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China Released a White Paper called, “China: a Democracy That Works”

The United States will hold its first Summit for Democracy on December 9 and 10. It invited 110 countries, citizen groups, and individuals to attend. Taiwan was invited – not President Tsai Ing-wen, but Hsiao Mei-chin, Taiwan’s Representative to the U.S. and Councilor Tang Feng will attend. China and Russia were not invited.

On December 4, China’s State Council Information Office released a White Paper “China: Democracy That Works” and held a press conference.

The White Paper called China’s development a “whole process people’s democracy.” “China’s development of this whole-process people’s democracy not only has complete systematic procedures, but also has complete participation.  … It makes each part and each aspect of the country’s political life and social life reflect the people’s will and to listen to the people’s voice. It effectively prevents the phenomena of making empty promises (to please voters) at the time of election, but without any follow up after the election.” (Note: the last sentence was a criticism of the Western style of democracy.)

Xi Jinping first brought up the term “whole process democracy” when he visited Shanghai on November 2, 2019. It seemed that Xi was trying to define “China’s democracy,” which had been criticized as a “hollow slogan.”

China’s White Paper also stressed the diversity of democracy – “There are multiple ways to implement democracy and it can’t be seen as one-size-fits-all.” “Assessing the political systems of other countries against a single yardstick and forcing other countries to copy a single country’s political structure and democracy model are in themselves undemocratic. It does not have people’s support and is doomed to fail.”

Foreign reporters asked whether “China and the U.S. are in a fight for the discourse power of democracy” since China published this democracy White Paper right before the U.S. Summit for Democracy.

Xu Lin, Deputy Minister of the Chinese Communist Party’s Propaganda Department and Director of the State Council’s Information Office responded by blaming the U.S. for imposing its standard for democracy on other countries and creating a mess in its own domestic management while still pointing fingers at other countries.

Source: BBC, December 4, 2021
https://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/chinese-news-59532643

Global Times: U.S. Poll Said Over Half of Americans Think China Is the Biggest Threat

Global Times recently published a commentary on the well-known Chinese news site NetEase (NASDAQ: NTES), saying a Ronald Reagan Institute poll showed that over half of Americans see China as its top threat, rather than Russia or any other country. The majority of Americans, on a bipartisan basis, are concerned about the possibility of war breaking out between China and the United States. The institute compared the results with what Americans thought about a number of issues in 2018. The results showed that, for the first time, most Americans see China as the greatest threat. When asked which country they think poses the greatest threat, 52 percent of Americans pointed to China, while only 14 percent said Russia. In 2018, only 21 percent of Americans thought China was the top threat, while 30 percent thought it was Russia. In 2021, 44 percent of Democratic supporters hold this view. For the Democratic Party, this is a sharp upward trend, because in February of this year, only 20 percent of Democratic supporters agreed with this view. Among the respondents to the poll, 20 percent expressed concerns about trade and economics, 19 percent expressed concerns about China’s military development, and 17 percent expressed concerns about so-called “human rights violations.” The institute’s final report pointed out that these worries are closely related to concerns about potential military conflicts between China and the United States. Around 71 percent of Americans expressed concern about this. Among them, 66 percent are Democratic supporters and 79 percent are Republican supporters. On the other hand, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed out earlier that, in fact, the United States is the biggest threat to the world. Global Times expressed the belief that, apparently, the U.S. domestic inciting propaganda has worked.

Source: Global Times on NetEase, December 1, 2021
https://www.163.com/dy/article/GQ53TNF805504DP0.html

African Countries Are Moving Away from Communist China

The Eighth Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) took place in Dakar, Senegal, on September 29 and 30. Epoch Times reported that this eighth conference showed indications that African countries are no longer that close to Beijing.

First, the meeting was reduced to a ministerial-level conference. Beijing sent Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Commerce Minister Wang Wentao to the meeting. Xi Jinping also gave an on-line speech. The previous time, 40 Presidents, 10 Prime Ministers, and one Vice President from the African countries, as well as the President of the African Union Commission, attended the Seventh FOCAC in Beijing.

Second, several countries have started separating themselves from Beijing. The Republic of Congo took its mine development rights back from China. The reason was that China failed to deliver on many large contracts that it signed with the Congo, including 31 hospitals and 2 universities.

There was a rumor earlier this year that Kenya would give its port of Mombasa as collateral to Beijing to borrow money from China for rail construction. However, more recently, the Kenyan government stated that the port of Mombasa would not fall into the hands of Beijing even if it defaulted on its repayment.

Uganda, however, after participating in the Communist China’s “Belt and Road Initiative” program, is in danger of losing control of its only international airport to Beijing because of its inability to repay a huge loan or to renegotiate the loan agreement with the lender.

Sources:
1. Epoch Times, November 30, 2021
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/11/30/n13408492.htm
2. China’s Official Web Site, “International Society Discussed Sino-African Cooperation, November 30, 2021.
http://news.china.com.cn/txt/2021-11/30/content_77902794.htm

China Central Bank Adviser: Common Prosperity Requires Lowering Gini Coefficient

A People’s Bank of China adviser believes that, to achieve Xi Jinping’s common prosperity, China must lower the Gini coefficient, which measures income inequality, to below 0.4. Cai Fang, a member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the central bank, made this remark at a forum that Caijing magazine  hosted on November 27 and 28, 2021.

Cai stated that China’s Gini coefficient should drop from the current 0.47 to close to 0.4 and, by 2035, it should drop close to 0.35. He added, “If it is higher than 0.4, we cannot say that this is common prosperity.”

Cai, who is also an economist at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that China needs to reduce inequality through a redistribution of its national income. It should also increase the supply of social welfare and a reduction of the Gini coefficient.  There is “a lot of work to do.” China must use different means and ways of the first, second, and third distribution of national income to build an olive-shaped social structure with middle-income groups as the main body. It is more important to create a public service system covering the entire life cycle of the people.

According to China’s National Development and Reform Commission,  the first distribution of wealth comes through market competition. The second is achieved through taxes, subsidies, and social welfare programs. The third distribution taps enterprises and individuals to redistribute their wealth through voluntary donations.

The Gini coefficient measures the degree of equality in the income distribution of residents in a country or region. A value of 0 means complete equality. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics of China, China’s income Gini coefficient reached the highest point of 0.49 in 2008 and then fell to 0.47 in 2020. According to OECD estimates this year, the average Gini coefficient in developed countries is 0.314.

Sources:

Sina.com, November 28, 2021

https://finance.sina.com.cn/hy/hyjz/2021-11-28/doc-ikyakumx0712227.shtml

Zaobao, November 29, 2021

https://www.zaobao.com.sg/realtime/china/story20211129-1218123

China National Development and Reform Commission, September 24, 2021 https://www.ndrc.gov.cn/fggz/jyysr/jysrsbxf/202109/t20210924_1297384.html?code=&state=123

Central Propaganda Department: Chinese Media Have the Responsibility and Obligation to Break the Hegemony of Western Media Discourse

In the opening speech at the China Internet Media Forum held in Guangzhou on Nov. 25, 2021, Shen Haixiong, the deputy minister of the Central Propaganda Department and director and editor-in-chief of China Central Radio and Television, stated that Chinese media have the responsibility and obligation to strive to increase their authority and influence in the international public opinion field and to break the long-standing “discourse hegemony” of Western media.

Shen Haixiong said that the Chinese media must promote the formation of an objective, fair, positive and healthy global public opinion ecology, and no longer allow political self-interest, racial discrimination, and ideological prejudice to dominate public opinion and mislead people.

Shen gave two examples of how to control the direction of public opinion.
Shen said that in response to Bloomberg’s false “global anti-(Sars-2) epidemic ranking” this year, China Central Radio and Television used its advantages to organize three rounds of overseas “polls of global netizen’s opinions on fighting the epidemic,” and released a series of influential reports and commentaries regarding the “tracing (of the viral origin) to the United States.”

Shen also said that in recent reports on the situation in Afghanistan, CCTV headquarters seized the exclusive rights, guaranteed the first release, controlled the discourse rights and defined the narratives. It also sent back a large number of exclusive videos of global news and became the main information source of global media. “The headquarters of CGTN microphone was the only media microphone on the stage of the Taliban’s first press conference after the withdrawal of the U.S. military. It continued to disclose the truth about the indiscriminate killings of innocents by the U.S. military, and delivered objective and true first-hand information to the world. It completely shattered the embarrassment that Chinese media could only transmit other media’s reports in international emergencies in the past.”

Source: Zhaobao, November 26, 2021
http://www.kzaobao.com/shiju/20211126/105228.html

Xi Jinping: The International Situation Is Advantageous to China; There Are Still Important Opportunities to Build the “Belt and Road” Jointly

According to Xinhua News, on November 19, Xi Jinping attended the 3rd Symposium on “Belt and Road” Construction in Beijing  and delivered a speech. He said that, on the whole, the theme of the era of peace and development has not changed and the general direction of economic globalization has not changed. “The international situation for strategic development is advantageous to the mainland.” The joint construction of the “Belt and Road” still faces important opportunities. At the same time, the international environment for joint construction of the “Belt and Road” is becoming increasingly complex.

Source: China Times, November 25, 2021
https://www.chinatimes.com/cn/realtimenews/20211125004733-260409?chdtv

Taiwan: Voice of China Commented on Far Eastern Group’s Statement of “Anti-Taiwan Independence”

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) fined Taiwan’s Far Eastern Group in the amount of US$5.7 million, blaming it for supporting “Taiwan Independence” activists. On November 29, the Far Eastern Group’s Chairman Xu Xudong yielded to the CCP and published a statement on Taiwan media, expressing an “anti-Taiwan Independence” position and supporting the “One China” principle.

China ‘s Media Group, also known as the Voice of China, published a commentary stating that the Far Eastern Group’s statement was not enough. “Regarding Xu Xudong’s expression, we heard his words, but more importantly, we need to see his actions.”

“If the Taiwan Far Eastern Group wants the sincere recognition of compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, it must completely abandon the illusion of being a ‘two-faced person.’ It must stop supporting the ‘Taiwan Independence’ elements, and avoid making itself an accomplice to ‘Taiwan Independence’ again. Only in this way can people believe that Xu Xudong’s statement is really in support of the ‘One China’ principle, rather than a temporary measure to protect his interests in the mainland.”

“Regarding Xu Xudong’s statement, we focus more on the future and want to see their actions. On the one hand, they should really stop political donations to the ‘Taiwan Independence’ elements, to combat the ‘independence’ from the origin. Any ‘two-faced’ behavior cannot escape the sharp eyes of people on both sides of the Strait. On the other hand, they should also exert their influence to promote cross-strait exchanges actively and lead more Taiwanese enterprises operating in the mainland resolutely to oppose the Democratic Progressive Party authorities’ despicable tactics of ‘decoupling’ the two sides…”

Related postings on Chinascope:

Source: CCTV, November 30, 2021
https://content-static.cctvnews.cctv.com/snow-book/index.html?item_id=3772629037891974856&t=1638291827318&toc_style_id=feeds_default&share_to=wechat&track_id=da4afb72-df2f-4878-bb35-ba367c27915c

Taiwan: The Netherland, France, and Ireland Supported Taiwan

After China retaliated against Lithuania for opening the Taiwan Representative Office, a de facto embassy in Lithuania, both the Netherlands and France took actions to support Taiwan in boosting its international status.

On November 23, the Dutch House of Representatives passed a motion with an overwhelming vote of 149 to 1, calling on the Dutch government and countries with similar ideas jointly to study the feasibility of supporting Taiwan’s participation in Interpol’s General Assembly.

On November 30, the Dutch House of Representatives passed two motions in support of Taiwan. Both actions happened on the same day. In the first, it was120 votes to 30 to call on the Dutch government not to accept the Chinese Communist Party’s unilateral change of the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, and 117 votes to 33 to urge the European Union to support Lithuania in strengthening its relations with Taiwan.

On November 30, the French National Assembly passed a non-binding cross-party resolution with a vote of 39 to 2, to support France’s continued diplomatic steps to support Taiwan’s participation in the work of international organizations, and in particular of the WHO.

On December 1, The Irish Senate passed without dissent a resolution condemning China for human rights abuses, supporting Taiwan’s participation in international organizations, and reaffirmed that reunification between China and Taiwan must not be sought by force. It also called on the Irish government to maintain its strong support for the personal and political liberties of the people of Taiwan, to increase its interaction with the government and people of Taiwan, including through the use of the EU Representative Office in Taiwan.

Sources:
1. Radio France International, November 23, 2021
https://www.rfi.fr/cn/国际/20211123-149票对1票-荷兰众院力挺台湾参与国际刑警组织
2. Epoch Times, December 1, 2021
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/12/1/n13409780.htm
3. Radio France International, November 30, 2021
https://www.rfi.fr/cn/法国/20211130-法国议会决议支持台湾参与重要国际组织
4. Central News Agency, December 2, 2021
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/aipl/202112020018.aspx