2011 report to congress - U.S.-China Economic and Security Review ...

dkrause on DSKHT7XVN1PROD with $$_JOB13• The cross-Strait military balance continues increasingly tofavor China, making it less likely that a peaceful resolution tothe Taiwan issue will occur. Despite attempts to improve itscapacity to defend the island against a potential attack fromthe mainland, Taiwan continues publicly to call for additionalU.S. arms sales to augment its defense needs.Hong Kong• Hong Kong plays a central role in China’s policy goal of internationalizingits currency. In 2011, China introduced substantialnew measures supporting Hong Kong’s status as China’sprimary platform for RMB offshoring.• Mainland involvement in Hong Kong’s political affairs was evidentin 2011, prompting citizen discontent and conflict withinHong Kong’s democratic groups.• Hong Kong continued to have a vibrant protest culture in2011, with record amounts of participants in some annual protests.However, there were reports that police sometimes challengedHong Kong citizens’ rights during protests, especiallywhen protests targeted mainland China.• Hong Kong’s mass media reported increased interference intheir activities by Hong Kong authorities in 2011. Public perceptionof self-censorship in Hong Kong’s press peaked in 2011,and public opinion of press credibility fell to its lowest level ineight years.China’s Public Diplomacy Initiatives Regarding Foreign andNational Security PolicyThe CCP treats the control of propaganda/public diplomacy messagesto foreign audiences as a fundamental tool of statecraft.China is highly critical of what it calls the ‘‘western media’s ideologicalassault on the rest of the world’’ and sees itself as engagedin a ‘‘global war for public opinion.’’ In pursuit of a larger voice ininternational affairs, Chinese media officials have significantly increasedresources for state-controlled foreign language news outlets.In addition, Chinese propaganda organs are actively engagedin influencing foreign officials and media. This is particularly concerninggiven the possibility that the People’s Republic of China’sofficial messages may not always reflect actual Chinese foreign policygoals.Conclusions• The Chinese government places a high priority on the managementof information as a tool of policy, to include the messagesthat it promotes to international audiences regarding its goalsin foreign and national security policy. The central leadershipof the Chinese Communist Party selects official foreign policymessages intended to support state policy goals. These messagesare then disseminated through diplomatic channels,state-controlled media, advertising, and ‘‘track two’’ exchanges.VerDate Nov 24 2008 13:46 Nov 10, 2011 Jkt 067464 PO 00000 Frm 00025 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 G:\GSDD\USCC\2011\067464.XXX 067464