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

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CCTV Economics 30 Minutes Program Stopped Broadcasting Following Critical Comments of Government S

World Journal (A Chinese daily newspaper based in North America) reports on April 8, 2008: CCTV’s “Economics 30 Minutes” Program was stopped from broadcasting after airing a comment on April 2 by an economic expert in its program that criticized central government’s inactivity of rescuing the stock market crash and the high capital gain tax. This is the first time the program stopped broadcasting without notice since it was first aired 18 years ago. It is said that two producers of the programs are being investigated.

Source: World Journal, April 7, 2008
http://www.worldjournal.com/wj-ch-news.php?nt_seq_id=1698046

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

People’s Daily: The United States Plotted Dollar’s Depreciation

People’s Daily posted an article on April 2, 2008 to comment the recent decline U.S. dollars, under the title of “The United States Plotted Dollar’s Depreciation to Reduce China’s Foreign Currency Reserve.” The article quoted a comment by Li Liangzhong, the director of the Economics Bureau of CCP Policy Research Institute, in a public forum. Li said that U.S. dollar’s depreciation and the above US$100 per barrel of oil was an elaborately plotted conspiracy by the United States, with the purpose to reduce the purchasing power of China’s foreign currency reserve.

Source: People’s Daily, April 2, 2008
http://finance.people.com.cn/GB/1045/7075088.html

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Poll: 98% Chinese Support Direct Mayoral Election

On March 16, 2008 the State TV, China Central TV, held an online poll on direct election of city mayor.

“Do you agree that mayors should be elected directly by votes of local residents, instead of by representatives of the People’s Congress? Do you agree a mayor may be removed by votes of local residents if the mayor acts against the will of the people?”

The poll closed on April 5, 2008, with a total of 180,771 votes. No results were available. According to a voter’s blog, as of 11pm April 4, 2008, 2,029 (1.49%) voted “Disagree” and 133, 417 (98.20%) voted “Agree,” with 419 (0.31%) voting “Do not care.”

Source:
CCTV, March 16, 2008
http://fuxing.bbs.cctv.com/viewthread.php?tid=11507030;
Lao Mo, April 4, 2008
http://blog.cat898.com/boke.asp?Userid_301341.showtopic.152005.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

China Denies Betraying Iran on Nuclear Secrets

On April 2, UK’s Daily Telegraph reported that China has provided the United Nations with intelligence on Iran’s efforts to acquire nuclear technology. In an interview with Global Times, Nie Feng, International Affairs Specialist with China Academy of Social Science said that China has been providing constructive effort in solving Iran’s nuclear issues. The reports by certain western media were out of biased opinion. The speculation is nothing but a unified consensus of the western media.

Source: Xinhua, April 5, 2008
news.xinhuanet.com/world/2008-04/05/content_7922111.htm

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

PLA Daily: China is the Biggest Victim of Spyware Attacks, Mostly from US

PLA Daily claimed that China is the biggest target of spyware which mostly are from US. In a recent Annual Report of China Internet Security Report, the statistics claimed that there were 64,000 computers attacked by spyware worldwide daily and 26 percent of them took place in China. According to National Computer network Emergency Response Technical Team (CNCERT/CC), there were 220,000 spyware attacks to China from overseas in 2005 where 40 percent were from US, 11 percent from Japan, 10 percent form Taiwan, and 8 percent from Karea.

Source: Xinhua, April 3, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2008-04/03/content_7909500.htm

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology

Shaolin Monks Organized to Study Key Messages from the Party Conference

On Shaolin Temple’s web page, there were two pictures posted and subtitled: “Shaolin Monks Study and Exercise the Key Messages from the Party Conference” [1]. In an interview with Xiang Li, television hostess from Hunan Television, Shi Yongxing, headmaster of Shaolin Temple told Li: “After I returned from the National People’s Congress held in Beijing, I have the responsibility to share the updates with the monks so that they are aware of the achievements made by the party in the past 5 years”. Shi denied to be called as a “Political Monk” and claimed that his action is to safeguard the rights of Buddhism and make contribution to the country. “Monks also need to pay attention to politics,” he said, “Shaolin Temple is well known around the world and the credit should go to the government’s open reform policy.

Source:
Jin Bao Net, April 4, 2008
http://www.jinbw.com.cn/jinbw/xwzx/zzsx/20080404294.htm
[1] Pictures of Shaolin Monks studying key messages from the Party Conference
http://2008.chinashaolin.org/show.asp?id=844

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Stock Market: Down 50% in Six Months

On Tuesday, both Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges ran landslide slumps. SSE (Shanghai Stock Exchange) Composite dropped 143.55 to near 3300, while the SSE (Shenzhen Stock Exchange) Component Index fall 841.52. More than 600 stocks ended limit-down. According to a report issued by Guotai Junan Securities, the leading security firm in China, it only took six months for the SSE Composite to dive from the peak of 6124 last October to 3308 this week, 50% shrinkage of the market value. The drop is not only historical in China, but very rare around the world. Previously, SSE Composite had a 40% downward swing from 2245 in June 2001 to 1350 in November, another 40% plunge from 1740 to 998 in 2004.

Source: Information Times, April 2, 2008
http://informationtimes.dayoo.com/html/2008-04/02/content_153174.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Senior official Warns Overheating Economy and Comprehensive Inflation

In the most recent issue of Qiushi journal, the core publication of Central Committee of Chinese Communist Party, a senior official authored an article on the risk of an “overheating economy” and “comprehensive inflation.” Xie Fuzhan, the chief of State Statistics Bureau, pointed out that China need to focus on quality and curb the “impulse of expanding investment projects.” The article suggested strengthened macroeconomic control, strict housing regulation, and tight monetary policy. To ease the expectation of price rises, Xie proposed to increase the supply for basic necessities.

Source: Xinhua, April 2, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2008-04/02/content_7906294.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources