Government/Politics - 334. page

State textbooks for secondary schools shape the patriotism of young Chinese generations, wrote Mrs. He Qinglian, a prominent writer on China.  Mrs. He wrote that in the State textbooks for secondary schools, the Communist Party has defined the relationship between the Party and Chinese people as that between mother and children, the relationship between Communist authorities and oversea Chinese as that between motherland and oversea orphans. The article believes that the authorities’ deprivation of freedom of information has turned patriotism to loyalty to autocracy as shown in recent breakout of nationalism against western media on Tibet and the Beijing Olympics.

Source: Epoch Times, May 4, 2008
http://news.epochtimes.com/gb/8/5/4/n2105085.htm

This Xinhua commentary article, titled “Soundly Blow the Strong Note of Patriotism”, quoting a speech by Party General Secretary Hu Jintao given during a recent visit to Beijing University, urges Chinese youth to carry on the glorious tradition of patriotism and steadfastly follow the Party down the socialist path with Chinese characteristics. The article calls on Chinese youth to strongly persist with patriotism and the socialist [path] and unite with solidarity around the core leadership of Hu Jintao to realize the great goal of the country’s revival.

Source: Xinhua, May 5, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2008-05/05/content_8109927.htm

A new security regulation, announced yesterday by Beijing’s municipal government, goes into effect today that all persons and vehicles entering the Tiananmen Square are subject to a random security search. The new regulation also adds a list of illegal items forbidden to be brought into the area, including guns, ammunition, knives, explosive and radioactive items, drug and adult materials, and other hazardous articles that can disrupt social order and endanger public security. Security searches around Tiananmen Square will become a routine that will stay in effect all year long, according to one official from the municipal government. Under the old regulations, security searches around the square were performed only during times of special events and major holidays.

Source: Xinhua, May 6, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/legal/2008-05/05/content_8106559.htm

Xu Lin, director of China’s National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language, talked about the international spread of the Chinese language in an interview with Xinhua’s publication Outlook Weekly magazine. Xu said that the international spread of the Chinese language was a national strategy. To accomplish such a great venture, it must be done through the combined efforts of various departments of the government as well as the whole society. Xu emphasizes that the most pressing issue is to improve the ability for the Chinese language to spread [beyond the country]. China’s National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language was established in 1987. It is made up of officials from 11 departments of the State Council. Its mission is to coordinate various ministries, treat the international spread of Chinese as a national issue, and spread it in a quiet manner. The headquarters of the Confucius Institutes established later is another face of the same office.

Source: Sohu, May 5, 2008
http://news.sohu.com/20080505/n256668069.shtml

On April 29, the Judicial Department of Aba Prefecture [Aba is the second largest Tibetan ethnic group in Sichuan Province] held a lawyers’ professional training conference. All 55 practicing lawyers in the region attended the training. During the conference, the lawyers were required to be in solidarity with the Party’s Unified Plan both in thought and action, to be sober-minded about the [political] climate, and to counter-attack the Dalai clique’s separation with concrete actions.

Source: Boxun, May 4, 2008
http://www.peacehall.com/news/gb/china/2008/05/200805040315.shtml

On April 27 & 28, Monk Shi Qingming from Huang Long Temple of Yunnan Province sat in a two-day qualification test seeking to be enrolled into the Chinese Communist Party School of Yunnan Province. He learned about the party school enrollment notice in February and applied for the test in April. Monk Shi said that he intends to study the systematic teachings about the Party in order to accept the party leadership, follow the Party’s policies on religious practice and be part of the development to build a “Harmonious Society”.

Source: Yunnan Daily, April 28, 2008 http://search.yndaily.com/cgi-bin/detail.exe?133200+yndaily/news_99+59673+news_99+
@NEWSITEM+nobody+0+mark+%CA%CD%C7%E5%C3%F7,//%B5%B3%D0%A3%B5%
C4%BF%BC%CA%D4,////

In a meeting with journalists on April 17 during a visit to Japan, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi stated, “I emphasize that the Tibetan issue is China’s internal affair. The Chinese government has already made great efforts (in resolving the Tibet issue), communicated with the world about the situation of Tibet, and organized foreign diplomatic officials and journalist to visit Tibet. It has already confirmed through investigation that the serious criminal riot in Tibetan area is produced at the Dalai faction’s organized instigation and by the collusion of Taiwanese independence group with Tibetan Secessionists.”

Source: Boxun, April 29, 2008
http://news.boxun.com/news/gb/china/2008/04/200804290219.shtml