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Minister: 300,000 Mid-and-small-size Companies Out of Business

A sample survey shows that 7.5% of the country’s mid-and-small-size companies have gone out of business since the end of 2008, according to Li Yizhong, China’s Minister of Industry and Information Technology. The percentage amounts to an estimated more than 300,000 businesses, using total of 4.3 million in year 2007. Li said that mid-and-small-size companies account for 99% of the nation’s enterprises, 80% of the total employment, and 60% of the size of the economy. Amid the current financial crisis, they are particularly hit hard.

Source: Ta Kung Pao, March 11, 2009
http://www.takungpao.com/news/09/03/11/ZM-1046497.htm

Commentary: Obama Follows Bush’s Old Path

China’s state media Guangming published an article commenting Obama’s Iraq policy—“Non-Withdrawal’s Withdrawal, Non-fight’s fight, Obama Follows Bush’s Old Path.” The article was also published in other major state media and websites. The article says “Due to U.S.’s geopolitical factor in Middle East, whether it is ‘ending’ or ‘withdrawal’ from (Iraq war), U.S, has not and will not ‘responsibly end the war.’ At the same time, it will absolutely make all kinds of reasons to indirectly occupy Iraq. Therefore, Americans will forever live in illusions. This is America’s ‘always beauty’ legend. But the end of Iraq war is not an end.” The article continues, “In all, Iraq’s occupation will not be interrupted, (U.S.) will continue to control Iraq militarily, economically, and politically. Bush used lies and cheating in the past. Today’s democrats will do the same to maintain and consolidate the occupation. After 19 months, who can say the occupation will not continue?”

Source: Guangming net, March 8, 2009
http://guancha.gmw.cn/content/2009-03/08/content_895434.htm http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2009-03/09/content_10972520.htm

Study Times: Obstacles to Military Transformation

Attachment to old munitions, vested interest groups and rigid ideology are the three obstacles to military transformation, says Study Times, the newspaper of the School of Central Committee of Chinese Communist Party. “We should be on alert and eliminate any attachment to old mechanical munitions that may block the transformation.” The article attributes the failure of the transformation efforts of Nikolay Ogarkov (Russian Military Officer) to vested interest groups in Russia who would see their positions and interest impaired as a result of changes. Finally, “the outcome will have been already determined even before the war starts between an army guided by rigid ideology and an army guided by new innovative ideology.”

Source: Study Times, March 2, 2009
http://www.studytimes.com.cn/WebPage/ny1.aspx?act=0&id=2474&bid=7

Police Arrested Christians in Henan House Church Raid

18 Chinese Christians were arrested on March 1, 2009 at Zhaojiazhuang, Nanyang, Henan Province, Radio Free Asia reports. They were arrested during the Sunday service. 16 of them were released the next day after paying a fine. 2 were detained for 15 days for committing the crime of “illegal religious activity.” On February 11, about 50 Chinese Christians were arrested at a home in Nanyang, Henan Province. 98 policemen raided the house of Mr. Chen, a Christian. They searched and ransacked the house, and arrested all Christians at the gathering.

Source: Radio Free Asia, March 5, 2009
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/zongjiao-03052009084426.html

Intensive Training for Top Public Security Officials Linked to Upcoming Social Unrests

About 3,080 county public security bureau directors will go through a 10 day intensive training in Beijing in the next 6 months, a first in Chinese history, said China Public Security Ministry official. Starting from Feb 28, these public security officials will be in class in 7 separate groups. The first group has 425 Directors. The instructors at the training sessions in Beijing include Vice Minister of Public Security and other top Party officials. The top public security bureau directors expressed in class discussions that their biggest headache is social unrests. 2009 will be a high season for social unrests, according to Xinhua.

Source:
Xinhua, February 27, 2009
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2009-02/27/content_10906810.htm
Nanfang Daily, February 26, 2009
http://www.nanfangdaily.com.cn/nfzm/200902260135.asp

Police Shot Tibetan Monk Who had set Himself on Fire

Chinese police at Aba prefecture in Sichuan Province shot a 24-year-old Tibetan monk after he set himself on fire at a market, just after Losar, the Tibetan New Year. Earlier he and his fellow monks were refused entry to the main prayer hall at the Kirti Monastery in Aba. The Chinese authorities had forbidden observation of Monlam, a traditional prayer festival held after Losar. The monk was shot three times and was taken away by police after he fell.

Source: Epoch Times, March 2, 2009
http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/9/3/2/n2448219.htm

Beijing Censor Tiananmen Square Massacre Questioning

On March 2, Monday, at a press conference of China’s Political Consultative Conference, the Communist Party’s showpiece political event, a Voice of America reporter questioned the government response to letters written by Tiananmen Mothers, families of 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre victims.

According to Hong Kong based Mingpao report, it caused a “commotion” among the audience. Zhao Qizheng, the spokesperson replied with “Chinese government has had a clear conclusion on the political disturbance in 1980’s.” While CCTV was live broadcasting the whole press conference, it immediately switched to another program when the Q&A started. In the following Xinhua news, that part was also blacked out.

Source: Voice of America, March 3, 2009
http://www.voanews.com/chinese/w2009-03-03-voa39.cfm

Xinhua: Other Western Countries Should Follow Hillary to Put Economy Ahead of Human Rights

An article titled “Hillary Visits China: Economy Ahead of Human Right, Cooperation over Discrepancy” on Xinhua’s website applauds Hillary Clinton’s realism in her China visit. The article says “Human rights issue was out of the focus at the top level meeting between China and U.S. demonstrates that the balance of China and U.S.’s mutual influence has materially changed. Now U.S.’s need of China is increasing. … U.S. can not possibly be as hard-lined as before. At the same time, more and more of the core interest of both countries are overlapped. Many issues require the cooperation of both countries to resolve. As compared to the big countries’ cooperation, human rights issue naturally becomes less important.” The article also quoted the comment by Professor Xiong Zhiyong from China Foreign Affairs University, saying “Hillary Clinton’s statement is realistic, and is the right choice of U.S.’s China policy. It is worth other Western countries to follow.”

Source: Xinhua, Feb. 23, 2009
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2009-02/23/content_10875221.htm