Chinascope – Page 743

Yellow Book: India and Pakistan Top Picks for the Expansion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization

On September 5, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences issued the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Yellow Book (2014), a book which analyses the current international and regional situations that the SCO faces. The Yellow Book pointed out that, when various conditions are close to mature, China can consider discussing the expansion of the SCO with Member States and that a consensus with the member states is still needed for a number of important issues.

"First, the SCO’s legal basis should be reinforced. The rules of the game should be designed without compromising the fundamental interests of member states. The more member states, the more difficult it will be to achieve a consensus and change the rules of the game. The SCO should perfect its legal system as soon as possible so as to lay a solid legal foundation for the organization’s sustainable development."

"Second, the number of members should be expanded in stages, with a good grasp of the conditions and timing. As mentioned earlier, as the conditions mature for India and Pakistan to become SCO member states, they should be the first choices for SCO expansion. In the past, the SCO did not consider Iran. It was correct from a strategic perspective, but the SCO should maintain close cooperation with Iran, push Iran out of its ‘nuclear trap,’ and create conditions for its formal participation in the SCO."

"The SCO can also consider expanding its members to include the level of observer members, with Turkey as a candidate to be an observer member state. Turkey is a NATO member, but not an EU member. Culturally it is different from the West and is in an embarrassing situation because the West does not fully recognize it. Although it is a country with Muslims as the majority, Turkey is a secular state. Despite Turkey’s close ties with the West, It has shown quite good independence, aggressiveness, and flexibility in diplomatic affairs. Geographically, Turkey is in both Europe and Asia. It is an important gateway for China to reach Europe through Central Asia and West Asia. To include Turkey as an observer member (when conditions are mature, the SCO can absorb it as a full member) is conducive to regional stability and economic development."

"Through SCO negotiations, countries that are willing to join the SCO should accept SCO Charters and all of its founding legal documents and accept the ‘Shanghai Spirit’ advocated by the SCO. This helps the SCO maintain consistent positions on major international issues and improve operational efficiency.

The Yellow Book believes that, after gradually expanding member states, the SCO will gradually become an important platform for China to engage in regional security and economic cooperation and multi-cultural exchanges with relevant countries. The "Silk Road economic zone," stability and development in Afghanistan, energy and financial cooperation, the strike on "three forces" and other major issues will become the focus of SCO.

Source: People’s Daily, September 5, 2014

http://world.people.com.cn/n/2014/0905/c1002-25611065.html

Briefings | | September 5, 2014 | Geo-Strategic Trend

Chinese General Criticizes U.S. Containment of China

In an article in China’s People’s Daily, Qiao Liang (乔良), a professor at China’s National Defense University, a Major General in the People’s Liberation Army, and also the co-author of the book Unrestricted Warfare, criticized the U.S. for containing China via proxies.

Qiao stated, "Today, the U.S. strategists, through the hands of Japanese right-wingers and via the Diaoyu Islands dispute, have successfully blocked the process of the China–Japan–South Korea Free Trade Agreement negotiations and the process of the China-Japan currency swap. China’s periphery geopolitical environment is becoming complicated and grim."

"Now, we must understand the increasingly fierce global competition for resources, the U.S. eastward shift of its strategic center of gravity, and its strategy of ‘re-balancing to Asia’. Against such a backdrop, the Sino-Japanese dispute over the Diaoyu Islands, the Sino-Philippines dispute over Huangyan Island (Scarborough Shoal) and Renai Shoal (Second Thomas Shoal), and the Sino-Vietnamese dispute over China’s maritime rights and interests are not only bilateral competition over territories and maritime rights, but part of the greater game in the U.S.’ attempt to ‘contain China by proxy,’ to block China’s development, and to defend American hegemony."

"What is the real purpose of launching the strategy of ‘rebalancing to Asia’? There is only one answer: to disarm China’s potential challenge and threat to American hegemony."

"So, how will the U.S. achieve this? Ever since the financial crisis, we have seen that the U.S. has resorted to every conceivable means. Its methods include the following: pressure on RMB appreciation, anti-dumping investigations of Chinese products, higher tariff barriers, road blocks to Chinese acquisitions of foreign access to resources and buying of overseas companies, and excluding China from the TPP."

Source: People’s Daily, September 4, 2014

http://theory.people.com.cn/n/2014/0904/c40531-25601000.html

Briefings | | September 4, 2014 | US-China Relations

Beijing Warns External Forces not to Mess with Hong Kong’s Election Reform

After saying no to having an open election for Hong Kong’s chief executive, Beijing issued a strong warning to democratic countries. China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said that Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China. The relevant affairs regarding its political (electoral) reform are the internal affairs of the Hong Kong SAR. These are China’s internal affairs. No external forces are allowed to intervene. [1]

Beijing also issued a warning to Taiwan. Through the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, it asked Taiwan to respect the [new] developments in Hong Kong’s political system. Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson MA Xiaoguang stated that a few Taiwanese people have used the issue [of the Hong Kong election controversy] to discredit the "one country two systems" policy, damage Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability, and hinder the development of cross-strait relations. Such behavior is not welcomed. [2]

Source: People’s Daily, September 3, 2014

[1] http://hm.people.com.cn/n/2014/0903/c42272-25592777.html

[2] http://tw.people.com.cn/n/2014/0903/c14657-25592774.html

Briefings | | September 4, 2014 | Government/Politics

Huanqiu: War and Sanctions Would Only Exacerbate the Crisis in Ukraine

WANG Haiyun, Vice President of the China Research Association of the History of Sino-Russian Relations, wrote an article commenting on the current Ukraine crisis. Huanqiu (Global Times) published the article and it was reposted on the Xinhua website. Wang stated that Russia will not bow to the pressure from the West and that the U.S. is the barrier that keeps China from offering help to resolve the crisis.

Wang said, “[To resolve the crisis] by means of war is a great temptation for the Ukrainian government, especially when it is a matter of national territorial integrity. Asking Poroshenko to give up [fighting] is really difficult. The Ukrainian government must understand that trying to solve the problem in the Eastern region by war is hopeless. … The United States is the dominant force in launching and supporting the war. … As long as the United States and NATO do not send troops directly, Ukraine does not have a chance to win the war. The U.S. and Russia are fighting a war with proxies. The most unfortunate [casualty] is the Ukraine. If the war continues, Ukraine will be a ‘stateless nation.’ Several times, Putin has proposed unconditional truce talks. European powers also want to make the negotiations happen as soon as possible. It is indeed time for Ukraine to make the major decision independently as to whether to have war or peace.”

Wang continued, “Sanctions cannot solve the Ukrainian crisis either. To use sanctions to pressure Russia into making concessions in disgrace on issues related to national core interests can only be wishful thinking. The U.S.-led Western powers repeatedly bring up the weapon of sanctions to a number of small countries, but when did anyone surrender because of sanctions?”

Wang suggested that “The United Nations, the OSCE and other international mechanisms should act now. China should also make a gesture as a ‘responsible power,’ conduct active diplomacy, and be sure to encourage the parties to sit down as soon as possible to carry out an equal dialogue. Currently, the biggest obstacle may be the United States. The United States must recognize that, if such fighting and sanctions continue, it will ultimately undermine its own strategic interests. To achieve both containing Russia and holding Europe under control is unrealistic. European powers should jump off as soon as possible from America’s ‘chariot,’ not continue to be kidnapped by the Americans, and not do the kinds of stupid things that will result in the self-destruction of their own home.”

Source: huanqiu, September 2, 2014

http://opinion.huanqiu.com/opinion_world/2014-09/5124824.html

http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2014-09/02/c_126944362.htm

Briefings | | September 4, 2014 | Geo-Strategic Trend

Hong Kong Magazine: Xi Jinping Has Survived Six Assassination Attempts

In its August 2014 edition, Hong Kong’s The Trend Magazine quoted a source identified as a top Chinese Communist Party (CCP) official as saying that Xi Jinping has, to date, survived six assassination attempts. These attempts took place in different cities when Xi was visiting them. Investigations revealed that all six incidents were the result of internal conflict. That is, it was CCP officials who had hired assassins to kill Xi.

From the time that Xi took the top CCP leadership post until July 2014, the CCP security organization has issued 16 security warnings for Xi. Among those, four warnings were in Beijing, including his visits to the Beijing Municipal government offices.

Source: World Journal Online, August 30, 2014
http://www.worldjournal.com/view/full_anews/25696442/articlem112

Briefings | | September 3, 2014 | Government/Politics

Economist: The Real Reason behind China’s High Housing Prices – Printing Too Much Money

On August 31, 2014, China Gate reprinted an article from a newspaper from Mainland China, Yangcheng Evening News (ycwb.com). The article explained the real reason behind the high prices of China’s real estate. The same news was then published in several other Chinese newspapers. According to Wu Jinglian, an economist and a researcher at the Development Research Center of the Chinese State Council, these high prices are the consequence of the fact that the government has been printing too much money. The amount of money that China has issued is at 200 percent of China’s GDP. Therefore, the fundamental strategy to solve the problem of high housing prices in China is to stop releasing so much money.

Source: China Gate, August 31, 2014
http://www.wenxuecity.com/news/2014/08/31/3560834.html
http://blog.ifeng.com/article/33939860.html
http://house.ifeng.com/news/view/detail_2014_08/31/38580591_0.shtml

Briefings | | September 3, 2014 | Economy/Resources

China Review News: Beijing Rules Out an Open Election in Hong Kong

The Standing Committee of the People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China recently announced its decision on the rules for “universal suffrage” for the election of the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) in 2017. The NPC Standing Committee has decided to allow only two to three candidates to run in the race for the Hong Kong leader. These candidates will have to obtain the support of at least half of the nominating committee members to get on the ballot so as to make sure that only a Beijing supporter who “loves the country and loves Hong Kong” has the opportunity to win the election.

The announcement of such a tightly-controlled framework basically rules out an open election in Hong Kong. “After the announcement of this decision, ‘public nomination’ and ‘international standards’ will no longer be major contention points.”

Source: China Review News, September 1, 2014
http://hk.crntt.com/doc/1033/6/3/8/103363860.html?coluid=5&kindid=23&docid=103363860&mdate=0901002558

Briefings | | September 3, 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.