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China to Become the No. One Military Power?

Liu Mingfu, a senior colonel in the People’s Liberation Army and author of a new book titled "China’s Dream” reiterated in an recent interview that China must seek to rise to become the world’s number one military power. “We need the military to rise as well as the economy to rise.” “China’s military rise is an inevitable requirement of China’s national interest and an important guarantee when dealing with U.S. containment. China’s military rise is conducive to world peace, but will also help to change the serious imbalance in the world’s military structure.” According to a March 1 survey on the Global Times’ website, over 80% hold that China should seek to become the world’s number one super power.

Source: Xinhua, March 3, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2010-03/03/content_13087071.htm

Chinese Military Advocates Russia’s Tit For Tat Approach Against the U.S.

Luo Yuan, a major general in the People’s Liberation Army, made public remarks at a government conference that the U.S. has knowingly violated China’s core strategic interests in Taiwan, Tibet, and Xinjiang, which amounts to provocation against China. He stated that China should follow Russia’s tit for tat approach and counter the U.S. to show that China also has cards in its hand. Examples include Russia’s deployment of Topol M strategic missiles in Russia and deployment of short-range missiles at Kaliningrad.

Source: China Review News, March 4, 2010
http://gb.chinareviewnews.com/doc/1012/4/7/4/101247486.html?coluid=1&kindid=0&docid=101247486&mdate=0304002941

Taiwan New Party Chairman: Taiwan Should Tone Down Relationship with U.S.

Yok Mu-ming, Chairman of the New Party in Taiwan said that Taiwan should sacrifice some of its relationships with the U.S. for achieving a better relationship with Mainland China. Yok said the Ma Ying-jeou administration should delay Taiwan’s spending on U.S. weapon purchases and instead use the money for social welfare projects. He claims that it is wasteful to buy U.S. weapons since the China-Taiwan relationship is developing peacefully. Yok said that during the upcoming municipal congress member elections the New Party candidates will speak out loudly about what the Kuomintang candidates dare not say

Source: Global Times, March 1, 2010
http://taiwan.huanqiu.com/liangan/2010-03/730177.html

Chinese Succumbing to Big Spending

In addition to having high mortgage payments for living quarters, the post-80s generation now also faces large expenditures for holidays, China News Service reported.

A website survey of white collar workers showed that, for the Chinese New Year in February, 55% spent more than 5,000 yuan [Ed: the average white collar worker’s monthly income is between 2,000 and 3,000 yuan]; more than 80% spent one or two months of their income; and 20% spent more than a quarter of their annual income.

Analysts claim that this has become a problem for all Chinese. Heavy spending is a reflection of the “face culture,” where each wants to outdo the other, including ones family members. The result is excessive financial burdens.

Nowadays, a common joke is, “I am short of nothing but money.”

Source: China News Service, February 25, 2010
http://www.chinanews.com.cn/sh/news/2010/02-25/2137081.shtml

China’s Top Advisors Propose Advanced Economic Development

Some Chinese government top advisors outlined the strategies for China’s economic development and transformation according to China New Service, which quoted Hong Kong Wen Wei Po’s report. The suggestions included two spaces (internal demand space and innovation space), four strategies, and four economic transforming paths.

Four strategies:
1. Expand internal demand: developing and advancing consumer demand.
2. Industry transformation and upgrade: increasing mid- to high-end industries’ competitiveness.
3. Human resource quality improvement: expanding the job market, improving social benefits, education and training.
4. Saving energy.

Four economic transformation paths:
1. Retrain jobless farmland laborers as city laborers.
2. Develop the manufacturing industry in the area of R&D, design, brand development, supply chain, and post-sales service.
3. Increase the service industry’s percentage of GDP.
4. Put more information technology into operation in the industrial sector.

Source: China News Service, February 26, 2010
http://www.chinanews.com.cn/cj/cj-gncj/news/2010/02-26/2139654.shtml

Sixty Years of Political Construction and Development in the New China

The central theme of the conference was systematically summarizing the experience of 60 years of political development in the new China and comprehensively envisioning the direction of China’s political future. The participants agreed that the achievements of China’s political construction and political development have been enormous since the founding of the new China 60 years ago. Although there have been significant setbacks and mistakes in the exploration, the road of political construction and political development that has been adapted to China’s national conditions is basically clear. Some experts have summed up the basic experience of  60 years of political development and political construction in the new China as six unities: The dialectical unity of adherence to the basic principles of Marxism and innovation; adherence to the unity of socialism with Chinese characteristics for the state system and the government system; adherence to the unity of the Party’s basic unwavering line and the flexibility of policy; the unity of the party’s leadership, and the rule of law, with the people being the masters of the nation; adherence to the unity of working for the people, trust in the people and reliance on the people; and adherence to the unity of strengthening and improving the Party’s leadership, maintaining the Party’s advanced nature, and strengthening the Party’s ability to govern. Other experts have summarized the successful experience of China’s political development after the founding of the new China, particularly after the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, as the path of progressive political development with Chinese characteristics. … China’s future political development must stick to the path of socialist political development with Chinese characteristics.

The development of socialist democracy was the main content of the new China’s political construction and political development, which was also the important topic of this conference. Since the founding of the new China, the Chinese Communists have been constantly exploring the development of socialist democratic politics and have gone through a tortuous process. This entered a period of steady progress after the Party’s Sixteen National Congress. Some experts believe that, from the founding of the new China until 1989, democratic developments were the continuation of all democratic movements following the May Fourth Movement. These were mobilization-style democracy, the objective being to change the existing political order in the manner of mass movement by means of empowering the masses with master status. After 1989, with the development of the market economy and with civil society taking shape, China’s political life gradually began to show "normal politics" and "democratic actions." That is, inner-party democracy and grassroots democracy have been gradually promoting the democratic process in China. Experts have pointed out that movement democracy and action democracy cannot be completely separated. The orderly development of participatory democracy is critical to China’s future democratic development.

The adherence to, and improvement of, the CPC-led multi-party cooperation and political consultation system is an important part of, as well as a means to, the development of socialist democracy with Chinese characteristics. In this connection, the participants had a lively and in-depth discussion. The participants believe that new China has achieved rapid economic development over the past sixty years. Politically it has also achieved relatively stable development. One of the secrets is the multi-party cooperation system under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party. China’s non-symmetrical political party system maintains the stable ruling status of the ruling party as well as ensuring a certain degree of influence by other political parties. The multi-party cooperation system has created a new system and space for activities of the political parties and has established a new relationship between the political parties.

Another topic discussed at the conference was that the political system reform and government management reform is the form of socialist political development with Chinese characteristics. … On the historical course and direction of the new China’s government, some experts have suggested that in 60 years of the new China the government has gone through three forms of government: totalitarian governance, regulation-based governance, and joint governance. The future direction of government is the development of a form of service-oriented governance. …

Research into the ruling party’s development was also an important topic of this conference. The participants agreed that the establishment of the Chinese Communist Party’s ruling status was not accidental. It was the product of the development of the political parties in modern China. It was the result of the historical development path’s selection over sixty years of the new China. Only by strengthening self-development and promptly resolving issues of the restriction of the Party’s power and corruption can the Chinese Communist Party ensure its ruling status. Some experts pointed out that, in order for the Chinese Communist Party to ensure its ruling position, it must also improve the effectiveness of inner-Party supervision and meet the needs of the middle class to participate in politics.

Endnote:
[1] Study Times, November 9, 2009
http://www.studytimes.com.cn/WebPage/ny1.aspx?act=1&id=3039&nid=11065&bid=3&page=1

Largest Chinese Manmade Modern Canal to Be Constructed

The State Council recently approved the Yangtze to Hanjiang Project, with an investment of RMB 6.2 billion. It is estimated that the construction work will start in March at the earliest. The project is to build a canal between the Yangtze River and the Hanjiang River in Hubei Province. It will be the largest modern canal in China and the largest water resource adjustment facility in the province. The canal will be around 67 kilometers in length and 3.7 billion cubic meters in annual water volume. The central governement will fund the entire project.

Source: Xinhua, February 26, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2010-02/26/content_13051910.htm

China Took Up the Matter of the Dalai Lama with CNN

China News, a state owned and internationally oriented Chinese news agency, recently reported the fact that the Chinese Embassy complained to CNN about Larry King’s interview of the Dalai Lama. The Chinese Embassy reiterated its position against the Dalai Lama’s visit to the U.S., as well as against CNN’s interview. The Embassy asked the news network to abide by the U.S. government’s acknowledgement of Tibet being part of China. CNN was also asked not to provide a stage for the Dalai Lama. CNN did not cancel the show as the Chinese Embassy had requested, but a Chinese announcement was presented during the show.

Source: China News, February 28, 2010
http://www.chinanews.com.cn/gn/news/2010/02-28/2142660.shtml