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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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The CCP’s Performing Arts Troupes in the U.S.

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Three Unsustainables in China’s Land Use

On June 24, 2011, Xu Shaoshi, the Minister of Land and Resources, told Xinhua that “land use and management profoundly matters as never before for the lifeblood of the country and livelihood of the people; it profoundly influences socioeconomic development as never before.” Xu referred to three “unsustainable” issues: over-consumption and inefficient use of land is unsustainable; large-scale development of reserved land resources is unsustainable; ignoring the equal rights of urban and rural land users is unsustainable. 

With arable land per capita being 40% of the world average, China is facing a grave challenge safeguarding the “red line” of 1.8 billion mu (ed. note: 1 mu equals 666.6666666666666 square meters. One acre comprises about 4,050 square metres) of arable land to achieve a grain self-sufficiency ratio of 95%. Meanwhile, urbanization and land grabs have become a major source of widespread social conflict and unrest.

Source: Xinhua, June 24, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2011-06/24/c_121581858.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

China’s High-Speed Rail Suffers from Low Attendance

Although the railway authorities have not released the operation statistics, it is not a secret that China’s high-speed rail loses money and has a low load factor, a measure of the percentage of seats that are filled. China now operates five high-speed routs: Beijing-Tianjin, Wuhan-Guangzhou, Zhengzhou-Xi’an, Shanghai-Nanjing, and Shanghai-Hangzhou. 

Getting people to ride the rail is the problem. Although China is the most populated country, not many people ride the high-speed rail. Sun Zhang, a professor at Tongji University, pointed out, “Although the speed of China’s high-speed rail is already number one in the world, our per capita GDP ranks below 100 in the world.” Many people still feel it is expensive. In 2009, the nation’s railway system transported 1.525 billion passengers. On average, every Chinese rides the train a little over once a year. This is a low number compared to 80 rides for the average Japanese in one year. 
Source: Xinmin Evening News, June 25, 2011. 
http://xmwb.xinmin.cn/xmwb/html/2011-06/25/content_721911.htm
Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Human Factor Is the Top Killer in Coal Mine Accidents

China Economic Weekly, a magazine under People’s Daily interviewed Chen Hong, a professor at China’s University of Mining and Technology. In the interview, Chen said, "In fact, of all the direct causes of coal mine accidents, human factors account for up to 97.67%. That figure is from an analysis of 1,203 accidents between 1980 and 2000 that involved human death." Chen added, “A study of a large number of coal mine accidents that took place between 2001 and 2010 confirmed the above conclusion. The workers’ illegal operations, management giving directions against regulations, and other unsafe behavior in the coal mines are still the main causes for China’s coal mine accidents." 

Chen also stated, “Despite the declining trend of China’s annual death rate from coal mine accidents, the latest statistics show that the number accounts for 70% of the world’s coal mine death toll." Chen added that in 2010, 79,552 people died in various work related accidents, at a rate 218 every day. 
Source: China Economic Weekly, June 27.
2011.http://www.ceweekly.cn/html/Article/20110627672147140970.html
Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Hanban’s Deputy Director on Confucius Institutes

A two-day joint conference of the Confucius Institutes concluded in Buenos Aires on June 23, 2011. Wang Yongli, the deputy director of Hanban, the Chinese National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language, told Xinhua that the Confucius Institute is a non-profit educational institution, and that the Chinese government has actively supported the launch and development of Confucius Institutes around the world. In the course of operation, Hanban has seen enormous intangible benefits. 

By the end of 2010, Hanban had launched 323 Confucius Institutes and 369 Confucius Classrooms, with over 300,000 registered students. Hanban has also sent more than 3,000 teachers abroad. 

Source: Xinhua, June 25, 2011.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2011-06/25/c_121583277.htm

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Private Anti-Corruption Website in China Closed

Chen Hong, a 28-year-old man, set up the website "www.ibribery.com," that accepted anonymous tips about the corrupt behavior of government officials. Within ten days after the launch on June 9, 2011, the website attracted over 200,000 visitors. The site published numerous postings regarding bribery involving government officials, police officers, and physicians. However, according to the city’s local paper Jinghua Daily, officials from Beijing Municipal People’s Procuratorate stated that websites such as "www.ibribery.com" “do not conform to the law.” Chen initially thought the website would help the government, but that did not seem to be the case. On June 19, he shut down the website fearing that the website caused trouble and he did not want it to be seen as a threat to the government.

Source: BBC, June 22, 2011
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/chinese_news/2011/06/110622_china_bribery_battle.shtml

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

First Privately Owned Party School Formed in Shanghai

The Ossen Group, a private company in Shanghai with a core business in steel and real estate, formed its own Party school, the first in the private business sector. The Ossen Party School consists of the school principal, an administrator, and a guidance counselor and will organize trainings for the Party members within the Ossen group. 

According to the Party secretary of the Ossen Group, the group has established CCP branch offices in each subsidiary company, conducted training and education on Party guidelines and core values, and regularized CCP activities in the group so as to attract the younger generation to embrace the Party. Now 90 percent of the company’s leadership personnel are CCP members. In recent years, it has recruited over 150 new Party members.

Source: People Daily Online, June 21, 2011
http://politics.people.com.cn/GB/14958981.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Taiwan Lifts Ban on Individual Tourist Visits from Mainland

Taiwan announced that, effective June 22, 2011, it will issue tourist visas for individual Mainland tourists to visit Taiwan. According to the immigration office, it will only require two working days to finish processing the visa application. The visa will allow tourists to stay in Taiwan for 15 days. The Taiwanese government is placing high hopes on the economic benefits. Since opening the door to Mainland’s group tours in July 2008, it has reaped $US3.8 billion in income in foreign exchange. At the same time, the concern for national security remains. Some of the sites such as military bases, national laboratories, and bio-technology research sites will remain off limits to individual tourists.

Source: BBC, June 22, 2011
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/chinese_news/2011/06/110622_free_visiting_tw_james.shtml

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend