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State Council Set Employment Target for 2011-2015

People’s Daily reported that Premier Wen Jiabao chaired a State Council Executive Meeting Work Conference on December 16, 2011, during which the Council established the “Employment Plan for 2011 to 2015.” 

The Council predicted that the eligible labor force will grow one million each year during the twelfth five year plan (2011-2015) compared to the eleventh five year plan (2006-2011). There will be increased friction because labor skills will not always be consistent with job requirements, with labor supply and demand, as well as with the ever increasing employment pressure.

The Council set the employment target for the twelfth five year period. It will include the growth of 45 million new jobs in urban and rural regions, reallocate 40 million from the surplus labor force in the countryside, keep the unemployment rate below 5%, enable social security benefits to cover the entire labor force, and improve the stability of the employment environment.

The meeting listed plans on how to meet the target: increase economic development, implement a favorable employment policy, better coordinate the job market for the urban and rural regions, implement training plans for the technically skilled and high tech labor force, and improve the flexibility of the labor market.

The Council also discussed the topic of improving fire prevention work.

Source: People’s Daily, December 16, 2011
http://politics.people.com.cn/GB/1024/16633304.html

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Huanqiu: Revive the Silk Road and Break the U.S. Containment of China

Huanqiu published an article suggesting that, now that the U.S. has reentered the Asia Pacific Region, China should adjust its geographic strategy in reaction to U.S. strategy.

The article called Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s recent visit to Myanmar a significant move in U.S. Asian policy. It stated that the U.S. has changed its strategy towards China’s neighboring countries, following the end of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, a change that targets China. The move has the purpose of preventing China from surpassing the U.S. in Asia. The article suggested that China should revisit its geographic strategy. An example it gave was that China could express its intention of building a strategic partnership with Afghanistan by opening the Wakhan Corridor and having China’s development of the Kashgar Economic Zone include developing an economic cooperation plan with Afghanistan. China could also form a strategic agreement with Afghanistan and Pakistan. In the long run, China should advocate forming a five-country dialog and establishing economic cooperation with Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, and India so as to revive the “Historic Silk Road.”

Source: China Review News, December 1, 2011
http://gb.chinareviewnews.com/doc/1019/2/1/8/101921899.html?coluid=148&kindid=7550&docid=101921899&mdate=1201000712

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Cambridge Chinese Student Organization Involved in Election Scandal

Southern Weekend recently reported on an election scandal at Cambridge University. Cambridge suspended the Chinese student organization after it could not agree on electing a new president. It also disclosed the organization’s close ties with the Chinese government.

The incident started when Chang Feifan, who was the president of the Cambridge Chinese student organization in 2010, sent an email claiming that the organization’s board had agreed that she would continue her presidency in 2011. The email generated controversy among the members, who stated that no formal election process ever took place and called for one. As elections are a requirement, when the members had not reached agreement by November 1, Cambridge formally disbanded the organization.

Aside from the election scandal, the article also described Chang Feifan, the former president, as being much like a Chinese government official stationed in Cambridge. Chang’s bio indicated that in less than two years she had hosted Chinese government officials who visited the campus and provided trainings for close to 1,000 senior government officials and senior managers from companies in China. Chang managed the foreign projects at Cambridge and was also responsible for several Chinese government sponsored projects in China. An online search suggested that a number of China’s official news agencies, including People’s Daily and China Review News had covered the activities that the Cambridge Chinese student organization hosted. An article from Beijing Youth Newspaper also reported that the Chinese consulate sponsors the annual Chinese New Years party that the Cambridge Chinese student organization hosts each year.

Source: China Review News, December 2, 2011
http://gb.chinareviewnews.com/doc/1019/2/4/2/101924242.html?coluid=7&kindid=0&docid=101924242&mdate=1202092659

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Study Times: The Cultural Giant Strategy Faces Several Key Issues

Study Times published an article analyzing several key issues that the Cultural Giant Strategy faces.

1) The existing government system: First, in the existing system the government is both the administrator of the culture entities and the host of the culture events at the same time. The government should shift towards being an administrator and be responsible for the entire society. Second, the government is unclear about the difference between a cultural service unit and a business unit and usually applies the same regulations to both. Third, some state owned culture entities have shifted outside of the socialist system. They lack vitality and competitiveness. Last, China lacks elite culture products that are original and have a competitive advantage in the world.

2) Products: In the process of building a cultural giant, what kind of products can China offer that will increase the power of the existing system’s influence?

3) A clear understanding of soft power: How can China turn a rich cultural resource into one with the power of influence and attraction? What is the basis for confidence in Chinese culture?

4) Understanding different paths in developing the culture system. Each region should assess its capabilities to avoid competing against each other. Specifically, they should focus on building their own cultural brand and understand its market potential.

Source: Study Times, December 5, 2011
http://www.studytimes.com.cn:9999/epaper/xxsb/html/2011/12/05/06/06_33.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

By 2015, China Will Import More Than 60 Percent of Its Oil

Beijing Times reported that on November 27, 2011, the China Energy Research Society published the “2011 China Energy Report.” The report indicated that due to a predicted economic growth rate of 9 percent per annum over the next five years, even though the rate of growth of energy consumption will decrease in the next five years, and even though China has a stable domestic oil supply, China’s oil imports will continue to increase. According to the 2010 China Energy Report, China imported 54.8 percent of its oil in 2010. The 2011 report expects the figure will increase to 60% by 2015.  The rate of growth in oil consumption over the next five years is expected to be 4 percent, down from 5.15 percent from 1978 to 2010.

Source: People’s Daily, November 28, 2011
http://energy.people.com.cn/GB/16408967.html

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Survey Results Showed Farmers Are Sensitive about Income Disparity

On November 28, 2011, the department of Chinese Rural Studies at the Central China Normal University published a report based on a recent survey on the current attitudes of Chinese farmers. The report showed that 41.2 percent of Chinese farmers believe that the disparity in income between the rich and the poor is obvious; 73.3 percent of the farmers believe that the income disparity impacts social interaction; 66.2 percent experienced feeling inferior when interacting with wealthy people. The survey also showed that fewer farmers who are under the age of 30 are assuming such social responsibilities as casting votes, participating in meetings, and voicing opinions, as compared to those who are over 60 years of age.

The survey was conducted among 4,794 farmer’s families from 270 villages and 31 provinces. It took over 200 students and teachers five months to conduct the survey.

Source: Xinhua, November 28, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/society/2011-11/28/c_111201081.htm

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Marriage Survey Results Showed Views Towards Marriage Are More Materialistic

Beijing Morning News reported that. on its 30th year anniversary, the China Association of Marriage and Family Studies (CAMF) published the results of a survey conducted in 2010 among 30,000 families on their opinions on marriage and family. The results showed that the younger generation tends to seek fun, benefits, and material gain from marriage.

Survey results showed that
1) 70 percent of the people surveyed believe that the “woman should marry for wealth rather than having to work hard for a living by herself;
2) 80 percent of those surveyed accept matchmaking due to young people’s limited social networks and the limited time they have;
3) The concept of “compatible social and economic status” remains an important factor in marriage selection;
4) 40 percent showed tolerance towards extra-marital affairs;
5) More successful career women are choosing to remain single, which impacts the problem of China’s aging population.

Source: Xinhua, November 29, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/society/2011-11/29/c_122348538.htm

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

State Owned Culture and Art Entities to Complete System Reform during the First Half of 2012

The Ministry of Culture recently issued a notice, “On System Reform Actions that State Owned Culture and Art Entities Must Complete.” It required all levels of entities within the ministry to further understand the importance and urgency of the requirements given at the 6th Plenary Session of the 17th National Congress and completely implement the system reforms by the end of the first half of 2012. The notice requested all levels of each entity to lay out the plans, requirements, and timeline and to identify the person in charge; to establish the relocation, coordination, and inspection process; to strictly follow the related requirements; and to systematically complete the work. It also required the understanding and support of the Party organization and government at the district levels so they can assist in the process.

Source: Xinhua, November 21, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2011-11/21/c_111184330.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics