LLD – Page 118 – Chinascope

Government Expert Assesses the Worst Impact of Trade War on China

On October 23, Wang Yiming, the deputy director of China’s Development Research Center of the State Council, the government think tank for policy research and consulting, met with business investors. Wang told them that the impact of the Sino – US trade war is evolving from a psychological expectation to the real economy. In particular, it is affecting trade, investments, the supply chain, and employment. In the future, once the U.S. imposes the 25 percent tariff on all Chinese exports, China’s GDP growth rate will fall by 1.5 percentage points. He predicts that this will be the worst case scenario of the trade war.

Wang Yiming said that 15 manufacturing sectors will be affected greatly and negative growth will occur. The sector that will receive the most severe hit will be that of radio, television equipment, and radar facilities. This sector is expected to fall by 7.8 percentage points.

According to Wang, some enterprises have already taken the upcoming tariff factors into consideration, especially those whose production is oriented toward exporting to the U.S. Some are even considering the cancellation of new investment plans or a delay in hiring. On the technical level, Sino – US cooperation in science and technology and personnel exchanges face growing restrictions.

Source: Radio France International, October 25, 2018
http://rfi.my/3FzJ.T

Briefings | | October 28, 2018 | Economy/Resources

China Said to Export Large Amount of Luxury Goods to North Korea

The United Nations imposed sanctions against North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs and called on all member states to implement it strictly so as to exert “maximum pressure” on Pyongyang and push the economically distressed North Korea back to the negotiating table. However, there are signs that, since North Korea stopped missile and nuclear tests and Kim Jong-un promised to go nuclear-free at the US-DPRK summit in June this year, sanctions have begun to lose power. At the same time, Russia and China are also calling for relaxation of sanctions against North Korea.

Yoon Sang-hyun, a South Korean opposition party lawmaker, pointed out that “Kim Jong-un has been purchasing luxury goods from China and other places, including a seaplane, high-end musical instruments, high-end TVs, cars, brand name liquors, luxury watches and other gifts, not only for his own family, but also as gifts for the elite inside the government.”

Yoon added that with the expansion of the loopholes, Kim Jong-un will soon be able to achieve the purpose of weakening and offsetting sanctions gradually without giving up nuclear weapons. The opposition law maker said that last year, North Korea imported $640 million worth of luxury goods from China.

China does not publish detailed classified data on customs imports and exports. The number that Yoon quoted is based on a list of embargoed goods from the Korean government.

Yoon pointed out that, compared with the peak level of $800 million in imports in 2014, the scale of North Korean imports of luxury goods from China has shrunk, but compared with the $666 million from 2016, it was a decline of only 3.8 percent. In addition, luxury goods accounted for 17.8 percent of the total value of North Korea’s imports from China ($3.7 billion) last year. Among all imported luxury goods, high-end TVs and other electronic appliances accounted for more than half or about $340 million, followed by cars ($204 million) and liquor ($35 million).

According to figures that China’s General Administration of Customs released last month, China’s January through August trade with North Korea fell by 57.8 percent year-on-year to $1.51 billion.

The figures that Yoon quoted also show that, since Kim Jong-un came to power at the end of 2011, the amount of money that North Korea spent on imported luxury goods from China has increased to $4 billion.

Source: Deutsche Welle Chinese, October 23, 2018
https://p.dw.com/p/36xRW

Briefings | | October 24, 2018 | Geo-Strategic Trend

Beijing Scholar Teaches “Xi Jinping Thought” on edX

After the 19th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, the authorities have been strongly promoting “Xi Jinping Thought” inside China, and are now exporting it to the U.S. On October 18, the website of Foreign Policy magazine published an article that Australian scholar Kevin Carrico wrote. “I was so excited to learn this August of a new course offered on the edX website, a U.S.-based learning platform: Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era—the official full name of Xi Jinping Thought. The instructor was none other than the Tsinghua University professor Hu Angang, known for his close links to senior government leaders and his claims that China has already overtaken the United States as the primary global superpower.”

edX is an online course provider that the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University created.

Carrico said that, after paying a $49 fee, and providing a verified certificate with instructor professor Hu’s signature, he “was able to receive a final score of 100 across all the multiple choice quizzes.”

“The course’s promotional materials promised that learners would obtain ‘[s]ystematic and full knowledge of the {Chinese Communist Party’s} people-centered core concept,’ as well as a ‘deeper understanding of the socialist road with Chinese characteristics.’” Carrico explained about the contents of the course, “It is fair to say that China is a society different from Western society. Mainly, it has established a people’s society.” “Hu reminded us that the Chinese republic is the people’s republic, the national bank is the people’s bank, the police are the people’s police, and the army is the people’s army. But wait, there’s more. Hu proudly reported that Xi used the term ‘people’ 203 times in his report to the 19th Party Congress in 2017—more than any other term.”

Hu once said in his published research that China’s comprehensive national strength has completely surpassed the United States and it is ranked first in the world. It caused academic controversy after the Sino-US trade war.

A group of Tsinghua alumni signed a letter to the president of Tsinghua University in August. It criticized Hu Angang’s theory {about China’s surpassing the U.S.} as “misleading the national policy, as well as the general public, setting off alarm bells among other countries. It asked the university to fire him.

Source: Central News Agency, October 20, 2018
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/201810200204.aspx

Briefings | | October 22, 2018 | Government/Politics

After Meeting with CCP’s Central Propaganda Department, Hong Kong Media Revised Reports amid Concerns over Self-censorship

On Tuesday October 16, about 20 Hong Kong media executives met in Beijing with the Chinese Communist Party’s head of the Central Propaganda Department, Huang Kunming. Siu Sai Wo, the head of the delegation and Chief Executive of the Sing Tao Group, told the media what Huang said at the meeting: “I hope that the Hong Kong media will not become a base for interfering with mainland politics.”

Some Hong Kong media broadcast Siu’s words on television and on social media. However, the report about Hong Kong media interfering with the mainland political base later “disappeared.” This triggered concerns over self-censorship in the Hong Kong press, as Chinese officials have never used such strong language targeting the Hong Kong media. However, Siu later told the South China Morning Post that the meeting related content should not be used for interviews and clarified that the original text should be “to prevent external forces from turning Hong Kong into a base for intervening and destroying the mainland.” It was not targeting Hong Kong media.

Bruce Lui, a lecturer at the Hong Kong Baptist University’s Department of Journalism, believed that, as a professional practice, the media has a responsibility to verify the facts. If the interviewee made a false statement, the media and its senior executives should offer clarification, so that the public will not feel that the Hong Kong media, following the practice of the mainland media, will collectively revise their story.

Lui pointed out that the CCP’s Central Propaganda Department mainly takes charge of the ideology inside the Party. “In theory it should not intervene in matters in Hong Kong or Macao.” This time the Central Propaganda Department was directly talking to the senior executives of the Hong Kong media and handing out opinions. It was different from the courtesy visits in the past and was “not normal.” He suspected that the Central Propaganda Department intends to become the direct superior of the Hong Kong media. Possibly it wants to intensify its influence on the Hong Kong media.

The Hong Kong media is different from that in the mainland in that there is a greater degree of freedom in reporting and editing. However, recently, the Asia news editor for the Financial Times, Victor Mallet was denied the renewal of his Hong Kong work visa. It happened after he invited Andy Chan, founder of the pro-independence Hong Kong National Party (HKNP), to give a speech at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club (FCC). The event caused the outside world to be concerned about Hong Kong’s freedom of the press.

According to the Hong Kong Journalists Association’s 2017 survey, the Chinese government controls 35 percent of Hong Kong’s mainstream media or they have received financial investments from China.

Lui expects that the mainland will exert more influence on the Hong Kong media in the future. It will use different political and economic tactics to deal with overseas media more often.

Source: BBC Chinese, October 17, 2018
https://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/chinese-news-45887146

Briefings | | October 22, 2018 | Information/Technology

Public Appearance of Former Top CCP Leaders

A few retired former Chinese Communist Party {CCP} Standing Committee members have made public appearances recently in a number of different ways. Their unusual “public appearances” aroused some curiosity.

Wu Guanzheng, the former CCP Standing Committee member and Discipline Committee Secretary said, in a public article at the end of September, that he “was happy” after retiring and also mentioned {the need} to create more conditions for new talent to come into {leadership} positions.

On October 7, Wu Bangguo, the former CCP Standing Committee member, visited Feidong City in Anhui Province; according the local media there, the crowd “welcomed” him.

On October 11, Zhu Rongji, the former CCP premier, appeared at the advisory board meeting of the Qinghua University Management School. According to some media reports, the 90-year old Zhu appeared with a smile and looked like he was in good spirits.

On October 15, Li Ruihuan, another former CCP Standing Committee member, published an article online talking about his view of “the {correct} way to be a CCP official” and that “those who made {usually anonymous and often groundless or slanderous} complaints should not get into leadership positions.”

Source: Central News Agency, October 16, 2018
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/201810160340.aspx

Briefings | | October 19, 2018 | Government/Politics

“Academic Alliance” of “Belt and Road” Countries

On October 13 and 14, an “Academic Alliance” consisting of schools of political science and international relations in a number of countries along China’s “Belt and Road” initiative was formally established at Fudan University in Shanghai.

Deans of the schools of political science and international relations from 13 countries including China, Russia, India, South Korea, Pakistan, Iran, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Mongolia, Hungary, Poland, and Latvia met together to discuss the “Belt and Road” initiative and the development of a new international relationship, as well as possible international academic cooperation.

Su Changhe, executive dean of the School of International Relations and Public Affairs at Fudan University, said that emerging countries and developing countries are important forces in the development of new international relations, but these countries lack adequate understanding of each other. Using the means of international cooperation and education in international relations, schools of political science and international relations in these countries can play a leading role in conducting unofficial exchanges, helping reduce the deficit in mutual understandings, and fostering the basis for public opinion for common development.

The School of International Relations and Public Affairs at Fudan University initiated the alliance. Su Changhe proposed that the academic alliance should be a network for students and scholars and should adhere to the “4C” concept, that is, “comfort,” “cooperation,” a “community of mutual understanding,” and a “connective network.” Su believes that the alliance is an inclusive and informal organization that puts “comfort” first, meaning that no ideology or political standpoint is imposed in the academic exchanges, and that it’s a pragmatic cooperation on an equal and comfortable basis. The deans attending the conference put forward nearly 40 valuable proposals for the future of the alliance, including strengthening student and teacher communication, credit transfer, multinational dual degree programs, summer schools, scholars’ field research, remote online courses, and an exchange of scholars to give lectures on each country’s governance and politics.

Dody Prayogo, Associate Dean of the School of Social and Political Studies at the University of Indonesia, suggested the creation of a “Belt and Road” international journal. Mohammad Takhshid, from the Faculty of Law and Politics at the University of Tehran, wished that this academic network would be gradually and formally organized in the future.

Source: The Paper, October 16, 2018
https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2531400

Briefings | | October 17, 2018 | Geo-Strategic Trend

Scholar Disciplined for Encouraging Independent Personality

On Friday October 13, the university’s Party committee disciplined Zhao Siyun, deputy dean at the School of Liberal Arts of Communication at the University of Zhejiang, also known as Zhejiang University of Media and Communications (ZUMC), with a “severe warning,” for mentioning the social responsibility of citizens and intellectuals in his speech at the commencement ceremony.

According to the disciplinary decision from the ZUMC Party committee, Zhao Siyun’s commencement speech at the College of Liberal Arts on September 30 contained inappropriate words. In addition, between 2013 and 2015, Zhao reposted and made “wrong statements” that had a negative impact.

At the welcoming ceremony for new students on September 30, Zhao Siyun delivered a speech in which he encouraged the students to embrace an independent personality. He also inspired qualities such as self-discipline, self-respect, human dignity, critical thinking and a moral obligation, and called for the students to shoulder responsibility for the country and the nation. Zhao later posted the speech to his personal blog on his WeChat account. On October 8, a local newspaper Qianjiang Evening News also carried the article.

In recent years, China has continued to cleanse colleges and universities under a left-wing ideology. So far, several scholars including Yang Shaozheng from Guizhou University and Tan Song from Chongqing Normal University have been expelled from school. Since the beginning of this year, students have reported several college teachers who were punished for delivering speeches that were out of line.

Source: Radio Free Asia, October 12, 2018
https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/university-10122018071015.html

Briefings | | October 15, 2018 | Social Stability

All posts by LLD - 118. page