According to Beijing Public Security, in preparation for China’s commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II on September 3, the police have launched a citywide security campaign that involves 850,000 people throughout the city’s various districts. During the parade, the leaders of the Communist Party will review the troops.
PLA Daily Editorial: Be Ready to Fight at All Times
PLA Daily published an editorial article re-emphasizing the importance of building a strong army and being ready to fight at all times. The article was also posted on all the major state media and military websites.
Xinhua: Out of Control Explosions û Investigation into Ruihai International Logistics
On August 19, 2015, Xinhua published an investigative article on Tianjin Dongjiang Port Ruihai International Logistics, which is where the huge chemical explosions occurred on August 12, 2015. According to Xinhua, the real owners of the company are the board chairperson Yu Xuewei, who is a former executive of Sinochem Tianjin Co., Ltd., and the associate board chairperson Dong Shexuan, who is son of the former director of the Public Security Bureau of Tianjin Port. The Ruihai Company obtained a hazardous chemicals business license and used personal connections to pass all evaluations including fire and environment safety evaluations.
According to Ruihai’s environmental report, Ruihai distributed 130 survey questionnaires to the residents in the neighborhood and 128 residents replied “yes” to the hazardous chemical warehouse. However, [it was later determined that] residents living nearby had never seen the questionnaires and nobody was aware that there was a hazardous chemical warehouse in the neighborhood. Yu Xuewei, the Ruihai board chairperson, said that he had not participated in the environmental survey. None of the other safety assessment reports on Ruihai have yet been disclosed to the public.
Source: Xinhua, August 19, 2015
http://news.xinhuanet.com/local/2015-08/19/c_1116305131.htm
Railway Cargo Volume Continues to Slide
On August 18, 2015, the China National Development and Reform Commission released statistics on railway cargo volume. Railway cargo volume is one of the three major economic indicators reportedly used by Li Keqiang, current Premier, to measure China’s economy. The other two indicators are electricity consumption and the loans that banks disburse.
3,000 Tons of Toxic Chemicals Stored at Warehouse in Tianjin before Explosions
According to Caixin, a total of 3,000 tons of hazardous chemicals were stored in the warehouse in Tianjin where two deadly explosions occurred on August 12, 2015. Niu Yueguang, deputy director of the fire department of the Ministry of Public Security, said on China Central Television on August 17, 2015, that the chemicals included 700 tons of sodium cyanide, 800 tons of ammonium nitrate, and 500 tons of potassium nitrate.
Source: Caixin, August 17, 2015
http://china.caixin.com/2015-08-17/100840756.html
Chinese Government to “Safeguard the Air Quality” for WWII Commemoration
Xinhua Questions U.S. Cooperation in China’s Anti-Graft Campaign
In response to the New York Times report on August 16 that the Obama administration ordered the Chinese law enforcement personnel who are in the country for the "Fox Hunt" operation to return home immediately, Xinhua News Agency published an op-ed questioning whether the U.S. is siding with the corrupt officials that Beijing is seeking.
China Daily: Is the United States Trying to Fight a “Cyber Cold War”?
Following The New York Times report that the U.S. may take action to retaliate against China for hacking the information of 20 million U.S. government employees, China Daily interviewed Chinese scholars on cyber security to discuss what it means to China.