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

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China’s Direct Investment in the U.S. Went into Free Fall

Well-known Chinese news site Tencent News recently reported that, according to an independent study that the Rhodium Group conducted, in the first five months of this year, China’s direct investment in the United States (including mergers) saw a year-over-year sharp decline of 92 percent, to US$1.8 billion. This is the lowest level in seven years. If one counts the sell-off of China-owned U.S. assets, China’s direct investment in the U.S. is actually -US$7.8 billion. The drama of Chinese companies “sweeping” the U.S. market with mega-deals has “faded into history.” The same statistics in 2016 were a completely different story. China’s direct investment doubled in 2016 to $46 billion. Since the second half of last year, the Chinese government has put a very tight control over out-flowing capital. As Xinhua has indicated, starting early this year, in the name of national security, the U.S. government has subjected Chinese investments to tight reviews. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) has stopped many Chinese investment projects. Many Chinese companies are still in the process of selling their U.S. assets.

Source: Tencent News, June 21, 2018
https://kuaibao.qq.com/s/20180621A0KR3S00?refer=spider

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Chinese Foreign Exchange Administration Warned about Illegal Activities

Well-known Chinese news site Netease recently republished a report from Xiamen Daily News that the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, Xiamen Branch, issued a public risk warning on illegal foreign exchange activities. The warning said that, without approval and authorization from the Administration, no organization is allowed to conduct the business of exchanging Chinese currency for any foreign currencies. Any organization without a permit will have to face law enforcement. The warning listed the authorized local commercial banks as well as companies that have a permit. Some companies may require a prior appointment for doing an exchange transaction. {Editor’s note: before the great Reform that Deng Xiaoping started, China used to have a large foreign exchange black market. In the past few decades, since the government authorized organizations have had an ample supply of foreign currency, especially the U.S. dollar, the black market nearly disappeared from everyday life. However, recently, the Chinese government has been tightening up the supply of U.S. dollars.}

Source: Netease, July 2, 2018
http://xiamen.news.163.com/18/0702/16/DLNKIL2504418D23.html

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

China’s First Batch of Graduates with Masters Degree in United Front Studies

The Central Institute of Socialism (CIS), the Chinese Communist Party’s training and education facility for its officials, recently saw its very first batch of graduate students receiving Master’s degrees with a major in united front studies. The program is a joint effort between CIS and Shandong University and was launched in 2015.

The united front is an alliance of groups against {communism’s} common enemies. They employ a tactic that socialism and communism have carried out in their revolutionary political and/or military campaigns. The Comintern, an international communist organization that former Soviet communists created in the wake of the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution first developed the theory.

According to the thesis of the 1922 4th World Congress of the Comintern:

“The united front tactic is simply an initiative whereby the Communists propose to join with all workers belonging to other parties and groups and all unaligned workers in a common struggle to defend the immediate, basic interests of the working class against the bourgeoisie.”

Chinese Communists extensively adopted this tactic during communism’s earlier years, before 1949, when carrying out propaganda and military campaigns against Nationalists. In later years, it also used the united front in its international politics, such as the recent attempts to ally with the European nations and to strike back at the tariffs that the U.S. imposed. According to the Jamestown Foundation, “The United Front Work Department (中共中央统一战线工作部) is the department of the CCP charged with consolidating support for Party policies among non-CCP members, including among individuals of Chinese descent overseas. It is has long been a key, albeit well concealed, element of the CCP’s foreign policy.”

The majority of studies on the united front at CIS include four fields of research: the theory and policy of the united front, China’s system of political parties, the theories of ethnic groups and religions in the united front, China’s traditional political thought, and the culture of the united front. In Shandong University, the program is housed in the School of Political Science and Public Administration, a subsidiary program under Political Science. Since its launch in 2015, the program has recruited 38 doctoral and 50 masters degree students.

Li Jinhe, a professor at CIS, said, “The united front is the study of the laws regarding the governance of the Chinese Communist Party. This is very important.”

Sources:

1. Central Institute of Socialism, July 4, 2018
http://www.zysy.org.cn/a1/a-XDI93M823C37528A39F066
2. Jamestown Foundation, June 19, 2018.
https://jamestown.org/program/understanding-the-role-of-chambers-of-commerce-and-industry-associations-in-united-front-work/

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

BBC Chinese: Acquisition from Hong Kong Questioned in Australia

On July 2, BBC Chinese reported that Hong Kong Cheung Kong (Holdings) recently announced a plan to acquire Australia’s largest natural gas pipeline company, APA. However, this once again triggered considerable debate in Australia, based on the worry about losing control of critical national infrastructure to a foreign power. Hong Kong is currently under Chinese rule with the “One Nation Two Systems” policy. However, the system has no assurance that a Hong Kong company could be prevented from obeying an order from Beijing. The Cheung Kong acquisition attempt is to obtain a 100 percent stake in APA. The deal is valued at around US$9.5 billion. However, there is no signed agreement yet and multiple Australian officials have already stood up to express their concerns on antitrust and national security grounds. Cheung Kong has a large number of investments on a global level, especially in Britain and Canada. It already has control over many infrastructure companies covering most of the Australian states.

Source: BBC Chinese, July 2, 2018
http://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/world-44680774

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

People’s Daily: Opening Ceremony for 2018 Visiting of Young Sinologists Training Program Held in Beijing

On July 6, People’s Daily reported on the opening ceremony of the 2018 Visiting of Young Sinologists Training Program, which the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the Chinese and Foreign Cultural Exchange Center, and the Beijing Language and Culture University hosted jointly in Beijing. Thirty-eight participants from 34 countries participated in the program. In the first three days, the participants had classes and then were divided into groups to conduct two-weeks of research studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Peking University, the Beijing Language and Culture University, the Beijing Second Foreign Languages Institute and at other academic institutions based on their academic interests. After that, they are scheduled to travel to Guizhou Province to study the situation of the Chinese minority culture, the development of the ecological civilization and the development of contemporary science and technology. After the 21-day training program, these young sinologists will continue to stay in touch with their Chinese mentors and maintain communication on academic research and essay writing. The report stated that the Young Sinologist Training Program was launched in 2014. Twelve sessions have been held since then with 360 participants coming from 95 countries around the world. In 2018, for the first time, the Young Sinologist Training Program will have spring, summer, and fall sessions to be held in Chongqing, Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Xi’an. The number of total participants is expected to exceed 200.

Source:
1. People’s Daily, July 6, 2018
http://world.people.com.cn/n1/2018/0706/c1002-30132115.html
2. China Studies, July 5, 2018
http://sinology.chinaculture.org/html/www/news/newsdetails.html?id=183

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Chinese Embassy in the U.S. Warns Chinese Tourists That U.S. Is Not Safe to Visit

Epoch Times reported that, just days prior to the start of the U.S. China trade war, the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. issued a notice on its website stating that the U.S. is not safe and that there is a high occurrence of gun violence, robbery, and theft. It warned Chinese tourists that they need to be alert to suspicious people around them and to avoid going out at night. The notice reminded the Chinese tourists that, when they call 911, they must speak Chinese so they can receive Chinese language assistance and also, if they believe that the law enforcement officers have improper conduct or discriminating behavior, they should collect proper evidence so they can appeal the case. The notice also warned about high medical costs in the U.S. and the danger of natural disasters in the summer season.

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, three million Chinese tourists visited the U.S. in 2017, the largest number next to Canada, Mexico, the U.K., and Japan.

Source: Epoch Times, July 3, 2018
http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/18/7/3/n10533121.htm

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Chinese Lawyers Required to Follow Party’s Leadership and Make Party Development Work Their Top Political Task

People’s Daily reported that, on July 1, during the ninth conference of the All China Lawyers Association, the Association passed a revision to its charter to recognize the party’s leadership over the Association and to strengthen the Association’s work of developing the party. Fu Zhenghua, the Minister of Justice participated in the conference. He expressed the requirements that “lawyers must make the work of developing the party their top political task” and that “lawyers must follow the Party no matter what happens.” On July 8, only days following the national Lawyers conference, the Beijing Lawyer Association took the lead and adopted a similar revision to its charter. The amended language reads as follows: Adhere to Xi Jinping’s new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics as the guide, firmly defend that Comrade Xi Jinping is the core party’s authority and centralized leadership, and strengthen the party’s development work.

Source:
1. People’s Daily, July 2, 2018
http://dangjian.people.com.cn/n1/2018/0702/c117092-30099388.html
2. Legal Daily, July 8, 2018
http://www.legaldaily.com.cn/Lawyer/content/2018-07/09/content_7589090.htm?node=32988

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

People’s Daily: The American Trade Bully Is Harming the World

At midnight on Friday, July 6, the first day of the U.S. tariffs against billions of dollars of Chinese goods took effect. People’s Daily, the Chinese Communist Party’s mouthpiece, struck back with an editorial.

The article made the accusation that, “The U.S. violated the WTO’s rules and launched the largest trade war to date.” It continued, “This (the U.S. tariffs) will not shake the foundation of China’s economic development, it will not weaken the confidence of the Chinese people in achieving the goal of ‘two hundred years,’ and it (the U.S.) will surely be hit back. However, the unreasonable arrogance carried by the trade hegemonism of the United States is quite damaging. It not only harms the interests of the enterprises and peoples of both countries, but also threatens the global free trade and multilateral system and hinders the pace of world economic recovery.

“The White House will not forget that more than half a century ago, China, suffering from war trauma and devastation, spoke out loud, ‘Blockade, blockade for eight and ten years, and all problems in China will have been solved.’ Today, as China is stepping toward the center of the World’s stage with strong national strength and moral appeal, will she allow the U.S. trade hegemonism to damage the core interests of the country and ask the people to make unprincipled concessions? Moreover, as a responsible power, China clearly understands that winning this trade war will make the U.S. see clearly that trade bullying has no future. We are thus defending the international economic and trade order. ‘If the war ends the war, the war is worth fighting.’ Without a bitter lesson, it is difficult for those who are blinded by self-interest to wake up and get back to reality.”

“The trade bully will never ever succeed!”

Source: People’s Daily, July 6, 2018
http://opinion.people.com.cn/n1/2018/0706/c1003-30132252.html

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations