Skip to content

Wu Guoguang: Xi Jinping’s Reversal of the Course, Will China’s Transition be Peaceful or Marked with Bloodshed?

Read More ...

Cheng Xiaonong: U.S.-China Strategic Relations Have Crystallized

Read More ...

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

Read More ...

The CCP’s Performing Arts Troupes in the U.S.

Read More ...

Xinhua: Over 3500 Mobile Malware Found in China Last Year

Xinhua recently reported that, according to statistics that the National Internet Emergency Center provided, a total of 3,517 mobile apps offered at 314 mobile app stores were ordered to be removed from the stores. These malware apps were carrying out malicious activities across critical sectors such as financial services, daily life support, and managing payments. Such illegal behavior typically includes stealing personal information, distributing junk messages, pushing unwanted commercials, spreading fraudulent information, and even deducting fees from users’ accounts without permission. The Center captured over 2.83 million malware instances across the Chinese network, which represents an 11.7 percent year-over-year increase. China currently has a netizen population of 817 million.

Source: Xinhua, July 28, 2019
http://www.xinhuanet.com/politics/2019-07/28/c_1124808400.htm

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology

“Study Buddy” Program for International Students in China Criticized for Deficiency

People in China have been unhappy because the Chinese government has been awarding a substantial number of scholarships to international students from African countries. In July, articles were posted on Weibo alleging that, in 2018, Shandong University developed a study buddy program that connected three local students with each foreign student and they were often of the opposite sex. The matching ratio had been one to one in 2017, but was increased. The posting has drawn wide criticism because of the preferential treatment that foreign exchange students receive in China. On July 7, Shandong University issued a statement stating that its study buddy program is legal and justified. It is in line with the intent of the Ministry of Education to encourage exchanges between Chinese and foreign students.

Based on the study buddy listing posted on Weibo, 47 international students came from Pakistan, Nepal, Yemen, Malaysia, Russia, Afghanistan, Kenya, and other countries. One was from Germany and eight were from South Korea. The list showed that boys were matched with girls, while girls were matched with boys.

During the opening ceremony of the Beijing Summit of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum in 2018, Xi Jinping said that it will provide 50,000 Chinese government scholarships to students from African countries. In addition, China will invite 2,000 African youths to come to China for the exchange program. Due to the continuous increase in the number of scholarships, the number of foreign exchange students has increased by more than 10 percent for two consecutive years. In a video circulating on mainland media in 2018, a female student from the East Timor said that she can not only support herself while studying in China, but also can send extra money back to her family.

A recent discussion on Weibo of the “Study Buddy” program at Shandong University focused on connecting three female students with one foreign male student and resulted in experts in China paying attention to this as a deficiency in the international student program in Chinese universities.

On July 26th, Financial Times published an article titled “How to Make China a More Attractive Destination for Foreign Students.” The article quoted the data from the International Education Association, which stated that foreign exchange students only account for 0.6 percent of college students in China, far lower than the 5.3 percent in the U.S. The article pointed out that the reason for the low enrollment of foreign students is the restrictions on enrollment conditions and the fee structure. Moreover, there is lack of curriculum and teaching resources for international students.

The article said that the Study Buddy system has existed in the US and UK for a while. It assists the foreign students in adapting to university life. It suggested that universities in China study how the program is managed in the U.S. and the UK. It should encourage communication between local and foreign students while preventing the study buddy situation at Shandong University from happening in the future.

Sources: Radio Free Asia, July 12 & August 2, 2019

1. https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/kejiaowen/ql2-07112019111715.html
2. https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/kejiaowen/bm1-08022019140708.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Aboluowang: Secrete Document Shows Social Credit System to Be Applied to Religious Sites

In recent years, communist China has continued to expand its persecution of religious groups. It was disclosed that the authorities have established a system in which it rates religious sites. Those that have a low score could face a temporary shutdown. If the points continue to fall below the threshold, they will be closed completely.

According to a document that the United Front Work Department of the Henan Provincial Government issued, the authorities have asked officials to rate each religious site from 1 to 5 stars. The document shows that religious sites that scored 95 or more will be rated 5 stars. If the scores are between 50 and 75 for two consecutive years, they will be forced to stop operations for 1 year for internal restructuring and the management will be replaced. If they refuse to make changes or if their score is less than 50 points for two consecutive years, their license will be revoked, which means that they will be completely closed.

The scoring criteria are quite strict and there are numerous ways for points to be reduced. For example, the authorities regard the illuminated cross as a “missionary act.” If a religious place displays signs with neon, a horn, or an illuminated cross, it will lose ten points. If the relevant personnel are unfamiliar with the religious policy, 5 to 10 points will be taken off. If the party members enter the church for personal reasons, 5 points will be taken off. If religious print materials are distributed, 10 points will be taken off.

It is expected that the social credit system will be fully launched and implemented nationwide next year. The rights of the religious personnel could suffer further infringement.

Source: Aboluowang, August 4, 2019
https://www.aboluowang.com/2019/0804/1324416.html

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Reference News: U.S. Predicament Similar to That before the Fall of the Soviet Union

Reference News, a well-known branch of Xinhua, recently reported, based on some Russian sources, that there was a similarity between the current U.S. political situation and the period before the Soviet Union dissolved. The report said that President Trump’s “political incorrectness” and “arrogant impulses” have accelerated the loss of the United States’ “soft power.”  Many U.S. traditional allies who used to follow the U.S. lead blindly have started to “hold their breath” and have doubts. The U.S. political landscape is heavily divided and the U.S. society is losing its traditional values on family and religion. Although the U.S. is still a very powerful nation, yet fewer and fewer of the U.S. population feel proud of being an American. Only 30 percent of the people surveyed outside the United States had a positive view of the Trump-led United States. Even if a Democratic president is elected in the next election, the fall of the U.S. global influence may continue. The loss of American values may lead to the fall of the empire, just like (what happened to) the Soviet empire. Reference News is one of the only two newspapers in China that can directly publish original foreign news reports legally. It is currently the largest daily newspaper in China.

Source: Reference News, August 1, 2019
http://column.cankaoxiaoxi.com/2019/0801/2387025.shtml

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

DW Chinese: President of Lithuania Stood against Chinese Investment

Deutsche Welle Chinese Edition recently reported that newly elected Lithuanian president Gitanas Nauseda strongly opposed introducing Chinese capital into port investments. He was referring to the modernization project of the Port of Klaipeda, citing concerns about national security and environmental protection matters. He called for putting a hold on the deep-water port investment since the people of Lithuania had not yet reached a domestic consensus. The President would rather not be forceful in pushing a project that Chinese investments had backed. He described it as “very dangerous.” In February, Lithuania’s national security agencies warned about Chinese spy activities in their official annual security threat report. Klaipeda Port is the largest port in Lithuania and the only non-freezing port in the Baltic region. The location signifies its importance in China’s One Belt One Road strategy. According to Russian reports, the modernization project requires 800 million Euro, which is a heavy burden for a country with a total GDP of only 45 billion Euro.

Source: DW Chinese, July 30, 2019
http://news.dwnews.com/global/news/2019-07-30/60143312.html

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Chinese Manufacturers Move to Vietnam to Evade Tariffs

As the prospect of the US-China trade war continues to be unpredictable, many Chinese manufacturers have turned to Vietnam to set up plants in the hope of avoiding high tariffs.

The statistics show that, in the first seven months of this year, the Southeast Asian country attracted US$20.2 billion in foreign investment, down 13.4 percent from the same period last year.

China topped other countries by investing US$1.78 billion in Vietnam in the first seven months. However, due to the large number of investment projects, a total of 364, the average size of each investment was quite small.

With the ongoing US-China trade war, since last year, Chinese manufacturers have set up small-size plants in Vietnam. The purpose is to import semi-finished products from China, change the country of production, and then sell to the U.S. and European markets to avoid high tariffs.

The General Department of Vietnam Customs reported that 15 products imported from China have shown a significant growth. Six of them are on the list of targets for high tariff sanctions that the United States has imposed on China, including timber products, electric wires, electronic components, mobile phones, furniture, household appliances, and leather shoes.

Source: Central News Agency, July 30, 2019
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/afe/201907300115.aspx

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

The Paper: Official Media Launched Media Campaign Attacking U.S. for Breaking its Promise and Bringing Harm to the World

After CCTV launched a full attack on the U.S. during its prime time for two consecutive days, People’s Daily published an editorial piece attacking the U.S. for failing to keep its promise. The Paper stated that this means that Beijing has officially launched a media campaign on the topic of “The U.S. betrayal of China.” In addition to CCTV and People’s Daily, on August 4th, Xinhua also published the first of its series of commentaries which further emphasized that China must “do well to ensure stability” and “take care of our own business.” The Paper said that, for those who are familiar with media protocol in China, whenever People’s Daily published a series of editorial pieces, it meant that something big was about to happen.

Source: The Paper, August 5, 2019
https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_4083078

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Propaganda TV Shows Dominate the 70th Birthday of the People’s Republic

On July 29th, the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television (SARFT) released a mandate to TV stations at all levels that, for the 100 days of celebration of the 70th birthday of the People’s Republic of China, they could only broadcast TV dramas that SARFT selected; no traditional costume dramas or idol dramas could be broadcast.

The SARFT mandate stated that, based on a careful review and repeated research, 86 TV shows were selected to be the TV stations at all levels in the country to broadcast, especially provincial satellite TV stations. These programs were predominantly pro-Communist propaganda TV shows.

The SARFT further warned that provincial radio and television bureaus must take politics as the lifeline of broadcasting and tighten up their control of the selection and broadcasting of TV shows during the 100 days of celebration.

Source: Sina.com, July 31, 2019
https://ent.sina.com.cn/v/m/2019-07-31/doc-ihytcerm7660422.shtml

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics