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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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CCP Issues Its First Regulations on United Front Work

On May 25, Xinhua announced that the Chinese Communist Party issued the “United Front Work Regulations of the Chinese Communist Party (trial version).” The regulations became effective on May 18, 2015. They are the first ever regulations on managing relations with people who are not members of the Communist Party. The regulations cover relations with individuals and organizations who have social, commercial, or academic influence, both inside and outside China, with the goal of ensuring that these groups are supportive of and useful to the Communist Party rule’s (which is called united front work). 

The regulations state that united front work is the political advantage and strategy of the Chinese Communist Party to solidify its ruling status. As the first codified regulations, they provide guidance and principles. In addition they institutionalize and standardize all phases of united front work.  Therefore, the issuance of the regulations is viewed as a major milestone in the Party’s history. 
The non-Communist Party people who are targeted are “new social class members.” They include managers at privately-owned or foreign owned enterprises, free-lancers, and new media professionals. 
For the first time, the regulations set forth comprehensive guidance on the Party organizations’ responsibilities. Key leaders of the Party organizations will be designated as the No. One responsible person in charge of the united front work. All leaders of the Party organizations must take the lead in spreading the Party’s theories, policies, and rules; in participating in important events of united front work; and in becoming friends with non-Communist Party people. 
Source: Xinhua, May 25, 2015 
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2015-05/25/c_1115401235.htm
Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Chinese Hackers Broke into the Communist Youth League’s Database and Exposed Fifty Cent Party Info

According to Voice of American, Chinese hackers recently claimed that they had hacked into the databases of the Shanghai and Chongqing Communist Youth League (CYL) organizations on May 25, 2015. They exposed that the Chinese CYL Central Committee requires colleges and universities in different locations to organize Internet propaganda teams. The hackers released statistical information on different activities, the personal information of the Internet propagandists, instructions from their superiors, audio files of meetings, and other documents. A “Report on Public Opinion on the Internet” from Donghua University on April 4th of this year contained instructions on what to post on the Internet on an extensive number of subjects, including military, political, and commercial topics. Shanghai University requires that Internet propagandists (who are also called the “Fifty Cent Party” because they are paid 50 cents per post and receive 600 yuan per month as a base stipend) monitor and follow students’ thought processes and group activities during the period of the anniversary of the June 4th Tiananmen Square Massacre.

Reports indicate that Mainland China has nearly 650 million Internet users. According to Ming Pao on April 6, 2015, the CYL Central Committee has decided to recruit 10.5 million Internet youth propagandists, mainly from colleges and universities. The allocated quota is 100 Internet propagandists from the Shenzhen Campus of Hong Kong University and as high as 9,000 propagandists from Zhongshan University in Guangzhou.

Source: Voice of America, May 25, 2015
http://www.voachinese.com/content/china-internal-documents-hacker-exposure-fifty-cent-instructions/2789365.html
http://www.voachinese.com/content/article-20110808-world-press-coverage-on-china-127268478/785852.html (Introduction on Fifty Cent Party)

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Huanqiu Withdrew Its Editorial Ridiculing Chinese Students’ Open Letter on the June 4th Massacre

On Tuesday, May 26, 2015, China’s official media Huanqiu (the Chinese Edition of Global Times) published an editorial in which it ridiculed a group of overseas Chinese students born in the 1980s and 1990s who jointly signed an open letter in the United States. The letter told students in China the truth about the “Tiananmen Massacre” that happened 26 years ago on June 4, 1989. Although the open letter did not get much attention in the first place, it aroused widespread interest after Huanqiu openly scorned it. Those who signed the open letter stressed that they do not expect the CCP to redress the democratic movement on Tiananmen Square in 1989, since the executioner is not qualified to rehabilitate the victims. However, "the butcher must stand trial. Until justice is done and as the persecution continues, forgetting represents an infidelity to history; forgiveness represents injustice for the dead.”

It is noteworthy that, on the same day, Huanqiu deleted the editorial from its website. The title was, “Foreign Forces Attempt to Incite Those Born in the 1980s and 1990s.” 

Source: Voice of America, May 26, 2015
http://www.voachinese.com/content/group-students-20150526/2790651.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Chinese Scholars on the Sino-U.S. Relationship

Chinese Review News hosted a forum at its headquarters in Beijing on, "The Development and Deepening the Sino-U.S. Relationship." Below are some scholars’ comments.

Shi Yinhong of Renmin University of China: Since he took the top leadership position, Xi Jinping has changed the direction of China’s foreign policy. He has expanded military power and promoted China’s ocean sovereignty. This has gained him the people’s support and the consolidation of his power within China. However, it came at quite some cost [with the U.S.].

Lv Dehong of the China Foundation for International and Strategic Studies: The U.S.’s biggest problem in its Sino-U.S. policy is that it does not see its own problem. It has long insisted on its own viewpoint, its own logic, and its own policy. It pursues its own interests. It has done many things that hurt others, because its policy does not recognize the interests of other countries.

Yuan Zheng of the China Academy of Social Science: [I would like to make] a few points on the direction of China’s foreign diplomacy. First, China’s nationalism will continue to rise and its foreign policy will take a more hardline approach. Second, as China’s power continues to rise, China will have a greater influence in international affairs. Third, the U.S. thinks that, though China is more active in diplomatic activities, China’s current and future focus is still China. Fourth, the U.S. is worried about China’s recent actions.

Liu Feitao of the China Institute of International Studies: The public in the U.S. is more concerned than the government about the military side of the Sino-U.S. relationship. No matter which party in the U.S. wins the next election, it will take a harderline approach towards China. The U.S. has more strategic worries about China than China has about the U.S.

Source: China Review News, May 21, 2015
http://hk.crntt.com/doc/1037/6/1/0/103761001.html?coluid=1&kindid=0&docid=103761001&mdate=0521001004

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

People’s Daily: The U.S. Military Hurried to Replace IBM Servers

People’s Daily recently reported that the United States Military is actively planning to replace all IBM blade server computers, which are used in the U.S. Navy’s Aegis destroyers. This happened after last October when the Chinese IT vendor Lenovo had just completed the acquisition of IBM’s low-end x86 server division. Lenovo is now the third largest sever computer manufacturer in the world. The U.S. Navy is very worried about the potential information leakage to Chinese hackers via this Chinese equipment; it assumes that, sooner or later, they will need maintenance. This is part of the typical U.S. national security measures and may trigger concerns about the impact on Lenovo server sales in the U.S. market. However, now the question becomes: when the Chinese government inspects U.S. made equipment for national security reasons, why does the United States whine about unfair treatment?
Source: People’s Daily, May 23, 2015
http://world.people.com.cn/n/2015/0523/c157278-27044603.html

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology

Britain Seized Fake Cosmetic Products Made in China

Guizhou Information Network, a large online news network in Guizhou Province, recently reported that the British police rooted out a large underground network that consisted of Chinese and some Eastern European factories that were producing poisonous cosmetic products. These products could already have been distributed all across Britain. The criminals produced these fake brand-name goods and sold them via large online shopping sites such as eBay and Amazon. Over the past 18 months, more than 5,500 websites carrying these products have been closed down. Impacted brands include Christian Dior, Estee Lauder, Dove, MAC, Benefit, and Urban Decay. The products all contained excessive quantities of heavy metals and were sold at a fraction of the prices of the authentic original brand-name products. They were manufactured in China and Eastern Europe and then were all packaged in Northeast China before shipping. 
Source: Guizhou Information Network, May 18, 2015
http://www.qiansen.org/shrd/2015-05-18/201.html
Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Urged the U.S. Not to Complicate the Situation

Yahoo Hong Kong recently reported that the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs asked the United States not to further complicate the situation in the South China Sea. On May 20, the United States sent a reconnaissance aircraft, the US P-8A Poseidon to monitor the Chinese land reclamation activities around three islands. The Chinese military warned the U.S. airplane eight times to leave immediately to avoid a conflict. The U.S. military responded that the aircraft was flying in international territory. The spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs asserted that China has inarguable sovereignty over the land and sea in that area. He urged the United States not to worsen the situation, which could lead to unexpected conflicts. The CNN reporter who flew with the U.S. aircraft taped the trip and released the video to the general public. The video showed that an air traffic control tower, an early warning radar system, and military camps had been constructed. 
Source: Yahoo Hong Kong, May 21, 2015
http://tinyurl.com/m55g28k

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Xinhua: What Is Japan Trying to Do in Asia by Plunging into a US$100 Billion Investment?

Xinhua published a group of articles on its International Channel under the title, “What Is Japan Trying to Do in Asia by Plunging into a US$100 Billion Investment?” In the editorial summary, it said, “Japan plans to invest about US$100 billion over the next five years to support infrastructure development in the Asian region. The amount of the investment is comparable to the amount that China proposed to establish the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). Analysts have said that Japan’s move was intended to improve its image for its continued existence. However, [if Japan is] trying to use the 100 billion dollars to ‘rival’ the AIIB, it will do no good for itself while it will be hurting others. The AIIB has 57 founding members and can drive trillions of dollars of investment. If Japan is maliciously bidding, it will only keep exhausting its resources and its mental health. China will not respond or launch a bidding war with Japan. Therefore, if Japan wants to ‘to suppress China’s influence’ with the US$100 billion investment, it will be nearly impossible for it to succeed even if it tries so hard that it will be vomiting blood.” 

Source: Xinhua (International Channel), Vol 537, May 21, 2015 
http://www.xinhuanet.com/world/jrch/537.htm
Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend