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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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The CCP Central Office Warned Retired High-Ranking Officials

On May 15, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Office published the “Opinions on Strengthening the Party Building Work of Retired Cadres” (“Opinions”)  to request retired officials to stand on the official CCP position and Xi Jinping’s leadership and not to express negative opinions.

The “Opinions” require the regulation and discipline of retired CCP officials to “better unite the majority of retired cadres around the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core. The “Opinions“ require retired party member cadres, especially those who have held leading positions, to adhere strictly to the relevant disciplinary rules and further enhance their spirit of supporting the party and the awareness of party discipline.”

Xinhua also published an article titled, “The Head of the CCP Department of Organization Answered Reporters’ Questions on the Opinions.”

One question was, “What clear requirements did the Opinions have on strengthening the education and management of retired party member cadres?”

Th answer was, “… In terms of strict disciplinary rules, it required that retired party member cadres, especially those who have held leading positions, should adhere strictly to the relevant disciplinary rules, should not discuss the major policies of the Party Central Committee with their own opinions, should not spread negative political statements, should not participate in the activities of illegal social organizations, and should not use their former authority or position to seek benefits for themselves and others. (They should) resolutely oppose and resist all kinds of wrong thinking,  …”

Sources:
1. People’s Daily, May 16, 2022
http://dangjian.people.com.cn/n1/2022/0516/c117092-32422121.html
2. CCTV, May 16, 2022
https://news.cctv.com/2022/05/16/ARTIABpDUchNd46qBhZczKL5220516.shtml

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Hu Xijin Boldly Interpreted Why Xi Jinping Was not on the CCP’s Core Media

Recently there have been many discussions on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) infight. One hot discussion was the fight between Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CCP, and the faction of Jiang Zemin, former CCP head; and another one is the fight between Xi and Li Keqiang, China’s Premier. Chinascope is not able to verify the validity of these reports.

The Epoch Times reported that on May 17 and 18, People’s Daily, one of the CCP’s main mouthpiece, listed Li Keqiang, Wang Yang, and Li Zhanshu, one after the other, on its front page but didn’t cover Xi Jinping. That was unusual, since Xi usually receives the most coverage on the media. In the CCP’s internal factions, Li Keqiang and Wang Yang, ranked number 2 and 4 of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee members, are in the Communist Youth League faction; Li Zhanshu, ranked number 3 of the Politburo Standing Committee member, is Xi’s ally.

Hu Xijin, the former chief editor of the CCP’s mouthpiece Global Times, made an comment on his Weibo account. He highlighted in a red box an article on promoting China’s economy (which is Li Keqiang’s position) on the front page of the May 17 People’s Daily, and commented, “This is a very important signal. Follow this signal, put aside your doubts and uncertainties, and embrace new opportunities. Then you will be proved to be real business heroes and a hero of these times.” Next to Hu’s red box, were two other articles reporting Li Keqiang’s and Wang Yang’s activities. So Hu’s comments could be interpreted as having double meaning.

There are other reports on the power balancing as well. On May 11, the Wall Street Journal published an article titled, “Li Keqiang steps out of Xi Jinping’s shadow.”

On May 14, both Xinhua News Agency and the People’s Daily published the full text of Li Keqiang’s 9,000-word speech given on April 25. It is not very common to report something 20 days ago, especially publishing the full text.

On the other hand, the front pages of People’s Daily on May 15 and 16 reported Xi Jinping, without the appearance of any other senior CCP leaders.

No article about Xi Jinping appeared on the front page of the Xinhua website on May 18. Nor did the PLA Daily have one on May 18 either.

Source: Epoch Times, May 18, 2022.
https://www.epochtimes.com/b5/22/5/17/n13739454.htm

Hot Topics | | |   Grapevine

China to Plan Permanent Covid Camps and PCR Test Sites within 15-min Walk

Ma Xiaowei, director of China’s National Health Commission, published an article in the latest issue of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) official Qiushi magazine that permanent Covid camps should be prepared and planned in advance, and provincial capitals and cities with a 10 million population should establish PCR test sites within a 15-minute walking distance. Ma also emphasized weekly Covid testing.

Ma wrote, “Practice has proven that the existing enhanced prevention and control measures can achieve the goal of ‘dynamic zero Covid.’ The vast majority of the transmission chain can be controlled within the latent period, or in an even shorter period of time.” As the Omicron strain of Covid-19 virus is highly contagious and there are many asymptomatic infections, Ma suggested “the lockdown and quarantine be more resolute.”

Earlier, the Chinese government stated that it would require local provincial governments to build or renovate a certain number of camps to collect Covid patients.

Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), May 16, 2022
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202205160149.aspx

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

CCP Directive Demands Loyalty from Retired Cadres

On May 15, the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) issued a document that called for the strengthened “party buildup work” of retired cadres. The document requires retired cadres, especially former leaders, consciously to maintain a high degree of loyalty to  CCP chair Xi Jinping as “the core of the CCP’s Central Committee,” and not  to criticize the Central Committee’s major policies improperly. The document is seen as a move to regulate the minds of retired senior cadres to maintain the unity of the whole CCP before its 20th national congress in November this year.

According to the CCP’s Central Organization Department, this document proposes to “ensure that retired cadres continue to listen to the Party and follow the Party.” It requires that the retired cadres conduct an in-depth study of the CCP’s theories and consciously practice “Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in the New Era.”

In addition, retired cadre CCP members are told to abide strictly by the CCP’s disciplinary rules, not to spread politically negative remarks, and to oppose and resist all kinds of “wrong thinking.”

Source: Radio France International, May 16, 2022
https://rfi.my/8QBZ

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Was California Church Shooting of Taiwanese a Politically Motivated Hate Crime?

“One person was dead and several others injured during a shooting that took place at a California church on Sunday,” the police said.

Sheriff’s deputies in Orange County responded to a report of a shooting at the Geneva Presbyterian Church on El Toro Road in Laguna Woods at around 2 p.m. local time. “Four victims have been critically wounded, one with minor injuries,” the Orange County Sheriff’s Department wrote on Twitter. “All victims are adults and are en-route to the hospital. One victim is deceased at the scene.”

The suspect David Wenwei Chou was arrested and charged with one count of murder and five counts of attempted murder. Chou is a second-generation waishengren – born in Taiwan to those who had evacuated from mainland China during the ROC’s retreat in 1949.

County sheriff Don Barnes suspects it to be a politically motivated hate crime regarding Taiwanese-Chinese tensions. According to his statements, there were notes in Chou’s vehicle alluding to “his hatred of the Taiwanese people,” which is believed to stem from his past residence there, possibly during his youth. The Presbyterian Church in Taiwan has played a significant role in Taiwan’s democratization.

Chou was not affiliated with the Taiwanese church. He was pictured as a retired professor in a 2019 local news story on the founding of the Las Vegas chapter of the National Association for China’s Peaceful Unification (NACPU), also known as The China Council for the Promotion of Peaceful National Reunification (CCPPNR). CCPPNR is an umbrella organization, founded in 1988, by the United Front Work Department of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to promote unification between mainland China and Taiwan on terms defined solely by the People’s Republic of China. In September 2020, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated that the State Department had begun reviewing the activities of the CCPPNR in the U.S. In October 2020, the State Department designated the NACPU a foreign mission of the People’s Republic of China.

Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), May 17, 2022
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202205170148.aspx

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Lianhe Zaobao: EU Chamber of Commerce in China Survey Shows EU Companies Have Cut Their Forecasts

Singapore’s primary Chinese language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao recently reported that the latest survey report of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China showed that China’s strict COVID control measures have brought huge uncertainty to European companies in China. Nearly 60 percent of the companies have lowered their annual revenue forecasts as a result. China’s image as an investment destination has also been affected. More than half of the companies lowered their revenue forecasts by 6 percent to 15 percent, and more than 30 percent of companies lowered their revenue forecasts by more than 16 percent. Around 77 percent of the respondents expressed the belief that China’s attractiveness as an investment destination has declined. Around 23 percent are considering moving current or planned investments out of China. As many as 75 percent of the companies surveyed said that their operations were negatively affected. This negativity was reflected in three main aspects. These are logistics and warehousing pressure, business travel, as well as the cancellation of offline meetings. What these businesses need is a time frame for reopening. Compared with the impact of the lockdown measures, the impact of the Russian-Ukrainian war on European companies in China is much less.

Source: Lianhe Zaobao, May 7, 2022
http://www.kzaobao.com/shiju/20220507/116457.html

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

CNA: China is Building a New Nuclear Submarine

Primary Taiwanese news agency Central News Agency (CNA) recently reported that, according to images uploaded by AllSource Analysis, an image intelligence company based in Colorado in the  U.S. and satellite images from Planet Labs, a submarine appeared at the Huludao Port Shipyard in Liaoning Province. According to these satellite images, China is building a new and large nuclear submarine equipped with a propulsion system that is more advanced than the improved Model 093 currently in service. This has sparked speculation that China will build a new generation of submarines with a vertical launch system. Experts said that the Chinese Communist Party exposed the new submarine to warn the United States about arms sales to Taiwan. It can be seen clearly from the images that this new type of nuclear-powered attack submarine has a larger and longer hull and that the propellers at the rear are tightly covered, which seems even more suspicious. However, the new submarine is still smaller than the 11,000-ton active ballistic missile nuclear-powered submarine Model 094. The improved Model 094A is equipped with a vertically-launched JL-3 ballistic missile with a range of 10,000 kilometers, covering the continental United States. The U.S. Department of Defense released a report to Congress in November last year, stating that the U.S. estimated that the Chinese military would build an improved version of the Model 093 or Model 093B submarine in the mid-2020s to strengthen its Navy’s anti-ship combat capabilities. The ship-based vertical launch system is quite capable. It enables ships to launch missiles with longer ranges and higher accuracy. However, the ship-based vertical launch system of submarines needs to use more advanced technology.

Source: CNA, May 14, 2022
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202205140119.aspx

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

Lianhe Zaobao: Survey Showed COVID Measures Are Stifling U.S. Companies’ Confidence in China

Singapore’s primary Chinese language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao recently reported that a survey that  the American Chamber of Commerce in China (AmCham) released showed that, due to China’s COVID prevention measures, 58 percent of the surveyed U.S. companies in China have lowered their revenue forecasts for 2022. More than half (52 percent) of the companies have postponed or reduced investment in China. The survey was conducted from April 29 to May 5. A total of 121 U.S. companies in China participated in the survey. The results showed that core employee shortages and supply chain disruptions are currently the biggest challenges for U.S. companies in China. More than 15 percent of U.S. companies with operations in Shanghai said their operations in Shanghai have been completely closed since the outbreak in March. In terms of supply chain challenges, 61 percent of respondents cited disruptions to transportation networks as the main reason. On the side of competent workers, 49 percent of the respondents said that, due to the COVID policies, foreign talent is less likely or refuses outright to relocate to China. Some have planned to leave China permanently. Colm Rafferty, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in China, said in a statement, “This year’s revenue forecasts are down, but what’s more worrying is that chamber members don’t see any light at the end of the tunnel.” He mentioned that two former AmCham China presidents recently faced challenges when they traveled to China from the U.S. One completed a 22-day quarantine in Shanghai and another 15 days in Beijing before being freed. The other just completed a 43-day quarantine and lockdown in Shanghai. He then choose to fly directly back to the U.S.

Source: Lianhe Zaobao, May 10, 2022
https://www.zaobao.com.sg/realtime/china/story20220510-1271090

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations