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Xinhua Commentary Series: Spotlight on the U.S. Presidential Election

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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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Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Issues Social Blue Book for 2009

On December 15, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences issued the Social Blue Book for 2009 and held a forum to report the overall situation of Chinese society, analyzing the country’s current situation and also predicting the hot issues for 2009. The book revealed that seeing doctors and employment are the most prominent issues. It also said that the current jobless rate of college graduates is over 12 percent, three times the registered jobless rate.

Source: people.com.cn, December 16, 2008 
http://politics.people.com.cn/GB/1026/8523717.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

School Teachers Strike in Chongqing Spreading to Larger Areas

Following a strike by school teachers in Yongchuan District and Jijiang County in the Chongqing Municipality in October, similar strikes are spreading to many other districts and counties including Jiangjin, Qianjiang, Hechuan, Jijiang, Zijiang, Youyang, and so on, involving tens of thousands of school teachers. The teachers are asking for payments that they were promised. In Qianjiang, 2,000 teachers gathered in front of a government building to protest. In addition, retired teachers have also joined the protest to support the strike.

Source: The Epoch Times, December 16, 2008
http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/8/12/16/n2364617.htm

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Xinhua Rebuts Charter 08; 95 Percent of Comments “Harmonized”

Xinhua published an article on December 12 to state that the Chinese Communist Party is trying hard to resist the law of the rise and fall of political power by persisting in reform and opening-up. It is observed that the article was meant as rebuttal to the Charter 08 that pushes for more freedom. As of December 14, 2008, Chinese citizens left 5,054 comments on the Xinhua article at Soho viewers bulletin. Only 227 of them, which are in support of the Xinhua article, are available for viewing. According to analysts, the remaining 95% comments have been “harmonized” by China’s Internet authorities because the comments did not follow the Party line.

Source: Chinascope original
Participation (Canyu), December 13, 2008
http://www.canyu.org/n4529c6.aspx
Xinhua, December 12, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2008-12/12/content_10495824_1.htm

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Rights Lawyer: Persecution of Falun Gong is Result of Abuse of Power Rights

Lawyer Li Heping argued in court that practicing Falun Gong is lawful under Chinese law and that the persecution of Falun Gong is the result of the abuse of power, Falun Gong’s Minghui website reported. In an interview with Minghui, Li stated that Falun Gong is a belief system and is allowed by the Chinese law. “China’s Constitution allows freedom of religion and belief. That means that activities related to religion and belief such as spreading the beliefs and engaging in other beliefs-related activities are lawful.” Li, a business lawyer, has been active in rights movement in China in recent years.

Source: Minghui.org, December 11, 2008
http://minghui.org/mh/articles/2008/12/11/191419.html

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Mainland China Falun Gong Held Largest Internet Experience Sharing Conference

Over 530 papers written by Falun Gong practitioners in Mainland China were published during an Internet experience sharing conference held from November 1 through December 8 2008, Falun Gong Minghui website reported. The published papers were selected out of tens of thousands submissions. Minghui said that this is largest experience sharing conference of Mainland China Falun Gong practitioners since the persecution started in 1999.

Source: Minghui.org, December 8, 2008
http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2008/12/8/191310.html

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Housing Market Slump in 2008

Real estate was down significantly from January to November according to November monthly release of the National Bureau of Statistics on December 12, 2008. While investment by developers went up by 22.22% comparing to same period last year, house sales were down by 20.6% and new mortgages down by 25.6%.

Source: Xinhua, December 12, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/house/2008-12/12/content_10492305.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Communist Party Central Committee: Five Economic Tasks for 2009

The Central Committee of the Communist Party held an economic conference from December 8 to 12, 2008. The conference sets forth five major tasks for 2009 to overcome the global financial crisis. They include moderate macro economic controls, land use of farmland, structural changes to stimulate spending, financial reforms and measures to maintain social stability.

Source: People’s Daily, December 11, 2008
http://politics.people.com.cn/GB/1024/8498365.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

“Study Times” Calls for Further Political Reform

An article posted on Study Times, the journal of the Party School of the Chinese Communist Party, states that China’s social problems result from stalled political reform. According to the article,  economic reforms have not been implemented to the fullest extent. Old power refuses to withdraw and instead is strengthening control to suppress market mechanism, thus leading to a rise in corruption. The article concludes that furtherance of economic and political reform is the key.

Source: Study Times, December 8, 2008
http://www.studytimes.com.cn/WebPage/ny1.aspx?act=0&id=2321&bid=12

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics