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Briefings - 1035. page

Guangming: U.S. Targets after Iraq

Guanming Observer published a comment on U.S. withdrawal from Iraq and subsequent deployments in Asia. It predicts that the U.S. will likely withdraw from Iraq next year, thus ending the 10-year military adventure, which has gone nowhere.

Given the large contingent of 50, 000 military advisors, military instructors, security guards and other personnel, plus 94 military bases, the U.S. is not withdrawing. The article warns that a defense line has already been formed. The U.S. plans to monitor China from a South Korean island, resume cooperative activities with Indonesia Special Forces, support Vietnam in its dispute with China over territories and encourage India to restrain China’s naval expansion. “Thus, it is an illusion that the United States is backing away from Iraq. … Its next targets are China and Africa.”

Source: Guangming Observer, August 5, 2010 http://guancha.gmw.cn/content/2010-08/05/content_1205161.htm

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Xinhua: Preemptive Diplomacy in Response to U.S. Moves in Asia

A Xinhua article proposes preemptive diplomacy to handle a dilemma posed by the U.S. presence in Asia.

According to the article, if China reacted to America’s attempts to restrain China, it would prove the accusation, that China will not rise peacefully, is true. If, on the other hand, China did nothing, its national interests would suffer and it would not do any good to promote a peaceful rise. Thus, the article recommends preemptive diplomacy: “As China has more and more external interests at heart, it should act to safeguard when needed and to be on the offensive when appropriate, as well as to provide more clarifications and explanations.”

Source: Xinhua, August 9, 2010 http://news.xinhuanet.com/herald/2010-08/09/content_13988031.htm

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Chinese Media Intensive Commentaries on Cultural System Reform

Hu Jintao’s speech at the 22nd group political study of the Central Politburo of the CCP is the “general mobilization order” for “deeply advancing the cultural system reform,” Global Times commented on August 7, 2010. The Central Propaganda Department immediately sent out an order, requesting all propaganda, ideology, and culture work follow Hu’s speech and “further enhance (everyone’s) political responsibility (to the party).” All major Central media have followed the tone by publishing series of commentaries to create a public environment echoing Hu’s direction.

Source: Global Times, August 7, 2010
http://china.huanqiu.com/roll/2010-08/994711.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

The Six Highlights of the Vanguard 2010 Exercise

Xinhua published an article that identified six highlights of the five-day air defense military exercise, Vanguard 2010, that just finished on August 7. The article was from Lieutenant general Feng Zhaoju, deputy director of the exercise and Deputy Commander of the Jinan Military Region:
1. Battle system theory
2. Unit integration – using IT to integrate different basic combat units into a combined combat force, based on the mission requirements and situation.
3. Information system support
4. Complicated electronic-magnetic environment usage
5. Air-ground actual combat
6. Real battle.

Feng also stated that the “unit integration” is a brand new area to start. The exercise has developed some practical measures in surveillance, early warning, command control, and fire attack areas.

Source: Xinhua, August 7, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2010-08/07/content_13978757.htm

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

PLA Major General: Shandong Province Is the Outpost of Beijing’s Air Defense

Starting on August 2, China carried out a large scale military exercise, Vanguard 2010. The five-day exercise took place over the central province of Henan and the eastern coastal province of Shandong, which borders the Yellow Sea. China Review News republished an article by China National Radio, which interviewed Major General Chen Wenrong, Deputy Commander of the Shandong Province Military Region and Commander of the Shandong Joint Air Defense Command. According to Chen, Shandong is the outpost of Beijing’s air defense system. It is responsible for both air defense early warning and air combat operations. The air defense forces at Shandong are composed of four parts, including coastal air defense, urban air defense, reserve air defense, and civic air defense forces. Besides the coastal air defenses, all three other parties have largely participated in the exercise.

Source: China Review News, August 6, 2010
http://gb.chinareviewnews.com/doc/1014/0/6/8/101406894.html?coluid=4&kindid=16&docid=101406894&mdate=0807123052

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

CRN: China should Draw a Red Line for the U.S.

China Review News (CRN) recently reviewed an article published by Global Times on recent US aggression at sea around China. The article believed that the U.S. is a country constantly at war. Without wars, the U.S. economy loses stimulation and the nation cannot unite its people. The military activities the US is now conducting in the Yellow Sea and the South China Sea are part of the strategy of building an “Asian NATO.” The author believes that China is becoming the center of the world’s wealth. China is strategic to U.S. financial profits. Meanwhile, China will in the end become an equal world super power. It is impossible to bear with the U.S. forever. Therefore, the article concluded,  China must draw a red line for the U.S. The US cannot endlessly coerce China into things and endlessly “plot” against China.

Source: China Review News, August 4, 2010
http://gb.chinareviewnews.com/doc/1014/0/2/3/101402397.html?coluid=148&kindid=0&docid=101402397&mdate=0804001026

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

Tension between Population and Resources will Remain

The Director of the Chinese National Population and Family Planning Commission recently suggested in a forum that, for a long period of time, the tension among the Chinese population, natural resources and the environment will remain. On one hand, a stable low birth rate ensures a preferred “population environment” for the long run; on the other hand, too high or too low a growth rate will break the balance of a healthy social development. With the current population growth trend, the Chinese population is having an annual net growth of 8 million people. It is projected that the number will peak at 1.5 billion in 2033. The solution to balancing the population and resources is believed to be speeding up the adjustment of the development model.

Source Xinhua, July 16, 2010
http://jjckb.xinhuanet.com/xwjc/2010-07/16/content_238043.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Xinhua: Four Obstacles for Remodeling the Chinese Economy

Xinhua recently republished an article by Economic Information Daily that discussed the reason that China could not adjust to the right track of an economic development model. The author of the original article is the well-known Chinese economist Wu Jinglian. Wu believes there are four primary obstacles to the reform: (1) various levels of the government still control some important powers over resource allocation; (2) GDP growth is still the primary indicator for measuring of government performance; (3) the financial situation of the government is heavily connected to the growth of material products; (4) market power is very much constrained in terms of resource configurations.

Source: Xinhua, July 16, 2010
http://jjckb.xinhuanet.com/xwjc/2010-07/16/content_238046.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources