Dedicated to the development of the future stewards of U.S.-China relations
In this week's newsletter we focus on U.S.-China relations policy change recommendations, Chinese access to the internet, and the imminent loss of Bao Bao, the D.C. Zoo's baby panda, as she prepares to return home.
Weekly Readings
Two days ago, the Asia Society and UC San Diego released a significant task force report on U.S.-China relations. The second half of the report includes a number of meaty sections explaining current policy and offering a set of recommendations. There also is a notable Ambassador Winston Lord dissent on addressing North Korea through Beijing. These kinds of reports are important for rising China Hands to read in order to see three things: (a)
whether their day-to-day persective on working on China is reflected; (b) whether proposed policy changes are novel (if they are not, have they worked?); and (c) whether the scope and mechanism of the proposals follow from a clear logic about the problem.
Meaning: to neglect sleep and food (to be consumed with work)
Amidst all the typical new year's language in his Spring Festival greeting, Xi Jinping commented on what will be the guiding event of 2017: the 19th Party Congress. He promised a new blueprint for China's development and stressed that everyone needs to focus on making the meeting a success. He also used this chengyu to remind people that it is important to set work aside once in a while and focus on friendships and family.
The China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) recently released its latest tally of Chinese internet users: 731 million, 95% of whom connect from a mobile device.
Those are impressive numbers, but it leaves 619 million Chinese on the other side of the digital divide (数字鸿沟). These are mainly rural users who have access to the internet, but lack education as to how the internet can improve their lives. "The digital divide isn't about equal access to in
ternet services and equipment, but about the difference in technical ability to utilize the internet and information," writes Weibo user Zhang Jianjun.
The Cold War often is presented as a bipolar struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union. Inside the Communist world and across the Third World, Moscow and Beijing waged a different struggle for leadership. New histories of the Sino-Soviet contest are emerging as scholars exploited brief periods of openness in both countries' archives and new materials elsewhere. This week's video is a presentation of one of the new histories that illuminates h
ow China conducts its diplomacy.
Shadow Cold War: The Sino-Soviet Competition for the Third World (2016):
This last item is for our D.C. - based readership and those traveling to the area this month. "Bao Bao", the National Zoo's baby panda, will be returning to China soon. There will be a special four-day farewell event for Bao Bao from February 16 - 20. Be sure to catch Bao Bao before she returns home!
Last week a kindly reader submitted a comment regarding the suyu section, specifically pertaining to the following chengyu:
"登高望远" (dēng gāo wàng yuǎn). We had defined this chengyu as "to stand tall and see far (to have acute foresight)". Our reader provided us with a greatly improved translation, as follows:
"The primary application [of the chengyu] has been to urge casting aside the narrow perspective and biases from remaining in place, set in one's ways, and seeking a superior understanding from examining something from a broader perspective."
Thanks again to our reader for their valuable feedback!
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