Chinascope – Page 758

Central Bank: Q2 Employment Expectations Hit Three-Year Low

China’s central bank, the People’s Bank of China, recently released a report that showed the results of a survey on customer expectations on employment. According to the report, 12.5 percent of the Chinese residents responding to the survey held an optimistic view of the current job market. 43.8 percent of the sampled population either felt uncertain or found the current employment situation to be “very challenging.” This is the lowest number since the second quarter of 2011. 63 percent of the people surveyed agreed that the current prices for housing are still too high, while 34.2 percent thought they were “acceptable.” The survey also covered bankers, 72 percent of whom said the current currency policies are “appropriate.” Entrepreneurs sampled by the survey mostly (62.2 percent) suggested the economy is performing “normally.” However 36.1 percent of them thought the economy was “cooling down.” The Bank’s Entrepreneur Confidence Index dropped 2.1 percent from the first quarter of this year.

Source: Sina Finance, June 25, 2014

http://finance.sina.com.cn/money/forex/20140625/173919520651.shtml

Briefings | | July 1, 2014 | Economy/Resources

Xi Jinping: The Party and the Government Take Border Security Seriously

The official Chinese Central Government Website recently published a Xinhua report on a speech delivered by President Xi Jinping regarding the importance of land and maritime border security. The audience mmbers listening to the speech were the attendees at the Fifth National Border Security Conference. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang was also present at the conference. In his speech, Xi emphasized that the “top priority” is defending the country’s sovereignty and security. He called for “very carefully planned and organized administration and control over both land and maritime borders.” Xi also required well-organized action to defend China’s rights at sea. He suggested that, given the “new situation,” it is very important for the State Border and Coastal Defense Committee to coordinate the joint efforts performed by the armed forces, the police system, and civilians smoothly.

Source: Chinese Central Government Website, June 27, 2014

http://www.gov.cn/xinwen/2014-06/27/content_2709132.htm

Briefings | | July 1, 2014 | Geo-Strategic Trend

The Minimum Wage Went Up an Average of 14 Percent

Xinhua carried an article that was originally published in Economic Information Daily. According to the article, in the first half of 2014, the minimum wage in 12 provinces and cities went up an average of 14 percent. The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security will soon be releasing more information. This increase is the lowest in recent years. The article stated that it was 22 percent in 2011; it was 20.2 percent in 2012; and it was 17 percent in 2013. The article also stated that, even though the “Minimum Wage Guideline” declared that the minimum wage increase was supposed to take place once every two years, from 2010 to 2014 the actual wage increases occurred once every 1.2 years.

Source: Xinhua, June 30, 2014
http://news.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2014-06/30/c_1111370014.htm

Briefings | | June 30, 2014 | Economy/Resources

Study Times: Government Should Gain the Discourse Right Quickly in Dealing with Public Emergencies

Study Times published an article written by two members of the Chinese Communist Party Guangxi Committee. The article stated that the Internet presents new challenges for the media to be able to guide public opinion when facing public emergencies. In a number of incidents, the media failed to guide the public correctly, which had a negative impact on economic and social development, as well as on the government’s credibility. The article emphasized that, following an incident, the municipal departments should pay attention to gaining control of the discourse right quickly in order to gain the public’s trust. They should work with credible media to ensure that the public can receive the “official news release” before foreign media and the rumor mill can catch up. The article also mentioned that the municipal departments at all levels should develop a contingency plan in dealing with emergencies and that managers from public relations or related departments should take training classes.

Source: Study Times, June 23, 2014
http://www.studytimes.cn/shtml/xxsb/20140623/5369.shtml

Briefings | | June 30, 2014 | Government/Politics

Liu Yunshan: Media Should Grasp the Correct Way to Guide Public Opinion

Xinhua reported that on June 29, Liu Yunshan, Director of the Propaganda Department, visited People’s Daily and held discussions with the editorial, Micro-blog, and mobile departments. Liu praised the work that People’s Daily had accomplished and told them that the media should have a deeper understanding of the recent talks that Xi Jingping gave, do a better job in publicizing the Party’s view and the people’s voice, while grasping the correct way to guide public opinion.

Source: Xinhua, June 29, 2014

http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2014-06/29/c_1111369170.htm

Briefings | | June 30, 2014 | Government/Politics

Global Times: Who Is the Black Hand behind the “Hong Kong Independence Forces?”

China’s state-run media Huanqiu (Global Times) published an opinion article claiming that the U.S. is the black hand behind the Hong Kong people’s demonstrations against Beijing’s 2014 White Paper on Hong Kong, which reinterprets Hong Kong’s ‘one country, two systems’ policy.

The article stated, "Recently, the ‘Hong Kong independence forces’ have become quite active. [Note: This is in reference to the people who protested Beijing’s 2014 White Paper on Hong Kong, after which an estimated 740,000 Hong Kong citizens voted in Occupy Central’s "civil referendum."] The background is that the U.S. is trying to push the ‘Hong Kong independence forces’ to grow in size, thus inciting the ‘Taiwan independence forces,’ the ‘East Turkistan separatists’ and ‘the Tibetan separatists’ to join forces to launch an attack on China together. China would then not be able to focus on the competition between big countries and the United States.

"In 2017, Hong Kong will conduct a general election. The United States is trying to take advantage of this opportunity to promote the ‘Hong Kong independence forces’ so that they get bigger and thus create trouble for China. Even if it ultimately fails, once Hong Kong is in chaos, it will have the same influence on China. In particular, [the U.S.] can use this opportunity to attack China in the international media. This strategy is much like the one in which the United States spent billions of dollars to get rid of Ukraine’s Viktor Yanukovych regime, making Russia very passive strategically in the international media."

The article named the NED (the National Endowment for Democracy) and the Soros Foundation as the sources supporting the "Hong Kong independence forces."

Source: Huanqiu, June 25, 2014

http://opinion.huanqiu.com/opinion_china/2014-06/5033949.html http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2014-06/25/c_126667254.htm

Briefings | | June 27, 2014 | US-China Relations

National Audit Uncovered Mismanagement and Misuse of Funds

On June 25, 2014, China’s National Audit Office announced the findings of the central government’s audit of 38 departments regarding the implementation of Fiscal Year 2013 budgets and related expenditures. The National Audit Office found that, due to improper management, the State’s National Social Security Fund incurred losses of 17.5 billion yuan (approximately US$2.84 billion). The central bank, the People’s Bank, spent 210 million yuan (approximately US$34.13 million) in unauthorized awards to its employees. The audit also uncovered that from 2009 to 2012, without authorization, the National Statistics Bureau “over hired” 8,081 employees and incurred unauthorized expenditures of 239.4 million yuan (approximately US$38.91 million).

Source: Xinhua, June 27, 2014

http://news.xinhuanet.com/2014-06/27/c_1111339123.htm

Briefings | | June 27, 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.