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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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Huanqiu Opinion Article: Xi-Modi Talks Set a New Milestone for Rational Relations in Asia

Huanqiu published an opinion article in which it stated, “A brand-new positive situation is forming around China. Some strategic risks are tending to ease. The possibility of serious conflict between China and individual surrounding forces due to specific disputes has dropped to a historical low. … The stability of China’s peripheral relations will reduce the likelihood that external forces around China will deliberately make a choice and intervene, thereby reducing the risk of conflict between China and the United States in matters concerning China’s major interests.” The article was referring to the recent softening relationship between China and India, Japan, the Korean Peninsula, the Philippines and Vietnam. It stated that Beijing made the effort to adjust its policy with its neighboring countries which has enabled those countries to realize that China’s rise is an opportunity for them rather than a threat. When friction arises, China and the neighboring countries need to appreciate each other and no one can force Asian countries to confront each other. The future of Asian peace and prosperity lies in the hands of Asians.

Source: Huanqiu, April 28, 2018
http://opinion.huanqiu.com/editorial/2018-04/11941089.html

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Huanqiu: Do Not Boycott U.S. Goods

Huanqiu, which is a subsidiary under People’s Daily, published an article asking the Chinese people not to boycott U.S. goods. This represents a rare positional shift for Huanqiu, which, since last month, has taken a hard line against the U.S. on the trade war between the U.S. and China.

The article stated that the American media have claimed that China has an ultimate weapon against the U.S., which is to mobilize the whole nation to boycott U.S. goods. “However, it could be a trap to hurt ourselves.”

“There is no ‘winner’ in a trade war. Each party tries to minimize its losses. That’s why China does not want to have a trade war and also why many U.S. main-stream media are against Trump on this.”

“American companies are already tightly integrated into China’s economy.” “They also play an important role in China’s economic and technology development.” The article concluded that boycotting American companies and goods will hurt China’s economy and factories.

Source: Sina, April 22, 2018
http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2018-04-22/doc-ifznefkh5274114.shtml

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Kim Jong-un Sees off Train Carrying Chinese Victims

A Chinese tourist group got into a deadly accident on April 22 when their bus fell off a bridge in North Korea. Thirty-two people died and two were injured. On the morning of April 26, North Korea sent a special train to carry the bodies of the dead and to take the injured Chinese back to China. Kim Jong-un went to the train station to see the train off. He stepped on the train briefly to greet the wounded people.

Sources:
{1} China News, April 26, 2018
http://www.chinanews.com/gn/2018/04-26/8500315.shtml
{2} The China Press, April 23, 2018
http://ny.uschinapress.com/spotlight/2018/04-23/143317.html

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

State Council Information Office Published “2017 Human Rights Record of the United States”

According to Guangming Daily, on April 24. the State Council Information Office published the “2017 Human Rights Record of the United States” and the “Chronology of Human Rights Violations of the United States in 2017.” The 2017 Human Rights Record of the United States claimed that in the “2017 National Human Rights Report” that the U.S. State Department issued on April 20, the U.S. continued to be a ‘human rights defender’ and claimed themselves to be the moral magistrates while blaming other countries for their domestic affairs and human rights conditions and making it look like that the U.S. is the only country in the world with a perfect human rights situation. Looking back on 2017, people with a sense of justice will find that the U.S.’s own human rights record is still notorious and continues to deteriorate.” The 2017 Human Rights Record of the United States was divided into the following sections: preface; serious violations of civil rights; systemic racial discrimination that further split the country; serious abuses of American-style democracy; continued deterioration of polarization between rich and poor; discrimination and physical abuse by specific groups; and continued brutal violations of human rights in other countries. The 2017 Human Rights Record consists of 10,000 words and the Chronology of Human Rights Violations consists of 9,000 words.

Source: Guangming Daily, April 25, 2018
http://news.gmw.cn/2018-04/25/content_28481537.htm

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Supreme People’s Court and the Ministry of Justice Issued New Guidelines on Lawyers’ Conduct during Trial

Xinhua reported that the Supreme People’s Court and the Ministry of Justice issued a joint notice titled, “Protecting the Lawyer’s Rights of Law and Standardizing Lawyers’ Participation in Trial Activities.” The notice was said to “promote mutual respect, support, and supervision between the court and lawyers while, at the same time, defining the requirement to protect lawyer’s rights during trial and the lawyer’s code of practice.” One of the requirements stated that, “the lawyers are not allowed to interfere with a trial on the grounds of rights protection and are not allowed to use the Internet to publish statements, open letters, petition letters, etc. in their own names or through other people or the media. … Lawyers attending trials may not record, videotape, photograph, or use mobile communication tools to conduct court trial activities, and may not conduct other activities in violation of court rules and disobedience to court orders.”

Source: Xinhua, April 24, 2018
http://www.xinhuanet.com/legal/2018-04/24/c_1122734688.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

LTN: Communist Party Branches Ask for Management Role in Foreign-Owned Companies

Major Taiwanese news network Liberty Times Network (LTN) recently reported that foreign companies in China are now facing a new challenge. More and more Communist Party branches have been established and are growing. In some cases, with the pressure from the Chinese government, these Communist Party branches are interfering with management activities. For example, when a U.S. engine manufacturer Cummins, headquartered in Indiana, decided to assign a manager for a project in China, the  Communists disagreed. Small Communist Party groups have existed in Chinese branches of foreign companies for many years. However, they never got involved actively in management activities. In the past several months, many of the Chinese partners of these joint ventures have asked for a “consulting role” for the Communist Party group before the board makes any decision. James Zimmerman, a lawyer operating in Beijing serves many U.S. international firms. Zimmerman said that quite a large number of his clients have received clear requests from the Communists. Most of the companies declined to comment on this matter to the reporters.

Source: LTN, April 17, 2018
http://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/breakingnews/2398300

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Samsung and LG Plan to Close Their LCD TV Factories in China

Well-known Chinese news site Sina recently reported that, according to South Korean media news, more early signs of the negative impact of the China-US trade war are emerging. Two large South Korean technology companies, Samsung and LG, are planning to close their LCD TV factories located in China, where their 40- and 50-inch LCD TV sets were manufactured for the U.S. market. The announced U.S. tariff on Chinese TVs will leave the two companies with no profit, or they may even suffer a loss. Insider sources said the two companies have almost reached final decisions on this plan. After the closures, the South Koreans will establish new factories elsewhere, such as Mexico. LG is constructing new factories in the United States too. TV sets made in China hold ten percent of the total TV output of these two companies. A Samsung official commented that, with a 25 percent tariff, there would be no way to continue production without a loss.

Source: Sina, April 16, 2018
http://tech.sina.com.cn/it/2018-04-16/doc-ifzcyxmv4838311.shtml

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources Geo-Strategic Trend

Oriental Daily: Chinese Companies Suspected of Using Greek Port for Tax Evasion

The popular Hong Kong newspaper Oriental Daily recently reported via its online news site that Italian investigators said they are working with the European Union to hunt down Chinese criminal groups who have smuggled a large amount of goods into the EU via the Greek port of Piraeus to avoid an import tax and a product value-added tax (VAT). The Italian Central Anti-fraud Office pointed out that evidence showed Chinese criminals worked through their own companies in Piraeus to import counterfeit clothing and shoes. The Italian government estimated the loss reached tens of millions of Euros. The Greek government also started its own investigation. Piraeus is Greece’s largest port. Its largest shareholder is China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO). The Port of Piraeus is a strategic city in China’s “One Belt One Road” plan. Oriental Daily has been Hong Kong’s number one newspaper in circulation since 1976, with a record readership of over 3,100,000.

Source: Oriental Daily, April 21, 2018
http://hk.on.cc/cn/bkn/cnt/news/20180421/bkncn-20180421020014418-0421_05011_001_cn.html

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend