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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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RFA: Farmer’s Lose Income Due to Sharp Drop in Price of Agricultural Products

Radio Free Asia (RFA) recently reported that the news is spreading widely in the Chinese media that the prices of agricultural products have been dropping. As an example, key Chinese cabbage producers saw a sharp drop in prices – 90% compared to last year. Even if they sold out their entire inventory of products, the farmers could hardly recover their basic costs. Famous Chinese economist Hu Xingdou suggested that this pattern of the price dropping every other year resulted mainly from unbalanced information between the farmers and the market. The lack of a futures market for agricultural products and the lack of organized farmer’s associations have contributed to farmers’ inability to manage market risks. Nor has the government lent a helping hand to the farmers. The recent adjustments in the macro economy had a negative impact on the capital market for investment in agricultural products.

Source: Radio Free Asia, November 10, 2011
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/s-11102011095715.html

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Professors on Knees Begging for Pollution to Stop

On November 7, 2011, China News Net reported that a group of professors from Changjiang University in the City of Wuhan visited local officials and got down on their knees begging the government to shut-down a nearby steel company that was a major source of pollution to the University’s environment. It was reported that, since 2009, the pollution has caused numerous diseases among the nearby population. Fighting against the company for 4 years achieved no results. A reporter took photographs of the professors on their knees. The pictures spread rapidly on the Internet and became a major focal point for public attention. The company then told the reporter that it had since ceased operations. The local government promised to conduct an investigation and handle the situation properly once the investigation was complete.

Source: China News Net, November 7, 2011
http://www.chinanews.com/gn/2011/11-07/3443500.shtml

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

First Confucius Institute Opened in Switzerland

On November 8, 2011, the first Confucius Institute opened in Geneva, Switzerland, through the collaborative efforts of Renmin University and the University of Geneva. The City of Geneva authorized the Institute to locate its facility in a villa on the shores of Lake Geneva. Wu Ken, China’s ambassador to Switzerland; Jin Yeran, President of the Confucius Institute; Ji Bachen, the President of Renmin University; university officials from Geneva University; and Geneva state officials attended the opening ceremony.

Source: Xinhua, November 9, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2011-11/09/c_122252926.htm

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Independent Candidates Cut from Running for People’s Congress in Beijing

In Beijing’s recent "election," many independent candidates ran to be nominated as representative to the People’s Congress; however, the Chinese authorities prevented their nomination. Many found their names had been eliminated from the final list of candidates. On November 8, when the election results for the nomination to the People’s Congress in Beijing came in, only the names the government authorities chose appeared. No independent candidates made the list.

Ms. Wu Qing, a professor from Beijing Foreign Language University, said that the election procedure violated the related laws. Wu told Voice of America (VOA), “They did not hold a pre-election but rather used the number of nomination votes each candidate received as the pre-election votes.” “Taking Beijing Foreign Language University as an example, some students were asked to sign a blank recommendation form and didn’t even know who they were recommending. The same thing happened at the China University of Political Science and Law. … Some employees who worked for State Owned Enterprises were fired because they didn’t recommend their company president.”

Wu also disclosed that university students received tremendous pressure from the university authorities. “There were security personnel, secret police, the regular police, and people from my neighborhood at the university. Many students felt unprecedented pressure… The hidden guidelines from the authorities insured that the candidates recommended by the grass roots masses would never make it to the final nomination list.” She said she has made the nomination list seven times in the past, but didn’t make it this time because she was considered “the most difficult People’s Representative to deal with.”

Source: VOA, November 9, 2011
http://www.voanews.com/chinese/news/20111109-BEIJING-ELECTION-133538593.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

CCTV to Broadcast in English in Washington DC

According to a VOA report, in 2012, China Central Television (CCTV) will establish a broadcast station in Washington, D.C. and will air 6 hours of English television programming each day. Many view the move as China’s effort to gain international discourse rights and as an investment in gaining soft power in the world.

Financial News also reported that CCTV rented 36,000 square feet of office space at 1099 New York Avenue, which is three blocks from Bloomberg News.

Source: VOA, November 9, 2011
http://www.voanews.com/chinese/news/20111109-cctv-us-133559953.html 

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

State Media Chief on Expanding State Media to Increase China’s Influence

Cai Fuchao, the head of the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television (SARFT) discussed the development of a modern media empire to enable socialist culture to increase its influence. During an interview with Study Times, Cai stated that the stronger a nations’s capability of distributing its values and culture, the more powerful will its influence be in the world. “The Party’s newspapers, journals, news agencies, radio, and television are the main forces that the Party has for its news and propaganda. In our modern communication system, developing them must be a strategic priority.”

According to Cai, Xinhua has over 140 overseas branches. China Radio International has 32 overseas correspondents’ stations and 62 overseas AM and FM radio stations broadcasting in 61 languages. China Central Television has 50 overseas correspondents’ stations broadcasting in six languages on seven international channels. There are over 200 million local subscribers through cable in 141 countries and regions. China Daily (English) has different editions for the United States, Europe and Asia in addition to its domestic flagship edition in China. The overseas edition of China News Service covers 22 countries.

Source: Study Times, November 7, 2011
http://www.studytimes.com.cn:9999/epaper/xxsb/html/2011/11/07/01/01_34.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

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