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Briefings - 1006. page

Culture Ministry: Support the Culture Industry During the 12th Five-Year Plan

Xinhua reported on some comments made by Culture Minister Cai Wu about the future of the culture industry. Cai said that during the “the 12th Five-Year Plan,” the Ministry of Culture will actively coordinate the relevant departments to further perfect the policies in the areas of finance, tax, technological innovation, and land in order to support the development of the culture industry. He said that the Ministry of Culture will soon draft a “Culture Industry Promotion Law.” This will speed up the legislative process for the culture industry and will elevate the effective policy to the level of national law.

Source: Xinhua, December 9, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2010-12/09/c_12864842.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Xinhua TV Services to Cover Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa

The state ‘s China Xinhua News Network Corporation (CNC) signed an agreement with Eutelsat Communications to broadcast its English-language channel, CNC World, to Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, starting on January 1, 2011. It will be broadcast through Eutelsat’s Eurobird, Hotbird, and W7 satellites. CNC was established on December 1, 2009, according to Wu Jincai, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Xinhua and chairman of CNC. The CNC broadcast is transmitted via satellite and cable, and broadcast on mobile phones, the Internet, and outdoor big screens, said Wu. CNC has satellite channel services for the Asia Pacific region and for North America, cable channel services in Hong Kong and Macao, and mobile phone and on-line TV services. CNC aims to “build a competitive and influential modern international media enterprise over the next several years.“

Source: Xinhua, December 9, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2010-12/09/c_13642442.htm

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology

Huanqiu: Put a Question Mark by WikiLeaks

An editorial that appeared on Huanqiu on December 2, 2010, questions the background of WikiLeaks. “The biggest question: How can a website that is dedicated to exposing American scandals survive in the Western world?” ”The scandals created by WikiLeaks release of information are either old stories or irrelevant gossip; the United States has quickly digested the ‘negative impact’ they brought about. … If the authority of WikiLeaks is established, it may just be banter in Western countries, but in the non-Western world, leaking unverifiable documents could subvert the State.”

Source: Huanqiu, December 2, 2010
http://opinion.huanqiu.com/roll/2010-12/1308891.html

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

China High Speed Rail to Meet Military Requirements

On December 7, 2010, Xinhua reported on the Chinese military’s participation in the design and planning of China’s high speed railway. Military requirements have become part of the rail development. In the Chengdu Railway Bureau, 14 military officers have been appointed to lead positions in key departments and at major stations. “Military transportation departments are riding the momentum and proactively coordinating railway planning, design, construction, and other departments. They propose the timing of the requirements and track the implementation. Military requirements were incorporated into the planning even before the start of construction. The high speed rail links Chengdu, Xi’an, Lanzhou, Guiyang, Kunming, Wuhan, Beijing, Tianjin, the Pearl River Delta, and the Yangtze River Delta.

Source: Xinhua, December 7, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2010-12/07/c_12853822.htm

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

Eighty-Five Percent of Chinese Unable to Afford Their Own Home

The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences released its 2011 “Economic Blue Book.” The Blue Book discusses real estate in 2010 and 2011. It reports that over 85% of households cannot afford to buy their own home. The market price of housing is growing much faster than personal income. An urban family would have to save their entire income for over eight years in order to buy a house. The Blue Book observed that another feature of China’s real estate is the government monopoly of the supply. Such a monopoly is an important force that drives up the price of real estate.

Source: Xinhua, December 8, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/house/2009-12/08/content_12608338.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

International Herald Leader: U.S. Should Take Responsibility in Dealing with North Korea

The International Herald Leader published an article on December 3, 2010, about the U.S. lack of responsibility in dealing with North Korea. While China suggested the six-party talks, meant to resolve the crisis of the Korean Peninsula, the U.S. was not interested. The article stated that the U.S. response showed that the U.S. does not want to pay its due, but instead wants China and Russia to “control” North Korea. It wants South Korea to bear all the risk for the failure to control North Korea. The article also stated that the U.S. joint military exercise with South Korea and Japan had no impact on North Korea. “Now North Korea is certain that the U.S.-South Korean joint military exercise won’t turn into a military attack against North Korea,” so the U.S. just saved face without any great effect.

Source: International Herald Leader, December 3, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/herald/2010-12/03/c_13633559.htm

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Study Times: Government’s Public Power Misused for State-Owned Enterprises

Study Times, a weekly Chinese Communist Party School newspaper, published an article pointing out problems with State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), especially those with monopoly positions in China. It argued that many of these SOEs lack core competitiveness in the international market and damage fair competition in China. “With the government’s subsidies, their employees receive large salaries even though the company loses money.” “After recent reforms and reorganizations, the SOEs have become larger and their market dominance stronger, making it impossible for privately owned companies to compete with them.” This is the result of the SOEs misusing the government’s public power. Some large SOEs have financial power and economic influence as significant as that of a provincial government. The article didn’t offer any solutions.

Source: Study Times, December 6, 2010
http://www.studytimes.com.cn:9999/epaper/xxsb/html/2010/12/06/12/12_47.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

CCP Politburo Meeting on Next Year’s Economic Work

A Chinese Communist Party Politburo meeting was held in Beijing on December 3, 2010. Hu Jintao presided over the meeting, analyzing the economic requirements for the coming year. The meeting’s outcome stipulated “this year, the economic development environment in China has been extremely complex, with many natural disasters and major challenges.” It also concluded that “China will face many difficulties and challenges in the coming year.” For next year, “(China) should continue to strengthen and improve its macro-economic control, adjust the short-term and long-term priorities … not only solve the current issues, but also advance on solving the deeper conflicts and resolving potential risks … ” It outlined many directions, including increasing internal consumption and raising income for the low to mid-level income group, preventing blindly repetitive government investments, stabilizing consumer prices, developing energy-saving industries, expanding exports, and so on.

Source: Xinhua, December 3, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2010-12/03/c_13633917.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics