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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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South Korea Export Growth Rate Reached No. 1 in the World

Well-known Chinese news site Sohu recently reported that, based on data that the World Trade Organization (WTO) released on September 19, South Korea’s export volume between January and July of this year enjoyed a year-over-year growth rate of 16.3 percent, reaching US$328 billion. This rate is the highest among the world’s top 10 largest export countries, and happens to be double China’s number. Ironically, the high growth was achieved during a period when China has been heavily boycotting South Korean products, mainly due to China’s unhappiness of the Deployment of the U.S. THAAD missile defense system. In the meantime, China’s export growth rate (8.3 percent) was below the average of the 70 primary export countries in the world. Experts expressed the belief that South Korea’s strong export recovery was based on the global economic recovery as well as the unit price increases of Korean products. The author of the article suggested that foreign investments play an important role in the Chinese economy. Boycotting foreign products may impact China’s own position in the supply chain.

Source: Sohu, September 23, 2017
http://www.sohu.com/a/194022552_651779

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Indian Economy’s Freefall Has Caused International Investors to Flee

Well-known Chinese news site Sina recently reported that, over five consecutive quarters, India’s 5.7 percent economic growth rate has reached a new low. The growth rate has been declining steadily and is now at its lowest since early 2014. The Indian SENSEX index has been in freefall since the beginning of September. International investors were not able to identify any positive spots and have decided to flee the stock market. In August and September alone, the Indian stock market lost around US$2.61 billion in foreign investments, which was roughly 40 percent of the total foreign investments in stock – based on statistics calculated at the beginning of the year. In the meantime, the growth rate of foreign investments in Indian bonds is nearly at zero. Economists expressed the belief that India’s deficit is expected to increase and international ratings organizations have started criticizing India’s upcoming stimulus plan before it even begins. Apparently, India’s October is not going to look good for foreign investors.

Source: Sina, October 1, 2017
http://finance.sina.com/gb/economy/sinacn/20171001/04071657513.html

 

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Ministry of Commerce: Closing Down North Korean Companies Per UN Resolution

China’s Ministry of Commerce recently released its official announcement asking all government branches to close down North Korean owned businesses in China. The regulation was issued under the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC), which is part of the Ministry. The new government regulation explained that the cause of the policy change was based on the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2375. The scope of the regulation applies to all companies in China that involve North Korea, including joint ventures. SAIC gave the companies 120 days to close down their businesses. The provincial governments are held accountable for enforcing the implementation of the new regulation. However, the new announcement did mention some exceptions for purposes that are not-for-profit and which the UN resolution allows.

Source: Official Website of the Ministry of Commerce, September 26, 2017
http://www.mofcom.gov.cn/article/b/f/201709/20170902652390.shtml

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources Geo-Strategic Trend

Deutsche Welle: Foreign Tourists Banned from Visiting Tibet during 19th National Congress in October

According to an article that Deutsche Welle published, foreign tourists will not be allowed to visit Tibet during the 19th National Congress from October 18 through 28. The article reported that, ever since a protest broke out in Lhasa Tibet in March 2008, Tibet has been closed to foreign tourists from March to April each year. Other dates that the region is closed include the Tibetan New Year and the Chinese New Year, as well as special dates such as the 50th anniversary of the Tibet autonomous region celebration in 2016 and the 60th anniversary of the peaceful liberation of Tibet in 2011. A posting on the official visa website stated that, for foreign tourists to visit Tibet and if they plan to visit a certain region that is not open to the public, they must join a travel agency or obtain a special travel visa. Diplomats, reporters, or media must obtain a visa by going through official channels. Tourists from Taiwan are not allowed to go on self-guided tours and should join a tourist group that a travel agency has organized. The article also reported that, since 2009, over 120 Tibetans have died due to self-immolation in protesting the official policies in Tibet.

Source: Deutsche Welle, September 27, 2017
http://www.dw.com/zh/十九大期间外国人禁止入藏/a-40702695?&zhongwen=simp

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Sina to Hire 1000 Weibo Supervisors

The BBC reported that social media Sina posted a notice that they are hiring 1000 Weibo supervisors who are responsible for reporting any pornographic, illegal, or harmful contents. According to the announcement, it is part of the effort to “increase the supervision of Internet users and to clean up Weibo’s online environment.” These supervisors will be rewarded with a 200 yuan allowance and Weibo membership. Each month, the top 10 performers will receive a prize such as an Apple cell phone, a domestic brand cell phone or a laptop computer. One professor from Hong Kong University told the BBC that the hiring of Internet supervisors suggests that relying on the existing internal Internet supervision or voluntary reporting mechanisms can no longer cover the increased heavy Internet traffic. The article quoted one Internet user who noted that the Weibo Supervisor is just like an online “Chaoyang Resident.” This refers to the active residents in Beijing who report “tips” to the police. Based on the numbers that the Legal Evening Newspaper reported in September, there are 130,000 registered “Chaoyang residents” in Beijing. Some of the active members can receive several hundred yuan in their monthly allowance. Other than Sina, another Internet search giant Baidu recently implemented an “online rumor detector” on its search engine, news, and post bar. If any contents are deemed to be a “rumor,” the user will receive an alert and the article will be reported.

Source: BBC, September 28, 2017
http://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/chinese-news-41425969

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Ministry of Public Security to Implement eID Reform

People’s Daily recently reported that the Ministry of Public Security intends to use eID on bank cards and cell phone SIM cards so the users can conduct online shopping without providing personal information such as name, address, telephone, or residence ID number. The first eID will be implemented in the registration of real estate transactions in Haikou city in October. The article stated that the eID will prevent the theft of personal information. It reported that there were 6.5 billion occurrences of personal information theft in China in 2016, which means that each resident had their personal information leaked at least five times. An article that pao-pao.net carried in 2015 noted that even though eID technology is mature and can be applied in banking, shipping and online shopping areas, eID also provided real time supervision of online activity on each individual. A regular Chinese citizen is unable to differentiate the personal use of eID versus how the Ministry of Public Security uses the information. The article pointed out that, “No other countries in the world use eID in the banking industry because they face the barrier of how to protect their citizen’s personal interests, but that this does not appear to be an issue in China.”

Sources:
1. People’s Daily, September 24, 2017
http://society.people.com.cn/n1/2017/0924/c1008-29554848.html
2. Pao Pao Net, March 26, 2015
https://pao-pao.net/article/402

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology

Is Jian Yang a Chinese Spy?

A number of English media and Chinese media reported that Jian Yang (杨健), an MP in the New Zealand government and a member of its ruling National Party, might be a Chinese spy.

Jian Yang was born in Jiangxi Province in China. He earned his Master and Ph. D. degree in International Relations from the Australian National University. Then in 1999, the University of Auckland in New Zealand hired him as a Senior Lecturer in Political Studies. In 2011, he was elected as an MP from the National Party.

The issue was that Yang didn’t disclose his experiences as both a student and instructor at two military schools in China whose main duty is to produce spies. The two schools are the Air Force Engineering College and the Luoyang PLA University of Foreign Languages.

Some of the English media focused on how much Yang had disclosed to the New Zealand government and whether he vowed to be loyal to New Zealand. However, that discussion may not be that relevant since what Yang disclosed (or did not disclose) does not prove (or disprove) he is a spy. In all probability, a spy would not disclose anything that would even hint that he is a spy. A person who is not a spy might not choose to disclose anything either.

So whether Yang is a spy may be left to the intelligence office to decide.

Lianhe Zaobao, the largest Singapore-based Chinese-language newspaper stated, “The two universities belong to the PLA and are the key places where China trains its spies.” It also quoted an expert who said, “Yang almost certainly works for the PLA.”

Source: Lianhe Zaobao, September 13, 2017
http://www.zaobao.com.sg/realtime/china/story20170913-794975

 

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources Geo-Strategic Trend

Copyright Battle between Sina and Netizens

Sina is a major Internet portal in China. Sina Weibo is a microblog social network, with more than 500 million users and millions of posts per day. Based on active users, it claims 56.5 percent of the Chinese microblogging market.

Recently, Sina tried to claim exclusive copyrights for all contents posted on Sina Weibo. The public fiercely rejected its claim, so eventually Sina conceded the copyrights to the microblog’s author.

Sina’s first announcement stated that, “Sina has the exclusive copyright over the contents that its users publish on Sina Weibo; Sina Weibo users authorize Sina Weibo, for free, to protect copyrights. The proceeds from the protection of these copyrights belongs solely to the Weibo platform; the user actively agrees to support Weibo‘s platform to exercise its rights and to provide related proving documents and support.’”

After the public’s outcry, Sina issued its second version of the announcement and modified the two articles that caused the public debate: “(Sina Weibo) users can legally use the contents over which they have the absolute intellectual properties’ right including the copyright, but retrieving contents published on the Weibo platform without the joint approval of the user and the Weibo platform is an act of unfair competition.”

It still met with the public’s rejection.

Sina then issued its third version: “The copyright of the contents published on Weibo for sure belongs to the author of the contents. Weibo, as a platform, has certain usage rights. The Weibo user can publish his own contents on other platforms at his own will. However, without the Weibo platform’s agreement, (the user’s) self-authorizing, allowing, or assisting a third party to retrieve published content on Weibo is not permitted.”

Source: Jiansu Toutiao, September 17, 2017
http://www.jiangsutoutiao.com/a/170917144740391-4.html

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology