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

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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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Cai Mingzhao: Present Good Information about China and Spread China’s Voice

[Editor’s Note: Cai Mingzhao, the Vice Minister of the Publicity Department of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee and Director of International Communications for the CCP Central Committee, wrote an article for People’s Daily Online on how to make better use of propaganda to promote China’s soft power. In the article Cai discussed how propaganda work can “present good information about China and spread China’s voice” overseas. The following is an excerpt from his article] [1]

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Reports | | |   Report

Xi Jinping Explained the CCP’s Central Committee’s Economic Reform Decisions

Xi Jinping, the chairman of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, wrote an article that Xinhua published on November 15, 2013. Actually, the article was Xi’s speech given at the Third Plenary session of the 18th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party that was held this month. The article further explained the CCP Central Committee’s decisions on deepening economic reform comprehensively. 

  1. The comprehensive deepening of reform will focus on economic reform only. “We should take new steps to improve the socialist market economic system.” The Party and the government should play an active role in our socialist market economic system.
  2. Adhere to the dominant position of the state ownership. While the state-owned economy plays a leading role, the mixed-ownership economy is also important. State capital, collective capital, and private capital are allowed mix together in cross-shareholdings.
  3. While maintaining the stability of the existing financial structure of the central government and local governments, improve the revenue division between the central government and local governments.
  4. Encourage larger and professional agricultural cooperative enterprises. Add farmers who have settled in cities into urban housing and social security systems
  5. Promote consultative democracy in economic and social development areas under the Party’s leadership.
  6. Abolish the reeducation through labor system [the forced labor camp system]. Punish and redress criminal acts with a better legal system.
  7. Anti-corruption [will be] under the unified leadership of the Party.
  8. Further control the Internet with the improved leadership system.
  9. A new National Security Committee, which shall be under centralized and unified leadership, will safeguard the national sovereignty, security, and development interests externally and will maintain political security and social stability internally.
  10. Set up a national natural resources asset management system.
  11. Establish a Central Leading Group, which will be in charge of deepening the economic reform comprehensively, to ensure the smooth progress of the reform.

Source: Xinhua, November 15, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2013-11/15/c_118164294.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

BBC Chinese: IKEA Gave More Aid to the Philippines than China Did

BBC Chinese recently reported that China only provided minimal aid to the Philippines after that nation was hit hard by typhoon Haiyan. China’s commitment on aid totaled US$2 million. The United States promised US$20 million plus military missions involving an aircraft carrier fleet. Japan promised US$10 million in aid plus military help. Australia committed US$28 million. Even the popular furniture retailer IKEA donated US$2.7 million to the victims. China complained that China was hurt by the same typhoon as well. The Chinese government received mixed comments in the media. Singapore researcher Zhen Yongnian suggested that China is far behind the United States in terms of “soft power.” Some Chinese netizens even commented that the Chinese government was better to the Philippines than to its own people.
Source: BBC Chinese, November 14, 2013
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/world/2013/11/131114_china_philippines_aid_ikea.shtml
Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Xinhua: Chinese Foreign Aid Program Performs Outstandingly û Ahead of the U.S.

Xinhua recently reported that, in the recent disaster, China did not provide swift aid to the Philippines, while the U.S. military delivered immediate help in a very short period of time and on a large scale. However, the report suggested that this was an isolated case since the Chinese military does not yet have the capacity to provide such a level of aid and the Philippines might not welcome the Chinese military on their land anyway. The United States was just taking the opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to an ally that is important to the U.S. Asian strategy. China’s global aid program does not focus on natural disasters. Instead, the Chinese foreign aid program provides assistance to other nations’ development plans. China has been doing much better than the U.S. in areas such as offering low-interest or no-interest loans and building basic infrastructure in developing countries.
Source: Xinhua, November 14, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2013-11/14/c_125699206.htm
Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

CRN: Chinese Military Unmanned Aircraft Deployed Nationwide

China Review News (CRN) recently published a report commenting on remarks that a Chinese general made. The general suggested that China would continue to send unmanned aircraft to certain areas with the full confidence of self-protection. The comment was made in response to the Japanese threat of shooting down Chinese unmanned aircraft. The report went further into an investigation on China’s actual capabilities in the area of unmanned aircraft and found that the Chinese military has completed deploying fleets of unmanned aircraft to all seven military regions. These unmanned aircraft fleets are composed of different types of unmanned aircraft that play different roles such as intelligence gathering, command control, and precise attack. The Chinese unmanned aircraft can now carry out all-weather and long-range military missions. The report also mentioned that the Chinese military is aiming to reach the same advanced level that the U.S. unmanned aircraft enjoy. 
Source: China Review News, November 14, 2013
http://www.zhgpl.com/doc/1028/6/5/9/102865972.html?coluid=4&kindid=18&docid=102865972&mdate=1114172715
Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

By 2025 China Will Be the Number One Lung Cancer Nation in the World

The China North-South Lung Cancer Summit was held in Beijing on November 15 and 16. Statistics reported at the summit show that that lung cancer has become the number one cancer in China. By 2025, it is expected that China will have 1 million lung cancer patients, which will be the highest in the world. The statistics also showed that, out of 1.1 billion cigarette smokers in the world, 350 million of those are in China. Among those who are age 15 and above, 33.5 percent are smokers. One million people in China die from cigarette related diseases every year. While, at present, this accounts for 22.7 percent of the people who die from cancer, the number is growing by 26.9 percent every year. Lung cancer is said to be the highest among male patients.

[Editor’s note: According to the World Cancer Research Fund International (WCRF), at present, Hungary has the highest rate of lung cancer per 100,000 of population, followed by French Polynesia and the United States.]
 
Source: Xinhua, November 17, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/tech/2013-11/17/c_118170600.htm
The WCRF,
http://www.wcrf.org/cancer_statistics/data_specific_cancers/lung_cancer_statistics.php

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology

Chinese Consumers Account for 47 Percent of the World’s Luxury Goods Market

The China Luxury Goods marketing Research Agency recently issued the "China’s Luxury Goods Consumption Report," which contained information on China’s spending on luxury goods. China has the largest number of luxury goods consumers in the world. These consumers have spent an estimated US$102 trillion on luxury goods in 2013, which accounts for 47 percent of the total worldwide luxury goods market. China’s total luxury goods purchases included domestic as well as foreign purchases. In 2013, China’s domestic luxury goods purchases are expected to show growth of three percent. Chinese tourists also drove the overseas luxury goods spending market. Price differences between the domestic and foreign market and the appreciation of the Chinese yuan are cited as the reasons. Reports indicate that, even though the Chinese people’s luxury goods consumption continues to grow, the rate of increase has slowed down compared to prior years.

Source: Guangming Daily, November 15, 2013
http://economy.gmw.cn/2013-11/15/content_9495500.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Chinese Consumers Favor the iPhone 5C

According to a report from Di Xing Tong, China’s largest cell phone chain store, since the iPhone 5S and 5C were introduced in China on September 20, the ratio of iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C phones purchases in China has been 3.68:1 compared to 2:23:1, which is the ratio in the overseas markets. The report indicated that the reason Chinese consumers favored the 5S over the 5C, even though their quality is comparable, is that the 5S is considered to be more upscale. They are therefore less likely to be attracted to the cheaper version of the iPhone5C.

Source: Guangming Daily, November 15, 2013
http://it.gmw.cn/2013-11/15/content_9495124.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources