Chinese Vice Premier Huang Ju, a protege of former President Jiang Zemin, died in Beijing early morning of June 2, 2007 after a long illness, the official Xinhua news agency reported. Huang ranked number six in China’s Communist political hierarchy. His death may intensify frictions between former President Jiang and those loyal to current President Hu Jintao.
Former Head of China’s Food and Drug Administration Sentenced to Death
Beijing First Intermediate Court sentenced Zheng Xiaoyu, the former head of China’s State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) to death on May 29, 2007 for taking bribes totaling 649,000 RMB (US$848,366) from eight pharmaceutical and medical equipment companies and illegally approving their products. The unusual sentence is perceived as a political bid to rein in rampant corruption in China and as a means of dealing with foreign complaints about China’s corrupt pharmaceutical sector.
200 Arrested on Tiananmen Square on Anniversary of Massacre
On June 4, The Epoch Times reported that approximately 200 demonstrators gathered on Beijing’s Tiananmen Square to commemorate the 18th anniversary of the 1989 June 4 Massacre. The police immediately arrested all of the demonstrators [1].
The Olympics: China’s Ministry of Public Security Issued Directive on Barring Groups
China’s Ministry of Public Security issued an internal secret directive that lists 43 categories of people who will be investigated and barred from the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Some examples of included groups are overseas hostile forces, counter-revolutionary figures, the Dalai Lama and affiliates, Falun Gong, religious groups and individuals who instigate disapproval of the Chinese Communist Party through the Internet.
Chinese Doctor Identified as Surgeon Harvesting Organs from Live Falun Gong Adherents
Mr. Yu, a doctor at a hospital in Sujiatun, Shenyang, Liaoning Province has been identified as a surgeon who works exclusively on harvesting internal organs from living Falun Gong adherents. The person who identified him is the fourth Chinese witness to corroborate the reports of China harvesting organs of Falun Gong.
Pork Prices Hit Record High – Sign of Political Problem
An increase in the cost of feed coupled with a drop in the supply of pigs due to disease has made pork a top priority for the Chinese government. Pork is the most important staple meat for China’s 1.3 billion people. Any sustained interruption in supply would be a major political problem for the country. Premier Wen Jiabao provided confirmation of the crisis when he made a weekend visit on May 28, 2007, to a market in Shaanxi Province.
Following a Ban on ConAgra’s Peanut Butter, China Bans More US Food Products
China General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantines (AQSIQ) issued a notice on June 7, 2007, stating that its inspectors at the ports of Ningbo and Shenzhen found bacteria and sulfur dioxide in certain health supplements and raisins exported by U.S. companies. This follows the February 2007 ban on ConAgro’s peanut butter.
Overseas Chinese Scholar on Democracy in China
On January 14, 2008, Study Times, the official publication of the Party School of the Communist Party of China, published an article by Wei-Wei Zhang, Senior Research Fellow at the Modern Asia Research Center in Geneva. The article entitled, “Reflections on Western Democracy,” affirms the current policies of the Communist Party.
Citing the failures of western democracy in developing countries, the article states that China has successfully maintained stability over the past 30 years and that living standards of Chinese people have significantly improved, coupled with a ten-fold increase in the economy. The article suggests that China should first focus on economic and educational development, followed by the rule of law and last by democracy.
Zhang served as senior English interpreter for Deng Xiaoping and other Chinese Communist leaders in the mid-1980s.
Source: Study Times, January 14, 2008.
http://www.studytimes.com.cn/txt/2008-01/14/content_9529161.htm