Chinascope – Page 952

Communism’s Cultural Expansion: Communist Control Goes Abroad

In the past few years, China has developed a high-profile culture industry and a “going abroad” campaign to export its world view. State-owned media, including television, newspapers, and radio stations are massively penetrating Western countries. Programs to introduce the Chinese language and culture, led by the Confucius Institutes, which ultimately answer to the CCP’s United Front Work Department, are spreading all over the world and Chinese culture products are increasingly available in the international market.

This paper analyzes China’s “going abroad” campaign to extend its culture and soft power and concludes that, in addition to competition for the discourse right on the international stage, China is promoting its soft power as a direct attempt to extend its autocratic control to the world.

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Analyses | | May 8, 2012 | Opinion

Xinhua: Fighting Internet Rumors is an All Encompassing Battle

Xinhua recently published a short commentary on the importance of fighting “Internet rumors.” The commentary suggested that Internet based rumors spread more widely and faster than “traditional” rumors that spread by word of mouth with people talking to one another. The author expressed the belief that the battle to fight Internet rumors requires the involvement of many layers of society and the use of three important means: (1) The government should introduce systematic and routine Internet monitoring procedures and prosecute those who distribute rumors. (2) The use of cutting-edge technologies should be increased. For example, advanced data mining technology can be employed to analyze Internet user’s behavior and distribution models like the U.S. researchers did to analyze high volume Twitter traffic. (3) Traditional media should adjust to the era of new technology to provide better guidance in the formation of public opinion. This is considered a good way to limit the room for rumors to develop.

Source: Xinhua, May 3, 2012
http://news.xinhuanet.com/newmedia/2012-05/03/c_123073264.htm

Briefings | | May 8, 2012 | Information/Technology

China Economy: China should Attack the Philippines Militarily

Zhou Erquan, an associate professor at the College of the Air Force Command, recently wrote an article that was published in China Economy. Zhou called for a military attack against the Philippines, “Otherwise they will not awaken.” He suggested that the Philippines is still trying to make the situation in the South China Sea worse. "They figure that the United States is a country they can count on to be reliable.” The article expressed the belief that the United States will not engage militarily. Instead, the U.S. is only interested in muddying the waters and playing the role of judge. The author also suggested that China’s relationship with ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) will not be damaged by a small military conflict because most of the ASEAN countries would continue doing business with China. Zhou concluded that too much “peace talk” would send the wrong message, namely, that China lacks confidence. He recommended the strategy of “attack early, attack quickly, and attack heavily.”

Source: China Economy, May 3, 2012
http://www.ce.cn/xwzx/gnsz/gdxw/201205/03/t20120503_23291697.shtml

Briefings | | May 8, 2012 | Defense/Military

PLA Major General on Confronting the Philippines: Military Means Are Indispensable

On May 4, 2012, Major General Luo Yuan, the Deputy Secretary of the Chinese Society of Military Science, appeared on the program, “Let’s Talk about News,” which is hosted by ChinaNews.com. On the program, Luo proclaimed, “The Philippines have fired the first shot on the strategic level in terms of the Huangyan Island incident. China has been very polite and reasonable on the issue so far before resorting to force. However, military means are necessary and indispensable as a last resort.”

Luo added, “If the Philippines view China’s restraint and patience as a sign of weakness, a war will eventually break out.”

Source: Xinhua, May 4, 2012
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2012-05/04/c_123079551.htm

Briefings | | May 8, 2012 | Geo-Strategic Trend

“Human Rights Issues Should Not Be Used to Interfere in Other Countries’ Internal Affairs”

When the annual China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue ended on May 4, 2012, China’s State Councilor, Dai Bingguo, proclaimed: “Human rights issues should not disturb state-to-state relations, and they should not be used as an excuse to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.”

(Editor’s note: On April 22, 2012, China’s blind human rights activist, Chen Guangcheng, escaped from house arrest and made his way to the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, where he stayed for 6 days. Prior to the China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue and after China’s foreign minister promised safety to Chen while he was in China, Chen was escorted out of the U.S. Embassy. Chen and his family are now in a hospital in Beijing surrounded by police guards who will not allow Chen’s relatives, friends and supporters to visit him. A Chinese lawyer who tried to visit him last week was severely beaten.)

Source: Xinhua, May 5, 2012
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2012-05/05/c_123080741.htm

Briefings | | May 8, 2012 | US-China Relations

China Review News: The U.S. Low-Key Handling of Chen’s Case Shows that U.S. Power Is Weakening

On May 8, 2012, China Review News published an editorial article that commented that the U.S. government’s cautious, low-key handling of the Chen Guangcheng case was a sign that U.S. national power is weakening as China’s national power is increasing.

“Marked by the U.S. handling of the Chen Guangcheng case, human rights issues will have little impact on Sino-US relations. Compared to the most tangible national interests, the ideological importance is, after all, of secondary consideration. While American public opinion is still very emotional on such issues, the U.S. government, as the ‘legal representative’ of the country, is much more rational and pragmatic for the sake of its national interests.”

Source: China Review News, May 8, 2012
http://www.zhgpl.com/doc/1020/9/9/1/102099135.html?coluid=136&kindid=4711&docid=102099135&mdate=0508001936

Briefings | | May 8, 2012 | US-China Relations

Party Secretaries of over 150 Law Firms Participated in Training Program

The Ministry of Organization and the Ministry of Justice organized a training class for Party secretaries in law firms. It was held in Beijing on May 3, 2012. Over 150 law firm Party secretaries participated in the 5 day training program.

By the end of 2011, 63,000 lawyers had joined the Communist Party, up from 44,000 in 2008. Out of 14,741 law firms, 3,895 or 26 percent have established independent Party branch offices; 8,105 or 55 percent have associate Party branch offices. As for the 2,741 law firms that do not have Party members, they were each assigned a party development guidance councilor or party member contact person. Therefore party development work has reached full coverage of all the law firms in China.

Source: Guangming Daily, May 4, 2012
http://epaper.gmw.cn/gmrb/html/2012-05/04/nw.D110000gmrb_20120504_11-03.htm?div=-1

Briefings | | May 7, 2012 | Government/Politics

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.