China's Other Bitter Harvest

Campus Report ^ | April 14, 2009 | Heather Latham

[bs9021]

China’s Other Bitter Harvest

by: Heather Latham, April 14, 2009

In China there is a serious divide between those that live in urban areas and those that live in rural areas, according to a study by Roy Prosterman, Chair Emeritus, Rural Development Institute, and Zhu Keliang, East Asia Program Manager, Rural Development Institute. Prosterman and Zhu explained their study at a Cato Institute event on April 6. They argued that the way to find economic stability and growth for farmers in these rural areas is “secure, long-term land rights.”

Prosterman started by comparing Chinese farmers to those in other countries in the area, such as Taiwan. When doing his study, he found that “every farmer we interviewed had a car, almost every farmer had a computer, almost every farmer had investments on the stock market… They lived in very nice, solid, brick houses… And these were on very small farms.”

However, the story on mainland China is very different. Of the 750 million people living on the mainland, Prosterman found that “only a minority is urban,” and the “prosperity is very largely urban” also. The problems of land rights for rural farmers can be put into four categories. Prosterman lists these as separate slides in his slideshow:

1. “Incomplete Issuance of Land Documents”
2. “You May Farm the Land for 30 Years…Or Until a Land Readjustment”
3. “You May Farm the Land for 30 Years…Or until a Land-taking by State”
4. “Poor Awareness of Good Laws and Policies”

The slideshow says, “59% of rural households have been issued [a] contract, certificate, or both” “[b]ut 41% still lack any document,” and “[o]f the issued documentation, the vast majority fails to record [the] wife’s name as an equal right-holder.”...

[ETL]

[2009] Russia, China plan new joint military exercises

By MARTIN SIEFF, UPI Senior News Analyst
Published: March 26, 2009

WASHINGTON, March 26 (UPI) -- The continuing tensions over Russia's refusal to sell its state-of-the-art land warfare advanced weapons systems to China hasn't interrupted the rhythm of major joint military exercises between the two major land powers on the Eurasian landmass. The latest in the regular, biennial series of exercises between the two nations has been confirmed for this summer.

The next in the now well-established series of exercises called Peace Mission 2009 will be carried out in northeastern China, the Russian Defense Ministry announced March 18, according to a report carried by the RIA Novosti news agency.

The first bilateral Peace Mission maneuvers -- described at the time as counter-terrorism exercises -- were held in Russia and the eastern Chinese province of Shandong in August 2005. As we reported at that time, they were a lot bigger than mere counter-terrorism exercises. Warships, squadrons of combat aircraft and more than 10,000 troops were involved carrying out landings against hypothetically hostile shores. The maneuvers also involved large-scale paratroops drops. The scale and nature of those exercises suggested a trial run for a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan with Russian support. ..."

http://www.upi.com/Security_Industry/2009/03/26/Russia_China_plan_new_joint_military_exercises/UPI-25021238094858/
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Russia, China flex muscles in joint war games
August 17, 2007

CHEBARKUL, Russia (Reuters) - Russia and China staged their biggest joint exercises on Friday but denied this show of military prowess could lead to the formation of a counterweight to NATO.

"Today's exercises are another step towards strengthening the relations between our countries, a step towards strengthening international peace and security, and first and foremost, the security of our peoples," Putin said.

Fighter jets swooped overhead, commandos jumped from helicopters on to rooftops and the boom of artillery shells shook the firing range in Russia's Ural mountains as two of the largest armies in the world were put through their paces.

The exercises take place against a backdrop of mounting rivalry between the West, and Russia and China for influence over Central Asia, a strategic region that has huge oil, gas and mineral resources.

Russia's growing assertiveness is also causing jitters in the West. Putin announced at the firing range that Russia was resuming Soviet-era sorties by its strategic bomber aircraft near NATO airspace.
http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-29030120070817?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0
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War Games: Russia, China Grow Alliance
September 23, 2005

In foreign policy it’s critical to “know thine enemy.” So American policymakers should be aware that Russia and China are inching closer to identifying a common enemy — the United States.

The two would-be superpowers held unprecedented joint military exercises Aug. 18-25. Soothingly named “Peace Mission 2005,” the drills took place on the Shandong peninsula on the Yellow Sea, and included nearly 10,000 troops. Russian long-range bombers, the army, navy, air force, marine, airborne and logistics units from both countries were also involved.

Moscow and Beijing claim the maneuvers were aimed at combating terrorism, extremism and separatism (the last a veiled reference to Taiwan), but it’s clear they were an attempt to counter-balance American military might.

Joint war games are a logical outcome of the Sino-Russian Friendship and Cooperation Treaty signed in 2001, and reflect the shared worldview and growing economic ties between the two Eastern Hemisphere giants. As the Pravda.ru Web site announced, “the reconciliation between China and Russia has been driven in part by mutual unease at U.S. power and a fear of Islamic extremism in Central Asia.” [both claims are BS -etl]
http://www.heritage.org/Press/Commentary/ed092605a.cfm
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From the Sino-Russian Joint Statement of April 23, 1997:
"The two sides [China and Russia] shall, in the spirit of partnership, strive to promote the multipolarization of the world and the establishment of a new international order."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/HI29Ag01.html
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From National Public Radio (NPR):
August 29, 2006
"Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has been visiting countries such as China, Iran and Russia as part of an effort to build a 'strategic alliance' of interests not beholden to the United States. He considers the United States his arch enemy.":
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5729764

[cmdjing]

Ms. Latham combines the cluelessness of blondes and interns. Farmers in Taiwan, and most of the developed world at that, enjoy massive state subsidies. Those small landholders living on their small farms are the beneficiaries of one of the largest wealth transfers in history, using voting power to secure public money as the ultimate welfare queens. Those very small farms given the prevailing market should not even exist, that they do and are prosperous is not because of capitalism, it is because of government intervention.

Finding that the minority of the Chinese population is rural is like finding out that water is wet. Though apparently theyve somehow managed to misplace nearly 600 million or so people in their study.

[ponder life]

It makes no economic sense for a farmer with small plot of land to be wealthy. I will have to agree with post #3 in that it is a result of a transfer of wealth by the Taiwanese government to the farmers.

For China, their best prospects to solve the urban rural divide is to continue to develop their 2nd and 3rd tier cities (which will experience explosive growth in the coming decade and number in the hundreds upon hundreds) where farmers can move to get into other occupations. With the prevailing agricultural technology today, China needs less than 100 million rural residence, consolidate the farms, and send the rest into cities.

I pray that China doesn't fall into the same trap as the other Asian countries of maintaining the small family farm. Economy of scale is the name of the game to be competitive in global agricultural production.