Ambassadors Abroad: Open House at the CCP Central Propaganda Department

The following is a translation of an article published by People’s Daily (online) on Friday. Quotes from the diplomats, plus their names, are re-translated from Chinese-language quotes within the People’s-Daily  article, and this may or may not reflect what they originally said. — JR

Main Link: People’s Daily online, May 25, 2012, 05:46

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Sincere Openness wins Whole-Hearted Praise — Open House at CCP Propaganda Department

- by Du Rong

真诚开放赢得真心赞许
——“走进中共中央宣传部”主题开放日侧记
本报记者  杜  榕

On May 24, the Central Propaganda Department at W Changan Road opened its doors and welcomed some special guests. At an open-house activity with the theme “Entering CCP Central Propaganda Department”, nearly sixty high-level diplomats stationed in China came in here for the first time, to have a look around, to have discussions and exchanges, and to understand the CCP’s work at theoretical learning, news dissemination, and at the building of ideological virtue.
5月24日，位于西长安街上的中宣部敞开大门，迎来了一批特殊的客人——以“走进中共中央宣传部”为主题的开放日活动在此举行，近60名驻华高级外交官首次走进这里，现场参观、座谈交流，“零距离”地了解中国共产党在理论学习、新闻宣传和思想道德建设等方面的工作。

Just in from their cars, some envoys merrily watched the buildings belonging to the Central Propaganda Department, and what made them even more expectant were the following “close contacts”. How does this department work? How does their work materialize in which fields? What are the qualities of the staff working here? …  This was of interest to all diplomatic envoys, but they also had a common expectation that “the Central Propaganda Department would, with a sincere, open attitude have exchanges with them, to get a better understanding of the CCP in these exchanges, and a better understanding of the relevant work in China”.
刚刚走下车，一些驻华使节就兴致勃勃地观察起中宣部院内的各个建筑，而更让他们期待的，是接下来将近3小时的“亲密接触”。这个部门是如何开展工作的？他们工作的成果体现在哪些方面？工作人员的能力素质如何？……每一个驻华使节都有自己最感兴趣的问题，但他们对于这次开放日活动却有一个共同的期待，“中宣部以一种真诚、开放的态度与我们交流，希望能够在交流中增进对中国共产党的了解，甚至进一步更好地理解中国的相关工作。”

[...]

Arranging and scripting “Theoretical Hot Topics Face-to-Face”, coordinating major news disseminating activities, organizing and implementing “work at the grassroot level, changing the ways of doing things, and changing styles” activities, organizing and implementing activities to build spiritual civilization, organizing and coordinating large-scale art and literature activities, promoting cultural reform … In the central propaganda building, a variety of exhibits was on display and attracted many diplomats’ attention, and some fell over backwards (迫不及待) to take notes while listening and talking. Full of interest, they heard detailed accounts from comrades in the relevant departments, conscientiously dipped into theoretical writings by the Central Propaganda Department, some were interested in the recording of ongoing discussions, and some stopped at the newspaper and periodical showroom.
组织编写《理论热点面对面》、协调重大新闻宣传活动、组织开展“走基层、转作风、改文风”活动、组织开展精神文明创建活动、组织协调大型文艺活动、推动文化改革发展……在中宣部综合楼大厅内，展览内容精彩纷呈，吸引了众多驻华使节的关注，一些使节迫不及待地拿出纸笔，一边听讲解一边进行记录。而在各司局听取了有关负责同志详尽的介绍后，使节们更加兴致盎然，他们有的认真翻阅中宣部组织编写的理论书籍，有的对正在进行录制的座谈节目颇感兴趣，还有的在新闻刊物陈列室里驻足观看。

New Zealand’s ambassador Carl Worker, after watching the exhibition and listening to the introductions, told this reporter that the Central Propaganda Department is a very important department at the CCP, and what’s more, it is in charge of the important work of news dissemination, theory learning, the building of ideological virtue, and “coming here, I hope to understand the institutions at the Central Propaganda Department, the contents of work, how the work is done, so that we better understand the CCP and have better exchanges and interaction”.
新西兰驻华大使伍开文在看了展览、听了介绍后告诉记者，中宣部是中国共产党一个非常重要的部门，而且承担了新闻宣传、理论学习、思想道德建设等方面的重要工作，“这次来我最希望了解的就是中宣部的机构组成、工作内容，看看是如何开展工作的，这对于我们更好地了解中国共产党、更好地交流互动有很大的意义。”

At the Theory Office, to give the diplomats a deeper and intuitive impression, producers of the Theoretical Hot Topics Face-to-Face television special reports explained how they centered their programs around hot and difficult issues that concerned society. The books produced during the past few years, television recordings, were there not just to be read by the diplomats, but also to take them home for closer studies. Vietnam’s Minister Counsellor Hoang Ngoc Vinh took more than ten books right away, saying that “in Vietnam, we have similar departments. These books and theories are significant and worth to learn from”.
在理论局，为了让驻华使节留下深刻且直观的印象，“理论热点面对面”电视专题片的制作修改团队来到了现场，直接展示如何围绕社会关注的热点难点问题制作电视专题片。同时，现场还摆放着近年来理论工作的数10套书籍、电视节目光盘，让驻华使节不仅可以翻阅，还可以带走作更深入的研究。越南驻华使馆公使黄玉荣一口气拿了十多本书，他说：“在越南我们也有类似的部门，这些书籍、理论很有借鉴意义，中宣部工作的方式、内容也值得学习。”

“May I ask who Lei Feng is”, Ethiopian deputy ambassador Ababi Demissie Sidelel asked the person in charge, after having listened to an introduction at the education department and feeling a bit confused. [...] After listening to the detailed and correct answer, the deputy ambassador’s doubts had been cleared, and he noddingly said: “Every country needs this kind of heroic person; this work is really important!”
“请问雷锋是什么人？”埃塞俄比亚驻华副大使阿巴比·德米思在宣传教育局听完介绍后感到有些困惑，向该局负责人提出了这个问题。  [ “雷锋是中国家喻户晓的全心全意为人民服务的楷模，他作为一名普通的中国人民解放军战士，在短暂的一生中助人无数，他的精神也代表着中国人的精神，因此我们广泛组织向雷锋同志学习的活动，希望他的精神能够代代传承。”]  详实准确的回答解开了副大使的疑惑，他频频点头说：“每个国家都需要这样的英雄人物，这项工作确实非常重要！”

After reading at the News Office’s The Party’s Historical Papers and Periodicals  and The Party’s Historical Papers and Periodicals at the newspaper and periodical showroom, an ambassador said with emotion: “Thank you very much for today’s activity, this was of great help to our understanding the Chinese media”. Seeing the public-opinion supervision work explanations, an envoy said: “In the past, we thought that food safety issues only existed in some small companies, but from the results of China’s public-opinion supervision we can see that  it is a universal issue, one of which the whole world must be vigilant and responsive. China’s public-opinion supervision has played a particularly important role.”
在看完了新闻局的“历史上的党报党刊陈列室”、“当代党报党刊陈列室”后，一位驻华使节感慨地说：“非常感谢今天的这个参观活动，这对我们了解中国的媒体有很大的帮助。”而看到对舆论监督工作的介绍后，有驻华使节说：“过去我们以为食品安全问题在一些小公司才有，但是从中国舆论监督的结果来看，这是一个具有普遍性的、全世界都需要警惕和应对的问题，中国的舆论监督确实发挥了特别重要的作用。”

[...]

To let the ambassadors truly understand the CCP’s propaganda work wasn’t only about the exhibition, but about the diplomats’ own queries: “Can the CCP make use of the new media to better understand the popular will?”, “Which challenges do you encounter in the fields of ideology and public opinion?”, “How does the Central Propaganda Department increase China’s cultural soft power?” ……. These questions, without exception, got a very good answer and explanation. Bangla Desh’s embassy’s Minister Counsellor 阿卜杜尔·莫塔拉布·沙克尔 said: “This visit to the Central Propaganda Department was impressive. The department does very good work in the fields of ideology and culture, news dissemination, theoretical research, etc.. It has also brought along a lot of convenience and service for the public, and displays a ruling party’s democratic, open, and progressive image. We are touched, and also very inspired, and hope that similar activities will follow.”
真正让驻华大使了解中国共产党的宣传工作的还不只是这些现场参观的内容，在最后的座谈交流环节，许多驻华大使提出了自己的疑问：“中国共产党是否会利用新媒体更好地了解民意？”“在思想舆论领域遇到了哪些挑战？”“中宣部是如何提升中国文化软实力的？”……这些问题无一例外都得到了很好的解答。孟加拉国驻华使馆公使阿卜杜尔·莫塔拉布·沙克尔说：“今天的中宣部之旅让人印象深刻，中宣部在思想文化、新闻宣传、理论研究等方面做得很好，同时也为民众带来了很多便利的服务，展现出一个民主、开放、进步的政党形象，我们很受感动，也很受启发，希望类似的交流活动能继续保持下去。”

