‘‘There are many problems concerning the public’s immediate interests in education, employment, social security, health care, housing, the environment, food and drug safety, workplace safety, public security, and law enforcement.’’
"Tangled political transition hamstrings China’s economy" by Andrew Jacobs | New York Times, September 27, 2012
BEIJING — When it comes to confronting economic slowdowns, the Chinese government has not been shy about making bold moves. Faced with the contagion of global recession four years ago, policymakers created a $585 billion stimulus package that helped inoculate the nation against the economic malaise still sapping the United States and Europe.
How come theirs worked and ours didn't, 'murkns?
But today, even as China’s vaunted export manufacturing juggernaut loses force, and the Shanghai stock market remains in a slump, the Communist Party appears so distracted by its politically tangled once-a-decade leadership transition that it is unwilling or unable to pursue the more ambitious agenda that many economists say is necessary to head off a far more serious crisis in the future.
Although the departing government has tried in recent months to address decelerating growth by easing bank loan restrictions, increasing pensions and offering tax breaks to small businesses, a lack of consensus among the top stewards of the economy has stymied a more muscular response, insiders say.
Related: China's Federal Reserve
Similarly, many analysts question whether the incoming leadership has the political will to overcome the resistance of the so-called princelings and other well-connected families that have prospered under the current system.
Who wrote this article? You didn't know your political system was the same as the Chinese, did you, 'murkn?
China’s standard economic formula, they say, is losing its potency: Overzealous government investment and lagging consumer spending are creating serious imbalances that are expected to lead to a much more painful reckoning, perhaps not long after the raft of younger leaders assumes power in early 2013....
And here you are right in the middle of yours, Americans -- with corporations still making record profits in this golden age.
Ho-Fung Hung, a political economist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, said, ‘‘The situation is looking increasingly dire.’’
The economic data are indeed glum. Direct foreign investment has fallen for nine months out of the past 10, and industrial output is rising at the slowest rate in three years. Last week, Frederick W. Smith, the chief executive of FedEx Corp., the global airfreight titan, warned of more trouble to come, saying that China’s faltering exports pointed to a weakening global economy in the coming year.
Since the death of Deng Xiaoping, the wily leader who steamrollered his conservative opponents to introduce market reforms in the 1980s and ’90s, China’s political system has increasingly operated through consensus. The horse-trading, involving a dozen or so men who negotiate in secrecy, has dimmed the prospect of significant political or economic change....
As an American all I can say is THAT SOUNDS SO FAMILIAR!
--more--"
How come theirs worked and ours didn't, 'murkns?
But today, even as China’s vaunted export manufacturing juggernaut loses force, and the Shanghai stock market remains in a slump, the Communist Party appears so distracted by its politically tangled once-a-decade leadership transition that it is unwilling or unable to pursue the more ambitious agenda that many economists say is necessary to head off a far more serious crisis in the future.
Although the departing government has tried in recent months to address decelerating growth by easing bank loan restrictions, increasing pensions and offering tax breaks to small businesses, a lack of consensus among the top stewards of the economy has stymied a more muscular response, insiders say.
Related: China's Federal Reserve
Similarly, many analysts question whether the incoming leadership has the political will to overcome the resistance of the so-called princelings and other well-connected families that have prospered under the current system.
Who wrote this article? You didn't know your political system was the same as the Chinese, did you, 'murkn?
China’s standard economic formula, they say, is losing its potency: Overzealous government investment and lagging consumer spending are creating serious imbalances that are expected to lead to a much more painful reckoning, perhaps not long after the raft of younger leaders assumes power in early 2013....
And here you are right in the middle of yours, Americans -- with corporations still making record profits in this golden age.
Ho-Fung Hung, a political economist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, said, ‘‘The situation is looking increasingly dire.’’
The economic data are indeed glum. Direct foreign investment has fallen for nine months out of the past 10, and industrial output is rising at the slowest rate in three years. Last week, Frederick W. Smith, the chief executive of FedEx Corp., the global airfreight titan, warned of more trouble to come, saying that China’s faltering exports pointed to a weakening global economy in the coming year.
Since the death of Deng Xiaoping, the wily leader who steamrollered his conservative opponents to introduce market reforms in the 1980s and ’90s, China’s political system has increasingly operated through consensus. The horse-trading, involving a dozen or so men who negotiate in secrecy, has dimmed the prospect of significant political or economic change....
As an American all I can say is THAT SOUNDS SO FAMILIAR!
--more--"
"Survey: Half of Chinese like US ideas on democracy" by LOUISE WATT, Associated Press / October 16, 2012
BEIJING (AP) — People in China are increasingly worried about corruption, inequality and food safety, according to a survey that also found that about half of Chinese like American ideas about democracy.
In other words, they are JUST LIKE OTHER PEOPLE AROUND the PLANET!
In other words, they are JUST LIKE OTHER PEOPLE AROUND the PLANET!
Chinese citizens have become far more concerned about domestic quality-of-life issues over the past four years, the Pew Global Attitudes Project report on attitudes in China found.
The new attitudes highlight the challenges China’s new leadership will face when it assumes power in a once-in-a-decade transition next month. China’s runaway growth in recent decades has led to a yawning gap between rich and poor and worsening pollution. The Communist Party has said repeatedly that pervasive corruption threatens its hold on power.
Here it is standard operating procedure.
Here it is standard operating procedure.
Most Chinese say they are better off financially, according to the Pew survey, but....
Long ago my college writing instructor told me words like but, still, and all the other colorful words that mean what they just said was bullshit, were bad words for a "report."
Long ago my college writing instructor told me words like but, still, and all the other colorful words that mean what they just said was bullshit, were bad words for a "report."
Half of the respondents said corrupt officials are a major problem....
The gap between rich and poor was the third biggest concern....
Concerns over the safety of food and medicine have increased the most....
