Government/Politics - 344. page

According to Deutsche Presse Agentur (DPA), 10,000 plus foreign students will have to leave China during the Summer Olympics. Several universities in Beijing and foreign diplomats have confirmed that all foreign students will not be allowed to stay during the months of July and August, even though they may not have completed their studies. One spokesperson from Beijing University was quoted as saying that “there is no exception, as this is an order from above.” The ban also includes week-long summer classes. DAAD or the German Academic Exchange Services in Beijing also warned incoming visiting scholars. Foreign students will not be able to come back until after September 17, when the 2008 Paralympics will have finished. However, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs refused to confirm this news.

Source: Deutsche Welle, Chinese, April 17, 2008
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3273472,00.html

China will never engage in multi-party rule, the separation of powers or a bicameral legislature system, said Wu Bangguo, Chairman of the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress on March 19, 2008 at a meeting of the Standing Committee of the 11th National People’s Congress.

In discussing the difference between a Chinese socialist system and a western democratic system, Wu further stated, “The Chinese Communist Party is the core of leadership as the ruling party. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, democratic parties participate in State affairs and cooperate with the Communist Party. They are not opposition parties.” “Our National People’s Congress is the organ of State power handling State and social affairs under the Communist Party.”

Source: Qiushi, April 16, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2008-04/16/content_7986835.htm

The State Administration for Grain has sent a team to Anhui Province to investigate a recent story that the grain stock from local storage facilities has gone missing missing, prompting speculations of possible corruption charges. Grain reserves are stored and subsidized by the government at local storage facilities but the actual stock may have been inflated by the local officials in order to receive extra subsidized compensation. Meanwhile, recent soaring grain prices have led to illegal selling of reserve stocks for "double profits". Amid fears of the worst grain shortage in two decades, the report caused grave concerns among government officials that this practice may be widespread. The annual nationwide auditing of the grain storage by the State Administration for Grain has been underway six months earlier than the normal August/September season.

Source: Xinhua, April 15, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2008-04/15/content_7978862.htm

There have always been “a few” international politicians “cheering tirelessly”, either openly or from behind-the-scenes, for the Dalai Lama with an ulterior-motive to use the issue of Tibet to “contain China,” according to a Xinhua article from April 15, 2008.  Among them, singled out by the article, were two US congress representatives, Nancy Pelosi and Thomas Lantos, and two EU Parliament members, Edward McMillan-Scott (Vice-President) and Thomas Mann (President of the Tibet Intergroup). Pelosi, a “longtime hard-line China basher”, and Lantos, the key figure of the Human Rights Caucus Group, have been “the best and the most reliable friends” of the Dalai Lama in the US Congress. Together with other senior members and a special lobby group, “International Campaign for Tibet", they have been the main force “stirring up trouble” to interfere in China’s internal affairs on Tibet. The Dalai Lama Clique also has many “high ranking friends” in the EU Parliament that have been “openly” supporting the “Tibetan Separatists” and are calling for EU leaders to boycott the Beijing Olympic which “has angered” the Chinese people. The “right wing” political forces were also mentioned by the article as supporters of the Dalai clique.

Source: Xinhua, April 15, 2008

http://news.xinhuanet.com/herald/2008-04/15/content_7978106.htm

On March 16, 2008 the State TV, China Central TV, held an online poll on direct election of city mayor.

“Do you agree that mayors should be elected directly by votes of local residents, instead of by representatives of the People’s Congress? Do you agree a mayor may be removed by votes of local residents if the mayor acts against the will of the people?”

The poll closed on April 5, 2008, with a total of 180,771 votes. No results were available. According to a voter’s blog, as of 11pm April 4, 2008, 2,029 (1.49%) voted “Disagree” and 133, 417 (98.20%) voted “Agree,” with 419 (0.31%) voting “Do not care.”

Source:
CCTV, March 16, 2008
http://fuxing.bbs.cctv.com/viewthread.php?tid=11507030;
Lao Mo, April 4, 2008
http://blog.cat898.com/boke.asp?Userid_301341.showtopic.152005.html

On Shaolin Temple’s web page, there were two pictures posted and subtitled: “Shaolin Monks Study and Exercise the Key Messages from the Party Conference” [1]. In an interview with Xiang Li, television hostess from Hunan Television, Shi Yongxing, headmaster of Shaolin Temple told Li: “After I returned from the National People’s Congress held in Beijing, I have the responsibility to share the updates with the monks so that they are aware of the achievements made by the party in the past 5 years”. Shi denied to be called as a “Political Monk” and claimed that his action is to safeguard the rights of Buddhism and make contribution to the country. “Monks also need to pay attention to politics,” he said, “Shaolin Temple is well known around the world and the credit should go to the government’s open reform policy.

Source:
Jin Bao Net, April 4, 2008
http://www.jinbw.com.cn/jinbw/xwzx/zzsx/20080404294.htm
[1] Pictures of Shaolin Monks studying key messages from the Party Conference
http://2008.chinashaolin.org/show.asp?id=844

Qiushi, the Communist Party journal, issued an article as part of a series of commentaries regarding Hu Jintao’s speech on Party propaganda. The article states that media must primarily provide positive publicity, shall never publish any opinion contrary to the spirit of the Party’s viewpoints, and shall never provide channels for spreading “noises.”

Source: Qiushi, April 1, 2008
http://www.qsjournal.com.cn/qs/20080401/GB/qs%5E476%5E0%5E10.htm

According to the statement released by the Public Security Bureau, police have “discovered” large quantity of weapons in some Tibet monasteries. Among the discovered were 178 rifles, 13,013 ammunition rounds, 259 knives, 3,504 kg dynamite, 19,360 detonators, and 2 grenades. These are “sufficient proofs” that the “riot of 3/14” in Lasha was organized by Dalai Clique, according to the statement. In addition, a few “key suspects” with close ties to the oversea Dalai Clique have also been arrested.

Source: Xinhua April 2, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2008-04/02/content_7900936.htm