Chinascope – Page 802

CRN: China’s Economy Faces Four Major Challenges

China Review News (CRN) recently published an article discussing China’s macroeconomic trend, based on the goals set by the recent Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee Conference of the Communist Party. The author expressed the belief that China’s rapid economic growth was largely based on demand that was not domestic. Over the past 35 years, China’s domestic consumer market has been playing less and less of an important role in its GDP numbers. The article identified four primary challenges China faces: 1) Taking advantage of the rapid developments in the science and technology space; 2) Reducing the dependency on pure government investments for economic growth; 3) Adjusting the economy gracefully to deal with the lack of younger workers due to an aging society; 4) Balancing the domestic economy and China’s role in the global economy. The author called for a significant change of the economic growth model and structure so as to focus more on domestic consumers.

Source: China Review News, January 12, 2014

http://hk.crntt.com/doc/1029/7/4/5/102974525.html?coluid=53&kindid=0&docid=102974525&mdate=0112082909

Briefings | | January 14, 2014 | Economy/Resources

State Oceanic Administration: Half of Ocean Waste Water Discharge Outlets Exceed Pollution Level

According to the State Oceanic Administration, the latest statistics show that, out of 156 ocean waste water discharge outlets in China, 78 of them, or 50 percent exceed the allowable level of pollution, especially in phosphorus, suspended solid waste, and the chemical oxygen demand level. In addition, seawater encroachment and soil salinization both worsened compared with 2012.

Source: Xinhua, January 10, 2014
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2014-01/10/c_118922927.htm

Briefings | | January 13, 2014 | Economy/Resources

Beijing Public Security Bureau Vows to Follow Party’s Absolute Leadership

On January 10, following Xi Jinping’s recent talk at the annual work conference on political and legal affairs, the Beijing Public Security Bureau held a leadership video conference to further study Xi’s key messages. Fu Zhenghua, the Vice Minister of Public Security attended the conference and directed that the members of the public security bureau in Beijing should firmly follow the party’s leadership and work hard to bring about changes in public security work in the areas of fulfilling work responsibility, ensuring social stability, and promoting scientific development work in the state capital.

Source: Xinhua, January 11, 2014
http://news.xinhuanet.com/legal/2014-01/11/c_125988364.htm

Briefings | | January 13, 2014 | Government/Politics

Japan and India Agree to Cooperate in Forming an Anti-China Great Wall

The following is an excerpt from an article in Xinhua, China’s State-run media, entitled, "Eye on China: Japan and India Expand Their Cooperation on Defense." The article reported on Japan and India’s military cooperation:

Recently in New Delhi, Japan’s defense minister Itsunori Onodera reached an agreement with India to cooperate on defense. On the 7th, media from both countries invariably made this same interpretation. Both sides confirmed that they will hold regular joint exercises and strengthen anti-terrorism, humanitarian assistance, and other aspects of cooperation. As an "epic signal" of strengthening the relations between Japan and India, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will be present on the 26th of this month as the main guest at the India National Day military parade. Media from the two countries stressed that the common "China threat" is the "catalyst" for both sides to come together.

The website of the Indian Digest magazine summarized the defense cooperation agreement that the two countries reached on the 6th. The title of the article was, "India and Japan Use Military Relations to Build an Anti-China Great Wall."

Japan’s Daily News commented on the 7th that cooperation with India is a measure taken against the military rise of China.

Source: Xinhua, January 8, 2014

http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2014-01/08/c_125971534.htm http://world.huanqiu.com/exclusive/2014-01/4732758.html

Briefings | | January 10, 2014 | Geo-Strategic Trend

Xi Jinping Calls for Cleaning up Corrupt Officials – the Black Sheep in the Family

At the recent annual work conference on political and legal affairs in Beijing, President Xi Jinping called on China’s judges and law enforcement officials to clean out corruption from their own ranks. The remarks were made amid a wide-ranging probe into leaders in charge of China’s political and legal affairs.

Xi stressed that political and legal affairs must follow the leadership of the Party and correctly handle the relationship between the Party’s policies and the law of the country. “[We must] achieve the situation in which the Party promulgates, enforces and abides by the law.” Xi also emphasized that the fundamental task of political and legal affairs is to maintain social stability.

He pointed out that the core value of political and legal affairs is to promote social fairness and justice. “Political and legal workforces should have the courage to take responsibility and, in the face of unhealthy trends, dare to show their sword. [We] must exercise the most resolute will and take the most decisive actions to eliminate corruption in the political and legal sector, and resolutely clean up the black sheep in the family [the trouble-making sheep in the flock].”

Source: Xinhua, January 9, 2014

http://news.xinhuanet.com/legal/2014-01/09/c_125977855.htm

Briefings | | January 10, 2014 | Government/Politics

Chinese Academician: China Must Develop Its Cyber Warfare Forces

Wu Jiangxing, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering and former president of the PLA Information Engineering University, recently attended a grand interview program of "academicians talking about strengthening the military." Wu called for the establishment of a Chinese cyber frontier defense army as an imminent task.

Cyberspace has become the fifth biggest battlefield after land, sea, air, and space. The United States has established a cyber warfare force and regards cyber warfare forces as a major component in safeguarding national security. Wu Jiangxing said that the nature of cyber warfare forces is the same as other armed forces. The purpose of "cyber warfare forces is, first, to defend cyberspace; secondly it should develop counter measures."

Wu said that, at present, China is just beginning to explore how to protect its national information technology facilities. Compared to the massive and frequent nationwide actions of "Cyber Storm" exercises that the United States held in recent years, China falls far behind both in scale and in technical levels. Wu proposed that China must cultivate the concept of a cyber frontier defense; innovatively develop and change the current rules of the game using revolutionary technology; and allow China to develop more effective means and equipment to defend the country’s cyberspace frontier.

Source: Xinhua, January 7, 2014

http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2014-01/07/c_125948370.htm

Briefings | | January 9, 2014 | Defense/Military

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.”