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
Insider Trading a Serious Problem
The Communist Party’s Central Commission for Inspection and Discipline reported that China will crack down on insider trading by government officials as part of the Party’s renewed effort to limit corruption. Officials and their families who use their positions to profit from insider trading, construction bids, land sales, and trading of property rights will face legal action. Xinhua reported that 25,654 officials were indicted for corruption in 2006 and 23,144 from January to November in 2007. This figure included several high-profile investigations, such as ones that toppled the communist party chief in Shanghai and the former head of the Chinese Food and Drug Administration.
Source: Xinhua, January 17, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2008-01/17/content_7436405.htm
http://news.xinhuanet.com/legal/2008-01/14/content_7415885.htm
Loving Communism to Be Taught to China’s Youth
Xinhua reported on January 15 that, starting in March 2008, the concept of “giving thanks” will be added to the curriculum for all elementary and middle schools in ShenYang City. The municipal Department of Education spokesperson emphasized respect for parents and teachers as part of the new effort to teach values in schools. He also mentioned that loving the [communist] Party, loving the motherland, loving society and loving people will be part of the new curriculum.
Source: Xinhua, Shenyang, January 15, 2008
http://www.rdfz.cn/xyxw/jyxw/t20080116_14828.htm