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Briefings - 1187. page

SARFT Establishes System To Monitor Real Time Nationwide TV Programming

China Administration of Radio, Film and TV (SARFT) now has a nationwide TV program monitoring network that allows government to monitor real time TV broadcasting of 1,372 programs. The capability is deemed one of the latest achievements of research and development of the SARFT. "This has totally changed the ineffective way of the past when we had to manually monitor – we could not listen or watch or follow up or track down or discipline.”

Source:
Xinhua, April 9, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2008-04/09/content_7949230.htm

Xinhua Article Says U.S. Congressmen Profit from Iraq War

In Xinhua’s World News section on April 6, 2008, the state-run media published an article that quoted an Associated Press’s report of U.S. Congress officials’ investment in U.S. defense companies. The Xinhua article is titled “U.S. Congress Leaders Make Huge Profits From War.” Under the title, the article highlighted Iraq war with a picture memorizing the soldiers died in the war and a description of war’s damage in the picture caption. The article quoted the AP report and said that U.S. congressmen invested US$196 million in the defense companies having businesses from the U.S. State Department and have made huge amounts of money since the Iraq war. The Xinhua article named John Kerry, Joseph Lieberman, and Roy Blunt as the ones that have benefited most.

Source:
Xinhua, April 6, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2008-04/06/content_7927594.htm

Agricultural Expert Warns Grain Price Increase

He Kaiying, Agricultural expert from Anhui Province is predicting that 18 percent price increase in Agricultural commodities since the beginning of the year will cause increase in processed food products in the upcoming months. He also warns that the grain price increase might lead to the inflation in the second half of the year. According to He, the grains cost has gone up 15 percent from last year while the grain price only increased by 6 percent. Cost Benefit Ratio has dropped to 16 percent from 21 percent a year ago. The recent survey suggested that over 10 percent of the surveyed farmers will reduce grain production this year. “Reduction in grain production is a dangerous signal. The reduction could cause grain price increase and the consequence can be very serious.” He said.

Source: Jing Ji Can Kao Bao, April 7, 2008
http://jjckb.xinhuanet.com/yw/2008-04/07/content_91911.htm

Development and Reform Commission Calls For Executing Measures to Prevent Nationwide Price Increase

On April 8, Council for Rectifying Malpractice held a national conference in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. The conference requested all levels of government agencies under the Development and Reform Commission as well as the price bureaus to completely follow and execute the measures developed by the central government. Peng Seng, Senior Inspector of the People’s Prosecution Service of National Development and Reform Commission, called for a need to establish a plan which will be used in response to the abnormal price fluctuation in certain region. “We need to firmly prevent the abnormal price fluctuation in small regions from growing to a nationwide price increase.” Peng said.

Source: Xinhua, April 8,
2008 http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2008-04/08/content_7941273.htm

Xinhua: U.S. General Is “Pouring Oil on Fire” Between North Korea and Seoul

On April 5, 2008 Xinhua reported a U.S. Senate hearing at which Army Lt. Gen. Walter Sharp testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Gen. Sharp was quoted by Xinhua as saying, "In the near term, the Republic of Korea must develop a systematic missile defense solution to protect its critical civilian and military command capabilities, critical infrastructure and population centers." Xinhua calls the statement “pouring oil on fire” in light of the threat of military retaliation made by North Korea against South Korea on April 3, 2008.

Source: Xinhua, April 5, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2008-04/05/content_7922071.htm

CCTV Economics 30 Minutes Program Stopped Broadcasting Following Critical Comments of Government S

World Journal (A Chinese daily newspaper based in North America) reports on April 8, 2008: CCTV’s “Economics 30 Minutes” Program was stopped from broadcasting after airing a comment on April 2 by an economic expert in its program that criticized central government’s inactivity of rescuing the stock market crash and the high capital gain tax. This is the first time the program stopped broadcasting without notice since it was first aired 18 years ago. It is said that two producers of the programs are being investigated.

Source: World Journal, April 7, 2008
http://www.worldjournal.com/wj-ch-news.php?nt_seq_id=1698046

People’s Daily: The United States Plotted Dollar’s Depreciation

People’s Daily posted an article on April 2, 2008 to comment the recent decline U.S. dollars, under the title of “The United States Plotted Dollar’s Depreciation to Reduce China’s Foreign Currency Reserve.” The article quoted a comment by Li Liangzhong, the director of the Economics Bureau of CCP Policy Research Institute, in a public forum. Li said that U.S. dollar’s depreciation and the above US$100 per barrel of oil was an elaborately plotted conspiracy by the United States, with the purpose to reduce the purchasing power of China’s foreign currency reserve.

Source: People’s Daily, April 2, 2008
http://finance.people.com.cn/GB/1045/7075088.html

Poll: 98% Chinese Support Direct Mayoral Election

On March 16, 2008 the State TV, China Central TV, held an online poll on direct election of city mayor.

“Do you agree that mayors should be elected directly by votes of local residents, instead of by representatives of the People’s Congress? Do you agree a mayor may be removed by votes of local residents if the mayor acts against the will of the people?”

The poll closed on April 5, 2008, with a total of 180,771 votes. No results were available. According to a voter’s blog, as of 11pm April 4, 2008, 2,029 (1.49%) voted “Disagree” and 133, 417 (98.20%) voted “Agree,” with 419 (0.31%) voting “Do not care.”

Source:
CCTV, March 16, 2008
http://fuxing.bbs.cctv.com/viewthread.php?tid=11507030;
Lao Mo, April 4, 2008
http://blog.cat898.com/boke.asp?Userid_301341.showtopic.152005.html