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Wenweipo: Police Arrested Participants at a Local Political Consultative Conference in Chengdu

Hong Kong-based Wenweipo reported that the police interrupted the Jinniu District’s Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Chengdu City, Sichuan Province and arrested both reporters and staff members.

The reason was that they discussed Li Chuncheng, one of Zhou Yongkang’s confidants. Li had been the Deputy Party Secretary of Sichuan Province. In 2012, he was taken down as a "tiger" and was charged with corruption.

On February 10, 2015, at the closing ceremony of the Fourth Session of the Sixth Jinniu District CPPCC, Vice Chairman Shen Yong proposed: "For a long time, Li Chuncheng interfered with the Jinniu District’s work and caused adverse effects. All CPPCC members should make more suggestions and conduct democratic monitoring to cleanse Li’s bad influence." The majority of the CPPCC members seconded the proposal.

However, officials from the Jinniu District didn’t like this proposal. The CPPCC’s Chairman voted against it. The Party Secretary (the number one official in the district) skipped his speech and just stated, "The vote is invalid," and, "The meeting is adjourned." All leaders from the Party committee, the district government, the people’s congress, and the CPPCC, except Shen Yong, left the conference.

The Police came in. They stopped the meeting and arrested several reporters and staff members. Shen Yong was detained and investigated for corruption.

The closing ceremony was held on the next day, without any mention of Li Chuncheng.

Source: Wenweipo Online, March 23, 2015
http://news.wenweipo.com/2015/03/23/IN1503230036.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

China Demands That the Dalai Lama Reincarnate

Some discussion has gone back and forth recently between Beijing and the Dalai Lama as to whether he will reincarnate after he passes away. Since last year, the Dalai Lama has expressed several times that the decision is up to the Tibetan people and he might not reincarnate if they feel it is not relevant. Beijing, however, has criticized his decision as "a betrayal to the country (China) and a betrayal of Tibetan Buddhism."

Tibetan Buddhism follows the "Living Buddha Reincarnation" system. When the current Dalai Lama leaves this world, his soul comes back to life through a young child. Traditionally, the Tibetan government and the Dalai Lama’s close followers search and identify the child. Then the Central Government (China) acknowledges the child officially as the Dalai Lama. These days, the Dalai Lama has expressed that he does not want any person or power, including China, to choose his successor out of "political motivation."

After the Dalai Lama expressed his desire to cease the reincarnation process, on December 18, 2014, Zhu Weiqun, Director of Religion of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and former Deputy Minister of the CCP’s United Front Work Department, criticized the Dalai Lama for this "double betrayal." He stated, "Only the Central Government can decide the existence or abolition of the Dalai Lama system. It is not something that the 14th Dalai Lama can decide."

Again, on March 11, 2015, at the national conference of the CPPCC, Zhu again blamed the Dalai Lama for the "double betrayal." He said the Dalai Lama was "irresponsible" and "showed no respect toward religion and the country (China)."

Lobsang Sangay, the head of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile countered, "The Chinese government’s determination of the reincarnation candidate is the equivalent of Fidel Castro saying, ‘I will appoint the next Pope; therefore, all Catholics should follow him.’ It is that ridiculous."

An Internet comment said, "The religious leader wants to terminate reincarnation, but the atheist Party scolded him harshly (and won’t allow him to do so). I can’t understand this at all."

Sources:
1. Deutsche Welle Online, March 11, 2015
http://www.dw.de/中国政协高官再次高调抨击达赖喇嘛/a-18307177
2. World Journal, December 18, 2014
http://www.worldjournal.com/39616/article-達賴喇嘛要結束轉世-無神論中共怒斥/

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Study Times: Developing Battlefields for Future Warfare in Different Spaces

Study Times published an article discussing how to develop the capability to build and enhance the battlefields for future warfare that may take place in different spaces.

Outer Space: Send more military satellites to occupy the diminishing number of space orbit tracks and spectrums, develop outer space battle and support exercises, and, in particular, develop a multi-approach space surveillance system for space threat warnings.

The Internet: In addition to developing infrastructure, there is a need to develop Internet surveillance capability, create a global Internet map, establish attack positions for global network warfare, and develop strategic preparations for large-scale network warfare.

The North and South Poles: Increase research activities in the polar areas and gradually build the polar bases’ infrastructure.

Deep-Sea Space: Build deep-sea exploration equipment and deep-sea research centers; create a deep-sea military and establish surveillance bases; deploy deep-sea weapons; improve the capability of deep-sea communication, supply, repair, and rescue.

Underground Space: Improve the protective camouflage system and also improve underground construction capabilities.

Source: Study Times, March 9, 2015
http://www.studytimes.cn/shtml/xxsb/20150309/9691.shtml

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

Chinese Business Wisdom: The End of China’s Real Estate Developers

Chinese Business Wisdom published an article asserting that China’s real estate boom is ending. It started with the resignation of Mao Daqing, CEO of the Beijing Region of China Vanke Co., Ltd., who decided to jump ship and resign from Vanke on March 8. Vanke is the most successful privately owned real estate company in China.

The article quoted a financial analyst who stated that some real estate developers have taken their un-sold houses and sold them to their own employees. They encouraged their employees to buy as many houses as they could and also to apply for bank loans. "This might be the last money the developers will get. If the situation gets worse, these developers will run and leave the problems to their employees and the banks."

The analyst’s suggestion for Vanke’s strategy? "(They should) build as much as they can on the land they have already obtained, sell as much as they can of their overstocked houses, and close the company when they can’t sell anymore."

The government is still encouraging real estate purchases and keeps buying overstocked inventories from developers. However, "apart from the first-tier cities and cities with large inflows of population, the remaining large number of cities cannot stimulate the real estate market. The difficulty in raising money and being stuck with large inventories are still the real estate developers’ number one enemy."

Source: Chinese Business Wisdom, March 10, 2015
http://www.bwchinese.com/article/1068643.html

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

China Review News: The South China Sea Is China’s Future Economic Growth Point

According to a commentary that China Review News recently published, China’s "Maritime Silk Road" is not only an economic development plan, but also a strategic solution to breaking the U.S.’ tight control of the Strait of Malacca.

Since the U.S. stationed war ships in Singapore to control this world cargo center, China’s best counter solution is to build a deepwater port in the South China Sea, changing that area into another "Singapore" and China’s future international transportation hub.

"China can build natural deepwater ports there because the several dozen coral reefs that it controls are relatively close to each other. They can thus be used to build cities over the sea. The Paracel Islands (Xisha Islands) can be the South China Sea’s administrative service center; Dongsha Island can be the production center; and the Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands) can be the cargo center, settlement center, and the tourism center."

China has conducted large scale infrastructure construction (building airports and harbors on top of coral reefs) in the Spratly Islands area. Some important harbor cities have started to show up and take shape. China’s land creation by dumping sand and earth into the ocean is not just for fishing; nor is it just for oil and gas extraction. It is to build a future economic growth point for China.

"As China builds more and more airports on those coral reef islands and converts more and more coral reef islands into natural deepwater ports, China’s South China Sea region will replace Singapore as the world’s logistics center. The Chinese government will follow the momentum to set up financial service institutions there to serve the world’s cargo transportation enterprises. The South China Sea will no longer be a quiet ocean. … It will become the most developed area in the world."

"Besides speeding up the infrastructure development, China should create new policies to encourage the development of the South China Sea region, for example, building it as a world’s offshore center and encouraging more companies to register there. The South China Sea should also be the world’s largest duty-free zone and largest free trade zone."

Source: China Review News, February 21, 2015
http://hk.crntt.com/doc/1036/2/2/0/103622065.html?coluid=169&kindid=12098&docid=103622065&mdate=0221000747

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

China’s First Round of Anticorruption Inspections Starts with SOEs

According to a republished report on Xinhua, "The first round of the anticorruption inspections in 2015 will target 26 State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs)." 

"On [March 1], the Central inspection teams arrived at 20 SOEs." These SOEs included China National Petroleum Corporation, China National Offshore Oil Corporation, China Power Investment Corporation, China Telecom Corporation, China Mobile Communications Corporation, and Baosteel Group, among others.

The inspection team will stay at the SOEs for two months (from February 28 to April 29). Its main task is to collect and review public reports on "issues about top leaders, their subordinates, and managers in key positions."

Source: Xinhua, March 2, 2015
http://news.xinhuanet.com/legal/2015-03/02/c_127531616.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Red Flag Manuscript: Convert Development Advantage to Benefit Theoretical Work and Discourse Power

Red Flag Manuscript published an article stating that, in current theoretical work, (we) "must pay high attention to the development of our discourse system" and "truly convert the [economic] development advantage of the Socialist Path with Chinese Characteristics to an advantage in theoretical work and discourse power."

The article said that there are four main discourse systems in China: political discourse, academic discourse, public discourse, and Internet discourse. The Communist Party should extend its control over all four systems. During that process, "The core discourse about Marxism and the Socialist Path with Chinese Characteristics cannot be lost or blurred. (We) should apply the core concepts of the ‘China dream,’ to these systems, while ‘comprehensively deepening reform,’ ‘Socialist core values,’ and ‘the rule by law on the Socialist Path with Chinese Characteristics.’"

Source: Qiushi Online, February 25 2015
http://www.qstheory.cn/dukan/hqwg/2015-02/25/c_1114432795.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

People’s Daily: Expert’s Explanation of “Land-based Aircraft Carrier”

People’s Daily published an article in which military experts explained China’s "land-based aircraft carrier."

A Google satellite picture showed a large land-based construction in the shape of an aircraft carrier and other construction in the shape of a warship in a location in central China. The "land-based aircraft carrier" is about 300 meters long and 80 meters wide. A plane that looks like a J-15 fighter aircraft was also visible on the carrier’s deck. The warship next to it is thought to be the upper decks of China’s 055 Destroyer.

In an interview with the CCTV, military expert Li Li stated that this "land-based aircraft carrier" should be China’s land-based aircraft carrier training center. With the model of large warships next to it, it indicated that China’s training also includes system integration with multiple ships.

Li Li also said that China’s aircraft carrier may use both the catapult style and sky-jump style for planes to take off.

Source: People’s Daily Online, January 23, 2015
http://military.people.com.cn/n/2015/0123/c1011-26439359.html

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military