Chinascope – Page 806

Three Gorges Dam May Cause Earthquakes

Shen Guofang, head of an assessment group for the Three Gorges Dam, acknowledged that the dam can definitely induce earthquakes.

"It is certain that irrigation dams will induce earthquakes, but the magnitude is generally small. They are primarily microseismic or very microseismic. That is because the deep penetration of the reservoir water along the fault would reduce their resistance to shear. Also enormous pressure from the dam itself and from the water will lead to the formation of certain changes in the geological structure.”

Sheng dismissed suggestions that the Three Gorges Dam may have caused the Wenchuan earthquake in May 2008 (8.3M) and the Lushan earthquake in April 2013 (7.0M).

Source: Xinhua, December 18, 2013

http://news.xinhuanet.com/local/2013-12/18/c_125875613.htm

Briefings | | December 20, 2013 | Economy/Resources

Navy Admiral: U.S. Warships Forcibly Entering Our Carrier Zone Is Similar to Provocation

The report below was originally published in Jinghua Times and then republished in People’s Daily.

On December 5, a U.S. Navy Ticonderoga-class of guided missile cruiser nearly collided with a Chinese warship while carrying out surveillance of China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier in the South China Sea. According to the Global Times, the U.S. military had entered the inner defense zone of the cruiser aircraft carrier battle groups.

This is another incident in the escalating confrontation between an emerging big maritime country, China, and the United States, the maritime power that has been dominant in the Asia-Pacific since World War II.

Rear Adm. Yin Zhuo, director of the Chinese PLA Navy Advisory Committee for Information Technology, said that reconnaissance operations do not violate international law; however, because the Liaoning ship had already designated the area of activity and briefed the world before the pilot training exercises, under normal circumstances, other country’s ships would not freely enter the relevant waters for safety reasons. He noted that the U.S. military "test Gibbons" cruiser was sailing through our carrier battle groups, ignoring the advice of our guard vessels. This is a very unfriendly close reconnaissance operation, similar to provocation.

Source: People’s Daily, December 17, 2013

http://military.people.com.cn/n/2013/1217/c1011-23858252.html

http://epaper.jinghua.cn/html/2013-12/17/content_48996.htm

Briefings | | December 19, 2013 | US-China Relations

China’s First Government-issued News Media Training Materials Focus on Ideology

Established in March 2013, the State General Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SGAPPRFT), which integrated and replaced the previous General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) and the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT), is a grand central government agency overseeing the nation’s news media and all channels of broadcasting.

In October, SGAPPRFT officially recommended the 2013 News Reporters Training Materials to the nation’s media organizations. The publisher is the People’s Publishing House, the publisher of official ideology. The Training Materials, written by SGAPPRFT as preparation materials for the 2014 general examination of the nation’s news reporters and editors, is also China’s very first compendium of government-issued news media training materials. Liu Binjie, former president and Party chief of GAPP, is the editor in chief and Jiang Jianguo, Party chief of SGAPPRFT, is the deputy editor in chief.

SGAPPRFT distributed over 10,000 copies of the Training Materials to all the nation’s news organizations. It consists of four parts: training courses, news gathering and editing regulations, regulations on news organizations’ management of news gathering and editing, and exercises. It also includes six episodes of 45-minute teaching videos. The focus is on training courses and teaching videos, contents including "socialism with Chinese characteristics," "Marxist views of the news," "journalistic ethics," "regulations on news," "norms of news gathering and editing," and "prevention of false news."

On October 19, at a forum for the publication of the Training Materials, leading officials, including the deputy chief of the Party’s Central Propaganda Department, the Party chief of the All-China Journalists’ Association, the editor in chief of Guangming Daily, and vice deans of the Journalism Schools of Renmin University and Tsinghua University took the opportunity to discuss the Marxist views of news media, and ask news organizations to attach great importance to the training and assessment of reporters, so as to "conduct a systematic political and operational education, comprehensively enhance the quality of the news gathering and editing staff, and firmly hold onto the leadership in ideological work."

Source: Guangming Daily, October 19, 2013
http://news.gmw.cn/2013-10/19/content_9220596.htm

Briefings | | December 19, 2013 | Information/Technology

Chinese Foreign Minister: Key Directions for China’s Diplomacy in 2014

According to a December 16, 2013, article in Xinhua, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi delivered a speech in Beijing at a “seminar on China and the world in 2013.” Wang Yi said that in the year 2014, China will fully extend its diplomatic efforts to all areas. China will build "positive" and "healthy" relationships with major powers including the United States, Russia, and Europe, with surrounding countries, and with developing countries including Africa and Latin America.

China will actively participate in the reform of the international economic governance system and continuously improve China’s rule-making authority and the right to speak. As the host country of the CICA Summit 2014 (the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia) and APEC 2014 (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation), China will also vividly explain the "China’s Dream," its "peaceful rise," and its "justice ideology" to participants through forums and exhibits so as to increase China’s soft power. China will play its role by making its voice heard on Syria, Iran, and other regional hotspot issues and will strive to restart the six-party talks on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Source: Xinhua, December 16, 2013
http://big5.xinhuanet.com/gate/big5/news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2013-12/16/c_118576141.htm

Briefings | | December 18, 2013 | Government/Politics

China’s Central Economic Work Conference: Make Economic Progress and Maintain Social Stability

On December 10 to 13, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) held its Central Economic Work Conference in Beijing. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and President of the PRC, delivered a speech at the conference. The conference first gave the Chinese Communist Party credit for “continuously improving the living standards of the people” and for an “overall harmonious and stable society.” Then the conference acknowledged problems in the areas of overcapacity, food safety, rise of the macroeconomic debt level, unemployment, the deterioration of the ecological environment, tainted food and drugs, and poor public safety.

The conference emphasized that the core of the economic work, starting in 2014, will be to make progress while maintaining stability, balance economic “reform” and social “stability” and strengthen the Party’s leadership over "the comprehensive deepening reform." “The conference urged the whole Party and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups to unite closely around the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee headed by Xi Jinping, the Party’s General Secretary.”

Source: Xinhua, December 13, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2013-12/13/c_125857613.htm

Briefings | | December 18, 2013 | Government/Politics

Sina Finance: China’s Economy Is Slowing Down

Well-known Chinese online financial news portal Sina Finance recently reported that, although rapid growth has made China the world’s second largest economy, the Chinese economy is suffering its lowest growth rate in over twenty years. Many key western investors have started cutting jobs in their Chinese operations. Examples are Hewlett-Packard (HP), International Business Machines (IBM), Johnson’s, and software services provider Bsquare Corp. According to the Chinese government’s official numbers, foreign investment grew 4.7 percent, while domestic investment growth reached 19.9 percent, as compated to the same period last year. Based on statistics provided by a large Chinese online job market vendor, overall job offers increased by 30 percent. However, at the same time, offers from western companies declined by 5 percent. Interviews of well-known headhunter companies also confirmed that business from international companies has shown a significant slow-down.

Source: Sina Finance, December 13, 2013

http://finance.sina.com/bg/tech/sinacn/20131213/0344924833.html

Briefings | | December 17, 2013 | Economy/Resources

Global Times: Japan Insisted on Adding Content to ASEAN Summit Announcement

Global Times recently reported that Japan insisted on adding language regarding the newly established Chinese Air Defense Identification Zone to the joint announcement of the Special Summit between Japan and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations). Japan wanted to mention the importance of “safety and the freedom of flight over the high seas.” Japan firmly insisted on the addition despite the unwillingness of some ASEAN countries. The final draft also included the agreement that the nations involved would coordinate on the Chinese Identification Zone issue under ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization). The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that China “noticed the related reports” and would like to suggest that countries should not go against a third party when developing relationships.

Source: Global Times, December 13, 2013

http://world.huanqiu.com/exclusive/2013-12/4660856.html

Briefings | | December 17, 2013 | Geo-Strategic Trend

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.”