Government/Politics - 223. page

On May 28, People’s Daily published the full text of a new “Opinion.” The Organization Department, the Propaganda Department of the Communist Party Central Committee, and the Communist Party leadership of the Ministry of Education issued the Opinion jointly.

The Opinion contains 16 requirements that focus on the enhancement of the “ideological and political” training of the nation’s younger educators. It mandates that Party organizations at all levels must “strengthen the development of young university teachers so that they will improve their ideological and political qualities in order to better implement the spirit of the Party’s 18th National Congress.”

“A few young teachers are lost in their political beliefs. They have fuzzy ideals and beliefs, their occupational and professional ethics are fading. … They cannot serve as role models for others." In addition to strengthening the Party’s leadership and control at all levels, the Opinion requires that all must “strengthen their study of political theory, deepen their education in the theoretical systems of Marxism, Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, and socialism with Chinese characteristics, and engage in in-depth study and practice of the concept of scientific development.

[Editor’s note: Analysts observed that the Opinion is one more example of the Xi government’s recent proactive efforts to exert tighter control over ideology. This Opinion came on the heels of the list of the seven taboo topics that the General Office of the Party’s Central Committee established. The list was reportedly distributed to universities across China. The seven topics that teachers cannot mention in class are: universal values, press freedom, civil society, citizens’ rights, the historical mistakes of the Party, the financial and political elite, and judicial independence.]

Source: People’s Daily, May 28, 2013
http://edu.people.com.cn/n/2013/0528/c1053-21643996.html

Red Flag Manuscript, the bi-weekly publication of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee’s Qiushi Journal, published an article that criticized Constitutional Governance, saying its ideals and key institutional elements “only belong to capitalism and the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie."

Yang Xiaoqing, a law professor at Renmin University of China, authored the article. He compared Constitutional Governance to the Chinese regime’s "Socialistic People’s Democracy." For example, the former is based upon private ownership and a market economy, while the latter is based on an economy of public ownership; the armed forces under Constitutional Governance are neutral and belong to the government, while the military in the "Socialistic People’s Democracy" is under the absolute leadership of the Communist Party. The author believes that "Constitutional Governance, as a comprehensive governance system, is not universally applicable" and that "its key institutional elements and ideals do not fit the socialist countries." The article also disapproved of Constitutional Governance as being deceptive. "The freedom and democracy on the surface cover up its essence, which is the freedom and democracy of the bourgeoisie and the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie." "Constitutional Governance boasts of a separation of powers with checks and balances, but, in reality, it is not a true separation of powers."

The article concluded that China’s "People’s Democracy" must not be called "socialist constitutional governance" because the people’s democracy and constitutional governance are two fundamentally different political systems. In the end, constitutional governance does not fit China’s national conditions.

Many Chinese Internet users criticized the article. One user responded, "It seems the people at high levels have never thought about really implementing the rule of law, democracy, constitutional governance, and human rights." Another said, "The root of China’s problems is the absence of constitutional government. Now someone blatantly claims, on one side, that a constitutional government does not fit China, but, on the other, it cannot really solve the increasingly serious social crisis. Either go for constitutional government, or go for the guillotine." Another one said, "The core of constitutional governance is democracy, the rule of law, and human rights. It is in favor of limiting the government to protect the rights of citizens. If one actually puts a capitalistic label onto democracy and human rights, that amounts to covering up the reality with its own ideology."

Source: BBC Chinese, May 21, 2013
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/china/2013/05/130521_china_capitalism.shtml

According to Mainland media reports, the General Office of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee recently issued a circular called “About the Current Ideological Situation.” The circular pointed out seven areas in which problems exist in the field of ideology. It requested that local governments have meetings about applying the contents of the circular in practice. Reports seem to confirm the truth of existing “rumors” that “Talk about Seven Topics Is Forbidden” in universities and colleges. Teachers cannot discuss the following seven topics with students: universal values, freedom of the press, civil society, citizen’s rights, the Chinese Communist Party’s historical errors, the Bourgeois elite, and judicial independence.

Source: Mingpao, May 14, 2013
http://premium.mingpao.com/cfm/mem_Login1.cfm?SuccessUrl=%2Fcfm%2FContent_News.cfm%3FChannel%3Dca%26Path%3D100853875143%2Fcab1.cfm
http://news.sina.com.hk/news/20130514/-9-2968267/1.html

On May 17, Wang Qishan, Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, spoke at the training held at the “Clean Government Inspection Tour” meeting. Wang provided guidance on the upcoming clean government inspection tour and summarized the following four purposes: 1) identify illegal embezzlement and corruption cases; 2) identify violations in carrying out the eight-point regulation which is focused on rejecting extravagance and reducing bureaucratic visits, meetings, and empty talk; 3) identify issues that are in violation of the Party’s regulations; 4) identify improper and corrupt measures used when handling personnel issues.

It was reported that for the first half of year 2013, the central inspection team will start the tour with inspections in Inner Mongolia, Jiangxi Province, Hubei Province, Chongqing City, and Guizhou Province, and will also inspect the Ministry of Water Resources, China Grain Reserve Corporation, the Export and Import Bank of China, China Publishing Group, Inc., and Renmin University.

Source: Xinhua, May 17, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2013-05/17/c_115813442.htm

According to the Supreme Court, Chinese citizens will now be entitled to 182.35 yuan (US$29.69) per day, the new daily compensation rate, if an entity infringes on their lawful rights and interests. The new standard was set to be effective on May 17, 2013. The rate was based the Bureau of Statistics annual report on the average annual income, which was reported for 2012 as being 47,593 yuan (US$7,749.81) with the daily rate at 182.35. It is up 19.7 yuan (US$3.21) from the rate in 2011.

According to the State Compensation Law, "If a state organ or a member of its personnel, when exercising functions and powers in violation of the law, infringes upon the lawful rights and interests of a citizen, legal person, or other organization and causes damage, the aggrieved person shall have the right to recover damages from the state in accordance with this Law."

Source: Xinhua, May 17, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/legal/2013-05/17/c_115813372.htm

According to Hong Kong based Wen Wei Po, on May 8, 2013, the Chinese Communist Party Committee of Chongqing City’s Urban and Rural Construction Committee held a meeting to study the Notice on the Current Situation in the Field of Ideology, which the General Office of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee had issued.

It was mentioned at the study session that "the Party’s Central Committee has a profound analysis and firm attitude toward seven prominent issues in the field of ideology. The Party has more clarity and understanding of the acuteness and complexity of the struggles in the field of ideology."

The report believes that it is the first time that the Party has issued official documents of this kind since the 18th National Congress. It was found by searching online that the "notice" has been issued at the grassroots level of the hierarchy across the nation. At present, government authorities and Party committees at all levels have been organized to study the “notice.”

Source: Wen Wei Po, May 14, 2013
http://trans.wenweipo.com/gb/news.wenweipo.com/2013/05/14/IN1305140064.htm

On May 7, 2013, Guangming Daily published an article explaining the political significance of the speech Xi Jinping gave on January 5, 2013. When discussing the relationship between Mao’s class struggle period (1949 to 1978) and the economic reform and opening period (1978 to the present), Xi Jinping said, “We cannot use the historical period after the reform and opening to negate the historical period before the economic reform and opening; we cannot use the historical period before the reform and opening to negate the historical period after the economic reform and opening.”

According to the article, the whole history before the reform and opening is closely related to Mao Zedong. The Chinese regime must maintain the historical status of Mao Zedong and Mao Zedong thought. If the Chinese regime negates Mao Zedong, it is negating the history of the Chinese Communist Party, the People’s Republic of China, and also the Party’s leadership and China’s socialist system, since Mao Zedong was the creator of the Chinese Communist Party, the People’s Republic of China, and China’s socialist system.

Source: Guangming Daily, May 7, 2013
http://politics.gmw.cn/2013-05/07/content_7538912.htm