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International Herald Leader: Including the Diaoyu Islands in Diplomatic Discussions

The International Herald Leader published an article by Lin Xiaoguang, a professor at the CCP Central Party School, stating that in the past China has been soft in claiming sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands (called the Senkaku Islands in Japan), but that it is now time to include its claim in its formal diplomatic agenda with Japan. Lin argued that China’s former strategy of “putting aside disputes and jointly developing” didn’t work. Taking the issue to international court won’t work either. So the best way is to include it in the Sino-Japan East Sea Diplomatic Discussion. This will restrict Japan from taking actual control of the island on its own, and will also avoid the shocking effect on the Sino-Japan relationship from any emergent incident.

Source: International Herald Leader, September 20, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/herald/2010-09/20/c_13521094.htm

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

China Signed Oil Refinery Deal with Russia

China and Russia started a joint oil refinery project in Tianjin, China, on September 21. China National Petroleum Corp. owns this project, with a 51% share of the joint venture, and Russia’s OAO Rosneft has a 49% share. The two companies agreed to invest 30 billion Yuan ($5 billion) to build a 13 million tons-a-year (260,000 barrels-a-day) refinery.

Source: Xinhua, September 21, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2010-09/21/c_12595893.htm

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Qiu Shi: China Will Continue to Be a Developing Country for a Long Time

Qiu Shi, a magazine of the CCP Central Committee, published an article coming out against “The Theory of China’s Responsibilities.” The article referred to the standards put forth by the United Nations and the World Bank, and the author drew five conclusions: (1) China’s per-person average (income) will remain low for a long time; (2) China’s industrial structure and employment structure are still typical among mid-and-low income countries; (3) China is far behind advanced countries in terms of social development; (4) China still has many problems in consumer structure; (5) China’s level of modernization is still weak despite recent improvements. The article believed the media in the West is pointing a finger at China by overstating China’s economic success in order to overload China with unfair burdens.  

Source: Qiu Shi, September 16, 2010
http://www.qstheory.cn/zxdk/2010/201018/201009/t20100911_46952.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Record Number of Traffic Jams in Beijing

During the evening rush hour on September 17, downtown Beijing had a record number of traffic jams – 140 roads were jammed. This broke the earlier record of 90 roads blocked by snow. During the rush hour, the average traffic speed was less than 20 kilometers per hour. It was believed that the main reasons for the traffic situation were: (1) the fall holiday season, (2) rain, (3) the weekend, (4) increased fender-benders, (5) only cars with tag numbers ending in 4 or 9 were not allowed to be on the road, (6) an ever increasing number of cars. Currently there are 4.5 million automobiles in Beijing. Experts believe that the Beijing traffic problem is ultimately a city planning issue, which is a comprehensive topic. The growing population is becoming a heavy burden. The government is asking drivers to avoid busy roads and even to avoid driving.

Source: Beijing News, September 18, 2010
http://news.bjnews.com.cn/2010/0918/91423.shtml

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Guangzhou Daily: Kitchen Knife Buyers Must Register

According to a draft by the Guangzhou Public Security Bureau, during the Asian Games, all buyers of kitchen knives and large fruit knives will have to register with their National ID. The registration process also requires that the purpose of the purchase must be entered. Some parts of Guangzhou City have been monitoring the trail of this new policy for some time now. Sellers must comply with the policy as well. Only those authorized by the government can sell kitchen knives. The Public Security Bureau has been sending officers to do random inspections of seller sites. How the knives are carried is also regulated. When appearing in public places, knife owners are required to wrap the knives so that they “cannot hurt other people.”

Source: Guangzhou Daily, September 14, 2010
http://gzdaily.dayoo.com/html/2010-09/14/content_1128532.htm

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Chinese Think Tank Warns: The U.S. Will Surely Lose If a China-US Trade War Breaks Out

China Review News republished an article from Jiefang Daily, a newspaper of the Shanghai Committee of the Communist Party of China, titled, “Chinese Think Tank Warns: The US Will Surely Lose If a China-U.S. Trade War Breaks Out.”

“The Ways and Means Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives held a two-day hearing on September 15 to discuss the RMB exchange rate in an attempt to exert pressure for RMB appreciation.”

“Ding Yifan, Deputy Director of the Institute of World Development (IWD) under the Development Research Center of China’s State Council (DRC), said that once the United States deliberately imposes economic sanctions on China, China can respond by selling its holdings of U.S. debt. At present, China is still the biggest holder of U.S. Treasury bonds. If China sells off its holdings, the domestic interest rates of U.S. banks will increase."  

Source: China Review News, September 17, 2010
http://gb.chinareviewnews.com/doc/1014/4/8/6/101448618.html?coluid=148&kindid=0&docid=101448618&mdate=0917004914

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Huanqiu: Take Advantage of the U.S. Financial Crisis to Raise China’s International Status

On September 13, 2010, Huanqiu, China’s official website, published an article stating that the financial crisis has ended the United States’ foreign expansion cycle and opened a new stage in its strategic contraction cycle. The contraction of the U.S. foreign policy has created the conditions for China to raise its international status. China is thus able to fully take advantage of the “dividends” brought by such a contraction to sustain and move forward China’s moderation, while elevating China’s international status.

“The United States is ‘the only country that can pressure China and cause substantial damage to China’s national security and internal stability.’ Therefore, seeking China-US cooperation is the highest priority on China’s foreign policy agenda. … China should stick to the policy of cooperating and fighting with the U.S. at the same time. It should fight only to the point of not breaking up the relationship.”

Source: Huanqiu, September 13, 2010
http://mil.huanqiu.com/Exclusive/2010-09/1097381.html

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

PLA Deputy Chief Ma Xiaotian Explains Purposes of SCO Joint Military Drill in Kazakhstan

On September 17, 2010, China Review News republished a Xinhua report on the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) [1] joint military drill – "Peace Mission 2010" in Kazakhstan. Ma Xiaotian, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the PLA and the Chief Commander of the 1,000 PLA troops in the drill, held a press conference on September 16.

According to Ma, the SCO joint military drill is not targeted at any country. The purposes for the dril are:

  1. Implement the consensus reached by the leaders of all SCO member countries;
  2. Further strengthen the practical cooperation among the SCO member countries including defense cooperation;
  3. Further demonstrate the determination, will, and ability to fight together against terrorists, separatists, and extremists;
  4. Further increase mutual political trust among SCO member countries and enhance the understanding and friendship among the armed forces of the member countries.

[1] Editor’s Note: The SCO members include China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

Source: China Review News, September 17, 2010
http://gb.chinareviewnews.com/doc/1014/4/8/9/101448906.html?coluid=4&kindid=18&docid=101448906&mdate=0917094801

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military