Government/Politics – Page 2

Sam Hou Fai Elected Chief Executive of Macao Facing no Opposition

Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported that Macau held a “China-style” election for the position of Chief Executive on October 13. The sole candidate, Sam Hou Fai (岑浩辉), was “elected” as the sixth Chief Executive of Macau with 394 valid votes.

According to public records, Sam is 62 years old and was born in Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province. In his early years, he studied law at Peking University and later pursued language and law courses at a university in Portugal. He moved to Macau in 1986 and was appointed Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal of the Macau Special Administrative Region in December 1999. He is said to be one of the CCP’s “Southbound cadres” (referring to CCP cadres being sent to Hong Kong or Macao). He will become the first Chief Executive of Macau who was born in mainland China. He will take office on December 20.

Source: Radio Free Asia, October 13, 2024
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/zhengzhi/jz1-macau-ce-first-mainland-born-10132024103828.html

Briefings | | October 14, 2024 | Government/Politics

Leaked Document Exposes CCP United Front Network in Germany

Twenty-one investigative journalists from ten countries recently published a secret document containing the names of hundreds of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) agents operating in multiple countries. The original source was said to be a list of supporters of the CCP’s United Front Works provided by a person in mainland China. German television channel RTL investigated the section of the document related to Germany.

An NTV reporter contacted a Chinese informant in Germany who confirmed that the people on the list are contacts of the CCP’s United Front Works. “(The United Front) is a very large network. These people are responsible for promoting the CCP’s propaganda. They also try to influence city councils and other government institutions. This is how (the CCP) wants them to influence local politics in Germany.”

These United Front contacts are not traditional spies. Instead, they are more like “influence agents.” In other words, they are people in the West who create a favorable environment for the CCP, control Chinese communities, or suppress critics.

These “overseas Chinese” on the list hold either Chinese passports or have been naturalized as German citizens. The CCP has even targeted the descendants of Chinese immigrants. There are 60 million people in the Chinese diaspora globally.

For example, Mei Weiping (梅维平) is on the list. He is involved in the alumni network of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and has served as the head of a subsidiary of the Beiersdorf Group. In China, he organized cooperation with a university, passing the company’s knowledge to China. He attended the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, an event related to the United Front. He has been invited to watch the military parades multiple times as a guest of honor and praised the CCP’s military strength.

One influencer on the list, Liu Yuanhua (刘元华), has more than 400,000 followers on German Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Photos show her posing with Baden-Württemberg’s Governor Winfried Kretschmann, Federal Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir, and Stuttgart’s Finance Minister Danyal Bayaz.

Another person on the list, Kwong Weisen (邝伟森), head of the Hamburg Chinese Overseas Association, also has close connections with top federal political figures. This restaurant owner has a photo with then Hamburg’s First Mayor Henning Voscherau and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who has visited the restaurant multiple times.

Source: Epoch Times, October 9, 2024
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/24/10/9/n14347471.htm

Briefings | | October 14, 2024 | @CS Geo-Strategic Trend Government/Politics

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Reverses Position to Acknowledge “Israel’s Reasonable Security Concerns” for First Time

In a first since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, spokesperson Mao Ning of the Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry acknowledged “Israel’s security concerns” at a press conference on October 8. The following is an excerpt from a transcript published by the Foreign Affairs Ministry (emphasis added by ChinaScope):

China News Service Reporter: Yesterday, October 7, 2024, marked the one-year anniversary of the outbreak of the Gaza conflict. The conflict is still ongoing. What is China’s comment on this situation? How will China further promote a ceasefire and an end to the fighting?

Mao Ning: The Gaza conflict has dragged on for a year, resulting in the loss of many innocent lives and causing an unprecedented humanitarian disaster. Its spillover effects have impacted the region, and tensions continue to escalate. China is deeply concerned about the ongoing violence and the continued absence of peace.

The brutal reality clearly demonstrates that military force and violence are not solutions to the problem; they only add new grievances to old ones, making peace and stability even more elusive. Recently, China proposed a “three-step” initiative to break out of the current Gaza conflict: a ceasefire and humanitarian aid are the top priorities, “Palestinians governing Palestine” is the fundamental principle for post-conflict Gaza reconstruction, and the “two-state solution” is the ultimate path forward. The legitimate national rights of the Palestinian people should be realized, and Israel’s reasonable security concerns should also be addressed. The international community should work to de-escalate the situation, convene a larger, more authoritative, and more effective international conference, and set a timetable and roadmap for implementing the “two-state solution,” ultimately achieving peaceful coexistence between Palestine and Israel, and harmonious coexistence between the Arab and Jewish peoples.

Bloomberg Reporter: I would like to clarify your earlier comment. When you mentioned the one-year anniversary of the Gaza conflict on October 7, did you say that “Israel’s reasonable security concerns should also be addressed”? Could you elaborate on this point? Has the Foreign Ministry previously made similar statements? I’m interested in the background of this stance.

Mao Ning: You heard correctly. I did indeed say that the legitimate national rights of the Palestinian people should be realized, and Israel’s reasonable security concerns should also be addressed. This has always been China’s consistent position. Only by doing so can we ultimately achieve peaceful coexistence between Palestine and Israel and harmonious coexistence between the Arab and Jewish peoples.

Source: Website of China’s Embassy at the United States, October 8, 2024
http://us.china-embassy.gov.cn/chn/lcbt/wjbfyrbt/202410/t20241008_11503801.htm

Briefings | | October 14, 2024 | Economy/Resources Government/Politics

The CCP’s Mandatory App “Study Xi” Was Put to an End

Five years ago, the Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched the mobile app “Study Xi to Build a Strong Country (学习强国).” It is a platform for the study of CCP ideology focused on “Xi Jinping’s Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.” The app went live on January 1, 2019. A large number of Chinese citizens were forced to study it daily. According to reports from mainland netizens, college students, students in grades 1-12 (along with their parents), and employees at state-owned enterprises, cultural and educational institutions, and an increasing number of private companies were required to use the app. The app once became the most downloaded free app in the Apple App Store in China.

The app introduced a points-based learning system to enable employers and superiors to monitor and reward or punish users. It was reported that users could earn 1 point for logging in daily, 1 point for reading an article, and another point for watching a video. Additionally, users could earn an extra point for reading or watching for a certain amount of time. The platform also featured various quizzes and exams, with more points awarded for correct answers. To encourage people to use their own time to study, the app established three “active periods” outside of work hours (morning, noon, and evening), during which users could earn double points. An elementary school teacher in Anhui said that she needed to accumulate 42 points each day to meet the requirements.

On September 17, independent scholar Gao Falin revealed on the X platform that the “Study Xi to Build a Strong Country” app is coming to a complete end. Gao stated that he received news from friends in China that the app will no longer require login assessments from now on. People no longer have to log in every day. Since late last year, it has actually been in a semi-abandoned state, and the backend can no longer track who hasn’t logged in. This is finally the end of it.

A reporter from the Epoch Times confirmed the authenticity of this news.

Source: Epoch Times, September 21, 2024
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/24/9/20/n14335419.htm

Briefings | | October 12, 2024 | Government/Politics

Political Shakeup at China’s Top Social Sciences Institute Over Alleged Dissent

The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) has reportedly experienced a “political earthquake” in its Institute of Economics. The entire leadership was replaced due to allegations of “inappropriate discussions about the central government.” This marks another political incident at CASS following an “espionage case” over a decade ago.

The event was triggered by the alleged misconduct of Deputy Director Zhu Hengpeng, leading to a complete overhaul of the institute’s leadership. Zhu, 55, was also the director of CASS’s Public Policy Research Center, focusing on public hospital reforms and medical security systems.

By the end of last month, the institute’s director, party secretary, and deputy directors were all replaced. The CASS Party Committee appointed new leadership, including Gong Yun as party secretary, Li Xuesong as director and deputy party secretary, and Song Hong as deputy director.

CASS, China’s highest academic institution for philosophy and social sciences research, also serves as a central think tank and ideological center. This incident follows a previous espionage case involving two CASS researchers over a decade ago.

Beijing officials frequently emphasize that CASS is “first and foremost a political organ, with political nature as its primary attribute and political consciousness as its foremost requirement.”

Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), September 16, 2024
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202409160031.aspx

Briefings | | September 18, 2024 | Government/Politics

Financial Shortfall in China’s “Stability Maintenance” Budget: Bottom-Rung Stability Agents Facing Wage Delays

According to a social media report, the government of the Hanjiang District in Putian City, Fujian Province, has not paid grid workers their salaries for six months, and it has recently ceased deposits of workers’ social security contributions as well.

“Grid workers” (网格员) are the lowest level of stability maintenance forces in China. The term “grid worker” or “grid administrator” refers to individuals responsible for managing various subdivisions of neighborhoods within Chinese communities. They are tasked with collecting information on residents, promoting government policies, mediating conflicts, and other miscellaneous tasks. Recently, work conducted by grid workers in China has gone hand-in-hand with collection of big data use of artificial intelligence by the Chinese government. Grid workers played a significant role in enforcing the government’s COVID control measures by conducting inspections, information reporting, health monitoring, and monitoring of “key individuals.” China’s grid workers have been referred to as the ‘capillaries’ and ‘nerve endings’ of the Communist Party’s governance system, and “the most direct embodiment of Xi Jinping’s concept of ‘fine-tuned social management.'”

The social media post regarding the current grid worker budget shortfall in Putian City also revealed that Hanjiang District has around 700 to 800 grid workers, with a monthly salary of 2,200 yuan. A state-controlled media outlet confirmed the report: “on the morning of August 23, the district government coordinated and indeed issued one month’s salary to all grid workers who were owed wages, and efforts are being made to resolve the remaining wage arrears.” Similar issues of delayed wages to grid workers and social workers are reported in Linyi, Shandong. A Radio Free Asia report on this subject commented that “such a confirmation by Chinese state-run media is a rare occurrence.”

The reports indicate that Beijing is running short of stability maintenance funds.

According to 2020 census data, there is approximately one grid worker for every 600 citizens in the Hanjiang District. The ratio of grid workers to citizens is similar in Shenzhen.

Source: Radio Free Asia, August 26, 2024
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/meiti/jj-china-internet-control-08262024103632.html

Briefings | | September 12, 2024 | @CS Government/Politics Social Stability

Tibetan Leaders Criticize CCP’s Tibet Policy Following CCP Media Report

On August 28, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) mouth-pieces CCTV and Xinhua News Agency released a nearly-3-minute video showcasing the “achievements of the 30th Anniversary of Paired Assistance (from Provinces and Institutions) to Tibet.” The end of the video included a quote from Xi Jinping regarding four “as long as” conditions regarding Tibet: “As long as we work together, as long as we promote ethnic unity, as long as we follow the CCP, and as long as we adhere to the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, we will surely achieve the glorious goal of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation as planned.”

Comments from Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and from Kelsang Gyaltsen, the Central Tibetan Administration’s representative in Taiwan, outlined a critical view of the CCP’s policies for governing Tibet during Xi’s era, summarizing four main goals of the CCP:

Completely remove the influence of the 14th Dalai Lama from the subconscious of Tibetans by searching their homes and personal phones.
Treat Tibetan religious language and culture as a “tumor,” close privately run Tibetan language schools, and arrest intellectual elites who attempt to preserve Tibetan culture.
Force Tibetan children to attend boarding school, leaving behind their parents and their culture. Compel the children to study Mandarin Chinese and Han Chinese culture under the framework of “forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation.”
Fully implement the “Sinicization of religion” (i.e. the modification and watering down of religion to meet the requirements of the Chinese Communist Party)

Source: Radio Free Asia, August 29, 2024
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/hx2-xi-jinping-tibet-08292024072621.html

Briefings | | September 5, 2024 | @CS Government/Politics

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