26 APRIL 2013
Chinese People Lack Faith in Communist Party, Survey Finds
Close to 80 percent of respondents in a state online survey said they have no confidence in the Chinese regime’s leadership or reform policies. The survey was deleted within one day. http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/26365-chinese-people-lack-faith-in-ruling-party-survey-finds/
17 APRIL 2013
The Rise of China’s Reformers?
With China’s political transition now complete, the country — and the world economy — is left with a pressing question: Does the new team in Beijing have the vision and the political will to revive stalled yet crucial economic reforms? Few observers are optimistic about the answer. http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/139295/evan-a-feigenbaum-and-damien-ma/the-rise-of-chinas-reformers?page=show
16 MARCH 2013
China People’s Congress approves new cabinet
China’s parliament has approved a new cabinet, completing the leadership transition that saw Xi Jinping confirmed as president on Thursday. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-21812057 http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-03/16/c_132238467.htm http://asiancorrespondent.com/102318/china-installs-cabinet-of-party-vets-technocrats/ http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/att/2013npc/site1/20130317/002170196e1c12af4a8810.pdf
15 MARCH 2013
Li Keqiang named as China’s prime minister
He replaces Wen Jiabao, and for the next 10 years will be responsible for the day-to-day guiding of government policy, and overseeing the economy http://www.euronews.com/2013/03/15/li-keqiang-becomes-china-s-prime-minister/ http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2013/03/20133152423533287.html http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-21796641
14 MARCH 2013
Xi Jinping named as China’s president
China’s parliament formally elected Xi Jinping as the country’s new president, completing the country’s second orderly political succession since the Communist Party took power in 1949 http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2013/03/2013314590447477.html http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-21766622
China’s parliament elects new state leadership
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, was elected president of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and chairman of the PRC Central Military Commission (CMC) on Thursday. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-03/14/c_132233769.htm
Li Yuanchao elected Chinese vice president http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-03/14/c_132233077.htm
10 MARCH 2013
China unveils cabinet reshuffle plan
The number of ministries under the State Council will reduce from 27 to 25 while several departments and agencies are reorganized, according to a plan of institutional restructuring and functional transformation of the State Council, submitted to the national legislative session Sunday. http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/766982.shtml
27 FEBRUARY 2013
China: 100+ leading intellectuals sign human rights petition
More than a hundred leading intellectuals have signed an open letter calling for China’s national legislature to ratify a major human rights treaty as lawmakers are preparing to convene in Beijing next week to attend the inaugural session of the 12th National People’s Congress. http://asiancorrespondent.com/99497/china-100-leading-intellectuals-sign-human-rights-petition/ http://cmp.hku.hk/2013/02/26/31531/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-21597752
19 FEBRUARY 2013
Xi Jinping’s imperfect inner circle
Barely three months after assuming the posts of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) general secretary and Central Military Commission (CMC) chairman, Xi Jinping has done well in buttressing his authority within the party’s upper echelons. Xi’s remarkable consolidation comes in spite of the fact that he is not associated with any comparably powerful clique within the party apparatus – unlike predecessors Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, who are heads of the Shanghai Faction and the Communist Youth League (CYL) Faction, respectively http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/CHIN-01-190213.html
13 FEBRUARY 2013
5 ways China could become a democracy
Few have seriously thought about the probability and the various plausible scenarios of a regime transition in China — until now. http://thediplomat.com/2013/02/13/5-ways-china-could-become-a-democracy/
7 FEBRUARY 2013
Chinese Communist Party must tolerate ‘sharp criticism’, says Xi Jinping
Xi Jinping, who will formally assume China’s presidency at next month’s National People’s Congress, made the comments on Wednesday during an event commemorating the Lunar New Year although state media only reported the speech on Thursday evening. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/9855279/Chinese-Communist-Party-must-tolerate-sharp-criticism-says-Xi-Jinping.html
14 JANUARY 2013
Is Xi Jinping a Reformer? It’s Much Too Early to Tell (A Response to Nicholas Kristof) http://asiasociety.org/blog/asia/xi-jinping-reformer-its-much-too-early-tell-response-nicholas-kristof http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/06/opinion/sunday/kristof-looking-for-a-jump-start-in-china.html?_r=0
7 JANUARY 2013
Beijing prizes loyalty over skill in reshuffle
China has reshuffled the party and administrative leaderships of a dozen-odd provinces and directly-administered cities in the wake of the 18th Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Congress. The traits and political orientations of the new regional chiefs reflect the authorities’ priorities about seeking gradual change while guaranteeing stability. At the same time, ample opportunities have been afforded to a handful of sixth-generation leaders – a reference to rising stars born in the 1960s – to build up their national stature and reformist credentials http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/OA08Ad02.html
18 DECEMBER 2012
Xi Jinping reignites reform promise
General Secretary Xi Jinping has lost no time in reassuring the world that his Chinese Communist Party (CCP) administration will not only persevere with reforms championed by late patriarch Deng Xiaoping but also « initiate new paths ». Shenzhen, the special economic zone (SEZ) that is synonymous with the country’s 34-year-old era of reform and the « open door » policy, was the first city that Xi inspected after becoming party chief and chairman of the Central Military Commission on November 15
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/NL18Ad02.html
26 NOVEMBER 2012
China’s Leadership Change Puts Pair Ahead of Their Peers for 2017
When American diplomats in China scanned the political landscape this year for officials on a fast track to the Communist Party’s top ranks, one name jumped out: Hu Chunhua.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/27/world/asia/new-generation-of-communist-party-leaders-prepare-for-next-round.html?_r=0&adxnnl=1&smid=li-share&pagewanted=1&adxnnlx=1354114824-tB3pCofuglWy49JzROhv6A
24 NOVEMBER 2012
Wen Jiabao’s legacy and Chinese politics today
Wen Jiabao stepped down from the powerful Communist Party of China (CPC) Standing Politburo at the 18th Congress of the CPC last week. But he will not hand over the premiership to his successor until the National Congress elections next year. After ten years in power, Mr Wen will be remembered by the Chinese people for three things: as a people’s prime minister, as a political reformist, and as a corruption fighter.
