Government/Politics - 326. page

Global Times English Edition will start its first publication on April 20, 2009. The Global Times English website will also start on the same day. Global Times English Edition will be the second comprehensive English newspaper published in China. It will report the world from the Chinese angle and convey Chinese people’ s stance and viewpoint on major issues around the world.

Global Times, a newspaper under the People’s Daily, began publishing in 1993 and is one of the newspapers with the largest number of subscribers in China.

Source: Xinhua, April 19, 2009
http://news.xinhuanet.com/newmedia/2009-04/19/content_11217348.htm

The International Herald Leader, a branch of Xinhua News, published an article which reflected China’s state view analyzing Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s intention of his trip to China. The article quoted Globe and Mail to describe Harper’s China policies as “childish”.

The article stated the belief that the Canadian Minister of International Trade Stockwell Day’s recent visit to China signaled an important policy adjustment to seek more trade opportunities with China to survive the current economic crisis. The article mentioned that Harper has consistently criticized China on human rights issues since he was elected.

Source: Xinhua News/International Herald Leader, April 16, 2009.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/herald/2009-04/16/content_11193852.htm

On April 17, Jia Qinglin, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, spoke at a forum on the Party’s religion work attended by provincial level party leaders.

Jia emphasized that all levels of party committees and government bodies should understand the overall and strategic importance of religion work under the current environment. They should further strengthen and exercise the Party’s leadership in religion work; strengthen research and investigation of the current status of various religions; pay attention to religion work at the ground level; strengthen the support of patriotic religious organizations; fully encourage and utilize personnel within those organizations to play active roles to bridge the connections between the government body and religious believers to ensure stability among religions.

Jia also instructed that it is required that they should actively engage in building friendly relations with religions from overseas and be on guard against foreign forces using religion for espionage. 

Source: Xinhua, April 17, 2009
http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2009-04/17/content_11200560_1.htm

The People’s Daily published an opinion piece titled "Let the Glory of the New Era Shine in our Patriotism." It states that "to celebrate the new China’s 60th anniversary, (China) will carry out public patriotic education in depth throughout the entire nation. The Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China had a teleconference to motivate its staff and assign tasks, marking the kickoff of the program."

Source: People’s Daily, April 15, 2009
http://opinion.people.com.cn/GB/40604/9131420.html

The President of Venezuela Hugo Chavez arrived in Beijing on April 7 for a three day visit. Upon arrival, he stated that “a new world order is being established”.

The BBC Chinese report indicates that it believes the motive of developing the relationship between Venezuela and China is simple: Venezuela wants to break loose of the trade dependency on oil with the United States, while China wants to expand its oil supply channels.

In addition to the oil trade relationship, the two countries have military and news media relationships.

Source: BBC Chinese, April 7, 2009.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/chinese/simp/hi/newsid_7980000/newsid_7988800/7988822.stm

Responding to recent news reports accusing China of cyber attacks, the International Herald calls such accusations by Western media groundless. The article quotes defense expert Professor Meng Xiangqing, who claims that it was a smoke bomb. He defends that China is indeed the victim and has been attacked by  Western cyber spies, lead by the country’s enemies and anti-China forces.

Meng lists the U.S. as having the most powerful cyber-attack potential and that it has provided funding in the amount of tens of millions of dollars a year to a number of organizations including “Ze Wa online,” a Tibetan independence entity and “cyber traitors,” the Chinese democracy movement leaders, to conduct cyber spying activity on China, attack the Chinese government, criticize China’s open reform policy and other socialist values.

Source: Xinhua, April 9, 2009
http://news.xinhuanet.com/herald/2009-04/09/content_11154934.htm

Since the end of February, China has sent numerous officials on more than half dozen trips to Taiwan for various purposes including tourism, cultural exploration, trade, sports, energy, agriculture, information technology, religion, and politics. These represent the largest number of high level visits made across the straight.

Source: Apolo, April 2, 2009
http://www.aboluowang.com/news/data/2009/0402/article_72951.html

One of the few interesting topics during the CPPCC sessions at the National People’s Congress was an open discussion about disclosing officials’ personal property.

The public strongly supported the idea. However, most officials stood firmly against it. One official was quoted as saying, "Why not have the people disclose their property first?"

Some serious issues that China currently faces have also been raised as a consequence of the discussion.  Disclosing officials’ property holdings involves the fundamentals of a free society such as freedom of the press, and freedom of assembly, which the government isn’t ready or willing to allow.

Source: BBC Chinese, March 30, 2009
http://news.bbc.co.uk/chinese/simp/hi/newsid_7970000/newsid_7971800/7971849.stm