Government/Politics - 285. page

A strategic cooperation between the Chinese Ministry of Culture and the state Agriculture Bank was launched on August 26, at a ceremony where the latter joins the “Culture Industries Investment and Finance Public Service Platform,” a government initiative to help fund culture enterprises. According to Gao Shuxun, the Assistant to the Culture Minister, the central government supports the Bank-Ministry alliance and has become a new model for the financial institutes to support the development of culture industries.

On August 18, the Ministry and Agriculture Bank jointly issued a Notice of Comprehensively Strengthening Strategic Cooperation, which made clear the Ministry of Culture’s policy support of the Agriculture Bank to provide financial services to culture enterprises.

Source: Ministry of Culture website, August 26, 2010
http://www.ccnt.gov.cn/sjzz/whcys/cydt/201008/t20100826_81718.html

On August 20, the Party Political Bureau passed the “Opinions to exercise open management of party affairs at the party’s grass roots level," thus giving more flexibility and less restrictions.

The meeting emphasized inter-party democracy and called for exercising open management of party affairs, separation of party affairs from management administration and increasing party members’ rights to participate in party affairs.

Source: China Review News, August 20, 2010
http://gb.chinareviewnews.com/doc/1014/2/0/9/101420920.html?coluid=151&kindid=0&docid=101420920&mdate=0820143209

Wen Jiabao stated “(We) should not only advance economic system reform, but also advance political system reform. Without the guarantee of political system reform, the results of the economic system will be lost, and (China’s) modernization goal won’t be reached.” Wen made this speech when he visited Shenzhen City on August 21, 2010. China News Service reported that Wen’s “political reform” statement has profound meanings behind it.

The Epoch Times pointed out that Wen’s speech exemplified that the discord between the CCP “Reformists” and the “Conservatives” has surfaced amidst an intensified power struggle for the upcoming 18th Party Congress. The “Conservatives,” the majority of whom are the CCP “Princelings,” want to have Xi Jinping as the new President and Bo Xilai as the new Prime Minister. The “Reformists” wish to drive the Princelings out of the power center and endorse Li Keqiang as the President and Wang Qishan as the Prime Minister. Wen’s speech is a strong statement by the “Reformists.” Wen also talked about political system reform during his interview with NHK in Tokyo on June 2.

Sources:
1. China News Service, August 23, 2010
http://www.chinanews.com.cn/hb/2010/08-23/2483336.shtml
2. The Epoch Times, August 23, 2010
http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/10/8/23/n3003233.htm

Jia Qinglin, a member of the CPC Politburo Standing Committee and the Chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, held a forum with religious representatives in Hetian, Xinjiang on August 21, 2010, according to Xinhua.

Jia hopes Xinjiang Muslim representatives will:

1. Actively promote scientific development;
2. Further enhance the agreement with the great Motherland, the Chinese ethnic groups, the Chinese cultures and the socialist road with Chinese characteristics;
3. Do a solid job of interpreting the Koran and standardize the preaching content and formalities. Apply  patriotic ideas to preaching and learning Islamic doctrines;
4. Ensure that the leadership of religious organizations is firmly in the hands of those who love China.

Source: Xinhua, August 21, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2010-08/21/c_12469913.htm

On August 18, Wang Zuoan, the chief of the State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA) gave a speech to representatives of patriotic religious leaders in Beijing, “Strengthen the Training and Education of Religious Personnel.” Wang pointed out that most of the religious personnel cannot keep up with the demands of the ever growing population of religious followers in China. The authorities ought to strengthen training and education, implement filing and recording systems, and emphasize supervision and management. In particular, Wang mentioned Hu Jintao’s “hope” for religious personnel – “politically reliable, intellectually knowledgeable, and morally convincing.”

Source: Web site of United Front Work of Central Committee of Chinese Communist Party.
http://www.zytzb.cn/09/newscenter/benwang/201008/t20100819_676230.html

Qiushi Journal, the publication of the CCP Central Committee organs, published an article discussing drawing boundaries on four major issues:

1. Staying with Marxism. “If Marxism’s leading position is shaken, there will be no theoretical foundation for Communism with Chinese Characteristics…”
2. Insisting on socialist public ownership as the main economic form with the supplement of multiple other economic forms (e.g. private ownership). [Ed: This would mean state-owned enterprises will control the majority of China’s economy.]3. Staying with Chinese style democracy, which is under the CCP’s leadership. The “CCP’s strong leadership is the largest political advantage for China.” “Western style democracy is not ‘universal.’”
4. Insisting on socialist ideology and culture. The capitalist ideology and culture is gradually becoming China’s main challenge. “The struggle in ideology is, in essence, the struggle between the socialist value system and the capitalist value system.”

Source: Qiushi Journal, August 16, 2010
http://www.qstheory.cn/zxdk/2010/201016/201008/t20100811_42394.htm

Hu Jintao’s speech at the 22nd group political study of the Central Politburo of the CCP is the “general mobilization order” for “deeply advancing the cultural system reform,” Global Times commented on August 7, 2010. The Central Propaganda Department immediately sent out an order, requesting all propaganda, ideology, and culture work follow Hu’s speech and “further enhance (everyone’s) political responsibility (to the party).” All major Central media have followed the tone by publishing series of commentaries to create a public environment echoing Hu’s direction.

Source: Global Times, August 7, 2010
http://china.huanqiu.com/roll/2010-08/994711.html

On August 1, 2010, Xinhua published an article by Han Xudong, a professor from the Strategy Department of the PLA National Defense University, saying that currently it is not appropriate for China to explicitly state what China’s “Core National Interests” are for the following three reasons:

1. “Our military capability is not as good as America’s military capability in many respects. Publicly identifying our core national interests will place our diplomatic work and the uses of the armed forces in a passive position.” 
2. “China does not have the power to protect all of its core national interests yet.”
3. “As China integrates into the international community, the collision of various interests between China and other countries must increase. Thus, China must protect China’s national interests rather than just its core national interests.”

Source: Xinhua, August 1, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2010-08/01/content_13947214.htm