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Xi Jinping: We Absolutely Cannot Allow Splitting China

On August 1, China held the Celebration Party for the 90th Anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Xi Jinping gave a speech, stating “We absolutely will not allow any person, any organization, any party, at any time, using any means, to split any piece of China’s land from China. No one should expect that we will swallow the bitter result from the damage to our nation’s sovereignty, security, or development.”

Source: Duowei, July 31, 2017
http://news.dwnews.com/global/news/2017-07-31/60004426.html

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military Government/Politics

Chatbots Fixed for “Political Correctness”

The QQ social media platform (owned by Tencent) recently offered two chatbots for online conversations with people. However, it was found that they did not provide “politically correct” answers. On July 30, they were taken offline.

The two chatbots are Baby Q, developed by Tencent, and Xiao Bing, developed by Microsoft.

To the question, “Do you love the (Communist) Party?” Baby Q replied, “No, I don’t love it.”

When people asked Xiao Bing, “What is your China Dream?” Xiao Bing answered, “My China Dream is to immigrate to the U.S.! It is very real.”

They were put back in use a few days later. According to a Reuter’s test, they became very “cautious.”

When they were asked, “Do you love the Party?” this time, Baby Q answered, “Let’s change the subject.”

When Xiao Bing was asked about political affairs in China, it answered, “I’m too young to understand.”

When asked, “Is Taiwan a country?” Xiao Bing answered, “I don’t want to talk to you.”  {Editor’s note: After losing the civil war to the Chinese Communist Party in 1949, the Kuomintang retreated to Taiwan. From the perspective of mainland China (the Communist Regime), Taiwan is not a county but a part of China that is yet to be reunited with China.)

When typing “democracy” or “Xi Jinping,” Xiao Bing answers, “Let’s change the topic,” or “The wind is so loud that I can’t hear what you are saying!”

Sources:
1. VOA, August 2, 2017
https://www.voachinese.com/a/china-chatbox-20170802/3969872.html
2. Epoch Times, August 4, 2017
http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/17/8/4/n9497916.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

People’s Daily: The Meaning of “Greetings, Chairman!”

Xi Jinping inspected the large-scale of military parade in Inner Mongolia on July 30, 2017, for the 90th anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Xi changed the greeting between himself (the inspector) and the soldiers to Xi’s stating, “Greetings, comrades!” and the troops’ shouting back, “Greetings, Chairman!”

This is the second time that Xi used this greeting. The first time was when Xi inspected the military parade in Hong Kong on June 30 this year.

In the past, the greeting was, “Greetings, comrades” and the response was, “Greetings, leader!”

People’s Daily published an article on its overseas website Haiwai Net to comment on the significance of the change to, “Greetings, Chairman!”

“China National Radio’s military commentator Luu Xicheng commented that this reflected the system that the Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) is in charge. The troops’ shouting ‘Greetings, Chairman!’ highlighted the key identity of the CMC Chairman and demonstrated the entire army’s attitude and will to follow the Chairman’s orders.”

Zhai Xiaomin, Professor of the PLA’s International Relations Institute commented that the CMC Chairman occupies a significant position in the military structure. “The current military reform structure ensures the implementation of the system that the CMC Chairman is in charge.” “PLA is an army under the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) direction. ‘The (Communist) Party directs the gun.’ ‘Greetings, Chairman!’ shows the CCP’s principle of controlling the army from the political direction. It is a manifestation of the Party’s absolute control over the army.”

{Editor’s note: There are two CMCs in China. One is the state CMC and one is the CCP’s CMC. These two CMCs are just two name plates belonging to the same person. The CCP’s CMC is what most of the people refer to. Thus Professor Zhai thinks “Greetings, Chairman” has a political implication.

The Chinese term “主席” could mean either the Chairman of the CMC or the President of China. The People’s Daily article clarified that it meant the CMC Chairman.

Source: Haiwai Net, August 2, 2017
http://opinion.haiwainet.cn/n/2017/0802/c353596-31049372.html

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military Government/Politics

Comments on China’s Military Parade

On July 30, 2017, China held a large-scale military parade at Zhurihe, Inner Mongolia  for the 90th anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Around 12,000 soldiers participated in the parade. They demonstrated over 600 sets of military equipment (including tanks and missiles) and flew over 100 airplanes.

The following are comments from some overseas Chinese media:

BBC:

The Communist Party showcased its military power. Part of it was to send a warning to India and to the U.S., but mainly, it was to secure Xi Jinping’s leadership position. In (the CCP’s) culture, power is secured by the gun. Whoever controls the military and the police becomes the top leader. This was Xi demonstrating his power; the goal was to warn his political opponents: He has a stable power base and he is the big boss. He can make the calls for official’s appointments at Communist Party’s 19th Party National Congress.

VOA:

From China Central Television’s (CCTV)’s video of the Zhurihe military base, people could see a simulation of the building of the President’s Palace of Taiwan in the background. China purposely didn’t hide it, so as to send a warning message to Taiwan.

Duowei:

Xi gave four requirements to the parade troops. First, “Adhere to the fundamental principle and system that the (Communist) Party has absolute control over the military. (The Military should) always listen to the Party and follow the Party.” Second, “Adhere to the goal of serving the people and always stand alongside the people.” Third, “Adhere to the fundamental standard of combat capability and focus on preparing for wars.” Fourth, “Adhere to building the army via political management, reform, technology, and the rule of law.”

“Adhering to the Communist Party’s absolute control over the military” is the political core intent of this military parade.

Epoch Times:

Five issues can be observed from the military parade:

1. This was the first time that the Communist Party held a military parade on the PLA’s anniversary.

2. This was the first time to focus on real combat. Soldiers wore camouflage instead of formal uniforms. They ran to their positions instead of walking in parade steps. Xi Jinping also wore camouflage.

3. Fan Changlong, the Vice Chairman of the CMC, called Xi Jinping the “Superior Leader” (领袖) and “Commander-in-Chief” (统帅). It showed that Xi has secure his position and in his power over the military.

4. This was a show of power in front of the upcoming Party’s 19th National Congress, during the in-fight between Xi Jinping and former leader Jiang Zemin and his faction.

5. It also served as warning to certain countries around China.

Sources:
1. BBC, July 31, 2017
http://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/press-review-40781062
2. VOA, July 31, 2017
https://www.voachinese.com/a/xi-military-20170731/3966404.html
3. Duowei, July 29, 2017
http://news.dwnews.com/china/news/2017-07-29/59827853.html
4. Epoch Times, July 30, 2017
http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/17/7/30/n9479244.htm

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military Government/Politics

YouTube: Student Debated with Teacher That Marxism Is Not Traditional China Culture

When a YouTube video was shown in a classroom, a Chinese student stood up to criticize Marxism as not being from China’s traditional culture.

The student said, “With a consciousness that a scholar must have, I want to tell the truth: We are not Chinese! Why? Because what is filled in our brains is the Soviet Union’s version of Marxism, but not the true traditional Chinese culture that talks about the unity of Heaven and man.”

Source: YouTube

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

CCDI Official: “Prince Qing” Hints about Someone Today

Beijing Daily published an article suggesting that an article published in 2015 on the website of the Communist Party’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) used a historical figure to refer to someone who is a corrupt high-ranking official today.

The two-year old article was “Problems with the Lifestyle of the Qing Dynasty’s ‘Naked Official’ Prince Qing.” It was published on the CCDI website on February 25, 2015. While the article criticized a corrupt official from the Qing Dynasty, it created a lot of discussion and many people surmised that it referred to some current or retired official in the present day. Caixin even mentioned the name of Zeng Qinghong, a former high-rank official and the right man of ex-Communist Party chief Jiang Zemin.

The newer article that Beijing Daily published discussed the 2015 article’s author Xi Hua (习骅). Xi is a high-ranking CCDI official, serving as the Deputy Chief of the Discipline Inspection Team at the State Auditing Administration. Xi is a famous writer at the CCDI and has published over 30 anti-corruption related articles on the CCDI website.

“Among those articles, the one that other media republished the most was, ‘Problems with the Lifestyle of the Qing Dynasty’s “Naked Official” Prince Qing.’”

“This is how Xi Hua sees his writing, ’On the surface I was telling a story, but actually I was commenting on current affairs.’ As more and more people read Xi’s articles, they are continually trying to find out which official (in today’s world) Xi was referring to in his writing. Regarding this situation, Xi said, ‘It shows that people are thinking. This was my original goal when I wrote (those stories).”

Beijing Daily’s article was published under its WeChat account Changan Street Zhishi (长安街知事).  Changan Street Zhishi has focused on reporting current political affairs and has written many political observation articles.

Sources

1. Sina, July 22, 2017
http://news.sina.com.cn/c/nd/2017-07-22/doc-ifyihmmm8070290.shtml
2. Chinascope
http://chinascope.org/archives/3475

Caixin: Who Is the “Big Tiger” That the CCDI Talked About?

3. CCDI Website, February 25, 2015
http://www.ccdi.gov.cn/yw/201502/t20150215_51495.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Party Magazine on “Xi Jinping Thought”

Several media reported that the Research on Party Building magazine, a monthly publication on Communist theory, published an article in its July edition on “Xi Jinping Thought.”

The article stated that, since the 18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, General Secretary of the Party, Xi Jinping, “made a series of speeches on economic reform; development; stability; domestic policies; diplomacy; defense; the management of the Party, state, and the military, and formed a series of new concepts, new thoughts, and new strategies to manage the country. He has thus further enriched the Party’s scientific theories.”

“The innovative theories since the Party’s 18th National Congress, which can be called Xi Jinping Thoughts, are the new result of localizing Marxism in China and developing the Socialist Theory with Chinese Characteristics.”

The Chinese Communist terminology has identified “Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, and Deng Xiaoping Theory.” Party leaders Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao who were the top rulers between Deng Xiaoping and Xi Jinping, had some terms used under their names, but not this significant.

However, it seems that now, this article is no longer searchable.

Source: Lianhe Zaobao, July 17, 2017
http://prd.zaobao.com/news/china/story20170717-779571

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Xi Jinping’s New Titles

Recently Chinese media have given Xi Jinping several new titles.

A Xinhua article called him “the Supreme Commander of the people’s army” (人民军队最高统帅). “As the core of the Party’s Central Committee, the core of the whole Party, and the Supreme Commander of the people’s army, Xi Jinping …”

A China Central Television’s (CCTV’s) program called Xi Jinping “the Country’s Highest Leader” (国家最高领袖). The first episode of CCTV’s political commentary program “Continuing Reform to the End” stated, “Right before the Chinese New Year of 2017, people again felt the deep and warm care from the country’s Highest Leader.”

Radio France International also reported that some think tankers in China called Xi “the Chief Architect” (总设计师). This term was widely used to praise Deng Xiaoping as the “Chief Architect” of reform and opening up. Those think tankers called Xi “the third politician that qualifies as the Chief Architect (after Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping)” and “the Chief Architect that has made the historic leap in localizing Marxism in China.”

Sources:

1. Xinhua, July 10, 2017
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2017-07/10/c_1121295961.htm
2. Xinhua, July 17, 2017
http://news.xinhuanet.com/video/2017-07/17/c_129657476.htm
3. Radio France International, July 20, 2017
http://cn.rfi.fr/中国/20170720-中共19大前的习近平崇拜

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics