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China to Speed up “Sharp Eyes Surveillance Project” in Rural Regions

RFA reported that, on June 21, the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission held a national video conference on the “Sharp Eyes Surveillance Project.” The Commission made it clear that the goal was to have the Sharp Eyes Surveillance Project completed in rural regions by 2020 in order to achieve “full coverage, network sharing, real time availability, and full control.” Similar to the Skynet Project, which is a surveillance system covering the urban region, the Sharp Eyes Surveillance Project is the version for the rural region. Developed by Guangdong AEBELL Technology Group, the Sharp Eyes Project has the capability of monitoring activities of individuals living in rural areas with its control centers stationed in nearby villages, towns and counties. It uses an application installed on television sets or mobile phones and can mobilize the general public to watch the surveillance recordings to ensure full security coverage. In February 2008, the Sharp Eyes Surveillance Project was first incorporated into the top document that the Central Committee of the Party issued. Since then, it has been highly valued at the top level. According to an article that Legal Daily published in February, in Pingyi County in Lin Yi city of Shandong Province where the Sharp Eyes project was first launched, by the end of February, 360,000 surveillance cameras had been installed. In Shandong Province, 2.93 million surveillance cameras and 2,491 surveillance centers have been set up across the entire province. In Sichuan Province, by the end of December 2017, the Sharp Eyes Surveillance Project was completed in 14,087 villages with 41,695 cameras installed.

Source: Radio Free Asia, June 22, 2018
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shehui/wy-06222018105535.html

Xi Jinping Sets New Direction for Foreign Diplomatic Work

Xinhua reported that the Central Foreign Affairs Working Conference was held in Beijing on June 22 and 23. It established the guiding position of “Xi Jinping’s diplomatic thoughts on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in a New Era,” which provided a new direction for diplomatic work. During his speech, Xi summarized China’s achievements in foreign diplomatic relations over the past five years and proposed ten diplomatic thoughts. They included “safeguarding the authority of the Central Administration and strengthening the Party’s uniform leadership in diplomatic work” and “China should actively participate in leading the reform of the global governance system and create a more comprehensive global partnership network.” According to Xinhua, the participants included seven members of the Party Standing Committee, Vice Chairmen Wang Qishan, the members of the entire Politburo, the Secretariat of the party, and the highest ranking leaders of the following: the National People’s Congress, the State Councilor, the Central Publicity Department, the Central Foreign Liaison Department, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the National Development Committee, the leaders of the reform commission, the Ministry of Commerce, and the Joint Chiefs of the Central Military Commission.

The Duowei News article quoted reports from The Nikkei, a Japanese newspaper, which reported that the participants at the conference were not allowed to take notes and the discussions were not fully disclosed. According to Nikkei, Xi told the participants that “we shouldn’t feel lost in the chaotic international climate” and that “China needs to understand our position and role in the changing world and scientifically set foreign policy guidelines.”

An Epoch Times report commented that the conference was held just as the U.S. is changing its China policy, a possible Trade War will take place between China and the U.S. and the Western world has started to guard against China’s infiltration. It is unusual for Beijing to hold such a high level conference on Foreign Diplomacy work. The intent of this meeting was to set the direction for foreign diplomatic work, which must be consistent with the Central Administration and ensure a unified coordination of action among the different departments.

Source:
1. Xinhua, June 24, 2018
http://www.xinhuanet.com/politics/2018-06/24/c_1123026158.htm
2. Duowei, June 25, 2018
http://news.dwnews.com/global/news/2018-06-25/60066517.html
3. Epoch Times, June 24, 2018
http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/18/6/24/n10509002.htm

Xinhua: The U.S. Has Become the Number One Destination for Asylum Applications

Xinhua recently reported, based on OECD (The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) data that, among OECD member countries, the United States has become the number one destination for asylum applications. The OECD has 35 members, including the United States, Germany, Great Britain, France, Australia and Turkey. In the year 2017, OECD countries received 1.2 million more asylum applications than in 2016. Between 2013 and 2016, Germany was the top destination. However, in 2017, the U.S. surpassed Germany to receive the largest number of applications. Germany is now the second largest, followed by Italy, Turkey, and France. Most of the asylum applicants for EU countries came from Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq. Most applicants for the U.S. came from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Venezuela. According to the OECD, with massive numbers of refugees pouring into OECD countries, residents in the member countries have started to question the benefits of accepting these immigrants. This has already changed the political landscape in Germany.

Source: Xinhua, June 22, 2018
http://www.xinhuanet.com/world/2018-06/22/c_129898274.htm

Pakistan Announced Anti-Dumping Tariff against China

Shanghai-based industrial news media SMM (Shanghai Metals Market), which specializes in reporting news regarding non-ferrous metals, recently reported that the Pakistani National Tariff Commission announced an anti-dumping tariff on color-coated steel coils and sheets made in China and South Africa (Announcement ADC51). The Pakistani government made the final judgment call and determined the products in scope did established tangible damage to Pakistani domestic products. The anti-dumping tariff will remain in effective for the next five years. The tax rate for Chinese manufacturers will be in the range of 5.36 percent to 10.88 percent, depending on the specific product tax code. This announcement was made at nearly the same time that the U.S. Trump administration instated its 301 tariffs on China. Also, the Pakistani government approved the initial conclusion of its anti-dumping findings for pencils made in China. A four-month temporary pencil anti-dumping tariff will also apply.

Source: SMM, June 19, 2018
https://news.smm.cn/news/100809623

Caijing: May Growth Rate of China’s Retail Sales of Consumer Goods Reached Fifteen Year Low

Large Chinese financial news media Caijing recently reported that, based on the data that the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics just released, the May growth numbers for the total retail sales of all consumer goods slowed down significantly to 8.5 percent, year-over-year. This growth rate is much lower than the expected 9.4 percent. The number is at its lowest level since May 2003. Interestingly, the growth rate of urban consumer retail is significantly lower (8.3 percent) than that of the suburban rate (9.6 percent). Another noticeable trend is that automobile related consumer spending growth actually saw a decline of one percent. The Chinese National Bureau of Statistics offered the comment that the significant slowdown is mainly due to short-term factors and external uncertainty. The Bureau expects the growth to remain stable.

Source: Caijing, June 14, 2018
http://economy.caijing.com.cn/20180614/4470274.shtml

Hainan Province Criticized for Plans to Create “Internet Zone for Foreign Tourists”

According to Securities Times Online, Hainan Province recently introduced a Three-Year-Plan (from 2018 to 2020) to improve the Hainan Tourist Business using international standards. The goal is to increase foreign tourism by 25 percent and reach over two million tourists by 2020. The Plan would also create a special Internet zone for foreign tourists in cities like Haikou and Sanya and allow them to use social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

The news caused anger among Internet users in China. They criticized the Plan because it discriminates against Chinese citizens and uses a double standard to treat Chinese citizens as second class citizens. The link to the Plan can no longer be found on the official website of Hainan Province (http://www.hainan.gov.cn) and an article that the Paper.com published on this topic was also disabled. According to an article that Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported, the Plan will advertise Hainan tourism using WhatsApp and Wechat. It will also produce a Hainan tourism TV program to be aired on the BBC, CNN, and CNBC with over 2,000 minutes of air time.

The full article on the Plan can be found on WordPress.com: https://wo3ttt.wordpress.com/2018/06/23/%E6%B5%B7%E5%8D%97%E6%8B%9F%E5%AF%B9%E5%A4%96%E5%9B%BD%E6%B8%B8%E5%AE%A2%E5%BC%80%E6%94%BE%E4%BA%92%E8%81%94%E7%BD%91-%E7%BD%91%E7%BB%9C%E7%82%B8%E9%94%85-%E6%B6%88%E6%81%AF%E8%A2%AB%E5%88%A0/

Sources:
1. Security Times Online, June 22, 2018
http://kuaixun.stcn.com/2018/0622/14336897.shtmlto

2. RFA, June 22, 2018
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/meiti/hj-06222018105712.html

Survey Found Close to 50 Percent of European Companies with Operations in China Feel Business Environment Is Getting Worse

Voice of America (VOA) reported on the results of a survey conducted on 532 European companies that are members of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China. The survey found that European companies with operations in China are dealing with a difficult business environment. Close to 50 percent of the companies that took the survey said that the environment has gotten worse in the past year; 20 percent of the companies said that they were the victim of forced technology transfer; close to 50 percent of the companies believed that the trade barriers in China will get worse over the next five years; and 25 percent of the companies believed that they would never see China’s market “open in any significant way.” The areas that these companies complained about the most include the uncertain legal environment, higher labor costs, and regulatory problems, as well as the “Great Firewall.” According to the article, some companies felt that China didn’t make progress in certain areas but rather it had taken a step backward. The examples were the introduction of the new Internet Security Law which forced these companies to spend more money on company registration fees, as well as using a low efficiency VPN system. The VOA article quoted a statement that the President of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China made. He said that the trade tension between China and the U.S. resulted from China because it is not fully open and hasn’t carry out the speedy reform that it had promised. … China claims that it is the leader in globalization but its Internet Security Law is creating problems for these foreign companies.

Source: Voice of America, June 20, 2018
https://www.voachinese.com/a/news-eu-chamber-of-commerce-on-china-20180620/4446674.html

LTN: Chinese Diplomat Threatened Australian Media to Get It to Cancel a Program

Taiwan Liberty Times reported that Kirsty Thomson, the producer of 60 Minutes on Australian Channel 9 received a phone call from Cao Saixian, the head of the Media Affairs Department at the Chinese Embassy in Canberra. Cao claimed that 60 minutes illegally filmed footage and threatened that it could not air one segment that covered China’s expansion in the South Pacific Ocean. “Take this down and take it to your leaders! … You will listen! There must be no more misconduct in the future!” Cao yelled over the phone. Thomson countered that the footage was taken in the public region using a drone and stated that the program would still be aired on June 18 and 19 as planned. According to the article, 60 Minutes has produced a number of programs that covered China’s “debt trap diplomacy” in the Pacific region and how it was expanding its influence through offering assistance in the areas of infrastructure and agriculture in countries such as Fiji, Tonga, and Vanuatu. The program focused mainly on China’s plans in Vanuatu, including attempts to build a military base in Vanuatu. The program previously revealed that China’s satellite monitoring ship, disguised as a fishing boat, tried to approach the Australian Adelaide warship in the port of Suva in Fiji. The article reported that the way that Cai approached the mainstream English media was done in a very unusual way. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs must have given the direction in order to warn other media not to offend China.

Source: Taiwan Liberty Times, June 22, 2018
http://news.ltn.com.tw/news/business/paper/1210818