Chinascope – Page 895

Xinhua: Nanjing Discontinued the Government’s Paid Health Care Benefits

Xinhua recently reported that, starting January 1, 2013, the City of Nanjing will no longer provide Government Paid Health Care Benefits for all people, including government officials and those working in government sponsored organizations. For decades, health care has been one of the primary benefits given to government workers. Nanjing is the capital city of Jiangsu Province, which is one of the wealthiest provinces in China. It is estimated that the move will impact over 200,000 people, who will all have to join publicly available insurance plans. Before this new move was announced, Jiangsu’s other twelve cities that the provincial government directly manages had already implemented the new policy. Many Nanjing residents could not believe that government officials would be losing this privilege. However, the new policy has two “catches” that are raising doubts. One is that government officials whose rank is above “Deputy Bureau Director” are exempt. Second, for a period of “transition” time, the government will cover the increased cost that government officials must pay because they must switch to a regular insurance plan.

Source: Xinhua, December 15, 2012

http://www.xinhuanet.com/comments/20121215jrht/

Briefings | | December 18, 2012 | Government/Politics

Xinhua: China’s Global Strategy

Xinhua recently published an article discussing the strategic adjustments that are required based on the current global political environment. The article suggested that many countries in the world (such as the U.S. and Japan) are adjusting their global strategies and China needs to do the same in order to keep pace with them. The article discussed four areas for the new strategic adjustments. On the east side, China should stabilize the Asia-Pacific region as an answer to the U.S. shift of its strategic focus to the East. This stabilization effort should especially emphasize the relationship with Japan and the ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations). On the north side, China should enhance its relationship with Russia, focusing on nuclear technology, space technology, and trade. On the west side, China should strengthen its ties with the Mid-Asian and West Asian countries, especially with nations that are rich in energy resources and who may be suffering from the U.S. strategy of “reducing its energy dependency.” On the south side, China should pay extra attention to the traditional “Southern” developing countries that include the African countries and the Latin American countries. Direct investments from China to these countries are growing very rapidly.

Source: Xinhua, December 16, 2012

http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2012-12/16/c_124095365.htm

Briefings | | December 18, 2012 | Geo-Strategic Trend

November Year to Date Profit for State Owned Enterprises Down 7 Percent

According to data released by the Ministry of Finance on December 14, 2012, November year to date profit for State Owned Enterprises was 1.94 trillion yuan (US$310 billion), down seven percent compared to the same period last year.

The revenue for November year to date was 37.94 trillion yuan (USD$6.08 trillion), up 10.9 percent from the same period in 2011 and 11.8 percent from October. The industries that showed the largest increase in profit included electric power, tobacco, electronics, light industry, and the auto industry. The industries that showed the sharpest decrease in profits include the chemical industry, nonferrous metals, transportation, construction material, and mechanical areas.

Source: Xinhua, December 15, 2012
http://news.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2012-12/15/c_114034861.htm

Briefings | | December 17, 2012 | Economy/Resources

China Holds Central Economic Work Conference

China will hold a Central Economic Work Conference on December 15 and 16, 2012, to determine the direction for its economic policies in the upcoming year.

Many policy experts believe that the target for economic growth will remain at 7.5 percent with a focus on maintaining stability while improving quality and productivity. It is expected that the urbanization of rural areas will drive economic growth in the mid to long term. There will also be personnel shifts at the upper management level in the Central Bank, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Commerce, and the National Development and Reform Commission, as well as in some entities dealing with financial regulation.

Source: Huanqiu, December 13, 2012
http://china.huanqiu.com/politics/2012-12/3374586.html

Briefings | | December 17, 2012 | Economy/Resources

Xinhua Commentary: China Has Made Significant Improvements in Human Rights

On December 12, 2012, the Chinese Society for Human Rights Studies and the China Foundation for Human Rights Development co-hosted the fifth Beijing Forum on Human Rights. On December 13, Xinhua published a commentary and stated that the forum “has had a significant impact in urging exchange and collaboration of the international community in promoting human rights; it also demonstrated the progress China has made in this area.”

As to the criticism that China has received from foreign media and from some Chinese people about its human rights record, the commentary stated that some are constructive while more are “one-sided and lack fairness.” The commentary also noted that China’s human rights are not perfect, just like the U.S., the human rights preacher, whose record is often criticized. The commentary further asserted that China should be recognized for the significant improvements it has made on human rights issues.

Source: Xinhua, December 13, 2012
http://news.xinhuanet.com/comments/2012-12/13/c_114017998.htm

Briefings | | December 17, 2012 | Government/Politics

Xinhua: The U.S. Senate Complicates the Diaoyu Islands Issue to Deter China

[Editor’s Note: In a recent article, Xinhua reported that the U.S. Senate added an amendment to its National Defense Authorization Bill for Fiscal Year 2013, stating that, while the United States took no position on the sovereignty of the Senkaku Islands (called the Diaoyu Islands in China), it acknowledged that Japan had administrative authority over them. Xinhua collected and reviewed many of its recent reports on the Diaoyu Islands. In the article it criticized the U.S. Senate for making a wrong decision and claimed that “the U.S. is the controlling hand behind the scenes on the Diaoyu Islands issue.” It further alleged that the U.S. wants to “use the Diaoyu Islands to distract and interfere with China’s strategic focus in order to deter China’s rise.” The following is a translation of excerpts from the article.] [1]

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Reports | | December 16, 2012 | Report

Military Expert: PLA Submarine’s Performance Nearing that of Western Countries’

Naval expert Li Jie was invited to be a guest expert at the People’s Daily Military Forum. At the Forum, Li discussed the Chinese PLA’s development of submarines. Li Jie said, “The functionality and performance of China’s self-designed submarines are close to those made by the United States, Russia, Germany, and Japan. Only the propelling plant, noise, and some other factors still have some minor gaps as compared with the advanced countries.”

Source: People’s Daily, December 12, 2012

http://military.people.com.cn/n/2012/1212/c1011-19877518.html

Briefings | | December 14, 2012 | Defense/Military

China Ranks No. 1 in Asia in Arms Exports

Huanqiu reported that, according to the website of a Russian think tank, China is now a leading world exporter of certain munitions. Based on the 2004 to 2011 statistics of the Russian think tank, China ranks 10th in the world and 1st in Asia in arms exports. With a total value of $8.73 billion, China’s arms exports surpass that of all other Asian Pacific countries combined. It exports 51.65% of the total value of all arms in the Asian Pacific region.

Source: Huanqiu, December 11, 2012
http://mil.huanqiu.com/observation/2012-12/3366012.html

Briefings | | December 14, 2012 | Defense/Military

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.