China/Latin America: Chinese government treats new Argentine pope with caution
Chinese government treats new
Argentine pope with caution; Inter-American Development Bank benefits
from further loans from China; Brazil and China to host a joint textile
trade show in São Paulo.
Chinese government treats new "Jesuit" Argentine Pope with caution
When Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of
Argentina was elected to the papal office on 13 March as Pope Francis,
the Chinese government expressed its congratulations. However the
government, which is officially Communist and atheist, also used the
opportunity to stress its aversion to Vatican interference in Chinese
affairs.
Hua Chunying, a representative of the
Foreign Ministry, voiced hopes for a fruitful partnership between China
and the new Pope but also warned that the Vatican, ‘must stop interfering in China’s internal affairs, including in the name of religion’.
A persistent sore point is the Vatican’s diplomatic recognition of Taiwan since 1951, which flared up again
this week when China reacted angrily to the presence of Taiwanese
President, Ma Ying-jeou, at the inauguration of the Latin American pope
and did not send its own delegation. Efforts by previous Popes such as
Benedict XVI to resolve the issue have been unsuccessful, and as yet it
is unclear how Pope Francis will approach the situation.
China and the Vatican are also in
conflict over the status of Chinese Catholics, of which number up to 12
million in China. For the last 60 years the Communist regime has been
in charge of the Catholic Church in China, known as the Catholic
Patriotic Association, while the Vatican continues to exert unofficial
influence in the country, causing a division between the state-run church and the ‘underground’ element that looks to Rome.
Chinese Catholics who worship at the
underground churches face punishment, violating the Vatican’s calls for
religious freedom. Meanwhile the Vatican excommunicates Catholic
bishops appointed without its approval.
However the Chinese government demands
that the process of selection must remain in the hands of the Communist
party. During Benedict XVI’s tenure, at least three Chinese bishops
‘illegally’ appointed were excommunicated, which the government regarded
as an encroachment of its authority.
However there are figures within the
Catholic community who believe that Pope Francis could use his
experiences as a priest in Argentina to good effect in easing tensions
with China. Bernardo Cervellera, who is the director of AsiaNews in
Rome, a Catholic newsroom focusing on Asian affairs, believes that
Francis’ experience in operating under various authoritarian regimes in
Argentina and his advocacy on poverty issues during the Argentine
economic crisis of 2002 will leave him well placed to make effective
progress in relations with China.
Inter-American Development Bank benefits from further loans from China
The People’s Bank of China is partnering
with the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) to finance $2bn worth
of loans for Latin America and the Caribbean, as the region continues to
be beset with problems following the global financial crisis. This
latest financial aid
will be used to set up a regional investment fund and comes in addition
to a $1bn investment in the region in 2011 for infrastructure projects.
The IADB
held its annual meeting last week in Panama City and released a report
revealing that regional growth is expected to settle around 3.9% until
2017, down from 4.8% during 2002-2007. The report also stated that the
region’s growth will be constrained by falling commodity prices and
expanding fiscal deficits, though slowing rates of inflation are giving
Latin American banks the space to stimulate growth.
The IADB was established in 1959 and is
the biggest source of development funding for Latin America and the
Caribbean. It has 48 members, of which China is a donor member.
Brazil and China to host a joint textile trade show in São Paulo
From 23 to 25 October 2013 the Go
Textile Sourcing Show (GOTEX) will be held at the Sao Paulo Anhembi
Exhibition Centre. The event will be organised by the China Chamber of
Commerce for Import and Export of Textiles (CCCT), China Council for the
Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT-TEX) and the Brazil Exhibition
Company (FCEM) and is open to textile clothing suppliers from around the
world.
Approximately 6000 buyers are expected to attend the trade show,
which will promote the values of green sustainable development and
textile sourcing. The event is also designed to be a ‘hub of global
textile supply chain in South America’ and ‘an ideal platform for
international suppliers to take advantage of the great potential and new
business opportunities in the Brazilian textiles and apparel market.’
The bilateral textile trade between
Brazil and China has continued to expand – Chinese exports to Brazil
were valued at more $3.5bn in 2011. The President of CCPIT-TEX, Xu
Yingxin, aims to use the trade show to strike up links with the local
market at every stage of the industrial chain, from production to
marketing.
Furthermore CCCT President, Jiang Hui,
said, ‘As the largest market in South America, Brazil is an important
goal for the industry and enterprises to explore a diversified
international market… I hope that the GOTEX exhibition will provide an
efficient and highly-qualified platform.’
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