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Ministry of Foreign Affairs: United States Should Stop Pointing Fingers

On December 13, Xinhua reported that Liu Weimin, the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, gave a briefing to the media on the subject of human rights. Liu suggested that the United States should stop pointing fingers at China and should do some introspection. Liu’s comment was in response to U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton’s recent speech about human rights and Internet freedom. The U.S. Ambassador to China Gary Faye Locke made similar comments not long ago as well. Liu also pointed out that the Chinese government protects the people’s basic human rights according to the law. He said that China’s human rights related efforts have achieved major accomplishments and that China is a country that exercises the rule of law. The U.S. cannot interfere with China’s internal affairs and judicial sovereignty. He also insisted that China manages the Internet according to Chinese law.

Source: Xinhua, December 13, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2011-12/13/c_111239921.htm

State Council Set Employment Target for 2011-2015

People’s Daily reported that Premier Wen Jiabao chaired a State Council Executive Meeting Work Conference on December 16, 2011, during which the Council established the “Employment Plan for 2011 to 2015.” 

The Council predicted that the eligible labor force will grow one million each year during the twelfth five year plan (2011-2015) compared to the eleventh five year plan (2006-2011). There will be increased friction because labor skills will not always be consistent with job requirements, with labor supply and demand, as well as with the ever increasing employment pressure.

The Council set the employment target for the twelfth five year period. It will include the growth of 45 million new jobs in urban and rural regions, reallocate 40 million from the surplus labor force in the countryside, keep the unemployment rate below 5%, enable social security benefits to cover the entire labor force, and improve the stability of the employment environment.

The meeting listed plans on how to meet the target: increase economic development, implement a favorable employment policy, better coordinate the job market for the urban and rural regions, implement training plans for the technically skilled and high tech labor force, and improve the flexibility of the labor market.

The Council also discussed the topic of improving fire prevention work.

Source: People’s Daily, December 16, 2011
http://politics.people.com.cn/GB/1024/16633304.html

Close to 1,000,000 Chinese Tourists Visited Japan in November

Xinhua quoted Japan Kyodo News and reported that 923,000 Chinese tourists visited Japan in November. The figure represented an increase of 35% compared to last November. November was the first month to show an increase since Japan’s earthquake. The main reason was believed to be that the Japanese government loosened the requirements for visa applications. Another factor was that the boat crash incident at Diaoyu island in November 2010 caused a decline in the number of tourists from China in that month.

Source: Xinhua, December 17, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/overseas/2011-12/17/c_122438951.htm

It is too Early to Speak Unfavorably of the U.S. Decline

Xinhua carried an article, originally from Jiefang Daily, which was written by Liu Baolai, the former Chinese Ambassador to the Middle East and Vice President of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. The title was, “It Is Too Early to Speak Unfavorably of the U.S. Decline.” The article analyzed the strategies that the U.S. has used in adjusting in its foreign and domestic policies. It concluded that the U.S. still holds the world’s number one position and no other country can replace it.

The article summarized the strategic changes in U.S. foreign policy in the following three areas: 1) The shift in focus from anti-terrorism to the economy: the U.S. concern over the economy has replaced its concern over terrorism. One example is that the topic discussed during Obama’s recent Asia Pacific trip was not terrorism, but rather it was the economy. 2) The shift in strategy towards the East and forging the “America Pacific Century”: the U.S. withdrew from Iraq and Afghanistan while speeding up its pace in moving towards the Asia Pacific region in order to regain its dominance in the area. 3) The adjustment in Middle-East policy: the U.S. started to openly support the reforms in the Middle East with the intention of letting those countries smoothly transition towards democracy by following the U.S.’s direction.

According to the article, the U.S. government has focused domestically on reducing the rate of unemployment, on increasing investment in high tech and new weapons development in areas such as clean energy and the pharmaceutical field, and on preserving military power by maintaining the military budget despite the skyrocketing national debt it faces.

The article summarized, “It can therefore be concluded that the high status of the U.S. in the world will remain stable in the predictable future and no other country can replace it.” .

Source: Xinhua, December 14, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2011-12/14/c_122418506.htm

Xinhua: China to Pursue Development While Maintaining Stability

For the Communist Party, the key word for the Chinese economy in 2012 appears to be “stability.” A Xinhua commentary echoed the theme of stability that was the focus of the recent Central Committee Working Meeting on the Economy. “Stability is the foundation of progress and has four key elements: maintaining the stability of macro-economic policy, the steady development of the economy, the stability of the general price level, and overall social stability.” Specifically, the commentary added, prudent monetary policy is expected and the steady development of the economy will hinge on the expansion of domestic demand, i.e., consumer demand.

Source: Xinhua, December 14, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2011-12/14/c_111244198.htm

Xinhua: U.S. Overplayed Its Claim that China Has Launched an Internet Cold War

Xinhua republished a People’s Daily report that discussed how the U.S. media accuse China’s hackers of attacking the websites of the U.S. government and U.S. companies and stealing confidential information. The U.S. regards this as an “Internet cold war.”

According to Xinhua a Chinese scholar, Meng Wei, of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said, “The U.S. understands the importance of the Internet to national security very well; it regards the Internet as a new strategic space. Out of consideration for its national interests, the U.S. hopes to control others via its first mover advantage on the Internet. At the same time, the U.S. has also increased its defensive mentality and even takes other countries as hypothetical enemies in order to control its administrative power over the Internet. The U.S. is highly dependent on the Internet, but the government pays little attention to prevention or to the administration of Intent security. Accusing other countries of posing Internet threats can also shift the public’s attention and transfer the responsibility to others.”

Source: Xinhua, December 16, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2011-12/16/c_111248112.htm

China Review News: What was Mrs. Clinton Busy Doing in Asia?

China Review News published a commentary stating that all of the activities of U.S. Secretary of State Clinton in Asia in 2011 had the purpose of, in summary, building an environment hostile to China. Throughout 2011, Mrs. Clinton set foot in numerous Asian countries, some even twice. The U.S. had joint military exercises with countries neighboring China in the West Pacific and South China Sea. “[The U.S.] even sent its aircraft carriers to the Yellow River to show off its military, obviously an action against China.” “During the second half of the year, her visits to India, the Philippines and Burma were viewed as having a strong meaning for China, even as solidifying hostility against China. … She encouraged India to participate in containing China, provided military support to the Philippines to create chaos in the South China Sea, and dug holes in the foundation of the China-Burma relationship.”

Source: Chinese Review News, December 14, 2011
http://gb.chinareviewnews.com/doc/1019/3/7/4/101937486.html?coluid=7&kindid=0&docid=101937486&mdate=1214001243

Government Scholar: Persist in the Leadership and Ruling Status of the Chinese Communist Party

Zhou Nongbin, the former Deputy Chief Editor of Guangming Daily and a research fellow at the Marxist Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, published an article defending the need for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s leadership and ruling status. Zhou argued that China’s socialist system determines that it can only be ruled by the Communist Party, just like the capitalist system can only be controlled by capitalists. The author also dismissed the multiple-party system and said that the Communist Party will not allow capitalists to compete for the ruling position. Finally, the author clarified that the multi-party cooperation led by the CCP and the political consultation system is different from the multiple-party system. China will never adopt (multiple parties) or allow any parties other than the CCP to take the leading position.

Source: Qiushi Theory, December 9, 2011
http://www.qstheory.cn/dj/201112/t20111209_128957.htm