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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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Huang Jiefu Testified on TV: Zhou Yongkang Is the Big Tiger behind Forced Organ Transplants in China

On March 16, Caijing published an interview article titled, “Huang Jiefu: The Fall of Zhou Yongkang Breaks the Chain of Interest on the Use of Executed Prisoners for the Organ Transplantation (Business in China).” The article was based on ifeng.com’s interview of Huang Jiefu, the former Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Deputy Minister for the Ministry of Health. Several other websites either republished the same article or published articles about the same interview.

This was the first time that Huang Jiefu directly tied Zhou Yongkang, the detained former security czar and retired member of the Chinese Communist Party Politburo Standing Committee, to the forced organ harvesting in China. Huang stated directly that Zhou was the key leader who was responsible for the secret organ sources for the transplants in China. Huang indicated in the TV interview that neither the former top leaders Hu Jintao & Wen Jiabao nor the current top leaders Xi Jinping & Li Keqiang have anything to do with this forced organ harvesting business in China. According to an analytical article in Epoch Times on March 17, Huang’s testimony indicates that Xi Jinping will accelerate his attack against the Jiang Zemin faction. Zhou Yongkang was considered an ally of Jiang Zemin, retired General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party. The internal fight within the CCP’s top leadership will center more and more on the core issue of the forced harvesting of organs from healthy Falun Gong practitioners in China. “The last big showdown time draws near.”

Sources: Caijing, Ifeng, Southcn, Sina, Wenxuecity and Epoch Times, March 16 – 17, 2015
http://politics.caijing.com.cn/20150316/3840670.shtml
http://gz.ifeng.com/zaobanche/detail_2015_03/17/3668460_0.shtml
http://news.southcn.com/community/content/2015-03/17/content_120214365.htm
http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2015-03-16/122231611694.shtml
http://www.wenxuecity.com/news/2015/03/16/4110679.html  
http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/15/3/18/n4390028.htm
Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Samsung Plans to Settle Chinese Business in RMB

Well-known Chinese news site Sina recently reported that Samsung, the largest Korean corporation, announced its plan to settle its businesses with China in the Chinese currency, RMB. The plan is to settle transactions in RMB in the Seoul Offshore RMB Settlement Market. As of March 12, the average daily inter-bank exchange amount between the Korean and the Chinese currencies in the Seoul Market was around US$1.6 billion. The daily exchange market volume between the Korean currency and the U.S. Dollar is around US$10 billion. Seoul became an official offshore RMB trading center in July of last year. The Chinese Bank of Communications is its RMB clearing bank. Before that, Hong Kong, London, Frankfurt, and Singapore had already been the official RMB trading centers. Following Seoul, Toronto, Bangkok and Sydney also became official offshore centers. 
Source: Sina, March 12, 2015
http://finance.sina.com/bg/wsj-ftchinese/ftchinese/20150312/02251224547.html
Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

BBC Chinese: U.S. Students No Longer Enthusiastic about China

BBC Chinese recently reported that fewer and fewer U.S. students are planning to advance their education in China. According to the University of California’s overseas education program, the number of the students planning to go to China for their studies is less than half of what it was four years ago. Several other similar organizations also see the same trend. Analysts said that one of the major concerns that the U.S. students have is the severe environmental pollution in China. Another key concern is that job opportunities in China are on the decline. More and more international companies are hiring the locals who received their education in the U.S. Many international education organizations have found that most of the students who still visit China have plans for only a short-term stay. Their purpose is largely for tourism instead of serious educational goals. Fewer and fewer U.S. students are interested in learning Chinese. 
Source: BBC Chinese, March 12, 2015
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/world/2015/03/150312_us_china_students
Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

People’s Daily: China Is Building Its Second Aircraft Carrier

People’s Daily recently reported that multiple senior Army generals confirmed a fully China-made aircraft carrier is about to be completed soon. The new aircraft carrier will be much more advanced than the current aircraft carrier named Liaoning, which was only partially made in China. Navy General Ding Haizhong stated that the Chinese Navy will get into exercises with the new ship as soon as it is delivered. The catapult technology used onboard the new carrier is considered very competitive even with the U.S. aircraft carriers. Navy Admiral Liu Xiaojiang said the construction process is very sophisticated, so it may not be delivered in 2015. When asked how many aircraft carriers the Chinese Navy needs, Liu Xiaojiang, expressing his opinion, said, “The more, the better.” Some experts speculated that the total number planned was six carriers. Liu emphasized that staffing the aircraft carriers with enough qualified pilots is very challenging. China is currently far behind in achieving this goal. He expressed the belief that these ships will take at least two to three years before they can sail far into the oceans. 
Source: People’s Daily, March 9, 2015
http://renwu.people.com.cn/n/2015/0309/c357069-26661470.html
Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

