Geo-Strategic Trend - 215. page

Xinhua reported on July 30, 2011, that the true purpose for the U.S. to relocate its military base in South Korea is to contain China and that the U.S. has bullied South Korea into paying the relocation fee. Xinhua quoted a South Korea magazine New Southeast Asia that disclosed the story about the U.S. project of relocating its military base. The report said, “In recent years, the U.S. and South Korea have held frequent and prominent joint military exercises, touting their ‘solid’ ally relationship. However, the reality is quite different from the appearance. This pair of allies has negotiated for many years regarding (who will pay) the relocation expenses for the U.S. military in South Korea. The U.S. is arrogant, bullying, and sneaky, whereas South Korea can only swallow the bitterness and make concessions.”

Regarding the purpose for the U.S. military base to move to Pyongtaek, the article said, “As a matter of fact, the U.S. military has an ulterior motive for the move. China is rising, which makes the U.S. nervous. Therefore, the U.S. wants to build the biggest overseas military base in Pyongtaek in order to contain China. Building a Pyongtaek military base comes completely out of its global strategy; it is not just to improve the working conditions for the U.S. military so as to protect South Korea from (an attack by) North Korea.”

Source: Xinhua, July 30, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2011-07/30/c_121742551.htm

On July 27, 2011, Xinhua republished an article from China Radio International that accused the Philippines and Vietnam of taking action at the recent 44th ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting in Bali, Indonesia to try to unite the ASEAN countries to form a “united front” against China on the South Sea conflict. The article quoted [Chinese] experts on international affairs who stated that uniting the ASEAN countries to force China to back off on the South Sea issue is an unrealistic proposition. Their purpose is to turn the South Sea conflict into an international “free lunch” so as to benefit both politically and economically at the expense of China’s interest.

The article also named India and Japan for getting into the conflict even though they have nothing to do with the South Sea. Finally, the article pointed out that the U.S. interfered in the conflict at a low cost to itself. [Chinese] experts believe that the U.S. is merely trying to stir up the waters. … The South Sea is only a low cost bargaining chip used to contain China. … “The South Sea is the weakest point in China-ASEAN relations.” The U.S. utilized the weak point to weaken China-ASEAN relations and has now “achieved its goal.”

Source: Xinhua,July 27, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2011-07/27/c_121726145.htm

On July 20, 2011, Nanfang Daily reported on comments that Zhao Kejin, an associate professor at Tsinghua University, made regarding the South China Sea issue. Zhao argued that China should make a strategic commitment to defend the South China Sea. Zhao explained Deng Xiaoping’s strategic vision established in the 1980s: "Sovereignty rests with China; set aside disputes; and engage in joint development.” Zhao stated, “’Sovereignty rests with China’ is the principle and premise; ‘setting aside disputes’ is a tactic and a method; and ‘joint development’ is the goal and the direction.”

As other countries test the waters in the South China Sea, “China’s strategic communities are divided. Some people think we should exercise restraint and continue to buy time for strategic opportunities for China’s modernization. Others hold that China should take a tough stance and do not even rule out the possibility of using force. In fact, neither of these two views grasps the fundamental issue of the South China Sea. The ultimate South China Sea dispute is whether the parties deny the consensus that ‘regardless of any disputes or whether we engage in joint development, sovereignty rests with China.’” For those who attempt to challenge China’s sovereignty over the South China Sea, “regardless of which party it is, China should take a clear stance and should not rule out any options, including the use of force and war to defend its sovereignty.”

Source: Nanfang Daily, July 20, 2011
http://nf.nfdaily.cn/nfrb/content/2011-07/20/content_26925567.htm

According to People’s Daily Online, on July 12, 2011, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) issued The 2011 China New Media Development Report. The report said that the security of China’s ideology has become the most important issue in the era of new media; the Internet has become “the ultimate tool for the West to export its values to the world.”

The author analyzed how U.S. propaganda toward China has transformed. “Western media moved the battlefield of ideology against China to a new space, developing Internet propaganda against China, emphasizing ‘mobile’ infiltration of ideology, expanding ideological hegemony, and developing technology to break through China’s Internet surveillance." It suggests that new media will be the major platform for the U.S. ideological battle against China. 　　

“Ideology security has become China’s most important issue. New media technology … has made the conflict and battle of different ideologies more direct, fierce and diverse. … On the other hand, new media also brings opportunity. It has greatly reduced the cost of transmission and shattered the West’s monopoly on ideology. … How to let our socialist ideology become highly recognized and accepted by mainstream social groups has become the most important research project in order to protect the security of our country’s ideology.”

Source: People’s Daily Online, July 12, 2011
http://politics.people.com.cn/GB/1026/15135416.html

On July 3, 2011, Guangming Daily published an article on what it costs Japan to support U.S. military bases in Japan. The article reported that the United States has had military bases in Japan since the end of World War II. Currently there are 41,000 American troops stationed there. According to the treaties Japan has with the U.S., the U.S. is responsible for defending Japan and Japan is responsible for providing land and facilities at no charge. The article further described the items that Japan pays for: (1) handling the issues in areas surrounding the U.S. bases; (2) the rental cost of public and private land; (3) the cost of moving facilities and equipment; and (4) other costs such as compensating fishermen for the inconvenience caused by the military exercises. After 1978, Japan started paying the Japanese citizens who worked on the bases, as well as some repair and maintenance costs. The article calculated the total amount the Japanese government spent on the U.S. bases in 2009 and concluded that it was higher than the U.S. share and higher than Japan’s own military budget.

Source: Guangming Daily, July 3, 2011
http://mil.gmw.cn/2011-07/03/content_2169921.htm

VOA published an article on concerns over China’s overseas investments. The article said that as demand for raw materials increases in China, many Chinese companies have gone overseas and signed contracts with local companies. However, China’s foreign expansion has raised concerns over the direct impact on the world’s economic development, environmental issues, and compensation to workers in those countries.
 
In VOA’s interview with J. Peter Pham, Director of the Michael S. Ansari Africa Center, Pham said that since China’s loans are paid in the form of investment in the infrastructure or soft loans, the cash that those foreign countries were to receive would have been a lot less than expected. David Sean, a former official with the Department of State, told VOA that the trade relationship between China and African countries often lacks transparency and involves environmental concerns. Moreover, local hired workers often complain about their treatment and compensation. However Chinese government officials denied all of the above allegations and explained that, unlike other foreign investors, Chinese investors don’t get involved in local politics.

Source: VOA, July 1, 2011
http://www.voanews.com/chinese/news/20110701-china-global-investment20110701-china-global-investment-124886109.html

A two-day joint conference of the Confucius Institutes concluded in Buenos Aires on June 23, 2011. Wang Yongli, the deputy director of Hanban, the Chinese National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language, told Xinhua that the Confucius Institute is a non-profit educational institution, and that the Chinese government has actively supported the launch and development of Confucius Institutes around the world. In the course of operation, Hanban has seen enormous intangible benefits. 

Taiwan announced that, effective June 22, 2011, it will issue tourist visas for individual Mainland tourists to visit Taiwan. According to the immigration office, it will only require two working days to finish processing the visa application. The visa will allow tourists to stay in Taiwan for 15 days. The Taiwanese government is placing high hopes on the economic benefits. Since opening the door to Mainland’s group tours in July 2008, it has reaped $US3.8 billion in income in foreign exchange. At the same time, the concern for national security remains. Some of the sites such as military bases, national laboratories, and bio-technology research sites will remain off limits to individual tourists.

Source: BBC, June 22, 2011
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/chinese_news/2011/06/110622_free_visiting_tw_james.shtml