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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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Over Ten Thousand Citizens Flared up in a Mass Conflicts with the Police

On October 20, a mass incident took place at Su Yu Middle School in Su Qian City of Jiangsu Province. It involved over ten thousand local citizens against one hundred policemen. The cause was on a student who committed suicide because he was frequently subjected to physical punishment by school teachers. The parents went to school to request a resolution. But the school called the police who then used the force to beat up the victim’s family members.

Over ten thousand citizens were at the scene. People were flared up over the beating and started to beat the policemen, turn over the police vehicles and eventually chase the police away. The news is tightly blocked by the City of Su Qian and no media is allowed at the scene.

The related internet postings were circulating widely among the websites in mainland and quickly picked by overseas Chinese websites. But most of the postings in mainland have been taken down since.

Source: Various Chinese websites in China and US, October 24

http://www.xici.net/b7000/bderror.asp?s=UnDeleted
http://sanqingzi.blogspot.com/2008/10/blog-post_26.html
http://news.boxun.com/forum/200810/boxun2008b/13379.shtml
http://www.gettao.com/bbs/viewthread.php?tid=10114
http://www.64tianwang.com/bencandy.php?fid=8&aid=3559

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Breast Cancer Rated Number One Cancer Killer for Chinese Women

Breast cancer is rated the number one cancer killer for Chinese woman, according to the statistics released by the Cancer Hospital of Shanghai Fudan University. The statistics showed that between 1991 and 2000, the death rate for urban woman has grown over 39 percent and is still growing at 3.5 percent each year.  The experts attributed the rate increase to unhealthy diet and delay in child birth age as well as no breast feed chosen by certain women.

Source: China News, October 26, 2008
http://www.chinanews.com.cn/jk/kong/news/2008/10-26/1425434.shtml

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology

Millions to Lose Jobs; Tough Job Markets for College Graduates

As many as 9,000 factories in Dongwan, Shenzheng, and Guangzhou are facing closing down and 2.7 million workers will lose jobs, reported United Daily News. In the mean time, 6 million college graduates are challenged with tough job market as many colleges received cancellation of on-campus job affairs notice from the businesses. There have been increases in students enrolled in the graduate degree study or competing over the limited spots to study overseas.

Moreover, public servant positions, the ones with more job security, are facing the worst competition ever. As of October 26, over 970,000 applications were accepted, 200,000 higher than the year before. Average ratio is 73 applicants competing for 1 position. The most competitive position is the one with Chinese Association of the handicapped which have 4723 applicants competing for 1 position.

Source:
United Daily News, October 25, 2008
http://udn.com/NEWS/MAINLAND/MAI2/4572614.shtml
Xinhua, October 27, 2008-10-26
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2008-10/27/content_10258124.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

China Optimistic in the International Financial Crisis

President Hu stated on October 24 that the good development trend in Chinese economy is in itself an important contribution to the international market stability and world economic development.

Xinhua reported that government think tanks in China are confident of China’s ability to handle the crisis in spite of a reduced 9.9% of the economic growth in the first three quarters. China is actively expanding in Africa and Latin America and China exports more home items than luxury items. Effective November 1, tax rebate rates will increase for textiles, toys and other high valued added items. Comparing to the same period last year, Retail sales of consumer goods for the first three quarters went up by 22%, an increase of 6.1 percentage points. Actual utilization of foreign funds went up by almost 40%, an increase of 29 percentage points.

Source: Xinhua, October 24, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2008-10/24/content_10245934.htm
http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2008-10/24/content_10247609_1.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

800 million Yuan of Agriculture Funds in Violations and 175 Disciplined

Jiangxi Province found rampant funding irregularities in its agriculture subsidy programs, reported Xinhua on October 23, 2008. An inspection earlier this year show funding violations in the amount of 796,950,000 yuan, of which 658,960,000 yuan were erroneously delayed, 4,150,000 were arbitrarily retained, 26,300,000 yuan were misappropriated, 1,130,000 yuan were embezzled and 106,410,000 yuan were in other violations. There were 254 cases under investigation. 175 individuals were administratively disciplined. 25 of them have been charged in courts.

Source: Xinhua, October 23, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/legal/2008-10/23/content_10239890.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

High-ranking Party Official Refuses to Return to China

Municipal Communist Party Committee of Wenzhou has dispatched officials to France to seek the return of a high-ranking Party official, Xinhua reported. On September 19, Mr. Yang, a member of Wenzhou Standing Committee started a 12-day official visit to Europe leading a government delegation. While in France, Yang called one of the Wenzhou Communist leaders and submitted his resignation citing health reasons. The Wenzhou City explicitly asked Yang not to resign and ordered him to return to China. October 22, a group of three officials departed for France to meet with Yang.

Source: Xinhua, October 23, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/legal/2008-10/23/content_10240091.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

More Milk Powder Infants Are Hospitalized

105 new patients were admitted to hospital on October 22 as the result of melamine tainted milk powder.  3, 654 infants remain hospitalized as of October 22, stated China’s Ministry of Health. 46,717 were treated and released from hospitals.

Source: Xinhua, October 23, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2008-10/22/content_10235302.htm

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Public Petition for Special Pardon of Yang Jia

As of October 23, over 1,200 people petitioned for Special pardon of Yang Jia. Yang Jia, a young man in his twenties, was sentenced to death on September 1 2008 by Shanghai No.2 Intermediate People’s Court, after a closed trial, for killing 6 policemen in Shanghai. On October 20, the Shanghai Higher People’s Court turned down his appeal. The petition initiated by 44 in China on October 21 calls for abolishment of death penalty and cited unfair treatment of Yang while in government custody and during the trial.

Source: Chinese Human Rights Defenders, October 23, 2008
http://crd-net.org/Article/Class53/200810/20081023075704_11301.html

Briefings | | |   Social Stability