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Briefings - 833. page

Party Officials Undergo Training to Improve Governance Skills

The China Executive Leadership Academy Pudong (CELAP) is a Shanghai-based national institution funded by the central government. Since its establishment in 2005, CELAP has conducted trainings in over 1,400 workshops and classes for close to 70,000 Party officials. At simulated press conferences or TV interviews, Party officials are asked direct questions such as “What do you think about the organ transplant situation in China?” “What are the pros and cons of planned parenthood?” or “Have Muslims in Ningxia ever been forced to eat during Ramadan?” The simulations are recorded so that teachers and students can play back the videos and critique the simulations.

Source: Xinhua, October 4, 2012
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2012-10/04/c_113278213.htm

A Communist Capitalist Sues President Obama

The Chinese-owned Ralls Corp. has added President Barack Obama as a defendant in a lawsuit alleging the U.S. government exceeded its authority in blocking the firm’s planned wind farm projects in Oregon near a Navy base. In an amended complaint, Ralls Corp. said Obama “acted in an unlawful and unauthorized manner” in citing national security grounds to order it to halt construction of four wind farm projects near the Naval Weapons Systems Training Facility in Boardman, Oregon.

Two senior managers with the Chinese SANY Group, a private company and the largest construction machinery manufacturer in China incorporated Ralls Corp. in the United States. According to BBC Chinese, it’s believed that SANY has a military background, which may be related to its founder Liang Wengen, who had three years of experience in a Chinese military enterprise. There is no doubt that Liang, who, in 2011, was listed as China’s richest man, is a private sector entrepreneur with close ties to the government. Liang joined the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 2004 as the chairman of SANY. In 2007 and 2012, he became a representative of the 17th and 18th Congress of the CCP. Liang is said to be a likely alternate member of the Central Committee of the CCP, a group of 370 of the most politically powerful people in China. SANY is said to have an unwritten rule that anyone who wants to be promoted to a management position must submit an application to join the Party. Liang once said, “It was not until I started my own business that I realized that one can only fulfill his ideals by connecting himself to the cause of the Party.”

[Editor’s note: Foreign investment in U.S. companies is reviewable by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). CFIUS recommended denial of the investment from China because the wind farms are all within or near the restricted air space of the naval training facility.]

Source: BBC Chinese, October 3, 2012
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/chinese_news/2012/10/121003_sany_liang_wengen.shtml

Why Japan Dares to Be Aggressive on the Diaoyu Islands Issue

A Xinhua article offered an interpretation of Japan’s aggressive actions on the Diaoyu (Senkaku) Islands issue, saying that Japan is acting in concert with the U.S. strategic plan to contain China. The article further explained, “From the perspective of the geo-military strategy, Japan is the most important partner in the United States’ return to Asia. The Diaoyu Islands issue is a chess piece in U.S. hands. Japan has an ulterior motive in its act to ‘nationalize’ the Diaoyu Islands. Its purpose is to test China’s reaction to Japan’s cooperation with the U.S. plan to return to Asia. For some time now, the United States, along with Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and other countries has been holding frequent joint military exercises in the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea, and the South China Sea, with the goal being to strengthen its strategic encirclement of China.” 

Source: Xinhua, September 30, 2012 
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2012-09/30/c_123781185.htm

BBC: China’s Economy Affects the Hurun Rich List

The Hurun Research Institute published China’s 1,000 Rich List for 2012. The shift in China’s economy has affected the list in that the super rich candidates from China showed a net decrease in assets.

In 2012, although 43 out of the top 100 candidates were from the real estate business, for the first time, the number of those who came from the manufacturing sector surpassed those in the real estate sector. Meanwhile, the threshold that delineated the top 1,000 was 1.8 billion yuan, down from 2 billion yuan the previous year. Of these, the number of candidates who held over 10 billion in asset totaled 120, down by seven from the prior year. Of the 1,000 candidates, the net assets of 469 of them decreased, with 37 of them showing a rate of decrease that was 50 percent or more. The professions that were most affected were in the solar energy, clothing, and retail sectors.

The list also showed that 157 or 15.3 percent of the candidates held political titles, including members of the National People’s Congress or the National Committee. Beijing is the city that had the most rich people, with Shanghai in second place and Shen Zheng in third place.

Source: BBC Chinese, September 25, 2012
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/chinese_news/2012/09/120925_china_richlist.shtml

Xinhua: Syria Accuses U.S. and Its Allies of Backing Terrorism

On October 2, 2012, Xinhua published an article titled “Syria Accuses the U.S. and Its Allies of Backing Terrorism.” According to the article, Walid Al-Moualem, the deputy prime minister and foreign minister of Syria, accused the United States, France, and their allies of clearly "using money, weapons, and foreign fighters to induce and support terrorism in Syria." Walid Al-Moualem made this statement on Monday, October 1, 2012, at the general debate during the 67th session of the UN General Assembly.

Walid Al-Moualem said, "Instead of seeking to contribute to the settlement of regional and international disputes by peaceful means, some well-known countries continue to deal with those crises by pursuing new colonial policies, based on political hypocrisy."

Source: Xinhua, October 2, 2012
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2012-10/02/c_123784213.htm

New layer…

Military Professor: Corruption is the #1 Enemy of the People’s Liberation Army

On October 2, 2012, BBC Chinese published an article titled “Military Professor: Corruption is the #1 Enemy of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).” Professor Liu Mingfu of China’s National Defense University of the PLA, recently published his new book called “Why the PLA Will Win.”  In the book, Liu pointed out, “The most dangerous and the #1 enemy of the PLA is corruption.” He said, “The anti-corruption forces are not as powerful as the forces of corruption. Those who are engaged in corruption have more energy than those who are against corruption. The corrupt officials have a greater chance of getting promoted.”

Source: BBC Chinese, October 2, 2012
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/chinese_news/2012/10/121002_china_army_corruption.shtml

Qiushi: Adhere to and Develop Socialism with Chinese Characteristics

On October 1, 2012, Qiushi, a journal of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, published an article titled, “Adhere to and Develop Socialism with Chinese Characteristics Unswervingly Walk on the Right Path That the Party and the People Opened up in their Long-term Practice.” Using the economic growth over the past 30 years as evidence, the article said that the only correct path to achieve national prosperity and the people’s happiness and well-being is the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.  

The article summarized Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, and Hu Jintao’s “achievements” in terms of the development of socialism. “It is the choice of history, the choice of the people, and the choice of the times for China to take the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics.”

Source: Qiushi, October 1, 2012    
http://www.qstheory.cn/zxdk/2012/201219/201209/t20120927_183958.htm

Xinhua: HSBC Released China’s Manufacturing PMI for September

Xinhua reported in Hong Kong that HSBC released the latest PMI (Purchasing Managers Index) number for China’s manufacturing industry. The September PMI reached 47.9. This indicates that China has had a month-by-month manufacturing decline for 11 months in a row. The Manufacturing Output Index showed a 10-month low of 47.3. The New Export Orders Index dropped to 44.9, which meant a further decline from August’s figure. The inventory Index reached a 5-month low, which reflected the continuation of the inventory clean-up process. These numbers demonstrated a consistent decline in manufacturing activities. With the biggest decline of new orders in 42 months, the inventory level naturally dropped. HSBC’s Chief Economist of the Chinese Economy expected higher pressure from quantitative easing for the Chinese central government. PMI is an indicator of financial activity reflecting the purchasing managers’ acquisition of goods and services. A PMI number below 50 typically reflects a decline.
Source: Xinhua, September 29, 2012
http://news.xinhuanet.com/gangao/2012-09/29/c_113258732.htm