Geo-Strategic Trend - 226. page

On December 10, Li Changchun, a member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo, attended the opening of the Fifth Annual Conference of the Confucius Institutes. Liu Yandong, a Politburo member and Council Chair of the Confucius Institute headquarters, delivered the opening remarks. Awards were given to individuals and groups from Confucius Institutes around the world. Fourteen hundred presidents and representatives of Confucius Institutes from 96 countries and regions participated in the two-day conference. The first annual conference was held in 2006.

Source: Xinhua, December 10, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2010-12/11/c_12868644.htm

China Review News (CRN) recently republished an article on the situation in the Korean Peninsula. The article complained that the U.S. and its allies ignored China’s call for resuming the Six Party Talks. At the same time, the U.S. is ramping up its military exercises. In the author’s opinion, the U.S. ultimately does not want to see a chaotic situation in the region. However, complete stability is not the U.S. goal. The author suggests that the U.S. wants to create and maintain a “less than stable situation,” so the U.S. can play the role of an “offshore balancer.” Thus, the U.S. can justify keeping a presence in the region. The article also referred to the situation in the South China Sea as part of the same strategy.

Source:China Review News, December 7, 2010
http://gb.chinareviewnews.com/doc/1015/3/0/3/101530355.html?coluid=148&kindid=0&docid=101530355&mdate=1207001032

The Hungarian “Classic” radio station and China Broadcasting Media International Management Company (CBMIMC) are cosponsoring two programs from China, "Chinese Music Time” and “Asian Culture Time.” The first broadcast was on the “Classic” station on December 15, 2010. Wang Genglian, Director of the China International Broadcast Radio Station, and his associates attended the opening ceremony of the broadcast in Budapest. Acting Ambassador Liang Caide of the Chinese Embassy in Hungary and CBMIMC CEO Zhao Yinong also attended the event.

Source: China News Agency, December 16, 2010
http://www.chinanews.com.cn/hr/2010/12-16/2726657.shtml

On December 10, 2010, China Daily, the state’s English-language daily, launched its Asian edition in Hong Kong. With circulation in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and Japan, the publication seeks “primarily to serve Asian political leaders, experts and scholars, business leaders and other high-end readers. … In addition to information about China, the publication will also provide China’s perspectives, analyses, and editorials on issues concerning Asia, and will interpret the interactions between China and other Asian countries.”

Source: Xinhua, December 10, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2010-12/10/c_12868405.htm

Xinhua reported that, on December 7, 2010, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Jiang Yu told reporters that more than one hundred countries and international organizations around the globe sided with China against the Nobel Committee’s decision on the Peace Prize this year. Jiang suggested that the number provided ample proof that the majority of the international community refused to accept the “wrong decision.” He called the Peace Prize winner a “criminal” and suggested that the Chinese people are strongly against the decision as well.

Source: Xinhua, December 7, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2010-12/07/c_12856884.htm

According to the website of the United Front Work Department of the CCP Central Committee, a ceremony to present the “China Western-Return Scholar Entrepreneur ‘Tengfei’ Award (the Soar Swiftly Award)” was held in Beijing on December 8, 2010. Jia Qinglin, the Chairman of the CCP People’s Political Consultative Conference, sent a congratulatory letter to the awards ceremony.

The Western Returned Scholars Association (http://www.coesa.cn/), which is led by the CCP Central Committee Secretariat, together with the China Overseas-educated Talent Development Foundation, which is approved by the CCP United Front Work Department, co-sponsored the “Tengfei” Award.

The “Tengfei” Award is a response to the CCP Central Committee’s “1000 Talents Plan” (http://www.1000plan.org/), a plan to support top overseas Chinese talent in returning to China in the next 5 to 10 years starting in 2008. From 1978 to the end of 2009, the total number of Chinese students studying abroad reached 1.6207 million. Nearly 497,400 students (less than 31%) returned to China after studying abroad.

Source: The United Front Work Department of the CCP Central Committee, December 9, 2010
http://www.zytzb.cn/09/newscenter/benwang/201012/t20101209_686671.html

People’s Daily Online reported on November 28, 2010, that, for the first time, the European Branch of China’s National Office of Chinese Language Education had provided training in the Chinese language to native German teachers. The training took place from November 26 to November 28. Certificates were issued to 184 German Chinese language teachers. In the closing ceremony, senior editors from several well-known Chinese publications discussed the usefulness of the six series of educational materials with the teachers.

Source: People’s Daily Online, November 29, 2010
http://world.people.com.cn/GB/1029/42356/13348681.html

On November 29, 2010, China’s distinguished military expert Admiral Yin Zhuo was a guest on the Power Nation Forum of the People’s Daily website. In answering the question, “What message does the U.S. want to convey thorough the military exercises with South Korea,” Yin explained that there are both strategic and tactical implications to the U.S. choosing the Yellow Sea for the exercises. Strategically, it is to send a very important signal: “The U.S. is the leader in the Asian Pacific region.” Now, Obama wants to be the “Pacific President.” Secretary of State Clinton proposed “returning to Asia.” Currently, the U.S. is unable to return to Asia economically. Its returning to Asia is mainly through its military. This action is to strengthen the allied relationship with Japan and South Korea. Furthermore, the U.S. is also sending a message to North Korea: (The U.S.) is a determined supporter and ally of South Korea, and will fulfill its promise as an ally. North Korea should not take any further risks; otherwise it will face a U.S. military strike.

Source: People’s Daily, November 30, 2010
http://bbs1.people.com.cn/postDetail.do?boardId=6&view=1&id=105470504