Government/Politics - 215. page

On January 26, Yu Zhengsheng, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee and chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, held a Chinese New Year celebration conference and invited representatives from a number of religious groups to attend. Yu praised the religious groups’ efforts for being closely united with the Party and the government and for persistently demonstrating their patriotism. Yu hoped that the members of the religious organizations would become an important driving force in China’s development of socialism with Chinese characteristics. He also wished that the religious organizations would strengthen their organization, ideology, behavior, and talent development and guide their religious members to “conduct religious activities that comply with the rules of law and with the government’s policies.”

The participants attending the conference included Liu Yandong, the Vice Premier; Ling Jihua, head of the United Front Work Department; and directors from the Buddhist, Taoist, Islamic, Catholic, and Christianity Associations of China as well as the National Committee of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement of the Protestant Churches.

Source: Xinhua, January 27, 2014
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2014-01/27/c_119142267.htm

On January 20, Xi Jinping spoke at a Party conference on anti-corruption training. At the conference, Xi stated, “Criticism and self-criticism are powerful weapons to clean out the Party’s political dust and microorganisms. [We] must follow the spirit of rectification and be strict with the Party’s life. [We] must focus on improving the ability of the leaders to find and solve their own problems.” 

China’s State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television issued a notice that requires anyone who posts a video online to use their real name and identity. The companies hosting the videos will be required to verify the identity of whoever uploads a video and can no longer hide the real identity of the uploader. This notice is supplemental to a July 2012 notice to deal with new issues that have emerged. 

On January 16, 2014, Qiushi, a theoretical journal of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee, published an article denying the existence of any “universal values.” Although the Chinese Communist Party also advocated “freedom,” “democracy,” “equality,” and “rule by law” in its report issued at the recent 18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, the interpretations of these four values are different in nature from the “universal values” in the West.

According to the article, the people of China enjoy complete equality in economic, political, social, cultural, and other aspects rather than just the periodic “voting rights” in the Western countries. Socialist democracy and justice in China allow the Chinese people to be the real masters of the nation, while democracy and justice in the Western countries just represent a rotation of power between bourgeois parties.

Source: Qiushi, January 16, 2014
http://www.qstheory.cn/zxdk/2014/201402/201401/t20140114_312584.htm  

On January 14, 2014 at the third plenary session of the 18th Communist Party Central Commission for Discipline Inspection in Beijing, Xi Jinping acknowledged, “The breeding ground for corruption still exists and the anti-corruption situation remains tough and complicated.” 

On January 10, 2014, the all-China Journalists’ Association held a “Press Salon” for diplomats and reporters. At the event, Cai Wu, China’s current Minister of Culture, explained the on-going reform of China’s cultural system. Cai explained that the government will no longer own and financially support China’s cultural institutions including organizations such as dance, music, art, drama, and movie companies. They will need to make their own living and make a profit. However, the Chinese government must still take tight control over what is necessary on the macro level [ideologically and politically]. Therefore, the Chinese government will help to establish non-profit cultural organizations and neutral bodies to balance the “economic benefits” and the “social benefits” of all cultural products.

Source：China Review News，January 10， 2014
http://hk.crntt.com/doc/1029/7/3/2/102973262.html?coluid=151&kindid=0&docid=102973262&mdate=0111002857

On January 10, following Xi Jinping’s recent talk at the annual work conference on political and legal affairs, the Beijing Public Security Bureau held a leadership video conference to further study Xi’s key messages. Fu Zhenghua, the Vice Minister of Public Security attended the conference and directed that the members of the public security bureau in Beijing should firmly follow the party’s leadership and work hard to bring about changes in public security work in the areas of fulfilling work responsibility, ensuring social stability, and promoting scientific development work in the state capital.

Source: Xinhua, January 11, 2014
http://news.xinhuanet.com/legal/2014-01/11/c_125988364.htm