Geo-Strategic Trend - 137. page

Radio France Internationale reported that, according to The Print, an Indian Media, in order to cooperate with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s “One Belt and One Road” project, Beijing formulated a plan to target media in South Asia, Southeast Asia and Africa. The plan was to set up a “scholarship program” to host foreign journalists in China free of charge, including living in a luxury residence outside Beijing’s Jianguomen which is normally reserved for diplomats. Once these journalists finished the program, they would receive a certificate from a Chinese university and tour other regions in China. A requirement is that they must write positive reports on Beijing’s authorities.

According to The Print, starting from 2016, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has hosted about 100 journalists from Asian and African media to complete a so-called scholarship program which lasted for ten months. These foreign journalists would receive red carpet-style hospitality and live free of charge in the residences reserved for diplomats. The monthly rent for a two-bedroom unit in the area normally is 22,000 yuan (US$3,200). The journalist could travel to other provinces free of charge every month and earn an allowance of 5,000 yuan (US$728) per month. At the end of the program, a Chinese university would issue a certificate in international relations and they would be given the right to interview Chinese government officials and ministers. As part of the program, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Public Diplomacy Association jointly set up the China Africa News Center, the China Southeast Asia News Center, and the China South Asia News Center. These centers granted a press permit to the sponsored foreign journalists. The journalist identity of the original news organization did not work in China. During the 10-month stay, they were not allowed to do interviews about sensitive topics such as human rights, Tibet, and Xinjiang.

According to The Print, in the past three years, journalists participating in the program have come from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Philippines, and other countries and regions. These journalists’ news organizations published most of their news reports, but those media wouldn’t disclose that China gave their journalists special treatment. India, however, was an exception. According to The Print, the Indian Embassy in Beijing clearly separated these journalists from the rest of the Indian journalists who are independently registered to work in China. Indian Journalists who attended China’s sponsored program were not allowed to participate in official Indian events or obtain official background information. Those China sponsored journalists were told that, when they wrote their reports, they had to bear in mind that China has a friendly relationship with their countries, especially about the “one belt and one road” project. One journalist from a Southeast Asia country told The Print that they were specifically informed that they could not report about the conflicts in the South China Sea. The Print quoted one as saying, “We were told that if we wished to complete the sponsorship program, we must write positive reports about China.”

Source: Radio France Internationale, December 1, 2018
http://rfi.my/3OGW.T

On June 13, 2017, Panama dropped Taiwan and established diplomatic relations with China. Since then, many Chinese companies have entered Panama. At present, the Panamanian Chinese Chamber of Commerce has 40 members.

China Harbour Engineering has moved its regional headquarters to Panama and taken over an expansion project of the Colon Port and a cruise terminal project. Not long ago, China Harbour also won the bid for the project of the fourth bridge over the Panama Canal. In 2017, China’s Lan Bridge Group also started the Colon Margarita port expansion project. China State Construction Engineering has successively undertaken infrastructure projects such as the Panama government’s “City of Hope” Housing Project, the Amador Convention Center, and Panama City’s San Isidro Bus Station.

China CAMC Engineering also established an overseas warehouse in the Panama Free Trade Zone in Colon. Goldwind Technology supplies equipment for the Panama wind power project and drives the export of Chinese equipment.

The Bank of China, Huawei, and Nuctech have also made considerable progress in their respective fields. At present, China Railway Engineering Corporation is conducting a feasibility study related to passenger and freight transportation.

Wei Qiang, China’s first ambassador to Panama, said that the enormous energy accumulated during the long-term relationship between China and Pakistan is to be fully released and will comprehensively be promoting cooperation in trade, investment, shipping, civil aviation, finance, agriculture, tourism, and infrastructure. The two sides signed a memorandum of understanding on jointly promoting the construction of the “Belt and Road.” Panama is the first Latin American country to sign this memorandum with China.

The Panamanian Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Luis Miguel Hincapie said that Panama hopes to become China’s gateway to other parts of Latin America.

Source: Xinhua, December 3, 2018
http://www.xinhuanet.com/world/2018-12/03/c_1123799866.htm

According to a People’s Daily report, at the time of Xi Jinping’s trip to Argentina, China’s economic, trade, and investment cooperation with Latin American and the Caribbean countries was developing rapidly. At present, China has become the second largest trading partner for Latin America, and, after Asia, Latin America has become the second largest destination for Chinese overseas investment.

In 2017, the bilateral trade volume between China and Latin American and the Caribbean countries reached US$257.8 billion, an 18.8 percent year-over-year growth over 2016. From January to September this year, the bilateral trade volume increased by 20 percent, reaching US$228.6 billion. In 2017, Chinese companies’ stock for direct investments in Latin America reached US$387 billion, with a total contractual value of Chinese engineering projects in Latin America of US$164.2 billion.

Source: People’s Daily Online, November 30, 2018
http://finance.people.com.cn/n1/2018/1130/c1004-30433257.html

The Western Returned Scholars Association (WRSA) is a Chinese government-affiliated entity consisting of over 40,000 Chinese scholars and researchers who have studied abroad. Its 2019 annual conference was held in Guangzhou on November 29, 2018. Li Xi, secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Chinese Communist Party Committee, and You Quan, secretary of the CCP Central Committee Secretariat and Head of the CCP Central Committee’s United Front Work Department, attended the meeting and delivered speeches.

On behalf of the Guangdong Provincial CCP Committee and the Provincial Government, Li Xi expressed his congratulations on the convening of the conference and expressed his gratitude to the WRSA.

You Quan pointed out that the CCP Central Committee, with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core, attaches great importance to the work of overseas students and provides favorable conditions for overseas students to innovate and start businesses. He hoped that the majority of overseas students will thoroughly study and implement Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and always fight side by side with the CCP. He also hoped that the overseas students inherit the glorious tradition of patriotism, strengthen the confidence of innovation and entrepreneurship, and tell a good story of China’s reform and opening up. He expected the students to make positive contributions for China to become a leader in innovation, to further the reform and opening up, and to realize the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the nation.

Chen Zhu, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress and WRSA president attended the meeting. WRSA and the Guangdong Provincial CCP Committee and the Provincial Government jointly hosted the summit.

Source: People’s Daily, November 30, 2018
http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/html/2018-11/30/nw.D110000renmrb_20181130_2-04.htm

Almost all of the major official media from the mainland have set up branch offices in Hong Kong. However it is unprecedented for a provincial level media from the mainland to set up a branch office in Hong Kong.

Radio Free Asia reported that www.fjsen.com, which the Publicity Department of the Fujian Provincial Party Committee manages, recently set up a branch in Hong Kong and is openly recruiting staff. Back in May of this year, the Fujian Media Centre placed a job posting in Hong Kong to fill 20 new positions for a media group. They included reporters, columnists, and program hosts. The new hires will be responsible for the release of official news information and for building a platform for exchanges between Fujian, Hong Kong, and Macao. RFA found out that the media group that is actually hiring is fjsen.com. According to RFA, on its Hong Kong page, hk.fjsen.com, most of the news sources are from pro-Beijing media and all of its special reports carry contents that exhibit party patriotism. A number of items of news coverage are about leaders of the Fujian Provincial Committee who came to Hong Kong to attend the “United Front” activities that the Hong Kong Fujian Association organized. The fjsen.com Hong Kong page claims that they are the only authorized media that the provincial government of Fujian has organized and that it is also the first provincial level media in Hong Kong.

According to fjsen.com, the website fjsen.com is part of Fujian Daily, an official media of the party in Fujian Province. It was registered in Hong Kong in April of this year under the name “Fujian Media Centre.” It has recently changed its name to “Southeast Media.” In October of this year, an official opening ceremony for Southeast Media was held at the Wan Chai Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Source: Radio Free Asia, November 21, 2018
https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/features/hottopic/propaganda-11212018064250.html

Duowei News, a pro-Beijing news media, published a commentary titled, “Democratic Progressive Party, What Else Can You Do but Give up Taiwan Independence?” It stated that the major defeat that the Democratic Progressive Party suffered suggests that it must make a change to its Taiwan Independence Policy or it will face an unprecedented crisis. Below is a summary of the commentary.

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) suffered a major defeat in the recent Taiwanese Local Elections. In addition to the big loss in the non-traditional DPP regions, it is no longer holding the lead in the traditional DPP regions, including Kaohsiung, where the DPP has held the lead for the last 20 years.

Unlike the loss the DPP encountered in 2008 when Chen Shui-bian was removed from his post due to corruption, the DPP’s loss this time fully reflects the dissatisfaction of the Taiwanese people with the DPP. The DPP’s pursuit of Taiwan Independence has resulted in an unprecedented crisis in Taiwan’s economic development. The decline of Taiwan’s society has led the DPP to fall, eventually, into an unprecedented crisis.

The unprecedented defeat of the DPP has highlighted the deepening of the mistrust of Taiwanese society towards the regime that is for Taiwan Independence. It has resulted in Taiwan missing the development opportunities of the past 20 years, which was the golden period when the mainland was growing. It has lost the huge market in the mainland which would have belonged to Taiwan.

The development dividends that Taiwan created on the basis of Ten Major Construction Projects are being depleted rapidly. The self-derogation within Taiwan is getting more and more serious. The turbulence that the political chaos caused and the diminishing of the people’s income have finally turned the public from support to opposition. All of this became completely clear during the elections.

The facts show that the DPP’s Taiwan independence policy is totally unsuitable for Taiwan’s social development as well as for meeting the actual needs of the Taiwanese people. The DPP must change and it has to change.

Tsai Ing-wen’s government has two more years to go. Although it is losing its balance, it still has the real power. There are still many things to do.

If the DPP adjusts its Taiwan independence policy, it will be a wise move. On the one hand, it can establish a more moderate relationship with the mainland and at the same time it will let Taiwan voters who are increasingly disappointed see the possibility of re-acceptance.

Of course, the DPP can also choose to continue its strong confrontation with the mainland and become a pawn of the U.S., but it has to understand the consequences that will result from more and more radicalization of its Taiwan independence policy.

Whether the DPP can thoroughly reflect on the Taiwan independence policy is worthy of attention. However, among all the issues, the survival of the DPP is the first. It may have to make changes in the Taiwan independence policy. Otherwise, the DPP will only face a crueler living environment in Taiwan until Taiwanese society completely abandons it.

Source: Duowei News, November 25, 2018
http://blog.dwnews.com/post-1072139.html

On November 22, 2018, the Oxford-Suzhou Centre for Advanced Research (OSCAR) celebrated its grand opening at the Suzhou Industrial Park in Suzhou City of Jiangsu Province.

Oxford University President Louise Richardson and Jiangsu Provincial Chinese Communist Party Committee Standing Committee member and the Suzhou Municipal Party Committee head, Zhou Naixiang, jointly unveiled OSCAR.

According to OSCAR’s website, “The Oxford-Suzhou Center for Advanced Research (OSCAR) will be the University of Oxford’s first overseas centre for physical science and engineering research, primarily expanding on activities from across the University’s Mathematical, Physical, and Life Sciences Divisions.”

Oxford scholars in the fields of engineering, physics, chemistry, and material science will lead the initial research programs. The applications will cover the research range from health information, tissue engineering, biomedical imaging, and environmental remediation, to advanced materials and electronic devices.

So far twelve Oxford scholars will be the lead principal investigators (PIs) and establish research projects. PIs will each spend two months every year at OSCAR to supervise the research.

The initial contact between Suzhou and Oxford University started in 2012. Cui Zhanfeng, the first Chinese tenured professor in the history of Oxford University, also the first dean of OSCAR, originally proposed the cooperation. The two parties signed a collaboration agreement in December 2016.

Source: The Paper, November 23, 2018
https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2663211