Government/Politics - 296. page

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

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. 

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.

VOA quoted expert opinions that this law will further suppress reporting activities by reporters or any other person that might publish information that the government wants to keep secret, regardless of whether the information contains state secrets or not. Classifying information as a state secret after its published will allow the Chinese regime to imprison reporters without a legal process. This may also force the media and websites to monitor netizens’ postings and encourage informers to come forward.

China is the number one country in detaining reporters and imprisons the greatest number of reporters.

Source: VOA, May 6, 2010
http://www1.voanews.com/chinese/news/-20100506-CHINA-NEW-STATE-SECRETS-LAW-LEAVES-JOURNALISTS-EXPOSED-92961114.html

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.

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

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. 

According to a People’s Forum survey, 44% of respondents considered “’government official’ to be a highly risky profession,” with the top ten most risky government official posts selected by the respondents. The officials most "at risk" were the Chief of the Land and Resource Bureau, the Chief of the Transportation Bureau, the CCP County Secretary, the Chief of the Public Security Bureau, the Chief of the CCP Department of Organization, the Chief of the Construction Bureau, the Chief of the Work Safety Bureau, the City’s CCP Secretary, senior managers of state owned enterprises, and the Chief of the Housing Management Bureau. What made them “risky” according to the survey? The risk factor was stated to be the positions’ high vulnerability to corruption. 

The Central Comprehensive Management Office recently published the “Opinion on Implementing the Big Conflict Investigation and Mediation Work.” The opinion stressed that, to maintain social stability, it is important to further improve conflict and dispute investigation and mediation efforts throughout the country. Officials should work at the origin of the conflict and try to put it down at its earliest stage. The whole effort should be under the Party’s leadership. It should follow the principle of “whoever is in charge is responsible (for the issue).” It will be  implemented primarily at the county and town level for rural areas and district and street level for urban areas.

Source: Xinhua, April 26, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/legal/2010-04/26/c_1257307.htm