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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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Deutsche Welle: CCP Structural Change – College Graduates Join the Party to Get Better Jobs

Deutsche Welle recently published a digest article based on a report by Friday Weekly – a Hong Kong based magazine. The report focused on female college graduates who are applying for Communist Party membership. The students believed that the structure of the Party is changing due to the fact that 30% – 50% of students apply for Party membership. Although the students generally find the Party’s theories very boring, they are interested in better job opportunities. The Party welcomes young idealists with outstanding academic records and leadership capabilities – though the students are often just acting to demonstrate these qualities.

Source: Deutsche Welle
http://www.deutsche-welle.de/dw/article/0,4307287,00.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Employment Challenge for College Graduates

Xinhua republished an article from China Youth, which states that as of June 4, only 2.75 million college graduates, 45% of the total number of graduates this year, have received job offers. To ease the unemployment pressure, the government is creating basic level positions in the countryside, remote towns, and less-developed areas and encouraging the graduates to go there.

Source: Xinhua, June 5, 2009
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2009-06/05/content_11489469.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Study Times: Regionalizing RMB will Promote Asian Economies

On June 1, 2009 the Study Times wrote that China should push Reminbi regionalization starting from border trade settlements and direct investment in neighboring countries. Study Times is the journal of the School of the CCPC. The article believes that this step is the key to Asian economy. In doing so, “China should leverage the existing bilateral currency settlement agreements with Korea, Hong Kong and Malaysia to further deepen and expand RMB cooperation in the region. Moreover, China should take advantage of financial markets in Hong Kong in engaging in RMB offshore business, thus making Hong Kong the hub for distribution of RMB to neighboring countries.”

Source: Study Times, June 1, 2009
http://www.studytimes.com.cn/WebPage/ny1.aspx?act=1&id=2685&nid=9756&bid=4&page=1

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Retired Military Officers Fight for Their Rights

China Human Rights Defenders reported that for the past few years, a total of 10,110 Corp or Division Rank Retired Cadres have jointly signed petition letters to the Central Military Commission, requesting that the problems of housing and other issues of unfair treatment of the 60,000 Corp or Division Rank Retired Cadres be solved. Many of them also went to Beijing to petition. Retired military cadres and soldiers have become a significant part of the defense of rights in China. Their defense of their rights takes various forms: 1. Open petition letters; 2. Demands for political reform, defending human rights, justice, a respect for life, and, in addition, requests for the same treatment as the soldiers on active duty; 3. Electing representatives for a dialog with military officials; 4. A vote allowing the deposing of current officials; 5. Direct resistance actions; and 6. Gathering petitions.

Recently, there have been demands for nationalization of the military. The Chinese Communist Party has been trying hard to suppress the demand. It also uses such methods as promotions, better benefits, or even allows military officers on active duty to be corrupt. However, it ignores the retired officers.

Source: China Human Rights Defenders, May 25, 2009
http://crd-net.org/Article/Class53/200905/20090525123046_15570.html

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

China Emphasizes Maintaining Stability during the Tiananmen 20 Year Anniversary

The Hong Kong China News Agency reported that all mainland media remained mute during the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre. Chinese officials promoted maintaining social stability (Editor’s Note: that translates as no protests or petitions) to keep June 4 quiet. The report listed a few examples:

At end of the May, Liu Qi, Beijing City Party Secretary went to the Beijing West Train Station to check the implementation of the “maintaining stability” work there. On June 2, Zhang Gaoli, Tianjin City Party Secretary said that maintaining stability is a top priority and challenged the Tianjin officials to  make Tianjin the “safest” area in China. On May 31 and June 1, Wang Yang, the Party Secretary of Guangdong Province visited the maintaining stability pilot center for the township’s comprehensive appeals offices and stated that stability is the number one responsibility (for the government).

Source: Hong Kong China News Agency, June 4, 2009
http://www.hkcna.hk/content/2009/0604/13817.shtml

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

China Shows Its Anti-stealth Airplane Radar

Xinhua republished an article by the Global Times reporting that on April 1, 2009, at the “2009 Fifth World Radar Expo,” China showed photos of the DWL002 passive detection radar system, China’s newest anti-stealth airplane radar system. DWL002 has the following characteristics: high crypticity; a long detection range; a strong anti-interference capability; good mobility; a wide working frequency; flexible signal adaptability; highly precise locationing; and target identification capability.

The article stated that DWL002 radar system is the most advanced anti-stealth airplane radar system in the world. Its main performance measures are superior to radar systems developed by other countries in the same category. This system is likely to be the number one choice for many countries that are facing the threat of (U.S.) stealth airplanes.

Source: Xinhua, May 22, 2009
http://www.xinhuanet.org/bencandy.php?fid=5&id=50518

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

Outlook Article: China Should Invest Up To 1,000 Bn Yuan In Africa

According to Outlook Weekly, a Xinhua publication, a Government think tank proposed that China spend 500 to 1, 000 billion yuan of its foreign exchange reserve on Africa. The Director of the Center for Economic Security Studies of China’s Institute of Contemporary International Relations wrote that this funding infusion may be implemented through “direct investment, donations, low or zero interest loans, export financing or the Islamic model of zero interest in exchange for profit sharing.” The proposed primary areas of investment are infrastructure projects, improvement of sanitary conditions, education and manufacturing.

Source: Outlook Weekly, June 1, 2009
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2009-06/01/content_11467829.htm

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Beijing News: Cheap Labor is the Chinese Economy’s Achilles’ Heel

Beijing News recently published an article by well known scholar Ma Guangyuan on the cost of Chinese labor. The article quoted the results of a study by the Chinese central bank. In Dongguan, a major manufacturing city in Guangdong Province, the minimum wage standard went up from RMB 350/month in 1994 to 770/month in 2008 – an annual increase rate below 5%.

The article pointed out that the "miracle" of the "Chinese Model" is obviously built on a "low wages in exchange for profit" basis. As a result, consumer spending remains low. For the past 30 years, the average annual increase in China’s GDP rate has been far higher than the increase in the rate of consumer income. Cheap labor is more of an Achilles’ heel than the "core competitive advantage" of "Made in China". 

Source: Beijing News, May 30, 2009.
http://www.thebeijingnews.com/comment/letters/2009/05-30/008@013649.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources