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Briefings - 775. page

Beijing in Smog: Affected Regions Increasing

China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection released information that, according to the weather satellite remote sensing indicator, as of January 30, the smog area had increased to 1.43 million square kilometers, a growth of 130,000 square kilometer from the previous day. Since January 30, the smog has been getting worse. Shanghai, Jiangsu Province, and neighboring regions have become “highly polluted” from previously being “slightly polluted." Beijing, Tianjin, and neighboring regions remain “highly polluted.” On January 28, China’s National Meteorological Center (NMC) implemented a three-tier color-coded weather warning system to alert the public to the severity of the smog. The system uses yellow to indicate moderately smoggy weather, orange for severe conditions, and red for extremely severe levels of smog. The authorities continue to issue a yellow warning for smog.

Source: Xinhua, January 31, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/yuqing/2013-01/31/c_124304751_2.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Car Drivers in China Exceeded 200 Million in 2012

China’s Ministry of Public Security recently announced that, as of the end of 2012, the nation’s registered motor vehicles reached 240 million and the number of drivers rose to 260 million. The number of car drivers increased by 26.5 million. For the first time that number exceeded 200 million.

The number of major highway accidents has also increased. Among the 25 major serious road traffic incidents that occurred in 2012, eight occurred on the highway, accounting for 32 percent.

Source: Xinhua, January 30, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2013-01/30/c_114558196.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Radio Free Asia: China’s Working-age Population Drops for the First Time in Decades

China’s National Bureau of Statistics recently released figures showing that, in 2012, the number of Chinese who are of working age, that is, between 15 and 59, has declined significantly since 1978. The decrease in 2011 was 3.45 million.

Yao Shujie, a professor at the University of Nottingham, in the UK, believes that 30 years of family planning in China first showed up in 2006 as a decrease in the number of primary school students. That the working age population has now contracted for the first time foretells the looming end of an era of abundant cheap labor.

Another report by the China Development Research Foundation predicted that, between 2010 and 2020, China’s working-age population will decrease by 29 million.

Source: Radio Free Asia, January 30, 2013
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/jingmao/gr-01302013160016.html

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Qiushi: Internet Sovereignty Is Also National Sovereignty

Qiushi, a CCP periodical that explains the theoretical basis for the Party’s policies, published an article that discussed the significance of the Internet at the national strategic level. The article claimed, “Whoever controls the power of the Internet will control the dominant position in cyberspace; whoever loses power over the Internet will also lose the national sovereignty of cyberspace.” 

The article then turned its attention to the United States, “‘Whoever has mastered the information and has control over the Internet will own the entire world.’ After land, sea, and air, the United States has taken the Internet as a new strategic space. It has ‘a new arrow in its diplomatic quiver,’ firmly occupying absolute dominance over the power of the Internet.” “Compared to the traditional form of war, an Internet war is a special war. In victory, the balance is always tilted toward the countries that have advanced Internet technology. It is worrisome that developed countries manufacture 90 percent of the global core chips and that the vast majority of the world’s 13 Internet root servers are located in the United States.” 

The article bemoaned the fact that “Our [China’s] core technology in the Internet field has a high degree of dependence on the developed countries. There is a serious hidden security danger.” “Internet sovereignty is also national sovereignty; we should never and can never take it lightly.” 

Source: Qiushi, January 16, 2016 
http://www.qstheory.cn/gf/gfjsyfz/201301/t20130116_205953.htm

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

North Korea to Detonate Oversize Atomic Bomb on the Border of North East China

On January 28, 2013, infeng.com published an article titled “North Korea’s Heartless Treatment of China: To Detonate Over-sized Atomic Bomb on the Border of North East China.”

On January 22, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2087 condemning North Korea’s long-range rocket launch last December as a violation of an existing ban against nuclear and missile activity. In response, North Korea announced plans for a third nuclear test and continued its rocket launches. North Korea may detonate an oversized atomic bomb, an “enhanced atomic bomb” that is equivalent to a small hydrogen bomb. The Chinese people are afraid that North Korea will detonate this extra large atomic bomb on the border of North East China in a densely populated area. 

The article concluded, “China has made national sacrifices for Korea three times and provided huge assistance to North Korea for a long period of time. It is definitely unwise and heartless for North Korea to treat China in such a way.”

Source: infeng.com, January 28, 2013
http://news.ifeng.com/opinion/zhuanlan/xuelitai/detail_2013_01/28/21668791_0.shtml

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Forced by the U.S., the PLA Carried Out a Missile Interception Test to Show Its Strength

On Sunday, January 27, 2013, China successfully carried out a land-based mid-course missile interception test within its territory. It is the second such test that China has successfully launched within its territory since January 2010.   According to an official from the Information Bureau of China’s Ministry of National Defense, "The test reached the preset goal," but it "was defensive in nature and targeted no other country." Coincidentally, on Saturday, the United States successfully conducted a test flight of a missile interceptor rocket.

“The public in the West noticed that China and the U.S. conducted similar tests on the same day (if the time zone disparity is considered) and viewed China’s test as displaying its strength to the United States.” According to the article, the Japanese media said that, by conducting an anti-missile interceptor test at this time, China wants to restrain the U.S. in the Diaoyu Islands dispute. “A Chinese military expert said in an interview that such a test, “was the result of pressure from the United States.”

Source: Reprint from Apple Daily by China Gate, January 28, 2013
http://www.wenxuecity.com/news/2013/01/28/2203279.html

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

China Issued a Smog Alert for the First Time

On January 27, 2013, smog was widespread over 1 million square kilometers in the mid eastern area of China. For the first time, China’s Central Meteorological Station issued a smog alert (blue level), which is separate from a fog alert. Visibility on some sections of road in Beijing was under 500 meters. The air quality across Beijing was in a state of “serious pollution.”   

Source: Reprint from Beijing News by China Gate, January 28, 2013
http://www.wenxuecity.com/news/2013/01/28/2203120.html

Briefings | | |   Grapevine

Study Times: Improving the Government’s Abilities in the Online Community

Study Times, a magazine by the Chinese Communist Party Central Party School, recently published an article that made four suggestions on how to improve the government’s ability to manage the Internet community. (1) The government should take full advantage of the heavy interconnectivity nature that the Internet offers so as to strengthen the ties between the Party, the government, and the people. (2) The Internet’s high speed communication capability provides a good opportunity for the Party and the government to improve productivity and the level of democracy in their decision-making practices. (3) By taking advantage of the virtualized nature of the online society, the people can better see the Party and the government’s use of power. This in turn enhances the legitimacy of the government. (4) The Party and the government can influence, regulate, and manage public opinion online and thereby improve their appeal. The article concluded that the Internet is an opportunity instead of a challenge.
Source: Study Times, January 21, 2013
http://www.studytimes.com.cn:9999/epaper/xxsb/html/2013/01/21/08/08_21.htm
Briefings | | |   Information/Technology