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The Second Presidium Meeting of the World Media Summit

Leaders and representatives from some world-renowned media organizations met on Thursday in Hangzhou, capital of east China’s Zhejiang Province.

The leaders and representatives from Xinhua News Agency, News Corporation, The Associated Press (AP), Reuters, ITAR-TASS News Agency, Kyodo News, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Turner Broadcasting System Inc., Google, Al Jazeera Media Network, The New York Times Company, NBC News, MIH Group, and Kasturi and Sons Limited attended the 2nd Presidium Meeting of the World Media Summit (WMS). Executive President of the WMS and President of Xinhua Li Congjun presided over the 2nd WMS Presidium Meeting and delivered the keynote speech.

China’s official Xinhua News Agency initiated the World Media Summit in order to "build a new partnership between traditional media and new emerging media in the 21st century." Xinhua and eight other media organizations including News Corporation, AP, Thomson Reuters, ITAR-TASS, Kyodo News, BBC, Turner Broadcasting System Inc. and Google Inc. co-launched the first WMS, held from October 8 to 10 in 2009.

Source: Xinhua, October 9, 2013.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2013-10/09/c_117642987.htm

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

China Goes After Mobile News Apps

The State Internet Information Office, an agency under the State Council, recently issued a directive that demands the "rectification" of mobile news apps that "obtain Internet news illegally or conduct Internet news services illegally." It named news aggregator Zaker, which has 17.5 million users, and Chouti, which uses the slogan "Publish what shouldn’t be published," as being among those failing to comply with government guidelines.

Some of the apps provide Chinese users the news from overseas and foreign media, including those banned by the authorities, such as New York Times. The government demands all mobile news apps register with the authorities in charge of Internet information and meet the appropriate qualifications. All mobile apps stores are also forbidden to provide uploading or downloading and other services for illegal news apps.

This move comes after Chinese police conducted an intensive campaign to strike "Internet rumors." Earlier this month the Chinese Supreme People’s Court and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate issued a judicial interpretation that the use of the Internet for slandering and defamation that leads to mass incidents causes "serious harm to the social order and the national interest," which should be characterized as a criminal offense subject to the investigation of police and prosecution by the People’s Procuratorate.

Source: BBC Chinese, September 30, 2013
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/china/2013/09/130930_china_news_apps_closure.shtml

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology

Beijing Denounces British Officials as “Interfering in Hong Kong’s Internal Affairs”

Hugo Swire, a Minister of State for the Foreign Office of the UK, published an article on Saturday, September 14 in the South China Morning Post indicating that he supports Hong Kong’s universal suffrage and that "Britain stands ready to support in any way we can." The article resulted in an array of counterattacks from China. The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said on Tuesday that China will never allow any external forces to interfere in the internal affairs of Hong Kong and damage Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability. "We have the determination and ability to defend our national security." As early as Monday, Hong Lei had already accused Swire of making "irresponsible remarks" and expressed strong dissatisfaction. Global Times, a newspaper owned by the Chinese Communist Party’s People’s Daily, accused the British of "impure motives."

On Tuesday Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing newspaper Ta Kung Pao published a long article titled "British Espionage Activities in Hong Kong," referring to British intelligence officers’ "blatant" actions in Hong Kong. The article said, "Ever since the reunification, the UK intelligence agency’s activities in Hong Kong not only have not dwindled down, they continue to strengthen. The ‘operation center’ is currently located inside the British Consulate-General on 1 Supreme Court Rd. Admiralty." The author also questioned the reason behind the fact that the Consulate-General building was designed by the same person that designed the MI6 headquarters building in London.

The article said that British intelligence agencies are very focused on buying and getting key personnel to defect. "To achieve their target, they have followed some key figures for a long time, as long as several years or even more than a decade." The article also claimed that Britain has detailed material on senior Hong Kong officials under British authorities. "With such information, they exerted long-term control over a group of senior officials during the transition. Once it is necessary, they will then use the media in Hong Kong to issue negative news to attack their targets. Former Secretary for Development Mak Chai-kwong was alleged to have fraudulently claimed a housing allowance for five years starting in 1985. All the evidence was from the allegations of civil servants’ information decades ago. Who else has such capabilities other than the British authorities?"

In addition, another pro-Beijing newspaper in Hong Kong, Wen Wei Po, also published an article saying that, ever since the turnover of the sovereignty of Hong Kong 16 years ago, "a large number of MI6 spies have returned to Hong Kong, infiltrating into political parties, organizations, the judicial system, trade associations, the media, and vital government bodies, so as to snatch the right to govern Hong Kong."

Source: BBC Chinese, September 17, 2013
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/china/2013/09/130917_china_reax_uk.shtml

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

People’s Daily: Tens of Thousands of Troops in Large-scale Maneuvers

Recently, the Chinese military launched the "Mission Action 2013" cross region battle drills, with tens of thousands of troops mobilized on a large-scale and covering remote distances.

The maneuver is divided into A, B, and C, three exercises echelons. The focus is on multidimensional delivery, the use of firepower based on information technology, the coordination capabilities of different army units, and cooperation between military and civilian forces. The Donghai Fleet, the Nanhai Fleet, and the Air Force in the Nanjing Military Region dispatched their ships, planes, and gunships to participate in the exercise, along with civilian assistance forces like the civil airliners and railways. The Chinese media said it had "rarely been seen around the world in the past ten years."

Over 40,000 troops from the Nanjing and Guanzhou Military regions are expected to maneuver over 30,000 km. by vehicle, railway, sea, and air. At the same time, they will conduct anti-reconnaissance, air defense, and anti-interference drills, as well as red-blue air attack and defense drills.

‘Mission Action 2013’ is part of the annual military training plan and has been approved by the Central Military Commission (CMC) chaired by Xi, who is also General Secretary of the CCP Central Committee.

Source: People’s Daily, September 12, 2013
http://military.people.com.cn/n/2013/0912/c1011-22897974.html

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

Xinhua: The U.S. Use of Force in Syria Entails Great Danger

A September 4, 2013, Xinhua commentary expressed disapproval of the impending U.S. military action against Syria.

"Although the United States claims that military action will be very limited, there are indications that, once a war is launched, it will be difficult for the White House to keep its scale and progress under control. A number of new challenges are more likely to lead the U.S. into new troubles. Moreover, the U.K. has abandoned the use of force in Syria; France is unresolved; NATO’s stance is even more detached. Without the support of allies, one is more doubtful about the U.S.’s ability to end the war in a prudent manner."

"The U.S. military action against Syria may not only leave the problem of chemical weapons difficult to solve; it will likely trigger new threats. Igor Morozov, a member of the Russian Federation Council’s Foreign Affairs Committee, warned, on September 3, that if the U.S. adopts military intervention against Syria, the country’s chemical weapons could fall into the hands of terrorists and spread to the Middle East and all over the world. The U.S. itself would not be spared either."

"What’s even more frightening is that many of the Syrian opposition forces have been infiltrated by Islamic extremists and the al-Qaeda organization. If the extremist forces expand, Syria is bound to be led to a more dangerous path, with the U.S.’s strategic interests jeopardized."

Source: Xinhua, September 4, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2013-09/04/c_117230481.htm

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Real Name Registration to Become Mandatory for Chinese Phone Users

According to Nanfang Daily, a newspaper based in Guangdong Province, major Chinese telecommunication companies including China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom have issued internal documents requiring that, starting on September 1 of this year, local branches must implement the "requirement of real identity registration for telephone users," which the PRC’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) issued in June of this year. The internal documents demand that phone users provide their real identities. China Mobile even published a "notice on its official website on the comprehensive implementation of real identity registration for phone users."

According to the "requirement" issued by MIIT, real identity registration for phone users refers to the fact that when operators of telecommunication services process the registration of land line and mobile phone (including wireless broadband card) users, they need to be truthful in providing the real identity of the user while processing the user agreement or confirming the services. In other words, starting from September 1, not only the new users, but existing users who process a transfer, relocation, or other business need to provide their real identities.

As early as 2010, MIIT announced the implementation of real name registration for mobile phone users, but it was not carried out successfully. This time, it is applied to all phone users instead of just mobile users. For the first time, the "requirement" also penalizes the operators who do not comply. All operators of telecommunications are now obliged to run an annual self-checkup of the implementation of real identity registration. Those who fail to do so are subject to fines between 10,000 yuan (US$1,634) and 30,000 yuan (US$4,902).

Source: Nanfang Daily, reposted by Xinhua, August 29, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2013-08/29/c_125271765.htm

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology

Xi Jinping: The Party’s Ideological Work is an Extremely Important Job

At a nationwide meeting held in Beijing on August 19 and 20, the Chinese Communist Party’s Chairman Xi Jinping gave a speech on propaganda and ideological work. Xi emphasized that economic development is the central task of the Party, while the Party’s ideological work is an extremely important job.

Xi pointed out that propaganda and ideological work are to consolidate the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological field and to consolidate the common ideological foundation for the whole Party and the people of the nation. Party members and cadres should strengthen their belief in Marxism and Communism. Leading officials, especially senior officials, should systematically master the basic theory of Marxism, should honestly and thoroughly study Marxism, Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the "Three Represents" important thoughts, and the Scientific Concept of Development. All Party schools and academies, institutes of social sciences, and universities should have Marxism as a required course and become important forefronts of Marxist study, research, and propaganda. In particular, new and young cadres should do a good job in their theoretical studies and stand firm in their ideals and faith.

Xi asked for in-depth propaganda and education in socialism with Chinese characteristics so as to hold people of all ethnic groups in the nation in unity and cohesion under the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Xi stressed that to be a true Party member is to adhere to the correct political orientation, hold a firm political viewpoint, firmly propagandize the Party’s theories, path, guidelines and policies, propagandize the Party’s deployment of major tasks, propagandize the Party’s important analyses and judgments on the current situation, resolutely maintain a high degree of uniformity with the Central Committee, and resolutely safeguard the authority of the Central Committee. All the propaganda and ideological units and all the Party members and cadres in the propaganda and ideological fronts should be clear in their adherence to the Party’s principles.

Source: Xinhua, August 20, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2013-08/20/c_117021464.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Hurun Wealth Report 2013 Released

On August 14, the Hurun Research Institute, together with GroupM Knowledge, released the GroupM Knowledge-Hurun Wealth Report 2013. The 40-page research report analyses China’s wealthy people broken down according to their regional distribution across China, as well as their investments, consumption preferences, and how they use the media.

The number of millionaires (defined as individuals with a personal wealth of CNY 10 million, equivalent to US$1.6 million and GBP 1 million) grew by three percent in 2012 to 1.05 million, while the number of the super-rich (defined as individuals with a personal wealth of CNY 100 million, equivalent to US$16 million and GBP 10 million) reached 64,500, up two percent from the previous year. The growth, the slowest in five years, has decelerated for the second consecutive year.

Beijing remains in first place with an increase of 5,000 to 184,000 millionaires, and with an increase of 200 to 10,700 super rich. Guangdong ranks second with 172,000 millionaires and 9,600 super rich. Shanghai follows with 147,000 millionaires and 8,500 super rich.

A quarter of the millionaires say they are very confident about China’s economy in the coming two years, a decline of three percent from the previous year. The confidence level of the year before was 54 percent. Sixty-six percent of the millionaires say they are fairly confident – a two percentage point increase from a year earlier, while nine percent of millionaires say they are not confident – a two percentage point increase from a year earlier. This is the highest number in last three years.

Source: Xinhua, August 15, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2013-08/15/c_125174202.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources