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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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Xinhua Commentaries: “Exposing the Three Major Political Deficits of the U.S.”

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Chinese Economist Predicted Lower Growth. Then His Speech Was Deleted

The chief economist of China’s Essence Securities, Gao Shanwen, delivered a speech at an internal annual strategy meeting on Wednesday (November 27). Gao predicted that China’s economic slowdown will last several years and that the average annual economic growth between 2020 and 2030 will stay below five percent. Gao was even concerned about whether GDP (gross domestic product) would grow above four percent. He expressed the belief that there are two contributing factors. The first  is the impact of the trade war. The second is the stagnation of China’s economic reform as featured by the phenomenon of the “advancement of the state enterprises and the retreat of the private sector.”

Gao added that the government has used strong counter-cyclical measures to prevent the economic downturn. These have barely supported the growth rate at about six percent. However, the stimulus policies are less and less effective. With a weak domestic market, the economy of 2020 doesn’t look good. Although his speech was widely circulated on the Internet, within one day, the content had been completely deleted.

Gao is a well-known economist in China, whose remarks attracted the attention of the Chinese institutional investors and the financial media. In 2016, Gao attended the Economic Situation and Entrepreneurs Forum that Chinese Premier Li Keqiang hosted. Earlier this year, Li Keqiang stated that the target for GDP growth this year was set at 6 percent to 6.5 percent.

Source: Radio Free Asia, December 4, 2019
https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/economy-12042019061940.html

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Global Times: Russia is Prepared to Help Turkey Make Its Own Fifth-Generation Fighter Jets

Global Times reported on an intention that the Director of Rostec (the Russian State Corporation for Assistance to Development, Production and Export of Advanced Technology Industrial Products, formally known as Russian Technologies) recently announced. Russia is ready to “provide technical help at any time” to Turkey to develop its own fifth-generation fighter jets. Russia obtained rich experience during its development of the Russian Su-57 fifth-generation fighter jets. Russia has been delivering its S-400 air-defense missile systems to Turkey since July, which caused a relationship crisis between Turkey and the United States. Turkey plans to deploy the S-400 systems in April, 2020. Washington has delayed its delivery of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey and threatened to cancel the F-35 contract with Turkey altogether. The United States asked Turkey to give up the use of the S-400 systems, but Turkey so far has resisted.

Source: Global Times, November 18, 2019
https://mil.huanqiu.com/article/7RHee2LIQi4

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military Geo-Strategic Trend

Global Times: Washington Cannot Cut the Ties between Hong Kong and the World

Global Times recently published a commentary as part of the wave of Chinese media attacking the new U.S. law, The Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, that President Trump just signed. Global Times asserted that the U.S politicians are simply turning Hong Kong into a jump point to deter the rise of Mainland China. The commentary indicated that China has now become so powerful that Hong Kong can no longer be used as a “strategic Western chess piece.” The U.S. move may be able to create a little bit of trouble for China right now, but in doing so, it may destroy the United States’ interest in Hong Kong. The commentary described the “One Country Two Systems” arrangement as a reasonable setup that is good for both Mainland China and Hong Kong. It is a system which was working well until the U.S. came up with this new law that threatens to take away Hong Kong’s favorable trade partner status. The author claimed that Hong Kong can continue to sustain its prosperity with or without the U.S. The commentary concluded that Hong Kong’s global status was not something that the United States granted; therefore, the U.S. cannot simply cut the ties that Hong Kong has established with the world, .

Source: Global Times, November 30, 2019
https://opinion.huanqiu.com/article/9CaKrnKo4lA

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

DW Chinese: Deutsche Telekom Workers’ Group Stood against Using Huawei Equipment

Deutsche Welle Chinese Edition recently reported that Josef Bednarski, Member of the Supervisory Board and Employee Representative of Deutsche Telekom, spoke up for the first time after the hot topic of using Huawei equipment was brought to the public. Bednarski, as the Chairman of the Group Works Council, told the press that Deutsche Telekom must give up using Huawei equipment in the mid-and-long term in order to prevent economic and political data loss. He expressed the belief that the Chinese government has too much power over Huawei to the point that, at any time, Huawei has to surrender any of its data. He also added that, not just Huawei, but any other Chinese technology company, may be ordered to deploy government-mandated back-doors. However, Bednarski also aired his concern that an immediate stop to using Huawei equipment may affect the construction schedule of the German 5G network. He called for the European Union to take the lead in encouraging the growth of the EU’s own telecommunications industry and providing necessary support to European manufacturers.

Source: DW Chinese, November 24, 2019
https://bit.ly/2OBcnmV

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend Information/Technology

Lianhe Zaobao: Chinese Industrial Companies Saw Sharp Profit Decline in October

Singapore’s primary Chinese language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao recently reported that, based on the data that the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics just released, China’s large-scale (officially classified as “Above Designated Size”) industrial companies’ total profits declined by 9.9 percent, year-over-year. The scale of the decline expanded by 4.6 percent from September’s total. The same number for the period of January to October declined by 2.9 percent, year-over-year. For the first ten month of the year, the profit of the private sector companies and the small-sized companies maintained a stable growth. However, experts expressed the belief that international demand may pick up in the near future.

Source: Lianhe Zaobao, November 27, 2019
https://www.zaobao.com.sg/realtime/china/story20191127-1008692

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

A Cartoon That Moved Many People to Tears

The Hong Kong people sent a major message to Beijing in the district council election on November 24, 2019. The election saw an unprecedented turnout (71 pecent of eligible voters showed up). The number of people voting has tripled the number of pro-democrats from 124 seats to 388 seats while the number of those who are pro-Beijing parties and independents shrank to only 62 seats, a drop of 242 seats.

A Taiwanese cartoonist, whose Facebook account is SXTbit, posted a cartoon about the vote. The cartoon has moved many people into tears. The following is the cartoon and the translation:

A Hong Kong mother knocked on the door of her daughter’s room: “Sweetheart, mommy’s coming in now!”

 

Holding a wipe in her hand, mother said, “Mommy went out to vote yesterday!”

 

While cleaning the desk, mother continued, “You always asked us to go out to vote. This time I also dragged your dad to go along!” “The line was really long!”

 

Sitting on her daughter’s bed, mother kept talking, “I voted for the young candidate whom you asked me to vote for!” “You know what? This time in our Wong Tai Sin District, the pro-Beijing camp didn’t win any seat at all!”

 

The scene zoomed out. In an empty room, the mother sat on her daughter’s bed and said with great mourning in her heart, “If you could hear this, would that give you a bit more comfort…”

Note: A poster on the wall said, “Five key demands, not one less!” Another one said “Support Hong Kong!”

Source: Facebook, November 24, 2019

[English]"Sweetheart, mummy's coming in now!"

Posted by SXTbit on Sunday, November 24, 2019

 

 

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend Government/Politics

To Block Falun Gong Cases, Local Justice Officials Threaten Lawyers’ Parents

On November 25, Lu Tingge, a human rights lawyer in China’s Hebei province, filed a complaint with the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) Commission for Discipline Inspection of Shijiazhuan city, capital of Hebei, and the city government’s Supervisory Commission. The complaint stated that in August of 2019, two senior officials of the Justice Bureau of the Shijiazhuang City government visited Lu’s parents, carrying two barrels of cooking oil as a gift. Claiming themselves to be Lu’s superiors and colleagues, the officials threatened Lu’s parents with serious consequences if he continued representing Falun Gong cases.

Lu Tingge believes that such a visit constituted a serious infringement on his rights and those of his family and also violated the CCP’s own discipline. In the light of their suspected use of public power for private use, misappropriation of funds and property intended for poverty alleviation, and their violation of citizens’ rights, they should be subject to a serious investigation.

Lu said, “First, their attempt to restrict me from representing Falun Gong cases by itself is illegal; Second, they should have come to me if it’s about my practice, instead of harassing my family. My practice of law has nothing to do with my family. . . . Third, they actually did this in the name of poverty alleviation. This represents a suspected misappropriation of poverty alleviation funds.”

Sui Muqing, a Guangdong based human rights lawyer whose license has been suspended for representing sensitive cases, told Radio Free Asia that, in recent years, the Chinese Communist Party has cracked down severely on human rights lawyers  and the Justice Bureaus have played the role of hatchet man. Sui said that on the surface China’s judicial bureaus protect lawyers when, in fact, their role is to monitor and control lawyers and make sure the lawyers follow the Party and the government.

Lu Tingge is a well-known human rights lawyer. In early March this year, the authorities took Lu away for half a month after he proposed a constitutional amendment. He was also one of the defenders of the Beijing-based human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng, who was arrested for proposing a constitutional amendment.

Source: Radio Free Asia, November 26, 2019
https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/cn-Hebei-11262019104408.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Who is Wang Liqiang?

A Chinese young man, Liqiang (William) Wang, defected to the Australian Intelligence Office (AUIO) a few months ago, revealing himself to be a Chinese spy stationed in Hong Kong. He said that he was working at the Hong Kong company listed as China Innovation Investment Limited (CIIL), which was a front company used by a number of different Chinese intelligence agencies. He reported to Xiang Xin, the Chairman, CEO, and Executive Director of CIIL, a key Chinese intelligence officer in Hong Kong. Xiang’s wife, Gong Qin, a Director of CIIL, is also a Chinese intelligence officer.

Wang revealed his work in Hong Kong and how he tried to influence Taiwan public opinion to be favorable towards Beijing. He also mentioned some Chinese spies in Australia. {1}

Australian media reported Wang’s case on November 23, 2019. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) immediately denied Wang’s allegations, claiming that Wang was rather an economic fraudster and not a spy.

On November 23, Shanghai police claimed that they had opened an investigation, back on April 19, 2019, into Wang who allegedly embezzled 4.6 million yuan through a fake investment project involving car imports. The authorities claimed that Wang’s true name was Wang Liqiang and his passport used the name of Wang Qiang. {2}

On November 27, Huanqiu (Global Times), posted a video online that they claimed was a copy of a court trial of Wang at the Guangze County Court, Nanping City, Fujian Province on October 14, 2016. In the video, the defendant stated that he was Wang Liqiang and admitted to the charge of embezzling 120,000 yuan. This was the first case against Wang; Shanghai’s case was the second one. However, some commentators challenged the authenticity of the video, questioning why the video didn’t provide a clear view of Wang’s face, though in theory Chinese courts has multiple cameras to capture court scenes including the defendant and attorneys. {3}

The Australian 60 Minutes program pointed out that Wang stated that, “Wang Liqiang” is just a fake name he used for the interview. His real name has not been revealed. However, the CCP’s claims were made against someone with the name of “Wang Liqiang.” {4}

On November 24, Taiwan authorities detained Wang’s boss Xiang Xin and Xiang’s wife, both of whom were visiting Taiwan and were about to board a plane to leave. The Xiang couple denied knowing Wang or that Wang was not an employee of CIIL. Then the Taiwan prosecutors showed a picture of the couple and Wang standing together. The Xiang couple could not explain why they stated earlier that they did not know Wang. {5}

Sources:
1. The Age, November 23, 2019
https://www.theage.com.au/national/defecting-chinese-spy-offers-information-trove-to-australian-government-20191122-p53d1l.html
2. ABC, November 24, 2019
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/china-confessed-spy-seeking-asylum-fraudster-67262588
3. Huanqiu, November 27, 2019
https://china.huanqiu.com/article/9CaKrnKo1GG
4. Sound of Hope, November 24, 2019
https://www.soundofhope.org/post/316253
5. Next Magazine, November 26, 2019
https://tw.nextmgz.com/realtimenews/news/484558

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend