China's President Xi Jinping's alma mater Tsinghua University just released a survey named "China Unfiltered: The Chinese People's View on National Security". (“无滤镜的中国”:中国人的国际安全观调查)
What did the survey find? A thread. /1🧵
Tsinghua University is widely known as one of China's 'Big 2' universities (along with PKU), and is arguably the most politically connected one -- having produced 4 out of the last 6 Presidents and Premiers, including Xi Jinping (pictured in 1975 at his send-off to Tsinghua)./2
This survey is done by Tsinghua's CISS (Center for International Strategy and Security), and has made 8 findings. /2
1. Almost 80% of Chinese people believe they have 'great' (36%) or 'good' (41.3%) understanding of international security. /3
But what's the information diet that cultivated their understanding?
Government sources dominate. 2/3 get their info primarily from govt sources (central govt media; local govt media; govt sites/apps).
2. #Optimism I: Chinese people think the world is largely safe.
49.8% - safe
19.9% - unsafe
Interestingly, Southern China, which is economically prosperous & often farther removed from national politics, tends to be most optimistic (i.e. least worried) about global security. /5
2. #Optimism I: Chinese people think the world is largely safe.
49.8% - safe
19.9% - unsafe
Interestingly, Southern China, which is economically prosperous & often farther removed from national politics, tends to be most optimistic (i.e. least worried) about global security. /5
3. #Optimism II: 71% think the world will become safer for China over the next 5 years.
Note that #age and #education level matter here. The older and more educated the respondent, the more likely they'll think the world is unsafe for China. /6
4. Still #Open door:
68% still think globalization on the whole has been good for China's development, and most respondents (60-94%) across all education levels think international education and scientific exchanges are desirable. /7
5. Chinese people's top 3 security concerns:
a. Global pandemic (72% are concerned)
b. International interference on the Taiwan issue (72%)
c. US-China competition & conflict (74%) /8
Bottom 2 concerns:
a. International econ stagnation.
b. Climate change /8
6. Clear confidence that China is still on the rise (no #PeakChina talk):
Perceived influence ranking: China > US > Russia > UN > EU.
90.4% believe China's global influence has gown over the last 5 years, and 90.8% believe its global influence will grow over the next 10 yrs./9
Here it comes. Taiwan's ex-President Ma Ying-jeou this morning calls on Taiwan's president-elect Lai Ching-te to:
1. obey ROC constitution & "One China framework" 2. reaffirm 2 sides of TW Strait are not two countries 3. ditch Taiwan independence 4. return to 92 'Consensus'. /1
5. pursue cross-strait exchanges with equality & dignity.
Ma added that his meeting with Xi meant Xi Jinping extending an olive branch towards Taiwan. And he hopes Taiwan's next leader Lai will "reciprocate" pragmatically. /2
China has just appointed a new Defense Minister at Friday 6:40pm -- Navy Admiral Dong Jun, 62.
Quick thoughts on possible significance for China's strategic focus, personnel tradition, and military's anti-corruption reshuffling. /1
This is in line with expectation from two new personnel promotions earlier this week -- elevation of Wang Wenquan (王文全) and Hu Zhongming (胡中明) to General on Christmas Day.
Wang is political commissar for PLA's Southern Theater Command, and Hu is PLA Navy commander. /2
So new Defense Minister Dong Jun's appointment, plus the elevation of this new crop of top military officers with Navy and South China Sea experience is a sign of China seeing South China Sea as a new priority area of geopolitical contestation between China and the US. /3
Caixin is China's leading commercial press and is rumored to enjoy China's former #6 Wang Qishan's patronage.
Caixin published an editorial on "Revisiting reality-based thinking" on Dec 25 - a day before Mao Zedong's birthdate's 130th anniversary.
It immediately got censored.🧵
The editorial notes 45 years ago, at the end of Cultural Revolution in the late 1970s, the Chinese economy was bordering on collapse, yet Chinese govt at the time still insisted "the trendlines were great, and they were getting better by the day".
(「形勢大好且越來越好」)/2
Luckily, in the face of calamity, Chinese leaders at the time, including Deng Xiaoping, demonstrated "firm resolve, compelling grit, and amazing wisdom", to liberate the nation's collective psyche from Maoism's stranglehold.
("堅定的決心、強大的魄力和高超的智慧") /3
Taiwan's presidential frontrunner Lai Ching-te will formally announce in a few hours his VP running mate -- Taiwan's representative to the US @bikhim.
A few thoughts on what it means for DPP’s US-China policy, and for DPP’s internal politics. /1🧵
@bikhim Foreign policy signal: Hsiao is widely seen as a President Tsai Ing-Wen’s confidante, and since 2020 she has carried the crown jewel of Tsai’s foreign success – US-Taiwan relations to a tee as Tsai’s representative in DC. /2
A Lai-Hsiao ticket is therefore designated to convey continuity of Taiwan's foreign policy –- again driving home the reassurance that a Lai administration’s foreign policy will be a Tsai Ing-wen 2.0. /3
Oct 9, China's Hunan TV released new show "When Marx meets Confucius", when 'Marx' made above comment.
Just the day before, China unveils "Xi Jinping thought on culture", and call for integrate Marxism with traditional Chinese culture
Confucius and Marx's thoughts are to be organically integrated, per China's doctrine of 'two integrations' (est 2021).
As one think about the relative balance btw local traditions & international thought, it's interesting to see how Confucius is taller than Marx in the poster./2
I did a quick Google search and found this show listed on Hunan TV's 2022 Corporate Social Responsibility report, as one of the network's deliverables in the 'content contributing to mainstream publicity' paragraph (夯实主流宣传舆论主阵地). /2
China's MFA's statement on the Israel-Palestinian conflict:
- expresses deep concern
- urges "all relevant parties" to exercise calm & restraint, and immediately ceasefire.
- two state solution is fundamental way out.
Makes one think about Ukraine & Middle East contexts.🧵
MFA statement:
The statement's slightly stand-offish tone aside, one wonders why China MFA only vaguely identifies "Palestinian armed groups in the Gaza Strip", when most major Western media outlets and US govt already call out Hamas by name? /2fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xwfw_6…
a) Is it just waiting for more data to come in before pointing fingers,
b) or is it about preserving China's subsequent diplomatic maneuverability? (E.g. by limiting blame to isolated small groups gone rogue rather than organizations let alone state-like actors.) /3