Defense/Military - 93. page

In 2008, China will accelerate the privatization reform of state-owned Chinese defense industrial enterprises and plans to complete the reform within the next five years. According to  officials from the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense of China (COSTIND), the anticipated capitalization will amount to close to 100 billion RMB.

In 2007, 18 public companies (formerly state-owned defense enterprises) requested to increase market capitalization and 10 of them applied for an Initial Public Offering. COSTIND officials encourage both domestic and foreign participation in the privatization reform.

Source: Xinhua, January 20, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2008-01/20/content_7454122.htm

An article published on xinhuanet attacks the editor-in-chief of Kanwa Defense Review (a monthly magazine published in Canada, about China’s military news). It uses very malicious terms. The article, titled “Andrei Chang’s True Identity Comes to Light, a ‘Traitor,汉奸’ Utilized by Western Media,” states, “Andrei Chang is not a serious military scholar and Kanwa Defense Review is not a professional military magazine. Articles published in the magazine are only to please the anti-China forces in international society.”

Source: Xinhuanet , January 14, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2008-01/14/content_7418757.htm

The June 2007 issue of Qiushi magazine of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China published an article by Ma Xiaotian, President of the PLA National Defense University. The article states that the People’s Liberation Army "is the military force that carries out the Party’s political tasks." The article calls for the Chinese military’s allegiance to Communist leader Hu Jintao. "We must closely unite together around the CPC Central Committee led by Comrade Hu Jintao as General Secretary."

China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) recruits nationwide once a year in winter starting November 1. Typically the Party Secretary of each town or city heads the recruitment campaign. A local Party Secretary in Jiangsu Province made a speech which reveals the general policies of the 2006 annual PLA recruitment campaign.

Richard Fisher wrote an article about China’s new large amphibious assault shipe for the website of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. China rejected the article, saying China’s building up its capacity for a future amphibious force is a "complete exaggeration and irresponsible speculation." "Actually, most amphibious ships currently in use in China are traditional landing ships. There is no so-called ‘threat’ whatsoever."

August 1, 2007, marked the 80th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army of China. Chinese military leaders re-iterated allegiance to the Communist Party and rebutted attempts to "nationalize its military forces." However, voices from inside the Chinese military itself are gathering momentum, calling for nationalization of the armed forces and denouncing allegiance to the Communist Party.

Effective September 15, 2007, the Beijing municipal government will implement a new regulation that boosts national defense education among its residents. Government entities, the media, schools and residents’ groups are also required to provide national defense education. Scores of national defense education courses must be included in the student curriculum in high schools and colleges.

Recently Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party promoted a referendum on membership in the UN, to take place in the spring. The CCP’s Central Committee regard this as stepping over the line regarding the CCP’s "Anti-Secession Law." The CCP General Secretary and Chair of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), Hu Jingtao, emphasized in an internal meeting of the CCP that the sole work of the PLA is to fight Taiwan. This is the first time Hu clearly raised such a proposal in a CCP internal meeting. [1]