China pulls out of Tokyo film festival

Posted By Joshua Keating Monday, October 25, 2010 - 12:53 PM Share

China's latest film exports will not be on display at the 23rd annual Tokyo film festival thanks to a spat over Taiwan sovereignty:

The head of the Chinese delegation, Jiang Ping, told festival organizers that the Taiwanese delegation must not attend the festival under the name Taiwan, but as "Chinese Taipei," which Taiwan used while participating in the Olympic Games, shortly before celebrities began to walk down a green carpet to mark the start of the festival.

Jiang, also deputy director-general of the Film Bureau of the State Administration of Radio, Film and TV (SARFT), told reporters, "We protested against the organizers introducing the two delegations as 'China and Taiwan.' And our request to introduce Taiwan as "Chinese Taipei or China's Taiwan" was rejected by the organizers."

Of course, this will be seen as part of a larger issue than what Ang Lee's homeland gets to call itself. Anti-Japanese protests broke out in half a dozen Chinese cities over the weekend and the Japanese government has formally protested the presence of Chinese military patrol boats near disputed islands in the East China Sea.

EXPLORE:EAST ASIA, CHINA, CULTURE, JAPAN
 

MARTY MARTEL

1:30 PM ET

October 25, 2010

Japan needs its own foreign policy and defense against China

Sooner or later Japan has to realize that either it has to establish its own foreign policy and defense forces or it can ‘Finlandize’ and become neutral between US and China.

US is NOT going to take sides between disputing nations about the maritime boundaries as Defense Secretary Gates declared recently at Hanoi conference. Hence US will obviously preach the disputing nations to settle their claims peacefully as it did to Japan and China recently over the capture of a Chinese captain for hitting Japanese boats in disputed area.

US did NOT support Japan’s claim on those islands even though US had returned those islands to Japan in 1972 and even though Japan has owned those islands since 1892 before which NO country had claimed ownership of those islands.

There in lies the rub.

What happens if two disputing countries claim the same area and can not settle their claim? Since China was all riled up about Japanese action in disputed area, they could easily have gone to war over the same if Japan had not backed down. Poor Japanese government took lot of flak on domestic front for backing down against Chinese bullying.

US has neutered Japan after WWII.

Being an ally of Japan, would US assist Japan in case of a war with China? Since Japan is relying on US nuclear umbrella, would US go to the extent of using nuclear weapons against China if China uses them against Japan?

Japan would have to back down under US pressure if US does not want to go to war with China over the issue.

So if Japan wants to have independent course of action available to itself in case of such US pressure to back down, Japan has to develop its own nuclear weapon arsenal.

 

MINATO-ALVIN

9:51 AM ET

October 26, 2010

HAITI

Hello,
It's time to see, say, hear, understand and change the day.....
I wanna tell you something important for Haiti going to happen in the nearest future. You all already have known that Outgoing Haitian President René Préval has set the presidential elections for Nov. 28, 2010.

As i'm concern about my Haiti. After an Heavy natural disaster It's become back dated. And bearing unmeasurable sufferings. Still now it's facing crisis from all sides, created from the Earth Quake as well as by nature. But It's time to change the day, So request all of you to come forward to make tha days ahead distinctly.
I think at this moment HAITI really needs help to be rebuild.
According to ma justification,
Haiti Election Candidates should be under consideration as a deserving personality,
who can supply the best support and leadership as a president.

 

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