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RFA: A Thousand Workers Renounce Their Membership in the CCP

According to Radio Free Asia (RFA), the Human Right Defender’ website quoted a report about the Dyeing and Weaving Factory in Xiangtan City, Hunan Province, which is an old state-owned enterprise in Central China. Just a few days before the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was to celebrates its 94th anniversary on July 1, all of the members of the Communist Party at the factory renounced their membership in the CCP. Some of them had been Party members for decades.

There has long been a problem since the government stopped providing retirement benefits to the factory’s retirees. Employees of the factory appealed many times and even confronted the government many times. Each time they were suppressed. When the people became completely desperate, all Party members at the factory decided to renounce their membership in the Party.

Sources:
Radio Free Asia, June 29, 2015
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/Xinwen/5-06292015111801.html
Human Rights Defenders, June 29, 2015
http://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2015/06/blog-post_375.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Phoenix TV Website: China’s Bull Market Is a Long Term Necessity

 Liu Shan, deputy editor-in-chief of China Business Times, reported on an interview of an anonymous "authoritative insider" on the Chinese economy. People’s Daily published the interview on its front page on May 25. Then on May 26, the Hong Kong based Phoenix Television’s website carried an analysis of the interview.

One of the things that People’s Daily indicated in the interview, according to Liu, is that "China’s bull market is a long term necessity."

People’s Daily‘s interview of the "authoritative insider," when commenting on China’s economic downturn, acknowledged the vital effect of investment on economic growth, "At this stage of China’s development, whether savings can be transferred to investment will be the key to stable economic growth. Given the high rate of household savings, the Chinese people are having trouble getting a sustainable return on assets. At the same time, the real economy and key construction projects lack sufficient funding. More financing channels need be explored to tap into the potential of private capital and to transfer more savings into investment."

It is clear from the "authoritative insider" that the public needs sustainable income from savings and the real economy need financing. The most straight-forward approach is to increase direct financing. This can only be done through the capital market; that is, by directing savings into the pre-IPO market, the equity market, and the bond market so as to generate income based on people’s cash assets. As a result, sustaining a healthy bull market should have been a strategic decision of the central government, rather than a short term expediency.

The central government would also like to achieve the dual effect of stabilizing growth while reducing leverage. Again this approach would effectively increase direct financing. Through direct financing, banks’ loan-deposit ratio could be lowered. We consider that reducing leverage on equity financing by the regulatory authorities is not meant to suppress the equity market. Instead, it is meant to prevent the bubble from growing too fast to lead to a sudden burst. If regulatory measures are appropriate, we expect this round of bull market will last at least three years.

Source: Pheonix TV Online, May 26, 2015
http://finance.ifeng.com/news/special/xiaobg74/

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

PLA Major General’s Ten Questions to U.S. Defense Secretary Carter

In response to U.S. Defense Secretary Carter’s demand that China stop building islands in the South China Sea and his announcement that U.S. warships and planes will continue to patrol that area, the Global Times published an article with ten questions that Luo Yuan, a PLA Major General, would ask Carter.

1. Since war is the continuation of politics, has the South China Sea political game come to the point where the U.S. and China must now have a hard clash with each other? Since the U.S. suffers no fundamental damage to its core interests in the South China Sea, why does the U.S. want to sacrifice her own soldiers for another country?

2. If indeed there is a fight, is the U.S. absolutely sure that it will win?

3. Even if the U.S. wins an accidental fight, is it prepared for the escalation and a long-term war, if China does not want to accept the loss?

4. The battle between China and the U.S. will mean the world order needs to be rebalanced. Is the U.S. ready for that?

5. Is it beneficial to the U.S.’ national interest to change the Sino-U.S. relationship from cooperation to confrontation?

6. The economic interests of China and the U.S. have been tightly woven together. To hurt China is to hurt the U.S. Also, China has more economic cards than the U.S.

7. If there is a conflict between China and the U.S., the Chinese people will have a strong anti-U.S. sentiment.

8. Japan expanded its islands in the East Sea and some other countries changed the islands in the South China Sea. Why didn’t the U.S. ask them to stop?

9. The Asia-Pacific region is the world’s economic growth engine. If there is turmoil, is it a good thing for the world and for the U.S.?

10. On the U.S. strategic balance, which one is heavier – China or some small countries that only care about their own interests and fight for nonsense?

"The above [questions] are not threats, but kind reminders. They are the logical consequences of Carter’s hard words. The U.S. is a practical country. We hope it will think twice before taking any action."

Source: Global Times Online, June 1, 2015
http://opinion.huanqiu.com/opinion_world/2015-06/6559888.html

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Chinese Review News: Are Sino-U.S. Relations In Winter?

China Review News published a commentary that stated, "Recently, conflicts have continually emerged between China and the U.S."

"First, the U.S. and the Philippines held a joint naval exercise near the islands over which both China and the Philippines claim sovereignty. Second, the U.S. has pressured China to stop its island-building in the South China Sea and sent planes and ships to go inside the 12 nautical miles of those islands (which is considered China’s water and air-space). Secretary of State Kerry’s visit to China did not cool things down. He didn’t reach an agreement with China on the island-building issue. His statement on deploying the THAAD missile defense system, when visiting South Korea after his China trip, further hurt China’s nerves."

The U.S. media have also stirred things up. They exaggerated the military threat from China and have re-cooked the Chinese spy cases. They called Li Keqiang’s visit to Latin America confronting the U.S. in its own backyard and said that Xi Jinping’s attending Russia’s Victory Day Parade was China and Russia joining forces to counter the U.S.

"Though China and the U.S. have already established a coordination mechanism at multiple levels, that didn’t help stop the disputes from escalating. The U.S.’ pressing attitude and its dogmatic rhetoric made it lose sincerity when communicating with China. Its media further stirred up issues and added more barriers to resolution, leaving both sides unwilling to take the first step to ease the tension." "This could be a lose-lose battle for both sides."

Source: China Review News, May 24, 2015
http://hk.crntt.com/doc/1037/6/4/0/103764032.html?coluid=136&kindid=4710&docid=103764032&mdate=0524000307

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Chinese Scholars on the Sino-U.S. Relationship

Chinese Review News hosted a forum at its headquarters in Beijing on, "The Development and Deepening the Sino-U.S. Relationship." Below are some scholars’ comments.

Shi Yinhong of Renmin University of China: Since he took the top leadership position, Xi Jinping has changed the direction of China’s foreign policy. He has expanded military power and promoted China’s ocean sovereignty. This has gained him the people’s support and the consolidation of his power within China. However, it came at quite some cost [with the U.S.].

Lv Dehong of the China Foundation for International and Strategic Studies: The U.S.’s biggest problem in its Sino-U.S. policy is that it does not see its own problem. It has long insisted on its own viewpoint, its own logic, and its own policy. It pursues its own interests. It has done many things that hurt others, because its policy does not recognize the interests of other countries.

Yuan Zheng of the China Academy of Social Science: [I would like to make] a few points on the direction of China’s foreign diplomacy. First, China’s nationalism will continue to rise and its foreign policy will take a more hardline approach. Second, as China’s power continues to rise, China will have a greater influence in international affairs. Third, the U.S. thinks that, though China is more active in diplomatic activities, China’s current and future focus is still China. Fourth, the U.S. is worried about China’s recent actions.

Liu Feitao of the China Institute of International Studies: The public in the U.S. is more concerned than the government about the military side of the Sino-U.S. relationship. No matter which party in the U.S. wins the next election, it will take a harderline approach towards China. The U.S. has more strategic worries about China than China has about the U.S.

Source: China Review News, May 21, 2015
http://hk.crntt.com/doc/1037/6/1/0/103761001.html?coluid=1&kindid=0&docid=103761001&mdate=0521001004

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

RFA: What Did Wang Qishan Want to Tell People?

