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Wu Guoguang: Xi Jinping’s Reversal of the Course, Will China’s Transition be Peaceful or Marked with Bloodshed?

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Cheng Xiaonong: U.S.-China Strategic Relations Have Crystallized

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Xinhua Commentaries: “Exposing the Three Major Political Deficits of the U.S.”

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The CCP’s Performing Arts Troupes in the U.S.

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Beijing Mobilizes 1.4 Million Volunteers to Maintain Stability for the 18th Party Congress

On November 1, 2012, Oriental Daily published an article titled, “(Beijing) Mobilizes 1.4 Million Volunteers to Maintain Stability for the 18th Party Congress.” According to the article, 1.4 million volunteers have been placed in charge of checking IDs, Internet control, and other stability maintenance work. Police officers patrol Tiananmen Square and thoroughly examining people’s ID cards. Last Monday, the Beijing Armed Police Corps that is responsible for the 18th Party Congress had a swearing-in ceremony. It had armored vehicles and other heavy equipment on display.

Kitchen knives are being sold only to those who are willing to register with their real names. Some supermarkets even refuse to sell kitchen knives. The window handles of Beijing taxi vehicles have been removed to prevent passengers from opening the windows to distribute protest flyers. All travelers who take high-speed rail trains, regular trains, or long-distance buses must open their luggage for examination. The name on the ticket must be same as the name on the ticket holders’ ID.

Source: Oriental Daily, November 1, 2012
http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20121101/00178_001.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

China Youth Daily: Research Shows 54 Percent of Doctors Take Rebates

China Youth Daily recently reported that, based on research numbers cited by senior officials from the Chinese Medical Association, 54 percent of doctors have received “rebates” and 39 percent have accepted “conference sponsorship” from drug companies. The Medical Association called for higher moral standards in the medical profession. Statistics showed that, over the past five years, tension between doctors and patients has intensified. In the last five years, the percentage of cases that involve doctors being attacked has increased from 3.7 percent to 4.5 percent. The media has reported a large number of scandals involving doctors. Many doctors blame the government for dictating that the prices they charge for their medical services must remain at a very low level; the pricing does not offer them an opportunity to recover the cost of entering and sustaining their specialty in the medical profession. 
Source: China Youth Daily, November 3, 2012
http://zqb.cyol.com/html/2012-11/03/nw.D110000zgqnb_20121103_5-01.htm
Briefings | | |   Social Stability

HSBC Chinese October PMI Number Released

NetEase recently reported that, on November 1, 2012, HSBC released the PMI (Purchasing Managers Index) number for the Chinese manufacturing industry. The October number is 49.5, which is higher than last month’s figure of 47.9. This also indicates that the Chinese manufacturing sector is on the decline for the year. In October, manufacturing production output was still slipping. However total new orders had a slight increase due to more new customers. Meanwhile new export orders declined for the sixth consecutive month. Inventory was also shrinking, while ten percent of the manufacturers surveyed were reducing the size of their workforce. For the first time this year, the average price of manufacturing sector products saw a 9 percent increase. This was widely believed to be caused by the increased cost of material. Qu Hongbin, HSBC Chief Economist for the China Region, commented that the HSBC PMI number demonstrated that the Chinese manufacturing sector is showing signs of stabilization, which is largely the result of the earlier government “easing” measures. PMI is an indicator of financial activity reflecting purchasing managers’ acquisition of goods and services. A PMI number below 50 typically reflects a decline.
Source: NetEase, November 1, 2012
http://money.163.com/12/1101/09/8F7ES76J00252G50.html
Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

CRN: Government Consumes a Large Percentage of China’s Financial Resources

China Review News (CRN) recently reported that, based on the numbers released by the National Bureau of Statistics, consumer spending contributed 55 percent to the economic growth in the third quarter of this year. However, government operational consumption is also considered part of the final consumer spending. Between 2000 and 2010, the Chinese government’s consumption grew from RMB 1.57 trillion to 5.36 trillion. Government operational spending takes about twenty percent of the annual government income. The same ratio number for the United Sates is 9.9%; it is five percent for the European Union and 2.8 percent for Japan. This indicates that it takes substantially more money to sustain the Chinese government. The statistical data also reflects a lowered quality of consumer spending because the government’s operational consumptions eats a large slice of the “consumer spending” pie.
Source: China Review News, November 3, 2012
http://www.zhgpl.com/doc/1022/8/2/7/102282777.html?coluid=53&kindid=0&docid=102282777&mdate=1027073850
Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

China’s Economic and Social Conflicts Nearing a Crisis

[Editor’s Note: Caijing Magazine recently interviewed Professor Wu Jinglian, a senior research fellow at the Development Research Centre of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China. During the interview, he stated that China’s economic and social conflicts have reached a critical point and that China must press forward with further reform to establish and improve a market economy that is based on competition. He also criticized China because it has, in recent years, strengthened the government’s and the state-owned enterprises’ (SOEs) "control power." The following are excerpts from the interview.] [1]

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Reports | | |   Report

Consumers Favor Foreign Luxury Goods over China Made Products

Xinhua carried an article that was originally published by Sichuan Daily. The article reported that the foreign luxury goods in China’s market are priced 45 percent higher than those sold in Hong Kong, 51 percent higher than in the U.S. and 72 percent higher than in France. The higher price occurs mainly because of of the markup from various sales channels and because of the tariffs imposed on luxury goods.

Meanwhile, products that are “Made in China” are priced lower in overseas markets than in the domestic market. One of the reasons stated was that China sets the export price of the goods at the manufacturer’s cost. Manufacturer’s profits come mainly from tax rebates. Another factor that drives up the domestic cost is the higher transportation expense. According to the article, Chinese consumers tend to favor foreign imported items because of the better quality. They lack trust in domestic made products.

Source: Xinhua, November 4, 2012
http://news.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2012-11/04/c_113597301.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Government Procurement Market Lacks Transparency

The China Federation of Logistics & Purchasing (CFLP) announced that the China Public Procurement website (http://www.china-cpp.com/) has been officially established, with headquarters in Wuhan, Hubei Province. It is considered the world’s largest online trading and service center.

According to Chen Yuanzhong, Vice Chairman of the CFLP, government procurement in 2011 was 11.3 trillion yuan (US$1.8 trillion), which accounted for 11 percent of total fiscal spending. However, government procurement is not regulated and lacks transparency and efficiency. China’s procurement market would reach 50 trillion yuan (US$8 trillion) if spending on education, health, housing, railroad, transportation, and energy were included. This number makes China the largest procurement market in the world.

Source: Xinhua, November 4, 2012
http://news.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2012-11/04/c_113597255.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

China to Reform the Pay Scale in State Owned Enterprises

Qiu Xiaoping, vice minister of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, disclosed that a reform will take place in managing the pay scale in state owned enterprises. Tighter control will be exercised over high-income professions.

Qiu stated that the Ministry needs to establish a reasonable control over income allocation and set up a minimum wage standard and rate of increase for wages. The Ministry also needs to build an infrastructure system to conduct pay scale research and information sharing while building a pay scale database for companies to use as a reference.

According to statistics, from 2002 to 2011, the average salary in urban regions grew 14.63 percent from 12,422 yuan (US $1,990) to 42,452 yuan (US $6,802). Farm workers have become the main workforce reaching 252 million in 2011. It was also disclosed that certain high ranking managers in state owned enterprises make a million or even a billion yuan in annual salary. It was suggested that their income shouldn’t be higher than three times the salary of those in a public servant position ranked at the same level.

Source: People’s Daily, October 31, 2012
http://politics.people.com.cn/n/2012/1031/c1001-19442054.html

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources