On October 1, 2014, Xinhua reprinted an editorial that China News Service had originally published on the student protests about universal suffrage in Hong Kong. The article stated that some extremists and anti-China forces are damaging Hong Kong. “In the name of true universal suffrage, they attempt to deceive the public. Through the illegal ‘Occupy Central,’ they attempt to paralyze Hong Kong’s business districts in order to blackmail China’s central government and the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.” “If they really want to express their requests, they should be peaceful, rational, and lawful. They should not be so blatant in undermining the rule of law, stability, and order.”
BBC Chinese: Teachers and Unions Join Hong Kong Protesters
On September 28, 2014, Hong Kong police used tear gas against the peaceful pro-democracy protestors, the students who have boycotted classes, and the “Occupy Central” group. The Chinese government’s withdrawal of its previous promise for a true free election in Hong Kong by 2017 is what sparked the Occupy Central movement. The police forces’ use of tear gas did not scare the protestors away. The Hong Kong Federation of Students then delivered an ultimatum to the Hong Kong SAR government. If the Hong Kong SAR government did not respond to their requests before midnight, they would call for more protests, including a continuous boycott of classes, a general strike, and the closing of shops until there is a “people’s victory.”
The Hong Kong Professional Teachers’ Union (HKPTU), the city’s largest teachers’ union, declared a strike in response the police use of force in its crackdown on student demonstrators on Sunday. The Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU) also called for a strike to protest the ruthless actions taken against unarmed peaceful protestors. The Chinese government’s Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong S.A.R. published a statement, accusing the “Occupy Central” gathering of being “illegal.” It supported the “legal actions” of the police against the protestors. A spokesman from China’s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the state Council responded that “the central government firmly opposes any illegal actions to damage the rule of law and society’s peace.”
Source: BBC Chinese, September 28, 2014
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/china/2014/09/140928_hk_protestor_strike
People’s Daily: China’s People’s Congress System Is Superior
In order to fend off any requests for more democracy, China has kept promoting its own political system. People’s Daily published an article stating that China’s People’s Congress system is better than Western parliamentary democracy. The article gave the following reasons:
First, the "people’s democratic dictatorship" is what determines the nature of China’s People’s Congress system, while the purpose of the western political system is to serve the "bourgeoisie dictatorship." Second, China’s system is a democracy based on “the rights belonging to the people,” while the western system is a democracy based on "the rights belonging to capital." Third, China’s People’s Congress is the organ with the highest power of the state, but the Western system has a "separation of powers." China’s system guarantees the public has the top power, where the Western system is balanced. Fourth, China’s system is one legislative body following the "democratic centralism" principle. The Western system is a multi-party or bicameral system. China’s system ensures the efficiency of carrying out a substanial initiative quickly.
The article further rebutted the suggestion to adopt a Western style of democracy. It stated that the [Western] "one person one vote" election system would quickly lead China into turmoil or even civil war. "[If] it gave up the political path that has the People’s Congress system as the foundation of its political system, [China] would for sure fall into social turmoil, the country would be split, the result would be people’s deaths, and government policies would end."
Source: People’s Daily Online, September 30, 2014
http://theory.people.com.cn/n/2014/0930/c40531-25764547.html
BBC Chinese: China’s Per Capita Carbon Dioxide Emissions Exceed the EU Number
Wang Yang: China and Japan Should Resume the Economic Dialogue
Exponential Growth in Cloud Computing Expected in Chinese IT Market
Xinhua: 850,000 Volunteers to Guard Security in Beijing during the Upcoming National Day Events
Xinhua reported that 850,000 volunteers registered as security guards in order to safeguard security in Beijing during the upcoming events for China’s 65th National Day on October 1. According to the Beijing Comprehensive Management of Public Security Committee, these volunteers will assist the public security bureau to conduct inspections at checkpoints that have been set up at bridges and tunnels on the passageways to enter Beijing. They will also work with the cameras installed in certain neighborhoods to monitor any unusual situations.
Source: Xinhua, September 29, 2014
http://news.xinhuanet.com/legal/2014-09/29/c_127047858.htm
People’s Daily Article on the Average Income of College Graduates Born in the 1990s
People’s Daily carried an article on a report that the Market and Media Research Center of Beijing University recently published on the average income of college graduates in China. One area of the report focused on the job market for the college graduates who were born in the 1990’s. The research results showed that, even though GDP grew four times in the past ten years and the minimum wage grew from 380 (US$62) a month to 1400 (UD$229) a month, the average salary for college graduates was 2,443 (US$399) a month in 2014 compared to 1,550.7 (US$253) a month in 2003 [an increase of just over 1.5 times for that period]. The report showed that the starting salary varies in different geographic locations, with those in Shanghai, Beijing, and Shenzhen earning 3,241 (US$529), 3,109 (US$507), and 2,905 (US$474) respectively versus those in the Midwestern regions who make as little as 2,000. Moreover, even for those who graduate from elite colleges or with a Masters’ degree, the income gap is getting smaller. In addition, the major that has the highest income has shifted from computer science, business management, and industrial technology in 2003 to hotel management, telecommunications, and e-business in 2013.
Source: People’s Daily, September 28, 2014
http://finance.people.com.cn/n/2014/0928/c1004-25749008.html