TGS – Page 82 – Chinascope

Chinese Major General: We Will Treat the U.S and Japan the Same Way They Treat Us

International Herald Leader published an article about a report that the China Strategy Culture Promotion Association released on U.S. and Japanese military power in 2011. According to the article, China has been on the defensive since the theory of the “China Threat” spread in the international community. “Although the Chinese side believes that these arguments are not worth refuting, objectively speaking, they have had a minor negative impact on China’s image.” The article considers the release of the report to be an effort to strike back. It quoted Luo Yuan, a retired major general and Deputy Executive Director of the association, as saying, “We will treat them (the U.S. and Japan) the same way they treat us.”

The article said, “Luo Yuan is viewed as a Hawk in the Chinese military. The international mainstream media often quote his tough talk. His views have considerable influence on international public opinion.” Luo expressed a concern that the report may be misunderstood and viewed as being the Chinese military’s view or as a deliberate undertaking of the Chinese military.

Source: International Herald Leader, June 11, 2012
http://ihl.cankaoxiaoxi.com/2012/0611/47141.shtml

Briefings | | June 14, 2012 | US-China Relations

China Central Bank Lowers Interest Rates

The People’s Bank of China announced that it was lowering its interest rates by 0.25 percentage point, effective June 8, 2012. The one year deposit rate will drop from 3.5% to 3.25% and the one year lending rate will fall from 6.56% to 6.31%. This is the first time since December 23, 2008, that the central bank has lowered interest rates. At that time, the central bank lowered its interest rates by 0.27 percentage points.

Source: Xinhua, June 7, 2012
http://news.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2012-06/07/c_112152900.htm

Briefings | | June 8, 2012 | Economy/Resources

PLA Major General Challenges the U.S. with Ten Questions

On June 5, 2012, at a press conference for the release of a report assessing the power of the U.S. military, PLA Major General Luo Yuan posed 10 questions to the United States. The China Strategy Culture Promotion Association, where Luo serves as its spokesperson and Deputy Executive Director, released the report.

The 10 questions are as follows:

Who has the largest and best-equipped military? Who has the world’s biggest military budget? Who has the largest inventory of nuclear weapons? Which country is involved in the most wars at present? Which country arranges the greatest number of combined military excises around the world? Who perceives China as its enemy? Who is the target of the U.S. strategic pivotal shift to the East? Who is the target of the air and sea combat strategy? Who is implementing or preparing to implement cyberspace warfare? Who is creating roadblocks in the Sino-U.S. military cooperation?

Luo concluded that the U.S. has the most powerful military with the largest budget and has a strong hostile state of mind towards China.

Source: Huanqiu, June 5, 2012
http://mil.huanqiu.com/paper/2012-06/2789073.html

Briefings | | June 7, 2012 | US-China Relations

Over 350 Million Chinese Have No Clean Water

According to Zhang Wentai, Deputy Director of the Committee on the Environment and Resources of the National People’s Congress, over 300 million of China’s rural population and 50 million urban residents have no clean drinking water. Four factors have contributed to the problem: China’s wetlands are shrinking; its water sources are drying up; forests are being destroyed; and the “three highs” (high pollution, the high consumption of power, and the high consumption of water) are affecting water resources. In 2002 and 2003, official surveys of the water supply networks in several hundred cities found the quality of the water pipes to be inferior. For example, 50.80% of iron pipes, 13% of cement pipes, and 6% of galvanized pipes were below the national safety standard.

Source: China Youth Daily, May 31, 2012
http://zqb.cyol.com/html/2012-05/31/nw.D110000zgqnb_20120531_3-05.htm

Briefings | | June 1, 2012 | Economy/Resources

Ministry of Public Heath on Qigong: The Government Encourages Different Schools of Thoughts

The Gansu Provincial Public Health Department recently held a training for those who teach the practice of qigong. The report about the training attracted widespread attention. Since 1999, when the Chinese authorities launched the persecution of Falun Gong, a form of qigong, qiqong has been largely banned in mainland China.

On May 31, 2012, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Health responded to public inquiries about the training. The spokesperson stated that the purpose of Gansu’s training was to help medical workers obtain more knowledge and skills in Chinese medicine. “Chinese medicine is a medical science developed over several thousand years; it has made great contributions. … Humankind has been deepening its understanding of life sciences, with constant new discoveries. Modern research also continues to provide scientific evidence substantiating Chinese medicine’s theories and methods. At the academic level, the government encourages theoretical explorations, innovative practices, and debates among different schools of thoughts."

This official statement in favor of qiqong was released at the same time that public appeals for the authorities to stop the persecution of Falun Gong have been gathering momentum in China. Falun Gong is a meditation practice based on three tenets rooted in Chinese traditional culture: truthfulness, compassion and tolerance.

Source: Xinhua, May 31, 2012
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2012-05/31/c_112086812.htm

Briefings | | June 1, 2012 | Government/Politics

Ninety Percent of CCP Central Committee Members Have Family Members Overseas

Issue 321 of Dongxiang, a Hong Kong magazine, reported the results of a survey that the Central Committee of the Communist Party recently conducted. The survey revealed that, as of the end of March 2012, 187 (91 percent) of the 204 members of the Central Committee of the Communist Party had family members living or working overseas or maintaining citizenship in other countries. The survey included the members’ sons and daughters, grandchildren, and siblings. For the 167 alternate Committee members, 142 (85 percent) had relatives who had emigrated overseas. 113 (88 percent) of 127 members of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China had relatives who had emigrated overseas.

Sources: Oriental Daily, May 28, 2012
http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20120528/00178_012.html
Dongxiang Magazine, Issue 321 of May 2012
http://www.chengmingmag.com/t321/t321toc/t321toc.html

Briefings | | May 31, 2012 | Government/Politics

In the First Quarter Total of Local GDP Exceeded National GDP by 480 Billion RMB

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, in the first quarter of 2012, the total national GDP in China was 10,800 billion RMB, while the total of all local GDP amounts was 11,280 billion RMB for the same period. The difference is 480 Billion RMB (US $75.65 billion). China Economy reporters calculated the total through a summation of the local numbers. Every year since 1985, when local and national governments started to calculate GDP separately, the two numbers have been inconsistent. While different methodologies may have contributed to the inconsistency, the authorities believe that data fraud has been a cause. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, despite government efforts to curb fraud, local governments frequently use their administrative power to arbitrarily adjust the GDP number upward to demonstrate their achievements and competence.

Source: China Economy reprinted by Xinhua, May 24, 2012
http://news.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2012-05/24/c_123184185.htm

Briefings | | May 25, 2012 | Economy/Resources

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