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Xinhua: US Wants to Regain its Loss in Southeast Asia

Xinhua reported that, according to several foreign affairs documents, the U.S. proposed to establish a new cooperative framework with four Mekong River Basin countries, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton will discuss this proposal with the foreign ministers of those countries at the ASEAN meeting in Thailand. The U.S. will also sign ASEAN’s base treaty, “Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia.” All these indicate the Obama administration desires to strengthen the U.S. relationship with ASEAN, and recover the loss of influence to China over ASEAN during the Bush administration.

Xinhua quoted a Singapore researcher, “U.S. adjusts its ASEAN policy, to better ‘deal’ with Myanmar and North Korea, and also to deter other large countries (China – Ed) from increasing influence in this region.”

Source: Xinhua, July 21, 2009
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2009-07/21/content_11741632.htm

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

China Official on Financial Support for Economic Growth

Study Times published an article by Jiang Dingzhi, the Deputy Secretary of the Communist Party and Deputy President of the China Banking Regulatory Commission. In the article, Jiang listed six areas to focus on when using the financial system to support economic development during the financial crisis. A few of the six areas along with Jiang Dingzhi’s points are as follows:

Promote agricultural industrialization. (We) should have both policy financing and commercial financing. (We) should construct a financial support system for large agricultural enterprises, establishing a credit and insurance system to solve the financing problems for these enterprises; fully utilize the Agricultural Development Bank’s function of administration and financing to raise investment funds to support the agricultural industrialization base and agricultural products development; improve savings institute’s services to offer more business loans, adjusting the amount of capital entering the agriculture industry; and establish cultural industrialization investment funds to effectively organize and direct private investment there.

Promote the concept of everybody doing business. (We) should actively research the “small secured loan + start business training + credit community construction” model, steadily pushing the long-term effect of establishing businesses to create employment opportunities; using circular secured loans, joint liability secured loans, and multi-guarantee secured loan methods to solve the financing challenge for small to mid-sized companies; establish funds for everybody to do business, provide loan guarantees, cover interest points, offer business rebates and awards, conduct training on starting a business, and provide services for businesses.

Source: Study Times, the 495th issue, published on July 20, 2009
http://www.studytimes.com.cn/WebPage/ny1.aspx?act=1&id=2801&nid=10204&bid=1&page=1

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Xinhua: The Beijing Police Target Gangsters

Xinhua reported that, in order to create an absolutely secure environment during the 60th anniversary celebration of the Communist Regime, on June 30, Beijing Police initiated a 60-day Operation, “Frightening Thunder.” The operation employs a large number of police in plain clothes, to target gangsters in entertainment facilities (though normally the police protect gangsters, the police operation serves the higher political purpose of protecting the security of the 60th anniversary celebration – Ed). Xinhua reported that, in 10 days, the Beijing police solved 1519 criminal cases, arrested 1095 suspects and cracked down on 51 gangster groups.

Source:
[1] Xinhua, July 1, 2009
http://news.xinhuanet.com/local/2009-07/01/content_11630725.htm
[2] Xinhua, July 15, 2009
http://bj.xinhuanet.com/bjpd_bjzq/2009-07/15/content_17102396.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

From the Authorities: Praise Both Mao’s Era and the Current Time

According to Xinhua, as the media increases its coverage of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of Communist China, “some politically sensitive issues are surfacing.” It is a convention to separate the 60 years of the  communist regime into the first 30 years (Mao Zedong’s era, with strong ideological control and poor economic development, but little corruption and social problems) versus the second 30 years (the Revolution and Opening up era, with strong economic growth but uncontrollable corruption and social problems). Xinhua stated that the authorities have informed the media that they should not use the first 30 years to belittle the second 30 years, and vice versa. Reports should use each period to justify the other one.

Also, each of the 30 years has its own theoretical basis. The Mao Zedong Thought vs. the Chinese Characteristic of Socialism (and they are in nature different from each other). According to the Party’s Central Committee’s request, reports should handle well the relationship between the two theories. The top leader has instructed that in-depth research should be done to find the connection between the two.

Source: Xinhua, July 13, 2009
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2009-07/13/content_11700924.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Central Military Committee Modifies the Sergeant System

The Central Military Committee recently published “The Revolution Plan to Deepen the Sergeant System” for the military and armed police. Out of the seven areas of reform, two are to increase the intellectual level of the soldiers. The first one is that, while keeping the total number of military staff unchanged, the number of sergeants will be increased to 900,000 and the increase will be allocated primarily for those with high-tech specialties. The fourth one is to increase the number of direct recruits from college graduates and recruit them as sergeants.

Source: Xinhua, July 13, 2009
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2009-07/13/content_11699069.htm

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

Qiushi: Hu Jintao’s Instruction to Military on Safety and Stability

Qiushi Journal published an article by Fang Fenghui, the Commander of the Beijing Military Area Command, on studying President Hu Jintao’s instruction on using the military to maintain social stability. Some of Hu’s instructions are quoted as: “Development is the hard truth, the number one mission; stability is the hard mission, the number one responsibility. Development is achievement, maintaining stability is also achievement.” “(We) must always take it as a critical mission for the military to maintain society’s stability.” The Military should “consciously follow the big picture, to actively contribute to the steady and fast economic development and the harmonious and stable society (of the nation).”

Fang stated that in the past, the PLA has been a critical force during political turmoil and offered strong safety protection in complex situations, and thus has become the most reliable force of the Party when dealing with a crisis.

Source: Qiushi Journal, the 13th issue of 2009, published on July 1, 2009
http://www.qsjournal.com.cn/qs/20090701/GB/qs%5E506%5E0%5E19.htm

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

Zhou Yongkang: Enforcing Comprehensive Management at the Grass-Roots Level

On May 18, Zhou Yongkang, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, Party Secretary of the Political and Legal Committee of the Central Committee and Director of the Central Committee for Comprehensive Management of Public Security, spoke at the National Commending Conference on Comprehensive Management Achievements from 2005 to 2008. Zhou stated that the comprehensive management work [Editor’s Note: meaning preventing any public event or social turmoil] should be strengthened at the grass-roots level.

The comprehensive management of public security should be implemented at all work units. Each organization and work unit must “manage their own area” and “whoever is in charge is responsible (for social stability).” Each work unit must “watch its own gates, manage its own people, and take care of its own things.” The grass-root level implementation of the comprehensive management work includes enforcing the construction of the party organizations, comprehensive management offices and people self-management organizations.

Source: Qiushi Magazine, June 16, 2009 issue
http://www.qsjournal.com.cn/qs/20090616/GB/qs%5E505%5E0%5E1.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Outlook: Lessons to Learn from the Soviet Union’s Collapse

When the Soviet Union was at its peak in the mid 70’s there were five ‘hidden dangers’, according to an analysis by Outlook Magazine, which had the stated goal of studying the collapse of the Soviet Union to avoid the same fate for the Communist Party in China. Interestingly enough, some of these dangers are already severe in China. The five hidden dangers were as follows:

1. Brezhnev was primarily focusing on an arm race with the U.S.
2. Under the claim of "stability,” Brezhnev refused revolution and suppressed innovation.
3. The lifelong terms of officials under the ruling system and subsequent governance by aging people formed a stable interest group and a bureaucratic privileged class.
4. Corruption and privileges for special groups reached an unbearable level.
5. The Soviet Union had a wrong positioning with the rest of the world.

Source: Outlook Magazine, 26th issue, 2009
http://www.outlookweekly.cn/htm/content_4847.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics