Chinascope – Page 684

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 | | May 26, 2015 | 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 | | May 26, 2015 | 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 | | May 22, 2015 | Geo-Strategic Trend

Xi Jinping: Build a Pro-Socialist Contingent Outside of China

Chinese President Xi Jinping attended a three-day meeting in Beijing of the united front work, which closed on May 21, 2015. At the meeting, Xi called for authorities to befriend and recruit more overseas Chinese to build a pro-China and pro-socialist contingent outside of China.

Three groups of overseas Chinese are priorities. The first group, Chinese students studying overseas, are “a new focal point of the united front work.” Second, authorities must strengthen and improve the work on well-known “representative figures of the new media,” establish regular communications, “let them demonstrate positive energy in cleaning up the Internet, and in promoting the [Party’s] main theme.” Authorities must guide the third group, business owners and their younger generations on being patriotic to China.

“It is our Party’s consistent policy to train and use non-Party individuals. [We] must deepen our work to train, select and use non-Party individuals, and strive to cultivate a contingent that proactively accepts the leadership of the Communist Party of China, unswervingly takes the socialist road with Chinese characteristics, and has strong representation and the ability to participate in politics.”

Source: People’s Daily, May 21, 2015

http://politics.people.com.cn/n/2015/0521/c1024-27032155.html

Briefings | | May 22, 2015 | Government/Politics

PLA Daily: Chinese Navy Commanders Should Not Act Rashly

On May 19, 2015, right after U.S. Secretary of State Kerry’s visit to China, the People’s Liberation Army Daily issued a commentary stating that Navy commanders should not cause trouble, show signs of weakness, or act rashly.

"Right now and for a long time, actions to maintain sovereignty and maritime rights and interests are highly political and strategic. So are the actions to protect the safety of strategic maritime passage and the safety of overseas Chinese and their interests. How to act in line with the overall situation of national political diplomacy has become a high political and strategic requirement for Navy commanders at all levels. … At all times and under any circumstances, the front-line commander must especially bear in mind and carry out firmly and actively that he must maintain orderly movement including advance and retreat, and must not speak and act carelessly or act rashly, in order to ensure that China’s national strategic intent is reached and achieved.”

Source: People’s Liberation Army Daily reprinted by military.china.com, May 19, 2015 http://military.china.com/important/11132797/20150519/19708389_3.html

Briefings | | May 22, 2015 | Defense/Military

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection Co-locates with Key Departments

Guangming Daily recently reported on the progress that the Communist Party’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) team leaders made after they had been sent, in late March, to co-locate with seven key central Party and government departments. The seven central departments are the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee, the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, the Central United Front Work Department, the National People’s Congress organs, the General Office of the State Council, and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.

The relationship between the CCDI team and the department with which it co-located is one between the supervisor and supervisee. The CCDI team engages in no business other than fulfilling its oversight responsibilities. These teams are to be fully staffed by end of June. The focus of the CCDI work is department leaders, middle level cadres, and division chiefs. Activities so far have included distributing copies of the Party’s Charter, establishing the Party’s local CCDI branch, and requesting that grievance complaints involving officials be sent to the CCDI team within three days of receipt. A CCDI team will be held accountable if there are new violations involving division chiefs or above and if the CCDI team failed to discover the violation or to investigate.

Source: Guangming Daily, May 18, 2015

http://politics.gmw.cn/2015-05/18/content_15694509.htm

Briefings | | May 21, 2015 | Government/Politics

PLA Daily: U.S. to Build Free Global Coverage of “Extranet.” Will It Be a Blessing or a Curse?

PLA Daily published a commentary article discussing the future of the “Extranet,” with special concerns about U.S. control of the technology. The article was also republished in a number of other state-run media in China. Below is an excerpt from the article:

“Recently, a U.S. technology company intended to launch a small satellite system built by ‘extranet’ to enable people in every corner of the world access the Internet. What is more, everyone can enjoy the ‘free meal.’ Immediately, users around the world sought after this news, as if a huge ‘pie’ was coming down from heaven. Nowadays, there are indeed an increasing number of large technology companies beginning to implement their own ‘extranet’ program. [The question is:] Is this ‘Network’ a blessing or a curse?”

“This plan is not just a simple ‘charity.’ One must keep a sober mind and have a clear understanding.”

“Concerns and worries are justifiable. In 2011, foreign media revealed that the U.S. invested US$70 million to develop something called a ‘portable Internet access device,’ which was to build a new ‘shadow Internet‘ to help the opposition in some countries to use wireless access to avoid network monitoring and blocking. The birth of the ‘extranet’ concept enables this ‘shadow Internet’ to go from dark to daylight, but even more so. With its considerable political overtones, it may eventually become a political tool with ulterior motives.”

"At the same time, construction of the ‘extranet’ is based on the air and space, covering the whole globe. This unique feature allows it to be transformed easily into an efficient global communications network with strong anti-strike capability, a wide communication range, and a high transmission speed, providing strong technical support for the military. Information and intelligence have been the key factors in winning advantages in war, especially in the information war. If, in the future, this network indeed covers the entire world, then its owner will undoubtedly gain an overwhelming advantage in combat.”

“According to one expert, if, in the future, the IoT (Internet of Things) is merged into this large ‘extranet’ network, then it will be the equivalent of the brain of the ‘wisdom Earth.’ It will be tightly controlled in the hands of a few people."

Source: PLA Daily, April 23, 2015

http://www.81.cn/jmywyl/2015-04/23/content_6455818.htm

http://military.people.com.cn/n/2015/0423/c1011-26890629.html

Briefings | | May 21, 2015 | US-China Relations

PLA Daily on Cyber Security

On May 20, People’s Liberation Daily published an opinion article calling for the defense of China’s cyber security and cyber sovereignty.

"China’s cyber sovereignty is a symbol of its national sovereignty. Cyberspace is also the space for national security. If we don’t occupy the online battleground, others will take it; if we don’t defend our online territory, we will lose sovereignty and even become the bridgehead for the hostile forces’ encroachment and disruption.

"With the assistance of the Internet, computers, and mobile phones, Western hostile forces viciously attack our Party, discredit the founding leaders of the new China, denigrate our heroes, and set off erroneous ideological trends of historical nihilism. Their purpose is to confuse us with ‘universal values,’ create interference with ‘constitutional democracy,’ subvert our governance with ‘color revolutions,’ turn us upside down with the use of negative opinions, and shake up our faith with ideas of ‘separation of the military from the Party,’ ‘separation of the military from politics,’ and ‘nationalization of the military.’

"To strengthen the cyber ideological work is to defend the highest interests of the country and the battle, and safeguard people’s fundamental interests. In the face of this conflict, we will not and cannot afford to retreat; we will not and cannot afford to lose. If we do not pay attention to Internet security and put our hands on the online ideological work, the enemy will pull the masses away and the military will change its nature. One can say that this is the most dangerous battlefield and the most critical battlefield.

"On the journey toward a stronger nation and a stronger army, we shall not only resolutely safeguard our national sovereignty, our security and our interests on a tangible traditional battlefield, but we will also resolutely defend our ideological security and political security on the invisible cyber battlefield."

Source: PLA Daily, May 20, 2015

http://jz.chinamil.com.cn/n2014/tp/content_6498731.htm

Briefings | | May 20, 2015 | Defense/Military

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.