Behind the Great Wall – 15th May 2012
Zhang Dejiang using the persecution of Falun Gong in power struggle with Hu-Wen faction
Doctor’s narrow escape from forced organ harvesting in China
China’s stock market serving state owned enterprises
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Zhang Dejiang using the persecution of Falun Gong in power struggle with Hu-Wen faction
Falun Gong practice site in Guangzhou during mid-1990s: The traditional Chinese meditative practice became hugely popular during 1990's, but has been severely persecuted since July 1999. Turmoil within the Chinese regime has now seen a considerable amount of political manoeuvring relating to the persecution.
According to reports from state media Chongqing Daily, Zhang Dejiang recently emphasised ‘maintaining stability’ during a visit to Wanzhou and Yunyang near the Three Gorges Dam. Residents of Chongqing said that since Zhang assumed his current Party Chief position, the persecution and suppression of the traditional meditative practice Falun Gong has continued.
Tens of thousands of residents and students in Chongqing’s Wanqu district marched on the street on April 10th and 11th, soon after Zhang Dejiang arrived in Chongqing. The authorities used a large number of military police units to suppress the demonstration and the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners intensified. One resident, Ms. Jiang told an Epoch Times reporter that, on April 16th the Yongchuan district 610 Office abducted 10 Falun Gong practitioners; on April 27th, Zhou Xueliang, a Falun Gong practitioner was abducted and his house ransacked by police; on March 26, four Falun Gong practitioners in Hechuan district were abducted by 610 Office personnel. Continue reading »
Behind the Great Wall – 8th May 2012
Internal Party struggles over Chen Guangcheng incident
Chen Guangcheng incident good chance for Hu-Wen to secure power, according to commentators
Chen’s lawyer Jiang Tianyong captured, beaten and placed under house arrest
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Internal Party struggles over Chen Guangcheng incident
Chen Guangcheng
Zhang Tianliang said: “Hu and Wen’s promise of safety for the Chen family has been broken by Zhou Yongkang’s deliberate, behind-the-scenes threats.”
The Global Times, a Party mouthpiece, also published an editorial that was later removed from its website on May 2, titled “The Era of Relying on Foreigners is Over.”
According to Washington-based independent China analyst Shi Cangshan, the commentary was a veiled attack on Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao. It implied they were “relying on foreigners for support”. The article also announced that “However, the West is no longer capable of influencing China in human rights issues.”
On May 3 the article was removed from the website. Shi, the analyst, saw it as an attempt by hardliners in the Party, primarily Zhou Yongkang, to put pressure on Hu and Wen to resort to hardline tactics against dissent. Continue reading »
Behind the Great Wall – 3rd May 2012
Major American companies to leave China
Chinese companies go to fraud school
People from all walks of life praise Falun Gong on April 25th
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Major American companies to leave China
Dr. Jason, an expert on the Chinese economy, and a senior commentator says this will have a huge, negative impact on the Chinese economy.
In February, the BCG surveyed 106 U.S. manufacturers, and found that 37% of them were thinking about leaving China. The percentage went up to 48% for companies with revenue of over 10 billion US dollars. According to the survey, labour costs and product quality are two of the major reasons for these companies thinking about withdrawing from China.
BCG published three similar reports in 2011 stating the value of manufacturing in China may be “very minimal”.
Dr. Jason believes this may be the tip of the iceberg and if U.S. manufacturers pull-out of China on masse, it will have a huge impact on the Chinese economy which relies heavily on export, manufacturing, and investment (recording):
“China’s robust manufacturing industry is the main source of exports. It’s also one of the three major pillars of the Chinese economy. Investment is another. If the statistics is true, and foreign investment is in fact reduced, and manufacturers are retreating to other countries, then two of the three pillars supporting the Chinese economy will be affected. So the negative impact on the Chinese economy will be huge.” Continue reading »
Behind the Great Wall – 20th Apr 2012
Passing of June 4th democracy movement supporter reopens calls for redress
Chinese leadership attempts to refute rumours of infighting
Politburo Standing Committee may be reduced to seven
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Passing of June 4th democracy movement supporter reopens calls for redress
The late Professor Fang Lizhi
Tributes are flowing in after the death of renowned Chinese human rights and democracy activist Fang Lizhi. Fang died aged 76, and is sometimes known as the spiritual leader of the June 4th 1989 student democracy movement in Tiananmen Square. Sheng Xue, an eye witness of the Tiananmen Square Massacre says Fang’s passing will re-open calls to redress the massacre.
Fang Lizhi was Vice President of the Chinese University of Science and Technology, and a well-known physicist. In 1986 during the beginnings of the student movement, Fang was one of three leaders together with Liu Binyan and Wang Ruowang. In 1987, Fang was kicked-out of the Chinese Communist Party and criticized nationally. After the June 4th massacre in 1989, Fang and his wife fled to the United States embassy in Beijing to seek refuge. They left China a year later. Continue reading »
Behind the Great Wall – 12th Apr 2012
Experts claim new dam project damaging to environment
Guizhou students poisoned by school meal program
Chinese attorneys declare the PLAC illegal
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Experts claim new dam project damaging to environment
There are fears there may be too many dams on China's Yangtze River.
Xiaonanhai is a section of the Yangtze, China’s longest river. The area is an important habitat, with ecological corridors and a protected area for rare endemic fish. Every year, nearly 150 billion fish eggs are laid in the area. Fan Xiao, chief engineer at the Sichuan Regional Geological Office says construction of the hydro-power station will damage the environment and interfere with fish re-production and migration (recording):
“The hydropower station is in a national nature reserve. The Yangtze River Nature Reserve was created for upstream endemic fish, and building the station will change the natural state of the river. Further, the dam will block fish reproduction and migration channels. That is its biggest problem from an ecological point of view.”
The cost of the Xiaonanhai Hydropower station is estimated to be 32 billion yuan (5 billion US dollars). It’s considered a vanity project of Bo Xilai, the former Chongqing Party Secretary. Fan Xiao points out that the hydropower station is built in the hilly areas of the Sichuan Basin, and its cost is much higher than all other projects (recording): Continue reading »
Behind the Great Wall – 4th Apr 2012
Gao Zhisheng visit shows China’s security chief losing power
Petitioners show no sympathy for downfall of Zhou Yongkang
China’s ‘princelings’ or ‘red nobility’
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Gao Zhisheng visit shows China’s security chief losing power
Hopes are high that human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng may have more freedom after the downfall of police chief Zhou Yongkang.
Gao Zhisheng has been called the “conscience of China” for his legal work defending the less fortunate and those who have experienced human rights abuse. He was captured and tortured for several months at an unknown location near Beijing because of his investigation into the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.
In 2004, Gao published an open letter to the National People’s Congress calling for Falun Gong practitioners to be treated according to the law. In 2005, he followed that up with two open letters to Party chief Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao also calling for an end to the persecution.
In response the authorities handed Gao a three-year prison term December 2006, he was later released on a five year probation. But during his release, Gao was abused and sometimes abducted by authorities. In September 2007, Gao wrote an open letter to the U.S. Congress calling for an end to the persecution of Falun Gong. In September 2007 it was revealed that Gao’s torturers stated his abuse was in response to him writing that letter. Continue reading »
Behind the Great Wall – 2012 Jan 12th
Academics tangled in ‘red tape’
Livestock in China given too many antibiotics
Petitioners kidnapped on New Year’s Day
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Academics tangled in ‘red tape’
The study called the “Academic Career Global Cooperation – China Study” claims educators in universities are burdened with administration work which interferes with research and teaching. There’s also added pressure with student assessment results, which can determine how much funding, prestige and resources a department is allocated. Professor Gu believes the ‘red tape’ has robbed them of their rights (recording):
Academics in China struggle as universities become playing fields for politicking (Pictured: Sichuan University campus (egorgrebnev/flickr)).
“We are basically running the university the same way as a factory. University presidents complain about their limited power, as the government controls everything. But the administration also has too much power over important decisions, like whether the president should be in charge of heading academic affairs. Now the presidents are in charge of everything, and the rights of teachers do not exist. With no power of their own, their rights are infringed upon constantly. Even if the teachers are allowed some power, there is no democracy. If he faces evaluation and is judged unfairly, he has no way to appeal.” Continue reading »
Behind the Great Wall – 2012 Jan 5th
U.S. scholar on China’s credit and growth prospects in 2012
Chinese bird flu death caused by mutant strain
Gao Zhisheng imprisoned in far west China
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U.S. scholar on China’s credit and growth prospects in 2012
Professor Tian Xie
Overseas media believe the Chinese government should loosen its credit and lending to stimulate GDP growth in 2012. Dr Frank Tian Xie, a business professor at the University of South Carolina Aiken, predicts the Chinese government will print more money and loosen credit lending. He believes they’ll do this to try boost employment and GDP growth, and try to keep the current government in power.
In the year 2011, overseas economists estimated the true inflation rate in China to reach 16%. At the same time, the GDP growth in China dropped to 9.5%, from 9.8% and 9.7% in the previous two quarters. The Chinese economy seems to have entered a stage of high inflation and slowing growth.
Frank Xie said (recording):
“I think the economic policy, decided by the CCP’s Economic Working Committee, is to ensure growth for 2012 while still maintaining some control of inflation. But if you look at it carefully, the top priority is to stimulate growth, and maintain it, or else unemployment will rise. They say they are trying to control inflation, but they are really maintaining growth at the expense of inflation. It is using its investment in infrastructure to stimulate growth and create jobs.” Continue reading »
Behind the Great Wall – 2011 Dec 29th
Calls for reform to China’s tax system
2000 demonstrators in Shantou inspired by Wukan protests
Train passengers to be tagged by authorities
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Calls for reform to China’s tax system
Recent tax hikes have placed Chinese people and businesses under tremendous pressure.
Professor Li Weiguang of Tianjin University’s Finance and Economics Department believes China’s tax system is unfair and in desperate need of reform. He believes reducing taxes as early as possible is a priority. Li outlined the current tax system (recording):
“Currently in China, direct tax makes up 70% of the total. Why is the price of goods so high? Besides inflation, there is another issue. Indirect taxes are being passed down to people and are reflected through the price of merchandise. In manufacturing, the tax burden is high as well, and much of the tax is paid indirectly. The tax is passed down the distribution channels to consumers, and consumers can’t pass it along. Tax on manufacturers is high as well, which is harmful to small-medium enterprise, and to small business. We have seen many small businesses struggle this year, many of them can’t continue anymore.”
Li claims the tax rate in China is rising too fast and the tax burden is swelling. But representatives of the Ministry of Finance and State Administration of Tax say the tax rate is light. Li had this to say in response (recording):
“It’s not just up to the government to say if the tax rate is too high, we need to look at the feeling among businesses and the public, and see how the macro-economy is running. We have conducted studies this year and found the same results…it is too bias to say the tax burden is not high. We need reform of indirect tax. Reform can’t wait any longer. The people created the wealth, but it’s wasted on politics. Much of the wealth is allocated to areas unrelated to the people’s welfare. This is like the former Soviet Union; we are following the steps of the Russians.” Continue reading »
Behind the Great Wall – 2011 Dec 22nd
Unpaid wages a systemic problem
Reactions to siege at Wukan Village
Land seizure in Chengdu, Sichuan man hospitalised
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Unpaid wages a systemic problem
Some Chinese labourers are yet to receive wages from early this year.
As the end of the year approaches, the rush by workers trying to get their back pay is on the rise again. According to a study of construction workers in four major cities in China, 40% of the workers are still owed wages for previous work. Guo Yuhua, a sociology professor of Qinghua University says the basic human rights of Chinese workers are being deprived, not only do they face the difficulty of getting back pay, they become the target of government crackdowns when they try to protect their rights. This issue isn’t isolated to the construction industry, but is a reflection of deeper systematic problems.
A non-government organisation serving construction workers recently conducted a survey on construction workers in Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai and Shenzhen. The findings were disturbing. The survey found 70% of workers are not working on a labor contract, are missing back pay and poor insurance coverage is common throughout the industry.
According to Professor Guo, the chaos in the construction industry exists throughout China. She said (recording):
“It’s not an issue just with general contractors. It seems to me this is a problem with the entire national system. The one stand-out issue involves back pay, which is quite severe throughout the construction industry. People tend to blame the general contractors for it. Continue reading »
