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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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Low-income Subsidy Fraud in China

According to Jiancha Daily, fraud in the low-income subsidy program has been rampant throughout China. 

Early this year, a cleanup campaign in Xuzhou City, Jiangsu Province resulted in the stoppage of low-income subsidies to 17,479 who did not meet the eligibility requirements. At the same time, the eligibility of 8,159 persons was approved so they could start to receive the 2014 low-income subsidies. Similarly, in the first quarter, Dongfang City removed 1,265 from the low-income subsidy recipient list and added 1,477 to the list. At the end of May, Ha’erbin City stopped payments to 7,470 who were not eligible and accepted 1,706 for payments of low-income subsidies. In June, Leiyang City in Hunan Province also found 402 of the current recipients to be ineligible. 

According to the 2012 Social Security Green Book released by the China Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) in 2013, close to 80 percent of the households surveyed that were at the poverty level did not receive a low income subsidy. The results also revealed that over 60 percent of those that received a low income subsidy were not households at the poverty level. The survey was conducted in five provinces including Anhui and Fujian. 
Source: Jiancha Daily, June 23, 2014 
http://newspaper.jcrb.com/html/2014-06/23/content_162038.htm

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

China Review News Commentary: China Should Focus on the Indian Ocean

China Review News recently published a commentary on China’s ocean strategy. It recommended that, "China’s ocean strategy should be based on two oceans, the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean; however, currently, it should focus on the Indian Ocean."

The commentary’s analysis pointed out that Indian Ocean has become the heaviest maritime transportation route. However, the neighboring countries are usually small and have not formed a unified political entity. Thus it is likely that external forces can control them. India, the largest country there, is not able to control the Indian Ocean by itself. This means that China has a chance to execute a huge influence there.

The Indian Ocean is important not only to China’s maritime shipping with European and Asian countries, but it also breaks the U.S. and Japan’s blockade of China over the island chains in the Pacific Ocean. China’s strategy of working in the Indian Ocean includes: taking Pakistan as a strategic base support; targeting Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Burma as strategic entry points; developing land routes over Pakistan and Burma so that China can get to the Indian Ocean; and taking Iran as a new support and developing a comprehensive relationship with Iran – this will enable China to be involved in Middle East affairs and block Russia from accessing the Indian Ocean via Iran.

Source: China Review News, June 20, 2014
http://hk.crntt.com/doc/1032/2/6/1/103226148.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Singapore Scholar Advises China on New Silk Road Project

Zheng Yongnian, a professor at National University of Singapore offered some advice on China’s rise toward becoming an economic and investment super power through the use of the Silk Road Economic Belt. (For a description of the project, see The Diplomat at http://thediplomat.com/2014/05/chinas-new-silk-road-vision-revealed/).

Zheng advised China to learn from The Marshall Plan. "China … should not only study its successful experiences, but also go beyond its narrow geopolitical vision. During the process of reviving the European economy, the Marshall Plan made ​​a great contribution, and also made the U.S. the leader of the European nations."

He suggested, "China can set up a very large ‘New Silk Road Development Fund’ or ‘New Silk Road Development Bank’ through massive financial mobilization to build a solid financial foundation for the project. … The New Silk Road Development Fund can integrate China’s policies in Asia, Africa, and even Latin America … to form a grand international development program."

"China’s New Silk Road actually offers an opportunity to set up an international development agency at the central government level to coordinate all overseas economic and trade activities. Under the current system, the power of international aid and development is scattered among different government agencies, such as the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, local governments, and state-owned enterprises. … Other countries, before rising to the status of a great power, would set up similar organizations to make an effective contribution to the rise of its international image. It’s time for China to do so."

Zheng wrote, "From a strategic point of view, a more open Silk Road will help alleviate other countries’ geopolitical concerns. … China does not want to compete with other countries’ geopolitical interests, but wishes to promote economic development along the new Silk Road. This not only contributes to the sustainable economic development of China; it also contributes to the economic development of other countries and would not be perceived as a strategic threat."

"The openness should also be reflected in the implementation; that is, the development of the new Silk Road should be participatory. … First is the participation of local society, so that the community and the people can share the fruits of development. In earlier years, some of China’s practices in Africa and Latin America caused dissatisfaction and even protests. Examples include hiring Chinese workers rather than locals and paying little attention to environmental considerations. Second, the development should be open to other countries. China’s domination of the new Silk Road construction does not mean that China should have a monopoly on all of the projects. As a world power, China should carry a more open attitude, so that foreign companies can participate in this great program."

Source: Lianhe Zaobao, reprinted on Huanqiu, June 24, 2014                                                     http://opinion.huanqiu.com/opinion_world/2014-06/5032527.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

China Social Science Today: Western Countries’ Intervention Caused the Chaos in the Middle East

On June 20, the government think tank, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), in its publication China Social Science Today, reported on a forum held at Henan University. It was a "high-level forum on Israel and hot issues in the Middle East." The article quoted the points that a number of participants made.

"Tang Zhichao, a CASS researcher, believed that, although, since World War II, internal problems have not been lacking in the Middle East, the intervention of the U.S.-led Western countries has been the main reason behind the turmoil in the Middle East."

 "’The resurgence of the war in Iraq is, in large part, the aftermath of the 2003 U.S. war in Iraq.’ Regarding the regime change that the U.S. forcibly pushed, Yu Jianhua, a scholar at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, believed that the U.S. blindly implemented the Western model while neglecting the Middle East’s actual situation. It has thereby broken the political and strategic balance in the region."

"Yu Jianhua believed that the United States, with a utilitarian purpose, has been deliberately leading the changing situation in the Middle East. It has caused more instability, left a mess, and made it a disaster zone for the convergence of terrorism."

"According to Yu Jianhua, the U.S. has often taken advantage of local crises and pushed from behind with the help of local social forces in the form of non-governmental organizations. This so-called civil diplomacy serves as its own strategy. The practice, which has focused on infiltration using cultural influences and intentional guidance and support of the local culture, is one of the reasons behind the social unrest. Nowadays, many countries and regions have cautioned against the activities of U.S. NGOs and prohibited their illegal activities."

"An Huihou, a scholar with the China Institute of International Studies, pointed out that the root cause of the unrest in Egypt is not the so-called lack of democracy, but the difficulties with people’s livelihood and social injustice. Western democracy and freedom are not a panacea for developing countries. Western people often talk about free elections and street politics. Events in Egypt showed that free elections do not necessarily create an authoritative government that delivers what people expect. Street politics can overthrow a tyranny, but can also create anarchy, leading to a torn society and violent wars."

Source: China Social Science Today, June 23, 2014
http://www.csstoday.net/xueshuzixun/guoneixinwen/90166.html

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

SAPPRFT: Reporters Prohibited from Publishing Negative Reports without Permission

People’s Daily recently reported that the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT) released an official announcement about the investigation of eight cases involving unlawful press activities. The announcement also required all news organizations to stop individual reporters and “reporting stations” from reporting on events that cross multiple industries or regions. They are also not allowed to report or to prepare a plan to report on any negative topics without receiving permission. At the same time, they cannot establish websites or publish special editions of the newspaper that cover negative topics unless they obtain approval first. The Administration required the news organizations to conduct a self-audit immediately to assure their compliance and to control their hiring processes strictly so as to ensure future compliance. The main substance of the eight cases in the announcement involved reporters accepting bribes for the removal of negative reports. 
Source: People’s Daily, June 18, 2014
http://bbs1.people.com.cn/post/129/1/2/139987704.html
Briefings | | |   Social Stability

BBC Chinese: U.S. Professors Jointly Challenged the Confucius Institute

BBC Chinese recently reported that the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) called for a cancellation or a renegotiation of the agreements between the Confucius Institute and around 100 U.S. universities. The AAUP expressed the belief that the agreements must abide by Western values. It suggested that the Confucius Institute “is a branch of the Chinese government” and “is allowed to ignore academic freedom.” AAUP was founded in 1915 to defend academic freedom. It currently has 47,000 members. The AAUP announcement urged the U.S. universities to stop cooperating with the Confucius Institute unless it undergoes major reform. The Confucius Institute is an organization funded by the Chinese Ministry of Education. By the end of 2013, it had established 440 institutes across 120 countries around the world. In May 2014, over 100 professors at the University of Chicago, including seven deans, jointly asked the university to discontinue its contract with the Confucius Institute, citing lack of freedom to discuss “sensitive issues” such as the Tiananmen Massacre and the issue of Tibet. The Confucius Institute also controls the hiring and training of its teachers. 
Source: BBC Chinese, June 18, 2014
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/world/2014/06/140618_confucius_institutes.shtml
Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Xinhua: China Strongly Opposes Using Rule of Law as an Excuse

Xinhua recently reported that Zhang Suiye, the Chinese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, commented on some of China’s key foreign policies. Zhang said that China is determined to take a new and peaceful road to being a rising power. There has been no reason for China to give up this proven approach. For some territorial and maritime disputes with China’s neighboring countries, China advocates direct negotiations and talks with the involved parties to seek a peaceful resolution. China is strongly opposed to violating other countries’ legitimate rights using the “rule of law” as an excuse. Zhang expressed the belief that the countries in the Asia-Pacific region share the same ultimate interest in improved national development. China would like to contribute to building a balanced and effective regional security framework.
Source: Xinhua, June 21, 2014
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2014-06/21/c_1111252139.htm
Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Beijing Announced Anti-Terrorist Measures

Guangming Daily published an article on a recent anti-terrorist conference held in Beijing. The conference announced that a series of anti-terrorist measures have been implemented in Beijing. They include a group of 100,000 members who will collect and report intelligence tips. A demonstration at the conference showed how a group of 2,400 building security workers used the social management surveillance system to report suspicious people or actions and how the system translated their voice recordings into words which were then uploaded onto the server. The conference also announced a cash reward of between 1,000 and 40,000 yuan (US$161 to $6,426) to be given for tips about terrorist threats. In addition, the armed police force will increase street patrols using motorcycles and surveillance dogs. It will also use five helicopters no less than 30 hours each week to provide surveillance from the air.

Source: Guangming Daily, June 22, 2014
http://politics.gmw.cn/2014-06/22/content_11682209.htm

Briefings | | |   Social Stability