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Web Photos: Chinese Taoist Under Military Training and Patriotic Education

Chinese internet users are stunned by web photos showing Taoists kicking goose-steps and saluting to flag-rising, wearing Taoist priest’s robe.

Wudang Taoist Academy is a three-year religious college recently approved by the State Administration of Religious Affairs (SARA), located at the Wudang mountain, where famous Taoist temples are seated.

The kicking of goose-steps is part of the military training that all newly enrolled students ought to undertake. The flag-rising ceremony aims to cultivate the patriotic passion of the students, according to the Nanfang Daily report.

Source: Nanfang Daily, November 12, 2008
http://www.nanfangdaily.com.cn/tpxw/200811120056.asp

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Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Chinese Media Outlet Issues Mistresses Report

In a recent report published by China’s Nanfang People Weekly (or Nanfang Renwu Zhoukan), mistresses of corrupt officials were found least subject to legal punishment.

The report investigates 41 corrupted officials at the ranking of governorship in the Communist Party, Government, People’s Congress, Political Consultative Conference, and Judiciary Branch, spanning from 1998 to 2008. The sources used are public information from the court system and media interviews with the defense lawyers and family members of the officials.

36 out of the 41 investigated have at least one mistress. These officials aged 62 on average at the time of being prosecuted, with their legal spouses around 60. The mistresses are on average 11 years younger than the spouses, while the largest age difference being over 30. After a comparative study, the report concludes that the motives of possessing mistresses have shifted from seeking sexual pleasure toward mutual benefits. The special group of mistresses of high officials are de facto playing the role of money managers.

However, the mistresses are more or less risk free from among the group of investigated, as only 8 out of the 36 were put on trial and 5 convicted, shows the report.

Source: Radio Free Asia, November 11, 2008
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/fubai-11112008110523.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Blacklisted Chinese Democracy Activists to Sue Netease

Finding their names blacklisted on an internet file of the company’s website, three democracy activists have asked for an open apology and plan to sue Netease Com Inc, a Chinese internet company listed on NASDAQ (code: NTES).

Zheng Cunzhu, a businessman in Anhui province and chairman of the board of Jiahe Food Inc. Ltd, was the first to find from the official website of Netease a file named "badwords.txt," where his name was placed aside a list of dirty words. Zheng also spotted the names of Wang Zhaojun, a member of the standing committee of the political consultative conference of Anhui province, and Guo Quan, a professor at Nanjing Normal University. The three of them intend to file a lawsuit in the U.S. against Netease, providing no apology is heard by Nov. 14.

Zheng, Wang, and Guo are famous as each of them wrote an individual open letter to the leaders of the communist regime, calling for political reform and criticizing the regime’s policy on  the 1989 prodemocracy movement and the Falun Gong religious group. Censored in the Mainland, the letters  spread widely on overseas Chinese websites.

Other forbidden words on the list discovered by Zheng include those related to democracy, religion, and the domestic civil rights movement. The lawsuit aims to call attention to freedom of expression in China, with the hope of reforming the political system.

Source: Radio Free Asia, November 11, 2008
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/guoquan-11112008102038.html

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology

China and Russia Discuss about Collaboration in the development of Space Station

Vitaly Davydov, deputy director of Russian Aerospace Institute, says that Russia will expand the collaboration with China in the peaceful development of space, but will not transfer technology. He made the comment while he was attending The 2008 China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai,Guangdong Province. Davydov says: “Chinese colleagues are interested in developing space stations in the near-earth space. We are discussing the possibility of collaboration in this area.” Davydov says that Russia will not develop the station together with China, but will provide help by providing certain equipments.

Source: people.com.cn, November 11, 2008
http://military.people.com.cn/GB/42962/8316594.html　

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Xinhua China Comment: Analyze the Shortcomings of Capitalism from the Financial Crisis

Xinhua magazine China Comment published an article calling the end of American style of free capitalism. The article says that U.S. government’s massive involvement in the market signals the end of the free capitalism of America. The author argues that the sudden collapse of the free capitalism is the result of the shortcomings of free capitalism. The article listed several deficiencies of the capitalism that resulted in the crisis. In the end, the author concludes: “…The financial crisis and the U.S.’s “nationalizing” market rescue shows that the American flag of freedom has already descended from the flagpole. For so many years, the United States has been offending other countries’ sovereignty and will to promote the free capitalist model, now many problems have come.

Source: Xinhua, November 11, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2008-11/11/content_10339611.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Hu and Obama Had Telephone Conversation

Hu and Obama had a telephone conversation in the evening of November 8. Hu congratulated Obama for winning the presidential election. He praised Obama’s China policy where the importance of US-China relationship was emphasized, so was the cooperation between the two countries to work together through the global challenges and sharing the opportunity to grow.

“In the new era, China is willing to maintain the dialog with US at all levels, continue to develop strategic talks and increase cooperation in various areas.” Hu said. “We would also hope to further develop talks in handling the important international affairs, respect and care for each other and properly handle sensitive issues, such as the issue of Taiwan, so as to elevate our constructive cooperation to another level.”

Source: Xinhua, November 9, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2008-11/09/content_10328354.htm

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

State Council Introduced Measures to Expand Domestic Consumption

On November 5, Premier Wen Jiabao chaired a State Council meeting and discussed the measures to expand the domestic consumption to ensure smooth economy growth.

It was agreed that it is necessary to adopt a macro economic policy in light of the world economic crisis which will contain the execution of proactive fiscal policies and loose monetary policy; speed up the projects to improve people’s living standard as well as infrastructure, bio-environment and natural disaster recovery. The measure will also include the effort to improve the living standard of the low income group.

Source: Xinhua, November 11, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2008-11/09/content_10331258_1.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Millions of Migrant Workers Return Home

In little over two weeks from October 11 to October 27, 1.2 million people boarded the train from Guangzhou Train Station. The number is 130,000 higher than the same period last year. Most of them are migrant workers who were affected by factory shutdown and chose to return back to their hometown. Experts predicted that the trend of factory closing is currently moving from the south towards the east part of China.

Source: Mingpo, November 9, 2008
http://www.mingpaonews.com/20081109/gba1.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources