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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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China’s United Front Work’s Efforts to Weaken India

The Epoch Times reported that it has received information from several sources that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is using its United Front Work Department to lobby India’s scholars, news reporters, and companies. The goal is to weaken India and eventually force it to yield to the CCP.

The article reported several examples:

Some well-known Indian newspapers published whole-page commentaries by Sun Weidong, China’s Ambassador to India, on the issues of Tibet, Hong Kong, COVID-19, and the CCP’s 100th Anniversary. The purpose of these commentaries was to promote the CCP’s viewpoint. For example, The Hindu (one of India’s  main daily newspapers) published Sun’s commentary that Beijing’s passing the national security law in Hong Kong was good for India’s interests and therefore India should respect and support the CCP’s efforts in having passed this law in Hong Kong.

An anonymous New Delhi source said that China’s United Front Work Department has established groups to do lobbying in all key departments in every South Asian country.

The CCP is pushing its own leadership on Buddhism over its rival India. Ever since 2006, Beijing has hosted the World Buddhist Forum (WBF). The CCP controlled Panchen Lama gives a speech each time but the Dalai Lamar is never invited. Beijing even promoted its Belt & Road Initiative at the 2018 WBF conference.

Beijing is also promoting Lumbini in Nepal. Lumbini is the place where, according to Buddhist tradition, Queen Mahamayadevi gave birth to Siddhartha Gautama around 563. In promoting it as a main Buddhist site, Beijing is attempting to counter India which has the most important Buddhist pilgrimage centers. Beijing built the Zhong Hua Chinese Buddhist Monastery in Lumbini. The Asia Pacific Exchange and Cooperation (APEC) also has a 3-billion-dollar project for the Lumbini Recovery Plan.

The Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), under the CCP’s United Front Works Department, directs many friendship associations in other countries. When the world criticized the CCP for its national security law in Hong Kong, many friendship associations in South Asia published a joint statement to support the CCP. Also, when Beijing and India had a border clash, the India-China Friendship Association stated that it was “making every effort to promote peace (with China) among Indians.”

Source: Epoch Times, July 31, 2021
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/7/31/n13129773.htm

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

China’s New Regulation: Security Assessment Required for Sending Important Auto Data Overseas

China’s car sharing company Didi Chunxing was subject to a state security audit after its Initial Public Offering (IPO) in the United States in late June. Recently, Beijing issued new regulations requiring that important car data be stored within the country and that a security assessment be implemented before any data leaves China.

According to China’s state media such as Xinhua News Agency, the “automobile data security management regulations (for trial implementation),” effective October 1, 2021, were jointly promulgated by the State Internet Information Office of China, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, and the Ministry of Transportation.

The regulations state that, if there is a need to provide important data outside the country for business purposes, the auto data operator should implement a security assessment and should not let the data leave the country in violation of the security assessment. The operators are required to report such data activities in their annual report.

The regulations point out that the auto data carrier, when conducting important data processing activities, should follow the provisions of the risk assessment, and submit the security risk assessment report to local authorities. The national cyber authorities will spot-check the security assessment. Car data processors are supposed to cooperate.

Source: Central News Agency, August 20, 2021
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202108200133.aspx

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology

China-Africa Cyberspace Development and Cooperation Forum

According to China’s state media People’s Daily, on August 24, the State Internet Information Office of China, also known as the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) hosted a Forum on China-Africa Cyberspace Development and Cooperation. The Forum was held online.

Zhuang Rongwen, the head of CAC, China’s top regulator of cyberspace, proposed to promote the development of the digital economy and deepen tolerance and mutual trust with African countries. The initiative also included strengthening cyberspace governance, and a deepening of cooperation in the development of cyberspace. Zhuang explained that China has launched the “China-Africa Initiative on Building a Community of Common Destiny in Cyberspace” and welcomed the support and participation of African countries. In the coming three years, China will work with the African side to design practical cooperation initiatives in the digital field.

China’s National Computer Network Emergency Response Center (CNCERT) also signed a memorandum of cooperation with the National Computer Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRT) of the Benin Republic.

Source: People’s Daily, August 25, 2021
http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/html/2021-08/25/nw.D110000renmrb_20210825_10-03.htm

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Chip Shortage Will Impact China’s Production of 2 Million Cars

According to media based in China, the resurgence of the COVID-19 epidemic in Malaysia has led to the closure of several semiconductor factories and chip production has come to a halt. The industry estimates that up to 2 million units of vehicle production in China will be affected in August and September.

For example, Bosch, one of the world’s largest auto parts suppliers, has affected the production of nearly 900,000 vehicles in China in August because the company’s chip supply was cut off.

It is estimated that the impact on China’s GDP could be on a scale of trillions of Yuan, or hundreds of billions of U.S. dollars. Such a chip shortage may continue until next spring.

According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), China’s vehicle production in July was down by 1.863 million units, which is 15.5 percent below the same month last year. Chen Shihua, deputy secretary-general of CAAM said, “The shortage of chips has been affecting the domestic car market since June. As a result, domestic passenger car production and sales have fallen for three months in a row.”

Source: Central News Agency, August 20, 2021
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/firstnews/202108200292.aspx

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

BBC Chinese: Chinese Government Has Stake in ByteDance which Owns TikTok; Rubio Asked Biden to Ban TikTok

BBC Chinese Edition recently reported that, according to China’s official National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System, a Chinese company with a government background has invested in ByteDance, owning one percent of the shares. The name of the investor is Wangtou China (Beijing) Technology Co., Ltd. The company was owned by three Chinese state agencies. The company’s registration documents show that it is jointly owned by the China Internet Investment Fund, a subsidiary of China National Radio, and Beijing Cultural Investment Development Group. The China Internet Investment Fund was established by the National Internet Information Office and the Ministry of Finance. That level of stake allows it one seat on the board of ByteDance. ByteDance owns TikTok, which has 700 million international users, including 100 million U.S. users. The U.S. Trump administration issued two bans on TikTok, citing national security concerns. In June of this year, the U.S. Biden administration revoked a series of Trump era executive orders against TikTok. With the new Chinese government investment in ByteDance, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio issued a statement calling on Biden to ban TikTok again.

Source: BBC Chinese, August 20, 2021
https://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/chinese-news-58268021

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology US-China Relations

Young “Post-90” Chinese Aren’t Getting Married

According to official Chinese statistics, most young people born in the 1990s do not want to get married and the divorce rate among married people is nearly 35 percent. More and more families are single-person households.

The data that the China Ministry of Civil Affairs recently released shows that there are currently about 170 million people, born in the 1990s (the post-90s generation) in China, who have a male to female ratio of 54 to 46. This group has reached the age of marriage. The oldest post-90s are in their 30s, and the youngest post-90s are 22 years old. While between 70 and 80 million “post-90s” people were expected to register for marriage, fewer than 10 million “post-90s” couples have actually registered for marriage, which translates into a marriage rate of a little over 10 percent. Further, among the post-90s who are already married, the divorce rate is as high as 35 percent.

Chinese social media comments attribute the low marriage rate among post-90s people to high housing costs and low income. Most of the post-90s are the only child in the family. Once married, a young couple would need to support four elder parents and one young child. The cost can be prohibitive for many of those in the post-90s.

According to data from the Ministry of Civil Affairs, of all age groups, in 2019, marriage registrations in China fell by 8.5 percent year on year, while divorces rose by 5.4 percent in the same period. The data shows that the same trend has continued since 2015.

According to survey data released by the China National Bureau of Statistics in the China Statistical Yearbook, the result has been more families which are single-person households. One-person households have increased consecutively every year, from 13.15 percent in 2015 to 18.45 percent in 2019, .

Sources：

NetEase, August 18, 2021
https://www.163.com/dy/article/GHNH1D4D0534B9EY.html

Xinhua, July 14, 2021
http://www.xinhuanet.com/video/sjxw/2021-07/14/c_1211240405.htm

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Taliban Hopes China Will Contribute to the Reconstruction of Afghanistan

Popular Hong Kong new online media HK01 Network recently reported that, on August 19th, China Global Television Network (CGTN) of China Central Radio and Television, interviewed Suhail Shaheen, spokesperson for the Taliban in Afghanistan. When talking about rebuilding and maintaining peace in Afghanistan, Shaheen expressed the hope that, in the future, China can contribute to the reconstruction of Afghanistan. Shaheen mentioned that members of the Taliban have visited China many times and China has played a constructive role during the process of promoting peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan. Shaheen said that China appointed a special envoy to Afghanistan earlier, and the two parties kept in touch. Now, China has appointed a new special envoy to Afghanistan, and the connection remains. Recently, the Taliban delegation met with the new special envoy. The Taliban hopes that China will continue its contribution to the future of Afghanistan. “The Afghan people look forward to it,” he said. Shaheen also explained that, according to the current structure of the Taliban, Afghanistan will set up a governing committee in the future, and the new head of the government may be the leader of the Taliban.

Source: HK01, August 20, 2021
https://bit.ly/3y36BOm

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

UDN: China Plans to Require Companies Seeking U.S. IPO to Hand Over Data Control

United Daily News (UDN), one of the primary Taiwanese news groups, recently reported that the Mainland China regulatory authorities are considering mounting pressure on companies with a large volume of data. If companies want to go public in the United States, they must hand over data governance and supervision rights to a third-party. The Chinese regulatory authorities prefer the third-party information security companies to have a government background and to be responsible for managing and supervising the data owned by those companies that intend to conduct IPOs in the U.S. The method can effectively limit the IPO companies’ ability to transfer data to foreign countries. China worries that those companies may be forced to hand over some of their data to foreign institutions when listing overseas, which will undermine China’s national security. This plan is one of the several proposals being considered. In recent months, China has strengthened its control over domestic Internet platforms which caused a significant drop in the stock market and severely affected investor confidence.

Source: UDN, August 20, 2021
https://udn.com/news/story/7333/5688489

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations