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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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DW Chinese: Deutsche Telekom Will Discontinue Using Huawei Equipment

Deutsche Welle Chinese Edition recently reported that Deutsche Telekom’s management decided to discontinue the use of Huawei products. The Huawei parts used in its current core networks will all be replaced. In fact, the company came up with a two-year plan to reduce the use of all Asian parts to zero. Meanwhile, some parts made in the United States will be replaced too. Deutsche Telekom claims that this is part of a normal three to five years refresh cycle. Also, as a response to the U.S. ban on Huawei products, Deutsche Telekom dramatically adjusted its procurement policies. For example, the company will directly purchase U.S. database supplier Oracle’s products and stop buying Huawei’s total solution. The company emphasized that the policy changes were not designed to bypass the U.S. ban because the parts will not be re-sold to Huawei. The company explained that, since U.S. companies can no longer sell products to Huawei to be bundled in Huawei’s total solution, Deutsche Telekom will purchase directly from these U.S. vendors. The company hopes these adjustments will ensure the supply channels remain smooth.

Source: DW Chinese, November 20, 2019
https://bit.ly/2qDQo5i

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology

CCP Issues Guidelines for Patriotic Education

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee and the State Council have published new guidelines titled, “Outline for Promoting Patriotic Education for the New Era”.

The guidelines state that patriotic education in the new era should be guided by “Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Theory of the Three Represents, the Scientific Outlook on Development, and Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.”

The guidelines define patriotism as not just a love of the country but also of the ruling Chinese Communist Party and its official political ideology. “Adhere to the unity of love of the [Communist] Party, the country and socialism. The new China is a socialist country under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. The fate of the motherland is inseparable from the destiny of the Party and the destiny of socialism. In contemporary China, the essence of patriotism is to maintain a high degree of unity of patriotism and love for the Party and socialism.”

Source: Xinhua, November 12, 2019
http://www.xinhuanet.com/2019-11/12/c_1125223796.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Malaysia Chinese Newspaper Follows Directives from the CCP

The Central News Agency of Taiwan reported that See Hua Daily News, the largest Chinese language newspaper in Eastern Malaysia, was receiving directives from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

An internal directive from the See Hua Daily News stated that, per a request from the Chinese Consulate in Malaysia, because Taiwan and Hong Kong are China’s territories, news reports and their titles from now on should avoid listing “China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan” in parallel. If these three regions need to be mentioned together, it should be written as “China (including Taiwan and Hong Kong).” The directive was signed by the newspaper’s Editor-in-Chief, Chia Chew Boon.

People criticized the CCP’s interference in Malaysia’s internal affairs.

A high-ranking person from one of See Hua’s sister media companies confirmed that the directive was true, but said the owner didn’t know about it. After it was reported, the owner ordered a withdrawal from the directive.

That person also revealed that the Chinese consulate staff members frequently have meals with the top managers of the Chinese language newspaper in Malaysia and continuously express what direction and position the CCP wants that media to hold. Especially after the Hong Kong protest, the CCP wants Malaysian reports to be close to the CCP’s position.

Source: Central News Agency, November 17, 2019
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/aopl/201911170002.aspx

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend Government/Politics

UDN: China’s First Fully Domestically Made Aircraft Carrier Entered the Taiwan Strait

United Daily News (UDN), one of the primary Taiwanese news groups, reported on November 17 that China’s first fully domestically made aircraft carrier led a fleet to enter the Taiwan Strait. On the same day, an official from the Taiwanese ruling party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which is pro-independence, announced Taiwan’s Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates for the up-coming Taiwanese presidential election. Mainland newspaper Global Times called it “a coincidence” and said military exercises are “normal” and this event had nothing to do with the current regional situation. This aircraft carrier has done a few sea trial-runs already. However, it was still a surprise for many observers that it entered the Taiwan Strait when everyone was speculating at what point it will officially deploy to the Chinese Navy. During the period of time when the carrier sailed through the Taiwan Strait, both the U.S. Navy and Japan sent warships to monitor its entire passage. According to some analysts, the carrier will be based in China’s Hainan Province in the South China Sea. The Chinese Navy now has two aircraft carriers.

Source: UDN, November 17, 2019
https://udn.com/news/story/7331/4170783

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military Geo-Strategic Trend

CCP’s Informant Culture Has Penetrated Hong Kong

A senior lecturer in journalism at the Hong Kong Baptist University expressed that the informant culture that exists in Mainland universities, where students report teachers to the Communist Party, has been spreading fast in Hong Kong, particularly since the Occupy Central with Love and Peace movement (OCLP) started in Hong Kong.

One indication is that the management in Hong Kong universities engages their counterparts from the Mainland universities. Those with close ties to the CCP are appointed to senior management positions in the Hong Kong universities. The intention is to control promotions in Hong Kong universities and thus see that they fall in line with the CCP.

Another indication is that students coming from the Mainland monitor lecturers in the Hong Kong universities. These students from the Mainland suddenly show interest in a lecturer and shower him with a lot of questions. They show an obvious increase in curiosity,  much more than normal students. Some even tape every class. Others have stated without hesitation that they are tasked with reporting regularly to the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government (LOCP). There are a few who are made to do so and have no choice. Such students handle LOCP in a perfunctory manner.

While academic or research organizations recruit these informant-students, it is the CCP security departments that control these organizations. Often the informants are required to write reports for the CCP’s internal dissemination. On some occasions, they simply turn in the recorded tapes. Students join in because of the good pay as well as their belief that such activities serve the interest of the country. For that reason, they don’t think it is wrong to be an informant for the CCP.

Source: Epoch Times, November 21, 2019CCP security departments
http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/19/11/21/n11670500.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

New York University Shanghai Reportedly Teaches Pro-Government Propaganda Course

New York University Shanghai has disclosed that, since 2018, its students of Chinese citizenship have been forced to take a “civic education” course which covers the history of the Communist Party and China’s socialist path. According to the school, the course was opened at the request of the Chinese government and non-Chinese students are not required to take it.

The website of the U.S. online media VICE posted the syllabus of the course, titled “Marxism: Dissemination, Practice and Development.” It is an eight day, Chinese-speaking course running daily from 8:30 am to 5:15 pm. The course will not appear in the university’s public course catalog and the school will register students through WeChat. It includes a visit to the Longhua Martyrs’ Cemetery in Shanghai, commemorating the sacrifice of the “martyrs” in the Communist revolution. There is also a movie screening on the “development of socialism with Chinese characteristics.”

The school claimed that professors from NYU do not teach this course. It has been offered during the winter break and will not interfere with the students’ usual courses at NYU, nor will it affect academic freedom.

In recent years, Beijing has intensified its efforts to promote patriotic education, with an emphasis on fostering loyalty to the Communist Party among young people. In recent months, with the ongoing protests in Hong Kong, the political atmosphere of Chinese universities and colleges has become tense. It has been reported that the Chinese government has mobilized students to monitor and report “radical” political views. Some teachers have been dismissed or subjected to discipline for expressing views not in line with the Communist ideology.

Source: Radio France International, November 22, 2019
http://rfi.my/4wpE.T

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

A Canadian CSSA Lost Its Student Club Status for Reporting to Chinese Consulate

The Chinese Student & Scholar Association (CSSA) of McMaster University in Ontario, Canada was decertified and its club status was removed because it was monitoring college activities and sending information to the Chinese government.

On February 11, 2019, the university held a forum to support the Uyghurs in Xinjiang. The CSSA, along with another four student associations, called that meeting an “anti-China lecture” and reported it to China’s Consulate in Toronto, CA.

Deutsche Welle obtained the Chinese students’ communication from WeChat, including their reporting to the Chinese Consulate and passing down the Consulate’s direction.

The WeChat records showed some students sent the forum’s video to China’s Consulate, some students went to the forum to create a disturbance, and some posted and sent a threatening request in order to find out the name of the son of the speaker at the forum.

The Chinese Consulate responded by asking Chinese students at McMaster University to report the case to their CSSA.

The student representative assembly at the university decertified the CSSA in September for a full calendar year, during which it will be denied club privileges such as being able to book a room and access to student union funding.

None of four other student associations that signed the February statement has faced disciplinary action. One of them testified in writing that it had signed the statement at the invitation of the CSSA’s then-president.

The CSSA filed an appeal. The university’s student union government rejected the appeal on November 3. It also passed a motion to oppose the CCP or the CSSA for trying to “directly or indirectly intervene in college political activities.”

Source: Epoch Times, November 5, 2019
http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/19/11/5/n11635793.htm

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend Government/Politics

To Prevent the Spread of Plague, Government Set up “Firewall” Exiting Inner Mongolia and Entering Beijing

China’s Caixin.com reported on November 22 that an emergency response group of the provincial government of Inner Mongolia in northern China issued a “Work Plan for a Firewall for Exiting Inner Mongolia and entering Beijing” to prevent the spread of the plague. The plan highlights three lines of defense including an early warning of an epidemic situation, investigations by medical institutions, and an inspection of outbound passengers. According to the report, the Xilinhot Airport set up a check point at the entrance, logging the body temperature of every passenger. The Xilinhot Airport is the nearest airport to Xilingol League, where the initial two pneumonic plague patients originated. A body temperature check point was also set up at the highway to Sonid Left Banner, northwest of Xilingol League. All vehicles need to be inspected, and the information of passengers’ names, phone numbers, the point of departure and their destination must be registered. In addition, vehicles carrying livestock, wildlife, or wildlife products are required to register with the agriculture, animal husbandry, or forestry police authorities.

Earlier two patients from Xilingol League of Inner Mongolia were diagnosed in Beijing as having pneumonic plague. Soon afterwards, a patient in Bordered Yellow Banner of Xilingol League was also identified as having the plague. 28 people who were in close contact with this patient are still under medical observation.

The media reported that the recent outbreak of the plague was related to official negligence. This summer, some areas in northern China began to suffer from severe rodent problems. Although there were no new people infected with the plague in Xilingol League, there have been cases of dead animals and animals detected as having a positive plague reaction. There are unconfirmed tweets disclosing that more than 300 villages in northern provinces such as Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Ningxia, Xinjiang, Liaoning, and Jilin were completely blocked. Armed police  were stationed there and villagers were not allowed to enter or exit. Communications have also been cut off.

Source: Central News Agency, November 22, 2019
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/201911220160.aspx

Briefings | | |   Social Stability