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Party Publications Are Just Junk

A report published by Toutiao, a Chinese news and information content platform, revealed that nobody reads the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) publications. However, this report, titled, “The Party Newspaper and Party Publications, How Long Can You Survive?” is no longer available due to the CCP’s Internet control.

The article reported a case in which a local postal office signed an agreement with an institution. The agreement was that the post office would stop delivering the party’s newspaper and publications to which that institution had subscribed. Instead, the post office would just keep them in its storage area and after a certain time, sell them as old paper (in China authorities pay a little money for old paper and books for recycling). The postal service would then give the institution the money, including the proceeds from selling the party publications and the cost savings from the delivery service.

In China, the CCP forces government offices and institutions to subscribe to many party newspapers and publications. In some places it even requires individual party members or school teachers to subscribe to party publications using their own money.

Source: Epoch Times, June 18, 2023
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/23/6/18/n14018188.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Cross-Region Fiscal Transfer Puts Poor Regions In More Debt

An article by a Chinese author was circulating on the Internet. The article pointed out that. although China implemented a cross-region fiscal transfer mechanism, the better developed regions provide a large amount of financial aid to the underdeveloped regions to help them develop their economy. This system does not make the poor region prosperous but rather, it puts them in more debt.

The article used Qinghai Province as an example. Qinghai received a “fiscal transfer” (aid) of 147 billion yuan (US$ 21 billion) in 2022, 7.6 times what it received in 2010. However, its disposable income per capita was 27,000 yuan in 2022, only 3.1 times the amount in 2010. This indicates that the “transferred” money didn’t directly get into people’s wallets. The reason was because the receiving regions spent the money on large projects instead, which may not directly lead to improving people’s livelihoods or may cause unnecessary waste. In the meantime, the receiving regions also borrowed additional money to finance those projects (the transferred money was not enough). As a result, the more the “transfer” money comes, the more the receiving region is in debt.

Source: China Digital Times, May 16, 2023
https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/696035.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources Government/Politics

China’s Police Shared Experiences on Conducting Operations Overseas

Recently overseas media reported that Chinese police from Qingtian County, Zhejiang Province published their “successful” experiences in conducting operations in other countries. The article was published in the second issue of the Zhejiang Police College Publication in 2019.

There are 330,000 Chinese from Qingtian County who live in 128 foreign countries and regions. These diasporas have established 314 diasporas associations.

The police experience article talked about their work of combining “one concept, two overall plannings, three collaborations, four major mechanisms, and five areas of governance.”

“Two overall plannings” included the planning for domestic and overseas,words, two battlefields. Domestic planning – visit the relatives (inside China) of the overseas “stability maintenance” targets (usually the political activists/dissidents whom the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) views as a threat to its rule in China). Overseas planning – send working groups abroad to meet with the Chinese diasporas.

“Three collaborations”: One is to collaborate with Chinese embassies and consulates and  them to reach out to local Chinese diaspora groups. Two is to collaborate with the leaders of diaspora associations – Qingtian police has established regular collaborative mechanism with 230 Chinese diaspora associations and maintained regular contacts with 150 influential diaspora leaders. Three is to collaborate with the people who were the former police officers or relatives of former police officers.

The article also talked about strengthening the party’s leadership, including expanding the party organization’s reach to the overseas Chinese diaspora associations and establishing a party structure inside the Chinese diaspora associations via the party organs at China’s embassies and consulates.

The Qingtian police created a “Police-Diaspora Station” service center. Its online system started operation in 2018. The Qingtian police led the efforts, with Chinese diaspora associations participating in and providing offices. The service center has organized video conferences, information sharing sessions, regular meetings, and timely service. It created 15 sub-centers in 11 countries including Spain, Italy, and France.

The “four major mechanisms” includes establishing a “grid-management” mechanism, with larger diaspora associations as the base, and diaspora leaders, diasporas who are party members, and overseas police liaisons as the expanding points, to manage the diaspora communities. It has “successfully” handled 15 cases of a few diasporas’ protests against the CCP or its leader’s visit.

The “five areas of governance” listed anti-Falun Gong as its first area. It quoted that Qingtian police guided the “World Chinese Diaspora Anti-Cult Association in Spain” to protest the Shen Yun performance held in Barcelona in 2014.

Source: Epoch Times, May 25, 2023
http://cn.epochtimes.com/gb/23/5/25/n14003947.htm

Briefings | | |   @CS Geo-Strategic Trend Government/Politics US-China Relations

Xi’s Speech Revealed Beijing Is Preparing for the Possibility of Being Excluded from the International Market

Xinhua reported Xi Jinping’s visit to Inner Mongolia from June 6 to 9. In one speech he gave, Xi stated that China’s talk of domestic economic circulation (focusing on the domestic economy) is the strategy when China is excluded from the international market, indicating that the top Chinese leaders are discussing and preparing for such a possibility.

The Xinhua report said:

In the midst of various foreseeable and unforeseeable “storms” and “turbulent waves,” the most important thing for us is to do well is our own thing. General Secretary Xi Jinping gave important words to use: “To build a new (economic) development pattern, the first thing is to get the major domestic circulation right, which is the fundamental solution. (Talking about a) ‘double circulation’ economy (business with other countries and business within China) is not to close the door (of China), but rather when others do not open the door to us, we can still live and live better. We open our door. Whoever comes to cooperate with us is welcome.”

General Secretary Xi Jinping talked about the road to (China’s) rejuvenation under the new situation: “Some countries want to do hegemony; they want to do monopoly, and want us to follow them as their vassals. Our Chinese nation must revive! We must continue to overcome difficulties and go to the next level!”

Source: China’s Government Site, June 10, 2023
https://www.gov.cn/yaowen/liebiao/202306/content_6885568.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources Government/Politics

Guangxi Plans Investment Management Measures to Shield Government from SOE Liabilities

China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region circulated a document titled, “Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Investment Management Measures” for public review and opinion. The review period is June 5 to June 16. The proposed measures would exclude the government from taking on the liabilities of state-owned enterprises (SOE’s). This may indicate that the government no longer has the resources to cover SOE debt.

Article 15 of the measure states:

…

SOE’s and state-controlled enterprises should follow the principle of prudence in external investment and financing, strictly control the asset-liability ratio, and not take on too much debt. … When doing debt financing, they should declare that they do not carry government financing functions, that the debt raised is for corporate use, and that the local government does not assume responsibility for the debt. …

Money which is raised from the market by SOE’s and which results in debt but which lacks (needed) continuous funding or … results from decision-making errors, are the responsibility of the SOE’s to handle. Following the principle of “who raised the debt is responsible for the debt;” the government does not assume any responsibility for debt repayment.”

Source: Guangxi Government Site, June 4, 2023
http://fgw.gxzf.gov.cn/hdjl/yjzj/opinionDetail.shtml?opinionid=6116

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources Government/Politics

The Wuhan Government Publicized Debtor Names in the Newspaper to Collect Debts

To collect money back from its debtors, on April 26, the Finance Bureau of Wuhan City, Hubei Province, published a full-page debt collection announcement in the Yangtze River Daily (the primary local newspaper in Wuhan).  The announcement listed 259 debtors and their unpaid balances as of the end of 2018. The debtor list included Finance Bureaus at the city’s districts, research institutes, state-owned enterprises, listed companies, and a few private enterprises. The amount each one owed ranged from ten thousand yuan to over ten million yuan, with the total exceeding 100 million yuan (US $14 million).

Wuhan city’s fiscal income in 2020 was 123 billion yuan, down 21.3 percent from 2019 (pre-COVID time). It recovered  158 billion yuan in 2021. The amount came down slightly to 151 billion yuan in 2022. Income in the first quarter this year was 50.8 billion yuan, down 8.5 percent from a year ago.

The debt that Wuhan city is publicly collecting is relatively small compared to Wuhan’s fiscal income, but the act of public debt collection revealed that the city is in such a poor financial situation that it had to resort to a harsh solution. Another issue was that China’s Ministry of Finance required each local government to clean (take back) all money it lent out prior to 2018.

Sources:
1. Central News Agency (Taiwan), May 30, 2023
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202305300260.aspx
2. China Digital Times, May 30, 2023
https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/696630.html

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources Government/Politics

Xi Jinping: China to Withstand “High Winds and Rough Waves”

The Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party’s National Security Commission held a meeting today, stating that China is facing an “obvious increase in the complexity and severity of national security issues” and needs to be prepared for “significant tests that may include high winds and rough waves.”

According to Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping, in his capacity as the Chairman of the Central National Security Commission, presided over the first meeting of the 20th Central National Security Commission on the afternoon of the 30th. During the meeting, he made the following remarks.

Xi Jinping emphasized the need to fully implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the CCP, deeply understand the “complex and severe situation facing national security,” correctly grasp the “major national security issues,” accelerate the modernization of the national security system and capabilities, “safeguard the new development pattern with a new security framework,” and strive for a new phase in national security work.

The meeting highlighted that China is currently facing an “obvious increase in the complexity and severity of national security issues.” The national security front must establish strategic confidence, a firm belief in victory, and fully recognize its own advantages and favorable conditions. It is necessary to adhere to bottom-line thinking and extreme thinking and be prepared to withstand “significant tests that may include high winds and rough waves.”

Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), May 302, 2023
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202305300394.aspx

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Chinese Lung Transplant Doctor Revealed Organ Harvesting Secret

Chen Jingyu (陈静瑜) and her team published a paper on China’s lung transplantation in JAMA Network Open, a publication under the Journal of the American Medical Association  (JAMA). Chen’s Lung Transplant Center in Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, claimed this as the first time that Chinese lung transplant clinical data has been accepted by a top international journal. Chen is known as “the number one doctor in China’s lung transplants.”

Chen excitedly posted the news on WeChat and Weibo on May 8. She stated, “For a long time because we used organs from death row prisoners, the foreign (medical community) boycotted the organ transplantation in China because of ethical issues… In 2015, China fully implemented organ donation from people under heart and brain death. The organs of citizens with brain death have become our only source for organs. There is much gratitude for the 6,000 or so cases of organ donations each year in our country, which have allowed us to go global with lung transplants.”

Chen’s statement admitted two things: One: the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has long taken organs from death row inmates. Two: China is using organs from “brain-dead” people, not the “heart-brain-dead” people as the CCP ostensibly claimed.

Whether “brain-death” is considered real death is debatable in the medical community, since a “brain-dead” person can still keep breathing and has a heartbeat under medical equipment for a while. “Heart-brain-death” is fully dead.

China does not have a law on “brain-death.” Its definition of death in the Criminal Law is in line with the definition of “heart-brain-death.” Therefore, using organs from “brain-dead” people is illegal according to China’s own law.

China has been using the “Primary Brainstem Injury Impactor” device, invented by Wang Lijun, the former Vice Mayor and Public Security Chief of Chongqing. It is capable of precisely creating brainstem death without damaging other brain tissues or other organs. This invention was patented by China’s State Intellectual Property Office in 2012 under the patent number CN 202376254 U.

Source: Epoch Times, May 22, 2023
http://cn.epochtimes.com/gb/23/5/22/n14001686.htm

Briefings | | |   @CS Government/Politics Social Stability