21/12/2012 Newsnight

Tonight, one of the biggest stories of this year, next year and perhaps

of the 21st century, the rise of China.

A month ago the country brought in a new set of leaders, amid great

secrecy. Tonight China's ambassador is here, for a rare live interview,

of the changes we can expect from the new leadership. China's

superpower role in the world, and whether we in the west really

understand what makes China tick. Also tonight, a call to arms.

call on Congress today to act immediately to appropriate whatever

is necessary to put armed police officers in every single school in

this nation. The National Rifle Association give

their verdict, a week after the mass shooting that killed 20

children, and six staff, in a Connecticut school.

Hoi was the end of the world for you? Newsnight's Steven Smith

hasn't let the moment go to waste. If this really is last orders, the

man I want on the skill let, is Antonio Carluccio. What goes well

with the end of the world? Some truffles.

We hope to hear from those waiting at the Mayan temple at Chichen Itza,

assuming doomsday doesn't occur in the next half our or so.

Good evening f the last 100 years was rightly described as the

American century, the next 100 could well be the Chinese century.

What might that mean. This year we witnessed the Changing of the Guard,

vet top of the leadership in Beijing. And a new promise to crack

down on corruption. But America's attention is being drawn away from

Europe to the Pacific, by the military as well as the economic

rise of China. How will Beijing use its leadership role? It's rare for

the Chinese Government, or its spokes people to give broadcast

interviews, to the UK media, but, in a moment, Zhang Xiaojun, China's

ambassador in London, will talk us through how China is changing. Here

is Paul Mason, on what he has witnessed in changing China over

witnessed in changing China over the last year.

, the charts tell the tale, China's economy is, on the official figure,

five-times bigger than it was ten years ago when it joined the World

Trade Organisation. Its people are tanningably better off. It is rich,

spectacularly rich. But it is not a happy country. They have to manage

the strategic shift to consumption, and higher value production. They

have got to keep on board a population that is noticably

restive. An urban middle-class fed up with pollution and fed up with

the sense of privilege of the elite. That is not being offered with much

greater freedom. What they will demand, what that middle-class will

demand will be very interesting. The outgoing leader himself told

the 18th Party Congress, corruption could prove fatal to the party, and

even cause the collapse of the party, and the fall of the state.

The scale of corruption in China is enormous. Against a leadership that

is very much aware of that, and again, this is not a new

recognition, they have been aware of it for a long time. They have

been heroically trying to stamp out corruption, but it has simply got

worse and worse. The new leader, Liu Xianping, has begun his term

with a crackdown on corruption. There is talk -- corruption, there

is talk, but only so far talk, about some democracy. With social

unrest always there at the edges, China's leaders know they have to

build a bigger social safety net, a and a more durable legal system,

and agress the grievances of 150 million migrant workers. Nowhere

demonstrates the biggest challenge for the party, than the Internet.

During the 18th Congress it was impossible to search for the very

word "18th Congress", searches for party leaders returned few results.

Ten years ago as China exploded into the world economy, it didn't

seem very relevant that its internet was censureed and

repressed. And now, it seems like - - censored and repressed. It seems

now cut off. There is an effort to create a Chinese infranet, the

firewall and that China is sufficient unto itself, it can't

work, China is the biggest beneficiary to globaliseways, China

wants global companies, and wants a population that is familiar with

the world and at ease in the world, it can't be done that way. It is

hard to see in an information age, how this strategic lock-down on of

information can go on. Why bass dor is with me. When we think of a

change at the top, we think of old people being swept away and new

people coming in, this doesn't look like such a big deal to those

outside the country. Has it been a big deal? It is a big deal in terms

of China's future development with regard to this 18th Party Congress.

I would say that it is significant because it elected new leadership.

They will lead the country for the next five years and even beyond.

This leadership are young and energetic, they are down to earth,

they have a lot of experience in the grassroots, some of them even

worked in the countryside in factories. And also, this Congress

produced new blueprints for China for the next five years, or even

beyond. That is to building China into a well-off society. The target

is to double the GDP of 2010 by 2020. So within ten years you will

double GDP? In ten years, not only double GDP, but also double the per

capita income of the people. What about that specific point that the

new leader made about corruption, which he knows really angers

ordinary people. You have got to crack down on it, how will you do

that and deliver? It will make most people even angrier if you don't

within the five or ten years? think corruption is, you know, it

is not a problem for China alone. Once you are in the period of

social transformation, it is unavoidable that you have all kinds

of problems. Just like it was said at the beginning of opening up of

China, Liu Xianping said, when we open the window, we let in the

fresh air, it is unavoidable that flies, mosquitoes will be in. But

the important thing is how the party faces up to it. That they

adopt measures to deal with this problem. I think the leadership is

resolute and determined. Do you see things like the Internet as being

like flies and mosquitoe, do you see it as a bit of irritation. From

outside we don't understand what you are worried about when you want

to control how people exchange information? I think there is a

misconception about the Internet development in China. In fact, the

Chinese are very open in terms of the internet, we have the most

numbers of internet users in China today. But our correspondent

couldn't get on Facebook in China, you can't go on Twitter, it is not

quite as you present it? In China every day there are hundreds of

thoiss of comments made by the -- thousands of comments made by the

bloggers, 66% of Chinese users make comments on-line. It is up to the

Government to regulate the users, also, in protection of the safety

of the internet, to ensure that healthy content is available, and

unhealthy content should be removed. But isn't that really up to

ordinary people to decide? I mean, looking at the history of your

country, you have had thousands of years of creativity, and we see

creativity as based on the free exchange of information. Part of

the reasons why people in the west think you are cracking down and

being very hard on bloggers, is it is very difficult to do for some

people, because you don't like certain ideas? If you are in China,

and can get connected on the Internet, I think you can get all

kinds of opinions, it is very open. Lots of things can be debated,

economics, politics, cultural affairs. You have to have a big

picture of the development of the internet back in China. Please stay

with us, we want to pursue what you said at the start of our

conversation, which is that China's vast economy means it is a supplier

of manufactured goods to the world, it is also a customer for raw

materials and a big invest to which, among other things, underpins the

American economy. Would world role is China really trying to create

for itself. In Syria and other countries, it traditionally calls

for non-intervention. But China's huge investment in military power

means America is reconfiguring its deployments in the Pacific, and

Japan is worried about a confrontation over disputed islands.

Here is Paul Mason again. They are five uninhabitable islands and

three rocks, north of Taiwan. And even their name is disputed, but

the dispute over the Sanseverino islands, has sparked tension on the

high seas, demonstrations in China and political upheaval in Japan. It

is supposed to be shadow boxing, but things can go wrong. Things can

get out of control. It is not the policy of the Chinese Government to

pick a fight with Japan. But at the operational levels, when the

fishery protection vessels from China are sailing into Japanese

waters. When Chinese aircraft are flying into the airspace of the

Sanseverino islands, and the Chinese respond responds with

fighter pilots and ships. There is the called pivot in Asia for the

Americans, moving away from confrontation with North Korea, and

boosting naval power where China has a growing strategic influence.

There is a lot of uncertainty, are we a nation state or a 18th century

land empire trying to be a nation state. What are our terms. Mostly

they are too concerned about domestic issues, it is d domestic

uncertainties, about maintaining growth, and many crises they have,

to feel confident to play a major role in the world. It is likely

that by 2020 China will become the world's biggest economy. But it is

far from a global superpower. Up to now, it is focused on projecting

soft power, bilateral trade, technology deals, into the places

western power is either weak or has vacated.

On meeting Mr Roosevelt, Mr Churchill's first act is to hand

him a letter from the king. history, there is only one case

study of the emergence of a new superpower. In the 1920s America

gained a global reach, naval supremacy, and developed a world

strategy. Chinese people are used now to the idea that America is

declining and their country rising. But nobody really knows what China

wants. Now, we don't know what China will look like when China

will have finally risen. The Communist Party is very reticent in

terms of articulating a vision of what it would like to see when

China has finally risen. The Communist Party at the moment is

focused on reassuring the rest of the world that there is nothing to

fear. As it does become a global power, the vision China's leaders

will offer the world is becoming clear. They see their country as

essentially Confucian, paced on order, absolutism, and the absence

of knockcy. The problem is, that involves writing off quite a bit of

the 20th century in China, and quite a bit of contemporary reality.

The China of strikes, youth culture, and dissident writing, does not

looks a Confucian as its leaders would like it to. Can you help us

with the main points, you may have an ambition of doubling the GDP by

2020, as the world's biggest economy, what role does China want

out of that? China certainly wants to play a role as a responsible

country. We call ourselves the largest developing country with a

global responsibility. We want to contribute to peace, and the

stability of the world. We need a peaceful environment to develop our

own country. Because you couldn't have that economic development

without peace? That's right. And also China's peaceful development,

in turn, would contribute to peace and prosperity of the world.

Secondly, I think China's growth is a big contributer to the world

economic growth. How does that square with what seems to be quite

small problems that could be quite big problems. For instance, the

potential of a conflict with Japan over a bunch of rocks in the sea?

We would certainly like good relations with Japan. I know you

are talking about the Diaoyu Islands, in fact, these islands

belonged to China for centuries, since ancient times. You know

that's not quite how the Japanese see it, that is what people are

worried about? It was not until 1895, when China lost the first war

with Japan, and Japan illegally seized the islands. It was in 1943,

when I saw the picture of Churchill, Roosevelt and the meeting in Cairo,

they issued the Cairo Declaration, in this Cairo Declaration, it

declared in explicit terms that all territories seized by Japan from

China, shall return to China without any conditions. Does that

mean, briefly on that, does that mean you can resolve this

peacefully, do you think? Of course. We want to resolve this peacefully

with Japan. We hope that they will return to the consensus reached

between the leaders of the two countries in 1975. 1982. One other

issue in which China has had a role, which is the question of Syria,

that has been controversial. We have President Putin saying we are

not concerned of the fate of Assad's regime, is the Chinese

Government concerned about Assad's regime? We are concerned about the

fate of the Syrian people. It is up to the Syrian people to decide who

will be their leaders. The reason why China opposed to some of the

resolutions tabled by western countries, is because the

resolutions called for regime change. Do you think it would be a

bad thing if Assad went? No, I think it is up to the Syrian people.

It wouldn't be a bad thing? If the Syrian people believe that is good

for them, we will agree with them. It is not up to the Chinese to

decide who is their leader and what kind of regime should be in place.

It is up to the Syrian people. it not kind of obvious that most of

the Syrian people want rid of him, and they would like help from

outsiders, that is a problem, there are those who want to help in a

certain way? It depends which Syrian people you are speaking to.

Syria is in a civil war situation. You have opposition and those

behind the Government. So the important thing is to bring the

ceasefire, to immediately start the political transition process, I

think, that's the most important thing. And stop the violence.

of the big things that we in the west will have to get our heads

around, was summerised by the British writer, Kipling, he said

the east and west will never completely understand each other.

Do you think that's true, in a way? I think there is a problem for

western countries to understand China. I think, first, there is a

strong bias against China, you know, when it comes to China, some people

still are haunted by this Cold War mentality. They do not like the

Communist Party, when they see China, they have the lens used to

look through those issues. That prevents them from having a big

picture of China. So, I do hope that we need more sense and

sensibility, rather than Pride and Prejudice. To quote another famous

English author. In terms of that, so much has changed, you talked

about Dung Xiping, even that phrase doesn't sum up where China is going,

it sounds like a very uncommunist, Communist Party. I think there is

an and misunderstanding about the Chinese Communist Party, I think

they still uphold the part of Chinese socialism. We call it a

socialism with Chinese characteristics, it combines the

Marxist theory with the conditions of China. I think the system suits

China. It can deliver, it is successful, so why should we change

this system, when it is still effective, and can still deliver

benefits to its people, and welcomed by the people. We have

been very clear on how we might misunderstand you, do you think you

sometimes misunderstand us, which is, in saying that when we talk

about the human rights issue, the Internet, and all those kinds of

issues, which seem very important to us, it is not to beat China up

about it, it is to suggest that you will be a more creative country if

you had some of these things? welcome criticism. We welcome it,

with a good intention. We don't think China is perfect, just like

every country, there is much room to improve. But we are strongly

opposed to interference into China's internal affairs, and to

use human rights as a tool to change China's political system, to

humiliate China, that is something we cannot accept. I just want to

mention one thing, you know, how we have a different picture. Like the

map mindly, you know, there is a mistake, there is a one important

part of China missing, that is Taiwan. It is much bigger than the

island. So the way Chinese code the territory is different. Perhaps you

can come back and we can talk again about this. Thank you very much,

ambassador. After the killing of 20 schoolchildren and six teachers at

a school in Connecticut a week ago, America's extremely influential gun

lobby remained largely silent until today. The National Rifle

Association countered suggestions that the answer to gun crime might

be tougher gun law, banning, armour-lights and Kalashnikov

Assault Rifle, instead the NRA urged another solution. I call on

Congress today to act immediately to appropriate whatever is

necessary to put armed police officers at the. (no sound) I can

speak now to a Democratic state representative in Missouri, with

Republican state law makers are pushing for a law that would allow

teachers to carry weapons in school. Can we begin with what the NRA are

saying today, they seem to see the way forward to stop the killings of

children in schools to have armed police in schools. That could work,

couldn't it? You know it is a very scary proposition to me. I don't

think that teachers and administrators who teach in schools,

expect to have to learn how to utilise and carry a weapon. So, no,

I don't think that's a good proposal that they are putting

forward. I think to have security guards in each of our schools is

really setting the wrong tone for what goes on in our schools. This

was an act of a person who was mentally ill, and we are not going

to expect to have security guards at every place in every school, in

every restaurant, in every store, around our nation, to make it safer.

The proliferation of guns and people with guns is not the

solution here. The solution is to limit access to those weapons.

Do you not worry, though, then, given your perspective on this,

that it might happen any way, because people will be so desperate

that they will say, well, look, maybe I don't like too many guns,

but frankly, if it has to be a police officer, trained to use a

weapon, at my child's school to protect my six-year-old, I will go

along with it? I think at some schools we do have security

personnel. Because of all kinds of reasons. If a school district

chooses to go that direction, I think that's their option. But I

think that you are going to find that school administrators,

teachers, parents, don't think that their school districts, and their

children's schools are the places that we need to have armed security

guards. Instead, we need to make our communities safer by creating

schools as community hubs, and making sure that neighbours are

taking care of neighbours and watching out for each other and

their children. I don't think this is the right solution. And I

certainly don't think, yes, of course go ahead. Sorry to interrupt,

but President Obama clearly thinks along the same lines as you, but we

have seen over 30 years those who do find it difficult, if not

impossible, do you have any faith that Obama can do it? You know, I'm

hopeful. I think the nation is at a point where we are saying, look,

this proliferation of guns, this granting of easier access to guns,

to more and more people, is not working well for us as a nation. We

have so many murders by and through gun use in this nation. We need to

stop. We have been moving towards allowing more and more guns,

because the NRA has such a strong and powerful lobby. It is time to

pull back and say, assault weapons, and guns in the hands of all kinds

of people, make them easily accessible, we need to pull back,

we need to stop. We need to make sure that the people who do carry

guns for security reasons, to protect their homes, or for hunting,

that those people have been trained, that they have been registered,

they have gone through a process, where we know that they are

mentally stable, and that they are using these guns, for those

purposes, and that they alone are using the guns.

We will leave it there, thank you very much.

Now, while the Arabic system of numbers produced algebra, calculus,

decimals, and modern mathematics, up to main frame computers, astro

fistics and the iPod. The Mayan system, based on the number 20,

produced the news, so we are told, that today of the end of the world.

It would be understandable if panic had ensued across the globe,

considering what could have been, we sent Steve Smith out to

investigate the action on the promise that today might be his

last day at work! How are you getting on with your advent

calendar, the Mayans, a far-sighted people, have one going for 5,000

years. Now their ancient book of days has at last come to an end.

What those it portend, that is what they are wondering in Guatemala,

and around the globe. Is it just the turning of a wheel, one cycle

surrounding another. Or is it, as some have predicted, the end times,

the rapttuer, the final reckoning for mankind. Can this be right? The

world might end today, one last day on the planet. What will I do? I

will probably just get on with my work, it is my true legacy. Mind

you, this isn't a time to think about one's self, maybe volunteers.

What the? Yes, lovely noise. condemned man ate a hearty meal. If

this really is last orders, the man I want on the skillet is Antonio

Carluccio. What goes well with an apocalypse? Some truffles. For the

end of the world? Obviously, what time is it? We have a few minutes.

We are all right for a little while. They are translated "ugly but

good"! I have heard that a few times. Wonderful. Wonderful

Parmesan, fresh. Now you go with this here. These are truffle

shavings?. Now we wait for the end of the world. Cheers. Cheers, thank

you very much. People came to this corner of the

French Pyrenees today, not to hunt truffles, but in hopes of being

spared. Some believe this lonely village is cursed with a name no-

one dare say out loud, because of an alien connection. That's right,

extraterrestrials have reportedly garageed an escape vehicle inside

this mountain. This is only an artist's impression

of how the spacecraft Mike exit the peak.

They all want to go there today to see the thing open up and the

spaceship. Wonderful. What do you think about that? Shall I tell you?

Yes if it is clean. BEEP! # Don't say no

# It's the end of the world Thinkers, musicians and comedians,

put on a show in London tonight. Inspired by the excitement over the

Mayan calendar. Brian we're so delighted to catch up with you, you

are the first credible scientist we have found, who believes in this

Mayan prophesy? Well, let's be specific. Have I got it right, or

is my research faulty for once? used the Mayan prophesy to sell out

this venue. Believe is too strong, it is utter nonsense. It is true,

if you look back at all the major religions, there is an apocalyptic

component, Revelations in the Bible. There is something about the end of

the world prophesis, end times, that seems to be universal. It is

present in most religions and cultures. I think it is just, it

must be that part of the human condition is to be concerned about

these momentous events, and prophesis. Maybe there is a spark

in some people's mind, I was going to say a chink of light, but it is

darkness. Here we are, getting on for 11.00pm, in the UK, looks like

we made it, or have we? In mox co- at the moment the sun hasn't come

up -- in Mexico at the moment, the sun hasn't come up yet, maybe it

never will. That's all folkss! We have a minute

now to go to the Mayan ruins in Chichen Itza in Mexico, and joined

by our correspondent, helping to organise a big end of the world

party. Are you disappointed that the party might be good but the end

of the world clearly isn't happening? N't I think you asked me

was I disappointed about the end of the world? I'm actually very, very

more excited that I'm here and celebrating with everyone this time,

this new beginning, this new era, where we all get to come together

as humanity and connect intimately and move forward together. So, I

take it you bought a return ticket, then? What's that? I take it that

if you didn't think it was going to be the end of the world, you

probably bought a return ticket, rather than a single? Yeah, I'm

sorry, I'm really just enjoying myself here, really enjoi joying

connecting with people. It is very -- injoying connecting with people,

it is difficult for me to hear. Thank you very much, I will take

that as a no then. That's all for Newsnight at 2012, we will return

in the beginning of January, we will leave you with a glimpse of

this channel's Christmas schedule. Carols from King's College in

Cambridge, can be seen at 6.15 on BBC Two. From all of us here, happy

# If I were a wise man # I would do my part

# Yet what I can I give him # Give him my heart

Good evening, some more severe weather to come through tonight,

with flooding rains, potentially, and widespread warnings for heavy

rain from the Met Office. There are particular areas we are especially

concerned about, south western parts of England. South Wales,

Yorkshire and also eastern Scotland. For all of us it will be really

very wet, I think there could be flooding in just about any part.

The rivers will rise quite rapidly, because the water, the ground,

rather, is so waterlogged already. The winds also feature, picking up

to strong-to-gale force, they have been buffeting Scotland for a few

days, causing widespread disruption to the ferries and up to storm

force on Saturday. Snow over the mountain, more snow will melt as

the -- milder air arrives. There could be surface flooding just

about everywhere. It will be a very wet and windy spell during the day

on Saturday. It's not just the UK affected by that wet weather either,