Chinascope – Page 998

People’s Daily: China’s Foreign Trade Increased 21.6% Per Year over the Past Decade

People’s Daily reported on the 10th anniversary of China’s entry into the WTO (World Trade Organization). According to the report, China’s total foreign trade has grown by 21.6% annually since 2001. Standing as the largest exporter and the second largest importer in the world, China’s customs tariffs are now five times the level they were in 2001. Statistics show that, due to the decrease in international demand resulting from a sluggish world economic recovery, the rate of growth of China’s exports has been declining since August of this year. The authorities are fighting the downturn by adjusting the structure of exported goods, as well as by advancing the transformation of export companies. Those provinces that traditionally handle large numbers of exports are still responsible for over 80% of the country’s international trade.

Source: People’s Daily, December 11, 2011

http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/html/2011-12/11/nw.D110000renmrb_20111211_6-01.htm?div=-1

Briefings | | December 13, 2011 | Economy/Resources

Guangzhou Daily: Technical Trade Barriers against Chinese Exports are Increasing

Guangzhou Daily recently published a report complaining that other countries have rapidly increased the technical trade barriers against Chinese exports. Estimates are that the direct financial losses due to these technical trade barriers have grown by 15% per year over the last several years. Last year, the figure was US$58.2 billion. In addition to traditional trade barriers such as tariffs and quotas, ASEAN (The Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries have adopted more and more technical trade barriers against China. China’s three largest trade partners (Europe, the U.S. and Japan) have recently imposed more and more complicated technical requirements on Chinese products. For example, Chinese rice exported to Japan faces 579 technical inspection items.

Source: Guangzhou Daily, December 11, 2011
http://gzdaily.dayoo.com/html/2011-12/11/content_1554950.htm

Briefings | | December 13, 2011 | Economy/Resources

Xinhua: China will not Rescue Europe

Xinhua reported on December 10 that the Chinese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fu Ying, stated in Vienna that China is not in the business of “rescuing” Europe. Fu offered her opinion when she was visiting Europe and suggested that China is an active participant of Europe’s effort to fight the debt crisis. She said the word “rescue” was misleading. Since the European Union is the world’s largest economy with strong economic power and a much higher living standard than developing countries, it does not need a “rescuer.” Fu expressed her belief in a strong Euro and Europe’s ability to resolve the crisis. She emphasized the point that China does not intend to use financial tools to “control” any European country. She called for a “good investment environment in Europe” for investors from developing countries.

Source: Xinhua, December 11, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2011-12/11/c_122405576.htm

Briefings | | December 13, 2011 | Geo-Strategic Trend

Study Times: The Cultural Giant Strategy Faces Several Key Issues

Study Times published an article analyzing several key issues that the Cultural Giant Strategy faces.

1) The existing government system: First, in the existing system the government is both the administrator of the culture entities and the host of the culture events at the same time. The government should shift towards being an administrator and be responsible for the entire society. Second, the government is unclear about the difference between a cultural service unit and a business unit and usually applies the same regulations to both. Third, some state owned culture entities have shifted outside of the socialist system. They lack vitality and competitiveness. Last, China lacks elite culture products that are original and have a competitive advantage in the world.

2) Products: In the process of building a cultural giant, what kind of products can China offer that will increase the power of the existing system’s influence?

3) A clear understanding of soft power: How can China turn a rich cultural resource into one with the power of influence and attraction? What is the basis for confidence in Chinese culture?

4) Understanding different paths in developing the culture system. Each region should assess its capabilities to avoid competing against each other. Specifically, they should focus on building their own cultural brand and understand its market potential.

Source: Study Times, December 5, 2011
http://www.studytimes.com.cn:9999/epaper/xxsb/html/2011/12/05/06/06_33.htm

Briefings | | December 12, 2011 | Government/Politics

Cambridge Chinese Student Organization Involved in Election Scandal

Southern Weekend recently reported on an election scandal at Cambridge University. Cambridge suspended the Chinese student organization after it could not agree on electing a new president. It also disclosed the organization’s close ties with the Chinese government.

The incident started when Chang Feifan, who was the president of the Cambridge Chinese student organization in 2010, sent an email claiming that the organization’s board had agreed that she would continue her presidency in 2011. The email generated controversy among the members, who stated that no formal election process ever took place and called for one. As elections are a requirement, when the members had not reached agreement by November 1, Cambridge formally disbanded the organization.

Aside from the election scandal, the article also described Chang Feifan, the former president, as being much like a Chinese government official stationed in Cambridge. Chang’s bio indicated that in less than two years she had hosted Chinese government officials who visited the campus and provided trainings for close to 1,000 senior government officials and senior managers from companies in China. Chang managed the foreign projects at Cambridge and was also responsible for several Chinese government sponsored projects in China. An online search suggested that a number of China’s official news agencies, including People’s Daily and China Review News had covered the activities that the Cambridge Chinese student organization hosted. An article from Beijing Youth Newspaper also reported that the Chinese consulate sponsors the annual Chinese New Years party that the Cambridge Chinese student organization hosts each year.

Source: China Review News, December 2, 2011
http://gb.chinareviewnews.com/doc/1019/2/4/2/101924242.html?coluid=7&kindid=0&docid=101924242&mdate=1202092659

Briefings | | December 12, 2011 | Geo-Strategic Trend

Huanqiu: Revive the Silk Road and Break the U.S. Containment of China

Huanqiu published an article suggesting that, now that the U.S. has reentered the Asia Pacific Region, China should adjust its geographic strategy in reaction to U.S. strategy.

The article called Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s recent visit to Myanmar a significant move in U.S. Asian policy. It stated that the U.S. has changed its strategy towards China’s neighboring countries, following the end of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, a change that targets China. The move has the purpose of preventing China from surpassing the U.S. in Asia. The article suggested that China should revisit its geographic strategy. An example it gave was that China could express its intention of building a strategic partnership with Afghanistan by opening the Wakhan Corridor and having China’s development of the Kashgar Economic Zone include developing an economic cooperation plan with Afghanistan. China could also form a strategic agreement with Afghanistan and Pakistan. In the long run, China should advocate forming a five-country dialog and establishing economic cooperation with Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, and India so as to revive the “Historic Silk Road.”

Source: China Review News, December 1, 2011
http://gb.chinareviewnews.com/doc/1019/2/1/8/101921899.html?coluid=148&kindid=7550&docid=101921899&mdate=1201000712

Briefings | | December 12, 2011 | US-China Relations

Globe: Hillary’s Asia-Pacific Dream

[Editor’s Note: Globe magazine, under the official Xinhua News Agency, published a response to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s article, “America’s Pacific Century,” which was published in the November issue of Foreign Policy magazine. [1] The response criticized Secretary Clinton’s article as being “far from reality,” and having “hegemonic hierarchic thinking and a Cold War mentality.” The full text of the article is translated below.] [2]

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Reports | | December 10, 2011 | Report

Qiushi: The Trend of Communist Parties over the Last 30 Years

A Qiushi article discussed the trend of the world’s Communist Parties over the last 30 years. It stated that the Communist movement has been through major changes. At present, there are over 130 Communist Parties in the world with a total of just under 90 million members. China itself has over 74 million Communist Party members, accounting for 85% of the Communist Party members in the world. North Korea has about 4 million, Vietnam 3 million, Cuba 900,000 and Laos 100,000. The Communist Party is the ruling party in five countries with 83 million Party members, about 93% of the total in the world. It has six notable features. There is no more central leadership based on personalities; countries where the Communist Party is the ruling party, such as China and Vietnam, have made major achievements; now there are multiple Communist Parties in one country; gradual peaceful development is taking the place of violent revolution; the Communist Party is becoming the ruling party through elections such as in Moldova, Cyprus, and Nepal; and new international communication modes are replacing separate and isolated struggles for survival.

Source: Qiushi, December 5, 2011
http://www.qstheory.cn/zz/zgtsshzyll/201112/t20111205_127728.htm

Briefings | | December 9, 2011 | Government/Politics

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

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