Malaysia and China set trade target of RM511bil, usher new era of strategic partnership

Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak jointly meet the press in Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia, Oct. 4, 2013. (Xinhua/Zhang Duo)



PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia and China have set an astounding bilateral trade target of US$160bil (RM511bil) by 2017.

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and President Xi Jinping discussed this at a closed-door meeting at the Prime Minister’s office here yesterday.

The two leaders also discussed a five-year economic and trade programme and agreed to elevate the current cooperation between both countries into a comprehensive strategic partnership.

Najib and Xi said this in a joint statement issued after the meeting.

Last year, the bilateral trade volume between the two countries reached US$94.8bil (RM303bil).

This makes Malaysia China’s top trading partner among the Asean countries for the fifth consecutive year.

Najib said Xi expressed keen interest in seeing Chinese companies participate in Malaysia’s high-speed rail (HSR) project, the China-Malaysia Qinzhou Industrial Park and the Malaysia-China Kuantan Industrial Park.

“We also would like to see more trade between the countries settled in the renminbi and ringgit,” he said, adding that the information on this should be disseminated to the private sectors of both countries.

Najib said Xi indicated some new areas of cooperation between the two countries, which included information and communication technology, biotechnology, science and space technology.

“We agreed to step up our cooperation in law enforcement, combating transnational crime, cyber security, as well as stronger and deeper military cooperation,” he said.

Najib added that Malaysia would be opening a Consul-General office in Nanning while China would open similar offices in Kota Kinabalu and Penang.

“Malaysia also fully supports Xi’s suggestion, which he made in Indonesia, for the establishment of an Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank which would certainly help in the development of Asean,” he said.

The Prime Minister hoped that the project to develop the Malaysian campus of the Xiamen University, its first outside China, would become a reality in near future.

Najib added that he was also looking forward to visit China next year, at the invitation of the Chinese government and Xi, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Malaysia-China diplomatic ties.

Earlier in the morning, Najib and Xi and their spouses attended a welcoming ceremony at Dataran Parlimen in the presence of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Sultanah Hajah Haminah Hamidun.

Sources: The Star/Asia News Network

 Xi's visit ushers in new era in China-Malaysia ties

Chinese President Xi Jinping left Kuala Lumpur Saturday after concluding his first state visit to Malaysia, which helps usher in a new era in China-Malaysia relations.

During his stay in Malaysia, Xi met Supreme Head of State Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah and Prime Minister Najib Razak, and attended a China-Malaysia economic summit. He also witnessed the signing of a series of cooperation agreements.

Both sides agreed to upgrade bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership, and make efforts to expand annual bilateral trade to 160 billion US dollars by 2017. The first Chinese university outside China, Xiamen University Malaysia Campus, will also be set up in the Southeast Asian country.

The visit by President Xi marks another great leap forward of bilateral relationship between Malaysia and China.

"In fact, the achievements of the visit are well beyond my expectation. It's a miracle that so many achievements have been made within such a short period of time," said Tan Khai Hee, secretary general of Malaysia-China Friendship Association.

Upgrade of bilateral ties

During their talks on Friday, Xi and Najib agreed to upgrade bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

"China highly values its relationship with Malaysia, which is taking the lead in China's relations with ASEAN members," Xi said, urging the two sides to enhance strategic cooperation to make their relationship a fine example in the region.

ASEAN stands for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which consists of Malaysia and nine other Southeast Asian countries.

Xi said the upgrade to a comprehensive strategic partnership will draw a more "beautiful" blueprint for bilateral ties.

For his part, Najib said his country hopes to enhance the comprehensive strategic partnership with China.

"China is a trustworthy friend of Malaysia," he said. "Our bilateral relations enjoy vast prospects."

The single most significant achievement of Xi's visit is of course the upgrade of the bilateral relationship to comprehensive strategic partnership, which China only accords to its most valued neighbors and friends, said political analyst Oh Ei Sun, a former political secretary to Najib.

While the economic collaboration will continue to prosper in gigantic leaps, the comprehensive nature of the relationship will see more technological, cultural and educational exchanges, which are crucial for the ever closer relationship between the two countries, he said in an interview with Xinhua.

Win-win cooperation

China has been Malaysia's biggest trading partner for the last four years, while Malaysia has been China's largest in the 10-member ASEAN for five years in a row.

Two-way trade soared to a record high of 94.8 billion dollars last year, while trade in the first seven months of 2013 jumped 14.9 percent to 59.72 billion dollars.

The Qinzhou Industrial Park in China and the Kuantan Industrial Park in Malaysia, noted Xi, should be built as flagship projects of investment cooperation between the two countries.

Beijing encourages Chinese enterprises to participate in the development of northern Malaysia and the high-speed railway construction linking Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, which will promote regional inter-connectivity, said Xi.

When addressing more than 1,000 business people and officials at the China-Malaysia Economic Summit on Friday, Xi proposed that the two countries boost bilateral trade and investment, deepen cooperation in the sectors of finance, agriculture and fishery, and jointly improve regional cooperation.

