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Censors in China Cut 40 Minutes from American Movie Cloud Atlas

Chinese authorities cut 40 minutes out of the American movie Cloud Atlas to be released in China on January 31, 2013. “Although in the Mainland version, the censors cut 40 minutes off as compared to the international version, the Mainland version of Cloud Atlas will not cause difficulties or problems for viewers. … The censors cut lines of words ruthlessly from the Mainland version. Most of the footage chopped off consists of dialogue.” Love scenes were also removed by the Chinese film censors.

[Editor’s note: Explicit love scenes, including between two same sex characters, were cut. Scenes of graphic violence, including a fatal gunshot and a man having his throat slit, remained. The film’s directors were not involved in the cuts.]  
Source: Jiefang Daily reprinted by Nanjing Daily, January 23, 2013
http://www.njdaily.cn/2013/0123/310120.shtml

The Growth of China’s Tax Revenues Has Dropped to a Three-Year Low

China’s Ministry of Finance today released a report analysing the structural growth of tax revenue in 2012. The report revealed that the total national tax revenue in 2012 was 10.060088 trillion yuan, a year-on-year growth of 12.1 percent. The 2012 tax revenue growth was the lowest rate for nearly three years. Growth was 10.5 and 10.9 percentage points lower than in 2011 and 2010, respectively. 

An analysis by the Ministry of Finance suggested that the significant drop in 2012 tax revenue growth was due to a combination of factors including a slowdown in economic growth, the deceleration of enterprise profits, weak import growth, and the implementation of structural tax cuts. 
Source: People’s Daily, January 24, 2013 
http://theory.people.com.cn/n/2013/0124/c49154-20311508.html

China Economic: The Core of Urbanization Is to Urbanize People

China Economic published a commentary stating that China has identified urbanization as a major solution for expanding domestic demand and enterprise development. The article argued, however, that the core of urbanization in China is to “urbanize people,” or to make farmers the same as or similar to city residents. The article quoted three scholars’ opinions. They argued that 50 percent of the total population in China now lives in cities, but only 35 percent of the total population have city Hukou – China’s unique household registration system which identifies a person according to his or her original area (e.g. from Beijing, Shanghai, or a rural village). This means that of the 700 million people who are identified as urban dwellers, 220 million of them are still labeled as farmers. These farmers are mainly the “immigrant farmers” and cannot enjoy the same social benefits, such as social security, employment, land ownership, housing, education, and so on, as city residents.

Source: China Economic Net, January 18, 2013
http://paper.ce.cn/jjrb/html/2013-01/18/content_141406.htm

Xinhua: Jiang Zemin’s Rank in Top Leader List Will Be Lowered

Xinhua published a short news article with the title “Comrade Jiang Zemin Requested that the Party Central Committee List His Name among Other Senior (Retired) Leaders in the Party and State Leaders of that Rank.” The entire news article read, “A Reporter obtained information from a relevant party that, after the 18th National Party Congress, comrade Jiang Zemin made a request to the Party Central Committee that, from now on, his name should be listed among other senior (retired) leaders in the Party and state leaders of that rank. This reflects a Communist Party member’s integrity and open-mindedness.”

[Editor’s Note:
1. In China, the ranking order of top leaders is extremely important. It shows who has more power.
2. From this short news item, it is hard to tell if Jiang indeed made the request. One thing is likely to happen: Jiang’s ranking order will be lowered.]

Source: Xinhua, January 23, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2013-01/23/c_124266293.htm

International Iron Ore Price Surge Hurts China’s Steel Industry

On January 19, 2012, China Review News published an article titled “Another Heavy Blow Hits China’s Steel Enterprises.” The international iron ore producers have been raising iron ore prices rapidly since 2009. According to the article, as the New Year started, iron ore producers set off a new wave of price increases, which cannot be explained by the principle of supply and demand or by macroeconomic conditions.

 

The article concluded, “China has been the number one steel producer in the world. We should not have lost our authority in the market. The problem is that our steel enterprises should not only concentrate on making money from downstream companies, the other Chinese companies, through increasing steel prices. We must think more about how to reduce the profits that the upstream enterprises, the foreign iron ore producers, are making.”

 

Source: China Review News, January 19, 2012

http://www.zhgpl.com/crn-webapp/doc/docDetailCreate.jsp?coluid=53&kindid=0&docid=102408133&mdate=0119075256


Radio Free Asia: The Abolition of Forced Labor Camps in China Heads Nowhere

Meng Jianzhu, Secretary of the Central Political and Law Commission, announced recently, at a meeting on national political and legal work, that China will abolish the “education through labor system this year. Xinhua Net published the relevant news on the same day. However, the news report was removed that night. One week later, several labor camp bureaus claimed that they had not received any notification about labor camp reforms. Lawyer Zhou Ze believes that no agreement was reached on the issue due to the fact that different departments have different interests.  

 

Source: Radio Free Asia, January 14, 2013

http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/yf-01142013161055.html 

Educating the PLA to Follow the Party’s Commands

On January 13, 2013, the PLA General Political Department and the PLA Commission for Discipline and Inspection issued study materials to the army and asked the Party Committees at all levels to conduct educational activities.

“Through these educational activities, the Party Committees should more consciously follow the Party’s commands, strictly implement the policies of the Party and the army, effectively curb unhealthy tendencies, firmly establish the standards for being able to succeed in combat and win a battle, and provide a strong guarantee for accelerating the modernization of national defense and the armed forces at the new historical starting point.”

Source: Xinhua, January 13, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2013-01/13/c_114349231.htm

Xinhua: Ocean Shipping Industry Suffered 80 Percent Loss

Xinhua recently reported that, according to the China Ship-owners’ Association, the Chinese ocean shipping industry suffered an 80% loss in year 2012. In year 2011, about 70 percent of the ship-owners suffered a loss. It is expected that the situation will continue in 2013. China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company (COSCO) reported an RMB 6.4 billion loss as of the 3rd Quarter of 2012. The company blamed the poor performance on the decline of the entire global economy. China’s tax rules for domestic shipping companies are a major factor in the financial loss as well. According to the report, the current ocean shipping market is at a 10-year low. The Chinese government has made a promise to the industry that it will announce positive policies in the first half of this year at the earliest. 
Source: Xinhua, January 21, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2013-01/21/c_124255460.htm