Government/Politics - 264. page

According to Vice Minister of Finance, Zhang Shaochun, China has spent a significant amount of money on the development of culture. Since 2005, the overall government spending on culture, sports, and media has increased at an annual rate of 20.9%, while central government spending has grown at the rate of 25.4% annually. Money has been used for museums, memorials, and national centers for education in patriotism, all of which are free to the public. The government will continue to fund the national publishing foundation so it can contribute to the widespread publication of Marxist and Leninist works, youth publications, and all those issues that are a national priority. Zhang said that the Party’s newspapers, journals, radio programs, and TV stations will continue to be funded through “government procurement” to enhance their vitality.

Source: Guangming Daily, November 26, 2011
http://culture.gmw.cn/2011-11/26/content_3049558.htm

A Red Flag Manuscript article concluded that, in order to promote the sound and rapid development of the non-State sector of the economy, an essential condition is to strengthen the Party’s development in non-State enterprises. The article expressed the belief, “It is futile to rely on corporate governance; it is the Party organization in the enterprise that plays the core political role.” The non-State sector needs many forms of support from the Party in order to grow, while the development and expansion of the Party relies on support from the non-State sector. “This is the root cause for the Party to play a core political role in non-State enterprises.” The synchronized coordination between the Party Committee and the board of directors of the enterprise is the key to Party’s development in the non-State sector.

Source: Red Flag Manuscript reprinted by Qiushi, November 29, 2011
http://www.qstheory.cn/hqwg/2011/201122/201111/t20111129_126337.htm

On November 29, 2011, the Communication University of China held an opening ceremony to formally announce the establishment of the Center for Marxist Communication and Popularization. A forum on “Marxist Communication and Popularization” was held at the same time. Government leaders from the Propaganda Ministry, the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television, and over 70 scholars from prestigious universities and institutions such as Beijing University, Tsinghua University, and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences all attended the ceremony. The center is the first of its kind to specifically study Marxist communication and popularization in order to promote the development, advancement, and popularization of Marxism. Another purpose is to implement the policy of the Chinese Communist Party’s 17th Congress, the development and promotion of Chinese socialist culture.

Source: Huanqiu (Global Times), November 30, 2011
http://china.huanqiu.com/hot/2011-11/2222143.html

On November 28, 2011, Study Times, a journal of the Party School of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, published an article analyzing what caused the collapse of the former Soviet Union. The writer, Prof. Zuo Fengrong of the Party School, responded to a question as to why neither the Soviet people nor the Soviet Communist Party members stood up to defend the Soviet Union. The professor stated, “The fundamental reason was that the Soviet Communist Party departed from Marxist principles and goals and failed to establish a political system that secured ordinary people’s (social) status.”

He concluded, “Since the people had no right to elect and monitor cadres, they were disconnected from state power. Cadres made all the decisions and the people were just cogs in the gigantic socialist machine. Although the USSR’s Constitution offered the right of citizenship to its citizens in the literal sense, the principle of the citizens’ rights was not implemented until Gorbachev began his reforms. However, the citizens of the Soviet Union did not have long-term training in democracy and did not know how to use their rights, so they became an important force in advancing the nation’s disintegration under Yeltsin’s propaganda.”

Source: Study Times, November 28, 2011
http://www.studytimes.com.cn:9999/epaper/xxsb/html/2011/11/28/02/02_35.htm

The Sixth Plenary Session of the CCP 17th Central Committee set the establishment of a country with a powerful socialist culture as a strategic target. On November 28, 2011, Study Times, a journal of the Party School of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, published an article stating that “such a long-term strategic plan reflects the Party Central Committee’s cultural awakening, its becoming more and more active in cultural development, and its increasing self-confidence.”

The article repeatedly emphasized the socialist core values. “We must effectively integrate the socialist core values into culture products and culture services. Thus we can expand the global influence of the Chinese culture around the world by taking advantage of the universal acceptance of cultural values and international communication methods.”

Source: Study Times, November 28, 2011
http://www.studytimes.com.cn:9999/epaper/xxsb/html/2011/11/28/01/01_29.htm

Jinghua Daily, a newspaper under People’s Daily, recently reported that the 2012 Entry Exam for Central Government Civil Officials started on November 26, 2011. The exam takes two days. There are around 1.3 million people registered nationally for the exam. The total number of job openings is around 18,000. In Beijing City alone, 2,940 exam sites were established. This year is the first year for all sites in Beijing to be equipped with radio shielding devices. Branches of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology also sent mobile radio activity monitoring vehicles to fight high-tech cheating techniques. Large construction sites have been closed temporarily during the exam.

Source: Jinghua Daily, November 26, 2011
http://edu.people.com.cn/GB/16399354.html

The Ministry of Culture recently issued a notice, “On System Reform Actions that State Owned Culture and Art Entities Must Complete.” It required all levels of entities within the ministry to further understand the importance and urgency of the requirements given at the 6th Plenary Session of the 17th National Congress and completely implement the system reforms by the end of the first half of 2012. The notice requested all levels of each entity to lay out the plans, requirements, and timeline and to identify the person in charge; to establish the relocation, coordination, and inspection process; to strictly follow the related requirements; and to systematically complete the work. It also required the understanding and support of the Party organization and government at the district levels so they can assist in the process.

Source: Xinhua, November 21, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2011-11/21/c_111184330.htm

Beijing News recently published a report on the “Made in China” commercial sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce. The commercial has run on CNN, the BBC, and other European and North American media since 2009. The Ministry did not release the cost officially, but it was estimated to be in the millions of dollars. A Hong Kong based researcher released a recent report that showed the commercial was “generally effective.” However, half of the viewers surveyed said that the commercial did not impact them at all. Compared to another “National Image” commercial that the same Ministry also sponsored, the “Made in China” one was much more successful. About seven percent of viewers had a positive view of the “National Image” commercial while the number of people having a negative view increased by 10% after seeing it. BBC research showed the same result.

Source: Beijing News, November 16, 2011
http://news.bjnews.com.cn/2011/1116/138896.shtml