Chinascope – Page 649

Xinhua: The Quality of 90 Percent of China’s School Supplies Failed the National Standard

Xinhua published an article on the quality of China’s school supplies sold online and in stores. According to the report issued by Quality and Technology Supervision of Jiangsu Province, over 90 percent of the school supplies including pen ink, correction fluid, erasers, and homework writing paper contains toxic contents that exceed the national standard. The article said that a lack of supervision, large consumer demand, as well a lack of reinforcement of quality inspection at the manufacturing sites were the issues that affected the quality. According to the article, the complaints related to quality issues that the Consumer Association received in the first half of the year increased by 3 percent compared to the same period in 2014.

Source: Xinhua, November 1, 2015
http://news.xinhuanet.com/local/2015-11/01/c_1117003410.htm

Briefings | | November 2, 2015 | Information/Technology

Military Expert: U.S. New Nuclear Submarine Poses a Big Threat to China

Following the U.S. National Interest magazine report that the U.S. Navy is developing a new ballistic missile submarine to replace the existing fleet "Ohio" class ballistic missile submarine, CCTV conducted an interview of Chinese military experts Yin Zhuo and Cai Weidong. Yin Zhuo said that the U.S. cruise missile submarine is to be used to fight big wars against big countries like Russia or China. The weapon will pose a great threat to China. Cao Weidong expressed the belief that the United States’ development of the submarine is not intended to replace the aircraft carrier. The U.S. military can make use of nuclear submarines carrying cruise missiles, quietly move to the doorway of other countries, and implement long-range precision strikes. Cao said that the U.S. needs to set up a powerful "enemy" like China so as to develop its combat capability.

Source: People’s Daily, October 27, 2015

http://military.people.com.cn/n/2015/1027/c1011-27742197.html

Briefings | | October 30, 2015 | US-China Relations

Study Times: China Should Join the TPP at the Appropriate Time

On October 26, 2015, Study Times, a Communist Party publication close to Chinese President Xi Jinping, stated in a commentary that China should join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) at the appropriate time.

The Study Times commentary rebutted the conspiracy theory which is based on the belief that the TPP is a means that the United States uses to isolate and contain China with the intent to drive China out of the Asia-Pacific economic and trade circle. The commentary expressed that the TPP rules are consistent with the direction of China’s reform in terms of establishing fair, open, and transparent market rules; streamlining administrative procedures and increasing public services; and enforcing environmental regulations and accountability. “China should pay close attention to the TPP and, as the domestic reforms move forward, it should join the TPP at the appropriate time and minimize the price to pay to join in.”

Source: Study Times, October 26, 2015

http://www.studytimes.cn/shtml/xxsb/20151026/15726.shtml

Briefings | | October 30, 2015 | Economy/Resources

China’s Deflationary Spiral Is Worrisome

Yu Yongding, Senior Fellow at China’s Academy of Social Sciences stated that, based on the decreases in the Producer Price Index, China is now in the middle of domestic deflation and that the continued negative growth of PPI is worrisome. Yu made these remarks at a forum held on October 27, 2015. According to Yu, overcapacity is the primary cause of deflation. "On the one hand, we try to reduce overcapacity, which results in decreased effective demand. [On the other hand], the decline in effective demand in turn leads to an increase in excess capacity, forming a vicious cycle." If China cannot reduce overcapacity faster than the rate of the effective decrease in demand, then China’s economy will decline further into an economic recession. Yu Yongding stated, “This is the most serious challenge we currently face."

Source: China Business News, October 27, 2015

http://www.yicai.com/news/2015/10/4703058.html

Briefings | | October 29, 2015 | Economy/Resources

The CCP 2nd Red Generation Supported Xi Jinping at a Forum to Commemorate Former CCP Leader

On October27, 2015, a forum was held to commemorate the 110th birthday of Gao Gang, a former Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader who committed suicide in August 1954 due to the CCP’s internal purge. Gao Gang and Xi Zhongxun were very close friends. Together, they founded the CCP guerrilla bases in northwestern China in the 1930s. Xi Zhongxun is Xi Jinping’s father. Xi Jinping is the current General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and the Chairman of China.

Many sons and daughters of the first generation leaders of the CCP (also called the 2nd red generation) gathered and spoke at the forum in Beijing. One of the speeches made particular mention of the close relationship between Gao Gang and Xi Zhongxun.

Toward the end of the forum, Gao Gang’s daughter said, “Today, we commemorate and memorialize him so as to learn from and follow in his steps; the Party’s cause is the first priority. … Under the new situation, we all need to unite together around the CCP Central Committee that Comrade Xi Jinping heads. For the purpose of revitalizing the nation of China and realizing the China dream, we will each make our contribution!”

Source: China Red Tourism, October 27, 2015
http://www.crt.com.cn/news2007/news/ZPYANG/151027916532AGECC9EI5HG442F011G.html

Briefings | | October 29, 2015 | Government/Politics

Official Media Coverage of Current and Former Top Official Leaders Did Not Include Jiang Zemin

The fifth plenary session of the 18th Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee has been taking place from Oct. 26 to 29 in Beijing. On October 28, 2015, several major Mainland China websites published a high-profile report about former Prime Minister Zhu Rongji’s recent appearance at his alma mater, Tsinghua University. According to the article, Zhu visited Tsinghua in 2007, 2011, and 2015. In 2011, he shared his motto with the students: “No matter whether there is a minefield or an abyss in front of me, I will not turn back. I will work tirelessly with full effort and will not give up until death.” The person who wrote the article is a WeChat messaging public registrar from Beijing Daily.

The article also told some stories about other current and former top CCP leaders’ visits to their own alma maters, including stories about Xi Jinping, Hu Jintao, Li Keqiang and Wen Jiabao. Xi Jinping is the CCP General Secretary and the president of China; Hu Jintao was the CCP General Secretary from 2002 to 2012 and President of China from 2003 to 2013; Li Keqiang is the current Premier of China’s State Council; Wen Jiabao is the former Premier of China’s State Council.

[Editor’s note: People noticed that the article did not mention Jiang Zemin, the former CCP General Secretary from 1989 to 2002, or Jiang’s faction from the Standing Committee.]

Source: Tencent QQ, October 28, 2015
http://xw.qq.com/news/20151028036194/NEW2015102803619404

Briefings | | October 29, 2015 | Government/Politics

Xinhua Commentary Series: Spotlight on the U.S. Presidential Election

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.”