Chinascope – Page 774

Cyberspace in China to Have Automatic Screening and Erasing Function

On April 21, 2014, wenhui.news365.com.cn published an article on automatic Internet control. According to the article, it is necessary to establish an automatic Internet screening system so as to erase any “one-sided, unhealthy, and illegal” information from the Internet immediately. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to have a government level management system, more comprehensive Internet laws and regulations, and public opinion guidance on the Internet so as to stop any Western ideological trends and promote socialism with Chinese characteristics as well as the China dream.

Source: wenhui.news365.com.cn, April 21, 2014
http://whb.news365.com.cn/sp/201404/t20140421_1832159.html

Briefings | | April 23, 2014 | Information/Technology

Qiushi: China Uses Move to the West Strategy to Break through U.S. Containment of China

On April 22, 2014, Qiushi, a journal of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, published an article on China’s “Move to the West.” It discussed a “balancing strategy” of how China is to deal with the U.S. return to the Asia-Pacific and to “break through America’s containment of China.”

According to the article, China has good trade and economic relationships with European countries, Central Asia (the former Soviet Union Countries), Pakistan, and Iran. However, China’s “Move to the West” plan involves seeking Russia’s understanding and support. Currently, the conflict between Ukraine and Russia is escalating and both sides want China’s support. China must implement projects involving cooperation with Ukraine and also stand with the Russia together against NATO’s eastward expansion. China will continue its involvement in the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the China-Russia strategic cooperation. Meanwhile, China will seek development in the Oceans as well. However, the United States always creates conflict so as to contain us. We must resolve the problems in the neighboring countries in terms of economic dependence on China, moving outward politically from China, and pressure from marine power.

Source: Qiushi, April 22, 2014
http://www.qstheory.cn/gj/gjsspl/201404/t20140422_342588.htm

Briefings | | April 23, 2014 | Geo-Strategic Trend

Outlook on National Security Commission’s First Meeting

Outlook Weekly published an article commenting on the first meeting of the National Security Commission which took place on April 15, 2014. Xi Jinping chaired the committee meeting, with Li Keqiang and Zhang Dejiang as deputies. The Commission was established in November 2013, with the responsibility to oversee all security matters that China faces.

The article stated that, in his speech at the meeting, Xi Jinping presented two new ideas:
1. He raised the “overall national security concept” and the “national security path with Chinese characteristics” for the first time. The “overall national security concept” is bigger than the previous security concepts. It encompasses the people’s safety, political security, economic security, as well as military, cultural, and social security.

2. He emphasized the concept of five “both’s": both external security issues and internal security issues, both the land security issue and the people’s safety issue, both traditional security issues and non-traditional security issues, both the (economic) development issue and the security issue, and both China’s own security issues and common security issues (with other countries).

Source: Outlook Online, April 21, 2014
http://www.lwgcw.com/NewsShow.aspx?newsId=35078

Briefings | | April 23, 2014 | Government/Politics

BBC Chinese: One Fifth of China’s Arable Land Is Polluted

BBC Chinese reported that the Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection recently released a research report which indicated that 16.1 percent of China’s land and 19.4 percent of China’s arable land are polluted. The scope of the research on which the report was based was sizeable, covering two thirds of all land in Mainland China. The research showed that the three heavy metals of cadmium, nickel, and arsenic are the primary pollutants in China’s soil. The Ministry said in an announcement that it is very hard to remain optimistic about the quality of China’s soil. Both the government and the Chinese people are worried about the irreparable damage brought about by China’s rapid industrialization process. The government is in the process of coming up with more comprehensive environmental protection laws. The research report also concluded that there are three primary heavy industry regions that have suffered the most severe damage from pollution. They are the Yangtze River Delta Area on the east coast, the Zhujiang Delta Area in the south, and the traditional heavy industry base in Northeastern China.

Source: BBC Chinese, April 18, 2014
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/science/2014/04/140418_china_soil_contaminated.shtml

Briefings | | April 22, 2014 | Economy/Resources

Wal-Mart China Complained about the Food Safety Issue

Well-known Chinese news site Sohu recently reported that the top management at Wal-Mart China met recently with officials from the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA). The management called for the scope of government monitoring of food labeling to be extended. Currently the CFDA only regulates retailers on food labeling but not manufacturers. In the past few years, a number of retailers have run into trouble because they were held responsible for the unsafe food that suppliers had provided. The best effort retailers can make for now is to ensure that the government correctly licenses these suppliers. The food quality is largely dependent on the supplier’s honesty. Retailers have been inspecting a certain number of samples of the food that the manufacturers supply, but this by no means covers the full range of the products they offer in stores. It is widely believed that end-to-end food safety control is required, especially on the source side, which includes suppliers. The cost for retailers to do a full-scale food inspection would be too high and unreasonable.

Source: Sohu.com, April 17, 2014
http://business.sohu.com/20140417/n398411268.shtml

Briefings | | April 22, 2014 | Economy/Resources

Silent Contest II

[Editor’s Note: The PLA National Defense University recently created an educational video called “较量无声” (Silent Contest) on the behind-the-scenes battle between China and the United States. [1] General Liu Yazhou, Political Commissar of the military institution and son-in-law of former president Li Xiannian, produced the work. It postulated that the Soviet Union’s collapse was due to the U.S.’ “peaceful revolution.” Using that viewpoint to examine the Sino-U.S. relationship, the video concluded that, while the U.S. has maintained an outward appearance of warmth and peaceful cooperation, beneath the surface it has always been trying to destroy China, using the same methods it applied to the Soviet Union.

To support its premise, the video further outlined five areas in which the U.S. is undermining China: political infiltration, cultural infiltration, public opinion and ideological infiltration, organizational infiltration, and political interference and social infiltration.

Silent Contest circulated widely on the Internet in late October 2013, and began disappearing from Chinese websites on Thursday night, October 31, 2013. [2] Nevertheless, a number of media have commented on it. [3]

Please note that the source of a number of quotes in English could not be identified. Unless the original English source is indicated in the end notes, the quotes in the video are translated from the Chinese text in the video. The translation of the Prelude and Part I of the video have already been published and can be found on the Chinascope website at:
http://chinascope.org/main/content/view/6168/92/.

The following is a translation of Part II.]

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Reports | | April 21, 2014 | Report

In Spite of Concerns for “Ghost” Towns, Many Chinese Cities Plan for Massive Expansion

Prefecture-level cities are one level below the capital cities in China’s administrative hierarchy. In a government survey of 156 prefecture-level cities in 12 provinces, over 90 percent were planning for the development of new metropolitan districts. Additionally, the 12 provincial capital cities were planning for a total of 55 new districts. One city was found to be planning 13 new districts. At the same time, the planned areas of the new districts continue to increase in size.

Experts have expressed concern for such a pace of "urbanization." One problem is the blind pursuit of large urban districts. In the same city, many features are being duplicated and the construction is redundant. There are also concerns about over-investment, potential bad debts, and more "ghost" towns.

Source: People’s Daily Online, April 20, 2014

http://politics.people.com.cn/n/2014/0420/c1001-24918782.html

Briefings | | April 21, 2014 | Economy/Resources

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.