International Law and Domestic Law

President Xiao Yang of the Supreme People's Court said criminal trials involving foreigners and overseas Chinese indicate a civilised and progressive legal system. He said, while legal provisions should be strictly adhered to, "the grand situation of foreign relations" should be appropriately considered in those cases.

Reparation for War Crimes

The Japanese Supreme Court dismissed another appeal by Chinese forced laborers who demanded compensation from the Japanese government and companies for their being taken to work in Japan during World War II. The court upheld the ruling by lower courts, which cited the expiration of their rights in 20 years to claim compensation.

See previous post.

Finance

In its semi-annual report to the US Congress on the exchange-rate policies of key trade partners, the US Treasury Department labelled the yuan undervalued and pledged to keep pushing for the mainland currency to appreciate, but said Beijing was not manipulating its currency for trade gains. The US Treasury Secretary had repeated that persuasion is more likely to get Beijing to alter its policy than legislation.

Terrorism
Extradition

Five Muslims men from western China's Uighur ethnic minority, considered terrorist suspects by the Chinese Government, were freed from their confinement in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, after they were found to pose no threat to the United States. They have lived for more than a year in a government refugee center in Albania despite China's demand for repatriation. The other 17 Uighurs who remain at Guantanamo have no place to go, after Chinese officials reportedly warned some countries not to accept them.

See previous post.

Human Rights - Death Penalty

A spokesman for the Supreme People's Court, said Friday that lower courts across the country were reporting declining numbers of executions after China reinstated a requirement that every death case be reviewed and approved by the country's highest court. He said the national figures dovetailed with a recent survey of two lower courts in Beijing, which found a 10 percent drop in executions during the first five months of 2007.

See previous post.

United Nations
Genocide

China's representative on African affairs said pushing Sudan to accept a proposed hybrid force of UN and African Union peacekeepers would hinder efforts within Sudan to forge a resolution to the conflict in Darfur. "If you are to address the issues of a sovereign state, then the solution will not work without the support of and collaboration from that government," he said.

See previous post.

Taiwan
Diplomatic Relations

Costa Rica ended 63 years of ties with Taiwan by switching its allegiance to Beijing. The switch has cut the number of the island's diplomatic allies down to 24, compared with the mainland's 169. Calling Costa Rica a "cheater", Taiwanese Foreign Minister James Huang Chih-fang said Beijing had offered US$130 million in aid and US$300 million to buy Costa Rican bonds. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman later said the principle followed to forge diplomatic ties with Costa Rica can work for other countries.

See previous post.

Mutual Legal Assistance
Extradition

Austrilian police returned to China about 21.59 million yuan which was stolen by and confiscated from a Chinese criminal fugitive.

Environment - Climate Change

China released its first national strategy on climate change, which promises to improve energy efficiency but rejects any mandatory caps on greenhouse gas emissions. The centerpiece of China's approach to controlling emissions is an existing plan that calls for a 20 percent improvement in energy efficiency between 2006 and 2010.

See previous post.

United Nations
Intervention

At the request of the Lebanese prime minister Fouad Siniora, the Security Council approved a resolution establishing an international tribunal to prosecute suspects in the assassination of Rafik Hariri, the former Lebanese prime minister. With China abstaining, Wang Guangya, Chinese Ambassador to the UN, criticized the resolution to "create a precedent of the Security Council interfering in the domestic affairs and independence of a sovereign state''.

Extradition

After France became the third developed country (following Spain and Portugal) to sign an extradition treaty with China in March, China has called for more Western countries to sign extradition treaties as the Chinese Government seeks the return of suspected corrupt officials and criminals who have fled overseas.

See previous post.