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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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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

Xinhua TV Services to Cover Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa

The state ‘s China Xinhua News Network Corporation (CNC) signed an agreement with Eutelsat Communications to broadcast its English-language channel, CNC World, to Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, starting on January 1, 2011. It will be broadcast through Eutelsat’s Eurobird, Hotbird, and W7 satellites. CNC was established on December 1, 2009, according to Wu Jincai, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Xinhua and chairman of CNC. The CNC broadcast is transmitted via satellite and cable, and broadcast on mobile phones, the Internet, and outdoor big screens, said Wu. CNC has satellite channel services for the Asia Pacific region and for North America, cable channel services in Hong Kong and Macao, and mobile phone and on-line TV services. CNC aims to “build a competitive and influential modern international media enterprise over the next several years.“

Source: Xinhua, December 9, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2010-12/09/c_13642442.htm

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology

Culture Ministry: Support the Culture Industry During the 12th Five-Year Plan

Xinhua reported on some comments made by Culture Minister Cai Wu about the future of the culture industry. Cai said that during the “the 12th Five-Year Plan,” the Ministry of Culture will actively coordinate the relevant departments to further perfect the policies in the areas of finance, tax, technological innovation, and land in order to support the development of the culture industry. He said that the Ministry of Culture will soon draft a “Culture Industry Promotion Law.” This will speed up the legislative process for the culture industry and will elevate the effective policy to the level of national law.

Source: Xinhua, December 9, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2010-12/09/c_12864842.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Study Times: Combat Ability Based on Information Systems Determines the Outcome of War

On December 6, 2010, Chinese military scholar Cai Zenzhao published an article on Study Times that discussed the trend of future wars. Cai observed that recent local wars in the world suggest that combat ability based on information systems determines both the battlefield position and the outcome of the war. Cai believes that informationization is the core of the development of the modern combat system; future wars will be information wars. Therefore, the effectiveness of a combat system based on an information system becomes more obvious. Cai suggested that interaction between the military and civilians is an important avenue for the development of the information system, since it is the common responsibility of the Party, the nation, and the military to develop an information combat system.

Source: Study Times, December 6, 2010
http://www.studytimes.com.cn:9999/epaper/xxsb/html/2010/12/06/07/07_38.htm

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military