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Chinese Official Media Highlight 20th Anniversary of Hainan Island Incident

China’s official media have recently publicized and commemorated the death of People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) pilot Wang Wei, who was killed 20 years ago in a collision between the United States Navy EP-3E ARIES II signals intelligence aircraft and a PLAN J-8II interceptor fighter jet. Against the backdrop of the tense confrontation between the two countries, the move is seen as a tactic to rally anti-American sentiment.

On April 1, 2001, the EP-3 was operating about 70 miles (110 km) away from the PRC island province of Hainan, and about 100 miles (160 km) away from the Chinese military installation in the Paracel Islands, when it was intercepted by two J-8 fighters. A collision between the EP-3 and one of the J-8s caused the PRC pilot to go missing (later presumed dead), and the EP-3 was forced to make an emergency landing on Hainan. The J-8 pilot, Lt. Cdr. Wang Wei, was posthumously honored in China as a “Guardian of Territorial Airspace and Waters.” His widow received a personal letter of condolence from President George W. Bush.

An official account on WeChat posted an article titled “April 1, the Most Complicated Day for Chinese People.” The article listed a number of incidents that occurred on April 1, the first of which was Wang Wei’s death in service. The article extrapolated from the incident and emphasized that the event has prodded Chinese to work harder and prepare for a comeback. Twenty years later, China is no longer the same China. It also criticized the United States for acting unilaterally, imposing sanctions at will, and for pointing and poking fingers. “The world is scared when the U.S. gets mad.”

On March 31, the Communist Party’s mouthpiece China Global Television Network (CGTN) and Xinhua News Agency also covered the news in high profile. The reports emphasized that Wang was killed because the U.S. military violated China’s territorial airspace. In addition, news media with a military background such as PLA Daily, 81.cn, have also carried articles in memory of Wang.

With no apparent easing of tension between China and the United States, Chinese netizens have paid considerable attention to this incident. Many have left comments criticizing the U.S. for being hegemonic and using its fists to force people into compliance. Some netizens also said, “Today’s China is no longer the China of 20 years ago that would only take orders from the United States,” and “China’s military strength has gradually caught up with that of the United States.”

Source: Central News Agency, April 1, 2021
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202104010137.aspx

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

CCP Installed a Committee in Alibaba’s Beijing Headquarters

According to a recent report in Chinese media, Alibaba has recently established a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) committee at its headquarters in Beijing. Previously, the company only had a CCP committee at its Hangzhou headquarters. After the implementation of the “dual headquarters” in Beijing and Hangzhou in 2016, the company only had a CCP branch, instead of a CCP committee in Beijing, where CCP members accounted for more than 30 percent of its employees. The establishment of the CCP committee at its Beijing Headquarters has elevated the CCP’s organizational footprint in China’s largest e-commerce company.

1.585 million, or more than 40 percent of private enterprises in China have internal CCP organizations.

Hu Jia, a Chinese social activist, told Voice of America that, since coming to power in 2012, Xi Jinping has built up CCP organizations within the state sector. Against the current backdrop of the severe international situation, the CCP wishes to extend its tight grip over private enterprises. “The most valuable ones are those of the unicorn type, which have new technologies and the capacity to innovate in the Internet economy. Such enterprises are capably of wealth creation and societal control, and can also participate in the international economic and technological competition and even confrontation. The CCP would like to have more power over these entities.”

The expansion of CCP committees in Alibaba is also seen by public opinion as a sign that the CCP is short of money and technology and wants to use private enterprises to “feed” state-owned enterprises. Sang Pu, a commentator, told the American media Sound of Hope that the party actually controls and manipulates private enterprises in mainland China. The reason why the CCP is strengthening the Party’s leadership is that it is short of money and needs to take further action against these tech giants.

The Constitution of the CCP and China’s Corporate Law allow the establishment of CCP organizations in private enterprises. As part of its United Front Work, the CCP proposed to “establish a modern private enterprise system with Chinese characteristics” and emphasized that the party should have three privileges in private enterprises: human resources, surveillance and audit, and the leadership over trade unions.

“To be successful under the CCP’s rule, private companies must have official support and maintain some kind of intimacy with the government. From the perspective of private enterprises, they have their own considerations. If you don’t have a CCP committee, and if you don’t give sufficient convenience for CCP members to conduct party activities, you will always have the feeling that big brother is watching you, and that your wealth and business are often in an unstable and insecure state. That is because officials can control you by any means, such as tax inspections, firefighting, public health and other channels.” Hu Jia said that Chinese private enterprises somehow have to show loyalty in order to have the opportunity to survive and thrive.

Source: Voice of America, April 2, 2021
https://www.voachinese.com/a/CCP-within-Alibaba-20210402/5838104.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

CCP Spokesperson: Population Counts; Chinese Netizens Think Otherwise

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying dismissed the United States, Great Britain, Canada, and the European Union because their combined population accounts for merely 11 percent of the world’s total population. This contrasts with the CCP’s usual practice of using GDP as the yardstick to brag about its economy. As soon as this remark came out, it caused a wave of online ridicule.

On March 23, 2021, at a press conference on this subject, Hua was asked whether she was concerned that more countries would impose sanctions in a concerted manner. She issued a rebuttal, saying that the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the European Union combined account for about merely 11 percent of the world’s population, while China has about one-fifth. Therefore, she stated that these countries’ voices are not the voices of the international opinion and that their position does not represent that of the international community.  She asked these countries to “take a good look at themselves.”

Her remarks did not appear to sit well with Chinese netizens.

“According to this statement, your Party’s population [Chinese Communist Party (CCP) members] accounts for less than one-tenth of the country, and it [the CCP] is not elected or authorized in any form. Yet, you still bark everywhere without shame on behalf of a billion people.”

“Does 11 percent of your one-fifth of the world’s population support you?”

“Then how dare the 90 million [CCP members] represent one billion people? Shame on you for representing the people of the earth and managing the earth.”

“The 90 million CCP members account for only 6 percent of the Chinese population. How can they say that they represent the Chinese people? Only a government elected by the people, with each person having one vote, is in a position to say that it represents the people and the opinion of the public.”

“1.4 billion Chinese are kidnapped as hostages. In this case, the number of hostages is needed to refute the rules of the civilized world. However, when it comes to education, medical care, and pensions, 1.4 billion people are worth nothing when pandemic relief funds are needed. Not even one penny has been given out. To put it bluntly, what is happening in China is that twenty or thirty evil cult leaders determine the fate of 1.4 billion people. The rogue regime never treats people as human beings, and they are all just hostages held under the gun.”

Analysts believe that the CCP statement “Europe and the United States do not represent international public opinion” has become the latest CCP propaganda to fool Chinese people. It may also reflect the retreat of the CCP’s propaganda. After it has failed to divide Europe and the United States, the CCP now declares that the public opinion of Europe and the United States do not count whatsoever.

Source: Radio France International, March 24, 2021

https://www.rfi.fr/cn/%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD/20210324-%E5%8D%8E%E6%98%A5%E8%8E%B9%E4%B8%8D%E5%86%8D%E6%AF%94gdp%E5%8F%AA%E7%9C%8B%E8%B0%81%E4%BA%BA%E5%A4%9A-%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD%E7%BD%91%E6%B0%91%E5%90%90%E6%A7%BD

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Disciplinary Actions against CCP Members Who Disagree with the CCP

On March 28, 2021, Xinhua reported that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) issued (trial) disciplinary regulations for 17 types of behavior that would be subject to disciplinary action.

The General Office of the CCP Central Committee’s notice distributing the regulations emphasized that disciplinary actions are an indispensable method for educating and managing cadres and an essential measure for the Party to maintain complete and tight control.

The regulation lists 17 types of behavior that are subject to disciplinary action.

The first is the failure to be in agreement with or taking positions on significant issues which are not consistent with the CCP. The second is “having doubts about ideals and beliefs, lacking in Marxist beliefs, engaging in feudal and superstitious activities that cause adverse effects, participating in religious activities in violation of the CCP’s regulations, or believing in cults.”

The third is “ineffective implementation, making choices, discounting, and making changes” when implementing the theories, strategies, and decisions of the CCP Central Committee, which result in adverse effects or severe consequences.

The fourth is a lack of courage to fight and an unwillingness to take responsibility when facing significant issues of right and wrong, major conflicts, and crises and difficulties, which result in adverse effects or serious consequences.

Others include failure to report personal matters such as leaving for overseas.

Source: The Central People’s Government of China, March 28, 2021
http://www.gov.cn/zhengce/2021-03/28/content_5596366.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

China Promotes Local Currency Settlement with Russia, Iran and Middle East

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who was visiting the United Arab Emirates, said he wanted to promote greater use of local currency settlements in Sino-Arab trade and investment. Wang said that the two countries should raise the level of financial and investment cooperation, “promote the use of local currency settlement in bilateral trade and investment,” and work together to build the Sino-Arab “Belt and Road” international exchange.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov mentioned the same issue during a meeting with Wang Yi in Guangxi, China. He said that Russia and China should promote settlement in local currency through autonomous innovation in the technology industry and get rid of the international payment system controlled by the West.

In recent years, Russia, hit by U.S. sanctions, has sought to promote “de-dollarization.” The BBC previously reported that the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), of which Russia is a member, will promote trading in its own currency in 2020, bypassing the US dollar and the euro. The alliance also includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

Recently, the share of U.S. dollar settlements in China-Russia trade has also been decreasing. According to the Financial Times, 90 percent of Russia-Chinese trade was settled in U.S. dollars in 2015, but by Q1 of 2020, that share dropped to less than 50 percent.

Also recently, China has emphasized the importance of the “internationalization” of the RMB. Fang Xinghai, Vice Chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), said in June 2020 that external financial pressure has made the internationalization of the RMB an urgent issue and it should be accelerated over the next 10 years. Against the backdrop of the U.S.-China trade war, he also mentioned that many Chinese financial institutions and enterprises conduct their business internationally using the U.S. dollar payment system. However, the Russian experience has forced China to take early precautions and respond well.

In addition, China and Iran recently signed an agreement to invest US$400 billion over the next 25 years, the details of which have not been made public. However, on March 28, Chinese scholar Jin Canrong quoted Iranian reports on his Weibo account which said that “oil and other commodity trade transactions between China and Iran will be settled in RMB and China’s new digital currency, avoiding the US dollar.”

Source: Central News Agency, March 28, 2021
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202103280182.aspx

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Financial Times Suggests Xi Jinping Ready to Attack Taiwan

The British Financial Times mentioned the assessment of the Biden administration about Xi Jinping’s possible move on Taiwan. A senior U.S. official revealed that China’s recent actions reflect Xi Jinping’s “big hand shaping his own historical image and positioning.” Taiwan officials warned that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) might attack Taiwan in 2022, when Xi Jinping is re-elected as president or 2027, when the People’s Liberation Army was founded 100 years ago.

The official told Financial Times, “China appears to be moving from a period of being content with the status quo over Taiwan to a period in which they are more impatient and more prepared to test the limits and flirt with the idea of unification.” “As we prepare for a period in which Xi Jinping will likely be entering his third term, there’s concern that he sees capstone progress on Taiwan as important to his legitimacy and legacy,” the official added. “It seems that he is prepared to take more risks.”

Last Friday (March 26) Taiwan and the United States signed the “Memorandum of Cooperation in Maritime Patrol.” On that day, the CCP sent 20 PLA aircraft to disrupt Taiwan.

When reporting to the US Senate and Congressmen, John Aquilino, who is about to take over as the U.S. Indo-Pacific Commander, pointed out that the CCP’s attack on Taiwan is more urgent than many people understand. Aquilino emphasized that China’s actions in the Sino-Indian border conflict are aggressive, and all signs show that China is becoming more and more unscrupulous. Aquilino told the Senate Armed Services Committee, “What we have seen is what we did not expect.” He also called on Washington to “be prepared.”

The US Indo-Pacific Affairs Officer (Kurt Campbell) believes that China’s actions in different areas are provocative, with Taiwan being the toughest. China’s actions in the South China Sea, economic pressure on Australia, the launch of “wolf war diplomacy” with Europe, and the outbreak of border conflicts with India, are all signs that show that China is “showing its strength” to the world.

Taiwan’s national security officials warned that Xi Jinping might launch an offensive against Taiwan at two times. One is in 2022, during the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China through which he will enter his third term; the other is the centenary of the People’s Liberation Army in 2027.

Source: Radio Free Asia, March 28, 2021
https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/attack-03282021090731.html

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

Upon China’s Counter-sanctions, EU Calls Off CAI Review

On March 22, EU foreign ministers decided to impose sanctions on four Chinese officials and one institution because they violated the human rights of the Muslim minority in Xinjiang. China quickly reacted by announcing retaliatory sanctions against ten individuals and four entities in Europe, including European Parliament members, think tanks and scholars. In response, the European Parliament cancelled a review meeting on the EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI), casting a shadow over whether it can be implemented in the future. Winkler Gyula, vice-chair of the European Parliament’s International Trade Committee, reacted quickly, saying that, “In view of the latest developments in the relationship between the EU and China today, especially the unacceptable sanctions (that China issued), the European Parliament has decided to abolish the original plan for China and Europe scheduled for the 23rd, which is a review meeting of the Comprehensive Investment Agreement.” Several members of the European Parliament also made it clear that it would be impossible to continue the review of the agreement if their colleagues were still on China’s sanction list. The EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) was concluded in principle by the leaders of the EU Council in December 2020, pending ratification by the European Parliament.

At a regular press conference on March 23, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying denounced these sanctions as “being based on lies and false information”  and criticized the EU in a strong tone. “The European side cannot expect to talk about cooperation on the one hand, while conducting sanctions on the other, to the detriment of China’s rights and interests. … The European side should reflect on itself.”

Thorsten Benner, director of the Berlin-based German think tank Global Public Policy Institute (GPPI), told Radio Free Asia that the EU’s use of the mechanism of the recently adopted Magnitsky Act to impose sanctions on China, Russia, Myanmar and other human rights abusers simultaneously was a “symbolic move” that had been considered for a long time. He felt that Beijing’s choice of high-profile counter-measures was “extraordinary” and that the approach of targeting scholars and think tanks that promote China-EU exchanges was “extreme.”

“I think Beijing’s is attempting to dominate the escalating Europe-China relationship, showing the EU that whatever you do, I will hit back harder is to show the EU that you are no match for us (China).” European countries have always had economic considerations in their policies toward China, but Benner predicts that China’s assertive approach will have “side effects” and that “Beijing is pushing the Europeans into the arms of Washington and putting the politicians who endorsed the CAI, led by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in an untenable position.”

The day before, the United States also joined forces with the European Union, the United Kingdom and Canada to sanction a number of Chinese officials. The U.S. Secretary of State also issued a joint statement with the foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand condemning the Chinese government’s human rights abuses in Xinjiang.

In the press conference, Hua Chunying not only named the past records of the United States, Britain, Canada and France mentioning colonization or violations of human rights, but also talked about the history of Nazi Germany’s holocaust of millions of Jews. Hua declared that China is not afraid of being isolated by the so-called “democratic alliance” and boasted that China’s circle of friends is bigger. “We are not worried at all! The U.S., U.K., and Canada plus the EU only account for about 11 percent of the world’s population, while China accounts for 1/5 of the world’s population.”

For Alex Dukalskis, a professor at the University of Dublin, China’s use of the history of Nazi is “extremely ironic” and flawed. “European countries have been reflecting on these histories for decades, and Germany in particular has been frank about (its mistakes) in this regard. –This is exactly what China has been unwilling to do. From a diplomatic point of view, these Chinese arguments and insults are hardly effective in convincing Europeans to continue the communication. Human rights is part of European values and politics.”

Source: Radio Free Asia, March 23, 2021
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/junshiwaijiao/jt-03232021134339.html

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

RFA: Most of the Fraudulent Research Papers Come From China

In recent years, the Western scientific research field has begun to pay attention to Chinese researchers who have submitted fraudulent research papers and the growing industrialized cheating activities in China. On March 23, the British Nature magazine published a feature article, disclosing the problem that many journal publishers are facing. An increasing amount of falsified research papers are produced through the activities of paper-mills or, as the article describes it, “Companies that churn out fake scientific manuscripts to order.” The article mentioned that, in the past 20 years, the number of papers produced through the activity of paper-mills and which come from Chinese hospitals has increased substantially by about 50 times .

A Wall Street Journal article from July 2020 also exposed over 100 research papers by researchers at Chinese hospitals and research intuitions which were linked to paper-mills activity.

According to Nature, since January 2020, independent investigators and various journals have flagged more than 1,000 research papers, whose authors include those from Chinese hospitals, may be related to paper-mills. Meanwhile Nature’s statistics showed that since January 2020, there have been 370 retracted paper-mills alleged articles came from Chinese hospitals. Publishers have added expressions of concern to another 45 such articles. Nature further identified additional 197 retracted papers from Chinese hospitals have contains identical images.

The reason for Chinese doctors who turned to ghostwriter for research papers was because they need the paper for career advancement and promotion, but they don’t have time to write it. Nature quoted two Chinese researchers who expressed frustration that the professional journal publishing is so bad in China that no one believe or reference studies from them. Now people use paper mills for their research papers which also affects China’s reputation globally.

Source:
1. Radio Free Asia, March 24, 2021
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/kejiaowen/hj-03242021141835.html
2. Nature, March 23, 2021
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00733-5

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology