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Xinhua Commentary Series: Spotlight on the U.S. Presidential Election

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Wu Guoguang: Xi Jinping’s Reversal of the Course, Will China’s Transition be Peaceful or Marked with Bloodshed?

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Cheng Xiaonong: U.S.-China Strategic Relations Have Crystallized

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Xinhua Commentaries: “Exposing the Three Major Political Deficits of the U.S.”

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How Should China Deal with TPP?

Study Times, the publication of the Party School of the Central Committee of the CCP, published an article on December 19, 2011, titled “How Should China Deal with TPP?” According to the article, the Trans-Pacific Partnership is incomplete without China’s accession. Currently, China has difficulty meeting certain TPP’ requirements, such as on government procurement, state-owned enterprises having a limited role in the national economy, an assurance of market-driven innovation, a high demand for labor, and environmental standards. However, TPP’s rules give China an opportunity to open up and promote reform. “Following the principle of seeking  what is most beneficial for China’s maximum interest, China should actively and steadily negotiate with TPP.”  

Source: Study Times, December 19, 2011
http://www.studytimes.com.cn:9999/epaper/xxsb/html/2011/12/19/02/02_31.htm

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

CRN: Central Government Plans to Speed up Affordable Housing Construction

China Review News (CRN) recently reported on the central government’s new real estate development policies. The primary message on housing policies that came out of the recently held Central Government Economic Conference was to speed up the construction of affordable stock housing projects. The Conference confirmed that the current strategy on controlling the housing market will remain unchanged and that the government is sticking to the goal of restraining housing costs so they are kept down to a reasonably low level. All members of the Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee Political Bureau attended the Conference.

Source: China Review News, December 14, 2011
http://gb.chinareviewnews.com/doc/1019/3/9/3/101939365.html?coluid=151&kindid=0&docid=101939365&mdate=1214160743

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Xinhua: Canada’s Betrayal is Sign of a More Chaotic World

Xinhua recently published an editorial commenting on the Canada’s withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol. The article expressed the belief that the sole motivation for Canada’s “betrayal” was to avoid a fine of CAN$14 billion due to the fact that Canada did not meet the requirements to which it had committed. The United States was referenced as another example of “Western selfishness” since the U.S. refused to even join the Protocol. Japan and Australia are considering the same action, following Canada’s move. The author of the editorial suggested that China should “pay close attention” to the “new signals in international relations” that appeared before and after the Climate Conference in Durban, and China should improve its readiness to face new strategic challenges in defending its national interests. The editorial concluded that moral standards no longer constrain some countries’ behavior, and the West will play more games showing a “loss of patience.”

Source: Xinhua, December 14, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2011-12/14/c_122418663.htm 

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

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

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

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

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

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

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

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

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

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

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources