South Korean Media: Signs of New North Korea Nuclear Test in Planning Stage
Xinhua: Russia Plans to Strengthen Relationship with China
Huanqiu Editorial: No Blockage of North Korea Even If More Nuclear Tests
On February 17, 2013, Huanqiu (the Chinese edition of Global Times) published an editorial on the Chinese regime’s attitude toward North Korea in terms of its potential 4th and 5th nuclear tests to occur within this coming year. The article said that China should reduce aid to North Korea as a reaction to its third nuclear test. “Beijing should also tell Pyongyang that we will reduce our aid to them even further if they continue to fire rockets and conduct new nuclear tests.”
However, it continued, “China will still be North Korea’s friend. This is not a hypocritical statement. It means that China will not join forces with the United States, Japan, and South Korea to enforce a sea and land blockade of North Korea. China will oppose the UN Security Council if it tries to pass any resolution with a radical approach that might threaten the North Korean regime. China is against North Korea having nuclear weapons; but China will not make a 180 degree turn in its attitude towards North Korea.”
Source: Huanqiu, February 17, 2013
http://opinion.huanqiu.com/editorial/2013-02/3645628.html
China’s Leftist Website Congratulates North Korea for Its 3rd Nuclear Test
On February 13, 2013, China’s leftist website, Utopia, published an editorial titled, “Utopia Warmly Congratulates North Korea for the Success of Its Third Nuclear Test.” The article praised North Korea for “withstanding the pressure from the reactionary forces led by the United States and condemned “the evil international order maintained by the U.S. imperialists and their minions.” The article further criticized the U.S. and the Western hostile capitalists for “trying to stifle the socialist causes in China and North Korea” and “forcing the traitor forces inside the Chinese Communist Party leadership to betray the Party and the people, a mistake similar to that made by the former Soviet Union.” According to the article, the nuclear tests in both China and North Korea were “great achievements in breaking through the imperialist’s policies of nuclear blackmail and containment.” The article said that the relationship between China and North Korea is interdependent, just like lips and teeth, and that China will continue to support North Korea no matter what happens.
However, many Chinese people, especially those in the three northeastern provinces next to North Korea, were worried about the nuclear pollution that North Korea’s nuclear test caused. They were very disappointed that the Chinese regime did not do anything to protect the Chinese residents except to issue an oral protest afterwards. In comparison, prior to the test, the Russian government evacuated those of their residents who were close to North Korea.
Source: Utopia, February 13, 2013
http://www.wyzxsd.com/article.php?id=3524
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/junshiwaijiao/sy1-02142013144811.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/china/2013/02/130214_leftist_support_korea.shtml
Chinese Military Officer: U.S. Tries to Use “Cobra Gold” Military Exercise to Control ASEAN
An annual multinational military exercise, with the code name Cobra Gold 2013, opened in Thailand on February 11. Regarding the objectives of the exercise, Rear Admiral Yin Zhuo, Director of the Navy Information Expert Committee, believes that the United States is hoping to cooperatively combat terrorism and to further its control of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) by conducting military exercises with Thailand. Yin said, "The more important purpose of the exercise for the United States is to use Thailand to control the ASEAN countries. … (The U.S.) has maintained friendly military cooperation with Thailand. At the same time, it has ensured a strategic military foothold in the ASEAN region. Once an emergent event occurs in the region, it can proceed from Thailand and carry out a large-scale intervention in the entire ASEAN region.”
Finding a Job is Tough for College Graduates in China
People’s Daily published an article in which it reported on the results after the Mycos Institute polled college graduates who were searching for jobs in China. The poll was conducted during December 2012 and January 2013. It showed that 35 percent of the trade school graduates surveyed signed employment contracts, nine percentage points lower than last year; 38 percent of graduates with college degrees signed employment contracts, eight percentage points lower than last year; and 29 percent of those with masters degrees signed employment contracts, 7 percentage points lower than last year.
The highest success rate was for jobs in manufacturing, followed by telecommunications and information technology.
Source: People’s Daily, February 14, 2013
http://edu.people.com.cn/n/2013/0214/c1053-20485368.html
Reforming State Owned Enterprises: Trends and Paths
China Review News published a commentary on the reform of state-owned enterprises (SOEs). According to the article, the reform has gone through three stages. The first stage was the entire 1980s when the reform priority was to invigorate the SOEs by loosening up the planned economy mechanism and implementing the open door policy. The second stage was from the 1990s to the early 2000s. In the competition between SOES and privately owned companies, some SOEs did not survive the market mechanism, while others thrived. The national economy has become one in which SOEs coexist with privately owned companies.
“The third stage is the last stage of SOE reform, the core issue being the exit of the SOEs. We are now in this stage. … The process of the exit of SOEs from the economy involves first, classification and then, gradual phasing out. Specifically, the first step is to divide the SOEs into two categories: competitive and non-competitive. Then the exit of competitive SOEs and the reform of non-competitive SOEs will be carried out concurrently.”
Source: China Review News, February 13, 2013
http://www.zhgpl.com/doc/1024/3/7/6/102437687.html?coluid=53&kindid=0&docid=102437687&mdate=0213081122