Chinascope – Page 685

China Review News: How to Interpret the Recent Government Work Transformation

The State Council recently introduced a plan to simplify and transform government work that requires decentralized power, while still maintaining control. China Review News carried an article that provided its interpretation of the plan. The article stated that simplification of the work and the decentralization of power indicate that the government needs to listen to the general public rather than impose its own will. It also requires that the government be transparent about its administrative approval process so the general public can gain greater benefits from the change. Moreover, the article said it was encouraging to see that the policy mentioned the importance of imposing deadline requirements and improving the efficiency of the government’s work.

Source: China Review News Agency, May 17, 2015
http://hk.crntt.com/doc/1037/5/5/5/103755546.html?coluid=151&kindid=11513&docid=103755546&mdate=0516153046

Briefings | | May 18, 2015 | Government/Politics

China Review News: On the Development of Think Tanks with Chinese Characteristics

In January, the General Office of the Central Committee of the Party and the General Office of the State Council published, “An Opinion on Further Development of Think Tanks with Chinese Characteristics.” China Review News recently published an interview with three experts from Hunan Province to get their input. According to the article, the experts mentioned that, currently, not only was there a lack of focus on the development of think tanks in China; there was also a lack of high quality and influential think tanks. As to the question of what it means for a think tank to have "Chinese characteristics," one answer was that the think tank should participate in forming public policy. It needs to be more diversified while also maintaining its independence. Another answer was that a think tank with Chinese characteristics should reference but not copy the experience from the Western world. It should be clear that the “Party can manage the think tank,” which must use the “Marxism-Leninism, Mao’s Theory, and Socialist Theory with Chinese characteristics” as its guiding ideology. According to the article, it should provide service on strategic issues and public policy, stay diversified, and provide macroeconomic regulation and control.

Source: China Review News Agency, May 14, 2015
http://hk.crntt.com/doc/1037/4/4/4/103744402.html?coluid=151&kindid=11515&docid=103744402&mdate=0514083805

Briefings | | May 18, 2015 | Government/Politics

National Development and Reform Commission: More Reform Measures to be Introduced

On May 18, China Youth Daily reported that, according to the National Development and Reform Commission, more reform measures will be introduced soon in order to ease the pressure from the slowdown of economic development. The reforms will take place in areas that include the investment and financing system, pricing, State Owned Enterprises, the tax and financial systems, urbanization, and the countryside. The article stated that the goal is to stimulate the market, regain confidence, promote reform in State Owned Enterprises, protect intellectual property, and speed up transformation within government entities.

Source: China Youth Daily, May 18, 2015
http://finance.youth.cn/finance_gdxw/201505/t20150518_6640811.htm

Briefings | | May 18, 2015 | Economy/Resources

China Won Russian High Speed Rail Project

People‘s Daily reported that the China Railway Group Limited’ subsidiary, China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group Co. Ltd., has formed a consortium with two Russian companies. This consortium signed a 20 billion ruble ($390 million) agreement with the Russian Railways to design and construct a high-speed railway system from Moscow to Kazan.

The project is 770 kilometers (480 miles) long, with the highest speed being 400 km. per hour. It is the first overseas contract that the China Railway Group has won.

Sources:
1. People’s Daily Online, May 6, 2015
http://world.people.com.cn/n/2015/0513/c1002-26991896.html
2. People‘s Daily Online, May 6, 2015
http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/epaper/2015-05/06/content_20637032.htm

Briefings | | May 13, 2015 | Economy/Resources

Xinhua: People Should Get Used to Seeing China’s Warships in The Sea

Xinhua reported that China and Russia held joint naval exercises, the "Joint Sea 2015" in the Mediterranean Sea. China sent its primary battle ships, two Type 054A Frigates (NATO code: Jiangkai II Class Frigates), and a supply ship to the exercises. The joint exercises will run from May 11 to May 21.

"This is the first time that [China] has conducted naval exercises in the Mediterranean Sea. It is a new challenge for the Chinese Navy. It also showed that [China] is expanding its national interests and security interests to waters further away from China. People should get used to seeing China’s warships out in the sea."

Source: Xinhua, May 12, 2015
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2015-05/12/c_127791919.htm

Briefings | | May 13, 2015 | Geo-Strategic Trend

People’s Daily: The Intentions of Philippine Military Officials’ Illegal Tour of the Spratly Islands

Wang Xiaopeng, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), wrote an article, which People’s Daily recently published, commenting on the Philippine’s armed forces chief of staff Kata Pang’s tour of the Spratly islands. Below is an excerpt from the article:

“On May 11, the Philippine’s armed forces chief of staff, Kata Pang, entered the Philippines’ illegally occupied Thitu Island of China’s Spratly islands in the maritime area of China, along with many foreign media reporters who were stationed in the Philippines. During their island activities, Kata Pang also discussed the development of tourism and a marine resources program with the so-called ‘Kalayaan town mayor.’ [Kalayaan town is a municipality in the Philippine’ province of Palawan in the Spratly islands]. Staging a landing force at this point shows that the Philippine military official harbors three ulterior motives.”

“The first is to solidify the illegal presence of the Philippines in the Spratly Islands by means of internationalization. This will achieve the Philippine military strategy of transformation of a counterinsurgency in the south to control the sea in the west.”

“The second is, with the backing of the United States, to play a self-fulfilling game by having more follow-up actions after the end of the U.S.-Philippine military exercises. To further achieve military allocation of its ‘Asia-Pacific rebalancing’ strategy, the United States actually is building an ‘East – South China Sea dispute chain.’ The Philippines is an important chess piece in the chain. On the premise of ‘fighting without breaking,’ the United States needs the Philippines to use as a continual provocation in the South China Sea dispute. That way, the South China Sea remains in a ‘controversial state,’ in order to distract China’s strategic attention at all times.”

“The third is to cheer Japan, encouraging Japan to move from its current, tentative involvement [in the dispute] into a more permanent intervention.”

Source: People’s Daily, May 12, 2015

http://world.people.com.cn/n/2015/0512/c1002-26988535.html

Briefings | | May 13, 2015 | US-China Relations

BBC Chinese: China Unhappy about Abe’s Address to the U.S. Congress

BBC Chinese recently reported that Yu Zhengsheng, Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and a member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, expressed his unhappiness about Japanese Prime Minister Abe’s address to the U.S. Congress in April. Yu delivered the message when he met Japanese Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Fukushiro Nukaga in Beijing. Yu commented that China could not accept any speech that had no mention of “apology” and “invasion.” This was the first time a high ranking Chinese leader expressed unhappiness about Abe’s speech. However Fukushiro Nukaga pointed out that Abe’s speech received high praise from countries in Asia and around the globe.

Source: BBC Chinese, May 9, 2015

http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/china/2015/05/150509_yu_zhengsheng_china_japan

Briefings | | May 12, 2015 | Geo-Strategic Trend

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.