CHINAwatch

香港一國兩制價值觀與1997年前比較

2024 年 12 月 9 日多伦多粤语 YouTube 频道在线采访 

"Caging the Leviathan" - Beijing's tilt from Rule by Law to Rule of Law

Beijing's tilt from Rule by Law to Rule of Law was synthesized by Peking University Law School Professor Jiang Ming'an 姜明安 at the seminar on "The Formation and Prospects of Contemporary Chinese Administrative Law" on 6 October 2023, where he outlined the following shifts "Caging the Leviathan" under various headings:

The Mindset

(a) Government can make mistakes by infringing on citizen rights;
(b) Officials are not people's masters but their servants bound by law; citizens are free to act unless explicitly forbidden by law;
(c) Citizens are entitled to sue the government and to win according to law. 

Methods of Governance

(a) Officials should not just follow orders but also adhere to established principles;
(b) Governance should not be based on coercion but to include participation and interaction;
(c) Law should also be supported by administrative agreements, guidance and soft tactics;
(d) Emphasis should move from speed and efficiency to due process and protection of citizens rights.

The Party

(a) Emphasis is shifting from class struggle, GDP growth, and material development to fairness, justice, social, ecological and political civilization;
(b) Direction is to move from Rule by Policies and Law to Rule of Law. 

New World, New Order How to reposition ourselves for a New Economy

Download New World New Order - How to reposition for a New Economy (A business dinner presentation) 

Some fresh perspectives on Xinjiang and Tibet

Some fresh perspective is provided by Shaun Rein, an American Chinese of Jewish extraction, author of "End of Cheap China" and Founder of China Market Research Group, in a video podcast of 20 February 2022 hosted by Cyrus Janssen, a Canadian blogger who lived in China a long time and now relocated back in Canada.

Shaun visited Xinjiang and Tibet long enough to be able to share some insights on criticisms of China regarding Xinjiang and Tibet. He also offered some tips on how China could improve its communications with the West.   

A summarizing expose of 12 March, 2022 with real-life videos alleging hidden CIA operations is provided by Felix Abt, author of "My Seven Years in the Hermit Kingdom" in Covert Action Magazine, Covert Action Institute, a non-profit organization incorporated in the State of New York. 

The Impact of the Crisis in Ukraine on Global Supply Chains and China’s Economy.

An unbiased, critical Report dated 24.03.2022 by Beijing-based Centre for China and Globalization (CCG). 

Download CCG-Report-The-Impact-of-the-Crisis-in-Ukraine-on-Global-Supply-Chains-and-Chinas-Economy1 (1)

"This report begins by analyzing the massive shock caused by the Ukraine crisis and the US-European sanctions against Russia, providing initial estimates of the impact on the Russian economy, world financial markets, energy and food markets, global supply chains, the European economy and more widely the global economy. Second, the report posits several possible conclusions to the Ukraine crisis and the subsequent geostrategic impact on Europe. Finally, the report concludes by examining the Chinese economy beyond its borders and providing relevant recommendations. In summary, CCG believes that China could play the role of mediator in this crisis and potentially promote better multilateral relationships among Europe, the US and Russia."

The Report flags up the need for early resolution of the crisis, which is upending the world's stability and economy in myriad ways. It mentions China's possible role in acting as mediator but does not address the essential ingredients of a sustainable peace deal which may balance the demands on all sides.

China is in a delicate situation, not wanting to contravene the hallowed UN Charter principles of national sovereignty and opposition to unilateral action. See a 28 March 2022 report by a Hong Kong correspondent of Washington D.C.-based Feature Story News. Download 220325 i24 Chi Rus

On the other hand, it's clear that the United States wants to put maximum pressure on China to help strangle Russia. CGTN anchor Liu Xin famously quipped,  "Can you help me to fight your friend so that I can later concentrate on fighting you?"

So the sooner China can become the good guy by helping to broker an enduring peace over Ukraine, the better. A practical way-out may a "Swiss Solution" outlined in How to resolve the Ukrainian crisis dated 5 March, 2022 on Rome-based World Geostrategic Insights. 

China: Time of Xi - a 3-part TV documentary introducing President Xi's vision of the China Dream

Produced by Meridian Line Film and invested by Discovery Channel, the 3-part TV documentary was aired in the United States in 2017 before the latest Sinophobic tsunami. 

Suspicions of rose-colored spectacles aside, the documentary offers a useful introduction to what defines President Xi's concept of the China Dream.

The TV documentary is divided into three parts:

Part 1 Poverty alleviation, medical reforms, investment in education, and high-speed train network.      

Part 2 Supply-side reform, technological innovation, and environmental protection. 

Part 3 The Belt and Road Initiative and the concept of "Community of Common Destiny"

What the US-led Democracy Forum doesn't say

Live interview on 11 December, 2021 with Press TV. 

Western sanctions based on Xinjiang "genocide" claim

Backchat with RTHK (Radio Television Hong Kong) on 29 March, 2021. (My contribution is embedded in Part 2, in the third bar, starting from time-counter 10:20).

An in-depth analysis of the Xinjiang accusation is provided in a video clip by Kim Iversen, American journalist, YouTuber and radio host. The attached comments from a prominent American-Canadian YouTuber offer some historical and other perspectives. Download Comment from American-Canadian YouTuber - on Xinjiang Genocide claim

For wider perspectives,  Max Blumenthal debunks US accusation of China's 'genocide' against Uighurs through his YouTube channel on 30 March, 2021 for the Gray Zone, a contrarian platform.

I wasn't given time to answer the question from one of the callers - What's wrong with sanctions on China if apartheid South Africa deserved sanctions? I would have given this disingenuous comparison short shrift. First, the mantra of genocide is over the top. There is a dearth of verifiable evidence on a scale that justifies such accusation. Second, China simply is NOT apartheid South Africa. The vast majority of China's 56 ethnic groups have been living in great harmony. Third, the Chinese Communist Party has well proven its legitimacy through impressive outcomes. Under its relatively short tutelage, the lives of the vast majority of the Chinese people have miraculously transformed. Western concept of democracy is not the be-all and end-all of legitimacy. A July 2020 Harvard Kennedy School Ash Center report finds that China's is amongst the top governments most supported by its people, multiple ranks above the United States.  

How Will We (U.S.) Win the Second Cold War?

I can't resist a little riposte to Bret Stephens' Op-ed of 29 March 2021 in the New York Times. Military, trade, technology, sanctions and other "weapons" have become an ineffective two-edged sword incurring collateral damage without producing meaningful results. Seemingly clutching at straws, Stephens suggests a three-pronged approach.

First, America should re-enter the Transpacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal capitalizing on Members' aversion to China's rising nationalism. The irony is that these same Members have recently forged the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) , the world's largest trading bloc with China as its central hub. At the same time, President Xi has expressed a willingness to join the higher-standard Comprehensive and Progressive Trans Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). So much for capitalizing on Members' aversion to Chinese nationalism. 

Second, Stephens thinks that President Xi's "personality cult authoritarianism" would ferment internal discord leading to eventual disintegration of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Stephens perhaps may not have had the benefit of the July 2020 Harvard Kennedy School Ash Center report Understanding CCP Resilience . For many decades, China under the CCP's watch has improved people's lives and aspirations beyond recognition. So for a long time, the CCP has been retaining the top rank amongst governments most supported by its people, multiple levels above a politically-fractured United States. 

Third, Stephens flags up China's perceived "spiritual and religious repression", which "suppresses moral conscience", citing the Falun Gong,  Islam, Tibetan Buddhism and independent Christian churches.

This ignores the reality that China has three times more mosques per Islamic citizen with 20 times more mosques overall than the United States. The Uighur language remains one of the four ethnic group languages printed on every Renminbi (RMB) bank note. With help from the CCP, the Uighur music and dance have been listed by UNESCO as World Intangible Cultural Heritage. Tibetan and other forms of Buddhism are widely practiced in China. Tibetan heritage is highly treasured in the world-famous Potala Palace in Lhasa.

As for Christians, The Economist estimates that protestants now number 38 million.  Various controls are placed upon certain "underground" Catholic churches. However, recognized Catholic churches are popular among many Chinese people. As a Catholic, I attended mass in one of them during a visit to Mainland China. The Falun Gong, however, is a separate category. Owing to its "subversive" connections, it has long been banned in China.

In any case, religion, like other activities in China, is not totally free. But demonizing China for "spiritual and religious suppression" seems an over-exaggeration. 

China accuses EU of ‘hypocrisy’ over Uyghur row

Live TV interview with Press TV on 25 March, 2021