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Wu Guoguang: Xi Jinping’s Reversal of the Course, Will China’s Transition be Peaceful or Marked with Bloodshed?

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Cheng Xiaonong: U.S.-China Strategic Relations Have Crystallized

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Xinhua Commentaries: “Exposing the Three Major Political Deficits of the U.S.”

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

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Yu Zhengsheng: Never Copy the Western Political System

On March 12, Yu Zhengsheng, the 4th ranking member of the 18th Chinese Communist Party’s Politburo Standing Committee and the new Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), gave a speech at the closing meeting of the first session of the CPPCC. He said, "We should comprehensively and accurately study and understand the bright theme, spiritual essence, and strategic planning of the 18th Congress of the Party; comprehensively and accurately study and understand the series of important speeches of General Secretary Xi Jinping; and continuously deepen our understanding of the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, its theoretical framework, and social system. We must unswervingly adhere to the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, uphold and improve the multi-party cooperation and political consultation system under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, and firmly take the path of socialistic political development with Chinese characteristics. We should never copy the Western political system, always maintain a firm and correct political direction, and consolidate the common ideological and political foundation of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference."

Source: Xinhua, March 12, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2013lh/2013-03/12/c_114995349.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Xi Jinping: Firmly Aim at the Party’s Goal to Build a Strong Military in the New Situation

On March 11, 2013, Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CCP Central Committee and the CCP Central Military Commission Chairman, attended the PLA delegation plenary meeting at the 12th National People’s Congress. At the meeting, Xi delivered a speech on building a revolutionary modernized standard army that obeys the Party’s Commands, is able to fight and win wars, and behaves well.

Source: Xinhua, March 11, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2013lh/2013-03/11/m_114985327.htm

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

Xinhua: Hacking Attacks on China Become Increasingly Serious; Most Attacks Are from the U.S.”

On March 10, 2013, Xinhua published an article asserting that China is a victim of hacking attacks from overseas. In January and February of 2013, most of the cyber attacks against China originated in the U.S.

“According to the National Computer Network Emergency Response Coordination Center (CNCERT), the hacking attacks against China from other countries have become increasingly serious. From the samplings it took from January 1, 2013, to February 28, 2013, CNCERT found that 6,747 Trojans or botnets have hacked into 1.9 million servers in China; of those, 2,196 control servers in the United States controlled 1.287 million host computers in China. Regardless of the quantity of hackings into China’s servers or the numbers of China’s host computers being controlled, the United States was ranked as the #1 (hacker).”

Source: Xinhua, March 10, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2013-03/10/c_114968466.htm
http://www.presstv.ir/usdetail/292842.html

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

People’s Daily: Over Seventy Percent of Entrepreneurs Complained about Heavy Taxes

People’s Daily recently reported on the newly released, "The China 500 Development Report 2012," which was based on research that the Chinese Entrepreneur Survey System had done. The results showed that 74.2 percent of the entrepreneurs expressed concern about the heavy taxes China has today. Around 30 percent of the entrepreneurs surveyed would, if given a second chance, rather not be an entrepreneur. The report also demonstrated that there were significantly more companies this year that suffered a negative profit growth rate.
 
Source: People’s Daily, March 10, 2013
http://lianghui.people.com.cn/2013cppcc/n/2013/0310/c357533-20735792.html
Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Xinhua: New Missiles Deployed Aiming at U.S. Targets

Xinhua recently reported that the Chinese military deployed “a small number" of the latest Dongfeng-21D missiles. The Dongfeng-21D is a land-based long range missile with mobile launch capabilities. The new missile is considered the world’s first anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) that aims at some U.S. Pacific military airports. However, the lack of field tests is a primary problem for the new system. Many analysts expressed doubts about whether the Dongfeng-21D can truly attack moving targets at sea. The report suggested that a land-based defense strategy may be more effective than that of arming a full-size ocean-going navy. The author also expressed the belief that the United States should maintain its superior under-water capabilities as a strategic balance.
Sources: 
Xinhua, March 8, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/cankao/2013-03/08/c_132218525.htm
Yahoo Military News, March 9, 2013
http://mili.cn.yahoo.com/ypen/20130309/1647749.html
Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

Bureau of Statistics: February CPI Reached Ten-Month High

The Chinese National Bureau of Statistics recently released the official CPI (Consumer Price Index) number for February. The CPI increased by 3.2 percent, which is the highest in ten months. Among the different components of the CPI formula, the food price index increased six percent, which included a 10 percent increase in fresh vegetables. The prices of rice and of fruit increased by 5.1 percent and 3.7 percent, respectively. Some experts expressed the belief that the Chinese New Year was the main cause of the increase in the February CPI. However, the numbers still caused widespread concern among economists about inflation. The Chinese government injected a large amount of currency into the economy in the past twelve months in order to deal with the economic downturn. The CPI calculation does not include housing prices.
Sources: 
National Bureau of Statistics, March 9, 2013
http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjfx/jdfx/t20130309_402878616.htm
Xinhua, March 10, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2013-03/10/c_124437884.htm
Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Lack of Trust: Tension Soars between Doctors and Patients

Xinhua carried an article on the increased tension between doctors and patients. The topic had been brought up during the meeting the delegates from the medical field held at the National People’s Congress. It was reported that one study conducted among 30 hospitals in the eastern part of China suggested that only 10 percent of patients trust their doctors. The statistics released by the Department of Health suggested that, from 2006 to 2010, the number of violent incidents that resulted from medical disputes increased by 70 percent. Among those, 70 percent of the incidents were due to a lack of communication and a heart of caring between doctors and patients.

According to the article, a poor and high risk work environment has caused some doctors and medical school students to give up their medical practice. The investigation suggested that close to 80 percent of the doctors “would discourage their children from going to medical school.” Among the existing medical students in the medical schools in Beijing, only 50 percent are willing to practice clinical medicine.

The article said that in order to reduce the work load in the hospitals in urban regions, the central administration has initiated medical reforms and has invested over 60 trillion yuan (US$9.65 trillion) to support the hospitals and clinics in rural towns and counties. The results were not significant. The delegates called for reform in a number of areas to ease the tension.

Source: Xinhua, March 9, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/health/2013-03/09/c_124436141.htm

Briefings | | |   Social Stability