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All posts by TGS - 143. page

Largest Petition Campaign in Chinese Legal Community Supporting Rights Lawyer

511 lawyers in Shenzhen signed a petition challenging the sentencing of a fellow lawyer and calling for a fair trial. On December 17, 2008, Lawyer Liu Yao in Shenzhen was sentenced to 2 years of imprisonment for providing legal services to farmers who lost their land to a power company. He was charged with “intentional destruction of property.” Liu has filed appeal. The petition is the largest campaign to date by China’s legal community on rights issues.

Source:
Epoch Times, February 1, 2009
http://epochtimes.com/gb/9/2/1/n2414246.htm
Xinhua, September 27, 2008
http://big5.xinhuanet.com/gate/big5/news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2008-09/23/content_10095057.htm

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

China’s Agriculture Hit by International Crisis

2009 will likely be the most difficult year for Chinese agriculture in the 21st century, according to No. 1 Notice of the Chinese Communist Party and State Council on February 1, 2009. “At present, the international financial crisis continues to spread and the world economy is slowing down significantly. The negative impact on our Mainland China’s agriculture and countryside development has constantly emerging, said the document issued through Xinhua.

Source: China Ministry of Finance, February 2, 2009
http://www.ccgp.gov.cn/gysh/qtlb/nysb/815546.shtml

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Notable Trend in Key Personnel Changes in the Party

20 of the 31 Secretaries of Communist Party’s Provincial Organization Departments are “monks from outside,” Nanfang Daily reported. 11 of the 20 previously held posts at the Party’s central committee, 9 transferred from other provinces. There are signs that the tendency may accelerate in 2009. Within the past two months, 3 Secretaries of the Party’s Provincial Organization Departments were changed. None of the new officials are from local.

Source: Nanfang Daily, January 19, 2009
http://epaper.nddaily.com/A/html/2009-01/19/content_689692.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Did China Promise to Cease R&D of Nuke Weapons?

China’s Information Office of the State Council issued the white paper on "China’s National Defense in 2008" on January 20, 2009. Global Times, a newspaper under People’s Daily, later stated that Western media including BBC of Britain and Zaobao of Singapore have misquoted the white paper in saying China promises in the white paper to cease research and development of nuke weapons. Global Times says that the quote was out of context.

Source: Global Times, January 22, 2009
http://mil.huanqiu.com/Observation/2009-01/352450.html

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

Beijing Censors Obama’s Inauguration Speech

A replay of the state-owned China Central TV of the live broadcast of Obama Inauguration speech shows that the broadcast was cut off when Obama was stating, …”recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with the sturdy alliances and enduring convictions.” The interpreter’s voice faded after translating the word communism. The live broadcast disappeared from the screen, replaced by a TV host asking a guest about Obama’s stance on economy.

Source: Boxun, 21 January 2009 (video clip of CCTV broadcast available).
http://news.boxun.com/news/gb/intl/2009/01/200901211647.shtml

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Tougher Government Attacks Anticipated to Maintain Social Stability

2009 will be most challenging for social stability with increasing risks, said a high level Party official. Mr. Chen from the Party’s Politics and Law Committee states that new social conflicts will emerge as the old ones intensify; particularly growing complaints of the government and strong rights ideology may lead to extreme actions. Mr. Chen stated that forceful "attack" is the No. 1 action that the authorities will take to maintain social stability and it is the requisite for implementation of other measures of control.

Source: Xinhua, January 12, 2009
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2009-01/12/content_10643830.htm

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

2008: A Year of Unprecedented Social Unrests

Escalated social unrests, major industrial safety incidents and food and medicine safety incidents marked the year of 2008, concluded Outlook, a Xinhua magazine. The public attention focus on a few problems: abuse of power combined with money has infringed on the interest of the people; lack of actions of the government officials in response to public appeals has intensified social conflicts; accountability of government officials must be institutionalized and enforceable, final solution of major incidents must predicate on democratic consultation with the public to neutralize any potential outbreaks, etc.

Source: Xinhua, December 22, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/legal/2008-12/22/content_10541258.htm

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Beijing’s First Bird Flu Patient Died

Beijing Health Bureau announced that one person died of H5N1 on the evening of January 5, 2009. Ms. Huang, 19, was admitted to hospital on December 27, 2008. This is the first case in Beijing and twenty first in China. Authorities have tightened inspection of poultry shipments into Beijing. No other cases were found.

Source; Xinhua, January 7, 2009.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/health/2009-01/07/content_10615433.htm http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2009-01/07/content_10618460.htm

Briefings | | |   Social Stability