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Xinhua Commentary Series: Spotlight on the U.S. Presidential Election

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Wu Guoguang: Xi Jinping’s Reversal of the Course, Will China’s Transition be Peaceful or Marked with Bloodshed?

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Cheng Xiaonong: U.S.-China Strategic Relations Have Crystallized

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Xinhua Commentaries: “Exposing the Three Major Political Deficits of the U.S.”

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State Council to Regulate Financial Exchange Markets

China Daily recently republished a report on the State Council’s decision to straighten out the financial and market exchanges that facilitate trade activities in stocks, futures, and other financial products without official approval. The State Council’s decision was distributed in the form of an official document which sets the goal of this campaign as the reduction of national financial risks. It was estimated that hundreds of such exchanges will be impacted or completely closed. In the “decision,” all financial institutes with the word “exchange” in the name will need the central government’s approval or at least government approval at the provincial level. In the past few years, more than 300 exchanges have been established across China, doing business in a number of categories such as precious metals and agricultural products. The government has not established laws to regulate these facilities, so no administrative procedures have been put in place to monitor them.

Source: China Daily, November 26, 2011
http://www2.chinadaily.com.cn/hqcj/lc/2011-11-26/content_4492907.html

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Zhou Yongkang: Xinjiang Government Work Should Focus on Religious Activities

China News Service recently reported that Zhou Yongkang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Central Political Bureau of the Chinese Communist Party, asked the officials from the central government and the Xinjiang Autonomous Region to focus their work on effectively suppressing illegal religious activities. The comment was made at a meeting to advance nine primary tasks in Xinjiang during the year 2012. The nine tasks include plans for starting new construction projects, creating new jobs, enhancing education, and maintaining social stability. The latter includes such tasks as suppressing illegal religious activities, preventing terrorism, and improving international propaganda. Zhou asked the central government branches to make sure coordination effectively insures the rapid implementation of the policies.

Source: China News Service, November 25, 2011
http://www.chinanews.com/gn/2011/11-25/3487947.shtml

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

1.3 Million Take Entry Exam for 18,000 Central Government Positions

Jinghua Daily, a newspaper under People’s Daily, recently reported that the 2012 Entry Exam for Central Government Civil Officials started on November 26, 2011. The exam takes two days. There are around 1.3 million people registered nationally for the exam. The total number of job openings is around 18,000. In Beijing City alone, 2,940 exam sites were established. This year is the first year for all sites in Beijing to be equipped with radio shielding devices. Branches of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology also sent mobile radio activity monitoring vehicles to fight high-tech cheating techniques. Large construction sites have been closed temporarily during the exam.

Source: Jinghua Daily, November 26, 2011
http://edu.people.com.cn/GB/16399354.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

State Owned Culture and Art Entities to Complete System Reform during the First Half of 2012

The Ministry of Culture recently issued a notice, “On System Reform Actions that State Owned Culture and Art Entities Must Complete.” It required all levels of entities within the ministry to further understand the importance and urgency of the requirements given at the 6th Plenary Session of the 17th National Congress and completely implement the system reforms by the end of the first half of 2012. The notice requested all levels of each entity to lay out the plans, requirements, and timeline and to identify the person in charge; to establish the relocation, coordination, and inspection process; to strictly follow the related requirements; and to systematically complete the work. It also required the understanding and support of the Party organization and government at the district levels so they can assist in the process.

Source: Xinhua, November 21, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2011-11/21/c_111184330.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

31 Provinces Adopt Two Child Policy

On November 25, 2011, Henan Province joined 31 other provinces in allowing the couples who were both the only child in their families to have a second child. The change in policy came about because the “one child policy” had a number of negative effects, including an aging population, the quality of the population, and the gender mix.

According to statistics from the 6th census, published on April 28, 2011, China’s population increased to 1.339 billion from 1.265 billion in 2000. The census revealed that 13.3 percent were 60 years and older which was 3 percent higher than in 2000, while 16.6 percent were  under the age of 14 compared to 27.69 percent in 1990. It was predicted that China’s population will have a net increase of 200 million over the next 30 years reaching 1.5 billion by 2033. Experts are calling for a conservative approach to opening up the “two child policy.”

Source: Xinhua, November 27, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2011-11/27/c_122340832.htm

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

State Council Information Office Held Training Sessions on Handling Public Emergency Incidents

From November 23 to 25, 2011, the State Council Information Office held training sessions in Beijing on the proper handling of “Public Emergency Incidents." Those attending included the spokesperson from the central media as well as the key personnel in charge of broadcasting local news.

Wang Guoqing, vice-minister of the State Council Information Office spoke at the training. He said the improper handling of sudden public events in the past resulted in negative media reports and unfavorable consequences. He stressed that the goal of the training was to study and learn from past examples in order to improve the media’s ability to handle public emergency incidents.

Source: People’s Daily, November 27, 2011
http://politics.people.com.cn/GB/1026/16402017.html

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Huanqiu: Six Countermeasures to the Challenges from the U.S.

[Editor’s Note: Huanqiu Online, the Chinese version of Global Times Online, a daily publication under People’s Daily, published an article by Zhang Weiwei, a researcher at the Chunqiu Comprehensive Research Institute, a Chinese think tank, on how China should respond to the U.S. suppression of China’s rise. The author suggested six measures that can be taken in the diplomatic, economic, regional, and ideological (soft power) areas. The author states that “China’s GDP will surpass the U.S.’s GDP in ten years” and the China Model will defeat the U.S. system. The following is a translation of the article.] [1]

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Reports | | |   Report

The Number of Social Media Users Tops 300 Million

On November 21, 2011, the 11th China Internet Media Forum was held in Wuhan, Hubei Province. Over 300 representatives from the central government, Xinhua News, People’s Daily, China News Service, Internet media companies, and academia attended the forum. A Deputy Chief of the Propaganda Department of the Communist Party Central Committee spoke at the forum. He stated that there are three trends worth noting: first is that the Internet is becoming more like media and increasingly impacts society; second, the Internet is getting more “mobile;” and third, micro-blogs and other social media are rapidly gaining momentum.

The statistics released at the forum show that the number of Internet users in China is approaching 500 million, that close to 350 million Internet users use cell phones to browse the Internet, and that 900 million cell phone users may be potential customers of the mobile Internet. The most significant trend in Chinese Internet is the burgeoning growth of the social media micro-blogs, with users topping 300 million. Led by the State media, the attendees adopted the Wuhan Declaration, a pact to “vigorously promote socialist core values.”

Source: China News Service reprinted by Huanqiu, November 21, 2011
http://china.huanqiu.com/hot/2011-11/2193180.html

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources