PRC Political News & Discussions

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PRC Political News & Discussions

Post by Suraj »

This thread is meant to collect and discuss China-specific political news and information. Both conventional/vernacular news/blog and academic/thinktank sources are fine; the former would be even better since it provides a much better picture of the day to day workings and intrigues.

Potential Topics:
* CPC internal hierarchy and the people to keep an eye on.
* PLA internal hierarchy and the people to keep an eye on.
* CPC and PLA doctrines - political and military.
* PRC foreign affairs.
* PRC internal schisms.

Please do NOT use this for India-China, economic news/discussions or 'Taiwan/Tibet/Turkestan/Klingon belongs to China' flamebait. There are other threads and fora for them. This thread is meant to focus on building our understanding of the PRC political system, from a historical perspective and from a day to day view.

Please do not post in Chinese if you do not provide a clear translation along with it.

MAIN SITES:
Official Chinese Govt info:
http://www1.cei.gov.cn/govinfo/english/default1e.shtml
Chinatoday.com
http://www.chinatoday.com/
The Beijing Review
http://www.bjreview.com.cn/
Kanwa - Intelligence review:
http://www.kanwa.com/eindex.html
Periodicals.net.cn
http://www.periodicals.net.cn/english.html
Shangai Institue for International Studies:
http://www.siis.org.cn/

CHINESES NEWS SITES:
Peoples daily:
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/
Xinhua Online:
http://www.chinaview.cn/
PLA Daily
http://english.chinamil.com.cn/
China Broadcast:
http://en.chinabroadcast.cn/
China Daily:
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/home/index.html
China News:
http://www.china.org.cn/english/index.htm
South China Morning Post (HK):
http://www.scmp.com/
Epoch Times English ed China Page
http://english.epochtimes.com/123,92,,1.html

NON-CHINESE SITES ON CHINA:
World News Monitors - China Monitor:
http://www.einnews.com/china/
Jamestown Foundation.
http://www.jamestown.org/pub_china.htm
The Hoover Foundations Chinese Leadership Monitor.
http://www.chinaleadershipmonitor.org/default.htm
The Commonwealth Institutes Chinese Military Power watch site:
http://www.comw.org/cmp/
The US National Defense University's China Military site:
http://www.ndu.edu/INSS/CHINA_Center/IN ... _CSCMA.htm
RAND China Watch Website
http://www.rand.org/hot_topics/china/
News and Reports on PLA: TaiwanSecurity
http://taiwansecurity.org/TSR-PLA.htm
http://www.taiwansecurity.org/TSR-ECOSO.htm

ANALYSIS
RAND: The People's Liberation Army as Organization
http://www.rand.org/pubs/conf_proceedin ... index.html
Chinese Political Organization
http://brjingo.blogspot.com
"Nine Commentaries on the Chinese Communist Party"
http://ninecommentaries.com/
The Role of the Chinese Military in National Security Policymaking
http://www.rand.org/pubs/monograph_reports/MR782-1/
Deterrence Theory and Chinese Behavior
www.rand.org/pubs/monograph_reports/MR1161/
Interpreting China's Grand Strategy: Past, Present & Future
http://www.rand.org/pubs/monograph_reports/MR1121/
Information on PRC political/military/business figures
http://www.chinavitae.com/index.php
Last edited by Suraj on 12 Apr 2006 03:52, edited 4 times in total.
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Post by Johann »

Suraj, why not keep Taiwan's politics and armed forces on the Taiwan thread, and keep Mainland Party/state/PLA statements and actions regarding Taiwan on this one.

Other suggested topics
- dissidence and unrest in Mainland China, and state response
- PRC relations with countries other than India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka all of which have their own threads. In other words the Koreas, ASEAN, Middle East/Africa, EU, Russia and the US.
Last edited by Johann on 04 Apr 2006 23:55, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Suraj »

Sure, that might work, but the existing Taiwan thread seems to be geared to Indo-Taiwanese issues. Would either you or Anoop like to start a Taiwan Political News/Discussions thread ? We can then keep this thread PRC specific.
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Post by Johann »

Suraj, I think a single Taiwan thread should suffice for now. If the thread turnover becomes too heavy they can always be split off.
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Post by Suraj »

Agreed Johann. I've edited the first post.

This thread will focus on PRC exclusively.
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Post by svinayak »

http://in.rediff.com/news/2006/apr/03inter1.htm
The Rediff Interview/Lodi Gyari

Why China will change: The Tibet factor

April 03, 2006

A few days before his departure for Beijing for the fifth round of talks with the People's Republic of China, the Dalai Lama's chief negotiator and Special Envoy in Washington, DC Lodi Gyari Rinpoche spoke to Claude Arpi.

Examining the dynamics of the 'dialogue process' with China, he shared his frustrations and hopes for the future. He also explained how difficult it has been for the Dalai Lama to abandon his claim for independence and to accept that Tibet becomes a 'genuinely autonomous' part of the People's Republic.

He also examined an interesting factor which may play a role in finding a solution to the Tibetan tangle: The revival of Buddhism in China.


That is why I think that with the positive attitude of His Holiness, the Tibetan issue can be a tremendously positive factor for the future of China. I do not say this in an idealist way, but am being very practical.

'The talks are farcical'

Can you give us some examples?

Zhao Ziyang, the former Chinese premier, died recently after spending many years under house arrest. When he was critically ill, we received a message from one of his sons: 'My father is very ill, can you ask His Holiness to pray for him?' We assumed that this request came because the son was interested in Buddhism. I passed the request to His Holiness who prayed for him. Then after the death of Zhao Ziyang came a communication from all his children thanking His Holiness for praying for their father.

But what surprised me most is when we were informed that virtually the last word of Zhao Ziyang was the name of His Holiness. We are talking about a person who reached the highest level of the Chinese hierarchy (general secretary of the Communist party and premier).


This illustrates the extent of reverence for His Holiness even in China today. There are many other instances.


I do not believe that it is too far-fetched to think that the Tibetan issue can have a profound impact on tomorrow's China. This sentiment is shared by many Chinese. I see this through my contacts not only with the Chinese government, but with Chinese of all shades
.


I am surprised and encouraged to come across Chinese in the government, in the Communist party, but also this new class of rich Chinese entrepreneurs who believe that what China really needs is the presence of His Holiness.

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Post by Johann »

Right lets get this thing going.

Sorry, this came by email, so no URL.

China Brief
Volume 6, Issue 7 (March 29, 2006)

ON EVE OF U.S. VISIT, HU PUSHES REFORMIST IMAGE
By Willy Lam

[quote]Wu and Zhou, both deemed establishment intellectuals, are too polite to accuse the Hu leadership of being too timid—and too beholden to vested interests—to consider more difficult aspects of liberalization. This is despite the fact that the millstones round the neck of progress are well known. They include the CCP’s refusal to give up control over vital aspects of the economy—including the largest and most profitable SOEs—and more significantly, the growth of a new exploitative class, which consists of an “unholy allianceâ€
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Post by Johann »

From the same issue

CHINA RESPONDS TO THE U.S.-INDIA NUCLEAR DEAL
By Mohan Malik
Conclusions

China is breathing fire over the U.S.-India nuclear agreement that reverses decades of U.S. policy to allow India, once a nuclear pariah, access to civilian nuclear technology to meet its soaring energy needs. China is concerned over what it sees as a pro-India tilt in U.S. policy. Beijing seeks to either make India’s NSG membership conditional upon it signing the NPT as a Non-Nuclear Weapons State or block India’s entry without Pakistan also getting into the NSG. Beijing seeks to prevent India from breaking free of the nuclear chains because it fears that if India is let in into the exclusive Nuclear Club, it will soon be knocking on the doors of the exclusive UN Security Council P-5 Club as well, and this would significantly erode China’s regional leverage and global influence.
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Post by Johann »

The China Brief article didnt go in to it, but rather than reform the politcal system at lower levels the CPC leadership in Beijing is trying to bypass it and maintain social stability by throwing money in the countryside's general direction. The latest budget has seen significant increases in agricultural and rural health spending.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006 ... 546924.htm
The premier promised 339.7 billion yuan (41.9 billion US dollars) in funding from the central government for farmers, agriculture and the rural areas this year, a record high and an increase of 14.2 percent over last year's funding
In Xujiaying Village's clinic, the premier told farmers that the central government plans to set up a clinic in every villages across the country.

China plans to cover 40 percent of its counties in a new government-backed medicare cooperative program for farmers this year, and will promote the program to all the rural areas in the next few years.

Under the plan the government will allocate 40 yuan for every account of farmers who pay ten yuan each.

The premier told Wang Jicheng, a farmer who joined the medicare program, that governments will increase their subsidies as fiscal revenues expand.

"We will certainly handle with care matters that are essential to farmers," the Premier said.
These programmes will probably face many of the same problems that India has faced with these sorts of 'poverty alleviation' schemes (ie unchecked and massive corruption reducing actual benefits to a trickle) without even the political pressure release of the Panchayat councils and electoral politics, and without the kind of advocacy and assistance that the press and NGOs can bring to bear. Overall however such patronage will probably reduce the erosion of the Party's grip in the countryside.
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Post by svinayak »


China opposes US practice of granting 'political asylum'

Beijing, April 5. (PTI): China on Tuesday criticised the United States for its policy of granting 'political asylum' to dissidents but agreed to step up law enforcement cooperation to prevent terrorism and illegal immigration so as to strengthen bilateral ties.

The two sides reached an agreement on this when Chinese Minister of Public Security Zhou Yongkang held talks with visiting US Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff here.

China and the United States have agreed to step up a law enforcement cooperation including joint efforts in the campaign against illegal immigration, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told reporters while commenting on Chertoff's visit.

He said that the law enforcement cooperation is an important part of the bilateral relations.

At the same time, Liu pointed out that some countries granting political asylum for those engaged in illegal immigration was not a good sign.

"We do not believe it (granting political asylum) is helpful in fighting illegal immigration. We hope relevant countries should not politicise illegal immigrations," he said.

During the meeting, Zhou emphasised that China and the United States have made substantial progress in cooperation on extradition, criminal investigation, fighting terrorism, the campaign against illegal immigration and law enforcement training.
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Post by Anoop »

Here ia an excellent compilation of the PLA as an organization. Individual chapters are available to download, if you scroll down the page.

http://www.rand.org/pubs/conf_proceedings/CF182/
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Post by kgoan »

Strikes me that one thing that may make life easier is a set of links to Chinese news that's in English from China and from outsiders.

Suraj, perhaps you could add these in the first post. Others could add other links as well.

MAIN SITES:
Official Chinese Govt info:
http://www1.cei.gov.cn/govinfo/english/default1e.shtml

Chinatoday.com site. Handy as it groups together a set of different English China news sources, such as Xinhua.
http://www.chinatoday.com/

The Beijing Review, (Kinda like India Today):
http://www.bjreview.com.cn/

Kanwa - Intelligence review:
http://www.kanwa.com/eindex.html

A site that groups together a number of Chinese periodicals, in English. Very handy.
http://www.periodicals.net.cn/english.html

Shangai Institue for International Studies:
http://www.siis.org.cn/
(Current front page is devoted to Indo-Chinese issues and has Manmohan on it).

CHINESES NEWS SITES:
Peoples daily:
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/

Xinhua Online:
http://www.chinaview.cn/

China Broadcast:
http://en.chinabroadcast.cn/

China Daily:
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/home/index.html

China News:
http://www.china.org.cn/english/index.htm

NON-CHINESE SITES ON CHINA:
World News Monitors - China Monitor:
http://www.einnews.com/china/

Jamestown Foundation. Has very good coverage of China within the Asian context:
http://www.jamestown.org/pub_china.htm

The Hoover Foundations Chinese Leadership Monitor. This has *very* good on a regular basis of the Chinese leadership.
http://www.chinaleadershipmonitor.org/default.htm

The Commonwealth Institutes Chinese Military Power watch site:
http://www.comw.org/cmp/

The US National Defense University's China Military site:
http://www.ndu.edu/INSS/CHINA_Center/IN ... _CSCMA.htm
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Post by Anoop »

Key leaders in the CPC

http://www.china.com.cn/english/feature ... /86673.htm

Gen. Cao Gangchuan is a powerful and high-profile officer in the PLA and is largely responsible for the transformation it is undergoing.
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Post by Suraj »

kgoan & Anoop: I've put all the links, including the RAND analysis, in the first post. In addition, there's a link to PLA Liberation Daily (english addition) among the news sites listed.
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Post by Anoop »

Suraj,

Please include this one too in the list. It is a pictorial of authority relationship between the CPC and the PRC Govt. If it is possible to host this image in BR archives, it might be more permanent.

http://brjingo.blogspot.com/
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Post by Johann »

Strongly recommend Jamestown's China Brief, and Hoover's China Leadership Monitor. Hoover's annual International Yearbook of Communist Affairs used to be the gold standard open-source reference.

A few more links worth keeping;

The latest on China from Rand;
http://www.rand.org/hot_topics/china/

Collected news and reporting on the PLA
http://taiwansecurity.org/TSR-PLA.htm

Collected news and reporting on China
http://www.taiwansecurity.org/TSR-ECOSO.htm

South China Morning Post - http://www.scmp.com/
The scamp is a Hong Kong paper

Epoch Times English ed China Page
http://english.epochtimes.com/123,92,,1.html
Newspaper of the Chinese dissident diaspora

"Nine Commentaries on the Chinese Communist Party"
http://ninecommentaries.com/
Falun Gong's stinging condemnation of the CPC's nature and history - some of the commentaries are better than others - the better ones were written with the help of ex-party members, expelled for their Falun Gong loyalties.


Anoop,
I find these a useful adjunct to the PLA Reference Volume

The Role of the Chinese Military in National Security Policymaking
http://www.rand.org/pubs/monograph_reports/MR782-1/

Deterrence Theory and Chinese Behavior
www.rand.org/pubs/monograph_reports/MR1161/

Interpreting China's Grand Strategy: Past, Present & Future
http://www.rand.org/pubs/monograph_reports/MR1121/
Last edited by Johann on 05 Apr 2006 22:01, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Anoop »

Johann, thanks. I bought Swaine's and Tellis' book in hard copy (before I knew about free downloads!).

Kgoan, thanks for the variety of links.
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Post by Purush »

China censors focus in on television dramas, news
BEIJING (Reuters) - China unveiled new censorship rules for television dramas and news reports on Tuesday that tighten the Communist Party's squeeze on the country's increasingly commercial media.

The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) issued rules demanding that local government offices overseeing production of television dramas submit monthly reports to ensure the shows stick to pre-approved scripts and avoid taboo themes, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

China's television stations are state-owned, but in recent years many local stations have lured audiences and advertising by showing dramas that are heavy on lush romance and imperial court intrigue but light on political instruction.

Now they are also in the censor's sights.

The new rules, issued on SARFT's Web site (www.sarft.gov.cn) late on Monday, said historical soap operas that involve "major or sensitive" issues -- including political, military and religious themes -- must receive approval.

Those that "seriously" depart from censors' demands will not be given screening approval, SARFT said.

SARFT also warned local television stations to stick to international news reports provided by the state-run China Central Television, and avoid foreign sources.

"Recently, some foreign news services and media have used a variety of methods to sell international news material to domestic local stations, and (the reports) have clear political intentions," SARFT's Web site said.

The notice repeated previous demands that local news broadcasters "strengthen their political sensitivity" and avoid using news footage taken from foreign satellite programs.

Last week, China's press censors revealed new restrictions on foreign magazines seeking to enter China, saying only foreign science and technology magazines can develop Chinese versions and these must be through tie-ups with approved local partners.

China's Communist Party rulers have cracked down on increasingly bold reporting by local newspapers and magazines. Last year the government imposed a freeze on foreign investment in satellite television and other media ventures.
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Post by svinayak »

Anoop wrote:Suraj,

Please include this one too in the list. It is a pictorial of authority relationship between the CPC and the PRC Govt. If it is possible to host this image in BR archives, it might be more permanent.

http://brjingo.blogspot.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cao_Gangchuan

http://www.chinavitae.com/biography_display.php?id=300

Suraj add this link too


http://www.chinavitae.com/index.php
China Vitae is an online biographical database that provides more than 2500 biographies of current Chinese political, military, economic, business, and academic leaders. The China Vitae database offers state-of-the-art searches of its biographies, including advanced tools for learning about the backgrounds and careers of senior Chinese officials.

China Vitae's database is extensively cross-referenced. Employing an array of search tools, users can easily create lists of officials who have similar career paths, organizational affiliations, education, and places of origin. The cross-referencing allows users to follow the lives and careers of Chinese officials, individually or in groups, from birth to the present, facilitating background studies of officials in politics, military, business, and academia.

In addition to the main China Vitae database, VIP Appearances, a second database, tracks the public appearances of several hundred senior Chinese officials, allowing its users to follow the daily activities of those officials whose lives and views influence Chinese policies. China Vitae also offers links to other databases of biographical information on Chinese officials.

Drawing on official Chinese sources, Wen Wei Publishing Co. Ltd. Hong Kong provides the basic biographical information used in China Vitae. Wen Wei Publishing Co. Ltd. Hong Kong holds the copyright on this information. China Vitae formats and edits the information, creates the underlying database and holds the copyright on all China Vitae web pages.
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Post by svinayak »

Image
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China training

Post by Sanjay M »

China is upgrading the quality of its training facilities for division-level exercises:

http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htcbts ... 60411.aspx

Does India really have any dedicated facility to perform training on a comparable scale? This effort even seems to be dwarfing the Americans.
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Post by Gerard »

PBS documentary on China: The Tank man

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tankman/
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Post by svinayak »

http://chinadigitaltimes.net/politics/

Suraj At this to the link post.


hina Facing Economic, Social Unrest - Chito Romana

By Sophie Beach :: 2006-04-10, 11:00 AM :: Economy

From ABC News (link):

Ap China 060410 SpWhen a group of senior Chinese economists, officials and scholars gathered in early March to discuss the current situation in China, they exchanged frank views behind closed doors.

The high-level forum, which was organized by a think tank linked to the government's Cabinet, was intended to provide policy advice to the Chinese leadership.

But when the full transcript of the deliberations was leaked to the Internet in late March, it sparked a strong reaction among the intelligentsia and gave rare insight into the policy debate on the country's economic direction.

An article about the forum's minutes from the Chinese version of the Wall Street Journal site is here. The original minutes are here (in Chinese), in parts one & two. See also ESWN's partial translation of the minutes.

At a Secret Meeting, Chinese Analysts Clashed Over Reforms - Joseph Kahn

By Xiao Qiang :: 2006-04-08, 02:38 AM :: Politics

From The New York Times (link):

Officials and scholars who had been convened last month to advise senior Chinese leaders disagreed sharply on how to advance economic and legal reforms, according to minutes of the private meeting that have been leaked on the Internet. They also expressed anxiety about what one official called "unprecedented controversy and dissent" among China's elite.

The minutes offered a revealing glimpse into the policy debate among influential people who are considered core supporters of the Communist Party's market-oriented economic reforms.

Many attendees emphasized that they were alarmed by the resurgence of socialist thinkers critical of the lurch toward capitalism. Some said the governing party would face growing social and political instability unless it established genuine rule of law.

Is China ready to welcome home the Dalai Lama? - Clifford Coonan and Jan McGirk

By Xiao Qiang :: 2006-04-05, 02:24 AM :: Politics

From The Independent (link):

The Dalai Lama could be on the verge of a historic visit to the remote, mountainous homeland that the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader has not seen for nearly 50 years, following indications from the Chinese government that dialogue may, at last, be leading to a rapprochement.

But Tibetans are wary of Beijing's tentative approach to the figure they regard as a god-king. The Dalai Lama fled the capital Lhasa in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule, nine years after Communist troops entered Tibet.

The Chinese government has long proclaimed the Dalai Lama as a dangerous separatist, who wants to declare independence for 2.7 million Tibetans. Yesterday Ye Xiaowen, head of China's powerful State Bureau of Religious Affairs, appeared to extend an olive branch when he said: "As long as the Dalai Lama makes it clear that he has completely abandoned Tibetan "independence", it is not impossible for us to consider his visit. We can discuss it."


Grassroots democracy quells rural unrest - Xinhua

By Michael Zhao :: 2006-04-07, 05:50 PM :: Politics

From Xinhua News Agency (link):

In a study tour of Tibet, Wang Jinhong, a Chinese professor keen on grassroots democracy, was amazed to find that elections in remote villages had proceeded smoothly and efficiently.

"In voter registration, the nomination of candidates, election speeches and ballot counting, the principles of equality, fairness and openness have been fully observed," said Prof. Wang with South China Normal University, in south China's Guangdong Province.

He learnt that the election organizers had been trained in a China-European Union cooperative program on village governance.

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Post by svinayak »

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Post by Gerard »

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Post by Rangudu »

From last week's Wall Street Journal Asia.
China's Nuclear Diplomacy
By Gordon G. Chang

11 April 2006
The Wall Street Journal Asia

As Mao Zedong once said, "without the bomb people just won't listen to you." Since then, China's attitudes toward nuclear proliferation have matured. But the transformation isn't yet complete. With China's backing, Iran's nuclear program has advanced, and it's still unclear what the mainland will do as pressure on Tehran intensifies. Given the threat, it's time for America and the West to step up the pressure on China -- both privately and publicly -- to prove that its "peaceful rise" really will be peaceful. It's time for China to drop its support of Iran.

Such a change in national policy won't be easy for the Chinese, but it's been accomplished before without significant international pressure. In the 1950s, Beijing applied its own brand of Marxist analysis to the issue of nuclear proliferation. Nukes in the hands of socialists, the Party argued, advanced world peace -- so all communist states should have them. Other "peace-loving countries" -- the non-aligned states -- could possess them too. Beijing's logic was straightforward: Nuclear weapons gave weaker nations the means to deter the two superpowers, the U.S. and the former Soviet Union, and granted them a voice in world affairs.

Once the Chinese detonated their first atomic device in 1964, however, their outlook changed. By 1983, their pro-proliferation rhetoric was a thing of the past. China joined the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, in 1984 and signed nuclear-proliferation agreements at a fast clip from 1992 to 1998. Since then, Beijing has enacted comprehensive nuclear export-control legislation and established stringent licensing for nuclear material, dual-use items and related technology.

China, the one nation that given its history might have dispersed nuclear weapons technology indiscriminately, has not done so. Yet the issue is not whether Beijing's policies are moving in the right direction -- it is whether they are progressing fast enough. The existing American-led international system could completely fail if hostile and unstable regimes obtain atomic weapons. Unfortunately, that kind of rapid nuclearization may soon occur. In 2004, the IAEA estimated that at least 40 nations could build a bomb within a few years' time. Not all of these countries would be a threat to global order -- but many of them would.

China's role in the current Iranian crisis is particularly unsettling. Alongside Russia, Beijing has insisted on "dialogue" rather than economic sanctions. This attitude is driven by China's extensive oil exploration and gas interests in Iran.

The West should've seen this coming. The IAEA identified China as one of the sources for enrichment equipment used in Tehran's suspected nuclear weapons program. As noted in these pages, Chinese weapons scientists were working in Iran as late as the end of 2003. According to the National Council of Resistance of Iran, a dissident group, in 2004 China sent Iran beryllium, which can be used to trigger a nuclear weapon. And as late as last year, various sources, including the NCRI and some inside the American intelligence community, reported that China sold either centrifuges or centrifuge parts to Iran.

China's assistance to Iran is a violation of its obligations under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. It also violates Beijing's Oct. 1997 pledge to America that it would not engage in any new nuclear cooperation with Iran and would expedite the completion of two small projects there. "Chinese entities remain involved with the nuclear and missile efforts in Iran," confirmed Peter Rodman, U.S. assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, in written testimony to a congressional commission last year.

These reports suggest that China, despite passionate and repeated denials, is still playing "the proliferation card" to secure access to Iranian energy. China's activities also raise broader questions about Beijing's adherence to international norms to prevent the dispersal of nuclear technologies. What can Washington do to encourage the Chinese to make the right choice about their future?

For the past decade, U.S. administrations have typically used a light touch that accomplished little. They have, for instance, slapped a series of minor sanctions on China's state-owned enterprises for particularly egregious transfers of missile and WMD technology to Iran. If anything, these mild rebukes, even though administered publicly, have shown Beijing that America is not serious about stopping Chinese proliferation. Some critics argue that, whatever Washington does, it holds little sway over Beijing. The Chinese, they contend, will never support sanctions or other coercive measures against Iran that run counter to their own national interests.

When the U.S. is resolute, however, Washington gets results. Consider U.S. measures in the early 1990s, as regards North Korean nuclear proliferation. In 1994, Washington privately told Beijing that its support of Pyongyang would isolate China internationally. Furthermore, Washington threatened to put the Chinese in the unenviable position of having to take a clear stand in support of Pyongyang in public. President Clinton also offered substantial trade concessions -- an unprincipled bribe, but an effective one. The Chinese complied, employing both backroom diplomacy and public pressure on Pyongyang, suggesting China might adhere to any embargo imposed on North Korea and stop food and oil supplies. Pyongyang immediately softened its position on starting talks over its plutonium production. This type of effective diplomacy was employed again by the current U.S. administration in 2003, when, after intense bargaining with China, Beijing cut off the flow of oil to North Korea for three days. Again, Pyongyang yielded, agreeing to sit down for multilateral talks shortly thereafter.

The North Korean example shows that China can become a constructive force if America acts to make it one. Washington may have to step up its public rhetoric with Beijing or employ a strong mix of sticks and carrots, but in any event America needs to act. The Chinese have yet to make the right choice in the showdown with Iran.

---

Mr. Chang is the author of "Nuclear Showdown: North Korea Takes On the World" (Random House, 2006).
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Post by kgoan »

X-Posting this from the TEF forum.

Strictly speaking, and at first glance, it seems to have nothing to do with this thread. That, I think, is incorrect.

If they succeed in this, the political impact and strategic significance would be larger than Chinese Carriers in the Pacific and possibly of more importance than Taiwan.

If China succeeds here, they would have a currency of power capable of balancing the US' primary power tool - the US dollar itself.

I know that sounds excessive. I just don't think it is. The article url is below and is worth a read by all Brites.

http://atimes.com/atimes/China_Business/HD13Cb05.html
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Post by Vivek_A »

New U.S. strategy anticipates China as a threat
By Bill Gertz
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
April 20, 2006

The Bush administration has adopted a bold new strategy for countering the emergence of a threatening China with policies that were drawn up several years ago and started being implemented in the past several months.
The "hedge" strategy is a response to the September 11, 2001, attacks and the crisis over the April 1, 2001, midair collision between an EP-3 surveillance aircraft and a Chinese interceptor jet, according to U.S. national security officials involved with the policy.
More muscle, with eye on China
By Bill Gertz
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
April 20, 2006

The Pentagon is engaged in an extensive buildup of military forces in Asia as part of a covert strategy to strengthen and position U.S. and allied forces to deter -- or defeat -- China.
The buildup includes changes in deployments of aircraft-carrier battle groups, the conversion of nuclear-missile submarines and the regular dispatch of bombers to areas close to targets in China, according to senior Bush administration officials and a three-month investigation by The Washington Times.
Other less-visible activities that are part of what is being called a "hedge" strategy include large-scale military maneuvers, increased military alliances and training with Asian allies, the transfer of special-operations commando forces to Asia and new requirements for military personnel to learn Chinese.

Bush administration national security officials said most of the military moves are being carried out in ways designed to avoid provoking Beijing. Masking the buildup is not strategic deception, they said, but is part of what is called strategic denial: playing down the focus on China and highlighting the global nature of overall U.S. military transformation.
"I'm partly saying to them, 'Look, if you, the Chinese, are not transparent as you grow and you become more influential, and you add to your military, you will recognize that others are going to respond to that,'?" Mr. Zoellick told The Times. "And if you are not transparent, if you're not emphasizing cooperation with people, they're going to respond in ways that build their defenses, not only their own military defenses but how they work with others."
Japan, Australia, India and nations in Southeast Asia also share U.S. worries about China, he said.

Additional military exercises are being held with U.S. friends and allies. For example, the Navy's 7th Fleet currently holds 100 exercises per year and will increase that number. It will include exercises with India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Australia, the Philippines, South Korea and Japan.
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Post by Gerard »

China, the one nation that given its history might have dispersed nuclear weapons technology indiscriminately, has not done so
:eek:

The transfer of the technology to Pakistan was as indiscriminate as was possible.
The bomb design from the 4th Chinese test ended up in Libya, wrapped in a plastic bag from a Karachi Dry Cleaners !!
Iran didn't even ask for it. They were given a copy of the blueprints for free when they purchased the P2 centrifuge design.
North Korea got a copy in exchange for Nodong <paint green and insert Afghan name here> missiles.
Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Burma...

Pakistan is like a 10 dollar crack whore... every nasty character got a taste of the action...
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Post by vsudhir »

C Raja Mohan reads between diplomatese lines and claims that MMS got a 'warmer' (hotter?) reception in DC than Hu is managing so far.

No Banquet for Hu
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Post by Rudradev »

svinayak
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Post by svinayak »

Was that a cheap Chinese knock off of italian suit. :D


Image

Image
Last edited by svinayak on 23 Apr 2006 22:47, edited 5 times in total.
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Post by Tilak »

China: Japan's claim of "median line" unacceptable
2006-04-21 23:57:45
BEIJING, April 21 (Xinhua) -- China on Friday once again stressed that it does not accept Japan's claim of a so-called "median line" in the East China Sea.

"China did not recognize it in the past. China does not recognize it now and will not in the future," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in response to questions concerning a ship traffic ban around the Pinghu gas field.

Qin said China and Japan have never conducted a demarcation of the East China Sea. "The so-called 'median line' is an unilateral claim by the Japanese side and it has no legal force."

The Chinese maritime authorities had posted a notice that all unauthorized ship traffic would be banned from March 1 to Sept. 30 in the waters around the Pinghu field due to construction. On April 18, the notice was re-posted with an amendment to the operation areas.

Qin said earlier this week that the correction was due to a "technical inaccuracy".

However, some Japanese press claimed the change showed that the "median line" had become a "fact".

Qin rebutted such reports, saying that they were wishful thinking.

The spokesman said China issued the notice according to an international pact and domestic laws in a bid to ensure the work safety at the operation areas and the traffic safety of ships passing by the region.

He said the work area in the notice was defined according to the capacity of the operational watercraft and it completely accords with international laws and practices. Enditem
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Post by ramana »

vsudhir wrote:C Raja Mohan reads between diplomatese lines and claims that MMS got a 'warmer' (hotter?) reception in DC than Hu is managing so far.

No Banquet for Hu
I heard on CBS radio that the Chinese people would watch the kind of reception that Hu got in DC and if it was similar to Russia and India. I know people say it is trying to induce behavior change but the US was not too welcoming of the PRC leader.

Most probably there will be impact on India. Instead of writing comparison pices CRM better burn some midnight oil and try to figure what are the likely costs. The PRC has saying "Kill a few monkeys to scare the chickens." quoted on Jim Lehrer News Hour on Tuesday.

The Chinese colonial historical memory is that they were subjugated after India was and they are always alert to how India would be used to get to them. Some folks think 1962 was a pre-emptive slap the monkey to scare the chicken.
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Post by Purush »

hehehe.
The Secret Service was scheduled to charge Wenji with disorderly conduct, but President Bush intervened on behalf of Jintao and turned Wenji over to the custody of the Chinese President's security detail. In a hastily arranged proceeding, Wenji was executed at dawn this morning on the South lawn of the White House with the traditional, efficient single bullet to the head used in China. In keeping with the Chinese tradition, Bush assured Jintao that Wenji's surviving family members would be assessed the cost of the bullet.

White House historians were fairly certain that this was the first on premises execution in the brief history of the White House.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chinese leader given a welcome he'll never forget

By Dana Milbank in Washington
April 22, 2006


THE Chinese President, Hu Jintao, got almost everything he wanted out of his visit to the White House.

He got the 21-gun salute, the review of the troops and the colonial fife and drum corps. He got the exchange of toasts and a meal of wild Alaskan halibut with mushroom essence, $US50 ($68) chardonnay and live bluegrass music. And he got an Oval Office photo op with President George Bush, who nodded and smiled as if he understood Chinese when Mr Hu was speaking.

If only the White House hadn't given press credentials to a Falun Gong activist who five years ago heckled Mr Hu's predecessor, Jiang Zemin, in Malta. Sure enough, 90 seconds into Mr Hu's speech on the South Lawn, the woman started shrieking "President Hu, your days are numbered!" and "President Bush, stop him from killing!"

Mr Bush and Mr Hu looked up, stunned. It took so long to silence her - a full three minutes - that Bush aides began to wonder if the Secret Service's strategy was to let her scream herself hoarse. The rattled Chinese President haltingly tried to continue his speech and television coverage went to split screen.

"You're OK," Mr Bush gently reassured Mr Hu.

But he wasn't OK, not really. The protocol-obsessed Chinese leader suffered a day full of indignities - some intentional, others just careless. The visit began with a slight when the official announcer said the band would play the "national anthem of the Republic of China" - the official name of Taiwan. It continued when the Vice-President, Dick Cheney, donned sunglasses for the ceremony, and again when Mr Hu, trying to leave the stage via the wrong staircase, was yanked back by his jacket. Mr Hu looked down at his sleeve to see the President of the United States tugging at it as if redirecting an errant child.


Then there were the intentional slights. China wanted a formal state visit such as Mr Jiang got, but the Administration refused, calling it an "official" visit instead. Mr Bush acquiesced to the 21-gun salute but insisted on a luncheon instead of a formal dinner, in the East Room instead of the State Dining Room. Even the visiting country's flags were missing from the lampposts near the White House.

But as protocol breaches go, it's hard to top the heckling of a foreign leader at the White House. Explaining the incident - the first disruption at the executive mansion in recent memory - officials said she was "a legitimate journalist" and that there was nothing suspicious in her background. In other words: Who knew?

Mr Hu did. The Chinese had warned the White House to be careful about who was admitted to the ceremony. To no avail: it granted a one-day pass to Wang Wenyi of the Falun Gong-affiliated publication Epoch Times.

A quick internet search shows that in 2001, she slipped through a security cordon in Malta protecting Mr Jiang (she had been denied media credentials) and got into an argument with him. The 47-year-old pathologist is expected to be charged with attempting to harass a foreign official.

Mr Bush later apologised to the angry Chinese leader in the Oval Office. But Mr Hu was in no mood to make concessions.

In negotiations, he gave the US side nothing tangible on delicate matters such as the nuclear problems in North Korea and Iran, the Chinese currency's value and the trade deficit with China.

The Washington Post
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Post by Suraj »

The Hu visit has so far been essentially an unmitigated PR disaster for the Chinese. Before the visit, there was a lot of wrangling about specifics, with the Chinese side insisting it would be a state visit, and the Americans declining to term it as such. A full fledged state visit has certain trappings, including the banquet. Manmohan Singh had been among the few (of altogether about five during the 6 year Bush reign) who received one.

As with any other government, there will be those in the PRC administration who believe Hu is too soft/indecisive/<insert_alleged_negative_attribute>. It would be interesting to trawl the press for information about who they are and what the issues are.
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Post by Suraj »

U.S., China Stand Together but Are Not Equal
At every turn, Hu sought to stress the equality between the two nations, which, as he put it in a luncheon toast, are the "largest developing country and the largest developed country." Speaking to reporters after his meeting with President Bush, he said an "important agreement" was reached: "Under the new circumstances, given the international situation here, that China and the United States share extensive, common strategic interests."

For his part, Bush tried to signal that China is not all that equal. The White House would not grant Hu the state dinner he dearly wanted, offering instead a lunch that fell just short of the pomp and circumstance for close allies. Meeting with reporters, Bush simply said, "It's a very important relationship."

This trade has begun to give the Chinese enormous influence in many parts of the world, especially Southeast Asia. In the past year, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has sought to counter that influence, pursuing for instance a nuclear agreement with India that could result in much closer links with New Delhi, long a rival of China.
Meeting with Bush only embarrassed Hu, analysts say
"It was a ridiculous and embarrassing situation for Hu. Beijing's hopes that Bush would strongly censure Taiwan during the meeting were totally shattered," said Cao Changqing, a former journalist in China who lives in New York.

"The two leaders spoke about totally different things. Bush wanted the trade deficit and human rights issues in China to be discussed and had a soft touch on the Taiwan issue, while Hu only cared about denouncing Taiwan independence," Cao said.
Coverage from analysis sites:
Heritage Foundation: Analysis (Conservative)
Heritage Foundation: Hu Biography
Please post summaries from any other policy research institutions.
Last edited by Suraj on 24 Apr 2006 03:47, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Suraj »

New articles from China Leadership Monitor at Hoover Institution. All of these are very interesting:
Military
"Ding, Dong, The Witch is Dead!"—Foreign Policy and Military Intelligence Assessments after the Retirement of General Xiong Guangkai
For more than a decade, General Xiong Guangkai used his position as the head of military intelligence to influence Chinese leadership assessments of foreign and security policy, especially Sino-U.S. relations. News reports suggest that General Xiong has finally retired, after staying in his position well past the mandatory retirement age, a longevity that most foreign observers attributed to his self-described and perhaps real indispensability. His replacement, General Zhang Qinsheng, is not a military intelligence officer by training, but has instead occupied a series of critical staff and command positions. This article analyzes General Zhang's known biographical data and presents his limited public comments for clues about his outlook and attitudes.
Economic
Waves of Criticism: Debates over Bank Sales to Foreigners and Neo-Liberal Economic Policy
Financial reform policies have moved ahead rapidly in the last year. At the same time, a mood of disillusionment within Chinese society has been seized upon by critics of reform. General criticisms of "neo-liberal" policies worldwide have fed into specific criticisms of the practice of selling shares in state-owned banks to foreign financial institutions. Vigorous debate has been joined, but thus far, the debate has had limited impact on economic policymaking, which is still dominated by technocrats. However, the official sponsorship of such "leftist" critiques has contributed to increased tension in Chinese leadership politics generally.
Political Reform
Promotion of Qiu He Raises Questions about Direction of Reform
For the last two years, the Chinese media have widely discussed the "Qiu He phenomenon," attempting to understand the significance of a local county party secretary's using autocratic methods to jump-start the economy of Jiangsu's poorest county. The party secretary, Qiu He, has been both praised and criticized. But now he has also been promoted to vice governor of the wealthy province of Jiangsu, and at 50 years of age he could rise farther in China's political system. Promotions to vice governor rarely raise eyebrows, but the significance of Qiu's promotion has been widely discussed. Known as an "official with personality," Qiu stands out among the ranks of China's generally staid bureaucracy, and his rise prompts speculation about what types of officials might be promoted under Hu Jintao and what this means for the building of institutions in China.
Party Matters
More Already on Politburo Procedures under Hu Jintao
A recent chronicle of Deng Xiaoping's political life after 1975 discloses previously restricted information about scores of meetings of the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) top decision-making bodies, the Politburo and its Standing Committee. These data provide a more reliable baseline than has been previously available against which to assess the long-term evolution of the party Politburo in the post–Mao Zedong era and, together with continuing PRC media coverage of current sessions of the party Politburo, analyze its present-day procedures. This article complements and extends analysis, published in previous issues of the China Leadership Monitor, of Politburo operations since 2002 under the CCP's present top leader, General Secretary Hu Jintao.
Provinces
Think National, Blame Local: Central-Provincial Dynamics in the Hu Era
The alarming statistics on public protests recently released by the Chinese authorities have led some analysts to conclude that the Chinese regime is sitting atop a volcano of mass social unrest. But these statistics also reaffirm the foresight of Hu Jintao, especially his recent policy initiatives that emphasize social justice over GDP growth. In this context, the escalation of mass protects could help to consolidate, rather than weaken, Hu's power in the Chinese leadership. Although Hu's populist policy initiatives seem timely and necessary, they may also lead to public demands for government accountability that undermine the stability of the country. In this circumstance, Hu's strategy is to localize the social unrests and blame local leaders, an approach particularly evident in the case of Guangdong, recently the site of major public protests. A detailed analysis of the current Chinese provincial leadership reveals both the validity and limitations of this strategy.
pkakkar

Post by pkakkar »

deleted
Last edited by pkakkar on 04 May 2006 10:49, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by m_bose »

What's this got to do with the Chinese, aside from your opinion added on top of the article? Besides, there is some kind of international agreement that allows to register regional food and drink products as originating from that region and people from outside that region must use a different name, even if it is the same food/drink product. Scotch is hardly the first in this matter.

For example:
Champange (if originating from Champagne region of France) ==> Sparkling White Wine (if originating from elsewhere)
Burgundy (if originating from Burgundy region of France) ==> Red Wine
Chianti, Bordeaux, Provolone cheese etc. all have similar restrictions.
Kobe Beef (if the cattle are slaughtered in Kobe, Japan) ==> Wagyu Beef (if slaughtered elsewhere). Interestingly, if the Wagyu breed cattle is raised in California/Texas/wherever and shipped to Kobe for slaughter, it is allowed to be called Kobe Beef.

If the Chinese want to trademark Szechwan Kung Pao Chicken as a style of chicken from Szechwan district, I'm sure they'll register the trademark first.

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.
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