On Chinese Media

Oriental Outlook

Issue No. 23， published June 19， 2014

Asia-Pacific Agitator

From the CICA Summit to the Shangri-La Dialogue， security in Asia has been a hot topic. Receiving considerable attention， the Asian security concept as put forward by Chinese leaders has been interpreted repeatedly. Highlighting the importance of development of regional security， this security management principle is Chinas commitment after the countrys 30-year rapid development.

However， the new Cold War mentality characterized by military alliances attempts to challenge Chinas Asian security concept， and further agitate the dispute centered on Asia-Pacific security.

Never before associated with China in political， economic and cultural exchanges to such a large degree， ASEAN countries will choose wisely. The Asian security concept is a profound conclusion of Asias historical experience as well as a fine expectation of its future development that has gained extensive recognition in the region.

Of course， this concepts characteristics include a regional security mechanism characterized by a multilateral dialogue， and a dialogue framework of “Asian affairs decided by Asian people.”

Agitators will not disappear； neither will the U.S. completely leave East Asia and Southeast Asia to their own devices. But one thing remains clear – countries in these regions will not stake their own safety and development.

South Reviews

Issue No. 14， published July 2， 2014

Marriage on Thin Ice

Signs of married life are all around us； even if we choose to be single， we cant avoid the age-old institution. There are varying attitudes towards marriage – pain or desire， love or hate， happiness or misery， anxiety or joy. Therefore， matrimony influences， even decides， our destinies to some extent. Married family life is also the fundamental unit that constitutes society. Thus， the fate of marriage could reflect the fate of society in a certain way.

On June 17， 2014， the Ministry of Civil Affairs of China issued the 2013 Statistical Bulletin of Social Service Development. Figures show that 3.5 million couples legally divorced in China last year. The divorce rate has risen significantly.

To a great extent， marriage is the result of “social choice.”Specifically， social problems can chip away at the domestic affairs of each family and push marriages in a downward spiral to collapse. The high divorce rate in China shows that our society has entered an era of accelerated “internal collapse.”

It is difficult to remedy social factors affecting marriage because they may relate to staple aspects such as politics， law， economy and ethics.

China Newsweek

Issue No. 23， published June 30， 2014

1984： Choice of the Nation

During his meeting with a foreign delegation on October 11， 1984 Deng Xiaoping said，“China cannot isolate itself from the world in its development. The opening-up and reform policy will， therefore， remain unchanged through to the first half of the next century. Will there be change in the latter half of the next century？ I dont think so， as it will be even less possible to change course. By that time， we will have built numerous interconnections with the global economy over 70 years. Can this be changed？ Absolutely not.”

He made the comment on the eve of the Third Plenary Session of the 12th CPC Central Committee， which adopted the Decision on Economic Structure Reform. The country since shifted to a market economy.

This transformation was well received by the public. In the same year a group of young economists held a conference at Mt Mogan in Zhejiang Province that led to a pricing reform.

Today， many of the participants of the Mt Mogan meeting are at the helm of Chinas economic policies.

The nation is now poised for a new round of reforms. The 1984 series rolled out reforms from the countryside to cities， while the current one intends to cover all aspects of Chinese society， hence becoming the largest， deepest and most difficult to implement so far.

Caijing

Issue No. 18， published June 30， 2014

Solving the SOE Reform Conundrum

The decision on “major issues concerning comprehensively deepening reforms” adopted at the third plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee states that China will improve the nations asset management system， strengthen state assets oversight with capital management at the core， and reform the authorized operation mechanism for state capital.

This marks a methodological shift in state policy towards state-owned enterprises （SOE）， from asset management to capital management. China now views state assets as dynamic capital， opening the door to fresh reform of SOEs.

Execution of the new policy is underway. Several leading SOEs in monopoly industries such as petroleum and electricity have rolled out plans and programs for mixed ownership reform. This ardor， however， should not blind us to the fact that top policymakers are yet to come up with a detailed plan for SOE reforms. And it remains vague how far the reform can go with different kinds of SOEs. In addition to ownership diversification， policy support is also needed for professional and market-based management of SOEs.

“Let the market play a decisive role in resource allocation，”the Decision declared. Now it is time to take action.