The Central News Agency reported that, in the past two months, the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission has closed more than 490,000 illegal accounts and thousands of websites. According to the article, as of February 25, a total of 44.37 million internet messages were cleared, more than 490,000 illegal accounts were closed, and 1,462 registered websites were removed.
Source: Central News Agency, February 27, 2019
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/201902270380.aspx
China’s national “Two Conferences” (the National People’s Congress and the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference) are coming again. The capital, Beijing, and other places have initiated stability-maintenance mechanisms. In addition to the usual double safety check for the trains traveling to Beijing, the express mail, and the interception of petitioners coming to Beijing, the Political and Legal Committees started the “wartime mechanism” (of stability maintenance).
From February 22 to 23, Chinese State Councilor and Minister of Public Security, Zhao Kezhi, spent two days in Tianjin, mainly to check the safety work relating to the “Two Conferences,” including high-speed rail stations, logistics transceiver stations, command center joint operations, and other places.
According to a report, Zhao Kezhi said, “We must deploy the ‘Capital Moat’ with the most thorough and the most stringent measures.”
In Xingyang City of Henan Province, which is more than 700 kilometers away from Beijing, the local Political and Legal Committee issued a notice announcing that, from February 22 to March 17, the City will adopt the “wartime mechanism” during the “Two Conferences.” It will also report on the situation of the “targeted persons” who are under control and on the “situation of groups of petitioners traveling to the provincial capital and to Beijing” on a daily basis.
Source: creaders.net, February 25, 2019
http://news.creaders.net/china/2019/02/25/2058713.html
Currently China allows couples to have two children and many local governments are also lenient about couples having a third child. However, recently, a couple in Shandong Province gave birth to their third child and was fined.
Wang and his wife, who lived in Chengwu County of Shandong, gave birth to their third child on January 5, 2017. The Local Health and Family Planning Bureau imposed a fine of 64,626 yuan (US$9,548) in social maintenance fees, also known as the fine for breaking the family planning policy.
Although the Wang couple could not afford the fees, the county court issued an administrative ruling in June 2018 to demand that the Wang couple pay the fees. On January 10, 2019, the court enforced the ruling by freezing all of the couple’s bank deposits. As of the enforcement date, the couple’s bank balance was only 22,957.68 yuan (US$3,392). This included the balance of 131.68 yuan (US$19) in a WeChat payment, which the court also froze.
The incident received much attention in cyberspace. One netizen said that the local government needs money. “This is the latest madness and whoever knows China will understand.”
Source: Central News Agency, February 12, 2019
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/201902120359.aspx
Recently, the Peking Union Medical College, the China Senior Care Association, and the Social Science Literature Publishing House jointly published the Senior Health Blue Book. According to the statistics disclosed in the Blue Book, at the end of 2018, the total population in mainland China was 1,139.38 million, an increase of 5.3 million from the end of the previous year. The 2018 birth population was 15.23 million, down 2 million from the previous year. The birth rate was 10.94 per thousand, the lowest since 1949.
Meanwhile the aging population rate is rapidly accelerating. At the end of 2018, the population of those who were 60 years old and above was 294.49 million, accounting for 17.9 percent of the total population, an increase of 8.59 million over the same period in the previous year and an increase of 89.6 million over the end of 2008.
The Blue Book also predicted that, if the annual increase of 8 to10 million people per year for the population aged 60 and above is used, after 10 years, the population aged 60 and above will reach 340 million which means that two working adults will be needed to support each elderly person.
Source: Sohu, January 28, 2019
http://www.sohu.com/a/291895547_118392
China had yet another vaccine problem. This time, the child of parents in Hebei Province was supposed to have been vaccinated with a 5-way vaccine at a price 600 yuan (US$ 89). However, a community health service center administered the Hib vaccine instead.
5-way vaccine, priced at 600 yuan (US$ 89), is for vaccinating against diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, polio, and the haemophilus influenza type b infection. However the Hib vaccine, which sells for around 100 yuan (US$ 15), targets only the haemophilus influenza type b infection, the last of the five diseases. In other words, the functions of 5-way vaccine include the function of the Hib vaccine and more. The swap would potentially expose the child to diseases that the Hib vaccine cannot prevent.
The local government of Shijiazhuang city, where the community health center is located, announced on February 1 that the report of the “vaccination error” was true, although the vaccine had no quality problem. The center’s chief and a few staff members were fired immediately.
China has seen multiple vaccine scandals. Last year, Changchun Changsheng Biotech sold 252,600 doses of ineffective DPT vaccines to inoculate children. A month ago, in Jiangsu Province, a scandal occurred involving another expired vaccine, triggering mass protests and suppression from the government.
Source: Central News Agency, February 2, 2019
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/201902020166.aspx
Deutsche Welle reported that the Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies conducted a survey in Hong Kong in December 2018. The survey found that about one-third of the Hong Kong residents who responded said that they plan to immigrate if they have the opportunity. The main driving factors were dissatisfaction with local political disputes, a serious social split, and local living conditions. The respondents consisted of 708 people, age 18 or above. The results showed that 34 percent of the respondents said that if they had the opportunity, they would immigrate or move to another region. The results were similar to a survey conducted in 2017 which showed 33.1 percent would immigrate. The survey also showed that the public’s attitude towards immigration has become more open and active than it was in the past. Among the citizens with immigration plans, 16.2 percent said they were “prepared,” up 2.8 percentage points from the 13.4 percent who responded to the survey that took place in the same period in 2017. Among the overall respondents, 5.5 percent said they were “prepared,” which was higher than the 4.5 percent in 2017. According to the survey, 19 percent of the respondents with immigration intentions thought that Canada was the ideal place for immigration for Hong Kong residents, followed by Australia and Taiwan, accounting for 18 percent and 11 percent respectively. The rest of the respondents did not identify destinations for immigration.
The survey also rated Hong Kong’s suitability for living. The results showed that the average score of the respondent’s who considered Hong Kong “livable” was 62.1 out of 100, which was lower compared to 63.9 in 2017. Respondents with immigration intentions said that the main factor is that the living space outside of Hong Kong is much bigger.
Another phenomenon was that, in recent years, the intention to immigrate among young people has been on the rise. The Deutsche Welle article quoted comments the director of Hong Kong Polytechnic University research center made during the interview. He said that many of the young people who have not yet graduated from college have already hoped to save enough money as soon as possible to apply for immigration to countries such as Taiwan, the U.S. and Canada. This has much to do with the change in the political environment in recent years. After the “umbrella movement,” the political atmosphere in society has been low. Young people are very dissatisfied with the status quo of the society, but they are unable to change it. In addition, they felt that the pressure and the cost of living in Hong Kong is too high. According to the latest statistics, if a family saves all of their income, it will take 19 years to buy a home . Many of them felt that there is no hope in Hong Kong.
Source: Deutsche Welle, January 26, 2019
https://www.dw.com/zh/%E5%AF%B9%E7%8E%B0%E7%8A%B6%E5%A4%B1%E6%9C%9B-%E9%A6%99%E6%B8%AF%E5%B9%B4%E8%BD%BB%E4%BA%BA%E7%A7%BB%E6%B0%91%E6%84%8F%E5%90%91%E5%A2%9E%E5%8A%A0/a-47175586-2
Recently the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee published “Political and Legal Affairs Work Regulations” (Regulations).
Article Ten of the Regulations listed the responsibilities of the local CCP party committee. The first one was to “coordinate the political and legal affairs work that is related to national security, especially the events related to political security whose core is the ruling party’s security and the ruling system’s security.” The second one is to “coordinate social stability work and timely and properly handle important issues or emergencies that will affect social stability.”
Article Eleven stated that a Political and Legal Affairs Committee will be established at the Central Committee, at the local party committee, and at the county level or above. A township or street (in the city) party committee will establish a committee member position for the Political and Legal Affairs work.
Shi Cangshan, an independent China issue expert, commented, “In the past the CCP’s lowest policing structure was the local police station at the township or street level (in the city). Now the Political and Legal Affairs Committee for the first time, is extending itself to that level. This is related to its recent strengthening of communist ideology.” He also felt that it shows the old stability maintenance mechanism is no longer sufficient for putting down public dissatisfaction and protects.
Sources:
1. Xinhua, January 18, 2019
http://www.xinhuanet.com/2019-01/18/c_1124011592.htm
2. Epoch Times, January 22, 2019
http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/19/1/22/n10994697.htm
{Editor’s Note: Student informants are an institutional arrangement of the Chinese regime where the universities appoint students as informants to report to the school administration. Although on the surface the purpose is to collect information on academic activities, the student informants are the ears and eyes of the Communist Party authorities in the universities and are an important component of the university’s “ideological and political work.”
As early as the Cultural Revolution, the party committees at the universities organized the students to report on faculty members in their “battles against anti-party and anti-socialist gangs.” After the 1989 Tiananmen Massacre, the regime systematically established student informants in key Chinese universities. In 2005, the arrangement was expanded to almost every university and even some high schools. Recent years have seen stories of student informants reporting on teacher’s so-called “reactionary” remarks. One example is Chinascope’s briefing: “Professor in Exile: Chinese Universities Are under Strict Surveillance” {1}.
The article translated here is a guideline for hiring student informants. It is from the website of the Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, an average university in China.} {2}
A Guideline for Implementing the Student Informant System at Zhongnan University of Economics and Law
Article 1 This guideline is developed to mobilize the enthusiasm of undergraduate students to participate in the management of academic activities, (for the university), to provide a timely appraisal of information on academic affairs and management, and, further, to improve the quality of education.
Article 2 The Student Informant’ System is a system in which the Office of Academic Affairs, following particular standards and procedures, appoints undergraduate students to investigate academic activities, and collect and report teaching and management information.
Article 3 The criteria for selecting a student informant:
1. A love of the management of academic affairs, caring about the university’s teaching reform, and having a strong sense of service consciousness;
2. Being responsible, objective and fair, and is one who teachers and students trust;
3. Holds an excellent academic standing with an excess of capability;
4. Has good writing and verbal communication skills, has a strong sense of cooperation and is a team player;
5. Is familiar with the university’s regulations on academic activities and teaching management.
Article 4 In principle, each administrative class shall have one student informant with minimal personnel change. The selection process is as follows:
1. Each class recommends the candidate. After that, the college goes through a review and an approval process. The candidate must fill out the “Zhongnan University of Economics and Law Undergraduate Student Informant Registration Form.” After the university approves the application and it is stamped with the college’s official seal, it can be submitted to the Office of Academic Affairs.
2. The Office of Academic Affairs will then publicize the list of candidates on the university’s website. For candidates that receive no objection after this exposure, the University appoints them as the student informants and issues a letter of appointment.
3. The Office of Academic Affairs can directly renew the appointment of excellent student informants (skipping step 1 and 2).
Article 5 The term of the offer is, in general, one year.
Article 6 Student informants shall perform the following duties:
1. Collect and report issues in everyday academic activities, especially classroom teaching and academic management; make suggestions to and communicate with academic management;
2. Collect and report issues in teaching facilities, equipment and its management, and on the sanitation of surroundings;
3. Collect and report issues on exam schedules, exam methods, exam contents, exam ethics, and the performance of informants;
4. Collect and report issues in the selection and distribution of teaching materials, as well as settling accounts for teaching material payments;
5. Assist the Office of Academic Affairs in conducting classroom teaching quality evaluations;
6. Collect and report on other academic activities.
Article 7 Student informants shall perform their duties diligently, collect and report all kinds of teaching activities and academic management information at least three times each semester, fill out the “Zhongnan University of Economics and Law University Teaching Information Feedback Form,” and submit it to the Office of Academic Affairs.
Article 8 At the end of each school year, the Office of Academic Affairs shall conduct a performance review of the student informants. After passing the assessment, the student informant can get two extra curriculum credits; for those who actively participate in the teaching management work with outstanding performance. The Office of Academic Affairs will issue the Excellent Student Informant certificate and offer an award.
Article 9 For those who are irresponsible and who fail to perform their duties as a student informant, they will be dismissed following the completion of the performance assessment.
Article 10 The Office of Academic Affairs is responsible for the interpretation of this guideline.
Article 11 The guideline shall be effective on the date of issuance.
Enclosures:
1, The Zhongnan University of Economics and Law Undergraduate Student Informant Registration Form
2, The Zhongnan University of Economics and Law University Teaching Information Feedback Form
3, The Zhongnan University of Economics and Law University Student Informant Evaluation Form
Endnotes:
{1} Chinascope, Professor in Exile: Chinese Universities Are under Strict Surveillance, October 1, 2018.
http://chinascope.org/archives/16286.
{2} The Zhongnan University of Economics and Law website, “Guideline for Implementing the Student Informant System at Zhongnan University of Economics and Law,” April 20, 2015.
http://jwc.zuel.edu.cn/2015/0420/c5866a5930/page.htm.