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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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DW Chinese: Chinese Investments in the U.S. Dropped Sharply

Deutsche Welle Chinese Edition recently reported that the U.S. National Committee on U.S.-China Relations and the U.S. consulting firm Rhodium Group just jointly published the 2019 report on investment trends between the United States and China. With the background of a continuously worsening U.S.-China relationship, Chinese investments in the United States reached the lowest level since the global financial crisis a decade ago. The newly signed U.S.-China Phase One Trade Agreement brought some brightness to the future. However, the coronavirus is now casting a dark shadow for the near term. In the first quarter of this year, China’s direct investment in the U.S. declined to US$200 million, which is far less than the 2019 average quarterly investment level of US$2 billion. The Chinese investment in the U.S. saw declines before the coronavirus came. The causes were mainly the poor relationship between the two countries, strengthened U.S. regulations, and China’s restrictions on overseas investments.

Source: DW Chinese, May 12, 2020
https://bit.ly/3dQ3gbr

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

HKET: A Large Number of Chinese Mask Makers Went Bankrupt

Hong Kong Economic Times (HKET), the leading financial daily in Hong Kong, recently reported that a large number of Chinese mask manufacturers have filed for bankruptcy. With the spread of the coronavirus, the global demand for masks fueled a rush in China to manufacture more masks. However, most of the international customers have high quality requirements. This has led the Chinese government to enforce manufacturing standards that are much more strict in order to battle massive international returns. Tougher quality checks in China resulted in a sudden widespread bankruptcy of mask makers in China. An online video showed a huge pile of low-quality masks left in front of a factory in the city of Anqing, which is China’s primary manufacturing base for protective masks. Many mask companies in Anqing also stopped manufacturing because of the dramatic increase in the price of raw materials and manufacturing machinery. Now the masks produced there are very hard to export.

Source: HKET, May 6, 2020
https://bit.ly/2X3wqx5

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

ABC News Chinese: China Banned Imports from Four Australian Meat Providers

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) News, Chinese Edition, recently reported that China just announced a new import ban on four Australian meat providers, three of which are from Queensland and one from New South Wales. Most analysts expressed the belief that this new trade barrier is obviously retaliation against Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who insisted on an independent investigation into the source of COVID-19. The four companies banned are Kilcoy Pastoral, Beef City, Dinmore, and Northern Cooperative Meat. These four companies hold a 35 percent share of the total Australian beef exports to China, which is expected to be AU$3.5 billion (around US$2.25 billion) this year. The Australian government explained that the new ban is related to “highly technical” issues. Last month, the Chinese ambassador to Australia threatened that, if Australia were to investigate China’s handling of COVID-19, Chinese consumers might strongly resist Australian goods. Ironically, one of the companies, Kilcoy, is funded by Chinese investments. China is Australia’s largest trade partner.

Source: ABC News Chinese, May 12, 2020
https://www.abc.net.au/chinese/2020-05-12/china-trade-escalation-as-beef-farmers-are-targeted/12239690

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

70 Percent of Recent Global Times Front Page Editorials Target the U.S.

As the 2019 coronavirus epidemic continues its worldwide rampage, China’s official media has concentrated on criticizing the United States. Data collected by a Wechat account, a popular Chinese social media platform, shows that 70 percent of the front page editorials of Global Times, a daily tabloid newspaper under the Chinese Communist Party’s People’s Daily newspaper, with a focus on international issues, recently have been  targeting U.S.

According to its May 17 posting, the account, “yuguisuibi” by name, found that among the recent 40 Global Times’ daily front page editorials, titles of 29 articles carry the words “the United States.” The proportion is as high as 72.5 percent. The figure was, however, only 18, or 45 percent, out of 40 editorials over the same time period last year.

Among other titles, the wording “global” shows 3 times, “World” 4 times, and “G20” twice. In addition, “Britain” appeared once due to Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s infection.

Source: Central News Agency, May 18, 2020
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202005180030.aspx

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Dairy Product Companies’ Stock Prices Plunge Due to Latest Baby Milk Powder Scandal

On May 15, BBC Chinese reported that at least five children in Hunan Province, after drinking a protein beverage that is said to be suitable for babies, became “big headed dolls” with deformed skulls. They even beat their heads abnormally. Chinese authorities said on Thursday that the relevant merchants are suspected of “fraud” and will be severely punished. It was recommended these babies were  to drink a type of special medical milk powder. It was supposed to be for babies who are allergic to ordinary formula milk powder or are suffering from special diseases. In reality, the milk was no different from a protein drink. The false advertising led to malnutrition among the babies.

Sina reported on May 16 that the share price of a number of dairy product companies in China dropped. Among them, Flying Crane International Inc. (中国飞鹤) suffered the largest impact. Its stock price fell 10.22 percent, a loss of HKD 16 billion (US$2 billion).

Source:
BBC Chinese, May 15, 2020
https://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/chinese-news-52673203
Sina, May 16, 2020
https://finance.sina.cn/stock/relnews/hk/2020-05-16/detail-iircuyvi3407796.d.html?vt=4&cid=76524

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Hong Kong Police Force Recruitment Ads at Overseas Universities Are Faced with Protests from Hong Kong Students

Recently, the Hong Kong Police Force issued recruitment advertisements at universities in Australia but they were met with protests from the Hong Kong students studying in Australia. The students, who consider the Hong Kong Police Force to be a criminal organization, were outraged that the Hong Kong Police Force could even post job advertisements at Australia’s top universities.

SBS World News reported that the Hong Kong Police Force put up two job postings for Trainee Inspector on the career page of the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) in Australia. The job location is Hong Kong, with a monthly salary of 47,690 Hong Kong dollars (US$6,152).

Hong Kong students in Australia started making online protests immediately after the ads were posted. The Facebook group “NSW HongKongers” issued a joint petition on social media, asking the two universities to delete the Hong Kong police recruitment advertisements. NSW HongKongers also wrote a Facebook post and stated. “Similar recruitment advertisements have appeared on university websites all around the world. Many Hong Kong people believe that the Hong Kong police are working hard to recruit new forces from overseas students. In the past year, Hong Kong Police applicants decreased by 50 percent and more than 450 active police officers have opted out of the police force. The government has yet to respond to the Hong Kong people’s “five major demands.” The once highly respected Hong Kong Police Force has become just a branch of the CCP and will not truly serve Hong Kong and its people. Anyone with a conscience will not be willing to join. “Currently, after the students’ protests, the job postings were taken down from the university’s career opportunity pages.

According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the website of McMaster University, a public university in Ontario, Canada, has also published recruitment advertisements for the Hong Kong police. The recruitment advertisements there have also been withdrawn due to student protests.

Per information on the Website of the Hong Kong Police Force, the trainee inspector is the lowest inspector rank among the ranks of the Hong Kong police.

How Hong Kong police handled the large-scale demonstrations last year was widely criticized. Amnesty International alleged that police officers detained, beat and tortured arrested persons arbitrarily and used excessive force. The survey data showed that Hong Kong people’s confidence in the police has dropped to a record low.

Source: Secret China, May 17, 2020
https://www.secretchina.com/news/gb/2020/05/17/933510.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Diplomacy: Trump Said He Does Not Want to Talk to Xi Jinping

On May 14, in an interview with Fox Business Network, President Trump said he was very disappointed with China’s failure to contain the disease and that the pandemic had cast a pall over his January trade deal with Beijing, which he previously hailed as a major achievement.

Trump said, “They should have never let this happen. So I make a great trade deal and now I say this doesn’t feel the same to me. The ink was barely dry and the plague came over. And it doesn’t feel the same to me.”

Referring to Xi Jinping, Trump said, “But I just – right now I don’t want to speak to him.”

When he was asked about a Republican senator’s suggestion to deny visas to Chinese students applying to study in fields related to national security, such as quantum computing and artificial intelligence, Trump replied, “There are many things we could do. We could do things. We could cut off the whole relationship.”

“Now, if you did, what would happen? You’d save $500 billion,” Trump said, referring to estimated U.S. annual imports from China, which he often refers to as lost money.

Related postings on Chinascope:

Source: Reuters, May 14, 2020
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-china/trump-says-doesnt-want-to-talk-to-xi-right-now-could-even-cut-china-ties-idUSKBN22Q2BD

Hot Topics | | |   Social Stability

World against the CCP: Pompeo Criticized CCP for Attempting to Steal U.S. Vaccine

On May 13, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security issued a warning that Chinese hackers and spies were using the coronavirus pandemic as a cover to shield their clandestine cyberattacks. The hackers attempted to steal research on the coronavirus, including the vaccine, the treatment, testing, and public health information.

On May 14, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo denounced China for its hacking activities. “The United States condemns attempts by cyber actors and non-traditional collectors affiliated with the People’s Republic of China to steal US intellectual property and data related to COVID-19 research. The United States calls on the PRC to cease this malicious activity.”

Related postings on Chinascope:

Source: New York Post, May 14, 2020
https://nypost.com/2020/05/14/pompeo-rips-china-over-alleged-hacking-of-covid-19-research/

Hot Topics | | |   Social Stability