Chinascope – Page 984

Wen Jiabao’s Speech at the National Conference on Financial Work

Wen Jiabao attended the National Conference on Financial Work China held in Beijing on January 6 and 7, 2012, and gave a speech, which listed eight measures for China’s financial reform:

1. Provide more good-quality financial services for society’s economic development.
2. Deepen the reform of financial organizations.
3. Strengthen and improve financial oversight and prevent systematic financial risks.
4. Guard against and mitigate the local government’s debt risks.
5. Improve the development of the capital market and the insurance market.
6. Improve the financial macro-control system.
7. Expand the opening of the financial industry (to the world) and improve the capabilities to allocate financial resources and safeguard the level of protection for financial security.
8. Strengthen the development of the financial infrastructure and improve the environment for financial development.

Source: Xinhua, January 7, 2012
http://news.xinhuanet.com/video/2012-01/07/c_122551507.htm

Briefings | | January 9, 2012 | Economy/Resources

White Papers the Chinese Government Published in 2011

In 1991, 20 years ago, the Chinese government published its first white paper, Human Rights in China. Since then, the government has published a total of 78 white papers. In 2011, it published nine white papers. They are:

1. China’s National Defense in 2010
2. China’s Foreign Aid
3. Sixty Years Since the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet
4. China’s Peaceful Development
5. The Socialist System of Laws with Chinese Characteristics
6. New Progress in the Development-oriented Poverty Reduction Program for Rural China
7. China’s Policies and Actions for Addressing Climate Change
8. China’s Foreign Trade
9. China’s Space Activities in 2011

Source: People’s Daily, January 5, 2012
http://politics.people.com.cn/GB/1026/16800546.html

Briefings | | January 6, 2012 | Government/Politics

Publicity Official: A More Effective Voice for China in 2012

Wang Chen, the head of the International Communication Office of the Communist Party and the Information Office of the State Council, emphasized that the focus of China’s international communication work is “to more proactively and effectively broadcast the voice of China.” The remarks were made at the International Communication Work Conference held January 4 and 5, 2012. According to Xinhua, the conference held that, for 2012, international communication should follow the Party and should “portray a civilized, democratic, open, and progressive China to the world, and create an international public opinion environment more favorable [to China].”

Source: Xinhua, January 5, 2012.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2012-01/05/c_111379201.htm

Briefings | | January 6, 2012 | Government/Politics

Government Think Tank: China Should Be Realistic about Its Relationship with the U.S.

Dai Xu, a researcher at the China Strategic Research Center, Beijing University, published an article on China-U.S. relations. Dai stated that the United States is forging ahead on three fronts and that China should be realistic about its relationship with the U.S. “In Russia, the U.S. is compressing the Russian strategic space by deploying an anti-missile system in Europe and by attempting lethal attacks in the Russian presidential election. In China, it announced its return to Asia and threw China’s neighbors into chaos. In the Islamic battlefield, it subverted and dismembered Iraq, Libya, Sudan, and Yemen, and now surrounds Syria and Iran, dragging Pakistan along.” The article quoted the remarks that Jon Huntsman made during the CBS presidential debate. Huntsman suggested that the U.S. should be reaching out to its allies and constituencies within China to take down China. The article states, “It looks like the U.S. strategists believe the U.S. can survive without China and do not show any desire to build a community of common interests with China.” The article concluded by urging that China must be realistic and rational about the environment and know its enemy well.

Source: Huanqiu reprinted by Xinhua, January 4, 2012
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2012-01/04/c_122533644.htm

Briefings | | January 6, 2012 | US-China Relations

Yang Jiechi on China’s Diplomacy in 2012

Yang Jiechi, China’s Minister of Foreign Affairs published an article suggesting that China should do more targeted work in countries that hold elections. The website of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs published an article in which Yang reviewed China’s achievements in 2011 and provided an outlook for 2012. First and foremost, “[with respect to major countries, we] should enhance mutual trust, expand cooperation, properly handle differences, and promote the stable development of bilateral relations. As for those countries that hold elections, [we] should do more targeted work, avoid the interference that its domestic politics may cause to bilateral relations, and ensure smooth transitions and new developments in the bilateral relationship.”

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, January 2, 2012
http://www.mfa.gov.cn/chn/gxh/tyb/gdxw/t892268.htm

Briefings | | January 5, 2012 | Government/Politics

Chinese Expert: How Maintain Stability in China-U.S. Relations in 2012

Wang Fonggang, the Deputy Director of the Institute of American Studies at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, discussed how to move China-U.S. relations forward while facing uncertainties.

Wang foresees that China-U.S. relations in 2012 will be very complicated due to the election year and the structural changes in the international situation and bilateral relations. He said that the main task in China-U.S. relations in 2012 will be to “maintain stability.” … China should increase its awareness in three areas. First is the awareness of crises. (China) should fully recognize the seriousness of both domestic and foreign situations and the periodic danger in China-U.S. relations. Second is comprehensive planning. In handling China-U.S. relations, (China) should put more effort into working with multiple departments in the U.S., by various means, via multiple channels, and at multiple levels simultaneously. Third is advancement. (China) should not only do well in crisis management and actively prevent crises; in China-U.S. relations, it should also seek opportunities in a crisis to develop new areas to cooperate and to make progress on the basis of stability.

Source: China News Agency, January 2, 2012
http://www.chinanews.com/gn/2012/01-02/3577060.shtml

Briefings | | January 5, 2012 | US-China Relations

China’s Largest Freshwater Lake Shrinks 95%

China Review News published an article on January 2, 2012, about Poyang Lake titled “China’s Largest Freshwater Lake Has Shrunk to Less Than 200 Square Kilometers.” Poyang Lake is China’s largest freshwater lake. According to the Jiangxi Provincial Hydrographic bureau there are five rivers in Jiangxi Province that feed the lake and water shortages in those rivers have resulted in the water-surface area of the lake decreasing to less than 200 square km, which is just 5% of its peak level.

Source: China Review News, January 2, 2012
http://gb.chinareviewnews.com/doc/1019/6/3/0/101963026.html?coluid=61&kindid=1290&docid=101963026&mdate=0102154410

Briefings | | January 4, 2012 | Economy/Resources

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.