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

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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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CMC Issues New Political Manual for the Military and Police Forces

The General Political Department, a chief political organ under the Central Military Commission (CMC) of the Chinese Communist Party, leads all Party and political activities of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). PLA Daily recently reported that the General Political Department will circulate a “Practical Handbook for the Chinese Military’s Party Branches.” Its purpose is to “further implement CMC Chairman Hu Jintao’s instructions and the requirement to strengthen grassroots Party organizations.” The Handbook is an addition to two recent CMC documents: “Regulations of the Work of Party Committees” and “Regulations of the Political Work of the PLA,” which are to be distributed in the PLA and the People’s Armed Police (PAP) as training materials for cadres of all ranks, from new recruits to college graduates.

Source: PLA Daily, March 22, 2011
http://www.chinamil.com.cn/jfjbmap/content/2011-03/22/content_53191.htm

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

Beijing’s Media Machine Runs Articles Opposing Allied Strikes in Libya

Even though Beijing abstained from voting on U.N. resolution 1973, since Saturday March 19, when the U.S. and allied forces started launching missiles and conducting air strikes against Libyan government forces, Chinese official media have run nonstop criticism against the military intervention. One March 22 Xinhua article titled “Western Forces Continue Air strikes in Tripoli; Anti-war Voices Rise in the International Community,” gives a list of countries (Russia, Turkey, Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovakia, South Africa, Argentina, and Gabon) that are part of the anti-war camp; it also highlights the civilian deaths from the air strikes and suggests that the military intervention is for the purpose of occupation to obtain oil and gas resources.

Source: Xinhua, March 22, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2011-03/22/c_13791949.htm

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Aircraft Carrier in Press and Publication Industry Set to Sail in a Couple of Years

Liu Bingjie, Director of the General Administration of Press and Publication, the government regulator of news media and publications, suggested in an interview that the industry is going through “major reform, major development, major changes, and a major leap forward.” Liu revealed that China is assembling an “aircraft carrier,” meaning a gigantic state corporation, with capital of 20 billion yuan (US$3 billion) and (annual) income of 20 billion yuan (US$3 billion). It will be launched in a couple of years.

Source: People’s Daily, March 9, 2011
http://2011lianghui.people.com.cn/GB/215096/14101912.html

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology

Party Chief: Crackdown on Separatist and Disruptive Activities in Tibet

Zhang Qingli, Secretary of the Party Committee in Tibet, recently discussed the development plans for Tibet for the next five years.  He mentioned tightly controlling social stability – a severe crackdown on separatist and disruptive activities is planned. “The stability of Tibet matters for the stability of the whole nation; the security of Tibet matters for national security. … (We should) always maintain a high degree of awareness, and strictly guard against and harshly crack down on all separatist and disruptive activities. … (We should) thoroughly expose and criticize the Dalai clique, so that the people can tell right from wrong.” Zhang also focused on enhancing the establishment and expansion of Chinese Communist Party organizations at the grassroots level.

Source: China Tibetan News, March 14, 2011
http://www.chinatibetnews.com/zhengfuzaixian/2011-03/14/content_655645.htm

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Ministry of Public Security Notice Reveals Police Brutality and Corruption

The Party Committee of the Ministry of Public Security recently issued a nationwide notice within the police system to “combat corruption,” emphasizing “zero tolerance” on problems about which the general public felt strongly. The notice mentions “unnatural death of personnel involved in cases,” suggesting widespread police brutality during investigations and interrogations, and “management of property involved in cases,” hinting at embezzlement. It also bans police officers from participating in land acquisition and resettlement activities, as in recent years the police have been widely used to expel local residents from of their homes, sometimes resulting in their death. 

Source: People’s Daily, March 3, 2011
http://politics.people.com.cn/GB/1027/14053491.html

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Beijing Uses IBM Technology to Launch Social Service Management System

On March 16, 2011, Beijing’s Chaoyang District launched a comprehensive “Social Service Management” system. The system is a solution provided by IBM’s Smart City technology, which is capable of real-time processing of a large database, providing statistical and quantitative analyses, monitoring the progress, providing feedback, and realizing grid management of the space. Chaoyang’s Chinese Communist Party chief in charge of city management gave an example: “Chaoyang District has established a housing information database. Every residential building has a person-in-charge, (of the database) who controls the situation in every community and neighborhood with high precision.” 
Chaoyang’s system covers the following modules: emergency response, city management, stability maintenance, manufacturing safety, social services, customer support, dynamic economic environment, law and judiciary, and Communist Party buildup.

Sources:
China News Service, March 16, 2011 http://www.chinanews.com/tp/2011/03-16/2911090.shtml
Sohu IT, March 20, 2011 http://roll.sohu.com/20110320/n304608364.shtml

 

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Ministry of Culture Closed Down 130,000 Black Internet CafÚs in Past Six Years

According to its 2010 Annual Report on China’s Internet Café Market, the Chinese Ministry of Culture closed down 130,000 Internet cafés in the past six years, “maximally squeezing their living space, effectively regulating the market order (for their services), and clearing obstacles to the healthy development of Internet cafes.” “In 2010 alone, the government received more than 20,000 charges against Internet cafes, initiated investigation of more than 30,000 cases, transferred 833 cases to judicial authorities, and closed 28,000 cases. The Ministry also issued 36,000 correctional orders, 69,000 warnings, 6,999 orders to close down the business, and suspended 83 licenses. It levied fines of 88.39 million yuan (US$13.47 million) and confiscated 0.39 million yuan (US$60,000) of illegal income.” The industry’s 2010 revenue was 7.71 million yuan (US$1.17 million), 12.96 percent down from the level in 2009.  

The report stated that its 2011 goal is to maintain the current market size while advancing franchise operations, stepping up law enforcement by increasing the penalties, and building Internet café associations. 

Source: Xinhua, March 17, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2011-03/17/c_13784383.htm

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology

Overseas Chinese Media Echo Beijing’s Version of Social Stability

Xinhua recently quoted a few overseas Chinese media as saying that the overseas Chinese population calls for “fighting to safeguard the motherland’s stability and harmony.” They include Singapore’s Lianhe Zaobao (《联合早报》), U.S. based Chicago China News and Digest (《芝加哥华语论坛》), Japan’s Chubun (《中文导报》) and European News or Nouvelles d’Europe (《欧洲时报》) in France. 

Source: Xinhua, March 15, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2011-03/15/c_13780316.htm

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend