The International Herald Leader published an article on December 3, 2010, about the U.S. lack of responsibility in dealing with North Korea. While China suggested the six-party talks, meant to resolve the crisis of the Korean Peninsula, the U.S. was not interested. The article stated that the U.S. response showed that the U.S. does not want to pay its due, but instead wants China and Russia to “control” North Korea. It wants South Korea to bear all the risk for the failure to control North Korea. The article also stated that the U.S. joint military exercise with South Korea and Japan had no impact on North Korea. “Now North Korea is certain that the U.S.-South Korean joint military exercise won’t turn into a military attack against North Korea,” so the U.S. just saved face without any great effect.
Source: International Herald Leader, December 3, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/herald/2010-12/03/c_13633559.htm
Study Times, a weekly Chinese Communist Party School newspaper, published an article pointing out problems with State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), especially those with monopoly positions in China. It argued that many of these SOEs lack core competitiveness in the international market and damage fair competition in China. “With the government’s subsidies, their employees receive large salaries even though the company loses money.” “After recent reforms and reorganizations, the SOEs have become larger and their market dominance stronger, making it impossible for privately owned companies to compete with them.” This is the result of the SOEs misusing the government’s public power. Some large SOEs have financial power and economic influence as significant as that of a provincial government. The article didn’t offer any solutions.
Source: Study Times, December 6, 2010
http://www.studytimes.com.cn:9999/epaper/xxsb/html/2010/12/06/12/12_47.htm
A Chinese Communist Party Politburo meeting was held in Beijing on December 3, 2010. Hu Jintao presided over the meeting, analyzing the economic requirements for the coming year. The meeting’s outcome stipulated “this year, the economic development environment in China has been extremely complex, with many natural disasters and major challenges.” It also concluded that “China will face many difficulties and challenges in the coming year.” For next year, “(China) should continue to strengthen and improve its macro-economic control, adjust the short-term and long-term priorities … not only solve the current issues, but also advance on solving the deeper conflicts and resolving potential risks … ” It outlined many directions, including increasing internal consumption and raising income for the low to mid-level income group, preventing blindly repetitive government investments, stabilizing consumer prices, developing energy-saving industries, expanding exports, and so on.
Source: Xinhua, December 3, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2010-12/03/c_13633917.htm
People’s Daily recently published an article on the importance of having the right understanding of the functions performed by the culture industry. The article suggested that the culture industry is an emerging industry that has both an “entertainment function” and an “education function.” The author explained that the “education function” is about providing “social benefits” that actually refer to guiding public opinion. The article called for “insisting on an advanced socialist culture direction” and “emphasizing government guidance." The goal of the culture industry’s “education function” is to establish “the core value system of socialism.”
Source: People’s Daily Online, December 3, 2010
http://theory.people.com.cn/GB/13383723.html
On December 3, 2010, Xinhua reported that Chinese President Hu Jintao had met with non-Party personnel in the format of a symposium on November 30 and delivered an important speech. Members of the Standing Committee of the Politburo of the CCP Central Committee, Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinling, Xi Jinping, and Li Keqiang, attended the symposium. Some non-CCP political leaders expressed fundamental support for the CCP’s economic policies and offered a few suggestions. In Hu’s speech, he admitted that China’s economy had some serious problems and described the domestic and international situation as “complex and volatile.” Hu pointed out six areas to focus on next year: 1) improve macroeconomic control; 2) emphasize agriculture; 3) speed up adjustments to the economic structure; 4) push hard on focal reform areas; 5) actively participate in the global economic reform; 6) enhance social control. Finally, Hu called for non-Party assistance to connect “the Party and the Government” with the people.
Source: Xinhua, December 3, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2010-12/03/c_13633909.htm
People’s Daily Online reported on November 28, 2010, that, for the first time, the European Branch of China’s National Office of Chinese Language Education had provided training in the Chinese language to native German teachers. The training took place from November 26 to November 28. Certificates were issued to 184 German Chinese language teachers. In the closing ceremony, senior editors from several well-known Chinese publications discussed the usefulness of the six series of educational materials with the teachers.
Source: People’s Daily Online, November 29, 2010
http://world.people.com.cn/GB/1029/42356/13348681.html
According to Xinhua on November 30, 2010, the CCP Central Committee issued a notice on how to propagandize and “educate” the whole country on the “spirit” of the Fifth Plenary Session of 17th CCP Central Committee. The propaganda and public education campaign will go from November 2010 to April 2011.
The focus of the campaign is to "further unify the Chinese people’s thinking," strengthen their confidence, and make no changes, so that they firmly and willingly walk on the socialist road with Chinese characteristics and "unite closely around the CCP Central Committee with Comrade Hu Jintao as the general secretary."
Source: Xinhua, November 30, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2010-11/30/c_13629057.htm