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Xi Jinping Calls for Cleaning up Corrupt Officials – the Black Sheep in the Family

At the recent annual work conference on political and legal affairs in Beijing, President Xi Jinping called on China’s judges and law enforcement officials to clean out corruption from their own ranks. The remarks were made amid a wide-ranging probe into leaders in charge of China’s political and legal affairs. 

Xi stressed that political and legal affairs must follow the leadership of the Party and correctly handle the relationship between the Party’s policies and the law of the country. “[We must] achieve the situation in which the Party promulgates, enforces and abides by the law.” Xi also emphasized that the fundamental task of political and legal affairs is to maintain social stability. 
He pointed out that the core value of political and legal affairs is to promote social fairness and justice. “Political and legal workforces should have the courage to take responsibility and, in the face of unhealthy trends, dare to show their sword. [We] must exercise the most resolute will and take the most decisive actions to eliminate corruption in the political and legal sector, and resolutely clean up the black sheep in the family [the trouble-making sheep in the flock].” 
Source: Xinhua, January 9, 2014 
http://news.xinhuanet.com/legal/2014-01/09/c_125977855.htm
Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Outlook: Five New Trends in the International Arena

Outlook News Weekly, a publication under Xinhua disseminated an article on international trends in which it reviewed 2013 and foretold developments in 2014. The article stated that there are five new trends in the international strategic situation. 

First, there appear to be new changes in the international power play. The United States as super power saw its advantages reduced as it is beleaguered by domestic and international problems. China, the European Union, and Russia are now the second tier players, with Japan, India, and Brazil being the third tier players. 
Second, bilateral relationships between three pairs of countries are taking shape. The United States wrestles with the Russians, the United States plays games with China, and China and Japan are in a contest with each other. 
Third, multiple countries on the two continents of the Middle East/North Africa, and the Asian Pacific are engaged in complex chess games.
Fourth, old and new challenges in the arena of international security are intertwined and growing in tandem. The traditional security issues of maritime territorial disputes have led to an arms race in Asia. The U.S. and Russia are competing in R&D for strategic advantages in the ocean, in space, and in nuclear energy. The non-traditional challenges include cyber security, terrorism, climate, and ecological changes. 
Fifth, China is proactively engaging in diplomacy with confidence. 
Source: Outlook News Weekly, January 6, 2014 
http://www.lwgcw.com/NewsShow.aspx?newsId=34103
Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

China’s Minister of Public Security: Resolutely Resist the Infiltration of Western Ideology

Guo Shengkun, China’s Minister of Public Security, recently published an article on People’s Daily calling for firm resistance to ideological infiltration from the Western anti-China forces. Chinese Review News Agency reprinted the article on January 3, 2014. According to the article, China has over 2 million police. Public security departments at all levels must “take resolute action to protect the Chinese Communist Party’s leadership, safeguard the people’s democratic dictatorship, and defend the socialist system with Chinese characteristics.” The article particularly called for “resolute resistance to the ideological infiltration from Western anti-China forces” in order to “ensure national security and social stability.” Therefore, systematic Internet control and a crackdown on “Internet slander, Internet fraud, and other online criminal activities” will continue.

Source: Chinese Review News Agency, January 3, 2013
http://hk.crntt.com/doc/1029/5/7/8/102957811.html?coluid=151&kindid=0&docid=102957811&mdate=0103091923



 

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

China Foresees the Negative Impact of Asia-Pacific Regional Trade Negotiations on China’s Exports

On January 8, 2014, China Review News Agency published an article on how to deal with a new round of Asia-Pacific regional trade negotiations. As China is not one of the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership [TPP] countries (Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States, and Vietnam), China is worried about the negative impact of the TPP on China’s exports to those countries. Therefore, China will make a good effort to make up the loss in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade negotiations. RCEP is a Freed Trade Agreement among Australia, China, India, Japan, Korea and New Zealand.

Asia-Pacific countries do not really trust China, which may have a negative effect on China’s economics. According to the article, in order to avoid such a negative impact, China should take the following actions:

  1. Support the WTO reform and make the multilateral trading activity operate within the framework of the WTO;
  2. Actively promote the eventual establishment of the Asia-Pacific free trade zone;
  3. Promote frequent communication among Asia-Pacific countries during the APEC summit next year when China is the host;
  4. Conduct domestic economic reform in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone, the Shenzhen Qianhai Experiment area, and other reform testing regions;
  5. Get ready to deal with any negative impact from the changes in the future Asian-Pacific trade rules and further promote the domestic reform of state-owned enterprises.

Source: China Review News Agency, January 8, 2014
http://hk.crntt.com/doc/1029/6/7/1/102967142.html?coluid=53&kindid=0&docid=102967142&mdate=0108075139


 

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

People’s Daily: National Conference of Publicity Ministers Held in Beijing

People’s Daily recently reported that the National Conference of Publicity Ministers was held in Beijing. Liu Yunshan, a member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party Politburo chaired the Conference. Liu delivered a speech calling for full compliance and implementation of the “spirit” of the Party’s past three most important conferences as well as the essence of the Secretary General Xi Jinping’s speeches. Liu insisted on the continuation of publicity work to spread Marxism, Mao’s Philosophy, the Deng Xiaoping Theory, Jiang Zemin’s “Three Represents,” as well as Hu Jintao’s Scientific Social Development Viewpoint. Liu also emphasized the importance of continuing to push having confidence in the Party’s path, its theory, and the socialist system. He especially mentioned the importance of “guiding public opinion” and “better control over the Internet based media.” 
Source: People’s Daily, January 4, 2014
http://cpc.people.com.cn/BIG5/n/2014/0104/c64094-24021659.html
Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Minister of Public Security Demands Absolute Loyalty, Purity, and Dependability from Armed Forces

On January 4, Guo Shenkun, China’s Minister of Public Security, attended and spoke at a conference held for the Party committee of the armed forces. Guo urged that the armed forces must further implement the key elements from the talks and messages that Xi Jinping has given, constantly place political ideological development at its core and actively maintain absolute loyalty to the Party, as well as purity and dependability.

Source: China Review News, January 4, 2014
http://hk.crntt.com/doc/1029/6/1/6/102961664.html?coluid=151&kindid=0&docid=102961664&mdate=0104191300

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Qiushi: Central and Local Administrations to Start Repositioning Their Authoritative Power

Qiushi published an article on the new move to reposition the authoritative power between the central and local administrations. The article stated, “This move is needed in order to fully mobilize the initiatives emanating from both the central and district administrations. While the central administration needs to minimize its micro control of those local affairs that are of a smaller scale, it should also strengthen its macro management power and exercise strict supervision over the local districts. On the other hand, the local administrations should increase their sense of unity as a nation while actively defending the authority of the central administration.”

The article said that the relationship between central and local administration has always been a delicate issue. In the recently published “Decision on Major Issues Concerning Comprehensively Deepening Reform in Brief,” a number of areas examined the relationship between the two.

The article also discussed and listed examples of how to implement the measures in areas such as finance and legal and municipal debt management, as well as how to maintain a good balance of power between the central and local administrations.

Source: Qiushi Theory, January 2, 2014
http://www.qstheory.cn/zz/jsfwxzf/201401/t20140102_308766.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

China Changes to Two-Child Policy

On December 30, Xinhua released the full text of a directive issued by the China Communist Party Central Committee and State Council on changing the one-child policy to a two-child policy. 

According to the directive, if a spouse is the only child, the spouse may have two children.  This change to the two-child policy will, among other things: 
(1) “Help to sustain healthy economic development. At present, China’s low birth rate has declined steadily; the total working-age population for 15 to 59 year old has been decreasing; the average age of the labor force continues to increase. The aging of China’s population has been accelerating and the aging trend is obvious.” 
(2) “Help to bring family happiness and social harmony. In recent years, with structural diversification, the family size has been shrinking; one-child families and elderly people living alone are on the rise; births, support to the elderly, and other basic functions of the family have been weakened.” 
(3) “Help to promote the balanced long-term development of the population. In the early 1990s, China became one of the low birth rate countries. With economic and social development, improvement in the level of urbanization, and a change in the public attitude toward childbearing, women now have fewer total births.” 
Source: Xinhua, December 30, 2014 
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2013-12/30/c_118770640.htm
Briefings | | |   Government/Politics