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<DIV>"Daily Business"</DIV>
<DIV>President Xia Hong</DIV>
<DIV>People's Republic of China</DIV>
<DIV>On or about the 1st of February, 2013</DIV>
<DIV>========================================</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>(Executive Residence in Beijing)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Xia sighed, this was already a 'very' long night, and it seemed like it was going to end up getting much longer before she could close her eyes. Her husband Wen and their son Jao were already fast asleep, which anyone of normal stamina would be at this hour. Yet she was still awake. There had been ongoing bickering for over a month, mostly centered around cabinet placements. In a way she supposed it was a problem of her own doing... by pushing for a streamlined government and eventually winning it, the few department level agencies left were incredibly powerful and encompassed a broad range of operations. Still, it was, as the Americans would say, a pain in the ass.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Her weary, uncharacteristically blue eyes ran over the collected dossiers once more. All of the candidates were well educated, on paper anyway... and many of them were extremely qualified. In fact, she could easily pick three or four candidates for each open slot and 'still' have to turn down qualified people. This one, for instance, was another 'maybe'. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Tossing the manilla folder aside, she went through her choice selections once more. Twenty-two different candidates for eleven positions... God damnit.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>In every file, other then the cut and dry vital information were letters of recommendation, service records, family information, place of birth and current residence... hell she felt as if by now she knew more about each of hese potential candidates than their wives or husbands likely did. Wow... how sad was this? She might as well be picking a date from one of those be damned services.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>In either case, as apolitical as she often tried to be, shelving partisan loyalties normally for what she considered to be in the honest best interests of the People's Republic, even she had to face political realities. The hardliners were still alive, if barely so, and the idealogue liberals were always clamoring for greater and greater levels of Democracy. She sometimes wondered if anything would satisfy the Oriental Greens known mockingly in some circles as 'Sino-Hippies'. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Focus, damnit. She drifted back to her white tablet of paper, names of each of the candidates and their proposed position penned in. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>First up was Prime Minister. This one was mercifully easy as the only 'realistic' choices were the moderate Zim Lao or the leader of the 'old guard'... and she 'really' didn't like that man at all. Besides, appointing a hard liner as Prime Minister, regardless if the position were mostly symbolic or not, really would freak the hell out of the rest of the world.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>She laughed, the idea of doing it for just that reason 'had' crossed her mind. Damn it was late. Lao won by default. Besides, thanks to her son she was convinced nobody with the name Lao could be evil.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Likewise the Ministry of Defense, so vital historically to power in the Chinese government was an equal no-brainer. She wasn't about to turn it over to the hardliners, or the libs. Her personal choice was Bing Zhou, a rather decorated former general who not only knew how to fight given his training records, but by testimony how to lead as well. He was a strong voice behind the modernization of the Chinese military, and developing the means by which it would defend itself against aggressors, even with better technology. Two picks down, nine more to go.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Ministry of State was tougher. She could see the value of having a hard voice in the office, but at the same time all too well understood the subtleties of diplomacy as well. It was a powerful position, China's 'face' towards the world. It was also one of the most tightly controled positions, as it was checked not only by what the President authorized but by the Congress. She knew she needed to make nice with both the libs and the hard liners, having stepped on both's toes recently. This time however she went with Dewei Li, a liberal who supported a compassionate approach to the world. If asked she would have admitted it was simply because she didn't want to shock the world. That would have been bad.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Ministry of the Interior was a vital beuracracy, particularly with China's massive infrastructure improvements and environmental initiatives underway. It would require somebody with authority, and somebody who took direction well. This one would go to the hardliners, as she knew the man she was considering from 'their' end of the spectrum. He was an overall good man, responsible, honorable, patriotic, if stubbornly pro-communist. They'd met at Beijing University, and were notorious for their ongoing debates in the lounge. She knew she could trust him, even if they disagreed, to execute her orders. So the position went to Hu Tang.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The Ministry of Commerce definitely required a moderate hand to guide it, particularly as China continued to expand it's economic prospects. This was a choice made straight on credentials as both candidates were moderates. In the end, given the similarity of both resumes, it quite literally came down to a coin toss. She was too tired to endlessly debate minute differences with herself, and she could always change things later. Heads... Qiang Feng.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The Ministry of Justice was another important decision, one she refused to use the gain favor with either the hardliners or the Liberals. The former would be too harsh and jeopardize their advances, the latter too soft for her tastes, and would likely lead to spiraling crime rates. For this she would end up appointing a member of the Congress, one whom she already asked and was assured would be more than happy to fill the role. He had a good record, military service, government service, even worked as an officer in the Hong Kong police force for several years. She decided to appoint moderate Ah-guo Peng.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The Ministry of Security and Justice was another one of those positions that required someone she could trust. From her own days in the PLA she knew a number of intelligence officers, and even had had a brief, sugary kind of romance with one from the Counter-terrorism department. She couldn't help but chuckle, idly recalling old days that even Wen knew nothing about. She decided to appoint Marrim Cai.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The Ministry of Government Affairs required someone adept with running beuracracies... which normally meant resulting to the hardliners. They could have this position... other than a patronage mill of sorts it really didn't matter, and they would know enough to offer spots to ideological counterparts or risk losing any say in the Government all together. She would appoint Zhifu Pan.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The Ministry of Health required nothing more than someone scholared in the field of medicine and Public Health. Party ideology really didn't matter as it was an agency which executed the President's policies and offered scientific proposals rather than political suggestions. Xia opted to add another woman to her cabinet, Doctor Li Han.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The Ministry of Transportation was another one of the important posts with regards to executing her continuing programs to advance China's infrastructure. She decided to go with a man she had a passing familiarity with... an Engineer by trade from a peasant farm who'd seen first hand the system of Communism and what China was now... clearly preferring the later. He had started his own engineering firm, one that had been deeply instrumental in the design of, and begining construction of the Trans-China High-speed Rail network. She picked Kun Jiang.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The Ministry of Education was a technically savvy position, but one that also required a certain amount of defference as it was an instrumental part to Chinese progress. She picked a University Professor, current President of the Beijing Technical Institute, and a life-long scholar who had until now not been a member of any standing in politics. She picked Ken-shi Ren.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>At three in the morning, she was done. Her recommendations laid out for the Congress to officially pass. On top of that she signed into law China's $660 Billion budget, one she had seen fit to keep 'mostly' apolitical. It was fairly low considering recent budgets, as most of the projects currently under construction had already had allocations set aside for their completion, but it was also far larger than the 2007 budget, passed only 5 years ago. It reflected a much larger GDP, taxes raised by the continuous trade surplus which had finally returned, and corporate taxes. (The Corporate Tax in China was very low, but there were just 'so' many corporations these days that weight of numbers allowed for more income.) Only a small amount of 'this' years budget was actually borrowed, and even then most of the money was borrowed from Chinese citizens themselves. It was necessary to continue moving forward with military and infrastructure modernization, and the general operation of the government.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>"Still awake?"</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Xia looked up, offering a sleepy smile to her husband as he wrapped his arms around her. "Just finished."</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>"Really?" Wen looked over her jotted notes. "What about this?" In Mandarin scratched out was two simple words 'Russian Response'.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>"You're just determined to see to it that I never share your bed again, aren't you?" Xia pouted, returning her attention back to work. She managed to rather quickly type out a response, figuring one of the very many typists at the Ministry of State would correct any flaws. As tired as she was, she knew diplomacy was often a word game.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>To: President Leonid Nemerenko, Russian Federation</DIV>
<DIV>From: President Xia Hong, People's Republic of China</DIV>
<DIV>Subject: Response to Russo-Sino Non-Aggression Pact</DIV>
<DIV>[Encrypted, Beijing-Moscow Protocal]</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>President Nemerenko,</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> It is again a great honor to receive your correspondance. I have reviewed the broad guidelines included in your last transmission, and unfortunately I believe as it stands I can not agree to these propositions at this time. I too appreciate our recent cooperation, and look forward to seeing it as a continued practice between our two nations. To that end, I have included the reasoning behind my judgment below.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> 1. Both China and Russia are respected members of the United Nations, a forum designed specifically to defuse problems between nations before they reach the point of violence. Ergo, any permanent Non-Aggression pact signed between us may be seen as lack of faith in the United Nations, and would be redundant to the steps we've already taken.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> 2. The need for continuous dialogue between nations that adapt to the issues and times at hand is paramount. A codified Non-Aggression Pact may not allow us the flexibility to meet future obligations to our respective peoples, or each other.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> 3. As far as my Government is concerned, the borders are a non-issue. Pursuant to previous agreements and personal discussion, both our nations have formally recognized the territory of the other.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> 4. China can not in good faith make binding agreements which may inhibit responses to events in the future.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> This being said, I remain open to ongoing negotiation and high-level communication between our two countries. I deeply regret being unable to oblige your latest initiative.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Sincerely,</DIV>
<DIV>Xia Hong</DIV>
<DIV>President of the People's Republic of China</DIV>
<DIV>==========================================================</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>ACTIONS</DIV>
<DIV>1. Appoint Ministerial Positions.</DIV>
<DIV>2. Sign into law proposed $660 Billion budget.</DIV>
<DIV>3. Offer a gentle no to Russo-Sino Non-Aggression Pact sighting reasons above.</DIV><BR><BR><BR><DIV><FONT style="color: black; font: normal 10pt ARIAL, SAN-SERIF;"><HR style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px">AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at <A title="http://www.aol.com?ncid=AOLAOF00020000000339" href="http://www.aol.com?ncid=AOLAOF00020000000339" target="_blank"><B>AOL.com</B></A>. </FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>