Chinascope – Page 886

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.”

[Editor’s Note: This is the 32nd iteration of Cobra Gold hosted by Thailand and the United States since 1980. It includes the United States, Thailand, and five other Asian countries, while an additional 20 send observers.]

Source: Xinhua, February 12, 2013

http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2013-02/12/c_124343049.htm

Briefings | | February 15, 2013 | Geo-Strategic Trend

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

Briefings | | February 15, 2013 | Economy/Resources

People’s Daily: Valentine’s Day is Not a “Hotbed” for Corruption and Degenerate Behavior

On February 13, the day before Valentine’s Day, People’s Daily published an opinion piece, "Valentine’s Day Is about Love, Not about a ‘Hotbed’ of Corruption and Degenerate Behavior."

The article said, "In recent years, this romantic holiday, which originally belonged to single men and women, has become an excuse for some married men and women to seek excitement. It has become a ‘hotbed’ for a small number of Party members and cadres to become ideologically degenerate, lead a dissipated life, and become corrupt. They also use this romantic holiday to adopt a variety of forms to meet demands from their ‘lover,’ even using their power and spending huge amounts of money, just so as to win a smile from the beauty. What particularly needs our attention is that this phenomenon has gradually spread to our Party members and cadres, and has even penetrated to a small number of senior cadres. In Recent years, the Party has investigated and punished a few senior officials, including Bo Xilai, Liu Zhijun, and Chen Liangyu. In addition to their abuse of authority for personal gain and trading power for money, there is another significant characteristic. It is ‘having mistresses’ and ‘engaging in improper sexual relations with multiple women.’"

Source: People’s Daily, February 13, 2013
http://hb.people.com.cn/n/2013/0213/c337099-18154196.html

Briefings | | February 14, 2013 | Government/Politics

People’s Daily: The United States Should Take Primary Responsibility for Stopping a Cyber War

People’s Daily published an editorial written by an author using the pen name “Zhong Sheng (Voice of China).” The editorial alleged that the U.S. is preparing a plan that will lead to a global cyber war. The article cited reports from the New York Times and the Washington Post, as well as from the upcoming Defense Secretary’s speech at a Congressional hearing, regarding the U.S.’s strategy to prepare for a future war in cyber space. It concluded that “various indications suggest that the United States is moving in the dangerous direction of starting a cyber war.”

The article further commented, “Some countries are speeding up the development of their cyber warfare forces; they seek military superiority in cyberspace and implicitly develop rules for cyber warfare that will lead to a continuing increase in the risk of military conflict in cyberspace, thus causing increasingly evident threats to the security of other countries and to international peace.” “Coincidentally, while the United States is semi-openly revealing its cyber warfare plans, some U.S. media have also begun to spread rumors and hearsay about the so-called ‘China cyber threat’ and are pouring dirty water on China for no reason. … The purpose is to artificially create enemies so as to provide an excuse for the United States to engage in cyber warfare.”

The article warned that “as the United States is in a leading position in information technology, it controls most of the world’s Internet resources and critical infrastructure; (therefore) it has the primary responsibility for peace and security in cyberspace. The United States should clearly recognize that taking the lead to develop cyber warfare capabilities and pursue absolute military superiority will lead to an arms race and military conflict in cyberspace and may bring unpredictable catastrophic consequences to human society.”

Source: People’s Daily, February 7, 2013

http://military.people.com.cn/n/2013/0207/c1011-20457556.html

Briefings | | February 14, 2013 | US-China Relations

China: Nuclear Test Had no Impact on China’s Environment and Public Health

China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection said on February 14, 2013, that, as of February 13, 2013, at 10 a.m. and based on data it has collected, the radiation level was normal in Beijing, Harbin, Changchun, Shenyang, and other cities in China.

The Ministry said, "North Korea’s third nuclear test has not had any impact on our nation’s environment and our people’s health. No artificial nuclear radiation from the nuclear test has been detected within our borders." According to the Ministry, data from 25 monitoring stations and 12 mobile locations in the northeastern border region (close to North Korea) showed that radiation levels were normal and within the daily average. The Ministry stated, “If any radiation had been released, it would have moved toward the southeast; as of today, it has not had any impact on China.”

Source: The Ministry of Environmental Protection, reprinted by Huanqiu, February 14, 2013 http://world.huanqiu.com/regions/2013-02/3639513.html

Briefings | | February 14, 2013 | Government/Politics

China Has Improved Its Ability to Handle Aircraft Emergencies

On February 11, 2013, China Review News reprinted an article from the People’s Liberation Army publication, PLA Daily, about the improved ability to handle aircraft emergencies.

Beijing Relay Transmission of the Spatial Information Technology Research Center has announced that its tracking and data relay satellite system has achieved global network operation. Compared to the last Chinese New Year, personnel on duty have been reduced from 22 to 7 persons, even though more satellites need to be monitored. With the use of the new “satellite fault diagnosis expert system” software and the comprehensive display software, the tracking and data relay satellite is under surveillance for 24 hours uninterrupted. The emergency response time has been reduced by 28 minutes.

Source: China Review News, February 11, 2013
http://www.zhgpl.com/doc/1024/3/6/6/102436685.html?coluid=45&kindid=0&docid=102436685&mdate=0211184017

Briefings | | February 13, 2013 | Defense/Military

The Chinese Navy May Start Sea Mine Warfare in the East or South China Sea

On February 9, 2013, China Review News republished an article originally from the World Journal (www.worldjournal.com) titled “The PLA Lays Sea Mines Three-dimensionally in Four Approaches; Locking Japan in Is as Easy as Turning over the Palm.” According to the article, with the possible escalation of the confrontation over the Diaoyu Islands (Senkaku Islands in Japan) and Huangyan Island (Scarborough Shoal in the Philippines), the Chinese navy may start sea mine warfare in the East China Sea or the South China Sea.

At the end of January, China Navy (http://navy.81.cn/), a PLA official website, revealed that a submarine detachment from the South China Sea fleet held a drill on placing sea mines to block water passages. Once a war breaks out, the Chinese Navy can lay sea mines quickly and secretly using submarines. The powerful “Sea Mines Field” would be able to surround American and Japanese warships within a certain area. The Chinese Navy will then severely attack American and Japanese warships with multiple anti-ship missiles from a shore base and an air base.

Source: China Review News, February 9, 2013
http://www.zhgpl.com/doc/1024/3/4/9/102434990.html?coluid=4&kindid=16&docid=102434990&mdate=0209010718

Briefings | | February 13, 2013 | Geo-Strategic Trend

China’s Reaction to Trump’s Election Win

Xinhua Commentary Series: Spotlight on the U.S. Presidential Election

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