Skip to content

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

Read More ...

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

Read More ...

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

Read More ...

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

Read More ...

HKJA: Survey Showed HK Public Gave Low Score to HK Freedom of the Press

The Hong Kong Economic Journal, the city’s first financial newspaper, founded in 1973, recently reported that the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) released its annual report on the recently conducted survey on freedom of the press in Hong Kong. The city’s general public gave a score of 47.1 (out of 100), which is 0.9 points lower than last year. Professional reporters scored freedom of the press at 40.3. Over 70 percent of the reporters surveyed believed that the overall freedom of the press was worse than last year. Most of the people in the sample of professional journalists and in the sample population of the general public expressed their belief that the pressure from the Mainland government has been hurting Hong Kong’s freedom of the press. Several central government officials have pressured the local government and the local media to self-regulate when they report the news.

Source: Hong Kong Economic Journal, April 11, 2018
https://bit.ly/2vf9mkd

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend Government/Politics

China’s Second Aircraft Carrier Will Soon Have Its First Sea Trial

Well-known Chinese news site Sina recently reported that China’s second aircraft carrier is scheduled for its initial sea trial in about two weeks. Leaked photos showed that its phased array radar installation reached completion. The sea trial date is likely to be around China’s Naval Army Day (April 23). Chinese Naval experts explained that the new and fully domestically designed carrier will not serve as a training vessel. Instead, it will be a combat vessel. The carrier is also to gain more design experience for the next one. However, this upcoming new carrier will not deploy catapult take-off technology because China’s carrier aircraft still needs improvements. Also, if a carrier were to use electromagnetic ejection technology, it would require high electric power, which may be too difficult for a conventionally powered carrier. The new carrier has tens of millions of parts. The full cycle of preparation, design, research, and development, as well as construction will require highly comprehensive experience to mature.

Source: Sina, April 9, 2018
http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2018-04-09/doc-ifyvtmxe6197797.shtml

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

China Uses 15 to 17 Percent of GDP to Pay Interest Each Year

According to an article the Jing Rong Jie (Financial World) website published, during the Tenth Chinese Mulan (Women) Entrepreneur Annual Conference held on April 14 in Beijing, Mao Zhenhua, the Founder and Chairman of China Chengxin Credit Management Company gave a speech in which he stated that, each year, China spends 15 to 17 percent of its GDP to make its interest payments. It is therefore facing an unprecedented economic and financial crisis. As a result, financial risk prevention has become the top priority for the country to deal with. According to Mao, with the large amount of capital injection following the 2008 world financial crisis as well as the country’s strong economic growth policy, China has emerged as the world’s economic power. However, China has also become the country that prints the most money in the world. Almost all the companies in China suffer from a huge amount of debt. Meanwhile China has surplus production and faces the issue that the supply is greater than the demand, as well as the issue of the price level of its stock and its real estate is too high. All of these have created an economic bubble that could lead to a financial crisis and therefore, in 2017, the government took tighter control of the economy. This control is expected to continue over the next few years.

Source: Jing Rong Jie, April 14, 2018
http://opinion.jrj.com.cn/2018/04/14225824390437.shtml

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Beijing Public Security Bureau Claims 5,000 Spy Tip-Off Calls Received in One Year

Huanqiu carried an article that Beijing Evening News originally published on April 10. The article reported that, in the year since the Beijing Public Security Bureau issued a notice to reward citizens for offering information about suspicious spying activities, the bureau has received close to 5,000 calls. The article listed examples of a few reported spying activities. One involved a former classmate from a foreign country trying to obtain confidential academic information. A second one involved a person who was overseas attending an academic conference. The person was asked to provide confidential academic information in exchange for a permanent residence status. A third involved a Chinese cab driver who noticed a group of foreigners conducting suspicious activity near a restricted military area. The article claimed that the tipping hotline has received an increased number of calls and the end results have been effective. A VOA article reported that the monetary reward could be as high as 500,000 yuan (US$80,000) for each occurrence. When a VOA reporter called the tipping hotline, the operator who answered the call declined to comment on how many of the tips were eventually validated.

Sources:
1. Huanqiu, April 10, 2018
http://society.huanqiu.com/article/2018-04/11820948.html
2. VOA, April 13, 2018
https://www.voachinese.com/a/4345272.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics Social Stability

Duowei News: Repositioning the Party and Religion; How Communist China Fights the War of Ideology

Duowei News published an opinion article on recent events related to religious affairs in China. First, Xi’s new administration placed national religious affairs under the management of the United Front Work Department. Then, on April 3, the Information Office of the State Council issued a White Paper titled, “China’s Policies and Practices on Protecting Freedom of Religious Belief.” During the White Paper release conference, the Information Office claimed that, “The measure of the effectiveness of religious work is whether it can unite people with different religions with the party and the government and whether the religions in China are the ones with Chinese characteristics.” Finally, on March 30, the Bible was pulled from online stores in China. According to the article, with all that is taking place, it will be interesting to see how the communist party under Xi’s new administration fights the war of ideology and which side the Chinese people will choose: Marxism or a religious belief?

Source: Duowei News, April 8, 2018
http://news.dwnews.com/china/news/2018-04-08/60050593.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Four Large Mobile News Apps Were Ordered to Terminate Their Services

Radio France Internationale reported that Cyberspace Affairs is enforcing tighter surveillance and control of online news sites. Recently four of the online news sites: Jinri Toutiao (Headlines), ifeng.com, news.163.com, and the ten cent news app were ordered to terminate their services due to a “standardization of communication order in accordance with law.” No specific violation was mentioned in the original official news article.

Source: Radio France Internationale, April 10, 2018
http://cn.rfi.fr/%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD/20180409-%E5%9B%9B%E5%A4%A7app%E6%96%B0%E9%97%BB%E5%B9%B3%E5%8F%B0%E5%8F%97%E8%B4%A3%E4%B8%8B%E6%9E%B6%E5%AE%98%E6%96%B9%E6%8B%9F%E5%8A%A0%E5%A4%A7%E6%96%B0%E9%97%BB%E7%AE%A1%E5%88%B6

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

RFA: China Hires Neighborhood Administrators to Monitor Residential Neighborhood Activities

Radio Free Asia reported that China has divided neighborhoods into small blocks of about 15 to 20 households each and has assigned an administrator to manage each block. The neighborhood committee maintains close contact with the local police department and regularly reports “suspicious” movements going on in the neighborhood. Recently a hiring notice for the Residential Administrator of a neighborhood committee indicated that the administrators are required to know their assigned neighborhood, people’s housing situations, the basic infrastructure setup, the number of organizations in the neighborhood, the population and any potential risks. They also need to collect feedback from the residents and be prepared to assist and resolve conflicts. Each administrator is responsible for 15 to 20 families in the neighborhood. The administrators are also required to maintain confidentiality when going about their work.

A news report from last November showed that these administrators can make up to 5,000 yuan (US$796) a month. The money comes out of the stability maintenance fund.

Source: Radio Free Asia, April 10, 2018
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/meiti/ql2-04102018102215.html

Briefings | | |   Social Stability