July 25,
2014

ISSUE
No. 17

AMS Weekly Newsletter
Supporting the development of the future stewards of U.S.-China relations
Upcoming Event in DC

 

In cooperation with the Kissinger Institute on China and the United States, we will have a lecture (in Chinese) next Thursday, July 31. Wu Junhua will speak on China-Japan relations, as seen from someone who has deep experience on both sides of the relationship: 甲午之年话中日---来自一个中日边缘人的思考. Dr. Wu is currently a Senior Scholar at the Wilson Center. Details are on our website.

 

Weekly Readings
 
The Chinese Communist Party remains China's most important institution more than two decades after many in the West thought such parties were confined to the dustbin of history. Yet, the party has survived, adapted, and expanded. This week's articles encourage us to ask a different set of questions than liberal triumphalism normally does about the party, its concerns, and what the future holds.



Weibo Watch
 
Over the weekend, Shanghai's Dragon TV aired an expos� on local meat processor Husi Food Co. Ltd., revealing that the plant relabeled expired meat, mixed expired meat with fresh, and even threw scraps from the floor back into machinery. Until the news broke, Husi supplied chicken to McDonald's, Pizza Hut, Starbucks, and KFC in mainland China. These companies have all pulled food items using Husi products. Husi's parent company, the Illinois-based OSI Group, states it is "appalled" by the situation. Shanghai police have detained the head of Shanghai and four others in their investigation.

The news has been the #1 topic on Weibo for days, while the discussion page "Scandal at McDonald's and KFC's Supplier" (#麦当劳肯德基供应商被曝光#) was tops on Monday. Disgust prevails on Weibo, but there is disagreement about who is to blame. Some people want KFC and other fast food chains to get out of China, while others argue that the restaurants have reacted properly. (Chinese chain Dicos was also affected.) Some think the government's health inspectors should have caught Husi, not Dragon TV. Many lament that, in the end, it's a case of "Chinese people hurting Chinese people," cutting corners and endangering the public for profit. 

(Image from a cartoon by @药药药张佳丽闹: http://bit.ly/1rBiVkv)

俗语 in Xi Jinping's speeches

命运共同体

m�ngy�n g�ngt�ngtǐ


 

Translation: community of shared destiny


说明: OK, so this is not a  俗语, but actually a policy term (we didn't find a good 俗语in his speeches this week!).  According to 人民网: "十八大以来,习近平已有十余次在公开场合提及'命运共同体'. '命运共同体'理念的提出已成习近平外交的一抹亮色。" http://politics.people.com.cn/n/2014/0723/c1001-25328439.html


This idea of a community of shared destiny is emerging as a key concept to bind the vision of other countries to that of China. The link above does an excellent job of summarizing its meaning, history, and import--highly recommended reading.


Documentary of the Week
 
The Chinese gaokao, the university entrance exam, is a right of passage in China. Although the test includes different weighting to help ethnic minority groups and universities have quotas for students, the wide variation in quality of public education means that students approach the test with equally varied levels of preparedness. Consequently, the gaokao may perpetuate some of the differences between urban and rural China rather than serving as a great equalizer. This week's documentary explores the challenges for rural students.
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