Government/Politics - 163. page

On December 31, 2015, Caixin, a media group that is close to current top CCP leader Xi Jinping, published an article titled, “The Reform of the Structure That Enables Reform of the System Is the Most Important (action).” There are three levels of social reforms in the history of mankind: 1) Reform at the Technological Level; 2) Reform at the System Level (the Rules of the Game); and 3) Reform of the Structure of the System Level (Rules for the Rules of the Game).

According to the article, the 1st (technology) and the 2nd (system) level reforms can be achieved by a few social elites or by an authoritarian government. Such reforms are not sustainable and cannot adapt to social and economic changes. The 3rd, the structure for the system level reform can be realized based on the newly formed social consensus and the social contract. Only after the completion of the 3rd reform in a country can that country be regarded as an open society. Social and economic development will then embark on a healthy development track: social development relies on a robust and secure system, rather than counting on a few social elites. In an open society, the government itself is also subject to the limitations and constraints of the social contract.  

“Therefore, in terms of importance, the structure of the system is the first priority. If there is a superior structure for the system, a good system will be derived therefrom. Once there is a good system, it will give birth to advanced technology. I think this is why Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, and other founding fathers of the United States are respected by their posterity: They created a superior structure for the system."

Source: Caixin, December 31, 2015
http://opinion.caixin.com/2015-12-31/100894693.html

Xinhua reported that the Communist Party Politburo held a special meeting on December 28 and 29, 2015. The discussion at the meeting centered on the “profound lessons [to be learned] from the abuse of power cases of former senior Party officials Zhou Yongkang, Bo Xilai, Xu Caihou, Guo Boxiong, Ling Jihua and others.” Those who attended participated in “criticism and self-criticism” that centered on the Party’s disciplinary regulations and policies. The participants were asked to watch their families closely. 

On December 7, Caixin published a public speech that Yu Keping (俞可平), a former Chinese Communist Party (CCP) official and theorist gave at Beijing University. The topic was "Six Political Axioms that China’s Political System Violated."  

The first axiom was "A power holder only recognizes accountability to those who give him the power." Yu argued that the CCP has claimed officials are the servants of the general public. In reality, officials are only submissive to their bosses and treat the general public as if they are nobody. That is because officials are appointed by their bosses. Yu hinted at a solution. If the public elects these officials, they will have to serve the public.

Yu also pointed out other areas that violate the political axioms: the government is inefficient because there are too many agencies in charge of the same thing; lower level officials dare not tell the truth when providing policy feedback to the upper level officials who gave them the policy order; the number one leader at each level tends to become corrupt because there is no checks and balances system to keep them in line; subordinate officials tend to yield to their bosses because they have lower rights and benefits and perceive they are lower; the income levels are quite different between officials who at the same rank but work in different agencies and different regions.

Yu served as the Deputy Director of the Central Compilation and Translation Bureau that focuses on ideology and theory research. He resigned from that post to become a political science professor at Beijing University. Caixin introduced Yu as a "famous scholar and political scientist" and mentioned that his article "Democracy Is a Good Thing" had resulted in a lot of discussion in China.

Source: Caixin, December 7, 2015
http://opinion.caixin.com/2015-12-07/100882641.html

Hong Kong’s Apple Daily reported that there were two things worth noticing when Leung Chun-ying (CY Leung) went to Beijing to report on his work.

The first one was that Leung sat on the side during the meetings. In the past, the central government leader and the Hong Kong Chief Executive sat next to each other in the same row. This year, for the first time, the central government leader sat at the chair’s place at a long table and Leung sat on the side. Both meetings with Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang used this format.

The second one was that Xi only used the term "Full Affirmation" to appraise Leung’s work. The central leaders always used this term in the past. It does not mean that Xi is happy with Leung’s work. The fact that Xi didn’t use “Trust" in his appraisal indicates that there is a trust crisis in regard to Leung.

Source: Apple Daily Online, December 25, 2015
http://hk.apple.nextmedia.com/news/art/20151225/19425932

On December 10, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee published "The Opinion on Implementing Political Consultation with Other Parties."

The Opinion stated, "The main subjects on which the CCP Central Committee will conduct political consultations with other parties will include: Key documents for the CCP National Congress and the CCP Central Committee, recommendations on amending the Constitution and other important laws, candidates for national leadership, and mid- and long term plans for the economy and social development …"

Regarding the candidates for key leadership positions, the CCP Central Committee will organize the political consultation meeting during the nomination phase.

Source: Xinhua, December 10, 2015
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2015-12/10/c_1117423452.htm

On December 27, 2015, Xinhua reported that, effective January 1, 2016, the "People’s Republic of China Anti-Terrorism Act," which the National People’s Congress Standing Committee passed on December 27, 2015, will become the law. The Anti-Terrorism Act has 10 chapters and 97 articles covering identification of terrorist organizations and personnel, security, intelligence information, investigations, response, international cooperation, safeguard measures, and legal responsibilities.