Notable China-related quotes from the last week:
South African government spokesman Thabo Masebe on the reaction to the Dalai Lama being banned from the country:
“We stand by our decision. Nothing is going to change. The Dalai Lama will not be invited to South Africa. We will not give him a visa between now and the World Cup.”
Nicholas Lardy, an economist and China specialist at the Peterson Institute, on why China is asking for a special global currency:
“Chinese are quite concerned that the large US government deficits will eventually lead to inflation, which will erode the purchasing power of the dollar-denominated financial assets which they hold. It is a legitimate concern.”
Coca-Cola CEO Muhtar Kent on the company’s disappointment over the Ministry of Commerce’s decision to block Coke’s acquisition of Huiyuan:
“We put a tremendous effort into providing all the relevant materials to the Ministry of Commerce to ensure that they had all the information available and understood the transaction.”
Tai Ming Cheung, a senior fellow at the University of California Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, on Beijing trying to expand its influence through the high seas:
“The maritime arena is one of the most fluid and strategic for China in terms of how it’s going to defend and expand and protect its interests internationally.”