Key words: Media weighs impact of Sandy on upcoming US election ; India-US-Japan talks seek to contain China's rise: media; Local govt brews own rice wine to save cash on banquet

Media weighs impact of Sandy on upcoming US election

Hurricane Sandy flooded streets on October 29, leaving many cities across the eastern coast of the US in the darkness, affecting airports, subways, and even hospitals.

The storm has also forced the closure of the New York Stock Exchange for a second day on Tuesday after its shutdown on Monday, the first time since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

Sandy, the tenth hurricane this year, was considered one of the strongest storms ever to hit the US east coast.

Chinese media analysis predicts Sandy will have limited influence at the polls, while some outlets tout the storm as a proving ground for incumbent candidate Barack Obama to win votes in crucial swing states.

Zheng Hao, contributor to news website ifeng.com, wrote that Sandy might be a blessing in disguise for Obama.

"Obama can take this opportunity to impress voters in swing states by exhibiting his capacity as a leader during a large-scale disaster," Zheng said.

Such storms have revealed how unprepared US leadership can be when it comes to disaster relief. Former president George W. Bush weathered criticism for his handling of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the chaos that followed.

As media turns its attention to how the White House handles the hurricane, campaign coverage of presidential candidate Mitt Romney may decline as a result, the site added.

However, Beijing-based news portal caixun.com believes the super storm will have limited influence at the polls on Election Day.

The website maintains that although Sandy has captured the attention of media and viewers, it will not divert voters from focusing on such pressing election issues as the economy, the military and foreign policy.

"Sandy will only influence the vote in swing states, which will not have a dramatic impact on overall candidate support," said caixun.com.

The site continued to say this super storm will be a test for Obama, who needs to exhibit strong leadership while fulfilling his responsibility to protect the safety of Americans in order to maintain support.

India-US-Japan talks seek to contain China's rise: media

The India-US-Japan Trilateral Dialogue was held in New Delhi on October 29, focusing on maritime security cooperation, Afghanistan and Central Asia, according to reports.

However Chinese media speculates that China and the future of Asia-Pacific architecture is also an essential topic of the talks, suggesting that a strategic alliance among the three nations would aim to constrain China's rise. 

Global Times held an editorial on October 30, saying that multi-country dialogue's practical value is very low even if they somehow target China. China's rise is a tortuous process and the US by itself has found no ways to counter it, either alone or with other countries. 

Japan is the most anxious about China's rise. The fundamental problem is that the balance of power between China and Japan is changing. The US is antipathic to China's rise politically, but the US stock market soars when positive economic news comes from China. The interests of the US business community are seemingly integrated with China's.

China is often in a passive position in its backyard and so faces growing worries and pressure. But such tensions will gradually dwindle as the country becomes stronger, the paper added.

The US is trying to ensnare China in the Asia-Pacific region. Sometimes China thinks this not worthy of attention, but it must occasionally worry about this net, as its future development is uncertain. Japan is causing problems for China, but it is not the country's foremost worry. China has some hopes of carrying out strategic cooperation with India. If Asia falls into chaos because of how to deal with China, the result will be good for nobody, the Global Times said.

The Hong Kong-based news website Zhgpl.com published an opinion piece by contributor Peng Nian saying the three countries share the common objective of containing China's rise through economic, political and security measures.

The US aims to draw Asia's second- and third-largest economies into the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP), a regional trade group seeking to marginalize China and undermine its economic influence in the Asia-Pacific region, wrote Peng.

Japan is using US influence to restore its economic edge, while India needs America's financial support and Japan's technological support to maximize its economic influence, Peng commented. 

The article went on to say the US wants to draw Japan and India into a common regional cause in order to rebuild its image as a leader, while Japan and India hope to expand their political influence through the aid of the US. 

Another Hong Kong-based news portal the-sun.on.cc echoed zhgpl.com by saying China should prepare itself for new economic and military challenges from the alliance.

"The US intends for TPP, which does not include China, to replace the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)."

 "The US is worried about how the recent buildup of China's forces will threaten its interests in the Asia-Pacific region. Therefore, Japan and India are essential partners in restraining China's rise," reported the website.

"Japan and India are also frustrated with China's tough stance toward territorial disputes, so it comes as no surprise that they are looking to cooperate with America," the paper added.

Local govt brews own rice wine to save cash on banquet

The news that Baishun, a town-level government in Guangdong Province, brewed its own liquor in order to reduce costs for official banquets, went viral in the cyber space according to Guangdong's provincial news portal southcn.com on October 29.

The Beijing News carried an opinion piece on October 30 saying that in order to ease financial strain of holding official banquets, the town government may have had no choice but to brew their own baijiu(white liquor). 

The paper reported that although some believe the homemade brew did help cut costs on what can normally be pricey affairs, officials are accomplishing very little in the long run. 

This does not at all address the problem of wasteful spending of government funds, said the report, adding that it is also doubtful whether the government would continue to cut costs of future banquets in this way.

The paper suggested the reason for such lavish spending might lie in the subtle workings of Chinese politics, namely how receptions and banquets usually result in more funding from above.

"Low-level governments with tight budgets often fall prey to throwing official receptions, but if they treat upper-level officials well, this can bring in even more money for development, facilities and other projects," said the paper. 

The Shaanxi-based Xi'an Daily commented on October 30 that the amount of money saved by brewing rice wine is negligible compared with the massive spending on banquets for officials nationwide.

The opinion piece urged authorities to "pass laws addressing official receptions that including limits on costs and approval procedures for going over budget."

"Upper-level governments should not require lower-level governments to foot the bill for banquets," said the Xi'an Daily.

The commentary added that the law should also require officials to submit an itemized budget, along with an oversight mechanism to monitor and approve spending requests.