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Xinhua Foresees a Big Leap in China’s Military Power over the Next 10 Years

On December 28, 2012, Xinhua published an article predicting a big leap in China’s military power over the next 10 years. By 2020, China’s Beidou satellite navigation system, as one of the world’s four major satellite navigation systems, will completely cover the world. Large quantities of modernized conventional weapons such as aircraft carriers, fighters, and missiles will be made in China. China’s new anti-ship missiles can accurately hit U.S. aircraft carriers that are thousands of kilometers away. China’s Second Artillery Corps Electronic Warfare troops have a powerful self-protection ability; they can hide from the U.S. and Japan’s radio monitoring systems through electronic deception.

Source: Xinhua, December 28, 2012
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2012-12/28/c_124159555.htm

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

China Develops Large Military Transport Aircraft

On December 27, 2012, China’s Ministry of National Defense confirmed  that China is developing a large military transport aircraft to improve its military’s air transportation. Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun said, "Research and development are proceeding as planned."

Source: Huanqiu, December 27, 2012
http://mil.huanqiu.com/observation/2012-12/3425508.html

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

People’s Daily: China Can and Must Withstand the Pressure

On December 26, 2012, the People’s Daily (Overseas Edition) published an article authored by a researcher at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, a government think tank. The author observed that, since the U.S. global strategic adjustment, or its return to the Asia-Pacific, historical and significant changes have taken place in Sino-US strategic relations and in China’s own security environment. "These changes are by no means a single U.S. President’s personal preference or a so-called strategic misjudgment between two sides; rather, they stem from an inevitable strategic reason, which is the new phase of the U.S. global strategy."

The article pointed out that from a geopolitical perspective, since the end of the Cold War, the U.S. global strategy has gone through two major historical stages. "In the 10 years of the 1990s, the strategic focus was to absorb Eastern Europe through the eastward expansion of NATO and the EU; in the first 10 years of the new century, the focus was to expand in the Middle East and Central Asia by launching two wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, instigating color revolutions in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries, and implementing a plan for the democratization of the Greater Middle East region. The overall objective of the U.S. was to take full control of the Eurasian continent and pave the way for finally overpowering China and Russia."

"The U.S.’s shifting strategic focus from Central Asia and the Middle East to East Asia is the implementation of strategic steps that are in complete accord with its established plan. It was just the momentum of China’s rise that further strengthened the necessity and urgency of the move."

"Out of its hegemonic geopolitical needs, the U.S. will never allow a unified geopolitical bloc that it cannot control to appear on the other side of the Atlantic or the Pacific Ocean. After World War II and the Cold War, the U.S. succeeded in achieving this on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. Now it is trying to achieve the same goal through a new Cold War on the other side of the Pacific Ocean."

"The historical experience of the Cold War indicates that this containment must be accompanied by murder. The U.S. has been crowding out China’s economic interests and political influence in Africa, holding a tight grip on China’s energy throat in the Middle East, finding and supporting the forces of containment around China, and interfering with issues vital to China’s security and development in East Asia, as well as penetrating and dividing China from within. This is more than a mere containment to stop expansion; it is a stranglehold for the purpose of manipulation and even suffocation."

The author pointed out that there is a fundamental difference between the transpacific and transatlantic relationships, as it is impossible for China to become an ally of the U.S. "There are only two ways out for China: either to independently win a place in the future multi-polar world’s political landscape by withstanding the external pressure, or to follow the steps of the former Soviet Union and experience the ravages."

Source: People’s Daily, December 26, 2012
http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrbhwb/html/2012-12/26/content_1165465.htm

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Young Man Jailed for Calling on Hu Jintao to Disclose Assets

Earlier this year, a young man, Yang Chong, held a placard in front of the Guangzhou Municipal Government office, calling on Chinese leader Hu Jintao to publicly disclose his personal assets. The authorities reportedly sentenced him to a year in prison on charges of "illegal logging," because of a previous case.

During the gathering at the end of March in 2012, Yang and more than 10 other young people called on Hu Jintao to initiate political reform.

Overseas Chinese media reported that the Guangzhou authorities put the young people in detention on charges of “illegal gathering.” They suddenly disappeared overnight. Some were secretly escorted back to their place of origin; some were sentenced to a labor camp; some simply went missing.

Hong Kong based Apple Daily reported on December 29, 2012, that Yang’s family was informed that the Jiangxi Hukou County Court had sentenced him to one year for “illegal logging.” His term began on April 28, 2012. Yang had been involved in a deforestation case three years ago. The authorities reopened the case, even though it had already been settled. Yang has entered his second appeal. Yang’s lawyer said that Yang Chong firmly claimed he was innocent.

Source: VOA Chinese, December 28, 2012
http://www.voachinese.com/content/hu-jintao-20121228/1574269.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

China’s New Internet Regulation Requires Real-Name Registration

China’s legislature has approved new rules that will tighten government control of the Internet by requiring users to register with their real names and demanding that Internet companies censor online material. The measures were approved on December 28, 2012, at the closing meeting of a five-day session of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress.

The government said that the latest regulation is aimed at protecting Web surfers’ personal information and cracking down on abuses such as junk email. The rules have the same legal effect as a law.

China’s government agencies and official media also expressed their support to strengthen regulations of websites and microblogs.

Analysts believe that the Internet has played a major role in exposing official corruption, causing some of those in power to experience “web-phobia.” This is an important reason behind the renewed campaign to control the Internet. Recently, Chinese Internet users, through web searches and web postings, have broken the news about a large number of corruption suspects among Chinese Communist Party officials, resulting in many officials being sacked.

Source: BBC Chinese, December 28, 2012
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/chinese_news/2012/12/121228_china_internet_control.shtml

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology

Chinese Defense Ministry Warns the U.S.: Trying to Gain from the Diaoyu Islands Dispute Is Futile

China’s Defense Ministry held a regular press conference on December 27, 2012, in response to the U.S. Congress passing the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 [NDAA]. Yang Yujun, the Deputy Secretary of the Information Office and spokesman for the Defense Ministry, said that the China-related content in the NDAA "is a gross interference in China’s sovereignty and internal affairs and is not conducive to China-US strategic mutual trust. We express our firm opposition [to the bill]." 

Yang further remarked, “On the Diaoyu Islands issue, some people [in the U.S.] are attempting to muddy the waters and gain from the chaos, some [in Japan] are deluded in thinking they can exploit the superpower’s protection. All these efforts are futile.” 

Source: People’s Daily, December 27, 2012 
http://military.people.com.cn/n/2012/1227/c1011-20036286.html

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

People’s Daily: Placing a Straitjacket on the Internet

Recently, in response to waves of online reports netizens have posted about the corruption of government officials, People’s Daily published a series of commentaries on tightening the control of speech on the Internet.

On December 23, 2012, People’s Daily published a commentary titled, “With a Bottom Line, [the Internet] Can be Healthy.” The commentary stated, “Openness does not mean a person can do whatever he likes; freedom of expression does not equate to cursing all over the place; information sharing does not mean a person can freely publish others’ private affairs and spread rumors everywhere.”

On December 24, People’s Daily published another commentary on the same subject, titled “Place the Straitjacket of the Rule of Law on the Internet World.” The author advocated, “Only by placing the straitjacket of the rule of law on the Internet, … and making the offenders bear the burden of their offense, can we possibly rein in those irresponsible rumors.”

Source: People’s Daily, December 23 and 24, 2012
http://opinion.people.com.cn/n/2012/1223/c1003-19983605.html
http://opinion.people.com.cn/n/2012/1224/c1003-19994325.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

China Politburo Member Accused of Nepotism in Violation of China’s Civil Service Law

Li Jianguo, a newly elected Chinese Communist Politburo Member and the National People’s Congress Vice Chairman, has been accused of violating China’s Civil Service Law. He promoted his nephew-in-law, Zhang Hui, from a deputy division chief to the Party Secretary of Shizhong District in Jining City in Shangdong Province, making Zhang the youngest department-level cadre, thus violating the law.

On December 16, 2012, Han Chongguang from Handan, Hebei Province posted a miniblog stating that he had just made a report, using his real name, of the alleged violation to the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection for investigation. "Around 5 pm on the afternoon of December 16, 2012, I published a posting on the [sina] miniblog in which I used my real name to report on Zhang Hui, who was promoted in violation of regulations. Twenty minutes later, the posting was re-posted over 1,500 times. At 5:25, the sina miniblog administrator deleted my posting. I re-posted it nine times and each time the posting was deleted.”

Li served as the Party Secretary for Shangdong Province from 2007 to 2008 before being promoted to Vice Chairman of the National People’s Congress. He became a Politburo member in November 2012.

Source: China Yulun Wang, December 16 and 17, 2012
http://www.yulun55.us/article/8723.html
http://www.yulun55.com/article/8715.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics