On April 29, The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress enacted a new People’s Republic of China law concerning guarding "State Secrets." The law will be in effect beginning October 1, 2010.
Source: VOA, May 6, 2010
http://www1.voanews.com/chinese/news/-20100506-CHINA-NEW-STATE-SECRETS-LAW-LEAVES-JOURNALISTS-EXPOSED-92961114.html
On April 19, 2010, the National Center for Health Inspection and Supervision of the Ministry of Public Health informed each provincial Public Health Bureau that local health organizations may no longer go to Yushu, Qinhai Province for earthquake relief activities without prior approval. They must apply through the chain of command. Once approved, they are free to go.
Information provided by unconfirmed source.
The radio station KGBC near Houston, Texas has become China’s official mouthpiece. Sina.com republished an article by the Australia Chinese Newspaper Group on April 29, reporting that the radio station has become the home base in the U.S. of China Radio International (CRI). KGBC, at AM1540, is based in Galveston, 50 miles from Houston. It has 67 years of history and had financial difficulties for years. Recently, a U.S. company made a very attractive offer and bought it. It then started broadcasting CRI’s programs around the clock. The previous owner was not aware of the purchasing company’s deal with CRI. KGBC’s loyal listeners found that they were listening to “Asian music and political forums,” instead of the traditional and hot music and talk shows that they enjoyed in the past.
Source: Sina.com, April 29, 2010
http://dailynews.sina.com/bg/chn/chnnews/ausdaily/20100429/00211400610.html
The Central Comprehensive Management Office recently published the “Opinion on Implementing the Big Conflict Investigation and Mediation Work.” The opinion stressed that, to maintain social stability, it is important to further improve conflict and dispute investigation and mediation efforts throughout the country. Officials should work at the origin of the conflict and try to put it down at its earliest stage. The whole effort should be under the Party’s leadership. It should follow the principle of “whoever is in charge is responsible (for the issue).” It will be implemented primarily at the county and town level for rural areas and district and street level for urban areas.
Source: Xinhua, April 26, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/legal/2010-04/26/c_1257307.htm
On Aprl 29, the Central Propaganda Department issued the “Notice on Quotas of College Graduates for Village Official Positions for 2010.” The notice increased the target number of college graduates who will serve as village officials to 200,000 for the period from 2008 to 2012, with 36,000 in 2010. So far there are 159,000 college graduates working in villages, with 24% holding party or village official titles. The order also asks local authorities to keep these college graduates there after their term is over.
[Ed: In 2008, to solve the unemployment problem for college graduates and strengthen control in rural areas, the Central Propaganda Department started sending college graduates to serve as village officials. Their salaries are subsidized by the central government and their terms at the village are two or three years.]
Source: Xinhua, April 29, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2010-04/29/c_1264253.htm
China’s navy has nine access paths to go to the ocean, but only three or four paths on the east side of China, between Japan and Taiwan, can be used frequently and do not require notification to other countries, the International Herald Leader reported. The U.S. and Japan have beefed up their military and surveillance capabilities to closely monitor and contain China’s navy. The report quoted an anonymous Navy official’s suggestion: China should use these ocean access channels more frequently and familiarize itself with the environment, build large surface ships to cover submarines to go to the ocean during wartime, and improve its capability to control these key access paths.
The report is a comment on the Japanese media’s heavy coverage of ten of China’s navy ships, including two submarines appearing in international waters between Okinawa and Miyako Island on April 10.
Source: International Herald Leader, April 26, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/herald/2010-04/26/content_13424980.htm
The “Internet of Things” refers to utilizing the Internet and modern technology, such as RFID, censoring, GPS, and scanning, to identify, locate, track, and manage object movement. Deng Shoupeng, the Vice Chairman of the China Federation of IT Promotion pointed out at the “2010 Wireless Communication Application Conference,” that 2009 is the first year that China has entered the “Internet of Things” market. In 2010, the “Internet of Things” market in China will have reached 200 billion Yuan, including IC, censor, software, and other related industry chains. The size will grow to 750 billion Yuan by 2015.
Deng listed five areas in which China is currently lacking: standards, core technology to support the "Internet of Things," coordination among regions and industries, policies and regulations, and people who understand both the Internet and business.
Source: Xinhua, April 22, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/internet/2010-04/22/content_13399614.htm
On April 11, 2010. Nanfang Metropolitan published an article by History Scholar Hong Zhenquai, “Loving Ones Country Does Not Mean the Same as Loving the Imperial Court.” The article suggested that nowadays many people misunderstand the relationship between the people, the country, and the imperial court (or the government in modern society). Mencius [a philosopher from the fourth century B.C. who defended the teachings of Confucius against other philosophies] made public that “people are the most important, followed by the country, with the emperor coming last.” An explanation for the confusion is that the sitting government misleads people into believing that “loving the court is representative of loving the country.”
The article makes a case for people having oversight and control over the government.
Source:
1. Tianya website, April 14, 2010
http://www.tianya.cn/publicforum/content/develop/1/408089.shtml
2. Aiyuan website, April 17, 2010
http://aiyuan.wordpress.com/2010/04/17/%E4%B8%80%E7%AF%87%E8%AE%A9%E7%BC%96%E8%BE%91%E4%B8%A2%E6%8E%89%E9%A5%AD%E7%A2%97%E7%9A%84%E6%96%87%E7%AB%A0%EF%BC%9A%E7%88%B1%E5%9B%BD%E5%AE%B6%E4%B8%8D%E7%AD%89%E4%BA%8E%E7%88%B1%E6%9C%9D%E5%BB%B7/