Government/Politics - 244. page

Xinhua reported that the Dalian Wanda Group finalized the acquisition of AMC, thereby becoming the world’s largest cinema owner. Wanda chairman Wang Jianlin made the announcement on September 4, 2012, that it had completed the acquisition, valued at US$2.6 billion, thus making it the largest ever purchase of a U.S. firm by a Chinese corporation. AMC is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Wanda and will receive cash injections of no more than US$500 million per year.

[Editors note: Boxun reported earlier this year that Wang Jianlin had allegedly bribed and helped Bo Xilai, the disgraced former senior Chinese Party official, who was Dalian’s mayor from 1993 to 2000, to climb the political ladder in exchange for lucrative deals. In a statement that Wanda issued in response to the reports, the company said that Wang Jianlin had won the "China Charity Award" and that Chinese Communist Party leaders received him in April.]

Sources:
Xinhua, September 5, 2012
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2012-09/05/c_112959096.htm
Boxun.com, May 5, 2012
http://boxun.com/news/gb/china/2012/05/201205051733.shtml

Xinhua reported that the Central Coordination Group for Talent Management held a meeting on August 24, 2012, to “study and plan the work needed to strengthen the Party’s ability to manage talent.” Li Yuanchao, the head of the Organization Department, stressed the importance of carrying out the “Opinion on the Work of Strengthening the Party’s Ability to Manage Talent,” which the central administration recently issued. Li asked all levels to execute the guidelines in the “Opinion” and to implement the Party’s talent management system.

According to the article, the “Opinion” is a guideline developed under the new environment. It laid out systemic requirements which will enable the Party to be completely in charge of talent management, while the rest of the government entities should carry out their responsibilities and actively assist the Party.

Members of the Central Coordination Group for Talent Management as well as the leaders from the Ministry of Organization at the provincial and municipal levels attended the meeting. Representatives from the Ministry of Organization of Heilongjiang and Hebei provinces, the Nanjing City Municipal Government, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the China Association for Science and Technology, and Tsinghua University shared their experiences at the meeting.

Source: Xinhua, August 24, 2012
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2012-08/24/c_112842228.htm

Li Xuefeng, an official with the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection stated that corruption and anti-corruption have reached a stalemate. “Our Party has taken on anti-corruption as a major political task and has assiduously pursued the goal of establishing clean politics. … It can be said that that no political party in the world is like ours in that it has attached such great importance to the fight against corruption. … We have blazed a trail of anti-corruption with Chinese characteristics.” Li stated that corruption and anti-corruption are at a stalemate, that the situation remains grave, and that the tasks are arduous.

Source: The Central People’s Government of the People’s Republic of China, August 22, 2012 
http://www.gov.cn/jrzg/2012-08/22/content_2208679.htm

On August 21, 2012, Meng Jianzhu, the State Councilor and Minister of Public Security, met with the delegates who attended a National Public Security Guards conference in Beijing. Meng stressed that all levels of the public security forces and the vast majority of officers and soldiers must always be firm in following the correct political direction. “Be guards forever loyal to the Party and the people and use solid work performance to greet the opening of the Chinese Communist Party’s (the CCP’s) 18th National Congress.

Source: China Review News, August 21, 2012
http://www.zhgpl.com/doc/1022/0/8/2/102208260.html?coluid=151&kindid=0&docid=102208260&mdate=0821202323

Caijing, the finance magazine based in Beijing, published an article titled. “Looking Into Von Hagens’ Body Plastination Factories.” The article queried, "As more and more micro-blogs condemn the ‘corpse factory’ built in Dalian, China, many people wonder why Von Hagens, the individual who is condemned around the world, can legally and comfortably build a body plastination factory in China." The article gave a brief background of the body plastination research center built in 1997 through collaboration between Hagens and the Dalian Medical University. It has been estimated that Hagens made US$9 billion in net profit from the body exhibit tours around the world.

The article questioned the source of the bodies. "Where did the body specimens come from and who would have authorized the donation? China has an extremely low body donation rate which has resulted in a severe shortage among medical schools. China is also a nation that believes that the dead will not receive peace until they are buried. How can such contributions be made when they are against tradition? How did this factory receive an achievement award from the Dalian municipal government? Is it possible that a horrifying economic chain is behind the body exhibit?"

According to the article, specimen plastination factories have been established in a number of cities, including Guangzhou, Shanghai, Nanjing, Qingdao, Shenzhen, Taian, and Dalian.

Source: Caijing, August 16, 2012
http://finance.cjzg.cn/yiyao/1345100957998233_4.html

The International Herald Leader, a state media, published a commentary rebutting criticism of the state run sports program. “In addition there were many complaints that athletes participating in the state run sports program bear a "patriotic duty" that is too heavy. When winning, one must thank the State and when losing, one must apologize to the State. People cannot see a human being; they only see a cog in the machine. Such accusations ignore the fact that the state has always funded most of the Chinese athletes and that there is nothing wrong with doing a good job for your employer. The arbitrary interpretation of the post-race reflections of the athletes shows a total disrespect for the freedom of speech of the individual athletes. Do athletes only have the right to thank their parents and coaches, and no right to express their respect for the flag they fight for? Patriotism is never a burden for anyone. It is not wrong to express your love for the motherland openly.”

Source: International Herald Leader, August 14, 2012
http://ihl.cankaoxiaoxi.com/2012/0814/78050.shtml

Qiushi, a journal of the Chinese Communist Party, published a series of articles discussing how to incorporate China’s Communist (socialist) core values into the process of educating the young generation. The editor added a note to the articles saying, “The 17th Chinese Communist Party Congress’s Sixth Plenary Session made a series of major decisions on how to promote the socialist core value system, stressing the incorporation of socialist core values into the whole process of national education. Young people are the future hope of the nation. Educating China’s youth is an important part of the overall national education. (Therefore), it is required that the socialist core value system be integrated into the whole process of educating the young generation.

In the article titled “Educate and Guide Young People to Practice the Core Value System Actively,” the author suggested integrating socialist education into classroom teaching, social practice, campus culture, and school management. Another article suggested using socialist core values to guide the educational activities in colleges and universities.

Source: Qiushi, August 15, 2012
http://www.qstheory.cn/wh/jsshzyhxjztx/201208/t20120815_175758.htm

On August 13, 2012, China Review News reported that the Chinese Ministry of Public Security will continue its special action against “Internet crimes.” 

In March 2012, China’s Ministry of Public Security started a nationwide campaign to fight against illegal online conduct. In spite of this action, Internet crimes are still rampant in China. The Ministry of Public Security will, therefore, continue its hard-line crackdown on Internet crimes. As of the present, the police forces around China have arrested more than 19,000 suspects and deleted more than 3.85 million items of harmful information from the Internet.

Source: China Review News, August 13, 2012
http://www.zhgpl.com/doc/1021/9/9/9/102199902.html?coluid=45&kindid=0&docid=102199902&mdate=0813225344