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