Chinascope – Page 1351

US Press Freedom High on Water Content

This front page commentary, cited in Wen Hui Bao a Hong Kong based newspaper backed by Beijing, characterized press freedom in the US as “High on Water Content” (a Chinese saying meaning having surface value but little substance). According to the article, under high pressure and an unseen hanging rope, the US media have become reluctant to either criticize the government or discuss the legitimacy of the Iraq war. The media does not have any means to force the government into releasing more information and for a long period of time it has not dared to challenge the government’s propaganda policy. The end result has been to accept and encourage the government’s news which in effect has made the US media unknowingly a propaganda tool for the US government.

Source: China News, March 19, 2008
http://www.chinanews.com/gj/xwbj/news/2008/03-19/1195717.shtml

Briefings | | March 19, 2008 | US-China Relations

China Rejects “Groundless Accusations” by EU on Human Rights Violations

China firmly rejects the "groundless accusations" by the European Union and NGO’s on China’s human rights record, according to the official Chinese delegate attending the 7th Session of UN Human Right Conference in Geneva. For the past thirty years, China’s democratic and judicial system has been constantly improving, the level of human rights enjoyed by the people is steadily rising, and the government policy on human rights has been "whole-heartedly" supported by the people, according to the official statement. It suggests that EU members should check their own human rights records before accusing others.

Source: Xinhua, March 17, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2008-03/17/content_7805168.htm

Briefings | | March 19, 2008 | Geo-Strategic Trend

China Issues Secret Order to “Strike Hard against Falun Gong as Olympics Approach

Minghui, the official website of Falun Gong, reported that the Political-Legal Committee of Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee issued a secret document entitled “Working Suggestions for Maintaining Social Stability, Ensuring the Security of the Beijing Olympics” on February 19, 2008. The document was sent to all the provincial “Political-Legal Committees” and the corresponding "Offices for the Prevention and Handling of Cult Issues.” The document mandates that between March and September of 2008, relevant departments should “focus the time and manpower on implementing activities solely to exclude and dissolve conflicts;” “strengthen the management of foreign journalists reporting on the Olympic Games;” and “strengthen the management of Internet and mobile phone short messages.” The document especially emphasized the need to “strictly prevent and strike hard against Falun Gong.” According to the report, kidnapping and deaths cases of Falun Gong practitioners due to persecution have increased significantly following the issuing of the document. The report listed six confirmed deaths between February 23 and March 9 of this year in addition to multiple kidnapping cases.

Source: Minghui, March 17, 2008
http://www.minghui.ca/mh/articles/2008/3/17/174530.html

Briefings | | March 18, 2008 | Government/Politics

China-Russia Military Hotline Formally Opened for Conversation

International Herald Leader, a newspaper owned by Xinhua News Agency，reported that on March 14, 2008, a China-Russia military hotline formally opened for communication between the two countries. In the first telephone conversation over the line, Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan talked to his Russian counterpart Anatoly Serdyukov. The report says that China-Russia military hotline beat out the China-U.S. hotline as China’s first such telephone line linked to a foreign country, which reflected a higher level of political trust and strategic coordination between China and Russia.

Source: Xinhua, March 18, 2008
http://www.xinhuanet.com/herald/

Briefings | | March 17, 2008 | Geo-Strategic Trend

China’s Sexual Liberation

On December 14, 2006, the International Herald Tribune asked, “What’s the most rapidly growing industry in China today? The phone? Computer components? Toys? No, it’s the prostitution industry.” [1] Compared to ancient times, when holding hands in public was rare and would cause criticism, today the openness toward sex in China represents a major historic change. "One-night stand hotels” have mushroomed in the university areas of Beijing. The new doctrine of “All for money,” has become the norm in China, giving prostitution’s development a great boost. It seems that what is brewing in China is a wave of sexual degeneration, a revolution that is destroying traditional morality and standards of behavior. Although the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) says it will crack down on pornographic websites, even the Chinese official media website, Xinhuanet, displays photos of the “2006 top 10 hottest female stars,” “rare sexy men,” etc. Below is the translation of a report from Taiwan’s China Times [2]

Sexual liberation, an hourly-room is difficult to book

Every weekend, energetic university lovers follow a familiar path, passing skillfully through restaurants and cafes, coming to the cheap hotels with dimmed lights, ready to enjoy 3 hours of private time. The hotels are only 10 minutes away from the schools. The facilities are not luxurious but very clean. If they are not booked ahead of time, it is hard to find a room.

The cheap hotel rooms near the universities have sprouted like mushrooms. They are the symbol of the sexual revolution in China. According to a report by the Associated Press, the university students’ open-mindedness toward the traditional concept of sex means that the Mao era’s abstinence has collapsed. However, the liberation does not mean you can talk about it loudly; the political ideology has not lifted the ban on sex. Sex can only be discussed in private areas or among close friends. This has caused a lot of problems in society.

An increase in premarital sex and a rise in late marriages

Chinese young people’s attitude towards sex is in a period of change. In Beijing’s famous Chili Bar, the 20-year old manager agrees that today, young girls’ attitudes towards sex are very arbitrary. They often change their boyfriends, and love does not result in marriage. A 23-year old golf coach with the nick name “tank” said directly, “If two people really love each other, time does not matter.” Every night, the bars famous for one-night relations are filled with men and women looking for no-responsibility, no-burden love.
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The new openness has caused a booming business in cheap hotels that advertise “hourly-rooms,” and “part-time rooms.” In a survey, a social sciences researcher from the Chinese Academy, Li Yinhe, found that premarital sex in China is showing a stable upward trend. From 1989, when it was at 15%, it has jumped to 70%. Premarital sex has also led to the late marriage phenomenon. Last year the average marriage age for men in Shanghai was 31, 5 years older than the traditional age of 26-year-old.

The huge gap about discussing sex

There is a serious gap between the open-mindedness about sex in practice and lack of sex education in schools, which results in social problems. For example, the schools only emphasize the danger of AIDS, but avoid talking about how to use contraceptives. The result, as official media has reported, is that during the two long national holidays on May 1st and October 1st, 80% of those having abortions in Shanghai hospitals were high school girls. As for cost of an abortion, the hospital’s formal price is 1,000 yuan, or about 4,400 yuan Taiwan NT. There are cheaper ones; the non-narcotic procedure only costs 400 yuan.

Deng Zhen, who lives in Beijing and works as a love consultant, related that every day he receives 15 to 20 calls for consultation, many of which are related to sex. The callers are mostly high school or college students. He even received a phone call from a 10-year-old girl. Prof. Li Yinhe says, “Chinese are shy when it comes to directly talking about sex, but without a direct discussion of sex, sex education is not complete.”

Endnotes:
[1] International Herald Tribune, December 14, 2006
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/12/14/news/letter.php?page=1
[2] China Times (Taiwan), 2008.03.03
http://news.chinatimes.com/2007Cti/2007Cti-News/2007Cti-News-Content/0,4521,
110505+112008030300043,00.html

Reports | | March 17, 2008 | Report

Shanghai Jiefang Daily: U.S. Has Two Faces on Human Rights Issues

The Jiefang Daily criticized the U.S. of having a double standard when it issued its 2007 human rights report on other countries. The article said that “while the U.S. pays close attention to human rights violations by other countries, it was blind to its own deteriorating human rights record.” The article stated that there has been a 25 percent increase in cases of personal rights infringement by the executive and judicial branches from 2001 to 2007; The U.S.-lead Iraq war has caused 660,000 casualties with 90 percent of them civilians; and the [Abu-Graib] prisoner abuse scandal has become a symbol of the U. S. The article suggested that U.S. should mind its own business before pointing fingers at others.

Source: Xinhua, March 14, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2008-03/14/content_7786747.htm

Briefings | | March 17, 2008 | US-China Relations

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

Wu Guoguang: Xi Jinping’s Reversal of the Course, Will China’s Transition be Peaceful or Marked with Bloodshed?

Cheng Xiaonong: U.S.-China Strategic Relations Have Crystallized

Xinhua Commentaries: “Exposing the Three Major Political Deficits of the U.S.”