Chinascope – Page 862

BBC Chinese: Party Is Split Internally over Media Report on Labor Camp Torture Cases

BBC Chinese carried an analysis of the recent media reports about the disclosure of the incidents of torture at Masajia Labor Camp. The article suggested that there was an internal split among the party leadership about the labor camp system and about Falun Gong issues and that the differences among the leadership will cause this forbidden topic to become known to the outside world.

According to the analysis, after Len’s Magazine‘s breakthrough in reporting on this sensitive subject, a few media and reporters openly challenged the notice banning the topic. The analysis stated, “All of those facts suggest that the views among the party’s senior leadership are split about both the labor camp system and about Falun Gong issues.” “Even though the article did not mention Falun Gong, a sensitive topic in China, many media, including Associated Press and the South China Morning Post, have noticed that the details about the torture revealed in the article were identical to the claims that Falun Gong adherents made 10 years ago.” The article concluded that torture cases have existed in China for at least a dozen years, but China’s media system has covered them up.

Len’s Magazine published the article “Stepping Out of Masanjia” on April 6. On April 9, the Central Propaganda Department issued a notice to quash the article. However China Woman Daily and Legal Daily continued to cover the topic including interviews of the main characters. On April 19, Liaoning Province made an official statement claiming that “distorted facts were found in ‘Stepping Out of Masanjia.’" Xinhua and Legal Daily followed up with the same type of articles. Yuan Ling, the author of “Stepping Out of Masanjia” issued a statement on his micro blog in Sina stating the article was written on a factual basis and requested an apology. Guangming Daily published a commentary calling for the application of legal measures to dig out the truth. It also noted that the article by Xinhua did not have an author. In Hong Kong on April 27, Du Bing, an independent filmmaker released a documentary movie called, Above the Ghosts’ Heads: The Women of Masanjia Labor Camp. Du told Apple Daily that the truth of the torture should be made known to people around the world.

Source: BBC Chinese, May 2, 2013
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/china/2013/05/130502_ana_liaoning_masanjia.shtml

Briefings | | May 6, 2013 | Government/Politics

Qiushi Theory Analysis of US Diplomacy on Human Rights

On May 19, the US State Department issued the “Global Human Rights Report for 2012.” Then on May 19, Qiushi published an analytical article on the subject. The article stated that, while the US adopted “Human Rights” as a key agenda item in its foreign policy, its real intention is to act as the global police to promote its own value system around the world. According to the article, “This shows that the U.S.’s obvious intention is to maintain its world dominance and utilize power politics in order to benefit its own interests.” The article observed that the U.S. uses a double standard. While it often interferes with the domestic matters of other countries, the U.S. itself violates human rights in many ways. The article also mentioned that the US has always tried all kinds of means to create trouble for China on human rights issues even though both countries have completely different political systems and ideology.

Source: Qiushi Theory, May 2, 2013
http://www.qstheory.cn/zs/201304/t20130426_226409.htm

Briefings | | May 6, 2013 | US-China Relations

North Sea Fleet Organizes Recruits to Take Oath at the Site of the 1894 Sino-Japanese Naval Battle

The military training base of the North Sea Fleet stationed at Liugong island organized the recruits to take an oath at the site of the 1894 Sino-Japanese War memorial. The activity was part of the military political education to follow the instructions of the 18th Party Congress and President Xi Jinping’s requirement of “showing allegiance to the Party and being able to win the war.” They used the national disgrace of the loss of the 1894 naval battle as a way to educate, alert and motivate the soldiers. “Never forget the shame of 1894 and work hard to win [wars]." That way, we “can deliver more and better sailors for our naval vessels.”

Source: Xinhua, May 2, 2013

http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2013-05/02/c_124654931.htm

Briefings | | May 3, 2013 | Defense/Military

CNPC and Sinopec Received Large Government Subsidies in 2012

According to Xinhua, the top two State-owned petroleum companies, China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec), received a total of 12.2 billion yuan (US$1.98 billion) in government subsidies in 2012. Sinopec alone received 9.4 billion yuan (US$1.53 billion). The Chinese government subsidized CNPC and Sinopec 1 billion and 462 million respectively in 2009, 1.599 billion and 1.0 billion in 2010, and 6.734 billion and close to 1.5 billion in 2011.

In 2008, due to the high cost of crude oil and the low prices paid for finished oil products, both companies incurred astronomical losses. For that year, CNPC and Sinopec received 15.7 billion yuan (US$2.57 billion) and 50.3 billion yuan (US$8.7 billion) in government subsidies, respectively.

Source: Xinhua, May 2, 2013
http://big5.xinhuanet.com/gate/big5/www.cs.com.cn/xwzx/cj/201305/t20130502_3966487.html

Briefings | | May 3, 2013 | Government/Politics

610 Office Issues Directive on the Intensive Transformation Campaign against Falun Gong

[Editor’s Note: On April 6, 2013, Lens Magazine published an article detailing the torture implements used on prisoners at Masanjia Labor Camp. The Communist Party took down the website, but not before thousands of people saw it and became irate over the authorities’ actions. Since then, Chinascope has been researching and publishing information about the goings on at Masanjia since the time of the inception of the persecution of Falun Gong in 1999. The following is a directive from the Central Leadership of the Party on how to “transform” those with strong beliefs in Falun Gong, that is the “diehards.” It specifically suggests that "the national labor camp system must follow the guidance of the Ministry of Justice to vehemently promote the experience of Masanjia Labor Camp in Liaoning Province.”]

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Reports | | May 2, 2013 | Report

People’s Daily: 60+ Population to Exceed 200 Million in 2013

China’s Vice Minister of Civil Affairs in Beijing recently said that, for a long period of time, China will be facing the serious challenge of having an aging population. As of the end of 2012, the population of elderly who were 60 years and above had reached 194 million, accounting for 14.3 percent of the total population. That figure is expected to exceed 200 million in 2013, 400 million by 2034, and 472 million by 2054.

According to statistics, China currently has 36 million elderly who are disabled, 22 million who are of an advanced age, 99 million who live alone, and 23 million who are living in poverty.

Source: People’s Daily, May 2, 2013
http://cppcc.people.com.cn/n/2013/0502/c34948-21342382.html

Briefings | | May 2, 2013 | 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.