A
Li Baodong, China’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, announced on March 31 that the Chinese government will add 10 million yuan ($1.47 million) to Haiti’s post-quake relief.
{Editor’s Note: In June 2006, Beijing released an eight-episode TV documentary series: Preparing For Danger In Times Of Safety – Historic Lessons Learned from the Demise of Soviet Communism. It was a research project conducted by the government think tank, the Chinese Academy of Social Science. Afterwards, the Chinese Communist Party instructed party members across the nation to watch the series and launch serious discussions. The script of the prelude of the documentary quotes Hu Jintao’s words, “There are multiple factors contributing to the disintegration of the Soviet Union, a very important one being Khrushchev throwing away Stalin’s knife and Gorbachev’s open betrayal of Marxism-Leninism.” The full text of the narratives has been translated. What follows is the eighth episode.}
Xu Yan, Professor and historian at the Strategic Research Department of National Defense University alleged that international anti-China hostile forces have used the Internet not just to gather intelligence but also to spread false information to mislead and guide public opinion. Thus, “our country should mobilize Internet users to counter the anti-China hostile forces and opinions.” Xu cited examples of Internet remarks that China should not have participated in the Korean War and Sino-Indian border war. “Hostile forces are engaging in a psychological war in the area of history only to negate and cut off the ideological foundation of the new China. Many of these statements have gone far beyond the scope of expressions of different points of views. Their sinister intentions in fact are all too clear!” Xu calls for a “people’s war on the Internet to quash any anti-China expressions."
Source: Xinhua, March 31, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2010-03/31/content_13274754.htm
Wang Zhongyu, President of the China Enterprise Confederation, announced on March 27 that in 2009 China’s manufacturing accounted for 15.6% of the value of total global manufacturing. With the United States accounting for 19%, China has now replaced Japan (15.4%). Wang stated, however, that China’s manufacturing industry is large in size but not strong, and most enterprises are still at the bottom of the value-added chain. U.S. service oriented manufacturing is 58% of its entire manufacturing while that of China is 2.2%.
Source: China News Service, March 27, 2010
http://www.chinanews.com.cn/cj/cj-gncj/news/2010/03-27/2193673.shtml
Public Security Bureaus chiefs, presidents of courts and prison political commissars have been called on to go through mandatory training with increased responsiblities to neutralized social conflicts and maintain national stability. A special Symposium started on March 20 for district and municipal level public security bureau chiefs. The fifth class for presidents of intermediate and lower courts opened on March 23. On the same day, prison political commissars throughout China attended the first class in Beijing.
Source: Legal Daily, March 29, 2010
http://www.legaldaily.com.cn/bm/content/2010-03/29/content_2097065.htm?node=20733
In his September 18, 2009, speech at the Fourth Session of the 17th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, Hu Jintao admitted that strengthening the 75 million-member Party was an urgent need, and that there were numerous problems within the Party that seriously weakened its power as the ruling party. [1] That same day, the Party passed the “Decision on a Number of Major Issues Regarding Strengthening and Improving the Party’s Growth under New Situations.” Xinhua touted it as “a programmatic document to guide the current and future Party’s growth.” [2]
The decision admits that “some Party members and cadres neglect theoretical studies; their studies and practices are out of touch; ideals and beliefs are shaken; their beliefs in Marxism are not firm and they lack confidence in socialism with Chinese characteristics. … These problems have seriously weakened the Party’s creativity, cohesion, and combat effectiveness; gravely damaged the Party’s close ties with the masses; and seriously affected the consolidation of the Party’s ruling status and governance to achieve its mission. We must alert the entire Party to pay close attention to resolve it.”
However, the CCP’s sense of urgency and insecurity is not new.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Propaganda Department banned the Chinese media from reporting on 18 sensitive issues. Asahi Shimbun reported as front-page news on March 25 that Liu Yunshan, the Head of the Propaganda Department, ordered the ban on March 21, a day before Google announced its decision to stop censoring information on its Chinese site. The 18 issues include the Renminbi appreciation, official corruption, the high cost of medicine, food poisoning, turmoil in Xinjiang and Tibet, the gap between the rich and the poor, household registration reform, the unemployment of college graduates, corruption in handling Sichuan Earthquake donations, corruption of the police and gangsters in Chongqing, sky-rocketing real estate prices, and so on.
Concerning the Renminbi appreciation and Google’s refusal to censor information in China, the media was told that only Xinhua can report on those two issues. However the media can criticize the US.
It’s a sign that the Propaganda Department is trying to strengthen its control over the media after its negotiations with Google failed.
Source: Radio France International, March 25, 2010
http://www.chinese.rfi.fr/%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD/20100325-