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China-Russia Eastern Gas Pipeline Transmitted 20 Billion Cubic Meters of Gas in 2023

China Oil and Gas Pipeline Network Corporation announced that, as of early December, the China-Russia Eastern Gas Pipeline has transmitted over 20 billion cubic meters this year, reaching a historical high. It has transmitted over 50 billion cubic meters of gas since its inception on December 2, 2019.

The China-Russia Eastern Gas Pipeline is the third long-distance cross-border pipeline supplying natural gas into China, following the Central Asian pipeline and the China-Myanmar pipeline. China’s portion of the pipeline starts from Heihe City in Heilongjiang Province and extends south to Shanghai, with a total length of 5,111 kilometers.

Source: Xinhua, December 15, 2023
http://www.news.cn/energy/20231215/2b453f6a1bcc4699abb398bd35a45acc/c.html

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources Geo-Strategic Trend

People’s Daily Claims U.S. Spends $1.5 Billion to Train Journalists to Write Negative Reports about China

People’s Daily quoted European scholar Jan Oberg stating that the U.S. has spent $1.5 billion to train Western journalists to write negative reports about China. Oberg said that the U.S. Congress passed a bill to spend such money five years ago.

Oberg claimed, “Now, those of us who have been to China or live here as Westerners see the complexity and vastness of China and can understand it from China’s perspective, resulting in different opinions. However, some Americans are different; they urgently need ‘enemies.'”

Oberg also stated that he did not see any threat to the U.S. in China’s foreign policy. He mentioned that China has not sailed warships off the coast of California or Florida; instead, it is the West that has “surrounded” China with naval vessels.

The article did not provide detailed information about who Oberg is.

Source: People’s Daily, December 19, 2023
http://world.people.com.cn/n1/2023/1219/c1002-40142558.html

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

China’s State Council: Directive on Merging Domestic Trade and International Trade Together

China’s economy faces a shrinking market, both in terms of exports and on the domestic front. China’s State Council General Office issued a notice on “Several Measures to Accelerate the Merging of Domestic Trade and International Trade Together” on December 11, 2023, with the intention of allowing companies that are facing hard times in their primary market to seek opportunity in the other market.

The notice mentioned policies such as consolidating the domestic and international trade standards; advancing the uniformity of domestic and international trade products in production line, standards, and quality; supporting foreign trade enterprises in expanding the domestic market; supporting domestic trade enterprises in expanding the international market, etc.

Source: China government website, December 11, 2023
https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/content/202312/content_6919596.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources Government/Politics

State Security Ministry: “Resolutely Build a Strong Economic Security Fence”

The State Security Ministry has published an article online declaring that it will “resolutely build a strong economic security fence,” echoing a statement from the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) Central Economic Work Conference held on December 11 and 12.

The article stated that “Currently, the economic sphere is increasingly becoming a crucial battlefield in major power competition. The complexity, severity, and uncertainty of the external environment are rising. To further promote economic recovery, it is necessary to overcome internal difficulties and respond to external challenges. For example, various clichés intending to undermine China’s economy continuously emerge. In essence, they attempt to construct a ‘discourse trap’ or ‘cognitive trap’ regarding ‘China’s decline’ through various false narratives.”

“National security agencies will steadfastly fulfill their duties and mission to safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests. They will enhance forward-looking thinking, comprehensive planning, and strategic layout for national security issues in the economic field, implementing a set of measures to maintain economic security. They will resolutely and legally crack down on those illegal and criminal activities in the economic security field that harm national security, creating a safe and stable environment for high-quality development. In coordination with relevant departments, they will continue to effectively prevent and resolve security risks in the economic field, resolutely holding on to the mission of avoiding systemic risks. This will contribute to the comprehensive advancement towards construction of a strong nation and achievement of national rejuvenation through Chinese-style modernization.”

Source: QQ, December 15, 2023
https://new.qq.com/rain/a/20231215A00RVQ00

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources Government/Politics

China Will Close Public Access to Court Decision Documents

On November 21, 2023, China’s Office of the Supreme People’s Court issued a “Notice on the Construction of the National Court Judgment Document Database.” It announced that the new “National Court Judgment Document Database” will go live in January 2024. However, it will only offer internal access to court personnel to retrieve judgment documents. Lawyers, legal researchers, and the general public will not have access.

The Supreme People’s Court’s current online system, known as “China Judgments Online,” will stop operation. Many legal practitioners in China view this new development as a big setback for transparency in China’s judicial system. The old system offered legal professionals and the general public to access records during the past 10 years. Since its launch on July 1, 2013, China Judgments Online has accumulated a total of more than 143 million court decisions and has received hundred billion visits.

Source: Radio Free Asia, December 13, 2023
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/renquanfazhi/gt-12132023031651.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics Information/Technology

Chinese Netizens Tacitly Mock CCP Line on Philippines Conflict

A recent online video showed that tens of thousands of Chinese netizens collectively mocking China National Radio – a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) mouthpiece.

On December 10th, China National Radio reported on a conflict between China’s Coast Guard vessels and Philippine ships in the South China Sea, putting full blame for the conflict on the Filipinos. Among the 50,000 comments in the comment section, the majority were not the patriotic responses that the CCP would have expected. Instead, they were comments on an irrelevant topic – the weather. People from all over China, from south to north, participated in these discussions, and the comments seemed quite amusing.

The responses were just weather at difference regions, such as “Guangzhou is hot again, when will it snow?” “When can I wear the new down jacket I bought this year, it’s so hot in Guangxi.” “Shenzhen is wearing short sleeves today, it’s so hot,” etc.

A netizen summed it up, saying, “The comments section is full of amazing people!”

Source: Aboluo, December 11, 2023
https://www.aboluowang.com/2023/1211/1989157.html

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

China’s Hypersonic Missiles Could Shoot Down U.S. B-21 Bomber, According to Simulation

The United States Air Force’s new B-21 bomber successfully conducted its maiden flight on November 10th at the Palmdale Air Force Base in California, prompting jubilation in the U.S. Chinese researchers, however, claimed that they possess a secret weapon to counter the B-21. A research team from a northwest Chinese university published findings in the “Chinese Journal of Aeronautics and Astronautics,” declaring success in a simulation where a B-21-like stealth platform and its drones were downed by China’s hypersonic air-to-air missiles reaching speeds of Mach 6. China’s advanced tactics involve flexible hypersonic missiles with solid fuel pulsejet engines, capable of adjusting power during flight and switching targets between attacking missiles, catching U.S. aircraft off guard.

Source: QQ, December 3, 2023
https://new.qq.com/rain/a/20231130A072ZU00

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

Former President of Micronesia: The CCP Coerces, Bribes, and Infiltrates Pacific Island Countries

David Panuelo, the Former President of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), stated that Beijing is infiltrating various Pacific island nations through economic coercion, bribery, and other means.

He gave an example, stating that when the Vice President of Micronesia was still a senator, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) attempted to bribe him with a bag full of money, but he refused.

He said that Chinese diplomatic personnel contacted him when he was

He mentioned that during his visit to Beijing, Chinese diplomatic personnel specialized in Pacific island nations contacted him to conveyed the intentions of the CCP leader, Xi Jinping. They emphasized that China would “fulfill all requests made by Micronesia.”

In July of last year, when he traveled to Fiji to participate in the Pacific Islands Forum, he was followed by two Chinese men. Micronesia discovered that they were working at the Chinese Embassy in Fiji, and one of them was an intelligence officer.

Source: Epoch Times, December 1, 2023
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/23/12/1/n14128093.htm

Briefings | | |   @CS Geo-Strategic Trend