On Chinese Media

The Logic of “Long-standing Rule”

South Review

Issue No.14， 2016

The long-standing governance of the CPC is the political reality of present-day China， as acknowledged by 1.3 billion Chinese people. To comprehend the logic behind this reality requires understanding certain facts about the Party.

First of all， Chinas firm adherence to and constant reinforcement and improvement of the CPCs leadership steers its social development in the right direction， i.e. towards people-centered development. Any notion or action deviating from this position would undermine the consensus among all walks of Chinese society on the Partys rule.

To ensure that China heads in this direction and that the CPC continues to constantly safeguard the fundamental interests of the people， the CPC itself must， as General Secretary of its central committee Xi Jinping insists， staunchly strengthen Party discipline. General Secretary Xi admonished fellow Party members：“To ensure that the CPC continues to govern and to work for the interests of the people， we must incessantly build up our selfsupervision and self-decontamination capacity， beef up systematic and institutional supervision， and give full play to public supervision， democratic supervision and media supervision.”

The CPC leadership is the means， not the ends. It is needed to enact the Partys commitments – to fight for communism throughout the lifetimes of its members； to complete the Partys mission – to achieve the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation； and to carry forward the Partys central task – to persevere in and further advance socialism with Chinese characteristics.

History testifies that the CPC leadership has protected China from any detrimental “balance of power，” and unnecessary frictions and constraints， so enabling it to efficiently pool its resources for major undertakings. Under the CPC leadership the peoples fervor is aroused and brought into play， so changing their lives， their country， and the world as a whole for the better.

Embrace the New Economy

China Economic Weekly

Issue No.26， 2016

The 2016 Summer Davos convened under the theme “The Fourth Industrial Revolution and Its Transformational Impact，” its focus， aptly enough， on artificial intelligence and information technology.

In lauding Chinas leading position in such fields as artificial intelligence， virtual reality， and unmanned drones， Klaus Schwab， founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum， predicted that the country would spearhead the fourth industrial revolution.

As Premier Li Keqiang said at the forum， the mushrooming of new and hi-tech companies in China signifies that growth drivers are joining forces towards shaping a different economic structure. New drivers in the economy are rapidly appearing， and the resultant innovation-driven economy is brimming with vitality. High-tech industries， high-end manufacturing， e-commerce and other new business forms are burgeoning.

The premier observed that the key to upgrading Chinas manufacturing lies in making the sector IT-based and smarter， through the Internet， cloud computing and big data. These are the most apt means of upgrading the 200 or more Chinese industrial products with the worlds largest output.

Disney Leases Shops

CBNweekly

Issue No. 24， 2016

After 17 years of negotiations and five years of planning and construction， Shanghai Disneyland opened to the public on June 16， 2016， opening-day tickets having sold out two months in advance.

It seems nobody is skeptical about the parks impending colossal success. Cutthroat rivalry for business opportunities was apparent as early as five years ago. The 50，000-sq-m Disney Town is packed with 40 or more shops. Those earmarked for catering， each with a hefty RMB 2 million price tag， were snapped up two years ago.

Securing a plot in the town is just the start. The shops d cor， service standards – even their staffs manners – are subject to Disneys review and training. Shops that open at night are required to dim their lights so as not to detract from the Disney Castle neons. And the use of any Disney images in shop design must first be vetted by the Walt Disney Company. The theme park is thus truly a business bonanza.

Labor Union Test Ground

Oriental Outlook

Issue No.23， 2016

Shenzhen is a city of innovation， and moreover a jumbo industrial base manned by more than 10 million workers. In its latter capacity， however， two major changes are in process.

The first is that of a shift in capital-labor relations. As the labor supply in China has tapered off in past years and a growing pot of capital materialized， the old balance of power wherein the importance of labor is subordinate to capital appears to be reversing.

The second is that of a changed labor composition. The new generation of migrant workers is better educated and acclimated to city life. More aware of their rights and interests， they are knowledgeable， and consequently have more diversified lifestyle demands.

To better serve local workers and their employers， the Shenzhen labor union has expanded its outreach by establishing outposts in greater numbers of local companies， so enabling more workers to effectively consult on and find solutions to labor disputes. By advocating rational approaches， the union aims to address all labor disputes in an orderly and institutional way.

Baidu in Winter

Caijing Magazine

Issue No. 55， 2016

At the beginning of this year even the most pessimistic analyst could not have foreseen the fall from public favor of an Internet titan， with a market value of US $65 billion and net profits in 2015 topping US $5.19 billion， like Baidu.

News in April about the death of college student Wei Zexi， after receiving experimental treatment for his cancer in a hospital he found through a promoted search result on Baidu.com， plunged the search engine into a trust crisis. It is widely held that Baidu should bear the brunt of responsibility for the young mans tragic death.

The scandal had direct impact on Baidus stock price， which fell 15.7 percent within two months. The companys market value thus shrank from US $68 billion to US $56.3 billion.

Most critics however， believe that it will take more than a single incident to send Baidu into free fall. Its current plight highlights the companys systemic problems as regards business ethics， strategies and management. It stems from multiple defects amplified by the machinations of media and competitors.