On August 22, 2013, Xinhua reported that the first day of Bo Xilai’s trial on charges of accepting bribes, embezzlement, and abuse of power began in the Shangdong Jinan Intermediate People’s Court.
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Online Poll Shows People Want Checks and Balances and the Right to Criticize the Government
Since 2012, Professor Ma Deyong of Nan Kai University in Tianjin has been conducting a poll on the Internet. The results showed that 6.2 percent of Chinese netizens are leftists, 38.7 percent are rightists and 55.1 percent occupy the middle ground. The poll also showed that the Internet has become a major force in leading public opinion and is a platform where people can express their own thoughts.
Huanqiu: Extreme Political Resistance Has No Future in China
On August 14, 2013, Huanqiu published a commentary on overseas dissidents entitled, “The Overseas Democracy Movement Must Swallow the Bitter Pill of Marginalization.” The commentary stated, “Recently, a number of overseas democracy activists have been connecting with one another on the Internet, bragging about returning home one day next year to make trouble, or about congregating outside of and ‘besieging’ the Chinese government’s overseas establishments around the world. Names forgotten by or unknown to the Chinese people flash like a meteor across the media.”
Antitrust Investigation Expands to Petroleum, Telecommunications, Automobiles, and Banks
Xu Kunlin, an official from the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China’s antitrust enforcement agency, indicated that the next target of antitrust investigations will be closely related to consumers and that petroleum, telecommunications, automobiles, and banks are all in the scope of investigation. In particular, in respect to banks, Xu stated that banks that fix rates will be investigated after the reform of market interest rates.
Since the beginning of the year, NDRC has conducted antitrust investigations and issued fines to companies producing liquid crystal panels, liquor, milk powder, and gold jewelry. The investigation of automobiles has covered domestically produced vehicles as well as foreign imports.
Source: Xinhua, August 16, 2013 http://news.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2013-08/16/c_125179650.htm
Xinhua: Chinese Netizens Must Adhere to Seven Essential Guidelines
Xinhua published a commentary suggesting that Internet users should comply with certain standards. On August 10, People’s Daily had reported that a group of well-known Internet bloggers proposed that, when they blog online, they should adhere to seven essential guidelines.
Government Official: China Has Many Ghost Towns
Qiao Runling, Deputy Director of the Cities and Small Towns Reform and Development Center, which is under the National Development and Reform Commission, confirmed that “ghost towns” exist in many places in China.
Qiushi: The Fundamental Crisis in China is One of Values and Faith
Qiushi published an article entitled, “What is China’s Fundamental Crisis?” The author believes that the ultimate crisis that China faces is not an economic crisis or a political crisis caused by corruption. Rather, China’s “fundamental crisis is the crisis caused by the conflict between ideology and reality. It is a crisis of values, a crisis of faith.”
China’s Research Study: H7N9 May Have Passed Between People
Chinese medical personnel conducted a research study on H7N9. The British Medical Journal then published the results, which were also reported in BBC Chinese and reprinted on Netease.com. The study outlined the cases of a 60-year-old man and his 32-year-old daughter who contracted bird flu and died in March 2013.