Chinascope – Page 745

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

Xinhua: Media Should Take the Lead in Strengthening Mainstream Values

Xinhua recently published an article on a reporters’ forum that was held in Beijing on August 30. The focus of the forum was a discussion of what news reporters should produce in order to “promote the socialist core values.” The forum asked media workers to “study, promote and practice” the socialist core values by focusing on reporting the stories that reflect the development of these values. Some speakers delivered speeches explaining that socialism is the “soul of news reports” and journalism is all about pushing these values “religiously.” Some also called for an in-depth study on how to develop more methods to spread socialism effectively and even “artistically.” Another important point made in the forum was to pay careful attention to the direction in which the top political leadership is pointing. High ranking representatives from all major Chinese new agencies including Xinhua, People’s Daily, Guangming Daily, Economic Daily, Chinese Central Television (CCTV) and the Central National Radio attended the forum.

Source: Xinhua, August 30, 2014

http://news.xinhuanet.com/newmedia/2014-08/30/c_1112294454.htm

Briefings | | September 2, 2014 | Government/Politics

Global Times: China May Release New Computer Operating System

Global Times recently reported that a Chinese government funded research group is planning an October release of a new version of a domestically developed computer operating system. The new operating system aims to replace imported software made by Microsoft, Google, and Apple. The plan is to run it on desktop computers first and eventually expand its use to smart phones and other mobile devices. According to its road map, the new Chinese operating system is to replace old systems in about two years. Ever since the Snowden Prism incident, the computer security war between China and the U.S. has been intensifying. In May 2013, the Chinese government accused Google of trying to control the Chinese smartphone market via its Android operating system. In May 2014, the Chinese government banned Microsoft Windows 8 from the government procurement list. Currently Microsoft China is under a Chinese antitrust investigation. The Global Times report concluded that the Chinese software industry is facing a golden opportunity to take over the domestic market.

Source: Global Times, August 25, 2014

http://tech.huanqiu.com/it/2014-08/5116953.html

Briefings | | September 2, 2014 | Information/Technology

People’s Daily: China Accuses SAT of Brainwashing Chinese Youth

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

Briefings | | September 2, 2014 | US-China Relations

He Qinglian: Economic Slowdown Not Because of Anti-Corruption Campaigns

On Voice of America, He Qinglian, a Chinese economist based in the U.S., refuted the recent opinions, voiced by many oversees, that the strong anti-corruption campaign has led to 0.6 to 1.5 percentage points in slower economic growth in China.

According to He, "The talk that anti-corruption campaigns lead to an economic slowdown is a superficial opinion. Such opinions disguise the fact that two major structural deficiencies in the Chinese economy are related to government behavior."

"China’s anti-corruption campaign has led to two consequences: first, a decline in local government’s investments; second, a reduction in final domestic consumption. Such a correlation is less likely to occur in other countries, but has, unfortunately, become a reality in China. The reason is also simple enough. In the past five years, the main source of investments has been the government, including the famous 4 trillion yuan stimulus package from the central government and 20 trillion yuan in local debt. Additionally, in the national final consumption, government consumption accounted for an extremely high proportion. This structural deficiency is China’s largest economic risk. The anti-corruption campaign just let the pustule rupture in advance. Without anti-corruption campaigns, that risk does not disappear. Rather, with the support of local investment and government consumption, the pustule continues to grow."

"The real reason for China’s economic slowdown is as follows:

"About the slowdown in economic growth in China this year, it resulted from the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) notice as early as at the beginning of the year. There were two reasons. The first was the huge excess of capacity, while the economic structure needed adjustment and the growth of investment demand was inhibited. The second was the increase in the pressure of local government debt, which also restricted the expansion of government investment."

Source: Voice of America, August 28, 2014

http://http://www.voachinese.com/content/he-qinglian-20140828/2431754.html

Briefings | | August 29, 2014 | Economy/Resources

2,190 “Naked Officials” in Guangdong Province

The term, "naked official" (裸官) refers to Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials who remain on mainland China while their wives and children reside abroad. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce has reported that, from the beginning of the reform and opening in 1978 until 2003, about 4,000 corrupt officials left China, taking at least $50 billion out of the country; often the spouses and children went first. The government is setting up a stricter monitoring system to decrease this practice. In early 2014, a revision of the rules for the promotion and appointment of senior officials introduced rules that officials would not be considered for promotion if their spouses lived abroad (or if they had no spouse, their children).

Recently, Newsgd.com, a news portal based in Guangdong Province, reported that there were 2,190 "naked officials" in the southern province. More than 280 naked officials in Guangdong Province have brought their family members who lived overseas back to China. On Wednesday, Guangdong authorities announced that nearly 40 percent of the 2,190 naked officials have been reassigned.

Li Yumei, head of the Organization Department of the CCP Guangdong Provincial Committee, said in an online interview on the official website of the Central Commission for Disciplinary Inspection of the CCP Central Committee, "After three months of effort, Guangdong reassigned 866 naked officials, including nine department-level and 134 county-level officials."

Guangdong authorities talked to the naked officials about the new regulation that had been issued on the subject of official promotion and selection, explaining that it stipulates that naked officials will not be considered for promotion. Naked officials were then offered choices based on the government’s limitations.

Source: Newsgd.com, August 29, 2014

http://www.newsgd.com/gdnews/content/2014-08/29/content_107544673.htm

Briefings | | August 29, 2014 | Government/Politics

Shen Dingli: China Should Distinguish between Friends and Foes On the Basis of National Interests

In an opinion article published on Global Times, (the English name for Huanqiu, a division of People’s Daily), Shen Dingli, Deputy Director of the International Affairs Institute of Fudan University, recommended that, in its relations with other countries, China should define its enemies, allies, and friends on the basis of China’s national interests.

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.

Source: People’s Daily, August 27, 2014

http://military.people.com.cn/n/2014/0827/c1011-25546966.html

Briefings | | August 29, 2014 | US-China Relations

Xinhua Commentary Series: Spotlight on the U.S. Presidential Election

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.”