Chinascope – Page 1161

Xinhua: Kim Jong-il Visited China

Xinhuan reported that Kim Jong-il made an informal visit to China between May 3 and May 7. He stopped in Beijing, Tianjin and Liaoning and met with all nine members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CCP Central Committee. Hu Jintao proposed five suggestions in their conversation: (1) maintain top level contacts; (2) enhance strategic communication; (3) deepen trade cooperation; (4) extend culture exchanges; (5) improve coordination in international and regional affairs. Kim commented that the current core work of the North Korean Communist Party is to improve the living quality of the North Korean people. He also agreed that denuclearization of the Korean peninsula is still his policy. Establishing the positive conditions for returning to the Six Party Talks is also a priority. In his meeting with Kim, Wen Jiabao agreed to push trade cooperation, especially the projects with high priorities.

Source: Xinhua, May 7, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2010-05/07/c_1278775.htm

Briefings | | May 12, 2010 | Geo-Strategic Trend

Global Times: US Unqualified for Asking China for Nuclear Transparency

Global Times recently published an editorial on nuclear transparency. The editorial commented on the recent U.S. disclosure of its nuclear arsenal size, as well as the fact that the U.S. called for transparency with China’s name mentioned. Global Times believes this makes China “look morally shorter” and China should stay alert on U.S. intent. The article suggests that China’s strategic interest is to maintain a limited nuclear deterrence. Since China’s early warning capabilities are weak, it is in China’s best interest not to offer too much transparency. The editorial believes U.S. lip service does not qualify the United States to have the moral high ground to ask China for anything.

Source: Global Times, May 7, 2010
http://opinion.huanqiu.com/roll/2010-05/806039.html

Briefings | | May 12, 2010 | US-China Relations

The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) New Tibetan Strategy

[Editor’s Note>: In early January, the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee held a conference on implementing a new round of work on administration in the Tibetan region. On January 25, 2010, the CCP’s official website published a speech given by Ye Xiaowen, the former head of the CPC Religious Bureau, the Executive Vice President of the Central Socialism Institute, and Vice President of the China Tibetan Culture Protection Committee. [1] The speech was on the “student forum” of the CCP’s Party School’s 46^th seminar of the provincial officials in September 2009. The Tibet administration strategy he promoted was to use the CCP’s propaganda to reduce the Tibetan Buddhist canon and doctrine, to use the pursuit of material wealth to reduce the Tibetan’s pursuit of spirit, to limit the development of Tibetan Buddhism, and to use the CCP’s controlled propaganda machine to compete with western media on the “speaking power” on the Tibetan issue. It is indeed interesting to observe the atheist communist regime’s understanding of Tibetan spiritual values. The following is an abstract of his speech.]

Continue reading →

Reports | | May 11, 2010 | Report

People’s Daily: China must not apply a “separation of powers”

On May 10, 2010, Xinhua reprinted an article from People’s Daily written by two Tsinghua University scholars emphasizing that China must not utilize a “separation of powers.”

According to the article, the CPC Central Committee Propaganda Department Theory Bureau has published the book “Six Whys – the Answers to Several Important Questions.” The book stresses that China cannot implement a “separation of powers.” The book tells the Chinese people that the “separations of powers” has only been put into operation in very few countries in the Western world.

The article says that the CPC Central Committee Propaganda Department Theory Bureau’s explanation is very important in clarifying and even correcting people’s ambiguous or wrong ideas about the “separation of powers.” It concludes that China is a socialist country and must always uphold the Party’s leadership.

Source: People’s Daily, May 10, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2010-05/10/c_1282906.htm

Briefings | | May 11, 2010 | Government/Politics

PLA Daily: Stand-alone network warfare is an imminent development trend

On May 6, 2010, PLA Daily published an article saying that stand-alone network warfare is an imminent development trend.

According to the article, “a stand-alone network war may be a limited type of network warfare, which is a war that relies on network warfare weapons as the major combat means or a war in which network operations have a significant impact.” The example given by the article explained that a network war that had achieved the war purpose was Israel attacking Syria on September 6, 2007. In that war, Israeli warplanes successfully attacked Syria’s Russian-made "Doyle-M1" missile defense system by carrying the U.S.-made “Schutte” network attack system.

The article suggests China’s PLA view the emergence of a stand-alone network war as being “imminent” so as to seize the command ascendancy in future wars.

Source: PLA Daily, May 6, 2010
http://chn.chinamil.com.cn/xwpdxw/gdylxw/2010-05/06/content_4214595.htm

Briefings | | May 11, 2010 | Defense/Military

Government Official a Highly Risky Profession, Says Survey

According to a People’s Forum survey, 44% of respondents considered “’government official’ to be a highly risky profession,” with the top ten most risky government official posts selected by the respondents. The officials most "at risk" were the Chief of the Land and Resource Bureau, the Chief of the Transportation Bureau, the CCP County Secretary, the Chief of the Public Security Bureau, the Chief of the CCP Department of Organization, the Chief of the Construction Bureau, the Chief of the Work Safety Bureau, the City’s CCP Secretary, senior managers of state owned enterprises, and the Chief of the Housing Management Bureau. What made them “risky” according to the survey? The risk factor was stated to be the positions’ high vulnerability to corruption.

Source: People’s Daily, April 29, 2010

http://politics.people.com.cn/GB/1026/11489087.html

Briefings | | May 10, 2010 | Government/Politics

Survey Suggests Internet Phobia is a Syndrome of Chinese Officials

People’s Forum, under the official People’s Daily, recently conducted a survey of “‘Internet Phobia’ of Contemporary Chinese Officials.” 5,943 netizens participated online and 300 officials and non-officials through pen and paper.

70% of those surveyed believe that current Chinese officials have a syndrome of “Internet phobia.” Answers to the question “why do you think they fear the Internet?” include:

“Being afraid that defective work is exposed and future careers will be damaged: 60%”; “Being afraid that personal information will be leaked and normal work and life affected: 28%”; “Being afraid that Internet public opinions only focus on wrongdoing instead of achievement, and draw biased conclusions out of context: 17%”; “Being afraid that Internet supervision will confuse right and wrong, and mess things up: 16%”; “Being afraid that some bad people will use the Internet for blackmail: 11%.”

When the 300 officials and non-officials were asked, “Officials at which level fear the Internet most?,” 47% responded that it was those officials at the “county level.”

Source: People’s Daily, May 6, 2010

http://politics.people.com.cn/GB/1026/11535806.html

Briefings | | May 10, 2010 | Government/Politics

China’s Reaction to Trump’s Election Win

Xinhua Commentary Series: Spotlight on the U.S. Presidential Election

Wu Guoguang: Xi Jinping’s Reversal of the Course, Will China’s Transition be Peaceful or Marked with Bloodshed?

Cheng Xiaonong: U.S.-China Strategic Relations Have Crystallized