Chinascope – Page 722

Ministry of Education: Engineering Graduates Lack Hands-on Ability

On November 13, 2014, China’s Ministry of Education released its 2013 report on engineering education, the first of its kind. The report was based on visits to six trade associations and societies, interviews of close to 30 experts, surveys of over 260 employers, and surveys conducted on over 40,000 students.

The report concluded that over 80 percent of employers were able to recruit college graduates in the engineering field and that close to 70 percent of these graduates now work in areas relevant to their majors in college. The report also found that engineering graduates lack hands-on ability and that engineering graduates need to improve their international competitiveness, management skills, and cross-disciplinary ability.

Source: Xinhua, November 13, 2014

http://news.xinhuanet.com/2014-11/13/c_1113239452.htm

Briefings | | November 14, 2014 | Economy/Resources

A Reduction in Production Led to APEC Blue

On November 13, 2014, the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau stated that the measures taken during the APEC period to reduce air pollution brought blue skies to Beijing (APEC blue). According to its press release, during this period, PM2.5 particles were reduced by over 30 percent on a daily basis in Beijing and its neighboring regions. Since there were fewer cars on the road, the automobile speed in Beijing went up from 22 km per hour to 50 km per hour.

Construction sites were shut down from November 3 to 12. Factories which released a high concentration of pollutants were temporarily closed. The use of privately owned automobiles was subject to daily restrictions based on whether the license numbers were odd or even. Lastly, Tianjin, Hebei, and other neighboring regions also cooperated temporary in helping to reduce pollution.

Source: Xinhua, November 13, 2014

http://news.xinhuanet.com/2014-11/13/c_1113239432.htm

Briefings | | November 14, 2014 | Economy/Resources

Defaults on Residential Loans Continue

On November 7, 2014, Caixin published an article on bad loans in the first half of 2014. The article stated that 90 percent of the bad bank loans in Sichuan Province were residential loans.

Back in September, the China Banking Regulatory Commission, Sichuan Office, ordered banks under its jurisdiction to conduct internal audits of their residential loans. The result of these internal audits showed that, from January to June of 2014, nonperforming loans made by banks in Sichuan Province increased to 277 million yuan, of which 247 million yuan were residential loans. These loans accounted for about 90 percent of the total nonperforming loans, representing a 79 percent increase compared to the previous year.

This was not an isolated case. As the economy has slowed down, defaults on housing mortgages have been rising throughout China due to reduced family income or declining business. For example, in Erdos Inner Mongolia, where people walk away from their investment houses when the housing price goes down, bad residential loans reached 500 million yuan in August 2014.

Source: Caixin, November 7, 2014

http://finance.caixin.com/2014-11-07/100747927.html

Briefings | | November 13, 2014 | Economy/Resources

People’s Daily: Factions Break the Political Rule

On November 6, People’s Daily published a commentary that stated, "The second round of the Central Inspection Team’s Tour found that factions are a common phenomenon in many places."

The article criticized this common practice among officials in China. "Party members and cadres should remember that forming factions, providing benefits to officials, making decisions that follow one’s own way, or openly endorsing something while secretly objecting to it, are all not allowed in the Party. Cadres should understand that the ‘true protection’ [for themselves] is not ‘which line they take,’ ‘which circle they belong to,’ or ‘whose people they are.’"

[Editor’s note: Wang Qishan initiated the Central Inspection Team’s Tour as part of the anti-corruption campaign. Wang, to support Xi Jinping, has taken down many officials, including both high-ranking officials ("tigers") and low-level officials ("flies"). Many of these officials are from the faction of Jiang Zemin, former head of the Chinese Communist Party.]

Source: People’s Daily, November 6, 2014
http://cpc.people.com.cn/pinglun/n/2014/1106/c78779-25983172.html

Briefings | | November 12, 2014 | Government/Politics

Massive Firework Displays Staged in Beijing for APEC, but No Frying Fritters Allowed Outdoors

Beijing’s leaders put in place the maximum possible measures to ensure their capital’s skies were clean for the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) summit from November 5 to November 11, 2014. The sky in Beijing did turn blue (called APEC blue in China) for a few days until November 10, when smog crept back again. Beijing then exercised its final step to "monitor" the air pollution by censoring the data of the PM2.5 danger level on the U.S. Embassy website in Beijing, which would have showed “unhealthy” if not censored. On the evening of November 10 (air pollution data censorship night), Beijing staged massive fireworks displays. The launching devices were placed in the range of a radius of 2.5 km to entertain foreign leaders.

During the APEC summit, almost every area of ordinary Chinese people’s daily lives were affected:

Factories were closed and/or restrictions were placed on manufacturing in six provinces.
No heat was provided or allowed for ordinary people in Beijing and Tianjin. Even gas for cooking ran out because the large vehicles that were used for gas delivery were restricted. Fresh milk delivery also stopped.
Half of Beijing’s cars (single or double digits of license plates in turn) were barred from the streets in Beijing.
Burning was absolutely illegal including no frying fritters outdoors and no burning of funeral incense, straws, leaves, or waste in Beijing and in the surrounding areas. One guard was placed on duty for every 100 mu of land (1 mu = 66,666.67 square meters) and stood ready to extinguish any possible flames in Baoding city.
One week of mandatory holidays was put in place and schools were closed.
Six cities and provinces held daily air quality and monitoring meetings during the APEC period. If any companies did not take enough action to ensure the sky was blue, the responsible leaders were punished, detained and/or fined.

Source: Cankaoxiaoxi, Epoch Times, Hong Kong Economic Journal Instant News, Radio Free Asia and Huanqiu, October 30 – November 12, 2014
http://china.cankaoxiaoxi.com/2014/1030/546603.shtml
http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/14/11/10/n4292070.htm
http://www2.hkej.com/instantnews/current/article/930895/
http://mandarin.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/huanjing/yf2-11112014101530.html
http://world.huanqiu.com/photo/2014-11/2752046.html
http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/14/11/12/n4293731.htm

Briefings | | November 12, 2014 | Government/Politics

BBC Chinese: Attempt to Establish Antarctic Marine Protected Areas Failed Again

BBC Chinese recently reported that the 25 established members of the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources failed for the fourth time to reach an agreement to establish two Marine Protected Areas in East Antarctica to preserve the original ecological environment. Most of the members of the Convention supported the proposal that the United States and New Zealand submitted. However, since the passage requires approval of all member countries, the proposal was dropped after Russia and China vetoed it. Australia, France and the European Union jointly submitted another proposal for a smaller protected area, but it was also rejected. The Antarctic Ocean Alliance, which represents several environmental protection organizations, said that the Russian and Chinese obstruction “shocked” them. As a result, they expressed doubt that the Convention would ever have the ability to deliver on any promises.

Source: BBC Chinese, November 1, 2014

http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/science/2014/11/141101_australia_environment_antarctica_conservation

Briefings | | November 11, 2014 | Geo-Strategic Trend

Xinhua: Major Online Sites Signed Self-Regulation Agreement

Xinhua recently reported that the State Council Information Office held an Online Forum Reply Posts Management Conference. A total of 29 major Chinese sites jointly signed the Self-Regulation Agreement on Managing Online Replies and Comments. The purpose of the Agreement is to ensure that online opinion exchanges are reasonable and friendly. The Agreement requires the sites to ensure that real names are used for user registration and to prohibit activities that go against the basic principles set in the Constitution, such as, endangering national security, leaking national secrets, attempting to overthrow the government, undermining national unity, inciting racial hatred, breaking laws, destroying the public social order, or distributing false information. The Agreement also laid out how violators will be punished. Examples include permanent closure of an account or invocation of a government investigation. The Deputy Director of the State Council Information Office suggested that many well-known international websites have imposed detailed rules on commenting. Media self-regulation is an important element of Internet governance.

Source: Xinhua, November 6, 2014

http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2014-11/06/c_1113149824.htm

Briefings | | November 11, 2014 | Information/Technology

People’s Daily: PLA Audit Bureau Now under Central Military Commission

People’s Daily recently reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is also the Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), issued a military order that assigned the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Audit Bureau to report directly to the CMC. The Audit Bureau used to report to the General Logistics Department of the Military. The Deputy Chairman of the CMC announced the order during a conference. The purpose of the new arrangement is to improve the prevention and punishment of corruption in the military. It gives the military audit function more independence in its operations. At the conference where the announcement was made, Deputy CMC Chairman Fan Changlong also suggested that the military anti-corruption movement has reached a key turning point. He asked the Audit Bureau to adjust its work practices quickly and improve the audit system so that the Bureau can better serve its mission in an orderly fashion.

Source: People’s Daily, November 7, 2014

http://military.people.com.cn/n/2014/1107/c1011-25990809.html

Briefings | | November 11, 2014 | Defense/Military

Wu Guoguang: Xi Jinping’s Reversal of the Course, Will China’s Transition be Peaceful or Marked with Bloodshed?

Cheng Xiaonong: U.S.-China Strategic Relations Have Crystallized

Xinhua Commentaries: “Exposing the Three Major Political Deficits of the U.S.”

The CCP’s Performing Arts Troupes in the U.S.