The State authorities finally approved a pilot program to provide bundling services of phone, TV and Internet, reported Guangzhou Daily. According to a number of sources, details will be announced within a day or two. The approval grants the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television exclusive right to build and administer the integrated control platform for IPTV multicast, and to engage in bundled services of phone, TV and Internet.
Source: Guangzhou Daily, June 8, 2010
http://gzdaily.dayoo.com/html/2010-06/08/content_989275.htm
Briefings - 1021. page
State Controlled Industries’ Widening Income Disparity
Xia Yeliang, a professor from Beijing University concluded that the return of “planning” and non-market allocation of resources by the State have been the cause of China’s widening income disparity. Based on his research, the income of the top 10% of the population was 23 times that of the bottom 10% in 2007 compared to 7.3 times back in 1988. As of the end of 2008 monthly pensions of government retirees was 2.1 times that of those in the non-government sector. State controlled industries such as power plants, telecommunications, petroleum, finance, insurance, utilities, and tobacco account for 55% of the total national salaries, but for a meager 8% of the national workforce.
Source: Economic News National Weekly, reprinted by ifeng.com, June 8, 2010 http://finance.ifeng.com/opinion/zjgc/20100608/2289139.shtml
Top Military Leaders’ Intense Foreign Visits
Xinhua republished an article from Wen Wei Po, stating that four Chinese top military leaders had visited ten countries in the past month. The Deputy Chairman of the Central Military Committee, Guo Boxiong, visited Australia, New Zealand, and Indonesia. The Minister of Defense, Liang Guanglei, visited Pakistan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan. The PLA Chief of General Staff, Chen Bingde, visited Namibia, Angola, and Tanzania. Director Li Jinai of the PLA General Political Department visited Vietnam. These visits were creative and productive as they focused on countries in Asia, Australia, and Africa at the time when the Sino-U.S. and Sino-E.U. military relationships are at a complicated stage.
The article also stated that Li Jinai’s visit to Vietnam settled some emergent issues, but it didn’t specify the details.
Source: Xinhua, June 5, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2010-06/05/content_13623144.htm
China Planning to Attract 2,000 Top Talent from Overseas
The Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and State Council recently issued the “National Mid to Long Term Talent Development Plan (2010-2020).” The plan outlined a “Thousand People Plan” to attract 2,000 talented top-level overseas people to China for innovation or business in 5-10 years. A series of policies were created to support the talent plan, including offering preferential treatment on immigration and permanent residence, tax, insurance, housing, kids education, and spousal work arrangements, appointments to high-level leadership positions, assignments to important research projects, involvment in setting national standards, setting up government awards, establishing an overseas top talent database and a talent demand posting platform, and so on.
“Getting technology is better than getting foreign investments; getting talent is better than getting technology.” To change its economic development model, China must develop its strategic industries. Therefore, developing talent and bringing talent from overseas has become very critical.
Source: Xinhua, June 7, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2010-06/07/c_13337836.htm
Chinese Major General: the U.S. Is the Biggest Threat to China’s Security
Xinhua republished an article from Defense Times, quoting Yang Yi, a Major General at the National Defense University. He stated that the U.S. is the only country in the world that presents a full-scale threat to China. Yang made this statement at the “Chinese Military” conference on April 22, during an exchange with a U.S. official (whose name was not disclosed) on the issues of Taiwan, infractions between the U.S. and Chinese military, and the hacker attacks. Yang expressed great concern over U.S. navy’s exercise in the South China Sea. Yang also stated that the importance of the Taiwan issue is decreasing in the Sino-U.S. relationship. He believes that China and Taiwan are getting closer and closer. The weapons that the U.S. sold to Taiwan will eventually all belong to China after the two sides unite.
Source: Xinhua, June 1, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2010-06/01/content_13602046.htm
CRN: U.S. Has Started an Agricultural Products War against China
China Review News (CRN) recently published an article discussing U.S. agro-based products invading Chinese markets en masse. In fact, China is the largest market for U.S. produce, amounting $10.6 billion for the first half of 2010. China now buys more than half of the total U.S. soybean export volume. U.S. soybean companies control 40% of the Chinese soybean processing capabilities and 90% of the imports. Chinese external dependency on vegetable oil has risen to 60%. After the soybean monopoly, U.S. corn is attacking China too – the Chinese import of U.S. corn has been growing rapidly since last year. The article called for 100% or 101% food self-sufficiency as a “strategic weapon.” The author quoted Henry Kissinger in its conclusion, “If you control oil, then you control all nations; if you control food, then you control everyone.”
Source: China Review News, June 3, 2010
http://gb.chinareviewnews.com/doc/1013/4/1/8/101341854.html?coluid=148&kindid=0&docid=101341854&mdate=0603000947
China Business Times: Local Debts Rise to 7 Trillion from 4 Trillion
Xinhua republished a report by China Business Times on worries about the rapid increase in local debts. The report referred to government sources on the fact that local debts have risen from RMB 4 trillion to 7 trillion in only a few months. The State Council met on May 26 to arrange regulations on local financing platforms and debts. Experts believe that the actual amount of local debts is very hard to find out. Local governments utilize various platforms to borrow money that are not included in the official budget. The transparency of these loans is typically poor. One of the causes of this situation is the irrational distribution of funds between the central government and local governments. Current Chinese law prohibits local governments from issuing bonds.
Source: Xinhua, June 3, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2010-06/03/c_12174046_2.htm
Xinhua: Construction Started for China-Myanmar Oil and Gas Pipeline
Global Times, under Chinese state daily news Renmin, republished a report by Xinhua that China National Petroleum Corporation recently signed an agreement with Myanmar Oil and Gas Company to be the controlling shareholder in a joint venture to construct an Oil and Gas Pipeline. The Gas Pipeline is 793 kilometers long in Myanmar while the Oil Pipeline is 771 kilometers in Myanmar. Both start from Kyaukpyu City of Myanmar and enter China via Ruili City of Yunnan Province. The design capacity of the Oil Pipeline and Gas Pipeline are 22 million tons per year and 12 billion cubic meters per year, respectively. On other fronts, the China-Russia Oil Pipeline will start production by the end of this year, and the China-Kazakhstan Oil and Gas Pipeline has been operational since last year.
Source: Global Times, June 4, 2010
http://china.huanqiu.com/roll/2010-06/843160.html