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Heightened Security for September 3

According to Beijing Public Security, in preparation for China’s commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II on September 3, the police have launched a citywide security campaign that involves 850,000 people throughout the city’s various districts. During the parade, the leaders of the Communist Party will review the troops. 

Starting from August 20, the 850,000 participants in the security campaign will be wearing red armbands and stand as guards along Beijing’s main streets, in different communities, in shopping malls, and in other public places. The security requirements include patrols on every street or alley, guards at designated key locations, and lookouts at government buildings, shopping malls, stores, and markets. 
Source: People’s Public Security Daily reprinted by People’s Daily, August 20, 2015, http://society.people.com.cn/n/2015/0820/c136657-27492645.html
Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Behind the Tianjin Explosions

China Business News reported that, at around 11:30 pm on August 13, two consecutive explosions occurred in warehouses containing hazardous chemical materials in Tianjin City, about a 30 minute train ride from Beijing. The explosions originated at a warehouse site owned by Tianjin Dongjiang Port Rui Hai International Logistics Co., a company that stores and transports dangerous chemicals. 

Xinhua said that, as of 6:00 pm on August 13, 50 people had been confirmed dead among whom 17 were firefighters. More than 701 people have been hospitalized, 71 in critical condition and the death toll is expected to rise. 
The cause of explosions remains unknown. The authorities cannot identify the source of the fire because the fire has not yet been completely put out. The fire continues due to the calcium carbide in the inflammable materials in the warehouses. Calcium carbide reacts violently with water and reactive chemicals, with a risk of explosion. When the first group of over 100 firefighters arrived at the scene, there had not yet been any explosions. They were not informed that there were hazardous materials that might explode if they came in contact with water. Firefighters then used water to put out the fire. 
Source: China Business News, August 14, 2015 
http://www.yicai.com/news/2015/08/4669810.html
Briefings | | |   Social Stability

BBC Chinese: China Arrested Seven Christians

BBC Chinese recently reported that the Chinese police in Zhejiang Province arrested at least seven Christians who were against the removal of the cross from the top of their local church. Among the seven, two were priests, who were accused on several counts, with charges such as “forming a mob to disturb the public order.” The lawyer of the Christians who were arrested pointed out that the true cause of the arrest was the fact that they resisted the removal of the cross. The church is a government-approved legal church and the entire church building process from acquiring the land to construction went through all of the steps the government required for review and approval. However the Zhejiang Province authorities have now decided to demolish the church without presenting any legal documents. Amnesty International said they are carefully monitoring this case. Article 36 of the Chinese Constitution clearly states that Chinese citizens have freedom of religion. 
Source: BBC Chinese, August 5, 2015
http://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/china/2015/08/150805_china_zhejiang_christians_detained
Briefings | | |   Social Stability

BBC Chinese: Around 75 Percent of China’s Large Cities Did Not Meet Air Quality Standard

BBC Chinese recently reported that, according to the numbers that the Chinese Ministry of Environment Protection released, around 75 percent of China’s large cities did not meet the air quality standard in June. Only 19 cities met the standard. In June, for around 60 percent of the days in the capital city Beijing, the air quality was below standard and its PM2.5 pollution level suffered a year-over-year 11 percent increase. PM2.5 particles are air pollutants with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less, small enough to invade even the smallest airways. These particles generally come from activities that involve the burning of fossil fuels, such as traffic, smelting, and metal processing. The World Health Organization (WHO) considers a PM2.5 number below 10 to be safe. The Chinese standard is 35, which the Chinese government does not expect to meet until 2030. The Ministry of Environmental Protection also found that many cities manipulated the data in order to “meet” the standard.
Source: BBC Chinese, July 13, 2015
http://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/china/2015/07/150713_china_pollution_figures
Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Xinhua: Beijing to Limit Growth in the Number of Permanent Residents

Xinhua reported that the City of Beijing held a meeting on July 18 at which it did an economic analysis. During the meeting, the City agreed that it will increase its efforts to limit population growth. The article said that the surge in population has brought pressure in relation to a number of social issues, including a shortage of water, air pollution, traffic congestion, and environmental issues. The article said that those at the meeting agreed to the goal of keeping the number of the permanent resident population below 21.770 million during the second half of 2015 and below 23 million by 2020. The statistics showed that, by the end of 2014, the number of permanent residents living in Beijing had reached 21.516 million.

Source: Xinhua, July 19, 2015
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2015-07/19/c_1115967908.htm

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

RFA: Rights Lawyers in China threatened and Forced to Speak Up Outside the Court System

Radio Free Asia (RFA) carried an article which stated that, after Wang Yu, a rights lawyer in Beijing was detained on July 9, the authorities threatened close to 100 rights lawyer and human rights activists. One rights lawyer told RFA that the police said that if they don’t stop spreading the news about the Wang’s arrest the police will go after and harm their family members. China’s official media also carried an article on July 11 attacking the rights lawyers for “stirring up” sensitive cases and openly “confronting the court.” Based on an analysis from the human rights experts, contradicting the official media reports, lately the rights lawyers have frequently being cut off during their speeches in court. Their right to defend [their clients] and their legal licenses have been threatened as well. The article said that this situation has forced them to speak up outside of the court.  

Source:
Radio Free Asia, July 12, 2015
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/renquanfazhi/yf2-07122015112404.html
People’s Daily, July 12, 2015
http://politics.people.com.cn/n/2015/0712/c1001-27290030.html

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Divorce Rate in China Continued to Grow in 2014

People’s Daily reported that the Ministry of Civil Affairs released statistics showing that 3.6 million couples in China filed for divorce in 2014. The statistics indicated that the growth had been continuous since 2003. Beijing and Shanghai continued to have the highest number of divorces. The article said that the divorce rate jumped in 2011 after the Supreme Court introduced a new marriage law that simplified the divorce process and made it easier to divide the assets. Due to the revision in the tax law on sale of the real estate property, the year 2013 also saw an increase in the divorce rate. The article attributed the increase in the divorce rate in 2014 to the fast pace of life, the change in social values, as well as to social media. The statistics showed that over 50 percent of divorces were the result of extramarital affairs.

Source: People’s Daily, July 5, 2015
http://tc.people.com.cn/n/2015/0705/c183008-27255460.html

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Survey Shows Over 70 Percent of Doctors in Guangdong Would Not Want their Children to be Doctors

In 2014, the Guangdong Medical Doctor’s Association conducted a survey of its members. According to the survey 71.65 percent of the doctors who responded would not want their children to become doctors. They were also asked if, given another chance, whether they themselves would still want to be doctors. The answer for 57.52 percent of them was that, given the choice, they would not want to be a doctor again. The article said that doctors and patients in China have had intense disputes and conflicts. In addition, a doctor’s workload is very heavy. The survey results showed that more than 50 percent of the doctors had to stay late at work, 44 percent of them needed to work on weekends and holidays, and 14 percent were required to participate in various academic activities during weekends and on holidays. Moreover 65 percent of the doctors did not feel that they were compensated adequately for their efforts. The survey showed that 16.5 percent of the doctor’s received an annual salary of less than 30,000 yuan per year (US$4,830) while 22.9 percent made 30,000 to 50,000 yuan (US$4,830 to $8050) each year.

Source: Guangming Daily, June 27, 2015
http://health.gmw.cn/2015-06/27/content_16103548.htm

Briefings | | |   Social Stability