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China Intensified Internet Blockade during June 4 Period

On April 15, 1989, former Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Hu Yaobang died. Hu had worked to move China toward a more open political system and had become a symbol of democratic reform. By April 18, thousands of students had come to Tiananmen Square to mourn his passing. As more arrived, protests against corruption and for greater democracy ensued. The numbers grew; it is estimated that as many as one million Chinese, mostly students, came to Tiananmen. On June 4, 1989, the CCP used tanks and guns to crack down on the democracy demonstration. This event became known as the Tiananmen Massacre. Since then, every year during the June 4 anniversary, the CCP has been on alert and has taken extreme measures to prevent any form of protest.

According to Radio Free Asia (RFA), this year the CCP intensified its Internet blockade. Many Wechat accounts and even Facebook accounts were blocked. (Wechat is the most popular social media network phone application among Chinese). VPN software that people used to bypass the Internet blockade couldn’t connect to the Internet overseas either.

A netizen Zhu Xueqin said that she posted a video of pigs with a comment on Facebook:  “It is a grief to be a pig in China, but it is a greater grief to be a Chinese.” She was referring to a report that many pork producers fed pigs with chemicals to shorten the pig’s growth period from a year to only a few months. Her Facebook account was blocked.

Source: RFA, May 31, 2017
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/meiti/ql1-05312017102521.html

 

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Business Magnate and Media Editor-in-Chief Both Sued Guo Wengui

The story of Guo Wengui (郭文贵), a Chinese business tycoon who has been hiding in the U.S., now has a new episode. Guo fled from China because he feared being arrested for bribing officials. Once he came to the U.S., on multiple occasions, including in a VOA interview, Guo revealed the corruption of top level officials.

Guo accused Pan Shiyi (潘石屹), founder and Chairman of SOHO China, the largest prime office real estate developer in China, of bribing officials. Guo also accused Hu Shuli (胡舒立), Editor-in-Chief of Caixin media, which has published several articles exposing Guo’s bad deeds, of bribery and of having indecent relationships with high-ranking officials.

In New York in April, Hu Shuli filed a lawsuit against Guo for defaming her. In May, Pan Shiyi also filed a case against Guo in New York.

Guo claimed that he has a good relationship with an “old cadre.” Many people believe that “old cadre” refers to Zeng Qinghong, a former top Chinese Communist Party (CCP) official and the right-hand man of Jiang Zemin (the CCP’s former top leader).

Source: Sing Tao Daily, June 4, 2017
http://toronto.singtao.ca/1794955/2017-06-04/post-潘石屹胡舒立告郭文貴誹謗/?variant=zh-cn

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

RFA: Russia Fears China May Demand Its Territory

According to Radio Free Asia (RFA), Moscow based EurAsia Daily (EA Daily) reported that people in Russia and Tajikistan are worried that China may demand that the two countries return to China those territories it believes belong to China.

China raised the territory issue with Tajikistan in 2013 and then raised the issue again in 2016. Tajikistan’s archaeologists, historians, and scholars are afraid that China may someday take its land back.

The “China Threat” theory has been spread in Russia. One of the points is that “China will, sooner or later, request that Russia return its territory that Russia took by force.”

At the same time, some Chinese media exposed the fact that Jiang Zemin, the former Chinese Communist Party leader, voluntarily signed treaties to give up China’s territory to other countries, when there was no external pressure to do so.

{Editor’s note: There have been reports that Jiang Zemin gave up over 1 million square km (247 million acres) of China’s land to Russia, but he has silenced any reporting on this in China.}

Source: RFA, May 22, 2017
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/junshiwaijiao/lxy2-05222017153158.html

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Zhang Dejiang Rejected a Separation of Powers in Hong Kong

Zhang Dejiang, Chairman of the National People’s Congress stated on May 28, that Hong Kong will not have a separation of powers and that Beijing should place it under tighter control.

Zhang said that Hong Kong’s political system under the Basic Law “is not a separation of powers, nor is it legislation-driven or judiciary-driven. Rather it is an administration-driven (system) with the Chief Executive as the core.” The power relation between the central government and Hong Kong is “the relationship of authorizing and being authorized, but not one of split powers. “Under no circumstance should (anyone) fight over the central government’s power In the name of a high degree of autonomy.”

Zhang also criticized Hong Kong separatists.

Pro-democracy people in Hong Kong expressed their upset with Zhang’s claim. They stressed that Hong Kong has long been following a separation of powers and that is the foundation of Hong Kong’s success. They also questioned whether the Communist regime wants to implement “Beijingers rule Hong Kong” instead of “Hong Kongese rule Hong Kong.”

Source: Apple Daily
http://hkm.appledaily.com/detail.php?guid=20036207&category_guid=4104&category=daily&issue=20170528

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

North Korean Officials: China Is within the Range of North Korea’s Nuclear Attack

Chosun.com  (a major news media in South Korea), reported that an official from the Propaganda Incitement Department of North Korea’s Labor Party Central Committee claimed, “The recent successfully developed new rocket Hwasong-12 (Mars-12) is a nuclear transportation vehicle that can conduct attacks on the entire China.” He made the statements during a speech to the Ryanggang Provincial Party Committee members on May 20.

The speaker stated, “Mars-12 has successfully put China within our missile network,” and “(We) don’t have to fear China’s sanctions against North Korea.”

A source familiar with the situation said, “(Our media) disseminated threatening statements to China such as ‘There is no restriction to our attacks and nobody in the world can survive our attacks.” “China must have known very clearly that these rude remarks targeted itself.”

Source: Chosun.com
http://cnnews.chosun.com/client/news/viw.asp?cate=C01&mcate=M1001&nNewsNumb=20170547694&nidx=47695

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

China Confirmed the Arrest of Lee Ming-cheh, a Taiwan Citizen

On May 26, An Fengshan, a spokesperson for the State Taiwan Affairs Office in mainland China confirmed that China has arrested Lee Ming-cheh, a Taiwan citizen. Lee is an employee of a Non-Government Organization and a former volunteer for the Democratic Progressive Party in Taiwan.

An Fengshan stated that Lee was involved in the crime of “subversion of state power” and thus the police from Hunan Province arrested him. “State Security took forcible measures against Lee Ming-cheh accordingly to the law. After interrogation, Lee and others admitted that they had conducted activities to subvert our state security.”

The Mainland Affairs Council in Taiwan responded that the mainland’s statement was obscure and thus did not seem convincing to the Taiwan people or to the international community.

Source: China Times, May 27, 2017
http://www.chinatimes.com/cn/newspapers/20170527000776-260301

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Chinese Researcher: 70 Percent of Housing Price Goes to Local Government

Fu Guangjun, a Researcher at the State Administration of Taxation, reported that the local government takes away the majority of the proceeds from housing sales.

In Beijing, the land cost is 60 percent of the housing price. The business taxes on the real estate developers along with the house transaction fees account for another 10 percent. The Beijing government claims 70 percent of the housing price. Thus the developer’s is left with a profit of only 10 percent. Therefore, the key to reducing the housing price is to reduce the cost of the land.

Fu also pointed out a problem with the deed. In China, the deed has two parts: the certificate of ownership of the property and the certificate of the right to use the land. The land belongs to the state and the property owner only has a right to use the land for 70 years. This has created a conflict: the property ownership is a permanent ownership, but in reality the property can’t be used in perpetuity as the land right is fixed at 70 years, even though, in reality the land lasts forever.

Source: China.com, May 10, 2017
http://house.china.com.cn/newscenter/view/918289.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Tianjin Forces Non-Public Companies and Social Organizations to Create Political Commissar Position

Tianjin’s Working Committee on Non-Public Economic Organizations and Social Organizations recently held a meeting to launch an effort to set up the (Communist Party’s) Political Commissar position in all non-public organizations and social organizations.

“The meeting emphasized that creating the Political Commissar position is a political task designed to enhance the Communist Party’s presence in social organizations. It requested that organizations that are real business entities complete this task by the end of June and all other organizations complete it by the end of this year.”

Tianjin Attorney offices plan to complete it by May 20. In 2016, there were 5,918 attorneys and 678 attorney offices in Tianjin. 2,038 attorneys were Communist Party members.

Many people expressed disapproval of this news. Beijing human rights attorney Cheng Hai said, “It cannot last. What will the Political Commissar manage? People’s minds? Attorneys are supposed to follow the law and be responsible to the law (but not to the Political Commissar).”

A citizen in Guizhou Province commented, “The law obeys the Party. (This move) clarifies the relationship between the law and the Party.”

Sources:
1. Peoples’ Daily, May 13, 2017
http://tj.people.com.cn/n2/2017/0513/c375366-30177346.html
2. China.com, May 19, 2017
http://news.china.com/domestic/945/20170519/30545130_all.html#page_2
3. Epoch Times, May 19, 2017
http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/17/5/19/n9162824.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics