All posts by TGS - 83. page

People’s Daily reported that on May 23, 2012, Hu Jintao, together with Xi Jianping, the Vice Chair of the Party’s Central Military Commission, met with the Communist Party representatives from the Beijing Military District. Hu Jintao made some comments in which he emphasized that the build-up of the military must be focused on the "fundamentals of resolutely following the command of the Party and constantly maintaining absolute loyalty to the Party."

Source: People’s Daily, May 24, 2012
http://mil.huanqiu.com/china/2012-05/2751271.html

On May 11, 2012, Cui Hairong, Deputy Director of the National Bureau of Corruption Prevention of China, delivered a speech at the Fifth International Symposium of the Hong Kong Independent Commission against Corruption. In his speech, Cui stated that during the 30 years from 1982 to 2011, as many as 420,000 Party and government officials had been disciplined for violations of Party and government rules of conduct. 462 of those disciplined were either ministers or provincial governors. Over 90 of these high ranking officials were prosecuted on corruption charges. For example, the former Vice Chairman of the People’s Congress, the former Jiangxi Governor, the former Anhui Governor, and the former Director of the State Food and Drug Administration were all executed as a consequence of their acts.

Cui further stated that, in 2011 alone, 4,843 officials were disciplined for abuse of power and corruption and 777 of those were prosecuted.

Source: National Bureau of Corruption Prevention of China, May 14, 2012
http://www.nbcp.gov.cn/article/zlk/ldjh/201205/20120500017247.shtml

Huanqiu published a commentary on the Qatar Television (the Al Jazeera TV Channel) shut down of the Beijing office for its English channel. Recently the Chinese authorities did not extend the visa for its correspondent, a Chinese American female, or allow a replacement. The Huanqiu reporter learned from foreign correspondents in Beijing that this Chinese American correspondent held “radical political views.” “The denial of her visa extension sent a signal to foreign correspondents in Beijing that those who have been stationed in Beijing for a long time should be able to understand. … If a foreign correspondent cannot manage to stay in China, we can only guess that she has probably gone too far. … We know that Chinese officials are increasingly active in their cooperation with foreign media. It is the foreign media that should take a more objective and balanced manner when dealing with China.” Finally the commentary suggested that the Qatar correspondent should reflect on what she has done in China.

(Editor’s note: According to the New York Times, it is surmised that Melissa Chan, the correspondent for Al-Jazeera, angered the Chinese by publishing a documentary on re-education through labor camps).

Sources: Huanqiu, May 9, 2012
http://opinion.huanqiu.com/1152/2012-05/2703047.html
New York Times, China Expels Al Jazeera Channel
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/08/world/asia/china-expels-al-jazeera-english-language-channel.html
Al-Jazeera, Slavery: A 21st Centry Evil"
http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/slaverya21stcenturyevil/2011/10/2011101091153782814.html

China’s State Council Information Office recently held a press conference on non-governmental organizations (NGOs, also called social organizations in China). Li Liguo, China’s Minister of Civil Affairs, who spoke at the press conference, stated that, when NGOS register directly with the government to obtain legal status, the authorities treat them all equally. “Social organizations under the categories of politics and human rights are treated equally for the purpose of registration. They are then reviewed in accordance with the applicable laws and regulations in terms of the preconditions for their establishment, the need for their establishment, the mission for their activities, and their impact on economic and social development.” Currently, as a prerequisite, before a social organization can register with the government, it must find a governmental body to oversee its activities. According to Li, in the second half of last year in some cities, public social organizations started to register directly with the government without having a governmental body to oversee them.

Source: Xinhua, May 8, 2012
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2012-05/08/c_123091679.htm

Qiushi reprinted an article from a 2004 issue of the Contemporary World and Socialism, a publication of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Compilation and Translation Bureau. The article discussed the interactions between Western political parties and the media. It stated that, in the West, the political ruling parties generally influence the media through political restraints, national security, misrepresentations, and advertising. Political restraints represent a long standing practice whereby the political ruling party censors the media through orders, threats, and arrests. Control of the media in the name of national security or classified military information is also common. “Telling lies, and the dirty dealings in Western politics have been transformed to become ‘the art of public relations.’” “The political parties in the western countries devote special attention to manipulating the media in the dissemination of their messages in order to safeguard and portray their intended image and to expand their influence.” Because of the business relationship and large amounts of funds involved, when the government or the political parties threaten to pull their business, the media usually give in.

Source: Contemporary World and Socialism reprinted by Qiushi, May 5, 2012.
http://www.qstheory.cn/zz/ywgc/201205/t20120504_155748.htm