| ZGBriefs April 28, 2011
www.zgbriefs.com |
|
| ZGBriefs is a condensation of news items gathered from published sources. ZGBriefs is not responsible for the content of these items nor does it necessarily endorse the perspectives presented. To subscribe to this free news from China or to tell a friend, click the "Join Our Mailing List" or "Forward Email" link below. |
|
Keep up with us all week.
Now you can follow ZGBriefs on Twitter!
|
|
| Contributions to support the production of ZGBriefs are always welcome and can be made at our secure online giving page for ZGBriefs. Click here to give online. Thank you. |
FEATURED ARTICLE
singhua University in Beijing and National Tsing Hua University in Hsinchu (Taiwan) are jointly celebrating their 100 years anniversary on April 24, 2011. It may be insightful to see how the shared legacy has been influenced by both American and Chinese Christians. After the 1911 Revolution Tsinghua's first President, Tang Guo'an, wanted to combine English, science, and technology with Christian "character." Many of the first American teachers and some of the Chinese teachers who returned from studying abroad were Christians. The campus YMCA was an active group. |
| Archives |
Search past content by date or keyword at www.zgbriefs.com
|
|
| Webinars
Indigenous Funding: The Promise, Process, and Promotion A New Movement to Impact the World for Christ May 5, 5 pm PDT May 6, 8 am in China and Hong Kong
Rob Martin, Partner at First Fruit Institute, will discuss fundraising principles relevant to projects in China, with reference to the Lausanne Standards. Among many important concepts that will be covered, Rob will show how presence, ownership, and engagement are crucial elements to your fundraising efforts.
Register for this webinar to gain ideas on how to make your fundraising strategy more effective.
|
|
GOVERNMENT / POLITICS / FOREIGN AFFAIRS
China bans foreigners from restive Tibetan areas (April 22, 2011, Reuters) China has banned foreigners from some restive, heavily Tibetan parts of southwestern Sichuan province, travel agents said on Friday, in an apparent attempt to close off a region shaken by recent clashes with the police.The notice, issued by provincial public security authorities, said foreigners were prohibited from entering the Tibetan populated prefecture of Ganzi and several counties in neighboring Aba prefecture. "Foreigners already in the aforementioned areas are to be urged to leave," the notice dated April 21 said, copies of which were placed on the websites of some Chinese travel agencies. "When the ban is lifted there will be another notice," it added, without providing an explanation on the move. Foreigners already need permission to travel to what China calls the Tibet Autonomous Region, but the government is generally more relaxed about Tibetan areas in other provinces such as Sichuan, Qinghai and Gansu.
China says aid to Africa not aimed at resources (April 26, 2011, AP) China slammed suggestions that its burgeoning foreign aid to Africa is driven by its interest in the impoverished continent's rich natural resources, saying Tuesday that it helps poorer countries out of solidarity. China has made significant sacrifices in trying to help African countries lift themselves out of poverty, including the deaths of more than 700 Chinese workers in aid projects, Vice Commerce Minister Fu Ziying told reporters. He said accusations that Beijing's foreign aid to Africa was targeted at securing resources were "nonsense." Fu was briefing the press on a report on China's foreign aid released last week by the State Council Information Office. The report, the first of its kind, said China's budgeted foreign aid swelled nearly 30 percent a year since 2004 and totaled 256.2 billion yuan ($39.2 billion) from 1950 through 2009.
Lobsang Sangay elected Tibetan exile leader (April 27, 2011, BBC News) A Harvard University academic has been elected prime minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile and will take on the political role previously played by the Dalai Lama. Lobsang Sangay won 55% of the votes cast by Tibetans around the world. He defeated two candidates for the role, Tenzin Tethong and Tashi Wangdi. Mr Sangay must now assume the political functions of the Dalai Lama, who said in March he wanted to devolve this responsibility to an elected official. The Dalai Lama will retain his role as Tibetan spiritual leader.
China calls Tibet exile govt 'illegal' after vote (April 28, 2011, AFP) China on Thursday attacked the Tibetan government-in-exile as "illegal" following the election of a new prime minister to take over the organisation's political duties from the ageing Dalai Lama. "The so-called Tibetan government-in-exile is an illegal political organisation established by the Dalai Lama to engage in independence and separatist activities," foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters. "No country in the world recognises it," he said, when asked to comment on the election of Lobsang Sangay.
Australia to boost military ties with China (April 28, 2011, AFP) Australia will host more Chinese warships and increase live-firing and other defence exercises with the Asian powerhouse in a bid to boost ties, Prime Minister Julia Gillard said Thursday. Speaking to Australian media as she wrapped up a North Asia tour, including her first visit to Beijing as leader, Gillard said she discussed greater military cooperation during "friendly" talks with President Hu Jintao. Gillard said increased military transparency was key to combating tensions by helping to "build understanding about people's military methods and military protocols". Defence cooperation was already being boosted, she added, "taking the form of discussions between counterparts. It is also taking the form of some shared exercises, including live firing exercises."
Beijing 'back-sliding on rights' (April 28, 2011, BBC News) A top US diplomat has accused China of "back-sliding" on human rights, after two days of dialogue in Beijing. Assistant Secretary of State Michael Posner said he had raised the subject of the recent crackdown on dissidents and lawyers in China. But he said that no headway was made when specific cases such as that of detained artist Ai Weiwei were raised. A Chinese spokesman said that US should not use human rights issues to interfere in China's internal affairs.
China media say US human rights pressure will fail (April 28, 2011, AP) China will never allow the U.S. to dictate political reforms and any American pressure over human rights will torpedo talks on such issues, a Communist Party-run newspaper said Thursday. The defiant editorial in the Global Times appeared on the second day of an annual China-U.S. human rights dialogue that comes amid a major Chinese crackdown on government critics. Talks have yielded little progress in recent years and are expected to be even more testy than usual this year. Many human rights advocates are questioning the value of such diplomatic exchanges. The Global Times said China would not accept requests from the U.S. and claimed that most Chinese "were disgusted" by outside pressure on human rights.
China building road to N. Korean port zone: Report (April 28, 2011, AFP) China has begun paving a road connecting its north-eastern region with a North Korean free trade zone in an attempt to gain access to the Sea of Japan, or East Sea, a report said yesterday. China hopes to complete work on the 53km road between Hunchun and the Rason zone by the end of this year, South Korea's Dong-A Ilbo newspaper said, adding that the project would be financed by Beijing. The paper quoted sources in China as saying Beijing and Pyongyang would soon unveil a joint plan to develop Rason. The impoverished North is striving to revitalise Rason near its border with China and Russia. Rason became a special economic zone in 1991 but never took off. In January last year, Pyongyang issued a decree to upgrade the status of the zone, formerly known as Rajin-Sonbong, to a 'special city', which means it has fewer restrictions on businesses. In January this year, a South Korean newspaper reported that China planned to invest about US$2 billion (S$2.5 billion) to develop Rason into the 'biggest industrial zone in North-east Asia' in around 10 years.
|
HEALTH
Xinjiang kids with heart disease get free surgery (April 26, 2011, Xinhua) Forty children afflicted with congenital heart disease in West China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region are heading to Beijing, where they will receive free surgery offered by a charity program. The children, from different ethnic groups including Han, Uygur, Kazakh, Xibe, and Dongxiang, boarded a train to Beijing with their parents on Monday. They will receive treatment at the Chinese Armed Police General Hospital. Sponsored by the China Charity Federation, Chinese Armed Police General Hospital and Xinjiang Women's Federation, the charity program aims to provide free surgery to impoverished children with congenital heart disease in Xinjiang. The program earlier helped 68 children.
China seizes melamine-tainted milk powder (April 27, 2011, AP) Authorities seized 26 tons of melamine-tainted milk powder from an ice cream maker in southern China three years after widespread use of the chemical in infant formula killed six babies, state media said Wednesday. The Global Times newspaper quoted police in the southern city of Chongqing as saying Tuesday that the Jixida Food Co. bought the milk powder a year ago to make pastries and ice cream. The report said the tainted powder was stored in a warehouse and had not yet been used. Five suspects were detained and three could face criminal charges, the paper said, but did not identify their suspected roles in the contamination. The report said the milk was traced to a company in Inner Mongolia but didn't say when it had been made. Other seized batches have been described as old stocks that were hidden when they should have been destroyed.
