Sept. 6,
2017

ISSUE
No. 109

AMS Weekly Newsletter
Dedicated to the development of the future stewards of U.S.-China relations
In this week's newsletter we focus on the upcoming 19th Party Congress and the recently announced military appointments, "hoisting the sails on a great mission," and the history of China-Japan relations.
Weekly Readings

The 19th Party Congress is set for October 18th, and key military appointments typically are announced in the preceding week. This year, however, the changes are beginning early.  In addition to new commanders of the ground forces, navy, and air force, Japanese media is reporting that the predecessors of these new commanders are under investigation. T hese military personnel moves join the ousting of Chongqing Party Secretary Sun Zhengcai as visible contretemps in the evolvin g leadership shuffle.



俗语 in Xi Jinping's Speeches

帆远航
yángfān yuǎnháng

Meaning: hoist the sails on a great voyage (undertake a great mission)

On September 4, Xi Jinping addressed the BRICS Summit leaders in Xiamen. Much of the language revolved around sailing imagery. Not only were the countries likened to ships setting sail on a great voyage, but their leaders were the captains, and they were setting sail at the correct tide. This message of correctly interpreting the trends of the times is critical to understanding Xi's actions and his views on China's historical rise.

Original:  在金砖合作的历史进程中,10年只是一个开端。正如年初我在致各位同事的信中所说,展望未来,金砖合作必将得到更大发展,也必将在国际事务中发挥更大作用。让我们共同努力,推动金砖合作从厦门再次扬帆远航,开启第二个"金色十年"的大门,使金砖合作造福我们五国人民,惠及各国人民!

Video of the Week 

This week's video is a documentary series on the "War of Resistance" against Japan.  大抗战 details the history of conflict between China and Japan from the Ming Dynasty to the days of the  International Military Tribunal  for the  Far East. This series is worth watching for those interested in learning more about China's perception of the China-Japan dynamic.
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