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China’s Nebul’ Named World’s Second-Fastest Computer

The Nebulae system at the National Supercomputer Centre in Shenzhen in southern China has been ranked the world’s second-fastest machine in a list issued by U.S. and European researchers, highlighting China’s ambitions to become a global technology center. 

Nebulae, only behind the U.S. Department of Energy’s Jaguar, is capable of sustained computing of 1.271 petaflops or 1,271 trillion calculations per second, according to TOP500, a semiannual list compiled by Hans Meuer of the University of Mannheim, Germany; Erich Strohmaier and Horst Simon of NERSC/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; and Jack Dongarra of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. 
China has risen to No. 2 overall on the TOP500, having 24 of the 500 systems on the list and 9.2 percent of global supercomputing capacity, up from having only 21 systems on the list six months ago. 
Source: China News Service, June 1, 2010 
http://www.chinanews.com.cn/gn/news/2010/06-01/2316577.shtml
Briefings | | |   Information/Technology

Recent School Killings in China

A new crime wave stunned China recently. From March 23 to May 19, seven school killings across China were reported by news media. These pre-meditated crimes appeared to be random killings targeting innocent children (see box).

The sudden outbreak of senseless crimes highlighted China’s already shaky security condition and growing social discontent, and prompted high profile official reactions.

Continue reading →

Analyses | | |   Opinion

National Talent Working Conference

In a very rare meeting attended by all of the nine members of Standing Committee of the Politburo, Hu Jintao gave a lengthy speech about the importance of talent to the country. The National Talent Working Conference held in Beijing on May 25 and 26 was also televised to Party and government agencies at the provincial level. While stating that talent is the “paramount resource,” and “the talent issue is the key issue that matters for the development of the cause of the Party and the country,” Hu emphasized to “adhere to the principle that the Party controls the talent.” 

In 2009, the Party issued the Development Plan Outline for Medium and Long Term Talent Development (2010—2020), sketching out the strategies to build up the country’s human resources. 
Source: People’s Daily, May 26, 2010 
http://politics.people.com.cn/GB/1024/11705655.html
Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Beijing to Bring In 1000 High-Level Experts from Overseas

In December 2008, the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCCCP) issued the Suggestions on the Implementation of Introducing High-Level Overseas Talent. A “1000-Talent Project,” implemented by the Organization Department of the CCCCP has since been underway to bring experts from other countries into China. At present, as many as 662 high-level overseas experts have been recruited. Among them, there are 448 overseas Chinese that already acquired foreign citizenship and 20 non Chinese. The 662 experts include 293 full professors, 9 associate professors, 72 research fellows in top research institutes such as Harvard, MIT, and Bell Lab; 75 high-level research personnel, and 43 senior management staff from multinational corporations, such as Boeing, GM, and Morgan Stanley.

Source: People’s Daily, May 25, 2010 
http://politics.people.com.cn/GB/1026/11683361.html
Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

The Party Agency Calls for Intensified Social Control

The ever deepening social instability, as shown in recent killings of school children and other incidents, has caught the Party’s attention. The Committee for Comprehensive Management of Public Security (CCMPS), an agency under the Central Committee of the Party in charge of societal control, is having a national conference for directors of provincial offices of the Committee. CCMPS is headed by Zhou Yongkang, the Party’s security czar and also head of the Political and Legal Committee. 

The conference calls for “enhancing the capacity to solve social conflicts, preventing the root cause,” “enhancing management of the migrant population, mental patients, drug addicts, and former prisoners,” and “enhancing management of the Internet, new social organizations, and new economic organizations.” 

Source: People’s Daily, May 27, 2010 
http://politics.people.com.cn/GB/1026/11705663.html

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Wenzhou City Openly Hires Party Secretaries

Wenzhou, a coastal city in Southeast China, is to openly hire 25 Party secretaries to be posted in local private companies, according to the city’s Party organization department. The secretaries, paid by the private businesses, will organize and expand the Party branches inside the companies. Ever since the fourth session of the 17th Congress of the CCP in 2009, nationwide private enterprises have been required to set up local Party organizations as part of the regime’s efforts to build up the Party. Usually the secretaries are appointed by superior Party cadres; Wenzhou’s move is an innovation because it is integrating the political process with the market mechanism. 

Source: Zhejiang Online (flagship website of Zhejiang Province), May 19, 2010http://zjnews.zjol.com.cn/05zjnews/system/2010/05/19/016618714.shtml
Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

11 Provinces Plagued by Flooding

Since late April, repeated heavy rainfall has caused flooding in southern provinces including Guangdong, Fujian, Guangxi, Hunan, Jiangxi, Hubei, Chongqing, Sichuan, Guizhou, Anhui, and Yunnan. So far 15.179 million people have been affected and 101 have died, with direct economic losses of over 8 billion yuan (US$1.2 billion). 

Source: China News Service, May 17, 2010 
http://www.chinanews.com.cn/gn/news/2010/05-17/2287438.shtml
Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

China’s Luxury Consumption to Top the World in 5 Years

According to the Business Blue Book issued by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences on May 19, China has a luxury consumption of US$ 9.4 billion. With 27.5% of the world’s total in this market, China has surpassed the U.S. to become the largest luxury goods consumer second to Japan. Within five years, it will top the world luxury goods market with US$ 14.6 billion spent on luxury goods. 

The Business Blue Book noted that China’s affluent consumers are generally younger than in other countries. A 2008 report from McKinsey, a managment consulting firm, said that 80% of China’s wealthy people are below 45 years old, while the ratio is only 30% and 19% in the U.S. and Japan. 
Source: People’s Daily, May 19, 2010
http://politics.people.com.cn/GB/1026/11641831.html
Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources