The Neiqiu County Federation of Trade Unions in Hebei Province assigned union heads to private companies. "It is good to send cadres to head unions in the private mining sector," an article of the Hebei Provincial Federation of Unions proclaimed.
Briefings - 1230. page
Senior Korean Diplomat to China Dies in China after Eating a Sandwich
China’s State Food and Drug Administration confirms that it is investigating the death of Political minister Whang Joung Il of the Korean Embassy in China. The Senior Korean Diplomat to China died in Beijing after eating a sandwich. The incident occurred amidst concern following many reports about unsafe ingredients in products from China.
Ban on Popular Journal “Minjian” Shows Growing Censorship before the Olympics
On July 10, 2007, the Chinese authorities ordered the popular journal Minjian (Among the People), which is dedicated to social issues, to cease publication. Since July 4, it is the second journal to be banned. The first was the online publichation China Development Brief. According to June 4 Tiannet in a July 13, 2007 article, the goverment’s move is seen as part of the growing censorship before the Olympics.
China Tightens Organ Transplant Tourism
On July 19, 2007, Southern Weekly, a newspaper based in Guangzhou, published a headline article "China’s ‘Organ Transplant Tourism Decreases.’" The report stated that the number of organ donors has dropped sharply this year and that China has profited enormously from organ transplants. It also stated that China’s Minster of Health openly admitted that the China has used organs from executed prisoners. It is hard to explain the sharp drop in organ donors.
Foreign Owned Companies Ranked Poorly in Fulfilling Social Responsibilities in 2006
China Machinery Industry Federation, a government sponsored trade association, reported the results of an investigation conducted in 2006 on foreign companies investing in China. The investigation revealed that many of the world’s top 500 companies doing business in China failed to fulfill their social responsibilities. Southern Weekly conducted the 2006 investigation ranking foreign companies investing in China for social responsibility.
PLA û To Nationalize or Not to Nationalize
August 1, 2007, marked the 80th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army of China. Chinese military leaders re-iterated allegiance to the Communist Party and rebutted attempts to "nationalize its military forces." However, voices from inside the Chinese military itself are gathering momentum, calling for nationalization of the armed forces and denouncing allegiance to the Communist Party.
New Regulation in Shanxi: The Government Must Approve All Mass Text Messaging (SMS)
The Shanxi Provincial Communication Administration recently issued a new regulation restricting mass text messaging (Short Message Service) over cell phones. The regulation mandates that information service providers must self censor, while government approval is required for dissemination of content pertaining to national security and social unrest.
Beijing Opposes Politicizing the Olympics
At a press conference held on August 6, 2007, Jiang Xiaoyu, one of the executive vice presidents of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games said, "We disagree with the attempt to politicize the Olympics. We are opposed to such a practice."