Wenzhou, a coastal city in Southeast China, is to openly hire 25 Party secretaries to be posted in local private companies, according to the city’s Party organization department. The secretaries, paid by the private businesses, will organize and expand the Party branches inside the companies. Ever since the fourth session of the 17th Congress of the CCP in 2009, nationwide private enterprises have been required to set up local Party organizations as part of the regime’s efforts to build up the Party. Usually the secretaries are appointed by superior Party cadres; Wenzhou’s move is an innovation because it is integrating the political process with the market mechanism.
Government/Politics - 288. page
Government Employees Subjected to Loyalty Training
Over 6 million Chinese government employees have attended various political training sessions over the past five years. Intensive orientation training of these “civil servants” includes indoctrination in Party tradition, loyalty pledges, and military boot camp. It is rumored that the training has been effective in improving the political awareness of these trainees and their thinking is now in line with the directives of the Communist Party. In recent years, topics such as social unrest and State security have been added to this on-the-job training. Government employees have also taken training overseas. Such training has been institutionalized and without the training, the employee cannot be promoted.
Source: Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security of China, May 17, 2010 http://www.mohrss.gov.cn/Desktop.aspx?path=mohrss/mohrss/InfoView&gid=792b0119-2f0e-41ed-b168-6a64a362378a&tid=Cms_Info
China to Register and Manage All Religious Practitioners
On May 12, the State Administration for Religious Affairs held a video/audio conference on implementing the “Regulations on Religious Affairs.” 1700 religious affairs officials from all provinces participated in the conference. The Administration decided to complete the “Religious Practitioner Registration Practice” in three years, so that it can systematically and dynamically manage them over the Internet. It will also implement the “Financial Supervision and Management Practice for Religious Activities and Sites” in three years. For the remainder of 2010 and early 2011, local officials will start trial implementations.
Source: People’s Daily, May 14, 2010
http://politics.people.com.cn/GB/1027/11601559.html
Nobel Economics Laureate Gives Lecture to Chinese Officials
Robert Mundell, professor of economics at Columbia University and the recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics in 1999, gave a lecture at the Chinese Academy of Governance (CAG) in Beijing. CAG, subordinate to the State Council, is a government agency for training officials and Chinese Communist Party cadres. The lecture was about the global financial crisis, reform of the international monetary system, and China’s role in the global economy.
VOA: China’s New State Secret Law Detrimental to Health of Reporters
On April 29, The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress enacted a new People’s Republic of China law concerning guarding "State Secrets." The law will be in effect beginning October 1, 2010.
Source: VOA, May 6, 2010
http://www1.voanews.com/chinese/news/-20100506-CHINA-NEW-STATE-SECRETS-LAW-LEAVES-JOURNALISTS-EXPOSED-92961114.html
Ministry of Public Health: Local Health Organizations Must Apply for Permission before trip to Yushu
On April 19, 2010, the National Center for Health Inspection and Supervision of the Ministry of Public Health informed each provincial Public Health Bureau that local health organizations may no longer go to Yushu, Qinhai Province for earthquake relief activities without prior approval. They must apply through the chain of command. Once approved, they are free to go.
Information provided by unconfirmed source.
People’s Daily: China must not apply a “separation of powers”
On May 10, 2010, Xinhua reprinted an article from People’s Daily written by two Tsinghua University scholars emphasizing that China must not utilize a “separation of powers.”
According to the article, the CPC Central Committee Propaganda Department Theory Bureau has published the book “Six Whys – the Answers to Several Important Questions.” The book stresses that China cannot implement a “separation of powers.” The book tells the Chinese people that the “separations of powers” has only been put into operation in very few countries in the Western world.
The article says that the CPC Central Committee Propaganda Department Theory Bureau’s explanation is very important in clarifying and even correcting people’s ambiguous or wrong ideas about the “separation of powers.” It concludes that China is a socialist country and must always uphold the Party’s leadership.
Source: People’s Daily, May 10, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2010-05/10/c_1282906.htm
Survey Suggests Internet Phobia is a Syndrome of Chinese Officials
People’s Forum, under the official People’s Daily, recently conducted a survey of “‘Internet Phobia’ of Contemporary Chinese Officials.” 5,943 netizens participated online and 300 officials and non-officials through pen and paper.