People’s Daily recently reported that the popular U.S. SAT exam is planning reforms for 2016. The SAT announced that the upcoming new exams will include materials from the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and the United States Constitution. Chinese media have accused the exam of having the potential to brainwash the Chinese students who plan to study higher education in the United States. They worry that the kids will be faced directly with the American definition of such concepts as human rights. Some well-known Chinese social leaders have expressed the concern that the United States will “forcefully plant” the seeds of U.S. values in Chinese students taking the SAT exams. However some experts suggested that the U.S. schools use the SAT exams primary for U.S. students. It is understandable that they try to ensure a certain level of awareness of their own values. According to Xinhua, currently there are around 50,000 Chinese students taking the SAT exam every year.

[Editor’s note: According to the College Board, the current policy of China’s Ministry of Education prohibits the administration of foreign admission tests (such as the SAT and ACT) to mainland Chinese national students within mainland China. Chinese national students interested in taking the SAT are welcome to take it in SAT testing centers in Hong Kong, Macao or any other country such as Taiwan or Korea, among others. A Hong Kong testing center reported that, of 50,000 who took the test last year, 90 percent were from the mainland.]

Sources: People’s Daily, August 29, 2014

http://world.people.com.cn/n/2014/0829/c1002-25563054.html

Shen thought that this would be a more practical way to distinguish between enemies and friends in international relations. Using the United States as an example, where should it be classified among friends, allies, and foes? Based on China’s most important core interests of "national sovereignty, national security, territorial integrity, and national unity, because the United States insists on arms sales to Taiwan and uses the threat of force to interfere in China’s internal affairs, it is very clear that America is in the enemy position." However, based on China’s core interests of "sustainable social economic development," due to the economic cooperation of the United States with China in the past 30 years, it should be in the "friend" category. Even though its performance cannot be classified in the "ally" category, at least it is not in the "enemy" category. Japan’s relationship with China is mostly in a similar situation to that of the U.S. 

Chinese Navy military expert Cao Weidong said, during an interview with CCTV, that the purpose of the United States’ frequent surveillance of China is to gather Chinese military intelligence. The U.S. is deliberately hyping the Sino-U.S. military confrontation in order to increase its bargaining chip in the forthcoming Sino-U.S. Military Maritime Consultation. 

Military expert Wang Ming proposed that China should take both offensive and defensive measures to cope with the U.S. military aircraft reconnaissance. First, from the "defensive" perspective, the U.S. reconnaissance is of a strategic reconnaissance nature. It is intended to study China’s air defense system deployment, electronic spectral information, and so on. China must strengthen electronic protection and operational secrecy; it must be strict in separating its wartime military equipment from the peacetime equipment used in training; it must hide its wartime equipment and its enhanced defensive controls. Second from the "offensive" perspective, when the Americans carry out reconnaissance, we should try to extend our defensive area forward, expand the scope of control, and be more active. We should prevent foreign military aircraft from getting close to their intended target area. "This time, the J-11’s active verification of the United States patrol plane was a form of offensive counter-surveillance."