Chinascope – Page 1061

Kunming-Singapore High-Speed Railway under Construction

On April 25, 2011, China started building the Kunming-Singapore high-speed railway, which will run from China’s Kunming, the capital city of Yunnan Province, to Singapore, passing through Vientiane in Laos, Bangkok in Thailand, and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. Once finished, the entire trip is expected to take only a dozen hours.

Two more lines are part of the China-Southeast Asia high-speed railway system: the west Kunming-Yangon (of Burma) route is scheduled to start construction in 2011; the east line connecting China, Hanoi in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, Phnom Penh in Cambodia, and Bangkok in Thailand is still in under consideration.

China has adopted the practice of building high-speed railways outside China as part of the transition to the stage of investing domestic capital overseas on a large scale.

Source: Dongfang Daily Online, April 25, 2011
http://www.dfdaily.com/html/63/2011/4/25/596558.shtml

Briefings | | May 5, 2011 | Geo-Strategic Trend

Chinese Scholars: After bin Laden’s death, the U.S. Faces More Difficulties

After the death of bin Laden, Chinese media published articles suggesting the U.S. faces more difficulties down the road.

Gao Zugui, a CCP’s Central Party School professor wrote on People’s Daily Online, “The first issue is the legitimacy for the U.S. to continue its anti-terrorism actions in Afghanistan and Pakistan. … (The second is) the trend of terrorism has become more diversified and decentralized. … After bin Laden, someone else will become the new leader of Al-Qaeda and the terrorists will be more active.”

Tsinghua University professor Zhao Kejin said on Global Times that the U.S. faces challenges: “First, whether the U.S. can maintain its world-wide anti-terrorism coalition.” “Second, whether Obama can consolidate the U.S. bipartisan consensus on anti-terrorism.” “Third, how to position anti-terrorism as a strategic priority in national security.”

Sources:
1. People’s Daily Online, May 3, 2011
http://world.people.com.cn/GB/14535176.html
2. Global Times, May 3, 2011
http://opinion.huanqiu.com/roll/2011-05/1666270.html

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

CCTV Military Channel Director: Bin Laden is the Greatest National Hero in the History of Arab World

On May 2, 2011, Zhang Xin, the director of the military channel at China Central Television (CCTV), wrote in his post on Sina.com, China’s most active microblogging service, “Single-handedly confronting the world’s sole superpower, the United States, … Bin Laden is the greatest national hero in the history of the Arab world.”

This comment then spread widely in the Chinese online community and triggered heated responses from netizens. According to Voice of America, a survey conducted by Phoenix TV among Chinese Internet users shows 60% of those interviewed feel “sad” about bin Laden’s death.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu positively responded to bin Laden’s death, saying on Monday, May 2, 2011, "We believe the death of Osama bin Laden is a milestone and a positive development of the international anti-terrorism effort."

Source: China Gate, May 2, 2011
http://news.wenxuecity.com/messages/201105/news-gb2312-1352364.html

Briefings | | May 4, 2011 | Grapevine

Zhou Yongkang: Build a Population Information Database

On May 1, 2011, in an article that appeared in Qiushi Journal, Zhou Yongkang, a member of the Politburo standing committee and the Party’s security czar, proposed establishing a national population information database, coded by each and every resident’s ID number. Traditionally the government’s control of the population has been based on registered households (Huko) and workplace. “Now, there is an urgent need to establish a dynamic management system that covers the whole real population,” said Zhou. Zhou asked for consolidation of related information sources from various government agencies including the police, social security, housing and urban construction, civil affairs, education, transportation, taxation, and the authorities on statistics, so as to be clear about the situation for the entire population and exert tight control.

Source: Beijing Times, May 2, 2011
http://epaper.jinghua.cn/html/2011-05/02/content_655242.htm

Briefings | | May 4, 2011 | Government/Politics

VOA: Chinese Aid to Africa Encourages Corruption

Voice of America (VOA) recently reported that, for the first time, the Chinese government released a policy white book on foreign aid. In 2009, the total amount of Chinese foreign aid reached US$40 billion. Africa received half of that aid. The white book emphasized that Chinese aid does not come with political conditions. However, as Chinese aid has a low transparency, it is often criticized, even among the locals, because of the opportunities for corruption. The fact that the aid results in Chinese rather than local laborers being employed and the low transfer rate of technology have also resulted in complaints. Seventy percent of what Africa exports to China is oil.

Source: Voice of America, April 21, 2011
http://www.voanews.com/chinese/news/20110421-China-Gives-Almost-Half-of-Foreign-Aid-to-African-Countries-120397484.html

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

CASS Held Seminar on the 20th Anniversary of the Fall of the Soviet Union

On April 24, 2011, Xinhua reported that the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and 12 other organizations jointly held an academic seminar on the fall of the Soviet Union. Over 200 people attended the seminar. The primary topics were “The Reason for the Fall of the Soviet Union,” “The Consequences of the Fall of the Soviet Union,” and “The Outlook for the World Socialist Movement.” Some experts expressed the belief that a deep understanding of the reason for the fall and of its impact are the key to improving the socialist movement. They believe socialism can be realized in the foreseeable future. The participants concluded that the seminar will have a positive impact on the process of building socialism with Chinese characteristics. It will also help advance the ideological movement of socialism around the globe.

Source: Xinhua, April 24, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2011-04/24/c_121342251.htm

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

China Worries about the Outflow of Wealth

Regarding the recent 2011 China Private Wealth Report, which notes the trend of wealthy people’s investments emigrating overseas, follow-up debates have appeared in some local newspapers. An article in Jinan Times, which is based in Shangdong Province, expressed the deep concern that China is losing wealth as well as talent. The author suggested four solutions to the problem: 1) Improve the implementation of laws that will truly protect private property; 2) Improve the tax system to ensure fairness and justice; 3) Repair the relationship between the general public and the wealthy; 4) Break industrial monopolies and introduce more investment channels. In another article in Shenzhen Economic Daily based in Guangdong Province, the author expresses several concerns regarding the trend: 1) It will be a drain on national wealth; 2) An outflow of wealth will dampen the demand for the service industry; 3) The trend will result in less investment in real estate, a further blow to the already shaky sector; 4) There is no clear and convenient solution to this problem.

Source: China Review News, April 24, 2011
http://gb.chinareviewnews.com/doc/1016/7/0/5/101670526.html?coluid=49&kindid=974&docid=101670526&mdate=0424082041
http://gb.chinareviewnews.com/doc/1016/7/1/6/101671697.html?coluid=53&kindid=0&docid=101671697&mdate=0425004647

Briefings | | May 3, 2011 | Economy/Resources

China’s Reaction to Trump’s Election Win

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

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