Chinascope – Page 977

New Media as Best Way to Promote Socialist Core Values

Guangming Daily published an article on how new media have become an important battleground for the proliferation of conflicts and an arena for the promotion of socialist core values. Through their popularity and due to people’s widespread participation, the new media can awaken people’s socialist values, internalize such values so that they become a popular faith, and reach out to more and more people. Further, the new media represent the best weapon to safeguard socialist core values in the face of the influx of Western capitalist values. As mainstream media, they can lead public opinion.

Source: Guangming Daily reprinted by Qiushi, March 5, 2012
http://www.qstheory.cn/wh/jsshzyhxjztx/201203/t20120305_142951.htm

Briefings | | March 9, 2012 | Information/Technology

China’s R&D Trails Far Behind the West

Study Times published an article discussing the need for China to develop an effective strategy to increase national competitiveness through innovation. In 2007, the U.S. spent a great deal of money on research and development. The total was $368 billion, which is 2.68% of its GDP, or $1,265.70 per person. In comparison, China currently spends about $48.7 billion on R&D, which is 1.46% of its GDP, or $37 per person. At the industry level, the transition from scientific and technological success to manufacturing and production has been very slow. Only 25% of the technological breakthroughs have made this transition, which is way behind the 80% rate in developed countries. Further, less than 5% of these successes have been developed to the point of full production. The article recommended upgrading industries in the following areas: new energies, information, biology, material, medicine, environmental protection, oceanography, and space, as well as other new emerging industries.

Source: Study Times, March 5, 2012
http://www.studytimes.com.cn:9999/epaper/xxsb/html/2012/03/05/07/07_38.htm

Briefings | | March 9, 2012 | Economy/Resources

CCP Implemented a Nationwide Campaign to Crack Down on Falun Gong before the Two Conferences

Through internal sources, Chinascope has obtained a document that the CCP Public Security Department issued about conducting a nationwide campaign to “screen and eliminate Falun Gong activities” in preparation for the “Two Conferences [the National People’s Congress and the People’s Political Consultative Conference].” The document was issued to police stations across China on February 25, 2012. Below is the translation of partial contents of the document:

“This year’s ‘Two Conferences,’ to be held March 3-5 is an important political event that will take place before the CCP’s ‘18th Congress.’ Eliminating interference and damage by the evil cults and ensuring Beijing’s stability is the important political task of the citywide national security department of public security. … We must soberly understand that superficial stability is achieved through the Public Security Department’s regular and heavy strikes. ‘Falun Gong’s ability to initiate’ such an activity is intact; and the energy to interfere is still intact. Once [we] let up on our attack, they will start to make trouble and revive their sabotage. Particularly along with the U.S.’s high profile ‘return to the Asia Pacific,’ the overseas ‘Falun Gong,’ as the front runner of the U.S. anti-China strategy, is also increasing its activity of infiltration and sabotage in our neighboring countries and regions, making the situation more complicated.”

“In order to maintain a high level of pressure and a strike-hard status against ‘Falun Gong’ and to ensure that no high impact incidents or events happen during the ‘Two Conferences,’ [we] have decided to conduct a focused and unified screening and elimination activity to prevent and attack ‘Falun Gong.’"

“The activity will be conducted from February 27 at 8:00 a.m. to February 29 at 8:00 p.m., 2012.” “We should focus our efforts on cracking cases; conduct centralized efforts to arrest the key suspects; strive to arrest one more round of ‘Falun Gong’ members; crack down on a series of ‘Falun Gong’ underground locations; and confiscate a large amount of ‘Falun Gong’ counter-propaganda materials.”

“[It is required] that the rule of reporting and delivering information be strictly followed. During the screening and elimination activity, each police station is required to crack at least one ‘Falun Gong’ case; to detain at least one ‘Falun Gong’ member; to dispatch and summarize once a day; and to report immediately in the case of any major incidents.”

Briefings | | March 9, 2012 | Government/Politics

SCMP: Hu Brands Former Chongqing Police Chief a Traitor

There has been a new development in the case of Wang Lijun, the former Chongqing police chief and deputy mayor who sought asylum a month ago at the United States consulate in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. According to the South China Morning Post, a source close to the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) said that “On Saturday evening, President Hu Jintao issued an internal briefing to the Communist Party members among the CPPCC delegates, telling them that Wang was a traitor.”

“A government source in Chongqing took a similar stance yesterday, saying: ‘All officials above the prefecture level in Chongqing were told the day before yesterday [March 4] that Wang had betrayed his country.’”

When interviewed by Hong Kong based Phoenix TV at the Great Hall of the People, where the session of the National People’s Congress and the People’s Political Consultative Conference is held, U.S. Ambassador to China, Gary Locke, repeated the U.S. line on the deputy mayor. "He came in for a regularly scheduled meeting," Locke said. "He later left of his own accord."

Source: South China Morning Post, March 7, 2012
http://www.scmp.com/portal/site/SCMP/menuitem.2af62ecb329d3d7733492d9253a0a0a0/?vgnextoid=0d5ea7bb8d8e5310VgnVCM100000360a0a0aRCRD&ss=China&s=News
Phoenix TV, March 5, 2012
http://v.ifeng.com/news/mainland/201203/deec6057-a9ce-4c1c-8196-096445e3221e.shtml

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

More Chinese Companies Are Expected to Delist Their Overseas Stock

The International Herald Leader published a commentary about Chinese companies delisting their stock from U.S. stock exchanges. On February 15, 2012. Shanda Interactive Entertainment Limited became the first Chinese Internet company from mainland China to have completed a stock buy-out and delisted its stock from NASDAQ. On February 21, 2012, after a massive stock buy-back, the Alibaba Group offered to delist its B2B site Alibaba.com from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Shanda and Alibaba are not alone. In 2011 there were a total of 22 Chinese companies that delisted their stocks in the U.S. More are expected to announce plans to delist. According to the article, Chinese companies that were listed through reverse mergers now find it difficult to play by the rules of the American style stringent reporting requirements. "Under the U.S. regulations, the tax payments reported on their SEC filings should be the same as those tax payments filed with tax authorities in the home country, with a discrepancy not exceeding 10%. But according to sources in some consulting agencies, for Chinese companies listed in the stock markets in the U.S., the difference is as large as 10 times, far surpassing what the U.S. law allows."

Source: International Herald Leader, March 6, 2012
http://news.xinhuanet.com/herald/2012-03/06/c_131442157.htm

Briefings | | March 8, 2012 | Economy/Resources

How the U.S. and Isr’l Are Dealing with Iran’s Nuclear Development Program

Xinhua posted an article that was originally published by People’s Daily (overseas edition), discussing the U.S. and Israel’s positions on Iran’s nuclear issue. The article focused on the February 29, 2012, meeting between U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak. The article said, “As Iran’s nuclear issue was becoming more and more pressing, Israel continued to claim, at difference strategic points, that it would launch a military attack against Iran. Recently, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported that Iran’s nuclear development program has made new progress. This news worried Israel. In particular, the U.S. and E.U.’s economic sanctions against Iran’s development of nuclear weapons has seemed not to have had any effect. Israel is becoming even more anxious. "

“Regarding Israel’s continuous claim that its military will strike Iran’s nuclear facilities, the U.S. has been warning Israel to hold back. The U.S. appears to believe that it is not yet the right time to take military action against Iran. The U.S. prefers to wait for the economic sanctions to run their course, or not to take action until Iran’s Middle East ally (Syria’s Assad) gets into trouble.”

“On Iran’s nuclear issue, both the U.S. and Israel have the same goal—to prevent Iran from having nuclear weapons. Israel is anxiously trying to take action, whereas the U.S. warns it to hold back. This “mutual cooperation” of both sides looks quite interesting.”

Source: Xinhua, March 5, 2012
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2012-03/03/c_111596862.htm

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

Study Times: Three Obstacles to Fighting Corruption in China

Study Times, the publication of the Party School of the Central Committee of the CCP, published an article listing three obstacles to fighting corruption in China. 1) The public accepts and tolerates some widespread corrupt practices since corruption has become habitual in social interactions. Most of time, it is hard for the public to realize the damage that corruption causes. Besides, the public does not have confidence in effors to fight corruption since those who have dared to oppose corruption were arrested. 2) Corruption is hidden from the public; the alliances between corrupt officials are too powerful for the public to fight. 3) It is difficult to fully protect the rights and interests of the people who fight against corruption. Nine out of ten of the people who were against corruption have suffered reprisals.

Source: Study Times, March 3, 2012
http://www.studytimes.com.cn:9999/epaper/xxsb/html/2012/03/05/04/04_36.htm

Briefings | | March 7, 2012 | Government/Politics

China to Establish Coast Guard on the South China Sea?

On March 4, 2012, the Nanyang Post published an article titled “The PLA Proposes Placing the Coast Guard on the South China Sea.” In the article, Tian Fuzhou, a PLA civilian-level cadre and a member of the CPPCC (Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference), expressed the belief that the South China Sea problems need to be solved by Armed Marine Guards (the Coast Guard). Tian said in a media interview that the key to solving the South China Sea problem is to establish China’s national prestige by using armed marine guards on the sea, similar to the armed police, rather than the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (the PLA).

Source: Nanyang Post, March 4, 2012
http://news.nanyangpost.com/2012/03/tian-fuzhou.html

Briefings | | March 7, 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