According to news released yesterday by the Ministry of Education of the PRC, China has sent 1,391,500 students to study overseas via various avenues over the last 30 years. Among them, about one million remained abroad. Only 390,000 returned to China, a return rate of 28 percent.
Source: China News Agency, March 26, 2008
http://www.chinanews.com.cn/edu/kong/news/2009/03-26/1618111.shtml
Xinhua’s Special Military Commentator said that dispatching USS Chung-Hoon to South China Sea is a friendly gesture by the US DOD. It demonstrates US “hedging” strategy of both “engaging” and “deterring” China.
Xinhua said that selecting Chung-Hoon itself is a “well thought-out decision” by the US Pacific Command. First, instead of choosing a ship from the nearby Japanese Sea it chose Chung-Hoon, which was far from the incident water and needed 4 to 5 days to get there. Those 4 to 5 days gave US and China enough time for diplomatic maneuvers. Second, the ship itself has an “historical relationship” with China as it accompanied the Chinese Navy’s visit to Pearl Harbor in 2006.
Source: Xinhua, March 23, 2009
http://news.xinhuanet.com/herald/2009-03/23/content_11056685.htm
In this article author Gao Yang addresses how the global recession is creating social instability in China. This is reflected in the courts as a large number of lawsuits are brought forward to settle disputes. He states that the People’s Courts should be better prepared to respond to these challenges and lists some general approaches.
Gao lists several sources of the social unrest: disputes between companies and their employees due to layoff or salary reduction; home owners not applying for mortgages or being delinquent on mortgage payments; increase in begging and petty theft as people living on the edge lose their means of living; popularization of illegal fund-raising as investors looking for alternatives; counterfeit money and credit card crimes; land expropriation disputes as the government pushes through its economic stimulus package; land struggles as farmers return from the city to the country; and mounting unemployment pressure, especially from college graduates.
Source: Study Times, March 23, 2009
http://www.studytimes.com.cn/WebPage/ny1.aspx?act=0&id=2520&bid=5
Study Times:
The Party School of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party produces Study Times; it was established in September 1999. The paper targets the national party organization and party cadres of all levels, as well as intellectuals. It is the only party paper that specializes in training and is publicly distributed in and outside of China.
Internet surfers in China are no longer able to visit the video sharing website Youtube.com, due to the site carrying some scenes of Tibetan monks being beaten by the Chinese Armed Policemen.
A spokesperson of the China Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the Internet is open in China, but for national security purposes, it needs to be managed to prevent spreading “poisonous information.” He said that he is unaware of the case of Youtube.com.
BBC Chinese reported that since January, China has closed several hundred websites, including some popular blogs, as well as websites popular among Tibetans. Investigations confirm that China still blocks access to certain websites, including BBC Chinese.com.
Source: BBC Chinese, March 24, 2009
http://news.bbc.co.uk/chinese/simp/hi/newsid_7960000/newsid_7961100/7961110.stm
After Coca-Cola’s acquisition of Hui Yuan failed the antitrust review by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, the news quickly gained media attention. The failed acquisition triggered a range comments.
Many Foreign media cited trade protectionism as the cause. Because the case sets the precedent for Chinese Antitrust Law governing a foreign acquisition, Chinese researchers indicated that the reported reactions reflected a worry about future foreign acquisitions. The Wall Street Journal insisted this was a warning to foreign investors.
Foreign media also brought up the potential negative effect on Chinese investments overseas. Chinese experts dismissed this view as they believed the ruling was merely based on protecting healthy competition as they stated that there was no bias against international corporations.
Source: Xinhua News/International Herald Leader, March 23, 2009
http://news.xinhuanet.com/herald/2009-03/23/content_11056881.htm
The academic corruption case in Zhe Jiang University struck China. With more and more dark news being unveiled, it seems that a national trend is forming by which the nation’s large academic investments are embezzled by corrupt individuals.
With millions in hand, a research group in Zhe Jiang University produced twenty fake theses and the university has so far offered no explanation.
A growing number of such scandals have been reported in recent years. According to the China Society and Technology Association, due to poor administration, only 40% of its funding was actually spent on activities related to its projects.
Source: The Sun News, March 19, 2009
http://www.secretchina.com/news/285252.html
On March 13, Chinese Premier Wen Jia Bao suggested in a press conference that before 2008 China waive more than 40 billion RMB worth of debt from 46 lesser developed countries while providing over 200 billion RMB of foreign aid to developing countries. He also mentioned that the United States provided less than 1/4 of promised aid in 2005.
Beginning in 1950, the Chinese foreign aid program now tops developing countries. During fiscal year 2006 to 2007, India only provided USD $500 million in aid although USD $1 billion was promised. Brazil, another large developing country, received more aid than it provided.
Chinese aid does not have political conditions attached, which makes it well received by developing countries. Currently there are more than 140 countries receiving aid from China.
Source: Elite Reference, March 21, 2009
http://news.wenxuecity.com/messages/200903/news-gb2312-820112.html
New Tang Dynasty Television’s website carried a series photos of the crime scene where two military soldiers were shot to death on the evening of March 20.
On March 20, one day after a security guard was shot to death and his weapon taken by the suspects in Jiang Bei District of Shi Qiao Pu in Chongqing, Sichuan province, two soldiers were shot to death around Yu Zhou Hotel in Chongqing. Police are actively searching for the suspects throughout the city. There were also rumors that the suspect only targeted uniformed military personnel.
Source: New Tang Dynasty Television, March 21, 2009
http://www.ntdtv.com/xtr/gb/2009/03/21/a271419.html#photo