Government/Politics - 185. page

Qiushi reported that China has been innovative in transforming Western soft power into Chinese cultural soft power to achieve domestic objectives. The United States uses soft power as a means to promote hegemony. China has adopted soft power as an approach to enhance its comprehensive national power and international influence. “Domestically, [the soft power is used] to strengthen the development of socialist core values, to promote Chinese traditional culture, and to cultivate noble morals and enhance the cohesion of the Party, military and the people across the country. Internationally, [soft power is used] to disseminate China’s position and voice, to establish a good international image, to create a favorable international environment, and to promote the development of a peaceful, harmonious, and cooperative world.” 

According to an article in Qiushi, economic development has brought about new challenges for the Party in maintaining its relationship with the public. The following are some of these challenges:

The income disparity has added fuel to the public’s complaints. If not resolved, these complaints will weaken confidence and trust in the Party.

The open market economy has brought with it a laissez-faire and a multicultural ideology. This has weakened and diluted the Party’s education of the public.

The plurality in the social structure makes it difficult to lead and guide the people. For example, some domestic and overseas forces with ulterior motives have used new social organizations to compete with the Party for public support.

Economic globalization and the Internet make it easier for the West to achieve a cultural infiltration of China. News about the disintegration of some regimes and the collapse of long-term ruling parties all have had a disturbing psychological impact on the people of China. Further, some people no longer trust and follow the propaganda of the Party the way they used to.

The corruption of Party officials has also tarnished the Party’s image, breeding public hostility against Party officials.

Source: Qiushi, March 10, 2015
http://www.qstheory.cn/dukan/hqwg/2015-03/10/c_1114582921.htm

On March 16, Caijing published an interview article titled, “Huang Jiefu: The Fall of Zhou Yongkang Breaks the Chain of Interest on the Use of Executed Prisoners for the Organ Transplantation (Business in China).” The article was based on ifeng.com’s interview of Huang Jiefu, the former Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Deputy Minister for the Ministry of Health. Several other websites either republished the same article or published articles about the same interview.

This was the first time that Huang Jiefu directly tied Zhou Yongkang, the detained former security czar and retired member of the Chinese Communist Party Politburo Standing Committee, to the forced organ harvesting in China. Huang stated directly that Zhou was the key leader who was responsible for the secret organ sources for the transplants in China. Huang indicated in the TV interview that neither the former top leaders Hu Jintao & Wen Jiabao nor the current top leaders Xi Jinping & Li Keqiang have anything to do with this forced organ harvesting business in China. According to an analytical article in Epoch Times on March 17, Huang’s testimony indicates that Xi Jinping will accelerate his attack against the Jiang Zemin faction. Zhou Yongkang was considered an ally of Jiang Zemin, retired General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party. The internal fight within the CCP’s top leadership will center more and more on the core issue of the forced harvesting of organs from healthy Falun Gong practitioners in China. “The last big showdown time draws near.”

Xinhua recently reported that, during the recent Liang Hui or National People’s Congress and People’s Political Consultative Conference the topics surrounding Hong Kong seemed to be a main focus. According to the article, Hong Kong is expected to solve its own problems and reduce internal conflicts while focusing its attention on economic development. "It should also properly handle its relationship with the central administration and the nation" the article stated. According to the article, there was also some discussion among the representatives from Hong Kong on improving Hong Kong teenagers’ understanding of domestic affairs, the basic law, and the "one country, two systems" policy and on properly handling the conflicts between residents from the mainland and Hong Kong.

Source: Xinhua, March 15, 2015
http://news.xinhuanet.com/gangao/2015-03/15/c_127582022.htm

On March 12, 2015, at the Third Session of the twelfth National People’s Congress, Zhou Qiang, President of the Supreme People’s Court, provided the Supreme People’s Court Report. 

Xinhua published an article on the recent talk that Zhang Dejiang, Chairman of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, gave during the Third Session of the National People’s Congress. In his talk, Zhang stressed that the leadership of Chinese Communist Party is the fundamental characteristic of socialism with Chinese characteristics. He said, “In order to uphold and improve the system of the National People’s Congress, we must unswervingly adhere to the leadership of the Communist Party of China. We must hold a firm belief in the existing system while adopting changes to improve it.” 

Source: Xinhua, March 8, 2015
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2015lh/2015-03/08/c_1114562982.htm