Chinascope – Page 826

Huanqiu: China Works on 3 Big Secret Military Projects

On September 3, 2013, Huanqiu, the Chinese edition of Global Times, published an article titled, “China Works on Three Big, Secret Military Projects? Divine Light and High Energy Weapons.” China’s National High-Tech Research and Development Program (the 863 Program) has vigorously worked on three types of mysterious military and civil dual-use high-tech research and development projects: 1) high power laser weapons development; 2) hypersonic aerobatic technology; 3) the 2nd generation “Beidou” satellite navigation system.

Source: Huanqiu, September 3, 2013
http://mil.huanqiu.com/paper/2013-09/4314480.html

Briefings | | September 4, 2013 | Defense/Military

Global Times: China Warned the U.S.: Don’t Interfere with Hong Kong’s Internal Affairs

Global Times recently reported that Song Zhe, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Special Commissioner to Hong Kong, warned the U.S. Hong Kong Consul General, Clifford Hart, not to interfere with Hong Kong’s internal affairs. Hong Kong media widely expressed the belief that this is the “strongest signal” given to the United States since Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule. According to many Hong Kong media reports, the frequency of Mr. Hart’s visits to local political organizations and grass-roots movements has been much higher than that of the new Hong Kong Chief Executive Chun-ying Leung. Song Zhe emphasized that the path leading to the structure of Hong Kong’s future political system is solely a Hong Kong internal matter. No foreign government should “have a hand in it.” This was the third time in the past few months that the U.S. Consular official received a warning from the Chinese government. Clifford Hart worked in the U.S. National Security Council, the Pentagon, and the State Department before coming to Hong Kong.

Source: Global Times, August 30, 2013

http://world.huanqiu.com/exclusive/2013-08/4303260.html

Briefings | | September 3, 2013 | US-China Relations

China News: U.S. Defense Secretary Visited the Philippines to Arrange Expanded Presence

China News recently reported that, when the U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel was in Manila, he advised that the United States is expected to expand the scale of its rotational deployment in the Philippines. However, Hagel claimed that the U.S. had no plans to establish a permanent military base there. Hagel had visited Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei before landing in the Philippines. He expressed the belief that the new military cooperation model will benefit both the U.S. and the Philippines while providing support for President Aquino’s defense modernization plan. The Philippines is a military ally of the United States. The two countries are in the middle of negotiating a new framework agreement which, once approved, will allow the United States to use all military facilities in the Philippines. Currently the U.S. military can only operate in Subic Bay.

Source: China News, August 30, 2013

http://www.chinanews.com/gj/2013/08-30/5228382.shtml

Briefings | | September 3, 2013 | Geo-Strategic Trend

Xinhua: Four Members in PetroChina Top Management under Investigation

Xinhua recently reported that PetroChina (China National Petroleum Corporation) announced on August 29 that four members of the company’s top management had been removed, pending an investigation for corruption. Three of them were Corporate Vice Presidents and another was the Chief Geologist. The decision of removing the four from their Party positions and corporate executive positions was made by the Chinese Communist Party branch of PetroChina. Another four Party members of the same Party branch have been chosen to fill the vacant positions. Chairman of the Board, Zhou Jiping, who is also the chairman of the Party branch, suggested that the current focus is to maintain normal business operations. According to the China Enterprise Confederation, PetroChina is China’s largest international corporation. In 2012, it was also number six on the (Global) Fortune 500 list and is the fourth largest petroleum company in the world.

Source: Xinhua, August 29, 2013

http://news.xinhuanet.com/lianzheng/2013-08/29/c_117146503.htm

Briefings | | September 3, 2013 | Government/Politics

Hu Chunhua: -Self-Consciously Resist the Penetration and Influence of Western Political Party System

On August 28, Hu Chunhua, Politburo member of the CCP Central Committee and Party Secretary of Guangdong Province, attended the 2013 summer provincial forum of all democratic parties’ leaders.

In his speech, Hu Chunhua stressed that the common political and ideological foundation for the cooperation between the Chinese Communist Party and all democratic parties or persons without party affiliation is socialism with Chinese characteristics. "I hope that all democratic parties deeply implement the education (propaganda) activities of socialism with Chinese characteristics and constantly consolidate the common ideological and political foundation for multi-party cooperation. [The democratic parties] must always adhere to the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, always remain consistent with the CCP Central Committee in ideology and politics, and consciously safeguard the authority of the CCP Central Committee leaders under general secretary Xi Jinping. [The democratic parties] must firmly take the political development path of socialism with Chinese characteristics; consciously resist the penetration and influence of the Western political and political party system; and enhance self-confidence and recognition of the socialist system in practice."

Source: Guangzhou Daily, August 28, 2013

http://gzdaily.dayoo.com/html/2013-08/29/content_2371210.htm

Briefings | | August 30, 2013 | Government/Politics

Bo Xilai: Jiang Zeming Ordered the Organ Harvesting of Falun Gong

In an exclusive special report today, Epoch Times released a recording of a conversation between Bo Xilai and a Chinese diplomat in Hamburg, Germany on September 13, 2006, in which Bo implicated Jiang Zemin in the harvesting of organs from live Falun Gong practitioners. Statements excerpted from the recording follow:

"First Secretary: Because it is related to the meeting tomorrow, they [the Germans] wanted to clarify a matter relating to when you were the Liaoning Governor. That is, when you were the Liaoning Governor, did President Jiang issue the order or did you have anything to do with this harvesting of the organs of live Falun Gong practitioners? Was it your order or Jiang Zemin’s order?

Bo: Jiang Zemin!"

Bo was in Hamburg as part of the Chinese delegation headed by then Premier Wen Jiabao.

Source: Epoch Times, August 29, 2013 http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/13/8/28/n3950806.htm

Briefings | | August 30, 2013 | Government/Politics

Huanqiu: China Should Not Be Bullied by Small Countries

On August 27, 2013, Major General Wang Haiyu, a senior advisor at the China Institute for International Strategic Studies, published a commentary on Huanqiu on establishing strategic buffer zones around China.

On North Korea, Wang stated that, compared to the time of the Korean War, North Korea’s military value to China has greatly decreased, while its geo-strategic value remains. China should “not only strive to maintain stability in the peninsula … and urge North Korea to completely abandon its nuclear program. … It should also firmly stop any attempt by external forces to create chaos on the peninsula.”

In addition to North Korea, China should establish a strategic buffer zone to the west of China. When its dignity is challenged, China should “dare to impose necessary ‘discipline’ and should not continue to tolerate the ‘small country bullying a large country’ phenomenon. Otherwise, China cannot successfully build strategic buffer zones needed for safeguarding its national geopolitical security.”

Source: Huanqiu, August 27, 2013

http://opinion.huanqiu.com/opinion_world/2013-08/4288662.html

Briefings | | August 30, 2013 | Geo-Strategic Trend

Real Name Registration to Become Mandatory for Chinese Phone Users

According to Nanfang Daily, a newspaper based in Guangdong Province, major Chinese telecommunication companies including China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom have issued internal documents requiring that, starting on September 1 of this year, local branches must implement the "requirement of real identity registration for telephone users," which the PRC’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) issued in June of this year. The internal documents demand that phone users provide their real identities. China Mobile even published a "notice on its official website on the comprehensive implementation of real identity registration for phone users."

According to the "requirement" issued by MIIT, real identity registration for phone users refers to the fact that when operators of telecommunication services process the registration of land line and mobile phone (including wireless broadband card) users, they need to be truthful in providing the real identity of the user while processing the user agreement or confirming the services. In other words, starting from September 1, not only the new users, but existing users who process a transfer, relocation, or other business need to provide their real identities.

As early as 2010, MIIT announced the implementation of real name registration for mobile phone users, but it was not carried out successfully. This time, it is applied to all phone users instead of just mobile users. For the first time, the "requirement" also penalizes the operators who do not comply. All operators of telecommunications are now obliged to run an annual self-checkup of the implementation of real identity registration. Those who fail to do so are subject to fines between 10,000 yuan (US$1,634) and 30,000 yuan (US$4,902).

Source: Nanfang Daily, reposted by Xinhua, August 29, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2013-08/29/c_125271765.htm

Briefings | | August 29, 2013 | Information/Technology

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.”

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