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New Communist Leadership Announced

On November 14, 2012, the Chinese Communist Party published the list of the 205 members of the 18th Party Central Committee, the new leadership for the next five years. According to Xinhua, 2,307 delegates "elected" the new Party Central Committee at the closing session of the 18th National Congress of the Party; the number elected also includes 171 alternate members as well. 
On November 15, the Party announced the Political Bureau of the18th Party Central Committee, which is composed of 25 members, seven of whom are listed on the Standing Committee. They are Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Zhang Dejiang, Yu Zhengsheng, Liu Yunshan, Wang Qishan, and Zhang Gaoli. Xi Jinping succeeds Hu Jintao as the General Secretary of the Communist Party. He also chairs Central Military Commission, the supreme military policy-making body. Wang Qishan chairs the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, an agency that is charged with rooting out corruption and malfeasance among party cadres.
Source: Xinhua, November 15, 2012
http://news.xinhuanet.com/18cpcnc/2012-11/15/c_113700513.htm
Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Disposable Personal Income Lagged Behind GDP Growth

On October 31, 2012, Securities Times published a report on the National Bureau of Statistics of China’s recently released statistics on China’s revenues. According to the statistics, during the 10 years from 2002 to 2011, the personal disposable income of urban residents increased 1.8 times. In the same period, national fiscal revenue increased 4.5 times and domestic GDP went up 3.6 times. “This wide gap shows that during the past 10 years, most of the newly created wealth was distributed outside the reach of China’s residents. Considering the multiple of 4.5 times in the increase in fiscal revenue, it can be said that the government received a much larger share of the benefits than ordinary residents. In fact, on average, urban residents’ income increased by 10 percent per annum, while fiscal revenue went up by as much as 20 percent per annum.”

Source: Securities Times, October 31, 2012
http://news.stcn.com/content/2012-10/31/content_7280245.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Hu Jintao: Corruption May Lead to Collapse of the Party

In his opening remarks at the 18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing, Hu Jintao acknowledged that corruption presents a serious challenge to the Communist Party. He stated, “If we fail to handle this issue well, it could prove fatal to the Party and even lead to the collapse of the Party and the fall of the State.” He added that those who break the law will be brought to justice, "whoever they are and whatever power or official positions they have."

Hu emphasised, "[We] should ensure that the Party always remains a strong core of leadership for the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics."

Source: Xinhua, November 8, 2012
http://china.huanqiu.com/politics/2012-11/3257281.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Bo Xilai Scandal – A Very Profound Lesson

Cai Mingzhao, the spokesman for the 18th National Communist Party Congress, said that the Chinese Communist Party has learned a “very profound lesson” from the Bo Xilai scandal. “What happened with regard to Bo Xilai, Liu Zhijun, and others involves serious cases of corruption among senior Party leaders. The lesson is very profound. … The Party Central Committee and the State Council attaches great importance to honest government and anti-corruption work. They have consistently stressed the point that, regardless of who the offenders are and how high their rank, as long as they engage in corruption, [they will] resolutely investigate and pull no punches. The handling of the Bo Xilai and Liu Zhijun investigations has fully demonstrated the strong determination and attitude of our Party with respect to building a clean government and combating corruption.”

[Editor’s Note: On October 26, China’s Supreme People’s Procuratorate announced that Bo was placed under investigation for suspected crimes. Under Chinese law, China’s Supreme People’s Court will be the court that tries Bo Xilai, meaning there will be no appeal.]

Source: The Communist Party of China website, November 7, 2012
http://cpc.people.com.cn/18/n/2012/1107/c350840-19522246.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Forty Percent of China’s Civil Servants Plan Early Retirement

According to a recent survey of China’s civil servants (government employees), 38.53 percent of those surveyed experienced that the reality of their government jobs turned out to be way below their expectations. Over 70 percent responded that large scale downsizing of the government is likely. With respect to the future of a government career, 39.10 percent are “preparing to retire early, just in case,” to play it safe; 10.11 percent are considering leaving the government for either a job in the private sector or to continue their education. The remaining 50.79 percent are not optimistic about their career prospects; their attitude is, "one step at a time, and deal with changes by not changing.”

Source: Xiaoxiang Morning News reprinted by Sina.com, October 31, 2012
http://edu.sina.com.cn/official/2012-10-31/1501360447.shtml

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

PLA Daily: Resolutely Follow the Commands of Hu Jintao

On November 1, 2012, the People’s Liberation Army Daily issued an editorial in support of Hu Jintao. The editorial stressed the Communist Party’s absolute control over the military. It stated that the military is the main support for the Party and the country; it is responsible for the Party’s political dominance, implying that the role of the military in the rifts among the Party leaders is critical. The editorial warned, “The hostile forces in and outside China are ready to make trouble. … (We) must keep a clear mind and take a firm stand on major issues. … (The military) must consciously be highly consistent with the Party Central Committee and the Central Military Commission ideologically, politically, and in action and resolutely follow the commands of the Party Central Committee, the Central Military Commission, and Chairman Hu.

[Editor’s note: The PLA editorial on November 1, 2012, has been interpreted as showing support for Premiere Wen Jiabao after the New York Times published an article on October 26, titled “Billions in Hidden Riches for Family of Chinese Leader,” referring to Wen Jiabao. Wen, who is close to Hu Jintao, is known for his stance against the faction of former President Jiang Zemin and his cohorts such as the demoted Bo Xilai who, according to reports, was instrumental in the forced organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners in China.]

Source: People’s Liberation Army Daily reprinted on the Chinese Communist Party website, November 1, 2012
http://theory.people.com.cn/n/2012/1101/c49151-19459961.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Ministry of Defense: Major Reshuffle of Military Leaders

On October 25, 2012, the Ministry of National Defense of China updated its official website with a significant reshuffle ahead of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party, which will be held on November 8, 2012. As part of the Central Military Commission, the leaders of all four major military organizations have changed as follows: Fang Fenghui, Chief of Staff of the General Staff Department; Zhang Yang, Director of the General Political Department; Zhao Keshi, Director of the General Logistics Department; and Zhang Youxia, Director of the General Armaments Department.

Source: Ministry of National Defense, October 25, 2012
http://www.mod.gov.cn/leader/index.htm

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

Organ Harvesting in China: Supply and Demand

On October 24, 2012, Xinhua reprinted an article from another state media, China Youth Daily, which reported that the Guangzhou Military Command General Hospital has a computerized system that automatically matches and allocates organs to waiting patients. According to the article, “In this nationally connected system, a computer matches organs with patients waiting for a transplant without any human intervention.” The hospital is one of 160 involved in a pilot program for this system. On October 10, 2012, the Ministry of Health announced that it has formulated an interim guideline for obtaining and allocating organs, which will soon be released.

[Editor’s note: Such an effort by China’s Ministry of Health has been viewed as a response to mounting reports about forced organ harvesting in China in which the organs of prisoners of conscience, including Falun Gong practitioners, are placed on a list as being available on-demand for those waiting for a match. Two popular videos that have spread online about this matter can be found at http://youtu.be/P0GFXnco-LU; and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvAOOwvJMZs&feature=plcp]

Source: China Youth Daily reprinted by Xinhua, October 24, 2012
http://news.xinhuanet.com/health/2012-10/24/c_123863531.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics