By Chen Guangcheng
{Editor’s Note: Reports indicate that the Vatican is getting closer to signing a contract with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in which they jointly appoint Bishops in China. Continue reading
China Review News: The U.S. Strategy on China Has Changed from Cooperation to Containment
China Review News, China’s state-sponsored media in Hong Kong, published an article stating that Trump clearly explained the Trump administration’s position on China in the economic field in his State of the Union address and in the U.S. National Security Strategy adopted in December 2017. He said that the U.S. strategy on China has changed from cooperation to containment.
The article compared Trump’s speech to former U.S. presidents’ remarks and previously issued U.S. documents pertaining to U.S. China policies. The article said, “The national security strategy that President Barack Obama approved in 2015 highly praised ‘unprecedented cooperation’ with China and called China a ‘strategic partner.’” (However), “the new U.S. national security strategy has, for the first time, listed economic cooperation and development issues as the core issue of ensuring national security. It characterizes the economic relations with China as one of the U.S.’s major security threats as well as a current challenge of ‘the global order that the Western powers established after the Second World War.’”
The article concluded, “U.S. policy toward China has turned a corner: Washington has shifted from a policy of trying to change China’s political system via cooperation to a ‘containment’ policy. The impending ‘trade war’ is only the first stage of a war of ideals. (We) hope Beijing can have enough wisdom (to deal with it).”
The article has been republished in many popular online based Chinese news media including People’s Daily (overseas edition), Sina, and others.
Sources:
1. China Review News (CRN), March 6, 2018
http://hk.crntt.com/doc/1049/9/7/0/104997076.html?coluid=58&kindid=1213&docid=104997076
2. Sina, March 7, 2018
http://news.sina.com.cn/w/sy/2018-03-07/doc-ifxpwyhv5351463.shtml
China Review News: Russia Cannot Achieve Its Return to Being a Great Power without Cooperation from China
China’s state-sponsored media, China Review News, published an article stating that Russia recently gave its people the impression that it is filled with calm and confidence as a big country; however, Russia can only become a global power if, in the future, it cooperates with China.
The article stated, “Look at the timeline over a longer period. Russia has not yet stepped out of the slow recession that occurred after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The Russian economy, which relied on abundant resources, has not had breakthroughs for a long time. Russia has a vast territory and fertile land. It is one of the few countries in the world with large resources. Russia, however, lags far behind developed countries in Europe and America in terms of industrial modernization.
“Putin positioned Russia as a Eurasian country and sought to find a way out from its role as a bridge connecting Asia and Europe. The situation of the Eurasian continent has undergone great changes in the past 20 years. At what speed and in what form China will exert its influence on the Eurasian continent is a major issue that is related to Russia’s national fate.
“President Putin is a realist. The border line between Russia and China is as long as 4,300 kilometers. Judging from the gap in economic strength between the two sides, Russia has been unable to compete with China. What is more, China is the most important buyer of Russian oil and natural gas. In the diplomatic field, in order to compete with the United States, China is an indispensable partner.
“In the future, Russia can only become a global power by cooperating with China. Therefore, cooperation with China is the way for Russia to survive as a Eurasian country.”
Source: China Review News, March 7, 2018
http://hk.crntt.com/doc/1049/9/9/1/104999100.html?coluid=58&kindid=1211&docid=104999100
China 2018 Military Budget up 8.1 Percent from 2017; Second Largest Next to the U.S.
Radio Free Asia reported that, based on the budget recently released, China’s 2018 military budget will increase to 1.1 trillion yuan (US$ 175 billion), an increase of 8.1 percent over 2017, surpassing the 6.5 percent projected increase in China’s economic growth. This made China the second largest country in military expenditures, second only to the U.S. The article stated that there has been speculation that the increase in military spending was meant to challenge the U.S. and the existing international order. Xinhua defended the increase saying that 2018 will be the third time since 2013 that the increase in military expenditures was a single digit number. It argued that the investment in the military is lower than other countries in terms of percent of GDP and in terms of per capita amount. It also assured that China will not pose a threat to any country.
Source: Radio Free Asia, March 6, 2018
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/junshiwaijiao/hc-03062018103824.html
Duowei News: Xi Jinping to Amend Constitution: “The Party’s Leadership Is the Most Essential Feature of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics”
Duowei reported that, in addition to the elimination of term limits, Xi Jinping also recommended that the Constitution be amended to include the following language: “Chinese Communist Party leadership is the most essential feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics.” Regarding what was delivered in his political report at the 19th National Congress held in October 2017, Xi Jinping reiterated that, “The Chinese Communist Party leadership is the most essential feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics.” The greatest advantage of the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics is that the Chinese Communist Party leads it; that China must uphold the party’s leadership over all work; and that the party is leading everything.” It is expected that the amendment will be passed during the National People’s Congress which started on March 5. According to Duowei, in 1982, Deng Xiaoping deleted the phrase, “The Chinese Communist Party is the core leadership of the entire Chinese people” from the Constitution. Deng believed that there were too many disadvantages to having the party take the leadership of everything indicating, “An over-concentration of power could turn into leadership by an individual.” The article went on to state, “However, 36 years later, the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party will very likely to be written into the constitution again.”
Source: Duowei, March 2, 2018
http://culture.dwnews.com/history/news/2018-03-02/60043390.html
Beijing to Clean up Internet Audio-visual Program Service Websites
Xinhua reported that Beijing will increase its efforts to “clean up internet audio-visual program service websites to ensure that the chief editor is held accountable for the contents, to impose zero tolerance of any violations, and to apply tighter control over programs from overseas.” According the article, in 2017, The Beijing Bureau of the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) shut down 501 programs due to different violations and cleaned up 280,000 postings that contained inappropriate sexual and violent video postings. Meanwhile the Beijing Cultural Law Enforcement Team inspected 20 video sites, social media, live and short video websites including ifeng, Sina Weibo, AcFun, Miaopai, and Huajiao and shut down 31 unlicensed sites.
Source: Xinhua, March 6, 2018
http://www.xinhuanet.com/2018-03/06/c_1122496472.htm
Global Times: China’s Nuclear Aircraft Carrier Plan Officially Confirmed
Global Times recently reported that the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) just released its strategic development roadmap. The roadmap describes the plans to accelerate the process of developing a nuclear aircraft carrier, as well as new models for nuclear submarines and quiet submarines. The strategic roadmap is to align with the Chinese Navy’s “Deep Blue” strategy that aims to transform the Navy to deploy to far seas by the year 2025. This is the first official confirmation of the existence of the plan for building nuclear aircraft carriers. CSIC also mentioned that the nuclear design still requires much research and development work. It appears the nuclear technology, along with Electromagnetic catapult design, may be deployed on the second or the third China-made carrier down the road. The vision of the Chinese nuclear aircraft carrier is to support large Navy fleets for missions far from bases and for a long period of time. This is more and more of a requirement to protect China’s international interests.
Source: Global Times, February 28, 2018
http://mil.huanqiu.com/world/2018-02/11629820.html
Li Shufu Became the Largest Shareholder of Daimler
Well-known Chinese news site Sina recently reported that, based on official government documents dated February 23, Li Shufu, founder and chairman of China’s Geely Automobile, acquired 9.69 percent (around US$9 billion) of German automaker Daimler AG, thus becoming its largest shareholder. Daimler is one of the world’s top ten automakers, the world’s largest commercial vehicle manufacturer, and the world’s second largest truck manufacturer. It is also famous for its Mercedes-Benz product line. Geely Automobile is China’s largest privately-owned automaker. Li Shufu, currently also the owner of Volvo, described his strategic vision as forming an alliance with Daimler to become the “final two or three” automakers that will dominate the global market in the future. Daimler did not disclose whether Li will be on the Board of the company or not. However, Brigitte Zypries, Minister for Economics and Energy in the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel, commented on February 26, that the German government will look carefully into this deal and will seek an explanation from Daimler. She expressed the concern that it is troublesome to see Daimler have a competitor sit in its Board of Supervisors.
Sources:
(1) Sina, February 24, 2016
http://auto.sina.com.cn/news/hy/2018-02-24/detail-ifyrvspi1285407.shtml
(2) Reuters Chinese, February 26, 2016
https://cn.reuters.com/article/germany-geely-daimler-stock-0226-idCNKCS1GA1LQ?il=0