Qiushi recently republished a Red Flag Manuscript article with the title, “The Dividends of Hegemony: America’s Source for Reaping without Sowing.” Two researchers, Yang Duogui and Zhou Zhitian, from the Science and Technology Policy and Management Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences were the authors.
Qiushi: State Owned Enterprises Should Return More Profits to the State
Qiushi published an article advocating that State-owned enterprises should provide “social dividends” by returning more profits to the State and by increasing the amount of funds used for public benefits.
Eight Diseases in China’s Judicial System
According to Song Hansong, Director of the Office of Crime Prevention, China’s Supreme People’s Procuratorate, there are eight “chronic diseases” in the judicial system in China.
Xinhua: U.S. NSA Installs Spyware on Hard Disks So They Can Eavesdrop on Most Computers Worldwide
Xinhua recently reported, in its International Section’s headline news, that the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) has made a technological breakthrough. It is installing spyware that will be hidden in Western Digital, Seagate, and Toshiba Corp.’s hard disks enabling them to eavesdrop on most computers in the world. The report indicated that multiple Internet researchers and former agents have acknowledged this.
The Need to Accelerate China’s “Innovation-Driven” Transformation
On February 13, Finance (jingrongjie) magazine published an article on the need to accelerate China’s “innovation driven” strategic transformation. The article stated that China’s economic growth can no longer be sustained by going along with the use of cheap labor and the damage to the environment and resources. Only innovation can accelerate the transformation and the upgrading of China’s economy.
The China Press: Financial Corruption May Shatter the Nation’s Foundation
On February 11, 2015, the US China Press (http://www.uschinapress.com/) first published an article titled, “Financial Corruption May Shatter the Nation’s Foundation.” Then on February 13, 2015, China Review News re-published the article on its website. The anti-corruption campaign in the financial sector just started in January of 2015. As of now, three bank presidents and a number of high level bank executives have been put under investigation. Mao Xiaofeng, the president of Minsheng Bank, is under investigation. The CCP Central Commission for Discipline Inspection has set up a new division focusing on investigating financial corruption.
According to the article, the financial sector has become a place for big and small tigers (corrupt officials) and their children and relatives to come together. After the downfall of Zhou Yongkang, Ling Jihua, and some other high-ranking officials, at least 70 listed companies became embroiled in the anti-corruption movement. Companies involved in nonferrous metals, coal, oil, and other resources accounted for about a quarter of these listed companies. The businesses in which these companies are involved are closely connected with high ranking officials. For example, China Minsheng Bank reportedly has a "Wives Club." A number of the wives of high ranking officials regularly get paychecks although they do not work at all. Ampang Insurance, the largest shareholder of Minsheng Bank, has been growing rapidly over the past 10 years. It has assets of more than one trillion yuan (US160 billion) with licenses in insurance, banking, funds, and security firms. Overseas, Ampang has acquired the New York City landmark, the Waldorf Astoria Hotel; Belgium’s Insurance Company, FIDEA; and Delta Lloyd Bank of Belgium. “Ampang’s explosive growth is beyond the scope of conventional economics. Even Warren Buffett who started from investments in insurance has been lagging far behind. Ampang owes the people an explanation. What panacea does it have that can enable it move so easily through the trials in China with such a Midas touch?”
The article concluded, “Financial corruption, which is more covert than industrial corruption, is also more dangerous. It does not bring any material wealth to society, but it can result in huge losses of state assets. It can produce a financial elite class, fragment society’s distribution patterns, cause social instability, and even lead to a financial crisis. This is not alarmist. Such things have happened in Indonesia and other countries.”
Sources: US China Press, February 11, 2015 and China Review News, February 13, 2015 http://opinion.uschinapress.com/2015/0211/1012895.shtml
http://hk.crntt.com/doc/1036/2/1/5/103621531.html?coluid=59&kindid=0&docid=103621531&mdate=0213074500
China’s Food Security Problem
The Sun, a Hong Kong newspaper, published a commentary stating that food security has become a real threat to China. If the Sino-U.S. relationship went south, the U.S. could use the food weapon and "win over China without a war."
"At the recent meeting of the Central Financial and Economic Affairs Leading Group, Xi Jinping put food security in a prominent position. It was prior to energy security, which indicated that China’s food problem is more severe than what the outside world thought."
"The North China Plain is the main production area for wheat, but the production of wheat has been decreasing year by year due to the contamination of underground water. Hunan Province is a main production area for rice, but its rice has become carcinogenic due to heavy metal pollution."
An earlier China Review News article on China’s food problem mentioned four challenges for China’s agriculture industry:
1. High Prices: The prices of major agricultural products in China exceed their international prices.
2. Increasing Costs: The costs of agricultural products keep increasing.
3. "The Yellow Line" for Subsidies: China’s commitment to the WTO means the country can no longer increase its subsidies to the agriculture industry.
4. "Red Light" on the ecological environment: In its agricultural decisions, China has to pay more attention to the ecological environment.
Sources:
1. The Sun Online, February 17, 2015
http://the-sun.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20150217/00674_001.html
2. China Review News, January 27, 2015
http://hk.crntt.com/doc/1035/9/3/0/103593027.html?coluid=151&kindid=11511&docid=103593027&mdate=0127102620
People’s Daily: Expert’s Explanation of “Land-based Aircraft Carrier”
People’s Daily published an article in which military experts explained China’s "land-based aircraft carrier."
A Google satellite picture showed a large land-based construction in the shape of an aircraft carrier and other construction in the shape of a warship in a location in central China. The "land-based aircraft carrier" is about 300 meters long and 80 meters wide. A plane that looks like a J-15 fighter aircraft was also visible on the carrier’s deck. The warship next to it is thought to be the upper decks of China’s 055 Destroyer.
In an interview with the CCTV, military expert Li Li stated that this "land-based aircraft carrier" should be China’s land-based aircraft carrier training center. With the model of large warships next to it, it indicated that China’s training also includes system integration with multiple ships.
Li Li also said that China’s aircraft carrier may use both the catapult style and sky-jump style for planes to take off.
Source: People’s Daily Online, January 23, 2015
http://military.people.com.cn/n/2015/0123/c1011-26439359.html