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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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The CCP’s Performing Arts Troupes in the U.S.

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China Must Endure and Go Through Diplomatic Embarrassment

Huanqiu (Global Times) published a commentary on China’s difficult situation in deciding on its diplomatic stance on Iran’s nuclear issues because China is in the awkward position of being unable to support or oppose any international resolution to punish Iran. The article depicts such a situation as China’s diplomatic “embarrassment,” which happens whenever there is a serious international conflict.

The article explained that China is a country with two identities. First, China is a “developing country” and must give the priority to its actual interests. Second, China is a country with a different political system and ideology from Western countries, but is, at the same time, also a part of the global economic community and must highly cooperate with Western countries. Because Western countries overall are still much stronger [than china], China cannot fight against them [yet].

The article asks the Chinese public to understand the difficult situation and shoulder together as a nation some inevitable loss. The article also declared that “China’s rise will not be a smooth march all the way, … but the diplomatic ‘embarrassment’ will not stay with China forever. It is just a special situation during this period of time. China must ‘endure’ to get beyond it.”

Source: Huanqiu, November 10, 2011
http://finance.huanqiu.com/data/2011-11/2160281.html

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Guangzhou Daily: Understanding the Forces behind the U.S. Policy toward China

According to an article published in Guangzhou Daily on November 6, 2011, the United States is the factor that has the most influence on China’s international environment. “Only by strategically handling our relationship with the United States can China gain a better space in which to survive and grow.” The article categorized the many U.S. opinions into four groups: the cold war mentality, the rise-equals-threat theory, geopolitics, and transforming China through engagement. It suggested that U.S. foreign policy toward China has been the result of a balancing act between White House decision makers who want engagement and those who seek containment.

Source: Guangzhou Daily, November 6, 2011
http://gzdaily.dayoo.com/html/2011-11/06/content_1521550.htm

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Provincial and Ministerial Officials Gathered in Beijing to Attend the Forum on Culture Strategy

On November 2, 2011, 48 provincial and ministerial officials gathered in Beijing to attend the “forum on culture system reform and development” organized by the Central Organization Ministry, the Propaganda Ministry, and the Chinese Academy of Governance. It was the first such high level forum on culture reform and development to be held following the sixth Plenary Session of the 17th Congress of the CCP Central Committee. The 6-day forum discussed the main tasks and challenges of the current culture system’s reform and development; explored the policies and measures to speed up the process; and considered how to implement the tasks to promote socialist culture.

Source: People’s Daily, November 7, 2011
http://cpc.people.com.cn/GB/64093/64387/16159162.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Wen Jiabao Reiterates China’s Proposal to Establish an SCO Development Bank

China’s Premier, Wen Jiabao, when meeting with heads of delegations attending the 10th prime ministers’ meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in St. Petersburg, Russia, renewed China’s proposal to establish a regional development bank. During last year’s meeting at Dushanbe, Tajikistan’s capital, Wen suggested founding an SCO development bank in a bid to promote the development of a regional financing system. In St. Petersburg, Wen hoped the member countries would attach importance to China’s proposal. He recommended that an expert panel be put together to study the proposal and formulate plans for the establishment of the development bank. Wen also made a series of proposals for regular meetings of the finance ministers and central bank presidents, expansion of cooperation within the SCO regarding trade and settlement, and building a multi-level and multi-channel financing cooperation system.

Source: China National Radio, November 8, 2011
http://www.cnr.cn/china/yaowen/201111/t20111108_508744550.shtml

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Li Changchun Speaks at the 80th Anniversary of Xinhua

On November 7, Li Changchun, the Propaganda Chief of the Chinese Communist Party and the 5th ranked member of the Politburo, spoke at the 80th anniversary of China’s state-run media, Xinhua News Agency. Li called on Xinhua to develop China’s national and global influence, “Under the new historical conditions, whether (you can) truthfully and accurately report the news, correctly and effectively guide public opinion, and analyze and explain while removing doubts, matters for the fundamental interest of the people, matters for the Party’s ruling position, and matters for the long term stability of the country.”

Li advised, “Further strengthen the news coverage of major emergencies, improve the reporting of emergency responses and the mechanism for guiding public opinion, and strive to be the first in time and right on the spot to release authoritative information at home and abroad.”

Li also asked for Xinhua to develop its abilities in international broadcasting. “Improve the means and methods of international and foreign reporting, go deep into the front line of international news, do more live coverage, use more formats and more languages that foreign audiences easily accept, and issue a more authoritative voice so as to embody our views and express common concerns at the same time. … Actively advance the development of CNTV, vigorously implement the ‘localization’ strategy, increase the amount of news collected, improve the quality of production, and constantly expand both coverage and influence.”

Source: Xinhua, November 9, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2011-11/09/c_122252816.htm

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology

Li Yuanchao Promotes Party Development in Private Enterprises and Individually Owned Businesses

On November 6, 2011, China Review News reported that, during his visits to the service industry and commercial systems, Li Yuanchao, a Politburo member of the CCP Central Committee and the Minister of the CCP Central Committee Organization Department, has been promoting Party development work in private enterprises and individual owned businesses.

Source: China Review News, November 6, 2011
http://gb.chinareviewnews.com/doc/1018/9/6/0/101896063.html?coluid=151&kindid=0&docid=101896063&mdate=1106111535

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Xinhua News Agency Delivers the Chinese Communist Party’s Messages

On November 7, 2011, Xinhua News Agency’s Outlook Weekly published an article titled “The 80th Anniversary of Xinhua News Agency’s Founding: a Media with a National Mission.” Recalling Xinhua‘s 80-year history, the article proudly proclaimed that “no other media in the world has even been so closely linked to the rise and fall of a country, a nationality, and a ruling party.” Under the leadership of the CCP, Xinhua News Agency delivers the Chinese Communist Party’s messages.

The article especially mentioned the Xinhua billboard which has been in New York City’s Times Square since August 1 of this year, saying it “represents the beginning of a new era.” It concluded that “a culturally powerful country must have a powerful media force to influence world public opinion.”

Source: Xinhua News Agency Outlook Weekly, November 7, 2011
http://lwgcw.net/NewsShow.aspx?newsId=24278

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Study Times: Let’s Continue to Hide Our Capabilities and Bide Our Time

On November 7, 2011, Study Times, a journal of the Party School of the Central Committee of the CCP, published an article discussing the benefits of China’s foreign policy that Deng Xiaoping, the former head of the Chinese Communist Party from the late 1970s to the early 1990s, had proposed: to “hide our capabilities and bide our time.” The article pointed out, “After China started its economic reforms and opened to the world, China stopped using its (Communist) ideological standards to deal with other countries. This has successfully reversed the diplomatic situation, which has been unfavorable to China.” It continued that China’s foreign policy is to “hide the (Communist) ideology and modernize China according to its plans while other countries are in chaos.”

“Sino-US relations can usually move forward when a ‘third party trouble maker’ appears. Once the ‘third party’ (Ed: such as bin Laden) disappears, the Sino-US relationship becomes problematic.” The article concludesd that the foreign policy “hide our capabilities and bide our time” is very important and necessary when China is in the process of integrating into the international system, since the U.S. foreign policy is more ideologically based when no third party trouble makers are around. “To create a favorable international environment to develop our domestic economy, we should continue to hide our (Communist) ideology so as to minimize the differences (between the U.S. and China).”

[Editor: “Hide one’s capabilities and bide one’s time” (or “hide one’s ambitions and disguise one’s claws”) comes from a well-known Chinese historical novel, "The Three Kingdoms" based on real stories from the end of the Han Dynasty (25 AD-220 AD) to the Three Kingdoms era (220 AD- 280 AD) of Chinese history. The kings of the Three Kingdoms were Cao Cao, Liu Bei and Sun Quan. When Liu Bei was seeking refuge in Cao Cao’s territory, he was afraid that Cao Cao would kill him if he did not hide his ambition to unite the whole nation and become king. By working hard in his backyard vegetable garden every day and pretending to be cowardly, he successfully misled Cao Cao, who no long viewed Liu as a competitor. Liu Bei’s strategy was called “hide one’s ambitions and disguise one’s claws” (or “hide one’s capabilities and bide one’s time”).

Source: Study Times, November 7, 2011
http://www.studytimes.com.cn:9999/epaper/xxsb/html/2011/11/07/02/02_34.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics