Chinascope – Page 1010

Pressured By Beijing, Vietnamese Authorities Escalate Abuse of Falun Gong

Radio Free Asia reported that, in recent weeks, under pressure from Beijing, Vietnamese authorities have been escalating their intimidation and abuse of the local Falun Gong community, further intensifying a policy change that began last year. Two Falun Gong practitioners are scheduled to stand trial next week for broadcasting uncensored news to China. Since the end of August, on two occasions, the police have abducted or thugs have assaulted local Falun Gong practitioners while they were practicing their exercises in a park.

The escalated harassment comes on the heels of direct Chinese Communist Party pressure on the Vietnamese authorities. According to a court indictment, the Vietnamese government arrested the men after a diplomatic memo was sent on May 30, 2010, from the Chinese Embassy to Vietnam’s Ministry of Investigation and Security. “The memo stated that the Police Department in China discovered radio signals coming from Vietnamese territory containing the same content about Falun Gong as heard on the ‘Sound of Hope’ radio station.” The indictment reads, “It was recommended that all … activities of Falun Gong individuals in the Vietnam territory must be attacked and stopped.”

Source: Radio Free Asia, October 5, 2011

http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/la-10052011101736.html

Briefings | | October 6, 2011 | Geo-Strategic Trend

Study Times: The Underlying Motivation for the U.S. Arms Sale to Taiwan

Study Times published an article stating that the recent U.S. arms sale to Taiwan was motivated by four factors. The first one is the core strategic interest of the U.S. to contain China by leveraging Taiwan. The U.S. conservatives consistently view China as its major strategic competitor, not a partner. The second factor is the significant U.S. economic interest in the arms sale. This new agreement to sell arms brings the entire amount of arms sales during the Obama administration to US$12.252 billion, topping previous administrations since the severance of the U.S. – Taiwan diplomatic relationship. The third factor is the domestic politics associated with the upcoming election. The economy and jobs are the most important issues in the election. The arms sale will allegedly result in over 80,000 jobs in the U.S. The fourth factor is the interplay of the domestic political forces in Taiwan.

Source: Study Times, October 3, 2011
http://www.studytimes.com.cn:9999/epaper/xxsb/html/2011/10/03/02/02_38.htm

Briefings | | October 6, 2011 | US-China Relations

Wenzhou Bosses Default on Loans and Flee – Will a Subprime Crisis Erupt in China?

On September 27, 2011, China Review News published a short article to introduce a series it is publishing on “China’s subprime crisis.” Heads of companies are becoming runaway bosses because they are unable to pay hundreds of millions in debt. For example, Hu Fulin, the owner of China’s most popular sun-glass company, recently fled from Wenzhou, the “capital of China’s private manufacturing companies,” to escape his debts. Recently, a “List of Runaway Wenzhou Bosses” has been circulating on the Internet and has caused quite a stir.

“Some analysts believe the incident indicates that a crisis exists in Wenzhou that may affect hundreds of billions in private loans. With the continuous deterioration in the chain of repayment of private loans [Ed: As banks favor SOE’s, banks make loans that are not on the books or borrowers turn to underground sources at higher interest rates, creating a chain of loans] quite a large number of enterprises may collapse. For the banks that originally made these private loans, the funding chain is getting longer. Once the enterprises, the loan borrowers, have business problems and cannot repay the loans, the original banks will be in trouble and more economic entities will be affected. Therefore, a subprime crisis may erupt in China.”

Source: China Review News, September 27, 2011
http://gb.chinareviewnews.com/doc/1018/4/9/6/101849670.html?coluid=73&kindid=7150&docid=101849670

Briefings | | October 5, 2011 | Economy/Resources

Huanqiu Suggests Powerful Retaliation against the U.S. for Arms Sale to Taiwan

Huanqiu, the official newspaper under People’s Daily, published a commentary on September 29, 2011, titled “Powerful Retaliations against the U.S. – Many Benefits with Little Downside.” The article suggests retaliating against the U.S. by suspending high-level dialogues, stopping all military exchanges, ending human rights dialogues, imposing sanctions against the companies that sold arms to Taiwan, reducing imports from the U.S., temporarily stopping the purchase of U.S. Treasury bonds, and even selling a small amount of the U.S. Treasury bonds, which is China’s “economic atomic bomb.”

The article suggests seizing the “god given” opportunity to “reverse China’s passive role in the arms sale to Taiwan problem.”

“Since China singles out the United States as the target for retaliation, which is morally justified, other Western countries will only watch without uniting together to besiege China.” “We are sure that the United States will not end its relationship with us. Currently, the U.S. needs us more than we need them.”

Source: Huanqiu, September 29, 2011
http://opinion.huanqiu.com/roll/2011-09/2045548.html

Briefings | | October 5, 2011 | US-China Relations

PLA Major General: The Major External Threats to Us Are from the U.S.”

On September 25, 2011, PLA Major General Luo Yuan told an audience of about 400 at the Wenhui newspaper lecture room, “I view the full range of strategic threats from the United States as the most major external threats to us.” Luo summarized the U.S. threats as the threat of the (democratic) system and the military threat. “The U.S. government spends $4.4 billion in strategic funds each year on foreign subversion, infiltration, and intervention. Previously, their targeted country was the former Soviet Union, but now their main target is China.”

In his speech, Luo gave a detailed explanation of how China is facing U.S. military containment and why China must develop its military, build up its information armed forces, and prepare to win an information war.

Source: China Gate, October 3, 2011
http://www.wenxuecity.com/news/2011/10/03/1487698.html

(Ed. Note: The original article, which was published on Wenhui, is no longer available.)

Briefings | | October 5, 2011 | US-China Relations

Xinhua Vows to Remove the Tumor of Internet Rumors

On October 1, Xinhua published a commentary titled “Internet rumors: this tumor must be removed.” The article stated, “Recently, multiple incidents of lies and rumors have been spread on China’s Internet. They have polluted the cyber environment, disrupted the social order, seriously impaired the image and credibility of our nation’s Internet, and incited public indignation from the majority of netizens and the cyber industry. The chief of the Cyber News Propaganda Bureau under the China Internet Network Information Center gave a talk on September 30, in which he condemned the act of creating and disseminating rumors and vowed to severely punish the action of creating and disseminating rumors. Xinhuanet.com launched initiatives calling for the general netizens and practitioners of Internet business to jointly ignore disseminated reports that contain cyber lies and rumors.”

“To remove such tumors needs not only the joint regulation of relevant authorities, but also for mainstream websites to maintain self-disciplinary actions and for general netizens to voluntary boycott them. … People’s Daily Online also launched a special topic on its homepage, ‘Resolutely stop fabricating facts and lies to be spread on the Internet’ to widely induce comments from the media and from Internet users and denounce the despicable acts of fabricating facts and promulgating lies.”

Source: Xinhua, October 1, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/comments/2011-10/01/c_122114976.htm

Briefings | | October 4, 2011 | Information/Technology

Guangming Daily: On High Alert for the Danger of Lacking in Drive

In his speech on July 1, 2011, the 90th anniversary of Chinese Communist Party, Hu Jintao said, “The entire Party must be keenly aware that at a time of profound changes in global, national, and intra-Party conditions, we are faced with many new developments, problems, and challenges in our efforts to enhance the Party’s leadership and governance and its ability to resist corruption and degeneration, to withstand risks, and to strengthen its governance capacity and advanced nature. … The whole Party is confronted with a growing danger coming from a lack of drive, incompetence, being separated from the people, lacking initiative, and corruption. It has thus become even more important and urgent than ever before for the Party to police itself and impose strict discipline on its members.”

On October 2, 2011, Guangming Daily published an article “On High Alert for the Danger of Lacking Drive,” which enumerates the causes, manifestations, and consequences of the “growing danger from the lack of drive.” The article lists the causes for the lack of the drive among CCP cadres, including a “feeling of achievement,” a “feeling of safety,” “inertia in governance,” and “the effects of wealth.” The lack of drive is exhibited among CCP cadres as mental and spiritual emptiness, being lazy, being content with mediocre performance, and spending extravagantly.

The article warns that, if the lack of drive continues, the Party will lose its popularity and its social base; by doing nothing, it will lose its leading and governing position. “Being slack will cause a chain reaction, resulting in a rigid way of thinking, stagnation in theory, moral decline, the collapse of ideology, and the death of the spirit of enterprise. It is an important reason for the Communist Party in some countries to have lost their advanced nature, lost popularity, lost their social base, and lost their leading and ruling position. These tragedies, involving the demise of the Party and loss of the country, were not so long ago. We must not repeat the same mistake.”

Source: Guangming Daily, October 2, 2011
http://epaper.gmw.cn/gmrb/html/2011-10/02/nw.D110000gmrb_20111002_2-01.htm?div=-1

Briefings | | October 4, 2011 | Government/Politics

PLA Daily: China and France to Deepen Military Ties

According to People’s Liberation Army Daily, at the 10th strategic dialogue between the Chinese and French defense ministries in Paris on September 28 and 29, both sides “conducted frank, friendly and fruitful exchanges on defense policies, military buildup, the regional security situation, and issues of international focus. They also had an in-depth exchange of views on further developing bilateral military relations.” “Both sides agreed that the Sino-French defense ministry dialogue mechanism will help deepen strategic mutual trust, expand areas of cooperation, and play a positive role for the two countries in building a new, mature and stable, comprehensive strategic partnership based on mutual trust and mutual benefit, while having a global perspective.”

Source: Xinhua, October 1, 2011
http://www.chinamil.com.cn/jfjbmap/content/2011-10/01/content_68269.htm

Briefings | | October 3, 2011 | Geo-Strategic Trend

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

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

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