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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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China Launches an Upgraded Satellite for BeiDou System

A Long March-3C rocket carrying a new-generation satellite for the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) left the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China’s Sichuan Province on Monday, March 30, 2015. China launched an upgraded satellite into space for its own global navigation and positioning network at 9:52 p.m. Beijing Time. It is the 17th satellite for the BDS. The official Xinhua news reported that the launch marked the beginning of the expansion of the regional BDS to global coverage.
According to the center, the latest satellite is tasked with testing a new type of navigation signaling and inter-satellite links, providing the basis to start building the global network.
China launched the first BDS satellite in 2000. The BDS began providing positioning, navigation, timing and short message services to civilian users in China and surrounding areas in the Asia-Pacific in December 2012.
Source: China News Service, March 31, 2015
http://www.chinanews.com/gn/2015/03-31/7170962.shtml
Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

People’s Daily: Japan Should Get Used to China’s Air Force Exercises in the Far Sea

On March 30, 2015, the Chinese Air Force conducted a military training exercise in the Western Pacific ocean. In response to a Western media report, Zhang Junshe, a researcher at the Naval Research Institute of Military Science, published a commentary on People’s Daily overseas edition. 

The article said, “Regarding the Chinese Air Force’s routine training in accordance with its annual training plan, Japan and some Western media had ulterior motives when they interpreted the events. A Japanese news agency claimed that the training had the purpose of showing off China’s air force to its neighbors. Some individual media also claimed that the move of the Chinese Air Force will likely exacerbate tensions in the South China Sea.” 
Zhang argued, “Japan’s Self-Defense Air Force fighter and reconnaissance aircraft frequently hold activities in the Western Pacific and the East China Sea. U.S. Air Force fighter planes fly over the Western Pacific ocean all year long. [So why can’t China do the same?] ” 
“China is a big maritime country, but not a maritime power. … Now, the Chinese navy and air force badly need to use far sea training to improve their sea defense combat capability. It is one of the objective needs in order for China to safeguard its national maritime security.” 
“With the improvement of China’s comprehensive national strength and international status, China’s international responsibilities and the obligations required by the international community are also increasing. So it also requires China’s navy and air force to go to the far oceans and improve the capability of their ocean activity.” 
“Finally, I hope some countries can look rationally at the development of China’s military power and the Chinese military’s normal training activities. … The concerned countries should gradually become accustomed to Chinese air and sea vessels’ conducting similar trainings in the far sea, instead of continually finding fault.” 
Source: People’s Daily, April 1, 2015 
http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrbhwb/html/2015-04/01/content_1549197.htm
http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2015-04/01/c_127646887_2.htm

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

Caixin and Other Chinese Media Exposed How Guo Wengui Conspired to Make a Fortune

For a week, several Chinese media outlets, including Caixin and Finance.QQ, have published lengthy investigative reports on the shady dealings that real estate developer, Guo Wengui, has used to accumulate a fortune. Guo has complicated relationships with Chinese Communist Party officials, including former vice minister of state security Ma Jian. Ma is presently under investigation during the nation-wide anticorruption movement that leader of the Chinese Communist Party Xi Jinping started.  

Back in 2006, in order to get a development authorization for some Olympic park land in Beijing, Guo Wengui conspired with Ma Jian in a plot that removed Beijing’s former vice mayor Liu Zhihua from office. They used “a 60-minute video of Liu engaging in under-the-table dealings and extra-marital affairs.” According to Caixin, “Several sources said that Ma, then assistant to the minister of state security, helped Guo get the video of Liu.” Liu had refused to help Guo get the development permit he needed to build the Pangu Plaza by the “Bird’s Nest” National Stadium in Beijing. “The fight over the Olympic park land proved Guo had a successful partnership with officials like Ma, a strategy he repeatedly used to build his fortune in the following years.”

Sources: Caixin and Finance QQ, March 24 – 30
http://china.caixin.com/2015-03-30/100796183.html
http://weekly.caixin.com/2015-03-27/100795235.html
http://finance.qq.com/original/lenjing/gwg0324.html
http://finance.qq.com/original/lenjing/wlht.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

People’s Daily: Volume of Railway Freight Declined as Did PMI

On March 26, People’s Daily reported that, according to the numbers that the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) released, the combined January and February railway freight volume saw a year-over-year decline of 9.1 percent. February is the 14th consecutive month that suffered a decline. Railway freight volume is one of the well-known indicators on which Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has focused. In February, another favorite indicator of his, total electricity consumption, also saw a 6.3 percent year-over-year decline. In addition, HSBC reported China’s February manufacturing sector PMI to be 49.2, far less than the expected number, a PMI of 50.5. PMI (Purchasing Managers Index) is an indicator of financial activity reflecting purchasing managers’ acquisition of goods and services. A PMI number below 50 typically reflects a decline.
Source: People’s Daily, March 26, 2015
http://history.people.com.cn/peoplevision/n/2015/0326/c371452-26753376.html
Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Indonesian President: The Chinese Lines in South China Sea Have No Legal Basis

BBC Chinese recently reported on the comments that Indonesian President Joko Widodo of Indonesia made when the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun interviewed him before his visit to Japan. During the interview, Widodo discussed the South China Sea "Kau Line." He thought that most of what the Chinese asked for in the South China Sea lacked any basis in international law. This was the first time, since he was elected last October, that President Widodo explained his position on the issue of the South China Sea. The South China Sea enjoys an annual commercial traffic valued at around US$5 trillion. Based on the “Kau Line," China claims sovereignty over 90 percent of the South China Sea. The government of the Republic of China had originally drawn that line before the Communists took power. However a number of countries in the region, such as Vietnam and the Philippines disagree. President Widodo expressed his willingness to be an “honest bridge builder” to mediate the resolution of this long-lasting regional conflict. China maintains that the core issue of the conflict is that “some countries are occupying islands illegally.”
Source: BBC Chinese, March 23, 2015
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/world/2015/03/150323_indonesian_china
Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

CRN: No One Should Use the Internet to Interfere with Other Countries’ Internal Affairs

China Review News (CRN) reported, on March 30, 2015, about a high ranking official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who spoke at the 2015 Asian Boao Forum. The official was asked, “How have the Internet’s developments impacted the China-U.S. relationship?” In response, the official advised that all nations should cooperate in the world of the Internet and obey the UN Charter. At the same time, no one should seek to start Internet wars or to interfere with other countries’ internal affairs. He also suggested that the Internet needs a common set of rules that all nations should follow. In 2011, China and Russia submitted a draft for an international proposal; they refined that draft this year. The proposal called for the same sovereignty on the Internet as defined by the United Nations, for people’s basic Internet rights, and for a global framework for Internet governance.
Source: China Review News, March 30, 2015
http://bj.crntt.com/doc/1036/8/7/8/103687898.html?coluid=1&kindid=0&docid=103687898&mdate=0330004915
Briefings | | |   Information/Technology

Huanqiu: U.S. Freedom of Navigation Operation Was Peremptory and Dangerous

China News Service (CNS) carried an article that was originally published by Huanqiu. The article said that on March 25, the Pentagon made an announcement that the U.S. military conducted freedom of navigation operations last year challenging maritime claims by 19 countries. It was the largest number of countries challenged in more than a decade. The article quoted interviews of some legal and navy experts from China who called this freedom of navigation operation peremptory. The article said that such a freedom of navigation operation prevents other countries from challenging the U.S.’s authoritative rights on the sea. It demonstrates that the U.S. does not accept and acknowledge maritime (rights) defined by other countries. Huanqiu reported that the operation not only upset certain parties, but was also a threat to global security. 

Source: China News Service, March 27, 2015

http://www.chinanews.com/mil/2015/03-27/7163030.shtml 

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

China Association for Quality Promotion Published Report on Product and Service Quality

Xinhua reported that the China Association for Quality Promotion published the results of an investigation into the quality of products and services. The investigation revealed that, among the eight industries that have the largest number of quality and credibility concerns, the automobile industry ranked at the top. The eight industries investigated included automotive, electronics, furniture, telecommunications, insurance, water filter, and eyeglasses. A total of 1,662 companies in ten cities and provinces were investigated.

The report showed that the service industry in China is still poorly structured. It lacks the proper measurement and standards for good quality service. For the auto industry alone, the common service issues included fake repair and warranty service records; the use of low quality parts instead of OEM (original equipment manufacturer) parts; and random labor rate increases. The report also disclosed that fake products are commonly found in shoes, clothing, baby products, and health nutritional personal care items. Other phenomenon that affect the customer’s buying experience include late shipment arrival, lack of trade security guarantees, stolen bank cards, and leaked personal information.

Source: Xinhua, March 29, 2015
http://news.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2015-03/29/c_127633229.htm

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology