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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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Internet Report: Chinese Embassy Is Involved in the U.S. Riots

A YouTube video indicated that the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. is involved in the U.S. Riots.

The video clip at time 1:05 to 1:18 shows that protesters were throwing stones and the police fired tear gas. The host said that it was in front the White House in the evening on May 31. A Chinese voice shouted out, “Leave quickly! Leave, Leave, Leave, Leave, Leave!” (“快走！走、走、走、走、走！“)

The author of the video tweeted on his Twitter account “@一剑飘尘06” with a link to the video. His tweet said,

“Major Breaking News: The Chinese military attaché is related to the White House riots! The Chinese words ‘leave quickly’ (were recorded) on the spot and (it showed that) the Chinese Consulate had arranged for the thugs presence! Clear evidence! The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is behind the unrest in the U.S. How could (the CCP) be so unscrupulous? Is this a problem of the (communist) system? Can the U.S. government legally repress (the riots)?”

The author also posted a screenshot of a statement from WeChat that he said a netizen in Washington, DC provided to him. It was about a WeChat conversation among people at the Chinese Embassy. The conversation read as follows:

“Who shouted in Chinese on the site? Didn’t we say that (our people should) stay at the back and remain low key, and just leave after finishing (the work)?”

“Yeah, shouted very loudly. Now the video is spreading all over the U.S.”

“Military Attaché Zhang also went to the site. None of these people followed discipline.”

A comment after the Tweet said, “The Military Attaché at the China’s Embassy indeed has the surname Zhang. Major General Zhang Li once served as an attaché in China’s Embassy in Thailand. He became an attaché (in Washington) in 2018.”

Radio France International also reported the “leave quickly” video. It also reported that a Tweet by account “@魏歌” said that the U.S. police arrested three Chinese students during the riot in Santa Monica, California. The students admitted that the local Chinese consulate directed them to parade along with the African Americans and stir up looting, to “carry forward their patriotism and make new contributions for the CCP and China.”

It also reported that some Chinese students posted Louis Vuitton bags on the Internet. They looted the bags during the riots. One student said, “I love the CCP and I love my motherland. The U.S. owes our China many debts. Just a few bags; they don’t need to be so stingy.”

Sources:

1. YouTube

2. Twitter, Account @一剑飘尘06, June 2, 2020


3. Screenshot of the WeChat conversation:

4. Radio France International, June 4, 2020
http://www.rfi.fr/cn/中国/20200604-中国留学生参加西雅图暴徒抢劫-美国非裔骚乱可见中国人身影

Hot Topics | | |   Social Stability

Beijing’s New Central Leading, not Coordination, Group for Hong Kong and Macau Affairs

After the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Coordination Group for Hong Kong and Macau Affairs was recently elevated to the Central Leading Group for Hong Kong and Macau Affairs, the group leader Han Zheng met with Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam in Beijing. According to Beijing’s mouthpiece, the Xinhua News Agency, Han said that the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, China’s rubber-stamp law making body, will pass laws in the next step to “punish the very few people who commit serious crimes and activities that endanger national security.”

Other attendees at the meeting were Zhao Kezhi, deputy head of the Leading Group and Minister of Public Security, and Xia Baolong, Vice Chair of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and another deputy head of the Leading Group.

This was the first appearance of the Central Leading Group for Hong Kong and Macau Affairs. In 2003, the CCP set up the Central Coordination Group for Hong Kong and Macau Affairs, the coordination mechanism for Hong Kong and Macao issues. Han Zheng, Vice Premier of the State Council, has been the head of the Coordination Group since 2018.

Liu Zhaojia from the Beijing based China Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, said that this organizational change, from Coordination Group to Leading Group, shows that Beijing is now exerting a higher authority to direct relevant ministries and agencies to deal with the Hong Kong issue. In the organizational structure of the Chinese Communist Party, “Commission” stays at the highest level, followed by “Leadership Group”, then by “Coordination Group.” At present, Hong Kong has been involved in the game play between China and the US, so the elevation of the body along the power ladder is no surprise.

Source: Central News Agency, June 3, 2020
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202006030370.aspx

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Beijing’s Top Security Apparatus Considers Necessity of Setting up Agency in Hong Kong

Article 4 of the Hong Kong national security law, which Beijing recently approved, requires Hong Kong to establish institutions to protect national security and provides for a central government presence in Hong Kong to maintain national security.

The Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission is the Chinese Communist Party’s top apparatus that oversees all legal enforcement authorities, including the police force. Its official website states that it is very necessary for the central government to establish dedicated agencies in Hong Kong. “In the national security arena of Hong Kong, one should not only ‘set up defense lines’ but should also ‘pitch camp.’ Both are necessary and effective means to perform the duties of maintaining national security.”

The article also explained two adjustments in the draft of the bill. The article points to the revision that adds the word “activities” after the “conduct” so that the term becomes “conduct and activities that endanger national security.” The addition allows not only personal conduct but also organized activities (to be covered), making the coverage of the law “more precise.”

The article claimed that the change will mean those “who engage in division, subversion, terrorist acts and activities will not take a chance, and the law shall not be challenged.”

In the sentence that the Chief Executive of Hong Kong should “carry out promotion and education of national security,” the word “promotion” is deleted. The article considers the change to be an emphasis on the attitude toward national security education. “National security education should not stop with propaganda; it should have a real effect and enter the heart of every Hong Kong citizen.”

Source: Central News Agency, May 30, 2020
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202005300229.aspx

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

China to Increase the Proportion of New Graduates among the Military Recruits

China’s Ministry of Education and the National Defense Mobilization Department under the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) Central Military Commission (CMC) jointly issued a notice on enlisting college graduates in 2020. The notice requires that the recruitment offices and education departments (education committees) of the governments of all provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) give a top priority to college graduates when recruiting for the military. The notice also asked to optimize the structure of the recruits from the college graduates by increasing the proportion of recent graduates, so as to furnish the military with more high-quality soldiers. Local governments have been told to set up medical check-up stations that accommodate the current epidemic prevention and control, and establish an unimpeded green channel for college graduates to enlist in the military.

Source: People’s Daily, June 3, 3020
http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/html/2020-06/03/nw.D110000renmrb_20200603_4-06.htm

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

China’s Premier: 600 Million Have a Monthly Income of US$140

China’s Premier Li Keqiang said at a press conference that China is a developing a country with a large population, with an average annual per capita disposable income of 30,000 yuan (US$4,213.30). There are 600 million people who have low and middle incomes, whose average monthly income is merely 1,000 yuan (US$ 140.40).

Li Keqiang added, “It may be difficult even to rent an apartment with income of 1,000 yuan in a medium-sized city.” Li promised to make people’s livelihood a high priority.

According to People’s Daily, the Chinese Communist Party’s mouthpiece, a Chinese and foreign press conferences was held on the afternoon of the 28th, after the closing of the 13th National People’s Congress of China. It was when the media questioned Li Keqiang that he made the above remarks.

Li Keqiang said that the task of poverty alleviation is a “sophisticated commitment” that the CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping made to the entire society and that it must be completed as scheduled this year. Originally, there were 5 million people living in poverty. Under the impact of this epidemic, some more people may have fallen back to poverty, and the task of poverty alleviation has become even tougher.

Source: Central News Agency, May 29, 2020
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202005290046.aspx

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

LTN: For HK, China Is Betting on the International Community Staying with Lip Services Only

Major Taiwanese news network Liberty Times Network (LTN) recently reported that Beijing’s new HK National Security Law sent a shockwave across the world. However, Beijing probably did not make this decision casually or in a hurry. Instead, this could very likely have been a carefully calculated move based on the bet that Beijing may not pay a geopolitical price. The international community has frequently condemned Beijing’s rude and unlawful activities, but rarely did people see tangible action taken against Communist China as a meaningful punishment. While the whole world is busy dealing with the pandemic, Beijing has been knocking down fishing ships near Vietnam, attacking the newly elected Taiwanese president, and confronting Indian troops on India’s border in the Himalayas. Since President Xi Jinping came into power, China has stopped the model of quietly raising its soft power globally. China is now no longer a country that feels ashamed of being a dictatorship. Instead it is betting that the world will once again just do lip service and China will not face any real punishment.

Source: LTN, May 25, 2020
https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/breakingnews/3176756

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

RFI Chinese: The British Prime Minister to Reduce Huawei 5G Involvement to Zero

Radio France Internationale (RFI) Chinese Edition recently reported that, based on British sources, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson asked his government to prepare a new plan, in the next three years, to reduce Huawei’s involvement in the nation’s 5G infrastructure development to zero. Several things triggered this new move. One was the increasing pressure from within the Conservative Party on national security concerns. The second was the British general public’s distrust of the Chinese government as a result of the widespread damage that the coronavirus caused. The earlier British plan of keeping a percentage of Huawei involvement had already disappointed Washington and cast a shadow on the intelligence-sharing among Western allies. The United States also accused China of subsidizing Huawei so it could eat into international telecommunication market shares. After Brexit, the British government has been negotiating with the EU to establish a new relationship and has also started talks with the United States for a new free trade agreement.

Source: RFI Chinese, May 23, 2020
https://bit.ly/2MawmGZ

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend Information/Technology

Average HK Residents Responded to the New HK National Security Law

When the Mainland communist government introduced the Hong Kong National Security Law, the average Hong Kong local residents immediate response was to go to the banks in Hong Kong. According to Radio France Internationale (RFI) Chinese Edition, as soon as the new law’s draft was submitted, foreign exchange stores across Hong Kong were immediately overwhelmed by customers converting HK Dollars to US Dollars. A typical exchange store could reach over US$1 million in cash exchange within one hour. British Pounds and Japanese Yen also ran out fast. Many customers of Chinese banks nearly emptied their money in HK Dollars and immediately opened US Dollar accounts in local branches of U.S. banks or Singapore banks. In the meantime, the major Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily reported that the locals took another immediate action to download VPN (Virtual Private Network) apps, which help users avoid being monitored by authorities. On May 21, Apple’s HK AppStore reported seven of the top ten downloads were VPN apps. The download volume was 120 times more than the previous day. Mainland China is well-known for its tight control over Internet access and most of the World’s popular social networks, such as Twitter and Facebook, are blocked in China. Meanwhile, immigration service providers also saw a sharp increase in immigration inquires.

Sources:

(1) RFI Chinese, May 30, 2020
https://bit.ly/2XKXmC7

(2) Apple Daily, May 22, 2020
https://tw.appledaily.com/international/20200522/25YVFLSQXAKTJJ65PXYDQUMXBA/

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend US-China Relations