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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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Official Survey: a Growing Underclass

Outlook Weekly, a magazine owned by Xinhua, conducted a survey from February 13 to 18, 2011, in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, and Chengdu. The survey statistics show the underclass in China is growing. Fifty-eight percent of those surveyed believe that there are few opportunities for the underclass to move up, while a meager 7.5% think opportunities are abundant. Seventy-seven percent believe that the underclass in China is growing. The survey also shows that many are concerned that they may become part of the underclass. Sixty-five percent think that unemployed college graduates are likely to join the underclass.

Source: China News Service, March 7 2011
http://www.chinanews.com/gn/2011/03-07/2887584.shtml

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

A Quarter of Chinese Residents Have No Clean Drinking Water

According to a report released by the National Development and Reform Commission, a quarter of Chinese residents have no clean drinking water, one third of the urban population breathes polluted air, and less than 20% of garbage goes through proper treatment. The report says that, "Large numbers of people are exposed to polluted air, water, and soil.” It further states, “China’s ecological environment is very fragile; forests cover only 18.21% of China’s land surface, which is less than 67% of the average for the world’s countries. China has 1.74 million square kilometers of desertified land. 90% of its natural grassland suffers from degradation.”

Source: Economic Information, March 9, 2011, reprint by People’s Daily
http://politics.people.com.cn/GB/1027/14096289.html

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

China’s Investments in Libya

There are 13 Chinese state-owned companies in Libya, most of which are in the industry of infrastructure construction, including China Railway Construction Corporation, China State Construction Engineering Corporation, China Communications Construction Company, China Gezhouba (Group) Corporation, Sinohydro Corporation, and China Metallurgical Group Corporation. Other investments include 75 joint ventures and 50 projects with 36,000 personnel. China National Petroleum Corporation and Huawei are among the investors. 
These companies have a substantial stake in Libya. For example, China Railway Construction Corporation has 3 construction contracts totaling US$4.2 billion with US$686 million completed. As of February, China State Construction Engineering’s construction contracts amounted to $17.6 billion, close to half of which have been finished. Recent years have seen increasingly close economic ties between China and Arab countries in the field of communications, automobile, oil, and natural gas.  The total trade volume exceeded US$100 billion over the past three years. 

Source: International Herald Leader, March 7, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/herald/2011-03/07/c_13764823.htm

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Tsinghua Professor: China Is Heading to Accelerated Social Decay

[Editor’s Note: Tsinghua University Professor Sun Liping criticizes the government’s effort to maintain stability at any cost. He believes that the biggest threat to China is not social unrest, but social decay. Professor Sun believes that the current effort to maintain stability is intended to protect China’s special interests groups. Many Chinese websites carried the article. The following are excerpts from the article.] [1]

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Reports | | |   Report

Shanghai Monitors Commercial Buildings and Cyber Space

On March 1, 2011, the Shanghai government started to enforce “Regulations for Comprehensive Management of Shanghai’s Public Security,” which, for the first time, included overseeing commercial and residential buildings and the Internet.

The Regulations subjected the owners of commercial buildings, companies providing affordable housing, and property management to neighborhood Comprehensive Management Committees (an agency at lowest level of China’s national system of social control) and local police authorities. The regulations provided that “public security authorities, state security agencies, and other government organs in economic and information technology, culture, radio, television, and communications shall strengthen their supervision over the Internet, establish and improve the comprehensive prevention and control system for network security, and stop and punish related illegalities and criminal activities.”

Source: Jiefang Daily, March 2, 2011
http://newspaper.jfdaily.com/jfrb/html/2011-03/02/content_521814.htm

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Chongqing’s Red Channel Goes Commercial Free

Chongqing Satellite Television (CQTV), a “red channel,” based in Chongqing city, and famous for broadcasting revolutionary movies and Communist cultural programs that remind the audience of the Mao Zengdong era before the 1970s, will no longer have any commercial ads and will receive government sponsorship.

“If Capitalist countries, when propagandizing their mission and providing social services, can assure a TV channel free from commercials, why can’t we?” asked the city mayor, Huang Qifan, referring to Japan’s NHK and the UK’s BBC.

CQTV’s 2010 advertising revenue was 300 million yuan (US$45.8 million). To make up for the loss, the city government will cover half and have 11 other local TV channels and the Chongqing Broadcasting Group cover the other half.

Source: China News Service, March 4, 2011
http://www.chinanews.com/gn/2011/03-04/2885625.shtml

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

NPC: China Faces Serious Shortage of Farmland

The Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) recently revealed that the total amount of farmland in China is approaching the “red line” of 1.8 billion Chinese acres (1 Chinese acre is 667 square meters), which is considered the minimum required acreage to sustain China’s population. Available farmland has been on the decline for the past 15 years. The committee noted that some of the key causes for the decline include real estate development, urban renewal projects, and industrial park construction. The committee called for “the strictest” implementation of farmland protection regulations.

Source: China Review News, February 25, 2011
http://gb.chinareviewnews.com/doc/1016/0/9/9/101609940.html?coluid=45&kindid=0&docid=101609940&mdate=0225083838

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Civilian Security Forces in Beijing Reached 700,000

According to the Population Management Corps of the Beijing Public Security Bureau, the city government mobilized more than 700,000 civilians living in 2,902 communities to join the public security forces for the “Two Conferences” (the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference) currently taking place in Beijing. These civilian residents serve mainly in the areas of community patrol, security protection, parking management, transient population administration, monitoring key traffic routes, and watching company doors.

Source: Jinghua Times, March 2, 2011
http://epaper.jinghua.cn/html/2011-03/02/content_636380.htm

Briefings | | |   Social Stability