Hagel Visits China

Hagel Visits China

On April 8， Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Chang Wanquan and his U.S. counterpart， visiting American Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel， listen to the Chinese national anthem during a welcome ceremony in Beijing. On April 7， Hagel began a four-day visit to China， his first since taking office in February 2013. Since Hagel’s remarks in Japan about China were “extremely unfriendly，” Fan Changlong， vice-chairman of China’s Central Military Commission， expressed“dissatisfaction” when meeting with Hagel. After sometimes heated meetings， the two sides reached important consensuses. During his trip， Hagel also visited aircraft carrier Liaoning and gave a speech at the National Defense University of the PLA. Before leaving， Hagel expressed gratitude for China’s“sincere dialogue.”

ABACE 2014

On April 14， planes participating in the Asian Business Aviation Conference Exhibition （ABACE） 2014 parked on the tarmac of Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport. ABACE 2014 was held from April 15 to 17， with more than 20 international business aviation manufacturers participating. Small aircraft used for business activities and administrative affairs， private jets often weigh less than nine tons and can carry 4 to 10 passengers. Amidst the sluggish recovery of the global economy， China has become the most promising market for business aviation. Starting in 2012， ABACE will be held in Shanghai for five consecutive years.

Chinese Navy Celebrates 65th Birthday

On April 20， a band playing for the Chinese navy’s welcome ceremony passed Shivalik， a frigate of the Indian Navy. On that day， ships from several countries participating in a multilateral drill dubbed “Maritime Cooperation-2014” arrived at the port of Qingdao， Shandong Province. The drill marked the 65th anniversary of the establishment of China’s navy and focused on search and rescue work. Twelve Chinese vessels were joined by seven warships from Brunei， India， Bangladesh， Pakistan， Indonesia， Singapore and Malaysia to participate in the drill.

New Evidence of Japan’s WWII Atrocities

In early 2014， Jilin Archives released a new batch of documents evidencing Japanese war crimes in China during WWII. The documents prove that they recruited Chinese laborers by force and treated them violently. The documents were found in files left by the Japanese in the headquarters of Japanese Military Police of Kwantung Army and material from the Manchukuo period.

Documentation of the Japanese puppet regime stored in Jilin Archives totals 100，000 volumes， with 90 percent written in Japanese， which comprehensively recorded Japan’s aggression in China’s northeastern regions from 1931 to 1945. Since 2012， Jilin Archives has been organizing translation and analysis of the documents， and established 14 research groups on subjects including the Nanking Massacre， comfort women and forced labor.

“Love China Know My Sea”

On April 18， a launch ceremony for the youth activity “Love China Know My Sea” was held in Beijing. The activity was co-sponsored by China Youth， China National Committee for the Wellbeing of Youth， Publicity and Education Center of the State Oceanic Administration， China Central Television’s Weihai Office， and Youth Working Committee of China Association for Scientific Expedition. To commemorate the 120th anniversary of a Sino-Japanese naval battle and promote patriotism， the “Love China Know My Sea”activity primarily features essay and quiz competitions. On July 25， the day a SinoJapanese naval battle broke out 120 years ago， the competitions will commence on Liugong Island， Weihai， Shandong Province.

Earth Hour

On March 29， during Earth Hour， three iconic structures of Shanghai， Shanghai World Financial Center（left）， Shanghai Tower （right） and Jin Mao Tower （top）， turned off their lights. Earth Hour is a worldwide movement for the health of the planet organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature （WWF） since 2007. Each year， individuals， communi- ties， households and businesses are encouraged to turn off non-essential lights for one hour， from 8：30 to 9：30 p.m. on the last Saturday of March， to symbolize commitment to the planet， tackling various environmental problems， and the fight against global warming. During Earth Hour 2014， more than 7，000 landmarks in 160 countries turned off their lights.

Rooster Fight for Dai New Year

On April 13， hundreds of spectators attended rooster fights in Xishuangbanna， Yunnan Province. The rooster fighting was one activity to celebrate the 1，376th New Year of the Dai ethnic group. Dai New Year， also known as Water Splashing Festival， was introduced to Dai communities in the late 12th and early 13th Centuries along with Buddhism. In Xishuangbanna， many activities including rooster fighting and dragon boat racing are held during the festival， the biggest celebration of the year for Dai people.