The Chinese president and the Malaysian prime minister witnessed the signing of the five-year program for economic and trade cooperation, which emphasizes the sharing of knowledge, technological resources and investment in the service of sustainable economic development and maps out mutually beneficial initiatives.

The two leaders have set an ambitious target that by the end of the fifth year of this program, bilateral trade between China and Malaysia will hit 160 billion dollars.

The program covers many areas of cooperation, including agriculture, energy and mineral resources, information and telecommunication, manufacturing, infrastructure, engineering, tourism, logistics and retailing.

Pheng Yin Huah, president of the Federation of Chinese Associations Malaysia, said the program shows that China values its relations with Malaysia and President Xi wants more Chinese businessmen to invest in Malaysia.

"I believe that Malaysia and China will have more exchanges in politics, business and education," he added.

Regional cooperation

During his visit to Malaysia, Xi called for further cooperation between Asian countries.

Although Asia remains the most dynamic and promising region in the world, Asian countries still face the arduous tasks of developing economy and improving people's livelihood amid lingering impact of the international financial crisis, Xi said.

He called on Asian countries to focus on development, carry forward the all-in-the-same-boat spirit of unity and cooperation, and jointly safeguard the long-term stability and development in Asia.

"China supports ASEAN's leading status in East Asia cooperation, and is happy to see Malaysia play a bigger role in the region," Xi said.

Najib said Malaysia also stands ready to advance the development of ASEAN-China relations and promote peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

"Whether on bilateral trade relations or international efforts to build a more sustainable global economy, we are strongest when we work together," Najib said.

In an interview with Xinhua prior to Xi's visit, the Malaysian leader said that as a founding member of ASEAN, Malaysia stands ready to contribute to stronger China-ASEAN ties.

"Not only is China a dialogue partner with ASEAN, but it's also an integral part of the East Asia summit," he said.

"Because of that, the relationship between China and ASEAN is very important and continues to grow particularly in terms of trade and China's involvement in major infrastructure projects in the whole region," he added.

While in Indonesia, the first leg of Xi's maiden Southeast Asia tour since he assumed presidency in March, Xi said China and ASEAN countries should work for win-win cooperation, stand together and assist each other, enhance mutual understanding and friendship to increase social support for bilateral ties, and stick to openness and inclusiveness.

Differences and disputes should be properly handled through equal-footed dialogue and friendly consultation for the overall interests of bilateral ties and regional stability, he said.

Xi arrived here Thursday and left the city Saturday for the 21st informal economic leaders' meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation to be held in Bali, Indonesia. -  Xinhua

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 Malaysia grand welcome for China president

Malaysia grand welcome for China president

The King accompanies Xi after the welcoming ceremony at Parliament Square on Oct 3, 2012. Starpix by AZHAR MAHFOF 

KUALA LUMPUR: Chinese president Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan were accorded a state welcome at Parliament Square on Friday at the start of their three-day state visit.

They were welcomed by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Hajah Haminah, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, as well as Cabinet ministers.


Xi, on his first state visit here, received a 21-gun salute and inspected the royal guard-of-honour mounted by by 106 officers and men of the First Battalion Royal Malay Regiment led by Major Nur Fahmi Bassar.
The Regiment band played the Negaraku and the Chinese national anthem.

Xi and his wife were later introduced to ministers, and other VIPs, including Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa, IGP Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar and Army Chief Datuk Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed Noor.

Xi aims to bolster Sino-Malaysia relations 

 

Najib and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor (right) celebrating the arrival of Xi and his wife Peng (left) during a private dinner at Seri Perdana. — Bernama 

SEPANG: It is the aspiration of the people of China and Malaysia and in keeping with the times to deepen strategic cooperation between both countries, said China President Xi Jinping.

Xi said bolstering Sino-Malaysia relations would also be conducive to regional peace, stability and prosperity.

“China and Malaysia are good neighbours, good friends and good partners.

“Since the establishment of our diplomatic ties 39 years ago, Sino-China bilateral relations have enjoyed the harvest of rich fruits and brought benefits to our people,” he said in his arrival statement.

Xi arrived here yesterday on a Boeing 747-400 aircraft with his wife Peng Liyuan, State Councillor overseeing foreign diplomacy Yang Jiechi, Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng and other delegates for a three-day state visit.

The president was greeted by Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam upon arrival at 6.35pm.

Click on thumbnail for larger image.

Xi’s first visit to Malaysia was at the invitation of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu’ad­zam Shah.

Xi described China and Malaysia as two important countries in the region, saying that both share extensive common interests.

“I hope my visit will help deepen our traditional friendship, upgrade the level of cooperation and make even more breakthroughs in our strategic cooperation,” he said.

According to the Chinese Embassy, the Chinese and Malaysian governments will sign several important agreements such as the cooperation mechanism for the China-Malaysia Qinzhou Industrial Park.

Malaysia-China ties stronger than ever

by chow how ban

 

Razak and his Malaysian delegation being given a rousing welcome upon arrival at the Beijing airport in 1974

KUALA LUMPUR: It has been 39 years since the late Tun Abdul Razak played a crucial role in establishing diplomatic ties with China.

And in all the years since, even after the former Prime Minister’s passing, the Chinese government has maintained a cordial relationship with his widow Tun Rahah Mohd Noah and her family.

Through its embassy here, China has invited Rahah to its functions and to the ambassadors’ official residence and even called on her – all in appreciation of her husband’s mammoth contributions in bringing the two countries closer.

Chinese Ambassador to Malaysia Chai Xi said it had always been a custom for the Chinese to remember the good deeds done for them.

 

Chinese students performing a dance to welcome Malaysian delegates at the airport in Beijing in 1974.

“My predecessor gave me special instructions to send well-wishes and pay visits to Tun Rahah.

“I will tell my colleague the same thing when he takes over office from me,” he said.

Among the notable occasions he cited was when the Chinese government invited Rahah, and others in her family, to join her son Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak during his official visit to China in 2009.

During the former Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao’s visit to Malaysia in 2011, Rahah attended a welcoming dinner for him.

“Najib is very touched by the friendly gestures of the Chinese government,” he said.

 

Razak visiting a museum in China in 1974.

“He said that this was something which had not been done by other countries, except China,” Chai said.

Yesterday, Chinese President Xi Jinping attended a dinner hosted by Najib and his family, including Rahah, at Seri Perdana for the president after his arrival for a three-day state visit here.

Xi will attend a state banquet at Istana Negara today, followed by bilateral talks, an MoU signing ceremony and a joint press conference with Najib.

Other programmes lined up for the president include attending a luncheon with Malaysian Chinese business leaders, giving a speech at the Malaysia-China Economic Cooperation Summit and meeting former prime ministers Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

A front page newspaper report in 1974 on Razak’s historic visit to China.

Chai said Najib had fostered close working and personal relationships with the previous Chinese leaders, especially Wen,

He said the people of both nations hoped to see Najib, Xi and their administrations continue this tradition.

On the significance of this visit, Chai said Najib and Xi would discuss the countries’ direction for the next five to 10 years.

“Both governments have agreed on a five-year blueprint on bilateral economic cooperation which we will sign during this visit,” he said.

All eyes on Xi's visit to KL

by tho xin yi

First to host: Najib witnessing Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin handing over the invitation to the opening of the Xiamen University overseas campus in Malaysia earlier this year to the university president Prof Zhu Chongshi (left).

It’s a packed schedule for China’s President as the two countries explore the many opportunities available.

CHINA’S President Xi Jinping has a packed schedule today after touching down in Malaysia from Jakarta, Indonesia, yesterday.

In his first state visit to Malaysia – and South-East Asia – since he assumed the presidency in March this year, Xi will attend a state welcoming ceremony, meet Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and witness the signing of agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs).

His programme also includes giving a keynote address at the Malaysia-China Economic Summit, which is co-organised by the International Trade and Industry Ministry, Malaysia-China Business Council and China’s Ministry of Commerce.

Tomorrow, Xi will depart for Bali, Indonesia, to attend the 21st economic leaders’ meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum.

The People’s Daily, the official paper of the Chinese Communist Party, summed up in a recent news report that his trip will “deepen economic cooperation in Asia and make huge contribution to lasting peace and prosperous development in the Asia-Pacific region”.

For Malaysia, Xi’s visit will lead up to the 40th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between both countries next year.
Both Malaysia and China have a lot to look forward to, as a result of the relations that have seen remarkable growth over the years.

For one, Malaysians are waiting eagerly to coo over the pair of cuddly giant pandas that will be loaned to us from China.

Enterprises in both countries are also looking forward to see the sister industrial parks in Kuantan, Pahang and Qinzhou, Guangxi, come to fruition.

According to statistics in 2012, Malaysia is China’s number one trading partner in Asean for the fifth year running, while China is Malaysia’s top trading partner for the fourth consecutive year.

Xinhua quoted Xi in an interview before his trip that Malaysia stands a chance to be the third Asian country to have its bilateral trade volume with China surpassing the US$100bil (RM322.7bil) mark, after Japan and Korea.

Malaysian businesses operating in China are optimistic that Xi’s visit will raise Malaysia’s profile in China.

Malaysian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China (Maycham) secretary general Will Fung said the Chinese enterprises would have their attention focused on the visit to sniff out potential business and investment opportunities available following the diplomatic contact.

Maycham, with its presence established in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong, has approximately 550 corporate and individual members.

Fung explained that foreign investors had to refer to the Catalogue for the Guidance of Foreign Investment Industries before setting up businesses in China.

The industries are divided into three categories, namely encouraged, restricted and prohibited.

“Local partners are needed for investment in industries in the restricted category, while foreign investment is not permitted altogether in industries that fall in the prohibited category.

“The catalogue is reviewed from time to time. The government sometimes loosens up and removes certain industries from the prohibited category,” he said.

“The sky is the limit when it comes to doing business in China,” observed Fung, “thanks to the massive market and high spending power”.

However, one main hindrance looms – bureaucracy.

“The time needed for a business licence application to be approved is too long in some parts of China.

“It is relatively fast to obtain the green light in first-tier cities, but in provinces where the local authorities are less familiar with foreign investment, it can sometimes take months, even if you follow the guidelines diligently,” Fung said.

He added that Maycham hoped to see the procedures standardised across the board to expedite the approval process.

Meanwhile, on the educational front, Malaysia will be the first country to host an overseas branch campus of a Chinese higher learning institution.

Najib announced in January that Xiamen University had been given the permission by the Chinese government to set up a campus abroad.

The branch in Salak Tinggi, Sepang, is expected to be operational in September 2015.

At the moment, the number of exchange students in both countries exceeded 15,000.

Malaysian Students Association in China said the students were proud to have the Chinese top leader visiting their home country in his maiden trip to South-East Asia.

“We believe that the relationship between the two countries will be taken to new heights, and hopefully it will also translate into more assistance and support for students studying in China.”

> The views expressed are entirely the writer’s own. The Star

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Chinese President Xi Jinping visiting Malaysia and Indonesia to witness signing of pacts   

USA government shutdown !

The mood was grim at the Capitol Monday as Democrats and Republicans couldn't get it together for the good of the nation. 

OUT OF SERVICE: Federal government enters first shutdown in 17 years; lawmakers remain divided over Obamacare

The U.S. government has shut down as Democrats and Republicans refuse to negotiate on Capitol Hill. GOP leaders remain determined that key aspects of Obamacare must be delayed, while President Obama insists that the demand 'is the height of irresponsibility.'

WASHINGTON — The first shutdown of the U.S. government in 17 years began early Tuesday as Congress bickered and bungled an effort to fund federal agencies due to a bitter ideological standoff over Obamacare.

The embarrassing disruption that an angry President Obama said was “entirely preventable” and would “throw a wrench into the gears” of the country’s recovering economy was triggered as a midnight deadline passed without agreement between the Republican-controlled House and Democrat-run Senate.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) disclosed at midnight that the White House budget office had directed agencies to start closing up shop. He then called a recess until 9:30 a.m., meaning that there would be no House-Senate deal in the wee hours Tuesday.

Susan Walsh/AP

President Obama criticized Republicans' efforts to delay key aspects of the Affordable Care Act.

The shutdown would keep 800,000 federal workers at home on Tuesday and inconvenience millions of people who rely on federal services or are drawn to the nation’s parks and other attractions. Critical workers, from the Border Patrol to air-traffic controllers, would remain on the job, unpaid.

Legislation was passed, however, to fund the armed services during the shutdown.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

House Speaker John Boehner said Obamacare 'is having a devastating impact.'

Despite the drama, members of Congress faced no threat to their own pay, because the 27th Amendment to the Constitution bars their salaries from being subjected to the annual appropriations process. Obama, too, will still be paid.

PHOTOS: GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN FURLOUGHS THOUSANDS OF FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

Conservative firebrand Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), who made himself the face of the GOP effort to block Obamacare through the funding bill, pledged Monday to donate his salary to charity during the shutdown.

Photos by AP, Debbie Egan-Chin/New York Daily News

 

Many Americans will be inconvenienced by a shutdown.

Repeatedly Monday, amid all the political posturing and rhetoric, the House amended a Senate resolution to fund the government to add a one-year delay in Obamacare, and other alterations. Repeatedly the Senate rejected those conservative-backed changes.

The House was expected to pass the latest health-care law changes in an early morning vote. The Senate was set to reject those additions when they return Tuesday.

RELATED: WARREN: NOT MUCH COURAGE ON CAPITOL HILL AS SHUTDOWN LOOMS

Win McNamee/Getty Images

 

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) arrives at the Capitol Monday. The Senate voted Monday to defeat a House bill that links keeping the government funded to delaying 'Obamacare' for one year.

As the nearly ridiculous legislative tit-for-tat played out, Obama went to the White House briefing room to insist that Republicans give up their demand to tie new money for the government to scuttling or delaying his health care law.

“One faction of one party in one house of Congress in one branch of government doesn’t get to shut down the entire government just to refight the results of an election,” Obama said.

“You don’t get to extract a ransom for doing your job, for doing what you’re supposed to be doing anyway, or just because there’s a law there that you don’t like.”

The front page of the NY Daily News on October 1, 2013. 

 

RELATED: MEADOWS PUT GOVERNMENT ON ROAD TO SHUTDOWN

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) responded a few hours later on the House floor. “The American people don’t want a shutdown, and neither do I,” he said. Yet, he added, the new health care law “is having a devastating impact. . . . Something has to be done.”

Even more troubling than the shutdown was that the partisan stalemate that caused it sets the stage for an even more high-stakes clash, as Congress must soon deal with raising the debt limit by Oct. 17 — a matter in which both sides concede that failure would be perilous for the U.S. economy and economies worldwide. Republicans also want to attach conditions to that vote. Democrats said giving ground now would encourage Republicans to take a harder line in that fight.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

 

Congress remained gridlocked Monday over legislation to continue funding the federal government. The federal government shut down after both chambers failed to pass a resolution before midnight.

“You know with a bully you can’t let them slap you around because they slap you around today, they slap you five or six times tomorrow,” Reid said.

RELATED: PANDA-MONIUM: NATIONAL ZOO’S BELOVED PANDA CAM WILL SHUTTER IF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHUTS DOWN

Monday’s failure on Capitol Hill caused the stock market to drop on fears that gridlock would continue and Congress would shoot the recovering economy in the foot. The Dow Jones slipped 128 points, or 0.8%.

Photo by AP

 

The last shutdown happened during President Clinton's time in office.

The fight also sent Congress’ already abysmal approval plunging to a new low. A CNN poll released late Monday found that just 10% of Americans approve of the job Congress is doing, while a record 87% disapprove. And Americans are blaming the Tea Party and its no-holds-barred-against-Obama stance for the crisis — the party had its lowest favorable rating in its five-year history, at 31%.

At times Monday, Washington seemed like a real-life “House of Cards,” the Netflix drama in which D.C. power players are motivated by dark self-interest rather than the national interest.

RELATED: US LAWMAKERS TRADE BARBS AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN LOOMS

JONATHAN ERNST/REUTERS 

Boehner arrives with his security detail at the Capitol on Monday, remained adamant that 'Obamacare' be delayed. 'This law is not ready for prime time,' he said.

Congress, and the government, needed to act because there was no authorization for the government to spend any money as of 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday, the start of the new budget year.

Monday’s maneuvering began in the Democrat-controlled Senate, which voted, 54 to 46, to kill a House-passed bill that would keep the government funded but delay Obamacare for a year.

The Senate then sent the House a so-called “clean” bill — one that would simply keep government running through Nov. 15. With the ball back in their court, House Republicans sought different concessions in exchange for keeping the government funded. They called for a one-year delay in the Obamacare requirement for individuals to buy coverage.

Charles Dharapak/AP 

Only 36% of Americans blame President Obama for the shutdown, a poll released Monday showed. 46% blame Republicans. 

Sources: NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Shutdown effects ripple across US

A string of cancellations and delays caused by the federal government shutdown is rippling across the United States, ruining dream vacations, upending carefully laid wedding plans and complicating the lives of millions of people.

From blood drives to daycare programs, musical performances to research projects, the disruptions caused by the political stalemate in Washington sparked growing frustrations and left people scrambling to make alternative plans.

Scores of weddings planned at national parks and monuments around the country were moved or postponed, and vacationers hustled to change their itineraries after finding iconic sites from the Statue of Liberty to the Lincoln Memorial closed.

"We're really disappointed. We spent a lot of days waiting for tickets so we just want to go inside the statue," said Gaelle Masse, a tourist from Paris who was startled to discover the Statue of Liberty was closed.
Thousands of tourists with prepaid tickets to visit Alcatraz Island, the famed prison site in San Francisco Bay, were unable to tour the former penitentiary.

In Boston, Italian tourist Federico Paliero and his girlfriend Claudia Costato peered through a closed metal gate to catch a glimpse of the USS Constitution, a wooden, three-masted US Navy ship from the 18th century docked in Boston Harbor that serves as one of the city's major attractions.

Normally buzzing with tourists, the site was nearly abandoned on Wednesday, except for a handful of people looking lost and dismayed as they gawked at a sign explaining the closure.

"Italy is not the only state with money problems," Paliero said, rubbing his thumb and forefingers together.

At Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee, park staff said nearly 30 weddings scheduled for the next two weeks are threatened by the shutdown, which also sent hundreds of campers packing.

'WORRIED ABOUT RAIN'

Two dozen weddings planned at monuments on the Washington mall in October also were threatened, a park service spokeswoman said.

"I wasn't worried about the government shutting down. I was worried about rain," said bride-to-be MaiLien Le, who was planning to walk down the aisle at the Jefferson Memorial on Saturday.

Having to possibly change venues just days before her wedding is "really upsetting," she said on NBC's "Today" show.

In northern Virginia, officials canceled blood drives that would have provided transfusions for up to 900 area patients.

The Library of Congress in Washington closed its doors, disrupting research projects and canceling a musical performance by Randy Newman.

About one-fifth of the classes at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, were scrapped, and science laboratories at the school were shut down as furloughs for civilian Defense Department employees took hold.

The Smithsonian, which shuttered all of its museums and the National Zoo, also had to close its early childhood center even though many parents had already paid between $300 and $400 in tuition for the week, according to local radio station WTOP.

"When you have to sit down and explain to a 5-year-old why he can't go to school, it's a difficult conversation," Virginia resident Brian Katz, whose two children attend the Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center housed in the Natural History Museum, told a local Fox television station.

Juleon Rabbani, 28, got a call from the National Park Service informing him that his scientific research in national parks would be shut down for now, compounding funding issues he was already facing.

"I wanted to graduate in the fall of 2014, but with my funding being held up and since my research sites are national parks, it will be well into 2015 before I am done," he said. "The funding I need won't come through, and who knows how long this shutdown will be."

Some Washington businesses faced growing uncertainty as the shutdown continued, keeping government events away from hotels and federal workers out of their usual restaurants.

David Hill, general manager for two area hotels, said two dozen events at the hotels have been canceled in the coming weeks, including one large government group that triggered a $45,000 loss.

"What I've told my team is: for us, it's business as usual ... but everything in the future is in limbo," said Hill, who manages the Phoenix Park Hotel just blocks from the US Capitol and the Four Points by Sheraton near the White House.

Grain traders in Chicago were preparing to cope without weekly US Department of Agriculture data on export sales typically released on Thursdays. The data, covering sales the previous week, can roil prices for crops like corn and wheat if demand is unexpectedly strong or weak.

"For now, we'll go with our best guesses," said Sterling Smith, futures specialist for Citigroup.

Traders and analysts were frustrated that USDA websites went dark as a result of the federal shutdown. They mine the sites for data on crop supplies and demand to project price trends.

Terry Reilly, analyst for Futures International, said he could not complete presentations on the grain markets for clients because USDA data was unavailable.

"It makes no sense to me that they would shut down their websites," he said.

Sources: Reuters

Real estate scam !

Mastermind members and 'buyer' caught in the act of dealing with would-be victim

SHAH ALAM: Two members of a real estate scam syndicate were nabbed by police while in the midst of “negotiating” a deal with a potential victim.

Police arrested the two men at a coffee shop in Jalan SS3/59, Taman Bahagia, Petaling Jaya, around 1.30pm last Friday.

Selangor Commercial Crime Investigation Department chief Asst Comm Chong Mun Phing said the men, part of a real estate syndicate, were meeting with someone on a “business deal” during the operation.

“We arrested the two men, both aged 58. One of them was the mastermind of the syndicate,” she said at the state police headquarters yesterday.

She said the group’s modus operandi was that the mastermind, posing as a senior agent from a reputable real estate firm, would approach his target looking to sell or lease a business property.

“He would then get an accomplice to pose as a buyer, who would pay for the property with a post-dated cheque.

“The mastermind would also receive a post-dated cheque for his commission,” she said.

However, the mastermind would falsify the date and cash out the commission cheque before the original cheque bounces.

The police seized ATM cards, photocopies of ICs and business cards belonging to the mastermind under multiple aliases.

ACP Chong said the syndicate has been linked to at least 18 cheating cases in Selangor involving RM80,200 from their victims, with more similar cases in Kuala Lumpur and Negri Sembilan.

Sources: The Star/Asia News Network

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Chinese President Xi Jinping visiting Malaysia and Indonesia to witness signing of pacts

Bolstering ties: Xi and his wife Peng will visit Malaysia from Oct 2 to Oct 5. — AFP 

BEIJING: China will sign documents to boost cooperation in the fields of outer-space, trade, technology and fishery with Malaysia and Indonesia during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s official visit to the two countries this week.

In a press conference yesterday, Chinese deputy foreign minister Liu Zhenmin said this would be Xi’s first official visit to South East Asia.

“Besides bolstering ties with our neighbours, Xi’s visit from Oct 2 to Oct 5 is also aimed at enhancing mutually beneficial cooperation.

“It not only deepens bilateral relations between China and the two countries, but will also further develop the relations between China and Asean,” said Liu.

Following his visit to the two countries, Xi will be attending the 21st Apec Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Bali, Indonesia.

During his stay in Malaysia, Xi will pay courtesy call on the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah and attend a meeting with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

“Both Chinese and Malaysian leaders will exchange views on a wide range of topics, including bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues.

“Should the territorial disputes in the South China Sea be brought up during the meeting, the discussion will be based upon a mutual goal to maintain peace, stability and freedom of navigation on the marginal sea,” said Liu, adding that Xi would not be visiting Sabah.

Last year, the bilateral trade volume between China and Malaysia reached US$94.8bil (RM305.97bil).This makes Malaysia China’s top trading partner among the Asean coun­­­­­­­­tries for the fifth consecutive year.

Contributed by  Tho Xin Yi in Beijing

Brazil attacks US over spying issue

The UN General Assembly opened last week with an electrifying speech by President Dilma Rousseff who slammed US cyber-snooping activities with President Barack Obama in the audience.

INTERNET spying by the US government became a major issue at the United Nations General Assembly last week when political leaders heard a blistering attack by the Brazilian president who was visibly angry about how her country and her own office have been targets of cyber-snooping activities.

She called the US action a breach of international law, a grave violation of human rights and civil liberties, and a disrespect for national sovereignty.

It was condemnation in the strongest terms at the highest political forum in the world, with UN and commercial TV stations beaming the speech live.

The surveillance issue, which has caused ripples with continuous revelations in the media emerging from whistle-blower Edward Snowden’s files, has now reached the UN.

And in the most spectacular fashion. It was an extraordinary scene when President Dilma Rousseff gave the opening speech among the government leaders gathered for the annual General Assembly.

Traditionally, Brazil’s president speaks first, followed by the US president. Thus, Barack Obama could not avoid hearing her speech.

Many had expected Rousseff to touch on the Internet spying issue, since she had strongly criticised the US when the media broke the news on specific instances of US Internet surveillance on the Brazilian President’s office, other departments, including the Brazilian Mission to the UN, and the national oil company Petrobas. She recently cancelled a state visit to Washington.

But her speech and performance was far beyond what was anticipated. With the atmosphere electrifying in the packed hall of leaders, the Brazilian president cut out the usual diplomatic niceties while addressing one of the most sensitive issues to have emerged globally in recent years.

She called it “a matter of great importance and gravity ... the global network of electronic espionage that has caused indignation and repudiation in public opinion around the world.”

Rousseff described the Internet spying as creating “a situation of grave violation of human rights and of civil liberties; of invasion and capture of confidential information concerning corporate activities, and especially of disrespect to national sovereignty”.

She started by laying the foundation of her argument: “A sovereign nation can never establish itself to the detriment of another sovereign nation.

“The right to safety of citizens of one country can never be guaranteed by violating fundamental human rights of citizens of another country. The arguments that the illegal interception of information and data aims at protecting nations against terrorism cannot be sustained.”

She said she fought against authoritarianism and censorship, and thus has to uncompromisingly defend the right to privacy of individuals and the sovereignty of her country.

“In the absence of the right to privacy, there can be no true freedom of expression and opinion, and therefore no effective democracy. In the absence of the respect for sovereignty, there is no basis for the relationship among nations,” she added.

Her speech touched on three actions. First, Brazil had asked the US for explanations, apologies and guarantees that such procedures will never be repeated.

Second, Brazil is planning actions to defend itself from the spying. It will “adopt legislation, technologies and mechanisms to protect us from the illegal interception of communications and data”.

Third, she proposed international action, saying: “Information and telecommunication technologies cannot be the new battlefield between states. Time is ripe to create the conditions to prevent cyberspace from being used as a weapon of war, through espionage, sabotage, and attacks against systems and infrastructure of other countries.”

Stating that the UN must play a leading role to regulate the conduct of states with regard to these technologies, she called for the setting up of “a civilian multilateral framework for the governance and use of the Internet and to ensure the effective protection of data that travels through the web”.

She proposed multilateral mechanisms for the worldwide network, based on the principles of freedom of expression, privacy and human rights; open, multilateral and democratic governance; universality; cultural diversity; and neutrality of the network, guided only by technical and ethical criteria, with no restrictions allowed on political, commercial, religious grounds.

Delegates who hoped that Obama would respond were disappointed. He did not refer to the Brazilian president’s address made only a few minutes before.

He made only a passing reference to the issue, saying: “we are reviewing the way we gather intelligence.”

Rousseff’s speech came at the right time and venue, since people worldwide have been increasingly troubled or outraged by the extent of cyber-spying revealed by the media.

The issue is even more serious for developing countries. Media reports indicate that there are double standards, with the US spying programme requiring a special court procedure for opening data on individual US citizens, while there is no such procedure for residents outside the US, and thus the surveillance is comprehensive for the world outside the US, with the citizens, companies and government offices all being targets.

Moreover, the media reports show that the US actions do not stop at surveillance. There are also schemes to engage in cyber actions or attacks.

Rousseff’s speech at the UN indicates Brazil plans follow-up moves in the UN for setting up a multilateral system to regulate the use and misuse of the Internet. This would be a timely international response to the recent revelations.

Contributed by Global Trends, MARTIN KHOR
The views expressed are entirely the writer’s own.

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Abusing intelligence is stupid

Governments that deliberately pervert their spy agencies are shooting themselves in the head.

ALL countries operate spy agencies, so some of their practices and experiences are universal.

Governments deem intelligence services to be useful, even necessary, in evaluating and anticipating events – so they are earnestly nurtured and cultivated. However, whether and how far these services actually contribute to policymaking depends on a multitude of variable factors.

The capacity of a “secret service” derives from the scale of its available resources – human, financial, technical, etc.

The richer a country the greater the means for developing its intelligence service, and the more powerful a country the greater its need or purpose for doing so.

Yet that need not mean that a richer or more powerful country would have a more competent intelligence service.

Unlike conventional institutions such as the armed forces, the critical criteria cannot be the strength of numbers or the expanse of field coverage.

Since the quality of information handled is key, spy agencies perform like a scalpel where other security institutions act like meat cleavers.

At the same time, all of them need to be coordinated and concerted through optimised complementarity.

Conceptually, the intelligence services are highly professional institutions performing specialised tasks in the national interest.

In discharging their duties, they must observe laws and conventions that guide and limit their clandestine activities.

In practice, however, they are often politicised in the perceived interests of specific administrations.

This compromises their credibility, debases their status and subverts their effectiveness.

Another universal experience, regardless of a country’s developed or developing status, is that the intelligence services are boosted in times of great national distress.

Trying times are also the best times to stretch and test their capacities.

Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), for example, originated in the Secret Service Bureau established in 1909.

This was a joint effort of the War Office and the Admiralty, with a focus on Imperial Germany.

The impetus for the service developed with the exigencies of two world wars.

In the United States, the demands of wartime intelligence in the early 1940s resulted in the creation of the OSS (Office of Strategic Services) to coordinate information streams from the armed forces.

The OSS would later morph into the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency), technically the first US spy agency.

The United States until then did not have a centralised intelligence agency, so the CIA emerged to fill the gap.

As it was with the SIS, the existence of the CIA was not officially acknowledged until decades later. But what began as a fledgling effort requiring British inputs soon ballooned into a US intelligence community comprising no less than 16 spy agencies.

Intelligence agencies tend to have a civilian (police) or military character depending on the needs of the state at the time. Nonetheless, their constant is the primary purpose of protecting the state.

The early Soviet Union felt it needed to guard against counter-revolution, and so established the Cheka secret police under the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The Cheka then underwent several transformations to become the NKVD, which in turn experienced further transformations to become the KGB of Cold War lore, in the process picking up military elements in the world wars.

The Malayan Emergency (1948-60) was a domestic insurgency that exercised the resources of the police force.

The police department that focused on vital intelligence gathering was the Special Branch, evolving under British tutelage during the colonial period and developing further upon Malayan independence.

Currently, all national intelligence agencies combine human (Humint) and signals (Sigint, or telecommunications interceptions) intelligence.

The latter comprises communications between individuals (Comint) and electronic intelligence (electronic eavesdropping, or Elint) that favour countries with bigger budgets because of the costs incurred in technology and expertise.

However, while a common strength lies in surveillance or information-gathering, analysis and interpretation of the information so gathered often fail to keep pace.

Where analytical deficits occur, political interests often exploit these spaces to pervert the course of intelligence gathering.

At the same time, the quality of intelligence is sometimes patchy where official links are weak.

Britain’s SIS was thus handicapped in Germany during the First World War, just as US intelligence services are now hampered in Iran and Syria as they were in Saddam Hussein’s Iraq.

The problem is compounded when governments refuse to acknowledge their inadequacies and prefer to give their own dubious capacities the benefit of the doubt.

The mistake often lies in equating overwhelming military superiority with operational success requiring sound intelligence.

And so regime change in Iraq was described as a “cakewalk” and a “slam dunk”, with unanticipated difficulties emerging once the plan was operationalised.

A similar development almost occurred in Syria upon underestimating President Bashar al-Assad’s effective control.

Hyper-intelligence combines the prowess of two or more ally countries’ intelligence services, taking spying to a whole new level.

The US-British “special relationship” is one such example, only that it is more than bilateral collaboration.

What began as a post-war agreement between London and Washington in 1946 soon encompassed the other English-speaking countries of Canada, Australia and New Zealand in the UKUSA (United Kingdom – United States of America) Agreement.

Focusing on but not limited to Sigint, this “Five Eyes” pact formalises the sharing of intelligence on other countries that any of the five spies upon.

Earlier this month, a leak by former US intelligence operative Edward Snowden revealed that the UKUSA Agreement goes further than these five Western countries. It effectively and routinely includes Israel as well.

The National Security Agency (NSA) reputedly runs the most extensive intelligence gathering operation for the United States.

Its global reach is shared with the largest unit in the Israel Defense Force, the NSA-equivalent Unit 8200 (or ISNU, the Israeli Sigint National Unit), in unfiltered form.

That means anything and everything that the United States and/or the other “Five Eyes” countries knows about the rest of the world from spying are known by Israel as well.

It explains Washington’s determination to “get Snowden” – not only are the leaks embarrassing, they discourage other countries from engaging the United States in security cooperation.

The other problem is no less serious: politicisation, which corrupts and perverts otherwise professional and competent intelligence services.

This amounts to blowback, a CIA-originated term meaning self-inflicted policy injury.

It (in)famously occurred when the US-British axis that invaded Iraq built its rationale on the lie that Saddam had stockpiled “weapons of mass destruction” (WMDs) – even when whatever little intelligence there was had indicated that Iraq had dismantled WMD facilities years before.

It happened again when Washington insisted that Assad was responsible for chemical weapons attacks in civilian areas.

Not only had Russian intelligence and UN inspectors found anti-Assad rebels culpable instead, but both German and Israeli intelligence had privately cleared Assad of those charges.

The inside information available to diplomats had cast such doubt on the US allegations that US-friendly countries such as Singapore refused to accept Washington’s version at the UN.

Politics had dictated that the United States stick with its allegations, just as politics had dissuaded Israeli policymakers from correcting misinterpretations of intelligence data wrongly blaming Assad.

Fiddling with intelligence for some passing gratification such as attacking an adversary may seem tempting, but dumbing down vital strategic data is a dangerous and costly exercise. It is also an act of singular and self-defeating stupidity.

Contributed by  Behind The Headlines: Bunn Nagara
> Bunn Nagara is a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia.
>The views expressed are entirely the writer's own.

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