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Mingpao: Uygur Major Blames U.S.-led Western Forces

According to Mingpao, a Chinese language newspaper in Hong Kong, Canada, and the U.S., Mohammad Hasan, the deputy political commissar of the Xinjiang Military District in China said on March 11, 2010, that the U.S.-led Western forces do not want a powerful China, and “try all means to get you into trouble,” choosing Xinjiang as a breakthrough point. This article is reprinted on http://news.wenxuecity.com and several other overseas Chinese websites.

At present, Xinjiang Uyghur and Han ethnic tension is high because of the July 2009 Urumqi riots. The CCP Central Committee will hold a Xinjiang Work Conference in May of 2010 focusing on how to fix the problems between the ethnic groups and regain the people’s good faith. Hasan emphasized the importance of children’s education: “propagandize positive things more and make fewer irresponsible remarks.”  

Source: Mingpao, March 11, 2010
http://news.wenxuecity.com/messages/201003/news-gb2312-1035769.html

China’s First Annual Report on the Internet Realtime-Public-Opinions Index

The 2009 Annual Report on the Internet Realtime-Public-Opinions Index, the first report of its kind, was published on March 18 by the Communication University of China and IRI Consulting.

The report concludes that Internet public opinions cover a wide variety of issues and hot topics, and have a long lasting and amplified social impact. The eight issues that have received the most concern among Chinese Internet users are: corruption, housing prices, employment, the household registration system, social security, food safety, medical insurance, and transportation safety. The report considers that incidents of economic or political policy, people’s livelihood, and corruption could potentially trigger large scale Internet public attention.
Source: China News Service, March 18, 2010
 http://www.chinanews.com.cn/gn/news/2010/03-18/2177706.shtml

SWAT Officer Becomes China’s New Role Model

On March 16, Hu Jintao, the President and Chair of CCP’s Central Military Commission, issued a directive to “vigorously carry forward the advanced deeds and lofty spirit of Comrade Shen Zhandong,” a SWAT officer who reportedly died from “overwork on the frontlines in maintaining stability in the Xinjiang region.” 

According to Xinhua, Shen’s death came in the early morning on January 30, when he finished his patrol mission and returned to his residence. He was posthumously awarded the "First Class Heroic Model in National Public Security Organs" and the "China Youth Medal." Zhou Yongkong, the country’s security czar, and Meng Jianzhu, the Minister of Public Security, called for national police forces to learn from Shen as another role model to advance the party’s political agenda. 
Source: Xinhua, March 16
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2010-03/16/content_13183450.htm

Beijing Calls UK Rights Report A Political Show

After visiting China, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband released a report that reviewed human rights around the world and was highly critical of Beijing. In response, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said that the report is “a political show” of ideology. Qin blamed the report for having a double standard and interfering with China’s internal affairs. 

Qin also said that all the nations singled out were developing countries. He asked why Britain did not talk about itself and other Western nations which, he said, had violated human rights.
Source: China News Service, March 18, 2010
http://www.chinanews.com.cn/gn/news/2010/03-18/2178096.shtml

The Opportunities and Challenges Faced by the Former World Socialist Movement

The international financial crisis triggered a rethinking of capitalism. The non-western developmental model has received attention. The left wing forces have manifested vitality during the crisis. The world socialist movement is facing a new opportunity. On the other hand, the left wing’s “right to speak” has been stifled. Some left-wing political parties find it hard for their ideologies and operational capacity to cope with the new situation. The world socialist movement is facing a major challenge.

The international financial crisis has had a profound impact on the current and future international political and economic structure and on socio-political ideas, prompting a new round of growth and decline of the world forces. The world socialist movement is facing a new opportunity for development and a new challenge.

The Opportunity

The new liberalism has lost its previous aura. The ruling parties in the world’s governments are adjusting their developmental ideologies. The socialist moral values are receiving renewed attention. After the dramatic changes in the former Soviet Union and the Eastern Europe countries, the new liberalism’s economic policies’ disadvantages have failed to achieve widespread prosperity and have instead been exposed. People are reflecting upon capitalism and paying attention to socialist values. While the superiority of and confidence in capitalism have been suffering setbacks, socialism is gaining the upper hand in terms of ideology and morality. Some politicians and scholars in capitalist countries think that the financial crisis highlights the importance and necessity of reform and the upgrade of capitalism. They advocate a combination of multi-systems and multi-targets in capitalism. They hope to reform capitalism using political, financial, legal, and ideological approaches. The thinking and exploration into developmental models in the international community has not only stimulated the enthusiasm of the left-wing to pursue socialism, but has also forced many countries to adopt more government intervention and to increase social security. The shift in international opinion and the measures to cope with the crisis have, once again, proved the rationality of socialism, enhanced the attractiveness of socialist theories, and provided a good ideological and public opinion environment for the development of the world socialist movement.

Throughout the financial crisis, the communist parties have reinforced the faith in socialism and adopted corresponding measures to speed up its development. For non-ruling communist parties, the international financial crisis has created a beneficial social environment. Many Communist parties have advocated their policies through the use of rallies, parades, and open statements. The French Communist Party called on all party members to “gather all forces to cope with the crisis and build up a new world,” to initiate a series of activities such as “protecting public schools,” “opposing the government’s manipulation and support of the privatization of the post offices,” etc. It proposed that the government stop providing financial support to speculators, reduce unemployment, fight for housing rights, and improve purchase power. The left-wing party in Europe in its 2nd Congress put forward the “New Policy”, in contrast to the new liberalism, calling for a strengthened alliance and coordination among the left-wing parties in Europe, including the communist parties. The goal was to change the current situation in Europe through uniting with other social movements such as the labor unions in Europe, achieving their replacement by the left-wing. The alliance of left-wing parties at the regional and international levels will not only enhance their ideological communication, but also maintain cooperation and mutual support in operations, strengthening the left-wing as a whole body. Overall, the majority of the communist parties are grasping this rare opportunity, uniting with all kinds of new anti-capitalist social movements, and proactively engaging in activities to continuously advance the world socialist movement.

Recently, a few communist and socialist parties have been emphasizing their characteristics by showing a trend toward “returning” or “turning left.” To curb the momentum of their waning influence, some communist and socialist parties have been reflecting upon and readjusting their policies. In recent years, the communist party in South Africa has advocated for independence (from the government) on policies and has emphasized the characteristics of the communist party. On development strategies, it asked for more radical policies to protect the interests of the poor, giving equality a higher priority. In a multi-party system, the social democratic parties still belong to the left-wing camp. After the onset of the financial crisis, the socialist parties took advantage of the people’s feeling of dissatisfaction to attack the right-wing government, declaring, “Save free-market capitalism using social democracy,” and “Return to social democracy.” To regain power, some socialist parties, one by one, have grasped the current advantageous opportunity to engage in a good battle with the right-wing. The European socialist party again raised the flag of “Socialist Europe” that was once coldly received as the “New Keynesianism.” It proposed the “European Economic Management Model” which advocates a balanced development of the economy, society, and the environment. Most socialist parties have reflected on their economic and social reforms, and have put more emphasis on policies such as government intervention, the development of small and medium sized businesses, improving people’s livelihood, and ensuring labor rights. The French socialist party has crafted a directive policy document for 2008-2011. It strongly supports protecting the right to work for the working class, raises a new development model, and formulates a practical policy based on the left-wing standpoint.

Those in the Latin American left-wing forces have improved their political environment and consolidated their ruling position. With the background of the international financial crisis, the Obama administration expressed friendship toward them during the Summit of the Americas, relaxed the sanctions against Cuba, and improved the relationship with Chavez. These moves are conducive to further establishing the political environment of the leftist forces in Latin America, and are especially reflected in the fact that some left-wing parties won in recent elections and continue to be the ruling party. Their domestic political status was further stabilized, and the structure of “strong left and weak right” was further enhanced. Socialism has become an ideal goal for many countries in Latin America.

Because of China’s development and its outstanding performance during this crisis, many countries are attracted by and paying great attention to “the China model.” Through reform and opening up, socialist countries will win advantages comparable to the capitalist countries and become more attractive. Deng Xiaoping once said that “as long as China does not fall, a fifth of the world’s population will adhere to socialism.” “When China becomes stable and realizes its goals of development, socialism will manifest it advantages.” The success of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the development and growth of the socialist countries during the reform and opening up will contribute to the revival and development of world socialism. It also shows that the history of socialism will not terminate.

Challenges

The ruling right-wing parties in western countries have taken advantage of the opportunities of coping with the crisis and continuously suppressed the left wing’s voice and activity space. After the onset of the financial crisis, the developed capitalist countries, such as the U.S., U.K., and France, adopted measures different from previous governance rationale by enhancing financial supervision and enhancing the government’s interference in the economy. The ruling right-wing parties now consider the policies that the left-wing parties promoted in the past to be effective medicine. When facing the crisis, the left-wing was even at a loss for words and could not propose better methods to cope with the crisis. To show that they are different from the right-wing, some left-wing parties have advocated radical ideologies. Their extremist left-wing opinions are not at all practical, and the majority can hardly accept them. Because the traditional left-wing vocal advantage cannot function when the right-wing loudly voices their ideas, the activity space for the left-wing will surely be suppressed. The ruling left-wing parties face the major issue of maintaining stable economic development, while also realizing social equity and equality. These are hard to resolve within a short period of time.

There are many conflicts and problems in the left-wing parties. After the drastic changes in the former Soviet Union and the Eastern European countries, some Communist parties moved toward social democracy in their theories and policies, under the banner of reform, so as to distance themselves from the color of the communist party. Some of them bowed to the major ruling party in order to maintain their status while participating in administrative affairs. They do not have a clear standing and have become attached to the major ruling party. This short-sighted behavior finally cost them their traditional supporters. Due to the lack of support, their decline is inevitable. The abandonment of democratic centralism in many Communist parties has resulted in a loose organization in which multiple fractions fight with each other endlessly and do not have the power to fight with others. The promotion of ideological pluralism has caused differences and disagreements inside the party, ever changing policies, and inadequate theoretical preparations. The majority of the party members are not clear about the direction and gist of the party and do not know which way to follow. Some parties have rigid thoughts and hold an incomplete picture of the financial crisis and capitalism. Their extreme behavior has also interfered with the healthy development of the left-wing forces. Traditional conflicts and new problems are challenging the resilience of the left-wing parties. The lag in subjective conditions will be a major obstacle to the future development of world socialism.

There are still very strong anti-communist and anti-socialist forces in the international community. The situation of “strong capitalism and weak socialism” still prevails. Although the international financial crisis had a severe impact on capitalism, the capitalist system and the existing world structure will not dissolve as a result. The powerful status of capitalism will not change within a short time frame. At the beginning of the 21st century, although the left-wing forces in some countries have become stronger, overall, international socialism is still at a disadvantage. The U.S. and other western countries will not live with the fact that the communist and other left-wing forces have become stronger. They will not change their hostility and suppressive policies toward socialist countries. At present, under the leadership of the U.S., the western countries are speeding up global democratic reform and frequently promote “color revolution” in countries that lean toward the left. With the advancement of modern technology, the Internet and cell phones have become indispensable tools for daily life. The fast spread and magnifying effect of the Internet has made the “color revolution” digital and instant. That poses a new threat and challenge to the governance security of the left-wing parties. From now on, the left-wing forces will still be suppressed by all sorts of western forces. The world socialist movement will make its headway in a harsh environment.

Endnote:
[1] Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, October 22, 2009
http://www.cass.net.cn/file/20091022243944.html

China Youth Daily: Rule of Law vs. Pressure from the Internet

A China Youth Daily article questioned the rule of law in the light of a series of recent arrests of online bloggers for their outspoken postings against the government. Earlier, on February 26, Mr. Chen from Yunxi County, Hubei Province was arrested for his “trouble-making” remarks on the Internet. In response to the public outcry on the Internet against the arrest, local police stated that they were "in strict accordance with the law" and the decision to arrest was reported to and approved by superiors “to uphold the law." After eight days of detention on charges of “insulting and defaming others,” Chen was released due to “pressure from the Internet,” said the Yunxi Public Security Bureau.

China Youth Daily questioned, “Now that the pressure from the Internet forced them to release the guy, then what exactly was the pressure that forced them to arrest the guy?”

Source: People’s Daily, reprint China Youth Daily, March 12, 2010
http://media.people.com.cn/GB/40698/11131970.html

Xinhua Critical of the Book China Dream

Xinhua’s International Herald Leader stated that China’s hawks should be nonviolent, rational, responsible and not "savagely combative." "Whose dream is this China’s dream? Is it the dream and pursuit of the Chinese people? The Chinese people dreams for a powerful China but do not necessary have the aspiration to become the No. 1 military power and eventually dominate the world. The book may sell well but lacks professionalism. As known to all, the No. 1 military power in the world is the United States, with its largest inventory of nuclear weapons. Whatever nuclear weapons China possesses is nothing compared to the United States. To become No. 1 means to surpass the United States and produce more nuclear weapons. Is this what China should do?" "Irresponsible remarks may sometimes be manipulated, leading to devastating consequences." "Any clear-cut expressions should not ignore the complexity of reality. Nor should they disregard the national image in the international community and our national long term interests." 

Source: International Herald Leader, March 15, 2010 
http://news.xinhuanet.com/zgjx/2010-03/15/content_13173057.htm

Maintaining Social Order as the 2010 Propaganda Priority of the Party

The Committee of Political and Legislative Affairs of China’s Communist Party recently issued its 2010 propaganda priorities. Effective practices and experiences of handling social stability will be highlighted in the propaganda: the resolution of social conflicts, improvement of the government reputation, grass-roots infrastructure for comprehensive management of the social order, promotion of the socialist rule of law and government efforts in resolving complaints.

Source: Xinhua, March 17, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/legal/2010-03/17/content_13186591.htm