisfied with simply taking photos in front of landmarks and shopping for luxury goods. Many of them prefer in-depth travel experience. They want to explore the city, visit the museums and gain a deeper knowledge about its history.”

Han Fang, an employee at Mandarin Voyages, a French travel agency that deals mainly with Chinese tourists, commenting on the rise of Chinese tourists in Europe Dong Mingzhu, CEO of Gree Electric Appliances, Inc. during the Spring Festival break of Zhuhai, was elected as one of the Top 50 Most

 Influential Business Women by Fortune magazine on February 6. Dong is ranked 42nd on the list. Dong, 59, joined Gree as a saleswoman in 1990 and “It was a great honor to have spoken Shirley’s became the company’s sales chief in 1996, eventually working her way up to CEO in 2001. Under Dong’s lines. Losing her has brought sadness to the leadership, Gree has gone from a small appliance maker to the world’s leading manufacturer of house- world.” hold air conditioners. Its revenue in 2013 was up 19.9 percent to 120.03 billion yuan ($19.7 billion). Liu Chunyan, a noted hostess on China Central Television who has dubbed several of Dong also wrote a best-selling autobiography focus- Shirley Temple’s movies into Chinese, commenting on her death ing her marketing experience, Check Around the World, which describes the Gree Pattern of sales  management. “Chinese people who are buying a Bordeaux château want to service the market because  SPEED SKATING SURPRISE domestic production cannot meet the growing appetite in China.”

Li Demei, Vice Chairman of Wine Institute of China, commenting on Chinese people’s increasing interest in wine

 “Beijing must implement policies for controlling

car ownership and use since they can help the Li Jianrou, a Chinese women’s short track speed skater, won China’s first gold medal at the Sochi 2014 government gain time to ease traffic problems. Winter Olympic Games on February 13. Li avoided a collision between three of her The move from private cars to a public transport competitors to capture first place in the women’s 500-meter final with a time of 45.263 seconds. The system should be the ultimate goal for Beijing’s 27-year-old was the only Chinese in the four-skater final. Li, born in Jilin City in northeast China’s Jilin policymakers in the transport sector.” Province, is the 2012 world champion of the women’s 1,500-meter race. With her triumph in Sochi, she Xu Kangming, a transport expert, commenting on Beijing’s failure to meet its targets extended China’s winning streak in the Olympic event for easing road congestion in 2013 to four consecutive victories.

10 BEIJING REVIEW FEBRUARY 20, 2014 http://www.bjreview.com MEDIA DIGESTTHIS WEEK

neighboring kingdoms. commuting to and from The New Three Obviously, Alibaba and work. Baidu can’t stand Tencent’s The integration of the Kingdoms moving ahead in this three-hour fragment time regard. A war is about to with 4G networks and China Newsweek occur between the three smartphones has already giants. created big changes in January 20 As predicted by a business. All IT companies China’s three IT giants—Alibaba, Tencent Chinese business leader, are now seeking to take a and Baidu—have reigned in their own realms the future of the Internet lead in the mobile Internet separately in the past decade, just like the world belongs to the fore- field. tale in the Chinese classic: Romance of the runner who can capture If someone can take Three Kingdoms. Alibaba has focused on “three-hour fragment this lead, even if they had E-commerce, Tencent on social networking, time.” The three-hour frag- nothing before, they can and Baidu on its search engine. ment time refers to the still harvest a land of gold. However, this situation has begun to time that people have per On the contrary, even if collapse with the emergence of WeChat, a day outside of sleep, work, you are doing extremely mobile messaging app created by Tencent dining, socializing and tak- well, you will still meet fail- three years ago. WeChat not only guards its ing care of their family. These three hours are ure if you lag behind. With the introduction of own realm, but also constantly flies to the scattered throughout many periods including 4G mobile networks, a new war has kicked off.

Public Servants’ Income who is gravely ill that she finally getting married accordance with filial duties. Thus, the ad at- Transparency after years of waiting. tracted a negative response of the public. Yangtze Evening News Thousands of netizens condemned Today, many single people are forced to the video, saying the ad failed to take into attend blind dates as parents persuade them to February 10 account the feelings of unmarried people. get married as early as possible. In such circum- Public servants are typically regarded as being It seems to imply unmarried adults should stances, forced marriage is inevitable for some . well-paid. But now, some governmental officials, apologize to their parents. Marriage is a Although forced marriage reflects parents’ care particularly those at township level, have begun personal choice, but the video clip equates for their adult sons and daughters, it violates to complain that their salaries are lower than marriage with kinship and family ties. It freedom of personal choice and can even lead common workers. suggests that being unmarried is not in to family tragedy. But such complaint does not garner much support. Most people argue that public service positions are steadier than average workers and that they have more hidden income and better welfare benefits. The con- China’s Naval Capability tradictory opinions on the salary standard Oriental Outlook of public servants reflect the necessity to January 16 make their income transparent to the pub- lic. Actually, government employees at the In 2013, the Chinese navy’s offshore training and drills have be- township level are not as well paid as people come the focus of media attention. Headlines such as “China sails think. However, most people are not aware through the first island chain” have been frequently seen, high- of the fact due to a lack of transparency. lighting the capabilities of the Chinese navy. The “first island chain” The transparency of governmental workers’ refers to the first major archipelagos off the East Asian continental income disclosures is helpful for dispelling wide- mainland, including the Japanese archipelago, Ryukyu Islands, spread misunderstanding and preventing local China’s Taiwan and the northern Philippines. However, China should not be satisfied with its recent achieve- governments from paying welfare to their em- ments. Given the country’s vast territory and economic development needs, the Chinese navy ployees recklessly. What’s more, knowing the will undertake more non-war military actions and the Chinese navy’s current combat ability on income of public servants is a right of the public. the open sea shows there is still a long way to go. This ability requires far more than a single ship Furthermore, transparent information of public or a single airplane’s ability to reach an area. It calls for comprehensive combat ability and for the servants will help improve the salary system for corresponding tasks to be completed successfully. them, thereby quelling complaints among the From the perspective of hardware, take the example of the navy’s recent escort mission to public. the Gulf of Aden: once a conflict occurs, without a cover from the air by the aviation, the prob- ability for survival of the fleet is quite small. That’s why we need comprehensive combat ability. In Advertising Forced Marriage terms of software, more are needed, including logistics and technical support, mental adaptation, The Beijing News meteorological and hydrographic knowledge and so on. February 10 The major method for China to realize its future development goals is still economic devel- Recently, an advertisement video clip produced opment. Military force is just a guarantee, but not the major means for when China strives to by a dating service provider has stirred contro- achieve its strategic goal. From this point of view, the world should be reassured and need not versy. In the video clip, a young girl in a wedding worry about China’s development in its open sea and ocean combat ability. dress, with tears in her eyes, tells her grandma http://www.bjreview.com FEBRUARY 20, 2014 BEIJING REVIEW 11 XINHUA

CONTRABAND: On February 10, customs officers in Shenyang, northeast Liaoning Province, catalog raw ivory and ivory products seized during Operation Cobra II, a global COVER STORY clampdown on illegal wildlife trade UNITED FRONT FOR CONSERVATION Countries in Asia, Africa and North America are joining forces in cracking down on wildlife crime By Wang Hairong

cross-continent operation against illegal Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the World Customs pects. Seized illegal animal products included wildlife trade was conducted secretly Organization and Interpol. more than 3 tons of raw ivory and ivory prod- A from December 30, 2013 to January 26, The global crackdown focused on key ucts, 1,000-plus hides, 36 rhino horns and a 2014. species that are subject to illegal trade and large number of other wildlife products, accord- The operation, code-named Cobra II, was achieved “excellent” results, according to John E. ing to the China Endangered Species Import co-organized by China, the United States, South Scanlon, Secretary General of the CITES. and Export Management Office. Africa, the Lusaka Agreement Task Force (LATF), The operation was participated in by 28 the ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network and countries in total, while the first Cobra operation the South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network, Huge success launched a year earlier involved 22 countries. along with the support of the Convention on Operation Cobra II led to conclusions of more “Six more countries were involved this year, International Trade in Endangered Species of than 350 cases and the arrest of over 400 sus- resulting in even greater cooperation,” said

12 BEIJING REVIEW FEBRUARY 20, 2014 http://www.bjreview.com Number of Rhinos Killed in South Africa

Wan Ziming, Director of the Law Enforcement Department with the China Endangered Species Import and Export Management Office. According to Wan, China played a leading role in carrying out Operation Cobra II. China’s forestry, customs, police, judiciary and quaran- tine authorities assigned more than 100,000

staff on the operation, and uncovered over 200 FILE cases involving more than 350 suspects, which ended up accounting for more than half of all cases cracked. For the first time, China sent enforcement Participants of Operation Cobra II staff to Kenya to arrest a man suspected of Botswana, Brunei, Burundi, Cambodia, China including Hong Kong SAR, Congo, Ethiopia, ivory trafficking and to host lectures on wildlife Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Laos, Liberia, Malawi, Malaysia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, protection. the Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, Uganda, Tanzania, the United States, Viet “The success of Operation Cobra II came Nam, Zambia and Zimbabwe (In alphabetical order) from the coordination, cooperation and intel- ligence generated to combat wildlife crime (Source: CITES website) syndicates,” said Bonaventure Ebayi, Director of the LATF. The task force is an inter-govern- mental organization with the main function of facilitating cooperative activities in/among Wildlife is the world’s fourth most smuggled the CITES in 1981. The convention aims to pre- the party states to the Lusaka Agreement, in item, after drugs, counterfeit goods and human vent international trade from threatening the carrying out investigations on violations of trafficking. survival of wild flora and fauna. national laws pertaining to illegal trade in wild “Leaving aside timber and marine products, Today, CITES regulates international trade fauna and flora. it is estimated that the annual value of the il- in close to 35,000 species of plants and animals, Ebayi added, “As much as the seizures of legal wildlife trade is up to $20 billion and it has including their products and derivatives accord- ing to the convention’s website. contraband were welcomed, the real impact often been regarded as a high-profit low-risk After signing the convention, China has was in the intelligence gained, networks devel- crime—although this is starting to change as made significant progress in its wildlife pro- oped and the number of investigations, arrests states recognize its negative economic, social tection efforts. In 1988, China’s Law on the and prosecution of the suspects behind these and environmental impacts,” Scanlon said at Protection of Wildlife went into effect. That year, illegal shipments.” the International Wildlife Trafficking Symposium China made it illegal to kill or sell 256 species of Edward Grace, deputy chief of the U.S. held in London on February 11-12. According to China Daily, every year, about wild animals. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of Law Border patrol and customs officers actively Enforcement, said that the operation sent a $1 billion worth of python skins are smuggled from Southeast Asia into Europe to meet the clamp down on wildlife trafficking. In addition, powerful message to poachers and smugglers the government has tackled the problem on- across the globe that the world’s endangered needs of the luxury goods industry. At least 5 percent of the wild rhinos and line. wildlife and plant resources are not theirs for the During the more than 30 years since join- taking. elephants in Africa are killed for their horns and ivory every year, usually to meet demand in Asia. ing the convention, China has actively fulfilled “Only as global partners can we protect the its responsibilities and participated in interna- world’s wildlife,” Grace said. On top of this, wild animals are often smuggled out of their habitats to be kept as pets. tional cooperation, and played an important Senior superintendent Uttam Kumar role in wildlife protection and trade regulation, Karkee of the Nepal police said that this opera- “Wildlife trafficking is now more organized, lucrative, widespread and dangerous than ever Scanlon said at the 16th meeting of the CITES’ tion has proved itself an excellent model for before. We need strong partnerships to fight the Conference of the Parties in Bangkok, Thailand, fighting transnational crime. global problem of illicit wildlife trafficking,” Wan last March. said. Zhang Jianlong, Director of the National Stopping trafficking China is a major destination for ivory, rhino Interagency CITES Enforcement Collaborative “This second Operation Cobra initiative shows horns, pangolin scales, as well as tiger and leop- Group and Deputy Director of the State Forestry what can be achieved when law enforce- ard products. In China, ivory has traditionally Administration, said that China will continue to ment authorities across range, transit and been used in the carving of exquisite sculptures cooperate with other countries to strengthen destination states work together in a coordi- and ornaments. Rhino horns, pangolin scales wildlife protection and fully fulfil its international nated manner. It also serves to highlight that and tiger bones are prized ingredients in tradi- obligations. n intelligence-led operations are essential in the tional Chinese medicine. Leopard fur is loved for fight against transnational organized wildlife its attractive pattern. crime,” Scanlon said. To regulate trade in wildlife, China joined [email protected] http://www.bjreview.com FEBRUARY 20, 2014 BEIJING REVIEW 13 COVER STORY KNOCKING POACHERS China steps up seizures in the fight against illegal wildlife trade By George Okore LI LIN espite considerable efforts to strengthening enforcement efforts both combat wildlife poaching, the domestically as well as collaborating with Dpractice continues to threaten other countries to stop illegal trade in endangered species all over the world. In elephant ivory and other illegal wildlife Africa, it is having a devastating impact products. on the continent’s wildlife population. To prevent the extinction of elephants, Aware that poaching in Africa has China is currently implementing its com- reached alarming levels, particularly prehensive National Ivory Action Plan. It that involving rhinos and elephants, has identified countries that are primary and with the most popular destination sources, transit routes and importers of for their export being Asia, China has illegal ivory. These include Kenya, Malaysia, mustered timely international action Philippines, Thailand, Uganda, Tanzania against wildlife crime. In January, John and Viet Nam. Collaboratively, China is E. Scanlon, Secretary General of the working with these countries to enhance Convention on International Trade in strong national legislation and regulations Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora coupled with international enforcement, INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION: Representatives from foreign countries (CITES), led the world in burning 6 tons and international organizations witness the destruction of confiscated ivory outreach and public awareness. of confiscated illegal ivory and other ani- stockpiles in Dongguan, Guangdong Province, on January 6 On an international level, China has mal products in a show of commitment led two cross-continental wildlife enforce- toward ending the illicit trade. a single transaction) already represented the ment efforts, known as Operation Cobra The public destruction in Dongguan, south greatest quantity of ivory confiscated through and Operation Cobra II, to combat illegal wildlife China’s Guangdong Province, of 6.15 tons of this type of seizure over the last 25 years. trade, as well as providing funding to the African ivory stockpiles seized from illegal trade will both Large-scale ivory seizures typically indicate the Elephant Fund and the Monitoring of Illegal raise public awareness and show the Chinese participation of organized crime and so far, 18 Killing of Elephants project. Government’s resolve to put a halt to slaughter- such seizures have yielded over 41.6 tons of Kenya Wildlife Service Director, William ing wildlife for their body parts. ivory this year. Whether this reflects better law Kiprono, said that there is strong evidence of “We congratulate China for timely inter- enforcement or a further escalation in trade, increased involvement of organized crime vention. The international community should can only be known when a full analysis of the syndicates and rebel militia in wildlife crimes. reciprocate by improving law enforcement and 2013 data is possible. According to CITES, if the This is channeled through well-developed increased efforts to reduce demand. These present rate of poaching activity is maintained, criminal networks, which is changing the dy- efforts need to be stepped up and strength- elephants in Africa could face extinction. namics of combating this highly destructive ened to produce desired results,” said the Tom Milliken, an ivory trade expert with criminal activity. One of the regional initia- UN Environment Program Executive Director TRAFFIC, a wildlife trade monitoring network, tives to deal with this is the Nairobi-based Achim Steiner, who added that the latest CITES said, “From 2000 through 2013, the number of Lusaka Agreement Task Force adopted in data estimates that some 47,000 animals were large-scale ivory movements has steadily grown 1994. This was implemented to fight el- killed in Africa in 2011 and 2012. in terms of the number of such shipments ephant poaching and other wildlife crimes. The African Elephant Specialist Group un- and the quantity of ivory illegally traded. The This, in turn, established the Africa Elephant der the International Union for Conservation of year 2013 already represented a 20-percent Enforcement Special Account to mobilize Nature Species Survival Commission estimates increase over the previous peak year in 2011; resources toward conservation of African the African elephant population to be around we’re hugely concerned.” elephants, to which China is a contributor. n 500,000. Last October, the African Elephant Summit CITES said that preliminary indicators sug- in Gaborone, Botswana, also advocated stron- gest that even higher levels of illegal trade may ger global action to halt illegal trade and secure be reached in 2013. Although incomplete, the viable elephant populations across Africa. The author is a Kenyan journalist raw data for large-scale ivory seizures in 2013 Zhao Shucong, head of China’s State (classed as involving at least 500 kg of ivory in Forestry Administration, said that China is [email protected]

14 BEIJING REVIEW FEBRUARY 20, 2014 http://www.bjreview.com http://www.bjreview.com FEBRUARY 20, 2014 BEIJING REVIEW 15