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Wu Guoguang: Xi Jinping’s Reversal of the Course, Will China’s Transition be Peaceful or Marked with Bloodshed?

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Cheng Xiaonong: U.S.-China Strategic Relations Have Crystallized

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Xinhua Commentaries: “Exposing the Three Major Political Deficits of the U.S.”

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The CCP’s Performing Arts Troupes in the U.S.

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As the Top Leader of the National Security Committee, Xi Jinping Strengthens His Personal Power

At The Third Plenary Session (“Third Plenum”) of the 18th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party held in Beijing from November 9th to November 12th, 2013, the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee decided to create two state institutes, a Leading Team Supervising “Comprehensively Deepening” Economic Reform and a new National Security Committee. According to China Review News on November 13, 2013, Xi Jinping, the head of the Party and the state, may take charge of the newly created National Security Committee. Xi Jinping may also serve as the head of the Economic Reform Leading Team. If that’s the case, Xi’s personal power will be strengthened.

The Presidency of the People’s Republic of China is usually a symbolic position. If Xi Jinping chairs the National Security Committee in the name of the President, the President will assume the real power over public security, military troops, and the diplomacy.

Source: China Review News, November 13, 2013
http://www.zhgpl.com/doc/1028/6/1/5/102861571.html?coluid=151&kindid=0&docid=102861571&mdate=1113100553

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

“A National Security Committee Will Further Consolidate the People’s Confidence in China”

On November 13, 2013, Huanqiu, the Chinese edition of Global Times, published an editorial titled, “Now Is the Right Time to Create a National Security Committee.” The Third Plenary Session (“Third Plenum”) of the 18th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party held in Beijing from November 9th to November 12th has made the decision to establish a new state security body to handle the increase in domestic conflicts and international disputes. The new agency will include representatives from different agencies including diplomacy, military, intelligence, commerce and all major players that interact with foreign identity.

The editorial proposed calling on all of the Chinese people across the nation to show their patriotism by making contributions to safeguarding national security. It stated, “Doing nothing to harm national security should be in every citizen’s consciousness.” The editorial concluded, “We hope that the establishment of the National Security Committee will (help the Chinese government) to respond effectively to the new situation and make Chinese society, this super large machine, function more stably and safely so as to further consolidate the people’s confidence in Chinese society.”

Source: Huanqiu, November 13, 2013
http://opinion.huanqiu.com/editorial/2013-11/4557729.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

BBC Chinese: Chinese Netizens Doubt the Shanghai Government

BBC Chinese recently reported that the City government of Shanghai just announced that it will become a “government by law” within five years. The new announcement promised to change the role of the government dramatically, to improve the laws, to deliver better transparency, to encourage public participation in the political process, and to make Shanghai the regional government with the highest approval rating in the nation. The government claimed to have a detailed plan with a timeline. However no details have been released. The announcement triggered a widespread discussion online among Chinese netizens. Most of the comments online expressed doubt. Some suggested that, finally, the government admitted it is not based on the law. Some called for a deeper investigation into the recent scandal involving a group of Shanghai High Court judges caught on tape with prostitutes who a large state-owned company had paid. 
Source: BBC Chinese, November 7, 2013
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/china/2013/11/131107_shanghai_government.shtml
Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

OPEC: The Chinese Automobile Market will Support an Increase in the Demand for Oil

Global Times recently reported that OPEC just adjusted its earlier long-term oil market forecast on market demand to show an increase. This is the first time in six years that OPEC has projected an optimistic forecast. The organization also re-estimated China’s automobile market size. OPEC expressed the belief that the world demand for oil will be 108.5 million barrels per day by the year 2035. The organization also estimated that China’s “vehicle parc” will increase by 380 million over the next 22 years. That will be the equivalent of every 1000 people owning 320 vehicles. This rate of increase is based on the same pace that Japan had in the 1990s. The OPEC report also expected that the Indian automobile market would show rapid growth. However the U.S. shale oil and the Canadian oil sands have been rapidly changing the landscape of the oil market, making today’s reality very much different from OPEC’s forecast made two years ago. 
Source: Global Times, November 8, 2013
http://finance.huanqiu.com/world/2013-11/4545717.html
Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

CRN: Chinese Army’s Regimental Combat Troops Armed with Beidou Positioning System

China Review News (CRN) recently reported that nearly all Chinese regimental combat troops have been equipped with the Beidou global positioning system. The Beidou system is the Chinese home-grown positioning system that the Chinese military operates. The system claims to be the world’s third largest global positioning system (the U.S. GPS being number one). The Chinese military started developing the system in 1985, after Chinese missiles failed to receive the U.S. GPS signals. The Chinese system uses only two satellites, which work jointly with a “height distance” database to offer precise positioning. It is considered to have the world’s most secure architecture with the widest coverage for a two-satellite system. The Chinese military aims to accomplish global coverage by the year 2020.
Source: China Review News, November 9, 2013
http://www.zhgpl.com/doc/1028/5/5/2/102855294.html?coluid=4&kindid=16&docid=102855294&mdate=1109211306
Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

Qiushi on Chinese Culture Going Abroad

Qiushi republished an article from Guangming Daily about Chinese culture going abroad. The article drew the conclusion that "Chinese culture needs to go abroad; ‘going abroad’ is not to change other people but to let the world understand China and Chinese culture. Letting others accept Chinese culture is to let them accept it voluntarily."

The author discussed the forms for spreading Chinese culture. His suggestion was to provide as many culture products and culture services overseas as possible. Another approach is to have a large number of Chinese go overseas. Those people are the ones who spread Chinese culture. If they demonstrate a good personal quality and civilized behavior, Chinese culture will have a higher status.

Source: Qiushi, November, 8, 2013
http://www.qstheory.cn/wh/whzl/201311/t20131108_288251.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Xinhua Comments on Explosions in Taiyuan

On November 7, Xinhua published a commentary on the multiple explosions that took place in front of the Provincial Communist Party building in Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi Province.

“On November 6, there was an explosion in front of the Provincial Party building with one fatality, one in critical condition, and seven with minor injuries. Police have found steel balls and circuit boards on the site. The preliminarily determination is that the explosions were set off deliberately.” 

“Some recent bombings have gone beyond an ordinary individual ‘venting,’ and have even put on the cloak of terrorism. As ordinary citizens, on the one hand, [we] should be vigilant and create in the whole society a situation ‘to prevent and to fight back against such actions so that acts of extreme violence will have no opportunity to start. On the other hand, we must also remain cool and calm and not exaggerate the significance of such extreme violence. China has already entered the era of a complex society. Modern terrorism and extremist activities outside China are very frequent. Inevitably there are a few flies [in China] that follow them.” 
“Security and order are still the main theme in China. The law will eventually punish any acts of extreme violence.” 
Source: Xinhua, November 7, 2013 
http://news.xinhuanet.com/comments/2013-11/07/c_118040363.htm
Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Xi Jinping Calls on Military to Resolutely Obey the Party’s Commands

Xi Jinping, China’s President, who is also chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party, met with delegates of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who were attending a seminar in Beijing on Party development. During the meeting, Xi called on the military to uphold the leadership of the Communist Party and advocated strengthening Party development in the military. 

“The most fundamental reason that our military has been able to overcome all kinds of hardships and has moved from victory to victory is that the military steadfastly obeys and follows the Party. This is the soul and lifeblood of our military which we should never change or lose. The primary task of the Party’s development in the military is to ensure the CPC’s absolute leadership which is also the fundamental requirement of Party development in the military. … [Our military] must unswervingly adhere to the fundamental principle and system of the Party’s absolute leadership over the military to ensure that at any time under any circumstances the military resolutely obeys the commands of the Party Central Committee and the Central Military Committee.” 
Source: Sina.com, November 7, 2013 
http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2013-11-07/081428644456.shtml
Briefings | | |   Defense/Military