Chinascope – Page 687

A Large Wave of Government Officials Seen Leaving the Public Sector

Well-known Chinese news site Sina recently reported that a large number of people who serve in government positions are looking for jobs in the private sector. As an example, in a three week period, a Beijing-based online job site saw over ten thousand government officials posting their resumes looking for private sector positions. The actual number of government officials accepting private sector offers saw a year-over-year increase of 34 percent. Many analysts marked the recent anti-corruption movement as the top reason for this new wave of job movements. The “gray income” outside the normal government payroll has shrunk significantly. Many government officials saw an instant decline in personal income. As a result, the government job positions suddenly became less attractive. These new job movements are mainly in the industries of real estate, e-commerce, and finance. China has seen this type of wave twice already. The first time was at the beginning of The Reform led by Deng Xiaoping and the second wave was during 2002 to 2003, when China joined the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Source: Sina, April 8, 2015

http://dailynews.sina.com/bg/chn/chnpolitics/chinapress/20150408/08556581564.html

Briefings | | April 14, 2015 | Government/Politics

Xinhua: State Council Introduced New Policies to Rescue the Economy

Xinhua recently reported that the Chinese State Council Executive Meeting held on April 8 came up with three new policies to “rescue” the real economy of China. The policies include restricting the government fees that companies have to pay, reducing electricity prices, and lowering the natural resource tax rate on iron ore. Experts widely expected that China’s first quarter GDP growth rate would decline. The second quarter is also facing serious challenges. The State Council’s latest move is considered a much needed life-saving shot for the economy, especially the real economy. Su Jianxiang, Deputy Director of the Economic Research Center of Beijing University, suggested that these new policies will focus on pumping oxygen into the supply side of the economy. Not long ago, the State Council approved a proposal to allow the Social Security Funds to enter the stock market, which has the primary purpose of rescuing the economy on the demand side. The iron ore resource tax rate was cut by 60 percent, which surprised many experts in the industry.

Source: Xinhua, April 9, 2015

http://news.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2015-04/09/c_127670266.htm

Briefings | | April 14, 2015 | Economy/Resources

Health News Suggests Rising Parkinson and Cancer Patients in China

People’s Daily published an article which stated that, in China, over two million patients suffer from Parkinson’s disease. The number accounts for 50 percent of all Parkinson’s disease patients in the world. The article also said that there is an alarming trend developing. Even though most Parkinson patients are in their 60’s, lately, patients who are only in their 40’s have developed the disease.

People’s Daily published another article reporting that the number of cancer patients has been rising in China. The article said that, according to the statistics that the National Cancer Research and Control Office released, there were 3.37 million cancer patients in 2011, up by 280,000 from ten years ago. Of these patients, the diagnosis was often too late. As many as 60 to 80 percent of the patients were already in the middle or late stages of cancer when they were hospitalized.

Source: People’s Daily, April 12, 2015
http://scitech.people.com.cn/n/2015/0412/c1007-26831041.html
http://scitech.people.com.cn/n/2015/0412/c1007-26830868.html

Briefings | | April 13, 2015 | Information/Technology

PLA General Political Department Revised Guideline on Recruiting of Party Membership within PLA

Xinhua reported that Xi Jinping, Chairman of the Central Military Commission, recently approved a revised guideline on the development of Party membership work within the PLA. The PLA General Political Department then published the guideline. The article said that the guideline had been revised so that it would be tailored specifically for the PLA. It provided more “strict, concrete and scientific” requirements on recruiting qualified Party memberships. It also emphasized developing members based on quotas and discouraged new members from submitting false claims.

Source: Xinhua, April 12, 2015
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2015-04/12/c_1114941365.htm

Briefings | | April 13, 2015 | Defense/Military

PLA Used Its Online Purchasing Website for Its First Online Purchase

Xinhua reported that, on April 7, the PLA announced that five manufacturers won the bidding, totaling 90 million yuan (US$14.48 million), to supply general and maintenance equipment to the PLA. The article said that these were the first purchase orders that the PLA received since it launched its military equipment purchasing website in January. The site is at http://www.weain.mil.cn/. The PLA claimed that it saved close to 12 million yuan (US$1.93 million) compared to the list price. The purchase order consisted of items such as containers for maintenance equipment and tools, gas masks, carrier cases, and army field lighting. The article said that the PLA equipment purchasing website was launched on January 4. On February 25, the PLA General and Maintenance department made a public announcement on the website calling for bids. On March 19, the public bidding was held at Ordnance Engineering College in Shijiazhuang City of Hebei Province. Over 20 manufacturers submitted bids and 5 of them, including some privately owned companies, won the bidding.

Source: Xinhua, April 12, 2015
http://news.xinhuanet.com/info/2015-04/12/c_134143641.htm

Briefings | | April 13, 2015 | Defense/Military

Huanqiu: The U.S. and Japan Are Wrong

Huanqiu published an editorial on U.S. Defense Secretary Carter’s trip to Asia. The editorial stated that, considering China’s economic approach in establishing the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the U.S. and Japan are wrong in their strategy of engaging in military development.

The editorial stated, “It is certain that the deployment of the U.S. high-altitude defense ‘Sade system’ in Korea will deal a heavy blow to the good will that the Chinese public opinion has built over the years toward Korea and will weaken the foundation of the bilateral relationship. Seoul should not take any chances.”

The editorial expressed that the communications between Carter and Japan about the Diaoyu Islands and the South China Sea assume, directly or indirectly, that China is their adversary.

The editorial stated that the U.S. is bucking the trend as it is strengthening and expanding its military alliance in the Western Pacific. “China has embarked on a win-win cooperation path in Asia and the world. We have established the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, rendering traditional geopolitics useless and without direction. It is time for the U.S. and Japan to do some serious reflection.”

Source: Huanqiu, April 10, 2015

http://opinion.huanqiu.com/editorial/2015-04/6145333.html

Briefings | | April 10, 2015 | Geo-Strategic Trend

Hong Kong Media: Iron Hat Kings Coup Portends the Inevitable Decisive Battle between Xi and Jiang

On April 6, 2015, Hong Kong Oriental Daily Online published a commentary analyzing the current political situation in China using the historical analogy of the Qing Dynasty’s "Eight King Government" coup against Emperor Yongzheng. At that time corrupt officials had severely weakened the country. Yongzheng tried to push through new policies to rebuild the country’s wealth and to consolidate power. He then faced severe resistance from the officials. The "Iron Hat Kings" [1] even attempted a coup to nullify Yongzheng’s power. Eventually Yongzheng won the fight.

According to the article, Xi’s situation is similar. The group of power holders apparently did not want to give up their vested interests, so, during Hu Jintao’s era, this group created the structure of nine members at the CCP’s power center – the Politburo Standing Committee – and let each member manage an area on his own. When Xi Jinping succeeded Hu, the "Nine Presidential System" or the "Nine Politburo Standing Committee Members System" was changed to the "Seven Politburo Standing Committee Members System," but still, those power-holders tried to block Xi from using his authority.

Though Xi Jinping’s authorities have taken down Zhou Yongkang, Xu Caihou, Bo Xilai, Ling Jihua, and a number of others, "Xi has not dug out the mastermind who set up the ruling system of Nine Politburo Standing Committee Members for the purpose of manipulating the ‘Iron Hat Kings.’" If the new authorities do not take down the ‘Iron Hat Kings" that represent those power-holder groups and do not dig out the mastermind behind it, the anti-corruption campaign will not win a ‘landslide victory,’ and China’s new government will not move forward." "Right now, the Chinese people are looking forward to the early arrival of the (Xi Jinping’s) ‘landslide victory.’" [2]

The article stated that this power-holder group started in 1989, which implicitly but clearly indicated that Jiang Zemin, who moved to the top leadership position in 1989, was the culprit that created this system to restrain his successors.

Source: [1] See the Chinascope article at

http://chinascope.org/main/content/view/6907/40/

[2] Hong Kong Daily Online, April 7, 2015:
http://hk.on.cc/cn/bkn/cnt/commentary/20150407/bkncn-20150407000317701-0407_05411_001.html

Briefings | | April 9, 2015 | Government/Politics

Qiushi: Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank Redefines How the International System Changes

Qiushi, published a commentary article on the impact of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) that China is heading up. The writer was YANG Guangbin, a Professor of Politics at Renmin University of China and Executive Dean of the National Institutes of Management.

The article said, “Other than the fact that the AIIB marks a new milestone in international relations …, it has more far-reaching political significance in the world. That is, it rewrites the way that the international system goes through transformation.”

“In recent history, the formation and change of the international system has always been a recombination following the total destruction of the previous order. That has been typical of system alteration. The international systems after the reorganization have always been the ones of Western-centrism.”

“The AIIB rewrites the way that the international system changes. First, the AIIB that China leads is a new force born within the established international order. China’s rise and the role it plays are completely different from those ways familiar to Westerners. Although it is a forced product resulting from the pressure of the U.S., it is also a result of the conditions that were ripe for the formation. Second, it is the first Asian-dominated international system change. Now the theory of international relations should be corrected. Almost all popular theories of international relations are based on the history of Western international relations. It is a discourse system of Western centrism. This time, the little brothers of the "Group of Seven" have squeezed into the AIIB’s founding members one after another. Such an action of rewriting history will also rewrite the theory of international relations. Third, the AIIB has no Ideological boundaries. Fourth, the change is a gradual one.”

Source: Qiushi, April 3, 2015

http://www.qstheory.cn/international/2015-04/03/c_1114862108.htm

Briefings | | April 9, 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.