Radio Free Asia published a commentary on Wang Qishan’s meeting with three foreign scholars on April 23. The scholars were the renowned political scientist Francis Fukuyama, economist Masahiko Aoki, and former Citic Securities manager Tatsuhito Tokuchi. Wang was talking most of the time. Afterwards, Tatsuhito Tokuchi, Wang’s long-time friend, published Wang’s speech on the Internet. Chinese media did not publish it.

"A key message that Wang passed on in this meeting was that his anticorruption campaign faces severe difficulties." People being targeted as well as a large number of officials are against this "selective" anticorruption and the rapid expansion of Wang’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. Now the campaign has reached a stalemate. If Wang stops, the public will be disappointed and the result may be social turmoil. If he proceeds, some cliques will fight back and even fight to the death.

"Another key message in this talk was that Wang promised his opponents that he does not seek a complete systematic reform that will fundamentally prevent corruption."

"It is rare for a politburo standing committee member to have a discussion with visiting foreign scholars. Wang’s high-profile meeting with them and the posting of his talk through an official channel is a big taboo for high-ranking Party officials. This, on the one hand, reflected that he could not easily find friends in the Party. On the other hand, it showed that he does not need to be bound by the rules since Xi Jinping relies on him so heavily."

Source: RFA Online, May 15, 2015
http://www.rfa.org/cantonese/commentaries/hushaojiang_com-05152015083428.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Hong Kong Trend Magazine: Retribution for the “Iron Hat King”

The Trend Magazine, which is based in Hong Kong, published a commentary in its May issue to discuss the argot of the "Iron Hat King." "The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) likes to play political games by using argot to criticize someone without disclosing his name." The Chinese media have stated that there is no "Iron Hat King" in the anticorruption campaign [a king whose descendants would always enjoy the royal king title], which translates to mean that top officials will always be subject to corruption charges.

The article suggested that Jiang Zemin (the "core" of the CCP’s third generation of leaders, who was installed by Deng Xiaoping after the Tiananmen Square Massacre) is the "Iron Hat King." He has built up his clique, with Zeng Qinghong (the "Qing Prince") to control the Party’s affairs, Bo Xilai as the crown prince, Guo Boxiong and Xu Caihou to cover the military, and Zhou Yongkang to oversee the police. However, his (Jiang’s) secret was exposed when Wang Lijun came to the U.S. Consulate in 2012. Now the new leaders’ large-scale anticorruption campaign has trapped him in Shanghai, where he can barely survive.

The article further suggested that the CCP’s first three top leaders all had their "two legacies" [to preserve]. Mao Zedong’s legacies were the taking-over of China from the Kuomintang and the Cultural Revolution. Deng Xiaoping’s were the economic reform and the crackdown on the June 4th movement. Jiang has also worried about two things: The June 4th democratic movement can never be redressed and the suppression of Falun Gong cannot be stopped. "This big tiger is very clear: if the Party stops bearing those criminal actions for him, he will die badly."

Source: Cheng Ming Online
http://www.chengmingmag.com/t357/t357-ed/t357ed.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Qiushi: Deepening Reform Must Include the Party’s Absolute Leadership

Qiushi published an article promoting deepening the reform and even expanding it from economics to the political arena, to culture, and to the social system. However, the article stated that two parts comprise the overall goal of the reform: "Improving and developing the Socialist Path with Chinese Characteristics, and advancing the national governance systems and governance modernization." The first part sets the fundamental direction.

It includes things such as "One Center and Two Basic Points" (economic development was the central focus; it should occur through 1) centralized political control – i.e., the Four Cardinal Principles [the socialist road, the people’s democratic dictatorship, the leading role of the Party, and Marxism-Leninism-Mao Zedong thought] – and 2) economic reforms and opening up). It also includes the socialist market economy, keeping public ownership for the majority of the economy, the People’s congress system, multi-party cooperation, and the political consultation system under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Marxist leadership, and the CCP’s absolute leadership over the military. Not only can these not be changed, but they should also be enhanced.

"We must improve our political determination and must not make subversive errors on fundamental issues."

Source: Qiushi Online, Mary 15, 2015
http://www.qstheory.cn/dukan/qs/2015-05/15/c_1115245799.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics