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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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Pay Cuts and Hiring Freezes as Fiscal Deficits Plague Local Governments

The government of Hegang, a city in China’s northwestern province of Heilongjiang, announced on December 23 that, “Due to the fiscal restructuring plan, the financial situation has changed significantly.” As a result, the city government of Hegang decided to suspend the recruitment of grassroots-level staff.”

The web announcement, according to the mainland newspaper National Business Daily, shows income has shrunk. The result is an ever-widening gap between revenues and expenditures. Debt financing has become the survival mode for some local governments.

As of October 2021, the balance of total local government debt in China reached 29.65 trillion yuan (US$ 4.65 trillion). Only five provinces – Shanghai, Guangdong, Beijing, Zhejiang and Jiangsu – have a debt-over-GDP ratio below the red line of 100 percent. Four provinces, including Qinghai, Heilongjiang, Ningxia and Inner Mongolia, have local debt ratios over 300 percent, with Qinghai being above 500 percent.

Days ago, the Hong Kong media also reported that a number of provinces and cities in China have cut the pay of civil servants at a rate between 20 and 30 percent.

Source: Central News Agency, December 28, 2021
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202112280146.aspxD

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Communist Party’s Rural Work Conference Emphasizes Food Security

China’s official Xinhua News Agency reported that the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) Central Rural Work Conference took place in Beijing on January 25 and 26. The agenda focused on agriculture and rural areas in the year of 2022. CCP Chairman Xi Jinping said at the meeting, “The rice bowl of the Chinese people must be firmly in their own hands at all times.”

The meeting highlighted two issues:  food security and no falling back into poverty on a large scale. Emphasis was put on grain production and on the supply of important agricultural products to ensure at least 650 billion kilograms of total output in 2022.

China is the largest buyer of U.S. soybeans. On December 22, the Chinese website of Japan’s Nikkei cited a projection from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that China’s reserve of corn and other major grain stocks will account for more than half of the world’s total. With a population that is less than 20 percent of the world, China’s massive hoarding of grain is quite eye-catching.

Source: People’s Daily, December 27, 2021
http://papTer.people.com.cn/rmrb/html/2021-12/27/nw.D110000renmrb_20211227_1-01.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

China Mandates Qualification Exams for Performing Artists, Including Those from Taiwan

The Chinese authorities have introduced new rules to discipline the performing arts industry, requiring performing arts agents to pass a qualification examination by March of next year. This law also applies to Taiwanese who want to engage in the performing arts business in mainland China. The candidates must support the mainland “constitution” and exhibit good “political quality.”

On December 24, China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism issued a revision of “Measures for the Management of Performing Arts Agents.” It stated that the purpose of the new version is to further strengthen the management and regulation of performing arts agents and clarify the required professional qualifications.

The “Measures” specify how the qualification examinations are organized. They will be carried out nationwide on an annual basis; and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism will then issue qualification certificates.

There are four prerequisites for the exam takers: 1) Citizenship in the People’s Republic of China. 2) “Upholding the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China and exhibiting good political quality, business skills and moral character.”3) An education level of senior in a secondary school, or secondary professional school or above. 4) A natural person at least 18 years of age with full civil capacity.

The “Measures” provide that the regulation applies to “Chinese citizens of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Macao Special Administrative Region and residents of Taiwan in order for them to participate in the performing arts agent qualification examination.”

Source: Radio France International, December 26, 2021
https://rfi.my/81vx

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Lianhe Zaobao: China Is Helping Saudi Arabia Make Ballistic Missiles

Singapore’s primary Chinese language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao recently reported that, according to U.S. Cable News Network (CNN), U.S. intelligence agencies said that Saudi Arabia is actively developing domestically produced ballistic missiles with the assistance of China. This development may cause a major chain reaction throughout the Middle East. The latest satellite images show that Saudi Arabia is currently manufacturing missiles. At a minimum one site is funded by China. Weapons experts at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies expressed the belief that, considering the facility was built with China’s assistance and new intelligence assessments show Saudi Arabia has recently purchased sensitive ballistic missile technology from China, China may have designed the missiles made there. Sources familiar with the matter said that U.S. officials from multiple agencies, including the White House National Security Council (NSC), have been informed in recent months that classified intelligence has shown that China and Saudi Arabia have conducted multiple large-scale transfers of sensitive ballistic missile technology. Both the NSC and the CIA declined to comment on this piece. If Saudi Arabia successfully develops and manufactures missiles, Iran will be unlikely to agree to stop manufacturing missiles. It will also become more difficult for the Biden administration to limit Iran’s ambitions to manufacture nuclear weapons.

Source: Lianhe Zaobao, December 24, 2021
https://www.zaobao.com.sg/realtime/china/story20211224-1226128

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

BBC Chinese: Pro-Mainland Candidates Won Almost All Seats in HK Legislative Council Elections

BBC Chinese recently reported that the results of the Hong Kong Legislative Council election were released on December 20. Eighty-nine of the ninety seats were captured by pro-mainland candidates. Only the social welfare functional constituency seat was filled by the candidate who claimed not to be pro-mainland. This is the first election in Hong Kong after the implementation of the HK National Security Law and after drastically revising the election system to implement “Patriots Run Hong Kong.” Nathan Law, the former Hong Kong Legislative Council member in exile, said that the low voter turnout rate indicates that the Hong Kong people are “boycotting” this election. It is a strong signal to the international community showing that the people of Hong Kong do not have free and fair elections. The district direct-elections had a turnout rate of 30 percent. Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam said that the Hong Kong government has not set a target for turnout rate. Experts explained that the low voter turnout was expected because the pro-democracy supporters do not have their favorite candidates available (to vote for) and the real opposition has either been jailed or has gone into exile. They have no way to participate in the current system.

Source: BBC Chinese, December 20, 2021
https://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/chinese-news-59723776

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

LTN: Chinese Diplomat Banned on Facebook; Sought an Explanation

Well-known Taiwanese Newspaper Liberty Times Network (LTN) recently reported that Zhang Heqing, a Chinese diplomat in Pakistan, tweeted on December 22nd that both his Facebook account and page were disabled. He asked Facebook for an explanation. Zhang also said he believes Facebook will never give him a reason as per security and safety reasons. He commented on Facebook’s Twitter account and said, “I need an answer.” However, since China blocks the public from using Twitter and Facebook, netizens also bombarded Zhang’s tweet. Some questioned why he had a Facebook account when the Chinese government has banned the use of Facebook. Some asked, “Didn’t China block Facebook first?” Some tried to find out: “What are you doing on Facebook when you prohibit your people from freely using this same platform?” Some complained saying, “My posts about Tibet, Xinjiang and Hong Kong on Weibo and WeChat have also been deleted, and I was not given a reason either.” Some hoped Zhang would be blocked by Twitter too, just like Facebook.

Source: LTN, December 23, 2021
https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/breakingnews/3777406

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Kyodo Chinese: Japan and the U.S. Drafted Combat Plans for Emergencies in Taiwan

Major Japanese news agency Kyodo recently reported in its Chinese edition that sources close to the Japanese government have confirmed that the Japanese military and the U.S. military have formulated a draft of a new Japan-U.S. joint operations plan that envisages emergencies in Taiwan. The contents include that, in the initial stage of the emergency, the U.S. Marine Corps will set up temporary military bases for offensive purposes on the Ryukyu Islands – from Kagoshima Prefecture to Okinawa Prefecture. Local residents are likely to be involved in the fighting. It is expected that, at the Japan-U.S. Security Consultative Committee (2+2) meeting attended by foreign affairs and defense ministers to be held early next year, a consensus will be reached on officially starting operations for the formal formulation of plans. Normally, no new bases would be built. However, in the initial stage as the urgency of emergencies in Taiwan increases, the U.S. troops will be deployed with the support of the Japanese military. The establishment of U.S. military bases in Japan requires the Japanese government to make policy decisions and improve relevant laws on land use and protection of local residents. In the joint statement of the Japan-US summit meeting in April this year, Taiwan Strait Stability was included after about half a century. The two sides secretly advanced discussions on the formulation of a joint combat plan.

Source: Kyodo Chinese, December 23, 2021
https://china.kyodonews.net/news/2021/12/544994c0a929.html

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

China Restricts Christmas Gatherings and Bans Online Religious Messages and Fundraising

On Christmas Eve, Chinese government officials banned Christmas gatherings on the grounds of the epidemic. Meanwhile, five state agencies issued new regulations to prohibit online religious information and fundraising in the latest effort to prevent the spread of Western values.

Church gatherings to celebrate Christmas are restricted. The implementation differs in different places. Authorities at some locations may adjust the number of restrictions at any time. If a church has large events on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, it must report them and obtain prior approval from the authorities.

On December 20, 2021, Rong’an County Education Bureau in Guangxi Province issued a notice prohibiting any “Western Festivals” in primary and secondary schools. Some young people follow Western values and lifestyles, which Western developed countries promote in China using technology. “In accordance with the directives from higher authorities, the Rong’an Education Bureau decided to prohibit teachers and students from organizing any sort of “Western festivals” or celebrations on and off-campus.

Also, on December 20, five state agencies, the State Administration of Religious Affairs, the State Internet Information Office, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, and the Ministry of National Security jointly issued the “Administrative Measures for Internet Religious Information Services.”

The new regulation, dated December 3, 2021, bans any organization or individual from uploading, publishing, forwarding, or spreading religious content on the Internet. No spiritual information may be provided in the form of text, pictures, audio, or video on websites, applications, forums, blogs, microblogs, public accounts, instant messaging tools, webcasts, or anything related.

“Overseas organizations or individuals and their organizations established in China shall not engage in Internet religious information services in China.”

The new regulation, effective on March 1, 2022, states that the religious groups with an “Internet Religious Information Service Permit” may only use their own websites, applications, forums, and other means, for spiritual information. The religious content must guide people to love the country and abide by the law when doing so. Further, the new regulation prohibits online fundraising for religious groups.

Sources:

1.)  Christian Network, December 22, 2021
http://www.jidunet.cn/article/44/59012.html

2.) Radio Free Asia, December 21, 2021
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shehui/ql1-12222021035030.html

3.) China National Religious Affairs Administration, December 20, 2021
http://www.sara.gov.cn/bmgz/364755.jhtml

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics