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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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China Review News Commentary on the Challenges that the Chinese Communist Party Faces

China Review News carried a commentary on the challenges that the Chinese Communist Party faces. According to the commentary, the most important issue that the Party faces is how the Party can develop as the ruling Party guided by Marxist ideology and how the Party can sustain its long term power and governing capability. The commentary listed a number of crises that the Party faces. One is the test of the Party’s ability to govern, as well as the challenge to the Party’s legitimacy to rule. Other issues include that the public lacks channels for participating in politics. The mechanism of the current market economy cannot effectively constrain the alliance between power and money. This has caused the central economic policy to be blocked when carried down to the district. A number of social ideologies collide with each other. The process of educating people on the core value system needs to be further developed and strengthened. Some Party cadres ideals and beliefs are shaky. The Party is facing a crisis in managing social crises, while social uprisings continue to increase. Finally, social distrust is emerging more and more frequently.

Source: China Review News, April 27, 2014
http://hk.crntt.com/doc/1031/4/7/9/103147969.html?coluid=151&kindid=11513&docid=103147969&mdate=0427001232

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Global Times: The United States Jumped to the Front in the Sino-Philippine Dispute

Huanqiu (Global Times) published a commentary discussing the intention of Obama’s Asian trip. A brief summary of the commentary follows: 

Obama arranged for the first stop in his four-country trip to Asia to be in Japan and the final stop in the Philippines. He had special motives for this trip: Both countries have conflicts with China on maritime issues. In recent years they have increasingly taken a hardline stance against China in their China policy, frequently creating trouble and provoking China. This has in large part catered to the needs of U.S. strategy. Obama’s trip seems to fulfill the purpose of both of them. It acts as a reward for their actions as well as an encouragement. 
In the East China Sea and on the Diaoyu Islands issue, the United States is obviously partial to Japan. On the South China Sea issue, the United States’ involvement is getting deeper by the day, although it claims not to hold any position. Especially in the Sino-Philippine controversy, if there was only America’s "shadow" in the past, then clearly the United States’ "Black Hand" is intervening right now. The Philippines dares to challenge the Chinese brazenly; the United States factor behind [their action] cannot be "denied." 
On the "war front" of geopolitical gaming and rule-making between China and the Philippines surrounding the South China Sea, the United States stance coincides with that of the Philippines. Both countries rely on each other, seeking to win over other countries to form "the South China Sea united front" to contain China. Especially this time when the United States and the Philippines have signed a 10-year agreement to strengthen defense cooperation, the fact that both countries share a common "imaginary" enemy has become self-evident. 

Source: Huanqiu (Global Times), April 29, 2014 
http://opinion.huanqiu.com/opinion_world/2014-04/4982762.html http://world.people.com.cn/n/2014/0429/c1002-24956646.html

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

China to Build a Second Ship Lock at the Three Gorges Dam

According to a report from 21st Century Business Herald, building a second ship lock at the Three Gorges Dam may become a priority project to break the bottleneck in the Yangtze River’s shipping. If there is a fog or wind, ships will pile up waiting to pass the ship lock. Normally it takes three to five days. In the event the ship lock is under repair, the wait to pass the Three Gorges Dam can be between seven and 10 days, or even longer. 

The Ministry of Transportation recently released a government report showing that, in 2013, the average wait time to pass the Three Gorges Dam was about 10 days. The one way capacity of the first ship lock as designed is about 50 million metric tons per year. In 2013, it was approaching the upper limit set by the design. “The limited capacity to pass the ship lock will become a major issue affecting sustainable development of the region along the Yangtze River.” The Three Gorges Project Construction Committee, under the State Council, has been tasked with preparing a proposal for the construction of the second ship lock. 

Source: 21st Century Business Herald reprinted by Xinhua, April 30, 2014. 
http://jjckb.xinhuanet.com/2014-04/30/content_502706.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Qiushi: China Has Achieved a Decisive Success Following Its Own Path

Qiushi published a commentary on the failure of the West’s market fundamentalism and democratic fundamentalism and the success China has had following its own path. 

According to the commentary, the West, particularly the United States, has been persistent in pushing for its own political system based on market fundamentalism and democratic fundamentalism. However, the effect seems to be getting worse and color revolutions have completely faded as Ukraine is in the middle of separatist unrest. 
On the other hand, “With the further rise of China, the whole world will reflect more on the problems caused by the Western model, the chaos and even disaster, especially the absurdity of ‘"market fundamentalism’ and ‘democratic fundamentalism.’ China took its own path due to its unique cultural traditions, historical destiny, and national conditions. These have determined the future direction of China. China has achieved a decisive success in exploring its own path of development.” 
Source: Qiushi, April 28, 2014 
http://www.qstheory.cn/zxdk/2014/201409/201404/t20140428_344301.htm
Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Czech Adheres to the one China policy and Refuses “Tibet Independence”

According to the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at a regular press conference on April 29, spokesman Qin Gang announced that China and the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a joint communique. The communique stated that the Czech side reiterated its adherence to the one China policy, respects China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, insists that Tibet is an inalienable part of China, and refused to support any form of "Tibetan independence." "This is another important political document between the two countries following the 1999 joint government communique and the 2005 joint statement. It will play an important role in the healthy and stable development of relations between China and the Czech Republic."
Source: People’s Daily Online, April 30, 2014
http://world.people.com.cn/n/2014/0430/c1002-24963293.html
Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Just Who is Afraid of the “China’s Dream” of a Powerful Nation?

Below is a brief summary of a People’s Daily commentary discussing who is afraid of "China’s Dream" of a powerful nation: 

With the rapid development of China’s economy, the overall increase in its national strength, and the significant increase in its international status, today we have the capital and the ability to talk about the "China Dream." The essence of the "China Dream" is national prosperity, a strong army, national rejuvenation, and a happy people. … However, some in the international community have ulterior motives and are also spreading the "China threat theory. 
At the top of the list is the United States. China’s rapid development has made the United States feel extremely uncomfortable. For a long time, the United States has had, as its policy, the comprehensive suppression of China as a political opponent. The U.S. not only has gone to war with China twice; its policy to curb China has never changed in all successive governments. Strategically, the U.S. forms a wide range of alliances; with its full energy, it encourages and supports the activities of the anti-China forces and actively intervenes in a number of China-related matters. 
Second on the list is Japan. Currently, Japan regards containing the rise of China as a symbol of its national rise and rejuvenation. 
The third is the ASEAN and the neighboring countries. In early April, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel gathered the ASEAN defense ministers in Hawaii for the first time. The U.S. move had the purpose of strengthening the U.S. military presence in the ASEAN region. At the same time, it helped to deepen the ASEAN countries’ psychological wariness of China, so that the U.S. could bind the ASEAN countries together to deal with challenges from the rise of China. 
Source: People’s Daily, April 22, 2014 
http://military.people.com.cn/n/2014/0422/c1011-24926591.html
Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Qiushi: The Security of China’s National Resources Is an Important Part of National Security

Qiushi published an article stating that the security of China’s national resources is an important part of national security. The issues facing China include the pressure from rapid economic growth and population growth, as well as limited supplies of fresh water, oil, gas, arable land, and other strategic resources. The scarcity of resources is the main problem in the security of China’s national resources and will be difficult to improve on in the near to medium term. 

The article recommended that China’s national resource security strategy should include the implementation of strategies to survey, protect, stockpile and allocate resources. It should also include strategies to increase the efficiency, substitution, and innovation of national resources as well as cooperation and diplomacy in connection with national resources. 
Source: Qiushi, April 28, 2014. 
http://www.qstheory.cn/st/zyhj/201404/t20140429_344551.htm
Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

People’s Forum: Public Authority Wrongly Transformed

After conducting a survey, People’s Forum, a sub-site of People’s Daily Online, commented on how the public authority in China has undergone a transformation in the wrong direction. The article stated that, from looking at the publicly exposed official corruption cases, it is clear that the public authority has gotten into the wrong hands:

The authority belonging to the public went into the hands of a department (a smaller group). The authority under the control of the department went into the hands of an individual (mainly the number one leader). The authority under the control of the individual went into the hands of his family.

According to the People’s Forum, 68.8 percent of the people surveyed thought that the public authority has been severely abused. Over 60 percent thought that, in China, there is widespread nepotism at the grass roots level. Over half of those surveyed thought that the county official’s power abuse was the most severe abuse. Over half thought that allowing an official’s family to control power was more damaging than other type of power transformation.

Source: People’s Daily Online, April 21, 2014
http://theory.people.com.cn/n/2014/0421/c40531-24922464.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics