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Briefings - 1135. page

Xinhua: New Challenges after 60 Years in Power

Xinhua recently published a report quoting experts’ opinions, suggesting that it’s time for Chinese leaders to establish a global vision of overall strategy covering both domestic and international aspects. The recent global financial crisis offered a major opportunity in the reshuffling process of the international financial order.

When the Reform started 30 years ago, China could only join the “games” and obey the established rules. Now China is the third largest economy and feels more and more about the restrictions set by those existing rules. Facing today’s international rule-changing opportunity, China should stand up for Chinese interests and build a strong base for the decades to come.

Source: Xinhua, July 1, 2009.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2009-07/01/content_11633180_1.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

China Should Have More Say in International Affairs

The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences recently published an article arguing about “Discourse Power.” The article mentioned the Chinese proposal of reforming the IMF and the World Bank. The author believed that many countries supported the idea, but it seemed China did not have much say in these organizations, which are primarily controlled by Europe, US and Japan.

The author found that, in order to conduct important reform, many international academic organizations usually provide a large amount of research help. Chinese scholars rarely participate in these processes. The article identified the lack of English skills as the primary reason.

Source: Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, May, 26, 2009.
http://www.cass.net.cn/file/20090526235133.html

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

PLA Daily: Improve Regional Stability with International Military Cooperation

People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Daily reported that a joint security exercise of the PLA and the Singapore military took place between Jun 19 and June 24 somewhere in the Guangzhou Military Region. This was the first joint exercise with Singapore, and this was the first security exercise with a foreign military.

The exercise reflected the developing military relationship between China and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). In recent years, Chinese military has extended international military cooperation on a strategic level – which is a national defense policy that has been listed in the Defense Whitepaper since 1994.

Source: PLA Daily, June 30, 2009.
http://www.chinamil.com.cn/site1/xwpdxw/2009-06/30/content_1818160.htm

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

Chinese Businessman Buys Out Troubled UK Satellite Station

Ye Maoxi, a Chinese business owner of the Xijing Group from Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province bought out a troubled UK satellite station named “Propeller.”

According to China News, Propeller was the first European digital satellite station to broadcast programs that contain original productions only. The station was established in February 2006 and currently has coverage in dozens of European countries. It was awarded the “best satellite television station in Europe” in Venice, Italy in November 2008. The station lost its funding from the government in the midst of the economic crisis and was eager to find a strategic investor. Ye learned about this opportunity while he was accompanying Wen Jiabao on his visit to Europe at the beginning of the year, and finally closed the deal six months later. Ye plans a major makeover and hopes to turn the station into a platform for domestic businesses and to increase its exposure overseas.

Prior to this, Wang Weisheng from Wenzhou also purchased a television station in the Emirates and has been airing programs since August 1, 2006.

Source: Zhejiang News, July 13, 2009
http://zjnews.zjol.com.cn/05zjnews/system/2009/07/13/015664716.shtml

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology

State Media Rebuts Western Media Coverage of the Xinjiang Riot

The state media has issued a number of rebuttal articles expressing dissatisfaction with western media coverage of the “July 5 incident” in Xinjiang.

Beijing Daily said the western media’s reporting on the “July 5 incident carries double standard.” It labels the words “peaceful demonstration,” “discriminating ethnic policy,” and “violent suppression” as “biased.” It states that the western media were “wearing tinted glasses” to mislead their readers and audiences in the west. It said that some have “used distorted facts which favor the violent party and hence they lost their basic professional moral standard.”

Global Times said that the western media were trying to intensify ethnic conflicts with “ill intentions to split the nation.” It asked all parties to ignore the “noise and firmly stick to domestic rules and laws (established by the Party).”

Source: China News, July 12, 2009
http://www.chinanews.com.cn/gn/news/2009/07-12/1771707.shtml

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Xinhua Praised the Party Members’ Ability to Face the Challenge of the Xinjiang Riot

Xinhua praised the party members and leaders’ for their ability to deal the Xinjiang riot and called them a critical force in ensuring social stability. It also warned them that “as the situation in Xinjiang improves, domestic and foreign enemies will not give up, so maintaining stability in Xinjiang remains a most important task and a test for all the party members.”

Source: Xinhua, July 12, 2009
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2009-07/12/content_11697608.htm

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Outlook: Lessons to Learn from the Soviet Union’s Collapse

When the Soviet Union was at its peak in the mid 70’s there were five ‘hidden dangers’, according to an analysis by Outlook Magazine, which had the stated goal of studying the collapse of the Soviet Union to avoid the same fate for the Communist Party in China. Interestingly enough, some of these dangers are already severe in China. The five hidden dangers were as follows:

1. Brezhnev was primarily focusing on an arm race with the U.S.
2. Under the claim of "stability,” Brezhnev refused revolution and suppressed innovation.
3. The lifelong terms of officials under the ruling system and subsequent governance by aging people formed a stable interest group and a bureaucratic privileged class.
4. Corruption and privileges for special groups reached an unbearable level.
5. The Soviet Union had a wrong positioning with the rest of the world.

Source: Outlook Magazine, 26th issue, 2009
http://www.outlookweekly.cn/htm/content_4847.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Wang Zhaoguo: The Labor Union’s Primary Mission Is to Serve the Party

On May 26, Wang Zhaoguo, the President of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, gave a speech at the “Conference on the Theory and Practice of Firmly Staying on the Chinese Characteristic Socialism Union Development Path.” Some excerpts from Wang’s speech are as follows:

“(Unions) must persist in consciously following the Communist Party’s leadership.”
“(Unions) must persist in serving the big picture of the Party and the nation’s work.” [i.e., the laborers in the unions should sacrifice for the Party and the “nation,” —Ed.]
“In the new era, (unions) must absorb employees, including peasant workers into their organization, expand the union’s coverage, … provide important support to strengthen the Party’s class base, expand the Party’s public bases, and fortify the Party’s control of the offices.”
“Actively include the union’s international work in the nation’s overall foreign relationship arrangement.”
“Unions should follow the principles of ‘promoting enterprise development and protecting employees’ rights’ and seek a balance between the two.” [i.e., in the Union’s view, the employees’ interest should yield to the enterprise’s interest —Ed.]

Source: Qiushi Magazine, June 16 2009 issue
http://www.qsjournal.com.cn/qs/20090616/GB/qs%5E505%5E0%5E2.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics