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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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HKET: Hong Kong Ranked Second Worst among World’s Best Cities

Hong Kong Economic Times (HKET), the leading financial daily in Hong Kong, recently reported that the British magazine Time Out just released its annual survey showing the results of ranking the 53 best cities in the world. This year the survey results show that the UK’s Edinburgh was selected as the best city in the world. Mumbai, India, was ranked 14th and became the top city in Asia. Hong Kong was second to the bottom, only ahead of Doha, Qatar. With the easing of the Covid pandemic, the Time Out magazine surveyed about 20,000 residents around the world. Then it integrated Internet editorial evaluations to deliver the annual Time Out Index results. This year’s survey focuses on assessing urban tourism and living advantages. It also includes the consideration of traffic and personal safety factors. Hong Kong now ranks at 52nd, far below Taipei’s 16th and Tokyo’s 24th. It lost to Bangkok by one. Hong Kong’s new ranking is a free fall from its previous spot of 20th.

Sources:
(1) HKET, July 12, 2022
https://bit.ly/3S9PZzN

(2) Time Out (HK), July 12, 2022
https://bit.ly/3aZqSyS

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Global Times: German Foreign Minister Called Erdogan’s Appearance a Challenge to NATO

Global Times recently reported that the German Minister of Foreign Affairs, Annalena Baerbock, attacked a three-person photo taken earlier this week of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Raisi, describing Erdogan’s appearance in this photo as a “challenge” to NATO. The photo was taken on the 19th, when Raisi, Putin and Erdogan held three-way talks in Tehran, the capital of Iran. In the photo, Raisi stood in the middle between Putin and Erdogan smiling, and the three held hands and gestured to the camera. Baerbock claimed that Ankara’s membership in the alliance makes the picture of the Turkish and Russian leaders “incomprehensible.” Although Turkey is a NATO member, unlike other NATO members, Turkey has chosen neutrality in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, while NATO as a whole regards Russia as a threat. According to the Kremlin, Putin thanked the Turkish side for mediating and providing a platform for negotiating the grain exports and transportation issues. In Baerbock’s view, this group photo proves the importance of standing with partners that share the same values because “there are other members who don’t support our values, and they also unite when they have doubts.” Some netizens did not agree with Baerbock, saying that Turkey is not a puppet of the United States.

Source: Global Times, July 23, 2022
https://world.huanqiu.com/article/48wgejrd1Nb

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

In a Move Seen as a Warning to China, Britain Plans to Deploy Nuclear Submarines in Australia

Well-known Chinese news site Sina (NASDAQ: SINA) recently reported that, as part of the US-UK-Australia Trilateral Security Partnership (AUKUS), the British military plans to send a fleet of nuclear submarines to the Port of Perth in Australia. Some, however, said that the usefulness of the deployment is questionable, considering that China has the largest navy in the world. The Commander-in-Chief of the British Armed Forces, Admiral Tony Radakin, is expected to make a decision at a naval meeting in Sydney that will see British submarines deployed in Australia  “within China’s striking range,” until 2040. The operation is part of the AUKUS alliance and Australian submarines will be integrated with British submarines to work together to improve Australian personnel’s operational skills on nuclear submarines. The British military declined to disclose the number of nuclear submarines to be deployed in Australia. and the UK Ministry of Defense declined to comment on the matter. Sending nuclear submarines to patrol the South China Sea will be the toughest move the UK has ever taken against China to date. The spokesperson for China’s Embassy to the UK said the move further exposed the deep-rooted Cold War mentality of the US, the  UK and Australia, as well as the sinister intention of provoking group confrontation and creating conflict and division. It will also damage the peace and stability of the Asia-Pacific region. China firmly opposes this new development.

Source: Sina, July 23, 2022
https://mil.news.sina.com.cn/china/2022-07-23/doc-imizmscv3129681.shtml

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Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

The CCP Is Trying to Block the UN from Publishing a Xinjiang Report

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) tried to block the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet from publishing the Xinjiang Human Rights report, which was planned to be published by the end of August.

Beijing sent Michelle Bachelet a letter asking her not to publish it. Beijing also tried to get diplomats from other countries to sign a joint letter to support Beijing.

Liu Yuyin, a spokesperson for China’s diplomatic mission in Geneva said that nearly 100 countries supported China on the Xinjiang issue, “opposing using human rights as an excuse to interfere with China’s internal affairs.” He said at the last UN Human Rights Council, which ended on July 8, that these countries issued public statements and a “joint letter.”

Source: Epoch Times, July 20, 2022
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/22/7/20/n13784940.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

U.S. Congressional Leader Plans to Visit Taiwan

The European Parliament Vice President, Nicola Beer, led a delegation to visit Taiwan from July 19 to July 21. This is the first time that a European Parliament Vice President officially visited Taiwan. Beer told reporters that, “Now is the moment to stand firm on the side of Taiwan,” calling Europe and the island part of a “family of democracies.” She said,“We won’t turn a blind eye to China’s threats to Taiwan.”  “Europe was late for Hong Kong, we won’t be late for Taiwan.”

In the U.S. the Speaker of the House,  Nancy Pelosi, has also been reported as planning to visit Taiwan in August. However, Biden said that the military believes it is not a good idea at the moment. China strongly opposed the Speaker’s trip both publicly and privately.

An article ridiculing Pelosi was widely published among Chinese media. It said that Pelosi’s trip was the Democrats’ plan to show that they are not too “soft” on Beijing. It also said that Pelosi’s plan was to gain some political points and get herself out of pressures from scandal. The article said many factors can still impact whether there will indeed be a trip. Maybe one day Pelosi will become “tactically COVID positive again.”  That statement referred back to April when Pelosi announced a planned trip to Taiwan but later cancelled it by claiming that she caught COVID.

Sources:
1. Radio France International, July 19, 2022
https://www.rfi.fr/cn/国际/20220719-欧洲议会副议长到访台湾-强调支持台湾民主
2. SINA, July 21, 2022
https://news.sina.com.cn/c/2022-07-21/doNc-imizmscv2950539.shtml

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend US-China Relations

Many Stores Are Deserted or Closed in Guangzhou & Shanghai; nearly Sixty Percent of Chinese Are Trying to Save Money

In China, more and more businesses are finding it increasingly difficulty to survive and have had to close their doors. The reason is the COVID-19 epidemic coupled with the government’s tough “Zero-COVID” policy. On July 21, China’s Guyu Data reported that the vacancy rate of shops in Shanghai and Guangzhou reached 9.8 percent and 14.1 percent, respectively, (data for most cities are not yet available). In 2019, the vacancy rates in China’s first- and second-tier cities were around 6.1 percent. That rate increased to 11.0 percent and 9.0 percent in 2020 and 2021. Generally speaking, a store vacancy rate of 6 percent is cause for alarm.

From January to April, the total daily shopping mall traffic in China decreased by 19 percent compared to the same period last year. According to China’s National Bureau of Statistics, the total retail sales of consumer goods in April was down by 11.1 percent year-over-year.

In the first quarter of 2022 in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, the store opening/closing ratios were 0.85, 0.88 and 0.76, respectively, showing more store closures than store openings.

In the second quarter of 2022, the People’s Bank of China conducted a questionnaire survey of 20,000 urban depositors in 50 cities nationwide. The results showed that 23.8 percent of residents tended to “consume more,” while 58.3 percent of residents tended to “save more.” This is 3.6 percentage points higher than the previous quarter.

Source: Creaders.net, July 21, 2022.                                                                                                                                                             https://news.creaders.net/china/2022/07/21/2507106.html percent

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

HSBC Becomes the First Foreign Bank in China to Establish a Chinese Communist Party Branch

Lianhe Zaobao (United Morning Post), a Singapore based newspaper, reported that the financial institution, HSBC Qianhai Securities Co. Ltd., established a branch of the Communist Party of China, becoming the only bank among the seven foreign banks with an investment banking business in mainland China that has established a grassroots organization of the Communist Party in its subsidiaries.

China’s company law requires companies to set up grassroots Communist Party committees, but it does not mandate foreign financial institutions to do so. Foreign media previously reported that HSBC Qianhai Securities set up a party committee of the Communist Party of China, believing that the move might force other foreign banks to follow suit.

According to The Epoch Times, the establishment of the Communist Party branch of HSBC Qianhai Securities comes after its move in April  to raise its stake in the joint venture from 51 percent to 90 percent .

At first, in order to facilitate the introduction of foreign capital, they only established party branches in foreign companies secretly. Later it became a completely open requirement. Based on data released by the Organization Department of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee, by the end of 2016, 70 percent of foreign-funded enterprises in China had established party branches or committees.

Source: Lianhe Zaobao; Epochtimes, July 22, 2022.
https://www.kzaobao.com/shiju/20220722/121498.html
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/22/7/22/n13787052.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

China’s Media Continues to Spread that Covid Virus May Have Come from U.S. Biological Laboratory

China News, a major news media in China, recently published an article titled, “Lancet Scholar Says New Coronavirus May Have Originated in U.S. Biological Laboratory.” The article cited a report from Russia Today. The article stated, “Jeffrey Sachs, chairman of the new crown committee of the international medical journal The Lancet, said that the new coronavirus may not have come from nature. It may have originated from an accident in a U.S. biotech laboratory.”

The article was republished on many media channels in China including Xinhua.

Radio Free Asia pointed out that Chinese media blatantly tampered with the original words of U.S. experts.

According to Radio Free Asia, Sachs made it clear that, “I’m pretty sure it came from biotechnology in American labs — not from nature.” Sachs said so in a speech at a conference hosted by the Spanish think tank GATE Center in mid-June.

Sources:
1. Sina.com, July 2, 2022
https://mil.news.sina.com.cn/2022-07-02/doc-imizirav1639787.shtml
http://www.news.cn/world/2022-07/03/c_1211663581.htm
2. Radio Free Asia, July 13, 2022
https://www.wenxuecity.com/news/2022/07/13/11686777.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics