Chinascope – Page 710

Qiushi: The Contribution of China’s Path to World History

Qiushi published an article on the contribution of China’s path to world history.

“While the modern Western path is difficult to copy, to blaze our own path successfully is easier said than done. China, while achieving rapid economic growth, has also made commendable achievements towards fairness, democracy, order, and self-rule. Why? Our experience is that, no matter how market oriented our economy may be, how democratic our political system should be, and how pluralistic our culture should become, the authority of the central committee of the Party is indispensable. The central committee of the Party must have authority. It is both an important feature of the Chinese path and also the political principle and the fundamental experience that we have always followed.”

The article further stated that the Communist Party’s policy of befriending China’s neighbors is part of the Chinese spirit.

Source: Qiushi, January 19, 2015

http://www.qstheory.cn/zhuanqu/zywz/2015-01/19/c_1114037918.htm

Briefings | | January 22, 2015 | Government/Politics

The Unspoken Rules for Buying and Selling Official Military Positions in China

On January 17, 2015, udn.com published an article on corruption in China’s People’s Liberation Army. On January 15, 2015, a "Deep Throat" or secret informant in the PLA exposed that, when Xu Caihou and Guo Boxiong served as vice chairmen of the Central Military Commission, buying and selling official positions in the military had been unspoken rules across the whole PLA. A commander level position sold for US$1.6 million and a division level position sold for US$160,000. All other army positions were for sale and had specific price tags. The whole army was demoralized. Everyone was busy engaging in relationships and giving out gifts or money to their superiors. According to an open letter to Xi Jinping, the Chairman of the Central Military, "Democratic Evaluation" really referred to the unspoken rules of bribes and bribery implemented in the army.

Source: udn.com, January 17, 2015
http://udn.com/news/story/7331/647629

Briefings | | January 21, 2015 | Defense/Military

He Qinglian: Jiang Zemin and Zeng Qinghong Will Be the Next Top Officials to Be Arrested

On January 17, 2014, Voice of America published an article written by He Qinglian, the Chinese author and economist now living in the United States, titled, “Who is the ‘Iron Hat King’ Mentioned in People’s Daily?” The question was based on a statement in a People’s Daily’s commentary that “There is no ‘Iron Hat King’ in terms of corruption; there is no top official who cannot be taken down in the anti-corruption movement.” “Iron Hat King,” a title borrowed from the nobility system in the Qing Dynasty, was a royal king rank that the emperor granted for a deed of great merit. An Iron Hat King’s descendants would always enjoy the royal king title, generation after generation.

He Qinglian indicated in her article that the next high ranking Chinese Communist Party officials to be arrested in the name of anti-corruption would be Jiang Zemin, the General Secretary of the Communist Party from 1989 to 2002, and Zeng Qinghong, Jiang’s close ally and formerly powerful backroom operator.

Source: Voice of America, January 17, 2015 and People’s Daily, January 15, 2015
http://www.voachinese.com/content/he-qing-lian-20150115/2602015.html
http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/html/2015-01/15/nw.D110000renmrb_20150115_6-01.htm

Briefings | | January 21, 2015 | Government/Politics

China News: Investments from Key Foreign Investors Dropped Significantly

China News recently reported that the Chinese Ministry of Commerce just released the official 2014 report on foreign investments. A very important pattern showed that major traditional foreign investors, namely Japan, the United States, the European Union and ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which has 10 member countries), demonstrated a significant decline in their investments in China. In terms of year-over-year decline rates, Japan’s was 38.8 percent, the U.S. was 20.6 percent, the EU was 5.3 percent, and ASEAN was 23.8 percent. Also in the same report, the manufacturing industry sector saw a 12.3 percent foreign investment decline. In the meantime, investments from South Korea and Britain had an increase. The Middle Region of China had the highest increase in absorbing investments (7.5 percent).

Source: China News, January 15, 2015

http://finance.chinanews.com/cj/2015/01-15/6973665.shtml

Briefings | | January 20, 2015 | Economy/Resources

BBC Chinese: Foreign Tourists to China Are on the Decline

BBC Chinese recently reported that, according to the 2014 China Tourism Global Public Opinion Research, fewer and fewer foreign tourists are visiting China. The Research report was released at the Annual China Tourism Industry Development Conference held on January 13. China Tourism News and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences jointly conducted the research. The study surveyed 23,000 people in 23 countries that covered 90 percent of the Chinese tourist’ market. The research identified a declining national image as the number one reason to have impacted tourist’s decision making. Based on the survey, the Chinese national image was significantly damaged by heavy pollution, the wide gap between rich and poor, corruption, and poor public safety. The research showed a sharp decline in the number of tourists from nearby countries such as Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia – they all saw a decline of seven percent year-over-year.

Source: BBC Chinese, January 13, 2015

http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/china/2015/01/150113_china_inbound_tourists

Briefings | | January 20, 2015 | Economy/Resources

Swedish University to Close Its Confucius Institute

Well-known Chinese news site Sina recently reported that Stockholm University announced that it will soon close its Confucius Institute. This Confucius Institute was established in 2005 and was the first one to be established in Europe. According to Stockholm University’s website, the Confucius Institute project is “unnecessary.” The University’s Vice Chancellor suggested that it is “problematic” if an organization in a university is funded by a foreign government. A large number of U.S. professors consider that this type of arrangement interferes with academic freedom. Fox News also traced some of the publicly available records that showed the Chinese government paid for numerous travel and lodging expenses for some U.S. university decision makers so as to influence the negotiations. The same evidence was found in the founding of the Confucius Institutes in Northern Europe. Some Chinese experts expressed the opinion that these anti-China opinions are just biased Western views. However the Stockholm University Confucius Institute is the first closure of a Confucius Institute in Europe, which is a warning sign.

Source: Sina, January 12, 2015

http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2015-01-12/052131387284.shtml

Briefings | | January 20, 2015 | Geo-Strategic Trend

Chinese Think Tank Releases Report on the Security of China’s Perimeter

On January 15, 2015, in Beijing, China’s major think tank issued "The (2015) Assessment Report on China Perimeter Security Situation — ‘One Belt and One Road (OBAOR)’ and the Perimeter Security Strategy." ["One Belt and One Road" is the short form for "silk road economic belt" and "the 21th century maritime silk road."] The report said that China’s ability and will to lead and shape its perimeter have significantly increased. China’s grand strategy for its perimeter security will soon be ready— implementing a dual policy (the economic strategy of advancing OBAOR and the security strategy of controlling maritime issues) as China’s core strategy.

The Center for Regional Security Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), the Institute of Asia-Pacific and Global Strategy of CASS, and the Social Sciences Documentation Publishing House jointly issued the report.

The report summarized a number of the characteristics of the significant relations between major powers that, in 2014, affected the security of China’s perimeter. First, the competitive side of Sino-U.S. relations became more prominent. Second, Sino-Japanese relations continued in the "Ice Age." The structural contradictions will be difficult to solve in the short-term. Third, Russia was forced to turn to the Asian Pacific, accelerating its strategic coordination and cooperation with China. Fourth, India implemented the two-track policy of economic cooperation and strategic balance with China. Cooperation between China and India is stable but limited in scope.

The report noted that "One Belt and One Road," as China’s grand foreign strategy, has graduated from the proposal stage to the action stage. The report expressed the belief that 2015 will be critical to the advancement of the "One Belt and One Road" strategy.

In 2015, China’s perimeter security situation is facing at least three major challenges: First is the U.S.-Japan alliance’s strategic squeeze on China’s rise; second is the control of maritime safety and the development of a new maritime order; third is the promotion of the "One Belt and One Road" strategy and dealing with relevant external pressures.

Source: Xinhua, January 15, 2014

http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2015-01/15/c_1114007891.htm

Briefings | | January 16, 2015 | Government/Politics

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.