MCLC: CCP told to innovate online

[Denton, Kirk]

MCLC LIST
From: pjmooney <pjmooney at me.com>
Subject: CCP told to innovate online
***********************************************************

Source: SCMP (10/16/13):
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1332586/communist-party-told-innovat
e-online-thwart-west

Communist Party told to innovate online to thwart West
By Minnie Chan

The Communist Party should come up with innovative ideas to defend its
mainstream political position via the internet because hostile Western
forces are trying to use multiple new media sources to "overturn the
party's rule", outspoken PLA General Liu Yazhou has warned.

The Communist Party's capability was weak and outdated in dealing with
ideological attacks by Western countries, which are skilled at creating
new topics and "political rumours" via the internet, Liu, political
commissar of the People's Liberation Army National Defence University,
wrote in a commentary in the army's mouthpiece, the PLA Daily.

The commentary is a departure from Liu's previous statements. In July, he
published an article in the party's influential magazine Qiushi Journal to
warn the PLA that it must embrace change or risk losing out to its
international rivals.

"All kinds of anti-mainstream ideological opinions have been mixed in with
political rumours or even spiritual publications that are widely
circulated on the internet and have a strong demagogic power," Liu wrote
in yesterday'sPLA Daily commentary page.

Liu said that the ability to control the distribution of information had
became one of the three most important strategies of all nations, regimes
and armies in sustaining their military capabilities. The other two are
maintaining air and naval superiority.