Chinascope – Page 855

Beijing News: Ten Listed State-Owned Enterprises Spent Over 2.9 Billion Yuan on Hospitality

On May 13, 2013, Beijing News published an article titled, “Ten Listed State-Owned Enterprises Spent over 2.9 Billion Yuan (U.S. $471,835,800.00) on Hospitality in order to Maintain Good Public Relations.”

In the 2012 annual reports, 1,720 listed companies disclosed a total of 13.3 billion yuan in "Business Hospitality Expenses." The ten companies that spent the most on hospitality expenses were all state-owned enterprises. The hospitality expenses were spent on “eating and drinking.” Since companies are not required to disclose their “Business Hospitality Expenses,” China’s big state-owned enterprises: “China National Petroleum, China Petrochemical, Construction and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China,” have not disclosed any of this data.

Source: Beijing News, May 13, 203
http://www.bjnews.com.cn/finance/2013/05/13/263318.html

Briefings | | May 15, 2013 | Grapevine

Rebellion in China û Villagers Captured Riot Police

On May 13, 2013, Aboluowang republished a news article from Apple Daily (the original article can no longer be found on Apple Daily) titled “About One Thousand Villagers ‘Rebel,’ Stripping Female Officials and Walking a Captured Policeman through the Streets.” There was a photo circulated on the Internet showing that ordinary Chinese people had captured riot police in Dongqiao town, Huian County, Fujian Province. With a long rope in her hand, a village woman was walking ahead of a young man in a riot police uniform; his hands were tied with a rope, which was connected with the long rope in the woman’s hand.

About one thousand villagers besieged the Village Council and threw stones and bricks at the riot police. The villagers captured one policeman and detained the mayor as well as two female government officials. To prevent them from escaping, the villagers stripped the two female officials. The reason behind the rebellion was that, in 2004, the government had forcibly taken away over 30,000 mu (4942.11 acres) of land along the sea shore from 13,000 villagers. The village council has only received ¼ of the compensation while the other ¾ of the compensation disappeared. The villagers have protested for years and some of them were even arrested and sentenced. On May 4, 2013, about one hundred police raided the village, arresting and beating rights activists. When the policemen came to the village again, on the night of May 10, and in the morning on May 11, 2013, the angry villagers pressed the siege of the city council and kept throwing stones at the policemen. The police had to step back.

Source: Aboluowang, May 13, 2013
http://www.aboluowang.com/2013/0513/305671.html

Briefings | | May 15, 2013 | Social Stability

Maintain Mao Zedong’s Historical Status and Mao Zedong Thought

On May 7, 2013, Guangming Daily published an article explaining the political significance of the speech Xi Jinping gave on January 5, 2013. When discussing the relationship between Mao’s class struggle period (1949 to 1978) and the economic reform and opening period (1978 to the present), Xi Jinping said, “We cannot use the historical period after the reform and opening to negate the historical period before the economic reform and opening; we cannot use the historical period before the reform and opening to negate the historical period after the economic reform and opening.”

According to the article, the whole history before the reform and opening is closely related to Mao Zedong. The Chinese regime must maintain the historical status of Mao Zedong and Mao Zedong thought. If the Chinese regime negates Mao Zedong, it is negating the history of the Chinese Communist Party, the People’s Republic of China, and also the Party’s leadership and China’s socialist system, since Mao Zedong was the creator of the Chinese Communist Party, the People’s Republic of China, and China’s socialist system.

Source: Guangming Daily, May 7, 2013
http://politics.gmw.cn/2013-05/07/content_7538912.htm

Briefings | | May 15, 2013 | Government/Politics

A Clash of Values, Part IV

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Propaganda vs. Reality

In Part II of this series, we discussed the CCP’s quest for control, “How could it maintain strict control if anything other than the Party – human rights, the right to vote, universal values, a sense of morality, the rule of law, China’s Constitution, or even God – took precedence over the Party’s dictates?”

Over the years, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has used propaganda to create a fiction to present to its own people and to the rest of the world that the Party is Great, Glorious, and Correct and that the China Model will displace Western universal values, while “China will fundamentally be established as the legitimate world leader.” This CCP viewpoint faces a serious problem. Just as the CCP distorts reality to support its own self-interest, man likewise values truth, seeks truth, and has the capacity to recognize what is not true. In Part IV, we will explore the CCP’s quest to control perception and the dichotomy between the CCP’s view of reality and the Western view.

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Analyses | | May 14, 2013 | Opinion

People’s Daily: RMB Appreciation Hits New Highs

People’s Daily recently reported that the Chinese currency (RMB) exchange rate reached a new high in ten of the trading days in April. This was the largest round of appreciation since 2005. The appreciation level so far this year was over six times more than the level of the entire last year. However, the report expressed the belief that, based on the basic data of the Chinese economy, this round of RMB appreciation seems to be overheated. The State Administration of Foreign Exchange recently announced regulations to tighten up control over foreign exchange inflow. This move effectively cooled down the inflow of hot money, which was widely considered to be the result of the monetary “easing” policies of Japan, the U.S., and the European Union. Experts suggested that the appreciation may become an obstacle for Chinese exports and that the RMB has room for depreciation.

Source: People’s Daily, May 11, 2013

http://theory.people.com.cn/n/2013/0511/c40531-21447088.html

Briefings | | May 14, 2013 | Economy/Resources

Nanfang Daily: State Council Considering Individual Overseas Investment System

Nanfang Daily, a daily newspaper based in the City of Guangzhou, recently reported that the State Council Executive Meeting discussed a plan to open the option for individuals to invest directly overseas. Currently only some approved organizations (QDII) are permitted to make direct overseas investments. A plan for direct individual investments to be made into the Hong Kong stock market was attempted in 2007, but was called off. It was decided that a new international investment system for individuals will be established with a carefully designed protection mechanism for medium and small investors. A clear plan for opening up capital accounts was also discussed at the Executive Meeting. The French bank Societe Generale recently released a report pointing out that, based on a series of steps the Chinese State Council took, “a five-year road map to a freely exchangeable Chinese currency (RMB) is very clear.” The Hong Kong Stock Exchange is expected to be the biggest winner of these new policies.

Source: Nanfang Daily, May 8, 2013

http://news.nfdaily.cn/caifu/content/2013-05/08/content_68409983.htm

Briefings | | May 14, 2013 | Economy/Resources

BBC Chinese: China Cautiously Mediating Peace in Middle East

BBC Chinese recently reported that Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu both visited Beijing in the same week. However, neither of the two sides nor the new Chinese President Xi Jinping seemed to be ready to start a negotiation with China being the mediator. Meanwhile, Xi Jinping did offer a four-point peace proposal. Although Xi’s proposal does not have anything new or creative, the report expressed the belief that he was somewhat playing a mediator’s role, with caution. When Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met with Netanyahu, he suggested that the sole solution to the Middle East peace and stability issue is conducting dialogues and peace talks. Li also mentioned that China is willing to work with the two sides on the peace-making effort, since China is a common friend of both. China has a US$10 billion annual trade volume with Israel and half of China’s annual oil imports are from the Middle East region.

Source: BBC Chinese, May 9, 2013

http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/press_review/2013/05/130509_press_review_china_middleeast.shtml

Briefings | | May 14, 2013 | Geo-Strategic Trend

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.