Chinascope – Page 1034

Zhou Yongkang Reemphasizes the Party’s Control over Judicial System

In a speech recently delivered by Zhou Yongkang, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee and head of the CCP’s Committee of Political And Legislative Affairs, Zhou repeated the importance of Hu Jintao’s speech given at the 90th anniversary of the Communist Party and emphasized that the Party must maintain “absolute control” over the judicial systems, which includes the police, the armed police, the procurator system, and the court system. Zhou called for “political firmness, purity and strong fighting strength.”

Source: Xinhua, July 2, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2011-07/02/c_121614063.htm

Briefings | | July 12, 2011 | Government/Politics

Guangming: Japan’s Cost for Supporting U.S. Bases Higher Than Its Military Budget

On July 3, 2011, Guangming Daily published an article on what it costs Japan to support U.S. military bases in Japan. The article reported that the United States has had military bases in Japan since the end of World War II. Currently there are 41,000 American troops stationed there. According to the treaties Japan has with the U.S., the U.S. is responsible for defending Japan and Japan is responsible for providing land and facilities at no charge. The article further described the items that Japan pays for: (1) handling the issues in areas surrounding the U.S. bases; (2) the rental cost of public and private land; (3) the cost of moving facilities and equipment; and (4) other costs such as compensating fishermen for the inconvenience caused by the military exercises. After 1978, Japan started paying the Japanese citizens who worked on the bases, as well as some repair and maintenance costs. The article calculated the total amount the Japanese government spent on the U.S. bases in 2009 and concluded that it was higher than the U.S. share and higher than Japan’s own military budget.

Source: Guangming Daily, July 3, 2011
http://mil.gmw.cn/2011-07/03/content_2169921.htm

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

Xinhua: A Regrettable Ruling

Xinhua recently reported that a WTO group of experts issued a “rule violation” conclusion after investigating China’s imposition of restrictions on the export of several raw materials. Xinhua called it a “regrettable ruling,” citing the need for China to protect the environment. In the year 2009, the U.S., the European Union, and Mexico jointly filed the WTO complaint for China’s taking “unfair advantage.” The materials in question are bauxite, coke, fluorspar, magnesium, manganese, silicon metal, silicon carbide, phosphorus, and zinc. China tried to explain the “export restrictions” as “administrative means.” The report suggested the current mining process used in China results in significant pollution. The new “enhanced management” is designed to improve the sustainability of providing the resources to the world market.

Source: Xinhua, July 6, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2011-07/06/c_121632341.htm

Briefings | | July 12, 2011 | Economy/Resources

Tsinghua Students Called on to Study Socialist Core Values & Political Ideology

On June 30, Li Changchun, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, visited Tsinghua University. Li called on the university to “improve the quality of education and persistently strengthen and renew political ideology education so as to speed up Tsinghua’s progress in advancing toward being a world first class university.”

Li said that universities should launch education programs for students to learn about contemporary history so they can understand "how history and people chose Marxism, the Communist Party, the socialist path, and the open and reform policy. … Therefore, they will be able to form a firm belief in walking the socialist path with Chinese characteristics under the leadership of the Communist Party."

Source: Xinhua, July 1, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2011-07/01/c_121608015.htm

Briefings | | July 11, 2011 | Government/Politics

BBC Chinese: China’s Internet Blocks Rumors of Jiang Zemin’s Death

An article in BBC Chinese reported that, “China’s Internet police have apparently blocked discussions about Jiang Zemin, the formal Party Secretary.” The BBC Chinese said, “On July 1, while many formal top party leaders including the formal Prime Minister Li Peng and Zhu Rongji appeared at the celebration ceremony of the Party’s 90th anniversary, Jiang, who is 84, was not present. This led to the rumor that Jiang was seriously ill or has passed away.”

According to BBC, on July 6, a BBC reporter logged on to the Sina website and typed “Jiang Zemin.” A message came back stating, “According to the related legal rules and policy, your search results cannot be displayed.” A list of Chinese words including “heart attack,” and “Party Secretary” were also blocked. Even the word “Yangtze” and other river related words were blocked because the Chinese characters contains the characters for “Jiang,” the same name as the former Party Secretary. BBC said that several Hong Kong media sources from Beijing disclosed that Jiang suffered a massive heart attack and was hospitalized at the PLA 301 hospital where many top party leaders have paid visits.

Source: BBC Chinese, July 6, 2011
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/chinese_news/2011/07/110706_jiang_censor.shtml

Briefings | | July 11, 2011 | Government/Politics

China’s Overseas Investments Receive Attention

VOA published an article on concerns over China’s overseas investments. The article said that as demand for raw materials increases in China, many Chinese companies have gone overseas and signed contracts with local companies. However, China’s foreign expansion has raised concerns over the direct impact on the world’s economic development, environmental issues, and compensation to workers in those countries.

In VOA’s interview with J. Peter Pham, Director of the Michael S. Ansari Africa Center, Pham said that since China’s loans are paid in the form of investment in the infrastructure or soft loans, the cash that those foreign countries were to receive would have been a lot less than expected. David Sean, a former official with the Department of State, told VOA that the trade relationship between China and African countries often lacks transparency and involves environmental concerns. Moreover, local hired workers often complain about their treatment and compensation. However Chinese government officials denied all of the above allegations and explained that, unlike other foreign investors, Chinese investors don’t get involved in local politics.

Source: VOA, July 1, 2011
http://www.voanews.com/chinese/news/20110701-china-global-investment20110701-china-global-investment-124886109.html

Briefings | | July 11, 2011 | Geo-Strategic Trend

International Herald Leader: China Should Compete with the U.S. for Friends

[Editor’s Note: On May 21, the Pacific Research Institute of the China Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) held a forum on “The Strategy of China’s Rise – Theory and History.” Issues discussed included foreign diplomatic strategy, cooperation among countries in the region, and internationalization of the Renminbi. The International Herald Leader reported on several representative points of view. Excerpts from the article related to diplomatic and cooperative strategies are translated below.] [1]

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Reports | | July 10, 2011 | Report

Study Times: How to Increase Cultural Power

Study Times, a publication of the Central Party School, published an article on the importance of cultural power. The article suggested that (China) should increase cultural power in six different ways. 1) Enhance the cultural education of children and adolescents, using culture to shape their value system. 2) Integrate and consolidate cultures of different ethnic groups and establish a core national value system. 3) Learn from the West’s creativity. 4) Advance the study of philosophy and other branches of the social sciences. 5) Increase investment in cultural industries. 6) Strengthen cultural exportation.

To back up the last point, the article explained that “military and economic power will no longer be the major parameters to evaluate national strength. In the 21st century, the control of culture will be the focus of power struggles. If a country’s cultural and value systems are attractive, other countries will move towards it. If a country takes the lead in global cultural development, it will occupy an advantageous position in future development. If a country’s values (ideologies) can dictate the international political order, it will inevitably be the leader of international society.”

Source: Study Times, July 4, 2011
http://www.studytimes.com.cn:9999/epaper/xxsb/html/2011/07/04/06/06_52.htm

Briefings | | July 8, 2011 | Government/Politics

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.