Chinascope – Page 729

Venezuela Will Breach Its Agreement with China

Well-known Chinese news site Netease recently reported that Venezuela, a long-term Chinese friend, seems to be planning to breach its oil supply contracts with China. Venezuela has been breaching its supply contracts with many oil service providers. China has been providing loans to Venezuela for a long time. Since 2006, the total amount has reached US$50 billion, which is half of China’s loans to Latin America. Currently Venezuela is exporting 330,000 barrels to China every day. However national newspapers in Venezuela have reported that the country doesn’t need to continue those exports any more. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce later confirmed the claim and added that the decision was made based on a request from Venezuela. The loans were apparently extended, but there has been no clear indication of what the new arrangement is. Venezuela is currently going through a major challenge in the lack of foreign exchange reserves. The situation is causing difficulties even in toilet paper supplies. The money saved by not paying back loans will help ease the painful need for cash.

Source: Netease, October 24, 2014

http://money.163.com/api/14/1024/08/A9AD8R8000254TFQ.html?frp091

Briefings | | October 28, 2014 | Geo-Strategic Trend

Central Network Information Office to Implement Legal Measures on Internet Management

Xinhua reported that, in order to follow up on a proposal at the Party’s fourth Plenary Session of the 18th Party Congress to “advance the rule of law,” the Central Network Information Office held a meeting on October 26. The meeting participants studied the key messages from the fourth Plenary Session and discussed the opportunities to further implement legal measures on Internet management. According to the Central Network Information Office, the information offices at the local levels often face obstacles due to an absence of laws on Internet management.

Source: Xinhua, October 26, 2014
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2014-10/26/c_1112981005.htm

Briefings | | October 27, 2014 | Government/Politics

Wang Qishan Issued Warning to Party Officials on Self Discipline

Wang Qishan, Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, spoke at the 4th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection which was held in Beijing on October 25. Wang pointed out that some party officials do not study and understand the law. Wang said, “They neglect the law and are shameless and fearless.” Wang stressed that, the higher the rank the party officials have, the more authoritative power they have. Therefore they should be more fearful and focus on self-discipline. On October 26, Xinhua published a commentary in which it further endorsed Wang’s talk. It then reiterated that “the way the Party is managed and developed matters not just to Party’s legality and survival, but to the fate of the country and its people as well.”

Source: People’s Daily, October 25, 2014
http://politics.people.com.cn/n/2014/1025/c70731-25907325.html
http://politics.people.com.cn/n/2014/1026/c1001-25908590.html

Briefings | | October 27, 2014 | Government/Politics

Serious Air Pollution Affects 560,000 Square Kilometers in October

According to the Ministry of Environmental Protection, from October 1 to 24, there were 94 days of severe pollution and 27 days of serious pollution reported in 74 cities. Among those, the largest pollution spanned over 560,000 square kilometers (216,217 square miles). Regions in Beijing, Tianjin, Shandong Province and the Northeastern region were the most heavily polluted areas. For the same period in 2013, severe pollution days were 96 and serious pollution days were 33. However, in Beijing, Tianjin, Shandong Province and the nearby region, even though the number of severe pollution days went down from 24 to 21 days, the serious pollution days went up from 49 days in 2013 to 70 days in 2014.

Source: Xinhua, October 26, 2014
http://news.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2014-10/26/c_127141232.htm

Briefings | | October 27, 2014 | Information/Technology

Why the Hong Kong Election Rules That China’s Legislature Established Are Fake Universal Suffrage

[Editor’s Note: On August 31, 2014, China’s legislature ruled out open nominations for the election for Hong Kong’s top leader. The standing committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) ruled in Beijing that all candidates for Chief Executive in Hong Kong must receive more than half of the votes from a special nominating committee. Beijing called this plan “universal suffrage” because everyone who does vote has the opportunity to choose the nominating committee’s candidates. However, the 1,200 members on the nominating committee are considered to have close ties with Beijing or were vetted by Beijing. Diane Liu, an independent Chinese writer, explained in an article why China’s election rule is really fake universal suffrage. The following is the translation.] [1]

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Reports | | October 24, 2014 | Report

Xinhua: How Many More Dirty Tricks Does the U.S. Have to Manipulate International Public Opinion?

After the former editor of the German "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung," Ulf Cote, was interviewed on Russia Today, China’s state media Xinhua published a commentary to further “disclose” how the U.S. controls public opinion using “dirty tricks.” The article quoted Ulf Cote’s statement in the interview that, in the past, the CIA had actually published many articles under his name, although the CIA and other intelligence agencies in the U.S. had actually written them. Their purpose was to guide international public opinion to support the United States.”

The article commented, “If Snowden had blown the whistle on the ‘prism gate’ scandal involving information gathering and monitoring of the United States, then Ulf Cote had disclosed the ‘black hand’ of the U.S. behind the manipulation of international public opinion.”

The article further said, “The United States has powerful economic and technological strength, and has established a media ‘empire’ on the basis of such power, extending its reach to every corner of the world. With all this power, the U.S. government has built up strong discourse rights to control the international voice. What’s more, the United States has also developed a detailed strategy for external communication and a complex propaganda system. The government and NGOs work co-operatively, using both public and secret operations, for the purpose of shaping international public opinion in order to serve U.S. strategic interests.”

“From the various practices that the United States uses to ‘guide’ international public opinion, we can see that the United States would like to show the world that its foreign policies and actions are politically ‘correct,’ morally ‘noble,’ legally ‘defensible,’ and of the ‘mainstream’ in public opinion. To this end, the United States not only makes full use of various ‘open tricks,’ but also uses a variety of ‘dirty tricks.’ What Ulf Cote has disclosed about how the United States manipulates international opinion is probably only the ‘tip of the iceberg.’”

Source: Xinhua, October 21, 2014

http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2014-10/21/c_127122056.htm

Briefings | | October 24, 2014 | US-China Relations

SAFE Acknowledges China Currently Has Capital Outflows

On October 23, 2014, Guan Tao, head of the department of international payments at the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, said at a press conference that China currently has capital outflows but it is considered a risk or a problem.

According to Guan, for the second quarter, although the trade surplus expanded, posting a current account surplus, China recorded a net outflow of $16.2 billion under its capital account, a reduction from a net inflow of $94 billion in the first quarter. The growth of the foreign reserve for international payments declined from over $100 billion to $20 billion, an 82 percent reduction from the first quarter. Preliminary estimates show that the pattern continued in the third quarter.

Guan stated that it is possible that capital flows may be more volatile due to the uncertainties of the complex domestic and international environment.

Source: China News Service reprinted by People’s Daily, October 23, 2014 http://politics.people.com.cn/n/2014/1023/c70731-25894310.html

Briefings | | October 24, 2014 | Economy/Resources

The Rule of Law with Chinese Characteristics

Upon its close on October 23, 2014, the Fourth Plenary Session of the 18th Communist Party Congress issued a communique on the subject of the rule of law.

The communique stated that the Party “must comprehensively advance the rule of law" in China. The overall goal is “to build a socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics and a socialist country under the rule of law.”

“The party’s leadership is consistent with the socialist rule of law. The socialist rule of law must uphold the Party’s leadership and the Party’s leadership must rely on the socialist rule of law.”

The communique emphasized that the Party’s leadership is the most essential feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the most fundamental guarantee of the socialist rule of law.

Source: Xinhua, October 23, 2014

http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2014-10/23/c_1112953884.htm

Briefings | | October 24, 2014 | 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.