Geo-Strategic Trend - 117. page

Between November 11th and the 14th, the 25th Beijing TV Program Market & Exhibition, which was previously the Capital TV Program Promotion Fair, was held at the Beijing Convention Center. The Propaganda Department of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and the Beijing Municipal Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television hosted it jointly. TV series now account for more than 70 percent of the Chinese TV programs traded internationally, far exceeding other types of TV programs. Chinese TV series have been exported to more than 200 countries and regions around the world.

In Southeast Asia, Chinese TV series still maintain a strong competitive advantage. At the same time, Chinese TV programs have already been conveyed out of Asia and into Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and African countries and regions. As of now, more than 1,600 Chinese film and television programs have been translated into 36 languages, including English, French, Russian, Arabic, and Burmese and have been broadcasted in more than 100 countries.

Source: People’s Daily, November 15, 2019
http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/html/2019-11/15/nw.D110000renmrb_20191115_5-11.htm

People’s Daily recently reported that the China Media Group (CMG, aka China Central Broadcast and Television) and the Brazil Communication Company (EBC) just signed a deal for the exchange of contents and 5G new media technology, joint productions, cooperative broadcasts, and personnel training. Sheng Haixiong, CMG Chief Executive and Deputy Director of the Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party, explained that this new deal was the result of a deepened comprehensive strategic relationship between China and Brazil. Since 2009, China has been Brazil’s largest trade partner. EBC is a Brazilian public company, founded in 2007, to manage the Brazilian federal government’s broadcast network. It includes domestic and international television as well as the nation’s primary radio stations.

Source: People’s Daily, November 14, 2019
http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/html/2019-11/16/nw.D110000renmrb_20191116_9-02.htm

According to recent reports from the Swedish television station (SVT) and radio station Serige Radio, the Central Committee of the Christian Democrats (KD), a Christian-democratic political party in Sweden, decided to strip the party membership of a Swedish Chinese city councilor on the grounds that this person had generated propaganda to expand the influence of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in Sweden. Lydia Liu (Chinese name Liu Fang) was a KD member and a city councilor of Nacka in east central Sweden. The Swedish media reported that internal investigations showed that Ms. Liu’s attempt to expand the influence of the CCP was carried out in a way that harmed the reputation of the Christian Democrats.

In August this year, the “Konflikt” section of Swedish Radio reported that the Ms. Liu was implementing the CCP’s United Front strategy so as to exert influence on the political parties in Sweden, prompting them to turn toward the pro-communist position. That councilor had contacts with the staff of the United Front Work Department, a CCP organization dedicated to increasing the CCP’s influence around the world. The program also revealed that she held important positions in a number of CCP related organizations and actively promoted the CCP’s “Belt and Road” project in Sweden.

Secretary General of the Christian Democrats Peter Kullgren said, “According to our party constitution, we can dismiss members who have damaged or may damage our party’s image or reputation. Based on this clause, we made a decision to expel Ms. Liu.”

Source: Epoch Times, November 13, 2019
http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/19/11/13/n11652190.htm

Major Taiwanese news agency Central News Agency (CNA) recently reported that Zhang Xiaoming, Director of the Hong Kong and Macau Office of the Chinese State Council, published an article discussing how to “improve” the “One Country, Two Systems” arrangement. Zhang declared that the Mainland government has ten rights in Hong Kong. These include especially the right to appoint the Hong Kong Chief Executive and the principal officials of the Hong Kong Government, the supervisory right over the autonomy of the SAR, and the right to issue commands to the chief executive. The Hong Kong Basic Law does not spell out the details of these rights of the Mainland central government. Analysts expressed the belief that, given the current situation in Hong Kong, Beijing is prepared to be serious in the exercise of these rights. It is widely understood that the right to issue commands to the Chief Executive will be used more frequently in the future since such commands cannot be challenged in Hong Kong’s local courts and (exercising this right) is faster than taking a legal approach. This right has been invoked before to invalidate the eligibility of some elected lawmakers (all of whom have been considered anti-Mainland), but not very frequently. Zhang’s article also indicated that the right to appoint major HK officials will be exercised “substantively.” It appears Mainland interference in the Hong Kong political landscape will be intensified in the future.

Source: CNA, November 11, 2019
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/201911100090.aspx

On November 10, 2019, when some of Falun Gong practitioners in Athens, the capital of Greece, came to the “Freedom Park” outside of the Megaro Moussikis subway station, to do their exercises as they have always done on weekends, a group of security police officers arrived to stop their exercises. The police took the practitioners to the police headquarters in Athens. The police checked the four Falun Gong practitioners and their identity cards, turned off and confiscated their mobile phones, and detained them for two hours. When the Falun Gong practitioners asked why, the answer was “execution of orders.” The practitioners further asked, “Since you have canceled our exercises today, why do you take us to the police station?” The answer was still “execution of orders.” During the period, a police officer sympathetic to Falun Gong practitioners made phone calls and attempted to reverse the decision, but his efforts were in vain: the order must be executed.

Falun Gong is a meditation practice that originated in China. Starting in 1999, the Chinese communist regime launched an extensive persecution campaign against Falun Gong. Many Falun Gong practitioners have been monitored, arrested, physically and mentally tortured and murdered.

November 10 was the day when the Chinese Communist Party President Xi Jinping arrived in Greece for a state visit. Due to the interference of the Chinese Embassy in Greece, it was not the first time that the activities of local Falun Gong practitioners had been cancelled. It was also not the first time that local Falun Gong practitioners had been brought to the police station. Similar incidents have occurred in other countries, including Australia, Iceland, Denmark, France, and Serbia, whenever Chinese Communist Party officials visited those countries.

Source: Falun Gong’s Zhenjian Website, November 14, 2019.
http://www.zhengjian.org/node/255202