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RFA: Canada Attacked at UN Human Rights Forum

Radio Free Asia (RFA) recently reported that, at the United Nations Human Rights Forum, China, North Korea, Iran, and Russia attacked Canada’s human rights situation. North Korea expressed its “deep concern” about Canada’s continued violation of freedom of speech, torture, and racism. Iran accused the Canadian government of trafficking in children, of depriving children of their right to food, and of discriminating against Muslim, Arabic and African communities. The Chinese delegation was offended by Canada’s “widespread racism.” The Russian representative said that he was surprised by the violence that the Canadian police demonstrated. The Cuban government insisted that Canada suffers from serious xenophobia and racism. The Geneva-headquartered independent organization, UN Watch, described the UN Human Rights Forum as becoming a “wonder scene” of “hypocrisy and farce.” The Canadian government has already allowed the entry of three UN inspectors to check on Canada’s human rights record. 
Source: Radio Free Asia, May 2, 2013
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/renquanfazhi/to-05022013140905.html
Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Qiushi:Sources of Risk for Internet-Based Public Opinion Emergency Events

Qiushi Journal, a bi-weekly magazine published by the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, recently published an article discussing how to control online public opinion. Since 2012, China has had over 300 million users, making it the largest online microblogging country in the world. At the same time, the number of public opinion “emergency events” has increased significantly. The article suggested that control should be applied to the sources of the risk. The author summarized eight primary sources: (1) Events related to government official’s misconduct; (2) Events triggered by wealth gaps in society; (3) Events inflamed by abuse of police power; (4) Corruption; (5) Sex scandals; (6) Events involving violence; (7) Widespread counterfeiting; (8) Unfairness against vulnerable social groups. The article called for closer government monitoring of these sources in addition to technical methods such as keyword filtering.
Source: Qiushi Journal, May 2, 2013
http://www.qstheory.cn/sh/shjs/201305/t20130502_227206.htm
Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Xinhua: North Korea Asks Mongolia for Food

Xinhua recently published a report on aid to North Korea based on a number of different international media sources. On April 22, the North Korean Ambassador to Mongolia told the Mongolian President that North Korea “may soon face a very serious food shortage.” He asked if Mongolia would consider the possibility of providing assistance in the form of food. Korea shares a common cultural heritage with Mongolia, such as their ancient language. On the same day, the United States suggested that it would consider resuming food aid as long as North Korea would allow personnel from the U.S. to monitor the distribution and allocation of the food provided by the U.S. The United States recently refused the acknowledgement of North Korea’s status as a nuclear country.
Source: Xinhua, April 24, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2013-04/24/c_124622524.htm
Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

RFA: Seven Christian Church Members Sentenced in China

Radio Free Asia (RFA) recently reported that seven Christian house church members in Henan Province were accused of being “evil cult members” and were sentenced to up to seven years in prison. These Christian church members were arrested because they were using a version of the Bible that the government does not officially approve. The churches that use these particular Bibles are considered to be an “evil cult.” Lawyers defending the church members suggested that many countries, such as the United States, allow people to use different versions of the Bible. However the court ignored the lawyer’s arguments. Zhang Mingxuan, Chairman of the Mainland House Church Alliance, commented that this is another example of the consistent approach the Communist authorities use to crush freedom of religion. The China Aid Association of the United States described the sentence as “shocking.”
Source: Radio Free Asia, April 23, 2013
http://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/religion-04232013102804.html?encoding=simplified
Briefings | | |   Social Stability

People’s Daily: Top Ten Companies That Suffered Large Losses are State Owned

People’s Daily recently reported on the final 2012 annual reports of publicly traded companies. Of those companies that suffered the largest losses, the top ten are all state-owned. These ten companies had total losses of RMB 50 billion (US$8.11 billion). They received a total of RMB 57 billion (US$9.25 billion) in government subsidies last year as well. The number one loser was China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company (COSCO), which reported a loss of RMB 9.56 billion (US$1.55 billion). The second and the third were Aluminum Corporation of China (CHALCO) and Metallurgical Corporation of China (MCC); they lost RMB 8.23 billion (US$1.33 billion) and RMB 6.95 billion (US$1.13 billion), respectively. Five of the top ten were steel companies, led by Anshan Iron and Steel, which lost RMB 4.16 billion (US$670 million). All these companies blamed the downturn in the market for their losses. However, based on a deeper study of the reports, many state-owned companies spent a large amount of money in different industries, instead of their primary ones. They especially suffered heavy losses in their stock market investments.
Source: People’s Daily, April 28, 2013
http://ccnews.people.com.cn/n/2013/0428/c141677-21313410.html
Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Xinhua: Housing Market Heading Up Despite Increased Government Control

Xinhua recently reported that, according to data just released by the National Bureau of Statistics, sixty-eight out of seventy major cities recorded an increase in housing prices during the month of March. This was especially true of large cities like Beijing and Shanghai. Just two months ago, the central government came up with the new “Five National Rules” which were considered very tough and were expected to be very “damaging” to the housing market. Experts expressed the belief that “concentrated demand” was the cause of the situation; buyers fear that new rules will make it harder to buy any real estate. Some suggested that, in this case, executive orders are not the best way to regulate the market. Others said that the long overdue real estate tax could have helped. The report also mentioned that a comprehensive market approach that considers all key factors, including currency flow, land pricing, and the supply-demand relationship, should be taken. 
Source: Xinhua, April 20, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2013-04/20/c_124605494.htm
Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

MIIT: Five Categories of Apps Banned from Smart Phones

Xinhua recently reported that the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) announced on its official website that five categories of software are not allowed to be preinstalled on any smartphone sold in China or connected to China’s networks. The five categories are: (1) Apps that collect or modify users’ personal information without permission; (2) Apps that quietly make use of the communication capabilities of the device, causing unauthorized traffic; (3) Apps that block normal use of the smartphone functions or network functions; (4) Apps providing information banned by the government; (5) Apps causing other damage related to information security and network security. The new rules are set to take effect on November 1, 2013. In addition to rolling out new rules, it is widely expected that, between April and December, the MIIT will launch a campaign against “junk text messaging.” 
Source: Xinhua, April 20, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/info/2013-04/20/c_132324341.htm
Briefings | | |   Information/Technology

CRN: Local Government Debt May Be over RMB 20 Trillion

China Review News (CRN) recently reported the news that both Moody’s and Fitch downgraded Chinese currency and bond ratings. The news caused widespread concern in the international market, particularly about the scale of the debts accrued by China’s local governments. According to China’s former Treasurery Minister, Xiang Huaicheng, at present, local government’s debts are estimated to be over RMB 20 trillion. However, government officials are downplaying the risk level of this debt. Some have suggested that the debt is mostly domestic – it will not directly impact the global market. Some have expressed the belief that “the government has not yet seen any extremely damaging situations.” However, the central government has been paying significant attention to local government debt. The State Council had a meeting on April 17, focusing on the risk control of the local debt issue. New administrative rules are being designed. The general approach for future risk management is to stop bank loans to local governments. Instead, local government bonds will be the primary borrowing channel, which will require a market orientation. 
Source: China Review News, April 19, 2013
http://www.zhgpl.com/doc/1025/0/8/1/102508157.html?coluid=151&kindid=0&docid=102508157&mdate=0419094137
Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources