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. Get daily updates from ZGBriefs on Twitter @ZG_Briefs. FEATURED ARTICLE How China Flouts Its Laws (May 29, 2012, The New York Times, by Chen Guangcheng) The fundamental question the Chinese government must face is lawlessness. China does not lack laws, but the rule of law. As a result, those who handled my case were able to openly flout the nations laws in many ways for many years. GOVERNMENT / POLITICS / FOREIGN AFFAIRS Former railways minister expelled from Party for corruption(March 28, 2012, Xinhua) China’s former railways minister, Liu Zhijun, has been expelled from the Communist Party of China (CPC) after being found guilty of corruption, the CPC disciplinary watchdog announced on Monday. Liu, also former Party chief of the Railways Ministry, had been under investigation since February 2011, when he was removed from his position on suspicion of “serious disciplinary violations.” Investigators found Liu used his position to seek huge illegal interests for Ding Yuxin, chairman of Beijing Boyou Investment Management Corporation, maneuvering which caused great economic losses and negative social influence, according to a statement issued by the CPC’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI). The CCDI also discovered Liu, who the statement labeled “morally corrupted,” had taken a huge amount of bribes and bore the major responsibility for severe corruption in the railways system. Two Tibetans set themselves on fire in Lhasa (May 28, 2012, The Guardian) Two men engulfed themselves in flames outside a temple that is a popular tourist site in Lhasa, marking the first time a recent wave of self-immolations to protest at Chinese rule has reached the tightly guarded Tibetan capital. One of the men died and the other was hospitalised after they set themselves on fire on Sunday outside the Jokhang temple, the official Xinhua news agency said. The report quoted a local Communist party official as blaming the incident on separatist forces. Xinhua said the men were taken away by authorities within two minutes of setting themselves on fire. Hundreds detained in Tibet after self-immolations: report (May 31, 2012, Reuters) Hundreds of Tibetans in Lhasa have been detained by Chinese security officers after two self-immolation protests against Chinese rule over Tibet, a U.S.-broadcaster said, stoking concerns of spreading unrest among Tibetans in ChinaLate on Wednesday, Radio Free Asia cited a source as estimating that about 600 Tibetans had been detained since the Sunday’s protests in Lhasa. The number could not be independently confirmed because foreign journalists are barred from entering Tibet. HEALTH Beijing to test hospital reform (May 25, 2012, Xinhua) In the ongoing public hospital reform in China, Beijing’s measures to introduce a medical care service fee is a test to fine-tune the structure of hospitals’ incomes, experts said.The fee, from 42 yuan ($6.70) to 100 yuan, depending on the qualifications of the doctor, would replace the current 5 yuan registration fee and 14 yuan consultation fee, according to local health authorities. Patients will be reimbursed 40 yuan under insurance policies. Meanwhile, hospitals will be prohibited from selling drugs at a 15-percent markup, according to a slew of measures announced on Friday. China’s public hospitals have long relied on drugs sales as a major source of income, a practice that many say drives up overall medical costs and harms the doctor-patient relationship. Under the new model, scheduled for trial in July, patients with medical insurance will pay at least 20 yuan to see a senior specialist first at Beijing Friendship Hospital. To see a top specialist, the out-of-pocket cost will rise to 60 yuan. Most people uneasy about what they eat (May 31, 2012, Xinhua) A new poll shows the public generally has a negative attitude toward food safety in China, with more than 70 percent of respondents saying they feel conditions are unsafe. The report was compiled by the Shanghai Institute for Food and Drug Safety and the East China University of Science and Technology. Released on Wednesday, the report aims to find firsthand information on how the public looks at the country’s food safety issues, and to provide guidance for policymakers. The research team polled 4,000 people from eight cities through questionnaires. SOCIETY / LIFE China detains official for rapes after online uproar (May 27, 2012, Reuters) Police in central China detained a former Communist Party official on suspicion of raping underage girls, state media said on Sunday, following an online uproar about the latest case of abuse of power. Li Xingong, who was the party’s deputy head in Yongcheng city in Henan province, is accused of assaulting more than ten girls during police interrogations, the official Xinhua news agency reported.City authorities have “ordered swift and severe punishment on the suspect in accordance with relevant laws”, it added.The case has been widely discussed on China’s wildly popular Twitter-like microblogging site Weibo, after reports about the rapes naming him as the perpetrator began circulating online over the past week. 721 foreigners get ‘green cards’ in Beijing (May 28, 2012, China Daily) A total of 852 foreigners have applied for “green cards” in Beijing since 2004, and 721 have been approved for the permits that grant them permanent resident status as of May 26, said authorities with the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau. Foreigners who obtain the permanent residence permits can freely enter and exit China without any additional visa procedures, said Beijing police. Beijing police one week ago also said they would continue to provide equal and good-quality services to law-abiding foreigners in Beijing. China tightens grip on social media with new rules (May 28, 2012, CNN) Users of Sina Weibo, China’s popular Twitter-like micro-blogging service, now have to abide by new rules aimed at preventing online rumors and other controversial posts. The “user contracts” that took effect on Monday come as authorities put increased pressure on China’s social networks to police what their users are saying. Sina has also rolled out a points system as a way to manage users who post content that contravenes the new rules, according to documents posted on Sina Weibo’s website. Under the system, each Weibo account will begin with a score of 80 and points will be deducted for any perceived misconduct. Accounts that drop to zero will be canceled. Weibo and rival platforms like Tencent’s QQ have become hugely popular in China, with many Chinese regarding them as an important source of news and other information. Weibo is estimated to have 300 million users. China urbanization rate exceeds 50 percent (May 29, 2012, Xinhua) China’s urbanization rate had reached 51.3 percent by the end of 2011, according to a report released Tuesday by the China Association of Mayors (CAM). The China Urban Development Report 2011 shows by the end of last year, the country had 30 cities whose permanent population has topped 8 million, and there were 13 cities with a population of more than 10 million. With over half of China’s population now living in cities, experts noted that the country should still improve conditions in its urban centers by paying more attention to people’s quality of life, the balance of urban and rural development, benefits for migrant workers and protection of natural and cultural resources. Cost of a second child: Pair fined 1.3m yuan (May 31, 2012, Xinhua) A couple in eastern China’s Zhejiang Province who violated China’s family planning rules has been fined 1.3 million yuan (US$205,000), the biggest such penalty levied by authorities in the city of Ruian. The couple gave birth to a daughter in February after having a son in 1995, Modern Express reported yesterday. Couples may have a second child under a few conditions, such as both spouses being from one-child families, or the first child has a non-inherited disease. In some provinces, rural couples are allowed to have a second child if their first child is a girl. The couple did not qualify. They are wealthy operators of several companies across the nation, the paper said. Local regulations say the fine should be four to eight times the average annual income of local residents, and family planning authorities have flexibility in meting out penalties. New media has hold on kids (May 31, 2012, Xinhua) Digital devices are playing an increasing role in children’s development after school, according to a survey released on Wednesday. More than half of respondents have cell phones and up to 67 percent regularly use iPads for entertainment, the survey said. In the survey, conducted in March and April, more than 5,000 students from 50 primary schools and youth centers in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, were asked about their new media habits. “In an era of mass information, children are now living in an environment of diversified media. They have easy access to emerging media devices such as iPads and cell phones,” said Zhang Haibo, of the Guangzhou working committee of China Young Pioneers, a youth organization for Chinese children ages 6 to 14.Zhang, who directed the survey, urged parents to pay more attention to the “Apple generation” phenomenon, which refers to the rising popularity of electronic media among children. SCIENCE / TECHNOLOGY / ENVIRONMENT “.cn” domain name opens to individuals (May 29, 2012, Xinhua) Individuals can now register the “.cn” domain name, according to a ruling amended by the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), China’s .cn domain name administrator. Xinhua News Agency reports that CNNIC’s amended ruling on domain name registration, which came into effect at 12am on Tuesday, states that any person or organization bearing civil liabilities independently can apply to register the domain. Second tremor felt in Tangshan after yesterday’s jolt (May 29, 2012, Shanghai Daily) Another earthquake measuring 3.2 on the Richter scale hit north China’s Hebei Province around 5am this morning, the China Earthquake Networks Center announced. The epicenter is 6 kilometers underground in the border between Tangshan City and Luanxian County, the center said. It followed a 4.8-magnitude quake in the same area at 10:22 yesterday morning. The tremor this morning was felt by many Tangshan residents but local life was not affected. BUSINESS / ECONOMICS / FOREIGN TRADE Chinese wages see double-digit growth (May 29, 2012, China Daily) The average annual salaries of urban Chinese workers at non-private companies hit 42,452 yuan ($6,717) in 2011, up 14.3 percent year-on-year, statistical authorities announced Tuesday. After taking inflation into account, wages actually grew by about 8.5 percent, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). Meanwhile, the annual salaries of workers at privately-owned businesses in urban regions grew 12.3 percent (after deducting factor of inflation) to 24,556 yuan in 2011, NBS data showed. The data was based on a survey of 1.48 million non-privately owned organizations and 620,000 private companies, the NBS said. Japan and China to start direct currency trading (May 29, 2012, AFP) Japan and China said Tuesday they will start direct currency trading this week, marking the first time Beijing has let a major unit other than the dollar swap with the yuan. The move, which will scrap the US currency as an intermediary unit, comes as China introduces measures as part of a long-term goal to internationalise its currency, and rival the dollar as the world’s benchmark. The yuan-yen tradepart of a wider deal reached last year between Beijing and Tokyo to forge closer ties- will also be allowed to move in a wider range than the narrow band at which the dollar and yuan change hands, Dow Jones Newswires and the Nikkei business daily reported. China will set a daily rate based on dealer quotes with trade allowed to move within a 3.0 percent band above or below that rate, the reports said, compared with a 1.0 percent band fixed to the yuan-dollar. China says ‘no’ to another massive stimulus plan (May 30, 2012, The Los Angeles Times) China moved to temper expectations of another massive stimulus plan amid reports the country was green-lighting more infrastructure projects to stabilize its slowing economy. The Chinese governments intention is very clear, it will not issue another large scale stimulus plan to boost robust growth, the official New China News Agency said in an article published Tuesday. The statement helped drive stock markets down across Asia Wednesday as investors sought clues as to how the worlds second largest economy would respond to its biggest economic challenge in three years. LINKS TO DETAILED ARTICLES AND ANALYSIS Chinese Communists No Longer Put Much Stock in Communism (May 24, 2012, Reason, by Steve Chapman) In his book, “The Party: The Secret World of China’s Communist Rulers,” journalist Richard McGregor quotes one academic’s complaint that “the sole dominant ideology shared by the government and the people is money worship.” He says that like it’s a bad thing. But the money-worshipping China is a gargantuan improvement on the Mao-worshipping version. China’s evolving relationship with ‘barbarians’ (May 25, 2012, Christian Science Monitor, by Peter Ford) China, which used to officially refer to foreigners as ‘barbarians,’ has a long history of xenophobia. The issue is at the forefront again after two high-profile incidents with foreigners. Daily Chart: China in your hand (May 25, 2012, The Economist) A brief guide to why China grows so fast Hedging their bets (May 26, 2012, The Economist) Officials, looking for an exit strategy, send family and cash overseas In thrall of the empire of the sons (May 26, 2012, Sydney Morning Herald, by John Garnaut) Of the nine