Chinascope – Page 668

The Party Has Not Won a Landslide Victory over Corruption in the Military

In a Qiushi article, Du Jincai, Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China, stated that corruption in the Chinese military is "grave and complex." He stated that the Party has not yet won "a landslide victory" over corruption.

“To be honest, the situation of the government’s anti-corruption campaign remains severe and complicated. [We] have not won a landslide victory to ensure that people dare not, cannot, and will not become corrupt. Some problems are long-standing and so deeply rooted that we urgently need a major massive investigation and ideological clean up.”

Du warned that without such a major effort to remedy the situation, corruption “will spread like an epidemic” and “will seriously undermine the Party’s absolute leadership over the military.”

Du further explained that the external environment cannot be ignored. “The so-called Western democracy, freedom, human rights, and other erroneous ideas” have greatly influenced military personnel.

Source: Qiushi reprinted by Huanqiu, July 22, 2015

http://mil.huanqiu.com/china/2015-07/7065368.html

Briefings | | July 23, 2015 | Government/Politics

The Stock Market Crash ‘Destroyed’ 600,000 Members of the Middle Class

On July 17, 2015, China Business Journal published an article titled, “The Stock Market Crash Has ‘Destroyed’ 600,000 Members of the Middle Class.” Since June of 2015, a total value of ten trillion Chinese yuan has evaporated as a result of the stock market crash in China. Forbes once predicted that the Chinese middle class would number over 14 million people. If 500,000 to 600,000 members of the Chinese middle class have disappeared as a result of the stock crash, 3 percent of the Chinese middle class has disappeared.

Source: China Business Journal, July 17, 2015
http://news.cb.com.cn/html/economy_9_26382_1.html

Briefings | | July 23, 2015 | Economy/Resources

Xin Jinping’s Big Move: Jiang Zemin’s Closest Army Allies Are No Longer in Power

On July 17, 2015, Hong Kong Oriental Daily (http://hk.on.cc/hk/) published an article on the military leadership personnel changes in China titled, “Three Phenomenon at the Center of Army Restructuring.” China Gate and some other overseas Chinese websites republished the article on July 18, 2015, with a different title, “Xi Jinping’s Big Move: Jiang Zemin’s Closest Army Allies Are No longer in Power.”

According to the article, Xi has assigned some senior military generals to insignificant positions. Over the last six months, those in the most important leadership positions in the armed forces have all been replaced. Those officials who were close to Xi were promoted.

Source: Oriental Daily, July 17, 2015
http://hk.on.cc/cn/bkn/cnt/commentary/20150717/bkncn-20150717000313936-0717_05411_001.html
http://www.wenxuecity.com/news/2015/07/18/4422945.html

Briefings | | July 23, 2015 | Government/Politics

People’s Daily: Other Countries Won’t Get Anything Out of a Conflict in the South China Sea

During his recent visit to the Philippines [on July 18], Admiral Swift, the U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander, participated in person in the surveillance flight over the South China Sea. In an interview with a People’s Daily reporter, Chinese military expert Zhang Junshe explained China’s position on Swift’s tour.

“Talking about the motives of the United States, Zhang said that the U.S. has patrolled in the South China Sea for decades. Whether it uses P-8A or P-3C patrol aircraft, it is nothing new. It is rare, however, that this time Swift, the newly appointed commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, was aboard a reconnaissance aircraft P-8A patrol for seven hours. This is especially so, since the U.S. also publicly reported the event afterwards. The [purpose of the] U.S. move is to deliver a message of support to the Philippines and to countries who have territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea."

“The dispute over the South China Sea islands and reefs is a long-standing one. The Philippines and Vietnam have properly dealt with it in the past. There is no big problem. Since the United States implemented the strategy of ‘returning to the Asia-Pacific’ and ‘Pacific rebalancing,’ the U.S. has deliberately muddied the South China Sea issue and incited neighboring countries to make trouble for China. This move of the United States also expresses support for the Philippines’ provocative actions toward China.”

“Zhang Junshe pointed out that the South China Sea was calm to begin with but the United States wanted to use the Philippines to contain China’s development. Therefore, the U.S. Admiral made a big fuss in the South China Sea. The South China Sea reefs dispute is not tense like what the United States says. In order to maintain its hegemony in the Asia-Pacific region, the United States encourages the neighboring countries to make trouble in the South China Sea. It contributes no good [toward helping] China and related countries to resolve their disputes.”

“To the countries who continue to provoke conflicts, we will take the necessary measures and strengthen our defense. If other country’s actions threaten the core interests of China, we will respond firmly. China, as a big country, is the backbone of maintaining regional peace and stability. Some countries continue to discredit and attack China. Once a military conflict with China occurs, these countries will not gain any benefit. We will take firm actions.”

Source: People’s Daily, July 22, 2014

http://military.people.com.cn/n/2015/0720/c1011-27330886.html

Briefings | | July 22, 2015 | US-China Relations

Global Times: Turkey May Still Purchase Chinese Red Flag 9 Missiles

Global Times recently reported, based on media content in Turkey, that Turkey may still buy Chinese missiles even if Turkey is willing to use American or European weapons. Since the U.S. and the EU suppliers did not meet Turkey’s standards, Turkey is prepared to accept the Chinese offer in a year, unless the U.S. or EU bidders make changes to abide by the standard that Turkey set. Turkey selected the Chinese supplier for its defense system but never signed the contract, since the United States and NATO expressed concerns about safety and satellite compatibility issues regarding the Chinese products. The Chinese supplier agreed to develop and manufacture the weapons jointly with Turkey.

Source: Global Times, July 18, 2015

http://mil.huanqiu.com/observation/2015-07/7038640.html

Briefings | | July 21, 2015 | Geo-Strategic Trend

China’s Automobile Market Declined in June

Well-known Chinese news site Sina recently reported that, following a disappointing May, the Chinese automobile market suffered another tough month in June. According to the data that the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) just released, the national automobile manufacturing volume declined by 5.8 percent, month-over-month, or by 0.2 percent, year-over-year. In the meantime, the national automobile sales volume declined by 5.3 percent, month-over-month, or by 2.3 percent, year-over-year. This record is only better than the February numbers, when the month-over-month manufacturing and sales volume declined by 28.7 percent and 31.3 percent, respectively. Most of the automobile manufacturers started cutting prices after February, led by Shanghai Volkswagen and followed by the joint-venture companies of Ford, Hyundai, Peugeot and GM. Only Japanese automobile vendors saw growth and did not join the price war. However the overall market did not rebound. The last time the Chinese automobile market saw a major decline was in 2008, when the global financial crisis started.

Source: Sina, July 15, 2015

http://finance.sina.com.cn/chanjing/cyxw/20150715/153922694743.shtml

Briefings | | July 21, 2015 | Economy/Resources

Global Times: U.S. Support for China’s Rights Lawyers Has No Real Effect

In its July 14 editorial, Global Times shrugged off a statement that the U.S. State Department issued condemning China for having "systematically detained individuals who share the common attribute of peacefully defending the rights of others." It claimed that this latest U.S. statement would have no real effect except to make the Chinese people feel slightly uncomfortable.

Global Times insisted in its editorial that the detentions are China’s internal affair. Specifically, taking lawyers away from the Beijing Fengrui Law Firm should serve to increase understanding among Chinese lawyers and promote China’s rule of law as much as possible. This carries more significance than mulling over a response to the U.S. rebuke.

Apparently some lawyers have doubts about the recent detentions. This may stem in part from the sympathy they have for their peers and, at the same time, from long-standing disputes about the boundaries of democracy and the rule of law. Western values have infiltrated intensely in this respect and have damaged some important basic consensuses.

Besides the U.S. State Department, opposing voices also came from radical groups in Taiwan and Hong Kong. The Chinese mainland public has found those voices rather repellent. Actually, many in the mainland hold the view that if people receive support from external forces, it means they are not really decent. How the government proceeds with the case must strictly follow legal procedures and must not be subject to external disruption. Global Times concluded that the crackdown on this criminal gang involving several rights lawyers is a step toward realizing China’s social stability, through which Chinese should acquire more confidence in the ideological contention between China and the West.

Source: Global Times, July 14, 2015

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/931941.shtml

Briefings | | July 20, 2015 | US-China Relations

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.