Government/Politics - 129. page

According to an article that Duowei published, the outcome from the recent Beidaihe meeting or “summer summit” indicated that Beijing has finished the final stretch of the preparation that has been planned for the upcoming 19th People’s Congress. One unique phenomenon that materialized at this meeting was the “silence” that the elderly members of the Communist Party of China, who held substantial power during the 1980s and 1990s, displayed, compared to the 18th National Congress in 2012 when several of the elderly members made frequent appearances prior to the conference. The article quoted another Duowei article which stated that it was an indication that China (Xi Jinping) is almost free of “elder statesman politics.” However it does not mean that the elderly members are completely out of the picture. One example is Jiang Zemin, who had his 91st birthday on August 17. His health has always been a subject of the public’s attention. The article stated that one of the major agenda items to watch for in the 19th National Congress is the personnel changes and whether Wang Qishan, a member of the seven-man Politburo Standing Committee will still remain in power.

Source: Duowei, August 19, 2017
http://news.dwnews.com/china/news/2017-08-19/60007772.html

On August 4, the State Council published a guideline on its website about overseas investments. The Commerce Department of the National Development and Reform Commission, the Bank of China, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs developed the guideline. The guideline encourages investments that will promote international cooperation, improve research and manufacturing capabilities, compensate for the domestic energy shortage, and improve quality.

The guideline listed investment fields that the State supports: projects that promote the “one belt one road” and infrastructure construction in the region; the export of domestic high quality equipment and technology; the enhancement of cooperation with foreign high tech companies and those with advanced manufacturing technology; the setting up of foreign research centers; natural gas and resources exploration and the development, after careful evaluation, of economic benefits; advances in cooperation in agriculture and the launch of projects that have mutual benefits; and supporting qualified financial agencies to set up branch offices overseas.

The article also listed the areas that are limited in foreign investment: countries with which China does not have foreign diplomatic relations; regions involved in wars; real estate, hotels, movie theaters, or entertainment; sports clubs; investment funds that don’t have a specific project; and technology, environmental standards, energy indexes and safety regulations that do not meet the requirements of the investing country.

The areas that are prohibited in regards to foreign investment include military technology and products that are not approved by the State; technology, skilled products or those that are banned from being exported; gambling and prostitution; and investments banned in accordance with international standards or which endanger the nation’s security interests.

Source: Gov.cn, August 18, 2017
http://www.gov.cn/zhengce/content/2017-08/18/content_5218665.htm

The Chinese media Duowei, an online news publication that the Chinese government sponsors, published an article stating that China’s political “Beidaihe time” is nearing completion. The current incumbent high-level Chinese Communist Party leaders and many political veterans will also end this rare summer vacation model.

The article predicted that China’s politics today has basically gotten rid of the shackles of the “veteran politics” as compared to before the CCP’s 18th Congress when Communist veterans were the heavy weights and played an important role in decision making. The article particularly singled out Jiang Zemin as a bad example of “veteran’s political intervention.”

The article said, “The most typical case of Jiang Zemin’s “political intervention” was that during the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in China, the PLA senior officials said that they would like to consult the ‘old leadership’ and refused to listen to the directives of Premier Wen Jiabao who represented Hu Jintao and went to the disaster area as the commander-in-chief. Behind this embarrassing phenomenon was the influence of Jiang Zemin, who was in the position of Chairman of the Central Military Commission for an extra two years, and the long-term existence of the ‘Jiang Zemin Office’ until the CCP’s 18th Congress. It hindered Hu Jintao’s leadership.

“Jiang Zemin’s ‘political intervention’ meant that he didn’t want to let go of power while the country’s political situation was stable, and he interfered with the high-level personnel arrangements of the Chinese Communist Party when he should not have.”

Source: Duowei, August 14, 2017
http://news.dwnews.com/china/news/2017-08-14/60006885.html

The 2017 General Assembly of the Global Overseas Chinese to promote China’s peaceful reunification was held on July 23 in Florence, Italy. The Italian Chapter of the China Association for the Promotion of Peaceful Reunification organized the conference. The theme was, “Persisting in the 1992 Consensus and Promoting Cross-Strait Integration and Sharing the Chinese Dream.” Zhang Baowen, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Democratic League and Vice President of the China Association for the Promotion of Peaceful Reunification, delivered a speech at the opening ceremony.

Zhang Baowen pointed out that Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan compatriots and overseas Chinese are important forces to promote the development of cross-strait relations and promote the peaceful reunification of China. The Overseas Chinese Association for the Promotion of Peaceful Reunification is an important link to uniting the compatriots at home and abroad and is the backbone of the global campaign of “anti-independence” and promoting unification.

The Chinese Ambassador to Italy, Li Ruiyu; the Deputy Director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, Long Mingbiao; and the Vice President of the China Overseas Exchange Association, Jiang Yan, also spoke at the conference.

More than 1,000 people from the mainland government representatives, leaders of the Overseas Chinese Association for the Promotion of Peaceful Reunification, local Chinese government representatives, and international friends from more than 40 countries and regions attended the activities.

At present, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan compatriots and overseas Chinese have more than 200 institutions and similar organizations in more than 100 countries and regions.

The Global Overseas Chinese Conference for the Promotion of Peaceful Reunification is an important platform for the overseas “anti-independence” movement. Since 2000, there have been 17 such overseas conferences, three of which were held in the U.S. (2000 in Washington, D.C.; 2009 in Los Angles; and 2011 in Washington, D.C.).

Sources: Xinhua, July 24 and 25, 2017; zhongguotongcuhui.org.cn; July26, 2017
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2017-07/25/c_129662597.htm
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2017-07/24/c_1121366249.htm
http://www.zhongguotongcuhui.org.cn/hnyw/201707/t20170726_11823901.html

Fenggang Yang, the Director of the Center on Religion and Chinese Society at Purdue University, organized a survey involving Chinese. The survey results showed that 85 percent of Chinese people have religious beliefs or have conducted activities similar to religious rituals.

The survey also showed that the same percentage (85 percent) of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) members believe in Gods as described by religions, even though the CCP promotes an atheist ideology and denies the existence of any higher level beings.

Fenggang Yang described the reasons: As the society opens up, Chinese people start to get in contact with religions. When people face high risk or cannot control their fates, they tend to turn to a supernatural power for help. “The spiritual belief is not something that any society can stop or prohibit.”

As the ruling party, the CCP members have more resources and opportunities. Therefore people still want to join the Party. “However, joining the CCP does not mean they have completely abandoned their beliefs in supernatural power or Gods.”

Since 2004, over 280 million Chinese have announced that they quit the CCP or its affiliated organizations including the Communist Youth League and Communist Pioneers.

Source: Epoch Times, July 31, 2017
http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/17/7/31/n9482586.htm

According to a notice that the SARFT (the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film, and Television) issued, satellite television stations should be news based television stations. They shouldn’t simply pursue or fabricate means to influence their TV ratings. They are required to control television programs aired during prime time. Those programs should not contain TV dramas that have excessive entertainment content or sensitive topics; they should air programs that cover public welfare, culture, science, and the economy. For entertainment programs, the stations are asked to limit reality TV or entertainment programs that use movie or TV celebrities or TV programs that copy their format from those in foreign countries. As to selecting special guests or commentators, they must use positive moral character and artistic achievements as the top criteria.

Source: Guangming Daily, August 7, 2017
http://e.gmw.cn/2017-08/07/content_25481844.htm