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Letters

China is not bullying its neighbours
I refer to the article by Trefor Moss ("Off the leash", December 30).
He said that 2013 may be seen as the year in which the "measured foreign policy approach" of late leader Deng Xiaoping "finally outlived its regional usefulness - the year in which fear of China reached a tipping point in East Asia".
To prove his point Moss said the first of these fears related to Japan and that "in the end, it was China's growing power - and its open antipathy towards all things Japanese - that helped persuade Tokyo that it had to start doing more to protect itself".
The tension between China and Japan was all caused by the dispute over the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands.
All China is trying to do is to get Japan to the negotiating table to talk about the sovereignty of the islands, while Japan refuses to talk, saying it is not an issue.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe exacerbated tensions by paying a visit to the controversial Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo last month.
The report ("You're not welcome, Beijing tells Abe", December 31) said Abe is unwelcome in China because of the shrine visit.
However, the real reason he is not welcome is that he refuses to discuss the Diaoyu Islands' sovereignty with Beijing.
Moss went on to talk about the territorial claims between China and various Southeast Asian countries and said that these countries did too much business with China to openly criticise Beijing.
In fact, all of these nations have openly criticised China's territorial claims, with the Philippines asking the UN International Court of Justice to arbitrate in the dispute.
Both President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang have reassured the heads of all the nations involved in the disputes, except the Philippines, that China wants to resolve these disputes by peaceful negotiations, not by force.
Moss portrays China as being bent on regional hegemony, while all the neighbouring countries cower before it, but this is clearly not the case.
Alex Woo, Tsim Sha Tsui
 
One-child policy had to be relaxed
China has announced changes to the one-child policy which will allow more couples to have a second child.
I support this relaxation of the policy, as it will help the country to address such problems as its ageing population and the need to increase the number of people of working age. Also, the policy has led to a single child within a family being spoiled, with parents buying them whatever they wanted.
They have grown up being selfish and insensitive to the needs of others. They also lack communication skills.
If there are two children in the family, then these communication skills improve as siblings will talk to each other and also develop much-needed problem-solving abilities.
On the other hand, by relaxing the one-child policy, the central government will have to accept that there will be greater pressure placed on, for example, the country's education and health care systems with increased demand. But the policy has created social problems and I hope they will be eased with its relaxation.
Tam Ching-man, Kwai Chung
 
Beijing must curb pollution for its citizens
China has grown in importance economically on the world stage. But its rapid industrialisation has brought a lot of environmental problems.
The central government has to deal with this important issue.
Smog in many parts of the country, which is caused by pollution, is affecting citizens' health.
It is mainly caused by coal burning in factories and carries particles which can cause lung and heart disease. You see people wearing masks when the smog is bad, but this is not a sustainable solution.
Beijing has to implement measures to reduce pollution levels. For example, it needs to control the number of cars and improve public transport and bring in other green initiatives.
The capital has also had to deal with sandstorms, which exacerbate the pollution problems.
More must be done to control dust storms and there must be greater environmental education to raise the awareness of citizens about the problems the nation faces.
The country's economic development is important, but we cannot ignore these serious environmental problems.
Lee Chun-ying, Kwai Chung
 
Villagers have no right to block trail
With surprise I read that a public right of way is being blocked by Tai Long Sai Wan villagers. They keep the hiking trail open at the weekend, but closed during the week ("Angry villagers block public path in protest", December 31).
I was of the opinion that this trail is part of Sai Kung East Country Park.
How is it possible that a small village can threaten the public interest? And how is it possible that the government is not acting in the interests of citizens who just want to enjoy the country park and nature?
Do the people from this village have a special position in our community?
It is time the government took some action.
Alfred Beckers, Sai Kung
 
Act now to improve health of our children
I refer to the report ("Parents blamed for HK children's declining fitness", January 1).
We should pay more attention to this problem of overweight children.
Schools should increase the number of PE lessons and offer a range of activities including swimming and running.
I was shocked to learn from the report that 47 per cent of children did not know how to swim.
Parents must share the blame for this state of affairs. They are willing to book music lessons and other subjects which they think will prove useful to help their children's academic and future career development.
They feel such activities are more important than sport. However, in the long term, lack of exercise will harm the health of these young people.
There are simple things they can do to get fitter, such as walking instead of taking the bus and eating a healthy meal instead of junk food.
The government, schools and parents have to take the initiative so that our youngsters can become fitter.
Andrew Lee, Wan Chai
 
Families need childcare and flexible hours
I think the government should provide more childcare services to mothers.
More women in Hong Kong are now studying beyond school and getting qualifications.
These people make an important contribution to the workplace. However, when they have children they may not be able to return to work even after maternity leave.
They are concerned about who is going to look after their children. They may stay at home and the company they worked for suffers from their absence.
If more childcare services were made available they could return to the workplace.
Also, they would need to be offered flexible hours so that they could do their jobs and also spend the necessary time with their children.
This is very important for companies which are suffering from shortages of skilled staff.
Having these skilled people return to work is good for the economy and for society.
It is important for the government to encourage firms to offer family-friendly policies.
This should be seen as part of a company's corporate social responsibility.
Being an international city, Hong Kong should not only focus on developing the economy but also look at citizens' livelihood and their well-being.
Offering family-friendly policies such as flexible hours will definitely be a blessing to families where the father and mother both have to work.
They will be able to spend more time with their children.
Families where the parents can have quality time with their sons and daughters help to create a more harmonious society.
Cherry Yau Wing-yan, Sha Tin 
 
Preserve what is left of old Hong Kong
Tsim Sha Tsui's crowded streets are now filled with famous international brand name shops and people queue up to buy luxury goods.
These stores are filled with excited shoppers, but I wonder how many of them see beyond them and look at the real beauty of Hong Kong. The spotlights and neon lights are so bright in Tsim Sha Tsui, they block out the night sky above Victoria Harbour.
These designer label shops attract visitors from around the world. But some Hongkongers see them as part of a process whereby we are losing our heritage. We are failing to show the world the unique blend of Chinese and Western culture that makes this city so special. We have already lost so much, such as Queen's Pier and the old Star Ferry Pier in Central.
Although it is good that Hong Kong has become a so-called shoppers' paradise, we must ensure that what is left of old Hong Kong is preserved.
Charmaine Li Wing-huen, Tsing Yi


Letters to the Editor, January 4, 2014

Premier Shinzo Abe visiting the Yasukuni shrine. Photo: Xinhua

How Chinese foreign policy is turning its back on Deng's dictum

Angry villagers block public path in protest against park plan

New Territories villagers stage a protest outside Legislative Council in Tamar to oppose the government's plan of including Tai Long Sai Wan in country park. Photo: Felix Wong

Overprotective parents partly to blame for children’s lack of fitness, academic says

Schoolchildren exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle campaign in Sha Tin. Photo: Ricky Chung

Dr Lobo Louie

Opinion

I refer to the article by Trefor Moss ("Off the leash", December 30). He said that 2013 may be seen as the year in which the "measured foreign policy approach" of late leader Deng Xiaoping "finally outlived its regional usefulness - the year in which fear of China reached a tipping point in East Asia".
