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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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South Korean Media: Chinese State Agent Behind Violence during Olympic Torch Relay

The newspaper World Journal in South Korea reported on April 29, 2008 that a Chinese thug involved in the violence during the Olympic Torch Relay in Seoul had been identified as the head of the Chinese Students Association in Korea. The unnamed person is a PhD candidate in police administration at Dongguk University in South Korea. According to the report, he was an official from China Public Security prior to admission into Dongguk University and upon graduation, is scheduled to return for a professorship at the Public Security University in China.

South Korean MBC TV reported on April 28, 2008 that Chinese students studying in South Korea disclosed that several thousand Chinese students were brought from China to South Korea for the Olympics Torch Relay greeting teams.

Japanese Asahi Shimbun also reported that Chinese embassies organized, directed and financed “greeting teams” in the cities the Olympics Torch Relay passed.

Source: Epoch Times, May 2, 2008
http://news.epochtimes.com/gb/8/5/2/n2102399.htm

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Beijing Driving Away Non-local Residents to Boost Olympic Security

An inside source has informed Boxun that in the last few days the authorities have begun forcing non-locals to leave Beijing, including those who hold temporary residence permits. The action was said to be needed in order to ensure the safety of Beijing Olympics. This has caused widespread complaints and anger from the non-locals being affected.

Source: Boxun, May 5, 2008
http://news.boxun.com/news/gb/china/2008/05/200805051207.shtml

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Buddhist Monk Seeks to Enroll in Party School

On April 27 & 28, Monk Shi Qingming from Huang Long Temple of Yunnan Province sat in a two-day qualification test seeking to be enrolled into the Chinese Communist Party School of Yunnan Province. He learned about the party school enrollment notice in February and applied for the test in April. Monk Shi said that he intends to study the systematic teachings about the Party in order to accept the party leadership, follow the Party’s policies on religious practice and be part of the development to build a “Harmonious Society”.

Source: Yunnan Daily, April 28, 2008 http://search.yndaily.com/cgi-bin/detail.exe?133200+yndaily/news_99+59673+news_99+
@NEWSITEM+nobody+0+mark+%CA%CD%C7%E5%C3%F7,//%B5%B3%D0%A3%B5%
C4%BF%BC%CA%D4,////

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

First Confucius Institute Opened in Mongolia

On May 2, 2008, the opening ceremony of the first Confucius Institute of the National University of Mongolia was held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

According to the statistics by the office of Chinese Language Council International, as of March 2008, 238 Confucius Institutes have opened in 69 countries and regions. The number has nearly doubled in two years from 2006 when 120 Confucius Institutes were established in 50 countries and regions.

Source:
Xinhua, May 2, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2008-05/02/content_8092008.htm
The office of Chinese Language Council International http://www.hanban.org/cn_hanban/content.php?id=3258

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology

Chinese Students Abroad: 1.21 million in 30 Years

According to Ministry of Education, in 1978 there were 860 Chinese students who departed China for education abroad. 30 years later, a total of 1,211,700 Chinese students went overseas for higher education, 319,700 of which have returned to China. 657,200 are currently in various bachelor, master or PhD programs abroad. 

In 2007 alone, 144,000 left China for education abroad.  8,853 of them were sponsored by the State.

Source: Xinhua, April 30, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/overseas/2008-04/30/content_8078255.htm

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

EV 71 Outbreak in Anhui; 20 deaths and 1,884 Infected

As of April 29, 2008, Fuyang City in Anhui reported 1,884 cases of infections of Enterovirus 71, with 20 deaths, according to China Center of Disease Control. No new deaths reported in the past 5 days. Early March, People’s Hospital of Fuyang City admitted 5 infants with similar symptoms. Bewteen March 27 and 29, all 5 died.  Panics among parents ensued.  On April 15, local authorities issued a statement that several infants died of respiratory diseases and that none of these cases were related to each other. On April 23, EV71 was determined as the cause of deaths.

Source:
Xinhua, April 30, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2008-04/30/content_8080131.htm
Xinhua, April 30, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2008-04/30/content_8077180.htm
Nanfang Daily, April 30, 2008
http://www.nanfangdaily.com.cn/southnews/jwxy/200804300055.asp

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Consumer Price Index at 11-Year High

National Bureau of Statistics issued its forecast alerts for the past 12 months on April 30, 2008. Consumer price index (CPI) has been yellow for the seventh consecutive month. CPI was 6.2% in September 2007 and hit 8.3% in March 2008. Consumer price index is now at 11-year high. Fiscal Income has been red for the 11th consecutive month.

Source:
National Bureau of Statistics of China, April 30, 2008
http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjsj/jdsj/hgjjjqzs/t20080429_402477229.htm
Xinhua, April 30, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2008-04/30/content_8082313.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Serious Inflation Threat is a Reality

Fast rising food prices and continued expansion of capital investment and consumer spending are a real threat for serious inflation across-the-board in China’s economy, according to this article published in Outlook Weekly, a subsidiary of Xinhua News. In the first two months of 2008, the prices of meat related products have risen 43.3%, with 70.3% on pork meat alone, on top of the already high 31.6% and 53.9% increases in year 2007. Other products such as vegetable oils and oil-bearing crops have also seen 40-50% price increases over the same two month period. The grain price, in the mean time, has only risen 5.9% during the same period but is expected to catch up soon as pressure is mounting from the double digits monthly rise in the prices of agricultural materials since December 2007. Capital investment that has been growing at a fast pace of a 25% annual increase for the past five years, coupled with the recent rapid increase in consumer retail spending, 18% and 20.6% for two recent quarters respectively, means that all-out inflation has become a serious reality.

Source: Outlook Weekly, April 29, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2008-04/29/content_8068646.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources