Skip to content

All posts by TGS - 26. page

Wang Qishan Highlights Party Discipline in Anti-Corruption

Top discipline inspector Wang Qishan wrote that the Party must adhere to high standards, not cross the "bottom line" of Party’s “Discipline Regulations” and promote a comprehensive systematic innovation of the Party’s governance. 

Wang, head of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), made these remarks in an article he wrote for publication on People’s Daily on October 23, 2015. The article emphasized that the Discipline Regulations set forth the bottom line for all Party members. 

Wang wrote that, at present, the Party’s discipline rules use the same terminology as in the law, which makes it difficult to reflect the high standards, ideals, and faith that the Party members, especially leading cadres, must adhere to. As a result, as long as Party members do not violate the law, they are not disciplined for their corrupt behavior. “The internal rules of any organization are typically more stringent than the law. Our Party is a political organization that shoulders a sacred mission. Because of the Party’s ruling status and its role of being the vanguard, the Party discipline regulations are bound to be stricter than the law. If Party members were to retreat to the bottom line of citizens, it would lower the standards for the Party members. Then, it would be impossible to tighten the Party’s discipline governance and to demonstrate the Party’s advanced nature.” 

Source: People’s Daily, October 23, 2015 
http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/html/2015-10/23/nw.D110000renmrb_20151023_1-04.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Party Inspection Teams Conduct Corruption Investigations in Financial Sector

Caixin reported that, by the end of October, the CCP’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) will send inspection teams to conduction corruption investigations at the China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC), the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), the People’s Bank of China, and the China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC). The inspection teams are expected to stay onsite for two months. One team will be at the CBRC and the CSRC and the other will be at the People’s Bank of China and the CIRC. Investigations at four State-owned commercial banks will soon follow. These banks are the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the China Construction Bank, the Bank of China, and the Agricultural Bank of China. 

Source: Caixin.com, October 21, 2015 
http://finance.caixin.com/2015-10-21/100865341.html?utm_source=baidu&utm_medium=caixin.media.baidu.com&utm_campaign=Hezuo
Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Xinhua Published Full Text of Xi Jinping’s 2014 Speech on the Arts

On Wednesday, October 14, 2015, one day before the one year anniversary of Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s speech on the arts, Xinhua was authorized to publish it in full. Xi Jinping delivered the speech to select Chinese artists, authors, actors, script writers and dancers on problems in Chinese art. 

Xi listed such problems as plagiarism, stereotyping, exaggeration, changing history, vilifying people, creating cultural “trash,” and shoddy work. As a result of these problems, art works have become money trees. Xi criticized the low taste in the arts, saying that being vulgar does not mean it is popular. Nor does desire mean hope. Sensory excitement is not spiritual joy. For art to be recognized by the people, one cannot be there for quick money, or be opportunistic, or go after fame, or engage in self-promotion. "Art cannot get lost in the market economy." Xi said that good art works are those that warm one’s heart, and have "bones, morality and warmth," meaning they inspire the mind, touch the soul and advocate integrity, merit, and compassion; they travel fast, last longer, provide "food for thought," and are enjoyed by all. Xi stressed that Chinese traditional culture has a lot of principles and moral values that transcend the times. 

Source: Xinhua, October 14, 2015 
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2015-10/14/c_1116825558.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Ren Zhiqiang: A New China or a New Regime?

Ren Zhiqiang, a high profile real estate mogul in China, published a weibo (miniblog) at sina.com during the week long October 1 National Day holiday challenging the official stance that National Day celebrates the birth of a New China. 

Ren questioned, “Did this day (October 1, 1949) declare that a new country emerged or that a new regime representing the same country was established?” 
“From the perspective of traditional Chinese culture and international law, China is still the same China. … All that happened was the government of the Republic of China under the Nationalists [Kuomintang] controlled an increasingly smaller area, while the government of the People’s Republic of China, which the Chinese Communist Party led and which allegedly represented the interests of the masses of Chinese people, controlled most of mainland China. The Communist Party announced that it had replaced the Republic of China in governing China, and began to exercise national sovereignty.” 
Ren continued that even to the present day, many people living in mainland China have the misunderstanding that October 1 represented the birth of a new country. They think that the homeland just had its 66th birthday. However, this ancient country of China has a history of thousands of years. All of the changes in this country from one dynasty to another are nothing but changes in rulers or in governments who say they represent China’s sovereignty. They are not changes of the actual nation. Therefore, “this holiday is not that of the birthday of a new country, but the establishment of a new regime.” 
 Ren’s weibo at sina.com was soon removed. 

Source: BBC Chinese, October 2, 2015 http://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/trad/china/2015/10/151002_china_renzhiqiang_weibo_reax

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

China’s Banking System Needs a Remedial Class

On October 1, 2015, a speech that Zhou Xiaochuan, the Governor of the Bank of China, made back in April at an internal government seminar was released to the public. In his speech, Zhou said that China’s banking-system reform needed to go through a “remedial” class. Without strong reform measures, China’s banking system might not survive. 

Zhou said, “Although today we have been able to push marketization, internationalization, and changing the mono-banking system into a plural-banking system, in the process areas in which we need to take remedial action have become apparent.” According to Zhou, banking-system reform in economies in transition always face several major difficulties. Without strong measures, serious commitment, cleaning up the financial problems, or adopting a market mechanism, China’s banking system may not survive. 
Source: China Stocks, October 1, 2015 
http://news.cnstock.com/news/sns_bwkx/201510/3581511.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

CRN: Think Tanks in China Lack Independence

China Review News published an article based on a book titled, Power Think Tanks (Daguozhiku), which was written by Wang Huiyao and Miao Lu. 

According to the article, there are over 2,000 think tanks in China. All of them have three critical defects: the government influences them; they lack independence; and they are not recognized internationally. Compared to well-known global think tanks, these Chinese think tanks have a long way to go. 
At present, most Chinese think tanks are government-run or university-affiliated. Private citizens run very few of them. It is the government itself that funds these government-run or university-run think tanks, directly or indirectly. It also determines the salaries and job titles of the researchers. Because of the dependence on the government, the government’s influence on the research they do is considerable. It is difficult for them to make any constructive recommendations. In most cases, these think tanks are actually the mouthpiece for government policies or they certify the validity of government policies. The article also cited the lack of transparency in government information without which no meaningful research can be conducted and also the lack of funding sources, since charitable donations are not common in China. 
Source: China Review News, September 27, 2015 
http://hk.crntt.com/doc/1039/4/4/9/103944976.html?coluid=151&kindid=15430&docid=103944976&mdate=0927002006
Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Caixin PMI: Weak Demand for Manufacturing Continues

According to Caixin on September 23, the preliminary Caixin China manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) hit a six-and-a-half-year low of 47.0 in September. This was below the final PMI of 47.3 for August, which was the lowest since March 2009. The final PMI for September will be released on October 1, 2015. 

A PMI above 50 indicates an expansion in activity while one below 50 points to a contraction. 
It was mainly new orders and new export orders sub-indexes that led the decline in PMI in September, suggesting weak domestic and external demand. He Fan, the chief economist at the Caixin Think Tank, said, "The previous impact from external demand and prices is the main reason for the weakening of manufacturing.” 
Source: Caixin.com, September 23, 2015 
http://pmi.caixin.com/2015-09-23/100855332.html
Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Guangming Daily: How to Release Information in Times of Social Emergencies

Guangming Daily published an article on how to approach the release of information to the public in times of emergencies, including major social unrest or disasters, in order to increase the government‘s credibility and enhance its image. 

First, the release must be done at the earliest possible time in order to control and guide public opinion. 
Second, the release must be updated in stages as more information becomes available. No interaction involving question and answer sessions should be held during the early public release of information. 
Third, releasing information is a team effort and involves a number of departments. Close coordination among different departments is important to avoid each one marching to its own tune. 
Fourth, the release should be made so that it reaches all segments of the population with customized messages. 
Fifth, the release must use the appropriate wording so as not to aggravate, have a negative social impact on, or offend the public. 
Sixth, the release must tell the facts as early as possible, but be cautious about relating the causes and arriving at conclusions. 

Source: Guangming Daily, September 21, 2015 
http://news.gmw.cn/2015-09/21/content_17104460_2.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics