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All posts by RWZ - 245. page

International Herald Leader: Do not Forget War

The International Herald Leader, which is under Xinhua News Agency, recently published an article commenting on Japan’s new political position against China. The article referred to the Japanese prime minister’s recent “shocking” comments that suggest that China’s activities in nearby seas were a threat to Japan’s national security. It listed some initiatives that Japan has taken that were unfriendly to China, such as increasing Japanese air force patrols of the East China Sea, joining the push to establish a multi-national framework in the South China Sea, and uniting neighboring countries with “the same value system.” The article alluded to Japan’s long history of invading other countries with no intention of offering sincere apologies. The author stated that China values peace but is not afraid of war. He called for establishing a grand and strong Chinese navy and remembering the fact that China must increase its readiness for war.

Source: Xinhua, October 21, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/herald/2011-10/21/c_131202354.htm

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Qiushi: Speed up Reform of State Owned Art Organizations

Qiushi Journal, a bi-weekly magazine published by the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, recently published an article on culture reform. In the article, the Ministry of Culture discussed the overall cultural reform and laid out the guidelines for reform of the state owned art organizations. The article called for opening people’s minds to a new system and suggested that the reform should protect the interests of both individuals and organizations. The plan included introducing a modern enterprise system into some organizations, encouraging mergers, converting some to non-profit organizations, removing some that performed poorly, and keeping some organizations as is. The article also emphasized enhancing the government’s “guidance,” as well as ensuring that strict regulations are in place. The reform involved both national and local art organizations.

Source: Qiushi Journal, October 16, 2011
http://www.qstheory.cn/zxdk/2011/201120/201110/t20111014_116677.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

People’s Daily Reported Traffic Accident Possibly Involving Mayor’s Son

On September 19, 2011, Global Times, a daily tabloid under the auspices of the Chinese Communist Party’s newspaper, People’s Daily, reported that Ma Wencong, a high school student, knocked down a victim with his luxury car, a Mercedes Benz, in the City of Wenzhou. According to the report, Ma was driving his girlfriend to a spa and intentionally violated traffic rules. He claimed to be the Mayor’s son. Thousands of city residents surrounded the site and prevented a police car from leaving, insisting that the police complete the paperwork on site. The crowd would not disperse for more than 5 hours. In the past couple of years, many similar accidents have occurred across China, all involving luxury cars and relatives of government officials.

Source: Global Times, September 19, 2011
http://china.huanqiu.com/roll/2011-09/2017098.html

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

CRN: US-China Strategic Co-operation Faces a Tough Road Ahead

China Review News (CRN) recently published an article predicting that the United States and China will have more conflicts in the future. With the U.S. global policy arrangements on “the war against terror” and its “unilateralism” (a term often used in China referring to the U.S. acting without the support of other countries), the geo-strategic areas surrounding China are getting into more and more trouble. The article suggested that the the U.S. suffered a large loss of wealth as a result of the wars in which it was involved. While that involvement gave China a good opportunity to develop into the second largest economy in the world, the Obama Administration is now transferring more military attention to the Asia Pacific region. The downturn of both the U.S. and the EU economies is placing a large amount of pressure on China’s economic growth. The author believes that China cannot reach a strategic common understanding with the U.S. The fact that the U.S. is withdrawing from Afghanistan and Iraq and shifting its focus to China will establish the trend for the near future. There will be a tough road ahead, especially when the U.S. is entering a presidential election year.

Source: China Review News, September 19, 2011
http://gb.chinareviewnews.com/doc/1018/3/6/1/101836139.html?coluid=148&kindid=0&docid=101836139&mdate=0919001955

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Outlook Weekly: China Lacks Awareness of Ocean Development

Outlook Weekly, a magazine under Xinhua News Agency, recently published a commentary calling for “ocean development.” The commentary suggested that the oceans will provide China’s future “living space.” To develop awareness and to improve the sustainability of the Chinese civilization, China must change its old fashioned “land centric” mentality. The author suggested that the oceans connect all continents and are the cheapest “highway” that needs no construction. If China uses the potential of the oceans, it immediately brings vast economic benefits. The commentary drew on Japan as an example to increase awareness of how it used the oceans to protect Japanese interests. It expressed the belief that China should have a strategic view of the oceans and should take full advantage of ocean development for solving the problems of growth, unemployment and lack of resources.

Source: Outlook Weekly, September 17, 2011
http://news.sohu.com/20110917/n319690526.shtml

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Beijing News: India’s Involvement in Oil and Gas Development in the South China Sea

Beijing News recently reported that on September 16, 2011, the Vietnamese and Indian governments jointly announced that the two countries will jointly develop oil and gas in the South China Sea. India’s largest state owned oil company, OVL (ONGC Videsh Ltd), has already invested US$225 million on the project. The Chinese Foreign Ministry commented that China is against any country’s involvement (in the South China Sea). The Vietnamese government said it “fully supports” India’s initiative. Earlier there were reports of military co-operation between the two countries as well.

Source: Beijing News, September 18, 2011
http://epaper.bjnews.com.cn/html/2011-09/18/content_277041.htm?div=-1

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Study Times: Reform of the Financial System is the Cure for China’s Economy

Study Times, a newspaper of the CCP Central Party School, recently republished an article from Value China on how to rescue the current imbalanced Chinese economy. The article first compared the Chinese financial system with the U.S. financial structure. Then it asserted that (1) the Chinese financial system is a weak link in China’s global positioning as it relies too heavily on manufacturing and (2) the large amount and the rapid growth of China’s foreign exchange reserves are proof of the lack of domestic consumption and international investments. The author believes that the Chinese financial system has a low service level, a lack of mid-to-small range banks, and a lack of local financial markets. Large national banks have monopoly power and they tend not to provide loans to small businesses even though they create a majority of the jobs in China. The lack of official local financial markets has also encouraged the growth of an underground financial market. In conclusion, the article called for “major structural adjustments.”

Source: Study Times, September 9, 2011
http://www.qstheory.cn/jj/jjyj/201109/t20110909_109222.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

CRN: PLA Developed Night Vision Maps

China Review News (CRN) recently reported that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has developed night vision maps. Last year, the PLA started searching for practical night vision technology for maps. The University of Lanzhou, the Map Institute of Gansu Province, and the Surveying and Mapping Institute of the PLA General Staff Department jointly worked on the project. The night vision maps emit “cold light” which can only be seen by people nearby; remote enemies cannot see them, even with today’s military night vision equipment. The technology used to print the maps enables them to preserve energy in daylight. They are waterproof, radiation-free, and have good luminous intensity. The material is suitable for mass production.

Source: China Review News, September 12, 2011
http://gb.chinareviewnews.com/doc/1018/3/2/7/101832706.html?coluid=4&kindid=16&docid=101832706&mdate=0912131552

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military