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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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Defense Ministry: Shooting Down a Chinese Unmanned Aircraft Considered Act of War

People’s Daily recently reported that Geng Yansheng, the spokesperson for the Chinese Defense Ministry, made an announcement about the Japanese position that it would shoot down Chinese unmanned aircraft. Geng stated that China will consider that to be an act of war. He also said China will respond with “decisive” counter-attacks, and no one should under-estimate the “firm will” of the Chinese military. Earlier, the Japanese Defense Ministry had announced that Japan “may consider” shooting down Chinese unmanned aircraft if they “invade Japanese airspace.” Geng claimed that China has never invaded any foreign airspace and that Chinese military training activities in the East China Sea are “lawful normal operations.” Geng also mentioned the fact that, very recently, the Chinese Navy helped save a Japanese fishing vessel.
Source: People’s Daily, October 26, 2013
http://military.people.com.cn/n/2013/1026/c1011-23336424.html
Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

BBC Chinese: U.S. Investors Are Losing Confidence in China

BBC Chinese recently reported that, based on survey results that the Chinese American Chamber of Commerce released, less than 30 percent of the members of the Chamber thought that the environment for investors is improving in China. Over the past few months, the Chinese government and the state-run media have criticized many foreign companies in a number of industries, such as medicine, infant formula, smart phones, and coffee products. The same survey conducted last year showed that 43 percent of the people questioned expressed the belief that the investment environment in China was improving. The Chamber suggested that the loss in confidence was partially related to the new regulations on foreign investments that the government implemented at the end of 2011. At that time, the government introduced many new limitations and a lack of transparency in government licensing processes. The Chinese American Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit organization that represents over 1,000 U.S. companies and over 3,500 individuals who have invested in China. 
Source: BBC Chinese, October 24, 2013
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/china/2013/10/131024_china_us_investment.shtml
Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Xinhua: The U.S. Owes the World an Apology

Xinhua recently published a commentary calling for the U.S. to apologize for the newly reported U.S. wiretapping on German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The commentary pointed out that no one knows how many more important foreign government officials the U.S. intelligence organizations spied upon. The commentary also mentioned that the issue caused a huge trust problem among the U.S. allies in Europe. The author described the U.S. calling for “human rights” and “allies’ interests” as flat out lies after so many of its secret spying activities were exposed. The United States seems to have no intention of admitting any wrong-doing, even today. The commentator called it “ironic” that the U.S. is expressing its unhappiness over the victims because of their complaints. It concluded that the United States owes China an apology, owes Germany an apology, and, in fact, owes the world an apology.
Source: Xinhua, October 26, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/comments/2013-10/26/c_117881373.htm
Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Increase in Medical Disputes Has Caused Deep Concern for Medical Doctors’ Safety

According to an article that Xinhua originally published, Chinese medical doctors are facing increased pressure and frequent medical disputes. Work safety has become a huge concern. The article reported that 80 percent of all medical patients are spread throughout the countryside while 80 percent of medical resources are concentrated in urban areas. This imbalance was blamed for costly medical expenses, the inaccessibility of medical facilities, and frequent medical disputes. Hospitals in China also tend to prescribe excess medication, examinations, and treatments in order to increase their revenue. This has resulted in deep dissatisfaction from the patients.

According to statistics that the China Hospital Management Association published, medical disputes in China have grown an average of 22.9 percent each year since 2002. Recently in Guangzhou, after the death of a patient, the patient’s family member seriously injured his doctor. A patient in Zhejiang Province, who became violent, injured two doctors and caused another’s death. Doctors in China often suffer physical and mental stress. Statistics show that 78 percent of doctors do not want their children to become doctors.

Source: China News, October 27, 2013
http://news.china.com.cn/2013-10/27/content_30414901.htm

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Wine Industry Sales Down 50 Percent; Some Inventories up 30 Percent

China Radio International republished an article, originally from Beijing Business Today, about China’s domestic wine market. The article reported that sales for China’s domestic wines were down 50 percent while the wine makers carried inventories that were as much as 30 percent higher than the previous year. Changyu Wine Company in Yantai, Shandong Province, one of the top wineries in China, had third quarter financial results showing that the company’s net profit had declined by 46.94 percent, the lowest in five years. The government, because of its use of public funding, maintains a hard grip on food and entertainment, which is one of the reasons that the domestic wine industry has suffered from low demand. Other factors include a pricing adjustment that imported wines made in order to stay competitive. In addition, consumers favor imported wines over domestic brands.

Source: China Radio International, October 25, 2013
http://gb.cri.cn/44571/2013/10/25/3005s4297565.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

People’s Daily Commentary: Chinese Party Officials Lose Faith in Marxism

People’s Daily carried an opinion piece criticizing some Party officials because they believe in superstitions such as lucky numbers and Fengshui, an indication that they are losing faith in Marxism. The article said that those Party officials have forgotten who they are and who they can rely on. It called on the Party to intensify ideology education and to “knock down Fengshui and superstition from the altar.”

Source: People’s Daily, October 27, 2013
http://opinion.people.com.cn/n/2013/1027/c1003-23337869.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

China’s Weapons Exports Go Global

On October 25, Huanqiu (Global Times) published an article about China’s military exports. From 2008 to 2012, China’s arms exports increased by 162 percent. Its market share surpassed Britain and ranked fifth in the world. 

An insider in the Chinese military exports industry informed the Global Times reporter that China’s arms exports in the past consisted mostly of light weapons and army weapons. As technology has improved, the proportion of exports of such weapons has dropped below 50 percent. At the same time, aviation and aerospace products, such as fighter planes and long-range tactical missiles, have increased dramatically. The product mix has evolved from a unitary product to a more complete set of products. In the past, [China] exported only bullets or artillery. Now it can export an entire set of equipment such as equipment for a camp including a variety of tanks, radar, communications equipment, and so on. Chinese military enterprises did a lot of research on NATO weapons systems and can integrate Chinese products into these weapons systems. This is particularly attractive for some countries, so that they do not need to worry about the changing relationships between states or being controlled by others. 

Source: Huanqiu (Global Times), October 25, 2013 
http://mil.huanqiu.com/paper/2013-10/4488462.html

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

Qiushi: There Is No Such Thing as Universal Values

Qiushi published an article proposing that there is no such thing as the "universal values" that the West advocates. 

Qiushi stated that the international community has never reached a common understanding as to a set of values. “There are so many countries in the world with such diverse cultures and value systems. Which of them has values that could be called "universal"? Which of their systems could not become “universal values”? There has to be an acceptable screening procedure that would allow all countries to express their views. If only a few Western countries have the final say on such an important matter, where in this world is there justice and fairness?” 
“Some Western countries prefer to use abstract concepts to bluff, while, behind the scenes, they engage in deliberations over their selfish strategic interests. Today, we ought to transform this abstract concept into something specific. Then we can ask a few whys so we will not be fooled by this Western discourse. The West spreads the concept everywhere that democracy is a ‘universal value.’ We can clearly respond: democracy can be a value most people agree to, but the Western democratic system was not, is not, and never will be a ‘universal value.’” 
Source: Qiushi, October 16, 2013 
http://www.qstheory.cn/zxdk/2013/201320/201310/t20131012_278157.htm
Briefings | | |   Government/Politics