Government/Politics - 219. page

Sohu carried an article that Outlook Weekly had originally published about the phenomenon of short lived urban buildings. Li Shaorong, a Professor of Economics at Beijing University told Outlook Weekly that those short lived buildings are not just a serious waste of social expenditures. They also cause damage to the urban culture and historic relics, as well as increasing environmental pollution.

According to the article, China has the largest amount of new construction in the world. Each year it builds 2 billion square meters (21.5 billion square feet) of new construction and consumes 40 percent of the world’s steel and cement. However, the life span of these buildings is short. They last only 25 to 30 years, as compared to the average life in developed countries, which is 80 to 132 years.

The end result of waste pollution is also alarming. Each year, architectural waste in China accounts for 30 to 40 percent of all urban waste. Statistics from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology show that 1.5 billion tons of architectural waste was produced in 2012, while the waste recycling rate was less than 5 percent compared to 95 percent in developed countries.

The article stated that some of those buildings were taken down because of their poor quality or their inadequate condition. However more were taken down because of poor urban planning or because certain city officials sought short term benefits. China Youth Daily conducted a survey in which it interviewed 4,916 people. Over 85 percent of those surveyed said that there were short lived buildings in their city. Over 50 percent of those surveyed said they were dissatisfied with the urban planning in their city.

Source: Sohu.com, November 18, 2013
http://news.sohu.com/20131118/n390312173.shtml

Guangming Daily published an article that criticized the Chinese culture industry because it lacks creativity and hasn’t produced any original programs. "Shanzhai" or imitation, low quality products, plagiarism, and copyright infringement have been common phenomenon in the industry. These low cost programs have overpowered those who wish to produce original programming. The article stated, “Our culture products lack original programs and are weak in their ability to compete in the international market. … In the culture industry, motivating people to be creative is a difficult task.”

Another article that Guangming published discussed how domestic entertainment programs tend to copy programs from foreign countries. The stations duplicate these programs’ format and then compete with each other. In the first six months of 2013, ten different reality singing competitions, similar to American Idol, were launched in China. The Ministry of Press and Publications, Broadcasting, Film, and Television had to issue an order to limit singing competition programs. Then the stations shifted to make reality family shows similar to programs from Japan and Korea. The article stated that, currently, three quarters of the television programs with high ratings are copied from a similar program in a foreign country. The article said the current path that the entertainment programs follow will not last long. Efforts should be made to focus on creating original sources.

Source:
Guangming Daily, November 15, 2013
http://culture.gmw.cn/2013-11/15/content_9498861_2.htm
http://culture.gmw.cn/2013-11/15/content_9498660.htm

On November 19, 2013, China Review News published an article giving more specifics about the new National Security Committee, a “Small Security Cabinet” that will handle external and internal security threats comprehensively. Under the leadership of state president Xi Jinping, the National Security Committee will have more power than any other leadership group. It will include leaders from National Defense, Foreign Affairs, Public Security, the International Communication Office of the CCP Central Committee, and other ministries.

All kinds of crises, such as water, air, food, energy safety and more, are around the corner in China. Therefore, the National Security Committee will place a heavy focus on dealing with domestic social security issues and on any normal crises that may lead to abnormal crises.

Source: China Review News, November 19, 2013
http://www.zhgpl.com/doc/1028/7/4/9/102874945.html?coluid=151&kindid=0&docid=102874945&mdate=1119144524

Xi Jinping, the chairman of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, wrote an article that Xinhua published on November 15, 2013. Actually, the article was Xi’s speech given at the Third Plenary session of the 18th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party that was held this month. The article further explained the CCP Central Committee’s decisions on deepening economic reform comprehensively. 

1. The comprehensive deepening of reform will focus on economic reform only. “We should take new steps to improve the socialist market economic system.” The Party and the government should play an active role in our socialist market economic system.
2. Adhere to the dominant position of the state ownership. While the state-owned economy plays a leading role, the mixed-ownership economy is also important. State capital, collective capital, and private capital are allowed mix together in cross-shareholdings.
3. While maintaining the stability of the existing financial structure of the central government and local governments, improve the revenue division between the central government and local governments.
4. Encourage larger and professional agricultural cooperative enterprises. Add farmers who have settled in cities into urban housing and social security systems
5. Promote consultative democracy in economic and social development areas under the Party’s leadership.
6. Abolish the reeducation through labor system [the forced labor camp system]. Punish and redress criminal acts with a better legal system.
7. Anti-corruption [will be] under the unified leadership of the Party.
8. Further control the Internet with the improved leadership system.
9. A new National Security Committee, which shall be under centralized and unified leadership, will safeguard the national sovereignty, security, and development interests externally and will maintain political security and social stability internally.
10. Set up a national natural resources asset management system.
11. Establish a Central Leading Group, which will be in charge of deepening the economic reform comprehensively, to ensure the smooth progress of the reform.

Source: Xinhua, November 15, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2013-11/15/c_118164294.htm

On November 14, Xinhua reprinted a China News Weekly report that in less than a year since Xi Jinping came to power in the 18th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, 11 high ranking provincial officials and department heads have been put under investigation on corruption charges. The number doubled the average of 5.8 officials per year in the past five years. From 2008 through 2012, there were four, eight, six, seven, and four officials, respectively, at provincial or department level who were investigated.

The Third Plenary session of the 18th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party just ended on November 12. China Review News published a commentary on the new State Security Committee that the Congrss established. 

On November 10, 2013, during the third session of the 18th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Daily published an editorial titled, “Always Adhere to the Party’s Absolute Leadership over the Military.” 

On November 13, 2013, Huanqiu, the Chinese edition of Global Times, published an editorial titled, “Now Is the Right Time to Create a National Security Committee.” The Third Plenary Session (“Third Plenum”) of the 18th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party held in Beijing from November 9th to November 12th has made the decision to establish a new state security body to handle the increase in domestic conflicts and international disputes. The new agency will include representatives from different agencies including diplomacy, military, intelligence, commerce and all major players that interact with foreign identity.

The editorial proposed calling on all of the Chinese people across the nation to show their patriotism by making contributions to safeguarding national security. It stated, “Doing nothing to harm national security should be in every citizen’s consciousness.” The editorial concluded, “We hope that the establishment of the National Security Committee will (help the Chinese government) to respond effectively to the new situation and make Chinese society, this super large machine, function more stably and safely so as to further consolidate the people’s confidence in Chinese society.”

Source: Huanqiu, November 13, 2013
http://opinion.huanqiu.com/editorial/2013-11/4557729.html