Posts tagged ‘soft power’

Tuesday, August 3, 2021

Guizhou Donkey: Make Yourself at Home

You can serve lousy food, provided that your guests aren’t used to anything better, or because you are their boss and they can’t choose. In either case, it will help when you serve that stuff in a cozy environment. Your guests can make themselves at home – mum cooks as badly as ever.

The same is true for “Huanqiu Shibao, the Chinese sister paper of the English-language “Global Times”. On July 21, they missed (probably sarcastically) a more innovative Western propaganda approach.

huanqiu_headline

“America draws allies into political manipulation”,
Huanqiu Shibao, July 21

Several academics, the paper said, had stated in interviews that the U.S. and their allies, after failed campaigns concerning Hong Kong, Taiwan, or human rights, had now come up with accusations that China was behind cyber attacks. That was the Guizhou donkey’s weak trick.

Here’s the story in English, according to the Chinese online encyclopedia “Baike Baidu”.

Once upon a time, there were no donkeys in Guizhou. Nobody knew what a donkey was. Some day, a man took a donkey to Guizhou. He left it at the foot of a mountain. A tiger in the mountains saw the donkey from afar, heard it braying, and thought: “where does this monster come from? It looks awesome, and I’ll better keep a distance1

Some time passed during which the tiger saw the donkey walk to and fro and bray once in a while. Now the tiger thought: “pretty big pet, I don’t know what it can do, but let me see!”

The tiger approached the donkey unnoticed and touched it. The donkey became angry: “why the hell do you touch me?” Then he kicked with his hooves and missed the tiger two or three times. That’s how the tiger realized: “this donkey*) can’t do anything but kick, he can’t do anything!”

So he opened his mouth to eat the donkey, but the terrified donkey shouted: “don’t get any closer, I can kick you!”

“Kicking people is all you can do,” laughed the tiger, “but I can eat people!” No sooner said than done.

That was turned into a proverb, describing how people manage with makeshift methods that aren’t special. In short: “the donkey’s skills are poor”!

In Chinese, that writes 黔驢技窮 (黔驴技穷, qiánlǘjìqióng), and qián, another word for Guizhou (maybe not exactly the same territory as what it is now), can also be found in a more classical version of the story (Chinese and English there).

So why does “Huanqiu Shibao” use this proverb?
a) “Huanqiu Shibao” skills are poor – they can’t do any better.
b) You mustn’t try to say anything better when it can be said in four characters.
c) It’s cozy (see introduction). No matter how stupid the message is, readers will remember Granny’s bedtime stories and find it trustworthy. They may even feel sort of tiger.


Not the way Granny told it – click picture for video

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Notes

*) That’s what the Baike story says – maybe the tiger has gotten to know the donkey’s name, because he’ll only eat what he knows
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Monday, July 19, 2021

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.
Sunday, June 6, 2021

External Propaganda: Cai Mingzhao’s then, Xi Jinping’s now?

30th_politburo_study_session

Politburo’s 30th study session, Xinwen Lianbo, June 1, 2021

English-speaking Chinese media translate 传播 (chuánbō) as “communication” – as in this English-language rendition of a Xi speech on May 31, to the “30th collective study session of the CPC politburo. I don’t quite trust the translation, because there is a Chinese habit of making Chinese terms more palatable to a foreign audience by using not-quite-the-closest possible translation.

As a shortwave user, the most familiar translation to me would be propagation, which may stand for a process of information flow, “transmissions of impulses (or triggers) to influence the behavior of others” (传播就是某个人传递刺激以影响另一些人行为的过程), or “social information flows and the information of social information systems” (郭庆光定义传播是社会資訊的流动和社会資訊系统的运行). All that, and more, plus propaganda, I suppose.

So, the official Chinese translation for chuánbō would be communication. But China Copyright and Media, in an October 2013 translation of an article by Cai Mingzhao, director of the State Council Information Office’s Foreign Propaganda Office at the time, referred to chuánbō as dissemination. It’s a translation that leaves room for a lot of interpretation.

What strikes me when reading the China Copyright and Media translation of nearly eight years ago is its similarity with Xi’s speech of May 31. Back then, Cai Mingzhao, the State Council of Information Office’s external propaganda bureau at the time, discussed the future priorities in public diplomacy work in the light of Xi Jinping’s recent speech at the National Propaganda and Ideology Work Conference.

While Xi’s national propaganda conference speech in August 2013 had contained some referals to external propaganda, too, most of it had been about propaganda in general, and ideological work within China. In fact, I’m under the impression that in his May 31 speech, which focused exclusively on external propaganda, Xi borrowed heavily from Cai Mingzhao’s 2013 article.

You can contrast these two English renditions: one by China Daily on June 2, i. e. four days ago, reflecting Xi’s speech, and one by China Copyright and Media, in October 2013, translating Cai Mingzhao’s article.

Sunday, May 23, 2021

Long Yongtu’s WTO Accession Commemorative Lecture (1)

Long Yongtu (龙永图), born in Hunan Province in 1943, is a former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation and was China’s Chief Negotiator for his country’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO). Long was also an enthusiastic participant in public debate on domestic issues during the first decade of the new century.

The following is part one of my translation of a lecture “recently” given by Long at a seminar in Beijing.

Main link: Since you are all market economies, can you remove “socialism”? – Absolutely not (既然都是市场经济了,能不能去掉社会主义?“绝对不可能”)

As we discuss the 20th anniversary of China’s accession to the WTO this year, we should put it into the context of this years biggest thing this year, the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party’s establishment. The activities of commemorating the 20th anniversary of WTO accession should be a part of learning the party’s 100 years of history. Only in this fashion will our commemorative activities have clear-cut representative meaning and add to its value and importance.

今年我们谈中国入世20周年,应该把它放在今年最大的一件事情——中国共产党建党100周年——背景之下,把纪念入世20周年的活动,作为我们学习党的100年历史的一个组成部分。只有这样才能使我们的纪念活动具有鲜明的时代意义和时代特色,也赋予它更大的价值和重要性。

This isn’t far-fetched, but rather,the histories of our country’s establishment, of reform and opening up are all part of the party’s history. By putting the commemoration of WTO accession 20 years ago into this big context makes it more significant, and it is very relevant in this context.

这样说不是要牵强附会,而是因为我们的建国史、改革开放史,都是百年党史很重要的部分,我们把纪念入世20周年放在这样一个大的背景下更有意义,也是非常相关的。

I think this history can be divided into two areas. One is the fifteen years of accession negotiations from 1986 to 2001. Why didn’t we enter WTO when we recovered our legitimate United Nations’ seat? That was because at the time, our thinking wasn’t sufficiently intellectually liberated. At the time, it was believed that that was a rich countries’ club, without any advantages for us. In fact, according to GATT regulations, we simply could have written an application and we could have joined, without any need for negotiations, because China had been a founding member. Because of restoring its legitimate UN membership, our re-entry into GATT would have been a matter of course. But at the time, we just felt that GATT was a rich countries’ club, and joining wouldn’t have been of any use. It was all dominated by Western countries, so we decided not to join.

关于这段历史,我觉得可以分为两部分:一部分是1986年到2001年中国复关和入世的15年谈判。为什么当年恢复联合国合法席位后,我们没有进入WTO?因为当时思想不够解放,认为那是一个富国俱乐部,对我们也没什么好处。实际上当时根据《关贸总协定》的规定,我们完全可以写一张申请就进去的,那个时候根本不需要谈判,因为我们中国是创始成员,既然恢复了联合国的合法席位,我们复关也是理所当然的。但是当时就觉得关贸是富国俱乐部,我们进去也没有什么用,都是西方国家主导的,就决定不去了。

Later, it took us until 1986 to apply. Why was that? Because after the beginning of reform and opening in 1978, we saw our country’s foreign trade continuously expand, with the need to be granted quotas, especially because at the time, GATT sill had the “Agreement on Textile and Clothing“, and the “Multi Fibre Arrangement“. Because of the need to apply for quotas for textile exports under the “multi-fibre arrangement” framework, it was decided to apply for re-entry into the GATT. So I think that the history from 1986 to 2001 is also something everyone can study.

后来一直到1986年才提出申请,为什么?因为1978年开始改革开放以后,慢慢觉得我们中国的对外贸易在不断扩大,特别是当时《关贸总协定》还有《纺织品协定》《多种纤维协定》要发放配额。当时为了我们中国的纺织品贸易特别是纺织品出口能够借助多边的《多种纤维协定》框架取得配额,决定开始复关了。所以从1986年开始到2001年,我觉得这一段历史,也是大家可以研究的一段历史。

The second area is the twenty years from entering the WTO in 2001, to 2021. How have we fulfilled our promise to the WTO? How has entering the WTO accelerated China’s reform and opening, how has it enhanced its hard power and soft power? This historical period also needs to be well researched.

第二部分是2001年到2021年中国入世这20年。这20年我们是怎么履行对世贸组织的承诺?是怎么样通过入世这件事加快中国的改革开放,提升了中国的硬实力和软实力?这一段历史也是需要好好研究的。

Therefore, the first point of view under such a special historical background this year, is that by regarding the WTO entry of twenty years ago as part of our studies and research of the party’s 100-years history, we stand on a high ground – not just discussing trade or doing research on an academic level. We look at this matter from a perspective of the entire party and the entire country. As part of China’s reform and opening, thereby moving forward promoting China’s reform and opening, this is significant.

所以我的第一个观点,在今年这样一个特定的历史背景之下,我们把纪念中国入世20周年,看成是我们学习和研究党的100年历史的组成部分,这样站位就高了,我们的讨论就不仅仅是在经贸领域,更不是在学术领域这样一个层面上进行研究,而是从全党、全国的角度来看这件事情。它作为中国改革开放史的一部分,从而进一步推动中国的改革开放,这样就有意义了。

The second [point of view] in my view, when learning the history of China’s WTO membership is to comply with Secretary Xi Jinping’s “Sixteen Characters Policy”. This “Sixteen Characters Policy” is connected with studying the entire party’s history, because we make our studies of 20 years of WTO membership a part of studying the party’s history. Of course, the “Sixteen Characters Policy” also suitably guides our 20-years-WTO activity.

第二,对中国入世20年的历史学习,我觉得要遵循习近平总书记提出来的“16字方针”。这“16字方针”是针对整个党史学习,既然我们把入世20周年作为党史学习的一部分,当然这“16字方针”也适合指导我们入世20周年的纪念活动。

The General Secretary’s “Sixteen Characters Policy’s” first article is to study historical fact.1) Studying history can help to understand some principles. From China’s 15 years of WTO accession negotiations and its 20-year membership, which principles are there, which experiences can we summarize and use as reference?

总书记提出的“16字方针”,第一条是学史明理,学习历史能明白一些道理,中国入世谈判15周年、入世20周年,我们有哪些道理、哪些经验可以总结、可以借鉴?

The second article is to enhance faith by studying history – studying history can strengthen our confidence, our continuous promotion of reform and opening, the deepening of reform, and it can expand confidence in opening up.

第二条是学史增信,学习历史可以增强我们的信心,增强我们进一步推动改革开放,深化改革、扩大开放的信心。

The third article is the virtue of studying history. Within the process of the entire history, which spirits are there that can be used? At the time, many comrades actually showed a great sense of responsibility when they completed those [WTO] negotiations.

第三条是学史崇德,我们在整个历史进程当中,有哪些精神是可以发扬的?当时很多同志确实表现了很多的担当精神,来完成这一场谈判。

The third article is to let the studies of history be followed by action which means that the reader must act. To research the WTO’s prospects and China’s role int it actually means to draw from China’s 20 years of membership to promote the solution of the issues that currently need to be solved. We still resolutely support the multilateral trade system represented by WTO and acknowledge the WTO as the core of the entire multilateral trade system. Therefore, the prospect of WTO reform is extremely important, as an important part of China’s participation in global governance.

第四条是学史力行,就是要见诸行动了,今天研究世贸组织前景与中国角色,实际上就是借助中国入世20周年这样一个契机来采取一些行动,推动当前必须解决的问题。我们还是坚决支持以WTO为代表的多边贸易体系,承认WTO是整个多边贸易体系的核心。所以WTO的改革前景就非常重要了,是中国参与全球治理的重要组成部分。这其中,中国发挥什么样的作用,在这里都可以好好地研究。

The third [point of view] is that when we study China’s 20 years of WTO membership, we must know clearly what major problems has WTO entry solved for China? In my view, China’s entry into the WTO has brought China’s reform and opening two major breakthroughs:

第三,我们学习中国加入世贸20年历史的成果,要搞清楚中国入世解决了什么重大问题?我觉得中国入世对于中国改革开放来讲,有两个重大的突破:

The first major breakthrough was that by joining the WTO, we made a promise to the world to practice market economy, which is a major historic turning point in China’s reform and opening, because before 1992, market economy was a restricted area, something you couldn’t discuss because market economy simply was capitalism. But by joining the WTO, we promised to practice market economy.

第一个重大突破是我们通过加入世界贸易组织向全世界承诺我们搞市场经济,这是中国改革开放当中一个重大的历史转折,因为1992年以前市场经济是一个禁区,那是不能谈的,市场经济就是资本主义。但是我们通过入世承诺了搞市场经济。

The second major breakthrough was that, by joining the World Trade Organization, we promised, as a developing country opening its market to the world, relatively big market openings, thus accelerating China’s opening towards the outside world. So, these two breakthroughs are actually two major achievements of China joining WTO, and also crucial points with a certain status.

第二个重大突破是我们通过加入世贸组织,承诺了以发展中国家身份向全球开放市场,在很多领域里做了比较大的市场开放,从而大大促进了中国的对外开放。所以这两个突破实际上是中国入世谈判的重大成果,也是入世在中国改革开放史上具有一定地位的两个关键。

For example, at the beginning, we did not promise a market economy, but came under constant pressure to do so. At the time, this was hard for the participants, taking the measure of saying that while we didn’t recognize market economy, we could still agree to refer to a commodity economy, or a planned market economy, and we could still implement that market-economy rules system of theirs.

比如说市场经济,开始我们是不承认的,后来在谈判当中一直逼着我们要承诺搞市场经济,当时参加谈判的人很痛苦,变着法地想讲我们虽然不承认市场经济,叫商品经济也好,叫有计划的市场经济也好,但是我们能够执行你们那一套以市场经济规则体系为基础的市场经济。

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Notes

1) Not sure how Long arrives at this interpretation – the 16 characters’ first line goes 科学立法 巩固法治根基 – scientifically legislate and solidify the foundations of rule by law.
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Related

Rare public criticism, SCMP, Nov 18, 2018
Milton Friedman’s Misadventures, The American Scholar, Dec 5, 2016
Long and the Smiling Curve, May 17, 2012

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Monday, March 22, 2021

Europe’s Voice on Shortwave: Radio Romania International

Floriilor Cave, South Carpathians 45.212 N and 23.132 E,
Radio Romania International QSL, 2015
Click picture for more info

The following translation is an excerpt from Radio Romania International’s mailbag show in Chinese. The letter read out there last week was from a long-time listener who hadn’t written before.

[…] By now, Radio Romania International is the only European radio station that has maintained shortwave broadcasting. I cherish your station’s broadcasts all the more!

[…..] 如今,罗马尼亚国际广播电台,是欧洲唯一一家保留对华中文短波广播的电台,我对贵台的广播更是格外珍惜!

Although it isn’t too easy to receive your broadcasts in our area, there are sometimes indications of your signal, obscured by noise. But half of the time, I can hear Radio Romania International clearly, even if it weakens intermittently, but thanks to the hosts’ fluent Chinese, I can still get the general meaning clearly. I cherish every time you broadcast.

虽然,在我的地区,接收贵台并不是一件太容易的事,有时候依稀能够听到播音迹象,却淹没在短波噪音中,但是,另一半的时间里,我还是能够清晰收听罗广的,虽也有信号衰减迹象,断断续续,但得益于主持人们字正腔圆的中文,我还是能听清楚大概意思的,每一次您们播音,我都格外珍惜!我害怕失去你们!作为欧洲唯一保留中文短波的国家,我真的害怕失去你们!作为第一次联系罗广的老听友,我诚恳的建议您们,绝不能依赖网络!

The aforementioned European stations, including yours, although keeping broadcasting online, may not know that in our country, it isn’t convenient to listen to foreign stations online. The network may not be very responsive, it’s operation speed be limited, freeze after a few seconds of good listening, may take time to load again. That’s disappointing, these factors have has made internet radio devoid of value. It can’t be compared with the reliability and smoothness of shortwave radio. I hope your station can hear an ordinary listener’s voice and accompany us on shortwave forever!

前面提到的欧洲国家,包括贵台在内,虽然保留了对中国的网络广播,但是他们或许不知道,在我国,接收外国的网络广播是很不舒服的,网络卡顿,运营商限速,听的好好的,卡顿好几秒,继续播音,甚至加载的时候都得等好久,非常非常的扫兴,这些因素,都导致他们的网络广播收听价值荡然无存………与收听短波广播的可靠流畅是无法比拟的!希望贵台能够听到我一个普通听众的声音,能够在收音机里永远陪伴我们!

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Related

Some Radio Romania International history, Jan 25, 2018
DW Chinese informs listeners, Oct 27, 2012
“Opinion leaders”, May 20, 2011

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Monday, September 7, 2020

Chinese Ministry of Defense Spokesman: “China’s Friends can be found all over the World”

The following is a reaction by China’s ministry of defense spokesman Ren Guoqiang to what is said to be an article by US secretary of defense Mark Esper.

News like Ren’s statement don’t usually feature prominently in Chinese television news, but are the kind of stuff that may excite some online readers in China. A video without verbal footage, but a dramatic musical soundtrack, is also shared on Weibo.

Original My translation CCTV English
中新网9月6日电 据国防部新闻局官方微信消息,美国国防部长埃斯珀近日发表题为《美国防部已做好准备应对中国》的署名文章称,美需建设一支与中国全面抗衡的军事力量。对此,国防部新闻发言人任国强表示,这篇文章通篇充斥冷战思维与意识形态偏见,毫无根据地歪曲中国人民解放军,渲染所谓“中国军事威胁”,完全是无稽之谈。 China News Service, Sept 6. According to the ministry of defense’s official WeChat channel, US secretary of defense Esper recently published a signed article titled “US Department of Defense prepared for reacting to China”, saying that America needed to build a military force able to comprehensively contend with China. Concerning this, Ministry of Defense spokesman Ren Guoqiang said that the article was full of cold-war mentality and ideological prejudice, distorted the PLA without the slightest foundation, and exaggerated the so-called “China military threat”, which was complete nonsense. blank
有记者问:美国国防部长埃斯珀近日发表题为《美国防部已做好准备应对中国》的署名文章称,中国军队并非为国家和宪法服务,而是为中国共产党效力;为应对中国“军事威胁”,美需建设一支与中国全面抗衡的军事力量;中国军队对地区邻国采取咄咄逼人的行动,美国将加强与印太地区盟国和伙伴国的关系。中方对此作何评论? Reporter’s question: US secretary of defense Esper recently published a signed article titled “US Department of Defense prepared for reacting to China”, saying that China’s military really doesn’t serve the country and the constitution, but effectively serves the Chinese Communist Party. To respond to China’s “military threat”, America needed to build a military force able to comprehensively contend with China. China’s military took aggressive action against neighboring countries, and America would strengthen relations with allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region. What is China’s comment on this? blank
任国强表示,这篇文章通篇充斥冷战思维与意识形态偏见,毫无根据地歪曲中国人民解放军,渲染所谓“中国军事威胁”,完全是无稽之谈。该文如果不是出于对客观事实的政治偏见,最起码也是对基本常识的无知。中方对此表示坚决反对。 Ministry of Defense spokesman Ren Guoqiang said that the article was full of cold-war mentality and ideological prejudice, distorted the PLA without the slightest foundation, and exaggerated the so-called “China military threat”, which was complete nonsense. Said article was based on a policy of prejudice and lack of objectiveness and facts, and ignorant of the very fundamentals. China resolutely opposed this. Ren Guoqiang, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of National Defense, Sunday slammed U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper’s article against the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), asserting that any attempt to cut the flesh-and-blood ties between the Chinese army and the people is doomed to fail.
任国强指出,《中华人民共和国宪法》明确规定:社会主义制度是中华人民共和国的根本制度;中国共产党领导是中国特色社会主义最本质的特征;中华人民共和国的武装力量属于人民。中国共产党的宗旨是全心全意为人民服务,作为中国共产党缔造和领导的武装力量,中国人民解放军的宗旨也始终是全心全意为人民服务。中国人民都知道,中国人民解放军是“人民子弟兵”,人民军队为实现民族独立、人民解放作出巨大牺牲,在经济建设、应对重大自然灾害、保卫人民生命财产安全中作出突出贡献。事实证明,任何割裂中国军队和中国人民血肉联系的图谋注定是失败的。 Ren Guoqiang said that the “People’s Republic of China’s Constitution” clearly stipulated that the socialist system was the PRC’s fundamental system, that the Communist Party of China’s leadership was the most essential characteristic of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and that the PRC’s armed force belonged to the people. The Chinese Communist Party’s objective was to serve the people with heart and soul, and as the armed forces created and led by the Chinese Communist Party, the PLA’s objective also was to serve the people with heart and soul. The Chinese people all knew that the PLA was the “force of the people’s younger generation”, that the people’s troops, to achieve national independence, [the PLA] had made huge sacrifices, outstanding economic contributions, responded to major natural disasters, and outstanding contributions to safeguarding the people’s lives and property. Facts had proven that any conspiracy to cut apart the Chinese troops’ and Chinese people’s ties of flesh and blood were doomed to fail. The article had distorted the PLA’s image without any basis to play up the so-called Chinese military threat, Ren told reporters. His remarks came after Esper’s article titled “The Pentagon Is Prepared for China,” wherein he claimed that “China’s military does not serve the country or the constitution.”

Ren described the allegations as totally groundless and full of Cold-War mentality and ideological bias.

任国强强调,《中华人民共和国宪法》还明确规定:中国坚持走和平发展道路,坚持互利共赢开放战略,发展同各国的外交关系和经济、文化交流,推动构建人类命运共同体。新中国成立70年来,从未主动挑起过一场战争,从未侵占过别人的一寸土地。中国军力的增长完全是世界和平力量的增长。中国军队积极参加联合国维和、亚丁湾护航、人道主义救援等行动,努力为世界提供更多的公共安全产品。中国和中国军队维护世界和平与繁荣的积极贡献,赢得了国际社会广泛赞誉,中国的朋友遍天下。美方渲染地区紧张局势、挑拨中国与地区国家关系,这种图谋注定是痴心妄想。 Guo Renqiang also emphasized that the “People’s Republic of China’s Constitution” clearly stipulated that China upheld the path of peaceful development, a strategy of mutual benefit and openness, the development of diplomatic, economic and cultural exchanges with all countries, and the promotion of the construction of human destiny community*). During all the 70 years since its founding, New China had never provoked a war, and never invaded and occupied any length of other countries’ territory. The growth of China’s military power was the growth of global power of peace. The Chinese military actively took part in UN peacekeeping, convoying in the Gulf of Aden, humanitarian rescue and other operations, so as to provide more public security goods to the world. China’s and China military’s contributions to protecting global peace and prosperity have earned it broad international recognition. China’s friends can be found all over the world. America exaggerates regional tensions and incites disharmony in relations between China and countries in the region. This conspiracy is delusional.

Editor: Liu Pai

The Communist Party of China (CPC) and the PLA share the same mission of serving the people wholeheartedly as mentioned in China’s Constitution, Ren said.

The country’s military is deeply rooted in the people and have made great contributions to achieving national independence as well as liberation of the people in terms of economic construction, disaster relief and protecting people’s life and property, the spokesperson added.

blank The growth of China’s military power should be regarded as the empowerment of world peace as the Chinese Constitution rules that China pursues the path of peaceful development, Ren said, adding that the Chinese military has been actively participating in international peacekeeping activities.
blank The U.S. attempts to alienate China from other countries would never succeed as China’s efforts in maintaining world peace have been widely recognized by the international community, Ren noted.
blank He added that since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the PLA has also been fulfilling its responsibility as the military of a major country, actively participating in international anti-COVID-19 cooperation.
blank The Chinese military will continue to make contributions to the world’s safety, peace, prosperity and inclusiveness, the spokesperson stressed.

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Notes

*) The usual English-language handle in sinicized English would be community with a shared destiny for mankind, or community of common destiny.

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Related

Asian NATO looming, Oct 15, 2010

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Thursday, May 21, 2020

President Tsai Ing-wen begins her Second Term, Inaugural Speech in full

in Chinese

in English

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Related

A second term, Jan 13, 2020
“We uphold our principles”, Jan 2, 2019
First Double-Ten speech, Oct 11, 2016
Economy with new bones, May 20, 2016
She’s back, April 15, 2015

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Related / Updates

Domestic in Focus, J. A. Cohen, May 21, 2020

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Thursday, February 20, 2020

RTI’s Spanish Programs (apparently) return to Shortwave

Radio Taiwan International‘s Spanish service informs that there will be test transmissions in Spanish from February 23 through 26, from 01:00 to 01:30 UTC, on 9490 kHz for South America, and from 03:00 to 03:30 UTC on 9500 kHz for Cuba and Central America. Correct reception reports will be confirmed with a QSL card.

2016 special QSL for reports on shortwave transmissions from Tamsui transmitter, New Taipei

La sección española de Radio Taiwán Internacional realizará pruebas de frecuencia por la onda corta de su programación por 4 días, entre los días domingo 23 y miércoles 26 de febrero de 2020 (horario UTC).

Le invitamos a eschuchar el contenido de nuestra programación y nos envíe la calificación SINPO, datos de su nombre y apellido, su dirección postal, la fecha de escucha y el contenido escuchado a nuestro email esp@rti.org.tw a la brevedad.

Fechas de transmisión: domingo 23, lunes 24, martes 25 y miércoles 26 de febrero de 2020 (horario UTC)

Horario y frecuencia:
Sudamérica: 01:00-01:30 UTC en 9490 kHz
Cuba y Centroamérica: 03:00-03:30 UTC en 9500 kHz

Si sus informes contienen todos los datos solicitados, le enviaremos una tarjeta QSL de edición especial como agradecimiento.

[…]

Spanish programs for Latin America were broadcast via WRMI, Florida, in the past, before they ended in 2018. Test broadcasts appears to suggests that RTI’s Spanish department is following the French service, which announced a resumption of its programs (for Europe and North Africa) earlier this month.

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