The day after Xinhua announced the downfall of Zhou Yongkang, it published a blog commentary entitled “What Does the Investigation of Zhou Yongkang Tell Us?”
More Party Inspection Teams Conduct Corruption Investigations
Within days after July 29, when the announcement was made that an investigation had been instigated against Zhou Yongkang, several inspection teams of the Central Committee of the Communist Party were on their way to conduct investigations in Hebei, Shanghai, Helongjiang, and at the Chinese state-owned automotive, the First Automobile Works Group located in Changchun, Jilin Province.
Jin Canrong: A Weak U.S. President Is Not Good for Sino-U.S. Relations
While talking to a reporter from the Global Times about the U.S. political situation and its impact on Sino-U.S. relations, Jin Canrong, Associate Dean of the School of International Studies, Renmin University of China, analyzed the poor economic situation in the United States. In his analysis, Jin said that this situation is a very important reason for the escalation of the American political struggle, as it has led the voters of each party to become more extreme. In addition, psychologically, the Republicans do not accept a minority president. As for the national decline of the U.S, as reflected in the worries that appear in the media, it is mostly due to objective reasons. China’s rise places the U.S. influence in a position of relative decline. However, it is also undeniable that Obama is personally to blame for the situation. Some of his policies often sound good but are unenforceable. This places the U.S. on a sliding trajectory. For [the interest of] China, it is better that the United States has a relatively strong president. In such a condition, it is more likely for cooperation between the two countries to be carried out and for agreements to be executed. Otherwise negotiations might not make sense. Republicans may not really sue Obama, but it would embarrass Obama and make him more vulnerable and weaker. This is not a good thing in terms of Sino-U.S. relations.
In the Economic Downturn, Local Governments Increase Tax and Fines
According to Xinhua, the Ministry of Finance recently released statistics showing that China’s national revenue increased by 8.8 percent in the first 6 months of 2014, as compared to the same period in 2013. Of the national revenue increase, tax revenue grew by 8.5 percent and non-tax revenue by 11.1 percent. The national GDP increased by 7.4 percent.
Zeng Qinghong’s Niece Said to Be Involved in Zhou’s Case
Zeng Qinghong is a retired member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China, China’s highest leadership council. Between 2002 and 2007, he was a top-ranking member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee. From 2003 to 2008, he also served as the Vice-President of the People’s Republic of China. He is a close ally of then-general secretary Jiang Zemin. Since the fall of security tsar Zhou Yongkang, rumors about Zeng have been surfacing.
On Aug. 1, 2013, a wealthy Sichuan businessman Wu Bing (吴兵), who had close business ties with Zhou Yongkang’s son Zhou Bin, was put in official custody. Wu Bing owned Zhongxu Holding Co., Ltd. (中旭投资公司), which holds shares of stock in Fantasia Chengdu (花样年成都), a corporate subsidiary of Fantasia Holding Group Co., Ltd. (花样年控股), which was founded by Zeng Baobao, Zeng Qinghong’s niece. According to its website, "Founded in 1998, Fantasia was successfully listed on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in November 2009 under the stock code ‘1777.’ Its assets amounted to over RMB30 billion (US$4.86 billion)." In the early years, Fantasia Chengdu also worked with Zhongxu to create a Sichuan based joint venture. Sources in mainland China told Apple Daily that the authorities took Zeng Baobao away months ago to assist in the investigation of Zhou.
Because of the close relationship between Zeng and Zhou’s family, as early as May this year, there was speculation that Zeng Qinghong will be the next tiger that Xi Jinping will take down. Zeng Qinghong’s latest public appearance was on May 14 of this year. He visited an art museum in Shanghai, accompanied by Shanghai’s head of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee, Han Zheng.
Source: Apple Daily, July 31, 2014
http://hk.apple.nextmedia.com/news/first/20140731/18817574
People’s Daily: Profoundly Comprehend and Grasp The Great Struggles in the New Era
People’s Daily published an article that explained “The Great Struggles in the New Era.” The author, Han Qingxiang, is Deputy Superintendent of Education and Professor of the Central Party School. The article stated, “Our [Communist] Party’s task is that ‘[we] must prepare for great struggles with many new historical features.’ This is based on the scientific judgment of a series of major challenges, trials, and dangers that our Party faces at this stage.”
Security for Public Transportation in Beijing Is at Its Highest Level
Hours after the announcement that Zhou Yongkang was arrested, Xinhua reported that Beijing elevated the security level of its public transportation to the highest level. Anyone who refused to accept a security inspection would face penalties.
China Conducted Its Third Anti-Ballistic Missile Test
A China Review News article reported that, on July 23, 2014, China conducted an Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) test. This is the third time that China has conducted such a test. The test showed that China has made advancements in a number areas of ABM technology, including information processing, detection and warning, weapon interception, weapon transfer, accuracy of guidance, and speed of response.
China conducted two previous ground-based mid-course missile interception tests, one in January 2010 and one in January 2013. According to military expert Shao Yongling, this new test was, most likely, a ground-based terminal phase missile interception test. China is moving towards deploying this weaponry in the military.
Source: China Review News, July 26, 2014
http://hk.crntt.com/doc/1033/0/7/6/103307619.html?coluid=4&kindid=16&docid=103307619&mdate=0726182948