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

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Indian Media Insisted on Sending Reporters to Taiwan Despite Chinese Warnings

Taiwanese news site NewTalk recently reported that China’s ambassador to India, Sun Weidong, warned local media to maintain their commitment to the One-China Principle and not to report on Taiwan. However, the Indian media ignored the CCP’s request and sent reporters to Taiwan for interviews. This is the first time Indian media reported back from Taiwan directly. On the same day, Gaurav C Sawant, a reporter from India Today, also tweeted that every day after he arrived in Taiwan, he sent reports about the CCP’s exercises to India. Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong held a media symposium in India on August 13th due to Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, calling on India to reiterate the One-China policy. Since 2020, after the worst military conflict on the Sino-Indian border in 40 years, the Indian people’s favor with China has declined. India traditionally follows the One-China policy, but has not publicly stated this principle for a long time. When asked about the situation in the Taiwan Strait recently, Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi called on both sides to exercise restraint, and he still did not mention the One-China policy.

Source: NewTalk, August 19, 2022
https://newtalk.tw/news/view/2022-08-19/803939

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

LTN: Main German Fighter Jets Took Part in Indo-Pacific Military Exercises

Major Taiwanese news network Liberty Times Network (LTN) recently reported that, starting on August 15th, Germany would hold the “Rapid Pacific 2022” air exercise with Singapore, Australia, Japan and South Korea in sequence. The German Air Force’s primary active-duty fighter jet, the Eurofighter Typhoon, will also participate. This is the first time since World War II that German warplanes have been projected over the Indo-Pacific region, regardless whether they are from West Germany or East Germany. The German government wants to use this exercise to prove that its air force can also operate in Asia and balance the power in that region against China. The German Air Force also dispatched three Airbus A330 MRTT aerial tankers, four Airbus A400M tactical transport aircraft, as well as around 250 soldiers. The spokesperson of the German Ministry of Defense said that Germany hopes to maintain diversity and order in the international community and to demonstrate this value together with security partners. The ruling Social Democratic Party (SPD) heavyweight, member of the Bundestag and former Berlin mayor Michael Muller bluntly said that Germany cannot rely on China, which is a lesson from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This view has gradually become the consensus of European politics. The Ukrainian-Russian war has made Europe, which is directly facing the threat of Russia, once again realize the importance of the “Atlantic Alliance” between Europe and the United States.

Source: LTN, August 15, 2022
https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/paper/1534449

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

UDN: China Makes Tech Giants Hand Over System Algorithms

United Daily News (UDN), one of the primary Taiwanese news groups, recently reported that Chinese tech giants such as Alibaba, Tencent and TikTok’s parent company ByteDance have handed over details of the online algorithms of some of their services to government regulators. The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), which oversees the Chinese Internet, released a list of 30 algorithms, for regulation purposes, that companies use to collect user data and promote content and services. Tech companies around the world keep their algorithms closely guarded as trade secrets, but in March, China announced  rules that force companies to hand over their algorithms to authorities using the reason that it will preventing them from misusing data. The new rules require that companies cannot engage in activities that could threaten national security or social stability or encourage excessive addiction. The regulations state that service providers must frequently self-assess to ensure compliance and submit records to the relevant Chinese authorities. China’s move to establish an algorithmic registration system is unprecedented. So far, neither the United States nor the European Union (EU) have implemented such regulations. Applicable internet businesses range from social media provider like Weibo to food delivery platforms like Meituan.

Source: UDN, August 17, 2022
https://udn.com/news/story/7331/6542508?from=udn-ch1_breaknews-1-cate4-news

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics Information/Technology

Seventeen Ministries Issued Joint-Notice to Encourage Chinese to Have More Babies

China is facing a severe population drop. According to the China Business Network’s report, China had 10.62 million newborn babies in 2021, a significant decrease from the 18.83 million in 2016.

On July 25, seventeen ministerial-level agencies in China issued a joint notice to encourage Chinese people to have more babies. The agencies include the National Health Commission, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Chinese Communist Party, the Propaganda Department, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, and the People’s Bank, to name just a few.

The notices mentioned the need to improve services for pregnancy, child health, education, job finding, and a number of other issues. It also stressed a need to increase childcare services and reduce its cost.

However, Epoch Times reported that many online responses to the notice stated that the real reason that people do not want to have a baby is not the lack of childcare services but the overall high cost of raising a child from birth to college.

Sources:
1. China National Health Commission Website, August 16, 2022
http://www.nhc.gov.cn/rkjcyjtfzs/s7785/202208/9247dd64744c42df9522c4fa2cb78e42.shtml
2. Epoch Times, August 17, 2022
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/22/8/17/n13804712.htm
3. China Business Network, January 17, 2022
https://www.yicai.com/news/101291490.html

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources Government/Politics

Xi Jinping Talked about “Common Prosperity”

Xi Jinping promoted the “common prosperity” concept last summer but then the media cooled down on it for about a year. Recently, he started talking about it again.

There have been doubts about what the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) intended to do. Its practice in the past was to confiscate the wealth from the rich and redistribute it to the people or to the “government” (the officials themselves). Chinascope has a deep analysis on this topic: Common Prosperity and Xi’s Desire to Be China’s “Greatest Leader (”http://chinascope.org/archives/28655  http://chinascope.org/archives/28655)

On August 15, People’s Daily republished Xi Jinping’s speech given on January 28, 2021.at the twenty-seventh collective study of the 19th Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) Political Bureau, His speech made five points:

  1. Implement new development concepts (innovation, coordination, green, open, and sharing)
  2. Focus on common prosperity.
  3. Continue deepening reform and opening up.
  4. Have the systematic (big picture) view.
  5. View things from a political angle.

On August 16, when visiting Northeastern China, Xi Jinping talked about common prosperity. Xi said that Chinese-style modernization is not just for a few people. Rather all people will be rich.

Source:
1. People’s Daily, August 15, 2022
http://politics.people.com.cn/n1/2022/0815/c1024-32502880.html
2. China’s Official Government Site, August 17, 2022
http://www.gov.cn/xinwen/2022-08/17/content_5705661.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources Government/Politics

Russian Formal Military Chief of Staff Praised DJI Drones as a “Real Revolution” in Artillery War

The Russian Embassy placed a post on Weibo of the quotes from a new book by former Russian Military Chief of Staff General Yuri Baluyevsky. The Russian general praised Dajiang’s (DJI’s) drones and said that they have brought a real revolution to the usage of traditional artillery, completely solving the issues of detecting the target, directing the aim, and correcting fire. Their accuracy and efficiency are comparable to those of precision-guided missiles.

The general said DJI’s “Mavic quadcopter has become a true symbol of modern warfare.”

The posting was based on the Russian media Sputnik.

DJI immediately responded that its products are for civilian usage. Later, the Russian Embassy removed this posting.

Source: Net Ease, August 15, 2022
https://c.m.163.com/news/a/HERL2TJF05159GSR.html

Briefings | | |   @CS Geo-Strategic Trend

UDN: Police Took a Young Woman Away for Taking Pictures in a Kimono on the Street in Suzhou

The police scolded a young woman while she was taking a photo in a kimono on Huaihai Street in Suzhou. She was not allowed to take a photo in a kimono. She could only wear Hanfu (the traditional style of clothing worn by the Han Chinese). The woman asked if there is any regulation on this issue. The police forcibly took her away on the grounds of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” ”She was taken to the police station and questioned for five hours and her phone was searched. “

According to Phoenix.com, in the video, a woman’s weak voice talks to the angry police. She asked, “Can you yell at me like this?” “Yes,” “What’s the reason for (taking me)?” “You are suspected of picking quarrels and provoking trouble.”

It can be seen from the photo that the date of the photo was August 10, which is not sensitive. It was not near the relevant museum or memorial. It was just a general kimono and there was no sign such as the Japanese military flag. The girl posted her story on the internet.

Source: UDN, August 15, 2022
https://udn.com/news/story/7335/6538918

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Chinese People Have Difficulty Withdrawing Money from Banks. The Problem Has Spread to Shenzhen

Since July, customers of many banks in China have experienced difficulty withdrawing their money from their accounts. The problem has now spread to Shenzhen.

According to reports in the Chinese media, a number of depositors have shared their stories on the Internet. Bank of China’s debit card holders in Shenzhen have been unable to withdraw cash through WeChat, or transfer funds through Alipay. Their accounts have shown up as “suspended.”

The Bank of China stated that the purpose of freezing the accounts was to cooperate with the police operations to combat telecom fraud and Internet gambling. Holders of the suspended accounts have to go to the bank in person to unfreeze their accounts. Due to the large number of involved customers, people often have to wait more than an hour outside their banks.

In addition to the Bank of China, other banks, including China Construction Bank (CCB), Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), and Postal Savings Bank of China (PSBC), are in a similar situation. Long lines of depositors are waiting outside bank branch offices to unfreeze their accounts .

In the middle of July, in Beijing, Shandong, Hainan and in other provinces and cities, a number of bank depositors already had issues with their bank accounts being frozen and they could not withdraw their money.

Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), August 14, 2022
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202208140056.aspx

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources