Chinascope – Page 792

PLA Daily: Military Incidents Have Been Politicalized to Damage the PLA’s Image

PLA Daily carried an article saying that there have been a number of cases in which military incidents or military family members involvement in illegal activities have been exaggerated on the Internet resulting in serious damage to the PLA’s image. The article stated that the parties behind it are the “Internet water army” or experts backed by western hostile forces who intend to win the battle of Internet public opinion.

According to the article, the PLA must learn to fight with such invisible enemies, give immediate responses to those damaging remarks, fight against wrongful ideology, and win the “war without smoke.” It said that the PLA should actively create microblogs and web chat platforms to broadcast positive messages online in order to gain the discourse right while patiently clarifying any misunderstandings, rectifying incorrect public opinions, and firmly cutting off any source that will cause damage to the PLA.

Source: PLA Daily, January 26, 2014
http://www.chinamil.com.cn/jfjbmap/content/2014-01/26/content_65230.htm

Briefings | | January 27, 2014 | Defense/Military

Huanqiu: The Possibility that Sino-Vietnamese Relations Will “Derail” Has Increased

Huanqiu (Global Times), which is under People’s Daily, published a commentary that discussed recent developments in Sino-Vietnamese relations. The following is a summary of the commentary. 　　

Starting on January 18, Vietnam organized a series of activities to commemorate "the 40th anniversary of the Paracel Islands maritime war" including photo exhibits of how the "Paracel Islands belong to Vietnam," "naval martyrs of the Paracel Islands maritime war," a candlelight vigil," and an international forum on the subject of how the "Paracel Islands belong to Vietnam." In addition to a handful of media directly under the central government, most domestic media reported on related activities. It is said that the Vietnamese side will host activities to commemorate "the 35th anniversary of the northern border Battle [against China]." The above facts show that the possibility that Sino-Vietnamese relations will "derail" has increased.

It is worth noting that nationalist sentiment in Vietnam is increasing. Sino-Vietnam relations are facing more and more severe challenges. In recent years, the differences between China and Vietnam have been increasingly focused on the South China Sea issue. On the South China Sea, Vietnam’s officials and the public’s views have been consistent: that it is "a matter of national survival." According to its maritime strategy planning, Vietnam expects to raise its maritime economic output to 53 to 55 percent of GDP by 2020. Therefore, advancing into the South China Sea is its inevitable choice. On the other hand, many Vietnamese worry that China will become an obstacle for Vietnam to achieve its goal. They believe a more powerful China will eventually endanger "the survival of the Vietnamese nation."

As long as China continues to defend its rights in the South China Sea and as long as the Vietnamese need to maintain their "national unity," it will be difficult for its [hostile] domestic sentiments towards China to subside.

Source: Huanqiu, January 21, 2014　

http://opinion.huanqiu.com/opinion_world/2014-01/4773631.html

Briefings | | January 24, 2014 | Geo-Strategic Trend

True Identity Required When Posting Video Online

China’s State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television issued a notice that requires anyone who posts a video online to use their real name and identity. The companies hosting the videos will be required to verify the identity of whoever uploads a video and can no longer hide the real identity of the uploader. This notice is supplemental to a July 2012 notice to deal with new issues that have emerged.

The notice stressed that the companies that host an online video must carry out the responsibility of video producer. These companies “can only forward [post] the drama, movies, and other micro-network audio-visual programs if the companies have verified the true identity of whoever posts the video and if the content is consistent with the content regulations. [The companies] cannot forward [post] similar programs made by anyone who does not use his true identity.”

The notice stated that online video programs not consistent with the relevant State regulations must be removed immediately.

Source: Xinhua, January 21, 2014

http://news.xinhuanet.com/newmedia/2014-01/21/c_126038567.htm

Briefings | | January 24, 2014 | Government/Politics

Xi Jinping on Cleaning Out Political Dust

On January 20, Xi Jinping spoke at a Party conference on anti-corruption training. At the conference, Xi stated, “Criticism and self-criticism are powerful weapons to clean out the Party’s political dust and microorganisms. [We] must follow the spirit of rectification and be strict with the Party’s life. [We] must focus on improving the ability of the leaders to find and solve their own problems.”

Xi also pointed out that further anti-corruption training must adhere to the same theme, with the same focus, to implement the overall requirement of “look into the mirror, dress up, take a shower and treat the disease.”

Source: Xinhua, January 20, 2014

http://big5.xinhuanet.com/gate/big5/c.m.news.cn/politics/2014-01/20/d_119051416.htm

Briefings | | January 24, 2014 | Government/Politics

Xinhua: China Can Only Choose to Fight Back When Faced with U.S. Military Deterrence

Xinhua republished a commentary article originally from China Review News, a pro-Beijing media located in Hong Kong, with the title “China Can Only Choose to Fight Back When Faced with U.S. Military Deterrence. “Below is an excerpt from the article:

“Following the United States’ strengthening of its military deployment in the Asia-Pacific region, China has strengthened its military presence in the region. The U.S. has accused China’s military action of being military coercion.

“As we all know, after proposing its rebalancing strategy in the Asia-Pacific in 2012, the United States adopted a series of measures to strengthen the U.S. military presence in the Asia Pacific region. The United States also enhanced its deterrence efforts against China by improving the military forces of countries that have maritime territorial disputes with China, such as Japan, the Philippines, and Vietnam. The United States also gathered related countries in the South China Sea and the East China Sea to conduct ever expanding joint military exercises. These U.S. practices have been a serious threat to China’s homeland security. It is an indisputable fact.

“When faced with such U.S. military deterrence, China has no alternative but to choose to fight back. Whether China announces in high profile the establishment of maritime power, gradually increases its defense force in the South China Sea and the Diaoyu Islands, holds joint naval exercises with Russia, or establishes an air defense identification zone, China has to deal with the U.S. military deterrence using its own way. From this perspective, it is because of the U.S.’s military buildup in the Asia Pacific and engaging in an arms race with related countries that China has been forced to increase the strength of its military power.

“The U.S. accuses China of military coercion in the South China Sea and the East China Sea, but the intensification of the South China Sea and the East China Sea disputes are, to a large extent, all related to the United States’ fanning the flames [in the region]. Since implementing the strategy of returning to the Asia-Pacific, the U.S. has sharply increased military aid to the countries that have maritime territorial disputes with China. Also, regarding these disputes, the U.S. does not advise these countries to [resolve the dispute], but groundlessly accuses China of ‘displaying a tough stance.’ This attitude will only encourage the related countries to increase their determination against China and make the problem of territorial disputes more complicated. The security situation in the Asia-Pacific is getting worse.

"The United States’ approach, however, may bring another possibility: China will become more determined and stronger, increasingly deviating from the United States’ envisaged development track.”

Source: Xinhua, January 17, 2014

http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2014-01/17/c_126021305.htm

Briefings | | January 23, 2014 | US-China Relations

China’s Unprecedented Internet Mishap Due to Malfunction of Domain Name Root Servers

On January 21, at around 15:20, China’s entire top-level domain name root servers (DNS) malfunctioned, leaving two-thirds of China’s websites inaccessible and “causing severe damage to China’s Internet.”

Internet users found themselves re-directed to IP 65.49.2.178 [a U.S. website]. The malfunction lasted until 18:30 when visits to most of the .com websites had been restored.

The state-run China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) earlier said in a microblog post that the incident was due to a malfunction in China’s top-level domain name root servers and that the incident had no impact on .cn which functioned properly throughout the incident.

Sources:

Nanfang Daily, January 22, 2014

http://epaper.nfdaily.cn/html/2014-01/22/content_7269197.htm

Xinhua, January 22, 2014

http://news.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2014-01/22/c_119082541.htm

Briefings | | January 23, 2014 | Information/Technology

Qiushi: The Values Freedom, Democracy, Equality, and Rule by Law Are Different in China

On January 16, 2014, Qiushi, a theoretical journal of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee, published an article denying the existence of any “universal values.” Although the Chinese Communist Party also advocated “freedom,” “democracy,” “equality,” and “rule by law” in its report issued at the recent 18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, the interpretations of these four values are different in nature from the “universal values” in the West.

According to the article, the people of China enjoy complete equality in economic, political, social, cultural, and other aspects rather than just the periodic “voting rights” in the Western countries. Socialist democracy and justice in China allow the Chinese people to be the real masters of the nation, while democracy and justice in the Western countries just represent a rotation of power between bourgeois parties.

Source: Qiushi, January 16, 2014
http://www.qstheory.cn/zxdk/2014/201402/201401/t20140114_312584.htm

Briefings | | January 22, 2014 | Government/Politics

People’s Daily: CAS Released New Operating System

People’s Daily recently reported that, on January 15, the Software Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) announced the availability of the China Operating System (COS). CAS fully owns the intellectual property of the new operating system, which is deigned to “break the monopoly” currently enjoyed by foreign operating systems such as those made by Microsoft, Apple, and Google. Due to the various security issues that open source operating systems have, the COS is designed to be “closed-source” in order to offer better security. The new operating system is aimed at all market segments including personal computers, hand-held devices, set-top boxes, and “smart” appliances. The COS claims to be built from the ground up, without any dependency on any other operating systems. Although hundreds of millions of Chinese end-point machines are currently running “foreign” operating systems, the Chinese Academy of Sciences is determined to face the challenges and join the competition against the international mainstream.

Source: People’s Daily, January 16, 2014

http://gd.people.com.cn/n/2014/0116/c123932-20406940.html

Briefings | | January 21, 2014 | Information/Technology

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.