Chinascope – Page 743

Li Leishi: A 2008 Reminder on Organ Harvesting

According to Sohu in 2008, Li Leishi, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Director of the PLA Kidney Disease Institute stated that organ donation after death does not have the soil for it to exist in China.

Leishi pointed out that there is a big shortage of organ transplant donors in China and that "organ donation after death" only exists in theory. It cannot be put into practice in China because the conditions aren’t there for its existence. Li further explained that China does not have the same system as foreign countries do, so as to ensure that organ donations after death can effectively proceed. In addition, legal protection is also one of the problems. There is no legal protection in China regarding what criteria should exist to make a decision for organ donation [of brain dead patients].

Li gave his own experience to explain the extent of the organ shortage. He said that, because we are an Institute, the amount of transplant surgery we perform is not that high. In the past, I could do kidney transplants for 120 patients a year; now I can only do 70. Just from my own experience, we now have at least 50 organ shortages per year. The lack of donor organs is the main reason for the reduction in the amount of surgery. Each year, I have more than 200 or even close to 300 patients registered and waiting for surgery, not including those patients blocked from the registration due to economic reasons.

Source: Sohu, November 27, 2008
http://health.sohu.com/20081127/n260870584.shtml

Briefings | | August 21, 2014 | Information/Technology

Health Officials on Illegal Organ Harvesting in China

On August 17, 2014, China’s health officials announced that anyone who engages in the illegal trade and transplantation of organs will be severely punished. Wang Yu, Secretary of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, stated that a comprehensive organ transplant monitoring system will be established to severely punish, according to the law, the illegal sale of human organs, their private distribution, and the transplantation of organs from executed prisoners.

Huang Jiefu, head of the Chinese Human Organ Donation and Transplantation Committee and China’s Vice Minister of Health said, "For some hospitals, doctors, and individuals in the judicial system to conduct the private acquisition, distribution, and transplant of organs from executed prisoners will be considered an illegal sale of organs and will be prohibited according to the law."

According to official records, from March 2010 to August 2014, 5,787 organs were donated while over 10,000 organ transplants were performed each year.

[Editor’s note: Observers noted that the announcement may indicate that the implementation of existing regulations on organ transplants has not been effective in prohibiting organ harvesting. Effective September 2013, all organ donations and transplants will be required to go through the government’s centralized distribution system].

Sources: Beijing News reprinted by Xinhua, August 18, 2018

http://news.xinhuanet.com/local/2014-08/18/c_126882057.htm
http://china.caixin.com/2014-08-18/100718281.html

Briefings | | August 21, 2014 | Government/Politics

Survey: Most Chinese Private Entrepreneurs Choose Not to Participate in Mixed Ownership Reforms

On August 13, China Review News reported that Central government owned enterprises, such as PetroChina, Sinopec, and the National Grid proposed launching a reform that will include a mixed form of ownership: state-owned and privately-owned mixed ownership. Following their lead, financial service companies such as the China Everbright Group and the Bank of Communications are also lining up to develop their own mixed ownership reforms. Moreover, regional governments are gearing up to join in the mixed ownership process as well. Chongqing City is going to transform two-thirds of state-owned enterprises into mixed-ownership enterprises. Guangdong Province has announced that, by 2017, more than 60 percent of enterprises will be mixed-ownership enterprises. Hebei Province has stated that more than 70 percent of the second level state owned enterprises will complete their task of ownership diversification within the next two to three years. However, a survey showed that over 60 percent of the private entrepreneurs have chosen not to join the state-owned enterprises; over 90 percent of the private entrepreneurs would rather “wait and see.”

Source: China Review News, August 13, 2014
http://hk.crntt.com/doc/1033/3/5/6/103335605.html?coluid=53&kindid=0&docid=103335605&mdate=0813081616

Briefings | | August 20, 2014 | Economy/Resources

Xi Jinping: Truly Push forward Reform with Real Guns and Knives.

On August 18, 2014, China Review News reported on the fourth meeting of the Chinese Communist Party Central Leading Group for Comprehensively Deepening Reforms, which had been held that same day. Xi Jinping, the paramount political and military leader of China, delivered a speech in which he discussed “pushing the reforms forward with real guns and knives.” Those present at the meeting included the deputy heads of the central reform leading group, Li Keqiang, Liu Yunshan, Zhang Gaoli and a number of others. The participants examined specific issues such as salary system reform targeting top officials of the central-government-owned enterprises; and the benefits and “job-related” expenses regulation that focused on executives of the central-government-owned enterprises. They observed that the current salary structure and management are neither healthy nor reasonable. They also discussed the higher education entrance exam and enrollment reforms and approved a media guide, a 2014-2020 reform implementation plan, and a current on-going reform report.

