Chinascope – Page 761

The Minimum Wage Went Up an Average of 14 Percent

Xinhua carried an article that was originally published in Economic Information Daily. According to the article, in the first half of 2014, the minimum wage in 12 provinces and cities went up an average of 14 percent. The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security will soon be releasing more information. This increase is the lowest in recent years. The article stated that it was 22 percent in 2011; it was 20.2 percent in 2012; and it was 17 percent in 2013. The article also stated that, even though the “Minimum Wage Guideline” declared that the minimum wage increase was supposed to take place once every two years, from 2010 to 2014 the actual wage increases occurred once every 1.2 years.

Source: Xinhua, June 30, 2014
http://news.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2014-06/30/c_1111370014.htm

Briefings | | June 30, 2014 | Economy/Resources

Study Times: Government Should Gain the Discourse Right Quickly in Dealing with Public Emergencies

Study Times published an article written by two members of the Chinese Communist Party Guangxi Committee. The article stated that the Internet presents new challenges for the media to be able to guide public opinion when facing public emergencies. In a number of incidents, the media failed to guide the public correctly, which had a negative impact on economic and social development, as well as on the government’s credibility. The article emphasized that, following an incident, the municipal departments should pay attention to gaining control of the discourse right quickly in order to gain the public’s trust. They should work with credible media to ensure that the public can receive the “official news release” before foreign media and the rumor mill can catch up. The article also mentioned that the municipal departments at all levels should develop a contingency plan in dealing with emergencies and that managers from public relations or related departments should take training classes.

Source: Study Times, June 23, 2014
http://www.studytimes.cn/shtml/xxsb/20140623/5369.shtml

Briefings | | June 30, 2014 | Government/Politics

Liu Yunshan: Media Should Grasp the Correct Way to Guide Public Opinion

Xinhua reported that on June 29, Liu Yunshan, Director of the Propaganda Department, visited People’s Daily and held discussions with the editorial, Micro-blog, and mobile departments. Liu praised the work that People’s Daily had accomplished and told them that the media should have a deeper understanding of the recent talks that Xi Jingping gave, do a better job in publicizing the Party’s view and the people’s voice, while grasping the correct way to guide public opinion.

Source: Xinhua, June 29, 2014

http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2014-06/29/c_1111369170.htm

Briefings | | June 30, 2014 | Government/Politics

Global Times: Who Is the Black Hand behind the “Hong Kong Independence Forces?”

China’s state-run media Huanqiu (Global Times) published an opinion article claiming that the U.S. is the black hand behind the Hong Kong people’s demonstrations against Beijing’s 2014 White Paper on Hong Kong, which reinterprets Hong Kong’s ‘one country, two systems’ policy.

The article stated, "Recently, the ‘Hong Kong independence forces’ have become quite active. [Note: This is in reference to the people who protested Beijing’s 2014 White Paper on Hong Kong, after which an estimated 740,000 Hong Kong citizens voted in Occupy Central’s "civil referendum."] The background is that the U.S. is trying to push the ‘Hong Kong independence forces’ to grow in size, thus inciting the ‘Taiwan independence forces,’ the ‘East Turkistan separatists’ and ‘the Tibetan separatists’ to join forces to launch an attack on China together. China would then not be able to focus on the competition between big countries and the United States.

"In 2017, Hong Kong will conduct a general election. The United States is trying to take advantage of this opportunity to promote the ‘Hong Kong independence forces’ so that they get bigger and thus create trouble for China. Even if it ultimately fails, once Hong Kong is in chaos, it will have the same influence on China. In particular, [the U.S.] can use this opportunity to attack China in the international media. This strategy is much like the one in which the United States spent billions of dollars to get rid of Ukraine’s Viktor Yanukovych regime, making Russia very passive strategically in the international media."

The article named the NED (the National Endowment for Democracy) and the Soros Foundation as the sources supporting the "Hong Kong independence forces."

Source: Huanqiu, June 25, 2014

http://opinion.huanqiu.com/opinion_china/2014-06/5033949.html http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2014-06/25/c_126667254.htm

Briefings | | June 27, 2014 | US-China Relations

National Audit Uncovered Mismanagement and Misuse of Funds

On June 25, 2014, China’s National Audit Office announced the findings of the central government’s audit of 38 departments regarding the implementation of Fiscal Year 2013 budgets and related expenditures. The National Audit Office found that, due to improper management, the State’s National Social Security Fund incurred losses of 17.5 billion yuan (approximately US$2.84 billion). The central bank, the People’s Bank, spent 210 million yuan (approximately US$34.13 million) in unauthorized awards to its employees. The audit also uncovered that from 2009 to 2012, without authorization, the National Statistics Bureau “over hired” 8,081 employees and incurred unauthorized expenditures of 239.4 million yuan (approximately US$38.91 million).

Source: Xinhua, June 27, 2014

http://news.xinhuanet.com/2014-06/27/c_1111339123.htm

Briefings | | June 27, 2014 | Government/Politics

Qiushi: We Have Taken the U.S. Too Seriously

On June 25, 2014, Qiushi published an article questioning whether China has taken the U.S. too seriously. The article noted two features in China’s study of the United States. One is that China believes that the Sino-U.S. relationship is the core of China’s diplomacy; if China does a good job in that regard, everything else will be settled. Two, Chinese researchers want to believe from their heart in the U.S. point of view and think many of the U.S. views are reasonable and justified. The U.S. voice has significantly influenced some Chinese researchers.

The author of the article stated, “I think, on the South China Sea dispute, we have taken the U.S. factor too seriously. The truth is that the United States is in relative decline, which is reflected in what the U.S. has been saying and doing in the past few years.” For example, during the recent Shangri-La Dialogue, Hagel was very tough in his remarks. “I think that is a sign of U.S. weakness.” Also, the United States is in the process of a global contraction. Although the United States announced its return to Asia, what it has done in Asia has no practical effect. “The U.S. says there will be more military deployment in the Asia-Pacific, but we only see more military contacts, some so-called military cooperation, and military exchanges. In particular in maritime disputes, such as maritime disputes in the South China Sea, the U.S did not take any real action.”

Source: Qiushi, June 25, 2014

http://www.qstheory.cn/international/2014-06/25/c_1111313407.htm

Briefings | | June 27, 2014 | US-China Relations

Chinese Media Reports on Deng Xiaoping’s Grandson as a Grass Roots Official

Deng Zhuodi (邓卓棣), the American-born grandson of the late Chinese Communist leader Deng Xiaoping, remained under the radar in Chinese media until May 2013, when he was made the deputy chief of Pingguo County in Baise City in Guangxi (广西百色市平果县). Recently, Baise’s local newspaper reported that Deng took up the post of Party secretary of a lower-level township, Xin’an, which is administrated by Pingguo. The media then reported that he shared his experiences as the top Communist official in the village. Most major official media in China carried the story.

29-year-old Deng Zhuodi is the only son of Deng Xiaoping’s youngest son Deng Zhifang (邓质方). He was born in the United States, received his law degree from Duke University in 2008, and worked as a lawyer in New York. In May last year, the media revealed that he had taken the position of the deputy chief of Pingguo County in Guangxi. Since then, the media has only reported on the few public appearances he has made. It is believed that Deng’s assignment as a local official is part of the Communist regime’s plan to groom the successors to the current leadership.

Many of the descendants of the first generation Communist revolutionists are now assuming positions in the Party, government, and military. For example, Mao Xinyu (毛新宇), the grandson of Mao Zedong, is now a major-general in the PLA Academy of Military Sciences; Zhu Heping (朱和平), the grandson of Zhu De, the founder of the Red Army of the Chinese Communist Party, is an air major-general. Ye Zhonghao (叶仲豪) the great-grandson of Ye Jianying, one of the ten founding Marshals of China in 1949, is the Party secretary of the Communist Youth League in Yunfu City in Guangdong (广东省云浮市). It’s an unwritten rule that these "Red Descendants" will start their careers at the level of a deputy county chief, then, after a few promotions, rise to a minister or governor level post, and finally be selected as a member of the top leadership.

Source: Radio France International, June 25, 2014

http://www.chinese.rfi.fr/node/150187

Briefings | | June 26, 2014 | Government/Politics

Xinhua Commentary Series: Spotlight on the U.S. Presidential Election

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.”