http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2012/11/24/wen-jiabaos-legacy-and-chinese-politics-today/
20 NOVEMBER 2012
China names new Communist Party chief in Chongqing
Sun Zhengcai, 49, will take over from outgoing chief Zhang Dejiang, who was promoted to the Politburo Standing Committee, Xinhua news agency said.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-20405494
18 NOVEMBER 2012
China 2022 leadership clues already on show
Analysts say the front runners for 2022 are Hu Chunhua, a literature graduate who cracked down on protestors in Tibet, and Sun Zhengcai, who spent time as an agricultural researcher in the British countryside.
http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20121118-384150.html
16 NOVEMBER
Jiang Zemin faction wins in China’s game of thrones
Former president outmanoeuvred his successor Hu Jintao, who only got one man from his faction into the Politburo Standing Committee
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1083371/jiang-zemin-faction-wins-chinas-game-thrones
15 NOVEMBER 2012
Xi Jinping elected general secretary of CPC Central Committee
Xi Jinping was elected general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee at the first plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee on Thursday morning.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/NK16Ad02.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-20322288
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/9681336/Communist-Party-Congress-leadership-change-a-disappointment-for-liberals.html
Who’s Who in the new Politburo Standing Committee
http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20121115-383560.html
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/The-new-members-of-the-CPC-politburo-(An-overview)-26366.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-20321603
http://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2012/11/world/china-new-leadership/
http://thediplomat.com/2012/11/16/chinas-new-leadership-unveiled/?all=true
List of Political Bureau members of 18th CPC Central Committee
The following is the list of the Political Bureau members of the 18th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee (listed in the order of the number of strokes in their surnames)
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/special/18cpcnc/2012-11/15/c_131976432.htm
List of members of the 18th CPC Central Committee
The following is a list of the 205 members of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) elected at the 18th CPC National Congress here Wednesday (listed in the order of the number of strokes in their surnames): http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/special/18cpcnc/2012-11/14/c_131974817.htm
8 NOVEMBER 2012
China’s ruling Communist Party has launched its national congress, a pivotal event that ushers in a new set of top leaders for the next decade.
Chinese President Hu Jintao has opened a Communist Party congress that begins a once-in-a-decade power transfer with a stark warning on corruption
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-20233101 http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2012/11/2012118175880705.html
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/11/07/world/asia/china-party-congress/index.html?hpt=ias_c1
6 NOVEMBER 2012
Battle for China’s Top Party Posts Intensifies
The showdown between rival factions in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has become fiercer as the 18th Party Congress draws near, when a new leadership will be sworn in for another decade. Members loyal to former Party head Jiang Zemin are said to be fighting a desperate battle with the incumbent leaders and their plan for a measure of democracy inside the Party, in order to save themselves from being eliminated.
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/china-news/battle-for-china-s-top-party-posts-intensifies-311265.html
5 NOVEMBER 2012
Wen Jiabao counterattacks, calls for inquiry into leak about his family
The prime minister is caught up in a political scandal that has tarnished his image following a report by the New York Times that reveals his family’s huge fortune. However, a fierce power struggle before the upcoming party congress appears to be the reason for the leak. Party elders, who have always disliked Wen, want his « explanations » (and perhaps his head
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Wen-Jiabao-counterattacks,-calls-for-inquiry-into-leak-about-his-family-26264.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/9655112/Wen-Jiabao-requests-probe-into-family-fortune.html
4 NOVEMBER 2012
China puts controversial reformists’ pic on display
A picture showing Hu Yaobang and Zhao Ziyang, the late Chinese leaders who fell from power after their reformist drive in the 1980s, is on display in the press center for the upcoming Communist Party of China Congress.
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/world/T121103002210.htm
China’s Bo Xilai expelled from Communist Party
Disgraced Chinese politician Bo Xilai has been formally expelled from the ruling Communist party, state media said Sunday, in a decision made at a meeting of top party officials that ended just days ahead of a broader once- a-decade power handover
http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20121104-381358.html http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/1235218/1/.html
2 NOVEMBER 2012
Speculation mounts over China’s new leaders
Hong Kong-based Mirror Books website, which has accurately predicted China’s incoming leaders in the past, said it believed the new line-up would be dominated by party conservatives unlikely to make major reforms. The South China Morning Post newspaper made the same prediction on Friday, citing sources close to the inner workings of the power transition.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/1234959/1/.html
Hu Jintao : still commander in chief
The sun may be setting on Hu Jintao’s reign as the leader of Communist Party, but his career as commander-in-chief still has legs.
http://thediplomat.com/flashpoints-blog/2012/11/02/hu-jintao-still-commander-in-chief/?goback=%2Egde_3681308_member_181638567
1 NOVEMBER 2012
China’s New Leaders Face Economic Challenges
It remains unclear what plans China’s new leaders have for the state-owned enterprises, but the stakes are high. Maintaining a stable economy is a key reason why Chinese remain willing to accept the party’s continued monopoly on political power.
http://www.voanews.com/content/chinas-new-leaders-face-economic-challenges/1537322.html
26 OCTOBER 2012
Bo Xilai formally placed under investigation
Bo Xilai, the disgraced Chinese politician, has been formally placed under investigation « for alleged criminal offences », after he was stripped of his legal immunity and expelled from the country’s parliament. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/9637320/Bo-Xilai-formally-placed-under-investigation.html
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2012/10/201210264539475684.html
NYT report: China leader Wen Jiabao’s family has amassed billions in assets since ’98
The family of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, a leader known for his humble roots and compassion for ordinary Chinese, has accumulated massive wealth during his time in power, the New York Times reported on Friday.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/26/business/global/family-of-wen-jiabao-holds-a-hidden-fortune-in-china.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1
http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/26/14713898-nyt-report-china-leader-wen-jiabaos-family-has-amassed-billions-in-assets-since-98?lite#__utma=238145375.1358836827.1333475157.1351196354.1351290085.194&__utmb=238145375.1.10.1351290085&__utmc=238145375&__utmx=-&__utmz=238145375.1350751488.187.6.utmcsr=asiaobserver.org|utmccn=(referral)|utmcmd=referral|utmcct=/category/china-hongkong-taiwan/china/china-territorial-claims&__utmv=238145375.|8=Earned%20By=msnbc%7Cworld%20news%7Casia-pacific=1^12=Landing%20Content=Mixed=1^13=Landing%20Hostname=www.msnbc.msn.com=1^30=Visit%20Type%20to%20Content=Earned%20to%20Mixed=1&__utmk=266488141
25 OCTOBER 2012
China names new military chief of staff
China has appointed a new army chief of staff and other top officers in the run-up to next month’s national leadership transition, amid efforts to further professionalize the world’s largest standing military and ensure its loyalty to the ruling Communist Part
http://asiancorrespondent.com/91187/china-names-new-military-chief-of-staff-officers/
23 OCTOBER 2012
China announces major reshuffle of People’s Liberation Army
China reshuffled its top military ranks on Tuesday, weeks before a once-in-a-decade generational leadership change which sources said would see the outgoing air force commander promoted to vice-chairman of the military’s top decision-making body
http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20121023-379341.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/9627671/China-announces-major-reshuffle-of-Peoples-Liberation-Army.html
22 OCTOBER 2012
China open letter opposes Bo Xilai parliament expulsion
A group of Chinese leftists have written an open letter asking parliament not to expel disgraced Communist party official Bo Xilai.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-20024880
20 OCTOBER 2012
How to get to the top of China’s Communist Party
China’s Communist Party is about to unveil the country’s next generation of leaders. Almost all will be career politicians who have risen through the ranks. But what are the secrets of success in one of the world’s most rigid authoritarian systems?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19876372
28 SEPTEMBER 2012
Bo Xilai case: sex, bribes and murder – China throws the book at former hero
China’s ruling Communist Party accused disgraced politician Bo Xilai of abusing power, taking huge bribes and other crimes on Friday, sealing the fate of controversial leader whose fall shook a leadership succession due at a congress from Nov. 8
http://www.euronews.com/2012/09/28/top-chinese-politician-faces-corruption-trial/ http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20120928-374380.html http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19755035
24 SEPTEMBER 2012
Police chief at heart of Bo Xilai, Wang Lijun, scandal jailed for 15 years
The former Chinese police chief who attempted to defect to the U.S. triggering one of China’s biggest political scandals has been jailed for 15 years.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/9562219/Neil-Heywood-murder-police-chief-was-collaborator-and-whistleblower.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/9562219/Neil-Heywood-murder-police-chief-was-collaborator-and-whistleblower.html
20 AUGUST 2012
The next Politburo – top future leaders to watch
Right now the Chinese political elite are jockeying for positions in anticipation of the once a decade leadership transition within the highest ranks of the Communist Party of China (CPC)
http://gbtimes.com/focus/politics/next-politburo-top-future-leaders-watch-0
18 SEPTEMBER 2012
Beijing faces protests dilemma
Large anti-Japanese street protests took place in dozens of Chinese cities over the weekend after Tokyo’s purchase of the disputed Diaoyu Islands (called Senkaku Islands in Japan) from their private Japanese owners in order to nationalize them. Japanese media described these as the largest scale anti-Japanese demonstrations since the two countries normalized their relations four decades ago http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/NI19Ad02.html
18 SEPTEMBER 2012
Court: Ex-police chief at center of China scandal admits he tried to defect to US
A former police chief at the center of China’s biggest political scandal in decades admitted attempting to defect to the United States, and did not contest charges of bribery and illegal surveillance at his trial on Tuesday, a court official said http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/18/13936147-court-ex-police-chief-at-center-of-china-scandal-admits-he-tried-to-defect-to-us?lite#__utma=238145375.1358836827.1333475157.1347900312.1347983763.162&__utmb=238145375.1.10.1347983763&__utmc=238145375&__utmx=-&__utmz=238145375.1343667468.113.5.utmcsr=google|utmccn=(organic)|utmcmd=organic|utmctr=(not%20provided)&__utmv=238145375.|8=Earned%20By=msnbc%7Cworld%20news%7Casia-pacific=1^12=Landing%20Content=Mixed=1^13=Landing%20Hostname=www.msnbc.msn.com=1^30=Visit%20Type%20to%20Content=Earned%20to%20Mixed=1&__utmk=256467272
15 SEPTEMBER 2012
China’s leader-in-waiting resurfaces after two week absence
China’s leader-in-waiting Xi Jinping has appeared in public for the first time in more than two weeks, visiting a Beijing university in an apparent effort to dispel rumours of serious illness and a troubled succession
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/9545180/Chinas-leader-in-waiting-resurfaces-after-two-week-absence.html
12 SEPTEMBER 2012
Personnel changes in China’s Politics and Law Committees
Recent personnel shifts in local- and provincial-level Politics and Law Committees (PLCs), the entities responsible for administering China’s legal system, have been attracting attention http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2012/09/12/personnel-changes-in-chinas-politics-and-law-committees/
10 SEPTEMBER 2012
Mystery over whereabouts of China’s leader-in-waiting Xi Jinping
Xi Jinping, 59, has not been seen in public since September 1, setting off rumours that he may be seriously ill or worse ahead of his unveiling at the Communist party’s 18th Congress
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/9533556/Mystery-over-whereabouts-of-Chinas-leader-in-waiting-Xi-Jinping.html
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/rumors-09102012103441.html
5 SEPTEMBER 2012
Wang Lijun, key figure in Bo Xilai scandal, charged in China
Chinese state media say a former police chief who revealed details of a major Communist Party scandal has been charged with attempted defection, abuse of power, and taking bribes http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/wang-lijun-key-figure-in-bo-xilai-scandal-charged-in-china/2012/09/05/73c3767e-f75d-11e1-8398-0327ab83ab91_story.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/9523208/Neil-Heywood-murder-Bo-Xilai-police-chief-charged-with-defection.
html http://www.france24.com/en/20120905-police-chief-charged-bribery-defecting-bo-xilai-wang-lijun-chongqing-chengdu-china-gu-scandal-heywood http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/wang-lijun-09052012152659.html
3 SEPTEMBER 2012
Top China official Ling Jihua in surprise demotion
A close ally of China’s president has been demoted, according to state media, in what is seen as a surprise move.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-19467312
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2012/09/20129423749192486.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/04/world/asia/after-ling-jihuas-demotion-news-of-sons-crash-in-ferrari.html?_r=1&ref=asia
2 SEPTEMBER 2012
China starts reshuffle ahead of leadership change
China’s ruling Communist Party has announced a reshuffle to a key post, state press said Sunday, a move widely seen as ushering in a once-a-decade leadership transition later this year.
http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20120902-369119.html
28 AUGUST 2012
Beijing lines up new leaders
Recent signs strongly indicate that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is ready to convene the national congress that will select the country’s top leaders for the next decade
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/NH29Ad01.html
21 AUGUST 2012
Politicking could get Bo Xilai off the hook
Backroom deals for much-desired positions in the fifth generation leadership could ease the punishment for suspended Politburo member Bo Xilai
http://gbtimes.com/focus/politics/politicking-could-get-bo-xilai-hook
20 AUGUST 2012
Bo Xilai scandal: Gu Kailai jailed over Heywood murder
The wife of disgraced Chinese politician Bo Xilai has been given a suspended death sentence for the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-19312232
With wife’s conviction, what is next for China’s Bo Xilai?
Murder conviction for the wife of Bo Xilai, once one of China’s most powerful men, may have brought to an end the investigation into the death of British businessman Neil Heywood but it left in question the fate of her husband, who is being pursued for party « disciplinary violations. »
http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/20/13371562-with-wifes-conviction-what-is-next-for-chinas-bo-xilai?lite
25 JULY 2012
Beijing installs acting mayor as city recovers from floods
Wang Anshun was appointed vice mayor and acting mayor of Beijing on Wednesday following a decision by the standing committee of Beijing’s Municipal People’s Congress. The local legislative body also accepted the resignation of Guo Jinlong as mayor of Beijing. Guo had only been named as head of Beijing’s Communist Party branch on July 3.
http://gbtimes.com/news/beijing-installs-acting-mayor-city-recovers-floods
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/9426121/Beijing-mayor-promoted-in-midst-of-flood-chaos.html
22 JULY 2012
Former Chinese propaganda chief Ding Guangen dies
Ding Guangen, a former chief of propaganda for the ruling Communist Party who oversaw party control of media and the arts in the 1990s, has died at age 83.
http://asiancorrespondent.com/86309/former-chinese-propaganda-chief-ding-guangen-dies/
4 JULY 2012
China’s top official urges resistance against Western forces
China’s top security official has urged the ruling Communist Party to resist Western « attacks » on the country’s political and legal systems, in comments timed ahead of a 10-yearly leadership change. Zhou Yongkang, who is ranked ninth in the party hierarchy and reputedly one of the most hardline, said the Communist Party must repel the « mistaken views » of Western political theorists http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/1211705/1/.html
Hu Jintao’s ally promoted to key Beijing party secretary post
The Chinese capital has a new Communist Party boss, Guo Jinlong, whose appointment makes him one of the first to be assured of a seat in the powerful Politburo at the party’s major leadership transition later this year. http://www.asianewsnet.net/home/news.php?id=32868&sec=1
29 JUNE 2012
China’s incoming president Xi Jinping’s family ‘has wealth of hundreds of millions’
The family of China’s next president has amassed a fortune running into hundreds of millions of pounds, according to a hugely damaging new report.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/9365099/Chinas-incoming-president-Xi-Jinpings-family-has-wealth-of-hundreds-of-millions.
htmlhttp://www.asianews.it/news-en/Xi-Jinping’s-family-is-into-rare-earths,-real-estate-and-public-contracts-for-a-billion-dollars-25173.html
18 JUNE 2012
Top chief says Bo Xilai scandal ‘damaged’ China’s image
The new leader of China’s city of Chongqing has said that the Bo Xilai scandal « gravely damaged » the image of the country and the Communist Party. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-18483210
16 JUNE 2012
China sends its first woman into space
China has launched its first female space traveller aboard a rocket that blasted off from the Gobi Desert on one of the country’s most ambitious space missions yet.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2012/06/2012616104437633910.html http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18458544
25 MAY 2012
Wang Yang: The Future Torchbearer of Reform?
With the 18th Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Congress a mere six months or so away, the identity of senior cadres who will make the Politburo Standing Committee (PBSC) has pretty much been settled. Apart from Vice President Xi Jinping and Executive Vice Premier Li Keqiang—who are deemed shoo-ins for the posts of general secretary and premier, respectively—seven of the following eight current ordinary Politburo members are tipped for elevation to the inner sanctum of power: Vice Premiers Wang Qishan and Zhang Dejiang; Director of the Organization Department Li Yuanchao; the Guangdong, Tianjin and Shanghai Party Secretaries, respectively, Wang Yang, Zhang Gaoli and Yu Zhengsheng; Director of the Propaganda Department Liu Yushan; and State Councilor Liu Yandong Of these ten cadres, Wang Yang, age 57, is the only one who the past few years has consistently spoken out in favor of reform—including some degree of political liberalization
http://www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=39421&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=381&cHash=29f969b80549d96e4ef6ced4e9e3d2a5
16 MAY 2012
16 Retired Chinese Aides Call for 2 Top Officials to Quit
In a rare sign of open opposition against two of China’s most powerful leaders, a group of retired Communist Party members have called for the resignation of the country’s security boss, Zhou Yongkang, and a top propaganda official, Liu Yunshan
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/17/world/asia/retired-communist-party-members-call-for-2-top-chinese-officials-to-resign.html?_r=1&ref=asia http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-18091298
14 MAY 2012
Chen Guangcheng and Beijing’s failure to reform
Individuals activists are not China’s real challenge, social stability and keeping the Communist Party in power are. Chinese leaders run the risk however of losing control of the huge, expensive and ever-expanding security apparatus they are building. As illustrated by the Bo Xilai case, this could lead to unexpected and disastrous consequences. Here is the analysis of one of the foremost experts of modern China
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Chen-Guangcheng-and-Beijing’s-failure-to-reform-24747.html
5 MAY 2012
Hu’s sixth-generation proteges play it safe
Apart from pulling out all the stops to ensure that more of his Communist Youth League (CYL) faction affiliates from the Fifth Generation – a reference to cadres born in the 1950s – will be inducted into the Politburo Standing Committee (PBSC) at the 18th Party Congress this autumn, the supremo is boosting the political standing of a few key members of the Sixth Generation leadership
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/NE05Ad02.html
20 APRIL 2012
Bo fallout threatens China’s security chief
Mr Zhou Yongkang, one of the nine members of the Communist party Politburo standing committee that rules over the world’s most populous nation, was Mr Bo’s closest ally and argued strongly against excising him from the party, according to people familiar with the matter
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/f978ce9c-8ae6-11e1-b855-00144feab49a.html#axzz1shMqhIxe
12 APRIL 2012
Zhou Yongkang Next « Target » in Bo Xilai Saga: Report
Was China’s security chief Zhou Yongkang planning a conspiracy to overthrow Chinese leader-to-be Xi Jinping, and install disgraced Party official Bo Xilai in his place? That is what a new report is claiming
http://english.ntdtv.com/ntdtv_en/news_china/2012-04-12/zhou-yongkang-next-target-in-bo-xilai-saga-report-.html#video_section
10 APRIL 2012
Bo Xilai suspended from Communist Party politburo
Chinese politician Bo Xilai, once a rising star, has been stripped of his elite Communist Party post while his wife is being investigated for the murder of a British national, state media said. Xinhua first issued a short dispatch announcing Bo had been suspended from the party’s powerful 25-member Politburo and from the wider Central Committee, which consists of more than 300 top officials
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/1194324/1/.
htmlhttp://behindthewall.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/11/11141788-hollywood-style-drama-in-chinese-political-murder-mystery
Wife of Bo Xilai suspect over ‘murder’ of Briton
The wife of a disgraced Chinese politician once tipped as a future leader has been detained over the suspected murder of a British national
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17668376
6 APRIL 2012
Beijing Daily Rebukes Hu Jintao, as CCP Media Betrays Evidence of Power Struggle
It is now widely acknowledged among Chinese and Western observers that a struggle is raging over the future of the Chinese Communist Party. Ever since the high profile expulsion of leading Party figure Bo Xilai on March 15th, it’s been clear that at least two factions have been vying for prominence. The latest example of this rift comes in Beijing, where the Party’s official Beijing Daily newspaper posted an outright attack on Party Chairman Hu Jintao this week
http://english.ntdtv.com/ntdtv_en/news_china/2012-04-06/Beijing-Daily-Rebukes-Hu-Jintao-as-CCP-Media-Betrays-Evidence-of-Power-Struggle.html#video_section
27 MARCH 2012
Crisis closes in on China’s inner circle
Zhou Yongkang, a member of China’s ruling Politburo Standing Committee (PSC) and head of the country’s 1.5 million-strong police force, is the latest and most senior leader to fall in the battle for control of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) if rumors of his downfall have any substance. It was certainly a fall foretold
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/NC27Ad04.html
http://english.ntdtv.com/ntdtv_en/news_china/2012-03-22/china-s-state-media-report-hints-at-trouble-for-zhou-yongkang.html#video_section
http://english.ntdtv.com/ntdtv_en/news_china/2012-03-23/china-says-will-end-organ-harvesting-of-prison-inmates.html#video_section
21 MARCH 2012
Bo Xilai’s downfall a blow for China’s leftists
Their spiritual godfather Bo Xilai has fallen from favour, their websites blocked and some microblog accounts have even been unplugged
http://www.asianewsnet.net/home/news.php?id=28819&sec=1
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-china-maoists-20120320,0,7022815.story
15 MARCH 2012
Bo Xilai removed by China from Chongqing leader post
Bo Xilai, once seen as one of the rising stars of Chinese politics, has been removed from his prominent provincial post after a scandal involving one of his key deputies
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2012/03/201231575116285496.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-17377445
14 MARCH 2012
China’s Wen Jiabao says ‘reforms urgent’
China’s Premier Wen Jiabao has delivered a strong warning about the »urgent » need for reforms, without which, he said, tragedies such as the Cultural Revolution could still happen http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-17362644 http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2012/03/20123145268387804.html
2 MARCH 2012
Bo Xilai and the rumors surrounding the Wang Lijun scandal
The Wang Lijun-Bo Xilai incident has been interpreted as one of the rare occasions that outsiders get a glimpse of the struggle for position and influence within the Communist Party of China (CPC)
http://radio86.com/focus/bo-xilai-and-rumors-surrounding-wang-lijun-scandal
17 FEBRUARY 2012
Manned mission to test docking of spacecraft
China plans to send three astronauts into space sometime between June and August this year to further test technology to be used in rendezvous and docking missions, a spokesman for China’s manned space program said on Friday
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2012-02/18/content_14637546.htm
15 FEBRUARY 2012
China launches propaganda drive against « extremism » in far west
China launched a propaganda campaign against illegal religious activities and ‘religious extremism’ in the restive far western region of Xinjiang on Wednesday, state media said http://news.monstersandcritics.com/asiapacific/news/article_1691268.php/China-launches-propaganda-drive-against-extremism-in-far-west
9 FEBRUARY 2012
China’s liberals keep the flame alive
China seems to have entered deep winter as far as political reform and human rights are concerned. While the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership seems to have pulled out all the stops to stifle dissent, intellectuals both inside and outside the party still are pushing the ideal of liberalization http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/NB10Ad01.html
4 JANUARY 2012
China pushes minimum wage rises
Two of China’s leading cities are raising their minimum wages despite the prospect of slower economic growth this year, a move that owners of smaller businesses warn could result in widespread closures given the sharp fall in demand from western economies
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/847b0990-36a2-11e1-9ca3-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1iWVTrgSL
30 DECEMBER 2011
Two Chinese bishop martyrs recognised as ‘Illustrious Unknown’ for 2011
Mgr James Su Zhimin, 80, has done 40 years in prison; Mgr Cosma Shi Enxiang, 90, has spent 50 years. No one talks about them whilst the Chinese government says it “does not know where they are”. Many fear they might die under torture as other bishops have done before. The Vatican should demand their release as a condition for dialogue. A campaign is launched on their behalf in 2012
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Two-Chinese-bishop-martyrs-recognised-as-‘Illustrious-Unknown’-for-2011-23568.html
Former Insider Indicted in Chinese Corruption Scandal
A former fugitive accused by the Chinese authorities of being responsible for one of the nation’s biggest corruption scandals was indicted on Friday after he was said to confess to bribery and smuggling, according to state news organization
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/31/world/asia/lai-changxing-indicted-in-china.html?_r=1&ref=asia
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45825335/ns/world_news-asia_pacific/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-16366774
29 DECEMBER 2011
China push to put astronaut on the moon
While Chinese scientists have previously discussed the possibility of a manned lunar mission, a government white paper published on Thursday is the first public government document to enshrine it as a policy goal
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/313ff212-321b-11e1-9be2-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1hxkKsKJP
26 DECEMBER 2011
Bio-data proposal for foreign visitors
Foreign visitors may be fingerprinted under draft legislative proposals being considered by the top legislature on Monday 26. The draft law on entry and exit procedures, for the first time, allows the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to put in place a system to gather biological identification data, such as fingerprints, on foreign visitors
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2011-12/27/content_14331942.htm
20 DECEMBER 2011
Minister of (smaller) foreign affairs
China’s influence in international politics is increasing, but who is actually in charge of Chinese Foreign Policy. Here’s a hint: it’s not the foreign minister.
http://en.radio86.com/china-past-and-present/government-and-country/minister-smaller-foreign-affairs
5 NOVEMBER 2011
Elections in China: Authorities cite non-existent laws to exclude « uncomfortable » candidates
There are lots of independent candidates. The circumvent censorship by campaigning on the Internet. The authorities « invent » non-existent
laws to exclude them from election. But some people make it through
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Elections-in-China:-Authorities-cite-non-existent-laws-to-exclude-uncomfortable-candidates-23098.html
1 JULY 2011
The Chinese Communist Party’s 90th Birthday
http://behindthewall.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/07/01/6990753-communist-party-embraces-90th-birthday-but-not-all-chinese-do
http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/07/01/6990568-chinas-communist-party-adaptation-survival
9 JUNE 2011
China’s Maoists, liberals clash
The ideological fights do not just point to a party struggling for consensus, but could be a signpost for major upheavals ahead, an observer
http://www.asianewsnet.net/home/news.php?id=19344&sec=1
7 JUNE 2011
Green motives in Inner Mongolian unrest
Unrest that erupted last week in Inner Mongolia, a Chinese autonomous region, has once again drawn attention to Beijing’s ethnic Western media are describing it as « ethnic unrest fueled by resentment over Chinese rule », but there are important differences with the 2008 riots in Tibet and a year later in Xinjiang. These demonstrations are better compared to the « mass incidents » that are common in China
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/MF08Ad01.html
28 APRIL 2011
Census shows China population growth slowing
China’s population has increased to 1.34 billion but more people are ageing, a development experts say will likely spur calls for one-child » policy to be relaxed. Census data gathered in 2010 and released on Thursday showed the population in the world’s second biggest economy grew by 5.84 percent from the 1.27 billion in the last census in 2000.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2011/04/201142852019929352.html
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2011-04/28/content_12415526.htm
28 MARCH 2011
China ‘to overtake US on science’ in two years
That is the conclusion of a major new study by the Royal Society, the UK’s national science academy. An analysis of published research – one of the key measures of scientific effort – reveals an « especially striking » rise by Chinese science
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12885271
5 MARCH 2011
China to spread benefits, curb inflation, boost demand
China will spread the benefits of economic growth and tackle inflation, the country’s Premier Wen Jiabao (pictured) said Saturday in his annual address to parliament, hinting that China is worried about risks of unrest stemming from wage gaps.
http://www.france24.com/en/20110305-china-says-it-will-curb-inflation-boost-demand-economic-growth-wen-jiabao
Premier Wen Jiabao acknowledged « great resentment » in China over growing income disparity, corruption and other problems, and vowed his government would work harder to meet public demands
http://www.citizen.co.za/citizen/content/en/citizen/world-news?oid=177241&sn=Detail&pid=333&China-s-Wen-pledges-to-address–great-resentment-
23 AUGUST 2010
China reviews law on death penalty
A draft amendment to the country’s criminal code proposes cutting 13 « economy-related, non-violent offenses » from the list of 68 crimes punishable by the death penalty.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2010/08/20108236424976275.html
22 AUGUST 2010
Who are members of the Communist Party of China
The CPC has 78 million members. Who are they ?
http://english.cpc.people.com.cn/66102/7045277.html
5 JULY 2010
China’s population set to reach 1.4 billion by 2015
China’s population is projected to reach 1.4 billion by the end of 2015, when the urban population will become the majority for the first time, officials said. Li Bin, director of the National Population and Family Planning Commission, said the population on the mainland will reach 1.39
billion by the end of 2015, among which as many as 700 million people will be living in urban areas .
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2010census/2010-07/05/content_11178513.htm
31 MAY, 2010
China bans evidence from torture
Evidence obtained under torture cannot be used in China’s courts, the government has said, weeks after a convicted murderer was
set free because his victim turned out to be alive.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/asia_pacific/10198592.stm
6 MAY 2010
China’s Cabinet approves education reform plan
A meeting of the State Council, or China’s Cabinet, approved the final version of the Medium and Long-term National Educational
Reform and Development Plan (2010-2020) on Wednesday, said a statement issued by the State Council on Thursday.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2010-05/06/content_9819158.htm
24 APRIL 2010
Party steps up anti-graft fight
The new regulation requires leading officials at all levels to report any change of spouse and the whereabouts of their spouses and children if they have moved abroad, as well as the personal income, housing and investments of their family members.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2010-04/24/content_9769692.htm
25 FEBRUARY 2010
Charter 08 and China’s troubled liberalism
By Feng Chongyi
The publication of Charter 08 in China at the end of 2008 was a major event generating headlines all over the world. It was widely recognized as the Chinese human-rights manifesto and a landmark document in China’s quest for democracy. However, if Charter 08 was a clarion call for the
new march to democracy in China, its political impact has been disappointing. Its primary drafter Liu Xiaobo, after being kept in police custody over one year, was sentenced on Christmas Day of 2009 to 11 years in prison for the « the crime of inciting subversion of state power », nor has the
Chinese communist party-state taken a single step toward democratization or improving human rights during the year. This article offers a preliminary assessment of Charter 08, with special attention to its connection with liberal forces in China.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/LB26Ad01.html
10 FEBRUARY 2010
China courts ‘to limit executions’
China’s top court has urged judges across the country to limit the use of the death penalty against convicted individuals. According to the official Xinhua news agency, guidelines have been sent out to courts across the country saying the penalty should only be handed to a « tiny minority »
of the most serious cases with sufficient evidence
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2010/02/2010210959496675.html
1 OCTOBER 2009
China Celebrates 60 Years of Communism
China’s leaders marked the 60th anniversary of Communist Party rule on Thursday with a precision display of military bravado and a confident prediction by President Hu Jintao that “infinitely bright prospects” lie ahead for the world’s most populous nation
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/02/world/asia/02china.html?_r=1&ref=global-home
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-10/01/content_12160199.htm
http://www.france24.com/en/20091001-china-gala-military-parade-spectacle-marks-60-anniversary-celebrations-communist
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8284087.stm
25 APRIL 2009
Ten years ago, Falungong demonstrated in Beijing
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/KD25Ad01.html
31 MARCH 2009
Chinese Nuclear Tests Allegedly Cause 750,000 Deaths
On March 18, Japanese professor Takada Jun revealed at a nuclear forum that the Chinese regime carried out 46 surface nuclear tests
from 1964 to 1996, causing 750,000 civilian deaths in surrounding areas.
At the « Chinese Nuclear Test Disasters on the Silk Road and the Japanese Role » symposium, sponsored by the Japanese Uyghur Association, Dr. Takada Jun, a professor at the Sapporo Medical University and a representative of the Japanese Radiation Protection Information Center, revealed the disastrous problems of China’s nuclear tests. Dr. Takada said that the Chinese regime has never allowed any form of independent or outside environmental evaluation, analysis, or study of adverse affects on human health possibly cause by the tests.
Dr. Takada said that the 46 nuclear tests were carried out at the Lop Nur site in northwestern XinJiang Province, home of the Uyghur people. The tests had a cumulative yield of over 200 megatons. Though the area, of the tests is sparsely populated, many cities on the ancient Silk Road trade
route are downwind from Lop Nor and have been exposed to much nuclear fallout from the variety of tests conducted. Prior to 1981, the fallout from surface tests was a major contributor to an increase in the incidences of cancer and birth defects.
The professor also said that the largest surface detonation was a 4 megaton thermonuclear bomb, which was 10 times more powerful
than the former Soviet Union’s large-scale tests. The fallout from the test allegedly caused an estimated 190,000 deaths and 1,290,000 suffered from radiation poisoning within an area 136 times the size of Tokyo. According to an inside source, 750,000 people allegedly died as a result.
Chinese nuclear tests began on Oct. 16, 1964, with the above ground detonation of a 20,000-ton bomb, followed by a two-megaton surface
explosions in 1967. The largest was a four-megaton explosion on Nov. 17, 1976. China changed to doing atmospheric tests in 1980 and underground tests from 1982 to 1996. Takada said China is the only country in the world that carries out these large-scale surface tests in living areas.
The Director of the Japanese Uyghur Association criticized the tests. « The former Soviet Union would carry out nuclear tests in an enclosed barb-wired area, but the Chinese regime didn’t even inform the local residents,” he said. “The victims included not only the Uyghur people, but also Han Chinese. The authorities disregarded any semblance of humanity and treated the people living there as lab rats. » He urged Japan, the first victim of nuclear weapons, to share the information with the rest of the world and help the victims.
In July and August of 1998, the British Channel 4 broadcasted a special documentary, “Death On the Silk Road.” A team of doctors and filmmakers posed as tourists in order to assess the possible effects from the nuclear tests in China. From the interviews conducted in local villages, they found a large number of infants with cleft lips or mental retardation. Among the Uyghur people, many were suffering from malignant lymphoid leukemia. Incidences of cancer in Uyghur began rising in 1970 and by 1990, it was more than 30% higher than the national average. The cancer incidence in the capital city Urumqi doubled that of other areas during 1993 to 2000.
19 MARCH 2009
Charter 08, a plea for human rights in China
In last December, a group of 303 Chinese citizens signed ‘Charter 08’, a declaration to mark the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In it they call on the government of China to transform the country’s authoritarian and corrupt regime along democratic lines, respectful of human rights, including religious freedom
Below is the full text of the charter
http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=14313&dos=126&size=A
Below are more articles on this topic
http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&dos=126&size=A