Government/Politics - 336. page

After a Chinese reporter Zhang Danhong in Deutsche Welle (Voice of Germany) was suspended due to her pro-communist comments a week ago, China’s state media Xinhua reacted strongly, emphasizing the incident. Xinhua has published a series of articles to defend her comments and attack Western media’s “press freedom.” Xinhua says that Ms. Zhang was suspended because of her “pro-China” comments; (she) incurred danger due to telling the “truth.” Xinhua makes its point by quoting a Chinese person’s reaction: “Germany’s media can not even allow such an (objective and just) person, we can see how horrible this country’s media (freedom) environment has become.”

Source: Xinhua, September 2, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2008-09/02/content_9753429.htm

Judges must develop political wisdom as well as legal thinking to serve justice and political interests, said Zhang Jun, Deputy Party Secretary of the Supreme People’s Court of China at a national conference for judges.“ Zhang emphasized that judges must identify themselves with Chinese style socialism politically, ideologically and emotionally.  “Interpretation and application of the law by itself will not resolve legal issues presented in cases.”

At the conference, President of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region High Court made a presentation entitled “Safeguarding National Security and Social Stability Is the Primary Political Task of the Xinjiang People’s Court.”

Source: Xinhua, August 28, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/legal/2008-08/28/content_9728602.htm

2007 Annual audit of the central government budget implementation shows problems in the amount of 29.379 billion yuan, said Auditor-General Liu Yi of China National Audit Office on August 27, 2008. The audit covered 368 work units under 53 central government departments. Of the 29.379-bn yuan problem funds, 98% resulted from mismanagement, while violations of law and regulations account for 2%.

Source: China National Audit Office, August 27, 2008 http://www.audit.gov.cn/n1057/n1072/n258889/1669208.html

The overseas Chinese news website Boxun quotes information from China-Aid Association that the Committee of Central Political and Legislative Affairs of the Chinese Communist Party is issuing a secret directive to the subordinate department and organizations. The directive is about plans of a nation-wide movement to crack down on the “four groups of unstable elements in the society.” The four groups are leaders of family churches of Christianity, petitioners, human rights activists, and dissidents. It is said that the information comes from senior level officials of China’s security department.

Source: Boxun, August 21, 2008
http://boxun.com/hero/200808/zyzhsh/11_1.shtml

New evidence of fraud pertaining to the age of two Chinese gymnasts has prompted an Internatioanl Gymnastic Federation (IGF) investigation into the matter, said the International Olympics Committee (IOC) on August 21, 2008.

The new evidence includes an official document prepared by the central government in February 2006, entitled “2006 Registration Table for National Gymnasts” that contains information on the age and birthplace of several hundred Chinese gymnasts.  Line 811 shows that Yang Yilin is a female, born on August 26, 1993 in Guangzhou.  Line 1040 shows that He Kexin is a female, born on January 1, 1994 in Wuhan.  A similar list for 2005 contains the same information for the two gymnasts. The two lists were found through an online search and the links have since been removed.

Source: Epoch Times, August 21, 2008
http://epochtimes.com/gb/8/8/21/n2236520p.htm

Hua Guofeng, a former leader of the Communist Party of China (CPC), died on August 20 at the age of 87, Xinhua reported without elaborating.  In a short official statement, Hua was praised as "an outstanding CPC member, a long-tested and loyal Communist fighter and a proletarian revolutionary who once held important leading posts in the CPC and the government." Hua Guofeng succeeded Mao Zedong in 1976 as China’s Communist Party chairman and the nation’s head of state.

Source: Xinhua, August 20, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2008-08/20/content_9545861.htm

On August 18, Liu Xiang, one of China’s greatest hopes for winning a gold medal had to withdraw from the Olympics due to his foot injury, reported Xinhua. His abrupt departure from the 110 meter hurdles surprised Chinese who had high expectations of his winning gold medals as he did at the 2004 Olympics.  According to a poll, 49% understand and want him to move on.  40% regret his action and would have preferred that he continued with the competition.  Many have voiced claims that Liu’s action was ordered by the Chinese authorities to save face because Liu could not win. Sources say on August 19, the Chinese Communist Party Propaganda Department issued a mandate that all media must follow the official explanation. 

Source:
Chinese News, August 18, 2008
http://www.chinanews.com.cn/olympic/news.2008/08/-18/1352128.shtml
Epoch Times, August 20, 2008
http://epochtimes.com/gb/8/8/20/n2234459.htm

As the Beijing Olympics has become the Olympics of the Party, factions within the Party are marking out their own territory, observes the Hong Kong-based Trend Magazine. President Hu Jintao is re-enforcing his position in the military. The deployment of the “Red Flag 7” Short-range surface-to-air missile outside the Olympics main site is one example. Former President Jiang Zemin’s Shanghai gang flexes its muscles through control of propaganda and foreign affairs. Internal documents on propaganda mandate that no media shall follow the tune of the western reports. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has a special mission, according to internal documents: (1) help overseas Chinese understand the need to politicize the Olympics; (2) offer business opportunities and lobby pro-China media in the West to spread that the Beijing Olympics is the pre-requisite of further reform; and (3) persuade pro-China media and commentators in Hong Kong and Taiwan to support the Olympics.

Source: The Trend Magazine
http://www.chengmingmag.com/t276/select/276sel02.html