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China’s Reaction to Trump’s Election Win

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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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Global Times: The Chinese and U.S. Internets May Break Away from Each Other

Global Times, a branch of the Chinese state news, People’s Daily, recently published an editorial in response to U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton’s speech on Internet freedom. The editorial blamed the U.S. for using the Internet to push a Cold War mentality, calling it a U.S. “strategy of twenty-year-old selfishness.” The author expressed the belief that China cannot remove the “Great Firewall” and that the Chinese government has to respond to national security threats from the U.S. by breaking away from the U.S. dominated Internet. For example, in China, Baidu is used instead of Google. The editorial warned that the Chinese Internet population exceeds the total U.S. population. Thus the U.S. dominance of the Internet may one day change. The author ended the article by saying, “The U.S. cannot use the Internet to turn China into the Middle East.”

Source: Global Times, February 17, 2011
http://opinion.huanqiu.com/roll/2011-02/1503066.html

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology

Ministry of Culture Plans for Large Scale Training in the Culture Industry

The Minister of Culture Cai Wu, disclosed during the current “Two Sessions” (the National People’s Congress and People’s Political Consultative Conference, China’s rubber stamp political advisory body) that, over the next five years, training sessions have been planned for 240,000 full time and 300,000 part time employees in the culture industry so they can become “the leaders in developing the public cultural service system.” “We need to put effort into developing a cultural team at the grassroots level. A cultural public service system … needs to be effective, controllable, and have high-tech equipment in order to meet the public’s demands.” Cai added that it is a most important task during the era of “developing socialist culture with Chinese characteristics.” 

Source: People’s Daily, March 10, 2011
http://2011lianghui.people.com.cn/GB/215096/14112018.html

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Chinese Communist Party’s Buildup in a Private Manufacturing Company

Baocheng Machinery Group, China’s leading industrial boiler manufacturer, is based in the northern city of Tianjin, with 2,200 employees and capital of 2.1 billion yuan (US$0.32 billion).  
Xinhua recently did a special article on the growth of the Chinese Communist Party organization in this private company as part of the CCP’s ongoing nationwide campaign to promulgate the Party and expand Party organs across the country. As early as 1993, Baocheng established a joint CCP branch within some local branches; 1997 saw the launch of its independent Party branch; in 2000, Baocheng became Tianjin’s first private company to host a Party committee, a higher level organ, as the membership had grown. With 103 CCP members and seven branches, the Party committee, together with the Board of Directors and the management team, is now one of the three pillars of the corporation’s governance. As 90% of the corporate leadership positions and most mid to upper management are CCP members, the Party has been directly involved in major corporate decisions such as strategic planning and important appointments.
Source: Xinhua, January 26, 2011 
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2011-01/26/c_121026022.htm
Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Chinese Navy Participated in Multi-Nation Anti-Terrorist Exercises

On the morning of March 9, 2011, the Chinese Navy joined multi-nation anti-terrorist exercises along with Pakistan, Italy, and France in Karachi, Pakistan. The exercises tried to simulate how the Navy anti-terrorist team would respond to the task of rescuing “an abducted commercial ship” and identifying the suspects, while protecting the hostages.

Source: Xinhua, March 10, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2011-03/10/c_13771140.htm

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

Xinhua: Using Grid Management to Improve the Quality of Social Administration and Social Services

[Editor’s Note: A recent Xinhua article revealed a practice of social control that local authorities across the country have adopted. By dividing residential neighborhoods and commercial districts into smaller “grids,” and sending in informants and agents who are tasked with surveillance and reporting, and who have the equipment of modern information technologies, China is exerting a tighter grip over its citizens. Excerpts from the article are translated below.][1]

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Reports | | |   Report

People’s Daily: China Is Not the Middle East

An opinion piece appearing in the overseas edition of People’s Daily accuses some people of having “ulterior motives” in using the Internet to instigate “street politics” in China. The article says, “Since the end of last year, some countries in the Middle East and North Africa have been in turmoil and people have suffered from catastrophes. While the world is seeking ways to resolve the Middle East problem, some people with ulterior motives, both inside and outside of China, are plotting to bring trouble to China. They disseminate their conspiracy through the Internet to instigate ‘street politics,’ for the purpose of sending China into chaos.” The article emphasizes that China is not the Middle East, and that anyone who wants to transmit the turmoil from the Middle East to China is doomed. 

Source: People’s Daily, March 10, 2011
http://opinion.people.com.cn/GB/40604/14103923.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Xinhua Warns about Acceleration of U.S. Military Development

“The financial crisis gives the impression that U.S. military force is slowing down or contracting,” says a Xinhua commentary on the U.S.’s launch of a second X-37B space airplane. “However, the X-37B reminds us to look at the U.S. military from another angle. Since last year, the U.S. has started many projects featuring future military technologies, such as electromagnetic artillery, the X-37B space airplane, and the X-47 unmanned stealth bomber. … A deeper analysis tells us that U.S. military development is actually accelerating under the guise of reduction and withdrawal. When the U.S. develops certain advanced weapons, it often uses the excuse that it is in response to another country’s weapon. In reality, it is mostly to cope with the rapid progress of China’s military power.” “Foreign media claim that China’s intention is not clear and is worrisome. How about the U.S.? It is very clear; its intention is to start a war! Isn’t such a clear intention even more worrisome?” The article suggests that China’s military development still has a long way to go to catch up with the U.S. and warns the Chinese people of the potential danger. 

Source: Xinhua, March 11, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2011-03/11/c_121171401.htm

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Red Flag Manuscript: China Cannot Replicate the U.S. Model

Red Flag Manuscript, a publication of the  Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee, published an article "China Cannot Replicate the U.S. Model." The author is the executive editor of Ifeng Weekly, a magazine run by Hong Kong based Phoenix TV. The article starts by describing the U.S. as “claiming freedom, democracy, and justice domestically, and being militaristic and hegemonic externally.” “To China, today the U.S. uses the compliment of ‘strategic partner,’ and tomorrow brandishes its fist with the label of ‘China threat.’” The article argues that concepts of American freedom and democracy do not fit in China. The author further argues that the U.S. will not trust China no matter how its political system might change. “U.S. foreign policy is guided by pragmatism. Americans will view a strong China with suspicion, whether or not it is free and democratic. In the eyes of Americans and even other Westerners, China belongs in a different category.” The article concludes that China must continue in the direction of socialism. The U.S. model is not suitable for China, nor is it for other developing countries, whereas the path China is following can be a good example for other developing countries to learn from. 

Source: Red Flag Manuscript, March 7, 2011
http://www.qstheory.cn/hqwg/2011/201105/201103/t20110307_71237.htm

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations