Skip to content

Social Stability - 33. page

RFI Chinese: Chinese Ministry of Education Urgently Issued New Rules for College Teachers

Radio France Internationale (RFI) Chinese Edition recently reported that, after several incidents of graduate school students committing suicide this year, the Chinese ministry of Education urgently issued The Code of Conduct for Graduate School Teachers. The new code of conduct established ten rules on what a graduate school professor cannot do. These rules mainly include that the professor cannot neglect academic supervision and guidance, cannot require students to participate in activities unrelated to their academic or research topics, cannot delay students’ graduation time, cannot violate established academic norms and cannot damage students’ academic rights. The report gave a few examples of graduate students committed suicide in Dalian on October 13, 2020, in Beijing on May 1, 2020, and in Nanjing on December 15, 2019. These all involved graduate school professors’ misconduct in not providing academic advice, delaying final graduation grading, and personality insults over a long period of time. Some of these professors reportedly have been punished.

Source: RFI Chinese, November 11, 2020
https://bit.ly/32IKoYS

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Internal Log Shows How Authorities in Zhanjiang City Deal with over 100 Mass Incidents Each Year

The Epoch Times obtained a large number of internal documents which contain the weekly logs of social incidents that authorities in Zhanjiang city of Guangdong province track. The city also has direct orders that the city level officials provided on how to monitor incidents and guide public opinion. Zhanjiang city is a city with a population of 7.36 million in Guangdong province. According to the log, in the year and a half from January 2, 2019 to June 28, 2020, there were a total of 293 incidents including 117 mass incidents and 176 petitions submitted when the petitioners went to the municipal government and Beijing to appeal.

Below is a partial list from the activity log:
On November 1, 2019, a group of teachers from Leizhou city demanded transparency on the pension plan from the local social security bureau. A note from the head of the publicity department stated that the cyberspace administration needs to monitor the online clicks and be prepared to respond.

On June 8, 2019, a student from Zhenjiang Nongken Experimental Middle School died after falling off of a building. Notes from the Deputy Mayor of Zhenjiang City said that public opinion should be monitored to ensure stability.

The week of February 25 – March 3, 2019 was the week when the Two Sessions were taking place in Beijing. Close to 30 petitioners went to Beijing. Notes from the party secretary of Zhanjiang stated, “Take this as a political task and fight it as a tough battle. Punish the key personnel who are involved.”

In the morning of September 13, 2019, over 60 villagers from Su village of the town of Changqi, Wuchuan gathered to protest against the government acquiring their land. Notes from the city mayor said, “Do well in stability control and keep the incident from escalating.”

On October 2, 2019, a student from the Guangdong Institute of Arts and Sciences was arrested for posting a video with footage that insulted CCP leaders. Notes from the authorities said, “Conduct a thorough investigation. Control the dissemination of videos immediately. Increase surveillance on the Internet.”

In the week of December 2, 2019, one resident was spreading a video on Wechat showing conflicts between the police and the civilians at the Huazhou Funeral Home, Maoming City. The resident was forced to close his Wechat account and sign a guarantee statement. Notes from Deputy Mayor of Zhanjiang city stated that the public security bureau was to continue to follow up and make daily updates.

In the week of Feb 10 – 16, 2020, one Netizen accessed COVID information from Voice of America and Radio Free Asia through a VPN and posted the information on twitter and Wechat. The Netizen was detained for seven days for “spreading” a rumor. Notes from a city official stated that a severe punishment should be imposed.

On March 11, 2020, over 70 store owners in the Yifu International Plaza, Xiashan District, asked the plaza management to waive their rental payment for two months because of the spread of COVID. Notes from a city official stated, “Assess the risk to prevent it from growing into to a mass petition.”

Source: Epoch Times, October 22, 2020
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/20/10/22/n12493565.htm

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Hong Kong Government Requires New Civil Servants to Swear Allegiance

In response to the demonstrations reflecting the anti-extradition law amendment movement, the Hong Kong government now requires new civil servants to swear allegiance to the Basic Law and the Special Administrative Region (SAR).