Source: China Review News, August 18, 2014
http://hk.crntt.com/doc/1033/4/4/4/103344462.html?coluid=151&kindid=11510&docid=103344462&mdate=0818181237

Briefings | | August 20, 2014 | Government/Politics

People’s Daily: American Media Call for Tit for Tat against Chinese Antitrust Investigations

People’s Daily recently published a commentary dismissing the points that angry American media have been making about a series of antitrust investigations against American companies in China. In the past several months, high profile American companies (among other foreign companies) have been subject to Chinese antitrust investigations. Examples are Microsoft, Qualcomm, Accenture, General Motors and General Electric. Many Western media companies, especially some of the American media companies such as Fortune, have called for “Tit for Tat” retaliatory actions. The commentary said these “suggestions” are “very ignorant” and that they “put the spirit of the free market to shame.” The author expressed the belief that the voices aired by companies like Fortune are “too stupid to realize” that Western companies have been enjoying special treatment in China for too long.

Source: People’s Daily, August 15, 2014

http://finance.people.com.cn/n/2014/0815/c1004-25474576.html

Briefings | | August 19, 2014 | US-China Relations

Provisional Regulations on Real Estate Registration Released

The well-known Chinese news site Sina recently published a series of reports on the newly released Provisional Regulations on Real Estate Registration. The State Council Legislative Affairs Office is currently seeking public comments on the Provisional Regulations, which created a massive social discussion across China. Experts expressed the belief that the new Regulations will have four significant consequences. First, they will set the stage for a new property tax. Second, they will empower anti-corruption operations. Third, they will trigger a significant housing price drop as government officials engage in panic-selling. Fourth, they will result in an insistence on better government financial transparency. Most of the nationwide discussions have focused on the possibility of immediate panic-selling in the second-hand real-estate market. However the new Regulations in their current form only allow the government and real-estate owners (and “stakeholders”) to search the Registration database and the search results cannot be revealed to the public.

Source: Sina, August 15, 2014

http://finance.sina.com.cn/focus/bdcdj/

Briefings | | August 19, 2014 | Government/Politics

Central Bank: Significant Issues Related to July’s Loans and Nonperforming Loans

People’s Daily recently reported on some key financial data newly released by China’s central bank. In the month of July, RMB loans totaled 385.2 billion yuan (around US$62.7 billion), which represents a year-over-year decline of 45 percent, or month-over-month decline of 64 percent. This was the lowest level of RMB loans since 2010. Experts cited the lack of demand as the key cause of the sharp decline in loans. In the meantime, the balance of the nonperforming loans in all commercial banks reached RMB 694.4 billion yuan (around US$113 billion), which accounted for an increase of RMB 102.4 billion yuan (around US$16.7 billion) since the beginning of the year. This number has been on the rise for the past eleven consecutive quarters. Most of the nonperforming loans were seen in the eastern coastal region. Such industries as wholesaling, retailing, manufacturing, and credit cards suffered most.

Source: People’s Daily, August 13, 2014

http://finance.people.com.cn/money/n/2014/0813/c218900-25460474.html

Briefings | | August 19, 2014 | Economy/Resources

World Gold Council: Second Quarter Gold Consumption in China Down 52 Percent

People’s Daily recently published an article on gold consumption. The World Gold Council released its gold consumption and demand report, indicating that gold consumption in China, including gold jewelry, gold bars, and coins, for the second quarter of 2014 was 192.5 tons. This represented a 52 percent decrease from the same period in 2013. Second quarter gold jewelry consumption was 144 tons, down 45 percent from the same period in 2013. The Council adjusted the second half of the gold demand in China downward by 10 percent. The article reported that in 2013, international gold prices had dropped 28 percent, the largest drop since 1981. China’s gold consumption soared in 2013. The article said that China had surpassed India and become the largest gold consumption country in the world.

Source: People’s Daily, August 15, 2014
http://finance.people.com.cn/money/n/2014/0815/c218900-25470245.html

Briefings | | August 18, 2014 | Economy/Resources

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.