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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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Caixin Blog: Why Do We Need a Truth Commission?

On November 30, 2015, Caixin, a media that is closely related with Xi Jinping’s leadership camp, published an introductory article in its blog section titled, “Why Do We Need a Truth Commission?” The writer of the article is a former public policy reporter from Caixin Media. The article talked about sensitive messages such as the investigation of a dictatorship’s crimes in terms of human rights violations, and the criminal trials of the human rights violators.

The article explained “Why We Need a Truth Commission?” It said, “In many cases, a Truth Commission, on behalf of a country, actively reflects on the crimes the country committed in its history. The Truth Commission responds to questions, doubts and petitions related to these crimes, holds the criminals accountable, compensates the victims, and even starts political reform.” “Some Truth Commissions conduct special investigations on important cases; they may even clearly point out the perpetrator’s name(s), or openly publicize the name(s) of the government leader(s) of the country who at that time, were responsible for the crimes.”

“In China today, many taboos on historical topics have still not been lifted. As a whole generation is getting older and older, more and more people want to reflect on, confess, and redress the atrocities perpetrated in the repeated political movements after the establishment of the People’s Republic of China. After some scholars and media introduced the concept of a Truth Commission, the concept has quietly entered the public view.”

Source: Caixin, November 30, 2015
http://lanfang.blog.caixin.com/archives/137223

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

PLA Daily Calls for Unity on the Reduction in Military Force

During a military parade in early October, Xi Jinping announced a reduction in military force of 300,000 military personnel. People’s Liberation Army Daily recently published a commentary on that reduction. 

According to the commentary, “Whether one’s unit is merged with another or one is demoted, whether one gets to stay or is retired, officers and soldiers will inevitably have their own thoughts and may become unstable.” The commentary called for those who will lose their positions to “jump out of the box of self-interest.”  
The commentary also stated that, in response to the “noises” made during the reduction in force, particularly the responses from those with ulterior motives, officers and soldiers must maintain their "ideological and political convictions." This requires that the high-level authorities and senior cadres lead by example. 
A posting on the People’s Daily blog said that Xi Jinping made a comment in an internal document about the status of the reduction in military force. “Those who express different opinions about the reduction prior to November 24 will be deemed to be making suggestions, while those who do so after that date will be considered obstacles and “must be firmly eradicated.” 
Sources: 
People’s Liberation Army Daily reprinted by People’s Daily, December 8, 2015 http://politics.people.com.cn/GB/8198/395517/ 
People’s Daily Blog, December 8, 2015 
http://t.people.com.cn/9430141/137179244 
http://military.people.com.cn/n/2015/1208/c1011-27898687.html
Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

People’s Daily: Japan Plans to Deploy U.S. Anti-Missile “Sade” System to Contain China

According to Japan’s Kyodo News report, for the first time, Japan’s defense ministry made it clear that the Japanese Self-Defense Force will consider the introduction of the U.S. anti-missile system "Sade." 

Chinese military expert Liang Fang said that the Japanese, in order to show their importance to the United States, will work very closely with the United States in its Asia-Pacific rebalancing strategy. If Japan deploys the "Sade" system, the U.S. will substantially advance its anti-missile system and push them to the periphery of China. It will not only increase the cost of China’s security and defense, but also weaken China’s offensive capability, having the effect of containing China and keeping it from "going out." 

Military expert Yin Zhuo pointed out that the U.S.-Japan joint operations has had the first island chain blockade as an important goal. If the U.S. nuclear submarine and aircraft carrier battle groups were to conduct a joint blockade, coupled with information technology tools, it might have some effect. In such a situation, "China should keep some combat forces outside the [first] island chain, such as nuclear submarines and large-scale surface ships. Once the war breaks out, China can coordinate its actions inside and outside the island chain and launch a joint campaign to break the blockaded island chain." 
Liang Fang agreed with Yin Zhuo, "China must not be limited to breaking the blockade of the US and Japan from within the first island chain." The reason why the Chinese Navy proposes to "go out" is because China needs not only to have the capability of integrated offshore operations, but also to have the far sea counter capability outside of the first island chain. 
Source: People’s Daily, December 4, 2015 
http://military.people.com.cn/n/2015/1204/c1011-27891505.html

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

RFI Chinese: China-Africa Honeymoon Seems to be Ending

Radio France International (RFI) Chinese recently reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping visited South Africa last week to attend the Sixth China-Africa Cooperation Forum. Xi had just finished his visit to Zimbabwe. China’s investments in Africa have increased rapidly in recent years. However, in the first half of this year, Chinese investments dropped sharply by 40 percent. This brought the key topic to the Sixth China-Africa Cooperation Forum: what will the future be like in terms of the Chinese investments in the continent? China has been the largest buyer of resources exported out of Africa and one third of China’s overseas infrastructure construction contracts are from Africa. Using natural resources in exchange of construction investments has been a typical model between China and African countries. With the slowing of the Chinese economy, Chinese Foreign Affairs Official Zhang Ming suggested that China-Africa cooperation may need some adjustments.
Source: RFI Chinese, December 2, 2015
http://rfi.my/1Qi1OPg
Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

BBC Chinese: China against UN Security Council North Korea Human Rights Discussion

BBC Chinese recently reported that the United States and eight more countries (Chile, France, Jordan, Lithuania, Malaysia, New Zealand, Spain and the United Kingdom) in the United Nations Security Council called for a meeting to discuss the human rights situation in North Korea. The UN Security Council had a similar meeting in December of last year. Last month, Liu Jie, China’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, asserted that it was a “bad idea” for 15 UN Security Council member countries to sit together to discuss North Korea’s human rights. He also commented that the UN Security Council has nothing to do with human rights issues. The 69th UN General Assembly adopted a resolution last year to submit the North Korea human rights investigation report to the Security Council. The UN General Assembly also encouraged the Security Council to submit the issue to the International Criminal Court. Liu advised that the Security Council should not politicize the human rights issue. 
Source: BBC Chinese, December 4, 2015
http://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/world/2015/12/151204_un_north_korea_human_rights
Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Chinese Steel Industry Reported Massive Losses

Economic Information Daily, a branch of Xinhua, recently reported, based on information that reliable sources from the China Iron and Steel Industry Association (CISA) provided, that large and mid-sized Chinese steel companies saw a month-over-month profit decline of 25 percent in October. From January to October, the loss in primary steel business totaled RMB 72 billion yuan (around US$11 billion). Around 47.5 percent of the steel companies reported losses. The total loss from January to September was only RMB 28 billion. Most of the publicly traded steel companies have already predicted a difficult next year. Analysts suggested that the primary causes of a landslide of the steel industry are major market declines seen in the housing, the railway, the car and the shipbuilding industries. Studies also showed that, by the year 2018, the Chinese steel industry will be able to produce 1.2 billion tons of steel. By then, China will be able to consume 0.7 billion tons while exporting 0.1 billion tons. Many industry experts called for a major industry-wide structural adjustment. 
Source: Economic Information Daily, December 4, 2015
http://dz.jjckb.cn/www/pages/webpage2009/html/2015-12/04/content_12977.htm
Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Wenhua China

By Weiguang Zhong

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There used to be a “Wenhua China” (文化中國). Western scholars such as John King Fairbank have observed and described it. I would like to re-raise the issue and take a look at how China evolved from that to a modern state, a politics-centric state, and later a Party-centric state.

I hope this article can offer people a new angle to re-look at China and re-think its future.

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Analyses | | |   Opinion

U.S. Assisted in the Return of Former Government Official to China

On December 5, the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) announced that Huang Yurong, the former Party Chief of the Henan Provincial Highway Administration, turned herself in at the Beijing Airport after 13 years of living as a fugitive in the United States. 

CCDI said Huang chose to return to China to face corruption charges because an anti-corruption special task force under the Central Commission, which the China Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs supported, had been instrumental in persuading her. 
The announcement cited U.S. assistance that had been given during the process. “In December 2014, the Anti-Corruption Working Group of the Sino-U.S. Law Enforcement Cooperation Liaison Group identified Huang Yurong as a priority for Sino-U.S. cooperation. The two sides joined forces and carried out joint investigations to obtain evidence and other related work.” 
Huang is accused of having abused her position to embezzle funds and take bribes. She fled to the U.S. in August 2002. 
Source: Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party, December 5, 2015 http://www.ccdi.gov.cn/xwtt/201512/t20151204_69611.html
Briefings | | |   Government/Politics