Chinascope – Page 865

Xinhua: Jiang Zemin’s Rank in Top Leader List Will Be Lowered

Xinhua published a short news article with the title “Comrade Jiang Zemin Requested that the Party Central Committee List His Name among Other Senior (Retired) Leaders in the Party and State Leaders of that Rank.” The entire news article read, “A Reporter obtained information from a relevant party that, after the 18th National Party Congress, comrade Jiang Zemin made a request to the Party Central Committee that, from now on, his name should be listed among other senior (retired) leaders in the Party and state leaders of that rank. This reflects a Communist Party member’s integrity and open-mindedness.”

[Editor’s Note:
1. In China, the ranking order of top leaders is extremely important. It shows who has more power.
2. From this short news item, it is hard to tell if Jiang indeed made the request. One thing is likely to happen: Jiang’s ranking order will be lowered.]

Source: Xinhua, January 23, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2013-01/23/c_124266293.htm

Briefings | | January 24, 2013 | Government/Politics

International Iron Ore Price Surge Hurts China’s Steel Industry

On January 19, 2012, China Review News published an article titled “Another Heavy Blow Hits China’s Steel Enterprises.” The international iron ore producers have been raising iron ore prices rapidly since 2009. According to the article, as the New Year started, iron ore producers set off a new wave of price increases, which cannot be explained by the principle of supply and demand or by macroeconomic conditions.

The article concluded, “China has been the number one steel producer in the world. We should not have lost our authority in the market. The problem is that our steel enterprises should not only concentrate on making money from downstream companies, the other Chinese companies, through increasing steel prices. We must think more about how to reduce the profits that the upstream enterprises, the foreign iron ore producers, are making.”

Source: China Review News, January 19, 2012

http://www.zhgpl.com/crn-webapp/doc/docDetailCreate.jsp?coluid=53&kindid=0&docid=102408133&mdate=0119075256

Briefings | | January 23, 2013 | Economy/Resources

Radio Free Asia: The Abolition of Forced Labor Camps in China Heads Nowhere

Meng Jianzhu, Secretary of the Central Political and Law Commission, announced recently, at a meeting on national political and legal work, that China will abolish the “education through labor” system this year. Xinhua Net published the relevant news on the same day. However, the news report was removed that night. One week later, several labor camp bureaus claimed that they had not received any notification about labor camp reforms. Lawyer Zhou Ze believes that no agreement was reached on the issue due to the fact that different departments have different interests.

Source: Radio Free Asia, January 14, 2013

http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/yf-01142013161055.html

Briefings | | January 23, 2013 | Government/Politics

Educating the PLA to Follow the Party’s Commands

On January 13, 2013, the PLA General Political Department and the PLA Commission for Discipline and Inspection issued study materials to the army and asked the Party Committees at all levels to conduct educational activities.

“Through these educational activities, the Party Committees should more consciously follow the Party’s commands, strictly implement the policies of the Party and the army, effectively curb unhealthy tendencies, firmly establish the standards for being able to succeed in combat and win a battle, and provide a strong guarantee for accelerating the modernization of national defense and the armed forces at the new historical starting point.”

Source: Xinhua, January 13, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2013-01/13/c_114349231.htm

Briefings | | January 23, 2013 | Defense/Military

Xinhua: Ocean Shipping Industry Suffered 80 Percent Loss

Xinhua recently reported that, according to the China Ship-owners’ Association, the Chinese ocean shipping industry suffered an 80% loss in year 2012. In year 2011, about 70 percent of the ship-owners suffered a loss. It is expected that the situation will continue in 2013. China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company (COSCO) reported an RMB 6.4 billion loss as of the 3rd Quarter of 2012. The company blamed the poor performance on the decline of the entire global economy. China’s tax rules for domestic shipping companies are a major factor in the financial loss as well. According to the report, the current ocean shipping market is at a 10-year low. The Chinese government has made a promise to the industry that it will announce positive policies in the first half of this year at the earliest.

Source: Xinhua, January 21, 2013

http://news.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2013-01/21/c_124255460.htm

Briefings | | January 22, 2013 | Economy/Resources

People’s Daily: China Leads the US with New Airborne Warning Plane

People’s Daily recently reported on the newly revealed award winning Chinese AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) aircraft KJ-2000. The report claimed that the KJ-2000 is one generation ahead of the most advanced U.S. AWACS aircraft E-3C. The Chinese KJ-2000 captured nine technological Number One titles in the world’s history of the development of AWACS aircraft. One example is that the Chinese system is equipped with three radar devices while the U.S. Air Force E-3C has only one, which has to spin continuously to cover the 360 degree range. However all experts agreed that the Chinese system lacks serious combat testing while the U.S. models have been tested in real battlefields for decades. Reliability is another key concern.

Source: People’s Daily, January 20, 2013

http://military.people.com.cn/GB/n/2013/0120/c1011-20262851.html

Briefings | | January 22, 2013 | Defense/Military

Red Flag Manuscript: The Decline of Western Market Fundamentalism

[Editor’s Note: Qiushi Online republished an article from Red Flag Manuscript on Western Market Fundamentalism. The article claimed that the recent global financial crisis has proven that Capitalism is approaching its end; that the Wall Street oligarchs and the U.S. government launched an unprecedented disaster affecting everyone on the planet; and that the world is turning to Marxism for a solution. The author, Yu Zurao, is a guest researcher at the World Socialism Research Center, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The following is a translation of the article.] [1]

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Reports | | January 21, 2013 | Report

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.