Chinascope – Page 840

Over 60 Percent of Ocean Sewage Outlets Exceed Limit

The National Oceanic Administration recently conducted inspections of 137 ocean sewage outlets. The inspection revealed that 86 or 62.8 percent of them had pollution levels that exceeded the ocean sewage standard. The concentrations of inorganic nitrogen, activated phosphate, and petroleum were higher than the standard. Tianjin ranked the highest with 85.7 percent of the total outlets failing the inspection; the next was Shandong Province at 73.6 percent. The percentages for Fujian, Liaoning, and Hebei were 60.9 percent, 50 percent and 40 percent respectively.

Source: Guangming Daily, August 4, 2013
http://politics.gmw.cn/2013-08/04/content_8499755.htm

Briefings | | August 5, 2013 | Economy/Resources

Notice Issued to Stop Constructing New Government Office Buildings

At the end of July, the General Office of the State Council issued a notice prohibiting all levels of government from constructing new office buildings, regardless of any justifications or reasons they might have. It requested that the projects that have been approved but have not started construction should stop. The notice also required that the Party cadres evacuate and return the office space that is over the standard. The notice is the 11th one the central administration has issued since 1988 on restricting the construction of excess office space and the third notice since March 2013 under the new administration. However none of them have been strictly enforced.

According to the auditing results that Zhejiang Province disclosed, in the first half of 2009, out of ten provincial government units audited, six had failed the audit. The highest average space per person was 220.2 square meters (2,370 square feet). On April 20, 2012, the National Audit Office’s audit results disclosed that, of the new government offices built in 2011 in Shan Tai County of Sichuan Province, 10 offices on the seventh floor had private bathrooms. The largest space was 66 square meters (710 square feet), exceeding the standard set for county level officials by 6.3 times.

Source: Xinhua, August 4, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2013-08/04/c_116800252.htm

Briefings | | August 5, 2013 | Government/Politics

China’s Research and Development Funds Misused

On August 1, 2013, People’s Daily reprinted a report from Guangdong Yangcheng Evening News (Yangcheng Wanbao) stating that a major share of the nation’s R&D funds is used for conferences and travel.

At a press conference, Wang Dong, Deputy Mayor of Guangzhou, reported, “Of all national scientific and technology research and development funds, only about 40 percent is truly spent on R&D. The remaining 60 percent is spent on conferences, travel, and other matters.”

The remarks were made in response to earlier reports. Guangzhou officials in charge of R&D had been investigated due to corruption charges. Wang responded, “So many incidents have occurred in this field. It must have something to do with our system.” Wang stated that governments at all levels in China have spent large amounts of funds on R&D. As most Chinese enterprises do not conduct independent R&D, there is an urgent need for reform to assure that the R&D funds are used effectively.

Source: Guangdong Yangcheng Evening News (Yangcheng Wanbao) reprinted by People’s Daily, August 1, 2013 http://politics.people.com.cn/n/2013/0801/c1001-22414743.html

Briefings | | August 2, 2013 | Government/Politics

Military Expert: A U.S. Aircraft Carrier Can Definitely Be Sunk in an Attack

Military expert Yin Zhuo was recently interviewed on Beijing TV’s "Military Decode" program. Yin commented that U.S. media had recently published an article stating that China’s aircraft carrier lacked battle group defense capability and that China seriously lacks a carrier-borne aircraft fleet and a protective fleet, which will leave it vulnerable when facing U.S. troops.

In response, Yin said, “The American media are completely lacking in objectivity in bad-mouthing China’s aircraft carrier. The U.S. aircraft carrier is not perfect either. It is entirely possible to sink it. Aircraft carriers fear nuclear submarines the most. China does not lack nuclear submarines. In addition, it also fears attacks from shore-based aircraft. Whether it is the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait, or the South China Sea, all of them are within reach of our shore-based aircraft and within the scope of a joint attack.”

“In addition, no one said that we developed an aircraft carrier in order to deal with the U.S. From a strategic perspective, we would not directly confront the U.S. aircraft carrier Nimitz. … We still have a lot of other opponents beside the U.S. For example, when China is solving problems in the East China Sea or the South China Sea, that is when the carrier’s strengths can be played out.”

Source: People’s Daily, August 1, 2013

http://military.people.com.cn/n/2013/0801/c1011-22409788.html

Briefings | | August 2, 2013 | US-China Relations

Xinhua: In Chaos China, Would be Worse Off than the Former Soviet Union

On August 1, 2013, Xinhua published a commentary stating that, if China were to fall into chaos, it would be worse off than the former Soviet Union. The commentary compared China today to the former Soviet Union on the eve of collapse. It accused Internet bloggers of “spreading rumors every day, fabricating negative social news, creating an apocalyptic scene of China’s imminent collapse, denigrating the existing socialist system, and promoting the European and American capitalist and constitutional model.” It also blamed the Internet bloggers for inciting hatred toward the government to trigger social unrest in China.

“Then let’s look at the situation after the disintegration of the Soviet Union, which went through unrest, to see if the Russian people have reached the shore of happiness with universal values.”

“Today the Russian people have really awakened to the fact that democracy, as depicted by Europe and the United States, deceived them, only to lose everything they once had. This means that Russia has moved from a major power to a second or third class economy that plays only a small role in the world.” The commentary predicted that China would be several times worse off than Russia. The socialist system is not the best, “but it is definitely better than what Europe and the United States would impose on China. At least we now move forward in development. This is the awakening of the Chinese!”

Source: Xinhua, August 1, 2013

http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2013-08/01/c_116766533.htm

Briefings | | August 2, 2013 | Government/Politics

Military Officer: Strong Military Dream is the Guarantee to Ensure the Realization of China Dream

In Beijing on July 30, 2013, The Central Propaganda Department, the Work Committee for Offices Directly under the Central Government, the State Organs Work Committee of the Central Government, the Ministry of Education, the PLA General Political Department, and the Beijing Municipal Party Committee jointly held the third report on education series on socialism with Chinese characteristics and the China dream. Bi Jingjing, Vice President of National Defense University, gave a report titled "A Strong Army Dream: The Powerful Guarantee to Ensure the Realization of the China Dream."

The report pointed out that the dream of a powerful nation and a strong military dream are closely related and support each other. A dream of a powerful nation harbors a dream of a strong military; a dream of a strong military provides support for the dream of a powerful nation. Without a strong military, national security and development cannot be guaranteed. At present, the more advanced the economic and social development, the more urgent is the security need and the more urgent it is to strengthen the military. Therefore, we must seize the opportunity, meet the challenge, and accelerate the modernization of China’s national defense and the armed forces so as to provide strong power for the realization of the China dream.

Source: People’s Daily, July 31, 2013

http://politics.people.com.cn/n/2013/0731/c1026-22394690.html

Briefings | | August 1, 2013 | Government/Politics

China Development Bank: A State-owned Financial Institution Serving the State’s Interest

On July 31, Qiushi published an article by Hu Huabang, the Communist Party Secretary and Chairman of the China Development Bank (CDB), a State-own commercial bank, on the success of CDB as a State-owned financial institution serving the interest of the State.

CDB provides medium to long-term financing in priority sectors and projects to implement China’s national economic strategy. Eighty percent of its financing is in the sectors of energy, agriculture, telecommunications, and public infrastructure and 60 percent is in midwest and northeastern traditional industrial bases. Further, it has financed major overseas energy projects in foreign countries, including Russia, Pakistan, and Turkey.

According to Hu, currently in China, CDB is the largest bank for medium and long-term financing, the largest bond bank, the largest foreign investment and financing cooperative bank, and the largest development financial institution.

Source: Qiushi, July 31, 2013

http://www.qstheory.cn/jj/jcbw/201307/t20130731_254614.htm

Briefings | | August 1, 2013 | Economy/Resources

China’s Reaction to Trump’s Election Win

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