Immigration is not long-term solution

1888 cartoon in Puck attacks businessmen for welcoming large numbers of low paid immigrants, leaving the American workingman unemployed. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I am an immigrant to Singapore, and this would be one article that applies to me... or maybe not...
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Jan 07, 2013
by Peter Heng Teck Wee

Most Singaporeans are Xth-generation immigrants. My grandparents originated from China, making me a third-generation Singaporean, and I am grateful for the contribution of immigrants to our fledgling nation.

However, I am not convinced that continuing immigration is a long-term solution for our socio-economic problems. First, we must ask if we can count on new immigrants to commit to Singapore.

Paddler Li Jiawei's return to Beijing, reported in "A grateful Li bids farewell" (Dec 28), serves as an example that immigrants may see Singapore as a place to eke out a living and not as their hinterland.

It is difficult to fault them for this, given that our tiny island cannot offer the security that underpins the concept of a hinterland.

Even if they stay for the long term, it is dangerous to rely on them to plug our demographic holes.

Integrating new immigrants who have not gone through national education or National Service is a trial-and-error process.

They are not immune from growing old, nor are they exempt from having dependents. Unlike Singaporeans, the elderly dependents of new immigrants have no economic safety net in the form of Central Provident Fund savings.

New immigrants may relieve immediate problems such as labour shortages, but it is a form of kicking the can down the road.

We have learnt that such relief comes at the price of productivity stagnation or the gradual displacement of Singaporeans.

If we are not careful, we will create a situation where ever greater numbers of "foreign talent" are needed to offset an ageing, unproductive population. Already, many top jobs at multinational corporations and financial institutions go to new immigrants.

Let us also ask ourselves if building ever more new towns and expressways to absorb a fast rising population is what we stand for.

How many more trees and graves will be given up in the name of development before we realise that what fills this nation's stomach may not be good for its heart? Certain things, such as our heritage and identity, are priceless.

We should think twice before sacrificing these in striving to be a hub for everyone and everything. In the new year, Singaporeans should ask: What is the kind of legacy we wish to pass to our children?


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Taken from TODAYOnline.com; source article is below:
Immigration is not long-term solution

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US becoming unwelcome in China?

Image via Wikipedia

US firms feel increasingly unwelcome in China: survey
Posted: 22 March 2010 1131 hrs

BEIJING: A growing number of American businesses feel unwelcome in China because of what they see as discriminatory government policies and inconsistent legal treatment, according to a survey released Monday.

The American Chamber of Commerce in China asked 203 member companies if they felt unwelcome to participate and compete in China's market, with 38 per cent saying they did, up from 26 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2009.

Inconsistent regulatory interpretation and judicial treatment topped the list of concerns for American businesses, the survey said.

Respondents also blamed what they view as a push by Beijing to squeeze foreign technology companies out of the lucrative government procurement market.

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Beijing skyline

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"The AmCham-China survey shows that US companies believe they face product discrimination in state-owned enterprise purchases, as well as in government procurement," a statement accompanying the survey results said.

The survey was released as the trial of four employees of Anglo-Australian miner Rio Tinto - including an Australian citizen - on bribery and trade secrets charges opened in Shanghai.

The four defendants were arrested last July during contentious iron ore contract negotiations that later collapsed, and after Rio snubbed a near 20-billion-dollar cash injection from state-run Chinese mining firm Chinalco.

The trial has strained Beijing's relations with Canberra and raised concerns about doing business in China.

The survey also comes as US Internet giant Google has threatened to leave China, citing cyber attacks and censorship, and with Sino-US ties inflamed over a range of contentious issues including China's currency policy.

Critics say China keeps the value of its yuan artificially low, making its exports cheaper and thus more competitive on world markets.

- AFP/sc

From ChannelNewsAsia.com; see the source article here.

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China Wares Then, China Moon Now

Image via Wikipedia

US DECISION LEAVES CHINA SHOOTING FOR MOON

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BEIJING - China aims to land its first astronauts on the moon within a decade at the dawn of a new era of manned space exploration - a race it now leads thanks to the United States decision to drop its lunar programme.

US President Barack Obama earlier this month said he planned to drop the costly Constellation space programme, a budget move that would kill off future moon exploration if it is approved by Congress.

In contrast, China has a fast-growing human spaceflight project that has notched one success after another, including a spacewalk by astronauts in 2008, with plans for a manned lunar mission by around 2020.

The turnaround is viewed as yet another example of the Asian power's rising profile and technical prowess.

"Overall, China is behind the US in technology and in actual presence in space - the US operates dozens of satellites, the Chinese only a few," said Mr James Lewis, of the US-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies.

"The real concern is the trend: China's capacities are increasing while the US, despite spending billions of dollars, appears to be stuck in a rut."

The Americans have achieved the only manned lunar missions, making six trips from 1969 to 1972.

But China has been gaining in the space race after launching a manned programme in 1992, and sending its first astronaut into space in 2003.

Only Russia and the US had previously put a man into space independently.

China aims to launch an unmanned rover on the moon's surface by 2012 ahead of the manned lunar mission a decade from now.

"It is not a very expensive space programme but it is relatively well worked out in terms of autonomy, efficiency and independence," said Ms Isabelle Sourbes Verger, a France-based specialist on the Chinese space programme.

Some experts have questioned Beijing's timeframe for landing a man on the moon, but Mr Peter Cugley, a China specialist at the non-profit research centre CNA in the US, says the actual timing is not that relevant.

"Even if a PRC (Chinese) manned lunar landing doesn't happen in the timeframe initially established, the technical expertise gained and boost in national prestige is what the Chinese Communist Party is most interested in," he said.

China sees its space programme as a symbol of its global stature, growing technical expertise, and the Communist Party's success in turning around the fortunes of the formerly poverty-stricken nation.

Experts see its push for the moon, while Washington backs off, as further confirmation of its emergence as a superpower. "I see it as a confirmation of America's decline," said Mr Lewis.

China also has pursued its space ambitions efficiently. The Constellation programme had already cost US$10 billion ($14.1 billion), or nearly 10 times more than the entire Chinese space programme, according to official data.

Mr Fu Song, the vice dean of the School of Aerospace at Tsinghua University in Beijing, said Mr Obama's decision was unlikely to spur China to ramp up its space programme, saying its development would remain on a steady course.

But Beijing has other significant Asian competitors to reckon with as it vies to become the second nation to put a man on the moon.

India landed a lunar probe in 2008, and a top official said last month it was targeting a manned space mission in 2016. Japan, meanwhile, launched its first lunar satellite in June last year. AFP

From TODAY, Monday, 22-Feb-2010

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US and China set for defence talks on NKorea

Posted: 23 June 2009 1017 hrs

People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers stand at attention

BEIJING: US defence officials were set for talks in China on Tuesday in which they will seek Beijing's support for world pressure on North Korea over its nuclear weapons and missile programmes.

The US military delegation, led by Michele Flournoy, undersecretary for defence, was to meet with officials from the Chinese defence ministry as part of the two-day talks.

"North Korea will factor in very strongly," a Pentagon official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told reporters in Washington over the weekend.

Pyongyang's recent nuclear test and missile launches have raised "great concern" in China, he said.

"We would hope that China would use whatever influence they have with North Korea to convince them to change their behaviour," the official said.

The UN Security Council adopted a resolution on June 12 that includes financial sanctions on North Korea after Pyongyang carried out its second nuclear test last month and several missile launches.

North Korea has reacted defiantly to the latest sanctions, vowing to build more nuclear bombs.

Flournoy will also seek to promote better US-China defense cooperation amid concerns in Washington over Beijing's expanding military and a series of stand-offs on the high seas.

Washington would like to see more high-level visits by Chinese defense officials to the United States "so we can understand their continuing buildup and make sure the conditions for stability and peace are maintained," the official said.

- AFP/yt

From ChannelNewsAsia.com; see the source article here.

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Chinese regulators may block purchase of Hummer

Much hope, almost, for GM… to the drain?

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Posted: 06 June 2009 0016 hrs

A Hummer vehicle

SHANGHAI: A little-known Chinese machinery maker's plan to buy the Hummer brand from General Motors could face objections from Chinese regulators, media reports said Friday.

Struggling US auto giant General Motors announced this week it had reached a tentative deal to sell the brand to privately-held Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co, a day after filing for bankruptcy.

"Government agencies are unlikely to agree," the official Shanghai Securities News reported, citing an unnamed source.

"This overseas acquisition is not in line with the state's auto industry policy. In principle, domestic auto companies are not encouraged to make outbound acquisitions at the moment," the source told the newspaper.

The deal, expected to be closed by the end of the third quarter, will need nods from several government agencies, including the Ministry of Commerce and the National Development and Reform Commission, a powerful economic planner.

There are also concerns over whether Tengzhong is capable of funding the deal to help revive sales of the gas-guzzling sports utility vehicle, against Beijing's policy to encourage fuel-efficient vehicles.

The Chinese company and General Motors did not disclose any financial details of the deal but analysts expect Tengzhong could pay up to 500 million dollars for the Hummer brand.

Tengzhong, based in Chengdu city in southwestern Sichuan province, manufactures heavy machinery equipment for use in road and bridge construction, and in the energy industry.

Officials at Tengzhong declined to disclose the company's financial performance when contacted by AFP.

Reports in Shanghai Securities News and other domestic media said the company was indirectly controlled by 46-year-old mining tycoon Li Yan, who is also the chairman of mining company Lumena Resources Corp.

Lumena, preparing to list shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, plans to raise up to 1.48 billion Hong Kong dollars (190 million US dollars) from the initial public offering, the reports said.

- AFP /ls

From ChannelNewsAsia.com; see the source article here.

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The trillion-dollar question

The Daily Telegraph

NEWS COMMENT

Niall Ferguson

US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Chinese President Hu Jintao: Is a divorce in the cards?
EPA

WHO is going to come out of the economic crisis stronger and with the whip hand — China or America? Two years ago, economist Moritz Schularick and I coined the word "Chimerica" to describe what we saw as the key relationship in the then-booming global economy: China plus America.

To simplify the story, think of an unhappy marriage in which one partner does all the saving, while the other does all the spending. (We all know at least one couple like that.) But then the partner with the retail therapy habit maxes out on his/her credit cards. At the same time, the parsimonious partner finds her/his job under threat. What previously was a stable relationship is suddenly on the rocks.

In February, the People's Daily warned of an impending "period of chillness". Could this be one of those great turning points in history, when the balance of power tilts decisively away from an established power and towards a rising challenger? It is possible. Financial crises often accelerate the gradual shifting of the geopolitical tectonic plates; they are to history what earthquakes are to geology.

It was the disastrous Mississippi Bubble of 1718-19 that fatally weakened the regime in France. By 1907, a Wall Street crash could send a shockwave across the entire British empire, a harbinger of a new era of American power. Something similar may be happening as a consequence of the American financial crisis that began nearly two years ago. The flapping of a butterfly's wings may signal the waning of US hegemony and the advent of a Chinese century.

Just consider the impact of this crisis on the United States and China. According to the International Monetary Fund, the US economy will contract by 2.8 per cent this year — while China's is forecast to grow by more than 6 per cent.

Of course, China has not been wholly unscathed by the crisis. Many more Chinese than American workers have lost their jobs since this crisis began. Yet I do not believe (as some Sino-pessimists do) that the regime in Beijing faces a serious threat of social unrest. Like other rising powers in past centuries, China is imbued with a remarkable sense of patriotism. People are proud of their country's economic miracle. After two wretched centuries, they believe China is on the way back.

Even before its economy becomes the world's biggest, China can play a much more assertive role in its relations with the United States. The spouse with the money generally wins the argument, after all. Especially when the argument is about the other spouse's debts.

And what debts! The US federal government's deficit will be US$1.84 trillion ($2.65 trillion) this year — roughly half of total expenditure and nearly 13 per cent of GDP. Moreover, the Congressional Budget Office anticipates that total debt will nearly double in the decade ahead.

With the lion's share (around 70 per cent) of their $2 trillion of international reserves held in the form of US bonds, the Chinese are understandably alarmed by this tsunami of red ink.

We know pretty much what Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is hearing in Beijing this week because the Chinese have been grumbling about American profligacy for months. "We have lent a huge amount of money to the United States," Premier Wen Jiabao declared in March. "Of course we are concerned about the safety of our assets. To be honest, I am a little bit worried."

However, Mr Geithner knows the truth of the old adage: When you owe the bank a small amount, the bank has the power. But when you owe the bank a huge amount, it's the other way round. Mr Luo Ping, a director-general at the China Banking Regulatory Commission, put it nicely in February: "Except for US Treasuries, what can you hold? US Treasuries are the safe haven. For everyone, including China, it is the only option. We hate you guys. Once you start issuing $1 trillion to $2 trillion (of bonds) we know the dollar is going to depreciate, so we hate you guys, but there is nothing much we can do."

"We hate you guys?" Now that really does have the ring of marital breakdown. Let's hope Mr Geithner is good at ducking crockery. Like divorces, major shifts in the balance of power are seldom amicable.

From TODAYonline.com; see the source article here.

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Is China really going green?

CLIMATE CHANGE

With more public support for saving the Earth, China looks set to lead the way

 Peter Foster

A wind power farm outside of Urumqi, which will help China generate the 100gW wind power target by 2020. AFP

URUMQI — The speed with which China is now ramping up its commitment to alternative energies has caught even the most optimistic analysts by surprise, with new green edicts being issued from Beijing on an almost weekly basis.

Last week officials pledged to generate 100 gigawatts of electricity from wind power by 2020, more than tripling the original target of 30gw laid down in a national energy strategy published just 18 months ago.

Public attitudes towards the environment have also started to change. In the wind-fields of Dabancheng, the first 13 windmills, bought from Denmark and erected in 1989, are now used primarily as a tourist attraction.

Nuclear, solar and hydroelectricity are also being lined up for massive new investment through China's £400 billion ($880 billion) stimulus package, with 2020 targets for nuclear power raised from 40gW to 60gW, with some officials even talking of aiming for 70gW.

Investment is also being poured into China's electricity grid to enable more renewable sources to be connected, while planners say they want to halve carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gross domestic product by 2020.

After years in which China put economic growth before almost all environmental considerations, analysts now see a step-change in attitudes from the central government backed by hard cash and the raw political muscle of China's command economy.

"The old belief that China could follow the model of Western industrial nations by making a mess today and paying for the clean-up tomorrow now appears to be dead," said Ms Yang Ailun, director of Greenpeace's climate and energy campaign in China.

"China's leaders now realise that for long-term growth to be sustainable, they will have to both reduce power usage by finding greater efficiencies."

The desire to take a greener path is not confined to China's all-powerful government. Activists say there is growing grass-roots support for change, spurred by a growing realisation that ordinary people are paying a heavy price for China's old "dirty" development model.

In Beijing, environmental activist Ma Jun cites the efforts to clean up the air pollution ahead of last year's Olympic Games as just one example of how the Chinese public's mindset is rapidly changing.

After the games, there were several popular campaigns by residents who had enjoyed clean air for the first time in a decade to keep polluting factories closed and retain traffic restrictions.

"People had come to accept that it was impossible to have blue skies over Beijing, but during the Olympics they suddenly saw that wasn't true," said Mr Ma. "Now they don't want to go back to the old polluted ways."

It will be a massive challenge, but this week, further optimism was generated by reports that China's was, for the first time, actively considering setting emissions targets ahead of negotiations for a successor to the Kyoto treaty in Copenhagen later this year.

Although decisions have not been taken, analysts saw the reports as yet further evidence that China, after years of arguing that the West should clean up its own act before it took steps of its own, was preparing to take an unprecedented lead at Copenhagen.

"The fact that the country's leadership is now putting a focus on climate change... gives us great hope that China could achieve a second miracle 30 years from now by moving to a low carbon economy," wrote Mr Steve Howard, chief executive officer of The Climate Group.

"But this time, we believe that China will no longer be a developing country following where others have led, but a pioneer leading the way." THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

From TODAY, World – Tuesday, 05-May-2009

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