Quality of life issues are coming to the foreground in China as average incomes rise and leisure time increases, said Steve Tsang, a professor of contemporary Chinese studies at the University of Nottingham, who wasn’t connected to the survey.
And YOU are going the OTHER WAY, 'murkn!!!!!
And YOU are going the OTHER WAY, 'murkn!!!!!
The research by the Washington, D.C.-based Pew Research Center also found that a growing number of Chinese are concerned about China-U.S. ties. A quarter described the relationship as hostile, up from 8 percent two years ago. Meanwhile, confidence in President Barack Obama to do the right thing in world affairs slipped from 52 percent to 38 percent....
Yeah, because THEY SEE WHAT WE SEE, and what the REST of the WORLD SEES -- whoosh, bang, drone strike!
Yeah, because THEY SEE WHAT WE SEE, and what the REST of the WORLD SEES -- whoosh, bang, drone strike!
--more--"
"Chinese Communist Party set to amend charter" by Gillian Wong | Associated Press, October 23, 2012
BEIJING — The Chinese Communist Party, which has been preparing for an upcoming leadership transition, said Monday that it will amend its constitution when it holds a key meeting in a few weeks.
The announcement was carried by the official Xinhua News Agency after the party’s 25-member Politburo met Monday. Xinhua did not provide details about the amendments.
Cheng Li, a Brookings Institution analyst, said he believes the party could be considering strengthening the rule of law. That would enable the party to seem more accountable to the public after a messy scandal that toppled rising political star Bo Xilai and exposed sharp infighting in the party’s uppermost ranks.
‘‘The general idea is, in the wake of the recent Bo Xilai crisis and other challenges, the party needs to uplift the confidence of the public,’’ Li said.
Bo was one of China’s best-known politicians until he fell from grace earlier this year....
Bo was expelled from the party last month, allowing a transition of power to the next generation of leaders without the scandal hanging over it. The opening of the party congress, when President Hu Jintao will step down as party boss and Vice President Xi Jinping will succeed him, is scheduled for Nov. 8.
During that meeting, party leaders will make strategic plans with a focus on ‘‘problems that are emerging during the country’s development at its current stage and the issues that concern people’s interests in the most immediate and realistic manner,’’ Xinhua said....
--more--"
BEIJING — The Chinese Communist Party, which has been preparing for an upcoming leadership transition, said Monday that it will amend its constitution when it holds a key meeting in a few weeks.
The announcement was carried by the official Xinhua News Agency after the party’s 25-member Politburo met Monday. Xinhua did not provide details about the amendments.
Cheng Li, a Brookings Institution analyst, said he believes the party could be considering strengthening the rule of law. That would enable the party to seem more accountable to the public after a messy scandal that toppled rising political star Bo Xilai and exposed sharp infighting in the party’s uppermost ranks.
‘‘The general idea is, in the wake of the recent Bo Xilai crisis and other challenges, the party needs to uplift the confidence of the public,’’ Li said.
Bo was one of China’s best-known politicians until he fell from grace earlier this year....
Bo was expelled from the party last month, allowing a transition of power to the next generation of leaders without the scandal hanging over it. The opening of the party congress, when President Hu Jintao will step down as party boss and Vice President Xi Jinping will succeed him, is scheduled for Nov. 8.
During that meeting, party leaders will make strategic plans with a focus on ‘‘problems that are emerging during the country’s development at its current stage and the issues that concern people’s interests in the most immediate and realistic manner,’’ Xinhua said....
--more--"
Related: China boots disgraced Bo out of party
"The outcome of trials in China, especially those connected to elite politicians, is often predetermined. Wang Lijun is expected to be found guilty."
Also see: Chinese Power Struggle
"The outcome of trials in China, especially those connected to elite politicians, is often predetermined. Wang Lijun is expected to be found guilty."
Also see: Chinese Power Struggle
I'm struggling to read this s***:
"Family of Chinese leader amasses a fortune; Wen came from poverty, but kin now millionaires" by David Barboza | New York Times, October 26, 2012
"Family of Chinese leader amasses a fortune; Wen came from poverty, but kin now millionaires" by David Barboza | New York Times, October 26, 2012
BEIJING — The mother of China’s prime minister was a schoolteacher in northern China. His father was ordered to tend pigs in one of Mao’s political campaigns. And during childhood, ‘‘my family was extremely poor,’’ the prime minister, Wen Jiabao, said in a speech last year.
But now 90, the prime minister’s mother, Yang Zhiyun, not only left poverty behind — she became outright rich, at least on paper, according to corporate and regulatory records.
The details of how Yang, a widow, accumulated such wealth are not known. But it happened after her son was elevated to China’s ruling elite, first in 1998 as vice prime minister and then five years later as prime minister.
Many relatives of Wen Jiabao, including his son, daughter, younger brother, and brother-in-law, have become extraordinarily wealthy during his leadership, an investigation by The New York Times shows. A review of corporate and regulatory records indicates that the prime minister’s relatives, some of whom have a knack for aggressive deal-making, including his wife, have controlled assets worth at least $2.7 billion.
I thought they were an AmeriKan paper. Talk about being a tool and war instrument. Can you imagine the reaction if China's top newspaper came over here and did an investigation on the political elite of AmeriKa?
In many cases, the names of the relatives have been hidden behind layers of partnerships and investment vehicles involving friends, work colleagues, and business partners. Unlike most new businesses in China, the family’s ventures sometimes received financial backing from state-owned companies, including China Mobile, one of the country’s biggest phone operators, the documents show. At other times, the ventures won support from some of Asia’s richest tycoons. The Times found that Wen’s relatives accumulated shares in banks, jewelers, tourist resorts, telecommunications companies and infrastructure projects, sometimes by using offshore entities.
As prime minister in an economy that remains heavily state-driven, Wen, who is best known for his simple ways and common touch, more importantly has broad authority over the major industries where his relatives have made their fortunes. Because the Chinese government rarely makes its deliberations public, it is not known what role — if any — Wen, who is 70, has played in most policy or regulatory decisions. But in some cases, his relatives have sought to profit from opportunities made possible by those decisions.
The business dealings of Wen’s relatives have sometimes been hidden in ways that suggest the relatives are eager to avoid public scrutiny, the records filed with Chinese regulatory authorities show.
‘‘In the senior leadership, there’s no family that doesn’t have these problems,’’ said a former government colleague of Wen Jiabao who has known him for more than 20 years and who spoke on the condition of anonymity. ‘‘His enemies are intentionally trying to smear him by letting this leak out.’’
Who could they be?
--more--"
That's one right there. I suppose they have never forgiven the Chinese for the Wen Ho Lee case. Better rethink those charges of Chinese spying coming from your lying s*** government, 'murkn.
"China blocks New York Times site over article" Associated Press, October 27, 2012
But now 90, the prime minister’s mother, Yang Zhiyun, not only left poverty behind — she became outright rich, at least on paper, according to corporate and regulatory records.
The details of how Yang, a widow, accumulated such wealth are not known. But it happened after her son was elevated to China’s ruling elite, first in 1998 as vice prime minister and then five years later as prime minister.
Many relatives of Wen Jiabao, including his son, daughter, younger brother, and brother-in-law, have become extraordinarily wealthy during his leadership, an investigation by The New York Times shows. A review of corporate and regulatory records indicates that the prime minister’s relatives, some of whom have a knack for aggressive deal-making, including his wife, have controlled assets worth at least $2.7 billion.
I thought they were an AmeriKan paper. Talk about being a tool and war instrument. Can you imagine the reaction if China's top newspaper came over here and did an investigation on the political elite of AmeriKa?
In many cases, the names of the relatives have been hidden behind layers of partnerships and investment vehicles involving friends, work colleagues, and business partners. Unlike most new businesses in China, the family’s ventures sometimes received financial backing from state-owned companies, including China Mobile, one of the country’s biggest phone operators, the documents show. At other times, the ventures won support from some of Asia’s richest tycoons. The Times found that Wen’s relatives accumulated shares in banks, jewelers, tourist resorts, telecommunications companies and infrastructure projects, sometimes by using offshore entities.
As prime minister in an economy that remains heavily state-driven, Wen, who is best known for his simple ways and common touch, more importantly has broad authority over the major industries where his relatives have made their fortunes. Because the Chinese government rarely makes its deliberations public, it is not known what role — if any — Wen, who is 70, has played in most policy or regulatory decisions. But in some cases, his relatives have sought to profit from opportunities made possible by those decisions.
The business dealings of Wen’s relatives have sometimes been hidden in ways that suggest the relatives are eager to avoid public scrutiny, the records filed with Chinese regulatory authorities show.
‘‘In the senior leadership, there’s no family that doesn’t have these problems,’’ said a former government colleague of Wen Jiabao who has known him for more than 20 years and who spoke on the condition of anonymity. ‘‘His enemies are intentionally trying to smear him by letting this leak out.’’
Who could they be?
--more--"
That's one right there. I suppose they have never forgiven the Chinese for the Wen Ho Lee case. Better rethink those charges of Chinese spying coming from your lying s*** government, 'murkn.
"China blocks New York Times site over article" Associated Press, October 27, 2012
BEIJING — China blocked access to The New York Times website Friday after the paper published a lengthy article contending that the family of Premier Wen Jiabao has amassed assets worth $2.7 billion through a web of investments. The report said most of Wen’s family’s wealth was accumulated after he rose to high office in 2002.
Chinese censors also blocked the Times’ Chinese-language site that carried a translated version of the story.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters at a press briefing that the report ‘‘blackens China and has ulterior motives.’’ He refused to elaborate despite several follow-up questions.
--more--"
They don't have to block the web site. I never buy the paper or go there.
Related: Slow Saturday Special: Boston Globe Going on the Block
Also see: Taylor family members join bid to buy Globe
Doesn't matter. I think I'm finally free.
"China prepares to begin leadership transition" by William Wan | Washington Post, November 08, 2012
Chinese censors also blocked the Times’ Chinese-language site that carried a translated version of the story.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters at a press briefing that the report ‘‘blackens China and has ulterior motives.’’ He refused to elaborate despite several follow-up questions.
--more--"
They don't have to block the web site. I never buy the paper or go there.
Related: Slow Saturday Special: Boston Globe Going on the Block
Also see: Taylor family members join bid to buy Globe
Doesn't matter. I think I'm finally free.
"China prepares to begin leadership transition" by William Wan | Washington Post, November 08, 2012
BEIJING — Beneath the pomp of China’s weeklong 18th party congress are deep implications for the US-China relationship and the world at large.
Related: China’s leaders prepare transition
China’s new leaders will take over at a critical moment. The country’s economy, the world’s second largest, has been growing for three decades, providing much-needed fuel for the regional and global economy and helping to ensure stability at home. But it has slowed in recent months, and many believe economic reform is desperately needed.
China’s complicated and often fraught relationship with the United States has also been stalled for much of the past year, with China-bashing figuring prominently during the US presidential election....
But whether US investment will translate into greater clout with China on thorny issues such as Syria, Iran, Taiwan, or Tibet, or into better overall US-China relations, is unclear.
The highly scripted party congress carries serious domestic implications. Party officials are encountering growing criticism of corruption, its vested interests in state-owned enterprises, and the secrecy and democratic veneer it uses to cloak party leaders’ iron grip on the country’s levers of powers.
Did they describe Obama's reinaguration that way? I rest my case.
In recent weeks, calls for reform have grown louder, including from some within the party, prompting some analysts to believe that a measure of change may be a possibility.
But specialists caution that what party leaders see as reform could differ greatly from the outside world’s understanding of the word....
To distract the public from the closed and secretive process, party leaders have stuffed the next days with an array of events....
Four news conferences are also scheduled in the coming week to address areas of mounting criticism of the party: its opaque system of internal promotions, environmental destruction, the economy, and censorship and other restrictions on culture.
But answers to the most pressing questions will be gleaned mainly by reading between the lines....
That's how I have to read my pos AmeriKan newspaper.
--more--"
Also see: China’s party paper falls for Onion joke about Kim
Related: China’s leaders prepare transition
China’s new leaders will take over at a critical moment. The country’s economy, the world’s second largest, has been growing for three decades, providing much-needed fuel for the regional and global economy and helping to ensure stability at home. But it has slowed in recent months, and many believe economic reform is desperately needed.
China’s complicated and often fraught relationship with the United States has also been stalled for much of the past year, with China-bashing figuring prominently during the US presidential election....
But whether US investment will translate into greater clout with China on thorny issues such as Syria, Iran, Taiwan, or Tibet, or into better overall US-China relations, is unclear.
The highly scripted party congress carries serious domestic implications. Party officials are encountering growing criticism of corruption, its vested interests in state-owned enterprises, and the secrecy and democratic veneer it uses to cloak party leaders’ iron grip on the country’s levers of powers.
Did they describe Obama's reinaguration that way? I rest my case.
In recent weeks, calls for reform have grown louder, including from some within the party, prompting some analysts to believe that a measure of change may be a possibility.
But specialists caution that what party leaders see as reform could differ greatly from the outside world’s understanding of the word....
To distract the public from the closed and secretive process, party leaders have stuffed the next days with an array of events....
Four news conferences are also scheduled in the coming week to address areas of mounting criticism of the party: its opaque system of internal promotions, environmental destruction, the economy, and censorship and other restrictions on culture.
But answers to the most pressing questions will be gleaned mainly by reading between the lines....
That's how I have to read my pos AmeriKan newspaper.
"Corruption hounds top Chinese leaders; Questions about scandals ignored at party congress" by William Wan | Washington Post, November 10, 2012
BEIJING — At several group events during the day, reporters were allowed to watch party leaders discuss policy in a pre-scripted manner — mostly designed to give the party congress a veneer of democratic dialogue. But the veneer was shattered, in most cases, when leaders opened the floor to questions.
Yep.
Reporters inevitably tried to ask about recent corruption scandals and the lack of enforcement and strong anticorruption regulations in China, which allows leaders and their relatives to profit off their political connections.
In most cases, the questions were not answered.
Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, especially, has been under fire ever since a recent New York Times article said that his family controls assets worth $2.7 billion, some of it in industries that fall under Wen’s purview. Policy discussions attended by Wen and by President Hu Jintao on Friday were closed to reporters.
Amid a day full of generalizations, the most surprising and direct response came from Yu Zhengsheng, the current Shanghai party chief and an official many believe will land a coveted seat next week on China’s all-powerful standing committee....
--more--"
Yep.
Reporters inevitably tried to ask about recent corruption scandals and the lack of enforcement and strong anticorruption regulations in China, which allows leaders and their relatives to profit off their political connections.
In most cases, the questions were not answered.
Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, especially, has been under fire ever since a recent New York Times article said that his family controls assets worth $2.7 billion, some of it in industries that fall under Wen’s purview. Policy discussions attended by Wen and by President Hu Jintao on Friday were closed to reporters.
Amid a day full of generalizations, the most surprising and direct response came from Yu Zhengsheng, the current Shanghai party chief and an official many believe will land a coveted seat next week on China’s all-powerful standing committee....
--more--"
"China’s next premier is cautious enforcer; Part of generation more comfortable with the West" by Christopher Bodeen | Associated Press, November 12, 2012
BEIJING — The man in line to oversee China’s massive but rapidly slowing economy for the coming decade speaks English and comes from a generation of politicians schooled during a time of greater openness to liberal Western ideas than its predecessors.
But Li Keqiang also has been a cautious career bureaucrat who rose through, and is bound by, a consensus-oriented Communist Party that has been slow to reform its massive state-owned enterprises while reflexively stifling dissent....
In a US State Department cable released by the Wikileaks organization, Li is quoted telling diplomats that Chinese economic growth statistics were ‘‘man-made,’’ and saying he looked instead to electricity demand, rail cargo traffic, and lending as more accurate indicators....
Otherwise known as a U.S. intelligence operation and National Security Agency trap. The fact that their first big batch of releases supported Israel's war agenda tells you a lot.
--more--"
"China’s new leader prepares to take the reins" by Keith B. Richburg and William Wan | Washington Post, November 15, 2012
In a US State Department cable released by the Wikileaks organization, Li is quoted telling diplomats that Chinese economic growth statistics were ‘‘man-made,’’ and saying he looked instead to electricity demand, rail cargo traffic, and lending as more accurate indicators....
Otherwise known as a U.S. intelligence operation and National Security Agency trap. The fact that their first big batch of releases supported Israel's war agenda tells you a lot.
--more--"
"China’s new leader prepares to take the reins" by Keith B. Richburg and William Wan | Washington Post, November 15, 2012
BEIJING — The transition is not likely to dramatically change China’s relations with the United States. Xi was long known as the heir apparent, and the Obama administration began cultivating ties with him, including sending Vice President Joe Biden on a lengthy trip here in 2011, where Xi played host in Beijing and in Sichuan Province in the Southwest. Xi made a reciprocal trip to the United States earlier this year with Biden as his host, and they attended a Los Angeles Lakers game.
But in coming months as Xi consolidates his power, military tensions probably will remain high as the United States continues its policy of rebalancing toward Asia and shoring up its alliances with countries surrounding China. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is on a weeklong Asia trip that will take him to Thailand, Cambodia, and Australia, where the United States has been expanding military cooperation and establishing a new base in the Northern coastal city of Darwin.
Later this month, President Obama will travel to Cambodia, Thailand, and Myanmar, the final stop symbolically important as the United States and China are seen as rivals for influence in that strategically located Southeast Asian country.
That draft of articles is buried somewhere in this blog. Maybe someday I'll get to it.
This year’s leadership transition is China’s first in a decade, and only its second without chaos or bloodshed....
--more--"
But in coming months as Xi consolidates his power, military tensions probably will remain high as the United States continues its policy of rebalancing toward Asia and shoring up its alliances with countries surrounding China. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is on a weeklong Asia trip that will take him to Thailand, Cambodia, and Australia, where the United States has been expanding military cooperation and establishing a new base in the Northern coastal city of Darwin.
Later this month, President Obama will travel to Cambodia, Thailand, and Myanmar, the final stop symbolically important as the United States and China are seen as rivals for influence in that strategically located Southeast Asian country.
That draft of articles is buried somewhere in this blog. Maybe someday I'll get to it.
This year’s leadership transition is China’s first in a decade, and only its second without chaos or bloodshed....
--more--"
"China’s new leader warns against spread of corruption" by Edward Wong | New York Times, November 20, 2012
BEIJING — In his first speech to the Chinese Communist Party’s elite Politburo, Xi Jinping, the new party chief, denounced the prevalence of corruption and said officials must guard against its spread or it would ‘‘doom the party and the state.’’
**************************************
‘‘In recent years, the long pent-up problems in some countries have led to the venting of public outrage, to social turmoil, and to the fall of governments, and corruption and graft have been an important reason,’’ Xi said, according to a version of the speech posted online. ‘‘A mass of facts tells us that if corruption becomes increasingly serious, it will inevitably doom the party and the state. We must be vigilant.”
Are AmeriKan officials listening?
Xi also took the occasion to underscore the need to remain true to the party’s founding ideology, and warned that some officials appeared to be heading down a wayward path.
‘‘Faith in Marxism and a belief in socialism and communism is the political soul of a communist and the spiritual pillar that allows a communist to withstand any test,’’ Xi said....
--more--"
**************************************
‘‘In recent years, the long pent-up problems in some countries have led to the venting of public outrage, to social turmoil, and to the fall of governments, and corruption and graft have been an important reason,’’ Xi said, according to a version of the speech posted online. ‘‘A mass of facts tells us that if corruption becomes increasingly serious, it will inevitably doom the party and the state. We must be vigilant.”
Are AmeriKan officials listening?
Xi also took the occasion to underscore the need to remain true to the party’s founding ideology, and warned that some officials appeared to be heading down a wayward path.
‘‘Faith in Marxism and a belief in socialism and communism is the political soul of a communist and the spiritual pillar that allows a communist to withstand any test,’’ Xi said....
--more--"
"China’s leaders pledge to reduce pomp for officials" AP, December 05, 2012
BEIJING — China’s leaders pledged Tuesday to reduce pomp, ceremony, and red carpets for senior officials who are long accustomed to lavish trappings and distance from ordinary citizens....
Chinese government bureaucrats are notoriously status-conscious, and even low-level county officials commonly travel in chauffeur-driven cars.
Chinese microbloggers often mock the arrogance and corruption of officials, leading in some cases to disciplinary action against government and Communist Party leaders whose behavior is seen as particularly outrageous.
Communist Party chief Xi Jinping has already warned that the party risks losing its grip on power if it fails to root out corruption, and the government is eager to show that those in power are worthy of their posts.
At Tuesday’s meeting, the Politburo agreed that red carpets should no longer be rolled out for officials on visits, and that welcoming flowers and banners must also go, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.
They also agreed that overseas Chinese, including students, should not be bused to airports to greet leaders when they arrive.
They have a PAC, too?
The senior leaders agreed to cut spending and the size of leaders’ entourages on official domestic and overseas visits, that fewer traffic controls should be arranged for such trips to avoid inconveniencing the public, and to ban worthless news reports on senior officials’ work and activities.
It's a good idea. I'm reading one now.
--more--"
Chinese microbloggers often mock the arrogance and corruption of officials, leading in some cases to disciplinary action against government and Communist Party leaders whose behavior is seen as particularly outrageous.
Communist Party chief Xi Jinping has already warned that the party risks losing its grip on power if it fails to root out corruption, and the government is eager to show that those in power are worthy of their posts.
At Tuesday’s meeting, the Politburo agreed that red carpets should no longer be rolled out for officials on visits, and that welcoming flowers and banners must also go, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.
They also agreed that overseas Chinese, including students, should not be bused to airports to greet leaders when they arrive.
They have a PAC, too?
The senior leaders agreed to cut spending and the size of leaders’ entourages on official domestic and overseas visits, that fewer traffic controls should be arranged for such trips to avoid inconveniencing the public, and to ban worthless news reports on senior officials’ work and activities.
It's a good idea. I'm reading one now.
--more--"
"China issues income gap data for first time since 2000" by Joe McDonald | Associated Press, January 19, 2013
BEIJING — China’s government reported the scale of the wide gulf between its rich and poor for the first time in 12 years Friday and said it urgently needs to narrow the politically explosive gap.
Beijing failed to report the widely used Gini coefficient for income distribution for a decade as complaints about the income gap mounted during China’s fastest growth on record. That prompted suggestions that the ruling Communist Party might be trying to downplay the gap between an elite who benefited from more than three decades of reform and the poor majority.
Why not? My AmeriKan new$paper does. Tells us its just a perception.
Why not? My AmeriKan new$paper does. Tells us its just a perception.
The Gini figure is based on how much of a country’s income goes to each economic level of society. The index ranges from zero for complete equality to 1 for perfect inequality. It also can be reported on a 100-point scale.
China’s Gini coefficient was 0.474 last year on a 0-to-1 scale, down from a high of 0.491 in 2008, said the director of the National Bureau of Statistics, Ma Jiantang. That would make China among the world’s most unequal societies. By comparison, Ma said Brazil’s Gini number was 0.55, Argentina’s 0.46 and Russia’s 0.40.
And the U.S. is.... #1 in inequality?!
“We must focus on income distribution,” Ma said at a press conference. “On the one hand, we need to make the cake bigger, while on the other, we need to do a better job of sharing it.”
Narrowing the income gap is a pressing issue for new Communist Party leaders who took power in October. The government is rumored to be preparing to release a long-range plan to reduce inequality but there has been no official confirmation.
The latest announcement follows two years of improvement in income distribution that Ma said was due to higher social spending and government efforts to improve life for the poor. Private-sector economists say, however, that much of the rise in income for China’s poorest is due to wage hikes prompted by labor shortages.
China’s boom has made multibillion-dollar fortunes for some entrepreneurs but income growth for the majority has been sluggish.
Sound familiar, 'murkn?
The government last issued a Gini number for 2000. Since then, Ma’s agency has said it knew too little about incomes of wealthy households to make a calculation.
--more--"
"China pledges to repair environment, boost services" by Gillian Wong | Associated Press, March 06, 2013
BEIJING — China’s government pledged Tuesday to repair the country’s ravaged environment and boost public services under its new leadership, an acknowledgment that quality of life was sidelined during the outgoing administration’s decade of breakneck economic growth.
In a policy speech opening the national legislature’s yearly session, soon-to-retire Premier Wen Jiabao went through a list of problems that had built up in recent years and was being left to his successors: a sputtering growth model; poisoned air, waterways, and soil; a vast and growing rich-poor gap; and rampant official corruption that has alienated many Chinese.
‘‘Is this a time bomb?’’ Yao Jianfu, a retirement government researcher, asked. Yao’s specialty is China’s army of migrant workers who are often deprived of access to housing, education, and other government services. ‘‘If there’s an economic downturn and massive unemployment, will the 200 million migrant workers become the main force of the next Cultural Revolution?’’ he said, referring to the excesses of the chaotic 1966-76 period.
The unfinished agenda of China’s past decade is now the central concern of the new leadership as it seeks to assuage a public that is looking beyond pocketbook issues, empowered by the Internet and increasingly vocal about the need for change....
Though Wen delivered the address, it represents the priorities of the new leadership headed by Communist Party chief Xi Jinping and it underscores the inflection point many Chinese feel the country has reached: The policies that delivered stunning growth are foundering in the ill effects of corruption and environmental degradation, and many Chinese believe benefits unfairly accrue to a party-connected elite.
The legislative session completes the once-a-decade leadership transition that began four months ago when Xi and other younger leaders were installed as party leaders. The largely ceremonial legislature, known as the National People’s Congress, will approve appointments to top government posts to manage the economic and foreign policies, rounding out the team Xi will need to govern....
Obama nominations are some real Jewells, too!!
An accompanying budget presented Tuesday give a mixed picture of how different a course Xi intends to steer. Defense spending will increase 10.7 percent to $114 billion — a higher rate than the overall growth of the budget that comes as China engages in tense territorial disputes with neighbors.
Spending on public security is getting an 8 percent boost to $124 billion, making this the third year in a row that outlays for the police, courts, and other law enforcement exceeds defense spending.
This, despite public unhappiness over the enormous state security system that is used to repress threats to the party and runs roughshod over the legal system....
Once again, I state for the record how SICK and TIRED I AM of HYPOCRITICAL POT-HOLLERING KETTLE MEDIA!!
The address was short on specifics, especially on the sore points of the environment and corruption....
The speech failed to address public calls for greater political freedom....
They never describe an AmeriKan politicians speech in such a way.
How do you say SHIT in Mandarin?
Raising the standard of living is ‘‘important to everyone . . . but people want more freedom, they want less control,’’ said Jean-Pierre Cabestan, a China politics specialist at the Hong Kong Baptist University.
--more--"
"China’s legislature OKs new premier" Associated Press, March 16, 2013
BEIJING — China’s rubberstamp Legislature appointed Li Keqiang to the premiership as a long-orchestrated leadership transition neared its end, a premier tasked with addressing a slowing economy and defusing public anger over corruption, pollution, and a growing gap between rich and poor....
Party chief Xi Jinping cuts an authoritative figure with a confidence and congeniality that was lacking in his predecessor....
--more--"
Also see: Communist Party leader assumes China presidency
"New leaders in China speak of reform, end to corruption; Prime minister pledges to help spur investment" by Andrew Jacobs | New York Times, March 18, 2013
BEIJING — Li Keqiang, in his first comments as China’s prime minister, laid out a vision Sunday for a more equitable society in which environmental protection trumps unbridled growth and government officials put the people’s welfare before their own financial interests....
Speaking on the final day of the legislative session that installed a new generation of leaders, Li vowed to ease impediments to private investment, rein in the powerful interests that dominate large sectors of the economy, and scale back an unwieldy, intrusive bureaucracy that he acknowledged often frustrated entrepreneurs and citizens.
In his inaugural speech earlier Sunday, China’s new president, Xi Jinping, spoke of the ‘‘Chinese Dream,’’ striking a nationalist note as he emphasized the glory of Chinese civilization....
Our politicians do it all the time, and its applauded. Oh, right, another NYT piece.
‘‘Reforming is about curbing government power,’’ he said in his opening remarks, which were broadcast live on television....
His comments, delivered with a casual spontaneity seldom seen from a Chinese leader, offered a tantalizing palette of economic and social changes that promised to transform the lives of the rural poor, the migrants flooding into the cities, and retirees who worry about rising prices and unaffordable health care.
Acknowledging that he has been ‘‘depressed’’ by the noxious pollution shrouding Beijing, Li encouraged the news media and the public to hold him accountable should his government fail to clean up China’s contaminated water and food supply.