Xinhua: Over 90.1 percent of the Cities Failed Air Quality Inspection

According to an article in Xinhua, one year ago at the beginning of 2014, air pollution and the measures to improve air quality were included in close to 90 percent of the government reports at the provincial level. At that time, 15 provinces signed an agreement to fix their air and smog issues. However, according to the article, a year later, in the “2014 National Economic and Social Development Report“ that the Ministry of Statistics published, out of 161 cities that were inspected for air quality, only 9.9 percent passed; 90.1 percent failed; and only a small fraction of the cities submitted explanations. It stated that the reason for the poor results was due to ownership at the local level and a lack of attention to this issue.

Source: Xinhua, March 15, 2015
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2015-03/15/c_1114644672.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Xinhua: Hong Kong is Expected to Solve its Own Problems and Reduce Internal Conflicts

Xinhua recently reported that, during the recent Liang Hui or National People’s Congress and People’s Political Consultative Conference the topics surrounding Hong Kong seemed to be a main focus. According to the article, Hong Kong is expected to solve its own problems and reduce internal conflicts while focusing its attention on economic development. "It should also properly handle its relationship with the central administration and the nation" the article stated. According to the article, there was also some discussion among the representatives from Hong Kong on improving Hong Kong teenagers’ understanding of domestic affairs, the basic law, and the "one country, two systems" policy and on properly handling the conflicts between residents from the mainland and Hong Kong.

Source: Xinhua, March 15, 2015
http://news.xinhuanet.com/gangao/2015-03/15/c_127582022.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

2014 Consumer Electronics Industry Customer Service Blue Book Published

Xinhua reported that on, March 12, the China Electronics Chamber of Commerce, the China Consumer Journal, Xinhua, and Horizon Research Consultancy Group jointly published the 2014 Consumer Electronics Industry Customer Service Blue Book. The blue book collected consumer feedback on five major core electronic products, which include cell phones, computers, television sets, refrigerators, and air conditioners. The article said that this is the first report of its kind in China that focuses on consumers’ feedback on customer service. According to the results, the overall customer satisfaction score was only 68.1. The cell phone industry scored the lowest at 64.8.  The area receiving the most complaints was repair services. Major consumer concerns included the manufacturers not accepting responsibility, delays in providing service, or inability to fulfill commitments.

Source: Xinhua, March 12, 2015
http://forum.home.news.cn/detail/136043202/1.html

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Study Times: US Asia-Pacific Rebalancing Strategy and Its Challenge to China

Study Times, a major journal that examines CCP policy, published an article analyzing the policy the U.S. applies in its Asia-Pacific rebalancing strategy. The article was republished in other major state-run media such as Qiushi and People’s Daily. 

The article stated, “Since coming to power in 2009, the Obama administration has tried to apply new thinking and adjustments to the reality that the United States faces in considering its international status and global strategy. Regarding its China policy, the Obama administration changed from the ‘strategic reassurance’ used in 2009 to the ‘hedge on both sides’ used after 2010. He has paid more attention to containing China. The implementation of this policy shift serves to strengthen operations in the Asia Pacific region and actively promote the so-called ‘Asia-Pacific rebalancing’ strategy. In the current situation, the two parties in the United States differ in their policies on many domestic and international issues but seem to share a consensus on promoting the Asia-Pacific rebalancing strategy.” 
The article expressed the belief that, because many circumstances influence this strategy, its outlook is uncertain. These circumstances include the following: 1) the financial situation of the U.S.; 2) the security situation in other regions in the world; 3) the attitude of Asian countries; and 4) the level of China’s development. Among these factors, China’s development status and its diplomatic abilities should be the major ones affecting the "Asia-Pacific rebalancing" strategy. China should have sufficient understanding and confidence. 
The article stated that the U.S. Asia-Pacific strategy adjustments to China place significant external pressure on China, embodied in the following factors. 1) The U.S. Military pressure on China has increased. 2) China’s surrounding environment has becomes more complicated. 3) China’s influence in the Asia-Pacific region faces challenges. 4) China will face more severe challenges in ideology [the infiltration of Western values].　

Source: Study Times, February 9, 2015 
http://www.qstheory.cn/international/2015-02/09/c_1114300613.htm http://www.studytimes.cn/shtml/xxsb/20150209/9313.shtml

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations