-Xinjiang scene
3-26-19 Communist Party's fourth-ranked leader
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Wang Yang attends a press event at Beijing's Great Hall of the People on Oct. 25, 2017.
Image Credit: AP Photo/Ng Han Guan
5-30-19 Wang said Xi’s 1-2-19 address showed that in achieving the peaceful reunification of the motherland, the mainland has both “time and trends” on its side. In saying this, Wang clarified, “he was not thinking that the mainland is now strong economically, militarily and technologically, but rather that we have complete confidence in our theory, structure and civilization.”
Wang went on to compare China and Taiwan. Mentioning the CCP’s goals for the two 100-year anniversaries in 2021 and 2049, he said those goals show that China is implementing long-term plans. He then belittled Taiwan, saying “When we think of the authorities in Taiwan, they can’t even guarantee what will happen in the next two years.” This demonstrates why the mainland has “time and trends” on our side, Wang asserted.
Wang then moved to accusing Taiwan independence forces of hoping to rely upon the United States and mentioned the Taiwan Assurance Act, recently passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. He asked rhetorically “Do you think the Americans can provide assurance?” Wang answered himself: “The Americans just treat Taiwan as a pawn. Will America go to war with China over the Taiwan issue? My judgment is no. And if they fight, will they win? I judge they cannot.” Wang mentioned that the American-led UN forces did not defeat the (Chinese) Volunteer Army on Korean War battlefields. At that time China was still impoverished. “Facing today’s China would America dare to go to war with China?” It is rare for CCP officials to speak so candidly about the military factors in the context of unification.
At the beginning of his remarks Wang had said that his attending the meeting along with Propaganda Department Head Huang Kunming reflected the importance that the Party places on the role of the media. He ended by saying that to achieve peaceful unification and carry out “one country, two systems” the Party still depends on our friends in the media. Wang acknowledged that promoting unification within Taiwan was not easy but assured Taiwanese participants that their efforts would be remembered by history when reunification is achieved.
So why were these remarks by Wang taken down so promptly? Sometimes the removal of photo or report about a leader indicates the person is in trouble. There is no indication this is the case here. It may be that Wang never expected his remarks to be reported verbatim, and the mistake was that the video and text had been released in the first place. Just why they were removed or were mistakenly released is known only to those who made the decision. The reason is possibly that his comments on military factors and speculation about war were deemed inappropriate for publication. His emphasis on military factors is inconsistent with the CCP’s emphasis on peaceful unification.
It is also possible that Wang was too straightforward in explaining how the Party hopes to accomplish unification peacefully. While the Party’s game plan for unification is buttressed by this hard power it is built around two psychological elements which Wang discussed: first, undermining the Taiwan people’s confidence in their government and democratic system and, second, undermining Taiwan’s confidence in the United States as a reliable supporter capable of coming to Taiwan’s assistance in the face of growing PLA capabilities. https://thediplomat.com/2019/05/why-did-beijing-suppress-wang-yangs-remarks-on-taiwan/
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Meng at Interpol, 2016
During Meng's court appearance on Thursday "the prosecution and the defense both fully expressed their opinions under the auspices of the court,"People's Daily reported. According to the Chinese news outlet, Hongwei read a statement admitting his involvement in the bribery scheme.
However his wife, who has been granted asylum in France, has said the charges against him are politically motivated, according to Reuters. https://www.npr.org/2019/06/20/734397465/former-interpol-president-pleads-guilty-to-bribery-in-chinese-court (Meng Hongwei during his time at Interpol had taken a soft line in terms of a very prominent Uighur leader. -r)
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