Center for China and Globalization develops “new narrative system”

The following is my translation of an excerpt from a book review by a Chinese think tank named Center for China and Globalization (全球化智库), (re)published by a number of Chinese online media. The book is probably CCG’s own work. The review and the content related there should not be too easily thought of as a possible new trend in Chinese public diplomacy unless it is echoed elsewhere in Chinese politics. An article published by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute contains some information about the think tank’s work abroad and its background.

My translation may contain mistakes. Corrections are welcome.

Links within blockquotes added during translation.

[…]

Based on CCG’s practice of track-II diplomacy, this book summarizes the ten experiences CCG went through while developing a new narrative system. Specifically, CCG, in new international narrative exchanges, CCG emphasizes the following aspects.

基于CCG二轨外交的实践，本书总结了CCG打造新叙事体系的十条经验：具体来说，CCG国际交流新叙事注重以下几个方面：

1. Look at China’s topics from a global perspective, talk more about common values and emphasize universality. Let China’s voice in globalization be heard.

第一，全球化视野思考中国问题，多说共同价值，多讲普遍性，向世界发出中国的全球化声音；

2. Less conceptional advocacy¹⁾, and more objective and reasonable ways of expression. Use facts and figures. Talk more about China’s contributions to globalization, and tell China’s story from a multilateralist point of view.

第二，少理念倡导，多客观理性表达，用事实与数据说话。多讲中国对全球化的贡献，从多边角度讲中国故事；

3. Be modest but self-confident, tolerant but not without a position of your own. Practice mutual respect and an interlocutory attitude, without an aim of defeating your counterpart, communicate your own ideas and communicate effectively.

第三，谦和而自信，包容而有立场，相互尊重，对话姿态，不以博倒对方为目的，传递自身理念，做有效沟通；

4. Innovate the popularized narrative discourse system, all-embracing, narrating your case multi-levelled and multi-angledly, from the perspectives of politics, diplomacy, trade, human affairs, and individual experience. Above all, analyze the logic of China’s development with inside information about concrete details of Chinese culture.

第四，创新民间化叙事话语体系，兼容并包，从政治、外交、商业、人文、个体经验多层次多角度讲述个案。尤其通过讲述中国文化底蕴分析中国现实发展逻辑；

5. Take interviews from international mainstream media and make yourself heard on international social media.

第五，接受国际主流媒体访问，通过国际社交媒体发声；第六，走出去主动参与国际主流轮坛平台，积极发言交流；

6. Go out and participate in international mainstream forum platforms, speak out actively and communicate socially.

第六，走出去主动参与国际主流轮坛平台，积极发言交流；

7. Actively set an agenda and expand the topic’s impact on international mainstream platforms.

第七，主动设置议题，在国际主流平台扩大议题影响力；

8. Be creative in building new types of international exchange platforms. Constructively initiate new types of multilateral international organizations.

第八，创造性搭建新型国际交流平台，建设性发起新型多边国际组织。

9. Take the courage to face different opinions, make contact with a multitude of interlocutors. Establish wide-ranged exchange and dialogue in Chinese and foreign political, business, academic and research circles. Promote track-II diplomacy.

第九，勇于直面不同意见，接触多元交流对象，在中外政商学研界建立广泛交流与对话，促进民间二轨外交。

10. Keep up with international and domestic points of strong [public] interest, be flexible in strengthening the think tank’s²⁾ influence through a multitude of channels and methods.

第十，及时紧跟国际国内热点，灵活通过多渠道多方式传播增强智库影响力。

[…]

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Notes

1	conceptual advocacy is just my guess for the Chinese term for 理念倡导 – to argue in favor of a topic, approach, or perspective. It may as well be translated as <em>idea advocacy</em>.
2	the think tank in question here should be CCG.

Xi Jinping: “Irreversible tide of economic globalization”

The following are translations of news covering a propaganda event named “Reading and Understanding China”. The event was held in Guangzhou, on October 26 and 27. Before that, Xi Jinping held a reception in Beijing, for attendees from abroad.

Xi Jinping meets attendees of Guangzhou conference in Beijing – click picture for video

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1. Main Link: Xinhua, Oct 26, 2019

Links within blockquotes added during translation.

Xinhua, Guangzhou, October 26, reporter Sun Yi — The 2019 “Reading and Understanding China” Guangzhou International Conference opened in Guangzhou on October 26. Huang Kunming, member of the politburo of the Communist Party of China central committee and director of the propaganda department of the Communist Party of China, attended the opening ceremony, read out a congratulatory letter from Chairman Xi Jinping, and gave an opening speech.

新华社广州10月26日电（记者孙奕）2019年“读懂中国”广州国际会议于10月26日在广州开幕。中共中央政治局委员、中宣部部长黄坤明出席开幕式，宣读习近平主席贺信并发表开幕演讲。

Huang Kunming pointed out that Chairman Xi Jinping’s congratulatory letter is sure of the great trend of global development, distinctly points out the irreversibility of the tide of economic globalization, solemnly pledges that China will unswervingly continue the path of peaceful development, pursue a strategy of mutual benefit and win-win, amply showing the continuity of China’s steady approach of continuous reform and opening up, and confidence in greater contributions by China to the world.

黄坤明指出，习近平主席的贺信深刻把握世界发展大势，鲜明指出经济全球化潮流不可逆转，郑重宣示中国将坚定不移走和平发展道路、奉行互利共赢开放战略，充分展示了中国改革不停顿、开放不止步的坚定态度，表达了中国为世界作出更大贡献的信心决心。

Huang Kunming emphasized that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the new China. In those marvelous 70 years, the Communist Party of China led the Chinese people onto a successful road of socialism with Chinese characteristics, in accordance with China’s national situation and the aspirations of the people, and “Reading and Understanding China” was above all about reading and understanding the China path. It is a path of maintaining independence and self-determination, exploration under hardship, the end of bitterness, the beginnings of sweetness, while striving for strengthening. It is based on the fundamental national conditions, builds the reformist and innovative road of socialist modernization, holds high the road of the people above all else, working as one to create the people’s happiness, living beautiful lives. It upholds the party’s leadership, showing the way to the road of struggle and advancement for societal reform by self-reform¹⁾, the destiny cherished by humankind, in the pursuit of the peaceful road of equal benefit, cooperation and win-win. We will overcome all obstacles on the way, break new ground and forge ahead into the present, unswervingly stay on this path, create the future, and make contributions to the building of the community of shared future of humankind²⁾, to improve the well-being of the people of the world.

黄坤明强调，今年是新中国成立70周年。回顾不平凡的70年，中国共产党领导人民成功走出一条适合中国国情、符合人民意愿的中国特色社会主义道路，“读懂中国”首先要读懂中国道路。这是一条坚持独立自主，艰辛探索、苦尽甘来的自立自强之路，是立足基本国情，建设社会主义现代化的改革创新之路，是高扬人民至上，齐心协力创造美好生活的人民幸福之路，是坚持党的领导，以自我革命引领社会革命的奋斗进取之路，是胸怀人类命运，追求平等互利、合作共赢的和平发展之路。我们在这条道路上披荆斩棘、开拓前进走到今天，也将坚定不移沿着这条道路砥砺前行、创造未来，为增进世界人民福祉、构建人类命运共同体作出新的贡献。

Members of the politburo’s central committee, Guangdong provincial party secretary Li Xi attended the conference and gave keynote speeches.

中共中央政治局委员、广东省委书记李希出席会议并作主旨演讲。

2. Main Link: CCTV Xinwen Lianbo (evening news), Oct 26, 2019, 11:00 UTC

CCTV News (Xinwen Lianbo): The 2019 “Reading and Understanding China Guangzhou International Conference opened in Guangzhou on October 26. State Chairman Xi Jinping  sent a congratulatory letter to the conference.

央视网消息（新闻联播）：2019年“读懂中国”广州国际会议于10月26日在广州开幕。国家主席习近平向会议致贺信。

Xi Jinping pointed out that currently, the economic globalization is encountering some complicated challenges, but the tide of economic globalization was irreversible, with all countries’ interests becoming more blended into one another with each passing day. The irresistible trend is that good and bad fate must be shared by all. Constantly creating better lives is the expectation held by the peoples of all countries. China is a beneficiary of economic globalization, it is even more a contributor, and will unswervingly keep to the path of peaceful development, pursue a strategy of mutual benefit and win-win, and continue to add more drive to open global economic development. Together will the peoples of all countries of the world, we will promote a direction in which economic globalization faces more openness, tolerance, benefit, balance and win-win, making economic globalization benefitting the people of all the countries of the world better.

习近平指出，当前，经济全球化遇到一些曲折困难，但经济全球化潮流不可逆转，各国利益日益交融、命运更加休戚与共是大势所趋，不断创造更加美好的生活是各国人民的共同期待。中国是经济全球化的受益者，更是贡献者，将坚定不移走和平发展道路，奉行互利共赢开放战略，继续为开放型世界经济发展增添动力，同世界各国人民一道，推动经济全球化朝着更加开放、包容、普惠、平衡、共赢的方向发展，让经济全球化更好造福世界各国人民。

The “Reading and Understanding China” international conference has been successfully held three times before. About 600 people, including thirty well-known politicians, strategists, scholars and entrepreneurs from all over the world, are taking part in the conference.

“读懂中国”国际会议迄今已成功举办三届。今年有包括30余位全球知名政治家、战略家、学者、企业家在内的约600人与会。

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Note

¹⁾ literally: societal revolution (社会革命), self-revolution (自我革命)
²⁾ more literally: humankind’s common destiny community
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Related

Warming sunshine, Jan 20, 2017

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Xinhua: Jacques Chirac’s “profound awareness”

Main Link: “Jacques Chirac: a French president’s love for China” (希拉克:一位法国总统的中国情缘)

Xinhua, Paris, Sept 26, 2019 — Jacques Chirac, currently France’s “most popular politician,” was also an important foreign leader with a deep affinity to China. On September 26, his family confirmed that this former French president had died on that day, aged 86. The independent and self-determined diplomatic position and anti-war philosophy he took during his presidency has left France and even Europe with a precious legacy.

新华社巴黎9月26日电 雅克·希拉克，法国当代“最受欢迎的政治家”，也是一位有着深深“中国情缘”的外国政要。9月26日，希拉克的家人确认，这位法国前总统当天上午与世长辞，享年86岁。希拉克担任总统期间的独立自主外交立场和反战理念，是留给法国乃至欧洲的宝贵政治遗产。

That’s the way they liked him (click picture for CCTV video)

Gaining fame by opposing war

反战赢声誉

Jacques Chirac was born on November 29, 1932 in Paris, Corrèze [?]¹⁾, his father was a manager at Crédit Commericale de France. [Chirac] graduated at Sciences Po and the École Nationale d’Administration. At a young age, he followed Charles de Gaulle’s policies, and was elected to France’s National Assembly before he was 40 years old. In 1974, he became France’s prime minister. After resigning as prime minister in 1976, he founded the Rassemblement pour la République and became its first chairman. From 1986 to 1988, Chirac took up the post of prime minister again. In 1995 he was elected French president, re-elected in 2002, staying in office until he retired in 2007.

希拉克1932年11月29日生于巴黎科雷兹镇，其父曾为法国商业银行总管。他毕业于巴黎政治学院、法国国家行政学院，年轻时就追随戴高乐从政，不到40岁当选为法国国民议会议员。1974年，希拉克出任法国总理。1976年辞去总理职务后，他创立保卫共和联盟并任主席。1986年至1988年，希拉克再度出任法国总理。1995年他当选法国总统，2002年连任，直至2007年卸任。

photo / caption: on July 14, 1995, just been elected president, Chirac attended the Bastille Day military parade at the Place de la Concorde. (Xinhua)

Despite having lost much of its former economic power, France played the role of a top-ranking power in the field of diplomacy. When British and American-led coalition forces started the Iraq war in 2003, France, led by Chirac, stood at the forefront of the anti-war camp.

在希拉克时代，法国尽管经济实力已大不如前，但在外交领域却一度发挥着一流大国的作用。2003年，以英美军队为主的联军发动伊拉克战争，希拉克率领的法国则站在了反战阵营的前列。

Before the Iraq war began, Chirac clearly said that France would exercise its veto power at the UN security council. One year after the beginning of the war, Chirac predicted that the Iraq war would lead to increasing terrorist activities and make the world more dangerous. The facts have confirmed the truth of Chirac’s warning.

伊拉克战争开始前，希拉克明确表示法国会在联合国安理会行使否决权。开战后一年，希拉克就预言，伊拉克战争将导致恐怖活动加剧，会让世界变得更加危险。事实证明，希拉克的警告是正确的。

Chirac’s firm opposition to the war earned France global fame, but especially in the Arab world. Many French people took pride in Chirac, believing that on a matter of peace or war, of life and death, “he had adhered to French principles and upheld justice and morality.”

希拉克的坚定反战立场，使得法国在全球、特别是阿拉伯世界赢得了声誉。不少法国人以希拉克为荣，认为他在“事关和平与战争，生命和死亡”的时候，“坚持了法国的原则，捍卫了正义和道德”。

As the leader of one of the Western powers, Chirac was very clear-headed about the trend of global multi-polarization and advocated a “strong Europe” for that reason. In 2007, he said at a EU summit that “the world’s biggest transformation is that we are going through a decade of transformation, from global uni-polarity to multi-polarity. He also believed that European diversity and social fusion were important factors in maintaining strength.

作为西方大国领袖，希拉克对世界多极化的趋势非常清醒，并主张为此需要“强大的欧洲”。2007年，他在欧盟峰会上表示，“世界最大的变革在于，我们正经历从单极世界向多极世界转变的年代”。他同时认为，欧洲的多样性和社会融合是保持强大的重要因素。

photo / caption: on April 28, 2002, French president Chirac, at the central French city of Nontron, embraced a baby from the welcoming crowed at a election campaign event. The presidential elections were held on May 5 that year. (Xinhua / Reuters)

2002年4月28日，法国总统希拉克在法国中部城市农特龙进行竞选活动时，从欢迎人群中接抱一个婴儿。法国总统选举当年5月5日举行。（新华社/路透）

In 2009, a survey conducted by opinion pollster IFOP for “Paris Match” found that two years after leaving office, Chirac remained the most popular politician in the French peoples’ opinion.

2009年法国民调机构Ｉｆｏｐ为《巴黎竞赛画报》所做一项调查中，卸任两年的希拉克被法国人视为“最受欢迎的政治家”。

Deep love for China

中国情缘深

Chirac wasn’t only a well-known politician and diplomat, but also an elegant connoisseur of oriental culture. He had a particular passion for the long history of Chinese culture, which he had studied a lot. French media have called him a man who ardently loves China”, having a “deep affinity towards China”.

希拉克不仅是著名的政治家与外交家，也是品位高雅的东方文化鉴赏家。他对历史悠久的中国文化情有独钟，且颇有研究。法国媒体称他为“热爱中国的人”，有着深深的“中国情缘”。

As a youngster, Chirac often went to Guimet Museum. At the time, he was particularly attracted to Chinese art, especially ancient bronze devices. Appreciation of ancient Chinese bronze devices became his hobby at the time, at times an obsessive one. According to a diplomat familiar with Chirac, he can even accurately determine the historic age of Chinese bronze relics. In July 2007, while attending a NATO summit was “absent-mindedly” reading a book. The moment was captured on camera by a French reporter who published the news that “president takes a short break, studying Chinese bronze devices.”

希拉克在少年时代经常光顾法国国立吉美亚洲艺术博物馆。当时，他被中国艺术品特别是古代青铜器深深吸引。从此，中国青铜器鉴赏研究成为他的爱好，甚至到痴迷程度。据了解希拉克的外交官介绍，希拉克甚至能准确判断中国青铜器的历史年代。2002年7月，希拉克出席北约首脑会议时“开小差”读书。这一幕被在场的法国记者拍下，登报称“总统忙里偷闲，研究中国青铜器”。

Photo/Caption: on December 4, 2000, Chirac appreciated China Liao dynasty relics on a Chinese cultural relic discoveries exhibition in Paris.

2000年12月4日，希拉克在巴黎举办的中国文物考古发现展上欣赏中国辽代文物。（新华社记者李根兴摄）

In September 1978, Chirac, in his capacity as former French prime minister and as Paris mayor, visited China on invitation. After visiting the Qin Shihuang Terracotta Warriors in Xi’an, he was greatly stunned and called the place “the eighth world wonder”.

1978年9月，希拉克以法国前总理、巴黎市市长的身份应邀访华。他在西安参观秦始皇兵马俑后深受震撼，称之为“世界第八大奇迹”。

Jacques Chirac felt emotional links towards Chinese culture and was a major promoter of French cultural exchanges with China. When the Chinese-French cultural year was held from 2003 to 2005, the Eiffel Tower was illuminated in “Chinese red”. This didn’t only pioneer cultural exchange between the two countries, but also played a model role globally.

希拉克情系中国文化，也是法国对华文化交流的主要推动者。2003年至2005年，中法互办文化年，埃菲尔铁塔披上“中国红”。这既是两国文化交流史上的创举，也在世界上具有示范作用。

Chirac left a profound footprint in Sino-French relations and contributed to the “golden decade” of Sino-French” relations. Between the times he assumed and left office as president, he visited China four times, tracking almost half of the country. In the meantime, Sino-French relations kept improving. In 1997, China and France established a comprehensive cooperative partnership, and in 2004, they established a comprehensive strategic partnership.²⁾

希拉克对中法关系的发展留下了自己的深刻印迹，造就了中法关系的“黄金十年”。1995年出任总统至卸任，希拉克4次访华，足迹几乎遍及半个中国。其间，中法关系不断得到提升。1997年，中法两国建立全面合作伙伴关系，2004年建立全面战略伙伴关系。

In 2006, in an interview with Xinhua reporters before a visit to China, Chirac emphasized that all French people understood the extent to which the prospects of global development depended on China. China and the world were inextricably linked to each other, and this profound awareness was exactly one of Jacques Chirac’s prime motives to vigorously promote Sino-French relations.

2006年，希拉克在访华前接受新华社记者专访时强调，每个法国人都明白，世界的发展前途在很大程度上取决于中国。中国与世界密不可分，这一深刻认识正是希拉克大力推进中法关系发展的原动力之一。

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Note

¹⁾ probably a mix-up by Xinhua – Chirac was born in Paris, but many of his ancestors were from Corrèze in central / southwestern France, the department he also represented at the National Assembly from 1967 to 1986 and from 1988 to 1995.
²⁾ Referred to as partenariat global sino-français and partenariat stratégique global respectively, in French-language Chinese publications.

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Related

“Le bruit et l’odeur”, 1991, Wikipedia, acc 20190928
“A completely banal incident”, LA Times, Aug 29, 1987

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International Experts bear Testimony to Intuitively-Felt Harmony in Xinjiang

Lots of China experts are there to help “the world learn more about the Chinese autonomous region while beating misinterpretations and distortions with hard facts.” According to Xinhua news agency, they hail from France, Qatar, Sri Lanka, and Egypt (English version). A Chinese version quotes the French scholar as saying that “by personal experience, one could intuitively feel multi-ethnic harmony in Xinjiang (… 通过亲身体验说，中国有56个民族，在新疆可以直观地感受到这种多民族融合).

China’s State Council published a white paper on historical matters concerning Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China on Sunday.

The full white paper’s English version is only 19 pages long, and doesn’t address the issue of “reeducation” camps. It does, however, concern itself with the issue of slavery under the rule of the Turks, and the Uighurs’ liberation with support from Tang Dynasty troops.

2018 Headlines (2) – Xi’s First Six Years: the Majestic Journey toward the Highest Common Denominator

The following is the gist (as I see it) of an article published by Xinhua online, on December 16. It centers around events and developments from the past six years, future challenges and intentions, and the role of CCP secretary general Xi Jinping in those events and intentions.

Main Link / original title: The Actual Events of the Party’s Central Committee’s Leading Reform and Opening with Xi Jinping at its Core (以习近平同志为核心的党中央引领改革开放纪实 )
Links within blockquotes added during translation

The article, put together by eleven authors, contains about 10,000 characters, which is unusually long even by Chinese online standards, but will certainly have found interested readers. The length of an article doesn’t deter a Chinese audience. Readers who don’t read Chinese but would like to get the big picture are advised to use Google Translate – it does a surprisingly decent job when translating from Chinese into English.

The paragraphs are interspersed with slogans – such as the most solemn memory is to create more glory, the sincerest commitment to the people is indefatigable struggle (对历史最郑重的纪念，是再创辉煌 / (对人民最真挚的承诺，是不懈奋斗), or reform looks like a problem, and must dare to lead all the more, or this is the resounding call to battle (改革难字当头，更需敢字当先 /  这是高亢激扬的出征号令).

Reform is complicated and sensitive, states the resounding call to battle, so how to prepare a good overall plan for a huge essay?

The project is big indeed: this is a thought (or ideological) innovation unprecedented in history (这是史无前例的观念革新). And you better take this literally, if you are a cadre in China, or wish to score well for other reasons. There is no mention of Deng Xiaoping, let alone Jiang Zemin or Hu Jintao. There isn’t even a mention of Mao (which might be understandable, given that reform and opening wasn’t his main theme anyway). As for Deng, there is a mention of some slogans that became part of his doctrines, but usually reaching further back in history, such as seeking truth in facts or liberating thought, as used in the Deng Xiaoping Theory (邓小平理论).

But there is, of course, a defining trip to the South.

Comrade Xi Jinping’s first inspection destination after taking the position of secretary general was Qianhai, Shenzhen. Facing this homeland where the first “cannon” of reform and opening had rung out, Xi Jinping issued judgment that “our country’s reform has entered the time of storming fortifications and has entered the deep-blue sea areas. He emphasized that “reform does not pause, and opening does not halt. The China of the next forty years is set to make the world feel a whole new level of respect for its new successes!”

2012年12月，习近平同志担任总书记后首赴地方考察，第一站来到深圳前海。
面对这片打响改革开放“开山炮”的热土，习近平总书记作出“我国改革已经进入攻坚期和深水区”的判断，强调“改革不停顿、开放不止步”。下一个40年的中国，定当有让世界刮目相看的新成就！”

Praise is carefully hedged by remarks about a more complicated future, for which new approaches are being developed.

At first, the new requirements are billed.

Having passed several decades of rapid development, China has arrived at a new juncture. The degrees of complexity, hardship and sensitivity have hardly ever been comparable to these years.

经过几十年快速发展，中国又走到了一个新的关口。改革开放的复杂程度、艰巨程度、敏感程度，丝毫不亚于当年。

At home, a number of deep-seated contradictions have continuously amassed during the long period of growth, economic development has entered the new normal, and structural adjustment and kinetic energy conversion are imperative; issues of unbalanced and insufficient development stand out more and more obviously, and the people’s yearning for a fine life becomes increasing urgent.

向内看，经济长期高速增长过程中积累的一系列深层次矛盾不断积聚，经济发展进入新常态，结构调整、动能转换势在必行；发展不平衡、不充分问题日益突出，人民群众对美好生活的向往愈发迫切。

Abroad, the haze of the international financial crisis has not dispersed, regional conflicts occur frequently, the threat of extremism is spreading, international competition under the wave of new technologies revolution and industrial transformation require people to work harder, the dregs of opposition against globalization and protectionism is surfacing, and hyping and mourning [China’s development – this seems to point into this direction] lie in ambush.

向外看，国际金融危机阴霾未散，地区冲突频发，极端主义威胁蔓延；新科技革命和产业变革浪潮下的国际竞争形势逼人，逆全球化、贸易保护主义沉渣泛起，捧杀唱衰中国的论调此起彼伏。

Behind the creation of the “China’s rise” world miracle, premature ideological concepts and institutional malpractice are becoming stumbling blocks for the pace of reform and opening, helping the solidification of barriers, which is all the more an alarm siren, continuously shaking stable social development.

在创造了“中国崛起”的世界奇迹后，不合时宜的思想观念和体制机制弊端正在成为阻碍改革开放步伐的“绊脚石”，利益固化藩篱更是频频触动社会稳定发展的“警报器”。

To meet the challenges, a strong hand is needed – a helmsman who dares to speak inconvenient truths.

To make him speak again, the article revisits an interview Xi gave to Russian television, in February 2014

All the pleasant reforms are completed. The delicious meat has been eaten, and what is still on the dishes are rather tough bones.

The answer to these challenges? There are as many answers as questions, and all from the new great helmsman himself.

For one, there is the Central Comprehensively Deepening Reforms Commission (中央全面深化改革委员会), preceded by a leading small group of a similar name () or Leading Small Group for Comprehensively Deepening Reform (LSGCDR) in December 2013:

Secretary general Xi Jinping held the position of group leader, thus strengthening the central committee’s centralized and integrated leadership in comprehensively deepening reform.

习近平总书记担任组长，加强党中央对全面深化改革的集中统一领导。

There is also the courage to offend thousands, rather than turning your back on the 1.3 billion [得罪千百人、不负十三亿 – thousands of cadres, 1.3 bn Chinese people]: strictly running the party, deepening reform of party discipline and state supervision organization.

Understanding the need to vacate the cage and to replace the old birds with new ones, thus making Phoenix rise from the ashes (腾笼换鸟、凤凰涅槃), to change the way of development, to implement new concepts of development, to deepen supply-side structural reform, an economy that strives into the direction of high quality will be promoted. Also,

bearing future generations in mind, reforming ecological civilization, reforming cadre evaluation, unfolding central environmental protection, we will make the concept of Lucid waters and lush mountains enter deep into peoples’ hearts.

以“为千秋万代计”的视野，深化生态文明领域改革，改革干部考核制度、开展中央环保督察，让绿水青山就是金山银山的理念深入人心；

For whatever reason, the enumeration ends there with ellipses, and turns to another topic – the CCP’s ninteenth national congress.

The article also addresses the “one country two systems” concept (limited to the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge), Zhejiang’s one-stop service practice (最多跑一次), multiple-plans integration practice (多规合一) from Hainan and Ningxia, reform of medical care, medical insurance and pharmaceutical industry (三医联动) in Fujian province, and an internet court in Hangzhou, all referred to as innovation from the grassroots.

Reform of State-owned enterprises – a hard bone (硬骨头) – is described as the job of the top dog, and the C919 airliner, the Beidou Navigation system and the Fuxing Train group are presented are presented as state-enterprise achievements in a process of transforming “made in China” (中国制造) into “intelligently made in China” (中国智造).

Countryside development, deliberations on household registration reform (户籍制度改革的意见), and spiritual nourishment are also mentioned. As for the latter,

to let the people have rich spiritual nourishment, social efficiency must come first, unification of social and economic efficiency culture must be institutionalized day by day, modern public cultural services construction be accelerated, and the cultural project for the people [or benefitting the people – 文化惠民工程] be realized;

为让人民拥有丰富的精神食粮，把社会效益放在首位、社会效益和经济效益相统一的文化体制机制日臻完善，现代公共文化服务体系加快构建，文化惠民工程深入实施；

Here, too, an enumeration ends with ellipses (after the following paragraph).

When the people’s yearning for a good life becomes the common goal of the struggle, when everyone’s participation, everyone’s greatest efforts, and everyone sharing in the fruits of these become the highest common denominator, then reform will converge into a profound and majestic power, and continue the composition of a magnificent chapter on a new era.

当人民对美好生活的向往成为共同的奋斗目标，当“人人参与、人人尽力、人人共享”成为社会的最大公约数，改革正汇聚起深沉而磅礴的力量，续写新时代的壮丽篇章。

Now for the conclusions.

Looking at the world, there is no such governing party that can such a long-term plan as the CCP’s, there is no such country that can operate a steady process, step by step, the unremitting move toward reform’s objectives, and certainly not this nation ability to push open this great gate of opportunity, continuously turning the experience of reform into the reality of development.

放眼世界，没有哪个政党能像中国共产党这样作出如此长远的规划，没有哪个国家能像中国这样一步一个脚印，持之以恒地朝向既定改革目标迈进，更没有哪个民族能够一次次推开机遇的大门，把改革的经验不断变成发展的现实。

Confucius Institute says: if the people work 364 days, let them have one day of joy, and quench their spiritual thirst with articles like this one. However, these are solemn, but also sober times. The armed forces’ modernization gets only two paragraphs (and it’s all about what Xi has done to make it happen), and only when the world is doing fine, China can also do fine (and only if China is doing fine, the world can do fine) – 世界好，中国才能好；中国好，世界才更好.

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Related

Xiong’an, Wikipedia, most recent edit Nov 7, 2018
“四梁八柱”论, Baidu, most recent edit Nov 22, 2018

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Argentine Radio to the World: “Universal Topics”

As part of its “National People’s Congress 1rst plenary session” coverage, China Radio International (CRI) also quotes Adrián Korol, director of RAE, Argentine Radio Nacional’s international radio station.

CRI online, Yin Xiaotong and Li Mingqi reporting — On 13th of March, the “People’s Republic of China Supervision Law (draft)” has been proposed for the National People’s Congress first plenary session’s consideration. As an important environment for national legislation against corruption and for deepening the national supervision organizational reform, the supervision law (draft) deliberations haven’t only lead to heated debate at home, but have also attracted foreign media attention.

国际在线报道（记者尹晓通、李明其）：３月１３日，《中华人民共和国监察法（草案）》提请十三届全国人大一次会议审议。作为国家反腐败立法和深化国家监察体制改革的重要一环，监察法（草案）的提审不仅在国内引发热议，同样也吸引了外国媒体人的关注。

The director of Argentine National Radio’s foreign broadcasting station, Adrían Korol, believes that corruption has become one of the problems faced by all mankind. China’s supervision law offers important experience for Latin American countries to learn from. “I believe that (this proposed draft) is absolutely necessary, and marks another important step by China on its road of fighting against corruption. Undoubtedly, corruption is currently one of the major issues for all humankind to confront.”

阿根廷国家电台对外台台长阿德里昂•克罗尔认为，腐败已成为全人类共同面临的难题之一，中国的监察法对拉美国家具有重要的借鉴意义，“我认为（这项草案提交审议）是非常有必要的，标志着中国在反腐败道路上又迈出了重要的一步。毫无疑问，目前腐败是全人类共同面临的重大问题之一。

“For many years, corruption has pervaded all aspects of life in most Latin American countries. Fighting against corruption is very important, because corruption has globalized. All countries need to learn other countries’ innovative and efficiently carried-out experience, and match these with their own realities. To propose this supervision draft to the Natonal People’s Congress will undoubtedly be influential.  It will become a sample of how to confront, strike and defeat corruption, it offers important experience for Latin America and countries in many other regions to learn from.”

很多年来，腐败问题已经渗透到拉美绝大多数国家的各个领域。反腐败斗争非常重要，因为腐败已经实现全球化，各国需要学习其他国家具有创新性的、行之有效的反腐经验，再与自身实际相结合。提交到全国人大审议的这份监察法草案无疑将产生重要影响，它将被作为如何面对、打击和战胜腐败问题的样本，对拉美地区和很多其他国家都具有借鉴意义。”

Korol visited China and had cooperation talks with China Radio International earlier this month.

RAE programs are broadcast via WRMI (Florida, USA) and Kall-Krekel (Germany), and through the internet. If sent by ordinary mail, reception reports on shortwave broadcasts are confirmed with a special QSL card in Argentina’s national colors – click picture for more info.

RAE carries a short podcast by Korol, as he addresses RAE listeners from Beijing. My Spanish is rather poor – translation errors are therefore not unlikely, and corrections are welcome:

Hello, friends of Radio Argentina to the World, and greetings from China. I’m Adrián Korol and I’m here on invitation by CRI, Radio China International, to talk personally on a cooperation agreement on which we are working, and about our country, its people, and culture. These are important days here in the People’s Republic of China, for what is called the “two sessions”, a series of meetings of the representatives of the people, where proposals on issues are dealt with which are fundamentally important for life in this country. The two sessions also deal with many universal topics, such as the environment, or the struggle against corruption, something very visible in many parts of Latin America and the world. A topic that catches attention, and positively so, is the eradication of poverty, which happens quite rapidly. There’s also the reform of the constitution as another major issue in the two sessions which are taking place here in Beijing.

Korol also refers to cooperation talks already underway between Argentine television and China’s ministry of communications, and points out three major points of (envisaged) cooperation between RAE and CRI:

[…] content, training, and technology. These topics will have an important effect on RAE, our international service, which completes its sixtieth year this year.

According to some written context added to the podcast, RAE writes that Radio Nacional’s executive director Ana Gerschenson appointed Korol to try to get RAE included into Argentine Television’s (RTA) cooperation with China Central Television (CCTV).

Korol was also quoted by China Daily‘s Chinese online edition (中国日报网), along with media workers from Angola, Australia, and Pakistan:

In an interview, Argentine National Radio’s reporter Adrián Korol said: “I’m from Argentina, and therefore very interested in the direction of relations between China and Latin America. China has left a deep impression on me, and I want to understand the future development between China and Argentina.”

阿根廷国家广播电台记者阿德里昂克罗尔在接受采访时说：“我来自阿根廷，所以我非常关心中国和拉丁美洲的关系走向。中国给我留下深刻印象，我想了解中阿的未来发展方向。”

Asked about his impression of foreign minister Wang Yi, Adrián Korol said that he liked him.

在被问到对外交部长王毅的印象时，阿德里昂克罗尔表示，自己很喜欢他。

Adrián Korol also said that he liked China, and even though he had only come from the other side of the world for the first time, he felt a warmth as if he was at home.

阿德里昂克罗尔进一步表示，他很喜欢中国，虽然是第一次从地球的另一端来到这里，但就感觉跟待在家里一样温暖。

Huanqiu Shibao also carried the story.

Korol’s remarks to CRI about the “two sessions” (see beginning of this post) were duly posted under CRI’s “Our new Era – NPC and CPPCC’s 2018 All-China Two Sessions” category. China’s media habitually collect favorable foreign commentary on events in China, while suggesting that China doesn’t care when reactions abroad are less favorable.

On Wednesday, Xinhua newsagency also quoted extensively from foreign punditry (which can probably best be summed up as “strong China, sunny world”). The report quotes a Japanese professor, a Palestinian economist, an Indonesian think tank’s chairman, a global security expert from South Korea, an Argentine China researcher, another Japanese professor, a researcher at Russia’s “Valdai Club”, a publisher from the US, a Cuban international politics researcher, another researcher from Russia, and a French China expert.

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Note

RAE programs are broadcast on shortwave via WRMI (Florida, USA) and Kall-Krekel (Germany), and streamed on the internet. If sent by ordinary mail, reception reports on shortwave broadcasts are confirmed with a special QSL card in Argentina’s national colors.

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Related

Entrevista al embajador de Argentina, CRI, March 6, 2018

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Chairman Xi – the Old Normal Cult

“How did one man come to embody China’s destiny?”, asks the BBC‘s China correspondent, Carrie Gracie. Part of the answer lies in the way the BBC designs her article – The Thoughts of Chairman Xi. Opening it, you feel as if you enter that Yan’an “cave” museum yourself. And as this is a global village, the design also resembles CCTV’s doxology.

Editors and designers – click picture above for CCTV webpage

Now, what made Xi Jingping the man who “embody’s China’s destiny”?

I’m forever a son of the yellow earth,

Gracie quotes Xi.

But the real explanation is much more simple. Xi is his father’s son. That’s not just one aspect of the story – it’s the one that really matters. The rest is useful flattery, written by the man’s hand-picked propagandists.

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Related

How yellow was my Hometown, Febr 14, 2015
How safe will he be in 2023, Dec 13, 2014
Towering, March 18, 2013
Cross-legged on the kang, Jan 13, 2013
How they cried, Dec 24, 2012
Outgoing and incoming dictators, Jan 6, 2012

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Upates

No heir apparent, BBC News, Oct 25. 2017

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In the News & Blogs (Aug 1 – 21): Beijing’s Little Helpers abroad

“China Quarterly” cooperates with China censors / Taiwan hosts 2017 Summer Universiade / Kim spoils Fun for Chinese Guam Visitors / Red-noticed police / The First “Five Marvellous Years” / Want to be Chinese?
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Doing Beijing’s Dirty Work (1): Academic Institutions

Update: Cambridge University Press restores articles, Washington Post, Aug 21, 2017

China Quarterly apparently cooperates with Beijing by blocking access to articles and e-books on their website.

Can we expect them to do better? I have my doubts. Their topic is China – and if they don’t cooperate, others will, and might replace the renowned magazine. That’s no excuse, of course, and they could still display character rather than opportunism, but one has to admit that they are facing a tough choice. If they decided otherwise, there would be no academic solidarity – alternative opportunists would chum up to Beijing.

What is therefore needed is a political answer. British legislators will need to make censorship cooperation of this kind illegal, and legislators in other free societies will need to do likewise.

You can’t do Beijing’s dirty work yourself, and remain democratic, liberal, or free.

The public needs to push a political decision. People who care about human rights (those of others, and of their own), should consider to join or support relevant pressure groups, rather than political parties.

If Chinese readers can be blocked from servers in free countries, there is no good reason why we, people who live in (still) relatively free societies, should keep access to them, when Beijing demands otherwise.

This scenario may appear far-fetched now – but what happens at Cambridge now would have been unfathomable two or three decades ago, too.

Besides, no man or woman in a free country should vote for political parties who are prepared to tolerate this kind of practice. Totalitarian challenges must be met with political answers.

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Taiwan’s Twelve Days of International Fame

The 2017 Summer Universiade started in Taipei, on Saturday.

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Chinese Holidaymakers: Kim spoils the Fun

Huanqiu Shibao (the Global Times‘ Chinese-language sister paper) worried about unwelcome side effects of the US-North Korean war of words during the first half of the month: More than 26,000 Chinese tourists had travelled to Guam in 2016, the paper noted in an article published online on August 11 – an increase by 11 percent compared to 2015. Huanqiu numbers reportedly provided by the Guam Visitors Bureau‘s China Representative Room, an organization that runs offices in mainland China and in Hong Kong.

Guam is an island in the western Pacific. It is U.S. territory, reportedly within reach of North Korean missiles (provided that the missiles are lucky), it hosts a naval base, an air base, a religious shortwave broadcasting station, and thousands of tourists annually.

The Huanqiu Shibao article also quotes from “Sina Weibo” exchanges between Chinese netizens and the Guam Visitors Bureau, where Bureau staff reportedly posted reassuring replies to questions like “will you soon be hit by missiles?”

Probably given the incomplete state of North Korea’s striking force (God knows where the missiles would actually go if the army tried to fire them into Guam’s adjacent waters), or Donald Trump‘s notoriety as a bigmouth with little consistency, no travel warning appears to have been issued by Chinese authorities. According to the BY article, the China Youth Travel Agency told reporters that

the company hadn’t received a political-risks warning notice to suspend departures to Guam until then, and reminded journalists to monitor the China National Tourism Administration’s travel risk reminders.

….. 公司还没有接到因政治风险暂停前往关岛的旅游团的通知，他提醒记者应及时关注国家旅游局的旅游风险提示。

According to statistics quoted by the article, most tourists visiting Guam are from Japan and South Korea, with rapidly rising numbers from mainland China.

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Doing Beijing’s Dirty Work (2): Red-noticed Police

The arrest of a German citizen of Turkish origin, Dogan Akhanli, made it into German news during the weekend. According to GfbV, a German organization that keeps track of cases where authoritarian regimes use Interpol to harrass critics abroad, Akhanli was arrested by Spanish police in the city of Granada. Reportedly, Turkey had requested Interpol  to issue a read notice to Spain. The dust appears to settle now, and Akhanli is free again, but the organization calls for reforming Interpol and to make sure that it doesn’t become (or remain) a tool for silencing regime critics abroad.

In the same press release, GfbV notes that Dolkun Isa, secretary general of the World Uyghur Congress, had been arrested in Rome, on July 26 this year. Isa was on his way into the Italian senate when he was arrested. According to GfbV, Chinese authorities are now using Interpol’s “red notice” mechanism systematically, to restrict movement of the regime’s critics abroad, and thus creating a de-facto occupational ban against them (Chinas Behörden nutzen die „Red Notice“ inzwischen systematisch, um die Bewegungsfreiheit von im Ausland lebenden Menschenrechtlern einzuschränken und de facto ein Berufsverbot gegen sie zu verhängen).

It certainly wasn’t the first time that Isa had been arrested. In 2009, South Korea arrested him, apparently on arrival at the airport, and refused him entry into the country. Previously, he had been arrested by the UN security service when visiting the Human Rights Commission in Geneva.

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The First Five “Marvellous Years”

China’s state television (CCTV) website reminds the public of CCP secretary general Xi Jinping‘s feats during his first five marvellous years (不平凡五年) in office. On August 14, the media organization published statistics of Xi’s speeches on foreign policy.

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So: Want to be Chinese?

Given that under the secretary general’s correct leadership, China is becoming the marvel of the world (an unscientific condensed international press review by JR with no further sources), it should be no surprise that Daniel Bell wants better international access to Chinese citizenship, for meritorious citizens of the world who would like to share in that glory.

Ji Xiang posted some thoughts on that, early this month.