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.
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."
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.
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
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.
Source: People Daily Online, June 21, 2011
http://politics.people.com.cn/GB/14958981.html
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
Chinese Cyber Army Shows its True Face, Secrets of U.S., Japan, and Korea’s Cyber Armies Revealed
Top Military Officials Re-Stress Party’s Control of the Army
Xu Caihou, a Politburo member and vice chairman of Central Military Committee (CMC), recently toured the military institutions in China’s southeast provinces of Jiangsu and Anhui. Navy Commander Wu Shenli and Air Force Commander Xu Qiliang accompanied him. In his speech, Xu stressed that all military institutions must follow the Party’s strategic ideas and intensify their ideological work. Xu emphasized that “the quality of political thought is the core and soul of one’s personal quality. … [One] must firmly solidify the political foundation of holding the [Communist] banner, listening to the Party, and fulfilling [one’s] responsibility. … [One] must strictly follow the political discipline, … enhance Internet control, and prevent the spread of wrong political views.” [1]
Sources: PLA Daily, June 23, 2011
[1] http://chn.chinamil.com.cn/xwpdxw/2011-06/23/content_4455428.htm
[2] http://chn.chinamil.com.cn/xwpdxw/2011-06/23/content_4455430.htm