Chinascope – Page 842

Xi Jinping Requires the PLA to Oppose Formalism, Bureaucracy, Hedonism, and Extravagance

On June 21, 2013, China Review News published a report on Xi Jingping’s recent instructions to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) regarding the Party’s mass line education practice activities. Xi stressed the requirement that the PLA must oppose formalism, bureaucracy, hedonism, and extravagance in the army. The PLA must be absolutely reliable and obey Xi’s commands.

Source: China Review News, June 21 & 22, 2013
http://www.zhgpl.com/doc/1025/9/3/2/102593285.html?coluid=151&kindid=0&docid=102593285&mdate=0621225026
http://www.zhgpl.com/doc/1025/9/3/6/102593645.html?coluid=151&kindid=0&docid=102593645&mdate=0622090053

Briefings | | June 26, 2013 | Government/Politics

Beijing News: State Council Considers Allowing Private Banks

Beijing News recently reported that the State Council announced a series of new policies at its latest executive meeting. One decision was the policy that the central government will no longer require approval for 32 counts of earlier restricted activities such as non-stop direct railway passenger and cargo transportation plans, or a change in the registration of publishing businesses. The goal is to promote fewer government regulations in market-based operations. One key focal point of the discussion at the meeting was the intent to allow the creation of private banks. The meeting recognized that the Chinese market has a significant lack of competition in the banking sector. Meanwhile, small businesses, private companies, as well as agricultural areas suffer a serious lack of lenders. The large state-owned banks are typically not interested in lending money to the businesses other than state-owned companies, which often enjoy fewer risks and a higher profit margin due to government endorsement.

Source: Beijing News, June 20, 2013

http://epaper.bjnews.com.cn/html/2013-06/20/content_441918.htm?div=-1

Briefings | | June 25, 2013 | Economy/Resources

Xi Jinping: The South China Sea Issue Should not Interfere with China-Vietnam Relations

On June 19, 2013, China News reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping recently met with Vietnamese President Zhang Jin in Beijing. Xi suggested that the two nations should prevent the issues of the South China Sea from interfering in the relationship between the two neighbors. Xi said China is determined to solve the issues in a political manner such as bilateral negotiations and friendly discussions. China called for stopping any activity that would further complicate the situation and for avoiding the internationalization of the issues. President Zhang agreed to the friendly negotiation approach and suggested that Vietnam is willing to participate actively in the joint delimitation effort as well as the peaceful joint development plan. Vietnam also does not want the issues to be a threat to the relationship between the two countries. The China News report described the meeting as “friendly and frank.”

Source: China News, June 19, 2013

http://www.chinanews.com/gn/2013/06-19/4947354.shtml

Briefings | | June 25, 2013 | Geo-Strategic Trend

Global Times: Russia Signed Long-Term Oil Supply Deal with China

Global Times recently reported that, on June 21, Russia’s largest oil company, Rosneft Oil, signed a long-term oil supply contract with China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC). Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese Deputy Premier Zhang Gaoli were both present at the ceremony. The contract is for Russia to supply 365 million tons of crude oil to China over the next 25 years. The total contract value is around US$270 billion. The contract was based on a framework agreement between the two governments which signed in March 2013.

Source: Global Times, June 21, 2013

http://world.huanqiu.com/exclusive/2013-06/4051963.html

Briefings | | June 25, 2013 | Geo-Strategic Trend

Ministry of Environmental Protection Issued its May Report on Air Quality

According to China Review News, on June 19, the Ministry of Environmental Protection issued its May report on the air quality in 74 cities. In those cities, the number of days that met the air quality standard was only 60 percent. The number was much lower in the Beijing, Tianjing, and Shandong province region which dropped from 50.6 percent in April to 27.4 percent in May. Beijing was again listed among the ten cities with the worst air quality. In May it only had 8 days during which air quality met the standard. In Hebei Province alone, six cities placed in the top ten list of those with the worst air quality.

Source: China Review News, June 20, 2013
http://www.zhgpl.com/doc/1025/8/9/9/102589915.html?coluid=45&kindid=0&docid=102589915&mdate=0620101342

Briefings | | June 24, 2013 | Information/Technology

Top Party Official Affirmed Policy that “Party Members Are Not Allowed to Practice Religion”

According to Huanqiu, in a recent interview with China Newsweek, Zhu Weiqun, the head of the Committee for Social, Legal，Ethnic, and Religious Affairs and former executive vice director of the United Front Work Department stated once again, “It needs be very clear and firm that Communist Party members are not allowed to practice religion.” According to Zhu, “If the Party members are allowed to practice religion, our Party will be demobilized in Party ideology and organizational structure while we will lose the Party’s advanced nature.”

Zhu also denied that his statement contradicts the “freedom to practice religion” as guaranteed in the constitution. He believes that one can choose either to practice a religion or to join the Party, but not both.

Zhu did acknowledge that the number of people who practice religion is growing and that the influence that religion is having on society is also increasing. He estimated the total number of people who practice the top five religions in China is over 100 million.

Source: Huanqiu, June 16, 2013
http://china.huanqiu.com/roll/2013-06/4031025.html

Briefings | | June 24, 2013 | Government/Politics

China State-Run Media Use the Snowden Incident to Attack U.S. Values

People’s Daily, overseas edition, which is distributed to Chinese all over the world, published a commentary that used the Snowden incident to attack the U.S. values of human rights and freedom of expression.

The article was titled, “The Snowden incident blew off the cosmetics of the human rights issue from the American face.” The article said, “The ‘Prism project’ clearly tells people that the United States is trying to control the massive information transmitted within the entire Internet.” “The leader of equality, democracy, freedom, and fraternity" is nothing but a thick layer of ‘cosmetics’ covering the face of the United States." “The truth is that the U.S. has been using a double standard, yelling at other countries but being indifferent to its own illegal acts. The U.S. intelligence system has been using a variety of means to monitor the flow of information in cyberspace in order to ensure U.S. national security, even if it is at the cost of individual citizens’ privacy being potentially or actually threatened.”

The article was re-posted all over the websites of China’s state media.

Source: People’s Daily, Overseas edition, June 20, 2013

http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2013-06/20/c_124880986.htm http://news.cntv.cn/2013/06/20/ARTI1371688926444143.shtml

http://world.huanqiu.com/regions/2013-06/4044520.html http://www.qstheory.cn/gj/gjgc/201306/t20130620_241558.htm

Briefings | | June 21, 2013 | US-China Relations

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.