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Briefings - 1073. page

Use Buying U.S. Bonds as a Political Chip

The Chinese state owned newspaper People’s Daily recently published an article discussing the way China purchases U.S. bonds. The article suggested that although Yi Gang, Deputy Managing Director of People’s Bank of China and Chairman of State Administration of Foreign Exchange, claimed the bond purchase was purely a market investment behavior, yet it is impossible to completely de-link economic and political considerations. That President Obama’s recent protectionism is serving some political interest is proof. Some U.S. bankers now see China’s holding a large amount of U.S. bonds as a threat to the United States. It’s time for China to use it as a political chip. This is an “international common practice.”

Source: People’s Daily, March 11, 2010
http://opinion.people.com.cn/GB/182743/182750/11117686.html

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

More and More Chinese Military Officers Talk Straight with the Media

Xinhua recently republished an article by Hong Kong based Asia Times suggesting the more and more high-ranking Chinese military officers are standing up and “talking straight.” Examples are comments made by Major General Zhu Chenghu, Major General Luo Yuan, and Senior Colonel Ke Chunqiao, after the U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. They all suggested that China should sell U.S. bonds, increase military spending and expand military deployment. Retired Rear Admiral Yin Zhuo also suggested expanding the reach of the Chinese Navy by doing things like establishing a Navy base in the Middle East. All these military comments covered by the media started 15 years ago with General Xiong Guangkai, who told U.S. Ambassador Charles Freeman regarding nuclear wars, “You’d better worry more about Los Angeles than Taipei.”

Source: Xinhua, March 10, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2010-03/10/content_13137034.htm

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

China’s Economy Still Has Overcapacity Issue

Li Yi, the Minister of Industry and Information Technology, recently commented on the overcapacity issues, referring to industries such as steel, concrete, nonferrous metals, aluminum, coal,  chemicals, and others. Li mentioned that the central government tends to continue proactive fiscal policies and moderately easy monetary policies. On the industrial side, the policies focus on homegrown innovations, small and medium sized businesses, new industries and technological reforms. Expansion in the industries with overcapacity problems will not be supported. These industries will be controlled by (issuing) fewer loans and (allocating) less land.

Source: Global Times, March 12, 2010
http://china.huanqiu.com/roll/2010-03/743507.html

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

PLA Daily: Not Appropriate to Emphasize the Scale of Destroying Enemy in the Future Warfare

According to PLA Daily or China Military Online on March 11, 2010, “As information technology  improves in future warfare, it is no longer appropriate to continue to emphasize the scale of the enemy’s destruction. … Sometimes, destroying a system, a subsystem or even the enemy’s key equipment will disable the enemy’s resistance capability.”

“In several recent high-tech regional wars, the US-led multinational military forces almost always attacked an opponent’s command system first, which defeated the opponent completely before it could organize any decent resistance.”

“A more and more well-developed information network can compensate for the inadequacy of not setting up the task of destroying the enemy in terms of scale.”

Source: PLA Daily/China Military Online, March 11, 2010
http://www.chinamil.com.cn/jfjbmap/content/2010-03/11/content_22637.htm

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

Qiu Shi: Patriotic Education in the Army – Cultivate the Army Personnel’s loyalty to the Party

Qiu Shi, the primary theoretical journal of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, published an article on February 16, 2010, on the importance of patriotic Education in the armed forces. Below are the specific requirements for the patriotic education in the army:

“Strive to guide the majority of the military officers and soldiers to firmly hold the army’s soul, i.e., the Party’s absolute leadership over the army, wholeheartedly follow the Party and forever obey the Party.  Educate and guide them to regard the Party’s direction as the direction, the Party’s will as the will, and highly keep in line with the Party Central Committee.  Resolutely resist the wrong ideological trend of a ‘non-Partisan and apolitical Armed Forces’ and ‘nationalization of the Armed Forces’.”

Source: QiuShi, February 16, 2010
http://www.qstheory.cn/zxdk/2010/201004/201002/t20100209_20835.htm

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

PLA Daily: A Rich Country with a Strong Army Equals More Happiness and Greater Dignity

On March 12, 2010, PLA Daily or China Military Online published an article titled “Dignity in the Eyes of Military Men.” 

Wen Jiabao said in the government work report at the Third Session of the Eleventh National People’s Congress on March 5th, 2010: “Everything we have done is to enable the people live happier with greater dignity in a fairer and more harmonious society.” Wen Jiabao’s speech aroused heated discussions among representatives of the NPC.

The article writer summarized that the military representatives’ understanding of “happiness and dignity” is “a rich country with a strong army.”  CCP General Secretary Hu Jintao proposed “a rich country with a strong army”as a strategic objective of the 17th National Congress of the CCP. 

Source: PLA Daily/China Military Online, March 12, 2010
http://www.chinamil.com.cn/jfjbmap/content/2010-03/12/content_22733.htm

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

Beijing’s 2009 U.S. Human Rights Report

On March 12, the State Council Information Office published the 2009 U.S. Human Rights Record, an annual government paper to counter the United States annual human rights report, which was published one day earlier. 

The 15,000 word long document details U.S. human rights in six categories including life, property and personal safety; civil and political rights; economic, social, and cultural rights; racial discrimination; women and children’s rights; and infringement of other countries human rights. In one account, it claimed that the “occurrences of rape in the U.S. is 13 times higher that the U.K. and 20 times higher than Japan, ranking the highest in the world.” 
The report concludes that, “All the above facts show that the United States of American not only has a terrible domestic human rights record, but has been a major source of many world human rights disasters.”

Source: China News Service, March 12, 2010 
http://www.chinanews.com.cn/gn/news/2010/03-12/2167287.shtml

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Qiushi: A Learning Oriented Marxist Political Party

A recent issue of Qiushi journal, the flagship publication of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, featured an article entitled “a major and pressing strategic task – on building a learning oriented Marxist political party.” 

The article mentioned that the Fourth Session of the 17th National Congress of CCP put the build-up of a "Learning oriented Marxist political party” as a high priority. “The world is undergoing a major development, transformation, and adjustment. In the face of the profound changes in the world, the country, and the party, our party can only maintain its advanced nature, become the backbone to rally people across the country to overcome all risks and tests, and lead the socialist cause with Chinese characteristics toward victory by emphasizing learning and being good at learning.”The term “Learning oriented Marxist political party” has been seen frequently in recent government papers. 
Source: Qiushi, March 13, 2010 
http://www.qstheory.cn/yw/201003/t20100313_23586.htm
Briefings | | |   Government/Politics