Chinascope – Page 904

Economic Expert: China to Seek New Economic Reforms

According to Zhang Monan, a researcher from the Economic Forecast Department of the State Information Center, China faces difficulty maintaining the economic growth it has experienced over the past 30 years. Since the beginning of this year, China has seen an overall decline in investments, exports, and spending as well as in company’s profit margins, revenue, and production volume.

Zhang believes that China no longer has the advantage of being a low cost and narrow margin market. She suggested that reforms should start with breaking up the monopolies in energy resources and in the power structure; adjustments need to be made in the existing interest groups in China; government intervention should be minimized; and collaboration among all channels must be encouraged in order to work together to find a model that is suitable.

Source: China News Review, December 1, 2012
http://www.zhgpl.com/crn-webapp/doc/docDetailCreate.jsp?coluid=45&kindid=0&docid=102323382&mdate=1201090425

Briefings | | December 3, 2012 | Economy/Resources

Xinhua Commentary Calls for Harsh Measures to Crack Down on Corruption

On November 30, 2012, the Disciplinary Committee of Shandong Province launched an investigation of Shan Zhende, Deputy Director of the Shandong Province Department of Agriculture, based on a statement he wrote to his mistress promising that he would divorce his wife and marry her. This incident took place one week after Lei Zhengfu, the District Party Secretary in Chongqing, stepped down from his post due to a sex tape scandal [Editor: according media reports, Lei was fired after tapes showing him with an 18-year-old woman, allegedly hired to bribe him, went viral].

Xinhua published a commentary quoting statistics from the Central Disciplinary Committee that showed that 95 percent of problem officials have mistresses. The commentary stated, "We can’t simply rely on the (issue of) mistresses to crack down on corruption." It called for harsher anti-corruption action and a disciplinary system that prevents Party officials from being misguided.

Source: Xinhua, December 2, 2012
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2012-12/02/c_113875628.htm

Briefings | | December 3, 2012 | Government/Politics

2012 EU-China Year of Intercultural Dialogue Concluded

The EU-China Year of Intercultural Dialogue concluded in Beijing on October 30, 2012. The opening ceremony of the 2012 Dialogue was held in Brussels in February 2012. Since then, close to 300 collaborative projects were completed in areas such as literature, art, philosophy, and language. A total of 22 municipal and provincial regions in China and 27 EU countries participated. A joint statement issued by both parties said that the two regions wished to continue further collaboration in the future.

Source: Xinhua, November 30, 2012
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2012-11/30/c_124031139.htm

Briefings | | December 3, 2012 | Geo-Strategic Trend

Former Chinese Diplomat Comments on U.S. Middle East Strategy

Liu Baolai, former Vice President of The Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs and former ambassador to the Middle East, published a commentary in Xinhua on the U.S. strategy in the Middle East titled, “The U.S Is Eating the Bitter Fruit of Its Middle East Strategy.” Liu said that in 2012, the U.S. Middle East strategy suffered one loss after another. He summarized them in five areas:

1) The U.S. declined in soft power and lost the regional support of the people. (Liu’s article cited a poll that showed that 78 percent of Arabs hate Americans). 2) As the Islamic forces rise, they only use "American democracy" to attain power but they actually oppose "American democracy." They are against the U.S.-led international policies; they want to be independent. 3) Iran is growing in power. Over the past year, in the face of the U.S. threat, Iran has built up its military power, developed military enterprises, greatly strengthened its national defense, and also held a number of military exercises. 4) The four transformed Arabian countries distanced themselves from the United States. The new regimes of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Yemen learned lessons and have adjusted their foreign policies. They changed their previous pro-American policy to one that is relatively independent and balanced. 5) The Iraq "example" effect has disappeared. Since the U.S. troops left Iraq at the end of 2011, the American model has become an empty shell.

In the end, Liu remarked that "the Universal values" of the United States are not working. The U.S. can only eat the bitter fruits of its own acts.

Source: Xinhua, November 28, 2012

http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2012-11/28/c_124012685.htm

Briefings | | November 30, 2012 | Geo-Strategic Trend

Scholar: Low Compensation for Land Acquisition a Cause for Social Conflict

An article in Beijing Times reported on a scholar who criticized the low and inadequate compensation for land acquisition. The scholar said it was a major problem with China’s current massive land seizures. The compensation that local governments give when they grab land from farmers is very low. Then they sell it to developers at a price ten or dozens of times higher, leading to acute social conflicts.

Zheng Fengtian, a professor at Renmin University of China said that the major problem with China’s rural land acquisition is that the standard for compensation is too low. A survey conducted by the Development Research Center of the State Council found that 40 to 50 percent of the value-added part of land acquisition goes to investors, 20 to 30 percent goes to the local government, 25 to 30 percent goes to the village organizations (grassroots government body), and the farmer who sold the land receives only 5 to 15 percent of the entire pie.

Zheng added that the huge amount of revenue that local governments receive gives them a fervent appetite for grabbing land and reselling it, resulting in massive and rapid use of arable land for non-agricultural occupation. Since 1990, China has been suffering an average loss of 10 million mu (1 mu equals to 667 square meters) of arable land per annum.

Source: Jinghua Times, November 29, 2012
http://news.jinghua.cn/351/c/201211/29/n3814339.shtml

Briefings | | November 29, 2012 | Economy/Resources

Military Expert Discusses the Successful Landings on China’s Aircraft Carrier

On November 27, 2012, in a guest session on People Daily‘s "Empower the Nation Forum," military expert Li Jie exchanged comments with Chinese netizens online. The topic was "China’s aircraft carrier’s first successful carrier landings.” Li Jie touted the significance of the successful delivery of the aircraft carrier and its carrier aircraft to the military, as well as the successful landings on the aircraft carrier. Li said that it had the same strategic significance as the success of "two bombs and one satellite" (the atomic bomb, the hydrogen bomb, and a man-made satellite).

Li also said that “the success of landing on and taking off from the aircraft carrier … not only greatly improved the overall strength of the armed forces, but also enhanced the overall strength of our country. It has actually increased the maritime awareness of all of the Chinese people.”

Source: People’s Daily, November 27, 2012

http://military.people.com.cn/n/2012/1127/c1011-19715211.html

Briefings | | November 29, 2012 | Defense/Military

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