CCP approved terms of the year
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A week ago, I wrote a post on "CCP approved image macros" (12/17/17). Being the authoritarian, totalitarian government that it is, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has the power to coin, sanction, and promote whatever forms of language use it desires. This week, at the conclusion of 2017, we have this dazzling collection of CCP-approved expressions that encapsulate US-China ties during this year:
"Yearender: 2017 in review: 8 terms that matter in China-U.S. relations" (xinhuanews [12/23/17])
By highlighting these eight terms, the Chinese government clearly wishes us to recall 2017 according to these rubrics and hopes that they will become catchwords. While I don't think that they will catch on, so to speak, and stick in popular discourse, they do help us understand the mind of the CCP.
I will list all eight terms and select several sentences from the accompanying descriptions and explanations accompanying each one.
RESORT MEETING
In April, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, met at Mar-a-Lago resort in the U.S. state of Florida, the first such meeting since Trump took office in January.
Disposing with the formality usually seen during state visits, the two leaders spent more than seven hours in two days, discussing issues of importance and charting the course for one of the world's most crucial bilateral ties. [VHM: In haste they met in a most unusual fashion.]
STATE VISIT PLUS
On Nov. 8, Trump started his first state visit to China. He was also the first head of state to have visited China since the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in October.
Trump was offered a "state visit plus" experience in China. Apart from the red-carpet ceremony, formal talks and state banquet, there were also special arrangements for Mr. and Mrs. Trump, including a tour of the Palace Museum with President Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan.
The First Family enjoyed a tea break, a stop at a relics conservation workshop and a Peking Opera performance at the Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City.
"THANK YOU for an unforgettable afternoon and evening at the Forbidden City in Beijing, President Xi and Madame Peng Liyuan," Trump tweeted shortly afterwards. He also briefly changed his Twitter header to a photo of the two couples with a group of Peking Opera performers. [VHM: A completely new concept!]
HIGH-LEVEL DIALOGUE MECHANISMS
China and the United States have seen headway made in implementing four high-level dialogue mechanisms designed to increase China-U.S. contact and cooperation in the key areas of diplomacy and security, economy, law enforcement and cyber security, as well as social and people-to-people exchanges.
…
Heartening results have been delivered. As a case in point, China and the United States have agreed to adopt a "double 100,000" two-way overseas study plan, which will allow China to send 100,000 government-sponsored people to study in the United States and permit 100,000 U.S. students to study in China in the next four years. [VHM: Note that the "people" coming to America to study will be "government-sponsored".]
PRESIDENTIAL PHONE CALLS
Besides three formal face-to-face meetings, with the second taking place in Hamburg, Germany in July, the top leaders of China and the United States have also maintained close communication through phone calls.
In 2017, nine phone calls were made between the two leaders to exchange views on issues not only significant for bilateral ties but also for the world at large, including the situation on the Korean Peninsula, Syria and global economic growth. [VHM: No mention of President Trump's phone calls with President Tsai of Taiwan.]
PEACE ON KOREAN PENINSULA
Chinese leaders and officials have on many multilateral and bilateral occasions reaffirmed China's commitment to denuclearization, peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. China is also a firm advocate of resolving the nuclear issue through dialogue and negotiation.
To this end, China has done a lot of work, including proposing a dual-track approach and "suspension for suspension" initiative, as well as communicating closely with the American side. [VHM: It sounds as though, if peace is to come to the Korean Peninsula, China will be the one to bring it.]
TRADE COOPERATION
State visits have proved to be a boon to trade ties between the world's two largest economies, evident by the 100-day action plan initiated during the Mar-a-Lago meeting and 250 billion U.S. dollars' worth of deals signed by Chinese and U.S. companies during Trump's visit to China.
…
The bilateral trade volume between China and the United States exceeded 550 billion dollars in 2016, according to figures from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Despite occasional setbacks it is believed that huge potential for China-U.S. trade cooperation waits to be tapped. [VHM: The name of the game — money.]
TWO-WAY INVESTMENT
Chinese companies invested a record 46 billion dollars in the United States in 2016, a tenfold increase compared to just five years ago, according to a report jointly released by the Rhodium Group and the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations.
The report also showed that the cumulative value of U.S. foreign direct investment in China since 1990 has exceeded 240 billion dollars.
People in both countries stand to benefit from the huge amount of capital flows. [VHM: Another name for the same game.]
SHOWCASING MANDARIN SKILLS
Arabella Kushner might be more popular in China than her grandfather, Donald Trump. [VHM: LLog readers are quite familiar with Arabella's Mandarin skills — see here and here.]
During his state visit to China, Trump proudly showed the Chinese president a video of Arabella singing and reciting poems in Mandarin. The video later became a hit on the Internet in China, as did another video of Arabella showing off her Mandarin skills back in 2016.
…
The year 2017 has seen an increase in the popularity of Mandarin in the United States. According to a national survey conducted by American Councils for International Education and released in June, 227,086 U.S. students ranging from kindergarten to grade 12 had enrolled in Chinese language courses.
The number of young Americans studying Mandarin doubled from 2009 to 2015, the survey found. [VHM: Still miniscule compared to the number of Chinese youth studying English — virtually 100%.]
Isn't it nice to have everything spelled out so clearly and neatly? Thank you, CCP! We look forward to your summation for 2018.
[h.t. Jim Fanell]