China’s most notable “change” in recent history dates back to 1978 when Deng Xiaoping ascended to power and initiated the “reform and opening up” policy. Deng, unsure of how to proceed, used an experiment famously known as "crossing the river by feeling the stones" (“摸着石头过河): partial reform composed of economic liberalization and political conservatism. Since then, China has been “feeling the stones” for more than 30 years.
Five Street Children Died in a Dumpster
On November 20, 2012, The Beijing News reported that five boys were found dead in a dumpster in Bijie, Guizhou Province. An elderly woman, a rubbish collector, discovered the bodies. Beijing News said that the boys had apparently taken refuge from the cold by staying in the dumpster; they burned charcoal in order to keep warm. The preliminary cause of the deaths was determined to be carbon monoxide poisoning. Several dozen policemen sealed off the funeral home to which the bodies were transported. Three or four days earlier, the boys had been seen in rags looking for food and rotten wood they could burn to keep warm.
[Editor’s Note: It was later confirmed that the boys were between 9 and 13; all belonged to the same extended Tao family. They were the sons of three brothers who are poor. Ironically, two are garbage collectors in another city. Li Yuanlong, the reporter who broke the story about the boys’ deaths, disappeared after the police forced him into a vehicle.]
Sources:
The Beijing News, November 20, 2012
http://www.bjnews.com.cn/news/2012/11/20/234677.html
Radio Free Asia, November 22, 2012
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/boys-11222012152908.html
Ministry of Health: China to Reduce Reliance on Organs from Executed Prisoners
China’s Vice Minister of Health, Huang Jiefu, announced that China will set up a voluntary organ donation program and, within two years, will be able to reduce its reliance on organs from executed prisoners. “China has become a major country in organ transplants, second to the United States. However, China has a ‘soft rib’ – long term reliance on organs donated by executed prisoners,” Huang said.
Huang acknowledged that “there are some deep issues relating to organ transplants that are yet to be resolved, including confusion about organ sources, a lack of donated organs, an illegal organ trade, and transplant tourism.”
Huang stated, “The Party’s Central Committee is determined that China, as a major political and civilized power, will change this situation.”
[Editor’s Note: Several sources have reported that a large number of organs have been harvested secretly, with security forces and military-medical personnel conducting the operations. While the Ministry of Health announced it will reduce its reliance on organs from executed prisoners, it has no authority over operations that take place in military hospitals.]
Source: Southern Metropolis Daily (Nanfang Dushi), November 22, 2012
http://epaper.oeeee.com/A/html/2012-11/22/content_1758753.htm
Fighting Corruption: Grand Talk, No Action
In his farewell speech to kick off the 18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, Hu Jintao warned that failing to tackle corruption “could prove fatal to the Party and even cause the collapse of the Party and the fall of the state.” [1]
Huanqiu: China Has to Get Used to the U.S. Diplomatic Activities in Southeast Asia
On November 20, 2012, Huanqiu (the Chinese edition of Global Times) published an article commenting on U.S. President Obama’s 6-hour visit to Burma. The article said that the Chinese Foreign Ministry is fully confident that China-Burma relations will deepen. “For the greater national interest, Burma is opening to the West. Even an elementary school pupil can see the foolishness of replacing China with the West. The IQ of the Burma leaders will not be so low, whether it is the current leader or ‘the democracy icon’ Aung San Suu Kyi, who is widely supported to be the future leader.”
The article concluded, “The United States has been engaged in big diplomatic activities in Southeast Asia. China has to get used to it. If we think too much, we are looking for trouble.”
Source: Huanqiu, November 20, 2012
http://opinion.huanqiu.com/editorial/2012-11/3292142.html
Xi Jinping: The Party Leaders Must Consciously Safeguard the CCP Central Committee’s Authority
On November 19, 2012, Xinhua published an article by Xi Jingping, China’s new general secretary of the CCP Central Committee, titled “Study the Party Constitution Seriously and Strictly Abide by the Party Constitution.” Xi said that Party leaders are required to “take the lead in implementing the Party’s political discipline, consciously safeguard the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee’s authority, enforce work procedures, carry out orders, and ensure that the CCP Central Committee’s decrees are passed down smoothly.”
The newly amended CCP Constitution incorporated Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, Jiang Zemin’s Three Represents, and Hu Jintao’s Scientific Outlook on Development into its guiding ideology.
Source: Xinhua, November 19, 2012
http://news.xinhuanet.com/18cpcnc/2012-11/19/c_113722461.htm
China Will Never Take the Evil Road of the Western Multi-Party System
On November 20, 2012, People’s Daily’s Hebei edition republished an article from China Economic Weekly written by the former editor-in-chief of People’s Daily’s Overseas Edition, Zhanguo Shu, who is a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, titled, “China Will Never Take the Evil Road of the Western Multi-Party System.”
Zhanguo cited Hu Jintao in his article, “Unswervingly holding high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, we must not take the old path that is closed and rigid; nor must we take the evil road of changing flags and banners.” Zhangguo explained that the evil road is that of Western parliamentary democracy and the multi-party system.
Source: People’s Daily, November 20, 2012
http://he.people.com.cn/n/2012/1120/c337249-17742793.html
Xinhua: Beidou System Accuracy Will Surpass GPS
Xinhua recently reported on the new developments related to the Chinese global positioning system named Beidou. Based on the comments made by scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the accuracy of the Beidou system’s 10-meter services has already reached the same level as the U.S. GPS system. With the enhancements that are planned, the Beidou system will soon offer better accuracy than the GPS system. It is also expected that the price of the Beidou commercial chip will drop sharply in the near future. As of October 25, the Beidou system included a network of sixteen satellites, which cover all of China and the surrounding regions. The era of commercialized Beidou applications has arrived. The domestic market size of the satellite positioning system is expected to reach RMB 200 billion yuan.
Source: Xinhua, November 18, 2012
http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2012-11/18/c_123966005.htm