members of the Politburo Standing Committee, at least six have children who have profited handsomely from their family status. Since the tragedy of Tiananmen, leaders have collectively failed to find a way of limiting each other’s family privileges without fracturing solidarity. It is becoming a regime-threatening vulnerability. Young Men in China Struggling to Catch Up in Class (May 27, 2012, The New York Times, by Lara Farrar) The problem with boys performance seems to be linked to an educational system that relies heavily on rote memorization, and deprives boys of their natural inclination to be rambunctious, active and curious. Young boys are expected to sit, concentrate and memorize for hours on end skills that girls seem to be better at earlier in life. Chen Guangcheng is gone, but his village stays locked down (May 28, 2012, The Los Angeles Times, by Barbara Demick) At the turnoff for the sleepy farming village of Dongshigu, a man wearing a straw hat appears to be selling watermelons at a rough-hewn stand. But when an approaching car slows, burly young men dart out from behind the nearby concrete house and rush to head it off. Ambassador to China Gary Locke Talks Chen, Drama in China (May 28, 2012, Newsweek, by Melinda Liu) The American ambassador Gary Locke was at an afternoon meeting in Beijing, away from his office at the American Embassy, when he received a cryptic email on his BlackBerry: Return to the embassys secure communications area immediately. The ambassador rushed back. It was Feb. 6, and Locke was stunned to learn that a senior Chinese policeman had arrived at the U.S. Consulate in the southwestern city of Chengdu, telling officials there that he wanted to go to the U.S. because he feared for his life. Chinas Ai Weiwei: Why do they still have to spy on me? (May 28, 2012, The Globe and Mail, by Mark MacKinnon) After barely speaking to him during his 81 days of solitary confinement last summer, the men who held Chinas most famous artist and dissident captive came to him with a suggestion: Focus on your art, they told him. Stay away from politics, and youre free to make as much money as you can. Is China finally confronting its dark history? (May 28, 2012, The Globe and Mail, by Mark MacKinnon) So it was a shock to readers of Southern People Weekly magazine to see the front page of last Mondays edition: the words The Great Famine in a bold-lettered headline, over a graphic showing the plunge in Chinas population over those terrible four years. It was followed by 18 pages of in-depth coverage, including black-and-white photographs of sobbing famine victims, and of farmers gathering leaves and tree bark for food. Is China’s Internet Actually ‘Slow’? And Does That Matter? (May 29, 2012, The Atlantic, by James Fallows) As I argued several years ago in my piece about the Great Firewall, the brilliance of China’s internet control strategy is that it is not airtight. People who want to, badly enough, can find ways around the controls. Ai Weiwei: “The police can be very tough, but I can be tougher sometimes.” (May 30, 2012, The Telegraph, by Malcom Moore) The artist Ai Weiwei has been beaten, imprisoned and had his every move watched by the Chinese authorities. What are they afraid of? Former hard-line Beijing mayor calls Tiananmen Square massacre regrettable (May 30, 2012, The Washington Post, by Jamil Anderlini and Enid Tsui) Beijings mayor at the time of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has described the bloodshed as regrettable and a tragedy that could have been prevented, in a rare departure from the Chinese Communist partys version of the crackdown. Chen Xitong, now 81, was regarded as a hard-liner at the time of the Tiananmen student protests. His comments mark the first time a senior official associated with the decision to fire on protesters has expressed regret for the June 4, 1989, massacre. LINKS TO BLOGS Not Here or There (Our Dreams are Different) Chinese students at Ohio University just try to be themselves. Obsessions with Flies Back in China after 75 Years (May 25, 2012, China Rhyming) Anyway, the point of this post is of course to put the two flies campaign into some sort of historical context. Lessons From Chinas Online Hatred (May 25, 2012, Tea Leaf Nation) In particular, foreign observers are asking why Chinese social media has seemingly turned so nasty, so quickly. But the truth is murkier; Weibo has always been a splintered, cacophonous, trivial, hilarious, and profane maelstrom of 140-character half-thoughts. Chinese Netizens: To Export Culture, We First Need Stronger Values (May 27, 2012, Tea Leaf Nation) While Chinese newspapers have maintained a united front against this directive, Chinese netizens are much less sympathetic to the troubles faced by Confucius Institutes. Providing Service To Chinese Companies. Get Paid Upfront Or Dont Bother. (May 27, 2012, China Law Blog) The most important issue in selling services to Chinese clients is how to get paid. The payment issue with service providers is far more complicated than with those who sell goods. Service providers must therefore focus carefully on the payment issue. America remembers its veterans, why not China? (May 28, 2012, Rectified.Name) As a foreigner who comes from a country where the government ignores certain wars, such as Chinas 1979 war with Vietnam, and history education is all about politics, I was amazed by peoples voluntary gratitude and respect to veterans. When I was a student, our school organized student visits to Martyrs Cemetery and to present wreaths. However, for us it was more like part of patriotic education, rather than a real commemoration. I dont think my teachers really cared all that much either. Doing Business In China By Starting A Business In China. The Legal Basics. (May 29, China Law Blog) Forming and then operating a business entity in China is not fast, is not easy, and is not cheap. Finding Zen and Book Contracts in Beijing (May 29, 2012, NYR Blog) Few people in the West have heard of Porter, a translator of Chinese poetry and religious works whose books in printmany of them published by a small non-profit, Copper Canyon Pressrarely sell more than a thousand copies each year. Photos: A childhood in a trash dump (May 29, 2012, Offbeat China) June 1, only a few days away, is the International Childrens Day, a day when children under the age of 14 can enjoy one day off in China. Its a day to expect for many children in China because Childrens Day often means new clothes and new toys. For children featured in Neteases new visual report A Childhood in Trash Dump, its probably also a day to expect because they may find used toys dumped by those who got new ones. Double Jeopardy: Crime and Chinas Communist Party (March 30, 2012, China Real Time Report) There are two parallel systems in China to punish criminal conduct, one for Communist Party members and the other, the formal criminal process. Video: Chinas Love Affair With the Oreo (May 30, 2012, China Real Time Report) Kraft, the world’s No. 2 food company by revenue, is unveiling a slew of new products in China designed to please Chinese palates. Gallery: Martin Yan whips up a storm in Gary Locke’s kitchen (May 31, 2012, Shanghaiist) Last Tuesday, celebrity chef Martin Yan (of Yan Can Cook fame) was invited to the residence of US Ambassador Gary Locke to whip up a showcase dinner for Chinese media pairing American produce with Chinese cuisine. ARTICLES IN CHINESE (Pushi Institute for Social Sciences) 90 (Pushi Institute for Social Sciences) – (Pushi Institute for Social Sciences) LINKS FOR RESEARCHERS China Heritage Quarterly: Focus on Tea Tea and politics, teahouses and activism, gathering and gossiping, all of these things mark the life of tea in China’s largest inland empire, that of Sichuan . Given the dramatic events of the first months of the Dragon Year of 2012, an ancient saying about the restive nature of what was once the Kingdom of Shu would appear to be an appropriate place to launch our issue-length meditation on tea. RESOURCES Sesame Street in China Koala Mini Storage (Beijing) ZGBriefs is a weekly compilation of the news in China, condensed from published sources and emailed free-of-charge to more than 6,000 readers in China and abroad. ZGBriefs brings you not only the most important stories of the week, but also links to blogs, commentaries, articles, and resources to help fill out your understanding of what is happening in China today. Coverage includes domestic and international politics, economics, culture, and social trends, among other areas. Seeking to explore all facets of life in China, ZGBriefs also includes coverage of spiritual movements and the role of religious believers and faith-based groups in China. The publication of ZGBriefs is supported by readers who find this weekly service useful. Click to view this email in a browser If you no longer wish to receive these emails, please reply to this message with “Unsubscribe” in the subject line or simply click on the following link: Unsubscribe Click here to forward this email to a friend ChinaSource Partners, Ltd. Unit B / 17F Wing Cheung Industrial Bldg 58-70 Kwai Cheong Road Kwai Chung,, New Territories 00000 HK
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