Skip to content

All posts by bob

Chinese Communist Party Concerned About Declining Loyalty Among Members

In its publication on May 1, Qiushi Journal, the official publication of the Chinese Communist Party, carried an article written by Chen Yuanzhang, a Lieutenant General and Deputy Political Commissar of the Jinan Military District in Shandong Province. The title of the article is: "Strengthening the Loyalty of Chinese Communist Party Members." [1] The article called for an alert to the declining loyalty among party officials. Other news sources, including Xinhua, widely quoted the article [2].

Reports about Vice-Premier Huang Ju’s Death

On May 9, 2007, The Times (London) reported, "Huang Ju, China’s vice premier in charge of economic reform, the sixth most powerful official on China’s ruling Politburo Standing Committee, died this morning at the age of 69 after a prolonged battle with pancreatic cancer." [1] Around 7 pm, Hong Kong based Phoenix TV, a TV station close to Beijing issued the same report of Huang’s death. That day, other Hong Kong media and international news agencies such as Reuters also carried the news.

Later that night, when Reuters called the State Council Information Office for confirmation, the State Council dismissed the news: "It is our understanding that news regarding comrade Huang Ju’s death is totally unfounded." [2]

The Launch of NIGCOMSAT-1 and China’s Launch Sites

On May 14, 2007, in Sichuan, China launched a communications satellite NIGCOMSAT-1 for Nigeria. It is the first time a foreign buyer has purchased a Chinese satellite and its launching mechanism. The event has been officially touted as the beginning of China’s presence in the international market of commercial satellites.[1]

China has three launch sites. The other two are the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center and the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.

Bird flu (H5N1) has killed 11,172 poultry in central China

On May 19m, 2007, Xinhua News Agency, citing the Ministry of Agriculture, reported that 11,172 poultry in central China have died as a result of bird flu (H5N1). The report said that another 52,874 were slaughtered. Chinese Agriculture officials say that the outbreak has been brought under control. The Propaganda Department of the local Chinese Communist Party must approve all media requests for interviews.

‘Boycott Beijing Olympics’ Campaign

While China just published regulations on media reporting of the 2008 Olympic Games, a coalition of Falun Gong supporters is calling for a boycott of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing unless the Chinese government meets an August 2007 deatdline to allow an independent investigation of organ harvesting allegations.

Chinese Vice Premier Huang Ju dies

Chinese Vice Premier Huang Ju, a protege of former President Jiang Zemin, died in Beijing early morning of June 2, 2007 after a long illness, the official Xinhua news agency reported. Huang ranked number six in China’s Communist political hierarchy. His death may intensify frictions between former President Jiang and those loyal to current President Hu Jintao.

Former Head of China’s Food and Drug Administration Sentenced to Death

Beijing First Intermediate Court sentenced Zheng Xiaoyu, the former head of China’s State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) to death on May 29, 2007 for taking bribes totaling 649,000 RMB (US$848,366) from eight pharmaceutical and medical equipment companies and illegally approving their products. The unusual sentence is perceived as a political bid to rein in rampant corruption in China and as a means of dealing with foreign complaints about China’s corrupt pharmaceutical sector.