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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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Internal Documents: Persecution of Falun Gong Is Part of Chinese Government’s Daily Business

The Epoch Times recently obtained a number of internal documents from different provinces in China. The documents show that the persecution of Falun Gong has been integrated into the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) routine activities, including the officials’ performance assessment, “combating pornography and illegal publications” work, “rural revitalization” activities, and even the recent epidemic prevention and control work.

“The 2019 Evaluation Indicators and Scoring Standards for Provincial City Leadership’s Career Development” and the “2019 Evaluation Indicators and Scoring Standards for Provincial City Leadership’s Party Buildup Work” are two documents that the Anhui provincial government issued  and which were forwarded by one of its subordinate city government staff members. “Party buildup” refers to the official’s work to expand the CCP organizations across the whole society. On the list of activities that are used to evaluate the performance of an official, two items explicitly mentioned Falun Gong. One item said, “conduct searches and solidly collect information on the ‘evil cult’, organize special campaigns to prevent and crack down on ‘Falun Gong’ and other ‘evil cult’ organizations, educate and control key ‘evil cult’ personnel during important activities and sensitive periods.” The other said “conduct in-depth conversion of ‘Falun Gong’ and other ‘evil cult’ members.”

The Chinese regime has been demonizing Falun Gong as an ‘evil cult’ ever since its persecution campaign started in 1999. The “conversion” here usually refers to using any and every means to force Falun Gong practitioners to give up their spiritual practice. These means often include coercion and physical torture.

“Incorporate ‘combating pornography and illegal publications’ into grassroots law and order work” is a document that the Wuhu city government in Anhui province issued. The document mentions the ability to “discover the clues about illegal publications that involve political and religious (evil cult) illegal propaganda.” The date of signing of the document was August 6, 2020. Falun Gong books were banned in mainland China right after the persecution was launched.

The persecution of Falun Gong is also part of the CCP’s “rural revitalization” work in Fuyang city, Anhui province. The mention of the crackdown on Falun Gong has appeared in internal documents such as the “2018 Fuyang Municipal CCP Committee’s Opinion on Promoting the Rural Revitalization Strategy,” and the “2018 Fuyang Municipal CCP Committee’s Opinions on Prioritizing the Agricultural and Rural Development and Doing a Good Job for Agriculture, for the Countryside and for Farmers.” The “Countryside Law and Order” section says to “crack down harshly on the infiltration into rural areas of hostile forces, ‘evil cult’ organizations, and illegal religious activities.” According to incomplete statistics from Falun Gong’s overseas website Minghui.org, between April 1, 2019, and May 10, 2019, 17 Falun Gong practitioners were captured in Fuyang city.

The Epoch Times also obtained internal documents from the Guye District of Tangshan city, Hubei province, and Huocheng County, Xinjiang autonomous region. The persecution of Falun Gong is mentioned as part of local governments’ daily obligations.

Source: The Epoch Times, August 30, 2020
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/20/8/30/n12367319.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Beijing Alleges Inner Mongolia Protesters “Incited by Overseas Forces”

The People of Inner Mongolia in China recently launched large-scale rallies to demand that the authorities cancel the so-called bilingual education to be implemented in the region in the new school year. [Editor’s note: three core subjects in Inner Mongolia are supposed to be taught in Mandarin, China’s official language. Many ethnic Mongolians view the move as a threat to their cultural identity.]

However, the authorities have refused to give in. According to Mongolian herders, the government has blamed the large-scale protests on “being incited by overseas forces.”

A Mongolian scholar Aricha told Radio Free Asia (RFA) that the roads between several banners and counties were blocked and the communications between the parents and teachers were severed. In addition, the authorities are searching for and arresting the demonstrators. A large number of armored personnel vehicles have been seen on the streets every day.

On Wednesday September 2, the police of Horqin Left Rear Banner issued a notice that demanded nine suspects to surrender. The police alleged that the nine persons mentioned gathered in elementary and middle schools in a number of towns in the Banner between August 28 and 30, and were suspected of breaking the law. Everyone who gives information to the authorities is rewarded with RMB 1,000 (US$146).

Farmers and herdsmen from Urad Middle Banner and Hure Banner in Tongliao City told RFA that to express their opposition, the vast majority of parents refused to send their children to school. In recent days, classrooms in Mongolian schools have been empty. In Hinggan League and Ulanhot, the local police are hunting down Mongolian students and forcing them to return to school.

The Urad Central Banner issued an “emergency notice” to all towns and villages, ordering Mongolian public servants to take their children to school before Wednesday evening to report. Those who do not attend school before noon on Thursday (September 3) will be subject to disciplinary sanctions and be expelled directly.

Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, former President of Mongolia, issued a video statement to urge the Chinese government to respect the ethnic rights of Mongolians to maintain their mother tongue and called on Mongolians around the world to show support.

Source: Radio Free Asia, September 3, 2020
https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/textbook-09032020075137.html

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

New add-on to China’s Social Credit System: Suzhou’s “Civilization Code”

Media in China reported that Suzhou, a city west of Shanghai, introduced a “Civilization Code” on September 3rd. It consists of a “civil transport index” and a “volunteer index,” with more indices and functions to be added in the future.

The civil transport index relates to manners on the road, such as traffic violations and voluntarily assisting with traffic duty, while the volunteer index is a measure of the degree of involvement in voluntary work, which the local authorities say aims to help strengthen awareness of social responsibilities and duty.

During the earlier days of the covid-19 epidemic outbreak, China introduced a “health code” to identify people’s health status and their movements. This invited widespread concern over the issues of privacy and social control. The new measure announced by the Suzhou city government also went viral in China’s cyber space.

People questioned on WeChat whether “scores” could actually quantify the degree of civilization. Others compared this to the British sci-fi series Black Mirror where there was a scoring system to distinguish good people from bad ones.

In 2014, the State Council issued the Planning Outline for the Construction of a Social Credit System. The main objectives were as follows. By the year 2020, to have established basic fundamental laws, regulations and standard systems for social credit and to have completed a credit investigation system that would cover the entire society with credit information and resource sharing as the basis. This would represent the basic completion of the credit supervision and management systems.

Source: Central News Agency, September 5, 2020
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202009050206.aspx

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

China-Argentina ‘Pig Deal’ Sparks Protests

Argentina’s citizens, including environmental and animal rights groups, are protesting a pork investment and export deal with China, a $3.5 billion agreement that makes Argentina the largest pork supplier for China. More than 200,000 people also signed an online petition to oppose the plan. As a result of the public pressure, the Argentine authorities have postponed signing the memorandum of understanding with China.

Activists accused the authorities of causing ecological damage. In the Atlantic coastal city of Mar del Plata, Juliet Paladino, a member of the environmental organization, told local media that Argentina does not have enough grain to feed the pigs. “This will mean more land to grow genetically modified corn, the destruction of wetlands and a number of protected areas. This agreement will destroy us.”

A press release that the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued on July 6 mentioned the goal of an increase in the country’s pig production of 9 million tons in four years, 14 times the current output of 630,000 tons in 2019. China plans to invest US$3.5 billion within two to three years and build 25 local farms. Each will raise 12,000 pigs. The entire industrial chain includes fodder production plants, waste treatment and conversion tanks, slaughterhouses, and packaging and export factories.

Biologist Guillermo Folguera at the University of Buenos Aires (Universidad de Buenos Aires) told the BBC that such projects are likely to lead to (more of) “the zoonotic diseases we are currently experiencing.” He explained that intensively raised animals and the large number of chemicals and antibiotics may bring considerable risks. To a large extent, it is because of the outbreak of African swine fever that China has “outsourced” this risk to other countries.

China is the world’s largest producer and consumer of pigs. The number of live pigs once exceeded 440 million, almost half of the global stock. However, since 2018, the sudden outbreak of African swine fever has forced China to cull millions of pigs. Many farmers have stopped raising pigs, and China’s pork production has fallen by more than half.

Professor Folguera added that similar cases in countries such as Chile, Mexico and Spain show that such giant factories will lead to serious pollution of air, water and land. The pollutants include ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and antibiotics.

Argentine environmental writer Soledad Barruti worries about water consumption, as 6000 liters of water are needed to produce a kilogram of pork. “We not only export meat, but also millions of liters of water, but no one pays for it. Another problem is the waste and toxins produced by millions of animals.”

For years, China has been Argentina’s largest market for agricultural product and beef exports. In 2019, Argentina exported more than 630,000 tons of beef to China, accounting for three-quarters of its total beef exports. The cooperation between the two countries goes beyond agriculture. In April, China replaced Brazil and became Argentina’s largest trading partner. As early as 2014, when China proposed the “Belt and Road” initiative, then Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner already set her sights on the East after the government defaulted on US$100 billion of international debt. The two sides quickly finalized a number of projects involving cooperation, such as railways and nuclear power plants.

After Mauricio Macri, who tends to be conservative, came to power, he stopped or began to review a number of Chinese-funded projects. The relationship between the two countries temporarily cooled down.

When Alberto Fernández was elected President last year, the Argentine government restarted the Patagonia dam project. In July, he approved China’s space station project in Neuquén, South Argentina, an agreement reached with Christina Fernandez in 2014. Not long ago, a well-known local media Revista News (Revista News) used “ArgenChina” on the cover to describe the close relationship between the two countries. The background is a picture where President Alberto Fernandez wears a Chinese style bamboo hat.

Source: BBC Chinese, September 4, 2020
https://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/world-54008386

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

CCP: Xi Jinping’s Latest Speech: Five Musts and Five Never Agrees

On September 3, 2020, CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered a speech at an event held in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The purpose was to commemorate the end of World War II, 75 years ago. The Chinese Communist Party News reported on it under the headline “Xi Jinping’s Latest Speech Lights up the Road Forward.”

In his speech, Xi talked about five “musts” and five “never agrees.”

The five “musts” are:

  • “To achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, we must uphold the leadership of the Communist Party of China.”
  • “To achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, we must adhere to the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.”
  • “To achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, we must insist on putting the people at the center.”
  • “To achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, we must persist in the spirit of struggle.”
  • “To achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, we must unswervingly follow the path of peaceful development.”

The five “never agrees” are:

  • “The Chinese people will never accept any attempt by anyone or any force to alter the history of the Chinese Communist Party and vilify the nature and purpose of the Chinese Communist Party!”
  • “The Chinese people will never accept any attempt by anyone or any force to distort and change the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, or to deny or vilify the great achievements of the Chinese people in building socialism!”
  • “The Chinese people will never accept any attempt by anyone or any force to split the Communist Party of China from the Chinese people and have them oppose each other!”
  • “The Chinese people will never accept any attempt by anyone or any force to impose their will on China through bullying, to change the direction of China’s progress, and obstruct the efforts of the Chinese people to create their own beautiful life!”
  • “The Chinese people will never accept any attempt by anyone or any force to undermine the peaceful life and development rights of the Chinese people, undermine the exchanges and cooperation between the Chinese people and the people of other countries, or undermine the noble cause of human peace and development!”

Source: Chinese Communist Party News, September 4, 2020.
http://cpc.people.com.cn/n1/2020/0904/c164113-31848883.html

 

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

RFI Chinese: The Chinese “Yiwu Index” Points to a Trump Win

Radio France Internationale (RFI) Chinese Edition recently reported that China’s unofficial “Yiwu Index” is spreading a wave of indicators across the Chinese language Web (the Mainland, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore), pointing to a Trump win. Yiwu is a Chinese town in the Zhejiang Province. It is where most of the world’s small goods are manufactured and wholesaled. This includes campaign goods like flags and buttons that are used across the world’s political landscape. According to reports from major Mainland (Tencent News), Singapore (Lianhe Zaobao) and Taiwanese (CNA) news media, just counting a single 5-square-meter wholesale counter, the owner Li Qingxiang has sold over 100,000 “Trump 2020” 5 inch x 3 inch flags alone. Only a couple of thousand same-size Biden flags have been sold. Li said, “The orders don’t lie.” Another Yiwu salesman, Zhou, revealed that, since the winter of 2019, he has been receiving “continuous Trump flag orders” with more than ten patterns. Biden flags have only one pattern with less than one fifth of the order volume, and the orders only started coming in since February. Fairly early, the Yiwu Index had correctly predicted the 2016 U.S. election result.

Source: RFI Chinese, September 1, 2020
https://bit.ly/2ZaGvdy

Briefings | | |   Grapevine

Micron Announced Cut-Off of Supply to Huawei

Well-known Chinese news site NetEase (NASDAQ: NTES) recently reported that Micron, Huawei’s sole primary memory and flash memory supplier for 20 years, announced compliance with the U.S. ban on Huawei. This is another major blow to Huawei’s supply chain after TSMC’s similar announcement. Micron is the world’s largest semiconductor memory vendor. Micron, Samsung and Hynix together own 95 percent of the world’s DRAM market. Micron is also one of the six vendors that together hold 99 percent of the world’s NAND flash memory market. The only hope Huawei has now is to obtain domestic support from Yangtze Memory Technologies for NAND, ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) for DRAM, and Jinhua Integrated Circuit (JHICC) for DRAM. However, the U.S. already banned JHICC in 2018, due to a lawsuit that Micron filed for unauthorized use of intellectual properties. Yangtze Memory’s manufacturing process depends heavily on high-end equipment like the mask aligners from the Netherland’s SAML, which also uses U.S technology. If the U.S. blacklists the other two Chinese domestic suppliers, Huawei will face a death sentence on the memory side too, in addition to the central processing chips.

Source: NetEase, September 2, 2020
http://dy.163.com/article/FLJ48FM70517M7S3.html

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology US-China Relations

Google and Facebook Gave Up on Hong Kong Submarine Cable Plan

Well-known Chinese news site Sohu (NASDAQ: SOHU) recently reported that the Google and Facebook joint venture plan of laying new submarine cable now officially dropped the U.S.-to-Hong Kong segment. The two quickly adjusted and submitted a new plan to connect with the Philippines and Taiwan. The adjusted pacific fiber cable plan eliminated the earlier partner named Pacific Optical Data Communications, headquartered in Hong Kong. The move was in response to the objection from multiple U.S. government organizations, including the FCC and the Justice Department, as well as several U.S. national security agencies. In April, Google obtained a six-month temporary permit to proceed. The new plan is the official amendment to the original application. The FCC confirmed the national security concerns. Google validated the report and ensured the public that the application is going through the proper channels for final approval. A Facebook representative encouraged people to check the official FCC filing information for more details.

Source: Sohu, August 30, 2020
https://www.sohu.com/a/415573819_99956743

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend Information/Technology US-China Relations