Briefings – Page 312

LTN: Japanese Petition for Law Similar to HK Human Rights and Democracy Act Gained Strong Support

Major Taiwanese news network Liberty Times Network (LTN) recently reported that, after U.S. President Trump put his signature on the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, the Japanese people initiated an online petition calling on the Japanese congress to pass a similar law. A Japanese organization called the Youth Democracy Promotion Agency (YDPA) led the initiative. The petition, with the aim of getting 150,000 supporters, quickly reached over 110,000 in only a short period of time. The petition so far has gained support from 62 current congressmen and seven former ones. YDPA expressed its concerns in a public statement that, although the Japanese Foreign Minister tweeted his worries about the Hong Kong situation, the Japanese government has not yet taken a public stand, let alone taken any meaningful action. Since Japan, like the United States, has special trade and investment agreements with Hong Kong as well, the petition called for a similar Japanese legislative action, following the U.S. lead.

Source: LTN, November 28, 2019
https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/breakingnews/2992597

Briefings | | December 1, 2019 | Geo-Strategic Trend

Huanqiu Attributes the Results of the Hong Kong Election to Influence from Western Countries

A November 26 editorial from China’s State media, Huanqiu (Global Times) attempted to attribute the results of the November 24 Hong Kong District Council election to the influence of Western countries.

“In the past week, some Western forces have worked at full steam to assist the Hong Kong opposition in the District Council elections. The Australian media suddenly revealed that ‘an agent who committed infiltration in Hong Kong surrendered’ (the man was a scammer). Also a former employee of the British Consulate General in Hong Kong who was arrested three months ago in the Mainland precipitously claimed to the BBC that he had been ‘tortured’ while in the Mainland. These factors have influenced public opinion in Hong Kong. In addition, the U.S. Congress expeditiously passed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act. All of these targeted the District Council elections.”

“The Western forces and the radical forces in Hong Kong wanted to turn the elections into a political demonstration and deny that stopping the violence and ending the riots is the most urgent task facing Hong Kong at present.”

“It is inconceivable and completely impossible that most people in Hong Kong support violence, support the formation of a political confrontation in Hong Kong, and support Hong Kong in becoming a bridgehead for some American political forces to exert pressure on China. The reason is that this would severely damage everyone’s interests and push Hong Kong into great uncertainty.”

“A number of forces in Hong Kong, including the opposition, must compete for influence within the existing establishment. No one should follow the wicked path of street politics.”

Source: Huanqiu, November 26, 2019
https://opinion.huanqiu.com/article/9CaKrnKnYqd

Briefings | | December 1, 2019 | Geo-Strategic Trend Government/Politics

DW Chinese: Deutsche Telekom Will Discontinue Using Huawei Equipment

Deutsche Welle Chinese Edition recently reported that Deutsche Telekom’s management decided to discontinue the use of Huawei products. The Huawei parts used in its current core networks will all be replaced. In fact, the company came up with a two-year plan to reduce the use of all Asian parts to zero. Meanwhile, some parts made in the United States will be replaced too. Deutsche Telekom claims that this is part of a normal three to five years refresh cycle. Also, as a response to the U.S. ban on Huawei products, Deutsche Telekom dramatically adjusted its procurement policies. For example, the company will directly purchase U.S. database supplier Oracle’s products and stop buying Huawei’s total solution. The company emphasized that the policy changes were not designed to bypass the U.S. ban because the parts will not be re-sold to Huawei. The company explained that, since U.S. companies can no longer sell products to Huawei to be bundled in Huawei’s total solution, Deutsche Telekom will purchase directly from these U.S. vendors. The company hopes these adjustments will ensure the supply channels remain smooth.

Source: DW Chinese, November 20, 2019
https://bit.ly/2qDQo5i

Briefings | | November 28, 2019 | Information/Technology

CCP Issues Guidelines for Patriotic Education

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee and the State Council have published new guidelines titled, “Outline for Promoting Patriotic Education for the New Era”.

The guidelines state that patriotic education in the new era should be guided by “Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Theory of the Three Represents, the Scientific Outlook on Development, and Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.”

The guidelines define patriotism as not just a love of the country but also of the ruling Chinese Communist Party and its official political ideology. “Adhere to the unity of love of the [Communist] Party, the country and socialism. The new China is a socialist country under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. The fate of the motherland is inseparable from the destiny of the Party and the destiny of socialism. In contemporary China, the essence of patriotism is to maintain a high degree of unity of patriotism and love for the Party and socialism.”

Source: Xinhua, November 12, 2019
http://www.xinhuanet.com/2019-11/12/c_1125223796.htm

Briefings | | November 28, 2019 | Government/Politics

Malaysia Chinese Newspaper Follows Directives from the CCP

The Central News Agency of Taiwan reported that See Hua Daily News, the largest Chinese language newspaper in Eastern Malaysia, was receiving directives from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

An internal directive from the See Hua Daily News stated that, per a request from the Chinese Consulate in Malaysia, because Taiwan and Hong Kong are China’s territories, news reports and their titles from now on should avoid listing “China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan” in parallel. If these three regions need to be mentioned together, it should be written as “China (including Taiwan and Hong Kong).” The directive was signed by the newspaper’s Editor-in-Chief, Chia Chew Boon.

People criticized the CCP’s interference in Malaysia’s internal affairs.

A high-ranking person from one of See Hua’s sister media companies confirmed that the directive was true, but said the owner didn’t know about it. After it was reported, the owner ordered a withdrawal from the directive.

That person also revealed that the Chinese consulate staff members frequently have meals with the top managers of the Chinese language newspaper in Malaysia and continuously express what direction and position the CCP wants that media to hold. Especially after the Hong Kong protest, the CCP wants Malaysian reports to be close to the CCP’s position.

Source: Central News Agency, November 17, 2019
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/aopl/201911170002.aspx

Briefings | | November 28, 2019 | Geo-Strategic Trend Government/Politics

UDN: China’s First Fully Domestically Made Aircraft Carrier Entered the Taiwan Strait

United Daily News (UDN), one of the primary Taiwanese news groups, reported on November 17 that China’s first fully domestically made aircraft carrier led a fleet to enter the Taiwan Strait. On the same day, an official from the Taiwanese ruling party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which is pro-independence, announced Taiwan’s Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates for the up-coming Taiwanese presidential election. Mainland newspaper Global Times called it “a coincidence” and said military exercises are “normal” and this event had nothing to do with the current regional situation. This aircraft carrier has done a few sea trial-runs already. However, it was still a surprise for many observers that it entered the Taiwan Strait when everyone was speculating at what point it will officially deploy to the Chinese Navy. During the period of time when the carrier sailed through the Taiwan Strait, both the U.S. Navy and Japan sent warships to monitor its entire passage. According to some analysts, the carrier will be based in China’s Hainan Province in the South China Sea. The Chinese Navy now has two aircraft carriers.

Source: UDN, November 17, 2019
https://udn.com/news/story/7331/4170783

Briefings | | November 27, 2019 | Defense/Military Geo-Strategic Trend

CCP’s Informant Culture Has Penetrated Hong Kong

A senior lecturer in journalism at the Hong Kong Baptist University expressed that the informant culture that exists in Mainland universities, where students report teachers to the Communist Party, has been spreading fast in Hong Kong, particularly since the Occupy Central with Love and Peace movement (OCLP) started in Hong Kong.

One indication is that the management in Hong Kong universities engages their counterparts from the Mainland universities. Those with close ties to the CCP are appointed to senior management positions in the Hong Kong universities. The intention is to control promotions in Hong Kong universities and thus see that they fall in line with the CCP.

Another indication is that students coming from the Mainland monitor lecturers in the Hong Kong universities. These students from the Mainland suddenly show interest in a lecturer and shower him with a lot of questions. They show an obvious increase in curiosity, much more than normal students. Some even tape every class. Others have stated without hesitation that they are tasked with reporting regularly to the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government (LOCP). There are a few who are made to do so and have no choice. Such students handle LOCP in a perfunctory manner.

While academic or research organizations recruit these informant-students, it is the CCP security departments that control these organizations. Often the informants are required to write reports for the CCP’s internal dissemination. On some occasions, they simply turn in the recorded tapes. Students join in because of the good pay as well as their belief that such activities serve the interest of the country. For that reason, they don’t think it is wrong to be an informant for the CCP.

Source: Epoch Times, November 21, 2019CCP security departments
http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/19/11/21/n11670500.htm

Briefings | | November 26, 2019 | Government/Politics

New York University Shanghai Reportedly Teaches Pro-Government Propaganda Course

New York University Shanghai has disclosed that, since 2018, its students of Chinese citizenship have been forced to take a “civic education” course which covers the history of the Communist Party and China’s socialist path. According to the school, the course was opened at the request of the Chinese government and non-Chinese students are not required to take it.

The website of the U.S. online media VICE posted the syllabus of the course, titled “Marxism: Dissemination, Practice and Development.” It is an eight day, Chinese-speaking course running daily from 8:30 am to 5:15 pm. The course will not appear in the university’s public course catalog and the school will register students through WeChat. It includes a visit to the Longhua Martyrs’ Cemetery in Shanghai, commemorating the sacrifice of the “martyrs” in the Communist revolution. There is also a movie screening on the “development of socialism with Chinese characteristics.”

The school claimed that professors from NYU do not teach this course. It has been offered during the winter break and will not interfere with the students’ usual courses at NYU, nor will it affect academic freedom.

In recent years, Beijing has intensified its efforts to promote patriotic education, with an emphasis on fostering loyalty to the Communist Party among young people. In recent months, with the ongoing protests in Hong Kong, the political atmosphere of Chinese universities and colleges has become tense. It has been reported that the Chinese government has mobilized students to monitor and report “radical” political views. Some teachers have been dismissed or subjected to discipline for expressing views not in line with the Communist ideology.

Source: Radio France International, November 22, 2019
http://rfi.my/4wpE.T