Government/Politics - 269. page

Study Times, the CCP Central Party School’s newspaper, recently published an article on the relationship between government, organizations, and individuals. The article established a model for society in the information age. Instead of the traditional hierarchical social structure, today’s Internet based society is a mesh of nodes, which represent organizations and individuals. The difference in each node’s acceptance of the level of technology has caused society to have an “out-of-sync” situation. The author called this the “digital gap.” In the “mesh world,” the nodes that adjust faster and connect to more other nodes will be the ones having more influence. The article suggested the government should reform itself to become the “core node,” which would replace its current “top of the pyramid” role in the hierarchical model. In addition to employing new technology, the government should introduce and encourage openness and public participation to enhance the government’s power to influence.

Source: Study Times, August 29, 2011
http://www.studytimes.com.cn:9999/epaper/xxsb/html/2011/08/29/10/10_20.htm

Qiushi, a monthly Journal of the CCP, published a commentary emphasizing that the Western financial crisis is a result of capitalism’s ultimate demise. A number of state-run media such as Xinhua and People’s Daily also published the article.

The article said, “What the financial crisis has brought to the Western world is not only an economic problem, but also a political, social, and directional problem in national development. The financial crises shows that the economic, political, and social development model that the West is so proud of and tries to sell to other countries has lost its shine.”

The article concluded, “More and more intellectuals have pointed out that the capitalist system is moving further away from balance. It has brought about a structural crisis that will result in economic, political, social, and cultural turmoil. The current system can no longer continue. The current financial crisis has caused the ‘Washington Consensus’ to lose its leading position, and has exposed the inherent instability of the capitalist system. The American style of capitalism has fallen from the altar. The capital accumulation model of capitalism’s pursuit of maximum interest has run into a stalemate. The five “escape routes” of neo-liberalism, globalization, issuing debt, fiscal deficits, and military expansion have not only been unsuccessful; they have made things worse. Capitalism has reached its limit. The Western political model and its ideological hegemony have come to an end. The rise of China and other emerging countries is not only a new economic and political force; it also brings international competition of ideology and models. It is an undeniable fact that the Western system faces more and more pressure for change.

Source: Qiushi, September 1, 2011
http://www.qstheory.cn/zxdk/2011/201117/201108/t20110830_106441.htm

An article in Study Times expressed that young Party officials must be fully aware that the Communist Party is the ruling party. Such awareness will foster loyalty to the Party. “Currently, we face three major challenges. First, we are transitioning from a planned economy to a market economy. Second, the ways in which people express their political opinions have recently undergone changes. Third, technological progress, especially in the development of information technology, has had a profound impact on people’s life styles, behavior, communications, and associations. … Young cadres must remain politically aware at all times, firm their ideals and beliefs, follow the Party with banners held high, and, through their own efforts, fight for the long-term rule of the Party.”

Source: Study Times, August 29, 2011
http://www.studytimes.com.cn:9999/epaper/xxsb/html/2011/08/29/08/08_23.htm

A recent article in Red Flag Manuscript stated that the Party’s media and state run media must be the first to report on major social unrest. “In recent years, there have been mistakes in reporting news about emergency incidents. Most mistakes were made in the first report. Either the first report was not timely, resulting in rumors flooding the media, or the first report had false or distorted information, which the public strongly challenged; this has seriously damaged the Party and the government’s image.”

“As the Party’s newspaper and TV have reliable sources of information and a fast transmission mechanism, they are in the best position to lead public opinion, … but for various reasons, in recent years, flexible, freelance urban media and new media have played the leading role in publishing the latest news and guiding public opinion. Often local Party newspapers and TV cannot get a head start on meeting the people’s needs for information, and have been marginalized.” The article recommended that regulations be promulgated to institutionalize a mechanism that would allow the state’s media to play their role.

Source: Red Flag Manuscript reprinted by Qiushi, August 24, 2011
http://www.qstheory.cn/hqwg/2011/201116/201108/t20110824_104838.htm

A Study Times article has recommended that the Party solidify its political base in social organizations. “As of 2010, there were about 440,000 social organizations registered with the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Additionally, the records show that there are more than 200,000 social organizations in communities and over 40,000 trade associations in rural areas.” “[We] should more actively lead and promote the development of social organizations and make the social organizations an important force supporting the Party’s rule. … Where there are people, there is the Party’s work. Where there are Party members, there should be Party organizations.” With three Party members, there should be a Party branch. Those organizations that do not have sufficient Party members should be combined with other organizations and establish a joint Party branch. If there is no Party member, the Party should engage in Party building through assigning political instructors, setting up liaison offices, or using the apparatus of trade unions.

Source: Study Times, August 29, 2011
http://www.studytimes.com.cn:9999/epaper/xxsb/html/2011/08/29/10/10_22.htm

Jinghua News recently reported that there has been s sharp drop nationwide in charitable donations. In the past couple of months, Chinese media gave extensive coverage to the “the Guo Meimei Incident,” in which large scale corruption was reported in the state-managed Chinese Red Cross. According to official statistics from the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Chinese charities received RMB 6.26 billion from March to May this year. However, after the Incident, for the period of June to August, donations dropped to RMB 0.84 billion. The sharp drop is believed to have resulted from the loss of confidence in the charity system. At the same time, individual-to-individual direct donations have risen from RMB 38.87 million to 127 million. In Shenzhen, the largest city for donations, the amount of recent donations dropped to near zero. Xu Jianzhong, a senior official of Ministry of Civil Affairs, made the observation that extensive media coverage is destroying Chinese charities.

[Ed: A Sina Weibo user, Guo Meimei, claiming she was with the Red Cross, flaunted her wealth on-line. In response, tens of thousands of Weibo users a day posted objections to the corruption involved in personal use of donated funds.]

Source: Jinghua News, August 27, 2011
http://epaper.jinghua.cn/html/2011-08/27/content_694600.htm

Red Flag Manuscript published an article on the relationship between political security and political system reform. “Political security is an important component of national security. … It is the fundamental symbol of national security and the supreme goal of China’s national interest. Only when political security is ensured, can there be the security required for China to seek and safeguard the economy, science and technology, culture, society, ecology and other areas. … The key to ensuring political security and the realistic path to success in China’s political system reform lies in expanding citizens’ participation in politics, upholding the rule of law, and increasing the level of institutionalization of participation in politics, all under the leadership of the Party.”

Source: Red Flag Manuscripts reprinted by Qiushi, August 10, 2011
http://www.qstheory.cn/hqwg/2011/201115/201108/t20110810_101108.htm

A Study Times article asks, “Why are American movies popular all over the world? Why can Japanese cartoons and South Korean TV series conquer Asia and even the world and be a national symbol? By comparison, what movie and TV culture should China develop to have its own world class products compatible with China’s status? This question has long been hotly discussed in the movie, TV, cultural and academic areas. It has even become an important topic in the political arena.”

The article says, “Art belongs to ideology and has educational implications. It can influence people ‘unconsciously’ on the psychological level. … When the audience accepts the leading characters, they also accept the values that the characters exhibit or the values the movie or TV series champion.” “Hu Jintao pointed out at the 90th Anniversary of the CCP, ‘(We) must set our eyes on promoting China’s culture to the world, establish a cultural soft power that is compatible with China’s international status, and increase China’s cultural influence on the world.’”

In conclusion, the article proposed, “In the current international political environment, culture and soft power are inseparable from the scope of political language. To create world class Chinese movies and TV series will result in being recognized by audiences around the world.”

Source: Study Times, August 15, 2011
http://www.studytimes.com.cn:9999/epaper/xxsb/html/2011/08/15/09/09_25.htm