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All posts by TGS - 69. page

CASS: 80 Percent of Poor Families Did not Receive Low Income Subsidy

The China Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) recently released its 2012 Social Security Green Book, reporting the results of a survey it had conducted. Close to 80 percent of the households surveyed, who were at the poverty level, did not receive a low income subsidy. The survey was conducted in five provinces. Of the 8,777 surveys returned, 23.5 percent were from households at the poverty level. The results also revealed that over 60 percent of those that received a low income subsidy were not households at the poverty level. However, close to 80% of the households that were in poverty did not receive any low income subsidy.

Source: The Beijing News reprinted by People’s Daily, February 24, 2013
http://politics.people.com.cn/n/2013/0224/c70731-20579608.html

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Vice Minister of Health: China Relies on Organs from Prisoners on Death Row

On February 25, 2013, Huang Jiefu, China’s Vice Minister of Health, spoke at a conference where he stated that China is the only country that systematically uses organs from executed prisoners.

According to Beijing Youth Daily, Huang stated, “For a long time, China has relied on executed prisoners as a primary source for organ transplants. Although the law provides that prisoners on death row may ‘voluntarily donate organs,’ there are loopholes in the implementation of the law. China is the only country in the world that systematically uses the organs of executed prisoners. This is not commensurate with China’s status as a major political power and a civilized country. Because an organ donation system has not been established at the national level, the organ transplantation industry has had many problems. The international hostile forces exaggerate this matter (the use of organs from executed prisoners), and attack our country’s human rights and civilization. They react negatively to all the reports about organ transplants in China and their principle is not to accept, nor publish, nor cooperate …”

Source: Beijing Youth Daily reprinted by Legal Daily, February 26, 2013                                       http://www.legaldaily.com.cn/index/content/2013-02/26/content_4223855.htm?node=20908

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Exponential Growth of Privately Owned Cars: Good or Bad?

According to a report released by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the number of privately owned cars will exceed the 100 million mark during the first quarter of 2013. State media Guangming Daily expressed concern about road congestion, air pollution, a shortage of energy, and a scarcity of land. In 2000, China entered into a 10 year boom in the automobile market. In 2010, China became the largest automobile market in the world, 5 years ahead of the original projection of 2015. Guangming further stated that there are over 5.6 million automobiles in Beijing where the roads are designed to carry only 4 million. Traffic congestion is intensifying and pollution is rapidly getting worse. In addition, in 2012 China imported 59% of the crude oil it consumed.

Source: Guangming reprinted by Xinhua, February 20, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2013-02/20/c_114730723.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Chinese Military Cyber Attack Unit Recruits Computer Science Students

The Chinese military unit 61398 that, according to the 60 page report by Mandiant, is the source of cyber attacks against the United States, recruits graduates who have a major in computer science. An example of such an effort can be found at the website of the College of Computer Science and Technology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou City.

A recruitment notice dated May 13, 2004, was titled “Announcement of People’s Liberation Army Unit 61398 to Recruit Directed Graduates.” The notice stated the following: “According to the Graduate School, the People’s Liberation Army Unit 61398 (located in Pudong, Shanghai) will recruit master’s degree candidates from the 2003 class, who have a major in computer science, to be directed graduates. Those students who sign the agreement will be provided with a defense scholarship of 5,000 yuan per year. Upon graduation, the students will be directed and assigned to work in the People’s Liberation Army. Interested students from the 2003 master’s degree class in our college may contact Teacher Peng from the Graduate Office of the college by May 20. …”

Source: iFeng.com, February 20, 2013
http://news.ifeng.com/mainland/detail_2013_02/20/22299410_0.shtml

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

China Denies Cyber Attack Allegations

Geng Yansheng, spokesman for China’s Ministry of Defense, held a press briefing on February 20, 2013. At the briefing, he dismissed Mandiant’s report about cyber attacks emanating from China as groundless. He stated, “Chinese law prohibits any activities that undermine cyber security, including hacker attacks. The Chinese government always and resolutely cracks down on related criminal activities. The Chinese armed forces have never supported any hacking activities.”

Geng said that Mandiant’s report was groundless for several reasons. First its conclusion that the source of cyber attacks came from China was based solely on its discovery that the attacks were linked to IP addresses based in China. It is common that hacking attacks are carried out by using other people’s IP addresses. Second, the world has not developed any clear and consistent definition of cyber attacks and thus the report is without legal basis. Third, cyber attacks are transnational, anonymous, and deceptive; their sources are rather difficult to identify. Releasing irresponsible information will not help solve problems.

Geng further said that China actually is a major victim of cyber attacks. By tracing the IP addresses (of attacks in China), it was found that many of the attacks came from the United States.

Source: Xinhua, February 20, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2013-02/20/c_114738517.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Reforming State Owned Enterprises: Trends and Paths

China Review News published a commentary on the reform of state-owned enterprises (SOEs). According to the article, the reform has gone through three stages. The first stage was the entire 1980s when the reform priority was to invigorate the SOEs by loosening up the planned economy mechanism and implementing the open door policy. The second stage was from the 1990s to the early 2000s. In the competition between SOES and privately owned companies, some SOEs did not survive the market mechanism, while others thrived. The national economy has become one in which SOEs coexist with privately owned companies.

“The third stage is the last stage of SOE reform, the core issue being the exit of the SOEs. We are now in this stage. … The process of the exit of SOEs from the economy involves first, classification and then, gradual phasing out. Specifically, the first step is to divide the SOEs into two categories: competitive and non-competitive. Then the exit of competitive SOEs and the reform of non-competitive SOEs will be carried out concurrently.”

Source: China Review News, February 13, 2013
http://www.zhgpl.com/doc/1024/3/7/6/102437687.html?coluid=53&kindid=0&docid=102437687&mdate=0213081122

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Finding a Job is Tough for College Graduates in China

People’s Daily published an article in which it reported on the results after the Mycos Institute polled college graduates who were searching for jobs in China. The poll was conducted during December 2012 and January 2013. It showed that 35 percent of the trade school graduates surveyed signed employment contracts, nine percentage points lower than last year; 38 percent of graduates with college degrees signed employment contracts, eight percentage points lower than last year; and 29 percent of those with masters degrees signed employment contracts, 7 percentage points lower than last year.

The highest success rate was for jobs in manufacturing, followed by telecommunications and information technology.

Source: People’s Daily, February 14, 2013
http://edu.people.com.cn/n/2013/0214/c1053-20485368.html

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

China: Nuclear Test Had no Impact on China’s Environment and Public Health

China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection said on February 14, 2013, that, as of February 13, 2013, at 10 a.m. and based on data it has collected, the radiation level was normal in Beijing, Harbin, Changchun, Shenyang, and other cities in China.

The Ministry said, "North Korea’s third nuclear test has not had any impact on our nation’s environment and our people’s health. No artificial nuclear radiation from the nuclear test has been detected within our borders." According to the Ministry, data from 25 monitoring stations and 12 mobile locations in the northeastern border region (close to North Korea) showed that radiation levels were normal and within the daily average. The Ministry stated, “If any radiation had been released, it would have moved toward the southeast; as of today, it has not had any impact on China.”

Source: The Ministry of Environmental Protection, reprinted by Huanqiu, February 14, 2013 http://world.huanqiu.com/regions/2013-02/3639513.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics