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Tuesday, July 31, 2012
China Denies Torturing S.Korean Activist - The Chosun Ilbo
China on Tuesday denied claims by a prominent South Korean activist that he was tortured by Chinese security agents during his 114 days of detention in Dandong.
Pressed to respond to the claims by Kim Young-hwan, the Chinese Foreign Ministry faxed a terse statement saying, "China's supervisory authorities abided by laws in this investigation. China guaranteed the rights of the detainee."
In an earlier interview with the Chosun Ilbo, Kim gave a detailed account of the torture he suffered for helping North Korean defectors hiding in China. One person close to Kim said, "Kim has more to lose than to gain from going public with the torture. He has no reason to make things up or exaggerate what had happened to him."
But if Beijing admitted torturing a foreign national, "it would face a barrage of accusations from others who received similar treatment, leading to a mountain of legal problems," said one diplomatic source in Seoul. "There is a strong possibility that China will continue to deny torture allegations even when confronted with evidence."
The Chinese Foreign Ministry opted to send a fax rather than post its response on its website, which is the customary practice. This has led to speculation that China is worried about damaging its image by making the statement readily accessible to the international media.
Beijing's claim that it respected Kim's rights is clearly false. Kim was arrested on March 29, but China did not allow a South Korean embassy official to meet him until April 26. According to the Vienna Convention, a foreigner who is detained in another country has the right to immediately consult with a consular official from their own government.
Kim alleges that he was tortured with a cattle prod and severely beaten before he was allowed to meet a South Korean embassy official. Three other South Korean activists who were detained along with Kim waived their right to meet a South Korean embassy official after Chinese officials told them they could be released sooner if they relinquished it, Kim claimed. Kim also says he was never informed of the charges made against him.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry here said in a statement on Tuesday that consular officials plan to meet all 625 South Korean nationals in detention in China to see if they suffered any harsh treatment and "take necessary steps."
China official PMI shows factory sector barely growing - Reuters
BEIJING |
BEIJING (Reuters) - China's official factory purchasing managers' index fell to an eight-month low of 50.1 in July from 50.2 in June, suggesting the sector is barely growing, a survey by the National Bureau of Statistics showed on Wednesday.
The figures showed that factory output was expanding, but that new orders, including new export orders, were contracting in July more deeply than in June.
Economists polled by Reuters this week had expected July's official PMI to edge up to 50.3, above the 50 point level that demarcates expansion from contraction, after Beijing had come up with various measures aimed at shoring up growth in the world's second-largest economy.
The China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP), which compiles the data, said in a statement that the data suggested the economy is hitting a bottom and it will continue to stabilize in coming months.
"But current demand is still relatively weak, and the downward pressure from oversupply has not been eliminated," it said.
The July PMI was the lowest reading since November, in the latest sign that growth in the world's second-biggest economy is slowing down on the back of a cooling pace in exports, factory output and fixed asset investment.
"The low point will likely be pushed to the third quarter, although that depends on the policy response," Zhou Xizhen of Citic Securities in Beijing said of China's economic slowdown.
A flash PMI published last week by HSBC rose to a five-month high of 49.5 in July, indicating the sector was still contracting but at a weaker pace. The index was boosted by a pick up in factory output and signs of improvement in new export orders, but the employment index fell to a 40-month low.
A Reuters poll in July showed most analysts thought China's economic slowdown bottomed out in the second quarter. They forecast a modest pick up in economic activity in the third quarter to snap six straight quarters of slower growth.
Economists forecast the pick up would bring China's full-year growth to 8 percent.
To prevent a credit squeeze on property developers and weak overseas demand from denting growth too much, Beijing has lowered interest rates twice and reduced banks' reserve requirement ratio three times since November. Investors expect to see more, though few anticipate a full-blown fiscal stimulus package in the manner of 2008.
A Reuters poll in July showed analysts expect China to lower banks' reserve requirements by another 100 basis points this year to 19 percent for its biggest banks.
(Additional reporting by Xiaoyi Shao: Editing by Neil Fullick)
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China's Ye Shiwen shatters another record amid waves of suspicion - New York Daily News
Clive Rose/Getty Images
China’s Ye Shiwen shows off 200 IM gold, but celebration is marred by those who suspect record-breaking time is enhanced by doping.Â
LONDON â€" Ye Shiwen, China’s 16-year-old lightning rod, emerged from the Aquatic Centre’s darkened doorway, walked across the white-tile pool deck and slipped out of her warmups Tuesday evening. She lifted her water bottle and turned it over her head. Water spilled down her arms and she rubbed some across her black bathing suit.
She looked into the crowd, recognized a collection of red flags emblazoned with China’s yellow symbols, and smiled.
BALCO FOUNDER CONTE: DOPING AT OLYMPICS LIKE 'TAKING CANDY FROM A BABY'
Shiwen dove in and ripped through the water to win the 200-meter individual medley by half a body length â€" .58 seconds â€" over Australia’s Alicia Coutts, but questions persisted outside the pool as she continued to be dogged by allegations that her two gold medals in the Games were not on the level.
When asked directly whether she has used performance-enhancing drugs during her training, she shook her head.
“Absolutely not,†she said, explaining through an interpreter that she has trained for nine years, putting in as many as five hours per day in the pool.
Was she unsettled by the allegations?
“I was unaffected,†she said.
Shiwen, upset that other swimmers who won gold medals and set records were not pursued as fervently as she was, asked why they were not challenged. She agreed with Chinese officials that there was a bias against her country’s participants.
“How come people would just criticize me?†she said.
The Olympic Park had awoken to waves created by Shiwen’s performances. Shiwen emerged as a controversial topic when she won the 400 IM the first night in 4 minutes, 28.43 seconds, a world record. She swam the last 50 meters faster than American Ryan Lochte did in the men’s race. She followed that up by setting the Olympic record in the 200 IM in 2 minutes, 08.39 seconds.
The records raised eyebrows. John Leonard, an American and the executive director of the World Swimming Coaches Association, said her performance was “suspicious.â€
“If there is something unusual going on in terms of genetic manipulation or something else, I would suspect over eight years science will move fast enough to catch it,†Leonard said. “I have every faith that eventually if there is something there to be caught it will be caught. Right now all we can say is Olympic champion, world record holder, and watch out for history.â€
The sharp criticism created unease. International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams said Shiwen passed a drug test after the 400 IM.
“These are world-class athletes competing at the very highest level with records being broken all over the place,†Adams said.
London organizers and the World Anti-Doping Agency insisted their system for identifying banned substances would determine whether any athlete was employing performance-enhancing methods. Blood samples taken from athletes will be kept for eight years. At the Opening Ceremony, International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge exhorted the athletes to “reject doping. Respect your opponents. If you do that, you will inspire a generation.â€
Gary Wadler, the past chairman of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s prohibited list committee, said questions were fair game considering the circumstances.
“When you have extraordinary performances like she has you have to raise the question, ‘Is it legitimate?’  †Wadler said.
Charles Yesalis, a retired epidemiologist at Penn State and an expert on performance-enhancing drugs, noted China’s history of doping. The government controls the pharmaceutical industry in China.
He said it does not matter whether or not she tests positive.
“She could be using designer drugs that are not known to the testers.
“If a former rock musician can fool the best labs in the world with the clear, the Chinese government can do it, too,†added Yesalis, referring to Victor Conte, who played bass in Tower of Power before he founded BALCO, which supplied previously undetectable steroids to track and field athletes as well as MLB and NFL players.
On Monday, American swimmer Caitlin Leverenz referred to China’s doping history when asked about Shiwen’s breakouts, but chose her words more carefully on Tuesday.
After claiming bronze, Leverenz shook hands to congratulate Shiwen in the pool, but a Team USA spokesman interrupted a doping question from reporters in the mixed zone to say that she would be answering only “swim topics.â€
Pressed on the PED issue, the spokesman said, “I won’t allow her.â€
Later, in the press conference, where she sat next to Shiwen, Leverenz was asked if it could be possible that Shiwen swam faster than Lochte.
“She’s proven that it’s possible,†Leverenz said.
Chinese reporters applauded. She left the room to their cheers moments later.
Doping row spurs on China's Ye to second gold - Yahoo! Sports
Chinese teenage swimming sensation Ye Shiwen said the doping row surrounding her in London had inspired her to a second Olympic gold medal with victory in the 200m medley on Tuesday.
Sixteen-year-old Ye, whose explosive win in the 400m medley in world record time last Saturday drew allegations of drug use, sealed the medley double with victory in 2min 07.57sec, a new Olympic record.
Afterwards, Ye insisted: "I don't feel upset or sad about what the media have been saying about me.
"I feel calm, but it just encouraged me to prove myself.
"Of course, I think (the comments) are a bit unfair towards me, but I am not affected," added Ye, who was adamant in denying doping at any stage of her short career.
"Absolutely not," she said, when asked if she had ever taken a banned substance.
"I do two-and-a half hours (training) every morning, two-and-a-half hours every afternoon and I have trained for nine years.
"I think everyone can achieve their goal. In my mind everyone can be a genius.
"I think in other countries people have won multiple medals and no one says anything about them, so why should they say these things about me?
"There is likely to be more good (Chinese) swimmers coming behind me because others have the same potential that I have."
Ye, the world champion, pulled away in the closing stages Tuesday to finish ahead of Australia's Alicia Coutts and American Caitlin Leverenz.
The Chinese girl lit up the Olympics on Saturday after slicing five seconds off her personal best and taking more than a second off the world record to win gold.
But she said she didn't get out to celebrate that win until almost 2:00am following the mandatory drugs test for all medallists.
Her stunning last 50 metres in the 400IM was faster than men's champion Ryan Lochte, a fact that has been seized upon by sceptics who point to the litany of drug scandals which dogged Chinese swimming through the 1990s.
John Leonard, executive director of the World Swimming Coaches' Association, raised suspicions about the authenticity of her swims.
However, several pool greats pointed out Ye had never failed a drugs test and should, therefore, be regarded as a "clean" athlete.
Former British swimmer Adrian Moorhouse, a gold medallist in the 100m breaststroke in the 1988 Seoul Games, said given China's vast population of 1.3 billion and the country's state-backed elite sports programmes, it was possible the country's swimming system had simply unearthed a phenomenon.
"There are a lot of people in China. The base of their pyramid is so wide -- if they train thousands and thousands and thousands of kids they might have just found their Michael Phelps," Moorhouse said.
"They might have found this really talented kid who can work really hard, whose got the perfect shape and can cope with all the pressure that's thrown at her," he added.
Phelps's coach Bob Bowman became the latest to voice support for Ye, describing attacks on her as "unfair."
"I think it is a natural cynicism that results from the history, the long history, of what has happened with China in this sport," Bowman told Britain's Daily Telegraph.
"Having said that I think it is unfair to immediately just jump on someone who has had an extraordinary swim because it is something that happens."
China's Ye Wins Second Gold After Dismissed Doping Allegations - Voice of America (blog)
Posted Tuesday, July 31st, 2012 at 7:10 pm
Chinese swimmer Ye Shiwen set an Olympic record Tuesday by winning her second gold medal at the London Games, adding the 200-meter individual medley title to a world-record performance in the 400-meter individual medley.
Ye's second victory comes after her unprecedented performance Saturday in the women's 400-meter individual medley that sparked suspicions of doping.
U.S. swimming coach John Leonard called the performance of the 16-year-old Chinese swimming sensation “unbelievable†and suggested that similar victories in the past have been fueled by performance-enhancing drugs.
China's anti-doping chief Jiang Zhixue told the Xinhua news agency that it is unfair to criticize Chinese athletes because of their success, which he said is the result of training and hard work.
Chinese swimmers have in the past been tainted by high-profile doping scandals, most notably in the 1994 and 1998 world championships.
Ye swam the final 50-meter lap Saturday faster than American Ryan Lochte did in the men's race.
China makes it 3-for-3 in Olympic diving - ESPN
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Olympics: US vs China: The New Cold War - ABC News
Is China the new Soviet Union at the Olympics? It sure is looking like it today.
At the center of this new Cold War is Ye Shiwen, a 16-year-old Chinese swimmer who came from fourth place today to win gold in the 200 meter individual medley and snagged gold on Saturday in the 400 meter individual medley.
In her race Saturday, Ye shattered the world record by more than a second and knocked five second seconds off her personal best in the final 50 meters of the race. She was even faster in that last lap than American medal winner Ryan Lochte in the men's race.
More than a few eyebrows were raised and commentators watching the race called it "unbelievable." But John Leonard, head of the American Swimming Coaches Association went a big step further saying her race "was reminiscent of some old East German swimmer."
Call that the Olympic equivalent of a nuclear warhead.
Anyone old enough to remember Soviet and East German competitors at the Olympics will remember the hulking bodies of their athletes in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s and the doping scandals that constantly discredited them.
Leonard was very clearly accusing Ye of taking some form of performance-enhancing drugs.
"History in our sport will tell you that every time we see something, and I put quotation marks around this, 'unbelievable,' history shows us that it turns out later on there was doping involved," Leonard told the Guardian newspaper here in London.
Daniel Ochoa De Olza/AP Images
China's Ye Shiwen competes in a women's... View Full Size
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Adding to the tension is China's domination of the gold medal count in the opening days of these XXX Olympic Games. The United States has been a distant second.
If Leonard's comments were a figurative nuclear bomb, they response from the Chinese was, well, ballistic.
"If there are suspicions, then please lay them out using facts and data," Xu Qi, head of the Chinese swimming team told the state news agency Xinhua. "Don't use your own suspicions to knock down others. This shows lack of respect for athletes and for Chinese swimming."
Today, the final world from Olympic officials cleared the Chinese swimmer's name.
"She's clean. That's the end of the story," said Colin Moynihan, chairman of the British Olympic Association reporting on the results of official drug tests.
Chinese officials point to her expensive training to explain her explosive times and her physical growth. When she won the Asian Games at 14, she was just over 5' 2" -- she's grown four inches since.
Though she is still smaller than other swimmers at 5-foot-7 and 141 pounds, Ye is known for her large hands and feet.
"My results come from hard work and training," Ye told the China News Service Monday night. "The Chinese people have clean hands."
Of course, there is good reason to be wary of Chinese athletes who shatter world records. China was plagued by a series of drug-related scandals in the 1990s. Seven Chinese swimmers tested positive for banned substances at the Asian Games in 1994 and in 1998 four more Chinese swimmers failed drug tests before the World Championships in Australia. A swimmer and her coach were expelled after being caught with a cache of growth hormones at the airport in Sydney.
That's all history now, say the Chinese, who insist they have cleaned up the sport and invested heavily in rigorous drug testing. Yet just last month 16-year-old swimmer Li Zhesi was dropped from the Chinese Olympic team.
To some that might suggest the Chinese really are cleaning up the sport, but to others it is evidence that they continue to cheat.
Olympics: US vs CHINA: THE NEW COLD WAR - ABC News (blog)
Is China the new Soviet Union at the Olympics? It sure is looking like it today.
At the centre of this new Cold War is Ye Shiwen,  a 16-year-old Chinese swimmer who snagged gold  on Saturday in the 400 meter individual medley at a pace that shattered the world record by more than a second and knocked five second seconds off her personal best in the final 50 meters of the race. She was even faster in that last lap than American medal winner Ryan Lochte in the men’s race.
More than a few eyebrows were raised and commentators watching the the race called it “unbelievable.†But John Leonard, head of the American Swimming Coaches Association went a big step further saying her race “was reminiscent of some old East German swimmer.â€
Call that the Olympic equivalent of nuclear warhead.
Anyone old enough to remember Soviet and East German competitors at the Olympics will remember the hulk-like bodies of their athletes in the 1960′s, 1970′s and 1980′s and the doping scandals that constantly discredited them.
Leonard was very clearly accusing Ye of taking some form performance-enhancing drugs.
“History in our sport will tell you that every time we see something, and I put quotation marks around this, ‘unbelievable,’ history shows us that it turns out later on there was doping involved,†Leonard told the Guardian newspaper here in London.
Adding to the tension is China’s domination of the  gold medal count in the opening days of these XXX Olympic Games. The U.S. has been a distant second.
If Leonard’s comments were a figurative nuclear bomb, they response from the Chinese was, well, ballistic.
“If there are suspicions, then please lay them out using facts and data,†Xu Qi, head of the Chinese swimming team told the state news agency Xinhua. “Don’t use your own suspicions to knock down others. This shows lack of respect for athletes and for Chinese swimming.â€
Today, the final world from Olympic officials cleared the Chinese swimmer’s name. “She’s clean. That’s the end of the story,â€Â said Colin Moynihan, chairman of the British Olympic Association reporting on the results of official drug tests.
Of course, there is good reason to be wary of Chinese athletes who shatter world records. China was plagued by a series of drug-tainted scandals in the 1990′s. Seven Chinese swimmers tested positive for banned substances at the Asian Games in 1994 and in 1998 four more Chinese swimmers failed drug tests in advance of the World Championships in Australia. A swimmer and her coach were expelled after being caught with a cache of growth hormones at the airport in Sydney.
That’s all history now, say the Chinese, who insist they have cleaned up the sport and invested heavily in rigorous drug testing. Yet just last month 16-year-old swimmer Li Zhesi was dropped from the Chinese Olympic team.
To some that might suggest the Chinese really are cleaning up the sport, but to others it is evidence that they continue to cheat.
Leonard may have voiced what many are thinking, but he’s finding it awfully lonely.
“We need to get real here,†said International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams. “These are the world’s best athletes competing at the very highest level. We’ve seen all sorts of records broken already all over the place.â€
Adams said the top five athletes in each event, plus two others, are tested as part of “a very, very strong drug-testing program, and we are very confident if there are cheats we will catch them.â€
“We can’t stop speculation. It is inevitably a sad result of the fact that there are people who dope and who cheat,†Adams said. “It’s very sad we can’t applaud a great performance. Let’s give the benefit of the doubt to the athletes.â€
Ye is known for her large hands and feet, but otherwise she’s smaller than other swimmers at 5-foot-7 and 141 pounds.
“I don’t think that 4:28 is an impossible time in the 400 IM, I think it’s a perfectly logical time for someone to go,†said Bob Bowman, American swimmer Michael Phelps’ coach. “I trust the testing service and I know that Michael was tested nonstop and we’re very careful about what goes into his body, and I assume that other competitors are, too.â€
With files from the Associated Press
China refutes Japan's annual defense paper, urging it to introspect - Xinhua
BEIJING, July 31 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman refuted groundless criticisms on China's national defense policy made by a newly-released Japan's annual defense white paper, urging the country for serious introspection.
"China strongly opposes to the groundless criticisms on China's normal national defense development and military activities, and the irresponsible remarks on China's internal affairs made by Japan's annual defense white paper," spokesman Hong Lei said in a written statement released Tuesday in Beijing.
According to Hong, China has already made solemn representations with Japan on that matter.
Hong also noted that Japan has caught wide attention from regional and international communities by making various excuses for its continuous arms expansion, reinforcement of military alliance and distorting facts on regional security issues in recent years.
"What is Japan's real motivation by doing so?" Hong asked.
The spokesman also urged Japan to seriously re-examine itself and introspect whether such actions could be conducive to the regional peace and stability.
Japan on Tuesday released its annual Defense of Japan report, expressing concern over Chinese naval vessels' activities in the Pacific Ocean.
The report noted that China is likely to expand its sphere of maritime activities, and conduct operations and training as routine practices in waters near Japan including the East China Sea, the Pacific Ocean, and the South China Sea, which Tokyo is increasingly worried about.
IOC, FINA and Others Defend China's Teen Swimmer - ABC News
Olympic organizers and swimming's governing body leapt to the defense of China's world record-breaking teen sensation Ye Shiwen on Tuesday, with the sport's president saying suspicions that she doped were "crazy" and motivated by jealousy and the IOC stressing its confidence in the drug-testing program.
"We need to get real here," said International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams. "These are the world's best athletes competing at the very highest level. We've seen all sorts of records broken already all over the place."
Adams said the top five athletes in each event, plus two others, are tested as part of "a very, very strong drug-testing program, and we are very confident if there are cheats we will catch them."
"We can't stop speculation. It is inevitably a sad result of the fact that there are people who dope and who cheat," Adams said. "It's very sad we can't applaud a great performance. Let's give the benefit of the doubt to the athletes."
Ye won the 400-meter individual medley on the opening day of the Olympic swimming competition, and was the favorite to win the 200 IM on Tuesday evening, too.
The 16-year-old Ye sliced through the last lap of the 400 in 28.93 seconds â€" faster than the 29.10 American winner Ryan Lochte posted in the last 50 of the men's race. Ye's time was 4:28.43, more than a second faster than the previous world record set by Australia's Stephanie Rice at the 2008 Beijing Games in a now-banned bodysuit.
AP
China's Ye Shiwen competes in a women's... View Full Caption
China's Ye Shiwen competes in a women's 200-meter individual medley swimming heat at the Aquatics Centre in the Olympic Park during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Monday, July 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa De Olza) Close
John Leonard, head of the American Swimming Coaches Association but not a member of the U.S. Olympic staff, was among those openly questioning Ye's legitimacy. The Guardian newspaper quoted him as saying the last 100 of her race "was reminiscent of some old East German swimmers."
"History in our sport will tell you that every time we see something, and I put quotation marks around this, 'unbelievable,' history shows us that it turns out later on there was doping involved," Leonard was quoted as saying.
Asked about Leonard's comments, FINA president Julio Maglione told The Associated Press that people are free to say "stupid things" if they want.
"It's a big mistake," Maglione said of Ye's doubters. "The people that said this is crazy."
He said FINA spends $1 million to drug-test the top 30 swimmers in the world two or three times a year and "swimming is absolutely clean."
He said that he has absolutely no suspicions about Ye and that her critics are jealous because China is becoming a swimming power.
"It's best for the swimming," Maglione said. "Not only two or three countries. We have now 15 countries that take medals, 20 countries. That is important that many countries in the world take medals."
The anti-doping chief for China's General Administration of Sport, Jiang Zhixue, said Chinese athletes, including swimmers, have passed nearly 100 drug tests since they arrived in London. FINA's website shows Ye also underwent three out-of-competition drug tests from June 2011 to February this year.
"Some people are just biased," the official Xinhua News Agency quoted Jiang as saying. "We never questioned Michael Phelps when he bagged eight gold medals in Beijing."
Australian coach Ken Wood, who has a contract with the Chinese Swimming Association and has trained 20 of China's swimmers in London, accused Ye's doubters of double standards.
China Reiterates Growth Chief Priority - Businessweek
China’s leaders pledged to keep adjusting policies to ensure stable economic growth this year as a state newspaper said some banks are telling branches to provide local-government loans.
“The ongoing pace of economic growth is within expectations, but the external environment remains grim and poses difficulties and challenges,†the official Xinhua News Agency said yesterday, citing a meeting of the Communist Party’s Politburo. The meeting also determined that maintaining stable growth is still the top priority, Xinhua said.
The Politburo reiterated that China will pursue a “prudent†monetary policy and “proactive†fiscal policy, signaling that authorities are trying to stem a six-quarter slowdown in the world’s largest economy without resorting to the level of stimulus implemented after the global financial crisis.
“If the economic situation worsens, China can ease more,†said Zhang Zhiwei, chief China economist at Nomura Holdings Inc. in Hong Kong. Options include further reductions in banks’ reserve requirements and in benchmark interest rates, he said.
Yesterday’s statement, while not representing a change in policy wording, keeps options open for China to take additional measures if needed, Zhang said.
China will probably retain the “prudent†monetary policy stance through at least mid-2013, according to nine of 14 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News from July 24 to 30. Four said China will alter its position this quarter and one said it will change in the following three months.
Language Shift
The government adopted the “prudent†language in December 2010, changing from “moderately loose,†following one interest-rate increase and preceding four more.
“At the end of the day, we have to watch what the government will do instead of what it says,†Zhang said. Bank credit is a key measure to monitor, he said.
The economy may be starting to pick up this quarter. A manufacturing purchasing managers’ index for July may have risen to 50.5 from 50.2 in June, according to the median estimate of 24 economists before a government report due today. The yuan strengthened the most in more than four months yesterday on speculation policy makers worldwide will boost efforts to revive global growth.
China’s current-account surplus widened to $59.7 billion in the second quarter from $23.5 billion in the first quarter, data from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange showed yesterday. There was a certain degree of capital outflow in the first half that didn’t signify a “massive withdrawal,†SAFE said in a statement.
Fine-Tuning
Premier Wen Jiabao reiterated that China will put more emphasis on stabilizing growth and intensify “fine-tuning†while “unswervingly†implementing property controls and preventing home prices from rebounding, Xinhua said in a separate story about a meeting held July 26 with people outside the Party. Downward pressure on the domestic economy is relatively large and low global growth will persist for a “fairly long period,†the report said, citing Wen.
China will use different monetary policy tools to ensure stable growth in money supply and bank credit, Wen said.
Local bank branches are being instructed to give credit support to province-level vehicles and those backed by China’s 100 richest counties, China Securities Journal said yesterday, citing unidentified people. It didn’t identify any of the banks. The newspaper is published by Xinhua.
Reducing Debts
Relaxing control of lending to local governments would mark a shift in strategy as leaders try to boost economic growth that slowed to the least in three years. China had been seeking to reduce regional debts that ballooned to 10.7 trillion yuan ($1.7 trillion) on loans made in the aftermath of the global financial crisis.
“Measures to increase public investment, to be financed largely by bank credit, will be the most important ones in the near term†to aid growth, Wang Tao, a Hong Kong-based economist at UBS AG, said in a research note yesterday.
At the same time, Chinese leaders are “keen to avoid making a similar mistake†of using a credit boom to finance another round of fiscal stimulus they in 2008-09, which “left serious negative consequences†for the economy, Wang said.
Lending support will focus on roads, railways, natural gas and clean energy projects, China Securities Journal said.
Economic Risks
“We must see with a clear mind that there are difficulties and risks in the current economic situation that can’t be underestimated,†Wen said, as cited by Xinhua. President Hu Jintao said China will try to diversify export markets and will “expand and stabilize†employment, Xinhua reported.
The central government has cut interest rates twice since early June, reduced banks’ reserve requirements three times since November, sped approvals for investment projects and boosted railway spending as economic growth decelerated. Some cities are also increasing stimulus efforts, with Changsha last week unveiling an 829 billion yuan investment plan.
To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: Xin Zhou in Beijing at xzhou68@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Paul Panckhurst at ppanckhurst@bloomberg.net
IOC: China's Shiwen passed drug test - FOXSports.com
China's Stocks Decline to 2009 Low; B Shares Slump on New Rules - Businessweek
China’s stock-index futures were little changed, signaling the benchmark gauge may fluctuate at the start of trade, amid concern the slowing economy will hurt earnings growth.
Futures on the CSI 300 Index (SHSZ300) expiring in August, the most active contract, fell less than 0.01 percent to 2,363.80 as of 9:22 a.m. in Shanghai. Suning Appliance Co. may drop after net income declined. Steelmakers may gain after a report said the government is considering a tax rebate for the companies. China Railway Group Ltd. may advance after the China Daily said the government may spend 1 trillion yuan ($156.8 billion) building subways in the five years from 2010.
The Shanghai Composite Index (SHCOMP) dropped 0.9 percent to 2,109.91 yesterday. The index fell 5.2 percent in July, the biggest decline among benchmark indexes in Asia. The gauge has fallen 14 percent through yesterday from this year’s high on March 2 amid concern the economic slowdown is deepening and Europe’s debt crisis is worsening.
“If 2,100 gives way, which looks likely, it warns that the 1,665 low seen in late 2008 will not only be tested but should be broken,†Thomas Schroeder, a Bangkok-based managing director at Chart Partners, wrote in an e-mailed response to questions. “I have targets at 1,700 and then near the 1,500 region upon a breach of the 2008 low.â€
The CSI 300 Index decreased 0.6 percent to 2,335.79 yesterday. The Bloomberg China-US 55 Index (CH55BN), the measure of the most-traded U.S.-listed Chinese companies, dropped 1.4 percent to 86.92 in New York.
Measures Needed
Chinese government should introduce measures to stabilize the nation’s stock market and boost investor confidence, according to a commentary on the front-page of the Securities Times today. Finance and tax agencies should consider cutting the dividend tax and stamp duty, among other measures, a reporter at Securities Times named Xiao Bo wrote.
Thirty-day volatility in the Shanghai index was at 14.3. About 5.2 billion shares changed hands in the gauge yesterday, 31 percent lower than the average this year. The index is valued at 9.4 times estimated profit, compared with the three-year average of 14.7.
The National Development and Reform Commission has approved the plans of 28 cities to build subway systems, with 2,500 kilometers of subways planned from 2010-2015, the China Daily reported, citing Chen Xunru, a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference who has researched the projects.
Suning Profit
Suning Appliance’s first-half net income fell 29.5 percent from a year earlier to 1.74 billion yuan, according to a preliminary earnings statement.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is considering giving a 17 percent value-added tax rebate to domestic steelmakers that supply steel for export products, the Shanghai Securities News reported today, citing an unidentified person close to the ministry.
Large-and medium-sized steelmakers’ combined first-half profit fell 96 percent from a year ago to 2.39 billion yuan, the Economic Information Daily reported yesterday.
The iShares FTSE China 25 Index Fund (FXI), the biggest Chinese exchange-traded fund in the U.S., slipped 0.2 percent to $34.06, snapping a three-day rally. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index of the biggest U.S. shares was little changed at 1,385.30.
Bond Issue
Suntech Power Holdings Co. (STP) (STP), based in Wuxi of China’s Jiangsu, decreased to $1.34 in New York, the lowest level since the company’s initial public offering in 2005.
The company said it’s suing Javier Romero, a former Suntech sales representative who manages an affiliated company that Suntech says pledged German bonds as collateral for payment guarantees. The bonds may never have existed, Suntech said in a statement yesterday. The company said it may delay its second- quarter earnings report while it evaluates the financial impact of the incident.
Trina Solar Ltd. (TSL) (TSL), the third-biggest solar cell maker and fourth-biggest photovoltaic panel maker, dropped 11 percent to $4.84, the lowest level since March 2009.
The Guangzhou-based company lowered its estimate of solar module shipments for the second quarter by as much as 25 percent to 390 megawatts, citing solar power projects in China and the effect on U.S. import tariffs from the Asian country. It also cut its gross margin forecast to as low as 7 percent from the previous guidance of 10 percent.
Analysts at both Deutsche Bank AG and Jefferies Group Inc. reduced (TSL) their 12-month price estimates for Trina to $5 from $6 yesterday.
Yingli Green Energy Holding Co., the world’s sixth-largest silicon-based solar module producer based in Baoding of China’s Hebei province, tumbled 11 percent to a record low of $1.83. LDK Solar Co., the world’s second-largest maker of wafers, dropped 5.8 percent to $1.47.
-- Editor: Richard Frost
To contact the reporter on this story: Weiyi Lim in Singapore at wlim26@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Darren Boey at dboey@bloomberg.net
Japan Sees Debate Over China Military's Role in Security Policy - Bloomberg
TAIWAN’S ECONOMY CONTRACTED 0.16% IN 2Q FROM YEAR EARLIER
By Isabel Reynolds - 2012-07-30T23:58:42Z
Japan’s government highlighted questions surrounding the role of China’s military in determining security policy in an annual defense review as its neighbor steps up deployment of naval assets.
The relationship between the People’s Liberation Army and the Communist Party is becoming more complicated as China’s military modernizes, becomes more professional and undertakes a wider variety of duties, the Defense Ministry said in a white paper today. A more professional military could be tougher for civilians to control, Toshinori Tanaka, director of the Strategic Intelligence Analysis Office, told Bloomberg News.
“The decision-making process has become less clear and that makes it more difficult to deal with,†Tanaka said.
Focus on China’s expanding military has sharpened this year with a dispute erupting over rights to a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea after Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara unveiled plans to buy them. In May, China canceled a visit to Japan by a top general, Guo Boxiong. In Southeast Asia, tensions have flared between China, the Philippines and Vietnam over separate maritime areas.
“Some people have pointed out that in recent years there have been an increasing number of cases where the PLA has taken a clear stance on security issues,†the Defense Ministry said. “On the other hand, it has been pointed out that the number of representatives of the armed forces in the decision-making bodies of the Chinese Communist Party has been falling.â€
Defense Councilor Yasuhisa Ishizuka told reporters that the ministry had no official position on which view is correct.
Japan reiterated its concern about the lack of transparency in China’s defense spending, which it said has grown 30-fold over the past 24 years. China is also expanding its ocean-based military presence, while intelligence-gathering missions have been observed in waters close to Japan, the report said.
The white paper also highlighted plans by Japan’s ally the U.S. to step up focus on Asia.
“Recognizing that many of its security and economic interests are closely linked to development in Asia, the U.S. is placing more importance on the Asia-Pacific and strengthening ties with its allies in the region,†the report said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Isabel Reynolds in Tokyo at ireynolds1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Peter Hirschberg at phirschberg@bloomberg.net
Monday, July 30, 2012
Top China Stories from WSJ: Tokyo Seeks Defense, Olympics, Hong Kong Protests - Wall Street Journal (blog)
- REUTERS
- A child takes part in a protest march against a Chinese patriotic education course in Hong Kong on July 29, 2012.
Your daily round-up of the best of the Journal’s China coverage:
Tokyo Seeks to Expand Defense Against China: As a territorial dispute strains bilateral relations between Japan and China, Tokyo Tuesday criticized Beijing’s expansionary maritime strategies, and called for beefed up surveillance and defense capabilities around remote islands in contested waters. (Free)
After Further Reviewâ€"China Reigns, Japan Medals, Britain Settles: Chinese men won their second straight Olympic gymnastics title, while a late judge’s ruling knocked Great Britain, which thought it had a surprise silver, down to bronze. Japan took the silver. (Free)
Hong Kong Responds to Protests With Committee: Hong Kong’s government said a committee would monitor how “moral and national†education is implemented in local schools, but didn’t back down on introducing the curriculum, after large Sunday protests against “brainwashing.†(Subscriber Content)
China Group Slams U.S. Turbine-Tower Tariffs: A Chinese industry group slammed a U.S. decision to impose preliminary antidumping tariffs on Chinese exports of wind-turbine towers, saying the move was disappointing and would backfire against the U.S. industry.  (Subscriber Content)
Hong Kong Stocks Rise 4th Day on Signs of China Stimulus - Businessweek
Hong Kong stocks gained, with the Hang Seng Index (HSI) extending its advance for a fourth day to its longest rising streak since March, on signs China is boosting infrastructure investment as it seeks to spur growth in the world’s second-largest economy.
China Railway Group Ltd. (390), the country’s biggest builder of train lines, gained 1.8 percent after China boosted investment in railways for a second time in a month. Aluminum Corp. of China Ltd., the nation’s largest producer of the metal, gained 1.6 percent. Hang Lung Properties Ltd., a Hong Kong developer that derives 46 percent of its sales from the mainland, gained 3.4 percent ahead of reporting half-year results.
The Hang Seng Index rose 0.8 percent to 19,747.34 as of 11:16 a.m. Hong Kong time, with almost seven shares gaining for each that fell on the 49-member gauge. The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index (HSCEI) of mainland companies added 1.1 percent to 9,624.76.
“The question is when investors get bullish,†said Khiem Do, Hong Kong-based head of Asian multi-asset strategy at Baring Asset Management (Asia) Ltd., which oversees about $8 billion. “They are looking for a strong reason to buy back into the market. There is encouraging progress being made.â€
The benchmark Hang Seng Index fell 9.7 percent from this year’s high in February through yesterday on signs Europe’s debt crisis is worsening while growth slows in China and the U.S. The drop reduced the value of shares on the gauge to 10.4 times estimated earnings on average, compared with 13.5 for the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index and 11.2 for the Stoxx Europe 600 Index.
Rail Spending
Equities rose after leaders in Berlin, Paris and Rome backed European Central Bank President Mario Draghi by saying they will do what’s needed to protect the euro and as China was seen boosting its infrastructure stimulus measures.
China’s Ministry of Railways, the nation’s largest corporate debt issuer, said it planned to spend 470 billion yuan ($74 billion) on railroads and bridges this year. Chinese cities may spend at least 1 trillion yuan building subways from 2010 through 2015, China Daily reported, citing Chen Xunru, a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
China Railway Group gained 1.8 percent to HK$3.39. China Railway Construction Corp., builder of more than half of the mainland’s modern rail system, gained 1.5 percent to HK$6.80. CSR Corp., a Chinese train maker, gained 2.6 percent to HK$5.62.
China Aluminum Corp (2600), also known as Chalco, rose 1.6 percent to HK$3.19. Glencore International Plc, the world’s largest commodities trader, gained 1.3 percent to HK$38.65. Zijin Mining Group Co., China’s biggest gold producer, rose 1.6 percent to HK$2.48.
Developers Rise
Hang Lung Properties, which is due to report half-year earnings today, rose 3.4 percent to HK$27.50. It led gains among Hong Kong developers amid signs that real-estate companies are selling property at the fastest pace in at least seven years to raise cash ahead of an increase in government land sales. Sino Land Co., controlled by billionaire Robert Ng, gained 1.7 percent to HK$13.30.
Futures on the Hang Seng Index advanced 1.2 percent to 19,731. The HSI Volatility Index (VHSI) lost 2.4 percent to 20.45, indicating traders expect a swing of about 5.9 percent in the benchmark index during the next 30 days.
To contact the reporter on this story: Patrick Boehler in Hong Kong at pboehler@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Nick Gentle at ngentle2@bloomberg.net
A Private Look at China's Economy - Wall Street Journal (blog)
Dark clouds of suspicion hover, ominous as a Beijing rainstorm, over the reliability of China’s economic data. Everyone from confirmed China bears to panda-hugging investment-bank analysts wonders whether growth is lower than the official statistics suggest.
China Real Time has sent a sternly worded fax to Zhongnanhai demanding to know how fast China’s economy is really growing. If no response is forthcoming, we are willing to take the next step of asking an intern to call the switchboard.
To fill the time while we wait for the Great Wall of Statistical Secrecy to crumble, we have constructed a data set on China’s economy entirely from private and foreign sources, untainted by the suspicion of political interference. This is what it says.
Industry is the biggest chunk of China’s economy, accounting for almost half of total output. The official data has industrial output growth chugging along at a respectable 9.5% year-on-year in June.
Independent surveys conducted by HSBC Markit and Market News International suggest the real situation might be worse. Flash readings on both the HSBC PMI (which is weighted toward small private firms) and the MNI survey (which has a bias toward big state owned enterprises), came in below 50 in July â€" suggesting contraction in the manufacturing sector.
Sales of excavators, emblematic of the state of construction and machinery firms, also paint a bleak picture. Unit sales dropped 19% on-year in June according to numbers from China Construction Machinery Business Online.
A look at the operating income of firms in the industrial sector provides a slightly more optimistic read. Income for mainland listed manufacturing firms grew 8.7% on-year in the first quarter, compared to 28.3% in 2011, according to numbers from data provider CapitalVue.
Income for the construction, real estate and utilities sectors was more stable, with on-year growth comfortably in double digits in the first quarter. Most firms have not yet released earnings data for the second quarter.
Investment contributes the lion’s share to China’s demand. And within investment, the real estate sector does a lot of the work â€" accounting directly for 12% of China’s gross domestic product, according to the International Monetary Fund.
Two years of government-imposed property controls â€" an attempt to bring down sky-high house prices â€" have knocked housing demand down a notch. Numbers from private real estate agency Soufun suggest that sales are now creeping back up.
Sales in Beijing, Shanghai and other major cities have been on a rising trend since the beginning of the year. Du Jinsong, China property analyst at Credit Suisse, says construction could start to rebound in the second half.
A big chunk of China’s investment is in infrastructure. Data from China State Construction Engineering Corporation â€" a massive state-owned conglomerate that builds China’s bridges, roads and other public works â€" suggests building has slowed, but not ground to a halt. Revenue in the first half was up 15% on-year, down from 87% growth in the same period of 2011.
The story with domestic consumption is a little more positive. Yum Brands, whose KFC and Pizza Hut outlets are ubiquitous in China’s cities, and Nike, which is clothing China’s fashion conscious youngsters, both boast rapid sales growth.
Yum’s China same-store sales rose 10% on-year in the second quarter. Meanwhile, Nike’s China revenue grew 14%, in line with official retail sales growth.
Passenger car sales, a key factor in buoying China’s growth through the 2009 crisis, are also on the rise. The Chinese Association of Automobile Manufacturers says unit sales were up 16% on-year in June.
The final slice of China’s demand pie comes from exports. Using independent sources to keep track of what’s going on here is relatively straightforward, as China’s major trade partners have their own data, which matches up with China’s own.
The numbers from the U.S. confirm that China’s exports across the Pacific remain robust, growing around 10% on-year in the year to May. Strong demand from the world’s biggest economy is one of the factors keeping China’s production lines up and running.
China imports most of the commodities it needs to feed its industrial engine. Much of its iron ore comes from Australia and Brazil. Data from the Australian and Brazilian governments adds to the impression of a slowdown, not a collapse, in China’s growth. Australian data, for example, shows exports to China up 25% in May.
Private surveys and company data might be free from fears of political manipulation, but they have their own problems. Survey sample sizes are small (420 firms for the HSBC PMI and even less for the MNI survey) while company results are not necessarily representative of the sector as a whole.
That said, the independent data paints a picture that â€" with a couple of notable exceptions â€" is broadly consistent with the official data. Industrial output growth is decelerating , and perhaps more quickly than the government data suggests. But investment and demand for industrial commodities continue to grow, consumers are hitting the shops, and exports are flowing through the ports.
â€" Tom Orlik
Hong Kong Stocks Rise Fourth Day on Signs of More China Stimulus - Bloomberg
By Patrick Boehler - 2012-07-31T02:32:11Z
Hong Kong stocks gained, with the Hang Seng Index (HSI) extending its advance for a fourth day to its longest rising streak since March, on signs China is boosting infrastructure investment as it seeks to spur growth in the world’s second-largest economy.
China Railway Group Ltd. (390), the country’s biggest builder of train lines, gained 2.1 percent after China boosted investment in railways for a second time in a month. Aluminum Corp. of China Ltd., the nation’s largest producer of the metal, gained 2.2 percent. Hang Lung Properties Ltd., a Hong Kong developer that derives 46 percent of its sales from the mainland, gained 3.2 percent ahead of reporting half-year results.
The Hang Seng Index rose 0.8 percent to 19,736.05 as of 10:24 a.m. Hong Kong time, with six shares gaining for each one that fell on the 49-member gauge. The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index (HSCEI) of mainland companies added 1 percent to 9,615.65.
“The question is when investors get bullish,†said Khiem Do, Hong Kong-based head of Asian multi-asset strategy at Baring Asset Management (Asia) Ltd., which oversees about $8 billion. “They are looking for a strong reason to buy back into the market. There is encouraging progress being made.â€
The benchmark Hang Seng Index fell 9.7 percent from this year’s high in February through yesterday on signs Europe’s debt crisis is worsening while growth slows in China and the U.S. The drop cut the value of shares on the gauge to 10.4 times estimated earnings on average, compared with 13.5 for the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index and 11.2 for the Stoxx Europe 600 Index.
Futures on the Hang Seng Index advanced 1 percent to 19,690. The HSI Volatility Index (VHSI) lost 1.3 percent to 20.68, indicating traders expect a swing of about 5.9 percent in the benchmark index during the next 30 days.
To contact the reporter on this story: Patrick Boehler in Hong Kong at pboehler@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Nick Gentle at ngentle2@bloomberg.net
A War Footing in the South China Sea? - Wall Street Journal
By MICHAEL AUSLIN
By unilaterally creating a city government and installing a military garrison on a disputed island in the South China Sea, Beijing has further inflamed tensions and made a negotiated settlement of the Asia-Pacific's territorial disputes less likely. The decision to emphasize military measures in this ongoing diplomatic quarrel should worry those who argued that the growth of China's military power in recent decades was non-threatening and the natural action of a rising power.
The credibility of the Obama administration's "pivot" to China is also being tested, and Washington must decide how to respond to Beijing's growing assertiveness. To simply leave far weaker neighboring states to face China alone risks surrendering U.S. influence in Asia and making conflict more likely.
Beijing's action puts the Paracel Islands, Spratly Islands and Macclesfield Bank under the control of a new city called Sansha, along with a mayor and 45 deputies sitting in a People's Congress. While there are approximately 1,100 Chinese citizens living on these islands, they are also claimed by Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan. China has refused to have these competing claims addressed in a multilateral setting, such as through the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. After their most recent meeting, Asean ministers failed to issue a joint communiqué on South China Sea issues for the first time in nearly half a century. This was the result of Cambodia's sensitivity to Beijing's demand that any territorial disputes be solved on a solely bilateral basis.
All claimants in the South China Sea have minor military outposts on many of their islands, but Beijing's action presents a further challenge to those looking for a diplomatic solution. Woody Island, the site of the new garrison, is claimed by Vietnam, and tensions between Beijing and Hanoi have reached new heights in recent months over Vietnamese moves to explore the oil-rich seabed off its coast.
While the Philippines and Vietnam occupy more islands in the Spratlys, it is nonetheless significant when China makes a public announcement that it will have a permanent forward-deployed military force within striking distance of such contested waters. From the perspective even of smaller nations that have a few soldiers on coral reefs, Beijing is the only nation in Asia that could turn the clock back to old rules of international behavior: where might makes right, and international law is irrelevant to those bold enough to challenge fortune and ignore the concerns of the world community.
If Beijing thought that its new garrison would lead other nations to roll over, it has miscalculated, at least for the moment. President Benigno Aquino of the Philippines said he will purchase new attack helicopters and surface ships to defend its claims. Vietnam has sought new partners, including the United States, with which it held its first naval exercises earlier this year. The danger is that such attempts to maintain a credible defensive posture will lead to a heightened risk of conflict.
Much of this ardor may cool in coming decades as Hanoi and Manila look at China's long-term staying power and realize they are no match for it militarily. It is not impossible to imagine that public opinion would tire of the constant tension and demand the recall of the tiny forces on territory far away. That would leave China a freer hand to press other claims, on resource exploration and exploitation, for example, and perhaps even on freedom of navigation in waters claimed as historically Chinese.
Perhaps Beijing will not exploit its position that much. Yet the hardening of positions in the South China Sea is a problem for Washington, given its much-vaunted "rebalancing" to Asia. The State Department has so far shown no inclination even to change its rhetoric in the face of China's actions, simply reiterating that a mutually cooperative diplomacy must solve what has now become even more of a machtpolitik challenge. Continuing such a stance, while China increases its troops in the South China Sea, will erode American credibility in Asia.
As a first step, Washington should threaten to cut off military-to-military dialogue until it gets answers on how large the garrison will be. If China increases the size of its garrison and further intimidates its neighbors, the U.S. should consider postponing future annual Security and Economic Dialogues, which so far have produced little except press releases. Washington also should come up with a concrete plan to provide enhanced intelligence and military aid to nations threatened by China's military presence.
At best, these moves might force Beijing to realize that a truly negotiated settlement is the only way forward. At a minimum, they would show that America recognizes how China is attempting to unilaterally shape the future of the world's most important waterway.
Mr. Auslin is a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.
London Olympics: China still surpasses the US in total medal count - Christian Science Monitor
China and the US are fighting it out for the total number of medals earned at the London Olympics, but China is dominating the gold medal count.
The US and China are neck and neck in the total medal count at the Olympics.
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The two countries were tied for some time today, at 13, but now China is back in the lead at 14.
China is still far ahead in the total gold medal count, with eight to the US's three. Italy is in third place with eight medals total and two gold.
China has been making history, winning competitions that have usually gone to other countries, and proving their dominance at the Beijing Olympics wasn't simply home-soil advantage.
China swept synchronized diving, He Zi and Wu Minxia took the gold in the women's event, and today Cao Yuan and Zhang Yanquan beat the Americans, British, and Mexicans in the men's competition.
On the first day of the Olympics, Sun Yang, 20, gave China its first men's swimming gold medal with an Olympic record in the 400-meter freestyle.
Ye Shiwen,16, also won the gold in the women's 400-meter individual medley and set a new women's world record. In what has possibly been China's most impressive performance at the London Olympics thus far, she swam the last 100 meters almost stroke-for-stroke with gold-medal winner Ryan Lochte's time in the men's 400-meter individual medley. Shiwen's last 50 meters were actually faster than Lochte's.
Shiwen has been the talk of the swimming world, though controversy has surrounded her jaw-dropping race. There has been talk of doping, and questions raised as to how she was able to pull off such an amazing time at the end of such a grueling race.Â
For now, Shiwen's record will stand, and China will continue to dominate. They have also carried away the shooting competition, winning four medals total so far, two of them gold, making second-place Italy's two silver medals look meager in comparison.
The US athletes who have medaled so far today are the men's synchronized diving team, David Boudia and Nick McCrory, who took the bronze medal, and Marti Malloy who also won bronze in women's lightweight judo.
Volleyball: China pair put opener nightmare behind them - Reuters
China's Zhang Xi (L) returns a shot as her teammate Xue Chen watches during their women's preliminary round beach volleyball match against Switzerland at the London 2012 Olympic Games at Horse Guards Parade July 30, 2012.
Credit: Reuters/Marcelo del Pozo
China dives right in - Boston.com
Olympic medal events roundup
Wu Minxia is close to crowning herself China’s new diving queen.
Wu and partner He Zi won the first diving gold medal of the London Olympics on Sunday, putting the country on a path toward a possible sweep of the eight medals.
They led throughout the five-dive round and totaled 346.20 points in the 3-meter synchronized event.
‘‘It’s kind of if they mess up, then you have an opportunity,’’ American silver medalist Abby Johnston said. ‘‘Anything can happen in this sport, so you still have that possibility.’’
It was Wu’s fifth Olympic medal, one short of countrywoman Guo Jingjing’s record of six. Guo was China’s superstar diver until her retirement 1½ years ago.
Wu has three golds, one silver, and one bronze. She could earn another in the individual springboard event, where she has medaled twice before and will compete against He.
‘‘It feels normal,’’ Wu said in Mandarin. ‘‘I really don’t have that many emotions.’’
China won seven of eight golds as the host country four years ago in Beijing and swept the golds at last year’s world championships in Shanghai.
Johnston and Kelci Bryant finished second with 321.90 points, ending the country’s diving medal drought that extended to the 2000 Sydney Games. It was the first Olympic synchro medal for the Americans. After receiving their medals, Bryant cried and Johnston smiled broadly on the podium.
Emilie Heymans and Jennifer Abel (316.80 points) earned the bronze for Canada’s first medal of the Games.
Marianne Vos of the Netherlands powered through a driving rainstorm on The Mall, sprinting clear of rivals Elizabeth Armistead of Britain and Russia’s Olga Zabelinskaya and winning the women’s road race. Armitstead settled for silver for the host nation’s first medal, while Zabelinskaya coasted across for bronze.
‘‘It was a hard race today with the weather conditions,’’ Vos said, ‘‘but then I felt good. We made the race hard with the Dutch squad, early attacks, and that was the plan.’’
A former Olympic gold medalist in track cycling, Vos had grown accustomed in the past few years to finishing just off the top step in major road races. She’s been silver medalist five straight years at the world championships and had never stood on the podium in an Olympic road race.
The South Koreans stayed perfect in women’s team archery, winning their seventh straight gold medal â€" every one since the sport debuted at the Olympics.
Ki Bo-bae, Lee Sung-jin, and Choi Hyeon-ju hugged and pumped their fists in the air after Ki’s final arrow sealed their 210-209 victory in the rain against China, which settled for silver for the third straight Olympics. Japan won the bronze for its first-ever medal in women’s archery.
The American team, second in the ranking round Friday, fell, 218-213, to the Chinese in the quarterfinals. China scored five 10s (bull’s-eyes) in the final round, while the Americans got only one.
An Kae Um won North Korea’s first gold medal in London in the women’s judo 52-kilogram category. An defeated Acosta Bermoy of Cuba in the final, which went into overtime. An won in the final minutes with a decisive throw that landed Bermoy on her back.
Lasha Shavdatuashvili of Georgia won the gold medal in the men’s 66-kilogram category, defeating Miklos Ungvari of Hungary in a tense final.
Aron Szilagyi of Hungary won the gold medal in the men’s individual saber, beating Diego Occhiuzzi of Italy, 15-8, after the top four seeds all stumbled out before the semifinals.
© Copyright 2012 Globe Newspaper Company.
China eyes diving sweep, US future looking up - Yahoo! Sports
LONDON (AP) -- The Chinese have their sights on an unprecedented diving sweep.
Sounds familiar.
The Americans are feeling confident about their chances of winning a few more medals.
Now that's something new.
With the icy precision everyone has come to expect from the world's diving powerhouse, Wu Minxia and partner He Zi captured their sport's first gold medal of London Olympics with a commanding performance in the women's 3-meter synchronized event on Sunday.
Everyone else was playing for silver, which may become a theme at the Olympic Aquatics Centre. China nearly swept the diving medals four years ago, winning seven events before Australia's Matthew Mitcham pulled off a huge upset from the 10-meter platform.
"It feels normal," Wu said in Mandarin. "I really don't have that many emotions."
While this may have been a ho-hum result for the Chinese, the U.S. team was downright giddy. It had been 12 long years since the once-powerful Americans even claimed a medal, but Kelci Bryant and Abby Johnston broke the drought by taking silver.
"Our curse is out of the way," said Bryant, who finished fourth in springboard synchro with a different partner in Beijing.
Now, they're looking to add to the total. While the Chinese will be favored again in men's 10-meter platform, the Americans are hopeful about their prospects with David Boudia and Nick McCrory. Plus, the British should be in the mix with the home crowd cheering on Tom Daley and his synchro partner, Pete Waterfield.
"You could dive your backside off and come in sixth," said Steve Foley, the high-performance director for USA Diving. "That's a great field. But certainly David and Nick are right in contention to win medals. And now, they don't have to say, 'Oh, I have to worry about getting a medal to get the monkey off our backs.' It takes a bit of stress off those to follow."
Since Foley took over three years ago, the Americans have taken a different approach. They no longer focus on what they did in the past, such as winning every Olympic diving medal from 1928-52, or extending their domination into the 1980s behind Greg Louganis.
As Foley likes to point out, the U.S. hasn't had much to cheer about for years. The Americans managed just two bronze medals at Atlanta in 1996. Four years later, Laura Wilkinson won a surprising gold on the platform, that was their only medal of those games. The team was totally shut out at the last two Olympics.
"We've got to forget the great USA Diving history because, really, that was 20-plus years ago," Foley said. "The glory days were gone a long time ago. I think we just needed to be realistic. Let's build the class of 2012 and make a new beginning."
That new beginning is off to a good start.
After receiving their medals - Bryant cried and Johnston smiled broadly on the podium - Bryant reminded Johnston to hold up her prize as they posed for a gaggle of photographers on the deck.
"Ahhhh!!! So happy for our girls!!" tweeted Boudia, who also will compete in 10-meter individual. "Great start."
Wilkinson chimed in, too.
"So proud of you girls!" she tweeted.
The Chinese tandem led throughout the five-dive round and totaled 346.20 points, giving Wu her fifth Olympic medal. She is just one shy of countrywoman Guo Jingjing's record of six medals.
Guo was China's superstar diver until her retirement 1½ years ago. Wu has three golds, one silver and one bronze. She could earn another in the individual springboard event, where she has medaled twice before and will compete against He.
China is coming off a sweep of the golds at last year's world championships in Shanghai, but no country has taken all eight golds since synchro doubled the number of Olympic diving events in 2000.
"I am impressed by them. That's one of my training methods, just watching them and how they do it," Johnston said. "If they mess up, then you have an opportunity."
Johnston and Bryant finished second with 321.90 points, giving the Americans their first-ever medal in synchro. Emilie Heymans and Jennifer Abel earned the bronze with 316.80 for Canada's first medal of the games.
The U.S. duo was third after the first round, then moved up to second and stayed there despite a mere 1.5-point lead over Canada after the fourth round. Bryant deliberately didn't watch the scoreboard during the competition.
"I have all the faith in the world when I get up on that board Kelci is going to hit her dive and I'm pretty sure she thinks I'm going to hit mine," Johnston said.
Heymans claimed her fourth career Olympic medal, making her the first female diver to earn a medal at four consecutive games. She took silver on individual 10-meter in Beijing, bronze in synchro platform in 2004 and silver in the same event in Sydney.
"It's really great and I hope it's going to inspire the other athletes to do well," Heymans said.
Foley had emphasized synchro success since coming on board after Beijing. He looks for consistency and divers who can match each other's quality of dives. Each of the three synchro teams - the U.S. didn't qualify a team in women's 10-meter synchro - has one veteran Olympian and one rookie. Four years ago, 10 of the team's 12 divers had never been to the Olympics.
Unlike the individual events, synchro diving goes directly to the final at the Olympics, with no preliminaries or semifinals.
"If you have the performance of your life you're going to be happy," Johnston said. "We had the performance of our lives and I'm ecstatic."
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North Korea-China duel expected in weightlifting - Yahoo! Sports
LONDON (AP) -- North Korea has another chance to spoil weightlifting powerhouse China's gold medal quest Monday in a battle for the men's 62-kilogram category.
Kim Un Guk of North Korea, the 2010 world champion, is up against Chinese rival Zhang Jie, who won the world title last year and holds the total world record in the weight class.
Zhang will be under pressure to put China back on track in the weightlifting competition after countryman Wu Jingbiao finished second Sunday behind surprise North Korea winner Om Yun Chol in the 56-kilogram division.
To make matters worse for China, its medal hopeful in the women's 53-kilogram category, Zhou Jun, was eliminated without a single successful lift. Kazakhstan's Zulifiya Chinshanlo won the gold medal after setting a world record in the clean and jerk.
China's hopes in the women's competition Monday are pinned on Li Xueying, who leads a strong field of competitors in the 58-kilogram category.
Her top challengers include 2011 world champion Nastassia Novikava of Belarus, Pimsiri Sirikaew of Thailand and Kuo Hsing-chun of Taiwan. Novikava got the bronze in a lower weight class in the 2008 Olympics.
On Sunday, Om set an Olympic record in the clean and jerk of 168-kilograms, joining the select few who have lifted three times their body weight.
The 20-year-old Om gave all the credit for his victory to the late North Korea leader Kim Jong Il and his son Kim Jong Un, the nation's new leader.
"The reason that I'm able to get the gold medal at these Olympics is due to the warm love and consideration of General Kim Jong Il and comrade Kim Jong Un," he said through an interpreter. "Because of them, I was able to get great strength today."
London 2012 diving: China takes gold, USA silver in 3-meter synchronized - Christian Science Monitor
London 2012 diving: Wu Minxia and He Zi won the first diving gold medal for China Sunday. Abby Johnston and Kelci Bryant of Team USA finished second.
 Wu Minxia is close to crowning herself China's new diving queen.
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Wu and her partner He Zi won the first diving gold medal of the London Olympics on Sunday, putting the country on a path toward a possible sweep of the eight medals.
They led throughout the five-dive round and totaled 346.20 points in the 3-meter synchronized event.
"It's kind of if they mess up, then you have an opportunity," American silver medalist Abby Johnston said. "Anything can happen in this sport, so you still have that possibility."
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It was Wu's fifth Olympic medal, leaving her one away from tying countrywoman Guo Jingjing's record of six medals. Guo was China's superstar diver until her retirement 1 1/2 years ago.
Wu has three golds, one silver and one bronze. She could earn another in the individual springboard event, where she has medaled twice before and will compete against He.
"It feels normal," Wu said in Mandarin. "I really don't have that many emotions."
China won seven of eight golds as the host country four years ago in Beijing and swept the golds at last year's world championships in Shanghai.
"I am impressed by them," Johnston said. "I watch their video. That's one of my training methods, just watching them and how they do it."
Johnston and Kelci Bryant finished second with 321.90 points, ending the country's diving medal drought that extended to the 2000 Sydney Games. It was the first-ever Olympic synchro medal for the Americans.
"Our curse is out of the way," said Bryant, who finished fourth in springboard synchro with a different partner in Beijing.
"Abby and I just kicked it off with this event and I think the rest of the team is going to come through," she said. "After 2008, all of us were really close and we needed to fine-tune our training."
Laura Wilkinson's gold on 10-meter platform in Sydney, where she upset the Chinese despite a broken foot, was the last U.S. medal. The Americans were shut out for the first time ever four years later in Athens and again in Beijing.
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