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Briefings - 1061. page

VOA: How to Interpret China’s Rising?

Voice of America (VOA) published some experts’ opinions concerning China’s rising.  

Some highlights are:
1. The more Western countries ask China for help, the more China ignores Western countries. In the past, before a U.S. President came on a State visit to China, China released several political prisoners as a goodwill gesture. But now, China no longer feels such a gesture is necessary.

2. According to World Bank’s poverty standards, there are 800 million Chinese living below the poverty line. Besides, China’s small to mid- sized enterprises are struggling to survive. Additionally, there are complicated social problems and a suffocating political system. So China is not really rising.

3. China’s economic performance was a fake prosperity. China’s government plunged six trillion yuan into the economy, but the money was absorbed by the real estate industry. Now China’s real estate market is a bubble ready to burst. In 2010, the crisis will truly damage China.

Source: VOA, December 20, 2009
http://www1.voanews.com/chinese/news/china/China_emerging_20091220-79754647.html

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Chinese Government: Stay Out of Liu Xiaobo’s Case

Chinese writer and scholar Liu Xiaobo was sentenced to 11 years in prison on December 25, 2009. He was charged with "inciting subversion of state power" for his role as the primary author of Charter 08, a call for increased democratic reforms and greater freedom in China. When Charter 08 was released in 2008, more than 300 scholars and writers signed it; since then, 10,000 Chinese citizens have done so.

Liu Xiaobo has been detained since the eve of the release of Charter 08. The international community and foreign governments have repeatedly asked China to release him. Prior to his trial, the Chinese government warned the European Union and the U.S. not to interfere in Liu’s case. On December 29, the spokeswoman from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed that Liu’s trial completely followed China’s law and legal proceedings. She requested foreign organizations and countries not to interfere in China’s internal affairs.

Sources:
1. VOA, December 15, 2009
http://www1.voanews.com/chinese/news/CHINA-DISSIDENT-20091215-79292177.html
2. China Website, December 29, 2009
http://lianghui.china.com.cn/news/txt/2009-12/29/content_19152414.htm
3. LA Times, December 28, 2009
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2009/12/liu-xiaobo.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Wen Jiabao: No RMB Appreciation under Pressure

In an interview on December 27, 2009, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao commented on the RMB’s value. Wen confirmed that the RMB will not undergo any appreciation as a result of outside pressure. He suggested that protectionism is rising rapidly against China. Some countries are coming up with a large number of trade barriers, even in the name of environmental protection. Wen believes keeping a stable RMB value is China’s contribution to the world economy. Meanwhile, he is not optimistic about next year’s trend of Chinese exports.

Source: Xinhua, December 27, 2009
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2009-12/27/content_12711307.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

British Drug Trafficker Sentenced to Death despite UK Government Pressure

British citizen Akmal Shaikh was executed on December 29, 2009 in China. Shikh was found carrying four kilograms of heroin into China in 2007. According to Chinese law, the death sentence is given to people smuggling 50 grams or more heroin.

The British government, the media and other international human rights organizations appealed repeatedly to the Chinese government to reduce his sentence, citing psychological sanity concerns. The Chinese government stated that Shikh didn’t show signs of mental disorder, and that the trial was carried out following Chinese law and judicial process. Chinese media and judiciary experts consider the effort to save Shikh an attempt by the British government to exert undue influence on the Chinese judicial system.

Source: Xinhua, December 24, 2009
http://news.xinhuanet.com/herald/2009-12/24/content_12699516.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Xinhua: Innovative Management of Mobile or Hidden Party Members in Hunan

Hunan, one of the largest provinces providing migrant workers in China, has 181,200 CCP Party members who are on the move, also called mobile or “hidden” members. Xinhua reported on December 6, 2009, that, in order to find those hidden Party members, organizations in Hunan are providing employment information and job skills training for the mobile Party members.

In the past three months, all kinds of service organizations for the Party members in Hunan have re-registered 25,336 mobile Party members, and found 8,926 “pocket” Party members, those who keep their Party member identification to themselves after having retired, graduated from college, or left their original work unit or the army. Meanwhile, 1,503 new low-level Party organizations have been established. 807 of them are in private enterprises or associations and 126 of them are in society, such as in newly built residential neighborhoods, commercial buildings, flea markets and construction sites.

Source: Xinhua, December 06, 2009
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2009-12/06/content_12597493.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

282 Confucius Institutes in 88 Countries

Huanqiu reprinted a report originally published on China.org.cn on December 4, 2009, describing the development of Confucius Institutes around the world. Since 2004, 282 Confucius Institutes have been set up in 88 countries. At present, online Confucius Institutes are available to 149 countries. In addition, there are 11 Confucius radio broadcasting classes.

In 2009, the National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (NOCFL) has sent 2,060 training teachers to 109 countries and 2,740 Chinese language volunteer teachers to 71 countries. At the same time, 1,020 foreign students from 50 countries are studying in China for their Master’s degrees, majoring in International Chinese Education, and 2,200 foreign students are studying the Chinese language in China. Over 1,000 U.S. elementary and secondary school principals have been invited to visit China.

Source: China.org.cn, December 04, 2009
http://china.huanqiu.com/roll/2009-12/657985.html 

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Meng Jianzhu: Sustain Rapid Economic Development and Maintain a Harmonious Society

According to Xinhua news, 150,000 comprehensive social management cadres from municipal, county, township, and neighborhood levels participated in a 3-day national teleconference training. At the end of the training, on December 22, 2009, Meng Jianzhu, State Councilor and deputy director of the Party Central Committee for Comprehensive Society Management, gave a speech.

Meng pointed out that China is currently in an important strategic period of opportunity for social and economic development and of social contradictions. It is an arduous task to sustain stable and rapid economic growth and maintain a harmonious society at the same time. Therefore, the Party committees, the local governments, and the comprehensive social management departments at all levels must take more forceful measures to create a stronger cadre team that is firm in its political stance and competent in its work.

Source: Xinhua, December 22, 2009
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2009-12/22/content_12689541.htm 

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

China Is Worried about High Real Estate Prices

Xinhua reported that Wen Jiabao presided over a December 14 State Council Executive Meeting in which China’s communist controlled government acknowledged that the country is facing real estate problems. Since the time China stimulated its economy, the already high-priced housing market experienced another upsurge, making it unaffordable for the average Chinese to attain decent housing. Many Chinese people live in sheds. The meeting attendees demanded that the government exert pressure, curb rising housing prices and increase the supply of non-luxury residential properties, such as low to mid-level priced and small to mid-level sized housing and public rental housing. 

Source: Xinhua, December 14, 2009
http://news.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2009-12/14/content_12645976.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources