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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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The Great Translation Movement and the Communist Party’s Concern

The Great Translation Movement (TGTM), which has the goal of informing the Western world about the true thoughts of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Chinese people it has brainwashed (by translating what the Chinese actually say), has created a real impact in Western society. As a result, the CCP media recently denounced it, indicating that it has reached a level at which the CCP can no longer ignore it.

TGTM started in March this year, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The CCP published strong domestic propaganda to support Russia and misled some of the Chinese people so that they posted messages online to support Russia and ridicule Ukraine (in one example, they even wanted to bring some of the beautiful Ukraine  women to China to “save” them). A group of Chinese with consciences started to translate these extreme views into Ukrainian. Later the movement expanded into translating CCP propaganda and people’s postings on WeChat, Weibo, Tiktok, and extreme Chinese leftist websites, into English, Korean, and Japanese. The movement has an official Twitter account TGTM_Official, with more and more volunteers joining to supply translations. Western media and society in general have picked up this information in order to demonstrate the CCP’s true qualities and true self to the world so the world’s people can understand its true nature.

China.com.cn, China’s official site which is run by the Chinese government body’s China Internet Information Center (CIIC), posted an article on April 27, 2022, to comment on this movement. It called The Great Translation Movement an “Internet virus” and said it had been mutating and creating a relatively large negative impact on China’s overseas propaganda and international image.

To stop the spread of this “Internet anti-China virus,” that article claimed, China needed to take necessary counter measures. It indicated that, on its official side, China needs to strengthen its domestic Internet platform in order to control and regulate netizens’ behavior. From the civilian angle, China needs to utilize the postings by Chinese students studying overseas and the Chinese diaspora who have patriotic sentiment toward China, leading them to promote the “true” China and build a good international image for China.

Source: China.com, April 27, 2022
http://www.china.com.cn/opinion2020/2022-04/27/content_78189333.shtml

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend Government/Politics

China Mandates Code of Conduct for TV Dramas Cast and Crew

China’s regulation of the entertainment industry is extending to the production crews of TV dramas and web dramas. The China Federation of Radio and Television Association (CFRTA), and China Netcasting Service Association (CNSA), two government-controlled organizations that oversee the countries radio, television, and webcasting industry, released a draft version of the “Production and Operation Guidelines for TV Series and Web Series Production Crews.” The document, published on April 25, requires the TV production units to establish a “professional ethics assessment system for actors and actresses.”

The crew has been told to  follow the requirements of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) strictly, and ensure the “correct ideological orientation” of the theme of the dramas. The regulation covers the management of costumes, makeup, props, and scenes, to prevent the improper use of costumes, and errors in images, sounds, and contents.

The document requires that the production crew resist “unreasonably high remuneration,” and strictly regulate the compensation contracts of television dramas. Cast members must “practice core socialist values, promote the spirit of patriotism, and resist all acts that undermine national honor, religious beliefs and national unity.”

Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), April 26, 2022
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202204260271.aspx

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

RFA Chinese: Ukraine Concerned about Chinese DJI Drones

Radio Free Asia (RFA) Chinese Edition recently reported that the Ukrainian government has called for restrictions on drones that the Chinese drone maker DJI has been producing. The Ukrain argued that the product didn’t just have technical glitches. These were actually DJI’s deliberate effort to undermine Ukraine’s defense. The Ukrainian government has also accused Russia of using DJI drones to attack Ukraine. The Chinese drone company DJI supplies both Ukraine and Russia. Ukraine determined that the DJI drones posed a security risk to Ukrainian troops and civilians. They observed that the Russian DJI drones worked well when the very same Ukraine DJI drones faced many technical issues. A DJI spokesperson denied the allegations that accused the company of assisting the Russian offensive while meddling in Ukrainian products. In the meantime, U.S. startups are beginning to fill the Ukrainian market for drones. The companies include Seattle-based BRINC Drones and the Silicon Valley firm Skydio, according to the Wall Street Journal. The companies’ drones are helping to search for survivors in the rubble of cities over Ukraine and find where the Russians are hiding. The Russian embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment. DJI is the world’s largest commercial drone maker and its products are widely used in the United States.

Source: RFA Chinese, April 22, 2022
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/Xinwen/5-04222022121812.html

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

U.S. F-15 Fighters Patrolling Airspace Near Taiwan with Live Ammunition

Well-known Chinese news site Sina (NASDAQ: SINA) recently reported, based on a Global Times social media posting, that the U.S. military stationed in Japan dispatched several F-15C fighter jets carrying live air-to-air missiles to conduct combat air patrols in the airspace near Taiwan. Mainland China announced very recently that it would allow the Chinese J-20 stealth fighters to conduct normal combat patrols in the East China Sea. That led the United States to decide to show its muscles and send a military signal to China. Taiwanese media reported that eye witnesses provided pictures showing the F-15C fighter jets of the U.S. Air Force had flown back to Kadena Air Force Base in Japan carrying AIM-120C advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles and AIM- 9 live rounds of Sidewinder missiles. An unnamed source confirmed that the F-15C fighter group, supported by two KC-135 aerial tankers, returned to the Kadena Base after a seven-hour mission. The purpose was to carry out a combat air patrol mission in the airspace near Taiwan. This was the response after six U.S. congressmen visited Taiwan on April 14th and China later announced military exercises. U.S. fighter jets carry live ammunition only when they conduct quick response alerts or actual combat missions. This recent move was rather unusual. Afterwards, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Defense responded by emphasizing that, when defending national sovereignty and security, the People’s Liberation Army has always been brave and good at “showing the sword.”

Source: Sina, April 22, 2022
https://news.sina.com.cn/c/2022-04-22/doc-imcwipii5856420.shtml#/

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military Geo-Strategic Trend US-China Relations

Record Number of College Graduates: 10.76 Million in 2022, Creates Complex and Severe Problems

Well-known Chinese news site NetEase (NASDAQ: NTES) recently reported that government statistics showed that, in 2022, the number of new urban laborers in need of employment in China will reach around 16 million, a new high for recent years. Of those 10.76 million are college graduates. That is the highest number in history. On April 7, Vice Premier Hu Chunhua presided over a symposium on the employment situation. He pointed out that, at present, because of the Covid pandemic and other factors, the employment challenge is “complex and severe.” Zeng Xiangquan, director of the Employment Research Institute of Renmin University of China, found that after the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020, the proportion of college graduates choosing “slow employment” increased, and more graduates took the initiative to withdraw from the labor market. Now the supply of postgraduates is increasing, but employers are facing difficulties, which will push up the current unemployment rate. 2022 could be the most stressful year ever for college graduates. Just as the number of college graduates has reached its peak, the number of traditional employment “placement services” that help on the demand side has shrunk significantly. The industries hit really hard were real estate, education and training, as well as the Internet. Large-scale layoffs occurred in many mega information technology companies. In the financial field, since 2017, strengthening government supervision has become the main focus of the financial world. While deleveraging and reducing risks, the financial industry has slowed down and the employment opportunities in the industry have also declined as a whole. Private enterprises have contributed to 80 percent of China’s job market. However, due to a number of factors such as the pandemic and a reduced demand, the number of employees,  especially from small, medium and micro enterprises, has dropped significantly. In reality, the structural contradictions are more severe than the contradiction between supply and demand. With the change in young people’s career preferences, the mismatch of “workers who can’t find work, and businesses that can’t find workers” will worsen.

Source: NetEase, April 14, 2022
https://www.163.com/dy/article/H4UCOMTM051480G7.html

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Is DiDi a Casualty of CCP In-fighting?

Epoch Times published an analysis article to explain that the shrinkage of DiDi, once China’s largest vehicle for hire company, might be a result of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) in-fighting.

On April 16, DiDi announced its plan to hold a special shareholder meeting on May 23 to decide whether to remove the company from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Its 2021 financial report showed that, in the fourth quarter, its revenue decreased by 12.7 percent and it had a net loss equivalent to $27 million. In February’s ranking of ride-for-hire market share in China, it was not even on the list of top ten companies.

DiDi’s President is Liu Qing (柳青) who holds the real power in the company. Her father is Liu Chuanzhi (柳传志), the founder of the Lenovo Group, one of China’s largest IT companies. Liu’s family had controlled China’s ride-for-hire business in the past. When Uber was in China, it hired Liu Zhen (柳甄) as the head of its China business. After Uber lost to DiDi, Liu Zhen worked with Liu Qing to merge Uber China’s operation into DiDi. At that time, the combined company had 93 percent of the market share. The same last name of Liu Qing and Liu Zhen are not accidental. They are true cousins.

It seems that, since last year, the authorities have been tough on both DiDi and Lenovo. DiDi made its IPO on the NYSE last June and Beijing started to restrict it afterward. Three months later, on September 30, Lenovo filed an application to make an IPO on the Shanghai STAR market (science and technology innovation board), but withdrew it a week later. This year, on April 14, the China Security Regulatory Commission criticized Lenono for not reporting financial data on time and required it to rectify itself. Two days later, DiDi announced its plan to delist from the NYSE.

The article said it is possible that Xi Jinping is targeting the Liu family, which was the front-man for the bunch of high-ranking officials in other CCP factions. Liu Chuanzhi created his enterprise during Jiang Zemin’s time – Jiang was a former CCP head and had a fierce power fight against his successor Hu Jintao and also Hu’s successor Xi Jinping. Liu was the President of the Tai Mountain Club, a secrete association of top business elites including Alibaba’s Ma Yun, Baidu’s Li Yanhong, Huaiyi Brother’s Wang Zhongjun, and others. These people started their business before Xi becameing the top man and therefore, the political power behind them was not from Xi’s group.

DiDi was likely to have received support from these business tycoons and thus the top red powerhouse families behind them. Xi might consider them a threat and therefore started targeting DiDi and Lenovo, similarly as Alibaba and its Ant Group.

Source: Epoch Times, April 22, 2022
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/22/4/22/n13717975.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources Government/Politics

Luo Siyi: Lessons from the Ukraine War: Counting on U.S.’ ‘Kindness’ Is Pointless

Luo Siyi, a Senior Researcher at the Chongyang Financial Research Institute, Renmin University of China, published an article on Guancha.cn (the Observer) discussing the intentions of the U.S.  in the context of the Russia-Ukraine war. Some excerpts from the article follow:

“For more than 20 years, the foreign military expansion of the United States has been obvious. Even so, the occurrence of the Ukraine war also represents a qualitative change in U.S. military policy. Before the Ukraine war, the United States had only taken military action against developing countries that were far weaker in military power and did not possess nuclear weapons.”

“However, the U.S. threat to bring Ukraine into NATO, triggering a war in Ukraine, shows that U.S. military policy is not limited to attacking developing countries that are far weaker than itself. Although the United States knew in advance that its eastward expansion of NATO into Ukraine would affect Russia’s most important interests (a move that clearly crossed Russia’s red line when Russia’s extremely powerful military and nuclear capabilities are on par with the United States),  it was still prepared to take the risk.”

The U.S. is combining its basic political stance (the U.S. insists that Ukraine ‘has the right’ to join NATO) along with the military facts (the U.S. provides arms to Ukraine). It clearly shows that the U.S. has deliberately provoked a confrontation between Russia and Ukraine, even though this will inevitably lead to the United States and Russia being in a direct conflict. Therefore, when assessing the Ukraine crisis, it should be noted that the U.S. escalated its military threats from targeting developing countries. Such threats are unjust but without the direct risk of triggering a world war — to targeting a powerful country like Russia, which may lead to a global military conflict.”

”The United States is fully aware that the one-China policy involves China’s most important national interests and is the foundation of U.S.-China relations. To abandon the one-China policy is to cross China’s red line, which is more dangerous than trying to incorporate Ukraine into NATO. So it is clear that the U.S. is trying to undermine the one-China policy in a provocative way, just as it deliberately decided to cross Russia’s red line on Ukraine.

“On the question of whether the U.S. provocation against China and Russia is temporary or long-term and permanent, the clear conclusion of this article is that the U.S. military escalation trend will continue.”

Source: Guancha.cn, April 22, 2022
https://www.guancha.cn/LuoSiYi/2022_04_22_636204.shtml

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