The SAR Government announced on October 12 that civil servants appointed on or after July 1 of this year will have to declare their support for the Basic Law, swear loyalty to the Hong Kong SAR and vow to be accountable to the SAR government.

A spokesperson for the Civil Service Bureau (CSB) said that the move is to strengthen civil servants’ awareness of the expectations and responsibilities of public office, help further maintain and promote the values that civil servants should abide by, and ensure that the Hong Kong government has effective governance.

After the outbreak of the anti-extradition law amendment movement in Hong Kong last year, some civil servants who participated were punished. According to the figures, as of July, 46 civil servants had been arrested in the demonstrations.

Source: Central News Agency, October 12, 2020
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202010120207.aspx

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

China Tightens Control of Muslims and Bans Private Hajj Affairs

On October 12, the United Front Work Department of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) released the “Administrative Measures for Islamic Hajj Affairs” on its WeChat public account and announced that it will be implemented in December. According to the new regulation, except for the Islamic Association of China (IAC), the government organization of Muslims, no one else can organize Hajj activities. Hajj is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by all adult Muslims who are physically and financially capable of undertaking the journey and can support their family during their absence.

The “Measures,” consisting of seven chapters and 42 articles, specifies that Chinese citizens who believe in Islam can only participate in the activities that the IAC has organized if they want to participate in the Hajj. The activities have to be organized and planned in an orderly manner, and proceed in accordance with the law. Except for the IAC, no other organization or individual may organize Hajj activities.

The “Measures” declares that those who organize citizens’ Hajj affairs without authorization or who provide resources for illegal Hajj activities shall be punished. If a crime is committed, criminal responsibility shall be investigated and pursued.

The “Measures” also mentions that people who intend to participate in the Hajj must register in advance with the religious affairs office in the location of their household registration. After unqualified applicants are reviewed and eliminated through screening, the provincial governments will announce the province’s approved list. “Patriotism, being law-abiding, and having good character” are the top qualifications for applicants.

The “Measures” require relevant government bodies to carry out the administrative work, stop illegal Hajj activities, and also oppose religious extremism.

Source: Central News Agency, October 12, 2020
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202010120217.aspx

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Sichuan Province Proposed New Law to Safeguard Food Supply

Well-known Chinese news site Sohu (NASDAQ: SOHU) recently reported that the Sichuan provincial people’s congress proposed a new law to regulate all aspects of the food supply, including agricultural production, storage, distribution, quality assurance, emergency safeguards, and legal responsibilities for key players. A major addition to the traditional cycle is to encourage restaurants and catering businesses as well as individual families to maintain a certain level of food inventory based on their regular consumption level. Sichuan Province is one of China’s primary food (mainly rice) producing provinces that supply the whole nation. The local congress also issued a report which indicates there has been a sustained “gap” between supply and demand in the province, especially after the COVID pandemic outbreak. The proposed new law also establishes new regulations on protecting agricultural land, in terms of both quantity and quality. (Editor’s note: Traditionally the Chinese socialist system depends on the government instead of private entities for its food inventory.)

Source: Sohu, September 27, 2020
https://www.sohu.com/a/421278720_115362

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources Social Stability

Embassy Returns Former Mongolian President’s Letter to Xi Jinping on Replacing Mongolian Language

Former Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj recently wrote to Chinese President Xi Jinping to protest against the authorities’ push for the use of Chinese teaching materials in Inner Mongolia. Elbegdorj tweeted on September 25th that the Chinese Embassy in Mongolia returned the letter. Elbegdorj also posted a message on Facebook saying that he will not retract this letter to the Chinese leader and that this letter will attract more and more attention.

In the content of the letter that Elbegdorj posted on his Twitter account, he mentioned that China’s Constitution stipulates that “all nationalities have the freedom to use and develop their own spoken and written language.” He pointed out that this is now flagrantly infringed upon with respect to the Mongolian children in Inner Mongolia.

He also said, “I write to you (Xi Jinping) as I could not sit idle hearing that the tens and hundreds of thousands of Mongolians and their children that wish to exercise their rights that the Constitution has granted are experiencing indescribable anguish.”

The Chinese Ambassador to Mongolia Chai Wenrui said that he noticed that Elbegdorj recently made remarks on the issue of bilingual education reform in Inner Mongolia. Chai added that the views in his letter to the Chinese leader are completely wrong, and China does not accept them.

The Chinese authorities are accused of suppressing the Mongolian mother tongue and culture in Inner Mongolia, triggering a backlash in public opinion in Mongolia. When Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Mongolia a few days ago, more than one hundred demonstrators gathered in Sukhbaatar Square in front of the Mongolian Government Palace, shouting, “Defend our mother tongue” and “Wang Yi go away.”

Source: Central News Agency, September 26, 2020
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202009260207.aspx

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Chinese People Required to Report their Taiwan-related Family Relations

Recently, as the situation across the Taiwan Strait has intensified, Chinese authorities have strengthened control over people related to Taiwan. Those with immediate family members who have worked or resided in Taiwan for a long time are required to register.

A community notice that spread in the coastal city of Zhoushan, Zhejiang Province, showed that the Chinese government recently launched an investigation and requires the registration of those with immediate family members who have long-term working or residence status in Taiwan. The notice requires that, between September 22 and October 20, people with Taiwan-related relatives must go to the community Chinese Communist Party (CCP) committee office to register. The notice did not mention the purpose of the registration.

An official from the Taiwan Affairs Office in Zhejiang province confirmed with Radio Free Asia (RFA) that it was the government that required such registration. The Taiwan Affairs Office did not issue the order. He denied that the matter is a routine practice instead of a response to the recent tension across the Taiwan Strait. “If you are immediate family members of people in Taiwan, you must first tell the community.”

Mr. Wu, a legal professional, told RFA that the control of overseas relations actually became the normal state after the CCP took over China. The difference is that when the bilateral relationship is relaxed, this kind of control is loose; when the relationship is tense, the government exerts stricter control. The CCP attempts to make use of these family relations to blackmail people overseas.

Often, since 1949, the Chinese people who have immediate family members overseas have  been subjected to brutal suppression in the name of “illicit (traitorous) relations with a foreign country.” After 1979, overseas family relations were, at times, the focus and target of the CCP’s united front work. Since Xi Jinping took office, overseas relations have again become sensitive.

Source: Radio Free Asia, September 24, 2020
https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/htm/china-taiwan-09242020073820.html

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Infection Count: How Severe Is the Infection in Ruili City?

After September 8, when the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) held a commendation conference to declare victory over the novel coronavirus, Ruili, a southern city in Yunan Province, bordering Myanmar, reported cases of the coronavirus infection.

The authorities only announced two infection cases, but it declared that it would conduct nucleic acid testing on all residents in Ruili which is about 210,000 people. Several of its actions, including locking down the city, building thousands of hospital beds, and moving in over 1,000 medical staff from other cities, made people wonder whether the real situation was much worse than what the government reported.

#1: China reported 2 cases on September 12 and 13, claiming the patients were from Myanmar and had illegally entered China. On September 14, the authorities then locked down the city of Ruili. The official WeChat account of the Yunan Provincial government reported that the government learned the mobile hospital concept from Wuhan and had set up several thousand patient beds in a large indoor facility, ready for patients to move in. On Twitter, Chinese netizens also posted pictures of Zhong Nanshan, a high-profile doctor on the coronavirus efforts, who showed up in Yunan. (New Talk)

#2: China sent eight medical teams, with a total of 632 medical staff members, from other cities and provinces, to Ruili. In addition, the Dehong Autonomous Prefecture, Yunan Province, sent another 564 medical staff members to Ruili to support nucleic acid testing. (Xinhua)

Related postings on Chinascope:

Continue reading →

Hot Topics | | |   Social Stability