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All posts by LLD - 131. page

China News: South Korea, U.S. and Japan to Share Intelligence on North Korea

China News recently reported that an official (who would prefer to remain anonymous) of the South Korean Defense Ministry advised that the deputy defense ministers of South Korea, the United States, and Japan planned to sign a memorandum of understanding on sharing intelligence involving North Korea, especially on military topics like nuclear plans and guided missiles. The memorandum was set to be signed on December 29. The South Korean side emphasized that the intelligence sharing between South Korea and Japan will be communicated indirectly via the United States as the middle man. The Memorandum is not considered legally binding and does not require approval by the legislative branches of the three countries. 
Source: China News, December 27, 2014
http://www.chinanews.com/gj/2014/12-27/6916536.shtml
Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Russian Oil Exported to China at 50 Percent Higher Price

Well-known Chinese news site Sina recently reported that, based on the data Bloomberg obtained from the China General Administration of Customs, the volume of Russian oil exported to China increased by 65 percent in November, reaching a record high monthly volume of 3.31 million tons. According to Bloomberg, the average price of these November exports was at US$90 per barrel. However, given the sharp decline in the oil price on the global market, the current standard for oil prices is below US$60. The Russian State Duma recently passed laws to cut the oil export tax. At a press conference earlier, Russian President Putin suggested that the Russian economy must adjust to the reality of oil prices staying at US$40. According to Chinese Customs records, China’s imports from the largest OPEC oil exporter, Saudi Arabia, were in their second consecutive month of decline, which is the equivalent of a 5.9 percent decline year-over-year. The Russian Ministry of Energy recently mentioned that, during January to September, Russian oil exports to China increased by 45 percent year-over-year. 
Source: Sina, December 24, 2014
http://finance.sina.com.cn/world/20141224/174421156026.shtml
Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Global Times: Qualcomm May be Fined US$1 Billion

Global Times recently reported that the National Reform and Development Commission (NDRC) has been conducting an antitrust investigation against U.S. chip maker Qualcomm, who may be fined US$1 billion for abuse of its monopoly power. NDRC accused Qualcomm of price gouging and misusing its standard-setting power in the wireless communications market. According to Chinese antitrust laws, NDRC can fine the company in the range of 1 to 10 percent of its annual sales amount. As the largest wireless communications chip maker in the world, Qualcomm’s fiscal year 2013 sales income in the Chinese market was US$12.3 billion, which was half of its global sales total. China is in the process of upgrading its nationwide wireless network infrastructure to 4G technology, which requires Qualcomm-patented chips that are widely used in smartphones. Some analysts suggested that the Chinese antitrust move had the intention of influencing the negotiations on licensing the Qualcomm patents. 
Source: Global Times, December 26, 2014
http://china.huanqiu.com/News/mofcom/2014-12/5302952.html
Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Some Chinese Schools Prohibited Students from Celebrating Christmas

On December 24, 2014, someone placed a notice online that, at Northwest University (a university in Shaanxi Province, China) some banners about Christmas had been displayed on campus. The contents included such statements as: "Be cautious about Christmas"; "Oppose Western holidays that are in poor taste"; and "Resist the expansion of Western culture." The Communist Youth League Committee of the university and the students’ associations authored the banners. Some netizens posted that, on Christmas Eve, all of the students were organized to watch videos inside the classrooms. The videos were related to traditional Chinese culture. The teachers stood guard at the classrooms. It was said that whoever celebrated Christmas would be disciplined.
Coincidentally, the Board of Education of Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province issued a circular that required schools "not to hold any Christmas-related activities on campus." An official from the Board of Education said, "In the past, we offered guidance on this kind of foreign holiday. This is the first time a more explicit notice has been issued."
Source: China National Radio, December 25, 2014
http://edu.cnr.cn/list/20141225/t20141225_517209183.shtml
Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

China’s New-generation Cloud Computing Operating System

According to an article in People’s Daily a new-generation cloud computing operating system, Cloudview 1.8, was recently launched in Beijing. Industry experts indicate that the system is the leader in cloud computing products that comply with the highest national standards. Its launch marks an important step forward in autonomous controllability.
Dawning Information Industry Co., Ltd, (中科曙光”), a state enterprise, developed the system. According to the CEO of Dawning, Cloudview 1.8 has gone through several different versions of technological upgrades in computing, storage, and networking. It can better meet the demand for the infrastructure management of cloud computing while upgrading multi-tenant management, project resource management, and service process management. It has achieved strategic integration of IT infrastructure management and business operation and has fully realized autonomous controllability.
Source: People’s Daily, December 21, 2014
http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/html/2014-12/22/nw.D110000renmrb_20141222_3-09.htm
Briefings | | |   Information/Technology

PLA Daily: Anti-corruption Is a Life and Death Battle That We Cannot Afford to Lose

On December 17, the Chinese military flagship newspaper People’s Liberation Army Daily (PLA Daily) carried a high profile opinion article titled, "Anti-corruption Is a Life and Death Battle That We Cannot Afford to Lose." Some of the wording was strong and direct. 
"About corruption, there are two camps of arguments that are worthy of attention. One is whether the continual strikes on corruption will actually cost the support of the public; the other is whether the anti-corruption campaign can really continue."
"These concerns, to some extent, exemplify the ‘stalemate between the corruption and anti-corruption forces." If misconceptions are not clarified in a timely manner, if people’s thinking is not further unified, and if their faith is not strengthened, it is bound to be difficult to completely eliminate the pernicious influence of Xu Caihou (former Vice Chair of the Central Military Commission, put under investigation and expelled from the Communist Party in June 2014) and carry out the fight against corruption to the end."
"There is no special area for corruption and no taboo against anti-corruption. As ‘big tigers’ like Zhou Yongkang (Zhou is a former member of the Politburo Standing Committee; on December 5, 2014, state media announced Zhou’s arrest to face criminal charges, as well as his expulsion from the Communist Party of China.) and Xu Caihou are removed, who else can remain as an exception? The central leadership of the Party and Chairman Xi will not tolerate any corruption; they will surely investigate and punish violations of law and discipline."
"The military is holding the barrel of the gun. It is a strong pillar of the ruling party. If the military engages a corrupt army, the barrel of the gun will turn to rust and the pillar will collapse. Then what would be there to guarantee the stability of the country and the people’s happiness and peace? History has repeatedly proven that as long as the military is absolutely loyal, absolutely pure, and absolutely reliable, the country will not fall into big trouble. There must not be any hiding place for the corrupt. This is the Party’s special political requirement for the army."
Source: PLA Daily, December 17, 2014
http://www.81.cn/jmywyl/2014-12/17/content_6272590.htm
Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

China is Promoting the BeiDou System in Cambodia

Xinhua recently reported that the launch ceremony of a demo version of China’s BeiDou Navigation Satellite System was held in Cambodia’s capital city of Phnom Penh. BeiDou, a multi-satellite global navigation system is already operational but more components are still under construction. BeiDou is a Chinese rival of the U.S. government-run Global Positioning System (GPS). Those who attended the ceremony from the Chinese side included Li Chuanrong (李传荣), an official from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Xiong Wei (熊伟), the deputy head of Cambodian Office of the state giant China Electronic Technology Group (CETC, 中国电子科技集团). The Cambodian side had one official from the Cambodian Ministry Of Industry and Handicrafts and a senior manager from Khmer First Investment Holding Group Co.
According to Xinhua, “the promotion of BeiDou in Cambodia will help push forward the progress of Cambodia in the field of information technology.” The Cambodian government gave high praise to the Chinese government and CETC for their contributions and expressed the wish for further in-depth cooperation in satellite navigation and earth observation (remote sensing) technologies.
Source: Xinhua, December 12, 2014
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2014-12/12/c_127298982.htm
Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

People’s Daily Article Hints Death Penalty for Zhou Yongkang

On December 10, People’s Daily carried an article titled, "What Zhou Yongkang Did Is No Different from a ‘Traitor.’" The article mentioned a few names in the history of the Chinese Communist Party: two early leaders in the 1930’s during the civil war with the Nationalist Party and three high ranking military officials after 1949. All of the five ended in the death penalty. The Nationalists killed the early leaders; the three later officials received death sentences.
The article contrasts with a 2013 Xinhua article, months after Bo Xilai was ousted, "Chen Yun was against the death penalty for Jiang Qing: the inner Party struggle should not have bloodshed." This article hinted that there would be no death penalty for Bo. The December 10 People’s Daily article is widely regarded as hinting that Zhou will receive a "death sentence."
Source: People’s Daily reprinted on china.com.cn, December 10, 2014
http://www.china.com.cn/news/2014-12/10/content_34284242.htm
Briefings | | |   Government/Politics