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Guangming Daily: Western Values Shall Not Be Allowed in College Textbooks

On January 31, 2015, Guangming Daily published a commentary rebutting criticism of the remarks China’s Minister of Education made about Western values in Chinese universities. 

Recently, Yuan Guiren, the Minister of Education, remarked that no Western values shall be put in any classroom textbooks. According to the commentary, “Although most people applauded and praised the remarks, some deliberately misinterpreted, distorted, and even attacked him.” 
“A few university faculty members openly approve of the anti-Party and anti-socialist forces. Foreign hostile forces engage in ideological penetration among college teachers and students. Some university leaders, to a great extent, ignore ideological work. Leaders and teachers at other universities keep silent to protect themselves, and do not ‘show their swords,’ thus … losing ground. … We must fully recognize the importance and urgency of ideological work. “ 
According to the commentary, “In today’s China, ‘Western values’ mainly refers to erroneous ideas from the Western capitalist world. It especially refers to the erroneous doctrines of political thought and Western political values such as constitutional democracy, ‘universal values,’ civil society, and neo-liberalism … of the Western capitalist countries as represented by the United States."  
Source: Guangming Daily reprinted by People’s Daily, January 2015 
http://theory.gmw.cn/2015-01/31/content_14701183.htm
Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Five Economic Challenges that China Faces

Daily Economic News predicted five macro-economic challenges in 2015; these will come primarily from external pressure and from internal economic drivers losing steam. 

First, an increase in money supply may not be sufficient to help revive businesses. Second, exports continue to decline. Of the economic drivers, exports have been the first to lose power. Third, as banks tighten credit, the demand for credit will be difficult to satisfy. Thus the probability of default will increase. Fourth, real estate developers will not reap the high returns that they did before and will be very cautious. A high inventory in the housing market also de-incentivizes new starts. Fifth, the central government is tightening local governments’ programs so as to reduce local government’ debts. Without the endorsement of local governments, private investment in city infrastructure will not be able to obtain favorable extensions from the bank to handle their debt servicing, thus increasing the likelihood of default. 
Source: Daily Economic News reprinted by Study Times, January 26, 2015 http://www.studytimes.cn/shtml/xxsb/20150126/9265.shtml
Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Qiushi: Establishing Think Tanks with Chinese Characteristics

The General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council recently issued a joint directive (the Directive) on establishing think tanks with Chinese characteristics. 

Qiushi published a commentary about the Chinese characteristics of these think tanks. It stated that the Directive handles well the relationship between the development of think tanks and political sensitivity. For example, as a matter of basic principles, the Directive emphasized the leadership of the Party, thus laying the political and legal bottom line for the think tanks. The think tanks will be the research consulting entities that focus on strategic issues and public policy for the purpose of assisting the Party and the government in their decision-making process. The think tanks should make a priority of their social responsibility and ensure that they abide by the law and regulations. According to the commentary, the guidelines in the Directive promote the development of the think tanks and do not blindly follow some so-called "knowledge" and "judgment” about how to develop think tanks. 
Source: Qiushi, January 27, 2015 
http://www.qstheory.cn/tjyd/2015-01/27/c_1114138726.htm 
Full Text of the Directive 
http://news.xinhuanet.com/zgjx/2015-01/21/c_133934292.htm
Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Xinhua: National Food Security and Permanent Farmland

On January 23, 2015, Xinhua reported that one of the priorities of the State Council for 2015 is to designate permanent farmland. 

As of now, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Land Resources have already begun full implementation. The effort will start with big cities and spread to small towns. The effort is expected to be completed in 2016 and farmland will be returned to farmers. 
According to the 2015 National Conference on Land Resources, which just adjourned, the priority is to designate farmland around cities as permanent farmland so that it will be impossible to change the size of the designated farmland. Large-scale urbanization means more and more rural land has become "non-agricultural." To ensure national food security for China’s 1.3 billion people, China has designated 1.8 billion mu (approximately .3 billion acres) as permanent farmland. From 1996 to 2009, China lost 205 million mu (approximately 33.8 million acres) of high quality farmland to urbanization. 
Source: Xinhua, January 23, 2015. 
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2015-01/23/c_1114106019.htm
Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Qiushi: China Must Safeguard the State-Owned Economic Dominance

Qiushi published an article on January 23 that emphasized the importance of the dominance of the State-owned economy. 

The article stated that, in China’s socialist economy, the State-owned economy takes the leading role. Without the State economy, it would be impossible to adhere to socialism with Chinese characteristics. State ownership and all of the people achieving prosperity are inseparable. The fundamental difference between the socialist market economy and the capitalist market economy is that China’s economic system is dominated by State ownership. To adhere to socialism is to maintain the economic system which is dominated by State ownership and supplemented by other types of ownership. 
To support its position, the article cited language from a politburo meeting on August 19, 2014, stating that State-owned enterprises dominate major industries and key areas of national security and are an important pillar of the national economy. 
Source: Qiushi, January 23, 2014 
http://www.qstheory.cn/dukan/hqwg/2015-01/23/c_1114109520.htm
Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Study Times: Industrial Overcapacity and Countermeasures

On January 19, 2015, Study Times published an article setting forth measures to combat industrial overcapacity. 

In the second half of 2013, capacity utilization in China was at 78 percent, the lowest since the fourth quarter of 2009. The third quarter of 2014 saw the capacity utilization at 78.7 percent, a reduction of 0.9 percent when compared to same period in 2013.  The inventory of finished industrial goods grew by 12.6 percent in the first half of 2014, an increase of 5.4 percentage points. In the second half of 2014, capacity grew faster than demand, adding pressure to the inventory. 

The article proposed a three-prong approach: Government intervention, industrial policies to increase capability instead of providing subsidies, and optimization of the system environment for the market economy. 
Source: Study Times, January 19, 2015 
http://www.studytimes.cn/shtml/xxsb/20150119/9125.shtml

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Qiushi: China Must Develop its Own Discourse System

On January 21, 2015, Qiushi published a commentary that advocated that China develop a comprehensive, thorough, and strong discourse system. 

“We must strengthen [China’s] discourse system by cultivating a comprehensive, thorough, and strong discourse system. The term ‘comprehensive’ means that we should be able to use our own words to explain fully China’s achievements, its problems, and its future; the term ‘thorough’ means that we should explain the issues of concern clearly to everyone so that ordinary people and foreigners can understand them; the term ‘strong’ means that we must have a strong response to the challenge of Western discourse. The West accuses China of strong discourse. Those pro-Western forces in China also use strong but shallow western discourse. We need to fight back forcefully.” 
The commentary stated that Maoist ideology, Deng Xiaoping theory, “the three represents,” the scientific outlook on development and Xi Jinping’s important speeches are all part of the Chinese discourse system. 
The commentary expressed the belief that, without its own discourse system, China could be fooled by Western discourse. Citing the destruction of the former Soviet Union, it stated that, in that year, armed to the teeth, Germany and France failed to destroy the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia. However, the United States, using Western discourse, played such a role in the development of the Soviet Union’s mistakes and errors, that it destroyed them. The lesson we must bear in mind is not to let the Western discourse fool us. “We must bear this lesson in mind and not be fooled by Western discourse.” 
Source: Qiushi, January 21, 2015 
http://www.qstheory.cn/tjyd/2015-01/21/c_1114068621.htm
Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Qiushi: The Contribution of China’s Path to World History

Qiushi published an article on the contribution of China’s path to world history.

“While the modern Western path is difficult to copy, to blaze our own path successfully is easier said than done. China, while achieving rapid economic growth, has also made commendable achievements towards fairness, democracy, order, and self-rule. Why? Our experience is that, no matter how market oriented our economy may be, how democratic our political system should be, and how pluralistic our culture should become, the authority of the central committee of the Party is indispensable. The central committee of the Party must have authority. It is both an important feature of the Chinese path and also the political principle and the fundamental experience that we have always followed.” 
The article further stated that the Communist Party’s policy of befriending China’s neighbors is part of the Chinese spirit. 
Source: Qiushi, January 19, 2015 
http://www.qstheory.cn/zhuanqu/zywz/2015-01/19/c_1114037918.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics