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China Youth Online: News Reporters Ignoring Their Social Responsibilities

Xinhua republished an article by China Youth News concering frequent scandals divulging that news reporters in China had accepted bribes. The most recent such incident was that news reporters accepted 2.6 million yuan “acceptance fees” for not reporting over 30 deaths during a mine explosion in Wei County, Hebei Province on July 14, 2008. Nine reporters from eight news media (local media and central government media) were sentenced to prison terms, fined, and banned from reporting news.

China Youth News said the large number of scandals is a result of news reporters pursuing money for themselves and forgetting their social responsibility.

Source: Xinhua, April 2, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/newmedia/2010-04/02/content_13287383.htm

A Great National Problem: False Data

Xinhua recently republished an article by China Youth Daily, discussing the quality of officially published data. The latest report by the Ministry of Land and Resources showed that the average housing cost rose 25.1% last year, while not so long ago the State Statistics Bureau claimed only 1.5% for the same period. Many people don’t even believe the 25% result. The article suggested that “number management” is an important measurement of a modern society. It can have a major impact on decision making. The latest example of a failure on this point is the government of Greece, which based activities on incorrect statistics. The article called for a “responsible attitude” in the Chinese official statistics institutes.

Source: Xinhua, April 2, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/zgjx/2010-04/02/content_13287120.htm

China Signs Satellite Agreement with Bolivia

China Great Wall Industry Corporation signed an agreement with the Republic of Bolivia at the Presidential Palace in La Paz. The agreement includes the delivery of a communications satellite and corresponding land systems. The satellite will be based on the Chinese Dong Fang Hong 4 platform. It will be launched 33 months after the contract takes effect. The theoretical life span of the satellite is 15 years. This is the first satellite owned by Bolivia. China entered the international satellite production and launching market in 1990. This is the sixth on-orbit delivery contract.

Source: Xinhua, April 2, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2010-04/02/c_1213458.htm

US-China Party Leadership Talk Took Place

The First US-China Party Leadership Summit took place in Beijing on March 31. Chief of the International Liaison Department of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Wang Jiarui, represented the Chinese side. Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former Assistant Secretary of State Richard Williamson represented the U.S. Democratic Party and Republican Party, respectively. Wang introduced the Chinese political system and suggested that the US-China relationship should focus on key interests to avoid constant damage by “some events.” The U.S. representatives agreed on the importance of the relationship between the two nations, and explained the functions of parties in U.S. politics and how US parties operate in the States. Williamson believed that parties do have different political views while they all face similar tasks for the prosperity of the nation.

Source: Xinhua, March 31, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2010-03/31/c_1211391.htm

Liu Yunshan: Use Chinese Marxism to control the masses

Xinhua reported that Propaganda Minister Liu Yunshan, a member of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau and the Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Secretariat, gave a speech on March 25, 2010, at the Forum on Promoting Popular Contemporary Chinese Marxism, a forum commemorating the 100th birth anniversary of Marxist philosopher Ai Siqi. Liu said: “(We should) use the Chinese socialist theoretical system better to arm the whole Party and educate the people, providing a powerful ideological guarantee and spiritual impetus for developing the cause of the Party and the nation.”

As for how to popularize Marxism, Liu suggested to make good use of mass media such as newspapers, radio, TV and the Internet and to use plain language and familiar examples with a mixture of reason and sentiment to enhance the propaganda effect.

Source: Xinhua, March 25, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2010-03/25/content_13245827.htm

Economic Information Daily: China Holds Potent Weapons to Act against U.S. Trade Protectionism

Economic Information Daily, which is related to Xinhua News Agency, published an article on March 26, 2010, regarding the global responses to “America’s increasing trade protectionism.” Song Hong, Director of the International Trade Research Office at the Institute of World Politics and Economy in the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said, “China also has potent weapons to deal with U.S. trade protectionism.”

Song Hong pointed out from the trade perspective, “China can impose restrictions on the imports of American agricultural products, aircraft and others. China can also decrease its holdings of U.S. Treasury bonds.” Song further said, “From the non-economic perspective, the United States needs China’s support on the Iran and North Korean nuclear weapons issues.” “In addition, promoting a free trade zone in Asia is another of China’s options,” reported Economic Information Daily.

Source: Economic Information Daily, March 26, 2010
http://www.jjckb.cn/gjxw/2010-03/26/content_213869.htm

Xinhua: According to a Russian Journal, the West’s major strategic mistake is misjudging China

Global Times published a Xinhua article on March 31, 2010, introducing an article from a Russian journal, “The major strategic mistake the West has made in the past 20 years is its incorrect assessment of China’s potential and ambition.”

It said that “China’s GDP at purchasing power parity conversion has increased from 4.8 trillion in 1999 to 8.8 trillion U.S. dollars in 2009.” However, “China’s economic flaws and uneven development require China to take a tough political line. Otherwise, the conflicts that have accumulated in China will manifest.”

The article stated, “The U.S. estimates that the deadline for the U.S. to beat China in a war is 2017.” However, “the decline of Western civilization will give China a better chance to become the undisputed world leader within the next 30 years.”

Source: Global Times, March 31, 2010
http://world.huanqiu.com/roll/2010-03/762920.html

Minister of Public Security on Social Stability and Corruption

On March 29, 2010, the last day of a training session for nationwide Public Security Bureau chiefs, Yang Huanning, the Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Executive Deputy Minister of Public Security, spoke on social stability and corruption:

(We ought to) have a clear understanding of the influence and challenges to social stability at China’s current economic and social development stage, effectively enhance the sense of responsibility and sense of mission of safeguarding national security and social stability, conduct an in-depth study on how to effectively and properly dispose of social unrest, how to further strengthen foundational and preventive work, and how to further improve the public security authority’s law enforcement ability and quality….(We ought to) study and solve the current problems in fund management from the policies and system aspects, manage and make good use of state and local fiscal funds, firmly prevent extravagance and waste, and resolutely prevent the occurrence of different forms of corruption.
Source: Ministry of Public Security, March 30, 2010http://www.mps.gov.cn/n16/n1237/n1342/n803680/2379043.html