On May 15, 2012, China Daily published a report titled “Market Sells Fake Pig Ears.” According to the article, the pig ears purchased in a market in Ganzhou, the second largest city in Jiangxi Province, were made from gelatin and sodium oleate. “According to food safety regulations, sodium oleate cannot be used as a food additive.” The pig ears pose a potential health hazard.
Source: China Daily, May 15, 2012
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2012-05/15/content_15301283.htm
On May 14, Beijing Daily’s official blog published a commentary that criticized U.S. Ambassador Gary Locke for acting like a common man. Locke sits in an economy class seat when he takes a flight and buys coffee with a coupon. Such acts, according to the Chinese authorities, "create conflict." The commentary demanded that Locke publicize his personal assets. Within three days, the U.S. Embassy posted all of Locke’s assets including his annual salary and benefits, along with the assets of President Obama and Vice President Biden.
The announcement has caused heated discussions in China. Many Chinese Internet users asked Beijing Daily to make the same demand of Chinese Communist Party officials. However, Beijing Daily’s official blog has since deleted all related topics and comments.
Source: NTDTV, May 19, 2012
http://www.ntdtv.com/xtr/b5/2012/05/19/atext703365.html
On May 17, 2012, a widow, trying to protect her home, stabbed Zhang Bo to death. Zhang Bo, a Land Resources Bureau of Law Enforcement Brigade Deputy Captain in Dejiang County, Guizhou Province, along with his staff members, had excavated the widow’s newly repaired house.
As the news spread on the Internet, Chinese Internet users posted comments to show their sympathy, support, and solidarity, praising the woman: “Good Killing. Well done!” “Kill corrupt officials. The ordinary people are so miserable. Rid the people of this scourge.”
Source: Epoch Times, May 22, 2012
http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/12/5/22/n3594570.htm
On May 19, 2012, Xinhua issued a report that consisted of 59-characters (including the title) on the news that Chinese human rights activist Chen Guangcheng had left China for New York. It was a major headline globally and almost all of the world’s primary news agencies reported it in full, including pictures or videos. Xinhua’s report is no longer searchable on its official site. China Review News (CRN) republished Xinhua’s full report, saying: “A citizen from Yinan County, Shandong Province named Chen Guangcheng followed the standard legal process to apply for visiting the United States to study.”
Source: China Review News, May 19, 2012
http://www.zhgpl.com/doc/1021/1/4/0/102114069.html?coluid=0&kindid=0&docid=102114069
On May 16, 2012, Voice of America reported that a forum on the topic of Internet warfare took place a week ago in the United States. Mark Stokes, Executive Director of the Project 2049 Institute, suggested in the forum that Taiwan has been the top Chinese hacking target for a long time because the Chinese government holds the island (being a part of China) as one if its “core values.” He also expressed the belief that what’s more threatening to the communists is Taiwan’s democratic system. Mark Stokes said that, although Taiwan is a nation relying on U.S. supplied military equipment, since Taiwan has a very long history of dealing with Chinese hackers, it is in a good position to provide the U.S. with useful help on how to defend against those attacks. Also at the forum, William Hagestad, a research expert on the Chinese military and its information warfare, introduced his new book, which covers the impact that Chinese information warfare has had on the West.
Source: Voice of America, May 16, 2012
http://www.voanews.com/chinese/news/20120516-Taiwan-China-Cyber-Attacks-151689195.html
Radio Free Asia (RFA) recently reported on the news that the Chinese military is undergoing some adjustments. The official newspaper of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), PLA Daily, recently published a commentary by the No. 15 commentator, attacking the idea of nationalizing the Chinese military. The commentary called the whole notion a “strategic conspiracy by the hostile forces to westernize and divide China.” The commentary reemphasized the classic Communist Party policy of “the Party Commands the Gun.” However the RFA report questioned the background of picking up this nationalization topic which was typically an academic discussion. The commentary used the Soviet Union as an example of a failure that resulted from the nationalization of the Soviet military. The commentator also tried to link the anti-nationalization viewpoint to Hu Jintao’s requirements for the military, such as “maintaining discipline.” It is becoming obvious that the commentaries by the No. 15 commentator, along with many other articles published by PLA Daily in the past several months, are paying more attention to having a position that honors Hu Jintao’s leadership.
Source: Radio Free Asia, May 16, 2012
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/sd-05162012095617.html
According to the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC), the net profits for central government enterprises amounted to 253 billion yuan (US$40 billion) for the period from January to April 2012, down 13.2 percent from the same period last year. The previous report, which was for the first quarter of 2012, suggested that the central enterprises showed an end to the growth that had occurred over the last two years and showed a decline for the first time since November of 2009.
The decline was due to a number of external factors such as an increase in the prices of energy, raw materials, and agricultural products. Other external contributors included an excess of administrative layers, poor management skills, and harsh internal competition. Some experts also indicated that the “good old days” of central enterprises were due to the 4 trillion yuan (US$633 billion) from the economic stimulus plan that followed the 2008 economic crisis. It is expected that the net profits will continue to decline in the near future.
Source: China Economy, May 19, 2012
http://economy.gmw.cn/2012-05/19/content_4177619_2.htm
Xinhua published an article containing many objections to the 2011 Human Rights and Democracy report that the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office released. The article said that the report on China was full of unwarranted accusations. At the same time, it ignored the efforts and improvements that the Chinese government and its people have made. It said that the report was politically and ideologically biased and that China and the Chinese people could not accepted it. It also stated that human rights is an internal matter and that no other country has the right to interfere. Finally, it pointed out that not only will the UK government’s action not help the cooperation between the two countries; it will also not benefit China’s human rights advancement.
Source: Xinhua, May 18, 2012
http://news.xinhuanet.com/2012-05/18/c_111978684_2.htm