People’s Daily: China Surpassed the U.S. to Become the Largest Oil Importer
Qiushi: The Lessons Learned from the Fall of the Soviet Union
China Review News: How to Interpret the Recent Government Work Transformation
The State Council recently introduced a plan to simplify and transform government work that requires decentralized power, while still maintaining control. China Review News carried an article that provided its interpretation of the plan. The article stated that simplification of the work and the decentralization of power indicate that the government needs to listen to the general public rather than impose its own will. It also requires that the government be transparent about its administrative approval process so the general public can gain greater benefits from the change. Moreover, the article said it was encouraging to see that the policy mentioned the importance of imposing deadline requirements and improving the efficiency of the government’s work.
Source: China Review News Agency, May 17, 2015
http://hk.crntt.com/doc/1037/5/5/5/103755546.html?coluid=151&kindid=11513&docid=103755546&mdate=0516153046
China Review News: On the Development of Think Tanks with Chinese Characteristics
In January, the General Office of the Central Committee of the Party and the General Office of the State Council published, “An Opinion on Further Development of Think Tanks with Chinese Characteristics.” China Review News recently published an interview with three experts from Hunan Province to get their input. According to the article, the experts mentioned that, currently, not only was there a lack of focus on the development of think tanks in China; there was also a lack of high quality and influential think tanks. As to the question of what it means for a think tank to have "Chinese characteristics," one answer was that the think tank should participate in forming public policy. It needs to be more diversified while also maintaining its independence. Another answer was that a think tank with Chinese characteristics should reference but not copy the experience from the Western world. It should be clear that the “Party can manage the think tank,” which must use the “Marxism-Leninism, Mao’s Theory, and Socialist Theory with Chinese characteristics” as its guiding ideology. According to the article, it should provide service on strategic issues and public policy, stay diversified, and provide macroeconomic regulation and control.
Source: China Review News Agency, May 14, 2015
http://hk.crntt.com/doc/1037/4/4/4/103744402.html?coluid=151&kindid=11515&docid=103744402&mdate=0514083805
National Development and Reform Commission: More Reform Measures to be Introduced
On May 18, China Youth Daily reported that, according to the National Development and Reform Commission, more reform measures will be introduced soon in order to ease the pressure from the slowdown of economic development. The reforms will take place in areas that include the investment and financing system, pricing, State Owned Enterprises, the tax and financial systems, urbanization, and the countryside. The article stated that the goal is to stimulate the market, regain confidence, promote reform in State Owned Enterprises, protect intellectual property, and speed up transformation within government entities.
Source: China Youth Daily, May 18, 2015
http://finance.youth.cn/finance_gdxw/201505/t20150518_6640811.htm
Elementary School Student Extorts Money from Classmates
It is a common practice for officials in China to use their power to extort money. Now even elementary school students have learned to do so.
According to an article that People’s Daily recently republished, a Deputy Class Leader who is a sixth grade student was found to have been extorting money from his classmates since the year he was in the second grade. This student leader was assigned the "power" to check other students’ homework. If a student didn’t give him money, he would tear up that student’s homework and report bad things about that student to teacher. He also forced some students who didn’t give him money to drink urine or eat excrement.
Source: People’s Daily Online, May 8, 2015
http://finance.people.com.cn/n/2015/0508/c66323-26966945.html
China Won Russian High Speed Rail Project
People‘s Daily reported that the China Railway Group Limited’ subsidiary, China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group Co. Ltd., has formed a consortium with two Russian companies. This consortium signed a 20 billion ruble ($390 million) agreement with the Russian Railways to design and construct a high-speed railway system from Moscow to Kazan.
The project is 770 kilometers (480 miles) long, with the highest speed being 400 km. per hour. It is the first overseas contract that the China Railway Group has won.
Sources:
1. People’s Daily Online, May 6, 2015
http://world.people.com.cn/n/2015/0513/c1002-26991896.html
2. People‘s Daily Online, May 6, 2015
http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/epaper/2015-05/06/content_20637032.htm