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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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Guangming Daily: The Party’s “Mass line” Campaign Should Focus on the Countryside

Guangming Daily carried an article on the on-going Party’s "mass line" campaign, stating that the countryside should be the main focus of the activity. The article said that the Party cadres in the countryside should work on three key components. They should close the gap between themselves and the people, build interpersonal relations with the people, and improve their self-discipline. The article also required that the Party cadres in the countryside should practice how to work with the mass public in the countryside and handle conflicts and pressure to ensure social stability.

According to English CCTV, China’s leaders launched the "mass line" initiative in June 2013 in order to boost ties between CCP officials, Party members, and the people. At the same time they were to clean up four undesirable work styles – formalism, bureaucracy, hedonism, and extravagance.

Source: Guangming Daily, September 30, 2014
http://dangjian.gmw.cn/2014-09/30/content_13405897.htm
English CCTV
http://english.cntv.cn/special/cpcmassline/homepage/index.shtml

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Zhang Zhaozhong: To Suppress China, America Nominates Japanese Descendant as Pacific Commander

CCTV recently interviewed Chinese military expert, Zhang Zhaozhong. During the interview, Zhang commented on the U.S. nomination of "Japanese" Admiral Harris as the next commander of the Pacific Command. Zhang expressed the belief that the U.S. had suppressing China in mind when nominating Harris. 

Zhang Zhaozhong stated that China is the only country that is able to challenge the United States, but the two countries are more than 10,000 kilometers apart. If the United States wants to intervene in East Asia, it must rely on the first island chain and rely on its "little partner" on the front line. The United States hopes to "kill [others] with a borrowed knife" and achieve its goal to suppressing [China] through Japan and other countries using the Diaoyu Islands and other issues.
Zhang added, "Harris will not necessarily favor the Japanese because of their Japanese identity, but [we should] understand the intention of the United States’ move. Harris has a Japanese background. He is also an expert in East Asian issues. The United States certainly had the thought of using him to suppress China." 

[Editor’s note: Admiral Harris was born in Japan and raised in Tennessee and Florida.]
Source: People’s Daily, September 29, 2014 
http://military.people.com.cn/n/2014/0928/c1011-25753922.html

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

People’s Daily: China’s Energy Consumption Remains High

On October 2, 2014, People’s Daily reported that China continues to consume the largest amount of the world’s energy. 

In the past 10 years, the consumption has surged rapidly. In 2010, China became the No. 1 consumer of energy in the world. The consumption increased from 1.5 billion metric tons in 2001 to 3.7 billion metric tons in 2013. The annual increase has averaged 190 million metric tons or an eight percent growth rate. 
China’s share of total global energy consumption went up from less than 11 percent early the 2000s to 22 percent today. From 2002 to 2012, China’s energy consumption increase accounted for 58 percent of the entire world growth of energy consumption. 
China’s energy supplies mainly rely on domestic coal and imported oil. Domestic coal dominates the energy structure, causing severe environment pollution. 
Source: People’s Daily, October 2, 2014
http://politics.people.com.cn/n/2014/1002/c1001-25772362.html
Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

People’s Daily: China Will Not Change Its Policy towards Hong Kong

On October 2, People’s Daily published an editorial on its front page stating that the Communist Party has not and will not change its basic policy towards Hong Kong. 

According to the editorial, “The August 31 decision that the Standing Committee of the People’s Congress made has unchallengeable legal status. Anyone who respects the ‘one country, two systems’ framework and the Basic Law, should respect and abide by this decision.” 
“The activities of ’Occupy Central’ are in flagrant breach of the law. They have caused serious traffic congestion and are disturbing the social order, placing minority political aspirations above the law.”
“The central government fully trusts Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying and is very satisfied with his work. The central government will continue its firm support for the SAR Government of Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying to govern Hong Kong in accordance with law, and give its strong support to the SAR police to deal with illegal activities in accordance with law.” 
 Source: People’s Daily, October 2, 2014 
http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/html/2014-10/02/nw.D110000renmrb_20141002_5-01.htm
Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

People’s Daily (Oversea Edition): Asking the U.S. for Help When in Trouble Involves a Misconception

People’s Daily (Oversea edition) published an article commenting on the remarks that U.S. President Obama made when the CBS program, "60 Minutes," interviewed him on September 28. Obama stated that the United States is an indispensable nation and that people will ask the U.S., not Beijing and not Russia, for help when they are in trouble. 

The article said, "President Obama’s remarks give people the following impression. There are too many troubles in the world. If we have trouble, our first thought is to make a phone call to the U.S. for help. Only the United States has the ability to help us deal with the trouble." 
"The world indeed has a lot of trouble. However, we have to ask, ‘Where did these troubles come from?’ Obama is unwilling to admit that the United States itself created a lot of the trouble in the world." 
"In this world, some countries have indeed asked the U.S. for help. However, many times, there is really nothing good that can be said about the United States ‘help.’ The Iraqi government invited the United States to help fight the ‘Islamic State.’ The Afghan government wants the United States to help deal with the Taliban. If we just take a look at the past and the present situation of these anti-government forces and their relationship with the U.S.’ intervention in the state affairs in these countries, we will see the obvious track record of how the U.S. makes trouble first and then helps clean up the trouble." 
"Therefore, very often, the situation is not ‘getting help from the U.S. when having trouble.’ It is the United States that has created the trouble."　　 

Source: People’s Daily, October 1, 2014 
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2014-10/01/c_127057186.htm

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Xinhua: Hong Kong Students Are Pawns of Western Anti-China Forces

On October 1, 2014, Xinhua reprinted an editorial that China News Service had originally published on the student protests about universal suffrage in Hong Kong. The article stated that some extremists and anti-China forces are damaging Hong Kong. “In the name of true universal suffrage, they attempt to deceive the public. Through the illegal ‘Occupy Central,’ they attempt to paralyze Hong Kong’s business districts in order to blackmail China’s central government and the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.” “If they really want to express their requests, they should be peaceful, rational, and lawful. They should not be so blatant in undermining the rule of law, stability, and order.” 

The editorial stated that the student protesters who favor universal suffrage are not patriotic and do not care about Hong Kong. Instead, "they are extremists in Hong Kong. They act as a pawn of the Western anti-China forces." According to the editorial, the most basic and most direct interest of the Hong Kong people is the traffic jams and the disorders that the student protesters cause. The goal of extremists and the forces behind them is to damage Hong Kong. 
Source: China News Service reprinted by Xinhua, October 1, 2014 
http://news.xinhuanet.com/gangao/2014-10/01/c_1112701710.htm
Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

BBC Chinese: Teachers and Unions Join Hong Kong Protesters

On September 28, 2014, Hong Kong police used tear gas against the peaceful pro-democracy protestors, the students who have boycotted classes, and the “Occupy Central” group. The Chinese government’s withdrawal of its previous promise for a true free election in Hong Kong by 2017 is what sparked the Occupy Central movement. The police forces’ use of tear gas did not scare the protestors away. The Hong Kong Federation of Students then delivered an ultimatum to the Hong Kong SAR government. If the Hong Kong SAR government did not respond to their requests before midnight, they would call for more protests, including a continuous boycott of classes, a general strike, and the closing of shops until there is a “people’s victory.”

The Hong Kong Professional Teachers’ Union (HKPTU), the city’s largest teachers’ union, declared a strike in response the police use of force in its crackdown on student demonstrators on Sunday. The Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU) also called for a strike to protest the ruthless actions taken against unarmed peaceful protestors. The Chinese government’s Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong S.A.R. published a statement, accusing the “Occupy Central” gathering of being “illegal.” It supported the “legal actions” of the police against the protestors. A spokesman from China’s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the state Council responded that “the central government firmly opposes any illegal actions to damage the rule of law and society’s peace.”

Source: BBC Chinese, September 28, 2014
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/china/2014/09/140928_hk_protestor_strike

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

People’s Daily: China’s People’s Congress System Is Superior

In order to fend off any requests for more democracy, China has kept promoting its own political system. People’s Daily published an article stating that China’s People’s Congress system is better than Western parliamentary democracy. The article gave the following reasons:

First, the "people’s democratic dictatorship" is what determines the nature of China’s People’s Congress system, while the purpose of the western political system is to serve the "bourgeoisie dictatorship." Second, China’s system is a democracy based on “the rights belonging to the people,” while the western system is a democracy based on "the rights belonging to capital." Third, China’s People’s Congress is the organ with the highest power of the state, but the Western system has a "separation of powers." China’s system guarantees the public has the top power, where the Western system is balanced. Fourth, China’s system is one legislative body following the "democratic centralism" principle. The Western system is a multi-party or bicameral system. China’s system ensures the efficiency of carrying out a substanial initiative quickly.

The article further rebutted the suggestion to adopt a Western style of democracy. It stated that the [Western] "one person one vote" election system would quickly lead China into turmoil or even civil war. "[If] it gave up the political path that has the People’s Congress system as the foundation of its political system, [China] would for sure fall into social turmoil, the country would be split, the result would be people’s deaths, and government policies would end."

Source: People’s Daily Online, September 30, 2014
http://theory.people.com.cn/n/2014/0930/c40531-25764547.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics