Chinascope – Page 409

Vietnam Tightens Inspections of Chinese Exports That Forge Vietnam As the Country of Origin

Well-known Chinese news site Sohu recently reported that the U.S tariffs against China are creating a significant challenge for Chinese exporters. More and more Chinese sellers are using a third country route in order to get their products into the United States. This circumstance places heavy pressure on Vietnam since Vietnamese Customs is now seeing a flood of fraud on manufacturing origin certificates. The Vietnamese government announced new rules and has increased the level of its penalties on illegal trade activities. In order to keep its positive trend on a rapid growth of exports to the U.S., Vietnam increased the cost and tightened up the verification process for “Made in Vietnam” labels under the name of protecting the reputation of the label and the nation. According to the U.S. data, in the first quarter, Vietnam saw a year-over-year 40.2 percent growth in exports that are being sent to the U.S. This has made Vietnam the top country that sees the fastest trade growth with the U.S. No wonder Vietnam is now willing to do anything to please the United States.

Source: Sohu, June 13, 2019
http://www.sohu.com/a/320230420_99994729

Briefings | | June 17, 2019 | Geo-Strategic Trend US-China Relations

CNA: Journalists Called to Walk the “Long March”

In the run-up to 70th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party, the party launched an education campaign called, “Remain true to our original aspirations and keep our mission firmly in mind.” The Central Publicity Department called on more than 500 journalists to follow the “Long March” of the Red Army and write news reports about the journey. During the speech made at the opening ceremony, the chief of the Publicity Department said that the journalists need to “make a long journey” and profoundly reveal “how red power came into being, how the new China was built,” and “to echo strongly the theme song (of the Party).”

The Central Political Bureau decided in May that from June onwards, the whole party would carry out the theme education of “Remain true to our original aspirations and keep our mission firmly in mind” in two phases. On May 20, Xi Jinping inspected the Chinese Communist Party’s Red Army Long March gathering place in Jiangxi Yudu. The move was described at the time as “exploring the source of the [party’s] original heart.” Reports indicated that there would be 500 journalists from 30 news media in the mainland who would participate in the campaign. Several opening ceremonies were held in different locations including Yudu and Ruijing of Jiangxi province and Changdi and Nihua of Fujian province, which are considered to be the “red regions,” full of “red memories.”

The “Long March” promoted in the history of the CCP took place in the early 1930s. The Nationalist Government successfully chased the Communist Party forces in the southwestern part of the Yangtze River and the western part of Fujian Province and forced them to flee from their base to Yan’an in northern Shaanxi. It lasted for several years. The Communist Party called it the “25,000 mile long march.”

Source: Central News Agency, June 11, 2019
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/201906110196.aspx

Briefings | | June 17, 2019 | Government/Politics

Thai Government Sues Taiwanese Businessman for Assisting Radio Broadcast to China

Jiang Yongxin, a Taiwanese business executive working in Thailand, was accused of illegally engaging in telecommunications broadcasting. The Thai police sued him earlier this year and the second trial will start next week. Jiang denied that he was engaged in telecommunications broadcasting. The U.S. based Sound of Hope Radio said that the case was an example of how the Thai government has lost its judicial sovereignty because of China’s pressure.

In 2018, Jiang, who was working in Bangkok, rented a vacation home in Chiang Mai, a city in northern Thailand. He loaned the house to a Taiwanese friend from Taiwan. The Taiwanese friend, a volunteer working for the hope of the U.S. based Chinese-language radio network Sound of Hope Radio, set up a short-wave device to broadcast Chinese language programs.

In January last year, the Thai police arrested Jiang. The first trial was held in February of this year. The second trial will start next week. Jiang has denied the charge of alleged illegal telecommunication broadcasting.

Jiang said that during the police interrogation, he discovered that the Thai information that police had came from the Chinese government. His Thai lawyer also said that the Thai police were under great pressure from China. “My lawyer told me that this is only a small case. The prosecutor did not intend to sue, but because of the pressure from the Chinese embassy, they had to file the charge.”

Sound of Hope Radio is a radio station that Falun Gong practitioners in the United States set up. It uses a shortwave radio to broadcast Chinese programs to China all year round. The station issued a statement on Tuesday urging the Thai government to release Jiang Yongxin. Zeng Yong, the president of the radio station, revealed that the network has hundreds of underground launching stations in China’s neighboring countries and regions. In recent years the Chinese government has exerted increasing pressure on those countries to close those underground launch sites.

Source: Radio Free Asia, June 12, 2019
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shehui/xql-06122019152931.html

Briefings | | June 16, 2019 | Geo-Strategic Trend

Beijing Municipal Education Commission: Teachers Who Impair the Authority of the Party Will Be Punished

On Tuesday June 11, the Beijing Municipal Education Commission issued the “Guiding Opinions on the Punishment of Teachers Who Commit Moral Violations at Beijing Colleges and Universities.” The Opinions stipulate 11 major acts of misconduct that university and college teachers might commit, including impairing the authority of Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, endangering national security, leaking state secrets, and conducting religious activities on campus. Other violations include plagiarism, academic forgery, malpractice, demanding bribes, accepting property from students or parents, and using public power for private gain.

The punishment measures include suspension of academic activities, canceling promotions, administrative discipline, and revocation of the teacher’s qualifications.

Source: Radio Free Asia, June 11, 2019
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/Xinwen/2-06112019135038.html

Briefings | | June 12, 2019 | Government/Politics

China Accuses U.S. of Cyber Attacks

According to China’s Xinhua News Agency, Beijing based National Computer Network Emergency Response Technical Team/Coordination Center (CNCERT) recently released the “Overview of China’s Cyber Security in 2018.” The data shows that cyber-attacks that originated in the U.S. lead the sources of attacks and the trend continues to worsen.

The CNCERT reported that in 2018 more than 14,000 U.S. based Trojan or botnet servers controlled more than 3.34 million mainframes in China. The number of attacked servers increased by 90.8 percent over the year 2017. 3,825 U.S. IP addresses implanted Trojans into 3,607 websites in China. The number of such U.S. IP addresses increased 43 percent over those in 2017. According to the statistics on the number of Chinese domestic mainframes and websites under attack, the U.S. tops the list of overseas attack sources. The report quotes experts who say that the U.S. has been accusing China of being a major threat to US cybersecurity, but the data shows that the U.S. itself is the largest source of cyber-attacks.

Source: People’s Daily, June 11, 2019
http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/html/2019-06/11/nw.D110000renmrb_20190611_2-02.htm

Briefings | | June 12, 2019 | US-China Relations

India May Join China and Russia against the U.S. out of Revenge

Well-known Chinese news site Sina recently reported that, according to the Indian newspaper, the Deccan Herald, India is very upset about the U.S. cancellation of India’s GSP (Generalized System of Preferences) status. In response, India is prepared to “join China and Russia” to condemn the U.S. trade protectionist stance. The U.S. withdrawal of India’s GSP benefits was to take effect on June 5. This could impact over 2,900 Indian products that are exported to the U.S. The estimated trade volume on these products is around US$5.6 billion. According to Indian Business Today, the Indian government is going through internal processes in an official response, and the decision is expected by the end of June. India’s potential “revenge tariff” could start as early as June 16. However, that date can be delayed. India is planning to sign a joint announcement together with China and Russia during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit, which is to be held in mid-June. Experts expressed their belief that India may not go too far against the U.S. since there are upcoming scheduled talks with the United States.

Source: Sina, June 6, 2019
http://dailynews.sina.com/gb/international/huanqiu/2019-06-06/doc-ifziyxsw7686345.shtml

Briefings | | June 12, 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.