Chinascope – Page 617

People’s Daily: Japan’s New Radar in Yonaguni Poses a Threat to China

According to a report from U.S. Defense News, Japan is expanding its network to monitor the waters around the Diaoyu Islands. On March 28, it is expected to start using a new radar station on Yonaguni island.

Military expert Yin Zhuo, in an interview with CCTV, said that Yonaguni island would then become Japan’s intelligence center in the East China Sea. Once this batch of equipment and radar is set up on the island, it will target Taiwan and the Diaoyu Islands. It will be able to provide information to the U.S. military stationed in Okinawa and to the Japanese Self-Defense Forces. Moreover, the scope of the radar surveillance will cover China’s southeast coast of Zhejiang, Fujianand Jiangsu. It will also be able to detect our aircraft and ships going in and coming out of the first island chain. The radar can be networked with the SDF radar to guide aircraft to the Diaoyu Islands to fight in wartime. It can also provide intelligence support for the U.S. intervention on the Taiwan Strait issue. As such, it would provide some kind of threat to our country.

Yin Zhuo said that Japan’s strengthening of its defense of the southwestern islands is an important measure taken to implement the new security and defense law, which is favorable to Japan-U.S. joint operations. Once Japan strengthens its monitoring capabilities in the southwestern islands, then when confict arises in Diaoyu islands, the Japanese Self-Defense Forces will act alone even if the U.S. military does not participate. The three-stage operation against the Diaoyu Islands is what Japan planned a long time ago. It has formed a battle plan.

Source: People’s Daily, March 22, 2016

http://military.people.com.cn/n1/2016/0322/c1011-28215801.html

Briefings | | March 24, 2016 | Geo-Strategic Trend

The Government’s Budget Includes the Budget of Communist Party Departments

The Chinese central government budget, which the Chinese national legislature is reviewing, includes, within its scope, the budgets of Communist Party departments.

On March 11, 2016, the Fourth Session of China’s 12th National People’s Congress (NPC) held a press conference. The reporters present asked whether the government budget, which the NPC is reviewing, includes the budget of Communist Party departments and when the Party departments’ budgets may be made public.

In response, Liu Xiuwen, Vice Chairman of the Budgetary Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee, stated that the government’s budget that the NPC is reviewing does include the budgets of the Party’s departments such as the Organization Department, the Propaganda Department, the Office of the Committee on Organizational Structure, the Party School of the Central Committee (the Party School), and the Work Committee of Central Government Departments.

Liu said that, last year, the Party School, the Office of the Committee on Organizational Structure, and the Work Committee of Central Government Departments released their budgets to the public and also released the budgets of some local Party departments.

Source: People’s Daily, March 11, 2016

http://lianghui.people.com.cn/2016npc/n1/2016/0311/c403040-28192881.html

Briefings | | March 23, 2016 | Government/Politics

Political Rivalry in China Part 1 – Plots to Overthrow Xi Jinping

Part 1: Plots to Overthrow Xi Jinping

As the Preface of this series pointed out, the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) officialdom system lacks an established mechanism to enable a new leader to appoint his own people and remove those who are not. The new leader has to find ways to build up his team. [1]

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Perspectives | | March 22, 2016 | Opinion

People’s Daily: Japan Miscalculated in the East China Sea Situation

People’s Daily recently reported that Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party has been making a lot of noise about using international arbitration to call for settling the conflicts with China in the East China Sea. Last year, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also accused China of breaking its agreement with Japan on “joint development” of natural resources. The People’s Daily article countered that Japan is doing the wrong math on three fronts. The first is by supporting the Philippines, who went through international arbitration. Japan wishes to tie the East China Sea issue to the South China Sea issue. The second is the attempt to distract the Japanese voters from Japan’s failing economic policies in order to gain more seats in the July Japanese Senate election. The third is to snatch Chinese sovereignty in the East China Sea. However, in creating new trouble, Japan will not benefit from the international laws, or fool the Japanese voters, or earn a good relationship with neighbors.

Source: People’s Daily, March 19, 2016

http://opinion.people.com.cn/n1/2016/0319/c1003-28210788.html

Briefings | | March 22, 2016 | Geo-Strategic Trend

Xinhua: U.S. Political Spectrum is Quietly Moving to the Right

Xinhua recently published a commentary suggesting U.S. society is developing an anti-establishment trend. The article emphasized that the “big mouth” Trump caught everyone by surprise when he swept the Republican political landscape, and that Hillary Clinton’s “sure thing” no longer seems so sure any more. The “Trump Phenomenon” is effectively turning extreme right-wing opinions in important areas such as gun control, immigration, healthcare, and the economy into the symbol of the “American Spirit.” The article points out that the anti-establishment “movement” started when the TEA Party gained its popularity in 2002. The “mainstream” Republicans lost ground to the TEA Party and that had a significant impact on the Republican’s loss of the 2012 presidential election. In the meantime, the Democratic “establishment” is also facing unexpected challenges, though not as dramatic as the Republicans. The author concluded that the cause of this new political trend is largely rooted in President Obama’s inability to deliver on his campaign promise of “change.” As a result, the American people are quietly turning to the right, which is highlighted by support for someone whose funds are not derived from “Washington.”

Source: Xinhua, March 19, 2016

http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2016-03/19/c_128813476.htm

Briefings | | March 22, 2016 | US-China Relations

Liu Yunshan Met Zuckerberg

Liu Yunshan, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee and of the Secretariat of the CCP Central Committee, met with Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook, in Beijing on March 19, 2016. Liu is the top CCP official in charge of propaganda.

Liu said that the Internet is the new home that mankind shares. It is the common responsibility for the international community to build a ‘community that will share the future’ in cyberspace. Liu pointed out that President Xi’s four-point principles and five-point proposals on global Internet governance have won much popularity.

Liu said that after over 20-years of development, China’s Internet industry, has blazed a path of development and governance with Chinese characteristics. He hoped that Facebook, with its advanced technology and governance mode, would work with Chinese Internet enterprises to enhance exchanges, share experiences, promote mutual understanding, and push for an outcome for the Internet’s development that would improve the benefits for the people of all countries.

Source: Xinhua, March 19, 2016

http://big5.news.cn/gate/big5/news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2016-03/19/c_1118382522.htm

Briefings | | March 21, 2016 | Information/Technology

Ten Problems Hindering China’s Economy

An article listing ten problems that will further hinder China’s economy was widespread on the Internet. It claimed that the next two years will be the most challenging for China, due to the following problems:

One, exports: the main driver for China’s economic growth will no longer be as effective as before. China’s strategy of “low prices to occupy the world” is no longer in effect. Without low prices, exports will not be booming; without booming exports, China’s economy is losing its growth lever.

Two, high taxes: The high corporate tax system has suppressed businesses’ creativity. Whether a corporation makes money or not, the tax is always there.

Three, monopolies: Monopolies have shut down the door on innovation. In any business where a company has a monopoly or in one with enormous government administrative offices, it is very difficult for someone to create a small business.

The other seven problems include the following: It has proven difficult to generate an increase in demand for domestic consumption; the government is more conscious about return on investment and steers away from the old practice of making a large investment without considering the return; the real estate industry is hopeless; China does not have a good system to encourage people to innovate; the government’s functions prohibit further economic growth; high tolls on the roads, the high expense of freight train shipping, and the high cost to obtain the needed certificates from government offices all contribute to blocking the free flow of the economy; and also, people are losing their confidence in China’s economy.

Source: Eastday.com, March 10, 2016
http://mini.eastday.com/a/160310101029314.html?btype=index&subtype=guonei&idx=8&ishot=0

Briefings | | March 21, 2016 | Economy/Resources

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

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

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

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