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Reporters Without Borders: China Has the Largest Number of Jailed Reporters

BBC Chinese recently reported that the Reporters Without Borders Organization, headquartered in Paris, just released its 2014 summary of global statistics on reporters subjected to violence. According to this latest summary, in 2014, 178 professional reporters were jailed worldwide. Among these reporters, Mainland China jailed 29, which represents a 17 percent share. That is the worst in the world. Also, out of all “citizen journalists” (non-professionals) jailed globally, the Mainland China government jailed 78. Combining the professional and non-professional jailed reporters, Mainland China has a share of around 30 percent, the highest among all nations. The Reporters Without Borders summary especially mentioned well-known Chinese reporter Gao Yu, who is facing a possible 15-year term, which is on top of the seven years she has already served. The summary also mentioned that 1,864 reporters have been attacked or threatened globally. Mainland China attacked or threatened 84 of those, thus ranking it number five (Ukraine, Venezuela and Turkey are the top three nations). 
Source: BBC Chinese, December 16, 2014
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/world/2014/12/141216_journalists_prisoned

The U.S. Plan to Tax Imported Chinese Steel

Well-known Chinese news site Sina recently reported that the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) confirmed that carbon and alloy steel imported from China unfairly damaged the U.S. domestic steel industry. It will therefore tax these imports with anti-dumping and countervailing duties. The ITC vote was the final step in the process of approving these punishments. The Chinese steel exporters include three steel manufacturers (Benxi Steel, Rizhao Steel, and Hualing Xiangtan Steel) and an international trade company (Jiangsu Shagang). The ITC ruling was based on complaints filed by ArcelorMittal (USA), Charter Steel, Evraz Pueblo, Gerdau Ameristeel, Keystone Consolidated Industries, and Nucor. 
Source: Sina, December 16, 2014
http://finance.sina.com.cn/chanjing/cyxw/20141216/185121091096.shtml

China’s New-generation Cloud Computing Operating System

According to an article in People’s Daily a new-generation cloud computing operating system, Cloudview 1.8, was recently launched in Beijing. Industry experts indicate that the system is the leader in cloud computing products that comply with the highest national standards. Its launch marks an important step forward in autonomous controllability.
Dawning Information Industry Co., Ltd, (中科曙光”), a state enterprise, developed the system. According to the CEO of Dawning, Cloudview 1.8 has gone through several different versions of technological upgrades in computing, storage, and networking. It can better meet the demand for the infrastructure management of cloud computing while upgrading multi-tenant management, project resource management, and service process management. It has achieved strategic integration of IT infrastructure management and business operation and has fully realized autonomous controllability.
Source: People’s Daily, December 21, 2014
http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/html/2014-12/22/nw.D110000renmrb_20141222_3-09.htm

Xi Jinping: Will not change one country, two systems for Hong Kong and Macau

Xi Jinping spoke at the ceremony marking the 15th anniversary of Macau’s return to China. He told the audience that China’s confidence and resolve to continue the practice of “one country, two systems” will not waiver. 

Xi said that “one country, two systems” is China’s fundamental State policy. “We must adhere to the one-China principle and we must respect the differences between the two systems. … At no time should we focus only on one side to the neglect of the other. … This is the only way that leads to sound and steady progress." He added that any other way would be "a misguided approach from the beginning." It would be like "putting one’s left foot into the right shoe." 
"No matter what difficulties or challenges we may encounter, our confidence and resolve to uphold the principle of ‘one country, two systems’ will not waiver. Our confidence and resolve to advance the practice of ‘one country, two systems’ will not waiver!” 

Source: Xinhua, December 20. 2014 
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2014-12/20/c_1113717267.htm

In 2014, over 150 Senior Executives at State-owned Enterprises Faced Corruption Charges

According to Legal Daily, from January 1 to December 15, 2014, a total of over 150 senior executives from State-owned Enterprises (SOEs) have been investigated for or charged with conducting criminal activities. This represents a sharp increase compared to less than 100 in previous years. 

January and February of 2014 each saw two fallen executives, the lowest number for the year. The numbers in June, August, and September hit the peak at 22, 39, and 22 respectively. The hardest hit were those SOEs that the central government owns, such as China Resources Group and Sinopec. The energy and financial sectors each had a total of 11 senior executives under investigation, including Postal Savings Bank of China, Beijing Rural Commercial Bank, the Bank of Inner Mongolia, and China Guangfa Bank. According to a state survey, 90 percent of the officials who fled overseas are from State-owned companies or financial companies. 
Source: Legal Daily reprinted by Xinhua, December 20, 2014 
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2014-12/20/c_1113717267.htm

China Cancer Map Shows the Geographic Distribution of Cancer Cases

Life Times, which is under People’s Daily, published a “China Cancer Map” showing the geographic distribution of the cancer cases in China. 

Including all cities in China, the forms of cancer with the highest occurrences are thyroid cancer and breast cancer. Lung cancer ranks the highest in the three provinces in northeast China and Yunnan provinces. Jiangsu Province has the highest number of cases of gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, and liver cancer. 
The map shows that liver cancer cases occur mostly in the coastal provinces of Zhejiang, Guangxi, and Jiangsu, while the provinces of Liaoning, Shandong, Gansu, Jiangsu, and Fujian tend to have more colorectal cancer cases. Gynecological cancer cases appear to be concentrated in Inner Mongolia, and the provinces of Shanxi, Shaanxi, Hubei, Hunan and Jiangxi. 
Sources: Life Times reprinted by Huanqiu, December 17, 2014 
http://mt.huanqiu.com/Html/ahtml/china/2014-12-17/5251565.html

Li Keqiang: China Willing to Provide Financial Support to SCO Countries

On the afternoon of December 15, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang attended the 13th meeting of the Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member countries in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. 

According to Russian media, Li announced at the meeting that China is willing to provide financial support to SCO countries to help them overcome the economic crisis.  The media also reported that Li further stated that China is willing to take such measures in bilateral cooperation with Kazakhstan and other SCO countries or partners, and that this effort will help these countries to deal successfully with the economic downturn and to modernize production. 
The SCO was founded in Shanghai in 2001. The SCO members are Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Iran, Afghanistan, Mongolia, Pakistan and India have observer status. Dialogue partners include Belarus, Sri Lanka and Turkey. 
Source: China Enterprises Investment Association, December 16, 
2014 http://www.ceia.cn/show.php?contentid=47887

WANG Yiwei: China and U.S. Have Different Understanding of the New Model of Major-Country Relations

WANG Yiwei, Director of the International Affairs Institute at Renmin University of China, recently wrote an article that was published on Huanqiu (Global Times, a division of People’s Daily). In the article he discussed the differences between China and the United States as to how they each understand the new model of major-country relations. Below is an excerpt from the article: 

"From the perspective of historical experience and mankind’s responsibility, Sino-U.S. relations, unlike any other great power relations, may not pursue the best, but must prevent the worst. This is impossible without the new model of major-country relations. However, in the establishment of new relations between these big powers, China and the U.S. hold six different understandings of the new model of major-country relations.” 
"1. The Chinese side stresses the concept of "no conflict and no confrontation." The U.S. cannot promise to have no conflicts; at best it promises to avoid unnecessary conflicts and confrontations. Even making such a commitment is too difficult; it fears getting stuck and losing the trust of its allies." 
"2. How the nature of Sino-US relations is established will determine the direction of international politics in the 21st century. The U.S. is inclined to a "new type of relationship" that is more focused on new ways to continue the policy of engagement with China while maintaining the U.S. leadership position. The U.S. is worried that China’s emphasis on "mutual respect" may make the U.S. unable to interfere with China’s internal affairs and is contrary to the American values diplomacy. China, in asking for "respect," is hoping that the U.S. will respect China’s core interests and gradually recognize China’s ‘big country’ status."    
"3. The Chinese side has focused on shaping the nature of the new model of major-country relations between China and the U.S. with no conflict, no confrontation, and mutual respect so as to achieve a win-win effect, but the United States understands it as a kind of cooperation for cumulative effects. For example, if China cooperates with the United States on the Issues of North Korea, Iranian nuclear power, as well as Afghanistan and the ‘Islamic State,’ it will enhance the confidence of the United States to establish the new relations between big powers. Meanwhile, the United States believes that since China publicly rejected ‘Sino-U.S. joint rule’ (G2) in the past and now China uses "win-win cooperation" to lure the United States, China’s purpose is to allow the United States to let down its guard and then catch up and surpass the U.S. without being noticed." 
"4. The U.S. is worried that the new relations are merely China’s transitional arrangement for the eventual replacement of the U.S. The intention is to shake the U.S. leadership. China has emphasized that the new relationship is to reduce strategic suspicion of each other, create strategic consensus, and gather strategic actions." 
"5. The United States believes that the task of the new relations is to manage the bilateral relations, while China believes the task of the new relations is to become a cornerstone to develop the world order. China believes that the Sino-U.S. relationship is the world’s most important bilateral relationship; the U.S. acknowledges that the U.S.-China relationship is only one of the world’s most important bilateral relationships. Compared to China, the United States is becoming more and more short-sighted and sensitive."
"6. The United States is very suspicious of the future of the new relations model and believes that whether such a model can be established does not really matter. The Chinese side fears that if the new China-U.S. relations cannot be established, it is likely to fall into another political tragedy among the great powers in history." 

Source: People’s Daily, November 6, 2014 
 http://opinion.people.com.cn/n/2014/1106/c1003-25985623.html