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

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

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

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Xinhua Commentaries: “Exposing the Three Major Political Deficits of the U.S.”

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Business Daily: Global Decline in Manufacturing Impacts Chinese Currency Policies

Business Daily recently published a report on China’s currency policy changes after figures on the global manufacturing sector demonstrated it was clearly declining. The report first referred to the latest major decline of China’s PMI (Purchasing Managers Index) to 49. This was the first time since February 2009 that it fell below 50. When the PMI is below 50 it is generally considered to be an indication of recession. Meanwhile, the Euro Area PMI dropped to 46.4 and the British PMI reached 47.6. Global PMI was 49.6 in November. The United States was the only exception with the PMI being 52.7, which the report called “puzzling.” The Chinese central bank responded with an immediate decrease in the Bank Deposit Reserve Ratio. Two to three more decreases in this ratio are highly likely in the first half of 2012. The market is expecting more currency related policy shifts towards loosening up the restrictions on loans. However the concern over inflation is still keeping the government from taking more dramatic actions. The report expressed the belief that the interest rate will not go down.

Source: Business Daily, December 4, 2011
http://www.nbd.com.cn/articles/2011-12-04/620989.html

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

County in Poverty Builds a Luxury Government Building

China Economy recently republished a report by Xi’an Evening News on a new construction project – a luxury county government building. Wangjiang County of Anhui Province is a “county in poverty.” However the county government is building a new county office building which is eight times the size of the White House. The latest investigation showed that the project never completed the required Feasibility Study Report or the Initial Design Blueprint. The construction also did not follow the national standards established by the government building regulations on the use of luxury materials. Around one-sixth of the project’s funding was sourced from the construction budget of the County Archives project. The building is coupled with the construction of a county square of the same size.

Source: China Economy, November 28, 2011
http://www.ce.cn/xwzx/shgj/gdxw/201111/28/t20111128_22870962.shtml

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

BBC: Ministry of Foreign Affairs Criticized for School Bus Donation

BBC Chinese recently reported that Chinese netizens widely criticized the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs because, on November 25, 2011, China donated 23 school buses to Macedonia. On November 16, 2011, a school bus accident in Gansu Province had just caused the death of 19 Chinese children. At the time 64 children were on a school bus that had a maximum capacity of nine children.

The donation of 23 luxury school buses to Macedonia immediately triggered massive online discussions. BBC English reported, "On Sina Weibo – one of China’s Twitter equivalents – more than 480,000 entries on the subject had been published by Monday. One commentator, Liang Yu, a TV news presenter in the southern city of Guangzhou, asked with an emoticon in tears: ‘Where are our school buses?’" The Ministry’s spokesman explained that the agreement of the donation was reached at the beginning of the year and the donation “demonstrated China’s international responsibilities.”

Source: Chinese, November 28, 2011
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/chinese_news/2011/11/111128_china_school_bus.shtml
BBC English, November 28, 2011
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-15916190

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Marriage Survey Results Showed Views Towards Marriage Are More Materialistic

Beijing Morning News reported that. on its 30th year anniversary, the China Association of Marriage and Family Studies (CAMF) published the results of a survey conducted in 2010 among 30,000 families on their opinions on marriage and family. The results showed that the younger generation tends to seek fun, benefits, and material gain from marriage.

Survey results showed that
1) 70 percent of the people surveyed believe that the “woman should marry for wealth rather than having to work hard for a living by herself;
2) 80 percent of those surveyed accept matchmaking due to young people’s limited social networks and the limited time they have;
3) The concept of “compatible social and economic status” remains an important factor in marriage selection;
4) 40 percent showed tolerance towards extra-marital affairs;
5) More successful career women are choosing to remain single, which impacts the problem of China’s aging population.

Source: Xinhua, November 29, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/society/2011-11/29/c_122348538.htm

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Survey Results Showed Farmers Are Sensitive about Income Disparity

On November 28, 2011, the department of Chinese Rural Studies at the Central China Normal University published a report based on a recent survey on the current attitudes of Chinese farmers. The report showed that 41.2 percent of Chinese farmers believe that the disparity in income between the rich and the poor is obvious; 73.3 percent of the farmers believe that the income disparity impacts social interaction; 66.2 percent experienced feeling inferior when interacting with wealthy people. The survey also showed that fewer farmers who are under the age of 30 are assuming such social responsibilities as casting votes, participating in meetings, and voicing opinions, as compared to those who are over 60 years of age.

The survey was conducted among 4,794 farmer’s families from 270 villages and 31 provinces. It took over 200 students and teachers five months to conduct the survey.

Source: Xinhua, November 28, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/society/2011-11/28/c_111201081.htm

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

By 2015, China Will Import More Than 60 Percent of Its Oil

Beijing Times reported that on November 27, 2011, the China Energy Research Society published the “2011 China Energy Report.” The report indicated that due to a predicted economic growth rate of 9 percent per annum over the next five years, even though the rate of growth of energy consumption will decrease in the next five years, and even though China has a stable domestic oil supply, China’s oil imports will continue to increase. According to the 2010 China Energy Report, China imported 54.8 percent of its oil in 2010. The 2011 report expects the figure will increase to 60% by 2015.  The rate of growth in oil consumption over the next five years is expected to be 4 percent, down from 5.15 percent from 1978 to 2010.

Source: People’s Daily, November 28, 2011
http://energy.people.com.cn/GB/16408967.html

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

State Media on the Importance of Culture Reform

[Editor’s Note: After the Sixth Plenary Session of the 17th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) passed a resolution on reforming China’s culture system, China’s official media published a series of articles discussing the significance of reforming the culture system. The following are excerpts from two commentaries published in Outlook Weekly, a publication under Xinhua and People’s Daily.]

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Reports | | |   Report

Communication University of China Establishes Center for the Popularization of Marxism

On November 29, 2011, the Communication University of China held an opening ceremony to formally announce the establishment of the Center for Marxist Communication and Popularization. A forum on “Marxist Communication and Popularization” was held at the same time. Government leaders from the Propaganda Ministry, the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television, and over 70 scholars from prestigious universities and institutions such as Beijing University, Tsinghua University, and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences all attended the ceremony. The center is the first of its kind to specifically study Marxist communication and popularization in order to promote the development, advancement, and popularization of Marxism. Another purpose is to implement the policy of the Chinese Communist Party’s 17th Congress, the development and promotion of Chinese socialist culture.

Source: Huanqiu (Global Times), November 30, 2011
http://china.huanqiu.com/hot/2011-11/2222143.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics