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People’s Daily: China’s Energy Consumption Remains High

On October 2, 2014, People’s Daily reported that China continues to consume the largest amount of the world’s energy. 

In the past 10 years, the consumption has surged rapidly. In 2010, China became the No. 1 consumer of energy in the world. The consumption increased from 1.5 billion metric tons in 2001 to 3.7 billion metric tons in 2013. The annual increase has averaged 190 million metric tons or an eight percent growth rate. 
China’s share of total global energy consumption went up from less than 11 percent early the 2000s to 22 percent today. From 2002 to 2012, China’s energy consumption increase accounted for 58 percent of the entire world growth of energy consumption. 
China’s energy supplies mainly rely on domestic coal and imported oil. Domestic coal dominates the energy structure, causing severe environment pollution. 
Source: People’s Daily, October 2, 2014
http://politics.people.com.cn/n/2014/1002/c1001-25772362.html

People’s Daily: China Will Not Change Its Policy towards Hong Kong

On October 2, People’s Daily published an editorial on its front page stating that the Communist Party has not and will not change its basic policy towards Hong Kong. 

According to the editorial, “The August 31 decision that the Standing Committee of the People’s Congress made has unchallengeable legal status. Anyone who respects the ‘one country, two systems’ framework and the Basic Law, should respect and abide by this decision.” 
“The activities of ’Occupy Central’ are in flagrant breach of the law. They have caused serious traffic congestion and are disturbing the social order, placing minority political aspirations above the law.”
“The central government fully trusts Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying and is very satisfied with his work. The central government will continue its firm support for the SAR Government of Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying to govern Hong Kong in accordance with law, and give its strong support to the SAR police to deal with illegal activities in accordance with law.” 
 Source: People’s Daily, October 2, 2014 
http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/html/2014-10/02/nw.D110000renmrb_20141002_5-01.htm

People’s Daily (Oversea Edition): Asking the U.S. for Help When in Trouble Involves a Misconception

People’s Daily (Oversea edition) published an article commenting on the remarks that U.S. President Obama made when the CBS program, "60 Minutes," interviewed him on September 28. Obama stated that the United States is an indispensable nation and that people will ask the U.S., not Beijing and not Russia, for help when they are in trouble. 

The article said, "President Obama’s remarks give people the following impression. There are too many troubles in the world. If we have trouble, our first thought is to make a phone call to the U.S. for help. Only the United States has the ability to help us deal with the trouble." 
"The world indeed has a lot of trouble. However, we have to ask, ‘Where did these troubles come from?’ Obama is unwilling to admit that the United States itself created a lot of the trouble in the world." 
"In this world, some countries have indeed asked the U.S. for help. However, many times, there is really nothing good that can be said about the United States ‘help.’ The Iraqi government invited the United States to help fight the ‘Islamic State.’ The Afghan government wants the United States to help deal with the Taliban. If we just take a look at the past and the present situation of these anti-government forces and their relationship with the U.S.’ intervention in the state affairs in these countries, we will see the obvious track record of how the U.S. makes trouble first and then helps clean up the trouble." 
"Therefore, very often, the situation is not ‘getting help from the U.S. when having trouble.’ It is the United States that has created the trouble."   

Source: People’s Daily, October 1, 2014 
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2014-10/01/c_127057186.htm

Xinhua: Hong Kong Students Are Pawns of Western Anti-China Forces

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.” 

The editorial stated that the student protesters who favor universal suffrage are not patriotic and do not care about Hong Kong. Instead, "they are extremists in Hong Kong. They act as a pawn of the Western anti-China forces." According to the editorial, the most basic and most direct interest of the Hong Kong people is the traffic jams and the disorders that the student protesters cause. The goal of extremists and the forces behind them is to damage Hong Kong. 
Source: China News Service reprinted by Xinhua, October 1, 2014 
http://news.xinhuanet.com/gangao/2014-10/01/c_1112701710.htm

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

BBC Chinese recently reported on the latest numbers for China’s carbon dioxide emissions. For the first time, emissions per capita exceeded the level in the EU. For a long time, China has maintained that the Chinese emissions level needed to remain high due to the country’s strong economic growth. However the Chinese government has always added that China’s per capita number was way below other large economies. From now on, this claim will no longer be true. At the present time, the total Chinese emissions level is higher than that of the United States and the European Union combined. A high ranking Chinese government official recently pointed out that China has been taking action to reduce emissions instead of just talking and that it is the lack of communication that has put China in a “misunderstood” position. According to the World Meteorological Organization, carbon dioxide emissions reached a record high in 2013.
Source: BBC Chinese, September 21, 2014
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/china/2014/09/140921_china_emission.shtml

Wang Yang: China and Japan Should Resume the Economic Dialogue

The South China Morning Post, a Hong Kong based century-old newspaper, recently reported that Chinese Deputy Premier Wang Yang met with the Japan-China Economic Association Delegation on September 24. At the meeting, Wang suggested that the two countries should resume the Senior Officials Economic Dialogue that they suspended four years ago. This comment was made in response to the Japanese Delegation’s emphasis on the importance of improving the two nations’ relationship. The Japanese Delegation also called for a meeting between Prime Minister Abe and the Chinese President Xi Jinping at the upcoming APEC Leadership Summit. However Wang kept quiet on this matter. The Japan-China Economic Association has high ranking managers from large Japanese companies as members. Since 1975, it has sent 39 delegations to China. The current delegation, which is the largest ever, hoped to meet with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. However, that did not become a reality.
Source: South China Morning Post, September 25, 2014
http://www.nanzao.com/sc/international/38786/zhong-ri-jian-nuan-wang-yang-ji-jin-zao-hui-fu-jing-ji-dui-hua