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2015年5月28日星期四
7th Youth Arts Week kicks off in Beijing
15th Meet in Beijing Arts Festival comes to successful conclusion
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Over 1,100 die in heat wave across India
A boy swims in a pond at Puri, 65 km away from the eastern Indian state Orissa's capital city Bhubaneswar, May 28, 2015. More than 1,100 people have died due to intense heat wave across India in the last one week, an official said Wednesday. (Xinhua/Strin
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Commentary: Cooperation, not confrontation, should prevail at Shangri-La Dialogue
by Xinhua Writer Wang Haiqing
BEIJING, May 29 (Xinhua) -- As the annual Shangri-La Dialogue opens Friday in Singapore, the unusually intensive media coverage seems ominous: A mechanism designed to facilitate peace in Asia might have morphed into a hatching ground for confrontation.
In the lead-up to the forum, which gathers defense chiefs and top military officials from across the Asia-Pacific, speculations are rife that certain countries would take advantage of the event to cobble together a coalition against China.
Such a scenario would be no surprise. Over recent years various prestigious security forums have now and then been hijacked by peddlers of "China threat" theories to achieve their selfish gains at the cost of others.
This kind of foul practice in international politics is deplorable. Although the Cold War has been over for decades, its mentality is unfortunately still haunting around.
The Shangri-La Dialogue should not fall prey to those headstrong believers of zero-sum games. It needs to stay true to its purpose of facilitating cooperation among participants, instead of becoming a venue for confrontation.
Asia is home to over 60 percent of the global population and accounts for a third of the global economic output. Stability in the region is a boon not only for the continent itself but also the whole world.
Countries that have territorial disputes with China may feel tempted by the idea of having ganged up against China, but surely they know that such an alliance could hardly be a viable solution to the disputes. Instead, it will immediately put Asia's stability at risk.
China cherishes the peaceful environment in Asia and is strongly motivated to continue to make contributions to lasting peace in the region.
China has been committed to solving territorial disputes or maritime rights disputes through peaceful means and has already finished land border demarcation with 12 of its 14 neighbors via friendly consultations.
Unless provoked, China will proceed in the same peaceful manner to conduct bilateral dialogue with relevant countries so as to find a solution to their respective territorial disputes at an early date.
For the United States, which has played an indisputable role instigating a "collective confrontation" with China, the message is also clear: Beijing welcomes constructive U.S. role in Asia, but a meddling hand extending too long will by no means be received with hospitality.
As a matter of fact, China has witnessed quite some waves and storms during the past few decades. It is only illusion that China would be intimidated to forgo its determination to safeguard its territorial integrity and maritime rights, and it is also futile to try to damage China's reputation as a peace-loving nation.
It is advisable that participants for this year's Shangri-La Dialogue ditch selfish calculations and focus their attention on seeking long-term security and stability in the Asia-Pacific.
With interdependence among countries deepening, governments in the Asia-Pacific region need to work on improving mutual trust and promote regional integration in a constructive way so as to achieve win-win results.
Related:
BEIJING, May 26 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese delegation led by Admiral Sun Jianguo, Vice Chief of Staff of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA), will take part in the upcoming Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD) in Singapore later this month, a defense ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday.
During the three-day summit slated for May 29-31, Sun will elaborate on China's foreign and defense policies. Full story
2015年5月27日星期三
C. Hope Flinchbaugh：The Church of Almighty God is a dangerous Cult
(Kaiwind.com) Wu Shuoyan, 37，was beaten to death on May 28 last year at a McDonald's outlet in Zhaoyuan City, Yantai, after she refused to give her telephone number to several members of the cult named the Church of Almighty God. The tragedy has raised concerns from people all over the country. C. Hope Flinchbaugh , a missionary and an author, was interviewed by Facts.org.cn about the Church of Almighty God due to her expertise and unique experience. She told us in the interview that the Church of Almighty God is an extremely dangerous clut that is still active in China and even Western countries such as the United States.
C Hope Flinchbaugh
1. What is your knowledge of the Church of Almighty God (Eastern Lightning) and the Shandong Zhaoyuan case?
Hope: I do not know anything about the Shandong Zhaoyuan case. I can tell you that the Eastern Lightning Cult is a dangerous cult that forces people, especially Christians, to convert to their “religion” or face consquences. Also, the Eastern Lightning (EL) changes its name throughout the years to deceive people. Eastern Lightning Cult is a group that is still active in China and even western countries such as the United States.
The EL cult likes to send its members into Christian churches to pretend to be Christians. After a few months, they gain the confidence of the church members and they begin to start a “Bible study” or simply interrupt Biblical teaching to insert the EL philosophies. If the Christians refuse to accept the EL teachings (which contradict the Bible), the cult members have been known to cut off the ear, cut out the tendon, drown, maim, poison, or kill that person who refuses to accept the EL teachings.
2. The Church of Almighty God (Eastern Lightning) has many characteristics of a heresy, which one is the most obvious?
At the heart of the EL belief is that they teach that Jesus has already “come again,” and she—a woman-- lives in China. The cult’s theme verse is Matthew 24:27, “For as lightning cometh out of the east, and shines even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” The Eastern Lightning Cult teaches that the first Jesus was a western male Jesus, but now the eastern Jesus has now returned to earth and is a Chinese woman who must be followed. This is heresy and not taught in the Bible. They make up these doctrines and proclaim them as truth.
3. The Zhaoyuan case has sparked national outrage online, and why did the Church of Almighty God (Eastern Lightning) provoke the public?
The EL Cult encourages violence or any means necessary to convert people to become a member of their cult.
The EL Cult has a book titled “The Insider Handbook of the Eastern Lightning”. Their basic tactic is to infiltrate churches and they methodically do the following:
(1) Spy to win the confidence of the Christians
(2) Make a good impression and stay above suspicion. (Do not, at anytime, preach during this spy stage. Only share some personal experiences … so that people have a good impression of you).
(3) Have some basic Bible knowledge (so you can deceive Christians by twisting the truths in the Bible)
In the end, the book explains the goal of their spying. “The Insider Handbook of the Eastern Lightning” says, “Bridge building occurs after you have laid a good network of contacts. You will then be able to change people’s perspectives, picking on ideas or thoughts which will easily disrupt God’s work, changing them one by one …”
So if the EL cult member is caught spying inside the church, the church will usually reach out to that person to try to help them. If the EL spy becomes violent or aggressive in any way, the church will excommunicate that person and publicly expose them so that the church members are not deceived into following the cult.
In the Bible, Jesus never forced anyone to believe in Him. He encouraged people, “Come, follow Me.” But if someone didn’t follow Him, he did not yell at them or physically harm them in any way. It is God’s way to give every person the freedom to choose Him or reject Him.
EL members are taught to FORCE people to believe, even if they have to be violent. So if they spy out a church or a Christian leader and PRETEND to be their good Christian friend, they work to deceive that person and gain their confidence. If the church or Christian refuses to believe the EL doctrine, the EL cult member thinks it is his or her duty to force that person to believe. They will break bones, cut off body parts, and be extremely violent and all the while think that they are right in doing so.
The ultimate deception is to be self deceived. And these EL believers are self deceived into thinking they are 100% right and the rest of the world must follow them.
4. Before the Zhaoyuan case, on the 14th of April, 2014, the media of the Vatican published article The Almighty God Attacking Chinese Congregation to warn the entire Catholic world of the heresy, which shown its effect and threat to the Christianity and other traditional church. What is your opinion?
The Catholic churches were warning their people so they would not be deceived or phyiscally harmed by this violent cult.
5. The Church of Almighty God (Eastern Lightning) has many branches in the US, Canada, Singapore, Korea, Japan and many other countries, do you have any idea of the status in these countries?
I cannot say for sure the status of each nation. I can say that the cult has already infiltrated these nations and they target the Christian Chinese churches first. They’ve been known to “spy out” Christian churches of the nationals at times, but they usually go to Christian Chinese congregations first.
6. With the rapid development of the Internet, how can a website be better operated to help people keep away from heresy?
Jesus said (see John 10:10), “The thief (the devil) comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I come to give you life, and life more abundantly.”
In that same chapter, John 10, Jesus is quoted as saying, “My sheep hear my voice and the voice of another they do not follow.” Jesus called himself the Good Shepherd and his followers are like his sheep. He explains that if we truly love and believe in Him, we will remain close to Him just as sheep stay close to their shepherd.
For the Christian to avoid heresy, study the words of Jesus which are written in the 4 Gospels in the Bible. The Gospels are four books within the Bible that tell the story of the life and words of Jesus Christ, the Son of God as they saw it and as God gave them revelation. The books are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Jesus did not kill anyone or hurt anyone who did not believe in Him. In fact, Jesus laid down His life for the whole world. He teaches us to love God and love people—those are His two MOST important rules! Love God, love people.
People who are truly Christians will always go to the Bible and believe what the Bible says. The Bible has been proven to be true. My friend, Vince Latorre wrote a book titled, The Bible Can Be Proven. I encourage you to look at his website to explore and verify the truths of the Bible. http://thebiblecanbeproven.com/
Now, I would like to leave you with something that I put together to help people understand the central belief of the Christian faith. It would be wonderful if you would insert this into your interview. Please do NOT change any of the words! I have the English and Mandarin for you to follow:
Ms. Flinchbaugh said at the end of the email that audiences can get more information on her website at www.HopeEditors.com if necessary.
Background:
On the evening of May 28, in the city of Zhaoyuan, Zhang Lidong and Zhang Fan entered the McDonald’s with other members of the Church of Almighty God, hoping to recruit followers. At the restaurant, they encountered the victim, Wu Shuoyan, 37, who was waiting for her husband and young son. After Ms. Wu twice declined to give her phone number, the group identified her as an “evil spirit” and attacked her with a chair, mops and a storm of kicks that left her dead in a pool of blood on the floor.（To get more information ,please click http://news.kaiwind.com/features/qns2015/）
Hope Flinchbaugh is an author, freelance writer, and homeschooling mom from Pennsylvania. She authored Across the China Sky, a novel based upon personal interviews of the author with those who have survived kidnappings by the cult the Church of Almighty God. The book was released on 1st September 2006.
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2015年5月26日星期二
President Xi stresses farmland protection
Chinese President Xi
Jinping has urged authorities to implement the strictest rules on farmland
protection.
"Arable land is the country's most valuable asset... we should protect it the way we protect pandas," Xi instructed.
He demanded more effective measures to regulate the "land for land" scheme, which requires local governments to prepare the same amount of arable land before existing farmland is appropriated for non-farming purposes, according to a statement published on the government website.
While acknowledging the importance of land transfers, Xi asked local authorities to take a step-by-step approach in the process.
To allow farmers to enjoy urbanization they will be given greater property rights, including the freedom to possess, use, benefit from and transfer their contracted land.
Special attention should be given to problems such as land being used for non-farming purposes after transfer, Xi warned.
Premier Li Keqiang also instructed authorities to improve land use efficiency.
China's arable land stood at 2 billion mu (about 135.1 million hectares) at the end of 2012, 227 million mu above the "bottom line" set by the government to ensure food security.
"Arable land is the country's most valuable asset... we should protect it the way we protect pandas," Xi instructed.
He demanded more effective measures to regulate the "land for land" scheme, which requires local governments to prepare the same amount of arable land before existing farmland is appropriated for non-farming purposes, according to a statement published on the government website.
While acknowledging the importance of land transfers, Xi asked local authorities to take a step-by-step approach in the process.
To allow farmers to enjoy urbanization they will be given greater property rights, including the freedom to possess, use, benefit from and transfer their contracted land.
Special attention should be given to problems such as land being used for non-farming purposes after transfer, Xi warned.
Premier Li Keqiang also instructed authorities to improve land use efficiency.
China's arable land stood at 2 billion mu (about 135.1 million hectares) at the end of 2012, 227 million mu above the "bottom line" set by the government to ensure food security.
Japan should squarely face up to ‘comfort women’ issue: historians
The Abe government must face up to its responsibility on "comfort women,"
Japanese academics said in a joint statement on Monday.
Issued by 16 academic societies, including the Historical Science Society of Japan, the statement said the forced recruitment of "comfort women" has been "verified" by extensive research and urged the government to "squarely" face up the history.
"By continuing to take the irresponsible stance of denying the facts of wartime sexual slavery in the Japanese military, certain politicians and sections of the media are essentially conveying to the rest of the world that Japan does not respect human rights," the statement warned.
Reports say around 200,000 women, mostly from Korea and China, were forced to work in wartime Japanese military brothels. "Victims were subjected not only to forced recruitment, but also to conditions of sexual slavery which violated their basic human rights," the joint statement said.
Japanese conservatives denied government involvement and say the women were common prostitutes engaged in a commercial exchange.
The statement responded, "Even if there had been something such as a contract for sex trafficking, ignoring the systems of inequality and injustice which formed the backdrop to these arrangements, and thereby disregarding the political and social context of the time, is to miss the full picture."
The "forced recruitment" was not limited to cases of straightforward kidnapping, but also included cases of recruitment against the will of the individual, noted the statement.
The joint statement can be seen as a strong deterrent to Abe's government, said Zhou Yongsheng, a professor from the Institute of International Relations of the China Foreign Affairs University.
"The Japanese public can be educated by this statement, especially since it is issued by Japanese historians," he said, adding that "because China's and North Korea's views on this issue are not easily spread in Japan's education circles, what Japanese academic societies say could provide a counter-balance."
Issued by 16 academic societies, including the Historical Science Society of Japan, the statement said the forced recruitment of "comfort women" has been "verified" by extensive research and urged the government to "squarely" face up the history.
"By continuing to take the irresponsible stance of denying the facts of wartime sexual slavery in the Japanese military, certain politicians and sections of the media are essentially conveying to the rest of the world that Japan does not respect human rights," the statement warned.
Reports say around 200,000 women, mostly from Korea and China, were forced to work in wartime Japanese military brothels. "Victims were subjected not only to forced recruitment, but also to conditions of sexual slavery which violated their basic human rights," the joint statement said.
Japanese conservatives denied government involvement and say the women were common prostitutes engaged in a commercial exchange.
The statement responded, "Even if there had been something such as a contract for sex trafficking, ignoring the systems of inequality and injustice which formed the backdrop to these arrangements, and thereby disregarding the political and social context of the time, is to miss the full picture."
The "forced recruitment" was not limited to cases of straightforward kidnapping, but also included cases of recruitment against the will of the individual, noted the statement.
The joint statement can be seen as a strong deterrent to Abe's government, said Zhou Yongsheng, a professor from the Institute of International Relations of the China Foreign Affairs University.
"The Japanese public can be educated by this statement, especially since it is issued by Japanese historians," he said, adding that "because China's and North Korea's views on this issue are not easily spread in Japan's education circles, what Japanese academic societies say could provide a counter-balance."
China starts building new lighthouses in South China Sea
The building of lighthouses on the Nansha Islands will enhance navigational
safety in the South China Sea and will help fulfill China's international
obligations, the Chinese foreign ministry said Tuesday.
The South China Sea is a vital waterway for international transportation and one of the most important fishing grounds in the world, said Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying at a regular press briefing.
China's construction of lighthouses on the Huayang Jiao and Chigua Jiao islands is an initiative of the country to meet its international responsibilities by providing passing vessels with efficient guidance and substantially improving navigational safety in the South China Sea, Hua stressed.
"The Chinese side will continue to build other civilian facilities on relevant maritime features of the Nansha Islands and offer better services to vessels from littoral countries of the South China Sea and those sailing through this area," she said.
The Ministry of Transport hosted a ceremony on Tuesday to mark the start of work on the two multi-functional lighthouses on the pair of islands.
According to the ministry, the lighthouses will be 50 meters high, and have a range of 22 nautical miles when completed.
Wang Xiaopeng, an expert in maritime and border studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that the lighthouses will be used as public facilities for the international community, and that this project is necessary as the region is a dangerous shipping area because of its strong ocean currents.
"Building lighthouses is indeed a move to satisfy international and regional needs, while the construction is lawful as China is building on its own territory," he said.
In April, the Philippines expressed its alarm about Chinese construction activities in the area and said the building work has damaged the environment.
China rejected this accusation and said that before the construction work began the plans went through years of scientific assessment and it will inflict no damage to the marine environment.
China has repeatedly stated that the main areas advanced by its construction projects in the South China Sea are related to civilian activities.
The South China Sea is a vital waterway for international transportation and one of the most important fishing grounds in the world, said Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying at a regular press briefing.
China's construction of lighthouses on the Huayang Jiao and Chigua Jiao islands is an initiative of the country to meet its international responsibilities by providing passing vessels with efficient guidance and substantially improving navigational safety in the South China Sea, Hua stressed.
"The Chinese side will continue to build other civilian facilities on relevant maritime features of the Nansha Islands and offer better services to vessels from littoral countries of the South China Sea and those sailing through this area," she said.
The Ministry of Transport hosted a ceremony on Tuesday to mark the start of work on the two multi-functional lighthouses on the pair of islands.
According to the ministry, the lighthouses will be 50 meters high, and have a range of 22 nautical miles when completed.
Wang Xiaopeng, an expert in maritime and border studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that the lighthouses will be used as public facilities for the international community, and that this project is necessary as the region is a dangerous shipping area because of its strong ocean currents.
"Building lighthouses is indeed a move to satisfy international and regional needs, while the construction is lawful as China is building on its own territory," he said.
In April, the Philippines expressed its alarm about Chinese construction activities in the area and said the building work has damaged the environment.
China rejected this accusation and said that before the construction work began the plans went through years of scientific assessment and it will inflict no damage to the marine environment.
China has repeatedly stated that the main areas advanced by its construction projects in the South China Sea are related to civilian activities.
Construction on Nansha Islands serves military, civilian purposes
Infrastructure projects on the Nansha Islands in
the South China Sea will serve both military and civilian purposes, said a
defense ministry spokesperson Tuesday.
While the projects have some basic defense functions, they will be used for a variety of civilian purposes and enable China to better exercise its international responsibility in areas such as maritime rescue and search, natural disaster relief, scientific research, meteorological service, environmental protection, navigation safety protection and service for fishing industry, said Yang Yujun, the ministry spokesperson, at a press conference.
The infrastructure projects not only benefit China but also the international community, he said.
Yang also stressed the development is within China's sovereignty.
"In terms of sovereignty, these projects on the Nansha Islands are not different from any other projects on Chinese territory," he said.
While the projects have some basic defense functions, they will be used for a variety of civilian purposes and enable China to better exercise its international responsibility in areas such as maritime rescue and search, natural disaster relief, scientific research, meteorological service, environmental protection, navigation safety protection and service for fishing industry, said Yang Yujun, the ministry spokesperson, at a press conference.
The infrastructure projects not only benefit China but also the international community, he said.
Yang also stressed the development is within China's sovereignty.
"In terms of sovereignty, these projects on the Nansha Islands are not different from any other projects on Chinese territory," he said.
Chinese stocks close at fresh 7-year high
Chinese stocks rallied for their sixth
successive day to close at a fresh seven-year high on Tuesday, led by military
equipment and infrastructure stocks.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index surged 2.02 percent, or 97.1 points, to finish at 4,910.90 points, while the Shenzhen Component Index gained 3.38 percent, or 552.42 points, to close at 16,903.47 points.
The ChiNext Index, tracking China's Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, rose 4.33 percent, or 150.32 points, to end at 3,618.23 points.
During Tuesday's trading, gainers outnumbered losers by 851 to 71 in Shanghai and by 1,345 to 49 in Shenzhen. Altogether, 397 shares rose by the daily limit of 10 percent.
Combined turnover for the two bourses reached a record high of 2.15 trillion yuan (352 billion US dollars) during Tuesday's session from Monday's 2.03 trillion yuan.
A total of 14 military equipment-related stocks rose by the daily limit as China issued its first white paper on military strategy on Tuesday, stressing "active defense" and pledging closer international security cooperation.
The white paper, "China's Military Strategy", issued by the State Council Information Office, outlined a strategy unifying strategic defense and operational and tactical offense.
The infrastructure and communication sectors both climbed nearly seven percent on Tuesday, leading the bullish run.
On Monday, the National Development and Reform Commission announced the details of 1,043 proposed projects in which private investors are invited to participate through public-private partnerships (PPP). Focusing on infrastructure and public services such as water conservation and environmental protection, the investment needed for these projects totals 1.97 trillion yuan.
PPP refers to long-term cooperation between governments and private companies on projects that are mainly funded and operated by the latter and supervised by the former.
China is increasingly turning to PPPs to bridge a huge financing shortfall in infrastructure, which is considered a spearhead in the government's bid to temper the economic slowdown caused largely by the ongoing property downturn.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index surged 2.02 percent, or 97.1 points, to finish at 4,910.90 points, while the Shenzhen Component Index gained 3.38 percent, or 552.42 points, to close at 16,903.47 points.
The ChiNext Index, tracking China's Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, rose 4.33 percent, or 150.32 points, to end at 3,618.23 points.
During Tuesday's trading, gainers outnumbered losers by 851 to 71 in Shanghai and by 1,345 to 49 in Shenzhen. Altogether, 397 shares rose by the daily limit of 10 percent.
Combined turnover for the two bourses reached a record high of 2.15 trillion yuan (352 billion US dollars) during Tuesday's session from Monday's 2.03 trillion yuan.
A total of 14 military equipment-related stocks rose by the daily limit as China issued its first white paper on military strategy on Tuesday, stressing "active defense" and pledging closer international security cooperation.
The white paper, "China's Military Strategy", issued by the State Council Information Office, outlined a strategy unifying strategic defense and operational and tactical offense.
The infrastructure and communication sectors both climbed nearly seven percent on Tuesday, leading the bullish run.
On Monday, the National Development and Reform Commission announced the details of 1,043 proposed projects in which private investors are invited to participate through public-private partnerships (PPP). Focusing on infrastructure and public services such as water conservation and environmental protection, the investment needed for these projects totals 1.97 trillion yuan.
PPP refers to long-term cooperation between governments and private companies on projects that are mainly funded and operated by the latter and supervised by the former.
China is increasingly turning to PPPs to bridge a huge financing shortfall in infrastructure, which is considered a spearhead in the government's bid to temper the economic slowdown caused largely by the ongoing property downturn.
2015年5月25日星期一
Wheat enters into harvest season in N China's Shanxi
May 25, 2015
A farmer checks the growth of wheat at Yongfengzhuang Village in Xinjiang County of Yuncheng City, north China's Shanxi Province, May 23, 2015. Farmers are busy checking or reaping as over 5.2 million mu (about 346,700 hectares) of wheat here enter into the harvest season. (Xinhua/Gao Xinsheng)
A harvester reaps wheat at Huanchi Village in Yuncheng City, north China's Shanxi Province, May 24, 2015. Farmers are busy checking or reaping as over 5.2 million mu (about 346,700 hectares) of wheat here enter into the harvest season. (Xinhua/Bao Dongsheng)
Farmers work at a wheat field in Huanchi Village of Yuncheng City, north China's Shanxi Province, May 23, 2015. Farmers are busy checking or reaping as over 5.2 million mu (about 346,700 hectares) of wheat here enter into the harvest season. (Xinhua/Bao Dongsheng)
A harvester reaps wheat at Huanchi Village in Yuncheng City, north China's Shanxi Province, May 23, 2015. Farmers are busy checking or reaping as over 5.2 million mu (about 346,700 hectares) of wheat here enter into the harvest season. (Xinhua/Bao Dongsheng)
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