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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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Jia Qinglin Sets Next Year’s Direction for United Front Work

The National United Front Work Directors’ Conference was held in Beijing on December 14, 2010. Jia Qinglin, a member of the Standing Committee of the CCP’s Politburo gave a speech. Jia discussed using United Front work to support economic development. In addition, he stressed several directions for the next year:

1. “Religious issues are important for the Party when ruling the country. (We) must strengthen our research, get a clear understanding (of religious practices and their reach in China), … create new theory, and improve the legal system to develop our Party’s religious work.”

2. “Developing a non-CCP team is the foundation for the United Front works’ long-term work. … (We) should have a plan and focus on developing a group of non-CCP representatives.”

3.  Supporting the CCP’s 90th anniversary will be a major initiative for United Front work in 2011. “(We should) show that there is a collaborative effort between the CCP and other parties to strengthen people’s confidence in the Chinese political system under the CCP’s leadership.”

Source: Xinhua, December 14, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2010-12/14/c_12879430.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Xinhua: Over 100 Countries and Organizations Sided with China on Nobel Peace Prize

Xinhua reported that, on December 7, 2010, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Jiang Yu told reporters that more than one hundred countries and international organizations around the globe sided with China against the Nobel Committee’s decision on the Peace Prize this year. Jiang suggested that the number provided ample proof that the majority of the international community refused to accept the “wrong decision.” He called the Peace Prize winner a “criminal” and suggested that the Chinese people are strongly against the decision as well.

Source: Xinhua, December 7, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2010-12/07/c_12856884.htm

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

CNS: China Considers High Speed Railway a Strategic Industry

China News Service (CNS) reported that Deputy Prime Minister Zhang Dejiang, who is also a member of the Politburo of the CCP Central Committee, recently spoke at the opening ceremony of the World High Speed Railway Conference, saying that China considers the high speed railway industry a strategic emerging industry. The government is giving this industry a high priority. In his speech, Zhang positioned safety as the top focus. He also emphasized “independent innovation” and developing China-owned intellectual property. Zhang called for action on the “Go Out” strategy in this industry as well. This is the first time that the three-day World High Speed Railway Conference was held outside of Europe. The Conference was hosted jointly by the Chinese Ministry of Railways and the International Union of Railways (UIC, Union Internationale des Chemins de Fer).

Source: China News Service, December 8, 2010
http://www.chinanews.com.cn/cj/2010/12-08/2706780.shtml

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

CNS: Gap between Demand and Supply of Land for Construction Expanding

China News Service (CNS) reported that Xu Shaoshi, China’s Minister of Land and Resources, commented that there is a 50% shortage in the supply of land used annually for construction. Xu expected the situation to worsen over the next five years. He suggested that, although China is a large country, only 20% of the land resources are livable. Land suitable for agriculture is very limited as well. This requires the farmland protection system to be very restrictive. Industrialization and urbanization are the primary driving forces behind the ever increasing demand for the land used in construction. Meanwhile effective utilization of land is minimal. Xu believes that establishing more restrictive land-use standards and belt-tightening on the use of land for construction are a must for the future.

Source: China News Service, December 7, 2010
http://www.chinanews.com.cn/estate/2010/12-07/2706715.shtml

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Major General Luo Yuan on China’s Neighboring Security Environment

[Editor’s Note: The following is a translation of excerpts from an interview with Major General Luo Yuan, that was conducted by Nan Fang Du Shi Bao (Nanfang Metropolis News), a newspaper affiliated with the Guangdong Provincial Government.

General Luo, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Society of Military Sciences, is a high profile military scholar specializing in Sino-U.S. relations. Although not an official spokesperson, his views often echo the Party line. He offers his candid position on a number of strategic issues. In his personal understanding, China has three core interests: 1) China will never allow its socialist system under Party rule to be overthrown; 2) China must protect its territorial integrity; and 3) China will not allow any damage to the significant economic interests that sustain China’s development. From the significance the Chinese place on the order in a list, it is clear that Luo gives Party rule a higher priority than China’s territorial integrity.] [1]

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Reports | | |   Report

In 2011, Xinhua’s CNC English-language TV Broadcast Will Cover Europe, the Middle East, and Africa

According to an article published on Xinhua on December 9, 2010, the English-language channel of China Xinhua News Network Corporation (CNC), will cover all of Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa beginning January 1, 2011. CNC World, the English channel of Xinhua News Agency’s TV arm, will broadcast through the Eurobird, Hotbird, and W7 satellites of Eutelsat Communications. On December 10, Xinhua reported that the English-language channel of CNC will reach 4 million African families through MIH’s cable network, the Africa-based MIH Group.

Launched in 2009, CNC has already initiated satellite channel services for the Asia-Pacific region and North America, cable channel services in Hong Kong and Macao, and mobile phone and on-line TV services.

Source: Xinhua, December 9 & 10, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/society/2010-12/09/c_12864295.htm
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2010-12/10/c_12867037.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Beijing Daily: China Should Build Up Its Coast Guard

On December 7, 2010, Beijing Daily published an article by Professor Zhang Zhaozhong from China’s National Defense University explaining why China should build up its Coast Guard like Japan, the U.S., and India have done. Here are the reasons given by Prof. Zhang:

  1. The Coast Guard can be a retractable fist.
  2. Excess force used by the Coast Guard usually does not lead to an armed conflict or a war.
  3. Once an armed conflict or a war breaks out, the Coast Guard can quickly be transformed into a branch of the Navy, obeying the Navy’s orders.

Source: Beijing Daily, December 7, 2010
http://bjrb.bjd.com.cn/html/2010-12/07/content_345003.htm

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

China Awards Top Overseas Chinese Talent for Returning to China

According to the website of the United Front Work Department of the CCP Central Committee, a ceremony to present the “China Western-Return Scholar Entrepreneur ‘Tengfei’ Award (the Soar Swiftly Award)” was held in Beijing on December 8, 2010. Jia Qinglin, the Chairman of the CCP People’s Political Consultative Conference, sent a congratulatory letter to the awards ceremony.

The Western Returned Scholars Association (http://www.coesa.cn/), which is led by the CCP Central Committee Secretariat, together with the China Overseas-educated Talent Development Foundation, which is approved by the CCP United Front Work Department, co-sponsored the “Tengfei” Award.

The “Tengfei” Award is a response to the CCP Central Committee’s “1000 Talents Plan” (http://www.1000plan.org/), a plan to support top overseas Chinese talent in returning to China in the next 5 to 10 years starting in 2008. From 1978 to the end of 2009, the total number of Chinese students studying abroad reached 1.6207 million. Nearly 497,400 students (less than 31%) returned to China after studying abroad.

Source: The United Front Work Department of the CCP Central Committee, December 9, 2010
http://www.zytzb.cn/09/newscenter/benwang/201012/t20101209_686671.html

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend