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SAPPRFT Steps up Regulations on Web Audiovisual Programs

On March 19, China’s State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT) issued a "Notice on further strengthening the management of web TV Series, mini movies, and other Internet based audiovisual programs." The Notice demanded an enhanced regulation on the entry and exit mechanism and content review and approval of such programs.

The Notice stated that all Internet service units that stream web TV Series, mini movies, and other audiovisual programs should have qualified auditors trained by state or provincial professional associations, have a sound editing, review, and management system for the program contents, legally obtain a "permit for web dissemination of audio-visual programs" issued by radio, film and TV broadcasting authorities, and conduct business in strict accordance with what’s allowed by the license.

The Notice stated that Internet service units that produce and stream on its website audiovisual programs should legally obtain a "permit for producing radio, film and TV programs" and the relevant "permit for web dissemination of audio-visual programs."

The Notice stated that Internet audiovisual program service units should abide by the principle of "whoever operates the website is responsible," and implement the system auditing before broadcasting. The units should have auditors to review the contents of the programs before being web streamed.

The Notice stated that the Internet service units that forward and upload audiovisual program are subject to the same regulation as those that produce the programs. Internet service units should verify the genuine identity of individuals and institutions that upload audiovisual programs to the website.

The Notice stated that major funders and operators of Internet audiovisual program service units should be responsible for the contents of the programs. Those who violate the regulations may be subject to punishment including warning, fine, or suspension of qualification for investing in or operating an Internet audiovisual program service for up to five years.

Source: Xinhua, March 19, 2014
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2014-03/19/c_119850244.htm

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology

China to Complete Beidou Global Navigation System in Six Years

Yang Yuanxi, an academician from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said in an interview that China has successfully launched four Beidou experimental satellites and 16 Beidou navigation satellites, with the second stage of the Beidou Navigation Project – Beidou satellites regional networking – successfully accomplished. The level of the accuracy of the Beidou system in the Asia-Pacific region is no worse than the Global Positioning System (GPS), said Yang. He suggested that China accelerate the formulation of relevant industrial policies to improve the navigation industry and guide its orderly development.

Yang said, from the completion of the experimental system of Beidou in 2000, to official provision of continuous positioning, navigation, timing, and other services in the Asia Pacific region by the end of 2012, it took only a dozen years for China to join the club of only four major satellite positioning and navigation systems in the world. It is planned that around 2020, China will complete the Beidou global satellite navigation system of geostationary orbit satellites and 30 non-geostationary satellites, offering complete coverage with high-precision, highly reliable positioning navigation services.

Source: Xinhua, March 4, 2014
http://news.xinhuanet.com/info/2014-03/04/d_133158767.htm

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

China Youth Daily: Environmental Protection Draws the Most Public Attention

A China Youth Daily team that monitors online public opinions issued a report on February 27. The report, based on a calculation of the amount of keyword-tagged information that has appeared at various online platforms since March 2013, came up with the top ten hot topics of public opinion, namely: environmental protection, anti-corruption, social security, food and drug safety, the stability of (housing) prices, Internet regulation, reform of the household registration system, judicial reform, health care reform, and social mores.

The issue of "environmental protection" rose to the top of the list, with three times more online discussions than the No.2 issue of anti-corruption. Of the 68 million online discussions, more than 70 percent (70.8 percent) of the netizens focused on PM2.5, a measure of particles less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter found in the air, which are believed to pose the greatest health risk. With over 48 million discussions on the matter it had more than a one third (35.6 percent) jump over last year. China Youth Daily received responses to over 1,000 questionnaires on how to deal with the air pollution. Approximately one third (29.3 percent) of the respondents called on the Government to strengthen its regulatory responsibility.

The topic of "anti-corruption" and "social security" ranked No. 2 and No. 3. on the list. The amount of total online discussion was about 22 million each, with a difference of only 3 percent. These two issues have made the list three years in a row, but the change this year is that "anti-corruption" jumped to No.2.

Source: China Youth Daily, February 27, 2014
http://zqb.cyol.com/html/2014-02/27/nw.D110000zgqnb_20140227_1-03.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

The Chinese Communist Regime’s Strategies to Overpower the U.S.

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The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) ghost is still behind every building block of Chinese society, while China’s economy has expanded to a scale comparable to that of the U.S. People who live in a society that doesn’t require having to face the CCP in their daily lives tend to underestimate the Party’s impact.

Although the U.S. government and the American people have never been China’s enemy, due to their conflicting ideologies, U.S. democracy and its values have presented the biggest threat to the CCP’s continued existence. This has been particularly true since the CCP attempted economic openness at the international level, while still trying to keep its political system unchanged. How the communist regime views and treats U.S.-China relations has therefore become quite complex.

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Analyses | | |   Opinion

China to Fund Zimbabwe’s “Comprehensive Financial Package”

The government of Zimbabwe is looking to China to help fund its $27 billion plan to rebuild its economy. The Africa Report wrote on Wednesday that this fund would be more than twice the size of the economy of the impoverished southern African nation. The five-year plan will seek to improve basic services and revitalize the slowing economy.

On February 11, Zimbabwe’s Finance and Economic Development Minister Patrick Chinamasa and the Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe Lin Lin had signed the deal in Harare. As reported in People’s Daily, it included the loan amount of $23 million earmarked for the construction of clinics, primary and secondary schools in resettled areas acquired under the land reform program, as well as boreholes drilling and acquiring meteorological equipment.

Not revealing details, Chinamasa, who visited Beijing last month, said, "The government of the People’s Republic of China and the government of Zimbabwe are working towards a comprehensive financial package. (We) have committed ourselves to finalizing the matter within three months."

Zimbabwe had not been able to obtain funds from western governments and funding institutions such as the World Bank, as it had previously failed to repay billions of dollars in debt. Since 2005, the nation has adopted a “Look East” policy as a result, relying increasingly on emerging Asian economies to offset sanctions from traditional Western partners, People’s Daily reported.

China, on the other hand, is interested in the rich mineral resources in Zimbabwe, including the world’s second largest reserves of platinum, huge deposits of gold, alluvial diamonds, coal, and chrome. China had previously loaned nearly $700 million to Zimbabwe, in March 2011, the biggest package to date. In addition, last November, China’s Export Import Bank agreed to lend Zimbabwe $320 million to expand its Kariba hydro-power plant.

Source: BBC Chinese, February 11, 2014
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/china/2014/02/140211_zimbabwe_china.shtml

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

The Confucius Institute at the University of Sheffield

The following is from a recent Xinhua report about the Confucius Institute at The University of Sheffield, UK.

"In 2004, the first Confucius Institute was set up. Along with the development of China, within just ten years, Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms have emerged all over the world. Data shows that, as of now, 120 countries and regions on five continents have established 440 Confucius Institutes and 646 Confucius Classrooms, with 850,000 registered students."

"The management and operations of the Sheffield Confucius Institute at the University of Sheffield, UK is a cooperation of the University of Sheffield, the Beijing Language and Culture University, and Nanjing University. For nearly seven years, it has been an important center for the Chinese and English languages and cultural exchanges in the central and northern UK."

Zhao Xia, the Director of the Sheffield Confucius Institute and a Lecturer at the School of East Asian Studies of the University, stated, "We have partnered with the Sheffield City Council to organize three ‘out of the bookshelf’ Literary Festivals. We have also collaborated with the Sheffield City Department of Children and Family Services to hold Chinese traditional festivals and cultural activities at 26 libraries. Meanwhile, a number of activities and projects have been initiated, such as the Chinese New Year Painting Competition, the Chinese style photo contest, and library activities." In 2013, the Sheffield Confucius Institute held 149 cultural activities, reaching 18,000 people."

Wang Zhimin, Deputy Director of the Institute and a Professor from the Beijing Language and Culture University, added, "The Confucius Institute offers an opportunity for many Western students to understand Chinese culture and get in touch with Chinese music, movies, and other art forms." "China’s development supports and needs the global promotion of Chinese culture. We should be mindful of the current situation and fulfill our historic mission."

Source: Xinhua, February 10, 2014
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2014-02/10/c_119264730.htm

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Wu Jinglian: Chinese Economy This Year Will Face Difficulties

At the annual conference of Chinese Economists forum 50, Wu Jinglian, a prominent economist and a fellow at the Development Research Center of the State Council, expressed his view that China’s economy in 2014 will face difficulties and that what’s most important is to let the market play a decisive role in allocating resources. Wu believed that the debate around whether real estate is a "pillar industry" is by itself planned economy thinking. If the central bank continues to print money, housing prices will continue to climb. Wu noted that a very important aspect of furthering the reform is to prevent the outbreak of systematic risks. Regarding the local governments, he believes that the transition of their functions involves a lot of personal power and interests. Wu said that China’s economy this year will face difficulties because many problems, accumulated over the decades, need to be sorted out and resolved. For state-owned enterprises (SOE) reform, Wu believes it is important to pay attention to "near-death" enterprises, as a large number of highly indebted SOE’s still rely on subsidies to survive.

Source: Xinhuha, February 11, 2014
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2014-02/11/c_126111686.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

China’s Local Government Debt Climbed to 17.9 Trillion Yuan

China’s National Audit Office (NAO) announced on Monday that, by the end of June 2013, local government debt had increased to 17.9 trillion yuan, soaring 67 percent over the figure for three years ago.

According to the NAO’s last figure, for the end of 2010, the total debt of local governments in China was 10.7 trillion yuan. China’s local governments cannot borrow directly from banks. Their debt is built up mainly by establishing some financial entities and using these entities to borrow money for infrastructure projects. Government debt also includes financial guarantees for some projects.

If the debt of the central government is included, the Chinese government’s overall debt is 30.3 trillion yuan, accounting for 53.3 percent of GDP. Some analysts worry that the economic slowdown could lead to an increase in bad debts, thus putting pressure on large state-owned banks. The NAO report also points to an over-reliance on land related fiscal revenue as a cause of the rapid increase in local government debts.

Source: Voice of America, December 30, 2013
http://www.voachinese.com/content/china-local-government-20131230/1820431.html

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources