Police Close Down Chinese Company’s Booth at CES
Xi Jinping: Give Extremely High Priority to Repairing Yangtze River Ecological Environment
Xi Jinping on Political Discipline
On January 9, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) of the Communist Party published the highlights from Xi Jinping’s speeches given in recent years on abiding by the Communist Party’s discipline and rules. It had Xi’s quote as the title, “In Politics there are Some Things One Should Absolutely Never Do; Otherwise, One Must Pay for it.”
Caixin: China Manufacturing PMI of 2015’s Last Month Was Low
VOA Chinese: Xi Tells Politburo Members to Stay in Line with Party Central
The Political Bureau (Politburo) of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee held a special two-day meeting on December 28 and 29. At the meeting, Xi Jinping brought up the names of five disgraced top officials: Zhou Yongkang, Bo Xilai, Xu Caihou, Guo Boxiong, and Ling Jihua. Except for Ling, a former CCP Central Committee member who served as the top aide to then CCP Secretary General Hu Jintao, the other four were all former Politburo members. Zhou was also a member of the Politburo Standing Committee.
Caixin: The Founding Fathers of the United States Created a Superior Structure for the System
On December 31, 2015, Caixin, a media group that is close to current top CCP leader Xi Jinping, published an article titled, “The Reform of the Structure That Enables Reform of the System Is the Most Important (action).” There are three levels of social reforms in the history of mankind: 1) Reform at the Technological Level; 2) Reform at the System Level (the Rules of the Game); and 3) Reform of the Structure of the System Level (Rules for the Rules of the Game).
According to the article, the 1st (technology) and the 2nd (system) level reforms can be achieved by a few social elites or by an authoritarian government. Such reforms are not sustainable and cannot adapt to social and economic changes. The 3rd, the structure for the system level reform can be realized based on the newly formed social consensus and the social contract. Only after the completion of the 3rd reform in a country can that country be regarded as an open society. Social and economic development will then embark on a healthy development track: social development relies on a robust and secure system, rather than counting on a few social elites. In an open society, the government itself is also subject to the limitations and constraints of the social contract.
“Therefore, in terms of importance, the structure of the system is the first priority. If there is a superior structure for the system, a good system will be derived therefrom. Once there is a good system, it will give birth to advanced technology. I think this is why Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, and other founding fathers of the United States are respected by their posterity: They created a superior structure for the system."
Source: Caixin, December 31, 2015
http://opinion.caixin.com/2015-12-31/100894693.html
Huanqiu: China May Have Cut Five Ground Force Army Groups
On January 2, 2016, Huanqiu published an article on China’s military reform; it was based on an article from China’s military newspaper People’s Liberation Army Daily. According to the article, China may have reduced 5 of its ground force army groups, going from the previous 18 army groups to 13 army groups. The 5 removed army groups were from the Shenyang Military Region, the Beijing Military Region, the Jinan Military Region and the Chengdu Military Region.
China’s president Xi Jinping had announced on September 3, 2015, that 300,000 troops would be cut. The demilitarization of 300,000 troops mainly targeted the downsizing of land force armies, reducing non-combat institutions and personnel, as well as military official positions.
“China’s military reform has triggered massive reshuffles, the influence of which is ‘unprecedented’ in terms of its depth, breadth, and the range of interests affected. Some media call it ‘a system remodeling.’"
Sources: Huanqiu and People’s Daily, January 2, 2016
http://www.huanqiuzhiyin.com/hqjj/2016/01022182.html
http://military.people.com.cn/n1/2016/0102/c172467-28003660.html