March 1,
2017

ISSUE
No. 90

AMS Weekly Newsletter
Dedicated to the development of the future stewards of U.S.-China relations
In this week's newsletter we focus on Japan's analysis of Chinese security, text messages from beyond the grave, and the anniversary of Deng Xiaoping's death. 
Weekly Readings

Japan's National Institute of Defense Studies (NIDS) released its annual report on Chinese security affairs. The report is one of the few major efforts to assess China through a political-military lens. This year, the report focuses on the China-Taiwan-United States strategic triangle. As one of the countries most closely involved with all three players, a Japanese perspective on the triangle is a welcome addition to the literature.


俗语  in Xi Jinping's Speeches

囫囵吞枣 
hu2 lun2 tun1 zao3
  
Meaning: to read something without actually understanding it (literally to swallow a date whole)

In his February 13 speech to high level provincial leaders on the topic of the 18th Party Congress 6th Plenum spirit, Xi Jinping told leaders to read every single word of the 6th Plenum's 《关于新形势下党内政治生活的若干准则》and《 中国共产党党内监督条例》and carefully study their meaning. It is almost unbelievable that there might be officials in China who have not carefully read these documents yet...our suggested approach would be to be able to quote from them on a regular basis.

Original: 《准则》、《条例》每句话都有深刻内涵和明确指向, 都不是可有可无的。大家要反复学习、反复思考、反复对照, 不能大而化之、囫囵吞枣。

Social Media Watch

For some anonymous scammers, the assassination of Kim Jong Un's half-brother on February 13 was a business opportunity. Soon after the news broke, text messages started arriving on Chinese cell phones from "Kim Jong Nam," claiming he was alive but in need of money. The messages also appeared on Weibo and WeChat. Variations claimed that Kim Jong Nam's "stand-in" was the real victim; that Jong Nam was in hiding in China; and that when he overthrew Jong Un, he would give title to anyone who had spotted him money. It's unclear how many people may have been swindled, but quite a few netizens had fun writing responses, including WeChat user "Mr. Law," who imagined how Jong Un, Putin, Shinzo Abe, and Trump would have replied.

Video of the Week
 
Following the 20th anniversary of Deng Xiaoping's death, here is an interesting video from 美国之音中文网 (VOA China) regarding his effect on modern-day China:

Job Opportunity

The Council on Foreign Relations recently posted a job listing for a Research Associate, Chinese Studies within CFR's David Rockefeller Studies Program.

Interested readers can view the detailed listing here .

REMINDER: Upcoming AMS Event 
    
Join us on March 9 at 5:30pm at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (room 119) for a lecture and discussion (in Chinese, of course) about the current state of the Chinese economy. The IMF and BIS have issued warnings about China's rapidly increasing debt levels. How the Chinese leadership addresses this and other economic challenges will have ramifications not only in China but also for the global economy. What can China learn from Japan's experience? Can a hard landing be avoided? Mr. Toshiya Tsugami, a well-known Japanese expert on the Chinese economy, will offer his views on the economy and what we can learn from Japan's own economic history.
 
Space is limited so rsvp early
 
About Mr. Toshiya Tsugami

Toshiya Tsugami heads the Tsugami Workshop, a consulting company concentrating on the Chinese economy. He is a frequent commentator on Japanese television and writes extensively for Japanese news media. He previously served as economic counselor at the Japanese embassy in China and as director of the Northeast Asia Division of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's Trade Policy Bureau. He graduated from the University of Tokyo. His works include Chugoku no taito: Nihon wa nani o subeki ka (China's Rise: What Should Japan Do?), awarded the Suntory Prize for Social Sciences and Humanities, and the recent Chugoku taito no shuen (The End of China's Rise).
 
UPCOMING AMS PODCAST: Chia-Huan Chang, "A  Legal Discussion of China's SCS Land Reclamation (中文)
 
Look out for an upcoming AMS podcast episode on last week's discussion from Chia-Huan Chang on China's South China Sea maritime reclamation activities at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. 

I f you have not already subscribed to AMS podcasts, you can do this via iTunes  at this link. 
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