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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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RFI: Introduction of Face Mask Law in Hong Kong Is Just like Opening Pandora’s Box

Radio France Internationale published an article on the Hong Kong government’s latest ban on face masks. According to the article, on the first day that Hong Kong government announced the ban on face masks, it met with protests from a large number of people who wear face masks at various locations. Many in Hong Kong accused the Hong Kong authorities’ latest decision in banning face masks to be “adding fuel to the fire.” People are concerned about how the authorities will respond and how the incidents will develop. There are also critics who say that Beijing is intensifying conflicts. On Friday and Saturday, there were protesters in Hong Kong everywhere. On Saturday protesters were wearing masks and participating in spontaneous unauthorized demonstrations. Despite the closure of the subway and the bus, the demonstrators managed to break the mask ban and once again showed the world the power of the how people can mobilize themselves. Some analysts believe that the Hong Kong government’s introduction of the law to ban face masks is just like opening Pandora’s Box. They expect the end result to be that it will only cause that social divide in Hong Kong to get worse.

Source: Radio France Internationale, October 5, 2019
http://www.rfi.fr/cn/20191005-%E6%B8%AF%E4%BA%BA%E8%92%99%E9%9D%A2%E6%8A%B5%E6%8A%97-%E5%8C%97%E4%BA%AC%E5%A6%82%E4%BD%95%E6%94%B6%E5%9C%BA

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

China Upset after Houston Rockets General Manager Tweets about “Hong Kong Independence”

China is upset because Daryl Morey, General Manager of the Houston Rockets sent out a tweet on October 5. The tweet launched a complaint in favor of boycotting the Rockets and a rampage against the team. On October 5, Daryl Morey, General Manager of Houston Rockets tweeted a photo “Fight for freedom, Stand with Hong Kong.” On October 6, the Paper, People’s Daily, and other official media carried an article titled, “The statement that the Houston Rockets General Manager Made on Hong Kong Upset Fans in China. Don’t you want the Chinese Market anymore?” In the article, it claimed that Morey’s “Hong Kong Independence tweet” has upset Rockets fans in China. It quoted a statement that a Chinese NBA commentator made that the Rockets cannot benefit from China while condemning China at the same time. … Even after Yao Ming retired from the Houston Rockets, the Rockets continued to receive financial support from numerous commercial sponsors in China. … ESPN has received tens of millions in support from China over the past four years.” Meanwhile news media including CCTV and Ten cent, Sports programs, Rocket sponsors in China, and the Chinese Basketball Association announced that they will temporarily suspend future collaboration with the Rockets. China’s Consulate General in Houston issued a complaint which requested that the Rockets “take corrective actions and eliminate this bad influence.” The article also mentioned a prior case when Dolce & Gabbana portrayed an “insulting” image about China; it has since been boycotted from entering the Chinese market.

[Editor’s Note: On October 6, Daryl Morey deleted the original tweet on Hong Kong and tweeted that … my tweets are my own and in no way represent the Rockets or the NBA. On October 7, the NBA issued a statement that, Daryl’s “tweet does not represent the Rockets or the NBA, the values of the league support individuals’ educating themselves and sharing their views. . . .” However, numerous parties lambasted the league’s decision to apologize at all.]

Sources:
1. The Paper, October 6, 2019
https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_4609604
https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_4612025
https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_46111862
2. Radii, Chinese Fans Urge Boycott After Houston Rockets
https://radiichina.com/houston-rockets-china-hong-kong

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Student Government of Canadian University Banned Chinese Student Organization

McMaster University, a reputable university in Canada, recently disqualified the Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA) from having an official club status. The reasons were that it interfered with the freedom of speech of the students on campus and that it has a close connection with the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Rukiye Turdush, a Uyghuer activist, was invited to attend an event on February 11 at McMaster University that was related to Xinjiang’s “Re-education Camps.” Some unhappy Chinese students yelled loudly at the event and were suspected of swearing.

As Deutsche Welle reported, the WeChat screenshots that anonymous students provided showed that the Chinese students had been in contact with the Chinese Embassy regarding Turdush’s participation in the campus event. The Chinese Embassy asked the students to report on the situation and on the attendees, and hoped that the students would bring the case to the university. The CSSA subsequently issued an open letter opposing the university’s invitation given to Turdush to give a speech, criticizing it as a “ridiculous anti-China speech.” The letter charged Turdush with “publicly promoting East Turkistan separatist activities, promoting national hatred, and attacking the Chinese government.” After the Student Representative Assembly (SRA) at McMaster University, conducted an investigation, it decided that the behavior of the CSSA was in violation of the rules. On the 28th, the SRA voted to disqualify the CSSA as an official club.

Before the vote, Simranjeet Singh, one of the members of SRA, said that many students stood up to express their concerns about the CSSA. He said, “Although we do not have the ability to change what is happening in China, we have the ability to protect students at McMaster University.” After it loses its status, the CSSA will lose the funds that the Student Union allocated to it, the privileges of booking school classrooms, and the channels for publicity and promotion.

Source: Central News Agency, September 30, 2019
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/firstnews/201909300144.aspx

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

A New Standard for Chinese Mayors’ Performance: Raising Pigs

In order to stabilize the price of pigs, raising pigs has become an important political task in China. Recently, Hunan, Sichuan, Guangdong and other provinces have established a minimum pig production for the year. Each city has been assigned a quantitative target, which is also becoming an important measure for assessing a mayor’s performance.

At the end of September, the Agricultural and Rural Affairs Department of Hunan Province assigned the task for the minimum pig production for 2019 for each of its 14 cities, with a total of 45 million in the province. In addition, Guangdong and Sichuan have also assigned the mayors with the task of raising pigs. Sichuan’s minimum pig production target for this year is 40.08 million, and Guangdong is 34 million.

African swine fever has caused a large number of pigs in China to die or be culled. For the Chinese people, pork accounts for sixty percent of their meat consumption. Continuous pig price increases are becoming a major economic issue. The Chinese government’s solution? Make is a political task by setting a quantitative target.

In August, Chinese Vice Premier Hu Chunhua asked all local governments to guarantee the stable production of pigs. In particular, he called for 70 percent of pig consumption to come from local production. This goal is also included in the mayor’s performance assessment.

Source: Central News Agency, October 3, 2019
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/201910030264.aspx

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Labor Service Organization Closed on National Day; NGOs in China under Increasing Pressure

The Mumian Social Work Association (MSWA), a Guangdong based labor related non-governmental organization, announced the launch of its closing procedure on China’s National Day (October 1), four months after the arrest of its founder Tong Feifei. Local labor rights activists have observed that NGOs in China have little room for survival. The authorities are mounting a cruel suppression of NGO leaders in the name of national security.

In April 2013, Tong Feifei, a Peking University master of sociology, established MSWA. It has launched community development and vocational school students’ service programs in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhongshan and Shunde. It also conducted social work training and research, as well as public advocacy for social issues. The authorities once recognized its low-key style.

It is believed that the closure of MSWA is related to the Jasic Incident last year. In July 2018, a group of workers from the Shenzhen based Jasic Technology Co., Ltd. (abbr. Jasic) sought to form a labor union to address their low pay and poor working conditions. The factory management responded by firing its employees. This sparked two weeks of protests and demonstrations drawing from both factory workers in Shenzhen along with students. The police crushed the movement and arrested the workers and students.

Right after the Jasic Incident, the authorities started immediately to suppress all civil NGOs involved in labor rights or care giving. In May of this year, the heads of several NGOs including Tong Feifei, Liang Zicun, Li Dajun, and Li Changjiang were arrested. In July, the National Security Bureau in Changsha, Hunan province, arrested a few other activists working on labor discrimination.

Source: Radio Free Asia, October 1, 2019
https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/NGO-10012019094804.html

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Wang Yi: China Makes All-Out Effort to Protect African Brothers

On September 26, Wang Yi, China’s State Councilor and Foreign Minister, said that China will make an all-out effort to “do whatever our African brothers expect from us and whatever is in their interests.” Wang made these remarks at the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting of China and the Security Council of African Member States at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

Wang stated that China stands firmly with its African brothers, whether from the past, present, or future. The world today faces unprecedented and major changes that have occurred in the past 100 years. The most important change is the rapid growth of a large number of developing countries such as China and Africa. Wang Yi said that, when China regained its seat in the United Nations, it relied on African brothers and developing countries. African countries are China’s most important and most trusted partners and have been since the first day that China joined the U.N. Security Council.

Wang said reflecting Africa’s appeals, addressing its concerns and safeguarding its interests have become the focus of China’s work in the U.N. Security Council.

Wang further said that China will make an all-out effort to “do whatever the African brothers expect from us and whatever is in their interests.”

Source: Xinhua, September 27, 2019

http://www.xinhuanet.com/world/2019-09/27/c_1125045797.htm

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

BBC Chinese: China’s Naval Power Is Only behind the U.S.

BBC Chinese recently published an analysis on the growth of China’s Navy after the Cold War. With the end of the Soviet Union, the post Cold War period gave China a golden period of time to develop its economic power, which made China the only country that has the potential of establishing an aircraft-carrier-centered navy which is only behind the U.S. fleets. China’s media have been widely reporting on a new China-made carrier, which in August did its final trial sail before delivery. International observers observed that China has been speeding up its aircraft carrier shipbuilding. It is highly likely that China is aiming to build the next generation nuclear-powered carriers. The currently under-construction third Chinese carrier is expected to have important technology achievements. Assuming there is no major economic downturn, the Chinese economy can sustain a carrier-based navy. Today, China has the second highest military budget in the world. Russia is only number six. Chinese military officials commented in a number of earlier press interviews saying that China may need a minimum of five or six aircraft carriers to have “enough” in service with rotating maintenance schedules.

Source: BBC Chinese, September 25, 2019
https://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/chinese-news-49829195

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

The Impact of African Swine Fever on China Is Not Less Than a War

According to a Caixin article, the African swine fever hasn’t merely pushed the pork prices in China to a record high. Some Chinese experts have estimated that the direct losses that the African swine fever caused will reach RMB 1 trillion. Experts also said that the impact is “nothing less than what a war would bring.” It has hit the poverty alleviation efforts, an official priority, rather hard. The government is striving to eliminate the impact and has taken steps to encourage a reduction in the consumption of pork.

Caixin published a quote from Li Defa, an Academician from the Chinese Academy of Engineering. He is the Dean of the College of Animal Science and Technology at the China Agricultural University and Vice-Chairman of the World Livestock Product Association. At a forum on pigs on September 24, 2019, Li expressed that, based on estimates, the direct loss due to African swine fever is 1 trillion yuan, not considering the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain.

Li said that half of the pigs in the world are produced in China and African swine fever has taught a lesson to Chinese animal husbandry. “It is impossible to prevent epidemics and diseases. The cost of this loss is too great.”

According to Caixin, in May 2019, Qiu Huaji, the director of the Pig Infectious Diseases Research Office of the Harbin Veterinary Research Institute under the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences published a report in the “Shanhe Forum” of the Chinese pig industry on the theory and practice of prevention and control of African swine fever. He said in the report that the impact of African swine fever is wide-ranging. “Although it does not cause human fatalities, the economic losses, the impact on the national economy, the people’s livelihood, and the political, economic, and social impact are nothing less than war.”

In his May 2019 report, Qiu said that some people say that there are 100 million employees in the upstream and downstream of the pig industry, but there are countless families behind these billion people, so the impact is comprehensive. He further said that another important consequence is the impact on “helping the poor and tackling the hardships.” Getting people out of poverty is one of the most important achievements of Xi Jinping, the CCP Secretary.

The Caixin article is no longer available at its website.

Source: RFI, September 25, 2019

http://www.rfi.fr/cn/%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD/20190925-%E5%AD%A6%E8%80%85-%E9%9D%9E%E6%B4%B2%E7%8C%AA%E7%98%9F%E6%8D%9F%E9%80%BE%E4%B8%87%E4%BA%BF-%E4%BC%A4%E7%97%95%E5%A6%82%E6%88%98%E4%BA%89%E4%B9%9F%E9%87%8D%E5%88%9B%E4%B9%A0%E8%BF%91%E5%B9%B3%E8%84%B1%E8%B4%AB%E6%A2%A6

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources