The International Tribunal at The Hague made an arbitral decision over the Philippines and China’s conflicting claims in the South China Sea dispute. It declared that China does not have grounds for its “historical claim.” It also found that the “islands” that China and Taiwan control are not “islands” and thus are not entitled to the 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.
All posts by AEF - 11. page
Chinese Workers Take away U.S. Jobs? Maybe the Reverse
Well-known Chinese site Sina recently published an article aggregating reports from a number of media sources on China’s job market. The author started with an acknowledgment of Donald Trump’s point of view on China which used to have cheap labor and which therefore attracted a lot of labor work from the United States. However, things have been changing dramatically in today’s Chinese job market. China is moving towards making more and more value-added products and the average labor rate in China is now 29 percent higher than what it was three years ago. The Boston Consulting research firm found, when both productivity and energy costs are counted, the cost of manufacturing in China’s major export regions is almost the same as that in the U.S. The same research pointed out that 24 percent of the U.S. companies in China surveyed are actively moving back to the States or plan to do so in the next two years. Other companies that make products for major U.S. labels like Michel Kors, Rockport, Dockers, and Brooks Brothers are moving to cheaper countries like Vietnam. With the slowdown of the Chinese economy, more and more Chinese workers are losing their jobs. The British consulting company Fathom released a report estimating China’s unemployment rate to be 12.9 percent, not the official four percent. It seems the U.S. competitiveness is taking away China’s jobs.
Source: Sina, July 26, 2016
http://dailynews.sina.com/gb/news/usa/usnews/chinesedaily/20160726/07417439422.html
New Research: CCP’s Organ Harvesting from Live Prisoners of Conscience: Far Worse Than We Thought
On June 13, 2016, The U.S, House of Representatives Passed H.Res.343 Expressing concern regarding persistent and credible reports of systematic, state-sanctioned organ harvesting from non-consenting prisoners of conscience in the People’s Republic of China, including from large numbers of Falun Gong practitioners and members of other religious and ethnic minority groups.
Political Rivalry in China Part 4 – Is China Cutting Its Ties to North Korea?
Part 4: Is China Cutting Its Ties to North Korea?
After long providing a protective umbrella for North Korea, China has changed its stance. Beijing was supportive in passing the United Nations’ sanction resolution against North Korea and has been active in enforcing the trade embargo.
BBC Chinese: China’s Anti-Graft Watchdog Criticized the Central Propaganda Department
According to a report posted June 8 on the website of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), the anti-graft watchdog of the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP), CCDI’s inspection team listed problems it had found when stationed at the Central Propaganda Department a few months ago.
The report cited CCDI member and lead investigator Wang Huaichen as saying that leaders in the department did not feel a sufficient sense of responsibility for undertaking ideological work.
According to the report, news propaganda was not targeted or effective enough. It identified the root cause as the weakening of the CCP’s leadership.
BBC Chinese cited AFP comments that this criticism indicated Beijing was attempting to continue tightening its control over the media and added that, based on other overseas analyses, this indicated the top Chinese leadership’s dissatisfaction with the propaganda department, which will probably lead to a restructuring of the department’s organizational hierarchy.
Source: BBC Chinese website, June 9, 2016
http://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/china/2016/06/160609_china_anticorruption
Xi Jinping: No Excuses Allowed for Refusing to Take Demobilized Officers
Leading news portal Sina recently carried a report from Xinhua titled, "Xi Jinping: No Excuses Allowed for Refusing to Take Demobilized Officers." President Xi Jinping underscored the importance of providing demobilized military officers with civilian jobs. This is considered a political task and is closely linked to national defense and military reform. On Tuesday, June 7, Zhao Leji, head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee’s organization department, conveyed Xi’s comments on this issue in a speech he gave at a recent meeting of the Politburo standing committee at the 2016 National Conference on Employment of Demobilized Officers. Xi also noted that a long-term solution for arranging civilian jobs for demobilized officers would be deepened reform. He called for measures to improve the management of the security mechanism for demobilized officers and to perfect the public service system as well as relevant policies, laws and regulations.
Xi added, "No matter what the excuse, refusing to provide positions for demobilized officers is not allowed." Xi also serves as chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC). In March 2016, The Paper, a Shanghai-based online site featuring news and analysis on current affairs, reported that Xi had announced last September, at a parade marking 70 years since the end of World War II, that the People’s Liberation Army would cut its personnel by 300,000. The scale of the PLA will gradually come down to 2 million from 2.3 million, as part of a modernization drive to shift focus from its traditional land forces to more advanced sea and air forces, which require fewer but better training personnel.
Liu Yunshan, a member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo, also attended Tuesday’s conference. Liu underscored Xi’s comments. He also called for better services for officers who look for employment on their own. Also attending the conference were Xu Qiliang, CMC Vice Chairman; Zhang Yang, a member of the CMC; and Ma Kai, Vice Premier of the State Council.
Sources: Sina, June 7, 2016
http://news.sina.com.cn/c/nd/2016-06-07/doc-ifxsvenv43574.shtml
The Paper, March 22, 2016
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_1447218
Political Rivalry in China Part 3 – Who Pushed Tsai Ing-wen into the President’s Seat?
Part 3: Who Pushed Tsai Ing-wen into the President’s Seat?
On May 20, 2016, Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), was sworn in as the newly elected President of the Republic of China. In her inaugural address, she stated, “Once again, the people of Taiwan have shown the world through our actions that we, as a free and democratic people, are committed to the defense of our freedom and democracy as a way of life. Each and every one of us participated in this journey. My dear fellow Taiwanese, we did it.” [1]
Political Rivalry in China Part 2 – “Should the State Media Be Loyal to the Party?”
Part 2: “Should the State Media Be Loyal to the Party?”
The Preface and Part 1 of this series explained that former Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Jiang Zemin left two legacies to China: a system of corruption and the persecution of Falun Gong. To prevent being charged and held accountable, Jiang and his followers tried to hold onto their power after Jiang retired. They even plotted coups against the current leader Xi Jinping, who is not part of Jiang’s faction.