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China Holds New Media Forum on “Telling the Chinese Story”

On July 12, 2023, China held the International Communication Forum for New Media in Changsha. The forum focused on the theme of “Telling the Chinese Story and Shaping China’s Image.” Prominent media figures, experts, scholars, and representatives of overseas brands attended the conference.

Du Zhanyuan, Director of the China Foreign Language Publishing and Distribution Administration, made the following suggestions at the forum: One, emphasize the importance of showcasing China’s modernization journey and effectively narrating the stories of China’s development. Two, establish comprehensive and authoritative foreign-language online platforms, covering websites, mobile platforms, and overseas social media networks. Three, adopt new technologies such as mobile, social, and visual communication, cloud computing, big data, and artificial intelligence.

The General Editor of Xinhua Net, Qian Tong, highlighted the increasing participation of Chinese media and companies doing business overseas in international communication, saying that more voices contribute to a more splendid chorus of global communication.

Deputy Chief Editor of China Daily, Wang Hao, suggested strengthening the application of technology to make China’s image more visible and tangible, and using the mouths of media celebrities of other countries to make China’s image more lovely and trustworthy.

Xu Rong, Deputy General of Hunan Broadcasting and Television Group, shared about the Group’s success in distributing a significant number of films and TV series overseas, including the popular series “The Rational Life,” which gained international recognition on Netflix. Xu also shared that the Group organized performances domestically and overseas, using popular art forms to open doors to mainstream overseas markets.

Source: Guangming Daily, July 13, 2023
https://topics.gmw.cn/2023-07/13/content_36694283.htm

Briefings | | |   @CS Geo-Strategic Trend Information/Technology

Chinese Media More Effective on Facebook Than on Twitter

According to a research report titled “Global Mainstream Media Network Communication Power Research (2023)” released by Fudan University on July 21, Chinese media’s overall communication effectiveness on Facebook surpasses that on Twitter.

The survey, completed by Fudan University’s Global Communication and All-Media Research Institute, included 222 mainstream media from 33 countries, analyzing content published by these media on their certified accounts on Twitter and Facebook last year.

The study designed a set of influence evaluation indicators to analyze media’s communication effectiveness in terms of exposure, interactions, dissemination, and recognition.

The report shows that Chinese media’s overall communication effectiveness on Facebook is higher than on Twitter. China Global Television Network (CGTN), People’s Daily, China Daily, Global Times, and Xinhua News Agency are among the top ranks of the 222 media, with CGTN ranked within the top 10 on the comprehensive list.

Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), July 22, 2023
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202307220121.aspx

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology

People’s Daily: China Is Leading Quantum Technology Development Worldwide

People’s Daily published an article claiming that China has made significant strides in quantum technology and become a leading country at the forefront of quantum technology research globally.

The article praised Chinese scientist Pan Jianwei and his research team at the University of Science and Technology of China for spearheading the research.

According to the article, China launched the “Micius” satellite in 2016, which was the world’s first space quantum science experimental satellite. It established a global quantum communication experiment platform, significantly advancing space-based quantum communication technology. By distributing quantum keys between the satellite and ground stations, it achieved secure communication at 10kbps, far surpassing ground-based quantum communication levels. Quantum computing is considered a key technology for the next information revolution. In 2020, China successfully constructed quantum a computing prototype “Jiuzhang” computer with 76 photons, 100,000 times faster than the fastest supercomputer at that time. China later constructed a “Jiuzhang II” computer with 113 photons, outperforming the world’s fastest supercomputers by a factor of 10 billion. “Jiuzhang II” can solve a problem in 1 millisecond that would take the world’s fastest supercomputer 100 days to finish.

Source: People’s Daily, July 25, 2023
http://finance.people.com.cn/n1/2023/0725/c1004-40042581.html

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology

China’s Rare Earth Manufacturers Struggle to Profit

(Editor’s Note: Ever since the US began negotiating with China over fair trade and tariffs under the Trump administration, some Chinese scholars have talked about restricting rare earth exports from China as an powerful weapon against the US. However, recent news showed that Chinese manufacturers of rare earth cannot generate large profits, making people wonder if Beijing really has the power to control the rare earth market.)

China’s online news media Sina reported that, in the first half of this year, Chinese rare earth companies experienced a significant drop in revenue and profits due to falling demands and prices. This contrasts sharply with the high prosperity of the same period last year. Companies like China Rare Earth (中国稀土), Northern Rare Earth (北方稀土), Rising Nonferrous Metals Share (广晟有色), and Xiamen Tungsten (厦门钨业) all reported a slump in net profits. Additionally, industry leader Jiangsu Huahong Technology (华宏科技) went from being profitable to reporting a loss. Experts attribute the continuous decline in rare earth prices to insufficient demand and increased supply. The second half of the year remains uncertain, as the future trend depends on whether demand will increase substantially.

Source: Sina, July 19, 2023
https://finance.sina.com.cn/jjxw/2023-07-19/doc-imzcfekt6975040.shtml

Briefings | | |   @CS Economy/Resources

Zhejiang Province Starts Residence System Reform

(Editor’s Note: China has long implemented a Hukou system (户籍制度, meaning residence system) where a person is tied to a specific place and his social welfare benefits, including his children’s education, are all tied to that place. People who move to another city cannot enjoy certain public services in that city. Migrant workers are the worst off. They are tied to villages so, even if they live and work in a city, they are not eligible for the city’s benefits and even their children are not allowed to attend the public schools in the city.)

China National Radio reported that the Zhejiang provincial government recently began to reform the province’s Residence system. The administration issued an implementation plan to promote the integration of migrant workers into urban life. It calls for removal of the hukou restrictions throughout the entire province except for in the province’s capital city of Hangzhou. The move aims to attract more qualified labor to the province. This could be seen as Zhejiang’s efforts to mitigate the shortage of young labor in China as the country’s population ages.

The article said that the initiative is expected to have a positive impact on Zhejiang’s economic growth, population structure, urbanization level, and equality of public services, providing valuable experience that can be replicated across the country.

Source: China National Radio, July 19, 2023
https://zj.cnr.cn/zjyw/20230719/t20230719_526334886.shtml

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources Government/Politics

Solomon Islands Sign Cooperation Agreements with Beijing

Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare of the Solomon Islands recently visited Beijing. On July 10 he met with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and signed nine agreements, including a law enforcement cooperation agreement, upgrading the relationship between the two countries to one of “comprehensive strategic partnership.” This was Sogavare’s first visit since the two countries reached a security agreement last year. In 2019, the island country established diplomatic ties with China and severed relations with Taiwan.

Last month, Sogavare called for a review of the Solomon Islands’ security treaty with Australia, which used to provide the country with policing assistance.

A joint statement between China and the Solomon Islands urged for caution in handling issues related to nuclear-contaminated water discharge and nuclear submarine cooperation, seemingly criticizing the AUKUS alliance involving Japan, Australia, the UK, and the US.

Sogavare also met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on July 10. Xi said that China would support more investments in the Solomon Islands. Last year, the Solomon Islands received US $66 million in funcing from the Export-Import Bank of China, and telecommunications giant Huawei was contracted to build 161 telecommunication towers on the islands.

The two countries reached agreements in various fields, including civil aviation, trade, economy, technology, and sports. China will construct the stadium used for the 2023 Pacific Games scheduled to be held in Solomon Islands’ capital city Honiara this November.

Source: Epoch Times, July 11, 2023
http://cn.epochtimes.com/gb/23/7/11/n14031967.htm

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Guangming Daily: Stimulus Policies Should Switch to Consumer Spending

Guangming Daily website, a major Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece, recently published a theoretical article suggesting that Beijing re-orient its economy stimulus policies around consumer spending rather than investment. The article stated that, to stimulate consumer spending, the focus should be on delivering money to residents through reasonable, legal, compliant, and economically-sound channels. Macro-economic policies need new measures and targets, shifting the focus from investment to consumption, addressing current economic bottlenecks and weaknesses more directly.

The article suggested that reforming the residence identification system (户籍制度) can have an immediate and substantial impact on consumption. (Editor’s notes: The reform here refers to giving people more freedom to move between cities and also letting migrant workers (peasants) enjoy the same benefits given to city dwellers.) According to the article, studies show that migrant workers’ consumption is suppressed by 23 percent due to limited access to public services and social security given the migrants’ lack of urban household registration. Reforms that alleviate this suppression could raise consumption by almost 30 percent even without considering income growth.

The article also suggested improvement of the social security system, as China has a rapidly aging population. Between 2022 and 2035, the ratio in China of elderly to working-age population will grow significantly, increasing the pressure on pension funds and eldercare services. The author argued that a substantial expenditure in the area of social security would serve as a short-term economic stimulus.

Source: Guangming Daily, July 17, 2023
https://theory.gmw.cn/2023-07/17/content_36700264.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources Government/Politics

Siemens Terminates Partnership with Chinese Military Company Amidst International Concerns

Siemens has terminated its partnership with Beijing Transemic Technology (北京天圣华信息技术有限公司), a Chinese company accused of using Siemens technology to upgrade Chinese military equipment. The US placed Transemic on its sanction list on June 12 for its involvement in developing supersonic weapons as well as design and manufacturing of air-to-air missiles. It was also reported that Transemic resold Siemens software to China’s defense research universities linked to the Chinese military. Siemens was initially reluctant to terminate the partnership despite negative media coverage, but the company eventually decided to end all dealings with Transemic.

The European political sphere has become more sensitive to China’s military expansion, with the President of the EU Commission warning future relations with China in sensitive high-tech areas. Germany’s Foreign Minister has also advocated for stricter controls over exports to China,
particularly for “dual-use” products with both civilian and military applications.

Source: Deutsche Welle, July 17, 2023

https://www.dw.com/zh不卖了压力山大-西门子终止与中企合作/a-66253259

Briefings | | |   @CS Defense/Military Economy/Resources