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Briefings - 866. page

Ministry of Public Heath on Qigong: The Government Encourages Different Schools of Thoughts

The Gansu Provincial Public Health Department recently held a training for those who teach the practice of qigong. The report about the training attracted widespread attention. Since 1999, when the Chinese authorities launched the persecution of Falun Gong, a form of qigong, qiqong has been largely banned in mainland China.

On May 31, 2012, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Health responded to public inquiries about the training. The spokesperson stated that the purpose of Gansu’s training was to help medical workers obtain more knowledge and skills in Chinese medicine. “Chinese medicine is a medical science developed over several thousand years; it has made great contributions. … Humankind has been deepening its understanding of life sciences, with constant new discoveries. Modern research also continues to provide scientific evidence substantiating Chinese medicine’s theories and methods. At the academic level, the government encourages theoretical explorations, innovative practices, and debates among different schools of thoughts."  

This official statement in favor of qiqong was released at the same time that public appeals for the authorities to stop the persecution of Falun Gong have been gathering momentum in China. Falun Gong is a meditation practice based on three tenets rooted in Chinese traditional culture: truthfulness, compassion and tolerance.

Source: Xinhua, May 31, 2012
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2012-05/31/c_112086812.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Over 350 Million Chinese Have No Clean Water

According to Zhang Wentai, Deputy Director of the Committee on the Environment and Resources of the National People’s Congress, over 300 million of China’s rural population and 50 million urban residents have no clean drinking water. Four factors have contributed to the problem: China’s wetlands are shrinking; its water sources are drying up; forests are being destroyed; and the “three highs” (high pollution, the high consumption of power, and the high consumption of water) are affecting water resources. In 2002 and 2003, official surveys of the water supply networks in several hundred cities found the quality of the water pipes to be inferior. For example, 50.80% of iron pipes, 13% of cement pipes, and 6% of galvanized pipes were below the national safety standard.

Source: China Youth Daily, May 31, 2012
http://zqb.cyol.com/html/2012-05/31/nw.D110000zgqnb_20120531_3-05.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

China to Step up Expansion of Party Organizations in Private Sector

At a national meeting on May 25, Zhou Bohua, the head and Party chief of the State Administration for Industry & Commerce (SAIC), identified some “blank spots” in the Party organization in the non-state sector, especially in single-person retail businesses, professional market places, and small and micro business. Zhou said that, as the next stage, SAIC will push forward the expansion of Party organizations in these areas.

According to the official statistics, 80% of China’s non-state enterprises and single-person retail businesses have yet to establish Party organizations. At present, China has 10.12 million non-state enterprises and 37.56 million single-person retail businesses, employing nearly 200 million people. The Party’s coverage of the small scale private enterprises is only 21%, with less than 1% coverage of single-person retail businesses.

For professional market places, where the merchants and entrepreneurs gather and trade, the state industrial and commercial authorities at different levels will dispatch instructors and liaisons to ensure they are covered by Party organizations.

Source: website of United Front Department, Central Committee of Chinese Communist Party, Mary 28, 2012
http://www.zytzb.cn/publicfiles/business/htmlfiles/tzb2010/S2012/201205/726532.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

China Develops Strategies to Prevent Government Officials from Fleeing Overseas

On May 23, 2012, the Chinese Disciplinary Committee held its 3rd joint meeting discussing “how to prevent government officials who are in violation of law and discipline from fleeing overseas.” A participant observed that the current situation is rather complicated and the task is huge. The committee issued a directive that government officials be strictly prevented from fleeing overseas. It mandated specific actions including: enhancing the control and administration of certificates and documents for overseas travel; promptly learning the real time situation of both the private overseas travel by government officials and the emigration of their spouses and children; listing officials, along with their spouses and children who have already emigrated overseas, as major targets; striving to establish a very tight and efficient network to prevent them from fleeing.

Source: People’s Daily, May 24, 2012
http://politics.people.com.cn/GB/17975851.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Ninety Percent of CCP Central Committee Members Have Family Members Overseas

Issue 321 of Dongxiang, a Hong Kong magazine, reported the results of a survey that the Central Committee of the Communist Party recently conducted. The survey revealed that, as of the end of March 2012, 187 (91 percent) of the 204 members of the Central Committee of the Communist Party had family members living or working overseas or maintaining citizenship in other countries. The survey included the members’ sons and daughters, grandchildren, and siblings. For the 167 alternate Committee members, 142 (85 percent) had relatives who had emigrated overseas. 113 (88 percent) of  127 members of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China had relatives who had emigrated overseas.

Sources: Oriental Daily, May 28, 2012
http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20120528/00178_012.html
Dongxiang Magazine, Issue 321 of May 2012
http://www.chengmingmag.com/t321/t321toc/t321toc.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Pregnant Chinese Women Go to the U.S. and Canada to Give Birth

Since the Hong Kong Government made the decision to stop giving permanent residency status to babies born to parents who are not local, more and more pregnant women from mainland China have been coming to the United States and Canada to give birth. Many of them are the mistresses of rich people.They pay as much as 200,000 RMB ($31,507 U.S. dollars) in fees to the maternity center. They can thus obtain citizenship in Canada or the U.S. for their children and eventually for themselves and avoid the heavy fines incurred in China for having more than one child or for having a baby out of wedlock.

According to Yang Haifeng, an immigration consultant in Toronto, because of the precarious political situation in China, many wealthy Chinese want to transfer their assets abroad through their wives, mistresses and children who have foreign residency status. One Chinese maternity center in Toronto is already fully booked for this year.

Source: Mingpao, May 24, 2012
http://www.mingpaotor.com/htm/News/20120522/taa1.htm

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Open Commemoration of June 4, 1989, Tiananmen Square Massacre in Guizhou

On the afternoon of May 28, 2012, dozens of people gathered in People’s Square in Guiyang City, Guizhou Province, to openly commemorate the June 4, 1989, Tiananmen Square Massacre. Participants shouted slogans: "Long live the people!" and "Down with Dictatorship!" This time, the Chinese authorities did not stop participants’ activities, like they usually do.  

Source: Epoch Times, May 30, 2012
http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/12/5/30/n3600316.htm敏感时期-贵州公开纪念六四–高呼“打倒独裁！

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Beijing’s New Provision: No More Than Two Flies in a Public Restroom

On May 22, 2012, Xinhua reprinted an article originally from Beijing Evening News reporting that the Beijing Metropolitan government issued new provisions on public restrooms. According to the new provisions, public restrooms in parks, supermarkets, railroad stations, airports, train stations, and other public places may not be closed before the close of business hours in those places. The number of flies allowed in a public restroom may not exceed two. A toilet blockage must be fixed within 12 hours.

Source: Xinhua, May 22, 2012
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2012-05/22/c_112014885.htm

Briefings | | |   Grapevine