[Asia Round-up] China’s princelings in high posts

Editor’s note: Followings are summaries of editorials from major Asian media on current issues.

China’s princelings in high posts
[Singapore, The Straits Times, 29-05-2013]

News of newly retired Chinese president Hu Jintao’s son entering into politics is only the beginning of many princelings to come. Recently, Deng Xiaoping’s 28-year-old grandson, Deng Zhuodi, has emerged as a county leader in southern Guangxi autonomous region and there is also talk of the son of ex-National People’s Congress chairman Wu Bangguo, Wu Lei, 37, soon becoming a Shanghai official.

Hu Jintao’s son, Hu Haifeng, 41, was formerly in business, but recently has been appointed as deputy party secretary of Jiaxing City of Zhejiang province. Last Friday, the Jiaxing Daily, the government’s mouthpiece, revealed Hu’s new post and news footage from Zhejiang Satellite TV showed him sitting in a meeting with fellow officials. However, fearing public outcry, the local government has been very cautious to reveal the news of his entering politics to the public. Searches of his name on the Weibo microblog have been blocked and the Zhejiang government website has omitted his name as part of the leadership.

Recent news covering the rapid promotion of a group of young local officials believed to be influenced by their family has led to cries of nepotism, which may create challenges for the princelings.

World’s tallest structure with down-to-earth purpose
[Thailand, The Nation, 25-05-2013]

The next world’s tallest building, after the current record-height holder Burj Khalifa in Dubai, will soon undergo construction in the middle of a field in Changsha, China, with the closest international metropolis, Hong Kong, a good 600 kilometers away.

This new structure named “Sky City” will climb 838 meters when completed and is estimated to be built in six to seven months by Chinese company Broad Sustainable Construction. Sky City will make use of the newest technology revolutionary reassembling techniques, which will put together pieces built in different places at the same time.

Not only is the height and speed of construction extremely ambitious. Sky City plans to become a model on how people might live in the future. Its goal is to accommodate population growth, while being environmentally friendly as possible. Broad Sustainable Construction has vowed an innovative design as an example of efficient, affordable living quarters operating with great sustainability. These ultra-high buildings will be able to accommodate future schools, hospitals, supermarkets, and workplaces, which would reduce the need to travel.

If Sky City succeeds in all of its ambitions, it will earn the respect of the world and could change the course of city planning.

Passage To Japan: Stronger ties with Asia’s technology leader can revolutionise Indian infrastructure
[India, The Times of India, 28-05-2013]

The Indian PM’s visit to Japan comes at a time when Shinzo Abe has been strugging to uplift an economy ‘lost’ for two decades. India must make the most of the opportunities resulting from this chance. For example, Manmohan Singh can make real progress on a bilateral agreement that could eventually supply us with Japanese reactors and civilian nuclear technology.

In 2007, Abe addressed the Indian Parliament and suggests a stronger strategic partnership. Of course, India has long been the largest recipient of Japan’s official development assistance ranging from irrigation to financial services. Now a window has opened up to take this relationship to another level.

Japanese financial aid and technical expertise have transformed life and business in India’s capital, via the Delhi metro. As one of the world’s most technologically advanced economies, Japan can help revolutionise India’s manufacturing growth and infrastructure development including constructing ‘smart’ cities with reduced carbon footprints and advanced governance solutions.

When Singh visits Thailand after Japan, the China factor will lead to increase security cooperation and commercial connectivity, even as progress on the India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway project continues apace. The Japanese PM will be receiving the Indian delegation immediately on the wings of a visit to Myanmar. Obviously there is a lot of churn giving New Delhi the opportunity to juggle more balls. But the long history of Japanese backing for India’s growth guarantees the move to strengthen ties with the land of the rising sun.

The Rohingya mess
[UAE, Khaleff Times, 29-05- 2013]

Aung San Suu Kyi condemns two-child’ policy on the resident Muslim population in Rakhine state and local authorities’ discriminatory attitude. This is most welcome. She believes that an even-handed state policy is needed to rebuild a new Myanmar.

Authorities led the selective ban to lapse since 1994 to recent years. It gives the impression that the ruling junta’s anti-Muslim approach is perhaps politically driven. This is why who believes in pluralism should distance themselves and rally around the minorities and their constitutionally guaranteed rights.

Suu Kyi has to throw her weight behind the minority communities and highlight herself once again as the national leader of the country. The discrimination on Rohingya people is unprecedented, and they had even been denied statehood and nationality. This is systematic genocide of the community. The commission which investigates recent violence in Rakhine has wrongly suggested to invoke family planning policies to address what it describes as the fear of rapid growth of the Muslim population. The 800,000 stateless Rohingyas cannot be pushed to the wall and this bias should come to an end.