TGS – Page 31 – Chinascope

China Limits Sources That Internet Media Companies Can Use

The Economic Weekly, a publication under People’s Daily reported that the Cyberspace Administration of China released a list of media from which Internet media companies may reprint news articles.

According to the Economic Weekly, the list was assembled and released “in order to strengthen control over the sources of online news and to standardize and maintain order related to reprints.” Over 380 websites, TV and radio stations, newspapers, and journals are included in the list. The Communist Party, the central government, or local authorities run or control each and every one of them. No non-government media and no foreign media are included. The understanding is implicit that these companies are the only sources of news that Internet media companies can reprint. No other sources of news may be used.

Sources:

Economic Weekly, May 5, 2015

http://www.ceweekly.cn/2015/0505/110492.shtml

Cyberspace Administration of China, May 5, 2015

http://www.cac.gov.cn/2015-05/05/c_1115179188.htm

Briefings | | May 7, 2015 | Government/Politics

China Tightens Internet Censorship by Interviewing Internet Companies

On April 28, 2015, the China National Internet Information Office issued the “Working Regulations on Interviewing Internet News Information Services,” which will be effective on June 1, 2015.

“Interviewing” refers to State and local Internet information offices meeting with Internet companies to issue warnings, point out problems, and order corrections.

Ten circumstances may warrant an "interview" of the head or editor-in-chief of an Internet company. Examples include: if the company fails in timely handling of complaints from citizens; rakes in illegitimate gains through editing, publishing, reprinting, or deleting news and information; violates domain name regulations; or fails in the timely handling of illegal information or timely implementation of monitoring measures.

The interview records will be included in the annual inspection records. Failure to comply with a request for corrections made during the interview may lead to a closedown of the business, revocation of the business license, and heavy fines.

Source: Xinhua, April 28, 2015

http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2015-04/28/c_127742441.htm

Briefings | | May 1, 2015 | Government/Politics

People’s Daily: Where is This Three-way Relationship Going?

People’s Daily issued a special editorial about Abe’s trip to the United States. According to the editorial, in international affairs, the Sino-US relationship carries more weight than the US-Japan relationship. The Sino-US relationship goes beyond a bilateral relationship and has a global impact, while the Sino-Japan relationship has a regional impact.

“In the foreseeable future, Sino-US competition and cooperation will coexist. Strategic competition will not suffocate pragmatic cooperation. Japan does not have much room between itself and China in which to further its own gain. The extent to which the United States has strategic restraint over Japan remains largely dependent on the development of the Sino-US relationship. China cannot make the United States ignore its alliance with Japan and take sides with China. In the competition of comprehensive national strength between China and Japan, the United States uses Japan as a ‘pawn’ in its China strategy but it cannot change the trend and path of China’s rise.”

Source: People’s Daily (overseas edition) reprinted by Qiushi, April 28, 2014. http://www.qstheory.cn/freely/2015-04/28/c_1115113512.htm

Briefings | | April 30, 2015 | Geo-Strategic Trend

Government Reduces the Amount of Land Available for Commercial Development

On April 21, the Ministry of Land and Resources released major economic statistics for the first quarter of 2015. The statistics showed that the amount of state-owned land available for commercial real estate development declined by 38.7 percent year on year. Beijing, Guangzhou, Harbin, and other cities have published an estimated 2015 land availability forecast for real estate development. On a year on year basis, the availability in Guangzhou decreased 24 percent, Beijing 27 percent, and Harbin about 50 percent. The reduction is in response to the sluggish housing market and the high inventory of available housing.

According to sources familiar with the government promotion of sales of state-owned land, the issue is not that local governments want to cut back on the sale of land; it is that the decline in the market has forced the reduction of such sales. In fact, local governments have been very enthusiastic about the sale of land because it has been a major source of revenue for them.

Based on the numbers the National Bureau of Statistics of China released, in the first quarter of 2015, housing developers reduced the amount of land they acquired by 32.4 percent year on year.

Source: 21st Century, April 22, 2015

http://jingji.21cbh.com/2015/4-22/xOMDA2NTFfMTM4MTcxOA.html

Briefings | | April 23, 2015 | Economy/Resources

Li Keqiang Criticizes Burdensome Bureaucracy

At the Executive Meeting of China’s State Council on April 15, Chinese Premiere Li Keqiang criticized some ministries and local governments for having burdensome bureaucratic processes and called for an immediate streamlining of the process and for speeding up decentralization.

Li observed, "The policies that were discussed and approved at the State Council executive meeting that the Minsters attended have been held up so that several division chiefs can do ‘quality control.’" He then asked, "Isn’t this procedure upside down?” "You, ministers, were at the meeting and did not present any disagreement. Now you need to have several division chiefs do ‘quality control?’" “It took more than a year for the central government to come up with these policies. Now it takes another year to go through all of these procedures. Isn’t this absurd?"

Li said that to overcome this "chronic illness," it would first be necessary to accelerate the transformation of government functions so that they decentralize. Second, the participants should be proactive and pay close attention to policy implementation.

Source: Xinhua, April 15, 2015

http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2015-04/15/c_1114982674.htm

Briefings | | April 17, 2015 | Government/Politics

Li Keqiang: Downward Pressure Continues and Greater Difficulties Lie Ahead

On April 14, 2015, Chinese Premiere Li Keqiang met with some academicians, experts, and business leaders to hear their recommendations on the Chinese economy. During the meeting he stated, “Downward pressure on China’s economy continues to increase.” The country “must prepare to face bigger economic difficulties and challenges.”

It was the second time within five days that Li expressed grave concern about the Chinese economy. On April 12, Li made similar remarks about China’s economy when he was inspecting the northeast region. “I used to work in the northeast and can be considered as being half northeasterner, so I don’t have to be too polite. Your [economic] statistics indeed make me worry.”

Source: People’s Daily, April 14, 2015, and April 12, 2015

http://cpc.people.com.cn/n/2015/0415/c64094-26846242.html http://politics.people.com.cn/n/2015/0412/c1024-26831938.html

Briefings | | April 16, 2015 | Economy/Resources

Huanqiu: The U.S. and Japan Are Wrong

Huanqiu published an editorial on U.S. Defense Secretary Carter’s trip to Asia. The editorial stated that, considering China’s economic approach in establishing the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the U.S. and Japan are wrong in their strategy of engaging in military development.

The editorial stated, “It is certain that the deployment of the U.S. high-altitude defense ‘Sade system’ in Korea will deal a heavy blow to the good will that the Chinese public opinion has built over the years toward Korea and will weaken the foundation of the bilateral relationship. Seoul should not take any chances.”

The editorial expressed that the communications between Carter and Japan about the Diaoyu Islands and the South China Sea assume, directly or indirectly, that China is their adversary.

The editorial stated that the U.S. is bucking the trend as it is strengthening and expanding its military alliance in the Western Pacific. “China has embarked on a win-win cooperation path in Asia and the world. We have established the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, rendering traditional geopolitics useless and without direction. It is time for the U.S. and Japan to do some serious reflection.”

Source: Huanqiu, April 10, 2015

http://opinion.huanqiu.com/editorial/2015-04/6145333.html

Briefings | | April 10, 2015 | Geo-Strategic Trend

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