{Editor’s note: Huanqiu (Global Times) published an editorial strongly opposing U.S. battleships docking in Taiwan. Continue reading
US-China Relations - 82. page
Beijing Tried to Censor American Political Science Review
Radio Free Asia recently reported on how the Chinese authorities attempted to impose censorship over the Cambridge University Press. First they requested the removal of contents from The China Quarterly and the Journal of Asian Studies (http://chinascope.org/archives/13070). Beijing is also reported to have requested that Cambridge University Press remove articles from the American Political Science Review. The publisher rejected the request.
“American Political Science Review is the highest-ranked academic publication on Political Science in the U.S. The Chinese government’s censorship of this journal shows that Beijing’s political censorship over academic publications has expanded.”
Political Science Professor Xia Ming of the City University of New York pointed out that China’s oversight of overseas academic publications has evolved in three stages.
Stage one: Only focus on Chinese content. Articles written in English can be published.
Stage two: Regardless of whether they are written in English or Chinese, an article’s subject matter cannot touch certain areas, such as Falun Gong, the Cultural Revolution, Tibet, Xinjiang, the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) history, and the military.
Stage three: Even if the publication is not about China studies and does not touch the “sensitive” topics, if it is about universal values, democracy, the rule of law, and other such topics, it is subject to censorship.
“Beijing will even censor a purely academic publication (such as the American Political Science Review that does not have a strong political position regarding China). It is because the Chinese government does not want the public and academia in China to access academic articles discussing the pros and cons of different political systems in order to prevent people from developing doubts about the legitimacy of the CCP regime.”
Source: Radio Free Asia, September 10, 2017
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/meiti/hc-09102017141334.html
Global Times: Trump Called Off China’s Acquisition of Lattice
Global Times recently reported that U.S. President Trump called off a deal in which China Venture Capital Fund Corporation Limited (CVCF) was to acquire the U.S. semiconductor manufacturer Lattice. This is Trump’s first case of this kind and the forth in the past three decades to land on the U.S. President’s desk. According to U.S. media, the deal was blocked based on the role the Chinese government played (CVCF is state-owned) and the fact that the U.S. government uses Lattice products. The U.S. military was concerned about the potential loss of military-grade intellectual property, which could be a threat to U.S. national security. The U.S. government has been going against Chinese acquisitions like this for years now, even including cases involving companies being sold outside of the U.S. China has pointed out again and again that the U.S. should stop its guess work and its politicizing of normal market-based commercial acquisitions.
Source: Global Times, September 14, 2017
http://mil.huanqiu.com/world/2017-09/11246093.html
The Economic Observer: Moody’s Downgraded China’s Bank of Communications
Well-known Chinese national weekly newspaper The Economic Observer recently reported that Moody’s has just downgraded the baseline credit assessments of China’s Bank of Communications (BOCOM) from Baa3 to Ba1, which is often known as the “garbage level.” BOCOM was founded in 1908 (Qing Dynasty) and is currently the fifth largest bank in China, with 3,285 domestic outlets and 20 international branches. BOCOM’s total asset value (2016) was around US$1,296.5 billion. Moody’s cited BOCOM’s poor financing capabilities and higher-than-average financing costs, as well as a declining number of savings accounts, as the reason for the downgrade. A few other performance indicators also showed that the bank is facing much higher market risks. BOCOM responded immediately by suggesting that Moody’s focused too much on very few indicators and the downgraded rating was biased. It is worth noting that BOCOM’s rating for its long-term outlook remains at A3.
Source: The Economic Observer, September 8, 2017
http://www.eeo.com.cn/2017/0908/312397.shtmli
Chinese Consulate Prevented Passage of California State Resolution
According to news reports that Radio Free Asia and the Voice of America published, the voting on a California Senate resolution was cancelled and withdrawn after the members of the Senate received a letter from the Chinese consulate in San Francisco. According to the reports, SJR10 is a joint Senate resolution that Senator Joel Anderson introduced. It praises Falun Dafa adherents for their peaceful resistance to the persecution and torture over the past 18 years. The resolution also expresses support for U.S. Congressional Resolution 343, passed in 2016, which condemns the Chinese government for conducting live organ harvesting on Falun Dafa adherents in China. SJR10 passed unanimously in the California State Senate judiciary committee on August 30 and was expected to be up for a vote on the Senate floor on September 1. On that day, the members received an email from the Chinese consulate in San Francisco. The email denied the harvesting of Falun Dafa adherents organs in China and stated that the resolution would “seriously damage the relationship between China and California in the economy, trade, tourism and in other areas.” The news report quoted comments from Senator Anderson who said he was shocked that the Chinese consulate was able to have such a huge influence on a California State resolution and that the California state Senate has never failed to pass a resolution that condemns genocide in the past. A representative from the Falun Dafa organization in California said at a rally that while Falun Dafa adherents in China have lost the freedom to exercise their rights, the persecution of Falun Dafa has now extended overseas and that countless people are being deceived by the lies that the Chinese authorities spread.
Source:
Radio Free Asia, September 9, 2017
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shehui/ck-09092017135725.html
Voice of America, September 8, 2017
https://www.voachinese.com/a/voanews-20170908-cali-senator-falungong/4020437.html
Luo Yuan: U.S. Military Force Adjustment Exposes Its Intention; Is That Not Targeting China?
Luo Yuan, Executive Vice President and Secretary General of the China Strategic Culture Promotion Association (CSCPA), published an article in Global Times (a division of People’s Daily) expressing his opinion about the U.S. military strategy against China. In the article, Luo stated, “The United States, which has long been leading the hype of the ‘China threat,’ has, since the Obama administration, been promoting the implementation of the ‘Asia-Pacific rebalancing’ strategy. Although the intention is quite obvious, the United States vows that it is not against China. However, the facts speak louder than words. The recently released CSCPA ‘2016 U.S. military assessment report’ revealed that the United States had completed the 2016 edition of its “national military strategy.” It proposed to focus on the ‘4 +1’ threat, namely the four countries of Russia, China, North Korea, Iran and one other non-State form, the “Islamic State.”
“In fact, in the U.S. Defense Department’s report, the 2017 national defense situation report, is titled Look to the Long Term and Invest in the Future.’ Published in February 2016, it had already proposed that the United States was facing the five challenges of Russia, China, North Korea, Iran and the ‘Islamic countries.'”
“In line with these strategic objectives, the U.S. military will further reduce its size but strengthen its power. The main goal will be a change to dealing with China, Russia, and other major strategic challenges from dealing with the war on anti-terrorists and non-traditional security threats.”
The article concluded, “After all, is China a ‘threat’ or is the United States a ‘threat’? I am afraid that it is crystal clear. If the United States cannot abandon its fantasy and try to have a mutually beneficial and win-win situation with China, then China will walk its own way and strengthen its power until it is strong enough to be a bargaining chip and for there to be a balance between China and the U.S.”
Source: People’s Daily, August 30, 2017
http://military.people.com.cn/n1/2017/0830/c1011-29503616.html
U.S. Unemployment Rate Seems to Be Beating Predictions
Well-known Chinese news site Sina recently reported that, although U.S. economic growth can only be called “modest,” it seems the U.S. unemployment rate has, unexpectedly, been going down over the past seven months. The job market numbers saw growth in the last five months. The rate of job growth is double the required rate to sustain long-term stability. Even those who are not actively looking for a job have gotten “sucked into” the working population. The market analysts have been expecting a slow-down in job growth since the unemployment rate was already at a low level. Experts are trying to explain the “unexpected” good news for the U.S. job market. The generally agreed upon explanation is that there has been steady consumer spending, high expectations of results from of the Trump tax-cut, stable oil prices, and the growth of U.S. exports. However, according to Bloomberg, the latest unemployment statistics did not include the impact of Hurricane Harvey.
Source: Sina, August 31, 2017
http://finance.sina.com/bg/usstock/sinacn/20170831/04251644853.html
Chinese General Comments on U.S. Pacific Commander Admiral Harry B. Harris, Jr.
At the time of the USS John S McCain’s collision with a non-military vessel near Singapore on August 21, the “Defense Times” program on China News Radio (CNR) interviewed Jin Yinan, a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) General.
Jin Yinan commented on Admiral Harry B. Harris, Jr., Commander of the U.S. Pacific Command:
“I think all the soldiers around the world have a common trait: do well on you own duties; train well; and prepare well for war. However, since Harris became the Commander of the Pacific Command, he has been indulging himself in politics. He has been eager to make (political) statements. That’s a big taboo. It means the military is interfering in political affairs. His interest is not on training or management, but rather on showing-off. (He) uses the U.S. power to protect the interests of his mother country – Japan (Editor’s note: Harris is the first Asian American to achieve the rank of Admiral in the U.S. Navy, and the highest-ranking Japanese American). Of course he still needs to protect the interest of his father’s country – the U.S. Harris is a completely political soldier. He has been keen on attending large international conferences and keen on making tough statements at those meetings. Yet he has ignored military management and training. So the time when he serves as the Commander of the Pacific Command is the time that the Pacific Command has the most problems.”
Source: PLA Website, August 24, 2017
http://www.81.cn/mjjt/2017-08/24/content_7729238.htm