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Beijing Police Chief: Strike Hard against Online Political Rumors and Attacks on the Current Regime

Between the end of July and August 31, 2012, Beijing City will launch a summer Internet environment remediation campaign. According to Fu Zhenghua, the head of Beijing’s Public Security Bureau, actions involving use of the Internet to traffic prohibited goods, to manufacture and spread political rumors, and to attack the Party and government leaders as well as the current regime will be subject to a harsh crackdown.

The police force has set up Internet law enforcement accounts at 239 major Beijing based websites. Reportedly, 3,916 web related violations have been uncovered and 5,007 suspects have been arrested. Fu also emphasized that websites that regularly disseminate harmful information will be put on a “black list,” and that 110  reporting icons (phone numbers for reporting to the police) should be set up on major microblogging sites,

Source: Jinghua Daily, reprinted on Xinhua, July 26, 2012
http://news.xinhuanet.com/legal/2012-07/26/c_123469957.htm

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology

Hu Jintao: Support Africa in Five Key Areas

On July 19, 2012, in Beijing, Chinese president Hu Jintao attended the opening ceremony of the Fifth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. Hu said that, in the next three years, the Chinese government will promote the new China-Africa strategic partnership and will take measures to support African peace and development in five key areas.

First, expand cooperation in investment and financing. China will provide a US$20 billion line of credit, with a focus on supporting African infrastructure, agriculture, and manufacturing and development of SMEs. Second, continue to expand aid to Africa, including building more agricultural technology centers, training 30,000 professionals for Africa, providing 18,000 government scholarships, and setting up cultural and vocational and technical training facilities; China will provide a 1500-person medical team. Third, build a cooperative partnership with Africa in cross-border inter-regional infrastructure construction; encourage able Chinese companies and financial institutions to be involved in African cross-border inter-regional infrastructure construction; help African countries improve customs and commodity inspection; and promote regional trade. Fourth, support and promote bilateral exchanges and cooperation of non-governmental organizations, women, and youth; set up a "China-Africa News Exchange Center” in China, to support the news agencies with both sides exchanging reporters; continue to implement the" China-Africa Joint Research and Exchange Program” to fund academic institutions and scholars on both sides to carry out 100 academic research, exchange, and cooperation projects. Fifth, China will launch a "Sino-Africa Peace and Security Partnership Initiative," to deepen its cooperation with the African Union and African countries in the field of peace and security, provide financial support to the AU peacekeeping operation, build a standing army, and increase trainings for peace and security officials and the number of peacekeepers for the AU.

Source: Xinhua, July 19, 2012
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2012-07/19/c_112477365.htm

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

People’s Daily: Washington Should Restrain Its Impulse to Preach about Democracy

China’s state-run media hit back at U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the comments she made calling for greater democracy in Asia. The official People’s Daily ran an editorial, “Washington Should Restrain Its Impulse to Preach about Democracy.” The editorial stated:

“Who gave the Americans the position to comment on democracy in Asia in such an arrogant manner? Americans may not want to dwell on this issue and may even think that this is a question that should not be asked. It is precisely the illusion on this issue that may lead to the failure of the U.S. strategy of ‘returning to Asia.’”

“Some of the U.S.’s recent practices were apparently designed to prove the legitimacy of its dominant position in Asia. Engaging in military exercises and increasing its troops stationed in the region were to shape its role as security provider; holding the banner of ‘democracy’ and ‘human rights’ was to maintain its so-called moral leadership.”

“However, the more the U.S. cannot wait to do this, the more it can be seen that the U.S. is worried about losing something in Asia. There are two issues that caused Washington not to understand the reason why the U.S. feels it has alienated Asia and needs to ‘return’: on the one hand, in a relative sense, the U.S. has reduced its investment in this region; on the other hand, the region’s political and economic structure has undergone significant changes, so the position of the U.S. will be different.”

“If the U.S. moves against the general trend of cooperation in Asia, if it always shows up acting the role of preacher, if it always condescends to find fault with democracy in Asia and even wants to form a ‘team’ to contain the development of China, it will ultimately become marginalized.”

Source: People’s Daily, July 12, 2012
http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/html/2012-07/12/nw.D110000renmrb_20120712_1-03.htm

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

China ExIm Bank Finances Press and Publication’s “Going Out” Activities

On July 3, China’s General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) and the Export-Import Bank of China reached an agreement in Beijing on “cooperation to support and foster key enterprises and key projects of the press and publication industry’s going out strategy.” GAPP’s president Liu Binjie and China’s ExIm Bank’s president Li Ruogu signed the agreement. It allows the Export-Import Bank of China to provide no less than 20 billion yuan (US$3.14 billion) or its equivalent in foreign currency financing to support and promote the press and publishing enterprises’ overseas activities in the coming five years.

According to the People’s Daily report, the Export-Import Bank in recent years has “conscientiously implemented the Party’s Central Committee and State Council’s series of instructions on promoting the development of culture industries and making full use of a range of financial instruments to lead the financial industry in supporting the international development of culture industries.” As of the end of 2011, the Export-Import Bank of China had supported the international development of culture industries through different types of loan contracts amounting to nearly 26 billion yuan ($US4.10 billion).

Source: People’s Daily, July 4, 2012
http://politics.people.com.cn/n/2012/0704/c70731-18444926.html

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Another Round of Training for New Grassroots Police Chiefs

Starting from June 26, 2012, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) launched a training session for the country’s 1,400 city and county level public security bureau chiefs, some some of whom are newly-appointed. According to the website of MPS, one of the goals of the training is to “accomplish the task of safeguarding the eighteenth National Congress of Chinese Communist Party.”

Since 2009, MPS has conducted trainings in Beijing for more than 3,000 county-level and 500 city-level public security bureau chiefs, nearly 1,000 of the CCP’s heads of Discipline Inspection and heads of Political Departments in provincial and city level public security authorities, 1,500 who are in leadership positions in charge of intelligence, law enforcement standardization, and community relations, and 6,000 grassroots policemen. The Ministry also made arrangements for provincial level public security authorities to train 70,000 grassroots police officials on a rotational basis.

Source: Website of the Ministry of Public Security, June 28, 2012
http://www.mps.gov.cn/n16/n1237/n1342/n803715/3312623.html

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

PLA Officials Required to Report Personal Assets

PLA Daily reported on Thursday, June 21, 2012, that China’s military officers who are ranked above secondary regiment grade will be required to report their incomes and real estate assets, as well as their investment information.

The new amendment to the regulation on military officers’ personal information reports addresses President Hu Jintao’s order on discipline and on fighting corruption in the military.

The amendment also includes regulations that deal with the review, investigation, and approval of the reports of officials personal information.

Source: PLA Daily, June 21, 2012
http://www.chinamil.com.cn/jfjbmap/content/2012-06/21/content_8040.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Political and Legislative Affairs Committee ‘s Massive Training Concludes

The Central Political and Legislative Affairs Committee (PLAC) is the organization under the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee that oversees all judicial affairs in the country. It stands above the prosecution, the courts, and the secret police, controlling the People’s Armed Police and the regular police force. Zhou Yongkang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CCP and a close confidant of former president Jiang Zemin, heads the PLAC. Members of the Central PLAC include the Minister of Public Security, the president of the Supreme Court, the Attorney General, the Minister for State Security, the Justice Minister, and the commander of the Armed Police.

From March to mid-June this year, the Central PLAC organized six training sessions for 3,300 chiefs of its different branches at the provincial, city, and county level. The training emphasized “unswervingly adhering to the Party’s leadership.” The lecturers at the trainings were reportedly minister-level Party or government officials from the Central PLAC, the Supreme Court, the Supreme Procuratorate, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of State Security, and the Ministry of Justice. Courses focused on exercising societal control and handling social conflicts.

Source: Xinhua, June 13, 2012
http://news.xinhuanet.com/legal/2012-06/13/c_123275309.htm

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

China Offers $10 billion Loan to SCO Members

On June 7, 2012, President Hu Jintao announced in Beijing that China will offer a loan of $10 billion to members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to promote economic development within the security group. Hu also said that China will help train 1,500 experts from other member countries over the next three years. It will also provide 30,000 government scholarships and invite 10,000 Confucius Institute teachers and students to come to China for research and study over the next decade.

The Beijing-based SCO was founded in Shanghai on June 15, 2001, and currently has six full members — China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India, Pakistan, Iran and Mongolia have observer status in the SCO.

Source: Xinhua, June 7, 2012
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2012-06/07/c_112143358.htm

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend