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BBC: Alibaba’s Purchase of SCMP Raises Concerns over Press Freedom

BBC Chinese reported on its website that the Hong Kong Journalist Association (HKJA) had concerns that press freedom in Hong Kong will be further compromised when China’s Internet giant Alibaba takes control of the South China Morning Post (SCMP). 

In a public letter to SCMP readers, Joseph Tsai, Alibaba’s Executive Vice-chairman, noted SCMP‘s unique strength is its focus on China. It draws attention from anyone who hopes to know about China, which is the number two economy in the world. 
Tsai refuted questions about editorial independence after Alibaba’s acquisition of SCMP. He claimed that such a question itself demonstrates bias. He stressed that China’s economic rise and its role in stabilizing the world is too important to be covered by a single point of view. In a subsequent media interview, Tsai went on to say that he wants SCMP to "spread" a different angle about China, "The current news coverage of China is neither complete nor healthy because all of the media carry the western angle. That is one of many angles. I hope that we can use another angle — a more objective angle — to study China." 

The HKJA noted that a professional media should employ the universal values of human rights, equality, and the rule of law in its reporting on any country. It raised the concern that Tsai’s talk of "a different angle about China" may foreshadow further restrictions on SCMP’s reporting on China and further compromise press freedom in Hong Kong. In his interview, Tsai also outlined plans to change SCMP‘s paid online content so that it would be freely accessible. 
Sources: BBC Chinese website, December 11, 2015
http://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/china/2015/12/151211_hk_press_scmp_statement 
SCMP Chinese website, December 11, 2015 
http://www.nanzao.com/tc/business/1519139d9cba375/a-li-ba-ba-shou-gou-nan-hua-zao-bao-dui-hua-a-li-fu-dong-shi-chang-cai-chong-xin

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

South Korean Newspaper: Cancellation of North Korean Performance Could Impact Relations with China

The South Korean daily newspaper JoongAng Ilbo was among the first to report the cancellation of well publicized North Korean performances scheduled for the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing from Dec. 12 to 14. Two North Korean troupes, the Moranbong Band and the State Merited Chorus, were scheduled to perform. However, on December 12 they suddenly cancelled.


Kim Jong Un, North Korea’s paramount leader, selected the members of the Moranbong Band. Its performance was supposed to restore relations between North Korea and China. The unexpected cancellation could negatively impact relations between Beijing and Pyongyang. China’s official Xinhua News Agency cited "communication issues at the working level" as the cause. 

A Chinese official in charge of North Korean issues, who watched the rehearsal, gave JoongAng Ilbo his take on the term "working level." He said the Moranbong Band had numerous missile launching images in its backdrop. The Chinese noticed this on December 11. Since Kim gave a speech last Thursday about his country’s development of a hydrogen bomb, the Chinese believed the backdrop was a problem, and asked that the images be removed. The North Koreans could have refused. JoongAng Ilbo acknowledged in the report that this was an unconfirmed interpretation. 

Another Chinese official told the newspaper, "It was not the Chinese side that cancelled the performances." This could be corroborated in Xinhua‘s report which indicated that China is "ready to continue to work with [North Korea] to promote bilateral exchanges and cooperation in culture and in all other areas." 

Sources: JoongAng Ilbo, December 14, 2015 
http://chinese.joins.com/gb/article.do?method=detail&art_id=144869 
Xinhua News Agency, December 12, 2015 
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2015-12/12/c_1117441343.htm
Briefings | | |   Grapevine

VOA: Lawyer Insists that Journalist Is Not Guilty

Gao Yu, an independent journalist who faced charges of leaking state secrets, has had her sentence cut short from seven years to five years, and will be allowed to serve it outside of prison.

Voice of America interviewed Gao’s lawyer Shang Baojun over the phone for details of the second trial which ended on Thursday.

Shang insisted that defense lawyers maintained that [this case] did not have clear facts presented, and lacked evidence; the verdict should be changed to "not guilty."

Shang added that given that Gao is in her 70’s, and she has health problems, as her defense lawyer, he took comfort in the fact that her reduced term will be served outside of prison.

Xinhua News Agency reported that the court decided to change Gao’s sentence after "she confessed her crimes, pleaded guilty, and repented her wrongdoing during the second trial."

Sources: Voice of America, November 26, 2015
http://www.voachinese.com/media/video/voaweishi-20151126-voaconnects-gao-yu/3074715.html
Xinhua News Agency, November 26, 2015
http://news.xinhuanet.com/legal/2015-11/26/c_1117274878.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

VOA: Lawyer Insists That Journalist Is Not Guilty

Gao Yu, an independent journalist who faced charges of leaking state secrets, has had her sentence shortened from seven years to five years, and will be allowed to serve it outside of prison.

Voice of America interviewed Gao’s lawyer Shang Baojun over the phone to get details about her second trial, which ended on Thursday.

Shang insisted that the defense lawyers maintained that clear facts were not presented [in this case], that the case lacked evidence, and that the verdict should be changed to "not guilty."

Shang added that, because Gao is in her 70’s and she has health problems, as her defense lawyer, he took comfort in her reduced term, which is to be served outside of prison.

Xinhua News Agency reported that the court decided to change Gao’s sentence after "she confessed her crimes, pleaded guilty, and repented her wrongdoing during the second trial."

Sources: Voice of America, November 26, 2015; Xinhua News Agency, November 26, 2015 2015                  http://www.voachinese.com/media/video/voaweishi-20151126-voaconnects-gao-yu/3074715.html                       http://news.xinhuanet.com/legal/2015-11/26/c_1117274878.htm                                                                                           

                                                

 

 

 

                

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Three Major Players in Market Bailout Now under Investigation

On Thursday, November 26, and Friday, November 27, three brokerage firms that were major players in this summer’s market bailout announced that the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) had placed them under investigation.

Beijing Youth Daily noted, in a report widely cited by other state media and web portals, that China’s A-share market booked the steepest single day drop in three months on Friday, with shares of many financial firms triggering their daily limit.

The three leading brokerages, Citic, Guosen, and Haitong, all rank among China’s top 10 securities firms. It was the national regulator CSRC that initiated this most recent round of investigations.

Earlier in August, local regulators initiated investigations into Haitong and three other major brokerage firms, GF, Huatai, and Founder, for allegedly failing to identify clients properly. Regulatory authorities are now officially probing a total of six top players of the so-called National Team, which consists of 21 brokerage firms the government relied on exclusively to bail out the financial market this summer.

Cheng Boming, Citic general manager, and Chen Hongqiao, president of Guosen, are reported to have had close ties with Zhang Yujun, the former CSCR assistant chairman.

Zhang coordinated the massive intervention during this summer’s market rout. On September 16, he became a target of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection for "severe violations of discipline." Cheng, along with a dozen or so of Citic’s top managers, was arrested a day earlier. On October 23, Chen, who served as Zhang’s deputy before joining state-owned Guosen Securities, hanged himself in his Shenzhen home.

Citic was also implicated in a case involving a star private equity fund manager, Xu Xiang, who was detained in early November on suspicion of insider trading.

Source: Beijing Youth Daily, November 29, 2015

http://news.ynet.com/3.1/1511/29/10572516.html
Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Xi Jinping’s Push to Rule the Nation by Law Is Facing a Big Battle

[Editor’s Note: On October 28, 2014, [the CCP Central Committee] authorized Xinhua to publish the Communique of the Fourth Plenary Meeting of the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee. The meeting was held on October 20 -23, 2014, in Beijing. The plenum discussed and passed Xi Jinping’s report — “the CPC Central Committee Resolution on a Number of Major Issues Regarding Comprehensively Promoting the Rule of Law. (《中共中央关于全面推进依法治国若干重大问题的决定》)” [1]

In the report, Xi explained the draft process for the resolution and called for the reform of China’s legal and judicial systems. Xi said that in January [2014], the Politburo decided that the 18th Plenary Session of the Party would focus on issues relating to the comprehensive promotion of the rule of law. As the chief, Xi Jinping directly led a working group to draft a resolution for the 18th Plenary Session.] [2]

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Reports | | |   Report

Qiushi: Seeking New Advances in Marxist Political Economy

November 25, 2015, a day after Xi Jinping chaired a politburo study session on the Marxist political economy, Qiushi Journal, a semi-monthly publication of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), published a commentary titled, "Extending New Spheres of the Marxist Political Economy in Contemporary China." It called for creatively contributing to the evolution of the Marxist political economy. 

The commentary recalled that, since 1949, all the way through the reform and opening up years, four former CCP leaders, Mao Zedong, Liu Shaoqi, Deng Xiaoping, and Chen Yun, all paid attention to the study, research, and application of the Marxist political economy. 
As China’s reform enters a period where it must fight the toughest battles, the interests that a number of social groups have expressed have become more diversified and economic development has displayed growing uncertainty. To seek the right way forward, to respond to the challenges of our time, to showcase the benefits of the socialist system, and to offer theoretical guidance in the practice of grand historic reform, the Marxist political economy is called for in order to fulfill its historic mission with characteristics that mark open-mindedness, inclusiveness, and evolving with the changing times. 
The commentary stated that, in the face of the extremely complex economic situation at home and abroad, as well as varied economic phenomena, the study of the Marxist political economy could help in the conduct of an economic analysis in a scientific way, improve the capability of managing a socialist market economy, and better answer problems related to economic development. 
The commentary concluded that the creative evolution of the Marxist political economy requires us to take into consideration the relationship between politics and the economy, government and markets, the economy and society, and China and the world. It also requires us to have a firm grasp of the situation in China while borrowing from helpful elements in Western economics. This will bring forth the great momentum, vitality, and potential of the theoretical creativity that underpins China’s sweeping economic and social development, and will facilitate the contribution of Chinese wisdom to the Marxist political economy. 
Source: Qiushi Journal, November 25, 2015 
http://www.qstheory.cn/wp/2015-11/25/c_1117249400.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources