Government/Politics - 103. page

Aboluowang reported that the relevant documents of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection have recently revealed that the mainland state-owned enterprises and private enterprises based in Hong Kong have openly established party branches.

According to the article, People’s Daily disclosed in September that a document that the Central Disciplinary Commission issued at the end of 2017 corroborated the evidence that a Chinese Communist Party’s grassroots party branch had been set up in the State Owned Enterprises in Hong Kong. The “Guiding Opinions on Strengthening the Prevention and Control of Integrity Risks of Central Enterprises” requires that “the Central Party Committee and the Discipline Inspection Commission effectively fulfill the political responsibility of managing the party and the integrity of the risk prevention and control in party development work overseas.” The guidance disclosed that the international subsidiaries and Hong Kong branches of China Mobile must be under the supervision of the branch office in Shenzhen.

One academic scholar from Hong Kong Baptist University told Voice of America that, in the party organization, work in companies stationed overseas used to be carried out secretly. In recent years, however, the activity has grown more and more open. The goal is obviously “to strengthen the monitoring of all enterprises outside the country, in order to ensure that these enterprises show in their actions that they listen to the party’s commands and obey the party’s mechanism to do things.”

According to an Apple Daily article, there are 123 publicly traded State Owned Enterprises in Hong Kong that have established party offices. Among them, eight of them are blue chip companies. They include, among others, PetroChina, Sinopec, the Industrial and Commercial Bank, the Bank of China, and the Bank of Communications. In addition, there are party branch offices established in private enterprises in Hong Kong. After Suning Appliance acquired Hong Kong Laser Appliances in 2009, the company’s party committee quickly sent people to Hong Kong to set up the “Suning Appliance Hong Kong Laser Company Party Branch,” making it one of the company’s 65 party branches.

The Aboluowang article also mentioned that an article Xinhua published on November 25 disclosed that the party’s newly issued “Regulations on the Work of Party Branches” emphasized that it is necessary to carry forward the tradition and to set up party branches on a company basis. The regulations do not specifically address the operation of party organizations in overseas enterprises. However, it could mean that all enterprises with party members must have party organizations.

Source: Aboluowang, December 16, 2018
https://www.aboluowang.com/2018/1216/1219078.html

Central News Agency (CNA) reported that Hong Kong authorities have enacted the National Anthem Law Bill, which stipulates that China’s national anthem must be played during the swearing in ceremony of the Chief Executive, members of the Executive Council, Legislative Council Members, and judicial officers. Radio Television Hong Kong quoted the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau as saying that the draft is close to being completed and will be submitted to the Legislative Council for initial review as early as next year. The draft also stipulates that anyone who arbitrarily falsifies the national anthem or sings the national anthem in a distorted or derogatory manner can be sentenced to a maximum of three years and a fine of HK$50,000 (US$6,399). The draft also mentions that “middle schools and elementary schools should teach students to sing the national anthem” but there are no specified penalties.

In recent years, since people in Hong Kong started to advocate “Hong Kong independence” or “self-determination,” many would boo China’s national anthem when it was played during certain events such as a soccer game. This has caused Beijing to pay close attention to the issue of using laws to legalize China’s national anthem.

Source: Central News Agency, December 14, 2018
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/201812140214.aspx

Mao Yushi, born in 1929, is a Chinese economist. He co-founded the Unirule Institute of Economics, which promotes private property, freedom of choice, voluntary exchange, the rule of law, and other attributes of a free market economy. On May 4, 2012, Mao Yushi was awarded the Cato Institute’s Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty for his work in classical liberalism and free-market economics. In October 2014 Beijing began a “crackdown on dissent” and banned the publication of his works. In January 2017 they shut down his Web site.

In a recent interview with Voice of America, Mao said the main obstacle to China’s transition toward a market economy is the intervention of power. To solve these problems requires a clean political clarity, freedom of speech, supervision by ordinary people, and an emphasis on an independent judiciary.

Mao believes that in today’s era, the communist ideology is becoming part of the past. The world is changing in the direction of democracy, the rule of law, constitutionalism, and human rights. “Willingly or unwillingly, this is a matter of fact.”

“I have also thought it through. I don’t want to stay in the (CCP) party any more. Many intellectuals share this thought.” Mao added that top leaders and the middle class Chinese are sending their children to the United States. This shows the power of the historic trend.

Mao projects that the time before the advent of China’s political reforms “will not be long.” The change will come true.

Source: Central News Agency, December 15, 2018
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/201812150102.aspx

The Wanda Group is a Chinese multinational conglomerate based in Beijing. It is a private property developer and owner of the Australian Hoyts Group, as well as a majority shareholder of the American AMC Theatres.

On December 13, Yan’an city’s municipal government and Wanda Group signed an agreement in Beijing. Wanda will build a red themed town in Yan’an – Yan’an Wanda Town.

Yan’an is a city in China’s northwestern Shaanxi Province. From late 1935 to early 1947, it was the center of the Chinese Communist revolution. Chinese communists celebrate Yan’an as the birthplace of the revolution.

The project has a total investment of 12 billion yuan (US$ 1.74 billion). It is said to integrate patriotism education, tourism, the holiday, and an intangible cultural heritage experience. The town will consist of red themed blocks, a red themed indoor park, a red themed theater, and a resort hotel group. Yan’an Wanda Town plans to start digging in the first quarter of 2019 and be open to the public in the first half of 2021. Wanda said that the project will serve as a gift for Yan’an to celebrate the one-hundredth anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party.

Wang Jianlin, chairman of Wanda Group, said that the Wanda Group will carry forward Yan’an’s spirit with a sense of historical mission and social responsibility, and will make Yan’an Wanda Town a new national red tourism brand.

Source: The Paper, December 13, 2018
https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_2736036

The arrest of Huawei’s CFO Meng Wanzhou in Canada has triggered “anti-American” sentiment in mainland China. Some people have threatened to boycott U.S. goods. A number of companies are setting up a reward and punishment mechanism, requiring staff to support Huawei and taking disciplinary actions against those who purchase Apple products.

Menpad, a Shenzhen-based LCD display maker, confirmed to reporters that the company decided to support “compatriots” after the arrest of Huawei’s Meng. The management will give a 15 percent subsidy to employees who purchase Huawei phones and impose a 100 percent fine on those who purchase Apple phones.

In Shanghai, a chamber of commerce requires all members to boycott Apple. If a member purchases an Apple electronics product after the notice is issued, that person’s membership in the Chamber of Commerce will be cancelled. The Shaanxi’s Lian Development Group also issued a notice that requires all middle level management to use Huawei products and recommended its subsidiaries offer a subsidy of no less than 20 percent to employees who purchase Huawei mobile phones.

In addition to corporate actions, some netizens spontaneously wanted to “boycott U.S. goods.” On TikTok, a popular Chinese video sharing app, a film is being circulated showing that a man smashed his iPhone to express his anger. Another widespread video shows a man protesting in front of an Apple store, holding the banner “Apple get out of China; release Meng Wanzhou.”

Source: Radio Free Asia, December 10, 2018
https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/apple-12102018091629.html
Sputnik News, December 11, 2018
http://sputniknews.cn/china/201812111027082873/

On Sunday December 2, one day before Constitution Day in China, nearly 100,000 lawyers from more than 400 cities across the country participated in a group ceremony held in their region making a pledge to the constitution. The judicial administrative entity and the lawyer’s associations around the country organized the ceremony. Sohu reported that “the ceremony was not only for the legal profession to show respect for the constitution, a willingness to study the constitution and for their observance and maintenance of the constitution, but also to strengthen the ideological and political, as well as the professionalism of education among lawyers.” Fu Zhenghua, the Chinese Attorney General, even went to Hohhot in Inner Mongolia, serving as a witness to the pledges of hundreds of lawyers. The media described it as the first occurrence of such an event in the history of Communist China.

According to the newly revised “lawyers’ pledge rules,” the pledge is expressly required as a necessary procedure for lawyers to perform. Lawyers must execute the pledge and comply with the procedures and dress requirements that the authorities set. If lawyers do not take the pledge, a penalty will be imposed. However, according to Radio Free Asia, many lawyers in China still haven’t participated in the ceremony despite the potential penalty. One rights lawyer from Shanghai told RFA that he was not invited to the ceremony, but even if he had been invited, he still would not have gone because he dislikes putting on a show. Another lawyer said that the party treats lawyers as party members by organizing a group pledge ceremony. The pledge ceremony should be held individually not as a group, he said. Both lawyers said that China does not have judicial independence. The so-called “ruling the country according to law” is nothing but empty talk.

Sources:
1. Sohu, December 3, 2018
https://www.sohu.com/a/279224006_115423?spm=smmt.mt-news.fd-d.7.1543708800023WRl5Apr
2. Radio Free Asia, December 4, 2018
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/renquanfazhi/gf2-12042018101855.html

Xinhua reported that, from November 28 to 30, the 7th annual meeting for European and American Alumni Association (China Association of Overseas Students) and Guangzhou Haigui (Returned Scholars from Overseas) Innovation and Entrepreneurship Summit was held in Guangzhou. Three hundred forty candidates participated in the talent matching session held on November 30 and 79 letter of intent agreements were signed. Most of them were in the field of the next generation of information technology, bio-medicine, and artificial intelligence. A representative from the Guangzhou United Front office said solid achievements were made during the summit. The participants had the opportunity to learn about Guangzhou and its talent requirements, which will help promote high quality development in Guangzhou.

The article also listed the qualifications to join the European and American Alumni Association. They are:
1. Graduated from overseas higher education institutions with a bachelor’s degree or above;
2. Graduated from a domestic university with bachelor’s degree; received a master’s degree overseas or worked as a visiting scholar and conducted research projects at an overseas university or research institution for no less than two years;
3. Graduated from a domestic university with a master’s degree or above or worked as a lecturer, engineer, or in other corresponding positions, studied and conducted research at overseas universities, research institutes, or at companies for at least one year. Special consideration will be given to those who have overseas experience of less than one year.
4. Those with outstanding academic achievements or contributions may not be subject to requirements listed above but are subject to the approval of the Alumni Association.

Source: Xinhua, December 2, 2018
http://cx.xinhuanet.com/2018-12/02/c_137645525.htm