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Phoenix New Media: The U.S. Supports Hong Kong ‘Occupy Central’ with Funds and Efforts

Phoenix New Media, a Hong Kong based media group directly controlled by Beijing, published an article accusing the U.S. of supporting Hong Kong’s “Occupy Central” (the umbrella movement) with funds and efforts.

“‘Occupy Central’ seems to be a democratic action striving for ‘universal suffrage,’ but it has secretly received financial, political, and media help and other assistance from the U.S. State Department, the U.S. National Endowment for Democracy (NED), the National Democratic Institute (NDI), and other institutes in Western countries. The U.S. government’s purpose is to turn Hong Kong into a cradle land outside China for organizing groups that can directly influence China. … Since Western forces reluctantly returned sovereignty over Hong Kong (to China), they have actively worked on how to separate the Hong Kong SAR from mainland China. They have even planned to turn Hong Kong into their pawn to undermine China’s stability.”

Source: Phoenix New Media, October 3, 2014
http://news.ifeng.com/a/20141003/42136316_0.shtml

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

People’s Daily: China Comments on Discontinuation of Confucius Institute at University of Chicago

People’s Daily recently reported that the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded in a press conference to the question of whether the closure of the Confucius Institute at the University of Chicago will become an obstacle in China’s effort to enhance its “soft power.” The Ministry’s spokesperson stated that all U.S. Confucius Institutes were established based on voluntary applications from U.S. universities. The voluntary applications requested “support and help” with teaching materials and teachers. The Institutes have never imposed anything on the universities and could not be a threat to academic freedom or to the reputation of the universities.

[Editor’s note: On October 1, Pennsylvania State University discontinued its contract with the Confucius Institute. The Toronto District School Board, the largest district school board in Canada, also voted against the renewal of its contract with the Confucius Institute.]

Source: People’s Daily, September 29, 2014
http://world.people.com.cn/n/2014/0929/c1002-25762461.html
Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Zhang Zhaozhong: To Suppress China, America Nominates Japanese Descendant as Pacific Commander

CCTV recently interviewed Chinese military expert, Zhang Zhaozhong. During the interview, Zhang commented on the U.S. nomination of "Japanese" Admiral Harris as the next commander of the Pacific Command. Zhang expressed the belief that the U.S. had suppressing China in mind when nominating Harris. 

Zhang Zhaozhong stated that China is the only country that is able to challenge the United States, but the two countries are more than 10,000 kilometers apart. If the United States wants to intervene in East Asia, it must rely on the first island chain and rely on its "little partner" on the front line. The United States hopes to "kill [others] with a borrowed knife" and achieve its goal to suppressing [China] through Japan and other countries using the Diaoyu Islands and other issues.
Zhang added, "Harris will not necessarily favor the Japanese because of their Japanese identity, but [we should] understand the intention of the United States’ move. Harris has a Japanese background. He is also an expert in East Asian issues. The United States certainly had the thought of using him to suppress China." 

[Editor’s note: Admiral Harris was born in Japan and raised in Tennessee and Florida.]
Source: People’s Daily, September 29, 2014 
http://military.people.com.cn/n/2014/0928/c1011-25753922.html

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

People’s Daily (Oversea Edition): Asking the U.S. for Help When in Trouble Involves a Misconception

People’s Daily (Oversea edition) published an article commenting on the remarks that U.S. President Obama made when the CBS program, "60 Minutes," interviewed him on September 28. Obama stated that the United States is an indispensable nation and that people will ask the U.S., not Beijing and not Russia, for help when they are in trouble. 

The article said, "President Obama’s remarks give people the following impression. There are too many troubles in the world. If we have trouble, our first thought is to make a phone call to the U.S. for help. Only the United States has the ability to help us deal with the trouble." 
"The world indeed has a lot of trouble. However, we have to ask, ‘Where did these troubles come from?’ Obama is unwilling to admit that the United States itself created a lot of the trouble in the world." 
"In this world, some countries have indeed asked the U.S. for help. However, many times, there is really nothing good that can be said about the United States ‘help.’ The Iraqi government invited the United States to help fight the ‘Islamic State.’ The Afghan government wants the United States to help deal with the Taliban. If we just take a look at the past and the present situation of these anti-government forces and their relationship with the U.S.’ intervention in the state affairs in these countries, we will see the obvious track record of how the U.S. makes trouble first and then helps clean up the trouble." 
"Therefore, very often, the situation is not ‘getting help from the U.S. when having trouble.’ It is the United States that has created the trouble."　　 

Source: People’s Daily, October 1, 2014 
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2014-10/01/c_127057186.htm

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Huanqiu: U.S. Accuses Chinese Military of Hacking U.S. Military Contractors

Huanqiu (Global Times), a publication under the auspices of People’s Daily, published an article refuting a U.S. Senate report released on September 17. The report alleged that, 20 times within a period of one year, hackers associated with the Chinese military infiltrated the computer systems of the U.S. military’s private contractors for transportation services. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said that Chinese law prohibits hackers from conducting any destructive attacks. China urges the United States to stop its irresponsible attacks and accusations against China, stop its acts of large-scale, systematic network attacks against other countries, and do things that are helpful to maintaining peace and security in cyberspace. 

Chinese military expert Li Jie told the reporter from Huanqiu that, in the current situation, the United States’ pace of returning to Asia is very slow. There is nothing much it can do right now. The reason that it frequently accuses China of hacking is to find an excuse to promote its agenda of advancing to the Asia-Pacific, to generate public opinion within the United States and the world to enable it to improve its defense capabilities, and to deploy a large number of weapons in China’s frontier regions. Li Jie believes that this is even a smoking gun of the United States to prepare for the next step, which is to attack China’s network. Emphasizing that Chinese military hackers are conducting such an invasion further revealed the U.S. intention of guarding against China’s military. 
Source: Huanqiu, September 19, 2014 
http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2014-09/19/c_127005057.htm 
http://world.huanqiu.com/exclusive/2014-09/5142810.html
Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Xinhua Commentary: [U.S.] Should Not Use a Double Standard to Combat Terrorism

Xinhua published a commentary article on the United States’ effort to combat the cross-border extremist terrorist organization "Islamic State" through establishing an anti-terror coalition with 40 countries participating. 

The article said, “There are inherent vulnerabilities in the anti-terrorist coalition that the United States advocates. The purpose and motivation behind it is also suspicious. This is bound to have a serious effect on the future joint efforts of the international community in the fight against terrorism. 
The article indicated that the U.S. is applying a double standard in combating terrorist extremist organizations. It said, “The United States claims to be seeking to set up a broad international coalition to fight against the ‘Islamic State.’ However, when choosing allies, the United States is partial to the ones it likes, allowing the ones that are in line with U.S. interests to join the coalition. If they are not, they will be excluded.” The article expressed its opinion by quoting the statement that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made at the international conference on Iraq on September 15, "[We] cannot accept using double standards on the issue of combating terrorist organizations in Iraq and Syria." 

The article further commented, “Counter-terrorism should not be used as a political tool to serve one’s national interests and ideology. It cannot be allowed to become a cheap excuse to interfere with the internal affairs of other countries.” 

Source: Xinhua, September 16, 2014 
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2014-09/16/c_1112506622.htm

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Huanqiu: ISIS May Have Some Rational Elements

On September 17, Huanqiu published a commentary stating that it is not clear whether ISIS is a terrorist group and that therefore China does not need to participate in the effort to fight ISIS. 

The commentary stated, “ISIS is more focused on challenging the bottom line of U.S. interests. Therefore, China has no need or capability to mind others’ business.” 
The commentary questioned, “If ISIS did not have any rational elements, there would be no way to explain why ISIS has been able to gain ground in Iraq and Syria so quickly. Currently, the Western media blindly exaggerate the extremist side of ISIS killing captives and beheading Western hostages, but they rarely mention other sides of ISIS.” 
“According to the sporadic information that has been obtained, ISIS provides utilities, pays wages, controls traffic, and manages bakeries, banks, schools, courts, and mosques in the occupied territories. Therefore, it is difficult to determine whether ISIS is a heinous terrorist organization or the inevitable product of the current political developments in the Middle East. Since this key issue is not resolved, it is premature to rush to participate in military strikes against ISIS. China’s cautious attitude demonstrates the exact reason that China is a ‘responsible power.’” 
Tian Wenlin, author of the commentary, is an associate research fellow at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations in Beijing. It is affiliated with China’s Ministry of State Security, while the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China oversees it. 
Source: Huanqiu, September 17, 2014 
http://opinion.huanqiu.com/opinion_world/2014-09/5140290.html
Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Study Times: China’s External Relations

On September 15, Study Times reported a few highlights of a recent Communist Party conference on its external relations with other countries. 

The overall assessment of the international environment was that the strength of China’s rise necessitated that other countries engage in strategic re-balancing. China itself also faces re-balancing between domestic and external strategies and between its economic development and its national security strategy. 
The U.S. re-balancing is not balanced. First, the use of economic means and the use of military forces are not balanced. Second, the handling of the relationships between the Asian Pacific countries is not balanced. For example, the U.S. clearly favors Japan, the Philippines, and Vietnam. China should maintain its strategic confidence and face the reality of the U.S. presence in Asia. “China should not have wishful thinking about driving the U.S. out of Asia. The U.S. cannot expect to contain China either." 
Source: Study Times, September 15, 2014 http://www.cntheory.com/news/XXSBRDGZ/2014/915/1491593210G0B53J4280D431IDHB3J.html
Briefings | | |   US-China Relations