Xinhua published an article criticizing the BBC’s documentary report about China. It said, “Western media always like wearing colored glasses to view China. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) recently issued a 3-episode-documentary entitled China’s Secret, once again proving this point.”

“In this documentary, the reporter, wearing tinted glasses, opened a window to ‘view’ China for the British audience. The China outside the window was exactly in line with the stereotype that the West has been shaping for a long time: [China is] ‘a country that lacks freedom; the people must obey the system that the authorities set up.’ The purpose of the documentary was to use various means to strengthen and reinforce this stereotype.”

“The BBC claims that, through its lens, the [documentary] shows ‘a China you’ve never seen’ to the British audience. However, from the negative materials it deliberately chose and magnified with a zoom lens to the narratives based on the ‘reasonable imagination’ of Western logic, it has shown a hidden artificial modification. Most Chinese netizens are angry about the blatant but not clever production methods. They denounce the [Western media] because they are smearing China again.”

“In fact, in the Western media, a documentary such as this one by the BBC, which reflects Western prejudice, is not an individual case. … Behind the occurrence of this phenomenon, in addition to the personal factors of some Western media professionals, it reflects the anxiety and unease that some Western media and the Western world feel toward the rapid development of China. It also reveals the mixed feelings of envy and jealousy toward the rapid development of China.”

“No force will stop China’s development. China’s development will not slow down because of some Western media’s irresponsible remarks, or the way they discredit and distort China. [We] advise those Western media who would like to ‘discredit China,’ if you really want to reveal the inside of China, please take off the filter cover on your camera’s lens; otherwise it will only smash your own name.”

Source: Xinhua, September 8, 2015
http://news.xinhuanet.com/comments/2015-09/08/c_1116500645.htm

On September 11, 2015, Huanqiu, published an article titled, “A major breakthrough! Wang Qishan Commented on the ‘Legitimacy’ of the CCP for the First Time.” The article was first published on a public WeChat messaging app account xxdaguo, which People’s Daily manages. According to the article, it was the first time that one of China’s top leaders expounded on the legitimacy of the ruling party, an important breakthrough in the Chinese Communist Party’s discourse. Legitimacy in this context is a political concept, referring to the validity of the source of the Party’s power. “The basis of legitimacy is people’s approval. With the erosion of legitimacy, the political authority of the ruling government will be in crisis.”  

On September 9, 2015, China’s anti-graft chief Wang Qishan, head of the CCP Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), gave a speech at the Party and the World Dialogue 2015 conference which more than 60 overseas politicians and scholars attended, including former South African president Thabo Mbeki and former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd, in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Wang stated that the ruling party’s mission is to fulfill its promise to the people and the way to realize it lies in strict discipline. "The legitimacy of the ruling party is derived from history and is the choice of the people," said Wang. “Whether the government has performed good deeds or not is determined by the people’s attitudes – whether they are happy with, satisfied with, and are willing to approve the deeds.” “The ruling party functions on behalf of the people and serves the people. It should establish correct core values and insist on such actions.”

China’s top leaders previously avoided using the word legitimacy as it has not been an issue – the legitimacy of the Party should not be questioned or denied. However, if the CCP always indulges in the outdated concept that “those who have conquered the nation should rule the nation, then it is not impossible that the CCP will repeat the mistake of the former Soviet Union (the collapse of the Soviet Union).” “From this point of view, speaking about the legitimacy of the ruling party implies a deep sense of crisis and urgency.”    

Sources: Huanqiu, WeChat messaging app account xxdaguo, www.ifeng.com, BBC Chinese, September 10 – 11, 2015
http://huanqiu.chinaiiss.com/html/20159/11/a7ceff.html
http://www.weixinjinghua.com/view/4070757.shtml
http://news.ifeng.com/a/20150910/44627205_0.shtml
http://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/china/2015/09/150911_china_communist_party_regime

People’s Daily carried an article that had been published originally in Beijing Youth Daily. The article covered an interview with Chinese businessman George Daping Zhu who, in 2012, founded the publishing company called CN Times. Zhu recently negotiated a US$100,000 full page color ad in the New York Times. The ad contains a welcome slogan for Xi’s upcoming visit (to the U.S.) and also promotes the books that CN Times publishes. One featured publication is called, The Xi Jinping Era. Zhu plans to organize a series of media coverage and book review sessions to promote the book in the U.S. market. Currently the book is ranked 60,000 in Amazon with daily sales of 100-300 copies. According to Zhu, only three percent of market share is open to books offered by foreign publishers. Zhu plans to make a breakthrough in the U.S. market. He felt that the elite group in the U.S. does not know Chinese. They rely on limited information to understand the real picture of China. Zhu told Beijing Youth Times, “In order to promote a nation, it is most important to promote its leader first. … For the Chinese culture to be known to the outside world, we must make a breakthrough in the U.S. market first.”  

Source: People’s Daily, September 13, 2015
http://media.people.com.cn/n/2015/0913/c40606-27576336.html