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Briefings - 1251. page

Insider Trading a Serious Problem

The Communist Party’s Central Commission for Inspection and Discipline reported that China will crack down on insider trading by government officials as part of the Party’s renewed effort to limit corruption. Officials and their families who use their positions to profit from insider trading, construction bids, land sales, and trading of property rights will face legal action. Xinhua reported that 25,654 officials were indicted for corruption in 2006 and 23,144 from January to November in 2007. This figure included several high-profile investigations, such as ones that toppled the communist party chief in Shanghai and the former head of the Chinese Food and Drug Administration.

Source: Xinhua, January 17, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2008-01/17/content_7436405.htm
http://news.xinhuanet.com/legal/2008-01/14/content_7415885.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Loving Communism to Be Taught to China’s Youth

Xinhua reported on January 15 that, starting in March 2008, the concept of “giving thanks” will be added to the curriculum for all elementary and middle schools in ShenYang City. The municipal Department of Education spokesperson emphasized respect for parents and teachers as part of the new effort to teach values in schools. He also mentioned that loving the [communist] Party, loving the motherland, loving society and loving people will be part of the new curriculum.

Source: Xinhua, Shenyang, January 15, 2008
http://www.rdfz.cn/xyxw/jyxw/t20080116_14828.htm

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

The American Way Represents U.S. Interests

The Global Times published an article by Chen Yugang, an Assistant Professor at the School of International Relations and Public Affairs at Fudan University, titled: “The American Way Is Driven by the U.S.’ Own Interests.” The article criticizes the U.S. for using the “American Way” to protect its own interests and to establish policies for other countries to follow. It lists examples, including the following: Americans live in big houses and drive big size vehicles despite the global warming crisis. The U.S. condemns the human rights record of other countries but it refuses to be part of the International Criminal Court and tortures its detainees. The U.S. pulled out of the anti-ballistic missile treaty. The U.S. failed to keep its promise not to let the NATO expand its ranks into Eastern Europe. Finally, after the U.S. relocated its energy intensive industries elsewhere, it blamed another country for being number one in carbon emissions. The article said that the confidence that the American people have in themselves as being the “representatives of God to save the world” or “the U.S. is the best” is an attitude of rudeness that can’t be trusted. It concluded that the “American Way” is a way that fits best with the U.S.’ own interests and is not the only established standard that works.

Source: Xinhua, January 17, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2008-01/17/content_7434835.htm

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Mainland Scholars Call for Action to Oppose the CCTV Spring Festival Gala

On January 15, 2008, five Mainland scholars issued a joint statement titled, “Declaration of the New Spring Festival Culture.” The scholars expressed in the Declaration that the Chinese Spring Festival in itself symbolizes civilization and freedom and should not be subject to any political, economic or cultural restrictions. The scholars oppose the annual Spring Festival Gala held by the State television network, China Central Televison (CCTV), since that enables the Gala to be used as a propaganda tool to glorify the Communist Party.

The Communist regime re-named the Chinese New Year as the Chinese Spring Festival after its takeover of the Mainland in 1949. Every year, CCTV has a gala as the official State celebration. The Chinese New Year begins on February 7, 2008.

Source: Xinhua, January 17, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/edu/2008-01/17/content_7435231.htm
Zhong Ren Net, January 15, 2008
http://www.zhrnet.com/bbs/ShowPost.asp?ThreadID=1027

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

There’s a Workers Strike Every Day in Guangdong Province

Han Dongfang, a China workers activist told Radio Free Asia that in the Pearl River Delta region of Guangdong Province there is at least one workers’ strike a day that consists of a minimum of one thousand workers. That is in addition to the number of smaller scale strikes that take place. These workers are mainly from inland provinces such as Sichuan, Guizhou, Hubei and Hunan. He said currently the government only intervenes when the situation is out of control. As a result, workers are inadvertently encouraged to resort to strong measures such as strikes. Han said that the international community holds a fantasy that economic development will help China. However, the reason it is a fantasy is that people don’t know what lies behind the economic development: the sacrifice of many people’s health and rights.

Source: BBC, January 16, 2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/chinese/simp/hi/newsid_7190000/newsid_7191000/7191018.stm

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Beijing Builds Detention Centers to Protect the Olympic Games

In order to express their grievances, mainland petitioners usually show up at major state activities where they can attract media attention to their plight. For example, on the second day of Indian Prime Minister Singh’s visit, the overseas Chinese affairs website Canyu reported that more than 100 petitioners attempted to enter Tiananmen Square. The police stopped them and escorted them back. It has been reported that the square is now being heavily guarded. One petitioner from Heilongjiang revealed that Beijing has set up a transit point in the suburbs to detain petitioners and prevent foreign media from accessing them during the Olympics. Similar detention centers for petitioners have also been built in all provinces and cities.

Source: Radio Free Asia, January 15, 2008
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/shenrubaodao/2008/01/15/fangmin/

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Leading Scholar Reported for Plagiarism

Xie Hua’an, an ex-fellow of the Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences (FAAS) and a leading scholar known for growing a popular hybrid rice was elected into the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in December 2007. At the time of his election, two retired FAAS researchers reported that Xie plagiarized one of his research papers. Xie’s paper “Shanyou 63 Ⅲ – China’s rice variety with the largest acreage – Photosynthetic characteristics and the utilization of solar energy” was reported to have no citations and no footnotes, except for a list of 16 references to articles that others had previously published. Data used in the paper were surprisingly identical to the data in three papers that the Jiangsu Agricultural Science team had published in 1989. CAS denied the charge.

Source: The Beijing News, January 14, 2008
http://www.thebeijingnews.com/news/guonei/2008/01-14/018@082424.htm

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Xinhua Publishes Article Vilifying the Chief Editor of Kanwa Defense Review

An article published on xinhuanet attacks the editor-in-chief of Kanwa Defense Review (a monthly magazine published in Canada, about China’s military news). It uses very malicious terms. The article, titled “Andrei Chang’s True Identity Comes to Light, a ‘Traitor,汉奸’ Utilized by Western Media,” states, “Andrei Chang is not a serious military scholar and Kanwa Defense Review is not a professional military magazine. Articles published in the magazine are only to please the anti-China forces in international society.”

Source: Xinhuanet , January 14, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2008-01/14/content_7418757.htm

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military