Government/Politics - 264. page

On November 1, 2011 Qiushi published an article on the recent call that the Communist Party issued at its Sixth Plenary Session of the 17th Congress, which closed on October 18, 2011, to intensify efforts to develop socialist culture. The article explained that the second decade of the twenty-first century is a critical opportunity for the development of China’s culture. More and more, culture has become the source that unites the people, the factor that improves the country’s competitiveness, and the substance that serves as a pillar for economic development. As a distinctive feature of current and future domestic and international changes, “whoever commands the high ground in cultural development will have strong cultural soft power and hence will be strategically positioned to win in the fierce international competition.”

Source: Qiushi, November 1, 2011
http://www.qstheory.cn/zxdk/2011/201121/201110/t20111028_120310.htm

Outlook Weekly published a commentary by a professor at the Party School of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. The commentary stated, “The socialist core value system is the soul rejuvenating the country and the essence of the socialist advanced culture. It determines the direction of socialism with Chinese characteristics.” The Chinese Communist Party uses Marxist values as a guide to determine the values of everything else. The core value of socialism is to liberate mankind. The four basic elements that make up the socialist core value system are the guiding principles of Marxism, the common ideals of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the national spirit and the spirit of the times, and socialist morality.”

Source: Outlook Weekly reprinted on the website of the Chinese Communist Party, October 24, 2011 http://theory.people.com.cn/GB/16002180.html

On October 31, Study Times published an article discussing China’s cultural soft power from an international perspective. The article said that to increase national cultural soft power in the international arena while protecting national culture security, [China] must work in the following three areas. [We should] 1) Actively participate in the international cultural competition and protect the security of our ideology in the process of “going out" (expanding overseas). [We] must uphold our ideology as the core of our national culture security. Given our limited cultural communication abroad, focus more on getting our ideology across [respected] than on our success or failure in the culture industry. 2) Enhance the acceptability of our national image and foster a favorable [improve the] overseas media environment for the protection of China’s cultural sovereignty. 3) Establish the recognition of a multiplicity of cultures and promote our national culture security strategy to a new height. Champion the idea of respecting the rights of each country to choose its own social system and development path.

Source: Study Times, October 31, 2011
http://www.studytimes.com.cn:9999/epaper/xxsb/html/2011/10/31/03/03_44.htm

Two scholars from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) wrote a commentary on what the "Occupy Wall Street” protest says about capitalism. The article said,“The ‘Occupy Wall Street’ protest movement is a true manifestation of current U.S. social problems. It shows that the American government’s economic and financial policies following the financial crisis have greatly disappointed people. Ordinary American’s anger over the sluggish economy, rampant corruption, scant employment opportunities, and poor career prospects have accumulated to the point of exploding. The article also criticized the whole economic, political, and cultural systems’ crises that the American financial crisis brought about.”

In reflecting on the capitalist economic system, the article said, “The root cause of the capitalist financial system’s numerous shortcomings is that it is difficult to accomplish highly efficient national regulation in a capitalist society that is based on private ownership…” It further stated, “The capitalist private ownership system is the source of injustice in social distribution.” Regarding the capitalist political system, it said, “The ‘occupy wall street’ protest demonstrates the non-democratic and extremely hypocritical nature of the capitalist political system.” About capitalist culture, the authors commented, “American youth already shout loud slogans such as ‘We are a generation of revolution!’ ‘We need jobs! We need revolution!’ ‘Eliminate capitalism!’ These slogans have already delivered a big blow to American cultural values and will continue to deliver even bigger blows. What’s more, it proclaimed the crisis of the American culture system on the Internet.”

The article concluded, “The capitalist system is doomed and will be replaced by a more advanced social system. Let’s wait and see.”

Source : Qiushi, October 31, 2011
http://www.qstheory.cn/jj/jjyj/201110/t20111031_120821.htm

On October 26, 2011, in Seattle, Washington the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology signed a strategic cooperation memorandum with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The two parties decided to cooperate in the fields of modern agriculture and global health. The plan includes developing high quality and low cost agricultural plants and animals, as well as bio-medicines and vaccines – to be used in China and in developing countries that lack natural resources, such as in South Asia and Africa. This is the first time for the Ministry of Science and Technology to work with an international NGO on a large scale in these fields. Bill Gates commented on the initiative, saying that China can play a key role in fostering innovation to reduce hunger and poverty, especially in today’s tough global economic environment. It was agreed that both sides will make monetary and labor contributions.

Source: Xinhua: October 27, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2011-10/27/c_122202204.htm

Li Changchun, member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo and the Propaganda Chief of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee, elaborated on the “Decisions by the CCP Central Committee regarding Further Promoting Reform and Development of the Cultural System,” which passed on October 18 during the Sixth Plenary Session of 17th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.

Li addressed the issue of “strengthening the country’s soft power by developing socialist culture with Chinese characteristics” and called for “forging cultural soft power in order to protect China’s cultural security.” Li said, “China must continuously expand its international cultural influence in order to forge its soft power, which will be compatible with its international image and protect China’s cultural security.” According to Li, culture is a key measure of a nation’s overall power. Whoever takes the lead and possesses strong cultural soft power will gain the advantage in the world’s competition.

Source: China News Service, October 27, 2011
http://www.chinanews.com/gn/2011/10-27/3419185.shtml

Study Times, a publication of the Party School of the CCP’s Central Committee, published an article to clarify some of the important issues related to the cultural development that the 6th Plenary Session of 17th Congress of the CCP mapped out. The article said that one views culture as “soft power” when comparing it to the economy and military “hard power.” However, that does not mean that it lacks a solid foundation. Actually, there is a “hard requirement” behind “soft power.” The article pointed out that culture, as a phenomenon and a product of spirit, has multiple properties. Above all, ideology is one of its most fundamental properties. Culture reflects the political and economic interests of a certain class. Culture has a very clear ideological property, as well as powerful ideological function.

What Western society currently promotes as “universal values” is a manifestation of culture reflecting an ideological property and playing an ideological role. [Therefore], when others are holding up the banner of ideology, we cannot give up on ourselves.

The article concluded that the reason the CCP took the action it did at the 6th Pleanary Session, to develop the socialist core value sytem as the fundamental task of cultural development, was because the socialist core value system is the fundamental manifestation of socialist ideology, the spirit of prospering the nation, and the essence of socialist advanced culture. It determines the direction of Chinese style socialism.

Source: Study Times, October 24, 2011
http://www.studytimes.com.cn:9999/epaper/xxsb/html/2011/10/24/03/03_35.htm

On October 19, 2011, Xinhua published an article on developing Chinese culture. The Sixth Plenary Session of 17th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, which closed on October 18, 2011, put forward specific requirements for the establishment of the socialist core value system in the development of Chinese culture.

"Give priority to the social impact of cultural products with the aim of having a win-win situation for both social and economic benefits." "Fully implement the principle of the Party supervising and managing talent in the area of culture."

 “Adhere to the guiding position of Marxism; firmly believe in the common ideal of socialism with Chinese characteristics; promote the national spirit with patriotism as the core and the spirit of the times with reform and innovation as the core; establish and practice the socialist concept of honor and disgrace.”

Source: Xinhua, October 19, 2011

http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2011-10/19/c_122173122.htm