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BBC Chinese: Chinese Authorities Ordered National Investigation of Nursery Schools

BBC Chinese recently reported that the Chinese government has started a nationwide investigation into incidents caused by nursery schools illegally feeding children unnecessary medication. The investigation was directly triggered when two nurseries in Hubei Province were found to be feeding all children antibiotics without permission and without any prescription. Parents said they were never told anything about these activities. Not long ago, it was discovered that nurseries in Xi’an, Shanxi Province had been illegally feeding children similar drugs for over three years involving 54,600 pills. Some nurseries in Jilin Province were reportedly found doing the same to all children in attendance regardless of whether they were sick or not. Media reports have been widely criticizing the government’s lack of monitoring and action on this issue.
Source: BBC Chinese, March 21, 2014
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/china/2014/03/140321_china_kindergarten_drugs.shtml
Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Xinhua: Naked Officials and Their Fake Passports

Xinhua published an article on China’s so-called "naked officials" who have moved their spouses, children and assets overseas while they remain at home in China. 

Based on an analysis of recent cases of the "naked officials" who have fled China, there appears to be a clear path: transferring assets overseas, family members leaving China, preparing passports, make a quick fortune using their official position, resignation or disappearance, hiding in seclusion overseas, and obtaining residence in the foreign country. 
According to the article, within this chain of actions, the preparation of passports is critical. Of those "naked officials" who have been arrested on corruption charges, many owned multiple passports. Some of them used personal passports that they were not required to return to the authorities. More have used fake identification cards to obtain another passport. Because these passports are not within the scope of required approval and return, their work units cannot detect them. 
Source: Xinhua, March 12, 2014 
http://zgws.xinhuanet.com/info.aspx?id=45122&typeid=117
Briefings | | |   Social Stability

High Ranking Official: Breaking Internet Firewall Caused More Terrorism

China.com recently reported that Zhang Chunxian, who is the Secretary of the Communist Party in Xinjiang Province, declared that technologies like breaking the Chinese Internet Firewall (also known as the Great Firewall) contribute to an increase in the number of violent terrorist attacks. Zhang, whose rank is higher than the Governor of the Province, is the chief ruler of this troubled Province that has had serious conflicts among its ethnic groups. He was making these comments in response to a question from the press asking for his opinion on the recent violent killing of 29 residents of the City of Kunming, Yunnan Province. Zhang’s comments triggered a large wave of criticism on the Chinese Internet, where millions of netizens use various tools to bypass the “Great Firewall” in order to reach international websites that the Chinese government blocks. His opinion was widely viewed as a typical evil position against freedom of speech. Per government orders, most of the websites that reported Zhang’s comments subsequently removed this news.
Source: China.com, March 6, 2014
http://news.china.com/zh_cn/focus/km31/11152138/20140306/18379374.html
http://politics.caijing.com.cn/2014-03-07/113986657.html
Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Sina Finance: Chaori Solar Corporate Bond Defaulted

The well-known Chinese financial news website Sina Finance recently reported that Shanghai Chaori Solar Technology Corporation officially defaulted on a payment on its corporate bonds. The Chaori board of directors announced on March 4 that the company is not able to make the interest payment on its 2011 Phase II corporate bond. This is the first official default on a Chinese corporate bond. The market is very much worried that this may cause a chain reaction because Chaori is a typical case that represents the situation that many other Chinese corporate bonds share. Chaori is a large privately owned company focused on solar-based products mainly exported to the U.S. market and Europe. The company suffered a loss of over RMB 1 billion (around US$163 million) in 2013. It can only come up with RMB 4 million for the above mentioned corporate bond interest totaling nearly RMB 90 million yuan. The company stock will be delisted from the Shanghai Stock Exchange in a few months.
Source: Sina Finance, March 4, 2014
http://finance.sina.com.cn/money/bond/20140304/231518403596.shtml
Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Report: The Top Ten Percent Owns Sixty-Four Percent of the Wealth

Yixin Wealth (Credit Ease) and the Lianban Finance Institute recently released a report on the distribution of wealth in China. According to the report, the top 10 percent of the population owns 63.9 percent of the wealth in China.

From 2011 to 2013, the assets of Chinese families increased by 19.6 percent; of those, housing assets grew by 26.8 percent. 

The top five percent of families each has a net worth of at least 2.62 million yuan, while the top one percent of families each has at least 7.39 million yuan in net worth. The annual income of the top five percent is at least 452,100 yuan per family and the top one percent averages 1.15 million yuan in annual income per family. 

Over 56 percent of the top one percent of families are entrepreneurs while 37 percent the top five percent of families are entrepreneurs. About 78 percent of the top five percent of families live in eastern China. 
Source: Beijing Times reprinted by Xinhua, February 27, 2014 
http://news.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2014-02/27/c_126196401.htm

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Hundreds of Workers Protested in Qinghai Province

On Monday, February 17, 2014, hundreds of workers from the Xining City Western Mining Company in Qinghai Province rallied in front of their company’s office building demanding that they be paid the dividends for the shares they had invested. Even though the company has made good profits and these workers have been the company’s shareholders for 9 years, they have never received any dividends from the company.  Special policemen cracked down on the protesters at the rally. Many were injured and arrested.

Source: Oriental Daily, February 21, 2014
http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20140221/00178_001.html

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Bird Flu Leads to Shut Down of Live Poultry Markets

As of February 15, 2014, the main district in Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, permanently closed its live poultry markets. Starting in July, other main cities in Zhejiang Province will close all live poultry markets as well. As bird flu spreads, there are still 4 million chickens ready for sale in Hangzhou, yet they cannot be sold. The total loss is estimated to be nearly 100 million yuan. About one-third of the poultry businesses in Zhejiang Province faces bankruptcy. The local Hangzhou authorities indicated that frozen poultry businesses will replace the live poultry businesses. 

Source: People’s Daily, February 18, 2014 
http://zj.people.com.cn/n/2014/0218/c186943-20588740.html
Briefings | | |   Social Stability

BBC Chinese: Self-Sufficiency No Longer China’s Food Policy

BBC Chinese recently reported that the Chinese government has changed its tone in newly released official documents, stating that China’s food policy is shifting its focus from quantity to quality. The latest official national economic development blueprints are setting a food production goal that’s way below the domestic consumption level. Due to the rapid growth in population, the government is no longer seeking self-sufficiency in terms of food supply. Food self-sufficiency used to be one of the primary promises that the Chinese Communist Party made to the Chinese people. The policy makers are now paying more attention to food safety and quality. Since 2004, China has been a net food importer. 
Source: BBC Chinese, February 12, 2014
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/press_review/2014/02/140212_uk_press.shtml
Briefings | | |   Social Stability