‘‘Poverty and backwardness in the midst of clear waters and verdant mountains is no good,’’ he said, ‘‘nor is it to have prosperity and wealth while the environment deteriorates.’’
************************
Even if bloggers and political analysts were encouraged by Li Keqiang’s comments — and his down-to-earth, direct speaking style — they noted that his promises were short on specifics.
(Blog editor.... never mind)
He declined to discuss political changes, an issue that liberal intellectuals and policy advisers say must be addressed if the country is to tackle some of its most intractable problems. Instead, they said, he defended the modest package of administrative adjustments approved by the country’s party-run legislative session.
Li faces formidable obstacles. Changes that seek to increase opportunities for farmers, migrant workers, and entrepreneurs are sure to face resistance from an elite that has shown little interest in sharing the fruits of China’s fabled economic growth. He must also operate within a consensus-driven leadership, including a seven-member Politburo Standing Committee dominated by conservatives.
Even Li acknowledged the potential obstacles posed by those who have accumulated power and wealth during China’s three-decade embrace of market reform.
“Nowadays moving against these interests is often harder than laying a hand on a soul,’’ he said....
Xi has also provoked some unease, especially among China’s neighbors, with his emphasis on bolstering the military and by promoting ‘‘a great national revival’’ that some have interpreted as code for a more muscular foreign policy.
While both Xi and Li are unvarnished party loyalists, reformers have placed much of their hopes for change on Li, 57, whose law degree and doctorate in economics from Peking University make him one of China’s best-educated leaders. Unlike Xi, a so-called princeling whose father was a Communist Party luminary, Li comes from a humble background.
The state-run media has promoted the image of Li as a modern, no-fuss leader. Commentators noted that compared with his predecessor, Wen Jiabao — who occasionally adorned his speeches with classic Chinese verse — Li seemed to speak unscripted, his hands slicing the air for emphasis.
--more--"
"China’s ex-train boss charged with bribery" by LOUISE WATT | Associated Press, April 11, 2013
BEIJING — The man who spearheaded China’s showcase bullet train network has been charged with taking bribes and abusing his power, two years after he was ousted from his job as railways minister
Prosecutors submitted the lawsuit against Liu Zhijun on Wednesday, a court press office official said. ‘‘The date of the trial will be released in due time,’’ said the officer, who refused to give his name as is common with Chinese officials.
Liu, 60, was appointed railways minister in 2003 and dismissed in February 2011 for unspecified discipline violations. He was also stripped of his position as the ministry’s Communist Party chief.
The indictment accuses Liu of using his status as a state official to seek benefits for others and of accepting large financial incentives, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. It also said that malpractice and abuse of power by Liu caused huge financial losses for the state.
The case is one of China’s biggest graft investigations and highlights rampant corruption in the railways, which many Chinese depend on.
--more--"
"China pledges to repair environment, boost services" by Gillian Wong | Associated Press, March 06, 2013
BEIJING — China’s government pledged Tuesday to repair the country’s ravaged environment and boost public services under its new leadership, an acknowledgment that quality of life was sidelined during the outgoing administration’s decade of breakneck economic growth.
In a policy speech opening the national legislature’s yearly session, soon-to-retire Premier Wen Jiabao went through a list of problems that had built up in recent years and was being left to his successors: a sputtering growth model; poisoned air, waterways, and soil; a vast and growing rich-poor gap; and rampant official corruption that has alienated many Chinese.
‘‘Is this a time bomb?’’ Yao Jianfu, a retirement government researcher, asked. Yao’s specialty is China’s army of migrant workers who are often deprived of access to housing, education, and other government services. ‘‘If there’s an economic downturn and massive unemployment, will the 200 million migrant workers become the main force of the next Cultural Revolution?’’ he said, referring to the excesses of the chaotic 1966-76 period.
The unfinished agenda of China’s past decade is now the central concern of the new leadership as it seeks to assuage a public that is looking beyond pocketbook issues, empowered by the Internet and increasingly vocal about the need for change....
Though Wen delivered the address, it represents the priorities of the new leadership headed by Communist Party chief Xi Jinping and it underscores the inflection point many Chinese feel the country has reached: The policies that delivered stunning growth are foundering in the ill effects of corruption and environmental degradation, and many Chinese believe benefits unfairly accrue to a party-connected elite.
The legislative session completes the once-a-decade leadership transition that began four months ago when Xi and other younger leaders were installed as party leaders. The largely ceremonial legislature, known as the National People’s Congress, will approve appointments to top government posts to manage the economic and foreign policies, rounding out the team Xi will need to govern....
Obama nominations are some real Jewells, too!!
An accompanying budget presented Tuesday give a mixed picture of how different a course Xi intends to steer. Defense spending will increase 10.7 percent to $114 billion — a higher rate than the overall growth of the budget that comes as China engages in tense territorial disputes with neighbors.
Spending on public security is getting an 8 percent boost to $124 billion, making this the third year in a row that outlays for the police, courts, and other law enforcement exceeds defense spending.
This, despite public unhappiness over the enormous state security system that is used to repress threats to the party and runs roughshod over the legal system....
Once again, I state for the record how SICK and TIRED I AM of HYPOCRITICAL POT-HOLLERING KETTLE MEDIA!!
The address was short on specifics, especially on the sore points of the environment and corruption....
The speech failed to address public calls for greater political freedom....
They never describe an AmeriKan politicians speech in such a way.
How do you say SHIT in Mandarin?
Raising the standard of living is ‘‘important to everyone . . . but people want more freedom, they want less control,’’ said Jean-Pierre Cabestan, a China politics specialist at the Hong Kong Baptist University.
--more--"
"China’s legislature OKs new premier" Associated Press, March 16, 2013
BEIJING — China’s rubberstamp Legislature appointed Li Keqiang to the premiership as a long-orchestrated leadership transition neared its end, a premier tasked with addressing a slowing economy and defusing public anger over corruption, pollution, and a growing gap between rich and poor....
Party chief Xi Jinping cuts an authoritative figure with a confidence and congeniality that was lacking in his predecessor....
--more--"
Also see: Communist Party leader assumes China presidency
"New leaders in China speak of reform, end to corruption; Prime minister pledges to help spur investment" by Andrew Jacobs | New York Times, March 18, 2013
BEIJING — Li Keqiang, in his first comments as China’s prime minister, laid out a vision Sunday for a more equitable society in which environmental protection trumps unbridled growth and government officials put the people’s welfare before their own financial interests....
Speaking on the final day of the legislative session that installed a new generation of leaders, Li vowed to ease impediments to private investment, rein in the powerful interests that dominate large sectors of the economy, and scale back an unwieldy, intrusive bureaucracy that he acknowledged often frustrated entrepreneurs and citizens.
In his inaugural speech earlier Sunday, China’s new president, Xi Jinping, spoke of the ‘‘Chinese Dream,’’ striking a nationalist note as he emphasized the glory of Chinese civilization....
Our politicians do it all the time, and its applauded. Oh, right, another NYT piece.
‘‘Reforming is about curbing government power,’’ he said in his opening remarks, which were broadcast live on television....
His comments, delivered with a casual spontaneity seldom seen from a Chinese leader, offered a tantalizing palette of economic and social changes that promised to transform the lives of the rural poor, the migrants flooding into the cities, and retirees who worry about rising prices and unaffordable health care.
Acknowledging that he has been ‘‘depressed’’ by the noxious pollution shrouding Beijing, Li encouraged the news media and the public to hold him accountable should his government fail to clean up China’s contaminated water and food supply.
‘‘Poverty and backwardness in the midst of clear waters and verdant mountains is no good,’’ he said, ‘‘nor is it to have prosperity and wealth while the environment deteriorates.’’
************************
Even if bloggers and political analysts were encouraged by Li Keqiang’s comments — and his down-to-earth, direct speaking style — they noted that his promises were short on specifics.
(Blog editor.... never mind)
He declined to discuss political changes, an issue that liberal intellectuals and policy advisers say must be addressed if the country is to tackle some of its most intractable problems. Instead, they said, he defended the modest package of administrative adjustments approved by the country’s party-run legislative session.
Li faces formidable obstacles. Changes that seek to increase opportunities for farmers, migrant workers, and entrepreneurs are sure to face resistance from an elite that has shown little interest in sharing the fruits of China’s fabled economic growth. He must also operate within a consensus-driven leadership, including a seven-member Politburo Standing Committee dominated by conservatives.
Even Li acknowledged the potential obstacles posed by those who have accumulated power and wealth during China’s three-decade embrace of market reform.
“Nowadays moving against these interests is often harder than laying a hand on a soul,’’ he said....
Xi has also provoked some unease, especially among China’s neighbors, with his emphasis on bolstering the military and by promoting ‘‘a great national revival’’ that some have interpreted as code for a more muscular foreign policy.
While both Xi and Li are unvarnished party loyalists, reformers have placed much of their hopes for change on Li, 57, whose law degree and doctorate in economics from Peking University make him one of China’s best-educated leaders. Unlike Xi, a so-called princeling whose father was a Communist Party luminary, Li comes from a humble background.
The state-run media has promoted the image of Li as a modern, no-fuss leader. Commentators noted that compared with his predecessor, Wen Jiabao — who occasionally adorned his speeches with classic Chinese verse — Li seemed to speak unscripted, his hands slicing the air for emphasis.
--more--"
"China’s ex-train boss charged with bribery" by LOUISE WATT | Associated Press, April 11, 2013
BEIJING — The man who spearheaded China’s showcase bullet train network has been charged with taking bribes and abusing his power, two years after he was ousted from his job as railways minister
Prosecutors submitted the lawsuit against Liu Zhijun on Wednesday, a court press office official said. ‘‘The date of the trial will be released in due time,’’ said the officer, who refused to give his name as is common with Chinese officials.
Liu, 60, was appointed railways minister in 2003 and dismissed in February 2011 for unspecified discipline violations. He was also stripped of his position as the ministry’s Communist Party chief.
The indictment accuses Liu of using his status as a state official to seek benefits for others and of accepting large financial incentives, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. It also said that malpractice and abuse of power by Liu caused huge financial losses for the state.
The case is one of China’s biggest graft investigations and highlights rampant corruption in the railways, which many Chinese depend on.
--more--"
No change:
"Outcry for China activist’s daughter" by Didi Tang | Associated Press, April 13, 2013
"Outcry for China activist’s daughter" by Didi Tang | Associated Press, April 13, 2013
BEIJING — Dozens of Chinese rights lawyers and citizens have flocked to an eastern city this week to protest an elementary school’s preventing the 10-year-old daughter of an activist from returning to class.
Supporters have gathered in the past few days in Hefei to stage hunger strikes in front of Hupo Elementary School and hold makeshift classes for Zhang Anni, daughter of democracy activist Zhang Lin, at a nearby square.
The protesters are urging the school to allow Anni to resume lessons, saying the child should not be denied an education because of her father’s activism.
The outcry underscores public anger over social injustice and an increasing willingness among citizens to openly reject China’s long-held practice of extending the punishment of government critics to their family members, including their children. Authorities routinely harass the relatives of activists and dissidents to pressure them into cooperating....
--more--"
Related:
"The brother-in-law of Liu Xiaobo, China’s jailed Nobel Peace Prize recipient, is likely to face trial soon on fraud charges that a lawyer for the family said Friday lacked sufficient evidence and that supporters said appeared to be an effort to deter Liu’s wife from defying house arrest."
After decades of nonviolent struggle for civil rights.
Also see:
Chinese Nobel winner’s wife tells of his arrest
China sentences activist’s nephew to 3 years’ jail
You need a change in yours, America.