|
RELIGION
At Least 10 House Church Leaders in Jail Because of the Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization (April 26, 2011, Christian News Wire) At least 10 house church pastors who were involved in the Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelism have been criminally detained as the Chinese government starts "settling the score" in the wake of the snub last fall against China's official church. On April 16, ten house church pastors from Hohhot, Inner Mongolia were criminally detained by the Hohhot Public Security Bureau's Domestic Security Department and the Criminal Police Brigade on "suspicion of fraud" for their involvement in the October 2010 Lausanne Congress, according to ChinaAid sources. Criminal detention is the first step of the legal process that leads to a trial, conviction and sentencing to a jail term. House church leaders in another Inner Mongolian city, Ordos, have also been criminally detained in relation to the Lausanne congress, according to another ChinaAid source. Details were still being confirmed. |
EDUCATION / CULTURE
Tsinghua Univ. marks centennial anniversary (April 24, 2011, Xinhua) China's Tsinghua University, one of the country's prime institutions of higher learning, celebrated its centennial anniversary on Sunday. President Hu Jintao, top legislator Wu Bangguo, Premier Wen Jiabao, and other state and Communist Party leaders including Jia Qinglin, Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang attended the celebration at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Originally founded in 1911 as a training school for students aiming to study abroad, the university has been known for training tens of thousands of scientists and engineers for the country since 1949. Tsinghua's alumni include President Hu Jintao, Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, Vice President Xi Jinping, and former premier Zhu Rongji. |
SOCIETY / LIFE
Parents spend 23 minutes reading with kids daily (April 21, 2011, China Daily) A study has revealed that about 88 percent of China's parents surveyed spend time with their children reading books. The survey carried out by the Chinese Academy of Press and Publication (CAPP), was released on Thursday. It covers 51 cities in China's 29 provincial regions and more than 19,000 people, and shows that parents spend an average of 23 minutes each day with their kids reading books. It shows that in 2010, nearly 77 percent of the children surveyed under eight years old can read, 5 percentage points higher than in 2009. The survey also shows that 25.7 percent of children start reading before their first birthday. "The more time parents share with their child in reading, the more the child likes reading," it says.
Mainland's population hits 1.34 billion (April 28, 2011, China Daily) China's population had increased to 1.37 billion, including 1.3397 billion in the mainland, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said Thursday. The population figure for the mainland was 73.9 million more than that of 2000, when China conducted its fifth national census, according to data from the sixth census released by the NBS. The data show an annual average population growth of 0.57 percent over the past decade (2000-2010) on the Chinese mainland, compared with the growth rate of 1.07 percent from 1990 to 2000, indicating population growth is slowing, said Ma Jiantang, director of the NBS. Of the total population in the mainland, men accounted for 51.27 percent, while women made up 48.73 percent. The Chinese mainland's population living in urban areas totaled 665.57 million, representing 49.68 percent of the total, up by 13.46 percentage points on the 2000 figure, while the population classified as rural population stood at 674.15 million, said the bureau.
Many urban Chinese only want one child (April 28, 2011, China Daily) For many young Beijing parents, debate about China's family planning policy is far less pressing than the task at hand - how to afford the cost of bringing up even one child. China's census released on Thursday should make for stark reading for policymakers, showing more old people and fewer young people to pay for them, the result of three decades of policies aimed at slowing population growth. Yet with ever-rising costs in cities such as Beijing, the question for many is not whether they want another child but whether they can bear the cost. "Education is a real concern for us. I have many friends who don't want children at all. One is enough for me." Like the residents of Hong Kong and Singapore, which have among the world's lowest birthrates, China's urbanites are starting to believe that the expense of maintaining larger families outweighs the benefits.
|
BUSINESS / ECONOMICS / TRADE
China to cut tax for low earners to boost stability (April 21, 2011, BBC News) More details are emerging of China's plan to raise the income tax threshold by 50% and to double salaries within the next five years. Lawmakers are revising the income tax law to narrow the wealth gap and to encourage more domestic consumption. The amendment will raise the threshold for personal income tax from 2,000 to 3,000 yuan a month (from $304 to $456). Some 50 million more people would be exempt from income tax and the measure would cost the government $18bn a year. The third national re-adjustment since 2006 will come into force later this year.
China Mobile surpasses 600m subscribers (April 21, 2011, BBC News) China Mobile, the world's largest mobile operator, has surpassed 600 million subscribers after increasing its number of customers in rural areas. The company added 16.8 million users between January and March, it said. China Mobile also said its profits climbed 5.4% to 26.9bn yuan ($4.1bn; £2.5bn) in the quarter, compared with the same period a year earlier. Chinese telecom companies are trying to increase revenue per user by selling more third-generation mobile services.
GM minivan gone in U.S., but still thrives in China (April 25, 2011, Reuters) General Motors Co (GM.N) killed its minivan in the U.S. market thanks to its soccer-mom stigma, but the automaker has carved out a high-priced niche for the vehicle as a chauffeur-driven executive ride in China. While many American families have shifted to crossover vehicles that offer space similar to minivans without the perceived dowdiness, China's business elite like the Buick GL8's roominess and features for getting around in the world's largest auto market. Sales last year for the GL8 were 52,127, what Joseph Phillippi of AutoTrends Consulting called a "rounding error" in China's 17.2 million light-vehicle market. Sales have hovered in that area the last several years for the Shanghai-built minivan. The demand for the GL8 is just huge. It's unbelievable," GM's China chief Kevin Wale told reporters in Shanghai. "So many people ringing me up, saying, 'I've ordered one. Can you get it to me quicker?'"
China's industry plan could strengthen state firms (April 27, 2011, AP) Entrepreneurs could face new challenges under a government plan to modernize Chinese industry that would expand the dominance of state companies in coal mining, steel and other fields. The sweeping plan lays out which industries Beijing wants to develop and which will be discouraged as it tries to make China's economy more efficient. It reflects Communist Party ambitions to transform this country from a low-wage factory into a prosperous creator of technology. It promises support for clean vehicles, solar power and other technologies and calls for the closure of small coal mines and steel mills - an industry segment dominated by private owners. That would further erode the private sector role in those industries, which Beijing is trying to consolidate under state-owned leaders.
|
ENVIRONMENT / TECHNOLOGY
China to see 12% rise in power consumption (April 22, 2011, Xinhua) China is expected to see its electricity consumption rise 10 to 12 percent year on year in 2011, the National Energy Administration (NEA) said Friday.The full-year amount of power use is expected to total 4.61-4.69 trillion kilowatt hours (kwh), the NEA said in a statement on its website. The growth rate is higher than the 9 percent increase the NEA forecast in January. The NEA did not give an explanation for the change.
60,000 face water shortage amid drought in S China (April 27, 2011, Xinhua) About 60,000 people and more than 2.4 million mu (160,000 hectares) of crops have been affected by a lingering drought in South China's Guangdong province, local authorities said on Tuesday. A total of 59,804 people are suffering from a drinking water shortage and 455,000 mu (30,333 hectares) in 12 cities and counties of the province have been hit by a severe drought, according to the local flood control and drought relief headquarters. The local government in the province has allocated 8 million yuan ($1.23 million) to fight the drought and guarantee sufficient drinking water supplies. Guangdong province has received an average rainfall of 231 millimeters since last October, nearly 50 percent less than that in previous years.
|
LINKS TO DETAILED ARTICLES AND ANALYSIS
Chinese Internet users are finding inventive ways to bypass Internet controls, as Beijing intensifies its efforts to stifle political dissent online, especially on popular microblogging sites.
Weibo, or micro blog, the sending of brief text, audio or video to select groups, is making rapid strides in China and reshaping the way information flows with their multiple sources and diversified, authentic content. It is also becoming an attractive platform for companies to showcase their products and reach out to more consumers.
In the far west of Beijing, in a neighborhood called Apple Orchard, there is a small concrete bunker with a green sign at its mouth that says, "Air-Defense Basement."...This is where Wang Xiuli lives with her husband and 16-year-old son, in two rooms that together add up to about 215 square feet, one of the largest apartments available in this warren of tunnels. Thick pipes protrude from the ceiling, and a window in the front room opens onto nowhere, just another gray tunnel wall beyond it.
Thousands of truck drivers in the Chinese city of Shanghai staged a third day of protest Friday over rising fuel prices they say are crippling their businesses. Truck drivers blockaded part of the city's port - China's busiest - disrupting the flow of goods.
Many of the Beijingers both native and foreign who have shaken hands with Xiao Bao over the past 17 years might not remember his name, but will probably never forget his smile. Cheerful and polite, the 74-year-old is especially well known by revelers in Sanlitun, where he hangs out every day and night, selling his handicrafts made from woven palm leaves and wheat husks.
In China, at least 20 members of a Christian church have been detained as they gathered for an Easter service. The leaders of the Xiaowang church are now under house arrest.
Power is just one of millions of Chinese people who are turning to online dating as a solution to relationship woes in a society where the social pressure to find a partner can be oppressive. Chinese parents commonly expect their sons or daughters to be married by the time they're 30. There is even a word for those who are 'left on the shelf' in their thirties: shengnan and shengnv, literally a "left-over man" or "left-over woman."
The virtual absence of any farmers under 40 speaks to China's urbanization. Youngsters decamp as soon as they can to work in towns near and far, leaving their aging parents to till the soil. With the rural labor pool shrinking, wages are rising.
In its annual report on the U.S. business climate, the American Chamber of Commerce in China said a collection of rules, standards and other requirements under China's "indigenous innovation" policy were starting to hamper the ability of outside technology firms to operate.
When teachers from the YMCA opened the doors of an elite US-funded prep school in Beijing 100 years ago today, they could scarcely have foreseen that their creation would grow into China's premier university, known as the "red cradle" for the country's Communist ruling class.
The Chinese government has been in no mood to discuss its heavy-handed behavior, warning the United States this week that it would brook no interference in its domestic affairs and adding, as a Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman explained, that "China does not fear the antagonism of other countries."
A lot of foreigners seem to think that the world's economic future belongs to China, but the Chinese super rich are not so sure. And their doubts could spell trouble for the Chinese economic miracle. A report just published by Bain and Company, an international consultancy, finds that almost 60 percent of China's wealthiest individuals are thinking of leaving the country: They have either secured permanent resident status abroad or are considering it.
Shouwang Church has came under fire by Chinese authorities three weeks ago, when the government ordered the church to cease all activity until further notice. The Chinese government has stated that Shouwang operates unlawfully. To be recognized, the church must register to be a state-sanctioned operation, which includes censoring of certain religious materials.
|
LINKS TO BLOGS
In results that seem to contradict a similar poll by the Pew Research Center, Gallup's 2010 global wellbeing survey, issued this week, found only 12% of Chinese people thought of themselves as what Gallup calls "thriving," while a whopping 71% said they were struggling and 17% said they were downright suffering.
So, what's Wen doing now? A number of possibilities suggest themselves.
Bo Xilai has a reputation as a rising political rock star. But do his 'Red Culture' policies in Chongqing really offer a viable model for China?
The Chinese government may be cracking down hard on dissent. But some protesters are treated more gently than others, argues Minxin Pei.
On April 26, prominent reformist and social critic Mao Yushi (茅于轼) ran a piece on Caixin Online, the website of the media group now run by former Caijing editor-in-chief Hu Shuli (胡舒立), called "Returning Mao Zedong to Human Form" (把毛泽东还原成人), enumerating the various crimes of the Chinese Communist Party's revolutionary leader, and noting with criticism that the image of this "backstage orchestrator who wrecked the country and brought ruin to the people" still hangs over the Gate of Heavenly Peace. To call the appearance of such a piece in China's media highly unorthodox would be a vast understatement. It is probably fair to say that such an essay has never, ever appeared in China's media.
|
LINKS FOR RESEARCHERS
In accordance with the Regulations on National Population Census and the Circular of the State Council on the Conduct of the 6th National Population Census, China carried out its 6th national population census with zero hour of Nov 1, 2010 as the reference time. The field enumeration of the census has been successfully completed through the leadership of the State Council and governments at all levels, the support and cooperation from people of various nationalities, and the painstaking efforts and hard work of nearly 10 million census workers. Results on major figures obtained through advance tabulation are released.
The latest White Paper offers an overview of Chinese assessments of the country's security situation, some discussion of China's national defense policy, a general overview of People's Liberation Army (PLA) modernization, and a recounting of the PLA's involvement in activities such as participating in U.N. Peacekeeping Operations, conducting escort operations in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia, holding joint military exercises with other countries, and participation in international disaster relief operations. In addition, it includes sections on topics such as national defense mobilization, the military legal system, China's defense expenditure, military confidence building, and China's arms control and disarmament policy.
|
|
| Contributions to support the production of ZGBriefs are always welcome and can be made at our secure online giving page for ZGBriefs. Click here to give online. Thank you. |
|
|
0 comments:
Post a Comment