Congressional China Caucus

A NEW SURVEY FINDS U.S. CONCERNS OVER A RISING CHINA.  According to the NYT, two-thirds of Americans now sees China as a serious or potential military threat to the United States.  From the piece: “Nearly six in 10 Chinese believe their country is destined to become the world’s leading superpower, and increasing numbers of everyday Chinese believe the United States is trying to prevent them from achieving that status.  Most Americans don’t believe that U.S. media outlets report truthfully about China, and about half of Chinese feel the same way about their media. Six in 10 Americans think the U.S. government has done a poor job handling relations with China — although things have improved since 2007 — while two-thirds of Chinese think Beijing is mishandling relations with Washington.”  http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/27/new-survey-finds-u-s-concerns-over-a-rising-china/

CHINA STARTS ‘COMBAT READY’ PATROLS IN DISPUTED SEAS.  Reuters reports that China has begun ‘combat-ready’ patrols in disputed waters of the South China Sea.  From the piece: “Asked about what China would do in response to Vietnamese air patrols over the Spratly Islands, the ministry's spokesman Geng Yansheng said Beijing would ‘resolutely oppose any militarily provocative behavior.’  ‘In order to protect national sovereignty and our security and development interests, the Chinese military has already set up a normal, combat-ready patrol system in seas under our control,’ he said.  ‘The Chinese military's resolve and will to defend territorial sovereignty and protect our maritime rights and interests is firm and unshakeable,’ Geng added, according to a transcript posted on the ministry's website (www.mod.gov.cn).”  http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/28/us-china-southchinasea-idUSBRE85R0J520120628

U.S. SEES MOMENTUM ON SOUTH CHINA SEA CODE.  http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ieD0MxXL3MNgHkG2RNw_hRwmQ-Yw?docId=CNG.269adb66d96628cb32599bb62f9c0aa4.81

CHINESE MILITARY PLEDGES TO STRENGTHEN TIES WITH U.S.    According to a piece from Stars and Stripes, top Chinese military officials have pledged to strengthen communication and cooperation with the United States, but also called for proper resolution of the issue of U.S. surveillance flights near China.  From the piece: “Defense Minister Liang Guanglie and Deputy Chief of the General Staff Ma Xiaotian of the Chinese People's Liberation Army made the remarks during meetings with visiting Commander of US Pacific Command Samuel Locklear.  This visit comes one day before the largest-ever Rim of the Pacific naval exercises, scheduled from today to Aug 7 in Hawaii. It involves 22 nations, including the US, India and Australia, but not China, which was not invited to participate or observe.  China-US military ties have great potential as overall bilateral relations have been developed in a stable manner, Liang said, adding that establishing new, equal and mutually beneficial military relations is the inevitable need of both militaries and the common expectation from the international community.”  http://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/chinese-military-pledges-to-strengthen-ties-with-us-1.181489

THE EU ASKS WTO TO ARBITRATE IN CHINA ‘RARE EARTHS’ ROW.  According to the BBC, the European Union has asked the World Trade Organization to arbitrate a disagreement about China’s export restrictions on ‘rare earth’ minerals.  From the piece: “Talks between China and the EU, along with the US and Japan, failed to resolve the dispute in April.  China, which produces 97% of the world's rare earths, could now face litigation from the WTO.  Minerals such as lutetium and scandium are important in the manufacture of products such as mobile phones.  ‘China's restrictions on rare earths and other products are a violation of China's WTO commitments and continue to significantly distort global markets, creating a disadvantage for our companies,’ said EU trade commissioner Karel De Gucht.  ‘We regret that we are left with no other choice but to solve this through litigation.’”  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18607608

NYT LAUNCHES CHINESE LANGUAGE WEBSITE.  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18621563

ACTIVIST SAYS CHINESE OFFICIALS ‘TERRIBLY AFRAID’ OF RURAL UNREST.  The NYT reports that Chen Guangcheng is settling into his position as a visiting scholar at New York University’s law school where he is warning that Chinese officials are afraid of unrest in rural areas.  From the piece: “You know my situation but you don’t know the situation of the huge number of the disabled in China, or the women who are bullied and abused, or the orphans in China. You probably don’t know much about them or just about a few of them.  ‘But this is why the officials are so afraid — because they know the true extent of the problem. They are terribly afraid of people organizing. It’s very delicate in the countryside now. This is why they constantly resort to detentions and so on. They don’t even try to find an excuse, they just do it — they are that scared.’”  http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/28/activist-says-chinese-officials-terribly-afraid-of-rural-unrest

The Caucus Brief is a daily publication for Members of Congress and Hill Staffers on China news and information compiled by the office of Congressman Randy Forbes, Founder of the Congressional China Caucus.  Email Reed.Eckhold@mail.house.gov with tips, comments, or to subscribe/unsubscribe.