Sincere communication, heart-to-heart talks, and frank encounters during this open-house activity, an open, transparent, harmonious and democratic Chinese Communist Party won the diplomats’ whole-hearted praise.
真诚沟通、倾心交流、坦诚面对，在中宣部的这个开放日，公开、透明、和谐、民主的中国共产党赢得了驻华使节的真心赞许。

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Related

» An Inconvenient Truth, Febr 28, 2012
» 怎么看房价过高 (How to view excessively high house prices), 理论热点面对面 (Theoretical Hot Topics Face-to-Face), television program

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Victoria Nuland: Let’s Put it That Way

Daily news briefing, State Department, May 24

QUESTION: On China, you must have heard the new State Department directive to the Confucius Institute in the U.S. Could you explain to us, what is the purpose of this new directive?

MS. NULAND: Well, first of all, let me say that, as you know, the U.S. greatly values its people-to-people exchange with China. This was one of the centerpieces of the Secretary’s participation in the Strategic and Economic Dialogue. She had a separate people-to-people exchange with State Councilor Liu and they got a chance to meet some American students and some Chinese students, and it was a great event.

This is also not about the Confucius Institutes themselves. It is simply about whether the right visa status was applied in these cases. When you have a J-1 education visa, there are two categories. There are J-1 visas if you are in kindergarten through high school, and there is a different category of J-1 visas if you are at university.

And there was some muddling and messing up, so – in these cases – so we’re going to sort these out. Nobody’s going to have to leave the country. It’s all going to get cleared up. But there was some confusion on the front end, so we’re going to fix it.

QUESTION: But in the directive, it said on all the current affected exchange visitors, they have to leave before June 30 this year. Is that the case?

MS. NULAND: My understanding is that we’re going to do our best to fix this without having anybody have to leave.

QUESTION: And finally –

MS. NULAND: That is my understanding.

QUESTION: — are you concerned about the Confucius Institute’s expansion in the U.S. as the –

MS. NULAND: Are we concerned about?

QUESTION: The Confucius Institute’s expansion in the U.S. as the strongest Chinese soft power?

MS. NULAND: No. This is something that we support. It’s part of the people-to-people understanding. We just want to make sure that the visa categories are correct.

Okay.

QUESTION: Can you speak to the timing of why now? Was it – was that in conjunction to this problem being across all of the Confucius Institutes, the J-1 confusion?

MS. NULAND: I can’t speak to why this came up now. I think that we – as I understood it this morning, we became aware that this wasn’t just one case or two cases, that there was a – sort of a mess-up in the processing in general. So we need to fix that.

QUESTION: What was the mess-up?

QUESTION: Can you characterize the mess-up? Yeah.

MS. NULAND: That in fact, folks who are participating and teaching in programs that were K-12 were given university-style J-1s, and the other way around.

QUESTION: So –

QUESTION: And whose problem with that?

MS. NULAND: I can’t speak to how the mess-up occurred, but we’re going to fix it.

QUESTION: Well, who issues the visas? I mean, it’s – the State Department issues visas, right?

MS. NULAND: Right. So whether there was some confusion on the front end with the sponsors as to which programs individual teachers were being brought for, or whether there was some changing after they arrived, I really can’t speak to that. But we’re going to clean it up so that everybody’s in the right visa category.

QUESTION: So you –

QUESTION: You don’t expect anyone to have to leave the country?

MS. NULAND: My understanding was we’re going to do our best to fix this so that nobody has to leave.

QUESTION: And just so we’re clear, you don’t think, then, that the mistake was on the State Department’s end? Do you think it’s possible that it was on the end of the people who applied or the intermediaries?

MS. NULAND: I just can’t speak to that, and I can’t speak to whether this was uniform in any way or whether there were various problems.

QUESTION: And you can’t speak to it because you don’t know –

MS. NULAND: Correct.

QUESTION: — or because you know and you don’t want to say?

MS. NULAND: Because we have to investigate it and figure it out.

Okay.

QUESTION: Can you talk about how many visas were impacted by the problem?

MS. NULAND: I don’t have that either.

QUESTION: Okay.

QUESTION: May I ask you for what kind of meetings, when you say that you are working on this issue? I heard that some of the Confucius Institutions have come and had meetings with the assistant secretary already talking about this. So could you tell us more about what kind of works has been doing to avoid – make sure people don’t have to leave the country by the end of June?

MS. NULAND: Yeah. My understanding is that at the current moment, we’re trying to size the problem, we’re trying to figure out how many people are affected, and then we’re going to – and we’re in the process of reissuing instructions that are a little bit clearer and a little bit more easy to manage. Let’s put it that way.

QUESTION: Okay. And may I also say that we know that in the past couple of months, a few members in the Congress expressed their dissatisfaction and question about the operation of Confucius Institutes in the U.S. So I wonder, when you were doing this – before you released this direction about the J-1 visa, did you have any contact with those members in the Congress?

MS. NULAND: Well, I’m sure that, as we always do on all matters, we’re in dialogue with Congress. But this is a matter not about any of that; it’s a matter about whether people are in the right visa category for where they are teaching.

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Related

» State Department directive, May 24, 2012

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Confucius Institutes: Göttingen University, for Example

Tai De is (kind of) corresponding with German authorities, concerning Confucius Institutes in Lower Saxony. Either a guest post by Tai De, or an interview with him, is in the pipeline. Stay tuned.

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Related

» State Department Directive, May 24, 2012
» No Communists at Deutsche Welle, March 11, 2012

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Another Escape from Dongshigu

Chen Guangfu (陈光福), Chen Guangcheng‘s older brother, has escaped to Beijing, reportedly to find help on behalf of his son, Chen Kegui (陈克贵).

Confucius Institute: State Department Directive “an Untimely End to Chinese Classes”

Main Link: Huanqiu Shibao, May 24, 2012, 03:29.

Translated off the reel, and posted right away. A link to the State-Department directive can be found under footnote 2. Links within blockquote added during translation.
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A notice issued by U.S. State Department officials on May 17, to all Confucius Institutes in America, has caused great controversy. The new notice requires existing Confucius Institutes to apply for American “certification”, to become part of regular courses, and bans Chinese teachers and volunteers to teach in middle and elementary schools. A Hanban responsible, on May 23, expressed “shock” to a Huanqiu Shibao reporter, as no consultations had preceded this notice. Insiders told this reporter that to date, American officials hadn’t explained to whom the Confucius Institutes should turn for certification. U.S. “Higher Education News”¹⁾ wrote on May 21 that the notice would disrupt Confucius Institute teaching activities. “People don’t undersstand the State Department’s sudden notice. Actually, Confucius Institutes have been on American campuses for almost ten years.” An insider told the Global Times reporter on May 23 that currently, Confucius Institutes were highly successful and influential in America, that many Americans learned Chinese, and that America was somewhat worried about this. In addition, it was election year in America, and political consideration could be behind the measures taken.
美国国务院官员签发的一项公告5月17日发往全美孔子学院，引起巨大争议。新公告规定现有孔子学院必须申请美国“认证”，成为正式课程的一部分，且禁止中方教师和志愿者在美国中小学的孔子学堂教学。国家汉办负责人23日向《环球时报》记者表示，对美方在事先没有任何协商的情况下发出这样的公告感到“震惊”。有知情者告诉《环球时报》记者，孔子学院不计学分，不授学位，不具认证的前提，美国官方迄今也从未说明孔子学院应该向谁认证。美国“高等教育新闻”网站21日载文称，国务院这一公告将打乱孔子学院的教学活动。“人们不明白美国国务院为何突然出台此项公告，毕竟，孔子学院在美国校园内已有近十年时间”。一名了解内幕的人士23日向《环球时报》记者介绍，目前孔子学院在美国搞得很成功，影响很大，美国学习汉语的人很多，美方对此有所担心。再加上今年又是美国的大选年，美国出台这些措施可能有政治方面的考量。

The notice was reportedly issued by Robin Lerner, the State Department Deputy Secretary in charge of Educatonal and Cultural Matters and private-sector exchange. The notice says that while Confucius Institutes may be beneficial to promoting cultural exchange, its activities “need to be in accordance with the standards of exchange, and respect the relevant law and regulations”. “Professors, researchers, short-term visiting scholars or institutes, as well as students, were not allowed to teach in primary schools²⁾. [...] The notice also says that “to ensure that the Confucius Institute education corresponds with and maintains suitable regulations and standards, the Institutes must apply for American certification”, “on initial examination, it isn’t clear if the Confucius Institutes will get American certification”. The State Department allows currently teaching Confucius Institute teachers with J-1 visa to continue teaching until the end of the school year in June, but won’t renew their visas. If they wish, they can return to China to apply for appropriate exchange project visas.
据悉，签发这一公告的是美国国务院负责教育和文化事务局私营部门交流的副助理秘书长罗宾•勒纳。公告称，尽管孔子学院可能有益于促进文化交流，但其所从事的活动“必须符合正确的交流规范，遵循相关法规”。“教授、研究学者、短期访问学者或学院、大学学生不允许在公立和私立小、中学教学，否则便与有关交流访问项目法规相违。 [.....] ”公告还称，“为确保孔子学院的教育符合和保持适合的规定标准，孔子学院必须申请美国认证”，“美国国务院的初步审视并不清楚这些孔子学院是否得到美国认证”。美国务院允许目前持有J-1签证的孔子学院教师继续留至2012年6月本学年结束，但不会为他们续签签证。如果他们愿意，可回中国再申办一种合适的交流项目签证。

There are Confucius Institutes at 81 American universities. The notice has caused wide-spread shock, confusion, and incomprehension. Confucius Institutes in all places said that the notice was “surprising” or “unusual”, and there were discussions everywhere as to how to deal [with the situation]. Huanqiu Shibao has learned that J-1 visas are a kind of non-immigration visas, issued to foreigners who participate in “exchange and visitor programs approved by the State Department”. An official survey concerning J-1 visa holders was carried out early this year.
81所美国大学内设有孔子学院。这一公告已引起广泛的震惊、困惑和不解，各地孔子学院均表示此项公告“令人吃惊”、“很不寻常”，都在讨论如何应对。《环球时报》记者了解到，J－1签证是一种非移民签证，签发给来美国参加美国国务院批准的“交流访问者计划”的各类外籍人士。今年年初，美国官方曾对持有J－1签证人员情况进行过调查。

A lady who had taught for Confucius Institutes in America told Huanqiu Shibao on May 23 that teachers sent by China to teach abroad were mainly government-sponsored, or volunteers. They all held visitor J-1 visas. She had been a volunteer, and a visa had been rather easy to obtain.
一名曾在美国孔子学院授课的女士23日向《环球时报》记者介绍，中方派驻国外孔子学院的授课老师主要有公派教师和志愿者两种，他们所持的都是访问学者J-1签证。她当时就是作为志愿者授课的，获得签证比较容易。

What people find most incomprehensible is that American officialdom requires Confucius Institutes to carry out so-called “certification”. Huanqiu Shibao has learned that to date, the State Department has not said where Confucius Institutes should turn for certification. By comparison, nothing has been heard of German Goethe Institutes, French Institutes or other cultural exchange bodies in America having received American certification. People in charge at the first Confucius Institutes established in the U.S., University of Maryland Confucius Institute and George Mason University Confucius Institute, express confusion, and say that the “certification” issue is currently being discussed. The person in charge at the George Mason University Confucius Institute hopes that the notification came without political considerations. After all, Obama’s initiative to have 100,000 students study in China was about encouraging American students to study Chinese.
令人最为不解的是美国官方要求对孔子学院进行所谓“认证”。据《环球时报》记者了解，美国官方迄今从未说明孔子学院应该向谁认证。横向比较一下，从未听说德国的歌德学院、法国的法语联盟等在美文化交流机构须得到美国认证。在接受本报记者采访时，美国第一家孔子学院———马里兰大学孔子学院及乔治•梅森大学孔子学院负责人均表示，对这一公告感到困惑，校方均在就“认证”一事进行讨论与沟通。乔治•梅森大学孔子学院负责人说，希望国务院出台的公告没有政治方面的考虑，毕竟奥巴马推动美国10万学生赴华留学项目也是鼓励美国学生学习中文。

According to explanations by a Hanban person in charge, made to Huanqiu Shibao, Hanban has sent a letter to university presidents, to carry out negotiations. The letter says that Confucius Institutes in America were established at American requests, and run in cooperation with Hanban and Chinese institutions of higher education. The Chinese side fully respected the esteemed universities’ powers to make their own decisions (自主权)³⁾, and there had never been special instructions concerning the teaching and cultural-exchange activities carried out by the Institutes. The central office provided help, such as support in that it sent volunteers, as requested by the American side. The letter also says that the Chinese side respects American governmental law and regulations, but that in this process, we do not wish to see that volunteer projects get disrupted, as this would lead to many quickly-developing Chinese-language classes coming to an untimely end, resulting in losses for the schools and students.
据国家汉办负责人23日向《环球时报》记者介绍，该机构已致信下设孔子课堂的美国大学校长，就此事进行交涉。信中表示，美国孔子学院是由美方自愿申请，并与汉办和中方高校合作举办的。中方充分尊重贵校的办学自主权，对孔子学院开设课程和开展文化交流活动及下设孔子课堂，从未有过专门指令。总部向孔子学院提供的包括派遣志愿者在内的所有帮助，均系美方所要求。信中还表示，中方尊重美国政府的法律和规定，但在此过程中，我们不愿意看到因此而造成中断志愿者项目的后果，否则将会导致很多学校蒸蒸日上的中文课程由于教师缺失而被迫夭折，致使这些学校和学生蒙受损失。

The person in charge also said that before volunteers head for America, they get an invitation from the American schools, in accordance with the Sino-American school agreements, and apply for and obtain a visa. From 2005 on, China had developed Chinese language education to help America, and had sent more than 2,100 teachers. The project had always worked smoothly. It had been believed that once teachers received an American invitation, the application would lead to a visa, and that there would be no problems. No consultations had preceded the State Department’s May-17 notice, and this was felt to be very sudden and surprising by those in charge at the Confucius Institutes.
这位负责人还表示，志愿者赴美前，是按照中美双方学校的协议，接受美方学校的邀请，申请并获准签证的。从2005年起，中方为帮助美国发展汉语教学，已派出2100多名教师，项目执行一直很顺利。原以为教师接受美方邀请，申请并获准了赴美签证，就不会产生问题。在事先没有任何协商的情况下，美国国务院5月17日发布公告，作为主管孔子学院的负责人，他感到很突然、很吃惊。

Many presidents [of universities with Confucius Institutes] were disgusted by the State Department notice, and had many objections, as they believed it interfered with their universities’ autonomy³⁾. They currently contacted the State Department and negotiated. Huanqiu Shibao also learned that to address the doubts, a State-Department official was to be sent to Maryland University to have direct talks with people in charge at the university and the Confucius Institute.
美国多所设有孔子学院的大学校长对美国这一公告非常反感，很有意见，认为它干涉了学校的办学自主权，目前正与美国国务院进行联系和交涉。《环球时报》记者还了解到，面对质疑，美国国务院官员23日将赴马里兰大学，与马里兰大学校方、孔子学院负责人一起进行面对面的沟通与交流。

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Notes

¹⁾ This is my translation of 美国“高等教育新闻”网站 – the website’s real name may be different.

²⁾ Quote:

Teaching positions in primary and secondary schools (K-12) are only authorized under the “Teacher” category set forth at 22 CFR 62.24. Teaching primary and secondary school students in public school systems or private schools is not permitted by professors, research scholars, short-term scholars, or college/university students.

(Guidance Directive 2012-06 Exchange Visitor Program – Confucius Institutes)

³⁾ 自主权, which may be translated either as the right to make decisions of one’s own, or autonomy. The term for provincial or territorial autonomy in China, for places like Tibet, would be 自治区 (autonomous regions), and is therefore not exactly the same term.

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Related

» Three Eight-Hundreds, April 19, 2009

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Yang Rui and Soft Power

You probably can’t blog about soft power and ignore the weibo message Yang Rui (杨锐), a CCTV-9 presenter, reportedly wrote. But during this busy first half of the week, there are other things to do. Besides, while this is certainly relevant information to be processed, I’m wondering why the response from many foreigner is so heated. True – the message in question is – to put it carefully – running counter to anything like “soft power”, but to me, the only explanation for the angry foreign replies to it seems to be that they expected Yang to do better. I don’t even know Yang as a television personality. I can’t remember that I ever watched the channel. All I know is that CCTV-9 is state-owned, and broadcasts in English, mainly for a foreign audience.

Maybe what Yang wrote about Melissa Chan, the al-Jazeera correspondent who had to leave the country, is actually a semi-official answer to questions foreign-ministry spokesman Hong Lei had previously been asked – questions to which there hasn’t been a really telling answer. Yang’s would be a nasty and strange answer (and maybe that’s  why Hong wouldn’t want to provide it), but basically not a surprising one. The only remaining question for now would be if Yang wrote the message on his own behalf or on behalf of the CCP.

That’s all I can think of – and speculate about – at the moment, and how I should connect this to the topic of soft power, I don’t know yet. Maybe I’ll know on Thursday or Friday.

Chen Guangcheng leaves China

Chen Guangcheng, his wife Yuan Weijing, and their two children are on a plane to the United States, reports Die Zeit.

Long Yongtu and the Smiling Curve: Only a Great Importer is a Great Power

Main Link: Taiwan News / CNA. Links within blockquote added during translation.

CNA reporter Kang Shih-jen (Kang Shih-jen, Ann Chen) in Chongqing, May 17.
Former mainland Chinese former chief negotiator of China’s accession to WTO and deputy foreign trade minister Long Yongtu emphasized today that if the mainland wants to change its international long-term status as a trade-surplus state, it will need to broaden its imports, which will also increase its customs revenues, and meet domestic demand.
（中央社記者康世人重慶17日電）曾任中國大陸入世首席談判代表、外經貿部副部長的龍永圖今天強調，大陸要改變在國際貿易中長期處於順差狀態的形象，就必須擴大進口，且擴大進口還能增加稅收、滿足內需。

Long Yongtu spoke on invitation by the 2012 World Trade Center Association (Chongqing) Development Forum and said that the mainland at a point in time where old concepts needed to change, and imports therefore be expanded.
龍永圖下午應邀在2012世界貿易中心協會（重慶）發展論壇上發表演說，談到大陸到了改變過時守舊觀念的時候，因此必須擴大進口。

He said that in the past, all the talk had been about how to expand exports, but now, Chongqing Development Forum made the topic of expanding imports a topic with new conceptions; at a time when global trade was depressed, every country had a responsibility to explore ways to expand its own imports, as only through that, global trade could be [re]invigorated.
他說，過去談貿易促進時，都談如何擴大出口，但今天重慶的發展論壇以擴大進口作為主題很有新意；在全球貿易處低迷時，每個國家都有責任研究如何擴大自身進口，唯有如此才能使全球貿易活躍。

Long Yongtu stressed that particularly for the mainland’s long-term status as a surplus trader, broadening imports would be beneficial for its image in global trade; by changing the long-term surplus, a positive contribution to global trade could be made.
龍永圖強調，尤其大陸長期處於貿易順差狀態，擴大進口有利改變大陸在全球貿易中的形象；改變長期順差的局面，才能為全球貿易做出積極貢獻。

He believes that to change the mainland’s image, traditional views and conservative, outdated concepts needed to change, and above all, the idea that exports were better than imports.
他認為，要改變大陸形象，得從觀念上改變傳統、守舊過時的看法，首先是改變出口比進口好的傳統觀念。

From the perspective of international theory, Long Yongtu pointed out that importing countries were, from beginning to end, the most benefitting countries: “Whoever controls imports will control the international initiative”.
從國際理論上來說，龍永圖指出，進口國始終是國際貿易中的最大贏家，「誰掌握進口，誰就掌握國際貿易的主動權」。

Long Yongtu said that, based on the example of the mainland and America, that although the mainland was a long-term exporter, its position in international trade wasn’t strong. Why was America “standing out” in international trade? It was because America was the world’s biggest importer. Therefore, if the mainland wanted to move from the position of a big trading nation to a great trading nation, there were only imports, and the need to become the world’s biggest importing country.
龍永圖以大陸和美國為例說，雖然大陸長期出口，但在國際貿易中的地位不強；美國為什麼在全球貿易體制當中「這麼牛」（這麼厲害）？就是因為美國是全球最大進口國，因此如果大陸要「從貿易大國走向貿易強國，只有進口，且必須要成為全球貿易最大進口國」。

Besides, Long Yongtu believes that expanding imports could also promote an increase in mainland industrial upgrading. The mainland exactly needed to switch from dependence on exports to putting domestic demand first, and could, through these means, also meet domestic demand.
此外，龍永圖認為，擴大進口也會促進大陸內部產業升級，大陸正從依靠出口轉向內需為主，也要擴大進口滿足內需。

He pointed out that to strengthen imports could also strengthen fiscal income. By reducing tariffs, imports could be stimulated and broadened, and the entry of products would benefit a broader custom and excise foundation, and increase tariff revenues.
他指出，增加進口還可增加政府財政稅收。由於關稅下降，刺激、擴大進口產品的進入，有利稅基擴大，提高關稅收入。

To expand imports was also the best answer to international trade protectionism. If the mainland expanded imports of European and American products, European and American trade barriers and protectionism would greatly be reduced.
龍永圖說，擴大進口也是解決國際貿易保護主義的最佳、最有效辦法。大陸擴大從歐美進口商品，歐美對大陸貿易障礙和貿易保護就大幅降低。

He also emphasized that processing trade [the term "extended workbench" should apply here - JR] wasn’t like normal trade, and that enterprises, great and small, had striven for the old concept of a level of all-inclusive organizational structures^*), i. e. to increase their shares of self-made modules. [But in fact,] there was a need to master the global division of labor and procurement, to produce the world’s best products from the world’s best components and modules and thus build the most competitive products. Only this would be beneficial to the mainland’s economic development and make it the world’s marketcenter [purchasing center].
他還強調，要改變加工貿易不如一般貿易、企業發展追求「大而全、小而全」及提高零組件自製比例的舊觀念，要透過全球分工和全球採購，把全球最佳零組件集中形成全球最有競爭力的產品，才有利大陸經濟發展，也讓大陸能成為全球採購中心。

Long Yongtu also praised Chongqing for the creation of a new situation in the information processing industry. This had mainly been for the mainland’s customs rates having been lowered to zero when it entered the WTO. This had stimulated component imports, and the result had been research and development in and production of electronic components. In the end, when calculating the entire smiling curve, the entire assembly line had remained in Chongqing. The “Chongqing Model” had therefore deserved to be studied and to be followed [imitated] by mainland China’s [entire] central and western areas.
龍永圖也稱讚重慶打造一個電子資訊產業加工新型態，這主要是當年大陸加入世界貿易組織（WTO）時，決定讓電子零組件關稅降為零，刺激零組件進口，結果成就現在將研發、零組件製造、終端、結算整個微笑曲線流程全都留在重慶的「重慶模式」，這樣的模式值得研究和大陸中西部仿效。

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Note

^*) The 大而全、小而全 slogan is translated, in an online publication of the Central Committee decision of September 1999, as the status of [state-owned, in that context] enterprises that

have an all-inclusive organizational structure, but have failed to establish specialized production and socialized coordination systems and an economy of scale, and lack market competitiveness

- see item IV. there. In short: the share of components bought from suppliers is small, because what would be sub-suppliers’ business elsewhere, is all integrated into a single company’s production under this concept.

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Related

» Low-End Exports, Oct 3, 2011
» More Scientific & Fairer Rules, Sept 19, 2011

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