AsiaCast

Asia Cast for Wednesday 8th April

In this bulletin…

- China state media hides truth about contaminated milk
- Chinese spies target Australia’s Prime Minister; and
- Australia’s ambitious broadband plan.

But first, here’s our SOH focus on China
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China’s state media, the Xinhua News Agency was exposed giving misleading reports claiming US Food and Drug Administration and European Food Safety Authority tests were conducted on China’s melamine-contaminated milk, and of also reporting the milk was safe to drink and that no cases of stones in the urinary system were reported due to its ingestion.

Chinascope, a Chinese media watchdog group says Xinhua was highly misleading when reporting on scientific tests which were never conducted and also reporting no cases of illness while infants were being hospitalized, treated and discharged due to illness from melamine-contaminated milk powder.

In response to an Epoch Times‘ inquiry, FDA spokeswoman Judy Leon said they have never published information on the safety margin of melamine but instead released information warning U.S. consumers not to purchase any infant formula milk powder from China.

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In the mainland China city of Wuxi, there is yet another report of villager’s land that was forcefully taken by the Chinese regime.

A demolition team ordered by local officials has targeted residents of Xinhua Village forcing them from their homes with violence and death threats, reported NTDTV.

Miss Yang, one of the targets of the attacks recounted how her home was attacked, she and her family fled, and then her home was sold to developers while the local government exploited part of her families’ compensation.

To date, over one hundred families have lost their homes and have yet to be relocated.

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And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast

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Sanctions have been designated for a Chinese metals company and six Iranian companies suspected of collaborating on a scheme to transfer missile and nuclear technology from China to Iran.

The Chinese metals company. LIMMT Economic & Trade Co Ltd, and its manager, Lee Fangwei have been indicted by a grand jury in New York on 118 counts, including the suspicion of shipping from China to Iran thirty-three thousand pounds of specialized aluminium alloy used for long-range missile production.

Lee was also charged with suspected misuse of U.S. banks to transfer money between China and Iran through Europe and the U.S.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control is adding eight LIMMT front companies as aliases to the list of Specially Designated Nationals whose assets will be frozen.

China is bound by three U.N. Security Council sanctions resolutions forbidding support for or contact with individuals or companies linked to Iran’s missile and nuclear programs.

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Chinese spies hacked into the computers and cell phones of Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s delegation putting the Australian Security Intelligence Organization on high alert.

Reports say the attacks happened when Rudd was visiting China last August.

Intelligence sources say that Australian officials have not been monitored while only in China, but Chinese hackers are breaking into Australian networks as well.

The Australian Security Intelligence offices are spending millions on counter-intelligence to strengthen security of their networks.

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You’re listening to Asia Cast on the SOH Radio Network

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The Australian government announced its intentions of backing a US$31 billion national high-speed broadband network which is expected to create thousands of new jobs.

Canberra is expected to invest US$3.3 billion in the wholesale, open access network and the government plans to fund an investment in the broadband company, which will be sold down within five years of its completion through the government’s Building Australia Fund and through issuance of Aussie Infrastructure Bonds.

Officials expect the new network will be capable of reaching speeds up to 100 times faster than what is currently available.

However, the plan has its critics. Independent upper house senator Steve Fielding said the plan had fundamental flaws and he questioned where the money was going to come from as Australia borders a recession. He also said whether the network would be obsolete by the time it was completed.

Construction of the new network is expected to start in early 2010.

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And now for our Shen Yun Performing Arts quote of the day

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Shen Yun Performing Arts Company was in Vienna, Austria this week and screenplay writer Ms Kiener who watched the show twice in one day, had this to say about it:

“Since I’m a producer, I find it great to be able to see dancers that one can read the [expression] on the faces, and that one can study the faces. What I admired enormously was the ardour on the faces, even though they had to be performing. Actually, one would think that they would be very stressed, but everything looked so easy and graceful.

Ms Kiener is from Munich. She travelled about 500 kilometers to see the show after a friend suggested she attend and she said she was truly pleased she was there.

Experience true Chinese culture like never before as Shen Yun Performing Arts presents classical Chinese dance and music in gloriously colourful and exhilarating shows.

SOH is a proud sponsor of the Shen Yun Performing Arts 2009 World Tour. For more information please visit www.shenyunperformingarts.org.

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Asia Cast… keeping you across the top headlines from Asia and the World.”