Chinascope – Page 1171

China Rises As Largest Shipbuilder

State media Huanqiu issued a report quoting a U.S. source that China has currently replaced South Korea as the leader in the world shipbuilding industry.

The report claims that the China shipbuilders, with orders as high as 54.96 million CGT, have surpassed the 53.63 million GCT of South Korea and grabbed 34.7% of the world market. In recent years, China was said to have invested a huge amount of money and manpower to expand its commercial shipbuilding industry, so as to build up its warship capacity.

The report also pointed out that China is still falling behind in electronic, mechanic, and weaponry systems that are necessary for building warships. [Ed" Chinascope cannot locate the original U.S. source, mentioned in the report as “Global Strategy Net”]

Source: Huanqiu, November 20, 2009

http://mil.huanqiu.com/china/2009-11/638668.html

Briefings | | November 24, 2009 | Defense/Military

President Omar al-Bashir Praises 50-Year Friendship With China and Zhou Yongkang’s Work in Sudan

In Sudan, on the evening of November 17, according to the website of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee’s International Department, the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir had a meeting in Khartoum with the CCP’s chief of legal affairs and Politburo Standing Committee member Zhou Yongkang.

Zhou restated the friendly relationship between the two countries over the past 50 years, and attended an opening ceremony of a Confucius Institute at the University of Khartoum. Al-Bashir praised China as Sudan’s real friend and partner and praised Zhou as the person behind the Sino-Sudan oil deal. Al-Bashir hoped to strengthen agricultural cooperation with China.

Source: website of Chinese Communist Party Central Committee’s International Department

http://www.idcpc.org.cn/dongtai/091120.htm

Briefings | | November 24, 2009 | Geo-Strategic Trend

Wen Jiabao Says No G2 Likely to Develop

China does not welcome the idea of a G2, said Premier Wen Jiaobao when meeting with U.S. President Obama on November 18, according to Xinhua.

The state media listed three reasons for this position: firstly, China is a developing country with a huge population. It has to keep a sober mind, remembering the long journey, so as to build a modern country; secondly, China follows an independent and peaceful foreign policy by forming no alliance with any country or blocs of countries; finally, China advocates that world affairs should be collectively decided by individual countries, instead of one or two powers.

Source: Xinhua, November 18, 2009

http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2009-11/18/content_12485552.htm

Briefings | | November 24, 2009 | US-China Relations

Nanfang Weekend Newspaper Blanks Page to Protest Censorship of Obama Interview

According to overseas Chinese media, Nanfang Weekend newspaper blanked out half a page to protest the CCP Propaganda Department’s censorng its articles. According to Epoch Times, during his meeting with Hu Jintao on November 17, Obama requested an interview by the Nanfang Weekend, a relatively liberal state-owned newspaper. Hu arranged it. However, Li Changchun, a Jiang Zemin loyalist, and member of the Standing Committee of the CCP’s Central Committee Political Bureau, in charge of propaganda, was annoyed that Hu bypassed him. He therefore ordered that the interview not be printed. Then after pressure from the US Embassy, the interview was allowed to be printed, but with certain sections cut out. The Propaganda Department also disallowed two other articles about Obama. In protest, Nanfang printed the newspaper with half a page blanked out (the newspaper page can be seen at http://www.mitbbs.com/article2/Military/32884503_1463.jpg).

This is a rare case of a state-owned media printing a blank newspaper page in protest.

Sources:
1. The Epoch Times, November 21, 2009
http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/9/11/21/n2729468.htm
2. MIT BBS, November 20, 2009
http://www.mitbbs.com/article_t/Military/32884503.html

Briefings | | November 23, 2009 | US-China Relations

China Youth Daily: Employment Termination Announced at a Professor’s Sick Bedside

China Youth Daily published a news report on November 18, 2009, on Zhang Zaiyuan, a former Wuhan University professor and an internationally renowned architect. Prof. Zhang has been suffering from a rare motor neuron disease since October 2007. On April 30, 2009, Wuhan University sent four people to his bedside to read a "Termination Certificate of the Employment Contract." He lost his position as the Dean and as professor of the Urban Design College at Wuhan University as well as his medical insurance and assigned apartment. His wife, a housewife, recently found that Wuhan University had withdrawn all the salary that he had saved from his account, a total of over 500,000 yuan. She was told that the university used it to pay his medical expenses.

Source: China Youth Daily, November 18, 2009
http://law.cyol.com/content/2009-11/18/content_2942016.htm

Briefings | | November 23, 2009 | Grapevine

Xinhua: China and Iran Increasing Investment and Trade Cooperation

On November 20, 2009, Xinhua reported that China is Iran’s largest trading partner. In 2008, the direct bilateral trade amounted to 27.6 billion U.S. dollars. The trade volume from January to September this year has already reached 15.4 billion U.S. dollars including 5.5 billion U.S. dollars in exports and 10.0 billion U.S. dollars in imports.

In November 2008, China and Iran signed an “Understanding Memorandum on Sino-Iranian Investment.” From January to September this year, Iran has invested $67.0 million in China; China has invested $159 million in Iran. Iran is China’s third largest crude oil importer. In 2008, china imported 21.3 million tons of crude oil from Iran, accounting for 12% of China’s imported crude oil.

Source: Xinhua, November 20, 2009.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2009-11/20/content_12512183.htm

Briefings | | November 23, 2009 | Geo-Strategic Trend

People’s Daily: Li Changchun Summarizing “Precious” Experience in Propaganda Work

People’s Daily recently published the full speech that Li Changchun gave at the Tenth Chinese Reporters Festival. Li is a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Chinese Communist Party. He summarized the experience gained over the past 60 years: (1) Sticking to Party principles, always aligning with the Party Central Committee; (2) Always taking the “right public opinion guidance” as top priority; (3) Tightly combining the Party’s policies with the people’s thoughts; (4) Establishing a positive international “public opinion environment” by integrating internal and external propaganda; (5) Keeping up the reform of methods used to “occupy new battlefields” such as the Internet; (6) Enhancing and improving the Party’s control over media and making sure the media leadership is “tightly controlled” by the ones who are loyal to the Party.

Source: People’s Daily, November 9, 2009.
http://politics.people.com.cn/GB/1024/10338997.html

Briefings | | November 20, 2009 | Government/Politics

Communist Party to Expand in Non-State Sector

The Chinese Communist Party issued a directive calling for all to promote the establishment of grass roots party branches in the non-state sector. Especially, party branches must be established in non-State economic organizations where there are three or more Party members. If there are fewer than three party members, the party branches may be established by affiliating with the State’s chamber of commerce, trade unions, or trade associations. The directive emphasizes the appointment of strong leaders for the Party branches in the non-State economic organizations. “Party branches in the non-State economic organizations are important areas for party building. In recent years, there have been vigorous efforts at party building in non-State economic organizations, but overall this area is still relatively weak, and the coverage of Party branches is not as wide.”

Source: Xinhua, November 16, 2009
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2009-11/16/content_12470825.htm

Briefings | | November 20, 2009 | Government/Politics

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

Xinhua Commentaries: “Exposing the Three Major Political Deficits of the U.S.”

The CCP’s Performing Arts Troupes in the U.S.

CCP, Master of Hostage Diplomacy