Chinascope – Page 401

NRTA Chief Emphasize Loyalty to the Party

The National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA), formerly the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television (SARFT, 1998–2013) and the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT, 2013–2018), is a ministry-level executive agency directly under the State Council of the People’s Republic of China. Its main task is to censor the radio, film, and television industries.

On July 25, Nie Chenxi, head of the agency and also deputy chief of the Chinese Communist Party’s Propaganda Department, gave a speech at one of the NRTA divisions. Nie said, “NRTA is a political organ, and the Propaganda Division is a key office. On either major or minor issues, it should take an unambiguous and firm stand on political directions. We must always follow the requirements of the General Secretary and consciously adjust ourselves to the basic theories, policies, and strategies of the Party. We should be on the same page as to the decisions and arrangements of the Central Committee (of the CCP).”

Nie added, “We should look at every program, every documentary, and every cartoon from a political standpoint and adhere to the principle that ‘every word matters, every second is about politics, and every day is a test.’ We must be absolutely loyal to the Party and vigorously temper the political character of loyalty, being ethical and duty bound, and constantly enhance our sense of mission and sense of political responsibility.”

Source: NRTA, July 30, 2019
http://www.nrta.gov.cn/art/2019/7/30/art_112_46920.html

Briefings | | August 4, 2019 | Government/Politics

China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Denied Martial Law in Hong Kong

Although a report was made that China is planning to impose martial law in Hong Kong, at her news conference on August 2, China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying denied it.

A question was asked, “According to a report, some staff members in Hong Kong’s public services are planning to gather at Central in Hong Kong tonight to request the withdrawal of the Extradition Bill. Some information has been reported that the Hong Kong government will, on August 4, use this as a reason to request China’s army at the Hong Kong garrison to implement martial law and clean out the consulate staffs of the U.S. and European countries in Hong Kong as well as people holding U.S. and U.K. passports. What is China’s response to this hearsay?”

Hua answered, “You called this hearsay. I can tell you clearly that this is not just hearsay; it is a complete rumor!” Hua then went on to repeat China’s usual comment about the Hong Kong movement and blasted the U.S. and other Western countries for stirring up fire in Hong Kong.

Source: Foreign Ministry website, August 2, 2019
https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/web/fyrbt_673021/t1685719.shtml

Briefings | | August 4, 2019 | Government/Politics

The Paper: PLA’s Hong Kong Garrison Commander Expressed Hard-line Position

[Editor’s note: Chen Daoxiang, Commander of the PLA’s Garrison in Hong Kong said in June, when he met with David Helvey, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the US Department of Defense, that the Hong Kong garrison would not interfere in local affairs.]

According to The Paper, “The reception for the 92nd anniversary of the establishment of the Chinese PLA’s garrison in Hong Kong” was held in Hong Kong on the evening of July 31. In his speech, Chen Daoxiang strongly condemned a series of recent incidents of extreme violence in Hong Kong and expressed his attitude with “seven resolutes.”

Chen Daoxiang said that the garrison will resolutely follow the instructions of the Party Central Committee, the Central Military Commission and President Xi, resolutely implement the Basic Law and the Garrison Law, resolutely support the Chief Executive of the Legislative Council, resolutely support the Hong Kong police in law enforcement, resolutely support the Hong Kong SAR Government’s rigorous law enforcement on anti-rioting, resolutely support the actions of the patriotic Hong Kong people to defend the rule of law in Hong Kong, and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and the security of Hong Kong.

A theme film “Remain true to our original aspiration and Protect Hong Kong” was also shown at the reception, including training exercises such as special warfare, anti-terrorism, anti-riot, and flat violence.

[Editor’s note: the three minute long video with both Chinese and English subtitles is available at the Weibo site of the PLA’s Hong Kong garrison, https://www.weibo.com/u/1181382331?is_hot=1]

Source: The Paper, July 25, 2019
https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_4057900

Briefings | | August 4, 2019 | Geo-Strategic Trend

Taiwan’s “CCP Agent” Legislation Targets Pro-Beijing Media

Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen recently highlighted the situation of mainland China’s all-round infiltration into the island, against the backdrop of Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s proposal of “one country, two systems” for Taiwan earlier this year. Tsai told the media that for the sake of national security, the government will push for Chinese Communist Party (CCP) agent legislation.

In May 2019, nearly 70 Taiwanese media attended the 4th Cross-Strait Media People Summit, hosted by China’s Beijing Daily and Taiwan based Want Want China Times Media Group. On July 16th, the Financial Times published a report, alleging Want Want-owned media outlets the China Times and CtiTV were taking orders on a daily basis from China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) on how to prepare their news.

A month ago, on June 23, a demonstration was held in Taipei against the “red media.” Thousands of people took to the streets to protest the Want Want group.

A former China Times reporter told BBC Chinese that, since the Want Want Group purchased the China Times, the newspaper has given priority to cross-strait news. For example, if there is a Chinese Communist Party official visiting Taiwan, the reporter may have to give up other pre-scheduled reporting activities and cover the Chinese official instead, even if the story is not newsworthy.

China Times was founded in 1950, originally a newspaper with considerable credibility in Taiwan. In 1986, its daily circulation reached as high as 1.2 million. In November 2008, after the Want Want Group gained ownership of the paper, its style gradually changed toward the position of being pro-Beijing. After 2014, China Times underwent a massive revision. Its new motto became “identifying with China, true love of Taiwan, and unification at last.” In June of 2019, during the 30 year anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre, stories of a China Times senior reporter being shot by the People’s Liberation Army in 1989, and a series of related in-depth reports were all removed from its website.

The former reporter believes that it is necessary to expose the relationship between such institutions and foreign forces. Such a relationship should be made public showing whether the content of the media represents a particular group or regime, and readers should be allowed to obtain complete information.

Source: BBC Chinese, July 25, 2019
https://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/chinese-news-49119237

Briefings | | August 2, 2019 | Geo-Strategic Trend

Student Groups at University of Queensland Clash over Hong Kong

According to Reuters, at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, students held a gathering last week in support of the protesters in Hong Kong. Pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong opposed the amendment of the extradition bill out of concern that the amendment will increase Beijing’s influence and will endanger the city’s rule of law.

A pro-Beijing student group also showed up at the event. Some students played nationalist songs with the volume high and shouted “China is great.” Images from social media show that some students screamed loudly and had physical conflicts.

Xu Jie, the Chinese consul-general in Brisbane, praised the pro-Beijing students for confronting the pro-Hong Kong students. He called them “anti-Chinese separatists with ulterior motives.”

Australia’s foreign affairs minister Marise Payne issued a statement after the incident. Payne said the right to free speech and to peaceful and lawful protest was protected in Australia, even on contentious and sensitive issues. “The government would be particularly concerned if any foreign diplomatic mission were to act in ways that could undermine such rights, including by encouraging disruptive or potentially violent behaviour.”

Source: Central News Agency, July 27, 2019
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/201907270118.aspx

Briefings | | July 31, 2019 | Geo-Strategic Trend

VOA Chinese: China Lost Nearly Two Million Jobs in the Trade War

Voice of America (VOA) Chinese edition recently published an article stating that, according to a report that a large Chinese investment bank CICC (China International Capital Corporation) just released, China’s manufacturing industry has lost around five million jobs. Among the jobs lost thus far, the trade war was responsible for the loss of about 1.8 million to 1.9 million of them. The CICC economists pointed out that the five million positions reflect roughly 3.4 percent of the total number of manufacturing jobs. The report also indicated that, in addition to the trade war, the domestic economic structural adjustments as well as seasonal factors have also heavily impacted the manufacturing job market. However, the data used for the CICC report were collected before May. It therefore did not reflect the effect of the 10 percent to 25 percent U.S. tariff increase on the US$200 billion Chinese exports to the U.S. All experts expected a much larger scale for job loss once the tariff increase was factored in. In the meantime, China’s second quarter GDP increase slowed down to 6.2 percent, which was the slowest pace of growth since 1992.

Source: VOA Chinese, July 25, 2019
https://www.voachinese.com/a/china-job-trade-tariff-manufacturing-20190725/5014175.html

Briefings | | July 30, 2019 | Economy/Resources US-China Relations

LTN: 13 Australian Confucius Institutes Suspected of Violating Foreign Interference Laws

Major Taiwanese news network Liberty Times Network (LTN) recently reported that the Australian authorities have started an investigation into agreements signed between 13 Australian universities and the Chinese Confucius Institute. These agreements all allow the Chinese government to review and control the teaching content of the Confucius Institutes. The Australian government suspected that these agreements are in fact in violation of the anti-foreign-interference laws passed last year. The investigation found that all these agreements have a certain levels of compromise of the university’s academic freedom. In exchange they receive Chinese funding support, 3000 Chinese books and some other educational resources. Among the 13 universities, four of them – the University of Queensland (UQ), Griffith University (GU), La Trobe University (LTU) and Charles Darwin University (CDU) – compromised the most. They all accepted in writing that they would allow the Chinese government to inspect teaching quality. Australian Inspector General Christian Porter confirmed that the government is evaluating the application of the new laws.

Source: LTN, July 25, 2019
https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/breakingnews/2864124

Briefings | | July 29, 2019 | Geo-Strategic Trend

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

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

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

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