Sydnie Kohara:
Like many leaders, China’s president Hu Jintao gave a state of the nation message on New Year’s Day. He told a gathering of officials from the mainland, as well as Hong Kong and Macao, that 2012 would be an important year:

Hu Jintao, Chinese President:
"Comrades and friends. To accomplish tasks of this year, we must strengthen confidence, tackle thorny problems and advance in a pioneering spirit, to achieve the great success of socialist modernization."

Sydnie Kohara:
One of those "thorny problems" is creeping Westernization.

On the same day Hu gave his talk, Qiushi, a periodical that calls itself the organ of the central committee of China’s communist party, quoted Hu saying that "international forces are trying to Westernize and divide us by using ideology and culture." Hu said China needs to strengthen its own cultural values, that are "socialism with Chinese characteristics."

Those comments got China’s social media buzzing:

One post by Zhang Min on Sina Weibo wrote:
"Chinese people can’t watch American TV, nor view American websites. America doesn’t have a Great Firewall. So who on earth is penetrating whom?"

Another writing under the name Zhang-xiulin Weibo commented:
"Isn’t Marxism a western ideology? Shall we reject it?"

He went on to point out that many Chinese officials send their children abroad to study Western ideology. He asks:
"Should we reject those government officials, and shouldn’t we first put them out of power?"

And, this post by Vesan-tseng said:
"Ultimately, it’s a lack of cultural competitiveness."

Meaning China can’t match the West when it comes to influence.