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Briefings - 1131. page

3000 District Procurators to Take Part in Intensive Training

Following the intensive training of 3000 top Public Security Bureau officers, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate recently called for an intensive training session for 3000 general procurators from the district level. The training started on February 26 and will end before 2010. Cao Jianming, Procurator-General of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, calls the training an unprecedented event of historic significance.

There are over 3000 district procuratorates nationwide which accounts for 80 percent of the total.

Source: Xinhua, March 3, 2009
http://news.xinhuanet.com/legal/2009-03/03/content_10932555.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

State Media: Obama, Why Should We Believe You?

Obama must take action to ensure Chinese assests are secure in the United States, says a March 19 editorial in the International Herald Leader, a subsidiary of Xinhua. On March 13, Premier Wen re-iterated China’s request that the U.S. administration honor its promise to ensure Chinese assets are secure in the United States. In response, Obama announced that investors from the world including China should have absolute confidence in their investment in the United States.

The editorial comments that unless Obama takes concrete action to reassure China, his promise is nothing but lip service. Specifically, China should leverage its position as the largest debtor and negotiate a much higher return with the U.S. Treasury for U.S. government bonds. China should tie the appreciation of the RMB with the purchase of U.S. government bonds to resist further pressure from the U.S. on RMB appreciation.

Source: Xinhua, March 19, 2009
http://news.xinhuanet.com/herald/2009-03/19/content_11034722.htm

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

2009 China Military Power Report Will Harm U.S.-China Relations, Warns Chinese Defense Ministry

Qian Lihua, Director of the Foreign Affairs office of the Chinese Defense Ministry, stated that the March release of the 2009 China Military Power Report by the U.S. Department of Defense will cause new damage to bilateral military relations. His remarks were made after a meeting between himself and David Sedney, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense. The Xinhua report says that the past 30 years of exchanges have lacked a fundamental principle both countries agree to. This is the result of “a strong U.S. and a weak China.” China has invited the U.S. to observe several field exercises in the past few years, while the U.S. rarely does the same.

Source: Xinhua, March 2, 2009
http://news.xinhuanet.com/herald/2009-03/02/content_10926360.htm

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

State Delegation of Tibetans Visits the United States

A State delegation of Tibetan members of the National People’s Congress met with U.S. Congressmen, reported the Chinese Central Government’s website on March 18, 2009. The delegation met with Congressmen Rick Larsen, Chairman of the U.S.-China Working Group, and John Conyers, Chairman of Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives. The delegation also visited the Brookings Institution in Washington DC.

Source: Central Government of China, March 18, 2009
http://www.gov.cn/jrzg/2009-03/18/content_1262072.htm

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Anti-monopoly in China: Coco Cola Denied Bid to Purchase Largest Chinese Juice Producer

China’s Anti-monopoly Bureau of Ministry of Commerce denied the U.S. company’s bid to purchase Huiyuan Juice, according to a release by the Ministry’s press office on March 18, 2009, on grounds that the proposed acquisition may restrict competition and harm local producers. On September 18, 2008 Coca-Cola’s submitted application to China’s Anti-monopoly Bureau for clearance to purchase Huiyuan Juice, China’s largest juice producer. Review of the application started November 19, 2008.

Source: Ministry of Commerce of China, March 18, 2009 http://www.mofcom.gov.cn/aarticle/ae/ai/200903/20090306108388.html

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Tens of Thousands of Retired Military Officers Challenge Retirement Policy

A group of 23,000 retired military officers issued a complaint about a retirement policy between 1993 and 2000 (No. 93.1 policy), reports a civil rights organization in China. Civil Rights and Livelihood Watch has since published the complaint. The ex-officers complain about the hardships that the No. 93.1 policy has subjected them to. The retirement policy required the authorities to make a buyout lump sum payment (approximately $10,000 at the time). Once the payment was made the government was thus released of any obligation to make monthly retirement payment. Some of these ex-officers served in the People’s Liberation Army for as long as over 25 years. Many participated in the war against Vietnam in early 1979. The complaint calls for release of the details and open discussion of the retirement policy throughout the PLA.

Source: Civil Rights and Livelihood Watch, March 17, 2009
http://msguancha.com/Article/ShowArticle.asp?ArticleID=1846

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Official: Inequality Causes Low Consumption

Ren Yuling, a State Council advisor, was recently quoted by China Economic Weekly, a magazine owned by the People’s Daily newspaper. Ren refers to the grave income inequalities across the population. In metropolitan areas, the top 20 percent of the population possesses 66.4% of the financial assets, while the bottom 20 percent owns only 1.3%. With the wealth concentrated in a very few, majority of the people are lack of consumption power. This is the fundamental reason for a low domestic personal expenditure, a major target of the 4 trillion yuan government stimulus package.

Source: Voice of America, March 16, 2009
http://www.voanews.com/chinese/w2009-03-16-voa54.cfm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

PLA Daily editorial: Focus on core military capacities

PLA Daily editorial on March 18: "Insist on military modernization construction in preparing for military warfare, with an emphasis on core military capacities."

"China’s current national security is facing a complex situation. Although non-traditional security threats continue to rise, the traditional threats remain the top concern. The Party’s 17th Congress has pointed out that the military must improve the capabilities to confront multiple security threats and fulfill diverse military operations. The multiple security threats primarily refers to the threat of the country being invaded, overthrown, and split; diverse military operations primarily refers to accomplishing the task of win a regional and information warfare. The core military capacities matters for the nation’s fundamental interests."

Source: Xinhua, March 18, 2009
http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2009-03/18/content_11029549.htm

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military