Chinascope – Page 780

440 Confucius Institutes and 646 Confucius Classrooms around the World

On April 17, Social Sciences Academic Press and Hubei University jointly issued the "Culture Blue Book, Chinese Culture Development Report." The Report states that although the Confucius Institute was launched not long ago, it already has had a huge effect and a far-reaching influence. Compared to other major international organizations that promote language and culture, the Confucius Institute is leading the league in terms of pace of expansion and magnitude of influence. According to the latest data from Hanban (the Chinese National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language), by the end of 2013, 440 Confucius Institutes and 646 Confucius Classrooms had been established in 120 countries (regions) around the world. The United States has the largest number (97) of Confucius Institutes.

Pushed forward by the Confucius Institute, learning the Chinese language has become popular around the globe. In 2010 and 2011, Russia and France each organized the "Chinese Year" activities. According to the China culture media network, a website under the Ministry of Culture, in 2010, about 100 million foreigners were learning Chinese; that figure reached 150 million in 2013. The Confucius Institute has become the brand name for promoting the Chinese language and showcasing China’s "soft power."

Source: People’s Daily Online, April 17, 2014
http://politics.people.com.cn/n/2014/0417/c1001-24908823.html

Briefings | | April 17, 2014 | Geo-Strategic Trend

What Is CIA Director Brennan Up to in His Visit to Kiev?

Hong Kong Wen Wei Po published a commentary on May 15 stating that the United States is second to none in inciting color revolutions. The article said, “During the Cold War, the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) wantonly infiltrated non-Western countries to conduct subversive activities. Now CIA director Brennan is said to have had a private visit to Kiev. The West criticizes Russia for provoking a new Cold War, while, at the same time, it allows its ‘Cold War weapon,’ the CIA, to intervene in Ukraine. What the West is really trying to do is self evident.”

The article then stated, “After the Cold War, the United States continued to guard against Russia, trying to win over the former Soviet countries to compress Russia’s living space." “In Ukraine’s 2004 ‘Orange Revolution,’ the United States fully supported the opposition, Viktor Yushchenko. The United States even provided its supporters’ food and tents during the sit-ins."

“In the development of Ukraine’s crisis over the past few months, the shadow of the ‘Orange Revolution’ is getting more and more apparent. After former President Viktor Yanukovych was forced to leave because of a coup, the Kiev authorities, with the backing of the West, immediately tried to abolish the status of the Russian language and started a series of provocative actions that incited the Russian-speaking population’s resentment.”

The article said in its concluding paragraph, “From the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Nuland’s arrogant comment on the Ukrainian Cabinet candidates, to Brennan’s private trip to Kiev, and then to Vice President Joe Biden’s plan to visit Kiev at a sensitive time on the eve of the Ukraine presidential election, the United States’ invisible devil claws are gradually approaching its next prey.”

Source: Xinhua, April 16, 2014

http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2014-04/16/c_126394838.htm

Briefings | | April 17, 2014 | US-China Relations

Study Times: State-owned Enterprises to Change Their Political Advantage to a Competitive Advantage

Study Times published a commentary on how State-owned enterprises (SOEs) can more effectively change their political advantage into a competitive advantage.

According to the article, the central role of the Communist Party should reflect the leadership’s role in SOEs. “From an economic perspective, the SOEs are an important economic pillar of the country. From a political perspective, the Party’s organization in SOEs is an important foundation of the ruling Party organization.” The Party organizations in the SOEs fully play the central political role showing the Party’s capabilities in leading economic development, which is also mandated by the need to solidify the Party’s rule of the country.

The article further stated that SOEs bear different responsibilities from other types of businesses. They bear both an economic responsibility and a political and social responsibility. “SOEs should remain highly consistent with the Party’s Central Committee, consciously instill the Party’s line, principles and policies into the action of cadres and workers, and transform these Party lines, principles and policies into products, economic efficiency, and the enterprise’s development practices.”

Source: Study Times, April 14, 2014

http://www.studytimes.cn/shtml/xxsb/20140414/4519.shtml

Briefings | | April 17, 2014 | Government/Politics

Xinhua: French Customs Seized Two Million Cases of Counterfeit Drugs

Xinhua recently reported that, at the end of February, the French customs seized over two million cases of Chinese counterfeit drugs in the port city of Le Havre in Northern France. According to the announcement made by French customs, this is the largest batch of medicine confiscated in the history of the European Union. French customs reported that all of the cases were marked “Chinese Tea.” Customs also emphasized that some of these drugs contained no active ingredients and that their only use was to cheat the consumers. Some medicines contained an inaccurate level of active ingredients, which can seriously threaten the health of the consumers who take them.

Source: Xinhua, April 11, 2014

http://news.xinhuanet.com/overseas/2014-04/11/c_126380377.htm

Briefings | | April 15, 2014 | Geo-Strategic Trend

China’s Imports and Exports Saw a Significant Decline in March

Well-known Chinese news website Sina recently reported on the newly released import/export numbers for March. While economists were expecting a four percent increase, this year’s export numbers suffered a decline of 6.6 percent when compared to last March. Imports suffered an 11.3 percent decline instead of the expected 2.4 percent increase. The first quarter total import/export volume reached US$966 billion, which represents a one percent decline compared to the first quarter of 2013. The first quarter trade surplus was US$16.7 billion, which showed a decrease of 59.7 percent from the first quarter of last year. HSBC economist Ma Xiaoping commented in a Wall Street Journal interview that both China’s domestic and international demands remain weak. China’s key trade partners are recovering slowly. Noticeably, there was a sharp decline of 33.3 percent for the trade volume between the Mainland and Hong Kong, which holds a 7.8 percent share of the entire volume of imports and exports.

Source: Sina.com, April 10, 2014

http://finance.sina.com.cn/money/future/fmnews/20140410/100118757147.shtml

Briefings | | April 15, 2014 | Economy/Resources

Hu Jintao Visited Hu Yaobang’s Former Residence

On April 11, days before the 25th anniversary of the death of the late Chinese Communist leader Hu Yaobang, retired Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Hu Jintao paid a visit of the former residence of Hu Yaobang in the town of Liuyang in Hunan Province.

In the 1980s Hu Yaobang was one of the main leaders of the Chinese Communist Party. When Mao Zedong was the paramount leader of China, Hu was viewed as open minded and rectified many miscarriages of justice. In 1987, Hu was accused of being ineffective in opposing capitalist liberalization and senior Party heavy weights forced him to resign. Hu died on April 15, 1989. His death inspired tens of thousands of students in Tiananmen Square to give their condolences, which then evolved into the 1989 student movement, followed by the June 4th massacre.

Hu Yaobang once promoted Hu Jintao, the retired Party secretary at the 18th Congress, to the top position at the Chinese Communist Youth League, a communist organization for young people.

On Friday morning, accompanied by officials in Hunan province, Hu Jintao visited the former residence of Hu Yaobang and his museum, staying there for an hour. It is reported that President Hu Jintao visited the statue of Hu Yaobang and bowed to Hu Yaobang to pay tribute. Hunan authorities have kept the news from the public.

Source: Voice of America, April 12, 2014
http://www.voachinese.com/content/hujintao-huyaobang-20140412/1891916.html

Briefings | | April 14, 2014 | Government/Politics

Huanqiu: Former First Lady vs a Brother of a Former President; a Tragedy for US Democracy

On April 12, Huanqiu Published an article discussing U.S. democracy, with quotes from the Washington Post, Financial Times, and the Los Angeles Times.

"Although it is two and a half years away, American media, already tired of Obama, are more keen on predicting the 2016 Presidential election. According to the Washington Post, Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush, the former Governor of Florida and younger brother of former President George W. Bush, both showed up at an education conference. This was a stage appearance in preparation for their 2016 presidential campaign. So far, neither has announced their candidacy and there won’t be any conclusion drawn before the end of the year. In accordance with the usual tactics of Republicans and Democrats, however, the 2016 election is likely to be a battle between a former President’s son and another President’s brother, and a former President’s wife."

"Since Hillary wants to warm up for the next general election, why would she appear in the city of Las Vegas which does not have a good reputation. Few American media offered an explanation. According to the Financial Times article on March 30, ‘Last week several Republican presidential hopefuls trekked to Las Vegas to pay their respects to Sheldon Adelson, the gaming billionaire.’ The article said that the U.S. may remove the ceiling on what individuals can give to candidates and parties, [thereby rescinding] ‘what remains of post-Watergate limits on campaign finance.’ ‘But in an economy where the top 1 per cent of the population owns more than a third of the nation’s wealth, it corrodes the republic from which such riches sprang. People fret about America’s 1 per cent economy. They should worry more about its 1 per cent democracy.’"

"There has never been a time when America’s political families were so deep-rooted. According to statistics, of the most recent nine presidential campaigns, there were seven in which candidates came from either the Bush or the Clinton family. In his Los Angeles Times article, New York University history professor Jonathan Zimmerman stated, ‘A few years ago, I found myself sitting on an airplane next to a gentleman from Egypt. Talk quickly turned to the upheaval in his country, where the so-called Arab Spring was in full bloom.’ ‘"We want a real democracy," he told me, "not like yours." When I pressed him to elaborate, he shot back with a question of his own. "How many times have you voted," he asked, "when someone named ‘Bush’ or ‘Clinton’ wasn’t running?"’ This history scholar then lamented that ‘We tell the world that we’re a land of opportunity, where anyone can grow up to be the president. Then we limit ourselves to a handful of political dynasties.’ ‘That’s not good for our image overseas, or for our democracy at home.’"

Source: Huanqiu, April 12, 2014
http://world.huanqiu.com/exclusive/2014-04/4969327.html
LA Times, March 27, 2014
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/commentary/la-oe-zimmerman-political-dynasties-20140327,0,4599058.story#axzz2x9oFfqj1

Briefings | | April 14, 2014 | US-China Relations

Xinhua Commentary Series: Spotlight on the U.S. Presidential Election

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.”