Chinascope – Page 1000

Study Times: The Cultural Giant Strategy Faces Several Key Issues

Study Times published an article analyzing several key issues that the Cultural Giant Strategy faces.

1) The existing government system: First, in the existing system the government is both the administrator of the culture entities and the host of the culture events at the same time. The government should shift towards being an administrator and be responsible for the entire society. Second, the government is unclear about the difference between a cultural service unit and a business unit and usually applies the same regulations to both. Third, some state owned culture entities have shifted outside of the socialist system. They lack vitality and competitiveness. Last, China lacks elite culture products that are original and have a competitive advantage in the world.

2) Products: In the process of building a cultural giant, what kind of products can China offer that will increase the power of the existing system’s influence?

3) A clear understanding of soft power: How can China turn a rich cultural resource into one with the power of influence and attraction? What is the basis for confidence in Chinese culture?

4) Understanding different paths in developing the culture system. Each region should assess its capabilities to avoid competing against each other. Specifically, they should focus on building their own cultural brand and understand its market potential.

Source: Study Times, December 5, 2011
http://www.studytimes.com.cn:9999/epaper/xxsb/html/2011/12/05/06/06_33.htm

Briefings | | December 12, 2011 | Government/Politics

Cambridge Chinese Student Organization Involved in Election Scandal

Southern Weekend recently reported on an election scandal at Cambridge University. Cambridge suspended the Chinese student organization after it could not agree on electing a new president. It also disclosed the organization’s close ties with the Chinese government.

The incident started when Chang Feifan, who was the president of the Cambridge Chinese student organization in 2010, sent an email claiming that the organization’s board had agreed that she would continue her presidency in 2011. The email generated controversy among the members, who stated that no formal election process ever took place and called for one. As elections are a requirement, when the members had not reached agreement by November 1, Cambridge formally disbanded the organization.

Aside from the election scandal, the article also described Chang Feifan, the former president, as being much like a Chinese government official stationed in Cambridge. Chang’s bio indicated that in less than two years she had hosted Chinese government officials who visited the campus and provided trainings for close to 1,000 senior government officials and senior managers from companies in China. Chang managed the foreign projects at Cambridge and was also responsible for several Chinese government sponsored projects in China. An online search suggested that a number of China’s official news agencies, including People’s Daily and China Review News had covered the activities that the Cambridge Chinese student organization hosted. An article from Beijing Youth Newspaper also reported that the Chinese consulate sponsors the annual Chinese New Years party that the Cambridge Chinese student organization hosts each year.

Source: China Review News, December 2, 2011
http://gb.chinareviewnews.com/doc/1019/2/4/2/101924242.html?coluid=7&kindid=0&docid=101924242&mdate=1202092659

Briefings | | December 12, 2011 | Geo-Strategic Trend

Huanqiu: Revive the Silk Road and Break the U.S. Containment of China

Huanqiu published an article suggesting that, now that the U.S. has reentered the Asia Pacific Region, China should adjust its geographic strategy in reaction to U.S. strategy.

The article called Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s recent visit to Myanmar a significant move in U.S. Asian policy. It stated that the U.S. has changed its strategy towards China’s neighboring countries, following the end of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, a change that targets China. The move has the purpose of preventing China from surpassing the U.S. in Asia. The article suggested that China should revisit its geographic strategy. An example it gave was that China could express its intention of building a strategic partnership with Afghanistan by opening the Wakhan Corridor and having China’s development of the Kashgar Economic Zone include developing an economic cooperation plan with Afghanistan. China could also form a strategic agreement with Afghanistan and Pakistan. In the long run, China should advocate forming a five-country dialog and establishing economic cooperation with Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, and India so as to revive the “Historic Silk Road.”

Source: China Review News, December 1, 2011
http://gb.chinareviewnews.com/doc/1019/2/1/8/101921899.html?coluid=148&kindid=7550&docid=101921899&mdate=1201000712

Briefings | | December 12, 2011 | US-China Relations

Globe: Hillary’s Asia-Pacific Dream

[Editor’s Note: Globe magazine, under the official Xinhua News Agency, published a response to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s article, “America’s Pacific Century,” which was published in the November issue of Foreign Policy magazine. [1] The response criticized Secretary Clinton’s article as being “far from reality,” and having “hegemonic hierarchic thinking and a Cold War mentality.” The full text of the article is translated below.] [2]

Continue reading →

Reports | | December 10, 2011 | Report

Qiushi: The Trend of Communist Parties over the Last 30 Years

A Qiushi article discussed the trend of the world’s Communist Parties over the last 30 years. It stated that the Communist movement has been through major changes. At present, there are over 130 Communist Parties in the world with a total of just under 90 million members. China itself has over 74 million Communist Party members, accounting for 85% of the Communist Party members in the world. North Korea has about 4 million, Vietnam 3 million, Cuba 900,000 and Laos 100,000. The Communist Party is the ruling party in five countries with 83 million Party members, about 93% of the total in the world. It has six notable features. There is no more central leadership based on personalities; countries where the Communist Party is the ruling party, such as China and Vietnam, have made major achievements; now there are multiple Communist Parties in one country; gradual peaceful development is taking the place of violent revolution; the Communist Party is becoming the ruling party through elections such as in Moldova, Cyprus, and Nepal; and new international communication modes are replacing separate and isolated struggles for survival.

Source: Qiushi, December 5, 2011
http://www.qstheory.cn/zz/zgtsshzyll/201112/t20111205_127728.htm

Briefings | | December 9, 2011 | Government/Politics

Major General Luo Ruan: China Does Not Lack the Will to Fight for Its Fundamental Interests

Major General Luo Yuan, deputy secretary of the Chinese Society of Military Science, responded to the question, "Facing the recent conflicts with neighboring countries, what attitude should China have?" Luo said the answer was discussed at the Chinese Navy Communist Party Congress held on December 6, 2011. According to Luo, “‘China does not want to go to war,’ but that is only half right. The other half is that ‘China Does Not Lack the Will to Fight for its Fundamental Interests either.’” “At present, most of the neighboring countries are not capable of forcing China to enter into a war. However, (China) must be prepared because these countries may incite conflicts and get the United States involved. … Only by being prepared for a medium sized war, can we stop a small war. Only by being prepared for a big war, can we stop a medium sized war. Only by being prepared for involvement with a strong enemy can we stop a small enemy from being too arrogant and aggressive.”

Source: Xinhua, December 9, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2011-12/09/c_122398937.htm

Briefings | | December 9, 2011 | Defense/Military

Qinghua Scholar: China Should Form Alliances with Other Countries

The International Herald Leader interviewed Yan Xuetong, a professor at Qinghua University in Beijing and Director of The Institute of International Studies. In the interview, Yan advocated that China should form alliances with other countries. He suggested that if China continues its non-alliance policy and does not provide security protection to others, China will not be able to expect support from others if its national security interests are threatened. He also suggested that ideology has no bearing on forming alliances with other countries. Even though Vietnam shares the same ideology as China, it is not China’s ally. The US and Saudi Arabia have totally different ideologies, but they have been allies for dozens of years.

Soruce: International Herald Leader reprinted by Xinhua, December 5, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/herald/2011-12/05/c_131284250.htm

Briefings | | December 9, 2011 | US-China Relations

Hu Jintao Urges Naval Preparedness

On December 6, 2011, Hu Jintao met with senior naval officials in Beijing. At the meeting, Hu stressed the “need to accelerate the transformation of naval buildup, to expand and deepen the preparedness for military struggles, to push forward with modernization of the Navy, and to make new and greater contributions to national security and world peace.”

On December 5, 2011, a separate meeting was held in in Beijing dealing with Chinese military equipment, with the main task being “to fully develop military equipment during the Twelfth Five-Year-Plan Period, to unify thinking, clarify requirements, and advance the scientific development of weaponry and equipment to a new starting point.

Source: Xinhua, December 6, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2011-12/06/c_111221604.htm

Briefings | | December 8, 2011 | Defense/Military

China’s Reaction to Trump’s Election Win

Xinhua Commentary Series: Spotlight on the U.S. Presidential Election

Wu Guoguang: Xi Jinping’s Reversal of the Course, Will China’s Transition be Peaceful or Marked with Bloodshed?

Cheng Xiaonong: U.S.-China Strategic Relations Have Crystallized