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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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Huanqiu: China Does Not Need to Send Troops to Fight against ISIS

On September 17, 2014, Huanqiu (the Chinese edition of Global Times) published an article titled, “It Was the U.S. That Caused the ISIS Trouble; China Does Not Need to Worry about the Problems of the United States.” The article asserted that the calls from the U.S. to attack ISIS were for its own self-interest. China should be very cautious about whether to send troops to participate in the fight against ISIS, even though China has huge interests in Iraq. The article said that, “From a moral point of view, the legitimacy of the US-led counter-terrorism operations is still insufficient.” 

The Obama administration made it clear that the U.S. would not cooperate with Syria and Iraq where ISIS has been engaging in its major cross-border activities. “As the United States has not given up its idea to overthrow the Bashar al-Assad government, the U.S. will increase its military crackdown in Iraq and eventually drive ISIS into Syria’s territory.” The article contended that the scene of ISIS and the Syrian government’s army fighting each other is what the United States wants see. It concluded that, “Since the legitimacy of the anti-terrorist operations does not bear scrutiny, China does not need to intervene in these dubious military operations.” 

Source: Huanqiu, September 17, 2014
http://mil.huanqiu.com/observation/2014-09/5140363.html

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Xi Jinping and Shanghai Officials Fight over Ancient Chinese Poems

On Chinese media, Xi Jinping and Shanghai officials had an open fight on the issue of whether to include Ancient Chinese poems in elementary school textbooks. People’s Daily, Xinhua, and Jiefang Daily were all involved.

On September 9, People’s Daily published a commentary by an author whose name was "Commentator of the Party’s Newspaper," stating that Xi made a statement that "he is very much against removing classic ancient poems and articles from students’ textbooks." "To see this form of ‘de-Sinicization’ (removing Chinese factors and culture) is very sad. We should put these classics into student’s heads to form the genes of Chinese culture." The commentary further pointed out that Xi’s criticism was targeting Shanghai, which recently conducted text book reform and removed all ancient poems from the elementary school’s first grade textbooks.

The Beijing local government responded that they will increase the number of ancient poems in the first grade textbooks from 8 to 22 and that, during the years of elementary school, students will learn over 100 ancient poems.

However, Jiefang Daily, the Shanghai government’s official media, provided a different response on an official microblog: "What benefit does it bring to tradition to add a dozen poems over a night? Anyone who understands a little bit of ‘tradition’ knows what ‘揠苗助长’ (trying to help shoots grow by pulling them up – also spoils things by pushing) means and also what ‘过犹不及’ (going too far is as bad as not going far enough) means. Tradition does not need a coarse tribute, nor can education ignore the natural law. Progress gradually; be gentle and honest. If you have extra energy then start to learn more literature and don’t forget: this is the tradition." The blog stayed on the site for a day before it was removed.

Xi fought back from the sky. According to Xinhua, on his trip to Tajikistan on September 11, Xi spoke from his plane while flying at 10,000-meters high, "Classic ancient poems and articles are part of the Chinese nation’s blood and our genes. … Chinese classes [in school] should teach classic ancient poems and pass on the Chinese tradition."

On September 14, Xinhua reported that during Xi Jinping’s visit to the Maldives, Xi published an article in his name in the local newspaper, Today’s Evening, and on the website for Sun Online. The article, titled "True Friend, Partner in Development" quoted two Chinese ancient poems.

[Editor’s note: As Xi and Wang Qishan have continued their anti-corruption campaign, a Central Commission for Discipline Inspection team has been sent to Shanghai to gather public reports on Shanghai official’s corruption cases. The team has been stationed in Shanghai for about two months.]

Sources:
[1] People’s Daily Online BBS, September 10, 2014
http://bbs1.people.com.cn/post/2/0/0/141813132.html
[2] DWNews Online, September 11, 2014
http://blog.dwnews.com/post-805684.html
[3] Xinhua, September 11, 2014
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2014-09/11/c_1112446258.htm
[4] Xinhua, September 14, 2014
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2014-09/14/c_1112472554.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Xinhua: Chinese Military Needs to Improve Its World War III Readiness

Xinhua recently published an article discussing the possibility of World War III. The article started with an analysis of the Ukraine situation. The author expressed the belief that a large scale war may spread much wider if the United States engages in military conflict with Russia. He also thought that World War III is a practical possibility and China should aim its military development towards the background of global stability. For the purpose of strategic planning, China should focus more on naval warfare capabilities, more on being prepared to deal with a war on a global basis, more on defending those international interests that the United States threatens, and more on remote military deployment capabilities, especially on the Air Force side. 
Source: Xinhua, September 13, 2014
http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2014-09/13/c_126981950.htm
Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

BBC Chinese: Survey Showed 93 Percent of Japanese Have Negative Views of China

BBC Chinese recently reported that Genron NPO, a well-known Japanese non-profit think tank, just released the results of its public opinion poll on the Japan-China relationship. The organization started this annual poll in 2005. The current survey was done jointly with China Daily, a Chinese state-owned newspaper published mainly in foreign languages. Among the Japanese surveyed, 93 percent had negative views of China. Among the Chinese people surveyed, 86.8 percent had negative views about Japan. The Japanese negative views were based primarily on China’s violation of international rules, its selfishness in sharing natural resources, its territorial disputes, and on China’s constant criticism of Japan’s war history. After the number one threat, North Korea, 64 percent of the Japanese thought of China as a military threat. For the Chinese in the survey sample, 55 percent expressed the belief that Japan is a military threat, the number one threat being the United States.
 
Source: BBC Chinese, September 9, 2014
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/world/2014/09/140909_japan_poll_china.shtml
Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

EU Chamber of Commerce: Golden Age of Doing Business with China is Ending

Well-known Chinese news site Sina recently reported that the European Union’s Chamber of Commerce just released its annual report on the state of the EU-China business relationship. In its report, the Chamber questioned how trustworthy China will be in keeping its promise to let the market play a decisive role in the economy. The report warned that the Communist country must speed up on the delivery of its promise of reform or the world’s second largest economy will see a landslide in its growth rate. The Chamber suggested that “the golden age of doing business with China is about to end.” The report expressed the belief that the window of opportunity for rebalancing the Chinese economy is closing. In the meantime, the Chamber had doubts about whether, during the process, foreign companies will be treated fairly or not. It also expressed concern about the role that state-owned companies will play. The Chamber’s report from last year already showed that only 44 percent of the EU companies saw a growth in their profits in China. 
Source: Sina, September 10, 2014
http://finance.sina.com.cn/china/20140910/145320255115.shtml
Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Xinhua Commentary: China’s Social Mentality Crisis Is Getting Worse

Xinhua published a commentary expressing concern about an increase in the level of "negative social mentality" among the Chinese people. The commentary stated that the Chinese have become a group of people who seek material gain without any spiritual pursuit. It observed that, if the Chinese people do not pay attention to spiritual transformation, the ongoing social changes and the transformation going on in China will only contribute to GDP growth with no values added to mankind’s spiritual enrichment. The article listed the negative mentalities that Chinese people have. These include being impulsive and loud, deceiving others, speculating, showing off their wealth, feigning poverty, committing violent acts, and being apathetic.

[Editor’s note: In 2012, Chinascope published its series, Moral Crisis in China. See Part I; Part II; and Part III for a more complete description of this crisis.]  

Source: Xinhua, September 14, 2014
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2014-09/14/c_1112473487.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Notice from Ministry of Organization Causes Wave of Withdrawals from EMBA Programs

Xinhua carried an article that Beijing Times had originally published on the wave of Party cadres who have withdrawn from enrollment in executive MBA programs. This phenomenon was due to the fact that, on July 31, the Ministry of Organization issued a notice that prevents Party cadres from participating in high cost training programs, including the EMBA (Executive MBA), without the approval of the human resources department. The notice also required that the participants should be responsible for all training expenses themselves and can’t accept any form of scholarship from any organization. According to the article, the tuition expense for EMBA programs varies. Some can cost as much as US$100,000 a year. Previously, not only could the cadres enrolled in the program have the government cover their expenses; they could also take the opportunity to promote themselves and build their personal network with other participants. The article said that the notice is part of a series of anti-corruption measures that have recently been introduced.

Source: Xinhua, September 15, 2014
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2014-09/15/c_126984460.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

International Communication Work Needs to Spread China’s Voice and Create a Good Image

According to Xinhua, on September 14, Liu Qibao, head of the Publicity Department, formally known as the Propaganda Department, attended and spoke at a national conference on international communication work. Liu pointed out that the international communication work conveys China’s “global strategic” mission. The key points of Liu’s talk included the following guidelines. The international communication work should follow Xi Jinping’s directions. It should “create a good image of the country and safeguard the fundamental interests of the country, spread Chinese culture, serve the Party and the country’s international strategy, present good information about China and spread China’s voice, provide a good interpretation of Chinese characteristics, and create an international public opinion environment that is favorable to China.”

Source: Xinhua, September 14, 2014
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2014-09/14/c_1112473487.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics