China Vice-President Xi Jinping in US visit

China's leader-in-waiting, Xi Jinping, has defended his country's human rights record, during a visit to Washington.

At a State Department lunch, the Chinese vice-president admitted that there was "room for improvement" on human rights.
Separately, Mr Xi and US President Barack Obama discussed trade and currency issues, as well as China's stance on Syria, officials said.
Mr Obama said a strong relationship between the two nations was "vital".
Mr Xi, meanwhile, said he hoped his visit would deepen mutual understanding and friendship between the two powers.
The 58-year-old is expected to succeed China's President Hu Jintao, who must retire as head of the Communist Party later this year and from the presidency in 2013.
'Same rules'

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Xi Jinping: Purpose of visit to build relationship "based on mutual respect"

The US and China have been at odds over trade, currency and human rights. Last month, China's vetoing of a UN Security Council resolution on Syria also angered US officials.
Mr Xi, who is in the US all week, said he had had a "candid exchange" regarding human rights with his US counterpart, Joe Biden, and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
"I stressed that China has made tremendous and well-recognised achievements in the field of human rights over the past 30-plus years, since reform and opening up," he said.

"Of course, there is always room for improvement when it comes to human rights," he added.

His comments were similar to those made by President Hu during a trip to Washington a year ago.
But his visit comes amid concerns over a clampdown by Beijing on protests in Tibet, and outside the White House, human rights activists staged protests as Mr Xi arrived.
Some waved Tibetan flags or held signs proclaiming, "Xi Jinping: Tibet will be free."
In the Oval Office, Mr Obama was warm but firm, the BBC's Kim Ghattas in Washington says.
Washington also put pressure on Beijing over what it sees as unfair trade practices, as well as the value of its currency.
Mr Obama said he "welcomed China's peaceful rise", but added: "We want to work with China to make sure that everybody is working by the same rules of the road when it comes to the world economic system."
"That includes ensuring that there is a balanced trading flow not only between the United States and China but around the world."

Pro-Tibet demonstrators held a rally outside the White House

Mr Xi hailed further economic co-operation with the US, saying that any issues should be resolved through dialogue, "not protectionism".
Meanwhile, Mr Obama privately told Mr Xi he was disappointed with China's veto of the UN Syria effort, according to unnamed US officials.
'Critical issues' Later, the Chinese vice-president met Defence Secretary Leon Panetta at the Pentagon and was received with a full honour guard.
Mr Xi and Mr Panetta made short remarks at the beginning of the meeting but did not take reporters' questions.
Mr Xi is making the trip as the guest of US Vice-President Joe Biden, who made a high-profile visit to China late last year.
On Wednesday, he is due to travel to Iowa to meet his hosts during his first visit to the US in 1985 when he was a county official.
Those who had hosted him in the small farming community in Muscatine, where he toured to learn about crop and livestock practices, said they were surprised he had fitted a visit there into his US trip.
"I'm flabbergasted that he would take time out of his busy schedule and come back to Muscatine,'' said Eleanor Dvorchak, whose family hosted him for two nights.
Mr Xi will then fly to Los Angeles, California, to meet business leaders and reportedly attend an LA Lakers basketball game on Friday.
After the US trip, Mr Xi is also scheduled to visit Ireland and Turkey.

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Chongqing policeman Wang Lijun 'holiday' sparks rumours

A top Chinese policeman - in charge of a major crackdown on organised crime - has gone on leave, amid rumours that he is under investigation for corruption.

Wang Lijun is receiving what his employers describe as "holiday-style medical treatment".
He shot to national fame several years ago after spearheading a popular crackdown on crime in the city of Chongqing.
It would be a major embarrassment if he was found to have broken the law.
The drama began late last week when Chongqing city government announced that "comrade" Wang would no longer be head of the police department.
He kept his post as deputy mayor with new responsibilities, leaving some to speculate that he had not been demoted.
But in his new role, the local authority said Mr Wang would be in charge of areas that included landscape gardening and historical records, which naturally led to rumours that he had fallen from grace.
Then on Wednesday the city government's news department said on its micro-blog site that Mr Wang had gone on leave.

"It is understood that Vice-Mayor Wang Lijun, who has suffered overwork and immense mental stress for a long time, is seriously physically indisposed. After agreement, he is currently taking holiday-style medical treatment," read the message.

Some rumours suggest Mr Wang had sought asylum at the US consulate in Chengdu, a city near Chongqing.
The US state department confirmed on Wednesday that Mr Wang had sought and attended a meeting at the consulate.
But a spokeswoman refused to comment on rumours that he had sought asylum, adding that he had left the consulate "of his own volition".
Discussions on the internet suggest Mr Wang might be under investigation for corruption.
"Of course he needs to take a holiday. He is eating and taking too much. This man needs a rest," read one posting.
A scandal involving Mr Wang could be politically damaging for his boss in Chongqing, Bo Xilai, who hopes to become one of China's senior leaders in a reshuffle at the top later this year.
Mr Bo himself gained much praise for the crackdown on crime in the city he runs.

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China through foreign lens

Photo taken by foreign photographers shows the beautiful scenery of China and it can serve as a bridge for foreign friends to know more about China.
  Photo taken by foreign photographers shows the beautiful scenery of China and it can serve as a bridge for foreign friends to know more about China.
  Photo taken by foreign photographers shows the beautiful scenery of China and it can serve as a bridge for foreign friends to know more about China.
 


 Photo taken by foreign photographers shows the beautiful scenery of China and it can serve as a bridge for foreign friends to know more about China. 
 
Photo taken by foreign photographers shows the beautiful scenery of China and it can serve as a bridge for foreign friends to know more about China.
  Photo taken by foreign photographers shows the beautiful scenery of China and it can serve as a bridge for foreign friends to know more about China.
 
Photo taken by foreign photographers shows the beautiful scenery of China and it can serve as a bridge for foreign friends to know more about China.
 Photo taken by foreign photographers shows the beautiful scenery of China and it can serve as a bridge for foreign friends to know more about China.

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Six-party talks should not be shelved

Edited and translated by People's Daily Online

Senior officials from the United States, South Korea, and Japan met in Washington on Jan. 17, their first meeting since the end of 2011, to exchange views on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, resumption of the six-party talks, and other issues.

It is worth noting that while trying to keep "open channels of communication," the three countries stressed again that the core goal of the six-party talks is the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

The Korean Peninsula is facing a delicate situation. China attaches great importance to preserving peace and stability on the peninsula, and hopes that the United States, South Korea, and Japan can play an active and constructive role in this regard.

The three countries are major stakeholders in the Korean Peninsula denuclearization process and key members of the six-party talks. Maintaining peace and stability on the peninsula is their duty, and an effective way of protecting their interests.

Admittedly, verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner is a major goal of the six-party talks. However, the September 19 Joint Statement, the most substantive outcome of the nuclear talks so far, shows that the main goals of the talks also include the normalization of the relations between concerned countries as well as establishment of a security mechanism for maintaining peace and stability in northeast Asia.

The statement is not outdated, and still has urgent practical significance. The six-party talks is a gradual process, and it is necessary to implement agreements reached at the talks in an all-round and balanced way. 
In the three years when the six-party talks was suspended, the situation of the Korean Peninsula became more acute and serious. The root cause of this situation is the trust crisis. It is the trust crisis that has intensified the actual crisis. Currently, the task of top priority is to rebuild an environment for recovering the trust.

Negotiation is the ultimate method for solving problems. Without negotiation, no progress will be made. Although various parties have expressed their wish of returning to the six-party talks, wish has not turned into reality yet. An important reason is that a relevant country has set a high barrier in front of the negotiation hall.

The big problem is that no one wants to start removing the barrier first. However, if all parties do nothing but wait for others to remove it, they will stay out of the negotiation hall forever.

In fact, all preconditions of restarting the six-party talks could be subjects of the six-party talks. After the six-party talks was suspended, the security situation of the Korean Peninsula has worsened. It is a strong proof showing the necessity of restarting the talks.

The six-party talks is an effective mechanism for realizing the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and safeguarding the peace and security of the peninsula and northeast Asia. Strengthening contacts, dialogues and mutual trust and laying the foundation for restarting the six-party talks as soon as possible are wise and responsible choices for all parties.

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Chinese writer Yu Jie describes 'inhumane treatment'

A prominent Chinese writer close to Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo has described "inhumane treatment" that forced him to leave.

Speaking in Washington, Yu Jie said he was harassed by police, then abducted and severely beaten.
Mr Yu, 38, wrote "China's Best Actor: Wen Jiabao", a controversial book that scrutinised the premier. The book was banned in mainland China.
Mr Yu arrived in the US on 11 January to live with his wife and son.
On Wednesday he appeared at a press conference and also released a statement - published on the rights group Human Rights in China website - describing persecution at the hands of state police.
He said that after Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize "illegal house arrests, torture, surveillance and tracking, and being taken on 'trips' became part of my daily life".
Mr Liu is currently serving an 11-year jail term in China for inciting subversion.
'Traitor to the state' Mr Yu said he was picked up by plainclothes officers on 9 December 2010, the day before the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony, hooded and and taken to an undisclosed location.
There he said he was stripped of his clothes, beaten for hours and told that his naked photos would be posted online. He said he also suffered cigarette burns.
"They verbally abused me non-stop with vulgar language, calling me a traitor to the state and to the Chinese people, and trash," he wrote in the statement.
He was eventually taken to hospital for treatment and released on 13 December.
After that, he said he was frequently placed under house arrest and his movements were curtailed.
"After over a year of inhumane treatment and painful struggle, I had no choice but to leave China," he said.
Mr Yu now plans to publish a biography of Mr Liu authorised by his wife, as well as a new book on Chinese President Hu Jintao.
On Monday US Ambassador to China Gary Locke said that human rights in China had deteriorated since 2008 - comments rejected by a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman.
"As to some people who have been punished by law, it is not because China is repressing freedom of expression or freedom of religion, it is because they reached the bottom line of China's law and violated China's laws and, naturally, they should be punished," Liu Weimin said on Tuesday.
Meanwhile reports from China say another writer and activist, Li Tie, has been jailed for subversion.
If confirmed, he would be the third person to be jailed on the charge in a month.

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