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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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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

Chinese’ Total Bank Savings Amount Is Less Than Total Mortgage Amount

China’s National Bureau of Statistics recently reported that, by the end of 2016, the total amount of resident’s bank savings had reached 60 trillion yuan (US$9 trillion). However an article in the China Business Journal argued that the number is alarmingly small compared to housing prices and mortgage amounts.

Since China has 1.3 billion people, the average bank savings is 46,000 yuan per person. In Beijing’s the average bank savings is 130,000 yuan, the highest in the nation. However, the average housing price in Beijing is 5 million yuan. How can people afford a house?

The article further compared the total mortgage vs. total bank savings in the major cities. The traditional Chinese thinking is not to get in debt, so the author viewed it as a bad thing for the total of mortgages to be higher than the total of bank savings (it would mean that people collectively cannot afford their houses). Several cities fall into this group. For example, take Shenzhen. The total of all mortgages amounts to 1.4 trillion yuan in Shenzhen, but the total bank savings is only 1 trillion yuan.

Source: China Business Journal, September 18, 2017
http://www.cb.com.cn/qijunjie/2017_0918/1199834.html

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Global Times: PLA Had Its First Combat Exercise in Djibouti

Global Times recently reported that the Chinese military operating at China’s first international military base, located in Djibouti, conducted its first combat exercise on September 22. This was the first time in the Chinese military’s history that a foreign-resident range was use for a live ammunition exercise. It is also considered as a warning to “those who attempt to challenge China.” The Chinese troops have been stationed at the base since August 1. The Global Times report also mentioned that Japan planned to conduct an armed evacuation exercise three days later in Japan’s Djibouti military base not far away. Japan established its base in 2011.

Source: Global Times, September 23, 2017
http://world.huanqiu.com/exclusive/2017-09/11277469.html

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

Chosun: North Korean Banned Residents Near Nuclear Test Site from Entering Pyongyang

South Korea’s largest newspaper Chosun recently reported in its Chinese Edition that the North Korean government has banned residents who live near the nuclear test site from entering Pyongyang – after its sixth nuclear test. Those residents who had scheduled appointments with Pyongyang hospitals were told not to come visit. Experts expressed the belief that the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site suffered a certain level of collapse after the last nuclear test and local residents could have been exposed to radioactive contamination. That was the biggest potential reason for the North Korean authorities to establish the ban. In the meantime, North Korea has been mobilizing its citizens in nationwide war preparation exercises. The North Korean military was given permission to shoot if they encounter a group of soldiers where most “wear glasses and are taller than average,” even if the group is in North Korean military uniforms.

Source: Chosun, September 22, 2017
http://cnnews.chosun.com/client/news/viw.asp?cate=C01&mcate=M1001&nNewsNumb=20170948466&nidx=48467

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend